#It would be like a grizzly bear but faster

[bonefall]

okay warrior bites was so cool!!

would you consider something for cats who are more used to eating bugs/insects? like what bugs are best, are they prepared in any way, maybe they could raise them if they maintained anthills or places for mealworms and grubs, etc

also wondering about cats hunting large prey like deer. what would be the logistics of that?

totally don’t have to but those are some ideas i got seeing your dried minnow post. super cool!!

For bugs and insects, I can try to put out some sort of ‘Bug Overview‘ type guide for the various insects they would have access to. From what I’ve researched thus far, it falls into two categories; Domestic bugs and wild bugs.

Of course it’ll also be dependent on the territory as well. WindClan’s got some big, fat grasshoppers, where ShadowClan will find itself scaling trees and finagling grubs out of pine wood.

As a side note, when that does happen, Sorreltail’s going to be making appearances because she LOVES grasshoppers. Very unusual for a ThunderClan cat, bugs are her favorite.

As for hunting large prey... In addition to the invasive muntjac and chinese water deer, I plan to add boars to the landscape. It’s sort of annoying that the books treat foxes and badgers like wolves and bears when they’re practically the same size as a cat; realistically, the animal that would be filling that niche would be a wild hog.

Clan cats won’t be capable of hunting the BIG BIG prey, though. A boar is the furthest extent of what they can do; and it’s still a MASSIVE feat!! The large deer species like reds, sikas, and fallows can only be hunted if a Warrior comes across a lone fawn. I’m saving hunting specialty for the Tribe, as opposed to a Clan cat’s battle tactic prowess.

For that purpose I’ll probably also be leaving roe deer untouchable by Clan cats; they won’t be hunting things that are too large and fast. A boar is a dangerous animal that needs to be eaten or driven off Clan territory for safety. Muntjacs and water deer are sausages on legs.

[atimesfeeler]

Love the idea that Wade is sensitive to food, but the more I think about it, the more I think he probably consumes an insane amount of food and doesn't care about how it tastes.

He has scar tissue everywhere, probably including his tongue. So he wouldn't be able to taste very well. He'd likely pour ungodly amounts of hot sauce just to feel something.

And his regeneration factor is constantly healing him, which, no doubt, would take a lot of fuel. If his limbs are growing back, his healing factor will speed up if he inhales food. His body probably breaks down food at a much faster pace than normal, so his stomach is empty even though he just had a meal two or three hours ago. He's almost starving all the time, and he'll joke about it and nobody bats an eye because they just ate and Wade ate enough to feed a horse, so he must be joking.

Logan probably has sped up food break down too, but it's much slower. He's not constantly fighting cancer, so he can put on a little weight and store food, especially since moving in with Wade. Logan cooks a lot of food once he sees how much Wade eats, and often he'll find Wade sneaking into the kitchen for a snack in between every meal. It's a bad habit for a normal person, and Wade is a bad influence offering a bowl of ice cream to Logan every time he catches him eating mint ice cream straight out of the carton.

Logan gets a little insecure about it because why does he look like a grizzly bear when Wade looks like he's severely dehydrated (he is) and lean as he's ever been. But Wade of course loves it, loves how much food they're eating, loves almost not starving, and that Logan doesn't get on him about eating too much because it's comfortable and cozy, and what's life for if not to enjoy food and relax a little? Also, grizzly bears are sexy.

Wade would make going on a diet an absolutely impossible task for Logan, though. He's terrible. Especially because Logan likes cooking for Wade once he realizes that Wade is almost starving all the time.

[snippychicke]

Poppy Seeds--Part Three

Inspired by TooManyPsuedonyms work, which in turn was inspired by @semisolidmind fanart/cabin!Au for Playtime Poppy. Especially these works today

Master post

Seven: Music

As soon as Kissy found the old radio stuffed away, she was in love. Especially when you found the vinyl records and 8-track tapes stored away. Old records your grandparents had loved like The Mamas and The Papas, Abba, John Denver, and others you weren’t so familiar with.

Soon music was always playing in the house as long as Kissy was awake. To the point that every time you were in town, you had raided the second hand store and old music shops for more.

Because it not only made the pink giant happy, but seemed to lift everyone's spirits, even on the bad days. And if that’s what it took, you would be all too happy to accommodate.

-+-

Some old song played, and something about it had everyone up and dancing. Kissy had Ollie in her arms, and the boy was giggly as the giant spun him around. Poppy was swaying by herself on the kitchen counter, though she seemed quite content by the smile on her face.

Dancing with Dogday was a bit challenging considering your size difference, but he was determined to make it work. And well, you had no complaints as he held you close with an arm around your back while his other hand encompassed yours.

Actually, you were in heaven, you just didn't want to admit it. The feelings in your chest had been slowly growing warmer and fonder for Dogday, but burying your face in his soft chest was making you realize what exactly those emotions were.

Surely this was just another side effect of the horrors you survived, right? Or just having someone so openly affectionate with you after being somewhat socially isolated the last decade as you hid from the truth you accidentally had uncovered at Playtime.

It didn't help with him always calling you angel, or following you around like a shadow. And right now, some of your favorite moments were just laying together in bed, snuggled closely and basking in the moment.

You were starting to fall in love, and you weren't quite sure how to deal with it.

His deep voice started to sing softly along with the chorus, and you knew you were in deep trouble.

Eight: Hunt

Feeding four people was going to strain your meager funds as a small farmer/rancher. Especially when two of those ‘people’ were towering creatures with an appetite of 2 each.

You knew they could ‘survive’ off less, and they both tried to hide the fact the typical portions were leaving them hungry. But after hearing both Kissy and Dogday's growl loudly several meals in a row, you deduced that it wasn't quite enough. And while you had a large garden planted, it was going to be at least a few weeks to a couple of months to benefit from that.

You knew there were plenty of deer and elk in the woods this time of year--along with things like bears and mountain lions. So you had your gramps' old shotgun hanging off your shoulder by the old strap, unable to see either Dogday or Kissy but you knew they were still within shouting distance. Surely between the three of you, you'd be able to bring something in, even if it was something smaller like a rabbit or one of the wild turkeys.

Hunting was not your favorite thing, but it put food on the table. Besides, you knew Ollie needed more nutrition too if he was ever going to get rid of that sallow tint and put meat on his bones.

There was a grumble along with a crack of a branch that gave you half a second warning. You turned, not expecting the giant grizzly bear that somehow got behind you.

You swore as you fumbled with the shotgun-- you had been more familiar with the old Grab Pack than you were the gun. The grizzly huffed again and lumbared towards you far faster than you thought something that size could. You attempted a shot, which fired with a harsh crack, but it went far too wide.

You were dead.

But in a blur of deep violet, the grizzly was knocked to the forest floor. It took you another second to recognize Catnap as he tore into the animal.

There was a brief moment of relief… and then you realized you had just traded one deadly situation for the other.

Catnap eventually released the grizzly bear and looked towards you. You took a step back, even though you knew there was no way you could outrun him. Not here in the open where there were no places to hide. You could try and shoot him, yet that weighed too heavy on your conscience, even if it meant saving your life. Never mind you couldn’t even shoot the grizzly at point-blank range.

Catnap suddenly stood on his back legs, easily switching to be bipedal… then kneeling before you. “Savior,” he breathed with more reverence than Dogday which was… was something.

“Uh,” you answered intelligently, blinking at the giant cat. Savior? You?

With a sense of deja-vu, Catnap was tackled in the same way he had tackled the animal moments earlier. Dogday’s giant paws were clenched into fists as he wailed upon the purple cat, a deep thunderous growl echoing from his chest.

Before he could do too much damage, and before Catnap could start fighting back-- you rushed forward and grabbed Dogday’s fist and held it back. You knew he could easily overpower you, but thankfully he paused, looking at with narrowed eyes.

“Stop it,” you begged, “please. He-he saved my life.”

That seemed to get through to him. Dogday looked towards the lifeless form of the grizzly, then at Catnap beneath him. The other giant Smiling Critter was glaring up at the dog with the same hate Dogday was glaring at him.

You gently pulled at Dogday, and he slowly followed your lead, unpinning Catnap and allowing him to climb to his feet and brush off the dirt and leaves.

"Why are you here?” Dogday snarled, placing himself directly between you at Catnap just as Kissy arrived, her smile dimmed as she bared her needle-point teeth at Catnap.

Yet Catnap seemed unaffected, his eyelights focused on you, peeking out from behind your friend. “They saved us. They are The Savior who defeated the false-god.”

Dogday relaxed somewhat at his word, though just a little. “Ah, just as much of a fanatic as before.”

“You deny their works?” Catnap growled back. “Even after the many works you saw yourself, you are a heretic of the true savior?”

“My angel saved us; I’ll agree with you on that, but I know they’re not going to be happy about that new title, or your worship. Unlike the prototype, angel doesn’t exactly like sacrifices.”

“N-no fighting,” you agreed, holding on to Dogday’s hand as you stepped up to his side. “No killing--other than for food,” you tacked on, seeing Kissy pause. A deer in one hand that she had dragged like a stuffed animal along the forest floor. “Or for protection. And that goes for both of you.”

It was probably seeing you try to boss the two--both of whom were about twice your height.

You squeaked indignantly as Dogday suddenly lifted you up and pulled you close to him. “Only for your sake, angel.” he murmured, nuzzling against the crook of your neck and shoulder the best he could due to both his size and also undoubtedly glaring at Catnap over your shoulder.

You could feel your face burn hot, but still gave an exasperated expression to Kissy, who hid her teeth and instead looked far more amused than she should have been.

Nine: Close

You escaped into the porch, desperate for some fresh air. It had been about a week since the Incident in the woods, and if you thought Dogday had been your shadow, you had been sorely mistaken. Knowing Catnap.was somewhere in the nearby forest left him on high alert and even more protective.

At first, you could understand it. You were more than a little shaken yourself. Especially when you would find random animals dead on your porch, ranging from rabbits to a moose. Dogday was sure Catnap was taunting everyone but…

But you had cats before. And yes, Catnap was not an actual cat, but neither was Dogday yet there were traits that seemed too much of a coincidence.

For example, Dogday loved to be petted. To the point he often rested his head in your lap while you both sat on the floor to watch tv. He had that ‘magic spot’ where his ear and head joined that when scratched would make his leg kick. (You avoided it most of the time, knowing he was self conscious of it… but sometimes temptation was too great to see that blissed look on his face.)

So you had to admit, Catnap acting like a cat… was not so far fetched. Bringing food (because they had all been fresh kills of edible animals) was a sign of affection in most cats--even moreso, you were sure, for a giant cat who had endured a decade of near starvation.

But convincing Dogday that Catnap meant no harm… that would be a challenge.

You rubbed your eyes hard with an aggravated sigh, hard enough you saw stars when you opened your eyes.

…or maybe not. You noticed a pair of eyes reflecting the porch light, far taller than any animal you could think of…

Slowly Catnap stepped out of the shadows, though didn’t pass the treeline. Instead he seemed hesitant to draw too close, his gaze flitting between you and the house behind you.

Probably expecting Dogday or maybe one of the others to come out in a rage. Yet you could hear them talking and laughing as they played one of the board games (that you purposely lost for a chance for some fresh air.)

You didn’t feel comfortable enough to approach Catnap, but… something about the lonely creature tugged at your heartstrings. Without really thinking you scooted to the edge of the porch, dangling your legs off the edge, and offered a hand.

“Psspt ppsspp ppsspp.”

The giant cat blinked at you, and for a long moment you felt like an idiot. Trying to call Catnap like he was just an old farm cat? Really?

Yet it seemed to work as Catnap slowly stalked out of the first, slinking low to the ground with his attention split between you and the cabin.

He really was an overgrown cat.

The thought made you relax some, even ast Catnap eventually loomed over you, head tilted in curiosity as if to say: “Okay, I’m here. Now what do you want?”

“Thank you for the presents?” you offered awkwardly, not sure yourself what had compelled you other than pity. “The turkey especially, even if we had feathers strewn about for a while. They were quite… novel to everyone.”

Catnap appeared to accept the praise pridefully, standing a little taller. Without thinking (which was certainly a common theme tonight) you raised your hand to scratch his chin. He paused for a moment before sinking into your touch, a slow and deep purr resonating from his chest.

Oh. You don’t bother fighting the smile as Catnap slowly slumped to the ground, looking as blissed with the soft scratches as Dogday. Though the purring was quite new, and where Dogday allowed his eyes to close completely as he rested his head in your lap, Cat nap’s were only half closed, though the expression in them was full reverence and tenderness.

It was a rather peaceful moment--until the door slammed open. “Catnap!” Dogday snarled as the other giant Smiling Critter jumped, back arched and a hiss on his lips. “Angel! Are you okay?”

“I’m fine!” you answered as you jumped to your feet, stopping Dogday from going after Catnap as he retreated back into the woods. “He didn’t hurt me, see?”

It took a moment for Dogday to tear his gaze away from the shadows where Catnap disappeared into and look down to you. You reached up with the same hands you had petted Catnap with and cupped his face. As always, it helps him relax, though only somewhat.

“Angel,” he sighed, leaning into your touch, though not as deep as before. “Why do you have to be so kind?”

You're pretty sure his question was rhetorical, but you smiled anyway as you rubbed the pad of your thumb along the curve of his cheek. “Because no one else was.”

That caused the last bit of stress to ease, and he sunk deeper into your touch while wrapping his arms around your waist. “Angel, my sweet angel, you're going to be the death of me.”

---*--

Dogday knew logically that his angel was as kind and merciful as their namesake. They wouldn't be his angel if they weren't.

