Exam Report 67327.2021
ID of Examined Dragon: M-CARWV-24
Date of Exam: 2021.4.26
Reason for Exam: Third escape attempt this year, caught picking lock to cage
Origin: Wildcaught
Age: 23 yrs, 11 mon
Results: Many behavior abnormalities, asset liquidation recommended.
Recommended course of action: Immediate liquidation.
Skyclaw stared down at the scrap of paper in his talons. That little line there.
"Asset liquidation recommended."
This was why he was being moved. No, not moved. Transferred for slaughter.
Why? He hadn't done anything.
Then he realized why. It was silly, actually. If he wasn't facing his impending death he'd probably laugh about it. The lock came loose when his cage was being cleaned. Third escape attempt this year. Really. It was actually the third time the lock was accidentally left unlocked. Human stupidity, not an escape attempt. And the behavioral abnormalities? Well, he just hadn't learned to conceal his desire for home like all the other wildcaught dragons. He only had ten hours left according to the dashboard of the truck.
The little monarch yearling in the cage with him spoke up for the first time on the ride, interrupting his thoughts.
"I can't wait to see my parents again!" chirped the little yearling. "What do you want to play on first when you get there?"
The innocence of this little hatchling stunned him. Did she really think they were going to a magical place of fun and games where every dream came true? Some part of him wanted to break the news to her. But another part chimed in with reason. Did he really want to take the fun out of this hatchling's last ten hours alive and shatter her little world?
"Maybe the swings?" he lied.
"I wanna play in the bouncy house so bad! How long until we get there?"
"Only ten hours, kid." he said. That was not so much a lie as a truth concealed beneath layers of false enthusiasm.
They waited for a while, just watching the trees and clouds go by and pointing out funny-shaped clouds and road signs. Maybe this wasn't so bad. After all, he could have the first fun in his life in these ten hours, he thought, pointing out a rat-shaped cloud.
Suddenly, the truck came to a halt, and Skyclaw's heart skipped a beat. The monarch yearling burst into a flurry of happy chirps. Three blue-clad technicians came forwards and wheeled their cage into the building.
There was no point fighting. No matter what he did, he'd die here. Skyclaw looked at the other dragons in the line. Three young white dragons robotically moved forward as a muzzled and clawcuffed olive dragon struggled to headbutt the two guards dragging her closer and closer to death.
The surgeon grabbed the olive and pushed a syringe into her neck. Her thrashing became weaker and weaker before she spasmed once and stopped moving. The guards unlocked her restraints and loaded her body onto a conveyor belt. The whites moved forward one by one, standing still for the needle. They were probably born and raised by the Dragonmasters, raised to see this fate as the highest honor. In turn, the bodies were placed on the belt and spun away. A loud crunching and squelching noise issued from the machine at the end of the belt as each body reached it and was disassembled into usable parts. The monarch hatchling looked excited even to the end.
Skyclaw was next. He stepped forward and closed his eyes as if to sleep, resigned to the end. He never woke from that slumber.
Author
Topic: Dragonmaster Tales (Read 3587 times)