#Erin Grassie

[spokenrealms]

The Lost Princess of Oz

The Lost Princess of Oz by L. Frank Baum presented by The Online Stage. Upon waking up in the Emerald City, Dorothy discovers that Princess Ozma is missing. In Quadling Country, Glinda finds that her magical Great Book of Records is also missing. She sends a message to the Wizard for help, but the Wizard cannot find his magic tools either. A search party is formed to track down the dear princess…

[gourdlycatgen]

The regular loner named Thicket is a midnight black amab gnc cat with a classic tabby coat and high white spotting. The pronouns this cat uses are he/him + nounself. This cat has patchy, spiky fur and grassy green eyes. This cat likes dogs, and loves rain. The cat is optimistic and dishonset. The cat wouldn't notice a dog coming too close. This cat has one scar and an oriental body.

[leggerefiore]

Have any of the kids ever had that moment where they find a wild Pokemon and ask their dads, “Can we keep it?”

Erin rarely approaches wild pokemon since he is so nervous and easily frightened. Yet, somehow, the boy is not immune to the appeal of some pokemon he might see. A lonely pokemon hanging out near the Gear Station with no apparent trainer simply made him too sad to ignore. He began to sneak it treats and whatever else whenever he visited the station. Eventually, it began to follow him around. His small hands pet the odd rag that covered the pokemon's body, and he could only giggle at the happy sounds that came from it.

Ingo could only watch in terror as his son approached him, crying and begging to keep the stray Mimikyu that had been left by some cruel person. He almost felt like he could not say not to either party. The eerie black claw of the ghost-type was trying to wipe away the boy's tears as he pleaded. New friend for the Erin, he supposed.

Inka often brings home wild pokemon to the point Emmet was on his knees to please put down that Teddiursa – He loves her too much to lose her. The younger twin simply is eager to explore so many different pokemon and their competitive viability. He frequently has to deal with a crying little girl who just wants every pokemon in the world – while still being just too young to be a proper trainer. There is nothing that can be done but to wait until she can get her trainer's licence, yet it is clear that she wants it now. Inka, however, had a plan to keep another outside of the Joltik that her father had lovingly bred for her. She giggled at the pokemon that she carried in her arms.

Emmet nearly screamed at the Deino in Inka's grasp. Where did she get that!? He is frantically trying to separate her from the dragon type before it bites her or an angry Hydreigon shows up to Hyper Beam them both for taking its child. But, he freezes when Inka casually offers a berry to pokemon. It snacks on it happily and nuzzles int her palm when she pets it. He blinked. “Can I keep it?” she asked. His answer still wants to be a 'no.'

Emma rarely brings home stray pokemon, unlike her sister. None simply appealed to her. She does try to help her sister (or stop her) during her searches for pokemon that she insists on being superb in competitive battling. The older twin simply does not care for battling as much as the younger does. But… a certain star-like pokemon caught her interest as it nervously dotted around the grassy field.

Emmet felt his heart skip a beat when Emma later showed up with her prize. A pink pokemon was asleep in her arms, and Emma stared up at him silently with pleading eyes. He did not think that he could deny her the Cleffa.

Cyllene was not really an outside person. She rarely ventured too far into the wilderness. Sinnoh might have been a region with a natural beauty to it, but she was simply a homebody who preferred the company of machines. Though, she still managed to find one despite that. Machinery, after all, did attract pokemon, too. She found a special friend who played around with her as she tinkered. It was scary at first, but it slowly grew to be something she truly cared for. Eventually, she wanted to capture the zippy creature and keep it around always. But, she worried about what her father might say.

Cyrus felt his heart stop when his daughter came before him with a familiar pokemon. Her big eyes filled with anxiety. Then, his heart was destroyed. The Rotom buzzed around her, clearly trying to perk up the nervous girl. He relented without any hesitation.

[laresearchette]

Tuesday, March 19, 2024 Canadian TV Listings (Times Eastern)

This Video Not Available in Your Country: Tuesday Canadian Lineup (Times Eastern)

WHERE CAN I FIND THOSE PREMIERES? THAT GIRL LAY LAY (Season 2) (Paramount+ Canada) THE VALLEY (Slice) 10:00pm

NEW TO AMAZON PRIME CANADA/CBC GEM/CRAVE TV/DISNEY + STAR/NETFLIX CANADA:

NETFLIX CANADA BRIAN SIMPSON: LIVE FROM THE MOTHERSHIP FOREVER QUEENS (Season 2) (MX) PHYSICAL 100: SEASON (KR)

CURLING (TSN/TSN5) 8:00am: BKT Tires World Women's Curling Championship: Italy vs. Canada (TSN) 6:00pm: BKT Tires World Women's Curling Championship: Canada vs. Switzerland

MLB SPRING TRAINING (SN) 1:00pm: Orioles vs. Jays

NHL HOCKEY (SN) 7:00pm: Penguins vs. Devils (TSN3) 7:00pm: Jets vs. Rangers (TSN4) 7:00pm: Leafs vs. Flyers (TSN5) 7:00pm: Sens vs. Bruins (SNWest/TSN2) 9:00pm: Habs vs. Oilers (SNPacific) 10:00pm: Sabres vs. Canucks (SN1/SNEast/SNOntario) 10:00pm: Lightning vs. Knights

BIG BROTHER CANADA (Global) 7:00pm

NBA BASKETBALL (SN Now) 8:00pm: Mavericks vs. Spurs (TSN) 9:00pm: Nuggets vs. Timberwolves

THIS HOUR HAS 22 MINUTES (CBC) 8:00pm

CANADA'S GOT TALENT (City TV) 8:00pm: The judges get to work finding million-dollar acts and award a Golden Buzzer or two.

MARY MAKES IT EASY (CTV Life) 8:00pm: Veggin' Out on the Grill

SON OF A CRITCH (CBC) 8:30pm: The Critches are doing their annual airing-out-the-house ritual, but when some family secrets are uncovered, it turns out they've got some dirty laundry that needs to be aired too.

COMFORT FOOD WITH SPENCER WATTS (CTV Life) 8:30pm: Snacking on pepperoni arroncini risotto pops, puffed millet and cornmeal coated chicken bites, and popcorn margaritas with margarita popcorn.

ONE MORE TIME (CBC) 9:00pm: After his hearing aids are stolen, DJ must put an end to the chain of gossip surrounding Eddie's infidelity before Eddie finds out who ratted him out to Gwen.

