I awoke, cocooned in some downy prison of sorts. Panicking, I tore my way out, claw-like nails shredding the cloth with ease. It took awhile, as my restraints were thick and fluffy. Like a certain human food. What was it called...ah, yes, flapjacks. Something I remembered eating before, though my memories were fuzzy.

 I turned my attention back to the chains holding me down. They weren't exactly chains, though. More like thick sheets of fluffy substance that were smothering my whole body. I kept hacking away at the substance, eating through them like a flame through dry wood. Needless to say, I emerged victorious and vanquished the things. I believe the humans call them blankets.

Once I was out and nothing was prohibiting my senses any longer, I scoured the chamber I was in. It was a room, with a large rectangular box with my restraints, now pathetic ribbons, lying on top. I must admit, the box was comfortable and squishy to lay upon.

Comfort is not a priority right now, I reminded myself. Feeding myself is. I examined the room again. Another box, this one tall and upright, with rings on it. When I pulled on them, the doors engraved in it swung open towards me. I hit the floor, preparing to duck any enemy that might emerge from the chamber. When I looked and saw it was full of garments of clothing, I sighed to myself. 

Really, Insanity, you can do better than this, I reprimanded myself. I shut the door and went back to exploring. The room had an exit, which I presumed was locked. I wanted to escape immediately, but my curiosity got the better of me, so I stayed around a bit longer. I crept around a desk, which was a large wooden box with many cabinets and drawers, when I came upon a figure that looked just like me.

I froze, and the woman in front of me froze as well. I growled, and she copied my movements with great precision. I charged, running at her full speed. She charged as well, and just as we were about to collide I ran into a transparent wall headfirst. Rubbing the spot that had been hit and cursing under my breath, I stood, the shadowy figure mimicking my movements perfectly. I stared at her, cocking my head to the side. Perfectly in sync, she bobbed her head to the side as well. I put a hand to the surface I ran into and she put her hand to mine. I laughed as realization donned on me.

It's a mirror, I whispered to myself. In my own language, not the odd and garbled tongue of the humans. It felt good to be speaking in the Olden Tongue, not the human's native English. It was then I noticed a small, black choker delicately wrapped around my neck. I faintly remembered it doing something, but no matter how hard I tried I couldn't think of why.

I tried to summon a small bit of magic to test my powers, but nothing came of it. I concentrated until my eyes crossed and my head hurt, but nothing. Not even a puff of smoke. It's probably just this human form prohibiting my magic, I thought, dismissing any further worry about it.

I walked over to the doors, my search of the room completed. I tried the door handle and it swung open with a creak. I flinched, expecting some person to come flying out of nowhere and attack, but nothing came. I crossed the hall and put my human ears up to the door across from me. I could faintly hear the breathing of a human. Curse these human ears, I thought. I will be much more successful when my true powers have been restored.

I contemplated adding a few extra fear factors to my hunt; claw marks, scratching noises, growls, etc. It made prey nice and tenderized. But, eventually, I decided against it. This human was clever enough to subdue me, so I would need to be careful. Cautiously, I opened the door to the room, and found a sleeping male on another squishy rectangle covered in blankets. The gentle and slow rising and falling of his chest told me he was asleep. Perfect. He won't be able to scream, I thought, grinning.

I crept closer, and as I swept up beside him I finally got a good look at him. He was pretty tall, with long dark hair that almost touched his shoulders and skin like coffee. He looked very peaceful and something about him made me hesitate. Is he my friend, I asked, turning to my memories. I could distantly remember somebody that looked like him, dancing through my foggy mind. I also recalled other humans, but this one really stood out. Was he family? Did he mean something to me?

A part of me wanted to linger, to be passive and not hurt him. But the other part of me--the constantly gnawing and insatiable hunger that came from within--won me over. As I sank my fangs into his neck, I contemplated what I should do with his body, if I killed him. A minor casualty in the long run. His eyes flashed open as soon as my teeth pierced his skin. His pupils were huge and dilated, I could tell, even in the dark. I started pumping in my venom, something that makes my victims sleep. They cannot feel a thing afterwards, which makes it the perfect hunting weapon.

Once I was done injecting the poison, I released my fangs for a moment and took a good look at my victim. I could see him fumbling for the light, and when his hand hit the switch on his lamp I hissed at the sudden brightness. When I could see without spots clouding my vision, the human was staring straight at me. He was trembling, most likely his will fighting and losing to my venom.

