In the darkness, I could use a little company.

Dreams and Nightmares

CW: abuse of child character, the threat of vore, and dehumanization.

Sage curled into a tight ball on the cold, hard surface of a glass jar. Her tiny body ached from the bruises Mathis had inflicted. She trembled, hugging her knees to her chest. The giant man had promised to come back. What new torments did he have planned for her?

Exhausted, Sage slipped into an uneasy sleep.

In her dreams, she was back home, safely in the walls, safe with her family.

She sees herself playing hide and seek with her brother and sister. They darted inside the walls and under the floorboards of the cabin they lived in, giggling as they evaded being found.

"Sage, be careful!" her mother called out as Sage squeezed into a gap in the wall. Sage had to mind the massive furniture and avoid any human detection. Those were the rules. Never be seen.

Her father appeared, clutching a chunk of cheese he had salvaged. "Eat up, my dear. We must be quick - the humans will return soon."

Sage smiled as she took the food, cherishing this moment with her family.

A loud crash jolted her awake. Mathis leered down at her, his enormous hands reaching for the jar. Sage screamed.

Sage's heart pounded; she cowered in the corner, trying to make herself small.

"Wake up, little morsel," Mathis growled. "Time for more fun."

He dumped her onto the table, and Sage tumbled to the hard surface. Dazed, she pushed herself up, only to come face to face with Mathis's enormous visage.

"Please, let me go," she whimpered.

"Now, why would I do that?" Mathis said with a sinister smile.

He pressed her down with one finger, and Sage cried out in pain. Suddenly, everything went black.

When Sage opened her eyes, she was back with her family. Her parents and siblings surrounded her with concerned looks on their faces.

"Are you alright, dear one?" her mother asked, brushing the hair from Sage's eyes.

Sage started to answer when a scream pierced the air. Her dream shifts to a darker memory that haunts her to this day. Her brother, only eleven years old, was snatched up by a hawk. They watched helplessly as he was carried away, crying for their mother.

Sage's father held her mother as she collapsed in grief. He looked at Sage with sadness in his eyes. "We have to be careful. The wilderness is unforgiving."

The scene shifted, and Sage saw her older sister, who was frail and shaking with hunger. They had not been able to find food for days. And the bitter cold of the winter was not kind. Her sister faded away despite Sage's pleas, leaving her all alone.

With a gasp, Sage emerged from the nightmarish memories back into the harsh reality of the jar. Tears streamed down her face as she grieved those she had lost.

Sage curled up in a ball at the bottom of the jar, her tiny body wracked with sobs. Her mind was plagued with nightmares mixed with memory, the pain and horror of them amplified by her current circumstances.

Guilt weighed heavily on Sage's heart. Why had she been spared when the others perished? It hardly seemed fair. She longed to see her family again, feel the warmth of her mother's embrace, and hear her siblings' laughter.

Closing her eyes, Sage pictured her family together again, smiling and whole. The bittersweet dream comforted her aching heart.

Sage tossed and turned, trapped in the throes of a horrific nightmare.

She was running through a dark forest, her heart pounding, when a giant Mathis lumbered after her. His heavy footsteps shook the ground, and his voice boomed like thunder.

"You can't hide from me, little morsel!" he roared. "I'm going to grind your tiny bones between my teeth!"

Sage screamed and ran faster, but Mathis was always right behind her. Finally, he snatched her up in an enormous fist. She cried and struggled but could not break free.

Laughing cruelly, he dangled her above his gaping mouth. "Time for dessert!"

Sage shrieked as he dropped her onto his tongue. The heat and slimy wetness enveloped her. She felt the terrifying pressure of his jaws closing. Bones cracked, blood poured, and her world went dark.

Gasping, Sage jolted awake in the jar. Cold sweat drenched her skin. The nightmare had felt so real. She could still sense the ghost of Mathis's hot breath and hear the sickening crunch of her own bones.

Would he devour her? The possibility filled Sage with dread.

Exhausted, Sage eventually drifted back to sleep. But the nightmare returned, over and over, tormenting her throughout the long night.

*****

Sage gingerly stretched her aching muscles, wincing as pain flared through her tiny body. The bruises left by Mathis's rough handling had darkened into ugly splotches of purple and blue. She probed her ribs tenderly, relieved to find nothing broken. Still, every movement brought soreness and stiffness.

She shivered, the cold from the glass jar seeping into her bones. Sage blinked back tears, hugging her knees to her chest.

Her thoughts turned to Mackenzie, the kind human who had shown her compassion. She remembered nestling safely in his pocket, his gentle voice reassuring her. How she wished he would come back and rescue her from this nightmare. She also felt bitter anger that he couldn't protect her from this.

Sage ran her hands along the smooth glass walls surrounding her. She was sealed in this tiny prison, isolated and afraid.