The Park, Sunday Afternoon
Most people would argue that the beginning of December was a stupid time for a picnic. Of course, most people hadn’t grown up in Glacia. So when Warren had shown up at her dorm room, picnic basket in hand and crooked grin on his face to invite her out, Karla hadn’t given thought to the calendar before she’d agreed. A bit of bundling, a few warming spells and they were off on an adventure!
Warren
“Extra pineapple, right?” Really, it was a wonder that Warren even thought he needed to ask, by this point. Of course extra pineapple, and some more crepes for good measure. Now, how the pineapple went with the hot cider he’d packed up in thermoses for the both of them remained to be seen, but he’d decided that cider had to be a better match than hot chocolate, at least. “Where should we go to eat? The park shouldn’t be too bad, so long as we avoid the flamingos. I think.”
It was hard to tell. They were evil, evil birds.
Karla
Cider was the perfect choice, actually. A little bit of citrus made it taste better mulled.
“The park,” she agreed with a bright grin. “There’s plenty of places we can picnic without bothering the flamingos.” Beat. “Especially if we sneak.”
The flamingos kind of had it in for both of them.
Warren
It had to be the plumage. You try being pleasant when you were stuck wearing bright pink all of the time.
“We might be better off taking the long way around, then. The flamingos are usually on this side of the pond, but the trail that goes that way...” Warren was already veering as he spoke, leading the way to the bit of the trail that more or less kept its distance from the duck pond. “And there’s some shrub over there. That should at least cut the wind chill down some.”
And provide handy hiding places for anyone needing to be sneaky! For safety’s sake, of course.
Goblins
Of course, the two lovebirds were so busy chattering at one another, they didn’t notice that some of the shrubbery was a little more...watchful than it had been in the past.
Yes, this was Jareth’s prey all right. They had her in their sights now.
Karla
“Oh, I see how it is,” Karla said, giggling. “You bring me down this secluded path, with all sorts of hollows and nooks and say it’s because we have to worry about the flamingos.” She stopped for a second, tugging on his arm so he’d turn towards her. “I’m on to you,” she teased, leaning in for a kiss.
Warren
Hey! He had the more impressive wingspan, but they were horribly outnumbered when it came to flamingos, and so Warren totally wanted to play it safe.
And, okay, the kisses helped.
“Busted,” he murmured, leaning forward to meet her in that kiss. The rest of the world might as well not be there at all, pink birds be damned, if taking the long way around was going to get him this kind of attention.
Karla
“So busted,” she agreed against his lips. Mind you, he would have gotten the same kind of attention if they’d taken the short way, gone to the beach instead, or even just stayed in.
Mmm, Warren-kisses. Who needed a picnic?
Goblins
“Can we snatch her?” one goblin whispered. The prey and the other both looked pretty distracted from here.
“Shut up!” Another hissed. “No, we stick to the plan.”
Warren
Warren’s expression was perhaps a little weird when he pulled back from the kiss, casting a confused little glance around. “You didn’t hear anything, did you?”
If it was those birds, they were so booking it out of there.
Karla
Karla also looked a little confused. “Not exactly?” she said, glancing around. “But I feel like we’re being watched.”
Fairies
And oh, they were! Not just by the goblins, even. A small, delicate fairy fluttered up to the two of them, a playful smile on her lips as she flew a circle around them, taking in the sight. They seemed very interesting, indeed!
Warren
”Well,” Warren noted, watching the tiny creature as it flew around them, “I suppose that solves that mystery.” He quirked that crooked little grin of his as he turned to watch her flit about. “Did you know there were fairies around here? Or is this another of those silly hats and powdered sugar things?”
Maybe they would do some kind of sugarplum dance?
Karla
Karla cooed in delight. “She’s lovely! She looks like Katrine!” The race of Blood on the Paw Islands were tiny with fluttering wings.
Cupping her hands, she held them out, calling, “Hello! I’m Karla. Pleasure to meet you.”
