NOT approved by the FDA

Cierzo's mind was a sea of torment, waves of consciousness battling against the overwhelming tide of Azrael and his drugs. Each syllable he spoke echoed through her, pulling her to obey. Her body betrayed her. Her mind was already doing so too. She struggled to hold onto her identity, to remember who she was beyond this moment. He dropped her paw, and she remained floating, existing within the space between his last words and his next. A sharp sting to her neck; which she barely reacted to now.

When he commanded her to look out over the lake and think of home, her fogged mind drifted reluctantly. Home. It seemed like a distant dream, a place she could barely recall through the haze. The memories were fragmented, slipping through her grasp like water through a sieve. The serene image of the lake shimmered before her eyes, like a reflection of memory if she could hold onto a still flash long enough.

The second injection brought a new wave of disorientation, the hallucinogens weaving their magic into her already clouded mind. The world around her shifted, colors blending and shapes warping. She could feel her thoughts being molded, twisted to fit his command. Memories of home swirling like dark clouds within her bright gaze. Home. The word felt foreign, a place she was never truly welcome. She had been treated like an item, a pawn to be married off, abused, and discarded. Only her brother had ever felt like home, the one bright spot in a world of shadows.

Her eyes flickered with the memory, a brief flash of sorrow and longing crossing her face. Her paws clutched at the ground below, nails curling in a gesture of self-comfort. Her posture was hunched and small, as if trying to disappear within herself. As she thought of her brother, her hazy gaze softened, a flicker of warmth breaking through the distress. She remembered his kindness, his unwavering support. He had been her protector, her confidant. The only one who had seen her as more than just a means to an end. Her eyes welled up with tears, her lips quivering as that home flashed before her eyes. Him. It was peaceful, thinking of the seasons they had together, alone, away from everyone and everything.

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