#King of Bikes Guide

[liyliths]

౨ৎ ⋆ ｡˚ 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐖𝐎: 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐋𝐎𝐆𝐔𝐄 𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓 𝐓𝐖𝐎

summary: your first few weeks in your new town, hawkins, are honestly anything but normal. you quickly find yourself caught between making new friends and keeping your distance, all while dodging the king of douchebags, steve harrington, and his clumsy attempts to get to know you, all on your first day. and, with a cherry on top, a strange figure in the woods makes you question if hawkins has a wildlife problem—or something much stranger. spoiler alert: it's not just deer.

“I’m throwing a party at my house this Friday. Food, drinks, pool, no parents, all the fun stuff. I wanted to invite you… it could be good for you, meeting new people and all!” Steve raised his eyebrows in that signature way of his, the one that usually made it hard for people to say no to. Y/N turned to look at the boy, her eyes narrowing with a hint of defiance in them. She deliberately reached into her back pocket to play her music again, looking forward to the parking lot—completely unbothered. “---Sha la la, la la, la la, la la, l-la te-da Just like that” “Jesus, this girl’s got a stick up her butt.” Steve thought to himself.

pairings: steve harrington x reader

warnings: cursing, steve's horrible friends, otherwise none!

word count: 4.1k

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𝐇𝐚𝐰𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐬 𝐇𝐢𝐠𝐡 𝐒𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐥 “Uptown girl She’s been living in her uptown world I bet she’s never had a backstreet guy”

Music blared through a girl’s headphones as she made her way onto the campus of Hawkins High. Different voices strung through the air as she walked through the chaotic parking lot, with some students parking their cars and others being dropped off by parents. It was lively, with skateboarders tipping their boards and walking into school, bikers putting their bikes in the designated rack, while others got off the yellow school buses, making their way onto campus.

The girl clutched her school books to her chest, walking toward the main entrance to meet her campus guide. Her hair was styled in a voluminous fringe, wearing a white top paired with blue jeans, and a brown belt to add color.

“I bet her momma never told her why I’m gonna try for an uptown girl She’s been living in her white-bred world”

“Are you Y/N Smith?” A soft voice sounded faintly through the sound of music, coming from a girl with glasses and a short light red hairdo. Y/N glanced over to the girl and paused her Walkman, taking her headphones off and putting her attention on the girl.

“Sorry?”

“You’re Y/N Smith, right?” The girl repeated herself, looking at Y/N before looking down at her clipboard. She had a friendly demeanor, but didn’t quite seem the popular type.

“Yes,” The girl nodded. “And you are?”

“Barbra Holland, but you can just call me Barb. I’ll be showing you around.” The sweet girl smiled.

“Nice to meet you.” Y/N offered a tentative smile.

𝐀 𝐅𝐞𝐰 𝐇𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬 𝐋𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫

As the lunch bell rang signaling the midpoint of Y/N’s first day at Hawkins High, she found herself navigating the bustling cafeteria. The girl was on the search for her guide from this morning, hoping she could sit with her instead of being a loner, not wanting to sit by herself. Or even worse—eat in the bathroom stalls, which was usually where she found herself at a new school.

The cafeteria smelt of hamburger mixed with other scents, alive with chatter and laughter, with students jostling for seats and trays laden with food. Other students were in line for lunch while some found their seats with their friends, the cafeteria growing louder with conversation by the second.

As Y/N spotted the girl who showed her around school earlier in the day, Barb, she made her way over to her table. She noticed she was sitting with another girl with mid-length brown hair. It was styled in a half-do, with a pretty flowery top and skirt, making her look neat and put together. 

Summoning her courage, Y/N made the final approach to their table, a tentative smile on her lips. Barb and her friend looked up, their expressions warm and welcoming as they gestured for the girl to join them.

“Hey Y/N, glad you found me. Would you like to sit with us?” Barb smiled at the girl, inviting her before she even had to ask.

Grateful for their invitation, Y/N nodded and took a seat across from Barb and her friend. “I’m Nancy, it’s nice to meet you.” Barb’s friend introduced herself, reaching out her hand to shake the girl’s.

“I’m Y/N, thanks for letting me sit with you guys.”

As Y/N settled in and quietly listened in on the girl’s conversations, she couldn't help but feel a pang of self-doubt creeping in. They’re probably just letting her sit by them to be nice, they’ll push her away eventually if she doesn’t herself.

What’s the point of getting close to anyone right now?

Putting aside her doubts, Y/N hesitantly joined the conversation, listening intently as Nancy and Barb chatted animatedly about their classes and upcoming plans. They were warm and inclusive, making Y/N feel more at ease in their presence.

“Y/N, how are you liking Hawkins High so far? We don't usually get very many new students,” Nancy questioned, observing the new girl. 

“It’s been okay, definitely different than what I’m used to. Thanks to Barb, I’ve found my way around alright.” Y/N politely smiled, fidgeting with her fork.

"Well, if you ever need anything, don't hesitate to ask. Barb and I are here to help." The brown-haired girl smiled across from her.

“Thank you, Nancy.”

After some more light conversation, Barb showed Y/N the way to the rest of her classes, but her brain scrambled and she forgot where to go for sixth hour after lunch. She looked around the halls, lost, glancing at the number for her class on her paper schedule, looking back up to read the classroom door numbers to try and find a match.

“Hey there, new girl, you lost or something?” An unfamiliar masculine voice echoed in the girl’s ears, glancing up to see a tall, brown-haired boy, whose hair was styled fancily, falling almost perfectly in front of his face. 

He had light brown eyes that reflected golden in the sunlight—wearing a nicely fitted navy button-up shirt with jeans and Nike blazers. He had slightly tan skin, and if you looked close enough, you could see a few moles that complemented his face. He stood across the hall from her, hand on hip, watching her gaze land on him.

“Not exactly lost, just—finding my way around.” Y/N shifted uncomfortably, clutching her books to her chest, not wanting to ask anyone for help, let alone talk to any more people.

“Well, lucky for you…” The boy leaned against the lockers in the hall, practically beaming with confidence. “I’m an expert navigator. The name’s Steve, Steve Harrington.” 

Cautiously, the girl replies. “I’m Y/N, Y/N Smith.”

“Smith, huh? Sounds mysterious. You hiding any secrets?” Steve raised an eyebrow at the girl before rudely being interrupted, by what seemed to be a friend.

“Preying on the new chick now, huh King Steve?” A boy with fluffy hair smirked as he slung his arm around Harrington. He looked smug and had pale skin, with dark hair and freckles covering his face. 

“Get off me Tommy,” Steve shoved him off. “I’m just trying to help show her around,” He rolled his eyes.

When Steve finally stopped bickering with his friend, he turned to see the new girl nowhere to be found. Frustration flickered across his expression.

“You scared her off, Tommy!” He pushed his friend’s shoulder, slightly irritated—mostly disappointed.

Tommy snorted, unfazed by the reprimand. “She doesn’t seem all that worth it anyway, man. I mean—did you even look at her? She looks like a total priss anyway!” His words dripped with derision, a smug grin spreading across his face as he continued to mock the girl who had piqued Steve’s interest.

Steve’s frown deepened. “No, douchebag, there’s something about that girl…” He spoke with a mixture of curiosity and determination, a spark of intrigue lighting up his brown eyes. There was a challenge there—something different from the usual girls he encountered.

Tommy rolled his eyes and laughed, the sound grating on the brown-eyed boy’s nerves. “That’s what you say about every girl, man. Get a grip.” He shook his head, clearly dismissing Steve’s fascination as another fleeting whim, losing interest in the conversation.

“We’ll see about that,” he muttered under his breath, ignoring Tommy’s dismissive attitude. He couldn’t help but feel that this girl was a puzzle worth solving.

Y/N had turned her back on the commotion from the two boys, her steps deliberate as she made her way into the bustling school halls to find her own way to class. The fluorescent school lights above cast a harsh glow, reflecting off the polished floors.

The girl weaved through the crowd, her hair catching the occasional draft from the overhead vents, causing loose strands to brush against her face. She reached up to tuck them behind her ear, her fingers brushing against the cool metal of her Walkman clipped to her waistband. Music still played softly through her headphones, a comforting barrier between her and the overwhelming noise of the high school.

As she walked, Y/N couldn't help but notice the cliques forming in the hallways—the jocks congregating near the gym doors, the popular girls giggling by the water fountain, and the band kids chatting animatedly near the music room. Each group seemed to have its own territory, and Y/N felt like an outsider navigating through a maze of established social structures, knowing most of these kids had known each other since grade school.

Filing in with the crowd, she kept her head down, avoiding eye contact with others as she ventured her way to her next class. The hallway seemed to stretch endlessly before her, a labyrinth of identical doors and bustling students. 

But despite the noise and the crowds, the girl felt a strange sense of calm. She was alone, but in that solitude, there was a certain freedom—a chance to observe, and to slowly, cautiously—find her place in this new town.

𝐀 𝐅𝐞𝐰 𝐇𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬 𝐋𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫

The bell rang, announcing it was the end of Y/N’s first day at Hawkins High. She liked Barb and Nancy, and she hoped they would like her too. Yet the same question lingered in her mind; was it even worth it to make friends when she didn’t know how long she’d be in Hawkins?

But she could see right through that boy from the passing period—the typical, arrogant, rich white boy who messes with any girl he could get his hands on. He was cute, but too full of himself and wrapped up in his own world.

Y/N pressed the play button on her Walkman in her back pocket as she finally made her way out of her last hour, putting on her headphones for her ears to be met with the comforting sound of music.

“My brown eyed girl You my, brown eyed girl Do you remember when We used to sing”

As the girl made her way through the school's exit doors, her music suddenly stopped, and she felt a button on her Walkman on the side of her waistband click. She was quick to turn around to pin down who or what paused her music, visibly annoyed—only to be met with a familiar face.

That boy from the hall—more like official douchebag now, Steve Harrington.

“Why would you do that?” She snapped, agitated—with the boy immediately getting defensive, throwing his hands up to the side.

“Sorry, sorry, I was calling your name in the hall, but you didn’t hear me.” Steve gestured to her headphones with his hands.

“Right.” She walked off with a flat expression, but the brown-haired boy was quick to follow her.

“I was wondering—” he paused, unsure if he should continue due to the girl's uninterested face as she made her way toward the parking lot, her headphones still on, but no music playing. 

"I'm throwing a party this Friday at my house. Food, drinks, pool, no parents, all the good stuff. I wanted to invite you… it could be good for you, meeting new people and all!" Steve raised his eyebrows in that signature way of his, the one that usually made it hard for people to say no to.

Y/N turned to look at the boy, her eyes narrowing with a hint of defiance in them. She deliberately reached into her back pocket to play her music again, looking forward to the parking lot—completely unbothered.

“---Sha la la, la la, la la, la la, l-la te da Just like that”

“Jesus, this girl’s got a stick up her butt," Steve thought as the music from her headphones blared once again. He glanced back at his friends, who were a little behind him, shrugged, and kept walking beside her. He reached into his jeans pocket, grabbed a note with his address written on it, and handed it to the girl.

“At six, I’ll see you there.” He raised his eyebrows, his voice muffled through the girl's headphones as she reluctantly grabbed the note from him, watching him retreat to his group of friends.

Shaking her head, Y/N glanced forward, being met with the familiar appearance of Hopper’s vehicle pulling up in the parking lot in front of her. The girl was relieved, quick to open the door, setting her things down in the foot room of the passenger seat, and climbed into the car. 

“How was your first day, kiddo?” Hopper was quick to ask as the girl closed the passenger door.

“It was alright… the people were nice. I’ll survive,” She shrugged, to which Hopper gave a small chuckle. 

“You’ll survive, huh?” He mocked in a joking manner.

“Yeah,” she gave a small grin, proceeding to hold up a note to the man, waving it around. “I got invited to a party.” 

“It was by that boy that was walking with you, huh,” Hopper noted his observation, his tone covered by a sense of protectiveness.

“You already know the rules though, kid. No parties. No boys. Especially at my house.” He eyed the girl, his eyebrows raising as he put the car in drive.

“I know, I don’t want to go anyway.”

After Hopper dropped the girl off from school, the chief continued his day back at the police station. Y/N was seated on the back patio of the trailer that sat on a lake. There was a slight breeze as her hair danced with the wind, her eyelashes fluttering at her sketchbook on her lap. Beyond the lake, trees covered the land, and the sound of cicadas chirping filled the girl’s ears. It was cooling off, and sunset was in a few hours.

Her pencil glided across the sketchbook page, detailing the lake and the landscape around it. She added a few finishing touches, looking back up to see details of the trees, but her eyes went wide, a bit frightened—as she was met with the same sight of the ethereal orange and red glow in the woods she had seen at the trailer park in her father’s backyard.

The girl sketched the sight with curiosity, adding the orange and red hues to the drawing. As she looked up again to continue sketching, a tall figure—similar to the one in the woods before, moved in the tree line.

A bit unsettled, she closed the sketchbook and watched as the colors began to fade from the woods, with the figure nowhere to be found. She rushed inside to read the time on the clock, 5:41 PM. Hopper should be home by six-fifteen. She’ll be alright.

Probably just deer anyway.

She brushed off what she saw, ignoring how unsettled she felt, making her way into the kitchen. “Shit,” the girl cursed at herself, realizing she left her toast in the toaster when she got home from school after getting dropped off.

She sat her sketchbook down on the kitchen counter and cleaned up the toast. She truly did consider going to Steve Harrington’s party on Friday, but she knew how it would turn out. He and his friends were douchebags anyways, and all they’re probably going to do is drink and smoke.

And then she began to remember the rules Hopper had set in place when she moved in with him. “I get off work late usually, it depends, but I always want you home no past 9. And no boys, no drugs, no parties…  you already know. And don’t answer the door if you don’t recognize the person there. Most importantly, no lies. If you’re going somewhere, write down where before you leave so I know. That’s all I ask of you.”

It was frustrating, having limitations and rules as she’d been used to her independence—taking care of herself during the decline of her father.

After her mother passed away, she was practically on her own. Of course, her father also made up rules along the way and would punish her for whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted. But she knew she had to respect Hopper, whether she liked it or not.

As the girl sat in thought doing dishes in the sink, in the corner of her eye, she was met with a dark figure moving past the trees outside the window in front of her. Startled, she dropped the dish she was cleaning on the floor, seeing glass shards cover the floor. She let out a strained sigh, trying to shake off the fear nagging at her, assuming it was some sort of wildlife, beginning to pick up the mess.

While she cleaned up the kitchen, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling rising in her system. The glow from the woods again, the figure… suddenly, she heard a car engine pull up. 

Footsteps approached the trailer, and she heard the familiar sound of keys jingling to open the front door. She watched the door open as the familiar sight of Hopper entered the trailer, taking off his chief hat and throwing it onto the couch with takeout in his hands.

“Got Chinese for our movie tonight. Won’t be able to do it on Friday like usual this week,” The chief announced, setting down the food on the coffee table in the living room. 

“You’re home early,” Y/N announced, reading the clock, 5:51 PM, watching as Hopper gave a small nod, busy ridding his uniform jacket. “Quiet day.”

“Have you been seeing any animals around lately? Like deer or something?” She questioned, still uneasy from what she saw.

“Sometimes they come around. Why, did you see one?” Hopper questioned, plopping down on the couch, leather squeaking.

“Yeah, I’ve been seeing a lot lately,” Y/N hesitantly responded, knowing there was no explanation for what she saw—which was most definitely not deer.

𝐇𝐚𝐰𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐬 𝐇𝐢𝐠𝐡 𝐒𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐥 𝐅𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐲

“So you’re telling me, the Steve Harrington invited you to a party, and you’re not going?” Barb emphasized her words as Y/N walked through the high school halls, passing peers toward the cafeteria.

“Yeah, he invited me on Monday actually, but I think his friends convinced him to do it.” Y/N looked over at Barb, shrugging. “It’s not that big of a deal. I can’t even go… not that I want to anyway.” She continued, opening the doors to the lively cafeteria.

“You’re really going to turn down King Steve?” Nancy chimed in, her tone sharp in her sarcasm as she emphasized the silly nickname. There was something about the way she said it that made Y/N pause, but she quickly brushed it off.

“I don’t know why you guys are making it seem like such a big deal. He’s probably invited so many other people anyway… and why does everyone keep calling him that? It’s ridiculous,” Y/N shook her head as she grabbed a food tray.

“It’s what everyone calls him!” Barb answered, trailing behind Y/N. “If you went, imagine how popular you would get, and you’re brand new to Hawkins!” She added, trying to convince the girl.

Nancy, however, gave a half-hearted smile, her eyes not quite meeting Y/N’s. “Yeah, because apparently, Steve Harrington doesn’t have enough girls following him around already,” she muttered, her voice carrying a hint of annoyance.

“I don’t get why ‘the Steve Harrington’ is such a big deal. And I’m not interested in the popular crowd anyway,” Y/N mocked. “He seems like any other popular, rich, arrogant douchebag. I mean, look at his friends, and his hair!” She continued, watching as Nancy’s eyes flickered over her shoulder, suddenly widening along with Barb’s.

“Oh my god, what is it now?” Y/N turned around, only to be met by Steve Harrington—and his hair. God, his absurd hair.

“What about my hair?” Steve asked, his eyebrows furrowed together in question, his hands automatically reaching up to smooth it as if he could fix whatever she was criticizing.

“Oh, nothing…” Y/N shook her head, looking up at the boy, a bit startled by his sudden appearance.

“Well, you’re still coming to the party tonight, right?” Steve asked, his gaze fixed on her. Y/N’s heart skipped a beat, and she prayed that he didn’t hear the rather harsh words she’d just said about him and his friends.

“Uh,” she started, “Yeah, I can’t go.” She continued, watching as the boy's expression fell into utter disappointment.

“What, your parents won’t let you?” Steve questioned, slightly pouting, his lips formed into a small frown.

“I guess, and I’m not exactly the party girl anyway,” Y/N shrugged, glancing to the side where she caught Nancy staring at the floor, her lips pressed into a thin line.

“Well, if your friends went, would you go?” The boy came up with an idea, with Nancy’s eyes flicking up to Steve’s. “I’ll go,” She chimed in, lightly elbowing Barb as she hesitantly nodded. 

“I’m not going either way, sorry.” Y/N shook her head, confident in her answer.

“Just consider it! You can always sneak out.” Steve winked, turning his head to the sound of his friends calling his name, getting distracted.

“Okay, I’ll see you guys tonight, at six!” He pointed toward the girls, shuffling off to his lunch table.

“Y/N, you should really go to the party,” Nancy suggested, but there was something off in her tone, almost like she was trying too hard to sound casual. “I mean, it’s Steve Harrington. Not everyone gets that kind of invite.”

“No—no way,” Y/N refused stubbornly, insisting on not going.

Nancy forced a smile, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes. “Fine, have fun missing out!” She mocked Steve’s words with a hint of something Y/N couldn’t quite identify—was it jealousy?

Barb, noticing the tension, chimed in. “I’m sure it’ll be fun… or not. I’m not really a party girl either, but I think I’ll sit this one out,” she said with a light laugh, but Y/N could feel Nancy’s lingering gaze, making her wonder if there was more to this than just a party invite.

“You guys can go without me, I’m sure you’ll have fun if you end up going,” The girl gave a slight shrug to her friends, walking past them to grab her lunch.

“Steve Harrington, rejected by the new girl? No way,” a girl sitting next to Tommy at Steve's table scoffed, her voice dripping with disbelief. 

Carol, with her light red hair styled to perfection and a face full of makeup that highlighted her icy blue eyes, leaned in closer to the conversation, clearly savoring the moment. Her fair skin contrasted sharply with the dark eyeliner that made her stare seem even more judgmental.

“Stop it, Carol,” Steve muttered, trying to sound nonchalant as he waved her off, but there was an edge to his voice. 

He slouched back in his seat, attempting to brush off the sting of rejection. He hated how it was becoming a topic of discussion, especially with Carol and Tommy around. They thrived on gossip, and he wasn’t in the mood to be their next punchline.

“Come on, Steve,” Carol pressed, her tone teasing but with a sharpness that cut through the cafeteria noise. 

“There’s got to be something up with her. Maybe she’s just playing hard to get, or maybe she’s not interested at all. I mean, who could turn down you?” The sarcasm in her voice was thick, as if she found the very idea ridiculous.

Steve sighed, rubbing his temple with frustration. “Maybe she’s worth getting to know, you know? I want to see what she's really about,”

There was something about Y/N that intrigued him—her guarded expression, the way she wasn’t immediately taken in by his usual charm. It was different, and maybe that was what kept her on his mind. 

“Yeah, if she actually wanted to talk to you,” Carol cut in, a smirk playing on her lips as she leaned back in her chair, clearly enjoying herself. 

Tommy, who had been listening with an entertained grin, decided to jump in. “Or maybe King Steve finally met someone who isn’t falling at his feet—"

“You just don’t quit, do you?” Steve snapped, and the outburst caused a few heads to turn their way, but Steve didn’t care. He was tired of the mocking, tired of everyone acting like they knew him better than he knew himself.

“Touchy, touchy,” Tommy scoffed, raising his hands in mock surrender, though his smirk remained firmly in place. “Just saying, man, maybe she’s not into the whole ‘King of Hawkins High’ thing. Maybe you gotta' try a different approach.”

Steve didn’t respond, just stared at the table, lost in thought. He hated to admit it, but Tommy might have a point. Maybe Y/N wasn’t impressed by his usual tricks. Maybe, just maybe, he’d have to be someone different to get through to her.

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taglist: @anqelically @cupofjoekeery @steviespookie @hailqueenconquer @just-tiredman @x-theolivia @fuckshitslover

[jyeshindra]

Astrology Basics

I had a brain blast and decided to break down what all of the planets mean in tropical astrology. I try to use one word that I feel applies to the planet the most and let that be the guide, then a metaphor example to further explain the signification.

SUN: your ability to grow as a person (and what you grow into)

AUTHORITY. relating to personal power, authority, self expression, and independence. if you were King, how would you rule? where would you rule? what’s a priority to you? where was your personal power found?

MOON: your emotional nature, your perspective, your mind.

INSTINCT. Moon comes naturally to you. What were drawn towards, who we are drawn towards, what experiences we create naturally for ourselves. Moon is felt. Moon is experienced.

Moon is the mother, so it's a tender position. It feels true and can be a source of incredible strength. It represents nurturing and our needs as humans.

ASCENDANT: your physical body, central theme of your life

PHYSICS, but in this case we study YOUR motion through time and space!

how that motion impacts other people

what YOU pursue and HOW (chart ruler)

MERCURY: communication style, what the mind will be drawn to. interests and hobbies. mental processing.

INTELLECT, the mental powers and capabilities of a person.

developed through information, listening, exploring interests, communicating.

you witness the intellect in communication.

Do you listen more than you talk? What do you talk about? What captivates your mind?

VENUS: Relationship style. how you are with romance and intimate partners. your personal sense of beauty/values. your “perfume”. what pleases you

BEAUTY, a combination of qualities that pleases the senses.

Related to our earthly experiences, our pleasure driven functions.

Your quality of beauty, what you find beautiful, who you find beautiful, what pleases you, who pleases you.

MARS: Commanding style. personal sense of ambition, passion, anger, excitement. sexual personality. driving force.

how would you drive a car? are you blasting music? are you smoking? are you playing hymnals? what about road rage? where are you going?

Mars in Taurus might be taking their time, enjoying the scenery. There may be air fresheners in the car and snacks. They're headed to a brunch or to a hair appointment. Mars in Sagittarius is probably on a bike and on their way to go hiking!

SEXUAL, not necessarily pertaining to sex. Think of it more as a matter of instincts, passion, and pursuing that which we are drawn to. How is your passion expressed? How is it expressed within an intimate contact? How does it drive you towards your ambitions? How does your body perform the work?

These next planets have more of an external influence on our persons.

JUPITER: where you find blessings, where you are lucky. where your god-given talents and abilities manifest. your sense of spirituality and faith.

ABUNDANCE. Where we experience abundance we can have a sense of spirituality/faith around it. Jupiter in 4H may receive much through the family or through the mother and have a very faith-based relationship with them. Jupiter in the 3H may have a natural gift for speaking and writing. These are the gifts that bring them abundance and blessings. Jupiter in the 5H Libra may have a lot of faith in their children. They may believe in fighting for children's rights or defending children.

