#i feared that a kit would die in the first moon

[castaway-clan]

Question - why did you pick Goldrun to be your starting cat?

I like writing pathetic men

[moeitsu]

Song Lyrics That Remind Me of Arthur Morgan

Nobody asked for this, but I listen to A LOT of music, and this boah is constantly on my mind 24/7. So I thought I'd share some lyrics that remind me of him and his relationships <3

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Hard Believer - First Aid Kit

"So you ask for my opinion. Well, what is there to say? To be honest and just foolish, won't make you wanna stay. You've got to go on and get moving. And I can't do that for you. Got so many plans and so much you wanna do. Love is tough, time is rough on me."

To a Poet - First Aid Kit (Mary & Arthur)

"You said, 'Don't give me nothing you don't wanna lose.' I said, 'Darlin' I'll give you everything I got, if you want them to choose.' Though unwillingly I left and it was so, so hard to do. Now I miss you more than I can take and I will surely break. And every morning that I wake, God, it is the same."

Afraid of Heights - Boygenius (Dutch & Arthur)

"I know I fucked up when I told you I'm afraid of heights. It made you wanna test my courage. You made me climb a cliff at night. You wanted me to jump and I declined. You called me a coward, I replied, I don't wanna live forever, but I don't wanna die tonight."

My Silver Lining - First Aid Kit

"I don't know if I'm scared of dyin', but I'm scared of living too fast, too slow. Regret, remorse, hold on. Oh no I've gotta go. There's no starting over, no new beginnings, time races on. You've just gotta keep on keeping on."

Sun Bleached Flies - Ethel Cain

"If they strike once, then you hit 'em twice as hard. But in the end, if I bend under the weight that they gave me, Then this heart would break and fall twice as far. We all know how it goes, the more it hurts, the less it shows. But I still feel like they all know, and that's why I could never go back home."

Saviour - George Ezra (Mary & Arthur)

"Time was young and you were mine. Take me back to that midnight moon. Cradle me, at that midnight moon. All of me is all for you, and what I got to give is not enough. It's a dark night. Being your own savior, is it saving you?"

Cowboy, Gangster, Politician - Goldie Boutilier (Mary & Arthur)

"We said goodbye, but it never ends. 'Cause you can't get away from a woman who loves you. 'Cause you can't run away from feelings that haunt you. No, you can't separate a fire from a flame that already burns. Every saints a sinner, we all have our past. Forever is a fiction, nothing lasts."

Let Him Fly - Patty Griffin (Mary Gillis-Linton)

"Ain't no talking to this man, ain't no pretty other side. Ain't no way to understand, the stupid words of pride. It would take an acrobat, and I already tried all that so, I'm gonna let him fly. You know the light has left his face, but you can't recall just where or why. So there was really nothing to it, I said I'm gonna let him fly."

The Chain - Fleetwood Mac (Dutch & Arthur)

"And if you don't love me now, You will never love me again. I can still hear you saying, we would never break the chain. Run in the shadows. Damn your love, damn your lies."

Devil's Resting Place - Laura Marling

"I've been with the devil in the devil's resting place. Water won't clean you, you only hold yourself to the things you do. Come up here to speak to me and hold your face to mine. Any man can hold my gaze has done his job just fine. You sold your life away to be with me tonight. Hold your head against my chest, I think you'll be just fine."

Through the Valley - Shawn James

"I walk through the valley of the shadow of death. And I fear no evil because I'm blind to it all, and my mind and my gun they comfort me. Because I know I'll kill my enemies when they come. Surely, goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life. And I will dwell on this earth forevermore. Well, I came upon a man at the top of a hill. Called himself the savior of the human race. Said he'd come to save the world from destruction and pain, but I said, how can you save the world from itself?"

Youngest Daughter - Superheaven

"It's useless, I tried, but to no avail. To tell you how much I know, how much I care. Breathe until your lungs fail, you can sing 'til you go deaf. I am sick, I am horrified at everything I hear. Everyday repeats itself again, the cycle of our misery, It drives us all insane."

The Fall - Gregory Alan Isakov (John & Arthur)

"You heard blood was thick, brothers and sisters. But ya don't know where anybody's at. Time was a bust, you thought you'd better be tough. Nobody gets past the trembling wire. All eyes on you now, on you. We're all holding our breath."

Second Chances - Gregory Alan Isakov (John & Arthur)

"I'm running from nothing, no thoughts in my mind. Oh my heart was all black but I saw something shine. Thought that part was yours, but it might just be mine. I could share it with you, if you gave me the time. I'm all bloody knuckles, longing for home. If it weren't for second chances, we'd all be alone."

My Mind - Paris Paloma (Dutch & Arthur)

"What did I do wrong? Will you tell me what I did wrong, what did I? Was it a first offense? How long had you been harboring that vemon? You could have used your words then, you wanted them to hurt and so I let them. Never would I beseech you, to endure what you put me through."

[im-just-a-dumb-gay]

Sams Dragon au

Backstory: Savio (Creator) is a human who gain immortality and is a Dragon Hunter. His goal is to find the fabled "Dragon's Lair." He uses the assistance of his most loyal Wrym, Clovis (KC), to hunt dragons. Wryms are used due to years ago when Hunters discovered that they secrete a venom that weakens dragons and that they naturally prey dragons for blood. Usually, Wyrms do not kill their prey. This is because they want the dragons alive for later blood to be drawn. However, once Hunters started to breed Wyrms, they bred them to be more violent as well as obedient.

When Savio tried to find the Lair, he first used the bodies of 2 adolescent dragons he already killed and brought them back to life. He hoped to use them under his power, however, the melded dragon fled his grasp. Later, when hunting a mother dragon, he decided instead to raise dragon eggs in the belief that the lair was found through instinct. These dragons were Aelius (Sun) and Narvi (Moon). To keep control of the two dragons, he binded Aelius wings to keep him grounded and kept a leash around Narvi. The young dragons, though uncomfortable, didn't resist.

Under orders, Clovis was not to eat them so he mostly ignored the 2 or scare them for slight pleasure. At some point Aelius and Narvi saw Savio murder a dragon, including the young, and started to fear for themselves. Clovis and Savio found the 2 and, since they longer listened to orders, Savio let Clovis chase them. The 2 fell in the rapids due to the binds and leadh. Narvi hit his head and was unconscious. Savio felt the rapids would drown the 2 and left with Clovis. Instead, the two were found by a kindly Wood Nympth, Hortensia (Earth) who just woke up a few days ago. She healed the two and they stayed with her until they were too big and needed to leave due to the local dragons protecting their territory.

At some point in time, a dragon raided a village, burning it to the ground. The only survivor was a young elf, Brandr (Eclipse) . (Might make it Aelius and Narvi who did it, by accident, however I don't know yet. I just know for a fact that Brandr was the only survivor). Brandr was found by Savio and taken as an apprentice. His goal is to never be vulnerable to a dragon again. Once he was considered good enough to be independent, Brandr was given the offspring of Clovis, Karro and Kanik (Bloodmoon twins).

At some point, Brandr also teamed up with a Lightning Elf village and worked alongside with Merriweather (Lunar). The two worked together and were able to catch 2 dragons, one with golden scales and another with dark blue and white. The reason Brandr didn't immediately kill them was because he wished to become invulnerable. Savio was immortal, but could still die to an arrow in the heart. Brandr wanted to never be vilnerable, so he found a way to drain the strength and power of dragons through a powerful stone. While holding the 2 dragons, Brandr let Merriweather weaken the blue one with Kanik while he himself used Karro to weaken the golden one.

Over time, Merriweather felt unloved by Brandr and gained sympathy for the blue one. Brandr, on the other hand, would let Karro terrorize the golden one and keep it submissive. Merriweather at some felt had enough of Brandr and escaped with both dragons. Later on, find Hortensia and Merriweather learns the dragons' names are Aelius and Narvi.

The story goes forward with the 4 traveling together and finding new friends along the way while Brandr tries to hunt specifically Aelius and Narvi because ego. (And potentially if their the reason his village burned down). Merriweather meets Cole(Solar), a blacksmith who ran from home as his mother blamed him for his father's death. Hamel(Ruin), a forced fushion of a human and dragon years ago, was found under a dark spell that was healed by likely Hortensia. Cole finds a skeleton dog and adopts him (Jack). Hortensia meets an Aligator and falls in love. A Fox adopts a kit and learns of a skeleton dragon in the woods that seem to be attached to the kit. A Water Nympth makes themselves known (nightmares seem to be less present now....). A Skeleton Deer befriends the Skeleton Dog. The Aligator has an adopted human child that also befriends the dog. Brandr meets an annoying bird creature. (These events are not in order lol)

[whistleclangen]

Moon 0, Part One - Calm Before the Storm: Addendum

Once during every moon, there is a night where the sky is nearly pitch black, without even a sliver to betray the moon’s location against the map of stars that make up Silverpelt high above. On this night, the Moonless Night, Whistleclan gathers around the Tidepool and takes turns telling stories to each other, perched atop the Tidetree at one end. During the Telling of the Tales, one can tell any story they like: their favorite classic story to hear from the elders when they were a kit, an anecdote from a patrol they went on once, or even an interesting dream they had a few nights ago. Some even like to come up with a story on the spot, but Flarepaw is far too nervous for that.

Flarepaw hadn’t really felt like speaking this moon, but for Rainkit’s first Tales, he relented, and decided to tell an old favorite of his, The Kittypet and the Warrior. The creatively named story follows the lives of a kittypet and a cat from a far away clan, as they fall in love and eventually run off together. In other versions of the story, the warrior shuns his kittypet lover and stays in his clan, eventually becoming leader while the kittypet moves on, and even others have the warrior killing the kittypet in a case of mistaken identity—that’s Daisypaw’s favorite version, he thinks. But Flarepaw prefers the one where both of them get a happy ending, walking off into the sunset with tails entwined. Maybe he’s a bit of a romantic, who’s to say. In any case, the clan seemed to have enjoyed his tale, and he pads back to his spot by Rainkit and Shadowstreak, feeling contented and accomplished. 

Daisypaw ruins that nice feeling moments later when she prances up to the Tidetree and recounts a brutal battle, despite having never been in one herself. She goes into great detail describing the exact number of claw marks each cat received, and the death toll on both sides, and Flarepaw feels the urge to cover Rainkit’s ears with his paws. 

As the youngest, Rainkit had told the clan her story last, after a significant amount of coaxing from Shadowstreak and Flarepaw. She didn’t need to speak, of course—participation in the Tales is strictly voluntary—but she’d wanted to overcome her fears, and in the end, she’d regaled the clan with a somewhat quiet description of the time she chased a butterfly around camp, and the Clan had cheered for her loud as ever when she finally trailed off, smiling down at her paws. 

After the Telling of the Tales is finished, the cats of Whistleclan begin to make their ways to their dens, yawning and murmuring amongst themselves. Flarepaw bids Rainkit a good night, briefly pressing his head against hers before turning and making his way across camp. 

Trudging back to his nest in the apprentices’ den, Flarepaw can’t help but feel a little disappointed that his mother Berrybloom hadn’t stayed for the Tales this time. He knows she doesn’t like them, finds them tedious and frankly boring, but Flarepaw had hoped she’d be there for Rainkit’s first one. Ah well, he sighs internally, maybe she’ll stay for the next one.

He’s still not sure where she disappeared to either. She and Buzzardneedle had slunk out of camp soon after Briarstar had commenced the Tales, and he still hadn’t noticed them return. He’s pretty sure Quailfreckle assigned Berrybloom to the dawn patrol, so he hopes she gets back to camp in time to sleep for a while at least. 

“Well I think they’re a waste of time, and I don’t know why you care so much about them!” Flarepaw hears Faithpaw’s shrill voice echo out from the mouth of the apprentices’ den and he winces a bit. He wishes the other apprentice would sleep in the medicine den like a normal healer, but nooo, he can’t be separated from his sister for more than a few seconds or he’ll die! Flarepaw pads into the den and settles into his nest, hoping to stay out of the brewing argument.

“For the last time, Faithpaw,” Daisypaw growls at him in a half whisper, more mindful of the time of night, “the Tales are Whistleclan’s oldest tradition! They’re what sets us apart from the rest of the Clans, they’re how we sharpen our minds and our tongues and how we keep the memories of generations past alive!”

“Yeah, yeah, and who cares about the cats of the past, huh? As one of the cats of now, I could’ve been asleep in my nest so much earlier tonight if we all just gave it a rest. Shadowstreak has me out herb gathering tomorrow morning, before the Dawn patrol even goes out!”

“Well you can always skip like Berrybloom if you really don’t want to be there,” Daisypaw reasons, ignoring the fact that she herself would tear him a new one if she caught Faithpaw skipping the Tales. Flarepaw locks eyes with Thornpaw, the other apprentice of Whistleclan, from across the den, and she rolls her eyes theatrically. Flarepaw stifles a snort of laughter. He’s never really gotten along with Thornpaw, he finds her a bit too stuck up, and she sucks up to her mentor and to Briarstar constantly, but she can be pretty funny when she remembers to let loose a little. 

“...and what else would you have us do on those long, cold, moonless nights in the dead of Leafbare? Our stories are the fire that keeps us warm and lights up the nights when no moon shines in the sky–”

“I’m just saying–”

“I don’t want to hear what you have to say anymore tonight.” Daisypaw has finally had enough, it seems. “Go sleep in the medicine den. Shadowstreak made up a nest for you and everything, if you ever want to be a real healer someday, you’re going to have to sleep there sometime.”

