#Werecrow asks

[androcola]

Sending an ask for what are Mike and micky like in the 2000s/10s. How do they live out their old man days?

OKAYY YAYYYYYY

mike and micky, along with the other guys , all spend their days from the 2010s and onward in retirement and spend most of their days quietly at home, mostly resting, or just up to usual stuff. sometimes they'll still pull out their instruments and play with each other ☺️

micky, who started working at another mechanic place in 1984, retired sometime in 2011 cuz although he still has some pep in his step even as an old man, mechanic work was just getting to be a bit too much.

Davy, who worked at the school as a swim instructor, also from the time of 1984, retired a year earlier in 2010. I think he's very in shape from always swimming and being active, but he was just getting up there in age and it was time to go home and relax :)

Peter actually took the longest to retire because he just had such a fire and passion for teaching that he stayed working at the school til atleast early 2015, where he finally retired, very satisfied with the career he lead :)

mike retired from the city council in 2013. but his retirement wasn't all that happy and satisfying. he didn't want to retire, but he was getting to the point where his health and disability were getting in the way, especially because by this time he was completely wheelchair bound, only capable of walking very very short distances. maybe a few steps, really, which made things difficult for him, and it was best for him if he retired. his eyesight was also going and him being him, really didn't want contacts or glasses so he was blind as a bat by that time. probably cataracts

mike spends most of his days sleeping or heavily resting, mostly making up for all the many years he didn't. every now and then he'll go out with one of the guys for breakfast, but he prefers to stay at home.

Davy never stops swimming even after his retirement, he spends a lot of time out on the beach swimming or going on runs :)

Peter also goes on runs with davy, and keeps up his regular workouts, yoga, and stretches. they both spend a lot of time out. Micky also goes out quite a bit, but he spends more time at home than the others, mostly looking after mike and taking care of him. he likes to sit around and watch star trek a LOT..he gets real into it now that he has the time on his hands

when all the guys are home they all spend a lot of time getting rest and helping take care of mike

sometimes they'll have their grand nieces and nephew over to visit and sometimes micky likes to order pizzas ☺️ in general they all lead a happy restful life in retirement, all looking out for and after one another, only growing closer and closer through the years 😁

[macaronichewtoyz]

Can you draw Leafling!Olimar and leafling! Louie (I personally imagine Louie having the blue and four eyes option because king of bugs)

*throws him at you *

[nova-gt]

Thinking about different kinds of giant werebeast again

Werewolves that are very gentle with their tiny friends, trying to play like how dogs will run around babies to make them laugh. Constantly whining when their friend goes into the wall/out of sight and just sits in the same spot, waiting for them.

Werecats that constantly pick up their tiny friends and carries them to bed, constantly purring as they corral them into a blanket nest. Every time someone tries to leave, they just gently pick them back up and start grooming them like a kitten.

Werecrows that keep bringing them shiny things and trying to brood. Small friends are cold! They have no feathers! Maybe even giving them their own feathers as a gift. Now the tiny’s room is filled with giant soft feathers.

Werebats that like to follow their tiny friends on escapades through the house, or they leave and come back with food for their friends. The werebat feeling worried because their tiny friends aren’t leaving the ‘roost’, or maybe they’d be more fearful of these small creatures exploring outside thinking they might be ‘too young.’

Werebears becoming fuzzy landmasses that like to laze about in the general area of activity, only engaging if one of their tiny friends asks first. Not because they don’t want to! They just don’t want to hurt their little friends, so they’re content to exist with them.

So many werebeasts, so much potential!!

[beauty-beast-week]

Beauty and the Beast Week 2024, Day 2: Venus Fly Trap Master List

Fic: No Children (Adam/Belle, E) by @theteaisaddictive

"Didn’t your romances ever talk about what happens after the hero and heroine get married? Did you honestly think that our relationship would be the same as it was when I wasn’t even human?” “Would that be so bad?!" Belle cries out, her eyes wild. Taken aback, he straightens up. “I only mean – we disagreed, of course, and with the way things started of course we fought. But it was never like this, back then.” The fight goes out of him, like a soap bubble finally succumbing to the laws of physics and popping. “What are we doing, Belle?” he asks, with a rough exhale. “We love each other. We shouldn’t be fighting – at least, not like this." “Yes,” she says quietly. “You’re right. We love each other.”

Fic and moodboard: Sweet Deception (Gaston/Snow White, crossover with Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, M) by @twisting-echo

It was almost as though she were an innocent little fly in search of sweet nectar, lured by a hungry Venus flytrap lying in wait. Gaston’s words were the tantalizing scent that promised safety and protection, but in reality, they were the deceptive sweetness that would lead to her downfall.

Fic: We are home (Beast/Belle, G) by @belle-eyre27

A vignette focusing on the Beast’s perspective as he lays dying after the battle with Gaston. While I used bits of dialogue from both the ’91 movie screenplay and the Broadway libretto, I definitely structured the scene more closely to how it plays out in the Broadway version.

Fic: If only you'll keep me - chapter 2 (Adam/Belle, M) by @annaofthenorthernlights

Adam is not amused...

Fic: Beast watching Belle masturbate (cw sex) by @rs-hawk

Art: Hunger - Bloody Prince Adam (cw blood) by @zoeloveconvers99

Art: Belle and the portrait by @geekynichelle

Art: Midnight snack (hunger) - Lumiere roasting a marshmallow by @beastylittlething

Art: Angst/hunger - Beast eating a deer (cw blood, dead animal) by @elwynnie101

Art: Beast had trouble opening the pasta sauce by @gattskinart

Art: Babette the werecrow by @thisisnotlunatic

Art: Gaston groping Adam (cw suggestive) by @cheetospuff

Art: Beast in chains by @beastly-boy

Art and meme: Fife is hot for super villains by @ticenchantedtoc

Moodboard: Belle in the asylum (cw mental illness) by @true--north

Memes: BatB text post memes: angst edition by @firawren

We caught a couple works that forgot to tag @beauty-beast-week, but if we missed yours in this day 2 list, shoot us a DM with the link and we'll add it to the list as well as reblog it.

View the entire fic collection on AO3

[spectrum-studios]

Story notes : dystopian space, tw: mentions of blood and slight blood, violence, moderate language, gore.

This is a school assignment I made, and I had lots of classmates and teacher advice taken, and it's a part of my final for the creative writing class.

Also, here's some mentions to people i wish to share this with!

@lethalcontracts @adriftinthev0id @xdollydoodlesx @orbdotexe @celestelunisea16 @gizmocrate-werecrow

Story below the cut!

“Hello, I'm the boss of this [REDACTED] company, YOU are my newest assistant, YOUR job is to make sure the crews are mentally sane, YOU will activate the [REDACTED] protocol if a crew does not meet quota. And thank YOU for joining the monitor system…”

YOU sat down at a repurposed security desk and turned on all the monitors… and decided to read about the restricted rehired No-Fire crew captain, Intel.

[Intel’s Background

Year 1XXX. An asset named Intel yelled at her team to take off as she fended off the monsters who were trying to board the ship. The captain tossed her a stop sign for her self-defense.

And years pass on the moon… enough time to let her learn about things that no soul can ever dream, Intel learned how to kill anything.

As the years pass intel is eventually saved and rehired soon becoming a captain.