SATURN: where you encounter restrictions/limitations. where you need more structure and patience. where some of your deepest fears lie. karma in the form of tests.

THE SUMMIT/GAUNTLET. Saturn is the mountain we have to climb and it may take a while. Gauntlet also works as a good metaphor too, as Saturn can feel like a series of trials and tests, each one more difficult than the last. However the bounty that awaits you? Mastery, competence, and maturity. Saturn has a sobering effect, like the air on top of the mountain. It's clear and crisp.'

And sometimes those trials we face feel familiar. We encounter people from our current past, souls from past lives, circumstances we did not master in previous incarnations. It can feel ancient.

URANUS: where the LIGHTNING strikes

innovation and insight and ingenuity

where you tend to rebel

where sudden changes and upheavals will come

your innovative spark, if uranus is the lightning bolt of inspiration you are the conduit. what you produce is what makes you ��unique”

NEPTUNE: where the MIST sets in

where you face a lot of deception, mystery, and confusion.

where a sense of magic dwells. the inexplicable

where your “dream” lives

where you connect to something greater

PLUTO: where POWER and TRANSFORMATION lie

here you must go into the underworld and take what is yours

where you’ve lost power, where you feel out of control, where you feel TOO powerful. power struggles in general

how and where you evolve

where you may endure trauma, loss, and change

South Node: past life patterns, area of former mastery, what you’re used to. where you may suffer loss or become detached. the point through which you find spiritual liberation

North Node: you feel a pull in this direction, “destiny coded”. where you can become obsessed and lost. where you may create something entirely new for yourself. another point of spiritual liberation and detachment.

Just from knowing Rahu (NN) and Ketu (SN) in Vedic, I believe that we must find a balance between South and North nodes and develop conscious awareness of the pulls from both nodes, lest we be swallowed whole.

BONUS ASTEROIDS:

CHIRON: Childhood wounds, trauma endured when young. where a great bit of healing will be done in your life. you learn to live with this and the lessons associated will be your gift to share.

LILITH: how you’ve been outcasted. where you feel shame. you rebel at all costs here and may lose favors because of it. another aspect of sexual personality

[goodluckclove]

On Not Writing

Hi! I'm back. i had a fun two days of doing absolutely nothing writing related, including scrolling this blog. Wife and I played a lot of Valheim. Took a lot of bike rides. Watched Interstellar for the first time - pretty good, kind of silly at the end. It was my first two-day weekend in probably three months, so it was much-needed, hard as it was.

And it got me thinking of some things I wanted to say to the community here. It's especially targeted towards younger writers, of which I used to be one, but I think it can apply to anyone who finds themselves despairing over how much they aren't writing.

Let's imagine you're sitting with me in this coffee shop. It's an overcast Portland morning and I just inadvertently vivisected a croissant. And as we sip our drinks (I ordered a lavender latte), you lament to me. I don't know what to do, Clove. I just haven't been writing!

You know what I say to that?

Good.

This is a new hot take of mine that I, once again, worry about upsetting people with. Because I see a lot of guides here about how to write, or how to write consistently, or how to write through writers block. But I haven't seen a single person talking about the inverse - how to not write. Or - perhaps more accurately - how to exist as a human being separate from your identity as a writer.

This is a problem for me.

Listen - I started young. I was 12 when I wrote my first novella, and 13 when I completed my first novel the next year. Adults in my life were impressed by the big-eyed child writing so many words. They encouraged me. I wrote two more novels, and they continued to encourage me. Because of the potential, right? I could be successful. I could be famous.

People stopped pushing me to try other things. I saw I was getting validation as a writer, so that only pushed me to continue fixating over something I was already enjoying and getting pretty good at. Dad had me writing two thousand words every day, because that's what Stephen King did. At 16 I finished four full-length novels, which everyone thought was really cool and interesting. I was also sporting dual hand braces every day throughout the winter to cope with the carpal tunnel I still struggle with to this day.

There is encouraging a person in their passion. There is also poisoning them with the belief that their self-worth comes from pursuing that passion. This is entirely, absolutely, even more true for younger writers and artists.

I am enraged for the young writer in my heart and in my head. Because they worried about a lot of the same things I see people worry about on here. Oh, if I don't write I'm not a writer! And to an extent they're right, as to be a writer you need to at some point write some stuff.

But here's the fucking thing, Young Clover - a child should not strive for the work ethic of a professional adult. You did not need to write 2k words a day to be a writer. You were a writer as soon as you updated that terrible Invader Zim fanfiction you wrote when you were 10.

And more than that, though, the most important thing to a person should not be their job and aspirations. If you don't write every day, you're still a writer. If you've never written anything, you aren't - and that's fine. You might write something later down the line, or you might not. Either way you are still entitled to exist on the planet and capable of living a full and passionate and wonderful life.

Hear my words: being a writer is not more important than being a human being.

If you aren't writing right now, maybe you're not supposed to be. Maybe you're meant to be nurturing your relationships, or nurturing yourself. Maybe you're supposed to be volunteering. Or meeting new people. Or gaining a new field of knowledge. Or getting really good at making focaccia bread. Or watching every Mark Wahlberg movie.

I don't like to hear this any more than you do. If I was told that I, for some reason, was not allowed to write for the rest of my life, I would be miserable for maybe a long time. After that passed it's my hope that I would move on and do other things, because my worth is not dependent on being a writer. I like doing it. I like being it, and I hope to be one for the rest of my life. But I never want it to be the first thing people see when they look at me. I don't even like bringing it up in conversation with people I don't already know.

So yeah, if you have "writer's block", maybe consider putting down the pickaxe and getting some rest. Step away entirely from the large boulder that stands between you being the next Stephen King or Brandon Sanderson or Teen Dystopia Writer no. 2321. Take a break, and I mean an ACTUAL break, not the kind where you spend the whole time sulking about work.

I am legitimately begging the writers on here to have developed lives and interests outside of writing. I am begging because I do not have that and it has consistently been one of the hardest things of my life.

You prioritize living outside your writing and it will improve the quality of your writing when you get back to it, as it'll allow you a frame of reference that extends beyond our niche industry. Or it might make you realize that, while you enjoy writing, what you really love is ceramics. Or game developing. Or mutual-aid activism. Or the movies of Mark Wahlberg.

It is not your job to treat yourself like you already have a dozen deadlines and an audience teetering on the edge of disappointment. That's ultimately not going to help you. Your job on this earth is to exist fully, for the sake of the universe that wants so desperately to live vicariously through you.

So breathe. Breathe and calm down. You aren't a failure and there's nothing you have to prove. All you have to do today is drink some water and have a nice snack while you look at a cloud.

Please be kind. All of us need to be kinder to each other and to ourselves.

That's all I want to say. I love you dearly. Please let me know if you need anything.

[aurorawest]

Summer Reading Update (part 1)

Teach the Torches to Burn by Caleb Roehrig - 4.75/5 stars

This was a really well done retelling of Romeo and Juliet. I read another book from the Remixed Classics series, Dear Henry, and while that one was also good, it felt like it adhered too slavishly to The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, so sometimes things seemed to be happening only because they happened in the original. And I haven't actually read the original book, it was just...easy to tell. Teach the Torches to Burn never felt like that, and I loved how it fleshed out so many of the characters from the play.

You Should Be So Lucky by Cat Sebastian - 5/5 stars

I feel like tumblr sings this one's praises enough that I don't really have to, but—everyone should read this. Everyone should read all of Cat Sebastian's books. I think I liked this one better than We Could Be So Good, but that could just be because I've found myself becoming more and more of a sucker for sports romances.

Unhallowed by Jordan L Hawk - 4.75/5 stars

Sad to say goodbye to the Whyborne and Griffin series, but I already love this spinoff!

Soul of Ash by HL Moore - 3.75/5 stars

Crow's Fate by Kim Fielding - 3.75/5 stars

The Sleeping Soldier by Aster Glenn Gray - 5/5 stars

I sound like a broken record re: Aster Glenn Gray, but please read her books. If you like Cat Sebastian's mid-century romances (like You Should Be So Lucky!) you like Aster Glenn Gray. This one is ostensibly a Sleeping Beauty retelling, but one where the sleeper actually sleeps for 100 years. In this case, it's a Union soldier who is put in an enchanted sleep in 1865 and wakes up in 1965 and oh my god, it's so good. It examines racism, it examines toxic masculinity, it examines homophobia, and how same-sex platonic affection became taboo. I'm pretty sure this woman has never written a bad book, but this may be her best.

Alec by Kaje Harper - 3.75/5 stars

Artemis by Andy Weir - 3.75/5 stars

Oak King Holly King by Sebastian Nothwell - 4.75/5 stars

I loved this one! There are so many books about Faerie and they can be pretty hit or miss for me, but this one struck just the right balance of otherworldly, inhuman creatures and characters I could root for. Shrike and Wren were lovely.

Imperfect Illusions by Vanora Lawless - DNF at pg 56

Orchestrated Love by AJ Buchanan - DNF at pg 1

Razorblade Tears by SA Cosby - 4.25/5 stars

The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern - 5/5 stars (reread)

The Only Light Left Burning by Erik J Brown - 5/5 stars

Excellent sequel about what happens after you make it to the last bastion of civilization after the apocalypse.

Unwieldy Creatures by Addie Tsai - DNF at pg 12

A Nobleman's Guide to Seducing a Scoundrel by KJ Charles - 5/5 stars

Oh man. This may have displaced the Will Darling Adventures as my favorite KJ Charles book. Wonderful MCs, A+ side character arcs, and villains you really loved to hate. I rambled on a lot about this book to my wife after I finished it.

Stars in Your Eyes by Kacen Callender - DNF at pg 156

His Lordship's Secret by Samantha SoRelle - 3.75/5 stars

Us, Et Cetera by Kit Vincent - 5/5 stars

Cinderella retelling with androids but Christ on a bike was this a painful read. Really, really well done. Highly recommended.

Charming Young Man by Eliot Schrefer - 5/5 stars

My 5 star rating diverges pretty sharply from the average Storygraph rating for this book, and I'm not sure why, other than maybe people thinks it's PrObLeMaTic. It was definitely not a super happy book, though it ends on a good note (that's a pun btw!). I thought it was a great book about a period that isn't often written about (1890s Paris) with a fascinating protagonist (who was a real person).

Dark Heir by CS Pacat - 5/5 stars

It's a CS Pacat book; it's the sequel to Dark Rise; obvs I loved it. I don't understand why this series is shelved under YA except that Pacat's publisher thinks more people will buy them. This series is the gay Lord of the Rings you always wanted and somehow is an even slower burn than Captive Prince.

Of Knights and Books and Falling in Love by Rita A Rubin - DNF at pg 50

Cover Story by Valerie Gomez - DNF at pg 176

Letters to Half Moon Street by Sarah Wallace - 4/5 stars

[smilesatdawnmain]

Hi!

How long was Peng hidden before he revealed himself in your Taken AU during Wukongs first meeting with MK?

Ohohohoh, Peng was there for... quite a while.

Allow me to show~

-------

There was something about Wukong’s power that one could easily find. Wild, like a sunbeam cutting through a pitch dark cave. Even lingering traces tended to have a trace to them if you knew where and how to look. 

Being around Wukong for as long as they had, Peng knew these traces. Of course, there were means in hiding them, so they were worried they would have trouble with finding Wukong’s staff. 

They had gone to the resting place Wukong had set it down, finding it was indeed ripped from the Earth and taken. They had both scanned the area for any clue, coming up short. 

At least, Wukong, had come up short. 

Peng had found something rather interesting. A single long strand of Red hair. This hair was silky, hot to the touch, and smelled of charcoal. A familiar trace of a different, but just as sneaky Nephew. Peng had said nothing of this, opting to stick the strand of hair in their pocket for now, less Wukong discover it.

Peng in truth didn’t know what to think of this at first. Many thoughts came to mind, from Red Son coming here on his own, to Red Son coming here with Xiaotian.

So when Wukong looked ready to leave, Peng ducked ahead with a sneered, racing ahead first. Their goal was to check the city next, giving Peng quite the head start first.

To find a remnant of Wukong’s power wasn’t easy, able to be blocked if someone knew how. Even the staff, which Wukong was so connected to, could be lost in connection if it was tucked away somewhere.

Mihou’s shadow, for instance, could block the connection.

If Xiaotian did take the staff, the child could have tucked it away in a similar fashion.

He didn’t.

Which is probably why Peng found their way upon a simple apartment complex. They had been quiet, a still as any bird perched to find it’s prey. Their heart beat stilled, their breathing almost non existent.

The weathered brick facade bathed in the twilight glow, hiding secrets within. Peng could feel the pulse of Wukong's power echoing faintly through the walls, a siren call guiding them forward, seeming almost to beckon from within.

Peng crept along the cracked pavement, moving slowly, gathering their senses. It was here, inside these aging walls, where secrets thrived in corners and behind doors.

They had intended to investigate every window, every apartment, but was drawn to the roof first. While hidden behind some plants and out of general view, it took only a bit of investigation for Peng to uncover a familiar hover bike.

This was Red Son’s. The Bull Prince was here.

Ready to investigate this further, the roof doors opened, and Peng slipped behind the wall. They had kept quiet as two young men emerged from the stair case, walking side by side.

Red Son, as Pen suspected, and the boy they had all been looking for: Xiaotian. Peng had almost leapt out the moment they saw him, thrilled that their nephew was alive and well.

Yet, they steadied themselves, holding back the reunion to gather some info. From Red Son’s calmer demon and casual attitude, Peng had a feeling Red Son had not recently located Xiaotian.

No, from what they could tell, the two had been meeting up secretly probably for some time. Perhaps since the beginning. Unsurprising.

They were only impressed the boy had managed to fool Wukong and Macaque into thinking he had no idea where their son was.

The two boys stood at the edge of the roof, their silhouettes outlined by the dying sunlight, unaware that they were being watched. Peng held their breath, straining to catch snippets of their conversation—

"—I know you're worried, Red, but I really think MK has what it takes. With the Monkey King's staff and some training, he…He’ll be unstoppable.”

Peng was curious. MK? What luck that they would stumble upon such a conversation, gaining the confirmation they needed that Xiaotian was indeed involved with its disappearance. Yet, who was this MK that they spoke up?

"You have a strange amount of faith in this mortal boy." Red Son shook his head to the Monkey Prince.

"He's not just some mortal," Xiaotian countered, meeting Red Son's gaze levelly. "He’s MK.” Xiaotian seemed to hold this fact in heaven regard.

Whatever Red Son thought in return of this “Mortal boy” he didn’t say, "Very well. I trust your judgment in this...for now." Red Son guided them to his bike to seemingly leave, “Are you really okay with someone else taking it?” Red Son asked, looking at Xiaotian quizzically. “The staff, I mean.” It was Xiaotian’s birthright.

Xiaotian smiled with a confidence Peng hadn’t seen in a time, “I never wanted it in the first place.” he chuckled. “It suits MK much better then me.” There was a lightness about him. Peng wondered if that had always been there, but was positive it wasn’t. For Wukong so convinced that their boy would shatter the moment he even touched the mortal realm, the child seemed to be thriving.

Red Son’s shoulder’s slouched, “If… that is what you believe.” The Bull Prince tossed his leg over his bike.

"Be careful on your way back," Xiaotian cautioned, "The huntsman is aware of our identities now. He might- I dunno… try something.”

Peng twisted their head. A Huntsman? Seemed the two had found some trouble lately. Not unexpected. They craned their neck, struggling to look at them without being spotted, forced to listen more then see.

Red Son snorted, revving the engine. "As if some lowly spider demon concerns me. It is you I should be cautioning." Despite his bravado, there was a tenderness to his voice that gave way, "I'll be cautious. You just focus on training that human of yours properly. Watch your back. I don't understand your connection to this mortal," he admitted. “If you trust him, however, so will I.”

There was a small pause, “I think you two might even become friends if you gave MK a chance.” Xiaotian cooed.

Red Son scoffed, “Unlikely,”

After that, there was another pause, "He has a love for cooking, just like you,"

“One shared hobby would hardly dictate friendship.” Red Son pretended to mull over it. “Still, if you think that’s enough for me to tolerate him…”

Then, there was a cut in the conversation. It made Peng curious enough to risk peeking around the corner. They found they didn’t have to worry about being seen, as these two younglings seemed completely absorbed in the other.

Xiaotian was leaning close to Red Son, while Red Son gently caressed Xiaotian's face with care and attention.

Peng almost choked, eyes double in size and their feather’s puffing slightly. Oh. OH OH!

OH THEY KNEW IT!

THEY KNEW ITTTT!

Azure Lion owed Yellow Tusk and them SO much money!

Xiaotian’s voice was quiet, as if the boy himself didn’t realize how tender he sounded, “But it’s opens the door for you two to get closer.” he says with a secret smile, "You never know what might blossom from the smallest of shared interests~" a tease, so similar to how his own Baba spoke to his mate.

Red Son’s voice was weak, “I don’t see why I would waste my time to get along with him. What is so important about us getting along?”

“You two being friends would make me happy,” Xiaotian admits, a hand to Red Son’s chest. “My two favorite people getting along? Absolutely the best~” a simple but rather effective sentence, as it was clearly sending Red Son apart.

The boy fumbled for a response, the flush of his cheeks so clear, “So I am just a tool for your happiness now?” he quipped, his tone playful but with an undercurrent of genuine curiosity. To be confirmed as the Monkey Prince’s favorite seemed to put the boy on cloud nine.

These disgusting little younglings. Peng could already feel the amount of gold Azure was going to hand them.

“Far more than a tool,” Xiaotian waved him off, adjusting the collar of Red Son’s shirt for him. “If you really don’t want to however, I won’t force you.” The boy knew what he was doing, even if he denied it later- a flirt as bad as his parents. Red Son clicked his teeth. Just like DKB, the Prince had no sense of denial to the object of his desire, “I will try.” he took Xiaotian’s hand to remove it, probably to stop Xiaotian from feeling his pulse… and also to just hold Xiaotian’s hand one more time, "I'll take my leave before your foolishness becomes contagious," he grumbled, revving the engine once more. With a casual salute, he peeled away into the night sky. Xiaotian waved goodbye to him as he left, lingering on the roof for a time.

Peng was pumping their fist in utter victory, feeling the urge to just strut out now and congratulate their Nephew. It was wonderful.

While they were not one for romantic relationships, the disgusting connection that it was, this was nothing but good news otherswise.

It would bring them and Yellow Tusk a large sum of money with a bet well won, and , the best part, it would PISS OFF WUKONG!! DBK too, of course, but Wukong was the focus here.

This was the best!!

Distracted by their own bubbling joy, Peng almost gave themselves away when the door opened a second time. A human boy walked out next, approaching Xiaotian with such casual ease that they must have known each other.

Yet, what Peng noticed most, chilled their joy and made it plummet. In the mortal boy’s hands was a staff- Wukong’s staff. He sauntered around with ease, the staff’s weight no consequence to him.

Peng had only ever seen Wukong, and in rare occasion, Macaque, lift the thing before.

They wanted to throw themselves out into view to demand to understand what was happening, but held back.

“Hey, I thought I might find you up here,” The mortal spoke. They were a bit taller then Xiaotian, with chocolate brown hair and a red head band to sweep back the messy locks. Their eyes a shimmering gold that Peng couldn’t seem to stop looking at.

Who was this??

Xiaotian turned with a bright smile, "Hey. Red Son just took off."

The human boy nodded, then rubbed the back of his head, "I uh… feel kind of guilty involving him in this. Got both of you involved.” he admits.

"Don't be silly," Xiaotian nudged the mortal playfully. "I’m the one who got you involved, not the other way around.” he glanced to the side, “It was my idea to show you the staff after all.”

The mortal cringed, "Yeah, I guess. But still..." He trailed off, watching the city lights dance across the skyline. “So, when do you want to start training me?"

A mischievous grin spread across Xiaotian's face. "What, you mean you don't want to jump right in tonight?" he teased, bouncing on the balls of his feet. "C'mon, let's see those sweet staff skills!"

The mortal laughed, shaking his head, “We haven’t even had dinner~!” he chuckled, stepping back when Xiaotian playfully swung at him. He ducked and spun the staff, catching his foot when he swung it. The two snickered, playfully throwing a few hits here and there.

Peng was speechless. This… This was unfounded? They expected Xiaotian- Xiaotian was the only logical sense, but this boy? Who was this boy?!

“This teacher you told me about really gave you a head start with this whole staff thing,” Xiaotian marveled. The mortal clearly wasn’t used to holding something that wasn’t a light stick, but was quickly adjusting to the difference. The only thing this young human seemed to lack was a… presence?

Peng couldn’t get a read on him. Not his smell, his power, nothing. That alone was odd. What sort of friend had their darling nephew made lately?

The human boy grinned as he twirled the staff around with practiced ease. "Yeah, my Angel really drilled me on a lot of different weapons and martial arts forms." He slid into a low stance, the staff whirling defensively in front of him. "But I've still got a lot to learn when it comes to actual combat."

Xiaotian nodded, eyeing MK's form critically. "Your foundation is solid," he acknowledged. "But channeling your aura and utilizing the staff's full capabilities will take some work." He rolled his shoulders back, bouncing lightly on the balls of his feet. “Like getting that thing to shrink and grow like you did before. My Dad always loved to use that to catch his enemies off guard.” he put his palm out, quickly pushing it pass MK’s defenses to rest to his chest.

The boy grunted a little, looking down at his palm. Peng watched carefully, noting his jacket, his face… his shoes. Red in color, and just like what Macaque had said Xiaotian was looking for.

Was this boy the one their nephew had been seeking?

Peng turned their eyes from the two, stunned. The boy could wield the staff and it’s abilities? If they really were connected to Xiaotian on some deeper level, that might explain it a little. They didn’t understand what this meant, yet… a strange part of them told them it was important.

Perhaps if Yellow Tusk was here, he could offer a better guess. Peng would have to inform him later to figure it out.

As the two continued to spar on the roof, Peng knelt down slow and careful, making sure not to make a sound. Taking out some paper and a pen from their bag, he had a feeling Wukong wouldn’t be far behind.

So much was going on, and Peng felt that if Wukong intervened now, they might never fully understand. So Peng made a decision.

As Peng wrote, they heard Xiaotian speaking, "We should probably head back inside and let your dads know we're not gonna trash the roof with our epic staff battle."

“Yeahhh,” the mortal laughed. As they began their stroll towards the roof's exit, Xiaotian suddenly clapped the mortal on the shoulder, causing him to stumble a tad. "What?” when he looked back at Xiaotian, had gone still.

Peng too turned their head.

Ah… He was here it seemed.

The Monkey King.

As they finished their little letter and sealed it into an envelope, he heard Xiaotian’s panicked squeaks, pleading for the mortal to be quiet of his presence. Then, he was ducking into the mortal’s shadow to hide.

And not a second too soon, for the King of the mountain was arriving.

[uzumaki-rebellion]

"King Killmonger: The Golden Jaguar" Chapter 11

Need to catch up? Masterlist HERE.

"They're calling me, back to the stars

Deep out of space, they're calling me

Back to the stars

They found peace in the ocean (peace with the pain)

Now they guide my way, guide my way…"

Meshell N'Degeocello—"Virgo"

The Royal Talon Fighter approached the opening of Warrior Falls.

Okoye and Ayo scanned a twenty mile radius before flying over the valley of gushing water walls to the other side.

"Kumkani, I've found the hover bike…"

Ayo glanced over at the king who sat in a pensive position behind her. Okoye flew the aircraft lower to the base of the Falls as N'Jadka stood next to Ayo and looked at the viewscreen that projected the image of a broken hover bike floating in an undertow where it was caught between two boulders.

"No signs of Queen Yani," Ayo said with a soft tone.

N'Jadaka's jaguar suit swarmed around him and he tapped the opening of the circular floor exit. He dropped eighty feet and splashed into a deep plunge pool of cold black water. Below the surface he scanned for signs of life around the bike before dragging it onto land. A flash of pink caught his eye and he lunged for it in the water.

Yani's walking shoe. It was drenched and unmarked, unlike the damaged hover bike. She had to have fallen trying to fly over the giant falls. He quelled the rise in panic in his demeanor. She was alive somewhere. He willed it.

Okoye's voice broke through his reverie, loud and clear inside his face mask.

"There are no other traces of anything. That is a good sign," Okoye said.

