#hind legs were still there. never saw the upper body.

[fantasticalleigh]

i have a totally normal weird human behavior habit of taking photos of dead birds i find on the day to day and it's not for any nefarious reasons i swear i just think it's morbidly interesting. and they just sit on my phone and i don't do anything with them but knowing that CM Punk does this with dead rats makes me feel a little bit better about this tbh.

[notmuchtoconceal]

Canto XXV

CIRCLE EIGHT: BOLGIA SEVEN

The Thieves

When he had finished, the thief -- to his disgrace -- raised his hands with both fists making figs, and cried: "Here, God! I throw them in your face!"

Thereat the snakes became my friends, for one coiled itself about the wretch's neck as if it were saying: "You shall not go on!"

and another tied his arms behind him again, knotting its head and tail between his loins so tight he could not move a finger in pain.

Pistoia! Pistoia! why have you not decreed to turn yourself to ashes and end your days, rather than spread the evil of your seed!

In all of Hell's corrupt and sunken halls I found no shade so arrogant toward God, not even him who fell from the Theban walls!

Without another word, he fled: and there I saw a furious Centaur race up, roaring: "Where is the insolent blasphemer? Where?"

I do not think as many serpents swarm in all the Maremma as he bore on his back from the haunch to the first sign of our human form.

Upon his shoulders, just behind his head a snorting dragon whose hot breath set fire to all it touched, lay with its wings outspread.

My Guide said: "That is Cacus. Time and again in the shadow of Mount Aventine he made a lake of blood upon the Roman plain.

He does not go with his kin by the blood-red fosse because of the cunning fraud with which he stole the cattle of Hercules. And thus it was

his thieving stopped, for Hercules found his den and gave him perhaps a hundred blows with his club, and of them he did not feel the first ten."

Meanwhile, the Centaur passed along his way, and three wraiths came. Neither my Guide nor I knew they were there until we heard them say:

"You there--who are you?" There our talk fell still and we turned to stare at them. I did not know them, but by chance it happened, as it often will,

one named another. "Where is Cianfa?" he cried; "Why has he fallen back?" I placed a finger across my lips as a signal to my Guide.

Reader, should you doubt what next I tell, it will be no wonder, for though I saw it happen, I can scarce believe it possible, even in Hell.

For suddenly, as I watched, I saw a lizard come darting forward on six great taloned feet and fasten itself to a sinner from crotch to gizzard.

Its middle feet sank in the swear and grime of the wretch's paunch, its forefeet clamped his arms, its teeth bit through both cheeks. At the same time

its hind feet fastened on the sinner's thighs: its tail thrust through his legs and closed its coil over his loins, I saw it with my own eyes!

No ivy ever grew about a tree as tightly as that monster wove itself limb by limb about the sinner's body;

they fused like hot wax, and their colors ran together until neither wretch nor monster appeared what he had been when he began:

just so, before the running edge of the heat on a burning page, a brown discoloration changes to black as the white dies from the sheet.

The other two cried out as they looked on: "Alas! Alas! Agnello, how you change! Already you are neither two nor one!"

The two heads had already blurred and blended; now two new semblances appeared and faded, one face where neither face began nor ended.

From the four upper limbs of man and beast two arms were made, then members never seen grew from the thighs and legs, belly and breast.

Their former likenesses mottled and sank to something that was both of them and neither; and so transformed, it slowly left our bank.

As lizards at high noon of a hot day dart out from hedge to hedge, from shade to shade, and flash like lightning when they cross the way,

so toward the bowels of the other two, shot a small monster; livid, furious, and black as a pepper corn. Its lunge bit through

that part of one of them from which man receives his earliest nourishment; then it fell back and lay sprawled out in front of the two thieves.

Its victim stared at it but did not speak: indeed, he stood there like a post, and yawned as if lack of sleep, or a fever, had left him weak.

The reptile stared at him, he at the reptile; from the wound of one and from the other's mouth two smokes poured out and mingled, dark and vile.

Now let Lucan be still with his history of poor Sabellus and Nassidius, and wait to hear what next appeared to me.

Of Cadmus and Arethusa be Ovid silent. I have no need to envy him those verses where he makes one a fountain, and one a serpent:

for he never transformed two beings face to face in such a way that both their natures yielded their elements each to each, as in this case.

Responding sympathetically to each other, the reptile cleft his tail into a fork, and the wounded sinner drew his feet together.

The sinner's legs and thighs began to join: they grew together so, that soon no trace of juncture could be seen from toe to loin.

Point by point the reptile's cloven tail grew to the form of what the sinner lost; one skin began to soften to scale.

The armpits swallowed the arms, and the short shank of the reptile's forefeet simultaneously lengthened by as much as the man's arm shrank.

Its hind feet twisted round themselves and grew the member man conceals; meanwhile the wretch from his one member generated two.

The smoke swelled up about them all the while: it tanned one skin and bleached the other; it stripped the hair from the man and grew it on the reptile.

While one fell to his belly, the other rose without once shifting the locked evil eyes below which they changed snouts as they changed pose.

The face of the standing one drew up and in toward the temples, and from the excess matter that gathered there, ears grew from the smooth skin;

while of the matter left below the eyes the escess became a nose, at the same time forming the lips to an appropriate size.

Here the face of the prostrate felon slips, sharpens into a snout, and withdraws its ears as a snile pulls in its horns. Between its lips

the tongue, once formed for speech, thrusts out a fork; the forked rongue of the other heals and draws into his mouth. The smoke has done its work.

The soul that had become a beast went flitting and hissing over the stones, and after it the other walked along talking and spitting.

Then turning his new shoulders, said to the one that still remained: "It is Buoso's turn to go crawling along this road as I have done."

Thus did the ballast of the seventh hold shift and reshift; and may the strangeness of it excuse my pen if the tale is strangely told.

And though all this confused me, they did not flee so cunningly but what I was aware That it was Puccio Sciancato alone of the three

that first appeared, who kept his old form still. The other was he for whom you weep, Gaville.

Translated by John Ciardi

[ragingbookdragon]

Panthera Felidae et Celeritas

Barry Allen x Meta!Reader One-Shot

Word Count: 2K Warnings: Explicit Language

Author's Note: Gonna make a second part...sometime...later...Enjoy! -Thorne

**********************************************************************

The meta-human was fast. And while he wasn’t as fast as Barry, he’d managed to snap the speedster’s femur with a well-placed kick. Barry went down, holding his leg whilst he grit his teeth and shoved his bone back into place so it’d heal; Hal landed beside him, ready to pick up the slack and protect his best friend.

Striding towards them, the meta had a sick grin on his face as he ribbed, “I’m going to use your spine as a toothpick, Lantern.”

“I’d like to see you try,” Hal shot back, baring his teeth as he raised his arm, ready to form a construct when a hulking figure of orange, black, and white fur darted from around the corner of a building, sprinting right up to the meta.

It reared onto its hind legs, one big front paw swiping down harshly at the meta, connecting to the middle of its back, and both Hal and Barry watched the man’s eyes widen in first a look of shock, the next of pain as a sickening crack sent the meta to the ground, upper body spazzing as their lower body stilled.

“I can’t feel my back!” he screamed in agony and the beast bent down, its face next to the man’s and opened its mouth, snarling fiercely, flashing long, razor sharp canines. The meta whimpered, squeezing his eyes shut and the beast took one last look at him before turning its golden eyes onto Barry and Hal.

They stared back with equal mixtures of fear, but the beast chuffed and turned tail, bounding away as quickly as it had come.

“What the fuck just happened?” Hal asked.

Barry shook his head, blue eyes wide as he said, “I have no idea…but I think there’s a tiger loose in Central City.”

***

There were big cat sightings all over Central City—cheetahs, cougars, jaguars, leopards, snow leopards, ligers, lions, tigers; someone even said they saw a saber tooth tiger, which Barry highly doubted, but sure enough when he’d gotten to the scene and tested the DNA, it linked to a few scientific discoveries and genomes closely relating to the extinct beast.

He’d half a mind to bring the League in on the discoveries, but the animals weren’t killing people, and he was still reeling on how to explain to his team that there were animals running around that weren’t even native to the US, nor having populations in the state. Oddly enough though, the animals were never seen in the same place at the same time. Each sighting was on a different night with a different big cat, telling Barry that this had to be some type of trainer releasing the cats on particular times.

He spent almost an hour, well a human hour, not a speedster hour, triangulating territory across Central City before he finally found a common location inside the sightings—an old amusement park that had been shut down a few years before, waiting on renovations when someone would finally buy it.

So, what did Barry do? What Barry did best—he went alone to see which kitty cat he could find first.

***

The entire park was eerie, dark and creaking, rusted metal and cracked plastic everywhere. It almost made him think of those post-apocalyptic video games. Still though, he quelled his fears, though they boiled in his stomach, and hopped over the barriers, quietly walking the silent park.

Every noise had the hair on the back of his neck rising, turning in circles to look behind him at whatever it was, and at one point, he briefly considered calling for Superman—nothing gave you nerves of steel like the Man of Steel.

Shaking his head, he reaffirmed his own abilities. He could do this. He was fast enough to escape danger, he just had to sense it coming.

The sound of nails on metal echoed in Barry’s ears and he shivered, peeking around the corner of an abandoned booth to see a sleek black jaguar scratching at a metal door until it shoved open, and it slipped inside.

His brows furrowed and he looked around before quickly following it, slipping inside the doorway. It led down a further hall and into a tunnel, and with the large metal pistons and wheels in the walls, he assumed it was the underneath of an out of order roller coaster.

Glancing down, he saw paw prints in the dusty ground that obviously hadn’t been disturbed in a couple decades. Barry frowned and continued down the hallway, coming around a corner.

The second he turned it, he ran smack dab into something, and he gasped, immediately shoving out. Whatever had run into him went to the ground with a pained grunt and he blinked in the darkness, looking down, surprise bleeding through him as a woman’s face cleared in the darkness.

Barry had so many thoughts running through his head, but their safety overrode it and he bent down, hauling her up as he whispered harshly, “Never mind what you’re doing here, we have to leave now.”

“What?” she hissed back, letting him tug her down the hallway. “Who are you!”

“My name is Barry. I work at CCPD.” He glanced back at her, well, over her shoulder. “There’s a big cat somewhere down here and we need to get away. If my calculations are right, there are more around.”

“Wait, you know?” she questioned, feet skidding to a halt and Barry looked back at her.

“What do you mean? That the big cats are hiding around here?” she nodded, and he tipped his head. “Yeah. I figured it out with the police scans and public sightings.”

Her jaw started to go slack, and he tugged her again. “C’mon, we have to get out of here before that panther comes back.”

“It’s a jaguar.”

He stopped. “What?”

She pulled her wrist out of his grip. “It’s a black jaguar not a panther.”

Barry cocked a brow. “How do you know?”

“I…” she seemed hesitant, diverting her gaze. “I can’t tell you right now.” She hurried past him. “But you don’t have to worry. There are no cats here.”

“But my calculations—”

“Are wrong, Blake. There are no cats here.”

“It’s Barry,” he retorted. “Barry.”

“Whatever your name is,” she scowled, pushing the door open so they could both get out.

As they did, he pulled out his phone and shone the flashlight upwards so he could see her features. “Who are you?”

She blinked. “It’s not important.”

“It is. If you know about the big cats roaming the city and hurting people, then I need to know.”

Her face pinched. “They’re not hurting people. They’re helping.”

Barry recalled the meta-human incident—the meta’s spine had been broken in one swipe of that tiger’s paw. “Breaking spines and other important body parts isn’t helping people.”

“It’s not like I’m eating the criminals!” she shouted, then slapped her hands over her mouth, eyes wide and Barry gaped at her.

“What did you just say?”

She shook her head. “Nothing! I didn’t say anything!”

“No, you said something alright. It sounded like you said you weren’t eating the criminals.” He leaned closer. “Who are you and what do you know about the cats?”

For a moment, she merely gazed at him, then she let out a heavy sigh, shoulders drooping as she resigned herself. “Alright…I’ll talk.” She exhaled. “My name is (Y/N) (L/N). I’m a part-timer at the STAR Labs research facility. A few months ago…I was helping one of the scientists identify a common DNA strand found in the Panthera family and how it would react if spliced together in a new animal when—”

She trailed off, unsure of herself and Barry encouraged, “When?”

(Y/N) sighed again. “I don’t know. There was a mistake with the experiment. Some kind of electromagnetic shock that caused an entire building outage.”

“What else?” he questioned, and she shrugged.

“When we went inside after the power was back on, the test subject was deceased. Doctor Lesia asked me to clean up and I did, but I must’ve gotten contaminated somehow. Maybe through an open wound? I don’t know.”

She inhaled, meeting Barry’s blue eyes. “The DNA sequencing experiment didn’t fail though.”

“Why do you say that?” he asked curiously and she looked towards the door.

“Give me a moment.” As she walked back inside, she quickly stuck her head out and said, “Don’t be alarmed and don’t run, okay?”

He was wary of that and after a few moments, he heard scratching at the door and the door handle bent down, then the door pulled open, and the black jaguar bounded out.

Barry was quick to step back with a sharp, “Shit!” but the cat didn’t do anything, it merely sat down and looked at him; he took a closer look, eyes widening and he breathed, “Oh my God…it resequenced your DNA.”

She nodded, making a low growling noise, then disappeared back inside, only to reappear herself once more. “I’ve been able to transform into any cat whose DNA sequence belongs to the Panthera family.” (Y/N) shook her head. “I have to transform at least once a day, or it’ll happen without my control, and I can’t risk it happening at my job or out in public. So, I come here and transform, then run around Central City.”

“And fight crime,” he surmised, and she tipped her head side to side.

“It didn’t start out like that, honest. I realized I had all this energy pent up and running and scouring seemed to get it out.” (Y/N) blinked. “The first time I ever fought ‘crime’ was when I stopped a meta human from attacking Flash and Green Lantern.”

Barry stared at her. “You broke the meta-human’s spine.”

She winced. “I…didn’t realize I’d hit him with that much strength…but it was that or risk him hurting another hero and I didn’t want that to happen.” (Y/N) looked at him. “Please…please don’t tell anybody you know this. I’ll stop, just please don’t tell anyone. If you do, who knows what government science squad will come after me and kidnap me.”

Her face was the picture of pure terror and she reached out, grabbing Barry’s jacket, tears welling in her eyes as she begged again, “Please Barry, don’t tell anyone.”

Barry took her hands, squeezing them gently. “I won’t. I promise.”

She blinked tearfully and asked, “You won’t?”

“No, I won’t tell.” He smiled at her and fiddled with the ring on his hand, showing her the lightning symbol on it. “Not after I owe you for saving me and Green Lantern.”

(Y/N) eyes widened, and she gaped at the ring, then at his face. “You—you’re him…the Flash.”

He nodded. “Yeah.” Barry sighed, looking around, seeing the moon high in the sky. “Look, it’s late right now. Why don’t we both go home for the night and meet up sometime later?”

“To do what?” she questioned, and he met her eyes.

“Well, I doubt we’ll be able to undo the resequencing of your DNA. There’s no telling how damaging it could be to you if we try.” He thought for a moment, then decided, “So how about this, we meet up, and we’ll see about training you.”

(Y/N)’s face pinched. “But I’m not a speedster?”

“True, but technically you’re like me. You’re a meta-human now.” Barry smiled, wide and toothy. “And if there’s one thing I know how to do—it’s help meta-humans control their powers.”

She searched his gaze for a few moments, then she nodded. “Alright…that seems like a fair plan.” (Y/N) held out her hand and Barry took it, shaking it firmly. “Glad to be apart of the team, Flash.”

“Glad to have you, er…” his brows furrowed. “Do you have a name yet?”

(Y/N) pursed her lips in thought, then her face lit up and she replied, “Panthera.” Barry snorted and she flushed. “I know…I’m a nerd.”

He shook his head. “So am I.”

[ikeromantic]

Superstition

Written for @alerialumina as part of my 500 follower celebration

Mitsuhide, Magic, Something Blue, and Surprise Me!

Approx 3500 words because I don't know how to do short sometimes

Mitsuhide did not put much faith in superstition. Neither gods nor demons nor spirits. He did appreciate the weight others put in those beliefs though. It allowed him to appear more powerful, more mysterious, than he was. So he handled inquests like these with utmost care.

Several women were missing from this farming village, and all he had to go on was a flash of blue out in the fields. He and his fiance finished interviewing the villagers earlier and that yielded no clues. None of them seemed craft enough to pull something like this off. So Mitsuhide was searching the fields with his little mouse and Kyubei was in the forest looking for any sign of people camping or passing through.

“What exactly am I looking for,” his fiance asked. She was leaned forward, staring at the trampled ground as if she might find the missing girls under an overturned rock.

Mitsuhide smiled. “Signs that someone was here - someone who isn’t normally. Anything out of place or strange or - “

“Like this?” She bent down and picked up a small stone. When she held it up, the light turned it blue like the ocean on a summer day.

He reached for her hand. His fingers disappeared for a moment in brilliant burst of blue light. It was so sudden and so bright that he couldn’t see when it was gone. Mitsuhide clamped his eyes shut against the painful radiance. “Did you see that? Are you alright, little one?”

“My lord?” Kyubei’s voice came to him from the distance. “I saw a blue -” He stopped, realizing his lord was alone. He wasn’t a man to ask the obvious.

Mitsuhide blinked away the blue spots in his vision. His eyes felt dry and hot as he rubbed at them, trying to see. The stone was gone, his little one - gone - and Kyubei was running toward him from the forest edge.

There were no footprints around, besides their own. No holes in the ground. Nothing.

When Kyubei reached his side, the vassal grabbed his shoulder for a heartbeat. As much comfort as he could give his lord - as much as Mitsuhide would accept from him. “I will organize a search party. We’ll send a message back to Azuchi requesting more men, more resources.”

“Yes, do that.” Mitsuhide knelt down, brushing his fingertips over the spot where she’d stood. His eyes worked out from that spot. There had to be something. A slight reflection caught his eye, and he reached for it. A stone. A tiny, clear stone. It felt warm in his palm. He stood and slipped in into his pocket, thoughtful.

Kyubei watched him for a moment, as if expecting some emotional reaction. When he was sure his lord would not do anything impulsive, he turned and ran toward town.

Inside, Mitsuhide was furious with himself, terrified for his beloved, and worried he would not be able to find her. But on the outside, he only smiled his thin-lipped grin. He couldn’t afford to feel any of those emotions. Not until his little mouse was back in his arms. Right now, he had to focus on what had happened. He had to find her.

The little crystal in his pocket held some answers, he felt. But what, he couldn’t begin to guess. Mitsuhide was sure that it was the source of that blue flash - though he had no evidence. Simply the lack of any other cause. It wasn’t much to go on. He could understand now why the villagers believed it was an angry spirit. Some displeased kami or wicked demon . . .

He walked slowly, lost in thought. With all the tricks he had at his disposal, this should be easy to figure out. Could it have been a gunpowder reaction? But there’d been no smell from it. And no sign after. No smoke. No flame. And that light had been blue. Bright blue.

The shadows of the trees hung over Mitsuhide the further he went, and soon his white haori was lost in the dense, green foliage. He barely noticed the leaves as they brushed his sleeves. The branches, he moved aside without thinking about it. His body moved forward while his mind worked.

The sun fell behind the tree tops and slid below the horizon. Still, Mitsuhide walked. He didn’t want to go back to the farming village until he knew how to proceed. He couldn’t bear to face Kyubei, or the reinforcements from Azuchi. But answers weren’t coming any faster in the dark. The kitsune warlord was well and truly stumped.

Weary, he finally sat under a large oak tree. He turned his face up to look at the night sky. A pattern of dark leaves and glittering gems. Mitsuhide reached for his pocket and took out the clear gem. He held it up the way his little mouse had. There was no blinding flash of blue, but the gem did begin to emit a soft, pale light.

Surprised, Mitsuhide let go.

It hung in the air above him.

Mitsuhide was not a man given to superstition. He didn’t believe in gods and demons. He didn’t put faith in magic. But he believed what he saw with his own eyes. He snatched the gem, closing his fingers around it.

Then he stood and cleared his throat. “I have your . . . magic stone, kitsune! If you want it back, you will have to make a deal with me.”

There was a rustling sound in the brush, and then a pair of glowing golden eyes. The creature slowly came closer, pushing through the branches and leaves. A small, red fox with nine brushy tails. It circled Mitsuhide, eyeing him warily.

“Are you ready to make a trade?”

The kitsune snarled, fur bristling. “Give me back my gem and I will let you live.”

Mitsuhide raised one eyebrow. “That’s not much of a deal. I think I’ll just keep it then.”

“No!” The kitsune barked and stood up on its hind legs. “It is mine and worth nothing to you. Why should you get anything of value for it?”

The warlord shrugged. “Perhaps I like the way it looks.” He gave the kitsune his best crescent moon grin. “You probably don’t have anything I want anyway.” Then he turned to walk away.

The kitsune growled and raced in front of him. Branches reached to bar his path and the gnarled roots of trees tore free of the earth to cover the path back. “I could give you wealth?”

“I have that.” Mitsuhide picked his way over the roots and pushed past the trees.

“Power?”

“Also mine. Just . . . forget it. I like this gem. And you really have nothing I’d want. You can just go back to your fleas and carrion.”

“I am . . . a god! I protect this land! The villagers ask me to bless their fields and their daughters burn prayers in my name! You can’t talk to me like that!” The kitsune grew in size and now stood eye to eye with the man.

Mitsuhide wondered if he might have overplayed his part, but he knew backing down now would be worse. “I am no farmer, you little forest-thing. Now get out of my way.”

The kitsune whined and growled, pacing ahead of Mitsuhide. Its tails lashed the air and a hum of energy followed it in the darkness. Finally it stopped and turned to face the man again. Shining white teeth and eyes like molten gold pushed close. “You are alone. I can see that much. The one thing you lack . . . is a wife. I could get one for you.”

“Could you?” Mitsuhide stopped. “I don’t think you can. You are trying to trick me.”

“No! I could get you any kind you desired. Dark haired, light haired. Soft and round or slim and flexible as a willow . . . We’ll trade! A woman for my gem.” The kitsune’s lips curled up in a hungry smile.

Mitsuhide pretended to consider this offer. “I don’t know. If you gave me a woman, she would run as soon as your magic wore off. And then I’d be alone again and without this very nice stone. Besides, I don’t know if I’d like any of them.”

The kitsune whined low in its throat. “No! No! They would stay because they want to. I don’t need magic to lure a woman, nor to get her to obey. It is because they like me!” The fur melted to a sable red kimono, as the fox changed its form to that of a human man. “What if I let you pick the one you like? And if you don’t like any of them, I could find you a new one?”

“I don’t know.” Mitsuhide tapped his chin. “What if I agree to come and look at them, to ask them questions, and all you get in exchange is my promise to consider your offer? I think that’s fair. After all, if you are telling me the truth, then we will both end up getting what we want.”

The kitsune’s eyes narrowed. He didn’t trust Mitsuhide a bit, but he believed he had the upper hand. “Alright. I’ll take you to my home. But you must promise me you’ll never share the location with anyone. If you do, your life is forfeit.”

“Agreed.” Mitsuhide knew the kitsune would not be foolish enough to show him its lair without such an arrangement. He surely wouldn’t be. Besides, he didn’t need reinforcements. This was a battle of wit, not arms.

The kitsune smiled and suddenly, the tree branches and roots withdrew to their normal positions. “Then I will agree to your offer. Once you see what I can grant you, I know you will return my gem.”

He led Mitsuhide through the forest until they reached a high cliff. The kitsune gestured for him to continue but the warlord stopped short.

“This path is not to my liking.”

“It is the fastest route,” the kitsune replied.

Mitsuhide considered. “Alright, then you go ahead and I will follow.”

The kitsune ran and leapt gracefully into the air. His feet were held aloft by his magic and he hung in the air. “Well?”

“Ah, my apologies. It appears I lack your grace. I won’t be able to take this route afterall.” Mitsuhide sighed. “I guess I will have to go back to the village alone.”

The kitsune yipped. “No! Wait! We don’t have to take this route. There is another that might be more suited to your mortal feet. I’ll show you.”

“No, that’s alright. I don’t want you to go to any trouble.” Mitsuhide waived the spirit away.

“It’s no trouble!” The kitsune hurried to walk beside the warlord, guiding him onto another path. “This route is more scenic anyway.”

Mitsuhide smiled his crescent moon smile. Clearly the fox-spirit did not understand yet that he wouldn’t be fooled by simple tricks. He let it lead him on, keeping his eyes open for the next prank.

They walked through meadows of flowers and whispering bamboo groves. Past singing brooks, and distant fire-lit villages. The kitsune finally stopped at the base of a mountain. A large stone blocked a crevasse in the rocks ahead. It was as big as a house and heavier than any one man could lift.

The fox-spirit grabbed it with his human-like hands and rolled it out of the way. He gestured for Mitsuhide to go in.

“Is this your home,” the warlord asked, peering ahead. He knew it was. The way was lit by earth-bound stars and the glow of fireflies. Tiny flowers crawled up the rock walls and in the distance, he could hear women’s voices.

“It is,” the kistune said proudly. “Go in, and I will follow.”

Mitsuhide shook his head. “I don’t think I want to. It is musty in there and the air is still and hot. I don’t like being places where I cannot feel the wind.”

The kitsune frowned. “It will only be for a moment. I am sure you will see the perfect woman for you. Then you can trade me for that gem you have . . .”

“No. I don’t think I’d be able to stand it. Being closed in, with that rock blocking the night air. No. I will return to the village. Thank you though, for the nice walk.” Mitsuhide turned to leave.

“Wait!” The kitsune growled and flung itself in front of him. “What if I leave the door open? Then you can go in and still feel the night’s wind. Will that be enough?”

The warlord considered. “I suppose it might be. But it’s too much to ask you to swear an oath to leave it open for me. Then you might not feel safe. I really should just go.”

“I swear it! Here, look, I will go in first so that you can see the door remains open.” The kitsune entered the crevasse, almost dancing with eagerness to lure Mitsuhide inside.

“I guess I will follow you then,” the warlord decided. This was, of course, exactly what he wanted.

He followed after the kitsune, noting the treasures it had stashed in shelves along the walls. Ancient weapons, rare flowers, gems, and precious metals. Paintings thought lost to time. A greedy man might have made a deal for any of it, but Mitsuhide had just one goal in mind.

At the end of the path, the crevasse opened into a valley where a large manor sat. And there, in the courtyard of the manor were all the missing girls. They were dressed in fine silks, with perfumed hair, wrists and throat adorned with precious gems. They sat on blankets amidst the flowers, sipping wine. Or on benches reading books. Some laughed together in little groups. But they all looked up as the kitsune approached.

“He’s back,” one called, and a horde of giggling girls surrounded the kitsune for a moment.

Mitsuhide ignored them, his amber eyes searching for the one face he had to see. She had to be here, she had to be ok. And there she was. Sitting alone on a bench, a book open on her lap. His little mouse.

She looked up and her eyes met his. She jumped to her feet, about to run to him, but he shook his head. It wasn’t the time yet for honesty. So his little one adjusted her spot on the bench and pretended to keep reading.

The kitsune pulled himself free of the women and gestured for Mitsuhide to join him. “For the gem, good man, you can take your pick. Surely one of these lovelies is enough for you?”

“I don’t know.” Mitsuhide tapped his chin. “They all seem very fond of you. I wouldn’t want to take them unwilling.”

The kitsune held one girl by the chin. “If I told you to go with this man and love him, would you do it?”

“For you? Anything,” she breathed. Her eyes were wide and dark and empty.

Mitsuhide knew then that these enthralled women must be under a spell. They wouldn’t simply leave if he gave them the opportunity. “That’s just your magic. I wonder what they would say if you withdrew the enchantment from them. I don’t think any of them really love you.”

This stung the kitsune’s pride. “Of course they would! I am handsome and smart. And I give them nice gifts! They all love me.”

“Mmm, just because you enthralled them. I don’t want a woman bespelled. I think I will just go home.” Mitsuhide turned to leave.

The kitsune whined and yipped and wiped at his face with his hand. “Ok, Ok! I will banish the enchantment and you will see how much they adore me!” He beckoned the women to stand around him. Even Mitsuhide’s little mouse stood and joined the circle.

“My beauties,” the kitsune said, “I will release you. You must show this sad little mortal how much you love your fox-husband.”

