#chase teron

[sitting-on-me-bum]

A raft of curious sea otters checks out a group of sea kayakers, including the photographer, near Spring Island off the western coast of Vancouver Island, B.C. Nearly wiped out in the 19th century by fur traders, sea otter populations in B.C. have rebounded as a result of a reintroduction program. 

Photo: Chase Teron

2023 Canadian Wildlife Photography of the Year

[animalsandanimals]

Chase Teron

Winner, Aquatic Life, Canadian Geographic Annual Wildlife Photography Competition 2023

A curious group of sea otters near Spring Island, off the western coast of Vancover Island.

[xtruss]

Photography For The Ocean — In Pictures

Founded by Paul Nicklen, Cristina Mittermeier and Chase Teron, 100 for the Ocean unites 100 world-class photographers selected for their talents and contributions to conservation. Until 31 May 2023, photographs are on sale with profits going to under-funded and under-recognised ocean-focused NGOs voted for by photographers. The top-voted NGOs so far include: Whale Guardians, Coast First Nations, and Por el Mar

“The UN is telling us that in order to fulfil the promise of protecting the ocean under Sustainable Development Goal 14, Life Underwater, we need about $170 billion. We hope to shine a spotlight on the ocean and why we need to protect the largest ecosystem on our planet, the one ecosystem that allows life on earth to exist.” Cristina Mittermeier

— Matt Fidler | Thursday 18 May 2023

Aleutian Juice | Aleutian Islands, Alaska, USA 🇺🇸 2013! This was my first expedition to the Aleutians, hunting for surf among the dramatic volcanoes of the north. Finding these moments of beauty and grandeur marked a defining moment in my career as a culmination of months of planning, a good weather window, dedication to cold water surfing, and finding the perfect swell. Photograph: Chris Burkard/100 for the Ocean

Sea Pup | Mexico 🇲🇽 Sea Lion Hunt, 2021! A graceful arch, captured in motion as a sea lion hunts its prey. With a skilled eye and determined hunt, the sea lion targets a dwindling bait ball in search of its next meal. Photograph: Matt Porteous/100 for the Ocean

Edward’s fig parrot (Psittaculirostris edwardsii) at Loro Parque Fundacion | North-east New Guinea 🇬🇳! This small parrot species is found in north-east New Guinea up to the Huon Peninsula. It is mostly found in forests but also occasionally in cleared lands. Males are easily recognised with their brightly coloured heads and red breasts. Photograph: Joel Sartore/100 for the Ocean

Icy Flight | Ross Sea, Antarctica 🇦🇶, 2011! Like rockets, emperor penguins propel themselves out of Antarctica’s icy waters in leaps that seem to violate the laws of physics. Far from being the comedic, waddling caricatures we often see depicted in pop culture and children’s books, these remarkable birds can dive over a thousand feet deep and stay out at sea for weeks at a time. They are also important indicators of the health of Antarctic ecosystems. Protecting these amazing creatures and their habitats is crucial to maintaining the delicate balance of our planet’s ecosystems. Photograph: Paul Nicklen/100 for the Ocean

A Mother’s Love | Wapusk National Park, Manitoba, Canada 🇨🇦, 2020! Being able to spend time with this amazing family as she helped her cubs get ready for their long journey to the ice was incredible. The love and care she had for them is shown throughout the images captured. Photograph: Ruth Elwell/100 for the Ocean

Emerald Dreams | Katmai National Park, Alaska, USA 🇺🇸, 2019! A young bear swims across a river mouth during high tide, following its sibling to find food across the way. Against the warm rich brown fur, the green river around was illuminated like liquid emeralds, constantly in motion, bringing about greens I never knew the names of, greens that felt endless in vibrancy and state of motion. Photograph: Lianna Nixon/100 for the Ocean