TREATY ROAD (APTN) 9:00pm: In Treaty 3 territory, Erin and Saxon learn about the ongoing struggle to protect the water from contamination; they visit a blockade in Grassy Narrows, Ont., where a woman poisoned by mercury explains environmental racism.

RUN THE BURBS (CBC) 9:30pm: As Camille's cookbook launch day unfolds in chaos, the Phams rally to save the event in a surprising and colorful twist.

PATHOLOGICAL: THE LIES OF JORAN VAN DER SLOOT.(Lifetime Canada) 10:00pm: Years after he brutally murdered American Natalee Holloway and Peruvian Stephany Flores, Joran van der Sloot's lifelong pattern of violence and pathological lying is exposed through rare interviews and new insights.

[joostjongepier]

Wat?   Caleidoscoop, Consumer’s Rest (1981) door Stiletto Studios, Black Iron (2004) door Humberto & Fernando Campana, Wire Mesh Chair (1998) door Dennis Slootweg, Solid (1986) door Heinz Landes, Double Headed Snake Chair (1999) door Niki de Sa1nt Phalle, Pavonia 91993) door Alessandro Mendini, Hairy Chair (2011) door Charles Kaisin en Bright Space

Waar?   Tentoonstelling A Chair for You in Grassi Museum für Angewandte Kunst, Leipzig

Wanneer?   2 augustus 2024

Na ruim twee uur in het Grassi Museum für Angewandte kunst te hebben doorgebracht, was ik even kunstmoe. Ik had echter een combinatiekaartje gekocht waarbij ook de tijdelijke tentoonstelling was inbegrepen. Dus besloot ik maar even het museumcafé in te duiken voor Kaffee und Kuchen om daarna innerlijk gesterkt de tentoonstelling A Chair for You te gaan bekijken. Nu moet ik zeggen dat ik stoelen niet het meest interessante onderwerp vindt om me, na een hele ochtend kunstkijken, in te verdiepen. Maar vooroordelen zijn er om onderuit te worden gehaald en dat gebeurde. Wat een geweldige tentoonstelling! Nooit in mijn leven heb ik stoelen zo als kunstobject bekeken als hier. En daar kwam nog bij dat de tentoonstelling werkelijk voorbeeldig was opgezet. Ik kwam ogen en oren te kort.

De expositie bestond uit vier ruimtes. Gelijk na binnenkomst was er een entree met enkele bijzondere stoelen en een caleidoscoop. Je keek door ronde gaten naar een wervelende, spiegelende ruimte waarin bij nadere beschouwing stoelen bewogen. Er klinkt muziek van Lou Reed. Een spectaculair begin!

De ruimte daarna werd aangeduid als Dark Space. Om er binnen te komen moest je diep gebogen door een lage doorgang. De ruimte zelf was donker en erin zweefden stoelen, als waren het sterren aan de hemel. De rustgevende muziek van Arvo Pärt (Spiegel im Spiegel) verleende de ruimte een haast meditatieve rust.

Na de duistere ruimte, kwam ik door een gordijn in de ‘Medium Space’. Mechanische, metaalachtige klanken vulden deze ruimte, waarin strakke scherpe lijnen de monochrome ruimte doorsnijden. Semitransparante wanden dragen bij aan de monochromie. De ruimte is geïnspireerd op het Barcelona-Paviljoen van Bauhaus-architect Mies van der Rohe uit 1929. Via een klein gangetje kom ik tenslotte uit in de Bright Space. De ruimte is fel verlicht en ook de muziek (Happie Chappy van Paul Reeves) draagt bij aan de lichtheid. Een eclectische verzameling kleurrijke stoelen is verdeeld over een aantal ‘eilandjes’ verspreid over de ruimte.

Op deze expositie gaat het niet om stoelen als gebruiksvoorwerp. Weliswaar zijn er genoeg stoelen die wel degelijk als zitmeubel te gebruiken zijn, maar niet alle objecten op deze tentoonstelling zijn daar voor geschikt. Sommige missen een zitting, andere zijn gemaakt van prikkeldraad of zijn beslagen met talloze spijkertjes. De stoel is op deze expositie primair een kunstvoorwerp en als bezoeker word je uitgedaagd op een heel andere manier te gaan nadenken over het concept ‘stoel’.

Hoewel veel van de namen van de ontwerpers/kunstenaars voor mij onbekend waren, zaten er zeker ook bekende namen bij zoals: Marcel Wanders, Niki de Saint Phalle, Frank Ghery en Alessandro Mendini. Maar grote of kleine namen, bekende of onbekende ontwerpers, de tentoonstelling A Chair for You is eigenlijk één groot Gesamtkunstwerk (om er maar eens een mooie Duitse kreet tegenaan te gooien). De tentoongestelde voorwerpen komen tot hun recht in een samenhang met de totale vormgeving, belichting en muzikale ondersteuning. Het geheel was een ware belevenis!

[jimsgotweb]

The Witches of Caledonia by Erin Lavelle

The Witches of Caledonia by Erin Lavelle Love, history and mystery in the Scottish Highlands – the scene of Macbeth and the witches! Excerpt – I turned to get a proper look at the stone and was surprised to see vases of flowers next to it. Nobody ever left flowers at the stone twenty years ago. I noticed there was also a sturdy metal sign erected on the grassy bank above it. That hadn’t been…

[moth-paste]

I AM BACK!! >:^D AND I'M GONNA BE SPAMMING SOME SYSTEM SHOCK 2 FANART THIS WEEK!!

The Von Braun crew members deserved better, so I'm gonna draw them living their best life and ignoring canon Also!!! MArie Delacroix?!! with HEr HAIR DOWN?!! YEAHHHHHH!!! If any of y’all have System Shock headcanons I’d love to hear about ‘em too! it’d be really cool to find mutuals on this fandom :^D

[magic-pistachio]

[image description: digital drawing of a brown tabby cat with amber eyes approaching the camera in an enviornment that appears to be an orangey grassy field at sunset or sunrise.  text: Warriors, super edition. Below text: Onestar's Confession.  Bottom text: Erin Hunter, #1 New York Times Bestselling Author/ end text end image description]

mock-up warriors cover fanart, onestar's confession ! this style inspired by my longtime inspiration devin elle kurtz, whose brushes i used for this! 

