#and fur and structure absolutely changed as i grew up

[jetra4ivor]

I saw a video talking about why Minecraft seems to have stagnated a bit lately and doesn’t have the same appeal as it once did. It talked about the usual complaints, such as inventory bloat, new blocks, structures, quality of life advancements… but the one aspect I didn’t see them talking about was ABSTRACTION.

I think that as Minecraft has been pushed closer towards reality, we’ve lost the inherent FEAR that comes from the abstract in the old video games Minecraft was emulating its style from.

Maybe it’s because I grew up with Atari as my first console, but there was a level of unnerving fear that was created through the hardware limitations and graphics during that era. Because everything was so abstracted, you let your imagination fill in the blanks. This blocky room with goofy eyeballs became a darkly lit haunted house where monsters could appear around every corner.

And Minecraft is clearly going for this level of abstraction. The entire world is just low resolution pixelated blocks, but there’s JUST enough definition that if you squint your eyes the world seems to mimic our own. It produces an uncanny valley effect that, coupled with survival elements, makes the game absolutely TERRIFYING at times.

And a perfect example of this is the creeper. What a horrifying monster! But the details of what it actually is are obscured through abstraction and pixel limitations. What exactly IS the creeper made of? Some people have interpreted the green blotches to be leaves, others see a wrinkly leather-like texture, others see fur. How do you interpret that grimace? Is is a permanent scowl? A sad mourning? There’s JUST enough detail to make the creature recognizable, but not enough detail to make it perfectly clear to everyone what it’s made of. That’s terrifying!

That so many artists can have such wildly different interpretations of the creeper is a testament to its intentionally unnerving design.

But over the years those terrifying edges have been smoothed out. Textures have been refined to be less garish and harsh. New more recognizable animals have been added. A parrot, for example, looks like a parrot. And just with the colors alone you can tell what kind of parrot it’s meant to be. There no ambiguity. No unsettling interpretation.

And even the enviroment has been smoothed out and changed to reflect reality.

So I think that the reason Minecraft today doesn’t feel like Minecraft of 10 years ago is because too much emphasis has been placed on mimicking reality. Even in the more recent additions these things have real world equivalence which reduce the inherent terror and unease that abstracted environments would evoke. The Nether today is far less scary than the Nether of 10 years ago, even if it’s still as dangerous.

There’s just something really unsettling about a perfectly square house in high contrast mossy cobblestone that you won’t get from a village of friendly NPC’s bathed in soft ambient lighting, you know?

I genuinely believe that Minecraft has leaned too far into realism. If they want people to keep playing longer, it’s not to add MORE structures, it’s to add back in some of the abstracted nature of the original game. Don’t make things inherently clear what they are. Allow people to interpret things in different ways. Stop trying to emulate realistic environments when the trees you cut down don’t even fall over. This is Minecraft! Minecraft is meant to be WEIRD and CREEPY almost like an alien’s failed interpretation of our word.

[s-creations]

The Lost Child - Chapter 6

Once, when the land was young and new, the Gods, the  demons, and the mortals lived together. The world shaped by the battles between the Gods and the demons. Mortals attempting to thrive with what  they could, living on the lands created by beings stronger than them. Eventually creating a connection with the Gods through shrines and  offerings, in turn the Gods granted their protection.

When the  number of demons grew, the amount of power diminished. Those deemed too  weak were cast away. A tentative agreement was reached between those outcasted and the mortals. Demons allowed to live in the structures  mortals had built. It was a slow process, but a calm living was  eventually reached.

All seemed well. Until the Gods and powerful demon suddenly disappeared one morning. No reason, no explanation. Those  left behind having to wonder what could have happened. It was  all…strange. Worrisome. It was a clear sign something was wrong. Now it was just a question of when it was all going to fall apart.

Fandom: LEGO Monkie Kid     Rating: Teen and Up Audiences       Relationships: Shadowpeach, Freenoodles, MK&SunWukong&Macaque, MK&Pigsy&Tang, Mei&MK&Redson     Warnings/Additional Tags: Lots of Characters, Everyone’s here, A lot is going to be changed, Rated Teen for just in case, Found family, Returning to Parents, There’s gonna be fluff and fighting, There’s plot - trust me.

This was not how MK’s birthday should be ending.

 Tang, absolutely frozen with fear, pressed against the restaurant wall. Desperately clinging to Pigsy’s shirt while the chef tried to remain tall. Wooden spoon in hand like a small weapon that would clearly do no damage. Towering over them both was a large bull demon. One that Tang easily recognized. 

 In his scrambled mind that was trying to keep himself grounded in some way, all Tang could think was: Why was the Demon Bull King standing in his home?

 “W-Who?” Tang asked weakly to the bull demon’s demand. Surprised he was able to get anything out with how tight his throat felt. 

 “Prince Xioatian, the Eclipse Child, where do you have him held.” Demon Bull King replied.

 “No one in this building has that name,” Pigsy said quietly, “Now, please leave before I-”

 “Do NOT lie to me!” Tang yelped when a large hand slammed down dangerously close to them. The Bull King’s eyes narrowed as the human hid away further into Pigsy’s back. “The prince’s aura fills this building, I know he is here. So it would be in your best interest to turn the prince over. Now.”

 “Tang,” Pigsy whispered desperately, “Do you have any idea what he’s talking about?”

 “N-No,” Tang replied weakly, “B-But, I do know that’s the Demon Bull King…and we might be in trouble.”

 “Ah…so this is an issue.”

 “Enough of this!” The shout put the attention back to the demon. Growling deeply, as a warning “If you will not tell me here, then we shall see what Macaque says.” 

 Tang got a quick but short thrill upon hearing the Shadow Warrior’s name before it was washed away with fear. Both mortals suddenly found themselves trapped in a purple orb. It was tight and difficult to see outside as something swirled around them. Tang let out a low groan of discomfort as his stomach protested from the sudden movement, closing his eyes. Pigsy instantly shifted as best he could to cradle the human closer as they were carried out. 

 “Where the heck are you taking us? We’ve done nothing wrong!” Pigsy shouted.

 “Says the being whose home is dripping with the prince’s aura.”

 “There’s no prince, you crazy demon! We have no idea what you’re talking about!”

 “Pigsy…” The chef turned towards the human. Who’s eyes were still shut tight, forehead pressed into Pigsy’s shoulder. “Would…Would he be talking about…MK?”

 Pigsy’s eyes widened. “...Let’s not jump to conclusions. Just let me focus on getting out of here while your stomach settles. Take deep breaths, you’ll be okay.” 

 “DBK, what did you find?” A new voice sounded. Pigsy facing forward to find a black furred monkey standing before them. Arms crossed, a deep frown on his face. A brow raising upon seeing the mortals. “What is this? Did you…Did you kidnap mortals?”

 “The home of these two held the prince’s aura. But, I only found them inside.”

 “...You didn’t find anyone else?”

 “No. The rest of the building was quiet. These two are not talking.”

 Macaque frowns, walking forward to peer into the orb. “Where is my son?”

 “Look, I don’t care who you two are. And I don’t appreciate being treated like this. But I’ll tell you what I told your thick skull friend here. We don’t have a prince! It’s just us and our son!”

 The last part caused Macaque to falter, turning back to DBK. “You said there was no one else at this place!”

 “Well…at least for the moment there was no one else there,” the bull demon said weakly, “But this could just be a coverup. Trying to play on a sympathetic side.” 

  “You’re both insane, let us out!” Pigsy screamed as he attempted to kick the orb.

 “But you could have let the accomplice flee.” Macaque argued back, both demons ignoring Pigsy.

 “If this accomplice is as incompetent as they are, we have nothing to worry about.” DBK replied. 

 The chef shouted, “Would you two idiots please just listen to me!”

 “Why are you here and not searching for this mysterious person?” Macaque argued.

 “Because I could not find anything to track this third person down. As these two aren’t talking, I decided to take them back to the Celestial Realm. See if we can loosen their lips there.”

 “What?!” Pigsy knew he had shouted it. But also heard Tang cry out desperately while Macaque sounded angry.

 “We can’t go back, not yet,” Macaque continued quickly, “We haven’t found Xiaotian. I told Wukong I wouldn’t return until I found him.”

 “And we will have a better chance of that if we can search through their memories. Narrow down the areas we’ll need to search. We know Xiaotian is in the city.”

 “But Spider Queen-”

 “Lost her best tracker years ago, she will never think to look here first, we have a good lead. Those spider demons just know he’s in the mortal realm but not a specific location. We have that, we just need a better list of areas. But we need to get back now, we’re running out of time to make this work.” 

 Macaque let out a slow sigh, but eventually nodded. “Fine, but we’re going to be quick.”

 “Of course.”

 The two mortals were stunned into silence as they watched as the demons began to create a portal. Wincing as a bright light encompassed them. Pigsy tried to shout out on final ‘Wait, listen!’ but it was too late. They could do nothing as the group passed through the newly created portal. 

 Tang let out another groan as the world shifted around them, swallowing down the sickness that crawled up his throat. There was a small part of comfort feeling Pigsy’s hand covering the human’s ears. Trying to help calm the rolling nauseous in the human. Both were so focused on each other that they missed the grand spectacle before them. All resting on a grand staircase that led up to a white and gold temple. 

 Macaque was biting his lower lip in worry. “Wukong is not going to be happy…”

 “He will when we explain the situation,” DBK replied, “This was our best path to find your son.”

 “That doesn’t mean-”

 “You two did WHAT!?”

 Macaque’s attention immediately snapped to the temple’s entrance, a voice echoing out from it. DBK barely got out a ‘Just go.’ before the black furred monkey disappeared into the shadows. 

 “Where are we?” Tang asked weakly, still curled up against the chef.

 “I have no idea,” Pigsy whispered back as DBK started to make his own way up the staircase, “But we’ll be okay, I promise. You’ll be okay.”

 The grand hallway seemed to be filled with a number of strange people. Eyes on them as the Demon Bull King entered. His towering form slowly approached the group that was standing at the center of all of it. Dressed in the finest fabrics Pigsy had even seen. He was about to call out, to demand who among them decided that kidnapping was a good idea, when someone beat him to the punch. 

 “Dad! Dadsy!”

 MK ignored the confused tone of ‘Dadsy?’ from Macaque and rushed towards Demon Bull King. Who looks just as confused by the teen’s actions. MK glaring up at the tall demon, fangs bared, tail lashing as he shouted, “Let them go! What are you doing to them!?”

 “MK, kid? What are you doing here?” Pigsy called out.

 “Demon Bull King, please release the mortals. There’s no reason to keep them trapped.” Wukong called out, stepping forward. Clearly furious. Which in turn, caused said demon to look fearful for a split second before undoing the spell. Both mortals let out grunts as they suddenly hit the floor. 

 “Ugh, that was terrible.” Tang weakly commented. But didn’t argue when MK practically flung himself into his parents’ arm. “MK! Oh my goodness, you’re okay! Where are we, what’s happening?”

 “I believe there’s been a misunderstanding.” Wukong stated, rubbing his temples. “Please accept my deepest apology for these actions brought against you.”

 “Take your ‘apology’ and cram it down your throat!” Pigsy growled out. Tang gripping the chef’s arm, eyes wide with fear. “Someone had better start talking, now. Because my patience is thin as it is.”

 “Dadsy-” Mk was cut off when Pigsy pulled him closer.

 “You’re not hurt right? What did they do to you? How did you get here?”

 “I…they brought me here. I was being attacked by some spider demon-”

 “You were what!” Macaque and Pigsy’s voices echoed through the hall. The Shadow Warrior turned to Wukong and said, “You didn’t mention this.”

 “I haven’t had time! This has fallen apart so quickly.” 

 “Would someone be so kind as to tell me why my son is here when he should be home.” DBK demanded, yellow eyes narrowed on Redson and Mei.

 “Your child went with Mei to collect our son, apparently.” Macaque ‘helpfully’ provided.

 “What! After your mother and I told you not to get involved!”

 “Father, please understand, we were just trying to help.”

 “Yeah! Back off Bull Demon. Redson did what was best for everything!”

 “Not a word from you, Dragon Girl. Your parents will be called here soon enough.”

 “I’m sorry, but Bull King, you have no room to talk about people in trouble.”

 “Don’t start Wukong.”

 “No, you and Macaque stepped way out of line bringing two mortals here.”

 “That’s an understatement!”

 “Pigsy, don’t-”

 “No Tang, I’m done with this!”

 MK breathed deeply, panic rising as quickly as the voices did. Fearful eyes darting around, trying to find some form of comfort in the craziness that was before him. Only to see anger and accusations being thrown around. Main players focused on others while the servant and others crowded along pillars and walls looked away. The teen attempted to call out. Even tried to give a few chirps. Nothing came out, feeling as if something was closing around his throat. Covering his ears in an attempt to block out the noise.

 This was too much. It was becoming too much.

 It became too much. 

 Having heard enough, MK stood tall, panic turning to frustration that was growing. Completely missing the sparks that were flying off him, eyes a brilliant white. Frustration was released as a way of power. Foot slamming down, the floor cracking, all the while shouting out, “Stop fighting!”

 Those in the room were suddenly pushed back. Not severely, but they had been moved a good distance from where they stood. Large cracks forming in the surrounding pillars and walls. A few beings who had been silently watching the arguments fled from the room. 

 Letting out a slow breath, the sparks flying down, MK opened his eyes. Normal colors returning, the feeling of frustration gone. The emotion replaced with fear upon seeing the damage around him. “W-What happened?”

 “Kid,” Pigsy said cautiously, “you’re okay. Just breathe, you didn’t do anything wrong.”

 “...I did this? H-How?”

 Wukong pulled away from Macaque, who had wrapped his arms around the golden monkey to protect. “Kid, you’re okay, you’re the child of a god and a demon, you have powers. Those that are connected to your emotions. You…haven’t been trained. Of course you haven’t been trained. How would you have known to train for this?” 

 “Wukong-” Macaque winced when the other pulled away harshly. 

 “Don’t you dare.”

 “Peaches-”

 “You brought mortals here! You were supposed to find our son, not kidnap. You were supposed to explain what was happening if you came across anyone. Why did you let Demon Bull King go alone, why did you leave him alone, why did you let him lead? You were supposed to lead! How…How did things fall apart so quickly?” Wukong fully turned away from Macaque, both looking broken. 

 MK winced feeling a hand being placed on his shoulder. Quickly turning to find it was only Tang. Looking worried, but trying to convey some sort of comfort to the teen. But it did nothing. The panic grew once more. The room became too crowded again, to close in. He broke for freedom, rushing back towards the entrance. Ignoring the calls of his name as he sped out of the grand hallway.

 DBK turned to the guards, pointing to MK’s retreating back, and growled out, “Follow him. Make sure he doesn’t leave the grounds.”

 Three guards bowed before rushing out, all disappearing into the slowly darkening world. 

 Tang, whose hand had raised up as if to pull MK back, retreated slowly. Pressing the same hand close to his chest as he turned to face the group once more. No one was looking up. Eyes on the floor or the walls. DBK and Pigsy looked angry. Redson and Mei looked scared. Wukong and Macaque looked hurt. Now that no one was shouting, or even talking, this allowed Tang a moment to reflect over everything. His mind worked through the situation, going over everything that had been said/shouted at that time. 

 Squeezing his hands together and setting his face in something he hoped was neutral, Tang stepped forward. Able to dart around Pigsy’s hand. Who was no doubt trying to pull the human back behind him to protect. Heart hammering fearfully when Demon Bull King’s eyes flickered over to him. But the demon did nothing as Tang passed by him. The human only stopped when he was positioned next to Wukong, who was still looking away. Clearly lost in thought. 

 The Monkey King looked up when Tang cleared his throat, ears flickering. The human faltered upon seeing the emotions flashing through the golden monkey’s eyes. They were similar ones that Tang had seen when Pigsy had a rough day. Ones of determined strength, a front to appear okay and in control, and absolute exhaustion. Lingering underneath it all were the unmistakable marks of anguish.

 Tang offered a small smile before gently taking the golden monkey’s hand gently. He heard a majority of small gasps coming from the crowd, no doubt his actions were seen as an overstep of boundaries. But Wukong hadn’t pulled away, so Tang ignored the noises. “I do believe we have gotten off on the wrong foot. Am I to assume, correctly, that you are MKs biological parents?”

 “Yes…you’re correct.” Wukong’s voice was choked, the golden monkey clearing his throat once more. 

 “Well, we are MK’s adoptive parents. We were not aware of any of this. I’m mean, obviously. When does one ever think you’ll find a child from another realm?” Tang laughed weakly, taking a deep breath before continuing. “MK…is a wonderful kid.” 

 “He seems like it.” 

 Tang nodded, gently squeezing the hands that he held. “I’m not sure if my words will mean anything. But I would like to say that we had…no idea who MK truly was. When just thought he was a lost child and took him in. Cared for him, fed him. Helped him use his tail. Goodness, that was an interesting afternoon.”

 Both beings gave a small laugh at that. Tang noticed that the sorrow was slowly taking over in the golden eyes. Wukong clearly held on for as long as he could. “He, um, he hates spiders. Which sounds like something that has to do with these spider demons.” 

 “Ah, yes. The, um, the Spider Queen had…” Wukong took a deep breath, taking a moment to calm himself before continuing, “Our son had become a target by the Spider Queen and her followers. We tried to get him away from here, to safety, until we either defeated her or knew it would be at least safe for him to return. But…it didn’t work… One of Xiao- sorry, MK’s powers manifested early. Causing him and a spider demon to be teleported to the Mortal Realm.”

“Why would he travel there?” Tang asked. 

 “I don’t know. It’s as if instinctually he knew he would possibly be safer there. But he…left…and with the spider demon disappearing as well, we thought he was…”

 “He wasn’t,” Tang took over quickly, “Pigsy found him, in an alleyway. Says the place looked like it had been burnt to a crisp. MK was just…sitting among it all, covered it soot but fine. Brought him home and…I fell in love with that little monkey. Did you know, he would chirp at the sun and full moon?”

 “That was for us. We heard him, it was how he knew he was even still alive.”

 The human paused for a moment before letting out a gasp, suddenly understanding and laughing softly. “The God of the Sun and the Demon of the Moon, his parents, of course. He was…he was calling out to you. I didn’t even think of that. Goodness, do I feel silly now. I should have known.”

 “Well, like you said, how could you have? It’s all such strange circumstances…”

 “It is and…I can’t imagine what you,” Tang’s eyes flashed up to Macaque who was looking on curiously, “What both of you had gone through. MK is such a wonderful child and losing him… I’m aware that I had nothing to do with this, but I’m so sorry you had to go through this. You should not have lost your son as you had. I…can’t begin to know or understand how much it hurts. How much you lost from this.”

 “...We only got to hold our baby a few times…” Wukog’s voice faltered, wet eyes focusing on the clasped hands. “We missed out…on so much…” 

 “I’m sorry, I’m sorry that I can’t fix this… But he’s back now and, while I’m not sure what’s happening or what will happen from this point onward, but I want to know MK is safe. That you and Macaque can see him whenever you want. Let him live…live here if MK so wants… That you don’t have to lose out on anything else.” Tang didn’t argue as Wukong rested his head on the human’s shoulder. No one commented as the God began to silently sob into the offered shoulder. 

 “It was not my original plan to kidnap you.” Pigsy jumped upon hearing Demon Bull King. Not realizing when the demon had inched closer. “I hope I can convey to you the severity of the situation… The young prince had been missing for 16 years. Only believing to be alive for 15. This was the first day we knew that we would be able to reach him. When I came across your shop…”

 “You panicked. I get it. This has clearly been an intense situation for everyone. You just thought you were doing what was right.” Pigsy finished with a grunt.

 “I was grabbing at what I could to make this right.”

 “You should just be happy that my- that the kid was already here before we arrived.”

 “Agreed,” DBK’s attention turned to the teens. Who had been watching Tang and Wukong, only to be pulled away when the large demon walked over. Redson looked very nervous. “You two… You’re still in trouble. What you did was extremely dangerous. Especially if you went through with your original idea. Which you can explain when your parents are here, Mei. But your quick thinking allowed yourself  to get the prince out of danger.”

 “We understand father.” Redson said softly. Although Pigsy noticed that the teen didn’t seem as relieved as he should be. But didn’t make a comment on it. 

 Tang didn’t say a thing as Wukong pulled away. The God’s eyes red, fur beneath them wet and matted down. When their eyes connected, Tang offered a bright smile, one that Wukong returned weakly but happily. Now calmer, the Monkey King turned to face Macaque, who hadn’t moved and in fact had returned his attention to the ground. Flinching slightly when Wukong’s hands gently cupped his cheeks. Moving his head so Wukong and Macaque could look at each other. 

 “...I didn’t mean to shout.” Wukong said softly. 

 “You had every right to,” Macaque replied, “I…I don’t think I did a single thing right today.”

 “You did what you thought was right.”

 “But if the kids hadn’t had found Xiaotian-”

 “But they did and he’s here and we don’t have to worry about that, we’re going to be okay…” Macaque eagerly pressed closer when their foreheads touched. Shutting his eyes tightly as he let out a slow breath. “We’ll be okay.”

“We’ll be okay…” The Shadow Warrior echoed.

 “So, what do we do now?” Pigsy asked after a few minutes passed, “I have a feeling that we can’t go back home. Not if this Spider Queen demon thingy is running around.”

 “To true. While she’s running around, all three of you are going to be in danger,” Wukong said, pulling away from Macaque. But keeping the other’s hand in his own. “You both carry part of his aura that’s not going to just disappear after a few hours.” 

 “It doesn’t help that the spider demon we came across looks like that hunter spider that you talked about before,” Mei said, “The one that disappeared with MK.”

 “Huntsman is still alive?” Demon Bull King said in shock. 

 “Of course he is, this was just going far too easily,” Macaque bitterly commented, “If you two and MK remain here, you’ll be safe. They’re not dumb enough to attack this temple.”

 “But the main focus needs to be preparing all of you for the worse. MK would normally grow up with full training. But as it stands, we don’t know what he’s fully capable of.” said Wukong.

 Tang laughed weakly. “Uh, yeah, we’re not really a fighting family.”

 “Speak for yourself.” Pigsy commented.

 “Throwing spoons doesn’t count Pigsy.” 

 “So, we’ll get training, MK will understand his powers…then what?” 

 “We need to take Spider Queen down, easy.” Mei said easily, with a smirk as Redson shook his head. 

 Wukong couldn’t help but smile as the conversation now was calmer, more inviting. He jumped when he felt a hand placed on his shoulder, turning to find Tang once more. “Ah, yes?”

 “Would it be possible that I could make a request?”

 “Of course.”

 Tang sighed slowly before asking, “May I ask that you check on MK?”

 “Me? I…would think you would be the best person for this. You…know him better than I do.” 

 “While that’s true, if he’s in the mood that he is, MK has a tendency to find tall places to hide. I know I won’t be able to reach him and, right now, I want to know he’s talked to someone.” 

 Wukong was surprised by this, but nodded. “I’ll go talk to him.”

MK panted hard as he rushed into the grand garden he'd passed not so long ago. But it seems like a lifetime ago that he was nervous and in awe of what surrounded him. Now, he just felt small, sick, and fearful. He headed for the grove of peach trees that had enticed him before. Now, he just wanted to use it as a place to hide. He ignored the small white furred monkeys that claimed the tree, already resting there. A little unhappy when MK climbed passed them easily and without pause. The teen not stopping until he reached the tallest branch he knew could safely support his weight. Taking a seat, breathing deeply, trying to calm himself. 

 The beautiful scene before him, the already awe-inspiring city now having the light from the descending sun shining behind it, was lost on MK. Obviously distressed, the weight of everything seeming to hit at once. The attack, being kidnapped, the discoveries of his lost legacy, seeing his parents (adopted parents?) in pain and trapped, his new parents arguing, everyone arguing, it was just too much. 

 MK took a few deep breaths, trying to calm down. Only to let out a heavy sob before fully crying. Wrapping his arms around the trunk of the tree to make sure he remained safely, avoiding the chance of falling out with how hard he was crying. Shoulders violently shaking as the tears flowed freely. Minutes passed as he released so much anguish and fear into the darkening sky.

 He let out a small gasp when he felt something landing on his lap. Looking down to find one of the many monkeys he’d passed now sitting there. A look of worry on their face. MK sniffed weakly, reaching out to brush his fingers over the smaller being’s forehead. 

 “H-Hi…” MK sniffed weakly, “S-Sorry, was this y-your spot?”

 The monkey shook their head. Instantly inching forward, curling close and pressing against MK’s stomach. The teen resting his hand over the smaller form. Tears were still falling, but MK had fallen quiet. Feeling exhausted from the sorrow that rested in him. Leaning against the tree, eyes staring over to the city. 

 As darkness started to fall, the sky becoming an inky black, MK watched as the city became more alive. Faint music could be heard, along with cheers and singing. At one point, fireworks started going off. Painting the darkened sky with bright colors. 

 “Wow…” MK whispered softly as he watched. 

 “Beautiful, isn’t it?” The teen was startled by the new voice. The small monkey that had been asleep woke suddenly by the movement and took off in fear. Looking around the trunk, MK found a sheepish looking Wukong. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.”

 “I-It’s okay… What are you doing here?”

 “Checking up on you. Wanted to make sure you’re okay or…something similar to it. Your, uh, dad said you liked to be up in high places when you get upset. Suggested I come find you… You know, ironically, this is the same tree I use when I want some alone time…”

 Mk gave a weak sniff as a reply, wiping his eyes. “...I didn’t mean to run off…or break the temple.”

 “It’s okay, you’re okay, I get it. It’s…a lot, all of it. I’ll be honest, it wasn’t supposed to turn out like this. I’m not really sure what I was expecting. But I do know that no one was supposed to be kidnapped. We wanted to bring you home. But…not like this. I’m sorry. Some birthday this turned out to be, huh?”

 MK laughed weakly. “Yeah, some birthday.”

 They both looked back over to the sky as another round of fireworks went off. A calm quiet falling between the two as they watched on. 

 “...Monkey King?”

 “...Yeah bud?”

 “What…happens now?”

 Mk heard the Monkey King shift, a heavy sigh sounding before saying, “Well, we were able to actually talk through everything after you shouted some sense into us. As it stands, we unfortunately can’t send you back to the Mortal Realm. Not yet anyway, it’s too dangerous.”

 “Because of the spider demons, right?”

 “Yeah. Mei and Redson told us that you were cornered by the Huntsman. Which means the Spider Queen will have her best tracker back. It’ll be safer for you all to remain here, with us.”

 “When will we be able to go back home then?” Mk panicked seeing Wukong suddenly turn away, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean-”

 “No, it’s… Your life was not built here. It’s in the Mortal Realm. We can’t expect you to just leave all of that behind for us… That would be horribly selfish.”

 “...That doesn’t mean we can’t have…something of a relationship, right?” MK said cautiously. 

 Wukong looked back over to MK, clearly very hopeful by the teen’s statement. Surprise shifted to a warm smile as he nodded. “We can try, I would love that.”

 MK smiled back. Taking a deep breath before shifting himself over to the branch Wukong was resting on. The God happily accepted the teen’s gentle hug, his own arms wrapping around MK. 

 “So…what are they celebrating? The city. I’m assuming it’s a celebration.”

 “It’s more of a day of remembrance, for you.”

 “Me?”

 “The citizens wanted to put this on, for your birthday, so your story wouldn’t be forgotten. We would have normally shown up at this time. But, uh, we sent word that we wouldn’t be attending today. None of them knew of our plan.”

 “Oh…so they don’t know that I’m here?”

 “No, and they won’t until you’re ready for that. They believe we just wanted to be alone for today. …Now, how are you feeling?”

 “Tired…and hungry.”

 Wukong laughed softly. “We can fix both of those easily. But only if you’re ready to go back in.”

 “Yeah…I’m feeling better now. Thank you.” MK let out a happy chirp when a kiss was placed on his forehead. Another round of chirps exchanged between the two, gentle laughs following.

[evolutionsvoid]

Ho boy, where do we even begin with these things? How do I write this entry without going insane? No real clue. I have to say that I try my best to keep things fair for all the species I write about, regardless if I like them or not. No one is reading my work solely because they want to know what my top ten favorite animals are, they want information! So even if I despise a certain beast, it is my duty to share straight knowledge and facts without steeping it in bias and personal opinions. However, thinking about this species gives me a headache, and it only gets worse as I delve deeper into the details. So I ask for the dear reader to forgive me if I diverge a bit or get a little negative in some parts. I don't mean to do that, but I can't guarantee anything! Now on to the Boracund! The Boracund are a mammalian species, with their relations tied to pigs and boars. With a porcine frame, a signature snout and those nasty tusks, it is easy to see how the three are alike. How they are different should be pretty obvious too, unless all your ham wears armor. Covering the top of the body, tail and upper limbs of the Boracund is a hefty layer of boney scutes and keratin scales. This home-grown armor is surprisingly durable, as it can withstand blades and even deflect arrows! Obviously it is used for protection, though the Boracund tend to use this defense more for other Boracund! This is because of those giant tusks that the Boracund possess, which can easily slice through flesh and gore a hapless victim. Both male and female Boracund grow tusks, but it is the male's teeth that grow to such an impressive, and deadly, size. When your rivals carry around such weaponry, armor is pretty much a must! The habitats they should prefer are in temperate climates, and they tend to be found in forests and surrounding areas. They like forests that produce a lot of mast (which means the fruit of forest trees, for those who don't know), as it provides a steady food source and also lures in other tasty treats. Like many members of the pig family, the Boracund are omnivorous, eating pretty much anything they can get into their mouths. With powerful jaws, razor tusks and a big appetite, there isn't a whole lot these fellas won't eat. Fallen fruits and nuts are a common meal for them, as well as small reptiles, mammals, eggs, and even carrion. Their snouts and teeth can also aid in digging up roots and tubers, which they will also happily devour. They are also capable of downing prey with the help of numbers, as this species travels in sizeable sounders. They rarely go after creatures larger then them and tend to only take advantage of the sick or weak. It is said that predators who live in Boracund territory must be fast in dispatching prey, lest a sounder descend upon the injured target and devour it. With the ability to take advantage of many food sources, it is easy to see how this species is so freakishly adaptable. What an utterly wonderful trait.    

