#also sorry for the delay!! my brain has been mush but i did really want to answer this

[proton-wobbler]

did u go to grad school for bird biology? if so, what programs or places do you recommend (in or out of the US) for studying wildlife biology?

for a little context, i'm hoping to apply to some grad programs this fall and while ive been trying to break in to science communication for a long time, i really, really miss field work. im hoping to find a program that helps me work in wildlife biology but that also makes good use of my writing skills. not sure if that exists, but if so, pointers are appreciated!

Short answer: yeah, I'm currently doing a Master's program.

As far as school recommendations, I don't really have any. I got lucky and am at a school which has a surprisingly big bird program, but I didn't know that when I applied. I'm kinda oblivious about academics, ironically enough.

But for programs, I would definitely look for a school that does have any sort of science communication degree, in addition to ecology. At my school, our Natural Resources department is a huge catch-all, from ecology, sci-comm, soil science, forestry, habitat restoration- its a little insane tbh. But that flexibility is a gift and a curse. We have a lot of good ecology classes, but I'm not actually sure how robust our sci-comm department is. And writing scientific articles for journals is definitely a different beast than communicating with the public.

I will say, if you already have experience in the field (literally doing field work), check out some of the job posting boards. They are often MS/PhD programs posting, advertising a paid position as well as some level of tuition waiver. Those places would be a great way to narrow your search immediately and start looking, so you could investigate those labs and schools without being overwhelmed by the amount of choice.

The good thing is, a lot of science communicators have come out of diverse backgrounds without the need for a specialized degree. It may be something you can minor in to make sure you take some classes without having to dual major or focus only on sci-comm. I really applaud the desire to get into it, too! We need good communicators in this field. Some scientists are woefully inept at speaking to the public lol.

[deathbydarkelves]

Hi ! I've just discovered your AU, and as an unconditional fan of nigh elves, I'm absolutely fascinated with your worldbuilding.

I wanted to ask, does your AU include the return of the High borns in darnassian society ? How do people view magic and the kaldorei who can wield it ?

So sorry for the delay in answering this! I’ve been struggling with mush-for-brains-itis for the past couple weeks lmao. Thank you for sending this in!!

The way I write it, the Highborne really aren’t a thing anymore. It was an invented category to begin with, a name the elite and powerful gave to themselves. They weren’t any more capable of the arcane than any other kaldorei; they just had the easiest access to arcane literature and artifacts. But they did certainly say or outright believe they were innately gifted. And that was such a widely-spread idea that many kaldorei today still believe arcane ability can vary to that degree (it does vary, but no more than any other trait a person can have. If you have "just okay" muscularity genetics and you work out every day, you're gonna be way buffer than someone with really favorable genetics who never works out, y'know? Lifestyle is what actually matters.)

And there are definitely still people who call themselves Highborne, but the caste system that created them simply doesn’t exist anymore (note: I’m thinking of making modern kaldorei society on a surface level somewhat similar to Edo society), and most kaldorei tend to get weirded out when anyone does start throwing the terms “Highborne” and “lowborn” around. Perhaps for obvious reasons…

So, especially after secession and after Suramar and Kal’thalas (the kaldorei nation) opened trade, a lot of people who called themselves Highborne actually moved to Suramar. There still aren’t any “official” ways to learn magic in any great capacity in Kal’thalas, so Suramar is really the only option for people interested in doing so.

Like I said, I still need to sit down and design the feudal system of Kal’thalas, but I’m thinking it was designed in such a way to discourage a group like the Highborne from ever developing again. That seems like something Tyrande would do. As it is in my head right now — and I know the popular conception of samurai is completely inaccurate to the actual, shitty history — the Watchers function kinda like (romanticized) samurai. Necessarily, they’re also a much larger group in my AU. They own the land, they speak for the people who live there, and they communicate any threats to that land to the Sentinels, Wardens, druids, and each other. To function as a royal in modern kaldorei society, you have to first be deemed worthy of it by a society of centuries- or millennia-old warriors. And even if you get that far, and get through all the training and whatnot, you’re gonna have Maiev and by extension Tyrande breathing down your neck. That’s not very conducive to the Highborne ideals.

The system has definitely failed in the past, it definitely has cracks — there have been corrupt Watchers and even small-scale conflicts. I’m thinking there were even some outright wars during the Long Vigil. Issues can crop up when the ruling Watcher of a region is called away and has to put someone else in their place. But it mostly, usually, on average, works not terribly.