But they were als very brave and foolhardy.

It drove Dogday up the wall to see them be so kind to Catnap for some reason. They had all done things they weren't proud of, the only innocent one among them being Ollie. But they had done so to survive. There had been no pleasure in it.

But Catnap… he killed because the Prototype told him. He had killed so many in the name of the Prototype.

He may call their angel ‘savior,’ but Dogday didn't trust him. He didn't like how his angel would leave portions of food out, going as far as to yell for Catnap to come and get it before the other wild creatures did. He didn't like it when they'd scratch Catnap behind his ear, laughing as the giant cat rubbed his face against them with a deep purr.

He really didn't like it when his kind hearted angel made a space for Catnap in the barn. Filling the area with blankets and pillows, and even a spare radio and lamp.

“I can't just leave him!” You argued with a huff later that night, dressing yourself for bed. “It's going to get cold at night--winter comes early to these parts. I know that letting him in the house would be a bad idea--if he'd even accept the offer.”

Dogday knew he would--if just to spite him. Everything Catnap did, Dogday swore was for the sole purpose to annoy him.

“He doesn't deserve you, angel. None of us do, but especially not him. Yet your so kind to him, going out of the way to make sure he's okay…”

“I'd do that for anyone, ‘day. You guys didn't deserve the shit you went through, the least I can do is make up for a bit of it.”

Dogday hesitated as you climbed into bed, an uncomfortable feeling welling up in his chest. “Is that why we're here, angel? For you to try and repent as well?”

He could tell he struck a nerve as you flinched, and almost apologized, except the words got caught in his voicebox, twisting themselves into barbs to cut deeper. “Is that the only reason you let me stay with you every night?”

Your eyes were watery when you looked up at him, though there was that steely resolve as well. “You know it's not, Dogday. You're… you're special to me. I wouldn't let anyone else share my bed… except maybe Olie if he had a nightmare.”

Something twisted and knotted in Dogday’s chest relaxed at your reassurance allowing him to sigh. You echoed his sigh before patting the bed beside you. “Come here, big guy. It looks like you could use a hug.”

How were you so perfect?

Instead of crawling in beside you, Dogday decided to take that hug by crawling halfway atop of you, head pressed against your chest as he wrapped his arms around your waist.

He could hear your heart beating, quick but strong, and simply presumed it was from emotions running high like his own. He didn't even realize he had nestled himself between your legs until he felt the soft weight of your thighs press against his hips.

Oh. He may not be human but he did recognize a compromising position when he saw one. Yet before he could pull away, your hands reached up and scratched behind his ears. “Oh ‘day,” you sighed with such a hint of fondness he felt his tail wag in response. “You haven’t been feeling jealous, have you?”

His tail froze as he tensed, and he tried to hide his face in your chest. “No,” he lied.

Your laugh made it clear you didn't believe him, but you didn't call him out on it. Instead you pressed a kiss to the top of his head. “Good, because that would be silly. No one can compare to you, no matter what.”

His face felt like it was on fire, yet his tail was wagging faster than ever. His arms tightened around your waist as he tried to press himself closer to you. You were his angel, his guiding light, and for you to say that he was special to you.

Well, he couldn’t be happier.

[dambaepuff]

STRAW-BEAR-IES

☆Pairing: BearHybrid!Namjoon x GN!Reader

☆Genre: hybrid au, fluff, one-shot, pg-13

☆Warnings: none!

☆Word count: 4.3k

☆Summary: You noticed the strawberries in your garden started going missing a few weeks ago, the bushes often being smushed as if something big stepped onto them. Slowly you start to find other parts of your large garden in disarray as well. Who might be this crop thief stealing from you?

☆A/N: Hi!! This is the first time I’ve ever posted onto this account, I hope you’ll like it. I’m thinking of making it a series potentially? Feel free to let me know your thoughts and suggestions and/or if you have any sort of criticism and tips. Also beware of the fact that I do not have a beta reader and English isn’t my first language so there might be some mistakes!!

You sigh as you step into your garden and close the gate. It seems as though someone payed it a visit again last night. The once beautiful green grapes you had growing were now gone, the vines torn down, the trellises bent in funky ways and all the leaves crumpled. You take off your gardening gloves and stuff them into your apron’s front pouch. Your bare hands softly touch the now ruined plant, trying to examine the damage and determine if it’s salvageable. With a huff you bend down and grab onto the plant’s support structure, making sure your footing is firm you get to work with lifting everything up and fixing it.

“Hm, I need the toolbox for this one.” You mumble to yourself, letting go of the structure and tumbling backwards a little. Set on repairing the trellis, you start walking towards the shed. With a pep in your step you start to whistle a random tune, stuffing your hands into your pockets and fishing around for the key to the shed. As you pull out the keys and start to fumble around with them, trying to spot the square silver key, you catch movement in the corner of your eye. At first you brush it off as wind rustling branches, but then you register a large brown lump moving around. Your head shoots up and you immediately freeze up. About ten meters away from you stands a large grizzly bear, sniffing around in the bushes on your property. With fear coursing through your veins, the sudden adrenaline makes your thoughts turn hazy. Starting to fumble with the keys faster you decide it’s best to hide in the shed till it leaves, however once the jingle of the metal clinking resumed the bear’s head rose. It’s black eyes landed directly onto you. Your hands shook and you dropped the keys, your panic starting to become more prominent.

Just as you thought the wild animal was going to pounce, it turned around and ran in the opposite direction as if it was the one scared to death. You halted all your movements in confusion, letting out a breath you didn’t know you were holding. Wiping the sweat that accumulated on your forehead you picked up the bundle of metal from the ground and finally found the right key. Quickly shutting the door, you let yourself slump against it. Thumping your head against the wood, you let out a sigh of relief.

After that day you were on edge for a little while, but it wasn’t long till you went back to your usual routine. One morning you had gathered all of the produce that was overly ripe into one large bucket. Now wanting it to go to waste you fed part of it to some of your animals and the rest you had left out in front of the garden in hopes of the thief taking from there instead of ruining all your hard work. You had been carving away at a small piece of wood whilst laying on your hammock when you heard rustling behind you. Slowly turning around you spotted the same brown bear eating away at the produce you had left in the bucket. Your heart started to pound in fear, not knowing what to do you laid back down and tried to be as still as possible, hoping that the beast would be gone soon. The munching noises you could faintly hear stopped at some point and everything went quiet. Tightly shutting your eyes you prayed it was going back to where it came from, but instead you heard heavy footsteps coming towards you. A tear brimmed your eye, your skin prickled with goosebumps and your blood pumped so hard you could hear it. Shallow breaths took over your body, each one of your muscles tensing. The footsteps stopped right beside you, a warm breath tickled your face. The animal let out a deep groan, curiously starting to sniff you. Unable to open your eyes from the terror you used sound and your imagination to be able to tell what the bear was doing. It’s sniffing stopped at your hands, it’s wet snout nudging your skin. You cracked one eye open and saw the large beast staring at the small wooden figurine you had been carving. It’s eyes held no hunger or malice, it looked interested and almost kind? Unsure if you were seeing right, you fully opened your eyes, gawking up at the creature. It looked down at you and then back at your hands, almost as if it was asking what you were doing.

“Uhm, this?” You asked, your voice coming out weak as you held up your creation. The bear grunted and nodded its head. “Oh it’s just a little figurine I was making, it’s supposed to be a dog.” You said wide eyed, to which the bear nodded. “You can… You can understand me?” You squeaked out. The bear nodded again and let out a small grunt. Your confusion only doubled, yet your interest was piqued. You set down the carving onto your stomach and reached out one of your hands, slowly bringing it up to the bears head. Hesitantly you set it down, the fur feeling softer than you’d imagine. Slowly, your hand started to stroke its head to which the beast let out a content grumble and leaned into your touch. Completely stunned, all you could do was continue petting it. The bear lowered its head and let it rest in your lap, the warmth emitting from it surprisingly comforting. The mammal’s big black eyes started to blink slower, its entire body seeming to relax. You however, still felt a bit on edge. It started to nudge your hand with its nose, ‘This is it, I’m going to lose a hand now!’ you thought, expecting to get bitten. However, to your surprise all it did was give your palm a few licks, as if thanking you. It stood back up with a grunt and started to make it’s way towards the wooded area on your property.

After that exchange you had started leaving fruit and leftovers from your dinner on your front porch each evening. Every morning you’d wake up to the food gone and a little gift left in its place. The presents varied from pretty rocks and flowers to money and shiny jewelry you assumed the creature stole from someone. Scraping the remnants of sauce into the container you hummed along to a song playing on the radio. With leftover pasta in one hand and an array of fruits in the other, you made your way to your front door. Pushing the handle down with your elbow and kicking to door open with your foot, you prepare to place the food down onto the steps. A familiar set of black eyes startle you, almost making you drop everything you were holding. “Oh! You scared me.” The bear huffed out something that sounded similar to a laugh. “I got you food. Sit down.” It obliged and plopped down with a grunt. “I got you strawberries, I know you like those.” You say as you place everything down and pick up a strawberry, throwing it towards the bear. It catches the berry mid air and happily chomps down on it. “Bon appetite.” You grin at it and make your way back inside. Sparing the beast one last glance through the window, you turn off all the lights and make your way to bed.

The bear started showing up for dinner early more often, letting you feed and pet it. Tonight was no different, you fed the creature, talked to it pretending it understood you and bid it farewell. Loud claps of thunder awoke you from your sleep, looking out of your window the rain was pouring down like no tomorrow, wind wildly throwing around leaves and jostling trees. Immediately your mind jumped to your furry friend. Without a second thought you got up from bed, quickly shuffling into your slippers and pulling on a robe. With hurried steps you made your way downstairs, looking out onto your front porch you saw the same lump of brown fur laying outside your door, finding shelter from the rain under the gable roof. For a moment you hesitated, what could you even do? Would it be absurd to let the wild animal into your home? It definitely would be. So, you unlocked your front door and opened it. A gust of wind immediately hit you in the face, carrying rain water with it. Not far from your house, a bolt of thunder struck the ground, echoing loudly and flashing before your eyes. The beast startled awake, looking around it shivered in fear. Trying to get it’s attention you yelled over the wind and thunder, flailing your arms around like an idiot. The ears on its head lightly perked up and it turned its head to face you. Large black eyes landed on your figure, watching as you beckoned it inside. Without a hint of uncertainty the creature got up and started walking towards you. Reaching around in the dark and running your hand along the wall, you found the light switch and turned it on. The second your friend entered the house you shut the door, sighing as the storm’s noises faded into a mere hum.

“Wait here.” You instructed and quickly made your may to the bathroom, taking two large towels and scurrying back to the entrance. Unfolding the fabric, you draped it over the bear and got to work with drying it off to the best of your abilities. When you got to its head, you became more gentle. Gingerly rubbing out the moisture from its ears and cheeks, you looked into its eyes. They held a warmth you couldn’t explain, a sort of gratitude no regular bear could express. Its large snout twitched and it blinked up at you slowly. “You’re such a cutie.” You said softly and wiped its forehead. It let out a grunt and looked away as if it were embarrassed. “Come, you can sleep on my rug.” You said and started making your way toward the living room. Heavy footsteps followed behind you, the old wooden floor of your house creaking underneath its weight. “Sleep here, just don’t break anything please.” You told the beast with a small smile and bid it goodnight.

Sounds of birds chirping and the soft howl of the wind woke you up. Sitting up in bed you yawned, stretching your arms out above your head and twisting your torso around to release tension. Your feet made contact with the cold floor of your bedroom, sluggishly getting up to open your window. You leaned outside and took in a big breath of fresh air, the smell of rain still present in the morning chill. The peaceful moment was cut short by loud clanking coming from downstairs followed by a thump. Startled, you quickly made your way towards the source of the noise. Expecting to find the bear you’ve come to know as your friend, you’re alarmed to see a fully grown man standing in your kitchen with all of your pots and pans spilled onto the ground. You quickly grab one of your kitchen knives and firmly hold it towards the intruder. “Who the hell are you and what are you doing in my house?” You ask calmly. The man’s eyes widen and he puts his hands up. “Uhm uhh...” He mumbles, clearly taken aback. “I’m Namjoon.” He says and raises a brow, sounding more like a question than a statement. “How did you get in?” You question, tilting your head up and straightening your posture, trying your best to intimidate him. “You let me in last night.” His response takes you off guard, before you can reply to it his hand goes up to his head and he points at a pair of brow ears you hadn’t noticed before. That’s when it clicks. The large grizzly bear you had befriended wasn’t entirely a bear after all. Everything made sense now.

“Why did you steal from me?” The sentence flies out of your mouth before you can think about it. “Uhm, I was hungry.” The man replies, his ears drooping and his arms coming back down to his sides. You soften at his words knowing he never meant any harm. Putting the knife back you crouch down to pick up all the pots, he follows suit and the two of you quietly clean up. “So you say your name is Namjoon?” You asked as you began to gather ingredients for breakfast. “Yes.” He responded with a nod of his head. “I’m (Y/N), it’s nice to officially meet you.” You gave a small smile which he returned, adorable dimples appearing on his face. “Would you like some breakfast?” You asked as you rummaged around the kitchen. “Yes!” He responded eagerly to which you chuckled. After a beat of silence he spoke up again. “I’ve been thinking…” You let out a hum, encouraging him to continue. “You’ve kept me fed for so long now and I’ve done pretty much nothing in return. Let me help you with all your farm work to pay off my debt.” He said in a low voice. “You have no debt Namjoon.” You responded and looked at him over your shoulder. “However, a helping hand is always welcome here.” You started cracking eggs into a bowl. “Plus it would be nice to have someone around to talk to, y’know to keep me company.” You said as you started whisking the eggs. “You’ll let me stay?” He asked in disbelief, his voice full of hope. “I don’t see why not, you don’t look very weak and that’s certainly a plus.” You stated as you looked him up and down, giving a playful wink. His eyes winded a bit, but he didn’t comment on it.

