#heart spotted woodpecker

[birdblues]

Heart-spotted Woodpecker

[tinylongwing]

SciArt September day 9: Heart

Heart-spotted Woodpecker, what a perfect bird. This is another species I'd never heard of before this challenge, what fun to discover them!

[herpsandbirds]

𝕋𝕣𝕚𝕔𝕜 𝕠𝕣 𝕋𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕥? 𓅬𓆈𓆉𓅫

Here's a special treat for you!

Heart-spotted Woodpecker (Hemicircus canente), female, family Picidae, order Piciformes, found in India and SE Asia

photograph by John Joseph

[kateammann]

daily birds week 49!

magellanic penguin + willow ptarmigan

semipalmated sandpiper + heart-spotted woodpecker

southern rockhopper penguin + montezuma oropendola

white woodpecker

[noirsfantasy]

Okay, so you mentioned AU's so please hear me out.

Can you please write something smutty with Bang Chan in a Red Riding Hood AU?

He doesn't even need to be a were!wolf per say, he just has to have wolffish tendencies.

Anyway, I thought I'd give it a shot 👍🏻👍🏻

𝕽𝖊𝖉 𝕽𝖎𝖉𝖎𝖓𝖌 𝕳𝖔𝖔𝖉

Word Count:

Type: Red Riding Hood AU, Smut

Pairing: Wolf!Bang Chan x Red Riding Hood!Reader

Summary:

A/N: I got this request a while ago and I actually really liked the idea. I decided to put my own little twist on it so please enjoy. Just to preface, this isn’t like a furry story or human x wolf, it’s completely metaphorical. Anyways, enjoy!

Leaves crunch under my feet as I stroll leisurely through the forest. My hands hold tight to a picnic basket that I’d packed to the brim with delicious treats. The sounds of nature are all around me and I can feel the sunlight peeking through the trees. I can see the squirrels jumping through the trees. I hear a woodpecker in the distance. It truly is a beautiful day to be out in nature. Taking a deep breath of fresh air, I smile to myself.

I am on my way to my granny’s little cottage to bring her some of her favorite foods. And a bit of a surprise. I am so excited that Mother sent me on this trip. I’ve wanted to visit Granny for the longest and I just know she’ll be shocked to see me. The thought of the surprised look on her face puts a pep in my step and I pick up the pace, walking the trail to her cottage.

It’s about thirty more minutes until I finally see her house in the distance. It’s such a cute little home. As I approach, I put on my biggest smile and knock on the door. I wait patiently for an answer, but there is none.

“Granny? It’s me, I’m here to bring you some treats!” I call out. Still no answer. I knock again and I hear a very hoarse “Come in.” I gingerly turn the doorknob and walk in. All the lights are off and I begin to worry. “Granny? You in here?” I ask, looking around.

��Over here, darling.” Her voice sounds low and raspy, but I walk in the direction of it.

“Goodness, Granny. Are you sick? Your voice sounds terrible.” I comment as I approach her room. It’s dark in there too. “I’m going to make you some tea, let me just find the light first.” I start feeling around the wall for the light switch, but before I could turn it on, I’m halted.

“No, don’t! Leave them off.” She tells me. “I prefer it dark in here, dear.” I raise an eyebrow begin to grow suspicious. I narrow my eyes at her, examining her frame.

“Granny…” I start walking towards her. “You seem to have gotten larger.” Im squinting to try and see her face but it’s too dark. “And you don’t sound like yourself.” Suddenly, she sprouts a wide, sharp-toothed grin and I instantly know something is wrong.

“Why, I have no idea what you’re talking about, sweetie. I’m just your sweet ole granny.” She says through her teeth. My grip on my basket tightens as she speaks.

“Why are your ears so big?” I ask, seeing her ears twitch at the question.

“The better to hear you with, my dear.” She responds. I gulp nervously as I step closer, the hair on the back of my neck standing up.

“And your eyes seem a lot bigger than I remember.” Even through the darkness, I can see her wide eyes staring back at me.

“Better for me to see you with, sweetie.” She gives me that sharp-toothed grin again. I recognized that voice, and it wasn't Granny's.

“And your teeth…” I tensed, my hand reaching for the handle of my dagger in my basket as Granny leans forward. A low, rumbling laugh fills the cottage, and the figure in Granny’s spot slides out of the bed, stepping into the shadows so that their features are hidden.

“You know, Red, Granny didn’t ask this many questions when I got here. But then again, she didn’t have a chance to,” the figure purrs, its voice dropping to a sexy, familiar timbre.

I narrowed my eyes, my heart beginning to pound in my chest. I knew that voice, deep and gravelly, sending shivers down my spine. I take a step forward, my anger and confusion fueling my courage.

"Who are you, and what have you done with Granny?" The figure steps closer, and my breath hitches as I make out the features of a man. He’s taller than me and muscular, with dark hair and slanted eyes, a wolfish grin split his face. My eyes widen as I recognize him, my body reacting instantly to the sight. "Bang Chan," I whisper, my dagger forgotten as my body flooded with desire.

He’s my ex-boyfriend and old partner, we were the perfect duo. However, he got cocky and arrogant, and the agency decided we shouldn’t be partners anymore. Though our lives as agents tearing us apart, the flame between us had never truly gone out.

“Hey, sexy.” He greets, taking another step forward, his eyes burning with desire. "I knew you'd come for Granny, so I decided to pay her a visit first. I couldn't resist the chance to see you again."

I feel angry that he had taken my kill, wanting to push him away and punish him for his arrogance. But my body betrays me, desire clouding my judgment.

"You son of a bitch," I breath, taking a step closer, my body moving of its own volition. "You knew I was coming for her. You stole my kill." His eyes glitter with amusement, and he takes another step, closing the distance between us.

"I couldn't resist, Red. You know how I love a challenge. And you, my feisty little agent, are a challenge I can't deny myself." His voice drops to a husky murmur, his breath warm against my skin.

“You can’t be here, Chan. The agency will know-”

“I don’t give a fuck about the agency.” He takes another step forward and places his hand on my waist, his touch burning against my skin. I want to push him away, but my body wants more. I ache for his touch, my breath coming in short gasps as he invades my personal space.

"You always were a stubborn one, Red," he whispers, his lips brushing against my ear, his hands reaching for my hips. "Don’t you remember how good we were together?" I gulp a bit nervously and sigh.

“We were reckless.” I say, forcing my eyes from his gaze and looking off to the side. He gives me a bit of a fake pout.

“Seems like you don’t remember… well then, let me remind you~” His touch sends sparks racing through my body, and I gasp as he pulls me flush against him, his hard body molding perfectly to mine. I can feel him pressing into me, hard and insistent against my stomach, and my anger melts away. I want this, I want him, and my hands fist in his shirt, pulling him closer.

"Dammit, Chan," I groan, my head falling back as his lips trail down my neck, his teeth nipping gently at my pulse point. "I should kick your ass right now.”

He chuckles, his hands sliding up my back to tangle in my hair, tilting my head back to claim my mouth in a searing kiss. "But you don't want to, do you, baby?" he murmurs against my lips, his tongue teasing mine. "You want me just as much as I want you."