[mareyshelley]

Summary: After convincing Sarah and Erin to leave for the mainland, Mildred goes to confront her old lover. She has to talk some sense into him. A/N: Sorry for the pause. The last few weeks got really busy, and I wanted to make sure I was happy with what happens at the end of the chapter 🩸 Rating: E | Chapter 5/10: Full chapter on Ao3

September 8th, 1972.

He’d made an effort early on to learn the names of all his parishioners. He knew that the Flynns lived near that part of the beach, beside the Murrays, and the Keanes were not too far down from them.

All in all, the island was far more flourishing than he’d expected it to be. The archdiocese had told him it was a small fishing community. He didn’t think such a busy island could be considered small. It was only by chance, perhaps due to the whipping winds, that he’d found the beach empty. It was a good place to walk, to think, to pray. And that was what he did. John took his time walking along the strand, behind the houses of some of his congregation, and he thought, and he prayed.

He didn’t expect anyone to find him, not there. Anyone who went looking for him would check the rectory, or the church. No one but her would think to search the beach.

“Father!”

It was strange, hearing that word coming from her lips. She normally avoided the title altogether, but she would never call out to him by name, not publicly.

Holding his coat closed around his middle, John turned to the dunes, where Mildred hurried down the grassy sands. He waited for her with a smile. She held her coat, a dove grey one he’d come to love her in, around her in the same way; fighting off the cold fall winds.

“It’s too cold to be out here, young lady,” he said by way of greeting, and earned himself a fond eye roll.

“Then why are you out here?” she countered.

He started walking again, sighing. “I wanted somewhere quiet to think. Somewhere I wouldn’t be found.”

“Oh.” Millie fell into step beside him, and he slowed his pace to make up for her shorter gait. “Do you want to be left alone?”

“No,” he said quickly, glancing at her. She offered him a smile. “No, actually, I– I was thinking about you.  Us.”

She dropped her eyes.

“Should we talk about that here?” she asked quietly.

John glanced at the houses. There was no one around. There was only a slight chance they would be spotted from some of the windows, but no one would know what they were saying.

“I could be offering you advice, or comfort,” he reasoned, looking out at the grey waves churned up by the wind. “I talk to a lot of people with loved ones in the war. Sons, nephews, a cousin from the mainland.”

“Husbands,” Millie added, her whisper barely heard over the wind.

John nodded. “Husbands.”

[Read More on Ao3]

[readerbookclub]

One Year Later, May’s Booklist

Hurray! It’s been a year since the book club first started. Time really does fly. And why not celebrate this birthday by looking back on some of the books we’ve read together? This month’s book list is made up of novels by author’s whose works we read throughout the past year. Let’s revisit some old favourites, shall we? 

In May 2020, when the world felt like it was going to end and so many of us had more time than we could spend, this book club read its first book. Neil Gaiman’s, The Ocean at the End of the Lane, kept us occupied during that frightening time. So our first pick for this list is:

Stardust, by Neil Gaiman:

Life moves at a leisurely pace in the tiny town of Wall—named after the imposing stone barrier which separates the town from a grassy meadow. Here, young Tristran Thorn has lost his heart to the beautiful Victoria Forester and for the coveted prize of her hand, Tristran vows to retrieve a fallen star and deliver it to his beloved. It is an oath that sends him over the ancient wall and into a world that is dangerous and strange beyond imagining...

June was when many of our members first joined us (hey Ann, hey Rey, hey Lani! love ya!). Together we read The Starless Sea, a book that enchanted some, and frustrated others. Now we take a look at Morgenstern’s other novel:

The Night Circus, by Erin Morgenstern:

The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called Le Cirque des Rêves, and it is only open at night. But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway—a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. Unbeknownst to them, this is a game in which only one can be left standing, and the circus is but the stage for a remarkable battle of imagination and will. Despite themselves, however, Celia and Marco tumble headfirst into love—a deep, magical love that makes the lights flicker and the room grow warm whenever they so much as brush hands. True love or not, the game must play out, and the fates of everyone involved, from the cast of extraordinary circus performers to the patrons, hang in the balance, suspended as precariously as the daring acrobats overhead.

In August, when many of us still couldn’t leave our houses, we read A Gentleman in Moscow and met Count Alexander, a man under house arrest. He taught us a lot about finding beauty and purpose, even when everything seems hopeless. In this list, we take another trip into the wonderful imagination of Amor Towles:

Rules of Civility, by Amor Towles:

On the last night of 1937, twenty-five-year-old Katey Kontent is in a second-rate Greenwich Village jazz bar with her boardinghouse roommate stretching three dollars as far as it will go when Tinker Grey, a handsome banker with royal blue eyes and a tempered smile, happens to sit at the neighboring table. This chance encounter and its startling consequences propel Katey on a yearlong journey from a Wall Street secretarial pool toward the upper echelons of New York society and the executive suites of Condé Nast—rarefied environs where she will have little to rely upon other than a bracing wit and her own brand of cool nerve. Wooed in turn by a shy, principled multi-millionaire, and an irrepressible Upper East Side ne'er-do-well, befriended by a single-minded widow who is ahead of her time, and challenged by an imperious mentor, Katey experiences firsthand the poise secured by wealth and station and the failed aspirations that reside just below the surface. Even as she waits for circumstances to bring Tinker back into her life, she begins to realize how our most promising choices inevitably lay the groundwork for our regrets.

In November, while I was procrastinating studying for my entrance exam, we embarked on a whirlwind journey that unfolded over twenty years. Journey Under the Midnight Sun was a story that started with one murder, then spiralled into a world of crime and deception. Now we take a lot at another one of Higashino’s novels:

The Miracles of the Namiya General Store, by Keigo Higashino:

When three delinquents hole up in an abandoned general store after their most recent robbery, to their great surprise, a letter drops through the mail slot in the store's shutter. This seemingly simple request for advice sets the trio on a journey of discovery as, over the course of a single night, they step into the role of the kindhearted former shopkeeper who devoted his waning years to offering thoughtful counsel to his correspondents. Through the lens of time, they share insight with those seeking guidance, and by morning, none of their lives will ever be the same.

