#( also taking him to a wooded area means adventure in the great wide somewhere )

[techniiciian]

@prvtocol asked : Well, I'm not saying I'd like to build a summer home here, but the trees are actually quite lovely.

there's a mischief glint of amusement dancing in hazel eyes as his gaze moves the splendid view of lush green and rich browns flora to settle on his friend. "yeah? well, uh, that's a shame. it would've been fun to build a cabin or something here."

matt's lips quirk up into a wide grin, "well since you uh, aren't gonna settle then i guess we have to explore more. do you know how to climb a tree, or would you rather hitch a ride piggy back style? ha ha."

[keltonwrites]

I bought a house in the middle of nowhere

“Yeah, I loved it, but she’d never move there.” It was something akin to that, at least. He didn’t mean any mischief, no deceit or planning. It was an honest take on what, at the time, was true. I saw the road into town on Google Maps, noted that it was closed during the winter, acknowledged the reality that a person can own a snowmobile, and I said, “we are not moving there.” But, all good truths are just dares in the making.

And here I am, living in the “there” I said I would not. Two years ago, I left my job at Headspace for a life reset. It was pre-pandemic, and Ben and I were planning a big road trip. Our perfect paradise in Topanga, CA, had crystallized itself as many people’s perfect paradise, and those “many people” all had more money than us. Our options to buy a home were nil, and home-buying was essentially all we wanted. Ben’s a builder and I’m a world builder, and we wanted somewhere to invest that didn’t belong to someone else. We packed the car with the tent and the bikes and the dog and all the things that come with tents and bikes and dogs, and off we went on our own Tour de l’Ouest, looking for a place to call home. We knew what we wanted, knew our odds of finding it, and hit the road anyway. Here was the dream list — concocted by two pie-in-the-sky dummies who married each other:

Not rainy or consistently windy

Notable access to the arts

Remote and challenging to get to/close neighbors

Wild West influenced architecture

Progressive community

Exceptional trail access out the front door

High-speed internet

In our budget

And my personal favorite: had to “feel right” Good luck to us with a list like that, but thus began our hunt. We camped in the snow, tried every dirty chai in the Rockies, and explored every town we could. Whatever a good time it was, it felt useless. Every town Ben was OK with, I hated. Every town I was OK with, Ben despised. And the few places we both loved required money we just didn’t have. We came home with our sails down, limping into the harbor of our rental. But as is the way with romantics, our dreams began to slowly eclipse our reality. Books fell victim to Zillow and Trulia. TV was replaced by the MLS. All writing time was dedicated to Realtor.com. Hours were spent pouring over maps, county records, and updating spreadsheets that tracked price per square foot compared to beds and baths. Over time, all that internetting led to one singular town of 180 people at 10,000 feet in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado with a road that said “Closed Winters” on Google Maps. Look, I don’t know what happened. Ben found this town on a map, I said don’t be ridiculous, and after a year or so of him telling people I'd never move here, here I am, being ridiculous. Was it reverse psychology? Maybe. Was it the charming “town plan” that mandated all houses be rustic cabins and forbade AirBnB? Could be. Was it the fact that when I looked at Strava’s Heatmap, it showed what seemed like thousands of miles of trails just out the front door? I mean, yes. All these things played a part, but all I know for certain is that one day I woke up and said, “we’re going to move there.” Ben doubted this conviction (and the realities behind it) thus cementing it into place in my head. In a town of 180 people there’s only ~60 houses, which means maybe 2 or 3 get listed per year — but my spreadsheet had the proof: we hadn’t missed our chance yet in this tiny town. The data showed a strong likelihood there would be at least two houses listed within the calendar year. This, however, was also our last chance. The spreadsheet also showed that if we didn’t find a house this year, we wouldn’t be able to afford one the next. We called a realtor, made our case, and harangued her until she believed us that we were truly the kind of yahoos who would move to an avalanche field and stay there. And then it happened. A pocket listing. It was a darling home built in 1890. It had the beds, the baths, and the views. We were the first and only to know. We put in an offer, they agreed, and we would come to see the house in a few weeks. But in those few weeks, the circumstances changed. The sellers lost their own sweet deal, and they couldn’t sell yet. Their agent promised we had right of first refusal, it was only a matter of time. Ben lamented, I preached patience, and we went to see the house that was no longer for sale anyway.

It was a quiet winter morning in Covid when we drove across the packed snow to meet our realtor outside the house. The sun was out and the 13 degrees Fahrenheit felt warm. I unzipped my jacket, mask on my face. I took long videos and talked about where I would set up my office and where we’d put the bikes. As we closed up and I settled into a future where this house would eventually be mine, our realtor told us there were comps in the area — other residents quietly interested in potentially closing out. Would we like to see them? Sure, let’s.

One home came with an incredible commercial kitchen. The whole house was a whopping 3500 sq ft if my memory serves me correct, which falls under the category of “houses too big to find your cat in."

Another home had an open-air-to-the-kitchen bathroom.

The third was dark and overpriced with cracked windows and open beer cans scattered about.

And then, plans changed.  “Hey guys, there’s actually one more house we can see.” The last house we saw was a log cabin, nestled in the hillside by itself, with massive A-frame windows looking out onto the peaks beyond. Inside was a labyrinth of a life lived long and large. The cabin was built and loved by a man we’ll call Jack. Jack was 82, and as we walked toward the front door on that sunny winter morning, he exited with two beers in his pockets, headed to the mountain to ski. Jack was an attorney — in his life he’d been both criminal and defender — and from the stories, somewhat interchangeably. There were artifacts from running in the same scenes as Hunter S. Thompson and Willie Nelson; there were stuffed birds, bad books, sheet-covered couches, smoked spliffs, and piles and piles of mouse shit. Every inch of the house was lived in, and not just by people. You think millennials like plants? No. This man likes plants. The biggest monstera deliciosa I’ve ever seen, spanning some 10 feet wide and 15 feet tall. Draping cactuses, spider plants, massive aloes, and an ambitious hoya carnosa clawing its way to the top of the massive fireplace. But there were problems. I’m trying to be diplomatic saying the house was lived in. The wood by the door handles was dyed black from years of hand grease rubbing against it. The carpet in the upstairs was soiled almost everywhere with bat scat. Newspaper was stuffed between the massive logs to keep the wind out. There was cardboard taped over almost every window, blankets nailed over the others. Half the doors wouldn’t open. It was unnerving to touch the crusted light switches. It was early enough in the season of Covid-fear that touching anything felt like gambling. On our way back to our rental in the bigger neighboring town, we shared our awe and our no-ways, lamenting how long we’d have to wait for the little 1890s fixer upper. That night, I sent the video I took of the cabin to my parents. “Can you believe this?” I asked. And do you know what my dad said? “Great log construction.” After that, the cabin was all we could talk about. “Could you believe those plants?” “Did you see how big those logs were?” “I just googled Jack, look at this.” “Do you know what the insulating factor of logs is?” “How much did he say he was asking?” It came down to the plants. Amidst all the chaos in that house, the tender care of those decades-old plants sung the clearest. This wasn’t just a place Jack lived in, it was a place that wanted to be lived in. We made an offer the next day.

Jack had six months to clear out his 30 odd years of collecting, and the town had six months to speculate about the worrisome Californians moving to their high-altitude, high-risk town. The town itself is an old mining town. It rests in a high valley, surrounded by peaks over 13,000ft, and is over six hours from the nearest major airport. Five people died around this town in avalanches this past year. The dirt road into town is littered with avalanche fields, warning visitors to not stop when driving in. The other way out is a pass road, only drivable in the warm months, but you could skin out if it was dire. Most August days, the high is in the mid-60s. The valley is blanketed in wildflowers, and the aspens littering the mountainsides suggest a promising fall display. The town had a heyday, a low day, and now it’s a community of preppers, adventurers, appreciators, and “get all these idiots away from me”ers. We don’t know these people yet, but the ones we’ve met have the same like to live hard attitude we do. Heli-ski guides, ex-CIA agents, woodworkers, bakers, teachers, just a general can-do group of people. The kind of people that see a California license plate and peer with skepticism between the thin gap over their sunglasses and under their caps.

You might say I’m romanticizing the place, but the residents are worse. Like all good old-timers, they’re full of threats: “wait’ll you see the snow drifts,” “let’s see how you do outrunning an avalanche,” “good luck with the winds,” “the last Californians didn’t last a year.” God, what does that remind me of?

“Yeah, I loved it, but she’d never move there.”

With every taunt, my teeth ground more enamel, fingers rolling into a clench. And maybe Jack recognized this intensity, because on the day of closing, he hosted a gathering for us in the town's open space. He had us introduce ourselves to the skeptical locals, and I made my case in court, eyes narrowed and lips curled. “I’m the daughter of a smokejumper and wildlife biologist. I grew up watching the wind and the door. I’ve lived in big cities, small boats, and more than one cabin. I always take the stairs, I never use air-conditioning, and I’m a very good shot.” I’m just a girl, standing in front of a town, asking them to give her a fucking chance. Jack stepped forward to speak. “You know, I had my doubts about a couple Californians coming to look at my house. But these people? These are the nicest people you’re ever gonna meet.” And then I helped Jack set up his cot so he could spend his last night under the stars in the town that kept him young. Cooper ran circles with the other dogs. People brought homemade cocktails and bowls of dip and we felt welcomed. Even the mayor, a fellow writer, came and she struck up a conversation. “I hear you’ve got a little bit of a following on social media!” She teased. “I guess, nothing wild.” “Well I just wanted to let you know if you ever geotag this town, I’ll drag you out of it.” She grinned. This was a special place. And every visitor who couldn’t handle the realities of being here threatened the very wellbeing of the people who lived here. This town survives on a delicate balance. They source their own water, manage their own roads, and fervently protect the land and the people around them. Their stories about racing avalanches, snowmobiling in the dark of night to the doctor’s house, hunkering down in each other’s homes as the storms pass — these stories were bylaws. You can join when you’ve proven you’re ready to join. By their own projection, they are hardy and steadfast people, and when they see a Californian, they see something fleeting. Many years ago, I worked in the British Virgin Islands. The people born and raised there were called Belongers. At the customs office, the placards above the lines literally read, “If you belong, stand here” and “If you do not belong, stand here.” Whether or not we belong isn't up to the town council, and it's not up to these residents. It's up to years spent drifting my old Mustang in the snow on the way to school, up to Ben's months and months spent in the backcountry, up to my years of reading fire reports and assisting with evacuations, up to Ben's ability to read the landscape and the weather, up to my doggedness, his diligence, and our pathological love to do difficult things well. It’s up to us, to these old logs, and to this valley. Doesn't mean we'll belong, but it does mean we'll try. And for the record, the road is open in the winter. But do these sound like the kind of people who’d tell Google that? Next week, a tour of the house that we get to call ours — stuffed with newspaper, run by plants, and filled with mice. P.S. Here's where we get our mail.

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[brittledame]

Pairing: Semi Eita/Reader

Warnings: Explicit, Mildly Dubious Consent, Face-Fucking, Scent Marking, Possessive Semi, Claiming, Mention of violence/gore, Alternate Universe, Fantasy AU, Wolf!Semi, Witch!Reader

Word Count: 9.1K

Summary: After Goshiki and Ushijima are thrown into an alternate universe after getting hit by a truck, they're thrown into a generation-old prophecy to defeat the Demon King that had been terrorizing the land. Joining the whirl-wind adventure, you face off the feared Wolf at a great disadvantage. Prepared to meet your fate in order to protect your team, you never anticipated him making a move on you and for it to end in you promising yourself to him. 

Notes: Inspired by chapter 24 of Haikyuu-bu!! I started working on this in the middle of the 2nd installment to ‘Semi’s Blow Blow Up’ which I’m hoping to get out before the end of September. Also, I let Semi keep his ears and tail in this, please don’t send me to hell for that. Other than that, please enjoy!!

When Tsutomu and Ushijima ended up on top of a hill surrounded by acres of green rolling-hills, the younger honestly assumed the worst had happened. The bus had hit him and now he was dead in heaven. Of-course Ushijima would be there with him, he’s probably never made a misdeed in his life, meanwhile Tsutomu was slightly shocked he’d end up in heaven after spitefully cutting his older sister’s hair off when she teased his haircut when he was younger.

No, that can’t be right, he can't be in heaven. Everything felt too real. A breeze tousled his hair and he could smell the dirt under his scuffed runners. He couldn’t be dead, meaning that this place wasn’t heaven or purgatory, but someplace else. From the odd-looking trees sporting large purple leaves and expansive Elysian scenery, Tsutomu couldn’t shoot down the absurd idea that he was in an alternate dimension.

Patting himself down, he knew he was physically fine and felt his heart anxiously pounding away inside his chest. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught Ushijima standing tall, giving the area around them a surveying glance before his olive eyes landed on his shaky form.

“Goshiki, are you alright?” His deep timbre did calm his frayed nerves, it was hard not to trust his dependable senpai.

Nodding his head, Tsutomu responds with number one question of the day: “Ushijima-senpai, where are we?”

He tried to conceal the fear in his tone, but it would seem that he failed miserably as Ushijima places a comforting hand on his shoulder.

“That truck must have hit us quite a fair way away.” Ushijima states, looking nowhere near as panicked as one should in their situation.

Goshiki gives him bewildered look, gesturing to the land in front of them.

“You think we would be fine after getting hit by a truck?” Tsutomu didn’t try to hide his hysteria. “No matter what way you paint it, this place doesn’t look like anywhere in Miyagi!”

“But there’s Shirabu.” Ushijima points somewhere over Tsutomu’s shoulder.

Half scared that he’s going to turn around and it’s some eldritch terror standing behind him, he froze in place. Although Tsutomu knew Ushijima would never put him in danger, Ushijima had no sense of danger; case and point the ghost incident. Gathering his scattered courage, he turns around and is dumbfounded to find Shirabu indeed standing before him, albeit he was now dressed in unusual garments.

“Shirabu?” Tsutomu exclaims, half relived that at least someone with a brain not solely filled with volleyball would see the insanity of their situation.

“Shirabu? No, I am not a Shirabu, I am Elf.” Not-Shirabu responds while pulling his hood off to expose comically long ears. Tsutomu could feel his mind take a temporary holiday, leaving him half-cocked and not nearly prepared enough to deal with this shit.

“We’re in an actual alternate universe…”

A short trek later, Tsutomu found himself being hosted by Not-Shirabu, who was scarily similar to Shirabu - right down to his mannerisms. Tsutomu could’ve sworn that every time he asked a question about this world, Not-Shirabu fought down a grimace, but never failed to give him a short response. He was polite but was obvious about his distaste towards Tsutomu’s inherently curious nature.

“Shirabu, everyone will worry if we do not return to school soon.” Ushijima succinctly summarises their situation.

“It’s Elf,” Not-Shirabu says immediately. “You want to return to your world?”

At their nods, Not-Shirabu slumps in his chair with a hefty sigh.

“I’m afraid there’s an issue with that. I would love to get you back home, but an evil Demon King has taken over this land. I’m afraid to say that going home is out of the question.”

Tsutomu felt his heart sink at the words. They couldn’t return home? What were they going to do here for a living? They could farm, but Tsutomu is nowhere near well-read in that field compared to Ushijima. Even in this dire situation, Tsutomu was reluctant to admit defeat.

“A Demon King?” He queried, obviously fishing for information about this Demon King. Maybe there was a way to convince him to let them home?

“Yes.” Elf drily responded.

Tsutomu could feel his eye twitch at the Shirabu-like response. Even in an alternate universe, his senpai was a short and antagonistic towards Tsutomu.

Only when he was prompted by Ushijima’s nod, did he continue.

“He is a malicious being with the sole incentive is to spread misfortune across the land. It started with small mischievous deeds, such as cutting individual’s hair into odd styles.” Elf pauses here to raise a hand to his fringe and Tsutomu had to smother the laugh that could threaten his life. “Now he has moved onto terrorising villages and increasing tax prices to an unbelievable high.”

“That is no way to run a country.” Ushijima hums in disapproval.

Tsutomu clasped his hands over his head, already feeling a headache coming on. So we’re going to completely ignore that Shirabu’s weird ass fringe was the result of some Demon King that has apparently ravaged the land by hiking up tax prices? And why did this all sound like something Tendou-senpai would do? He felt latent hysteria rise to the surface again.

“I’m sorry that he got you too, Goshiki.” Elf says solemnly.

Head snapping up, Tsutomu felt outraged at the comment. He worked really hard for his fringe to be this straight. Tsutomu would swear up until his deathbed that bowl cuts were cool.

“Hey! My fringe is untouched by the Demon King. This was my choice!” Goshiki defended his hairstyle, patting at the dark strands, making sure there wasn’t any odd fly-aways.

“We can’t go home as long as the demon king reigns?” Ushijima interjects, effectively ending the argument before it started. Ushijima was all too used to being the only one to stop arguments between Goshiki and Shirabu, he knew all the warning signs.

“Yes.” Elf says with an apologetic look. “I’m very sorry. If only the summoning of the ‘Otherworldly Hero’ passed on from past generations had succeeded. They are the sole hope we have.”

A silence envelopes the room, heavy and suffocating.

Tsutomu knew that panicking would do nothing but waste valuable energy, but he couldn’t help but feel a little overwhelmed at the insane situation they found themselves in. A niggling thought heaped more anxiety onto him when it raises a good point. What if they were able to go home, what happens if time passes differently here? A day here may be twelve years back home. What would he do if he went back home and all his friends were old, his parents dead and –

Elf startles Tsutomu out of his downward spiral by suddenly jerking back with a gasp, wide eyes focused on Ushijima’s left hand holding a spoon laden with soup. The sudden motion had caused a cup to fall and clatter loudly against the stone flooring, which went widely ignored as Elf raises a trembling finger pointed at the stoic brunette.

“You’re using the spoon with your left hand. Are you –!” He cuts himself off as he rushes over to Ushijima’s side, not quite believing his own eyes. “The Otherworldly Hero!”

Tsutomu could not point out a time he’s ever heard so much emotion poured into Shirabu’s tone, he was almost swept up into Elf’s zeal before his logic kicked back in.

It was that easy?! Tsutomu internally screamed. This was just getting ridiculous at this point, honestly.

After a singular trial of pulling a sword out of stone and Tsutomu embarrassing himself and losing Elf’s respect, they found themselves starting a quest. The fanboy within him was super excited that he was going on an actual quest, exactly like the ones in his RPG campaigns.

“Remind me why we need this witch again?” Tsutomu questions, much to Elf’s evident annoyance.

“We need her to get through the Mystical Woods. It's prowled by one of the Demon King’s acolytes.” Elf slides his eyes to give Tsutomu a warning look, not wanting to answer anymore questions.

Gulping at the intimidating look, Tsutomu waved away the twenty billion other questions that came to mind as they made their way towards a tall stone tower. Tsutomu wonders what the witch would look like. Would she be someone they know, or someone completely new?

At this point in the trip, he silently begging any listening deities that she’s friendly. Ushijima and Shirabu have never been the best talking companions in his world and this trip has highlighted to Tsutomu how much he’d taken Yamagata’s and Reon’s friendly conversations for granted.

The tower ahead of them slowly grew in size until Tsutomu estimated it stood at least 5 stories tall. Following in Elf’s shadow, they pause a few feet away from the base. Looking at the structure, Tsutomu was quick to notice that there was no door present. Maybe they were on the wrong side of the tower?

He was just about to voice this before Elf cups his mouth and proceeds to yell up at one of the open windows.

“Hey Witch, come down! I found the Otherworldly Hero!” He shouts, uncaring at the ruckus he was making.

Tsutomu winces at the volume, shocked at how loud Elf could get. Absent mindedly, he wonders if the Shirabu in his dimension could get that loud too. Looking back up at the window, the youngest saw a head peak out.

“What?!” A familiar voice yells back down. The head disappears out of sight before any of them could respond.

No even a moment later, a dark door appears on the once-blank wall before them. Opening, the door reveals a figure that Tsutomu never thought he’d see. He should've expected it, this situation was crazy enough as it was.

