Caged without Consent

My headache has receded a bit. I look around, things are dark, the lights are still off. I shift around in my cage a little in a useless attempt to get comfortable. I let out a cry. There seems to be something I squished in my efforts. Turning to look back I see that I have wings. I try to move them but it seems the bars of my prison are too restrictive. I didn’t see these on the thing that entered. Is that why I’m in this cage? Because I’m different? No, that would be ridiculous

The light turns on again.

“Ah, hello again, I heard you in here as I passed by and remembered that I needed to check up on you.”

A large, red-tinged  bird came around the corner. Lion? No, it had feathers. Yet it had a beak. It confused me just as much as I confused myself.

        “So how have the ponies been treating you?”

        Giving him a sideways glance, I realize he means the guard that came in the other day. As he goes over me he reaches the source of my headache.

        “Cher dieu, which guard did this to you?”

        I give him another blank stare, I don’t remember. I’ve only seen one guard, and with his attitude toward me, it could have been him. Seeing as he asked me who, that must mean there is more than one guard assigned to me. As he tends to the wound he hits a tender spot. I cringe, my headache is flaring back up.

        “Do you not remember?”

        I shake my head.

        “Why aren’t you speaking, do you remember me?”

        Again, I shake my head. His voice become a bit frantic.

        “What I am?”

        Another shake.

        “Poulain d'un, I’m going to strangle the pony who did this. But before I go mutilate the one who did this let me fix you up.”

        He seems nice. I sit still and allow him to continue his work. I don’t have a choice, but I stay rigid anyway. He seems very skilled in what he’s doing. A few minutes later he pulls out a syringe. I tense up.

“Relax cher, this will ease the headache you no doubt have.”

The needle pricks me right behind my left ear.

“You can call me essoufflé.” He laughs. “I’m kidding, my name is Côte, I’m a griffon, we’re allies.”

He gets up and begins to leave my prison. Before turning the corner he looks at me and speaks again.

“I’m going to go have more than a word with the abâtardi that did this to you.”

With that he leaves. A few moments later the lights are off again. I think the medicine is starting to affect me. I’m feeling a little sleepy. As I drift off I hear yelling in the hallway. I can’t understand a lot of it, but I can decipher some of it. I hear Côte yelling at something, a guard most likely.

“Imbeciles......must have...brain damage..................the sun.....she has amnesia..........executed us........you’ve done that...................................”