The girls all swore they would, of course. Then the kitsune raised his hands and there was a flash of blue light.

Mitsuhide blinked away the brilliance. The women were wandering the courtyard, confused. Some were crying, others looked lost or afraid. Only his little mouse stood with her shoulders back, waiting for a signal from him.

“Well?” The kistune gestured. “You see, they still love me.” He grabbed one and kissed her. She slapped at his arms ineffectually until he let go. “They will love you too. So choose and give me back my gem!”

“Hmmm.” Mitsuhide nodded, walking slowly around the girls. He stopped and asked a few of them where they were from, how old. These were the girls from the village, and some from even further away than that. None knew how long they’d live here with their kitsune-husband, or how they’d arrived at this place. And they all wanted to go home.

The kitsune was nearly bouncing on his toes in eagerness, so close was the return of his gemstone. “Did you find a girl you like?”

“I was just thinking. If I pick a girl, what’s to stop you from taking her away later? All these girls you took from somewhere. They are mothers and daughters and wives. I would not want to trade my pretty rock and in the end have nothing.” Mitsuhide took out the gem. It still shone with a pale light. “I may just keep it afterall.”

“What? No!” The kitsune jumped into the air, more like a beast than a man. His tails lashed in all directions. “I would never do that. I swear! Whoever you pick, I will promise not to lure them here again. You have my oath! Now give me the gem!”

“That is generous of you,” Mitsuhide conceded. “In that case, I will take your deal. I choose . . .” He gestured to the courtyard expansively. “All of these girls.” Then he tossed the kitsune the gem.

The fox-spirit caught it and realized too late that by accepting it, he took Mitsuhide’s deal. He howled in anger. His body blurred, and the human shape disappeared into a monstrous red fox. “How dare you take all my beauties from me! I will kill you and eat you!”

Mitsuhide’s little mouse didn’t wait for a clear signal to go. She grabbed the hands of the girls nearby and urged the others to follow. They all ran down the twisting canyon path through the crevasse, and out of the kitsune’s den.

The fox-spirit would have followed. Its eyes burned with a red light, angry at being deceived, but Mitsuhide distracted it.

“What a ridiculous spirit you are, promising me a fair trade and then wanting to kill me because you don’t like the terms you agreed to,” the warlord called.

The kitsune tried to step on him with one giant paw, but Mitsuhide leapt out of the way. He dropped behind him some of the caltrops ninja favored. He didn’t wait for the response. The warlord ran down the path, following the women out.

Inside the canyon, the kitsune growled and cursed in pain. It limped after them, snapping its long, sharp teeth.

“We need to block the path,” Mitsuhide called to the women.

His little mouse nodded, and rounded the women up to push on the boulder. Mitsuhide joined them.

They strained against the hard stone, feet sliding in the dirt. The kitsune came on, its growl so loud that it shook loose stones on the mountain, and made their bones shiver. Still, they struggled.

The rock shifted the smallest bit. And then a bit again.

“Come on girls! Just a little more,” the chatelaine cried.

Mitsuhide wasn’t sure they would make it afterall. He reached down to loosen his sword in its sheath. If he had to fight, he would be ready.

“I can smell your fear, foolish man,” called the kitsune. “You stopped running. I wonder what you think you can do against me?”

“Maybe I’ve already done it,” Mitsuhide shouted back. “How do you know you are going where you think you are? Or that it is me you smell . . .” He laughed.

And that was when the rock finally broke free and rolled into the crevasse, blocking the path. It wouldn’t hold the kitsune for long, but perhaps long enough.

“I beat you fair and square, fox spirit,” Mitsuhide shouted. “Let that be a lesson to you! Never mess with a kitsune-warlord’s wife! Even if you are a kitsune!”

“I can’t believe you came for me,” his little one said. She threw her arms around him and buried her face against his chest. “I thought I would never see you again.”

“Mitsuhide held her close, his heart beating hard and fast. “I thought the same, my love. But I couldn’t let you go, even if I didn’t know how or where I would find you. But now that I have you in my arms, I’m not letting you go again.”

“As if I would let you.” She laughed and cried all at once, and held onto him as tight as he held her.

Of course, there was no rest for Mitsuhide Akechi. He had a task to finish, and it was getting these women back home. So he and his little one guided the women to the nearest town, and eventually, back to their homes and families.

The kitsune never forgot about the white-haired man that took his wealth of women. And just maybe, he appeared to the warlord later. But that is another story entirely.

[melanielocke]

Lost in the Shadows - Chapter 12

AO3

Taglist: @nott-the-best @foxglove-airmid @alastair-esfandiyar-carstairs1 @justanormaldemon @styxdrawings @ipromiseiwillwrite

Alastair clutched his sharpest dagger in his hand as he followed Thomas to the ruins. He’d been carrying it with him, just in case. His cousin Jem was not fond of his dagger collection, but Alastair had found the daggers could calm him down. He liked moving twirling them in his hand, he liked the way the grip felt in his hands. He didn’t hurt himself, and even if he did he would never use his precious daggers. It was an odd interest, one Alastair had held since he was about twelve and had entered a decorative weapon’s shop with Cordelia by accident. His father had called it all rubbish, nothing compared to cortana, and while that was true, Alastair’s eye had fallen onto a beautiful, but simple and relatively affordable dagger. He’d asked his mother if he could have it for his birthday. She’d warned him, it wasn’t a toy, these were for decoration, but he did keep them for decoration, hanging them on his bedroom wall, occasionally holding them. They weren’t meant for use except under unusual circumstances like this.

He understood Jem’s concern, as a psychiatrist he must have seen many patients who struggled with self harm, but Alastair never had. With the current circumstances, he was glad to have something to defend himself with just in case. He hated not knowing what was coming though. He hated this constant fear that Thomas was right, that something was coming for him next and Alastair had no idea how to stop it.

He would never admit it to anyone but himself, but he was in love with Thomas. It felt a lot like when he’d just started his relationship with Charles, yet also different. It was wondrous feeling, falling in love. Wanting to be near him all the time when Alastair usually preferred solitude, wanting to see him happy and doing anything to make sure he was. The warm, fuzzy feeling when Thomas smiled at him. But there was a reason people called it falling in love, and Alastair had learnt by now that after the fall came the landing.

He’d do anything to keep Thomas safe. He had no idea what he’d do if he died. He didn’t think he could bear it. If anyone deserved to live, to be happy, it was Thomas. He wondered if he should tell Thomas how he felt. He knew now Thomas was gay, but if Thomas liked him, would he ask him advice for coming out to his parents? Then of course Alastair had confided in Charles, had asked him for advice all the time. He’d taken his advice to heart once, thinking Charles was so much older and wiser and knew what was best.

The ruins looked abandoned. Alastair knew there were plenty of ruins in Scotland, but he hadn’t heard of any being at walking distance. Lucie had come here often enough that she must have known about them, her grandmother lived here year round. Usually, ruins did not appear out of nowhere. He could make out the outline of what must have been a building once, an upright wall here and there.

‘This must have been a castle once,’ Alastair said. ‘Considering how big it is. Where are we?’

‘I’m guessing we’re still in the woods,’ Thomas said. ‘Perhaps it’s like in Beauty and the Beast and people are enchanted to not find it.’

Alastair couldn’t roll his eyes enough. ‘First of all, in Beauty and the Beast there was nothing keeping people from finding the castle, they just never did because they did not leave their village. Not that any of that made sense. And if people are enchanted not to find this place, why would we?’

‘I’m sure there’s a story somewhere that describes this,’ Thomas said. ‘Perhaps it can only be found under certain circumstances, on certain days or hours. Oh, there’s an inscription here.’

Alastair walked over to see where Thomas was pointing. ‘It’s in Scottish Gaelic, I imagine. I can’t read that,’ Alastair said.

‘Me neither,’ Thomas admitted. ‘But I’ll take a picture. Perhaps we can decipher at home.’

Alastair wasn’t sure it would be important but it was worth a try. Mysterious ruins no one knew were there had to hold some sort of important clue, right? Alastair remembered what they’d discussed about the possibility of people getting trapped in places by a supernatural entity. Was this what it looked like? He tried not to think about the possibility of being trapped here with no escape.

He took out his phone. No cell reception, but that didn’t surprise him. He took some pictures too, making sure to look at every part of the ruins and see if there was anything of interest. He remembered it all, of course, but being able to show people pictures was easier than dragging them all into his memory.

‘I think there’s a cellar down here,’ Thomas said, standing at a trap door.

Alastair leaned down and tried to open it, but it was stuck. He yanked as hard as he could but no effect.

‘You’re stronger than me,’ Alastair said. ‘Perhaps you should try.’

Thomas leaned down and started pulling. He really was muscular and Alastair caught himself staring at Thomas’ upper arms as he pulled. Part of him longed to touch those arms, those shoulders.

‘Did you start working out?’ Alastair asked.

Thomas looked up. ‘Yes, why?’

‘I’ve been trying to understand how you’re suddenly so muscular.’

‘Some muscle came with my growth spurt,’ Thomas admitted. ‘But I started working out with James too. I found it enjoyable. Do you?’

‘Not lately. I used to train with wooden swords with Cordelia, and I do try to keep active, but I’ve never really gone to the gym. Although I guess it would be entertaining to watch attractive men work out.’

‘You like muscular men, then?’ Thomas asked.

Alastair wondered what he could answer without giving too much away. ‘I’m not necessarily into body builders or the like, but I do appreciate some muscle. It’s not the main thing I look for in a partner, it’s not all about appearance.’

‘So, what do you look for?’ Thomas asked.

‘I like being able to spend time with someone, have fun with him,’ Alastair said. ‘My ex never took me anywhere, it was mostly making out in his apartment and for him it was very much about sex and about fulfilling his needs. But I would like someone who’s not ashamed of me and takes me places. Like going to a museum, or have dinner somewhere. I guess going to a museum is not a very typical date, but I would really like that.’

‘Really? I’ve always loved art and history museums,’ Thomas said.

Alastair guessed perhaps someday he could ask Thomas to go to a museum with him. It made him love Thomas even more, knowing he didn’t think it was weird Alastair wanted to go a museum, knowing he would like that as well. Charles had always thought he was weird, in a way that said “I like you, but other people won’t”. Or perhaps it was more like "I tolerate you but only as long as you can satisfy me."

‘Not everything has to be outside though,’ Alastair continued. ‘I dislike crowds. I would also like to be at home with someone, and just do nice things, cuddle on the couch, watch a movie, play a game.’

He’d missed that with Charles. The best he’d gotten was watching a movie together at his place, but even then Charles had been impatient to finish and start having sex. Charles had never taken him anywhere in public, claiming it was for his sake because what if someone he knew would see them together? But Alastair didn’t want to hide, and he didn’t want a relationship that was all about sex, or all about someone else’s needs. He wanted to feel loved and appreciated. He knew it wasn’t very realistic that would happen though. He wasn’t an easy person to love.

‘I think I’d like that too,’ Thomas said. ‘I never really thought about that, to be honest. I never thought beyond having crushes on boys and maybe going on dates. But it really sounds nice, going to a museum with someone you like.’

Alastair wondered if Thomas would like to go to a museum with him someday. They’d walked through most of the ruins, and beyond the inscription and the closed trapdoor Alastair couldn’t find anything of interest right now. Nor could he explain how they’d ended up here.

A howl interrupted their conversation. It was a loud sound, the howl of a wolf.

‘Come, let’s get out of here,’ Alastair said softly, grabbing Thomas’ hand.

They took the same route back, and not much later another howl pierced the air. Alastair wasn’t sure where it was coming from, but he held his dagger ready to attack, Thomas’ hand in his free hand, gently pulling him along with him. They wouldn’t get separated. They would make it back. They weren’t trapped.

There were no wolves in Scotland, no ordinary ones at least. They hadn’t been in a very long time. There was an old legend of the wulver, but as far as Alastair knew those were friendly and could sometimes be found fishing. Werewolves, though, were another story. In old stories, werewolves were villagers who went into the woods to change into a wolf. Some drank water from the footprint of a wolf, others wore a belt made of wolf fur. They returned to their villages to kill. They were extremely rare nowadays, the methods of becoming one lost. Many that remained no longer changed back into a human, remaining wolf forever.

Thomas gripped his hand tightly, nails digging into his skin.

‘Tom,’ Alastair whispered.

‘Over there.’

Alastair looked in the direction Thomas pointed at and after blinking a few times he saw it too. Even after training with Risa he still needed to make a conscious effort to see. It walked on its hind legs, using its front paws for support at times. Not quite human in built, but not quite wolf either. It was covered in dark gray hair, some bare patches and dark red stains here and there. Its eyes were a bright yellow, its mouth was opened just a little, sharp teeth visible.

Alastair gently tugged on Thomas’ hand, indicating he wanted to continue. He didn’t dare speak. The werewolf hadn’t seen them yet. Alastair hoped they could get past it without being seen. He could be quiet, he could be careful. Thomas followed, taking careful steps, and glancing back to the werewolf every once in a while. It lifted its nose into the air, sniffing in the cold air. Alastair didn’t feel any wind, couldn’t tell if they were on the safe side of it. Likely, there wasn’t any wind and the wolf could smell them. Its head turned, yellow eyes looking into Alastair’s own.

‘Run,’ he whispered.

He kept his grip on Thomas’ hand. They wouldn’t get separated. He wouldn’t let Thomas die. They ran, and Thomas’ long legs easily pulled him along. Werewolves were fast though, Alastair didn’t know if they could stay ahead of it and soon enough he felt something yank Thomas away, forcing him to let go of his hand.

Thomas had fallen onto the ground, the werewolf trailing around him, claws ready to attack. Alastair gripped his dagger firmly and turned back, running straight at the creature.

‘Alastair, get away from here!’ Thomas yelled.

Alastair plunged the dagger into the back of the wolf. The creature howled in pain, and Alastair pulled back his dagger before it turned around and hit him with its claw. Alastair fell over, and he felt warm blood on his shoulder. It wasn’t a deep cut, it couldn’t be, but he was bleeding. The wolf stalked towards him, careful as if to sense if he was still dangerous. It wasn’t dead. It didn’t seem too bothered by the injury Alastair had inflicted. Of course, werewolves were fast healers, only silver was a weakness. And cortana, of course, but he didn’t have the sword. His dagger wasn’t made out of silver.

He scrambled to his feet, dodging another attack from the wolf’s claws. Thomas was behind him, grabbing his wrist and pulling him along. They ran, but they could only make few steps until the wolf crashed into him with its full body strenght behind it, causing both of them to fall over. Alastair held his dagger in front of him, desperate for some protection even if the dagger couldn’t hold the wolf away for long. As it slashed with its claw, Alastair struck too. He caught the paw with his dagger, severing it from the body. Warm blood gushed out, but only for a moment. The paw fell. When it hit the ground, Alastair could make out the rough shape of a pale human hand. The wound closed almost immediately, but the paw didn’t grow back. Even a fast healing werewolf couldn’t grow back severed limbs. Good to know.

The wolf came closer, giving him no room to get up or escape. He threw himself in front of Thomas in a hopeless attempt to keep him safe, to be a shield to him. He still held up his dagger. If he was lucky, he could cut off the other paw, but he didn’t think he would be able to behead the wolf with just this dagger.

Then it collapsed onto the ground, losing its body hair in the process and transforming into a naked human man.

‘Alastair!’

Behind where the wolf had been was Cordelia, cortana in her hand.

‘I was so worried!’ she yelled. ‘Where have you been?’

‘Layla,’ he said. ‘You killed the werewolf.’

Alastair scrambled up, and took Thomas’ hand to help him up too. He inspected the body, thankful it hadn’t collapsed on top of him. Cordelia had slashed through it, the head severed from the body. It was an average looking white man, maybe forty years old, with mousy hair. He had no idea for how long the man had been a wolf, there was no way to tell and the man was naked so he couldn’t date the clothing style either.

‘And just in time,’ Cordelia said. ‘You almost died.’

‘My dagger isn’t made of silver,’ Alastair said. ‘Only so much I could do. Thank you for saving us. Why are you here?’

He noticed Lucie was there too, standing behind Cordelia, clutching one of his daggers. Under normal circumstances, he would be very angry someone had touched his daggers without his permission but considering a werewolf had just tried to kill him and Thomas, he was tolerant. He’d probably be more upset if Lucie had come here unarmed. When they returned home, he should give Lucie another dagger. This one was the first he’d received as a gift, too precious to him and he didn’t want to get blood on it.

‘We came looking for you, of course,’ Cordelia said and Alastair had the sense she was angry with him. ‘You were gone for so long, we figured even you couldn’t stay in the woods for the whole day.’

Alastair frowned. ‘A whole day? What time is it?’

‘We left around four in the afternoon,’ Cordelia said.

‘Four? No, that’s not possible. We left quite early. ’

‘We left around eight,’ Thomas added. ‘There’s no way we’ve been gone for over eight hours when you arrived here.’

He took a picture of the dead human with his phone. Alastair wasn’t so sure that was a good idea but he figured they could have that discussion later, and he could always delete the pictures.

Right now, all Alastair wanted was some bandages on his shoulder, a couple of painkillers and a hot bath. Or maybe a bath would only hurt his shoulders more, in which case he guessed curling up on the couch in a blanket would do.

They took the same route back, Alastair looking around to take in as many details as possible. He could go over them again later and compare the details of the walk today to previous days when nothing strange had happened. It was the same path they’d walked on before, but some things were still different. Alastair still didn’t quite understand why they’d found themselves someplace else today.

They made their way back to the Lightwood’s cottage to find both sets of parents there, looking at them in shock. Sophie looked like she’d been crying, and Alastair felt guilty. He liked Thomas’ mother, he didn’t want to make her cry.

‘Where have you been?’ Tessa asked, her voice stern.

‘Is that blood on cortana?’ Will added.

‘We realized Thomas and Alastair had been gone for a long time,’ Cordelia said, changing her sword back into her necklace. ‘We couldn’t reach them, so we went looking. Just in time, because they were attacked by a werewolf.’

‘It didn’t feel that long to me or Thomas,’ Alastair added. ‘One hour, two maybe. We did find something strange, ruins in the middle of the woods we haven’t encountered before. I took some pictures, but we can go over the memory as well if the pictures aren’t clear.’

‘Later,’ Gideon determined. ‘The four of you look terrible. Is anyone hurt?’

‘The werewolf did claw open my shoulder,’ Alastair said. ‘I don’t think it’s deep, but might need to be cleaned and bandaged.’

‘Come, I’ll take a look,’ Tessa said.

He followed Tessa back to the manor. It was a bit far, but Alastair could still walk and he guessed Tessa had more first aid supplies at the manor.

‘I don’t think it’s bad,’ he said. ‘I feel it, but I can still move my shoulder.’

‘I’ll need to see it before I can make any judgements,’ Tessa said.

They entered the house and Alastair sat down on the couch while Tessa gathered some supplies.

‘Please take off your shirt,’ she said.

Alastair did, wincing in pain. Tessa inspected the injury. ‘It’s been a while since I did this. But I used to work in the emergency room as a doctor before I turned to research.’

Alastair vaguely knew Tessa had a PhD in medical research, but wasn’t sure which field. He didn’t know she’d worked as a doctor before that, although he guessed it made sense she’d started out there before turning to research.

‘You’re right that the wounds are very superficial, but with a wild animal attack I would recommend a rabies shot,’ Tessa said.

‘Right now?’ Alastair asked, very unmotivated to go to a hospital.

‘Not necessarily, but don’t wait too long,’ Tessa said. ‘If you don’t, and you get rabies, you’ll die. I’ll put on some bandages and let you rest.’

When Tessa was finished bandaging the wound, Thomas entered. His brown hair was a little damp and he’d changed into a clean green shirt and blue jeans. He looked worried. Alastair tried to sit up. He was suddenly very aware that he was half naked, his shirt discarded somewhere. It had blood on it, and a hole where the wolf’s claw had carved through it. He should probably throw it away, which was a shame because he liked that shirt. Thomas was staring at him, Alastair could tell. Would he like what he saw?

‘Are you alright?’ Thomas asked.

‘I’m better now, the wound is thoroughly cleaned and covered. Tessa didn’t think stitches would be a good idea considering the infection risk,’ Alastair said.

Thomas sat down next to him, his cheeks a little red. ‘I was so scared today.’

‘I know. Me too.’

‘You threw yourself in front of me.’

‘I wanted to protect you. I had a weapon, you didn’t.’

Thomas put his hand on Alastair’s. ‘You could have died. You had every opportunity to get away while it was focused on me.’

Alastair shook his head. ‘It would have caught up to me. We both would have died if Cordelia hadn’t shown up when she did. I can’t believe our luck.’

‘Can I hug you?’ Thomas asked.

A bit reluctant, Alastair consented. Thomas pulled him into a hug. It was an unfamiliar sensation to Alastair, Thomas warm hands on his back, careful not to touch his injury, feeling him so close, feeling his rough breathing. Thomas’ hair was damp, he smelt of vanilla. He must have taken a quick shower before coming here. Alastair leaned in, his head against Thomas’ chest. Thomas was warm, and it felt nice to be held like this. He felt safe and protected, and for Alastair a sense of safety was scarce to come by.

‘I was scared of dying,’ Thomas said. ‘But watching you die would be far worse.’

‘Don’t be dramatic, Tom,’ Alastair scoffed. ‘You barely know me.’

‘That’s not true. I’ve gotten to know you a lot in the past week, and I have much enjoyed our time together. And I realized… I… I love you.’

Thomas let go of him, as if to await his reaction. Alastair was tempted to put a shirt on, very aware of Thomas’ eyes on him. At the same time, he liked the attention, hoped Thomas would think he was beautiful even if Alastair had never felt that way. A bit uncomfortable and cold, Alastair instead grabbed the blanket on the couch and wrapped it around him as he tried to process the shock of Thomas’ words and find a proper reply. He suspected the blanket belonged to Lucie, it was decorated with Lilo and Stitch.

He knew he should say something, but he couldn’t find the words. Part of him believed he’d hallucinated what Thomas had just said, because it couldn’t be true, could it? Why would Thomas love him? What was there to love?

‘I’m sorry,’ Thomas said.

‘What for?’

‘You obviously don’t feel the same way, and I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have bothered you with my feelings.’

Alastair looked at Thomas, trying to read his face. Was he serious right now?

‘I do feel the same way, you fool,’ Alastair said, staring at Thomas in disbelief.

Thomas seemed to freeze in the moment, hazel eyes wide, his mouth slightly opened. Before either of them could say anything, Tessa returned with several medicine boxes.

‘Here are some painkillers,’ she said.

‘Thank you,’ Alastair said, taking two paracetamol. If that wasn’t enough, he could always add some ibuprofen.

‘Gideon and Sophie are on their way here to cook, you must be starving,’ Tessa said. ‘Alastair, be careful with that shoulder, give it some rest.’

Tessa returned to the kitchen, presumably to start preparing. Alastair realized he was hungry. He hadn’t eaten anything since breakfast and apparently it was now on the late end for dinner. It felt odd, since Alastair was fairly certain he hadn’t been gone for a whole day. It felt more like lunch time.

‘You look adorable with that blanket,’ Thomas said with a small smile.

‘I’m cold,’ Alastair said.

‘I’m not judging,’ Thomas said.

‘You were,’ Alastair said.

Thomas said nothing.

‘Come on, you definitely were.’

‘Can’t you just accept that you’re cute?’ Thomas asked.

Alastair made a show of rolling his eyes. ‘Alright.’

‘Can I kiss you?’

‘What?’

‘You said you liked me too. I’ve been wanting to kiss you for some time. So I figured I’d ask.’

‘I expected you’d just initiate. Asking is nice though. Keep doing that, I like it.’

Charles had never asked permission for anything. Charles usually initiated, he had been the one to decide what would happen and had assumed Alastair was fine with whatever he had in mind. And Alastair had pushed himself to accept things he wasn’t comfortable with too, terrified to disappoint. Terrified he would be abandoned if he didn’t do whatever his lover wanted.

He could not have anticipated how amazing it would feel to have Thomas ask him for permission to kiss him.

Thomas didn’t say anything else, just leaned in and closed his eyes, allowing their lips to meet. Alastair suspected Thomas didn’t really know what he was doing, but that was alright. He took control of the kiss, grabbing the front of Thomas shirt with his good hand. Thomas put his hands in his hair, gently tugging at the strands. It usually annoyed him when people messed with his hair, but right now it was a tangled mess anyway, and he had to admit it felt kind of nice.

They broke apart, faces still close, and looking into each other’s eyes. Thomas’ hazel eyes seemed like a mixture of colors this close and Alastair could see the light reflect in them. He felt a desire for more, but wanted to take it slow. This wouldn’t be like Charles, no rushed or pressured decisions. It would be gentle and sweet and they would have all the time in the world.

He leaned back, and pulled Thomas along with him, Alastair laying down on the couch on his back, the blanket slipping from his shoulders. He didn’t mind now, he allowed Thomas to admire him. Thomas looked a bit awkward, trying to find a comfortable position without crushing him. Alastair would probably be able to take Thomas’ weight, he liked being underneath a lover, just the right amount of pressure on his body to feel comfortable.

Although maybe not now with his shoulder injured, that was just going to hurt a lot.

‘Tom, your parents could be here any minute,’ Alastair said.

Thomas only shrugged. ‘Kissing a boy in front of them saves me having to write a speech. And I really don’t want to stop kissing you.’

‘Are you sure?’ Alastair asked. ‘You don’t want to give a speech?’

‘I’m sure,’ Thomas said. ‘I just want to kiss you.’

Alastair had nothing to say against that, and kissed Thomas again, gently opening his mouth and slipping his tongue inside. If someone had walked in, he probably wouldn’t even have noticed, too caught up in the moment. Thomas’ mouth tasted of strawberries, he must have eaten some before coming here.

After Charles, Alastair had never imagined another chance at love, and certainly not with someone as kind and beautiful and perfect as Thomas Lightwood. Part of him was still convinced he was too difficult to be loved. He pushed all thoughts of something bad happening to Thomas to the back of his mind and indulged in the moment. When they broke apart, they just sat lay, breathing carefully. Thomas’ hand in his hair again, wrapping strands of it around his finger.

After a moment Alastair decided with his injured shoulder, this wasn’t the most comfortable position for either of them, so he sat back up, climbing into Thomas’ lap, arms around him.

‘You’re a good kisser,’ Thomas said.

‘You will be too, with some practice,’ Alastair said. ‘Was that your first kiss?’

‘It was,’ Thomas said. ‘I’ve never been with anyone before. But I’ve also never felt about anyone like I felt about you.’

Alastair frowned. ‘Really?’

‘Really,’ Thomas confirmed. ‘I don’t fall in love easily. I’ve felt attracted to other boys at times, but I rarely really fall in love. When I do, it doesn’t really go away though. I’ve loved you since we went to school together.’

‘Since school? But I was awful to you back then. I’d done nothing to deserve it.’

‘You don’t always love the people who deserve it,’ Thomas said. ‘Back then, it was more of a schoolboy crush really. You were so mysterious and beautiful, yet I saw you were sad too. I could tell you didn’t mean what you said, I could tell you were in pain and I wanted to know what broke your heart, what let such bitterness spill out. And then I heard about you from Lucie, when you went to school with her. Although I still didn’t understand you, she confirmed you weren’t awful at all since you stood up for her and I felt like I was right, there was something special about you. And now this past week, I feel like I’ve finally seen the real you. And I don’t just mean that sadness, I mean your interests, your love for books and long walks. How you can rant for hours about the evil of capitalism and how passionate you are about wanting change. So my feelings have changed over time, but it’s always been you I wanted.’

Alastair found it difficult to believe, but he could tell Thomas was sincere. It was difficult to believe anyone could love him, he guessed. He still felt too broken to be loved, undeserving of it. He wanted to believe Thomas though, he wanted to make this work. He wanted to silence the voice in his head that it was impossible, that Thomas couldn’t possibly love him, because who could love someone like him? The voice was wrong, and Thomas gentle touch allowed him to push it to the back of his mind for now. Perhaps someday it would disappear for good.

[ceapa-mica]

GEHAT’IK BE ALIIT | Chapter 16

{cross-posted on ao3}   {masterlist}

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pairing: Din Djarin x Original Female Character

warnings: angst, violence, SMUT (18+) MINORS DNI! Vaginal fingering

words: 6517

summary: Din and Elora explore the planet, facing dangers and becoming unexpected friends with native creatures.

a/n: Hello there!