Faithpaw looks like he wants to argue, but he thinks better of it, and slinks out of the entrance to the den, head bowed. The first smart call he’s made all night, Flarepaw thinks. The longer you argue with Daisypaw, the more likely you are to end up with a scratched nose or bleeding ear. Flarepaw knows from experience. 

Daisypaw glares around the den, daring Flarepaw and Thornpaw to comment on the exchange, and Flarepaw instantly lays his head down on the soft moss of his nest, curling away from the other two. He hears Daisypaw collapse into her own nest behind him with an overblown sigh.

Flarepaw closes his eyes, and sleep rises up from the depths to drag him into its embrace. 

[mostthingskenobi]

CASSIAN'S RECKONING - Chapter 12: The Ghosts

CHAPTER SUMMARY: Rogue One may have rescued Cassian but he's not out of the woods.

The piece of art above is a preview. I commissioned 5 illustrations for this fic from @amikoroyaiart and you can see the first 3 on my Patreon.

READ THE FIC ON AO3

THIS IS A WHUMPY FIC W/GRAPHIC DEPICTIONS OF VIOLENCE. PLEASE HEED THE TAGS ON AO3.

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CHAPTER 12: THE GHOSTS

As the Lambda shuttle dropped out of hyperspace, Rogue One was greeted by a familiar ship floating in a vast nothingness. Their rendezvous with the Ghost took place in a remote part of the cosmos near neither planet nor space station. They transferred to the starship through an umbilical, leaving the imperial vessel—along with its tracking beacon—powered down and floating aimlessly.

Jyn and Melshi struggled to support Cassian as they entered the Ghost’s cargo bay. Hera greeted them, taking in Andor’s dire state. She retracted the umbilical and shouted into her commlink, “Chop, get us out of here.” She pointed at Baze, Chirrut, and Bodhi. “You three head up to our crew quarters. You can grab blankets and water for Cassian.” She turned to Jyn next. “I would offer to put him in one of our bunks but I don’t think he can make it up the ladder.”

Erso nodded her agreement.

“I need to speak with you,” Hera said, lowering her voice.

Jyn and Melshi eased Cassian to the ship’s deck before she stepped to the corner with the general. “We can’t go back to Yavin,” Hera began.

“Why? What’s happened?”

“I just got word from base of an immanent threat. The Death Star has arrived in orbit over the moon. Our fighters will be engaging shortly, but even if they succeed in defeating the weapon, the base location has been compromised.”

“What about Cassian?” Jyn fought to tamp down the panic rising in her throat. “You can see he clearly needs help now.”

“They’re scrambling the fleet. I’ve secured us a rendezvous with the Nebulon-B frigate Redemption. We have to hurry because they’ll only wait for a short window of time. The fleet is going to have to constantly keep moving until we find a new base location.” Hera looked over her shoulder at Cassian who sat slumped against Melshi. “He looks bad.”

“They were ruthless,” Jyn replied grimly.

Hera placed a hand on her arm. “Don’t worry. The Redemption has a full medical set up. They’ll be able to help him.”

“If he survives the flight back.”

“We have to keep hope.”

Rebellions are built on hope. It felt like years since Cassian first said that to her. She’d almost scoffed in his face at the time. But now, it was the mantra that kept her going.

“I’ll be in the cockpit,” Hera said. “If you need anything, there’s a comm on the wall or you can just come up.”

“Thank you. For everything. None of this could have happened without you.”

Hera couldn’t hold back a smile. “I’m sure you still would have found a way.” She turned and climbed up the ladder out of the cargo bay.

Jyn went and knelt next to Melshi.

“I don’t feel so good,” Cassian murmured.

“We’ll be home soon.” Jyn could have sworn his bruises looked darker. “They’ll get you fixed up. You can have a nice, long rest. You’ll be safe there.”

Cassian nodded weakly, his chest lifting heavily as he tried to stay lucid.

“Do you want to lay down?”

“Maybe.”

“You need to try to stay awake, though,” Melshi cautioned.

Cassian’s head fell back against the bulkhead, no longer able to hold it up. “I’m awake.” His body visibly shuddered as he struggled for another rasping breath. “It’s so cold in here.”

Jyn and Melshi shared a concerned look. “I’ll go find a med kit,” the sergeant said, pushing up and hurrying out of the cargo bay.

Cassian’s teeth began to chatter. “I’m freezing.”

Fear gripped Jyn; she’d seen enough men die to know this was the beginning of the end. “Cassian,” she said firmly. Her tone startled him and his eyes slowly pulled open. “Don’t let go,” she commanded.

His gaze became dull and he began to slide down the wall. She caught him by the shoulder and eased him to the floor before ripping off her vest and stuffing it under his head. “Help is coming.” She tried to stay calm but all of this was too familiar. They’d been here once before, Cassian dying on a ship’s floor while Jyn frantically tried to save him. “We’re not doing this again.” Her voice broke. She cradled his face in her hands and leaned over him. “Cassian!” He was declining quickly, his breath weak and his eyes rolling, but he reached up and took hold of her wrist. She put her cheek against his. “Stay with me,” she whispered as tears stung her eyes and slipped from her lashes onto his skin.

His other hand weakly grasped the back of her shirt at the base of her neck as he nuzzled against her. “I’m with you, Jyn,” he breathed before going completely limp.

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The phantom trail of Jyn’s tears still tickled across his cheek; the feeling of her fingers against his skin was still alive; but he found himself alone. Cassian opened his eyes and once again saw swaying, beautiful, verdant branches of an ancient, silent forest. Slowly, he sat up, still stiff from Tarkin’s abuse. He noticed his hands were cut and bleeding, his wrists raw, but the pain was gone.

Carefully, he got to his feet and looked around, taking in every detail. He could tell the tree line ended somewhere far off in the distance, and beyond lingered a tease of sunlight and warmth. Where he stood, the grass was lush and the tree canopy high, vaulting like a natural temple. The breeze gently tousled the hair around his eyes and smelled of something green and fresh.

“I was worried you’d be back.”

Cassian spun around, and what he saw cause his breath to hitch. His mother and father stood between two arched trees, their expressions more relaxed and gentler than he’d ever seen. His mouth fell open, unable to find words to express his heartache and joy as he stared dumbly at the two people he grieved most.

“You’ve had a hard time of it,” Maarva finally spoke, gesturing at his still bleeding face. “Harder than I think we’ll ever fully know.”

“Perhaps that’s why he’s here,” Clem said, leading Maarva forward a few steps.

Cassian wanted to go to them, to hug them, but he was afraid any movement could break the spell. He stood frozen in place as emotions pushed to the surface. “Dad?”

“My boy.” Clem’s voice was soft and kind, fully aware that he and his son last looked on each other during a moment so horrific neither dared speak of it.

Tears slipped down Cassian’s face. His gaze shifted to his mother. “Are you both safe here?”

She looked pained by her son’s worry. “There’s nothing to harm any of us.”

“But you can’t stay,” Clem said very gently.

Cassian knew in his heart it was the truth but he didn’t want to accept it; he could sense that he didn’t belong in this place—a feeling he lived with for as long as he could remember. “I want to stay with you.”

Maarva’s chest heaved as though she were holding back a sob. “You’ve been through a lot of strife but you have a good heart, Cass. We want to let you rest, but this isn’t your time.”

“And,” Clem said with a loving smile, “unless I’m mistaken, you still have some unfinished business.”

Cassian thought of almond-shaped eyes and dirty combat boots and a woman with so much fire in her heart she could burn everyone around her.

“Look at him!” Maarva startled Cassian from his reverie. “He’s healing!”

He looked down and saw his fingers were no longer crooked and bruised. He touched his face and realized the cuts had turned into thin scars.

“Not long now,” Clem nodded.

Cassian stared at his parents, trying to imprint their faces on his memory. “I don’t want to leave you,” he said, tears still burning his eyes. “I miss you. I think about you all the time.”

They came as close as they could without touching. “You’re a good boy,” Maarva said, fighting her emotions.

“He’s a good man now, love,” Clem teased his wife. Cassian had forgotten how comforting his father was, how his eyes twinkled and his smile calmed those around him. “We’re not going anywhere, Cass.”

Clem wrapped an arm around Maarva, who gave one stiff nod before saying, “We’ll be here when the time is right. Do your best.”

“Remember,” his father said, “eyes open. Possibilities everywhere.”

His heart ached but Cassian smiled. Losing his parents was a pain he could not put down. Though Clem and Maarva were not his biological family, they had loved him as no one else in the galaxy had loved him. And he loved them, loved their quirks, their flaws, their passions. He knew he hadn’t always been a good son, but they loved him anyway; they loved him because, unlike so many of his other relationships, his connection with his mother and father was unconditional. He never doubted them.

“I love you.”

“I know, my boy,” Maarva finally smiled.

Clem gave him one final nod then said, “It’s time to wake up.”

——————–

Jyn had watched as tears slowly formed on Cassian’s eyelashes and slipped down his temples while he slept. She chewed her lip with anxiety, unable to help him while he silently suffered.

Hours passed before his eyes unexpectedly opened; she moved to his side, taking his hand in hers.

“Where am I?” he asked, his vision unfocused and disoriented, not seeing her or the room beyond.

“You’re on the Redemption. It’s an Alliance frigate.”

He blinked hard, unable to see past his tears, so Jyn gently wiped his lashes with her thumbs. Cassian finally looked at her. “Jyn,” he breathed with relief.

She sat next to him on the bed and placed a hand on his chest, trying to calm him. “Everything’s OK. You’re safe. You’re healing.”

He was shuddering with emotion as he closed his eyes against more tears.

“What is it, Cassian?” Jyn’s voice betrayed her worry. “Are you in pain? Do you want me to get the doctor?”

He reached up and set his hand over hers in the middle of his chest and just breathed for a long time.

“I saw my parents,” he finally said.

Worry flashed through Jyn. Many rotations ago, Cassian and she had once spent a long night drinking strong still alcohol, telling each other about their parents, eventually both crying so hard they ended up laughing—a testament to grief’s strangeness. She knew losing his mother and father had caused a deep fracture in Cassian’s heart.

“That’s good,” she said, gently squeezing his shoulder with her other hand, concealing her fear. “That’s really good.”

He stared blankly at the ceiling as more tears welled in his eyes. “They’re together now.”

Jyn swallowed her own emotions, biting down hard on her lip. She wasn’t sure what any of this meant; part of it scared her; the surgeons had said Cassian was not yet out of the woods. She feared a visitation from deceased parents did not bode well for her friend, but she dared not voice her concern. Instead, she asked, “What did they tell you?”

His eyes began to roll back in his head as his eyelids drooped. He was desperately exhausted and still heavily drugged. “They said,” he mumbled, “that I have unfinished business.” He barely got the last word out before he lost consciousness again.

Jyn looked down at him, taking in every detail; his beard was growing back, his arched brow was now split by a gash, his sharp cheekbone was marred by a dark bruise. She thought he was beautiful, and all she wanted was the chance to make him laugh again, to see him smile at her from across the room, to talk late into the night about everything and nothing.

She slid back to her chair and pulled her knees up to her chin, suddenly overwhelmed with the turmoil she’d been fighting since Cassian first disappeared. Jyn clamped a hand over her mouth to silence her sorrow while tears poured down her own cheeks. She took out the kyber crystal that hung around her neck and squeezed it. If the Force would give her this one little thing, if it would save Cassian, Jyn Erso promised the mystical power that she would truly believe in hope.

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END NOTES

NEXT CHAPTER IS CALLED “THE REDEMPTION" - Tarkin may be gone but he still has a hold on Cassian.

Thank you for reading!

Likes, comments, and reblogs are very welcome!

Much love!

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READ IT ON AO3- Kudos and Comments Welcome :-)

READ CHAPTER 1 “The Razor”

READ CHAPTER 2 “The Scythe”

READ CHAPTER 3 “The Cold”

READ CHAPTER 4 “The Expendable”

READ CHAPTER 5 “The Truth”

READ CHAPTER 6 “The Detritus”

READ CHAPTER 7 “The Salt”

READ CHAPTER 8 “The Power”

READ CHAPTER 9 “The Betrayal”

REACH CHAPTER 10 “The Ruse”

READ CHAPTER 11 “The Reprieve”

READ CHAPTER 12 "The Ghosts"

READ CHAPTER 13 “The Redemption”

READ CHAPTER 14 “The Spoils”

READ CHAPTER 15 “The Interrogation”

READ CHAPTER 16 "The Rogues"

READ CHAPTER 17 “The Absolution”

READ CHAPTER 18 “The Reach”

READ CHAPTER 19 “The Hologram”

READ CHAPTER 20 “The Divide”

READ CHAPTER 21 “The Cost”

READ CHAPTER 22 “The Fallout”

READ CHAPTER 23 “The Wounds”

READ CHAPTER 24 “The Hand”

READ CHAPTER 25 “The Heart”

READ CHAPTER 26 “The Beginning”

[queenmoth2]

HyenaClan Allegiances

This is by the end of year 1.

