#Cloudy Pawprints

[cloudypawprintsaps]

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Merry Christmas everybody! Today was ugly Christmas Sweater-picture day at our household, sadly we weren't able to get any of the dogs this year, as we want a new one every year xD

And a little mistletoekiss <3

[redux-iterum]

Charred Legacy: Chapter Thirty-Seven

(AO3 counterpart here.)

When Fireheart awoke that afternoon, he internally cursed the blinding white of the snow reflecting the bare sun directly into his eyes. He considered just turning his back to the clearing and falling asleep again, but… perhaps not. Something was niggling in his mind, kneading on it with urgency. Silently, he stood up and went around Ravenwing to step into the open.  

No scent of fire, at least. No dogs, either.

Now, why was that something pushing him to the apprentice’s den?

He had a faint idea, but his optimism was fighting back against that notion, whispering to him, Cloudpaw’s been staying home. You’ve checked on him so many times. He’s still here.

His practical side knew better. Hoping against hope, Fireheart crept to the doorway of the den and poked his head in.

No Cloudpaw.

Son of a fox.

Fireheart looked down. His eyes followed a trail of pawprints, perfectly preserved thanks to the snowless daytime, all the way to the entrance of camp. They were small and carefully spaced out, but even Cloudpaw wouldn’t be able to avoid making a path for his uncle to follow.

And follow he did, at a trot that broke into a run as the pawprints spread out and carried on through the woods. Cloudpaw was well ahead of him; maybe he had left as soon as everyone was asleep.

Don’t yell at him when you find him, his mind said - in a careful way, like it was afraid of its own reaction to the reminder. Be kind and compassionate. He’s not going to react well to a loud voice and scolding words.

Maybe it was the remnants of last night’s events, or just that he had had that talk with Cloudpaw for nothing, but Fireheart was struggling to cool a slightly-too-warm frustration that was begging to boil into anger. He fought it back as hard as he could the entire run, barely remembering to keep an eye on the tracks and follow them exactly.

The snow had been piled up by the fences when Fireheart reached the Houses. He took a moment to catch his breath, finally focusing on what was in front of him. The grass was largely still snowy, but the road and pathways were clear and shining from the sunlight.

That was fine. He had a good idea of where Cloudpaw was at this point.

As his eyes roamed, a black-and-white head was barely visible over one of the fences. With a forced cheer, Fireheart trotted up to that fence, calling, “Hey, Smudge!”

Sure enough, his old friend turned his head and peeked down in surprise. Fireheart waved his tail and waited for Smudge to climb onto the edge of the fence—though, curiously, he didn’t jump down this time. He simply sat there, his tail tapping apprehensively on the fenceline.

“Glad the dogs haven’t gotten you yet,” he said, somehow looking relieved and uneasy at the same time. “We’ve heard a lot about them recently. Apparently they’re close by now.”

“Yeah…” Fireheart sighed. “They’ve killed a few of my Clanmates and mauled an apprentice. It’s a bad time for us right now.”

“I can imagine. I’m—”

“Listen, Smudge,” Fireheart said, surprising himself at his brusque tone. “Did a white-and-ginger tom come through here today?”

“Ah, yeah.” Smudge grimaced, huddling a tiny bit. “He’s been coming by a lot recently. I’m guessing that’s Cloudy?”

“Cloudpaw, yes.”

“Well, I’m sure you can guess where he’s going.” Smudge’s tail swished to the side, scattering a bit of snow and sending it over the rail. “I hope you don’t mind if I stay home this time. I’d like to keep out of family business, and, uh…” He gave Fireheart a nervous look. “You don’t seem to be in the mood for friendly banter.”

“Frankly, I’m not,” Fireheart said. “Sorry, I’ve got to go find him. Stay safe.”  

“Right,” Smudge said, and then quieter, “Right. You too.”

Fireheart didn’t wait for him to disappear back into his yard. He just started off again at a trot, too... Stressed? Frustrated? Anxious, maybe? Whatever it was, he was feeling too much of it to just walk. He tried to pick out exactly what his emotional state was as he went along, unaware of the road becoming somewhat dry and nearly warm under his paws.

He found Rosy’s home quickly, and the closer he got, the more he could hear voices coming from inside her yard: one high and sweet, the other youthful and sheepish.

Fireheart stopped just a body-length away from the fence and stood still, taking slow, quiet breaths to calm himself. It did nothing to cease the fusion of negativity brewing in his gut and chest, but he could at least put on a kind face. He bunched himself up and cleanly leapt onto the railing.

Cloudpaw was reclining with Rosy in the middle of the yard, on a soft, brown cat-bed. Rosy was grooming him, purring.

“And does it…“ Cloudpaw started, then trailed off as a shadow blocked his spot of sunlight. His eyes rose up along the shadow’s path, all the way to his uncle. He froze, fur puffing out in alarm.

Rosy followed his line of sight and stared at Fireheart. She didn’t look particularly delighted to see him, either. The pair stood up as Fireheart jumped down into the yard, their pelts brushing and Rosy’s thin tail protectively wrapping around Cloudpaw’s puffy back legs.

Fireheart blinked slowly. It did nothing to ease either of them. Nor did his question: “Care to explain why you’re here again, Cloudpaw?”

Cloudpaw didn’t get a chance to answer before Rosy straightened up and glared at her brother, surprising him enough to lessen some of the gut-negativity. “Why didn’t you tell me about everything that’s going on? To protect my feelings?”

So she was going to be the one to handle with care. Fireheart breathed in. “Rosy—”

“My Cloudy has been in danger this entire time, and you didn’t tell me!” Rosy snapped. “The dogs and the fire, having to move so far away, losing his friends like that!”

“And his family,” Fireheart said, with a bit more venom than he intended. “Brindleface and Ashpaw. His mother and brother.” His eyes went to Cloudpaw. “Or did you forget to tell her that part?”

Cloudpaw looked down and away shamefully.

“The ones who never told him about me, right,” Rosy said, even snappier. “And that’s not to mention your authority being like it is! An insane leader—”

“She,” Fireheart said with slow, intense emphasis, teeth slightly clenched, “Is not. Insane.”

That got Rosy to back off a bit, her outrage flickering into a startled face. Cloudpaw flinched and stared up at Fireheart, looking very afraid.

It took everything Fireheart had in him to reel it back in, though he wasn’t able to sheathe his claws, the frustration now in that full boil of anger it had been fighting so hard to get to. Slowly, he focused in on his sister, his eyes locking hers in a stare.

“I warned you,” he said calmly, “when you gave him to me. Life in the forest is dangerous. I told you that, and you insisted anyway. Don’t get mad that my warning was accurate when it was you who chose to ignore it.”

Despite his attempts at an even, almost flat tone, heat escaped out of his mouth and slightly burned his words. Rosy’s fur prickled uneasily, and Cloudpaw still regarded his uncle with fright.

“Now.” Fireheart looked at him, earning another flinch. “You yourself know exactly how dangerous it is right now. And you also know that we had a conversation about you not coming here without my word. Yet, oddly, you’re here anyway, and I had to follow you here in the middle of the day, when everyone is conveniently asleep and can’t stop you.” His eyes narrowed just a fraction. “Would you like to explain yourself to me?”

Cloudpaw darted a glance at Rosy, then meekly stepped forward and lifted his head a little higher.

“Well, um…” His feet shuffled guiltily. “Last night, when you came home, you said you saw a dog and a cat die, and… and I got scared about the dogs again, and, well, I just– I wanted to see Rosy, too…” He swallowed. “It’s safe, you know? Like I said. I feel safe here. The dogs can’t get me in this yard.”

