Believe in Me

Pet

Ilia felt alone, weak, useless. She was sure it was nighttime, Pitch and Death had left the room to assumidly go sleep and Jack was unconsious, his small whimpers of both pain and fear echoing throughout the chambers, catching her sensitive ears. He had been so strong in her eyes, seeing this side of the snowboy was heartstabbing, plus the pain of Death's words.. he never did care.. how would he. He was the grim reaper, and though she could tell he had a good heart, it was pretty obvious he didn't care too much to be around others. Why was she any different? Now that she thought back to it, she had wished she ran when Pitch let her go. If he caught her and punished her, at least she would take that pain on her own. Jack was suffering like this trying to get her to safety.. she pulled up the paled green top she wore with her outfit, looking at the deep slash ingraved from her upper hip to her lower shoulder. By the bloodstain she saw across the front of Jack's hoodie, he must've had the same cut. It hurt to breathe, to talk. Everytime she inhaled her lungs expanded, stretching the open wound to tear further, and everytime she exhaled, that tear pressed in against itself. Sitting up was out of the question, she was forced to stay in the slightly curved position on the ground, shaky bruised arms wrapped around the deep gash to try and stop the bloodflow. Her ankle bled on its own. Pitch had managed to both horribly sprain and cut into the bone, causing unbearable pain if she put any pressure on it at all. The cuts she had had before, the bruises, all of them were torn back open and darkened during Hiwa's crash.. she couldn't move, even the beating of her heart sent a throb throughout her. She doubted Pitch would allow the cages to be cleaned, the blood that specked the floor seeping into her already bloodstained clothes. Her eyes were drooping and she knew what was coming. You have to sleep eventually.. It'll happen on its own soon enough. But she was scared. The way Jack shouted, tossed and turned, whined and whimpered in his own restlessness, not being able to wake, not being able to pull himself from whatever horrors he was seeing was fear bounding on its own. She stared out at the black walls with a small whine of a sigh, wincing as her chest jolted with the force of the wound reaching down into it. "What's the matter, child, not tired?" That voice.. she squeezed her eyes shut, trying to pretend to sleep but he had already seen her, clicks of footsteps tapping their way towards her small weak form. "Or have I not done enough to you to make you want to lose your pain?" She glared warily up at him, her eyes being one of the few parts of her that didn't hurt. Pitch crouched in front of her cage. She wished the scene was reversed, that she was looking in on him finally being locked up. "Silly little dog.." He mused, reaching his hand through and rubbing her head, ruffling her messy hair even further. She growled very quickly and within half a second her fanglike teeth were dug deep into his hand. She wasn't some mutt, definatally not something Pitch could toy around with. It had always gotten her sensitive. Though she loved animals, she had never wanted to be one and hated to be adressed as one. The look in the nightmare kings face went from the overconfident smirk to a glare of rage as he rased his other hand and hit her hard across the cheek. The yelp was satisfying to him as the sudden outburst of pain blossomed on her delecate cheek, her teeth ripping from his hand as she slammed against the side of the cage, crying out as the deep wound in her ankle slammed with it. The man of darkness drew his hands from the bars, hissing at the small panting figure in the corner of her prison. With a short glance, he saw deep puncture wounds in both his palm and upper hand, his own blood running from their depths, sparking his infuriation even further with its red color. He rose to full standing and stormed to Jack, pulling him right through his cage as if it were butter and holding his limp figure towards her, a dagger of nightmare sand that looked sharp as steel in the bloody hand through her bloodshot eyes. "N.. no.." 