I can’t deny it; the proof is in the way my body moves against his, seeking closer contact. I moan into his mouth, my hands sliding under his shirt to feel the smooth, hard planes of his chest.

"Fuck, Chan," I breathe, my nails scratching lightly down his back. "I want you. So bad."

A low growl emits from his throat, a sound that sends a thrill straight to my core. With a swift movement, he lifts me onto Granny’s bed, his hands skimming up my thighs to rest on the curves of my hips. "I knew my little Red couldn’t stay away," he smirks, his eyes dark with desire.

My heart races as I pull his shirt over his head, my hands glorying in the feel of his smooth skin. He sinks his teeth into my neck, sending shivers through me, before trailing kisses down to the valley between my breasts. My body shudders at the sensation, offering myself to him, my breasts straining against the thin material of my shirt. 

With deft fingers, he undoes the buttons of my shirt, his lips following the path, leaving a trail of fire on my skin. "My beautiful Red," he mumbles, his thumbs brushing over my peaked nipples, making me hiss in pleasure. "I've missed touching you, tasting you." 

"Please, Chan," I beg, my hands tangling in his hair, holding him to me as his lips closed around one tight bud, sucking gently. "I need you~" 

He obliges, his tongue teasing and swirling around my sensitive flesh as his hands roam over my body, mapping every curve. His fingers dip lower, teasing the hem of my skirt, lifting it up before pushing past my damp panties to stroke the hot, wet center of me. 

I cry out, my body tensing as he strokes me, his finger plunging into my wetness. "Chan," I moan, my hips circling, seeking more friction. "More." 

He adds another finger, stretching and stroking me, his thumb rubbing my clit in lazy circles. "You're so wet for me, baby," he growls, his voice hoarse with desire. "You must’ve missed me." 

"Mmh~ Stop teasing me," I whine, my hands reaching for the fastening of his pants, eager to free his hardness.

He bites his lip as he stands, pulling off his pants and kicking them aside before returning to his spot between my thighs. He grabs me by the throat kisses me deeply, his fingers continuing their magic, stroking and plunging as my hips moved against his hand. I’m helpless with desire, my nails digging into his shoulders. 

"You like when Daddy touches you like this, baby?" He asks against my lips, his thumb pressing harder against my swollen clit. My brows draw together as I nod, itching for more. "Let me feel you fall apart." 

His words and movements send me over the edge, and I cry out, but just as I reach my climax, he removes his touch. I whine in frustration as I watch him suck my juices from his fingers.

“Chan, why-” I’m cut off by him grabbing my throat again, a bit more forcefully. He’s discarded his underwear and his hard length presses against my sensitive core. I gasp weakly as my hands wrap around his wrist as he leans me back. With a low grunt, he thrusts into me, seating himself fully inside me, and we both groaned at the feeling of being joined so intimately once more. Chan begins to move, his hips snapping as he set a punishing pace, his hands grasping mine, pinning them above my head.

I moan loudly, reminded suddenly just how big he was and how much he knows my body.

"You feel so good, baby," he tells me, his eyes locked on mine as he thrusts deep, his cock brushing against my sensitive walls. "I've fantasized about being inside you again."

“Hah- Chan-” I can’t even string together a sentence as my mind turns to mush. His cock hits all the right spots within me and the lewd sounds of him fucking me furthers my experience.

I meet his thrusts, my legs tightening around his waist as I rise to meet each delicious stroke.

"Harder, harder," I beg, wanting to feel him possess me, brand me. He obliges, snapping his hips harder, his cock driving deep as he seeks his own release.

"Fuck, Red," he groans, his eyes squeezed shut as he chases his orgasm. "So tight, so good. My perfect girl~" 

His words sends me spiraling toward the edge once more, and I cry out, my body tightening around him as he allows me to cum, my walls pulsating around his hardness. Chan follows soon after, his body stiffening as he fills me with his warmth, a growl tearing from his throat.

We stay joined for long moments, our breath slowly returning to normal as we revel in the feel of each other. Finally, Chan pulls out of me, his eyes soft as he brushes my hair from my face. "We should do this more often, Red," he murmurs, his thumb brushing my swollen lower lip. 

I smile, sated and happy for now. "We just might, Wolf," I tease, sitting up and reaching for my abandoned basket. "But next time, don't steal my kill or I will kill you." 

Chan laughs, his eyes sparkling with mischief. "You know where to find me if you want a repeat performance, Red Riding Hood." 

With a final, lingering kiss, I dress myself, gather my weapons, and step out of the cottage, a smile on my face.

[michaelnordeman]

Hello! I was wondering, in the years of photographing in the same area, have you ever recognised an individual you've photographed before? The same squirrel, the same woodpecker, etc?

Hi there!

Oh yes, there are certain individuals that I've come to know quite well over the years, especially among the roe deer and the red squirrels. With the birds, it's not as easy to tell them apart, except when I see one with a easily recognisable trait, for example, a blackbird with a few white feathers or a great tit that has a healed scar on its head. Also, sometimes when great spotted woodpeckers and other birds are nesting in my garden, I recognise them by where they are living. It's good to know that many nesting birds, such as chaffinches and flycatchers, return year after year. I may not know those birds individually, but I know that they belong to families that have been living here for generations.

Some of the individuals I've really come to know will live in my heart forever. There's a doe that I've known for several years. She spends a lot of time close to my garden (and in the garden). I would never try to domesticate a wild animal, but she has simply decided that I pose no threat, and there are many pictures of her here on my blog. I've also become very familiar with several squirrels. Currently, there is a very dark, almost black, red squirrel that's been around for almost two years. He is also well documented here on the blog. It's such a sorrow when I realise a squirrel that I've known one day stops being around. I've also been able to recognise individual foxes, hares, and badgers over the years.

[mutant-distraction]

Saheb Sen

Heart spotted woodpecker

Karnala Bird Sanctuary, Maharashtra

Jan'24

[thewriterg]

𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐚𝐭?

pairing(s): peter parker x gn!reader, peter parker x widow!reader (can be read as any peter)

summary: Your head was always spinning, you couldn’t eat, and if you got up to fast your vision would be blurry for at ten minutes at a time coming home Peter didn’t expect you to see you as bad as he did when he came home and he’d do everything to make it better. You had to get better.

word count: 1.8k

request(s): Can you do like a Peter Parker x sick reader. Where like Peter was doing night patrol and came home to the reader asleep on the floor in the bathroom but like whining in her sleep because her head and stomach hurts. So Peter picks them up and they hug him so tight and tells him it hurts. Peter does everything in his power to make it stop hurting but you end up going to the doctor and find out they have a new virus that takes 2 weeks to recover from but a week before it isn't contagious any more. So Peter Parker has to take care of them for 2 weeks because she has it really bad.

warning(s): sickness, descriptions of throw(ing) up, blood, pain, crying, doctors, hospitals, medicine, pills, sickness, kisses, pet names, and language

A/n: —GIF: @dailymarvelstudios & @peterparkcr— umm so your girl’s motivation has been one to none and I re-wrote this like four times so 😊

Peter sat on top of a building watching the busy streets of New York pass by it was shy of 10:30pm and Peter was itching to get home to you not that he even wanted to think about leaving your side to go patrol anyhow

You were sick, sick was honestly a understatement for how you felt usually You and Peter would go on patrol together but not today The brunette sat in his seat antsy like

It, your sickness has been working up to this point for three days now.

