The world around me was pitch black and stayed that way until I wake up from the silent, dark and rank smelling hell hole that was called my dreams. The blankets I went to sleep with felt comfortable and warm before sleep grips me and drags me down into my now twisted nightmares, where the blanket was cold, and wet with an unknown substance, I never dared put it in my mouth. It could be water, blood, piss, or oil, whatever was soaking the blanket was also all around the floor whenever I dared to touch the squishy, freezing floor.

I spoke "Why the hell is every night I'm here in the middle of a nightmare". I haven't talked to the old lady about the nightmares or at least describing them, I merely mention the fact that I had one, she asks me what it's about and I merely feign it off as nothing you should worry about. I'm... I need some help, I can't just continue trying to figure out why I'm having this fucking nightmare in this goddam never ending darkness. "Fuck this place"! I shouted into the darkness and the nightmare continued to stay the same. I closed my eyes and finally felt warmth surround me.

I opened my eyes to see the leg's of the table that help my goggle's and a wooden cup of water. I felt warm and sticky with sweat, as I picked myself up to grab the water. I drank the water quickly, letting it parch my dry throat.

I put the now empty cup on the table with my shaking claws and sat down on the blanket, I lied my head on the on the wall and focused on trying to calm my heavy breathing and shaking. Every time since the first day I have had that nightmare and always woke up shaking incessantly, and I'm breathing similar to a goldfish out of water, or a man that got saved from drowning.

I muttered "This is getting annoying, having to calm my body every morning like I'm a broken wreck". Why should I be broken then I just touched a poisonous flower, why am I shaking for no reason. "I said stop shaking"! and I slammed both my claws on the wooden wall next to me. both of the made a loud hollow bang and now were throbbing with pain, shooting up my arm and into my spine.

Shortly after I smacked my claws on the wall I heard the door move and Lisa's annoyed voice came shortly after "It's about time you woke up, you dressed?" I said to Lisa "I'm always dressed, I've been dressed since I got my shirt back two days ago." I'm paranoid and nervous around her and she can enter the room whenever she pleases. It was clear that there was a difference in modesty, I haven't been shirtless in front of a woman other than my mother and that is very different compared to this girl that might be around my age. It could have been so much worse though, If I was completely naked for whatever reason I probably would have attempted suicide and my face might have changed colors, and all my feathers along with it, permanently.

"Did you listen to anything I just said"! I looked up from my claw's to see Lisa in her Dark blue dress and oddly enough pinching her nose. I asked "Why are you pinching your nose"? "because you smell worse than rotting wood". I haven't bathed in three days and I'm waking up like someone who's haunted, of course I should smell like shit.

I heard a sigh come from Lisa "The plan is to show you around town, though bathing you is much more pressing now." "Do I smell that bad?" I figured I would smell a little rank but she look's pretty sick. Next thing I know she exits the room in a hurry with a sick look on her face. I heard her say shortly after leaving the room "I'm going to draw a bath, can't stand that stench." Well that ended quickly, not very different from our previous conversations. but, why is she going to show me around town.

After a unknown Amount of time, I heard Lisa knock on the door and say "It's ready now, get out feather head." I slid the door open to see Lisa again pinching her nose I said" Can you please stop calling me feather head." As I walked down the hall a few feet and stopped in front of a sliding door. "Ok what about shake for brain." I sighed and opened the door to see a wooden tub filled with warm water and multiple bottles of liquids on a shelve to the right of it.

I began to close the door only for it to stop, I turned around only to see Lisa in the doorway. I asked "what are you doing?" She responded "I have been told to keep an eye on you and you need to take a bath so." I reacted by trying to push her out of the door way and after a few moments she gave and was in the hall. But before I closed The door I was slapped in the face. I opened my eyes while rubbing my left cheek only to see Lisa covering her chest. "What the hells wrong with you!" I heard Lisa say before she ran down the hall and ran around a corner. I said "Wait, I'm... Just wait until I'm done."

I felt sorry as I closed the door, undressed, and got into the warm bath. I didn't mean to touch her there of all places, I just wanted her out of the room. I sank deeper into the water and looked at my claws, they still shook albeit now it was tiny nearly undetectable twitches. At least that calmed me down.

I grabbed one of the bottle's and sniffed to smell a sweet but not overpowering scent, It reminded me of fall when the leaves turn golden and everything starts wilting to prepare for a harsh and unforgiving winter. yeah, I will use this, it smells so pleasant.

After I tried my best to dry off I put my clothes back on top of my damp fur and feathers. I opened the sliding door to see... no one in sight. I called "Lisa where did you go." After a few moments I heard Lisa call back "I'm down the hall you Idiot!" I could feel anger coming from her voice though when I walked into the much bigger room she had her back to me while sitting on a step in front of a wooden door.

I looked to her right and saw my black boots sitting on the stone floor in front of the door. I slowly went to pick up the shoes only for Lisa to grab and practically crushing my right claw say slowly "No boots on wooden flooring." She then let my claw go and I dropped the boots on the stone, sat down on the step and slowly put the black boots on.

After a long awkward silence I spoke "So what are we doing today?" I heard her mutter "Not even going to apologize, typical soldier boy." I responded "I didn't think It would have been good to mention that accident immediately." She then hit my left arm making me groan while she said " Girls like to hear apologies so apologize now!" "Ok, ok I'm sorry for touching you there ok, but please stop doing stuff like that." She turned toward me with her arms crossed and A particularly scary face and said "And what stuff are you talking about feather brains?" I avoided looking at her as I spoke quickly " you are always trying to look at me, and yes I know you need to watch me but you always watch me, when I go to the bathroom and especially when I'm eating you never stop staring at me and it's getting very unnerving." She muttered "I haven't been doing that." I responded "Well you have and I have been noticing the door being cracked every night when I'm trying to sleep."

She sighed, looked at her lap and said "Can you just drop it, we need to get going." She then stood up and began to open the door. I said "Fine, I just felt like it needed to be said." She then fully opened the door to see the sun fully out and other colorful wooden buildings.

I hope she stops peeking through the crack at the very least.

Author's Note

This took seven pages from my notebook, I didn't expect it to be less than 2,000 words.

This chapter was originally suppose to be the entire morning and subsequent day but it has been a few months since i updated everything. I didnt even do the yearly anniversary blog post. I'm updating merchants next so hopefully i stay on top of that.