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rainbowfic2015-12-24 04:44 pm
bookblather) wrote in rainbowfic2015-12-24 04:44 pm
Midnight 10: Crown
Author: Kat
Title: Crown
Story: In the Heart - Fairy Tale AU
Colors: Midnight 10 (Grimalken)
Supplies and Materials: Eraser, graffiti (Twelve Days of Christmas: Use the following words in your story: solid, horrors, crown.), watercolors (lone human voice), novelty beads (slightly nsfw)
Word Count: 697
Rating: PG
Summary: What could possibly be up there?
Warnings: mention of animal abuse
Notes: I'm finishing up a bunch of stories I've left hanging for a while, hence the flood.
Ivy was watching the mountain, the smooth glass rise of it against the sky and the odd way the last daylight filtered through it, how distressingly solid and yet ephemeral it was, when someone said, "It won't work, you know."
The voice had that particular timbre to it that said not-human to her, so she didn't bother looking at that height. Still, it was lower than she'd expected, leveled at her ankles by a small grey tabby cat. Ivy bowed to it, a gesture it accepted with a calm, slow blink, and replied, "I know it won't."
"Good," the cat said, and swiped a paw over its whiskers. "I watch them, you know. They do very stupid things trying to get up."
She thought of the horses, their bleeding legs and the nails in their hooves, and had to clench her fists against the swamp of rage. "I know."
The cat looked at her for a moment. "You seem a little more sensible anyway. You're the first to listen to me."
"They might not have understood you," Ivy said, as diplomatically as she could. Cats were odd-- you never quite knew what any particular one would take offense to. "We humans are deaf sometimes."
The cat yawned in an explosion of bright, sharp teeth. "Yes, well, that's hardly my fault."
"Not at all," Ivy agreed, and turned back to look at the mountain.
The eagle would come, sooner or later. As a species they were not the best at telling time, but they kept their word when they gave it, and this one liked her; she had saved a chick that fell from the nest, and the parents had been grateful. Grateful enough to try, at least, to carry her up the mountain.
Something was up there, something those men thought was worth the horrors they'd visited on their horses. She had to find out what.
Ivy had not forgotten the cat, and she turned back to it when it mrowled thoughtfully. "Climbing up it won't work," it said, "but you know that, I hope. We've tried, of course. Even claws can't hold on well enough."
"Of course," Ivy echoed. Why of course? Cats generally didn't care much for the doings of humans, at least when it didn't interfere with their lives. "I'm not going to climb it."
"No?" The cat looked as if it might be humoring her. "You look as if you mean to get to the top."
"Well, yes," she said, "but I'm still not going to climb it. You said it wouldn't work and I've no reason to disbelieve you."
It nodded approvingly. "Why are you going up there?"
"Why did you?" she countered, and was pleased when it grinned a little cat grin.
"Because," it said, because, amused by her or not, it was still a cat.
"I want to know what's up there," she told it. "I want to know what they think is worth all of this." A sweep of her hand encompassed the camp, the fights, the hurting horses, the animals fleeing for their life. There was blood still on the ground, still drying.
The cat licked its paw again and bathed its ears for a moment. "I could tell you," it said. "If you want to know."
"I would be honored if you chose to," Ivy said, politely. Not that it would stop her from going up herself, but a little advance warning might be nice.
There was another long pause while the cat scrupulously cleaned its face. Finally, it said, "A crown."
Ivy blinked. "A... a crown? That's it? That's what they've been torturing their animals for? A stupid fucking crown?"
The cat did not respond. It finished washing itself, then turned its tail on her and vanished into the growing shadows.
A crown. God.
Ivy turned her gaze to the top of the mountain, glimmering in the last slanting rays of sunlight. The eagles would be here soon; they'd take her to the top, and she'd get that damned crown, and she'd bring it down here and throw it in their faces and put an end to this, somehow.
It was the least she could do.
