I started writing this chapter, only to start thinking why exactly am I writing it.

Yes, of course because I enjoy writing it, but where does the motivation come from? Lemme tell you. Shoutout to my favorite midgardians.
tyjoisbae
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ImDarkAndLight
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Thank you, puny humans for your amazing feedback.
May the odds be ever in your favor.

I might have been a scaly winged monster, but that didn't mean I was good at being one. Of course I tried to be worthy enought to be called Project BEAST.

Because I was not weak.

All this time I had been trained to be deadly, to be strong and not feel pain.

But I had to admit, I wasn't doing the best job at it.

I was panting, we were moving up, up and down too fast. The wind was against us, making me struggle against the cold blows.
My wing joints felt as if they were going to snap, I held Pietro from his shoulders, my talons curling around his upper arms as he tangled under me.

"Hey, Joey? Maybe we should stop chasing them, you don't seem to be doing too good up there!" Pietro offered, his voice high pitched and nervous. Yet, it wasn't his voice that reached my ears.
"someone bring electricity, don't let the Beazt land!" "Agent, zhoot the Experiment." "I zaid, don't let it land." so many different voices blended into one, cold commanding tone of Doctor Masinzky as he refused to let me rest my aching wings.

I whined in distress as I could feel the ripples of electricity run through my body. It was as if electricity itself was trying to carve its route into my very bones. It was cutting into my flesh with its sharp, bone chilling claws. I hated it, I could not defend myself from it. There was nothing that could shield me from this kind of pain. The kind of pain that was nearly impossibly to dodge.

"Hey, snap out of it. Dive into water, it's alright, come on! Joey!"

No, I'm not going to dive. I can't land, not unless given permission, not unless I was allowed. I'm not weak, I can't be weak. "Joey!"

Joey?

Who the hell is Joey?

I gritted my teeth, feeling anger course through every vein as I was hit with another pulse of electricity.
Again, and again, and again. There was no beginning and no end.
Do as you're told.

Another command, broken, shredded wings and bloodied scales.

Their booming, angry voices echoed around me. They didn't leave me alone, they never left me alone. I was forever deemed to be their slave, their Experiment.

Freezing.

I was freezing, why was I so cold?
I don't get cold.

Without even realizing it, I had closed my eyes and ears to everything around me. I dove into oblivion.

I couldn't breathe. Where did all the oxygen go?

I blinked my eyes open, feeling as if I was awaking from a long sleep. I realized I was falling, sinking into the depths of dark waves. I watched as small bubbles danced in my vision and a young man with hair the colour of moon tried to pull me up, he slapped my face, trying to make me focus on him.

He didn't let me go, he kept sinking with me.
Why was he still there?

I felt as if I was frozen in time, and there was nothing. I was nothing. I was simply there, but at the same time I wasn't. And everything was so calm. There was no sound of shooting, yelling, no smell of irony blood and death.

There was nothing. And I would have loved to stay there, if it wasn't for the blue panicked eyes before me losing their shine and gently flickering shut.

Pietro was drowning, sinking into darkness because of me.

I pushed my legs, hooking my talon under the hem of his dark blue shirt I shot towards the rising sun, out from the darkness of the ocean.

I gasped for air as we broke the surface, still confused as to what exactly happened and how did I end up in the salty water.

My eyes landed on Pietro, he was limp, his lips turning deadly blue.
I tried to shake the man, trying to wake him up as I growled threateningly.

When Pietro remained limp and unmoving, I suddenly felt alone. So awfully alone and angry at myself.
And most of all, I felt afraid.

What had I done.

I shook him viciously, yet, the white haired man still remained unconscious. I closed my eyes and roared at him to wake up, only to be cut off with him coughing and gagging up the water.

Seeing the colour come back to his face was relieving and I sighed, uncurling my talons from around his arms.

"when was the last time you brushed your teeth." he chuckled, I cringed when he winced, massaging his temples. "It's alright, I'm alright, we're cool."

I sunk a bit deeper, so only my nose and eyes were out of the water.
I realized my whole body was shaking and I suddenly felt so drained. As if I had ran out of will to do anything, or even keep moving.
I realized that if it wasn't for Pietro, I probably would have let myself be carried away by the unpredictable dark waves.

I felt guilty, and I never feel guilty.

"I-- I think I remember something." Pietro suddenly exclaimed his blue eyes wide as he stared into the water. He slowly touched his back, frowning as he shook his head. "I don't understand, but-- what's that?" he asked suddenly, pointing behind me.

I narrowed my eyes and glanced behind, seeing something towering in the distance, quite far from our location.

Land.

I snapped my eyes back to Pietro as he got into another coughing fit. I cringed and dove into water as I swam underneath him, rising up so he could rest easy on my back.

I felt bad and slightly sick when I could feel him shaking from the trauma and cold. I had seen death, but those were all strangers, people who didn't matter. People who I didn't know anything about. At least, that's what I kept telling myself. When I could blame their deaths on Hydra, I could never blame Pietros death on them. That would have been solely on me.

And something about not having Pietro around was unsettling, without realizing it, he had managed to turn out to be quite a good companion.

I sighed, using my tail to move in the water as I let my wings be carried by the waves.

"Hey, hold on, seahorse. I think it's quite popular beach, considering how many lights there are. But... I know you're tired, but maybe, uh--" without Pietro having to end his mumbling, I forced my tired wings to work and we were in the air once again.

Even thought we had lost the airship, I was still excited to figure out where exactly were we.

"You know, besides almost drowning, I realized one thing. I'm riding on a dragons back. Like, what the heck. I'm either dead or my dreams from when I was seven are really becoming reality. What the heck. You're a dragon."

Even when he almost drowned into the deep blue sea, Pietro was still talking nonsense.

He'll be alright.

With determination, I forced my wings to carry us higher towards the rising sun.

Let's see where we ended up at.

A/N

IMPORTANTE QUESTIOOON

It's about the cover, do you guys think it should stay like this, with a touch of fantasy to it, or should I change it to minimal one like 'Mindless Wanderer's cover is?

Hope you enjoyed the chapter :) x