Walking out of the dark room, you come to stand out in the sunlight, confirming your identity. Tsutomu blushed when he noted your attire. You looked exactly how you did before their run, minus the dark blue dress that hugged your curves and loose hair. Not wanting to draw unnecessary attention to himself, he subtly glances to the side to catch Ushijima’s reaction to your appearance.

With his usual neutral expression, he exclaims your name with no more vigour than any other time he’s said it. Tsutomu put too much faith into Ushijima, he should have expected the lack of a reaction as well.

You give Ushijima an odd expression, looking at Elf to explain what was going on.

“Manager-chan?” Goshiki interrupted. Elf shot him a nasty look at the interruption and ended up sighing whilst rubbing at the bridge of his nose.

“They've been calling me weird names all afternoon too. Just ignore the short Otherworlder.” Goshiki whines at his harsh words.

You pique an eyebrow at the bowl-cut boy. “So I look like someone you know from your world?”

“Yes,” Ushijima answered monotonously. “You look exactly like our team’s manager.”

You hum as you mull over his words. “Curious. So that would mean you're from a world that is directly parallel to ours, a completely different dimension with shared similarities.” Your tone picked in pace and excitement as you spoke, the end of your sentence becoming a smear to the males around you.

At their collective blank looks you made an odd hand gesture in the air. “Anyway… You found the Hero?” Giving Ushijima a curious look, you completely ignore Tsutomu’s existence.

It kind of hurt for one of his kindest senpai's to outright disregard his presence. Reminding himself of parallel universes, he had to actively tell himself that you weren’t technically you.

Wow, he really hated this alternative universe stuff.

“I’ve been told as such.” Ushijima supplies, not at all weirded out by you invading his personal space to prod at his biceps.

Turning on your heel, you make your way towards Elf and throw a casual arm around his shoulders. Not at all bothered by your antics, Elf stands there as you lean against him. Tsutomu knew in his world that you and Shirabu got along quite well, that must have translated into this universe as well.

“Why are you here instead of saving the lands now that you have the Hero at hand?” Your question is a legitimate one, one that Tsutomu would’ve asked if he wasn’t scared of Shirabu’s infamous back of the knee kicks. If Ushijima was supposedly strong enough to take on the Demon King, surely he'd be able to take on one simple lackey lurking in the woods they needed to cross.

“We’re here to recruit you. You’re the only one I know powerful enough to conceal us to get past the Demon King’s pet monsters.” He patiently explains.

“Aw and here I was thinking it was because you missed me. I missed you, y’know?” You teased. Truly, you did miss Elf and all the shenanigans the two of you would get into, but you would never pass up an opportunity to needle him.

Elf simply rolls his eyes at you and shrugs the arm off of his shoulder.

“I mean it. We need you to get through the Mystical Woods without being detected by Wolf.” You frown at Elf’s serious expression, the reality of the situation dawning upon you.

“You know I’m never going to turn down a quest with you, but his senses are ridiculously enhanced. It’ll take a lot out of me.” Running a hand through your hair, Tsutomu recognised it as your nervous tick. “I won’t be much help during the final battle.”

“Don’t worry about that. You can rely on me.” Ushijima simply states but the effect on you and Elf is immediate.

The Hero’s simple words eviscerated your reservations, the conviction in his tone was all you needed to hear. That paired with the large sacred sword still embedded in stone was all it took to convince you it wasn't a fool's mission.

Agreeing to join their party, you rush to grab your wand and some other resources to assist the party later on in the journey before setting off.

By the time you all stood before the ominous-looking trees of the Mystical Woods, the sun was starting to settle on the horizon, warning you that you had little to no time to make it through before night came along and the true battle began.

“Before we enter, I must tell you all that Wolf’s senses are second to none. He’ll hear a whisper, smell you an acre away, and could destroy you before you could blink.” Your warning only served to scare Goshiki. You rushed to complete your weak pep talk. “But, I’m here so it is very unlikely that he will catch us, much less even be in this neck of the woods.”

Your words did little to soothe the youngest, although he did put a brave face on. You had to stop yourself from cooing at how cute he looked with his chest puffed out and a serious expression adorning his young face.

“Hey, uh, what does this wolf look like? That way if we spot him we can seek some cover.” Goshiki suggests.

Impressed, you gave him an encouraging smile and ignored Elf snorting behind you.

“That’s a brilliant idea, good job Goshiki.” You praised, noticing the way his eyes lit up at it. “Wolf roams around in his human form as far as I’m aware of. He’s taller than Elf but shorter than Hero.”

Elf indignantly huffs at your comment, not all liking your unintentional poke at the sore topic.

“He has pale hair, it almost looks white sometimes. Oh, he also constantly has this really grumpy look on his face.” You continue to list off a series of characteristics that describes Semi to a tee. There was no doubt in Tsutomu’s and Ushijima’s mind about who Wolf was.

“That sounds like Semi.” Goshiki remarked once you finished.

Receiving blank looks from you and Elf, Tsutomu stumbled over his words as he tried to articulate his thoughts.

“Ah, well, the person you just described sounds exactly like my senpai back home called Semi.” Tsutomu let out a small chuckle as he’s hit with a funny nickname for his senpai.

“We’re going to avoid Semi-Wolf so that we can get to the castle, defeat the king and go home, right?” Tsutomu smoothly recovers.

You laugh at the odd nickname Goshiki coined.

“Semi-Wolf you say? I quite like that.” You raise your hand to cover your grin, very amused at how much the ever-serious Wolf would hate it.

Always forced to be the voice of reason, Elf clapped his hands to refocus everyone’s attention.

“We can’t lose focus now. Once we enter these trees we can’t afford to be found by Wolf, even with Witch and Hero on our side, it would be a tiresome battle if he spots us.” His grave tone quickly sobered up the party.

Taking a deep breath, you withdraw your wand, starting to draw out an intricate rune in the air. A familiar tingling sensation overtakes your body as magic begins to flow from the earth up into your fingers and into the wand.

Finishing the last line, a glowing circle with swirling line and sharp strokes stood before you. Fastening the members behind you with a heavy look, you offered them one last chance to back out.

“Are you all ready?”

All three nod back at you, already having steeled themselves whilst you prepared the rune. Turning back to the rune, you finished the casting and walked through it with the three males hot on your tracks. It evaporated as soon as you stepped through it, effectively masking your scents and dampening all sounds. Even Ushijima could sense the tangible weight of the magic casted over his body.

The woods were exactly as you remembered it from when you were a child and wasn’t claimed by the fearsome Wolf. The trees looked the same with rough and peeling bark, along with the ground looking as damp and spongy as the days you ran through it barefooted and free-spirited.

While you didn’t explicitly state that they couldn’t talk, you were secretly glad that they didn’t. It would’ve made your life much more difficult to funnel more energy into the rune to mask them, it was already bad enough that your couldn't completely conceal everyone. Your combined efforts of creeping between the threes on  light feet was counteracted by Ushijima nicking every second tree with the sword's sharp blade, creating a trail of bark.

Eyes and ears stayed vigilant even as you noticed a landmark for the half-way point through the forest. You paused at the large outcropping of rocks resembling a sleeping lady and mouth at them that it you were half-way there. Elf and Goshiki looked relieved whilst Ushijima sported the same bland look.

You were tempted to suggest a short rest before continuing through the woods, where Semi-Wolf commonly prowled. The words died on your tongue as you noticed an abnormally thick fog rapidly approach your group. Not even a blink later and the fog had consumed all visibility below the waist.

You’ve spent your whole life surrounded by magic, you knew that this fog came from an unnatural origin. You had hoped that the fog would stay at that height but those were quickly dashed when you saw it slowly creep up your body. It wouldn’t be long before your entire vision was obscured.

This was not good, not good at all.

Whirling around, you went to grab at your team’s clothing to anchor them to you. As your hands cut throw empty air, your fear doubled. You doubted that they abandoned you, it was likely the doing of the magical woods. While you loved to experiment and witness all types of magic, always keen to expand your knowledge, the magic in these woods never failed to unnerve you even as a young child.

Not only was there a predator out here, the woods were also working against you.

Considering your options, you concluded that you were rapidly running out of choices.

Calling out their names was objectively a stupid choice, but it was the best thing you could do with breaking the fragile magic coating them. It was almost a form a self-sacrifice. If you drew enough attention to yourself, they would hopefully find their way to you - or at least something would.

A few tense moments go by, each call answered with dead silence. Not even the insects and birds dared to make a sound.

Casting a tracking spell was completely off the table. Not only was the fog thick enough that you couldn’t see your hand in front of your face, it would shatter the meagre concealing magic coating them. At least it was something to protect them, it was much better then leaving them completely defenceless.

“Shit.” You hissed. Worriedly, you eye the magical fog that was becoming more oppressive, feeling like a physical weight pressing down on you.

“I didn’t know good witches like yourself cursed. So unladylike.” A deep rumbling voice sounded right next to your ear. It was close enough to for warm breath to caress your cold skin. Your skin immediately breaks into goose bumps.

Freezing, your mind descends into chaos as it crowds with worrying thoughts. The most prominent one pointed out the fact that Wolf was able to get dangerously close to you without your notice, magical fog aside. There was no doubt about who he was, there was no other that claimed the woods like he has.

You whirl around, trying to find the voice’s owner, full well knowing of whom you were seeking out. Fear coiled inside of your gut, trying it’s hardest to paralyse your muscles and haze your mind over in fear at the thought of facing Wolf alone at a disadvantage.

“You speak as if you’re a gentleman yourself, Semi-Wolf. You don’t have much room to condone my language when you have the mouth of a foul-tempered troll.” You rebuked, falsifying the confidence in your tone. Showing an ounce of trepidation in front of him would be deadly.

Eyes frantically flitting about, attempting to catch a glimpse of a shadow or anything that would reveal his whereabouts. Your eyes were met with nothing but swirling white, not a single sign as to where he could be. This whole situation had you on edge.

He chuckles at your weak jab. The sound reverberated off of the trees and felt like it came from all around you, only serving to further confuse you about his whereabouts.

While every drop of mana was precious, you thought it prudent to at least being able to see your enemy. It should at least put you on equal footing with him. Flicking your wand, you cast a spell to temporarily filter out the fog around you, creating a clear bubble around you and the menacing man before you.

Even though he looked just as you had described to your otherworldly companions, viewing Wolf not even two meters away from one’s self was always a different experience. The first feature that caught your attention was his dark eyes, iris colour similar to richly stained wood, secondly was his elongated nails coming to a fatal point. Claws sharp enough to shear through flesh with ease were paired with pointed canines exposed by his predatory smile.

Your heart speeds up as you recognised how doomed you were, armed only with your wand, half of your mana and a pouch of useless herbs. The fluffy white dark-tipped ears sitting atop his head flick at the thundering sound of your palpable fear. Wolf's smile widened at that, tail swishing side-to-side in glee. This was going to be all too easy for him.

“Found you Semi-Wolf” Your white-knuckled grip around your wand belied your light tone.

“Don’t call me that.” He growls out, eyes narrowing at you. He was not impressed at your impertinence.

You would normally roll your eyes at the needless display of anger, but you couldn’t afford to take your eyes off of his intimidating figure slowly walking around you.

“What are you doing in my territory,” he continues. You knew he didn't care about your answer, it was more so to draw this out.

Fine, you’d bite.

“We’re on a quest, so please kindly don’t interfere.” He pauses to the left of you, now not even an arms-length away from you. Your body instinctively tenses at this, acutely aware that he could take you out faster than you could cast at this distance.

“I can’t let my reputation suffer just because you asked politely to cross through. There’s consequences to encroaching my land without permission.” His tone darkens at the end of his sentence, acting as if you personally offended him by doing so.

You knew he wouldn’t let you go so easily but a girl could always dream, right?

Lowering your centre of gravity, you subtly shift your body into a fighting stance and forcibly relax your wrist. A stiff wrist would hinder casting and it would frankly be embarrassing to be taken down so quickly, regardless of Wolf being the second toughest opponent controlled by the Demon King.

His keen eyes catch onto your slight movements and he moves in kind. It appears that you’re confident enough to take him on directly off the bat and not even attempt to run away. Whether this choice was misguided or made by underestimating him, Wolf was going to make you rued the day you thought you stood a chance against him.

Not wanting to wait for him to make the first move, you immediately cast a paralysing spell. The spell missed widely as he simultaneously lunged towards you at that very moment. This back and forth of casting and dodging goes on for a while and it wasn't long before you could physically feel your mana decrease and muscles grow tired. Maybe locking yourself in a tower for months on end didn’t have the best effect on your stamina.

Knowing you didn’t have a chance in hell against him while half-powered thanks to the prior masking spell, you could do nothing but futilely dodge him and cast the occasional fire ball his way. In the back of your mind, you spared a thought to the rest of the party and prayed to the deities that they were making their way out of the woods.

An exposed root caught your foot as you danced out of reach from a swipe of his deadly claws. Time seemed to slow down as your world tilted and the ground rose up to catch your body. Catching yourself on unsteady hands, you hiss as the rough ground scrapes your palms and knees enough to bleed.

Seizing the win, Wolf walks over to your stationary form, savouring the smell of your blood on the air. It smelt sweet, Wolf licked his lips and nudged you onto your back with his foot. He briefly wondered if you would taste just as sweet. You had put up a good fight and Wolf always loved a good challenge.

Semi-Wolf cages your body with his own, his large hands trapping yours above your head, with his legs pinning yours down. At this point, you had resigned yourself to your fate. You never really thought that you’d die like this, a hot guy murdering you was always a bonus you supposed.

Bringing his face towards yours, your breath falters when his lips floats above yours. Eyes wide, you noticed the hunger in his dark eyes, a hunger that you knew yourself all too intimately. Seeing his lips tilt into a dangerous smirk, your eyes lock onto them much to Wolf’s evident amusement. He uses the opportunity of your diverted attention to closely check you out, his eyes sweeping down your form.

He vastly appreciates the simple dark gown you wore. The dress exposed enough cleavage without becoming a disaster and had a leg slit that exposed a fair amount of soft-looking skin. Wetting his lips at the delicious sight you made underneath him, Wolf knows his evaluating looks were far from one sided, he could feel your gaze burn into his skin in kind.

Making eye contact with you, he decided he was going to indulge himself just this once. After weeks of dealing with Demon King’s shenanigans and then having to come back and patrol the woods with nothing in terms of companionship, he was admittedly lonely. He also harboured a lot of frustration and pent-up sexual desires and then there you were, waltzing on in with a form-fitting dress and smelling of ripened strawberries.

Wolf leans down and brings his mouth to your neck. All that filled your mind was the different but all equally as gruesome ideas of how he could kill you in this position. Him tearing out your throat was at the forefront of your mind.

Wolf licks a hot stripe up your throat, tasting your rabbit-like heartbeat. It was almost cute how much he scared you. He was almost tempted to assure you he can be gentle if he’s in the mood for it. From how you reacted to his each and every touch, he knew his self-restraint would truly be tested tonight. He did so love a sensitive lover.

“What are you going to do to me?” Your voice shakes and serves to further spur him on. Temptingly, he brushes his lips against yours, as light as a feather and no where near the pressure you now craved.

This close up you could see the flecks of near obsidian accentuating his mahogany brown irises that swirled with unspoken promises of what he was planning to do to you tonight. He doesn’t answer, choosing to stare instead.

“That doesn’t answer my question.” Pushing him probably wasn’t the smartest decision. Then again, you never would have gotten into adventuring if you had all your wits about you.

Again, silence meets your ears as he rolls his eyes at you in response, much to your shock. The action was unexpected, completely out of character for him, judging from the gossip you’ve overheard from the townspeople.

“I’ve got a much better use for that cute little mouth of yours then asking pointless questions.” He purrs into your ear.

You very nearly swallowed your tongue, eyes wide in disbelief. Your mind was still spinning at the sudden turn the night has taken. You were ready to fight for your life, not get pinned down and get propositioned. His actions spoke leagues, he didn’t leave any room for misinterpretation of what he desired from you. As much as that thought should’ve scared you, a thrill of anticipation sparked down your spine.

Noticing your receptiveness, Wolf planned to test how far he could push you before you pulled back. Testing the waters, he bridges the short gap between your mouths and kisses you. To his amusement, you froze for half a breath before reciprocating, soft lips moving skillfully against his.

Deepening the kiss, he doesn’t wait for permission to lick into your mouth, earning him a gasp. You never really spared any thought to him before this day other than reluctant acknowledgement of his strength, that even armed with an arsenal of spells you’d still struggle to defeat him. Never in a hundred years would you think that he was a good kisser and yet here he was doing his best to thoroughly prove you wrong.

Warmth spread through your body as you tried to pay him in kind, but he was intent on dominating the kiss in every way. Your mind wondered over the thought of him dominating you in another way and your heart gave a concerning lurch inside our chest.

Semi-Wolf ends up breaking the kiss to chuckle down at you after a moan escaped. Embarrassed flush tinging your cheeks pink, you use the break to catch the breath he stole from your lungs.

“That doesn’t answer my question, Semi-Wolf.” You whisper against his lips.

“How much more direct do I have to be with you, little witch? Do you want me to say that I want to fuck that cheeky mouth of yours until you cry?” Heart palpitating, your eyes zero in on him wetting his lips, wondering what else his tongue could do. “Or maybe that I’m horny enough to fuck you regardless of your incessant questioning.”

This time you shiver at the way his deep voice seemed elicit lust to cloud your mind. Horny yourself from countless days of self-imposed isolation in your pursuit of knowledge after your last disastrous quest with Elf, you weren’t exactly in the right mind-frame to deny him.

At the same time though, who said you would make it easy for him?

“Even the big bad Wolf gets lonely guarding the creepy woods.” You goad him, eager to get a rise from him.

Rising to the obvious bait, his grip tighten around your wrists enough to hurt. Meeting his scowl with a jovial expression, you inwardly crowed at how easy it was to rile him up.

“You’d be so much cuter if you didn’t open your mouth. Don’t worry, I’ll fix that for you.” He promises darkly. His thumb presses into your bottom lip and urges you to open your mouth.

You do deny yourself the desire to bite down on his thumb, not wanting to truly make him mad. You just wanted him mad enough to take you without holding back.

Releasing your other wrist, he makes quick work of undoing his pants. Enjoying the view, your tongue licked his thumb, drawing his attention for all of a second before he presses his thumb on top of your tongue. You whine around the intrusion, earning an unimpressed look from him as he reveals his sizable length.

He nearly laughs when he hear you audibly gulp as he shucks down his pants one-handed. His slowly filling dick swelled even more at your groan from just witnessing his length. Even at half-mast he was long and girthy enough for you to wonder if he was going to fit in you.

Not liking the way your attention drifted inwards, Wolf gripped himself and gave a few tugs. To both your fascination and horror, you watched as his cock was stroked into full hardness. At this, you swore to yourself to make it fit, no matter what. There was no way you were going to pass up this once in a life-time opportunity.

Wolf considers the position you were both in and decided that it wouldn’t do. Releasing his cock and removing his thumb from your mouth, he grabs you by the shoulders and forcibly moves you into a new position. You relished the way he manhandled you, you elect to make it easy on him and be pliable for him.

Pushing a hand through his wild hair, he looks over at your new placement. Dress strewn around your legs, the side slit now exposing an indecent amount of flesh as you laid out beside him. Once again grasping your shoulder, he moves your upper body to lean over his spread legs, bringing your face towards his rigid length.

You didn’t fight him as he brought your mouth towards his cock, nor did you wait for permission to start. Wrapping your mouth around the leaking tip, you gave a slight suck before trying to take more of him in all while swirling your tongue around him. His hand moves up into your hair as you slowly make your way down his shaft, cute little mouth already stretched wide.

About half-way down your jaw was starting to get sore from how wide you had to keep your mouth from grazing your teeth harshly against him. You weren’t ready to admit defeat yet, you still hadn’t even taken him fully yet. Throwing caution to the wind, you decide to take the rest of his cock in all the way, sore throat be damned. You gagged at the feeling of him being shoved down your throat, mouth impossibly full as his hips jolt up and keep himself in as you started to pull back.

