#again the shot of the dead tree. screaming crying throwing up etc etc

[youssefguedira]

hm. well.

[lucyhblack]

In the year 201X a strange video starts circulating on the internet.

In the year 201X a strange video starts circulating on the internet.

In it is possible to see what must be a park with a beautiful garden of golden yellow flowers. Among the flowers a being is hunched over, seeming to lament something.

There are whispers in the background and a voice screams, drawing the attention of the being, which raises its head and the face that faces the camera can only be described as monstrous.

There are gasps and screams in the background. The creature rises in fright and another cry sounds, but this time the word "child" is also heard. The camera zooms in and at the monster's feet there is what looks like a fallen body.

There are more screams and a stone flies The creature extends its arms. Her mouth opens, but if she speaks something, is lost amid the screams and curses of the people who begin to surround her.

A stone hits the creature that stagger. A more courageous man steps forward with a piece of wood in his hand and hits him. The creature recoils in fear and encouraged the man to attack him once again. Another man approaches from behind and hits the creature with something in the back.

The creature falls hunched over, hiding its head while being attacked. A third approaches and tries to drag the fallen body away. That's when the monster finally reacts.

With superhuman speed he gets up and launches himself on the body. The third man falls back screaming, rolls over and runs away. The other two step back momentarily frightened by the beast's reaction.

The monster gets up with his body in his arms. For a brief moment it can be seen that it is indeed a child. Its astonishingly pale face hangs from the creature's arms before he embraces it against his chest.

More people approach, perhaps encouraged by the creature's lack of reaction, or perhaps just desperate to rescue the child. They circulate with guns raised and screams of offense, but they do not attack, for fear of hurting the child.

The monster squeezes the child's body and looks feverishly at people screaming. A dark liquid oozes from various wounds through your body.

The camera turns quickly and shows a man running with a shotgun towards the monster. The man stops at the edge of the circle that has formed and shoots. The creature's explosion and howling scares several people who run.

The person filming is also frightened and runs. For a moment, you only see legs running before the camera turns and focuses on the creature that now run out towards the trees that bordered the park.

Two more shots can be heard in the background as the people trying to follow the monster, but the creature is very fast and in a few seconds it disappears between the trees.

The video ends with several people running through the trees and a voice shouting “He is gone! He is gone!"

In just a few hours this video becomes the most viewed and commented video in the world. Showing on the most different platforms and media, ranging from the most serious news to sensational programs.

After the first week, it was expected that the video would be forgotten like several other videos with strange or unexplained things, but this is not the case, since after a little investigation the child in the video is identified and his terrible story is discovered.

A little orphan reported missing years ago. The orphanage in which he lived is flooded with reporters and police and in a short time several cases of abuse and neglect are discovered both by the heads of the orphanage and by other authorities. Still, no clue is given as to what happened to the child or what the mysterious being was in the video.

Several programs go to the local trying to do their own investigations. One of them gets some enthusiastic locals to guide him through the mysterious forest that surrounds the park. In the middle of the interview, they tell about the legends of Mt. Ebott, the farthest mountain.

The natives say that the Mountain is cursed, and that anyone who tries to climb it will never return.

Excited the team convinces them to go there. The group then arrive at the mountain and with surprise they actually find a small cave and an almost perfectly circular hole in it where the lights cannot illuminate the background

Everyone is excited about the discovery and the police are called in to investigate. A specialized team is called to investigate. It turns out that the hole isn't even that deep and some go down to see what's at the bottom.

A simple stone floor is what they find at the bottom. There are no passage or marks, nothing! The hole is literally a well.

After a few brief explanations by geologists the hole is soon forgotten. With no evidence other than a video, and no more appearances, the case loses interest media and some time later a man is arrested on charges of kidnapping and killing the child and using a ridiculous disguise to cover up the crime. And even though never found the child's body, the case is closed by the local authorities.

Many do not believe the explanation given and swear that the monster was real, even showing a dead animal or a wound to show that he was a victim of the monster. Many onlookers and "paranormal hunters" still visit the small town that takes advantage of the fame gained from the place to profit by making "guided trips" or selling things from the "Ebott Monster" as it was nicknamed.

Some include the mountain and the strange hole in it, inventing that on certain moonless nights the hole opens and allows beasts from the underworld to go out to hunt innocent children.

It is precisely because of this that a few years later the town returns to be the center of attention in the world.

A couple of tourists and their son are taken by a guide to see the mountain. While the guide tells stories about the mountain to the wife, the father films the cave and the child plays with a toy knife pretending to be an explorer. The poor child trips over the vines that cover the cave floor and ends up falling into the hole. Desperate, the child's parents shout for the child's name without getting answers.

The guide returns to the village for help while the father tries to descend without success. Soon help arrives and some volunteers tie a rope and descend. To everyone's shock the bottom is empty, there is no sign of the child.

Again the authorities are called, search groups organized by the forest despite the 3 adults swearing that the child fell in the hole and not that he was lost in the forest and having the video as evidence.

Again the video runs around the world. Geologists, researchers, even psychics are called.

Everyone has an opinion, a theory, but nobody has a solution to the mystery. Finally the army arrives and closes the mountain access. There is pressure from all sides to investigate the place and more than one country tries to intervene in the matter.

Agreements are made and teams of scientists are sent to the scene to investigate. Chemical, wave, radioactivity tests and a dozen others are done.

The well floor is drilled, material is collected from the walls, from the plants, everything is photographed, tested and re-tested. All tests go nowhere.

Scientifically it's just a hole in a cave. No false bottoms, tunnels quicksand or hallucinogenic gases. There is absolutely nothing abnormal there except the fact that one (maybe two) children went missing there.

It is only by chance that in a moment of frustration one of the scientists investigating the place throws his clipboard into the hole. He goes down to fetch and surprise! There is no sign on the clipboard.

Open-mouthed, he goes up and tells the others. Then a different kind of test begins, in which scientists throw different objects into the hole. None reaches the bottom.

Puzzled, they go to the bottom and try again. They see when the object is launched, but in midair, it disappears. It doesn't matter the size, or the weight, if it is a stone or an old refrigerator, if it is released it will disappear in midair.

They play trackers, cameras, gps, but although the object is gone, no signal is tracked or an image is seen. It is as if the object ceases to exist.

They try to measure when the “event” occurs, but this seems to vary from object to object without any logic.

The discovery is kept secret, but underneath the scenes a war is beginning to break out between scientific and military organizations from different countries, all wanting to explore the strange phenomenon.

It is spread by the media that a tunnel is discovered at the bottom of the hole and the body of two children has been found out. In addition, it is said that the caves have a kind of poisonous fungus. It is said that teams of scientists will run new tests, but that the cave is deadly dangerous and therefore needs to be closed.

With the explanation everyone soon loses interest in the mystery of Mt. Ebott again, but in secret the cave becomes a new Antarctica where several countries want a part to study and explore. New deals are made and new scientists are dispatched as security at the site is increased.

However, even with for more tests, cutting-edge equipment and studies, they do not get any answer beyond if the object were lowered tied, whether by any means, it would reach the bottom of the cave safely, but if it was thrown in the hole, it would disappear in full air.

After a time without answers, they finally test a live guinea pig.

A small mouse is thrown into the hole and just like the other objects it disappears. They try with other creatures and they all disappear.

The scientists then prepare a guinea pig with the most advanced filming and tracking equipment. They had already tried with a robot, drones, etc., to no avail. This time is no different, as soon as the creature disappears all the signs are gone with it.

They then decide to take a risk and a military man is chosen as the next guinea pig. He is armed with the best technological and protective equipment. Wearing a special suit and equipped with supplies he throws himself into the hole, only to reach the bottom like a stone.

The man did not disappear and removing several broken bones he was intact and with all the equipment still attached to him.

They try in different ways, but none of the volunteers are successful. For a while there is no advance in research until a proposal is made and discarded... for a while.

After many, many inconclusive tests an order is given and a child is sent to the cave.

They prepare it with equipment and place it at a lower level of the hole with safety equipment at the bottom so that if the experiment fails, the damage is minimal.

As if by magic, the child disappears in front of everyone. Everyone tries to track it down, but as before, nothing works.

They wait for her to return, but messes pass and the child does not return and nothing they test gives results. The child is presumed dead, even if no bodies are found.

M. Ebott continues to amaze and despair scientists for years who cannot find answers to its mysteries.

Years go by, new technologies are developed, but none of them even gives a solution to what happens there.

Every few years, a child is selected and thrown into the hole. They find that only those below puberty and above early childhood disappear. If she is too old or too young she will only reach the bottom of the hole like adults.

No archaeological find, or space advance, is as strange, mysterious or secret as Mt. Ebott.

Years go by. The last child had been sent years ago with a gun and the best scientific/military training that could be done in the gap of the few years that had to prepare him for this... without success.

But technology has come a long way since the first child will fall years and years ago. Several advances have been made precisely because of Ebott's anomaly.

So many advances ended up giving some answers. A new kind of energy has been discovered. A kind of power that seemed to permeate the entire planet and that strangely was very strong in that cave, more precisely in the hole.

Other places, objects and even people seemed to be susceptible to this energy, accumulating varying levels of it.

But even with this fantastic discovery, few significant strides have been made to find out what it was and why it acted so strangely in Ebott and some other places in the world.

Even though they still didn't know the answers, many things were invented thanks to this discovery. New technologies, new study equipment and weapons were created and tested and after so long, scientists were ready to try again.

The next child was even more special than the previous one. Created in the laboratory and equipped with the strongest mind control technology developed, it would not need any equipment to go with it other than a small dressing with the highest healing nanotechnology and a stick that was the simplest and strongest weapon developed by technologies military.

If the theories were right, the child would experience a dimensional leap, or its existence would be completely eliminated by the pressure of the energy resulting from the hole.

Regardless of that they were sure that this time they would have answers, even if the child died they would be connected to it and, therefore, they could safely experience what would happen to it, be it success or annihilation.

They prepared it and threw it in the hole. For a few moments nothing happens, they think they have failed too, until the assembled scientists “see” what appears to be a dream.

Success! The child had not died, but something was happening, something they could not explain until the child woke up from their little fairy tale dream. Something strange in itself, since the child was developed to be an "empty shell" only a vehicle for the minds of scientists.

And then...

The child wakes up lying in a small bunch of golden yellow flowers...

