[PRP]Under Lock and Key (JessaminexJezabelle)->FIN

[Faithofthefallen]

This is PRP Between

Jessamine (and Cleaver)-->Faithofthefallen and -[The Spoof]-


and Jezabelle--> Faithofthefallen


Teepee
Here

 

[Faithofthefallen]

Jessamine flitted through the dark forest on silent hooves, weaving through the tree trunks and peering around occasionally to ensure she was not being followed. There was fresh blood glistening on her coat and she almost tripped over the bloody bandages that were unwinding themselves from around her legs and making a nuisance of themselves. Two of her latest brood were gone, the first with her father as was only fitting and the second with a capable looking stallion she had happened across while on the hunt. Each basket was left anonymously with only a small token, a ribbon or bit of lace, to hint at their parentage. She was glad that Relic had consented to raise one of their children, at least the child would know one of its parents. She angrily dashed away the tears that glistened in her eyes, silly to mourn the loss, she wasn't the mothering type. She was giving them a chance to be happy, that was the important thing.

A soft hoot interrupted her thoughts, she peered through the darkness and was relieved to see Cleaver still perched on the branch where she had left her the night before. Cleaver spread her ghostly wings and glided down to land on her Jessamine's back."It is safe mistress, as I promised." Cleaver assured, gently running her black beak though Jess's pale curls. Jessamine nodded, relieved, and wordlessly passed the owl her bloodstained blade. Cleaver hefted it and with a powerful stroke of her wings, soared off into the darkness in search of her prey. They had agreed that it would be best if Jessamine never entered her children's presence armed with her cleaver. She could do plenty of damage with teeth and hoof alone but armed she would be a lethal threat to the innocents slumbering within. Cleaver was generally there to chaperon her time with baskets, basket now, but Jessamine had been gone quite a while and her familiar needed to hunt.

Jessamine slid through the swaying veil of willow branches and between the thickly interwoven network of roots which had over time formed a large hollow in the earth below the tree. Within lay her last basket. She gazed at it for a while, marveling at its pearly luminescence and admiring it's innocent beauty, before laying down and cuddling up against it. She should wash up but it was late and she was exhausted, it could wait until the morning. Then she would begin searching for it's new home.
 

[Faithofthefallen]

As Jessamine's eyes slid closed and she drifted off into a fitful slumber, the little basket next to her began to buck and twitch as the cramped foal within tried to find a more comfortable position. She twisted and turned, pressing her tiny hooves against the bulging woven fibers and pushing. With a loud crack one spindly leg broke through, waving around comically in the chilly air outside before being quickly withdrawn into the perceived safety and warmth of the basket. For a long moment the basket was completely still as the filly within examined this new breach into the alien world beyond, she pressed her nose up against the jagged tear, sniffing carefully. She smelled something cloying and metallic, and heard rustling noises as something huge shifted restlessly. The moist smell set her mouth to watering and she found herself hungry for the first time. She tried to sit still, wondering if the tear would fix itself and she could go back to that seemingly perpetual state of slumber that had been her existence up until this point. It was no use, her stomach felt hollow and empty and the strange world outside was calling to her, with a final crack the basket shattered into pieces leaving a bemused and frightened little foal in it's place.

The world outside was dark, although less dark than her basket had been. She examined her new home with some interest, she noted with some approval the woven ceiling and came to the conclusion that she was now in a much larger basket, with plenty of room for growth. There was someone else here, the huge creature. She stared at the mass curled up next to the split basket for a full minute, her crimson eyes wide and unblinking as she tried to size up a potential threat. The thing shifted, sending a gust of the warm inviting smell in the filly's direction, her stomach grumbled and she tiptoes closer until she was right up next to it.

The long silky curls of white hair tickled her legs as she carefully maneuvered to avoid stepping on them, the fur was velvety soft and warm, she cuddled against it without a second thought and found a spot that glistened with the dark liquid that gave off such a yummy smell. She poked her nose into all of the dark patches she could reach, licking them until the creamy fur was clean. She wondered what this warm, soft, tasty thing was. It was worth leaving her basket to have one of these, the right word popped into her mind as her heavy eyelids began to lower, "mother" she murmured sleepily before drifting off to sleep.  

[Faithofthefallen]

Jessamine stirred and grimaced as a shaft of sunlight played across her face. It was time to get up. She generally preferred to move around in the darkness and solitude of the night but she needed to travel during the day if she was to find a third adoptive parent. She felt a strange tickle along her back leg and shook it irritatedly, It stopped for only a moment before beginning again. Jessamine opened her eyes slowly and turned to look, A small filly stood facing away from her, two spindly legs on either side of her own and her tiny tuft of a tail fluttering madly as she licked the bloodstains from her leg.