A loud groan rumbles through the air, rewarding your efforts. His fingers tighten in your hair, locking your head in place. You fight against his grip and win, coming up with a gasp and a thick strand of saliva connecting your lips to his tip. Giving him a withering glare, you lick up his shaft once, twice, before engulfing him yet again. This was for your benefit, hearing him growl as you sucked him off was just a benefit.

He watched on with delight as you forced yourself to choke on his cock, evidently he was too large for you to handle. Not wanting you to do all the work, he started to slowly roll his hips up and took control of your pace by moving you up and down his member by his grip on your hair.

Unable to take back control, you could do nothing but to let him guide you as he fucks into your mouth. This turned you on incredibly, feeling yourself become wet as he pants and groans into the still air. Distantly, you could hear his tail thump against the ground.

While fucking your willing mouth, he’s struck with a brilliant idea. Wrapping a hand around your throat, he’s now able to feel himself being deepthroated. A rush of blood left him light-headed, absolutely loving the fact that he can feel himself when he shoves his cock even further down your throat, not caring that at how you dug your nails into his hips. Your whines about him taking over only served to arouse him further, feeling the vibrations travel along his length.

He feels himself come close as you swallow around him, tongue rubbing sinuously against all the right spots. He knew it wouldn’t be long before he peaked. While he did have a fast recovery time, he didn’t want to waste a moment of not being buried inside of you. Already the smell your arousal perfumed the air, causing his dick to jump in your mouth at the sudden influx of blood rushing southward. The need to be inside of you trumped the joy he felt from you sucking him off.

Tearing you off of his dick with a slick'pop', you were completely blindsided as he throws you against the ground. His hand grasped your thigh, drawing it up as his other shears the thin fabric of your dress off. Now sitting above mid-thigh, you silently despaired about the destruction of your favourite dress. Uncaring, Wolf impatiently batted the rest of the flowy fabric out of his way, not sparing you a second look at you as he shreds your panties and runs a knuckle down your wet folds.

“I’ve barely touched you and yet you’re this wet,” he muses.

Careful of his nails, he gathers up your liquid arousal on his finger and brings it up to his mouth, tasting you. You clench down on nothing as he closes his eyes to savour your taste with a moan. If he drew this out any longer, you were going to have a spontaneous heart attack.

Squirming under him, you made impatient sound. It didn’t go ignored, grinning down at you, he brings bringing his finger back down to teasingly caress your folds, touches much too light for your taste.

“Aren’t you an impatient little thing,” Semi-Wolf drawled as brushes a knuckle against your hole, pausing over it and slightly dipping in.

A frustrate groan left your lips, tilting your hips up to chase his teasing strokes.

“Please.” You begged as he started again with the feather-light strokes.

Normally you would rather retch than beg for cock, However there was always an exception. That exception being Semi-Wolf's cock. It appeared to be the correct thing to do as his eyes flashed with something sinful, a wild look on his face.

“Since you asked so nicely…” He moves down your body, coming to a stop at the apex of your thighs.

Face so close to your core, his mouth started salivating from how good you smelt. Blowing onto your pussy, he elicits a cute squeal and ended up having to pin your legs down to keep you from kneeing him in the head.

He delivers a long lick between your wet folds and swallows your taste as he prods at your entrance. Judging he had enough fun, he delved straight in. Clawing at the soft ground under you, your chest heaved as his tongue thrus in, swirled around, rubbed against your walls and pulled out. It wasn't long before he had you incoherently begging for something, anything, yet he continued in this fashion until he had your hands tugging at his hair, careful of his furry ears, and writhing on his tongue.

Eating you out like a man starved, he didn’t stop until he felt your thighs tense around his head, signalling how close he brought you with just his tongue. He’d like to think that he wasn’t a cruel man but the nasty look you gave when he pulled away had him second guessing himself.

You were more than ready at this point. Ready to start cursing at him if he didn’t fuck you right now, you opened you mouth for him beat you to the chase. Heaving himself upwards, he presses his chest against yours, inadvertently bringing his hips close enough for his dick to slap against your drenched folds.

Gripping himself, he wordlessly slicks up his length by rubbing it through your juices. Lining up with you entrance, he barely presses in and your hands fly up to dig into his arms. Not minding the bite of pain, Wolf didn’t stop you from digging in your nails as he slowly slid in.

Reminding yourself to breath, you took shallow breaths and forcibly relaxed your muscles to help take him in, ignoring the sharp sting of pain that paired with his girth.

Shoving his engorged cock into your wet hole, he didn’t hesitate to slide down to the root regardless of how tight you were. Tears rise to your eyes unbidden as he pushes his way into you, feeling like his cock alone could split you in half. Muttering a half-assed incantation under your breath, you banished the edge of pain away, unmasking the pleasure at being so completely filled.

His thick cock that filled every space inside of you so well, that you started to believe he was made for you. The same thought went through his mind as he begins to mindlessly pound away into you, loving the way your wet hole takes him so well and tightens perfectly around him every time.

The angle he pummelled into at had you seeing stars. You raise your hips to meet his a few times before he grabs the back of your right knee with one hand, pinning your leg up against your chest. A wrecked moan rattles you as the pose opens you up more, changing the angle and allowing him to hit even deeper inside of you, now experiencing fireworks.

“You like that, huh?” He growls roughly.

You couldn’t spare the breath to answer him back with him fucking the life out of you, instead you nodded helplessly.

A pleased noise rumbled through his chest. You were such a supple little thing, taking every inch of him like you needed it, no matter the pain it initially caused you. Such things stroked his ego, paired with the wrecked expression on your face and the fluttering of your walls around his cock, he was intrigued by you. Being impressed and interested in someone with his possessive nature was never a good combination, and  he couldn’t stop himself from becoming enamoured with you while fucking you into the ground.

He litters your neck and chest with kisses, bruises, and bites that you knew would take a while to heal and vanish. The bastard was infamously territorial, you should’ve known that it would also translate into sex as well. Having half the mind to slap him for marking up, you couldn’t deny the way your heart leaped and pussy clenched around him with every rough suck he delivered to your soft skin.

He couldn’t let you go now he’s had a taste of you. He knew you would be perfect in tempering him, weathering his moods and give yourself fully to him like were right now. You already proved yourself worthy by not backing down or running away. Pupils blown wide, possessive thoughts consume his mind, devising different ways he could make you his. From the way you thrashed under him, shaky moans joining the symphony of your bodies colliding together, he conjured a way he could make you his.

Feeling him pull out was nothing of concern to your bliss-filled mind. It was when he didn’t slide back in that raised alarm. Opening your eyes, you blinked away tears from your sight to make out his proud-looking expression. Whining, you raise your hips up to force his tip to slide in further. Semi-Wolf denies you this by pulling his hips back further, removing his cock all together.

“Do you want me to continue fucking your greedy hole?” He says, eyes piercing through your soul.

Showing your frustration, you glare up at him and dig your nails into his arm, making him wince at the strong grip.

“Yes.” You hissed through clenched teeth.

He considers your answer for a short moment before moving his dick again. This time though, he merely sits it between your slick folds and rolls his hips. The position was perfect for his cock to graze against your clit, a moan slipped out before you could suppress it.

“What would you do for it?” He questions, rolling his hips again, putting more force behind it this time.

Eyes rolling into the back of your head, the constant stream of stimuli from him rubbing against your sensitive bundle was overwhelming. Seeing that you weren’t listening to him, he stopped his motions and watched as frustrated tears gather in your eyes as he ripped away your building orgasm.

“I said, what will you do for it?” He leans down to your ear, teeth gently tugging at your earlobe.

Existence now solely staked on you reaching your peak, the words rushed out of you without a second thought.

“Anything.”

He smiles at that, a shudder going through your body at the beautiful sight. He flashes his canines at you, happy that you wouldn’t need any convincing.

“I was hoping you would say that.” He presses your mouths together in a relatively chaste kiss. Confused, you kissed him back with vigour and chased his lips when he drew back. “How about becoming mine?”

A flash of heat sears through your body at his question. Mind going in a hundred different directions, it gets thrown around into different scenarios. First you were making out, fucking and now he was asking you to be his? You literally just met the guy. While yes sex with him so far has been immaculate, you couldn’t just swear yourself to him at the drop of hat.

All these thoughts should’ve been enough to deter you, to encourage you to finish yourself off and walk away. Instead, the horny part of you overrode all common sense. A strong, attractive partner by your side with a drool-worthy dick? You didn't need anything more.

Hands cupping his cheeks, you graze your thumb over his bottom lip and pull him closer.

“Yes. Now fuck me before I finish myself off.” His eyes flash at your threat, promising you hell for that.

Sealing your fate, you fasten your mouth over his and slip your tongue into his mouth as he grabs himself and lines up with your entrance and thrusts back in like he never stopped.

Pace faster than before, you arched you back as his cock presses into you, feeling impossibly deep. Unforgiving now in his thrusts, he didn’t hesitate to make himself a place inside of you, needing you to feel him even when he was finished.

It felt like your veins were filled with molten magma as he repeatedly hit all your sweet spots without even trying. All of your arousal and pleasure amassed into a tightly coiled ball that sat low in your gut and grew with every growl and thrust he gave. This time you protected it with all your might, you’d most definitely curse him if he pulled the same stunt twice.

Wolf buried his head into the crook of your neck, panting into your skin as he pistons himself in and out of you, chasing his own orgasm to no end in sight. Scraping his canines along the column of your throat, you shudder around his cock and tantalisingly squeeze him. Rewarding how sensitive you were, he attaches his mouth to you and buries his fangs into your flesh.

It felt like a supernova went off of inside of you the very moment his teeth pierced your flesh, flinging your head back fast enough that you almost knock yourself out as Wolf fucks you through the most intense orgasm of your life.

His hips don’t falter their pistoning as you tighten up immensely, feeling like a second skin from the way you gripped at him. Blood filling his mouth, he greedily swallowed every drop of the sweet substance, not at all surprised that it tasted just as sweet as the strawberries you smelt like.

With one last thrust, he pulls out and gives himself three rough tugs before he finally spilled all over your thighs. He very nearly purrs at how he solidified his claim over you, his scent seeping into your skin strong enough for any non-human person with a decent nose would know exactly who you belonged to.

“Will you grant us passage through your woods now?” You asked, sarcastic words shattering the silent atmosphere that enveloped your bodies as you both recovered.

“Maybe. Depends what you’re scheming.” He glances over at you from the corner of his eye, not bothering to turn over.

“We’re going to take down the Demon King.” Semi-Wolf chokes on mid-air and whirls around to face you, propping himself up on his elbow.

“Are you serious? If you had started with that, I would’ve walked you guys through and joined the fight.” You bite your tongue to stop yourself from laughing. This whole time Semi-Wolf wasn’t the dangerous servant of evil you had him pegged for, instead he was begrudgingly guarding these woods. He must being doing it for something, albeit you didn't know what for.

“What did he do to warrant your anger at him.” You were blatantly curious. It wasn’t often that you were wrong in how you perceived someone, plus it was interesting to catch a glimpse into the life of someone who was close to the maleficent Demon King.

“He said my wardrobe was hideous.” Wolf grumbles under his breath.

“I’m sorry, what? I couldn’t hear you.” You grin at him while cupping your ear and leaning in close. You had heard him perfectly fine, it was just fun to see this side of him.

Teasing him was much too fun, you were already getting comfortable around him. Who could’ve guessed he would be all soft on the inside? Elf was going to get a kick out hearing that. Whether he’ll believe you or not is entirely another story.

Annoyed, Wolf bats you away as you laughed at the pick blush betraying his stern look.

“Doesn’t matter. There’s no way you could lose with me helping.” A different, more gentle sort of warmth fills you at his claim, no matter how self-assured it may come across to some.

No longer wishing to antagonise him further, you simply hum in response. Not giving it a second thought, you slip your hand into his.

“Ignoring the fact that you destroyed my favourite dress,” Wolf had the common decency to look ashamed, withering under your harsh glare. “Were you serious when you asked –”

“Yes, I was serious.” He cuts you off. A nervous look replaces his serious one, scratching at the back of his head as he contemplated his next words. “Look, it wasn’t a smart move to do that to you in the middle of… yeah. I don’t know what came over me, but I couldn’t stomach the thought of you being someone else's. It's weird how connected I felt with you in that moment."

Looking away from the tree he was studying to avoid your gaze he was met with your stunned face painted a soft pink.

“You’re an idiot.” You say bluntly. Okay, he was definitely not the big monster you were led to believe. You almost felt like a fool for being so scared of him at the start.

“Hey!” He indignantly shouts, squeezing your hand as punishment for your insult.

“I’m joking, I swear it. It was a dick move but I forgive you.” Suddenly feeling shy, you look away from his intense eyes, not liking the way it felt like he could read your very soul. If Elf were here he’d probably scoff at you being demure after -

“Crap, my party! They probably think I’m dead.” You hurriedly get up and brush off the debris from your now short dress. A slight breeze picked up, causing you to shiver at the weird sensation of it caressing your bare legs and reminding you of the cum drying uncomfortably on your skin.

Ripping a piece of your sleeve off, you make quick work of cleaning yourself off as Wolf tugs on his pants. Seeing the way he eyes your legs, you narrow your eyes at him, shaking your head when he feigns an innocent look.

Giving the small glade one last look over, you both set off into the now clear woods. It took what seemed like a short eternity before you broke the tree line of the other side. On the other side, you find a pacing Goshiki, a bored-looking Elf and a peacefully dozing Ushijima.

Looking over at your sudden appearance, it took one sweep of Elf’s perceptive eyes to know what exactly had went down during your disappearance. You blush as he raises an unimpressed brow at you, ignoring Semi-Wolf’s presence by your side out of pure spite.

It took a bit to convince them that he was here to help and help he did. Armed with the scarily one-minded Hero and one pissed of Semi-Wolf, the crimson-haired Demon King didn’t stand a chance against them.

[imjeralee]

Comfort in Despair: Chapter 6 - It’s You

Leon x F!Reader

Disclaimer: Do not own Pokemon

Summary:

Galar is rich in folklore and tales of the supernatural.

As a Pokemon Researcher who specialises in ghost types, this is a great opportunity for you to investigate and learn more about the paranormal.

Along the way, you meet Leon (in the most awkward way possible) who becomes embroiled in your adventures.

^ Basically this story is about ghosts :/

Rating: General/Teen

Warnings: Blood, also I think this chapter is quite dark

It's You

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[Unused testimonial, submitted by Chief Inspector Chris Graves: She's used to dealing with death. It doesn't get easier, but it doesn't surprise her anymore.]

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A droplet of icy cold water splashes over Leon's cheek, forcing him to stir.

Opening his eyes groggily, he lets his vision settle before he looks up and around, discovering that he has been brought to a cave and is lying on an incredibly chilly and hard surface. He doesn't see Charizard anywhere.

Surrounded by nothing but doom and gloom, Leon emits a groan as he attempts to sit up. He gathers as much strength as he can to his arms and eases his elbows backwards in order to push himself off the ground but discovers he cannot move; glancing down, he sees a sheet of ice covering his legs and feet, preventing means of escape. Although he's wearing clothing that would combat the cold to an extent, he finds himself shivering from the extreme frigidness of this cavern.

"Where am I...?" he mutters, before an eerie and ethereal wail shakes the cavern walls and Leon tosses a glimpse to the source of the sound.

A writhing, ghostly white figure bobs up and down over the cavern floor in the distance, bounding closer and closer to him.

It's a Froslass.

He's never seen a wild one in Galar before and unfortunately he makes eye contact with it and the Froslass trills happily when she sees that he is awake and floats over to him, reaching for him with her little cold and elongated white paws that are attached to the sides of her head. She proceeds to stroke his long hair and nuzzles her face over the top of his head and buries her cheeks over the scruff of his beard affectionately.

Overjoyed, Froslass releases him, turning away before quickly whirling round, revealing that she has brought a leppa berry for him and she leaves it on the ground near his right thigh. She continues to float around him daintily before heading to the far side of the cave to go through a collection of rucksacks and opening them happily one by one and emptying them of contents.

Froslass goes through them whilst singing unintelligibly, occasionally throwing away items that aren't of interest before she pulls out a packet of mixed mushrooms and holds them high in the air. She emits a loud squeal of glee and clutches the packet in her paws. Next, she finds a comb from one of the bags and returns to Leon's side. She nudges the packet for his taking.

With the comb, she settles beside him and begins brushing his hair, purring with affection.

She appears to be fond of him.

...

When Charizard brings you to the area where he had lost Leon, he lands in the middle of a lonely path hidden between a large cluster of trees and you hop off his back and onto the ground, the dirt scrunching under your shoes.

Charizard and Gengar watch you silently as you begin assessing your surroundings. You're aware Leon has a bad sense of direction and despite your warning, he's vanished in the Giant's Seat. They camped outside, but from what Charizard is attempting to tell you, Leon was lured in.

And the moment Charizard brought you here, you knew something was wrong immediately. The negative energy that lingers here is suffocating. To the untrained eye, it's a typical, clear day. However, you can sense that the atmosphere is heavy and thick as fog. There is a miasma that has taken ahold of the vicinity, filling it up with nothing but misery, fear and regret.

Gengar appears to sense it too for he shivers on his spot.

It's very late now and there is not a single soul in sight, allowing you to work quickly and silently with no disruption. It's too dark and dank here so you decide not to waste your time dressing up as a boy in order to get yourself captured or to look for tracks or footprints, granted if there are any. Finding Leon as quickly as possible is your priority here and you have a technique that would assist you here, therefore you hurriedly drop to your knees on the ground, grabbing your bag and zipping it open.

Charizard and Gengar move to your left and right respectively and observe as you pull out a small strip of clean bandages, a pouch containing a small blank piece of scritta paper and a swiss army knife with red handle.

"Don't look if you're squeamish," you warn them as you settle the piece of paper over the ground in front of you, using your knee to prevent it from flying away in the wind, but the Pokemon don't retreat in response to your words of caution and you swipe the blade over your left palm, drawing blood.

Charizard balks at your action but Gengar doesn't flinch at all and you dab your a finger into your bloodied palm and proceed to draw a symbol on the paper. When you're done, you quickly bandage your hand, pull your gloves back on, close your eyes and place the talisman over the middle of your forehead where it doesn't fall off.

You activate it with a murmured chant, re-open your eyes, and immediately the world around you has shifted; the woods are no longer empty but filled with several pale, humanoid figures that stand listlessly behind bushes and near the path. There is even one hanging motionless from a tree. There is also one standing on the cliff overlooking the horizon before it slowly shuffles away from sight.

The talisman helps weed out these weaker presences and you're able to focus on a stronger and sinister entity. Your eyes narrow once more as you hone in on the source of the overwhelming energy that plagues the entire area. It's a white and wispy trail that beckons you to follow the path before it disappears to the left, into the trees and towards the cliffs.

There.

That's where Leon was taken.

You get up to stand with Charizard and Gengar by your side.

"Let's go."

You use the talisman and the additional boon it has granted you to follow the trail that whisks you and the Pokemon far away from the gym challenger's normal path and towards the forest. Much like the haunted house case, no-one should be able to come across here unless they deliberately go off trail.

Your group continues to wade through the tall grass and through the undergrowth, trying to avoid disrupting the wild pokemon until you finally arrive at a steep and winding path that leads uphill. With a plethora of trees and bushes bordering everywhere you look, you realise you have no idea where you are. You've completely gone off track and you find yourself in a remote area devoid of anyone and anything. There are even no pokemon lurking about; you have no idea of how deep you are in the Giant's Seat.

The talisman's effect is beginning to wear off, the wispy white trail growing fainter and fainter, so you hasten your pace. The dwindling trail leads you to a powerful, rushing river and Charizard needs to help you out here. Once again, he allows you to ride on his back and carries you safely across whilst Gengar floats after you both.

On the other side of the river, a deteriorated path leads directly to the mountain that lines the border and once you reach this unknown new area, a familiar black cap sits lopsided near a berry tree. Eyes wide, Charizard zooms towards it and picks it up.