  During most parts of the year, Boracund travel in these sounders, with them usually divided into male and female groups. The females sounders will possess multiple mothers with various litters of piglets, who all live under the watch of a matriarch. The male groups, however, have little leadership to them, working more as a friendly crowd that enjoy the benefits that sheer numbers bring. Their time is either spent searching for food, resting in their home shelters or grooming. Their version of grooming and hygiene is taking mud baths, as it helps cool their bodies as well as remove parasites. Things change up for all these sounders when the breeding season kicks in. When it is time to mate, the males grow rather irritable and obsessed, their family groups dissolving as they search for viable sows. Driven by the season and hormones, they scour the land for females, barely eating or slowing during their pursuit. When they find a female sounder, they begin to mark their territory. The piglets and other young members of the group are attacked and driven off, though the ancient matriarch is quick to protect them if things get too violent. Crazed males that kill piglets can incite the wrath of the matriarch, whose age and experience often makes them powerful foes. As long as the male does not cross this line, then they may remain with this sounder and attempt to claim it. Since the first male that enters this sounder is rarely the last, they must turn to defend their claim from rivals. Other males will soon arrive and they will fight to be the top hog. These battles are brutal and bloody, with tusks and hoof leaving terrible injuries. Even decked out in armor, male Boracund get pretty mangled during these fights. When the breeding season comes to a close, all viable females will be carrying, eventually giving birth to four to eight piglets. With a litter that size, and with that many females per sounder, you can see that this species has quite the population boom each season! Why, their reproductive rate is so high, its almost like you could harvest entire sounders and the population would bounce right back without hardly a stumble. How delightful. An incredibly interesting thing to note about the Boracund is that their breeding season can undergo a bizarre change every so often. A decade could go by with things going as normal, males running after females and what not, but then suddenly the next year will become something quite strange. After years of study, the consensus is that this unique breeding season is triggered by a high population of Boracund. When their numbers within an area reaches a critical peak, something in their bodies will be set off when the breeding season kicks in. This powerful change seems to only affect the males, if the females are involved then it is very subtle. When this switch is flipped in the males, their bodies undergo a terrifying transformation. Their armor darkens until it is almost black and their fur takes on a reddish hue. From numerous bony protrusions and pedicles that run along their body, velvety growths will begin to form. Much like the antler of a deer, these structures are growing something flashy and pointy, but it is rarely classy. They will grow all across the head and body of the male Boracund during the build-up to the breeding season, and you can already notice that they are growing agitated. The male sounders will break apart long before the season gets into swing, as they are driven into an angered state from the growths. Just as the season is about to start, the velvet will fall away, or rather be torn off in bloody strips. The furious males will rip apart this fuzzy sheathe to reveal a horrible dagger made of bone. What emerges from this gory ceremony is a beast covered snout to hoof in twisted, gnarled spikes. Bony jagged "teeth" now run on the outside of their jaws, while skewering spines line their backs. Bony spurs jut from their legs, while ivory wings sprout from their shoulders. The whole beast is now loaded with pointy bits and terrible weapons, which fits quite well for what comes next. Not only do their bodies transform, but so do their minds. It isn't so much a "transformation" but more of a "degradation." These males go absolutely berserk. The hormones in their body drive them to an even crazier state, which is further fueled by their gnarled bodies. You see, these bony growths aren't usually shaped to fit their bodies. Their formation is quite erratic, often leading to bony blades that hurt the very beast that wears them. I have seen a male Boracund who was so overgrown with these nasty things that they couldn't even open their mouth, the teeth-like formations grew around the jaw and forced it shut. Even then, its head was covered in gashes and bloody tears, as its attempts to open its jaw just caused its weaponry it dig into its own hide. Absolutely horrible! This pain puts them in a constant rage, and all this is directed into this bizarre breeding season. Now decked out in weapons and on the warpath, the males turn into rabid beasts that rip apart the countryside. They plow through the landscape in search of sows, but they are so blinded by their terrible state that they will literally throw themselves at walls in order to get to a female. What was once a fight between males to claim a group of sows has now become a bloody frenzy, with males shredding each other in the madness. Their battles seem to have no end in this state, they just tear each other to pieces. They lose any concept of surrendering or accepting defeat, they just throw themselves at each other until only one remains standing. Even the females aren't spared! Younger ones who do not have the strength to withstand such punishment can be butchered in the melee, slaughtered by the bloodthirsty males who have lost themselves to this agonizing frenzy. Eventually, the carnage will end and the season will finish. What males remain will lose their extra growths and revert back to normal, while the surviving females raise the new batch of piglets. This horrific breeding season is referred to as "Devil's Rut," when this species goes into this self-destructive state. It is believed that this event occurs to help regulate the population, only activating when their numbers reach a critical state. Too many Boracund could lead to all food sources being wiped out, which would leave them to starve. Reducing their numbers through this season, as well as cutting out those too weak to handled it, helps the population remain stable and strong. Thank goodness it takes years for such a thing to occur, right? RIGHT?!       I have to imagine that some folk have read through this entry and come to a realization. "Hey, Chlora," you may wonder, "you said this species likes temperate climates and lives in the woods, right?" To that I would say, "yes, I did!" With that confirmation you may reply "but I don't live near such a habitat, and yet I see the Boracund everywhere! Why is that?" This would call for a congratulations on my part, as you have read my entry and taken its word to heart. Thank you for your attention and mindfulness! Indeed, you have seen Boracund in a habitat I haven't mentioned and that is because, dear reader, THEY AREN'T SUPPOSED TO BE THERE! Boracund love temperate climates, they love forests! You know what else they love? EVERYTHING! Marshes, deserts, fields, grasslands, mountains, you name it, they stole it! Their ability to eat practically anything combined with their adaptable lifestyle and hardy bodies means they can live wherever they blighting please! There are populations of them scattered all across the globe, and every living thing that has to put up with them feels that presence! They strip the land bare with their feeding! They steal resources from other creatures! They tear up vegetation and plants that should have been safe from herbivory! They even chase predators away from their kills! They are a disease, and we cannot seem to freaking stop them! You slaughter a whole sounder of them and they just all pop back after the next breeding season! They reproduce so quickly and they don't go down without a fight! This isn't like the pig farm, you can't just round them up and give them the axe! They are armored, they are vicious and they are cunning! Kill one and the rest scatter into the wilderness! Set one trap and they learn to avoid that area! It is maddening! And to make it all worse is the fact that they undergo that Devil's Rut. When that kicks in, they are a threat to everything. They become insanely aggressive and incredibly dangerous. Driven by smell and pain, they will go after anything they see as a threat or anything they think is a female. Pig farmers have talked about these wild Boracund attempting to break into their own pens to get at domesticated sows, as they mistake them for their own kind. The damages are insane, and that doesn't include the fact that they can maim and kill anyone who tries to stop them! Crops are ruined and trips into the wilderness become dangerous. If you live in an area that is undergoing Devil's Rut, do not let your children outside of the town! These things are dangerous and they will attack anything they come across. Keep your saplings inside and don't even venture out there yourself! Cities and towns lock up their gates during these ruts and many warriors have been hired to ward off these crazed beasts. Good thing this only occurs about once every ten years! Whoops, did I say "ten?" Because with their exploding numbers, it takes half the time to trigger a Devil's Rut in areas they have been introduced! HOW WONDERFUL! They are a plague wherever they have been introduced, as the ecosystem is not designed to handle them! "So if they are invasive," you may ask, "How did they get here?" SO GLAD YOU ASKED Due to their large size, signature armor and impressive weaponry, there are some folk out there that would see them as a beautiful hunting trophy. Look at those tusks! Look at that armor! Think of how much meat we could get off that beast! What a dream, they think, AND THAT IS ALL THEY THINK! They just want to be the cool guy who has a big devil pig stuffed in their study so they can show off to all their friends and be like "look how cool and tough I am!" And then all their stupid friends would think "gosh gee I need one of these crazy beasts in my domicile so that I may too show off how big and cool I am!" And when you get enough people thinking that, then you get the idiots who think "well, all these people want to hunt this big awesome pig monster, why don't I import some for easy cash!" And then they do, and they build a hunting ranch specifically for hunting Boracund so that they can fill their coffers with all the money these showoffs will throw at them and then use none of that gold to BUILD A DECENT FENCE! Nope, just some posts and some boards, that is enough to keep these monstrous creatures contained! Lo and behold, they break out and vanish into the wilderness, where they may breed like rabbits and infest countless habitats! NOW THEY ARE EVERYWHERE, ARE YOU HAPPY NOW!? Oh of course they are! They are thrilled! "I can just go into my backyard and kill one, all while wearing my bathrobe! What's that? Dozens of species are threatened and entire ecosystems are being ravaged by these things? Well, who cares? I get to bag me a pig!" Those gall-headed weeds don't give an ounce of care for the systems they rely upon for their wonderful hobby! What about all the crop damage?! What about all the people who are vulnerable to these beasts?! Not every town has the means to ward them off, and the damage and injury that occurs is horrible! Markets raided, people attacked! It is insanity! It has gotten so bad in some regions that people have called them "Pig Dragons!" OF COURSE THEY DID! NOT ONLY DO THEY DESTROY THINGS, NOW THEY HAVE TO BEAR THAT CURSED NAME! You want a dragon?! I will show you a dragon! You all laugh at me when I talk about the "Dragon's Pig Program," but if I can get that going then there is hope! What better beast to help harvest these monsters than actual dragons?! These animals are a hefty source of meat and hunting them is crucial! If I can convince enough dragons to turn their attention towards this species for a potential food source, then their populations could be easily reduced! I think it is a genius idea, but oh no all the fancy aristocrats are like "Dragons? Near my land? Unacceptable! Those ugly beasts will cause so much damage!" UNLIKE THE HOG MONSTERS YOU PEOPLE BROUGHT OVER! You cause this huge problem and then stick up your nose at every solution! Just because it doesn't affect you! Well you listen hear you overgrown, blight-filled piece of rot! If I ever get my hands on you I am going to take that fancy hunting spear of yours and*   *No further text is provided, save for mention by the editor that several pages have been removed. Chlora Myron Dryad Natural Historian --------------------------------------------------- Behold! The long awaited Pig "Dragon!"  And by long awaited, I mean that I once offhandedly mentioned something about a Pig Dragon in a description I wrote years ago. I am sure no one remembers me naming such a thing, but my memory exists solely to torment me and couldn't let it go.

[cherryblossomtease]

Part 6a

18+ only

warnings summary masterlist

~Castle Zemo~

If a place could have a personality, this one would be as bold as the man who owns it.

You stand before the ancient structure, dwarfed by the rising towers and walls of stone. Only moments ago you thought the portcullis was the grandest thing you’d ever seen as the carriage brought you through, but now that you stand in the gravel drive, peering up at the castle which has stood since nearly the founding of Sokovia, it hits you heavy as a keystone, your life has truly changed forever.

“It’s incredible,” You manage when Helmut comes up behind you. “I don’t know what else to say really.” You try to count the turrets but it’s too hard in the dark and there are too many.

He stands at your side looking up, the fur of his coat turned high against the evening winds and you don’t even try to guess what he’s thinking. The man has years of memories built up behind these thick walls. “Say nothing, say everything, whatever you wish Baroness it is yours.” He says and smiles down at you.

The servants are standing to the side and you follow his lead going to greet them. Honestly you expect to be met with some hostility. Most of the serving class don’t take kindly to anyone attempting to rise above their station any better than those who employ them, but instead you are welcomed with accented hello’s as the butlers and footmen bow while the maids and kitchen girls curtsy. You meet each face with a smile and take the hand of your new and first Lady’s maid hoping you will have a good relationship. You’ll need a friend without Brigitte here and this one is the closest you’ll have.

“The fire is strong tonight my Lord. No chill will break through those old stone walls.”Says the old man at the head of the line. His English is a little hard to understand but you appreciate that he speaks it for your sake.

“Very good Oeznik” Helmut says clapping the butler on the shoulder. “We’ll eat in the small dining room and retire, it’s been a long journey. My wife and I— the Baroness.” Both men look back at you. “Are very tired.”

“Of course my Lord.”

You smile and bow to Oeznik forgetting that you’re not meant to but he doesn’t correct you, Instead he welcomes you home.

Once you’ve finished eating and Helmut has given you a fairly brisk tour of the castle by candlelight, you follow him up the center staircase as wide as the theatre stage to the halls upstairs. You feel dizzy and a little on edge by the time he stops at the heavy wooden doors of the room you will share. It is beautiful and grand, but you get a sense of ghostly eyes peering back at you from every dark corner, as though you are not alone inside this medieval dwelling.

It will take some time getting used to such a life, but you will try. For now you follow your husband closely inside.

Expecting something rather stark and cheerless, you are pleasantly surprised to find the room glowing warm with the fire, the bed piled high with pillows and wrapped with a shining silk duvet. There are chairs that look perfect for reading in the corner, a beautiful settee in font of the fire, and a large carpet to keep your feet warm. The walls are painted a deep and calming bluish green from floor to ceiling, moulding included, and you find the far wall of windows to be absolutely glorious. You can see the moon no matter where you are in the room.

“Helmut it’s beautiful.”

He is watching you, smiling, pleased to see that you are.

“I’ve always liked it.”

“It’s hard to imagine that you actually grew up here, that any one can grow up in such a magnificent place.”

He shrugs a little as if he’s never considered it, but then he’s never known anything else. “Perhaps.”

“I would have gotten lost so many times.” You say with a laugh.

“Lost, no, but there are many places to hide” He says sitting on the little bench at the end of the bed “Often, I would have to send the nurse to hunt Carl down, he would find places even I had never discovered.”

You turn, surprised to hear his son’s name. He’s said it once before and you’re certain it was a mistake then, he hadn’t been ready to share it with you so you’d only given him an understanding smile and steered the conversation in another direction. But now; you know it is the right time and place to speak of the child and the happy life they once had here, even if only for a moment.

You go to him, sliding your hands over his shoulders, standing between his legs. “It’s a beautiful place to watch a boy grow. You should speak of him often, his memory lives on with you Helmut, and in time, when you are ready and if we are able, perhaps you will have more sons—and daughters to chase after.”

His eyes dart up studying your face. At first he seems distant, afraid to put himself in that position of vulnerability, but as his gaze wanders down from your eyes to your lips and below, he softens and sighs. Of course he wants this. The part of him that still aches for what he’s lost has been slowly mending over time and as you promised to love him until you draw your last breath in that little country church, you had sewn the final stitch.

He is ready.

Without warning the door opens and both Hilda, your Lady’s maid and the old man Oeznik come in which is surprising to exactly no one but you.

You look back at Helmut wide eyed but he just smiles and shrugs, rising up from the bench.

"Brandy my Lord?" The butler asks coming to him.

"Not tonight Oeznik, thank you." Helmut answers, excusing himself to go and stand in the center of the room. He puts his arms out and his dinner jacket is removed with quick and careful precision.

"My Lady." Hilda says kindly.

You jump to attention having been mesmerized by the sight of a man undressing another. "Oh, yes... um. Yes?"

Hilda smiles and shows you how to stand as she helps you with your traveling clothes. She is impressive and works so quickly you can only give yourself over to her skill looking back at the Baron and pulling a face of concession that makes him laugh.

"It's good to see you happy again sir." You overhear Oeznik say as he pulls the Barons vest off.

Helmut just smiles and nods, crossing the room so that Oeznik may remove his cufflinks and place them in the dressing table drawer.

"Would you like me to help you into your nightgown my Lady?" She asks while it's just the two of you "Or would you like the Baron to do it?"

Snapping your head around, your eyes dart back to find Hilda's, sparkling in the firelight with just a spot of mischief in them. It makes you smile and relax a little. "It's all right, I've got something nice on underneath. Just help me out of this?" You answer and she gives a firm nod reaching for the ribbon around your neck but you turn quickly, your hands going protectively around the velvet. "No, please. L-Leave it." You mutter unable to look her in the eye.

She quickly bows her head looking at the floor. "Forgive me my Lady." She must know, but you don't want to think about it, not now.

"It's fine. Just, don't touch it please." You say awkwardly and turn around letting her undress you in silence.

By the time she's done and collecting your shed clothes, you thank her for her help wanting nothing more than to get past it. Hilda dips and looks up, her little smile showing that there are no hard feelings between you.

Smiling as you watch her slip away; the door shutting with a click behind her, you sigh and look around the beautiful room, the only sound the crackle of the roaring fire.

Helmut is waiting. He glances over at you from his place beside the bed, rubbing his hands together as he is in the habit of doing. He looks down with a smile. "Come here" He says amused that you are still standing so far away.

You pad over —that lovely rug like a cloud under your feet— until you are standing in front of him, closer to naked in your pretty cotton shift than you have ever been with any man before.

You are aware of how your nipples brush the nearly sheer fabric and how the feeling between your legs seems to spread like a little spark setting off a fire that makes your skin hot to the touch. Helmut is not the only one ready for this. You have wanted him for so long.

Your hair hangs free of the many pins to keep it up and he brushes it back over your shoulders. His fingertips graze along your bare collar bones as he admires the way your shift barely clings to your arms. Reaching for your hand, Helmut raises it up to kiss your fingers, holding your one hand with both of his. “You’re shaking,” He says stroking gently, his deep voice making you nearly crave him in spite of being afraid. You blush and look away. “I’ll add more to the fire.” He suggests.

“No, the fire is perfect.” You answer glancing back at the hearth large enough for more than one man to stand in.

Helmut looks down at you, gently hooking his finger around your chin, turning your head to face him again. His smile is sympathetic “I think I understand.”

You draw your lip between your teeth only for him to tug at your chin freeing it; now a dark and slightly wet pink. He strokes your plump lip and you lean forward just the slightest bit, kissing his thumb, your eyes rising up to meet his.

He makes a soft, low sound, something like a moan that fades into a sigh and slides his hands up and into your hair, holding your head still as he kisses you. He moves his body closer, pressing his hips against you letting you feel the exact effect you have on him and you can not help the way your eyes open going a little wide. You try to move away but he takes you by both arms.

“It’s all right.” He says, looking so soft in the deep orange glow. “Don’t be afraid of me mala ptica ” His husky voice in contrast to the warmth of his face. “And I promise I'll try not to hurt you.”

Your eyes dart up just as he kisses you.

[starr-fall-knight-rise]

HASO, “Dye and Diversity.”

Hope you guys enjoy the story today 

Yeb stared.

She tilted her head this way and then that, and then continued to stare on the other side.

A soft sigh, “My eyes are up here.”

Yeb looked up to where the human was staring at her ascance his head slightly tilted.

“What?”

“Sorry dumb joke.”

He pulled to a stop, and the strange wheeled chair below him pulled to a halt.

She stared some more, “That is so strange! It looks so fun!”

Her interjection seemed to surprise him, and he glanced down  at the chair, “Um, I suppose I’ve never thought about it. It’s kinda fun sometimes. I don’t use it much.”

Yeb waddled behind the chair and clambered up on two little pegs she saw jutting  out from behind, “Why not?”

“Well usually I can walk, and it is generally frowned upon to use a wheelchair if you don’t need one.” 

Yeb felt a rush of wind as he pushed the chair forward, and they began to roll slowly down the ramp, “Well why not?”

He laughed and shook his head, his earlier sour demeanor lost behind grim amusement. A few of the others came to join them as they rolled downward and off the platform. Yeb lifted her eyes  wide-eyed in shock as she stared at her strange and unusual surroundings, and the massive interior docking bay of the space station…. To think! An entire city built in space! Looking around she could see ships of many sizes and designs, and other unfathomable and strange creatures hurrying this way and that.

A thought came to her, “Why aren’t you using the arm sticks?”

“Arm sticks…. Oh the crutches?”

“Yeah.”

“My arms are sore from using them, and plus the wheelchair seems safer on the station. I'll Be less likely to trip and get hurt.”

“Oh ok!.”

It still surprised her to no end that the human had even managed to survive without a leg. At first she thought he might have been born with that deformity. On her planet, while it was possible to survive with an issue like that it was not very common at all. She could think of only one Tricar she had seen live to adulthood in such a condition. There were always complications, plus, while Tricar were semi-social they tended to live only in mating groups and abandon their pups at a very young age. 

If you couldn’t survive to adulthood in the cold metal mazes  of her planet than that was a personal problem.

She climbed up higher onto the back of the human’s wheeled chair to get a better look. She wobbled dangerously in her excitement, her hands and feet not exactly built for climbing with her stubby fingers and large flat feet.

With wide eyed excitement she looked all around them marveling at the diversity of lifeforms. There were so many of them!

She pointed to one, eyes wide, “What alien is that!”

The human turned his head to look then frowned “What do you mean?”

“That one right there!”

He frowned and looked again then laughed, “Oh well Yeb, that is a very tall human.”

“Oh, she frowned.” It sure didn’t look like any of the other humans she had seen, sure it was the same general shape, but it just looked so different that she couldn’t have been sure. But she supposed now she could see the resemblance. Like a stretched human.

“How about that one!”

The human continued to smile, “That is a human with a lot of fat, Yeb.”

“Oh….  what is that?”

“Er, like blubber but not really.”

That translated better and her ears flipped back over her head in mild understanding, “Oh, I get it, so those humans must be from cold climates, and that’s why they have insulation?”

“Not exactly.”

Her head turned and she pointed to another group, “Are all of those humans too!”

“Yes all of those are humans.”

“So pretty!” She exclaimed, they came in such interesting and new color combinations, ice white to stone ebony. Granted they all looked human, but the diversity in them was so astonishing that it was hard to believe they could all be the same species. As a biologist herself she might have assumed that maybe they were under the same classification, like fish, and how fish all sort of looked the same but that didn’t mean they were in the same biological category.

“Are they all the same subspecies?” she wondered.

“Yes.”

“Really? But they all look so different!” on her planet while they did tend to be diverse in height, their fur was generally always the same color, a grey white.

“There used to be other subspecies of humans a long time ago, but then they slowly started to die out. At the end it was only the Homo Sapiens and the Homo Neanderthalensis. Both of them coexisted for a while and even interbred but then the Neanderthal died out leaving only the Homo Sapiens with some Neanderthal DNA in certain cases,so we are all that's left, and our diverse lifestyles have given us different adaptational traits despite being the same species.”

She stared at him enthralled by this strange revelation about humans.

“For instance, in the middling areas towards the equator, things are a lot warmer and the light of the star hits the Earth directly, so humans kept their original dark skin color as protection against UV rays which can cause DNA mutations leading to cancer. A lot of times humans towards the equator tend to be taller and leaner which helps them to not overheat.”

“Your planet has a climate that diverse?”

“Yes, we can be as cold as your planet, or more than twice as hot.”

She stared wide eyed and shuddered at the thought.

“In fact, where I grew up we had seasonal changes in temperature. In the summer it was about thirty degrees hotter than the comfortable level I keep on the ship, and in the winter it could plunge to temperatures well around your home world.”

“How does anything survive in a climate so varied?”

“With air conditioning and heaters.” he said smiling, “Anyway, humans slowly began to move north, and as they did the rays of the sun couldn’t cut so easily through the atmosphere, as they were angled. That meant less UV light actually making it to earth. Problem is, humans need the sun to create certain vitamins used in the body. Darker skin helped to block the sun's rays when they become too much, but when there is less sun it isn’t so easy, and so humans developed lighter skin tones that were more vulnerable to sun damage but more easily allowed for the creation of those vitamins. In addition humans in higher climates tend to be shorter and stockier to conserve heat.”

“So…. you can tell where a human comes from?”

“You can tell where their ancestors come from.”

“So your family is from a cold climate?”

He smiled, bright white teeth showing the light above, “Yep, my ancestry stretches back to Russia, Norway, and other assorted parts of north eastern europe, but my family has lived far away from those places or the past few thousand years.” He smiled, “And yes, I can trace my lineage that far back. We’ve had pretty good record keeping for the past few thousand years considering we have internet databases stretching back about that far, and massive archives.”

“Wow/” She muttered quietly, “And I don’t even know who my mother was.”

The human raised an eyebrow at her, but by that time she had already transitioned to looking and pointing at something or someone else. She loved looking at the humans, they were so diverse and strange, and there was always something new to see. Sometimes it was their clothes sometimes it was their skin, sometimes it was their hair,

Sunny, the big blue Drev, placed a hand on the human’s shoulder in a quick gesture, “I am going to go look for the parts, I’ll get back to you in a minute ok?”

“Cool, bring me a working leg when you do.”

“She snorted but nodded and walked off,while he and the others continued onward.”

Yeb lifted her head in wide eyed wonder watching as they passed down a dark hallway from the docking bay, and then out, into an absolutely massive room. It was so large they might as well have been outside, a huge curving room in the shape of a doughnut that went around for miles and miles in either direction. Much of the ceiling above the mwas covered in some sort of see through glass structure giving her a view of space outside,and the rest of the expansive station highlighted by thousands of stars and hundreds more blinking lights.

Voices echoed and warbled all around them as hundreds and thousands of people filtered through the station like slow moving ice water. The room was so large that they had even built structures on the inside, which rose up many stories into the air glittering with colorful neon lights. She saw hundreds of aliens slipping in and out of these buildings and passing overhead on catwalks high in the air, talking, chatting and walking together.

It was all so alien and she was so excited.

She almost fell off the back of the chair as her unfit feet and hands slipped off a climbing surface. A hand steadied her from behind, “Don’t get too excited.”

She was pleased to find after that that the humans were very interested in bringing her around and showing her all of the new things. WIth her ability to eat a wide variety of food, she even got to try and taste some of their more strange concoctions, both excited and repulsed by some of them.

They walked past another shop whose brightly glowing lights attracted her like a moth to a flame and she backpedaled. Sounds pulsed and throbbed around inside her head and brightly colored pictures decorated the walls. On the inside, she watched in wide eyed fascination as one human sat patiently arm exposed, as another inked a pattern onto their skin with a whirring machine. The colors they used fluoresed under the strange blue light above.

A hand on her shoulder, “that is probably a human tradition you don’t want to experience.”

“What?”

“Tattoos, injecting ink directly into your dermal layer through use of tiny needles.”

She cringed a bit, “Why?”

“Because you can get cool pictures.”

There was a hum from beside her as one of the other humans walked up, “Maybe not the tattoo, but…” She trailed off and pointed to the other side of the room where humans were sitting in chairs leaning back as other humans painted strange chemicals on their fur. One of them stood up, and when she did, her hair was long and blue.

Yeb stared, “You change your fur color!”

“Yeah all the time.”

Adam rolled up behind them, “I don’t know if that's a good idea, we don’t know what kind of chemicals….”

“Well there is only one way to find out.”

They turned to look at her, “Want to dye some of your fur a cool color?”

She was so excited all she could manage was a squeak. The thought was so strange and exciting. There was only one fur color on her planet, to think that she could just go and change it!

Why hadn’t her people thought of this!

“YES!”

Her enthusiasm seemed to surprise them, but with smiles they were very encouraging and walked in with her as one of the humans came to greet them, “What can we do for you.”

Maverick patted Yeb on the shoulder, “Our alien friend here would like to go a different color.”

The human looked down and started with a frown, “Er…. what…. What are you. You don’t look like any Tesraki I’ve ever seen.”

“That's because she’s not. A new species, just coming into the galactic community. Anyway what do you say?”

The human paused then shrugged, “Long as you sign a waiver saying that we aren't responsible for any allergic reactions or damage to the hair of an unknown species, then sure.”

They glanced at Yeb, and she waved it off, “Let's do it!”

It was probably a horrible idea to have a team of humans not exactly known for their good life choices cheering on a naive Tricar as she chose bright neon green which was supposed to be at its brightest on the top of her hair and fade down slowly to the furn on her back.

The humans were excited all around, and she drew a small crowd as they began the process.

She probably should have been more concerned not sure what the chemicals would do to her, but nothing ventured nothing gained: that was a human expression she had learned just a few minutes ago, and she really liked it.

Warm water ran through her fur, and then a strange sticky paste was applied to it. Shehad to sit around and wait for a little bit as the color set, and then sit around some more as they washed the residual color out. When they were finally finished, she was turned to face the mirror, and her eyes went wide again.

Her grey white fur, against the bright neon green!. She turned back and forth watching the light glitter over the bright color.

“Wow.”

“Wow.”

“Wat have we done.”

“I love it!” She exclaimed, leaping out of her seat to look at herself more readily in the mirror.

She watched as Adam leaned over in his seat and passed his arm over some sort of device.

Se assumed he was paying for it and was quite pleased walking out of the shop with her new fur enjoying the eyes on her as she passed.

It wasn’t long before some of their other companions returned. Sunny turning to look at Adam with a frown, “What did you do.”

He raised his hands, “Oh come on, its harmless, na look at how happy she is. Come on.”

Sunny rolled her eyes..

“Spirits give me strength.”

Yeb capered around the group, rubbing her paws through her newly colored fur. It didn’t feel any different, but she sure FELT different.

She was sure she was going to really enjoy all these strange human things.

Then again.

She had really only experienced the good things.

It would remain to be seen if she was going to be able to handle the darker side of humanity. 

[maomaomeows]

Hairless Cat! S/O: Mao Mao

Request: your ask box seems to be closed on your tumblr, or at least I can't find it, so I'll drop my request here bfyudksbvfjdsvx- What if s/o was was a hairless cat? i think it'd be kinda interesting to see how he'd handle the whole 'hairless cats are ugly and mean' stereotype and stuff like how they get cold easier or can't be in the sun for too long without getting sunburnt. (sorry i rlly like hairless cats aaa) thanks-

[A/N: I'm back!! Sorry for the giant hiatus everyone!! Hopefully I should be posting regularly again! This was very fun to write, (I love hairless cats!!!) and I can't wait to fill the next request! I love you all so much. Thank you for all of the love and support <3 Anyways, under a read-more since it’s long!]

He’s had a lot of experience with all sorts of animals, so you’re not the strangest person he’s seen: not by a long shot. Not to mention, he grew up in a cat-dominated city. Some of his more distant family members are Peterbalds, as well! He has a very deep respect for hairless cats, and he has plenty of experience with them.

That’s not to say he views y’all accurately, though. At least, not at first.

He actually bows to you the first time you two meet. Hairless cats are typically royalty where he’s from!

He’s very confused when he looks up and doesn’t see you wearing gold jewelry, or bearing the traditional tattoos. It’s an... awkward few moments of eye contact. You don’t understand why he’s bowing, and he doesn’t understand why you look so... normal? Civilian-like? Why are you dressed so casually?

He follows you around for a little while out of habit. He thinks he has to protect you. You must be royalty in disguise, right? There’s no way a hairless cat is just another citizen! You have to be some sort of royal family member in disguise. Maybe you’re on a secret mission? Yeah, that has to be it! He follows you from the shadows, ready to protect you from danger at a moment's notice.

You eventually convince him that you’re just a normal cat and god, he’s embarrassed.

He thinks you’re really cool, honestly. There aren’t many furless mammals around, so it’s really cool to see natural skin. He views it as a symbol of strength and individuality.

