#i wouldn't stay if they were bringing in wild captures

[maranull]

working at a pet store has proven to me that if I see a certain animal (or fish) for more than 3 consecutive days I am fully ready to die for it

and it hurts me knowing that the little turtles, fishies and stray cat that we have might be going into homes that either don't know or don't want to provide proper care for them

[sunnysam-my]

Warning I get a bit politically and frustrated I guess.

One important message to you all. Keep your fucking indoors-outdoors beef outside of the adoption groups, post and shelters. I don't care what side you're on, do not bring it up, because by doing that you are actively harming the chances of the kitten/cat being adopted.

Here, let me explain to you a few concepts that so many people apparently can't graspt:

Not everyone can adopt any cat in need they see. That's just not possible.

Just because someone isn't trapping every single cat outdoors they see doesn't mean they're animal abuser or are single handly responsible for ecological damage.

Not every feral cat can be caught and castrated by a random person with no training or equipment.

Cats born into the wild are not homeless. Do not treat them like strays.

A feral cat is an outdoor, free-roaming cat that has never been socialized to humans and is living in a “wild” state. Because they're not socialized to people, feral cats are not adoptable. If you take them to a shelter, they will almost certainly be killed there.

In the eyes of the law of many countries feral cats born in the wild are not and, by the definition, cannot be homeless as the wilderness is their home. Taking them from their natural habitat and entrapping them in houses is wrong and in same place even illegal.

Feral cats, unlike strays, cannot live a happy life indoors. They often live in groups, called colonies, wherever they can find food. They are happier in their own territory with their colony family.

Stray cats on the other hand were once pets and are lost or abandoned. They will try to make a home near humans in garages, porches or backyards, because they relay on human help.

Not every wild-born kitten will be feral, in fact most won't, and not every feral cat can't be tamed, some can go through process of socialising to make the adoptable. That's not up to you to decided tho, unless you met the cat and know your shit.

Because people where I live (Poland) found this simple concept so hard to understand, animal shelters around me no longer accept cats from private people, only from organisations and authorities, since so many of them were people's outdoors pets and feral cats. This already makes it harder to help cats in need.

But the real problem I have is something that happens more and more nowadays and even happend to my family. A feral cat, who lives in our forest and we're trying to tame, gave birth to 7 kittens on our farm and left them in our care. Only two of 7 were feral and strong enough to live in the wild, so we tried to find homes for the rest. Upon mentioning they were born from a feral living close us we were blocked from every single adoption group. The reason? We apparently were 'abusers and breeders', because we tried to help kittens who would 100% died if left alone, instead of focusing on somehow finding cats that lives somewhere in the giant woods, capturing them with no equipment and driving with them 2h+ to make them go through abortion and castration that most of them probably wouldn't even survive. Yeah.

BTW we never found homes to those kittens, because of crazy indoor cat ladies that would shit on every single post of ours and got us blocked. Obviously we didn't leave the cats alone, considering only one in five feral kittens will live to five months of age. We were forced to travel with them 4 hours and keep them in our small house with 3 other adult cats that were not happy about the situation. Eventually we gave one to my Uncle, one was left at the vet to find home (she did), and the last one stayed.

So, for the love of God, regardless if you think cats should be indoors or outdoors DO NOT FUCKING ARGUE ABOUT IT UNDER SOMEONE "FOR ADOPTION" POSTS. Even if you're right. Do not try to bring feral cats to shelters. Do not make it some random person responsibility to deal with feral cats. If you really care about those outdoors, stray and feral cats then research the topic and try advocating for change with how we handle wild-born kittens and castration of feral cats, because right now, depending on where you live, the authorities will most probably only maybe check on them and give them food.

In case I haven't made it clear, I do not think feral cats should be just left alone, even if they shouldn't be adopted.

[ceescedasticity]

and MORE

When Maedhros Fëanorion comes to Eglarest, Meril as Orodreth's wife refuses to see him, but bids her law-cousins do as they will. Círdan lets them tag along to his meeting.

Maedhros also doesn't ask awkward questions, and apologizes eloquently for his brothers' offenses against their house.

“Thank you, but that means very little when you're still letting them run wild,” Gilhíril says.

But she does agree to write to Orodreth to ask him one more time about the Union, because this is bigger than their grievances.

They can't not try.

Even if the thought of the counterattack brings only dread.

--------

“I don't think Beren knows about us,” Gilhíril says. “I don't think Bregolas had time to tell anyone.”

“No. Barahir or Emeldir might have guessed, but they wouldn't have said anything.” Gildor's voice catches. “You know, I — I really thought I'd mourned them already?”