In February, we read This is How You Lose the Time War, a book that led to our most lively and active discussion yet. It was then we welcomed many new voices into our book club, and we’re very happy to have them. Whether you loved the novel or just felt confused, I think we can all agree that it was something unique and different. Now, we take a look at another of Gladstone’s sci-fi books:

Empress of Forever, by Max Gladstone

A wildly successful innovator to rival Steve Jobs or Elon Musk, Vivian Liao is prone to radical thinking, quick decision-making, and reckless action. On the eve of her greatest achievement, she tries to outrun people who are trying to steal her success. In the chilly darkness of a Boston server farm, Viv sets her ultimate plan into motion. A terrifying instant later, Vivian Liao is catapulted through space and time to a far future where she confronts a destiny stranger and more deadly than she could ever imagine. The end of time is ruled by an ancient, powerful Empress who blesses or blasts entire planets with a single thought. Rebellion is literally impossible to consider--until Vivian Liao arrives. Trapped between the Pride―a ravening horde of sentient machines―and a fanatical sect of warrior monks who call themselves the Mirrorfaith, Viv must rally a strange group of allies to confront the Empress and find a way back to the world and life she left behind.

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[frecklestherobot]

With the articles about remote learning in the New York Times and about colleges in the Atlantic, I find the application, or lack thereof, to potential lessons outside of the pandemic interesting. In the NYT article, the focus is entirely on the pandemic.

Remote schooling, in other words, may be more akin to dropping out than it is to attending in-person school. “Many education experts say in-person instruction is the best way to help hasten an academic recovery for those who fell behind and to address emotional and social consequences after two disrupted school years,” Erin Richards of USA Today has written.

I have yet to see anyone comment about what this implies for the prevalence of homeschooling. Indeed, many of the parents who are steadfast in their opposition to in person schooling, rather than just finding it more convenient, will likely discover how easy it is in many states to start homeschooling. If the data from last year is so solid, and I have no reason to think otherwise, then we should be seriously considering restricting homeschooling much more. The tone of this article and others like it also, seems to me, to be patronizing in its references to people of color and their potential hesitancy towards vaccination or a return to in person learning.

Black and Latino communities have suffered disproportionately from Covid, causing widespread anxiety about risks of sending children back to school. Lower-income communities also tend to have more vaccine skepticism, leaving many adults still vulnerable to the virus, albeit voluntarily so. These concerns have caused anger among parents in some districts that are mandating in-person school.

I see this over and over again, despite the fact that the most problematically vaccine hesitant demographic right now is republicans. I am sure that this comes from the well-intentioned desire to make sure that articles commenting on social issues include the way these issues impact communities of color. This writes like these communities are uniquely uninformed or making poor choices for their kids.

On the other hand, the Atlantic article is predominately focused on how COVID has shown that college tuition doesn't just buy an education.

But what did families think they were paying for? Classes are still happening, and degrees will still be conferred. Parents and students are miffed because they don’t really buy teaching when they pay tuition. Instead, they get something more abstract: the college experience. Some of that experience involves education—the seminar discussion in a facsimile of a medieval monastery, the cram session under the vaulted ceiling of a library, the brisk, after-class chat with a professor across a grassy quad. But most of it doesn’t, especially the stuff that can’t be done from a distance, such as moving away from home for the first time, swilling booze at a house party, touring houses during sorority rush, applying face paint for a football game, decorating the cold, cinder-block walls of a new dorm room.

Really, the more elite a college was, the less you are paying for the value of an individual class. You are paying for four years of little responsibility and maximum resources for your future life. Because last year was a blip, colleges will not change. This is good news or bad news, depending on your cynicism towards this fact. I find the focus on the most elite schools a bit frustratingly incomplete, but I suppose that's where this conclusion will be the most evident. Beyond education, I found this to be damning:

It might seem ludicrous to sacrifice public health to preserve indiscretion as an ideal of college life, but that life has never aspired toward well-being in the first place. It’s a deliberate feature of college, not a side effect. “Youthful indiscretions were tolerated and even encouraged as part of the process of upward social mobility that the college facilitated,” Thelin writes.

The lifestyles of the rich and well-connected will always be prioritized above all else. So many choices we made during the pandemic were made to ensure that their lives were interrupted the least. Going back to the NYT article, I also haven't seen anything on how the pandemic affected private schools. I wonder how many families on the edge of upper class are paying out the ear for private tuition so their kids can be in school, or how many find lower cost, perhaps religious private schools that do more harm than good.

I wonder if we will ever consider the costs of subsidizing the wealthy at the expense of the marginalized.

[chasseurdeloup-retired]

Dreams Most Fowl || Erin and Kaden

TIMING: Current LOCATION: We just don’t know PARTIES: @corpse--diem and @chasseurdeloup SUMMARY: Erin and Kaden are feel a little squirrely at a funeral

Kaden had nothing but dreamless sleep ever since Regan had come home. It was deep and he woke up still tired, but at least it was fucking sleep. Alarm was going off. He slammed it off and quickly got dressed into his running gear. “Yogurt’s on the counter,” he called out to the still tiny Regan as he clipped Abel’s leash into place. “Wait,” she called out from the tissue box, climbing out of her makeshift bed. “I need to show you my latest crumb drawing,” she said. “After my run. Pr--” The word caught in his throat, either voluntarily or otherwise, he wasn’t sure. “After,” he said as he headed out the door, Abel in tow. A few quick stretches and he was off, jogging out of the neighborhood towards Gallows Grove. Try as he might to avoid it, the cemetery was some of the nicer plots of land nearby. It also may have become a bit of a habit given who he was dating. But he wasn’t drawn to death. Not like she was. As he ran, he started hearing a chirping behind him. And squeaking. Must just be the animals in the trees. But oddly it sounded… louder than normal. Whatever. He kept on running, Abel by his side. Totally normal.

Dirt thumped onto the casket hovering above an open grave as Mr. Rodriguez’s widow’s tears filled the brisk morning air. There was nothing abnormal about today. Not for Erin. This was as routine as filling out paperwork in her office. She stood towards the back as the mourning family said goodbye,  her eyes drifting to the sea of headstones surrounding them. The air felt eerily still when she locked onto ‘Nichols’. That wasn’t right. Her family’s plot wasn’t even in this cemetery. Hair on the back of her neck stood upright, like warning. She couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe as she watched grassy dirt shift and move in front of her father’s plot, struggling to climb it’s way out. The empty plot where her father would have been if the witches hadn’t helped her send his decaying carcass into another world. A shrill yet thundering squawk overhead tore her eyes from the sight. A shadow stretched out, darkening every corner of the cemetery and then some. It was the gust of wind that knocked her and the panicked mourners on her ass that got her to look up. Through their screams of terror, one of them voiced the question her mind was screaming but her lips were too shocked to form. “Is that… is that a bird?”