[colitisandme]

Yesterday was a bad day. With IBD, some days are bad days, some really bad days and yesterday was the equivalent of your shoes getting stolen whilst having a nap on a train having to leave the station to find it’s raining, stepping on poo, then have a driver throw a rancid burrito at you out of a car window whilst pigeons watch nearby. Now you are being chased by pigeons who think you resemble a wet, walking, snack. So you run bare foot and screaming through a group of people, Knocking them over like bowling pins. You run and run, still screaming, trying in vain to get back to your house, only to find you’ve dropped your keys somewhere between stepping in poo, losing your shoes and getting attacked by wild hungry birds. And so wet, bitten and smelly, you sit on your doorstep, looking like you’ve been dragged through a hedge backwards, until a nice neighbour invites you in to their house. Once inside, he makes you stand on kitchen roll in his hallway, and shoes the rest of the family away from you into the lounge, until the locksmith comes out and lets your shivery, embarrassed, bedraggled self into your own house, eyeing you up with a mixture of suspicion and horror as you squelch up the stairs. Yep yesterday was like that.

It started out okay. I hadn’t slept for the 3rd night in a row and so was starting to resemble something from ‘the night of the living dead.’ I fed our bunnies, who looked slightly alarmed when this swamp like creature appeared at their hutch door, and to show their disgust at my bedraggled, bloodshot eyed appearance, scuttled off into their bedroom area and did not re-appear until I filled up their food bowls. In the process of doing this and leaning down to give them some affection, I proceeded to fall over and nearly break my leg on one of their toys, which in turn, caused me to yell out loudly, scrabbling to keep myself upright. After I tried to gain my balance, they proceeded to thump at me in chorus for disturbing their peaceful breakfast time, ignore my cries of pain and rebuff my attempts to pacify them with pieces of dried fruit. I then hobbled back inside, groaning and cursing my need to make sure our bunnies were stimulated by making our shed into the equivalent of the ‘Toys R’Us bunny sanctuary’ proclaiming war and future destruction of all cardboard tunnels, fed our doggy guest then tried to start my day.

My body was being a D**k! A true arsehole. Firstly it spent the first hour convincing me I needed to go to the loo, (hadn’t been for 3 days) and so I spent that hour running backwards and forwards to my bathroom like I was on a travelator, sweating, swearing, grunting, in pain and nauseous before finally forcing myself to go. My poor bum was in tatters and my hands became red and sore because I had clenched my fists so hard, there were nail marks imbedded into my palm. The dog didn’t understand my pain, as I limped over to the freezer and put ice on my paws and just wanted strokes and belly rubs so I nursed my paws and stroked the dog, thankful she too didn’t love cardboard tunnels. As well as now dealing with leg injury and ice paws, I had been, for the past few days living with a bite on my arm, due to some demon insect deciding it would fuck up my week by taking a chunk out of my arm. This might not sound like much, but my immune system is shot and I am also really helpfully, allergic to the one bug that chewed on me, so it’s a big deal.

It picked on me when I was trying to be a good fur baby mum, and clean out my bunnies shed. He flew up out of the hay and sank his little insecty fangs into my poor unsuspecting flesh. Although bumpy and itchy, I put some cream on it, wrapped ice around my arm and hoped for the best. Well my arm ballooned. My whole left forearm resembled a cross between Popeye and the Michelin man. After rubbing my arm, then cursing myself for scratching myself into a stupor and declaring war on all things insecty and bitey, ( I never harm any animal including spiders, snails, bees wasps etc but I draw the line at fly’s and horseflys because they find me perfectly delicious) I instructed my husband to get me some hydrocortisone cream and I found some Anti itch cream nestled in my bag to slather all over it. But it was too late. I once watched a documentary which stated, that a bear will travel hundreds of miles to visit his favourite ‘scratching tree’ and I now understand the extroadinary travel time and distance he would go to, just to happily scratch himself for a few hours. I was so bloody itchy I was rubbing myself on anything to relieve that itch. Anything. And if anyone would have seen me, I would have looked demented with my tongue on one side, trying to rub my arm up and down the wooden beams in my house with a look on my face that resembled madness and sheer euphoria. Of course this was a mistake, and soon all the antihistamine coursed through my body and hundreds of hives had popped up, so I knew I just had to grit my teeth and wait it out. 3 days later, hair on end, sleepless, eyes wide, hungry and my bum in tatters I had lost a lot of my reserves.

You would think that my body, at this point, would take pity on me. Give me a cuddle, send me up to bed with a warm drink of peppermint and liquorice tea (god I miss hot chocolate) and shush me to sleep with the southing sounds of whale music, but no. It was mean and refused to comfort me or lull me to sleep using soft tones or the sounds of the sea. It really wanted to scream obscenities at me and serenade me with symphonies that sounded like the music was being played by an irate toddler who would use a combination of drums, violin and cymbals to piss me and my ears off. And so right at the moment I sat itchy, cold pawed, bruised and tattered, sore, hair on end, achey, with my eyes on stalks... I got my period. (Sorry to all the guys reading this)

The pain smacked into me like a freight train. An absolute punch to the gut and then reversed and slammed into my back to make doubly sure it really hurt me in my tender spots. Already in quite a lot of pain, It absolutely took my breath away. IBD makes me feel like my whole body is full of stones. I personally feel like I am never empty, and stones take up a lot of bloody room in an already swollen, angry, raw space that doesn’t appreciate more visitors. Yesterday the IBD was rampant. Now this. “NO COCKING WAY, “THERES NO MORE ROOM” I yelled out. “I AM FULL” My body didn’t listen and ignored my screams and my protestations, and continued to fill the already cramped, raw, ragged and heavy space with what felt like shards of glass. So with itchy skin, clusters of hives all down my arm, sore hands, sore bum, sore stomach, bags under my eyes and now dealing with agonising pain searing throughout the lower half of my body, I lost it. I cried. I didn’t want to cry, because the sobs made my body hurt. But right at that moment I lost it. I hated my body. I didn’t understand why it was hurting me so much. I staggered to the kitchen, made myself a water bottle, got some water, and lay down. I knew I couldn’t get through this with meditation, I knew I couldn’t solve this with mindfulness and I couldn’t take painkillers. I just had to ride it out. It got to afternoon and I was in so much agony I couldn’t have a wash, cook or get myself upstairs and so I ate a banana to keep me going until the pain subsided.

It didn’t subside. It didn’t let up at all. Not for one millisecond. Every time I moved it felt like my whole body was being squeezed by a boa-constrictor, every time I breathed, I would cramp. Every time I took a small bite of banana or a sip of water, my whole body reacted with venomous anger. There was nothing I could do. Nothing except to wait, and stroke the Dog’s ears who laid next to me and looked at me with concerned and loving eyes.

My wonderful, caring husband came home and saw my sad blotchy face. He listened to me as I cursed IBD, my body, being a woman, nasty insects and the perils of bunny toys, wiped my tears, gave me a huge cuddle and helped me to have a shower. It hurt. Getting out of the shower hurt. Getting dried made me yell out in pain, putting fresh PJs on caused me pain. He then tucked me up, got me 3 water bottles, and put on Masterchef Australia whilst he sorted out dinner, bunnies and general household ness. (My Husband is awesome.)

The pain went on and on, like Dante’s seventh circle of hell. It was during this time I (mistakenly) put a post up on FB about what a shit day I was having. So because I have been out of work, I have spoke to a couple of at home type businesses for possible income ideas, and I couldn’t believe it but during my extreme pain episode, one messaged me privately, and started up a conversation trying to sell me their product. Now, I am hugely respectful of anyone trying to make a living online, from home or in any capacity, and had already had a few conversations with this particular lady explaining that I couldn’t afford her ‘start up package’ nor her products, and so when she messaged me again I was surprised.

Through the haze of my groin splitting pain, I again explained I couldn’t afford her high costs, and I thought that would stop the conversation but no, she pushed it. She was trying to use the fact I was in pain, discomfort and misery at that moment to get a ruddy sale. I was appalled. What the hell did she expect me to do or say? “Sure, I would love to gab away with you like gal pals while I cross my eyes, grind my teeth and chew my fist in pain due to an angry gremlin gnawing away on my intestines and womb! I would definitely love to hear about all the exact uses of wuffle dust, and how it will cure all my aches and pains as I try not to swear, vomit or hurl myself into the bathroom. No sodding problem. Let me just get my cocking credit card”... I couldn’t believe she used that moment to try and make me a customer. I got really angry. I couldn’t believe she would do that, in that way, at that time. I honestly truly was stunned that someone would try and take advantage of me like that and so, once I could focus through the pain, I told her so. I explained politely that what she did was wrong, how shitty it made me feel, and although I had huge respect for her and her product, I no longer wanted to have any contact with her. I then proceeded to erase her from my social media. I do not want to associate with anyone who would use someone’s vulnerability to get a sale. It’s disgusting.

It was way past midnight when most of the world was quiet and I had uttered every swear word I could think of, that my body finally relented to sleep. And as I staggered, exhausted upstairs, feeling used by my body, manipulated by people and generally hacked off at the world, I reached out to a few others who were also having a shit day. As we all experienced our own pain, we lifted each other up, laughed, chatted through tears and cursed our irrate and unco-operative bodies. Just before finally drifting off to sleep we all wholeheartedly agreed that sometimes, on days like this, there really aren’t enough swear words in the world to make the minute, the hour, the moment or day better, but yelling out or whispering through gritted teeth, the most creative and bizarre ones we could think of to ourselves, definitely helps.

[sassysweetstories]

Empress Part 7

Summary: You’re apart of the 100. You’re very bad-ass and don’t take shit from no-one. However, the longer you’re on earth, the more complicated things become.

Ship: Bellamy Blake x Fem!Reader, Dimitri!Grounder x Fem!Reader

Warnings: fluff, crying, angst, swearing, minor smut, fighting, mentions of abuse, blood, gore, etc.

Notes: none of these gifs are mine, credit to owners. i realize not all of this is side by side accurate to the show, bare with me. i hope you enjoy!

