No Man's Land
"You're sure about this, Rey?"
"Yep. I've thought about it, and the positives definitely outweigh the negatives." The white rabbit stood before a towering wall that smelled faintly of pine, colored some indistinct dark color, next to it a gaping hole. His blue eyes were still for once, not darting hither and thither and looking for some potential escape--there was no reason now. Leastwise, not yet.
"Right," the other said with a pause, "What were the positives again?" The huge brown bull snorted, looking down at his smaller companion. If anything, the two could by no means be more different; where one was quick and frail, the other was intensely muscular and strong. He was slightly hunched over, but still appeared to be almost twice as tall as Rey. His dark, beady eyes belied a wisdom beyond his years.
Rey looked deep into the void of the hole beside the door through peripheral vision, slowly remembering what was beyond. He didn't acknowledge his partner, but still responded: "Would you rather deal with one giant, or dozens?" At this, the bull shrugged, but remained silent for a few moments.
"Just to clarify; you don't think you'll need my help?" Normally, a retort about his well-being would have been the instinctual response, but Rey would be a fool to worry about Dex. The guy had proven himself as able in nearly any situation. Rumors abound that he, by himself, had gotten in a fix with a giant and won in a straight fight. Rey hadn't thought such a thing even possible, but he took one more look at Dex and damn well believed the stories.
"The people on this side of town need you more than I do, I bet. Besides, there are probably more important things for you to do than follow me on what most would call a fool's quest. I should be fine...but yeah, thanks for the offer." Dex merely nodded before giving his friend a smart slap on the back.
"If you insist, then I won't. Good luck in the belly of the beast, Rey." He stopped for a second as though in thought. "Well...I don't mean that literally, but good luck as well if it comes to that." The rabbit gave him a nervous smile, at which Dex burst out in hearty laughter. "Ah, I'm just messing with you. Catch you later."
With that, Dex walked off without another word. It was clear that Rey's confidence had sunk in and changed his opinion on the idea--hopefully he wouldn't be too surprised if he really didn't come back. Nonetheless, it was still a better idea than taking the long way all around the block, where much more danger would be found. No, even traversing through an occupied giant's home would be wiser.
Besides, some "tinies", as they were sometimes called, had been managing this kind of thing for a while. They had dug inconspicuous holes through the walls of numerous homes for easier passage throughout the city. Who could blame them, though? Especially when they were there first--the giants built their city around them, and the tinies' old home became run-down slums. It was only fair to him, and to others, that they should at least have better modes of transportation than walking around everything.
He looked on and up at the towering wall above. Giants now made doors that sunk so low that even tinies couldn't get in, so the improvisational holes would have to do. Lucky it was that the occupant hadn't noticed them yet--or maybe she simply didn't care. "Either or," he thought to himself and promptly dropped the subject in his head. It took a moment or two, but he finally sighed and pushed himself into the gap.
There was no moment of darkness, for the other side met him with open arms. It was a lot dimmer inside than it was outside, which to a welcome guest would be quite relaxing; and though he may as well have been a guest, he certainly knew he would be anything but welcome. Rey took a moment to study the room he was in. After all, it had been a while since he had last visited.
Yes, the living room. To the right a large desk, to the left a large fabric couch, and up ahead the kitchen: his destination. This would be cake. Granted, it appeared as though it would be a dreadfully uneventful walk, but yet again, it was essentially optimal. He took his first few steps, feeling the tiled floor kiss his paws with a chill at every one.
Rey continued to creep along the floor, eyes drifting about lazily. Really, despite its owner, the place was quite pleasing to the senses. The floor felt as though it had never been dirty during its existence, a chandelier above provided just the right amount of illumination, the dining room further to the right was decorated as though it had been expecting visitors, and the air had a thin, clean aspect to it.
Something was heard.
With two motions--a perk of his ear and rapid glances of his eyes--he knew he was no longer alone, and kept the directions in which he could run at the forefront of his mind. From the far end of the room stalked a giant wolfish figure; one he was too familiar with.
Rey cursed to himself and made a mad dash for the desk to the right, hiding behind one of its towering oaken legs. He hadn't decided whether that was a good or bad move, for from her increased footstep pace it was likely she had caught some movement. He couldn't see her, but he could damn well hear her.