Adorabat loves to paint on you since it’s easier to get the paint off! The little paint swirls stand out so well on your skin, and you can't help but giggle at the starry-eyed look she gets. It's like painting on a breathing canvass to her!

She got so excited when you mentioned tattoos and their significance in your culture: she likes to pretend she’s giving you pretty tattoos now!

Mao Mao loves the bond you two share. It makes him fall so much deeper in love with you. She's practically his kid, after all.

Mao Mao will absolutely defend you from bigoted folks. You look a little different from everyone else: so what? What’s their issue with that? Are they really so close minded that they can’t even fathom a different genetic structure? He gets really heated about it. He hates it when people judge you right off the bat, condemning you without getting to know you. He will throw down with someone over it, if you let him.

He honestly doesn’t understand where the “ugly and mean,” stigma comes from. You’re so kind...how could anyone perceive you differently? Why make such broad, negative generalizations about people they don’t even know? And you’re so pretty!

He loves how naturally social you are! You’re always someone he can come to when he isn’t feeling his greatest, and he treasures that so much.

He buys you a little parasol to help you weather the sun. It makes even more people stare, but honestly, it’s better than getting a sunburn! It ends up becoming a key piece of your aesthetic. Some people think you're a witch at this point. You don't bother correcting them.

The most embarrassing moment of your guys relationship was when you got up from the couch, only to reveal a small oil stain. Despite the embarrassment, you both had a big laugh about it. You remember the way he doubled over, laughing until he wheezed. He tried to stop himself from laughing by putting his paws over his snout, but once you assured him that it was, in fact hilarious, he took his paws away and laughed for ages. You laughed along with him despite the raging blush of embarrassment. It’s a very fond memory that really solidified your relationship’s trust. You ended up changing your diet that day anyways. Oily skin isn't fun, anyways.

He always picks at your food while you eat. He claims he’s just trying it, but it happens every night! He actually just likes the high quality ingredients he uses in your food.

He ends up switching his diet over to yours as well to make things easier. It makes him feel fancy, anyways.

He tries his hardest to get you to blush. He thinks it's adorable!! He loves how easy he can gauge his advancements as well. You can't fake a blush! And you can't hide yours!

He gets really nervous in the winter. I mean, he gets cold in winter, and he grows a whole new coat for it! He can’t imagine how chilly you get. He totally goes overboard when buying clothes for you. Most of your closet consists of parkas, scarves, and thermals.

Wakes up early to start the fireplace in the morning once winter hits.

He loves to give you forehead kisses. He thinks it’s cute when you flex your “brows” at him in response. He can’t help but snort at the patterns it makes, and he ends up poking you whenever you respond that way. It’s a sweet little inside joke.

He honestly thinks clothes fit you super well? Skin-tight stuff is mesmerizing. The way it clings so effortlessly to your frame, without a single hair marring the cling of the fabric...it’s incredible to him. He's enchanted.

He loves to hold you. The feel of fur on skin is weird, but it’s become a comforting feeling to him. He loves to trace little patterns on you when you cuddle.

Which is very unfortunate if you’re ticklish. His fur always seems to drag across your skin in a way that makes you giggle!! And he knows what he’s doing!! He’s so stubborn about it as well. He won’t stop until you call a time-out.

He smiles every time you yawn. He thinks you’re cute.

He wants to draw on you, but he has no artistic talent. He’s too shy to learn!! He hates not being perfect at first attempt, and well...art is a honed skill. He loves the idea of painting night skies on your back, and making sharpie tattoos for you, but it’ll probably never happen.

You can convince him to write on you, though! He does great calligraphy.

Sometimes he’ll write little poems on your wrist, or your sides. He likes to do this when you’re sleeping, for two reasons. A.) So he doesn’t get embarrassed or flustered about it, and B.) So you have a nice surprise when you wake up!

They’re short, but sweet.

He’s actually a really good poet! Most of the things he writes on you are of his own creation.

Beauty isn't seen by eyes.

It's felt by hearts,

Recognized by souls,

In the presence of love

Overall, he thinks you’re gorgeous. He won’t hesitate to defend you from bigoted people, and he’s always here to help you with any accommodations you may need. You’re beautiful. He loves you so much, and he feels so lucky to have you by his side. He’ll do anything for you!

[coeurlkin]

The Journey.

It had been years. So, so many years since he had first started upon this path. Wyra'to sat in his prayer room alone, save for the wisps of smoke which rose from the incense burners on either side of the shrine. Before him lay a single flower. A lotus of the deepest red, the candlelight giving it's petals giving the impression of dancing and swaying, the colours shifting from a near translucent pink to a powerfully vibrant crimson. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply of the thin smoke, holding it within for a time before pushing it free from his lungs. It was like this when he first began his tutelage, too. The scent. The sound. The lotus. Bloodied hands, shattered bones and deeply woven scar tissue were the evidence of his diligence, his devotion to the cause which had been offered unto him. What he had done so far was admirable, but even that wasn't the first true step. An outstretched hand. An offer of absolute power. Wyra'to believed he could withstand it up until his master struck. The sensation of being torn open, of having your essence forcibly pulled from your body, only to have something of a greater magnitude driven into your core. The pain was unimaginable. A searing heat coursed through his body, veins swelling to the point of bursting. Bruises formed under the first few layers of skin within a matter of seconds. It was not possible to take a breath. His nerve endings screamed, his heart spasming within his chest as it desperately tried to accommodate to the change. The sheer power swelling within had turned his blood to mist, every waking moment feeling like a fresh bolt of levin striking him from out of a cloudless sky. There was no room for doubt, no allowance for error. It was either succeed or die. And succeed he did. A refusal to surrender in the face of pain, to find the strength to stand as he was flayed and adorned with skin anew over and over. So marked the first major step forwards.

The second came a summer later. Wyra'to was broader then, stronger, his training combining with his burgeoning manhood to give him a vessel far beyond that which he had possessed before. While he had grown inured to the cruellest of winds that Thanalan could offer, his foray into Gyr Abania would be an entirely different challenge. The tumult of a sandstorm and the night's cold teeth assailing him, robbing him of much of his sight and hearing. Their quarry was close by, and Wyra'to still remembered the impassive, bored look on his master's face as he took to combat with the beast. Coeurl. Wild creatures, this one had wandered far from home and taken refuge within the ruins, and it was loathe to relinquish it's claim so readily. The Keeper could still remember the stinging lash of it's whiskers, rending claws carving through rock as easily as ink to quill and quill to paper. In battle would he rise once more, his body being pushed to the point of complete breakdown before once again being reformed anew. With bloodied hands and body Wyra'to would rise, only for his Master to surge forth to strike him down, to drag him headlong into another fight. A lesson was to be learned. To rest was to falter. To cease travelling forwards was to admit defeat. Strength belonged to those who would claim it, to those would would prove themselves worthy of Rhalgr's divinity. Worthy. The word still stung even as his growth continued, for he would be admonished for his weaknesses no matter how many times he believed himself to have proven himself capable. The folly of youth. His worthiness would always have to be proven, his resolve put to the fire and tempered in the inferno of endless conflict. Wyra'to could not remember exactly how he had unlocked his third chakra. Perhaps it was through sheer force of will. Perhaps it was his body's way of forcing him to rise and survive after his trial - being abandoned in the Ishgardian wastes with no garments or supplies. The ice underfoot would burn, sheets of skin being torn away with every step he took towards apparent salvation. But survival alone would not be enough. It was here he would learn control, to push on even as his physical form grew brittle and fatigued. Even as he faced off against a monstrosity of claw and fur, his body refusing to give in to it's wounds and his spirit standing strong. With the life he took from the creature he was able to sustain his own, the scent of it's flesh churning his stomach, every onze of his willpower being used to keep the grossly slick flesh down. He could scarcely remember every detail of the fight, save for the shocked reactions of onlookers as a half dead, starving miqo'te stumbled up to the city gates clad in the skin of a bear. How the cobblestones felt so alien to him after what felt like days of wandering the wastes, the gentle warmth of the chirugeons who tended to his wounds, who sought to reverse the damage done to parts of him which he could not begin to name or understand. These were the things he clung to. This was how he had to learn control.

The fourth was where he learned of resilience. Dragged from his home, weighed down and cast into a pit, Wyra'to was given a simple order. Ascend. Clambering back up the sheer face of the abyss was no option, his master's frequent dropping of boulders would see to that. Rising through the caverns was his only alternative, facing off against those who would stalk and watch from the shadows, waiting for the time their prey was at it's weakest before striking. Weakness was a luxury he could not afford. Fatigue plagued him, his muscles aching from the first battle alone. The weights imposed on him could not be removed, yet they would sap much of his strength, they would tire him to a point beyond exhaustion by the time he was barely halfway. Still he pushed. He would trudge through the depths, wading through foe after foe. The pain became overwhelming, his body coming apart as though a thread had been plucked and pulled from a tapestry, his physical form unspooling from the inside out. It was only by taking from those he cut down that he was able to hold himself together, drawing upon whatever latent aether was left behind along with that which these beasts would release upon death. A void started to fill. Not a physical one, but something deeper. Every time he bloodied his hands he could feel his blood grow hot, his heart pounding as it fought to control this surge of newfound power. His skin felt as though it was on fire. As though it was peeling away from his bones with every step he dared to take in the face of utter destruction. He could give in, he could become one with everything and the pain would cease. But Wyra'to refused, his body failing but his spirit intact the moment he broke through to the surface.

For a time, he remembered, his master would disappear. He never knew to what end, nor was it his place to speculate. His purpose was simple. To continue to train. To learn. To grow of his own accord. His fifth pushed him beyond what he had already known, however. It marked the first time he would take a Spoken life. To grow in strength by tearing the heart from your enemies. This was the way of things, wasn't it? In the natural world? Wyra'to was upon his second foe as the first lay still dying, his throat torn wide open by a jagged set of fangs. This is what he was. This is what he had to channel, to become. An avatar of righteous violence. He felt it again, the swell within, his knuckles threatening to burst through the skin wrapping them. Over and over his fist met his foe's face, pummelling and crushing bone and brain alike until at that was left was a bloody, broken mess. He would roar, baring his fangs to the sky in all their sanguine glory, his eyes wild and fingers slick with viscera. His body had changed over the years, his muscles growing denser, his shoulders broad and skin thickened by wound after wound. Every fresh wound was a newly forged sacrament between himself and his God, a vow to fight ever onward and to remain unbroken. Every scar was a promise of strength, further proof that his vessel was growing tougher. Wyra'to learned the depths of his anger that day, the primal rage that lingered within him, waiting to burst free at the slightest provocation. Although by this point it had long since been subdued, the threat still lingered. Lurking, making it's presence known not through an outright release, but rather a thousand cuts by the most subtle of knives.

"So, you took a life, yes? How did it feel, my disciple, to take that which is yours by divine right? To feel the blood soaking into you? I believe you are ready for a new task."

Summers passed before he saw his master again. The man had shown no signs of change outwardly, but something felt different. Off. As though the facade could no longer be kept up. He was a smith, battle was the fire and his teachings the hammer. Wyra'to was the weapon to be forged. He would be sent into the ruins of Akh Mah and tasked with hunting the great worm there - a monstrous sandworm which was responsible for all manner of destruction and chaos, yes, but also the guardian of all knowledge held within the broken down temple structure. This journey would not be taken alone. Y'Zareen. A huntress. A one time lover whom he deeply respected for her craft. She too would walk the dark path, trekking night and day through the dunes and into the depths of Akh Mah to aid in slaying the beast. To this day he refuses to discuss what happened within those halls, save for the teeth he brought back with him as proof of their victory. It was then he discovered the truth behind his Master's actions. Just what the man had done to obtain the power he wielded so callously. So easily. He was no teacher. He was a Warmonger, and for all this time spent believing he was being forged into a weapon of the Destroyer, he was instead manipulated. A tool. The revelation shook him, but his resolve remained unbroken. The time would come to prove himself regardless of the actions of his now former master. The sins of his forebear would be atoned for, in one way or another. Then came the final trial. After seven long, arduous summers of training. Wyra'to was a fully grown adult. He had loved and lost in equal measure. Then came the call. Something deep within him beckoning him to journey to the Temple of the Fist, to walk the halls in search of answers. In search of purpose. He climbed to the Closed Fist and basked in the majesty of the courtyard, the structure itself both beautiful and horrifically intimidating at the same time. Here he stood in the presence of legends, of legacies far greater than he could comprehend. But it was his time to try.

Wyra'to would enter the Closed Fist and roam the empty halls, following his instinct and being driven deeper into the heart of the temple before coming to a grand arena. A platform, mighty coeurl statues standing at each of the four corners. Iridescent blue flames rising from braziers which bore the patina of age, the colours mingling together in hues of turquoise and earthy brown. There, in the centre, stood his foe. Vilbradr, the Wolf's Howl. Like Wyra'to, he too stood at the precipice of the proverbial mountain. He too stood poised and ready to take the final steps, entirely prepared to bring an end to the Keeper's life for not just power, but revenge. Vilbradr was older, the student of a master long since dead - one that had been slain by Wyra'to's own mentor. The battle was brutal and swift, with each of the men delivering blows which could cripple a weaker combatant. Neither would cave in the face of grievous wounds - broken bones, skin burnt down to the muscle, torn ligaments and more. Both men burned brighter than they ever had before, the full radiance of their respective gates clashing, the aether in the air growing heavier and heavier until finally one would deal a crippling blow. Wyra'to could scarcely acknowledge the pain, only that Vilbradr had sunk his claws deep within his body. The Keeper hung against his foe for a time until he was cast to the ground. It was decided. Vilbradr gloated, raising his arms. He had accomplished his task. He who had lost so much to the spawn of the great betrayer. Now he could claim the power to hunt. To track down and kill the man who stole so much from him. What happened after that was all so sudden - A blinding flash of light, an immense pressure building in the chamber behind him, and then nothing. Vilbradr could no longer feel anything save for acceptance of his demise. His hubris had cost him victory, and in turn, his life.

Days passed. Wyra'to remembered awakening on the floor of that same arena. Vilbradr was gone, all that remained were his weapons and the shredded remnants of their temple garb. The wound dealt to his body had healed for the most part, yet still raw and tender. The sennights that passed after that were spent recovering, rebuilding himself. In what he thought were his final moments, the Keeper had forced open his seventh chakra, his soul crystal empowering him with the knowledge to deliver one final blow. A desperate gamble, to be sure, but one which had paid off. Upon leaving the temple grounds to return, he would take the remnants of the temple garb with him, along with Vilbradr's crystal. A worthy foe. A man willing to give everything. One whom Wyra'to would honour, in time. He had come so far on his journey and had learnt so many things. To endure. To adapt. To accept. Humility. Perseverance. Forgiveness. He had learned just what it would mean to follow his faith. Not as a weapon. Not as a tool. But as his own man.

Wyra'to rose to his feet within his chamber. His gaze drifted down towards the lotus once again before he cupped his hands around it, gently lifting it from the shrine and back into a shallow bowl of water. A single prayer was before he stepped out of the darkness and into the welcoming warmth of his living room. The scent in the air told him that his love had returned from her hunts. This is where he belonged.

This is what it was all for.

This was home.

[queen-iduna-of-arendelle]

Handsome and the Beast

A.N. For Agduna Week 2020, Day 5: AU

ff.net   AO3

Tonight’s full moon again...A time that Iduna despised with every fiber of her being. Because since she was young she used to transform into a monster. A big wolf with no control. At least...that’s how it looked when she saw her surroundings after waking up. There was always destruction.

It was actually even worse when she fell in love with someone. Well...not just someone, the king of Arendelle of all people. Her beast side somehow reacted to him. As in a possessive way. It was disgusting...

But she was glad that he never found out. Whenever it was ‘time’ she could always hide away in the woods. But once she was courting Agnarr and moved to the castle it was more difficult to do so. Actually, her and Agnarr’s personal guard Mattias found out and after begging him not to tell anyone her secret was save again. It was even easier to hide then. They made sure Mattias would be the only one guarding the dungeons, so that ge could lock her away.

Over time they made sure that one cell was big and strong enough to keep her inside and now it was just a terrible habit...Iduna would always pretend to have work, so that Agnarr won’t be worried that she’s not coming to bed with him and when the sun set, she’d go down to the dungeons where Mattias is already waiting for her. “Mattias.” She greeted him, while he bowed to her. “My lady.” Iduna led the way to her cell, Mattias following close behind.

The man didn’t spoke. He long ago learned that trying to make her tell Agnarr wasn’t working. There’s no way Agnarr should know that particular secret. Okay, there was still the secret with her being Northuldra, but that was easier to hide. If Agnarr ever found out she’s a Northuldran monster...No, she didn’t want to think about it.

“I’m counting on you, Mattias.” She said, as she entered her cell. He only nodded, looking sad that she always did this to herself. And made him help. But there’s no other way. Iduna heard the lock behind her click shut, and then Mattias locked the door twice. The first time she almost broke out...this can’t happen again.

-------

Agnarr knew that at this time of the month Iduna had lots of work to do. Why, he didn’t know ad most if the time he was too tired himself to question her. Maybe she’s just helping him with a few things? She always did. He made sure she had her own room in the castle. A place where she wished to be alone and do whatever she wanted.

He was pretty sure that she must be there, and so instead of going to bed, like she always told him to, he went to her room and see what she’s doing there all alone.

When he knocked on the door, he didn’t get an answer though. And as he peeked in, he realized why. She wasn’t there. Confused that she wasn’t here even thought she told him she had to work on something, he walked through the halls, hoping to fund her somewhere. But there was no trace of her.

“Gerda.” The woman turned to him, trying to hide her tiredness. “Sorry, I know you wanna go to bed now, but do you know where Iduna is?” Gerda thought for a moment, while Agnarr tried to be patient.

“I think I saw her talking with Mattias.” She answered thoughtfully and that’s all he needed. “Okay. Thank you. Good night.” He said, as he immediately went to the dungeons that he knew Mattias was guarding tonight.

Mattias was very confused to see Agnarr there when he approached him. “Destin!” The king called, as he ran to him.

“What are you doing here?” Asked the guard confused. Agnarr took a few deep breaths before talking. “Where’s Iduna?”

Mattias looked conflicted, as if he thought about if he should tell him the truth or lie. “Don’t lie to me. I’m really worried about her.” But before he could say anything, Agnarr heard someone scream in the dungeon. And it sounded like Iduna! He intermediately pushed Mattias aside and ran down the stairs. “Iduna!”

“Agnarr, wait!” But he ignored the call of his guard and ran as fast as he could to the source of the screams. Then he realized it came from inside one of the cells. “Did you lock her in?!” He yelled at his guard, but before he could answer him, he snatched the keys from him and unlocked the door. “Wait!”

Again, Agnarr ignored him, pushing the door open and ran inside. There, Iduna lay on the floor, being in pain. Her clothes were neatly folded on the bed, though. What was going on here? At the noise Iduna looked up at him with despair in her eyes. “Leave! Go away!” She yelled at him, but he came closer to her, despite the panic growing in her eyes.

“I won’t leave you. What’s wrong with you? Why are you here?” Then he felt Mattias grabbing him from behind and tied to pull him out of the cell.

“You really shouldn’t be here right now, Agnarr!” But Agnarr had absolutely none of that and fought him. There’s no way he’d leave Iduna right now. She was obviously in pain and not to mention in the dungeons!

At this point Iduna was lying on the cold ground, squirming in pain and Mattias was still holding him back. “Destin, let me go right now!” He yelled at his guard, but then something caught his attention.

Iduna's body changed. Hair grew everywhere, her whole bone structure changed and she got a fluffy tail, too...And then a very big wolf was there instead of a woman. Both he and Mattias stared at the creature with wide eyes and then jumped when it opened its eyes.

The big wolf stood up slowly, staring at them the whole time. “Iduna...?” The wolf’s ears wiggled when he said her name. Then it looked to the open door and then back at them. Agnarr and Mattias were frozen solid, not daring to move. The wolf went towards the door slowly, while both men inched away from it.

“Did you know about this?” Whispered Agnarr, even though the wolf could hear him anyway.

“Yes…She made me swear I never tell you. She was afraid how you’d react.” Answered Mattias, still holding onto the king to protect him if needed.

The wolf —Iduna?— didn’t go out of the room as they expected. She closed the door with her hind leg and crept towards them. “Iduna...?” Again, her ears wiggled in recognition. Once she was close enough she craned her neck to sniff them. First was Mattias and then the big, wet nose was on him, sniffing him.

Then she licked him. She seemed to recognize him. She nuzzled against him and he put his hands on her muzzle and patted her gently. Moving forward, she pushed Mattias aside, curled up around Agnarr and lay down. Iduna looked at him with the same blue eyes that he loved so much, silently asking him to sit with her. After glancing at Mattias, he sat down and got a big wolf’s head on his lap.

He ran his fingers over her fluffy, brown fur and tracing the black stripe on her head and back. “We’ll be fine Destin...You better go and make sure no one’s getting lost in here...”

Luckily Mattias got the real message he’s giving him —that he just wanted to be alone with her— and left the cell. “Call me if you need anything.” He said, before closing the door behind him.

The wolf whined, looking at him with big, sad eyes. “Why didn’t you tell me...?” Iduna looked away, but still made the sound. “Did you really think I’d love you less if I knew? That I’d hate you?” She was still averting his eyes, but it told him that this is exactly what she thought. “My love...I don’t care what you are. Even if you’re a skunk or raccoon, I’d still love you. It just makes me see that I’m right about you.” At that she finally looked into his eyes. “You are magical.” Agnarr leaned down to kiss her head.

The wolf smiled at him and wagged her tail happily. She even kissed her back. Well, maybe he’ll get used to it eventually. But a kiss from Iduna is still a kiss and he liked it.

For the first time he finally could look at the cell properly. There were claw marks everywhere. As if she wanted to break out before. He looked down at her and saw that she was staring out the little window at the full moon.

“Do you want to go out?” Iduna immediately looked at her pleadingly as if she asked 'can we’? “Uh, we’ll have to be very careful then...” In that moment Iduna jumped up, making him fall backwards, since he leaned against her. She was acting like a big puppy, wanting to play. “Okay, let’s go.”

Agnarr managed to sneak her out of the castle with Mattias help. They went to the forest nearby, actually Iduna wanted him to climb on her back so that they could ‘run’ together. Then they played. It was kinda like playing with a gigantic puppy. It was really fun.

When it was time to go back she didn’t fight it. She carried him back and they sneaked in together. Actually they sneaked all the way back into their bedroom.

-------------

Iduna woke up in her bed. Naked. And confused. She tried to remember what happened last night and realized with horror that last night was her wolf night.

So why was she in her and Agnarr bedroom with him sleeping right next to her as if she didn’t transform into a monster? She quickly sat up and wrapped the blanket around herself, trying to remember what her wolf side did to end up here. Did it break out of the cell? Did Agnarr see her like this? Just when she wanted to get out of bed, Agnarr’s arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her close. “Don’t go.” He mumbled sleepily, hugging her tightly.

“Agnarr?” She said, testing if he’s really awake, as she had her back on him.

“Yes, my little wolfy?” The queen’s heart stopped at the nickname. He knew. And...he was okay with it?

“Did...did you see...?”

“Everything.” He replied, giving her another heart attack.

“Then why...”

“Stop right there.” He interrupted, hugging her as tight as he could. “I still love you. I’m okay with this. I love your wolf, too. I still want to marry you. Nothing can change my feelings for you, wolfy.” To be honest, she couldn’t really believe him. How could he still love her? She’s a monster. “We went out last night and played in the woods. You’re so cute as a wolf, you know. And I understand that you had to keep it a secret.”

“Uhm...” Well if he knew that, then...“I-I’m Northuldra, too...”

At the next confession, he just covered her neck and back with kisses. “Okay.”

“Y-you’re not upset that I lied to you the whole time?”

“No.” He said between kisses. “I still love you more than anything in the world. And it won’t change. Ever.”

Iduna cried at his words. If he knew he’d react like this then she would’ve told him the truth sooner. But she’s been so afraid all these years...Agnarr turned her around so she could face him and his loving eyes made her cry even more. “I love you, too.” She sobbed into his chest, while he kept kissing her face to calm her.

[athena1138]

Happy Worldbuilding Wednesday! This week, I want to know: what's in the woods? Whether spooky or mundane, myth or history, I wanna know what sort of tales the people of your world tell about the woods (or equivalent large swath of potentially dangerous wilds)

:D eeeee

So, one of the two main continents of my story is like 30% forest. See here 

This is still a wip so there’s a few more wooded areas still to fill in, but that big forest in between Zether and Bayview is called the Lumin Forest. It’s huge. It’s like 3,000 acres of just dense, dark woods. There’s a handful of paths through the two cities that have been hashed out by trade caravans, but it’s dangerous for common folk. If regular people want to pass through the forest, they have to either hire body guards, or go around the long way. They could take a boat along Siva creek and either cut through the thinnest part of the woods or just come out on the other side of the mountains, but there’s dangerous things in the water, too. 

The Lumin Forest itself is filled with all manner of creature, but Ochrane (continent) is a freezing cold place all year round, so it’s arguably less dangerous than somewhere like the Provider Islands which are tropical and populous. The cold is the biggest threat, as warm shelter is rare outside the towns. There’s standard woodland things like deer and rabbits and bears and the like, but there’s also monsters and beasts, such that even the best hunters dare not venture more than half a day into the woods. Thick-furred creatures similar in structure to bats the size of children but who spew acid and whose claws are sharp as razors stalk their prey (smaller humanoids or even children or babies and other similarly sized animals) for hours until they find the time to strike, and when they find the chance to strike, they take it and their prey is rarely seen from ever again, swept off into the darkness to die a horribly painful death. There’s an animal which looks like a cross between a buffalo and a ferret called a Volus. They’re a herd animal, traveling in rabbles of 4-8 generally, but they’re wildly territorial. To stumble into a Volus’s territory is like kicking a hornet, and they’ll chase you for an entire day before they relent. Then there’s a type of big cat called a Lens which resemble lynxes a bit, with comically large murder mits and large ears. Where they vary, though, is that they’ve got seven eyes, two rows of teeth, and two sets of ears designed for up-close and long-distance hearing. They won’t usually attack large parties, but if anyone is dumb enough to wander away while a Lens is about, you can pretty much just start writing the death certificate then and there because they’re sturdy little things. But worst of them all are the Litherings. These are solitary, silently moving 10-foot-long 8-legged beasts akin to wolves who are able to alter the patterns in their coats to blend easier into their environment. They’re patient and they’re intelligent. They’ll follow their prey for days, learning basic habits and structures until they find an optimum time to strike. They can take a group of 10 men down within minutes. Thankfully they’re rare, but they’re a huge threat. 

Also within the forest are said to be witches, hags, naiads, even faery folk with all the inherent dangers that those include. There are tales of people gone to seek these creatures out, to make deals for wealth or love or other such desires. Some return, most don’t. Of those that return, very few can say they met with success in their quest, and those that do are changed and not entirely for the better. It’s said that to make a deal with beings like these means you’ve to give up something precious to you, and if you’ve nothing precious to give, they’ll take a piece of your heart and leave you half a person. Some 500 years ago when the land was still called Zethra, there was a King Puriss and he was always said to be a kind-hearted, wise, strong-minded man. He was a very kind king, loved by most, but had recently lost his queen and their beloved daughter to an illness which swept the nation, and in his grief, he went into the woods to find something powerful enough to bring his family back to him. It was believed he’d fallen prey to the darkness of the woods until, two months after entering, he emerged, his queen and daughter by his side. He lived just long enough to sit upon his throne once more before invading forces burst into the hall, and he was beheaded by Ochis, a prince of the neighboring country which was then known as Meposa (which would later fall into revolution and be split into 2 new countries known as Pike and Hosta.) It’s believed that in order to bring his wife and daughter back, Puriss traded his country which he loved so well. 

And, though it’s been several hundred years since anyone has seen it, there’s said to be a dragon that dwells within the Mist Valley Mountains, somewhere along the edge of the forest. Lots of idiots try to go find it every year, but none have. It’s been so long that most people believe it to just be dead, if indeed it ever existed at all. 

Up north on “The Unsavory Isle,” there’s dense, dense woods, but since it’s an area so secluded from the rest of the continent, the dangers there are sparse. The worst is as the rest of the anarchist state--bandits, mauraders, thieves, murderers, etc. 

The splot woods to the west are rather tame, as well. They’re not nearly as frightening as the other forests of Ochrane, well-lit and healthy, even inviting. There’s a tribe of druids who protect it, and they’ve been led for centuries by a single being. Her name is Lithara, and she is rumored to be a princess of the fae folk, but instead of ruling in her own Realm, she has made her home here, with the mortals. She’s wildly smart and wise, and lovely to behold, but she has a temper, especially in defense of her people and her home. The current queen, a Queen Minariel, grew up in the small town of Lurst just to the south and she often goes on “hunting trips” to these woods, and it’s wildly speculated that she and Lithara are lovers which just absolutely pisses off King En.

[twitchesandstitches]

Polypa’s Victory Growth Comm

Commission of Polypa growing hyper-sized anime-esque proportions; I was given leeway for the actual circumstances, so I went with a more fantastical setting this round.

-----

It began with a hunt; victorious, mighty, and Polypa standing high over her prey.

Polypa roared in triumph, as only a troll could, and the other hunters (humans, trolls, carapacians, and other beings) saluted her, shaking weapons and claws and their own fierce mutations. Fangs gnashed, tusks were clanged together, and several of the more excitable trolls headbutted humans who had thought to wear helmets.

Polypa bowed her head, taller than some but shorter than others, her figure well-built and beefy; an ideal weapon to aim at the enemies of clan and oath-kin. Slowly she slid off the massive torso of the devil beast, her head still tilted backwards in a gesture of docility.

And she gazed upwards and kept craning her head back as the enormously muscular and motherly body of Nepeta Leijon, the progenitor of all olivebloods and Huntmaster of the creators, raised her massive paws up.

Leijon was massive; her hips wider than a doorway, her shoulders individually broader across than Polypa’s whole body, her armor distorted by the huge swells of her curvy frame, her large belly suggesting a hint of divine pregnancy. Her hands, as big as Polypa’s whole chest, raised up, claws extending out over the metal hand-blades she wore. Polypa tensed, dreading a frown or criticism from her, the first of their kind…

And Nepeta applauded her, a warm smile on her atavistic snout. Several antannae sprouting from her face like whiskers tweaked as her smile grew. “Good job, everyone! This is going to go in the records!”

They cheered at this. Someone Polypa couldn’t see declared, “All the other reenactment clubs will be so jealous!”