Abel was running steady beside Kaden when they came across a funeral. Merde, he usually didn’t run into funerals this early in the morning. Shit. Jogging past them felt so disrespectful. Shit. Turning around felt worse. Maybe they wouldn’t see him. Only the people dressed all in black were waving at him. Okay, then. Kaden tentatively waved back. White Crest was fucking weird. Before he could consider why the fuck they were still waving and looking past him, Abel was tugging at the leash and twisting behind him to bark. “Come on. There’s nothing th--” Kaden twisted to look back and saw it. The source of the chirps. “Bordel de putain,” he muttered to himself right as he tripped on the pavement ahead of him and went toppling to the ground. Fuck, that hurt. Right. The people weren’t waving at him, they were pointing at the giant fucking bird behind him. His eyes were fixated on the creature as its beady eyes darted and flitted around, looking for something. But what? Shit. Didn’t matter much. Kaden scrambled to get up and tried to pull Abel back, jerking the leash towards him. Only there was nothing on the other end. Just a dust drawing of his nose where he should be. “What the fuck?” he mumbled. A bellowing squawk came from the bird and he started to turn to run away when he ran into something. Again. The fuck, he wasn’t normally this clumsy. “Erin?” he asked as he realized who he’d just accidentally shoulder checked while trying to get away.

At some point, Erin had started running. She didn’t remember scrambling to her feet or ditching the fleeing family at the gravesite. But here she was, booking it through the grass, only vaguely aware that she suddenly also wasn’t wearing shoes anymore. Not relevant. Not when the gush of wind from another flap threatened to send her flying again. It wasn’t the bird that nearly bowled her over this time. “Jesus--” she groaned, narrowing her eyes as she just barely caught herself. “Kaden?” Of all the people she could have run into, this was the last person on earth she expected and her face mirrored that surprise. “Christ, were you a linebacker in another life?” She grimaced, holding and shrugging her aching shoulder. Outside of the giant fucking bird, this didn’t feel right. If she had more than a few moments to focus, maybe she would’ve noticed how time was playing fast and loose with her perception, or how the landscape and the expression in faces of the mourners kept subtly changing around them. What she did notice was the way the ground was shaking. Suddenly the cemetery was filled with people, standing in awe, watching something just beyond the trees. She couldn’t see it though. “What the actual fuck is going on?” She asked, trying to catch a glimpse at whatever horror these people were screaming about.

“Sorry,” Kaden muttered. What the hell was Erin doing here? And was she shoeless? Kaden figured that didn’t matter. What mattered was getting the hell away from that big ass bird. “Hunter strength but we don’t have time to--” The rumble of a chipr rang out along with ripples of giant talons scratching along the ground in the distance. He wasn’t sure what Erin was doing here, but he grabbed her arm and started to direct her to follow him, they had to run from the bir-- His hand dropped and he stopped in his tracks as the ground became even more unsteady. It rattled and shook and the trees across from the beant and broke until big, fuzzy grey paws broke through. Then a nose, twitching to reveal huge, square, sharp teeth. The beady eyes were looking right down at them, the small ears swiveled in their direction. The squeak and squeal roared out at them. “Putain,” Kaden said, gaze pinned on the squirrel as it came straight towards them. He turned. Yup, bird still behind them. There were sounds of applause and cheering that started nearby and Kaden looked to see the mourners clapping as they watched the scene in front of them. “What the fuck?” He knew White Crest was weird but this was next level.

Did Kaden just say hunter? Erin didn’t push it. For some reason Kaden was here, and so was a bird the size of Mothra. All that mattered right now was not getting plucked up and swallowed whole for dinner. Time crawled as the oversized squirrel revealed itself, trampling through the trees, snapping them like twigs beneath monstrous paws. This was it, huh? Of all the fucked up nonsense this town had thrown at her, giant woodland creatures were going to do them in with an ecstatic audience cheering on their impending doom. Wait. Erin stilled. A bird and a squirrel? There was something familiar about that combination eating at the edge of her consciousness. The squirrel’s chittering and squeaking pierced her ears and the word run was screaming louder than anything in her brain. The crowd of mourners were suddenly startling quiet, still as corpses themselves, the corners of their lips forced upward in unnatural, wide grins. “Oh, fuck this,” Erin murmured as she started elbowing her way through the crowd, casting a look back to see if Kaden was following her when the casket caught her eye. It was open. It shouldn’t have been open. It shouldn’t have been empty. When she turned, she realized she was running straight towards Mr. Rodriguez. Eyes still sealed shut, his skin was dripping as if he’d been in there for months instead of hours. Like her father had. Like a zombie. He smiled and waved and she veered hard into the woods away from him.

Kaden took off at a run at the same time that Erin did. There was a casket. Sure, that made sense, this was a funeral, even if it was a weird one. What didn’t make sense was the man climbing the fuck out of it. “Putain,” he said as he jumped away from the body as it waved at them. Fucking hell. Kaden swerved to follow Erin, running after her towards the forest. He weaved in and out around trees, dodging braces, the cawing and chittering bellowing behind them still. As he ran, the trees started to thin out, the path ahead got clearer. That didn’t make sense, he was sure they had run north, deeper into the woods. But all the same, the way opened up and the ground beneath him became more even until it wasn’t dirt anymore but hardwood floors. The trees that had been reaching out were gone and he was surrounded by the four walls of his apartment. His run slowed to a jog and then a walk. When Kaden turned to look behind him, the door was even there, as if he hadn’t just come there from the woods. What the fuck?

“Kaden, over here! You can see my drawing now,” a small voice called out. Regan? His brow furrowed but he walked towards the counter. “It’s missing something,” she said, furrowing her brow and tilting her tiny head, arms crossed in front or her as he approached. When he looked down, he saw a surprisingly detailed crumb rendering of a marble gravestone. The grass and flowers, all perfectly pictured with tiny remnants of crackers and bread. “Ah, that’s right,” Regan said as she went back to work rearranging more crumbs. “This is perfect.” When she backed away, the headstone had a name above the epitaph. Kaden Langley. Gone but never forgotten. Beloved by family and friends. “That-- That’s just like what we saw at the carnival. Why would you draw that?” Kaden asked, eyes wide and slowly backing away from the counter. “It’s what I do,” she said simply. Kaden backed away more and stumbled and tripped over a root, falling down onto what was once more the dirt ground. When he looked back, a squawk rang out. He screamed. The bird’s colossal beak was right above him, ready to swoop down and pick him up.