N'Jadaka dove below and searched underwater. Yani had a strong body. If she were injured somewhere he would find her. He scanned for her kimoyo beads thinking they may have been snapped away from her wrist, but there was nothing.

Breeching the surface he leaped onto the land and surveyed the surroundings. Okoye and Ayo dropped down from the gravity tracking beam. Aneka stood watch over the Talon Fighter. High above, stinger aircrafts circled the sky.

"Kumkani…here…" Ayo said.

Footprints in the moist earth. He recognized the pattern of her sandals. The king gave a grateful sigh of relief. His wife was alive and somewhere out there searching for God knew what. It wasn't like her to disappear like that without telling him where she was. He stared at the height from which she fell and all the dangers that could've swallowed her up. Was she under the influence of something? Did someone…or something lure her away? He remembered the panther cubs he couldn't see back in Ekuqaleni. Did they trick her into coming here?

Worry knotted his brow.

Wakanda was still a wondrous and mysterious place to them both. Anything could've happened to her.

"Come on," he said.

They followed Yani's tracks until they came upon two more that were bigger compared to hers. They made deeper impressions in the mud and directly faced Yani's footprints. Men. She followed them willingly because there was no sign of struggle in the area.

They scanned and tracked until the ground changed into grasslands and decomposing leaves. The grass was so thick like shag carpet that it didn't even bend to give an indication of what direction they went.

"They're gone…can't find anymore markings," Ayo said, crestfallen.

"She's gotta be around here somewhere. Let's spread out for a mile and check in," He tapped his kimoyo bead, "Aneka, contact Dr. Chidubem discreetly and have him flown here in case the Queen has major injuries."

"Yes kumkani, right away," Aneka said in his earbuds.

N'Jadaka shook out his arms and charged into the mountain forest on high alert.

He had to find his wife and return her to his side.

Warm balmy water cascaded all over Yani's body as she stepped through the birth waters. The entrance of the oracle's cave hummed and vibrated and the sounds made her jumpy. Passing through to the other side led her to the tranquil natural pool of glowing turquoise waters with steam rising from it.

"You made it Queen Yani."

Yani recognized the voice of Jabulile.

The woman was dressed in a long green robe like the men that brought Yani there. She was alone and holding a folded royal blue robe.

"Please bathe in these waters, from head to toe. I will help you put on this robe when you are finished," Jabulile said.

"Where are the other two women that were with you?" Yani asked.

"With Nolwandle…the oracle. They are waiting for you in the interior of the womb. Please kumkanikazi…bathe."

Jabulile turned her back to give Yani privacy as she willingly stripped down. She dipped a toe in the water first, and it wasn't too hot. Submerging herself, she gave into the heat and liquid comfort. The water smelled like sweet perfumes and tingled all over her skin. Dunking her head below, she quickly rubbed herself down. The water reflected against the ceiling and walls of the cave. She noticed inscriptions written in a language other than Wakandan, with pictographs depicting waves and sea creatures painted with neon blue paint. Some images were carved into the walls and looked older and eroded in some places. The bandage on her wrist fell away, and so did the dull ache of pain she carried since the Falls.

Stepping out of the pool, Yani looked for a towel.

Jabulile turned around and unfurled the robe she carried.

"No need to dry yourself, put this on quickly…here, I'll take those bandages for you. Follow me this way please…"

Yani trailed behind Jabulile. The light source used to illuminate their way couldn't be pinpointed by Yani. The cave floor was soft black sand that didn't seem to belong to that particular ecosystem. Her robe swished at her feet and stuck to the wet parts of her body, contouring itself like a designer dress. They walked through a purple mist that swiped across her skin like spiderwebs breaking across her face and body. She waved her hands around only to find that it was a sensation only…nothing was on her skin.

Her eardrums throbbed with the pounding of the drums…no…they couldn't be drums. The two young women who had drums were too far away to emit the sound she heard right then. Yani tuned in closer and realized the sound was a heartbeat, as if the cave was a living thing pumping its heart in a soothing rhythm.

Strange.

Yani walked a normal rate of speed, but her body felt like it was slowing down.

"We are almost there Queen Yani," Jabulile said.

Jabulile's voice sounded far away, the way it would if Yani were deep underwater listening to speech high above her head. Her heart thumped faster and she inhaled air through her mouth to calm down her fear.

They reached a narrow opening where the two women Yani asked about, Khanyisile and Nolwazi, stood watch holding torches. Both women smiled, relief evident on their faces.

"Go through there and you will find her," Jabulile said.

The passageway was dark and had only enough room for one person to pass through at a time.

"By myself?" Yani asked.

All three women nodded.

"Do not be afraid Queen Yani. Mama Wati protects you," Nolwazi said.

Yani shook her fingers and stepped past the women into the foreboding passage. Darkness swallowed her and she heard her own breathing speed up. Claustrophobia threatened to paralyze her from moving on, but she swallowed thickly and mustered the courage to keep walking, even as her shoulders hit the sides of the unseen walls. Step by step. Inch by inch. Yani staggered through thirty yards of pitch black until her cone and rod cells worked again to detect light and movement ahead.

Her eyes adjusted.

A woman with skin the color of freshly made Jamaican black castor oil sat crosscrossed on a bright green rug with painted sea turtles and stingrays. Her hair was wrapped in a large seagreen headwrap and her neck was heavy with seashell necklaces and sun-yellow glass beads. She could've been thirty, or she could've been seventy, it was anyone's guess with Wakandan people. They aged gracefully and seemingly slow. Bright eyes the color of glowing jade in the center and dark amber at the edges peered at her with a welcome kindness.

"Queen Yani Udaku of the Black Panther Tribe…and the unofficial adopted daughter of the River Tribe…I welcome you home. Sit…right there…in front of me," the Oracle Nolwandle said.

Yani crossed her legs on the long green rug facing the oracle. Nolwandle sat and stared at Yani's face until the young queen squirmed her hips.

"You look the way my emissaries said you did…youthful and full of energy. Very beautiful. The king loves beauty I hear," Nolwandle said.

The oracle's unnatural jade-powered gaze pierced through Yani's defenses of trying to appear stoic and queenly. Sitting in front of her made Yani feel like a young child chatting with her grandmother.

"King N'Jadaka's energy can be felt all throughout the kingdom. He carries his ancestors well. They are strong on the other side. The king is on his way now to retrieve you. I can feel his worry over you."

"I don't want him to worry," Yani said.

"There is apprehension in your voice my queen. Mama Wati wants you to be at ease here."

"It's hard…I don't know what to expect…I don't know what to do…"

"Ease…my queen…breathe in deep…"

Yani inhaled and Nolwandle urged her to do more. Behind the oracle, a small fire burned inside a stone fireplace. To the oracle's left side was a wide opening in the cave that led to a river of water not found on any Wakandan map. A pile of stones held another fire that lit up the roof of the cave leading out into the open water where other large mountains touched one another leaving gaps for water to flow past. Part of the walls shined like the sparkling emerald water reflecting shimmery images dancing on the walls. The interior felt dark, warm and mysterious and the waterway hinted at sunshine and an upperworld.

"Breathe…yes…deeply…slowly…"

Nolwandle reached behind her and lifted a bundle of herbs tied with bright white string. She tossed them into the fire and it sparkled and puffed out dark blue smoke.

"Breathe daughter…yes…deeper still…allow the smoke to enter your lungs."

"Are you drugging me…it feels thick in my chest…" Yani gasped, clutching her throat.

"I am opening the path for us to travel. Mama Wati will partially lift the veil for you to receive the message meant for you…"

"I can't breathe…I'm having a hard time…oracle! Help me…I can't!" Yani choked out.

"The message is coming, daughter. Mama Wati has opened the veil…"

The unseen presence of an entity larger than the cave itself came first.

It its wake was a pressure, like an ocean's weight of water pressing down on Yani's body, threatening to flatten her. The pressure in her ears changed too. She clutched at her throat and yet Nolwandle remained calm, her lips moving but no sound coming out.

The presence wrapped itself all over the cave and a roar thundered in Yani's ears. She looked toward the placid water outside and a mammoth ocean wave rolled toward her in slow motion. Yani couldn't move, her lower body locked to the ground helpless and unprotected. She could still mover her head though.

"Nolwandle!" Yani shouted.

Yani glanced at the oracle again and the woman's head fell back. Her eyes were squeezed shut and her mouth stayed wide open. Yani whipped her head to brace herself for when the wave would hit them, but it was gone. The opening was covered in a tranquil water barrier that made the outside scenery look blurry, fluid, and dreamy.

"Yani…"

A voice behind the water barrier came out of the oracle's mouth. Confused, Yani looked at Nolwandle again. Her mouth stayed agape and frozen in that position.

"Yani…JaJa's wife…"

Yani heard the voice come from the oracle, but it sounded like it was behind the water barrier too, as if it bounced out to use the oracle as its frequency to the human world. The queen rose from her seated position and walked toward the barrier. The shadowy outside world was there, rippling behind the veil.

Two figures walked forward.

Yani held her breath and waited until they stood before her. One was older and the other younger. Her breath hitched in her chest and she stumbled back, unable to believe her eyes.

The younger woman had fiery brown eyes and big ginger hair that crowned her head like a giant sunburst. Yani recognized the same freckles her son had. The older woman was shorter with an exquisite face etched with wisdom that matched the younger woman. Her hair was looser in texture and had faded streaks of light brown mixed in with white that was cornrowed in four thick braids going straight back. Yani knew right away the two women were related. Long pearl-white tunics shrouded their bodies.

"You know who I am. Don't you?" the younger woman said.

Yani nodded.

"Califia Stevens Udaku…N'Jadaka's mother."

"Yes…this is JaJa's great-grandmother, Nana Jean."

"Hello, ma'am," Yani said, instantly genuflecting to them both.

Nana Jean laughed and Califia joined her. The older woman held up a hand.

"We are family baby, you don't bow to us," Nana Jean said.

The presence pushed down on the cave and the water barrier vibrated, blurring the women from Yani's view.

"Califia!" Yani shouted.

Their images shimmered back into view seconds later. Yani wiped frantic tears away from her eyes, so terrified her mother-in-law and great-grandmother-in-law had vanished. Califia held her hand against the barrier. Yani raised hers to try and touch it. The cool blue kinetic liquid would not allow them to connect.

"I wish I could comfort you, Yani. Mama Wati has warned us. Bast is awake inside of my son. I'll have to speak quickly before we lose contact," Califia said.

Yani was spellbound by Califia, the woman's beauty staggered the imagination. She carried a vibrant charisma that was like N'Jadaka's times ten. No wonder Prince N'Jobu stayed away from his home and defied a nation. Califia was priceless.

"You're going to conceive a baby who is so important that they'll have the power to split the world into pieces in the future. I apologize having to sound so cryptic but I'm breaking so many rules to be here with you. I took what I could decipher from the realm of time in the spirit world with my limited understanding. Although I'm an ancestor now, Bast still shrouds us from telling humans too much."

"When?" Yani asked.

"Soon...two or three years at most from what little I could decipher from the time threads. A man is also coming there who will challenge my son for the world. I need for you to survive the war they may wage—"

"More war? In Wakanda?"

"War all over the world. You're the key to preventing their battle from consuming JaJa. If anything happens to that baby or you…my son will burn the world down and the future will become bleak for everyone on the planet even more than it is. Your baby must survive at all costs in order to claim their birthright and keep Wakanda secure years from now. That child will turn the nation into an empire. No matter the cost, it must happen!"

Califia stepped closer to the veil, unable to penetrate it. Her voice came from behind Yani through the oracle's mouth, but Yani focused on Califia's face.

"My son has lost too much in this world. I don't want him suffering again if I can warn you. I couldn't come to him because Bast would block me directly, so I had to come for you through Mama Wati," Califia said.

"I understand. I'll do all I can to protect our baby."

"Not just the one to come, but Riki and Joba too."

"Riki and Joba? What's going to happen to them?" Yani yelped.

The cave vibrated with the force of an earthquake. Califia and Nana Jean glanced behind them. Worry clouded their faces.

"Nothing will happen if you can prevent it," Califia said.

Nana Jean became agitated and looked over her shoulder again.

"We should leave now, Cali…Dayclean is coming," Nana Jean said, grabbing Califia's arm, pulling her back from the veil.

Califia gently patted her grandmother's hand, stood her ground, and locked eyes with Yani.

"Joba and Riki will be the ones to help the baby become what she needs to be in order to rule the future. But that future will face turmoil if none of them live once a foretold prophecy begins at your pregnancy. When Namor returns, be ready Yani. This is all I have to give you," Califia said.

"Namor," Yani repeated, searing the name into her mind.

"You must stay away from him…you and the children—"

"Califia!"

The booming voice of a distraught man flew out of the oracle's mouth making Yani jump. He appeared next to them in a long white tunic.

N'Jobu.

N'Jadaka's father.

Seeing N'Jadaka's parents together knocked Yani's knees. Never would she have dreamed of seeing them alive and looking so well from the other side. N'Jobu turned his kind eyes toward Yani.

"My daughter…Yani…you shouldn't be here with my wife or Nana Jean. Certain knowings belong to Bast, and only her. What you have heard is forbidden knowledge to that existence there. Your life must be lived with my son and grandchildren in ignorance," N'Jobu gently urged.

Califia shook her head and challenged her husband.

"No! I won't let that happen this time. Our son deserves happiness. Too much was stolen from him and I refuse to let anything be taken from him again. I don't care if I have to go against Bast or any other god to protect them."

N'Jobu put his arms around Califia. Her voiced raged from the oracle's open throat. N'Jobu's somber tone brought levity to Yani's predicament. Califia had gone above and beyond from the ancestral plane to reach her family. Her love bled through the water barrier and cloaked Yani with its comfort and legendary warrior spirit. Her willingness to defy gods was a trait Yani hoped she could live up to for her own babies.

N'Jobu gently scolded his wife.

"You have stolen free-will and burdened our daughter with fear and more confusion. That isn't fair to Yani. Now she will worry about our family needlessly," N'Jobu said.

The cave vibrated with the presence yet again. Mama Wati's collusion was weakening. N'Jobu held his wife lovingly as Nana Jean watched over them both.

"We must go back my love…please. JaJa will live a glorious life…"

"His children—"

"—will live out their destinies, whatever they will be, without interference from now on. Let them be…let them have their own lives. We are always here for them as a comfort and a reminder that life doesn't end at death."

"Yani," Califia said, still reaching for her daughter-in-law.

"You see death for us? Me and the children?" Yani asked.

Califia clutched at her temples and her mouth twisted into a horrid grimace. She appeared to be full of pain.

"Bast is jumbling up my mind…she's stealing the future threads from me…" Califia wailed.

"Califia!" N'Jobu cried out, grabbing her by the waist to keep her from falling.

A dark foreboding shadow loomed over them behind the veil in the shape of an enormous panther stalking tiny prey.

Bast.

"Forgive her Bast! Please!" N'Jobu shouted.

Bast's dark shadow scattered and floated away. Califia closed her eyes. Yani did the same as something slithery, warm, and invasive cleaved to her temporal lobe. The words of warning Califia gave her were plucked from her gray matter one by one until nothing was left. Yani struggled to grab onto anything, her brain synapses crackling with electrical impulses to store and hide any morsel. She was able to hold onto two words, and only because she sensed a benevolent shield from Mama Wati to allow her to grasp onto anything her mother Bast had culled from her mortal skull.

"It's gone, all of it. I can no longer see it," Califia said in a defeated tone.

Yani blanked out mentally as Bast swiped her mind clean too.

Nana Jean cradled Califia's face and N'Jobu nuzzled his nose against her cheek, comforting her. Soft footfalls from behind Yani captured her attention.

"Mom, Baba…"

N'Jadaka strode into the cavern with a shocked expression. Califia perked up and clung to N'Jobu's arm as she gazed at her beloved son.

"JaJa…your wife is fine. I needed to see her to tell her…." Califia glanced around trying to remember her thoughts.

N'Jadaka reached for Yani and pulled her into his chest.

"Thank the gods you're safe," he huffed into her hair. He kissed the top of her head and rocked her in his arms.

"I'm sorry I tricked you…I had to come. Your mother needed me."

N'Jadaka faced his parents. Their eyes shined bright with love for their only child. N'Jobu held Califia's hand.

"Nana?" N'Jadaka said, stepping closer to the water barrier to see his great-grandmother.

Nana Jean grinned. She swelled with pride at seeing her great-grandson as a grown man.

"Look at you… so big and handsome like your father. You did everything to hold onto our bond…my sweet great-grandson," Nana Jean said.

Pressure popped in Yani's ear. N'Jadaka experienced it too and winced like her.

"Leave here quickly son. You two aren't meant to be here like this. Your mother has been forceful as usual," N'Jobu said.

The water barrier rippled and the images behind the veil began to cloud and fade.

"Watch over each other, JaJa…love one another at all times," N'Jobu said.

N'Jadaka rushed the barrier and called to his mother. Califia gazed at him with a mixture of adoration and longing.

"Mom, why did you come to Yani?"

Califia's gaze fell upon Yani. The presence in the cave began to lift. N'Jobu tugged on Califia and Nana Jean to follow him back from where they came.

"Bast stole the memory from me, JaJa. I had it and she took it away. Yani, whatever I told you, hold onto it. I may never get to reach out like this again, but I want you both to know I tried my best to make life there good for you," Califia said. She gave N'Jadaka a winsome smile. "Take care of each other JaJa. We love you," Califia said.

Her voice sounded weary.

"Mom…Baba…wait…"

"We must go back, son. Feel us in your heart as always," N'Jobu said.

Nana Jean pressed her forehead against the barrier. N'Jadaka lined his forehead with hers and pressed against it.

"You have done well, JaJa. We are here with you at all times," Nana Jean said.

Califia blew Yani and N'Jadaka kisses and the water barrier snapped into a blurry whirlpool of foamy water. Yani turned to look at the oracle. The woman stayed in the same odd position with her eyes closed and mouth open.

"I soon come, Mama…Baba…"

A soft childlike voice came out of the oracle's mouth. It sounded like a toddler just learning to speak. It gave Yani chills, but not as much as seeing her body still sitting crossed legged in front of Nolwandle…with N'Jadaka sitting right next to her in the same position. Yani glanced back as a loud rumbling whooshing sound reverberated around them. The water barrier transformed itself into another mighty wave. It moved backward in slow motion beyond the mountain barrier. A strong force knocked Yani in her solar plexus and she gasped, finding herself punched back into her corporeal body still sitting cross-legged and staring at Nolwandle. The oracle's head fell forward and she closed her mouth, exhausted from the ordeal. Perspiration dotted her forehead and soaked her clothes. Her once glowing jade eyes had become a delicate dark brown since Mama Wati released her as a vessel.

N'Jadaka shook himself back into their side of the veil. Tears rested on his lids and Yani moved onto her knees and hugged him.

"I'm sorry…I'm sorry…" Yani said repeatedly.

"It's okay. I found you and you're safe. You left for a good reason if my parents and great-grandmother sent for you."

Nolwandle shifted to her knees and bowed her head low to the ground, holding her folded hands toward N'Jadaka.

"I beg your forgiveness, kumkani. I was directed by Mama Wati that your mother and great-grandmother wished to see the queen. I am a mere servant of the divine. My intention was not to maliciously trick you or your wife but to service the needs of your ancestors," Nolwandle said with fear laced in her tone.

N'Jadaka looked Yani over.

"Did you hurt yourself? You fell didn't you?"

"Yes," Yani said. "I may have fractured my wrist, but it feels better."

"I sent for Dr. Chidubem. He's on his way here to look you over."

Yani turned to the oracle.

"Thank you, Nolwandle. I appreciate everything you had to go through to help me."

"Blessings to you, Queen Yani. I pray that the message you received is one that will please you and prepare you for what is to come."

Yani shook her head in disappointment.

"I'm afraid I made this journey for nothing and your body suffered needlessly. Bast took away my memory of the message. Mortals can't know the future."

"Baby, it's okay," N'Jadaka said trying to soothe her depressed mood.

"I have been instructed to prepare the queen's body by Mama Wati."

"What are you going to do?" N'Jadaka asked.

Nolwandle stood and shuffled over to the fire where she lifted two wooden bowls. She brought them to Yani and placed them on the rug. She pulled a small stool out and planted herself in front of the queen.

"May I?" Nolwandle asked, pointing to Yani's damp robe.

Yani nodded and Nolwandle opened it wide revealing the queen's nakedness. Lifting a brush from the first bowl, the oracle painted a ring of blue waves around Yani's belly button that soaked into her skin like a tattoo marking. She then switched bowls and painted a different ring of twisty swirls in light green around the first ring.

"There. When you return to your honeymoon time, rub oil over them every night. The color will soak into the pigment of your skin deeper. This is your talisman, Queen Yani. Mama Wati has marked you as one of her own. When the time comes these markings will reveal their true intent. Walk out of this womb of the world with your purpose intact."

Yani clutched the oracle's hands.

"I heard a voice come out of you…a young voice…a child."

"I can only transmit, not translate what is for your ears only, kumkanikazi," Nolwandle said.

Yani's lips turned down in disappointment.

"It was our baby," N'Jadaka said.

He stroked Yani's hand. She stared at him.

"My parents came to me after their funeral ceremony…that time I was late coming to the repast at your lake front home…when we were apart. My mom said I had a child coming that I had to show a lot of grace to because she would need it. I felt the energy in that voice when I heard it, Yani. That was our child…speaking to us."

Yani trembled and lowered her head, the knowledge unnerving her. To hear her baby's voice before she was even planted in her womb or even born yet astounded her. The child called to her.

I soon come.

Yani slumped into N'Jadaka's arms and cried. All her fear and worry about the journey to Warrior Falls jolted her emotions. His parents loved her. Watched over her and their grandbabies. His great-grandmother knew who she was and came to bear witness in defiance of a deity. She wept and her husband held her in his warmth and understanding.

N'Jadaka tied the robe back around her and guided Yani away from the oracle. Her wrist felt a little tender, but the pool water helped her endure the slight discomfort longer.

"You go through first," N'Jadaka said when they reached the dark passageway again.

Yani walked through with assured steps. She was proud that she completed her task. Even prouder that N'Jadaka's amazing mother reached out for her, trusting that Yani would heed her words one hundred per cent without hesitation. She waited for the king to join her out of the passageway and they met Okoye and Ayo waiting for them with the three women emissaries.

"Thank you, Jabulile, Khanyisile and Nolwazi," Yani said.

The three woman bowed low to her and N'Jadaka. They passed through to the outside and the two Uyakhusela's greeted them.

"Peaceful journeys to you both," the men said in unison.

The Doras walked ahead of them and N'Jadaka clasped Yani's hand tight and kept them in one spot out of earshot of their security. He exhales softly.

"I'm blessed and happy you got to see them…speak to them."

"Is Bast furious?" Yani said, ready to shrink back into the forest if the goddess set a bush on fire or struck her down with a plague.

N'Jadaka touched his chest and closed his eyes.

"Displeased. But not with you. Mama Wati is her daughter and they have to deal with their family squabbles on that side of the spiritual plane," he joked.

He touched her wrist and looked it over.

"Does it hurt when I touch it?"

"Not as much as before."

"Crazy girl," he teased

He tapped his kimoyo beads.

"Aneka, come get us. You have my coordinates," he said.

"Dr. Chidubem will be arriving soon," Aneka said.

"We'll meet him halfway," he said.

N'Jadaka brought Yani to an open clearing and the Royal Talon Fighter lifted them up high into air. They flew for an hour and stopped halfway to their destination when a quad stinger arrived ferrying Dr. Chidubem to them. He took Yani to the back of the Talon Fighter and injected her wrist with nano bots that stitched her fractured wrist back together. She swallowed painkillers to dull down a fading ache. Dr. Chidubem's short graying locs reminded Yani of Baba Z.

"You'll be good as new in no time Queen Yani."

"It wasn't as bad as I thought," she said.

"Hairline fracture."

They thanked the doctor and bid him farewell after he pumped Yani full of vitamins and electrolytes for good measure. It didn't take long to get back to Umbono Lake and their peaceful houseboat.

Alone once more, N'Jadaka pampered Yani, feeding her a hearty lunch and insisting that she rest after a long warm shower. He rubbed almond oil on her scalp and slathered fresh cocoa and coffee butter all over her naked form, paying special attention to the new markings on her belly. She slipped on a bikini afterward.

"That paint is like ink," Yani said, rubbing her shiny belly.

