I DON'T KNOW LOVE -- open, dream/development

//tw for vivid violence descriptions

The avian had just returned from a trip back to the Rift with weary, tired eyes and a soot-stained pelt that told the story of many hours in her forge, making weapons for gift baskets. She barely stopped by the main BlizzardClan island as she passed over, waving tiredly to an NPC as she winged over to the tundra island. Even though the winds bit at her with frigid teeth, and the landscape was somewhat bleak and desolate, she really didn't mind it. She had found the dug-out behind the shelter of a twisted and wind-scarred tree, taking off a satchel and bringing out some dry firewood and setting it ablaze. Night had just barely started to descend when she had arrived, and now twilight was setting in and making the world blur in shades of blue and grey and purple.

She huddled nearby, wincing as wounds that were just beginning to heal ached from her recent fight in the Rift. It wasn't with any of her clanmates, gods no, but with an attacker. She didn't know him, but he had tried to hurt her and the people she had grown to call friends - even if they didn't think the same, it made her confused. Why would you just hurt someone like that? Her temples throbbed with a memory best forgotten, and she lay her head on her talons with a sound akin to a whimper as she tried to massage the indentations in her skull to no avail. Noelani stared into the crackling orange flames, silently watching the wood pop and release sparks into the darkening sky. Despite the avian's best efforts, she felt her eyes start to droop closed, and when they shut, the memories surged forward like a pitch-dark wave.

---

Chains rattled with a hollow sound, the feeling of hard stone cold beneath her cheek. Her head throbbed with pain, splitting pain, and her tongue felt swollen with dehydration. For a moment, the avian was immersed in a blissful ignorance, unaware of her surroundings or her situation; it soon crashed down on her like a tidal wave, forceful enough to break her back and to make her drown. Gods, how did she get here? Where was home?

Home. The thought of that word made her flinch, talons pressed to her eyes in the darkness. She had to get home, but when - no, if she got home - she did, she would have to leave. Leave her home? No, that wasn't good. That was bad. Really, really bad. Where would she go? Nowhere. She could just run, and hope they didn't find her. That single phrase made her whimper, the pain again sparking on her back from the miniscule movements. The smell of charred flesh filled her nostrils, made her sightless eyes water. She could still feel the press of hot iron, the pain, oh gods the pain, the looks on his face. She needed to get out. Out, out, go home!

Noelani tried to sit up, but a rattling, low growl sparked from the shape in the corner - a warning. "Lay back down, pup." The shape snarled, the sound of talons, much larger than hers, scraping against the ground. That sound made her head ache, and she did as she was told. But now she was awake, and awake was dangerous. She was sure that he would hear her, the sound of her thoughts rushing and running like water, beating against the walls of her confines, the ideas that formed in her head, the one word that terrified her but also promised her freedom - Fire. She had to make fire. Moving slowly as not to rattle the chains and alert the shape, she held her talons before her face, wings extended shakily to obscure it from view. The endless darkness seemed to shrink back, become less alive as a spark glowed from the tips of her claws. Noelani turned to peek over her shoulder, terrified that the shape would get up and hurt her again - but it didn't. Was it sleeping? She hoped so. Again, she turned to her talons and willed forth more fire, put all of her hope into this little, tiny spark, desperation mixing with a shot of crazed courage. THe spark flickered, close to guttering out, but instead of dying it grew, and grew, casting light against the walls caked in blood; her own. "TURN THAT OFF!" The shape roared, scales slithering on stone as it stood, a snarl ripping from its throat as it grew closer and closer. Noelani shut her eyes, then whirled around, shoving the flame in the shape's face.

It revealed one that was startling in its familiarity, the same basic shape and nose, ears, eyes, and mouth. But instead of feathers, scales sprouted from skin and fur, and tusks jutted from their lower jaw, scars mottling their face. Noelani knew who they were, but she didn't think about that as she pressed the flame onto their face. The smell of burning skin worsened as they screamed, clawing at their face as scales and skin burned, rolling and eventually extinguishing it. But it had bought her enough time to start to melt through the shackles, pulling and yanking on them with a frantic fervor that belonged to something rabid. The metal groaned and shrieked as it split, the chains rattling behind her as she ran to the door, despair on her face as she saw the huge bolt. "LET ME OUT!" Noelani screamed, pounding on the door as terror gripped her as the other Vlieghund behind her got to their feet again, hissing and snarling, but the sound was warped into something disgusting, their melted face screwed up in rage. Noelani roared in frustration as she rammed her shoulder against the door, splinters breaking off and impaling into her skin, but she was so crazed with the need to get out, simply get out, that she just didn't care. As she stopped in her pounding, she realized that someone else was trying to break in. The door hit her head as it was shoved open, another draconian Vlieghund coming in, roaring as they swung their claws and scored them across her face.

Terror, mixed with pain, roiled in her stomach, burning, rising up in her throat, flames spewing from their jaws and hitting the other Vlieghund in the throat. They let out a gurgling shriek as Noelani pressed claws that were now glowing like coals onto their face, smoke hissing from the contact. Everything was burning. Smoke filled the room, her own body consumed by the flames, skin peeling away to reveal more fire - she was made of it, raging and screaming and howling to get out, get out, GET OUT, LET ME OUT-

---

The stench of smoke persisted as Noelani's eyes shot open, and she realized that she had started to roll into the fire in her sleep, writhing and kicking. A howl of pain split her jaws as she rolled in the snow, eyes watering as she quashed the fire, the terror from the dream - no, the memory - staying with her. Even as the fire that had licked along her pelt was extinguished, it still burned like it was still on fire. She twisted her head around with a hiss of pain to stare at the new marks on her back... but they weren't new. Gods, how were they back? How were those marks back? The brands, the image of a bleeding, dying sun, were pressed along her spine, spoke curling from them like they had when they were freshly made. When she had gotten this body, she didn't have them - so how was it possible...? Noelani shook awfully as she clutched her talons together, whimpering and whining as tears dripped down her face, unable to keep the ruined, burned faces of her brother species out of her mind.