Broken Wings on Wisps of Fate

Chapter 5

Μοίρα shifted slightly, groaning. Every inch of her body ached horribly. Cautiously, she opened one eye, before immediately shutting it with a soft whine because of the light. But, she persisted, and opened her eyes again. Panic bubbled up inside her, before common sense squashed it. The cages they had been kept in by the scientists were never this big, and humans had been dead for 13 years.

The large cage was made of what appeared to be glass and metal. A xiketic cloth covered the cage, obscuring what was outside the cage, except for a small spot where the cloth hadn't been pulled down enough. Sunlight shone brightly out of it. A heat lamp above her also contributed to the light. A bowl of water rested nearby, within reach. A litter pan sat in one corner. She flexed her toes, digging them into the soft fabric she rested on. She noticed a small, pink scar on her right foot.

Even when given plenty of time to adjust, her vision was still grotty. However, a lot hurt, and it was hard to focus, so she didn't think much of it. She was still really tired, so she settled back down into the fabric, and went back to sleep.

Some time later, something woke her up. That something was the cloth covering the cage being pulled up on one side. A Kymari woman was pulling away the cloth and opening the door. Μοίρα hissed and shrunk back into the fabric as the woman reached towards her. The woman carefully picked Μοίρα up, trapped in the fabric, and carefully set her down on her lap. She kept one hand on Μοίρα, to keep her from trying to run and injuring herself further, as she adjusted the fabric to swaddle Μοίρα tighter. Μοίρα struggled against the woman, wanting to get away. Softly, the woman shushed her, trying to calm her down.

The woman tilted Μοίρα's head back, gently but firmly keeping a hold of her, and picked up a syringe that rested beside her. Μοίρα squirmed in the woman's hold as her mouth was pried open, just enough to fit the tip of the syringe in.

"I know, this isn't fun. But you're going to need this," the woman soothed, pressing down on the plunger while rubbing the underside of Μοίρα mouth to, hopefully, encourage her to swallow the medication. Μοίρα scrunched her nose at the odd taste and texture, but swallowed it. As soon as they were done, Μοίρα and the fabric were immediately placed back in the cage, and the door closed behind them. The woman pulled the cloth back over the cage, and left the room, disappearing to go clean and put away the syringe.

Μοίρα immediately went after the water, wanting to get the taste of the medication out of her mouth. She attempted to ruffle her wings in discomfort and annoyance, only to find her right side felt unusually light, and she couldn't feel the limb move. She looked back, and was shattered by what she saw. Her right wing was missing, all that was left was a little nub and a small, tattered part of the plagiopatagium.

She curled back into the fabric, screwing her eyes shut as she tried to hold back the torrent of emotions bubbling within her. She couldn't break down not right now. She had no idea where she was, and who was around. Such a display of emotions like she knew would happen if she couldn't keep it under control, could reveal that she wasn't just some animal to the woman. Slowly, she managed to calm herself down. It was hard, and it took her a while, but she managed.

The woman returned a little while later with a small bowl of fruit. She set the bowl a little ways inside the cage, before returning things to the way they were and leaving Μοίρα to eat in peace. She stood, and took a few shaky steps over to investigate the bowl when she was sure the woman was gone, finding it to have a mix of apple, orange, peach, banana, pomegranate, and lychee inside. An odd combination, but she didn't care. Her hunger returned with a vengeance now that she had food nearby, and she helped herself to the contents of the bowl.

Once she was done, she pushed the bowl closer to the door and curled up back in the fabric, under the heat lamp. She was exhausted, completely drained of energy. There might have been something in the fruit, or maybe the very minimal physical activity she had done had drained her with how bad she was already feeling. It didn't take her long to go back to sleep.