N'Jadaka made them tea and snuggled with her in their loft bed. The boat gently rocked with the small wind currents. Intense relief rested her husband's body as he held her against him tight. He had been frightened without her being with him. That man could face any evil killer or terrorist without blinking an eye, but not having her near was his only true weakness.

She caressed his face.

"We heard our baby," she said.

His eyes glinted with unshed tears.

"We did," he said.

"We'll have to prepare—"

N'Jadaka took his index finger and held it over Yani's lips.

"I don't want you thinking about anything but getting well and resting. We have a honeymoon to enjoy and I want to live it up without prepping for another baby."

"What? This coming from the man who gets aroused simply thinking about putting a baby in me every time we make love?"

N'Jadaka gave a sly cheesy grin.

"Yeah…I want to make another baby…but…actually hearing the voice of my future daughter reminds me that we'll have four kids to raise. Thinking of it as a hypothetical was cool, but shit switches up when you hear your child's voice. Damn…like my daughter spoke to me. Half of her is still in my nutsack and the other half is still in your ovary…that shit is crazy. Yo, Ma…the fuck? We livin' in wild times girl."

N'Jadaka laughed and his eyes became shiny with the wonderment of it all.

Yani's gaze darted away from N'Jadaka's well-meaning focus. She saw things through the oracle that regular people would never experience. Gods, ancestors, and spiritual realms could come and go in her new world. She heard the voice of her baby, and the unborn child sounded confident and sure. A little girl, too. A girl who would grow up loved beyond measure by her parents and siblings. Something had to be very special about her if Mama Wati permitted her to speak to them from the other side. And just maybe, it was the reason Califia felt it so urgent to seek out Yani without Bast's permission.

Was this how Mary felt when the archangel came to her and said she would birth Jesus?

Yani shook her head at the sacrilege she skirted with her heavy Christian upbringing. Who was she to compare her unborn baby to Jesus. Thee Jesus from the bible.

And yet…

A goddess came for her and opened up a holy realm for Yani to speak to the dead and to also hear an unborn baby. This was the stuff that prophets wrote in holy scripture. Was she not a child of Mama Wati? Wasn't that what the oracle said?

God put her on the path to have that baby with N'Jadaka.

Yani stared out of the window at the water. A slight pressure on the back of her head toggled something loose in the deepest recesses of her mind.

She remembered two things from Califia. Two things Mama Wati hid from Bast in Yani's mind to keep it from totally slipping away.

Prophecy.

And a name.

Namor.

Yani put everything together quickly. Their unborn daughter had to be fulfilling a prophecy Califia had come to tell her about. But the name? Namor. It felt familiar in Yani's gut, and it most definitely gave her a shudder throughout her body thinking about it. A residual reminder of its importance maybe…or a warning. Something hidden and sticky in her mind would not let her forget that name. It sat on her tongue inside a tightly closed mouth. If she just mentioned the name to N'Jadaka, maybe he could help her figure out the meaning of it. N'Jadaka stroked her cheek.

"I can see you fretting about something from the cave," he said.

She nodded, knowing she could never hide anything from him. Not even her private thoughts. Her emotions welled up deep inside. She witnessed a profound gift and it still lingered over her.

"Baby…don't cry. That shit messes me up when you do."

Her lips trembled and she shut her eyes tight.

"Your mother was so beautiful. And your Dad…he was so sweet and kind, so royal…and your Nana…she loves you all over," Yani said.

N'Jadaka broke out into a delighted smile, even as happy tears leaked from his eyes.

"I'm happy for you, Yani. I wished they could be here to meet you, and Mama Wati made it happen. A part of me even thinks Bast let it happen because, trust me baby, Bast does not play."

"She seemed so angry to me."

"Or maybe she needed you to feel that anger out of love to leave well enough alone. This world we live in now, nothing is ever what it seems on first glance. All of this was your journey Yani. Do with it what you want."

"I remember only two things your mother told me. I want to say them to you. If you don't want to hear them because Bast may act out, I'll respect your choice."

N'Jadaka gathered his own thoughts by gazing out at the water.

"My mother told me I was going to live a long and glorious life. That means that you and our children are with me because that is my blessing. Nothing can change that if she said it," he said.

Yani rose from lying on his chest and held his hands in hers.

"Do you want to know the words and what I think they mean?" she asked.

"Tell me."

"Prophecy. I think our daughter is going to fulfill the prophecy of the River Tribe. It only makes sense as to why Califia would do what she did to speak to me. She wanted us to get ready for her. That baby has to be special, destined for some greater purpose in the future."

"I'm down with that. Mom did ask me to be ready for her before."

"Okay…the next thing. Namor."

Yani studied her husband's face carefully. His eyes seemed to bulge in their sockets when she said it, and his entire frame went rigid.

"You know that name," Yani said.

"My mother said, Namor?"

"Yes."

N'Jadaka stared through Yani as if he was watching something of great importance play out.

"Who is that person?"

"A mutant I met some time ago. A dangerous person who rules an empire under the sea," he said.

The word "empire" tipped something in Yani's mind, but it shambled away before she could hold it for closer introspection.

"I think those two things are connected somehow. I wish Bast hadn't wiped everything away in my head."

N'Jadaka stood and cracked his knuckles. His concentration lingered outside. The sky was a beautiful azure with not a cloud in sight. He glanced back at Yani.

"Namor's name can't be spoken outside of us, Yani. I'm upholding an agreement that King T'Chaka made with him thirty years ago."

"You've met him?"

"I have. He looks human, but he has wings on his feet and flies. His strength is ten times of any human and he can breathe underwater and on land. He and his people have killed thousands to keep their existence hidden. They also have vibranium."

Yani jumped off the bed.

"How?" Yani asked.

N'Jadaka sat back down on the bed and Yani planted herself next to him.

"Well, it fell from the sky. Apparently a chunk of it broke off hitting our atmosphere and some of it landed in the ocean near where he is from. They call themselves the Talokanil. Namor's true name is K'uk'ulkan. It means Feather Serpent God in their language. He and his people have powers that…well, just imagine every person in Wakanda having the powers of the Black Panther. That's how powerful they are. We don't even know how many of his people live down there. I've got enough problems dealing with motherfuckers on land, I don't need no shit starting with an unknown entity like that. Hell, there might be more mutants down there with him."

"That's it then. That's what your mother wanted me to know. Namor and our baby are tied together somehow."

"I hope to Bast they aren't. We don't need that smoke coming our way. Humans I can deal with. I've whooped alien ass and plenty of warlords…but Namor. I will continue to act like he doesn't exist."

He wiped the creases in her forehead away.

"Don't worry your pretty head about nothing Yani. We make the future we want, especially with that new little one waiting on us," he said.

He sounded confident. Yani believed him. He rested the side of his face against hers.

"If my mom is aware of Namor then I will be vigilant in keeping him far from Wakanda. Nothing can harm us if my mother and great-grandmother are looking out for us."

Yani touched her stomach. She and N'Jadaka traced their fingers on the colorful blue and green designs.

"How about we call the three munchkins we already have?" he suggested.

Yani tapped her beads quickly, yearning to see her royal brood. She leaned into her husband before the children's images popped above her wrist.

"I'm truly so sorry I scared you," she said.

"It's over and done with. I have you back. We're good, Yani."

"Hi Mama! Hi Baba! Look how Auntie Twyla did my hair today," Sydette said, twirling around showing off her artfully braided hair.

"She did mine too!" Joba chimed in, touching the braided tips of her long tresses.

"Looks nice, girls," N'Jadaka said.

Riki stared at them with a grumpy look on his face. His hair was braided in the same style as Joba's and Sydette's.

"You don't like your cornrows, Dumpling?" Yani asked.

"Auntie always does our hair all the same. A prince should have a different style," Riki grumbled.

Sydette ran her fingers over his hair that touched down to his shoulder blades.

"It's getting so long and he's mad because his friends said he looks like a princess," Sydette teased.

Riki rolled his eyes.

"I like your hair long, Dumpling," Yani insisted.

"Baba's hair is long too," Joba said, trying to encourage her brother to like his braids.

"Mama, what's that on your stomach?" Sydette asked.

Yani looked past her bikini top, forgetting she was resting in a swimsuit.

"I'm trying out some body art," Yani said.

Sydette looked at Yani's stomach and then waved her hand at Joba and Riki.

"Go get your sketch pads…you both left them on the desk," Sydette said.

Joba and Riki scampered off and returned holding up their separate sketch pads.

"Mama, look," Joba said, "your body art looks like this," Joba said.

"And this," Riki said with surprise in his voice.

Yani and N'Jadaka looked at the pictures closely, then stared at one another.

"When did you make those?" N'Jadaka asked.

"Yesterday," Joba said.

"Before we went to Umama's suite," Riki added.

Joba's picture, drawn with the careful flourishes she was known for doodling when designing her fairy garden looks, was an exact match of Yani's blue body waves. Riki's drawing was close to a perfect match of the green swirls of the outer ring.

"Have you drawn anything like that before?" N'Jadaka asked them.

"Is something wrong?" Joba asked, sensing the odd tone of her father's voice.

"No, I'm just amazed that you both created something like this so similar to Mama's marking."

"The green lady showed us how to do it," Riki said, looking over his own design on his mother's belly.

"The green lady?" Yani asked.

"Yes, Umama took us to the museum yesterday," Joba said, "We had our sketch books with us. Riki and I saw her sitting on the floor in front of a painting we were trying to copy with our new art pens, and she showed us how to make this instead," Joba said.

"Why do you call her the green lady?" N'Jadaka asked.

Joba shrugged. "She had on all green…and her eyes were kinda green too. She said that the waves and swirls are symbols used to represent the ocean in Birnin S'Yan…that was the painting we were trying to copy. It had a big ocean wave. Umama wanted us to see it since it's a very famous painting in Birnin Zana. It's called "The Mother of Waters" and was made in 1546. See?"

Joba swiped the image of the oil painting for her parents to see.

"Holy Bast," N'Jadaka said.

Yani covered her mouth. She recognized the wave. It looked exactly like the one that rolled into Warrior Falls. The one that brought the water barrier and allowed Califia to see them.

"Well, that is some amazing work you two. Sydette did you sketch anything?" Yani said, trying to move the conversation elsewhere. Riki and Joba began to look concerned about their sketches and the way their parents looked at them.

"No, I was trying my hand at photography. Umama let me wander and practice lighting and shadow techniques. She was my subject for most of my pictures. I have some very nice ones she wants to frame."

"That's super cool, Sweet Pea," N'Jadaka said.

"Can't wait to see you all," Yani said.

"Will we get to wear body art too?" Sydette asked.

"Maybe," Yani said.

"We'll call you guys back in a couple of days, okay?" N'Jadaka said.

All three children nodded and blew their parents kisses before winking out. Yani stood in front of N'Jadaka.

"It had to be an avatar. There's no way the oracle could've been in Birnin Zana yesterday. Sydette didn't say that she saw anyone and no Dora would let a stranger approach our children like that," Yani said.

"I wouldn't put it past my mother to try and reach our children. They were meant to know these symbols too."

"They didn't seem scared at all."

"Not until they read our body language and the tone of our voices," he said.

N'Jadaka pulled back the covers and helped her get into bed once more.

"More rest for you," he said.

"Everything will be okay, won't it?"

"It will, baby...it will. No god would bring us this far and let us lose what we have now."

Yani accepted his doting on her for the rest of the night. She closed her eyes and knew she could face anything with Califia Stevens Udaku in their corner from the ancestral plane. Tucking Namor into a faraway nook in her memory bank, the Queen of Wakanda slumbered well.

And so did her husband.

Chapter 12 HERE.

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[theemporium]

Okay! Reader is a Pogue but one day she needs a ride

thank you for requesting!! we love a little pogue!reader x rafe dynamic!!🖤

.

“Having some trouble there, sweetheart?” 

You were having a bad day, to put it lightly. You missed your alarm which meant you woke up late, thus already starting off being fifteen minutes late to your shift at work. Then your rude, pudgy manager had decided to give you your break three hours after you were due your lunch, only to find out you had forgotten to pick it up on your way out the house this morning. And now when you were on your way home—ready to lie face first in your pillows and forget the world existed—the chain on your bike had completely snapped off and rendered the stupid thing useless. 

A car was an unlikely purchase in the near future, and you had never resented that fact more than you did today. 

Then, to really top off your day like standing off the side of the road in the sweltering heat trying to magically put your bike together wasn’t enough, that all familiar rumble of a motorcycle stopped a few feet away and you heard his voice. 

“Fuck off, Rafe,” you stated fairly bluntly, not even turning your head to look at him. “I am not in the mood.” 

“Yikes,” the amusement was thick and heavy in his voice. “Someone seems feisty today.” 

“What do you not understand about fuck off,” you let out a sigh and finally peeked a glance at the kook over your shoulder. “Too many syllables for your pea brain to comprehend?” 

His lips twitched. “Cute, I liked that one.” 

“Thought you would.” 

You turned your back to him again, your eyebrows burrowed in frustration as you glared at the snapped chain. You had no way of fixing it nor were you even sure if you could fix it. It was more likely you’d have to get a replacement chain, and something about spending your money on a fucking bike chain over things you actually wanted just seemed to piss you off a little more. 

“Let me give you a ride.” 

You rolled your eyes, almost snorting at the ideas as you held the ends of the chain in each hand. “And let’s jump over the moon whilst we are at it.” 

“I’m serious.” 

You paused, a prickly feeling washing over you as you reached uncharted territory. Your relationship with Rafe Cameron was practically non-existent. You lived on The Cut, he lived in Figure 8. You grew up thinking instant noodles were a luxury, he was probably used to eating like a king. You always snapped at him and he snapped back. 

You were never nice with each other. 

You were never like this. 

“What do you want, Cameron?” you asked, your eyes suddenly narrowed on him as you finally stood up from your crouched position on the floor. Your hands were on your hips, the pose feeling a little defensive but Rafe chose not to comment on it. 

“To offer you a ride?” Rafe answered hesitantly, almost like he wasn’t sure if it was a trick question. 

You watched him closely. “What’s the catch?”

He raised his brows, considerably amused once he caught onto your growing suspicion. “There is no catch, it’s just a fucking ride.”

“With kooks there’s always a catch,” you retorted bluntly. 

His eyes glimmered with something dangerous. “Do you want there to be a catch?” 

You did not seem amused by his answer. 

“Just get on,” Rafe said after a few moments, letting out a sigh. “Unless you wanna do the walk back to The Cut…”

You didn’t. You really didn’t. 

“No ulterior motives?” 

“No ulterior motives, sweetheart.” 

“Fine,” you grumbled after a few moments as you grabbed your backpack from the floor and made your way over to where he stood beside his motorcycle. However, just before you could swing your leg over, his hand instantly reached out for your arm as he pulled you to stand in front of him. 

“Not so fast,” he muttered as he grabbed his helmet, a small smirk placed on his lips as he guided it over your head, holding back a laugh as your cheeks squished under the tight fit. You almost looked adorable glaring at him through the visor. “Protection first.” 

“Do you not need one too?” you questioned, a small frown painted on your lips when you realised he did not have a spare. 

“I’ll be fine,” he said as he swung his leg over and sat comfortably on the bike. He then took your hand, helping you on and his hands dropped to your knees to give you a comforting squeeze. “Hold on.” 

“Don’t go too fast.” 

“You are very demanding to someone who is doing this out of the good in their heart.” 

“I’m serious, Cameron.” 

“Just hold on if you get scared, sweetheart.”

.

[missacidburn928s-heathenhideaway]

Strings Attached

Mechanic!Biker!Sy x POC!Reader

Summary:

You could turn a good boy nasty. And Sy wouldn’t have it any other way.

Warnings:

18+ Only. MDNI. SMUT, Inappropriate use of a motorcycle, Porn without a plot.

Notes:

Hello Heathens! Sometimes I hear a song and then BAM a scene unfolds before my vary eyes. The urge to bring said scene into existence becomes overwhelming until I flesh the damn thing out and bring it to life. That’s what happened here. I was working on another fic, trying to clear out some of my WIPs and well now were here.  (I have an overwhelming need to call Sy Beasty in reference to the Beast. I will not apologize for it. Don’t like it? Feel free to pick another nickname when you read.) Happy reading!

Divider by @firefly-graphics Banner by @cafekitsune

We made it home just as the last rays of sunlight disappeared and the moon began her ascent into the diamond filled sky. I watch as Sy, bathed in moonlight, unloads his black on black Harley Road King into the garage.

Once he has her parked in her new home, he returns to the truck to close the tailgate and lock her up for the night.

I couldn’t help sauntering over and getting a closer look of the powerful machine. “She really is a beauty.” I state, bending over to run my hands along her leather seat.

“She absolutely is.”

I turn my head over my shoulder to look at Sy. His eyes remain on my bent over frame. Not once glancing at the magnificent machinery in front of me.

“Did you know that I have this recurring fantasy to be fucked on a bike? Forced to be all quiet so no one catches us with our pants down.” I confess.

“Well that's interesting, Peach. Because I have a fantasy of bending you over my bike and fucking you until you soak the leather so good that I smell you every time I ride for days.” His voice has taken on that gravelly tone that makes my panties damp.

“So what are we going to do about that?”

He closes the space between us in three quick steps. Causing me to quickly turn and sit back on the bike. Reaching forward, he wraps his massive hand around the base of my throat and carefully pulls me up to stand.

“Undo my belt and unzip my pants.”

Keeping eye contact, I extend my hands forward and blindly unbuckle him before pulling down his zipper as requested.

“Good girl.” He gives my neck a tiny squeeze. “Now yours. Except I want you to also pull both your pants and panties down to mid-thigh. Understand?”

I nod my agreement and slowly push my pants down my thighs.

With the hand not holding my throat, he runs his fingers up my inner thighs until he reaches my dampened center.

“Always so wet and ready for me.” He growls out. “When I let you go, you’re going to walk to the back of the bike and bend over. I want you to stretch forward until your hands can grip the handlebars.”

He releases his hold on my neck. My weakened knees somehow manage to make it over to the end of the bike without falling flat on my face. I proceed to bend over and push up onto my tiptoes so that I can reach the handlebars.

My breathing begins to pick up as I feel Sy move in behind me.

He has removed himself from his undone jeans and is now teasing his bulbous tip along my vulva. “You look like heaven bent over my bike, cunt dripping, waiting for me to fill you up. I could bust right now from this image alone.”

“Don’t.” I whimper. “Please. I need you to come inside me. Always inside me.”

“Fuck, Peach.” He grinds his pelvis forward, gliding his dick between my cheeks. “You know what hearing you beg like that does to me.”

“I can’t wait anymore Beasty. Please fill me up. Make our fantasies come true.”

“Shh. I got you, baby girl.” He coos. “Now hold on tight and keep that pretty mouth shut or I’m going to have to do it for you.”

I feel the heat of him leave my skin momentarily before he slowly guides himself within my slick walls. He takes his time, giving us each a chance to catch our breath as my body reacclimates itself with his thickness.

When his pelvis is flush against mine he gives his hips a swivel. Eliciting a groan of pleasure from the both of us.

“Gotdamn, you feel so tight right now babygirl. I don’t know how long I’m going to last. Your sweet pussy is trying to fucking milk me dry already.”

“Don’t care. Just need you to move.” I whine.

“You’re a needy little one tonight.” He grits out. “Remember to stay quiet Peach. Wouldn't want to alert the neighbors now, would we?”

I have no chance of responding as he pulls his hips back and thrusts them forward. Gripping my waist tight, he sets a hardy pace. I bite my bottom lip to keep from screaming as his weight pushes me down against the leather and metal beneath me.

He slaps my ass, making me cry out, before clamping my mouth shut once more. “If your pussy keeps squeezing me like that Peach, this is going to be over sooner than I would like.”

So of course I purposely do exactly that. I clamp my walls around this girth and circle my hips as best I can in my current position. Rubbing my clit along the leather seat. I can feel a tingle begin to move up from my toes into my core. I’m right on the precipice of ecstasy and I want to take Sy along with me.

“So close.” I whisper out.

“I know, baby. I know.” He groans. “Be a good girl and come for me so I can fill you up. Wanna watch my cum drip out of you onto my seat.”

He picks up the pace and suddenly I feel like I’m flying. Goosebumps erupt along my skin, and I forget all about staying quiet as I come around his cock.

“That’s it, babygirl. Fuck you feel so good when you come on my dick baby.”

I lay there, riding the waves of pleasure as Sy fucks me through my orgasm. Just as the last pulses ring through my body, he thrusts in as deep as he can go. With his tip notched at my cervix, he growls and groans as he unloads inside of me. Hips twitching until the last drop is spent.

He slowly pulls out of me. Reaching forward, he spreads my cheeks. Admiring his seed leaking from my abused hole. “One of these days I’m going to have to film this. My mind never does it justice. And you really need to see just how damn sexy you look all swollen and dripping of me.”

“Why not just do it now? I won’t be moving without help thanks to that orgasm. Enjoy the fruits of your labor Beasty.”

I observe him reach into his pocket and pull out his phone. Taking his sweet time, he snaps pictures and even takes video from practically every angle.

Next thing I know his screen is before me with a video playing. My pussy, front and center, spasms. An aftershock most likely, and a fresh trickle of cream trails down my lips. I’m a mess, but I have to admit, he’s right. I do look sexy with his claim painted on me.

“Fucking perfection.” He whispers in my ear. “Now let’s get you inside and cleaned up, baby. I’m going to push my cum back where it belongs and pull your pants back up. Then I’m carrying you to bed.”

“Such a chivalrous beast.” I giggle.

“Only for you, Peach. What can I say. I’m attached. Strings and all.”

[george-the-good]

March 16, 1940

I biked into Windsor. Bought some hair ribbon and biked back. I got nearly to the top of the Long Walk when I saw the King in the distance going for a walk. I tactfully went on without looking back but when I was pushing my bike over the grass, I saw him again, so I curtsied and went on. Crawfie told me at Guides in the afternoon that he’d seen me and waved to me but I didn’t wave back! I’m rather cross I didn’t see him wave!

---

April 6, 1941

I had no room yesterday to put in an amusing incident at tea. The King, who was sitting next to me, asked me how I got to the Castle. There was an awkward pause, then I said: ‘The car came for me, Sir.’ The Queen and the princesses (and I) roared with laughter and the King said good-humouredly, ‘Well, don’t laugh, it was a perfectly ordinary question to ask. I’ve often met her bicycling in the park – a lone figure in the Long Walk!’

- Alathea Fitzalan Howard diary entries (The Windsor Diaries)

[unflded]

    • ° .   *   ࿐  blasting  SEX  ON  FIRE  by  KINGS  OF  LEON  through  their  airpods  is   𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐅𝐀𝐍   𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐋𝐄𝐘  .  oh  ,  you  don’t  know  them ? they’re  the  twenty6   year  old  MUSICIAN  who  just  went  viral  for the headline :  TROUBLED  SONGSTER  CAUGHT  SULKING  BEHIND  THE  SCENES  WITH  ON-AND-OFF  EX  AT  THEIR  GO  -  TO  DINNER  SPOT  —  WHEN  WILL  THEY  LEARN  HE  CAN’T  BE  TRUSTED  ?   .  yup  ,  the  one  that  drives  a  FERRARI  348  TS  .  i  hear  they’re  pretty  VISIONARY  ,  but  others  have  claimed  that  they’re  quite  MOROSE  .  that  makes  sense  ,  considering  they’re  often  labeled  as  the  black  hole   .