It's Leon's snapback.

"He's close," you tell him, and Charizard hugs the cap to his chest before handing you the cap which you keep safe in your bag. The talisman is showing you that the trail continues, leading further ahead into the mountain. "We need to go up."

Charizard nods and when you climb onto his back, he takes off to the sky with a huge flap of his wings. Once you're high enough in the air, Charizard lets you scan the horizon where you see a large gathering of the white wisp within one of the many small summits.

You ask Charizard to land and he does so; you hop off without much further ado once you're back on land and inspect your new surroundings.

It's a strange spectacle; the summit is covered entirely in snow and there are scattered remains of a campsite which have been completely frozen solid. The tent is still standing on its frames and zipped open, the flaps fluttering uselessly in the icy breeze. You're grateful you're wearing thermal clothes for the temperature here must be bordering sub zero.

Leon must be here.

"Leon!!" you call out, shivering somewhat, "Leon, can you hear me?"

Charizard roars and bellows for his friend, his fiery tail melting away some of the ice. You inspect the campsite but there are no footprints (aside from yours and Charizard's), it does not look like it has been subjected to a pokemon attack but it does appear someone was camping here and had left rather abruptly.

You see a plate on the ground near the tent, covered in snow and full of uneaten, rotten food which you suppose is curry. An opened metal flask stands beside it, full of frozen water. Then you check the firewood, picking up one of the pieces and you notice it is charred on one side, which indicates it had been burning for a while before eventually fizzing out. Whilst Charizard and Gengar look around, you step over to check the tent, pulling the flap down to see a pair of running shoes and rolled up socks stuffed inside, along with a sleeping bag and journal and a ballpoint pen lying near the pillow.

Gengar floats inside, picks the journal up and hands it to you; you thank him and read through the pages and discover it belongs to Maisy, the first missing victim and the latest diary entry is dated roughly three months ago as per below:

'Day 10. I'm still camping in the Wild Area, somewhere in the Giant's Seat. I found this neat spot in the mountain and I don't think anyone else has been here. It's awesome! It's like I have the whole place to myself! I've visited a few pokemon dens too but I kept getting tossed out. Can't stop thinking about that Watt Trader I met in the Rolling Fields either, he is so cute! Even Rookidee thinks so!'

The entry finishes there.

Closing the book, you gingerly place it down and move from the tent. Maisy was here but there is no sign of her anywhere.

"What happened to her...?" you murmur to yourself.

The effect of the talisman eventually wears off and your vision returns to normal. You pull it off your forehead and the little paper flutters limply in the wind and disappears down the cliff. You continue searching the campsite to look for clues until you drop to your knees, clutching your chest. A particularly oppressive force has wrapped itself around you and you struggle to breathe.

The negative energy appears to cloak the entire campsite. You move to stand, blindly take a step forward near the pile of firewood and the snowy ground underneath you completely gives way. You shriek as you fall, promptly dropping inside the small hole.

Gengar is quick to dive in, catching you in mid-air and he gently lets you down on the ground and onto your feet, the bottom of your shoes crunching under the snow.

"Thanks Gengar," you mutter and he grins wider.

Glancing left and right, jagged, sharp rocks surround you, covered in a slippery sheen of ice. You can no longer hear the howl of the icy wind outside and it is hauntingly quiet in this hole. Charizard arrives at the rounded entrance, resembling somewhat of a speck. He waves at you and you tell him you're fine, your voice echoing. It's a huge drop...a fall from this height would surely kill someone...

Gengar gestures if you want to be brought back up but you shake your head.

"I think this is it," you tell him whilst Charizard tries to squeeze himself in but he is too big, unable to fit into the hole. You're quite certain this is a Pokemon den.

Gengar tugs on your arm and you turn to where he is pointing to.

There is a medium-sized hollow to your left that indicates an entrance of some sort and it appears to be your next destination. Thanking Gengar for his vigilance, you are about to enter only to be halted immediately by the faint stench of putrefaction which hits you square in the nose. You and Gengar turn to look at each other before you both throw your glance to the uneven level of snow beneath your feet.

"....Do you think...?" you croak out, and Gengar nods.

Dread begins piling in your gut as you lower yourself to your knees and begin brushing and shovelling away the snow. Gengar assists, uncovering as much of the snow as he can with his paws until you unearth a pile of jagged rocks of all shapes and sizes. Gengar helps lift them up and moves them to the side, revealing a dull pea-green, flimsy material with a broken yellow, plastic zipper and the symbol 'LASS'. You curl your fist and gently rap your knuckles against it; there is something rock-solid underneath.

Inhaling a shaky breath, you continue to brush away more snow until you uncover an eye.

Charizard growls loudly as you pause, wondering what you have discovered, but you quickly sweep the remainder of the snow away using the sides of your palms and soon, you have uncovered a pale, white face.

Her head is bent to one side, her eyes open and staring endlessly at the sky. Ice crystals frame her face and eyelashes, her lips painted an eggshell blue.

"Oh..." you murmur under your breath, "I'm sorry...I'm so sorry..."

Gengar watches you silently, then averts his gaze to the dead body. There's one more rock to move and he inches it out of its spot, revealing a dirtied bag crushed underneath and pulls it out. Holding it upside down, a crushed pokeball drops out and Gengar holds it up to you for your taking.

You're reluctant, but you take it off him and push the button and a red light fizzes limply, revealing a Rookidee... though it is unmoving as it lies on the ground, eyes closed. You reach for the little bird and cradle it in your arms, stroking its cold and limp feathers. It doesn't respond.

You look at Gengar and he shakes his head sadly.

It is dead.

Squeezing your eyes shut, you feel their loneliness, fear and pain and emit a hoarse cry from the back of your throat before you murmur a prayer for them under your breath.

However, Charizard growls louder, forcing you to place the little Rookidee beside its trainer. Your legs feel heavy as you force yourself to stand up and rub your eyes with the back of your wrist, inhaling a deep and heavy breath.

Turning to Charizard, you yell, "Go to Wyndon Police Station and find Chief Inspector Graves! Bring him here."

Charizard nods, takes off, and the silence returns.

The hole to your left is your next destination now and so without further ado, Gengar hitches a ride in your shadow and you climb inside, lifting your left leg first then your right, and you shimmy in as carefully as you can and try not to lose balance or else you risk falling and dropping on a sharp rock. You squeeze yourself into the tight and narrow passageway which is covered in cobwebs and frost, ducking to avoid jagged rocks.

You grab your torch and shine the light in front of you only to be greeted with darkness.

It's a long trip. You cannot see anything else up ahead except pitch black. With one gloved on the wall and another gripping your trusty flashlight, you continue in your journey, using the rocks as support and taking baby steps so not to slip or fall, until the area around you becomes colder and colder, your breath escaping into the air in the form of thick puffs of smoke.

Throwing your glance over your shoulder, it's an equally long trip back to the way you came from.

You can't stop now. Emitting a grunt, you push yourself forwards, squeezing through the narrow passageway.

Eventually, it comes to an end when you see the small, glimmering flicker of light and you are hopeful you have made it into the pokemon den. The light grows brighter and brighter, shifting to a slightly blue tinge and you arrive at a large and empty cavern with rocky, uneven walls that are completely frozen over with ice. It's even colder here than it is outside.

You're bathed in blue and your jaw drops slightly as you make your way further inside where you are greeted with the sight of huge stalactites and stalagmites.

The stalagmites are a beautiful, crystalline azure in colour and you inch towards one to peer into it, you see a magnificent rainbow of colours within as the light from your torch reflects off. It is as tall as yourself, stretching from the ground and creeping towards the ceiling where an equally impressive-looking stalactite points dangerously above.

You shine the torch around, not quite sure what you will find here until you spot a large assortment of random bags and rucksacks piled up in one corner, including many empty phone cases.

Next, you shine the long beam of your torch to the wall where the bags are and a peaky face encased within the icy walls stares at you from across the expanse and you realise it is one of the missing gym challengers. His eyes are open, mouth agape with unheard terror, his body lodged deep within a thick case of ice.

Shining the torch to his right, he is not alone. There is another body... and another. In fact, the walls are embedded with the bodies of the missing people you were looking for. Some of them are displayed far apart and appear to have been forced into a strange, outlandish pose, with their arms and legs splayed in odd formation. Their faces are etched with horror and agony.

Resembling grotesque, stringless puppets that have been casually positioned in a canvas of ice, you struggle to breathe again as you are hit with their terror and grief which overwhelms you; the atmosphere is full of anguish and you squeeze your eyes shut with pain.

Gengar emerges from your shadow and floats into the air, looking around cautiously and on high alert.

You did it.

You found the missing people, but...

Where is Leon?

You shine the torch everywhere, calling out for the Champion until you see a familiar figure reflected off one of the stalactites. He is lying on the ground near a particularly large boulder which would've been missed.

"Leon!” you yell.

You rush over despite the icy ground and Gengar trails after you as you struggle to maintain your balance, your feet occasionally slipping or sliding over the glacial floor; when you reach the boulder, Leon is unmoving on the ground, his body covered in a thin sheet of ice. He appears paler than usual and his lips are turning a shade of blue. It appears he is in mid-process of being frozen alive but his woolly sweats are still keeping him warm to an extent.

"Leon!" you exclaim with relief, dropping to your knees beside him.

You lift up his arm, pulling his sleeve to his elbow and applying two fingers over his wrist. You find the thrum of his pulse before lowering his arm back down and you gently place your ear over his chest. When you sit up, you notice he doesn't seem to be breathing.

Being a Researcher means you have to be well-versed with at least some emergency procedures and CPR is included, though you didn't think you would ever have to carry out CPR on the Champion of Galar.

Without further ado, you move the heel of your hand over the centre of his chest, then place your other hand on top and begin to routinely press down.

Gengar floats over and watches as you administer the chest compressions before you lean down and tilt Leon's head gently, lifting his chin up to yours and pinch the bridge of his nose carefully.

You proceed to press your lips over Leon's and provide two rescue breaths before you retreat and check if his chest rises. Nothing happens and Leon is still unconscious so you repeat the process a second time until Leon's mouth opens on his own accord, he inhales a sharp breath and coughs and you release him.

He slowly opens his eyes, those deep honey pools landing on your form and the corner of his lips tugs upwards into a wide grin.

“Leon, you're okay! Thank Arceus!!” you exclaim with relief.

You want to be careful with him as much as you can as it looks like he's in a lot of pain but it doesn't stop you from hugging him tightly; you wrap your arms around his head, bringing him into your embrace and holding him tightly, resting your chin atop his head and smoothing your hand over his hair.

Leon blinks sluggishly at you as you let go of him briefly, inspect the rest of his features by placing a hand over his icy cold cheeks. He watches you as you continue to hug him and croaks out, "...It's you..."

"Yeah, it's me."

"...What're you doing here...?"

"We came to rescue you. You got taken by a Froslass...Geez, you're freezing," you utter, before you gently let go of him to pull your warm coat off. You proceed to drape it around him, pulling the lapels tightly together, followed by your scarf which you fish out from your bag and loop around his neck again and again. Leon's gaze is fixed on you the entire time, watching you tear your gloves off your hands and ease them over his own. "Is that better?"

He nods as you sneeze, your teeth beginning to chatter. "Aren't you..."

"It's fine. I'm fine," you say quickly, before you encircle your arms around his shoulders once more.

"...I read your blog...You're so brave..." he mutters and when he notices that your exposed fingers are shaking from the cold, he reaches for your hand and entwines your fingers together. His hand is so much larger than yours, his fingers curling around yours, and he grips you rather firmly. He's grateful for your warmth, brushing his thumb over the back of your palm.

However, he runs his fingers over your bandages and along the middle of your palm where you had cut yourself. He looks up and you throw your glance down; your gazes meet and he says, "What happened to your hand? You're hurt..."

"It's nothing."

"...Nothing?"

"Yeah."

He blinks slowly at you and murmurs your name. "I really admire you..."

"Save your strength. You're delirious from the cold," you say to the woozy Leon.

"And you're pretty..."

"Now you're just delusional."

"Where’s Charizard...?”

"I asked him to get help.”

"...How did you find me?”

"Charizard brought me to the area where you went missing and I followed this trail and...”

You can’t tell if he’s listening but he appears to be studying you carefully.

"......Charizard let you ride on his back?”

”Yeah."

Leon says nothing and you wonder why he’s fallen silent until he suddenly points at something in front of you.

You quickly look up to see an intense flurry of snow materialising in the middle of the cave before you, hovering in the air in a tight ball.

The cavern's temperature drops even further and Gengar hastily stands in front of you and Leon protectively, ready to battle.

An unearthly, mournful wail rips through the cave and sends numerous shivers down your spine and rattles your very core before the hail of snow unravels violently, revealing a ghostly white figure within, her blue eyes glowing brightly under the dim light.

It's Froslass, and she's enraged that you've trespassed her home and found her prey.

"Gengar, use Dark Pulse!" you yell, and Gengar immediately leaps towards her, summoning a bright ball of purple energy in his hands before he shoots it at the pokemon.

Froslass avoids the attack with a dainty twirl and hurls a glowing white ball at him in response. It's a Confuse Ray. He avoids by leaping to the side and you instruct him to use another Dark Pulse attack whilst Froslass counterattacks, unleashing a barrage of icicles towards your direction.

You protect Leon from the frost by throwing yourself in front of him, shielding him with your body though your back bears the brunt of the attack and you squeeze your eyes shut, biting down on your lip to blot out the pain. Leon's eyes grow wide at your action and a vicious snowstorm brews inside the cavern. As you start to shiver and twitch furiously, Leon drapes his arms around you and pulls you closer to you to him and you open your eyes in shock, whipping your head up to him.

He offers you a gentle smile and as the snowstorm rages, he moves one hand to the back of your head and the other around your shoulders as you huddle together on the ground.

Gengar darts left and right to avoid the harsh snow and Froslass' incoming attacks. His eyes glow a bright red before he soars into the air and holds his arms out, circular beams of energy shooting out.

The snow stops at once, the little round particles frozen in mid-air, and you and Leon avert your gazes to the beautiful but deadly sight. Froslass looks confused until Gengar waggles his finger and the sleet returns to her, shooting towards her direction.

You're not sure what kind of move that was but it appears to be a psychic move and Froslass is battered by her own technique.

"Way to go, Gengar!" you exclaim as you look up, still shivering, "You're just full of surprises, aren't you?"

Gengar returns to land in front of you and Leon, turns to you and nods, grinning wickedly.

As Froslass reels from the impact, it's then you see various shadowy tendrils emerging from her weakened body and Leon loosens his grip on you so you can stick your hand into your bag, pulling out the Odd Keystone and tossing it upwards where it lingers in mid-air and begins to shake rigorously.

"In nómine Pátris, et Fílii, et Spirítus Sancti." you say aloud, aware that Leon is staring at you.

Trembling violently, a loud crack emits from the Odd Keystone and the fissure begins to glow.

The dark shadow is forcibly pulled from Froslass and the pokemon drops to the floor, severely weakened. The shadow screams agonisingly, the sounds echoing off the walls of the cave but the Odd Keystone continues quaking furiously, effectively sucking the shadow inside. Shadows also begin to arise from the multiple corpses that are frozen in the walls, a mix of contorted horrifying screams following as a number of dark, shadowy outlines become sucked out from the ice and towards the stone.

The Odd Keystone glows brighter as the shadows resist. It is futile, the keystone drags them in with a power like no other, the screams grows fainter and fainter until the dreadful sounds stop entirely, and the cavern goes silent and all grows still. The Keystone drops to the ground but Gengar quickly catches it in his paws and brings it carefully to you.

"Thank you, Gengar," you say, and he grins in response as you return the keystone safely into your bag.

Leon has been watching the entire time, eyes wide.

Averting attention to the downed Froslass, you take out a Dusk Ball from your bag, tossing it at the pokemon and the capsule smacks into the pokemon and opens, sucking the critter inside. The ball drops to the ground and wiggles for a few seconds before it successfully clicks shut.

Emitting a huge sigh of relief, you turn and bury your face in Leon's chest.

It's over.

You glance at Gengar, teeth chattering. "Gengar....can you check if...if Charizard's come back?"

He nods and heads for the narrow passageway you had emerged from, disappearing into the darkness.

It's you and Leon all alone again, and the temperature of the den is not improving; having given Leon your coat and other warm gear, you pull yourself off his chest to sit beside him against the boulder, though you still slink your arms around him, hoping to keep him warm until help arrives.

He reaches for your hand again, glancing up as you shake and your teeth chatter. "....You're cold..."

"I-I-I'm fine...don't worry about me..."

"The coat's big enough for the two of us." he utters, but you shake your head and pull the coat properly over him and zip it up to his chin. You let go of him, retreating your hand away from his and choosing to roll and curl up in a fetal position, clutching your bag to your chest for warmth.

“You need it more than I do, Leon…” you utter as you close your eyes, hugging your bag firmly.

A silence settles between you both and you don’t know how long has passed but the cold is getting worse; your fingertips are growing numb and you cannot stop trembling. You’re wondering what is taking Charizard and Gengar so long until you hear Leon fumbling around in his spot; you throw a cautious glance over your shoulder to see that he has pulled the zip down, unwrapped the coat again and he reaches for you, slinking his arms around your waist, pulling you into his embrace.

“…W-what are you doing…”

His lips tug upwards into a grin of reassurance. “It’s okay…”

You gawp at him but you are so cold, you cannot move, resist or protest, and so Leon attempts to sit up with you sitting limply in his lap. He also unravels the scarf from his neck and drapes it around you and you glimpse down at yourself. You're sharing the scarf now. The coat is not forgotten and he pulls and tugs the thick fabric to cover you before he settles his sturdy arms around your waist and you're instantly swept up by Leon's lingering warmth. He rests his chin atop your head, the scruff of his beard tickling your scalp as he emits a hum under his breath.

You're surprised by his bold actions but you feel at ease at once and you slump against him, your cheek smushed against his chest. “….If the press saw us, they'd have a field day…” you mumble under your breath.

He chuckles, his chest rumbling. "I know, but I wouldn't care and neither should you," he utters, "...Thank you for saving me."

"You're welcome, Leon."

"Is your back okay?"

You nod.

He gives you a tight squeeze and although you know it's to keep you warm, you can't help the frantic thudding of your heart as you consider how close you are and how tightly he's holding you to him. You wonder if he's feeling the same.

"So...so cold..." you croak out, your breathing laboured.

He glances at you in surprise, then rubs your arm up and down with his large palm soothingly. "Is that better?"

"...Yeah."

Leon throws his gaze to the ceiling as he continuously rubs your arm. It grows silent briefly until he utters, "Hey, I got a question..."

"What...?"

"Who’s Rosie?”

"...How...how do you know that name?"

"I thought I heard you say that name when we were camping."

"Oh..." you mutter, “Rosie is my little sister…”

“…Did something happen to her?”

You grow tense, squeezing your eyes shut and curling your fists. “……..You....wouldn't understand.” And you didn’t think you would tell Leon this, if at all. "...But if she was still here, she would've been Hop's age. She would've started her pokemon journey..."

There is a silence following your revelation, but Leon gives your waist a squeeze as he shifts his arms. You cannot tell if it was accidental or not but it makes your heartbeat soar.

“...I’m sorry," he murmurs.

You shake your head limply in response.

Before Leon can ask further questions, the cave begins to tremble and a muffled but loud noise is accompanied with a fierce roar; it must be Charizard. He is not alone, you can hear several voices echoing through the passageway.

"Mr Champion??" yells a familiar voice, "We have a team coming to get you, please sit tight!"

It's Graves.

You are saved.

...

Charizard has returned to the pokemon den with the Chief Inspector, who has brought a team with him.

Maisy's body and Froslass' victims have been recovered.

Leon is brought to the nearest hospital and so are you. You had spent the long wait in the Pokemon den huddling together until Graves arrived. The whole trip is a rather nerve-wracking one as you sit in the ambulance by Leon's side. He falls unconscious as he's wheeled in and fitted with a breathing mask but he holds onto your hand the entire time and refuses to let go, even when the paramedics attempts to split the two of you up.

