Chained With Scales Of Change

Chapter 1 - Megan?

Vienna POV:

I felt my phone buzz in my pocket, I pulled it out and answered with a typical "hello".

"Hello Vienna," a male voice spoke through the line,

"Aubrey, what do you need" I responded already having an idea on what he was asking for.

"I need you to pick me up a coffee before you pick me up from the meeting" he said and I sighed,

"sure". When the line disconnected I got up from the library chair and towards the exit, I shuffled around a group of teens and out towards the street. I made my way down the street and passed one of the many missing person posters I put up for my friend, you see, she went missing eight months ago.

I looked at the poster sadly as I passed, but carried on walking. I passed a coffee shop that was closed, much to my dismay. I saw large truck sat parked a little ways down the street from the shop, I would have to pass it if I wanted to get to my car. When I started to walked passed it suddenly the doors opened, a bunch of men jumped out, and a hand went over my mouth, I struggled as they restrained and gagged me. A saw one of the men take out a syringe and stab the needle into my arm, sooner than I thought my vision blurred and my struggles became weaker. They lifted me up and into the truck, and I soon found my vision blacking out.

____________

When I awoke, I was inside what looked like a cramped container. My oxygen seemed low and I just wanted out of whatever I was in, I pressed on the walls around me, and I heard it start cracking. I pressed on them again and suddenly it broke in half, leaving me laying on a blanket. I lifted my head, suddenly realizing that my neck seemed more longer and flexible than before, and that I seemed to be in some sort of glass cage.

I opened my mouth to ask is anyone was there, but all that came out was a stream of chirps, growls, and hums. I snapped my mouth shut with my hands but accidentally slapped myself with my(?) sharp nails, I winced and looked closely at my hands. Except, they weren't really hands. It more seemed like talons, my 'hands' were covered in gold and silver scales, at the end of each 'finger' was a long sharp claw. I brought my talons up slowly to my face as felt a muzzle, I quickly turned my head to stare at my back.

I had a pair of wings, and a long monkey-like tail. My head snapped in the direction of a door opening, I saw a man with lab coat walk into the room with a clipboard. His eyes widened in astonishment as he regarded my form, he then reached into his belt and held a radio to his mouth, and said something too quiet for me to hear.

He grabbed his clipboard and furiously drew something down, the sound of approaching footsteps caught my attention more than the man. The door flung open and about five humans, all of them wearing lab coats, walked in. I was then suddenly aware of a jumble of quiet voices echoing in my head, I blinked at the scientists as they spoke among themselves. They continued to watch and converse for what seemed like forever, until they picked up the glass cage I was in.

Surprised, I crouched down low and spread my wings as the cage rocked a little before it was placed on a wheeling cart. Something by my ears ruffled and a watery-feeling washed over my scales, I looked at my talons and watched as they changed from gold and silver to red and orange then changed to purplish-orange and white, my scales had reacted as if it sensed my confusion and fear. I growled lowly as I passed through a new room that held numerous dragons smaller and different than me, I glanced at one gold colored female.

Her ears were pinned in confusion and surprise at me and I bared my teeth, she growled back extending her claws as I slowly passed by. I opened my mouth wide on instinct and felt a substance leave my fangs and hit the glass, it splattered black everywhere and it ate through what it touched. A bowl of fruits, gone, the blanket, gone. Sadly the glass nor the floor of the cage dissolved, the gold female had backed up at the sight of the black substance and was hissing at me from the corner.

I snorted and felt the watery feeling again as my scales changed color once again, I took at look at my talons and realised they were the color orange, The color of irritation. I was amused at the awed looks I got as my scales changed to indigo, the color of my amusement. I growled as we approached a door, I got down low spreading my wings, my ears were pinned, the ruffles hissing and growling fiercely. When the door opened I got even lower as I saw a weight scale that sat atop a metal table, my scales changed from red, to orange, to white. Ah white, the color of fear.

My cage was placed atop the table and my eyes traveled wildly around between the humans, one of them spoke. "Subject: 1,124, Name: Vienna McKarthy, Gender: Female, Age: 19, Specialized category: Sports. Collection date: November 3, Completed metamorphosis date: November 9, Hatching time and date: November 10, around 9 in the morning. Please proceed with procedure." They then placed me on a wobbly basket, weighed, and measured me, I was 20 pounds and around 2 feet and a half at the shoulder.

The man with thick gloves then placed me back on the table, a rather annoying pop caught my attention. My eyes traveled to a dragon about a little more than half my size was laid down inside a fish tank, its eyes wide and surprised. Its body was a little wider than me, luminescent stripes seemed to cover most of its body, it's horns bent backwards behind it's head, along its back and the underside of its body where fins(?), its tail looked good for swimming, and gills were on both sides of its neck. I hissed at the dragon, but stopped when I saw it's teal eyes, only Megan had teal eyes.

I relaxed once I realized I had found her, it wasn't easy, but I did. My scales finally returned to their normal gold and silver color, when I passed through the small dragons' I remember them saying things in my head, maybe I could try it.

"Meagan?" I asked unsure if she could understand me,

"yes" I felt her shock, "Vienna?".

Feeling giddy I responded with, "Thats me" I managed to give a small smile while my scales bubbled with pink,

"do you know where we are?" I asked looking around the room. She shook her head,

"sorry, I have no idea" she responded.

"Well then, what are we going to do? Because they are definitely doing something illegal" I said with a scowl,

"what does illegal mean again Vienna?" she asked clueless.

"Idiot," I facepalmed, "it means when you do something against the law, or to make it simpler, when you do something bad." my mind voice was coated in irritation as my scales turned orange, she flinched a little.

"Right. Sorry for being my stupid self.." her voice made me hold back a flinch at my harshness,

"okay, I am done talking with you" instead of apologizing, my pride had other ideas.

"Can I come sit with you?" she looked at me hopefully, I growled a little and shouted, aggravated,

"Fine. Only if you shut up!". I winced at my shout and watched as she slowly swam up and climbed over the side of the fish tank, she dropped down and landed unsteadily on the ground. I chuckled and indigo danced over my scales before disappearing when she spread her wings and 'flew' over, I sat on my haunches and waited.

She settled a few inches away from me, and kept giving me a few small looks. I squawked as a human picked me up and put me in a cage, the human who touched me also picked up Meagan and placed her in the same cage. They picked up the cage and placed it on the cart and wheeled us back into the room with the small dragons. I growled at the dragons and unconsciously leaned closer to Meagan, my scales were changing to red and orange.

They stopped by an empty cage much to my alarm and confusion, I spread my wings a little to hide Megan from possible danger. A human opened the empty cage and pulled two heat lamps and a blanket from it, they then turned and placed them inside the cage Megan and I were in. They also placed a fish bowl under one of the heat lamps, Then they rolled us away again. When they got to the room I woke up in I sighed in relief and relaxed, they placed the cage back on the table and left.

I looked at the blanket and Meagan looked at the fish bowl while the both of us said,

"Dibs on the blanket!"

"Dibs on the fish bowl!"

We both looked at each other and bursted out laughing, all the months apart and all the worrying ended us together again. As much as you think this is a bad thing, nothing can be worse than it is now right?

Right?