I'm back with a new chapter that will contain excitement, smut and a big reveal.

I might add that I name this story arc the Colonization Sucks arc.

Enjoy! 💖

From the spot where Elora had landed the Crest they had a perfect view of the surrounding plains and the mountains beyond the valley, the latter looked downright majestic in the golden sunlight. Grogu was fast asleep in his pram after the risky maneuvers through the asteroids, missing out on the view, while Din and Elora stared at it in disbelief. This place looked so much prettier than they had expected.

"Now all we need is a plan on how to cross the rivers." Din cocked his head. "I didn't consider your fear… Hmm…I think I can take us over there, you and the kid just need to hold on tight."

"No, I will not, I repeat I will not step into any of those rivers!" Fear bubbled up inside her as terrifying memories of Kijimi resurfaced.

Din took her hand. "I will not let you drown, cyare. You trust me, right?"

Elora scoffed. "This has nothing to do with trust, it has to do with the fact that I hate water and you're going to accept that." She crossed her arms and gave him a firm look.

"You stubborn little…" She took several steps toward him, daring him to finish the sentence. "Don't give me that look. It's our mission to find beskar ore, so that's what we're going to do."

"You're going to do that. I will stay on this side and wait for ya. To be honest, all you need me for is getting on and off world." Before they could argue any further the ground started to shake as a herd of lizard-like creatures eagerly left the cover of the forest to graze in the nearby plains. Din used his sensors for a closer look.

"I think I saw some of them earlier when I was looking for a place to land."

"They're grazing, which means they're most likely herbivores. Doesn't mean they can't be dangerous to us since they've probably never seen a human before. We need to be careful." They threw a look at Grogu who was still napping soundly. "There are so many of them. Seems they have no natural predators here."

These creatures looked strange indeed. The upper half of their bodies was covered in thick reddish brown fur, the lower half was tough armor like scales in either green or brown shades. Their hind legs had hooves like a deer and their front legs had claws like a lizard. Their heads resembled that of a lizard in shape but were covered mostly in fur. Their tails were thick and scaly, except for the tips that had tufts of long fur. They used their long sticky tongues to graze, just like nerfs were known to do, and they showed no interest in the off-worlders, preferring to continue grazing the grass peacefully.

"We should secure the perimeter, and look out for lifeforms that are actually aggressive. I'll take the tent and weapons, you take the sleeping bags and rations." Din suggested. Carrying their supplies, they followed Arfour into the forest of red and yellow leafed trees. The chitter of exotic birds and the buzzing of foreign insects filled the humid air. In the shadows of the trees the air was a few degrees cooler. Arfour led them through the thicket, bleeping excitedly when his sensors picked up something.

"What is it, buddy?" Din asked. Elora frowned, using her senses to reach out through the Force. It was a small creek of little fish swimming around as they passed. A curious coo came from the pram. Grogu had woken up and looked at the fish in excitement.

"Hush, not a word." Elora hissed. Heavy footsteps approached them, the next second a huge specimen of those lizard-like creatures appeared. This one however had majestic antlers, unlike the others. The second it saw them it let out a deafening roar. Grogu whined and Din slowly backed away, raising his blaster quicker than the blink of an eye.

"Can you calm it down?" he asked.

"I- I will try…"

Arfour beeped and escaped as fast as he could, Grogu's gaze following him. Before he could climb out of the pram to follow him, Din shut it, shoving the floating object behind himself. Elora reached out, but the creature was strong-willed and above all angry.

"I think we're in his territory. His mind isn't weak, I can't get through to him!"

"You must try!"

As if the creature realized what Elora was trying to do, it attacked them.

"No no no, run! RUN!"

She didn't have to tell him twice. Two tons of pure muscle on four legs were on their heels. Elora was right behind Din, still trying to hold the creature back, like Grogu had when he stopped the mudhorn back on her homeworld. The adrenaline pumped through her veins, she couldn't shove down her fear any longer, something the creature picked up immediately. Even more aggressively, it chased them through the forest, its footsteps causing the ground to quake. Din had lost track of where they were running.

"I can't calm him down…! Something's wrong, the Force doesn't work!"

Din grabbed her arm, then took several shots at the creature, but to no avail. He let the tent fall, and Elora followed his example, leaving the sleeping bags behind as well.

"The skin is blasterproof. I'm gonna use a thermal detonator." He activated the explosive and threw it at the beast. It exploded on impact, setting the fur of the creature on fire. It roared in agony, but continued chasing them nonetheless.

"Haar'chak ! I have nothing stronger than that!" He used his flamethrower and whistling birds, but neither was able to kill the beast. Elora made a decision and stopped. As the beast charged at her, she let the Force flow through her and jumped, landing on the creature's back. With her lightsaber she cut through the skin, but was only able to damage the upper skin layers, it didn't even draw blood, plus the creature tried to throw her off its back, ramming several trees in the process. Eventually Elora jumped off, using the Force to land on her feet. Instead of charging at her, the creature shied and turned on its heels back into its territory. Elora had no idea what changed the creature's mind so quickly. She decided to think about it after she made sure Din and Grogu were doing fine.

"It returned to the thicket. We should be safe." Elora called as she found Din waiting outside the forest. They had reached the plains again, but the Razor Crest was nowhere in sight. "Where the hell are we? And where's Arfour?"

Din didn't answer, instead he walked up to something that looked like the ancient ruin of a farmhouse. Only a few walls were left of it, no roof or anything that indicated who had built it.

"Look, this must be an ancient homestead of… Hmm… This doesn't look like ancient Mandalorian architecture." Din mused, inspecting the walls closer.

"Maybe there were settlers from other planet's as well?"

Din took the datapad from his bag, searching for any information regarding the settlers.

"According to the available records, Mandalorian settlers used to live in the mountains." They could barely see the mountains from their location. They had run in a completely different direction, their tent and sleeping bags lost somewhere in the forest in the territory of an extremely dangerous creature they couldn't fight. Since the sun was already setting, returning to the Crest was too dangerous at night with known and unknown threats around.

"I've slept on the ground before, plus the grass looks very soft. We should set up camp here, Din. The remaining walls of this ruin give us a certain amount of cover."

"You're right, I'll go and gather some firewood, you can look after the kid in the meantime."

Elora agreed, opening Grogu's pram to find him sitting there raising his little arms, asking to be picked up.

"It's alright, we're safe now, little one. I mean, as safe as an unknown world can be at night…" Grogu cooed anxiously and drooped his ears, looking around for Din. "He's gathering firewood, he'll be back soon."

The ground in the middle of the ruins was flat and dry, devoid of grass - the perfect place for a campfire. She lifted Grogu from his pram, put him on her shoulders and began to gather some large leaves from a nearby shrub for them to sit and later sleep on. A sudden blastershot sounded from the forest. Grogu's ears perked up at the sound of it.

"Let's hope your dad is okay."

"Da." Grogu said. She took him off her shoulders and looked at him intently.

"Did you just say dad?"

"Da… da da… "

"Oh. Oh my!"

Din came out of the forest with firewood in his arms and on top of it a dead creature.

"Din! You will never guess what just happened!"

"Are you alright?" he asked with a concerned tone in his voice.

"We're fine, actually more than fine. Din, he spoke, Grogu can speak!"

Din cocked his head, putting the firewood down and crouched in front of Grogu.

"Don't you wanna say something to your dad, little one?" Grogu looked at Elora, then back at Din. "Patu."

Din chuckled. "He says that all the time. I'm pretty sure he doesn't know anything else."

"He said dada when I mentioned you. I swear he did!"

Din had fallen silent. "Can I speak with you, cyare ?"

"Sure." He led her away from the unfinished camp where Grogu force pulled the silver sphere that had to be hidden in his pram to himself to play with it when he thought his caregivers weren't looking. "What is it?"

Din tried to find the right words, clearing his throat. "He's… he's not my son. He should learn to say this to someone who can actually take care of him the way he deserves. He was a bounty. Neither my job nor my life offers the best conditions to raise a kid."

"I agree we've been thrown into these circumstances, you getting kicked out of the Guild, bounty hunters after us… but let me tell you something. Despite the danger we're always in, it's been one hell of a ride so far. I always find something to repair on your old Crest , Grogu is safe with us, and you… you don't have to be alone. As long as we earn enough credits I think it could be much worse."

"This is a temporary arrangement, Elora. You have your mission. What would you do if we found your mother? You wouldn't want to stay with me, would you? No, you would settle down with her, make sure she lives the rest of her life in dignity. And Grogu deserves a family, people who love him and don't travel the Galaxy. He deserves to go to school, spending his childhood in one place without having to worry about bounty hunters showing up for him."

"I understand him and you know that! And even if we found my mother, I would still want you in my life, Din. You're too important to me, to Grogu. We could all settle down together."

"I'm not made for an ordinary life like this. Bounty hunting is the only life for me, everything else…" 

"Scares you." she finished his sentence.

"I lived an ordinary life once and it killed my parents. I won't settle down only to lose everyone I care about ever again."

She put a hand on his chestplate, looking into his visor with so much compassion. "This had nothing to do with your old way of life.”

“I beg to differ.” With these words he took her hand off his chestplate and went back to Grogu where he prepared the campfire and skinned the creature he killed for dinner. Meanwhile Elora let his words sink in.

Perhaps I can change his mind someday. He was alone for so many years…

  Grogu looked between his caregivers who didn’t speak a word to one another. The meat on a stick in his hands eventually became more interesting though. They ate in silence, sitting under billions of stars. Occasional meteorites zoomed across the sky and eventually Elora laid down on the thick leaves she had collected earlier and began counting said meteorites.

“I wish… hmm… I wish…” she mumbled.

Din looked at her, cocking his head. “What are you doing?”

“I can’t decide what to wish for. There are too many things I want to happen.” Din still seemed confused. She sighed and began explaining. “There’s an old Jawa saying. When the night sky sheds tears for you, you’re granted a wish. When you see a meteoroid you make a wish, but you have to do so before it’s gone, and you must not tell anyone what you're wishing for.”

“That’s a strange custom.” Din laid down next to her, hesitatingly offering to put an arm around her waist. With a soft smile she scooted closer to him, accepting his embrace. His scent made her feel at home. Grogu had crawled into Din’s messenger bag nearby where he had fallen asleep for the night. Elora hesitated, but decided against letting her hand wander. Din realized and sat up slightly to get a better look at her moonlit face.

“I’m sorry about earlier, cyare . I want to cherish the time we have together, I really do.”

“You think you can’t get hurt if you don’t let people into your heart. You try to convince yourself that this situation will only be temporary, but it doesn’t have to be.”

His hand found her cheek, caressing it with a tenderness nobody would expect from the bounty hunter. “Your skin… I’ve never felt something so soft before.” He traced some of her freckles with his thumb down the side of her neck. Elora moaned when he caressed the sensitive spots that were still marked up from the last time they had sex. “So fucking beautiful.” he murmured.

“You’re trying to distract me from what we’ve been talking about. I hate to admit it, but it works.” She turned to face him completely.

“My smart girl…” His hand trailed down her waist, stopping at the hem of her pants. That's when he removed his glove. They both turned to look at Din’s bag out of which soft snoring could be heard.

“If we do this, we must be quiet.” Din whispered. “Tell me you want this, mesh’la.”

“Yes, and I’ll sense when the kid wakes up. I want you, Din.”

He suppressed a groan and opened her pants where he found her already slick with arousal. “How are you so wet already?” He rubbed her clit with his thumb while inserting two fingers inside her. She bucked her hips, biting her lip to hold back a sinful moan when he curled his fingers to reach that special spot inside her. What had started as a spark of arousal turned more and more into a flame - a warmth she could feel in her entire body. He murmured praises in Mando’a under his breath, holding her down simultaneously. “You’re taking my fingers so well.” he whispered. Her walls seemed to tighten at his words and with each thrust of his fingers. “Ah Din-” she whined, but he covered her mouth with his other hand before he continued. “Shh mesh’la , keep quiet. Let me make you feel good.” Elora nodded frantically, but then, all of a sudden, she sensed something close to their camp.

"Stop, Din… There's something…"

His fingers left her wet cunt so quickly as if he'd burned himself touching her.

"Did I-"

"No, I sense something near us. It's…" Elora adjusted her pants and went to pick up the bag in which Grogu was still sound asleep.

"What are you sensing?"

He rose to his feet and took his bag from her hands. There was the sound of crunching branches before one of those lizard-like creatures stepped out of the thicket, this time a female as it had no antlers. Din's hand hovered over his blaster. For a moment the creature just stood there and watched, then it approached the camp in slow steps. Din took his blaster, but Elora grabbed his arm to hold him back.

"She's just curious." The doe sniffed around where they had been lying before, then approached the two humans. Din's grip on his blaster tightened, but he didn't shoot as the doe sniffed him and Elora. Grogu had woken up and peaked out of Din's bag at the big strong creature and Elora who put out her hand which the creature sniffed and wrapped its sticky tongue around, that reminded her of the dewback on Tatooine. She managed to reach out to the creature, sensing nothing but curiosity. No fear or territorial behavior.

Careful as to not scare her, she began petting the fur on the doe's neck, in return she nuzzled Elora.

"Aww she likes me!"

Din relaxed at the sight and took the datapad out of his bag which Ruusaan had given them. It contained all available information on this world and he hoped to find out more about those creatures.

"She has the calm temper of a bantha!" Elora laughed.

"There it is. In the old texts a species is described that looks just like them. The Mandalorians called them bo'skaide. The males have antlers, are very aggressive and hard to kill. The females usually live in herds, and are known to be relaxed and patient. Apparently they were used as a mode of transport to carry people or supplies, and as a food source." Din read aloud.

"Can't be more complicated than riding a blurrg." Elora shrugged, offering the bo'skaid doe one of their ration bars. She sniffed it first, then wrapped her tongue around it, pulling the food into her mouth. Eventually she sniffed further around the camp until she laid down nearby, keeping an eye on them and letting out a low groan as she yawned.

"We should go back to sleep." Elora suggested. "She will protect us, I can feel it. And she will probably do a better job at this than me."

"Hey, that beast chased us earlier. You couldn't focus. Their skin seems to be blaster- and fireproof. I wasn't able to protect us either."

"I am capable of stopping that stag. Maker, even Grogu was able to stop a mudhorn from killing you. I am strong enough… just afraid."

Din chuckled and caressed her cheeks, the loving look in his eyes covered by his helmet’s visor. "Fear has the purpose of keeping you alive. You flew us through an asteroid field today, mesh'la . Just know that I would never judge you for being overwhelmed after all this. Now sleep, you're gonna need your strength tomorrow."

"No, I won't. You will cross the rivers, not I."

Din was too tired for another discussion on the matter. Instead of answering, he pulled her closer and kept his arms around her. His helmet didn't filter her scent, so he buried his covered face on the crook of her neck, careful not to let the edges of his helmet cut into her soft freckled skin. As much as he wanted to finish what they had started earlier, he knew he should let her get some well deserved rest after they had almost died in that asteroid field. He began to stroke her hair, causing her to sigh in contentment and fall asleep at his touch after several minutes.

"Jate ca, ner cyare." he whispered, closing his eyes and falling asleep with her body pressed against his and with billions of stars above them.

  The moonlight and the impressive view of the Galaxy made room for the rising sun. Birds began chirping their early morning concert in the trees and frogs croaked in the taller grass. An excited coo woke them up. The morning sun made the grass look like it was burning up in the most beautiful shades of orange - like a sea of fire - through which Grogu was running, bright eyes on a slimy frog he was chasing.

Din groaned at the child's antics and looked at Elora who mumbled something in Jawa into his scarf she had buried her face in.

"Time to wake up, mesh'la ." he spoke in a soft voice, gently nudging her awake. She rubbed her eyes and stared at her surroundings.

"I swear a minute ago I was back with my tribe."

"You'll see them again soon."

"I hope you're right…" she sighed, her gaze following Grogu who frolicked through the grass until he reached the grazing bo'skaid doe. Din tensed when she sniffed the curious child, but she didn't harm him. All she did was lie down and let the child climb on top of her head. Elora thought for a moment.

"I'm gonna name her Bini. She's so sweet to Grogu, I feel that name fits her. In my language, bini means sugar."

Din rolled his eyes, focused on packing his bag and thinking about the mission. When he was done and looked to where Elora had petted Bini a minute ago he saw her riding the bo'skaid as if it was the simplest thing in the Galaxy.

"What the- What are you doing?!"

Grogu still sat on the creature's head, holding on tight and squealing joyfully.

"A saddle and bridle would make this more comfortable. What do you think, Din? Look how tame she is for a wild creature!"

He let out a deep sigh. "She can carry you, too. Let's go and search for Arfour. I hope he made it through the night without falling victim to that bo'skaid stag."

He handed her the bag with the rations. Bini knelt down so it was easier for Din to mount her as he reluctantly did so. Elora's force connection to Bini was reliable. The bo'skaid trotted towards the forest as if she knew where to look for the lost astromech. Din had to admit that riding a blurrg was less comfortable than this. Bini sniffed around the forest. If Arfour was good at something, then it was blending in with the yellow leafed trees due to his paint job. He stood on a forest clearing and activated himself when his friends arrived. Wildly beeping he rolled around the clearing, causing Bini to huff in annoyance.

"Thank you for finding him, you're such a good girl." Elora patted her scaly neck. "Now what do we do next?"

"To the mountains. You could let Bini swim through the river and all you need to do is hold on tight."

"You can go alone. I will not go into the water, not even on Bini's back! I will wait on this side while you go find your precious beskar ore on the other."

Din knew another discussion would lead to just another argument. He remembered Kijimi, and it didn't surprise him that she had developed a fear when it came to water. Her lifeless body in his arms had been one of the most desperate moments in his life, so he tried to understand her instead of opening her emotional scars.

  The way back to the plains that led to the river valley seemed less far on Bini's back. She was a fast runner, despite her muscular build. Grogu was back in Din's bag since sitting on Bini's head was too dangerous when she was galloping over the plains at such a fast pace. Halfway towards the rivers, Elora stopped her when she saw something near the river worth investigating.

"Over there! Looks like more ruins." Through the Force she put the image of those ruins in Bini's head and she trotted towards the ruins obediently.

"Hmm looks like this settlement had an entire wall surrounding it… Look, there used to be towers up there!" Most of the walls didn't withstand the time. All you could see was where there had been buildings once. At least one wall or remains of the chimneys were left and plants had reclaimed the man-made settlement after the settlers had vanished. To Elora and Din it felt like they had ended up a thousand years in the past, looking at the planet's history. Din frowned as he noticed something was off.

"This is not Mandalorian architecture. Just like the farmhouse, this doesn't look like it was built by Mandalorians."

"Are you sure? This was built a thousand years ago, Din. Maybe the settlers wanted to build something different."

He shook his head. "No… Cyare, could you do me a favor? Remember what you did in that museum on Naboo? Could you touch these walls and find out more about this place's history?"

"That's the best idea you had this week!" Elora grinned and jumped off Bini's back, landing gracefully on her feet as always. She let her fingers glide over the rough stones and focused on the emotions these stones had witnessed.

"These are older than the Naboo paintings… I sense struggle… brutality and mourning… So much despair." Tears welled in her eyes. "That's not just a settlement, it's also a graveyard. Something terrible must have happened to the people who lived here."

"Were they Mandalorian?"

"I sense the emotions, not their sources." she explained. "I really want to know the story here. Maybe there's even more left than just a few walls. We should take a break here, it's already noon, and we didn't have breakfast." Grogu whined at the last word.

"Let's not forget you ate that frog I told you not to eat." Din reminded the child. "You're right, they didn't give us a deadline. We should find out more about this planet's story." Elora and Grogu sat down at what likely used to be the settlement's marketplace, eating ration bars as dry as Tatooine sand, while Din went to take a look around, using his helmet's sensors. He walked through the settlement, not knowing what exactly he was looking for until his sensors pointed out several basements where the houses had been. He decided to investigate further and looked for some way to get into one of those basements. Most of the entries were buried under stones and rubble, all of them in fact, but one that was only covered under a layer of dirt and leaves. He shot the manual lock open and opened the heavy durasteel door. Behind it was a staircase that led down into darkness. He activated the flashlight on the side of his helmet and went in there. The air had a musty smell to it, feeling cold and moist, even under his beskar and several layers of clothing. Clearly nobody had been there in a thousand years, everything was still the way the settlers left it, just covered in dust and cobwebs. He found several crates stacked in the corner, wooden boards on the floor that must have belonged to a table once, and a smaller chest that wasn’t locked. He knelt down and opened it, finding some rags and a holoprojector that looked more like a relic than actual technology. He tried to switch it on, but after many centuries of disuse it just wasn’t functional anymore.

Elora can fix basically anything. She will know what to do with it.

When he opened the crates in the corner, he was surprised to find all kinds of weapons, from blasters and rifles to vibroblades, ancient ones at that. He took one and shot at the floor. To his surprise the ancient blaster was still functional after such an incredibly long time - a discovery he wanted to write down on Ruusaan’s datapad he realized was still with Elora.

When he returned to the spot where his companions were, he found Elora hunched over the datapad with Grogu in her lap who was watching what she was working on.

“I discovered something.”

Elora looked up from the datapad and raised her brows. “Yeah? What is it?” When he handed her the old holoprojector she looked intrigued. “Wow! That’s the oldest piece of technology I’ve ever got my hands on! I can’t wait to take it apart and see how it works-”

“I need you to repair it, not scrap it. There could be something on it, like a time capsule.”

“Thank the Maker that I brought my essential tools. Restoring old stuff is my specialty, I’ll figure it out.” She paused and picked Grogu up who was babbling something unintelligible. Din took the datapad from her and saw what she had been working on - a very detailed sketch of their current surroundings.

“It’s not finished yet, it lacks color.”

“You’re incredibly talented, how-” He accidentally swiped and found another drawing. This time it was colorized, showing yesterday’s sunset and the incredible view. “Huh… Since you don’t know where your blood relatives are from, there might be a possibility they’re from Naboo. Many artists live there as far as I know.”

Elora shrugged. “Naboo is nice and all, but I don’t know. This planet reminds me of those very different beauty standards and horrible shoes. I don’t remember my mother wearing anything expensive, especially nothing with puffy sleeves.”

“Maybe you inherited this talent from your father’s side.” Din pulled Elora to her feet.

“I prefer the term life donor.” she clarified.

Din had questions but decided to save them for later. In the late afternoon they left the ruins and went back to where they found Bini grazing. The bo’skaid carried them the rest of the way to the rivers that seperated the mountains and the orange plains.

“It will get dark in six standard hours or so. You don’t have to cross the rivers if you don’t want to. You can wait here.”

Elora nodded and was grateful when he helped set up camp before leaving. Elora was a little lost in thought. Din noticed something was up and put his hand on her shoulder. “What are you thinking about?”

“Nothing I-... Ever since we were in these ruins I have had a strange feeling in my gut. I think the Force is trying to tell me something. Can’t say if that’s good or bad.” Grogu, who sat on Bini’s back, cooed and looked at Elora with his big dark eyes. “He… I think he felt it, too.”

“You could uh… meditate? Isn’t that something you do in the cargo hold when you need to clear your mind?”

Elora chuckled. “I didn’t expect you to know what meditation is, but you’re right, it’s a good way to connect with… everything, being in tune with the Force. Actually I should meditate more regularly, if the days would only have enough hours to do so.”

“I’m about to leave and will take Grogu with me, so you have peace and quiet to meditate. We should be back by nightfall.” Din stood in front of her and brushed his fingers over her cheek. “If we don’t return until tomorrow morning, I want you to return to the Razor Crest .” He rested his forehead against hers and he sensed his emotions, how he was longing to stay with her.

“Understood. Now go and find some beskar! I don’t like the idea of you in the mountains at night. The sooner you go, the earlier you will be back with me.”

“Don’t worry about us, ner kar’ta.”

He didn’t like the idea of leaving her alone, but he respected her boundaries when it came to water. He mounted Bini, but she didn’t move as if confused as to why Elora wasn’t joining them. Elora reached out and reassured the creature that it was okay and watched them leave. Bini swam through the rivers, carrying them safely on her back. Memories of the water’s icy sting resurfaced at the sight, causing Elora to shudder. She blinked the traumatic memory away and plopped down on the soft grass, trying to calm her mind and reach out through the Force, which seemed harder this time. Memories of Kijimi got in the way, the dark water that waited just for her to jump in to swallow her. There was nothing that held her back, in her mind she jumped and ended up standing in complete darkness, her surroundings were dry, but felt like millions of tiny needles were pricking her skin; she couldn’t breathe. Suddenly blue light appeared in the distance, it approached her at a rapid pace. Elora figured it was a creature that let out short loud hooting calls. It had scaly skin, a beak, a crest of feathers on its head - absolutely impressive. It was the same height as a bo’skaid, but was significantly longer due to its tail. It came to a halt in front of her, looking at her expectantly. Elora felt the warmth radiating from the creature - the kind of warmth that only the Force could give which let her breathe again.

“Where do you want to take me? What is this place?” she asked in a slightly raspy voice. The creature nudged her gingerly and reluctantly she mounted it and held on tight on its neck. It let out several loud hoots and ran through the darkness at such a rapid pace, it made Elora slightly dizzy. Tree shaped shadows passed by and she wondered if this was real. Was she actually riding a strange creature that’s one with the Force? A warm golden light appeared in the distance like the end of a tunnel of darkness and despair, and the creature was heading straight toward it. The darkness turned into yellow leafed trees and an azure sky. Elora could feel the warm rays of the sun again. When it came to a sudden halt, she lost her balance and fell off its back with a high pitched scream. Fortunately the impact didn’t hurt as much as it should. Out of breath and high on adrenaline, she looked around. There was a circle of ancient stone columns in the middle of a forest clearing with mysterious carvings she couldn’t decipher.

“I see Boga found you well.” She heard his voice before she sensed his presence. In a blue light he materialized in front of her. The voice of her force ghost friend was no longer just a voice, it now had a body. He was an old man with white hair and beard, wearing a brown robe, and he had the kindest eyes she had ever seen on another human being.

“So that’s what you look like? Nice pet.”

A gentle smile graced his lips. “Thank you, dear. She is a loyal companion of mine, in life and in death.” Elora put her hand out at the creature. Boga nudged her again and purred at the affection. “Varactyls are known for their loyalty. The same goes for the creature you tamed.” He looked at Elora intently. “You’re confused and have many questions.” he figured.

“Yes, I mean… What is this place? And who are you? You never told me your name.”

“You may call me Ben, and this is a spiritual place built a thousand years ago by the Jedi. The Force is strong in this place, Elora. In fact it’s strong enough that you’re able to see me when anywhere else you can not... yet.”

She closed her eyes and took in the Force that surrounded them. She felt it around her, flowing through her, even in every breath she took. “There used to be Mandalorians and Jedi here?”

“You will learn this planet has a very important story, one you must never forget. I brought you here to offer you guidance.”

Elora leaned against one of the columns. “Yeah I could use some guidance right now.” she sighed. “When you know about the bo’skaid I tamed, then you probably know about that bo’skaid stag that I was not able to stop. I was so-”

“Nervous and tired? You couldn’t properly focus. You still have a lot to learn, so remember to be patient with yourself. As a Jedi you need to be able to focus at a moment’s notice. Animals can sense our emotions since they’re much more attuned to the Force than a non-force sensitive sentient being. That’s also why taming your new animal friend was so easy for you. You will learn in time. Your connection to the Force is getting stronger each day.” he explained and began stroking his beard in thought. “You will soon have to make some very important and crucial decisions. Despite the darkness I sense in you, your heart has remained pure, and I trust in you to make the right decisions. Always remember: Do not let attachment affect those decisions. The more convenient way is usually the wrong one.” He lit up in a bright light and was about to vanish along with his pet.

“Wait! Why do you… why do you guide me? Why you and no other Jedi?”

“You’re the key, Elora. That’s why.”

“The key? The key to what? Ben?! Hey, you can’t just leave without an explanation! OUCH!”

A sudden sharp pain hit the back of her neck. In a matter of seconds her entire body went numb, darkness took over her vision, and before she could realize what happened she fell to the ground with a thud, unconscious.