Sea Bear | High Arctic 🥶, 2019! As Arctic temperatures rise, the polar bears in Svalbard are facing a new reality: a world without multi-year pack ice. With the ice melting earlier each year, their hunting grounds are shrinking, leaving them struggling to find food and survive. By reducing our carbon emissions through lifestyle changes, using renewable energy sources, and supporting policies that address climate change, we can help slow the rate of global warming and preserve the polar bear’s habitat and preserve the planet for all living things. Photograph: Chase Teron/100 for the Ocean

Green Sea Turtle Surrounded by Glassfish | Ningaloo Reef, Western Australia 🇦🇺, 2018! We were out on a WhaleShark Tour doing a back of reef snorkel. My work colleague called out that she had found a turtle resting behind some glass fish under a ledge. The ledge was around 8-10 meters down so I went down and lined up my camera and as I did the glass fish framed the Turtle perfectly. The turtle looked at the camera and I took a few photos before having to come back to the surface for air. Photograph: Aimee Jan/100 for the Ocean

Distance! Coming off one of the biggest projects of my career, I had lost direction and motivation to pick up the camera and create. This image helped bring my focus back. I spent the afternoon in large, windy conditions on a remote stretch of coastline. I don’t usually have moments that make me look at the image in the water. As this particular wave broke, the incredible blue colour was displayed in front of me. This is the moment that brought me back. The ocean rekindled my desire to capture these heavy ocean moments on some of the most remote stretches of coastline in the world. Photograph: Andrew Semark/100 for the Ocean

House of Bears | Kolyuchin Island, Russia 🇷🇺, 2020! Kolyuchin is known for the polar weather station that operated in Soviet times. Though the station was closed in 1992, the abandoned village still stands on the island. The stormy wind, rain and neglected buildings on the rocky shores all made everything appear surreal. Bears are very curious by nature so they walked around the houses, checked every door, window, nook and cranny. There were about 20 animals in sight at the same time, mostly males. The females kept to the side with their cubs, closer to the shores of the island. Photograph: Dmitry Kokh/100 for the Ocean

[enchantemoimerlin]

Chase Teron Photography

[witches-and-weirdos]

😈Worst thing you’ve ever done to your muse?(from all the muses the very worst) 😂Funniest thing that’s ever happened to your muse? (Kaisa)

Mun talks about the Muse

😈Worst thing you’ve ever done to your muse?

Captured and tortured for nearly 2 full decades, watching as every single man and woman under his command died to said torture and then having to eat them (and parts of himself) when no other food was provided. He was barely alive, terribly crippled, partially flayed, sightless, and suffering from uncounted amounts of further horrific damage when he was saved.Now you might understand why he despises humanity, especially the Noxians, and why he is so unneededly brutal.

Kiara was abused by both her parents (until she killed them before the age of 14) and was almost raped by 3 pedophiles. She survived the latter because she bit one man’s throat out, and she was lucky enough to have a warrior-cultist see that. The warrior-cultist beheaded the other two men after they beat Kiara unconscious.

A celestial being, Keronnen, had descended to sow despair and destruction on Runeterra. He met Kenith once, and she destroyed his worldly avatar of flesh.Later, he returned and brutally slaughtered everyone in Kenith’s tribe, she and her uncle arrived just in time to see him execute the last yordle that didn’t escape. This cruel being’s new avatar was virtually immune to arcane magic, and so he defeated the two like they were pushovers. He severed her uncle’s arm and knocked him out. He dug the tip of his blade in the earth and grabbed Kenith’s head, dragging her face down its edge, leaving a bone-deep blackened mark on her body and scarring her soul. This mark will never heal, not even magic can help it.When she awoke, she was in a cave where her uncle took her. Keronnen kept bringing corpses to her, the bodies of those who managed to escape his slaughter, until no other member of the tribe was alive. Only a few days latter, one of Kenith’s night terrors conjured such a violent and potent storm of magic that her uncle died to it before she awoke.Seeing her ruined to this extent, the gods of her tribe, the celestials that spoke only to her besides the tribe’s shamans, the beings that personally trained her to be the protector of Runeterra had abandoned her and stopped responding to her prayers, as they saw her potential wasted by Keronnen. When she latter found her way into their realm, she instead found their slaughtered carcasses, the work of Keronnen.Kenith still, even after countless millennia, suffers from night terrors and PTSD, and she knows that Keronnen is out there, planning to return. She doesn’t know if she can destroy his avatar again. She knows she cannot destroy him.

