Fei heard the click first. No movement just the sound and feel of the clasp sliding open. He waited, his long thick ear slowly twisted in the air sensing what would happen next. A thin ray of light spread down onto the rolling coils of his body. Fei smelled the air, his tongues darted in and out. One mouth gaped open sucking the air in. It had been a long time since he had tasted clean fresh air. This strange box had been his cage for so long now. His fingers nervously scratched an eyelid. The strip of light widened until he could see out into the world once more.

They seemed to be in an underground tunnel but in the dim light he couldn't see much else. The woman’s voice sent a shiver through his body and his eyes flickered nervously from side to side.

“It’s not been easy. But you asked and I always deliver.” There was a cruel playfulness in her voice. Fei couldn’t hear the reply. But he saw her face flicker as she hid her displeasure. “Of course...but this is something special, maybe the last of its kind. As well you know.” As she spoke Fei slowly pushed at the side of the suitcase, testing her awareness.

She was deep in negotiations now, regaling the buyer, with the story of how she had risked her life snatching the filthy beast from its cave, smoked it out with a blend of herbs that had plunged him into a deep sleep. He remembered waking up, trapped in the dark, unable to move, miles away from his home, confused and angry. That had been months ago, maybe longer. Since then time had lost all meaning. She had kept him alive, feeding him scraps every few days, never giving him a chance to unfold and move. But it was not the scraps he was fed that nourished him, but his anger, quietly simmering away, waiting for the right moment to boil over.

With a sudden burst of energy Fei launched himself sideways. The suitcase collapsed open as he, finally free, unfolded his aching, curled wings. Leaping into the air, his heart soared at the feel of the fresh air. For a moment he forgot everything. And then his rage hit him. He swept passed the flailing arms, soaring upwards before circling around to find her. All of his eyes were focussed on her now. She screamed before he had reached her, clawing across her face and arms and spraying forth toxins from the edge of his wings. Her scream melted from fear to pain as she dropped to the floor. In the distant he saw the buyer running in panic. In a moment he was tearing into his back, his thick tentacle digging into his spine, hungry. He watched her as he fed. Clawing at her swollen face. Eyes rolling, chest heaving, blood bubbling from her wounds, trying to crawl, to speak. He smiled as he watched hee . He would enjoy this.