A Dragon's Redemption [Book 2 in Rising Dragons]

Chapter II: First Training

WARNING: Abuse, technically torture in a way, and forced violence.

My eyes snapped open as loud human voices forced me back into reality. The last thought I had to myself in my dream echoed in my mind. I snorted at it. Glad he's my rider? What a joke, I thought with gallows humour.

Chains clanked as I moved, shifting to see around the corner to the humans. "So what'd Boss want us to do with this monster?"

"Train 'im – teach 'im to fight proper. Get someone to control him too and have him properly. Boss said not to kill him though. Hurt 'im sure, but not kill. He said that we should be careful though. This one might be a bit more dangerous than the others."

"Ah-huh. This one, right?" The first voice said from outside my stall. I raised my head.

"Yes," came the reply. I rolled my shoulders, causing the loud clank, clank of chains to echo around me. My eyes narrowed and I focussed on the two figures a few metres ahead of me.

One had a giant leather thing in their hands while the other held some small chains and stuff. I snorted and stood. My lips curled back in a snarl, my wings moved, causing their chains to move noisily, and I shuffled forward a few steps. The cold chains around my legs forbid me from getting too close to the humans, so I had to make do from a distance.

I snapped at one human as they moved forward. "We've got a fighter by the looks of this," the male said as he took another step forward. As he stepped into the tiny light of my cell, I saw he held a bridle in his hands. I growled loudly and tried to bite him. As I did so, the chains around my neck jerked my head back. My growl was cut of abruptly and I strained against the chain. The pressure slowly built on the scales around my neck and I could feel them starting to buckle beneath the pressure.

Just as I felt like my scales were going to give way, I stopped pulling on the chain. The pair of humans were now standing by my shoulder. The chain around my neck had caused my head to pull up so I could only watch them from my peripheral. The woman swung the leather thing around and threw it onto my back – it was a saddle!

I roared and shook my body, flapping my wings and yanking against the chains. The chains all tightened. However, I managed to rip my head around and snap at the male who drew back just in time. Irritating. The man raised his hand and muttered something. An arc of lightening shot from his hand and I let out a pain-filled roar as it hit my neck. The lightening sent a shock through my body and I found myself frozen.

"Behave or I'll do something worse," the male murmured as I slowly came back to my senses. A growl rumbled in my chest but I did nothing. I knew better now. Patience.

I stood still, allowing the women to place the saddle on my back. Everything started being tightened and I inhaled a large breath as the straps around my stomach were tightened. "Don't," the female warned as she jerked her hand, causing the chain on my neck to move my head. I released the breath in a growl. The moment the saddle had finished moving I felt the male clamber onto the hollow of my back.

I shook my head as if he were a fly; but, the human stationed himself well and grabbed a neck spike. I growled, rolling my head to the side, suddenly yanking on the neck-chain. The female pulled on the chain and muttered something, causing what felt like a weight to drop on my head.

My head sunk to the ground as I fought to get my legs under me to push myself up. However, the female seemed to have predicted this and was ready. She waved her hand and the chains on my front legs were yanked backwards. I let out a grunt as I slammed into the ground. The male – who I had forgotten– was quick to use my position to his advantage. He easily strode down my neck, to my head, and clipped the horn-straps on. He then swung off to land next to my face with a loud thump.