  Din had taken three pieces of beskar ore as proof. He had found them in an abandoned mine that some creepy insect-like creatures called their home. Not the most pleasant job, but not the worst either. The beskar ore weighed heavy in his bag. Grogu sat on his shoulder, grabbing his pauldron on their ride back to the rivers. When they reached them, the sun had already set. Their camp looked abandoned from afar, there was no campfire, nothing.

She’s probably looking for more firewood. She’s okay, she has to be.

Grogu whined at the sight, and when they arrived he started crying. Din resented the fact that he wasn’t force sensitive like Grogu and Elora, it would make a lot of things so much easier, he thought.

“Elora! Elora, where are you?!” There was no reply, so he used the sensors in his helmet which had helped him find hundreds of bounties throughout the years. Bini seemed nervous, she sniffed around but was unable to pick up Elora’s scent. That’s when Din knew something was off. He couldn’t find any tracks, nothing that indicated she ever left her meditation spot.

Din noticed how Grogu, who had tears in his eyes, pointed at the forest with his tiny hand. “Owa…Eowa.” he babbled. Din’s heart skipped a beat at the sound of Grogu’s baby voice and filled with endless pride for his foundling. “I understand. You can sense where she is, right? Show us the way, little womp rat. Let’s go find her!”

It didn't matter that it was getting dark. Pushing aside the guilt he felt for leaving her, he went looking for the woman that had stolen his heart, and he wouldn't rest until he found her.

← previous chapter   next chapter →

a/n: I wanted to reveal Obi-Wan later in the story, but now that the Kenobi series will be released tomorrow I chose to do it now. 🤗

Look forward to the next chapter where Din, Elora and you dear reader will learn what happened on this planet all those centuries ago.

Mando’a Translations:

haar'chak = damn it

cyare = beloved

ner kar'ta = my heart

jate ca = good night

[kkeidawrites]

That Night

Chp. 3

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Another banquet was in full swing in the next couple of days that the moon goddess had first arrived and once more the same activities from before resurfaced. The sunrays of Asgard minimized to a light hue of yellows and purples, it would soon be night.

Gods and Goddesses, Dukes, Duchesses, Lord and Ladies alike littered the alabaster halls of the banquet hall. Each one dressed to impress, all colorcoded for the theme. How can anyone have so many parties every other day? It’s exhausting to say the least. Just imagine how much the servants had to prepare in such little time, it will amaze you.

This time the party was held in the gardens, overlooking Asgard’s lavish lands of green fields. Men and women rode horseback to play games, others included themselves in a fighting ring while everyone else lounged about and talked.

The food never disappoints and it seemed to never run low. Before your head would turn away from the lavish feast, it would automatically refill itself. Everything looked beautiful, the gold trim that surrounds the white pillars and green shrubbery elongated and twisted in beautiful vines around the pillars and added a bit to the dining tables as well.

For someone who has never been to Asgard and this was their first time they would be enthralled with the beauty of this place; the gold, the alabaster stone walls, the food, the style, the attire. It was like a dream come true. Except maybe a certain, moon goddess, who thought differently.

Mawu was bored. Stupid bored in fact. She was that bored that she had brought along Irawo to the banquet to keep her entertained. And let’s not forget the God of Mischief himself to keep her company as well. How delightful.

They stood at two different tables although it didn’t help the fact that Frigga used her powers to make sure that the tables were at least facing each other and with it she spelled the tables to only allow them to walk to and from their tables.

“Three hours you two,” she told the two as her fingers flexed to allow her magic to filter from her fingertips. “The spell will break once the hours are up, until then why don’t you both talk. Get to know one another.” She gave her charming smile and left the two beings.

“‘Get to know one another’.” Mawu mocked them scoffed in annoyance as she watched Irawo hop around on the table.

Mawu saw that there was no point in trying to break the All-Mother’s spell and occupied her time playing with Irawo; Loki in the meantime was doing everything in his ability to break his mother’s spell. From time to time you would see the illuminated green light of his spells.

Mawu feeds Irawo another carrot and the chunky rabbit munches it down, greedily and wiggles his nose in Mawu’s direction, happily waiting for the next carrot to be given to him and the goddess smiles.

“Sorry, Irawo. I don’t want you to pass out on me and go into a carrot coma,” Mawu teases and the rabbit stomps his foot.

“No more carrots right now, okay?” She watches as the rabbit begins to groom his head aggressively to show that he was unhappy. Mawu shakes her head and placed a hand under chin as she watched the festivities unfold.

She couldn’t believe that she had to stand in this one spot for the next, now two hours, and not be able to move anywhere. Mawu so desperately wanted to go horseback riding, and use swords against the opposing team. Hell, even the fighting ring looked appealing. It was much more entertaining than stand here and be bored.

“Damn it.” She hears Loki sigh out in frustration and looks to her right to see the green wearing God cross his arms and lean against the table in frustration.

“Having fun over there?” Mawu teases and Loki glares at her.

“I thought we agreed to only tolerate one another until you left Asgard.” Mawu rolls her eyes and turns back to Irawo.

“You spoke to me about it. I didn’t agree to ahem, tolerate you. As long you don’t bother me I won’t bother you.” Mawu tells him and Loki grits his teeth.

Irawo turns to Loki and wiggles his nose, sniffing the air and his gold eyes noticed the carrots on Loki’s plate. He squeaks and jumps from the table making Mawu gasp.

As he landed on the grass, Irawo uses his paws to groom his face once more then used his nose to snif around the area then pounces over to Loki’s table.

“Irawo! Come back!” Mawu calls to the black bunny, who promptly ignored her and began pawing at Loki’s leg to have him pick him up.

“Heh, little mongrel.” Loki reluctantly picks up the rabbit and placed him on the table where he quickly grabbed a carrot from his plate and proceeds to eat.

Mawu sighs heavily and moved over to Loki’s table to look down at the rabbit. She placed her hands on her hips and glared, disappointed at the bunny.

“I said, ‘no more carrots’.” Mawu said and watched as the rabbit takes a lettuce and eats that just as quickly as the carrot.

“You would refuse your pet food? How cruel of you, I thought you were the Goddess of Knowledge and Wisdom, shouldn’t you know that everyone has the chance to eat?” Loki says and Mawu frowns in annoyance.

“I am trying to limit him from eating so much, he had dinner less than an hour ago and the snacks I had was his snack. Breaking him of this, won’t allow him to limit what he eats.” Mawu says trying to pick up the rabbit but, Irawo squeals and moved over to Loki, the God of Mischief barks out a laugh in victory and Mawu glared at him.

Irawo snuggles his muzzle into the God’s hands and Mawu crosses her arms.

“Fine, stay here with him then.” Mawu pouts as she returns to her table and takes a sweet bun and begins to chomp on it, annoyance written all over her features.

Loki grins triumphantly and scratches under the rabbit’s chin to have his foot stomp in pleasure of the scratches.

“Well done, little hare.” He praises the furry creature. “Well done indeed.”

The next two hours went by excruciatingly slow and Mawu breathed a sigh of relief as the feeling of restraint on her body lifted off of her.

Stretching her arms, Mawu sighed and looked to Loki’s table to see the trickster playing with Irawo. He dangled the silk rope that held his cape against his back, above Irawo as the rabbit hopped to try and grab it.

It would seem that she didn’t need to keep an eye on Irawo and Mawu hopped that Loki wouldn’t do anything to her little friend. Not sensing any ill intentions towards Irawo from Loki, Mawu made her way over to the stables where the horses were being tended to for tonight’s parties and approached a stablemate. She could see that all the horses were gone and prayed that at least one horse was still available.

“My lady we unfortunately do not have any available horses for you to use.” The young male stablemate told her and Mawu pouted a bit.

“I guess it can’t be helped-” The sound of neighing turned Mawu’s body to watch as two stablemates that could be strongmen in the circus back on Earth, hold the reigns of a large black unicorn. It tussled with the reigns it was bonded in and pulled on it to make the men stop pulling it.

The unicorn neighed in anger and stomped the ground to force the men to drag it. Mawu was amazed at how big it was and seemed drawned to the unicorn.

Mawu felt her feet move as she approached the mystical being. The stablemate watched her in perplexed fear and reached out to stop her.

“My Lady, you mustn’t approach him!” The stablemate stepped in front of her making Mawu stop and look down at the young man.

“That colt was bred by a demon horse and ever since it has been a struggle to keep it under control. It won’t let us come close to it and we have to use force in order to control it-”

“Him.”

“M-My Lady?”

Mawu glared at the young man.

“Do not call him, ‘it’ he is a strong horse and surely calling him out of his name does little to gain his trust.” Mawu says as she walks past the man and continues her travel to the two bigger men.

The one on the right holding the unicorn’s reigns turned to Mawu and fear lit up in his eyes as the Goddess continued to approach the horse, who reared back in effort to be released from his clutches.

“My Lady, please stand back! He’ll kill you!” He warned but Mawu stops and turns to the two men.

“Let him go.” Was all she said.

“But-But, My Lady-!”

“Let. Him. Go. Please.” Mawu says again, still watching the unicorn who began to huff out angry air from his large nostrils. His green and gold eyes glared at the goddess and stomped his upper left hoof in anger.

The two strongmen looked to one another and then released the reigns taking several steps back readying themselves for the horse to begin to buck and cause havoc around the stables.

The unicorn did indeed rear back on its hind legs and Mawu watched him intently, being mindful of his hooves. Once the horse returned to all fours, Mawu raised a hand out, her palm facing the horse who huffed out another angry snort.

Trotting around Mawu, the Goddess didn’t let up from her spot, her hand still out, waiting patiently. Her plan was to allow the unicorn to relax around her and let him come to her. Let him trust her in his own time.

As the unicorn calmed, he nods his head up and down, snorting the last of his anger out and trots over to Mawu. He sniffs the back of her head and then nibbles her neck, making the goddess stifle a giggle. He then moved to the left side of her face and sniffs her some more. All the while the three stablemates stared in disbelief. They have been trying to get close to the unicorn for the past two months and the moon goddess was able to allow him to get close to him in less than 30 minutes.

Mawu showed that she wasn’t a threat to the unicorn and her calming aura allowed the horse to calm him down.

The unicorn then nibbles on her raised hand then sniffs it. Taking a step back, the unicorn looks in the goddess’s eyes and sees that he was indeed not in danger and hesitantly allows his muzzle to press into her palm.

Mawu gently rubbed his muzzle then moved her other hand and scratched under his chin. The unicorn neighs in delight and moves his head closer to receive more scratches.

“What is his name?” Mawu asked her eyes still trained on the unicorn.

“H-He d-does not h-have a name.” The youngest stablemate says and the unicorn neighs softly.

“Hmm....how about Gbekele?” Mawu asked the horse who unexpectedly nodded his head, then nibbling her scratching hand.

“My-My Lady, do you p-plan on riding him?” The young man asks the goddess.

“He still does not trust me, I do not think he would let me ride him.” She says and grabs the unicorns reigns, leading him to a stall. As he approached the stable Gbekele began to trot in place, fear returning to his eyes as Mawu did her best to calm him down.

“Gbekele, please calm down,” she tells the beast but, it rears back in terror making Mawu release his reigns.

“Lady Mawu, stand back!” Her eyes cut to the left and she sees Thor and two more stablemates come rushing into the stables.

“No! Don’t come any closer!” She tells the men but, they seemed to not hear her as the four stablemates run past her and try and grab the reigns of the beast. Gbekele rears back and neighs in anger.

Mawu felt his aura become more and more confused and his anger rose tenfold.

“No, please! Don’t touch him!” She yells to the men who once again either ignored her or didn’t hear her. One man was able to grab the reigns and another grabbed the back of his bridle. The horse rears back in anger and begins bucking. The unicorn spins in a circle as he continues to buck and Mawu was unfortunately close enough to luckily miss the hooves of the horse, make her stumble on her feet and fall hitting her head on the large salt lick.

Mawu couldn’t open her eyes anymore and allowed unconsciousness to take her.

A few minutes prior to the accident...

With Loki

Growing tired of playing with the rabbit, Loki sighed and looked around the area at the many nobles. He was insanely bored and he honestly wondered where that little moon goddess went. Now that he thought about it, he never realized how beautiful she looked tonight. For someone who is undeniably insufferable, she was a beautiful woman. Loki twisted his fist under his lips and felt his cheeks flush.

Yes, he thought about her, and what of it? She was beautiful, headstrong, and she spoke of war games like a veteran. She was perfect. If anyone offered her hand in marriage she would make a great queen. He didn’t know what it was that kept making him follow wherever she went, but, he didn’t want to stop.

It was fun messing with her, and mess with her, he shall. He wasn’t named the God of Mischief for shits and giggles.

He saw she had went to the stables and decided to check there. Not wanting to leave the rabbit, he used his powers to make Irawo disappear and made his way to the stables.

As he grew closer to the stables, the sound of shouting and a horse grew louder. Something inside of Loki made him begin to feel a sense of worry in the pit of his stomach. Walking closer, a yelp of pain was heard and by the time Loki turned the corner to enter the stables his eyes widened at the scene unfolding before him.

A black unicorn was stomping his hooves in the hay based ground being held by the reins by three men and Thor and a younger man was helping up a smaller body up from the ground. Loki’s eyes looked where the body once was and his green irises noticed the blood on the salt lick and then his eyes traveled to the one person he has been looking for this evening. Mawu was cradled in his brother’s arms bleeding profusely from the head and Loki phased over to his brother’s side.

“What. Happened.” Loki gritted out as he glared at his brother.

“A stablemate came over while I was in the fighting ring and told me that Lady Mawu was in trouble. I wrangled a couple more stablemates and I saw that Lady Mawu was trying to tame the beast but, it reared back and made her hit her head on the salt lick.” Thor explains and Loki takes the goddess in his arms and gently turns her head to see the extent of damage. He then stands up, while carefully holding the goddess in his arms. Her head landed on his chest, her lips were close enough to his neck and he held in a gasp from the sensation.

“I will take her to the medical clinic,” his eyes turns to the slightly calm unicorn that huffs in Loki’s direction.

“Get rid of that beast. I don’t want to see it in any stables of Asgard.” Loki says and a green light allows the God to disappear from view.

Arriving at the medical clinic, Loki kicked the double doors and called for a physician. Not a second later, a woman in grey robes came rushing towards him and she saw the injured goddess in his arms.

“Place her here, your majesty.” She instructs, pointing to a cot and Loki carefully set Mawu down moving back to allow the physician to do her job.

Loki didn’t know what to do. How did this happen? Why did he allow this to happen? Loki moved the cloud of hair she possessed and held her cheek.

“Thankfully, her wound is not severe,” the physician says making Loki look up at her.

“I will have to monitor her for the rest of the night.” She continues and Loki nods.

“Keep me updated on her well-being.”

“Yes, your majesty.” She bows and Loki uses his powers to disappear.

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The God of Mischief slams the doors of his room open and stomps over to his bed, plopping down in anger. Why was he so angry? He didn’t even know. Or perhaps he did.

He was frustrated about seeing her that way, but, then again why did he care so much anyway? Running his hands through his inky locs, Loki sighed in irritation then used his powers to allow Irawo to reappear. The rabbit snuggles into the side of his thigh as soon as he was released then squeaks.

“Your mother is in the clinic,” he tells the rabbit and the creature tilts it head. “She was hurt. How she handled the situation was so reckless of her!” He ranted to the rabbit as the furry begins to groom his head.

“She should have realized that that beast was unruly and she goes and gets hurt anyway!” He continues as he stands up and begins pacing, ranting still.

“She’s such a insufferable, uncouth, bratty, disobliging...beautiful, caring, degnified woman.” Loki’s rant slowly turns and he returns to sitting on his bed sighing with his hands folded in his lap. Irawo squeaks and Loki casts a spell and hands the rabbit three carrots. It happily eats the treats and Loki grins wryly.

“At least you are a better listener than Thor, then again I wouldn’t go to him with my problems, he’s just as insufferable as the Goddess.” Irawo squeaks once more as if agreeing with the trickster.

“You’re right, he is much more unbearable. My mistake.” He scratches under the rabbits chin and then thinks about the well-being of the moon goddess. Hoping, praying she would be alright.

Something like this was unfamiliar for the God of Mischief but, perhaps it was finally melting his frozen heart.

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Ch. 1⬅️

Ch. 2⬅️

Here’s Chapter 3 enjoy it! Like, comment, reblog and be sure to ask me anything in the inbox.

See you guys!

[damn-stark]

The Trouble ~ Jesse Imagine

(Not my gif)

Jesse x Fem!reader

Requested by @expecto-nox “Uh..Hi? I just saw that you take TLOU 2 requests and I just wanna request if you're okay with it,only if you're okay with it. It's a Jesse x reader fic and Reader almost got bitten by an Infected and Jesse was there to save her. Can you make it angsty then fluffy? If you wanna add anything it's totally cool. Thanks for taking the time to read this if you did.”

A/N- I kind of want to do a mini series off this imagine? Like follow their journey towards Seattle and then end it when the unfortunate event that shall not be mentioned happened. What do you guys think? Would yall like to see that??

Warning- Violence, Angst, swearing, fluff

———-

“I’m still trying to wrap my head around us traveling to Seattle.” You complained to your boyfriend.

Even if you were currently halfway to said destination. With no sign of turning back.

Jesse sighed and briefly looked over his shoulder to show you his look of disapproval. “I told you that you didn’t have to come.”

“And let you come alone?” You quirked your eyebrow and showed a smug smile, “no.”

Jesse let out a small chuckle as he looked forward, “just admit it you’re jealous.”

“Jealous?” You scoffed, “no I am not. Why should I be?”

“Because we’re going to Dina.”

“So?” You question as if clueless to what he was referring to. “We’re also going to Tommy and Ellie.”

“Okay.” He nodded with an amused smile, “well just so you know you have nothing worry about.”

You smile and even if you were never going to admit it, his comment was a reassurance to your overwhelming worry. It’s not that you didn’t trust him because you did. You trusted this man with your life, but the only reason why the thought of Dina and him bugged you so much was because they dated for a long time—Even if it was on and off again. It’s just if they got back together so much it was for a reason right?

And your relationship was still so new and you really cared for him. Maybe even loved him? And maybe it was because the both of you were traveling through different states, fighting and avoiding danger from both the dead and difficult people, but that’s how you really felt and if this trip was just going to end up with them getting back together then it was really going to break your heart and make this trip just disappointing—not worthless since you did come help your best friend Ellie.

“Watcha thinkin back there?” Jesse questioned, making you pull away from your thoughts.

“Nothing...just tired.”

“Once we’re past this path we’ll set up camp and rest, okay?”

Responding with a quiet “okay” you wrapped your arms around his waist and rested your head on his shoulder, avoiding looking ahead at the continued narrowed path or to the side and looking down at the steep ledges.

Even if you never liked to because you liked to keep guard while Jesse guided the horse, it was getting hard not to drift to sleep. The slow careful pace, the sweet smell of fresh rain and sound of nothing but each other’s calm breathing surely not helping your situation. But it was also a moment that didn’t last long as you began to hear rustling from the ledge above you, making you pick up your head and your ears to perk up.

“You hear that?” You pointed out.

Jesse looked up to where the noise came from, but didn’t stop the horse, seconds later shrugging off said sound. “It’s probably nothing but some animal. Don’t worry.”

The rustling continued and this time you slowly pulled out your pistol, trying to ignore the sound of your heart beat picking up in your chest and trying real hard to focus on the noise above you.

“It’s not—” Jesse’s words were abruptly cut off as someone came tumbling down the ledge and blocked the path before you. “What the hell?” The horse lets out a loud squeal before she rises up on its hind legs, causing you to hold on tightly to Jesse as to not fall back. “Wow, wow calm down girl.”

The horse gets back on its four legs and walks back, snorting and nodding her head. Just as you were going to ask what or who fell the figure lifts up and reveals its torn clothes, blood covered mouth, and clouded dead looking eyes, letting both Jesse and you come to the realization that it was no living person but a runner.

Quickly Jesse pulls his gun out and shoots the runner directly in the head, said monster dropping dead before he could run forward.

“Told you.” You breathed, right as he was going remark more growling was heard followed by tumbling down, same as the previous runner had. This time though there was more than one and they blocked the horse from both sides, not that the horse cared as it jumped up, knocking both Jesse and you off her back, seconds later barely managing to avoid being attacked and jumping over the dead to run away.

Jesse quickly helped you to your feet, the both of you standing back to back, ignoring the pain all over your bodies from the fall and facing the dead that surrounded you.

“I count five in front of me. All runners.” You inform Jesse through heavy breaths, “I only have four bullets.”

“I count four in front of me. Theirs a clicker in the group.” He responds and just as he was going to report how many bullets he had, you avoided a swing from one of the fast approaching runners, moments later following by kicking it back into another runner and making them fall on the ground.

The other two ran towards you, growling and snapping at you, but in a swift motion you took out your machete and hacked it into one of its head, that single runner dropping whilst you shot the one behind it in the chest and then in the head killing it completely.

You quickly then focused your pistol on the other two that had now stood up and were making a beeline directly towards you. Right as you were going to shoot one, you were roughly tackled from one unsuspected clicker that tumbled down, the force of the impact taking you both down to roll off the ledge, only Jesse’s distant exclaim heard while you did so. “No!”

You kept your hands on the clickers neck as you tumbled down, having to hold it back as it kept snapping at you in attempts to bite any part of you it could. “Shit, shit!” The pain only worsened as you landed on your back on the hard muddy floor, the cuts all over your body combining with your new pains and making the clicker increasingly more violent. The thought of Jesse’s well being replacing the thought and worry for yourself.

But you knew you had to focus on the fight you had, couldn’t worry about Jesse even if that’s all you could think about now. You had to and couldn’t let the clicker get you, and now having no weapon in your hand you had to tighten your grip around its throat, before kneeing it in what you think is it’s stomach, that action giving you the opportunity to throw it back.

Without hesitating you struggled to pick yourself up, grunting in the effort. Through heavy breaths and shooting pains you searching for any weapon, smiling to yourself as you saw your machete a couple feet away. Right as you took one step forward you were pulled down by the same clicker gripping onto your ankle.

“Get off!” You growled as you tried to stretch your hand towards your machete while using your other foot to kick the clickers ugly head. “Get off—” a sharp pain shot in your leg making you bellow out loudly, making your efforts to escape falter and for the clicker to gain the upper hand and climb on top of you. The ugly sounds of its teeth clicking sounding right in your ear as it tried to bite your neck.

Again and without any other way you tried to fight it off your back as best you could, using every piece of strength you could. Right before you were able to reach the handle of your machete the repetitive annoying sound of the clicker stopped and the weight of it was completely off you. Before you could react you were turned on your back, coming face to face with Jesse.

“You’re alive. You’re alive.” Jesse repeated under his breath before offering his hand to help you up. “Are you okay?”

You nodded in agreement, trying to calm your breathing before you could verbally confirm or ask about himself. Before you could even attempt, the sharp pain on your leg reminded you that you were definitely not okay and that you had something worse then just cuts to worry about.

Hesitating to look down you exhaled deeply, briefly closing your eyes before you looked at the pained area, only and disappointingly seeing it covered in mud and blood.

“Shit.” You cursed as you sat back down and groaned from the pain.

“What’s wrong?” Jesse stressed, his eyes following your hands as you tore the new rip on your jeans. “Are you okay? Y/N?”

You swallowed thickly and blinked to meet his worried gaze, following his movements as he crouched in front of you; “I don’t know. I-I” it pained you to even say the next words or to even think of them and think of the outcome of the big what if. “I..think it bit me.”

Jesse’s eyes widened, a hand running through his hair and a deep frown appearing on his features, a terrified look replacing the one of worry.

“No. No it didn’t.” Jesse shoved your hands off your leg and ripped the jean up wider, tears prickling at the corner of his eyes as he couldn’t immediately identify your wound because of what covered it. “You can’t be bit.” He mumbled as he shrugged the backpack strap off his shoulder and searched for something inside.

“Jesse.” You tried to catch his attention but he kept frantically searching, ignoring you or tuning you out with the thoughts running through his head. “Jesse!”

Said man finally looked to you, his lips partially open and eyes glossy with tears.

You reached to cup his cheek, showing him a small smile even through your own worry. “I just want to say that the time I’ve spent traveling with you has been more than amazing. I’ve got to see and explore more than I have ever had in my life, I got to know what’s it’s like to do that with someone I like and really care for and that’s all I could ask for. Jesse I know we haven’t been dating long but the time we have—and maybe it’s because I’ve liked you before we actually dated, but regardless Jesse, I—”

“Don’t.” He cut you off, the tears you never knew he would shed or let you see rolling down his cheek, “don’t say it. Not like this, not when we don’t know if you’re bit or not. I can’t hear it if you are.”

Jesse pulled his face away from your hand and focused back on the contents inside his backpack, causing your own tears to roll down your cheeks. Only lifting his head moments later when he pulled out a half full water bottle, choosing to remain silent as he twisted off the lid and poured water on your wound, in a gentle motion rubbing the grime off it, the both of you hoping it wasn’t what you thought it was.

A soft wince escaped your lips as he did what he did, that making him let out a quiet apology as he continued with a fast beating heart. The anticipation of if you were, or if you weren’t bit making you turn your head away and focus on anything else beside the fact. Jesse feeling the same as his hand covered the awaited answer, a deep shaky exhale heard coming out his nose as he slowly pulled his hand away.

“Shit,” Jesse cursed as he fully sat down, rubbing his face with his hands and calming his fast breaths.

Not receiving the answer you wanted you peeked at your wound, a grin breaking through your lips as you saw nothing but a deep cut caused by the fall.

“It’s okay,” you shared as you threw your head back and lay on the ground, the fear you had moments ago slowly fading away. “I’m okay, I’m not bit.”

Jesse shifted around to lay next to you, the tears that once pooled his eyes no longer visible and instead replaced with content, a smile replacing his deep frown.

“You can say what you were planning to say before.” He grinned.

Turning your head to face him you matched his grin but shook your head. “You ruined the moment, I can’t say it anymore.”

“Come on say it.” Jesse urged, “it will help me feel better after the scare you gave me.”

“You did great back there, fighting those runners,” You shared. Words you knew he didn’t want to hear. “I’m proud.” You lifted your hand to ask for a high five, a action he glared at but did so anyway, to later interlace his fingers with yours and pull your hands down to the your sides.

“I’m just going to ignore you said that because you didn’t even see me fight them off.”

You shrugged and showed a cocky smile, “I still know you did great.” With your other hand you moved it to cup his cheek, moving in to give him a soft kiss, a gesture he easily returned and pulled you closer to deepen the kiss.

Later pulling away but keeping you close to stroke your cheek and express what he wanted to say before. “I’m glad you’re okay.”

You smiled and pulled him in for another kiss before pulling away and standing up—“the horse shouldn’t be far off we should find her. Seattle is still far off.”

“What about your leg? Let me stitch up your wound.”

You shook your head and began to walk, “after we find your horse.”

“Y/n.”

“Jesse.” You turn and face him, quirking your eyebrow, that letting him know that you weren’t going to accept any other suggestion.

Jesse sighs and moves past you to walk ahead just in case anymore surprises happened, choosing to stay silent and not wanting to add or question your previous conversation.

But that making it the perfect opportunity for you to bring it up. “Jesse?”

“Hmm.”

“I love you.”

Said man stops in his tracks, hiding the warm smile he had on his lips by having his back turned to you. Not failing to add a witty remark, and quoting you from before right before he could continue forward.

“You ruined the moment I can’t say it anymore.”

[revengeworld]

Meat I

Werewolf! Flip x Reader - Medieval AU

Word Count: +2.800

Warnings: A bit of Blood and slight description of Rituals, I guess

AN: This will be a six Part series. It has nothing to do with the movie and is a complete medieval AU with it’s own lore about werewolfs. I thought it might be an interesting turn on it :>

MY MASTERLIST ♥

-

Flip let out a long yawn until a small yelp escaped his throat and he let his tongue graze over his long fangs.

This Full Moon gathering would be as boring as the last and he still hated the thought that his turn would at least be two more years away.

Resting his head into his big clawed hand, his eyes were fixated on the Alpha wolves that we’re sitting near the sacrificial stone where the chosen prey would be laid out.

Flip let out a low snicker when he thought about his chosen one being displayed in front of everyone before he would sink his teeth and claws in her soft flesh before he would devour her. 

At least he would see his little meat in just mere hours when he would go down the mountain to visit her village as soon as this was all over.

Already drifting off and thinking of his chosen one, Flip’s thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a screaming and sobbing voice which made the fur in his neck stand up.