Whatever he was looking for in Fireheart’s expression, he evidently didn’t find it, because he hung his head again.

This did nothing to assuage Fireheart’s anger, but a bud of compassion started unfurling in his heart. With that, it was easier to ignore the boiling. He took in a very long breath, finally managed to sheathe his claws, and speak with a more genuine tranquility.

“You know the dogs are likely roaming the Houses right now,” he said. “And if they aren’t, they’re in the woods, where it’s even more dangerous to be out on your own—”

“And all the more reason he should be here,” Rosy said, stepping to the side a little to slightly lean into Cloudpaw. “I’ve decided—he’s staying with me until those dogs are gone.”

Fireheart didn’t have a heartbeat to recognize his surprise before Cloudpaw jerked his head up and stared at her, saying, “What?”

“You’re going to be much safer in this house with me.” Rosy gave a firm nod. “You can go back as soon as they get rid of those dogs.”

Fireheart spoke sternly. “That’s not your decision to make.”

Rosy’s mouth dropped open. “I’m his mother!”

“And you gave up being his mother as soon as you had me bring him to the forest,” Fireheart said. A part of him wilted at the stricken horror on Rosy’s face, but not a big enough part to kowtow to her. “He was raised in ThunderClan. He lives by ThunderClan’s rules. Even if you don’t.”

“You can’t– you—” Rosy stuttered, faltering in her words until she turned quickly to Cloudpaw. “Cloudy, you’ll stay, won’t you? It’s up to you! You can be here as long as you want, and then you can go back!”

“His name is Cloudpaw,” Fireheart said quietly.

Rosy started an arguing word, bristling, but Cloudpaw interrupted her by giving a weak little cough.

“Um…” He tilted his head apologetically. “I should go home. My sister, I don’t want to scare her. An– and I should keep helping with Brightpaw. Visiting her and talking to her and everything.” He peeked at Fireheart. “And eparme would get in trouble if I’m gone without him.”

“But…” Rosy stared at him, aghast. “But those dogs, Cloudy!”

“Rosy,” Fireheart said, managing a softer tone. “I’ll die before I let them get to him.”

Cloudpaw turned his head and blinked at his uncle in a mix of gratitude and fondness. To Rosy, he said, “Yeah, um, I’ll be okay. We can come back later, too.”

Rosy looked between them, starting many words and not finishing any of them. Fireheart took the opportunity to crook his tail for Cloudpaw to follow him, which he slowly did as Fireheart turned around and started for the fence.

“We’ll see you again, Rosy,” Fireheart said. “Even if it takes a while. He’ll be okay, I promise.”

Nothing from her. He could feel her stare on the back of his head when he turned away. Cloudpaw mumbled something to her and, after Fireheart, jumped onto the fence. The pair jumped down together and started off at a brisk walk, which Fireheart only allowed to slow down once Rosy’s house was gone from their sight.

“Thank you for coming home,” he said to his nephew. “I know that was hard for you.”

Cloudpaw still looked very nervous. “Are you going to yell at me?”

Fireheart blinked. “No, of course not.”

“Okay…” Cloudpaw’s ears lowered. “Just– you look like you’re going to start screaming right now.”

That worked; the bubbles and searing heat of fury quelled as Fireheart now fully understood the fear on his nephew’s face. He stopped walking, shut his eyes, and willed the remaining emotions to sink out of his belly, down his legs and through his toes. The road wasn’t as receptive as soil, but it still accepted them, and soon he couldn’t feel even a slight bit of the warmth anymore. Now, all he had was a cooled-down chest and a stomach that wasn’t churning.

He opened his eyes again and looked at Cloudpaw, who was watching him anxiously.

“I’m sorry,” Fireheart said, quiet again. “I’m not trying to scare you. I understand why you came here, even when you knew you shouldn’t.”

Cloudpaw relaxed a fraction. Then he stiffened again. “…Am I going to be punished?”

Fireheart took a moment to consider if he should; punishing his nephew would require an explanation to anyone in the Clan who was curious, which would likely be everyone. He didn’t want to reveal Cloudpaw’s adventures and risk him getting in trouble with all of ThunderClan. On the other paw, the conversation they’d had clearly wasn’t enough—maybe he did have to punish him. But then again, that could just as easily drive Cloudpaw back to Rosy, possibly forever…

“No,” he said at last. “Not yet. But I’m not sure how else to make it clear to you that this isn’t the right thing to do, if you do it again.”

Cloudpaw’s chin wobbled. “I won’t. I really won’t.”

“Good,” Fireheart said. “Thank you.”

They resumed walking, both silent. Exhaustion from early rising was finally hitting Fireheart, causing him to yawn more than once on their way out of the Houses. Cloudpaw seemed a bit sleepy himself, blinking slowly and lowering his tail nearly to the ground.

Fireheart looked at his nephew with a bit of cheek. “Don’t think you’ll get to sleep in tonight. As far as the Clan knows, you’ve been in camp all day. Maybe you went out to make dirt, but that’s it. You should be very well-rested, so we’re going to act like you are.”

Cloudpaw chewed air nervously. “We won’t do fighting training tonight, will we?”

“No,” Fireheart said, casual. “But I think we’ll hunt as best we can until we manage to catch something.”

“Oh.” Cloudpaw blinked. “That’s not too bad.”

“It could be better.” Fireheart stepped into the snowy grass. “Being tired while trying to hunt is pretty difficult. And I’m not going to let you take a nap out here, either.”

Cloudpaw sighed in somewhat-joking disappointment. “I guess that’s fair.”

Fireheart tapped his side with his tail. “Just don’t tell Goldenflower. She’ll get upset with me.”

His apprentice tilted his head. “How come?”

With a twitch of his whiskers, Fireheart replied, “I never told you that story, did I? Well, once, after I took my journey to the Mother…”

[amybizarre]

🎄✨𝓐𝓭𝓿𝓮𝓷𝓽 𝓢𝓮𝓻𝓲𝓮𝓼 𝓝𝓻. 𝓔𝓵𝓮𝓿𝓮𝓷✨🎄

𝓟𝓻𝓸𝓶𝓹𝓽: Winter Walk

𝓐𝓵𝓽𝓮𝓻𝓷𝓪𝓽𝓮: RF, Grayscale

𝓣𝔂𝓹𝓮: Short Story (No warnings)

𝓞𝓹𝓮𝓷 𝓽𝓸𝓭𝓪𝔂'𝓼 𝓭𝓸𝓸𝓻!

You took a deep breath. Upon releasing it, you unleashed a cloudy puff from your mouth into the crisp winter air.

Huddled in your coat and scarf, you walked down a path in the forest around the factory. With you was your boss, Walden Darling, and his lil protegee Gray.

Gray skipped along between you and Walden, holding onto each of your hands. His usually dull eyes glinted with mild happiness. Gray was just so glad that he didn't drain the colors from his surroundings for once. With glee he looked up at the blue sky, the pale winter sun shining back.

He was very adorable in his pompom hat.

Walden seemed at peace as well. Usually an unsavable workaholic, he surprised you with how unbothered he was with taking a break. Perhaps it was because of Gray? The sad little dude needed lots of Vitamin D, during winter especially. So the three of you have been on walks almost daily. Whenever the weather allowed it.

Today was such a day. It was sunny and not windy at all. Everything was covered in a clean layer of snow, barely any footsteps on the path and the trees looking like straight out of a fairytale.

Snow crunched beneath your boots, creating the only noise currently. No one spoke to break the comfortable silence, all of you busy with your own thoughts.

As you kept waking though, the cold started to show its effects on Gray. His nose got runny and he sniffled every now and then.

Walden halted, looking down at his grayscale companion.