StarClan

(order of Death)

Morningeyes — the daughter of Hyenastar and the first med cat of the Clan. She died just 4 moons into the year; Morning was attacked by a fox on the third moon, but got a fever and tragically died. When she was alive her healing and connection to StarClan were greatly valued. Sibs: Fringeblur

Talonwater — an adventure molly, whose mother died as a kit, yet this didn’t stop her. She continued to move forward and receive her warrior name. Sadly, she died just 2 days later on the same moon as Morningeyes. She was killed by a large dog while on a border patrol, she distracted the dog so her Clanmates had a chance to escape. A Heroic… but tragic death.

Obsidiansurge — a fierce and responsible molly who died a moon after saving a kit from a fire in the camp. This camp a great shock to the Clan (and me), she had great Matron potential and after her death Rowanstar started to get very paranoid about Clan. Parent: Onetail. Sibs: Spruceleaf

Driftchase — thoughtful tom, who follow the rule and did his duties with all his power. Nobody was ever left alone with him in Clan. He died after he was bitten a venomous snake. Aunt: Onetail. Cousin: Obsidiansurge & Spruceleaf

Grovekit — charismatic 6 moon old kit, who died tragically of green-cough before his apprentice ceremony. As a kit generally dream of being a hunter and playing with his siblings. Parent: Mucha. Sibs: Grasspaw, Featherpaw, Splinterpaw

Mottledstripe — she’s bold warrior who’s also the sister of Hyenastar. Unlike her ambitious sister, Mottledstripe never really wanted to a leadership position. But she becomes a Sister after Obsidiansurge death since she was the only logical option. But it wasn’t an easy term. By this point Rowanstar started to become paranoid with all the death and cat standing up to her, she force a nursing Mottle to punish Fringe for his transgressions. This left extremely weak and she would later die leaving her kits behind.

First Year Allegiance

Matron: ROWANSTAR — a bloodthirsty she-cat, with only 8 lives remaining. She was good leader, but the stress of too many cats dying in the first year left her scared and fearing HyenaClan's survival. This has led her to harshly punish Fringeblur with a nursing Mottledstripe for assisting. Leaving her with more problems and later with the second death of the Sister position. She hopes that this spring will bring good fortune.

Kits: Lightdart

Sister: MUCHA — she was giving birth in HyenaClan territory when she was found by Fringeblur and Sprucepaw while out gathering herbs. She stayed in the nursery briefly to nurse her kits, and then she was like, bye. She does love her kits, but her inexperience in raising kits made keep her distant. This led to becoming disengage in her kits lives, living her with the ability to not even grieve Grovekit death. The only cat she interacts with is Lightdart. But she generally stays in her lane, doesn’t do much, and was only chosen because she is the oldest cat with an apprentice.

Kits: Grasspaw, Grovekit, Featherpaw, and Splinterpaw

Medicine Cat: SPRUCELEAF — a founding member who started as a warrior apprentice under her sister, Obsidian-surge. But she began to get visions from StarClan, which her sister couldn’t understand, but Lightdart did, and he believed she was being sent to do something. After Morningeyes' injury, it was clear to Lightdart what the message was, and he preached to his mother about StarClan's vision. Sprucepaw, at the time, was changed to med cat apprentice. However, Fringeblur took over her training since Morningeyes was too injured to do it. But everything works out for the best, though she does miss Morningeyes and Fringeblur in the med cat den, and even with her full name, she still makes many mistakes. She is doing her best, at least keeping the current cats alive.

Parents: Onetail; Sibs: Obsidian-surge

Warriors: PODSPIKE — she was found as an orphan 4-month-old kit in HyenaClan territory by Onetail during a patrol. It wasn’t long before she became an apprentice; she was given to Obsidian-surge after Sprucepaw became a med cat apprentice. During her training with Obsidian, she didn’t pay much attention and was always lent back to camp because she couldn’t focus. She is a prankster under Obsidian-surge. After her death, either out of guilt or because her new mentor was the leader, she started to become more serious and wanted to be a warrior as quickly as possible. She received her name at 12 months of age, which honors her frankness.

MOONBUZZ — she was an so call apprentice from a group of cats in the city, who wished to join the HyenaClan. But as quickly as she joined, she got a case of a white cough that prevented her from leaving the camp. Mucha, her mentor, tried to offer some support. When she finally recovered, she put herself to work, and though late, she received her full name in the last moon.

Apprentice: FEATHERPAW — She and her brothers were raised in the Clan, and their mother was never there for them. She was the kit Obsidian-surge saved when the fire broke out. After this, she became very distant from her mother and mainly just played with her brothers as kits; it became even more severe when one of her brothers, Grovekit, died just before their warrior ceremony, though she did a great job of masking her grief with a cheerful and outgoing attitude. For now, she is the apprentice to Podspike, and she’s training hard to get the warrior name early, and she hopes it ends with -claw.

Hunters: FRINGEBLUR — He’s the son of Hyenastar and the older brother of Morningeyes, and much like his sister he also has an affinity with prophecy. But being born a tom has halted all his dreams and ambitions as a kit. In the present he has learned to live with and is now seen as valuable member of the Clan. He was sad when his sister and even sadder when he had to leave the med cat position after training Spruceleaf. On the 9th mooon he stood up to Rowanstar because of her rash decision and got punished for it and now he’s in the med den healing.

LIGHTDART — The spoiled son of Rowanstar, he’s in full belief of his place in the Clan and is a strict follower of the Code. He was the mate of Obsidian-surge and though he’s stop mourning his love for her never truly left and he still wishes she was here with him. Light also the one that was able to interpret the signs from StarClan and informed his mother avoiding a larger tragedy. Being the only hunter he’s now training Grasspaw and Splinterpaw.

Apprentices: GRASSPAW — a righteous tom, who join the Clan with his family in the third moon. Out of all of his siblings he was the one most closest to Grovekit. Grass was the glue for his brothers, but after Grove’s death, Grass became vigilant in his apprenticeship and always wanted to make sure everything was in his place.

SPLINTERPAW — a bold tom, who join the Clan with his family in the third moon. As a kit he was the loudest of the brothers and had similar ambitions to that of Featherpaw. He grieve the death of Grove. But unlike Grass, Splinterpaw made sure Grovekit can see he was trying to achieve more than what was offered him.

Elders: ONETAIL — a bloodthirsty elder, who use to be the Sister of the Clan, and fierce warrior. She now carries for the kits and tells stories about her adventures when she was young. She mourn the death of oldest daughter, but was happy with Spruceleaf high rank position. She doesn’t intervene in Rowanstar’s madness, she’s more interested in keeping herself pampered and remembered as great warrior who gave her Clan everything.

Kits: Obsidian-surge, Spruceleaf

Nephew: Driftchase

Kits: FURZE-kit 🚺, MYSTY-kit🚹, & HEART-kit 🚹— 5 moon old kits, were born to Mottledstripe. Before her death, they would play and run around camp with no care in the world. This change with the death of their mother, with Furzekit taking a greater hit and leaving bond to her den not being able to move or eat. Luckily her brothers, and the rest of Clan were there to lift her spirit up.

[grossrottie]

Damn I'm in a tigerfire mood right now, got any new thoughts or aus about them?

Ooooh I actually do!!!!!

Okay so idk if you’re familiar with my tigerfire ramblings a while back, but there was this idea of them having kits together.

They’re both toms, so Fireheart suggested that Sandstorm be the mother and Tigerclaw be the sire.

Tigerclaw and Fireheart discuss it and eventually they approach Sandstorm and explain the idea. She asks to have time to think about it, but by the next full moon she approaches them and gives her consent.

My original idea was that they had three kits.

Barkkit, the rough-and-tumble tom who grows like a weed. He is determined to be the strongest warrior ever, but when his daddy Tigerclaw falls dangerously sick, Barkkit (now Barkpaw) realizes how useless fighting skills are when it comes to an illness. He stays in the medicine den almost constantly, always by his daddy’s side. By the time Tigerclaw is healed, no one is surprised when Barkpaw decides that he wants to be a medicine cat instead.

Then there is Ripplekit, a she-cat with an attitude to her. She’s beautiful and kind, but she can tear a cat to pieces with her words if she sees fit.

Then Creamkit, the youngest tom with a face like an angel and a sinister streak that even Tigerclaw doesn’t expect. (Personality may change)

However!!!!!

I got the idea “omg what if the Three are assumed to be TigerFire kits?”

I’m not sure if it would be instead of Bark, Ripple and Cream, or as well as. Just different litters.

Oh wait! Maybe:

Their first litter was Bark, Ripple and Cream in the forest territories. This would be after Cinderpelt gets injured and becomes a medicine cat, but while Yellowfang is also a part of Thunderclan.

The birth was very stressful (Sandstorm went into early labour, Barkkit was almost too big to be safely birthed, and Tigerclaw had been terrified that his genes would cause the litter to die off, just as his two sisters did.

After Barkkit was born, the rest of the birthing process was quite easy.

Then once they reached the lake territories and settled down, they had another litter (aka Squirrel and Leaf). However this time, not wanting Tiger to fuss about his DNA and family history with sickness, Fire suggested that he be the sire this time.

So the first litter was genetically Tiger x Sand.

The second was genetically Fire x Sand.

Then the third!!!! Aka the Three. Third time’s the charm.

However the third litter wasn’t genetically theirs. When Leafpool fell pregnant and approached them in fear and panic, confessing what she’d done, Fire and Tiger were shocked. However, they would never let their baby girl get hurt. They took the kits as their own, letting the clan make their own guesses about who was the sire this time. No one suspected that it wasn’t theirs (except Sandstorm, who either 1) suspected or knows about it, or 2) just thinks they found another surrogate).

I tossed around the idea of the Three being biologically theirs too, but I couldn’t quite figure out an angle that didn’t make the Three plot point null and void.

Imagine Jay, Lion and Holly growing up with Tigerclaw and Fireheart as their caregivers. Imagine the sass between Jay and Tiger! The warmth between Holly and Fire! The pride and competitive nature of Lion and Tiger!! Agh!!

Also, the five older siblings they have (or two, if you don’t count the non-canon first litter)

:

[residents-of-the-darkforest]

Clanmates (Sprouting Thorns)

Dusk cast long shadows across the camp, painting the forest in criss-crossing darkness. The leaves of the few non-pine trees in ShadowClan’s territory were beginning to lose their bright colour, dotting the sky with yellow-orange spots. 

The sun ducked behind their shelter, giving a bite to the already cold air. Cats still mingled in the clearing, though they kept to where the shadows didn’t touch. Aldereyes, however, kept himself hidden in the darkest corner he could find. A mouse lay untouched between his paws. His attention was on his Clanmates.

He had been so quick to fret and panic about Myrtlewing’s betrayal as well as his own. Yes, he spent what felt like a moon in his own head with one-thousand thoughts a second, wondering why Myrtlewing, his most trusted Clanmate, best friend, and…possible mate?--He still wasn’t clear on that–would do something so horrid and wrong. Now, he began to ask himself another question:

Why was it horrid and wrong?

Aldereyes had been so quick to believe so. After all, it is what he has been taught since he was a kit: the life of the Clan is more important than the individual, never harm another Clanmate, do not take a life you don’t need to.

Everyone knew those things, everyone lived by them. In the humming chattering of the nearing night, he wondered if it was truly how he felt. Did he believe it was wrong? Did he believe it was horrid? Or are those just things that have been shoved into his head for so long by Stormstar, because his father couldn’t have anything less than a son who followed the code with everything in him?

But of course he knew murder was horrid, of course he knew betrayal was wrong. 

But did he care?

Clanmates��just the word had always felt so important to him. It wasn’t just a word though, was it? They were just cats, and what have they ever done for him?

The bitter wind swept through his fur and to the pit of his belly. The air reminded him of the freezing nights many moons ago, when he had been a crying kit alone in the nursery with a dead mother. Did anyone console him? Did anyone visit him? Not even his sister or her mother, who were in the same den said anything soothing, for StarClan’s sake! 

He remembered, now that his mind was consumed with it, getting sick and having to spend time in the medicine den. He remembered his racing heart, fearing that he would die just like his mother, the last cat that had ever cared about him before Myrtlewing.

He tried to recall if Stormstar visited him then. He thinks so, but his mind there is hazy, and he cannot be sure if it is only wishful thinking that he remembers it.

Now that poor excuse of a father has the gall to control Aldereyes’s every move? If Stormstar’s image was so important to him, why didn’t he bother visiting his half-orphaned son?

Was Alderkit not important enough?

His burning gaze swept the clearing. I was never important enough for any of you! They wouldn’t have even cared if he had died back then, would they? They wouldn’t even care now. One day of mourning and then they move on with their lives as if nothing had ever happened. 

All his life living by the code, following his father’s every wish, doing everything he could to be a model Clanmate, for what? To live, die, and be forgotten by cats that didn’t care enough  to stop him from freezing to death as a helpless kit?

Why should I care about them if they die, then? Why does their life have so much more value than mine?

Something hot dripped along his shoulders, slinking like worms through his skin and pounding against his chest. It was like rage, but much more pleasing. Aldereyes would learn moons later that it was the first feeling of a thrill. The first real blood-rush beginning to make its presence known as he gazed around his clueless, precious Clanmates. 

They had spent all his life treating him as just another Clanmate, just another mouth to feed, just another cat to give an empty compliment to for work well done. 

He was unimportant to them. 

He was nothing for them. 

Now, their selfishness would be their downfall. They have spent so long ignoring Aldereyes that they wouldn’t be able to tell his thoughts, to name his expressions, to see what he is planning. 