Opening his eyes he saw the young human woman being thrown onto the sacrificial stone.

Before he could even think his massive body was already moving. His claws were digging into the dirt while he sprinted down the hill and rushed in front of the person that had been laid and chained onto the stone plate.

“GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM MY MEAT!” he growled at the younger new werewolf that was now huddled on the ground, terrified of what Flip might do to him. 

Flip was standing on his hind legs, in his full height, he was terrifying even for his own kind. 

“Flip, do you want to claim this human as yours?” one of the elders asked the raging werewolf.

“You know what that would mean, you would need to fight one of your own for it.”

“She is mine!” he growled back, drool dripping from his fangs while his eyes had not left the trembling younger wolf.

Everyone knew that he had picked her for his next turn. And normally the other wolves respected someone’s choice and left the chosen human alone, but this rookie had no ideas of their traditions and rules yet.

“I will rip him apart if I have to!” he warned but before the elder could even reply to that the young wolf was already yelping.

“I didn’t know! You can have her! I don’t want a fight!” it whimpered, his tail hiding between his legs.

Letting out a furious huff, Flip landed with his front paws back on the ground with a rumble, to scare the rookie just a bit more so they ran back into the crowd of wolves who snickered and howled, but he didn’t care about their mocking.

With a deep growl, he looked over his shoulder where the young woman was still sobbing and whimpering in fear of what might happen to her.

Taking the heavy chains into his mouth he bit with ease through them to free his scared human.

“Come, little meat.” he whispered and carefully wrapped his strong arms around her body, highly aware not to hurt her with his sharp claws, while she held onto his furry shoulders for support.

“Your turn will be given to the one you … defeated.”

“So be it. I have what I wanted.” he growled back at the elders while he pushed his way through the crowd of wolves who had expected a glorious blood bath while Flip would devour her, but instead, he vanished with her in his arms into the dark cold forest.

Ignoring the taunting calls behind his back he continued along the path towards the caves. Flip could feel her trembling hands dig into his fur while her sobbing echoed against the cold stone walls of the cave entrance.

Slowly lowering his gaze his eyes met hers even though she wasn’t able to look at him. Thanks to the curse she would now be blind, especially since another wolf had cursed her and he couldn’t have done it himself. Now, her normal gorgeous eyes were just completely white.

Nuzzling with his snout against her cold cheek, she flinched slightly and let out a scared whimper.

“Don’t worry, little meat. I would never harm you.” gently nibbling on her ear, Flip barely could hold back his excitement.

Yes, he had desperately waited over a year to eat and devour her until now. But finally being able to see her this up close and admire every little thing about her complexion, this thought seemed ridiculous! He wanted to keep her, just for himself. His little meat, now and forever.

Carefully squeezing through a tighter gap, they had finally made it underground, to the city of the wolves.

For hundreds of years, they had lived down here, hidden away from the humans that tried to hunt them down until the wolves knew how to fight back with the curse that they were now controlling them with. Thinning them out overtime to get the upper hand.

Suddenly feeling her little fingers dig deeper into his fur he looked down at her curious face that had turned to the light of the city.

Y/N could barely make out the light glimmer in the constant darkness that she had to endure now.

Listening closer to the heavy footsteps, she could tell that he was still walking on a stony path, but the rustling wind through the leaves was missing in the background and she could hear no other animals or the river that was so close before.

“Wh...where are you bringing me?” her voice just a whisper, but still strong.

“Home, Meat. Our home.” pushing the wooden door of his house open with his broad shoulder, he looked around his simple home.

It was not really suited for a human, but he would make due in time to provide a better place for her, but now he needed to concentrate. There was not much time left and he needed to act fast.

The full moon was rising and he could feel his powers weaken already.

Gently letting her down on her feet, Flip laid one of his big paws under her chin before he let his soft tongue graze over her face.

“Don’t cry, meat. We’re home now.” she just whimpered at his words while scrunching up her face since he kept licking over her warm cheeks.

Turning her head with one hand, Flip lifted his other to rip open the collar of her dress to expose her chest and let his claw run over her collarbone. She screamed in pain while he carved his sigil into her feverish warm skin before he gently licked over the fresh wound, tasting her sweet sweet blood while she tried to push him away from her.

“What did you do to me?!”

“Marked you as mine, of course.” he answered as if it was the most obvious thing in this world while he looked satisfied down at his sign on her that had instantly healed, but for Y/N nothing was clear. Just this morning when she was about to start her work, out of the corner of her eyes she had seen a red streak smeared across their front door before everything around her suddenly went dark and she could hear her Father screaming, even sobbing while he repeatedly mumbled an apology.

She had known what that meant, but not that it really happened to her after all these stories of the sacrifices to the deities in the forest, it seemed so surreal.

When she was brought into the forest to be left behind, she could hear the little river nearby while they had carried her. Could listen to the leaves crunching under their feet than she had nothing else to trust any more than her ears since her sight was stolen from her.

Barely being able to make out two glimmers from the torches the man had pierced into the ground, she was just waiting in her darkness, listening to anything, the rustling of the leaves when the wind was moving them, the cry of a deer before she could hear it run through a puddle until…. There right in front of her, Y/N could hear multiple footsteps coming quickly closer to her.

The next thing she knew was that something was laid around each of her wrists and ankles before she was grabbed and dragged away until they threw her on something hard and a loud howl rumbled in her ears while she tried to fight whoever was trying to chain her down.

And now she was blind and helpless with a monster claiming her as his own.

Monsters … not spirits of the forest that they worshipped, monsters that ate them instead of allowing them to bring them into a better world. She wanted to cry and scream, furious at herself that she had believed the lies of her village, now it made so much more sense that her Father had cried and apologized. He hadn’t cried out of happiness that she had been chosen. He had cried because he would lose her forever.

“What exactly are you … no God that is for sure...” running with her hands over her ripped clothes she noticed that he had at least left her undergarment in one piece until her fingers brushed over the new scar that he had created. His ‘mark’ as he had stated.

Suddenly feeling his gigantic hand cup her own Y/N suddenly felt his soft tongue graze over her palm before he placed it onto his own snout.

“You can find out, my little meat.”

“I have a name!” she huffed angrily and still her hands were gently wandering over his face. Flip wanted to close his eyes and enjoy every little bit of her soft touch but he just couldn’t take his eyes off her.

Her brows had furrowed in concentration while her hands wandered over his face. A long snout like that of a dog… no like that of a wolf, just much bigger.

“Careful around the teeth, Meat.” Flip growled with a snicker and opened his mouth a little.

She could feel his slobber drip onto her wrist while she felt the gigantic teeth in his mouth. Swallowing hard, even though she knew that he could just bite her hands off right now, she couldn’t stop her fascination and kept exploring and Flip could see that curiosity.

But time was cut short for him, he nuzzled his head closer against hers until her back was pushed against the wall and she was caught in a warm hug, feeling his hot breath fan against her skin.

The Fullmoon was up and he couldn’t fight it any longer. When his heavy body slumped slightly down onto Y/N, she started to whimper again shortly before crying again while he started to grunt and growl into her ear.

Being pressed between this gigantic beast and the cold wall in her back, Y/N started to panic. Would he eat her now? Would this be the end of her life?

Trying to push him away, she suddenly grabbed both of his ears which made him yelp while they seemed to change in her hands.

The heavyweight on top of her body seemed to get lighter while his growling turned into heavy strained breathing, even the deep rumbling tone in his voice got softer. 

Suddenly instead of the fluffy ears, Y/N had felt earlier, she could now feel that they had slowly shifted in a mix of pointy fluffy ears and when she slowly let her fingers brush down she could feel the almost human ears until she suddenly felt plum lips kiss over her neck while she heard an excited snicker in her ear.

“Finally you’re mine, little meat.”

Hearing that voice again, without the deep distorted undertone, Y/N suddenly could see a dark-haired man in front of her inner eye … a wanderer who came once a month to buy her meat pastries at the butchery from her Father.

Immediately she pushed the man away and let her hands run through the long black locks before she brushed gentle but hectically over his face. The big crooked nose and those plum lips her friends had admired from afar and had so often teased her that the stranger only came here for her and not really the pastries he purchased.

Anger was bubbling up in her chest before she pushed the other away while accidentally scratching his cheek.

He growled in surprise and instinctively grabbed her wrist to pull her closer again to just staring into her furious but beautiful face.

“Feisty aren’t we, Meat?” he snickered again and she just glared in his direction since she couldn’t look at him directly.

“I have a name, you godforsaken monster!” she hissed back at him, but Flip only smiled. He loved this fire inside of her, she had never backed down from a confrontation, even once as long as he had watched her. The boys in her village who tried to tease her for being the butcher’s daughter and got a good whack with a broom.

“A Monster, huh? You wouldn’t be wrong with that, Meat.”

“My names Y/N!” shoving him away a second time, she grabbed her ripped dress tightly, trying to stay covered.

“A wonderful name… but I like my nickname more, Meat.” pressing a gentle kiss against her cheek, she quickly flinched away from him.

“Wait here, I got something for you.” turning away for a moment he quickly turned back to Y/N who was stretching her arms out to search for a point she could orient herself on.

With his big hand, Flip softly cupped one of hers and led her towards a table and small chair that he had in his bare house. Since he only transformed into a human once a month he didn’t need much to live like one, but now that he would have Y/N in his care, much earlier than he had expected he needed to think of a way to provide for her.

When she was sitting on the chair, still trying to cover herself while her blind eyes were staring into the emptiness, he made his way to the bed of hay that he used to sleep on and searched through the pile of clothes next to it. First, he clothed himself, knowing that humans didn’t like it when others were running around naked before he pulled out a small box that he had carefully put away.

Opening the lid, he looked down on the red soft fabric of a cloak.

Flip pushed himself off the ground before returning to Y/N who was quietly sitting on the chair he had left her on.

“Here, this is for you.” he whispered into her ear, before she could feel his lips against her temple again before she could pull her head away and suddenly felt something warm and soft laying on her legs.

She loosened one hand from the ripped collar of her dress before she carefully let her palm brush over the red cloak.

“W… what is it?”

“A cloak! The red cloak you wanted!” Flip immediately stated excited while kneeling down next to her, knowing how often she had talked about it with her friends but how it was always too expensive for her.

With an excited smile, he looked up into her face but there was not the happy expression he had expected.

The cloak was thrown back at him and he quickly pulled it away from his face.

“What is wrong with you?!” she screamed at him.

“You wanted to eat me and suddenly you even have a present? What were you even thinking?!”

“I …. I thought it would’ve comforted you … before-”

“Before I would’ve got eaten by a monster!? You must’ve lost your mind!” standing back on her feet, she wanted to leave, Y/N just wanted to get away from this maniac.

But immediately when she took her first step, she stumbled against the table in front of her before she tried to evade it but only stumbled over the hem of her own dress and landed back into the big and strong arms of this monster that she couldn’t even see.

“Do you think leaving is such a smart idea right now? You would get lost as soon as you would set foot back into the forest and either starve or freeze to death, my little meat.”

It was true, she was helpless now that she was blind, but staying here? What life would that even be. Being the pet of this … this thing?

Shaking her head, another tear rolled down her heated face.

“Don’t worry, meat. I will take the best care of you.” nuzzling his head against her, she let out another devastated sob.

[zarcake-writes]

Zaxos

This story features an alien lizard and a female scientist tasked with studying him. 

Warnings: lemon mentions (nothing too graphic)

The base is so quiet and empty that it’s unsettling. Most of the scientists, assistants, and clerks went home hours ago. The only people who are still around are either asleep on their desks or too engrossed in their work to notice anyone. The armed guards stand at attention in the hallways and specific doors, looking as intimidating as always. A closer inspection, however, reveals that many of them have zoned out or are falling asleep standing up.

During the day, the base is abuzz with life. The hallways are filled with people coming and going. Most of the doors are opened, revealing labs and people at work. Voices echo along the halls, the intercom goes off regularly, and people are eager to speak with each other.

At night the base is the complete opposite. Being here at night has always freaked you out. The combination of long, empty hallways and artificial lights remind you of a bad horror movie.

Exhaustion tugs at you, your eyes hurt from reading files all day, your hand is stiff from writing, and your lower back aches from sitting on an uncomfortable chair all day. There’s a smudge on your glasses, but the papers and files in your hands prevent you from cleaning them.

A quick right and you end up down another hall. This one is short and at the end stands two armed guards. Unlike most of the other sleepy guards on base, these two are alert and ready. With stern faces, clenched jaws, and narrowed eyes, they take you in.

While both of them are intimidating, you know the older guard. His eyes are dark and there’s a bit of white in his stubble. While he’s still on alert, there’s an amused look in his eyes and the beginning of a smile on his face. The other guard, well, you don’t like him. He’s younger, with eyes so pale they border on the unnatural. He reminds you of a bully, always glaring down at you and never speaking.

“I have clearance for this area. Doctor Miller has requested these papers to be placed on his desk,” you said. A quick flash of your badge reveals you have level five clearance.

The older guard with dark eyes takes the badge and pretends to examine it closely. He does this every time you show it to him. “A bit late for leaving papers on desks, isn’t it?” While his face is stern, he sounds almost teasing.

You scoff. “Nothing is ever too late for Doctor Miller. The man called me once, at three in the morning, asking me about some a report from two years before. When I told him how late it was, he was surprised. The man never sleeps, and in turn, neither do his assistants.”

The guard with dark eyes laughs and nods his head. “That sounds like Doctor Miller.”

“Knowing him, this simple delivery will turn into me inputting numbers and triple checking data. My luck, I’ll be here all night.”

The dark-eyed guard gives you a sympathetic look and motions for the other guard to open the door. The pale-eyed guard opens the door, his eyes never leave you, and his glare deepens. You do your best to ignore the unpleasant prickling feeling on the back of your neck.

“Well, hopefully, you’ll be out of there soon,” the dark-eyed guard said.

“Let’s hope.”

You nod politely and walk through the door. The feeling of being watched doesn’t leave you until the metal door shuts behind you with an audible click. Something about that pale-eyed guard makes you nervous. The hairs on the back of your neck always stand on end, and your gut tells you to avoid him at all costs.

It can mean anything, right? While he comes across as a dick, he’s just a normal person. All the guards on base are normal people, sure some of them are assholes, but they’re like you. Humans stuck working on this base, not knowing what truly goes on here. That’s one thing everyone on base has in common. No one knows what truly happens on this base or what secrets are hidden away behind locked metal doors. There are whispers and rumors of things that happen, deaths that are ruled as accidents, and disappearances that are ignored.

Dark-eyed guard and pale-eyed guard probably don’t even know about the creature that lies behind the door they guard. They probably have no idea how deep this base truly goes. The twisting tunnels and strange creatures hidden behind metal doors are unknown to them. If you’re being honest, even you don’t know what truly happens here. There are doors and areas of the base that you can’t access. Your level five clearance is nothing.

Some of these places Doctor Miller can’t even access. His clearance is way above yours, and he’s been working here for over two decades. But even he can't access every part of this base.

Doctor Miller told you once that this base is larger than anyone thinks. He mentioned the winding tunnels, secret experiments, strange objects, and creatures that people can only imagine. While he insisted that he can’t tell you everything, he did mention a massacre that occurred a few years back on one of the lower levels. That level has remained locked ever since. No one can get in there and nothing can get out.

After hearing the story, you wonder if something like that would happen on this floor. It’s possible. You only know one of the creatures that reside on this floor. He’s docile and friendly with you, but who knows what else lurks behind locked doors. That thought sends a shiver down your spine.

Arriving at the end of the hall, your thoughts come to a halt. The door, like the others, is metal and locked with a keycard and hand scanner. You think there should be more security. Not just to protect the people on base, but to protect what is inside.

Once the card is swiped and your hand in scanned, the door unlocks and slides open.

The room is large, filled with computers, lab equipment, and a handful of desks. The only source of light in the room comes from a couple of computers in rest mode and two overhead lights. At the far end of the room is a large glass wall.

You enter the room, lazily dropping the stack of papers and files onto your desk. The papers aren’t important. No one asked you to drop off any late files or anything. They were just a guise to get into the room without the guards asking too many questions or getting suspicious. Rumors are spreading and new people are showing up at the base, so it’s important to cover your tracks.

As you approach the glass wall, you can see dark shapes behind the wall and hear the sound of running water. A flip of a switch and the lights beyond the glass turn on, revealing the glass wall is a giant aquarium. Within is a jungle of giant green plants and winding vines. A single large tree sits in the center. There’s a small waterfall in the corner that feeds into a pond. The water is recycled, maintained at a specific temperature and acidity.

You knock, three times, on the glass. For a moment, nothing happens. The small jungle is still, the only sounds you can hear is the running water and thrum of machines behind you. Then, the plants to your right begin the shake and tremble, and a hulking shape emerges on all fours.

Your mouth goes dry and your heart speeds up at the sight of the lizard-like creature. He reminds you of a cross between a Komodo Dragon and Bearded Dragon. He has a long snout, but his cheeks are covered in numerous spines. There are many more spines of various length scattered along his upper back. The creature's skin is a dark red, while the spines are a beautiful shade of turquoise. His eyes are a darker shade of turquoise. His mouth hangs open, revealing sharp teeth and a long dark tongue. He’s so beautiful, you think.

“Zaxos,” you said with a smile.

The large lizard stands on its hind legs and approaches the glass. His tail swings behind his body lazily and his front arms hang at his side. When the creature speaks, his voice is deep and gravely. “Human. It’s a bit late to be here, isn’t it?”

“Y-yes. I just wanted to see you and explain why I wasn’t here earlier. Doctor Miller had me rewriting all of our files by hand today.”

Zaxos’ eyes soften and he settles down on his stomach. His head rests against his front clawed-feet while his tail wraps around his body. “He told me.”

You nod. “You ate?”

“Yes. Doctor Miller brought me something called tuna. It was quite good.”

“Good. Tomorrow, want me to bring you some mangos?”

Zaxos’ eyes grow wide and he nods. “Yes.”

“Alright. Would you like me to get anything for you before I leave?”

“Do you have to go now?”

“No, I told the guards I might be here late. I used Doctor Miller as an excuse.”

Zaxos snorts and sits up. “Can you come in here?”

You smile and nod. The door to enter Zaxos’ glass cage is sealed with a code that only the lead scientist is supposed to know. Doctor Miller gave it to you when he saw how close Zaxos and you were. You had to swear to never reveal you know the code, no matter what happens.

Once the code is punched in, you kick off your shoes and socks, cuff your pants and enter the large aquarium. The air inside is warm and humid, the ground beneath your feet is damp and warm. Zaxos has not moved from his position. He watches you, turquoise eyes narrowed and tail twitching.

When you reach him, he lifts his head from his front legs. When standing, Zaxos towers over you, but in his current position, his head reaches just below your breasts. He rubs his face against your stomach, inhaling and growling. You touch his face; fingers graze the scales and small spines that adorn his face.

“Can I hold you?” he asked.

“You have muddy claws.”

“So?”

“You’ll get mud on my lab coat.”

“So? It’s just mud.”

“Yeah, mud that the guards and others will see.”

Zaxos huffs and looks up at you. “Take off the coat.”

“If I take off my coat, you’ll want all my clothes off. And need I remind you what happened last time?”

Zaxos groans and hides his face in your shirt.

The memory of what happened is still fresh. Zaxos was curious about human bodies, specifically about what human clothes hide, and asked to see you naked. It started innocently, you pointing to your body parts and telling him what they were for. Zaxos listened and watched with a child-like curiosity, nodding at your explanations. However, that changed when you pointed between your legs.

You explained where your vagina and urethra were and the difference between the two. That got Zaxos’ attention and he started asking more questions about human sexuality and mating. You are a scientist, so you explained it to him in a very clinical way. It wasn’t until he stepped closer and nuzzled the dark curls between your legs, inhaling deeply, did you realize he was aroused.

His eyes were hazy, he was panting and drooling. His body shifted, and between his legs, you could see a partially swollen and leaking slit. The tip of what you assumed was his penis was poking out. Zaxos snapped out of his haze when you gasped and moved away, face on fire. He was shocked and embarrassed, apologized, then hid in the bushes.

Looking back, the situation is a bit amusing. But at the time, it freaked you out. You haven’t been with anyone in a very long time. It’s been several years since your last sexual encounter; not like you were telling everyone that. Cuddling only happens with your pillows. And holding hands doesn’t count if it’s with yourself. So, learning that this overgrown lizard can be sexually aroused by you, well it was a huge shock.

“I didn’t mean for that to happen or to upset you,” he grumbles.

“You didn’t upset me; I was just… surprised.”

Zaxos rumbles low in his throat and looks up at you. “You were scared. Could smell it on you.”

A heavy sigh leaves you. Not only were you scared, but you were also turned on. But you can’t tell Zaxos that. “I was a bit, yes.”

“Don’t want you to be scared of me. Never you.”

“I know. I’m sorry I acted that way. I have no reason to be afraid of you. You’re the sweetest lizard around.”

“Not a lizard.”

“Right, not a lizard. A Volkodan from a faraway planet that crashed here on Earth. My apologies.”

Zaxos sits on his back legs and nuzzles your face, his tongue runs along your cheek. You giggle at the rough feel and the heat of his breath. He rumbles, low in his chest; his claws twitch in a desire to hold you against his body.

Zaxos, the sweet alien lizard, has been stuck in this base for almost a decade. When he was brought into the base, snarling and fighting, Doctor Miller took over as the lead scientist. It took a while, but Miller managed to get on his good side.

You’ve only been working with Miller, and in turn Zaxos, for a year and a half. You still remember the first time you saw Zaxos. He was terrifying, so tall and broad, all sharp edges and even sharper teeth. But there was no denying his beauty. He took to you almost instantly, and you took to him. For the longest time, his eyes followed you every time you entered the lab. It took a few months before he was talking to you, and by the sixth month, you were entering his habitat.

As far as you know, Zaxos is the only extraterrestrial on base. You read old reports about other creatures that fell through portals. The descriptions were usually redacted or were purposely vague. But you imagined horned demons and monsters. Other reports tell of objects that reveal things that hide in the shadows. But there were no other reports of aliens.

“Human,” Zaxos said.

“Yes?”

“You always smell so good.” Zaxos’ nose rubs against your neck, he inhales and growls at your scent. His mouth parts, his breath is hot against your skin. A shiver runs down your spine when his tongue laps at the base of your throat.

“Zaxos,” you whimpered.

One of Zaxos’ clawed hands settles on your back; his claws grip the back of your lab coat. “Hmm. My soft human always smells so sweet. Know you’ll taste sweeter.”

A whimper escapes you. Zaxos growls at the noise and continues to lick your neck. Your legs shake and your heart pounds in your chest. His tongue, so rough and long, sends your body into a tizzy; there’s slick gathering in your panties and you're trembling in his grasp.

In a desperate attempt to stay upright, you cling to Zaxos’ broad shoulders. His second-hand settles on your waist, and he pulls you into his lap. His tongue glides down your neck and over your collar bones, his teeth graze your soft skin. The intimacy of the situation has you shaking and whimpering, eyes fluttering shut and heart pounding in your ears. His clawed hand slides up your back, while the hand on your hip tightens. A rumble comes from Zaxos and you whimper in response.

It’s been so long since someone’s held you. The last intimate encounter you had was not bad, but it wasn’t anything to write home about. And it happened several years ago. But Zaxos, he’s barely done anything to you and you’re already a puddle in his hands. His touch, his entire presence, does something to you that you can’t explain. No human, man or woman, has ever made you feel like this.

Zaxos, despite his appearance, is treating you gently. The licking and slight graze of his teeth are arousing in the gentlest of ways. His hands that can easily rip apart anything, are soothing as they hold you. When he rumbles and growls, you swear it’s like a thunderstorm in his chest. Who knew, that the sound of thunder can be soothing. And his massive body, hard and sharp, is comforting. He’s solid and safe.

The realization takes the breath from your lungs and your eyes tear up. He’s safe. You’re safe with him.

“Zaxos.”

He pulls away and studies you face. His eyes narrow when he sees a tear slide down your cheek. With a clawed finger, Zaxos gathers the tear. He looks worried, so scared, you almost sob on the spot.

“It’s ok. I’m just a little emotional right now,” you said quickly.

Zaxos does not look convinced. “Did I hurt you?”

“No, no you didn’t. I… it’s been a long time since someone’s touched me or done anything in that way, and it’s a bit overwhelming.”

“Does my touch… bother you?”

“No. I really enjoy it, maybe a bit too much.”

Zaxos rumbles and nods. “I can smell it. Your body is responsive to me, but I wanted to make sure that you are comfortable. I am pleased you enjoy my touch.”

“And your tongue.”

Zaxos laughs, low and deep. “And my tongue.”

You leave an hour later. It was a challenge getting off of his lap, his whines and grumbles broke your heart. Plus, he was so safe and solid, you didn’t want to leave him. But the clock was ticking and it was getting later. While staying the night wouldn’t raise any eyebrows, you have to get home. A shower and a proper night’s rest are needed.

Zaxos walks you to the door of his cage and watches with sad eyes as you put on your shoes and fix your pants. You take off your lab coat, frown at the dirt and slight rips, but lay it over your arm.

“Zaxos.”

“Human.”

“I’ll be back tomorrow evening, ok? You, be good.”

“I’m always good.”

“I know.”

You lean forward and press a kiss to Zaxos’ snout. His eyes go wide for a moment, but they flutter shut and a low rumble comes from his chest. His eyes are hazy when you pull away, and you know he’s going to pull you back in, but the door slides shut. The lights turn off, but through the darkness of the cage, you can see Zaxos’ figure.

As you leave the lab, you can feel his eyes on you. There’s a pang in your chest and your eyes grow wet. You hate that he has to live in that cage, you want to take him home, but you know that is impossible. There’s no way to get him out of this lab, and even if you did, what would you do with him? Have him hide in your house?

The safest place for Zaxos is the aquarium he’s currently sitting in. And that thought, that thought breaks your heart even more.

[signs-of-the-moon]

Moon Rise: Chapter 51

Sunhigh the following day was fast approaching. Warriors were gathered in the clearing, feasting upon freshly caught prey. Hardly a whisper was passed among them; tension heavy in the air. Swiftcloud sat between her mates Shadowfang and Mistyleaf, sharing a rabbit. To say she was nervous was an understatement. Today would be the deciding factor on who would keep the rights to the Forest Patch. A prime hunting area, especially in Leafbare, at least for Grassclan. If they were to lose today, the clan would suffer greatly. And if they were to win? Though they would gain more territory, it could potentially cost more lives. Every cat would be giving their all today, as evident of the sheer amount of cats joining the patrol. Every capable warrior was going to fight; queens, and apprentices included. How many of these cats would Swiftcloud be seeing for the last time? How many more would come home bloodied and broken over a petty feud?

She glanced over at Shadowfang. His expression was serious, gaze distance as he chewed a piece from their shared prey. Swiftcloud wondered what he might be thinking about.

Her attention shifted to her left to focus on Mistyleaf. She was pressed completely against Swiftcloud, tail-tip twitching nervously. She seemed to be mumbling herbs names and their uses under her breath. She'd barely touched any of the rabbit. Swiftcloud felt bad for her. Normally Mistyleaf would stay behind in camp during raids with Goldensong. Today though, Whitestar had ordered her to assist Snowfrost on the front lines. Swiftcloud worried most for them. Though it was against clan law to harm or kill a medicine cat, it would be easy to mistake an idle healer as an enemy warrior. In the heat of battle, a warrior doesn't usually waste time considering who's who among their opponents. They attack first, ask questions later. If Treeclan's warriors were careless, they could easily slay Mistyleaf or Snowfrost. That frightened Swiftcloud to her core. Silently she swore to herself that she would be keeping an eye on her medicine cat mate as she fought with all her might against cats who might dare threaten her life. And with Shadowfang at her side, Swiftcloud could be sure her other mate would be protected.

Whitestar called out from atop the Tall stone. At once, every cat turned their attention onto her. "Sunhigh approaches. Our greatest battle begins now. Stand strong, my warriors. Stay close to your partners, and look out for one another. We are strong. Together, we shall defeat Treeclan and claim our victory!"

"Grassclan!" Chicorynose caterwauled loudly, encouraging her clan.