First, it was not being able to keep food down even though Peter was worried you just blew it off as food poisoning and not having an appetite for anything

Next, was blurry vision every time you stood up Peter thought I was maybe from you lack of eating but when he saw that it made you so d i z z y it practically knocked You off your feet he knew it wasn’t the case

Last, was the headaches.

You don’t even know if you could call them just mediocre headaches

Because they weren’t

It felt like a hummingbird or a woodpecker just tapping their rough beaks into your nerve system

Or a lumberjack pulling a saw back and forth on the corners of your brain chipping it o f f piece by piece little by little

Peters senses we’re going haywire and yet it wasn’t because of any crime or any bullets flying towards his temples no.

It was radio silence on the Tuesday night of New York and he decided to call it early the world would do okay without Spider-Man for one night and the brunette began to swing his way back home to you

💌💌💌💌

“Darling, i’m home!” Peter made sure he wasn’t too loud to make your pain in your head any worse but loud enough so you wouldn’t be alarmed at his sudden presence

“Love?” Peter called out into the air again once he didn’t see you in your usual spot over the last couple of days your side of the bed was empty the covers pooling around the mattress

Peters heart began to die down in his chest once he saw the the bathroom light on letting a soft sigh escape his pink lips approaching the wooden door letting his fist softly hit the surface

“Are you okay in there?” Peter waited for a response and when he didn’t get one his heart was right back to its irregular beating patterns and his suit sticking to his skin didn’t do anything to help

“Y/n?” Peter never used your real name but he would go to any extent when it came to your health the Brunette listened closely and could hear you stirring and whimpering swearing that his heart stopped in that moment

“Darling I’ll break down this door I swear!” When seconds past and all Peter got in response was whining and labored breaths he didn’t hesitate to ram his shoulder into the door before the wood began to break under the force and finally flew open

The sight of you sleeping, bunched up, cradling yourself in a ball, sweat dripping down your forehead, and all around just sickly looking made Peters heartbreak in his chest as he immediately crouched by Your side scooping your overly warm body in his arms shushing you as the whimpers left your lips

“Oh baby…” The brunette trailed off, his eyes watering as he swept your hair out of your face as it stuck to your forehead from the cold sweat that rested in small beads on your body. When your eyes finally fluttered open they were dull, far away, almost lifeless.

“P-peter it hurts” You were whining now pressing yourself into Peter's abdomen as if he could take all the pain away and in every moment you were he wished he could

“I know darling, I know, I got you.” Finally standing to his feet with you in his arms legs wrapped around his l a n k y torso and head resting on his shoulder as he entered your shared room stepping in front of your bed going to lower your body on the cushion before you whimpered in protest clinging on tighter

“Okay, okay, I know” Peter reclined in his steps finally feeling your tears seep through his suit as he patted your back rubbing circles with his palm as your sobs voided his ears causing his heart to crack in two

“I’m sorry baby I’m so, so sorry I don’t know what to do.” Tears began to spill from the brunettes eyes as he began to dart around the room collecting clothes to put on your body Your crying never ceasing as Peter struggled to your sweatpants over your legs and soon enough you were heading out the window secured to Peters chest swinging from building top to building top

💌💌💌💌

Peter sat next to your bedside holding your hand with interlocked fingers even though it was one sided as you lied unconscious the team of nurses and doctors had to sedate your thrashing body much to the boys dislike it had been just about a day now and the doctor had diagnosed you with a immune virus that no matter how many health classes he took over his years of Highschool and now college had no clue where it began to start but it would take at least two weeks to drain your system with the prescribed orange pill bottle that the nurse had given to Peter to give to you

Peters head snapped to yours as your fingers began to twitch in his hold and his leg bounced up and down in anticipation because he couldn’t tell the difference between you waking up or your body having a muscle spasm

But Peters prayers to Thor and whatever God was out there were answered when you finally opened your eyes met with dim lights recommended by the brunette who knew they weren’t fun when you were out for a while and when you finally made eye contact his heart could just about burst in his chest

“You scared me ha lf to death you know that?” The boy stated gripping your hand a little tighter making sure you IV wasn’t in his path while you softly smiled at him rubbing your thumb back and forth against his skin

“I’m sorry” You moaned your head beginning to softly pulsate in your ears as you tried to blink the tears away from your eyes for Peters heart sake

“Here take these, helps drain the bug out of you faster” The brunette handed you a small cup that consisted of two white pills and a small bottle of water as you swallowed them down taking the water with you sighing into the small hospital room when you were done

“Mmm, I don’t think i want you out of me any longer” You responded taking your index and middle finger imitating a spider crawling up Peters arm onto his shoulder as he swatted your hand away and you chuckled in your temporary bed

“Please, god stop” You watched in amusement as the boy turned pink and bright red even after four years in a relationship and sixteen years in friendship things never change

“They tell you when I can get out of here bug boy?” You questioned stretching your arms over your head a slight arch in your back before settling in your seat looking over to Peter for an answer

“They said once you woke up they would have to do a few exams and depending how they turn out you could leave today or stay another week” Peter sighed taking hold of the hospital bed remote in his hand a pressing the big dull, worn, red ‘nurse help’ button

Soon enough there were two nurses to wheel you away for testing before You gave Peter one of your ‘spider-hearts’ you always did with your hands and he replicated the same until he could no longer see your figure and sighed sitting back down his seat fiddling with his fingers as he waited

💌💌💌💌

You were good to go the Doctor gave you discharge papers, Peter some instructions on how he should care for you the next couple of days to a week, and his signature to get a refill of medication when your pills has ran low since you had to take three a day but at least you were out

That’s how you found yourself in this position burrito’ed in two thick blankets as Peter spoon feed you alphabet vegetable soup May had made once she heard about your illness even though she was a bit confused on how you were in this predicament with your… abilities she still wished you a fast recovery and continued to call Peter over to bring you a new soup every two days declaring if you ate Peters soup you’d never get better

You’d never seen your boyfriend so offended

“Just two more bites” The brunette pleaded and you shook your head like a four year old refusing to eat the vegetables provided on their plate

“You know you’re a very difficult patient” Peter sighed pushing his glasses up on the bridge of his nose as You snorted rolling your eyes finally taking the bite of soup off the spoon into your mouth

“Says you remember when you got your wisdom teeth pulled?” You reminded your partner as he deflated sitting the semi empty bowl on the nightstand and tucking your head into your neck

“You promised to never bring that up” He whined and you felt the vibrations along with his cool breath traveling up the nape of your neck it could’ve made you shudder but you were to busy stifling a chuckle rubbing circles on the brunettes back