"Need a tissue, bud?", he asked him, to which Gray nodded.

Walden crouched down to his height. Fumbling around in his coat's pocket, he pulled out a clean tissue and helped Gray to clear his nose.

You smiled. What a dad.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say Gray is your son." You chuckled as you teased Walden lightly.

Walden shrugged. "Wellll... We look very similar. I can see why anyone would think so."

"But it's not a problem... Right?" Gray shyly asked for reassurance, searching Walden's face with insecurity.

In response, Walden gave him a gentle pat on the back.

"Not at all, little buddy."

This prompted a small smile from Gray. Walden stood back up again and your lovable group continued its winter walk.

Just then a small rabbit ran across the path in front of you. Gray chortled and ran after it. But only up to the spot, where it disappeared into the forest again. There he stopped, trying to spot the rabbit before inspecting its pawprints in the snow instead.

Once Gray was a few feet in front of you, you closed the gap between you and your boss. Relaxed smiles were exchanged to show comfort with the close proximity.

Together you caught up to Gray, examining the paw prints in the group. Eventually it was time to return to the factory. Your cheeks were cold and feet numb, not even your boots helped against the cold anymore. Gray's feet were tired, so Walden picked him up and let him sit on his shoulders.

All in all it was a harmonious walk.

[bugsnax-community-questions]

Bugsnax Community Questions ~ Poll #25

Put filbo, eggabell and the others in one option because there aren't enough slots to fit everyone.

FILBO: Basic Furniture, Dandelion, Cot (secret), Grumpy Baby Mayor, Pawprint rug, Cloudy paws print, painted hut, Group Photo, Streamers, Garden gnome, snaxburg flag, Golden Strabby, Certificate of completion

WAMBUS: Scarecrow, beechwood, Sauce plant seedlings, Sauce rug, Rustic Bed, Mini Cactriffy, Grow light nursery, Wood panel print, cowboy hats, ceiling fan

BEFFICA: Sleeping bag, Ladder Shelf, bestie print, Bestie (exterior), Fuzzy heart rug, Privacy curtains, Bulletin board, glowing stars, purple lupin, befficas journal, Kiddie pool (technically from floofty)

WIGGLE: Hanging lights, Luxury bed (secret), Gilded (Secret), record player, Palm tree, Platinum Award, Beach Chair + Umbrella, Armoire, Music print, Rock club sign, Psychedelic rug

TRIFFANY: Map of Snaktooth, Drafting Table, Prehistoric Floorcloth, Grumpus Skull, Giant skeleton, Barrel cacti, Dig site print, hanging pots, ancient bugsnax statue 1 (pinkle), ancient bugsnax statue 2 (incherito), Bone and Stone (exterior), Bone and stone bed

GRAMBLE: Lantern, Pink oleander, Weather Vane, Knit Sprout Mat, Hay bales, knit bed, Strabby Hat, Doily Table, knitted (exterior), knit baskets, Strabby print, Bunger bed

CROMDO: Tulips, Police tape (Secret), Bug juice dispenser, Big safe, A single hanging bulb, boombox, money print rug, worn mattress, billboard, Motivational poster, Antique print

SNORPY: Loose Newspaper, Conspiracy board, Blueprint print, Protective coat hangers, Metal plating (exterior), Metalworks flower, Satellite dish, deprivation tank, bookshelf, HAM radio, hot tub

CHANDLO: Red Cedar, Framed jersey, Rock climbing holds, Strong trophy, Hammock, Bean bag, Orange bloodroot, Home gym (secret), Sports print (secret), Gym mats, chandlolier,

FLOOFTY: red ti plant, lab bench (secret), Specimen jar, Pirate ship (exterior), Beheading machine, ecience poster, chemistry rug, test tube lights, science print, Chalkboard

SHELDA: Hanging Planter, Herbology station, Primitive grass, Salt crystal, ebony stained wood, zen garden, Meditation cushion, Prairie grass, wind chimes, desert print, torch

EGGABELL: Family Photos, Eggshell print, medical egg rug, Medicine cabinet, Emergency bell, First aid kit, Draped fabrics, igloo (exterior), snow grump, medical bed

OTHER: Cowboy hat roof (Cactriffy), Planted snak (Cactriffy), Snak print (L), Strabby Shelf (L), Snakgoyle (Snaxsquatch), Matilija Poppy (Snaxsquatch), Eyes (exterior ~ B), Legendary snak rug (B), Snak mobile (C), Sodie Fountain (C)

[thegendergoblin6]

✰ Catgender - Xenogender Bookshelf ✰

Catgender is a Xenogender that relates to cats! Its great for Alterhumans/Therians/otherkin who have a catkin and it also relates to their gender, and also great for neurodivergent people who have trouble talking about their gender! Some great neopronouns for pretty much any catgender are:

✰ Meow/meowself ✰ Purr/Purrself ✰ Paw/Pawself ✰ Feline/Felineself ✰ Whisker/Whiskerself ✰ Claw/Clawself ✰ Mew/Purr/Purrs/Mewself ✰ Nya/Nyaself ✰ Mew/Mewself

Catgender was coined in 2014, and the original flag was made by DeviantArt user PN-TME in 2019. The only source I could find on the original coiner of Catgender is this one link to a site about Catgender:

https://catgender.carrd.co

The mainstream flag that I see mostly everywhere is this flag:

Which in the carrd about cat-gender, it is said that the creator of the flag is Kai or @HUENlNGWAY on twitter. However I cannot confirm this.

There are other Catgender flags! Which were made to be more inclusive! Pawprint Design by EggHeggley;

⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽ The Diversity with Catgender ☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅

This is the main reason I made this post, because the fun thing with Catgender [and many other genders like it that are broad] is that there are many different versions of it, combining multiple genders together to make different ones. I find this very interesting mostly for the fact that you can start to see a trend with the broader animal-themed genders and the categories in it.

Another interesting pattern when looking at cattic/catgenders is that many people have the same catgender but with different flags!

I tried my best to put as many as I could find, I am using Pintrest, Tumblr, Tiktok and Instagram to find these flags + genders! Everyone's tags include which platform they are from!

✰If I am missing any, feel free to let me know!! ✰

Here is a list of as many of the cat-genders/Cattics I could find that may be useful to those who identify with cat gender!

✦•····················•✦•····················•✦

⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽DemicatGender☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅ ✰ A Gender who feel partially connected to cats [similar to Demiboy/demigirl except with Catgender] ✰ Flags made by snotdrip and Glitchywitch

✦•····················•✦•····················•✦

⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽TranscatGender☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅ ✰ A Gender for those who are trans but also indenitfy as catgender! ✰ Flag made by @tiredryota on pintrest

✦•····················•✦•····················•✦

⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽CozyGender☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅ ✰ "this gender is related to the feeling of a cat curled up into a ball listening to the rain fall outside as the scent of freshly brewed tea fills the room" ✰ Flag made and Coined by @basil3 on Here! ✰ Some great Neopronouns for this are Cloud/Cloudself; Soft/Softself; Tea/Teaself; Cozy/Cozyself

✦•····················•✦•····················•✦

⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽Suncatic/Suncatgender☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅ ✰ "a gender related to the sun, or any sun-related character and cats" ✰ Flag made and Coined by @obsessedwithicecream on pintrest ✰ Some great Neopronouns for this are sun/sunself; sunny/sunnyself

✦•····················•✦•····················•✦

⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽Mooncatic/Mooncatgender☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅ ✰ "a gender related to the moon, or any moon-related character and cats" ✰ Flag made and Coined by @obsessedwithicecream on pintrest ✰ Some great Neopronouns for this are moon/moonself; moony/moonyself

✦•····················•✦•····················•✦

⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽Starrycatic☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅ ✰ "A xenogender associated with stars, light up objects, and cats" ✰ Coined by @_kiko.chip_ on TikTok ✰ Some great Neopronouns for this are Star/Starself; Starry/Starryself

✦•····················•✦•····················•✦

⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽Lumicatic☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅ ✰ "A xenogender, faunagender and subset of catgender for those who have a deep connection to stars, cloudy night skies, space, celestial bodies, cats, galaxies, and the universe as a whole. For when you feel a connection to outer space and cats, or your gender can be described as a celestial cat. This gender is specifically not related to aliens" ✰ Coined by Snuggly Bun on here! ✰ Some great Neopronouns for this are Star/Starself; Starry/Starryself; Space/Spaceself; Gala/Galaxyself

✦•····················•✦•····················•✦

⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽Quacatic☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅ ✰ "a catgender connecting to cats, the feeling of not knowing, questioning and unsurity" ✰ Coined by @yoeakj on pintrest!