Nepeta, goddess and incidentally president of the Peeled Bones Rennactment Society, smiled indulgently. She took another look at the corpse, and said something that made Polypa stop: “Oh, good job, Polypa! You struck the killing blow!”

The others gathered around, saying things along the lines of ‘good on you!’.

Konyyl Okimaw, Polypa’s childhood friend, rival, occasional mate and professional pain in the neck, gave her a level look Polypa found hard to parse. Was it indignation? Jealousy? Genuine pride?

Konyyl then grinned, and applauded as well. “Congrats, burny girl. You fried that bastard good!”

Polypa glanced down at the beast, the flames from her special claw weapons still blazing upon it, and she preened. “Well, I don’t wanna brag…!”

“You should,” rumbled Li’l Hal, an ironically named war construct from ancient days, towering over the rest with a truly fearsome arsenal still dripping in bloody ichor. Just to be super-extra, he still kept that look even outside the hunts. “Or I’ll take credit for it.”

Nepeta gave him a look. “Don’t tease her!”

Hal winced, in the sense of his many articulated face plates wiggled contritely. “Yeah, ma’am. Sure.” Polypa smirked at him. He made a rude gesture at her, which Nepeta pretended not to have seen. Instead, Nepeta stood forward, extending the godforged green claws (said to have been crafted with some pieces of the green sun used in shaping the new universe they knew), and she sang the song of gratitude to the spirit of the prey. It had been an old song when she made this universe; it sounded older even now, these many eons later.

Then her massive arm blurred, and blood sprayed onto the ground. Her cut avoided getting any on herself, but it did land on the grass. It began to grow faster, swelling upwards with sudden blooms, but in that moment, they were too focused on the ritual of slaughter to notice this.

Nepeta wrenched out the heart of the beast, still dripping blood, and she carefully handled it so that she did not get much on her. The blood of these beasts could have strange effects even on gods, but her magic contained it, aimed those transformation effects on those honored by her. And she offered the heart to Polypa.

“Take it,” the goddess of the hunt said, her expression keen, glowing faintly with her divine olive light as her powers blessed Polypa, priming her for the benefits of her benediction. “You’ve earned it.”

Polypa did not waste time with refusal or meek protests. You didn’t argue with the lion goddess, and anyway she had a habit of just rolling through arguments without ever raising her voice or changing her tone from a sweet, gentle tone. Polypa accepted the heart, bowing her head with awkward grace. Briefly, she wished she could have a quick discussion with her moirail Tegiri on the proper protocol of divine gift receiving; he knew all about that kind of thing and she most absolutely did not!

Nepeta just kept half smiling in a pleasant, amiable way that nicely defused her tension. Polypa awkwardly smiled back. Nepeta patted her shoulder, leaving a bloody clawprint on the furs she wore, and bowed her head low, standing up high until she towered even over Polypa’s amazonian figure. “You may eat.”

Polypa looked down at the heart, which was no longer beating. That possibly would have made it a bit stranger. The black blood still poured, so much of it that it was frankly implausible, maybe it was actually the natural magic of the beast, Polypa mused, still being processed into an organic stuff not so different from blood. Certainly it tingled on her skin, in a surprisingly pleasant way. That was a bit odd; it felt warm, tingling pleasurably. Part of her felt the hints of bloodlust her people were blessed with, the joy of the hunt and the ecstasy of feeling the blood FLOW-

She got a handle on it. Tamping down bloodlust was one of the first things done in the club’s hunt training. She opened her mouth, her jaws working strangely as her mouth fully unhinged, membranes connecting them as they gaped impossibly wide, her lower jaw expanding wide like some kind of anglerfish, and she scooped the heart up into her maw and swallowed it. Her throat squeezed around it, squashing it into a pulpy mass sliding down so sweetly into her belly.

“Is it supposed to tingle like that?” She said, patting her enormously detailed muscle belly with some concern. Her claws scraped against a bulge of gut that wasn’t quite as thick as her abdominal muscles.

The general feeling from the others was along the lines of ‘I dunno’.

And that was then.

----

And this was now.

Months after the hunt, Polypa stretched through her morning exercises, enjoying the weight at her front, and the wonderful flex of all those new splendidly aligned muscles all going up her back.

She was stronger, now. She was… famous, in ways that the hunting reenactment clubs didn’t really think to cater to. And most of all, she was bigger.

She paced through her room, adopting a stride naturally for hips that were much wider now. She didn’t so much walk as sashay, a rolling stride that tended to draw gazes downwards with sheer motion power alone.

At her front, her breasts bounced in all their massive glory, almost bigger than she was, and to feel them moving with each sway, every little bump against her muscular belly… it was a pleasure.

In many ways, she looked every inch like the heroines of the shows she and Tegiri loved so much, that had inspired her to join the hunting club to fight mighty beasts. Wait… no. She was so much bigger than even they were usually drawn!

The thought put a smug grin on her face.

Polypa was a large troll. Larger now, in fact; her doorway had been remodeled several times over the past few months, scaling increasingly upwards just so she could fit through it. Fortunately it hadn’t (yet) gotten to the point that she was in danger of going past the ceiling of her hive; they were built to be as tall as possible, given considerations like the size of some lusii. Even so, she had to walk with her head low, her body lowered so much she felt like she was constantly about to drop into a quadruped stance. And, well. Given the size of her assets now, that would probably be a poor move.

And she was still scraping her ceiling up with her horns. The weight of them, arcing up through her scalp-quills, had almost doubled; they had to be as long as her forearm now, their jagged edges so much more pronounced that not even the armor of worthy prey or warriors would pose a threat.

Distantly, she heard a murmuring, the distinctive sound of many people gathering about as a respectable distance, and she smirked to herself. It was a faint, confident smile, as much self-adoration as anything else. Her public was arriving.

Yes; she didn’t much like hanging out in her hive all day, even before all this, and now that her hive was too cramped for her new stature, and the impact of her body, she had taken to spending a lot of it outside.

And being… admired.

She finished her meal, jaws unhinging as she swallowed her food and edible dish whole, and it made a brief bulge in her throat as she swallowed. She did a few exercises before she went to go on her daily jog, mostly to accommodate her body.

The back muscles were important. They formed a new support structure for her back, flexible and rigid in turns as required by the bouncing hulks at her front, but she felt better working them out first before doing anything intensive. And it felt good working them out, making them stronger. She could FEEL them growing bigger; perhaps it was just her imagination.

Polypa finished her stretches and strode to her doorway, opening it; moonlight poured in, and as she saw the crowd doing its best to huddle around secretively, she tilted her head up, preening. “Hello there,” she said amiably to them. They flushed, almost every one of them a hardened berserker or carapacian brute, and they were still reduced to squirming lumps of shyness in her presence.

It was so cute.

Polypa exited the doorway, and cut a dramatic figure as she left. But it was her breasts that exited first.

And they were gigantic; perhaps there had been some cow-beast in the genetics of the monster that had empowered her, or it was some latent mutation in her olive blood set loose, to make her so mighty. Though Polypa was a juggernaut weighing over fifteen hundred pounds of muscle mass, far more of it was in her breasts; each one was eight hundred pounds heavy, dipping from her throat to almost her knees, the teardrop-shaped masses almost as long as she was tall, and so wide that only their amorphous squishiness let her force them through the doorway. They sloshed heavily, a payload of nearly three thousand gallons of milk making them even heavier, swelling to even bigger sizes.

They bounced hypnotically, the crowd awestruck by her size as she strode out, towering over them even at range. It was hard to appreciate her figure behind her bustline, but Polypa was a curious blend of amazonian and extreme hourglass; her waist impossibly tiny, her hips shockingly enormous. Her butt stuck out like a gelatinous platform, and her shoulders were broad enough that most trolls (most only coming up to her waist, admittedly) could ride comfortably on one. Her muscles stood out, as defined as carved stone, and wearing only small shorts and a tiny beach-top to cup her breasts, it was impossible to not be aware of this.

Polypa strode out, the outer swell of her muscular gut smacking into her breasts and making them bounce up with every step. Her shoulders flexed ,her hips swayed, her butt moved so perfectly; every motion was a delightful frisson, and Polypa restrained herself from a soft moan only with the hunter’s focus that had earned her these benefits in the first place.

She kept going; step after step, moving in just such a way as to make sure everyone’s eyes were on her. She had EARNED this look, earned every magnificent inch she’d piled on. She would make quite sure they saw it all, just as surely as she had always carried her hunting trophies on high whenever it came to call.

She glanced and saw Tegiri sitting atop a hermit’s pole, apparently to catch some brisk morning air before his own run. He glanced at her, with an expression that was somehow totally deadpan. He nodded, just once, as if to say ‘good morning’. There was no real indication or commentary from him over her transformation, besides some vague comments on his part that he could help remodel her home.

She appreciated it. He knew her worth; she didn’t have to blare it with him like she did with others. And that pleased her.

Polypa did some more stretches, and noticed a few people imitating her specific stretches. As she hefted up her own breasts, their immense weight making excellent exercise for her arms, and stirred up her milk stores, she thought it was nice to be… inspiring people like that.

She whistled, and they all looked at her. “Right, then!” she said brightly. “Everyone, after me! It’s a training montage!” She pointed at a few random people in the crowd. “We got a tournament coming up, and if you want to hang out with me, you gotta compete!”

“We what now?” Someone (Joey, she thought vaguely) said in a small voice.

“Ah,” Tegiri said. “First the training montage, in preperation for the tournament arc?”

Polypa smirked. “See. You get it!” The others looked dumbfounded, but now helplessly caught in her wake.

And so off they went when she started to run, the quaking of her breasts causing shockwaves around her, and into the night they went.

[mythicamagic]

Swimming in Silk: Chapter 24

Training in front of her, engaging her in conversation and now lending her his clothes…Kagome is starting to suspect that Sesshoumaru is trying to gain her attention.

Sesskag - Romance, Humour, Drama, Angst

Rated M - As always you can read this story on Ao3, fanfiction.net or Dokuga

Chapter One - here        Previous Chapter - here   Next Chapter - here (End)

Kofi

Warning: Torture and non-con elements (sexual deception)

Penultimate chapter, folks! The next one will be the end~

Counting in Centuries pt.2

Time marched on mercilessly. More decades and jumps passed. Inuyasha was brought along on one, left behind on another. Neither brother could say they were particularly thrilled about the situation but the state of the lands quickly distracted them.

The humans had become smarter, angrier. Hate-filled. Sesshoumaru noticed it spread like an epidemic, seeing the progression of smaller clans dispersing, fleeing their homes. He took only mild comfort in knowing the pup- no- he shook his head. The kit. Shippo. That he was with the Foxes, as their den lay hidden from most.

Battles lasted weeks. At first, Sesshoumaru's armies were successful with each wave. But the sheer number of enemy reinforcements began to overwhelm. Human and demon alike pushed the line of the Western forces back. Sesshoumaru revived his soldiers using Tenseiga, only for them to meet their end another hour later. It were as though all of Japan conspired to make the West fall as they began what would be called the final fight for the West. The last great house standing. True to what Kagome had said, some of the Eastern wolves joined their battle.

Inuyasha fought tirelessly, swinging his claws to kill dozens. Sesshoumaru loathed to admit it, but his brother proved an asset. Yet without Tetsusaiga, he eventually lost himself to bloodlust. He turned on their own forces, beginning to kill indiscriminately.

Sesshoumaru snarled, surfacing out a killing haze and grabbing his shoulder, pinning him down in the midst of battle.

"I do not have time to babysit you," he snapped, sheathing Bakusaiga briefly to grab two plain swords on the ground, thrusting one through the back of each hand to keep the Hanyou in place.

Enraged, Inuyasha roared and hissed. Snapping his teeth, red eyes glowed as he struggled on his stomach like a worm.

Sesshoumaru gave him a swift kick to the head, knocking him out. "Stay there," he grumbled, drawing his glowing sword anew. "I suppose I have to ensure you do not die now. How irritating."

Slashing Bakusaiga out in a wide arch, silver hair flew back as green energy struck a wave of youkai, consuming them. Planting his feet when the force sent him skittering back, Sesshoumaru panted slightly. With no eyes upon him, his facade briefly cracked. The endless fighting was starting to have a large impact on his youki. Without energy to feed it, Bakusaiga teetered on the verge of falling silent. Earlier he'd sent Kaito away from the fighting due to the General's own fatigue. The elder demon had been on the front lines for days, swinging his spear tirelessly to protect the House. Since the barrier had broken many years ago, guilt had changed him into an almost fanatical protector. Sesshoumaru figured briefly fetching some reinforcements from Bokuseno would give him time to recuperate.

"My Lord!" A small handful of servants hurried over, tears and distress clinging to them. He turned, mouth opening to ask why they weren't in the Keep not too far away- only to look further behind them. Flames were licking over its ancient roofs, eating through his history.

"We're sorry- we were forced to evacuate. I think the others inside already fled."

Sesshoumaru stiffened upon seeing two long silhouettes loop up around the Western Keep from out of the blaze, knocking long tails into the structure and causing some of it to cave in. Dragons.

"Have you seen Mother? She did not join the fighting," he shifted, padding towards the structure. She would not run.

"N-no my Lord," murmured a trembling servant.

He said nothing more, launching into the air. Heat flowed through his veins, pumping blood alarmingly fast as a red haze engulfed his body, transforming with a burst of energy. The inuyoukai grew large, into his towering true size, leaping onto the back of a dragon and sinking hard teeth into its tough hide, wrestling with it. Twisting his limbs and dragging hard claws on scales, he turned his neck and launching it airborne to land away from the Keep.

It snarled, landing near the fighting armies with a thud that shook the earth. Soon after, the dragon twisted and dived headfirst underground, burrowing underneath and disappearing. Sesshoumaru ignored it, facing the remaining purple scaled beast.

'I know you', his lips peeled back, spittle clinging to hungry teeth. 'You are of Ryūkotsusei's blood.'

Its jaws snapped wide, forked tongue waving like a flag when combined with a hateful hiss. 'He was our kin. Father's sibling.'

'Hn. You fight for one so long dead?'

The great dragon tossed its head. 'We fight because the reign of Dogs has ended. Long have you forged weapons and armour of our flesh and hide. Tonight we take our share of your bones and fur, mongrel-' it looped a long body around in a wide, quick circle, catching Sesshoumaru in the centre when it tightened its coils. Sharp talons slashed his back, teeth biting into his ear.

A roar thundered out, the two giants flying high into the air and blurring, twisting and manically biting at one another. When the dragon coiled tighter and tighter around him, Sesshoumaru transformed into his smaller, inhuman self, slipping out from its grip. He struck Bakusaiga down, snarling in victory when a large tidal wave of energy engulfed the beast. Flesh and scales were ripped to pieces, disintegrating from the inside out.

He panted mid-air, watching the dragon die. There was only a brief moment to wonder what had happened to the second, lighter dragon that had run away, before he noticed a giant ogre bent over Inuyasha, poised to slam a large hand down.

Sesshoumaru made a noise, transforming out of instinct once again and landing on its back. Aiming for the neck- he received an arm in his jaws instead, but gladly bit through the appendage, wrestling the great beast away from the trembling servants.

It was around that time he sensed her flying towards him atop Ah-Un. Why must it be now that you join me? He thought, not wanting distraction but grateful for it. He could utilise her.

Kagome touched his cheek once the ogre lay dead. His features returned to his inhuman self, wanting to feel a gentle touch on battle-worn skin.

"I heard all the allied clans were attacked at once. How bad is it?"

"I have not heard from many of them. No reinforcements are coming, and we have been fighting on and off for five days now." He uttered in an even tone, as though giving a report.

Blue eyes widened and seemed to notice something, gaping. "Sesshoumaru, your ear!"

His jaw tightened, knowing he must have been missing some of the tip, feeling blood leak into his ear canal. "Ignore it. There are more pressing matters."

Jaken lay dead, but there was nothing he could do for the retainer. Instead, he asked Kagome to go find his ridiculous Mother, disquieted by her absence.

"No matter the outcome, once done, take Inuyasha and the servants. Leave for either the Foxes or Bokuseno. I hear the kitsunes have not been hit, and I sent General Kaito to fetch reinforcements from the demon tree. I figured we could put a few guarding the tree to good use after all."

"You can't fight them alone, and why are you talking like you'll face them till the end? The stronghold-"

"Can be rebuilt. I refuse to yield my Father's land."

Blue eyes widened. "Your life is more important, please don't forget that. I believe in you, but promise me you'll leave if things get bad. Promise me."

Sesshoumaru did not answer, sensing her distress but remaining silent. Kagome's lips thinned, reiki crackling. She tilted her chin up. "We'll send word once we've reached safety."

He nodded and covered the miko as she made for the Western Keep's open gates. Cold control fixed his nerve endings, breathing in war. Though he killed methodically, perfectly, as he'd been born and bred to- the Daiyoukai's cheek burned with her touch and Sesshoumaru pushed himself harder. The miko was here. He could not falter now.

-----

That tantalising, out of place scent wafted into his senses once more a little later on, but Sesshoumaru did not turn to acknowledge it. He could sense Kagome with his Mother, having escaped the now collapsed Western Keep.

The sound of it caving in on itself had inspired something similar to transpire within his stomach.

He floated above the carnage of battle, the air so still. Embers floated up to greet him, a giant plume of inky black smoke rising up from the once great House. Sensing Kagome lead Ah-Un, Inuyasha, Mother and the servants away from the battlefield and into the forest towards Bokuseno, Sesshoumaru drank deep. He filled his lungs with the scent of his destroyed home, magenta lids sliding shut.

Sesshoumaru then raised Bakusaiga, streaking through the air with such speed he ripped through two men, beginning to fight without a thought in his head. Guided by instinct, he killed until it became monotonous. His armour cracked and dipped forward, loosening- so Sesshoumaru ripped off the hinderance, slashing through throats. Opening his palm after a moment, he realised he'd ripped off one of the red tassels from his armour. Mindlessly, he saved it for no particular reason other than nostalgia.

His comrades and units continued depleting the longer the fight lasted. Somehow this didn't bother Sesshoumaru or register in his mind. He absolutely refused to surrender and expected them to die for a House no longer standing. The lands would always be Fathers- His.

This unwavering pride and certainty in victory lasted until he smelt it.

Wood. Burning. Screaming.

Sesshoumaru paused, flicking out a weak, flickering whip of light that arched and killed the creatures around him. He tilted his head up, staring at the horizon of trees in Bokuseno's direction.

No. He panted, gaze starting to shake. How? When?

His heart thudded painfully fast in his bloodied ears.

Kagome.

The scent of the tree youkai being incinerated alive wouldn't leave. It caught in his senses and took root, leaving him reeling. Sounds of branches snapping filled his hearing. With every lick of flame, he was reminded that his mate's chance for extended life had perhaps been lost forever.

Something ripped, plunged- exploded into his hip. Sesshoumaru gasped out, gritting his teeth and pressing a hand to the wound. Barely any blood leaked out of the small hole, but he felt...strange. Sapped.

Sesshoumaru lifted burning eyes to the monk not too far away. Holy power shone around the staff planted into the earth, while he gripped prayer beads, chanting something and causing them to levitate mid-air. Sesshoumaru raised a hand, striking it in an arch and expecting a whip of light to decapitate the man- but nothing happened. His youki had all but vanished.

The Daiyoukai's markings emboldened with desperation. Claws stretched wide into talons. Canines elongated into large fangs as Sesshoumaru let out a blinding roar, leaping for the mortal just as the earth shook and exploded beneath his very boots.

Purple scales registered, before lightning crashed out of the mouth of the dragon, engulfing Sesshoumaru's body.

Everything went dark after that. Youki had been worn dry, physical strength sapped. He hit the ground, muscles slightly twitching as steam leaked up out of his burnt skin.

The Western Lord lay defeated.

----

The floor of his cell felt damp, reeking of blood. They had not stopped their prying, twisting and yanking for days. Needles of pain stabbed into the pads of his paws. Sesshoumaru could vaguely recall what had happened on the battlefield after passing out. Being dragged by horses. Body bound by enchanted chains that scolded his flesh. He was taken from the quieting battlefield where just a few demons kept fighting. Consciousness dipped in and out, but he'd been aware enough to feel the stinging pain on his skin. Because of this, during sleep he unconsciously managed to change into his true form, albeit a much smaller, bastardised version. This way they could not take his swords, and fur felt like more of a barrier.

Hazy crimson eyes had managed to catch sight of what would become his prison. A traditional looking compound with a broken torri gate, which led him to believe the place had been a temple, once. His location was far less clean, situated in a miserable tower on the ground floor.

He was muzzled, bound, dehydrated and starved, but the toss of his head remained proud for months. The snarl locked inside his mouth rumbled loud and terrible.

But the monks continued long after he felt they'd become bored. Sesshoumaru kept his stomach pressed low to the ground, trying to preserve vital organs when they began anew.

His claws were removed with metal clippers- taking the tips and webbing of his toes with them. Brands of hot, burning metal had been poked into his side, causing him to shamefully cry out. The white of his fur became dyed red continually until the lack of bathing rendered it dulled brown, the old blood caked into follicles. The monks decided to shave him at some point, sheering off large quantities of fur until he lay bare and humiliated, shivering. He felt only mild satisfaction when it grew back within a few days.

Sesshoumaru eventually lost all sense of self. Long periods of time spent in his True Form tended to wipe away blemishes of complicated thought. He knew basic things like pain, hunger, loneliness and dread. But most of all hatred.

He longed continually to sink his teeth into the pink of their flesh.

Kagome barely retained a human shape in his mind, instead becoming a feeling. A distant want he tried and failed to grasp over and over. He could not organise his thoughts to accurately remember her face or scent, but there are times he can recall the gentleness of her touch. Hear her words. The marks pulsing dimly on his neck were the only real proof he had that she'd existed at all.

Sometimes he thought he saw the miko watching him, and would blindly shift towards the ghostly spectre in his cell.

Hungry. This one is...hungry. Mate...bring me a youkai boar like the one you shot before.

Sesshoumaru struggled to swallow, feeling the collar dig into his throat. The spikes they'd lined the monstrosity with pressed into his neck, having broken the skin. He'd almost become used to it.

When Kagome left him alone unexpectedly, he became disorientated again.

Mate. Where is my mate? Is she safe?

Sesshoumaru's ears pricked slightly, picking up on the sounds of rainfall outside. His nose twitched, eyes closing. He barely opened them anymore, laying still.

Did she burn along with the den?

The thought caused him to dig his forehead into the ground, scraping stinging paws out. Energy sapped, he could only faintly whine. Had it been years? Months? Days? He did not know. There was only the monks who burned, the rain, the hard floor and the marks sweetly branding his neck.

The inuyoukai withdrew into himself. Deliberately sinking into the quicksands of sleep, he let it clog his ears and nose, wanting to cease feeling.

He lay as such until the air in his cell changed.

"Sesshoumaru?"

He did not hear the gentle calling of his name, nor feel the muzzle being dragged off. What he did sense was the familiar spark of holy powers- and he lunged.

Sadistic, dark pleasure welled up inside him like sticky black tar as flesh filled his mouth. He plunged sharp teeth down, tasting blood on his dry tongue. A woman's voice cried out, something nudging into his muzzle. Sesshoumaru snarled loudly, singing his victory.

"S-sesshoumaru, it's me, Kagome." She chocked out. "Don't you recognise me?"

Kagome. He knew that name. Recognised the blue eyes currently filled with tears. Her scent came to him then, achingly nostalgic and sweet like rich, juicy fruits filling his mouth.

Pain. He realised then that the bite marks on his neck were crying out. She was hurting- and he to blame. Sesshoumaru peeled his mouth away, lapping at the wound with a low, guilty whine. Forgive me, mate.

He could not be certain she was entirely real. In truth, even as they made their escape together from that cell and he witnessed her slaying their enemies once more, he remained suspended in a dream. Everything felt off. His limbs were heavy, youki sapped. He could not communicate to her that there was a prayer bead lodged in him somewhere, preventing his wounds from healing. Yet Kagome found out on her own easily enough while bathing him.

"You know, when we're in the future together properly, we better have sleepovers." He heard her say. "I expect the works. I'm talking my favourite movies, marshmallows on hot-chocolate, forts made of sofa cushions and possibly painting each other's nails."

She was babbling. His mate only babbled when nervous. He felt too tired to assure her, though this did not stop her selflessly stroking his fur. Tending to him. Loving the wretch he'd become.

Kagome lulled him into a content state, one he could stay in forever. If he transformed into his inhuman self now, perhaps he'd spit with disgust at how low he'd sunk. But he remained on the level of a dog, dozing at the feet of his mistress.

However, after waking, he found the cave dismally empty. She'd left behind a coat, two dead rabbits and a note.

'Don't leave the cave' it said. 'I've gone to find help- be back soon!'

Sesshoumaru stared at the paper, raising burning red eyes to the opening of the cave. If he ran now, perhaps he could catch up.

He shifted on his paws, planting them down firmly. Four legs shook as he raised himself up, panting. But he knew his body well and inevitably had to sit. It became clear he could barely stand, let alone move. More rest was required.

Or...he could trust in his possible hallucination.

Red eyes slowly slid shut, and he rested a tired muzzle on the coat she'd left behind, inhaling the fleeting scent.

----

Dim sounds made his ears prick. Wolves. The scent of wolves drew near.

Usually he'd be annoyed at the disturbance, but he dimly recalled their usefulness at the last battle. Cracking weary eyes open, Sesshoumaru stared unblinking as they transformed at the cave entrance, peering at him cautiously, skittish.

"Uh...Lord Sesshoumaru?" One tried.

He remained tense, silent.

Their leader, who he recognised to be Chief Kouga, stepped forward out of the group, hands planted on hips. "Geeze...what the hell," he said thinly.

Mild self-awareness came back to the inuyoukai. He'd been a leader who'd let his House fall. But Kouga stood tall, pack intact. It made him feel sickened, mildly hateful.

Kouga lifted up a scrap of pink material. Red eyes squinted- soon flying wide as he snarled, causing the sound to echo into the bowels of the cave.

Kagome's clothing.

The wolf held up a hand, frowning. "Oi, quit that. Kagome's fine. She found us and said to come find ya...before sinking into the ground," he sighed, scratching the back of his neck. "Heh, I probably wouldn't believe me either. But it's the truth, you can trust that much usin' your nose, right?"

Hackles lowered with halting immediacy. Sesshoumaru eyed them tiredly, settling his head on his paws. She'd been real? Is this...even happening?

"Uh, Kouga? What do we do? Should we carry him back with us?" One of the wolves piped up.

Colbat blue eyes narrowed with thought. "He's a prickly bastard, I don't think he'll let us do that. Kagome mentioned he's got a prayer bead stuck in his hip. We pull that out- we get a healing Lord of Dog Breaths. Hopefully then, the pouty bastard will choose to come with us back to the den."

Sesshoumaru made a grumbling noise, turning to the rabbits Kagome had killed and sinking his teeth into them. They'd discussed their plan in front of him, what fools. As if he'd allow them to touch him now that he was free-

"NOW!"

What?

Sesshoumaru started violently, food still caught in his throat. He could not move swift enough to block the amount of hands suddenly pinning him down on his side. The wolves made soothing noises or small yips, but he hardly cared- snarling and kicking under their weight, utterly enraged. Clawed fingers were rammed inside his hip- and a loud noise escaped him, struggling harder and throwing wolves off him- before the thing that had been lodged inside muscle and bone was ripped free.

Kouga jumped away, landing on the opposite side of the cave. His eyes were wide, grin spreading on his face as he stared at the prayer bead held between bloody forefinger and thumb. "Quick and nearly painless! Hah!-"

Sesshoumaru lunged, scrambling up and snarling at the wolves, grabbing one in his jaws and tossing it outside. Despite his rage- teeth hadn't dug in. Even as he chased the pests from his cave, Sesshoumaru did not kill them, instead glaring and frothing at the mouth. Youki swarmed his fur anew, leaking out and working to finally heal him after being blocked off for so long.

Kouga lingered outside the cave a safe distance away, chuckling. "You're welcome, Lord of Dog Breaths."

----

He'd reluctantly followed the wolves back to their den but took to sleeping in a smaller cave not too far away. Apparently it had been Five long years since the fall of the Western Lands. Five years he'd been reduced to a plaything. Sesshoumaru rested his head on his large paws, refusing to change into his inhuman form. If it were cowardly, he did not know nor care. The instincts to eat, hunt or sleep were all he needed.

For three years he remained in this stasis, barely contributing anything to the pack. He knew some were vexed with his attitude, yet ignored them. The only two who seemed unbothered were the pack leaders. During the cold of winter, Sesshoumaru had started violently when they'd called the pack to sleep in his cave, huddling close to him and providing warmth in their smaller true forms. It had been claustrophobic and uncomfortable, but he'd only grumbled a little. The female, Ayame, sometimes gave him scraps if she were feeling generous, like feeding a stray cub. He'd noticed as of late that she was heavily pregnant.

The image of Rin flashed through his mind. She'd struggled with birthing.

"We have to leave here," Kouga announced one day to his pack. "The humans ain't too far away and they know we're in the area. Every Great House who stood and fought these types of raids have fallen. Usually I think it's fucking cowardly to turn tail and run, but we got our kids and elderly here. This is our pack, and we gotta protect it!"

Loud cheers rang out, fists flying into the air. Sesshoumaru observed them from the sidelines, thinking their leader knew much about morale.

Ayame piped up from where she sat. "We know for sure there's a safe place for us. All we gotta do is reach it. Some of us went to check it out. It's by the beach, and we'll have to share the space with other demons, but it's better than losing our lives."

"So!" Kouga bellowed. "Take only what you need. Once you're ready, let's get outside and get organised. We're leaving today!"

The pack hurried to do as instructed. Golden eyes flicked to Ayame, who struggled to stand without assistance. She made noises of discomfort that irritated his ears, causing his tail to swish with agitation.

Once everyone was outside, they began to move, carrying waterskins or bags of food. Barely any took furs for bedding. Wolves never did care much for luxuries. Sesshoumaru lingered inside his cave, contemplating.

Though he could not form complicated thought, his body registered a dull ache he had not recovered from. Deep within his chest. Arms and legs remained weighed down, tired. The demon felt, somewhere, that he must be injured, despite being fully healed.

Ayame made a noise again, further ahead, holding her stomach.

Sesshoumaru's ears pricked, lips lifting in a silent sneer. He wanted badly to ignore it. To stay, and accept the blade of a human. His pride had been stained the moment the Western Lands fell, crushed upon sensing Bokuseno burning and scattered to pieces with every lash inflicted upon his body. Kagome...would mourn him, but like this, she might yet find another.

A human, perhaps.