Jessamine's mouth fell open as she gaped at the little foal in amazement. "What are you doing out!" She cried, her voice chiming out like a bell, causing the foal to jump in shock. "Its not time yet, I thought we still had more time!" She scrambled to her feet and began to pace back and forth. What could she do now? She never wanted these children, it had been such a shock to find herself pregnant so soon after the last time. Her crimson eyes glinted coldly at the thought of him. She couldn't risk having the child near when she entered into one of her episodes, the thought of emerging from that horrible foggy place to the sight of her daughter's bloody and broken body brought tears of panic and terror to her eyes. She would never let that happen to her little "Jezabelle." She paused, foolish to get attached, it would only make it harder to give her up when the time came, as it must. But the child needed a name, it was only common sense.

Best to simply give her up to the first person she came across, anything would be better than the fate that awaited Belle if she remained, but as she gazed into those trusting eyes, eyes so like her own, she balked at the idea of handing her over to just anyone.

The intensity of the love in that gaze brought her up short. Jessamine had never been looked at in such a way, like the center of someone's entire existence. It warmed her heart and she stumbled foreword to nuzzle Belle reassuringly. It also chilled her to the bone, she didn't know if she was strong enough, selfless enough to give that up. "Sshh its alright, I'm here, I'll take care of you." she murmured, "you have nothing to fear!"

except me...  

[Faithofthefallen]

Jezabelle. She liked that name, it was beautiful, of course her mama had given it to her, so that was hardly surprising. Everything about her mother was beautiful. She squirmed happily at Jessamine's affectionate attention and smiled; she felt safe, warm, and loved, he mother was big enough to protect her from anything.
Belle followed her mother to the doorway, trying to scramble between her legs, eager to see the world outside their giant basket. She was brought up short when Jessamine abruptly turned, blocking the doorway with her body, to affix her little daughter with her piercing crimson glare. "No!" she said firmly,"You stay here, its not safe outside. There are mean monsters out there who would come to snatch you up and take you away from me. You wouldn't want that would you?" Jezabelle shook her head slowly, her wide eyes filling with tears at the mere thought, "Good. Then you must never, ever leave the den." she said firmly, her eyes flashing, "It would make me very sad to lose my little Belle, very, so you must promise to stay inside, always. I will bring you what you need, the monsters know better than to bother me." Belle nodded her head so fast that she felt dizzy, "I promise mama, I'll wait right here for you to come back, just like you want." To illustrate she walked back to the center of the den and lay down, "I don't want you to be sad." How horrible to be born into a world where scary monsters gobbled up children and took them away from their mother's. Jezabelle trembled a little and curled up into a tight ball.

Jessamine smiled sweetly and her eyes were soft as she trotted over to nuzzle Belle once more before leaving the den, the fierceness from a moment before gone so quickly that Belle wondered if she had imagined it. "There's a good girl, I'll be back soon."  

[Faithofthefallen]

Jessamine's lip quavered a little as she emerged from the den. How strange these feelings converging on her, she hadn't known it was possible to care about one being so completely, it was almost frightening. But the way Belle looked at her, snuggled up to her... She would not give that up. She wanted to keep her safe and sound in their little den, no danger would ever touch her. She didn't trust the world outside with her precious one, the world had been cruel to her, chewed her up and spit her out until she was a mere shadow of what she had once been. It wouldn't do that to Belle, she wouldn't allow it. She would keep her inside so nothing could harm her physically, she would keep her away from other Soquili to protect her heart. Jessamine ignored the small voice in the back of her mind that pointed out that she was trying keep all of Belle's love and attention to herself. So what? Her heart had been battered, bruised, and broken, having Belle all to herself soothed some of that hurt and made her feel almost peaceful at times. The world owed her, Jezabelle was hers. Besides, what Belle didn't know couldn't hurt her, if she never experienced the world outside she'd never know there was anything missing.

Jessamine reached the meeting spot her and Cleaver had agreed upon earlier. The owl handed over her blade wordlessly, she already knew what had happened and had apparently decided to keep her thoughts to herself. So much the better, she wasn't in the mood to argue about it. As Jessamine felt her teeth settle into the grooves on the handle, her eyes glazed over with the burning bloodlust that had been plying at her nerves all morning. All thoughts of her daughter were chased out of her head, leaving behind only dreadful hunger. She stalked off into the forest purposefully, leaving only her faithful familiar to guard the little filly, her most precious possession.  