For once, Aldereyes didn’t feel bad at all.

==================

--We've already caught a glimpse of it, but now Aldereyes's dark side is really starting to come out.

--Aldereyes and Hootpetal ARE somewhat friends at this point, but Alder's focus is currently on everything negative.

--It was noted in previous chapters, but Alder's Clanmates DO notice him. He's well-known as the best fighter in the Clan, possibly hunter too, but anything they say doesn't mean much to him, because you say "great catch!" to everyone. There's nothing more to it, nothing more personal.

That's what Alder means when he thinks that he's unimportant to them--he's just another Clanmate that could easily be replaced.

That's also why he and Myrtle became friends in the first place: he felt like Myrtle actually saw him.

Taglist: @ambitiousauthor @wills-woodland-warriors @starfalcon555 @umbranoxs @elementaldeityoffood @liberhoe

@frightnightindustries

[incendiobrock]

The Witches Forest

Request: heyy idk if u do requests but if u aree then can you do one where the reader is a witch and is dating colby so she goes on one of the haunted trips w them and does some reading idkk you can end it however you like <33 tyy! 

A/N: Thank you to the lovely anon who requested this! I loosely based this imagine off the witches forest video on the Sam and Colby channel but instead of the witch from the video giving the reading it was y/n, and instead of Colby getting lost in the forest it was y/n. Hope you enjoy! Also this was loosely inspired by an imagine I read by @annab-nana you can read it here!

Warnings: sexual joke (I think that’s it)

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

It was a typical day with the trap boys. Your boyfriend Colby had finally convinced you to go on a haunted trip with them. The only reason you had agreed was because he had promised you, and Corey, that there wouldn’t be any seances. You would all be going to just spend the night there, not summon anything.

In fact, Sam was planning on doing a cleansing ritual that he had done some research on. So, you agreed. You were always super worried about the boys and the trouble that they would find themselves in, especially with demonic entities and spirits. 

One of the other reasons you had agreed to do the video with them was because you knew that the fans have been begging for you to make an appearance. Colby got tweets and comments daily about his “witchy girlfriend” joining in on a haunted overnight video. All the fans knew that you were super into crystals, and tarot cards, and different herbs, and just about anything that you believed would help protect you and connect you to the world of spirituality.

So here you were, sitting in front of the camera, Colby right by your side, his ring clad hand holding onto your thigh, as the rest of the guys surrounded the table. “Okay, who’s ready for the reading?” You questioned, looking around the table. Everyone nodded and agreed to begin. You passed the tarot deck to each of the boys, instructing them to shuffle the deck while thinking of their intention for the trip to The Witches Forest. Everyone did as told and passed the deck back to you, you were the last to shuffle.

“Alright, so I’m going to pick the top three cards and then we can go over what they each mean for us, and for the trip we are about to go on.” You stated, gently flipping over the top three cards, The Tower, The Nine of Swords, and the card of Death.

You felt the room tense as they all read the cards chosen. “It’s not bad.” You said, trying to calm everyone’s nerves. “Uh- I don’t know about you but a card that says death seems pretty bad to me.” Corey said, laughing out of fear.

“Yeah babe, what does that mean besides ‘we are going to die?’” Colby air quoted the last part. “Will you guys just give me a minute to explain it?” You laughed at your boyfriends face as his eyebrows remained scrunched on his forehead, looking desperately at you for answers. You went on to explain that death could signify the “death” of an era and the beginning of something new. The Nine of Swords means that their own thoughts can weigh them down, or cause a feeling of darkness, and The Tower means danger, chaos, but also liberation. 

“See, so nothing is necessarily bad. It actually seems like this might be good for you guys, especially since we are planning on doing the fire ritual too. That way you can begin a new journey and have a nice cleansed path before the next moon cycle begins.” You stated, leaning your head on Colby’s shoulder and cuddling into his side. He placed a short kiss onto your forehead taking hold of your hand, “Alright so let’s get on the road we don’t want it to get too dark before we set up the tent, plus it’s about an hour drive.” Colby said to the group, still holding your hand as you both stood up to go get into the car.

About an hour later you had all arrived at the forest. Colby had parked the car a little off the dirt path in a small clearing between the trees. You were happy to get out of the car to stretch after having to sit between Jake and Corey in the backseat. You brought along a small backpack of stuff like a water, first aid kit, a flashlight, and most importantly some crystals that offer protection. You took out the small ziploc with the crystal and began to give one to each of the boys, telling them to keep their crystal in their pockets for protection. 

Sam had asked you to explain to the camera what all you had brought so you showed him the black tourmaline, amethyst, and the obsidian, saying that they each offered protection and grounding properties. “Alright, now that we got our protection rocks let’s go pitch the tent we will be staying in all night.” Sam said, shutting off the camera. You all stood around trying to help as Colby did most of the work putting the tent together. You were impressed with his skills, never knowing that he could set up a tent with little to no instruction.

“Dang brother, those Cub Scout skills are really showing right now.” Jake joked, sticking the last spoke into the dirt. “Thanks brother, you know I’m skilled with these hands.” Colby responded, sending a wink in your direction. Your cheeks heated up as a small laugh escaped from your mouth. Leave it to Colby to make a sexual joke that makes the guys cringe. 

After a little exploring all together, and almost losing the location of the tent, you had all decided it was time to start the fire ritual. You were glued closely to Colby’s side, hearing a lot of motion within the trees. “Once we get the fire going maybe we will feel better, the light and heat should scare off any animals that are near.” Sam said grabbing the fire bucket that he had brought for this ritual.

Colby lit the fire and you all sat around in camping chairs. “We should’ve brought s’mores bro.” Corey said, trying to alleviate some of his fear. You agreed with him because you knew you felt the same fear as him at the moment. Sam explained what was going to happen with the fire ritual and passed out the objects that everyone was going to be throwing into the fire, in hopes to release any possible spirits that were attached to them. As soon as you guys started to watch the stuff burn Colby flew back, falling with his camping chair.

“Did you guys see that! Right there! Right behind Jake! Sam? Did you see it, it was like a shadow and it moved super fast right behind Jake’s head.” Colby yelled, standing quickly off the ground and shining a flashlight in that direction. “I saw that too!” You said, abandoning your camping chair as well. Colby took hold of the camera and began walking away from the fire and towards the trail. “Colby! Wait for us bro you can’t go alone!” Sam yelled out, chasing after him. “I have to go, I know I saw something I need to see where it’s going before it gets away, I wanna capture it on camera!” Colby said.

“Someone has to stay by the fire we can’t all leave! Jake you stay here with Corey and we will go investigate.” Sam instructed, but Jake hesitated wanting to go too. Corey ended up agreeing on staying by the fire so you three could keep up with Colby who was still walking quickly away from the group. You thanked Corey, worried that your boyfriend would get too far ahead of everyone. You began to jog to the path, already extremely behind the others because of the sudden panic. 

You turned onto the dirt path and didn’t see any of the three boys, but could barely make out their voices in the distance. You began to jog down the path, heading to the left. You had felt like you were getting closer to them but their voices still remained faint and incoherent. You knew that Sam had yelled for everyone to stay on the path in order to avoid getting lost so you kept jogging further and further into the forest, away from the fire where Corey sat.

You slowed to a walk, shining your flashlight all around, hearing tons of branches snapping and rustling. You suddenly felt very alert, almost as if something was watching you. You felt the panic really set in as it became harder and harder for you to catch your breath. “Colby!” You yelled. “Colby! Sam! Jake! Corey!”  You knew you had made a mistake going this far down the path. “Hello?! Can anyone hear me!” You heard a scream off in the distance making your eyes basically bulge out of your head. You turned sharply towards the direction of the noise, shining your flashlight out in front of your face. Your hands were trembling, shaking the light violently. Not only was it freezing out, but you were terrified of what was out there.

You began running back the opposite direction of the trail, your breath almost nonexistent at this point, but you were determined to make it back to the tent. You heaved, feet stomping away at the dirt path beneath. After what felt like a century, you saw the distant glow of the fire. You ran, the victory of reuniting with the boys fueling your return. The fire was now in clear sight as well as the figures of the four boys you were so anxious to see. The noise of you approaching causing them all to turn and look at you. 

You practically leapt into Colby’s arms, tears pouring down your face as you wrapped tightly around his torso. His hand found its way straight to your hair, pulling you as close as he could to his body, swaying you side to side. “Oh my god, baby. Where were you? I was so worried! I thought I had lost you.” He said quietly, running his fingers through your hair trying to soothe your crying. “I-I was running after you a-and then I got lost. I heard a s-scream, I’m so scared.” You sobbed, never wanting Colby to let go of you.

“We looked all over, we were calling your name like crazy but Jake said we should come and wait by the fire incase you came back. We didn’t want to keep moving further away from you on accident.” Sam said, standing closely near you and Colby. 

“Can we please go? I don’t think I want to be here anymore.” You pleaded, looking into Colby’s eyes as his delicate fingers helped to wipe away your tears. “Yes, of course. I love you, I’m so glad you’re safe. Let’s head to the back up plan, the cabin.” Colby said, directing the last sentence to the boys. You nodded gratefully, making your way into Colby’s car while Jake, Corey, and Sam packed up the mess. 

The night was getting foggier as you pulled into the driveway of Jenna’s cabin. You felt relief rush over you, knowing that you wouldn’t have to spend another second in the Witches Forest. You all got out of the car and huddled by the front door, rain beginning to pour down. Sam took off his backpack digging through it to find the spare key Jenna had lent him. “Uh, Colby did I give you the key earlier?” Sam asked. Colby let go of your hand and patted his pockets down, “No I don’t think I have it. Is it in your pockets?” He responded, recapturing your hand in his, knowing that you were still shaken up about getting lost. Sam flipped his jean pockets inside out, no key to be found. He began pulling everything out of his backpack, searching deep into the bag for the key.

“Let’s go back into the car maybe I left it in there.” Sam said, heading straight back to Colby’s car. You all got back in as the rain continued to pour, Sam searching every inch of the vehicle. “I can’t believe you lost the key Sam, first Y/n goes missing and now this?” Jake says from the backseat, obviously frustrated. “It’s not all my fault okay? You think I meant to lose the key?” Sam snapped back, the tension in the car rising. 

After a lot of searching, the key was no where to be found. Much to your dismay, you had to go back to the tent in the depths of the forest. You all huddle into the blue tent, slipping into your sleeping bags. It was only a few more hours until daylight, a few more hours before the suffering would end.

“I’m not going to let anything hurt you. I lost you once tonight and it was the scariest moment of my life. It’s not going to happen again, I promise.” Colby vowed, pulling you into his chest. You smiled at his kind words, despite how scared you were he always knew how to make you feel safe. “Thank you Colby, I love you so much.” You responded, nuzzling further into his chest. “I love you, to new beginnings.” He chuckled, referencing the tarot reading from earlier. “To new beginnings.” You agreed, sealing the deal with a kiss on the lips.

[everybody-loves-purdy]

Because I hate the plotline of Mapleshade’s Vengeance so bad here’s my modified AU of it

Everything stays the same up until Mapleshade loses her kits. When they die, Appledusk grieves heavily over them, but he doesn’t show her the coldness he showed her in the novella.

There is a bit of tension between them because of the dangerous predicament that she had put them in, but Darkstar, having been a queen herself in her youth, refuses to hold Mapleshade accountable for her kits’ deaths.

She extends the same grace to Mapleshade as she did Appledusk, but warn her that because of her past relationship with Appledusk, and having been a warrior of ThunderClan, her new Clanmates may never come to trust her.

This is something that Mapleshade readily accepts, noting that being away from her kits’ resting place would be too much to bear. Mapleshade and Appledusk both denounce their relationship in front of RiverClan, but Mapleshade is still in love with him.

In the moons following, Appledusk and Reedshine announce that they’re going to be parents. Mapleshade is a bit reluctant to give her congratulations to the new couple, but is forced to accept the reality of what is Appledusk’s new family.

Mapleshade holds a meeting with Darkstar and several of the senior warriors, and tell them about what she learned as a ThunderClan warrior. Every about how they fight, hunt, etc. RiverClan welcomes this new information, although there is still strong skepticism about her true intentions.

Mapleshade becomes good friends with Eeltail, the she-cat who had tried to save her kits. She and Rainfall, Darkstar’s son, are generally unfriendly towards one another, but when she saves his life in a battle against ThunderClan, Rainfall softens his approach.

Reedshine, Appledusk, and Mapleshade, after moons of tension, make peace when one of their kits, Shykit, dies from greencough. The three share their grief for their kits, and Reedshine apologizes to Mapleshade for defending Appledusk.

Appledusk tells Mapleshade that he had never forgotten the kits they had and lost, and the two visit the burial sites of Larchkit, Patchkit, and Petalkit, reminiscing on the time they spent together as young warriors.

Mapleshade tells Appledusk all about their kits’ personalities. Petalkit was the leader out of her brothers, and Patchkit and Larchkit would always nip at the elders’ tails. The two make peace, and agree to remain close friends.

When Reedshine and Appledusk’s remaining kits are almost ready to be apprenticed, Appledusk specifically requests that Mapleshade be a mentor to one of them. Rainfall supports Appledusk’s decision, and Darkstar accepts.

Mapleshade is given Willowpaw as her first apprentice. The young tabby seems to be shy at first, but Mapleshade gradually coaxes the young apprentice out of her shell. Rainfall is made mentor to Willowpaw’s sister, Applepaw.

