:):

I realize that this story has just become very confusing and so I'll try my best to answer some of your questions.

Chara is actually from a time period years after Frisk and Fearia's time period.

Chief Marx only has one biological child, Paxon, who takes after his mother. Mrs. Haiyan was brought to Fauna with her young daughter, Liling, who was only a small child at the time. Mrs. Malika was pregnant when she was brought to Fauna, she had twins - Malix and Nalu.

I won't explain Frisk and Fearia's situation yet because that's a big part of the plot and I don't want to spoil it. Sorry! :)

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The Jaws of Fauna

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After dinner, Frisk returned to her room. She had to appear as normal as possible before her escape attempt. She couldn't just leave the village by normal means. If she tried, she would be caught instantly and imprisoned in her room. Guards would be placed outside. To say the least, it would be a real mess if she alerted anyone of her intentions.

Her satchel was placed next to the door, already filled with anything she might need. Walking over to it, Frisk tucked some of tonight's dinner rolls along with a small jar of apple preserves into it as well. Not only was she planning on running away, but she was also stealing food. If the chief found out about this, he would be furious! She would be in so much trouble.

For the next few hours as she waited for the moon to rise, Frisk had been anxiously pacing around by dim candlelight. Her satchel already had more things crammed into it that she didn't necessarily need but she couldn't see herself leaving without, like a few of her mother's possessions. Her mother didn't have very much to begin with, but what she did have meant a lot to her. So there was no way Frisk was going to leave them behind.

It was almost time.

Unable to pack it away due to limited space, Frisk was now dressed in her mother's light blue tunic. Being more on the formal side, the silky fabric was a bit longer than necessary, with the hem falling around midthigh. A pair of light lavender bands wrapped around her midsection and waist, and the Kingdom of Magic's royal seal was now proudly embroidered across her chest. For some reason, it just felt right to be wearing this when she left. It seemed fitting.

Satchel now overloaded, the teenager hefted it onto her back and walked over to the door. The moon was nearly at its peak and everyone who was usually asleep at this time, was. Except for her, of course. It was now or never and never wasn't an option!

Waiting only a few more seconds, Frisk reached out and pulled open her door. The small creak the hinge made sent shivers down her spine as she looked around. The hallways were nearly pitch black with only random pools of moonlight to illuminate the way. Silently, she made her way through the darkness.

Finally coming to the main doors to the Chief's large family house, Frisk found herself slowing as she heard grumbling followed by a heavy sigh. Two guards were stationed outside the main building obviously pulling an all-nighter. Why were they there?! Had they always been there?

Feeling herself start to sweat, Frisk nearly jumped out of her skin when she felt a small tug on her long tunic sleeve. Flinching, she looked down to see Malix staring up at her. Right behind him, Nalu was glowering quietly, her arms crossed. Putting a finger to his lips, Malix motioned for Frisk to follow.

Once they were far away from the guards, the small boy released his hold and frowned up at the suspicious teenager. "Are you leaving as well, big sister?"

"Let her go, it's not like we'll miss her." The little girl pouted.

"You're going after Fearia, right?" Malix asked, ignoring his sibling. "She left through the window in our room. If you want, you could use it too. We won't tell. Promise."

"I'm not promising." The little girl refused outright.

"Nalu." Malix urged, giving his sister a soulful look.

After a moment, the little girl deflated with a sigh. "Fine." She huffed. "I won't tell either. ...Promise."

Smiling, Frisk nodded and allowed herself to be led back towards the twin's room. It wasn't really surprising to see them awake at this hour. These two were practically nocturnal, and from the way they silently and swiftly crept through the darkness, they were probably meant to be.

As Nalu shut their door securely, Malix walked over and unlatched their window, letting the moonlight flood into the room. Turning, he gave his eldest sister a nod. "Please, find little Fear."

"She's actually quite dear." Nalu finally admitted as she took her place by her brother's side. "...even if she is loud and obnoxious..." She couldn't help but add quietly under her breath.

Kneeling down, Frisk gathered Malix into her arms and gave him a warm hug. He easily returned it. Nalu stood beside them awkwardly for a moment before the teenager gestured for her to join as well. After a small amount of hesitation, and with a loud sniffle, she did as well.

"We'll miss you, Frisk." They both said in unintentional unison.

Giving the twins a final wave from outside their window, Frisk stealthily made her way through the sleeping village of Fauna. The highly fortified wooden wall that surrounded the entire town seemed to loom over her from all sides, somehow appearing very much like the open maw of a hungry bear. Maybe it was just the shadows of the night playing tricks, but a deep irrational feeling of dread was slowly creeping up on her. Like a terrified rabbit, she could only wonder with morbid curiosity when the jaws would snap shut.

There were two main gates large enough for horse drawn wagons and one small door located near the stables. Both the gates were constantly guarded and it would take more than one person to actually open them because they were so heavy. The stable door, however, was usually left unattended. Unfortunately, a key was required to open it and she wasn't in possession of said key. It was kept safely tucked away in the Chief's private quarters.