Title: Crown
Story: In the Heart - Fairy Tale AU
Colors: Midnight 10 (Grimalken)
Supplies and Materials: Eraser, graffiti (Twelve Days of Christmas: Use the following words in your story: solid, horrors, crown.), watercolors (lone human voice), novelty beads (slightly nsfw)
Word Count: 697
Rating: PG
Summary: What could possibly be up there?
Warnings: mention of animal abuse
Notes: I'm finishing up a bunch of stories I've left hanging for a while, hence the flood.
Ivy was watching the mountain, the smooth glass rise of it against the sky and the odd way the last daylight filtered through it, how distressingly solid and yet ephemeral it was, when someone said, "It won't work, you know."
The voice had that particular timbre to it that said not-human to her, so she didn't bother looking at that height. Still, it was lower than she'd expected, leveled at her ankles by a small grey tabby cat. Ivy bowed to it, a gesture it accepted with a calm, slow blink, and replied, "I know it won't."
"Good," the cat said, and swiped a paw over its whiskers. "I watch them, you know. They do very stupid things trying to get up."
She thought of the horses, their bleeding legs and the nails in their hooves, and had to clench her fists against the swamp of rage. "I know."
The cat looked at her for a moment. "You seem a little more sensible anyway. You're the first to listen to me."
"They might not have understood you," Ivy said, as diplomatically as she could. Cats were odd-- you never quite knew what any particular one would take offense to. "We humans are deaf sometimes."
The cat yawned in an explosion of bright, sharp teeth. "Yes, well, that's hardly my fault."
"Not at all," Ivy agreed, and turned back to look at the mountain.
The eagle would come, sooner or later. As a species they were not the best at telling time, but they kept their word when they gave it, and this one liked her; she had saved a chick that fell from the nest, and the parents had been grateful. Grateful enough to try, at least, to carry her up the mountain.
Something was up there, something those men thought was worth the horrors they'd visited on their horses. She had to find out what.
Ivy had not forgotten the cat, and she turned back to it when it mrowled thoughtfully. "Climbing up it won't work," it said, "but you know that, I hope. We've tried, of course. Even claws can't hold on well enough."
"Of course," Ivy echoed. Why of course? Cats generally didn't care much for the doings of humans, at least when it didn't interfere with their lives. "I'm not going to climb it."
"No?" The cat looked as if it might be humoring her. "You look as if you mean to get to the top."
"Well, yes," she said, "but I'm still not going to climb it. You said it wouldn't work and I've no reason to disbelieve you."
It nodded approvingly. "Why are you going up there?"
"Why did you?" she countered, and was pleased when it grinned a little cat grin.
"Because," it said, because, amused by her or not, it was still a cat.
"I want to know what's up there," she told it. "I want to know what they think is worth all of this." A sweep of her hand encompassed the camp, the fights, the hurting horses, the animals fleeing for their life. There was blood still on the ground, still drying.
The cat licked its paw again and bathed its ears for a moment. "I could tell you," it said. "If you want to know."
"I would be honored if you chose to," Ivy said, politely. Not that it would stop her from going up herself, but a little advance warning might be nice.
There was another long pause while the cat scrupulously cleaned its face. Finally, it said, "A crown."
Ivy blinked. "A... a crown? That's it? That's what they've been torturing their animals for? A stupid fucking crown?"
The cat did not respond. It finished washing itself, then turned its tail on her and vanished into the growing shadows.
A crown. God.
Ivy turned her gaze to the top of the mountain, glimmering in the last slanting rays of sunlight. The eagles would be here soon; they'd take her to the top, and she'd get that damned crown, and she'd bring it down here and throw it in their faces and put an end to this, somehow.
It was the least she could do.
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(Spoiler: the crown is metaphorical and actually Gina.)
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Ivy and a talking cat. It's like my dreams came true. And there was even snark!
"Because," it said, because, amused by her or not, it was still a cat.
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BUT REGARDLESS
Thank you!