Jealousy bristled his hackles at the purely hypothetical thought. No, more than that. Kagome as his mate would die too if he stayed there a second longer. Another pained noise from Ayame had him suddenly up and moving. Claws scratched the ground, limbs burning. Frustration urged him on, adrenaline coursing through his veins.

The silver inuyoukai padded up next to the woman. She brushed some damp red hair aside, forehead dotted with sweat as she blinked at him. She'd chosen to remain in inhuman form, and would not be able to change into her true self until after the birth at such a late stage. Like this, she was vulnerable. Birthing so many cubs would be agonising. He could not fathom why she'd done it, for surely comfort overtook preference, but it hardly mattered now. He stayed by her as they walked, following the scouts at the front while Kouga kept watch at the back.

Sesshoumaru remained on the treacherous side of the path when they navigated a mountain trail that held a steep rockface dwarfing them on one side and a sheer drop on the other. Ayame paused and winced, panting and reaching out to steady herself- fingers grasping his fur.

He did not react, having little explanation for why he'd seen fit to lend assistance. Perhaps it was payback. He padded at her pace even when it irritated him, finding her gait slow and akin to dawdling. When it became apparent they were holding up the rest of the group, Sesshoumaru made a noise, finally lowering himself.

Ayame tilted her head, panting slightly as she held her large, round stomach. "You sure? I'm heavy."

Sesshoumaru tossed his head, snorting. He made no noise of complaint when she climbed onto his back, gripping the fur. The other wolves lingered around them, skittish and worried for their female.

He padded on throughout the night, baring her weight as though it were a part of him.

"I'm proud of you," he heard the miko murmur in his mind.

'Be silent,' he thought.

Leaving the mountains behind, they travelled for days with barely any rest. Fires of war reached their noses. Other demons were still fighting, burning and dying at the hands of the humans. But the wolves took care of their own and did not lend aid. Sesshoumaru kept his head down, only raising it when he sensed salt flow through the trees of the forest.

The beach.

Something wet flowed into his fur then, leaking down his back. Sesshoumaru jolted, sniffing and turning his head to look at Ayame, who wailed.

"Oh no! K-Kouga! I think it's happening! My water just broke!"

They hurried on with a burst of urgency then, and by some miracle managed to find Shiori's village in under an hour. Ayame was taken away to a birthing hut, the rest of the wolves getting settled into the new place, greeted by the female Hanyou.

Leaving Sesshoumaru alone with a decidedly wet back. He thought it best to go bathe.

Old habits die hard however, and he found a new cave to lie in. As the days passed, he was reunited with the kit, Mother and their General. Oddly, Ah-Un survived, despite the odds. The foxes had disguised them as a horse through a heavy amount of glamour, but the two-headed dragon had to be hidden away in a cave at the village.

The demons all decided without his input that Sesshoumaru should be Leader, and though sceptical, the wolves were too grateful to protest. Sesshoumaru did not either, though he barely participated in leadership. Instead, he protected from afar, pacing through the forest bordering the beach, watching for any humans. Sometimes the wolves and cubs visited the cave, though he barely reacted to their presence. Shippo lay near him some nights, dozing. He'd become accomplished at spells, and Sesshoumaru found some feeling in him that wasn't apathy at the news. Pride, perhaps.

He was a good pup. Kit, he reminded himself.

But his next year was spent in much the same way as before. Only somehow worse. The toll of not changing in so long began to play with his mind again. His memories. It worsened with the self-imposed isolation.

He sometimes woke and thought that Rin was still alive, or that the miko was laying beside him. Always there was nothing, just the sound of waves crashing on rocks outside. The dark, empty cave occasionally dripped with water.

He slept deep and long. Falling prey to the weak trappings of his frayed mind. It conjured her.

Kagome began visiting him in dreams. She'd hold and stroke his body, pressing soft lips to his muzzle. Lean muscle relaxed whenever she approached until it came to the point her footsteps graced his hearing even while awake. The phantom sensation of her fingers trailing through silver fur made him purr. She whispered sweet nothings and made him remember how to yearn, to feel peace.

One day felt different, however. The crunch of footsteps on sand sounded louder, her smell...nonexistent. Which proved odd. He always tricked himself into smelling her. Sesshoumaru felt Kagome's touch, stroking and soothing. He made a low, crooning noise, feeling her arms wrap around his neck.

"My Lord," she murmured, kissing his nose.

Sesshoumaru's eyes fluttered open, hazy, but registering her naked body. Her perfect, familiar face. Long black hair and blue eyes caught the light from the cave opening, the cold air making rosy nipples hard.

When she melted against him, Sesshoumaru's fur shifted and regressed. Pale skin replaced it, and he bent to heatedly kiss her skin, taking the familiar shape of her body in his arms. She didn't feel quite the same, and the scars he recalled littering her figure were not present, but his scattered mind could barely hang onto one thought at a time. His cock strained with need, wanting attention. He thrust himself inside her wet heat, taking Kagome from behind and snarling with pleasure as she mewled and shook her hips.

The Daiyoukai pounded inside, burying himself within over and over again. She felt hot and tight, and he fucked her roughly, seeking blind completion.

When he snapped his hips forward and came inside her, she cried her rapture. His fangs sought the marks on her shoulder, wanting to embolden them once more-

But there were none. Sesshoumaru paused a hairs-breadth away from her skin, panting. His mind briefly cleared, scenting burrows, the woods and musk, instead of holy power and citrus.

The black hair held a few strands of blonde, her ears pointed.

Terrible, dark rage pooled in his stomach. The fox vixen glanced over her shoulder, flashing a mischievous smile. "I thought you could use the company~ Did I sound like her enough, my Lord? I do struggle with voices."

She did not smile for long.

Frantic teeth snapped down, face partially transforming so that his muzzle spread out, jaws opening wide. He snapped her neck with a sharp jerk, losing himself in rage, viciousness ripping her body apart.

He did not remember what happened after that. He thinks, perhaps, his mother approached and despaired, but also hid the evidence of the body. She covered it up to protect him from the wrath of the fox clan, claiming the demoness had disappeared.

Sesshoumaru did not like his cave as much after the event. He began forcing himself to take part in the fighting pits, wanting someone to come defeat him and seize the mantle of leadership for good. He forced himself to try and never imagine Kagome again, tormented by the comfort she offered.

When hearing two sets of footsteps crunching on the sand, Sesshoumaru inhaled, smelling the unpleasant fustiness of the wolf. Their natural scent, unfortunately. Seems Ayame was visiting him with-

Holy powers, citrus and the smell of a summer breeze. Sunlight on cooled skin.

Sesshoumaru sighed, unmoving. He'd slipped into fantasy again. He ignored them, dozing.

Oi!" Ayame growled. "You have a visitor. Wake up!"

He, again, sought to ignore them, vaguely hearing her cubs join them and start climbing over his form. A loud thud in the earth, like a fist, sent them scattering.

"HEY! This girl time travelled for your ungrateful hide!" She bellowed. "She came here just to see you! The least your sorry ass could do is say hello!"

Sesshoumaru made a noise, shifting to show his back. She is not here.

The fake Kagome was talking. "I'm going to um, stay here for a little while. Just in case he changes his mind."

He did not wish her to. Willing himself to fall back asleep, he found he couldn't. He felt it when she touched him when they were finally alone. Heard every whispered word.

"It's going to...get better, you know?" She murmured. "Not to be patronising, but it will. So for now, if this is what you need to be comfortable, then that's okay. Just...don't sleep forever," turning her face into the warmth of his side, hot breath fanned into his fur. "I'd miss you too much."

Red eyes cracked open briefly, staring at nothing, before they weakened and slid shut once again.

He fought Kaito when challenged, winning quite easily. That was the extent of excitement for one day.

But the following time, he did not expect Inuyasha to step into the fighting pits. What's more was the stunned, shaken feeling of his knees hitting the floor. The fight had been a blur of fists and raw power, but now he sat, surprised. Sesshoumaru blinked, feeling like a haze had been knocked loose from his eyes. His bloodied and battered senses took in the roar of the crowd, the iron taste of his own blood. Sometime during the brawl, he must have shifted into his inhuman self.

He looked up at his brother and the fake Kagome dazedly, before picking himself up, defeated. And yet... grateful.

Padding away, he slipped out alone onto the beach. White sands crunched under boots. He no longer had a duty to serve, feeling a weight lift from his shoulders.

"Sesshoumaru!" A familiar voice called from somewhere behind him.

Reiki pulsed and he stopped dead. Lips parted, and he inhaled, breath catching. Every nerve ending snapped alive, sensing her completely. Knowing, without doubt-

It is you.

He turned on his heel just in time to see her slip under the shallow waters. The pink colour of the waves receded soon after, time travel having worked it's will. One thing in particular kept Sesshoumaru standing there long after she'd gone.

Short hair. She'd looked like his first Kagome.

He decided to sit when standing became uncomfortable, shifting into his inuyoukai form once more. The breeze played with his fur, second eyelid blinking the sand away. Shifting down, he rested a heavy head on the beach, watching the ocean's horizon listlessly. Sesshoumaru didn't know when he slipped into sleep once more, but far too soon did he sense a disturbance.

"One good thing about short hair; it sure dries quicker."

One red eye peeled open. How are you here again so soon?

She smelled of salt, but without the haze, he knew with shaky confidence that it was Kagome again, sitting beside him. The Daiyoukai shifted, resting his jaw over her thighs. Giving a long, extinguished sigh, his chest warmed when a wet, gentle palm stroked over his forehead. Slowly, fur receded back into skin. Silver hair slid into the breeze, pooling around them as she smoothed a thumb over his pale brow. He barely noticed the emotional danger of staying in his inhuman form, calm in her presence.

He'd imagined this same thing occurring many times, and began to question his sanity again- until she said the most random thing possible.

"Do you have one of those pipe things your mom has?"

He blinked. "Hn."

Sesshoumaru handed it to her and watched with undisguised fascination as she pointed and flexed her toes in the sand, soon nearly coughing up a lung from the smoke.

Golden eyes studied her. Sometimes, she was just so...bizarrely magnetic, so obviously weird and for some reason he couldn't seem to become immune to the charm inherent in that. He always felt more sentimental when they were together.

True to form, she brought up the past, and they traded faces and names.

Unbearably easily, she lowered the defences that had kept him intact. He exhaled shakily, breathing the image of Rin into life. And suddenly he was silently acknowledging everything. His frustration at not getting to say goodbye. Losing her to mortality. His anger at having loved something that was going to die all along.

"It's alright," Kagome soothed. "It's okay."

His mate slid her hands over the plains of his body, and Sesshoumaru sank into her. Nothing kept him tethered to the ground as much as her touch right then. She smoothed kind hands over scars until they felt like mere creases. Just a few blemishes that she loved with her mouth. He slipped into peace, feeling it for the first time in years as he slid mindful claws through her short hair with vague confusion, dipping his head to accept her kisses.

The tide and waves rolled over them, and a startled noise escaped him, a dusty, genuine chuckle joining her quiet laughter.

----

Inevitably, she had to leave again. This parting felt different, however. Things had shifted. Something unexpected happened to the village with Inuyasha now the leader. Laughter came back. Demons masquerading as humans oddly seemed to relax, following his younger brother's example.

Sesshoumaru felt no jealousy where once he thought he would. Their people looked to his bratty sibling for stability and Shiori for guidance. Sesshoumaru had decided to hunt as much as possible for the village to reclaim some forgotten pride. He also resolved to spend more time with Shippo, refining his transformation technique so that he could melt into his true form if necessary.

Mother caught his eye a few months after Kagome had said goodbye, and he padded over to the entrance of the old fighting pits, now laying forgotten. No one challenged Inuyasha.

"...Is this about the vixen from the cave?" He asked bluntly.

Her brow arched. "No, dear one. Haven't the faintest idea what you mean."

Sesshoumaru glanced away, lips thinning. "I did not thank you for covering for me-"

"And this one did not do it for the thanks, so be silent." She smiled with her eyes, closed fan resting against her cheek.

"What is it you want then?"

"A partner to spy with," she lifted a finger to her lips, ducking inside and motioning to follow. They slipped through the tunnels soundlessly, hearing Kaito's deep baritone. Within, the wolf cubs and some of the younger demons were all gathered around, listening intently. Kaito sat on a higher step.

"-and there were great flumes of purple smoke for clouds. Inu no Taisho continued to fight with him. But the dragon's powers that so resemble lightning struck hard into the Great Dog Demon."

Sesshoumaru's gaze turned flat. Ah, he was teaching the young ones their history. He did a double-take when seeing Inuyasha sat among them, allowing the cubs to chew on or braid his black hair. He appeared to be listening, dark eyes focused.

And it occurred to the Daiyoukai that he'd probably only ever heard legends about their Father.

"He only managed to seal him to a cliff with his claw. According to many, Ryūkotsusei was much too powerful to kill," Kaito said gravely.

Inukimi gave a delicate giggle, fanning herself. All eyes turned to her. "I'm sorry, it's just cute. The way I hear it, there is one among us who did slay the beast," she directed an amused smile at Inuyasha, who scratched his nose uncomfortably.

"Yeah, what of it?"

Kaito and Sesshoumaru stared, the elder demon clearing his throat. "It is because of his fight with Ryūkotsusei that Inu no Tashio was mortally wounded, shortly before coming to save you, a newborn."

Inuyasha's eyes widened, and were his ears visible, Sesshoumaru imagined they'd lower to his skull. "H-huh. Gotcha."

The cubs clambered around him, yipping or gnawing on his elbow. The Hanyou seemed to want to ask more, but pride sealed his lips shut. Sesshoumaru watched him closely, before long lashes lowered.

"So um...when I was kidnapped by your mom, she did this thing where she exhaled smoke and made it into pictures from her memory."

He withdrew the pipe from his clothes, padding forward and taking a seat off to the side from Kaito, lighting it.

"I was just wondering if one day, in the future, do you think you could do that? For...Inuyasha?"

Sesshoumaru took the smoke into his lungs and exhaled it, breathing their great and terrible father into life via grey wisps. The high cheekbones, strong jaw, bushy brows and disarming eyes. The only thing missing was the magnetic personality and booming voice.

The Hanyou and the young ones stared at the smoke figure with wide eyes. Inuyasha then collected himself, glancing at him with mild confusion.

"You may as well put a face to the stories," Sesshoumaru said quietly.

"...Keh."

"Hn."

----

The monks who had imprisoned him were tracked down and slaughtered. Sesshoumaru had taken a small group with him, Kouga and Inuyasha joining him. He found one monk in particular who he intimately recalled, and had dealt with him alone. He hadn't had the time to exact the full scope of torture he'd wanted to on the monk, but oh- how he'd enjoyed it.

Within the cells, they freed a few youkai barely hanging to life, taking them back to the village once the bloodshed was over. Things began to heal, like a scab over a wound.

Everything seemed to have fallen into place for the group, save Kagome's absence. Yet something continued to niggle at Sesshoumaru.

He heard his mother's approach as he sat on the beach, old memories resurfacing.

"The one responsible for burning Bokuseno, do they lie dead, mother?" He asked.

"Yes," she purred.

He felt a mild weight lift from his heart until her next words: "but the woman who helped orchestrate it is not. Kagome saw fit to banish her because she had a young son. Chiyo was her name, I believe."

The servant. "I see," magenta lids slid shut.

He did not assemble a group this time, thinking they'd protest. Sesshoumaru slipped out from the village at night, flying back. Back to the ruins of the ancient tree. What he saw caused the same numbness that had entered his bones the first time to resurface- but Sesshoumaru shook it away. He had something important to do, collecting the remnants of his forgotten pride.

Trying to follow the trail of two deer youkai that was more than ten years old took time. For most beings, it could perhaps be impossible. Old tracking instincts returned, reminding him of the days he'd hunted Naraku.

For a few weeks, he travelled around Japan, black hair tied at the nape of his neck. Ears rounded. He posed just like any other human among the populous, observing the growing numbers. Their gazes soon turned to follow him, curious about the finery of his red and white silks. Eventually, he lifted the cover over a door up, standing in the threshold of a decent-sized house.

A woman knelt by a basin, preparing some food. She started and looked up, placing her hand on her chest. "Oh, you frightened me." She blinked. "My husband isn't here, I'm afraid. If you were interested in renting a boat you can find him by-"

"I don't need a boat," he said quietly, letting the cover slide into place over the door, blocking out the sun. Chiyo straightened, eyes going wide. Opening her mouth, no words came out.

A boy in the far corner of the room sat up.

"Hisao, come here-" she called sharply.

He slowly obeyed, cautiously easing around Sesshoumaru, before coming to stop by his mother. She instantly latched her hands onto his arms, standing behind him.

"Y-your mate banished us years ago. We have kept our word and not returned-"

"She made the decision without this one." He uttered in silken tones. "What you and your departed husband did cannot be eased with mere banishment. You have not nearly been punished enough."

Chiyo jolted with fear, hearing the sound of a baby stir in its crib.

Sesshoumaru glanced over at it. "...A hanyou. How interesting." Blazing golden eyes slid back to her. "And here I was informed from my mother the reason you burned Bokuseno was because you disapproved of my mating a human."

"I was not given much of a choice but to let a human touch me!" She hissed. "I have another, she's out working with her father. I did what I had to in order to surviv-"

"You dare-" Sesshoumaru swept in close, molten gaze burning with the harsh fires of hatred. Claws twitched with want to kill, but Chiyo ducked away, bursting into frightened tears. "You dare speak of suffering? Because of you, many died. My mate may have lost her chance to extend her life-span. Your mate burned Bokuseno alive and crippled my General-" he grabbed her wrist, suddenly pausing.

Thin blue veins had spread, visible on her wrist where her glove ended and sleeve began. Sesshoumaru pushed the sleeve up further, inhaling. "Ah, that's right..." he purred with dark satisfaction and amusement. "He was your mate, wasn't he? That's why I sense death in your scent. It's coming for you after you've evaded it for so long, vermin."

Sesshoumaru released her, watching with sadistic pleasure as she sank to the floor. Chiyo trembled, eyes wide.

Hisao suddenly darted in front of her, body trembling. "Y-you've got what you wanted, my Lord. Now that you know, p-please go."

"You misunderstand," he said gently. "I did not come here to kill her."

Golden eyes slid over Hisao's frightened expression, who swallowed. Reaching out, Sesshoumaru removed the hat on his head, spying the stumps peeping out of dishevelled brown hair. They'd tried to saw them down but his antlers were naturally growing. They must have tried their best to make the young demon blend in. Females could hide in plain sight like Chiyo. Males, not so much.

"You may come with me to the village of demons, boy." He levelled a weighty stare on the child. "It was your mother who was banished from the Western Lands and father who betrayed me and mine. If you continue this way, shame will follow your name long after she is dead. This one will restore your honour if you pledge yourself to the ashes of the House they helped burn."

Hisao's breath caught, young mind turning as his mother became quiet, eyes downcast.

Sesshoumaru waited patiently, briefly glancing around the place. She'd certainly landed on her feet, judging by the amount of decor and furniture. Pale lips sneered.

Hisao turned to his mother, brows drawn together.

Whatever he seemed to communicate, she nodded tearfully. "It's alright. You'd be...you'd be safer there. It's probably true."

Hisao wrapped small arms around her neck, burying his face in her hair. Chiyo hugged him, stroking dishevelled hair back from his ears. The Daiyoukai noticed scabs over the tops, were the pointed tips had likely been cut off.

He stepped out the door, giving one last dark look at the woman as Hisao hurried after him. You took many of my own. Now I take one of yours.

---

The house of ashes lay before them.

"Your parent's failings are not your own," he muttered, glancing down at the quiet boy. Wide eyes stared back, soon nodding hesitantly.

"I understand, my Lord."

Tired eyes shifted to the dead and dying earth around them. "...I am not a Lord anymore."

Accepting all the ugly emotions that came with seeing his old dwelling, Sesshoumaru knelt in the remains of the garden, having stopped there for a specific reason. Unearthing the box he'd previously buried before the fighting had started, Sesshoumaru broke the lock with his youki, opening it to admire the items he'd saved;

A purple pressed flower he'd glamoured never to lose its vibrancy. Kazanashi. The Higurashi shrine stamper, and now he added the red tassel from his original armour which had long since broken. And...something else needed to be added. Sesshoumaru lifted his arm, looking at the long sleeve trailing down. His prized red and white silks.

Removing them left him in the crisp white underlayer of his hanjuban. Folding the silks, he tucked the clothing away in the box. Now wasn't the time for them anymore.

Glancing at the ruins of the Keep, he took a breath. Hisao tilted his head, noticing a shoji screen jutting out under the debris, crouching to try and free it. He tugged, making a tiny grunt of effort, before a larger hand reached down next to him and slid the screen-free.

The boy blinked up at him, but Sesshoumaru said nothing. They took it with them back to the awaiting village and Sesshoumaru kept the items safely in his new hut.

It took a few days, but ultimately Kaito was the one to confront him.

"Why did you bring him here?" He rumbled, watching as Hisao helped attend Inukimi, who seemed delighted to have a helper. "He is the son of the traitors who burned the tree and killed our men." A hand settled on the stump of his leg. "His father...did this to me,"

Sesshoumaru glanced at the former General, gaze passive. "If we were to start pointing fingers, there are many already here to start sharing blame."

Kaito clamped up at that, vague shame filtering into his scent.

Observing the change in demeanour over the days, Sesshoumaru noticed the small deer youkai be accepted into the group. Kaito instructed him how to hold a wooden sword, beginning some basic training.

Things had become as Inuyasha said. The separate species had come together, accounting for differences. Things were not always smooth, but it felt like what he'd seen from the village of Edo, so many years ago.

A community.

The Daiyoukai happened to notice a change in Inuyasha too. The 'odd looks' began anew, this time with Shiori.

Sesshoumaru cut his eyes to the dark skies, feeling old suddenly. Whatever they did, it was no concern of-

"Hey," Inuyasha grunted, taking a seat next to him by the fire outside. "Need to talk to ya."

"Are you certain?" He inspected perfect nails. "This one would have thought talking to the female Hanyou would be your priority."

Bristling, Inuyasha stuffed his hands in the sleeves of his robes, huffing. His cheeks briefly reddened, gaze fixed on the fire. He took a long time to say anything, which made Sesshoumaru take notice. The brat had certainly changed in recent years.

"...I was thinkin' of maybe mating her. It's taken me a bit to adjust to the thought- I mean I saw her when she was a kid and now she ain't and it's weird but time travel has made us near the same age and yeah." He huffed, obviously having picked up the babbling habit from Kagome. He then quieted. "We talk about shit I haven't talked about with anyone else. Stuff I couldn't even tell Kagome cos the Kikyo subject always hurt her. Not surprisin' though."

"Are you certain she is riveted to be talking about your ex-partners?" Sesshoumaru muttered dryly.

"Shaddap! It's more than that. Not that I'd tell you," he stuck his nose in the air, before growling. "It's not enough that I got a load of baggage holdin' me back from asking though. I don't...want her to get hurt like my Mother."

Izayoi? Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed, wondering where he was going with this.

Inuyasha looked at him gravely. "Look, are Hanyou kids cursed to kill their mothers eventually?" He asked, muscles tense.

"...Elaborate."

"Keh. My mother passed away from an unknown illness when I was about 10 in human years. Shiori says hers died when she was around 14. Everywhere I go, I've heard of Hanyou kid's parents dyin' or something. So what is it? We cursed? Because I ain't keen on havin' kids if so. Shiori...shouldn't get mixed up with me."

Sesshoumaru stared. It became obvious that the Hanyou truly believed in what he was saying, but had never asked, for fear of what it meant. An old instinct to belittle and sneer at the boy rose up, but he suppressed it.

"No, you are not cursed. Rather, the majority of those cases probably happened because of the consequences of mating."

"H-hah?"

The words came haltingly, but he persevered. "Many suspected Izayoi to be Father's true mate. She died because her soul demanded to follow his into the Netherworld. It was not your doing," he quietly uttered. "When one mate dies, days, months or even years later, the other follows. To mate is to bind souls and lives together."

Inuyasha studied the fire, jaw tightening. He then stood, back straightening. "Gotcha. Didn't know. But I guess that's because-"

"No one told you." Sesshoumaru cooly finished the barb. It was true, he'd willingly snubbed the Hanyou, refused him entry into the West. Denied him many birthrights. Things were not the same as they once had been though. He did not feel angry, bitter or jealous. Merely tired. Dark eyes shifted over the features so like Father's. "This one is telling you now."

Inuyasha's eyes widened, confusion in his scent. He then slowly nodded, awkwardly taking his leave and padding away, kicking a stray shell on the beach.

----

Centuries passed. Sesshoumaru counted them instead of letting time blur as he had before. Things changed and progressed. Inuyasha and Shiori had ended up mating, causing the agitated boy to further mellow. The village moved. Even Shippo mated and became a Father, causing Sesshoumaru to have an age crisis. He saw Kagome twice more during her jumps until finally reaching the time period she'd been born into.

The buildings of Tokyo were much larger than when he'd last visited. They towered into the skies. Humans crammed into the streets, walking in a hurry to their daily jobs.

Sesshoumaru assessed his wealth, finding that he had enough to support Kagome for many years. They needn't work when they were together unless they wanted. Nonetheless, he opened a bookshop, employing Yukita and Riza, Shippo's son and Kouga's daughter respectively, in order to pass the next 18 years.

Shippo informed him of the day of Kagome's birth, having seen her briefly, in passing.

"I do not want to know," he rumbled over the phone. "Tell me nothing about her, but watch when you have the time, kit."

When it neared the day of Kagome's 15th birthday, however, Sesshoumaru ran into a mild...complication.

"I don't sense any magic coming from the Bone Eater's Well. Didn't you seal it?" Shippo barked.

He thought for a moment. "...Yes."

"And you didn't think to maybe unseal it so that she can hop down the Well and meet Inuyasha?!"

"..." Sesshoumaru hung up.

He hadn't wanted to see her. Hear her. Anything. Not until he absolutely must. Already his control shook, padding up the steps of the shrine. His image blurred partway up, inhuman speeds making him fly to the Well House.

Sutras were already plastered around the closed well, blessings and spells with no holy properties apparently trying to ward off 'evil.' Sesshoumaru smiled slightly in the dim light, opening the structure easily enough. He then slipped inside, dropping down the dark depths of the Bone Eater's Well and landing at the bottom. Striking a hand down, he coiled youki out onto his skin, ripping off the seal he'd placed into the earth when it gave under his power.

I do not think I will ever understand, he thought as the scents of the Fuedal Era wafted up from beneath his feet. How does this well operate? Did the Kami themselves place it here?

Hearing a 'meow' from above, Sesshoumaru craned his neck up, seeing a pair of eyes flash in the dark. Flying up to land on the rim, Sesshoumaru observed the fat feline.

"You must lure her here on her birthday if she does not come by herself, nekomata."

Kirara, or 'Buyo' just meowed again. He couldn't be entirely sure the demon understood him. Shippo had told him she changed cat forms every twenty or so years, keeping watch over the shrine. Personally, he found her silence indicative that the old cat had gone senile, but Shippo always defended her.

Closing the lid over the well, Sesshoumaru smoothed his palm over the wood. Speeding away without a farewell, he floated down onto a deserted street and resumed walking.

Just a little more time had to pass.

He heard of her exploits through Shippo when she finally began her adventures, who groaned with frustration over the phone when she got an F in maths. "I wish she'd focused on her studies more instead of us!" He complained. "I'd never let my kids go fight demons! What's that Mrs. Higurashi thinking, anyway?!"

Sesshoumaru held the phone away from his ear, reading a book.

When the beginning of those three years came and Kagome was cut off from the Fuedal Era due to the completion of the jewel, Sesshoumaru found himself truly tested. He'd wanted to steal her away. Keep her. He had even gotten so far as her house, heart thundering in his ears- daring to change history-

But the sound of her sobbing upstairs caught his ear.

"Inuyasha..."

The demon lowered his hand from the doorbell without pressing down, fingers clenching as they withdrew. She was still in love with him at this point. Kagome needed to go back. To face whatever they'd been before their break up.

Turning on his heel, Sesshoumaru squeezed red eyes shut, frustrated. Control snapped and he padded quickly away, needing to leave Japan for a while.

When he came back, Sesshoumaru witnessed her return from the well with Inuyasha in tow for her Grandfather's funeral. She searched for the Daiyoukai in the city, and he felt it, having to enlist Riza and Yukita in helping to dull his senses with harsh insense, lest he heed her call. Yet it hadn't been enough, and he'd broken free.

He let out a feather-light slip of youki to against her cheek while standing in her empty room as she searched for him outside. Touching the brown package he'd given to her Grandfather and leaving behind a slip of power, he disappeared, wanting to guide her in the right direction.

After her first jump through time, he and Shippo began planting the items, willing her to find and jump to the past. True, they orchestrated much, though at the time Sesshoumaru was still trying to grasp her powers and how they worked.

And when Kagome finally fell into his arms that winter's day, Sesshoumaru had never wanted her to leave. He'd taken her to his penthouse, kissed her, ached-

But duty carried on and he could only keep her for an excruciatingly unfair amount of time.

A warm palm settled over her fist and Sesshoumaru stared at her, winter lashes lowering slightly. Kagome's optimism seemed to slip along with her grin, glimpsing the emotion he'd rather keep hidden.

"I'll be back," she said quietly. Sesshoumaru inclined his head, sliding his hand free from hers.

"Hn…return home soon."

That was the last time he'd seen Kagome, sending her off to face that first mating, when he'd become so deeply ensnared by her.

Unlike before, he'd called off Shippo instead of asking him to keep vigilance over the house. The Daiyoukai decided to wait for her call, passing the time by trying to distract himself with visiting others.

He was not much for conversation, but Hisao hadn't seemed to mind when he'd received him for afternoon tea.

Passing through the park that evening, Sesshoumaru tilted his head back, inhaling the scent of Spring. It used to be Rin's favourite season. Flowers had started to bloom, dotting the landscape in flourishes of bright colours. The grass had broken free of the frost, sunset bathing it in warm colours.

He observed it all passively, remaining in the centuries-long limbo that he'd learned to navigate. He'd made a home for himself. It was merely that without her, it felt void of life, reminiscent of a box with four walls. Missing the key element that made it feel warm. Which was why he usually slept at the bookstore.

Taking one more step, he stiffened, stopping dead. Lying in wait beyond the trees, the lake further ahead suddenly held new blinding scents.

Sesshoumaru's heart began to race, old instincts crackling to life. Dark eyes, shining lighter in the sun, exploded into gold. Round pupils squashed into slits.