At some point in her scramble in the opposite direction of that nightmarish scene, Erin realized she’d lost Kaden. Maybe he should have been worried or turned back to check but she couldn’t stop running, even as the rocks and branches scratched up her feet. Why had he even been here? Fuck. She should go back. When she finally had the nerve to glance back, all she could see was trees, inexplicably denser and darker than when she’d run through them. No Kaden, no corpses, no fucking woodland creatures though. This was fine. This was fine--she slammed into something hard but soft, sending her bouncing backwards. Looked up to see a giant, grey paw as big as her sunk into the dirt. Where the fuck had this thing come from? Hadn’t it behind her? She frantically scurried backwards as it sat up on its hindlegs, sniffing the air, beady, black eyes locked on Erin.

Her back hit a tree and she glanced around, trying to find somewhere to run. The forest had cleared out in front of her but the woods behind her had seemingly multiplied in just a few seconds, jutting up from the ground like prison bars. She couldn’t run through it if she tried. She was trapped. This was it. This was actually the end. The squirrel was leaning down again, the looming shadow swallowing any sunlight from above. All she saw was giant, snickering teeth and mischievous paws reaching towards for her. All Erin could do was close her eyes and pray it’d at least chomp her down in one go. Tried to think of anything else to soften the incoming blow. Nic’s shy smile, pancake breakfasts with her family, Betty curled up in her lap--

A deafening POP filled the forest. Suddenly she was drenched and getting lobbed with gooey chunks of… something. It was raining. She felt that too. The squirrel was gone when she opened her eyes but a horror scene had been left in its place. Looked down at her hands, her arms. Red. Everywhere. Did it--did it explode? At least it was fucking dead and she wasn’t. She could breathe. She looked up again, the man from the casket suddenly inches from her face. Grinning, teeth sharp and menacing, eyes bright blue and hollow all at once.

Kaden tried to scramble away, but the bird had grabbed his leg and picked him up so he was flying in the air upside down, away from his apartment, tiny Regan waving as everything grew smaller and smaller. The world below became nothing but a sea of tree tops, until he caught sight of the cemetery again. And the fucking squirrel. The bird swooped down to give him a better look. No, there was no swooping, just falling. Lots of falling. Kaden screamed as the sight came closer and closer, faster and faster. Even then, he couldn’t miss the squirrel exploding, viscera flying everywhere. At the same time, so did the funeral attendees, their heads beant back and their chests exploded, heart and lungs bursting out of their chests before they collapsed in place. Kaden tried to scream again, sure that he was getting close to the ground below when he felt the world spin and jerk around. He heard rattling and cheering and screaming nearby. Was he-- He was on the roller coaster. “No hands, Langley,” Wu said, turning to him and prying his fingers off of the restraint. Every inch of him knew it was a bad idea, he tried to hold on, but he couldn’t, she wouldn’t let him. “Come on, it’s fun.” It was the last thing he heard as the car took another loop and he toppled out of his seat, falling into a black abyss below.

Kaden jerked out of bed, sitting up, sweat beading on his forehead, trying to catch his breath. Bed. Blankets. Wing. Wing? He looked next to him and saw Regan fast asleep and her wings were sprawled out, one was resting on top of him. Dream. That’s all it was. He rubbed his face while the dog peeked his head up to see if it was time to go out. “Go back to sleep,” he whispered to Abel. And that was exactly what he planned to do himself. Hopefully dreamlessly this time.

Erin was still screaming when she launched herself out of bed, tangled in bedsheets. Her knees hit the floor and the deafening silence of the dark room had her reeling. It’d been a dream--a fucked up, hyperrealistic one, but a dream nonetheless. She was fine. She was sweating, struggling to catch her breath, heart lumped in her throat--but she was fine. “The hell--you alright?” A tired but worried voice broke her thoughts. Of course she’d woken Nic, suddenly awake and alert. Right. That kind of thing happened when you woke up screaming next to a hunter. Hunter. Kaden. That’d been weird too. “Sorry, sorry--I’m fine, it was just a dream,” she waved it off, a little embarrassed as she pulled herself to her feet. “Fuck, ow,” she hissed and slumped down onto the bed. Froze again when she pulled her leg up, spotting the small cuts littering the bottoms of both of her feet. She remembered she’d been running. But it was… just a dream?

[gourdlycatgen]

The outcasted clan cat single parent named Hollyyowl is a tortie amab femneutral cat with a classic tabby coat and white splotches. The pronouns this cat uses are it/its + nounself. This cat has short, fluffy fur and grassy green eyes. This cat dislikes twolegs, and hates lying. The cat is friendly and arrogant. The cat wouldn't see a snake if it bit a limb. This cat has light scarring and a substantial body. This cat has been chased out.

[mrs-falcon]

First time doing "detailed" maps and failed .-. To those who can actually read the map - congrats, you made it up to another level of Jumanji jk, now some explanation to this chaotic map: MAP LEGEND: Thornclan's camp - Nursery - a place where queens raise their kits, the place is literally set in the growth of Reynoutria, it almost looks like bamboo - Apprenticies' & warriors' nest - simply a nest in long grass - Leader's den - a den made out of blamble and sticks, apprenticies take care of it (getting rid of too spiky brambles, changing bedding etc...) - Stump - Thornclan's leader or deputy make announcements here - Clearing (isn't shown on map) - a center of the camp - Elders' tree - a place where elders sleep - Medicine cat's nest - a place "surrounded" by spruce branch, Thornclan's medicine cat sleeps here, it's also a place for herbs-storage - Medicine cat's den - den under the thick bushes, sick cats are treated here - The wall (isn't described on map) - a wall made of huge sticks, fallen branches and thorns (bramble), it's dividing the camp from Blustering field and keeping the camp safe Leopard wolds (Thornclan's territory - the place got it's name thanks to the "colourful spots"; yellow grass and red bramble/rose hip growing all over the entire territory) - Trainees' clearing - a place where mentors are training the young cats - Bramble rampart - a natural wall of bramble which is huge, it's partly keeping Thornclan's camp safe - Sleeping hollows - hollows for night patrol watching over the clan, resting place - Clearing - empty clearing, looks burnt - Grassy clearing - a smaller clearing rich for herbs (most of the healing plants are collected here) - Moss path - a small path made of moss, leading into Moss labyrinth - Moss labyrinth - chaotic and overgrown place, cats never go there because it's easy to get lost in there, Ranger lives here - Rat hole - place to comunicate with Starclan (especially for med cats), apprenticies go there after receiving their warrior name, while sleeping in the hole they greet Starclan in their dreams - Clan triangle aka Mullein totems - a triangle made of three plants (mullein) showing three clans, each plant directs to a specific clan, med cats call them Mullein totems - Rosehip's birthplace - a messy part of territory rich for prey, the place was named in honour of Thornclan's deputy - Half-sun - burnt paths leading to the Moss labyrinth and other ways, it is said if you follow Half-sun, your way becomes unknown - Black clearing - a completely burnt place after wildfire which never grows Parts outside the Leopard wolds - Dangerous zone - a long place of short grass, close to twoleg dens - The pool (isn't shown on map) - a pool in Twolegplace, the only source of water - Dark garden - abandoned, damaged and burnt garden, twolegs are seen there from time to time but that's rare, most rogues believes it's a place where the cat deamon's fallen (clan cats doesn't believe that story) - Blustering field - a windy field, cemetery ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- That's all! Hopefully I cleared some stuff out (and didn't forget anything) ^^;