“I wept all the way from Brethil to Nargothrond,” Gilhíril agrees. “You would think it would be enough… Do you think he remembers us?”

“Yes,” Gildor says, with certainty. “We should go to Ossiriand, after the battle. If there's anyone we could tell everything—“

Gilhíril nods. “After the Siege is back in place, we'll go.”

-------

There is a small contingent of Nargothrondrim come for the battle, led by Finduilas's betrothed Gwindor and accompanied by Arameldis, but Arameldis bids them stay with the Falathrim. “You're used to them, and you'll want to go back to Ereinion and Meril afterwards! I'll make Orodreth come to you.”

(Arameldis never was much for their family's foresight. Or else she saw something and was trying to protect them.)

They escape in the rout. They don't feel Arameldis die, and Gilhíril is sure she would have, but that's about all the good news they have.

(They never did go to Dor-lómin.)

-------

The evacuation goes well.

Almost nine out of ten of the people of the Falas make it to the Isle of Balar. A much smaller fraction of the warriors, obviously, but nine out of ten of the elves of Hithlum were slain or captured. It goes so well.

Gildor takes another arrow, but it's not bad. Gilhíril has a few shallow sword cuts. Ereinion just gets scraped palms from ships' lines.

Meril fights, but she's going to evacuate. It's just sheer bad luck that she happens to be right at hand when the town walls are breached.

And she's gone.

------

They do feel Arameldis die, it turns out.

And Orodreth.

And Finduilas.

They've known things would go ill since the messengers came back with a relatively tiny group of refugees and word that Nargothrond was set on its course. It's still somehow a surprise.

It might be worse yet for Ereinion, who doesn't feel his sister die, or the aunt who at least visited; only the father he knows mostly from letters, and only just.

After word officially comes, with an even smaller refugee group, Ereinion dries his tears and says he wishes to be known as Gil-galad going forth.

--------

“We should have known no good would come of him,” the survivor says. “From grief, to heartbreak, to torment and death, now utter ruin — that whole family has brought naught but poison to the House of Finarfin.”

Gilhíril's face and hands go numb.

“It would break Lord Finrod's heart to hear you say that,” another says, but the first scoffs.

“At least young Gil-galad should be safe.”

She resolves never to tell her brother, but someone else says it in front of him inside a few months.

Gil-galad and Círdan manage to stamp it out, eventually. At least in public.

Fic: Athrabeth, Amended

Several amendments to the common understanding of Andreth Saelind: firstly a discussion of textual decay, and secondly an account of how the House of Finarfin in Beleriand entrapped themselves in a significant lie despite resolving not to do that again. Written by Finrod Felagund, S.A. 1953, Tirion. Quenya version available upon request.

Of the Athrabeth:

Andreth is known since the First Age primarily by the "Discourse of Finrod and Andreth", which is a philosophical treatise in the form of a colloquium. Finrod and Andreth wrote it jointly in F.A. 441, as a summation of their many discussions. While this was not even fifteen years before the realms of Beleriand lost the resources needed for publication of treatises, it did see see some distribution, especially among the Edain, and among Edain it survived the ruin of Beleriand and came to Númenor and thence, at some point in the first five hundred years of the Second Age, to Aman. While not widely studied, it did enter the scholarly canon on the matter of the Atani.

Despite periodic involvement with such study, Finrod did not review the text until approached by a scholar with questions some fourteen hundred years after that. Only then did anyone realize the text brought from Númenor was not identical to the text as distributed in Beleriand.

How precisely this came to pass is not known and likely will never be. Orodreth Angarátion has confirmed that he edited the copies in Nargothrond after Finrod's death, fearing that the passage removed (in which Finrod concedes it is fair for Andreth to doubt the benevolence of any Power which would condemn children for the crimes of their parents, and admits he himself cannot quell such doubts) would be held against his uncle in the Halls of Mandos. However, he left the rest of the text intact.

Regardless, survivors of Nargothrond do not believe the "Athrabeth" was among the few dozen texts of Nargothrond's library which survived with them. No one available for interview has any recollection of seeing a copy in the collections on the Isle of Balar or in the Havens of Sirion, though none claim exhaustive knowledge of such. It seems likely (though not certain) it was saved by the Edain and only the Edain.

The question remains of why the treatise was altered as it was.

The excision of the speculation on the ultimate destinations of hypothetical peredhel is understandable given that by the time of Númenor it was known to be incorrect. (Andreth supposed that such children would be of the Eldar, and so were destined for alienation from their Atani parent; Finrod supposed such children would be of the Atani, and destined for eternal separation from their elven parent.)

Also removed was an extensive discussion of the implications of Marring on personal responsibility and culpability, which is of course a common philosophical subject in Eldamar. It came to no conclusion, with both discussants admitting they could find no answer that satisfied them (also common in discussions of the subject in Eldamar).