Tagged: @bailey-hoover @kiralivelove @thalia-prior-of-ravenclaw@anamcg317 @bellasett @queentiffanyyy @archer-whovian-violinist @beingmadinwonderland @princessisabelle19 @violence-and-velvet 

Third P.O.V

“Where’s (Y/n)?!” Bellamy yells, looking between the group of kids only to find that she wasn’t with them. Panic started to form deep beneath his skin, bubbling inside his heart. “I don’t know, I didn’t see her come back. I just saw her fall. Except when we went to look under the bridge, nothing was there.” Raven said, heaving for air after the long run from their immediate danger. Bellamy, still breathing hard, glared daggers at Finn. “You got something to say-” Even at the most inopportune times, Bellamy is more than willing to pick a fight when there isn’t a need for one. “YEAH! AND I TOLD YOU NO GUNS!” Finn screamed at Clarke to which she replied, “AND I TOLD YOU WE COULDN’T TRUST THE GROUNDERS AND I WAS RIGHT!” 

Raven nudged him in the shoulder, grabbing Finn’s attention. “AND WHY DIDN’T YOU TELL ME WHAT YOU WERE UP TO?!” He shook his head at one of his loves. “I TRIED, BUT YOU WERE TOO BUSY MAKING BULLETS FOR YOUR GUN!” Bellamy cut him off, barking. “YOU’RE LUCKY SHE BROUGHT THEM! THEY CAME THERE TO KILL YOU AND (Y/N)’S GONE OR PROBABLY DEAD RIGHT NOW!” Finn threw his hands in the air, shocked by Bellamy’s already sure mentality. “YOU DON’T KNOW THAT! JASPER FIRED THE FIRST SHOT!” Octavia glared at Jasper, barely giving him the time of day before saying shortly and walking off, “You ruined everything..” The rest of them head back to camp, leaving Bellamy and Clarke. "How are we gonna get (Y/n) back? I didn’t see if any of the grounders took her but if they did it’s definitely a good move on their part, and don’t say you don’t want to go looking for her.” 

Clarke demanded. There was no way in hell she was going to leave (Y/n) alone, not when there was a chance that she was still alive. There wasn’t a body to be found, so there must be hope. “We go searching for her in the morning. The grounders know this place better at nighttime, I’m sure. Though she can be an ass, we need her. Besides-” He pauses, looking off in the distance to see a large mass barreling towards the earth at an alarming rate. “The Arke..” Clarke says with awe, happy tears beginning to form in her eyes at the thought of being reunited with her mother. That is until she noticed how fast the drop-ship was coming. “Something’s wrong-” All of a sudden, the ship crashed directly into the ground, a large explosion knocking a series of trees down in the process. “No..” Clarke said as she clutched her stomach in pain, heart aching for the last piece of her family left. 

Your P.O.V

Peeling my eyes open, I see nothing but a giant blur. Nothing is clear and my head and left shoulder are throbbing for a reason unbeknownst to me. Groaning, I try to blink and clear my vision to get a better view of my surroundings. When I attempt to prop myself up with my elbows, I’m tugged back down by a pair of drapes that bind me to a bed. The bridge attack, I remember. I tug again but I’m not strong enough to break them, especially considering the amount of blood I’ve possibly lost. All I could remember was being shot and a large, black mass coming towards me. Now I’m strapped down to a bed in a barely lit cave, probably hundreds of miles away from camp, with little to no vision. I tug against the restraints again, cussing under my breath when they don’t budge. 

As my eyes begin to adjust, I notice a tall body in the corner by one of the candles. Instinctively I jolt back, ready to fight whomever dared to hurt me before flinching in pain. The body quickly got up and walked out of the cave, out of my view. The second he walks around the corner, I shake and shimmy under the restraints, heart beat rising as I try desperately to get out of them until three more large bodies emerge along with the previous man. Two flank on one side while the other one flanks on the opposite wall as a man walks in between them. My heart is thumping in my throat as I await for my inevitable doom but the closer the man comes towards me, the more I recognize his facial features. We look deep into each others eyes before it clicks. “Dimitri?” He lunges forward, wrapping me in his arms before releasing my bounds. I cling to him like he’s life support. If I was bound, was I really that unidentifiable? Had I got hurt that badly? 

When he takes off his mask, I’m finally able to see his features, traces of him that I oh so love. “H-How did you find me? H-How did you know where I was going to be?-” Looking over his shoulder at the four curious eyes. Automatically, I stand up straighter and I can’t help but ask. “Dimitri, who are these people?” When he looks back at them, I notice a faint smile making its way onto his face. Because of Dimitri, I’m finally easing up to people but not enough to not be wary of them. “These are my closest friends. Princessa, I’d like you to meet Ruker, Dante and Sloane.” They take off their masks and I take their appearances in. Each one of them resembles Dimitri’s ensemble, this time taking notice to a distinct light blue bandanna with a white sun and moon symbol etched into it. All of them wear it on their right sleeves, near their armpits. “Thank you for saving my life.” I say, honestly. They must be in an entirely different clan to the ones we currently have beef with. Sloane and Dante give me a warm smile in return while Ruker eyes me warily, as if I’m going to strike at any moment. 

He notices me watching him, almost as if I read his own thoughts. “You don’t trust me. And you have every right not to. My people have hurt a large portion of grounders. Your wariness is valid and I do not take it to heart. I only wish to convey to you that I am not like them in their attempts to cause destruction. We are people trying to survive, only running on the mentality that we’d kill our own for one more day of life. That kind of way is almost innate. And I hope that with time your view of me differs.” I say with a strong voice before looking to Dimitri. “Love, how did you find me? How did you know I was in trouble?” Sloane explains before he gets the chance, almost aching to actually talk to a sky-person. Sometimes I forget that I’m a practical alien to them, someone they are genuinely intrigued by. “Dimitri had been looking out for you for a while and we have people always listening in on the other clans, heard there was going to be a meeting between Skykru and Treekru. We came to make sure you were alright.” 

I look at her in awe and then back at Dimitri. “You’ve been looking out for me? But I’m suppose to be your enemy, why? You all-” I look to them. “took a huge risk and saved my life. You could’ve left me for dead.. I am forever in your dept.” I feel Dimitri’s gaze on me the whole time before he finally looks back up at his friends before saying, “Can yu bants osir kom talk gon a minute?” His friends almost bow for him and I can’t help but tilt my head in curiosity. Sloane and Dante smile at me on the way out and I can’t help but return the kind gesture while Ruker continues to look at me unevenly. Was that a customary thing for his people to do? When I turn back, Dimitri’s lips crash into mine. I almost forgot what he felt like, his body pressed up against mine. “I’m sorry-” He says pulling away. “I couldn’t help myself. I just missed you. I wanted to see you.” Dimitri says, shrugging. I noticed he acts more carefree when he’s wrapped around my arms. Even with his friends, there’s a slight difference, like he has to act a certain way but with me, he’s free. 

Placing my free hand atop his cheek, I can’t help but look into his deep, ocean blue eyes. “Thank you. Thank you for saving my life. That was a huge risk you took for me. And to get your friends involved, that mustn't have been easy. You sacrificed so much for me. I don’t know how to repay you..” He shook his head, pulling me closer to him but wary of my wound. “Princessa, I would give my life up for you. You haven’t to return anything to me. But I do have a question.” I sit up, leaning against the wall for support. I notice Dimitri’s demeanor change, face rough, almost warped into a scowl that I saw when we first met. But what he asks next is more than I’m ready for. “When we cleaned your wounds, I- we noticed wounds, ones that weren’t from the bridge attack.. These ones were cuts, bruises, burns, etc. Princessa, I wouldn’t ask unless it was necessary but you are my sonraun- er- my life. I can’t sleep knowing you aren’t safe.” 

Instinctively I wrap my arms around my body, pulling myself away from him, feeling as though I’m shrinking and honestly, that’s all I want to happen. I want to curl up into a ball and disappear. He’s found out my darkest secret and now it’s too late, he’ll throw me away like he did because I wasn’t enough. It’s like he notices my internal struggle. Dimitri gently takes my hands in his before bringing my chin up to look at his beautiful eyes. It takes me a second to realize that he’s crying and I can’t figure out as to why before he explains, “Princessa, you are my everything. I need to know that you are safe. I broke down when I first saw these bruises.. Nobody and I mean nobody has the right to hurt you that way. (Y/n).. please talk to me..” I don’t know what came over me but when I looked at him, I didn’t just see the boy I’ve grown to love, I saw his soul, one that I could trust wholeheartedly. And so I told him everything. I let it all out like a dam breaking, crumbling for the first time in years. 

I tell him about the years of abuse from my father after my mother was floated. He never told me why she was killed but he blamed all of it on me. Kept telling me that I was useless, that we didn’t have enough to survive and I didn’t deserve food or the right to breath. I told Dimitri about the years spent trying to survive night after night full of fear, most of which were actually spent at Mrs. Kane’s place. She let me work and sleep there most nights. I told him about her saving me, about assaulting the guards to get down to the ground so that I could be free of my father. And when I’m done, I sigh a breath of relief. Dimitri took to his knees, his waist in between my legs as he wrapped his arms around my hips, sobbing openly into my side. I am more relaxed in this moment than I’ve been my entire life. Running my hands through his choppy, blonde hair, he continues to cry for me. Nobody has ever reacted this way, but now that I think about it, he was the first besides Mrs. Kane I’ve actually told. 

I don’t know how long we’re sitting like this until Dimitri finally pulls away, resting his hands on my cheek, I try not to flinch. The reaction is innate at this point, and sadly Dimitri notices the slight gesture, pulling away only for me to grab his hands. “Hey, look at me-” I lift up his chin to meet my eyes. “I’m not flinching because of you. I’m flinching because of what he did. I know you. I trust you. I’m not afraid of you. I flinch because it’s innate.” He shakes his head, face red with anger and sadness. Pressing his soft lips against my knuckles, tears fall from his eyes as he blinks up at me. “Princessa, as long as I have breath in my lungs, I will not let anyone harm you. Ever. It breaks my heart and hurts my soul to see this much pain brought to you. But I will always protect you. Some grounders may think that you and your people are the enemy but I don’t give a damn what people think.” 

He lifts my legs up to rest on the bed while he sits on the floor, running his thumb up and down my wrist. “Sleep princessa, you will better in the morning. Though I’d love for you to stay, you need to go back to your people and fix things. They need a leader. They need you.” I nod, smiling at him before I start to fall asleep. Right before I slip into unconsciousness, a series of voices surround me. “Ya know for a sky-person, she looks angelic. I thought she’d have like eight eyes or something.” Dante says. I feel his eyes almost watching me in fascination as Dimitri never lets go of my hands. “She’s the strongest of them all. No doubt about that. I think I’ve got a new best girl friend.” Sloane says, her voice chipper but strong nonetheless. “Ruker, I know you’re wary of her but I need you to trust me when I say that I care deeply for her. She could be a very strong ally.” Dimitri confessed as Sloane gawked. “You’re not suggesting-” Dimitri cut her off. “I am.” It was the last thing I heard before slipping off into unconsciousness. 