"Grassclan! Grassclan! Grassclan!" Everyone cheered along, standing as one unit and walking to the bramble tunnel. One by one Grassclan's warriors and apprentices slipped out into the meadow, bounding over many hills and across the Twoleg bridge. Not a whisper passed among them, not even a whimper or a growl. Every cat remained poised and ready for a fight. Their muscles were tight, strengthened by the previous day's training. Everyone looked confident in their collective mission. Even Swiftcloud felt assured, though her usual anxiousness still hung at the back of her mind. It's an honor to serve my clan. Even if I die today, I know I'll do so aiding in our victory. Swiftcloud glanced at her clanmates surrounding her, feeling a smile pull at her lips. Despite the looming danger they were about to face, she felt safe here among the clan. Like this was where she was meant to be.

As they came upon the Forest Patch, Grassclan's movements began to slow. Cats drew closer to one another; partner finding partner. Eventually, they formed a line, standing perfectly along the border as they waited for their enemy to arrive. Most turned their sights towards the treetops. Swiftcloud, however, kept her line of sight forward. A few tense heartbeats passed before she began to hear the thudding pawsteps of many cats approaching.

"Look," she breathed, gaining the clan's attention. All eyes fell back upon the border as a row of bulky warriors approached. Swiftcloud felt herself tense in Treeclan's presence, her legs beginning to tremble from anticipation. The moment they'd all been waiting for had finally dawned upon them. The war would end today. Right here. Right now.

This is what being a warriors is about. We can do this. Grassclan is the greatest clan among the Land's Star. Today, we will prove that.

"Whitestar," Blazestar called out as he made his way out in front of his clan. "This is your last chance to surrender the Forest Patch peacefully. Admit your defeat; apologize for your clan's wrongdoings, and go home quietly. There is no need for battle this day."

Whitestar stepped up, standing face to face with her fellow leader. Their noses were only a mouse-length apart, eyes locked upon one another. There was an air of seriousness surrounding Whitestar this day; an anger the likes of which Swiftcloud had never seen the she-cat possess before.

"Normally, I would agree with you, Blazestar. But that is not the way of a warrior. Too many of my clan have died at the paws of yours unnecessarily. We've come not only for the forest, but to avenge our fallen. And to restore our honor. Grassclan is a nobel clan. We've not done the things you have accused of us for so many moons. Today, we prove that. Not with words, but with tooth and claw. After all, it seems that's all Treeclan understands anymore."

Blazestar's ears drew back, his teeth baring with a snarl. "Then suffer for your choice....Treeclan, attack!"

Treeclan's warriors launched themselves forward at the leader's call, pelts bristling, fury lighting their eyes.

"Grassclan!" Whitestar cried, flicking her tail. At once the clan surged from behind her, countering the enemy across the border. Battle cries and caterwauls rang out like thunder as claws met fur and teeth met skin.

Swiftcloud and Shadowfang joined their clanmates in the brawl, each taking on a warrior double their size. Shadowfang had himself latched to the shoulders of Galestorm, a large gray she-cat with a bad attitude. While Swiftcloud found herself coming to blows with Smokecloud. She tried her best not to harm the tom too severely--they were friends after all--but she still needed to wound him enough to send him fleeing. She threw front paw blows left and right at his face, scratching at his nose and eyes in order to make him flinch. Smokecloud yowled, raising his own paws to blindly flail at the smaller she-cat. One good smack in the jaw sent Swiftcloud reeling backwards. A metallic taste caught on her tongue as she swiped it along her lips. Smokecloud had managed to cut her good. Swiftcloud growled, throwing herself onto the bulky tom to bite at his scruff. She sunk her teeth into his thick pelt, holding until she felt them meet delicate flesh.

"Let go!" Smokecloud coughed as she pulled on him.

Swiftcloud growled at the smokey tom in response, shaking herself violently to rough him up some more until she heard him begin to whimper. Smokecloud backed away as soon as he was let go, turning tail to flee.

"Don't let him get away that easy!" Shadowfang told her. Swiftcloud gave an agreeing nod, pursuing the fluffy smoke tom through the forest. As they ran, Swiftcloud could see more and more of her clanmates driving the enemy towards the Thunder Path, where Grassclan hoped to set the new border. If we can drive Treeclan out from that point, we can solidify our claim on the Forest Patch.

Swiftcloud let out a yowl, slamming her flank into Smokecloud's to push him closer to the black stone river. Smokecloud collapsed just by the edge, his sides heaving with effort. Swiftcloud let out one last snarl before the tom rushed across to the other side, finally safe from the Grassclan warrior's wrath deep in the forest beyond the battlefield. Swiftcloud watched in his direction for a moment more before turning tail, rejoining Shadowfang as he too chased his opponent across the Thunder Path.

"How's Mistyleaf?" Swiftcloud asked as she stood beside him, taking this brief moment to catch her breath.

"She's doing good. Last I saw, she was by our border still. Frostfeather was with her," Shadowfang replied, tearing some fur out from his front claws.

"Not Snowfrost?"

"I think she might be out somewhere on the battlefield, healing wounds. I'm sure she's alright though. Don't worry. Let's get back out there, yeah?"

Swiftcloud wasn't worried about Snowfrost being hurt. What she was more concerned about was the medicine cat using this battle as an opportunity to kill again. The thought was overwhelming. But Swiftcloud forced herself to push the fear aside for the time being.

"Yeah," she agreed as she flanked her mate. The two pelted away from the Thunder Path, seeking new opponents to prey on. Around them, the battle raged on. Tensions were high and every cat was giving their all.

Slugsnout and Snailear were fighting against Treeclan senior warriors, Robinspots and Flamepath. The brothers passed their opponents off to each other, tearing their pelts before switching enemies again. Pansypaw fended off Scarletpaw, while Tulippaw cleaned a wound on her flank that had gotten dirty. The brown and white she-cat turned a heartbeat later, knocking the Treeclan apprentice onto her side to relieve Pansypaw from her fight.

A bear-length off, Tigerfang was crouched beneath Wolfheart, pressed down by the larger warrior's weight. With a hard kick of his back leg, the dark brown tabby managed to knock the Treeclan deputy off of him. Wolfheart staggered backwards, catching himself just before Tigerfang turned, lunging for his enemy. Wolfheart rose up on his hind paws to meet him, catching the Grassclan warrior as he came crashing into his body.

Swiftcloud turned her head, spotting Whitestar just a short way off. She was wrestling Blazestar on the ground, trying to get the upper paw against him. The two leaders rolled over one another, shredding fur and drawing blood. Out of the corner of her eye, Swiftcloud saw Blazestar raise a paw with claws outstretched. They glinted white in the light of the setting sun just as they swung back down, straight across Whitestar's throat.

"No!" Swiftcloud cried, wrenching herself in the direction of her leader.

Shadowfang held her back by her scruff. "Whitestar will be fine! This is what Starclan has given her nine lives for. We need to keep ourselves focused," he reasoned.

Swiftcloud trembled in place, watching her leader's still form for a heartbeat until she saw her start to breathe and move once more. Blazestar was waiting for Whitestar to revive from losing a life, but made no move to attack until he was sure she had recovered. Swiftcloud relaxed slightly, if only because she knew now that Treeclan's leader would fight fairly. She turned to Shadowfang and gave him a nod, following him once again into the throng of cats around them.

Swiftcloud spotted Sunflower in the crowd closer to the Grassclan border, thrashing the inexperienced apprentice, Lightpaw, against a tree. Though she was large for an apprentice, inheriting her size from Whitestar, it was clear she barely knew what she was doing. Lightpaw should be facing another apprentice, not a seasoned warrior. Anger surged through Swiftcloud, forcing her to pull away from Shadowfang once again. She launched herself at Sunflower blindly, swiping at his muzzle to knock him off her clanmate. Lightpaw stared at Swiftcloud in awe.

"Take her to see Mistyleaf!" Swiftcloud commanded her mate as she fended off the enemy tom. Shadowfang gave a nod, helping Lightpaw limp across the border in search of the medicine cat.

Sunflower snarled at Swiftcloud, fangs bared as he tried biting her limbs. Swiftcloud maneuvered away from the tom, arching her back, challenging him to come face a real warrior. Sunflower did not move. He merely stared, eyes dark. A smirk pulled up the corners of his mouth, leaving Swiftcloud confused.

"Watch out!" A cat yowled from behind her. Swiftcloud whipped around, ears flattening against her head as she saw the large body of Tigerlily leaping down at her from above. Rabbitstorm jumped out to intercept her midair, knocking Tigerlily onto her flank with a loud and painful thud. The large tabby and white she-cat yowled up at him wildly as Rabbitstorm reeled back a paw to strike her.

"Fox-dung!" Sunflower cursed. Swiftcloud whipped back around to face him once more. The tom hissed at her, throwing himself at her in an attempt to knock the white and black patched she-cat off her paws. Swiftcloud stumbled, finding her footing. She shook her head then stood up onto her hind paws, falling back down onto Sunflower. Sunflower squirmed beneath her weight, clawing at her flanks as he rolled beneath her belly. Swiftcloud grabbed him by the scruff, pulling him from beneath her. She threw him, slamming the ginger and white tom into the trunk of a nearby tree. Sunflower rose back onto shaky paws, his eyes wide as Swiftcloud approached again. He let out a whimper as he weakly turned, scampering off into the woods. Swiftcloud gave chase, wanting to ensure he was gone for good.

The pair quickly approached the slope which led to the Thunder Path. Sunflower turned once more, giving a last ditch effort of attack before he would surrender to his enemy. He charged at Swiftcloud, pushing her onto her back. The tom's sharp claws scraped against her delicate belly and chest, drawing blood from the wounds he made. Swiftcloud cried out in pain, but refused to admit defeat. With all her might she pulled herself upwards, locking her teeth around Sunflower's throat. She bit down, keeping a strong grip. But Swiftcloud made sure she was careful; she didn't want to kill her enemy.

Sunflower let out a strangled noise, wiggling in the Grassclan warrior's grasp. Swiftcloud whipped around, throwing the ginger tom away towards the Thunder Path. Sunflower rose to his paws, scrambling across the black stone path in a flurry of ripped fur and scarlet droplets. Swiftcloud let out a pant, licking her lips clean of the tom's blood. She nearly gagged at the amount; she wasn't at all fond of cat blood. But spilling some was necessary in battle, especially in the biggest battle of her life.

Around her, the land began to slim of cats as more were sent fleeing across the Thunder Path for good. Grassclan had the upper paw now, and as the moments passed, it became easier to spot her clanmates.

Across the way Swiftcloud caught a glimpse of a familiar fawn pelt laying on the ground unmoving. Green eyes caught onto her blues, making the young warrior's blood run cold.

"Chicorynose!" Swiftcloud scrambled to her paws, rushing to her former mentor's side; praying to Starclan that she was not too late. She came to a screeching halt by the deputy's flank, focus locking onto her face and neck.

Chicorynose had her jaws parted as she panted weakly, looking up at her former apprentice with tears. A sick gurgle came with every breath, blood dripping from the molly's mouth. Her beautiful fluffy neck fur was saturated, stained dark red. Beneath her a lake of blood had formed. Chicorynose's throat had been slit, and she was fading fast. A bubble of sadness burst in the pit of Swiftcloud stomach, forcing sobs from her throat and a tremble in her legs. No, Starclan no! Not Chicorynose. Please!

"Sw-Swift.." Chicorynose gasped out. Swiftcloud moved herself closer to the molly's face.

"I'm here, Chicorynose, I'm here! Pl-please don't die..! Please! I'll get some help. You..you're going to be just fine!"

Chicorynose forced a weak smirk to tug up the corner of her lip. Her voice was incredibly weak and raspy as she began to speak, coming out more as a gulp than a whisper. "I'm..I'm so..proud..of you. You know that...right?"

Swiftcloud nodded, tears streaming down her face. She dipped her head, pressing her nose into Chicorynose's cheek. The deputy's scent flooded her nostrils, filling Swiftcloud with warmth and comfort even in such a terrible moment.

"You are a great..cat...I am so happy to have..trained you..to have known you. To have loved you as..as if you were..my own...." Chicorynose's eyes began to dull, like a fire simmering down into embers.

Swiftcloud hiccuped, "I love you, mom...." She buried her nose that much deeper into Chicorynose's fur. "Please don't die..."

"It's my..time...Starclan calls. The Twilight Passage.. awaits me.. for judgement."

"It shouldn't have to be your time!" The wail came unexpectedly, but Swiftcloud could not help it. A fresh wave of grief crashed over her like the ocean against the shore, rough and salty. Her head shot up suddenly, taking in the bloodied sight of the cat she'd come to know as deputy, mentor, friend, and mother. "Who could have done this to you?!"

"Snow..." Chicorynose's voice was hardly above a whisper now.

"W-who..?" Swiftcloud strained to hear, breath held in anxious anticipation.

"Snow...frost."

Swiftcloud's blood turned ice cold. She stared down at Chicorynose, stiff like stone, as a new sensation came over her. Realisation. Swiftcloud had been right all along.

"Swiftcloud." Chicorynose coughed, grabbing the young cat's attention instantly. "Be good. Take..care of..the clan."

Swiftcloud whimpered, nuzzling her face against the fawn molly's muzzle.

"I will," she promised. Gradually the rise and fall of Chicorynose's chest slowed, and with one last shaky breath, the deputy was still. Swiftcloud shook violently the moment she felt her mentor slip away, her face pressing that much harder against the deputy's. She needed to take in every last flea trace of her scent before it was gone forever. Like Chicorynose was. Luckily, Swiftcloud knew exactly who to blame now. She would have justice for Chicorynose, even if it was the last she'd do.

A twig snapped a foxlength away, making Swiftcloud raise her head. The sweet and nauseating smell of lavender wafted around her as she stared ahead. Snowfrost was standing before her, head elevated, eyes narrowed to bitter icy slits. Her right paw, once silver and striped, was now stained red with blood. Her claws which were unsheathed revealing them to be painted the same.

At once, white hot fury took over Swiftcloud's vision, sending her into a frenzy. She let out a fierce cry, a wretched mix of a wail and a yowl and threw herself at Snowfrost.

"Murderer!" She caterwauled so loud her voice echoed through the trees. Snowfrost managed to dodge her, slipping from beneath the younger she-cat just as she was about to land. She let out a grotesque hiss, arching her back as Swiftcloud turned tail to face her once more. Swiftcloud rushed towards the medicine cat again, being met by claws swiping for her face. Blood welled around Swiftcloud's left eye, forcing it shut as the liquid trickled down. Pain seared her flesh, but the sensation felt dull compared to her heartbreak. She would not allow such a small wound to stop her, not now, not while Chicorynose's killer was still right here in front of her. A quick shake of her head brought Swiftcloud's senses back. "I knew you were no good," She snarled. "I'm going to make the whole clan see what a monster you are!"

At once, Snowfrost let out a viscous yowl, throwing herself at Swiftcloud, bowling her over. The mollies tussled around on the ground, biting and scratching, each trying to one up the other. Snowfrost aimed for Swiftcloud's injured eye and shoulder, trying to disable her, leave her weak. But Swiftcloud had moons of training under her pelt, giving her the strength to withstand the attack despite the pain.

"You should have died when I fed you that mouse! You should be dead just like Chicorynose, just like all the others!" Snowfrost sneeded, creating a new rush of ferocity within the warrior. Swiftcloud put all of her weight into rolling them over, forcing Snowfrost onto her back. She pinned the medicine cat down, one paw against a shoulder, another against her throat. Her back paws pressed down into Snowfrost's lower half; a paw against her exposed belly, the fourth stopping her back legs. The medicine cat was completely immobile, but Swiftcloud wasn't satisfied. Her ears drew back as she stared down at the medicine cat, teeth bared in a snarl. One of her paws lifted slowly, claws unsheathing.

"Swiftcloud!"

[starrynite7114]

snapshots: the talk

A/N: It’s the end of the week right? Almost the end of the week at least! I hit a roadblock last night while I was writing, but then it was lifted and here we are now with another update. This update is a bit long. It was going to be longer, but I cut it in half, so the next update should be up by the end of the weekend. Hope you all had a lovely week!

Enjoy the update!

My lovely anon, hope your test went well!

Tag List: @iambabyharry​ ; @thegirlwhowritesfics​

Masterlist

It’s been two weeks since you and Angel spoke. You were still in Flagstaff and Angel was back in Santo Padre. After how you two ended things before he left, you were certain you wouldn’t see Angel for some time. 

=====================================

“I’m not going back to Santo Padre, well California.” You stepped back, sitting by the dinner table. “Please don’t come any closer.” It was difficult for you to not run into Angel’s arms and hug him. You missed him. He was like an addiction that you were trying so hard to break. It was as if you were a heroin addict who was around heroin for the first time in 4 months. He was your drug and it was so hard to break the habit, that’s why you had to move away. 

Angel was wounded that you wanted to keep the distance between you two, but he respected your request. He sat in the armchair by your couch, keeping the distance. “Why’d you leave?”

“Did you read the letter?” 

“Are you fucking kidding me? That letter didn’t provide any fucking answers. It just pised me off.” Angel took out the letter from his kutte, throwing it on the coffee table. “How can you think so low of me? You honestly think that I would tell you I love you just so you would stay beside me?”

“I don’t think lowly of you, it just made sense Angel. You never love me the way I love you, it was a fluke. You and Adelita were going through some misunderstanding and I’m sure while we were together, you worked it out.” You sighed. “I just happened to be at the right place at the right time, you just turned to the person that’s always been there since the beginning.”

Adelita? How the fuck did Angel not think of that before?

He cussed under his breath, running his hand over his face.

“Yes, I know, I caught you.” You told him. “If you wanted to go back to her, all you had to do was tell me, I would never tie you down to me if you were just going to cheat on me.”

“What the fuck are you talking about?!” Angel was furious. How could you think he would cheat on you with Adelita? He made it very clear to you that it was done, he no longer had feelings for her. With everything that occurred, he wasn’t sure if he could trust Adelita. While he admired her strength, whatever he thought he felt for her failed to compare to how he felt for you. He almost lost you to Jake, he couldn’t have that happen. “Cheat on you? Are you out of your fucking mind?”

“Out of my mind? I saw you with her! She’s pregnant and I’m fucking sure you’re the father. Who the fuck else would with it be?” You retorted with the same anger Angel had. 

“Well it ain’t fucking me,” Angel stood up and he began to pace to try and calm himself. “You left me because you assumed that she was pregnant with my child instead of talking to me. I know you have your insecurities, but I thought you trusted me more than that.” 

“I do, I was at an impasse and I just made up my mind that I was leaving.”

“How long did you plan this?”

“A month.”

Angel’s eyes closed. The fact that this was premeditated made it even worse. That whole month you two were together, you didn’t even seem different. Everything was great. You two had spoken about moving in together, getting rid of your apartment in San Diego. While being together on the weekends were great, Angel wanted you home full time. He convinced you to finally get a house and he did get it, after this whole bullshit with the Vato’s, he was going to show you the place that he decided for you two. It was a fixer upper, but he knew you were super into those HGTV shows where they fixed the place up. He didn’t mind either, it would be nice to be able to mold a home to something you two created. 

Then you vanished. 

It was one of the many reasons he was so confused. If you were upset at him, you would usually make it known to him. But nothing. 

Everything was fine.

Or so he thought. 

“You’re my world, how can you think I would do that to you?” Angel’s voice slightly cracked then.

This was heartbreaking.

You watched as Angel sat back down, holding his head in his hands. You fought the urge to run to him and wrap your arms around him. Maybe you did assume, but you know what you saw. 

“I just want you to be happy Angel.”

“And I was,” Angel looked up then, tears in his eyes. “I was happy with you. Then you took that away from me.”

“Angel, why didn’t you go back to her? I thought this was what you wanted. You looked so happy while you held her belly,” you bit your lip, that picture haunted you. “I’m your best friend first Angel, you should have just told me.”

“You’re going to drive me insane, it’s like talking to a wall. Are you even hearing anything I’m saying to you?” Angel wasn’t sure how he was going to convince you that there was nothing between himself and Adelita. If he had to call Adelita herself, he fucking would. 

“Of course I am, look, I’m telling you, no hard feelings. But I just need time to get over you, once I do, we can become friends again.” You knew that wasn’t possible, but if you believed it, maybe it could happen.

“And who's going to help you get over me? Gabriel?” He said Gabriel’s name with such venom, you flinched. “Over my dead fucking body.”

“Angel!”

“What?! Look, I don’t know what I have to do for you to believe me, but I would never cheat on you. I meant it when I told you the ship has sailed, that wasn’t a fucking lie. Baby, please, don’t do this,” Angel closed the distance between you two, kneeling in front of you. “I can’t live without you, I don’t know how.”

You removed his hands that took a hold of yours, trying to move away, but you really had no other place to move since Angel boxed you in. You knew he wasn’t going to let you move till you at least had some resolution.

“Just be happy with her, I can’t give you what you want.” You tried to stand up, but Angel’s hands rested on your knees. 

“How can you not give me what I want? I just want you.” Angel looked up at you, cupping your face, caressing your cheek with his thumb. “In your letter you said to be with the person I truly want to be with, that’s you, there’s no one else. Please, I will spend the rest of my life proving that to you, I’ll do it, just please come back to me.”

“I can’t, Angel, you won’t be happy with me. Believe me, you’re going to have a child with Adelita, or anyone else really. You can’t have that with me.”

“You’re not ready? That’s fine, I can wait,” Angel was willing to compromise with you about anything. All he wanted was for you to stay, why was that idea so difficult for you to understand.

“No,” you held back a sob as your tears came out faster. “I,” you looked at him. “I can’t have kids Angel.”

“What?”

“I can’t have kids.” You repeated your words to him and he stood up, moving away from you as if you just burned him. That was the reaction you feared, but you were glad that it finally got through to him.

“At all?”

“Not at all,” you smiled bitterly as you wiped your tears. “You should be with someone who could give you children, not someone like me. That’s why I left you, I couldn’t compete with that. You were having a child with someone you love so dearly before you had some sort of enlightenment that you were in love with me. I wouldn’t be able to live with the fact that I could never give you children, so I removed myself from the equation so you can be a father to your child and maybe a husband as well to her.”

Angel looked at you, despair written all over his face. He finally understood and you were thankful.

Looking at you one last time, Angel walked out of your apartment. 

You stood up, locking the door behind him, sliding down the door and crying as you pulled your knees towards your chest, holding it against it. This was it.

The final chapter of your life with Angel was closing. 

Maybe one day you two could be friends again, but not now, not when the wound was so fresh.

=====================================

After the day, Gabriel informed you that Angel had to go back to Santo Padre due to some emergency. You didn’t ask any questions and just simply nodded your head. For some reason, you were happy you two talked it out. All things that needed to be said were said and there was nothing left. You felt as if a weight on your shoulder was lifted. Your heart broke all over again, but you it was better this way. 

You both got your closure. 

Currently, you were walking Ares in the neighborhood around your apartment. You went to pick up a few things from the grocery store 4 blocks away from your apartment. It was a nice day for a walk and you had to get Ares to release some of his energy. It was a Saturday afternoon and you had planned on taking him hiking this morning, but your alarm clock was quickly forgotten thanks to your sleep. 

“Ares, you should have woken me up earlier, we could have just hiked instead of walking 4 blocks.” The exercise was welcomed, but you also liked taking your car to the grocery store since the bags could become heavy. “Most of these are your treats anyway, why can’t you carry them?” Ares looked back at you and just smiled.

You laughed and patted his back. “Yes, I know, you’re my favorite person in the world.”

“Ouch, but can’t say I’m surprised Ares replaced me.” 

You almost let go of Ares’ leash when you heard his voice. Looking up, you found Angel sitting on his bike, parked right in front of your apartment building. He looked so damn good. Ares recognized him and began pulling you towards Angel. He got on his hind legs, placing his front paws on Angel, licking him.

“Distance does make the heart grow fonder,” Angel laughed as Ares gave him kisses. He lifted him up, giving Ares a hug before placing him back down. He picked up the leash, finally looking at you. “Hey baby, you need help with those?” He reached for your grocery bags, but you moved them away from his reach.

“What are you doing here?” You questioned, trying to take Ares’ leash back from Angel, but he wouldn’t give it to you.

“What does it look like? I came to see you.” Angel gave you an odd look. “Are we going to go up?”

You were perplexed. Angel was acting as if nothing happened. He was acting as if everything was fine. Like you two never broke up. Like he didn’t walk out on you.

“You left.” You pointed out.

“And now I’m back, just had club shit to handle.” Angel rubbed Ares’ head.

“Angel please leave.”

“No.”

Angel has your keys since it was attached to Ares’ leash and made his way to your apartment building, Ares following along. You walked after him, debating if you should text Gabriel. But you knew it would just be a pissing contest between them and you didn’t want to deal with that on a Saturday.

The three of you walked in your apartment, with Angel unleashing Ares as soon as your door was closed. You walked past him, placing your items on the kitchen island, going into your room to remove your shoes. You were going to change in shorts, but you rather keep your sweats on, along with the white t-shirt you were wearing. You had to get ready soon anyway.

Walking back out, you found Angel sitting on the couch with his kutte off and Ares with his head resting on his lap. 

“Come join us baby, your HGTV show is on,”

He was starting to piss you off. How was he acting like he didn’t walk out of your apartment 2 weeks ago? No communication whatsoever, you thought that was it. 

“Angel, I have a date tonight, I would really appreciate it if you weren’t here when I get back.”

“A date?” Angel looked at you with an incredulous look on his face. “Excuse me, you’re going on a date?”

“Yes, I’m single, it’s been 5 months, I’m going on a date.” You didn’t see what was wrong with your statement. You were almost certain that Angel had been sleeping with anything that had a vagina at the clubhouse.

“That’s cute,” Angel smirked. “Okay, you have fun on your date.”

“Do you think I’m lying?”

“No, but I think it’s cute that you keep choosing to waste your time when we could be back together already.” Angel switched the channel. You wanted to be a bitch, then no HGTV for you. “I’ll hang back here with Ares.”

“Or you can go to the Mayans clubhouse and take Ares with you.”

“You want me to contribute to you getting laid?” Angel scoffed. “You’re out of your fucking mind.”

“Angel Ignacio Reyes, I don’t know what you’re playing at, but to be honest, I don’t care. We made it very clear two weeks ago that there is no future for us. I don’t know why you’re here, but I hope during the duration of your stay, you stay at the Mayans clubhouse since you are not welcomed here.” You had to put your foot down. If he thought you were playing around, nothing was going to change. 

“Ouch, full name, am I in trouble?” He winked at you. He knew how to press your buttons and it pissed you off. “Well, I’m transferring to Flagstaff, need a place to stay. I figured my best friend wouldn’t mind if I crash at her apartment.” If you wanted to play this best friend card, that was fine with him. You two would always remain best friends but you both knew it’s much more than that. 

“What?” You almost dropped your phone. “You’re transferring to Flagstaff?”

“Yes, of course, you’re here, where else should I be?” Angel was hurting after you told him that you couldn’t have kids, but not for the reason you thought. Driving to meet Coco and Gilly, Angel was in disarray. He loves you and the fact that you walked away from him cause you couldn’t have kids, it was heartbreaking for him. How could you think that not having kids was a deal breaker for him? You were much more important to him and he'd rather spend the rest of his life with you than have children. It was the beauty of modern technology, you can do some procedures to try and have kids. Besides, he didn’t mind adopting.

All he wanted was you. 

As long as he had you, he was going to be amazing. 

“You can’t transfer here.” He couldn’t do that. He couldn’t leave his charter and more importantly, not his family. Whether that was EZ and Felipe, or his new family, regardless he couldn’t move to Flagstaff. Not for you at least.

“You going back to Cali?”

“No.”

“Then I guess I’m staying.” Angel scratched Ares’ stomach, the dog snuggling his head further onto Angel’s lap. “Look at this, you don’t like me now and Ares loves me.” It stung Angel when he said that, but that’s what it felt. No matter how hard he tried and charmed you, you weren’t having it. 

“I don’t dislike you, I just want you to leave me alone.”

“If you give me a good reason to do so, then I will.” There was no good reason for him to leave you, but he was willing to hear you out for amusement purposes.

“I did, remember? Can’t have kids.” That should have been it, you shouldn’t have had to give him another reason, yet Angel was being such a pain in the ass. 

“Try another,”

“What do you mean try another?” You said through gritted teeth. “Angel, you want kids.”