The worst thing I’ve done to Maryah is giving her such a hard life as a whole.Her loving mother died early. Her father was crippled in a battle, so little young Maryah had to take care of him alone. She fought in battles and experienced famine before adulthood. Her father latter died, then absolute famine came to her region with cruel winters. She and five of her friends set out to leave, four of them died on the way, there wasn’t time to bury them. She settled in a xenophobic human city, where one day she was attacked in her own forge. In this attack her hand lit on fire, and half of her upper body and face was already severely burned when she put the fire out with the snow outside. That very week her one last friend died in the sickness he’d been suffering from.Then she set out alone, and ever since she’s afraid of settling down more than of marching through the Frozen Deathlands alone.

Mrazir was less than 16, Teron was less than 13. Their family got caught in the crossfire of a gang war. Father died quickly to the gunfire. Mother ran terrified with them to a dead end. For some reason, they were chased. Mother told them to go through a pipe together, made Mrazir understand that he needs to protect Teron. She was too big for said pipe. She died shortly after the two left. Their home also burned down in the gang war.No family. No home. No possessions. No food. Nothing but each other.

Has to be the fact that he was sealed into his weapon and endured millennia of nothing. Of emptiness. Buuuuut he did survive it with his sanity intact.

Marla died protecting an outpost from aliens. She was then resurrected with a wiped memory. And died dozens of times again and again, fighting her way out of that place.

As a soldier, Tristana surely had lost some friends on certain missions, but I never actually gave her a concrete trauma event. Apart from the horrors of being a soldier, her life is quite a good one.

Teemo saw his father beheaded on a terrorist attack against Bandle. Denovan’s head was thrown to the boy, to which he soon passed out.

Erelle once burnt down a few square meters of a forest on accident while practicing elemental magic. 

Avica’s village was bombarded by Noxian chemical weaponry. Everyone - including her - suffered the same effects. Slowly dying as their feathers fell out, their skins peeled off, their breathing burnt their trachea and lungs over three days. Everyone died but her. She only survived because she made a deal with the god of bloodshed, murder and combat that she will serve him if he helps her take vengeance.

The part that I did to her... well, you see, that suit can cover her body wholly, but there is no way that long hair of hers can be shielded so quickly. So the first time she needed to be fully covered, her hair fell out entirely. She was still very young (not 11 yet) and she was already noticing her body’s changes and was quite afraid of what her future will be.Honorable mention: Actually developing the suit as a void-creature. A horrible being governed by instinct, making biological changes to her body, killing people on its own (in the beginning), and having the whole “now v-neck, now full suit” made into a headcanon that her second skin fractures and buries itself under her skin to disappear. It is a horribly painful thing, it can happen in under 2-3 seconds, or near instantly, and by now she’s so used to it it’s just a strong inconvenience to her.

😂Funniest thing that’s ever happened to your muse?

Most likely one of her childhood shenanigans. For now, let’s say it was the time when one of her friends jumped on a goat and shouted “TO BATTLE!” then was thrown off within five seconds. Kai’sa actually had a lot of friends and they often banded together to play.

[crabcocklecowrie]

aerial greenland by chase teron 

[lavendersam]

The Shortest Night of the Year

introduction

part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5, part 6, part 7

Miranda and I played the first session of our one-on-one Dungeons & Dragons game on evening of the summer solstice.  All she knew about the adventure was that she’d be playing Rook, her warlock sellsword in my King’s Road setting who had traded her name to a devil, and that I had code-named the adventure “The Shortest Night of the Year” in my notes to myself.