The next morning I wake up feeling better than I had before, more awake and rejuvenated. My shoulder is still sore from the bridge attack but I don’t let it stop me from moving. I have a heart to heart with Dimitri once more before thanking his three friends and heading back home. There was no way in hell I was going to tell my people know about them, especially not when the time wasn’t right. When I arrive back at camp, I realize it’s much quieter than normal. Taking off the hood of my cloak, I wave down the gun-men who unlatch the door and let me back in. One of the boys, Trevor, who never seems to leave my side or stop worrying about me, updated me on what’s happened since I was gone. “Murphy’s back, infected by a virus from the grounders. We already have had three deaths because of it-” I’m gone not even a full day and everything’s gone to shit. I shake my head before making my over to the drop ship, nodding to those who thought I was dead. Some gawk and drop their materials in shock as I walk by looking nothing but powerful. 

“Clarke!” I shout upon seeing her nessled up on one of the cots. “(Y/n)!” She crokes, catching Finn, Octavia and Murphy’s attention. “Don’t come near me!” But it’s too late, I’m by her side and for some reason I know I won’t be infected. Octavia gives me a hug while I provide Finn with a respected nod. “How the hell did you get out of there? We were just going to send out a scouting troop but we were infected before we could.” I shake my head, laughing. “You wouldn’t believe me even if I told you. Trevor updated me on what’s happening. Is there a cure for this?” Octavia shook her head, looking at the sick bodies. “Lincoln said that there was no cure, that it wouldn’t last long but set the grounds for war-” She pauses and my eyes go wide. “They’re coming. The grounders are coming at first light.” 

I take a deep breath in through my nose, unaware of how much shit we were really in. Before I come up with a plan to get all of these sick kids out of here, three new people enter the drop-ship. Two guards caring a pale, bloody boy. It takes me a minute to realize that that pale boy is Bellamy. “Bellamy, oh my god!” I take him from the two boys, lifting him up on my own and rest him down on one of the free mats before he turns his head to cough up blood. Octavia is by his side in less than a second, crouching down to her knees to pat the sweat from his brow. “Hey, big brother.. It’s gonna be okay..” Bellamy looks between us, his left hand wrapping around mine while Octavia takes his right. “My two favorite girls.. “ My heart stops for a second. What did he mean by that. “-I’m really glad you’re both here.. You are both here, right? I’m not going crazy? You need to get out of here or you’ll get infected. (Y/n), we were going to send a scouting crew, I swear-” I shush him, actually smiling. “Blake, it’s alright. I also think that’s the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me. Maybe you’re not such an ass.” 

Despite the serious situation, he lets out a low chuckle that turned into a cough. “Don’t get use to it, your highness.” I shake my head at his sass, shifting my weight so I can help the others. “Alright, get some rest-” But as I’m about to move, Bellamy’s grip on my hand tightens and I try not to flinch, not that he would notice it. “Please, don’t leave me. Just sit with me, please.” Bellamy’s voice is so soft and innocent, for a second I think that the man in front of me is not the obnoxious Blake boy I’ve come to possess a love-hate relationship with. I decide to get comfy and take a free rag to cool his sweaty head as he drifted off into unconsciousness. “Ya know, Blake. You’re not so bad when you’re not being a dick. You’re actually kinda alright. I know that you’re trying to the right thing but sometimes the thing you might want to do might not be right. Get some rest.” 

Whilst unconscious and practically tied to Bellamy’s hand, I talk to Octavia. “So what did Lincoln tell you? What did he say exactly?” Octavia runs from one side of the room to the next, helping the dehydrated kids while explaining. “Lincoln said that they use the drug to set the playing field for war, a strategy to enable our defenses. When we’re at our lowest, which should be at dawn, they’ll attack. Finn and Jasper are heading out with a bomb that Raven created in hopes to destroy the bridge that they use to cross over to get us. If they pull it off, that’ll buy us some time to get everyone out of here.” Taking a quick scan around the room, I hadn’t realized that Finn had left the room. I’m also reminded to catch up with Raven, Monty and Jasper when I get the chance. If this is the last time I get to see them, I want to make sure I see them once more.

“Okay. Until they get back, we have to make sure everyone heals, or is at least up to par.” I replace my hand with a blanket so that I can help spread water, looking over my shoulder to talk to Octavia. “And what if worst comes to worst? What do we do then?” She sighs, patting one of the kids head. “We run or stick all of the kids in here. This drop-ship is pretty strong and should give us enough time to come up with a second plan.” I nod along to her words before going out to grab some more water, helping the infected back into the drop-ship for quarantine. Before I know it, it’s almost morning and Clarke and Bellamy are both up, leading people inside, looking much better than they had prior to yesterday. “Welcome back to the land of the living. You feeling better?” I ask Blake as he rubbed his chocolate brown eyes. The bags are gone and he has more color in his face than he had before. “Much better. I don’t remember if I asked, but how did you get out of that attack?” 

I open my mouth to come up with some bologna excuse that would be enough for him to accept until a loud explosion erupted from behind me. “Holy shit, Jasper did it.” Clarke said to the right of me while Bellamy gave me a faint smile as we looked up at a massive explosion erupting from the tree-line. I only hoped to god that Dimitri and his people weren’t harmed in the attack. The next two days pass by like a blur. I haven’t really been able to leave the camp to see Dimitri except when his owl comes to see me. He always comes when I’m by the fence at night, sending letters back and forth to one another. But besides that, I’ve been trying to pick up bits and pieces of what’s been around and too paranoid to have the grounders attack again. I’m so busy I almost don’t notice a fight that’s broken out and a small fire that’s burnt all of our food. Bellamy has taken the approach to break up the fight but we can’t use the water to put it out. “THAT WAS ALL OF OUR FOOD! WHAT THE HELL ARE WE SUPPOSE TO DO NOW?!” 

When the fire finally dimes down, I make my way over to Bellamy and Clarke. “We have to hunt, we don’t have a choice. We break everyone into groups, one gun per group, no later than nightfall.” Clarke smiles up at me, probably thinking the same thing I was. Bellamy glanced between the two of us, not satisfied with taking orders from us but in reality, I’m sure it was a weight being lifted from his shoulders. More than one opinion is better than one alone. I’m off with a group of my own, grabbing as much as we can find before heading back to camp. I thank my group for their hard work and then head over to Bellamy’s tent to update him on how much we brought and numerically how much more we might need. When I open the tent, my eyes go wide before forcing my gaze to the ground. Raven and Bellamy half naked, wrapping in each others arms, both their bodies covered from head to toe in sweat. 

For some reason, I feel nauseous and dizzy. “Oh- jeez- I’m sorry. I should have knocked- I’ll go-” I’m gone and across camp, back to my tent before Bellamy or Raven can track me down. I pace across my makeshift tent, breathing heavily and unsure as to why I was feeling this way. I was heated and mad for some reason. Why would Bellamy’s sex life have anything to do with how I’m feeling? Maybe everything with the grounders is all getting to my head. I’m breathing heavily despite the fact that I have no reason to be winded. For some reason, I can’t pull the image of Raven and Bellamy together out of my head. However I’m not in there for long before Octavia comes in, telling me that both Finn and Clarke have been gone for far too long from hunting. 

Good, a distraction. I thought to myself before seeing Raven and Bellamy tag along. Raven gives me a respectful smile, as if she were trying to justify something to me. The longer I look at her, the more it makes sense. She didn’t sleep with Bellamy because she liked him, she wanted to get over the heartbreak of Finn. But why would she care, why would I care? I don’t have feelings for him? She walks with Octavia while I’m regretfully stuck with Bellamy. He carries his gun like it’s life support and I refuse to meet his strong gaze that seems to stair directly into my soul. His strong gaze makes me feel uneasy which is odd because I’m usually use to such facial reactions. But I can’t deal with it, walking in on such an intimate moment, whether he thought it was that or not. 

“You won’t look at me.” He says and I can’t help but roll my eyes. “Congrats, Sherlock. You’ve once again stated the obvious. Do you want a reward, or something?” Bellamy grabs my arm to get my attention and I try not to flinch at the sudden action, it’s not hard but it was definitely something I wasn’t ready for. “Why won’t you look at me? See something you like?” He has the audacity to wink and wiggle his brows up and down suggestively. This time I glare up at him with a fiery passion before ripping my arm out of his grasp. “Get your head out of your ass, Blake. You’re not my type. I won’t look at you because some people actually see sex as something important, not something to be thrown around willy nilly but at the end of the day it is your choice. I do not judge, I don’t have the right. Your sex life, or there lack of, has nothing to do with me, and I’d like to keep it that way. And finally, Bellamy Blake, I wouldn’t touch you with a thirty-nine and a half foot pole.” 

I march ahead of him, already exhausted with our childish bickering. “You sure about that, princess?” When he says it, I have swallow back down the bile that’s started to form. It sounds so much better coming from Dimitri’s soft lips rather than his. “It’s queen to you. You, Blake, remind me a Russian doll, full of yourself.” He’s about to retort but his radio cut him off. “There’s someone in the bushes.” Raven says, quietly. For a moment, we forget about out love/hate relationship. My heart is thumping out of my chest at every step I take, bow and arrow strung at the ready. Octavia and Raven get to the location first before we run directly into Miles, the other kid who was with Clarke and Finn when they ventured out. I kneel down and lift his head up before feeding him some of my leftover water. There’s an arrow wedged in-between his arm-pit and shoulder, along with one just above his knee, burred deep in his left thigh. “Miles, where are they? Clarke and Finn?” Raven asks with hope in her eyes.

Miles barely gets the words out, but I almost wish he hadn’t, maybe then the truth wouldn’t have been set in stone the way it now feels. “G-Grounders..took them..” I watch as all three of their faces go from their bright color to a cold, clammy white. “Take it easy. We have to get him back to camp.” Bellamy says, and if I’m being honest, I’m surprised that it comes from him. Ninety-five percent of the time, I think that he doesn’t possess a heart whatsoever. “Bell, what about Clarke and Finn?” Octavia asks, looking between her brother and I for an answer. I’m to busy dipping some leftover alcohol onto his wounds to respond, and honestly I don’t know what to do. Raven gets up, looking pale and to the point of tears and I force my gaze away when Bellamy follows her lead, speaking so softly, it was almost inaudible. “Raven, I’m sorry..” 