But magic usage is definitely more socially accepted now, as not only the political leaders but the majority of kaldorei in general have seen the other races demonstrate that it can be used responsibly. Younger and widely-traveled folks like Cathala and Tarinne basically don’t even give a shit. You might still get side-eyed as a mage if you’re a little too eager to show off your skills, but you’re not going to get mobbed by the guards lol. Enchanted objects are becoming more and more commonplace, from little glass sculptures that display what tomorrow’s weather will (most likely) look like, to kettles that keep the water at just the right temperature even an hour after you take it off the fire, to… ah, certain kinds of objects used in more private settings (in fact those were probably some of the first enchanted objects ‘on the market’ so to speak and definitely sweetened the deal for a lot of people lmao).

So I suppose in short: technically if you want to call yourself Highborne and practice magic within Kal’thalas’ borders, you’ll get along fine. Just don’t be too cocky about it. And honestly you’ll have a better shot at the kind of life you want to live in Suramar, or by associating with the kinds of organizations that tend to stay in the shadows. Ylrith runs one such organization. And though many kaldorei would disagree (such as Tarinne), the culture has shifted a lot in the short time it’s been exposed to the outside world. Arcane magic isn’t the taboo it was. It’s in people’s houses. Enchanted clothes and food and books on the arcane come with the trade ships from Suramar. There are respected individuals — scientists, doctors, philosophers — who learned the basics of the arcane during Kal’thalas’ time with the Alliance and show again and again how much of a boon this new angle has been to their work.

There are certain forms of arcane magic that get people jumpy. Or really jumpy. Possessing azerite in any amount is strictly forbidden, and any time a natural source is discovered, Wardens and druids swarm the place and no-one really knows what happens after that. But by and large: the arcane is a natural part of the world, and the kaldorei are gradually coming around to accepting that again.

[telehxhtrash]

There’s two funny things I noticed about killugon shippers. 1. Even though everyone seems to think their separation is “healthy” because they’d become codependent, I don’t see this same mindset extending to Killua and Alluka. They’re codependent too, and I don’t see why one relationship is bad and the other is good. 2. People praise Killua trading Gon out for Alluka, but get upset if anyone mentions Gon meeting someone else his age to be his new adventuring buddy. Gon should be allowed to be happy and replace as he’s been replaced. Everything seems one-sided where ppl want Killua happy with Alluka, but are ok with Gon being alone and wallowing in that loneliness and guilt. I don’t get it.

HI ANON I’M SORRY MY BRAIN WAS JUST. not cooperating these past few weeks, that’s why it’s taken me a while to reply.

For the first part of your ask.... I’m gonna have to disagree with you on some parts. I think Killua’s relationship with Gon can’t be compared to his relationship with Alluka. You honestly can’t compare friendship/borderline romance to family relationships. They’re a very different type of love. That’s why I don’t really like it when people say Killua “replaced” Gon with Alluka, or that he cares more about her than Gon. No, he loves them both the same. It’s just different types of love.

I think the main reason Killua's relationship with Gon was codependent in an unhealthy way is because the codependency sparked from lack of self worth. Killua's low self esteem led him to act in ways that were completely self-destructive, almost leading him to death instead of trying to communicate properly. 

I also think that the codependency was reinforced by the fact that at the time Killua's love bloomed, it couldn't be reciprocated. It only led Killua to spiral further and further and completely get stuck in an endless loop of self loathing. That's the main difference with his relationship with Alluka ! Gon couldn't provide Killua with the love he needed at that time, and it led Killua to self-destruction. 

But with Alluka, this love isn't rooted in self loathing. Killua knows Alluka loves him. He doesn't doubt it even a second, because they're siblings. He knows Alluka's love in unconditional. That's why I think him taking some time off and staying with Alluka is a good thing : he'll get to experience unconditional love (not saying Gon didn't provide him with it because Gon did. Gon absolutely loves Killua unconditionally. It's just that Killua can't realize it yet.). And I think this experience will make him grow and learn how to love himself. 

Killua constantly self-sacrificed because he didn't know how Gon felt about him and he felt like he didn't deserve him, but with Alluka, he knows shes loves him no matter what. That's why I don't think you can truly say that Alluka and Killua's relationship is unhealthy. Killua is just looking for comfort in family relationships, I honestly don't see how it's codependency, and I think this will actually lead him to self-love.