After eating together you had decided to give him a proper tour of the property. He seemed particularly interested in your garden and your sculpting workshop. Once you showed him everything you began doing chores together, occasionally chatting and getting to know each other more. You had found out he was a stray hybrid, living on the streets for three years now. He had tried hitch hiking from one town to another about four months ago, when he suddenly got weird vibes from the truck driver he was traveling with. Not wanting to risk anything he ran away once they had pulled into a gas station, never looking back. After wandering through the woods for ages he came across the fence of your estate. At first he wasn’t going to cross it, scared someone would hunt him down and kill him if he entered private property. However, once he had smelled the pie you were baking his hunger got the better of him and he jumped the barrier. Realizing you were a stable source of food he continued to sneak around and eventually ended up here with you. Feeling grave pity for him you decided in that moment that it was your mission to help repair this man and give him the comfortable and fulfilling life he never got the chance to experience. He also told you about some of his friends who were stray hybrids as well, hoping to reunite with them one day. Apparently there were six of them, seven including Namjoon. They helped each other survive when no one else would.

After a long hard day of labor, the two of you came back to the farmhouse. You gave him some of your old oversized clothes and pointed him to your bathroom. He took his first proper shower in a while, enjoying using all of your different products and being pampered. Whilst he took care of his hygiene you got busy with making dinner. As you were grabbing all the ingredients you needed from the refrigerator, you noticed the vanilla tarts you had made the day before. Debating on serving them as dessert your eyes landed on the last couple of strawberries you managed to salvage from your garden, seemingly the bear’s favorite kind of berry to steal while you weren’t looking. Lighting up at the idea of combining the two foods for your friend to enjoy, you giddily got to work with dinner, the idea of surprising Namjoon lingering in your mind the entire time. Once he came out of the bathroom your eyes raked his form. Admiring how the large clothes fitted his frame and the way he did his best to dry his damp hair and ears with a towel. It only now dawned on you how handsome he was, this being the first time you truly took a moment to observe him since you initially saw his human form. His eyes caught yours, before you could get lost in their dark color you cleared your throat. “You hungry? I’m almost done with making dinner.” You asked and quickly started stirring the pot of sauce you were making. “I’m starving. Need any help?” He replied to which you instructed him to set the table.

The meal was fairly quiet, both of you lost in your own thoughts. When both of your plates were empty and your bellies almost entirely full, he was about to get up from the table. “Not so fast!” You said with a small smile. “I’m not going anywhere, I swear I was gonna help you clean up!” He replied briskly to which you laughed at him. He tilted his head in confusion, still thinking you were trying to scold him for bad manners. “There’s desert.” You said, your smile widening. His eyes lit up and his ears perked up. You could hear clothes shuffling, but he wasn’t moving an inch. That’s when you realized his tail small was wagging underneath his shirt. Trying to bite down your smile, you served the tarts on a plate with your strawberries. His nose moved as he sniffed the air, clearly eager for the treat. “What is it?” He asked in wonder, pointing at the baked good. “It’s a vanilla tart, try it.” You responded, handing him a fork. He eagerly dug in. Once he tasted it he started nodding his head vigorously, a close lipped smile spreading on his face. “You like it?” You asked. “Mhm!” He almost purred out, his taste buds not used to such delicate dishes. “Have a strawberry, I know you like those. Plus it goes well with the vanilla.” You picked up one of the red berries, thoughtlessly bringing it up to his lips. He shyly opened his jaws, holding eye contact as you inserted it into his mouth. His lips closed around it, faintly brushing your finger tips as you pulled your hand away. He slowly chewed, still looking at you. “Good?” You inquired, he leisurely swallowed. “So good.”

Namjoon had been living with you for a few months now. He had started stealing from your garden during last year’s spring and you let him into your home around summer time. It was now late January, your entire property covered in a blanket of crystal white snow. During this time of year you never have much work around the garden, more so focusing on taking care of all of your animals, letting yourself be consumed by reading and sculpting more often than not. “Namu, we’re running out of firewood, we should go chop up some more before it gets dark out.” You said as you poked around the fire you created in the fireplace, not realizing the nickname that slipped from your mouth. “Namu?” He questioned, testing it out on his tongue. “Hm, Namu. I like it.” He looked up in thought, lowering the book he was reading onto his lap. “Wait what was the question?” He suddenly sat up straighter, realizing you said something he didn’t quite comprehend. “I didn’t ask you a question, I said we needed to go get more firewood before it gets dark out.” You plopped down onto your butt from the crouch you were in a moment ago, chuckling at the bear hybrid. He watched you closely, playing with one of the pages of the open book sitting on his thigh. You leaned back on your palms and raised an eyebrow at him, awaiting his response. “Oh, yeah sure. You wanna go now or…?” He broke the eye contact, looking around at nothing in particular. “Yeah, let’s go.” You got up and dusted your hands off, walking up to where he was sitting on the sofa you extended an arm, helping him get up. The two of you got to work with preparing the firewood, Namjoon doing most of the heavy lifting. When you finished with it he turned into his bear form, stating that it’s easier to stay warm that way. He laid on his side on the floor, you leaning against him and petting his soft fur. It was to reserve heat you told yourselves, not being able to admit that the soft touches served as more than just a source of physical warmth.

One night you laid in your bed, covered in heaps of blankets trying to warm your body up, but it just wasn’t working. No matter how many layers of fabric you put onto your body you were still freezing. You crawled out of bed, shivering as the cold air in your room hit your whole body. Shuffling around in the dark for your slippers and robe, you hazily pulled them both on and made your way to the guest room down the hall. Lifting your fist up to the door you softly knocked, a sleepy grumble could be heard from the other side. Taking it as a sign to come in you pushed the door open. “Namu, I can’t sleep from the cold. Can I come sleep in your bed?” You quietly said into the darkness. The lump in the middle of the bed grumbled something, his arm extending and lifting the duvet he was under. You eagerly entered the room and took off your robe and slippers, shimmying into the bed. His arm wrapped around your waist and he pulled you into his warm chest. Finally heating up, you let your body relax into his embrace, letting sleep take over.

Following that night it became a routine to share a bed, the excuse still being the need for warmth. Namjoon had especially grown accustomed to holding you in his sleep. So much so that one afternoon when you went to a nearby town to buy some necessities, he decided to take a nap. He couldn’t find a comfortable position if his life depended on it. Tossing and turning in his bed, he realized his arms felt too empty. He tried hugging one of his pillows, but it wasn’t enough. Huffing in annoyance he decided to go sleep in your bed, the thought of your scent enveloping him made his tail wag immediately. He walked over to your room, plopping down onto your bed and nestling into your sheets. Burying his head into your pillow he inhaled your scent, letting out a satisfied hum at the familiar smell. Though he partially found the comfort he was seeking he still wasn’t fully pleased. He laid in your bed for what felt like hours, missing the way your hands would gently play with his hair and scratch behind his ears. The moment he heard your car pull up into the driveway he shot up from bed, running down the stairs and almost tripping over himself. You entered the house with arms full of bags, setting them down to take off your shoes and jacket. He didn’t even give you a moment to register his presence, immediately enveloping you into an embrace and starting to scent at your neck. “Namjoon, that tickles!” You giggled as his nose brushed against your sensitive skin. Upon hearing your voice he only hugged you tighter. “You okay?” You asked, placing your hand atop his head, suddenly worried by his behavior. “Yeah, I just missed you.” He mumbled into your shoulder. “Was I really gone for that long?” You questioned as you pulled away, trying to get a proper look at his face. Realizing how clingy he was acting, he became embarrassed. He let go of you and awkwardly cleared his throat. “Uhh no.” He said, scratching the back of his neck and looking away. “You can come with next time.” You stated, sensing his shame. The small ears atop his head perked up, a lazy grin spreading on his face. “Yes please.” He responded, a light pink forming on his cheeks.

Eventually the two of you unpacked all of the things you bought. The second you were done Namjoon tugged at your sleeve. Wordlessly, you let him pull you along to wherever he wanted to go. He brought you to your bedroom, laying you down onto your bed. “Sleep.” He mumbled, nosing at your throat and laying down onto your chest. Your hand instinctively rose to his head, scratching at his scalp lightly. You felt a low rumble coming from Namjoon, at first you thought he was just clearing his throat, but then it hit you. “Namu are you purring?” You asked. “Yeah.” He simply responded. “I didn’t know bears could purr.” You chuckled, pleasantly surprised by the discovery. “It doesn’t happen often, but it is possible.” He muttered, nuzzling further into your skin. You grabbed one of his hands, intertwining your fingers together. Slowly you brought it up to your face, placing a gentle peck onto his knuckles. His purring abruptly stopped. “Is this okay?” You asked, your heart dropping at the prospect of making him uncomfortable. He didn’t reply verbally, only placing a soft kiss onto the bare skin of your collarbone, his purrs resuming twice as loud.

[morkaischosen]

you gotta explain the rachel squid thing. i mean, i get it on some level but i'd go with the rachel bear or rachel crocodile covers

Gladly!

It's not just the squid, is the first thing- really it's about the Squid Book. But it's the squid on the cover, and that stands in for all of this.

In Animorphs book 27, The Exposed, the crew acquire the form of a beached whale in order to get deep enough to acquire the giant squid form they'll need to survive the crushing depths of the sea and reach their objective. It's a Rachel POV book and I'm a Rachel girlie, so of course I was ready to do some deep dives (so to speak). So was Morgan, whom I was reading along with - this was a few years back, picking the series up as an adult after the half-dozen of them that I read (and reread) as a kid made such a strong impression on me.

The thing that really stuck out to me in the Squid Book was the way it seemed to be using its descriptions of the whale and the squid to echo something about Rachel.

My instincts were sure. Calm. Confident. I had no fear. No questions. I asked for nothing. I explained nothing.

The whale is bigger than all the anxieties she tries to be faster than or strong enough to endure; bigger than the fear of failure.

The whale did not fear what was going to happen. It hunted to eat every day. Someone would win the battle, someone would lose. The whale had accepted this fact since birth. I had not. Losing was not something I wanted to think about. This was not a situation where I could simply demorph if the whale was hurt. To demorph was to die.

That's something we see in a lot of Rachel's morph choices - in her own body she's all grace and elegance, a gymnast and a model, but rather than the liquid danger of Jake's tiger morph she chooses the size and power of a grizzly or an elephant; animals that are big and tough enough that they don't have to care about opposition for longer than it takes to push past it.

The squid was smaller, much lighter, basically weaker. But it had agility. And it had arms. I had a mouth. Imagine a fight between a gymnast, small but with full use of arms and legs, and a three-hundred-pound linebacker who can only use his mouth.

Gymnast, huh?

Someone was turned away from me. Another giant squid, floating, arms extended like some vile flower. I saw the mantle. My meat. I drew in water and expelled it like a jet blowing exhaust. I jetted forward! I drew my long arms up from the depths, coiling them and extending them toward my prey, moving them in what felt to the human part of me like slow motion. The other squid was unaware! Cassie? Was it Cassie? Who cared? Cassie would feed my hunger just as well as -

Rachel almost loses herself in that gymnast's violent urges, but manages to come back to herself when Cassie speaks.

Everything here comes back to Rachel's urges. There's a moment after Cassie's morphed Rachel in the crocodile book where she talks about Rachel being hardwired for recklessness; here we see the magnificent calm of being something too big to be reckless set against the swift gymnastic violence of something that kills without thinking.

And when Rachel takes that vast imperturbable shape and takes the battle to this animal mirror of her most violent self, she loses. She has to retreat or be lost, but Tobias - here despite his terror of the water, because he wants to be with her - has her back, beats the squid, and saves the mission.

The whole thing reads as metaphor for the battle between who Rachel wants to be - so self-assured that the anxieties she opens the book with roll off her - and who she's afraid she is, and it became my chosen shorthand for that internal struggle.

As the series goes on, Rachel loses herself to motion and violence, and it destroys her.

That's why, after I finished reading the series, this was the last message I sent to Morgan right before I went to bed:

That's why he gave me a print of the Squid Book cover; and that's why it's hanging on my wall.

[egg-emperor]

Do you think eggy would take long naps after gorging himself on the finest food, almost like how a real bear goes into hibernation after eating lots of food?

Yes absolutely, with the way he eats, you'd think he was genuinely preparing for winter hibernation, he makes sure his gut his well supplied for all the hard work his mind and body does, it needs the energy and care! It's an example of his love for himself, believing he should always be very well fed. And in the cookbook he says he eats to maintain his signature feared figure so he makes sure to keep living up to his name! It feels right when it's full of all the finest food and rounded out nicely to emphasize his glorious shape 💜

He really knows how to dine like the emperor he knows he's meant to be, the cookbook had just a few examples of all the delicious food. He's happiest when he eats grand feasts where everything is lay out before him like his personal buffet table all for one man, or multiple courses of a big meal and he'll gorge happily to his heart's content. Such big warm meals of rich delicious filling food are very comforting and results in one of the times he's the most relaxed and content that his constantly energetic or angry self can be XD

This official LINE sticker is the exact visual of how he looks when he's done, kicking back rubbing his full content gut, picking at his teeth with a toothpick, grinning proudly for finishing all of the stack of plates 💘

If he doesn't unpin the front flaps of his jacket from his bodysuit, the buttons will pop off like this! And if he does and the buttons remain intact, he won't be able to pin them back down for a while after hehe

Naturally, having lots of warm rich food sitting heavy in his gut makes him very sleepy and while he's very hard working and very busy and will sometimes postpone sleep to prioritize it, he can still enjoy his naps, so he doesn't fight it when he feels he's got the time. It's most common to take place after his lunch because a mid-day early afternoon nap is the perfect little break that separates all the hard work he does in the morning from the evening, so he can recharge his energy ready for the late night work ahead.

