A melody of angry growls, a counterpoint of painful howls

[flower_power]

WHO| Rapunzel and Some
WHAT| OKAY, WHO TRIGGERED THE MONSTER TOONS. DARN IT, RAPUNZEL.
WHEN| Week 2, during the night
WHERE| Toon Town
WARNINGS/NOTES| Your worst nightmare

The thing that woke her up was the feel of something small and soft, with sharp skritchy nails, running across her. It was too heavy, and too soft, and its claws were far too sharp to be Pascal, but there were so few rats in the tower that she couldn't think what it had been. It was enough to pull her into wakefulness - and that was probably the only thing that saved her.

Another two rats ran by, as she sat up, her hair pooling by her feet as it slid off her body, and a few seconds too late she cringed away from them a little. It didn't matter, they hadn't been running from her, and hadn't touched her anyway.

Which, Rapunzel's sleep-fogged brain slowly worked out, meant they were probably running from something.

Rapunzel was not used to being in the open, and the vastness of the sky scared her here more than it probably would have at home. A roof had felt safer, more enclosed. More like home - or, at least, as close as she was likely to find here. And the floor had even been soft, somehow. Like everything else thus far, it hadn't been ideal, but surely it would do. Now, though, that roof meant that it was very dark inside the little building - but still not dark enough that she didn't see the splashes of color moving closer, as the rats squeaked and ran.

Rapunzel stumbled to her feet, hands full of her hair, and started backing towards the exit, more slowly than she maybe should have. But nothing had tried to kill her yesterday, nothing had tried to kill her yet.

"No," she murmured, voice soft and full of horrified denial as she backed away from the patches of color, "no."

Reflected moonlight glinted in through the doorway in a brief instant, maybe because the clouds had parted, and glinted on teeth and claws and open mouths and blank, staring eyes of huge animals, wearing tattered clothing, their eyes on her, their jaws open, red tongues-

"No!" This last word was more scream than word, and then she was running, running as fast as she could, down and away. She was in good shape but her heart was still pounding, from fear as much as anything, and the hair that she wasn't holding flew behind her like a banner.

Comments

[flower_power]

"That we were supposed to kill each other?"

Rapunzel's voice is helpless, half a question. "But you haven't been trying to kill me. Not many of the people here have."

[gruesome]

He set a hand on her head to shield it as he ducked under the collapsed roof, creeping low, moving slowly now. "We're..." Oh, Rapunzel. He wanted to hug her so tight. And the fear in her voice made it not really matter that she wasn't his Rapunzel, if only he knew he could have offered comfort.

"Not everyone wants to... And it's not for- not real death, not forever," he hastened to add, his eyes reflecting the light in blue-green pools as he turned to look back at her. "You wake up in the Capitol again, and they treat us better there..."

[flower_power]

"I... I don't understand." Her voice is small, and a little broken, and she tries to keep from shaking as she tries to wipe the blood out of her hair - some was still dry. It was too much.

"How can you die but not... die? You don't- If you die, you don't- That's it. Isn't it?"

[gruesome]

As they reached a small, clear niche inside the rubble, sheltered from all sides, he let his hand linger there. He could feel the warmth of her head through the chilly, damp hair, and it was too good, too familiar for a place like this.

"They say it is a science. It feels like a magic. No matter how you- no matter how it happens, you wake up again, in a little cool, quiet room where everything is bright, and- and you remember the hurt, but it's all gone. No scars, no pain... No pain. Then they let you out of there, and someone takes you back to your floor in the tower, and everything is- is over until the next one," he finished reluctantly. "Do- do you want down?"

[flower_power]

"Oh." Her voice is small, and she can't decide if she believes him - it sounds very nice, but he seemed nice enough. This might just be a pretty dream. She had enough of those, certainly, or once had. Somehow they felt very far away.

"Is it... do you... do you think it's... safe?" Her voice was a little hopeless, because not much seemed safe right then.

[gruesome]

"I think... I think it is as safe as we are going to find tonight." Not that he particularly wanted to put her down. And it was too soon to have to stop moving and process things.

[flower_power]

"I guess," she said, and started moving. "I don't want to... that is, you've already helped me so much, I don't want to...." She doesn't want to what? Be a burden? She was. She was useless. She paused, and rested her head against his back.

"Why do they do this?"