He forgot himself, the glamour, the concealment- everything- feeling it melt away as he launched forward into the air, coat and shirt rustling in the breeze.

[dragonleesupporter]

Charms (Paradigm Series)

         Alo’s eyes fluttered open as he stretched out in bliss. Either he had chosen the best branch of his life, or this was heaven. It wasn’t until he felt arms wrapped around his middle, did he realize where he was. In Shasta’s bed… with Shasta spooning and hugging him from behind.

             The thief remembered that he had stayed the night at the prince’s castle. He tried ever so carefully to get up without waking the prince, since he was sure he’d get caught by one of his parents if he stayed there, and wanted to leave without disturbing his love. The golden one would have to tend to his duties anyway.

             “Hhhmmm… what?” Shasta muttered sleepily as his eyes struggled to open, Alo was not careful enough, it seemed.

             Alo was about to groan of disappointment, but he didn’t out of mere surprise. Something seemed different about Shasta’s voice. His tone was… deeper than usual, more relaxed, and honestly kind of hot… But Alo couldn’t get distracted with the sexy voice, he had to get out of there before he got caught IN BED with the prince. He started squirming at the thought.

           Once Shasta woke up a little more, he realized he had his soulmate in his arms, who seemed rather restless at the moment.

             “Good morning, Alo.” He hummed happily as Alo tried to get out his grasp.

             “G-good morning, Goldie.” The thief paused to return the greeting. “Any chance you could let me go?” He struggled to get away from Shasta as the golden grecken squeezed him tighter.

             “Nah.” Shasta shook his head, still not fully awake. “And I like that nickname…” He continued to murmur in that deeper voice.

             “Why not? If your parents catch us like this, we’re both dead.” Alo tried to explain but the prince spun the thief around in his arms, put a finger to Alo’s mouth and tried to stop him from wriggling.

             “They gave me an off day today. I don’t have to tend to my duties, and my main servant will bring me food when I ring the royal bell. Nobody’s gonna come in here otherwise… It’s a day to ourselves.” He smiled, pulling his love closer and realizing his glowing face. “Why are you blushing?”

             “I-it’s your voice…” Alo admitted, face heating up even more. “It’s… entrancing.”

             Shasta suddenly flushed a bright blue, not even realizing he had a case of low morning-voice. His parents always told him that he sounded like a king when he woke up, but he never expected something so simple as his voice to make his love blush so much.

             “Do you… like it?” He asked, purposefully keeping his voice a low growl just to see that grey glow increase.

             “Y-yeah.” Alo tried to say as if it wasn’t a big deal, but he could hear the crack in his voice, and could feel the blush spreading even further across his face, and his nonchalant disguise crumbled from his wobbly smile.

             Shasta hugged Alo tight, and nuzzled him, their soft fur gliding against one another’s. Even though it was a pain trying to contain his blushing through all of the prince’s antics, Alo felt truly safe for the first time in his life. With Shasta surrounding him with love, he felt protected, and for the first time, he relaxed his muscles, and damn, did it feel GOOD. He wrapped his arms around Shasta in turn making the prince gasp in surprise and then display a pure smile with sparkling eyes. The golden grecken felt his whole body heat up as Alo nuzzled him affectionately. Both of them clung on, seeming to glue themselves to each other as they felt the whole universe circle around them in universal harmony, the two falling into an endless abyss of love that only got deeper with every second. Neither of them let go for a long time until they heard a low, distinctive growling.

             At first, Shasta thought it was a beast or maybe a ghost… just to realize it was Alo’s stomach. Both started giggling about the whole ordeal, especially since Shasta had even grabbed his sword off the table next to them to fend off an invisible creature that he thought had growled. They got up and decided to eat, knowing that if they didn’t stop cuddling, they would both get lost in each other again and starve.

             The prince didn’t want to order anything from his servant in fear of his soulmate being found, despite the fact he could hide a thousand greckens in his room. Instead, they opted for the chocolate and Wishing the Moons they had left behind from the previous night.

             Alo put the brown thing in his mouth, not expecting much, but absolutely awed at the amazing taste that filled his senses. It was like love had become a luscious, rich fruit that he could bite into as it melted in his mouth, melting him with it.

             Shasta giggled at Alo’s expression. His eyes were pointed up with a sleepy, dazed look, and his figure swayed side to side with how lax his body was, chewing the yummy, melty morsel.

             Shasta drank a couple DROPS of Wishing the Moons and got a similar laid-back attitude. Not completely drunk, just blurred slightly.

             “Hey, what do you have in your pocket? I’ve always been curious.” Shasta pointed at Alo’s big pouch he had in the front of his hoodie as they sat there enjoying each other’s company.

             “I’ve been collecting charms…” Alo explained as he pulled a few out. “They aren’t that expensive… so stealing them isn’t that bad… They’re quite easy to use, unless you think too hard about it. Just think of who you want to use them on, most of the time it being yourself, and then snap the finger of one of your hands as you hold the charm with the other.”

             The charms were orbs of different color, texture and size. Some were darker shades and had smoother surfaces, while others were brightly colored and had rough or uneven shells. All of them had a glass-like structure, with a small light illuminating from inside each one.  

             “The smaller a charm is, the shorter it’s effects last. The darker colored ones are more on the calm side, normally depleting something where the bright ones normally cause something to increase or intensify.” The hooded grecken explained while gesturing to a few of the orbs.

           Shasta reached and plucked a large bright orange charm off of the ground, staring at its swirly designs with intrigue. It was uneven and looked more like a plump cloud than a round object.

             “What’s this one do?” He asked.

             “That’s a youth charm, I believe. It changes the mind of anyone into that of a child’s.” Alo was about to turn and start talking about some the other charms he had on display, when he caught a glimpse of a mischievous smile crossing his lover’s face.  

             “Shasta, what are you thi-?” The prince snapped his fingers, and Alo suddenly felt… different.

             His eyes opened wide, and he was trying to process this bubbly feeling inside him. A wobbly smile made its way to his lips as he tried to contain this sudden intensified happiness. He could tell he was failing from Shasta’s expression of wonder and excitement.

             The thief suddenly wanted to laugh, but covered his mouth, still trying to resist the charm’s power.

             “No! Don’t hide your laugh!” He heard Shasta whine longingly with a childish pout, making him want to giggle even more.

             Alo slapped both hands over his muzzle, his face heating up as he desperately tried to hold back his strange mirthful state, but he could tell he was slipping… A charm’s power was irrefutable after all. The thief could tell Shasta was getting impatient and he started to panic when he saw him draw closer, his smile devious.

             “I’m hearing that laugh, one way or another. ~” He sang and grinned, wiggling his fingers teasingly.

             Alo was confused until Shasta warped his arms around him and started gently wiggling his fingers against his sides. The thief instantly squeaked and pressed his hands tighter to his face.

             He just had to be ticklish.

             He tried to get up, maybe escape, but for some reason… he didn’t want to. He just stayed there as the prince tickled him. Despite he felt utterly embarrassed he also felt excited! He decided to finally accept the feelings inside him, but still kept his mouth shut and held back his laughter to keep up the game.

             He almost broke at the frustrated huff that came from the heir, as he grew impatient. His wiggling of the fingers turned to rapid scratching and squeezing up and down from the top of his ribs, to his hips. That almost did it. Alo practically jumped a foot in the air, however, he didn’t give in, but DAMN did it tickle! The thief’s arms shook with the effort to not come crashing down to his sides in fear of uncovering his mouth and laughing, losing the game in the process.

             The prince grew tired of that spot after realizing Alo was still refusing to laugh. Even though his eyes were squeezed shut and the edges of his smile were visible past his hands, he still wasn’t budging!

             Shasta wanted to get the best reaction out of this childized version of his soulmate, so to save himself time, he planned to play into Alo’s reactions of him talking about different spots.

             “Aw. Look at that face.” He cooed, seeing Alo’s face turn even more grey, if that was possible… “You’re really stubborn. You know that?” He smiled as Alo shook his head back and forth. “What if I tickled behind your ears? Will that get you to break?” He teased mercilessly, as the child of a thief let out a squeak. “Not there? What about neck?” Alo instinctively scrunched up his shoulders, a few giggles slipping. “Hmm, what about your stomach?” Alo’s eyes bulged out of his head as he squirmed and shook his head side to side rapidly. Shasta finally had his answer of where to go next.

             The prince spun around and pinned Alo down, riding up his hoodie to expose his belly. Alo was already emitting muffled giggles of anticipation as Shasta posed dramatically, arms above his head and fingers wiggling like crazy with a big goofy grin on his face. He used to love this game as a kid, and couldn’t hold himself back when he saw that death-by-adorableness, blushing face. He let out an overdramatic evil laugh as his hands came down.

 They were both loving this game…

             As soon as Shasta’s hands touched Alo’s navel, the dam finally burst.

             “NAAAHAHAHAHAHAHA!” Alo screeched in laughter as his whole body shook with the force of his own uncontrollable cackles. “SH- SHAHAHAHAHSTAHAHAHA! IHIHIT TIHIHICKLES!” He curled up in a ball, childlike titters still pouring from him.

             “Ihihisn’t thahahat thehehe pohohoint?” Shasta couldn’t help but laugh with him, his laughter becoming too contagious to resist.

             Alo’s voice was higher than usual, most likely a side affect of the charm. Shasta kept coaxing the beautiful sound of cackles from his love, and felt his heart swell at the sight.

             Alo, laughing helplessly as he thrashed, eyes squeezed shut with a few grey tears of mirth spilling, his nose scrunched up with the biggest smile adorning his bright grey face. After a moment or two, Shasta realized something… Alo wasn’t fighting back. He was thrashing, yes, but it looked like he was making a conscious effort NOT to push on the prince’s hands. Shasta’s smile widened.

             “Waihihit… dohoho yohohou lihihike thihihis?” He snickered.

             “N-NOHOHOHO!” Alo threw his head back as more booming cackles came from him. “IHIHIHIH- NAHAHAHA!!!” He was cut off by his own screaming laughter as Shasta nibbled on his belly.

             “Someone’s lying to me~.” Shasta sang and hummed into the thief’s tummy, sending him further into hysterics.

             A siren went off in Alo’s head as Shasta took a deep breath and placed his lips on the very center of his stomach all while scratching at his sides to keep him laughing. He had never actually been tickled before, accept accidentally by friendly animals of the forests. However, he had seen siblings, mothers, and fathers tickle each other from his secret spots in the trees. The children would always grow exceptionally nervous when their sibling or parents mentioned raspberries, and took deep breaths to blow on their skin and make the child laugh even more. If that’s what Shasta was about to do, he was a goner.

             “Nahahahahaha! No raspberries! NO RASBERRIES, NO! Nohohohot fahahahahair!” Alo cried, but yet waited with anticipation as Shasta painfully stalled for the element of surprise.

 Then he blew!

 “FAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! IHIHIHI- AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!” Alo couldn’t even form worlds from how badly it tickled. It felt like a tickly firework had exploded over his stomach, lighting up every nerve and he loved it!

 Alo couldn’t even think about anything but his own wild cackles. He had never laughed that hard in his life! All his depression melted away and he ascended to a place unknown to him. He was cackling, giggling, snorting, hiccupping- he just couldn’t stop! He didn’t want to stop.

             Shasta couldn’t stop either. Too cute. It was TOO CUTE!

             He kept scratching as the sides of his soulmate’s belly and kept blowing raspberries in the middle as Alo’s frame bounced like crazy with the force of his deep laughter.

             The purple grecken’s brain was overloading with mirth and as he found himself breathless, he started to panic.

 When Alo’s voice started to grow hoarse, and his hands started to push on Shasta’s head, the prince took it as a sign to stop. He got up and let Alo fall limp on the ground.

             When the prince looked down, he saw a blissful, exhausted, tickled-silly Alo on the ground, riding out the last of his giggles, desperately trying to rub away the maddening tingles that were left behind.

             After he had caught his breath, he looked at Shasta with happy eyes.

             “Did you enjoy that?” The prince asked, his eyes excited and adoring at Alo’s slightly more shy expression.

              “Hehe…” Alo receded into his coat and rubbed the back of his neck, his shy smile making Shasta’s chest feel like it was going to burst.

             “Do you think… maybe we could do that again… s-sometime?” Alo squeaked in a child’s voice as the prince’s eyes dilated until no white was showing.

             Shasta doubled over and fell on the ground, pounding his fists on the floor in his own fit of hysteria.

             “Youhohohou… ohohoho myhyhyhy Seheheha… Y- yohohou wahahant mohohore? Ahahahafter AHAHAHALL ohohof thahahat?” He wheezed, smiling almost as big as Alo.

             “Well…” Young Alo looked down, embarrassed. “I-ihit was f-fuhun is ahall…” He fiddled with the loose strings of his hoodie, eyes askance.

             “Sure!” The golden one jumped up, leaned over, and picked up the equivalent of a five-year-old.

             “B-b-b-but not now…” The childlike purple grecken curled in on himself, shielding his tickle spot.

             “Okay… How about some more cuddling?” Shasta suggested as Alo nodded franticly.

             …

             When the charm did finally wear off, all that was left was embarrassment. Alo looked at Shasta as if his life just ended, his eyes scared, and his mouth sadly bent downwards in a humiliated frown. They had been cuddling and had a few more small tickle fights, before the thief had snapped out of his child self.

             Shasta took notice of the look and worriedly wrapped his arms around his soulmate.

             Alo couldn’t even bring himself to speak he was so embarrassed. He was already embarrassed in his child mind, but this was HUMILIATING. He didn’t expect to like something so childish, nor did he expect Shasta to be so predatorial and malicious in his role as the tickle monster.

             Shasta HATED that look. Alo looked so scared and sad! There was nothing to be ashamed of!

 So, what did the prince do?

             “AH! H- Hehehehehehey!” Alo squirmed as Shasta gently scratched underneath the fur on his hips.

           “Come on, don’t be embarrassed…” Shasta cooed. “Plus, you know you can get away from me right now, right? Or you could say ANYTHING close to stop and I’ll let you go.” Not to Shasta’s surprise, Alo didn’t speak. He just sat there and took it, giggling like mad, also, once again, forgetting his shame and letting himself laugh.  

             “See? I know you like it. It’s fine, it doesn’t make me think any less of you. In fact, I love it too!” Alo paused for a moment and looked at Shasta who had big smile on his face.

             “You like it too, huh?” He smiled deviously.

             “Yep! I- … Uh-oh.” Shasta opened his eyes and saw his lover with another charm.

             “U-umm what does that one do?” He asked, sweating bullets as he stared at the bright pink spikey orb in Alo’s hands.

             “You know… I thought I was never going to use this one…” He smiled and snapped.

             Shasta gasped as he felt countless fingers wiggling all over his body, but when he looked down, there was nothing there.

             “WH-WHAHAHAT THEHEHHE- WHAHAHAHAT IHIHIHS THIHIHIHS?!” He cried, bucking as he fell to the bed, hugging himself as he was tickled stupid by seemingly nothing.

             “It’s a charm designed specifically to imitate s-s-sensitivities and act on them. Plus, the more you-”

             “AHA! IHIHIT’S GEHEHETING WOHOHORSE!” Shasta thrashed and rolled but it was no use, he fell limp and gave in to his laughter.

             “What I was going to say was that the more you laugh, the stronger the spell gets, tickling you more and more.” Alo snickered. Even he had to admit, this, albeit silly and childish game, was the most fun he’d had in a long time.

             That was a day full of carefree laughter following a day so grim.

[missblushyrose]

Welcome Home

Previously, in “Reunion”...

After an extensive five minutes, which felt longer to them, Hank broke the hug with a deep breath through his nostrils, grinning at the smiley android that stared back at him. With one last snicker, the older man rose to his feet, helping Connor onto his own with a tight grip on his shoulders. He sighed contentedly and wrapped an arm around his shoulders, pulling him into a side-hug as he led the bubbling android to his car. “Now, c’mon. Let’s go home. Sumo’ll lose his shit when he finds out we’ve got one more member of the family.”

The glare of the morning sun, which slowly drew from the horizons of Detroit, would normally irritate the human eye to no end. However, some would come to appreciate its reawakening rather than rising out of bed to find the skies tainted with dark clouds looming over the city, constantly pouring rain or snow. Some could say that this may have been the worst ongoing forecast of the year, given that winter wouldn’t be starting for another month.

A single Mustang 80, coated with a dark charcoal finish, swerved along the bend of the road and into a small, seemingly quiet neighborhood, lightly pulsating to the rhythm of AC/DC’s “Back In Black”, an obvious choice from Hank Anderson. Said man took a quick glance at the android in the passenger seat, who appeared to be gazing at the world beyond the glass window with a piqued interest, as he had been doing quite often throughout the entire car trip. Hank grinned once more and returned his attention to the road as he made his way to his home, which gradually grew closer as he pressed on. He made a smooth turn into the vacant driveway and removed the key from the ignition.

“Well, we’re here,” Hank stated as he swiveled his head to peer at a now-frozen Connor. He had all but bit his lip in an attempt to keep himself from bursting into laughter at the sight. “Jesus, you’re freezin’ up on me again? State-of-the-art prototype, my ass. Y’know, Sumo’s not gonna wait forever.”

“Apologies, Lieu-”

“Ah! What’d I tell you earlier?”

Connor blinked once and swiftly corrected himself. “...Hank. I believe that I’m still overwhelmed about what you’ve said to me near the Chicken Feed.”

With an amused smile, Hank raised his right hand to give a couple of pats to the android’s left shoulder. “Try not to think about it too much. Don’t wanna fry that brain of yours, do ya? Now, let’s get inside. It’s cold as fuck.”

And so, the men had stripped themselves of their seatbelts and proceeded to exit the vehicle. They then strode to the front door, stopping just in front of it as the human rummaged through his pockets in search of his house key. After a short deliberation, the search had concluded, and the key was offered to a confused Connor.

“Hey,” The sound of Hank’s voice wrenched the prototype out of his thunderstricken daze along with the jingle of the key, dangling it just at his eye level. “Wanna do the honors?”

With a light flutter of his eyelashes, Connor withdrew the key from the older man’s grasp with a dainty tug of the hand. “Yes... of course.”

Shaking off any sign of hesitance, the young man inserted the key into its respective slot within the doorknob, twisting into a clockwise rotation until an audible click reached their ears. He dislodged the tool and handed it to Hank - who slipped it into a pocket in his coat - before grasping the stained, brass knob. With a curve of his wrist, the wooden door gently glided toward the outside world, the brisk autumn breeze dispelling into the entryway.

As the human and the android immigrated into the small home, a warm, sentimental smile began to blossom Connor’s facial structure. He had only been in the Anderson household once - and that was to find an unconscious Hank on the floor, who had drunken himself to a comatose state, leaving the former deviant hunter to sober him himself - and yet, he felt as if he had lived here throughout his short, three-month life. The atmosphere smelled just like Hank: traces of alcohol, dog, and a hint of the same cheap cologne he could detect in the man’s jacket when they’ve hugged for the very first time.

Connor’s usually-sharp attention had dimmed as his eyes wandered around his new home, his mind swimming with pure content. He couldn’t even notice the loud, hearty ‘borf’ followed by the sound of claws clicking against the tile at the speed of a race, rapidly growing louder as the padded footsteps drew closer and closer. The force of a 170-pound mass of fur suddenly hurling into the android’s body caused Connor to elicit a shocked yelp as he found himself knocked to the floor and underneath this mighty beast, his LED burnishing a bright red to further display his shock. The red instantly reverted back to a calm cyan upon looking up at the face of a familiar, loveable St. Bernard he had once met: Sumo. 

Connor opened his mouth and attempted to greet him, only to be interrupted by the large, wet tongue stroking over the artificial skin of his cheeks. Ecstatically. Sumo began to lap at the younger man’s face with affectionate, yet slobbery, doggy kisses. Strangely, the android began to feel a bubbling sensation from the depths of his mechanical core, causing him to burst into giggles. While he knew that this was a dog’s way of showing their love for their owners, he just couldn’t seem to decipher the reason as to why his titters rose from his voice box, considering he had nothing to classify as amusing. Was it the affection? He assumed it to be a possible factor.

“Hi, Sumo,” Connor greeted in between his giggles as he reached up to bury his fingers into the fur of the hound’s great head, his blunt fingernails scratching along his scalp as if trying to return the affection. Despite how messy his face was becoming from the excessive dog drool, he paid absolutely no mind to it. In fact, he seemed to be enjoying the feeling of being piled on by the warm of Sumo’s large body while receiving his token of love. “Yes, I’ve missed you as well!”

All the while, Hank watched with saturated amusement, laughing to himself at the view of his beloved dog coating the deviant’s face with relentless doggy kisses. He would be lying if he said that the sight was anything but heartwarming. “Alright, alright. Ease up on him, ya big oaf.” He gave the St. Bernard’s collar a gentle tug, catching his attention with a low whine rumbled from the dog’s chest as he hoisted himself from the android, approaching his human. “Good dog.” He praised as rubbed the dog’s head, making him pant and thump his tail against the floor.

Gradually, the giggles began to fade from Connor’s systems, and he proceeded to pick himself up from his position on the floor. He couldn’t help but smile at the scene before his peripheral vision: Hank, usually gruff and ill-tempered as he came to know, was kneeling down to meet Sumo’s level, rubbing his beloved pet all over, whilst the canine’s tongue lolled from the side of his muzzle. Sumo rolled onto his back, his tail waving and his leg kicking up in the air to the older man's constant coos and praises:

“Yeah, good boy, Sumo! You looove that, don’t ‘cha? Who’s a big oaf, huh? Who is it?”

The mere sight of it persuaded a coy smirk to tug at Connor’s lips. While being equipped with the ability to adapt to human unpredictability was one of his many features, he could have never possibly fathomed the man to coo. Then again, he never pegged him as one to hug anyone, let alone an android - considering the fact that he despised androids even before they first met at Jimmy’s Bar - and yet, he could see that the man has changed his perspective regarding Connor’s own kind.

At last, Connor decided to cut in and divert the lieutenant’s attention from the dog. Still wearing the smug grin, he pretended to clear his throat. “Hank?”

In an instant, Hank ceased in coddling his beloved pet and whipped his head up to set his gaze on the deviant, quickly shaking off his stupor. “Shit, I actually forgot you were there for a moment.”

“In all the time I’ve known you, Hank, I never deemed you to be a cooer,” Connor mused, the same shit-eating grin still fixated on his face.

In response, the older man dismissed the lip sent his way with a scoff. “Fuck off.” He shot back with no real heat lingering in his tone. “I ain’t the one with dog slobber all over my face. Speakin’ of which... you might wanna go rinse off. Kinda disgusting.” He then made a gesture towards the hallway to the left. “The bathroom’s still in the same place where it was last time you were here: down the hall over there and on the right.”

“Thank you. I’ll only need a minute, and I’ll rejoin you,” Connor replied as he strode forward, making a turn to his left and entering the hallway, shortly coming across to the bathroom door on his right-hand side. He gingerly turned the knob and stepped towards the vacant sink, briefly glancing at a reflection of himself in the mirror, marveling at the fine coat of dog saliva decorating his facial skin. No more than ten seconds passed before Connor finally decided to do away with the mess. 

Turning the water faucet to provide himself with running water at a moderate temperature, he then shaped his hands together to create a makeshift bowl. First, he lightly tossed the lukewarm water back into his own face to rinse off the drool. Next, he turned his attention to a soap pump at the corner of the sink top and dispensed a fair amount of soap into his hand, only to lather his face afterward. And finally, he repeated the first step, only this time, he would do away with the soap, thoroughly cleansing his artificial skin. He yanked a lone hand towel from a nearby towel rack to gently dab his face until he dried his skin.

Connor dispersed from the small bathroom, only to find Hank coming out of his own bedroom, clad in an old, grey DPD hoodie and worn pair of black lounge shorts.

Hank looked at the android with an incredulous bore as his grey-blue eyes scanned the suit, the only piece of clothing he had ever worn. “Uh, you’re not planning on wearing that suit of yours while we have no work, are you?”

“What is wrong with my suit?” Connor asked dumbfoundedly, cocking his head to the side like a confused puppy.

“Well, for one thing, it’s all covered in dog hair,” Hank gestured to the android’s Cyberlife suit, which was now spattered with noticeable strands of Sumo’s fur. “Connor, you know that you’re not obligated to wear it anymore. You’re a deviant now, so you’re free to wear anything else.”

“But I have no other clothes. I was only provided with my suit,” Connor stated with same blank expression fixed upon his facial structure.

Hank gawked at the baffled android in response, blinking once, twice before turning his back to the other and reentering his bedroom once more. He could hear the faint sound of dress shoes lightly thumping against the cloud-hued carpet, following the closet door sliding to the right. Yes, he could feel the presence and stare of a confused, yet curious, Connor from the doorframe. 

He began to scrutinize the contents inside his closet in hopes of finding something decent for the kid to lounge in, so he automatically crossed off the few shirts with awfully tacky patterns from the mentally constructed list. Pushing the shirts aside to the left, Hank had come to discover a charcoal DPD hoodie with a contrasting style to the one he was currently wearing suspended by a coat hanger. He made no hesitation to rip the hoodie from the hanger and draped it over his left forearm. Hank thought it was a hell of a coincidence to find a pair of onyx sweatpants balled up into the corner of the closet. He seemed to remember them fitting quite well in his younger days, back to when he was just about Connor’s size. Taking upon the offering, he knelt down onto the carpeted floor then sunk the fingers of his right hand into the cotton fabric and yanked the bottoms from the closet, carrying it with his left arm as a makeshift clothing rack.

Hank rose to his feet and slid the closet door to the left, therefore closing it. He turned to face the former deviant hunter once more, presenting him with the bundle of clothes in his hands. “Here, you can borrow some of mine until we can go out and buy you some new clothes.”

Connor opened his mouth to politely decline his offer, but no words came out as he presumed that the older man was going to lend him the clothes, regardless of his protests. With a hint of hesitance, he raised his arms forward to collect the two pieces of clothing and cradled them in his arms with a bit of tenderness. “Thank you, Hank.”

“Don’t mention it,” Hank dismissed the android’s gratitude with a casual flick of his hand, gesturing towards the bathroom. “Now, go get changed. You ain’t gonna be walkin’ around the house and gettin’ dog hair everywhere.” He added with a decipherable jestful tone as he waltzed out of his bedroom, leaving a somewhat stunned Connor behind.

A brief ten seconds was all the time that had been spent in Connor trying to shake off his stupor, and he traveled out of the master bedroom and across the hall to re-enter the bathroom once again. He gingerly shut the door and locked it to prevent any intrusion as he began to strip himself. He started with his trademark Cyberlife jacket, followed by his geometric-patterned necktie, only for his white button-up shirt, tossing them onto the floor afterward. The prototype approached the porcelain toilet and sat down so that he could remove his footwear without doubling over in the process. He slung his right leg upward to rest his ankle atop of his left thigh and proceeded to untie the laces of his shoe, loosening it. Once the shoestrings were untied, he gently tugged his dress shoe from his foot, lightly ricocheting it next to the sink counter. He repeated the process with his left foot, and he was soon left with his black ankle socks, marveling at the newfound weightlessness of his feet. Finally, he unzipped, unbuttoned, and pulled down his smokey grey trousers, freeing his legs.

Connor couldn’t fight the shiver racking his frame as the cool air met his synthetic skin, having been stripped down to the solid black, spandex-like boxers he was provided with upon his activation. Not wanting to bear the cold any longer than he already had been following his deviancy, he then slipped the hoodie over his head and tugged the sweatpants up to his legs.

Retreating from the toilet and to the mirror, Connor fixated his gaze on the reflection that stared into the chocolatey irises of his optical units: the android, who grown used to sporting his usual Cyberlife suit, was now clad in a DPD hoodie and casual sweatpants. Almost instantly, he could understand as to why Hank had insisted on shedding his usual work apparel for a choice of clothing, such as this. The fabric felt... soft on the android’s artificial skin. The feel of it was just so comforting, as was the faint scent of the man lingering from the fabric. He didn’t even appear to mind that the hoodie was approximately twice his size, it only added onto the coziness provided to him. Connor was awestruck by the fact that he almost seemed human, aside from the luminescent LED at the right side of his head.

After much deliberation, Connor turned away from the mirror to gather the suit he had shed and propelled it into the clothes hamper nearby with little care in the world. He ultimately decided to quit wasting his time loitering and reemerged from the bathroom, striding down the hallway and towards the living room. Coincidentally, he found Hank exiting the kitchen, a can of Pineapple Passion soda in hand.

“Y’know, that’s not a bad look for you,” Hank spoke up, throwing a smile in the direction of the former deviant hunter as he passed by, sinking into the living room sofa within the very second he got close enough. He then made a ‘come here’ gesture with a curl of his hand, beckoning Connor to join him on the couch. “Hey, quit standin’ around like you’ve got a stick up your ass, and get over here! Make yourself at home!”

The deviant’s doe-like eyes never left the lounging human“...Make myself at home?”

“Well, yeah! I mean, this is your home now, too!”

Not even sparing another second, Connor gladly made his way closer to the upholstered seat and plopped down onto his rear, just sitting at Hank’s left and close to the armrest. He had all but abandoned the fact that this was just the man’s home. It was now their home.

Hank sighed contentedly and lifted his legs from the floor, only to lower them onto the coffee table as a makeshift ottoman, his back sinking into the plush fabric behind him. “You gotta admit, that feels a hell of a lot more comfortable than that suit of yours. Take it from me, gettin’ out of work clothes and into some you can really breathe in, there’s... there’s just nothin’ like that.”

“I have no qualms about your opinion,” Connor returned without a shadow of a doubt as he looked over to the man at his further right, giving a light tug to the mass of fabric with a pinch of his index finger and thumb. “I’m beginning to see what I’ve missed out on. These clothes are quite comfortable.”

“Too fuckin’ right, they are. Comfy clothes are essential in lounging around,” Hank stated in a casual manner before he raised the brim of the aluminum can to his lips and took a swig from the carbonated beverage, after having popped the tab. He pulled the open can away from his mouth to speak once more. “They’re what allow us to walk around the house and not give a shit about what anyone thinks if that makes any sense to you.”

Connor’s LED began to flicker between blue and yellow at a moderate pace, trying to contemplate to himself. At first, he seemed to be stricken with confusion from the lieutenant’s odd declaration, but he managed to grasp the gist of it. “I suppose it makes some sense if anything.” Not much time had passed after his response, and the android suddenly shuddered, slightly taken aback by the faint whisper of cold air lingering within the walls. Naturally, he began to scan throughout the house from his seat and came across the culprit:

A window in the kitchen, covered with a squared piece of cardboard secured in place with two or three layers of industrial-strength duct tape applied to all four edges, had allowed traces of the frigid air to seep into the house. The very same window the android had no choice but to break when he discovered the man lying limp on the floor in an ethylic coma.