The way he says it makes me think he’s got something to do with it, even though he doesn’t. Bellamy has a bad habit of feeling guilty for things that’ve happen that he has no reason to be guilty for. “We need to make a stretcher-” Raven says before walking off to do just that. Octavia and I work on Miles’ injuries while Bellamy radios Monty. “Monty, we’re heading home, do you copy?” When he doesn’t respond right away, Bellamy gives me a worried glance. “Monty?!” This time Raven and Octavia stop what they’re doing to look at the radio, waiting for a response, only for it to be silence. He keeps asking over and over again but there’s nothing but silence. We carry Miles back to camp and I can’t help but smile at the sight of one of my two favorite boys. “(Y/n), you’re back!” Jasper exclaims before giving me a warm bear hug. 

Everyone around him watches in shock as I hug him back, not use to me displaying affection of any sorts. “Good to see you too, Jasper.” The longer I’m here, the more I realize that I’m like a mother to many of the kids here, matching Bellamy’s age, I’m one of the oldest, too. “You hear anything else about Monty?” He asks with hope in his eyes which quickly vanishes upon seeing my sad expression. “I’m sorry, Jasper. I haven’t heard anything yet since I returned with Bellamy, Raven and Octavia. But if I know them, they’re tough as hell. Monty’s a genius, Clarke is smart and Finn is a phenomenal tracker. If I can get out of the grounders grasp, then I know they can, too. We’ll go searching for them in the morning, I promise.” He nods, thanking me before helping Raven out with the explosives. Just when nobodies looking, I sneak right back out of camp. 

Nobody else is going to die, not Clarke, not Finn and not Monty. Though it’s quite dark and ominous out, I feel more alive than ever. My heartbeat is pumping so loudly I’m afraid someone would hear it. Just over the hills, I notice two faint flickers of light, bright enough that it gives off a orange-ish yellow hue around the area. As I creep closer, my suspicions are confirmed. A grounder group with Clarke chained in the middle, about twenty men along with the woman Clarke and I spoke to, Anya, I believe, at the bridge. I watch as another man comes from the left flank, jumping from the hill to yell down at her though it’s not loud enough for me to hear. Once done bringing down one of the many grounder leaders with just his words, he takes a step forwards towards Clarke with the intent to kill, stopping abruptly when a light from across the mountains lights up and fear washes over both Tristan, I believe, and Anya’s eyes before they leave Clarke alone for one of Anya’s soldiers to kill. 

Once she’s gone, I make my way over to Clarke as one of the grounders stalks towards her, knife in hand. The rest of the grounders leave back down to the river. The second they do, I strike down, kicking him in the side before punching him square in the jaw. He stumbles back, obviously not ready for the attack before pulling his hand up, almost in attempt to stop me. Before I can hit him again, he peels off his mask and I can’t help but gasp. “Lincoln?” Grazing his jaw with his right hand, he scoffs. “You have a mean right hook. Come quickly. Finn’s not far. Help me carry Clarke.” I nod along to his words, wrapping myself in the cloak to disguise my face before lifting Clarke up and onto his horse, jumping on right after. I’m not sure how far we’ve ridden but before I know it, we stop at the highest hill where one of the fires burns brightly. 

Once Lincoln unties Clarke’s bounds before she runs over to Finn. When they look back at us, I remove my cloak when he takes off his mask. “Lincoln? (Y/n)?” I smile and pull Clarke into a warm hug. “It’s good to see you too. We have to go. Now.” With a quick slap the hip, the horse is off in the other direction while we run back to camp towards somewhere safe. My heart is thumping in my throat and I can barely breath, but for some reason I feel more energetic and alive than ever. I’m more adrenaline than I am human at this point as we run from possible death. I can hear the grounders barreling towards us from behind, not close enough for them to reach but not far enough either. Lincoln pushes away a set of leaves, leading to a tunnel. Clarke and Finn follow but I don’t. “I’m meet you guys back at camp. I need to go somewhere first.” They’re about to decline but I’m too persistent. “Don’t worry, I’ll be fine. I know these woods better than you think. Thank you, Lincoln.” 

I say to him before running in the opposite direction, away from both my friends and my enemies. Heading to the one place that might have exactly what I need that might slow the grounders down, a poison, something. However as I arrived at Dimitri’s cave, a group of grounders, ones I hadn’t recognized, were attacking another who wore a bright blue bandanna that wrapped around his shoulder. My eyes go wide at the realization that that little boy was from Dimitri’s clan. The older grounders are yelling at him in their language and I can only pick up a few words here and there before I wrap my scarf around my face and prepare to attack. Drawing my bow and arrow, I fire at their shoulders, catching the two off guard as they plummet to the ground. Jumping from atop one of the hills, I crash down with my sword, screaming. Despite my recent injury, I move swiftly, grunting here and there when one of them hits my shoulder. 

The fight doesn’t last long before I’m standing in front of the young boy. I put my weapon away and remove my mask to let him look at my warm eyes. “Hey, I’m not going to hurt you, okay? Let’s get you home-” I say, crouching down for him to take my hand. His eyes shift from the grounders bodies over my shoulder and then back at me, slowly lacing our fingers together. The more I look at him, the younger he looks. Roughly less than the age of eight. I’m not sure where we’re going but he leads the way, practically running to the point where I have to skip after him. He refuses to let go of my hand the entire way before we stop right in front of a set of trees and I don’t go any farther despite the fact that he wants me to come with him. I crouch down and rest my hand on his cheek. “You need to go home to your family, okay? I need to go back to mine. Stay safe, alright?” 

I stand up to let him go but before I get the chance to move, he wraps his arms around my body before running the extra mile home. The entire run back to camp, I think solely about that boy and what he was doing out there at night. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that he looked quite similar to Dimitri, except his hair was dirty blonde instead of Dimitri’s natural color. I remembered being that scared little kid, never knowing how to defend myself or fight until I forced myself to learn. I grimace at the memory before arriving back home. Octavia’s at my side before I know it, Bellamy not too far from us. “Murphy’s got a gun and has Jasper trapped in the drop-ship. Bellamy’s agreed to trade himself.” Before I can stop him, he’s already halfway up the ramp. I don’t know what made me do what I’m about to do but I run in the opposite direction and jump over the gate before it closes, hitting the tarp and the ground with a loud, painful thud before standing up to meet the end of a gun. “How nice of you to join us, princess.” Murphy says with a wicked grin while another boy smiles up at me. Trevor. 

(I hope you guys liked it!! Please comment below! I really appreciate the feedback!) 

[askauradonprep]

Descendants Book Read Along - Isle of the Lost. Chapter 9

- Apparently all Evie’s clothes are blue, as she had to examine them for the party and her mom gave her a three hour makeover. Oh god.

- Evie’s mom is the reason Mal wasn’t invited to the party. Interesting...

- Apparently the Isle goes out of their way to discourage empathy. Of course they do. Look, Isle citizens, it’s one thing to be born without empathy. You can’t help that and it doesn’t necessarily make you a bad person. However, I know for a fact that they also discourage compassion and are discouraging empathy so you can get your kids to be awful to each other so I am seething.

- Apparently Evie does look up to Mother Gothel. Vindication tastes like skittles.

- Apparently Grimhilde has a grudge against Maleficent and that’s why Mal wasn’t invited. So, probably over influence on the Isle. Evie also wonders why her mom thought now was aafe to leave - Evie, there were no guards keeping you in there and people REGULARLY defy Maleficent. I don’t think anyone cares.

- Evie’s used to freaky things in the dark because of her mother’s taste in decor which involved skulls, hidden things with yellow eyes, etc. I am concerned. Also, I don’t know if I mentioned this in earlier chapters, but Evie regularly keeps secrets from her mom when she knows her mom would be mad.

- YUP the closet’s full of fur traps. Ones that can snap your leg in two. Evie tries to open the door but is locked in. 

- Evie starts slowly moving through the closet because there’s a door at the other end, accidentally snapping off a couple traps, one of which grazes her knee but the others she dodges. 

- She accidentally knocks one which starts setting the others off like dominos, forcing her to run. One almost gets her heel, another one her stocking. Geez, okay, fine, Mal does something genuinely evil, not just grade school bullying. It only took her almost a third of the way into the book. Yes, I’m still making fun of her for mostly being a punk. :P

- Evie gets through the door and walks right smack into a bunch of coats - skunk, sable, mink, ocelot, etc. She freaks for a bit, thinking its a bear, before she realizes it and tries to escape the tangled up furs she’s stuck in. Carlos pulls her out to the other side.

- Evie gets snarky when he asks if she’s okay! She says she is and asks if she won the game. Carlos says Mal’s going to be mad she’s alive. Well, too bad for Mal. 

- Carlos sleeps in a dressing room with a bunch of chore equipment on the other side of the fur traps. Eeeeeeek. Cruella, what in the WORLD is wrong with you? Evie even comments that she sleeps better than that and has a real bed! I’m gonna chalk the real bed stuff up to her being sheltered though. That’s not a Cruella thing, that’s a universal poverty thing. Jay doesn’t have a bed either (Although Carlos isn’t sleeping under heavy tv sets that can fall and crush him so...point, Cruella?)

- ‘relatively soft’ pillows. I see that, Evie. So yeah, Evie is also slightly better off than most on the Isle.

- Most houses aren’t insulated for winter. Hell Hall and Evie’s home, both of whom are slightly better off just by size, are not. HOW ARE PEOPLE ON THIS ISLE STILL *ALIVE*? 

- Also, when Evie mentions bright sides to Carlos’ room, she calls it cozy and says he’ll never catch a cold if he uses the furs as a blanket. Sick = sucky on the Isle. I do enjoy getting fuel for my head canons. <3 

- Carlos isn’t allowed to touch the furs. Of course not. Unless he’s washing or fluffing them I suppose. 