So she was very surprised when we sat down to play and I just handed her a sheet of paper that simply had:

Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma (all next to numbers slightly lower than Rook’s) Hit Points: 6 Trade Proficiencies: Farming Skill Proficiencies: Athletics

And that was it. No class features, no equipment, not even a background feature. Miranda looked at me in confusion and then wonder as she put the pieces together - 

“Are we playing before she became a warlock?”

I just smiled and began narrating.

It was Midsummer in the mountains, and even though the sun had disappeared behind the western peaks, the evening stretched long and warm in the dying golden light.  And as a bright, purple dusk fell on the shortest night of the year, the midsummer festival began in the village square.  Long wooden tables filled the space around the village well beneath crisscrossing lines strung with ribbons and fire baskets.  There were people everywhere, carrying platters of food, arranging chairs, serving drinks, chasing children as they ran through the chaos screaming in delight.  A low wooden stage had been set up on the green for dancing, and several musicians were already tuning their instruments.  A cacophony of mouth-watering smells wafted from the open windows and doors of the grassy-roofed homes nearby, and as the night begins and the tables are set, everyone was welcomed to eat.  The night is warm, especially in the light of the fire baskets and the warmth of the villagers enjoying the festival.  Even closer to the edge of the woods, whose pine-needled shadow looms around the village in the deepening twilight, amber-colored fireflies and the first twinkling stars in the purpling sky light up the dark.

I asked Miranda the name of Rook’s home village.  She thought for a moment, and said “Wilmott’s End.”  I told her that she had grown up in Wilmott’s End, in one of the furthest farms from the village, but that she had spent a lot of time recently working at the inn.  It doesn’t have a name - there’s only one inn, after all.  Miranda asked me how old she was, and I asked the question back at her.  When she seemed unsure I said, “Regardless of years, this is the first summer where you are indisputably an adult; last spring, a mage traveled through the village on her way from somewhere mysterious to somewhere equally vague. While staying at the inn, the mage took one look at Rook and declared that she needed a true name.

“Is it rare to have a true name?” Miranda asked.  I told her that it was certainly unusual; in Wilmott’s end only two others have one, the village greenwitch and one of the three innkeepers.  The mage explained that granting a true name pushes the balance of Law and Chaos in the mortal soul slightly closer to the side of Law; often a requisite for mages, as it aids in the crafting of spells and armors them somewhat against spirits of Chaos.  Rook was uneasy, but didn’t have much of a reason to say no.  The mage performed the ritual high in the mountains on a cold spring morning, and left soon after.  She did give a dire warning before leaving, however - she told Rook to never tell her true name to anyone.  Not her parents, not a husband or wife, not a single soul.  True names have power, and that power can be used against you if it falls into the wrong hands.

Since then Rook’s been a bit of an outsider - not shunned or feared or anything like that, but the whole village now knows that she’s different.  She’s hoping that the midsummer festivities might finally put that to rest, and sets herself to helping hand out food to everyone as they sit down to dinner.

There’s roasted rosemary duck served with gravy over small, early potatoes and the first carrots of the year, along with dark, crusty bread spread with goatsmilk cheese.  Buttered peas, salads of summer cabbage and juicy mountain lettuce with the last of the spring radishes sit next to dishes of a warm, spiced compote of wild blackberries and blueberries from further up the mountainside.  There’s fresh river trout grilled in mulberry sauce and served on a bed of roasted turnips and cauliflower, bowls of cherries, peaches, and plums next to plates of sliced, cooked apricots drizzled in sweet vinegar, and strawberry rhubarb pie topped with clotted cream.  The alewives have tapped into barrels of thick, foamy beer brewed with heather and sage that’s more hearty than intoxicating, and many of the adults are sipping slowly from a long-cherished bottle of strawberry wine.  And of course, there’s a pot of hot tea at every table.