So Killua and Alluka's relationship in itself isn't unhealthy. But of course, yeah, I definitely agree, Killua putting making Alluka his entire goal isn't healthy, just as it wasn’t healthy when he put Gon first. I wish Killua would put himself first for once. But I don’t think his relationship with Alluka in itself is unhealthy or codependent. At least, not from what we’ve seen so far ! But I agree, Killua revolving his entire life goal around one person and devoting his entire life to them, whether it be Gon or Alluka, is unhealthy. But I think this reflects that Killua is on the right path but still has a little more growth to do ! He still has to learn that while you can love your loved ones a lot, it's okay to be your own person independently from them. 

In short, Killua's relationship with Gon was unhealthy because Killua felt like it wasn't reciprocated and it led him to act in self-destructive ways. With Alluka, he knows it's unconditional love, and I think this is the push he needs to learn his worth and learn how to love himself completely. Something he sadly couldn't do around Gon, because of his self-worth issues. 

For the second part of your ask, like I said, Gon hasn't been replaced imo.... Different types of love once again. But I think most people don't like the idea of Gon meeting someone new for a few reasons. First, we all know no one can compare to Killua for Gon. Like, Killua is the best friend Gon could ever possibly have made, and no matter who he meets, it'll never run as deep as what he has with Killua. Second, I think the main point of Gon being separated from Killua and being alone on Whale Island, stuck with his thoughts and left to ponder on the "something more important than the thing you're hunting could be right there by the side of the road" line is to open the door to feelings realization. I think, narratively speaking, it's meant to let Gon realize how much Killua means to him. And meeting someone new would defeat that narrative.... Gon is being set to reflect on how much Killua means to him and exactly what he lost, so he can truly appreciate Killua fully the next time they meet. That's why to me, it wouldn't be a good writing choice to let Gon meet someone else right now. Because the focus right now is on how he feels towards Killua ! 

Ty for this ask tho, this was fun to reply to! And sorry for the delay, like I said i had mush brain for a while :(

[evanaaml]

EVGN

Chapter 5: Duty Calls

The sun was now at its highest, and the weather warm and relaxing. In the forest, the wind was blocked by the trees, but the leaves made for enough shade to keep the group of hunters cool and comfortable.

Team EVGN had been walking for hours now, having made their way through the fields of grass and hills in good time. They had yet to run into any Grimm; a pleasant surprise to them. The defeat of the massive King Taijitu was assumed to be a cause of this. Removing a massive source of negativity in an area such as that caused lesser Grimm to move on.

The group had not stopped yet on their travel, but none of them complained. Ordinarily, a party this big would take a few breaks to rest, but their mission was too important to them to allow any delays. They understood this, and pressed on.

The hunters kept their spirits up by telling one another what they had been up to these past couple years. Though they made a point to call or write each other when they could, it was common for them to go silent for months at a time; this left them with a lot of catching up to do. Gael and Eallgréne in particular, having been working solo for those two years, had plenty to talk about.

“So, when I killed the Ursa, just before it smoldered, I took the selfie!”, Gael recalled, a smile across her face at the memory. The group laughed in response.

“Yeah, I remember getting the scroll picture when you sent it. Your photography has gotten a lot better!”, Violette said with a giggle.

“Yeah, still have it as your profile picture on mine”, Nickel said, showing his scroll to the group. It was of Gael, making a kitty face to the camera, with the corpse of a Ursa Major in the background. Catharsis stuck through its body. “Though if you ask me, the one I took with the Beowolf’s head was better”. Gael scoffed.

“You took yours after mine, mine was more original”, Gael said with a jokingly pompous tone.

“Lucky I was there to take it for you; I have my doubts that you would have been able to put your head in its mouth and taken the picture yourself in time before the body disappeared”, Violette explained. She then turned to Eallgréne. “How come you haven’t taken any photos like that, Eallgréne?”.

“Or any, for that matter”, Nickel said with a laugh. Eallgréne gave Nickel a quick glare and then turned his attention to Violette.

“Just don’t think to, I guess. Usually kill the Grimm from a distance anyway, hard to take a selfie with them in time”, Eallgréne answered. Violette thought of this for a moment, putting her finger to her chin.

“I suppose that’s a good point. What if you should put a small camera on the end of your arrow, by the feathers? That could do the trick!”, Violette suggested. Eallgréne chuckled; Violette was always creative in finding solutions to problems, if also impractical.

“I think that’d throw the arrow’s trajectory off a bit, but thanks for the suggestion”, Eallgréne replied.

You could have killed one in close range and done one, we all know you’re a great melee fighter", Gael remarked.

