Yes! I did not disappear off the face of the Earth! Enjoy this dark one shot with a sprinkle of JackxRalph.

*Disclaimer: I do not own any characters or settings from Lord of the Flies.

-One Shot-

[The Gift]

It's raining… Ralph noted faintly. His thin legs, held in place by sickly arms tied crudely together at the wrist, were brought up to his chest. Cuts and bruises ached and stung his skin. The boy's right eye was swollen shut and blood dribbled out of his crooked nose. He lay, curled in a ball, on the damp ground of a small cave. He wanted to escape, oh yes, he wanted to. However, savage hunters were posted at the entrance to insure their prisoner did not run away.

Jack Merridew was not going to spare him; Ralph was one hundred percent certain. In fact, while being beaten earlier, he was told that he would be sacrificed to the beast that night. The fair child cringed at the idea. He wasn't as afraid as he should have been. That could have been because his mind still wasn't accepting that the boys around him were savages. Sure, they killed two other people, but those were accidents…right?

Ralph coughed up some gooey blood and squeezed his eyes shut. When he was being chased, he didn't have the time to think of a plan. But, now, in that dark quiet cave, he finally had time to think. He thought of fires, rescue, and breaking the line…but then, a thick black curtain engulfed Ralph's mind, leaving him in the dark and confused.

Before the fair boy could gather himself up again, he heard bold footsteps scuttling across the damp cave floor. He couldn't see who it was, because his eye that was facing upward was too swollen and the lighting of the cave was too dark. Ralph felt a hand plant itself on top of his head and grab handfuls of filthy blonde hair. The hand wrenched upward, forcing Ralph into a sitting position. He couldn't help letting out a small cry as he was brought eye level with Jack.

The savage king was kneeling on the ground in front of him. Ralph's pose was virtually unchanged, except for the fact that he was now sitting up. Jack kept his hand in Ralph's hair and dipped his other one into a small coconut shell that rested at their feet. Jack was silent as he brought a lump of red clay to Ralph's cheek. He smeared it on crudely, covering the entire left half of his face.

"What are you doing?" Ralph brought himself to ask as Jack wiped the blood that was dripping from his nose.

"Painting you for the beast." He said flatly, and continued to work.

Jack covered Ralph's swollen eye with white clay, and the rest of the right side with black charcoal that was still hot. It burnt Ralph's skin, and even when the fair boy was brought to tears, Jack Merridew didn't seem to care.

He shoved Ralph back onto the ground and stripped him of his clothes. Despite Ralph's sobs, Jack painted the rest of his body. Finally, when Ralph was stark naked and covered head to toe with primal clay designs, Jack left the cave. Ralph curled back into a ball and tried to calm himself enough to think of a plan. However, the black curtain was back and mocking him as he laid blindly in the dark.

XXX

Ralph wasn't aware of how late it had gotten until two boys came into the cave and dragged him up. He could see now that there was no daylight trickling in through the mouth of the cave. Ralph glanced at his two captures, which each held one of his now scrawny arms. They pulled him out of the cave, where a huge bonfire could be seen with savages of all sizes dancing around it excitedly. How was he going to get out of this? He could try and run…maybe then his death would be faster. He could try to fight…no, that wouldn't work either. Ralph gritted his teeth in frustration. Even now, his mind wouldn't comprehend the severity of the situation. It was protecting him from becoming completely mad.

When Ralph was pulled to the fire all the dancing stopped abruptly. The fair boy caught a glimpse of Roger, quietly holding a stick sharpened at both ends. He also saw the twins, who were clinging to each other in horror and fear. Tears filled up behind their glassy eyes, but never spilled over. Some of the littluns were still chattering and whooping like animals until Jack made his appearance.

"Silence!" He shouted. "Today, we'll leave another gift for the Beast!" He was rewarded with some cheers. "This is going to be a special gift! The Beastie doesn't like pig heads, so we'll give him the head of a traitor!"

"I'm no traitor!" Ralph suddenly called. The mass of savages booed and whistled at his outburst. Jack walked close to him, very close; their noses nearly touching. Ralph felt the cold steel of the survival knife against his throat. The fair boy's body began to shake uncontrollably with fear.

"Kill the Beast!" Jack yelled, making Ralph flinch away. The rest of the hunters began chanting with Jack, and he brought back the knife to make the kill.

"Kill the Beast! Slit his throat! Bash him in!"

Ralph's body exploded with the need to flight. He needed something that would slow them down…shock them…just long enough to…

"Kill the Beast! Slit his throat! Bash him in!"

"Kill the Beast! Slit his throat! Bash him—"

Everyone gasped in unison. Jack dropped the knife in utter shock and it clinked against the stone ground. Ralph had no other option and he brought his lips away from Jack Merridew's as fast as he could. The grip on his arm had faltered and it was just enough; Ralph shoved passed the stunned boys, hands still bound, and a few times almost lost his footing while running. The fair child didn't dare look back as he clumsily descended down Castle Rock and into the safety of the thick foliage.

Ralph ran to the safest part of the island he knew; the mountain where the beast stayed. He was aware that tonight, none of the tribe would dare venture to the mountain. They were too afraid. And so, the fair boy stumbled, seeking sanctuary in the shadows of the most dangerous creature.

He was unsure of how long his safety would last, but for now, it would do.