She was definitely looking around now. Granted, in the wrong places such as underneath the couch, but he couldn't hide forever. The shuffling of cloth and uplifting of a rug could be heard. Maybe if he stayed quiet and hidden long enough, she would move on--
"More of them? I really gotta board up those damn holes..." she said with disgust. Rey looked up to see that keen snarl, the one that contained a halfway mix of sincere contempt and subtle joy. That evident pleasure only increased in visibility as realization widened her darkening eyes; she remembered him just as well as he did she.
Through Rey's resurging fear, he had to admit: she wasn't _un_attractive. Her shoulder-length black-brown hair completed her ebony fur, not to mention her pair of contrasting emerald eyes, set upon a sharp, cunning face. Her build was only slightly wide, showing off that she certainly wasn't frail but also wasn't blocky or thick. Slung about her torso was a loose white top that hinted at cleavage and bared the smooth, flat belly below her chest; her legs were covered in a simple pair of worn-looking blue jeans, ending just before her toes--one of which, he noted, could likely envelop his entire body.
As Rey inched backwards, looking to his left at what appeared to be miles away--the entrance--he knew he wouldn't be able to make it there with a beeline, especially not while she was crouching and blocking his way. And a beeline was the only escape he could think of with all the circulation blocking clear thought.
"Why, hello, Fiela--beautiful as ever, I see. You wouldn't happen to mind if I passed on through, would you?" He said, shuffling to the general direction of the kitchen on his right. The giantess above giggled, only a little bit of which at his attempt at humor. The rest was at his futility. She wasn't exactly the most tolerant of giants.
"Well aren't you the charmer, Rey? Sorry, but not this time. Next time try the bus." She said, crossing her arms and proceeding forward with painfully slow steps. Rey didn't burst into a sprint like his brain constantly told him to; rather, he only mimicked her steps backwards, hoping he'd be able to stall.
"I see you're not in a great mood. Should I call the paramedics?" he suddenly started as though taking part in a casual conversation, albeit possessing a slight taste of sardonicism.
"When we're done here, you'll want a morgue, not a hospital." She growled candidly. Rey swallowed--she was dead serious. That didn't stop her from wanting to toy with her prey a bit, though. It was as though she smelled his blood, how fast it was pumping.
"...Right, right. You don't think that's a bit drastic?" She almost seemed to toss that around in her head a bit, but then frowned.
"It's 'a bit drastic' for you tinies to keep digging holes in my house and stealing my crap." Her pace had increased marginally, but noticeably so to Rey, who found himself feet away from being flattened by her void-black paws. While each step was small to Fiela, they were lumbering, graceful strides that could overtake a mile at a time to Rey. "Gotta think of something," he thought madly.
"We've played this game before. Remember? I won last time. W-would you want to...say, up the stakes a bit?" Just as his world became shadowed by the underside of Fiela's foot, everything stopped.
"...Go on." She then completed the motion of lowering her paw on top of Rey's back, trapping him underneath the soft, but firm, pads and shoving his neck sideways against the cold floor. The pressure applied was only enough to keep him pinned at first, but was doubtlessly growing. Rey yelped but responded quickly between gasps for air.
"Er--well, what if--what if we start out on level ground," he paused, thoughts brushing between his ears as though he were in a thicket, "Say, you give me some elbow room and a head start, and then you can try and catch me--"
"And where do these increased stakes come in, aside from your obvious advantage?" She interrupted, unimpressed, pressing a bit harder on the pest below. He could swear he heard something creak inside him.
"If you catch me," he started quite hesitantly, "If you catch me, you can do whatever you want with me. No struggles, no resistance." A moment filled with terrifying thoughts of flat denial passed through his mind before he felt the weight lift off of his body, forcing him to wheeze with relief. He looked up to see the canine face of Fiela grinning toothily back, piercing him with those knowing green eyes.
She seemed to take time to consider his proposition, but not before grabbing Rey with thumb and index finger and heaving him effortlessly to face level, now standing to her full, daunting height.
"Fair rules. I expect fair play as well." She said finally.
"I'm no cheater, Fiela. May I expect the same from you?" Rey replied sharply.
"Of course. I won't need to cheat." Her overpowering voice rang with confidence, but was still soft with a personal seriousness. Coupled with her accusatory glare, Rey would be quite unsettled. But he refused to let her get to him; there wouldn't be any halftime breaks in this game.