“Well I’m sorry that I don’t have the forethought of taking pictures of my kills. Maybe I’m too busy being a professional!”, Eallgréne replied with a smirk. Gael stuck her tongue out at the archer in reply, which made him and the others laugh. Gael then turned her attention to Violette and Nickel.

“What about you two? Last I heard from you, you took on that job hunting down those pirates off of Anima”, Gael asked. Nickel reflected on the mission.

“Oh yeah, that was something. Yeah, those pirates were raiding small cargo ships going between Anima and Sanus. They weren’t as tough as I would have hoped though”, Nickel recalled.

“Well, we DID take them by surprise on their own ship. No one would have expected that”, Violette argued. Nickel laughed.

“Hehe, remember when you made the captain think he was a Walrus?”, Nickel asked. Gael and Eallgréne looked to Violette in confusion. She sighed and covered her eyes, embarrassed. “Yeah, wicked funny! Used her semblance when the captain refused to stand down quietly. Next thing you know, he’s going on about eating oysters with some carpenter. The look on his crew’s faces!”. Nickel continued to laugh out loud, much to Violette’s dismay.

“You KNOW I’m not proud of that!”, Violette whined to her partner.

“Then why use it? You were never one to use your semblance on humans unless you had to", Eallgréne asked.

“The employers wanted the pirates taken alive; to go through an official trial for their crimes”, Violette explained.

“Which made things difficult when you’re trying to fight an entire ship of pirates while holding back. But boy, when they saw their captain lose it, they couldn’t have given up fast enough! I was her hype man too, told them, “THAT’S RIGHT! SURRENDER NOW, OR FACE THE MIGHT OF THE TERRIFYING VIOLETTE! BEG FOR MERCY BEFORE SHE TURNS ALL OF YOUR BRAINS TO MUSH!”, Nickel added, fighting through fits of laughter.

“Of course, there’s no way I would have had the aura to do that to all of them, even if I wanted to”, Violette clarified.

“But they didn’t know that. Easiest thousand lien I ever made”, Nickel said. Eallgréne turned to Nickel.

“Not that you really needed it anyway, aren’t you both rich?”, Eallgréne asked the duo.

“Listen, there’s no need to bring my family’s economic situation into this”, Nickel exclaimed.

“Parents cut back your heritage again, didn’t they?”, Eallgréne asked with a smirk.

“Yyyep”, Violette answered. Nickel became flustered.

“It’s not like I NEED their money! I have plenty saved up, and I make a decent pay from work!”, Nickel explained.

“And I bet you’d have even more saved up if you didn’t spend it all on cigars and liquor”, Gael joked with a sly smile. Nickel smirked as he pulled a cigar out from his suit jacket pocket.

“What, you expect me to smoke and drink CHEAP products? Puh-lease!”, Nickel mocked. As he said this, he pulled out from his pants pocket a small metal device. He spun it around with his free hand and the device opened up, twirling this way and that. Eventually, it opened to a cigar cutter, which he used to cut the tip off of his cigar. He clenched the cigar in his teeth, then spun the metal device around again, folding it back into place and putting it away. Nickel then dug into another pocket in his pants and pulled out a matchbook. He ripped off a match, ignited it, and lit his cigar.

“Who would have thought that such bad habits were so expensive?”, Eallgréne said with a chuckle.

“Listen, we can’t all be cheap choir boys like you, man”, Nickel retorted, laughing through clenched teeth.

“Eallgréne also has a sister to help, you know”, Gael said in Eallgréne’s defense.

“How is Steorra doing? Is she still running the shop in Vale?“, Violette asked.

“She is. Shop helps her maintain a decent enough income where I don’t need to send her every lien I make, but I still make sure she’s covered. Helps that Beacon’s getting more and more students each year”, Eallgréne explained.

“And I think the shop is good to keep her busy”, Gael added. Eallgréne sighed, looking up to the sky.

“Yeah…she’s so restless. She has the energy and heart of a huntress…but not the body”, Eallgréne said solemnly. It was still a tough subject for him to talk about, even after all these years. He suddenly felt a hand on his arm and turned to see Gael give the reassuring gesture. He smiled and nodded in response. Gael smiled back.

The touching moment, unfortunately, was disrupted by a high-piercing scream.

Team EVGN immediately froze where they stood and turned towards the source of the scream, some distance away through the woods to their left.

“I didn’t sense any Grimm around!”, Violette admitted.