“We can adopt, stop playing around baby, I love you, you love me. Let’s go home.” Angel stood up, making his way towards to. You were leaning against the doorframe of your bedroom. Wrapping his arms around you, he placed a kiss on your cheek, then your forehead. He almost kissed your lips, but you moved away. “Y/N, is it me? You don’t want me anymore?”

You groaned. He knew your weakness. No matter what was going on, you would never want Angel to think he was the reason. You knew his insecurities of being second best to EZ, that he didn’t matter as much as EZ. That he was the disposable one and that wasn’t it.

“No, of course I do, I’ve wanted you since I was 13, but that’s not enough. You’re having a kid with someone you love and I can’t even have kids.” 

Angel gently grabbed your face, tilting your head up so you two were looking at each other. “I don’t know what’s it going to take for you to understand I don’t love Adelita, but you’ll eventually understand and believe it. Even if she was having my kid, I would never leave you for her. I don’t care if you can’t have kids.”

“I do,” you whispered. “You don’t now, but you eventually will.” 

Angel kissed you then, your eyes immediately closing, losing yourself to the sensation. You’ve missed Angel so much, feeling his lips against yours was making you feel putty. One of his hands moved down your body, placing it on your waist and pulling you closer. “Fuck baby,” Angel’s lips hovered over you, capturing your lips once more. “You’re the only person who makes me feel this way.”

You pulled away, shaking your head. “Angel, just please respect my wishes. This is what I want.”

“No, it isn’t. I know this isn’t what you want. I know how you get, when you let your anxiety and insecurities overcome you, you become irrational and don’t think things through. No one knows you better than me,” Angel pulled you over to him again, wrapping his arms around you. “I’m not leaving you, I told you the only way you’re gonna get rid of me is in a coffin.”

“Stop saying that. I don’t want you to die.”

“Then stop fucking around and let’s go home. I’m not trying to disregard your feelings, but I’m never going to give up on you. This whole martyr bullshit of I love you so much that I would give you up? That’s bullshit baby, I love you, and I love you enough that I would never let you go. I’m a selfish prick, that’s fine with me as long as you’re by my side.” 

Your phone began to ring, breaking you out of the moment you had with Angel. You were about to give in, to go back to him, believe his words, but you couldn’t. And you were glad your phone rang to bring you back down to reality. 

“Hello,” you answered. “Sure, 7 you said? Sounds good. I’ll be ready by then. See you.” Hanging up, you slip your phone back in your pocket, looking at Angel who was leaning on the wall across from your room. “You’re welcome to stay, just don’t make a mess.”

“Y/N, you’re really going on this date?” 

“Yes.”

You didn’t divulge further, walking back in your room. 

Angel smirked. If you actually thought he was going to let this date happen, you were out of your mind. 

Angel stood outside of your apartment building leaning against his bike, smoking. It was 6:55 in the afternoon and he was certain your date was coming. He saw a guy with flowers and he was almost certain that was your date. Walking in after him, the guy held the door open for him. He thanked him and they both got on the elevator.

“First date?” Angel questioned.

“Second date actually, I met her through my sister.” The guy smiled. “She’s a nice girl.”

“Yeah? My younger sister lives here, who are you going on a date with?”

“Y/N Y/L/N.”

Bingo.

“Oh man, if I were you, I would steer clear.” 

The guy looked at Angel, obviously interested as to why he made that statement.

“Did you know she has 5 kids? All different baby daddies.”

“She has kids?” The guy’s voice croaked and Angel could not have planned things any better than they were going.

“She didn’t tell you? Guess it’s not really first date material.” 

They arrived on your floor.

“Don’t even worry man, just let her know that you realized that you two didn’t have a connection. It’s not her, it’s you.”

“Thanks for helping me dodge a bullet man.”

“Of course, just looking out.”

Angel stepped outside of the elevator and had to laugh. This was going to be too easy.

This wasn’t the first date Angel ruined for you. For the next 3 weeks, Angel successfully scared multiple suitors off. 

His douche swatter lines ranged from:

“Oh, Y/N, bro, let me save you the trouble, she’s psychotic. She literally stalked me after I broke up with her.” 

“Her father is a cop.”

“3 of her ex-boyfriend’s disappeared after they broke up with her, I’m not saying she killed them, but I’m saying they disappeared after they broke up.”

And his favorite one.

“She’s going through a divorce, and her husband is psychotic.”

And Angel was psychotic, especially when it came to you. 

For some reason, you didn’t catch on it was Angel’s doing, but you were slightly becoming depressed. Why weren’t these guys wanting to date you? They were interested and then out of nowhere they disappeared.

“It just makes no sense,” you frowned, sitting on a chair inside of Gabriel’s garage as he worked on her car, changing the oil. 

You slipped out of your apartment leaving Angel and Ares. Angel slept on your couch since you didn’t want him sleeping in your bed. It was really difficult for you since he was so close to you. You couldn’t believe Angel was staying put and he meant it about transferring. 

“Mami, you know Angel’s doing all of this right?”

“No, he’s never at the apartment when I’m going on a date, he goes to the clubhouse or something.” You reasoned with Gabriel as you took another bite of your McChicken sandwich. 

Gabriel laughed. “Don’t be dense, you know Angel has been doing it discreetly, he literally does not come to the clubhouse as often as you think he does.” 

“He’s transferring isn’t he?”

“Yes, he is, but his charter has to vote on it and then we do.” Gabriel didn’t divulge further. “Baby, we both know Angel is sabotaging your dates, can’t say I blame him.” He really couldn’t because he would be doing the same thing. 

“I don’t know why he’s still here, I’m sure his baby mama gave birth by now.” You frowned. You’ve been trying your best to get rid of Angel and he was just being so obnoxious about it. 

“Look, you know I’m on your side, but don’t be naive about this. He’s not going to leave till you come with him.” Gabriel felt like it was a losing battle with Angel. He knew that he wouldn’t be able to sway you especially with Angel back in your life. Maybe if he had you alone for a few more months then he would’ve won, but at this point he knew it was a losing battle. Doesn’t mean he’ll give up though. “It’s not his kid.”

“How do you know?”

“Angel strikes me as the type of person that would not continually deny that a baby is his if there was even a possibility the baby is his.” Gabriel chuckled. “I think you’re just afraid that you ran all the way here and you may be wrong.”

“Gabriel the facts are there.”

“No, you made assumptions.” Gabriel sighed. “Y/N, Angel loves you, if he’s truly your best friend, shouldn’t you believe his words over assumptions you’ve made without checking out facts?”

Gabriel was right. You were afraid to face facts that Angel might not be lying and you wasted your time by running. You couldn’t help it, after what happened a year ago, you’ve never truly forgiven Angel. He didn’t even know he did anything wrong and that was on you, but you let anything slide by, cause you love him and you wanted to be understanding.

“Why are you so caught up on Angel loving this other woman?”

“Cause he missed my mother’s death anniversary to be with her.”

It wasn’t on purpose. At least you didn’t think so.

Ever since your mother passed away, Angel always spent the day of her death with you, doing things your mother loved doing when she was alive. Every year, no matter what, Angel was there. Except last year. He was with Adelita. What pained you was that the date never changed, it was the same every year. He could have reserved that day for you, but instead, he was over the border with Adelita.

Gabriel knew of this day since he celebrated it with you this year. You weren’t feeling the best, especially with this whole thing with Angel, so you sought out Gabriel so you two could hang out.

Before Gabriel could reply, your phone rang. You picked up your phone and saw Angel’s name. 

“Hello,” you answered.

“Where are you?” You could tell he just woke up with the way his voice sounded hoarse. 

“Gabriel’s.”

“For what?” He didn’t mean for it to come out as rough as it did, but he hated it whenever you spent time alone with Gabriel. 

“I need to get an oil change.” 

“I could have done that for you.”

“With what tools?”

Angel sighed. “What time are you coming home?”

“Are you almost done?” You asked Gabriel.

“Yes, but I thought we had a date tonight?” Gabriel knew what he was doing. The smirk on his face said it all. You wanted to slap Gabriel, but he was too far from you and the Arizona heat has stuck you to your seat. Moving would make everything too hot. 

As soon as Angel heard his words, he immediately yelled out on the phone.

“Okay, see you later, bye.” You hung up on him, glaring at Gabriel.

“We have no dates planned and I already told you, I’m not dating any Mayans members.”

“Is that the only reason you won’t date me?” Gabriel had to know. Maybe he was making it up all in his head. But he knew for a fact that if Angel wasn’t in the picture, you would be his by now. And unlike Angel, he would never make you doubt him and you would always be by his side. He couldn’t explain what it was that drew him to you. Whenever he came to Santo Padre, you were always near Angel and everyone else stayed away from you, which was why he figured you were Angel’s girl. But when he did his research, it seemed that you weren’t Angel’s girlfriend at all, you were just his best friend. They still cautioned Gabriel. When he finally approached you, he definitely appreciated the conversation you two had. You didn’t pretend to like bikes or ask him about his patches. Nope, you two spoke about the latest Marvel films and argued which was the best one. And from then on, he sought out your company whenever he was in Santo Padre. 

“You’re also a douche.” You couldn’t lie. If the situation was different, you would have given Gabriel a chance. He was a sweet guy, definitely not bad on the eyes. But Angel has had you for as long as you remember. You weren’t ready to open your heart to anyone till you were fully over Angel. It just wouldn’t be fair otherwise. 

“Isn’t that you’re type?” He teased you as he took off his shirt. “Like what you see?”

“Gabriel!”

Gabriel laughed, pulling down the hood of your car and closing it. “We have dinner with my moms tonight, remember?”

“Right, that’s not a date though.”

“Angel doesn’t have to know that.”

[chelsfic]

Part Four - Wish You Weren’t Here - Diego Jiménez x Reader - Starz Power fanfic

Part One | Part Two | Part Three 

A/N: *Whispers quietly to myself* Oh noooo. 

Diego’s henchman, Julio, was named by @1zashreena1​ in her forthcoming brilliant debut. 

Also: the *signature line*!

Warnings: Murder. Straight up. Murder. Smut. 

You’re feeling pretty smug about how cool and detached you seemed over texts with Diego. Of course…he doesn’t know he made you cry. All he knows is you ignored him for most of the night. Maybe you were on a date. Or out with friends. Instead of…staying in with your cat and fantasizing about a chaste kiss. Whatever. You steel yourself on the ride up to the penthouse, determined not to let anything Diego does today break your shell. Today you’ll be cold-hearted. Unbreakable. Today you’re a bad bitch.

Your stomach liquefies a little as the elevator doors slide open. Really–self? Couldn’t last thirty seconds?

You’re actually pretty early for work today. But Mondays are always such a nightmare, you figure getting a head start will be worth it. You’re prepared for a mess. Or some Caligula-level display of fornication. But today you walk in on something you haven’t yet encountered in your weeks working for Diego Jiménez Today you walk into a business meeting. And it doesn’t sound very friendly.

Diego’s voice greets you as you step off the elevator. His words are cold, arrogant, cruel.

“No, no no, Tony. You have me all wrong. It’s not what I’m going to do to you if you don’t tell me where my money is. It’s what I’m going to do to that pretty wife of yours…”

You freeze in mid-stride. Diego’s words cut through the air between you. Your palms are suddenly sweaty and stars dance in your vision like you’re about to faint–God, why is your body’s response to danger to just…play dead? You take a step back, hitting the metal doors of the elevator. Should you go back down? But surely they heard the noise of the chime and the doors opening?

As if on cue one of Diego’s guys–Julio, right?–rounds the corner and stalks over to you, roughly grabbing you by your upper arm and dragging you out of the alcove. Now you can see Diego standing in the middle of the living room with a man trembling on his knees before him. Diego’s holding a gun in his hands and it’s…the flashiest fucking thing you’ve ever seen. It’s gold, with a giant suppressor to match. If you weren’t currently about to pee your pants in fear you might laugh at how…*Diego* that is. 

He looks over at you and his cold, stony facade trembles for a moment. His eyes flash with anger and the muscle in his jaw ticks with his frustration. You stare back at him, eyes wide with trepidation, but you keep jerking your gaze down to the man kneeling on the floor. His face is covered in blood and he’s breathing funny.

Diego parts his lips and growls your name, “…I really wish you weren’t here right now.”

You say the first thing that comes to mind, “I–uh–I’m early. Sorry, I’ll just–maybe–wait downstairs until you’re–until you’re ready? Or…or I can go home–please, I think I want to go home.”

Diego’s eyes shift to Julio and his voice comes out cold and collected once more, “Put her upstairs in my room for now.”

The man tightens his fingers on your arm and steers you toward the stairs. Diego’s voice stops you, “Julio! Don’t touch her. Just put her in my room and get back down here.”

Julio’s fingers fall away from your arm, he gives you a little prod in between your shoulder blades to move you forward and you walk up the stairs on shaky legs, not daring to look back at Diego.

The bedroom is sparsely decorated like the rest of Diego’s place, but it’s a little more chaotic in here since he doesn’t like you to clean his room other than to change the sheets and make the bed. Julio shoves you inside and slams the door closed behind you. The walls are thick and you can’t hear much from inside. You let out a shaky breath and sit on the edge of Diego’s mattress. The blankets and sheets are rumpled, slept in, and you have the mad urge to lay down and bury your face in his pillows, breathing in the scent of him. But…but he’s downstairs holding a man at gunpoint.

It’s not like you don’t know about his business. You know he carries a gun with him when he goes out. It’s just…it’s just up until now the Diego you know has been selfish, stubborn, wild, soft, kinky, needy, sexy, childish… he’s been a lot of things. But you’ve never felt afraid of him before. Until now you’ve never seen the side of him capable of violence. What are you supposed to do with this?

Your hands shake in your lap and you catch them between your legs, squeezing your thighs until the shaking stops and rocking back and forth a little in self-comfort. Maybe–maybe you won’t have long to worry about what to do with this new information. The look in Diego’s eyes when he saw you…

There was murder in those eyes.

It’s a long time before the door to the bedroom finally opens. You look up, expecting to see Julio coming to collect you but it’s Diego standing in the doorway. He leans against the door frame and you catch the deadly gleam of the gun held loosely at his side. He walks in with slow, measured strides and takes a seat beside you on the bed, not saying a word. He’s hunched forward resting his forearms on his thighs, letting the gun dangle from his grip. But the clear threat of its presence is enough to take your breath away. He lets out a long, frustrated sigh and runs shaking fingers through his hair. You’ve always loved his hair–what an odd thought to have at this moment. 

You watch him, your body tense with anxiety but still–still you turn toward him like you’re a magnet and he’s true north. Something about him attracts you, pulling you in even as your hind brain warns you to watch this man with the predator’s eyes.

“Diego,” you whisper. “I can just go home. I didn’t…didn’t see–”

He growls in frustration, finally raising his furious gaze and directing it at you, “Well, you can’t now, can you? Why? WHY did you come in early today?”

You can’t go home. The skin on your face flashes hot and cold and the hairs on your arms stand up. You feel like a rabbit whose frantic heartbeat quivers through its body as the hungry coyote watches with golden, deadly eyes. 

You clench your hands into fists in your lap. For a moment words won’t come, and then you’re babbling, “I…on Mondays I always get breakfast at this cafe, The Usual Place, near my apartment? They have these amazing croissants. I’ll–I’ll bring you one next time. Well, anyway there’s always a huge, long line. Only today there wasn’t. And…and when I got here I knew it was too early but I thought I’d get an early start and then maybe be able to leave early later…”

“Sh, sh, shhh,” he cuts his hand through the air between you. “I need to think.”

Your mouth snaps shut and you watch him. The muscles of his shoulders are tense beneath his too-tight button down shirt. He closes his eyes and pinches the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger, tensing his other hand around the grip of the gun.  He lips part and he emits a whining little moan that rings with frustration, fear, longing and anger. He’s distraught. 

You should leave him alone. Better not to poke the bear and all that. But…but you think about how he seems to crave connection…guileless affection. So you do yet another stupid thing and you reach out a shaking hand and slowly–so slowly–place it on his trembling shoulder. 

Diego melts, leaning into your touch like a dog seeking attention from its master. He lets out a mewling keen and before you know it his whole body is pressed into your side, his head cradled on your shoulder, his soft hair brushing against your neck. He reaches over to wrap his arm around your waist, still holding the gun in his hand.

Not knowing what else to do and more than willing to sink into this dangerous man’s embrace–and what does that say about you?–you wrap your arms around him. Your fingers card gently through his hair, and you murmur little comforting sounds into the crown of his head even as his gun–still warm from firing–digs into your back.

“It’s okay…it’s okay, it’s okay, it’s okay,” you whisper over and over as much to yourself as to Diego.

Diego sinks into you, letting your words and your arms surround him. He feels the gun in his hands like a live coal, burning, itching, a reminder of who he really is amidst the spell of your affection.

He takes a steadying breath, sitting up and looming over you, bringing the golden, gleaming weapon up to caress the still-warm metal against your cheek. He looks into your eyes, expecting to find fear and disgust and instead he finds you’re looking at him with a look of…of trust? If not trust then…an expectation that he won’t hurt you.

“I wish…” he says, unable to complete the thought, even thinking, as he foolishly does, that this is an ending.

“Diego,” you say in a voice firmer than you’d thought possible. Maybe the pep talk in the elevator was finally kicking in. You reach up and brush the gun away from your face and his arm drops like it’s made of lead. “You don’t have to do this. You don’t have to put on a show…not with me.”

His Adam’s apple bobs as he swallows against the ball of emotion forming in his throat. Diego doesn’t get emotional. He isn’t needy. He doesn’t show mercy or…or love. Then why–why does this girl make him feel–

He pulls away from you and the suddenness of it makes you feel the loss of his warm body. You watch him release the magazine from the gun and unscrew the suppressor. He clunks it all down on the table next to the bed and rounds on you. He still has the eyes of a predator but this time it sends a tiny thrill through your lower belly. He crawls over the bed toward you, stalking you with the languid prowl of a big cat. Your mind helpfully supplies you with a random scene from Big Cat Diary–a leopard stalking through tall grass, eyes fixed and murderous. You’re panting with anticipation as Diego crawls over you, pressing you down into the mattress.

He brings his face down, ghosting his lips over yours and whispering, “I’m going to kiss you now.”

Diego is lust personified. Even buttoned up and fully clothed he’s the most beautiful man you’ve ever…technically...shared a bed with. You’ve seen him naked as the day he was born. You’ve touched his bare skin and tasted his lips. But you’ve never been the object of his undivided sexual attention before. You’ve never felt him eyeing you, trapping you with his body and intending to conquer you.

Your voice comes out in a mortifying squeak, “O-okay.”

His lips are on you, forceful and dominating–nothing like last week’s innocent kiss. This is the kiss of a man who’s just committed murder. His mustache and stubble burn against your sensitive skin and the sweet pain makes your toes curl inside your sneakers. He digs his fingers into your hair, cradling your head in a firm grip as he flicks out his tongue and forces your lips apart. You’re more than willing to open for him. You want this man. This deranged, sensual, dangerous, spellbinding man. You want him for your own. You’ve spent weeks watching him with other women and biting back your jealousy. Now it’s your turn.

Diego shifts until he’s lying between your spread legs, his erection rubbing against you through the fabric of your jeans. You want it…you want it…you want it. His kisses are like a drug, searing into your skin and entering your bloodstream, making your head fuzzy with lust. Blocking your inner voice, the one reflecting that this isn’t–quite–the healthiest response to being threatened with a gun by this man. 

“Diego,” you pant against his lips. You need to tell him something. You need to… stop. “Diego! Wait…wait, wait, wait.”

He pulls away from your bruised lips, holding your face between his massive hands as he looks down at you. His pupils are blown out, eyes bright with fevered lust. Ugh, why do you have to stop this again?

“I don’t–I mean, I think…,” you’re honestly really mad at yourself right now and considering just telling him to take off your pants and fuck you however he wants but. But. This isn’t how you want it. “I want you, Diego–”

“I want you too!” he interrupts, laying a sloppy kiss on your lips, “So bad, little girl, I want you so bad.”

“I know. I know you do. But…not–not like this?”

He pulls away again, balancing on his elbows over you and looking down with concern in his eyes now. Oh my god–you’ve never seen him look so soft and worried. He moves away entirely, sitting back with a look of horror on his face, “I didn’t mean to–I would never…”

“No! Diego, no,” You sit up too, facing him and taking his hand in yours. Lord, this man’s hands–, “I said I want you, Diego. It’s just. Well–you were thinking about shooting me like ten minutes ago, weren’t you?”

Diego grimaces and his fingers tighten around yours, “I wouldn’t have done it!”

This fucking guy.

“Yeah,” you say. “I know…but still. You were thinking about it.”

Diego pants as the arousal gradually leaves his system. You just sit there for a while holding his hand, feeling connected to this bizarre, landmine of a man.

“Okay,” he finally says and you can feel him starting to pull back emotionally again. Oh, no you don’t you little shit.

“Diego!” you whine, grabbing his face in your hands and smashing your lips against his in an exasperated kiss. “Maybe…instead of seducing me with death threats. You could invite me over one night? And I could maybe wear something that isn’t jeans and a t-shirt? And we could eat dinner…and watch Netflix…and….? Doesn’t that sound…nice?”

He’s looking at you’re suggesting something he’s never entertained in his wildest dreams.

“Nice?” his voice is gruff, doubtful.

“Yeah…I mean it’s no cocaine fueled orgy, but it might be…nice.”

Diego shakes his head slowly and he meets your eyes with a look of amusement and relief, “Okay. Maybe.”

You roll your eyes. Seriously…

“Oh, and Diego?” you say, scooting to the edge of the bed and standing up on spaghetti legs.

Diego’s still looking a little flustered and lost in the middle of his gigantic bed. He’ll live. He looks up at you, “Yeah?”

“I’m taking the rest of the day off.”

***

On your way out you glance over at the spot on the floor where the man had knelt. It’s pristine. Not a spot or splatter. Like he’d never been there at all…

Tag List:

@lockedoutofmyotherblog @1zashreena1​ @lannister-slings-and-arrows @glowingpena​ @flower-petal-blooming​ @symbiont13​ @pullthedamnlever​ @sparrows-books​ @joalsglasses​ @ishqinbbc​ @pre-schoolervengance​ @skys-luce-stellare @popculturepriestess​ @nolongertwo​ @ughwhyareyoulikethist​ @squidlywiddly87​ @damndamer0n​ @xboxdudett​ 

[wisdomrays]

TAFAKKUR: Part 218

The Magical World of the Mosquito

O humankind! A parable is struck, so pay heed to it: Those whom, apart from God, you deify and invoke will never be able to create even a fly, even if all of them were to come together to do so. And if a fly snatches away anything from them, they cannot recover that from it. Powerless indeed is the seeker, and (so is) the sought! (Al-Hajj 22:73)

In some verses of the Qur’an, mosquitoes and other small creatures are mentioned; when these verses were revealed to Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, some unbelievers sarcastically responded, saying: “This does not seem like the word of God.” They mocked these verses as they thought that God Almighty would not give examples of such “trivial and non-significant” animals in His Book. Later, Almighty God revealed another verse related to these responses:

God does not disdain to strike any parable – (that of) something like a gnat or something greater or lower than it. Those who have already believed know that it is the truth from their Lord. As to those whose unbelief has long been established in their hearts, they say, “What does God mean by such a parable?” Thereby He leads many astray, and thereby He guides many. He thereby leads none astray save the transgressors. (Al-Baqara 2:26)

During the revelation of the Qur’an, biological and physical sciences were not adequate to explain and shed light onto some of the sublime verses regarding these small creatures. However, in this century we have witnessed astounding advances in science and now we are better able to understand the extraordinary structure of such creatures. Once again, we are amazed at the accuracy, precision and eloquence of the Qur’an, which illuminated not only the Age of Ignorance, but also the modern world. Even though for believers the harmony of the universe testifies to the existence of the All-Knowing One without a need for understanding the details of physics or biology, for non-believers masses of learning or years of scientific education may have led them astray. In this article, even though the Qur’anic verses mentioned above speak of flies in general, our focus will be given in particular to the biological aspects of mosquitoes.  

Mosquitoes are two-winged flies that belong to the family Culicidae. In nature there are approximately 3,500 species of mosquitoes. They have a pair of scaled wings, a pair of halteres,1 a slender body, and long legs. Their length varies, but is rarely greater than 16 mm (approximately 0,6 inches), and they can weigh up to 2,5 mg. A mosquito can fly for 1 to 4 hours continuously at up to 1 mile/h, traveling up to 6 miles in a night.2 Most species are nocturnal or crepuscular (dawn or dusk) feeders. During the heat of the day most mosquitoes rest in a cool place and wait for evening.

It is widely thought that mosquitoes are insects that live on blood.  On the contrary, this is not true, because not all mosquitoes suck blood; only female mosquitoes do. Mentioning the mosquito in the feminine form in the Qur’an can be considered to be one of its miracles, not only because the female mosquitoes are more powerful and complex than the males, but also because they transmit and spread diseases. The male mosquitoes appear only in breeding seasons and they feed only on plant juices.

Females do not require blood for their own survival, but they do need supplemental substances (like protein and iron) found in blood to develop eggs. Prior to and during blood feeding, they inject saliva into the bodies of their source(s) of blood. Female mosquitoes hunt their blood host by detecting carbon dioxide (CO2) and 1-Octen-3-ol from a distance. Circulating blood in animals and humans radiates body heat. Thanks to the sophisticated heat sensors installed in their body, mosquitoes follow body heat and exhaled gases and fly to their target. From an unbiased point of view, that who led to the creation of carbon dioxide and 1-Octen-3-ol must have led to the creation of the sensors of female mosquitoes, allowing them to sense these chemicals. That who created the eggs of mosquito must have been aware of the needs of these eggs. This process alone proves the extensiveness of mercy, knowledge, wisdom and encompassment of a Conscious Sustainer Who is operating behind all these processes.

When mosquitoes land on their prey they search for a thin place on the skin where a great deal of blood is passing. In order for the mosquito to obtain blood it must circumvent the physiological responses of the prey. The mosquito sprays the place from where it is to suck blood with a type of local anesthetic. When blood flows from a cut, with the help of enzymes the blood quickly coagulates. The mosquito uses an elusive mechanism to effectively block the clotting of blood with their saliva, which contains a complex mixture of secreted proteins. Mosquito saliva also contains enzymes that facilitate in sugar feeding as well as antimicrobial agents that control bacterial growth in the sugar. Mosquito saliva contains fewer than 20 dominant proteins.3 Although there has been great progress in determining these molecules and their role in bloodfeeding, scientists are still unable to ascribe functions to more than half of the molecules found in mosquito saliva.

In general, there are four distinct stages in the life cycle of the mosquito: egg, larva, pupa, and adult. The adult is a flying insect, while the larvae and pupae are aquatic and live only in fresh water. All mosquito species lay their eggs on fresh water or on a moist surface. These eggs will not hatch until covered by rising water caused by rainfall, melting snow in the spring, or other such phenomena. The larvae of all mosquitoes live in water and have four developmental periods. In this stage, the larva actively feeds on organic material in the water. The larvae of most species have a breathing tube and come to the surface of the water to get oxygen. The durations of this stage depends on the species and the water temperature. The mosquito pupa is very active and lives in water. The pupa has a comma-shaped body with two visible separate regions. The tail of the comma is the developing abdomen of the mosquito. The abdomen is composed of nine segments. Between each abdominal segment are flexible areas that allow the pupa to swim. Active movement is unusual for most insect species during the pupal stage; however, mosquitoes will dive under water when the surface is disturbed or there is a disruption in light penetrating the water. The pupa has two large “paddles” on the eighth segment of the abdomen that propel it through the water as the abdomen flexes up and down. When the abdominal movement stops, the pupa floats back to the top of the water. A float hair, found on the first segment of the abdomen, helps the pupa to stabilize on the water’s surface. The pupal stage lasts for a few days and this is the stage when all the larval tissues change into adult tissues. The adult mosquito is capable of flying long distances. Males and females mate during the first 3 to 5 days after they have emerged from the pupal stage. Females mate only once. Males generally live for only a week and their primary function is reproduction.