Fairy
The fairy was not terribly vocal, though she did land on one of Karla’s outstretched fingers for a moment, tilting her head to the side as she mimicked her coo. That was an easy sound to copy, and so very expressive. It was amazing the things that a fairy could say with a coo. Things like, ‘My, but you are really quite large,’ and ‘what succulent fingertips you have today,’ and, this fairy’s personal favourite, ‘Get’im, girls!”
Suddenly, their one new-found fairy friend was accompanied by about thirty more, all fluttering up to investigate the pair of big people.
Karla
Karla was caught in the middle of a fluttering, swirling mass of long blond hair and gossamer wings. She gave a delighted laugh as they tickled her face and tugged on her coat and went swinging on her scarf. “Oh, Warren! Aren’t they amazing?”
Her laughter turned to confusion a moment later as she held up her hand. Her finger was bleeding freely and the first fairy was grinning at her with bloodied lips and a wide grin. “What? I don’t--”
And then she was in the middle of a fluttering, swirling mass of long, blond hair, gossamer wings, and sharp, pointy, teeth.
Warren
“They bite!”
That was a very astute observation. Thank you, Warren.
The sound of laughter had grown a little louder in his ears, now, and he wondered as he used one wing to curl around Karla, and another to swat at the fairies, if they were what he’d thought he’d heard all along. The thirty fairies had multiplied once again, and now they were in the midst of a swarm of the little beasts, all grabbing and biting and leaving bloody streaks over a face that healed almost as quickly as they could gouge away at it. Like the prettiest horseflies in the world. “Hang on, we’re going to get out of here,” he announced, pulling her up into his arms and starting to run. A moment later, and they were in the air, and he was flapping like hell in an attempt to break through the gossamer cloud.
Karla
Unlike some people with their fancy healing powers, Karla wasn’t so lucky. Where the fairies bit or scratched, they drew blood and the injuries stung. She shrieked and tried to cover her face with one hand, while using the other to blast at the fairies with her Sapphire.
Well, try to anyway. But whenever she tried to attack the creatures with Craft, nothing would happen. “My Craft!” she shrieked. “My Craft isn’t working!”
Goblins
“Now!” The rest of the goblins flung themselves out of hiding; dropping from tree branches, scurrying out from under the brush, even ducking up from behind rocks. The fairies around Warren scattered.
Just in time for a heavy, weighted net to come crashing down over him, dragging him and their prey to the ground.
Warren
Warren went down, hard, a tangle of feathers and limbs and net as he attempted to take the brunt of the fall himself. Hollow bones snapped as he hit the ground, and he choked back a cry of pain. He was stronger than that. He had to be, and the pain lasted only a matter of moments before it became a distant memory, giving way quickly into a sudden, sinking realization that he could hardly move.
Against his better judgment, Warren could feel panic rising up in his chest. He couldn’t stretch his wings. He couldn’t fly. He couldn’t fly and the fairies were moving in again. Sharp, pricking pain, yanking at his feathers, and everything was white and panic and struggle, now. Wings flailed out at whatever was holding him down, arms that were still healing from the fall clawed at the net that he was only knotting up more around him.
He was half expecting hooks, next.
Karla
The world was an explosion of pain. At first, it have been biting fairies and Warren’s arm as an iron band around her midsection as he tried to fly away. And then had come a heavy weight, so abrupt it had taken Karla a minute to realize they’d been caught, and then they were falling. She’d landed hard on Warren and had heard the snap of bones caught between her weight and the unyielding ground and her head had slammed into his chest and the wind had been knocked out of her and suddenly the fairies were back as she struggled to get free of arms and legs and net..
Warren
Warren couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t think. Couldn’t stand up, couldn’t move, couldn’t make the stinging stop and the sunlight, blotted out through a cloud of nasty, biting fairies, was flickering around, barely a figment. He tried again to pull himself to his feet, and stumbled, some heavy weight that had landed on him tripping him up. He twisted around, fanned out his wings, and the net caught them, tightened a length of cord around his throat and did absolutely nothing for his panic.
It was nothing but blind struggle, now. Arms and legs and wings flailing outward, scrabbling in a vain attempt to find some way out. He wouldn’t be harnessed again. Wouldn’t be trapped, he was drowning in it, he had to find the sky, and it was nowhere to be seen...