* 𝐥𝐚𝐲 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮'𝐫𝐞 𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 .

full name: stefan healey. nickname(s): stef, steffy, stefano. age: twenty6. gender: cis man. sexuality: tbd. zodiac: gemini. occupation: musician— guitarist + singer/songwriter. career claim: role model <3

* 𝐝𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐚 𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 .

he   grew   up   in   rural   appalachia,   a   west   virginia   town   with   a   single   school   for   the   entire   small   sleepy   grove   of   300.   father   a   logger,   mother   a   tailor,   the   youngest   of   4   in   a   family   torn   apart   by   tumultuous   unpredictability.   their   town   didn’t   get   internet   until   stefan   was   about   9,   before   which   he   would   read   every   book   available   in   the   town’s   run   -   down   library.   once   they   got   their   first   touch   of   the   outside   world,   the   boy,   born   into   poverty   yet   knowing   there   is   more   available,   became   obsessed   with   the   potential   he   knew   he   possessed   that   would   guide   him   out   of   the   mountain   range   and   into   the   light. stefan   became   obsessed   with   music,   teaching   himself   to   play   guitar   and   getting   his   hands   on   any   old   records   he   could   in   order   to   practice.   his   dad’s   old   guitar,   gone   untouched   for   years   as   he   now   preferred   to   wind   down   by   drinking   himself   blind,   became   stefan’s   best   friend—   and   the   internet,   to   which   he’d   post   videos   of   himself   playing   any   and   everything,   became   his   biggest   fan.   he   shunned   the   real   world,   obsessing   over   posting   daily,   knowing   mastery   of   the   thing   he   loves   most   would   be   his   best   ticket   out   of   a   life   where   he’d   be   relegated   to   chopping   trees   or   mining   for   the   rest   of   his   life. he’s   discovered   online   and   sent   an   email   by   a   talent   scout   for   a   boarding   school   in   new   york   for   the   arts   and   he   doesn’t   think   twice   before   stealing   his   brother’s   bike   to   make   the   miles-long   trek   out   to   the   nearest   bus   station,   guitar   case   on   his   back   and   stolen   cash   in   his   pocket.   his   audition   changes   his   life,   and   by   the   age   of   14,   it’s   the   last   his   west   virginia   town   sees   of   him.    new   york   is   not   kind,   but   stefan   is   relentless   in   his   pursuit   of   greatness,   and   spends   sleepless   nights   obsessing   over   becoming   the   best.   of   his   class,   of   his   grade,   of   his   craft   altogether.   he   gets   signed   to   a   to   go   touring   as   a   guitarist   for   major   pop   stars   by   the   age   of   17,   and   by   his   19th   birthday,   he   has   taken   to   singing   to   release   his   first   album   as   a   solo   artist.   his   success   takes   off   overnight,   offering   with   it   an   escape   for   the   backwoods   boy   to   leave   behind   the   life   that   nearly   trapped   him   in   mediocrity.

* 𝐢 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲'𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠.

 stefan,   brooding,   sulking,   yet   sharp   -   eyed   and   singular   in   his   focus,   has   an   incurable   case   of   being   insatiable   at   heart,   that   taints   everything   he   does.   through   everything,   a   shadow   is   cast   as   he   wonders   to   himself   if   he   can   do   more,   if   he   can   get   more   out   of   it,   if   he   can   push   further.   alive   once   and   believing   this   is   his   only   lifetime   to   do   so,   he   ruins   more   than   he   starts   through   his   fear   of   missing   out.   though   he   carries   himself   with   a   cat   -   like   air   of   non   -   chalance,   there’s   a   visible   shadow   he   casts   wherever   he   touches,   someone   who   can’t   ever   get   enough   of   the   life   he   lives   and   makes   it   very   clear   that   he   would   sooner   let   things   implode   than   tie   himself   to   something   half   -   tried.   blunt,   cantankerous,   yet   never   willing   to   commit   to   a   full   fight,   stefan   picks   at   holes   in   armor   and   logic   until   he’s   unraveled   the   whole   thing.   he’s   self   -   aware   and   painfully   straightforward   about   what   awaits   anyone   who   seeks   entering   his   circle,   perhaps   somewhat   refreshingly   negative   in   a   world   of   insincerity   that   surrounds   the   glitz   and   glam.

* 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧.

former bandmates: on-and-off exes: people he records guitar for: muses for his music: close friends: 1-3 inner circle: friends from music school in NYC:

[skyloftian-nutcase]

For anyone who wants to check in on the Healthcare Boys, here's what they're up to :)

As soon as he stepped outside, a smile immediately lit up his face. The day was a beautiful one, air crisp, wind prevalent but not overwhelming, and the sun was just hidden enough in the sparse clouds to offer reprieve from the heat without losing daylight. His red motorcycle was waiting for him, and Sky eagerly hopped on. At first he gently guided his bike through the gravel driveway, enjoying the way the breeze blew across his face as he hadn't put his helmet on yet. Once he reached the main road on the mountain, he got himself situated, settled his helmet over his head, and gunned the engine.

The air was so loud he couldn't hear anything but the sky's constant push. The world whirled around him, his worries and heaviness and exhaustion left behind in a whirl of adrenaline and speed and air. He laughed, leaning into a turn before straightening out and nearly spreading his arms out like he was flying.

Heavens above, it felt so good to go out and ride. He couldn't wait to get to the skydiving site.

XXX

Four glared intensely as he moved his hand slowly. Legend watched him scrutinously.

With the utmost concentration, Four slowly drew a circle. Then he slashed a line through three circles, smirking. "Three in a row."

Legend did a double take. "Wait, wha--"

Three in a row. Three in a row! How had he gotten through his defenses so easily?! This wouldn't stand!

Crossing his arms defiantly, Legend huffed. "Rematch!"

Four laughed. "If you say so. I've beaten you twice already."

"Yeah, and I beat you three times before that! I'm a king at tic-tac-toe."

"We'll see about that," Four said with a challenging smirk as he drew out a new board for them to play on.

XXX

The day was perfect for swimming.

Not that Warriors was a particularly good swimmer, but Wind was, and the boy was so excited to go to the water park.

So excited, in fact, that he kidnapped Warriors for all the attractions.

The nurse had to admit, though swimming wasn't exactly his favorite pastime, seeing Wind giggle in delight as he dragged him up the stairs of the next water slide was worth it.

XXX

It was a slow, comfortably warm afternoon as Time traced over Malon's temple with a finger. He slipped his hand into her hair, brushing it out of her face and onto the pillow as she smiled up at him. He dipped in for another kiss, feeling her rise up to meet him, and the world slipped back into ecstasy for the lovers.

XXX

"I still can't believe this ratty motel actually has a hose we can use," Wild muttered as he watched Twilight set up the little pool.

"Miracles never cease," Twilight commented before saying in a higher pitched tone, "You ready buddy?"

Little Wolfie stared between the two, his head cocking to the side as Twilight talked to him. Wild swore he heard his friend squeal in delight at the sight of it, especially since one of Wolfie's ears was halfway perked up.

Wild himself still wasn't entirely comfortable with the idea of the puppy, but... by heaven, even he had to admit it was being unbelievably adorable right now.

That didn't mean he was going to help with this, though.

Twilight turned on the hose to a gentle trickle, easing his fingers through the puppy's thick fur as he soaked the little one. Wolfie, to his credit, took it, seeming to enjoy the cool water, though he trembled a little. Wild felt bad for the little guy. He was probably scared.

"You mind gettin' the shampoo?" Twilight asked.

Wild grabbed the item and held it out.

Twilight took the item, releasing the puppy for a moment, and chaos immediatly ensued.

Wolfie decided now was the time to not only dig and pounce around in the water, but try to escape the pool and eat the hose. Twilight yelped, catching the pup before he could get far, and Wild laughed.

"So, you still think this is a good idea?" Wild asked.

"You could help, you know!"

"Nah, I'm not getting bitten. Nor am I getting fleas. No thanks."

Twilight huffed, an annoyed pout crossing his face, and Wild had to laugh again. His mirth didn't last long, though, when Twilight grabbed the hose, cranked up to full throttle, and sprayed him in the face.

Yelping, the amnesiac tackled Twilight, and both young men fell into the pool alongside the puppy.

XXX

It was damp and chilly, a nice reprieve from the daylight as Hyrule held his flashlight carefully. He stepped gingerly over rocks and tried not to touch the stalagmites and stalactites all around him, as delicate and old as they were. The cave practically sparkled as he shone the light around, moisture glistening in reflective delight.

Hyrule's lips pulled into an enormous, excitable grin. He'd mapped out the locations of six different caves in this area, and he was going to explore them all.

He loved spalunking so much.

[sgiandubh]

A stupid shipper's guide to the Peloponnese, part 2: Mycenae, my Craigh na Dun

Forgot to mention: Praxiteles' statue of Hermes still has faint cinnabar traces in its curls. Which makes that Hermes a ginger, hehe. You simply can't make this shit up. /end of poetic justice moment

Anyways. The very minute your car, bus or bike crosses the Corinth Canal, even if you cannot see it from the modern, German highway, you just know you are in the Peloponnese. Everything changes: the light, the landscape and even the silence. In summertime, cicadas reign supreme: mercifully, after a while, you don't hear them anymore and sleep like a log in daytime. Summer nights are always for something else, in this land.

Odysseas Elytis, my favorite Greek poet, knew something about all this:

"Drinking the sun of Corinth Reading the marble ruins Striding across vineyards and seas Sighting along the harpoon A votive fish that slips away I found the leaves that the sun’s psalm memorizes The living land that passion joys in opening."

So really, forget about the islands, spare some unsung, almost unknown gems. The heart of this country beats South of Corinth, and once you've realized this, there is no turning back.

Olympia and her little sister, Nemea, are all about joy and cheer and the sort of organized happiness the Ancient World was so adept at. But at Mycenae, we hit a different chord. It is home to this guy - the filthy rich, ruthless, rogue King Agamemnon.

"Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair":

Mycenae and I go back a couple of years and too many repeated, insistent expeditions to count properly. Even Zorba the car knows the way by himself, so all I have to do is wait for the right week-end, climb at the wheel and enjoy the scenery. Many dinners in town and embassy receptions have been traded for the simple joy to be awaken by kyria Panagiota's impertinent rooster (across the street) at 5 am and open my room's French doors to this view:

A mix of olive groves and vineyards, with the odd cypress tree randomly thrown around. 354 inhabitants. Two churches. Two stone bridges, built somewhere at the narrow end of the Stone Age and still treaded by tractors, cattle and unsuspecting pedestrians. And also this:

The Lions' Gate (the real one, not TPTB related), as photographed by me the day before yesterday, for the umpteenth time, proudly standing at the end of a steep-ish climb cursed daily in tens of different languages by thousands of tourists. As for Angkor Wat, you'd have to see it at sunrise or sunset to fully get the magic, in complete silence. Patience and determination will certainly be rewarded. For this place is rich with all the memories of those who once called it home, back in the day when it was one of the most powerful political and trade centers of the known world. The Cyclopean fantasy of a demi-god, which is all about flawless ownership of space and aggressive affirmation of one's worth. Or, as the obscure Alpheus of Mytilene aptly put it in an epigram, written some time around 0, AD: "a city built by giants and passing rich in gold".

Pic taken by me in late October 2021, that blessed age of innocence when I had no frigging idea of Craigh na Dun. Different light, same arresting view that plunges all the way to Argos and farther away, to the sea.

Cats rule the world. We know that (January 2023):

And then there's the Vault, half a mile down the road. If the Lions' Gate is about Space, the incorrectly named vault - a mausoleum, really - is about Time. Or rather the complete irrelevance of it:

Because I am not only stupid, but also nuts, I sometimes flip a coin, once inside. All binary answers were proven to be eerily accurate, with time. But things like this only show themselves to the believer. Last question asked is still technically up for confirmation, yet I - along with all of you here - know already it's a yes:

And yeah, I did it. What the heck. I had the place just for myself, and that is rare. Wouldn't you?

Mordor, I don't care about your pearl-clutching reaction. There is poetry to be found in the most unlikely of places. Especially in the most unlikely of places.

Walking back, I challenge you to pinpoint an exact year. It is impossible and there is a reason to it. This place and this view are timeless, of course:

In an unexpected, involuntary homage to the Atrides, the 354 inhabitants of modern Mykines still bury their dead all around Agamemnon's Vault.

Around an almost icy jug of Retsina wine, I asked my treasured friend V, the archaeologist: do you really think they ever left?

Are you nuts? And what would we do without them?

Coming back to a sweltering Athens, just imagine my head shake in disbelief watching Lasagna Lady once again clinging to that poor guy's T-shirt, the bickering between C's stans about who is the most telepath of them all and the wailings about the lack of secksay content in Episode 7.

Seriously, Fandom? Is this the best you can give me?

Episode I am hurrying to watch, nevertheless. But first, the laundry. Fair's fair.

[alelelesimz]

totk 100% progress ramble :D a bit long

oki so for context i finished totk last july. by then i wasn't using any guides (other than some help in certain puzzles here and there :p) and by the time i beat ganondorf i was at 66.97%! sadly i didn't take any screenshots of how many koroks i had by then but what i know is that i had already maxed out my inventory so it was around 450 or something, not too bad i think.

after this i stopped playing for a few months and this month i got back to it. i started roaming around but then decided it was time to tackle the interactive map. of course i had already finished a big chunk of the game and i didn't really want to go korok by korok checking stuff on the map, so mind you it is not very accurate lol.

here's what i have right now

completion: 84.14%

main quests: 23/23 ✔

side adventures: 60/60 ✔

shrine quests: 31/31 ✔

side quests: 128/139

memories: 18/18 ✔

hyrule compedium: 449/509

recipes: 87/228 (i haven't even started with this, it's just what i randomly have lol)

energy cells: 8/8 batteries ✔

paraglider fabrics: 24/29

koroks: 717 (including the ones i've used for inventory)

wells: 56/58

locations, armor, other stuff like that i'll add later i can't be bothered rn. here's how my interactive map is going (not the one in-game, this is stuff that i have yet to check)

NOW LISTEN

the sky is basically done, i need to check a couple of islands bc i'm not entirely sure i have those chests or not, i still have to do the hebra labyrinth and i havent fought any of the three king gleeoks bc im a coward

the surface is where i'm going the hardest. like i said, there is actually much more stuff that i have already done but i haven't checked yet bc i have to go in game and see if i've done it or not, so keep that in mind.

as you can see i already tackled the entire east of the map. i need to go back to check on a couple of hinox and talus, some gleeok that i havent been brave enough to fight (even tho i literally know how to, they're not that bad really) and yes. i'm not fucking touching lynels or gloom hands unless i absolutely have to lmao.

i'm kinda going region by region, i started at akkala and went all the way down to faron. i'm thinking of going to hebra next since that's the area i've been ignoring the most for some reason, and the few shrines i have left are all in there! so yeah.

and as for the depths, lets just say i have barely touched this map, i have explored a lot but it is still the area i have done the least. idk i just dont like being completely lost and always scared lol. but i do have to go there cause im running low on zonaite from building hover bikes to help koroks lol. i'd also like some good weapons too that'd be nice

anyways that's it thanks for reading my rant 👍 here's a funny pic

[blackhakumen]

Mini Fanfic #1201: A Marvelous Reunion Between Mother and Son (Fire Emblem X SSBU)

1:54 p.m. A Few Feet Outside of the Smash Mansion's Gates.......

Lissa and Olivia, dressed in more casual clothes, are happily humming together as they walk alongside their respective husbands and love ones together in the sidewalks.

Robin: (Chuckles Lightly While Carrying a Few of his Wife's Shopping Bags) Nice humming duet you did there, ladies~

Chrom: (Smiles Softly While Carrying Bags For his Wife as Well) We take it you two are liking it here so far?

Lissa: (Happily Hugs Robin's Arm) More anything!~ You guys weren't kidding when you said this world is so big, modern, and a lot more advance than ours are. How much are one of those movibg thing-a-ma-jigs riding around the road? (Forms a Cheeky Grin on her Face) Momma wants a test drive!~

Robin: (Snickers a Bit) Thing-a-Ma-Jigs?

Chrom: (Sighs While Rolling his Eyes) They're called cars, Lissa. Most of them cost a fortune to own and you can't drive any of them until you passed two seperate tests.

Lissa: (Eyes Widened in Complete Shock) Two Tests!?

Chrom: Yep. Permit and driving, in an orderly fashion of course. I can help you study if you're up for it.

Lissa: ('Sighs in a Bit of Defeat') I'll pass. Knowing my luck in tests, I would probably only get two questions right......

Robin: You know, if it makes you feel better, I could always take you around the rest of the city on a motorcycle sometime. I just learned how drive a few days ago to be exact. (Shows his Wife a Picture Him and his Brown and Gold Colored Motorcycle on hid Phone)

Lissa: Ooh~ Looks stunning~

Robin: Me or the bike?

Lissa: (Forms at Bit of a Seductive Smirk) Yes~ (Gives her Husband a Kiss on the Lips)

Olivia: (Smiles Softly at her Husband, Chrom) We can see why you three enjoyed living here for so long. This is such a lovely place.

Chrom: (Turns to Olivia) You're welcome to move in with us if you like. The more, the merrier saying has been around in the Smash Family for some time now. (Starts Blushing a Bit) Not to mention the fact that I've.....missed you quite a lot since the first day I've arrived here~

Olivia: (Heart Begins to Melt in Genuine Happiness) Oh Chrom~ (Hugs Chrim Right Next to Her) I missed you too, dear~ (Starts Getting a Bit More Timid abd Shy) B-But are you sure you want us to stay? We wouldn't want make your home more crowded than it already is. Or at least I don't want to-

Lissa: HOLY FLIPPING PANCAKES!!

Olivia: (Quickly Turns to her Sister in Law in Panic) Lissa? What's wr- (Eyes Widened in Genuine Surprise at the Smash Mansion in Front of Her and the Others) Oh my.......

Lissa: THIS is the mansion you guys lived at!? It's bigger than our castle back home, what the heck!?

Olivia: So....huge......

Gerome: And far more royal and medieval looking than any other mansions I've witnessed so far.

Chrom: (Starts Rubbing The Back of his Head Back and Forth While Smiling Sheepishly) Yeah.....I was surprised when I saw it for the rest time, can't tell you how many times I gotten myself lost trying to find the bed and bathroom every night.

Robin: (Rolls his Eyes) And how many times I have to help him out in the process. I'll guide you all to every room inside. (Continues Walking Along Everyone Else) And quickly before the king of all sleepwalkers somehow splits us us halfway through.

The two ladies giggles softly as they join up with Robin, leaving the King of Ylisse scowling a bit.

Chrom: ('Sigh') Honestly, Robin. At least have more faith in me than that. (Follows the Others Forward)

Gerome: (Turns to Lucina While Walking Alongside Her) So how have you been enjoying your new home as of late, Lucina?

Lucina: (Smiles Softly at her Old Friend) Pretty well all things considered. Everyone in the Smash Family can be outlandish, loud, and obnoxious at times, but I still love most of them regardless.

Gerome: Good. (Smirks a Bit) Though, I doubt they could ever be worst to deal with than everyone in our army back home.

Lucina: (Snickers a Bit Before Smirking Back) Oh, you'll see once we get inside the mansion, I can guarantee you that~ (Starts Smiling Again) That being said, I'd be lying fool if I say that I have never missed everyone of our friends and family since the day I arrived here. You included.

Gerome: Hm. Is that right?

Lucina: I-

Chrom: (Turns to the Kids Behind Him) Oh yeah, she has been missing you a whole lot these days. Thought about you all the time even.

Lucina: (Immediately Blushing as She Glares at Chrom) F-Father!!

Chrom: What? It's the truth, isn't it?

Robin: (Turns to Lucina Behind Him) You even blush every time his name gets brought up.

Gerome: (Starts Smirking at Lucina) Really now?~

Lucina: (Starts Glaring at Robin) Robin, be quiet!!

Olivia: (Clasps her Hands Together While Doting Over her Daughter) Oh honey, that's so sweet!~ I always knew you would have feelings for him from the very day you would try to impress him by wearing that lovely mask of yours, right next to him-

Lucina: MOTHER!!!

Gerome: (Chuckles Lightly While Placing his Hand onto Lucina's Shoulder) It's fine, Lucina. There's nothing inherently wrong with missing someone the most.

Lissa: (Gives her Niece a Reassuring Smile) Yeah. Especially when Geromey here's been missing and talking about you nonstop.

Gerome: (Eyes Widened Before Blushing and Glaring at the Queen of Ylisse) Your highness!

Lucina: (Starts Snickering) Wait!~ (Starts Smirking at a Now Embarrassed Wyvern Rider) Geromey?~

Gerome: ('Sigh') It's a nickname your aunt and mother has given for some time now. (Glare Piercing Towards Lissa's Eyes) And I seemed recall telling her numerous times, to NEVER call me that in public.

Lissa: Oh, don't be such a moody sourpuss, Geromey dear.

Lucina: (Giggles Softly at Gerome's Dispense)

Gerome: (Sighs Again Before Facepalming Himself) Case in point.

Lissa: I've been given the most nauseating nicknames imaginable growing up, which I will not ever disclose at this time- (Points at Chrom, Stopping Him From Saying Anything) Don't even think about it. The point is people are gonna give any amount of nicknames no matter how unbearable they sound. (Turns Back to the Mansion in a Far Distance) Best you can do is inevitably embrace it in a more calm, very collected man- ('GAAAAAASPS')

Olivia: Lissa, what's wrong now- (Suddebly Gasps as She Turns to See a Familiar Face Walking Out of the Mansion in the Far Distance) Oh my goodness....Is that really him?

Gerome: (Turns to the Person in Question) Yep. That's Owain alright. Doesn't really change much in the looks department.

Lucina: (Snickers a Bit) Yep. He's the same Owain as he always been. Magic of Darkness and all, what he would he always say.

Gerome: (Turns Back to Lucina) He's a Dark Mage now?

Lucina: Currently. I've never seen much of it in action, but I have heard that his skills in Dark Magic are a specticle for the eyes of the beholder.

Gerome: He told you all of that, didn't he?

Lucina: ('Sigh') He did. His dramatic theater attitude never left him since then

Gerome: (Smirks Again) No surprise there.

Robin: (Smiles Sheepishly) Dramaticness aside, he's grown a lot since the last we've seen of him. And I can't tell you how proud I am to be the father of-

Lissa: OOOOOOOOOWAAAAAAAAAAAAINNNN!!

Meanwhile in the Distance

Zelda: (Winces in the Sound of Sudden Screaming Before Quickly Cover her Ears Along with her Three Boys: Owain, Mewtwo, and Toon Link) ('Ugh') Where the heck is this screeching coming from?

Toon: (Turns to Mewtwo) Is there a wild.....potentially deadly pokemon on the loose or something?

Mewtwo: I don't sense aby of them around here. Even then, I doubt I ever encounter one sounding that like before.

Owain: (Lowers his Hand Down From his Ears a Bit) Wait a minute........I think recognized that screech from any- (Eyes Slowly Widens in Genuine Surprise at What I'd in Front of Him) Where......

Zelda: (Turns to Her Boyfriend) Owain, what's wrong?

Owain: It's.....Her.....She's here......

Toon: (Raises an Eyebrow in Confusion) Who? (Points at a Woman Screaming and Running Towards Them in the Far Distance) That lady running over here?

Owain: Yes. But that is no mere lady. That is....(Tears Begins to Build Up From his Eyes Before Extending his Arms Out, Running Over and Screaming Out.....) MOTHERRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!~

Lissa: OWAAAAIN!~

Owain: (Happily Waving Hello to his Mother) HI MOTHER!~

Lissa: Owain!

Owain: (Smiles Slowly Starts Faltering The More Stares at his Mother Coming Towards Him, Most Faster Than He Anticipated) Uh....Mother?

Lissa: (Angrily Running Faster Towards) OWAAAAAAAAAAIN!!!!

Owain: (Eyes Widened in Complete Fear Before Quickly Turning Himself Around, Now Running For his Dear Life) Oh bythemalciousairandseasNO!!!

Lissa: HEY! DON'T YOU DARE RUN AWAY FROM YOUR MOTHER, YOUNG MAN! COME BACK HERE!!!

Toon: So that's his mom the whole time, huh?.....(Grabs his Chin While Thinking) That would the blonde colored hair they shared from the looks of it.

Mewtwo: And the Screaming. (Turns to Zelda) What do think, Zelda?

Zelda: (Quickly Tidy Up the Spring Like Dress She's Currently Wearing) How do I look? Presentable? Acceptable? Decent looking at least!?

Mewtwo: (Gives his Best Friend a Deadpinned Look on his Face) You look fine, Zelda. Don't worry.

Toon: (Smiles Brightly) Yeah, you're a princess. You'll be fine! But lose that geeky side of yours just to be sure- (Suddenly Felt Mewtwo'a Shoulder Hitting His) Ow! What? I was just helping.

Mewtwo: (Sighs While Shaking his Head)

Owain: (Running Towards the Door) Move aside, move aside, MOVE ASIDE!

Lissa: (Still Chasing her Son) Owain, if you go inside that door, I swear I am going to- (Gets Pucked Up by the Arms by Her Older Brother Before Trying to Struggle Herself Free) H-Hey! Let go, Chrom!

