Damaged Wings- The Story of Coal

Chapter Three: One Day...

As painful as it was, Coal looked up at the prisoner. He had a strange look in his eye that Coal didn't know. It wasn't until years later that he would recognize it as concern. Worry. No one ever worried about him. No one cared about him at all.

"What?" He asked in a strained voice. The prisoner dropped lower so that they were eye to eye.

"I just asked what happened to you? Are you alright?" The prisoner questioned, glancing at the bleeding claw marks. "Who did this to you?" Coal stared at him in shock. "What?" he asked finally.

"...No one's ever asked me if I was okay before." Coal admitted. The dragon's face softened. 

"That's horrible." Coal shook his head.

"You get used to it." He struggled to stand, leaning against the bars for support. "Don't you worry. I'll be fine. I'm always fine." The pain hurt so much- so much worse than he was used too. This was definitely the harshest punishment he'd ever gotten.

"You need a doctor." Coal snorted slightly. He'd laugh if he was sure it wouldn't break his ribs.

"The doctor here would only hit me more." He declared. The prisoner looked so sad for him, although Coal didn't know why. 

"My son's a doctor." he explained quietly. "He wouldn't hurt you. Your parents should take you there. He'll take good care of you." Coal recoiled at the mention of his parents. Ignoring the pain, he shook his head violently, his eyes wide with terror at the very thought.

"No," he whispered. "I-I don't leave the headquarters- Father wouldn't like it. He'd hit me worse than now. H-hhe'd....He'd kill me." The dragon in the cell looked just as horrified now.

"Your father did this to you?" Coal nodded and the dragon looked so furious that Coal stepped back, half afraid that the prisoner would hit him too. "That little....." He paused, fuming. "Doesn't your mother do anything to stop him?"

"I don't have a mother." Coal snapped slightly. No one had ever spoken a kind word to him before. The fact that this strange was furious at his father for hurting him was almost too good to be true. Tears filled his eyes.

"Hey," the dragon's voice softened as Coal stared to cry. "It'll be okay."

"Okay. That's what it's supposed to be now."

"Then it'll get better. I swear." 

"How?" Coal stared at him, and dared to hope that there was some way this could actually get better. The prisoner stared at him.

"One day things will change." he proclaimed. "And you'll get the chance to make a choice. One of those choices will get you out of here. It might be rough, but it will be worth it. And then you'll be free, with the world at your fingertips. Then no one here can touch you, you hear?" Coal nodded and sniffled, his tears stinging the scratches on his face. "You just have to hold out until then, okay?" He nodded again. There was a pause as the dragon's words sank in.

"Why are you in here?" Coal asked. "You shouldn't be behind the bars." The dragon looked down.

"I'm here because I protected my son." he explained.

"Protected? What's that?" The prisoner gaped at him.

"It's when you take care of someone, and you don't let anything hurt them." he offered. "My son cared for a hurt dragon, only to find out he was in a gang like this one. Once he had healed, my son turned him over to the Queen and he was imprisoned. They came after my boy; they were gonna hurt him, but I hurt them first so that he could get away. They took me instead." He smiled, his eyes shimmering with tears. "He's a good man, my son. He always knows what to do."

"I'm sorry." Coal apologized, although he didn't know what he was sorry for. The prisoner smiled at him.

"When you get out of here, you go find him, okay? Tell him I'm alright, would ya? Tell him his old man still thinks of him." Coal nodded.

"Of course." He thought for a second before it occurred to him. "Oh! What's his name?" The prisoner hit his forehead.

"Now how'd I forget that? I suppose you rot in this hell for long enough you forget such details." he explained. "His name's Meerkat."

"Alright." Coal held out his hand. "I'm Coal." The prisoner reached through the bars and shook his hand gently, careful to avoid the scratches.

"Nice to meet you Coal," he insisted. "My name's Dusk."