✦•····················•✦•····················•✦

⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽Calicocatic☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅ ✰ "a catgender connected to calico cats" ✰ Coined by @yoeakj on pintrest! ✰ Some great Neopronouns for this are Cali/Calico/Calicoself; Spots/spotself; splotch/Splotchself; Multi/Multiself

✦•····················•✦•····················•✦

⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽Creadilic☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅ ✰ "a catgender that is connected to cats and bread" ✰ Coined by @yoeakj on pintrest! ✰ Some great Neopronouns for this are Bread/Breadself; Rise/Riseself; Flour/Flourself; Gluten/Glutenself; Ba/Bak/Bakeself

✦•····················•✦•····················•✦

⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽Gintilic☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅ ✰ "a catgender connecting to ginger tabby cats" ✰ Coined by @yoeakj on pintrest! ✰ Some great Neopronouns for this are tabby/tabbyself; orange/orangeself;

✦•····················•✦•····················•✦

⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽CatMillic☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅ ✰ "a catgender that is connected to cats and milk" ✰ Coined by @yoeakj on pintrest! ✰ Some great Neopronouns for this are Milk/Milkself; Dairy/Dairyself;

✦•····················•✦•····················•✦

⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽Cinterlic☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅ ✰ "A catgender that connects to cats, harsh winters, snowflakes, frost, and snow" ✰ Coined by @yoeakj on pintrest! ✰ Some great Neopronouns for this are Winter/Winterself; Snow/Snowself; Ice/Iceself; Cold/Coldself; Frost/Frostself

✦•····················•✦•····················•✦

⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽Cattpring☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅ ✰ "a catgender connected to cats and the feel of spring and spring flowers" ✰ Coined by @yoeakj on pintrest! ✰ Some great Neopronouns for this are Spring/Springself; Grass/Grasself; Flower/Flowerself; Pollen/Pollenself

✦•····················•✦•····················•✦

⋅•⊰∘☽More Cattics in the next part!!☾∘⊱•⋅

First ✰ Next ✰ Prev ✰ Last

[ggmahougenerator]

Name: "Rechon, The Metal-breathed Breaker!" Character: Greedy Symbols: dragons, squids Hair: Wavy (2A), Burnt Sienna Costume: An outfit with an off-the-shoulder top, a ruff, short sheer sleeves, a wide belt, chausses, and a pawprint-shaped hair clip Attack: "Cloudy Spike!"

[allpictures4u]

Check out this listing I just added to my Poshmark closet: Paw print Bracelet - Multicolored beads.

[ellaintrigue]

[teddypoi-qd]

{ID - digital art, a timeline of Martin from The Magnus Archives, as his appearance changes with each major event/season. Each appearance has a series of notes surrounding it. As a rule, Martin’s hair is curly and starts off auburn brown before turning various shades of grey and white. There is a puff of hair on top that looks like a heart. His eyes start off dark blue, and become foggy grey. He is white and freckled, fat and drawn into himself, with rounded features.

S1 - Martin is wearing a bright yellow jumper with orange starbursts on i; it doesn't fully hide his chest. He has rounded glasses and messy, curly hair. He wears trousers with scuff marks on. He waves gently at someone offscreen, and holds a mug of tea in his other hand. He wears a trans flag badge, and a simple orange one, as well as a green lanyard that says "STAFF". He has the start of a beard. Notes - (pointing to hair) "Bird's nest" "Yeah I'm in my 30s! I know I don't look it; baby face!" "Charity shops love him!" (pointing to his chest) "Non-op (too expenny)" "Repairs his own clothes" "Children's TV presenter vibes"

S1 (archive livin') - His hair is slightly longer and messier, and he is wearing pyjamas. His pyjamas are a matched set; a blue shirt with paw prints on the chest, and a pair of blue boxers with dog faces on. His arms and legs are visible, showing a lot of body hair and two tattoos. On his left bicep is a black cog, and on the inside of his right thigh is a small spider. In one hand, he clutches a corkscrew. His left hand clutches fearfully onto his right arm. Notes - "Matching PJ set (from Sash)" "Mechs tattoo lol (Jon FREAKED out)" "No haircuts for lads in quarantine" "Is that a corkscrew in your pocket or- (it's a corkscrew)" (pointing to the spider) "Stick n' Poke from when he was like 16"

S2 - His hair remains long and messy, but he now looks generally more exhausted and tense. He is wearing a pink jumper with a small heart design on, and his trans pin. The jumper sits on top of a pink-grey shirt. He is also wearing purple-grey suit trousers. He still clutches onto his corkscrew. Notes - "SO tense SO jumpy" "Nearly stabbed Tim one time" "Dressing better (to impress Jon)"

S3 - His hair is shorter now and his outfit is more muted. He is also slightly fatter. He wears a thick green sweater vest and a grey-beige shirt with his suit trousers. He clutches a tape recorder in his hand. He looks incredibly sad, and his fists are clenched. Notes - "3AM sadness haircut" "Sad" "Putting on worry weight" "Tries to remain progessional despite it all (colours remind him of Jon), "Using 'Jon's' recorder"

S4 - A dramatic change for Martin; his hair is longer again, and cloudy grey. His glasses are clouded by fog, and he is looking stern and stubborn. His skin is much paler, and his freckles are faded. He is wearing a navy blue turtleneck and jeans. He holds a piece of paper in one hand, and a blue mug in the other. Behind him are soft blue clouds. Notes - "No more Mr Soft Boi" "Depression Hair Returns" ""Peter's evil, sure, but he's right about turtlenecks." Talking to a recorder" "Paler" (pointing to the paper) "5th Extinction statement of the week" "There's Red Bull (warm) in this mug" "Gets cold easily now" "Freckles fade" "Glasses fog up" "Mist & clouds help him leave unnoticed"

S5 (cottage) - A slight return to his season 1 design, but clearly changed. His hair is pale brown, and his skin has a little big more colour back to it. He is wearing a big blue jumper with pawprints on the arms and a dog's face on the front with text that says "PUP" in primary colours. He is also wearing a scarf striped with purple, magenta, and green. He is still wearing his jeans. He looks gently happy, but very tired. He doesn't wear his glasses. Tiny wisps of cloud hang around behind him. Notes - (pointing to the scarf) "Jon's scarf" "He refuses to see it" "A little colour comes back" "At least 3 layers on" "Convinced Jon he doesn't need gloves indoors" "the tiniest bit of hope" "Sad and tired but in love {heart}"

S5 (Kill Bill) - Martin has fallen back to the Lonely somewhat. His hair is almost entirely white, and his skin is pale again. He looks dangerously angry. He is wearing his S1 jumper with jeans, a brown trench coat, and Jon's scarf. He scowls, breathing out a puff of blue fog. Notes - "Clawing for a happy end" "He just wanted to be soft." "Peter was right about big coats too. Fuck." "Becomes more/less Lonely based on mood"

Doodles - Three goofy line doodles of Martin 1 - A tiny S5 Eyepocalypse Martin, his fists clenched and his eyes narrowed. He is screaming, "OI DICK'EAD" 2 - A S5 Cottage Martin, glasses off. An arrow pointing to him says, "His ass can't see shit" 3 - A doodle of S4 Martin that is transparent. He is making a peace sign and is being surrounded by clouds. A note next to him says, "Peace Out"

END ID}

i also. love him.