Chrom: Not yet. Give it a minute or two.

Owain: Al....most.....theeeer-Wait, why I don't I feel I'm not- (Screechs Once He Figues Out That He's Levitating in Mid Air, Surrounded in Purple Magic)

Robin: (Uses his Magic to Keep Owain From Escaping While Giving him the Farherly Glare) Owain Everfield Yliston. What did I tell you about running away from your problems?

Owain: To.....keep running until your feet is set to blaze?

Owain forms an awkward smile. Robin was not amused.

Owain: ('Sighs in Defeat') Stop running and face it head on.....No matter how nerve wrecking it gets down the line.....

Robin: (Simply Nodded in Approval) That's right. I don't blame you for being nervous right now, but your mother has been missing you dearly for god knows how long and I know for a fact that you miss her too. So man yourself up and talk to her. Please.

Owain: (Sighs Before Nodding to is Father's Command) Yes sir. I'm ready to face the music.

Robin: Good. (Lowers Owain Down, Releasing From the Magic Before Turning Back to his Brother in Law) Chrom.

Chrom: Got it. He's all yours, sis. (Finally Lets Lissa Go)

Lissa: (Politely Bows to Chrom) Thank you. (Continues Charging Few Speed Towards her Son) RAAAAAAAAAH!

Owain: Waitwaitwaitwaitwai- (Immediately Gets Hug Tackled to the Ground by his Mother)

'CRASH''

Toon: (Turns Away) Ohhhhhh!

Owain: ('Groans in Pain') Yep......Definitely deserve that.....

Lissa: (Glares Down at her Son, Sitting on Top of Him) You gosh darn right you did! Who do think you are, running away from you own mom like that, huh!?

Owain: Look, it's not like I wanted to actively avoid you! You were running as fast as enraged bull, steak from his nostrils. You scared me.

Lissa: Yeah, well....(Starts Tearing Up) You scared ME the night you left us and the kingdom!! I was worried out of my mind about you for longest time now!...('Sniff') And now....('Sniff') I see you here after all this time.....('Sniff') Running from me?....('Sniff') Why? D-Did I do something wrong?

Owain: (Got His Back Up From the Ground, Devastated to See his Mother Crying In Front of Him) No. You have done nothing wrong at all, mother. I am the one who truly at fault here. I was a fool for leaving our home that night, I was a hopeless idiot for blindly helping out a cloaked figure that became an enemy down the usual journey, but worst of all, I am now a mere coward for fleeing away, knowing full well that I have broken your heart in two. (Lowers His Head Down in Shame) I'm deeply ashamed Bmand sorry for everything I've done.....and I do not blame you if you decide to despise until your is content.

Lissa: .........Owain. Look at me.

Owain: (Slowly But Surely Looks Back Up at his Mother) Y-Yes, mothe-

Lissa: (Gives Owain the Most Tight, Loving Hug She Could Give Him) You big dummy. When will you ever stop being so dramatic? ('Sigh') Who am I kidding? You're the most dramatic kid I know. Of course you'll never stop not that I mind as much as I used to at least.

Owain: Mother, I- (Suddenly Felt Lissa's Hands Cupping Both of His Face)

Lissa: But what we're NOT going to do is putting yourself down and making up a dumb lie.

Owain: Lie? What lie?

Lissa: That I would hate you. Cause I don't! I love you, Owain. ('Sniff') I love you so much it hurts sometimes, you know?

Lucina: (In the Background) Told you so!

Owain: (Comically Glares at his Cousin) Don't start, woman-

Lissa: (Moves Owain's Face Back to Her) Hey, hey. Ignore her. Lack back at me. We're not done here, mister.

Owain: Yes, mommy.

Lissa: (Simply Nodded) Good. (Grabs her Chin While Thinking) Now where was I.....Right! I love you so much it hurts.....And no son of my is a fool or an idiot! You're a human being that's bound to make the dumbest mistakes like the rest of us out here.

Owain: But what's important is that I learn from them for the foreseeable future?

Lissa: Yeah, exactly! See? You're plenty smart! Just like your dad! (Sighs While Hugging Owain Again) Look, just....Promise me you won't scare us like that anymore, okay? I know you're capable of handling yourself, but you're still precious to me. I don't wanna lose you anymore.....

Owain: (Hugs Lissa Back) That will never come to past. I won't ever bring you fear and distress and continue to do better from tis day forward, mother. That, I promise you for the rest of my life.

Lissa: (Puts out a Bit of a Pouty Look on her Face) ('Hmph') You better!~ Otherwise, I chase you to the ends of the Earth next time.

Owain: Oh come now. You can't be THAT fast.

Lissa: (Giggles a Bit) Oho you'd be surprised~ (Pulls Away For a Second to Stare at her Son Once More) Oh Owain......

Owain: Something's the matter, mother?

Lissa: ('Sigh') No, I'm fine. Just looking at how much you've grown is all. You big, drama queen baby, I love you!~ (Starts Kissing on Owain's Cheek)

Owain: (Chuckles Ticklishly) Mother!~ We still have people around. Settle down a bit, will ya?

Lissa: Yeeeeeeeeeeeah......No.

Owain: No? (Glares at Lissa) What do you mean "No"?

Lissa: (Hugs her Son Yet Again) I mean I'm not gonna stop coddle you yet! (Forms a Conniving Smirk on her Face) Consider this your punishment for making me worried sick for so long.

Owain: (Couldn't Believe What He's Hearing Right Now) You gotta be kidding me!!!

Lissa: Nooope!~ I'm your mother, Owain. (Starts Kissing Owain Cheeks Again) I ('Mwah') Never ('Mwah') Kid ('Mwah') Around!~ ('Mwaah')

Robin: (Already Has his Phone Out, Recording the Whole Thing While Everyone is Snickering Around Him) You're doing great, dear!~

Olivia: (Sighs Happily at the Scene While Hugging Chrom's Arm) I just love a happy reunion, dear~

Chrom: (Trying his Hatdes Not to Let Out a Snicker While Taking Some Pictures Himself) You and be both, Oliva. Keep it up, Lissa!

Lissa: Will do, Chrom!~ (Continues Kissing Owain)

Owain: (Glares at Robin) F-Father! UNCLE! AUNTIE OLIVIA! Do not encourage her shenanigans! And what are you doing with those phone devices of yours!?

Robin: Oh don't mind us!~ (Forms a Playful Smirk on his Face) Just capturing this beautiful moment is all.

Owain: Nothing about this is beautiful! It's embarrassing!!

Lucina: (Shrugs While Smirking) Gotta embrace the embarrassment sometimes, cousin~

Gerome: You can manage.

Owain: Like hell I can! This is ridiculous! I have things do to, a lovely girlfriend to spend time with-

Lissa: ('GASPS') You got yourself a GIRLFRIEND you say!?~

Owain: (Eyes Widened in Horror) Why did I say that out loud?

Lissa: (Points at Zelda) Hey, you! In that nice looking dress!

Zelda: (Immediately Gives Lissa Her Attention) Y-Yes?

Lissa: You're Owain's girlfriend?

Zelda: (Happily (And Shyly) Nodded) Yep! Princess Zelda, ma'am. (Sticks Her Habd Out to Lissa) Pleased to meet you.

Lissa: (Happily Shakes Zelda's Hand) Likewise, dear!~ My name is Lissa Yliston, Owain's proud, loving mom!~

Zelda: (Giggles Softly) I can tell!~ You've raised such a good boy, ma'am.

Lissa: Thank you!~ I did my very best. (Starts Snuggling Up on Owain) He's the most goodest, trouble-making boy ever!~ Yes you are!~

Zelda: Yes he is!~

Owain: (Pouts at hus Girlfriend) Zelda!!

Zelda: (Smiles Apologetically at Owain) Sorry!~ Force of habit!.....It's true though. You are a good boy.

Owain: Good. MAN!- ('Groans in Annoyance and Embarrassment') I swear, this can't get any worse from here......

?????: Hey, Yliston!

Owain: (Eye's Widened in Horror Again) Oh no.

Owain turns to see Dark Pit, his girlfriends, some of the members of the Smash Family, watching him and his mother from the mansion's porch.

Dark Pit: (Forms a Shit Eating Grin) Enjoying your quality time with your mom over there?

Kyoko: (Clasps her Hands Together in Awe) So cute and wholesome~

Misako: (Taking Pictures With a Smirk on her Face) Perfect for blackmail purposes~

Owain: ('Gaspdls') You will do NO such th-

Lissa: (Happily Waves Hello to Everyone) HI, everyone!~ I'm Lissa Yliston, Owain's mother, whom I love oh so very much!~ (Playfully Pulls Owain's Cheek) Yes, I do!~

The Moms: AWWWWWW!~

Dark Pit/Everyone Else: (Burst Out Laughing)

Owain: (Sighs While Closing his Eyes) Lady Palutena, if you ever hear this, I must ask: Please.....please get me out of this catastrophe of a day.....That's all I ask.

Palutena: (Standing on the Other Side of the Porch) Hear you loud and clear, Owain, no can do!~

Owain: (Eyes Widened at the Goddess Mom) WHAT!? Why!?

Palutena: Cause this is a very sweet moment and I don't wanna ruin it.

Owain: N-Nothing about this is a sweet at all! An inferno hellish nightmare is more like it....

Palutena: (Forms a Motherly Glare) What was that?

Owain: (Easily Intimidated by the Goddess' Glare)Nothing!

Palutena: (Sighs While Giving Owain a Reassuring Smile) Just let her have this one, okay? I'm sure she'll stop eventually.

Owain: I highly doubt that. ('Sighs in Defeat') But very well then......The things I do for love and compassion.

And that folks, was the day Lissa and Olivia became the newest members of the Certified Mom Squad.

Happy Mother's Day

@caleb13frede

@tampire

@albion-93

@ma-lemons

@bestpony666

@decibelcoatl

@bellanova137

@minetsudeku112

[kinkandkreep]

Ok so for a au I have for drakey/doramai it's about Mikey being a part timer and a househusband as he and Draken get used to married life and then later becoming parents(I hc Mikey as trans). Its a mix of Mikey getting used to having good things happening to him, he and Draken getting used to be so close in this way and some silly shit happening along the way

I looove things like this, thanks for sharing sug!! 😊

There's actually a couple different fics on ao3 that follow almost this exact same train of thought, which is so interesting to me. 😂

I imagine Manjiro works either part-time at Shinichiro's bike shop or as a receptionist (do bike shops have those??) and occassional mechanic at D&D motors. (In most of my domestic au's, it's Everybody Lives/Nobody Dies, just for the sake of fluff continuity.)

I'm also super weak for the thought of Manjiro and Ken having babies together, and considering I, by default, make almost everything concerning them as a ship ABO (where Mikey's an Omega and Ken his Alpha) I can't help but conjure the mental image of Ken and Mikey in their big King sized nest bed, surrounded by their pups, purring contentedly. 🥹

I personally see them with 2 lil' sons, maybe a daughter somewhere down the line.

I also like the angst potential mixed in, like you touched on. That's also why I say most, not all of my domestic au's are EL/ND, because I like the thought of Ken showing Mikey that he deserves to heal and sort of guiding him through that process, and Mikey showing Ken that regardless of what he thinks, he is lovable and ultimately, is loved.

And then of course, the silly shit. 😂

Lots of that please, 'cus personally I find Ken and Manjiro's dynamic to be quite hysterical.

Ken's the Big Guy to Mikey's Little Guy and that is funny in and of itself. Not to mention the situations Mikey always gets them into, that Ken has to then get them out of.

Overall, I just positively adore these two together, and writing for/getting to share my thoughts about them is always a pleasure.

Thanks again for sending this in hun! Have a good one! 👋🏾😁

[uzumaki-rebellion]

"King Killmonger: The Golden Jaguar Chapter 10"

Need to catch up? Masterlist HERE.

"Listen, there are waters Hidden from us In the maze we find them still We'll take you to them You take your young ones May they take their own in turn But by our lives be we spirit And by our hearts be we women And by our eyes be we open And by our hands be we whole…"

Sweet Honey in the Rock – "Testimony"

N'Jadaka guided the hover bike above the stern, placed it in neutral, and helped Yani climb down safely onto the houseboat. Afterward, he jetted up toward one of the stinger aircrafts above them and gave a final instruction to their security detail. He returned and parked the bike in its rack and covered it with a pale blue tarp. Yani already had a glass of the Chilza's white wine and finished off the last of it. It was a strong batch and she already looked intoxicated.

She followed him to the upper deck to watch him program their next destination. They cruised downriver, and where the split in the river came that led to Umbono Lake, Yani patted his hand.

"How about we go see Warrior Falls first and then loop back around to the lake?"

"We can't switch up now."

"Why not?"

"Well, I pre-arranged to have the lake closed off to the public so we could have it for a week to ourselves. If we go to Warrior Falls first, we'll have to share the lake with too many citizens on the return, and we won't have any privacy. Okoye won't like that. Too many variables again."

"You're the king and I'm the queen. We can just switch the schedule."

"Baby, it took a lot for me to get these dates of closure for us in secret. We'll see the Falls in a week."

Yani chewed on her bottom lip and her eyes darted toward the water.

"What's the matter? Why do you want to go there sooner?"

"I just heard so much about it from the Chilzas that it got me excited about getting there faster."

"There's no need to rush. All in due time. Besides, we have a lot of fishing to do, and snorkeling. We can go diving in the cove…"

Something was wrong. Her tipsiness didn't hide a tension in her voice and in her body. Yani was worried about something.

"You're right," she said while spinning around and using the steps back down from the engine room. "So much to see and I'm rushing it."

She stopped near the covered hoverbike.

"You know what I'd like you to do while we're on the lake?" she said.

"What?"

"Teach me to ride this on my own. I've ridden motorcycles and Jet Skis back home, and I need to know how to enjoy this by myself. My goal is to learn how to do something new before I go back to Zana. I'll ride the hoverbike solo…I'll fish for the first time. Imagine me living on an island growing up and never picking up a fishing pole! I'll bake yam cornbread the way Umama does and so much more."

Something was definitely wrong. The hoverbike frightened her with any thought of using it on her own. She rode on them with him because he was so good at it. But by herself in the sky?

"I thought solo riding on the hoverbike scared you."

She waved her hand and patted the covered transport.

"Ekuqaleni made me feel brave, like I can do anything because I witnessed the magic of that place. In fact, I want to learn how to fly the Royal Talon Fighter just like you. A queen of Wakanda should be able to do what the king does…in fact…maybe I should be the Black Panther since you are the Golden Jaguar!"

She twirled around and giggled, plopping down on a plush deck chair that overlooked the tranquil river. He smiled. She was definitely lit from the wine. Whatever tension he sensed in her voice and body went away as she gazed at the water.

"One thing at a time. We'll start with the hoverbike," he said.

She clapped her hands and lifted the bottle of wine from the table next to her seat.

"Finish this off, I'm going to get another bottle of champagne that's been chilling and make us mimosas!"

She scurried off with a little skip in her steps.

He grinned and surveyed the landscape. Cloud coverage rolled in on the balmy weather and that would be good for their fishing. The light rain would knock insects into the water and on overcast days, fish tended to cruise more for food. His mouth already watered at the thought of catching fresh chambo and grilling it up with a seafood gravy on top. Their galley had a supply of the best cuts of meat and plenty of seasonal vegetables to create all sorts of gourmet meals.

Yani returned with champagne flutes filled with a blood-orange mimosas. She handed him one and they toasted.

"Slow down with the drinking, we'll be fishing soon. I can't have you stabbing your fingers on the hook with our bait," he said.

"Look who's talking? With that big drink in your hand."

"You had more than me already."

She sipped her drink and he enjoyed the taste of his. He downed it quickly and she unfastened her wrap-around dress. Totally naked underneath, she pranced around for him before settling onto the plush seating again.

He put down his glass and dropped to his knees, pushing her legs apart. Yani laughed and pretended to try and get away, but she rested her head back and parted those thick thighs for him. He wiggled out of his trunks and lifted a pillow from the seating and placed it in front of Yani to protect his knees. Dropping down in a comfortable position, he kissed all over her vulva and licked each one of her piercings with an artful tongue. He spelled out his Wakandan name on her clit with just the tip, and his wife let out a passionate moan. Yani stroked his hair and kept eye contact with him.

He pressed his lips against her inner labia and hummed, allowing the vibration to flow across his beard too. Yani was wet and puffy in her tender parts. He wouldn't push for penetrative sex to give her body a rest. They fucked so much in Ekuqaleni that even he had to slather his dick with a rejuvenating lubricant from all the friction that went across it. Facing her vulva, he looked at it like it was an expensive painting, enjoying the color and the way it glistened with her arousal. Yani touched her clit, rubbing it gently while keeping her gaze on his face. He slid his hands up her torso and held her breasts. Her nipples were big and stiff and tweaking them with his fingers caused her opening to throb. Yani's pussy lips always looked so wide open and welcoming. So pretty. He licked around her clit making sure to touch all of her sensitive spots without using his fingers. She locked her knees around his neck and he grabbed them, wrestling with her thighs to let him push them back onto the seat. He slapped the underside of her rump and Yana shoved his head into her vulva and soaked his beard.

N'Jadaka licked his way up her midsection and sucked on her nipples, taking turns on each one until he gave butterfly kisses along her collarbone. She slid her tongue across his lips to taste the sweetness between her legs. He traced his index finger in soft circles on her clit, mindful of the sensitivity there from their past intimacy. Aligning the head of his dick in front of her opening, he stroked himself while staring at the slick pink that beckoned him to enter her. It took all he had to prevent himself from penetrating her again. He squeezed and rubbed all over his tip, spreading pre-cum all over it. Yani's lips puckered. She kissed her pinky finger and teased it along his slit. He grunted softly and hot streaks spurted, drenching her entrance until he couldn't see the pink anymore. Tilting his dick at another angle, the rest of his cum streaked across her stomach and spilled back into her belly button.

N'Jadaka leaned down and kissed her forehead. Yani lowered her legs and ripped out a loud fart. She started laughing hysterically and N'Jadaka reared back laughing with her.

"At least I didn't fart when you were eating me out!" she cackled.

He waved his hand as the odor reached his nose.

"No more eggs for you this week. That was atrocious," he said.

"No worse than you funking up the bed with your stink bombs after eating up all the plantains last night. Didn't even save me any."

"I did! I tucked them in the fridge with all that candy you bought."

Yani lifted and kissed his cheek.

"Take a shower and then we can break out the fishing poles," he whispered in her ear.

"Don't need a shower," Yani said.

She jumped up from her position and dashed off the back off the boat. Her body dived in the water with a perfect arc.

"Yani! Crazy girl!" he shouted.

The houseboat kept moving away from her and he ran to turn the engine off. They hadn't reached their destination yet. The boat had barely entered the split in the river that led to the lake. Yani swam at the mouth of it.

The houseboat slowed to a halt and N'Jadaka ran back down to check on the position of his wife. Yani tread easily, watching his expression with amusement.

"All clean!" she shouted.

N'Jadaka dived in after her. Yani was an exceptional swimmer, but she had been drinking. He reached her quickly and tugged on her hand to guide her back to the stern. She held onto the ladder attached to the back and pulled herself up. He pushed on her rump to help keep her from falling back. Soaked all over, she shook off her body like a mischievous puppy.

"Be right back," she said.

She traipsed up the stairs that led to the upper deck. He pulled on his shorts and wandered into the galley to grab the container of bloodworms he would use for bait that were stored in a separate fishing cooler. He pulled out their fishing rods and leaned them against the the west side of the boat. Yani returned wearing lime-green shorts and a matching bikini top with yellow topsider slides on. She smothered sunblock on her arms and face.

"Ready," she said.

N'Jadaka opened the container of worms and their moist slithery bodies forced a grimace on Yani's face.

"Watch how I bait mine," he said.

He handed the container to her and she stuck her tongue out and squeezed her eyes shut in an exaggerated fashion.

"Pay attention, silly," he said.

Yani watched him hook the worm at the top of its body and slide it up, then curl it around the hook in two places before stabbing it in the tail, securing it. The worm did a wiggle of its impending death dance and Yani threw a hand over her mouth.

"That is so gross!"

"You want fresh fried chambo with gravy and rice?"

"Yes."

"Okay then, it's your turn," he said.

He took the container from her hand and she stared at the writhing mass of dark red worms.

"Do it for me," she said, hopping up and down.

"Nah, you gotta do it yourself Ma. Like how Grandpop taught me."

Yani whined and reached for a worm.

"Oooh, yuck…oh, it's so gross and squishy!"

"Big baby," he said.

She finally lifted a fat one from the container. N'Jadaka closed the lid on the others and set the container down on the side table near them. He handed her the hook on her rod.

"You are more freaked out by this than when I taught you how to shoot a gun," he said.

"A gun is not a living creature I'm impaling on a…oh yuck, N'Jadaka! It's guts came out…it's all slimy on my hand!"

Yani flicked the hook away from her fingers and jumped around waving her hands about. The hook swung out and N'Jadaka stopped it from piercing his skin where it hit him.

"C'mon girl…you got the first part in."

Yani pressed her lips together into a line and wrapped the wiggly mass twice before stabbing it again with the hook.

"See? It's that easy."

"I have worm guts on my fingers!"

"Take your pole, and watch how I toss my line out," he said, rolling his eyes at her.

He lifted his rod and slid his finger around a bit of line and flipped the reel open, showing her every step.

"Give yourself about two to four feet of line before casting out…see?" he said.

She nodded, keeping her eyes steady on his fingers.

"Step back and just let it go with one fluid motion…"

He cast his line and the worm flew across the water, plopping down in the perfect spot.

"These worms are big and heavy enough to not need extra weights on the line. Try it," he said.

Yani lifted her rod and followed all the steps. She cast out a good line and squealed when she got the hang of it on the first go. She wound the reel handle dragging the line back with the still moving worm and practiced tossing it out a few times.

They reeled back in their lines and rested their rods against the side of the boat.

"Lemme go move the boat into the lake. I don't think we'll do so good in this midway point," he said.

He returned to the engine room and set them back on course manually, easing the houseboat onto Umbono Lake. The fishing map he checked showed him an ideal spot at the entrance of the lake they could try first. There was a small marshland area he wanted to avoid and moved the houseboat further into the lake, heading toward the center. A lake patrolman on a hoverbike zipped past them, clearing out other last minute boats that hadn't gotten the memo that the lake was off limits to the public. N'Jadaka had any and all indicators that their houseboat belonged to the Udakus taken off. Many nobles had boats just as luxurious as theirs but anyone passing by wouldn't know the king and queen of Wakanda were the reason the lake was closed off. Wakandans were very good about keeping their natural environments protected, so it wasn't unusual for lakes and other waterways to be temporarily closed for eco-management tasks. In this case Umbono Lake was rescheduled for an earlier shutdown to accommodate the king's honeymoon and none would be the wiser. It just meant the occasional sighting of a few lake preservationists doing water testing and wildlife management onshore while the Udakus floated in peace.

They anchored a mile away from Umbono Cove. N'Jadaka made sure that all the boat's windows were in tinted mode to ensure their privacy. If Yani wanted to sunbathe nude, there would be no worry about peeping Toms. He joined her carrying an empty white bucket. Yani watched him dip it into the lake and fill it three-fourths full.

"Dump whatever you catch in there," he said.

He brought over two bar stools for them to sit on and they started fishing, keeping their voices low. Above them, the sky was the color of an old penny that had bits of pale green malachite on it. Cloud coverage draped over the lake only letting in streaks of bright light when the sun broke through periodically. The air itself remained muggy, like walking through a never-ending sauna. A bit of a breeze would've helped them not sweat so much. He handed her a cold cider beer and popped one open for himself.

"Bored?" he asked after twenty-five minutes of nothing happening.

"No…I think I see something floating out…there! See it…ooh, something bit my hook!"

Yani jumped off her seat and reeled in her line too soon. Part of her worm was gone.

"What a sneak!" she gasped, staring at him with disappointment.

"You have to let the fish nibble a bit until it actually swallows the hook," he said.

She tossed her half worm back out and fifteen seconds later, her line was dragged deeper in the water.

"Oh, gosh! I got one! I got one N'Jadaka!"

