Mouse
Mouse was sitting out in the Hansons's backyard, reading and her Discman plugged into her ears.
Fafnir and Bets were napping in the weak sunlight, curled up in each other.
When Mouse noticed something. The grass was growing up around her ankles. As in, over it and around.
Her eyes went wide.
"Ok, not cool. Really, not cool."
Taylor
Taylor was bringing out a couple of glasses of drink when he noticed her freaked-out state.
"Mouse?" he frowned slightly, kneeling beside her and putting the drinks in the nearby garden so they wouldn't fall over.
"What..." his eyes fell to her ankles, "ah..."
Mouse
"That is not normal. Not normal at all, and I'm really, really freaked out right now. When people say boring as watching the grass grow, they say it cos grass grows *slowly*."
Mouse tried to move her ankles, but they were already wrapped by the grass.
"Not cool. Very, very not cool."
Taylor
"Ok, ok, not good, not good..."
Taylor moved down to her ankles, holding his hands over them as if deciding what to do.
"Umm... I'd cut it, but I'm kinda in a rush," he began as he tried to get his fingers underneath the blades of grass and loosen them.
Mouse
Berts came over and nosed Mouse's other ankle slightly.
I could try and get my teeth through it. The malamute suggested.
"Probably not a good idea, but thanks for offering," Mouse said.
Taylor
Taylor clenched his teeth a little as he pulled on the grass, feeling it loosen, he took hold of her ankle and began to try and pull it out.
"This is... really... unsettling..." he said between pulls, "what... the heck... happened?"
He almost went flying as her ankle came free.
Mouse
"You alright?" Mouse asked worriedly as she started to work her other ankle free.
"I have no idea. Know anyone who has control over plants? I'm figuring there's an alien out there who might."
Fafnir and Bets inhaled.
Nup, no new scents.
Taylor
Taylor crawled forward, and managed to wedge her other ankle free faster.
"Undoubtedly. I think there's one a couple of blocks away, but he's anti-social."
He sat back, leaning on his hands, and took a deep breath.
"Maybe we should go inside for the moment or something."
Mouse
"Tay! Hands!" Mouse yelped as the grass literally shot out of the ground and wrapped around his wrists.
"Oh, not good."
Taylor
"Woah!"
Taylor jumped and backed up so his hands were in front of him. He tried to pull on the grass, but it only seemed to get tighter.
"Oh crap..." he panted, his hands going red, "dammit, let go!"
Mordred
^Plantsgoodniceloving.^
"Ohhh...really not good," Mouse murmured.
^Notsotight,notsotight.Littlelooser...^
The grass loosened slightly, but still keeping Taylor bound firmly.
^Ohthisisboring.^
^No.Plantscalmquietloving.Thisisgood.^
^IwantBLOODIwanttofeedIwanttohuntIwantIwantIwant..^
"Ok. I think it's the babies."
Mouse rubbed the back of her hand across her foreahed.
"Come on, let him go."
Taylor
"Oh great."
Taylor clenched his teeth again as he pulled on the grass, trying to break it.
"You know, this kinda... restraining... really isn't a good thinig for me at the moment," he shook his head.
Mouse
Mouse fronwed as she started to try and loosen the grass with her fingers.
"I know. So there with the understanding."
^HUNGRY.^ One of the babies complained.
^Shhshhshh.Quietliketheplants...^
^WewanttoHUNT.Oh,Iwanttohunt.^
Taylor
"Really, will really, be getting to the claustrophobic stage in a second..." Taylor insisted, raising his eyebrows.
He let his left wrist slack off a little, inevitably in the hope of the grass loosening further, while he concentrated on his right.
Mouse
One of the babies kicked her sharply and Mouse yelped, hands going to her middle.
"Ok, ow. Don't kick so hard."
^HUNT!Bloodwantwantwantneed...^
^Prettyplantsprettyplantsprettyplants...^
^HuntthehuntedhuntingthepreyIwanttohun...^
Taylor
"Dammit."
Taylor cursed to himself, as he finally pulled hard enough for some blades of grass to break.
"Man..."
He kept pulling until his right wrist was free, then began to try and get the grass off his left.
"I think we should, really, get inside before something happens."
Mouse
"Very good idea," Mouse agreed.
She started helping him get the grass off his left wrist.
"Dammit, why don't you just make the plants let go? I know one of you is doing this..."
Taylor
"As soon as they're born we're gonna start on manners and courtesy," Taylor insisted.
He cringed as he gave a final tug, breaking the last blades of grass. He quickly stood up and backed off, taking a deep breath.
"Come on," he held his hand out to her.
Mouse
"Oh yeah. So much so." Mouse nodded vehemently and took his hand.
They started towards the house, and then Mouse started to feel woozy. She shook her head slightly, then kinda just collapsed into a heap.
Taylor
"Woah..." Taylor began, stumbling slightly.
