I'm an ugly mess; Siberian

[Zayn]

His plan had worked out rather nicely.

The boy had followed him right to the Chamber, and then Zayn had made his true intentions clear. The boy had protested at first (as to be expected, of course), but ever so slowly, he had come to at least accept (if not enjoy) his new place in life.

And now it’s time for training to begin.

Zayn had gotten up early in the morning, to lie in wait near some of the ground squirrel burrowing grounds. Being early autumn, many of the wretched little creatures have already begun to go into hibernation, but he had hoped, and he’d been lucky. The moment a little brown head had popped out of a nearby hole, he had knocked it lightly over the head (enough to stun but not to kill), and had flipped it out of the hole with a deft hoof. Then, grimacing at the taste, he had carried it back to the central part of the kingdom, where he stands now.

He drops the little thing at his feet, making sure to keep a close eye on it (though the thing seems frozen in fright) and calls out for his dear little pet. Then he falls silent, and settles in to wait, still watching the ground squirrel at his feet. Since bringing the child back to the Chamber, yet another plan has started to form in his mind. A wonderfully horrible plan. But he’s going to start small first.

ZAYN

I'm an ugly mess

[Siberian]

The Budyonny can hear Zayn calling for him and he sighs, breath frosting out into the cold air.  It was bad enough that he'd been tricked, that what he'd thought was a visit had turned out to be more of a one way trip deal once he had passed the border of the Chamber and it was too late to escape back to his family, without the red-eyed colt bossing him about on top of it all.  He'd considered making a shot at freedom, of course.  But those ravens, the queen's pets, they were everywhere.   They were the kingdom's spies.  The captive has no doubt that should he bolt, pursuit would be swift, and also that the resulting punishment would not be a pleasant experience for himself.  And aside from the "you shall not pass" bit, the bear-shifter's life here had not been harsh overall.  No torture, no tiny prison cell, no starvation.  He hates to admit it, is fighting against it, but realizes that he is slowly becoming accustomed to Zayn's asserted authority and the rest of the situation.  

With that unsettling realization in mind, he gives up his attempt at pawing through the snow to reach the grass frozen beneath, and turns away from the forest-edge where he spent most of his time since winter had begun, where the trees offered a bit of shelter from the snow.  He pauses briefly to shift into his grizzly form with its much thicker fur and padded paws, before continuing on towards the direction the palomino sabino had called from.  The center of the Chamber, of course.  Where that endlessly heart-thumping patch of ground was.  That was another reason he kept towards the edges; Siberian still isn't quite used to the idea of being around a tree that was always on fire for some reason, yet never seemed to be consumed to ashes.  He skirts it as he comes up on Zayn and the little ground squirrel, wondering what game he was playing now.  The area was deserted except for the two of them, for which the boy is grateful for.  His rose-colored view of the world had shattered the day Zayn had lured him here, and with it nearly all of his desire to befriend other equines.  He preferred solitude now, whenever he could find it.  Frequent socializing was no longer something that Siberian cherished.  "Zayn.  Shouldn't that squirrel be hibernating?"

Siberian

The sexy grizzly boy of Beqanna

[Zayn]

The boy takes his time of course, but eventually he appears.  Zayn smiles as the dark colt as he approaches, skirting his way around the flaming tree.  Not as fearless as he would like, but he’ll have to work on that.

He eyes the boy for a moment as Siberian takes the last few steps towards him, assessing the colt’s growth.  And he’s pleased with what he sees.  Even as young as Siberian is, his grizzly form is already quite impressive. The combination of massive claws, thick fur, and a height that is increasing every day, is going to make him a wonderful weapon some day. And his horse form is nothing shabby either. Zayn can tell that, one day, the young colt is going to be a large, intimidating stallion.  Larger than Zayn himself anyway.  Coupled with his bear shifting ability, he’s going to be a force to be reckoned with.  

He just needs some training first.

Which brings them back to the ground squirrel.

“Probably, but it’s his unlucky day.”  Zayn has plans for a much larger target for Siberian, but if he knows the average boy’s heart, the child will be too timid for it yet.  Better to start with something far smaller and more easily dealt with.  Not to mention, the creature should appeal to his animal-side’s nature - ground squirrels are natural prey of grizzly bears.  