He always enjoys taking his full tummy somewhere nice and comfortable for a nap. He'll waddle to bed carefully or if sleepiness hits strong and the heaviness discourages him from getting up, he'll slip into a food coma there and then. His gut working hard to process and digest can wear him out! And a full belly makes him feel so cozy, he can't resist. If someone is there to give him belly rubs to support and comfort it'll send him off even faster, it's so pleasant and soothing that it lulls him to sleep in no time 🥰

Orbot and Cubot try to advise against the naps he takes immediately after his biggest feasts because none of those calories are getting burned and they want him to somewhat watch his weight but he'll just groan and roll his eyes like "Oh blah blah shut up, this is my me time, I deserve this! And such a powerful genius brain like mine burns calories enough at all times, no matter if I'm awake or asleep!" And they know there's no arguing with their boss so they quickly let him win but can at least say they warned him.

He doesn't care though, nothing ruins the delight of his experience! He loves the cozy bliss of laying back with a full tummy and peacefully drifting off. He'll fall into the deepest slumber like he really is going into hibernation after supplying his gut with all the good food he needed. He can be seen with his hands clasped over his full gut, head tilted back with his jaw hanging open and drooling, and the loudest snores over the gurgles of his digestion. It's a rare adorable vulnerable sight from him 💕

His naps are very important and all his creations must let them happen in peace, otherwise he'll wake up one very angry grizzly bear! It's actually very difficult to make him stir when he's in a sleep so deep unless it's the blaring alarms of his bases when there's an emergency but you can count on the likes of Orbot and Cubot to fuck up so bad that they still manage to disturb him sometimes lol. But if he successfully makes it the whole nap without interruptions, he'll awaken in a very pleasant mood!

So yes, a grizzly bear of a man like him is sure to eat and hibernate just like one too! 🥚🐻🧸

[catindabag]

TBOSAS on Crack short take (49)

*When the Mentors lied about their Tributes’ skills on LIVE TV*

Lepidus: Welcome back to the ✨Table Talk✨! I’m your host, Lepidus Malmsey-

Casca: Booooo!

Lepidus: Ugh. Who let Highbottom sit with the audience again?

Felix: Just ignore him.

Lepidus: And why does your school want me to do another round of interviews?

Vipsania: To gain more sponsors-

Gaius: For money.

Hilarius: We love money.

Coryo: I need money.

Sejanus: To proclaim my undying love to my Coryo-

Coryo: Not now, Babe.

Sejanus: But-

Coryo: I’ll give you a kiss if you shut up.

Sejanus: Can you kiss me now-

Casca: Booooo! Get a room-

Felix: Back to you, Malmsey!

Lepidus: Um- okay. So here we are again with our favorite Mentors-

Festus: Yo, Leppy! Leppy, why do I have to wear this stupid paper bag?

Lepidus: It’s Lepidus.😑 And your Class President was the one who asked me to cover your face.

Festus: Why?!😫

Felix: Creed, just wear the bag.

Coryo: That’s what you get after you forced us to bail you out from juvenile jail, Bestie~.😊

Festus: I did nothing wrong-

Coryo: You trespassed and dumpster dived on private property.

Festus: I did not!

Felix: The President of Panem would disagree.

Festus: But I’m not even a fugitive!

Lysistrata: Not yet~.☺️

Festus: But-

Felix: Lepidus, please continue.

Lepidus: So my first question is for-

Livia: Just spit it out, Leppy. We don’t have all day.🙄

Juno: Yeah~. I even have an important appointment with my chiropractor after this.

Lepidus: Fine.😞 What are your Tribute’s strengths and weaknesses?

Livia: Excuse me?! Weaknesses?! That’s incorrect. My new bestie from ✨District One✨ doesn’t have weaknesses.🙄💅

Lepidus: That’s impossible-

Livia: Facet with his tasset can even stop a freaking bullet just by looking at it.

Lepidus: That’s a lie-

Livia: I’ve seen him do it before, Leppy~.

Palmyra: Just one bullet? That’s so lame, Livia. Velvereen the Wolverine can melt bullets and spit acid.😌

Vipsania: Ha! Both of your Tributes are nothing compared to mine. My Tribute, Treech the Leech can suck your blood out in seconds.

Pup: Well, my Tribute, Lamina with her stamina can drown anyone with just her salty tears.

Apollo: Bro, shut up. My Tribute, Otto from the Grotto can kill a grown man with just one punch.

Diana: Just one punch? My Tribute, Ginnee Houdini can turn you all into dust-

Juno: That’s so unoriginal, Ring. My Tribute, Bobby-

Hilarius: Bobbin.

Juno: Bobby Corn Poppy can lift a thousand grown grizzly bears with just one arm!

Hilarius: But my Wovey with just one knee can make you run for your money!

Gaius: You be lying, Hilari! My Tribute, Panlo with his hands low can kick all of your asses!

Androcles: That’s all you’ve got, bro?! My Tribute, Sheaf the Chief can strangle you with her eyes!

Io: Andie, stop with your nonsense! My Tribute, Circ with his quirk can fly you to the moon and back!

Urban: That’s all?! My Teslee from Mississippi can break a giant’s neck with her thighs!

Persephone: Do better, Urban! My Mizzen The Gremlin can break your bones with just using his zen!

Festus: Lol. My Tribute, Coral No Morals can knock you all out with just her profanities!

Dennis: Creed, sit down! My Hy So High can fly faster than a fly!

Iphigenia: Suck it, Dennis! Sol Aerosol can burn you all with just her sweat!

Domitia: Lame! My Tanner with a hanger moves faster than a spider!

Arachne: That’s just so and so! My Tribute, Brandy Sharp Candy will slice you to bits!

Clemensia: Little Crane is just jealous because Reaper The Sweeper has the strength of a thousand wild zebras.

Felix: And Dill with the drill has the agility of an eel!

Florus: Boring! My Tribute, Sabyn So Keen has the eyes of an eagle, speed of a cheetah, and the strength of a thousand flamingos!

Sejanus: But they won’t stand a chance against my friend, Marcus Spartacus!

Lysistrata: Wrong! My Tribute, Jessup with his getup will crush Marcus Spartacus like a bug!

Coryo: But they will all surrender to Lucy Gray and her army of Mockingjays!

Everyone:. . .

Festus: What’s a mockingjay?

Lepidus: What the duck and buck are you guys even saying?!😫

*Meanwhile, at the Zoo*

Lucy Gray: Sheaf the Chief-

Sheaf: Don’t even start, Baird.

Lucy Gray: But-

Sheaf: Do you want me to strangle you with my eyes?

Lucy Gray: Nevermind.😞

[r3dmooon]

👋 Hi! Uh I was wondering if you would do a Wally x reader (gn) with reader being a zoologist showing him pictures of animals! I feel like he would be rlly interested in wolves and ostriches because they are like Barnaby and Poppy but just not so colorful. And not on two legs. :>

a/n: omg so many people have been requesting even tho my requests are closed 😭😭 (but I like the ideas so I'm writing them anyways 😔)

wc: 0.5k

Master List

❥When you moved in all the neighbors were curious as to why you had what seemed to be a sanctuary. Some parts caged, an indoor structure, and then your home which was a bit on the big side.

❥Boy were they fascinated when you brought your variety of animals. You had many different types of fish, foxes, wolves, panthers, cougars, ostriches, parakeets, monkeys, lizards, snakes…it existed, you probably had it. 

❥You even had a little Venus Flytrap plant <3 It ate insects…it's close enough (shhh this is the self indulgent part).

❥The others came by a lot. It was like every time they visited, they found a whole new batch of animals they swore you didn’t have before. Frank loved coming by to see the insects you kept. 

❥Besides Frank, the other person who came around the most was Wally. He couldn’t help but his curiosity for all the animals you had! You’ve brought a whole new world to them all (even though it’s technically out there…) and he loved the constant little facts you couldn’t help sharing to him. He just watched you intently as you told him that you feed your Betta fish live mealworms so it had more vibrant colors. 

❥He’d also ask questions. “Barnaby came from what?” He was quite astounded that those…intimidating wolves were technically Barnaby’s ancestors. He found it quite fascinating since the dog seemed like the exact opposite.

❥”What did you call that? An ostrich? It reminds me of Poppy, just less colorful.” Wally would muse. “Ostriches and Emus are some of the biggest birds! Perhaps Poppy is a descendant of one.” You would humor. 

❥I think Wally would love your chameleons the most. He loves watching their eyes dart around. Not to mention how they eat. He finds it so cool watching its tongue dart out faster than he could process. Not to mention that it’s color changing! He gets so much inspiration, wanting to paint it and then watch it walk over the painting and change its colors. So fascinating to him.

❥Wally will also stay by your side and watch you feed them all. For someone not used to watching wild animals feed…he’s not too phased. He just smiled as you fed your Venus Flytrap small crickets, to watching you feed your Grizzly Bear whole salmon!

❥He admires how much you go out of you way to take care of all your animals. He even offers to help you! Though ferrets and cats he tends to avoid. They’re just such rascals and he would hate for them to ruin his hair :( (But he can’t stand the sad look you give and ends up with ferrets and cats alike covering him from head to toe! They love him sm).

❥In conclusion, Wally becomes your partner of maintaining the zoo you’ve created. It just means he can spend more time with you after all <3

[irrealisms]

no one is truly appreciating the man vs bear question like i am. the thing is. it's not about whether a man is more or less likely to hurt me than a bear is. they're both so vanishingly unlikely that that's not the point. if i'm going on a hike and i see a Person thats nothing. happened to me a lot. common occurrence. it has never been notably positive except for if they have a dog. if im going on a hike and i see an ANIMAL? that i DONT REGULARLY SEE? that is the entire reward of hiking!!!! if i wanted to see a human person i'd go to the grocery store. if i stay a respectful distance from that black bear in the woods there is still such an incredibly low chance of me getting hurt--plausibly higher than the human? maybe? maybe not? idk? but still really really low--BUT i would have a cool story and maybe a picture and i would have gotten to see and appreciate a unique animal in the wild! if there is another person on the trail then there is no reward for that. maybe we're going the same direction and have to awkwardly walk the same direction for a while while staying juuuuust far enough away that we don't talk. maybe the one of us who walks faster is behind the other and we have to sort of awkwardly pass while on a trail that is NOT wide enough to really accommodate two people. maybe we're going opposite directions and we have to sort of smile and wave but we do this too far away and then when we meet each other we have to say hello again and exchange a few awkward sentences of smalltalk before passing each other. maybe they even want to talk to me. i do not go to the woods for these sorts of interactions. the whole point of the woods is that i am there to see ANIMALS and NOT PEOPLE. "would you rather come across a bear or a human man in the woods" is NOT a question of "is the bear or the man more dangerous" because the risk in either encounter here is incredibly low. it's "do you want to see a bear or do you want to have a normal hike in which you see no bears" and the answer to that for me is that i would LOVE to see a bear. if we're proposing it's a grizzly bear and not a black bear i will start to factor some risk into my calculations but tbh it is still a fairly low risk which is worth it for the opportunity to see a bear. similarly if we are proposing that the human man is walking their dog i will also factor in the pros (get to see a dog!!! who i might get to pet!!!! this also makes all interactions with their attached human significantly less awkward) and cons (might jump on me) of that

[moshywoosh]

Open Season's Problem

Make no mistake about it, the movie “Open Season” is really open season on hunters.

The animated feature currently playing takes aim at hunters who take aim at animals and sums up the rest of the gun-toting population as buffoons.

This is a propaganda film designed to plant the idea in the minds of America’s children that animals are more or less cuddly good guys and hunters are bad guys.

Before a non-hunting co-worker took his kindergarten-aged daughter to see the movie, I asked him to watch how the hunters were portrayed. He reported that the hunters were shown in a stereotypical manner — as yahoos who slobbered, drove pickups and spoke with Southern accents.

Shaw (voiced by Gary Sinise), the ultimate dingbat, is indeed a bloodthirsty, law-breaking, fanatical poacher. In short, someone any respectable hunter would disavow and turn over to the conservation police faster than turning over a flapjack in a frying pan. I expected the animals to be cute, gooey caricatures that would make me cringe. But Boog, the grizzly bear with an identity crisis (Martin Lawrence), was quite tolerable. His unwanted deer sidekick Elliot (Ashton Kutcher), is a mass of insecurities that make him annoying, but who occasionally displays a standup comic’s wit.

“Open Season” is for kids who have no powers of discernment, but the script is for adults who have to chaperone them. So there definitely are chuckles. Even Shaw gets to mouth off cleverly once. During a yelling match with a female park ranger whom he calls “Girl Scout,” he says, “Put me down for a box of thin mints.”

Boog was a cub rescued in the wild and raised by Ranger Beth. He lives in her garage, has his own Teddy Bear and knows he has a good deal getting three squares a day and watching TV. Elliot leads Boog into mischief, and reluctantly, Ranger Beth relocates Boog to the mountains to begin a normal life as a wild bear, minus the room service. (The shifts back and forth between unrealistic fantasy and occasional common-sense environmental policy can leave you dizzy, and it’s not the way animals would actually be rehabilitated.)