Her crew is named Team No-Fire made up of Intel, Socks, Rookie, and Intern.]

YOU tuck the file away and start monitoring the screens.

‘This has been a cycle for everyone’s lives. Just eat, ship to moons, collect scrap, kill aliens, get home, get paycheck… repeat. Once someone joins, they can't leave till death, age, or too much information. Everyone is an asset. They don't care if you commit crimes or are insane; you are an asset and a tool to the company.’

Year 2387.

Intel parries a Jester’s lunge attack and shoves the jester back and swings her stop sign and digs the sharp metal into the Jester’s neck and exposed spine, blood spewing from the wound which made quite a mess… Intel starts violently stabbing the Jester’s shell with the sign pole and blood starts to pool the hall as the Jester is lifeless on the ground, and Intel wipes blood off her cracked visor, Intel looks at Rookie, “that's the third near death with Jester, Rooks… and it's a monday.” She helped Rookie up.

“Doesn't beat Socks’s however… she has the most encounters, what was it again?” Rookie asked. “98 encounters Rooks, 98, and that was last month.” Intel answered, collecting scrap.

“Still shocks me. Socks lied her way into the job…” Rookie sighs.

“Me too Rooks… me too.” Intel said with a disappointed voice. The two head back to the ship. Upon getting home and taking a break, along with paying respect to fallen people, the crew dumps off the scrap and “sleep”...

In the morning, Intel got up to get the paycheck.

“Here's the paycheck Intel” boss said as his visible clawed hand held out the check to Intel.

“Thanks boss, have a good day” Intel replied, taking the check and reading it over.

Later in the day Intel’s team washed off the blood from a fight that the youngest teammate, Socks, miraculously missed by taking the fire exit, that fight was scary… Intel didn't want Socks to die or get traumatized. Intel looks at her stop sign, the very sign that her old team tossed her as she sacrificed her life to save them… sad that they got fired… Intel yearned for freedom but she knew far too much for her freedom, she knew more than the boss himself…

The sleep pod alarm went off as Intel punched it to silence it and slid out of the pod in her black skinsuit as she grabs the space suit and slips it on, she bangs on the other pods to wake up the rest.

“Wake up bitches, we have work today… no slacking” Intel spoke in a tired voice.

“I’m up, I'm up, capt'n..” Intern kicked open the pod door while the others slowly got up and ready. Intel grabs a helmet and skips breakfast, boarding the ship assigned to her team..

Later, they arrive at a new moon that is worth ten times the normal runs they do. Intel rips the stop sign pole from a baboon hawk head as its thick viscous blood covers the pole.

“Fucking baboon hawks” Intel mutters under her breath…

“These robots are soooo BIG!” Socks squeals excitedly at the sight of giant robots.

“They look dangerous, Socks.” Rookie holds her small shoulder.

They all enter the building and get the scrap, ward off nutcrackers and brackens, and get back to the ship as giants crawled from the earth at the sight of a sunset.

“Time to go?” Intern asked. “Yeah lets get the fuck outta here” Intel answered dropping some scrap, and heading ‘home’.

Intel washes off her stop sign and suit off of any alien blood along with the others. They grab dinner and climb into their pods. Intel stays awake, dreaming her hopeless dream.

End. . . ? no… there is never an ending in the company… It's just a million stories and a million lives lost out in space.

Lore | Lethal Company Wiki | Fandom

[wellthatschaotic]

What kind of creatures do you have in the paracosm? Also have any werewolves ever chased their own tails :p

oh there's So Maeny

as mentioned in the previous ask there's all the Traditional Fantasy Things. but i can ramble about some (other) original species!

some humanoid species are:

shadowen (here's a small post by heron)

there's also spirit elves who live in the Whispering Forest who are kind of like. telepathic. in that they communicate in "silent" wavelengths. their ears are specialized to pick up these Essentially Telepathic Signals so other similarly "silent" things (like electricity or something) are audible to them and audible things (like human voices) are like. clouded(?).

on a similar note there are spirit foxes who Look like normal red foxes but are completely sentient and intelligent creatures. they speak a different telepathic frequency/"language" than the elves but they can learn each other's languages and often do. which is pretty cool

oh there's also different shapeshifter species and were- species. there are two kind of genres of shapeshifter which are binary (two forms, like werewolves) and composite (like human shapeshifters, who can take the form of any human). usually with composite shapeshifters they stick with one species (like all dogs or horses or whatever). rarely they have access to multiple species in a genus (like all felines or canines) but usually they can't go broader than that.

in terms of binary shapeshifters, the "were-" prefix means one of the forms is human (werewolves = human/wolf, werecrows = human/crow, etc). non-human-related shapeshifters don't really have Names for each species partially because they're less documented/well known due to. unless you see the animal shapeshift how are you supposed to know that dog and that cat are actually the same animal. kinda hard to tell.

uhh im not sure what else (it feels like asking what creatures earth has there's a Lot lmao) but if you have more questions feel free to ask!!

and to answer your second question: absolutely it's so much fun (- luke)

[ask-magenta-magenta]

Fuckfuckfuckfuckfuck birds are close enough to dinosaurs for me to fix this right?

*Magenta flares his feathers and emits a horrific screech*

[cadavertrolls]

17 and 18 for st. sovi

17. Is there a moment in your life you wish you could return to?

✟Hmm... I think I would like to spend a couple more moments with my lusus. Her passing was a flash flood, quick and devastating. A proper farewell would have been nice.✟

18. If you could leave it all behind and start a new life, would you?

✟Oh no, no no no no no... If things were different I would give up everything to live the life I do now. I would never abandon my faith, I would never abandon Him. I took my oaths and perpetual vows to worship The Werecrow until I draw my final breath. If I left this town and forfeited my duties to serve, I would be forfeiting true happiness as well.✟

[sovereignzofdarkness]

the ask thing but with werewolf pls

of course... el woowoo himself my darling angel

Sexuality Headcanon: i dont think sexuality is something werewolf actively thinks about but hes bisexual Gender Headcanon: this is something i have held on to for a WHILE i love any prns bigender werewolf so so much. i have a lot of indepth hcs regarding her upbringing and backstory and i think its shaped into her having a pretty complicated relationship with his own gender. ive actually used she/her so much for werewolf in servers where i rp him and such that i forget he isnt canonically referred to with them and ive had friends w similar feelings bc of me LOL

A ship I have with said character: well.... *tucks ear*.... darkwolf..... obviously......... but if i have to mention anything else, i also really like werecrow and uniwolf a lot. i will never stop thinking about how crowberry called werewolf beautiful u_u + i think a lot about how werewolf and cream uni are both animal shapeshifter characters characterized a lot by their own loneliness w contrasting aesthetics

A BROTP I have with said character: werewolf and adventurer being friends is SOOO fun i think..... me and a friend i rp w/ have a lot about them being friends and addie helping werewolf open up and i think its very sweet. and also kumiho + werewolf bestie friendship is of course very very fun. darkwolf and kumipom should go on a double date together and have it go really really badly . and of course the trio of werewolf + crunchy chip + red velvet will

A NOTP I have with said character: herbwolf. wont elaborate

A random headcanon: the village werewolf lived in for a time (and was then promptly ran out of) is the snow village cotton resides (resided?) in. it just feels right to me and i cant imagine it any other way tbh and since a recent cutscene confirmed its in the same general area as the cacao kingdom it also works in darkwolfs favor so i always win.