“No time to worry over it now, let’s go!”, Eallgréne commanded.

“What about Vale!?”, Nickel asked as the group started running towards the commotion.

“We can’t leave someone in danger! Vale isn’t going anywhere!”, Gael answered. Nickel sighed.

“…Ergh, damn my moral compass!”, Nickel said to himself.

Another scream echoed through the trees, this one louder. It sounded like a little girl’s voice. There was another voice yelling, which sounded like an older male, accompanied by the growl of Grimm. Running as fast as their feet would allow them, it took only a minute or two for the group of hunters to come upon a large clearing and the source of the chaos.

A little girl stood trapped against a tree. She looked to be about eight, with long brunette hair and blue eyes. She wore a simple red and green dress, suitable for outdoor work. A Beowolf stood mere feet away from her, ready to strike as it growled and showed off its fangs.

Some feet away from this girl was another person, a man in his early thirties; possibly the girl’s father. He was on his back, fending off a separate Beowolf with nothing more than a pitchfork. He wore jean overalls and a red long-sleeve shirt with a black cap on his head. All his clothes were dirty from the fight. He struggled to try to reach the little girl, but could do nothing as the Grimm bit down on his pitchfork, trying to reach the man.

Several other Beowolves came out from the darkness in the woods, attracted to the sounds of dismay. They saw the hunters as well and growled menacingly.

“DADDY!”, the little girl screamed, seeing her father struggle.

“ACQUA!”, the father yelled. He tried to fend the Beowolf off to get to his daughter, but to no avail. Eallgréne turned to Gael.

“GAEL, NICKEL, GET THE FATHER! VIOLETTE, YOU’RE WITH ME!”, Eallgréne ordered.

“GOT IT!”, Gael yelled. She immediately blinked and vanished as Nickel charged towards the father and Beowolf. Gael reappeared right beside the struggle. The man, still fending off the Grimm, turned to the sudden appearance of the faunus in shock. “Don’t worry, I got you! Hold on tight!”, she explained. The father, unable to process her sudden arrival, just nodded.

Gael swung and kicked the Beowolf in the head, pushing it away for just a second; which was all she needed. She put her hand on the father’s chest and the two immediately disappeared in a blink.

The Beowolf noticed its prey vanish and looked around to find it, only to find Nickel fast approach it. He pulled his two revolvers out from under his suit jacket and aimed them at the Beowolf.

“SMILE, SUNSHINE!”, Nickel yelled. He then fired multiple rounds from both guns at the Grimm, striking it with explosive rounds in different parts of its body. The Beowolf fell to the ground in a heap and smoldered away as Gael reappeared on the ground with the father, who was visibly shaken from the sudden ordeal.

“It’s ok, we’ve got you”, Gael told the man. He quickly shot up from the ground and turned towards the little girl.

“MY DAUGHTER!”, the father yelled. Gael kept him from running off into more danger.

“-is in safe hands”, Gael reassured.

The Beowolf that was threatening the little girl inched closer to its defenseless prey. The child pressed herself against the tree, as if in doing so, she would mold through it; the tree held firm however.

The Beowolf swung its claws, the girl winced and turned away, prepared for the onslaught. But the attack never struck. The girl turned back to see Violette standing before her, her lance blocking the blow. The Beowolf stepped back, uncertain of its sudden enemy. The little girl looked at Violette in amazement, her eyes wide in awe at the white armor that seemed to sparkle in the sunlight. Violette turned to the girl and smiled with a curtsy.

“Hello sweetie, my name’s Violette, and we shall be your protectors today”, Violette said politely. The little girl couldn’t help but gasp in glee at the sudden change of events.

Eallgréne, taking advantage of the distracted Grimm, pulled his tomahawks from their sheaths and charged the beast. The Grimm, not yet seeing the green-clad hunter, reared back to lunge at Violette. Eallgréne slid in, one tomahawk shoved into the mouth of the Beowolf to block the bite, the other swung across the arm of the beast, chopping it off. The limb landed on the ground and the Grimm howled in pain.

“GET HER TO SAFETY, VIOLETTE!”, Eallgréne yelled, struggling with the monster. Violette nodded, grabbed the little girl by the arm, and rushed her away from the struggle. This caught the attention of the other Beowolves, which all moved in on the group. “Ugh, just perfect!”, Eallgréne said in annoyance to the added enemies. The Grimm he was fending off tried to bite through to him. “Oh enough of this!”. He swung his free axe into the neck of the beast, killing it. He pushed the carcass away from him and stood up to face the oncoming monsters.