Boog is a bear who has no affinity for the woods and no idea how to use his growling, intimidating size and super strength to protect himself or his friends. All he wants to do is go home to his Marriott-like garage space.

Wild man Shaw, determined to plug Elliot and Boog, is in the way and wreaks catastrophe wherever he goes. He was nuts from the get-go and is completely looney-tunes by the end of the flick. He has spent a lifetime operating on the assumption that man is at the top of the food chain and now he envisions an animal conspiracy, with pets “as double agents,” seeking to take over the world.

Legal hunting season opens and hunters from the Yellowstone-area-like town of Timberline head to the woods, where they raise tents, light campfires and begin hunting. They are met by an animal rebellion that features Boog, Elliot, skunks, deer, squirrels, rabbits, beavers and anything else that is around.

The hunters are routed and the animals live happily ever after in the forest, which Boog realizes is his true home. The unexplained, strangest part of “Open Season” is its apparent disdain for rabbits. It is indeed curious that rabbits are treated as disposable trash. What’s up with that?

Of course, not for one second does an honest, nature-loving outdoorsman appear on the screen. Not one sentence is uttered explaining how hunters love the woods, use the meat from their kills to feed their families or are conservationists whose hunting prevents species overpopulation.

And it never mentions that grizzly bears often eat other animals.

Oh, well, it won’t be long until new movies are released and it will be closed season on “Open Season.”

@ilovescaredysquirrel2

[onmytape]

Colton Dach on the Showbound Podcast

spending the summer doing shoulder rehab from his injury and working on getting “stronger” and “faster”. and went back to kelowna after the mem cup to pack up his stuff because he didn’t have a chance after being traded to seattle at the wjc 

his grade 9 bantam team only lost two games all year (with zellweger, guenther, savoie?) he and some of his teammates skipped school on 2018 whl draft day because they knew they were getting picked high

on playing with kirby in saskatoon: “it would’ve been nice if he didn’t make the show at 18 so i could’ve played with him there [longer]”

took him 30 games to score his first whl goal. “wasn’t very positive” with himself

names Tristen Robins ("offensive weapon”) and Kyle Crnkovic as memorable players on the blades

When asked if he thinks the dub is the toughest league in the chl: “i played against the other two [at the mem cup] and going into it we’re like okay we’re just going to bully these kids, we’re just going to run them out of the rink and i’ll give it to the quebec team. Was probably the hardest, toughest guys to play against.” 

One of his teammates tried to look up the fights of the ohl players before the mem cup and (because of the limits of fighting in the league) couldn’t find anything to study and gave up. 

“Growing up I was always a feisty kid and I always thought when I get to the dub I'll be able to handle myself” first dub fight at 16 against a 20 year old. lost horribly.

Kirby spoiled that colton was getting drafted by chicago because he told one of their friends to grab the hawks hat after getting a text from someone in chicago’s management before the pick was announced.

Thought he was going to st. louis because he had the most conversations with them before the draft 

Montreal asked him which animal he’d be and he answered grizzly bear “bigger guy, not so fast but physical” and at the end of the conversation one of the montreal guys said “i don’t think you’re a bear” Guenther and Zellweger were present at the zoom call. “Zellweger said he’d be a wolf or a predator or something like that” 

Colton found out he was traded to kelowna while he was in chicago with kirby driving to the rink and duncan keith called kirby and told them colton was traded to kel before either of them knew

About kelowna: “they were great guys. It was awesome. Still best friends with a lot of them.” 

Kirby’s trying to sell colton his car so he can buy a new one. Colton doesn’t want to show up to camp without having played a single pro game with a g wagon. 

He was roommates with reid schaefer at the world juniors. Their room faced the hotel exit so they anxiously watched guys leave as they didn’t make the cut. Schaefer got a call that his car was being towed in seattle and Colton’s dad kept calling to ask if he had made the team yet. The phone calls made them think they were getting cut. 

Didn’t have high expectations because he was told during a meeting “just to let you know you're not here because of your play this season so far, you're here because what you did in the summer at our camp”

When asked what happens when they cut one roommate and keep the other - during the 2022 summer wjc zack ostapchuk and his roommate were told to pack their stuff and it wasn’t until the roommate had already left and ostapchuk was about to leave that they told him he wasn’t actually cut 

After losing to czechia nobody on the team talked until the next afternoon. Captain shane wright didn't let the team play sewer ball before the next game so they would focus better

About bedard: good ping pong player. Colton mentions coach chippy’s videos about bedard’s wrist curls 

Almost got kicked out of the media box during bedard’s ot winner vs slovakia because he was being too loud and banging on the desk while the staff was trying to work 

On the playoffs: played kelowna first, says his ex teammates knew how to trigger him on the ice and chirped him with inside stuff when he skated by the bench 

Calls guenther the “powerhouse” during playoffs 

After guenther met crosby he texted colton on instagram and colton was like “i hate you so much right now” 

After being drafted to chicago colton got a text from kane to congratulate him and made some comment about getting the “better dach” 

Calls seattle thunderbirds fans “unreal” 

“one funny story actually after we won, you know, boys did their laps with the trophy and take the team photos, two of the guys went out to the parking lot to get the coolers of beer and drinks so you know the guys can have some fun in the dressing room and they get locked out and because we're in the states it's 21 you know like you can't - they're not supposed to drink - right yeah, everyone's under 20. the commissioner is walking by and he's the one who told everyone that we can't drink or something like that in the room. the commissioner walks by outside these guys are stuck outside sitting on the cooler drinking beer. in full gear as well. just sitting there and he comes up shakes her hands says congrats and walks away. it was pretty funny”

“Partied friday night, saturday, sunday, skated monday/tuesday” after winning the whl champs

After they got back on the bus after losing the mem cup, the team was dejected and crnkovic stood up and yelled “we’re still champs” to rile the boys up again

considers himself “grumpy in the mornings” 

crnkovic is the funniest guy on the thunderbirds but the worst chirper. colton considers himself the biggest chirper.

Saunders is best dressed, crnkovic is the worst and can’t tie a tie.

says Ciona is most likely to be a coach when they’re done playing “lot of patience” “good leader” 

"Stranded on an island for a month with three seattle thunderbirds?" “Bryce pickford for sure. He would know how to handle a situation out there. Maybe Milic. You know if he brings his guitar he can sing some songs out there so that’d be nice. Maybe gunner (Guenther). Just get some laughs out there. Create some chaos. He was my roommate so it was pretty funny.”

“Any funny coach stories?” “I wouldn’t say it’s really funny it’s kind of awkward. So in kelowna last year we had to put one of our dogs down and my mom called me and told me that the night before and I go to practice the next day and I told one guy on the team and everyone's skating around it's kind of, everyone's not talking, just a quiet day and the coach comes in he's like what? what the hell? like did someone's dog die last night? and oh you know I just I sat there I'm like oh no wiping my eyes. one of the guys comes up to me gives me a hug and he's like, "yeah Colton's dog.”'

about bedard and media: “I always went behind him on the bus [at wj] so I can get a little extra air time on TV” “no he’s definitely, he does really good with that stuff. He’s very well media trained” 

On seeing kirby: they call after every game, don’t always talk about hockey. Call each other on off days to play video games. Colton went to montreal for kirby’s bday for a week while his shoulder was separated. “That was pretty special. I haven’t really got to watch him play since he’s been in Saskatoon.” 

(jun 25th, 2023)

[cuoredimuschio]

wip weekend ✍️

tagged by the incomparable @cheatghost 💙💙💙 (while i have your attention, folks, this is my purely selfish request that you go send some asks lou's way so we can get even more juicy snippets 👀)

rules:

post up to five file names of your wips. post a snippet from one of them. snippet must be words you wrote in the last 7 days.

after you’ve posted, people can send you an ask with one of your file names. you must then write 3 sentences in that file.

if you’re reading this, you’re invited! if you see someone posting a wip wednesday/weekend game snippet, send them an ask! make them write.

current wips:

line of apsides (my summer challenge that was supposed to be done months ago)

wound up (aka guitar lessons)

the one for shits, giggles, etc where eddie's the prince of the underworld (iykyk)

miracles one-shot (dinner at the munsons')

tagging, with absolutely no pressure whatsoever: @scarcrossdlvrs, @starryeyedjanai, @thefreakandthehair, @patchworkgargoyle, @pizzaqueen, @flowercrowngods

snippet from the one where eddie's the prince of the underworld:

He doesn’t have to ask to know that she’s a god. One far older and far more powerful than him. But what she is not, is who he was expecting. 

She could be, but he finds it very unlikely that the grumbling, grizzly voice that has spoken to him in the past months, passed down from the barred heavens, could come from her mouth. Her hair—what little of it he can see beneath her gleaming bronze helmet—is dark, much like his own. But where his hair meanders in half-hearted curls, hers falls straight as an executioner’s blade and severs at her chin. Her eyes burn, grey flames, yet they’re cold, solemn and piercing as a swordpoint. She bears a shield, much like the one that had been emblazoned in her harbinger, on her left forearm, and in her right hand, she holds a spear; the visage of an owl peers back at him below the gruesome blade.

“Who are you?” He asks, his tongue moving faster than his brain. “Where the fuck’s Wayne?”

She isn’t offended—or at least, not surprised—by his indiscretion. “Indisposed. But he’s not the only one with sympathy for your cause and the power to aid you, cousin.” 

The power he doesn’t doubt, but she doesn’t sound like she has an ounce of sympathy for him nor his cause. She sounds like she’d like for him to fall, ass-first, onto an iron pike on a cold day. Not that there are any cold days around here. Thanks to the magma floods in Asphodel, they hover at bland and balmy, just warm enough to make your balls perpetually swampy. 

“As for who I am,” she continues, “I’ve gone by many names for many years, but for now, you may call me Nancy.”

Nancy?

Blood and darkness. He knows the world has changed—far beyond and above what he can imagine—but names really aren’t what they once were. The flair’s been stripped clean out. In all fairness, though, he doesn't have an excess of room to talk. And he really couldn’t care less what she calls herself if she’s offering him a ticket out of town.

“How exactly are you going to help me here?”

“Allow me to see your sword.”

His hand flies—compulsive and damning—to Stygius, tucked into a deceptively plain scabbard on his left hip. His father—never needy for an excuse—would have his head on a plate in an instant if he knew he’d plundered the Infernal Arms, that he’d even dared to breathe in the same room as the most hallowed weapons ever wielded. 

His fingers clench around the hilt, his body turning ever so slightly away, not that’d he be able to put up much of a fight if it came to that. “What for?”

From Nancy’s stare, he gathers that patience is likely not within her godly purview. That she, rather, offers it by the thimble, and he’s just kicked his one and only portion clear across the room in the space of two words.

“Do you wish to escape or not, cousin?” And yes, there it is, come out from behind the gauzy curtain of formality, the derision he detected. “I can bless your blade, so that it might aid you in your journey toward the surface.”

Eddie blinks. “What? That’s it?”

[llondonfog]

I hope I’m not too late but maybe Silver’s biological parents trying to convince him to leave Lilia for the fic meme?

[✐meme] three sentence fic meme

"I don't understand," the other boy, his brother, mutters, utterly nonplussed.

Behind him, the equally baffled King comforts his Queen, whose bright opaline eyes so much like Silver's own shine with a mournful veil of tears as if they've lost their child a second time.

"I don't understand," the boy repeats again, staring at Silver as if he might discern whether or not some strange, unnatural spell had been cast. "We've waited all this time to find you, why won't you come back with us? You'd want for nothing, and I'm sure we could work out your education to continue here at Night Raven College if that's what you're concerned about— you wouldn't have to leave your friends behind."

They were perfectly pleasant people, the King and Queen and their second son, and perhaps that's what was the worst of it all.

They were the sort of people whose dinner was never burnt or inedible, whose laundry was never stolen by errant fairies, whose childhood didn't involve befriending grizzly bears or playing tag on a craggy mountainside.

They were the sort of people that Silver was certain he could find himself growing to like, or even love, in time.

But he thinks of how small and lonely his father's back had looked as Crowley had shut the door to give them privacy, how a distance felt to be growing between them at a rate faster than Silver could run across it, how he would rather be struck down by Malleus-sama himself than be seated in some grand palace to receive the news by letter that his father had died alone, in some foreign land, without his one and only son by his side.

Closing his fingers tightly around the ring in his palm until the sharp edges nick into his skin, he offers them a rare smile, the only one he's had all evening.

"I'm sorry— but there's something I have to take care of first."

Someone he needs to be beside, until the very happy end of their long, wonderful story.

[sourpeachly]

The Guardian of The Forest of Dreams

Female Lead was drawn by ansem, @ansemthesprite on tiktok.

Male Lead was drawn by Ani, @anikiri

Author note: This was a fun little project i cooked up to enter in a contest :) (p.s, Ms Brigitte if you see this, i did NOT plagiarize this, i posted this after sending in my entry. Thank you.)

Word count: 7.1k

Warning: mention of blood (like once Or twice)

ೋ❀❀ೋ═══ ❀ ═══ೋ❀❀ೋ

"There! I see her Highness! Men! after her!"

The girl's feet padded on the muddied ground caused by the rain prior to her escape. She had to run barefoot, her shoes discarded and long forgotten. She pulls the cloak closer to herself, like an indestructible armour. Being raised in a castle didn't allow her much physical activity making her quite frail.

Just a little more. I'm almost there.......

The place that shall keep me safe.

There she sees an ominous-looking forest, shrouded in a dark misty ambience. The grand forest of dreams. That was her destination. Her ticket out of this miserable life of hers.