He held himself together long enough to make sure she didn't hurt herself or the babies on the way down, then collapsed next to her.
Mouse
The Three considered the turn of events.
^Well.^
^Yeah.^
^I'm hungry.^ One of them whined. ^I want blood.^
^Pretty plants, pretty plants.^ The second sang, weaving the grass around and around Taylor. ^So happy to talk to me and do what I want...^
^Mother, mother! Feed me. I need blood.^ The first complained.
Mouse's eyes blinked open. Burning amber.
^Yessss...now...^
^No! No no no! No biting!^ The second protested.
^I'll only take a mouthful...^
^Just a mouthful.^ The last one stated. ^That's all.^
^Ok, ok. Just a little bit...^
The baby tiptoed its way through Mouse's mind, keeping what was the controlling part of her locked down.
Mouse leant over and slid suddenly sharp canines into the juncture of Taylor's neck and shoulder.
^Annnnnd, let go!^ The second one commanded the plants.
Taylor
Taylor's eyes shot open and he tried to sit up, but couldn't.
He cried out as soon as he registered the pain in his neck, and clenched his fists. Then whatever had him, let go.
"JANE! Wait, wait, wait..."
He took hold of Mouse's shoulders, not wanting to hurt her, and carefully tried to push her - or her body - away.
Mouse
Mouse growled and held on tighter, swallowing the blood greedily.
^Ah,sogoodsogood...GOOOOOODDDDD...^
Let go, let go! Mouse screamed inside her mind. Oh god, let me out! Stop!
Taylor
Taylor cried out again, feeling her teeth in his neck and remembering it all too well.
He pushed harder, making sure to keep hold of her so she couldn't fall and hurt herself.
He finally managed to get of off him, then bolted to his feet and backed off.
"Come on Jane, you can..."
He stopped suddenly, having to lean against something. He was feeling dizzy, and his vision was getting blurry...
Mouse
Mouse licked her lips, then the gold fled her eyes and she looked horrified for a second, before slumping to the ground in a dead faint.
^Youtookalot!^
^Didnot!^
^Didtoo!^
^Didnot!^
^DIDTOO!^
^DIDNOT!^
Taylor
Taylor groaned again, before he slid to the ground.
It had happened again.
He was soon out like a light.
Mouse
Fafnir sat by Mouse and Bets sat by Taylor as they waited for the aliens to wake up.
Mouse stirred slightly, but kept her eyes closed.
Taylor
Taylor rolled his head to the side, trying to wake himself up.
He soon remember what had happened, and he struggled to open his eyes.
"Oh man..."
He covered his eyes with his hands, before letting his left hand wander tot he base of his throat. He gulped when he felt the warm blood left over.
"Jane..."
He managed to roll over onto his side, spotting her not far from him. He began to crawl over, stopping every now and then to try and get himself together.
Taylor
"I know..." Taylor managed to croak out.
He devoted his attention to getting to Mouse, and finally made it. He put a hand on her shoulder and shook her carefully.
"Mouse...? Can you hear me?"
Mouse
Tears slowly slid down Mouse's cheeks as she opened her eyes and sat up.
"Oh god, Tay, I'm so sorry."
Taylor
"Don't worry, don't worry," Taylor sighed, reaching up to run his fingers through her hair.
He smiled.
"Just took a bit out of me. Literally I guess," he tried to make a joke.
Mouse
"I don't know how they're doing it..."
Mouse was too shaken to try and joke.
"What if...Tay, what if I really hurt somebody? Not that I haven't already hurt you."
Taylor
"It's just a couple of months," Taylor said, just above a whisper.
"I'm sure... we can work around it."
He lay back on the ground and closed his eyes, feeling over tired.
Mouse
"Oh god, I'm so sorry..."
Mouse buried her face in her hands and the tears kept coming.
Fafnir nosed her side gently and Bets settled next to Taylor with a quiet whoof.
Taylor
"Hey..."
Taylor reached out for one of her hands, managing to pry one from her face and holding it. He brought it down to his face so he could kiss it.
"It's ok... It'll be ok..."
MOuse
Mouse wiped her eyes with the hand he wasn't holding.
It'll be alright... Fafnir inched closer on his stomach.
Mouseling...
"I don't know if it will be."
Taylor
"Don't argue with me when I don't have a chance to argue back," Taylor smiled slightly, then yawned.
"I think I need some sleep, then I'll have a shower or something."
MOuse
"Yeah..."
Mouse sighed.
"Do you need a hand?"
Taylor
Taylor waved her off, letting go of her hand and laying both his across his chest.
"I'll just stay here," he whispered with a sigh.
It wasn't at all long before he was asleep.
Mouse
Mouse looked at the wounds on his throat, buried her face in her hands and wept silently.
She'd done it again.
She sat out there with him, Fafnir and Bets standing watch. Eventually, she went inside but the Pack kept guard while he slept.