Corenax’s horns bumped the glass as he tried to readjust himself in the tank. His back was hunched over and angled to fit his bent wings above him, he could only move a few inches. The respirator clicked, the only thing keeping him from drowning in the liquid around him. He ran a claw across the respirator tube, mulling over tugging on it. The human would come running, either to save his life or watch him die.
The basement flooded with light. He blinked through the blue-green water at the open door. It was a small human. The light from the house behind her illuminated her blonde hair so that it shone like a sunrise. She jumped down a few steps and cocked her head to the side staring at him.
This little human looked different, unlike the other one. She grabbed the railing and used it to lean out further. He raised a clawed hand and pressed it against the glass. Above him, she held her own palm outstretched with unclawed fingers. A talon cut a smooth path through the water as his hand drifted back down to rest on the bottom of the tank. She stared at it the entire time.
Behind her the other human rushed down the stairs, yelling frantically. She flinched as he swept her up into his arms. The human glared down at Corenax with cold eyes and stiff shoulders. Then he was gone, the door slamming behind him and the light leaving with him.
Corenax woke to a bang on the glass and was met with a glare from eyes of steel blue. One hand rested on a compact black box that went up to the human’s knees. From it ran a tube that delved right into the bottom of the tank. His respirator tube. Corenax’s head snapped up and his eyes widened as the human flicked the switch off. The effect was instant, he couldn’t breathe, almost as if the air was being sucked out of his lungs. His hands flew to the respirator and paused. Was it better to suffocate or drown? His body began to convulse and his heart pounded out of his chest.
Air flooded back into his body and he pressed the respirator deeper into his face, sucking in great gulps of air. His heart hadn’t returned to normal yet when he caught sight of the red button in the human's other hand. He pressed it and hot shocks of pain lashed out down Corenaxs spine. His breathing turned ragged and suddenly the air was gone again, the shocks back as well.
Through it all the human just grinned.
Cornax’s breathing was still shaky long after the human had left. It was still shaky when the other human, the little one, crept down into the basement. She scurried down the stairs and over to his tank to stare at him. When she was this close it was even more obvious how small she was, her head the size of his fist.
“Woah,” she said but it was slightly distorted by the water. Her eyes moved up to his wings, “I’ve read about fairies and angels.” She scrunched up her nose, “you don’t look like them.”
He just blinked at her.
“I was the fairy in the school play, I had wings that looked like a butterfly.” Her chest puffed up. “My teacher says I’m the best fairy she’s ever seen.”
There was a thud upstairs and she jumped. Then she was gone, almost as if she hadn’t been there at all.
The second time she visited him, she lay in front of the tank chattering. Mostly about a boy in her class who’d taken the last skipping rope and the following fight which had resulted in them both in detention.
The third time she visited him, she danced around in the dark pretending to be Cinderella. She was appalled when he shook his head, no he didn’t know who Cinderella was. The little one shot back upstairs shortly after that.
The fourth time she visited him was the same night. This time with a bright blue book, the word Cinderella splashed across the front. She read each page delicately and then turned it around for him to see each painted picture.
The fifth time she visited him, she was crying. Big blue tears turned her face red and blotchy. Her breathing was uneasy. She didn’t talk this time. He put his hand up to the glass and sniffling she pressed hers against it on the other side. She smiled and hiccuped, “I like you Mr. Not Fairy.”
The door at the top of the stairs creaked open and she jumped, squeaking. The little one ran around behind the tank, pressing her back against the glass as she breathed hitched. Corenax shuffled as much as he could, so that his body hid her from the human.
The human headed straight for his desk, reading over the notes from the previous night. Corenax rapped on the glass and he waved his hands at her to run, with wide eyes she shook her head.
“All right.” The human muttered to himself. “We’ll need bloods.”
He produced a long needle that glinted off the small desk light. The little one gasped at the sight and quickly Corenax rammed his shoulder against the side of the tank, shaking the glass and covering the sound.
The human sighed, “Calm down beast.” Then he pressed the little red button. Electricity coursed through him, pain bursting through every part of him as he shook.
The little one had one hand on the tank and one over her mouth, tears streamed silently off her face. The shock left him and his shoulder heaved with effort. The human dragged over a step ladder and climbed it to reach the top of the tank. It opened and with the red button firmly gripped in one hand he sunk the needle into Corenaxs wing. Instinctively he tried to curl away from the pain, but there was no space for that, the roar he let out turned only into a burst of bubbles from the respirator.
The needle withdrew and the lid hissed as it slid shut. Blood escaped from the hole it left in his wings, a red mist drifting through the water.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
The little one had both hands against the glass, using one nail to get his attention. He stared right back at her, one claw traced her hands as the red floated down upon him. She nodded to herself and gave him a shaky smile. Then she fell to her knees, her hands searching the bottom of the tank, running over every surface. She moved around the tank and Corenax glanced at the human still crouched over his desk. When he looked back she was grinning up at him, and she pulled up a grey lever.
Ca-chunk. Click.
The sound was dull and soft. At first, he didn’t know what she’d done, but as she put her shoulder against the glass and pushed with all her might, it hit him. She’d released the tank from the mechanism that held it in the ground. He waved his hands at her and she stepped back.
Corenax rammed his shoulder against the glass, as he had done before causing the tank to rock. The human reached for the red button, throwing a glance over his shoulder. “Zen.” He cried out as his eyes landed on the little one. “Get away from there.” His fumbling knocked the button off the table, it fell under the desk. He rushed to his feet, the button forgotten and hurried towards the little one.
Corenax hit the glass again. The tank shook, tilting onto its edge and wavering before it toppled over. The glass shattered over the floor covered with a layer of bloody water. He stretched his wings and ripped off the respirator, beautiful clean air rushed into his lungs. The little one whimpered and he slid in between her and the human. He cracked his knuckles and the human skidded to a stop.
He spoke with a shake in his voice, “Don’t touch my daughter you beast.”
Corenax peered down as the little one came around him. “Daddy.” She said softly.
“Zen.” He exclaimed roughly, “Come here this instant.”
She whimpered and stepped closer to Corenax, burying her face into his fur. He scooped her into his arms gently then stalked forward. The human scrambled back as fast as he could. Corenax leaned over him and crushed the red shocking button. Then he bared his teeth and flared his wings. He flapped them creating a massive burst of wind and shot out of the house, raining debris down on the human.
Corenax smiled as he flew towards home with his little one snuggled into his chest.
First published in 'FANTASY 4: Lockdown Fantasy Adventures' by Black Hare Press
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