(Would like to thank Olli-MG on Deviantart for the thumbnail image. Will have others from her posted here as the story progresses. Think it really 'captures' the scene of this part well.)

Zosk POV:

I tried to lift myself up a few times, to get to my feet and get away from the crazy man before he could do anything worse to me. I was pretty numb and weak but started getting my feelings back. I felt mostly what the man had done, but didn’t really see it with the struggling I had tried to do. I’m sure if I knew what he had done fully, I likely would not have tried to do what I did next.

Once I had all the feeling back in my limbs, I pushed my wings to their full extent, pushing myself from the ground. I leapt from a standing position, going right into the air right afterwards on the rush of my wings. I was glad that they were not injured in the whole ordeal that took place.

Figured I was pretty scott free or whatever you want to call it but nope. I had gotten maybe a few wing beats in and lifted a few feet off the ground when I felt the chain pull up on the collar around my neck. It happened so fast as I was in that huge fight or flight panic.

All I know is I gawked some when I strained the end of the chain as the collar pulled down on my neck hard. Next thing I knew I was on the ground, choking slightly and coughing. I also lay in a bit of a heap as well, having hit the ground hard. Though the impact with the ground wasn’t much worse than if you tripped over something. Still, I lay there a few moments, winded.

I didn’t see that the man was watching me, standing on the porch of the house I was outside of. He just stood there, leaning on one of the posts that supported the porch while he watched me. Much like before. I likely wouldn’t have noticed him if he had not chuckled a little. Or maybe it wasn’t the chuckle, I think it's more what I heard him say. “Welcome to your new home, pet. My boy will be soo happy with you.”

Of course, hearing that, pissed me to no end. And well, rage inducided, I got to my feet and started to rush over to where the man was. I didn’t forget the collar or chain that were on me, but I thought maybe I could get to the man and show him a thing or two. Though he could likely just put me right in my place.

Not that he had to as the chain fetched me right up again, stopping me well short of the man who was laughing at me. The collar had shifted on my neck so the chain was dangling from the back of it at the moment while I lunged there for a bit. Straining my neck on the collar with the chain held taught in the air while I swung with my fists some. I stood there, in my rage for a while till I was out of breath from the constant straining on the collar and chain.

I stepped back a little while gasping for breath for a bit. Then I turned about some and reached to the collar around my neck with my hands. I grasped the collar with both hands and started to try to get it off my neck. I tugged, jerked and whatever I could think of as I tried to remove it. But all I ended up doing was just hurting my neck a little.

After a bit of struggling with the collar, I grasped the lock that I felt on it with my hands. It was still at the front of my neck with the chain dangling behind me. I gave the lock a few tugs in a bit of a panic. The lock remained closed no matter how many times I tugged at it.

I was really starting to panic at this point as I couldn’t get the collar off my neck. I grasped the chain then and tried pulling at it away from the rod it was held to. Even with my waning strength, I jerked and jerked at the chain. It held fast on the rod. I even tried jerking the chain after getting closer to the rod. Still held firmly in place. The rod had not moved so much as a millimeter either, remaining as it was in the same location.

I even tried pulling straight up on the chain, to try to slip it up passed the head on the rod. The chain remained held to the rod.

So while crying tears, I sat on the ground, using both hands, I tried to slide the ring that was around the rod over the head of the rod. Even keeping the ring as flat as possible and as centered as possible, it would simply not pass over the head of the rod.

I tried to pull, push or anything I could think of with the rod itself. It did not budge at all.

I fluttered my wings in annoyance a few times while grasping at the collar once more and moving it about my neck. I wanted to and was able to expose the side of the collar that had the chain attached to it. Unlike the lock that held the collar in place opposite side of this ring, the ring seemed to be one solid piece. Still, I tried grasping the chain at a few links away from the ring and pulled. I even strained back on the collar itself as I pulled on the chain. Again, I only accomplished hurting my neck in the process. Though I could tell that the ring on this point of the collar was a weak point, if I could find something I could maybe pry it with.

But for the time being, and this made me very frustrated to all get out, I came to the realization that my neck was trapped. I was chained like some dog and I hated it. Now that I am trapped like this, I don’t think anything would like it.