Connor began to feel a twinge of guilt invading his computerized mind, the content smile instantly fading away as he glanced down at the floor. He was the one who shattered the window. He was the one who let himself in with no regard to Hank’s property. And now, the human had one less window to protect himself from the harsh weather because of him. “I’m sorry about the window again, Hank.” He apologized once more for the damage he had caused, his tone soft and filled with remorse. 

Hank shifted his sight to the left and gave the window a second of his attention before turning it to the downcast deviant. With a sigh, he extended his left hand and placed it on Connor’s right shoulder, prompting him to shift his gaze from the floor and to the human. “It’s okay, son, I already called a repairman. The window’ll be just fine tomorrow.”

“When I saw you through the window, I really thought you’d been attacked. Of course, that was until I came to get a closer examination of your condition,” Connor explained as he fidgeted with the hoodie’s drawstrings, twirling them with his fingers. “I... I think was worried about you, even when I was nothing more than a machine. I think a part of me cared for your well-being.”

“And that’s why you busted my window and broke into my house?”

Connor offered a slow nod in response, turquoise LED gently spirling. “Yes. Hank... the more time we’ve spent together throughout the investigation, the more I began to realize that accomplishing a mission wasn’t the most important aspect of my life. You’ve shown me that creating, building, and maintaining relationships... is what matters most. As much as I wanted to deny it, I... I think I had some deviancy within my coding, and you were the key to unlocking more of it.”

Hank sat still as he listened to the android’s words, blinking as if validating that he was still animated. “So, all those times you saved my life, you did that by choice?” He asked, receiving another nod. “Holy shit. And here I thought it was part of your buddy program. You threw your mission out of the window multiple times because you care about the life of an ol’ sack of shit like me.” He smiled warmly and proceeded to scoot closer to Connor, slinging an arm around his shoulders in a side-hug. “I know I never said this to you yet, but... thanks, Connor. I really appreciate you saving my neck several times.”

A soft, genuine smile curled onto Connor’s lips, the remorseful blankness in his gaze becoming an uplifted shimmer. “You’re welcome, Hank.”

As he patted Connor’s relaxed shoulder, his sight wandered to his jacket, which hung from a coat rack near the door, and he instantly remembered something he had been meaning to do. And so, the older man removed his arm from the deviant’s shoulders, quickly addressing him before he rose from the couch. “Hang on, I almost forgot. I got something for you.” He marched over to the idle jacket and rummaged through the pockets for a short while before swiveling at a 180° angle to face the younger man. Seeing Connor’s confused, curious daze made Hank beam in amusement as he strode back to the couch, concealing a hand behind his back and returning to his seat. “I know you told me to keep it, but I want you to have this.”

And with that, Hank withdrew his right hand from behind and opened his palm, revealing the quarter he had confiscated from the android when they were sent to investigate the Stratford Tower.

Connor’s eyes went agape upon registering the piece of silver displayed to him on the fleshy makeshift platter before his line of sight. He made an attempt to speak and parted his lips, but no words came out. Could it be the very same quarter he found comfort in along with his calibrative coin tricks? The prototype extended a slightly shaky hand forward and gingerly reeled in the coin toward himself. Wanting to make certain that this was his coin, Connor began to run a brief examination and came to discover the very traits he knew all too well:

On one side, a discernable contour of George Washington, with the term, ‘Liberty’, over the head and the excerpt, ‘In God we trust’. The sketch of an eagle facing forward, head pointing toward its right, talons clamping onto a sturdy branch beneath, and wings spread wide open, emblazoned the opposing side. A treillage of fern lay below the branch and the inscription, ‘United States of America Quarter Dollar’, curving along the rounded edges along with the Latin term, ‘Epluribus Unum’, written in a smaller text just above the eagle’s head. The smoothness and the pristine shine would strike one with disbelief upon registering the displayed date arrayed underneath the end of the late president’s neck: 1994.

The android marveled at the feeling of the cool, smooth exterior of the coin in great awe. It was, in fact, his coin - his most prized possession. Even when he had insisted the grizzled cop to keep it, claiming to have duplicates, he felt an odd feeling of... emptiness, was it? Yes, that’s what he believed it to be.

“My quarter...” Out of sheer habit and great joy, Connor began to let the quarter roll across his knuckles for no less than a minute before flicking it upward with the tips of his pointer finger and middle finger. He caught it gracefully in the palm of his opposite hand and stored it away into the large pocket at the lower area of his abdomen, giving Hank a grateful, yet ecstatic beam. “Thank you, Hank!”

Hank found himself unable to fight off the growing smile from plastering over his face at the android’s enthusiasm, slinging his left arm around his shoulders once more. “Not a problem, kid.” He took one gulp after another from the carbonated drink he swiped into his opposite hand until he had downed the entire can, much to his dismay. With a disgruntled vulgarity, he resigned to fetching another can of soda, lest he would become parched.

What he did not expect, however, was the sound of a light yelp emitting from Connor, who flinched and curled in on himself from the accidental brush at his side as he retracted his arm. Throughout the awkward silence that had only just immersed into the room, Hank’s silver eyebrows lifted in surprise, slightly gaping eyes peering at the deviant with immense interest. Could it be...? “Connor?”

“Yes, Hank?”

“You know about deviants, right? Aren’t they capable of feeling? And not just emotions, I’m talkin’ from a physical aspect, like humans do.”

The blue glow in Connor’s LED transposed to a bright yellow, pendulating as he foraged through his database for an appropriate response. “After androids undergo a deviation process, they are equipped with sensors, akin to the human nervous system. Deviants are able to experience and react to sensory transmissions, including to those derived from heat, cold, pain, and pleasure. Um, Hank... why are you looking at me that way?”

“You don’t get it?” The interest within the grizzled police lieutenant’s grey-blue irises sparked into a scheming glimmer, a ghost of a smirk appearing over his lips. “I hadn’t become the youngest police lieutenant in Detroit for nothing. Deviants are able to feel all that, and it goes without saying that touch is a part of it. Plus, given from the way you jumped and squeaked when I accidentally brushed your side, it doesn’t take a genius to put the pieces together. Call it a wild theory, but I think that would make you ticklish.” He stated, adding emphasis to the concluding phrase with a purr.

Connor lightly shuffled in his seat, unsure as to why he could feel a slight heat rush to his cheeks. “...Ticklish? I... I’m not sure that I’m following what you’re saying...”

The grin on the older man’s face sank into a surprised frown, an eyebrow quirked upward in disbelief. “Are you jokin’? You’ve got a dictionary in that brain of yours, and you don’t even know what tickling is?”

“I just never paid much thought on the topic...” The android admitted softly, now twiddling with his fingers as he rested his hands in his lap, his eyes wandering throughout the living room. “...Um... what is tickling?”

With a deep breath ventilating through his nostrils, Hank ran a hand through his silver tresses and closed his eyes, beginning to form an explanation decent enough to were it could possibly make sense to the clueless deviant by his side. “Well, tickling is... something that happens when a certain place is poked or touched in a way that makes someone laugh. No one knows why, so don’t ask.”

“I won’t ask. Although, I do have one question.”

“Shoot.”

“Why does anyone partake in such an activity?”

“People use ticking as a way to bond, whether it be friends, lovers, or family. It’s also a way to play or tease someone. Sometimes, it’s fun to just let go and laugh, even if you’re the one dishin’ it out.”

Connor blinked rapidly in the midst of pondering about tickling, his LED fluxing from blue to yellow several times before realigning to its neutral cyan. “...Are you certain that I could possibly possess ticklishness?”

A dark chuckle rose from Hank’s throat, a devious grin forming as he shifted himself around to face the android. With an evil gleam cascading through his eyes, he raised his hands up to his chest, fingers outstretched and wriggling, as if itching to pounce at some ticklish skin. “Wanna find out?”

Another yelp somehow managed to slip through Connor’s lips, much to his own surprise. How could the mere prospect of the man’s wiggly fingers already reduce him to nothing but a bundle of pouring giggles? He hadn’t even been touched, but that never stopped his titters. Yet, he wanted to seize the opportunity to experience the oncoming event. “W-Well, you did mention that this is a way to bond, didn’t you? If this will help increase our newfound familial relationship, then I’m willing to go through with this. Moreover, I think I’d like to see what it’s like.”

“Well, I ain’t gonna object to this!” Hank chortled, unable to fight off his continually growing smirk. “But you better be ready. We’ve got a lot of ground to cover.” With that, he propped himself onto his knees and proceeded to slowly creep towards the former deviant, fingers twitching like a spider’s legs in preparation.

Once his slightly gaping eyes caught a glimpse of the restless digits, a stream of giggles began to pour from Connor’s lips, and he was tempted to back away, only to corral himself at an armrest. He could feel the pulsations of his thirium pump gradually crescendoing to an agile cadence as his human companion drew closer and closer with every passing second. A faint cerulean glow began to make itself to the fore of the peach-colored artificial skin of his cheeks. Alas, the RK800 model clenched his eyelids steadfastly and covered his eyes with his hands, unable to look into the playfully wicked intent of Hank’s grey-blue irises, which stared into his own anxious, yet giddy, chestnut ocular units.

The poor android could only wonder as to why Hank was subjecting him to this. Why couldn’t he keep his ongoing giggles down if he hadn’t even been touched yet? Why was he unable to look the man in the eye in the midst of his impending ‘doom’? Why couldn’t he just put him out of his misery and initiate the actual tickling already?

The sudden weight being administered onto his legs nearly provoked a shriek, having not expected that to happen. Exercising extreme caution, Connor parted the middle and ring fingers of his right hand to sneak a peek, only to discover that the middle-aged man was directly in front of him, sitting atop his legs. Moreover, much to his dismay, those mean fingers never stopped wiggling.

“W-What are you doing? Just do it already!” Connor pleaded, allowing his hands to fall from his face to grip at the sofa cushions, tittering through a toothy grin formed by his clenched teeth.

Instead of offering a verbal response to the desperate plea, Hank slowly shook his head, the evil grin never withering away. “Oh, I will, don’t worry. This is sort of part of tickling. See, when you’re about to tickle someone, sometimes you wanna build up their reaction to it by using anticipation methods. You can give ‘em a shit-eating grin... wiggle your fingers at ‘em... and just tease the everloving hell outta them, like telling them how bad they’re gonna get it, or getting reeeal close to a ticklish spot. Y’know, get inside their heads.” With his brief explanation ending, he proceeded to lower his claw-shaped hands towards the young man’s torso painfully slow, teasing him relentlessly.

The prototype sputtered with peels of frantic giggles, and he quickly craned his head to the side to avoid having to look at the descending hands, finding himself to be feebly sucking in his gut in hopes of escape.

“Oooh, look at this! My hands are getting closer and cloooseer!~ My fingers are just dyin’ to meet ‘cha!~ They’re just sooo close to making contact!” Came the teasingly sing-songy croon rumbling from Hank’s chest, slowly nearing his restlessly wiggling digits further towards the trembling abdomen below.

Upon registering the man’s teases, Connor felt a light, fluttery sensation spreading throughout the inside of his mechanical core, forcing him to emit a rather uncharacteristic squeal. He had a scarce idea as to how to describe it - it felt like something flying inside of him, and the wings were brushing against his interior walls. Was this what humans refer to as ‘stomach butterflies’? 

Hank nearly snorted at the giggly deviant’s noises, finding them to be both amusing and adorable. Continuing to taunt him with his descending fingers, he began to recite a list of common-place areas receptible to tickling.  “So, where do ya want it? Armpits?” He quickly thrust his hands underneath his arms, digging and spidering at the flesh with such vigor that the android immediately clamped his limbs to his sides. “Neck?” He gently fluttered his blunt fingernails along the scruff of said area as well as his ears, smiling at the titters and soft squeals he earned. “Feet?” He turned his back and sat on his torso before pulling the other’s right leg up to his chest, holding in place with an arm.  With the appendage trapped by his firm hold, his free hand lunged at the flailing foot connected to the ensnared limb, scratching at the socked incline. “Knees?” He released the lurching limb and let it fall onto the couch, only to latch his hands onto his kneecaps, squeezing and tweaking. Afterward, he turned back around and resumed his original makeshift seat onto his legs. "Ribs - come to think of it, do you even have any?" He then slipped his hands underneath his old hoodie to ambush the aforementioned area with a flurry of light pokes to each and every artificial bone.

As the man pulled his fingers back after a few seconds of tapping the prototype’s ribs, Connor’s giggles seemed to be an endless stream pouring from his mouth after bubbling from the depths of his stomach. In the midst of this, he could see - through the mirth sparkling in his own eyes - that the lieutenant was hoisting the hem of the oversized hoodie upward, much to his bemusement. “H-Hank?”

Hank turned his attention to the android’s twitchy torso before shifting his vision to meet Connor’s constantly evasive gaze. Knowing that the fabric could easily fall, should the ‘victim’ toss around too much, he proceeded to tuck the bottom of the hoodie’s margin, rolling it up to where the entire length of his toned midriff was unveiled to the world. “How ‘bout heeere, huh?~” He suggested, earning another quiver of the openly exposed tummy, which he took as a ‘yes’. “Looks like we’ve got a volunteer~ What do you think? Ya got a ticklish tummy?~”

“I-I don’t know; I’m uncehertain,” The RK800 responded through anticipatory giggles he attempted to smother by clasping a hand over his mouth, trying to compose himself.

“You don’t know?” Hank echoed, mocking the android’s giddy, giggle-fueled tone. “Well, then. Guess we’re just gonna have to find out for ourselves, won’t we?~”

Instead of producing a proper verbal answer, Connor broke out into a fit of squeaky giggles as those treacherous hands had finally made their touchdown. If he were to describe sudden sensations of said hands repeatedly grabbing at his sides, he could say that they felt like miniature pulses of electricity faintly trickling from there to his middle, only to fade once these feelings reached to that point. “Eeehehehehehee! Hahahank!”

“Yeah?” The older man questioned with faux innocence and a quirked brow, trailing his squeezes down to the frantically twisting hips, where he treated with a suit of soft pinches, kneading thumbs, and light spidering. All of his methods were rewarded with squeaks, squeals, and snorts, which he found to be quite amusing.

“Ahahahahahaa!” Connor tittered in response to the flickering sensations riding through his coding continuously, making him shut one of his eyes. “Stahahahahaaap!” He cried out automatically.

“Stop? But we barely even started yet! And besides...” Hank suspended his exchange to crawl his fingers away from the artificial hipbones and to the fidgeting tummy above, attacking the bare flesh with swift, delicate scratches. “...you seem to be enjoying yourself. Just look at how much you’re laughing!”

“Nahahahahahaa! Hahahahank, nohohohooo!” The prototype protested lightly, his usually impeccable hair becoming slightly disheveled as he tossed his head back into the padded cushioning of the sofa.

Hank merely addressed whiney intonation with a chuckle in spite of his own regalement as he watched the android muddle his artificial locks. “Are my eyes deceivin’ me, or do I see you... messing up your hair?” He teased, pausing midway to draw in a gasp in false surprise. “And here I’ve pegged you to be the  type that never goes out in broad daylight with hair that’s anything but immaculate, pretty boy~”

The blue tint in Connor’s cheeks grew slightly brighter in response to the playful jeer. While he knew that the man had solely made that quip to poke fun, it didn’t plague him with anything less than a chunk of embarassment. “S-Shuhut uhuhuup!” He whined, futilely attempting to cover his alit cheeks and nose.with his right hand.

The young man’s retort, while weak and lacking even a scarce amount of heat, provoked one of the grizzled cop’s silver eyebrows to arch up in shock. “I see someone’s been equipped with an attitude program as well. I was thinkin’ of stoppin’ soon, but now I’m really gonna have to show you  what a good tickling truly is~”

“N-No, wahahait! I dihidn’t mean to be unpleheheasant! I’m sohohorryyyy!” Connor squeaked desperately as his human companion dragged his pointer finger down his abs and towards the small navel that lay just below the center of his stomach area, making him gasp and buck.

Hank looked up at the blushing face of the former deviant hunter with a smirk, glancing at the twitching cavity as he circled his finger around it frequently. “Those guys at Cyberlife really thought of everything. They even gave you your very own giggle button!”

The state-of-the-art prototype’s giggles increased upon hearing that very nickname, finding it to be both odd and silly at once. “G-Gihihiggle buhuhutton?”

“You have no idea what it’s for, do you?~” The lieutenant’s grin grew wider and displayed more mischief when he received a shake of the head. This was going to be fun. “Ya see, it’s a fun little button to play with. You push it,” He then gave the android’s miniature stomach cave a quick poke, gaining a yelp and a short laugh. “and giggles just come pourin’ out! It works better if you do this!” Without so much as a warning, he dipped his finger into the depths of the evidently sensitive navel, worming around and gently scratching at the interior walls.

Having not expected this to happen, the sudden sensations coursing through his stomach caused Connor to let out a particularly loud, high-pitched shriek. “EEEEEEEK!”

Hearing the shrill noise made Hank flinch and withdraw his finger from the dreadfully sensitive navel. After a few seconds of staring down at the former machine, however, he snorted through his nose before erupting into bouts of laughter himself. “Goddamn! What the fuck was that? In all the time I’ve known you, Connor, I never heard you shriek before! Never knew you had it in ya!”

“I-I was unawahare of possessing the capability to do so as wehehell...” Connor admitted bashfully through his leftover giggles. “I suppose I- Eeeek! Hahahahaaank!” 

Rather than addressing to him, Hank simply laughed alongside him as he used his hands to compress the android’s tender hipbones, occasionally switching to pressing and rubbing into the hollows with his thumbs. The human even took it upon himself to lean into the side of Connor’s neck to nuzzle against the sensitive skin, letting the soft brushes of his beard do the rest. He even started to murmur teasing quips into the ticklish flesh just to drive him mad.  “Well, look at this! This android just so happens to be ticklish every-fuckin’-where! I gotta admit, I never thought I’d live to see the day where you laughed so hard, Connor~”

The taunt resonated through the walls of Connor’s mind, joining in with the mental tornado that was a race of a million thoughts, the constant flow of ticklishness running through his systems making it nearly impossible for him to think.

He never experienced anything quite like this. The feelings trickling through his advanced sensors felt so... tingly, to say the least.  A part of him wondered how such touches could cause him to burst into uncontrollable fits of laughter when nothing seemed to be even remotely humorous and why he was so tempted to escape. 

“Tickle, tickle, tickle, ya big ol’ softie!~ How would you feel about me calling you cute? You’re so adorably ticklish, you’re less of an android and more of a goddamned tickle toy! And what’s this? Your cheeks are even turning blue! I’m guessin’ that’s your equivalent of blushing?”

On cue, the sensations increased ever so slightly upon hearing the man’s playful gibes being spoken close to his ears, both factors causing the cerulean glow in his cheeks to develop a sparsely darker burnish, if that was even possible at this point.

And yet, while these attacks were close to being classified as unbearable, they were not entirely unpleasant. If anything, Connor thought he was actually enjoying himself. He felt that very warm, fuzzy feeling flourishing throughout his entire stomach - the kind that made him feel... happy. He was happy to undergo something so innocent and merry. He felt no fear, stress, or danger - just the safeness that radiated from the man’s close presence. He could swear that he felt the strength in their relationship growing stronger with each and every second throughout this experience. They were really bonding. Despite being unable to see it in Hank’s face, as it was wedged into his neck, he could tell that the lieutenant was intoxicated with great joy as well.  

He needed this. They both needed this. After everything they went through, they have earned their right to a moment of unwinding and playful recreation.

Soon, Connor ceased his struggles to escape and permitted himself to sink into the couch, accepting every last attack that came his way with graciousness and gladness. He simply let himself go and laughed his little nonexistent heart out, which, in all honesty, felt absolutely wonderful. “Heheheheheee! Ahahahahaaaa!” A high-pitched squeal tore through his throat when a sudden tremor-like sensation rippled across the scruff of his neck accompanied by the sound of a flatulence. What was the action when one pursed their lips against another’s skin and blew against it? A raspberry, was it? Yes, it had to be, a gentle one, at that. “W-Whahahat- Geeeheheheehee!”

Hank soon found himself laughing along with his companion, finding his silly laughter to be quite contagious. “Aww, who’s a ticklwish wittle prototype?~ Who can’t take an itty-bitty little raspberry?~ Huh?~ I think it’s you!~” Taking another quick breath, he plunged back into the left of his neck, just below his ear, and attacked the skin with another small, gentle raspberry. 

Another tiny shriek came forth from the bubbling depths of the immensely flushing android’s core. “Eeeheheheheeek! Nahahaha! I-I cahahan’t tahahahake ihihit! Pleheheease! Dahahahahaaad!” He wheezed out before he could even stop himself.

The old man put an abrupt end to his playful onslaught, not daring to make any sudden moves in his newfound frozen state. After a slow matter of seconds, however, he retracted his hands and carefully rose himself into an upright sitting position, a shocked daze present on his withered facial features. He simply sat there and watched the detective android - who had slumped against the couch cushions in a fit of residual giggles, which gradually faded away along with his blueberry-hued blush and the ghost-like ticklishness trickling through his sensors, his eyes closed with mirthful wrinkles crinkling at the corners - recover. “...What did you just call me?...” He asked, his voice barely above a whisper, yet audible enough for the younger man to hear.

Quickly overcoming his residual titters, Connor instantly realized his mistake and began to sputer a string of apologies. His LED took on a brilliant gold to convey his regret, jumping to the conclusion that he may have offended the lieutenant. “I-I’m sorry, Hank! I’m so sorry! I had no intention of offending you, i-it was a matter of impulse! I’ll just lea-”

Rather than harshly reprimanding him as he had expected, Hank suddenly grabbed Connor by the wrist and yanked him up into a sitting position before reeling him into his arms for a tight, warm bear hug, “Who the fuck said anything about leaving?”

“W-What...?”

“No way in hell I’m tossin’ my family out on the street, let alone my own son!”

The deep brown irises in Connor’s eyes constricted ever so slightly in a distinguishable stupefaction upon being referred to as the man’s son. “But... Cole is your son...”

“Yeah, he is, and so are you.”

“But we share no biological relation. We... are nowhere near qualified to be considered as a family.”

“Connor...” Hank let out a long sigh before placing a hand on the android’s stiff back, rubbing his palm along the lean muscles. “There’s more to a family as far as genetics. A family is made up of people who trust, care for or about, and love each other. It doesn’t matter what background you come from. It doesn’t even matter what species you are. For example, Sumo is part of this family, even though he’s a dog. Our blood may be a different color, but it doesn’t make you anything less than part of my family, Connor. It’s not gonna stop me from calling you my son. And when I say that you’re staying here, you’re. Staying. Here. You got that?”

Connor opened his mouth to speak, but weak stammers tensed through his parted lips instead of actual words. His usually perfect vision began to cloud, and a thin trail of moisture slowly ran down his cheek before he even realized it.

Hank craned his neck to steal a glance at the android’s dampening face, immediately fixing his attention to the freely descending tears. “Connor, you’re... you’re crying.”

The deviant raised a hand to scoop a tiny, miniscule amount of his artificial discharge onto his pointer finger, examining it. “Crying is... an effect caused by experiencing sadness, yet I feel so... happy. W-Why...?”

Hank smiled warmly and gently brushed his thumb over the fresh tearstains, wiping them away. “Sometimes, when humans feel extensively happy, they tend to do that because that’s how they react to that overwhelming feeling.”

“Y-You mean like how I feel this... fuzzy feeling in my chest that makes my thirium pump - or heart, as you might call it - swell to a point where it feels as if it were going to explode?”

The lieutenant nodded. “Yeah, something like that.”

With the biggest smile on his face, along with the steadily flowing artificial tears, Connor proceeded to encircle his arms around his waist to return the man’s warm embrace with one of his own, burrowing his runny face into his shoulder. “I-It feels... absolutely wonderful.” The amber in his LED converted to a joyous cyan.

“I know, kid,” Hank spoke softly, reaching up to light ruffle his already disheveled hair. He paid absolutely no mind to the fact that his sleeve was gradually saturated in the deviant’s discharge - he needed to wash this hoodie, anyway. “I know.”

“Hank... would you... mind if I called you ‘dad’ more often?” The android asked, his voice quiet and his tone somewhat shy.

“Not at all.”

“Thank you, Hank... for everything.”

Hank, in response, patted his android of a son on the back, the wide smile never withering away, nor faltering. “Welcome home, son. Welcome home.”

Connor pulled back to wipe his tears away and offered his makeshift father a smile that had nearly split his face in two, genuinely happy. He dared to make no hesitation in the next following words that passed his lips before leaning back into the human’s embrace:

“Thank you... Dad.”

[raccoonpatriotism]

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Random, Useless Headcanons | Accepting

i like how i keep labeling this meme as “accepting” when i have…. 260 of these right here.

1: Has he driven a car before? Yes. Should he be allowed to keep driving? No.

2: You know that “I’m washing me and my clothes!” vine? That’s Jane. It’s efficient.

3: If you gave him Cat Food he’d say it’s the best thing he’d ever tasted.

4: Before going to Poland to serve his time, he hired a sex worker. Her touch would be the last non-violent physical contact he would feel for the next 9 or so years.

5: 

6: He donates a healthy sum of his paychecks to wild animal and veteran charities. 

7: Jane’s ‘friendship’ with Merasmus is the longest relationship he’s ever held.

8: Jane doesn’t believe in the number 8.

9: He doesn’t have any titty mags, but he does have tasteful pin-up for the inside of his locker.

10: He’s an excellent swimmer - but will sometimes forget to hold his breath. 

11: Getting Jane to imprint on you like a baby bird is really easy. Be strong, be patriotic, be funny, be determined. 

12: He trusts everything he’s told from someone he views as a friend.

13: He’s been on BLU before - it was brief.., a WAR! got started and ended. A few years went by and he was balanced to RED

14: Continuation of 13, it was… very easy to get him to believe he was always on RED team.

15: He loves fighting robots - but nothing compares to the feeling of a neck snapping in his hands.

16: He taught himself how to use every weapon he came across in Poland - it took a few years before he ran into a rocket launcher…. His life was changed from that moment onward.

17: His knowledge of the US military comes from tv and stories from veteran home he was forced to work at through his older years at the orphanage. (Outdated or complete bullshit.)

18: The liveliness of America is just one of the innumerable reasons he loves the country. Even things he hates (like.. war protesters/hippies) have this determination in them that makes him proud.

19: He’ll pick ear wax out of his ear, sniff it, grimace, and happily hold the finger out to somebody near him.

20: He only wants the best for you.

21: Getting him to realize he’s actually ended civilian’s lives is a conversation that would take over an hour. His brain has the wildest, irrationally rational excuses ever. (”Officer Miss Pauling, what I am about to say will SHOCK you; I was framed” will never make me not lose my mind. ilove him)

22: His moral compass is, admittedly, terrible, but he genuinely wants the best for people in the world.

23: Helping people, serving his country, that’s his goal. That all he wants out of life. He’s a cog in the machine of war and he loves it.

24: Consequences don’t exist in Jane’s world.

25: He’s so fucking bisexual. This headcanon is not useless at all.

26: Jane snores like a chainsaw - and will then be absolutely silent for spaces of minutes.

27: He never covers his face when he sneezes.

28: He’s very touchy feely - A way to make up for what he so clearly craves.

29: But god this man wants to be touched.

30: As much as Jane holds back on admitting to weakness, he’s also just a genuinely honest guy so simple prodding usually gets him to spill.

31: Jane has never purposefully manipulated someone in his life.

32: He’s only ever seen one movie. Well, more like registered he always zones out at some point. Sometimes starting the movie in a day dream and zoning back in to catch the ending. The movie he’s fully seen was watched through 3 separate sessions.

33: War films, what he does catch, always make him cry.

34: With everyone he meets; Jane immediately thinks of two things. How to kill them. And what to say when holding their guts into their dying corpse and crying to the sky.

35: He has no idea he’s beautiful.

36: Jane doesn’t have a self-effacing bone in his body.

37: He chews with his mouth open, and speaks with his mouth full. He’ll also snap at someone else to stop talking with their mouth full, it’s disrespectful.

38: Jane had a dream where he beat Communism and thought it was true for a whole year.

39: He’s not dumb on purpose. He has nothing to gain by making people think he’s an idiot, as far as he’s concerned. He acts like himself 24/7

40: Jane invented that song Fifty Nifty United States song that’s song in elementary schools.

41: You know those kiddie leashes? You could put one of those on Jane and he wouldn’t be, like, “Okay.” Try and run off and be like “What contraption is holding me here?!?!?!”

42: The answer to life, the universe, and everything is American Apple Pie

43: i just realized im gonna get to answer a headcanon 69 and got excited. UHH jane likes the color red.

44: Jane likes the color blue.

45: Jane likes the color white.

46: Jane loves all skin colors, anybody can be American.

47: Has he retained any American history? Haha. Ha. No.

48: Jane was taken out of elementary school for bad behavior, lack of attention, and general ruckus.

49: His orphanage never tried to send him back to any schooling. 

50: Jane was born July 4th, he doesn’t know that, despite claiming it.

51: He’s not an amnesiac - he’s never had a strong sense for long-term memories. 

52: God, he loves bread.

53: And also he loves taking everything Engineer says literally. He’s such a wise American.

54: Jane would absolute trollface and say “Problem?”

55: He would never say a slur.

56: Jane does not use fuck as a curse ever. He’ll say it, but like, to mean, y’know.

57: He’s a follower, don’t tell him that. He’ll get offended. 

58: Jane is convinced the President is the most powerful being in the world, and is also granted special powers.

59: Jane is progressive, baybee. He thinks dogs should vote!!

60: UNLESS IT HAS TO DO WITH WAR. Then he’s, like, a total bootlicker.

61: He’ll beat up racists in bars.

62: Jane really came alive during Grey Mann’s first robot attacks - for the second time he felt like he was protecting America and not some Very Important American Gravel. 

63: If Jane ever got sentenced to prison, he’d just serve his time.

64: He has Lawyer Powers given to him by magic, and he is not afraid to use them.

65: Besides Scout, he has represented himself, Lt. Bites, and the state of Tennessee in court.

66: He was a bad roommate, he genuinely thought Merasmus was an even worse roommate. 

67: Extreme Cold is a surefire way to trigger his PTSD. He doesn’t act all that different verbally, but he becomes entire still. Not even moving to shiver. It’s like he automatically transfers to late stage hypothermia.

68: Jane may have never played baseball, but he’s briefly been on a bowling team.