[gruesome]

He reached back to stroke her hair without really thinking about it.

"How much did they tell you, before they put you here?"

[flower_power]

"That we were supposed to fight?" Her voice was very soft, maybe because it was a little broken. "I mean... that...."

The idea of people trying to kill her, and of she herself being expected to kill, had been so foreign even an hour ago that she could have talked about it. It was harder now.

"Someone said that it was... entertainment. That they... it really doesn't make sense."

[gruesome]

He nodded, as much as he hated to have to. But not talking to her about it wouldn't protect her from it.

"They watch, all of it. They're probably watching... watching right now. And when we get b-back to their city, they'll tell us all- all about how excited it made them, what we should have done better... They're-" Watching. "They're different. They're so strange..."

[flower_power]

"That doesn't..." she started, but couldn't order her thoughts. "It's not right! It's not... nice. It's not...."

The world wasn't a fair place, or a nice place. It was full of horrible, dangerous, wicked people who would hurt her.

Rapunzel buried her face in her hands.

[gruesome]

Some gathered her close again, and hugged her tight. Maybe he shouldn't have. He couldn't help it.

"It isn't right," he agreed, voice gone husky. "And the only way out, they say, is to- to win."

[flower_power]

"Mother was right," Rapunzel murmured into Some's fur, throat tight. "Some, I don't want to kill anyone." And if she didn't, this wouldn't stop? It was too cruel.

[gruesome]

"You won't have to," he murmured, hoping he could make it true. "We'll find another way."

[flower_power]

She didn't answer, to agree or disagree. Maybe the adrenaline was wearing off, but it seemed like all she could think about were those things, laughing and running after her, mutated hands or paws or wings reaching out to grab her hair.

[gruesome]

Propping his chin on her head, Some shut his eyes. Her scent wasn't the same. Almost, but not quite. Trying to figure out what the difference was was distracting. Which was good. He could feel the part of his heart where Rapunzel, his Rapunzel had lived yearning to tell her he would win the Arena for her, would do anything necessary.

But this wasn't so simple.

"Do you think you can sleep?" he asked quietly, lifting his head a little.

[flower_power]

Her heart felt tight as she considered it.

"I don't... I don't think I-

"How many of..." She couldn't find the words. "How many of those things are there?"

By rights, she should be dead. She could almost feel the nails of the rats as they scuttled over her.

[gruesome]

"I saw three," he said reluctantly. They were still out there, but he didn't want her thinking about them. "But we left them well behind."

[flower_power]

"There weren't any more?" Rapunzel wished she could believe that this was nothing but a nightmare, that she'd be able to wake up. That there were only the three things that had come after her, that they weren't everywhere.

[gruesome]

"I only saw three. And I see pretty well," he said, trying to sound reassuring. "And they weren't very fast."

[flower_power]

She looked at him.

He'd saved her.

She barely knew him - although, if he was to be believed, he knew her considerably better.

"They seemed fast enough," she said quietly. "Are you... are you sure it's safe here? They-" She took a breath, steadying herself, trying not to think, trying not to remember. Some had protected her, right? "I don't think I'd have woken up in time the first time, except for the rats. I don't know I would if I went back to sleep again."

[gruesome]

"I- I'm sure it's safe right now..." It was the best he could do. But he didn't hear anything near them, so he was fairly sure.

"And I slept all day. I won't sleep now."

[flower_power]

She couldn't look at him easily, not right then, with the positions that they were both in, but she still tilted her head and looked up at him at his words, and then wrapped her arms around him and pressed herself close, tight against him. His fur felt odd, wet and soft, but she hugged as hard as she could. He'd saved her. He was protecting her. Part of her wanted to cry.

He wasn't human, and his teeth were pointy, but he wasn't a ruffian either. He'd protected her.

"I'm glad we used to be friends," she tells him, voice almost lost. "I think I know why we were."

[gruesome]

Speechless, he cupped her head against himself, trying to find words. It took him a while, his chest hitching.

"Rapunzel..."

He swallowed, and let his fingers comb through her hair a little.

"When we are both back in the city, will you let me tell you a little about her?"

[flower_power]

It felt... nice. Almost familiar - Mother used to finger-comb her hair like this. Rapunzel tried not to think of it.

"Well she's just... me, right? Only... I don't remember it. It'd be nice. to hear about it. Her. Me. I don't know quite how to say that."