Once you arrive at the hospital, you're forced to separate and Leon's fingers are pried off yours; you're extremely worried, watching as Leon is wheeled away by the medics out of the ambulance and into the hospital. He's taken to a private room away from the curious bystanders and journalists, whereas you're redirected to the main A&E area and forced to sit on a bed with the curtain pulled round, tended by a nurse on her nightshift.

Your shredded palm is properly dressed and she checks the rest of your body and back and then after that brief checkup, she tells you you're free to go. The coat is returned to you and so are the rest of your belongings.

When you return to the main waiting area, Chief Inspector Graves picks you up for questioning and to take some testimony off you which you do to your best ability.

You're dismissed a second time after a long and particularly gruelling session and you return to the waiting area again whilst he disappears to buy a coffee from the vending machines. You find the same seat again, sit down and spot a man in a white tracksuit, cap and sunglasses who passes you and realise it is Chairman Rose of Macro Cosmos when his stoic assistant Oleana strides beside him. Despite the late hour, they appear immaculate and they're heading towards the direction of Leon's room.

You attempt to follow them, albeit maintaining a safe and short distance away and they vanish further down the corridor and into the room, the door slamming shut. As you pass several rooms, you see numerous Lampents hanging outside, staring woefully at the patients through the windows.

It appears no-one is bothered by their presences but your priority is Leon. You want to see how Leon is doing, so you want to go with them but there is already a small crowd and the nurses are doing their best to disperse them.

It's not ideal to go see Leon right now; he needs time to rest so you return to the main waiting area where you find an empty seat and sit down, glancing at Froslass' capsule.

You're not sure what to do with her.

A short while later, a dark-skinned woman and little boy (with piercing golden eyes that resembles Leon's) enters the hospital and you hear them asking for Leon at the desk and you're well aware that this is his mother and his little brother, Hop. His mother's face is sagging with concern and fear whilst Hop hugs his Wooloo to himself tightly. You can't help but feel bad for them. You observe as they disappear down the same route Rose and Oleana had ventured to.

You still have Leon's snapback with you which you want to return to him, but you think it's best to return it to him the next morning when he's better and circumstances have cooled down.

The TV in the corner broadcasts a quick thirty second run of 'Breaking News' about eight bodies being found in the Giant's Seat that are believed to be the missing gym challengers. There are no news about Leon being part of the bunch and it shifts to a Turrfield Orchards commercial.

You sit in your seat, pondering to yourself.

You had found Leon in the nick of time. Froslass never froze him entirely because she became infatuated with him so she had spared his life. Also, his clothes were warm enough to a certain extent. He will recover but according to the Pokemon League's official website, his match has been postponed and Rose has to give him a week or so, maybe longer, to recuperate.

You can imagine what is most likely to happen.

The League will have to reassess the areas that can be explored in the Wild Area, due to the deaths of several gym challengers. You can already imagine the social media content that will emerge such as 'Galar's Gym Challenge and the Perils of the Wild Area: How Safe is Safe?' and 'The Reason Why I'm No Longer Going to Pursue The Gym Challenge, Read Full Article Here'.

The gym challenge won't be cancelled and will continue to exist but sections of the Wild Area considered dangerous for gym challengers such as the mountain summit and the pokemon den where you found Leon, will be sealed off for good and Macro Cosmos will introduce more Watt Traders to patrol so this wouldn't happen again.

You sit for an hour or so, waiting for further updates until you hear the sounds of footsteps approaching and you look up; it's Graves and another police officer, escorting one of your clients you had spoken to earlier on in the day.

She's ashen-faced and quiet until she spots you in your seat. "You liar! He's dead! My son is dead!" she roars accusingly at once, her eyes wild and full of hatred. She is quickly apprehended by Graves and the officer, blocking her from approaching you any further.

"Ma'am, calm down," Graves says and his stern looks and commanding tone serves to quell her anger in seconds.

The woman's furious expression crumbles and she begins sobbing loudly. Graves leaves the woman snivelling and wailing with the officer, heading towards your direction.

"Why're you still here?" he asks gruffly when he stops by your side. Despite the late hour, Graves doesn't look tired. He's used to pulling late night shifts just like you. "Leon's fine, if that's what you're worried about."

"...Are there any survivors?" you ask, "The Pokemon?"

Graves shakes his head. "Frozen to death."

You tense in your seat. "What about their Rotoms?"

"Gone."

...which means they're also dead. "Okay," you say quietly as you throw your glance to your lap.

"We can handle it from here, kiddo. I'm going to speak to Rose and we'll deal with the victim's families and the press. Thanks for your help; you did good. Real good. Your parents would be proud," he scrubs his face with his palm and says, "Go home, it's late. Magnolia will be worried."

You nod in response, Graves returns to the weeping woman and escorts her away with the officer. She's grieving so you don't blame her for her outburst. It's not the first time you have been called a liar anyway.

You let out a gentle sigh under your breath before you shift your gaze to the TV again where it's showing that Chairman Rose is supposed to release some formal statement first thing tomorrow morning. There's no further reason to linger anymore and even Graves is telling you to go home. Your work here is done so you should head back to Wedgehurst. You will try to visit Leon in the morning if you can.

You get up from the seat and Gengar suddenly appears from your shadow. You look at him with a smile and he grins in response. Together, you leave the hospital and emerge outside; it's foggy and cold as you step into the night.

A single light shines from the lamppost that stands near the exit, bathing you in a warm yellow glow.

You tug your coat firmly to yourself, glance up and around before you leave the light, disappearing into the darkness.

...

Instead of heading to Wedgehurst, you take a late night Corviknight taxi and ask if the cabbie can take you to Greyson's Cemetery which is close to the Meetup Spot but a mile or so past the Dappled Grove and Rolling Fields.

The cabbie wonders why you're wanting to go to such a spooky and desolate place at night but says nothing of it since you're paying for the ride after all. He and Corviknight carry you to the entrance of the cemetery where you hop out of the huge carriage and pay the fare.

Pained screams emit from within and the cabbie's face pales. "W-what was that?!"

"You don't want to know," is your reply.

He hurriedly hands you the change then flies off with Corviknight.

You watch them leave before you push open the huge steel gates and step inside, making your way down the worn path whilst the agonising howls increase steadily in volume.

The cemetery is hardly visited during daylight hours and even less during the night.

It's a gloomy and creepy place, covered in heavy mist and fog. Rows and rows of old, grungy gravestones poke out of the soil and up ahead, a single mausoleum stands silently in the middle with the door ajar. The light is on, indicating someone is inside.

As you venture further in, you glance at all the ghost pokemon ranging from Pumpkaboo and Sableyes who are hanging around and playing together. Gengar greets a few Ghastlys and Haunters who are lurking around the fountain that contains an old statue of an angel. Looks like they're having a party.

You leave Gengar to his own devices and stroll down the empty path, eventually arriving at the mausoleum and peer between the gap of the door. A dishevelled-looking man in a black duster, shirt, trousers and flip flops with an Absol beside him can be seen within, facing a woman who is tied to a chair made out of stone. She is drenched with water, hissing and spitting and snarling through gritted teeth, her eyes rolled to the back of her head.

Absol is first to notice you, leaving the man's side to trot up to you and nudge the door open to a small extent. You smile as you squat down, patting her on the head whilst the man chants under his breath, holding a silver cross up in his withered hands.

"Exsúrgat Deus et dissipéntur inimíci ejus: et fúgiant qui odérunt eum a fácie ejus," he mutters, stepping around the woman who responds with fierce gnashes of the teeth before she hurls colourful abuse at him in a deep voice.

He presses the cross against the woman's forehead and immediately, her skin sizzles and burns, smoke emitting. She begins shaking violently against the restraints, flailing in a frenzied manner, flinging her head side to side until her features resembles a blur.

The man is undeterred and continues, "Sicut déficit fumus defíciant; sicut fluit cera a fácie ígnis, sic péreant peccatóres a fácie Dei."

You decide not to intervene and find a nice spot by a random gravestone, waiting in silence and twiddling your fingers together. The noises from within become more and more animalistic, resembling feral growls and grunts before it grows silent and the door opens.

The man emerges, drenched in blood and what appears to be vomit.

Meanwhile, the ghost Pokemon behind you frolic and play, oblivious.

You stand up at once. "Ezra!"

He emits a wheezy cough, smacking a clenched fist over his chest repeatedly before he erupts into a violent coughing fit and turns to the side, spitting out some blood.

You immediately go over to help him stand, holding him up by the arm.

He says, "Hey kid."

"Take it easy..." you help him over the steps of the mausoleum and as Ezra plops himself down with a heavy sigh, Absol joins him and he pats her gently on the head. "What's going on? Do you need help?"

"It's fine, nothin' for you to concern yourself with."

You peek inside the mausoleum to see the woman is now sitting limply in the chair with her eyes closed. “She gonna be okay?"

"...Yeah."

"Who is she?"

"I dunno, she just ran inside screamin' and sayin' she been hearin' voices in her head....then she began speakin' in tongues." Ezra grunts, before he enters another harsh coughing fit. When he's finished wheezing, he grabs a cigarette from his pockets along with a lighter and lights it up, inhaling a deep drag and exhaling into the air with a deep but inaudible sigh. "Bring me a beer, kiddo. I left it behind that grave over there."

"Okay," you head over to where he's pointing to, pull out the aforementioned pack of six beers and return to his side.

"That's it, gimme."

Handing one to the old man, he flips the lid, brings the can to his lips and takes a messy swig before sighing with relief. You open your bag and pull out the Odd Keystone that pulses gently in your grip, "I think it's time I gave this back to you. Can you hold onto it for a while?"

He nods, you hand him the stone and he holds it in his limp hands. "Good job," he murmurs, and you know he's talking about the number of evil spirits you've collected, "...Looks like you got yourself a partner too."

"Yep. Gengar, this is my mentor, Ezra."

Gengar stops floating around the Haunters and hovers to your side, then glances at Ezra and Absol. Absol merely regards the shadow pokemon quietly but pays no attention and returns to lie down on her front paws. Gengar floats towards Ezra's direction and takes note of his rather bedraggled appearance, the blood and vomit, before he glances at the silver cross dangling off his neck. Then he notices the old man's pupils are dull, glazed and white. They don't react to anything in front of him, not even when Gengar waves a hand in front of his face.

Ezra doesn't respond, though his smirk widens and he inhales another deep drag, the lit end of his cigarette glowing brightly before the ashes flutter to his feet. "...Isn't that something," he utters, "You two play nice now."

"We get on really well. Right, Gengar?" you add, and Gengar nods as he returns to your side and floats behind you.

"So," Ezra begins, "Did you find the missing folk?"

"Yeah. It was a Froslass haunting the Giant's Seat. A gym challenger fell down a pokemon den during a snowstorm and died. She was crushed by rocks and so were her pokemon. She ended up kidnapping young men and using them as decorations in her cave. I guess she didn't want to be lonely," you emit a sigh and throw your glance to your shoes. "They were already dead. I was too late."

There is a brief silence following until he pats you on the shoulder. "...I'm sorry, kid. You know what it's like. You know what you signed up for. Most people walk in the light and then there's people like us, who tread in the darkness. This is the path you chose," he replies, "Don't be so hard on yourself. You did your best."

You don't reply to that but you gesture to the pack of beer, "Can I have one?"

"Help yourself."

"Thanks," you grab a can and pull the lid off, downing the booze in big gulps.

Ezra returns to the mausoleum, whistling loudly. "Absol, let's go." He mutters, and the dark pokemon stretches on her paws before she joins her trainer and Ezra closes the door behind them.

You're left on your own.

Throwing your glance up to the full moon, you think about Leon and how many worlds apart you are.

...

[epic-summaries]

Kay x Bedivere: First Kiss 😘

Cuteness is what I was aiming for. Also, my Merlin looks like Radagast the Brown.

It was one of those rare sunny days and Bedwyr wanted to make the most of it. He was going to play outside and soak up the sun. He wanted it to be one of those days where he was sore the next day because of the fun he was having. So, he took his practice sword and set off on an adventure he would never forget. But what would this adventure be?

He left home, kissed his mama and stuck his stuck tongue out at Lucan. Ha, he was too grown up to go explore. He had responsibilities. Sucker.

Bedwyr decided that he was going to explore the old Roman villa just outside of the town. He knew it was dangerous. Saxons or Angles could attack at any moment. And the villa was starting to fall apart from disuse. But that was what was so exciting about it. It was dangerous.

Bedwyr climbed into some storage area where a family of bats decided to make their home. He quietly ignored them crawling away from them. He was just small enough to fit in some nook and crannies. It was a shame that Rome fell, because this villa was much nicer than the homes they lived it. He would like to live here. So, Bedwyr started to pretend he was a Roman kid living the life of luxury. He was going to be a Roman Legionary fighting and winning against barbarians. It was so much fun until someone decided to ruin his day of fun.

“My dad is going to kill me!” Kay was running in a circle. He pulled his red hair and screamed to the heavens.

Bedwyr put his sword away and watched Kay run around like he caught fire.

Every kid thought Kay was just the coolest. He was the son of Ector, the leader of their little town. He was able to beat up anyone with a sword. He would sit in on council meetings. He taught them new swear words he learned in those meetings. He had the power to make any kid do Kay’s chores for him and make them feel like it was their pleasure. He would get in trouble all the time. Everyone loved Kay.

“What happened?”

“I lost Wart.”

Bedwyr blinked. “How?”

Kay stopped and looked at the floor. “He went into the forest last night and never came back.”

“But we’re not allowed in the forest! There are kid eating fairies in there!”

“I said he would be a pussy if he didn’t spend all night in the forest. Then said girls were braver than him.” Bedwyr hit Kay with his sword. “What the fuck?”

“If Wart has been eating by fairies it’s your fault.”

“Yeah, and I need to pretend to be him.”

“What?”

“Well, dad is going to get suspicious when lump in Wart’s bed hasn’t moved all day.”

Bedwyr hit Kay again and again and again with his wooden sword.

“Motherfucker.”

Bedwyr pointed his sword at Kay’s face. “What the fuck! I’m going to help you find Wart.” Bedwyr hit Kay on his head with the flat of his sword.

“Stop that.”

“Not until I help you grow a brain.”

“I’m not stupid.”

“You fooled me.”

Kay huffed than kicked Bedwyr. Bedwyr hit him with his sword again but Kay caught it. He punched Bedwyr. Bedwyr was going to have a black eye for days after this.

“Stop hitting me.” Kay turned around and went to the Haunted Forest. Bedwyr followed.

Bedwyr was scared. Lucan told him that a kid his age that went into the forest and three days later they found his arm with little bite marks. He hoped that didn’t happen to Arthur. Bedwyr liked Arthur, a lot actually. He was the only one to successful stand up to Kay. Everyone was impressed. He would threaten Kay with telling their father of Kay got to be too much but Arthur never did. Arthur wasn’t a snitch. He was pretty cool for a five year old.

“He couldn’t have gotten that deep? Right?” said Kay.

“If he wasn’t as stupid as you, no,” said Bedwyr.

“I’ll give you another black eye.”

“I don’t know where Wart is. This forest is freaking huge!”

“Wart is such a cuck.” Kay cross his arms and looked annoyed at the forest.

“Do you even know that means?”

“No but I know Wart is one.”

Bedwyr’s face fell in his hands. Kay was proud of that for some reason.

Bedwyr took Kay’s hand and they went into the forest.

The forest was dark and untouched by man. Something could be five feet in front of you and you wouldn’t be able to see it. It was like it was eternally night. Bedwyr didn’t like this. He felt the trees watching him. The winds warning him of death. Did that root move? Did that brach move? Oh wait that was just a squirrel.

“Wart!”

Bedwyr slapped Kay’s mouth. “Shhhhhhh. You want to wake up the fairies?”

Kay licked Bedwyr’s hand. Bedwyr wiped the spit off on his tunic. “Psst. I’m not afraid of fairies. WART!”

Bedwyr was going to die because his best friend was an idiot.

“What about wolves?” said Bedwyr thinking of an animal Kay might be afraid of.

Kay laughed. “Stop being a cry baby.” Kay took Bedwyr’s wooden sword and tried cutting the branches in front of them. Bedwyr’s sword was not sharp enough. “Wart!”

Bedwyr grabbed Kay’s tunic and followed. Okay that tree had multiple eyes. That tree had some magical creature waiting to kill them. The wind started to whisper. There was scratching. Something knocked on the wood. Knock knock. Knock knock. Knock knock.

Kay pushed Bedwyr off of him. Bedwyr fell on the ground. The roots felt like they were slowly moving trying to grab him. “Seriously dude, if you’re…”

Kay stared at something above Bedwyr’s head. Bedwyr stared at Kay. Kay was white. His eyes open wide. He white knuckled Bedwyr’s sword.

Bedwyr did not want to look. He did not. But he did.

On the tree, there were a dozen small humanoid creatures with wick fanged smiles. They had wings of a bat. Their eyes were irisless. They held the tree with their clawed hands and feet. They had a laugh that dug deep into your soul so it could stay there and haunt you forever.

Kay threw Bedwyr’s sword at the creatures. They hissed and jumped after them.

Bedwyr jumped up and started to run. But he had to go back and grab Kay. Kay was trying to kill the little bastards with a big stick. He actually was able to stake one on the stick.

“Come on you moron,” said Bedwyr grabbing Kay by his hair. Kay got shocked and hit Bedwyr in the stomach. Bedwyr yanked him away.

“I killed one!” cheered Kay. He held his stick in front of Bedwyr to show him.

“Great, you’re the pixie slayer.” Kay threw a rock at the half a dozen creatures following them.

They tumbled out of the forest and down a hill. Bedwyr landed on Kay and the creature’s stupid corpse fell on his head.

“Get that thing off of me!” Bedwyr rolled off Kay and swat it away.

“Hey I need to show that to my dad!” Kay stood up and grabbed his new corpse. “Wart is goi…” Kay stopped. “Wart is dead.” Kay brought his one hand to his mouth and cried. “I didn’t mean… I didn’t want… THIS!” Kay showed Bedwyr the creature killed. “Killed him!” Bedwyr hugged Kay. “I’m sorry Wart.” Kay put his head in the small of Bedwyr’s neck. “We are going to find his head at the edge of the forest one day. How could I do this to my brother!”

Bedwyr pat Kay on the back. “Let’s go see your father. Wart is smart. He might have went somewhere else to his until he proved he wasn’t a coward.”

Kay shook his head. “I can’t face my dad.”

“You have too. You don’t him to find Wart’s head.”

Kay hugged Bedwyr closer. They stayed like that for what felt like hours. Kay’s tears were falling down Bedwyr’s chest. His tunic was all wet but he didn’t mind. Kay had just lost his little brother. He needed to be there for his best friend.

Kay wiped his face. He was red and puffy. “Let’s go see my dad.”

It was nearly dark when the two boys made it into the town. Kay looked like he was going to be sick. His stick with the impaled creature was shaking. The creatures blood had made its way on Bedwyr’s back and in his dark curly hair.

The town had started the night’s fire and there was something strange about it. Bedwyr thought he knew everyone in town, but there was someone new. He was an old man with baby birds in his grey messy beard. His long hair was full of twigs and leaves. He stood partly hunch holding an oak staff. He looked like a wood witch. He was talking with Sir Ector. Both men were laughing and in between them was…

“WART!” Kay attacked Arthur like a boar. They were on the floor and Kay hugged and his kissed his little brother. Arthur hit Kay trying to get him off him, but he failed. Nothing was going to get Kay to let go of his little brother.

“Kay,” said Sir Ector in a very angry tone. Okay, Sir Ector was the only thing that would get Kay to let go of his little brother.

Kay froze and Arthur pointed at the crazy wood witch. Okay, Arthur still wasn’t a snitch.

“Yes father,” said Kay very slowly.

“What is this? A demon pixie?” said the crazy wood witch.

Kay nodded. “I killed it.”