Map (atrwork), universe & story of IWM © me

Warrior cats © Erin Hunter

[mypubliclands]

Beat the Heat

Temperatures are heating up, and this summer is going to be a scorcher! During the late summer months, temperatures can reach dangerous levels. Whether you are hiking, rock climbing, biking, camping, or fishing on BLM-managed lands, stay safe by preparing for extreme temperatures.

Beat the heat this #MyPublicLandsSummer by following these tips below:

Enjoy the sunrise! Get to your BLM destination early to avoid the hottest temperatures of the day, which can occur between 12:00 pm and 3:00 pm.

Sunscreen, sunscreen, sunscreen! Wearing sunscreen helps prevent sunburn, protect against UVA and UVB lights, as well as lower your risk of skin cancer.

Check the forecast before you leave to ensure you are appropriately dressed. Wear loose, light-colored, lightweight clothing and a hat to stay cool.

Drink plenty of water before, during and after your #BLMAdventures. Don’t forget to bring extra water for your four-legged best friend!

If you are taking your pup out for the day, try to hike grassy areas or bring dog shoes to prevent their paws from burning on the rocky areas.

Watch for signs of heat-related illnesses. Symptoms include heavy sweating, paleness, muscle cramps, weakness, dizziness, headache, and nausea.

To combat heat-related illnesses, rest in a cool place and drink a beverage with electrolytes and sodium. Go to https://www.nsc.org/home-safety/tools-resources/seasonal-safety/summer/heat for more information on what to do if you or someone else has a heat related illness.

Check out https://www.ready.gov/heat and https://www.weather.gov/safety/heat for more heat safety tips to help you #GetHomeSafe this summer.

[truenorthstories]

Hunting Season Part II

They ran for a long while, at a stiff pace, yet Erin was barely winded.  Chock it up to adrenaline, she thought.  When their buck finally stopped, by a creek, they gathered around him, instinctually scanning the woods and brush before stooping to drink.  The day was warming, and though the air was still crisp the sun was a pleasure when it reached them through the canopy.  Erin was amused to find herself following the buck closely, as did the other two fawns. She shook her head and said to herself “it’s Roland, he’s not a buck”, but her body still said “buck”.  He was so much bigger than her, and he felt safe.  She caught herself breathing him in, his scent, and was cognizant of that distinctly animal behavior.  Enough so that she said aloud, to the others “What is going on with us?  Did you see how far and fast we just ran?  And why can I smell everything so clearly? It’s like I’m becoming a real fawn, a real animal.”  Roland just shrugged and replied “I don’t know… that was a really good run, it felt right.  All I know is that we can’t stay here, we’re too exposed and pinned up against this creek.  We need to find an open meadow with tall grass for shelter.”  The other fawns nodded in agreement, so Erin just shrugged.  It did seem like a sensible plan, and soon they were running again, this time at an easy pace, leaping over downed trees and across creeks.  The land was really beautiful and Erin felt a real, deep joy as they effortlessly moved through the woods, following no trail, just their buck and his instincts.  

The forest finally opened to a meadow around a larger creek.  There were signs that it overflowed its banks every year with the snow runoff, but now the grasses were tall and dry.  They disappeared into a clump of these grasses, trampled a small circle deep in the meadow, and lay down to rest together, one buck surrounded by three beautiful fawns.  They basked there in the sun, bodies all touching each other.  Erin was so content and comfortable, her head resting on the buck’s thigh.  Terra was spooned along the buck’s back; Jenna was sitting upright at his head, stroking his hair.  They napped for short moments, Erin breathing in the intoxicated smell of her buck and an undeniable urge growing in her.  She knew he felt it too when she looked up along his prone body and saw his member, aroused and straining against the fabric of the buck suit.  His size was impressive, especially from this angle, and no inhibition arose to prevent her from gently tracing his cock with her finger and then resting her palm on top of it.  The response was immediate as he grew harder and she felt his leg muscle tighten.  By this point Terra and Jenna were aware of the mood and they began caressing his chest and muscles, hoping for the buck’s attention.  But his eyes were locked on Erin and it made her blood race; she was chosen, she somehow knew deep within her.  She felt so proud!  He sat up, pulled her up to him with a firm hand, and kissed her forcefully while controlling her neck.  It was explosive and unprecedented, the way her body wanted him.  Where was this visceral desire coming from?  He positioned her on all fours and she could feel how wet she already was, how engorged at the thought of him inside her, how desperate to be bred by this glorious buck.  Terra and Jenna fell to the side, disappointed at not being chosen, but still intent on pleasing him.  Erin felt their hands caressing her as the buck reached beneath her tail to find the start of the expertly hidden zipper that ran around from there, up to just beneath her belly button.  Over her shoulder she could see Terra unleashing the buck’s large cock from his bodysuit in the same manner, sneaking in caresses of her own as he brought it closer to her.  Yes, yes, a thousand yesses!  She whimpered as he teased her, sliding his member down through her glistening, lubricating lips.  The tip of his cock wrapped up underneath her, grazing her belly button and slipping past the zipper stop and into her suit.  Jesus he was huge.  She needed him inside her and whimpered a plea; he answered by drawing back and entering her slowly, her legs shaking as he pulled her hips back to him, diving to his full depth.  Erin was stunned at the sensation, on the edge of climax immediately, hopelessly moaning, lost in the pleasure.  As the buck took up a rhythm she was quickly hit by wave after wave of disabling pleasure.  Never before had she felt so natural, so right, so in the moment of her true purpose: to please this buck and take his seed.  She lost count of the climaxes, lost track of time, and there was only this pure physical and spiritual moment.  When she felt him tense and surge inside of her it was the purest of joys and she rose to meet his orgasm one last time.  When the buck wrapped around her they fell back into a day dream in their sunny and protected hiding place; she knew she was safe in his arms and she drifted in and out of sleep. 