General Opinion over said character: i lvoe him so much. genuienly an underrated character with so much potential to be explored i really wish devsisters WOULD FINALLY GIVE US AN ANSWER AS TO WHO HIS FRIEND IS AFTER ALL THESE YEARS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[still-a-morosexual-help]

Idk if this was asked already sorry 😭 but I recently read thru almost all of your fanfics and I just…got so curious about Mammon’s „monster“/dragon form which you described in one of your works (the one where he falls down from the sky like a shooting star) and I've been wondering if there was any description of them having a monster form in the main stories? 🥺 (I'm still a bebe stuck at lesson 24) and if not did you come up with the ideas for his design? Because I literally can't find anything online about Mammon having any form at all 😭

Pls, I want to floof through his feather and just pepper him with kisses istg…

There are no descriptions in the main story unfortunately. The creator wanted to make bigger more monstrous demon forms for the brothers but thought it would take away from the otome game/romance part and make it too fantasy-esque. But lots of the fandom HC more demonic forms for them

Obviously we all have our own different interpretations and fuck I really wanna sketch mine at some point (I may suck at drawing people but I have a whole book full of monsters I drew as a teenager somewhere) but here's some art I took a lot of inspiration from

1. Mammon's "second" demonic form:

Mostly based off,

a.) Werecrow art

• But with Mammon's horns, wings and Markings

Spiced with:

b.) Mammon's more demonic form art

• The tail and legs, also the head?

2. Mammon's "final" demon form

Mostly based off:

a.) The second dragon in this

• Multiple arms because greed!

• Dragon shaped because of Mammon's association with fire and dragons in OM! (link) and also because dragons hoard valuables

• But with only one set of eyes and a more bird like skull and his horns and demon markings

• The tail would be slightly similar to the one in 1.b.)

• Instead of the black tendrils like in the original art, it'd be large white feathers at the back of the neck and head that lie flat but puff out/raise up when aggravated

• Legs more bird like than dragon

Spiced with:

b.) Giant crow demon art

• Slightly similar face and legs

They don't give a 100% accurate idea of what I had in mind while writing the fic but it's the closest I can get

That fic was written purely to give MC a large warm, floofy demon boyfriend😅

The fic in question:

Chasing Stars

Crow-demon Mammon × Unnamed GN! MC.

Additionally, another fic where I (somewhat) bring up his "second" demon form

A+ Pillow Talk

He was lying to them. It's what he has always been doing. And they deserved more. They deserved so much more. He owed them so much more. And for once this was a debt he wanted to repay.

a.ka.

That one post-coital breakdown we've all definitely had

[androcola]

Micky would make Peter watch TNG

micky would make EVERYONE watch tng 😭mike doesn't even Care about star trek

[theriveroflight]

@fairgameweek2021​ masterpost

Now that I've put out my last fic, time to compose the masterpost!

Day 1: Sun/Moon | see the world with broken wings

Rating: G

Word Count: 1220

Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, werecrow, Animal Transformation, Getting Together, Volume 7 (RWBY), Fair Game Week 2021 (RWBY)

Summary: Something goes wrong, as it tends to do - but a lot goes right.

Day 2: Supernatural/Modern | can we always be this close?

Rating: T

Word Count: 1102

Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Established Relationship, Domestic, Cooking, Fair Game Week 2021 (RWBY), Non-Sexual Intimacy, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort

Summary: After a tiring day at work, Qrow comes home to his husband, home for an extra day.

Day 3: Dreams/Charms | Wanderlust

Rating: T

Word Count: 1802

Additional Tags: Dreamwalking, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Magic, Fair Game Week 2021 (RWBY), Developing Relationship, Pre-Relationship

Summary: Dreams tap into the subconscious. Qrow taps into those dreams. But he ends up in the wrong person's. Or possibly the right one.

Day 4: Separated/Reunion | all the words I want to say (I can’t find)

Content Warning: This fic is compliant with V7C12 and all events afterwards. It also contains spoilers for the finale of Volume 8.

Rating: T

Word Count: 1299

Additional Tags: Grief/Mourning, Canon Compliant, Spoilers: Volume 8 (RWBY), Implied Qrow Branwen/Clover Ebi

Summary: In the fallout, a conversation. Harriet asks a simple question with a complicated answer.

Day 5: Hands/Breaking Rules | you and me (together through it all)

Rating: G

Word Count: 1598

Additional Tags: Volume 7 (RWBY), Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Holding Hands, Mutual Pining, 5+1 Things, Fair Game Week 2021 (RWBY)

Summary: Five times they almost held hands (but didn't) and one where they did.

Day 6: Cold/Recovery | your touch brought forth an incandescent glow

Rating: T

Word Count: 747

Additional Tags: Character Study, Hurt/Comfort, Touch-Starved, Pre-Relationship, Fair Game Week 2021 (RWBY)

Summary: Clover had the cold embedded in his bones. Qrow reached out, and warmth leaked in.

Day 7: Sky/Sea/Free | the stars in your eyes

Rating: G

Word Count: 1026

Additional Tags: Stargazing, First Dates, Fair Game Week 2021 (RWBY)

Summary: Clover takes Qrow out on a date. Or something like that.

[memurfevur-archive]

khorne, the fabled hour is nearly upon us. There will be sacrifices like there always is. How do you prepare for times like these, mentally...?

He does not.

His mind and soul is overcome by the mold's programming. He is not himself when sacrifices are made by the light of the two full moons. Khorne is not there when he stitches together a new hive-mind slave. Nothing of the sweet man you knew is left when the Werecrow comes out.

This is not something he can prepare for, as much as he wants to. This is not something he can remain conscious about.

The most clear he is in this state is when St. Sovi is around, but it's foggy and questionable at best.

[frickfracksnatchisback]

A Strange Confession (Monster AU-Part 1)

Trying to sort of write some romantic fluffiness this time! (Which is a first, so it might be a bit odd, haha) I love the heck out of SugarRush so I figured, why not? With a tiny bit of werebeast angst/fluff mixed in, this should be fun! (Warning!  Mentions of blood and animal death, but that’s about it) Also there should be a second part “soon”, but we’ll have to see.

@teenytinyhatkid I blame you for this ;)

***

As CC looked out the window, the moon shone brightly in the dark night sky. The silver light mixed in with the dark clusters of clouds above. The stars were plentiful, twinkling like diamonds. And the moon was so big, it shone like an enormous pearl hanging in the sky. A very beautiful sight indeed.

However, it would be even more beautiful if she could stop worrying her head off.

CC sighed heavily as she leaned against the windowsill. She had been tap-tapping away on the surface for the past few minutes, worried out of her mind. Of course, she probably shouldn’t be fretting at all. Yes, it just so happened to be a full moon. And a full moon always meant it would be a busy time for the whole family. That much was evident, as she turned her gaze from the sky to the backyard. Laying in the grass, sleeping, was Mu. Well...at least it was her in her werewolf form, anyways.