[obeythedemons]

Ok, so yesterday I released a headcanon set about going on a picnic with the brothers. I got asked about Hanako's ideal picnic date. So, now I have to ask:

What is Lance's ideal picnic date? Location? Favorite picnic foods? Activities to do at the picnic?

Ideal Picnic Date

Location/Weather:

Either when it's super cloudy, possibly a small drizzle, or at night. No sun to make his eyes hurt or make him feel sick. It'd be in the middle of a forest near a body of water, either a super clear/clean lake or a river/stream. Have the blanket under the trees so if there is a drizzle, they'd be a bit protected. But oh no, it's a bit chilly. Whatever shall they do? I guess they'll have to sit closer together to try and stay warm. Maybe have some extra blankets to share?

If it's dark, he'd love having little candles/lanterns set up to light up the area. (assuming no fire risk, electric if there is a fire risk)

Favorite Picnic Foods:

He loves food so much. Fresh fruit, potato salad, macaroni salad, pasta salad, sandwiches, chips, strawberry and cream cake, hot tea (because it's cold), fresh bread, ohhhh cheese, like he'll eat a ton and eat it super fast, especially if they had to hike to get there. (Can you tell I'm very hungry right now? I want to eat everything.)

Activities:

Eat. Like legit, Lance will just do a little dance while sitting there and eating food, maybe hum. If he has good food he's happy.

Look at the native flora and fauna. Take pictures, cast pawprints, watch the animals for behavioral studies because Lance is a nerd. If Lance sees a species he's familiar with, he'll probably start raving about it and info dumping.

Cuddle while looking at the clouds, stars, or river/lake and talking about anything and everything. He might fall asleep though if the conversation gets quiet, he's fine with that, but may feel bad.

He'd be fine with having music quietly playing, but would prefer classical or lo-fi at a picnic than his usual rock or metal.

He'd also enjoy doing some photography, drawing, or writing while out in nature. He enjoys wildlife and floral photography.

[jasperlion]

fill this with what you most associate with your muse in each of these ( some slightly unusual )  categories !

spice: pepper, ginger, garlic cloves, turmeric weather: the middle of the day, partly cloudy with a breeze primary colour: blue, seafoam green, pine green  colour of the sky: a powdery blue between morning and afternoon on a cold day  animal crossing animal: cat, wolf or lion. Can’t pick between them, they all have good reasons. magical power: reinforcement  shoe: well-worn work boots. houseplant: rosemary. blade weapon: a sword, preferably onehanded. school subject: geography, world history, polsci(maybe). social media: vine/tiktok full of visual puns. makeup product: blush. candy: banned  probably any candied fruit with spicy powder on top tangible fear: abandonment, failure (to meet expectations or failure period), loss  ice cube shape: pawprint or cat molds, or just plain ol cubes. method of long-distance travel: horse (ridden), boat (reluctantly), on foot if necessary  art style: landscapes, especially with simplistic shapes. historical period: 323bc? (/sniped) mythological creature: cadejo (... the one that won’t kill you) piece of stationary: cats, fields of flowers  three emoji combination: 🐈💞⚔ celestial body: a moon rom com archetype: helpful best friend, usually not a romance option

tagged by: @roborights​ ! Yeah!!

tagging: i’m not sure who has done it yet, so...

[cloudypawprintsaps]

CHRISTMAS IS COMING TO TOWN

Soon it will be Christmas. And I am not a huge Christmas decorating type. My Logan is though, so we at least have a tree every year, and usually an ugly sweater picture as well with the dogs.

Today though was long and so very cold, so as we had gotten home from the afternoon walk most of the dogs took to napping. Darling currently sleeps in the bedroom, since the puppies are still very small, and the other dogs are all but too curious about them.

So napping in the living room or the kitchen it was! Saga fell asleep in front of the fireplace, while Logan and I sat on the couch watching TV. Mochi joined us on the couch even if there were barely space for him. Sometimes our living room is honestly too small for all the dogs. The house is too small in general, if I am being honest. But we will see, if we can find a bigger house next year or the year after, preferably with a bigger garden. We will see.

Have a nice afternoon everyone, we have brought the christmas mugs out with coffee for the hubby and cocoa for me xD

[redux-iterum]

Charred Legacy: Chapter Twenty-Four

(AO3 counterpart here.)

The Clan awoke to a dim, cloudy evening sky and the panicked shouts of Goldenflower.

Fireheart was on his feet before his eyes were fully open, the first out of the den with more of a stumble than a sprint. When his eyesight cleared itself of its sleepy bleariness, Goldenflower was circling around camp, fur wild and stuck out like she had forgotten to groom herself.

“They’re gone!” she cried when she caught sight of Fireheart, rushing to him fast enough to make him lean back a little. “Brindleface’s kits! Are they with you?!”

The warriors emerging behind him started all talking at once, trying to confirm or deny that the kits were in their den. Voices raised and peaked in growing fear.

“They must be outside,” Whitecloud said, calm as ever. “How did they get past you?”

Goldenflower spat at the ground, “I fell asleep inside the nursery. I thought they’d be fine, but—” She cut herself off with a growl.

“We’ll look for them,” Fireheart hastened to say. “They can’t be too far away.”

Pacing in place, Goldenflower looked back at the nursery, where her own kits had popped up and were watching their mother with no small amount of anxiety.

“I can guard the nursery,” Frostfur said. “If you want to search outside.”

Goldenflower nodded thankfully to her, but didn’t move until Frostfur was seated outside the den to rush for the camp entrance. Fireheart followed her, as did a couple other cats he heard behind him.

The outer wall had many pawprints scattering snow around in seemingly every direction—any path the kits could have taken seemed to already have disturbed snow. With the clouds in the dim sky and the snow reflecting its dull overhead, along with a faint mist filtering through the trees, the entire world was an overwhelming grey. Fireheart had heard the stories of things in the fog wandering through the territories when one couldn’t see who they were or where they were going. He silently prayed that nothing had spirited the kits away, if that all was real.

A fearful hiss through teeth alerted him to Goldenflower by his side. Her claws were unsheathed as she tip-tapped the ground, shouting, “Cloudkit! Aspenkit! Ashkit! Where are you?!”

Only the whisper of breezes through the mist answered her.

Fireheart looked over to Whitecloud and Speckletail, who were coming to stand by Goldenflower. Speckletail brushed her tail along Goldenflower’s side before saying to the few other cats outside, “Spread out and follow whatever trail you find. If you find them, yowl.”

The cats needed no other instructions; Fireheart took the furthest left trail and hurried along it, trying to discern if this shuffled snow was small enough for the kits to disturb. Warriors called names in the distance, fading slowly as he trotted on.

Fireheart did not call out himself. Rather, he focused hard and swiveled his ears back and forth, searching for any faint noise that could lead him in the right direction. The path ahead of him slowly widened and then split—several thin tracks close together. Hope in his chest, Fireheart sped up just a little, as much as he could without crunching snow and interfering with his hearing.

