"Now WHERE could Blake have gone?"
The sound of Sun's approaching playful tone made Blake giggle in her hiding spot. The young Faunus girl put both hands to her mouth to stifle the sound. She chanced a peek around the planter she had scrunched herself behind to see just how close the teen was. Sun had his back to her, his fists on his hips. She suppressed another snicker and ducked back into her hiding place. This was always her favorite part of the game.
"I don't know if I'm EVER gonna find her!" Sun called again, "Or mayyyybe…" The large fern leaves that shielded Blake rustled before Sun's face appeared in them. "She's right here!"
Blake laughed as Sun scooped her up out from the middle of the three fern pots. "No fair, no fair! You found me too fast again!"
"That's because you're getting bigger and easier to spot," Sun had set her down on the clay-tiled floor.
"That's 'cause I'm the oldest," Blake puffed out her chest in pride at her statement, "Momma and Papa had me first, and first is ALWAYS oldest! So there!"
Sun knelt down and ruffled her hair, careful of the small kitten ears that poked out from her locks, "You sure about that, pipsqueak?"
"Uh-huh! And MY birthday comes first. That makes me older than you, too!" Blake pushed away his hand and put her hands on her hips. "So there!"
"Then how am I so much taller than you?" Sun asked.
Blake paused. She racked her little brain to think of a clever answer. "Because! …Because…" Finally, she pointed at him. "Because you're adopted! And you drink all the milk instead of sharing it!"
Whatever she was going to say next was interrupted by a rumble of thunder off in the distance. Blake whimpered and looked up at the large glass ceiling of the greenhouse. The sun still shone, but off to the east, a large wall of dark grey clouds loomed menacingly. Blake's ears fell against her hair and she shuffled closer to Sun. "...Can we go get a snack? I don't wanna be up here anymore."
Straightening up, Sun stretched his arms over his head. "Yeah, I could go for a bite. Wanna race me to the kitchen?"
Blake shook her head and gripped the fabric of his pants. "Can you carry me?"
"Absolutely, kiddo,"
Sun scooped her up, and she gripped his shoulders so as not to fall. He took just a moment to adjust his grip before heading to the greenhouse exit. As soon as they got to the first floor, the door opened and the siblings bumped into Ghira.
"Oof! Sorry, Mr.B," he apologized, shifting Blake in his grip.
"I'm sorry, I didn't know you two were in the greenhouse," Ghira apologized, "where are you off to in such a hurry?"
"I want a snack, Papa," Blake said, smiling at her father, "And Sun's taking me because it's gonna be a loud and scary storm."
Ghira sighed. "Blake, you're going to be nine in a couple of weeks. You don't need your big brother to carry you when there's a little rain coming,"
"I'm the older one, I was first," Blake pouted.
"We'll work on it. Right, Blake?" Sun asked, shifting her slightly to free one hand. He poked her on the nose with a "boop". Turning back to Ghira, Sun smiled. "Did you want to join us for a snack?"
Ghira shook his head, "No thanks, I want to move the sunflowers over to a different spot. I feel like they could get more sun if they were more over the east wing. Do me a favor and keep an ear out for the door. I'm expecting a delivery of some fertilizer and soil,"
"Call me if you need help Mr.B!" Sun said. He held the door for Ghira, and when it shut, he set Blake on the floor. "Wanna race to the kitchen? Last one there is a rotten egg!"
Blake grinned. "You're gonna lose. You always lose,"
"Maybe I'll win this time! Ready?"
Blake held up a hand. "Wait! I wanna count down. One… Readygo!" The young girl took off down the hall before she even finished speaking. She giggled to herself at her cleverness. Sun NEVER expected when she said "go" at random times. That meant she always won every race. She sprinted through the grand entranceway and down the hall, stopping once she touched the dining table. A couple of seconds later, Sun arrived behind her panting heavily.
"Man, you sure are fast! Just a little blur through the house, I could barely see you!" he wiped at his brow with a loud, exaggerated "whew!" that made Blake laugh. "Why don't you take a seat and I'll make us something?"
Blake climbed into one of the chairs. "Because I'm the winner?"