Almost there....!

She could hear the royal knights closing in from behind. They were right on her tail.

Just a little more.......!

She tightly shut her eyes and focused her energy on her feet, pushing herself to reach the forest before the knights could capture her. Or even worse, present her head to the crown prince.

Faster feet...!

Just then, her feet had slipped on the muddy and unstable ground, making her crash face-first into the dirt. No... it was too late. At this rate, she would be caught by the soldiers pursuing her.

This is the end.

Just as she had accepted her grim fate, sudden screams, and sounds of confrontations made her whip her head backward. There stood a grizzly bear standing around 8 feet tall. It was blocking the soldiers' path. The bear looked back, staring at her. Her breath hitched, for a moment, she thought that the bear would pounce on her. But instead, it had turned its attention back to the royal knights before it.

She took her chance that very second and dashed into the forest. A prick of worry for the bear made her look past her shoulders. She sees the knights struggling against the bear. Just then, she could've sworn that she shared a brief eye contact with the bear before focusing her attention back in front of her.

If she hadn't known any better, she might've thought that the bear was helping her. She pushed such ridiculous thoughts away. She needed to focus on the present. Now that she's inside the Forest of Dreams, none of the royal knights would dare to follow her inside. Because of how The Forest of Dreams earned its name. Those who entered the forest uninvited.............

............never wakes up ever again.

✧༺✦✮✦༻∞ ✣✣✣✣✣ ∞༺✦✮✦༻✧

After walking for what felt like hours, the girl had taken a short rest under a tree with a decent shade from the sun. Her back had made contact with the bark of the tree as she lightly tapped her head against it. With it, the hood on her cloak fell, unveiling her long silvery hair. The girl sighs, curling herself by bringing her knees to her chest and resting her head on top of it.

If the Forest of Dreams was so dangerous, why did she decide to enter it in the first place anyway? She had no choice in the matter. She would rather get killed by getting eaten by a wild animal than dying at the hands of the crown prince hands. But that wasn't the only reason she sought after the Forest of Dreams. She wanted to meet the Infamous Guardian of the forest. Leshy, the Guardian of the forest or commonly known by other people as the Wood Demon.

She had snapped out of her thoughts when she heard a distinct thump, coming from behind her. Feeling cautious from her earlier train of thought, she slowly peeked her head to investigate.

What she found.....was just a young nestling who had fallen out of its nest on accident. Her amethyst-colored eyes soften immediately as she breathes a sigh of relief. She carefully scoops up the young hatchling into her palm, taking extra caution so as to not accidentally injure it.

The girl had always had a special talent with animals. Growing up, her only companions were mice that found their way into her room, birds that sat themselves down on her window sill, or stray cats that would beg for her attention by wrapping themselves around her legs. Those small animals were her only companion during her childhood years after her nanny disappeared.

Just as she had succeeded in returning the bird back to its rightful nest, her neck snapped towards the sound of footsteps steadily approaching her. She swallowed back the lump that was blocking her throat and prepared herself for the inevitable confrontation that was coming.

"Who dares to trespass these sacred lands?"

She felt a shudder run down her spine, an intimidating voice calling out to her. There was no doubt about it, this was the infamous Leshy she had been wanting to meet. Unconsciously, she held her breath as Leshy made it's appearance. The being that had struck such deep-rooted fear in people in the whole Kingdom of Garnette for centuries was not a tall stickly figure that would have branches as limbs that she had imagined inside her head. Instead, it had a human body, just like her. The only difference being the long deer antlers that sits itself on top of the being's head, as well as it's hooves replacing the normally would-be human legs. It had long silky straight hair that reached the ground. She noted that the color resemble that of the night sky. Holding a wooden staff in one hand, Leshy was wearing a porcelain mask resembling a deer.

Seeing how similar the being was to that of a human made her feel more at ease. But she still kept her guard up. surely it wasn't unfounded, the fear that Leshy had struck inside of the citizens. She took a big gulp of air before answering,

"Lord Leshy, Please listen to my humble request.."

She paused briefly, waiting for the being to reply. When it kept quiet, she took it as her sign to continue.

"Please allow me to take refuge within your forest!"

"....."

She felt her hope slipping through her fingers when the guardian kept it's mouth shut. The girl was about to open her mouth again before Leshy finally replied.

"For how long are you planning to stay for?"

At it's words, her face visibly lit up. Now that it was actually hearing her out, she was going to do whatever she could to convince it to let her take shelter in the forest for a few months. At least until the knights and crown prince cease their pursuit of her.

"Half a year would be enough, but we could also discuss it further-"

"Are you not afraid of me?"

Leshy cutting her off took her off guard, but without missing a beat, the girl's smile widened.

"I know you won't hurt me as long as I follow the rules of the forest and don't bring harm to the animals living peacefully inside the forest." "What made you so sure?" The speed of his reply shocked her, but only for a brief moment before composing herself once more.

"I have read all about you in various articles and other literature sources and I found something in common. You only hurt those who were scheming to harm the animals living in harmony. Such as poachers or hunters. But people or little children who had wandered into the forest accidentally would mysteriously return without so much as a scratch on their body besides the fuzzy memories of the forest."

When Leshy had kept it's silence, she knew that she had guessed correctly. "Am I wrong Lord Leshy?"

But after long period of silence, the familiar feeling of fear creeps up inside. Had she bitten more than she can chew? Her hope completely shattered the being turned around without so much as a word.

This was it.... this was the end...

What do I do now...?

The girl hung her head low, feeling dejected. Just then, The being spoke up, it's back still facing her. "Just as you promised to not harm the residents of this forest, I'll allow you to stay for half a year, as you had suggested."

Happiness quickly bubbled up inside the girl. Feelings of delight and relief. For the time being at least, she had the forest's protection.

"Oh thank you Lord Leshy! I'll be in your care from now on! Ah, right, where are my manners..? My name is Anya.." The girl, Anya, gave a low curtesy. Perhaps out of habit. Leshy, who was on it's way back retreating further into the forest, stopped and looked past it's shoulder to stare at the young woman.

"Don't call me that. That isn't my name. it's just what people had started to call me after a while."

The being looked off into the distance for a moment before directing it's gaze back to Anya once more.

"Call me....."

✧༺✦✮✦༻∞ ✣✣✣✣✣ ∞༺✦✮✦༻✧

".......Morpheus! Won't you come down and join us?"

"No need."

Anya huffed in frustration at Morpheus's short and curt answer. Currently, Anya was resting on the grass, wildflowers surrounding her. A small squirrel rests itself on her lap as various other animals sit around the young woman as well. Meanwhile, Morpheus had stubbornly insisted on resting on a tree branch above their little get-together.

After staying with the guardian of the forest for two months, Anya had thought of the being as a treasured friend. She had discovered that Morpheus preferred to be referred to as a man even if he himself admits that he does not have genitalia of either gender. However, the face under the porcelain mask remains a mystery. She had asked him about it once, he had said that his face was much too scary for the eyes. Anya wasn't quite convinced at his reasoning. Someone who protects animals would surely have a kind face.

Over the course of the two months, she could see Morpheus observing her every move. Morpheus didn't even attempt to hide the evident suspicion that he had for the girl. But she had paid it no mind. After all, it was admirable how dedicated he was to his duties of keeping the forest safe.

But she hopes that after all that time spent in each other's presence, he no longer holds such hostile feelings against her. But seeing how laid-back he is acting, it's safe to assume that he had become quite used to her presence. Somehow, everything felt a bit domestic. The thought made her crack a small smile.

Suddenly, the peace broke as quickly as it came when she noticed Morpheus's body tensing up. That was never a good sign. It wasn't just Morpheus who was acting odd, the animals that were surrounding her a moment ago had all left one by one, as if they were running away from someone, or something. The sound of Morpheus's feet hitting the ground after jumping down from the tree branch had snapped her out of her train of thought and scared away the squirrel that was peacefully napping on her lap.

"W, What's wrong...?" The girl questioned hesitantly. She was scared. Of course, she was. How could she not be when it had gotten all of the animals and even the forest guardian so agitated? Morpheus stayed silent and instead stared intently at the east side of the forest. She felt a part of her heart squeezing when she thinks of the possibility of it being the royal knights.

No, that's impossible... She pushed the idea away as quickly as it came. There was simply no way, the knights and everyone should've all thought of her as dead by now. Surely the crown prince would've demolished his search for her by now, right..? As much as she'd like to believe her own words it was becoming increasingly harder to put a lid on her growing anxiety.

Eventually, heavy rapid footsteps could be heard approaching their location. A large figure entered the scene. Emerging from the thick trees was a rhinoceros, whose height reached about 1.9 meters tall. It looked enraged... and was charging straight towards her! Not having enough time to react, all Anya could manage was to block the front of her body using her forearm and hope that the injury she sustained would not be as fatal that she'll lose her life.

But whilst tightly shutting her eyes and bracing for impact, it never came. Instead, she opened her eyes to meet the all too familiar porcelain deer mask. Part of her was shocked that he even saved her, whilst another part was glad she didn't sustain any injuries. Morpheus had saved her by lifting her into his hold. His forearm was hooked under her knees and the other was supporting the small of her back. Immediately noticing how unstable her position was, she hooked her arms around his neck.

"Anya, are you hurt?"

All she could manage was a weak nod in return, her eyes never leaving the rampaging wild animal behind Morpheus. Eventually, Morpheus found a suitable place to put down the frightened Anya. It was on top of a medium-sized tree. One that would be out of reach for the rhinoceros. After placing down the woman and making sure that she was okay, Morpheus turned around to go deal with the animal before it did some actual damage to the forest. But the feeling of his shirt getting pulled made him look past his shoulders and meet the eyes of a worried maiden.

"Will you be okay?" Maybe at the back of her mind, she had already known the answer to it. But she needed to hear him say it. To calm herself down.

He gently took ahold of her shaking hands, softly prying off her hands that were clutching his shirt so tightly. Maybe she had been more affected than he had initially thought. But even so, he gave her hands a reassuring squeeze. "This is the burden of my duties. You shouldn't worry too much. I'll be just fine."

Reluctantly, she nodded as she hung her head down low. Morpheus jumps down to deal with the beast. All she could do was to observe from above. It was less than ideal, but if she was to stay bellow with Morpheus and the rhinoceros, she would've probably ended up being a hindrance to him or even worse, getting turned into mush by the rhinoceros hooves.

Anya watched in awe from above as Morpheus expertly darted around the rhinoceros, dodging the rhinoceros's fruitless assault towards him. The girl knew that he had to be amazing to earn the title of 'The Guardian of The Forest', but to see it with her own eyes was still unbelievable.

The rhinoceros began charging towards Morpheus. At first, Anya had no doubt that Morpheus would be able to expertly dodge it this time as well. But all of a sudden, she noticed a deep dark purple liquid trickle down his legs. Could it be his blood? He isn't human after all, a different color of blood isn't too far fetch. But when she saw how much he was bleeding, a seed of worry grew inside of her. When could he have gotten hurt? She had been intently staring at him this whole time, and the rhinoceros didn't get close to him once! Unless he had gotten hurt before then.....

Could it be...?

Had he gotten hurt when he saved me before?!

Just then, Morpheus had moved to sidestep the animal when the injury on his legs preventing from moving his body how he had intended. This resulted in the rhinoceros ramming into him, its horn impaling him into a sturdy tree.

"Morpheus!"

Anya's eyes widen in horror. It had all happened so fast. The force of the impact had made a crack in the porcelain mask, promptly shattering it to pieces.

But Anya didn't care about that. She couldn't have cared less for the mask. All that was running through her mind was the guardian's well-being. Maybe that was what convinced her to climb down the tree, not caring enough about her own safety.

As she ran closer to their location, she picked up a small pebble on the way, throwing it toward the rhinoceros. Where had she gotten the courage to provoke the rampaging beast, she does not know. But all she knew was that she needed to get the animal away from Morpheus. Even if it was stupid of her to risk her life for it. There was also a possibility of Morpheus not surviving it. She pushed such negative thoughts away. He had survived for centuries, surely he'd survived this time as well.

He has to!

The pebble hit the rhinoceros behind, making it face toward her and releasing Morpheus from its horn. Morpheus slumped down to the ground. As the rhinoceros began charging toward her, she ran in the opposite direction leading it somewhere else. It wasn't as if she had climbed down from the tree without a plan at all. Well, could it even be called a plan if she wasn't even sure that it would work?

She led the wild beast towards an area filled with long vines, planning to immobilize it without actually hurting it. She took out a small dagger gifted to her by Morpheus when he had seen her struggling to pick berries, after making her promise that she wouldn't use it to hurt animals. Not like she was planning to, even if he didn't make her promise not to. Come to think of it, Morpheus had given her plenty of things. Including the soft shoes that were on her feet this very moment. She smiled at the thought. Even if he had always acted cold and distant, at his core was a kind and sincere being.

Cutting some vines and expertly wrapping them around the rhinoceros without it noticing, she successfully made it lay down on its side. She was lucky that her half-baked plan worked. Now comes the hard part. Calming the rhinoceros down. Cautiously, she puts a hand on the space between the rhinoceros eyes, trying to soothe it gently.

"It's okay. No one is going to hurt you...Won't you calm down?"

Eventually, the rhino stopped fussing and turned quiet. All that was left was quiet whimpers, almost as if it was in pain. Pain....?

......!

That was it! It was causing a scene because it was hurt but it didn't know how to convey it!

The worst-case scenario immediately came to mind. Could poachers have come and threatened the rhinoceros? But it didn't look like it was bleeding......

