Queen Of The Ventils

XVII

I awoke, cocooned in some downy prison of sorts. Panicking, I tore my way out, claw-like nails shredding the cloth with ease. It took awhile, as my restraints were thick and fluffy. Like a certain human food. What was it called...ah, yes, flapjacks. Something I remembered eating before, though my memories were fuzzy.

 I turned my attention back to the chains holding me down. They weren't exactly chains, though. More like thick sheets of fluffy substance that were smothering my whole body. I kept hacking away at the substance, eating through them like a flame through dry wood. Needless to say, I emerged victorious and vanquished the things. I believe the humans call them blankets.

Once I was out and nothing was prohibiting my senses any longer, I scoured the chamber I was in. It was a room, with a large rectangular box with my restraints, now pathetic ribbons, lying on top. I must admit, the box was comfortable and squishy to lay upon.

Comfort is not a priority right now, I reminded myself. Feeding myself is. I examined the room again. Another box, this one tall and upright, with rings on it. When I pulled on them, the doors engraved in it swung open towards me. I hit the floor, preparing to duck any enemy that might emerge from the chamber. When I looked and saw it was full of garments of clothing, I sighed to myself. 

Really, Insanity, you can do better than this, I reprimanded myself. I shut the door and went back to exploring. The room had an exit, which I presumed was locked. I wanted to escape immediately, but my curiosity got the better of me, so I stayed around a bit longer. I crept around a desk, which was a large wooden box with many cabinets and drawers, when I came upon a figure that looked just like me.

I froze, and the woman in front of me froze as well. I growled, and she copied my movements with great precision. I charged, running at her full speed. She charged as well, and just as we were about to collide I ran into a transparent wall headfirst. Rubbing the spot that had been hit and cursing under my breath, I stood, the shadowy figure mimicking my movements perfectly. I stared at her, cocking my head to the side. Perfectly in sync, she bobbed her head to the side as well. I put a hand to the surface I ran into and she put her hand to mine. I laughed as realization donned on me.

It's a mirror, I whispered to myself. In my own language, not the odd and garbled tongue of the humans. It felt good to be speaking in the Olden Tongue, not the human's native English. It was then I noticed a small, black choker delicately wrapped around my neck. I faintly remembered it doing something, but no matter how hard I tried I couldn't think of why.

I tried to summon a small bit of magic to test my powers, but nothing came of it. I concentrated until my eyes crossed and my head hurt, but nothing. Not even a puff of smoke. It's probably just this human form prohibiting my magic, I thought, dismissing any further worry about it.

I walked over to the doors, my search of the room completed. I tried the door handle and it swung open with a creak. I flinched, expecting some person to come flying out of nowhere and attack, but nothing came. I crossed the hall and put my human ears up to the door across from me. I could faintly hear the breathing of a human. Curse these human ears, I thought. I will be much more successful when my true powers have been restored.

I contemplated adding a few extra fear factors to my hunt; claw marks, scratching noises, growls, etc. It made prey nice and tenderized. But, eventually, I decided against it. This human was clever enough to subdue me, so I would need to be careful. Cautiously, I opened the door to the room, and found a sleeping male on another squishy rectangle covered in blankets. The gentle and slow rising and falling of his chest told me he was asleep. Perfect. He won't be able to scream, I thought, grinning.

I crept closer, and as I swept up beside him I finally got a good look at him. He was pretty tall, with long dark hair that almost touched his shoulders and skin like coffee. He looked very peaceful and something about him made me hesitate. Is he my friend, I asked, turning to my memories. I could distantly remember somebody that looked like him, dancing through my foggy mind. I also recalled other humans, but this one really stood out. Was he family? Did he mean something to me?