It didn’t take too long; after a stretch, he heard voices chattering, one familiarly loud arguing something, by the tone. Fireheart broke into a run.

“Cloudkit!” he called, careful to not sound angry. “Are you alright?”

The voices stopped for a moment, then Aspenkit’s high voice drifted out of the mist. “We’re fine!”

Fireheart found them quickly after that, Cloudkit’s bright face and feet standing out against the snow. Ashkit and Aspenkit only came into focus with a bit of concentrating, which wasn’t helped by the pair being covered in snow themselves. They all watched Fireheart advance with bright interest, as if they were still safe in camp.

“What are you all doing out here?” Fireheart asked, surprised at the sternness in his voice. He had intended to be friendlier.

“We’re hunting,” Aspenkit said cheerfully. “We haven’t caught anything yet.”

Ashkit nodded. “We almost got a mouse, though.”

Fireheart willed himself to cool down a little before he spoke to Cloudkit. “Why did you come out here without telling anyone?”

The confidence on Cloudkit’s face wilted, and his voice was faint. “We, um… well… Speckletail said we all need more prey, right? So… so we decided to get some prey for the Clan.”

Ashkit came to stand just a bit ahead of Cloudkit, rather protectively. “I said we should go this way.”

“And—” Aspenkit hurried to add. “And I said we had to come back with food.”

Fireheart met Cloudkit’s eyes. “And was it your idea to come out here?”

Cloudkit’s face and gaze fell, and he nodded.

He knows he’s in trouble, Fireheart’s mind told him calmly. Don’t upset him and make it worse for them by yelling.

Taking a deep breath, he willed the cold air to blow out the worried anger in his chest. He let the breath out and spoke gently. “I know you were only trying to help, but you didn’t tell anyone where you were going, and now you’ve got the whole Clan scared for you. Everyone’s looking for you. Goldenflower especially is very upset.”

This seemed to have not occurred to the kits. They looked at each other nervously.

“Come along home with me,” Fireheart said, still kindly. “You don’t have to hunt for the Clan until you’re apprentices. There’s nothing out here for you.”

“Um…” Aspenkit glanced at a downcast Cloudkit. “Actually, Cloudkit found something when we were walking.”

“Is it on the way back?” Fireheart asked.

Cloudkit looked up now and nodded, timid. “It’s a weird pawprint.”

Fear iced over what little kindling of anger was left. Fireheart said nothing, just cocked his head for the kits to follow him and turned around.

Cloudkit came up to walk beside him, his siblings in tow whispering to each other. Neither uncle nor nephew said anything until Cloudkit abruptly stopped and pointed with his tail to the right. Fireheart followed him over to a wide scuffled pit in the snow, which, as usual, blocked the scent of whatever had been here.

“It’s this pawprint,” Cloudkit said, standing by something big and long.

Fireheart peered at the print. It was smeared and clumsy, but he could pick out clawmarks, dug deep into the snow.

“That could be a badger,” he said. “Badgers aren’t very nice to cats, you know. You ought to have turned around the moment you saw that.”

Cloudkit’s glum face turned into a scowl and he looked away again.

When they were close enough to camp, Fireheart yowled as loudly and clearly as he could. It only took a few moments for several cats to return, including Goldenflower, panting hard and eyes bugged out in stress.

“There you are!” she cried, rushing to the kits and nosing each one as if to be sure they were real. “What by Horoa’s teeth were you doing out here?”

“Hunting,” Cloudkit mumbled.

“Hunting?”

Everyone looked over to see Bluestar coming out of her den, squinting at the kits. Her fur was drooping again, small bits of snow and dust clinging to its ends. Fireheart noted unhappily that she had already lost the weight she had gained at the Barn.

“We—” Aspenkit spoke up hesitantly. “We wanted to feed the Clan, is all.”

Bluestar stared at the kits for a long, silent moment, before saying, “Very brave. Noble of you.”

She suddenly turned around and went back into her den, leaving the returning and present cats to stand in silence. Goldenflower took the opportunity to herd the kits back inside, everyone following after her.

For the next few nights, the trio of kittens were very closely watched by Goldenflower. Perhaps a little too closely, really, since she hardly seemed to blink and wouldn’t let them so much as sniff inside a den that wasn’t the nursery. Aspenkit and Cloudkit knew better than to complain, but Ashkit would often make a little grumble when he was escorted back to the nursery.

Bluestar came out more often in the following nights herself, often peering at the kits with great interest (even seeming to stop flinching when Bramblekit came outside, though she still showed uneasiness). Fireheart caught sight of her whispering a question of some kind to Speckletail, who answered just as quietly, but with some confusion on her face. Bluestar nodded with something like the authority she gave off before all of this and went back outside, tail less limp than usual.

Abruptly, late one night, when it was snowing again, Bluestar came in and jumped onto the meeting stump, calling out with a wobbly half-yowl. She watched everyone gather with some surprise, looking around with the slightest head-bobs like she was counting them. Then she shook her head and straightened a bit.

“The time has come,” she said, once everyone was together. “Cloudkit, Aspenkit, and Ashkit are ready to become apprentices.”

Immediately, protests leaped up out of the crowd.

“Are you serious?”

“They’re barely past their fourth month, Bluestar!”

“They’re too little to even go outside on their own!”

“Then they’ll have good mentors,” Bluestar said haltingly. “They’ve proved themselves ready.”

Goldenflower stared at her. “You can’t make them apprentices now! They’re far too young!”

As if she had said nothing, Bluestar blinked down at the kits, sitting beside Goldenflower. “Come forward.”

Aspenkit hesitated, looking up questioningly at Goldenflower, while her brothers rushed forward, eyes shining.

“Brindleface wouldn’t allow this,” Dustpelt growled.

“Aspenkit, come along,” Bluestar said.

Despite the repeated protests, Aspenkit followed her brothers, peeking again at Goldenflower, who was bristling hard.

“Bluestar, I won’t agree to this,” she said, sharp and angry. “You’re putting these kits in danger by—”

“Aspenkit, step forward,” Bluestar said over Goldenflower.

Tentatively, the fluffy molly did.

“Are you ready to train to care for your Clanmates?”

Aspenkit took a small breath before saying clearly, “I am.”

Goldenflower raised her voice. “Bluestar—!”

“Then with StarClan’s blessing, I name you Aspenpaw.” Bluestar looked to her deputy. “Your mentor will be Speckletail.”

The torbie balked, staring. “You– you didn’t inform me—”

“I trust her to teach you…” Bluestar’s mouth opened and shut. “…to teach you everything she knows.”

Credit to Speckletail; she took one look at the shocked crowd around her, then at Aspenpaw, and stepped forward with an almost-contained sigh. She and Aspenpaw touched noses.

Fireheart could hear Aspenpaw whispering from where he was at the front of the crowd. “Am I in trouble?”

“No, chrii,” Speckletail whispered back. “We’ll talk when the ceremony’s over.”

The pair moved to the side, Goldenflower’s face a contorted mix of disbelief and anger, and Bluestar turned to Ashkit now.

“Ashkit, step forward,” she said.

The tom did so, puffing his chest out authoritatively. He had a glint in his eye like he was forcibly ignoring the protesting reactions around him.

“Are you ready to… to train and serve your Clan?” Bluestar’s face dimmed. “And care for them?”

Ashkit nodded firmly. “I am!”

“Then I name you Ashpaw, with StarClan’s blessing.” Bluestar nodded to the left side of the crowd. “Your mentor will be Darkstripe.”

Fireheart expected Darkstripe to refuse, or mouth off, at least. All he did was narrow his eyes and step forward, touching noses with his new apprentice. Ashkit didn’t look particularly excited, but the boldness didn’t leave his face, and he marched after his mentor to rejoin the crowd.

