Drabble #140: Battle

[redwolf]

...we had a nice response to the drabble prompt of Drabble 139, with entries by redwolf and comments by jalenstrix and redwolf.

For this prompt, we continue with our one-word/phrase drabble roots:

Battle

Tell us all about it. Labyfic-style, of course.

Given our entries from recent months, let's continue with the suggested limit of 500 words. Though remember that shorter pieces are most definitely welcome!

Your entry should take the following format, posted as a comment on this entry:

Word count: # of words
$your_beautiful_drabble

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Comments

Battle

[redwolf]

Word count: 500

Sarah was stretched out with her legs across Jareth’s lap as he worked his magic on her feet.

“What have you found that is more distracting than me?” Jareth was experimenting with using his thumbs in strategic points of her insole to extract a response.

“Something was mentioned in the advisory meeting. I wasn’t certain if I’d misheard and didn’t want to look foolish. So…” Sarah obliged him with a deep groan in response to his ministrations before a line in the report she was reading caught her attention. “Here it is, monkeys encroaching on an orchard. Is this one of those Underground things where monkeys are something completely different?” She raised an eyebrow in query.

Jareth stopped rubbing her feet, leaned his head back against the lounge and gave a long suffering sigh. “Bloody monkeys.” He explained that they’d long had an issue with pets being wished away, mostly by frustrated members of a household other than the owner. While there were all manner of breeds and it didn’t matter whether they were monkeys or apes, the Underground morphed them into a creature that looked like a baboon sized macaque.

“Unfortunately, we now have a breeding colony with a population that routinely exceeds sustainable levels and has no native predator to keep it in check.”

Nodding in understanding, Sarah asked, “Did they hurt anybody?”

“Not this time, but they have killed in the past and often cause significant damage to crops and infrastructure.”

She shuddered. “What does it mean by the usual counter measures mentioned here?”

Jareth returned his attention to Sarah’s feet. “While there is no native predator, Rook does not like monkeys”

Before Sarah could ask for details, Rook appeared in the room, covered head to foot in gore. Some of the blood was dry enough to start flaking off, while some was fresh enough to still be running, giving the impression that her current appearance had occurred over a period of time.

Sarah gaped. Which, in retrospect, was a mistake when the smell hit her and she tried not to gag. “Are you okay?”

“None of this is my blood.” She addressed Jareth. “The troupe has been educated in the errors of expanding beyond their proscribed range. There were no injuries, but they did damage a significant section of the stone fruit orchard. The orchard keeper will provide a detailed report once she’s assessed the full scale of damage in the morning and several butchers are currently on site to dress the carcases.” Rook grinned. The contrast of her teeth and eyes to her bloody visage was stark. She plucked at her shirt, pulling it from her body with a wet squelch. “I’ll hit the shower.” She vanished, leaving a bloody puddle in her wake.

Jareth waved the mess away, smiling at Sarah’s gobsmacked expression. “If they weren’t such a nuisance to control, I’d consider weaponising the little bastards.”

Sarah shook her head. The fallout from that scenario would be more trouble than it was worth.