As everyone eats their fill, it seems indeed that the cooler attitude towards Rook has melted in the warmth of the shortest night of the year.  After lots of friendly greetings she sits down next to a handful of young adults her age, including Alyona the miller’s daughter, with whom she immediately starts talking.  The two hit it off (they hadn’t spoken in a while, with Rook spending so much time at the inn the last couple years), much to the annoyance of Teron, a boy from Redwheel farm who was also at the table.  Rook asks Alyona for a dance once dinner’s finish, to which she happily agrees.

Rook makes a few rounds around the festival, talks with Elias and Medran (two of the three innkeepers) a little; that’s when Rowan, one of the carpenter sisters who is playing a game of cards with a few other villagers, calls her over.  “Bridget!” she says.  “You know how to play, don’t you?”

That’s when Miranda broke character, and looked up at me in confusion.  “Bridget?” she asked.

I grinned.  “Doesn’t seem quite right, does it?” I said.  I started explaining how her character has been feeling a little odd about her given name, Bridget, since she received her true name - like a coat that once was comfortable, but doesn’t quite fit anymore.  Miranda was listening, but she was also looking at the minimalist character sheet I had handed her at the beginning of the session, and noticed that I had neglected to write a name at the top of it.  After calling this character ‘Rook’ for the last six months, it did indeed feel pretty weird.

“Alright,” she said with a chuckle, and played a game of cards (winning the last piece of strawberry pie, actually).  Rowan and Rilsa asked her to stay for another, but dance music had begun out by the dance boards, and she wasn’t going to be kept from the first dance for anything - not when a pretty girl was waiting for her.

next

[mythological-beats]

...What happened here?

“He’s scared of water, so when I brought him here, he basically got scared as hell, went into panic mode, and started blacking out.” - Serpent

“I’m not scared of water! Er, at least, I wouldn’t be, if I could at least stay afloat! I can’t swim! Also, I did go into panic mode, not because I thought I was going to fall in, but because I saw something chasing us!” - Hyntherus

“Oh, please. What could have possibly been chasing us? We all know it likely wasn’t a siren, since sirens typically don’t attack other sirens.” - Serpent

“I... I don’t know, I just know I saw something. And it looked angry.” - Hyntherus

“... You don’t think it might have been...??” - Petherim

“... No. T-they’re dead... it couldn’t have been them, right??” - Serpent

“I... don’t know...” - Petherim

“... who is ‘they’...??” - Teronic

“Uh... don’t worry about it, Ter...” - Petherim

[rodentmancy]

fattyatomicmutant replied to your post “im still amazed that the way blizzard handled illidan’s story was a...”

I hate that shit so much as if to say "whos the real bad guy" hint still illidan

so what they did was like .. ok so one of his big bad actions was he attacked the main neutral city in burning crusade, but now theyve gone back and said it wasnt him. it was an elf that was working for him who later went evil anyway, see he went behind illidans back and attacked those ppl and told all them that illidan said to but he didnt! he was also gonna give back the black temple to akama and the broken draenei after he uh .. cleaned up the place? i guess? maybe he moved in to chase out teron gorefiend and we caught illidan while he was still planning how to do that. 

so see. wasnt bad. all a mistake. woopsiedoodle!~ 

really it does feel like they had planned originally on wrath being the last, and their new mmo coming out after that. but that mmo fell apart, so they continued wow and realized they killed all the fave characters 

[rawnewsandmore]

Behind the Music: Rawsrvnt shares a track-by-track breakdown of his new Shut It Down EP

Posted by: Rawsrvnt.com Original Post Date: Wednesday, May 24, 2017

“There Go That Man”

“Mama, there goes that man” is a phrase made famous by NBA-player-turned-broadcaster Mark Jackson.

The verbal meme’s original meaning appeared to be that of a fictional young boy trying to draw his parent’s attention toward a typical “bad guy.” But today, it’s a statement about excellence. Its speakers are using it to express awe at a performance that is simply astounding.

