The Pit
Author: TUCfan.
Pairing: Implied Twitchtip/Ripred.
Rating: T, because it's the Underland Chronicles.
Description: It seemed that, when all hope was lost, someone was there to save her. Part of my Ares is Alive timeline.
Disclaimer: I do not and will not ever own the Underland Chronicles. They belong to the wonderful author Suzanne Collins. If I did own them, I wouldn't be writing FanFiction, now would I?
Author's Note: Welcome to the next oneshot in my series. This one is also set a little bit before "A Different Way," but still during Code of Claw, so it will be organized as such.
Song: Written while listening to How He Loves by the David Crowder Band.
Pain was something Twitchtip had become accustomed to. Whether it be the dull ache in her stomach from malnutrition or the welts all over her back from her interrogations, it was always there, reminding her of her own mortality.
Some days, like today, she was surprised she hadn't died yet. She figured that all of her friends, or, those she at least would call friends, had all assumed she had succumbed to her injuries from the serpents in the Tankard, and had thus not begun a search for her. She didn't blame them. If not for her will to see the Bane defeated, she would have given up long ago. That, and something else, though she could not identify what specifically.
She found herself thinking of her friends often, mostly as a way to distract herself from her predicament. Most often she thought of Gregor and the kindness he had showed her. Aside from Ripred, with his begrudging promise to her, the Overland boy had been the first to treat her in any positive way in a very, very long time. Truly, of all the things she missed from before her time in the pit, it was his presence. Well, that and a full stomach of food. But that was something she could have the second she found a way out.
"I'll rest for now. Then, when I feel a bit stronger, I'll see if I can climb out again," she thought, closing her eyes.
Stonetail had been on guard duty for a long time. His job entailed standing around for hours and making sure that whoever it was that he had to watch stayed put. Most times, he guarded the large pits where the gnawers placed their prisoners that weren't fliers. It had been him who guarded the Overlander under the rule of Gorger. In all his days, though, he had never guarded one of his own kind.
If he were to be completely honest, it bothered him greatly to see Twitchtip in the pit. He didn't understand why it was that they continuously interrogated her, beat her, and then dropped her back at the bottom. Couldn't they see she knew nothing?
In one sense, he was not the traditional gnawer. He never complained, he worked hard, and he cared for others, especially those of his own kind. Standing guard every day, hearing the pained whimpers from the bottom of the pit, tore at his soul. It frustrated him, and seeing the way they continued on even when it was clear to see that she didn't know anything gave him nothing but a hatred for them.
One day, he had enough. The war was in full swing, and not many were left to guard the areas where the prisoners were kept. So, with nothing stopping him, he made a plan. He would wait until the next time they interrogated her, and, when they brought her back, he would report that she had finally succumbed to her injuries. From there, he would hide her in his home until the war was over, and then, whenever it was that she had fully recovered, he would see her safely to Regalia.
Of course, plenty could go wrong, but there was no way he could continue to stand around and do nothing but watch as they slowly killed her for information she didn't have. It was simply a risk he would have to take.
Stonetail found his perfect opportunity when the gnawer forces marched for Regalia. They had taken many with them, leaving few behind to guard the prisoners. He had spent the previous night ensuring that his home would be able to support both himself and an injured guest, and now all he had to do was wait for her to be put back in the pit.
As it turned out, he didn't have to wait long. Soon, he could hear the returning steps of Twitchtip and her captor. When they came into view, Stonetail could see that rescuing her would be no easy task. The welts all over her back slowed her down considerably, and all the malnutrition she had endured had taken its toll on her. The worst part, though, was the look in her eyes. They were narrowed in pain, but he could still see the waning hope in them. The look that, maybe it wasn't all going to be okay, and that she would be better off giving up. He was glad he had finally chosen to do something.
When they reached the egde, the rat escorting her gave her a rough shove, and she toppled down into the pit. Stonetail could not see her, but he imagined that she had made no effort to get up. A calm anger rose in him, and he fought off the temptation to attack the gnawer responsible for her tumble.
Once he was sure the escort was gone, he quickly ran to the edge and looked down. She still had made no move to stand. In fact, she seemed to make no movements at all. Only the slight rise and fall of her breathing told him that she was even still alive.
"Twitchtip!" he hissed. No answer. He called to her again, and this time, her eyes opened.
"Who's there?" she croaked out.
"Your guard, Stonetail. Hang in there. Sleep, and regain your strength. I have a plan to get you out," he said, frantically checking behind himself to ensure no one else had heard. The coast was clear. "I'll come down and get you in a few hours."
She made no move to answer. He could only assume she had heard him.
When six long, anxious hours had at last gone by, he left his post and found his commanding officer.
"The rat you've assigned me to guard, Twitchtip, is dead. I saw her alive when she got returned to her pit after her interrogation, but some time between then and now she stopped breathing," he reported.
"You checked for a pulse?" asked the gnawer in charge.
"In multiple spots. Nothing was there," he said. "Am I to dispose of the body?"
"Yes. Dump it in the river, and then you may return home. Your shift is over. Tomorrow, you will be assigned a new pit to guard," said the gnawer. With a nod, Stonetail turned around and headed back to his post.
Down in the pit, Twitchtip had not moved a muscle, but he could still see her shallow breathing. With not a moment of hesitation, he leaned forward and slid down the side of the bowl, taking great care to be as quiet as possible. Even if he was technically doing what he was supposed to, he didn't want to attract any attention to himself and risk another rat discovering that she was still alive.
When he reached the bottom, he padded over to where she lay. "Twitchtip," he hissed. "Twitchtip, get up."