"Lunalis," he croaked, trying to sit up. His arm wasn't even fully extended when he crumpled, his face hitting the squishy box. He tried to roll over to face me, shaking like a leaf the whole time. I just watched him, his attempts at moving amusing to me. Such frail creatures, humans are. This one might be resilient, but he won't hold out for much longer against me.

He eventually flipped himself over, everything below his torso completely immobile. It won't be much longer, I thought to myself, salivating at the thought of a fresh meal. It had felt like a millennium since I had last eaten. This human male was surely going to be a nice treat. The male, weakening significantly with each passing second, looked like he was going to be sick. He was pale, sweaty, and gasping for air like a fish out of water. He looked like one too, when he was panicking. A part of me felt guilty, but a much larger part of me was too ravenous to care.

The human managed to meet my gaze one last time. His eyes were huge, enlarged with fear and confusion. Perhaps it was my imagination, but I thought I saw hurt in his eyes. His battle with the poison was almost over, and he had lost. I leaned over him, and pressed my mouth to his ear. "Shhh," I whispered, drawing away and putting a finger to my lips. Within moments, his eyes rolled backwards into his head and he went limp instantly. I smirked, picturing all the things I could do to him. Suck his veins dry. Rip out his still-beating heart and feast upon it. Ooh, maybe keep him as a little toy for amusement. The thought of all the wonderfully gruesome things I could do made me giggle, but I quickly regained focus.

I bit him again, this time not injecting anything. As I drank my fill, I could feel the blood energizing me, giving me power and strength. It was sweet, unlike any blood I had ever eaten, filling the empty void in my stomach that had been unfulfilled for so long. I was no longer lacking in anything. 

I felt the human pieces of me melting away, my ears reforming into tall, wolf-like ones. I could feel my glorious wings breaking through my skin, to stand tall and proud once again. I released my hold on his neck, and let out a joyful shriek. Oh, how wonderful it was to be freed from this feeble human body, to let my Ventil nature return. It might not be my true form, but it was certainly better than that wretched human flesh-sack I was stuck in before. The choker strained to stay together under the new muscles I had developed, and it burst with a ripping of fabric. Instantly, I felt magic rush through my veins, filling up the part of my soul that was lacking.

My hair changed from a caramel brown to a deeper coffee color, not quite unlike my recent victim's skin tone. Oh well, I thought. It's better than what I looked like before. Closer to my real hair color. I brushed stray hairs out of my eyes and pulled my long, lanky hair back so it wouldn't obstruct my vision. I ventured out of the room, to find any other signs of life. Just a few more people and I would be restored.

I found myself in front of a lounge, with a semi-large kitchen to my right. I poked around the lounge area for any people, but if there were any, I couldn't find them. I looked behind a very thick and plush row of chairs, in a few potted plants scattered around, and even toyed with a strange box in the center of the lounge. It was quite intriguing, with little knobs on the front and very thin yet tall horns on top of it. I pushed a few buttons on the machine, then leaped back.

Suddenly, it became alive with light and color and started screaming at me with strange words I couldn't comprehend. I tried pushing more buttons but it kept screaming. I started slamming my fists onto the buttons, thinking maybe I wasn't pressing hard enough. It kept on screaming, however. The bright lights were hypnotizing, and I felt like I was drowning in the mesmerizing colors. So bright, so luscious, so full...

It took some effort to eventually turn away from the box. I decided to leave it on, since it was apparent I didn't have the power to turn it off. I turned away from it, but just as I had set foot in the kitchen area, the box mysteriously turned off. I tensed, bracing myself for a fight. I let my claws out, sharp and ready to slice as per usual. I flicked my ears back, to the side, forward, straining to hear anything at all. It was eerily quiet, everything still and peaceful.

A large creature skittering past the corner of my vision at blinding speed made me turn. I hissed, making it very clear to all that heard that I was the dominant creature and was not to be toyed with. The skittering noise made another appearance behind me. I whipped around, claws out, preparing to tear the living flesh off of anything that came too close for my liking.

A few more minutes ensued with this back and forth. Me turning very quickly, only to catch glimpses of a blurry shadow. It took quite some time before I noticed the silhouette of a tall man, looming to my right. I turned to face him head on, and smirked. Did he not know what he was dealing with? I am Insanity, a spirit of chaos, whose very name strikes fear into the hearts of my oppressors. Who are you, I growled at the shadow.

It came closer, ignoring my demands. I brandished my claws in front of me, preparing for a fight. When he came closer, I could see a man with broad shoulders and glinting blue eyes that shone like little sapphires behind rectangular glasses. He was wearing a beige colored suit and white undershirt, and a red tie that added the perfect pop of color. His dark brown hair was slicked back, in an almost unnatural look that somehow fit very well with his outfit.