As they mentor their apprentices, Mapleshade and Rainfall grow closer, and Mapleshade is embarrassed when Appledusk, Reedshine, and Eeltail tease her about her apparent crush on the young tom. Darkstar also takes notice, glad that grandchildren could possibly be in her future.

Willownose and Applefrost earn their warrior names, and Rainfall confesses to Mapleshade his feelings. She reciprocates, and the two officially begin their relationship.

During a fierce battle with ThunderClan, Mapleshade fights Oakstar, who during her time in RiverClan, had grown old. Oakstar tries to apologize for his role in Mapleshade’s kits’ deaths, but both Mapleshade and Appledusk fling themselves at the ThunderClan leader. Mapleshade delivers a killing blow to Oakstar, and with ThunderClan’s leader having lost a life, Beetail is forced to call a retreat.

Mapleshade eventually learns that she is pregnant with kits, and is very cautious with her pregnancy. Being pregnant again reminds Mapleshade of the time she had with her first litter, and she’s scared of becoming a mother. Appledusk and Rainfall put her fears at ease, and she delivers four healthy kits.

Their names are Hailkit (who would later come to be known as Hailstar), Tidekit, Stonekit, and Cypresskit. Mapleshade wanted her kits’ names to reflect her new loyalty to RiverClan, and to be a testament to having forgotten her ThunderClan loyalties.

As the years pass, Mapleshade and Rainfall’s kits grow into strong RiverClan warriors, being renamed Hailstorm, Tideheart, Stonestep, and Cypressleaf (who has decided to become a medicine cat)

Appledusk and Reedshine retire to the elder’s den together, but Mapleshade continues serving her Clan, despite beginning to feel her age. Over time, her grudge towards ThunderClan dies with Oakstar, and as Doestar replaces him as leader, Mapleshade feels more at peace. Willownose takes Nightwhisker (made up) as her mate, and gives birth to Shellkit, who would later become Shellheart. Mapleshade mentors Shellpaw as an apprentice, and makes the decision to retire shortly after his warrior ceremony.

Rainfall passes away from greencough, along with Appledusk and Darkstar. Mapleshade dies in peace, just before Hailstorm succeeds Darkstar as RiverClan’s leader. She happily reunites with Patchkit, Petalkit, and Larchkit, with Reedshine revealing that she and Appledusk had kept them company while waiting for Mapleshade to join them.

Appledusk, Reedshine, and Rainfall are overjoyed to reunite with Mapleshade, and they, along with Mapleshade herself, give Hailstar his nine lives. Hailstar is noted to miss Mapleshade dreadfully, but accepts his lives with confidence.

Many moons later, Mapleshade’s spirit would visit her grandchildren, Beetlekit, Volekit, and Petalkit (who Hailstar had named after Mapleshade’s daughter), and would serve as Crookedpaw’s spirit guide, successfully veering him away from the Dark Forest.

Mapleshade’s “vengeance” was her using her life to serve her Clan, and against all odds, weathering the storm that Oakstar had forced her into.

This is excellent I love this a lot

[geminirum]

more drukkari thoughts because they <33

• i feel like their love language is physical touch and words of affirmation. i would say makkari is more of the physical touch; always placing a hand on his arm, holding his face or just touching his knee as a way to say “i’m here”

• druig, as we know, is more words of affirmation. he’ll always sign things like “i’m grateful to have you” or “i love how you understand me”

• as i said before, they’re extremely private and lowkey about their relationship. there was always a fear that their story might end up like ikaris and sersi’s; but it doesn’t. they have loved each other in every lifetime

• i saw a tiktok by user (flower_curtains https://vm.tiktok.com/ZM8t64ct7/) that explained that druig is more than the ‘i hate everyone but her’ trope. that being said, he’ll go to makkari and talk to her about everything he feels. his love for humans and how he wants to help them (but can’t interfere). he goes to her for everything, the good, bad and ugly, and she continues to be his support team and safe place

• so may i propose: the sunshine kleptomaniac and sarcastic commune leader (this comes from user almostbluey on tiktok!!)

• makkari is the fastest woman ever. i don’t think she would trip while running, but druig carries a little first aid kit in his leather jacket. just in case she scraps her knee or something

• after the battle against ikaris, druig probably gets nightmares and struggles with ptsd. he wakes up in a sweat some nights and fears that he might hurt makkari in his sleep. she refuses to let him be alone, and they work through it together

• follow up: after the battle, she cleans up druig’s cuts and bruises and his extremely slow and gentle in the process

• they would probably stay in south dakota at ajak’s place for a little bit longer after everyone leaves. its been too long and they deserve some peace and a happy ending

• they’d probably move in together, maybe outside of the city because makkari loves the lifestyle, but druig needs some calm. they compromise and get a cute little place about like 10 mins from the downtown area

• drukkari as cat parents!!! so true of them!!!

• this is getting ahead of myself but if they ever decided to have children; whether it be biologically, fostering, adopting, etc… i think they would have a girl. (mostly because i wanna see druig as a girl dad)

• that being said, i would die if they named their children stella and luna because <33333

• i made one headcanon but makkari always puts a blanket over druig (or any of her fellow eternals because she’s a sweetheart) when they’re sleeping. she makes sure he wakes up knowing he’s safe and loved

• idk if y’all have seen new girl but i imagine druig saying/signing this: “i fell in love with makkari the second i saw her”

• druig lowkey being an astronomy/astrological enthusiast and teaching makkari all about constellations and telling her what her sun, moon and rising sign are and making smug jokes about how they’re super compatible and stuff like that

• makkari on the other hand is definitely a sports fan. she loves watching the track events (obviously), swimming, figure skating, biking; anything of the sort. druig doesn’t really understand but he learns for makkari and asks her questions

• “you should enter the olympics, my love”

• makkari literally being like: “they would never stand a chance ;)”

• because that’s what they do. they’ll encourage the other to go on and on about what they’re passionate about and telling anyone off if they tell them to be quiet

• they’re both swifties!! makkari would definitely be a speak now, 1989, lover and folklore stan. druig, on the other hand, is a red, reputation, evermore and fearless stan.

• ofc they only listen to fearless and red (taylor’s version because fuck 🛴)

• i think what makes them so wonderful if their open communication, banter (lol flirting), and trust in one another. they’re not afraid to express their emotions to one another and overall create a safe and consensual relationship and environment

• idk i just think they’re neat <3

[exocynraku]

finished the rest of the story (or at least all that i have ideas for rn)!! it’s on the google doc but ill post it here too - The bloodclan cat that the thunderclan apprentice killed was Grit, one of Shellclaw’s kits. Shellclaw witnessed the murder, but was too far away to help. After this, Shellclaw vowed to get revenge in anyway possible - Bloodclan began to become more hostile, threatening any Thunderclan patrol that came their way. There were many battles, some worse than others, until a full war was announced. Thunderclan vs Bloodclan. - The war carries on for the entirety of Shellclaw’s leadership (which wasnt long). Many cats from both sides die and it is a time of despair for both clans. You may be wondering where the other four warrior clans are in this; they know of the war, but they also know that a Thunderclan apprentice was the catalyst for the war, so they choose not to help. They say it’s Thunderclans problem, and that they did this to themselves (which yeah they kinda did lol). Eventually, after many, many moons, Shellclaw is killed and Violetta takes his place. She becomes Violettaclaw, and peace is restored, though many Thunderclan cats are still hesitant to go near the twolegplace. - During Violettaclaw’s leadership, Leafstar came to visit quite often. Leafstar and Skyclan never knew of Bloodclan, only hearing stories passed down from the other clans, so she visits Bloodclan often to learn if those stories are true. Leafstar and Violettaclaw exchanged information, with Leafstar learning about the way Bloodclan works and Violettaclaw learning about Daylight warriors. Violettaclaw was able to convince a few kittypets to join, and eventually having Daylight warriors become very normal in Bloodclan. - Violettaclaw eventually passed peacefully, but not before picking York as her deputy. Yorkclaw quietly ruled Bloodclan, not wanting to start any fights or drama with other groups. They also started standing up for disabled cats, accepting more into Bloodclan and chasing away anyone who disrespects them. Yorkclaw always had a big ego, so they thought they would never need a deputy… which ended up causing alot of problems. The biggest problem, Yorkclaw didn’t pick a deputy before they died, which caused Bloodclan to temporarily fall into chaos. - The chaos was quickly dispelled when Skipper showed up and proved himself to be a valuable leader. Skipperclaw rules similarly to Yorkclaw, not wanting to interfere in anyone else's business. He allows cats to come and go as they please, and relaxes the rules quite a bit. Skipperclaw has a secret though… he doesn’t share it because it’s not good, it's just… not something he thinks others will know how to fix. Skipperclaw has been visited by the first EVER Bloodclan leader; Scourge. Scourge has been trying to convince him to start another war with Thunderclan through his dreams, but Skipperclaw is trying to avoid him the best he can. Some of the ways Skipperclaw avoids Scourge aren’t particularly healthy though, staying up for nights on end just so he won’t dream about him. Cheshire, his deputy, and the only other cat who knows of the secret has been trying to help him though. Skipperclaw doesn’t want to ask the warrior clans for help, but he fears using their moonpool to contact their “starclan” and seek help might be the only way to get Scourge out of his head.

[chiliiscereal]

I hate you

Daryl’s adopted daughter

Chapter 1

Summary: Diana is a girl on the run in the apocalypse. Her past chases her no matter where she goes. One day, by chance, she meets Daryl Dixon. Thinking she’s a walker, he shoots her and brings her back to their camp. Shane strikes a deal with her: she has to stay for two weeks before she can decide if she wants to stay. But Diana is determined to keep her past in the past, and never make the same mistake again

Season 1 - I’m not sure yet

—————

Diana sat in a circle with her family. Blood dripped down her neck from her lips.

Everything was red.

 Red

       Red

 Red

How could everything have gone so wrong so quickly?

Her eyes never left the blond man she once knew. She watched him as her fury and fear grew louder and louder, echoing off her skull.

That was, until Negan stepped out of the van. He walked about the circle, until his eyes landed on her.

"Fancy seein' you again, Darlin'."

                               ————————

    Rick stumbled into the street, a hospital gown draping his skin. He knew there was something wrong. There was something off. Maybe it was intuition...

  Or maybe it was the woman, chopped in half, chomping her teeth to get at his ankles.

    He rubbed his eyes, the sun glaring right into his vision. It had been a week and a half since the start, and a day since his IV ran dry. It had been even longer since he last saw the sun.

   Where was everyone?

 Why hadn't he waken up to nurses and doctors?

  Or his family's familiar faces?

  He spotted bodies. Bodies walking. Maybe three.

  He couldn't understand... he couldn't understand any of it...

  The light off a gun reflected into his eyes. He blocked it and moved to see where it was coming from.

  The revolver was placed in the holster on the side of a walker. The man... or whatever he was now... shuffled toward Rick.

 He was deathly pale.

  "Sir," Rick's voice cracked, "sir, are you okay?" He held his hand out, trying to make it a comforting gesture to someone possibly in need.

  Edging closer, the man stared at him with hungry dead eyes. His clothes were torn and draped off his skinny frame, his eyes laid sunken in his face.

   "Sir?" He asked again, stumbling back.

   The man growled and advanced further.

   "Are you-?"

   With a blur, the man was down.

  Nearly tripping over his own feet, Rick let out a horrified gasp.

  On the ground was a little girl, around Carl's age, placing her knife in the mans forehead. Her light blond hair, tucked under her baseball cap, clung to her dirty face. The crunch echoed in Ricks head, reverberating off his skull.

 That was the first walker he had ever seen killed.

  She quickly wiped her knife on the walkers shirt and snatched his revolver. She opened the back to check how much ammo was left. Satisfied, she clicked it shut and began patting the double dead man down.

  "W-why did you do that?" Rick found his voice again.

  She leaped back, her bright blue eyes finding his.

   Quickly, she pulled herself up and began to dash away. If Rick hadn't lunged out and caught the back of her shirt she would have disappeared as soon as she apparated into his line of sight.

  "No. You can't leave yet." He spun her around to face him. It was evident how terrified she was. Especially with her eyes as wide as dinner plates and hands clawing at his arm. "Why did you kill that man?"

  She glared at him and wriggled harder. "Man?" She gasped, "that... that wasn't a man!" Her hands fought to unclamp Ricks grip. "That's a Walker! He would have eaten you if I hadn't stopped him!" She grunted with effort. "Didn't even see you. You already look dead."

  "What do you mean by dead?" Rick questioned, holding tighter.

  "Gone. Deceased. vamosed. Perished." With each word she struggled. "Now let me go!"

  Rick was about to question again, when he felt the stitches on his side rip. With a grunt, he let her go and fell to the ground. His hand cupped his side.

  "Please.." he stopped to breathe heavily as the girl watched him warily. "I don't know what's happening. I woke up in the- in the hospital." He glanced down at his side to eye the bleeding. "The sun will be setting soon... and I need help."

The girl glanced at the lowering sun. Tapping her foot, she glowered at the ground. "How can I trust you." It wasn't a question. It was as if she was challenging him to be wrong.

Rick attempted to stand, only to find himself back in the ground. "I was a cop. My job was to protect the people. ALL people. And I like to think I did a good job of that."