Sun ruffled her hair as he walked past. "You bet. How about a PB and J?"
"Yes please!"
Blake swung her legs excitedly in the chair. Sun always made the best sandwiches. It was one of her favorite things he did for her. But waiting also came with it, and that was almost unbearable for the child Faunus. Seconds seemed like hours and she was quickly bored in her seat. Her boredom didn't last long, as the faint sound of someone knocking on the door got her kitten ears to perk up. It must be the delivery guy her father was talking about.
Blake hopped out of her chair and ran back to the entrance. She always loved helping her father plant and move flowers, after all. The knock rang out again just as Blake got to the front door. She opened it up with a smile, ready to greet the familiar delivery company worker.
As soon as she did, the child froze. Standing before her was a hunched figure in a dark and tattered cloak. It was still light enough out for Blake to make out several patches haphazardly sewn to it. The only sound came from the light drizzle outside, but Blake could barely hear it over her pounding heart. It felt like an eternity before the head of the figure turned ever so slightly to look at her.
"...Excuse me, could I come in out of the rain?" it asked in a wavering feminine voice, "it's dreadfully cold."
"Uhh… I…" Blake stammered, her body trembling. The freeze part of her fight or flight had completely taken over every muscle.
The figure spoke up again. "I don't have any money. However…" She raised one hand and pulled back the hood, revealing her face. Blake gasped as each ugly curve of the disfigured face was pulled into the light. Chestnut brown hair sat in a rat's nest atop her head, a few stray locks draping over her hooked and warted nose. What must have been a smile crossed her distorted mouth as she pulled out a dazzling tiger lily. The flower was gorgeous. It didn't look like anything her father had in the greenhouse, or like any flower she had ever seen. Blake temporarily found herself mesmerized by the glowing petals. "...I can offer this single tiger lily as payment for shelter."
When she spoke again, Blake's gaze was ripped away from the plant and back to the terrifyingly ugly woman that held it. "I…n-no! You're scary!" she blurted out, taking a small step backward.
The woman stayed still, the smile slightly dropping from her features. "My child, appearances aren't everything."
"No.. no, I'm scared of you. Please go away," Blake said again, her voice shaking as much as her body.
The only part of the woman's body that moved was her face as her smile faded completely. She was even more terrifying when she was upset. Blake gripped the door handle tighter, ready to close it. But her body wouldn't comply. She just couldn't move. Then suddenly before her eyes, the crone began to glow and shift, her ratty cloak flapping about her features. Blake could only stare as she transformed into a tall, beautiful woman. Her long hair, now straightened, curled into a small spiral behind her. Her now flawless soft face was speckled with dark freckles. Iridescent rainbow fairy-like wings sprung from her back, glowing the same as the flower still in her hand.
"Child, you have let fear taint your heart. It has clouded your mind and shut off your soul," the woman said, her grey eyes piercing straight through Blake, "You are still allowing that fear to control you even now. It seems a lesson needs to be learned."
She pointed her free hand at Blake and a bright light shot forward, engulfing the eight-year-old's vision completely. Blake cried out, the brightness and heat too much for her. Pain shot through every bone, muscle, and nerve ending as she collapsed to the ground. Over her cries, the commanding voice of the enchantress at the door echoed in her head.
"You have until your 30th birthday to free your soul from unnecessary(?) fear, so long as my gift remains taken care of. When you can come around and break that barrier will this curse be lifted, and your lesson is considered learned."
The light faded along with the woman. The sound of rain was covered by Blake's groans as she straightened up. Other than an intense headache, the pain had mostly subsided. She felt like she had fallen down the stairs or off her father's shoulders. The confusion and pain got to be too much and she started sobbing, then wailing by the door.
"Mooooooom! Momma, it hurts!" she bawled, gripping her head.
A fuzzy sensation tickled her legs that made Blake jump with a yelp. She looked down to identify the issue and found a long black tail curled around her knees. Blake scrambled to get away from whatever it was, but the tail followed her. Now in full panic, she forgot to sob as tears still streamed down her face. She cried out again. "Momma! Poppa! Sun help! There's a monster grabbing me!"
