The Universe's Mixer

It was cold. And wet, but that was something of a comfort for a river spirit. Haku lay still, content for the moment just to be outside - and he was; everything around him, from the lonely blades of grass tickling at his belly to the distant caw of crows told him so.

He was vaguely aware that he had smashed quite a few things inside while his body fought the curse when his mind couldn't. Even though he hadn't done it consciously, he took a small measure of pride from that. Dragons did tend to be hard creatures to completely subdue. Even when he'd been under Yubaba's control, he'd been able to defy her in small ways. It seemed that once again, it'd been enough to earn him his freedom, albeit in a much different way.

Still, if being destructive had helped he was - luckily - naturally gifted in the heavy, flaily limb department.

The ground was getting colder, bordering on uncomfortable, and Haku reluctantly dragged himself up to his claws. He'd been released, for whatever reason, but it probably wasn't a good idea to stick around where they'd left him. He took him a minute to get his bearings. The institution he'd been in was close by, but they'd managed to lug him across a channel of water to get him onto the opposite bank. It was a promising sign that they (whoever 'they' had been) wouldn't want him back. He'd be only too glad to put even more distance between them and him.

But he was still weak from whatever spell they had cast and dizziness hit him like a hammer when he took off. Desperation carried him down unfamiliar streets, over and past strange buildings he'd never seen before, until they all blended together and the dragon tumbled to an awkward landing in a blessedly open patch of green grass, demolishing a small bush and some flowers in the process.

It was Haku the boy who stumbled out of the ruined greenery, brushing petals and dirt from his hair. He could always fall back on the dragon if he needed it, but for now, being able to ask questions and fit easily through doorways was of more importance.

The spiders and rats were agitated. Something was wrong, or was about to be. They could feel it; the vibrations played on that part of the animal brain that told a rat to get off a ship before the humans knew it was sinking, that part that told the spiders to make their webs somewhere else. For the past few days, the rats and spiders had either not been showing up or making their way elsewhere. They were leaving the woman hanging there in her metal bonds all alone.

Something had changed in that small little room most people forgot. Even the humans, the ones who were supposed to know about that room with that woman, were becoming uncomfortable. First it was being close to her, not that anyone really felt all that comfortable near her. Then, it was being in the room with her. By the time all the spiders and rats were gone, people didn't even like being near the room. Something wasn't right at all. ( The cattle that ran the asylum were starting to feel as if they should have stayed in the pasture not tried to rule the farm, or something like that. )