“I promised to never bring up unless you gave me a reason to plus this is like maybe the second time I’ve been sick in like… seven years” Your hands traveled to his hair now as you twisted his curls in between your fingertips

“That’s fair” Peter mumbled before rolling over to the side of you as you slid down to get more comfortable in your position

“You know the best thing about spider-perks” Peter piped up turning towards you as hummed with a furrow of your brows for him to continue his exploration

“I could do this… and not have to deal with the sickly consequences” Peters lips were on yours in a silent pause before he continued and you rolled your eyes before pecking his cheek before nuzzling into his side as he welcomed you with open arms

Even if you were a difficult patient Peter wouldn’t have it any other way

[frogofalltime]

@luneyjuney asked me for my top 100 birds and i am extremely autistic so. here yall go

feral pigeon (if you even slightly know me you will be aware of this. i have a whole army of pigeon friends in my city and they are my favourite birds of all time)

wandering albatross (widest wingspan of all extant birds, fly incredibly long distances, hella cool)

sparrowhawk (so cool and also the name of the main character in earthsea)

african penguin (i became obsessed with them as a kid because i didn't know penguins could live in warm places)

great crested grebe (hella cool, also i saw one in real life a few weeks ago !!)

woodpigeon (they are always cooing outside my grandparents' house and it feels like home when i hear them)

bee hummingbird (tiny. adorable. the world's smallest bird)

nightjar (weird big mouths, i love them)

carrion crow (extremely smart and very emo)

magpie (they steal stuff they find on the floor, just like me fr)

mourning dove (name a better sound than the mourning dove's song, i'll wait)

green pigeon (my favourite colour and my favourite bird, what else do you want)

fairy wren (so small !! so cute !!)

tailorbird (they sew leaves together to make their nests, honestly the coolest thing ever)

turtle dove (pretty pretty pretty)

speckled pigeon (SO PRETTY AND I LOVE THEM)

little penguin (they look like babies !!!!)

barn owl (their faces are so lovely. i want to look like a barn owl in my next life)

spotted woodpecker (i saw one last summer !! i like the noise they make)

cockatiel (pikachu looking cheeks)

blue tit (they're so pretty and cute and i like their song !)

european robin (friendly little guys with pretty red bellies, and the loveliest song you've ever heard)

eurasian wren (small and round and the way they hop makes me smile)

collared dove (another beautiful pigeon-related bird)

kiwi (they have a special place in my heart thanks to a really sad video i watched in eight grade)

pekin duck (big and white with orange beaks and feet, very iconic)

gouldian finch (so pretty and i wanted to change my name to finch when i was younger)

emerald dove (green wings !!! and pigeon-adjacent !!!)

little grebe (just a baby. i have seen them a few times and they are so sweet)

mistle thrush (they're so beautiful !! i see them regularly in local parks)

wagtail (i like watching them perch around the river wagging their tails)

chaffinch (another lovely finch species !)

elf owl (world's smallest owl !!!)

bleeding heart dove (tragic in a beautiful way)

crowned pigeon (so beautiful, imagine a pigeon wearing the most splendid crown you've ever seen)

rosy-faced lovebird (couple goals fr)

coot (i like their funny webbed feet)

diamond dove (pretty !!!!)

orpington chicken (fluffy and big and make me feel cosy)

little owl (another tiny guy !!)

cockatoo (i made friends with one as a kid, she was so cool)

silkie chicken (so soft and beautiful)

hoopoe (i refuse to believe this is not a pokémon)

raven (big, black, smart, awesome)

mexican violetear (they're so pretty aaaa what shiny colourful feathers !)

great egret (majestic)

java sparrow (we studied them last year, it's funny how they are extinct in their native habitat but are thriving in their new temple homes)

mallard duck (the most common ducks that you see everywhere, i love them)

bowerbird (becky lemme smash)

house sparrow (cute little guys that live in the garden, we call them The Gang)

puffin (i like their beaks)

kakapo (big green potato bird)

potoo (they're so weird !! i love them !!)

grey heron (every time i see one it feels like a good omen)

red-crowned crane (the iconic japanese crane that i like to make origami of)

swallows (cool forked tails)

ringneck parakeet (they're so awesome !)

long tailed widowbird (longest tail you've ever seen, actually pretty ridiculous)

pochard (adorable little duck species)

peafowl (of course, i mean look at them)

mandarin duck (their plumage is so ornate !!! i see them in the park a lot !!!)

european starling (they're so common but so cool ! there's a family of them that live outside my window and i like to greet them every time i go outside)

fairy penguin (tiny tiny tiny)

bittern (pretty rare and make a great noise)

blue bird of paradise (exactly what it sounds like)

peregrine falcon (honestly these should be higher on the list they're awesome)

ruff (they have really interesting sexual dynamics, some of the males look exactly like females while others look starkly different, look them up)

oilbird (there's a picture of them with their mouths wide open in one of my bird books and it made me fall in love)

chiffchaff (they make such a cool noise, hence the name)

kingfisher (i think i saw one once as a kid, truly fantastic creatures)

red kite (i see them flying overhead sometimes, very cool birds of prey)

eastern bluebird (so pretty ! i wish we had them in the uk)

amazon parrot (hella intelligent and awesome)

frogmouth (i like frogs, and they look so goofy)

white emu (i saw one last summer, very cool)

grey parrot (apollo good bird !)

european blackbird (very common here, with a very memorable song. there's one outside my window that stays awake at night and sings to me when i get home late)

skylark (allouette gentil allouette)

blue jay (another cool species i wish we had in the uk)

waxwing (very pretty !)

mockingbird (they're so smart, they can mimic noises really well)

white hawk (the coolest hawk species in my opinion)

spoonbill (their beaks look like spoons)

nightingale (sang in berkeley square)

snow goose (the same reason i like pekin ducks; they just look so perfect, like yea that's a Goose alright)

chinstrap penguin (gay !!!!!!! look up roy and silo, you won't regret it)

cormorant (i like the way they display their wings, so magnificent)

house martin (they have a symbiotic relationship with humans, very cool)

sandpiper (i like the way they run)

tufted duck (cute little tuft on their heads)

fairy pitta (oh they are gorgeous)

great tit (they have regional accents, but they all have a two-note song which is very recognisable, there was one that sang nonstop in my parents' garden one year and we became quite fond of him)

shoebill (people say they're terrifying, but i think they're really cool, despite the creepiness)

blue footed booby (silly little guys that do a goofy tap dance with their bright blue feet)

red-billed scythebill (long ass curved beak)

ostrich (of course they had to be on the list somewhere, enormous speedy bois)

painted bunting (colourful and spectacular)

cactus wren (they make holes in cactus stems to live inside and keep cool ! very smart !)

harrier hawk (rather amazing bird of prey)

common swift (they're so fast, and i love watching them fly in the spring and summer)

[balconybirds]

Sunday Birding 7/30/23

I had a lot of fun birding yesterday!  Saw some of my favorite birds and a few new ones!!

I didn’t see as many around the pond, but I still saw my favorite funky lil’ guy, the green heron:

You can also see a frog in the left hand corner!