She tried to get up and run into the kitchen, but her legs fumbled and she crashed on the floor. She tried to sit up and squeaked in fear again once her hands came into view. Instead of skin, her arms were covered in black fur. Her hands transformed into thick five-fingered paws. It took her a minute, but she was able to stand up. With her mind and heart racing, Blake scrambled and blundered her way up the stairs and down the left hallway, where an antique mirror her mother purchased hung. She skidded to a stop once she reached it, her eyes widening in terror at her reflection. Staring back at her was the form of some sort of beast blanketed in black fur and horrible long saber teeth stretching from her maw. What even was this creature? How did it get into her house? Why did it move exactly the way she did? It was too much for Blake to handle and she collapsed where she stood, screaming and bawling, the thunderstorm outside all forgotten.
Blake sighed as she finished her story. She stared down at her handpaws in her lap. Yang, who had since relaxed into a criss-cross sitting position next to her, also let out a long exhale as she processed everything. She watched the sabercat tentatively as her story kept swimming around and around in her head. Only ten minutes ago she was convinced she got swept up in an elaborate joke. But now…
"...Wow," Yang finally let out, nodding her head slowly, "that's one hell of a situation."
Blake snorted, her mouth curling up into the tiniest of smiles for a split second. She scratched up a pebble and played with it idly in her paws before looking back at the enchanted lily. "Sun found me soon after. He grabbed this, and good thing he did. It had almost faded completely. It took a couple of days but he managed to bring it back to life for me." She paused for a moment. "...He didn't even mind that I was scared of him. And my own parents, too. Guess she blasted the whole house. I still feel guilty about it. I mean…they're my family. And I dragged them into this because I was a dumb kid scared of her own shadow. Still am, apparently, because we all still look like…like this ."
"Hey," Yang started, scooting closer, "They definitely didn't seem upset with you. They love you," she started, touching the cat's arm, "I've heard stories of fairies and enchantresses back home. They always seem like such jerks. I mean, you were eight! That's just normal stranger danger. She totally overreacted."
Blake snickered which soon turned into a full laugh. Yang found herself smiling and even laughing along. It was just so contagious, and it warmed her heart to see Blake happy again.
"So whatever happened with that delivery?" she asked, genuinely curious.
Blake smiled sheepishly. "Dad got to the door. Scared the pants off of him. And the other three guys that came by," she said, "...Come to think of it, we never did get the rest of our furniture from the move."
"That's probably where the rumors came from, Yang mused, "Tales of horrendous man-eating monsters in Menagerie." She paused for a moment and frowned. "You guys never did really tell me what you did with Dr. Merlot."
Blake shifted uncomfortably in her spot. "...One day, he just showed up at our door with cages and chains. He wanted to experiment and weaponize us. It took both mom and dad's strength to get him out of the house. I just…hid in the kitchen with Sun the whole time." She sighed and looked at her paws. "...I'm gonna be stuck like this forever."
Yang watched her silently for a long moment. She glanced down at her arm, which had all but healed. Bumblebee was also doing very well, able to run around the property with no issues. On top of that, she didn't have much time left in her planned vacation. This whole trip had turned into a complete 180 on her, and the mere thought of leaving Blake now of all times to go back home tugged at her heart. But it wasn't like she could take Blake back with her. Not while she looked like that.
"Hey," the blonde started softly, reaching out and taking one of Blake's handpaws in both of her hands, "Lemme try and help you."
"...How?"
"Don't worry. I'll figure it out. I can spare another week here at least. Make sure Bumblebee and me are all healed up right, you know,"
Blake watched her face for what felt like forever. Yang gripped her paw a little tighter, reassuring her that she was serious. And finally, Blake smiled.
"Thank you, Yang," she said.
It was enough to send another round of butterflies zipping around in Yang's stomach. She couldn't help but give her the biggest smile back that she could muster. And then, the two were bathed in a ray of orange light. They looked up to see most of the dark clouds had left, and a semi-transparent rainbow arced in the distance. It felt like a sign of good things to come. And even though Yang had no idea how she would get the curse undone, she couldn't feel the uncertainty at this moment. She only felt as warm as the sun.