Thankfully, her little sister had left her a badly drawn map. On it, was the location of a hole that the tiny child had dug to escape the village. How Fearia had tunneled a hole deep enough to get under the wall in a single night, Frisk simply did not know. Her little sister was nothing if not determined.

Coming to the hole cleverly hidden behind a clump of bushes, Frisk felt her brows crease in frustration. There was absolutely no way she was going to fit. Of course, she should have known this. Fearia was so tiny, she wouldn't have needed to dig a wider hole. What was she going to do now?

"So, that's how little Fearia got out..."

Frisk flinched, clearly startled. Turning, she spotted Paxon and Liling walking towards her. The teenager was dressed in dark clothing while the sleepy young man beside her looked like he had tried to get dressed but forgot some steps along the way. He still had his nightcap on...

Frisk felt herself pale slightly. What were they doing out here this late? Had they come to try and stop her? Why would they? And if they did, what could she do about it? As her two siblings approached, Frisk flitted from option to option inside her mind trying to ascertain the correct solution to this little dilemma.

With a tired yawn, Paxon quietly continued his train of thought, not at all noticing his little sister's distress. "I've been wondering about this ever since this afternoon... If father really sent her on a mission outside the gates, then why didn't anyone see her leave? If she had tried to sneak past the guards, they would have spotted her for sure, but there were no reports made of anyone trying to escape. ...Now I understand why..."

"Perhaps getting out all on her own was another test in your father's twisted little game." Liling offered, a sour look on her face. "You know how he loves to toy with her."

"You're probably right about that, though I don't understand it myself." Paxon sighed as he came to a stop in front of his younger sister. Looking down at the mute girl, he gave her a sad but understanding look. "You were never planning on returning, were you?"

Feeling her shoulders slump as the nervous tension dissipated, Frisk let out a small sigh. So they weren't here to try to stop her after all. She felt a slight pang of guilt thinking otherwise. They had just come to say goodbye... Returning the look, Frisk lowered her gaze before shaking her head. *I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I just need to find Fearia as soon as possible.* She signed.

"You were wise not to tell anyone." Liling said as she crept over to stand at the mute girl's side. "Around here, who knows who you can really trust..." Letting that thought linger ominously for a moment, she finally followed up with frugal reassurance. "Good thing I'm trustworthy. Plus, I look forward to seeing Marx enraged. I wonder, do you think heads will roll this time?"

Frisk cringed at the cynical girl's morbid sense of humor. *I hope not.*

Attempting to ignore his little sister's nightmare inducing imagery, Paxon gestured to the hole. "I don't think I need to state the obvious, but I'm quite sure you will not fit. It would be foolish to even try, so please don't."

Shooting her stepbrother an incredulous look, Frisk gestured in annoyance. *I'm not stupid!*

"Oh, good." Paxon sighed in relief. "For a moment there, it kind of looked like you were seriously considering it. If you had gotten stuck, we would've had to dig you out. It might have taken hours."

"Paxon, just shut up and give her the key already." Liling hissed, tiring of her step-brother's pointless babbling. "The sooner she's outside the walls, the sooner I can go back to sleep."

"Ah, I almost forgot entirely!" The scatterbrain exclaimed in a loud whisper before digging into his trouser pockets. After fumbling around for a few seconds, he finally produced a small copper key.

Frisk's eyes lit up. It was the key to the stable door! Had he really snuck into his father's room and stolen something? That was so unlike him. Once the small metal object was deposited into her open hand, the mute girl stared up at the man in bafflement.

"Don't give me that look." Paxon blushed as he averted his eyes. "Despite my honorable reputation, I can be sneaky too."

"You're not honorable or sneaky." Liling scoffed, crossing her arms. "If I hadn't of caught you sneaking into the chiefs room, the guards surely would have. Paxon, you are about as sneaky as a raccoon in broad daylight. Truly, subtlety evades you."

Clearly offended but trying his hardest not to show it, Paxon gave his little sister a passive aggressive smile. "Be that as it may, my intentions were just. Not all of us were meant to be prowlers of the night. Unlike some people..."

"Are you insinuating something?" Liling was not impressed. Crossing her arms, she gave her elder brother a bored look.

Watching the back and forth between her siblings, Frisk smiled sadly. She would miss them. Even if they were almost always at each other's throats, she knew that they did not really hold any true animosity towards each other.

Taking a small step forward, Frisk expressed her gratitude by lightly tapping her chin before softly arching her hand backwards towards the other. *Thank you so much, Paxon. I couldn't ask for a better big brother.*

Liling snickered darkly as she watched the man fumble pathetically over his words, a blush clearly evident even in the dim moonlight. The poor guy was so hopeless. As per usual, Frisk seemed to know just what to say to send the young academic reeling.

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Paxon may have a small crush...

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In the next chapter, Frisk will finally get a taste of freedom.

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Thanks for reading!

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Sheii Bae~