Some juvenile red-winged blackbirds:

A mourning dove:

I’ve been spotted!

At the arboretum, had to take some pictures of some pretty flowers:

some water lilies:

you can see another frog in this one!

A wild Kansas sunflower:

Big flower:

A turtle, relaxing out of the water:

Another big flower:

A butterfly!  So pretty:

I saw so many of these guys out yesterday!  A male northern cardinal:

I saw some more snowberry clearwings too:

Another male cardinal:

A wood pewee.  There were two of these guys out, flying around, getting some bugs to eat:

A downy woodpeck, perched on top of a feeder:

A female cardinal, grabbing a treat:

A male indigo bunting!  I met and helped a really nice older couple find this guy too.  He was at the very top of the tree:

Some hummingbirds!

A male indigo bunting again, singing his little heart out:

Some pretty yellow flowers:

Some neat purple ones:

I thought this was a cool picture, an indigo bunting and an eastern bluebird:

I was SHOCKED when I saw this guy!  A blue grosbeak!!!  I almost confused him for an indigo bunting, but he’s too big, and you can see the brownish-red on his wings:

Some more water lily flowers:

Other neat flowers I saw:

A bee getting some pollen:

one last hummingbird:

[birdblues]

Heart-spotted Woodpecker

[haveyouseenthisbirdpoll]

List of Birds organized by Order + locations:

Accipitriformes:

Bearded vulture

California condor

Cooper's hawk

Osprey

Red-shouldered hawk

Steller's sea eagle

Anseriformes:

Bar-headed goose

Barnacle goose

Black swan

Common merganser

Red-breasted goose

Snow goose

Trumpeter swan

Apodiformes:

Common swift

Ruby-throated hummingbird

Bucerotiformes:

Eurasian hoopoe

Cariamiformes:

Red-legged seriema

Casuariiformes:

Emu

Southern cassowary

Cathartiformes:

Black vulture

Turkey vulture

Charadriiformes:

American oystercatcher

Atlantic puffin

Black-headed gull

Black skimmer

Black-tailed godwit

European herring gull

Killdeer

Northern lapwing

Ruddy turnstone

Western sandpiper

Ciconiiformes:

White stork

Columbiformes:

Common wood pigeon

Eurasian collared dove

Luzon bleeding-heart

Nicobar pigeon

Stock dove

Victoria crowned pigeon

Coraciiformes:

Blue-capped kingfisher

Common kingfisher

Cuculiformes:

Asian koel

Greater roadrunner

Yellow-billed cuckoo

Eurypygiformes:

Kagu

Falconiformes:

American kestrel

Common kestrel

Galliformes:

Indian peafowl

Palawan peacock-pheasant

Plain chachalaca

Scaled quail

Western capercaillie

Gaviiformes:

Common loon

Gruiformes:

American coot

Australasian swamphen/pūkeko

Blue crane

Common moorhen

Sandhill crane

Sora

Whooping crane

Passeriformes:

American bushtit

American robin

Australian raven

Baltimore oriole

Barn swallow

Black-billed magpie

Black-capped chickadee

Black-headed grosbeak

Black-throated sparrow

Blue-headed vireo

Blue jay

Bluethroat

Brown thrasher

California scrub jay

California towhee

Canada warbler

Canyon wren

Cave swallow

Cedar waxwing

Chestnut-backed chickadee

Common blackbird

Common chlorospingus

Common raven

Eastern wood pewee

Eurasian blue tit

Eurasian bullfinch

Eurasian golden oriole

Eurasian jay

Eurasian magpie

European robin

Goldcrest

Great-tailed grackle

Great tit

Hooded crow

House sparrow

Indigo bunting

Kirtland's warbler

LeConte's sparrow

Long-tailed tit

Mexican jay

Painted bunting

Phainopepla

Pine siskin

Pin-tailed whydah

Pinyon jay

Pygmy nuthatch

Red winged blackbird

Rook

Saltmarsh sparrow

Satin bowerbird

Spotted towhee

Steller's jay

Tufted titmouse

Wallcreeper

Warbling vireo

Western tanager

White-breasted nuthatch

White-throated dipper

White-throated magpie-jay

Yellow-rumped warbler

Pelecaniformes:

Black-crowned night heron

Brown pelican

Great blue heron

Great egret

Great white pelican

Least bittern

Roseate spoonbill

Shoebill stork

Snowy egret

Phoenicopteriformes:

American flamingo

Chilean flamingo

Piciformes:

Acorn woodpecker

Clark's nutcracker

Great spotted woodpecker

Lesser spotted woodpecker

Lewis's woodpecker

Northern flicker

Pileated woodpecker

Red-bellied woodpecker

Red-headed woodpecker

Podargiformes:

Tawny frogmouth

Podicipediformes:

Pied-billed grebe

Procellariiformes:

Wilson's storm-petrel

Psittaciformes:

Australian king parrot

Chestnut-fronted macaw

Citron-crested cockatoo

Cockatiel

Galah

Gang-gang cockatoo

Pacific parrotlet

Red-masked parakeet

Rose-ringed parakeet

Sulphur-crested cockatoo

Strigiformes:

Barn owl

Barred owl

Eurasian eagle-owl

Suliformes:

Anhinga

Blue-footed booby

Double-crested cormorant

Trogoniformes:

Elegant trogon

Locations:

Africa

America

Antarctica

Asia

Australia

Eurasia

Europe

Oceania

[herpsandbirds]

Heart-spotted Woodpecker (Hemicircus canente), female, family Picidae, order Piciformes, found in India and SE Asia

photograph by John Joseph

[nancypullen]

It Is What It Is & It Is Not Great

Anyone else just existing right now? We have a grace period of about two months, and the incoming regime is making preparations to be every bit as horrible as we'd expect. Possibly worse. Right now I feel like doing one of two things: 1. Sell the house and car and keep only treasured items in storage. Buy a ticket to Amsterdam and spend the next four years wearing out our visas country by country. I think most European countries allow you to stay 3 months (90 days) without a visa, so really, we could even hop country to country without having to worry about that. or 2. Buy some land, just a few acres, build a little house and start growing and raising enough food for our family. This appeals to me. Although I know i could grow and can food, the "raising" part would have to just be chickens for the eggs because I can't kill and eat an animal that I've named and loved. So that's basically all of them. I'm willing to become Ma Ingalls and churn butter and make cheese. I'll isolate myself out on the prairie while the world goes mad. Pretty sure that the mister would choose option 1. I'm trying to keep myself busy. I'm preparing for Christmas like a mad woman. It was raining boxes here on Sunday so I wrapped gifts and tied bows while listening to a murder podcast (I mean, it was a holiday murder). Matt will be home for Thanksgiving, but the Edgewater gang will be in Tennessee, so ours will be a small holiday. I've ordered a pie from Craft Bakery (yum!) and we'll probably go into D.C. to the Christmas Market and spend an evening there. That'll be fun. Fall colors are fading here, but it's still pretty. I sat in my porch spot today and listened to birds sing in this tree.