The werewolf puppy was curled up in the grass, fast asleep. She was getting some needed rest after hunting and having a good meal. At least, CC could guess as much from the blood stained into her fur coat. Mu’s chest rose and fell in steady motions as she nuzzled deeper into the grass. After some periods of time, the werepuppy would toss and turn a bit or yawn wide in her sleep. Her ears would flick for a few seconds, before she fell still again. While the sight was indeed cute, it raised a very important question for CC.

Where on earth were the others?

Maybe Mu was just early to come back, she thought. She was often like this, being ahead of the others with her energetic nature. But even then...Crowley and Conductor would’ve been back by now. It had only been an hour since Mu came back to the house. And they would have followed her back here, so as to keep her out of trouble. So where on earth were they?

Motherly concern clouded her mind like a storm, and it would not go away. Were they just slow tonight? Were they having difficult hunt tonight? Were they both asleep in the woods? Were they just forgetting about how late it is?

Then, the concerns became more fearful.

What if they’re lost and can’t find their way back? What if they’re sick with some strange wereflu out in the woods? What if they were captured by monster hunters? What if they ran away from home? What if-

A sudden movement in the backyard snapped her out of her thoughts. A tall, dark figure moved in from behind the giant oak tree. She could see two, glowing silver eyes that pierced through the darkness. A large beak was very noticeable on this creature, with a bird-like head to match. And feathers were slowly falling from off its body. Instead of being terrified, this gave her a glimmer of hope.

Was that Conduct-?

No...no it wasn’t. Turned out it was just Crowley. She could see as much from the hat and trench coat (the clothes he refused to take off even before he would turn).

The werecrow slowly crept out from his hiding place, inspecting the backyard with his predatory eyes. Once he was in more light, she could see his beak was also stained with patches of blood. His head bobbed slightly as he took long strides across the grass, which he always couldn’t help but doing. He had such long legs after all. He made his way close to the front of the house, his eyes falling on CC. He could see her through the window, clicking his monstrous beak in curiosity.

CC forced a smile on her face and waved at him.

Crowley stared at her for a few minutes before looking away, uninterested. His gaze fell on Mu instead, cocking his head at the sleeping pup. He came even closer to Mu, which made CC tense up a bit. Please don’t wake her up, she thought.

And luckily he didn’t. Instead, he careful groomed her fur by nipping at it ever so gently. He managed to find a few bugs, and chirped happily as he ate them like tiny snacks. This made CC cringe a bit, but at least he was helping. Once he was through with that, he backed away from Mu and left her be. He proceeded to stomp his giant crow feet on the grass, flattening a single spot, before sitting down with his legs tucked under him. He started slowly drifted off to sleep next to Mu, his large eyelids closing shut.

As relived as CC was, she still had a feeling of unease. She expected Conductor to come in lumbering after Crowley. Though, Conductor use lead Crowley instead of letting him take the lead. Crowley wasn’t exactly an experienced werebeast, and Conductor knew this even in beast form. So CC still waited, and expected the beastly owl to come by at any second. Any second now he would be-

“What are you doing up so late?” a voice behind CC said, startling her badly. She let out a small yelp before looking behind her. She stared, and then sighed as she realized who it was.

“Oh thank goodness it’s just you, Snatcher. You gave me a real fright there!” she laughed awkwardly. The vampire gave her a curious look, quirking an eyebrow.

“Who did you think I was? A burglar?” Snatcher joked, but didn’t smile. He was wearing his silk pajamas, all black with purple accents. His hair was a bit of a mess since it wasn’t brushed out. But then again, when was his hair not a mess? “And that still doesn’t answer my question, by the way.” he went on, crossing his arms in wait for an answer.

“Oh, sorry.” CC apologized, a bit embarrassed. “I was just making sure everyone got home during the full moon.” she said while rubbing her shoulder. Snatcher scoffed a bit.

“Seriously? Do you have any idea what time it is?” Snatcher fussed at her, turning and making his way back to the hallway entrance.

“Well, I should be asking you the same thing! What on earth are you doing out of bed, young man?” CC was quick to defend herself, fussing back at Snatcher as if he was her own child. She couldn’t see it, but Snatcher rolled his eyes at the comment. She followed him, wherever he was going now.

“I’m an adult. I’m not restricted to a bedtime, CC.” Snatcher waved her off as he took strides down the hallway to the kitchen.

“You’d be getting a healthy amount of sleep for once!” CC remarked, as they both walked into the kitchen. “Your sleep schedule is already a mess, and you’re always so tired!” she went on, concerned for Snatcher’s health as she always was.

“Yeah, well, that kind of comes with being a vampire. So it’s not like I can fix that anytime soon.” Snatcher said as he made his way towards the fridge. CC scoffed at his ‘excuse’. He always said that whenever he was not getting enough sleep. And it didn’t help that he was working such a time-consuming job either, being a lawyer and all. She perked up as she noticed him rummaging through the fridge.

“What are you looking for, sweetie?” CC offered to help.

“I need a midnight snack.” Snatcher said, taking things out of the fridge and putting them back. But CC knew what he really meant.

“The blood bags are at the bottom, dearie.” CC sighed, shaking her head. Of course that would be why he woke up. It usually was. He’d been doing this for days now, drinking blood at the latest of hours. And if he kept on doing this, they’d be all out of blood bags. Which meant she would have to get more. Then the cycle would continue again, like it always did.

“Why do they have to be all the way at the bottom?” Snatcher mumbled under his breath, reluctantly leaning down to look for them. And after shifting through the contents of the fridge, he managed to grab his prize. He stood up, blood bag in hand, and went to pop his back. He winched once it made a prominent cracking noise and went to open the cupboard. He looked back at CC, noticing that she was still watching him.

“Aren’t you going to bed any time soon?” Snatcher asked her, feeling a bit awkward.

“Hm? Oh, sorry.” CC perked up, she had been staring off into space. “Well...I can’t just go to bed now.” she explained, looking out the kitchen window with a worried expression. Though Snatcher couldn’t tell exactly why. It looked like she was just staring at the moon to him.

“There’s nothing stopping you.” Snatcher said as he got one of his favorite coffee mugs from out of the cupboard. He waited for a response, but there was nothing. “Listen, I’m sure Mu is doing just fine. She’s got two adults looking after her.” he explained, thinking that that was the cause of CC’s worry. Although he used the term ‘adult’ lightly. Conductor certainly wasn’t responsible. And Crowley was...well... He was trying his best, Snatcher supposed.

“Mu came home already. And so did Crowley.” CC went over to the kitchen table and pulled up a chair. Once she sat down she continued to stare outside, hand on her face and worry in her eyes.

“Oh, Really?” Snatcher placed his cup onto the counter. “Didn’t think they’d be back so early.” Snatcher said, before taking the blood bag and tearing it open with his teeth. A piece of plastic got stuck on one of his fangs and annoyed, he picked it out. “Let me guess, the old man isn’t back?” Snatcher asked her, turning back to the counter to pour the cold blood into his cup.

“Yes, he hasn’t shown up yet...” CC sighed, placing her hand on her face.

“And you’re worried about him of all things?” Snatcher said without a shred of concern, turning back to CC. No response again, just her staring out the window sadly. It made him more awkward to see her like that, so he tried to ignore it. He simply opened up the microwave to put in his cup, closed the small door, and punch the ‘reheat’ button. But even the tapping of his fingers on the countertop combined with dull hum of the microwave couldn’t take his mind off of it. “I’m sure Conductor can take care of himself.” he manged to say after a few minutes had passed.