The entire body of the adult mosquito is covered by an exoskeleton layer which provides the body with strength and support. The body of an adult mosquito has three regions, the head, thorax, and abdomen. The head contains the eyes, antennae, palpi,4 and mouthparts of the mosquito. Mosquitoes have compound eyes. This means their eyes are made up of numerous facets. Each facet is capable of forming a separate image. Therefore, the multi-imaging eye allows the mosquito to see movement over a large area, helping it to react quickly. The antennae are important sensory organs for the adult mosquito. They house a very significant sensory structure called the Johnston organ that helps to transmit movements of the antennae to the brain. The antennae differ according the sex of a mosquito. Males have many hairs on their antennae, making them look fury, while females have very few hairs. The mosquito has two sets of wings, the fore wings and the hind wings. The fore wings are used to propel the mosquito through the air, while the hind wings are highly modified structures that help to balance the mosquito during flight. Mosquitoes do not have lungs; rather, they receive oxygen through holes on their skins. These holes open and close according to the amount of oxygen the insect needs to function. Oxygen exchange takes place by diffusion. The mosquito has a needle, a hollow in the upper lip, which has a special cover used while sucking the blood from the skin of prey. The skin is not pierced by this needle, as thought, but by the upper mandible which look like a knife, and the lower mandible which has teeth leaning inward, that works and moves as a saw. The hollow lower lip has a lubricant that gathers the parts of the mouth as one organ. The skin of the prey is pierced by the upper mandible, which works as a knife, and in piercing the needle is inserted until it reaches a vein, and then the mosquito starts to suck blood. This process clearly indicates that mosquitoes have the necessary equipment to survive and sustain life in an amazing manner.

However, mosquitoes tend to carry various disease that spread viruses and parasites; they do not succumb to these diseases themselves. The principal mosquito-borne diseases are viral diseases, like yellow fever, dengue fever and malaria. Mosquitoes are thought to transmit disease to more than 700 million people annually in Africa, South America, Central America, Mexico and much of Asia, with millions resulting in deaths. At least 2 million people annually die of these diseases. The first Qur’anic verse mentioned above is also quite striking in terms of the disease spreading aspect of these insects. A powerless animal can snatch away the health of person who could be regarded as powerful; however, both of them are weak against the will of the One who created them.  

[thislassishooked]

CS January Joy Day 2

Whew, I almost didn’t make it. I actually didn’t see my name on the list until New Years Eve, but somehow I was able to churn this out in two days. I’m so excited to share this little story because it gives my readers a peek into my life. I am a medical laboratory scientist and this is sort of what I do on a daily basis, minus the hot doc and precocious Henry. Thank you @csjanuaryjoy​ for hosting this event again this year. Enjoy!

AO3

Summery: Emma doesn’t like visitors to her laboratory at Storybrooke General Hospital, but somehow finds herself making an exception, albeit reluctantly, for the hospital’s new attractive, accident prone, infectious disease physician.

He could hear the music from the adjoining hallway. The smile that spread from cheek to cheek was not due to the catchy, nineties pop music coming from the laboratory, but the woman who was, no doubt, dancing and singing along, oblivious to his impending approach. It wasn’t until he reached the barely propped door that he caught the lyrics, sung from Swan’s own lips.

“Doctor Jones, Jones, calling Doctor Jones, Doctor Jones, Doctor Jones, get up now, wake up now!”

Killian felt his heart swell at the thought that just maybe the song wasn’t a coincidence, that perhaps she had chosen it on purpose. He hoped she had chosen it on purpose. He wasn’t ashamed to admit that every time he heard the music from Swan Lake, his mind would unwittingly conjure an image of Emma’s glorious green eyes. When it came to Emma Swan, Killian was most definitely fucked, and not in the good way. He was sure she didn’t return his affections, all scowls and eye rolls, and to make matters worse, he always made a bloody fool of himself in her presence. Gone was his swagger, his vocabulary, his god damned dignity.

He nudged the door further open and his jaw dropped at the scene before him. Emma was bent over her microscope, swinging her hips to the beat, somehow accentuating the curve of her perfect hind quarters in the not so flattering blue scrubs. The move was mesmerizing, seeing as she had to keep the upper half of her alluring body completely still. 

He must have been watching her for over a minute, knowing full well that if he didn’t make his presence known soon, he would definitely be approaching creeper status. Just as he pushed himself through the doorway, his scrub ties caught on the handle, making him yelp in surprise as his movement was suddenly halted, causing him to juggle the sample he was carrying, before thankfully catching it tightly in his grip while simultaneously scaring the living daylights out of Emma, if her startled scream was anything to go off of. Yet again, Killian Jones had made an utter fool of himself in front of Emma Swan.

---

January was Emma’s favorite time of year. The stress and loneliness of the holiday season had ended and her workload increased with every new case of the sniffles that walked through the hospital doors. The lab is where Emma was happiest, staring at sample after sample of blood, sputum, urine, etc., identifying the culprit and sending the results back to the doctors.

From a young age, Emma had excelled in science. Sometimes she would even catch her foster parents bragging to other parents that she had won first place in the science fair, but it never seemed to last. She would eventually end up back in a group home where finding any privacy to study was rare and frustrating. She didn’t bother making friends, choosing instead to read every science book she could get her hands on from the library. She hadn’t meant to read the huge copy of the Sanford Guide to Infectious Diseases, but after only a few pages she was hooked. Emma considered going to medical school, but ultimately decided she would be happier not dealing with patients. She really wasn’t much of a people person so she took the next logical step and focused on behind the scenes laboratory work, earning her masters degree in public health from Columbia University and snagging the medical laboratory scientists job at Storybrooke Hospital.

She had been at the hospital’s lab for two years when she learned that the resident infectious disease expert was retiring and his replacement was a Dr. K. Jones, a professor from London’s School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. She found it odd that a doctor with such an impressive resume would give up his or her fancy job in the UK, take such a pay cut and come to their sleepy little town.

She remembered the first time she met Killian Jones. She had strolled into her lab one morning to find a man with thick, dark hair fiddling with her electron microscope. When she cleared her throat, irritated that this stranger had had his hands all over her things, he swung around so fast that his hand actually knocked the petri dish from the stage and it splattered all over the floor. He had started sputtering out an apology while grabbing some cleaning supplies. She then watched in horror and admittedly a bit of amusement as things just got worse. He ended up spilling half a bottle of Clorox on the floor, then somehow proceeded to slip on the puddle and end up flat on his back in the pool, no doubt ruining his dark, form fitting clothes. She noticed as he laid on the floor groaning that dark scruff peppered his jaw, cheeks and upper lip. He threw his hands over the top half of his face, most likely out of frustration and embarrassment and when he spoke again, she noticed that he had an accent. An English accent. She made her way to his prone body and folded her arms as she got a better look at him. Her brain made the connection, seeing as no one without security clearance was allowed access to her lab, and was surprised that the British expat and her new colleague was so young.

“Dr. K. Jones, I presume?” Emma asked, trying to keep any hint of amusement out of her voice.

“Aye,” he confirmed, removing his hands from his face and Emma was instantly struck by the blue of his eyes, topped with thick, expressive eyebrows. She was right, he looked completely mortified. Something in his expression changed when he swept his gaze over her though and it made Emma feel exposed. She didn’t like visitors to her lab, only ever allowing her assistant Ruby to deliver Samples to her. Jones clambered to his feet while Emma continued to ruminate. “Killian Jones,” he clarified, offering his hand to Emma. She ignored it.

“Emma Swan,” she stated curtly. “For future reference, Dr. Jones, this is my lab and I value my privacy. My assistant will be in touch.” She turned from a speechless Killian, note to self, don’t ever call him that, and swept her hands in the direction of the door, indicating that he could use it to exit the same way he entered. He left without another word, but it would not be the last she saw of him, in her lab, messing with her stuff. Killian Jones was relentless in his pursuit to befriend Emma. He got deep under her skin by personally delivering every STAT sample, complimenting her on her work, and always managing to make a damn fool of himself while doing it. She feared her icy facade was beginning to noticeably melt.

---

Killian scratched that spot behind his right ear as Emma visibly deflated with that adorable head shake she gave him after every ungraceful mishap.

“Jones, I have asked you too many times to count for over two years to have Ruby deliver the samples.” She tried to keep her face stern, but Killian could see the tiniest crack of a smile at the corners of her soft pink lips.

“That you have, Swan, and I will continue to ignore your requests so that I may have the chance to see your smiling face every day,” he quipped while removing his scrub ties from the door handle. To his utter horror, as soon as he released his hold on the scrubs they fell to his ankles, leaving him in his dark blue boxers with little red anchors that probably matched the color of his face. Emma’s hint of a smile blossomed into a wide, amused grin. At least he succeeded in something today. He quickly hauled the bottoms back up his legs, setting the sample aside so he could retie them.

“Nice undies, Dr. Jones,” she snickered.

“Nice choice of music today, Ms. Swan.” She blushed at that. It really was the most adorable thing he’d seen all day. “While I would love to get snarky with you today, Emma, I’m afraid I’m here for a more serious matter.” Emma nodded for him to continue. He picked up the sample and carefully carried it to her workstation. “This sputum sample is from Henry Mills,” he explained as he handed it over to her. Her breath caught at the mention of Henry’s name. He knew she and the boy were close. Henry was the only visitor to the lab Emma welcomed with open arms. The lad had a knack for science and would often visit the hospital to learn as much about medical science from Emma or himself.

“What do you suspect it is?” she asked as she placed the sample on the stage and adjusted the lense.

“He said he cut his hand while playing in his castle at the playground four days ago and he’s experiencing gastrointestinal distress. He has a fever of 102 with chills, but what worries me most is the redness on the underside of his arm.” He could see Emma blanch as she focused on the sample. He was pretty sure what he was dealing with before retrieving the sample, he just needed Emma’s confirmation.

“Positive for staphylococcus aureus,” she said robotically. “Have you started him on antibiotics? Has he responded?” she asked frantically. Staph infections were pretty easy to treat ten years ago, but with the rise of antibiotic resistant strains, such as MRSA, they could be a death sentence.

“I’ve already ordered intravenous methicillin and we’ll know in about four to six hours if he responds. I’ll keep you updated.” Emma nodded as Killian turned to leave.

“Killian,” she uttered. He paused at the sound of his name and turned back to see her bashfully duck her head and tuck a loose strand of her golden blonde locks behind her ear. “Thank you,” she stated sincerely as her eyes met his. He nodded in response and left to rejoin Henry and his mother to deliver the disappointing news.

---

Emma made her way to the ICU, tears threatening to spill as she approached Henry’s door. Killian had diagnosed him with MRSA after he continued to decline with his first treatment. He had been admitted that night and started an aggressive treatment on a different antibiotic, but things were looking grim two days in as Henry’s condition worsened. His fever spiked at 106 just before he slipped into a coma. Killian started him on Bactrim, their last hope, three days ago, but he still hadn’t regained consciousness. The drug seemed to be working, his fever had dropped dramatically and his rash was shrinking, but the concern now was if he had suffered any brain damage. 

Emma spotted Killian leaving Henry’s room just as she came around the corner. He rubbed furiously as his eyes, let out a long sigh and trudged onward. She knew he hadn’t left the hospital since Henry had been unresponsive. The bags under his sad eyes were evidence that he was sleep deprived as was she. As promised, he had kept her informed, sending a nurse down to the lab with all the details so that he could stay by Henry’s side. She could no longer deny that she had very deep feelings for that man and she desperately missed his visits, as destructive as they sometimes were.

She pushed open the door to Henry’s room and was greeted with the sigh of the ventilator and occasional beeps indicating his heart was a least still beating. He looked so pale and still, a far cry from the lively child that had visited her a week ago. He had been so full of questions that day. She remembered he had wanted to know everything about mad cow disease. She let herself smile at the memory of his response when she told him it could only officially be diagnosed posthumously with a sample of the brain.

“Cool, do you have any samples in your cold storage?”

She explained that the condition was so rare, very few labs in the world had those kinds of samples. His disappointment was quickly forgotten when she let him look at some of the blood samples the phlebotomists had collected that day.

Henry had been regularly visiting her for two years, his first visit having happened just hours after the very accident prone Jones had made a mess of her precious lab. The precocious either year old had wondered in, not knowing that the lab was off limits. He reminded her of herself at that age and found that she was happy to satisfy his curiosity.

“Hi Henry,” she started lamely. “I have a bunch of new samples that I just know you’ll be dying to look at. I can’t wait to show you your own.” She could no longer hold in the tears. “You just need to get better, okay? Please, Henry, I don’t know what I'd do if you left me. You’re my only friend.” She thought that last statement over and realized that it may not be exactly true. Killian had inserted himself into her life, curiously on the same day as Henry, and she found herself looking forward to her time spent with both of them. 

She leaned down to give Henry a kiss on his forehead and as she was yanking on the heavy door to leave, Killian came crashing through, apparently not expecting the door to open itself. He must have been leaning his back against it because he was once again prone, on the floor, groaning from pain and frustration.

“I’m sorry, I swear I didn’t know you were there,” she said, putting down her bag and offering him her hand.

“It’s not your fault, love,” he assured her as he took her proffered hand. “I just can’t seem to keep it together when I’m in your presence.”

“Well, if it’s any consolation, sometimes I find it kind of endearing.”

“Endearing…” he repeated as he brushed his hand down his front. She thought he was waiting for her to elaborate so she opened her stupid mouth and made it so much worse.

“Cute, I mean, oh god, I have to go.” She rushed out the door with the image of his shocked face ingrained in her memory. Now she was the one making a fool of herself in front of him. She escaped to her fortress of solitude to try to forget that ever happened.

---

Killian watched her disappear with new found hope in his heart. Perhaps his feelings weren’t so one-sided anymore. His face turned serious again when his eyes landed on Henry.

“She’ll never go on a date with me if I let you die, lad,” he said grimly as he approached Henry’s bed. He looked curiously at the brain activity reader and got the shock of a lifetime.

“She’ll never go on a date with you if you don’t ask her,” a little voice squeaked from below.

“Right you are, Henry,” Killian responded with a face splitting grin. He couldn’t wait to tell Emma. He proceeded to examine the boy, checking for any signs of brain damage. He was positive Henry suffered no permanent damage after listening intently as the boy prattled on about the different types of Ebola. “I’m glad you’re back, Master Henry.”

Killian gave the nursing staff instructions to call Regina immediately with the news then rushed down to the basement to give Emma the good news personally. His heart broke a little for the woman he loved when he realized there was no music coming from the lab. He could hear little sniffles coming from her office as he carefully entered the lab, keeping an eye on his scrub ties while also being vigilant of any other hazards. He knocked on her office door and got a somber “Come in.” Her eyes were wet and rimmed with red. She steeled herself, most likely preparing for bad news. Killian reached out his hand and caught a falling tear on her cheek with his thumb. He brushed the offending liquid away and smiled reassuringly at her.

“Don’t cry, my love. Henry is going to be back to his old ways in a matter of days.” Emma just stared at him, stunned for a moment. It was only then that he realized his mistake in calling her ‘his’ love, rather than just ‘love’. He was worried that he had gone too far this time, but she didn’t run. She schooled her features as she asked him a series of questions.

“He’s awake?”

“Aye.”

“No permanent damage?”

“Nope.”

“Good.” With that, she grabbed his collar and pulled his lips to hers, meeting them in a passionate embrace. It took his stunned brain a second to realize what was happening, but once it didn, he kissed her back fervently. His right hand shot up to the back of her head, holding her in place as his left pulled her midsection closer. She responded by threading both of hers through his hair, no doubt making a mess of it, but he couldn’t care less. His Swan was kissing him and by god, he never wanted it to end. She ran her tongue along the seam of his lips and he happily opened for her, meeting hers with his in a lover’s tango. Her appreciative moan gave him the courage to grasp her by her hips and raise them enough to set her on her desk. She voluntarily opened her legs to allow him space between them, letting out a guttural groan as their bodies met through the thin fabric of their scrubs. Killian really wanted to take this further, but knew that Emma would be anxious to see Henry and it probably wasn't the best location.

“Emma,” he muttered against her mouth. Emma responded with little kisses across his jaw and down his throat, igniting a fire in him that would be damn well near impossible to put out if she carried on like that. “Have mercy, Swan.” She chuckled against his thrumming pulse point then lifted her head just enough to rest their foreheads together.

“Thank you, Killian.” He pulled his head away only so he could look into her eyes that shone so much brighter than they had in the past week.

“For what, love?”

“For saving Henry’s life. And,” she seemed to hesitate, but continued after he gave her an encouraging grin, “for not giving up on me.” He knew this was his chance. It was now or never.

“Will you go out with me?” he asked sincerely. Emma’s answer was in the form of another kiss, soft, sweet and slow this time. She pulled away so she could hop off the desk, threading her fingers through his as she did.

“Pick me up tomorrow at eight?” Killian pulled their entwined hands up to his lips to place a kiss just above her knuckles.

“Aye, it’s a date.”

Emma strolled out of her office and toward the exit of the lab, excited to see Henry, all the while singing to herself. This time, Killian knew the song was meant for his ears.

“Doctor Jones, Jones, calling Doctor Jones, Doctor Jones, Doctor Jones, get up now,”

“Wake up now,” Killian supplied.

[eckodark]

Nightmare Fields - Part One (re uploaded)

Haven't written in a long long long time. So... came a long way from where I was.... who I was.. and decided to embrace a side of me that I never thought I ever would have.... Here is my first ever vore short story. Part one to a short story ( not so short). attempted some minor grammar fixes. Contains; blood, violence, vore mention, torture, fearplay, eventually fatal vore and maybe hard vore.

Fear. The most stubborn and feral feeling that almost all living creatures are born with. It is a universal feeling and a language that all creatures can understand. Some say fear can be so strong that someone with high senses can smell it emanating from their body. Is it in the sweat from the brow or the palms? Can they sense their temperature when it's cold or hot? To a human it does not seem like they can do that, but some creatures as beasts and monsters can...

You look down at your hands, sweaty right hand tightly holding a broadsword, sharp, embroidered with silver at the hilt, and passed down from your older generation, quite a beautiful blade. A sweaty left hand in a fist with enough sweat pooled inside that it is on the verge of dripping. In the distance, you can hear horrifying shrieking sounds from people, running terrified. Another sound that you hear is one that you never heard before, a monstrous sound of nightmares. They sound like a combination of a deep roar and a shriek. Loud, bellowing and terrifying. You are not sure what to do as you hide in a wide cabin that has a lot of room and windows towards the front and sides so you can see out in the distance. Right now, ducked under a windowsill, you peek over to see if there are any of those... things out there. You look outside with one eye peeking out from the corner of the window, you see one creature off in the distance at the outskirts of the woods, maybe about 40 or 50 yards away, they have this light brown almost tannish fur that is short, pale white skin and kind of have the form of a , feline sort of? With a long tail that seems unproportioned to its body, it is thick and long like a giant tube, almost like a chimera but not quite, they do not have the lion head with goat horns or super sharp claws or snake for a tail but they have the body as if they would. Although their tail has some kind of resemblance of a giant snake but there is no head. Just really big, muscular and kind of scaly on the base and the tip of it. They walk on four legs; have paws like a big cat but a bit more... opposable? In addition, claws seem a bit duller but still sharp enough to tear things; some creatures even seem to have wings shaped somewhat like bats that can somehow fly their huge forms to the skies. Not to mention they're pretty big! Some have different features than the others, you cannot make out much from here but you can see the obvious things such as them have different sizes. Some can be twice or six times the size of bears. You shiver a bit at how many there are and then sit back down near the windowsill away from the windows view to think as you tighten your grip on your sword.

"Think, think, what do I do, we don't even know what these things do yet but that screech didn't sound like a friendly hello, not to mention their huge! like a giant bear huge! Plus there are so many! Hmm, let me check one more time if there are any heading this way."

You do a quick peek again through the same window, you see them coming out from the same forest edge, "what is in that direction? Could there be something out there?" You are not in the best position to be in either since they are heading towards your direction, so far you only seen about seven of them go pass your cabin into the small village from a skew angle.

You sit back down for the final time and your mind is boggling to come up with a solution or direction to your predicament. So far, none of them has noticed you so you try to slow your breath, wipe some of the sweat off from your palms and brow and try to think a little more calmly. "Maybe we're overreacting, maybe they're friendly? Are these the strange creatures the soldiers were talking about that suddenly appeared a month ago? "

*thump thump BOOM*

“Huh?” Before you got to stand up to hear what that stomping sound was from outside...

*CRASH*

The window about 10 feet to your right shatters! Sharp glass flies everywhere. You instinctively shield your eyes and face from stray glass shards as you gasp in sudden surprise. "GAHHH!--" a short scream escaped from your mouth before you could react to covering it. Instincts are faster than reaction at times. You duck underneath a table with a candle on top of it and try to quiet yourself enough to see and hear rationally. You look up and see two of those things ravaging at each other. Their fighting each other for some reason, "what on earth is happening!?” before your second thought, they start clawing and crying out in pain from each other’s attacks. They are ferociously hissing, snarls and roaring at each other all throughout the cabin. *KRReeeeee* One got bit and cried out in pain. They push and bite at each other, using their long, unnaturally thick tails to wrap each other’s torso and neck. “They are trying to strangle each other!” One of the monsters had its back turned towards you as it faced the other. You noticed it had some sort of ring shape on its back, kind of like a tattoo birthmark, this ring has a couple slashes on it so the ring is not complete, more like the letter C than an O.  *The beast with the ring torn up had the other beast pinned down. You can hear the pinned beast gasping and coughing for air as the dominating beast had its paw on its throat firmly pressed. *GRRRAAHHHRRkkk* It growls in pain as they wrestle at each other rolling around and knocking things over. Tables are flipped, their claws scrape floors, chairs are easily crushed by their weight, and when they rolled up against the wall, a big BANG echoed throughout the cabin and the whole house shook with a huge shuttering noise. It rang so loud that the ceiling clattered and dust from the ceiling beams snowed down.     

You seem to be in a bad spot from their brawling so you cease the opportunity to run to a wardrobe that you saw towards the back of the room. It would be great to get out but it's too dangerous to pass by them to get to the other side where the only exit is. You might take a hit with a stray tail whip or claw if you get up for the door, so your best bet for now is to wait it out and find an opening to either take them out or run away. Right now, your safety is the priority. Without much more thinking, you take a deep breath, got up quickly and as quiet as you could, ran to the wardrobe and sat inside silently with a little crack through the double doors just enough to peek out with one eye and see them, they’re so focused on their fight that they didn't see you run towards the back.

Heart pounding in your ears. "Ok they haven’t seen me yet, I still have my body intact, not even a scratch from the glass...guuughhhh" You spoke too soon, while you were checking yourself, your shoulder brushed up against some hanging clothes in the wardrobe, you looked at your left hand and noticed a trail of blood running down your arm, dripping to the floor. There is a small shard of glass protruding from (for the lack of better anatomy terms) the meaty part of your neck, luckily, it did not hit a vital artery and it was just your flesh and skin, plus it was not in too deep and it did not really hurt until you noticed it. The sudden adrenaline dulls a lot of the pain, but since you are sort of out of harm’s way momentary, you realized a sharp burning pain from it. You quietly and gently, without sound, put your sword down use your right hand to take out the shard. Your right hand brushed up against the shard of glass not too much bigger than your pinky finger, "gahh this hurts so much, maybe if I take it out?" As soon as you pulled a little bit out, more blood started to trickle from the wound down your arm and your back. A lot of it got soaked up into your worn out shirt and pants, you wince and grit your teeth in pain as you pulled the rest of the little shard out causing more blood to ooze down your arm and onto the floor. "Hrnnsssssss.” You hiss through your teeth in pain, once it is out you let out a sigh of relief.

*Crash*

You hear another piece of furniture breaking, you peek out again, this time wide eyed at what you just saw; a wooden leg of the table you were hiding under falls near you, giving a shiver from your spine going up to your head. When you look around you find the rest of the table flung across the room by those beasts still going at it. It is not safe. You quickly find some scraps of cloth in the wardrobe and tie your shoulder and part of your neck to stop the blood. There was a loud screeching going on in the background as you bandage yourself faster in fear that they might get closer.     

*The beasts are rolling around trying to best each other at getting the upper hand. They pounce and scratch at each other. One of the beasts with the slashed back finally caught the other by the torso with its tail wrapped around it while the other one tried to struggle free. The beast with the slashed back seemed a little bigger than the other one. The second beast is now on the ground with the bigger one on top of it trying to strangle it with its tail. Its tail slithered its way around the smaller beast’s neck and torso, choking. It gasps for breath while the bigger one also pins down its front and hind legs leaving the second beast with little room to move.* You can hear it growling and struggling on the ground, it roars at its attacker but then the roar gets cut short as it get its neck tightened. You peak through the crack again while bandaging and see the bigger beast has its face close to the other one, eyeing it to make sure it does not do any more attacks while it tightens its grip around with its tail. Like an anaconda, squeezing the life out of its prey in order to devour it half alive. You can only watch in horror as the life is being crushed in front of you. Giving you shivers as you quickly look away to finish what you started. "Grrraahhh...ackk---grrrrrrr" you can still hear It trying to fight it off. * The second beast manages to shake its hind legs free and kicks the bigger one in its abdomen. It pushes and forces all its strength in the abdomen, digging its claw in with one leg. This loosened the grip around its neck enough for it to take a breath for oxygen, giving it enough energy to completely send it flying off it with one more strong push. The bigger one got hurled and summersault before landing with a huge thump sound near the wardrobe your hiding in. The smaller beast managed to free itself, hissing at the other beast before it turns around and flees out the same window it came from.*         

-

After you finished bandaging, you hear a big bang followed by hissing and a snarl from one of the monsters right outside the wardrobe, it was loud and sounded very close, the sudden sound made you jump a little and you quickly pick your sword back up making a slight clanging noise forgetting how stealthy your status should be. You peek outside again, your heart skipped a beat when you see the shadow of the beast looming over you right outside the wardrobe. You see a clear view of its back and see the ring close up, it has a dull glow , it got its ring severed and has pale bluish blood trickling down its back and onto the floor. It stands up, breathes in and roars at the other beast, a deep roar that gives you goosebumps. You catch a glimpse of the other one leaving the house through the window. The roar was close enough to make your ears ring immensely and you try to cover one ear with your free hand in an attempt to minimize the shrill sound.

*The beast arches its back, its back hairs standing on end and it's large, over-proportioned tail in a big arc above it, almost touching the ceiling, making it seem bigger than it is to the other beast as a way of intimidation.*

The act of intimidation has you visibly trembling all around your body. You cannot seem to control it. You try to hold yourself from the uncontrollable shaking. You take an unsteady deep breath, letting out a shaky sigh as quietly as you can, then take another breath, this time it comes out as a whimper involuntarily. The amount of terror that is happening right outside this wardrobe is petrifying. The only thing keeping you from facing this certain doom is an old wooden door. You try not to think about it and cover your mouth…

*The beast is just standing there all beat up and seems like it is about to tip over. Panting for breath, shaking in pain, it moves to the right of the wardrobe and sits down.*

Just out of your field of view, you can see its tail relax a little and seem to curl its tail around itself. You shift a little to the left without opening the door more to try to see it a little clearer but you can only see its tail and half its back towards you.

It seems like their battle is over with a standing or rather sitting champion. Although the beast is covered in wounds. The good news is that now there is one less beast to deal with. The winner here is certainly not you since you are still trapped in a wardrobe with the champion in the same room just feet away from you, which is the bad news. As scary as it is, you have not given up yet, maybe it is your chance to kill it while it's weakened or run from it since it looks exhausted and beaten up. All this time you had your breath held in your lungs and started to feel a tiny bit light headed from not breathing. You let out a breath a little quicker than you should have and you’re afraid that the beast may hear the sound since it’s so close. It still did not seem to notice since it was still sitting there. “Hahaha… kill it? That thing looks like it can shred anything in seconds… what am I thinking?” you thought to yourself. Your situation is a little bit better than before but you saw what it could do.... it may not be so good after all. You’re sort of now stuck in a situation to either fight or flight right now. If you hang around it might find you or it might not, but if you try to run it will definitely see you and might attack you, or it might get startled at the surprise giving you the chance to escape in hopes it will not chase you. As you weigh your options, you hear sounds to your right from the beast. It sort of makes some kind of grunting sounds and some slight shifting. You can hear some kind of wet sound that sounds maybe familiar, like an animal. “Huh? Is it licking itself? “

*The monster licks its wounds to stop the bleeding in its legs and its lower back. *

“Maybe it’s trying to reach its back where the claw mark on its ring was left, it looked pretty bad. The growls and grunts it’s making sounds like it’s extremely painful.” It is now or never, you must make a decision.