Suspecting that something was amiss, Anya carefully inspected around the rhinoceros making sure to check it thoroughly. Eventually, she found the root of the problem. A giant splinter had nudged itself into the rhinoceros's feet. Now comes the next problem. Pray tell, how does one take out a splinter from the foot of a large animal?

After a bit of brainstorming, Anya wrapped a sturdy-looking vine around the splinter and pulled on it hoping to get the splinter out. Of course, the chance of that plan working was slim. After three minutes of pulling on the vine, no progress was made. It was not at all helping that the rhinoceros was not keeping itself still even while bound by the vines.

"Did you truly expect that you would be able to pull out such a large splinter all by yourself?", a voice said from behind. Anya turned around, her alert amethyst eyes stared into calm sea blue ones. It took Anya a few seconds to piece together who it was since he was no longer wearing the porcelain mask.

"M, M, Morpheus?! Is that truly you?" There, standing, well.. leaning, against a tree casually with his arms crossed in front of his chest, was no other than the forest guardian, Morpheus.

"B, But how? I saw you get impaled with my own two eyes! How do you look unscathed?" It was truly mind-boggling how the hole in his chest had disappeared and what remained was the hole in his shirt and purple blood stains.

"As a forest guardian appointed and created by the Spring Faerie herself, I am not human. As you can see from my drastically different blood color.", he showed his purple-soaked shirt, "But I am also immortal. How else did you think I survived for the past centuries?" He arches a brow, his face screaming, Are you a moron?

Somehow, Anya felt slighted. "Well... I had thought that you were highly skilled for being able to survive for hundreds of years..." At that, he got quiet. "That was a reason too, I supposed.." He muttered a few moments later.

His voice sounds different without being muffled by the mask... She thinks to herself, now having the luxury of staring at him. Contrary to what he had said about his own appearance, he was a fine young gentleman. With deep blue eyes like the ocean, and a sharp jawline. Rather than scary, she would say that he was rather...... handsome.

"......Pardon?" he uttered, completely bewildered. Anya quickly slapped a hand over her mouth.

Oh great heavens, did I just say that out loud?!

"Yes, you did..", As if the situation couldn't have possibly gotten worse, it did. All she could do was wallow in embarrassment as she waited for the moment to pass. Seeing her rather adorable reaction, all Morpheus could muster was a brief chuckle.

Just then, Anya realized something. "Wait, how long have you been watching me try to pull the splinter out?"

"For about 3 minutes."

"You've been watching me struggle from the start?!" the girl fumed.

"Enough of that. Anya, you go and calm down the rhinoceros while I'll go and pull out the splinter."

She decided to ignore the blatant attempt at changing the subject and to focus on the task at hand. "Why don't we just pull on the splinter together?"

He stopped in his tracks and looked past his shoulder to stare at her with that same look again. "Do you truly think that you can make a difference with that scrawny noodle arms of yours? It would be much more useful for you to calm down the rhinoceros while I pull the splinter out." Anya promptly shut up and took her position near the rhinoceros face.

Morpheus wrapped the other ends of the vines to his hands and pulled on it with all the strength that he could muster. Immediately there was progress as the splinter began to move. Anya felt relieved. But now it was time to do her own job as the rhinoceros became restless. She puts her palm against the rhinoceros once more, attempting to calm it down. Gentle whispers of reassurance surrounded the forest as she tried her best to settle the panicked animal down. The rhinoceros began to quiet down, which shocked the girl. She hadn't expected the plan to work.

After a few more minutes of struggle, Morpheus was able to safely pull the splinter out of the rhinoceros foot. The wound left by it wasn't as big as they had thought, so they released the rhinoceros soon after. The rhinoceros gently nudges Morpheus and Anya, as if it were expressing its gratitude. But it lingered just a bit longer around Morpheus. Morpheus had reciprocated by softly patting its side with a gentle smile on his face. It was her first time seeing him smile. It looked peaceful. It caused her to crack a smile as well.

"It's okay... You weren't able to properly convey your feelings because you were hurt.." If this wasn't her first time witnessing such an absurd sight, Anya's eyes would've been bulging out of her skull by now. It was only last month that she found out the fact that Morpheus had the unique ability to talk to animals. She had found him tending to a wild fox who had gotten hurt. A forest guardian had plenty of surprises it seems.

They both watched from afar as the rhinoceros retreated back into the deeper part of the forest. As soon as the rhinoceros disappeared from sight, Anya was startled at the speed at which Morpheus turned towards her.

"You! What were you thinking climbing down the tree when the rhinoceros was still causing trouble?! You could've gotten seriously injured, or worse, lost your life!"

His words had snapped something inside of Anya. "What, do you truly think that after seeing you get hurt like that you expect me to just do nothing and stay still?! You could've lost your life!"

"I'm immortal. I don't lose my life like that of a mortal-"

"Well, how was I supposed to know that!" The woman shouted. Fresh tears pricked her eyes. "I, I, I was afraid!", tears were now flowing freely fall down her cheeks. "I was terrified! That you would perish before my very eyes and I would be left alone in this vast forest- no, world!" Anya was finding it increasingly hard to breathe. Her heartbeat ringing inside her ears.

Morpheus silently observed her. Guilt in his eyes. "I, It is my duty to-"

"Enough already!" Anya screamed, which had startled Morpheus. "I understand your point..... You have your duties to fulfill as The Guardian of The Forest. I understand. Truly. But could you stop being reckless in fulfilling your 'duties'?" She asked sincerely. Her hand clutched the garment above her heart. "I begged of you. Next time, please save yourself instead of protecting me. Then, you wouldn't have....." gotten hurt while you were protecting me.

Morpheus thought hard about her words. He looked down on the ground as he carefully chose his next words. ".... I have a duty to fulfill. To protect the forest, the creatures, and the beings in it. Because you have temporarily become one of the many residents living inside the forest, Then protecting you became one of my duties too." Morpheus tried to give her the most genuine tone he had. She too, had become an important part of his life. He hoped that she could understand that too.

"......oh.." So I'm just another duty he needs to fulfill, am I?

It felt as if a pit had drooped to her stomach.

Morpheus saw how her shoulder was shaking, and her eyes were red. If his words weren't enough to reach her, he had to find another way to stop her tears. Getting a brilliant idea, Morpheus holds out his hand for her to take. Anya was skeptical, but she trusted Morpheus. There was no need for more words as she readily put her hands in his.

He had led her through the thick forest. Across the luscious green trees and small bushes. Across the large roots sprayed on the floor. Across the tall trees and chirping birds. They arrived at a large clearing. A flower field. The view was breathtaking. It looked magical. Like something straight out of a fairy tale.

"It's... Mesmerizing. Truly." Anya looked around in awe.

"... I'm glad you feel that way." Morpheus stared at her, a ghost of a smile playing on his lips.

The field was filled with all kinds of flowers. There was one flower that had caught her eye. A flower known as gypsophila or Baby's Breath. The Garnette Kingdom national flower. Gentle hands softly pluck the flowers from the ground. Anya turns around, showing Morpheus the freshly pluck flower. Morpheus looked startled as he flinched slightly. But he recovered just as quickly. Maybe she had seen it wrong?

She decided to brush it off.

"This field is... A safe place for me. It's a place that always calms me down. And I hope it shall have the same effect on you, Anya."

Their eyes met, and for a moment, the world goes quiet.

"Thank you.", and for the first time in a while, her smile reached her eyes. Then, Anya held out a hand while the other lightly lifted her skirt to form a small curtesy. Looking up at Morpheus, he had a shocked expression and his jaw dropped open slightly, Anya barely managed to suppress a laugh.

"Would you care to join me for a dance, my lord?"

"O, Oh, I'm afraid that I've never danced before. I would only bore you.." This was Anya's first time seeing him so flustered.

"Don't worry too much about the small details. It's just us isn't it?" The playful wink from Anya had done little to calm him down, but he found himself breathing out a laugh all the same. Without wasting another second, Morpheus puts his hand in her outstretched one, squeezing it softly.

"If you mind taking the lead... My Lady,"

And so they danced. For that day, the forest was filled with giggles and gentle smiles. In this dance, they are not the 'runaway princess' or 'the guardian of the forest of dreams'.

They were just Anya and Morpheus.

✧༺✦✮✦༻∞ ✣✣✣✣✣ ∞༺✦✮✦༻✧

That day was as peaceful as every other day. It had been well over 4 months since Anya's arrival in the Forest of Dreams. By now, Anya and Morpheus had become much more comfortable around each other's presence. Spending each day in the comforts of the green humid forest, surrounded by the distant chirpings of birds and sounds of small critters, Morpheus was peacefully resting his head on a bark on a tree, his eyes never leaving the figure of a woman who was petting a tamed rabbit. She looks ethereal, even while doing something so mundane.

On the other hand, ever since the incident that had caused the porcelain mask to shatter, Morpheus had taken a 3-day trip to fix it. Contrary to what Anya had expected, the mask was as good as new. Although, Morpheus had kept his lips tightly sealed on his methods of fixing it, no matter how much she begged and whined. That stubborn fellow, him.

But unlike before, Morpheus rarely donned the mask around her, while he does keep it tied to the side of his head. She supposed that there was no longer a reason to since she had already seen what he had looked like.

Returning to the present, everything had felt peaceful. But Anya knew that something was bound to go wrong when the usually calm and nonchalant guardian of the forest had abruptly gotten up and donned his porcelain mask on. The mask he'll only put on to interact with animals or for intruders.

"Anya! Get down!"

Diving into her, they rolled downhill into a thick bush, just barely dodging the hoards of arrows fired their way. The sharp thorns in the bushes had caused her to scrape her cheek, as well as her palm and knees. But she didn't have the luxury to pay attention to her well-being considering their current predicament.

"Your Highness, 6th Princess Anastasia Von Garnette! Please cooperate with your arrest ordered by the Imperial Crown Prince, His Highness Helios Von Garnette, under the crime of plotting treason to His Majesty, The Sun of the Kingdom of Garnette, King Zachary Von Garnette with the help of The Guardian of The Forest of Dreams, Leshy!" A piercing male voice called out. He sounded out of breath after his long declaration. But nonetheless, Anya had recognized the voice to be Alexios Von Garnette, the 5th prince as well as the Captain of the royal knights.

Realizing such a fact had shaken Anya to her core. She gripped the sleeves belonging to Morpheus, her body all the way to her fingertip trembling uncontrollably. Morpheus looked at her pitifully. There was no need for an exchange of words. His larger hand gripped over her smaller ones, squeezing it reassuringly. It was as if he was saying 'Everything will be okay.' With much more determination than before, Morpheus released the maiden trembling hand and emerged from the bushes ready to risk everything to defend those he cares for.

In an instant, rain of arrows descended towards him, the tip lightly coated in a light blue substance. 'Most likely poison.' concluded Morpheus. With his inhumane level of agility and skills, Morpheus easily dodged the assault of arrows. The hoard of arrows went past him and destroyed the bushes from which he appeared from. Thankfully, he had instructed Anya to escape elsewhere beforehand.

Breathing a sigh of relief at Anya's successful escape, Morpheus did not allow himself to get distracted, as he sidestepped the sword that was aimed at his head. With a swift kick, he takes out two guards as he smashes the other three with their own heads taking all five of them out. While simultaneously trying to fend the knights off, Morpheus made a mental count of all of the knights present. There were at least 200 of them. But the situation was in his favor, for no one knew the layout of the forest better than the forest guardian himself.

The fight was so one-sided that the royal knightage was slowly losing morale to continue the battle. Soon enough, the only ones left standing on the mountain of bodies were the terrifying Guardian of the forest and the terrified captain of the guards. Even if Prince Alexios was already beaten up and haggard, he had refused to let go of the weapon in his hands. Be it because of stubbornness or undying loyalty to serve his country, or even because of his pride preventing him from admitting defeat.

As Morpheus approached him, he could see Alexios trembling, the hand holding the sword was barely able to keep the weapon steady in his grip. The Prince was breathing heavily, his eyes unfocused, he was barely keeping them open. Out of the blue, the prince started to laugh, uncontrollably. Morpheus had thought of it as odd, his face contorting to confusion. All of a sudden, Alexios grabbed a firearm that he had concealed on his thigh strap.

"If I can't defeat you, then I'll at least get rid of that nuisance, Anastasia!"

With that, Prince Alexios pulled the trigger, shooting past Morpheus, successfully hitting something behind him. With a slacked jaw and wide eyes hidden behind his mask, Morpheus turns around. Although he was the one who ordered her escape, he, himself does not know where she has hidden herself. The worst-case scenario had crawled itself into his head.

"Anya-!" Her name was at the tip of his tongue.

He turned to see... nothing. The bullet had instead hit a tree. Just then, he felt pain in his left abdomen. He looked down to see Alexios, lodging a stray arrow into his side. Successfully tricking the guardian of the forest, Alexios smirks in triumph.

"Perhaps I should thank my foolish little sister for my success in this bluff... Looks like she had some.... use.... after all..." After his last few words, Alexios had passed out. It was surprising how he had held his ground for so long.

All Morpheus could do was huff out a laugh as he slumped down a tree bark. Just then, Anya emerged from her place of hiding. It was on top of a tree, the complete opposite of where Alexios was aiming. She jumped down without caring for the hoard of bodies down below.

"Morpheus!" Hot, wet, tears stream down her face, her voice calling his name. She kneeled beside him, her whole body trembling in terror or sadness, Morpheus couldn't quite tell from his blurry vision. "Wha, What do I do..? Wait, You have self-healing, don't you? Is the arrow preventing you from healing? I, If I take i, it out, will you be better?"