She stuck the revolver in her holster (which was clearly stolen based on how big it was). "Prove it."

"I don't have my badge or my hat. That's at my house. But I'm officer Rick Grimes. I've been on the force for seven years. My partner was Shane Walsh. I was in my car when we got a call about a run away car. I was shot in action and hospitalized." His eyes seemed to beg her to help him.

Diana tried to fight the raging war in her head.

She knew better.

She knew to trust no one.

Her father and mother both betrayed her trust.

Why trust again?

But... she could tell when people were lying. All people have tells. Her fathers tell was him avoiding eye contact. He always looked at the ground. For her mother, she always played with her wedding ring.

But this Cop... sheriff... man... was not lying.

He looked her dead in the eye.

"Fine. Come with me." She hadn't known that she was gripping her new revolver until she released it. "I have a place in the sewers. I know... in most movies that's where walkers would be. But how would someone get down there in the first place? You'd have to move the lid." She walked over to Rick and slung his arm over her shoulder to help him stand in any way. "And most walkers," she grunted "are pretty stupid."

"Thank you...for helping me." Rick stated gratefully.

"I have some house rules, you know."

"Name them." He said confidently as they shuffled down the street.

"One: you're gone when you can walk."

"You don't want someone to watch your back?" Rick was surprised. Usually, kids jumped at the chance for safety. The ones he has worked with in cases of violence had immediately decided he was trustworthy.

"the worlds changed. You can't trust people." He noted the grim expression on her face. He wanted to ask why, but he figured it was better to stay silent.

"I'd argue about that, but I'll hear out your other rules." He wrapped his arm around his side again, fingering the broken stitches.

"Two: you do as I say or you die."

"Yes ma'am."

Rick couldn't help but like her spunk. She was serious, but it wasn't much of a threat coming from an eleven year old girl.

"3: ..." she started only to trail off.

"...3?"

She cleared her throat and resituated Ricks arm. "You repay my kindness if we ever cross paths again. I don't care how."

"Was already planning on it." He grinned. He could feel the conversation beginning to die, so he started it back up again. "What's your name, kid?"

She hesitated, eyes staying on the road. "Diana." She spoke softly. "My mother named me after the Roman goddess of the night."

Rick smiled. "Pretty name."

Diana's thoughts drifted to her mother. Her mother with her honey brown hair and warm chocolate eyes. She stopped her thoughts there. "Well... what about you, officer friendly? You got a name?"

Rick laughed. "My names Rick Grimes. I ain't named after the moon goddess, but I think it has a nice ring to it. Don't you?"

She forced down a smile. "Pretty name."