[Faithofthefallen]

Jezebelle rooted around in the dirt a little while, jumped up to catch hold of the tiny roots that dangled from the ceiling and pulled up a few mouthfuls fo grass to stave off the hunger pains gnawing at her little belly. It wasn't enough, there was plenty of grass to eat but she needed something more substantial. Mother had said she would bring back food, she would just have to wait until she returned.

Belle paced back and forth, leaving a trail of flattened grass and packed dirt in her wake. The light was growing dimmer and still there was no sign of Jessamine. Belle crept closer to the mouth of the den and tried to peek outside but a sharp hoot made her jump back guiltily to await her mother at a safe distance from the opening.

She began to feel a little afraid, what if the monsters had gotten ahold of her mama? What if they were headed this way right now to gobble her up just like her mother had warned? She heard the rustling of wings at the entrance and the click of a beak. A shadow fell across the opening making her scramble back into the roots to hide. She pressed her lithe little body through the narrower spaces that would have been impossible for a larger soquili. She felt safe in the shadows, invisible, no monsters would find her here. She peered back into the darkness and was surprised to see a pale silvery light filtering through the roots. Jezabelle clambered through the web of branches, poking her head through the last branch to find herself gazing up at a huge disk of silver floating so far above her that she couldn't even fathom the distance. The sight of it took her breath away and left her in awe, it was beautiful!

She was outside the den, her mother would be angry. Belle peered surreptitiously from side to side, but she saw no one, no monsters. The outside didn't feel scary, but she was sure her mother knew what she was talking about. Belle felt guilty for her disobedience, she had broken the very first and only rule her mother had ever given her almost immediately. Never mind that she hadn't known that the den had an opening on this side to, clearly her mother didn't either or she would have put something here to keep the monsters from getting in, like the magical line she had drawn in the dirt right before leaving across the entrance. Jessamine had assured Belle that the monsters couldn't cross that line. Remembering it, she felt a little silly for running back into the maze of roots, she had forgotten that the monsters couldn't get past her mama's barrier.

But they could get in over here, she would tell her mama as soon as she returned, maybe she would draw the line all around the den then, just in case there were other openings like this one. Belle gazed up at the sky again, marveling at the size and majesty of the moon. She would get in trouble if she told, and she wouldn't be allowed to come up to see it again. Surely the monsters wouldn't be able to fit through the tiny spaces. As long as she just peeked her head out to look at the sky and kept her body inside she could be quick enough to get back inside before the monsters grabbed her and took her away.

Belle turned around to wriggle her way back into the chamber but before she got the chance, the same moist metallic smell from the night before tickled at her nostrils. Her mouth watered and her stomach grumbled painfully. She was so hungry! She swung her head from side to side trying to find the source, and narrowed her eyes. There, A small still form lay in the shadow of the next tree over. The yummy smell was coming from whatever that thing was. She could make out long ears and white fur, some sort of animal she couldn't put a name to. Quick as a wink she had darted out of the protection of the den and through the veil of whiplike vines to the bloody carcass. Stripped of most of its meat, it had been abandoned by the wolf who was eating it when Jessamine emerged forcing the poor animal to flee for his life.

Belle lunged foreword eagerly, poking her whole snout into the gaping wounds and began greedily drinking the hot blood that had been slowly seeping away into the earth. When all of it was gone, Belle teared at the bits of flesh that still clung to the bones experimentally. Her mouth worked furiously to grind up the meat but once the blood had been washed away by her saliva she found the taste deplorable and spit it back out again. Instead she ate some more of the grass and leaned back, sated. She felt more aware than ever and rejuvenated. She hadn't realized how listless she had been feeling until now.

Now that her hunger was gone, Jezabelle had begun to feel wary again, she peered around at the surrounding flora with a suspicious eye and began to edge slowly back towards the den. she had acted the fool to run out without thinking like that but there was no helping it now. She just had to get back safe before mama came home. Something off to her left lurched foreword suddenly, making the bush closest to her rustle alarmingly. She jumped a foot in the air yelping, "Monster!!!" in a high pitched squeak as she made a beeline back towards home. Behind her a squirrel chattered angrily after her for causing such a racket.  