Squirrels are rushing around, getting ready for winter. I read somewhere that they forget 75% of the nuts they bury. Same, squirrel, same. How many things have I put in a "safe place" only to never see them again?

While I was in Florida I checked the ring doorbell after a package delivery and noticed that twoo of my little porch pumpkins were out on the sidewalk. There hadn't been a storm or even a windy day that might have caused them to roll off the porch steps. I checked back later and saw this guy rolling one away.

Okay, that's a terribly blurry screenshot, but it's a squirrel making off with one of my pumpkins. When I got home from my trip I spotted this.

So I scooped up all of the pumpkins and put them in the back yard for a royal feast.

They've been having a ball with them. At any given time I can peek out a window and see six or eight fluffy tails poking up around the pumpkins. I hope their tummies are full. Molly is loving watching the action from her bedroom perch.

In an attempt to enjoy the last bit of autumn color we went ove rto Adkins Arboretum one afternoon for a hike. The weather was perfect, and I just love the quiet. Bird songs, woodpeckers at work, crunchy leaves, fresh air - just what I needed.

Time in a forest is time well spent. That was followed by a weekend visit with our grandgirl who leaves laughter and fairy dust in her wake. We talked about Christmas, played unicorn school (long story) and raked leaves in pajamas (another long story).

I finally took down my Harris/Walz sign, with a heavy heart, but I did replace it.

So that's what I'm doing on this end, searching for scraps of joy and hanging onto them for dear life. The colors of autumn, a giggling grandgirl, holidays with people I love - it gives me glimmers of hope. There is always something to care about, to smile about, even if it's just a beautiful moon or a happy wren singing. All those little moments add up. Savor them. Sending out so much love tonight. Help yourself to what you need and pass it on. That's how we'll get through this, by holding each other up. Take care of yourselves, my dears. Stay safe, stay well. XOXO, Nancy

[crossed-paws]

Crossed Paws, Book 1: Rising

The Characters of Crossed Paws

WOODCLAN

Territory: a small, overgrown area of a large coniferous forest

Prey: Cuckoos, woodpeckers, goldcrests, kingfishers, firecrests, greenfinches, green lizards, dormice, red squirrels

Dangers: Goshawks, ospreys, buzzards, red kites, long-eared owls, tawny owls, adders, badgers, bats, stoats, pine martens, foxes

Camp location: hidden in a ditch in a large, particularly overgrown forest grove

Current High Saint and Herald: Tumblestar and Brightfoot

Formerly known as the Clan of Rustling Trees, WoodClan was once celebrated for its warm hospitality and deep sense of pride. In their early days, they were renowned for their openness, forging strong bonds both within their ranks and with neighboring Clans. Their territory, characterized by the soft whispers of ancient trees, symbolized peace and shared history, where stories of ancestors were told with reverence, and newcomers were welcomed with genuine warmth. However, a series of betrayals, territorial disputes, and devastating losses gradually eroded this open-hearted nature, leaving deep scars on the Clan’s collective psyche.

Now known as WoodClan, they have become markedly more isolated, shunning the close connections they once valued in favor of self-reliance. Their pride has shifted inward, focusing on survival rather than alliances. This change in mentality has led to a state of hypervigilance, with constant suspicion of outsiders and a heightened alertness that permeates every aspect of their lives. The once vibrant spirit of the Clan has dimmed under the weight of caution, yet their isolation has fostered fierce independence, honing their skills to a razor’s edge. Despite the challenges, the memory of the Clan of Rustling Trees lingers, a reminder of what they once were and perhaps what they might strive to reclaim.

THE CATS OF WOODCLAN

HIGH SAINT

Tumblestar — short-haired red mackerel "pseudo-tabby" she-cat with hazel eyes

HERALD

Brightfoot — short-haired black mackerel tabby tom with yellow eyes

SHAMAN

Rowanpath — long-haired black mackerel tabby she-cat with yellow eyes

SCHOLAR

Darkthroat — long-haired blue mackerel tabby tom with green eyes

HEALERS

Dreamdust — long-haired apricot mackerel tabby tom with hazel eyes, herbalist branch

Cocoawatcher — long-haired black she-cat with hazel eyes, herbalist branch

WARRIORS

Blitzspark — short-haired red mackerel "pseudo-tabby" tom with yellow eyes, fighter branch

Flyface — long-haired apricot mackerel tabby she-cat with copper eyes, hunter branch

Crystaltalon — long-haired red she-cat with hazel eyes, fighter branch

Bellberry — short-haired red classic tabby she-cat with yellow eyes, mentor branch

Deerhollow — short-haired mostly white, black and red ticked calico she-cat with gold eyes, sentinel branch

Ravenrun — short-haired black and red classic tortoiseshell she-cat with amber eyes, mentor branch

APPRENTICES

Trainee Nest — short-haired black spotted tabby she-cat with green eyes

Trainee Topple — curly-haired red classic tabby tom with yellow eyes

BLESSEDS

Fishecho — long-haired cream spotted tabby she-cat with yellow eyes

Gillfreeze — long-haired blue and cream mackerel tortoiseshell she-cat with gold eyes

Vineeye — short-haired white she-cat with a black and red mackerel calico tail and ears, and copper eyes

SACREDS

Sacred Hail — curly-haired black she-cat with yellow eyes

ELDERS

Oatpelt — short-haired black and red mackerel tabby she-cat with green eyes

Parchcrest — short-haired black tom with gold eyes

WOODCLAN FAMILY TREES

[poll-ventures]

Perdition 1.4

< >

I hung up. I stared at the phone in my hand, its screen showing an old rotary telephone slamming into its receiver.

Numbly, I watched it repeat several times before it faded away into the black of the dead screen. Why had I done that?

What am I doing?

I broke into a sprint down the road, running as fast as I could to the woods. 

*****

The woods of Old Hill were untouched. Serene, tranquil, and still easing itself awake from the dusty silence of early morning. I tore through the trees at a sprint, thin vines and branches tearing at my coat as I sped over the cold packed dirt and gnarled forest roots. 

I was following a creek, and I was relatively sure it was the same one that Noel meant. I’d seen the maps of the land in the museums, but those had never held much truth when it came to small details like a small creek in the heavy western woods. Noel's parent's mansion had been built only a few decades ago, so I was guessing at a ghost.

I slowed as I approached a large fallen basswood tree, leaning on it as I caught my breath. I really wasn’t made for running, and my lungs screamed with the icy air pulling and pushing out of them. As I sat on the cool bark, I faced the way I’d come, and recognized it.

I’d been here before, with Noel, when she needed a break from her homework, or life in general. This was near the right spot.

“Noel!” I shouted, turning around on the tree to search for her. The quiet, yet alive chatter of the woods slowed as my voice rung out, then returned as it died.

A woodpecker stabbed a rhythm into a far away tree, and the forest all together went on uncaring. I swore under my breath, and moved my legs to straddle the cold dead tree like a horse.

The felled basswood spanned the creek, and I stared down its length as I caught my breath. Moving my gloved hand down the trunk, I found my glove was sticking to something.

It was a carved heart. The injured wood was green and fresh, sap building up and out at the edges of the cut.