“Cloudkit?” Bluestar said.

Cloudkit hurried forward. His fluffy tail trembled a little in anxiety.

“Do you… are…” Bluestar shook her head. “Are you ready to train and serve your Clan?”

Cloudkit nodded. “I– I am.”

“Then with StarClan’s blessing, I name you Cloudpaw, and…” Bluestar looked around, seeming to miss Fireheart motioning for her attention. “Your mentor will be… Whitecloud.”

“Ah–” Whitecloud cleared his throat. “Bluestar, if I may—”

Fireheart scooted forward until he was below the side of the meeting stump and reached up, gently touching Bluestar with a paw. When she looked at him, he said quietly, “Actually, you and I agreed that I would mentor him.”

“Oh.” Bluestar stared at him blankly, then turned to Cloudpaw. “Then your mentor will be Fireheart.”

Cloudpaw perked up, looking relieved (as Fireheart felt). Fireheart purred soothingly and met up with him, touching noses. He gestured with his tail for Cloudpaw to follow him back into the crowd, which he did eagerly.

No one called their names. Bluestar didn’t seem to notice, simply jumping down off the stump. Whitecloud hurried over to her and guided her away from the crowd, speaking some indistinct concern.

Speckletail looked over the crowd, breathing in through her teeth.

“I don’t think there’s much to do here,” she said ruefully. “Taking away their names again… I don’t have the power to do that.”

“You ought to,” Sandstorm said sharply. “They’re not old enough and Bluestar’s....”

Dustpelt tapped her leg with his tail and she went quiet, though her posture was still aggravated.

Cloudpaw looked up at Fireheart. “I’m an apprentice now, though, aren’t I? I don’t wanna be a kit again.”

Fireheart nosed his ear and spoke to Speckletail. “How many months before they would be apprentices officially? One? Two?”

“About one month and sot* days more,” Speckletail said. She sighed. “We can try them out tomorrow. Darkstripe and Fireheart, if either of you find issues with your apprentice keeping up or struggling outside, talk to me and we’ll see if we can reverse it.”

All of Brindleface’s kits’ faces tightened with dread.

“It’s too late in the night to take them out for the territory tour,” Speckletail continued. “For now, let them eat and then sleep in the apprentice’s den.”

Their faces brightened up again.

Fireheart nodded and Darkstripe curtly tilted his head before turning and walking away, his apprentice following him uncertainly. Speckletail said something to Aspenpaw and then led her to the prey-pile. Fireheart, meanwhile, looked down at Cloudpaw.

“First thing tomorrow evening,” he said. “You’ll see the territory properly.”

Cloudpaw beamed. “All of it?”

“All of it.” Fireheart nodded, amused despite the circumstances. “In the meantime, why don’t we get you something to eat?”

*”Sot”: between ten and twenty. 

[chelledoggo]

[Fanfiction] Paint it Over [101 Dalmatian Street]

genre: oneshot/slice of life

age rating: all ages

content warnings: depiction of anxiety/implied PTSD

summary: Da Vinci recieves help from her brother Deepak in dealing with her anxiety.

“Are you comfortable, sister?”

“Yep. You're definitely sure this will work, Deepak?”

It was late night, and most of the pups had already gone to bed, leaving the rest of the house nice and quiet. The living room was dimly lit by a pink salt lamp and some candles, while soft new-age music played on the Dalmatian family's shared tablet.

Da Vinci lay belly-up on a bed of soft cushions as Deepak sat nearby meditating to prepare himself.

“I really think it will,” the yin-yang patterned pup replied to his paint-covered sister. “It's an ancient technique that was perfected by Guru Miaow himself. I've been training for quite some time now under Constantin's guidance, and I'm finally ready to put what I've learned into practice.”

“Okay, little bro,” Da Vinci replied with a slightly nervous smile. “I trust you.”

Deepak walked over and sat down behind where Da Vinci lay her head.

“Now, remember,” Deepak said. “In order for this to work, you need to completely let go. You need to fully relax and surrender yourself to an altered state of consciousness. It might seem scary at times. But no matter what you might experience, you're absolutely safe. And I'll be right here with you.”

Da Vinci gulped a little. “I understand. If this can do me even a little bit of good, I'm willing to see it through.”

“Alright, then...” Deepak responded calmly. “Close your eyes...”

Da Vinci closed her eyes as Deepak placed his paws upon her temples.

“...and...breathe.”

Deepak closed his eyes and began softly rubbing Da Vinci's temples while making droning 'miaow-ow-ow' sounds.

The artsy pup allowed herself to breathe slowly and steadily, doing her best to let go of her thoughts and drift off into a meditative state.

After some time, it seemed like nothing was happening.

“Um, Deepak,” Da Vinci said as she slowly opened her eyes. “I think maybe I'm not doing this ri--”

She looked around her. Deepak was gone. The entire living room was gone. No soft lighting or music. Just a cold, dark, empty void.

“D-Deepak!?” Da Vinci cried out into the echoing darkness. “Wh-where are you? Wh-what's going on?”

“...Da Vinciiiii...” a distant voice called.

“Deepak? I-Is that you?”

More voices joined in.

“...Da Vinciiii....Doggy Da Vinciiii...”

A cacophony of distorted voices rang out as masses of dark, flashing clouds gathered towards the quivering artist pup.

“Oh dog, no...Not again!!”

Da Vinci darted away as quickly as possible from the cloudy mass, but it continued to gain up on her.

“Doggy Da Vinci!!...Come back, Doggy Da Vinci!!...Can we get a photo?...”

Da Vinci eventually stumbled over and found herself unable to pick herself up quickly enough. The mass of clouds was now surrounding her from all directions, closing in on her, making her feel claustrophobic.

The poor pup began hyperventilating. She clenched her eyes shut in fear as tears streamed down her face.

“P-Please...” she squeaked out. “N-no...Leave me alone...”

She felt something grab her paw. She was about to let out a scream when she heard a kind, familiar voice.

“Just breathe, sister...” the voice whispered. “It's okay...”

Da Vinci opened her eyes and looked beside her.

There, calmly meditating next to her, was Deepak. A glowing aura surrounded him; a light shining in the darkness.

“Deepak!” Da Vinci cried. “Thank dog you're here! What's going on?”

“Don't worry, sister,” Deepak assured her. “This is all inside your mind. It can't hurt you.”

“My mind?” Da Vinci queried in confusion. “But...How did you...?”

Deepak opened one eye and smiled at his sister.

“I said I'd be right here with you, didn't I?” he replied softly.

Da Vinci's eyes welled up with tears as she smiled relievedly at her brother, only for her gaze to return to the mass looming over them.

“But...” she quivered. “...What do we do about...that?”

“We face it head on,” Deepak responded.

“But how!?” Da Vinci asked in a panic.

“Hold your paws out in front of you,” Deepak said while demonstrating.

Da Vinci mirrored his action.

“Breathe slowly and deeply...” he continued. “Imagine paint flowing from your paws. Paint in every color you can think of. Feel it rush through your arms and out of your paws like water from a fountain.”

At that moment, floating, rainbow-colored globs of paint surrounded Deepak's paws.

“Cool!” Da Vinci exclaimed in awe.

She then took a deep breath and tried it herself. To her delight, she was also able to summon paint through her paws.

“You know what to do now, right?” Deepak asked with a grin.

Da Vinci nodded enthusiastically.

The two pups raised their painty paws in the air and began swiping at the dark clouds, leaving streaks of bright colors and pawprints with every motion. Eventually, every cloud dissipated, leaving nothing but bright splashes of color in their wake.