“It’s time for your training to begin Siberian.  I need your help with something - something to help protect my kingdom - but I know you are young yet, and know little about fighting and killing.  So we are going to start small.”  He delicately pushes the brown rodent forward with his hoof, placing it right in front of Siberian’s front hooves.  “Kill it.”  He pauses for dramatic effect.  “It will likely be easier if you stay in your bear form and let the beast take over.  These little beasts are normal prey for bears.”  Then he falls silent and waits for the boy’s reaction.  Time to test the extent of the colt’s obedience.  Will Siberian obey immediately, or will he try to argue?

ZAYN

I'm an ugly mess

[Siberian]

The boy doesn't like the way Zayn seems to be appraising him as he approaches, and he likes this talk of training even less.  Training to help protect against a threat to Zayn's kingdom?  Why should he lift a hoof to protect the Chamber out at all?  This was his prison, not his home.  He owed it nothing, and is on the verge of telling the palomino paint just that, when another thought strikes his brain.  Perhaps if he did this thing, whatever it was, for the older colt, he would be allowed to leave, to go find his family at last, and be able to never leave their company again.  He would be within his rights to demand that favor in return, if he did what Zayn wanted of him.  The little ground squirrel, however, was a random, innocent little animal.  He does not wish to hurt it, though instead of protesting, he decides he's going to defy the other male this time in a way that can't be stopped.  He leans his shaggy brown head down, intending to simply grasp the small rodent in his mouth long enough to drop it back in its hole so that it will be safe and out of reach.  Good intentions that last only until its warm little body is resting against his teeth and tongue, the taste of it dancing against the latter.  And oh, he can smell it, can just *feel* the taste of it, the warm meat and the blood pulsing just below its skin.  And at that point, Siberian can't help himself.  

Ivory, dagger-sharp teeth snap down, prompting a pained squeak from the ground squirrel as it is impaled, and the mere imagining of how it would taste pales in comparison to the reality.  The boy instinctively chews and swallows the rodent,  afterwards feeling ashamed at how the bear-side of himself had taken control with its bloodlust, and refuses to look at Zayn once he is done.  Was this what was meant by training?  Was he going to be required, or even forced, to kill more and more living things?  The Budyonny shudders at the thought.  What point even wanting to go back to his family, if this was the case, if by then his soul was tattered and soaked in blood?  He doesn't want that to happen, wants to leave here and never come back.  But he doesn't even consider throwing caution to the wind and trying to fight his way out, ravens be damned.  Killing Zayn (and he knows that the bear form could do it) was not an option to the black colt, for another horse's life was sacred, no matter what they had done.  Ignoring the little niggle of thought from his ursine half that he had enjoyed the taste of the squirrel's blood, that he just wouldn't admit it, at last he reluctantly looks at the palomino sabino, his eyes full of resentment for what his kidnapper was doing to him.  He was being changed, he knew it.  Would he even recognize himself in the future?  Would he care?  He avoids answering these inner questions, dreading (and perhaps more than just a bit, beginning to anticipate) the answers that would be presented.

Siberian

The sexy grizzly boy of Beqanna

[Zayn]

He can sense the disquiet in the boy.

It doesn’t surprise him. Siberian is still a child - young and naive at heart. He does not yet relish the thought of killing, especially something so small and weak. Though, perhaps, he will never relish it. But in time he will least learn to complete it without complaint.

Zayn watches as the bear cub reaches forward and takes the ground squirrel in his mouth. The way the boy gently lifts the creature makes him think the boy is about to spit it out and disobey … and then the thick, sharp teeth crunch down.

Zayn grins as blood trickles down the boys lips, and the ground squirrel disappears with a gulp. The boy’s bearish instincts have clearly superseded any misgivings he might have had. And with the speed in which he had devoured the ground squirrel … well, it makes him look forward to what he has planned for the boy.

“Excellent. Now that wasn’t so hard, was it?” He takes a step forward, eyeing the spot where the ground squirrel had been moments before. He needs to find something bigger next. Something that will put up more of a fight. “Lets find something that will be a bit more of a challenge for you, shall we?” Then with a quick glance at the boy to make sure he is following, he heads towards the forest where he knows rabbits, deer and even wolves will be waiting. Easy prey for a grizzly bear.

ZAYN

I'm an ugly mess

I messaged you on Facebook, but shall we end this thread, and move on to the fun one?