A Crown of Thorns

Chapter Nine - My fluffy beast

His hand lingered a moment too long on my ankle, his touch repulsed me as I kicked my leg back and took a step away from the man who released me from the heavy chains. I wanted to scream at him, to curse him for simply being a male and being alive and yet a dark corner of my heart was relieved to finally be free of the silver that continued to burn me with each passing day.

I tore my eyes away from him and glanced down at my newly freed ankle, the flesh was torn and ruined with the silver chains digging deeper within my skin with each passing year that I continued to grow. It once fit me at the age of five where I could freely maneuver my leg with space to spare but as the years passed on that space grew narrow until it eventually bit ad tore into my flesh down to the bone.

“That doesn’t look good,” Seiya mumbled as she shrunk down on her knees and balanced her weight on the balls of her feet.

I stared at her in confusion as she peered closer to my leg, it was surely an unwelcoming sight. Blood pooled on the soles of my feet as the release of the silver binds aggravated the perpetual wound. The torn flesh peered down to the bone, allowing Seiya to assess the nerve and muscle damage it had caused. I stared at her in confusion, wondering why this woman before me seemed to care so much for the creature she allowed into her home.

I nervously chewed on the inside of my cheek as she reached her hand out before her as if to touch my leg, I started to hiss dejectedly at her before she caught herself and glanced up at me.

“Would it be okay if I took a closer look at your wounds,” she asked, her tone gentle as if she were comforting a child.

I gritted my teeth in defiance as I glared at her, contemplating her words.

“I want to help you,” she said, before continuing, “both you and your baby,” she nodded toward the infant in my arms.

“No!” I shouted, finally finding my voice as I clenched her frail body to my chest. The motion startled the infant as she fully awoke from her slumber and began to shriek in defiance.

“Stop!” I shouted as I shook the infant in frustration, desperate for the sounds to stop.

They will take you away if you’re loud! I thought fearfully as her head violently lopped from side to side.

“Oh my god!” Seiya shrieked, horrified at the abuse the infant suffered.

“What?” I shouted surprised as Seiya leapt to her feet and ripped the infant from my arms.

“No!” I protested as she stole the child away and turned her back on me.

Seiya placed the child on her shoulder with its small head resting on her collarbone, she grabbed a fleece blanket from a nearby couch and wrapped it around the infant's naked body while gently rocking her and shushing the screaming infant. My eyes burned as the fiery built within me, my body grew hot as I bawled my hands into tight fists, and stretched my consciousness outwards, accessing the wolf and his flames.

What? I thought, startled as I sensed my wolf close by.

I glanced around distractedly as I sought after the wolf who I seamlessly imprinted on, his massive size was a comfort, with fluffy ears that I yearned to touch. I turned on my heels, momentarily forgetting my infant. I expected to see a massive wolf sitting patiently in the corner of the room with its snow-covered tail slapping into the hardwood floor in anticipation and yet all I saw was the man before me with brilliant gray eyes.

Ugh, I spat as I turned my back on him and refocused my attention back on Seiya.

“Ari-“ Seiya began to say as she shifted her body weight and turned to face the man.

“Rius!” he shouted, cutting her off before she could speak further. “My name is Rius!” he said firmly as he approached us impatiently as he glared at Seiya.

“Well, Rius,” Seiya snapped, annoyed at his reaction, “get some salve and bandages, I may also need a scalpel and antiseptic to cut away the dead flesh,” Seiya stated as she nodded toward my injured leg.

“Don’t touch me,” I warned as I glared at Rius.

I backed away from the two while keeping my eyes on my child who chose to finally settle down and fall asleep with her cheek blissfully pressed into Seiya’s shoulder. Her lips formed into a small ‘O’ shape as she drooled on Seiya, she appeared to be a truly enchanting creature at that moment despite being born ugly and wrinkled. Her fine silver hair formed thick curly on her head as she curled her chubby hands into tight fists, grasping Seiya’s fluffy blonde hair and refusing to release it while she slept on the woman.

Traitor! I hissed dejectedly as I backed away and reached for the wall behind me.

My back felt warm as hot embers licked at my already wounded ankle, I glanced behind me alarmed as my foot pressed into the border of a hole in the wall that housed a fiery fire. I stared wide-eyed at the housed fire, never seeing such a thing before in my life, it was both gorgeous and fearsome as it towered through a hole in the ceiling that was surrounded by red brick.

“Don’t get too close to the fireplace!” Rius shouted alarmed as he leapt forward, lightly grabbing my forearm and pulling me away before the fire could burn the soles of my feet.

“No!” I shouted as I pulled my arm away and turned to grab a pointed steel rod that lay pressed up against the wall.

I held the pointed rod before me as I held on to it with both hands, threatening to use it on the man before me, he seemed alarmed as he held his hands up in surrender.

“I’m sorry,” he said, “I was just afraid you would get burned,” he stated as he motioned towards the fire.

“Fire can’t hurt me!” I shouted uncertainly as I recalled the flame I had wielded. It was like the flame that burned within the room, only I had control over it, it didn’t burn my hand as I wielded it and I summoned it from my fluffy beast.

“It’s not the same as that,” Rius said, his voice within my mind.

I stared at him shocked as his voice seemed eerily like my fluffy beast.

“Fluffy?” I murmured as I dropped the pointed stick from shock.