Some Wings Must Bleed

Chapter 7 - Arguments Subside

I walked silently down the hall, only the noise of my heels and Kurapika's footsteps to be heard. He wasn't too far behind me when he spoke up. "...An arranged marriage?"

I stopped in front of my door, my hand grazing the doorknob. "You heard my father. He gave me to Kenta."

"But you aren't a prize to be given away."

"You're right. I'm a liability that needs to be disposed of."

"(Y/n)-"

"It's okay, Kurapika. Im sorry for earlier. I'm going to sleep. Rest well, you'll need your strength." I Interrupted, entering my room and closing the door quietly behind me.

He doesn't know how this clan works.

Everything would be different if you could transform like everyone else, (y/n).

I refused to shed any tears at the words that were exchanged that day, although the hours did feel long and emotionally draining. I closed my eyes tightly and focused my energy, putting all the strength I had left into trying to transform into something. Anything.

What animal? A fish? No, there's no water... A wolf? You howled to them just earlier today, why not?

With the vivid image of a wolf in my mind, I tried as hard as I could to transform. The next time my eyes opened, there were only two things different about me. One, my human ears were replaced my wolf ears, and two, I felt like shit.

Damnit. Now you just look like a furry.

I held my stomach with one hand and coughed into the other, looking to my hand and seeing the familiar sight of my blood stained across my palm. Ignoring it and closing my eyes once again, I focused my energy into my new ears, beginning to hear things from all over the house. I smiled in satisfaction as I realized I could at least do a fraction of the strong abilities my family had perfected.

It sounded like water was running in Kurapika's room, so if he was talking to himself I probably wouldn't be able to make it out. My dad was bidding Kenta farewell from downstairs, and down in the kitchen the workers were chatting about something lowly, indicating it was probably gossip.

Content with my work, I allowed my wolf ears to retreat back and my normal ones to return.

Hey, I didn't even cough that much that time! I must be getting better at this!

Getting into my nightgown and climbing into my bed, I silently hoped that Kenta had no true desire to follow me out into the real world.

What a disaster that would be...

. . .

My eyes slowly opened the next morning, a mellow autumn breeze sweeping through my room and tickling my nose. I rose from my bed, walking to my vanity and beginning to brush my hair. I stretched my hands out, whining at the satisfying sensation before approaching my closet.