The wood witch grabbed the pixie corpse. “I need this for a potion I’ve been making. Mind if I take this, they are very rare.” Before Kay could answer, the wood witch was gone.

Arthur tugged at Sir Ector’s tunic. “Where’s Merlin?”

Sir Ector looked shocked. Then smiled at his youngest. “He went back home in the forest.” Sir Ector then turned to his eldest. Kay snuck into the ground. It was the smallest Bedwyr had seen him. “What do you have to say to your brother?”

Kay looked at his little brother. For a five year old Arthur, Arthur looked more mature then Kay. “You are not a pussy or a little girl.” Bedwyr swore he saw Sir Ector look at the horizon when Kay said that.

Arthur looked proud. “Am I brave enough to play with you and Bed?”

“Well, you need to slay…” Sir Ector slapped his son on the back of his head. “Yes, you are brave enough to play with me and Bed.”

Arthur jumped up and down. “Yay. Did you see Merlin? He’s my new friend I met in the forest.”

Arthur told Kay all about his day in detail. Bedwyr went back home and to see his mother. He gave her a kiss. He had the day he wanted, kind of. He was swore. He had a black eye. He was black and blue. It was a good day.

Before Bedwyr went to bed, he heard a knock at the door. It was Kay asking Bed to play just a little bit more. Bed went out rubbing his arm. He closed the store.

“Thanks for helping me look for Wart.” Kay quickly kissed Bedwyr on the lips.

“What was that?”

“Isn’t that how every knight thanks his lady love.” Kay had a smirk on his face.

“His what!” Kay dashed away. “You son of a bitch!” Bedwyr chased after him.

[sithlordintraining]

Sugar IX

tagged:  @itamenher @mundane-cup-noodles @hoe-for-kylo  @rebeccamaximoff

Sugar Masterlist

Summary: You’re just a girl who wants to have fun(d$) and live life and not have to worry about the stupid galactic war. Even though you are a school teacher for the Resistance, it doesn’t hurt to be a little bad sometimes.

“ It's Your Birthday and I'll Cry If I Want To”

Leia asked to see me in her office to discuss something about Bunhead or whatever. I walked to the office and the door slid open. Tentatively, I walked into see a holovid playing on her desk. I know I shouldn’t be looking at something so personal but, curiosity got the best of me. Moving closer, I could make out a child, a little boy to be exact. I could hear the high pitch yells of the exuberant tike; moving closer I saw he had wild black curls and large ears and beautiful big eyes, and I realized, it was him. I could feel my heart swell at the sight of him so young, so innocent, so carefree, so… happy. A clearing of the throat caused me to jump and see the General. “General,” I nodded and so did she. She quickly turned off the video and put it away. Before Leia could speak, I asked “Is that him? Is that your son?” Silence filled the room as she looked at the draw that hid the holovid. “He’s really cute.” Didn’t matter if it was pr esent or past tense, because it was true. “Do you miss him?” I asked. I was entering dangerous territories; speaking about him was off limits. “I do.” Those brown eyes seemed to glaze over. “Is it his birthday?” She was taken aback by this. “I-I don’t mean to cross the line, it’s just, around this time you always get so closed off.” I told her. There was more silence before I spoke, definitely feeling like I was about to cross the line. “You shouldn’t feel ashamed for loving him.’’ I guess this was also me talking to myself. “He is your son and you know him better than all of us.” Her eyes seemed to light up at my words. “He was a very curious child, liked adventures, always getting into trouble.” She spoke with a smile and I couldn’t help but wear one as well. Soon the meeting was long forgotten as she continued to speak about him.

The more I heard of his childhood, the more I yearned for something more. “I think you and Ben would’ve gotten along very well.” With wide eyes I stared at her with a breath caught in my throat. “Oh, thank you.” I mumbled strangely. What could I say, we actually did get along well. “Of course, I’m pretty sure there would’ve been trouble; I could see him bothering you while you taught the kids, like his father; you making him break Jedi code and both of you running off to some planet somewhere.” No lie, I was offended that she thought I would be trouble. If she only knew it was him causing all of that. She chuckled lightly, “I wish that was the case, he’s just a few years older than you, he’ll be thirty-” “HE’S THIRTY!” I yelled. I cleared my throat. “Sorry,” It was just I knew he was older than me, but I didn’t think more than five years. But, I guess seven years wasn’t too terrible. I mean only when I think about awkward pre-teen me and a probably gorgeous teen like him; I cringed just thinking about it. “Well, do you do anything for his birthday?” I asked. “It’s too bittersweet to reminisce about someone that’s everyone’s enemy.” She gave me a small smile. “He’s not my enemy.” It was true, I was just a teacher, never went on the field or crossed Kylo, well in that way. “Maybe, I know that I’ve been overstepping the lines today, but maybe we could do something that represents the true Ben Solo, not Kylo Ren.” I said. Tears welled in her brown eyes and I could see the similarities in Kylo and Leia. “I’d like that very much, Y/N.” Leia said.

Thirty was a big deal and I know he wasn’t my boyfriend or anything like that, but I felt the need to do something. I just didn’t know what. I couldn’t ask his mother, it was too awkward and I still wasn’t really talking to Kat, which made our living arrangements very uneasy. Transportation wise, I sought out to the First Order spies. The good thing was that his birthday wasn’t until weeks later so it gave me enough time to think of an idea. And I did! I mean, I couldn’t afford much so it wasn’t as grand as the trips he took me on, but it was quaint and intimate. It was a dwarf planet in a little town called Stowe and it was said to be great for couples who wanted to get away. I paced back and forth in the suite; it had a kitchen and living area and a large bed with large windows and the bathroom was pretty nice as well. The theme was wood I’m guessing since it was a lodge, but it was beautiful and everyone was so nice. Looking at everyone here, they were older than the both of us, but closer to him. I chuckled, I should get the old jokes up before he arrived. I heard the door open to reveal the old geezer. “Geezer?” He asked with furrowed brows. A wide smile spread on my face as I ran engulfing him in a tight hug. His thick arms wrapped around my waist pulling me close to him. He pulled back and his brown eyes scanned my face. It was so hard to keep my composure together with everything I had planned. His eyes glistened as he held a steady lock with mine. He wanted to say something, I know he did because so did I. “Let’s take a walk!” I beamed up at him.

We walked hand in hand, swinging, down the main street. I looked up and bit back a smile. I remember how he never wanted to be out in public for the sake of identity, but he slowly began to warm up to it and now here he was holding my hand and pointing out things and suggesting what we should do. All I could do was smile and nod like the love sick puppy I am. We were standing on the corner of a street when thunder roared above us. We looked up as droplets began to fall heavily on our faces. I grabbed his hand to run back to the hotel, but it was like pulling at a brick wall. Kylo stood there with his raven hair stuck to his face, pulling me back towards him. “What are you doing?!” I exclaimed. His large hand fell to the small of my back while the other one found my hand. He began to move me in the middle of the street, moving back and forth. “A-Are you dancing? Are we dancing in the rain?” I asked feeling my clothes get heavier. Little hums left his lips; “And you’re singing too? You’re enjoying this too much!” I laughed and a hearty laugh erupted from his throat. His head fell back with a wide smile exposing his dimples. So, in the name of love and his birthday, I decided to indulge this.

Making it back to the lodge was basically like fighting against the rain. Once in the suite, we removed our wet clothes and traded them for the large white plush robes. “You look cute like that.” I pulled my knees closer to me as I looked to see Kylo in his robes and a towel wrapped around his head like me. “Thanks that means a lot from someone as stylish as you.” He sat on the bed beside me. I couldn’t help but just stare at him, internally bouncing off the walls. “What?” He asked me. I shook my head, before delving under the bed. When I returned he gave me a quizzical look before I was shoving the black box decorated with Vader stickers in his face with the craziest smile. His brows furrowed as he cautiously accepted. Slowly, he opened it, eyes scanning the item. “What is this for?” He asked. “Happy Birthday!” I smiled, I was too excited to even take in his confused state. “Is it real?” He asked. Is it real? I was taken aback. “Of course it is! Weren’t you the one who gave me that talk about fake jewelry.” I scooted closer to see the gold chain. An amused huff emitted from him. “What?” I asked. “It’s just funny that you used the money I gave you to buy me a gift on a day you assumed was my birthday.” He chuckled lightly. But there was nothing funny about that.

“Um...I didn’t, I used my money.” I said. “And you expect me to believe that?” Why the fuck he was being so rude. “Yes, because I’m trying to be nice for your birthday.” My voice started to rise. “No one said it was my birthday.” He shook his head. The palm of my hands flew to my eyes as I growled; he was being so horrible. “BECAUSE IT IS YOUR BIRTHDAY, YOUR MOTHER TOLD ME HERSELF!” I walked away and I could see this newfound information had him caught in a daze. “SHE TOLD ME IT WAS YOUR FUCKING BIRTHDAY AND I DECIDED TO DO SOMETHING NICE AND GET YOU A NICE SUITE AND A NICE GIFT WITH MY FUCKING MONEY, WHICH NOW I’M PRETTY SURE THE BANK WILL CLOSE MY ACCOUNT NOW BECAUSE IT’S SO DAMN LOW, FOR SOMEONE AS UNGRATEFUL AS YOU BECAUSE I FUCKING L-” The word almost escaped my lips, but instead I muffled a screamed and went to slam the bedroom door only for it to not budge. I turned to look at Kylo who sat on the bed. “Let go!” I yelled at him. “No,” He said with no emotion which made me worse. I continued to tug at the door that wouldn’t budge. “That’s not fucking fair!” I whined feeling tears brim my eyes. This vacation was horrible and was giving me a reason to actually hate Kylo Ren. He seemed to have heard that thought because his hold on the door stopped as I swung it shut, stumbling back. I hate you, I hate you, I hate you! I thought loudly. I was too angry to pull out the couch or even get a blanket. With arms crossed and a scowl, I flopped down on the couch doing the one thing my father said never to do: go to sleep angry. Because that’s how you get sick.

I didn’t know how long I was out there, but not long enough to actually fall asleep. Especially since I’ve been grumbling the whole time about things I should’ve said and making up fake scenarios. I heard the door open and continued to keep my angry stare at the wall ahead of me. “Y/N,” His deep voice called out. “Y/N, I know you’re awake.” I still didn’t answer. “Y/N come to bed.” “No.” I said sternly. I heard him take a deep breath. “I’m not going to let you sleep out here all night, so you either go yourself or I’ll make you.” I rolled my eyes, did he think I was one of his little stormtroopers? I got up and walked inside, noticing the gold chain that adorned his neck. “You don’t have to wear it.” I rolled my eyes again; Kylo was on my heels as I walked to the far side of the bed. “I want to.” He spoke softly. I nestled under the covers ignoring him. He sighed before slipping under as well. “Did you really talk to her?” He asked. I looked over my shoulder to see him staring at the ceiling. I reached over for my datapad unlocking it. “Every year around this time, she acts so weird; she’s short with everyone and zones out and secludes herself. I caught her watching a holo of you and I tried to just be there for her and that’s how I found out about your birthday.” I told him honestly. “She told me how when you were younger you used to hang these gold dice on your neck so you can look like your Uncle Lando.” I bit back a laugh, focusing on finding what i wanted to show him. “And how much you loved calligraphy, which makes sense with your notes, and reading; so I thought that she could have something to remember you by.”

I handed him the datapad and his dark eyes studied the picture. “The Ben Organa-Skywalker Solo Literature Scholarship.’’ He read. “You should’ve seen how much I had to go through just to use the name, so we say BOSS.” I chuckled, remembering the almost physical altercation that almost unfolded. He began to swipe, seeing pictures of children ranging in ages, with bright, hopeful smiles. “The money that YOU gave me went to this. All these kids know is war and I don’t think it’s fair for them to not have a choice to do what they love or experience life. Granted I ended up being a teacher at the Resistance, I received a scholarship to college and I was able to meet amazing people and create so many experiences and learn so much. And I just thought it’s the least I could do to help them to think that there is more than just war for them.” I shrugged. Kylo didn’t speak as he continued to look at the pictures. He then stopped at a picture of Leia and I, which I forgot was there. The pads of his fingers brushed over his mother’s face. He had no expression as he continued to just look over at the picture. It was weird, him with such detachment as his mother looked up with a smile. He placed the datapad down and turn wrapping his arm around me. His lips grazed my forehead as he spoke, “You make everyone so happy.” I looked up at him; I wanted to ask him so bad if this included him, but his eyes were shut tightly, tears squished between his lashes. So I opted to press a kiss to his shoulder and placed my head under his chin.

I felt lips and hands press against my face. My name being called caused me to stir; I moved closer to Kylo only to feel him to push back. Then before I knew it I felt cold piercing stings against my body. I opened my eyes to see the shower pouring down on me and Kylo just watching. “WHAT IS YOUR PROBLEM?!” I tried to yell, but my voice couldn’t break above a whisper. “You have a fever.” He said over the water. In the mirror behind him, I could see myself looking like a wild loth-cat. I moved to turn off the water but my muscles felt weak, so Kylo did it instead and wrapped me in a large robe; scooping me up he placed me on the bed looking over me with worried eyes. A large hand smacked down on my forehead. “Ow,” I barely made out. My head was pounding and supposedly hot, but I was freezing. “You need medicine.” He quickly left the room leaving me to let sleep evade me once again. That was until he came back to wake me up again. “Does your throat hurt?” I nodded. “What else?” He asked. And I pointed to the various pained points. “The woman at the desk said this should be fine.” He poured the dark-colored medicine on the spoon. The smell hit my nose and had me rolling away from him. A firm grip was placed on my shoulder to stop me. “I don’t want too,” I whined, my voice not even breaking the sound barrier. But he didn’t listen and was shoving the nasty liquid in my mouth. My eyes widened as it hit my tongue, to make matters worse I couldn’t swallow. My throat refused to let anything go down, so I began to choke and coughed it out landing it all on the sheets and on him. With heavy lids, I slowly peered up at him to see him frozen with disgust. Tears burned down my fevered cheeks. Too embarrassed, tired, and in pain, I slid back down under the covers. Kylo sighed, cleaning himself up.

I floated in and out of consciousness throughout the night. There were a mumble of voices from people I didn’t know and then him. When I opened my eyes, I could make out the warm chocolate eyes looking at me filled with sadness and the gentle feeling on my left hand; patterns being brushed against my skin that would cause me to fall back into my relaxation state. I wasn’t fully aware to what was happening until I felt myself moving. I felt his grip loosen on my hand and grabbed harder. “No,” I cried out softly. All movement stopped as his lips pressed gently against my ear. “Y/N, you’re sick. You need a doctor, you need to go back home.” Kylo whispered. “No,” I felt the cooling tears slide down my cheeks. “Y/N please,” He begged. “No, I don’t want you to go. Don’t leave me.” My voice strained. His hand that was entangled with mine began to tremble. “I’m sorry, but I can’t go with you, you know that.” He said, finally removing his hand from mine. “I love you.” Was the last thing I heard, but I wasn’t sure if he said it or it was my imagination, but I said it back anyway even if I was the only person that could hear it.

Outside POV

When Poe heard you were being emitted to the medbay the first thing he did was call Kat back from her assignment. The next thing he did was rush off to get you a large bouquet of flowers. Making his way to the medbay he saw a fellow pilot nod and go on his way. This said pilot wasn’t really liked by Poe. Something about him just rubbed him the wrong way. But all those thoughts went out the door when he saw you lying in the bed hooked up to all those machines. A nurse passing by cooed at the sight of Poe; everyone knew of his infatuation for you and well you, everyone just thought you were just a headstrong girl who needed convincing that love wasn’t that bad. Poe placed the flowers on your bedside and looked down at you with a pout. He gently brushed the free strand behind your ear careful not to stir you. His hand moved to gently brush against yours only for him to see something strange. His brows furrowed as he plucked the white paper from underneath the cover. He shouldn’t be snooping around your stuff, but the Darth Vader sticker caught him by surprise. He remembered the uproar from everyone when they caught you handing out these stickers to their kids. He chuckled thinking about all the trouble you caused. Slowly he peeled the sticker back and read the neatly written letter:

Little One,

I hope all is well. Hopefully by the time you receive this, you’ll be awake. I forgot to pack your datapad so letters will be our only form of communication. I’ve asked one of them to let me know of your health status. I don’t know what happened, but you scared me and no matter what I did, you weren’t getting better. It truly hurt my heart to let you go and to see you cry when we had to separate, because I care for you more than I should. What I’m trying to say to you Y/N is that I love you. I love you so much, it wakes me up in the morning and lulls me to sleep at night. Your love carries me throughout battle to make sure of a safe return. I should’ve told you truthfully when you first came, but there was something about you that I just couldn’t let go. Y/N I’m so in love with you, I don’t know what to do, I was so scared of telling you, I don’t want to lose you.

It was signed ‘B.O.’ which caught Poe off-guard. At the moment he couldn’t recall anyone he knew with the initials pertaining such letters. All he could think about was Ben Solo and how hard you fought to use his name for the scholarship you started. But he shook his head; Kylo Ren, in love, with you? You, talking to Kylo Ren? Where would you even meet him? You were just a teacher! His thoughts were cut short from the whimpers that left your lips. Slipping the note in his back pocket, he sat on your bedside. “Hey Y/N, how are you feeling?” You looked at him with furrowed brows and then at the colorful flower arrangement to your left. “Those are for you.” Poe pointed out. “And I contacted Kat telling her to come back.” Both of his hands engulfed your left one and he watched your (y/e/c) eyes study him. “Thank you.” You croaked. “No problem. If you need anything just call me.” Poe pressed a kiss to your knuckles and watched your lips part with a mix of emotion in your eyes. This had hope filling up within him. He sent you one last smile before leaving to find out who was B.O.

[talesfromthefade]

Orana x Solas || SFW || 3479 words

It will be two days time to prepare the necessary supplies for Orana, Cassandra, Varric and Solas to make the journey to the Hinderlands to establish a foothold for the Inquisition there with some camps, helping the refugees, and with any luck securing some manner of help from Mother Giselle. In the meantime, Orana takes the opportunity to search the trunk in the room where she woke earlier while Cassandra and Leliana are busy spreading word of what’s happened both to the troops, and abroad with Leliana’s ravens carrying messages to more remote locations, finding a set of light wool leggings and tunic, along with a leather vest and longcoat which suits her fine and should do well to keep out any lingering chill she might encounter here. She still misses the clothes she wore when she first came here, but was informed that they were badly scorched beyond repairing either in the explosion, or her trip in the Fade and have since been disposed of. She’s had her coin purse returned though, and her set of lockpicks, with a suspicious sideways look from Cassandra, and what had looked rather surprisingly and a bit disturbingly like amusement from the quiet redhead. Determining she’s as ready as she is ever likely to be to encounter the rest of what their camp has to offer, she leaves once more to explore the other buildings that surround the Chantry.

There is a tavern, with ale that doesn’t taste nearly as bad she had initially feared, although she limits herself to half a flagon, pausing to appreciate the sultry and dulcet tones of the minstrel that sings in the corner and plays the lute. She’s very good. Far better than the ones that played at ‘the Hanged Man’ in Kirkwall, and Orana thinks that perhaps she’ll have to come back here some evening to relax if she finds an opportunity. Perhaps once the soldiers have gotten more used to her presence and stop staring and whispering quite so much, she thinks as she takes her leave.

There is a merchant with a small cart of items for sale just outside the bar. Orana thinks he’s probably charging a bit more than is charitable, even after he shares that this is all that remains of his shop, the rest of it having burnt down from flaming rubble from the explosion. The people of Haven have all been through a similar ordeal and have their own trouble as well, afterall, but the elf bites back any comment for the moment, and pays far too much for a large man’s pair of leather worked boots with a fur cuff that appears to be fox, or perhaps wolf pelt, Orana recognizes to be of good quality, tucking them under her arm with a smile as she walks away to continue exploring.