I have killed many men without remorse, and I've quite enjoyed the feeling. So, bow down and beg for your life, and I might consider granting your request, I hissed. The man said nothing, but drew closer. I peered around the room, trying to spot anything like a weapon in the darkness. I spotted a rack of kitchen knives and dove for them. I slid across the slick surface of the kitchen counter, reaching for the hilts of the knives. As I reached them, they suddenly dissipated in a blur.

I hissed in anger, turning to see who had stolen my weapons. A second human, this one a female, with long blond hair swept up into a flawless bun. It was almost unnatural how perfect it was. No loose strands of hair anywhere. She was wearing red high heels, along with a white dress with red flowers. They looked almost as if they were dyed with blood. I've found it makes a quite good dye, but the stains are a horrible mess to clean out. A black choker not unlike the one I once wore adorned her neck, and she had crazy blue eyes and a permanent grin plastered on her face.

"You're out past your bedtime, little missy," the man said, waggling a finger and smiling. "Better get back to bed, buckaroo," the woman chimed in, then started laughing her head off with an almost robotic cackle. I snarled, refusing to move. I was superior to the feeble humans, and there was nothing they could do to change that. The male stepped closer, and I tensed. If he so much as touched me, he would feel my wrath. I would burn him until his body was nothing but a pile of non recognizable ashes. I would slaughter everyone here and hang their corpses on display in my den. I would level this very house and reduce it to rubble.

The man kept coming closer, and I backed away as to prevent physical contact. I was losing ground quickly, and eventually I hit a wall. Well, more accurately, the edge of the kitchen counter. I panicked for a moment, trying to find a way out of the predicament I was in. As he was closing in, I decided to make a leap around him and try to escape out the front door. As one of his cold and plastic-like hands closed around my wrist, I swung my open hand at his head, claws out, determined to slice it clean off his shoulders.

Instead of the desired reaction, he reeled backwards, holding his face. I had swiped him right across the eyes, and his glasses had fallen off his face onto the floor with a small clatter. I closed in for the finishing blow, crushing the glasses underfoot while doing so. I leaped, trying for a midair strike, when a knife came sailing out of nowhere and pinned me to the back wall by my clothes.

Curse these loose and flowing human garments, I yelled. I grabbed the knife and frantically tried to pull it out of the wall. Sadly, the giant cleaver was embedded very solidly in the wall. The male human had gotten his bearings, and he turned towards me. What I saw in that moment nearly made me scream in horror.

His face was human, except for where I had scratched him. Instead, four long, wide scratches marred his face, and inside the scratches...were bionics. One blue eye shone through, the other eye was four teal cubes in the shape of an eye. Strange markings were etched around the 'eye', probably by his creator. Inside of the other scratches were more robotic features, silver metal and black etches in the face. I guessed the female was also an artificial human, and she loomed in the shadows with that same crazed grin.

I shrieked for real, scrambling and panicking for any way to escape the horrors of this human's scars. I ripped the shirt I was wearing away from the knife, and it gave after a few tries. I was freed, and I wasted no time in subduing the artificial humans this time.

It took a few tries with my bite to shut them up. My venom had no effect on them, and it wasn't until I severed something in their neck that they finally stopped talking and spitting nonsense at me. I could tell I had cut something important in there when I bit down on something rubbery and it zapped the inside of my mouth.

Once I shoved them into another room of the house and blocked the exit, I made my way over to the front door. I twisted the brass knob, letting it swing open the rest of the way on its own. It creaked as the hinges moved, and I was worried for a time that the human male I left drugged in his room had awoken because of it. Then I remembered I  had drugged him, and if he hadn't woken already from the commotion from the fight with the artificial humans, he wouldn't wake up now. Reassured that he wouldn't awaken and find me escaping, I slipped into the night air.

The fresh breath of the night is indescribable in terms of how wonderful it is. It was refreshing and cool, and the stars and moon illuminated the street. There were other houses down the street and lamp posts as well, but my main concern was if a forest was nearby. I could hide there and plan out my next move. I turned a full 360, and saw tall trees looming behind the house I had just left. I spread my wings, preparing to take flight. I leaped, the feeling of weightlessness making me giddy...

Only to drop like a stone a few seconds later. Right, I remembered. You don't usually have wings. Guess I forgot how to use them. I ran for the trees instead, my energy rising with my adrenaline and excitement. The prospects of being free to hunt once more made my inner bird nature show itself. I let out a screech of victory, a rare occurrence for me.

Time to hunt, I sang to the twilight woods.