She opened her eyes and looked up at him. "You're not the interrogator," she murmured. "Are you Stonetail?"
"I am. I'm here to get you out. Can you stand?" he asked.
With what looked like great effort, she managed to climb to her feet. With a brisk nod of his head, he led her over the wall of the pit. A tactic that the gnawers delighted in using was starving their captives, ensuring that they would have no strength to attempt to escape. With this factor in play, the pits they used to hold their prisoners did not have to be so deep, making it easier for interrogators and guards. Stonetail could not be more thankful that this was the case.
"Alright, I'm going to climb up. I need you get as far up the side as you can without slipping. Then, I'll give you my tail, and you'll have to hold on to it so I can drag you out," he whispered. She nodded and moved to do as he said.
Somehow, whether it be sheer luck or some higher power looking out for him, the plan went off without a hitch. All the malnutrition she had endured had lowered her body weight, making it even easier than he thought it would be to drag her up the side of the bowl.
When they reached the top, they paused for only a moment to catch their breaths. Then, Stonetail took the lead, heading for his home.
From that point on, Twitchtip would consider her life to be on the mend. Stonetail had managed to get them to the cave he lived in, and immediately he set about attempting to alleviate her pain. Then, when she had laid down in the nest he had prepared beforehand, he went out to get dinner for the both of them.
For a brief moment, she feared that it was all a dream, and that she would wake up in the bottom of the pit again. After all, it seemed to good to be true. Why would Stonetail bother helping her at all? What did he want from her?
With those thoughts and questions echoing all around her head, she fell into a fitful sleep.
When Stonetail returned, he found Twitchtip soundly sleeping in her nest. With an almost fond look, he set down the food he had found and waited for her to awaken.
He wondered what it was that she did to get herself caught. After all, most times, gnawers didn't go against their own kind. Ripred was the exception, but then again, Ripred was an exception to a lot of things. Maybe she had done the same as him. Maybe she had sided with the humans on an issue, and the gnawers saw it as a sign of betrayal.
Whatever it was, he figured he would learn eventually. It would take a long time for her to heal, and he didn't think there would be much opportunity for her to leave. Whenever it was that she would go, he hoped she would have a place to stay after that. In some strange way, foriegn to most gnawers, he had an odd sort of care for her, as if she were but a pup. He likely would never say such a thing to her, but in any case, he hoped she would be alright. After all, he would hate for his efforts to save her to go to waste.
When she eventually woke, she looked around confusedly for a number of seconds before her eyes landed on him. "You're Stonetail?" she asked hesitantly.
"I am. This is my nest," he said to her, nudging a portion of food he found to her.
"I thought I was dreaming," she said, struggling to shift into a more upright position. When she saw the food, she eyed it warily, before looking back up at him. "Is that... for me?"
He nodded his affirmation. "Why?" she asked, eyes troubled. "Why have you brought me out of there?"
"A couple of reasons," he replied, biting into his portion. "Mostly, it was driving me crazy to see a fellow gnawer kept captive. I don't know what you did, but I don't think it was deserving of intense interrogation and torture."
She looked down. "They see what I did as worthy of it," she said. "I helped the humans find the Bane when he was just a pup."
He furrowed his brow for a moment. When had that been? Several months prior, it seemed. She had been in captivity for the better part of a year. Seeing that she had not even attempted to look up, he reassured her. "Well, you are not alone in your dislike for him. Ripred, in particular, seems to be on the opposing side."
"I did it because he asked me to," she revealed. "In exchange, I could stay with his band, since I was living alone in the Dead Lands."
"That seems like a fair trade to me," said Stonetail. "I can hardly blame you for taking it."
She looked up at him in surprise. "You seem to be one of the few to hold that view," she replied. "Anyway, how did you get me out?"
"I informed my superior that you had died from your wounds, and that I was going to dispose of your body," he said. "I know it won't be ideal, but you won't be able to leave until after the war. It may be even longer with your condition."
She nodded in understanding and reached for the food he had brought her. Hesitantly, she began to eat, and he feared she thought he would get angry and take it away.
"I'm not one of them, you know," he said softly. "I won't hate you for your decision to help the humans."
She eyed him warily, still chewing on her food. "Why is that?" she asked in between bites.
"I follow the Bane to an extent. I want the gnawers to have a better life. He's not really going about it in the best way, what with trying to exterminate the humans and the nibblers, but at least he's doing something," he said. "But the second someone else comes along, someone who has a better way of ruling, where I don't watch my own kind be tortured for information, then I'll follow him."
"Ripred wants to rule one day. Or at least, he wants peace. He's tired of the fighting," said Twitchtip. "I think if the humans win, he'll be in charge, and then things will go better for everyone."
"Well then, when that time comes, I'll be right there backing him up," said Stonetail. "And I bet you'll be there too, being a part of his band."
She smiled then. "I hope so," she murmured.
Both then settled down to sleep. Twitchtip lay with her back to the wall, eyes fixed on the entrance. Since she had been driven into the Dead Lands, she figured it would be prudent to keep an eye out just in case anyone was prowling around. It seemed that, despite her condition, her habit would not fade.
She hoped with all of her heart she would heal quickly. Stonetail was an unexpected ally, but she sorely missed her friends. She missed positive interaction with people who knew her, or didn't want her dead.
"Maybe it won't be so long," she thought drowsily. "Maybe I'll get to see them soon."
And with that, Twitchtip fell into slumber, thus ending her old life, and finally beginning her new one.
Finis. I'm not sure how I feel about this one. I like Stonetail, and I really love Twitchtip, but I'm not sure if I did her justice with this one. Please, be honest if you review. I'd like feedback on this one. Happy reading!