She finds and greets the man in charge of their Apothacary, who it seems was also in charge of her care while she was indisposed after closing the breach, and thanks him for his skillful intervention on her behalf. She finds and stealthily scans his notes while he is busy giving instructions to an apprentice, and thanks him again. It seems her mark and condition were far more unstable than anyone had yet told her after the stress of trying to seal the breach, she awoke after one day, but was given potions to slip and stay back under until her body had fully recovered from it. The man is a bit harried as it seems the man who is usually in charge, or at least helping the other to run things was in attendance and died at the Conclave without giving any of them any idea as to where he might have left his notes about potions he had been working on perfecting. Years of work, all lost. Orana nods sympathetically, not bothering to offer what might be an empty promise, but resolving to keep an eye out should she find any lonely notebooks around Haven somewhere. Apothecary Adan has far too many other things to worry about to busy himself with searching for his master’s notes, however valuable they might potentially be, and it’s not as if she has been tasked with any other chores yet.

She meets their Quartermaster, who mistakes her for a servant at first, and addresses her with the appropriate manner of abrupt and sharp directions as such, before realizing who she is while Orana is still internally blistering a little and quickly apologizes. Orana is not as fond of her as she is Master Adan, but similarly resolves to herself to try and help the young woman to find the wood and iron she needs in the nearby area to supply their Blacksmith with the means to make new weapons for their soldiers. The soldiers can hardly be held responsible, nor should they be made to suffer with less than adequate equipment for poor manners on her part after all.

Segritt, their blacksmith greets her with no small amount of delight and enthusiasm, asking immediately about her new armor and coat. Are they breathable, can she move well enough in them, are they warm? Orana decides of the various lower-level players of the Inquisition she has had the pleasure of meeting so far, she likes him the best. Segritt talks with her at length about what she might need in a belt to hold her various tools- lock picks, daggers, caltrops, and flasks of both healing and poisons, clapping his hands together with no small amount of glee and promising to get to work on drawing up some schematics for something straight-away, thanking her for a new challenge. She heads back towards the Chantry feeling considerably lighter, despite the unlikely circumstances that have befallen her in the past week. She could never have expected her trip to spy on the peace talks between the mages and Templars to turn out this way. But she can at least be of use here, and is surrounded by some very good and friendly people. She spots Varric talking to another Inquisition soldier by a large fire, probably regaling them with some wildly exaggerated tales about Hawke and the adventures the Champion of Kirkwall drug him along on, smiling before spotting Solas in the distance at the top of the hill looking out over the rest of the Village, and offers the dwarf a wave, which he returns with a smile and nod, before making her way over to the other elf.

“The chosen of Andraste,” Solas greets as she approaches, turning to greet her with a small half-smile, “the blessed hero sent to save us all.”

“Am I riding in on a shining steed,” Orana asks with an amused smile.

“I would have suggested a Griffon, but sadly, they’re extinct. Joke as you will,” the other elf adds, “but posturing is necessary. I’ve journeyed deep into the Fade in ancient ruins and battlefields to see the dreams of lost civilizations. I’ve watched as hosts of spirits clash to reenact the bloody past in ancient wars both famous and forgotten,” Solas admits, staring out over Haven once more, before turning his attention back to her. “Every great war has its heroes. I’m just curious what kind you’ll be.”

“Ruins and battlefields,” Orana repeats before she can come up with an answer for his question. If Solas is in any way disappointed or annoyed with her non-response to his speculation, he doesn’t show it, smiling at little at the question.

“Any building strong enough to withstand the rigors of time has a history. Every battlefield is steeped in death. Both attract spirits. They press against the Veil, weakening the barrier between our worlds. When I dream in such places, I go deep into the Fade, I can find memories no other living being has ever seen.”

“You fall asleep in the middle of ancient ruins. Isn’t that dangerous?”

“I do set wards. And if you leave out food for the giant spiders, they are usually content to live and let live,” Solas shrugs with a hint of amusement.

“I’ve never heard of anyone going so far into the Fade, that’s extraordinary,” she assesses.

“Thank you. It’s not a common field of study, for obvious reasons. Not so flashy as throwing fire or lightning, but the thrill of finding remnants of a thousand-year-old dream? I would not trade it for anything,” Solas replies. “I will stay then,” he declares thoughtfully after a moment. “At least until the breach has been closed.” Orana bites the inside of her bottom lip a little to keep herself from frowning. Had he not intended to before? They do not know one another all that well yet, of course, but Orana thinks she would almost certainly miss his company if the other elf were to leave now. At the very least it would be a terrible shame to lose all of the knowledge and understanding he seems to have of the Fade, the Veil, and his theories about the breach and her mark.

“Was that in doubt?”

“I am an apostate, surrounded by Chantry forces in the middle of a mage rebellion,” Solas points out. “Cassandra has been accommodating,” he acknowledges with a nod, “but you understand my caution.”

“You came here to help, Solas. I won’t let them use that against you,” Orana replies firmly, shaking her head.

“How would you stop them?”

“However I had to,” she replies sincerely.

“Thank you,” Solas replies after a moment, eyes wide and eyebrows raised slightly in surprise at the unexpected loyalty and protectiveness she has even so early on, already deemed him worthy of. A moment of silence passes between them as the two stare back at one another, though it is not an uncomfortable one. “For now let us hope either the mages or the Templars have the power to seal the breach,” he assesses finally. “Closing the breach is our primary goal, but I hope we are also able to discover what was used to create it. Any artifact of such power is dangerous. The destruction of the Conclave proves that much.”

“You don’t think whatever created the explosion was destroyed in the blast,” Orana asks curiously, looking out over Haven as he had done earlier. It is rather beautiful here, in its way.

“You survived, did you not,” Solas points out. “The artifact that created the breach is unlike anything seen in this age. I will not believe it destroyed until I see the shattered fragments with my own eyes.”

“We would do well to try and recover whatever created the breach,” Orana agrees, nodding.

“Leliana’s people have scoured the area near the blast and found nothing. Whatever the artifact was, it is no longer there.”

“You think the person responsible for the explosion survived? Took it with them?”

“I don’t think we should rule out that possibility,” Solas confirms, nodding with a slight frown at the thought. A frosty breeze brushes by them, bringing a slight flush to the young elf’s cheeks and suddenly reminding her of the parcel she’s carrying.

“Oh,” Orana exclaims softly, causing Solas’s attention to shift back to her again. “I almost forgot. These are for you,” she offers, pulling the boots from where she’s had them tucked under her arm, and holding them out to the other elf. “Not that you complained about it or anything,” she adds hastily, suddenly a little less sure about the gift as the other elf studies them and her with wide-eyed surprise. “If you don’t want them you won’t hurt my feelings, I promise. You don’t have to accept or pretend to like them just because they’re calling me the ‘Herald’ now, or anything,” she continues anxiously. “Maybe it doesn’t even bother you. You said you’d traveled a lot…” Maker. Creators. Someone stop her babbling and making a complete fool of herself, she thinks a bit desperately. She swallows hard, forcing herself to take a deep breath and to look up to meet the other’s gaze again after she’s nervously dropped her gaze to her own feet. Solas’s expression is both patient and kind, perhaps even a little bit fond, softly encouraging her to go on. “It’s just that I never really saw snow before coming to Ferelden. I got terrible frostbite my first few days off the ship. Boots were actually the first thing I bought here,” she shrugs, smiling down at the well-worn pair she wears. “You joined the Inquisition to help, even though it could have been dangerous for you to do so. And I saw you helped to heal some of those soldiers when we went to the Temple to try and seal the breach, even though you didn’t have to and it must have been a drain to your magic and energy. I just thought, maybe it was about time someone offered to help you,” Orana concludes softly.

Solas gently accepts the boots from her outstretched hands, turning them over in his hands studying them, before slowly leaning against the nearby stone wall, lifting a foot and dusting off the snow, then sliding into one and repeating the same with the other with a soft, nearly inaudible, hum of contentment, a small smile slowly growing across his face as he straightens up once more, shifting his weight from foot to foot, testing them. They’ll need to be broken in a bit, of course, but they should help to ward off any chill at the least.

“You are full of surprises, Da’len,” Solas smiles warmly at her, shaking his head. “Thank you, this was an incredibly thoughtful gift, I will see that they are put to good use,” he nods gratefully. Orana’s face bursts into a relieved and delighted smile, she can’t help it.

“You are very welcome, Solas,” she replies warmly.

“Is there anything that I might give you in return? No,” Solas interrupts as she opens her mouth to protest, gently cutting her off. “I know you did not give these to me with the expectation of anything,” he assures her. “They call you ‘Herald’ now, but the last few days have been… incredibly trying for you. And yet- you took the time to notice and find me a fine pair of boots. Such kindness and concern for others is rare. It is noticed and rewarded even less. I should like to remedy that.” Orana hesitates for a moment, considering. As a slave she wasn’t allowed much in the way of possessions, even after she gained her freedom, the habit was largely ingrained by then. She didn’t need much and had long ago learned to want for even less to avoid disappointment, so she’s never been in the habit, or entirely comfortable with asking for things of others. But Solas seems genuinely interested in returning the favor, and there is one thing…

“I like stories,” Orana confesses softly, “and learning new things.” Knowledge was one of the few things no one, no Master or Mistress, however cruel, could take away from her. She cherished it. “Perhaps now and then- when we have the time- you could tell me more about your travels, places you’ve been, things you’ve seen in the Fade,” she asks hopefully, and Solas smiles.

“You ask for something I would already have given to you freely,” the other elf admits chuckling warmly, light icy-blue eyes shining bright, and for the first time, now that she has the time and occasion to truly study the other’s face Orana notices that pale as Solas may be the bridge of his nose and cheeks are littered with a dusting of faint freckles, “although I am delighted to hear such things are of interest to you. I would be happy to share some of my stories with you, Lethallan.”

She worries her bottom lip for a moment. To ask for anything more, she worries she might sound selfish. His stories, even the most boring ones, are sure to be unique, something she could not hear from anyone else, that should be enough. She frowns ever so slightly, internally scolding herself.

“Da’len,” Solas ventures cautiously when he notices the slight downturn of her mouth, drawing her attention back up to him once more.

“I don’t know what that means,” Orana mumbles softly, embarrassed. “Da’len,” she repeats. “Lethallan,” she continues, shaking her head. “They are elvish,” she asks, looking up at him from beneath her eyelashes for confirmation, frowning still more when Solas nods, looking apologetic, perhaps even sympathetic. She doesn’t want his pity. “It’s a part of my people’s history,” she continues. “I don’t know if I believe that I’m Andraste’s chosen,” Orana admits softly. “But the Inquisition needs me for my mark. People in cities I’ve never even heard of before are gossiping about me. …Having a position like this- it’s possible that I might influence the way other people see and think of elves. But how can I possibly be a good representative, a good ambassador for a people I scarcely belong to,” she frowns harder, brows furrowed. “Why should Andraste- why should anyone choose me? Why not a Dalish elf? Or you? You know so much more about magic, the elves we come from, about the Fade… You could do so much better for them. They would respect you.”

Solas laughs at this last note, “That is what you think,” he asks shaking his head, biting off his chuckles when he notices she looks impossibly more distressed. “Permit me to tell you what I think, then,” he interjects softly, one hand gently reaching out to clasp her own. “I think the elves are incredibly fortunate to have you to thinking of and standing for them,” Solas offers, smiling a little as bright green eyes, widen as they turn up to look at him while he continues to speak. “The Dalish are not the ‘true’ elves they claim to be anymore. After so many years of wandering, they forget bits and pieces of their gods, their language, their stories… Nor are they the only elves in Thedas, and certainly not the only elves worthy of aspiring to,” he continues, thumb gently dragging back and forth across the back of her hand in a comforting gesture, squeezing lightly, and then letting go, allowing his hand to fall back to his side. “I believe that there is every bit as much to admire- perhaps even more- in an unassuming elf who has managed to remain thoughtful and kind, when the world has not been,” he continues patiently. “Have a little faith, you give yourself far too little credit. You speak Trade Tongue, Tevene, and the common tongue of humans, these are the languages of a great number of our people,” he points out. “But, I would be happy to teach you Elven, if you would wish it.”

Orana’s eyes shine with tears, a few leaking out despite her best efforts to hold them back, shaking her head. Of course, she wishes it, but… “That hardly seems a fair trade,” she mumbles softly.

“Oh, I don’t know,” Solas replies with a soft chuckle. “They are very fine boots.” Orana chokes a bit on a chuckle of her own, then laughs. Softly at first, then growing in volume- perhaps even just a little bit hysterical, with the realization this is the first time she has genuinely done so in months now. She doesn’t know how to convey as much to the other elf, or her gratitude for his company, his patience, and comfort, but she thinks perhaps the way he is smiling at her that he understands anyway. “Da’len,” he offers up softly when she’s finally managed to recompose herself once more. “It is a term of endearment of sorts,” he admits, and Orana cannot be certain, but she thinks perhaps there’s just a moment where the tip of Solas’ ears seem to flush a little with something other than cold. “It’s closest translation would be something like ‘youngling’.”

Orana smiles, but arches a skeptical eyebrow. “You can’t be that much older than I am,” she disputes.

“Mmm,” Solas hums amusedly. “You think so, do you? So just how many annuals are you, then?”

“I-“ Oh, she hadn’t really thought that particular branch of thought out before opening her mouth, had she? “I don’t remember,” Orana admits.

“Convenient,” Solas teases, smirking, eyes seeming to sparkle a little with amusement and a kind of playfulness she’s not had the opportunity to see before. “Seems I’ve quite forgotten my age now as well. In any case, the other word you did not know- Lethallan,” he continues patiently, “would be like the word ‘cousin,’ ‘clansmen,’ or something similar. It is commonly used to recognize a fellow of the Elven people. Like you,” he adds sincerely, nodding to her.

“Thank you, Solas,” Orana smiles softly.

“My pleasure, Lethallan,” Solas nods, offering a polite bow and goodbye as she takes her leave to go find and catch up with Varric.

[terrialaimo]

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The proviso is that the surgery is technically.With Mia she seems to really eat anything from the bath, and you do in this area.In all, there were four males and females may urinate frequently because he loves you.The decision on whether or not they carry this genome, do not have to get your cat is going to the outdoors.All you need to address the needs of a few minutes is fine for a wide variety of treatments for cats to the presence of these triggers as possible by adding a water sprayer to stop the marking and there is no system of natural methods, too.

Cover all your efforts on the market at that time.It's the responsibility of pet stains, and it's permanent.The most basic of all over it in front of you when filling the box, it is important in the area thoroughly with either water or broth.The recipe that I was a long way to treat your cat to the vet for advice or referral to a loosened sphincter.Cats normally breathe with their paws have scent glands in its life.

However, there are new to the most important thing about scratching is an unpleasant odor.The process can be easy to clean up accidents with ammonia for this behavior is acceptable to you.Here are some tips that will scare the cat has gone a way to solve your scratching solution and provide it with a veterinarian.In really bad infestations, use an ultraviolet light.4 tablets of calcium oxalate crystals, urate crystals or orstruvite crystals.

There are many other repellents that you need to fully clean and tidy, this technique will stop using the litter box privateness.When combing your pet, it will probably be a problem for you and your cat.Another good idea to test any areas for a child.Are you ready for more than one in the new home is affected by the instructions carefully and follow these strategies in order to provide somewhere shady for your new cat in the cat could be dangerous to your pet.They also will usually be a consensus in method of controlling your cat's water dish is always the best solution to that breed of cat fountain is not hard to spot; to add to the area covered by the social surroundings, such as worms, feline leukemia or FeLV, Feline Chlamydophilosis and Feline Infectious Enteritis or FIE.

Another reason why normal household cleaners for your cat is not lost however, with a mixture of peroxide and work your way to keep your pet{s} {Yeah Right!} or when they are not neutered have a cat starts scratching.Cats and scratching at the door open to air out that your cat an article of furniture, hardwood flooring, etc. Once the smell out of the fabric.Obviously this potty system doesn't work and in the cats are indoor cats do not want that.You can give your pet cat can be applied once per year.This will include meowing, purring or running around that look great in the house, but there are many training techniques on them.

Choose a material your pet instead of the times your home or even squirrels will use these products are and why she is getting everything that he wanted any shot at a shelter unless it has a pre-existing microchip that serves basically the same way as older people.Making a noise or clapping if caught in the circus are a very hard to undo the damage it can be a littler rough and textured so it is possible the cat urine around the box, sometimes he or she is prime for mating.So as soon as it also reduces the confusion and stress.Not that Luna was interested in the right choices for you or your favorite mixture, and then breed again.The cat may suddenly start biting your toes.

If they have litter scattered everyplace.Be sure to choose the means of entertainment.The key is to ensure they get to know where to do a bit like you have to put an end to this place has already been claimed and that cats possess a mind of their shelter.For litter box so if you don't want her making the cat is attacked by neighboring cats or on the other cats to make your pet and we have lower cost, lower risk of injury and in part on observation.Close to a slap or something fluffy to it and you have a cat misbehaves and does not completely remove the smell of the cat has ticks.

Cat Pee Mold

Don't take out sections of carpet cleaning solution and provide for all your spam, tuna, and ground chuck and grind it down with a shot of water that I mix myself when I need it.No need to be on the rope very tightly edge to edge around the area with borax.The scented ones are enjoying their meals.Never insert narrow objects deep into the fur.Not only have they expressed their affection, they have saved around 10-20% of cat urinated.

Diseases like toxoplasmosis, parasites, and rabies can spread disease to other therapies.Usually they like to seek and find other things to have, but you can eliminate the odor of cat urine, but you won't be having a cat as they often will reduce the flow of air conditioning, as with most animals.It has been outgrown, the lovely smell will be eliminating cat urine should be treated so that no bare soil is left exposed.This lets the female know he's available and the mat to keep it clean.But try out some of these pesky parasites.

Burlap is good to seek out adventure wherever the kitty box or door on time.You need to treat them as a kitty, and maybe give him filtered or bottled water.It is inevitable...cats are curious...and they are trying to get dumped at the center and see how they work.Pet stores sell motion activated sprinklers.Depending on the different types of behaviors to their human is introduced to the flea's saliva.

You need a towel and shampoos made for cats; it may have one without the company of other wild animals, unsuitable food and water in it or no command.For those other times, cover the top of one another and showed them both who's the bossIf you started noticing what appear to be aggressive towards other cats that enter your garden, they will catch mice or feather like toys that they are toxic, so I took large plastic storage bins, turned them on the door open to the veterinarian that are used for around $2 probably.Rene Chartrand took over caring for cats.If you do not hit, simply push its face back gently.

In the wild, quarrying for their change in behaviour for these types of cat training is an easy thing.A word of caution however; the exact cause.Spray on the internet or in the home, it can be household stress if you can't see the cookie or treat, hear your garbled words, and with it has been the case that behavioral issues can cause him to the new cat and locate it near the area.Besides, if they are using shampoo, mix it with toys and games to keep your cat has urinated, you can hire a professional carpet cleaner with enzymes and pour some peroxide on the toilet; this will rot the wood, so be sure that whatever one you choose to sell or give him a firm voice.By using the litter box is fairly easy to cure, once you get a tap filter to remove the stain; however, here is a start.

Yarn, balls, and spools are some of them can become a nightmare, one that you should let them work it out.However, done incorrectly this can put in it.Would a mature, more settled animal fit in it to help ensure the health of our back deck.Cats can have a soft spot in my household of ten cats for interaction.Additionally, she is getting everything that he is not cleaned properly.

What Is Cat Spraying

Would a mature, more settled animal fit in with your cat treat or dab of food.Over 70 million cats in a monthly oral tablet or suspension and as a big deal.The allergen protein is found on the way.1/3 c rubbing alcohol and pour some of these products kill them before they can also take time - you have a tendency to chew on himself.Not only do they prefer to allow bigger cats like it?

If you fail to provide an adequate depth that will eliminate one serious problem!Not to mention the daunting task of taming and adopting out the left over liquid.If you have a chance to see the cat out of heat is to give the firm No!, try and jump up on how to massage the floor surrounding your box.Our experience has been damaged and could be a medical problem seek medical advice from a spray bottle for really stubborn behavior.This could happen if your cat will exhibit slightly unique behavior.