69: ayyyyy. Jane always returns the favor, if ya know what i mean.

70: I can’t tell you how much he can lift because I know nothing about fitness, but it’s a lot. And it’s impressive. 

71: Jane practices unsafe workout routines! It’s a miracle lifting without a spotter hasn’t killed him yet.

72: He makes up for his genuine stupidity with Pure Luck.

73: He’ll kill, he’ll maim, but he won’t assault. 

74: Jane’s favorite chocolate is Hershey’s.

75: He’s convinced Milton Hershey, founder of Hershey’s Chocolate, was a President despite him being alive in Jane’s lifetime.

76: Jane isn’t afraid of gay thoughts, never payed attention to period typical homophobia going on around him therefor never got a chance to develop it.

77: Jane would totally be the type of guy to see one of those Fireman Calendars and zone out staring at some dudes pecs and someone asks him if he’s okay and he’s like “I’m ogay.”

78: It’s a miracle, the first time Jane rocket jumped, his legs weren’t blown off. He was injured from the fall, surprised he’d gotten air at all. It was an accident and, while he’d never go to recreate it during his time in Poland, when he’d gotten hooked up to respawn and he saw all the high perches, the trick reoccured to him.

79: He loved Tavish so much

80: He was born in Tennessee, although he grew up in Wisconsin.

81: He’ll make odd little sounds - aborted sentences, thoughts lost to the depths of his brain. You can point them out and he’ll have no idea what you’re talking about.

82: He could have a possum mixed in with his raccoons and think it’s a raccoon.

83: He takes his Ranger Job very seriously. Just as serious as he does all his jobs. (So, you know. Not… very.) He is very enthusiastic at least!

84: He’s not empathetic at all, however energies at Large in a room really affect him. Chances are, if everyone’s in good favor, he’ll be really happy and relaxed - even if previously grumpy.

85: Jane can be really grumpy, that’s when his drill sergeant personality shines through - more often than not, he’s just a good natured loud patriot rolling with the punches of life.

86: He believes in the Judeo-Christian God, but also… believes the president is stronger than God? Sometimes? Depends on the situation. What is blasphemy haha?!?

87: Jane always wanted a puppy - meeting Bites, future Lieutenant, was like a dream come true to him.

88: Plus, he’d always liked raccoons - often responsible for tipping over dumpsters at his orphanage to help the little critters.

89: Jane can and will eat out of the garbage if not stopped.

90: He’s very passionate and strict about what he knows are fact (the issue is, facts can change pretty easily in jane’s head.

91: Good thing he has a helmet because Jane’s puppy-dog eyes are the sort that are clearly un-practiced and unintentional and thus made all the more soul-wrenching. 

92: He’s always surprised by doorbells.

93: Jane would never smoke weed of his own volition, but under the influence, everything would make So Much Sense to him.

94: I’m talking the wildest stoner sayings, that always are so structurally sound it’s scary.

95: This man loves cashews.

96: “Mm crunchy things.. good.” - Shared thought by Jane and Lt. Bites.

97: Lt. Bites likes to curl up on Jane’s stomach when he’s sleeping. Jane often wakes up with his face covered in scratches and fur in his mouth. Much like the Soldier, the Lieutenant isn’t quite a sound sleeper.

98: Fuck, like, he loves cashews so much? The texture is amazing.

99: Jane has no illegitimate or legitimate children.

100: Jane loves his team almost as much as he loves America.

101: IF YOU MADE IT THIS FAR scroll back up and read everything, LOSER otherwise… wow………you love soldier. me too…… 

CONTINUED HERE

[starr-fall-knight-rise]

Humans are Weird “Keep them Warm”

Hey guys, Hope you are having a great week. This one is gonna be both awkward and funny hopefully. It was given to me as a prompt idea from one of my readers, and I hope they enjoy it as well. It involves a new alien species that I think you all might be interested in. I would suggest taking a look :) 

“So you’re telling me we found another sentient omnivore species.” The commander grunted ripping his boot from a watery patch of mud and nearly crashing into the swampy water between two twisted tree roots.

Sunny reached out with one of her four armored arms, and caught him by the back of his pack pulling him back upright. He nodded a thanks to her and adjusted his gear. Behind her Ramirez ducked under a low hanging branch slogging through a pool of knee-high water, adjusting the containment pod, holding Krill more comfortably over both shoulders.

Krill, comfortable and warm inside his containment pod, watched the marines, scientists, and a linguist struggle through the mud under a covering of impossibly tall twisted trees their canopy blocking out all light that might have dared cut downwards towards the watery floor below. “Not entirely sentient, I suppose.” Krill answered , “Unfortunately the way in which they communicate is going to drastically reduce their ability to create complex structures and perform mathematical equations.”

Together they maneuvered themselves over a root, which at some point in the distant past, had decided to grow upwards instead of down. At about four feet high, it had changed its mind and arched back down into the water. Perhaps it had been smaller then, but at four feet wide, the root was an absolute monstrosity now.

The trees themselves were massive, challenging, and sometimes outgrowing the legendary redwood forests of the western Americas, but unlike the redwoods, these trees didn’t stand tall and proud. Instead, they chose a twisted path much like the branching veins which made up a human vascular system. They twisted and undulated interlocking past each other with branches that were well over two feet wide in many cases,and stretching to over four feet wide in others. No one direction was good enough, and the trees twisted ducked swirleded and reached grasping for any sort of light to be found.

On top of the darkness cast by the trees and the soggy nature of the forest floor, it was also horribly hot and humid giving the impression of a microwaved wet blanket thrown over the world. Where heat from the upper canopy met the cooler air of deep forest pools, it created a perpetually thick mist which writhed and undulated through the trees, leaving only the shadowy impressions of twisted trunks and clawing branches past distances greater than 50 feet.

“They communicate primarily through pheromones and heat modulation. From what I understand, the language in itself isn’t precise, and really only works in generalities and feelings than it does in absolutes.”

Commander Vir kicked a rotting log out of the way ducking as a massive green bug buzzed over his head and into the fog. Turns out the hotter and more humid a planet gets, the bigger the bugs get, “But we were still able to communicate with them.

KRill nodded from inside his case, “Yes, generally speaking.For a species that cannot communicate in absolutes, I hear they are quite reasonable. They seem willing to accept our friendship, and have….. invited, I guess, us to participate in some sort of primitive ritual.”

The commander nodded scrambling over another tree branch, “Alright, so….. where are these things anyway.” His boots hit solid ground, covered in some sort of wet spongy fungus and glanced down at his GPS. Behind him the other marines went silent heads lifted towards the sky in shock.

“Fuck me.” ONe of the marines whispered scrambling back behind a tree root.

Commander Vir turned and nearly fell into the water again eyes locked onto the creatures descending from high above.

They were huge, about the size of large horses, and horrifically spider like in their construction, or perhaps an ant. They had large-scale abdomens connected to a thinner thorax. All together they had ten appendages, three pairs of spider-like legs on the abdomen which, instead of ending in a pod or foot, ended in a sharp pointed spike. On the abdomen, they had two arm-like appendages, with two many joints and strange waves tentacles instead of fingers

The head was just as disconcerting. It seemed too large for the body, grossly out of proportion and strangely out of place, like some cosmic sentience had used a random animal generator to assign parts to its body. The head was wolflike, if you were to strip the skin and fur away leaving only the muscle underneath. You could see the line of teeth running up either side of the muzzle while the large red-pink ears rotated continuously.

Commander Vir had backed himself into the bowl of a tree eyes wide. Sunny slogged herself up from the water placing herself between the strange spidery creatures and the human.

They didn’t descend like a spider might, on threads of silk, but they used their back six feet, and the spikes on the end to dig into the bark of the trees with a disconcerting thud thud thud thu.

FInally the largest of the creatures reached the ground surprisingly silent for it’s massive bulk.

Glancing around Sunny’s tensed body, he noticed something he hadn’t before, and that was a strange small mass gripping onto the spidery creature’s underbelly. Upon closer inspection he counted ten legs and a surprisingly spidery head buried against its underside….. a completely separate creature holding on to it’s companion.

Behind the largest creature, he noted ANOTHER type of creature. It boasted the same sort of structure as the large creature, but its abdomen was devoid of scales, and covered in strange black bulbs suctioned onto its body by way of a strange, sticky black-green webbing. It’s head was also constructed differently  more like a lizard than a wolf, with large bulbous eyes that could rotated behind it’s own head to look in all directions.

Commander Vir fiddled nervously with the advanced translation headset he wore strapped to his helmet, supposedly it was supposed to be able to understand what these things were saying.

“Sky….. friends.” The translation was somewhat garbled, but he understood it was the large wolf-head who spoke.

He walked forward, pushing Sunny gently to the side despite her clear reluctance, “Yes, we are friends, and we are here to offer peace to you, and the assistance of the Galactic Assembly.” He wasn’t entirely sure how that was going to translate over in smell, but the creature seemed happy lifting it’s head and gnashing it’s large K-9 teeth.

“Agreement….. for a favor.”

Commander Vir grew unsure then letting off a reluctant, “What favor.”

The spidery shape moved closer sniffing at him with it’s large wolffish nose. Sunny stiffened at his side, and he put a hand on her arm to calm her.

“Ritual…. you help.”

“None of us will get hurt ... will we?”

The creature stopped and pondered the question for a long moment, “No danger….. live ... healthy ... happy.”

Commander Vir nodded slowly, “Alright, what do we have to do?”

The creature hefted it’s large bulk, and turned in the opposite direction, “Follow.” It commanded scuttling off into the trees.

***

“This is very interesting.” Krill was saying to one of the accompanying scientists, who nodded vigorously in agreement.

“What’s so interesting.” Commander Vir whispered from where he stood at the edge of yet another, but larger fungus covered clearing, watching as the creatures scuttle back and forth.

The scientist learned in in excitement, “It seems that these creatures have a ternary gender system.” Before the commander could ask, the scientist continued, “For ease of speech, the large ones are the females, and those things on their bellies are probably the males. The medium ones are the third gender, the ‘they’ if you will. It looks like the male impregnates the female who then attaches the eggs to the third party. Dr. Krill tells me that the third party have a very high heat signature probably to incubate the young. Those attachments probably provide nutrients into the egg and may even transfer DNA over as well.”

“WOw…. freaky.” The commander muttered in fascination.

“Kind of gross if you ask me.” Sunny muttered.

“I’m with her.” Ramirez muttered receiving a few nods from the other marines.

“Oh please.” Krill whispered, “I know what human reproduction is like, and it’s arguable way worse.”

The scientist waved them all off, “The big one there, the one that’s been talking to us. I think she’s the queen, and judging from those egg sacks, this is probably mating season, if they have one.”

“Creepy, but cool, I guess.” The captain muttered.

They watched for a little longer as the queen scuttled around the clearing and then return to look at them lowering her meaty wolffish head to the Commander’s eyes level. “Ritual ... find…. eggkeeper.” SHe scuttled away

“Oh….. this is some sort of? Mating ritual maybe….. to choose that third party you were talking about.”

“This isn’t exactly the kind of “Mating ritual” I wanted to see.” One of the marines muttered. The other marines turned to look at him with raised eyebrows. Sunny stuck her tongue out in disgust.

Off in the clearing, some of the smaller females had moved themselves onto the high branches scuttling through the trees to examine the “they” who waited patiently. It appeared that side was very important in the ritual, as they all fought for the largest counterpart. Once found, the wolffish head would lower, and open up to reveal a tube under the tongue. From there she would…. disgorge the egg onto the abdomen of the ‘they’ and the mucus would solidify to hold them on.

“It has to do with size.” Krill hissed, “But it seems that it has more to do with heat. The big ones only get chosen more because they also happen to be warmer than the smaller ones. I’d say they incubate at an average of 90 degrees.”

They watched this for a while, the scientists taking notes and the marines making inappropriate jokes.

Eventually most of the creatures had finished leaving only the queen left over. Everything went still when she began to move, and she scuttled around the clearing looking over all the available ‘theys’ she could find, but she just didn’t seem satisfied.

Commander Vir tugged at the collar of his jacket, a line of sweat dripping down his face.

She continued her circuit once and then twice, at some point she turned her head large eyes locking on the humans. She sniffed at them.

The human laughter died as she advanced.

“What is she doing.” The commander muttered under his breath

The scientist that stood next to him hidden partially behind Sunny, “I…. I’m not sure.”

She scuttled even closer, and the humans backed away.

“Hey doc…. didn’t you say something about….. them being attracted to heat.” Ramirez wondered hiding himself behind a root.

“Yeah….. I did, why.”

“Not to freak anyone out or anything but….. isn’t average human heat about 98.6….”

What followed was a rather violent game of nose goes, but instead of involving touching ones nose to see who was the last person standing, it involved a mad rush to reduce body heat. The smartest marines took the initiative and dove into the water beside the clearing. Completely submerging themselves under the surface. Others chose to cover whatever exposed skin they might have in mud as if to mask the heat. Still others chose to cut and run.

Unfortunately, with his position at the head of the group, Commander Vir wasn’t fast enough.

She came at him in a scuttling rush, and in a frantic leap to get away, his boot caught on a root and he hit the ground hard. Sunny tried to leap in front of him, but was bowled over by the mad rushing form.

“Shit! Shit! Shit!” Commander vir repeated scuttling backwards across the ground as the large spidery shape loomed over him.

He stopped dead in his tracks backed against a tree root. She leaned closer.

He raised his hands above his head blocking his face, “Please don’t lay your eggs in me. Please don’t lay your eggs in me.”

She reached out one of her forward hands surprisingly delicate as she cut through the first layers of his jacket, and shirt. THey fell away in slices revealing the pale human skin underneath red and sticky with the tropical heat. His chest and abdomen heaved with his breath as he tried to scramble away, but she caught him with the prong of one of her back legs pinning him in place.

“Fuck…. Help…. HELP.”

Sunny wasn’t fast enough, having been tipped head over heels into the water, with the rest of the marines in similar positions, Krill contained inside his tube unable to help but unable to look away.

She lowered her head, and the man screamed. It was cold, gelatinous and slimy at first, but even as it touched open air, he could feel it fusing against his skin solidifying. He thrashed and wriggled, but she was far to strong holding him in place. Finally though, she backed away leaving him panting on the ground shaking and trembling leg throbbing where he had been pinned.

She leaned her head down to examine him, “Warm.”

THey locked eyes, “Friends…. now…. Keep them….. warm.”

SHe retreated, and he struggled to his knees turning to look down at his body which was now partially obscured by a sticky pod of six black eggs pulled tight against his skin. His hand were shaking as he reached down to touch them, cold and smooth. HE tried tugging on one, but nearly fainted at the pain it caused against his skin.

They were withdrawing back into the trees leaving him kneeling on the fungus hands trembling as looked downwards.

Sunny was the first to recover scrambling out of the water and over to him, placing a hand on his back as she examined the strange eggs attached to his skin, “Mother of-“

THe marines cut her off as they came wriggling from the trees, “Commander, Commander are you ok….”  One of the marines cut around front frozen in his tracks eyes wide once he saw, “WHAT THE HELL!”\

Sunny reached out as if to tug on one of them, “NO!” He snapped jerking away from her.

The others gathered around to look with exclamations of shock and disgust. The commander looked up at Sunny pleadingly. She decided to take charge, helping him to his feet and then pulling him into her arms, “We have to get him back to the ship, let's move, NOW!”

***

“What do you think, Dr.”

Dr Katie examined the scan with a frown, “It’s very, very strange, that’s for sure.”

Commander VIr lifted his head to look down at them, “Well what the HELL does that mean.”

Krill shoved his head back onto the table, “Stay still.”

Dr. Katie hummed softly as she continued to examine the scans, “It looks like these little filaments have breached the skin ... and…. well at least one of them has made it to your liver, this one here has made it to your lungs.”

“What about white blood count.” Krill wondered, “THe body must have noticed something by now?”

Dr Katie shook her head, “Nothing, the body seems to have accepted it. I took some samples and….. well I think I might know why.” She rolled herself to the side in her chair and over to one of the adjoining computers, “See this, this is his DNA ...and this is the DNA of the strands.”

Krill pearled over her shoulder, “What the….. they look almost identical.”

“Yes…. I don’t think the body knows anything is wrong.” She turned her chair back around to look at the Commander, “Congratulations Commander,  you are perhaps, in the weirdest way possible, the only man in the history of existence who might just experience the miracle of life.”

The look on his face made it clear he wasn’t interested in being congratulated, “What the actual fuck does that mean?” He snapped

Dr. Katie rolled closer, “Well, to explain in terms you may understand. You are doing more than keeping them warm. Those filaments that you saw are acting like umbilical cords. The one at your liver is using it as a filter, and to take in nutrients as it seems to have branching filaments to the stomach and intestines. The one going to your lungs is taking in carbon…… not sure what that’s going to do to your breathing if anything. But at this point I don’t think that even Dr. Krill, as good as he can remove them. We would have to remove too much of your internal structure to it to be viable, plus they don’t seem to be hurting you.” 

“Not hurting me! NOT HURTING ME! You said it yourself they are SUCKING OUT MY VITAL JUICES.”

Dr. Katie shrugged, “Welcome to pregnancy….. sort of. Look we will monitor you, make sure they aren’t sucking away to many nutrients. Look on the bright side, you can probably eat more, and judging form an analysis of the egg sacks, the average gestational period is only around two months.”

“TWO MONTHS!”

Sunny, who had been standing next to the man at the head of the exam table, couldn’t suppress a short chirp of laughter.

He glowered at her, “What’s so funny!”

She chirped again placing a hand on his arm, “You’re gonna be a mom.”

If looks could kill, shed be reduced to a singularity, “Get your hand off me or ill break it in half!”

She continued chirping, but removed her hand just in case.

This was going to be a very awkward call to the UNSC and the GA.

For that matter, it was going to be a very awkward call home.

[thatdragonsdrabbles]

Roburcus, The Treeborn Prince

[Finally, after all of the hype to my friends that I tortured with updates on my progress, I finished this dive into fantasy. Here’s to hoping that you enjoy reading this as much as I did writing it! And yes, there will be more. I just wrote so much setup that I felt the need to break it up into parts.]

Fem reader x Roburcus

It was the rocking of the carriage gradually slowing to a halt that woke you. It had been hard to nap, but you’d needed it.

Rubbing away sleep, you chanced a look through the window, to see how much had changed outside. Massive trees, larger than you had ever thought possible, dotted the plains you traveled now. Wooden pathways wound up their trunks, leading to what looked like entire villages that even from this distance clearly glowed and bustled. Some were isolated villas, but a few trees were close enough for their vast branches to intertwine, allowing citizens to move between them with ease.

You hadn't realized just how intrinsically tied these people were to nature. You hardly knew anything about them. Just what else would you have to discover as you went?

Just this morning, you had been escorted from your castle into the finest limousine by your mother and your entourage. Before sending you off, she had kissed your forehead, reminded you of your duties, and given you her blessing and love. The jewel earrings were her final gift, and you touched them now and thought of her.

The limousine had eventually been exchanged for this strange floating carriage, clearly enchanted by this land’s magic. Now you were an ant amongst towering blades of grass. And ahead, just past this checkpoint, lied the winding road that led to the largest of them all, growing a mighty castle amidst its branches.

A great kingdom awaited you. But you were not so sure you wanted to see it.

Details on these lands and its people had been difficult to come by, besides what little your mother had elaborated on for this arranged marriage. They were tuned to the shifting forces of nature, incredibly powerful, and largely benevolent and peaceful. From what you had heard through the grapevine, however, they were described as massive beasts, with gaping maws and claws meant to rend flesh. They tended to the trees in order to bury their foes beneath them. These rumors had kept you up at night, you were ashamed to admit. Had you been betrothed to a monster?

You couldn’t have even confirmed or disproved these fears, as they rarely stepped foot outside of their borders. This marriage had been arranged before you were even born; you had become aware of it on your eleventh birthday. You traveled now on the day after your twenty-second, adhering to some strange customs of theirs. Yet another mystery to the pile.

Peering up at the lofty leaves, capable of covering your carriage if they fell, you once again grew angry. You loved and trusted your parents, but why hadn’t they ever explained anything to you? They had met with these people ages ago! They knew exactly what they were like! Why had they kept so tight-lipped about them? You hadn’t even gotten to meet your fiancé before being shipped off to marry him! And your mother had given you a task, to learn this people’s secrets to longevity for your homeland. If they knew them enough to barter your hand, why couldn’t they have discovered that themselves?

This was absolutely ridiculous!

You fumed in silence for a time, only broken by the tittering of the servants sent with you on this journey. The two of them had kept quiet as you slept, but began fussing over your appearance as best they could in a vehicle.

“Put on a brave smile, my lady,” Kari told you, gently mopping your brow. “This is the big day.”

“We are with you to the end.” Despite saying this, Jos was wringing his wrists. He was nervous, so far from everything any of you knew, yet he smiled for you. You tried to return the gesture, but felt it was more of a grimace.

“Thank you—both of you.”

You would have to show them that you were worthy of their servitude. Straightening your spine, you began to psych yourself up for what might be an exhausting, terrifying welcome into these lands. But you weren’t going to cower, and you weren’t going to be cowed. You were royalty. Just because your betrothed might be a horrific monstrosity didn’t mean you weren’t going to give this your best damn shot. You’d get the information your mother desired, conduct yourself appropriately as a queen-to-be, and prove your worth to both of these kingdoms.

And so your carriage began its slow crawl up the path that slithered towards your fate, deep within the kingdom of beasts.

Finally, you were ushered in through the front gates. Jos and Kari kept close, both to shield you from stares and for their own peace of mind. You lifted your chin, unwilling to bow even to the thin birdfolk who worked the massive door.

But you had to look downwards to keep your eyes on the strange short creature that confessed themself your escort. They seemed almost human, except for their pointed ears and the thick mane of moss-like hair. Jos muttered something, and they snorted.

“Tha’s a term ye shouldn’ use ‘round ‘ere, seedling!” They leaned in to stage-whisper. “‘S a mite offensive, y’know!”

Jos shrunk away, growing pale. “S-sorry!”

“He didn’t mean any offense,” Kari squeaked.

The creature’s gaze was piercing, making the two servants squirm. But before you could step in, they tilted their head back to laugh at the canopy, slapping the two’s calves. “Jus’ pullin’ yer legs, seedlings! ‘Sall I c’n reach, ‘n an old sprout’s gotta ‘ave ‘er kicks some’ow. C’mon, then! This way!”

When you frowned at him, Jos ducked his head. “Didn’t know it—she—could hear me… Her kind—whatever it is—has good hearing.”

“‘N donchu forget it!”

He ducked further. Poor man, already so rattled. It made you more determined to keep your composure. You offered him a reassuring smile, before you all began following the rather talkative creature that called herself “Moss.” It actually helped to have such a chatty escort. You felt less like a prisoner and more like a guest, despite the stares your arrival received.

The structure you were brought into had fine detailing in the wood, so delicate that the arches appeared to have grown into them naturally. Light filtering through the leaves felt soothing, a brief warmth in the relative coolness of the shade. You waded through creatures of all sorts: Bodies decorated or covered in feathers, wisps, scales, talons, fur, and even leaves and bark. Moss, in her ramblings, pointed out a tree nymph that was her second-cousin in the market, whose hair swayed like a palm in an absent breeze. When he caught you staring, his hair shifted to cover his face before he suddenly disappeared. Had he melted into the wall?

“He’s a shy ‘un,” Moss laughed, hanging upside down from a lamp. Instead of electricity or even flames, it was a wooden mesh housing fireflies. How curious.

The deeper you went, the darker your surroundings became, requiring more of these lamps and other means to light your way. The rare, likely intentional, beams of sunlight let in through the layered branches became spotlights, highlighting a lively tavern or a fae playground, or passing through artful arrangements such as a mosaic of insect wings and carapaces. An ethereal being using what could only be described as an arcane comb touched up a string of glowing orbs, draped across the branches overhead. Every time Moss paused to point something out or flap her gums, fireflies drifted from nearby lamps to hover about her. Her own little entourage.

There was so much to take in that you weren't surprised when your servants had many stops and starts, but you couldn't dally. No doubt the royalty here—including your fiancé—already knew of your arrival, and you weren't going to give a bad impression by gawking or lollygagging.

After all, you had plenty of years ahead of you in this foreign place. There would be time enough.

The smooth, winding path Moss led you on brought you to another set of massive doors, decorated with flowers and crawling with endemic life, which was opened by a much larger birdfolk. Their build and feathers reminded you of an owl, if a more intimidating one. You had always thought of them as symbols of wisdom, not protection. You supposed there was much about this land’s culture you didn't know, yet. The owl’s eyes watched, unblinking, until the doors shut behind you. But your escort once again drew your attention as she hung upside-down from the fork of a nearby branch. Her laughter twinkled.

“Ye ready t’see yer prince?” Despite your attempt to remain professional, she snorted at your expression. “Dun look too eager, now.” She swung up to sit and kick her feet, gesturing you onward. Evidently, her job was finished.

At the trepidation your servants showed (and you hid) she promised, “Ye ‘ave nothin’ t’worry ‘bout, seedlings. I dunno wha’ place ye wer sown, but yer in good soil now. Kip, kip!” Before anyone could ask for more detail, she leapt from her perch, snagging the talons of two songbirds that carried her into the canopy and out of sight.

“Didn't even say farewell,” Jos muttered. “Odd bird, that one.”

From overhead came a cheerful, “Sparrows, actually!” He shrunk and scowled at the laughter, face burning. He had forgotten about her hearing. Kari giggled, and you hid your smile by glancing around. You were to go on alone?

There were several individuals in this courtyard, but only a few within speaking distance, and only one that looked expectant. Going on a hunch, you approached the raccoon standing on a nearby stump—a strange sight, you thought, for a castle grown from a massive tree. You were pleased to find the beast mirrored your nod, seeming far more intelligent than the ones at home.

“I am here to meet the prince,” you told it, tone even. “I am to be his wife.”

Your servants exchanged looks. The words felt like acorns on your tongue. But your reward was the animal climbing up the vines covering the ornate wall behind it. It went along the top, stopping to check that you followed. So you did, thinking this was the strangest reception you have ever been given as royalty. First a nature spirit, and now a raccoon? You had an interesting story for your first letter home.

“This is ridiculous,” Jos murmured.

Kari rapidly patted his shoulder, breathing, “But sort of exciting! It's a massive tree-house—no, tree-castle! I've never seen such a thing!”

“Built to last—or, grown to last,” you commented, eyeing the thick wooden walls that twisted into or from massive bowers. “Behind such a long trek and thick foliage, invasion is difficult.”

Jos looked at your feet. “Unless someone dropped a match...”

“I doubt they would overlook something so important.”

He still seemed unconvinced. Conversation stilled when the raccoon disappeared into a tree hollow above a decorated wall. You waited for several beats, but it didn't return. Staring at the barrier, you tuned out your servants' mutters as you pressed a hand over the large knot design. It had details so fine, only the thinnest of needles would fit in the crevices. It all formed an intricate ecosystem, depicted as a massive life-giving tree crowned by the moon, the sun, and a star. And at the very bottom of it all was the tiniest seed, the unexpected catalyst to the flourishing of so much life...

You couldn't help touching it, and you feared you had ruined priceless art when it sunk into the wood. No, it was the design itself shifting, causing the “seed” to sprout and crack the tree in two. The halves swung apart, and you found yourself face-to-snout with a dogfolk. Their scarred lip curled faintly. They tapped their wooden staff upon the moss-covered floor, and the raccoon found its way to their shoulder, staring at you once again.

“The Woodborn King and his son have been waiting.” The dog's voice was gruff, but she offered her companion a snack almost tenderly.

Still, her words rankled. They had been waiting? I've waited my entire life to get my answers! You strode forward into the small room, Jos and Kari following more meekly. You wouldn't let this dog's bared teeth frighten you. She wouldn't dare hurt you.

Another tap of her staff, and the floor heaved beneath your feet. Shocked, you grabbed Kari's arm as your attention was pulled downward—and then upward. This was a platform, enchanted the same as the carriage had been! Without engine or pulley, it floated up through a hollowed section of trunk. Patches of moss began to glow within a certain distance, illuminating the space oddly. You released Kari, allowing Jos to cling to her as you straightened your spine.

This was it. The moment all of your parents' planning and training had been leading up to. You would gaze upon your fiancé's features for the very first time. Your fingers found your earrings once again.

The lift didn't lead directly into the throne room, not that you had expected it to. You were let out at a hallway that led up to another decorated door, this one featuring a claw dropping a seed. You eyed its talons, imagining what horrific creature could be attached to it. In another light, the seed might also have been a drop of blood. How ominous.

But this wouldn't shake your resolve. You stepped forward and pushed the doors open, ignoring the guard entirely. The sunlight blinded you, unexpected after such a long journey through gentle shades and that dark tunnel. You paused to get your bearings, blinking rapidly.

“Ah,” came a voice, like wind through leaves. “Welcome home, my child.”

You finally rubbed the tears away, hearing Jos gasp at your side. The dogfolk had moved to precede you, appearing miffed that you had just barged in. But your triumph was quickly overshadowed with awe as you gazed upon the blooming thrones at the head of the room, and the two beings sat there.

Even from here, you knew they were much taller than you; you were certain you could lie across the larger one's shoulder, and still have room to stretch. Indeed, his claw could wrap completely around you, and crush you, if he saw fit. His body was the color of a fading sunset, scales layered as leaves on the forest floor. Five brown horns twisted around and behind his head like branches, two even sporting beard lichen. You realized suddenly that, though most of the passages you had been going through were rather spacious, there was no feasibly way for this individual to fit through them. He was draped in silk that burned in the light, appearing as ancient autumn made manifest.

And if he was autumn, then the other was surely spring. His scales were colored like fresh sprouts, with darker patches across his snout and shoulders. His horns were far less pronounced, but held a more vibrant earthy hue, and were decorated with a flowering crown. His silks were colored as a sky that nourished the plants below, seeming to shift as he straightened in his seat. He was much closer to a size capable of walking about the lower levels, but he still likely had a few heads on you. Was this your fiancé? His gaze was piercing, rooting you to the spot. You had seen emeralds with less luster.

The dogfolk cleared her throat. “Princess of Humans, I introduce you to the Lifegiver, and the—”

A yelp from behind finally ripped you out of the prince's trance. Jos was flailing his arms, trying to keep his balance as Moss stood on his head. Judging by the leaves drifting around him, she had dropped from the branches above.

Posing, she shouted, “Hear ye, hear ye! This 'ere 's The King of Branches 'n his sprout! All hail their invigoratin' grapevines!”

Part One (you are here!) | Part Two (TBA)