He chuckled. "Well, Diana, I am glad I ran into you."

~~~~~

They arrived at the sewer lid.

"Here we are. I've been camped out here since early yesterday morning." She slipped under Ricks arm and got down to lift the lid. With a couple tries, and an offer from Rick for assistance, she lifted the lid.

She stood up and dusted off her hands. "I'll go down first and scope out the area. Need to make sure it's still clear. Then I'll help you down."

She began her descent.

Rick watched the top of her light haired head fade into the darkness with each step. He briefly thought she would try and make a run for it. Escape through the sewers.

He immediately dismissed it. Why would she waste daylight by helping him? The sound of her footsteps hitting the water at the bottom and echoing as she walked down the tunnels set him on edge.

Especially when they began to fade.

He sat patiently for over ten minutes, watching the sunlight tick by. He looked down into the darkness, listening for any sound. There was nothing... not even a whisper.

Maybe she did leave.

"Alright, Sheriff, get down here! It's clear!" Her voice reverberated loudly from the tunnels so suddenly, that Rick stumbled back.

"I don't have all day! Unless you wanted to be walker chow, get down here!"

Rick chuckled as he began to shuffle his way down the tunnel.

"Any day now, Deputy Fossil!" She shouted.

"Hold your horses, kid." He slowly lowered himself into the dark. He looked down to see where his feet were going to land, spotting the flashlight that Diana held. Her light hazel eyes reflected impatience.

"Nice place." He said, clearly biting back his truth.

"Don't be fake." She said as she kicked at the water. "It smells like a pig ate dirty gym socks, farted, and died."

"I was trying to spare your feelings."

"Don't bother. I'm leaving this place as soon as you're ready."

Rick finally landed on the bottom of the sewer. "You got a place you're headed to?"

Diana shook her head. "No. Just a place I never want to see again."

Rick stopped moving to look at her. "Troubled home life?"

She thought about it and shrugged. "I guess you could call it troubled home life. It was home once. But this apocalypse changes people."

"I'm sorry kid."

"Don't be. That's just life."

Rick opened his mouth to say more, but Diana beat him to it.  

  "Alright, lets move." She motioned for him to follow.

           The place she had holed up in was dryer than most spaces. There were a couple of dirty blankets placed on the ground and a first aid kit. Some batteries were sprinkled on top.

     "You can sit there. I can stitch you back up." Diana pointed at the wall. Their part of the sewer was a dead end so they wouldn't be surprised.

     "Thank you."

Diana hadn't stitched wounds before, but she did well enough.

 Rick tried starting a conversation again but she told him she needed silence to focus.

                                         ~~~~

    "Are you sure you want to travel by yourself?"

  Diana nodded as she packed her things. "Very sure. You're nice and all, but you don't want to travel with me."

 The Georgia sun had risen already and they both were preparing for departure in the street

   "Do you have any family to find?" Rick questioned.

"I already know where they are. And they don't want me either." The girl looked down, avoiding eye contact.

"If we ever meet again, you better give me more details." Rick narrowed his eyes and pointed at her. "I deserve to know more about the little girl who saved me."

"Once a cop always a cop I guess." Diana said slyly. She looked back at him. "What about you? Any family?"

 She eyed a walker down the street but decided it was too far away to pursue.

"I got a son and a wife. My son's your age actually. 11." Rick looked through the neighborhoods. "I don't know where they are, but I'll protect them. They need me."

Diana squinted in the direction he was looking at, seeing nothing. "You'll find them, chief." She patted his shoulder, having to reach up very high.

"It was nice to meet you, Diana." Rick said, a little sad that they were parting. Possibly that he would no longer have company. Maybe that he didn't have enough time to get to know her well. "I don't know if I'll see you again, but you helped me without anything to gain."

Diana scoffed. "I'm not a good kid."

"You're right."

Diana looked up, confused.

"You're one of the best."

She wrinkled her nose at him. "Go. You have people to find."

"From the looks of thangs, so do you."

"I don't have people."

"You'll find them. Just a matter of where and when." He stuck his hand out for her to shake.

She placed a brown bag in his hand instead. "It's for the road. There's batteries, water, a flashlight, food, bandages, antibiotics, and one more thing..." she unbuckled her holster and handed it to him, along with the revolver. "You need these more than I do."

Rick tried to push it back to the little girl. "No I can't take this. You need it."

"No, you do. You're gonna help people, Rick. You're gonna help so many. You gotta find your people." She pushed it back to him. "I'm gonna be fine. I spotted a gun down the road that I'm gonna check out later."

Rick gave her a solemn look before accepting it. "If you can, head to Atlanta. The CDC is near there and there's bound to be survivors."

"I don't need survivors."she rolled her eyes.

"They may need you, kid. Ever think about that?"

She stayed silent for a moment. "Stay safe, sherif fun sponge." She shook his hand, even though he hadn't offered it yet. "I hope we meet again."

"We will." He smiled. "I don't know how or when, but we will. I have a debt to pay."

She wanted to return the smile but couldn't. "I hope you find them."

"You to."

With that, they went separate ways.

Next fifty chapters posted on noandisaidno on wattpad!

[casketsanctum]

A Ravenloft Reading Recommendation (ARRR!)

Alright, everyone! It's almost Halloween, and you (probably) recently got Curse of Strahd and Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft but you want to know more about these terror-filled prisons. Well, grab your adventuring gear and delve with me into the Domains of Dread! This'll be a long one, so strap in and remember: Mistipedia is your friend.

This list covers Second Edition Ravenloft, Third Edition Ravenloft, and the novels. I can only hope I got everything in this.

Let's start with...

Second Edition Ravenloft

Realm of Terror

This is the original campaign setting for 2e Ravenloft, coming with 144 pages of rules, NPCs and domains, as well as a bunch of other goodies (maps, card stock sheets, and a transparent map overlay). Realm of Terror predates the Grand Conjunction timeline, so in terms of in-game time... it's a bit out of date. A lot of it, according to John Mangrum, is incoherent and many of the dates in this contradict others, so be careful about what you use here.

- You get... Rules for the Demiplane of Dread, alternate rules for Classes, Spells, the Dark Powers Check, fear and horror rules, as well as new spells, new magical items, and the different Dark Lords and Domains you can explore.

Ravenloft Campaign Setting (Box)

The revised campaign setting for 2nd Edition. Takes Grand Conjunction into account. Not to be confused for the book from 3rd Edition.

Domains of Dread

Third and final version of Ravenloft in the days of TSR. Introduces clusters and pocket domains, as well as new secret societies and several new classes. Postdates Requiem: The Grim Harvest.

Masque of the Red Death

A sub-setting of Ravenloft, taking place on a 1890's Gothic Earth.

- The Gothic Earth Gazetteer: Like the Ravenloft Gazetteers, you get details on the lands of Gothic Earth and their inhabitants. - A Guide to Transylvania

And More...

Islands of Terror - Self explanatory, new island domains! Nidala, Wildlands, Sceana, I'Cath, etc.

Darklords - This covers a handful darklords.

Forbidden Lore - A Ravenloft setting expansion. Rules for the Tarokka Deck and Dikesha Dice. Secret societies, spells, cursed items, as well as expanded psionics, curses, and power checks. You also get the domain of Kalidnay.

Forged in Darkness - Lots of cursed items.

Children of the Night: Vampires - 13 New vampire NPCs. Children of the Night: Ghosts - 13 New ghost NPCs. Children of the Night: Werebeasts - 13 New lycanthrope NPCs. Children of the Night: The Created - 13 New construct NPCs.

Champions of the Mists - New heroic NPCs and new Character Kits.

Carnival - NPCs that make up Isolde's Carnival.

Classic Van Richten's Guides (Either 2nd or 3rd Edition)

These have Van Richten lore in it, so I would read these if not for the main content.

Van Richten's Arsenal With VR Arsenal, you get new tools and devices, new arcane and divine spells, new magic items, and alchemical devices and feats. It also comes with Prestige Classes like the Alchemical Philosopher and the Anchorite of the Mists, as well as a guide to plan investigations and battles and plenty of NPC stat sheets with detailed backgrounds.

Van Richten's Guide to Demons

Van Richten's Guide to Ghosts

Van Richten's Guide to the Ancient Dead

Van Richten's Guide to the Created

Van Richten's Guide to the Lich

Van Richten's Guide to the Mists - We usually ignore this book because of it's questionable lore.

Van Richten's Guide to the Shadow Fey

Van Richten's Guide to the Vistani An excellent exploration of Vistani.

Van Richten's Guide to the Walking Dead

Van Richten's Guide to Vampires

Van Richten's Guide to Werebeasts

Van Richten's Guide to Witches Included within VR's Compendium 3.

Van Richten's Monster Hunter's Compendium I (Vampires, Werebeasts, Created)

Van Richten's Monster Hunter's Compendium II (Ghosts, Liches, Ancient Dead)

Van Richten's Monster Hunter's Compendium III (Demons, Vistani, Witches)

Modules

Feast of Goblyns - The first module of the Grand Conjunction series. Domains: Kartakass, Gundarak, Daglan.

Ship of Horror - The second module of the Grand Conjunction series. Domains: Sea of Sorrows, Nebigtode.

Touch of Death - The third module of the Grand Conjunction series. Domains: Har'Akir.

Night of the Walking Dead - Fourth module of the Grand Conjunction series. Domains: Sourange.

From the Shadows - Fifth module of the Grand Conjunction series. Domains: Darkon, Barovia.

Roots of Evil - Sixth and final module of the Grand Conjunction series and the follow-up of From the Shadows. Domains: Barovia.

Death Unchained - Part one of Grim Harvest.

Death Ascendant - Part two of Grim Harvest.

Requiem: the Grim Harvest (Boxed Set) - Death Triumphant, the last part of Grim Harvest.

Death Undaunted - Written by John Mangrum, never published, but still good!! Played it with a wonderful DM.

Book of Crypts - Nine short module anthology. Contains: Bride of Mordenheim, Blood in Moondale, The Dark Minstrel, The Cedar Chest, Corrupted Innocents, Rite of Terror, The Man With Three Faces, The Living Crypt, and Death's Cold Laughter.

Thoughts of Darkness - Elder brains, Mindflayers and a Von Zarovich, oh my! I played this one with a wonderful DM. Very fun.

The Created - Odaire

Web of Illusion - Sri Raji

Castles Forlorn - Forlorn

Dark of the Moon - Vorostokov

Adam's Wrath - Lamordia

The Awakening - Nova Vaasa

Hour of the Knife - Zherisia

Howls in the Night - Mordent

When Black Roses Blood - Sithicus

A Light in the Belfry (Boxed Set) - Avonleigh

Circle of Darkness - G'Henna

Chilling Tales (Anthology) - Through Darkened Eyes (Tepest), Undying Justice (Borca), Gazing into the Abyss (Darkon), Family Feud (Valachan), Surgeon's Blade (Lamordia), Scarlet Kiss (Mordentshire), Ancient Dead (Har'Akir), The Taskmaster's Leash (Dementlieu)

The Evil Eye - Invidia

The Nightmare Lands (Boxed Set)

Neither Man Nor Beast - Markovia

The Shadow Rift

Vecna Reborn

Die, Vecna, Die!

Third Edition Ravenloft

Ravenloft Third Edition (Campign Setting)

An update of Ravenloft to 3e.

Ravenloft Dungeon Master's Guide

Campaign creation, creating domains and communities, sinkholes of evil, samples of NPCs, as well as psionics and magic within Ravenloft. Cursed / Magic Items. Basically chapter one of Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft, but more fleshed out.

Ravenloft Player's Handbook

New mechanics like class weaknesses and magic ratings.

Secrets of the Dread Realms - Contains a new prestige class and a list of darklords by domain (with detailed backgrounds!)

Denizens of Darkness - New monsters! (3e)

Denizens of Dread - New monsters! (3.5e)

Heroes of Light - Focuses on heroic characters and deeds within Ravenloft. Prestige classes, secret societies, NPCs, and a heroic campaign guide.

Champions of Darkness - Focuses on anti-heroes. Prestige classes, secret societies, NPCs and an anti-hero campaign guide.

Legacy of the Blood - THIS IS A GOOD BOOK. Details on several powerful familes of the Core. Includes options to make characters related to that family and story hooks that go with it. Includes: Boritsi, d'Honaire, Dilisnya, Drakov, Godefroy, Hiregaard, Mordenheim, Renier, and the Von Zarovich families.

Masque of the Red Death (3rd Edition)

No modules in this one.

Ravenloft Gazetteers

A DM's dream come true... You get a massive amount of information and lore with these. Comes with a side-story. Very good!

- Volume 1 - Barovia, Hazlan, Forlorn, Kartakass

- Volume 2 - Darkon, Necropolis, Lamordia, Falkovnia

- Volume 3 - Dementlieu, Richemulot, Mordent

- Volume 4 - Borca, Invidia, Verbrek, Valachan, Sithicus

- Volume 5 - Nova Vaasa, Tepest, Keening, Shadow Rift

Modules

Dark Tales and Disturbing Legends - More modules! This is an anthology.

Expedition to Castle Ravenloft - Update to I6: Ravenloft.

Novels

Vampire of the Mists (Good!)

Knight of the Black Rose (Not a big fan of Soth, in my honest option.)

Dance of the Dead

Tapestry of Dark Souls

Carnival of Fear

I, Strahd (A classic.)

I, Strahd: The War Against Azalin (Read this one. Excellent!)

The Enemy Within

Mordenheim

Tales of Ravenloft (19 Short Stories - The Caretaker is my favorite. It has Strahd.)

Tower of Doom (Personally, if you don't want your eyes cursed, I would not read this. This has been a warning. I told you so.)

Baroness of Blood

Death of Darklord

Scholar of Decay

King of the Dead (A must-read. It's that good.)

To Sleep with Evil

Lord of the Necropolis

Shadowborn

Spectre of the Black Rose

Heart of Midnight

[intergalactic-padawan]

inquisitor - Ezra Bridger

Requested: yes, by the beautiful @raganbridger! Sorry for the wait, it's finally here!

Warnings: angst, dark side!reader, confusion, mentions of bad injuries/blood, betrayal

A/N: You asked for le angst, so here it is! I've had this idea for a long while and this request was the motivation I needed to start. LOTS of alternative endings were written, this was mostly the reason it took so long.

Pronouns of reader: she/her

*ENGLISH IS NOT MY FIRST LANGUAGE! I make mistakes just like everybody else 😉*

x

.

-"oh, good, you're awake"

You sit and inhale sharply, focusing back on the real world, startled at the strange voice.

Well, not so strange per se. You knew who was talking to you. What was strange was why he was talking to you.

Before you can adjust your vision to the unfamiliar environment, the memories from hours earlier instantly come flooding back.

Malachor. The place where jedi go to die.

An easy kill for you and your inquisitor colleagues.

That's what they had said on the ship, at least. You, on the other hand, knew better than to underestimate how slippery those jedi could be - especially if they fought side by side, like they always did.

You remember cornering the younger one during the fight. His skill was minimal compared to yours, which would give you an advantage against his master if he were to die first.

The boy and his friends go after the sith holocron. There had been a blinding light when it was placed at the altar.

And also, the jedi knight who was blinded by your former master, Maul.

Maul.

Not only had the cursed man left you for dead years before, he had come back from hiding to haunt you and join forces with your other enemies.

But you were an inquisitor. You wouldn't - you couldn't let him get the best of you, not this time.

You feel a light hand pressing your forehead and recoil in fear, reaching for your lightsaber, only to feel it was not there.

-"whoah, woah, calm down. I'm not going to hurt you" - it was the padawan you'd been fighting before - Ezra Bridger. He had placed you and his master inside a cave in a planet you were not familiar with when you'd escaped Malachor.

You'd escapd Malachor? But how?

You couldn't have, unless he'd carried you back to his ship.

-"hey, hey, it's alright."

-"what do you want, jedi?" - you wince in pain again.

-"a thank you would be nice, actually. I did just save your life"

-"a foolish mistake. One you will pay for with yours"

You reach out for your lightsaber, but can't feel it anywhere close. Scouring with the force for its presence, you quickly realize he must have hidden it outside the place.

-"Nope, absolutely not" - just as quickly, he slaps your outstreched hand - "I may be an idiot, but i'm not stupid. Your lightsaber's not here, it's caused enough damage already."

You rub the hand he pushed away, more shocked at his actions than anything. How DARE he?

-"Then what do you want from me, if not revenge? Why treat my wounds if not to finish the battle we started?"

-"Listen, I'm not sure if it's the adrnaline or something, but you're in no condition to fight anyone any time soon"

-"You underestimete me, Jedi. Even in these conditions you would be no match for me."

-"Like I wasn't a match for you at the sith temple?"

At the mention of the event, images of the fight start to come back.

Back at the sanctuary, you drew him away from the fight, knowing his strengh lied with his allies. Only, you hadn't imagined your former master to join his side - not until you'd seen the holocron in Ezra's hands, at least. You'd warned him: "he will use it and throw you away. Like he did to me". Needless to say, he didn't listen.

Your vision starts to lose focus at the intensity of your anger and you groan in pain, not able to sit anymore. Driven by instinct, the padawan holds your side so you won't fall completely, pressing your abdomen and making you hiss in pain.

-"ah, looks like I was right. You're conscious, but not healed" - you feel yourself be adjusted back on the ground, too weak to fight him.

-"where are we? Why did you save my life?"

He hesitates, eyes studying you, like you might attack him any second and he still knew it.

-"not so sure" - he finally answers - "maybe because now you owe me one?"

-"Did you hit your head or something?" You scoff - "Make no mistake, I WILL kill you when the opportunity rises!"

-"And that is why your lightsaber privileges have been revoked for now."

You lock eyes, studying him like he had you. It made no sense- you'd followed his group to the sith temple, tried to kill him several times, called for the man who had murdered his strongest ally, Ahsoak Tano. Why was he helping you?

With a shiver, you realize he's still holding your side, not as firmly as before but still providing support for your back. Inhaling sharply, you graze his hand and he lets go instantly, realizing how close the two of you had gotten.

Standing up just as quickly, he brushes a strand of unruly hair our of his forehead, while you you clean your throat, diverting your attention to the exit of the cave. The rain pours on the large trees outside, but you can't make out much except for the fact that you're in a forest planet (maybe a moon?) and his ship is in less than ideal conditions to get out of it.

-"here" - Ezra kneels down with two bacta patches and a piece of fabric from a medical kit -"i felt your back was pretty sore, but didn't want to take off your shirt while you were out. Your cuts need cleaning."

You hesitantly take the items, using the rocks behind you as support to lean your body on. He stands up, hands on hips, and chuckles when you sniff the gel, suspicious.

With the small bit of privacy he gives you by turning around to check on his master, you fumble with your shirt, deciding to take it off in order to see better.

-"Need some help over there?" - he asks, hearing you grunt in frustration at not being able to reach some spots

-"Not from you, thank you very much"

-"Oh, so she CAN say thank you! That's a welcome change"

You throw the rag at his direction, irritated out of your mind. Who does he think he is??

He must sense the harmless ball of soaked fabric coming his way, turning around to catch it mid-air. Now that he's turned, you see a glimpse of amusement in his eyes at your rage, giving you the answer you needed as to why he went through the trouble of saving you; it was merely to see you suffer and laugh at your expense, apparently.

His expression quickly changed when he saw your bruised torso, however.

- "who did this to you?" - he whispers, and you look down at you look down at your sore ~ well, everything~, covered only by a wrap in the bust area.

-"As you said, jedi. I may be better than you, but you still gave me a decent challenge"

"No. I didn't even hit you there." - his serious reaction to your injuries had caught you off guard, you had to admit. - "those are old and deep, you shouldn't even be able to walk!"