The man standing on the porch chuckled at me, least I think he chuckled at me. Whatever the sound was, it sounded cold, calculated in some aspect. Though it’s what he said that really made me mad. What I heard him say was, “Welcome to your new home, Angel. I hope you like it here.”

I snarled at him like any enraged animal might do so. “Let me go this instant you freak,” I practically screamed at him.

He chuckled again before speaking, “Now now Angel. I went to all this trouble to bring you home. I’m not about to let you just leave before my son can get here. I’m sure he’ll just love you as his new pet.” After saying that the man turned and headed into the house.

In my blind rage, I lunged once more at the man, reaching the end of the chain quickly. I snarled a little more while tugging at the chain with all my might for a bit. Pretty well much the same result as before in that the chain held fast.

I don’t know what transpired inside and I didn’t really care. I was in that irrational anger and fear mode that anyone can go into in situations like the one I was in now. All I knew was that I had to get away and to do anything possible to try to do just that.

---

Not really sure how much time had passed, not that I cared anyway, but the man with a boy soon came outside through the backdoor of the house. I didn’t see them as I had turned away from the house and was trying to fly away as hard as I could from the place.

I reached the end of the chain pretty quickly like before. How I didn’t end up breaking my neck or causing any harm to myself, I’ll never know. Guess that blind rage with that irrational feeling I was still in helped in some aspect or another. Either way, I felt the chain catch me up quickly and pull the collar down. But unlike before, I was able to hold firmly in the air. Though I was pulled back some while I flapped my wings as hard as I could. Each time I flapped, at the apex of the flap, I was straining at the end of the chain.

Below me, at some distance, near the house, stood the boy with the man. They were both watching me, kinda in awe. A bit in excitement as well. I was putting on a bit of a show for them while I struggled to try to find some way to get away.

Voices did reach my ears, which made me turn my head back to look at them…

“Look dad! He is trying to escape. But he can't, can he?” I guess that voice came from the boy.

“No son. Angel cannot escape. But don’t come any closer or he might hit you with his wings.” The older man spoke back to the boy. The older man had an arm around the boy, holding him back while the boy was pointing up into the air at me.

I did turn and lunge at them after a moment, flying right at them. The chain did it’s job in keeping me held back just like before. Even if I turned and stretched a wing to its full extent, I would not reach where they stood.

“I like him dad. Thank you for getting him. I’ll keep him, I’ll keep Angel.” The boy had said then to his father.

“Like hell you will. Let me go!” I snarled at them both which just made them laugh.

“Just ignore him son when he’s like this.” The father had said in an almost amused voice. Then he continued, handing the boy something, “Lets go inside and leave Angel be, your mother should be coming home soon.” They both turned then and stepped into the house.

Wasn’t anything I really could do other than to struggle with the collar and chain for a while. Though I ran out of strength fully. Where I soon flumped down next to the stake I was held to and just started to cry.

Not sure how long I cried for before stopping kind of abruptly. The man had since returned with a plate full of food. HE seemed to take great care in not getting any closer than what he guessed would be the limit of my reach. He spoke to me, “Don’t waste it now, it's all you’re going to get for tonight.” He then slid the plate into my reach, using what looked like one of those sticks for a game I can’t remember the name of. He was quick to step back, just in case I lunged at him.

I didn’t though, I was too weak and kind of too wrapped in my wallow. Though the rumble in my belly did get my attention. So I crawled, as I was too weak to really stand, over to the plate of food and started to eat. I ate slowly and what was on the plate was way more than what I would sometimes eat in a day.

The man spoke, “Good, you’ll get used to life here as a pet…”

I cut him off, “Let me go, I’m no pet”

To which the man shook his head a little before continuing, “Yes you are a pet, Angel. A pet for my son.” I half heartedly threw something at the man from the plate though the object barely went halfway to where the man stood. Just had no strength for anything. He shook his head, showing great patience I guess, “You’ll learn, you’ll learn.” he said before going back inside. I ate about half the rest of the plate in silence, listening to the sounds of distant animals.

Once I was finished eating, I pretty much ended up crying myself off to sleep.