Fiela set him down in the middle of the room with gentleness surprising for her and stood back up, backing up and settling on the sofa. Her gaze was locked on Rey's snowflake of a form from across the room, the only white dot in a sea of grey, as though waiting for him to do something.
"Fifteen seconds to move, Rey." She urged quietly.
"Crap," he thought rapidly. That was a lot less time than he had anticipated. Perhaps he should have elaborated more on the details--but now was not the time for such thoughts. Like she suggested, he had to move.
Rey burst in the direction of the kitchen. He dared not look behind him, rather focusing all of his attention on the destination. He knew he wouldn't be able to make it to the other hole right away, but he'd probably be at least able to hide first.
Just at three quarters of the way there, he heard a loud creak almost immediately followed by heavy thumps along the ground. His heart, already beating more than twice as fast as it healthily should, felt like it would burst from sheer adrenaline. Every breath was fated to be torn from his lungs the second it entered. He still didn't know if he was sprinting fast enough.
At last, he reached the entrance to the kitchen. The second the wall faded from his right, he swerved and ran alongside it. A memory had come to him in the form of a towering monolith just ahead--a bookcase nearby--that would make a perfect place to stay low for a little while. He did not hesitate in making a break for it.
Rey leapt at the back of the daunting first shelf, fitting himself snugly underneath the roof of a slanted dictionary. Fiela's thundering stomps echoed across from the left side of his head to the right, and he could see furry pillars pass by his limited field of vision after a few moments. She seemed to growl a little.
He swept his brow slowly and let his arm fall limp, sitting down in the corner between two walls of books. Fiela hadn't seen quite where he'd gone--but he knew she'd find him soon. This was one of the few obvious hiding spots, and he wasn't exactly well-suited for camouflage in anywhere but open snow. Needless to say, a house was pretty far from that.
His heart rate slowed to a minimum, the bar of which was still impressively high. He was by no means an athlete, though he dearly wished he was at times like these; and these times seemed to happen increasingly often. As he caught his breath with heavy gasps, he began to think again. There had to be some way out.
Running like a madman again wouldn't cut it, either. While he was at least somewhat fast, which happened to be one perk of his species, someone twenty times taller would be infinitely more so--and he had yet to even see her do anything but walk.
His ears perked up yet again.
"As you can see, I do enjoy a good book every now and then. It seems we have that in common." A singsong voice above erupted. The pale rabbit grunted exasperatedly, but quietly. He had been discovered--not that he was surprised. He sprung to his feet to see the terrifying visage of his predator, back bent forward and hands held to her knees.
"Thanks, I've always wanted to have good chemistry with a giant killer wolf." He was surprised at his own audacity; he wasn't usually the sarcastic type. Then again, he had tried to be nice with Fiela on more than one occasion; it generally wasn't returned in kind.
"Cute. I didn't think you were exactly my type either. But hey, every couple has its quirks, right?" Rey shook his head and scoffed.
"Are you being cruel on purpose, or is there something more to that?"
"Really, a little of both. It's too bad we can't get along; you're not too bad looking yourself." Rey warily stepped to his side; she could grab him at any second.
"You apparently think I'm a thief, and that's why there seem to be complications. Why don't you believe me when I say I'm trying to see a relative?" The wolf laughed aloud, revealing her sharp, spotless rows of teeth.
"I have every reason in the world to know how much of a lie that is--all you tinies do is steal."
"I'm sorry, but do you know why we would do that? And that reason aside, I still have never stolen anything in my life! Mind you, it's a bit of a generalization," he added quickly.
"Last time you came here, you had a whole group of tinies with you, and they took from me. I...I suppose I don't know what else to say to that." Fiela shrugged, but seemed at least a little uncertain. "Enough chatter. This game's not quite over."
Rey sprung to his feet just as an open paw lunged his way, slamming into the shelf in a glorious miss during the process. She cried out in pain, thrusting her arm back as Rey made a desperate getaway.
"You catch more flies with honey than you do with vinegar, Fiela," Rey yelled to his back quickly. She paused for just a moment, seeming to ponder something. If she had taken anything away from his words, she masked it well.