Gael and Nickel, several feet away from Eallgréne, got the father on his feet and backed up, from the Grimm. Violette managed to get Acqua away from the center of the clearing, but stopped when their escape was blocked off by more Beowolves. The knight kept the little girl close to her side and her lance forward to shield them from any potential attacks.

“We’re surrounded!”, Violette exclaimed.

“Any bright ideas!?”, Nickel asked, pulling out from his side an ammo drum. He connected it between his two revolvers and made his machine gun for more firepower. Gael pulled Catharsis off of her back and gripped it tight.

“We do what we always do! Fight till the last one! And like a flood, SWEEP away the Grimm!”, Eallgréne yelled.

“Even in battle, he’s gotta be a poet”, Nickel said quietly with a hint of annoyance and sarcasm. Gael smirked.

“Jealous?”, Gael asked. Nickel scoffed in reply. The Beowolves howled and rushed in.

Eallgréne spun around with his axes in hand, chopping and slicing into the Grimm as he avoided bites and claws. He decapitated one wolf with a mighty swing down, then swung the other tomahawk into the legs of another Beowolf rushing at him from his left, cutting them off and forcing it to topple over other Grimm in a collision. Another wolf lunged in the air, jaws wide open. Eallgréne stood up and swung his axes in an “X”, slicing the head in pieces. Sensing a presence behind him, he connected the handles together, forming a double-ended staff. He swung Folcriht around from under his arm and used the staff to bat away a Grimm that got too close, then lunged forward to stab it in the chest with the tip of the tomahawk.

Violette swung Llamrei with great force, striking several approaching Beowolves and sending them flying. One tried to jump overhead to reach Acqua, but Violette swung her lance upward, causing the Grimm to land directly on the point and get impaled. She swung the lance and threw the wolf into another, sending them both flying. Another Grimm rushed from the right to flank them. Acqua screamed in fear. Violette, unable to swing her lance at such an angle in time, ran in-between and held her arm out. The Grimm latched on to her arm with its teeth and tried to rip Violette’s arm off. The armor on her arm protected her from being punctured by the teeth, but the tugging was taking its toll. She punched the Beowolf in the throat with her gauntlet, forcing it to release her. As the Grimm tried to recover from the severe injury, Violette grabbed her lance and smacked the monster away from her and the child.

Gael jumped in the air and blinked, reappearing some feet away beside a Beowolf. She sliced the Grimm in half, and blinked again just in time to avoid a tackle from another wolf. She appeared in the air above the same wolf with her sword down and pierced it in its spine. As the body evaporated, she jumped back and swung her blade beside her. Looking at weak points in the pack, she lunged and blinked. Darting in small open spaces, she would appear, strike a unsuspecting Grimm, then disappear to avoid retaliation. She repeated this across the clearing, cutting down every wolf she could with speed that surpassed lightning. Stopping in an opening, she whipped off the second half of Catharsis from her side and threw it with great force. It impaled three different Grimm and continued to soar across the battlefield. Gael blinked again, appearing beside the flying sword. She grabbed it in mid-air with little effort; stopping it immediately and causing the three bodies to slide off the blade and fall.

Nickel kept close by the father, knowing that he was his last line of defense. With Gael blinking this way and that, he had to avoid shooting in her general direction. With his cigar still smoking in his mouth, he grinned as he opened fire on the Beowolves before him. Arms and legs would be blown off by the explosive rounds as bodies fell all around them. Suddenly, St. Valentine clicked; the ammo drum was empty. Nickel pulled his revolvers apart and the drum case clanked on the dirt. Seeing that the firing had stopped, the Beowolves moved in. Nickel grabbed another ammo drum, but wasn’t fast enough. A Beowolf lunged at him with fangs glaring. Nickel scoffed. His body glowed a bright white for a second, and then he grabbed the wolf by its throat. The Grimm slashed at Nickel, but its claws couldn’t penetrate his body, merely bouncing off his thick skin. He smiled at the stunned monster, then kicked it in its jaw. Teeth flew out of its mouth as it flew backwards several feet and hit the ground with a thud. Seeing another Beowolf fast approaching, Nickel bent down and grabbed the father’s pitchfork. He spun it in his hand and threw it with great force, stabbing the wolf in the throat and sending it flying, eventually pinning it to a tree. Nickel took this time to reload his weapon.