“Wow!” Da Vinci squealed. “This is incredible! I feel so...inspired!”

In the ether that now became an open canvas,  Da Vinci and Deepak began painting colorful murals with pleasant scenes.

They painted a sunny day at the dog park, starry skies full of  rainbows, colorful abstract wonderlands...

They painted portraits of their friends and siblings, smiling and getting along together.

And in the center of it all, was a large reproduction of their Dalmatian Street home, with the two of them standing cheerfully in front.

The once dark, suffocating void now became a colorful, positive, radiant piece of art.

Da Vinci felt a sense of calm gently rush over her as she looked up at her and Deepak's work.

“I think you've found your happy place, sister,” Deepak gladly remarked.

“It's wonderful,” Da Vinci replied blissfully.

She sat back and admired the artwork before her for a few moments, then lay back and allowed her mind to drift once more.

When she opened her eyes, she was back in the living room. Everything was just as it was before. The same soft music and dim lighting, the same cozy pillows beneath her, the same calm atmosphere.

Deepak still sat rubbing Da Vinci's temples, appearing to be just coming out of a trance as his eyes also fluttered open.

The two pups exchanged a silent smile for a moment.

“How're you feeling?” Deepak asked quietly.

“I feel...amazing,” Da Vinci murmured calmly. “You really helped me out a lot.”

“I might've helped a little,” Deepak responded. “But the power to change the form of your thoughts lies in you.”

Deepak walked over and gave Da Vinci a hug as she was getting up.

“Anxiety can be a scary thing,” Deepak continued. “Believe me, I know. Sometimes, your own thoughts can be overwhelming. Which is why it's important to know how to counteract those negative emotions with positivity. Anytime you feel those frightening thoughts rise up, just go back to your happy place; the canvas in your mind ready to be painted with the things that bring you peace. It might be difficult at first, but the more you keep at it, the easier it'll become.”

Da Vinci sniffled as her eyes began to well up. She nuzzled the tiny pup in their embrace.

“Thanks, Deepak,” she whispered. “I'll keep trying my best. Love you, little bro.”

“Love you too, sister,” Deepak murmured affectionately. “Peace.”

[calwrights]

Novel Project

Submitted Dec 10 2017

The boy awoke on a grassy plain, sand brushing against his skin with the wind, and the salty smell of seawater met his nose. He was confused. Where was he? As he propped himself onto his elbows, he surveyed the strange land. In front of him, was a shore. The sandy dunes met the grassy plains by beachgrass dotting the fine grains. Dirt formed where the boy laid, and when he looked behind him, there appeared a looming forest. The forest, plain, and shore seemed to stretch on forever on either side, the ending seemingly enshrouded in mist.

The boy looked up at the sky. It was a cloudy day, yet somehow bright enough to illuminate everything. To the left of the boy sat a small, grey, two-storied house. Instinctively, the boy got up and started towards the house. As he approached the patio he noticed how old yet sturdy the house looked. The white and grey paint on the boards of the house was peeling. The wooden patio creaked when he stepped on it. The windows were dusty, and an old, torn screen door stood in front of the entrance of the house.

The boy walked inside.

Despite the appearance of the house outside, the inside was clean. White sheets covered the furniture. The house first had a long hallway that led to the back door, an opening to the right of the hallway revealed a small sitting room. An opening to the left showed a dining room with covered chairs and a table. The kitchen and the dining room was separated by a counter. A little in front of the backdoor, on the right of the hallway that divided the house; was a staircase that led upstairs.

The boy chose to walk up the wooden stairs, they creaked with each step. When he arrived at the top of the stairs, on the right, a hallway went backwards over the top on the sitting room. The boy could see three bedroom doors.

The very last one was open.

Trying the first two doors were futile, and both were locked from the inside, and the boy did not have strength to kick a door down. Timidly, he approached the third, and last door.

The room was empty.

A window looked outwards to the sea. Beach grass waved in the wind. Waves kissed the shore. The sun was setting. As the boy turned to leave, he noticed marks on the banister of the door. It started towards the bottom of the door, and slowly increased in length, however there was no rhythm of pattern with the occurrence of the small tallies with dates and inches…

February 6th

A mothers laugh could be heard throughout the house. “Stop squirming child! I’ll make the tally crooked and you won’t be able to see how tall you were!”

A messy mass of brown hair did not stop it’s squirming.

The mother did not mind.

Her son was now three and a half feet tall. Or forty three inches as he liked to say.

The mother loved her son so much. She would do anything for her son.

...

The mother’s laugh fades away as a weeping child is left in the darkness.

A heavy sense of sadness and nostalgia fills the boy, and he runs down the stairs and out the backdoor towards the forest while furiously wiping away tears.

The setting sun cast an eerie glow on the forest. The boy wandered a while, autumn leaves crunching beneath him. He discovers a worn trail that leads him deeper into the forest. The boy follows it.

Along the trail, there are small stone totems. Rocks piled on top of each other haphazardly. As if someone made it in a hurry, but wanted to leave a trail to find their way back. The trail led the boy to a spacious clearing. A hill rolled into a small valley. The boy trudged up the hill to see what was at the top. And what met him, were graves...

February 6th

Gunshots, cannons, dying screams of men.

Red, yellow, orange. Fire. Bullets. Blood.

Metallic taste in his mouth, he spat it out.  Metallic scent, he covered his nose. Metallic feeling of the gun in his hand, he gripped it harder as he ran.

Their superiors’ dying wish to charge.

Up that fateful hill. He was met face to face with an enemy’s rifle.

The crack of a whip.

No.

The crack of the butt of the rifle against his face.

Tumbling, falling. Sticks and stones breaking his bones.

A splash. His clothes soaking the surrounding water. The current keeping him down.

The horrible, horrible burning salt water filling his lungs and blackness.

The soldier opened his eyes one last time to say goodbye to his mother and-

The boy awoke on the sandy beach and heaved out salt water from his lungs.

It burned. It burned.

Tears clouded his vision as he watched the dying sun.

In his hands he held a dog collar.

Brown, worn leather and rusted chain.

The tag says-

Pawprints can be seen running into the ocean as the waves gently renew the sands.

The boy cried.

Loss he felt, fear he felt, and now he felt alone.

A chewed up tennis ball washed up next to his feet with the waves.

February 6th

A dog’s barking can be heard.

As the waves crash in harmony.

“The wind sings a melody for you,” says his mother.

Her voice is gone with the wind.

The ball is thrown for the owner's companion.

Black fur rushes to the ocean.

The boy is losing his sanity by remembering.

The barking gets choked by the water.

The boy intakes a huge breath of air to call his friend back (it’s not worth it), to call his mother back as well (please, he’s so lonely).

But they are both already gone.

The tennis ball lands into the sea and-

The sound of a cannon cuts the silence like an arrow. Blackness. Drowning of both screams and barking. A choked sob fades in the wind.

A crack, a pain.

It all finally makes sense. The boy puts all his memories back together and-

yes it ends here, why? because i was a little shit and i’m too lazy now to finish it

[kakyoin-cherryboy]

The Hard Part of Having Pets

Today's the day. My family's cat is going to the vet and probably getting put down today. He's 17, lost all but one of his teeth, and his eyes are beginning to become cloudy. Not to mention he cries all the time for no reason. I grew up with this cat. I don't remember life without him. Hell, he's almost as old as I am. I was just writing this to honor him. I'll be there when/if he goes out. I plan to make the last thing he sees the one who loves him, not just a vet he doesn't know.

Edit: It happened, we had to put him down. At least he's not in pain anymore. I cried like a baby and am still pretty upset. At least me and my siblings get a clay pawprint to remember him by. RIP my kitty love bug.