- *sigh* Yup. Grimhilde tried to challenge Maleficent’s ‘leadership’ on the Isle and that’s why she wouldn’t invite Mal, because she was jealous nobody followed her. This is ‘unheard’ of. I’m just going to copy paste my rant to @kidofhallowart: Nope, it's too late. It's a third of the way into the book, you can't establish this now. After showing us that there are TEENAGERS who regularly disrespect her. JAY STEALS FROM AND ASSAULTS HER GUARDS REGULARLY. EVIE JUST WALKED OUT THE DOOR. Okay, fine, maybe Grimhilde and Maleficent worked something out, but nobody else knows that. As far as they know Evie just walked out the door one day and flouted Maleficent's so called authority. And even if Maleficent doesn't care about her guards, OTHER PEOPLE will get the idea they can get away with scorning her. Also - even if Maleficent is the sole ruler, she should be REGULARLY fearing for her life and her daughter's life. WHY HASN'T HOOK OR GASTON OR CLAYTON OR SYKES JUST SHOT THEM?! SHE DOESN’T HAVE MAGIC. SHE CAN STILL DIE. tl;dr - Yeah, no, I’m refusing to believe it. You’ve already shown us people regularly disrespect her authority. You’ve already shown us her authority is basically just yelling at people and having lots of minions. Neither of those an undisputed ruler make. The movie’s also show us Mal has her own territory that isn't her mother’s, thereby establishing that yes, there is territory not belonging to Maleficent (and there’s probably others). I’m willing to believe she rules a good chunk, but not the whole Isle and not undisputed. I can believe a lot of people are afraid of her or would rather not cross her but that’s not the same thing as obeying a sovereign ruler. Evie believes it because she was imprisoned at six and Carlos is afraid of her. They can say it all they want, I’m STILL ignoring this. :P

- Evie goes to fix her makeup. Ow. 

- Carlos says Mal will get over it. Carlos, honey, Maleficent’s family gets over NOTHING. Evie says that too. She wants to go home and never come out. </3 Screw you, Mal. I love you but screw you in this instance. And Evie knows she won’t be allowed by mom to stay home forever. 

- Evie offers to give Carlos her old comforter and thinks that if she ever had a little brother, it wouldn’t be so bad to have a little brother like Carlos. She says it would be ‘tolerable’ but she so clearly thinks it'd be alright. Excuse me, I need to go cry and melt and cry more. She tries to take it back when he stares at her but STILL.

- Carlos accepts because nobody’s ever cared if he was warm or not. Owwwwwwwww. Not that Evie CARES of course - caring is against the rules of Dragon Hall and would turn a person into a laughing stock. Of course. They were just going to throw it out so may as well use Carlos’ home as their dumpster, right? Wink wink.

- Carlos asks if they were going to throw out a pillow too and accidentally admits he’s never owned one. He tries to cover it by saying he’s had many but they had to throw them out. Evie says they were going to throw out a pillow. She blushes and feels a warm, sunny feeling in her chest. The phrase ‘taken over’ sounds like its new to her. It’s called friendship, honey! </3

- Evie asks about his machine so he goes to show her his lab. Outside the party. Honey,  Carlos, maybe try to keep that in check? But he holds the door open for Evie which is SUPER CUTE. He lights a candle with a match to see in the weedy backyard. He assures her he doesn’t sacrifice toads which I find concerning about Isle science.

- Carlos has a tree house. So apparently there ARE tress on the Isle. I mean, like, its a Dark Forest which never means anything good. Carlos’ has mini turrets and a balcony to look over the forest. Carlos uses it as a lab so his mom won’t take the chemicals for makeup and hair products. There’s jars, vials and beakers full of neon coloured liquids and a tv with about fifteen different antennas stuck to it. Evie asks what one is and Carlos says he tried to use it to make a sponge when mixed with water (he took it from Chem Lab). He brought her here to see the machine to poke a hole in the barrier though, so lets see it.

- The box doesn’t work - it sputters and dies. Evie points out two wires are in the wrong place and a powerful electric burst knocks them against the wall and to the floor. It bursts through the roof and into the sky. Apparently Maleficent’s name is a swear word (at least to Carlos). They also say ‘Oh my goblins’ on the Isle because why not? 

- They head out to the balcony where sure enough, the light burns through the barrier so they see the night sky for the first time. There’s a lightning flash, a supersonic rumble goes through the Isle (how many buildings do you wanna bet got flattened?) and the box beeps. A bunch of Disney channel shows go through them - Dog with a Blog, Liv and Maddie and Mighty Med. So Disney channel and Disney XD shows DO exist in Descendants verse, but as tv shows. Neat! And yes, Carlos screams at the dog on tv. Poor baby. Carlos is proud of discovering all the different shows. 

- The box goes dead and presumably the hole closes. But Carlos is so happy it worked, even as he swears Evie to secrecy. He says they could get in real trouble if people found out about the dome. It’s true Auradon would not be happy and they presumably have guards with the garbage ‘supplies’. However, it’d be more likely the others would find out and whoops, Carlos is now forced to work on it 24/7. Evie promises but crosses her fingers behind her back. 

- Carlos asks if she wants to go back to the party and she asks if they have to. Carlos concedes its a good point and tells her her favourite show, the one with the Prince of the Week, is on the Auradon News Network in five minutes, which excites her. 

- The barrier hole awakens Maleficent’s staff for a second, the most dangerous evil weapon. It also frees Maleficent’s crow familiar and her best (first) friend, Diablo. It ends on the note ‘Evil would fly again’ and ‘Evil lives..’ Oooh, ominous!

[summylise]

Cataclysm: Chapter 1

Hey!! So here’s that fanfic I’ve been so excited for (sorry if my reblogs have been annoying you; I’m just super hyper). I tried posting this earlier today but my computer decided to be stupid and mess some things up so I’m going to resubmit it.

(And here is Cataclysm on fanfiction.net)

Tagging: @ftfanfics

Pairings: Nalu (eveentually, I promise), other ships sprinkled in here and there :3

Summary:  Fight and survive. Instinct and her spirits are her only loyal companions. Lucy taught herself that to care is to get hurt; to feel is to die. However, the day she stumbles on a group of rebels, and one hot-head in particular, may prove to be the day that she learns her greatest lesson of all: how to be human. Post Apoc AU (but with a twist). 

Rating: M, smut later? maybe... swearing, death, struggles with anxiety, etc. 

Lucy was just about to plate her chicken parmesan when she first heard it. The faint creak and groan of her ceiling, as if something was standing on it. Lucy paused, placing her chicken on the dining room table. She took a cautious step toward the middle of the room and stared at the origin of the sound. She cocked her head. Since when did her ceiling fan make that kind of noise? Maybe she should tell her landlady about it; if that thing fell without letting that woman know, who knows how much repairs would cost.  The groaning slowly faded into a barely audible hum.

Lucy waited.

The clock on her wall ticked.

Then ticked again.

She was about to blow it off when goosebumps peppered her skin.

A pulse of electricity shot through her, drawing a gasp from her lips. A loud boom jolted her room, throwing Lucy to the ground with a loud oof! Her plate shattered from the table behind her. She pushed herself off of the ground only to be tossed back down by another blast.

“An earthquake? Here?” she exclaimed.

A blood curdling scream ripped through the air and her windows exploded, scattering glass shards across her living room. The girl threw her arms over her head as the pieces rained down on her and sliced her skin. She clenched her teeth and scrambled on shaky legs to her window.

Her eyes widened.

Large blue balls of magic rained down from the sky, laying waste to the once beautiful town of Hargeon. The baker’s shop across the street was completely flattened, the tailor’s next door on fire. Dry heavy heat corrupted the normally cool coastal breeze of the harbor. The stench of rotting eggs clawed at the light vanilla of her candle, strangling its flame.

“This can’t be happening. This isn’t real,” she whispered, wiping a line of sweat from her forehead.

She shook her head and slapped her cheeks, trying to wake herself from this nightmare.

She froze as she watched another globe of magic smash into a warehouse a few doors down from her own. Concrete exploded and shot in all directions. Gas lines ignited and engulfed what was left of the building.

She needed to get out. Who knew how long it would be until her home was next.

Her eyes scanned her apartment before stopping at the table by the door. Lucy raced to grab her boots just as another explosion tore through her living room. Her body was hurled at the front door at full force, slamming her head into the wood. The world went fuzzy. Her head felt light and all she could hear was a sharp ringing that dulled any other sounds.

Everything was floating, as if her brain has turned into a cloud. Cotton muffled any sound that tried to reach her ears. The world was blurry and unfocused; As though it were underwater and she had tried to open her eyes.

She blinked a few times as her vision adjusted. The wails of the wounded and dying cut through the ringing in her ears and blended with the harsh crackling of crumbling structures.

She tried shaking her head but stopped when a throbbing pain shot through her skull. Lucy groaned. She lifted her eyes to where the explosion had emanated.

A now flaming hole sliced through the side of her building, as though someone had shot a gun right through all four floors of apartments. She lifted her bleary gaze through the blackened opening and to the devastation that was her home town.  Everything was burning: trees, buildings, even people.

Lucy gasped and squeezed her eyes shut, trying to pretend that this wasn’t happening. That it was just a dream. Agonized shrieks slashed through the chaos like a knife, carving their way into her head and reverberating throughout her brain. The scent of burning flesh and charcoaled skin tangled with the smell of dried herbs and rotting wood. Its odor burrowed its way into her nose, sticking to her skin, her clothes and seeping into her mouth. It latched itself to her tongue like a virus, passing down her throat and into her body. The smell of perverted death oozed into her pores, absorbing and becoming a part of her.

The blonde coughed and spit, trying to clear the infection from her body. She shook her fuzzy head and slammed her hands over her ears. She pressed her palms against the sides of her head hard enough to make it ache. Their screams didn’t die out. The image of their blistering bodies didn’t disappear. And the smell. That awful, unforgettable smell blanketed her in a layer of grime.

She shuddered.

Lucy reached a shaky hand to her key pouch and whip on the floor next to her. She pushed herself to her feet, stumbling into the wall as the world tilted.

She took one step forward and the world shook again. Lucy pressed herself against the wall, steadying herself.

“What the hell is going on?” she murmured.

The hair on the back of her neck stood on end and another static wave shot through her. With barely enough time to breathe, Lucy launched herself through the gaping hole just before another ball of magic hurtled into the rest of her apartment. She crashed onto the new pile of debris and tumbled to the ground. Her body slammed back to the earth, the breath ripped from her lungs.

She lay on her back, gulping air like a fish out of water. Lucy grimaced at the ache in her back and head that landed on a particularly unforgiving patch of upturned concrete. Hundreds of terrified civilians raced passed her, some screaming hysterically, others scrambling to beat the others to the edge of town.

“Look out!” a man cried.