“I’m not too sure about that, sweetie.” CC mumbled. “You know that Conductor isn’t the best at...taking care of himself.” she tried to put it lightly. She didn’t really like way the words came out of her mouth, but it was true.

She couldn’t count how many times Conductor would nearly drown himself in alcohol. She still remembered the time she found him passed out on the couch after having a few dozen bottles of scotch. Or the time he got into a nasty fight with one of the Mafia. He wouldn’t even let her tend to his injuries or even see said injuries after that. Recalling those moments just seemed to prove her point. And make her even more concerned for his well-being...

“Okay, let me rephrase that. He can take care of himself when he’s turned.” Snatcher said, the timer going off a few seconds afterwards. “I don’t understand why you should be worrying so much about him. He knows his way around the woods, he should be back soon.” he took his mug out of the microwave, taking a sip immediately. The sip turned into a gulp as he nearly swallowed it all right then and there. He let out a relived sigh, licking the blood off his lips. CC simply looked away, not caring to see Snatcher drinking his blood. Snatcher saw this and, reluctantly, pulled up a chair from the table.

“Alright. Talk to me. Maybe it will make you feel better.” Snatcher said bluntly as he set his mug onto the table. CC stared at him, a bit surprised. Was he trying to make her feel better? Snatcher took another sip out of his mug, not taking his eyes off of her. The room was deathly quiet, with only the wall clock ticking away and the crickets chirping outside to break the silence.

“I’m not sure what to say.” CC bit her lip. What did he want her to talk about exactly?

“Fine. How about telling me why you’re worried about him?” Snatcher asked her, a bit harshly this time.

She opened her mouth to say something, but fell short. That was a good question. Why was she so worried about him? Of course, she was also worried about Mu and Crowley. They were part of the family too! But...something in her mind centered around Conductor specifically. Sure, he was ill tempered. Sure, he was loud and eccentric. Sure, he was irresponsible sometimes. But he wasn’t like that all the time.

Deep down, she knew he was still a good person. Albeit a bit strange, but a still good person. He cared for Mu like his child, helped Crowley as a werebeast, and even offered to do favors for her once or twice. And while he was hot-headed most of the time, he always went out of his way to ask her how her day had been. When he was around her, it was like she could see something in him that no one else could. There was just something about him that made her feel... Pity? Concern? Worry? She didn’t know what this strange feeling for him was. Unless…

Could she be-?

“Hellooo? Earth to CC? Are you there?” Snatcher interrupted her thoughts. She startled a bit, blinking blankly at him.

“Oh! Sorry about that, sugar. I was just...thinking about something.” she mumbled nervously. Snatcher started to give her a concerned look, before quickly shrugging it off.

“I think the sleep deprivation is getting to you. Are you going to bed yet?” Snatcher grumbled, beginning to tap his fingers on the tabletop out of boredom. CC rolled her eyes a bit, but took his words into consideration. Maybe he was right, it had been a long night. Perhaps she should go to bed and get some rest?

“I’m not sure… What do you think I should do?” CC asked him. Snatcher perked up a bit at the question, before giving her a fake smile.

“Why, whatever you think is best!” Snatcher’s sarcasm was unbelievably heavy. He was getting tired of going back and forth with this nonsense. At this point, he just wanted her to get some rest so he could finish the rest of his blood. And maybe, if she could take the hint, he could get himself another blood bag to treat himself. Preferably without getting fussed at. Yes, that would be very nice right about now...

While Snatcher was busy thinking about food (when was he ever not thinking about that?), CC didn’t seem to pick up on his sarcastic wit. She actually thought he was being serious. What she thought was best? Well... she only had one thing on her mind right now. And it certainly wasn’t going to bed. But this gave her an idea. An idea so sudden, so immediate, that she decided she was going to go through with it. After all, what did she have to lose?

“You know what? I think I’ve finally made up my mind.” CC boasted, quite proud of herself.

“Oh really? About time.” Snatcher said half-amused, going to his mug once more.

“I’m going to go looking for him.”

Snatcher eyes went wide as he nearly choked on his drink. He stopped, mouth still full of blood, and forcefully swallowed it down. But that didn’t stop him from sputtering after.

“W-what?!” Snatcher tried to yell, though it was hard since he was coughing. “Are you insane?!” he looked at her as if this was the case. “At this hour?! During a full moon?! What are you even thinking?!” he couldn’t even stop himself.  But CC shushed him, giving him motions to calm down. Calm down? Calm down?! How could he calm down after she made that suggestion?! The idea was madness, not to mention incredibly stupid!

“I’ve already decided, and you can’t change my mind.” CC said firmly, getting up from her chair quickly. “Besides, didn’t you want me to decide for myself?” she reminded Snatcher, giving him a bit of a smirk. He just sat there with his mouth agape.

“What? No! I said for you to ‘do what’s best’, not for you to go out and kill yourself!” Snatcher blurted out, quickly getting up to follow her.

“Sweetie, I said nothing of the sort-” CC started to go further into the hallway. But before she could, Snatcher had caught up with her and grabbed her arm. She noticed this, and tugged a bit. But his grip was firm, and very tightening. “Snatcher, honey, please let go of me.” she tried to escape. But he just wouldn’t budge.

“No! This is crazy! Do you have any idea what kind of danger you’d be putting yourself in?!” Snatcher warned her, still holding onto her arm as she struggled. He kept tightening his grip, partially afraid that he was hurting her. But if it keep her from going outside, he’d take his chances.

“Snatcher! Let me go! I’ll be fine just-”

“No, no you won’t be fine! What if he hurts you?! Or what if he bites you?!” Snatcher yelled, picturing the image in his mind too well. Conductor in his wereowl form, standing over CC with his claws and teeth bared. And CC, shaking all over with unbridled fear in her eyes. Because she was so sweet and kind, she wasn’t even using a spell to defend herself. Which meant there was nothing stopping the best from lunging towards her and-

“...Snatcher? Are you shaking?”

Snatcher stopped his terrible thoughts right then and there. And he noticed that yes, he did have a slight tremor. He let go of CC’s arm and turned his back to her, pretending like it was nothing. He hugged himself and squeezed his shoulders tightly. Seeing this, CC stepped closer to him. She slowly put a hand on his shoulder, rubbing it softly.

“Are you going to be alright?” CC asked him in the most calming voice she could muster. Snatcher hesitated, almost shying away from her. He said nothing, trying his best not to show that he was scared. Because he wasn’t scared at all. He wasn’t scared that the one person he considered to be like the mother he never had was putting herself in mortal danger. Not at all.

“Sweetie? Please...talk to me.” CC whispered to him, moving in to hug him. But before she could get any closer, Snatcher straightened himself. He took a deep breath in, and a deep breath out. He was still a bit shaky, but he pretended not to notice.

“What am I supposed to tell the kids...if you get hurt?” Snatcher finally managed to ask, his voice cracking slightly. He cursed at himself for letting it slip out. CC, a bit surprised at his sudden worry for her, moved closer to Snatcher to put her arms around him.

“I’m not going to get hurt. I promise you.” CC cooed, hugging Snatcher to comfort him. “I know Conductor wouldn’t try to hurt me, so I’ll be fine.” she reassured him. But this just made him tighten himself in her grasp.