[Faithofthefallen]

Jessamine returned at dawn the next day dragging a bloody carcass behind her. There were deep gouges and stab marks in its flesh, clear testimony as to how it had died. Jessamine herself was weary and blood splattered but eager to see Belle now that her latest episode had passed. It had been short which was a blessing, Cleaver had been left with orders to hunt for the child if she didn't return soon but Jessamine didn't like the idea of the tree being left unguarded against curious passerbys. She slung the carcass through the entrance and followed it down to find Belle still curled up exactly where she had left her. She kicked the body into a corned and bent down to kiss Belle's forehead but she stopped short. A couple little twigs were caught in Jezabelle's shock of silky white hair. Definitely not from a willow which was the only type of tree she should have come in contact with. Jessamine's eyes narrowed and blazed with bottled rage. How dare she. She examined the small hoof prints that wound around the cave, following the trail as it approached the exit and then veered away into the dark bowels of the willow's root system. The spaces between the roots were ideal for preventing a full grown soquili from entering from that direction but she was quite sure that they were large enough for a petite foal like Belle to slip in and out with ease.

Jessamine circled the tree and found the hoof prints as well as the rabbit carcass under the tree directly next to their den. At least she hadn't strayed far but it seemed it would be necessary for her to teach Belle the value of obedience before she went hunting again. She would likely have to leave again in the next few nights, that would be time enough to make sure the lesson would stick. Working carefully she drew a circle around the tree with a stick and then returned inside to rest before Belle woke up.  

[Faithofthefallen]

A couple weeks later, mother was leaving yet again. All she ever said was that she was going to find food but Jezabelle got the impression that it was something more than that. Her mother had confronted her about her late night escapade immediately after she had awoken and Belle had shamefacedly confessed the whole story. Jessamine had been angry, she recounted story after story of young foals being snatched away from their mothers, or eaten, or worse by the monsters that lurked outside their den."None of them thought it would happen to them either," she had scolded harshly, "But it did and it will happen to you too if you keep disobeying me."Jezabelle had been reduced to tears of guilt and had begged for forgiveness before Jessamine had finally let it go. She had no idea that the reason her mother was so angry was that she had caught sight of travelers in the forest, well-attacked them actually, quite close to their den. If they hadn't been diverted it wasn't unlikely that they would have wandered across her daughter gallivanting about in the moonlight. That was her worst fear, she didn't want to share Jezabelle with anyone, none of them would be allowed to see her.

Jezabelle had spent a happy few days with her mother, Jessamine had occasional spurts of temper and it wasn't uncommon for Belle to get the impression that her mother wasn't entirely there but she was happy and she loved her mother regardless. Her stories chilled her to the bone so she would obey. Maybe when she was bigger her mother would teach her how to scare away the monsters too so she could go outside and play.

With her mother gone, Belle was bored and lonely. Cleaver didn't want to play, the bird was never friendly to anyone but Jessamine and Belle was intimidated by the owls daggerlike claws and sharply curved beak. At the moment the bird was perched outside on one of the highest branches, flying circular sweeps around the tree every ten minutes or so as per the new orders from her mistress. Jezabelle chased a couple grasshoppers around the room and drank from the carcass her mother had deposited in the corner before she left whenever she felt the need. She wished she had someone to talk to, there was no telling how long Jessamine would be gone this time. She always left and returned in the evening, preferring to travel back and forth from wherever it was that she went by moonlight and taking shelter in the days. So Belle was left with the days to herself, the stretched infront of her, empty and uneventful. Cleaver wouldn't talk to her either, she thought herself much superior to the little foal who was now taking up so much of her mistress' time and resented Jezabelle for the intrusion. If she had only waited to emerge until after she was placed in a home nothing would have changed and she would be the focus of Jessamine's attention again, traveling with her instead of babysitting the brat.

Jezabelle remained patient for the first two days but when she awoke on the morning of the third and found the den still void of her mother she simply couldn't take it anymore. She slipped to the back of the den again, wriggling until she located a new opening-the first had been blocked up with boulders by her mother after the first time, and finally she was free. She peered up carefully, she had timed her escape so she wouldn't emerge as Cleaver was flying one of her sweeps but she wanted to be certain. With no sign of the owl, who more than likely had drifted off-she wasnocturnal afterall, she trotted off down the trail as fast as her spindly legs could take her. She was beginning to be suspicious about the monsters her mother preached about so passionately but she had a stick gripped between her teeth to defend herself and she would make sure she always returned before nightfall so her mother need not worry.  

[Faithofthefallen]

FIN
;3