The Unwanted Wendigo [ManxMan]

Chapter Thirty-nine: The Good Man

[WARNING: The usual wendigo eating stuff, plus discussion of terminal illness.]

~Chapter Thirty-nine: The Good Man~

True to what Jackson said, Ahanu 'procures' someone for me within a few days, and my sire warned me of their impending arrival this morning. However, though I am so very hungry, I still hate the idea of eating whoever it is they found for me. Of course, I know that the moment I smell the human, my hesitance will likely lessen, whether the person deserves to be eaten or not, but I am still in control of my instincts now, and I am not happy about this at all.

However, though I have yet to actually accept the idea of eating whoever Ahanu picked up, it does not seem like they plan on letting me make that decision this time. And, I mean, I was kind of expecting Jackson, as the responsible and caring sire he is, to force the issue eventually, but ever since I learned of their theory about Henry, Jackson has been especially insistent that I eat, and now that Ahanu actually found someone for me...

Well, doesn't seem like they're going to take a 'no' this time.

And that is how I find myself being dragged to a room covered in plastic tarps with a human anxiously sitting in the middle of the room. Of course, I could just be here to watch Jackson feed for some weird lesson on eating manners or whatever, but honestly, I am not stupid enough to believe that. I mean, I can hope that that is the case, but the truth is pretty clear.

Halfheartedly trying to back out of the room unsurprisingly gets me nowhere, as Jackson's hand on my upper arm stops me. When I glare at him, as that is really the only thing I can do with my sire in the room and Ahanu waiting outside the door, Jackson stares right back. "I'm not letting you starve yourself anymore, Lancelot."

"Hunger strikes are a thing, you know," I counter, but ultimately look away, though I steadfastly avoid looking at the unlucky human in the middle of the room. It is pretty clear that I am not going to win this argument and that Jackson is not just going to let me walk away from this room without first bending to his will, but even token resistance is better than none at all. After all, the fact that it is becoming easier and easier to pick my battles - which is to say, I have not been picking very many at all - over the last few days is worrying enough; there is no need to give him any ideas that I am an obedient hound.

My token resistance wavers, however, when my hunger-heightened sense of smell picks up the human's scent. Against my will, my eyes flicker over to the seated human, but I recover fast enough that it is barely more than a glance. Still, a quick look at Jackson's face reveals that he is feeling particularly smug at the moment, so I try to overpower my nagging hunger with all the frustration I want to direct at my sire. It does not work, as my stomach only cramps painful enough to make me hunch over slightly, but it makes me feel a little better.

Emotionally, anyway.

With a quiet sigh, I grudgingly look at the human, knowing that Jackson is only going to offer this until he has to force it. Still, I do not attempt to get this over with just yet, and I instead take a moment to study them because I am admittedly a little curious how this particular human ended up here. My guess is that he lacks any sort of close family or friends that might notice him missing, making him an easy target, but, for all I know, Ahanu likes to take humans that others care about for the sake of tormenting people, and this guy could have loads of people waiting for him back home that will never see him again. Every wendigo has their way of showing off their sadistic nature, after all, and just because I like torturing and gnawing on the world's nastiest, that does not mean that the other wendigo have the same taste in meals.

But...this guy is waaaay too calm for someone who just got kidnapped.

I mean, he is definitely anxious about this, as he fidgets a lot, but he does not seem distressed, as there is a distinct lack of pleading. And neither Jackson nor Ahanu even attempted to tie him up, as he seems completely free of any bindings. In fact, as he is, he easily could have escaped out of the room's window, which is unlocked, while Jackson was getting me since Ahanu was not in the room when we arrived. So, either he is under some sort of compulsion - something that I am pretty sure cannot effect humans, just wendigo - or he was stupid enough to fall for whatever trick Ahanu pulled without questioning why he is sitting in the middle of an unfurnished room covered in plastic tarps.