Karla
And to think, just a few minutes ago, the thing she was worried about most was her Craft inexplicably not working. “Warren!” Karla begged, trying to duck away and only getting more tangled. “Warren, please! You have to calm down! We can’t get out if you don’t--”
You know what’s not awesome for inspirational speeches? Catching a wing to the temple. At least, not if the wing is eight feet wide, attached to your muscular boyfriend, and flailing about wildly. Everything else Karla was going to say ended abruptly as her eyes rolled back and she collapsed bonelessly back to the ground.
Warren
The weight that he’d been struggling against was suddenly moving down, out of the way, freeing up just a little bit more room for Warren’s efforts. Not much, not really, especially when he only resulted in tying himself up even more thoroughly in the net. But enough. Just barely enough for him to manage a breath, again. He was only dimly aware as he shook and squirmed and gasped for air that now, the contents of the net were limited to just him.
Him, and the biting fairies, never quite letting up, and the ropes lashing his wings against his back, a hundred times more effective than his old harness had ever been.
Goblins
The fairies kept swarming in to bite and snatch at his feathers, keeping this one distracted while the goblins snuck forward and carefully extricated their prey from the net. Hoisting her up on their shoulders they started running off, heading for the Labyrinth.
“Thanks for doing our work for us!” One yelled over his shoulder as they fled. The fairies gave a chorus of tinkling little laughs as they got on one last good bite or scratch or pluck, and then swarmed away.
Warren
And then, all at once, it was just Warren. Warren, and his net. No biting fairies, no sudden weight bearing down on top of him. His hands and face were streaked with blood, but the pain had all faded away, and slowly, he found himself coming back to his senses. He squinted through the net in a daze, watching a group of small, ugly... things... making away with Karla. And then his mind slowly came back to him, and he was struggling with the net all over again.
At least, this time, he was looking for edges, for corners, for areas that were doubled up so that he could work his way free again.
“Karla!”
And work his way free he did, finally tossing the netting to the side and spreading his wings, ready to take off after the goblins before the island, thinking itself to be amusing, decided that now would be an excellent time to go ahead and turn Warren...
Also Warren!
... Into a parakeet.
Dammit, Fandom.
[Establishy! NFI, but totally FB. Preplayed with the amazing not_a_parakeet who rocks my world.]
Warren
“Extra pineapple, right?” Really, it was a wonder that Warren even thought he needed to ask, by this point. Of course extra pineapple, and some more crepes for good measure. Now, how the pineapple went with the hot cider he’d packed up in thermoses for the both of them remained to be seen, but he’d decided that cider had to be a better match than hot chocolate, at least. “Where should we go to eat? The park shouldn’t be too bad, so long as we avoid the flamingos. I think.”
It was hard to tell. They were evil, evil birds.
Karla
Cider was the perfect choice, actually. A little bit of citrus made it taste better mulled.
“The park,” she agreed with a bright grin. “There’s plenty of places we can picnic without bothering the flamingos.” Beat. “Especially if we sneak.”
The flamingos kind of had it in for both of them.
Warren
It had to be the plumage. You try being pleasant when you were stuck wearing bright pink all of the time.
“We might be better off taking the long way around, then. The flamingos are usually on this side of the pond, but the trail that goes that way...” Warren was already veering as he spoke, leading the way to the bit of the trail that more or less kept its distance from the duck pond. “And there’s some shrub over there. That should at least cut the wind chill down some.”
And provide handy hiding places for anyone needing to be sneaky! For safety’s sake, of course.
Goblins
Of course, the two lovebirds were so busy chattering at one another, they didn’t notice that some of the shrubbery was a little more...watchful than it had been in the past.
Yes, this was Jareth’s prey all right. They had her in their sights now.
Karla
“Oh, I see how it is,” Karla said, giggling. “You bring me down this secluded path, with all sorts of hollows and nooks and say it’s because we have to worry about the flamingos.” She stopped for a second, tugging on his arm so he’d turn towards her. “I’m on to you,” she teased, leaning in for a kiss.
Warren
Hey! He had the more impressive wingspan, but they were horribly outnumbered when it came to flamingos, and so Warren totally wanted to play it safe.