Lucy’s eyes jerked to where the man pointed and her heart dropped. The pulsing blue orb quickly grew in size directly above her. Adrenaline shot through her like lightning, pushing her up and off the ground. Her legs pounded the crumbling cobblestone streets. She shoved passed several insane people that stopped to gawk at the doom looming overhead. She pumped her arms, driving her legs forward. Her chest heaved, her legs burned, but the only thought running through her mind was to get out of there.

The blonde dove behind the coverage of a nearby pile of rubble. With a heaving breath, she slapped her hands to her ears. Not two seconds later, the magical orb crashed into the cobblestone with a resounding boom, much like an etherion blast. The explosion easily reached her ears, sending the sound echoing around her head. Lucy grit her teeth. The ground shook with the force of the atomic like blast, sending the rubble above her crumbling down. She hissed as a few bricks slit across her skin.

As soon as the sound diminished, Lucy bolted down the street, racing for the edge of town. She passed many of her favorite store fronts: the mom and pop diner she’d spent more time in than her own apartment, the boutique that sold her her first whip before later receiving a new one from Virgo, the magic shop where she bought Plue. Now they slouched beneath tons of debris like the well-worn sofa that once rested in her living room. As she neared the diner, a splash of red shimmering with the setting sun caught her eye.

She slowed, immediately wishing she hadn’t. The minute she saw a the mangled remains of what most definitely was an arm, she was off again. Adrenaline and disgust fueled her sprint. Bile rose at the back of her throat.

She knew that hand. She had seen it every time he had scooped a spoonful of her signature cherry yogurt into her favorite glass adorned with intricate flowers carved into its crystalline surface. She’d seen his aged yet smooth hands everyday for the last eleven years. But the thing that distinguished him the most, the thing that he refused to remove, was the woven pink bracelet Lucy had given him on his fiftieth birthday.

She collapsed against an empty underpass, a cry crawling its way passed her lips. Tears stung her eyes, threatening to release. Dozens of people raced by, ignoring the girl losing it in the shadows. Lucy squeezed her eyes shut, shaking her head roughly. She slapped a hand over her mouth to try and stop the sobs that wracked her body.

Wake up. Wake up. Come on!

She slapped her cheeks together, ripping her from her feeble mindset.

There’s no time to sit around and mourn the dead. You have to get out while you still can or you’ll end up like one of them.

She stifled her sobs, wiping her nose on her tattered sleeve. She shook her head again and pushed the image of his broken arm out of her mind. There’s no time to think about that.

Lucy pressed her lips together in a fine line and pushed off of the wall, bracing her legs for more sprinting. No more distractions. Focus on them after you escape.

She thrusted her feet forward, driving them into the rough, cracked sidewalk.

Only a few more blocks and you’re there.

Adrenaline coursed through her veins, kicking her legs into high gear. She didn’t feel the burn in her muscles nor the ache in her lungs. She didn’t feel the metal and rocks that slashed at her calves and feet, leaving streams of blood trailing down her leg despite the coverage of boots. She pumped her arms, determined to get out of town before it was completely crushed.

She turned the last corner and almost slammed into the back of a panicked and wounded civilian. All of the people trying to escape the chaos behind them crowded at the gate of Hargeon. The cloud of arguing and pleas for escape churned together to create a cacophony of pandemonium. Lucy peered between heads, trying to get a look at what was blocking the only exit. People pushed at her in every direction, their mere proximity setting her on edge. Clenching her teeth, she forced her way through the crowd, ignoring the rising amounts of protest as she pressed forward. Children screamed in confusion. Men bellowed distressed comments at the blockade and women cried, pleading to save their children.

As she neared the culprit of the blockade, their cries became clearer.

“Please help us!”

“It’s not safe anymore!”

“My home is destroyed! Where else can I go?”

“My children are dying!”

“I thought you were supposed to help us!”

Lucy narrowed her eyes and clenched her teeth. So it was people holding the civilians back? People were refusing to help anyone?

“Please, calm down!” a new voice boomed. “We need you to head back to your homes and stay inside. The council is taking care of this.”

Lucy pushed through the last line of people and came face to face with the people responsible for the blockade. The man in charge stared down at the crowd with sharp eyes and clenched his jaw. He rolled his shoulders back and straightened his posture as he peered at a particularly angry civilian. He was trying to be strong and commanding in the eyes of the people but Lucy could see right through him; he was terrified. She could tell in the way he would run a hand through his already ruffled white hair, the way he clenched his fists when they started shaking, the way his eyes widened a fraction when a large violet orb smashed to the ground a few blocks from where they stood.

He stood on top of an overturned carriage surrounded by his equally stoic guild mates. To his right was a small girl with pink pigtails and hands on her hips, scanning the crowd with narrowed eyes. To his left, a man lifted his hand and furrowed his obnoxiously large eyebrows. Lucy winced as she felt a barrier cut off her hold on her magic, as if an invisible wall was preventing her from reaching her spirits. She felt her body falter from lack of magic. He must be an Anti-Mage, a mage that specializes in nullifying magic.

He’s probably using it to keep other mages from attacking, she thought.

“Go back to our homes?” someone protested. “There’s nothing left! My house is gone!”

“How can we go back with those things destroying everything?” another civilian chimed in.

The crowd roared in agreement. They rushed forward, pressing Lucy to the wall of the carriage. She gasped as the air was forced out of her at the sheer force of the horde of people desperate to escape. The carriage rocked violently and the wizards atop its roof were thrown off, colliding with the dirt with audible grunts. Elbows rammed into her back. Bodies pressed her farther into the wood, choking off her air. Lucy gasped, trying to suck in any air she could but the considerable amount of people driving her forward suffocated anything she may have breathed.

Desperate fingers thrust to her waist between the mess of limbs trapping her to the carriage. She grasped the first key she could lay her hand on. She grasped again at her magic and this time, gripped it with all her might.

“Open! Gate of the Golden Bull!” she choked out. “Taurus!”

A flash of golden light erupted from Lucy’s position beside the fallen carriage. A large cow appeared with a resounding moo! Without hesitation, Taurus swung the flat of his extremely large ax, effectively forcing the impending mob back a few feet. Lucy heaved as air raced back into her lungs. Her eyes watered at the sudden intake of air and her hand instinctively shot to her throat.

“How ya doin’, Miss Lucy?” Taurus asked, without taking his eyes off the crowd. The mob quieted a fraction, shocked at the sudden appearance of not only a wizard but of her celestial spirit as well.

Lucy coughed but gave him a thumbs up.

“Better now, thanks to you,” she said, her voice gaining strength.

The white haired man groaned from behind the carriage as he pushed himself back atop its roof. He stared down at her, this time not bothering to hide his startled expression.

“You’re a mage?” he questioned.

Taurus turned and took a protective step forward but Lucy waved him off, her eyes not leaving the man.

“Nevermind that,” she said, cutting him off before he could continue. She turned to face him head on, her own brows furrowing. “Why are you preventing these people from leaving? This place is clearly unsafe but you’re still here? Are you really that blind?”

The man stopped, his mouth forming a round “o”. His eyes shifted from the people to the dark magic wreaking havoc then to Lucy. A bead of sweat made its way down the side of his face.

“Well…” he started.

Lucy felt that all too familiar static wave pass through her. Heart leaping into action, she turned to the crowd and screamed for them to duck. The citizens screamed as the orb of violet magic sped towards them and slammed into the earth. People were thrown into the sky like ragdolls sent flying into the air only to impact with a loud crack. Lucy threw herself to the ground, her arms flying over her head. Pure heat waves slammed into them, almost lifting them off the ground. She ground her teeth and pressed her fingers harder into her skull.

The heat slowly dissipated yet many more civilians scrambled forward, trying to force their way past the blockade. Taurus shot to his feet and lifted his ax to push back the desperate people.

“You’d better get a moooooove on, Miss Lucy. I don’t know how much more I can take,” Taurus called over his shoulder, grunting with the force of people.

“Don’t you see? Hundreds, if not thousands, of people are already dead and many more are going to join them unless you move,” Lucy tried again, her cries turning desperate. “Please!”

The white haired leader blinked and cleared his throat. He shifted the blue cloak around his shoulders and pressed his lips into a thin line. He knew this was wrong; why couldn’t he just disobey the council this much? Was he really willing to let innocent people die because of his bull-headedness?

“We are simply not allowed to let the citizens to leave. Council’s orders,” he stated, a fake steadiness returning to his voice.

Lucy reeled back and felt Taurus tense. Even after he saw everything, he still wouldn’t move?

Frustration boiled inside her.

“Are you insane? Why would the council do that?” she argued, taking a threatening step forward.

The man slapped a fist to his palm in an instant. Mist flowed around his hands, signalling the beginning of a spell. The rest of his guild mates, now recovered from their falls, readied themselves for a fight.  Lucy paused and the crowd seemed to take a tentative step back.

“Don’t take another step,” he warned, his eyes narrowing.

She slowly lifted her hands from their positions on her keys. Taurus tried to again step between the two but, just like before, Lucy stopped him. Even if she wanted to, she couldn’t take all of them on. They probably wouldn’t be powerful individually but as a guild, they could do some major damage. And with Lucy’s magic coupled with the hundreds of non-mages surrounding them, the only way any confrontation would end would be in more chaos. Something they all really didn’t need.

Lucy sighed and lifted Taurus’ key. She tossed an apologetic look over her shoulder before closing his gate. No sooner had his gate closed did Lucy turn back to the mages.

“I didn’t come here for a fight,” she began slowly, “but you can’t just leave these people to die.”

And I’m certainly not going to sit around and do nothing. Who cares what the council says, she thought.

She turned to face the throngs of people and took a daring step towards them. She took a deep breath, ignoring the lone drop of sweat sliding down her spine.

“I’m going to be going back to the city to look for another way out,” she yelled to the crowd.

Each head turned to face her. Normally, she would be intimidated by the eyes on her, now that she was speaking instead of fighting. But this wasn’t normal. This was a matter of life or death and she couldn’t get hung up on fear, no matter how small.

“We can’t just wait around and hope something happens. Follow me or don’t. Doesn’t matter. I’m getting out of this city and if you’d like to still be standing tomorrow, I’d suggest you come too,” she exclaimed.

Without a glance back, Lucy started forward. The startled non-mages slowly parted, allowing her passage. She steadily made her way out of the crowd, carefully making sure she didn’t trip on any of the wounded in her path.

At first, she was only met with silence and the astonished faces of civilians. She bit her lip.

“Excuse me?”

“Miss! Wait for me!”

“I’m coming too!”