The only part which has not been well-covered elsewhere was Andreth's explanation of her people's more visceral experience of Marring: the threat of sickness even without Enemy intervention, the perils of childbirth, and the slow decline towards death which often brought unceasing pain. If the One above all could not stop such evils being wrought upon his children by the Marring, she asked, can we justly reproach any lesser being for succumbing to the Marring and doing evil? And then the discussion proceeded down the customary paths.

It is possible this section was removed because there is no conclusion, and so it was taken to have no instructive value. In the opinion of the authors the instructive value of the passage was that all people feel doubt, and even in the worst depths of it when the foundations of the world feel unsteady they can still seek to do good.

Also arguably lacking in instructive value is the section in which Finrod confesses the horror of living under the Doom and feeling it creeping towards all he holds dear, and the challenge of willfully ignoring foresight of his own death, then breaks down weeping. Andreth felt strongly that it must be included as a far better illustration that Eldar understand suffering than any dry recitation of hardships.

A possible explanation is that the excisions were made to make the conclusions cleaner, and more in accordance with Númenórean orthodoxy. It is also possible that the editor aimed to elevate Finrod's wisdom by removing the exchanges in which he could not hold to his positions. (It is the opinion of a commentator who wishes to remain anonymous that if so it was a failure, as the result only made him sound "more insufferable than usual".)

Left virtually unchanged was the passage on Andreth and Aegnor, which is the only part that, in honesty, should have been amended: While the content did derive from several early discussions, by the time of the treatise's compilation much of it had been made obsolete. Also, the claim that the Eldar do not seize brief satisfaction that will bring future grief is not only often wrong but particularly egregious coming from an Exile, and it was misleading to speak of 'wartime customs' when there had only been one war and said customs were not broadly agreed to. But perhaps most importantly, some of that passage was included for the purpose of perpetuating a lie.

Of the lie

The situation would never have arisen if Finrod had simply not advised Aegnor against courting Andreth, with many ominous predictions of woe and doom and foolhardiness. He would have amended his advice had he realized Aegnor's response would be to mull over the situation before deciding to court Andreth in secret. A year later they married, speaking their vows alone in the woods. While by the customs of the Eldar this was a valid if scandalous marriage, by the customs of the Edain it was not, and might have exposed Andreth to no small amount of censure had it become widely known.

Andreth's siblings Bregor and Beril realized what had happened quickly, but agreed not to speak of it. Aegnor's brother Angrod also realized quickly but kept the secret.

Edhellos, Orodreth and Arameldis realized within a few months that Angrod was hiding something, and Orodreth's daughter Finduilas claimed to have known Aegnor was having good fortune in love the next time she saw him. Galadriel, hundreds of leagues away beyond the Ered Luin, said it had come to her that Aegnor had embraced his doom.

Finrod perceived none of this and his house later made much mockery of it, in person or by letter.

When Aegnor after a year felt guilty for the deception and confessed, Finrod repented of his counsel, for if they were set on this course he would not have them walk it unsupported. Their decision was made and his growing certainty of Aegnor's future suffering was irrelevant. He gave his belated blessing, and welcomed Andreth to the House of Finarfin, and asked their preferences for a proper feast and recognition of the marriage.

But Aegnor and Andreth were uncertain if they wished for such a thing. Aegnor feared that if Finrod had not thought well of his course, Finrod who was a friend to Andreth and loved the Bëorings well, then other opinions would be far worse. He anticipated only derision from the Noldor and disgust from the Sindar.

Andreth for her part did not wish to be gawked at from all sides as the first woman of the Edain to be married to an elf, and knew enough of the manners and maneuverings of Noldorin courts to know she wanted none of it.

They would tell the House of Finarfin, and Andreth's close kin, and their blessing would be more than enough.

Finrod conceded, though he did caution them that while he yet thought Aegnor resigned to bitter loneliness, he himself had confided in certain of his kin that his advice had brought his brother sorrow and he did not know if he had done right. Those kin had promised discretion, but discretion is not utter secrecy, and rumors were likely inevitable. But Aegnor felt those better than the rumors that might come should the truth be revealed.

Indeed, one way or another it seeped out to become general knowledge in at least the House of Finwë in Beleriand that Aegnor loved a woman of the Edain, but they had not wedded, and now the two were living their lives separately, faithfully, and unhappily. No one commented on it directly in public, or in Aegnor's presence. Overall the reactions were not so consistently negative as had been feared, but some were very cruel.

