Reincarnated into a Snow Griffin
Chapter 31

Chapter 31: Chapter 31

Everything I’ve ever known is falling apart around me, and yet it seems as if time has stopped at that moment, with me there, under the pressure of his immense paw shifting from my small chest to my head.

I feel the movement more than I see it, the fathom agonizing pain in my chest making it difficult to think as much as the new pain on my head, even more to focus, his big round diamond pupil eyes coming to view between his claws, so much hatred and ferocity that if I wasn’t already squished down on the ground I would try to get even smaller to erase my presence before such beast.

He smacks his teeth together, as if annoyed, making a clacking sound right up close to my face.

"Very well... I will have pity of you, Alinda, if that means you will behave... nicely." He grunts that out in a disgusting way, as if enjoying the mere thought of it, but before any of us can relax he reaches out with his other paw, big black claw extended, and goes for the side of my head. "But I won’t allow him freedom in the High Lands."

At that an even worse pain which I thought to be impossible comes from the side of my head, making me close my eyes and scream at the top of my lungs, uselessly trashing against his hold of me, soon realizing that he is actually piercing the side of my head with his long nail, cutting it open!

With a gush of blood I faint for a moment, barely opening my eyes seconds late only to see that he is holding something in front of us gripped in between his long curved nails, rested a type of stone, a crystal perhaps, blue and small, shaped like a tear drop and so clear that I thought to be a diamond for a second.

It took me some time in my daze and weakened state to realize what is strange about it, and the biggest clue as to why that oddity bothered me is that the thing is bathed in blood, whos blood, my blood, dripping off from it, and then I connect the dots that, whatever that is it had just been taken out of me, leaving a clear empty space where it stood but not on flesh and bone, instead deeper within my mind.

"No!" I can hear the piercing scream from my mother overlapping with my own, but all strength leaves me once the piercing pain dimmers as his claws leaves my body to fall back on the ground without much care and I can do nothing when, after inspecting the crystal and satisfied with the result, I’m raised midair by the lion griffin, barely able to watch as he smashes that gem to pieces as one would do to a mere dry leaf, crumbling away to be cared into the wind, a piece of my self lost forever in the vastness of the world.

And yet, at that moment, even if I knew that I had better chances of surviving if I behaved, I could perhaps be spared, if I stood there, limp in his grasp perhaps he would find better use at keeping me alive, I knew too well too at it would come at the cost of mine and mother’s freedom, of our pride, of our brave essence, at the cost of our essence, not living but merely existing inside his cage, to be tramped by him, used as a bargain to keep mother in place, to be doomed to an existence far worst than death.

And that... I could not accept that.

I would not have that.

I would rather die than cost my mother’s freedom and will!

So I do something brave, stupid, costly, that changes everything, and with a sudden burst of strength I extended my own small claws and slash the lion in the face!

"Argh! Y-YOU! You asshole, how dare you!" He screams in anger, putting his paw over his wound in reflex, dropping me off on the floor, but as I smash down and have one more pain added to the others I crawl outside his grasp, but not too far away for I see when he takes his paw off to reveal his now marked face and blinded eye.

But any satisfaction I could have of that does not last long, especially when the already very interesting in killing me lion is pushed further into maddening anger by that strong demon, who until now had not expressed any reaction, when he sneers and say:

"Seems like that small one is more tenacious than you thought, Heavenclaw." Being clearly made fun of by the demons only makes that big beast explode and slash out.

And dash out right at me.