"Bring it in easy…he's hooked on there tight…dassit…slow and easy…"

Yani yanked her catch out of the water and it went flying behind her hitting part of the boat's roof. The fish was a little over seven inches in length with silvery-gray scales. It had a fat and healthy body. N'Jadaka guided Yani in carefully unhooking the fish and she tossed it in the waiting bucket with a proud grin on her lips. He noticed his pole bending from the fishing rod holder mounted on the hull. He reeled in another fat chambo and quickly released it and dumped it next to Yani's bewildered catch. She added fresh bait to her line and he helped her secure sinker weights on it.

"It'll go down deeper and maybe we can catch bigger ones," he said.

He did the same for his pole and they spent a lazy and very serene afternoon fishing. They were able to toss some fish back into the lake because the pickings were good and they didn't have to settle for anything they caught. Within four hours they had amassed a bounty of ten sizeable fish. Five plump chambo, three catfish, and two large Wakandan species of lake salmon. He laid out a fire-proof pad facing the water and proceeded to build a fire inside the portable iron grill/firepit. After placing a protective iron screen over the flames, he joined Yani in the galley to prepare their evening meal. They were both hungry even though they ate huge curried chicken salads for lunch while fishing.

Yani began cooking white rice and started gathering ingredients to make the gravy and vegetables they wanted. He cleaned and filleted all five of the chambo, and wrapped the other fish up to sit in the freezer for another day. Yani handed him fish seasoning after he washed his hands and rinsed the fish again. He sprinkled enough seasoning to make the fish spicy and squeezed lemon on them. Sliced onions, yellow peppers, and oranges were layered around them in a grill basket to add more flavor to the fillets while they cooked.

His task complete, Yani followed him to the grill and lifted the covering for him. They sat around the fire and cooked the fish for about four minutes on each side. Removing the fish and placing the covering back over the grill, they returned to the galley where Yani had a giant skillet on the stove already filled with a simmering gravy of onions, chopped carrots, green peppers, curry spice, and a light fruit chutney. He added the fish and covered them completely in the gravy, letting them sit in the pan simmering for five minutes.

Yani scooped them rice and crispy fried cabbage, and they both salivated when N'Jadaka placed the chambo and gravy over the rice. They ate their fill by the outdoor pit/grill and sipped on white wine. The sun had set and the evening cloud coverage painted the water around them dark and mysterious. It began to sprinkle after their meal, and the air grew cooler. N'Jadaka put out the deck fire and started a new one in the living room section of the boat while Yani cleared their dishes. There were blankets already stacked on the overstuffed couch. They snuggled together with Yani lying on his chest and stared at the flames and also out of the wide windows that let them see the lake in the evening stillness.

Once again, N'Jadaka experienced peace. His wife rested on him. Their bellies were full and they had nowhere to be but with each other. Yani started snoring as a heavier rain poured down outside and he opted for them to stay there and sleep. The couch was wide and soft enough for two and their cozy blankets secured warmth he wanted to enjoy all night. His eyes became drowsy at the pitter patter sounds. A clap of thunder rumbled and lightening lit up the outside for a moment. Yani slept through it and soon enough, he did too.

Another crack of thunder woke him up.

The reddish-orange glow of burned down embers in the fireplace gave him the only light in the room. Yani whimpered on his chest, her fist balled up and shoved against her cheek. Still asleep, her eyes moved back and forth under her lids and her body trembled.

"No!" she cried out.

Her body shot up and the glow of the fire made her eyes look feral and frightened.

"No…" she murmured, glancing around.

"Baby, you're okay. Just a nightmare," he said, soothing her trembles with his large hands rubbing her back.

Her eyes wrenched from the dying fire and latched onto his steady gaze.

"What is it? Can you remember what you dreamed about?"

Yani pulled away from him and curled her legs under her backside. She ran a nervous hand over her fade and her fingers shook. He sat up an put an arm around her.

"Yani?"

Her eyes darted back and forth, searching for something and she burst out crying.

"Hold on," he said, leaving her side.

He quickly padded into the galley and grabbed a cup, filling it with room temperature water from a pitcher.

"Here, drink…" he said.

She took the cup and drank all of the water.

"I was in a cave…a cavern of some kind. I could hear water lapping, and there was light on the walls…firelight…and it was hot…so hot. I walked on sand and then it grabbed me, like quicksand and then I felt hands dragging me down…I couldn't…I couldn't get out of it and I could hear voices…and someone was angry with me. There was no one else there, but I could feel an anger pulsing all around me…"

She stood and paced in front of him, wringing her hands and touching her face like she was making sure she was fully awake.

"Yani, sit down. You can calm down better without all the pacing."

She stopped in front of him.

"I don't want to keep secrets from you. I think my dream was a warning."

"A warning of what?"

She cradled is face with her hands.

"I could lie to you…or tell you something important. But if I do, it might wake up…"

She paused, smashing her lips together suddenly.

"It might wake up who, baby? I'm not understanding what's scaring you."

She shook her head and knelt before him, resting her arms on his thighs.

"Bast. Bast scares me because I have to do something important, but I can't say too much because it'll wake her up inside of you."

N'Jadaka did an internal check. Neither Bast nor Ogum stirred.

"Talk to me," he said, stroking her cheek.

Yani shook her head and rose up on her feet. Turning, she let the mild heat of the embers warm her body. She rubbed her arms and then her right hand drifted down to her stomach.

"Yani…come here."

She glanced back at him and slumped to her knees in a dead faint. N'Jadaka rushed forward and gently lifted her from the floor. He placed her on the couch again and checked her pulse with his kimoyo beads. Her breathing returned to that of a deep slumber once more. Whatever bothered her frightened her back into sleep. He pulled the blankets over them both and leaned on his side to watch her. The sun would be up in a few hours.

If he wanted, he could tap in with the gods that rested in his body. However, he chose not to in order to spare his wife more fear. He wanted her to tell him whatever she needed in her own time. His skin cooled with the flush of creeping dread. The look in Yani's eyes told him that she wanted to reveal something immense…something that concerned him. Bad dreams had never affected her like that in the past.

N'Jadaka watched Yani sleep until the sun rose. The vibrating hum of two stinger aircraft patrolling the lake for them went across the boat and he turned off the tint in the windows so that sunlight could awaken his love. Her return to consciousness was slow, but her eyelashes fluttered and she tossed an arm around his waist and burrowed deeper under the blankets.

"Welcome back," he said.

She kissed his chest and he rubbed her shoulder.

"Are you hungry?" he asked.

Yani stretched and peeked over his shoulder.

"What time is it?" she asked.

"Ten."

"You let me sleep in that late?"

"That nightmare you had got you up for a minute. You actually fainted when I was talking to you about it."

"Nightmare?"

"You don't remember?"

She touched her forehead and thought for a minute.

"Maybe all the wine and beer messed me up. I can't remember waking up."

"You were shook up pretty bad, girl. Said your dream was a warning of something."

She nested in the crook of his arm, the nightmare not even registering in the comfort of his closeness.

"I'm hungry, but I don't want to get up yet."

"Still tired?"

"Just not fully awake."

"I'll make us some breakfast and you chill here until I bring it to you. What would you like?"

"Pancakes and chicken sausage…lots of syrup and butter."

"Luckily we have all of that."

He kissed her forehead and left her side, humming to himself as he washed his hands in the galley sink and gathered up the ingredients. The pancake mix was pre-packaged and only required water added to it. He popped sausage patties in a fast-cook oven and had their morning meal prepared in under twenty minutes. Yani sat up on the couch when he entered carrying a tray with their food and orange juice.

"There you go," he said presenting her a full plate with her favorite sliced apples added.

She appeared famished as she cut pieces of her pancakes and dipped them in extra syrup. Her stomach looked bigger after finishing her meal and he teased her about getting chunky already like the old women at the river market encouraged.

He cleared up the dishes and Yani took a shower. She returned when he finished cleaning up wearing a short yellow babydoll house dress. Plopping on the couch, she pulled the blankets back over her shoulders.

"Thought you wanted to learn how to ride the hoverbike," he said.

"I do, but I'm feeling lazy right now. I'll do it later after lunch. No rush."

He nodded and wandered off to wash up and trim his beard. While grooming himself he thought about what he would cook for their lunch and dinner. He liked the idea of doing nothing all morning. A late lunch of shrimp pasta salad and steak stir-fry for dinner seared itself in his brain menu. Their staff made most of their food pre-prepped for easy cooking and he was grateful that he didn't have to do too much for their meals on the boat.

He rubbed his skin down with coffee and cocoa butter and joined his wife on the couch. The air was cool and the perfect weather for blankets and more cuddling. Yani turned on a viewscreen above the fireplace and binged an American comedy series about an elementary school and their humorous teachers. She laughed a lot and he chuckled a few times.

"That's how you were with me," she said, pointing out a lead character's longing looks at his crush.

"No I wasn't."

"You used to stare at me like that when I walked around the compound. You didn't think I saw you, but I did."

"That dude looks thirsty."

"Like you weren't?"

"I was checking you out."

"You were grinding on me by your third day."

"I was not. Fourth maybe…"

Yani reached back and closed his lips with her fingers.

"Stop lying through your mouth."

"You were doing the same thing to me," he said.

"I had to watch you because you were a bad guy. Auntie always warned me about mercs and their sly ways. You could've been a rapist. I was in a vulnerable position all the time around you."

"Nothing was going to happen to you with me around. That still holds true today, Yani."

He lowered his lips to her neck.

"My protector…always," she said.

He kissed the back of her neck and she turned onto her back to see his face. Her lips were soft and inviting as he pressed his mouth against them. She turned back to watch the show and he curled around her, fondling her nipples through her dress. They were taut and poked through the material. He touched and teased, occasionally dozing between four episodes. She unfastened the ties on the top of the dress and he cupped a breast, allowing her to watch the show as he enjoyed the fullness resting in his hand. She pushed her backside into his groin and he lowered his shorts and lifted up her dress to her waist. He sandwiched his hardening dick against her ass, and her cheeks spread accommodating the thickness pushing against her skin with a light friction. Moving slowly, he acted like a horny teenager afraid of being caught and humped on his wife. His warm breath chuffed against the nape of her neck. She kept watching her sitcom and he continued humping and spilling pre-cum on her heavy rump. Yani whispered titillating things to him.

"You like how it feels on your dick?" she crooned.

"Mmhmm…"

"I know you do…it's all big and soft…your dick is so hard against it. If you're a good boy later, I'll let you fuck me nice and slow."

"Yessss, baby…"

He huffed out a rough breath, the pleasurable sensations rippling all across his dick and balls.

"You want to cum in my pussy again?" she said.

He bit her shoulder and groaned from the bottom of his chest. His nutsack throbbed in anticipation. Her voice became breathy and seductive.

"Fill me up with all of your hot cum…you'd like that, huh Daddy?"

He pushed the covers down to look at his dick against her ass. It was already coated with pre-cum and shiny. The slickness reduced the amount of friction he was able to get rubbing against her. Yani's soft sighs aroused him more, and he continued rubbing against her faster, satisfied with the sensation of his hot dick enveloped in the warmth of her ass cheeks. The softness of her breasts pleased him, their round fullness making him feel proud to have her next to him. She was the mother of his children. Would become the mother of another child in time. Her titties would get even bigger, as big as they had been in St. Thomas when he first met her jiggling around in over-sized t-shirts that couldn't hide the twin blessings he now caressed in his hands. Oh how he missed those afternoon sessions of lying in her lap and sucking milk out of her nipples. Her pussy would be so wet afterwards, hot as lava when he pushed deep inside of her. To be with her from start to finish the next time she got pregnant excited him.

He'd heard from married men back in his navy seal days that pregnant sex was something special. They said their wives hormones were in overdrive and they would be horny as fuck after that first trimester. All he could imagine was palming extra big tits and fucking Yani with a baby inside of her. Some of the most intense sex they had was right before he left her in St. Thomas, and she had been pregnant then carrying their son.

Yani gasped as he dropped his hand down to touch her clit. It was slippery from all of the wetness pouring out of her. Her inner labia were wide open and slicker than oil. She turned her head slightly and he met her lips again, their tongues sliding together amidst groans coming from them both. He fingered her clit like he was strumming an upright bass, plucking mewling sounds from her throat. Gripping his dick, he started beating it against her ass, the hardness exciting him as it smacked against all of her lush rump. He wanted to fuck the sense out of her, but would stretch that need for later in the day. They had all the time in the world to fuck as they wished. To tease as they wished. To indulge in their bodies however they wished.

God, she was soft and warm and pliant in his hands. She would do anything for him sexually and that knowledge made him shout as he came all over her ass.

"Fuck…Yani…baby…"

He squeezed his eyes shut as another thick load pushed through his pulsing tip. His balls throbbed so hard. He had more in store for her.

Yani turned toward him with a frown on her face.

"I'm supposed to cum first. That's the rule," she said with a pout curling on her lips afterward.

"Sorry, baby. That ass was too much for me."

"Lick and kiss my pussy to make up for your insolence," she said.

She didn't have to tell him twice. He burrowed his face between her legs, throwing them over his shoulders as he licked pleasure into her. His lips were glazed with her wetness in seconds and he pushed his entire face against her vulva. All of his fondling and slow caresses on her body had her primed and it only took him fifteen seconds get her off. Her legs shot straight out and she yelped his name. He grinned and crawled across her torso, stroking his dick and aiming it at her face.

"All this pipe belongs to you," he gasped.

She cradled his balls and squeezed them gently and he spurt semen all over her face. He dropped back down and kissed her pussy lips, drawing the kisses into a line all down her ass, before tonguing her asshole. She jerked at the sudden penetration and lifted her legs high so he could get all in it. He paid careful attention to the outer nerve endings. The area was puckered tight and he groaned.

"Can I fuck you in your ass?"

She noticed the begging tone and smirked.

"You didn't follow the rules about eating my pussy first before you came, so no….you can't fuck me there."

She was being playful, but he needed to be in her ass. Her body was splayed out on the couch with her dress bunched up in the perfect sexy way showing off wet pussy waiting to be plundered. Two succulent breasts sat there waiting to be bounced from ass fucking. Denying the king of Wakanda what belonged to him? The fuck?

He asked nicely again.

"Can I please fuck you in the ass right now? You lookin' too fine right now for me not to nut in that ass Yani."

She could see that hard meat waving at her between his thighs.

"No."

She reached across the table next to the couch and plucked out a few moist towlettes and wiped off her face and backside, tossing the used ones aside to throw away later.

"Look at this dick," he said.

"Later. I'm planning to give you a nice treat for teaching me how to use the hoverbike safely."

"Whatchu plan on doing?"

Yani rose up and kissed his dick.

"Making you feel real good."

"You can pre-pay me now. Trust… it will be appreciated even more."

She laughed.

"Such a greedy man. I'm going to change clothes and make us sandwiches. Then we can go riding."

"I was going to make us lunch."

"I got it," she said, bouncing away from him in a cheerful mood. She grabbed the used towlettes

"Baby, don't leave me like this. You know my shit ain't like no average dude."

Yani tossed the dirty tissues in a wastebasket near the stairs. They both heard the mechanism inside that incinerated all trash in the blink of an eye. She returned to stand in front of him.

"Greedy," she said in a sultry tone.

She tapped his shoulders, motioning for him to sit down. She knelt before him and tugged on her dress top so that her breasts were fully visible. Lifting them with her hands, she lovingly placed his dick in between them and slowly titty fucked him.

"Fuck yes!"

He spread his legs wide and she nestled in like the pro she was handling his length. Her lips bunched up when he plucked at her nipples.

"Ohhh…bay-bee…big titties all over this dick…shit you got this dick brick hard. Every goddamn time…fuck!"

She stuck her tongue out to tickle his slit when his dick rose up slightly between her cleavage. Yani had some nice big tits that fit nicely against his girth visually, and watching them slide up and down his meat had him panting as the build-up to release crept on him. He stood up to control a premature ejaculation and his nuts hung for her to lick and suck while she looked up at him the way he liked. She was such a good submissive, and that made him her servant for life sexually. He could think he controlled and dominated his woman, but that gorgeous wife on her knees sucking all over his balls and drawing a huge nut out of him again ruled his soul. She had good pussy, a hot nasty mouth, and an asshole that could bend him to her will. Niggas prayed they had a woman like that. Every time she was on her knees sucking him off, he couldn't think of another woman he had fucked who could do it better than she did. Yani was the whole package. She made porn stars look amateur.

"You promise to fuck Daddy good later?"

"Mmhmm," she hummed on his dick.

"Gon' let me nut as much as I want in your ass?"

A loud popping noise came from her lips as she released his dick to answer. She sucked him so sloppy that saliva ran down her chin.

"Yes, Daddy."

"Lemme fuck that tight little pussy too? Oh fuck! I can't wait to cum inside you. Stretch that pussy and nut all night…nasty little bitch. Keep sucking that dick, yesss, just like that. Good little slut…with them big ass titties…"

His voice had gone up an octave. She was twirling her tongue all around the head and teasing his frenulum. He sat back down quickly and forced her to fuck his dick with her tits again. Fuck! She was doing that shit she did where she pretended to not know what she was doing like some innocent virgin. It never failed to work on him because it brought out the beast in him., like he wanted to spank the shit out of her for playing games with him like that because he knew good and well she could turn a nigga out in seconds like she had done to him over and over and over and over….

"Yani!"

His hips bucked and he ejaculated thick ropes on her neck. White cream decorated her breasts too. More spilled out of his slit in a lazy stream that ran down the length of his dick. He lightly slapped her.

"Clean off my dick with your mouth."

She did so meticulously and spoke nasty things that made him moan. He told her how deep he was going to be inside her and how hard he was going to spank her ass while he fucked her. When she finished, he was so ready to pirate her away to their bedroom loft above.

His chest heaved and he let out a long sigh of satisfaction.

"I'll clean myself up…yet again…and get those sandwiches ready," she said.

She switch her ass in a sassy strut away from him.

"I am one luck man," he muttered.

Instead of going into the second bathroom on the upper deck to clean off, N'Jadaka chose to dive off the back of the boat and swim nude. Backstroking with confident strides, he stared up at the overcast sky and wondered what his children were doing. Umbono lake was wide and vast, almost feeling like an ocean except for the mountain that jutted out in the far distance that led to the inaccessible parts of Wakanda by foot or boat. Eyeing the houseboat, he noticed Yani waving at him.

"Come eat!" she shouted across the water.

He butterfly-stroked back to stretch out his back muscles. Yani wore pink shorts and water sneakers with a pink hoodie jacket. They sat at the back of the boat and ate thick turkey sandwiches with cranberry honey mustard dressing.

Her eyes were shiny with excitement as he uncovered one of the four hover bikes the family kept stored on the boat. He showed her the basic controls she was familiar with and had her sit in the front of it while he held onto her from the back. Yani started the bike up and slowly hovered them above the boat and across the water about fifty yards away. She kept the bike about three feet above the water. Like a jet ski on water encountering buoyant force or a battering of waves, Yani became accustomed to her rides buffeted by air turbulence.

"You got it. Go ahead and shift gears and try out a little more speed," he said.

She did well gliding them across the lake at ten miles per hour.

"Go higher," he said, squeezing her waist and giving her confidence at how well she did.

There was a little hiccup with her gear shifting into more height, but the engine didn't sputter as it adjusted. Twenty feet in the air and she was cruising them like she'd driven one her entire life. She practiced going up and down, hovering in one spot and landing on the water, as well as taking off from water. Once she practiced using the cruise control and turning on the protective rain cover and force field features, he hyped her to go even higher. She rose up to thirty feet and no more. They had gone off a far distance from the boat. It was a speck on the horizon from where they floated in the air.

"Ready to try it alone?"

"I think so…"

He dove off the hover bike before she could protest and made a big splash in the water. She stayed in one spot looking down at him.

"Meet you back at the boat. I'll grab one of the other hover bikes and we can check out that rock island over there," he said pointing to an islet a mile away .

She nodded and flew at a snail's pace. When they were halfway back to the boat, she went a little faster…and higher. Happy with her confidence, N'Jadaka picked up his swimming pace. Yani floated next to the boat and waited for him to join her. He grabbed hydration packs and a couple of snack bars from a bin. Handing a pack to Yani, he eventually started his bike and they took off at a slow pace five feet above the water. The sun broke through the clouds and by the time they neared the lake islet, they could finally enjoy the brilliant hue of the pale greenish-blue water sparkling below them.

"You good over there?" he asked.

Yani nodded and they curved around the island to catch a better view. The islet had a few skinny trees on it that followed along the right triangle shape of the gray rocky formation.

"It's so cute," Yani said.

There wasn't a decent flat space to land the bikes for exploration, but there was plenty to see floating above it. He glimpsed a school of yellow fish swimming close to the surface. The king tapped his kimoyo to identify the species.

"We should move the boat over here, those fish are supposed to taste good in a stew."

"I can make some fish soup with them then," Yani said.

They flew across another section of the enormous lake following along the shoreline. Nature's beauty energized them both.

"Race you back," Yani said.

He grinned and took off before she could countdown. Despite the sunlight appearing, another light drizzle fell on them and they both put up the protective covers to keep from getting too wet. Yani caught up to him and he slowed down so she could beat him. He kept their speed below twenty miles per hour and she zipped ahead reaching a speed of thirty. She could now cross hover bike riding off her list of new things to learn.

He fastened both bikes into their travel racks and covered them up. Yani went to use the restroom and he headed up to the loft bedroom and flopped down on the big bed there. He fully embraced every moment of their day. His wife joined him in bed and they snuggled down for a nap.

"I don't know why you were so scared of using the bike. You did great, baby."

"It's the height and I would feel nervous using it in the city," she said.

"Not everyone flies high and you can always go out to the bush or head to the rivers to ride without a lot of people around."

"I guess so."

He rested his head on her chest and she stroked his locs.

"The kids are going to have a blast out here. Can't wait to see them enjoy all that we've had a chance to do," he said.

Yani lifted herself away from the bed and stripped from her clothes.

"Lay back. I want to give you a little taste of what you're going to get later," she said.

N'Jadaka eased himself flat on his back and she squatted above his face in reverse so that she faced his feet. All he could see was her beautiful vulva. So inviting.

She dropped her ass down and smothered his face and he groaned with happiness. She lifted up again and then began a steady bouncing on his face, letting her ass and vulva nearly suffocate him.

"Drop it on me again," he grunted, feeling his dick stretch in size inside his shorts.

Yani gave him what he wanted, riding his face until he nutted in his shorts.

Good boy.

Sex was going to be the tool Yani had to use to keep N'Jadaka preoccupied so that she could wear him out for a good night's sleep. All day they stayed active and did things that kept him from focusing on her too closely. That seemed to work and it helped her not to act weird in front of him worrying about plotting her escape to Warrior Falls in time to receive Mama Wati's message.

N'Jadaka was so happy that morning and afternoon. She was also happy that she could maneuver the hover bike safely. It was less difficult to control than she had imagined. She was terrified of heights, and riding a machine that held a lot of power scuttled her nerves for the first hour of N'Jadaka's lessons. Luckily that nervousness covered up the other nervousness of plotting a sneaking away in the middle of the night. She would need at least four hours to reach the Falls by hover bike and perhaps another hour to find the Mama Wati statue. To stay safe, she allotted herself six hours, that meant she had to leave the house boat by midnight.

After their return from hover bike riding, she cleaned herself up and used face-riding her husband to keep him sexually drowsy. Some men just had a thing for a woman with a large derriere slamming it on their faces, and N'Jadaka was no different. Before she dated Chez back at her old home, she had an older boyfriend that liked for her to pound her ass in his face. She didn't know why they found it so pleasurable but she did it for her husband and watched him cum through his swim trunks. So far he had ejaculated four times that day. She would make love to him in his favorite position after feeding him a good supper, and then indulge him in smoking some homegrown weed she grew in a part of the royal garden no one ventured into much.

With his belly full, dick drained, and tucked into bed by ten, he'd nod out for hours. All she needed was a large enough head start before he or Bast realized something was amiss.

Guilt shrouded her mind.

She didn't want to deceive him, but Bast couldn't stop her from doing something to protect N'Jadaka and her children.

Yani sat on a stool as N'Jadaka fixed their dinner of stir-fried steak and fried cream cheese puffs. He prattled on about cooking more in the palace once they returned and she sipped on honey wine listening attentively. Piling steamed rice on her plate she held it up for him to cover it with the steak and veggies cooked in a light teriyaki sauce.

"I think we should attend the West African Summit in November," he said, adding rice to his own plate.