“This...isn’t Conductor. He’s not all there, CC. You should know this.” Snatcher said through gritted teeth. Although his angered tone was geared more towards himself. He couldn’t help it. He was panicking. And he hated when he panicked. “What if he bites you?” he asked her again, this time more paranoid than ever. “What am I supposed to do if you get infected? I can’t just-”

“I’m not going to get infected.” CC surprised Snatcher by turning his whole body around to face her. As bold as her action was, she gave him a soft smile. “Listen, I’ll try and be back as soon as I can. And I promise you, if things go wrong I always have my spells.” she calmed him by touching his cheek lightly. “Just...don’t worry too much about me, alright?” she half-joked, letting out a short chuckle. Snatcher stared at her, a complete lost for words.

All of a sudden, he leaned into her to give her a tight hug.

CC let out a quiet yelp as she was almost tipped over. She definitely wasn’t expecting to get a hug back from him. Not to mention he was a lot taller than her, which made it harder to balance. Slightly confused, she patted and rubbed his back. She thought she heard Snatcher whimper in her ear...but she decided not to bring it up.

“You better be back, or I’m coming to get you.” Snatcher mumbled in her ear. CC was taken aback by this. He usually wasn’t the type to care for someone so openly. But it made her feel safe, and it reminded her about how much she loved this family. Even her grumpy vampire ‘son’.

“Of course, Snatcher.” she patted his back once more. “Thank you.” she added in. Snatcher got off of her, which was a big relief, to look at her confusedly.

“For what?” Snatcher asked her, as if that whole ordeal didn’t happen.

“For caring so much about me.” CC gave him a warm smile. Snatcher’s eyes widened and his face flushed a light pink.

“S-shut up.” Snatcher said under his breath, his hair puffing up. “I was just...making sure you didn’t…do something stupid...” he mumbled even quieter, almost trying to hide his face in his hair.

“Right, of course.” CC giggled. She pretty much understood Snatcher-speak by now. “Well, I’m off. Get some rest, sweetie.” she stood on her toes so she could pat his head. He accepted the pat, but scoffed afterwards.

“Whatever...” Snatcher said, making motions as to ‘shoo’ her away. CC didn’t see it though, as she was already walking through the hallway to the front door. Snatcher watched her, not moving from his spot, until he heard the sound of the door opening...then closing. He waited a bit longer, the room felt colder without her here. Not like it mattered, just an odd detail. He lean let out a big sigh, and turned to walk towards the attic stairs. He wasn’t going to get his second blood bag. He just wasn’t in the mood. At this point, he just wanted to sulk in his bed for no apparent reason. As angry and concerned thoughts swarmed his mind, one thing was for certain.

This was going to be a restless night for him.

***

As CC walked through the forest, the soft winds blew in her direction. Although the cold was much worse than the wind, making her shiver as it nipped at her skin. She pulled her jacket tighter around her for a small bit of warmth. All the while she thought to herself. Where on earth could he be? And how deep was she in the forest? Well, no time to worry about that now. She pressed on, the autumn leaves crunching under her shoes.

“Conductor? Are you there?” CC cuffed her hands to her mouth so she could call out to him. She waited for a reply...only to hear nothing but her own echos. She pulled her jacket around her once more, and kept going. Surely, she would find him soon. She had to eventually. Where else could he be?

She wondered what he was doing. Or more exactly, what she would most likely walk in on him doing. Maybe she’d find him sleeping in a nearby cave, all cuddled up in a make-shift nest built out of leaves and twigs. Or maybe she’d see him feasting on a deer carcass. That image made her cringe a little bit, but it was nothing she hadn’t seen before. Or maybe she would find him doing both. Eating deer meat, curled up in a cave and-

She stopped in her tracks as she heard a loud, animal noise.

It wasn’t uncommon to hear owls in the forest. But this…‘hooting’, if one could even call it that, was not like any normal owl. It was deep, thunderous, and she could hear it ring throughout the entire forest. Her body went completely stiff once she heard it. And while most people would run away from such a noise, CC ran closer towards it.

“Conductor?!” CC yelled out, her pace quickly gaining. “Conductor, it’s me! Are you alright?” she called out to him. She kept going, ducking and weaving through the tall trees that surrounded the area. She struggled to keep a hold of her jacket. It nearly slipped off of her, with what speed she was going. But she pressed on.

As CC kept going in further, she suddenly stopped in her tracks. She had managed to find a much easier trail to follow. But it wasn’t exactly your average forest trail. It was a trail of feathers. Big, yellow feathers that made a beeline deeper into the forest. For some strange reason, CC felt the need to pick up one of the bigger feathers that she found along the way. So she did, stopping so she could lean down to pick it up. She took a moment to look at it, turning it over in her hands.

It was definitely bigger than any owl feather she had ever seen. Though this one was obviously one of the better preened feathers, with it looking much smoother than the others. It was soft around the edges, and very fluffy to the touch. CC brought her finger around its curves, feeling the small fibers that made it so incredibly soft. She then smiled, reassured.

Yes, this was definitely her Conductor.

Another noise came from the end of the trail. She stopped looking at the feather and snapped back to what she was doing, stuffing the feather into her coat pocket. She continued along the path, making long and quick strides. Then her strides went into a run, and she started to sprint through the forest. She huffed for breath as she kept going, but she was smiling all the same. She was going to find him, alive and safe.

She was getting closer now, she could tell by the feathers one the ground. While the beginning of the trail started with a small number, the amount of feathers increased the farther she went on. She could see a clearing up ahead, the moonlight showing her the way. She could barely control herself.

“Conduct-”

She skidded to a halt, dust clouding beneath her shoes. The opening was very clear, a circle of trees surrounding her. The air was still, except for a few gusts of wind. But there were no caves. Not even the body of a dead deer. Yet, there was a nest still. A giant nest, about the size of a boat. One that could only have been built by a very, very large bird. It looked like a well-built nest too. The fall leaves mixed in with the twigs made it look rather lovely. But there was only one problem.

Where was Conductor?

“Conductor? Sweetie?” CC called out in the clearing. There was nothing but the sounds of the wind. “Conductor! This isn’t funny! Can you come out now? Please?” she yelled his name once more, her worries starting to grow bigger. Why on earth was there a nest here with no Conductor? He was nowhere to be found, as she spun around to look at every angle.

Her old concerns started to come back. Where was he? Had he gotten lost? Had he hurt himself somewhere further off? Had monster hunters found him, caught him, and then dragged him away? The more she started to think about it, the more she could feel herself panic.

“Conductor?! Please?! Are you-”

CC stopped as she heard a loud, low growling noise behind her. She recognized that growl. She recognized it too well. She slowly began to turn around, feeling like she already knew what was behind her. Or more specifically, who was behind her.

“…Conductor?”

There he was, standing not too far away from behind her. He was up on his hind legs, and he was incredibly tall compared to her. His eyes seemed to glow a bright sliver, illuminating the darkness. He had an angry scowl on his face and his claws were slightly outstretched. He looked angry, not to mention very feral-looking. CC felt herself stepping back a little, without meaning to. She shouldn’t be afraid. This was Conductor for goodness sake! And she knew he wouldn’t hurt her, right?