"I'd like to think of myself as bittersweet. Besides, the latter's caught me plenty of 'flies'." She replied, sounding a bit defensive. She was already regaining composure and had turned her attention on the snowy bug darting towards the miniscule gap in the wall across. Suddenly, she stopped, if only for a moment, ultimately coming across a thought most important:
"But--what else would honey get me?"
_ _
Suddenly, a huge paw fell from the sky, an ebon meteor. Rey deftly rolled forward just in time to avoid its impact and continued running. He wasn't quite sure, but that last stomp seemed...out of place. Deliberate in its inaccurate nature, perhaps. His mind, however, was focused on the image ahead.
He was almost there. He could taste freedom; freedom from his captor, and freedom from the cat-and-mouse he essentially regretted suggesting. He pumped the last of his strength into his legs in the form of a final sprint. He didn't know how long he had run, but that the quakes behind him turned into muffled thumps as both his vision and hearing blurred gave him a good illustration.
Rey made a desperate dive at the hole. Light breached his eyes as they were forced open with excitement. But just as he could very well taste victory and relief, he didn't feel the collision with tiled ground as he had expected--instead a tight, coiling pressure all around.
He had lost. So close, but he had lost.
The sweetness in his tongue turned into sourness. His instinctual wriggling ceased after about two seconds, letting the situation truly sink in. His thoughts were wilder and more flustered than ever before, as though he were but a crazed animal taken to its last breath. When he finally regained composure, he sighed deeply. His captor's face he couldn't see, but her expression was easily imaginable; one of cruelty and horrible foreboding. All was utter silence for a few moments, save the heavy panting from both participants.
"Alright. I--fine. You...you won," he stopped yet again, an aura of defeat surrounding him. "Fairly," he finished lamely, head hanging. He waited for the she-wolf to pull her arm away and do whatever it was she had in mind.
And yet, half a minute passed before anything happened. Unbeknownst to Rey, Fiela simply couldn't feel angry, or even victorious.
"You've got quite some ground to make up for."
Rey dropped to the ground as the furry python released.
"What?"
"I get to decide what to do with you now, right? I'm letting you go." She said bluntly. Rey turned to see her face yet again. It wasn't wrinkled with hatred, nor grinning ear to ear with cruelty--it was merely a contented smile. In the moment of calm, Rey could see the soul of a person, a woman, not that of a monster intent on ridding him.
"You're...after all that, you're changing your mind?" He said, sounding a little suspicious. Fiela sniffed a little in laughter.
"Let's leave it at you having taught me a bit of a valuable lesson. I would hate to say it, but I'm starting to think that maybe you're right--about the honey thing, I mean. I'm making the right decision by giving you a chance, right?"
Rey's face beamed suddenly. "I...I can't tell you how glad it makes me to know you've come around. We're not all bad. And I guess you giants aren't, either."
"Then we've both learned something today." All was quiet with contemplation before Rey broke the silence.
"I'll get the others off your back." Fiela didn't say anything, but merely absently bobbed her head up and down and smiled. Her eyes focused on the tiny being before her.
"I'd appreciate that." Her gaze scanned Rey's body thoroughly, finally having a chance to settle. "You know, I think it's safe to say we might have some things in common after all," she said slyly. Rey's face flushed just enough of a red, much to his own chagrin.
"Maybe we do. If...if you'd want to find out..." He found himself silenced by a massive finger, now pressed lightly to his face.
"Hush. Be here tomorrow, at noon." As the finger drifted back to its owner, Rey could only nod dumbly.
"For now, you have some place to be, don't you? Get going, bunny." He shook away his trance, nodding feverishly, and gave his swift goodbyes before at last leaving through the miniature hole. It was difficult to say whether he was so excited due to embarrassment, or due to remembering his destination.
Fiela sighed, looking back on the events of the day. She had to admit to herself, if not to Rey, that she had found the ordeal in a way enjoyable. Fun, even. Perhaps it was her predatory instinct speaking.
Even still, she felt a sort of chime in her belly--a feeling of gratification. There was no denying now that she'd made the better choice, at least to her. She hadn't felt so uplifted in a long time. Hell, she almost felt bad for having tormented the guy so much before. And that was the important realization she had discovered: he was a 'guy', a person, and so were all tinies.
Fiela shook her head finally; then wasn't the time for regret. She had a date to plan for.