Squeezing her eyes shut, Anya gripped the arrows with two of her hands, swiftly pulling them out. Her actions had caused Morpheus to arch his back whilst groaning in pain. "I, I told you to save yourself instead of protecting me.." Anya mutters to herself, salty tears still spilling from her eyes. Her trembling hands tried covering the wound, still spilling purple blood out of him. After moments and moments of waiting, Morpheus's wound had shown no signs of healing itself. A seed of despair planted itself inside of Anya.

"Wha, What's going on?! Why aren't you healing? Morpheus!" Anya screamed, desperation in her tone. With her free hand, she uncovers his face. Morpheus was breathing heavily, his eyes unfocused. Yet, a small smile tugged at his lips.

"What are you smiling for, Morpheus..? W, Why aren't your wounds healing like they always do?"

As time passed, Morpheus had become paler by the second, beads of sweat gathered around his forehead. "Anya... No.. Anastasia-"

"No! Don't... Don't call me by that name.. It, It isn't mine.." Morpheus glanced at Anya. Her shoulders trembling. ".... Very well. Anya.. the wound isn't healing was most likely due to the tip of the arrow being coated in a mixture of gypsophila, my only weakness."

Anya's body froze. A shocking realization dawned upon her. "N, No! Doesn't that mean that this is just a normal wound? No, You, You're bleeding too much! Morpheus! Tell me! How do I heal this wound? Tell me how do I heal you!" Glossy eyes stared into tired ones. Anxiousness, desperation, terror. Morpheus could see it clearly painted across her face. But both of them knew that it was far too late to save him. He had lost too much blood. All that was waiting for him were internal slumber.

"Anya..." Weakly, Morpheus brought a hand lightly caressing her cheek, slightly tainting it purple. A heart-wrenching sob pried itself out of her. With her trembling hand, she gripped his larger ones bringing it close to her cheek, cradling it. She closed her eyes, unable to bring herself to look into his eyes without herself sobbing.

"There's something I have to tell you before I-"

"No! Don't say that... You're going to survive, and then you're going to tell me!"

"Anya..." Morpheus furrowed his brow, not having any more energy to properly scold her.

Anya had no choice but to hear out his last wish. Even if she couldn't accept that it was his 'last'.

"Anya... Didn't you notice how you were surrounded by animals, big or small, your whole life?"

"What does this have anything to do with-"

"Anya."

She took a second to stabilize her breath. Morpheus was not far off. Animals had been her only friends and companions her whole life. She nodded at his question, not trusting herself to answer without stuttering.

Morpheus had kept quiet, his gaze never leaving her. "I knew... That you were special the moment I laid my eyes on you." That made Anya open her amethyst eyes to stare into his sea-blue ones. "Wha, What do you mean.." All of a sudden, Morpheus wore a serious look.

"Anya.. You were blessed by the Spring Faerie to be loved and adored by animals. Similar to how I was created using the Spring Faerie's blood to be the guardian of the forest. " Anya's mouth dropped open slightly, yet no voice came out. Seeing as Anya didn't have much more to add, Morpheus continued.

"That's why the gypsophila flowers hurt me." He placed his other hand above hers which had been blocking his bleeding wound the whole time. "They originated from the Spring Faerie's tears, they become toxic to me."

"S, So I was blessed by the Spring Faerie? Is that why the bear helped me? Is that why the rhinoceros didn't attack me? If it was a blessing, is any of the 'love' and 'adoration' from those animals I've interacted with truly their own? Who's to say it wasn't all the work of the blessing? How is that any different than brainwashing them?"

Anya's breath had become unstable, her brows furrowed together. Her feelings were in turmoil. She felt betrayed, confused, fake. She didn't know what to believe anymore. Morpheus turns to gaze pitifully at her.

"That... Isn't how the blessing works. It's because of your kind and selfless nature. All the Spring Faerie did was make that kind and selfless nature visible to the animals. Animals are an amazing judge of characters after all." Morpheus smiled, a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. All Anya could do was hang her head low, not having enough energy to shed more tears.

"And I, as a half-animal, crafted by the Spring Faerie's blood, could also not stop the feeling of love and adoration that continue to grow for you." At his words, Anya immediately lifts her head to look into his eyes. He had a bittersweet smile on his face. She should be happy right now. Happier than before. But all she could feel were grief, sorrows, and regrets.

"M, Me as well, I share those feelings as well!" The woman shouts in desperation. She had never felt so helpless before.

For the first time, Morpheus's eyes held mirth in them. "I'm glad.... To hear that.." And just as soon as it appears, it disappears just as quickly. All of a sudden, the lower part of Morpheus turns into golden mist.

"Wha, What's happening to you?! Whe, Where are you going? Morpheus!" Anya screamed, clearly startled.

Morpheus however did not seem alarmed in the slightest. "Since I was created using the Spring Fearie's blood and a part of this forest, must mean I'm returning back to the forest. So I will not perish, and instead continue to live in this forest without my consciousness."

"You... How is that any different than actually perishing...?"

Morpheus chuckled weakly. "Perhaps you're right. There really aren't any significant differences aren't there?"

Soon enough, the hand she had been cradling disappeared, as well as his wounded torso. All that was left was his head which was kept in a smile.

"Goodbye, Anya.."

Anya swallowed back her tears and sobs, instead wanting to send him off with a smile. "Goodbye, Morpheus.."

Unfortunately, he was no longer present to hear her farewell. All that was left was a porcelain deer mask, an arrow, and a grieving woman.

✧༺✦✮✦༻∞ ✣✣✣✣✣ ∞༺✦✮✦༻✧

"Did you hear about the Guardian of the Forest of Dreams?" A patron at the bar asked his friend.

The friend in question sipped on an alcoholic beverage. "Oh, you mean the monster that had deer antlers and wore a dear mask? I hear people say that They had long black hair or something.."

"What?!" The bar patron slapped his hand on the table, shouting, "That's not true! Witness says that they had long white hair with a dear mask! There's no antlers!"

"huh, I must've misremembered the tale..."

"Well, it's no wonder! Looks like you had too much to drink! Let's get you back home."

The much sober patron lent a shoulder to his friend as they made their way home. On their merry way home, the sober man noticed a wild deer watching their every move. He thought that they were odd. Then, for a split second, he saw a hooded figure wearing a deer mask. But just as he blinked, they disappeared.

Maybe his eyes were playing tricks on him.

[celestetheseaunicorn]

References to the Odyssey in owl odyssey

Spoilers for the episode Owl Odyssey!

When I saw the episode Owl Odyssey I was taken by surprise since there were a lot of references to the actual odyssey! It's a bit of a funny coincidence since recently I've been obsessed with the musical "Epic" which is based on the Odyssey. So I'm going to be analyzing all the references I caught in Owl Odyssey. I put the "keep reading" since this post ended up super long.

The episode starts with Aviva, Martin, Chris, and Koki being on the spaceship Aviva made. After the Kratt bros accidently start the ship it flies off and ends up landing in the ocean which leaves Jimmy Z all alone at the Tortuga. This starts the Wild Kratts "Odyssey" as they now have to try to find their way home without any technology except Aviva's creature power disk maker and the miniaturizer.

Throughout the episode we can see that more and more animals move in, starting with the grizzly bear and they end up kicking Jimmy Z out of the Tortuga. I think the animals moving in to the Tortuga are meant to represent Antinous and the other suitors that move in to Odysseus' castle while he is trying to get home. And I guess it would make Jimmy Z Penelope since he is left to wait for the team to get back home while the creatures take over.

While they are on their way back home in the hot air balloon Aviva converted the ship into, Chris hears the call of some burrowing owls and is ready to jump out of the ship to get to them! I believe this is a reference to the Sirens who tried to lure Odysseus and his crew out to sea with their songs.

According to https://www.awesomestories.com/asset/view/Odysseus-and-the-Sirens

"Therefore pass these Sirens by, and stop your men's ears with wax that none of them may hear; but if you like you can listen yourself, for you may get the men to bind you as you stand upright on a cross-piece half way up the mast, and they must lash the rope's ends to the mast itself, that you may have the pleasure of listening. If you beg and pray the men to unloose you, then they must bind you faster. (See Samuel Butler’s translation of The Odyssey, Book XII, online via MIT.)"

Chris ends up asking Martin to help him out of the ropes so he can see the owls and Martin almost ends up almost helping him out of the Ropes until the crew miniaturizes Martin since they have to get home!

While miniaturized, Martin ends up meeting a Barn Owl and since nobody can hear the barn Owl he ends up naming the barn owl "Nobody". "Nobody" tries to attack Martin but Martin gets away and when he tries to tell the wild kratts crew that he was attacked they don't understand them since he keeps saying "Nobody" attacked him.

This is similar to when Odysseus is on the island with the cyclops but since he doesn't want to tell the cyclops his name he just says his name is "Nobody". When the Cyclops betrays him and attacks Odysseus, Odysseus hurts the cyclops and the cyclops calls out to their neighbors for help but the neighbors think the cyclops has gone crazy since the cyclops keeps saying he was attacked by "Nobody". Also, Chris just scooting over to check out who "Nobody" is and to see the chaos cracks me up lol.

Finally, the owl is often associated with the goddess Athena and seen as a symbol of intelligence and are effective hunters. Athena was the goddess of strategy, wisdom and warfare. Athena was also a patron of Odysseus in the Odyssey.

According to classicalwisdom.com

"Athena was a virgin warrior goddess, and was widely worshipped in the Greek world. The goddess was the embodiment also of strategy, wisdom, warfare and technical skills. Athena played a major role in the works of Homer, and is often shown as the patron of heroes such as Odysseus.

Athena was long associated with the owl. " https://classicalwisdom.com/culture/the-owl-of-athena-symbol-of-wisdom/

"Of the two Homeric poems, Athena plays a much larger role in the Odyssey. She essentially acts as the protector of Odysseus. At various points across Odysseus’ journey, it is Athena’s help and guidance that allow the cunning hero to escape to safety. Moreover, it is Athena’s request to Zeus that allows Odysseus to leave the island of Circe."

At the end of the episode, Chris uses his creature power suit to turn into an owl, fly the crew back home, and kick out all of the creatures from the tortuga. Aviva is inspired after seeing all kinds of different owls throughout their journey.

Soo that's all, 10/10 episode. :D It really lived up to the name "Owl Odyssey"! :D

[world-of-fire-and-flight]

I love your writing—

So! Here’s an idea from a dream I had a long time ago. An anti-villain gets caught playing with some kids and the hero is really confused. (Villain is a shapeshifter and has a soft spot for kids) ((justashortenversionofthedream))

-SleepyAnon

Grizzly

A/N: Hey Sleepy! I’m sorry this took me so long to fill (and that I’ve just kinda dropped off the face of the planet in general these last few months😅) but I’ve really enjoyed your child-of-a-god/Uncle Ozzy snippets! I’m hoping to catch up with them in the bit of quiet time I have coming up this month (did my eyes deceive me or did I catch sight of a new god intro???🤩 That’s so exciting!)

Warnings: past robbery, past villainy, uh…children pretending to do battle as a form of playing???

My Masterlist | Taglist Info | [I’m closed to requests at the moment while I catch up 😊]

Hero watched from the shadows as the grizzly bear surged forward. The little girl atop its back giggled, her wooden sword glowing like amber in the late afternoon sunlight as she ordered her ranks to charge. Screams, shouts, and the general cacophony of children at battle and playing war games filled their ears. But still, Hero couldn’t believe their own eyes. There was only one person that they knew of who could shapeshift, and who’s preference was a grizzly bear of all things.

But watching Villain—yes, that Villain—roaring playfully to the delight of the assembled warriors-to-be, Hero found themselves pausing. They’d robbed a bank earlier this week. Last week, they’d strolled into City Hall—in bear form—and destroyed the mayor’s office and chased the judge up a tree…only to climb after them and swat at them tauntingly with their great paw. While they shouldn’t have, Hero had, admittedly, laughed at the sight when they saw it on the news. And if they were being entirely honest, they’d had to restrain themselves from laughing hysterically when they’d arrived on scene to thwart whatever devious plan Villain had been playing at. But this?

Hero shifted. They didn’t have to stop this, as Villain wasn’t doing anything illegal in this specific moment but…

They were a wanted criminal. A wanted criminal, with at least six warrants out for their arrest across the county.

In their hesitation, Hero watched as the battle waned and more kids began climbing atop Villain’s back. The leader helped a few of the smaller ones up, reaching down a hand to pull them up behind her, and before Hero knew it, Villain was racing across the playground to the tune of their delighted squeals and calls to go faster. A horde of children trailed behind them, running as fast as they could but not fast enough to close any distance between them and Villain’s grizzly bear form. And amidst the laughter, there were shouts that begged for a turn to ride the bear like a horse.

They should stop Villain, Hero knew that. They pressed their lips together. Maybe, Hero decided, maybe they could wait just a little longer. At least until each child had had a turn. After all, how many opportunities would they have to ride a bear into battle? Hero wished they’d had that opportunity as a kid. All they had was a plastic sword and a heart full of dreams.

Turning on their heel, Hero retreated back the way they’d come. They shook their lingering questions from their mind. Villain, it seemed, was many things—literally thanks to their abilities—but ruthless? Hero smirked. Apparently, their ruthlessness was only a façade, and hidden behind it was a heart that would spend the afternoon at the whim of the neighborhood kids while in bear form instead of eating them…Or the mayor’s paperwork.

A/N 2: I’m sorry this is so short😭 I wanted to write something so I just kind of went for it. Your prompt was so cute! I’m excited to (hopefully) fill the others soon because they’re all just so amazing!!