The letters in the heart read N + J, then a date. 2-3-23. Very fresh. I stared at the ‘N’, brushing the older sap aside with my thick gloved digits.

Natalie.

The name still burned painfully in my heart, incorrect and shameful in the memories it wrought. One word from a well meaning stranger, one reminder of the date of the accident, that’s all it took. 

February 15th, 2020. The night was alive in my mind again, without my asking. I turned my head up, to face the woods. 

The woods, as many dark and cold nights on the road had taught me, could be very dangerous. Refusing to drive or even be driven after the accident, I had backpacked my way down from New York.

I’d thought the trip would be quick; Google Maps said ten days, and I thought I'd be in Old Hill in nine, maybe eight days, easy.

After the money for inns and motels had run out, I had realized that walking worked on the same kind of time that hospitals and classes right before lunch did: Slow time. 

Time that stretches on until you're sunburnt and dehydrated, until you want to turn back, but that would make things even worse, and everyone back home doesn’t want you there anyway, so just keep on heading down I-81 counting the mile markers. 

Slow time traps you in this until your eyes roll into the back of your skull, and you’re willing to sleep on a pile of rusty nails because at least they don’t fucking honk at you for having the gall to walk on the shoulder instead of in the gluttonous mud trench that sucks your falling-apart-shoes down its shit-coated-throat.

So, after a long day of trudging, the sun would go down, sometimes obligingly slow, sometimes slipping right out of slow time and into blink-and-you’ll-miss-it time, diving below the horizon and leaving you soaking wet, struggling with two damp sticks to make a fire.

This, however, was preferable to the perils of the interstate’s shoulder and its many bored, cloying cops and just-like-me vagrants.

If I had to choose, though, it’d be the vagrants. I’d shared a few kind fires with a number of them, sometimes learning their names and their stories, sometimes sitting in uneasy silence until we wandered off to sleep in private.

As the weeks wore on, I had been moving into a cold front, and not sleeping in front of the fire had become impossible. 

More often than not, I’d made camp in a thin layer of trees that lined a highway-side property. Sometimes you’d need to hop a fence, which started out hard, but by the second week was routine.

This was technically and legally trespassing, but a camo sleeping bag and a good spot usually got you through the night without disturbance. Usually.

More than once, I’d been woken by something rummaging through my belongings, sometimes even the coat I’d been sleeping in. Sometimes it’d be curious and annoyed animals, but most times it had been people. The cops had always been the worst. 

“What you’re doing is illegal,” they’d say, then look at me confused and finish either with “Sir,” or, more often, “Ma’am.” Always with disapproval in their voice and always using more force than needed.

Sometimes they’d let me move on, or I’d get a ride to their office, where they called my father, confirmed he knew where I was, then bewilderedly let me go, usually with a stern warning. 

Most cops, when they understood, had offered food and drink for my trip. Some had even offered rides, which I graciously denied. Some offered neither, and just let me go.

One, the worst, had left me locked up in the little town’s singular cell for three days and three nights. It was just outside of West Virginia, right after I’d crossed the Kentucky border. 

Jessup, as the nothing little two-road town was called, apparently had trouble keeping folk around. Or so I was told by Jessup’s top boozer, who said his name was Jesse. He’d already been in the cell when I was thrown in.

The officer who’d found me on the side of the road, a mean mugging ugly woman, had given Jesse her meanest mug as she walked away with a clipboard securely tucked beneath one arm.

Jesse of Jessup played harmonica, and drank like a fish. In the morning he was always set free, but at night, he was brought to the cell, what he lovingly and drunkenly called ‘Jesse’s Little Corner of Jessup’. 

On my last night in his town, he’d snuck in a small bottle of Fireball, a deck of cards, and his dirty harmonica, still wet from its play in the bar. After the mean-mugger had left for the night, Jesse showed me how to play Hearts, Bullshit, Garbage, and the 'ca.

He was good, and I told him as much. In his jovial way, he corrected me: “I’m not good,” I remembered him slurring, “I’m mean. ‘Jesse,’ you should say. ‘You play a meaaaaan har-moan-i-cah,’ you should be saying.”

So I did, and he cheered. We shared no campfire, but did huddle and did dance around the rattling radiator, him blowing sharply into the ‘cah and me stomping my boots and clapping my hands.

He’d thanked me for my company, and kissed me gently on the cheek. He’d reeked of alcohol and worse, but I thanked him for his good humor, and let him sleep. 

After the mean-mugger had exhausted all of her attempts to find me guilty of various crimes, she’d let me go. She had demanded I shower first, staring me down with a disappointed grandmotherly glare. So, thanks to her, I walked out of Jessup and up the highway on-ramp cleaner than I’d been in weeks.

The memory of the mean-faced officer set a worry ablaze in my stomach as I stared down the creek. Again, the stab of the woodpecker cut through the wood’s idle chatter. Why was I out here?

Why in the world had I ignored direct orders from an officer of the law, when they knew my name and phone number? It gnawed at me. I’d never done anything like this.

I finally crossed the log, and stepped off of it onto the other side of the creek. “Noel!” I shouted out again, this time more of a bark. A quick check of the woods revealed nothing but the quiet apathy that suffused the trees. Wasting my time, when she could be in danger. What the fuck am I do-

“Hands up,” a thin, scared voice said from behind me. I recognized the slight southern accent.

“Noel,” I said, half turning my head. “I-”

“I said hands up!” She was shouting now, and I turned to face her with my hands up.

Noel, almost thirteen and dressed in stained Hello Kitty pijamas, held a rifle aimed at my chest. The lever action rifle was almost comically large in her arms, and I laughed nervously, falling, then stepping backwards as she approached me slowly, gun held level against her shoulder. She was trying not to cry.

“Where is my father,” she asked in a broken voice, screwing up her face in a grimace.

“I-I don’t know, Noel, what are you doing? I came here to help you,” I blurted out, still holding my hands in the air carefully. “Please, put the gun down.”

She shook her head. “Answer me,” she said, waving it in the air. She stood on the basswood I had crossed the creek on, and faced me, searching my face for a clue.

“I don’t know,” I repeated, feeling the cold press of a tree against my back. The creek babbled quietly next to us, and I stared at her. We both stood, unmoving.

Carefully, she stared at me, then raised the gun to point at my head. “Stop fucking lying!” she barked at me. I flinched, closing my eyes.

“I’m not! The cops said you were missing, nothing about your dad! I don’t know what the hell is going on, I just want you to stop pointing that thing at me,” I said, breathing heavily. 

“Bullshit,” she spat, the curse sounding foreign in her light voice. “Don’t move,” she said, and braced the rifle against her with one arm as she dug in her pocket for something. Then she threw it at me, and adjusted her grip on the gun. 

Her phone landed next to me in the leaves, the screen lighting up to show a picture of Noel and her mother, smiling happily in a selfie. I looked up at her, facing the glare of the rifle’s blackened metal barrel. She stared at me, raw anger in her eyes.

“You know the passcode,” she growled. “Open it. Watch the video.” I blinked, then nodded, crouching slowly and taking my right hand down to put in the numbers. 9-2-1-2. Her birthday.

