Sycker groaned…

_Hurts…_

_Everything hurts…_

He opened his eyes, greeted by darkness. The air was stuffy and warm, suggesting a sealed room. Underneath, he felt a firm mattress, with no blankets to cover it. 

Sycker tried to sit up. As he rose, a sharp pain stabbed into his head. He grunted and set his feet on the floor. The floor was cold and hard beneath his feet and ridged between tiles. Sycker searched the nearby area with his talons. 

One landed on a candle. He swore under his breath. He wasn’t good with precision jobs. 

Tentatively, Sycker held the wick to his nostril. _Breathe in…  slowly… slowly…_

_And out._

A torrent of flame swept across the room. _Crap. _He _really _wasn’t good with precision.

Firelight reflected off of sterile white walls. Sycker could make out some of the room’s furnishings, but it was larger than he expected. He shakily stood and lit the lamps mounted on the walls. 

He stared at the fully illuminated room. _Wow. Classy._ It looked like a cave, hewn into stone with rounded edges. In the center was an extensive lounge area with comfortable looking seats and plush carpet. On the far wall, beside the washbasin, Sycker spotted lots of high quality cookware and a cupboard stuffed to the brim. _That’s odd… I _love _cooking!_

One of the lamps flickered out. Sycker felt a gust of cool air on his tail. He realized how oddly pristine the room looked. Not a single singed thread or scorch mark. The room was fire proofed. _Someone had been expecting him._

Cautiously, he turned around. Light flooded in from a gap in a wall, much brighter than the dimmed lamps. A figure had staggered into the room, it’s body heaving with labored breaths. Sycker watched as a slow trickle of blood ran down its side and fell, soaking into the fluffy threads of the rug. The figure lifted its eyes. “Sycker… Gotta get out of here…” Jared collapsed on the floor, clutching something tightly in his hands. 

The bloodstain grew. Sycker was frozen in disbelief. Clanking footsteps echoed down the hallway behind Jared. Armored guards rushed down the hall. 

Sycker couldn’t remember how he got here. How he ended up in a prison cell made for dragons. The guard in front raised his visor; Sycker’s breath hitched. Despite the glamour that made him appear human, Sycker knew his own blood. 

“Brother. Welcome home.”