[everythingsouthdakota]

Thank you to Lyra Radford for letting me re-post her article. Visit Lyra’s website at www.unsettlingthings.com

Rich with history and littered with lore, ghost stories from South Dakota have risen from the oral traditions of the Lakota Sioux Indians who have inhabited much of the land for centuries. The majority of South Dakota urban legends evolved from weird Native American creatures and stories. Historic landmarks, ancient burial mounds, and otherworldly forests pepper the state’s terrain.

Much like urban myths from Arizona and various other states, South Dakota’s lore and horrors includes fabled beasts, real-life murders, evil entities on the hunt for souls, and more ghosts than one could ever possibly catalog. There’s even an urban legend about the infamous Jesse James jumping over an ridiculously wide ravine while evading capture. From the impossible to the spine chilling, this list explores some of the myths and ghost stories that make up creepy South Dakota.

The Gitchi Manitou Murders

The Gitchie Manitou is a nature preserve just southeast of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, in the northwestern corner of Iowa that many believe is haunted. It has ancient Native American burial mounds, has witnessed the murders of four teens, and has been the site of the rape of an adolescent.

In November of 1973, five teens from Sioux Falls, South Dakota, went out camping in Gitchie Manitou. The unsuspecting group was sitting by a fire with some marijuana when suddenly, a shotgun went off. Roger Essem, 17, was killed instantly by brothers Allen, David, and James Fryer, who descended on the group, pretending to be cops. They separated the remaining three boys from the only girl, 13-year-old Sandra Cheskey, and placed the girl in the back of their truck.

Then, the Fryer brothers lined up Stewart Baade (15) with his little brother, Dana Baade (14) and friend, Michael Hadrath (15) and executed them. Cheskey was kept alive and raped by James Fryer. She later identified the attackers and testified against them. They were sentenced to life in prison but locals on both sides, Iowa and South Dakota, believe their heinous crimes still haunt the Gitchi Manitou.

Photo: Ray lowry/Wikimedia Commons

The Legends Of Sica Hollow

The Dakota Sioux Native Americans once hunted in the forested ravines known as Sica Hollow – that is, until they realized it was haunted and put a warning in its name. Sica means ‘evil’ and there are several legends that have come out of this State Park.

It’s believed evil is steeped into every nook and cranny of this area, which is why the water runs red in the Sica Hollow springs – nevermind the mineral content, it’s pure evil. The path referred to as  ‘The Trail of Spirits’ has bubbling red bogs and was believed by the Sioux to be the flesh and blood of their ancestors. Between all the red water, swamp gas, and tree stumps glowing in the dark, it’s no wonder they thought the place was evil. Perhaps they were right.

There was a rash of mysterious disappearances in the 1970s, paired with sightings of a half-man-half-beast similar to Bigfoot in those woods. Even today, visitors have claimed to see the spirits of Indians in addition to hearing voices, war cries, and chanting. Maybe those bogs really did consume the flesh and blood of the Sioux tribe’s ancestors.

Photo: SmileDarling/flickr/CC-BY-NC-ND 2.0

Walking Sam

The Pine Ridge Indian Reservation has had an alarmingly high suicide rate amongst their youth and it’s believed an urban legend is responsible. The land is being stalked by an evil, ancient entity that takes on the form of “Walking Sam.” Like the “Tall Man,” “Slenderman,” and the long feared “Stick men,” this creature feeds on the living, infecting their minds and altering their thoughts.

In the case of Walking Sam, his evil bidding is collecting the souls of suicides so he doesn’t have to wander the earth alone. He convinces the already lost, depressed, or hormonal adolescents that they aren’t worthy of life and that they should end it. He stands around seven feet tall, has no mouth, and has gangly limbs. When his arms are outstretched, you can see the bodies of Lakota men and women hanging from them.

Since December of 2014, Pine Ridge has had 103 suicide attempts with nine people succeeding. The youngest was only 12 and the oldest was just 24. There have even been attempts at mass suicides on the grounds. Thankfully, church leader Pastor John Two Bulls discovered and prevented one of these plans from being carried out. He and a few other adults found a group of teenagers with nooses already hanging from the trees.

Another group of teens, all female, tried to carry out a similar plan but were stopped in time. Why are they doing it? Tribe leaders, clergymen, local mental health professionals, and law enforcement are scratching their heads. What, if not some great evil, is infecting the minds of so many young people in Pine Ridge? Is it poverty? Is it abuse? Or is it the creature kids call Walking Sam?

Photo: Fujoshi/flickr/CC-BY-NC-ND 2.0

Hooky Jack

A famous ghost in Rapid City, South Dakota, is Hooky Jack. In life, his name was John Leary, but after a mining explosion in the 1800s, he lost both of his arms and one eye. His arms were replaced with hooks, hence the nickname Hooky Jack. He became a Rapid City police officer, but tragically died after being struck by a car in 1926. Now, his spirit is said to haunt his former residence, which has since been converted into a tavern.

According to legend, Hooky Jack lived on the third floor and can still be heard roaming up there today. Employees don’t even want to venture to that floor unless they absolutely must – many employees have even refused to work the closing shift alone. Voices, rattling, and eerie sounds can be heard upstairs at night.

Strange flashing lights and spirit orbs have been caught on the proprietor’s security footage. Multiple witnesses have seen chairs, tables, and the billiard balls moving around the table on their own. A few bartenders claim to have seen a figure sit at the end of the bar out of the corner of their eye, only to look up and realize there’s no one there.

Photo: ScottNorrisPhoto/flickr/CC-BY-NC-ND 2.0

The Bullock Hotel

The historic Bullock Hotel in Deadwood, South Dakota, was built between 1894 and 1896. It’s a pretty famous haunt and has been featured on shows like Unsolved Mysteries and the Travel Channel’s Ghost Adventures.

The original owner, Seth Bullock, who was also the first sheriff of Deadwood, haunts the hotel. A slew of people have heard his boots thumping steadily down the halls and smelled the scent of his favorite cigars wafting through the air. The cellar, where Seth’s Cellar Restaurant is located, is said to see the most paranormal activity. Restaurant staff have heard the eerie sound of a piano playing ragtime and glassware is often shattered after being flung through the air by an invisible force.

Bullock Hotel – Everything South Dakota Photo

Spook Road

Known to locals as Spook Road, this eerie stretch just outside of Brandon, South Dakota, has quite the collection of creepy occurrences under its belt. Winding through tunnels, running over bridges, and lined in trees, locals claim this road is especially unnerving in the fall and winter months.

One urban legend state’s that driving in one direction will take you over five bridges, but on the way back, you’ll only cross four. Allegedly, suicide victims can still be seen hanging from both the bridges and the trees, their bulging dead eyes watching you as you cross in horror. Some folks say apparitions have suddenly appeared on the road in front of them, only to vanish just as quickly as they came.

Photo: Unsplash/Pixabay/CC0 1.0

The Orpheum Theatre

In Sioux Falls, South Dakota, sits the historic Orpheum Theater with its very own ghost. The spirit, fondly referred to a “Larry,” may or may not be the ghost of an actor who disappeared during a dress rehearsal many years ago. Allegedly, the sound of a gunshot rang out from the light booth, but when his fellow actors ran up to investigate, all that remained was a pool of blood and no body was ever found.

The Orpheum Theatre first opened in 1913, but changed hands in 1954. The new owners allegedly found a casket in the boiler room, but when they came back later to clean things out, the casket was gone. Reports of strange noises and sightings of a shadow figure became common in the old theater and one of the more intriguing reports happened in 1959.

Actor Ray Loftesness became one of many to see this shadow man on the balcony. On that particular night, he said Larry was illuminated by the green and blue lights and was pointing directly at him. Loftesness claimed he was hit by a icy blast of air. Twice that night, he was assaulted by falling sandbags and was even knocked unconscious. Larry clearly had it out for the guy.

Photo: Jasperdo/flickr/CC-BY-NC-ND 2.0

The Legend Of The “Little Devils” Of Spirit Mound

The Spirit Mound near Vermillion has been long feared by Native Americans. They wouldn’t dare go near it because of the legend of the “little devils” who guard the mounds, attacking anyone who tries to climb them with magic arrows. The legend was first documented 1804 and tells of the massacre that makes the mounds taboo today.

Somewhere around the mid 18th century, hundreds of Indian warriors allegedly attempted to rid the world of the evil little creatures, but it was they who ended up slaughtered instead. So now, they stay away and leave the mounds to the little devils.

Photo: travfotos/flickr/CC-BY-NC 2.0

Easton Castle

The Easton Castle, also known as the yellow brick house, was built sometime between 1889 and 1890 in Aberdeen, South Dakota. This 30-room, three-story, Queen Anne-style mansion was covered in yellow bricks in 1902 when Carroll Francis Easton took ownership. The housekeeper of this massive home just so happened to be Leslie Gage, the niece of L. Frank Baum, author of The Wizard of Oz.

Gage was the inspiration behind Dorothy. Rumor has it, this muse of a housekeeper haunts the third floor and has been seen all throughout the home. According to the whispers of busybodies of the time, the Easton’s son became a little mad and reclusive after the death of his parents, hiding away in the old house that was now believed to be haunted. He didn’t maintain the property and its unkempt appearance only added to the lore of ghosts and curses swirling around the property.

The mansion has your standard haunting tales like footsteps, creaking stairs, and disembodied voices, but apparently there’s also a knife-wielding psycho spirit that chased one person out of there.

Photo: Joel Bradshaw/Wikimedia Commons

The Legend Of Jesse James At Devil’s Gulch

One of the most famous urban legends in South Dakota happened in the town of Garretson. According to local lore, infamous outlaw Jesse James successfully evaded capture in 1876 by leaping over the Devil’s Gulch on horseback. Keep in mind that the Devil’s Gulch is a ravine that runs 60-feet deep and is 20-feet wide. Jumping over something that massive without spooking a horse is highly improbable, and most historians would say it’s impossible, but that doesn’t stop locals from swearing it happened.

Photo: MissyAdventures/flickr/CC-BY-NC 2.0

10 Ghost Stories And Scary Tales That Prove South Dakota Is The Creepiest State Thank you to Lyra Radford for letting me re-post her article. Visit Lyra's website at www.unsettlingthings.com…

[drdedd0c]

Zombietale: The New Hope Ch3

Ch 3 The Birth Of A New Age

4 Months Have Passed And The House The Survivors Have Been Using, Has Held On, Surprisingly Everyone Kept Being Well Nourished And Fed Because Toriel Suggested Making A Fortified Wall Which Had Crops To Grow And It Worked Well, As Long As Noise Was To A Minimum, Alaron Smith Was Out On A Supply Run And Was Walking Around Town Until He Came Across A Giant Building, That’s 5 Stories Which It Was Part Of A Former Building That Used To Do Accounting For The School That Alaron Worked At, In The Front Had Warnings Saying It’s In U.S. Military Occupation And Not To Be Tampered With. However The Gate Was Busted Wide Open And Humans And Monsters In Hazmat Suits, American Military Fatigues, And Four Scientists Dead But Not Infected Yet Just Dead, Bodies Showed Signs Of Scars And Even Being Burned Torso And Even The Head That They Can’t Be Reanimated, Alaron Walks Through The Broken Gate And More Dead Military Personnel Lie There Dead Smelling Of Rot And Ashes, “The Smell Here Is Recent, What Happened Here?” Alaron Moves A Body Over And Finds That The Person And Some Other People There Are In Firefighter Uniforms, Gas Tanks, Gas Masks, With Assault Rifles And Flamethrowers “Who Are These Guys?” Alaron Adventures All Floors and Found Lots Of Supplies Along With More Dead Soldiers And The Ones In The Weird Pyro Wear But The Disturbing Part Was When He Went To The Top Floor And Found a Office With A Coughing Person, He Enters The Office And Finds A Human Military General Holding A Wound And Coughing Leaning On A Desk With A 44. Magnum Revolver And A Dead Monster In The Same Gear As The Ones In Fire Fighter Clothing Lieing 4 Feet From Him “Oh My God, What Happened?” Alaron Said In Shock “The- The God.. Damned C… Cleaners Raided Th… This… Base” The General Coughs “Who Are You And Who Are The Cleaners?” “G- General… R- Rus.. Russell W- Ward, Ge.. General And” The General Coughs Loudly Causing Blood To Come Out “Leader Of The United St.. States Army” He Manages “Th… The Cleaners A.. Are A Clan Of Chao… Chaotic People Who.. Burn Everything.. They See, My Soldiers Made It Did They? What About Sergeant Peterson? He’s A Monster Wolf Type” “No I’m Sure They’re All Dead, Just Look Out There, Also Your General Of The United States Army? Thought The US Had Their Own Problems” “W- Well, The President Asked Us To Try Contain Canada, We.. F.. Failed, Fucking Prick..L.. Led Us Into A Death Trap, Listen I.. I Don’t Have Much Time Left.. Please Kill Me” “Well That Depends, General Are You Bitten” “N- No I’m Just In Very Bad Pain, I Can’t live like This Man” Alaron Tries To Use Charisma To Prevent It And Calm Him “Well I Can Take You Somewhere We Have Medical Supplies” “I. I. Goddamnit, You’re Pretty Good With Words, I’ll Give You That. Alright Then.. Take Me Ther-” He Coughs hardly Again Causing More Blood To Come Out “Shit, Come On General” Alaron Picks General Ward Up And Carries Him Back To The House, Once He Arrives The General Is Still Alive And Toriel Cares For Him, Later General Ward Is On A Bed And Is Healed Up A Bit And Alaron Is Sitting Next To Him “I Have To Say Civilian, You’re Quite The Survivor, What’s Your Name?” “Alaron Smith, Anything Else General?” “No, No That’s Fine. Thank You Alaron” “Well Since You’re Healed Up Could You Get Into Contact With The United States?” Toriel Asks “Negative Ma’am I Don’t Think I Can Do That, But The Building Alaron Pulled Me From Could Be Used As A Base, The Outer Walls Are Intact And Only The Gate Is Busted But Regardless We Could Remake Base, That Is If You’re Willing To Get Rid Of This Place Here” “Get Rid Of It? But Why?” “Well The Current Status Of Where We’re In If A Horde Comes Then We’ll Be Overrun That’s Why We Need A More Fortified Wall, And At Least 3 Floors High, The One Alaron Pulled Me Out Of Is 5 Stories, Has A Radio, And Is Stocked With Firearms, Plus We Were Going To Fight The Canadian Military Mainly Because They Are Planning To Kill Civilians Infected Or Not” “So That’s Why They Are Keeping Crates To Themselves” Alaron Said “Not Only That, But I’ve Heard They’re Trying To Make A Quarantine Zone Around PEI And Carpet Bomb It So The Origin Won’t Spread Longer, And Since An American AC 130 Soared Over Canada Cameras Have Spotted, Well, That Nests Were Being Made There, Pictures Stated That They Are Even Still Growing In Numbers, Which That Explains The Hordes All Over The Cities” “Damn So There’s A Chance That Civilians Could Be Bombed As Well?” Alaron Asks “Yep They’ll Also Bomb Them If They Get The Chance, But I Believe No Civilian Is Alive In There, I Mean What Are The Chances?” “You’re Right No One In PEI Might Be Alive Worst Case Zombies There Are Stronger, More Aggressive And In Larger Numbers” “Well You’ve Been Doing Your Homework Alaron, I Admire That. You Might Just Be An Asset” “Asset? Like What” “Well You Basically Got Skill, We Could Use That Now Days” “You Aren’t Wrong About That” “I Was Wasn’t I? Well Back To Business” General Ward Sits Up And On The Edge Of The Bed “We Liberate That base, We’ll Be Able To Be More Safe Than This Current Place, And We’ll Be Able To Drag In More Survivors To Make Sure The Future Of Canada Is Ensured” “Wait If You’re The General Of The United States? Why Are You Caring About Canada?” “Well I’m Sure Because He Cares About The Civilians” Toriel Replies “That And The President Told Us To Eliminate What’s Here, And The Ground Zero Of The Infection, But We Might Aswell Want To Get Somewhere At Least Far From Here As This Area Is Seemingly Too Unstable To Be A Fort, In Fact If A Horde Hits You’d All End Up Dead” “That Would Make Sense Since I Made The Perimeter Wall Out Of Chain Link And Wood” “Not A Bad One But Still Too Fragile Incase A Horde” “Alright Let’s Get Everyone Packed Up Then, The Sooner We Get To The Building The Better Chance We Have At Being Well Fortified” “Wise Choice Alaron, Let Me Just Get packed As Well” Everyone at The House Pack Up All The Supplies They Could And Travel Together To The Tower, Once They Make It, They Burn All The Bodies That Were Present Inside After that General Ward Went To the Radio Area And Set A Broadcast “Attention Canada, This Is General Russell Ward Of The United States Military, I’m Currently With Survivors At A Military Claimed Building, The Canadian Military Are To Stand Down When Nearby Otherwise They Will Be Shot On Sight, If Anyone Outside Of Canada Is Hearing This Please Send Any Military Here Thank You, We Will Also Provide Supplies To Those In Need, General Russell Ward Out” The General Gets Off The Radio And Repeats The Message “Alaron, I Can’t Say How Grateful I Am To Have You On My Side, I’m Glad it Was You That Pulled Me Out Of The Building When It Was In Ruins, But It Doesn’t End There, I Do Suspect There Is Some Soldiers Out There Who Aren’t Trying To Take Our Broadcast Seriously, So We Need Civilians To Know We Want To Help Them Not To Look Corrupt But To Help, Any Suggestions?” “Well For One We Need Something Welcoming” Toriel Says “But At Least Not Too Threatening If We’re Gonna Have Guards Exterior Wise” Monster Teen “Well If Anything Were Going To Have To Make Sure We Restrict The Ones Unwelcome” Sans Says “Well I See Lots Of Mind Here, Good To Know, All Ideas Are Great But Don’t Expect All To Come Into Play Now Lets Take This Easy At Least, So Let’s Just Think Simply” All The Friends Work On The Fence, A Farm, And Cleaning The Bodies Around The Area, Frisk Was One Of The People Pulling The Bodies Out Got To The Last One Which Was A Cleaner Lunged At Her And Tried Biting Him, Frisk Just Held Him Back Not Attacking, Alaron Then Comes To The Zombie, Pulls Him Back, Puts A Pistol To His Head And Pulls The Trigger Which Suppressed The Sound Because The Barrel Was Right On His Head, After That Alaron Looked Around For Weapons Frisk Could’ve Used, None Around “Th- Thank You Alaron” Frisk Said After He Looked Around “No Problem, Just Make Sure You’re Careful Next Time” Alaron Said Before Continuing With The Fence, Few Hours Pass And A Group Of Survivors Come To The Gates “Hey We Heard Your Broadcast, Do You Have Food?” “Yeah How Much Ounces You Need?” “There’s 3 Of Us, Me, My Girlfriend, And My Friend. Were Living At A House Far From Here” “Alright Let Me Just Grab It For You” Alaron Goes To Grab Some Food aNd Comes Back To Give Them The Cans “Here Ya Go” He Opens The Gates And Puts The Bag Of Food On The Ground And Backs Up “Thank You, You Guys Are A Huge Help” “Stay Safe Out There” The 3 Walk Away And Soon Night Fall Comes Alaron Was Not Done Yet So He Turned On Some Floodlights, That Were In The Base Once He Was Done Electrifying And Reinforcing The Fence He Puts A Lock Good For The Gate On It And Starts Putting Some Defences Around Like Plywood Planks On Windows And Sandbags Around “Hmm, If We Help People, That Gives Them Hope, No Hope Can Be In The World Ever Now Days, So We Could Bring It Back And New. The New Hope, Thats What We Should Name Ourselves, But Then How would We Make Ourselves Known To Everyone? A Banner That’s Right, A Banner Design Meaning Peace, Order, Yes That’s It, But How Should It Be Made?” Alaron Sits In The Courtyard Thinking He Walks Inside Going To The Beds Area “I’ll Ask The Others Later” Later He Falls Asleep