The phone opened, showing a paused recording of a computer monitor. The woodpecker stabbed his staccato into a nearby tree. I tapped on the screen, then pressed play.

The video was a recording of the security system in the house I’d lived in until yesterday, portrayed in black and white. It was a view from the top of the grand staircase, watching the front door and most of the upstairs balcony, and the time in the bottom left corner read 2:03 A.M..

Noel, holding the camera in the video, was quietly and carefully breathing, the view slowly moving with her breath. The time in security footage flipped to 2:04 A.M.. The real Noel’s breathing suddenly broke out in a gentle shaking wheeze, I wasn’t sure if she was sobbing, or laughing. “Keep watching,” she choked, seeing I was looking up at her.

Car headlights streamed through the front door’s windows, casting shadows on the wall of the balcony floor. The balustrade’s shadows fled quickly across the wall, then slowly melted away as the headlights died. A moment passed, and then the door opened. Noel’s father walked in. 

Kyle Montgomery was a tall man, ambiguously young but mature and well kept. Grey was seeping in at the top of his scalp, peppering his blond, jaw length hair. Carefully hanging his keys on a hook near the door, he stared at himself in the full length mirror next to the door, straightening out his thin mustache and checking his jawline. 

He mussed up his hair, then turned his head back and forth to check if it was correctly incorrect. Nodding in approval, he shrugged off his heavy business coat, and let it drop to the floor as he walked up the stairs. He shed his suit and loosened his tie, leaving him with just a tailored pinstripe button up tucked into perfect black slacks. 

As he rose to the top of the stairs, he stopped and carefully undid the highest button of his shirt, the tie hanging loosely about his chest like an ascot. 

Then, he paused, staring down at the mess of his coat on the ground, the stairs, then the hall the opposite way, where his wife and child were asleep. He looked small in the video, and suddenly very tired. Still facing his bedroom, he raised his hand gently to his mouth, and bit down softly on it. 

He turned to face my bedroom, biting down on his own flesh hard enough to draw a bead of blood. He walked to my door, then knocked on it, drawing his wounded hand to his side, near his hip. He looked as if he were going to draw a sword, though nothing was there, just his right hand hovering a few inches away from his left hip.

The door opened, and I was standing in the crack. I was dressed in pijamas, and looked at him confused. He said something, the recording silent. In the past, I nodded, widening the door.

My brain felt like it was dropped in a bath of ice water, pure confusion washing over me. “What the fuck?” I said aloud, watching myself open the door further, letting him step in. I walked away, disappearing into the room as he slipped through the doorway, then closed it. 

I stared at my door in the video, nauseated. “Noel,” I said, staring up at her from the floor of the forest. “I don’t remember this.” My voice was cracking, confusion and fear seeping into my words from my core.

“Bullshit,” she croaked. She readjusted the grip on the rifle. “I’ve literally seen you do it. I watched you open that door for him! I don’t know what you’re doing in there, but it’s got to be why he’s gone. Where is he?”

“Noel,” I pleaded, “That’s not me. There’s no way, I’m not lying. I wouldn’t do that to you, or your mom,” I said. “Beli-”

“I don’t believe you,” she shouted, almost sobbing now. “You’re a liar. You stole my dad, or killed him, or something, ‘cause you knew it wasn’t right. Almost every night at two A.M., since you got here. Look!” She gestured towards her phone with the rifle. 

I looked down carefully, cringing away from the gun as it came back up to point at me. Noel in the video was shaking, watching as her father left my room, five minutes after he had entered it.

He looked the same as when he’d entered, save for the blood and bite mark on his hand. They were gone. He walked calmly down the stairs, grabbed his coat, and left the house. The car’s headlights cast the familliar shadows in reverse.

The camera spun, and the mouse on the desktop shakily moved to a new folder, reading 2/13/23. Two days ago. The mouse maneuvered to the video file labeled 200, the second file in the folder, and opened it.

Almost on the dot at 2:03 A.M., Mr. Montgomery stepped into the foyer, shrugged his coat onto the floor, then climbed the stairs.

This time, he didn’t pause on the way to my door to bite his hand, stopping only to knock, clearly hover his hand over his empty hip, then enter my room. 

I hadn’t even looked up at him. I’d just let him in. 

“What the fuck,” I whispered hoarsely. 

The mouse skimmed the video to five minutes later, when Kyle exited punctually, closing the door after him carefully, then taking the stairs two at a time to leave the mansion. 

The video then clicked through random nights at two A.M., watching the same process occur many times over, sped up. 

Sometimes he bit his hand, sometimes he just knocked. Always, his hand reached for the empty space at his left hip. I watched, silently, until the video ended suddenly in the middle of a night.

Noel had been staring at me the entire time, burning with silent rage. “Just tell me.”

I took a deep breath, and sat on the cold, packed dirt. “I don’t know, Noel. That’s not me. There’s no way…” 

I wasn’t one to repress memories. My worst traumatic memories, I could remember in painful detail, burned into the fabric of my being. It could be an actor, but no, I’d been there at two A.M., almost every weeknight for a year. I could very distinctly remember my nights, they were usually taken up with studying and listening to music.

A coldly horrible idea formed in my head. He could have been drugging me to make me forget. Something in a drink, or something in food. He hadn’t been carrying anything in with him… 

But it could’ve been in his pocket. I writhed in disgust, and I drew my knees up to my chest, feeling my breath hitch inside me as I stared emptily at the phone. 

“What the fuck was he doing to me,” I said, hollow, not really there, not really meaning to. What had he done to me? Why couldn’t I remember? If he was drugging me inside of my room, how had I let him in? Would I let that man in my room if he knocked? No. Definitely no. “What the fuck,” I whispered, rocking slightly.

“Parker?” Noel asked softly.

“No,” I stated, almost to myself. “It’s a fake, a fake video or a fake set that he made to set me up. It’s just an actor, just…” Noel was staring at me, shaking her head.

“What do you mean?” She asked, lowering the rifle a little, stepping towards me.

“He was never home, he could’ve been, I don’t know, setting this up? There’s no way I’d let him into my room. I don’t even like your father as a person, let alone,” I stopped, feeling bile rise in my chest. “No. This isn’t real.” I stated firmly, and felt like I was coming back to myself, at least a little.

“No, Parker,” she said, stepping back again and raising the rifle. “I watched you do it. After I recorded this, I stayed up to watch you. He knocked, you let him in.”

“No,” I pleaded.

“Please, don’t lie,” Noel whispered.

“Stop calling me a fucking liar! I don’t remember any of this!” I was shouting now, on my knees in front of her.

"Just tell me the truth!" She cried, matching my intensity.

"I am!" I screamed I picked up the phone, throwing it back to her harder than I needed to. She staggered backward, shocked.

"Liar." Noel almost growled the word, dripping with resentment.

She bent to pick up her phone, momentarily hugging the rifle against her chest, hand still on the trigger guard. It was pointed at me. My eyes darted up to Noel's. She wasn’t looking at me.

What do you do?

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