Pitch glared down, his hand throbbing but his grip still tight as anything on the hilt of the pure black dagger. "Oh yes.. you've done enough. You should know from watching all your little puppies and kittens, stupid girl, bad behavior is only corrected through punishment." As his words ended, the shaky hand raised and the tip of the blade went to the winter spirit's pale cheek, the cold of the metal seeming to calm him slightly, the chill giving him something to cling to, a safety. "Now Ilia.. as you watch your protector get cut up by my blade.. make sure you keep it right inside your little blonde head that this was all your fault. If you hadn't been so stupid to have wandered in here in the first place, Jack wouldn't have to suffer," he slashed down, sending a jerk through the body of the spirit in his grip, turquoise eyes bursting open with the sudden pain to bring him back to reality. The sweat from his nightmares worked its way down into the fresh wound, causing him to give a light groan, the whimper he wanted to let escape his shaky lips was pulled back into his throat as he saw the watery near glowing wide green eyes fixed on him, the right one being partially closed with the swell of a huge, bright red mark across it. He felt the cold gaze of those horridly sadistic eyes across his wincing expression. "Jack, you've finally woken up. How were your dreams?" The white haired teen couldn't tell what was worst, closing his eyes tightly. He was locked in his nightmares and terrors with no way to escape.. but now was just the same. Him and Ilia, locked up in this real nightmare. "Speaking of which.. I told your guardian friends where you were, but they wont be coming for you," Both of them seemed to light up then go confused and downcast at the same time. Wouldn't be coming for them..? Jack didn't understand. Sure he didn't like relying on others for situations he had gotten himself in, but the guardians were always there for him and vice versa. "I guess they didn't  care as much as you thought after all," Pitch shrugged, dropping the form in his hands. Jack gave a shout as the corrupt leg twisted itself under him and he fell to his face, the gash in his chest causing him to shout again. He didn't want to look this weak in front of Ilia OR Pitch. The terror in the spirit of curiosity's eyes was heartbreaking, made him want to curl up and fall.. and then the anger, frustration of knowing that he was laying at his enemy's feet, crying in pain was shreading him mentally apart. But Pitch loved it, picking the boy up by his hood and tossing him back into the black barred cage, the door slamming shut again and the lock that held it together molding so the gate was gone. Jack looked up, but not at the nightmare king but at Ilia. She looked back to him, giving a small whine as she reached her hand out yet again to try and get to him. If he reached too, their hands might be able to meet , a last resort to give each other at least a small bit of safety and comfort. But just as Jack was about to reach back, a heavy boot slammed down on the small girl's hand, an outcry dashing out of her mouth as she was forced further to the ground. The boot wasn't Pitch's though.. but Grey's. From Pitch's angle it looked like he was glaring down at her, his boot twisting to make it seem like he was aiming to hurt her.. and he was. But as Jack looked closer he could faintly see not a look of anger on Death's face, but one of warning, blood red eyes flashing words that he couldn't speak. Ilia seemed to get it and he raised his foot, turning and leaning back against the wall with his head down, the uncaring look back. How did he do that..? Jack wondered. How could he put on such a mask as to make it seem like he didn't care what happened to her, watch his only friend get cut up and forced into pain and not seem to care until he had to. He had stomped on her wrist for her sake, that was obvious though. If she had kept resisting listening to Pitch, he probably would've just cut her hand right off. Still, the wicked man was fooled and satisfied with Grey Loss's seeming obedience. He then crouched by her cage again and something appeared back on her neck; the black color of nightmare sand she had had before all of this. He then raised his still bleeding hand and put it atop her head, causing a shiver to run through her but no attack this time, as she cradled her throbbing fingers. His smirk returned and he patted her lightly on the head, brushing the dried blood off of the white fox's ears. They were surprisingly soft, real fur. He had never felt an animal, let alone a fox. They had always ran from him and he never had the bother to catch one until she had found her way accidentally into his lair. He felt even himself grow a little curious as he reached back and got a grip on the tail that curled itself naturally around her as she laid. It was soft beyond anything Pitch had ever touched, though the powdered blood made it a bit annoying. He smirked, forming a small idea. "You know.. I've always wanted a pet," he started and her eyes, which had been staring at the ground in a failed attempt to ignore him, darted up cautiously. Jack crawled as close as he could get to listen, despite Death's watchful eye on him. "You know I could give you a family.. make sure you never wander your way into a situation like this again. You know its true, Ilia, I can see people's fears. You're afraid that you'll never be wanted. I can change that." It was crazy how at one second he was darkly smiling and the other he seemed completely sane again, his eyes filled with understanding.. Jack looked to her, not expecting the longing that had suddenly appeared in her eyes. He remembered how desperate he was to belong as a spirit, now he was facing one that never got that wish. Death seemed to notice it too, getting a nervous glance as he blinked over to the darkest of dark and the lightest of lights face to face in a near agreement. "No.." he whispered out, just as Ilia said it. She looked sad at the thought of giving up the first and possibly last oppertunity at a family, a home. Was it because she didn't want to let Jack down, knowing that he was listening? Or because she truely disagreed with Pitch? The winter spirit was sure it was the first. But Pitch's smile didn't fade. If anything it got bigger. "Good then," the man laughed with unknown joy. Her cage fell apart, molding into a chain that wrapped itself around the collar that had locked around her small neck. She looked panicked, confused, trying to back away but being held in place by the strong hand that gripped the other side of the black metal links. Jack's eyes narrowed in anger as more fearlings ran out of the walls, causing her to whine quietly in fear of them coming to attack. Instead though, they stopped, flattening around her. A dog crate. It was made for a large dog, slightly bigger than the tight cage that was there before, but the holes in the sides werent near big enough for Jack to fit his fingers through. The thing that was off... the fearlings constructed a REAL dog crate. Nothing made of the black sand as usual, but actual hard plastic and the same metal crossed gate. "I.. I said no!" She shouted, earning an overly kindhearted smile from Pitch. "And you dont have much of a choice, fox." He was mad, Jack was sure of it now. This wasn't Pitch, Pitch wasn't this insane. Even if he WAS a wrongdoer, he had been respectful, not cherishing in blood and laughing at the pained expressions the two gave. No.. he was a madman, crazed with an overdose of anger. Pitch turned, walking out of the room but either not noticing or not caring that Death didn't follow. His red torn cape fluttered as he walked around and crouched in front of the crate Ilia sat helplessly in. "By tomorrow morning you will be out.." he muttered, his voice barely audible to Jack but his lips moving just enough to make out the words. "I will carry you and the spirit of winter back to the Pole where your guardian friends will take care of you. I'll deal with Pitch later.." He looked to Jack, clarifying. "I am not on your side, I'm still born to be in the darkness and I will stay in my place. But you... you both.. aren't meant to be here. He turned back to Ilia, giving a soft smile that surprised Jack into thinking it was fake. Such a cold man giving such a warm, calming smile.. Ilia put two of her fingers through the crate's gate and the man reached up. One of his fingers was the size of two of hers, him putting it in her reach and her small hand halfheartedly curled around it. It was both sweet and sad.. like Jack was just there, watching as the two seemed to converse mentally, their eyes flickering with different emotions, most of which Jack didn't even know Death had. Then the man rose, nodded to the both of them, and turned. "Ilia.. you realize why I said what I did, dont you?" She stayed quiet, looking down. "If I hadn't, Pitch would've hurt you to get to me. I had to." Nature nodded slowly but the saddened look stayed in place as the tall figure of the reaper turned and walked in his full confidence and grace out of the room. 

The chapter is sort of sucky, I'm not exactly awake right now @.@ I'll try to update more since I dont think I'll be able to for a few days.