WC: 1,125
Billiah, no, Rose Red sat at the flower bed that her mother laid within. Her adopted mother, whom had helped to cubnap her, but she didn’t recall those details. What she remembered was having her mother cuddle her in to her arms and held her loving me. “The flowers and I will take care of you sweet heart. I missed you so much, I dreamt you in to life, the flowers and me~” Those words held desperately by a lioness whom felt so desperately alone in the middle of a pride full members.
“They don’t speak to me mother.”
Her mother’s grave was always a place she could feel the small tinge of connection. The small ounce of belonging. Billiah belonged to her mother…
“I came back from the hunt today, and made sure to go to the flowers that were flattened and told them I was sorry, and those that broke, I was sorry for the loss.”
Of course, Rose Red knew her mother couldn’t speak to her. She knew that it was impossible, but sometimes she could hear her mother’s laughter. It was creepy at first but it became her lullaby after a while. The laughter when the flowers would tell her jokes, the times where she made Rose Red eat the flowers, so maybe they will become her muse, or when she began to stuff flowers in to Rose Red’s ears, to try to get the flowers to become one with Rose Red.. But it didn’t happened. Rose Red cried for so long, because she couldn’t hear them- Billy spoke to them EVERY DAY! But they wouldn’t speak back, and her mother wouldn’t sleep at times, just up talking to the flowers… It was nice, to hear some of the conversations.
When a male would come around, her mother would be protective, and hide Rose Red within the flowers, it’s easier to manage one at a time she said. The males would speak to her about the muses they had, or when the trouble of the muses began , she would have many visitors, crying, some yelling, some aggressive in nature.
“The muses are forever within us, loves. You have simply forgotten how to hear.” Her voice was soothing at times but when she couldn’t hear the flowers anymore… Her tears were endless, she stopped eating, and she would sleep next to her flower patch and not move for days. That’s when Rose Red was a merely adolescence and began to go hunting. At first, her mother would eat a little, here and there… but when she finally stopped eating… and visitors would come and try to uplift her spirits, she just dissolved.
”Rose Red~~~”
Rose Red quickly rose her head. Was she asleep? Had the memories taken her over? She looked around desperately, and protectively but no one was around.
”My little… Rose Red…”
Rose lifted her body and began to pace.
“Mother? Mother!”
”Rose…Red~~~ I’m within the flowers you silly girl..” The laughter came and Rose’s eyes began to water.
“Mother- I miss you so much… Wait- Do I have the muse again? Can I speak to flowers!?”
“No… you were always a disappointment that way.” The voice chimed so mythically. “You never found your muse… But I guess it wasn’t your fault… The Peace God’s blessing was too powerful for you, you were inept, a failure in that way too.”
Rose’s ears went back. “I’m sorry mother… I’m sorry… I tried to talk to them! I swear!”
“You were weak… always weak…” The voice began to disappear.
“No no! Mother I’ll get stronger- tell me how- I’ll do anything you say!”
“No~ no~ Maybe steal some brew- maybe then you can be apart of us.. the muses~”
“I can’t~”
“I know you can’t my dear~ You are too weak~ too frail like how I found you. The flowers told me to spare you, you know? You should thank them that your alive today.”
“You told me that… You told me and I thanked them mother. I thanked them, I swear it.”
“I wished at times you would die… You were such a burden… for not even being …”
Then the voice disappeared and Rose was left to stare blankly at the flowers- then her panic kicked in.
“Mother! Mother no! Don’t leave me! Don’t! Come back!”
The quietness was near haunting, her paws found her ears and her claws found her scalp in streaks. “I can’t steal the brew.. I just can’t.. what if the cast me from here- who would tend to your flowers!? What do you speak of this painful thought dear mother. If I get thrown out- the world out there- what would it do, To lose my chance to even have a use mother- please don’t- Please don’t tell me I’m a disappoint! I beg you!”
It was interesting to see the red lioness so paniced… She hadn’t been in so many years- the last was the time her mother had died.
Long and behold a hare came out of the flowers. It’s eyes the purest of reds, just as her’s.
“Are you the one making all the racket?”
Rose Red blinked, cocked her head and looked at the hare dumbfounded. Her suffering so apparent that a hare lied witness.
“You’re not getting close to that brew. Your tears, your – whatever you are doing is going to get you in a lot of trouble. Those desperate- those in despair, you do well to keep it locked away.”
“Hare… a hare!?” She began to laugh just as her mother once did, manically. “A HARE! Is telling me of my suffering!? When just an instant I could devour it whole~ HAHAHAH!” She began to laugh louder and the hare came up to her. Eyes stricken with seriousness.
“Fine- It is your funeral, if you don’t mind. That ‘eating whole’, if the likes of a broken lioness thinks that, well I do like the challenge- but I rather be the messenger of the gods- then to be someone’s lunch. You can try though, I’m sure.”
Rose Red lifted a brow.
“Yea, I heard your plan- steal the brew- go on- do it! Coward! If it means I get to sleep better- pfft go ahead and drown yourself in the stuff!”
As soon as he enticed her- Rose Red jumped at him in a reaction he hadn’t expected, but one thing was to expect and the other was to feel the vibrations… and side stepped her. Letting the lioness fall on her face and in to the flowers.
“I hope your stealth is better than that or your head will be on a platter.” Shaking his head and turning around to hop away, and right in to a hole…
