A Bronze Rising: Kidnapping
#3 of A Bronze Rising
In order to supplant the existing society, first the Bronze must gather information
...human. Yes, that's what they were called. I circled lower and lower sacrificing the height I had taken from the thermal. It gave me time to decide which direction from which to strike. I was well practiced in hiding myself on my approach. The trees surrounding the small field with give me cover once I was close enough. I tucked my wings close and jetted down, angling them so I spiraled in. The g-forces of my descent made my heart rush with excitement. I did not flap or brake, but re-extended my wings so I came rushing in over the trees. I was a little high coming in sacrificing concealment for a better margin of error. The human unfortunately was turned in my direction as the trees gave way instantly to plowed earth under me and it began to run. It stung a little that my ambush was not perfect, but it would make no difference, the tiny biped moved so slowly, especially in comparison to a fleeing deer.
The hardest part was not killing him. I slowed as much as I could by angling my wings upwards, it was a delicate maneuver when simply coasting. I stretched my hand forward and caught the human in my palm. It shrieked, in pain or fear, I could not tell. I flapped and lifted us both away. I think my tail accidently brushed against the wooden building on my way out, but I didn't particularly care. The human was creating an ear shattering din with its wails. It took everything it had in me not to squeeze it until it was silent. I resolved to carry the noisy thing far away where I could conduct my business in peace. I tucked it to my chest and flew, cradling the dirty, struggling thing to my chest for ease of balance.
After the better portion of an hour, I found a likely ledge, though it was a bit too small to be comfortable. I landed awkwardly, bracing my wings against the mountain's face to break my fall. I let the human drop and set about folding my wings. The beast immediately tried to run, though there was nowhere for it to go except over the ledge. I sat myself down, my tail draping over the edge for the lack of space. Then I did what I did best, I waited. It didn't take long for even a beast as dumb as a human to figure out it was trapped. While I waited, though, I noticed the human's strange appearance.
What I had taken for its filthy hide which had caught between and befouled the scales on my palms was actually some sort of loose material worn over the human's skin which itself was as naked as a newborn mouse's. It's horried flat face was even more ugly in person, lacking a nose altogether save for a tiny protrusion rather like a cancerous lump in the middle of its face. Lacking hair everywhere save for a mop on its head, it was easy to see why they would wish to cover themselves. I hoped I was not wasting my time trying to understand such pathetic creatures and yet the rumors of wealth accumulated by the vast numbers of these things drove me on. I stuck to my original plan.
For the longest time after the human had stopped trying to climb down the sheer ledge, it refused to look at me. As if not acknowledging my presence would somehow change its situation. I snorted hard enough for the warm air to ruffle the thing's shaggy head of hair.
When it turned, I spoke in the most recent slave dialect I'd learned. The one used most commonly on the other side of the mountains among the tiny populations of properly humbled and domesticated bipeds. "Do you understand me?" I asked in a low voice.