When Dax opened his eyes the world stood still. For a moment, he couldn’t feel his body. In the next, he coughed to clear an itchy feeling in his throat. The blanket that secured him with warm sizzled as he shook his head and beat his chest once to cough again. This time, a different warmth came over his body. A flame of some sort. Gripping his hands into a fist, then releasing his hold, he closely inspected his hands then looked down at the rest of himself.
Decorating his hospital bed were ashes from a recent fire. A fire? But shouldn’t he be burned to the slightest at least? Brushing the back of his left hand over his thigh he tilted his head in confusion. Before him, a door sounded shut. Meeting the person’s mask, Dax stared in confusion.
The person was wearing a full body suit. One he would think to be used in a quarantine situation. However, the only addition aspect of the outfit was the fact that it was metal. Or at least, one that didn’t burn easily. Glancing back down at the ashes, Dax’s eyes widened. Was the person in this armor because of him? How did he get here? Why were they helping him? Who was he?
Slowly. the person approached. In each step, Dax figured that they knew where the line would be and when they could cross it. Although, they also knew when to approach him. Suddenly, a cold touch caressed his right bicep. Lacing his warm hand over it, he cringed in the feeling of a hard leather. No, that wasn’t it. A cold…frozen? Slipping his fingers against the foreign right side of his body, Dax finally looked down at what he was touching. Scales.
In alarm, Dax made eye contact with the being in the suit. This unknown being stood still and waited for an approach. Pointing to his bicep, Dax looked back at the person for confrontation. Well? He thought. Help? He wondered, trying to find his voice.
Taking a moment to lay eyes on what Dax was pointing to, the unknown being in the suit took its first step forward. This time, Dax understood so he breathed in and let out a small sigh, slightly alarming the being but not stopping them from approaching.
Finally, at his bed side, the unknown being’s face was visible through the mask. The mask was tinted a pitch black, which is why he didn’t understand how he could see through it but he didn’t bother to ask. Lifting his right arm he nodded towards the scales on his arm, as if asking a question.
There were no words at first, the unknown being didn’t seem surprised by his abnormality. As it tried to think of an explanation, Dax explored the unknown’s facial features. A circle face, small nose, big lips, and amber eyes. Amber? How did he know that? Shrugging it off, he noted as he saw the person’s complexion. A female. But why were the eyes so important? Whose amber eyes was he thinking of?
Putting the thought away Dax leaned his right arm towards the female for her to glance at. She didn’t seem too surprised, but she did seem skeptical. As if to wonder, “It’s possible… But how?”
Taking a deep breath, Dax turned away from the woman to cough once more. This time, he could feel the heat radiating off his face. Opening his eyes in time to see the residue, Dax quickly turned to his companion and looked for a reaction. She didn’t move. She wasn’t frozen. She was observing. But why?
Tilting his head and leaning in towards her mask,he met her amber eyes. This made her take a step back and look away. Holding a fire extinguisher (how did he miss that?), the female turned to him and held the hose in his direction
“Don’t get too comfy on the fire breathing, Dax Ryx. You’ve already caused enough damage to this world…” The female’s voice sounded young. “Now we’re here to help you so please…” She sighed. “Do what you can to cooperate.”
Turning to her in annoyance and aggravation, Dax remembered the other name she had place with his first. That had to be his last name. But what damage had he done and why were they trying to help him? What was wrong with him? Looking back at the scales, Dax took his left hand and tried to grab a scale, instead, his hand converted into a claw, ripping into his human skin that surrounded the scales.
Agonized, Dax winced. Now why would his own body do that to him? He had no control on whether he could have a hand or a claw. One idea was for sure, he had to be part something else. There was no way he was full human. Maybe he wasn’t even human.! Feeling his heart beat race in his chest Dax noted that at least his heart was in the same spot as a normal human heart would be.
In the distance, the female shook her head. “Poor you, being in the state you were in for so long…” She sounded sympathetic. “I’m sure you don’t remember what happened.” She nodded. “However, the real question is, should I tell you?”
Of course you should! Dax thought still unsure how to access his vocal cords. So far, all that came out was breaths and fire and between the two he rather not try to speak out fire balls. Was that even a possibility? Taking a good look over his body, Dax noted every part of him that seemed non human. One aspect that he picked up was that they were all patches of scares. On his knee cap, his arm, his shoulder, his chest, and even part of his face had scales on them. An emerald green outline and a forest green fill made for a beautiful coating. However, why? Those parts of him didn’t feel any different.
Sitting up, Dax stretched,opening his mouth and receiving a hose end of the fire extinguisher. Leaning forward, Dax looked behind him, slapping himself in the face with his own tail. Shaking his head, he stared as it twitched in a wavy motion, similar to how a cat’s tail would interact as if it were ready to play. Turning to the unknown for answers, she nodded. “You’re a hybrid, Dax, and we’re here to protect you.”
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