And, okay, the kisses helped.
“Busted,” he murmured, leaning forward to meet her in that kiss. The rest of the world might as well not be there at all, pink birds be damned, if taking the long way around was going to get him this kind of attention.
Karla
“So busted,” she agreed against his lips. Mind you, he would have gotten the same kind of attention if they’d taken the short way, gone to the beach instead, or even just stayed in.
Mmm, Warren-kisses. Who needed a picnic?
Goblins
“Can we snatch her?” one goblin whispered. The prey and the other both looked pretty distracted from here.
“Shut up!” Another hissed. “No, we stick to the plan.”
Warren
Warren’s expression was perhaps a little weird when he pulled back from the kiss, casting a confused little glance around. “You didn’t hear anything, did you?”
If it was those birds, they were so booking it out of there.
Karla
Karla also looked a little confused. “Not exactly?” she said, glancing around. “But I feel like we’re being watched.”
Fairies
And oh, they were! Not just by the goblins, even. A small, delicate fairy fluttered up to the two of them, a playful smile on her lips as she flew a circle around them, taking in the sight. They seemed very interesting, indeed!
Warren
”Well,” Warren noted, watching the tiny creature as it flew around them, “I suppose that solves that mystery.” He quirked that crooked little grin of his as he turned to watch her flit about. “Did you know there were fairies around here? Or is this another of those silly hats and powdered sugar things?”
Maybe they would do some kind of sugarplum dance?
Karla
Karla cooed in delight. “She’s lovely! She looks like Katrine!” The race of Blood on the Paw Islands were tiny with fluttering wings.
Cupping her hands, she held them out, calling, “Hello! I’m Karla. Pleasure to meet you.”
Fairy
The fairy was not terribly vocal, though she did land on one of Karla’s outstretched fingers for a moment, tilting her head to the side as she mimicked her coo. That was an easy sound to copy, and so very expressive. It was amazing the things that a fairy could say with a coo. Things like, ‘My, but you are really quite large,’ and ‘what succulent fingertips you have today,’ and, this fairy’s personal favourite, ‘Get’im, girls!”
Suddenly, their one new-found fairy friend was accompanied by about thirty more, all fluttering up to investigate the pair of big people.
Karla
Karla was caught in the middle of a fluttering, swirling mass of long blond hair and gossamer wings. She gave a delighted laugh as they tickled her face and tugged on her coat and went swinging on her scarf. “Oh, Warren! Aren’t they amazing?”
Her laughter turned to confusion a moment later as she held up her hand. Her finger was bleeding freely and the first fairy was grinning at her with bloodied lips and a wide grin. “What? I don’t--”
And then she was in the middle of a fluttering, swirling mass of long, blond hair, gossamer wings, and sharp, pointy, teeth.
Warren
“They bite!”
That was a very astute observation. Thank you, Warren.
The sound of laughter had grown a little louder in his ears, now, and he wondered as he used one wing to curl around Karla, and another to swat at the fairies, if they were what he’d thought he’d heard all along. The thirty fairies had multiplied once again, and now they were in the midst of a swarm of the little beasts, all grabbing and biting and leaving bloody streaks over a face that healed almost as quickly as they could gouge away at it. Like the prettiest horseflies in the world. “Hang on, we’re going to get out of here,” he announced, pulling her up into his arms and starting to run. A moment later, and they were in the air, and he was flapping like hell in an attempt to break through the gossamer cloud.
Karla
Unlike some people with their fancy healing powers, Karla wasn’t so lucky. Where the fairies bit or scratched, they drew blood and the injuries stung. She shrieked and tried to cover her face with one hand, while using the other to blast at the fairies with her Sapphire.
Well, try to anyway. But whenever she tried to attack the creatures with Craft, nothing would happen. “My Craft!” she shrieked. “My Craft isn’t working!”
Goblins
“Now!” The rest of the goblins flung themselves out of hiding; dropping from tree branches, scurrying out from under the brush, even ducking up from behind rocks. The fairies around Warren scattered.
Just in time for a heavy, weighted net to come crashing down over him, dragging him and their prey to the ground.