She realized he was starting to step closer.

As he took each predatory step towards her, yellow feathers fell off his body and onto the ground. His avian feet crushed the leaves beneath him, making loud crunching noises with each step. CC backed up with each step he took. She knew Conductor still had a temper, even in his beast form. And as much as she didn’t want to admit it right now, she was dealing with a wild animal. Therefore she had to give him some space. Although this was a lot of space, with Conductor getting even closer and closer-

CC’s steps where brought to a halt, as a large tree behind her stopped her from going any further. She watched Conductor, never taking her eyes off of him, as he kept advancing towards her. She felt her pulse beginning to quicken, but she knew not to run. If she were to run, Conductor might start chasing her. But even then...that wouldn’t be a bad thing, right? Because Conductor would never hurt her. And he could still recognize her even in his beast form, couldn’t he?

Conductor was extremely close now, only being a few feet in front of her. His breathing was wild and heavy, the cold creating small puffs of vapor near his beak. His eyes were glowing bright and staring directly at her. CC couldn’t help but press her back up against the tree behind her. She glanced from side to side, but it wouldn’t help to move either direction. At this point, Conductor could easily grab her before she could try to get away. So...looked like she only had one option.

“H-hi, Conductor! Are you doing alright?” CC spoke with fake cheer, her voice quivering a bit. Conductor said nothing, and just stood where he was. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you. You really made me worried! I thought you were...” she tried to explain to the wereowl, but trailed off at the end. He had started to narrowing his eyes at her and growling deeply, cutting her words off. CC felt herself gulp. “Conductor? Do you not...recognize me?”

Before she could say anything, Conductor took a couple more steps until he was right in front of her. He happened to be so incredibly close, that the feathers on his chest could tickle her nose. She felt herself flinch, despite not wanting to. She slowly looked up, only to get a small dribble of drool on her forehead. She made to wipe off the drool...before realizing that his beak was so close above her head.

“C-Conductor? Please, sweetie, it’s me...” CC felt herself shrinking back and sliding off the tree to gain more room. But Conductor saw this and leaned his beak down closer, and closer. “Do you remember me? It’s me, CC! P-please don’t-” she spoke barely above a whisper. The sensible part of her mind told her to use a spell, any spell! But...she couldn’t bring herself to do it. She couldn’t just hurt the one person she had been trying so hard to look for. He was just confused right now...wasn’t he? He had to be. It’s not like he would try to eat her or-

Without warning, the wereowl clamped it’s massive clawed hands around CC. She let out a shriek, and realized that he was trying to pick her up. She tried to squirm in his grasp as she was being lifted up to his beak. But no matter how much she struggled, his grip was tight enough to keep her stuck. He lifted her up until they were face to face with one another. Or, in this case, face to beak. She felt tears in her eyes as tried to use a spell. But at the same time, she just couldn’t. Not at this position. She could seriously hurt him, or worse…

“Conductor, please...it’s me...” CC felt herself sobbing out of fear. She didn’t want to use a spell. She just couldn’t use a spell. Conductor’s beak came closer to her hair, and he started to sniff her. She tensed, the hot air puffing onto her in small waves. Then, she saw his beak begin to open slowly. She shut her eyes tight, bracing herself. She shook all over, waiting for the clamp of a sharp beak and the breaking of her body. She waited, and…

She could feel her hair being gently nipped at.

She opened her eyes, as Conductor began to lightly preen her hair. He carefully nipped at it with his giant beak, making gravely purring noises. She could see her bangs falling down on her face. Her hair was more or less being made a mess more than being groomed. But hey, at least she was still alive.

“H-hey, stop that! It tickles.” CC started laughing, despite the fresh tears in her eyes. Conductor seemed to understand her, stopping immediately and bringing his head back. He cocked his head in curiosity, letting out a deep chirp. CC started to wipe the tears from her eyes, giving Conductor a smile. “You nearly scared me to death, you know.” she felt herself laughing again, making Conductor look back at her with confusion. She stopped as Conductor leaned in to give her a big nuzzle against her cheek. She was surprised, feeling the fluffiness of his feathers on her skin. “Conductor? Are you feeling alright? You’re usually not so-”

“Woah!” CC yelped out as Conductor brought his head back to turned himself around. He started to walk back, with CC in tow. “Hey! Were are you taking me?!” she asked him, noticing that they weren’t moving in the direction of home. Instead, she turned to see that he was moving towards the huge nest. The one she had found earlier. “Conductor? What are you-” she started to ask. But once they reached the edge of the nest, Conductor carefully lower her down into it. He freed her from his grasp, letting her tumble into the open nest. As she tried to gain her balanced, she found that the inside was rather...soft. “What is…?” CC felt herself say, as she looked down at the bottom of the nest.

There were feathers. Lots of them. An entire pile of feathers was right in the middle of the nest. They were all different sizes and colors. Some were yellow, blue, red, or even slightly green. Others were duller colored, with there also being a few grays, browns, and blacks. Upon closer inspection, some of the black feathers looked...familiar. Were those some of Crowley’s feathers? Actually, now that she looked at the pile closer, she noticed a few of the feathers were covered in blood. This is strange, CC thought to herself. Where did he get all these feathers? And why?

Just then, she heard Conductor’s chirping behind her. She turned around to see him standing behind her, watching eagerly. He plopped onto the ground with a thud, crushing the leaves beneath him. He poked his head in and put his hands on the nest edge, clicking his beak excitedly. Though she couldn’t tell why. What was he trying to tell her?

“Conductor? What’s with all the feathers?” CC decided to ask him. But Conductor said nothing, and continued to chirp at her. He almost looked like he was smiling, as if he was waiting in anticipation. But for what? “I don’t understand. Why did you want me to look at a bunch of feathers?” she asked him again. Conductor’s face seemed to drop once she asked this, and he stood still for a moment.

Conductor’s ears began to fall, and his expression turned from excited to slightly saddened. He whimpered sadly, his head hanging low. And seeing this made CC immediately feel guilty.

“Hey, it’s alright! I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make you upset!” she tried to comfort him, panicking that she did something wrong. She quickly turned around to the feathers, and picked one from the bunch. Not knowing what else to do, she offered the feather to Conductor. “Here! Will this make you feel better?” she asked, holding out one of the black feathers, the one that she figured was Crowley’s. Conductor perked up at this, staring at her hand and the feather.

He let out an annoyed chirp and nudged it back towards her.

“Wha-?” CC said, as she watched Conductor using the tip of his beak to shove her hand. “No, no. Here, I want you to take it!” she offered again, pushing her hand back to him. Conductor stared again, before puffing up his feathers and making an annoyed face. This time he used his whole head to pushed her back, nearly tipping her over. But CC managed to catch herself, before almost falling back into the feather pile. She looked back at him, confused, and then back at the feather. “I don’t understand. Why won’t you take it?” she asked him, before picking up a few more. Maybe he wanted a different-

Conductor let out a loud squawk, making CC jump in surprise. She looked back at him, and he almost looked like he was smiling back. His ears twitched and she could hear a steady thumping noise from behind him. Was he...wagging his tail? She decided to pick up another, and then another. The Conductor steadily watched her, his eyes gleaming excitedly. He seemed to act really happy when she picked up the feathers. But why was that the case? Unless…could it be?