Their hunger roused them; it was long past midday and the sun no longer shone upon their grassy shelter.  Roland said “we must find food”.  Despite all the animal-like transformations since this morning, Erin was pretty certain they couldn’t survive on, or even digest, the abundant grasses that real deer might graze.  But their smell was now amazingly acute and they all picked-up on the scent of food cooking.  Erin could tell, somehow, that it wasn’t far away.  With some stealth their buck led them back to the creek and they followed the food scent for a mile until they spied a small structure that looked like a very large little free library: a house-shaped box on a short post, 3 feet above the ground.  The smell of food was coming directly from it.  Hunger drove them closer, but they approached timidly, scouting all about for danger.  In the box they found a note and plenty of high-protein, and still warm, human food, which they dug into immediately.  The note said “Food bins are located throughout the area, but beware, they are as popular as a salt-lick”.  Erin was still pondering what that might mean when her buck let out a cry.  She leapt in the air and turned in time to see him slump to the ground, a large feathered dart sunk deep in his buttocks.  She didn’t have time to think before another dart bounced off the food box, inches from her body, and she heard Terra cry out as well.  Adrenaline surged! She was off into the thicket at full speed, leaping over logs and pushing through stiff brambles with a graceful panic.  Human voices were shouting near the food box, joyous exclamations.  She could also hear brush moving behind her but knew that it was Jenna, not a pursuer.   She was leader now and she kept the pace high till they’d topped a small hill with an old scraggly oak, at least half a mile from the attack.  Erin leaned on that oak as Jenna collapsed, breathing hard, and she turned back to look across the land.  Erin could see the food box clearly from this height, on the other side of the dense brush she’d just run through.  No one was chasing them, but she cried as she watched Terra and her buck get carried off by human hunters.  They loaded their limp bodies into the bed of a small farm 4x4 and drove off.  No one had mentioned hunters!  What kind of experiment was this?  What were those darts and what was going to happen to Roland and Terra?  This was bullshit!  She wanted her buck!  How could she feel safe now?  The tears kept flowing.

Erin finally shook it off and comforted Jenna until she too was ready to move.  They ran off to find shelter for the night, as the sun was really low now, but hadn’t gotten very far when a chilling howl pierced the night, and a shape loped swiftly through the trees at the edge of her vision.  Wolves!  Now that they’d revealed themselves with that howl, both Jenna and Erin could smell them plainly.  How they’d managed to sneak so close, to track the two fawns, without earlier discover was hard for Erin to fathom.  But they had.  The smells coming to the scared fawns revealed that they were surrounded!  Instinct took over and Erin broke into run with Jenna close behind her.  She faked to the left of a large fallen log but, just as wolves emerged to cut them off, Erin exploded into a high leap over the log.  Jenna followed as the wolves tumbled into each other in their frustration, and just like that they’d broken through the trap.  But the wolves fell into pursuit behind them, wolf-like human howling exulting at the chase.  They ran and ran.  Erin felt strong but she could tell that Jenna was beginning to falter.  Erin slowed her pace to match Jenna, shouting out encouragement.  But it was no use; as they reached another open grasslands at the edge of a fast flowing river a lead wolf put on a burst of speed and brought Jenna down with a sharp cry.  There was nothing Erin could do.  Other wolves were sprinting at full speed now to complete the capture, but —freed to her own pace now— Erin kicked into a higher gear and with an athletic leap bridged the raging river at a narrow point.  The first wolf tried to follow but crashed into the far bank and tumbled into the water.  He was swept a good ways downstream before he managed to drag himself back onto the wolf side of the river.  All the other pursuers pulled up shy, unsure of their ability to make the leap.  So Erin stopped too and turned to yell at the pack “What the fuck are you assholes doing?  You aren’t really wolves you know, are you going to eat me?  What is this stupid experiment?”  The wolves laughed and laughed, but fell silent when one large wolf stepped to the front.  As he did so two other wolves caught up to the pack, each tightly holding onto an arm of a struggling fawn, Jenna.  “No,” the alpha said, “we aren’t going to eat you.  We can’t catch you…yet.”  With these last words he gestured to the pack and two wolves set off in each direction along the river: two upstream and two downstream, looking for a crossing no doubt.  “But this little fawn wasn’t so fortunate, was she?”  He walked over to Jenna and stood behind her, running hands down her resistant and wriggling body and breathing in her scent.  “She smells delicious.”  The wolves all laughed and Jenna looked panicked.  Erin felt she was going to be ill.  “Just let her go!” she yelled, “she belongs with me.”  “Oh, we’ll let her go if she wants to go, in a moment” said the alpha.  “But I don’t think she’ll leave us anytime soon after all.”  He was now touching Jenna more gently, running his fingers through her hair and, to Erin’s surprise, she wasn’t struggling at all anymore.  When the alpha walked around to face Jenna he gently took her head in his hands and pulled her face to his chest.  Erin could see Jenna relax and when the two guard wolves let go of her hands she moved them to embrace the alpha, sliding down till her little body was seductively wrapped around his large thigh.  Jenna looked to Erin and softly said “I’m ok… you can go.”  The alpha laughed “So you see we won’t eat her at all.  But we will devour her.”  Other wolves moved in around their alpha, their hands finding Jenna.  The pack descended on her and soon only howls and moans of pleasure could be heard from the river’s edge.  Only occasionally glimpses of Jenna fawn-colored body made it through the crush of that rapacious pack.  Erin could make little sense of this, though she was embarrassingly aroused now and even tempted to cross back over.  But she snapped herself out of whatever spell this was, and took off at a run to seek her own shelter from the night’s cold and animals.