Warren
Warren went down, hard, a tangle of feathers and limbs and net as he attempted to take the brunt of the fall himself. Hollow bones snapped as he hit the ground, and he choked back a cry of pain. He was stronger than that. He had to be, and the pain lasted only a matter of moments before it became a distant memory, giving way quickly into a sudden, sinking realization that he could hardly move.
Against his better judgment, Warren could feel panic rising up in his chest. He couldn’t stretch his wings. He couldn’t fly. He couldn’t fly and the fairies were moving in again. Sharp, pricking pain, yanking at his feathers, and everything was white and panic and struggle, now. Wings flailed out at whatever was holding him down, arms that were still healing from the fall clawed at the net that he was only knotting up more around him.
He was half expecting hooks, next.
Karla
The world was an explosion of pain. At first, it have been biting fairies and Warren’s arm as an iron band around her midsection as he tried to fly away. And then had come a heavy weight, so abrupt it had taken Karla a minute to realize they’d been caught, and then they were falling. She’d landed hard on Warren and had heard the snap of bones caught between her weight and the unyielding ground and her head had slammed into his chest and the wind had been knocked out of her and suddenly the fairies were back as she struggled to get free of arms and legs and net..
Warren
Warren couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t think. Couldn’t stand up, couldn’t move, couldn’t make the stinging stop and the sunlight, blotted out through a cloud of nasty, biting fairies, was flickering around, barely a figment. He tried again to pull himself to his feet, and stumbled, some heavy weight that had landed on him tripping him up. He twisted around, fanned out his wings, and the net caught them, tightened a length of cord around his throat and did absolutely nothing for his panic.
It was nothing but blind struggle, now. Arms and legs and wings flailing outward, scrabbling in a vain attempt to find some way out. He wouldn’t be harnessed again. Wouldn’t be trapped, he was drowning in it, he had to find the sky, and it was nowhere to be seen...
Karla
And to think, just a few minutes ago, the thing she was worried about most was her Craft inexplicably not working. “Warren!” Karla begged, trying to duck away and only getting more tangled. “Warren, please! You have to calm down! We can’t get out if you don’t--”
You know what’s not awesome for inspirational speeches? Catching a wing to the temple. At least, not if the wing is eight feet wide, attached to your muscular boyfriend, and flailing about wildly. Everything else Karla was going to say ended abruptly as her eyes rolled back and she collapsed bonelessly back to the ground.
Warren
The weight that he’d been struggling against was suddenly moving down, out of the way, freeing up just a little bit more room for Warren’s efforts. Not much, not really, especially when he only resulted in tying himself up even more thoroughly in the net. But enough. Just barely enough for him to manage a breath, again. He was only dimly aware as he shook and squirmed and gasped for air that now, the contents of the net were limited to just him.
Him, and the biting fairies, never quite letting up, and the ropes lashing his wings against his back, a hundred times more effective than his old harness had ever been.
Goblins
The fairies kept swarming in to bite and snatch at his feathers, keeping this one distracted while the goblins snuck forward and carefully extricated their prey from the net. Hoisting her up on their shoulders they started running off, heading for the Labyrinth.
“Thanks for doing our work for us!” One yelled over his shoulder as they fled. The fairies gave a chorus of tinkling little laughs as they got on one last good bite or scratch or pluck, and then swarmed away.
Warren
And then, all at once, it was just Warren. Warren, and his net. No biting fairies, no sudden weight bearing down on top of him. His hands and face were streaked with blood, but the pain had all faded away, and slowly, he found himself coming back to his senses. He squinted through the net in a daze, watching a group of small, ugly... things... making away with Karla. And then his mind slowly came back to him, and he was struggling with the net all over again.
At least, this time, he was looking for edges, for corners, for areas that were doubled up so that he could work his way free again.
“Karla!”
And work his way free he did, finally tossing the netting to the side and spreading his wings, ready to take off after the goblins before the island, thinking itself to be amusing, decided that now would be an excellent time to go ahead and turn Warren...
Also Warren!
... Into a parakeet.
Dammit, Fandom.
[Establishy! NFI, but totally FB. Preplayed with the amazing not_a_parakeet who rocks my world.]