It’s with this mindset that Rawsrvnt and veteran rapper Lil Raskull offer their take on the term. Here, it’s about picking yourself up and pointing people to the One who gives you strength.

“God forgive me for the time I lost it, doubted it, and just fell apart,” Rawsrvnt said. “That’s what this track is about. I’m digging in and standing up. I’m not letting disappointments or failures hold me back. It’s time to let my faith arise and do what I’ve been wired and destined to do. It’s time to deliver!”

With lyrics chockfull of references to organized athletics (including a shout out to Mr. Jackson), this song is sure to find a home on a sports telecast in the near future.

“All In”

There are many times in life when we simply have to push everything we own into the center of the table and bet on ourselves to claim victory.

In poker terms it’s called being “all in” and Rawsrvnt’s song of the same name offers a soundtrack for that concentrated conviction.

Rawsrvnt lends his voice both in front of and behind veterans like Pettidee and Teron Carter (of GRITS fame) to build an anthem ideal for collegiate competitions or a battle between seasoned professionals.

“Ice”

When temperatures are low enough to create ice, one can expect things to move a little more slowly. And on the track inspired by that condition, Rawsrvnt takes a more measured approach to his flow.

“Ice” is a song he wrote for his brother, Bobby Puyol, who recently completed his college football career and will soon chase his NFL dreams with the Baltimore Ravens.

Raw notes that he tells Bobby he has “ice in his veins” as a way of building up his little brother’s confidence before each kick. More often than not, that strategy yielded results as either extra point kicks or field goals.

The song’s easy vibe continues with guest artist Greg Cooks who brings his native-Houston drawl to the leisurely laid track with a chopped-n-screwed hook.

And while some Christians may take issue with Rawsrvnt’s use of the phrase “So the hell with what you think” line, he explains that it can be taken a few different ways.

“In the faith, we believe that anything that doesn’t line up with the word of God is a lie and from the pit of hell,” Rawsrvnt said.

“So likewise, if you don’t believe in me and or think I can’t accomplish what I set my heart after doing then to hell with what you think. Those thoughts literally should be sent to hell and burned up because it doesn’t have any place in my life nor should it be the talk of a believer.”

“Shut It Down”

The title track from Eddy “Rawsrvnt” Puyol’s new EP is the definition of motivational music.

On top of a haunting backbeat, the artist speaks power into existence as he mentally prepares himself (and listeners) to tackle any obstacle put in front of them.  

Reflecting on the song, Rawsrvnt shared a favorite personal mantra: “When a door opens I crush the hinges off so it doesn’t even have a chance to close on me.”

He continued: “What’s mine is mine and the only thing stopping me from getting it is ME. You have to go hard and not back down.”

Hence the “Shut It Down” mindset of lyrics like “You stack the chips against me? / My deepest sympathy.”

Houston rapper PyRexx also adds street-strong verses about how he operates with a similar outlook.

The end result? A fire track perfect for stadiums, arenas and mainstream radio.

“On the Line”

About “On the Line”, Rawsrvnt shares that:

“When I wrote the verses I had my kids in mind. As a matter of fact, my youngest daughter Olivia really fell in love with the song as I would play the beat for her when I put her down for a nap. A lot of the words came to me when I was with her and my oldest daughter Ava.”

“Then, I saw how God says the same lines to me. I was able to connect it back to Him and sing it to Him as well. I also correlated the lyrics to the love I have for my wife. It’s a real LOVE record! Such a heartfelt vibe to it.”

“On the Line” taps the sing-songy punchline raps of Philadelphia emcee Japhia Life and provides a perfect showcase for Rawsrvnt’s often-overlooked pop side.

Enjoy the hook because it will be in your head for the rest of the week.

Download or Stream Rawsrvnt’s Shut It Down EP at your favorite digital outlet.