“There doesn’t seem to be an end to these Grimm guys, have any BETTER ideas!?”, Nickel asked Eallgréne. The hunter had just spun Folcriht across and sliced open yet another Beowolf. He then stopped to think. Nickel was right, despite the number they’ve all killed, more were coming out from the underbrush. They would burn through all their aura soon if they didn’t hurry. He tried to think of a plan that could get them out of this quickly and efficiently. Suddenly, something came to him.

“…How about a St. Valentine’s Day Massacre?”, Eallgréne asked. Nickel and Gael, upon hearing the name, both immediately smiled from ear to ear. Eallgréne himself couldn’t help but laugh at their excitement.

“Hahahaha! YES! TEAM ATTACK, LET’S DO IT BABY!”, Nickel yelled. Eallgréne rushed towards the father, cutting down two Beowolves in his way before grabbing him by the arm.

“BRING THE RAIN!”, Eallgréne yelled to Nickel before running off with the man. He brought him to Violette and Acqua. The father quickly wrapped his arms around his daughter while Eallgréne and Violette went back-to-back to cover them.

“Get down and stay covered!”, Violette ordered the two. The father nodded and covered his daughter, laying on the ground.

Gael ran to Nickel and put a hand on his arm.

“Ready!?”, Gael asked. Nickel loaded his weapon and gleamed.

“TIME TO BRING THE MASSACRE!”, Nickel yelled in excitement. He then opened fire on a group of Beowolves, tearing them apart with his bullets. Gael used her semblance to make herself and Nickel teleport to a different corner of the clearing. Nickel continued to fire, ripping apart a different number of Grimm. Gael blinked again, this time jumping before she did so to allow them to reappear in the air and fire overhead.

The Beowolves were unable to pin-point the source of the attacks before the duo would teleport again. The wide spray of the bullets and change of targets caused Grimm to fall everywhere. Trees that were caught in the crossfire were blasted, branches exploding and falling to the ground, leaves and dirt flying in the air from the small explosions. Eallgréne and Violette made sure that, (even with their teammates careful attempt to avoid them), that the father and daughter were protected from potential missed shots.

The ground shook as the two continued to unleash a barrage of bullets everywhere. What few Beowolves that weren’t killed by the bullets found themselves crashing into others in an attempt to fight back, or were struck by debris. Eventually, Gael stopped blinking, falling to her knees and panting heavily. Nickel, while not exhausted from the blinking, was disoriented and tried to steady himself. St. Valentine hissed from the heat of the intense firing, smoke coming out of the barrel. Eallgréne and Violette stood up, looking over the carnage.

The dust began to settle, showing a massive number of small craters and divots scattered throughout the forest clearing. Trees were heavily damaged, with large branches broken off or exploded entirely. Leaves, small rocks, and dirt were spread out over the entire area. All of the bodies of the Grimm disappeared, leaving nothing but a battlefield.

Looking over the field, Eallgréne almost didn’t notice a lone surviving Grimm dive towards him. In a split second, he pulled apart his tomahawks, turned, and thrust one of the axes up through the lower jaw of the Beowolf. The spike on the top nearly poked out from the bottom of the skull. Before he could react, Gael suddenly blinked beside him, holding up her scroll. She made a little kitty face, sticking her tongue out with Eallgréne and the now dead Beowolf perfectly lined in the shot with her. She snapped the picture, and suddenly collapsed, her body visibly showing her aura depleted entirely. Eallgréne, stunned at her collapse, dropped his tomahawk and caught his partner before she hit the ground; leaving the Grimm corpse to smolder. He held the faunus and looked at her with a mix of concern and annoyance, like unlike a parent to a child.

“You just HAD to use the last of your aura to take that selfie, didn’t you?”, Eallgréne said, scolding her.

“Worth it”, Gael said, giggling in exhaustion, winking at her partner. Eallgréne sighed, though he couldn’t hide his smile. Only she would do something so reckless for something so silly.

“Alright, here, let me help”, Eallgréne said. The archer re-positioned her and then clasped one of her hands into both of his. His hands began to glow, and soon, so did Gael’s. There was silence for a moment before eventually Eallgréne released her hand and the glowing faded. Gael smiled as the two of them stood up slowly.

“Thank you. I hope you didn’t give me too much of your own aura. You’ll need it too”, Gael said.

“Half. We’ll both be tired, but at least we can move”, Eallgréne replied. Gael sighed. She didn’t like him always lending her his aura, especially since he tended to be too giving with it, and made himself worse off by it. But it wasn’t like she could give any back to him. She was truly grateful for his generosity.