Lucy stopped and breathed a sigh of relief. She slowly turned to see a small circle of people surrounding her. She  smiled to herself. Though she hadn’t expected many people to listen to her, she was pleasantly surprised to see this group that put their blind trust in someone they had just met. Maybe it was just because she was a mage? Or because of her willingness to stand up to the bullies? Or even her determination to find a way out of this poor destroyed town?

At this point, it was probably because most of them were just as scared and crazy as she was.

She scanned the small group, connecting with each of their eyes.

“Ok. If we’re going to leave, we’d better do it now before this gets any worse,” she said.

They nodded and she turned. Her tattered boots kicked up loose dirt behind her as she took off again.

~~~

“Come on!” she urged through desperate pants. “We're almost there!”

She had to keep them going even though she had no idea where there was.

Lucy's heart was about to burst out of her chest. Her lungs barely had the chance to keep in air before it was roughly heaved out again. That last crash had sent debris flying in every direction, giving her one hell of a gash across her forearm and almost taking a chunk out of her thigh. The first woman that had joined her group lay somewhere buried beneath rubble a few blocks back. A few men had attempted to free her but the woman refused to let others die for her. With an aching heart, Lucy had forced herself to turn from the scene and push off again.

You can't cry yet. You're almost there. Just keep pushing, she thought.

She pumped her arms, urging her legs to follow. The group of civilians had kept up with her pace for the most part but that orb that almost hit them seemed to kick them into gear. Now, Lucy could practically feel their wheezes on the back of her neck.

Her eyes snapped to her surroundings, trying to make sense of the demolished town. She wasn't sure there was a way out. The only road out was blocked by those stubborn mages. The docks we're useless; they’d passed the scattered remains of boats and splintered wood peppering the beach a few streets back. The town pretty much trapped itself in, save for the forest to the south.

Her eyes widened.

The forest.

And that was about two blocks away.

She pushed herself even farther, if that was even possible at this point. If they could just make it there, then they would be safe. Hopefully.

“We're going to the forest! Hopefully that will at least give us a way out!” she cried over her shoulder.

She jerked her body sharply to the left, rounding another corner. Tops of green pine trees came into view as she crested one last hill. She smiled. They finally had a way out. They could make it.

One more block and then…

Electricity shot through her, ripping the grin from her mouth. She stopped abruptly, whipping her head around to try and find the source of the strong magic.

Her mouth and heart dropped.

“DUCK!” she screamed just as a particularly vicious magic ball crashed into the building mere feet from her.

She lifted her arms instinctively to her face before she was lifted off the ground and hurled into the side of a crumbling apartment building.

She felt something rip into her gut and bricks tumble onto her body.  The world fell silent.

A/N: So? What did you think? Did I do alright? Is this all legible or does it sound like a caveman wrote it? I have no idea anymore; I can't even begin to tell you how many times I have read and reread this dang chapter. But it's whatever. Ummmm what do I say now? Oh yeah!! Comments, likes, reblogs, all that jazz really helps motivate me to write more and faster and I really appreciate the support!! Keep in mind though: I'm a full-time student with a part-time job so I don't have a lot of time to write. Be patient!! Don't worry!!

WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO LUCY??

WHY DOES THE WORLD SEEM LIKE IT'S HAVING A PISSY FIT??

AND MORE IMPORTANTLY, WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON??

JOIN US NEXT TIME ON: CATACLYSM 

[autumnpawtribe]

Complications Part 5

((TW: Suicide, etc))

The Apartment was opulent to say the least.  Traditional Zandalari design, trimmed with gold and the reds, greens and blues of the Zanchuli were all over the large space, several bedrooms to the side and a large kitchen on the other side.  In the middle were chairs and a low table, full formality in this home.  The space was kept pristine, servants dismissed for the night.

However, it was loud, a young girl covering her ears, light blue eyes closed as she tried to block out the screaming.  Her hair was pale white and her face resembled a certain beloved prelate, except the scene looked more like when he had one of his panic or anxiety attacks.  Her face was scrunched up and her body rocked back and forth as she tried to keep the image of her mother, trying to protect her youngest daughter, was smacked across the face.

"I do not know where Naddja or Janaret are!  I have not heard from either of them in weeks!"

Mala'ket stood, tall, proud and grim-faced as he watched Jansevet beat his own wife.  If Vol'raka were Zandalari, this would be how he looked, without the stoic and sour face and much shorter hair.  The Zanchuli acolyte had heard things about the son and daughter on the Elder Prelate of Rezan, a servant of the Old Farraki General.  He did not find much information on the whereabouts of his wife, but he'd gotten information out of one that was stalking him.

"Then who is this pandaren and lesser troll that has been seen around Janaret's apartments.  'Strange' sounds have been heard.  They say he is... mating with pandaren and Darkspear of all things.  Both males."  He'd found the goblin that was supposed to find out about him and goblin loyalties were shit.  A little gold and the goblin spilled the beans easily.  "In fact you KNOW he's fucking both.  Don't you, Pahre?"

The woman shook her head as her husband hit her again, screaming.  The elder prelate was red-faced. almost crimson due to his pale skin and hair.  His white braids swung around as he hit her again, causing the older woman to scream and her nose to explode with blood, splattering the wall with the force.  "Your coddling raised a fruit!  He will be married.  He'll get it up for who I tell him to and like it.  No son of mine will be with a Darkspear, let alone a bear or a male!"

Aket moved to sit in a chair, calm and as if there was not two crying females, one bleeding from the lip and nose, on his floor.  “I know the name of one of them, the Darkspear.  Vol’raka.   The goblin gave him up easily.  He didn’t know the name of the pandaren.  I will have to find out more.”

"Pandaren are weak, pitiful creatures.  We killed many in that hole they call a homeland.  I am sure there will be no issues with that one.  We will do what is needed to bring the boy back in line."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"See not take me long."  The two raptor followed their Master, who quietly shifted to 'ignoring' the pandaren as he left the Seal.  "I'll head there and wander near.  Be careful in that house.  I have no idea what is in there.."

Xiao merely nodded as he stepped through the portal. He may draw some looks, a fully decked out Pandaren in stealth gear, but he made sure to drop off the radar quickly. He hopped into the air and summoned his Chi cloud to fly off to the South East, pausing at a large spire on the pyramid and using it as cover to double back around to throw off any trails. Silently he floated under the dark cover of night, looking essentially like a cloud from below, since he quite literally was riding on a cloud. Talk about next level camouflage. Finally he reached the designated area and landed a ways away, taking to the ground now and sneaking by foot. He'd stop once he came in sight of the home, scaling a nearby tree and lingering on one of the branches, masked by foliage. "I think this is the place." He said before letting Vol see through his eyes to see if it was indeed the right residence.

Vol had decided to embrace his jungle troll lineage, perched in a tree to watch, with Valor and Honor snoozing.  He looked just as if a Darkspear hunter, lazing about the city of his very far ancestors.  "Spider on the door? then probably.  Old fuck and asshole both serve the Silkdancer, even if she is dead."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Nielka was helping her mother to clean her face, ducking out into the kitchen with her to heal her as best they could.  The girl did not know how to get out of her life as it was.  She could not handle this anymore.  She knew soon she would be expected to marry, a man too like her sister's mate.  Her tears were gone, there was no point in them.  She wiped her mother's face with a towel, free of tears and blood.  "Muuka, one day it will be ok.  We will be free.. one day..."

"My child..  I have no more hope."  The woman was still young, in her bare forties,  but she was aged thirty years from the hell that was her life.  In that moment, she eyed the kitchen knives not far from them.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Xiao did indeed see the spider from his vantage point, frowning a bit. "I do not have much- okay, ANY experience with spider Loa. I know how to avoid normal detection, do you have any tips for this?"

Vol let his eyes flick over, eyeing the spider.  It was inlaid, but the shine of silk caught his attention.  "avoid the silk. They feel the vibrations.  If you see a spider, move fast and kill the little fucker."

"Oh, it is as simple as killing them? That I can manage." He said with a small smile as he began to slink closer from tree to tree. Vol would likely be quite proud of him, acting like a Troll himself with his tree lingering. Finally he stopped right above the house, finding a tree that hung just over the roof. He glanced around carefully, checking for any spiders other than the one at the door.

"Better to kill it than let them see you repeatedly, hmm?"

Not one spider was seen, but the webs that were woven were massive and intricate.  A large black and blue spider, about the size of Vol's palm, came at the pandaren.  It was on the attack, making a strange hissing sound as it launched itself at the pandaren.  A few others worked their way toward him, sliding down the spindly strands.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Are we expecting someone?"

Jansevet spoke, listening to the children of his Loa as one crawled in and settled in on his ear.  The old male scowled, listening closely, but not hearing anything but the rush of the attacking spiders.  "Whatever it is wont last..."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Xiao's eyes widened to the size of saucers, barely keeping from shrieking. "YOU DID NOT MENTION THE SPIDERS WOULD BE THE SIZE OF A SMALL CANINE!" His words came likely not through just Vol's, but Aret's link as Xiao panicked before steadying himself. After all, they were fucking LAUNCHING themselves at him. He leapt off the tree and summoned his cloud beneath him, just barely avoiding the bite of the spider as he rose into the sky out of their reach. Immediately a flash of red Chi surrounded him before a rather large bolt of Chi lightning struck dead center on the first spider's head and fried its brain from the inside out. He turned his attention the next one and then bit his lip. He couldn't kill them all one by one, it'd take too long. He began to spin around mid-air, almost as if he were doing a spinning crane kick, but instead his body began to charge with the chi lightning. After a single moment of chargeup, it shot out of him like a pulse, lightning sparking out to each creature nearby and frying them into obscurity. Unfortunately a few innocent critters probably got fried in the process, maybe a bird in the tree, but Xiao couldn't afford to spare them when it would risk his own cover.

"I've seen bigger, You've played with larger baby raptors."

"IS EVERYTHING ALRIGHT... Xiao Chun?"  Aret was holding a fussy Tarja, the girl sleeping, but not fully asleep.  She was quietly reaching out to her fathers, sensing them far away and was grumbly about it.

"Its fine, just Shadra's children messing with our love."  Vol actually cringed as he saw the spider die, glad he was not anywhere near Xiao when he was blowing spiders up.  Even from there he could imagine the sound of an internally cooked and exploding spider.  He heard a saurid screech and he made a face.  "Well I’m not out to make friends with Jani tonight.. good thing., hmm?"