[enchantemoimerlin]

Chase Teron Photography

Iceland

[lavendersam]

The Longest Night of the Year

introduction

part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5, part 6, part 7, part 8, part 9, part 10

previous

Rook, Alyona, and Kajsa the huntress carried the freezing and barely conscious Teron back to the village as quickly as they could.  Kajsa led them to Jaan’s apothecary, bursting in the door and directing them to lay Teron down by the fireplace.  Taisin and Jaan were still there, as was Tala, the village priestess.  They moved to help as soon as Rook and Kajsa had set the stretcher down, and immediately set to work caring for the shivering boy.

Rook and Alyona waited at the table as the adults cared for Teron and moved him into the other room.  Eventually Taisain and Tala emerged and joined them.  Looking at their faces, it was clear to Rook that Kajsa had told them what Teron had said back in the woods.

Tala spoke first.  The priestess was tall and grey, her eyes serious and piercing.  “Tell me what happened,” she said softly.

Rook looked at Alyona, who slipped her hand into Rook’s.  She squeezed, interlacing their fingers.  Rook nodded, and began telling the story.  She told the greenwitch and the priestess everything that had happened last Midsummer - meeting Rusalka, besting the Nøkken, recovering Rusalka’s heart and saving Teron and Alyona.  She told them everything, except for Ember.  She didn’t say anything about either of her encounters with the strange woman in the red cloak.

When she had finished, both Tala and Taisin looked deeply concerned.  Neither were as upset with her as she had been afraid they might be, although clearly they weren’t happy with the situation.  “And you are certain that Teron did not give the creature your true name?” Taisin asked.

“Absolutely certain,” Rook said.  “Is that enough?  What can he do?  What’s going to happen now?”

Taisin gave a rare, shaky smile.  “It is fortunate that you, of every child in Wilmott’s End, was given a true name.  As long as you keep it secret, you are safe.  Without it, the creature has no power over you.”

Relief flooded through Rook.  She let out a shaky breath, and Alyona squeezed her hand under the table.  They shared a smile.

Tala was not smiling.  “Still, it would be wise to be cautious.  Come to me tomorrow, and I will begin teaching you how to ask for the gods’ protection.  It will take time, and effort on your part.  I hope it will be enough.”

Rook promised she’d be there, and the two girls were sent home.  Outside, the eastern horizon was just beginning to lighten.  Rather than heading back to the mill, Alyona followed Rook back to the inn.  Rook let them in through the kitchen, and the two of them curled up together by the cooking hearth.  The warmth of the stones soaked into them, chasing away the chill that had settled into their bones during their flight through the woods.  Rook held Alyona in her arms, her chin resting on the crown of Alyona’s dark brown hair.

Slowly, inch by inch, the clear light of dawn began to creep into the kitchen.  Alyona’s eyes closed as she rested her cheek against Rook’s chest.  There, holding Alyona in the light of a new year, Rook whispered her true name.

Alyona’s eyes opened and she looked up at Rook in surprise.  “What?” she asked, almost breathless.

Rook smiled.  “My true name,” she whispered.

Alyona looked up at Rook in shock and wonder for a long while.  Then, hesitating at first, and then whispering in a voice so quiet Rook could barely hear her, Alyona said her name.

Rook felt it.  It thrummed through her, like her whole body was a fiddle string that had just been plucked.  She felt it in every ounce, every inch of her, responding to the call that came from Alyona’s lips.  She was seen, in her entirety, boundless and personal, laid bare by the name as Alyona said it.  Rook could feel herself, everything she was, everything she had ever been and everything she ever could be echoing through those syllables.  The sensation shook her down to her core, and as it passed she let out a gasp.  Alyona’s face furrowed instantly in concern, placing a hand on Rook’s cheek, her eyes worried.  Rook just stared, wide-eyed, and felt tears fall down her cheeks.

“I love you,” she said.

Alyona blinked, her brown eyes confused for half a second before filling with warmth.  She leaned in and kissed Rook’s lips before settling back into her arms.  They fell asleep there, as the sun rose after the longest night of the year.