That was one thing that never changed in him over the years.

“Well, it was a bit of a detour, but I’d say a job well done overall”, Violette said as she and Nickel approached the two.

“I had fun at least”, Nickel said with a smile, relighting his now cold cigar with another match. “How are you two now?”.

“We can keep moving, but unfortunately we’ll be a bit slower for awhile. We’ll have to hope we won’t run into any more Grimm until we're at one hundred percent", Eallgréne answered. Violette suddenly felt something bump into her. She looked down to see the little girl, who was hugging her tightly. Violette couldn’t help but smile at the sight.

“Thank you for saving me!”, Acqua said sincerely. Violette giggled.

“It was no problem at all, miss”, Violette replied with a curtsey. The little girl giggled herself and did a curtsey back, albeit a bit of a clumsy one.

“Yes, thank you all so much for this. There’s…no telling what would have happened if you didn’t show up”, the father said, approaching the group. He, of course, knew what would have happened, but did not want to say so in front of his daughter. “We were on our way back home from selling produce when we were chased off the road by those Beowolves. The trees cut off our exit and they surrounded us. I tried fighting back, but I’m no hunter”.

“It was nothing, just doing our job”, Gael said with a smile.

“Are the Grimm here normally a problem?”, Eallgréne asked.

“No, that’s the thing. This area has very few Grimm. Us getting chased by Beowolves is very out of the norm for here, let alone by so many of them”, the father explained. He truly was mystified by the ordeal.

“Well hopefully we took out the new guests to the area. Do you have a way back to your home?”, Nickel asked. The father nodded.

“Yes, my truck is right over there”, the father said, pointing to their far right. A old pick up truck was to the side of the clearing. It looked dirty from their escape from the Grimm, and was covered in small branches and dirt from the team attack, but otherwise seemed drivable.

“Ok, you and your daughter should head home now. I doubt any more Grimm will show up, but best to not take any chances”, Eallgréne stated. The father nodded.

“I don’t intend to. What about all of you?”, the father asked.

“We’re on our way to Vale. You need not worry about us”, Violette said with reassurance.

“Then you should all come with. I know you must all be tired from that fight. And I’m actually going to be driving to Vale tomorrow to sell more of our produce at their market. You can rest up at our home, then I can save you the walk tomorrow”, the father explained. The little girl became excited at the idea.

“Can they!? It’d be like a sleepover! Pleeeaaase!?”, the little girl asked, tugging on Violette’s arm.

“It’d be the least we could do for what you’ve done for us”, the father added. Violette was clearly drawn to the little girl, and turned to Eallgréne.

“Well?”, Violette asked.

“It would make things easier on us. And you and I aren’t exactly fit to travel a lot now”, Gael stated. Eallgréne didn’t want to be a bother to the family, but knew that Gael had a point. And if the father intended to go to Vale anyway, it would save them hours on the trip.

“Ok, sure. We thank you for your hospitality”, Eallgréne lamented. The little girl cheered, grabbing Violette by the arm, (and Gael as she passed by her), and pulled them towards the truck. Her father laughed at the sight.

“She’s already a big fan of you all”, the father stated.

“She has good taste”, Nickel said with a smirk.

“My name’s Terra by the way. My daughter is Acqua”, the father named Terra explained.

“I’m Eallgréne, this is Nickel, and the ladies are Gael and Violette”, Eallgréne introduced. Terra tipped his hat to them.

“An honor. Well, we best get moving. I can fit two others in the cab max, everyone else, I’m afraid, will have to sit in the bed”, Terra explained. The men looked to the truck, where Acqua had already entered the bed with Gael. Violette approached a tree, where Terra's pitchfork was stuck in from Nickel's throw. She pulled the pitchfork out of the tree with some force and placed it in the bed of the truck. She jumped in afterwards, and Acqua began talking to the huntresses in awe. Terra laughed. “I guess it’s already decided who sits in the cab!”.

“Can’t complain about that…you’re taking bitch seat by the way”, Nickel said to Eallgréne before walking to the truck. Eallgréne sighed.

End of another chapter! Hope that you are all enjoying the read so far; I’m certainly enjoying writing it! Bit of a side note, but the one and only @gaelfox is making an actual cosplay of her OC, Gael, and it is AWESOME so far! If you haven’t seen it yet, definitely check it out. :3 Let me know what you think of EVGN so far, and I hope to get to the next chapter soon! Until next time!