“Are these...for me?” CC asked the wereowl, slightly amazed. And she was even more amazed when he quickly nodded back. She took a moment to look at the feathers in her hands, then back at the pile of feathers. “Did you get all of these for me?” she asked him again. And Conductor let out a happy chirp. She felt herself dumbfounded. Was this why he hadn’t come home before the others? It was because he spent all night getting these feathers as gifts? To her of all people? She kept staring at Conductor.

She couldn’t help herself, as a huge grin spread across her face.

CC smiled, and stood herself back up in the nest. She started to come closer to Conductor, carefully making sure not to step on any more of the feathers. She stopped until she was at the very edge of the nest.

“Thank you, sweetheart.” she smiled, slowly reaching out a hand to pet him. And the wereowl was quick to accept it, pushing his head into her hand. She smiled, running her fingers through his soft feathers. And she chuckled to herself as Conductor purred deeply. “But next time...” she added in, stopping the petting so Conductor would listen. “Maybe you should have warned me about this first.” she scolded him, wagging a finger in his direction. The wereowl nipped at the air playfully, which caused her to take her hand back. She then smiled, and gave his beak a big hug. “You rascal!” she laughed, before planting a small kiss on his beak. Conductor froze still once she did, the still-human-part of him causing him to blush underneath his feathers.

“Alright, come on. I think it’s about time we go home.” CC announces, getting up off of Conductor’s beak and patting it lightly. Conductor growled after, slightly upset that they were leaving the nest so soon. “Come now, you’ve been out here long enough.” CC scolded him again, like he was a giant puppy dog out on a walk. “We need to get home, before everyone gets worried.” she said laughing at the last part a bit. Conductor simply grunted, standing himself back up on his feet. But he didn’t leave just yet. Instead, he waited for CC as she made to get out of the nest.

But she stopped for a moment, not getting out just yet.

“Hold on.” CC told him, before going back to the feather pile. “I want to take some of these home with me. I think I know what I’ll do with them...” she said as she rummaged through the fluffy pile. She couldn’t take all of them, she knew this. There were just too many to carry! So instead, she picked out all the ones that she thought would be best. She picked out a different colored one each time, tossing the blood-covered ones aside. She stuffed the feathers that she liked into her coat pocket, but only a few of them. And yet, as she looked through the pile for one last feather, she felt like she was missing something.

She then remembered the feather in her coat pocket, and quickly went to pull it out. Conductor noticed this, clicking his beak at her curiously. She took it out, looking it over like she did before. She went to touch its edges, the softness still very much there. Out of all the feathers he picked out for her, none of them were his own. Which was a shame, because his feathers were so very soft…

CC let out a surprised yelp as she felt Conductor’s hands lifting her back up. Before she even knew what happened, Conductor had picked her up out of the nest himself. He then dropped her back onto the ground, and she somehow managed to keep herself steady. CC took a moment to look back up at Conductor, who was giving her a rather impatient look.

“Alright, alright. You’re just testing me tonight, aren’t you?” CC fussed at him, only receiving a quiet growl as a response. Yet despite this, she gave him a warm and endearing smile. She reached for his hand, quickly taking hold of it. Conductor’s ears perked up, as he looked down at her in confusion. She just came closer, leaning her face against his feathery arm. She sighed, happy that she had managed to find him. “Come on, sugar.” she came off his shoulder to give his hand a slight tug.

“Let’s get you home.”

[wolf-eared-fangirl]

Tale of two beast

Chapter 2: A call to action

Alpha walked through the city, carrying two buckets of water on his shoulder pole. It was busy as usual, merchants selling their goods, plays being preformed, students chatting with there friends on the way to school, the whole city was thriving with activity. As he neared his home, Alpha noticed a large crowd of people gathered, curious to see what the comotion was about, Alpha got closer, shoving past a few people to get a good look. There he saw a werecrow handing out flyers "Come all warriors! Test your strength in the tournament!" He said as he waved and handed flyers to the crowd "You! Good sir, whould you like join the tournament?" He said as he handed Alpha a flyer "Come join the Forest fire tournament, test your strength and become the greatest warrior!" it read. Alpha looked over and noticed something at the bottom of the flyer Hosted by the Raven's nest dojo..... he recognized the name, they were 2nd highest ranked dojo in the city behind his father's. Still, he couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong.

 

~*~

Alpha returned home, putting down the buckets next to the well "Ah there you are, Alpha!" Okami said as he saw Alpha come in "What took you so long?" He asked him. Alpha fished the flyer from his pocket, before handing it to Okami "What can you tell me about Raven's nest?" He asked him, the old werewolf looked over the flyer, a sad look growing on his face "The Raven's nest dojo was the third highest ranked dojo in the city, my dojo was second and Tora's dojo was first. Talos is a strong fighter but his soul is dark and his motives are greedy and...." Okami's knuckles turned white from how tightly he was clenching his fist "And so he killed Tora, just he could climb up the ranking" Alpha stood shocked as rage grew on his father's face, which softened into a frown "Tora was a dear friend of mine, I should have done something sooner, but I suspect it at the time" Okami explained "I can only imagine what his son must have felt" he added. Alpha's eyes widened "Wait, you mean Strip?" He asked "Yes, the loss of his father took a toll on them poor kid" Okami answered. Without hesitation Alpha stood up, grabbing the flyer from his Okami's hands "Father, I'm going to join the tournament!" He declared, Okami stared at him for a moment before standing up and putting a hand on his son shoulder "Very well, let's make sure your prepared!".

Ao3 link

[duffree]

( victoria pedretti, werecrow, she/her & female ) is that ( shining star ) by ( earth, wind, & fire ) playing? ( dustin faith freely ) must be nearby!  heard folks say the ( twenty-one ) year old ( waitress / jewelry maker ) was at the thanksgiving fair, ( enjoying the shiny lights ) when chaos ensued. during the glitch, ( she flew to the top of the ferris wheel and watched the disaster unfold ).

dustin faith freely was early on named duff or duffy, a name her grandmother could stomach for a girl, when she went to live with her as an infant. dustin was the choice of addict parents from letum falls, oklahoma, but duffy was the pride and joy of an old lady living in san francisco.

that childhood was a happy one. never lonely, never lost, always loved and always looked after. until she was eight, and gramma had a heart attack.

she went from townhouse to trailer park, city to country, constant fog and random earthquakes to changing seasons and rowdy tornadoes.

mom and dad were often high and consistently neglectful, and no other adult seemed to care. they never made her go to school, so duffy wandered a lot—when she was hungry or tired or scared.

one day she tried to make friends with a wounded crow ( wanted connection ) she found hopping around on the sidewalk. turns out that crow didn’t like it very much, and she lost an eye that day… and became a werecrow.

she learned to lean into it. she wore an eyepatch as a kid, but when she turned 15 she got emancipated. started working at falls diner and saved up to get herself a fake eye.

every once in a while she popped it out, just to fuck with people who really deserved it. like the bullies who picked on her through high school for being trailer trash ( wanted connection )

she’s been waitressing at the diner for six years now and been saving up money to buy herself a little storefront for the jewelry she makes in her spare time. crows like shiny things, after all.

if you ask her about it, she’ll give you a piece for free.