-"I'm not, remember?" - you motion at your debilitated situation, unable to even sit down or cross your legs properly -"But i will be, soon. And then it's over for you"

-"you know what? I think if you wanted to, you would have killed me by now." - he shoots back and you're impressed at his audacity once again.

But he had a point. Why hadn't you attacked him yet?

Sure, you had no lightsaber or phisical conditions to stand, but your force abilities were still as strong as ever. You were vulnerable, but so was he, and you weren't kidding when you said you could deal with him even at your worse.

-"you know what? " - you cross your arms. He was playing with fire now - "maybe I might"

-"and why haven't you?"

-"because I wouldn't enjoy it as much." - you snap back venomously - "I want to see you suffer before I bring you to Lord Vader"

His expression darkens at the mention of Ahsoka's murderer. His whole body stiffens as he balls his wrists and clearly struggles to control his anger at the recent loss. For a moment, you fear you've gone too far, but reprimand yourself for worrying about his feelings over yours. You're not supposed to be anything more than indifferent to the weak and ruthless to those who dare oppose you.

-"Yeah, no matter what you do, you're still imperial scum"

You're not prepared for those words to affect you so much. You're supposed to have a response, but nothing coherent seems to come out of your mouth, so you settle for an an uncomfortable silence.

It doesn't last for long, however, as his comlink goes off. It's his droid, asking - no, demanding - that he go help him with repairs on the ship. He hesitates, looking at you and contemplating how bad it would be to leave you unnatended in the company of his defenseless master.

-"Dont worry."- You reassure him. -"I won't make his situation worse. Maul is the worse you can get, and I refuse to step that low"

You can see he doesnt like it, but leaves for a few moments before returning with what must be the droid that talked to him before. It was a C1 series unit with an orange top and a bratty atitude, you could tell that much by just seeing him interact with the jedi.

-"Chopper will stay here, just in case"

-"I understand. It's fine."

-"I wasn't asking if you were fine with it. Behave" - you can't be sure if his command is directed at you or the droid, but you weren't about to ask.

The coldness he now had to his voice was understandable - you had worked to get him to that emotional state - ,but you felt hurt at the change. The droid didn't do much to help you think clearly about what just happened, and by the look of it, your frustration would only grow bigger in the many hours it would still take to repair the ship to a normal flying condition.

'He thinks i'm imperial scum, huh?' - you think as you scour a pile of your belongings with the force, not too far away inside the cave.

Bad news, your lightsaber really wasn't there.

Good news, your wrist comm was.

'i'll show him imperial scum'

With a plan forming in mind, all you had to do now was be patient and wait for the right time. There's no exchange of words between the two of you when he gets back, which makes time fly by before he's betrayed by exaution and finally gives in to sleep. You take care of the droid easily after that.

Activating the tracking beacon, you start to leave the cave, but not before noticing the boy's lightsaber beside him. It was a bold move, he could easily wake up if you took it, but you knew that if he woke up to see you gone you'd need it to compensate for your injuries.

You were still on opposing sides, after all.

You knew there had to be an imperial ship near the planet, and they would pick up your signal in an instant when you called. Wallking to a less dense area of the forest, away from the crash site, you're proven right when, in a matter of minutes, a shuttle tripulated by four troopers and a senior lieutenant meet you on the ground.

-"and what of the jedi?" - the higher ranking woman asks when you finish your brief description of the events that led you there.

Well, not all events. You'd left out the part where Bridger had helped you recover.

You could just tell them to take the two jedi for excecution. You were supposed to do it, in fact.

-"it's just me. And the younger one's lightsaber" - you finally answer, not exactly knowing why you'd deliberately just saved them.

She nods curtly and escorts you back to the ship without a second glance. It was a good story so far, but you would have to work on it if your superiors were to believe it.

-"Wait- " - you start, second-guessing your motives for not giving away their location. One of the troopers turns to you expectantly.

-"yes, sir?"

You hesitate for a moment, ready to do what you'd beeen taught to do your whle life. Kill the jedi.

Kill the jedi.

A tingling crept up your sides, where the padawan had touched earlier to give you support. You try to betray the gut feeling pressing you to do your duty as an inquisitor, but it's stronger than you. Something is forcing your better judgement to be leaving your natural enemies alive.

-"nothing." - the tingle goes away as soon as it had come, leaving an unusual feeling of relief. - "Thought i'd sensed something. Let's leave"

'Perhaps it's for the best'. - you think as the shuttle's door closes. After all, you did owe him one for saving your life - whatever his reason was for doing so.

That was what you told yourself as you boarded the ship, at least. Now, the next time you saw him, there would be nothing to stop you from finishing him and his friends for good.

.

x

Hope you like it? I gave him a 'hands on hips' moment in honour of your videos for a more personalized touch hahahaha

[casspurrjoybell-17]

HEART'S DESIRE - CHAPTER 20

*Warning: Adult Content* 

~ Kit's Tale ~

As a child, I thought it was simply the way of things, how my family treated me. 

People seldom looked at or spoke to me, except to tell me what to do and kindness and comfort were withheld, they said, for my own good. 

Of course, I noticed that my half-siblings were treated differently. 

They had nice clothes to wear and nice things to eat three times a day. 

They had beds to sleep in and toys to play with and even when they broke something or disobeyed no one struck them or made them sleep outside. 

It was my own fault, for being what I am, they said. 

My siblings were Wolves, good and whole and pure and they deserved to be treated well, while my father was a fox and foxes are wicked and deceitful. 

My mixed blood made me dirty and disgusting and I should be grateful the Pack was kind enough to keep me at all. 

But I had to earn my keep, to be quiet and obedient and to work hard. 

Otherwise, my uncle explained, they would have to let me go. 

With no one to claim me as their own, my wicked fox's soul would consume my human form and I would become a wild animal and die in the forest, alone. 

It sounded terrifying, to become a fox and I lived in dread of it, especially as my siblings had all Shifted by the age of twelve.

Claude, Stefan and Selene were celebrated for the beauty of their forms and when they went on their first Hunt and made their first kill, they became true members of the Pack. 

But my twelfth birthday came and went and then my thirteenth and fourteenth and still I had not shed my human form. 

I was relieved but uncle Obadiah said it was just more proof of my pollution, a defect that made me less than Wolf and worse than human, even. 

But I didn't think my life was so bad, considering. 

As long as I didn't displease my uncle and did as I as told, I was given enough to eat and a place to sleep and avoided the worst beatings. 

It was my half-siblings who made things difficult. 

As the lowest of creatures, my purpose was to serve those better than myself and I had to do what any Wolf asked. 

My brothers and sister made sure I was never idle, always giving me more tasks than I could finish in a day, which meant that I was punished.

Sometimes they made a game of getting me in trouble stealing food from the kitchen and saying I had taken it, or telling my uncle I had done some bad thing. 

I feared my brothers most, if they got me alone, I seldom escaped without harm. 

Even so, it wasn't all terrible. 

                                                    ~ ☾~

My favorite times were when the 'outer' families visited. 

They were relatives and Pack but not directly related to the Alpha. 

When they came, there was less talk of 'purity' and 'true Wolves' no one struck me and I was allowed to sleep inside. 

Best of all, I got to see little cousin Ophie, who called me her friend and let me play with her toys and tried to teach me things she had learned in a place called skool. 

She told me things no one else ever had, that I was 'pretty' and 'clever' and 'sweet.' 

And when I told she was wrong, that I was actually ugly and stupid and dirty, she laughed and told me it wasn't true. 

Eventually, my brothers and sister noticed that she made me happy, which was something I didn't deserve. 

They told on us for playing skool and said that I had done something very bad to Ophie when we were alone, though that was a lie. 

I didn't see her again for a long time, after that.

The worst times where always at the full moon, when the Pack would practice for the Great Hunt. 

Being unable to Shift and not being a Wolf, I was only suited for one role, the Prey. 

It was the only time I was treated with something like respect, though it was only the respect afforded a sacrifice. 

Dressed in furs and anointed in blood, I was given the blessing of the Lord of Slaughter and at moonrise, told to run. 

I never got very far. 

Thankfully, I was never the only prey and someone always got a deer or a rabbit, or a little wild fox and with its death, the Lords of the Hunt were satisfied and my life spared. 

I don't know what would have happened if I'd been all they caught. 

And then finally, when I fifteen, things changed. 

I was out in the forest, collecting wild herbs for my mother and my brothers chanced upon me there. 

They dragged me to a little creek, saying I was dirty and needed to wash and held me under until I thought I would drown. 

They'd let me breathe, to check if I was 'clean' yet, then hold me under again until I choked. 

They did this until I passed out, then left me on the bank, half-dead and gasping like a fish.

I’d just about recovered when Claude came back, alone. 

He grabbed me and held me down and started doing something I didn't like and I was so frightened and confused I bit him and he let me go in surprise. 

I got away from him and started to run and then he came after me.

 He was so angry, he said he'd kill me if he caught me and he began to Shift. 

Something inside me Shifted, too and the next thing I knew I was running on all fours, as a fox, a very strange fox, with too many tails. 

I ran home, terrified that it had finally happened, that I'd lost my human soul because I'd defied my half-brother. 

I ran straight into the house and then my mother saw me and I'd never seen her look so surprised. 

She called my name and then I was human again and I was so relieved, I fainted. 

After that, I was treated differently. 

I still had more chores than I could finish but only my uncle was allowed to punish me and my brothers weren't allowed to 'play' with me anymore. 

The 'training' continued, though, my uncle told me I needed to get strong and fast and to be the most excellent Prey, so the Lords would be pleased at the Great Hunt. 

I didn't understand why, then.

                                                        ~ ☾~

That was my life for the next ten years. 

Time slips along when nothing changes and from season to season, little changed for me. 

What did change were those around me. 

I noticed, eventually, how my half-siblings and cousins began to look older, to grow up and become adults, while I still looked almost the same. 

Uncle Obadiah said it was because of my father's polluting blood, an evil trait of lesser foxes, that kept me from growing and made me less than whole, good for nothing but to serve those more worthy than myself. 

It didn't really trouble me, in fact, I heard my sister complain about it jealously, how a Gift like youth was wasted on a creature like me. 

My uncle told her not to worry and that it would be hers soon, too after the Great Hunt. 

That's the Hunt he's been training us all for, I thought and wondered if I would receive a Gift, too. 

That was last year, a little before the trouble started. 

It began with rumors, it was one of the cousins, they said. 

She'd refused the Alpha's choice of Mate for her and Chosen an Unsuitable, instead. 

Not even a Wolf, apparently.

At first I listened with mild interest, no one had ever defied my uncle before, that I was aware. 

Then it got around that 'she' was Ophelia and that she'd done the unthinkable and took a human Mate. 

Worse, the man didn't want to become a Wolf. 

For this, he would have to die. 

I heard that Ophelia was being held somewhere, until after it was over and as the full moon approached, I eavesdropped every chance I got, trying to discover where. 

At last my uncle let it slip that he was keeping her at his own house, in a Wolf-proof chamber below.

'What good will it do to hunt a human, anyway?' my sister complained. 

‘Even when they have Gifts, they are weak.'

‘Don't whine, Selene,' my uncle snapped. 

'He has a strong heart; that's what matters.’

‘Kit doesn't,' she sneered. 

'And yet you promise that he...'

'Kit is different. His strength is dormant, still, we will have only a small window between when it sprouts and when it reaches full bloom. After that, no Wolf will take him.'

'Hmph,' Selene scoffed. 

'I don't see why not. His father didn't give us much trouble and what did we get out of him?'

'His heart was already broke, your mother saw to that, spiteful bitch that she is. Lucky she had his pup to make up for it, or I'd have been far less merciful.'

‘This confused me, for my mother had said my father disappeared long before I was born. 

I wondered what they meant by it but at the moment, I had more urgent things on my mind. 

Slipping away into the dark, I ran in fox form, small and dark as I could make myself, up my uncle's house and in through a window that was open just a crack. 

I found my way down to the cellar and sniffed about until I discovered the sealed chamber door. 

Shifting to my human form, I unlocked it, sliding back the heavy bolts and pushed it open to reveal Ophelia, cowering within.’

‘At first she was surprised and hardly recognized me, it had been some years since we'd seen each other last but when I explained that I there to help and that she had to escape and save her Mate if she could, she hugged me and cried. 

No one had ever hugged me before, like that and I didn't know how to respond, so I held still until she let me go. 

Then she kissed my cheek and Shifted and then she was gone. 

When my uncle discovered that she had escaped, he was furious. 

I knew he must have guessed that I had helped her but for some reason, he never accused or punished me. 

Some days later, though, he came to where I was working to paint the side of a barn. 

The paint was red and it got everywhere. 

My uncle called me and I came to him.

'Ophelia and her unworthy mate are dead,' he told me. 

'Taken down by the Pack. You've got blood on your hands, now, Kit. Remember that.'

Then he went away and even though the paint washed off, my hands never felt clean again.

                                                      ~ ☾ ~

I know now that he lied, that Ophie and her mate escaped and that my uncle let them go. 

And now I know why. 

The whispers started around then, of a threat to the north. 

Another Alpha, gaining power fast and swallowing up territory with ravenous appetite. 

He was known by only one name, Dire Ferrault and he was something to be feared. 

He was also an opportunity for exactly what Selene and Obadiah craved, power and the chance to gain it. 

When he visited, I saw my uncle give way to another Wolf for the first time. 

He'd told me to stay out of sight, that the last thing we needed was for this new Alpha to see our Pack's 'Shame' but I was so curious I couldn't help myself. 

Dire Ferrault was the largest man I'd ever seen. 

He had long black hair, shiny and smooth and pale skin and ice-blue eyes and a harsh, cruel face. 

He was frightening and captivating and in my foolishness, he caught sight of me.’

Later, Obadiah explained that I would be leaving with him, the strange, powerful Wolf and that I belonged to him, now and it was him I had to please if I wanted to keep my human soul.

 I was frightened but I obeyed because it was what I'd been raised for and after what happened to Ophie, I thought I deserved worse. 

And maybe he wasn't as frightful as he looked, I thought, maybe he would be kind. 

I was wrong but I didn't know that yet. 

We traveled north and I did everything Dire Ferrault or his men asked of me. 

I sat quiet and still and didn't complain even when I was thirsty or hungry, or needed the bathroom so badly it hurt. 

Finally, we arrived at his 'complex' which was a group of houses deep in the forest. 

His was the largest and grandest of all, like an ancient Wolf-king's hall shadowed by towering pines. 

There, I thought my life had greatly improved. 

I was shown to a room and told that it was mine and that I could do what I liked until the Alpha called for me. 

And later, when a woman came and told me to bathe and change into the clean clothes she gave me, I thought I was in heaven. 

Then she took me to Dire Ferrault and I learned my mistake.’

'Obadiah tells me you are obedient,' he said and I kept my head bowed.

'I will do as you ask.''

“Good. When the time comes, I may ask much of you. For now, all I ask is that you keep me warm.'

‘He beckoned and I went to him, wondering why such a large man, in such an opulent room, with such a luxurious bed, would need to be kept warm. 

Then he showed me what he really meant and I was so frightened as I'd been that day by the river, when Claude tried to do those things, that I turned fox and bit him and ran away. 

Maybe I had taken him by surprise, after being so obedient up until then, or maybe uncle's 'training' was paying off but for a while I thought I might escape. 

I ran and ran, until the sun came up, until I was so tired I couldn't run anymore.

Then he caught me and he hurt me and after that, he kept me chained up, except at night, when he said I had to keep him warm. 

Against all reason, I found myself missing my family and my home. 

My family had hurt me and they had called me 'Shame' but they'd never hurt me the way Dire Ferrault did, nor taught me the meaning of that name.

Then, one night I decided I would rather die than be his, so I pretended, I pretended I had changed my mind and that I liked it and that it didn't hurt. 

He seemed pleased and relaxed enough to close his eyes. 

Then, when he was consumed by passion and his grip on me loosened, I leapt up. 

He kept a collection of long knives on his wall and grabbing one of these, I drove it into the top of his shoulder, aiming downward for his heart. 

He roared in fury and threw me off and then while I had my chance, I Shifted and I fled. 

As I had the first time, I ran and ran, with no idea where I ran to except that it was 'away' and vaguely South. 

I ran until it felt as if my heart would fail and finally, I stopped beside a stream, to drink. 

Surely, with his injury, Ferrault could not have followed me, I thought and I knew he'd never send anyone else after me, for I was his alone.

And yet, driven by his rage, he had. 

He was on me in an instant, his teeth closing around me and piercing me through as he bit down. 

I screamed, feeling his teeth scrape bone and meet inside me. 

And then, having surely killed me, he let me go and he collapsed. 

We both Shifted, then, bleeding and exhausted and he glared icy fire as blood trickled from his mouth, mine and his. 

I was injured mortally, I thought and yet I did not want to die within his sight. 

I got up and forced myself to walk away.

'You are dead, fox,' he rasped. 

'And if you live, I will find you. I will heal from this in days and then I will come for you and I will skin you alive. And if anyone helps you, I will slaughter them before your eyes.'

I kept walking and after a while it seemed I might not die, after all and then despair caught up with me. 

Then I remembered the story Selene had told about a Pack in California, in a place called Spring Lakes. 

The Hunters and their terrible Alpha, a tyrant who'd refused to give her up, until Claude and Stefan had battled his wicked Clan and Claude had given his life in the fight. 

Maybe they could protect me and if not, if what Selene had said was true, they probably deserved what would come to them anyway. 

So, I walked until I reached a town and there I stole some clothes from an unlocked house and some bandages and some money and I bought a bus ticket, the first of several and I came to you, Monty and brought all my troubles along for the ride, with Wolves at my heels.