They sat across from each other with the galley's table island between them. Digging into their food, Yani nodded and agreed with him.

"If we go to the summit, will Ramonda attend too?"

"She'll be too busy back in the states."

Yani considered how long the summit would be and made a mental note to organize her social calendar in her personal office for the rest of the year.

"You want more?" he asked, offering up the wok he cooked with still filled with food.

"I'm good," she said.

"There's ice cream and pie for dessert."

"Can't eat another thing."

She helped him clear up dishes and put leftovers away. They wandered outside to look at the sunset. The overcast day had given way to a clear evening that doused the last sun rays in dark blues and a small patch of dark orange that reflected on the water. Yani lit up a joint and shared it with N'Jadaka. She made sure not to inhale deep to prevent smoke from going all the way in her lungs. Getting completely high was not on her agenda to execute her plan. Her husband toked and savored the transition into intoxication. He lowered his head to kiss her and she accepted the affection while holding her internal emotions in check. A high N'Jadaka was a less cognitive functioning one and Yani felt secure in luring him to the bedroom. They undressed on the way up and he kept slapping her ass cheeks as she took the stairs seductively, tooting her backside out for him.

She pushed him onto the bed and crawled up his body, joining their lips for slow kissing. N'Jadaka held her face with both hands.

"You make me so very happy, Yani," he said.

She turned on some music and they cuddled, touching lips every now and then.

"I feel like all we do is eat and sleep…and fool around," he said.

"Heaven," Yani insisted.

"What should we do tomorrow? Snorkeling or hiking around part of the lake collecting mushrooms for our next dinner?" he asked.

"Hiking," she said, answering quickly so that her facial expression wouldn't reveal anything false. If her plan went accordingly, she'd be miles away by the time he woke up.

"Okay…turn that down, I want to listen to the night birds call to each other," he said.

Yani turned off the music and listened for the red-throated loons to sing. There…a distinct yodel and a few tremolos that carried across the wide body of water. The bird song enchanted N'Jadaka and he wrapped his arms around her. He smelled so good, like early summer and fresh cocoa butter. His handsome face loomed above hers.

"Tell me you love me," she said.

"Always…I'll love you always, girl."

He was such a beautiful man. His warmth. His spirit. He saved her from an uncertain life and she had to do the same for him.

She trailed her fingers along the side of his shoulder and up along his neck. Fine ass. Plush lips always ready for kissing her. His nose septum gave him a lethal look. The longer locs were tied up in a knot. His feral eyes were narrow from the weed. Yani opened her legs and played with her clit, tugging on her ring piercing. He watched her fingers swipe over plump folds and he licked his lips. She concentrated on pleasure and pleasing him. He reached down and took over fingering her pussy. Tasting the essence from her on his fingers, N'Jadaka smacked is lips and continued his ministrations on her vulva to illicit heartfelt sighs from her.

His lips twisted in that mean way it did when he was ready to fuck. Her pussy sounded sloppy wet and she already knew it was able to accommodate him with a tight grip. She pushed him back and he sat up against the headboard.

"Let me take care of you, Killmonger," she uttered with a calm sultriness that rendered him docile.

Yani threw her leg over his hips and adjusted her position above his already hard dick. He propped it up for her at an angle to help her slide onto him with the best view of his wide dick head stretching open her entrance. Her inner labia gripped the naturally lubricated tip and she added extra clenching to make him feel the good pussy sliding down his length. His mouth dropped open and he let out a shuddery breath. Winding her hips, she gave her husband a special start to her lovemaking prowess.

"Relax, love. I got this," she whispered in his ear, letting her heavy breasts brush against his chest.

N'Jadaka reached out and gripped her ass cheeks, needing to hold onto something as she went up and down letting him feel all of her love. Leaning forward, she continued whispering sweet words in his ear as he watched her ass bounce.

"Fuck me Yani!"

His eyes rolled back and she rocked his shit, listening to him pant, groan, and plead with her to keep going. She wiggled and arched her back so he could see her breasts knocking together from her efforts. That man loved him some big tits and he gazed at the wonders bouncing in his face. He started sucking on her nipples and she slowed down, giving internal squeezes with her walls that made her man weak. His eyes glazed over full of lust and desire, wanting her to go all night. The weed had him locked under her complete control.

Yani kissed his forehead and rubbed her nose against his as she made love to him. Her husband could no longer speak. He held her against his chest and gazed at her ass cheeks. She leaned back and let her breasts cover his face. The girth of his dick tugged on her clit and the wings of her labia stretched around him. He felt so good. So strong. Powerful inside of her. He made her feel powerful…made her feel like a queen.

Yani threw her head back and rode out the wave of tension that sent tingles up and down her spine. N'Jadaka fondled her breasts with tender hands. She peered down at his face and he studied her every expression, the reverence for her fully apparent.

A change came over his eyes. The potency in the gaze revealed the oncoming of his release.

Not yet.

Yani shifted gears and crawled above his face, squatting down to drown him in the taste of them. He moaned against her flesh and she shivered, thrilling to the sensation of the sound vibrating across her vulva. She slid back down his dick again, giving in to the pull and pressure of his fullness inside of her.

"Cum on my dick, baby…cum for me…." he moaned.

Yani fell apart on his dick and N'Jadaka delighted in witnessing her release. She collapsed on him and he rubbed her back with gentle hands.

"You're so beautiful when you cum," he whispered in her ear.

She moved next to him, lifting a leg and he gripped his dick and guided it into her ass. He huffed and grunted while pushing in slowly, checking to see if she was comfortable with his progress. She held onto a large pillow and he covered her vulva with his hand, needing to feel the warmth there as he took her with purposeful strokes.

"…fucking this ass…feels so good on this dick…" he muttered.

She knew it got real good to him when he began shouting her name again, cursing the sensations tugging on his dick.

"Dammit!"

He lifted her leg and pumped faster, crying out to Bast as his dick swelled and ejaculated a gusher of cum. Yani accepted his orgasm with soft sighs. She reached back and stroked his forehead, reassuring him that she was with him in the moment.

Gasping for air, it took N'Jadaka a few minutes to pull out of her. The girth of his dick appeared to not want to go down any time soon. His reflexes were slower and she helped him detangle himself from a hunched over position that put his full weight on her.

"That was so fucking good…goddamn Yani…goddamn…"

She cuddled onto his hot sweaty chest and listened to his breathing become less erratic. He threw an arm around her and she kissed his lips, cooing his deadly nickname until he fell asleep.

Yani stayed next to him for a couple of hours, listening to the steady breathing and watching the rise and fall of his chest. Checking the time, she had an hour to prepare her departure. She showered on the lower deck and changed into a light hoodie and comfortable hiking pants with light hiking shoes. Grabbing a hydration pack and a few snack bars, she pulled it over her shoulders and then uncovered two hover bikes. She programmed one to go remote from her kimoyo beads. She climbed on the other. Stopping for a moment, she listened for any noise from above. N'Jadaka was comatose.

She rode away from the boat five feet above the water and headed toward the shore. If she stayed low and near the land, the Doras above wouldn't pay much attention there, especially when she dispatched the other hoverbike to go around the perimeter she set as a decoy. They would think the king was out riding late at night as he did in Ekuqaleni. She would make sure the inclement weather covering was up so they couldn't tell right away that no one was actually riding the bike around the lake.

Yani's hands shook when she turned off her tracking bead. She focused on safe riding until she reached shore. There was no full moon and the stars looked dull and bored in the sky. She set the other hover bike loose and watched it float away from the houseboat in the opposite direction. Confident that she programmed it correctly, Yani rode low to the ground under the trees to stay hidden from the Royal Talon Fighter and the stinger aircrafts securing their privacy.

Eventually she had to leave the trees behind and follow the Ibukun River. The further south she went, the rougher the dark water looked churning below. Her travel screen mapped the way to Warrior Falls and she finally turned on the headlights of her bike to illuminate her path. Her hover bike was far enough away to not attract attention. She reached a cruising height of twenty feet and kept her speed just under her comfort level. Her heart rattled so hard in her chest that she seemed on the verge of passing out from fright.

Did humans have the right to thwart the future destined for them?

What if N'Jadaka's parents had the chance to do the same? She might've missed her chance at a life with him. She wouldn't have her son, or Joba. She would never have become a queen. As painful and tragic as that past was, Yani was grateful that she could have her husband. What if her unborn child's future had to happen under Bast's watch? Would she inadvertently prevent that child the happy life she now had as an adult?

Yani slowed down the hover bike and let it float in one place. It wasn't too late to return and slip back into bed next to him. She could let the future unfold as is. Skip the day completely and the oracle would have to lose the message. Blinking away tears in confusion, she tried to calm herself. She had to know. Life could follow infinite paths, but she was in a uniquely divine position. It wouldn't hurt to simply listen. It didn't mean she had to act on whatever was in store for her on the other side of Warrior Falls.

She rode on.

One hour ticked by, and then another. She had to pee but was afraid to stop and relieve herself less someone spotted her and reported her wheareabouts. The Queen of Wakanda was not supposed to be sneaking off in the dead of night riding a hover bike above a mighty river. Yani squirmed in her seat. Her bladder had needs. She scouted a spot on another islet in the middle of the river that could hold her bike. Guiding the bike down, she secured it behind a small grove of trees. Relieving herself, she took time to drink water and stretch her legs. She hopped back on the bike and froze. A patrol ship cruised near the islet. Yani was sure they were searching for her, but she noticed a small fishing boat with an old man and a male teenager inside of it floating near the islet. A patrolman used a bullhorn to scold the two and they quickly pulled up a fishing net.

Illegal fishing.

Yani stayed hidden until the patrol boat took off and the fishermen had paddled away before she rode on. She didn't let down the inclement weather protector because it made her feel like she was driving a small car and not a flying bike. Safer that way. She kicked into going faster and felt the wind resistance buffet her course. Keeping below thirty miles per hour, Yani pointed the bike in the direction she wanted. There was nothing she could do to prevent wind drag, so she pushed on.

Another hour dragged by. Still another.

Fatigue set into her arms and legs, but she persevered. One by one the stars faded away. The angry roar of the giant waterfalls were hard to ignore, and Yani hovered below trying to figure out the proper direction to get past them. Tall like unimaginable giants facing each other in battle, the falls dumped tons of water that crashed into gigantic curtains of glowing white liquid against the last of the darkness. Going around either side of the cliff sides they fell from would eat up a chunk of her time and she would miss the rising sun lighting the way from the statue she hadn't even found yet.

Yani was scared to ride high above and over the falls. She didn't think hover bikes were designed to go that high and it was foolish to risk death testing the bike's limits. The cataract and plunge pool at the bottom of the falls looked too dangerous to fly through, even with the protective shield covering the hover bike completely. Her body was drained from riding all night and her mind couldn't shake the fear of what was beyond the thunder of water.

Keep going.

Her own voice in her head pushed her to move along.

She would see how high the hover bike went.

N'Jadaka dreamed he walked through a cavernous room in the palace filled with books containing the history of his people. He was inside the public palace library that housed a magnificent view of Birnin Zana at night. Stars twinkled outside the floor-to-ceiling window and he kept a steady gait moving between shelves stacked with ancient texts. The dream blended into another and he found himself overlooking the Ibukun River at night also. His body felt floaty and out of his control, so he floated in a nebulous cloud of lucidness and a dreamstate.

"N'Jadaka!"

His Wakandan name was spoken with an otherworldly tongue that wasn't human. He turned his head and a tall shadowy figure rose above him, making him seem small and insignificant.

"N'Jadaka…find her…stop her…"

A pressure shifted in his chest and the shadowy figure moved closer to him despite him being unable to make out its features clearly. Upon closer inspection the figure with the disembodied voice was nothing but gray smoky tendrils of dust held together by the will to capture his attention.

"N'Jadaka! STOP HER!"

N'Jadaka gasped out loud and woke up from the sensation of oncoming dread. He reached out next to him.

Yani wasn't there.

He tumbled out of bed with a shaky body and reached for the lights.

"Yani!"

She didn't answer.

He checked his kimoyo. She was nowhere on his tracking app.

"Yani! Baby! Where are you?"

He ran around the houseboat searching for her and checked the lake last. The sky had softened the darkness. The sun would come calling soon.

Yani wasn't taking an early dip in the water. He tapped his kimoyos.

"Okoye…do you see Yani anywhere on the lake?"

He couldn't keep his voice from sounding frantic. His dream still lingered in the corners of his mind and that voice that demanded he look for his wife was Bast. If a god woke you up, something horribly wrong was going on.

"Kumkani, Queen Yani…hold on a second. Security team four has spotted one of your hover bikes, it's heading back your way," Okoye said.

"Thanks, Okoye," he said.

N'Jadaka sighed with relief. She probably wanted to practice more without him so they could ride together later in the day. How she was able to get up at five in the morning after good weed and sex must've been a testament to her youth compared to his. He wanted to crawl back into bed.

Watching the horizon, he spotted the hover bike going along at a good speed. She rode it smooth and he smiled. Tapping his kimoyo again he spoke with a bubbly morning voice.

"Practice makes perfect, huh, baby? How long you been out here?"

He frowned. His kimoyo beads didn't connect to hers and his voice went nowhere. The hover bike zipped past the boat without stopping. He scanned it.

Remote.

She wasn't riding it.

Panic set it in.

"Okoye! Stop that hover bike! Yani isn't riding it. I don't know where she is. Scan this area in a ten mile radius and find her!"

The Royal Talon Fighter shimmered into view five minutes later and used the gravity beam to pull the bike into the aircraft. Stinger ships zipped back and forth across the lake.

"Kumkani, we have widened the search for Queen Yani. She is not within the ten-mile security checkpoint.

"How the fuck did no one see what happened to her? I went to bed with my wife last night and she disappears from under your nose?"

"Kumkani, there appears to be another hover bike missing from your vessel," Okoye said.

The Royal Talon Fighter floated down alongside the houseboat. A ramp was dropped next to it and Okoye ran out with Ayo and Aneka by her side, their spears gripped in their hands.

"No outside intruders broke through our security, and Queen Yani has special clearance to move about freely, so no alarms would alert us to her moving about, kumkani. Perhaps she left on her own?" Ayo suggested.

"Leave? Leave and go where?!" he blasted.

"Kumkani, the hover bike we picked up was pre-programmed to travel around the lake for six hours. The only person who could do that while you were asleep…was the queen. Only your royal codes can be used to run the equipment. I think Queen Yani used one hover bike as a decoy to fool us," Ayo said.

"Fool us for what?"

N'Jadaka took a deep breath and reverted to Killmonger mode. Cool, calm, collected. He paced on the Talon Fighter ramp. Yani had been acting odd the day before, but she was back to her normal self. They had a fantastic day together, made love and made plans to have more fun that morning. Where would she go that would make her program a hover bike to fly around on remote to trick them?

The color on the water changed. Morning had arrived.

He turned and looked toward the mouth of the Ibukun River.

Warrior Falls.

She wanted to go to Warrior Falls.

Bast sent a rush of cool air at the top of his head where she roosted. Her presence was a tremendous pressure on his brain, forcing him to act.

Stop her.

That's what Bast wanted him to do. Stop her from going wherever she snuck off to. His hunch was the Falls. She'd mentioned Bast in her nightmare. Told him in a frightened hysteria that she had to do something that Bast wouldn't like. He'd forgotten about it because the rest of their time had been normal and carefree, as if she never had a nightmare.

"We need to go to Warrior Falls," he said.

He ran back onto the ship still naked as jaybird. In his haste to find Yani, he hadn't bothered to put on clothes. The Doras didn't care. They were used to him being naked at any time when it came to him and his wife traveling or on vacation.

He showered and pulled on a tunic and comfortable pants. When he returned to his Doras they studied his face with questioning looks.

"Warrior Falls, kumkani?" Okoye asked.

"Yani talked about going there first and I denied her from doing so because of the lake schedule. I think she went there in search of something. I don't know what…but my gut is pushing me in that direction. She turned her beads off, so we'll have to search for the hover bike."

Okoye moved to look at the two other bikes. She scanned them with her beads.

"The hover bikes have trackware on them. I've found the code for the one she is riding. As long as it's turned on, we can find her…got it," Okoye said.

She looked at N'Jadaka.

"We'll find her, kumkani. Do not worry," Okoye said.

He followed them into the Royal Talon Fighter.

"Baby, what are you looking for?" he mumbled under his breath.

Bast touched his mind.

Stop her.

Yani rode the hover bike back the way she came for one hundred yards, creating space for her to ascend over the waterfall. Her first two attempts had her aborting and almost crashing into a wall of water. She checked her flight control algorithm and the sensory input from the hover bike's A.I. calculated the correct speed and trajectory point for her ascent. The bike's top speed was forty-forty-five miles per hour. She would have to maintain stability the higher she flew, since the falls were practically mountain ranges in her eyes.

One glance over her shoulder varified the direction the sun would raise itself. The sky was lighter than before.

Blowing out a strong gust of air from her mouth, she psyched herself up and shifted gears with her foot and twisted the throttle hard.

"OhGodOhGodOhGod!"

Yani yelled inside the bike covering and aimed the bike up.

Higher and higher she rose until the first sprays of water struck the covering on the front half of the bike, shoving her out of alignment with her trajectory path to fling herself over the top and keep her there. She overcorrected and commanded the A.I. to take over maneuvers for her to reach safety.

"Shit! Shit! Shit!" she yelled as the bike clipped a portion of water wall that had a jagged part of the cliff hidden behind it.

Yani fell fifty feet and the hover bike quickly shifted gears and jetted her like an erratic slingshot over the last section of the falls before falling into the outer edge of the plunge pool. She struck something hard and the hover bike stopped working.

Nothing but angry whitewater touseled her about at the bottom of the falls. The drag of a mean current beneath her threatened to suck her further down, but she ejected her seat. Thrust up at a fast speed, she broke the surface and swam for her life to break free from the plunge pool's powerful drag.

Using the last of strength she had, Yani lunged for the bank along the continuation of the Ibukun River. Gasping and falling onto her back, she shivered from the cold dunking, but thanked God that she was alive. Pain shot through her left wrist. She had smacked it against a boulder under the plunge pool. It was definitely fractured. She awkwardly and with great difficulty took off her hydration pack. Every pack contained a first aid kit and pain killers. She gulped down two pills and her wrist stopped throbbing. It took her a minute to wrap it with synthetic smart bandages that stabilized her wrist and enabled her to keep functioning until she could see another doctor who could do a better assessment at the true damage.

"Fuck," she muttered, noticing she lost one of her hiking shoes. She reached into her pack and pulled out a pair of walking sandals she had tossed in there in case it got too hot on their trip.

Dumping the saved hiking boot on her other foot into her pack, Yani set off to find the oracle once more. She calculated the time from the last time she checked it on the hover bike before it was lost. Forty minutes left to find the statue.

Grateful that the natural trail along the river was flat for the most part, Yani picked up her walking speed and kept an eye out for rocks and other debris. She snacked on a protein bar and drank water from the pack directly. There was supposed to be tributary split heading southeast that would be her signpost that she was headed in the right direction.

The sun began its grand entrance by heralding pastels of soft pink and powdery light blue in the sky first. Yani started running as if she were some desperate vampire seeking shelter before the sun completely showed its face.

She saw the first positive indicator.

A large manta ray statue curved out of the water from its cement base. At least twenty feet high its silvery-black coloring didn't have the chance to show off its grandeur as she hustled by it. She had to find Mama Wati's statue in twenty minutes.

Yani kept her hurt wrist close to her body and listened to the sound of her own pants from all the running she did. Those pants soon turned to ragged exhales of exhaustion. The temperature on her back changed as the warmth from the first rays of light touched her.

Where was it?

Did she miss another turn somewhere that she missed trying to memorize the mapping before the bike went down?

Tears sprung to her eyes and she fell to her knees after curving around a sharp turn that led to a wide pool of water. Yani received her first look at Mama Wati's statue.

It was massive.

The size of two Statue of Liberties stacked on top of each other, Mami Water loomed above the tributary in her seagreen and vibranium blue glory. Manta Ray wings sprouted from her back with a horned crown that matched the color of her seagreen form-fitting dress. Her face was pure Wakandan-birthed glory etched within ebony stone mined from the heart of the River Tribe territory. Her arms were draped at her sides and she looked off into some unknown distance as if she'd been waiting for Yani for thousands of years. Behind her another giant mountain dripped gallons of water from several cracks that fell down its side like joyous tears.

"Show me…please show me the way…" Yani whispered, waiting for the sun to strike the statue. Only Mama Wati could reveal the direction she had to go next.

Sunlight struck the base of Mama Wati's bare feet and inched up her dress minute by minute. Yani kept her eyes glued to the statue, waiting for any directional hint that would lead her to the oracle.

She thanked God that the day was shaping up to be warm and sunny, relishing the increased warmth on her wet clothes and hair. The glint from the statues shine in the sun dazzled Yani's eyes. Mama Wati was maginificent…there! There!

A beam of sunlight struck the center of Mama Wati's crown and a strong ray of light fell at an odd angle toward pale green trees. Yani fretted. The trees were on the other side of the enormous pool. She would have to swim in the water…no!

The light actually struck the side of the mountain rock and hit something shiny and round that bounced the light in a different direction on her side of the pool. Thank goodness! Swimming again was the last thing she wanted to do again in unfamiliar waters.

The light struck another object and Yani headed that way. The light beacon stayed visible for five minutes and disappeared.

"Oh, shit! Shit!"

Yani ran forward faster. Wasn't the light supposed to stay visible until she reached her destination? Even if it wasn't designed to do that, the direction it pointed still wasn't something she could decipher with the density of trees that all looked the same. Had she been too late in getting there?

Fretting and becoming scared that she had failed her family, Yani heard rustling in the trees to her left.

"Who's there?" Yani called out.

She checked for the Mama Wati statue again hoping sunlight would reveal the path again to help her figure out which trees to search for.

More rustling.

She pick up a big chunk of a fallen tree branch and wielded it like a baseball bat hoping to hit a home run.

"I will fuck you up if you try something funny. I'm the Queen of Wakanda!"

Two older men draped in bright forest green robes approached her from behind one of the trees. One was bald and the other had soft white 'fro. The bald man spoke to her.

"Kumkanikazi…forgive us for scaring you. We received the signal from the statue that you had arrived. We've come to fetch you for the oracle. She is waiting for you. Are you alright? Did you hurt yourself?"

His kind eyes stared at her bandaged wrist.

"I had an accident coming over the Falls. It's fine for now. I was so afraid that I had lost the path to the oracle," Yani said.

She exhaled in relief.

"You were on the right path. That light path on her crown was for you and us. It helps you keep going in the direction where we can find you," the bald man said.

"What are your names?"

The bald man smiled.

"I am Uyakhusela, and he is my husband, also named Uyakhusela."

"Your names mean He Protects?" she said.

"Correct," they said together.

"Come Queen Yani, follow us please. The oracle is waiting," Fro man said.

She walked behind them as they passed through trees and traveled further into the base of the mountain. Yani glanced back at the Mama Wati statue. She could only see part of the lower half.

"This way kumkanikazi," Bald man said.

They entered the opening of a cave. Yani stopped walking. Her nerves started to prick up. She could feel a vibration emanating from the cave entrance, a humming in lower decibels that her ears could feel.

"What you are sensing is the birth canal, my queen. You are about to enter the womb of the world. Do not be frightened. Mama Wati would not bring you this far to see harm come to you," Bald man said.

"How many have come here before?" she asked.

"Just you, my queen. The oracle rarely interacts with outsiders. This is why we send emissaries to summon those she wants to see in person out in the world. But this time…this time you will have the special privilege of stepping all the way inside. We will ask you to bathe first and will provide you with something to wear in her presence," Fro man said.

"I'm ready," Yani said.

They entered the opening and the sweltering heat inside felt like a womb. Two young women sat near the entrance with drums between their legs and beat out the rhythm of a heartbeat. The old men led her to the front of three sections of water falling from an opening in the cave roof.

"Beyond these birth waters is the path to your future Queen Yani. We wish for you peace and prosperity," they said in unison.

"Wait, you aren't coming with me?"

"We are not allowed to come with you on this journey. Beyond those waters is a bathing pool. Cleanse yourself and put on the robes left there for you afterward. You will know where to go when you are finished."

"Thank you, Uyakhusela,"

Both men lowered their heads and backed away from her.

Yani took a deep breath and stepped through the birth waters.

Chapter 11 HERE.

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