Several more years passed, with the secret well-kept though the accidental lie was only spreading further. Andreth had a house set a little apart from the villages of the Bëorings, enough for privacy though not isolation, and there Aegnor and Andreth met joyfully when they could, for she would not hear of his compromising his duties at the Siege for her sake, or even making arrangements to change them.

Andreth's more distant kin she told she was wedded to a man of the Haladin who was kept away, and this was held to be true among them, whatsoever they might suspect.

That elves do not marry in wartime is untrue. Finrod believed it should be a custom, but it was not and is not, where elves still fight wars. It is an acknowledged risk, to bring a new marriage-bond to the battlefield, but many Eldar do so nonetheless.

That elves do not have children in wartime was not an established custom at the time (all generalizations about 'wartime' were dubious). But it has become so, as an extension of the custom that elves do not have children if they are not sure the second parent may be close at hand from begetting to birth, and both parents readily available for the first five to ten years of the child's life.

But the Atani have no expectation or requirement of such: a mother with a child requires support, of course, but it may be readily supplied by her kin or the father's kin or any other part of a trusted community; so they decided it might be done, even though Aegnor's duties would keep him away more often than not.

And they were not wrong: Andreth's daughter Barawen (named later Gilrodel by her father) was birthed in F.A. 394 in one of Aegnor's long absences, with no help save Andreth's own kin, and she was small but hale. When Aegnor returned he adored her immediately, and sent to his own kin many loving words of her, and that was the first even Angrod had heard of the matter. Aegnor knew they all would love Barawen at once, but underestimated the dismay of his family at how Barawen was born in his absence, most pointedly his law-sister Edhellos.

Childless Finrod reacted more temperately, but felt Aegnor should take some time away from the border and the Siege — perhaps ten or fifteen years, to cover Barawen's early childhood and allowing for one or two siblings, spaced as children of the Atani. This could be done if Finrod himself temporarily took over Aegnor's duties, which he should suffice for. They would only have to explain the situation to High King Fingolfin and some of the more highly-placed people of Nargothrond.

Aegnor feared this would lead to the rumors bending towards the truth, but would have agreed to at least be relieved of his stations at the Siege. Andreth was adamant in refusal. Replacing a commander could only weaken a force, and the Siege must not be compromised for her sake or even her children's. She would not have it.

Whether or not it would have been best to respect Andreth's wishes in this, matters were arranged so that Aegnor was present for the births of Bardhis Gilhíril in F.A. 397 and Bronadui Gildor in F.A. 401, and Andreth was visited often by her husband's close kin. Finrod and Finduilas were most successful at being untroublesome.

Now at this time none in Beleriand knew of the Choice of the Peredhil, and their ultimate fate was a mystery. Finrod felt such children would receive the Gift of Men: they would be set free to seek new adventures, but their elven parent would be yet more bereaved. Andreth felt such children would have the destiny of the elves: they would be blessed with health and wisdom and beauty, but would leave their human parent behind and forget them. Aegnor would say nothing at all on the matter.

Observing the children was of little help: they grew much as human children did, but as youths could be taken easily for elves. They were both elf and human, and neither, and that said nothing of what their future would be.

But since they might have the fate of the Eldar, all thought it fit for them to spend time among the Eldar, as Eldar; and here at last was the price of the secrecy.

How could they claim the children as close kin? They might have been said to be the children of Aegnor by some elven woman who despised public life, save for the broad belief that Aegnor pined faithfully for a woman of the Secondborn and would have no other. Finrod could have claimed them, but his intention not to wed was also well-known; and if there was any risk of the children being recognized as half-Atani, claiming Finrod as a father would only worsen it.

Eventually they settled upon simply claiming the children as being of their House and giving them the patronymics of Ingloriel and Inglorion, which sounded as if it might refer to an Arafinwëan, and calling them by their father-names, which did not start with 'B'. Then the family would simply act as if that should explain all and hope anyone insightful enough to see the maneuver would be wise enough to accept their silence.

Barawen valued her visits to Nargothrond and the Noldorin forts of Dorthonion chiefly for seeing more of her father's kin than could often visit together, but Bardhis Gilhíril and Bronadui Gildor found great love in their hearts for the songs and arts of the Eldar. Barawen wed a Bëorian man and had a son called Baran; her sister and brother lingered in the gap between elf and human, between the responsibilities of adults of the House of Bëor and the possibilities of youths of the House of Finarfin. But all of the children of Andreth returned often to her side.

It was in this period that Finrod and Andreth compiled their philosophical treatise, and in service to this cover, to shielding Gilhíril and Gildor from hostile scrutiny, that they included a version of the tale of Aegnor and Andreth that fit with the rumors among the Noldor.

When the Dagor Bragollach came, the three children were apart.

Gildor was by chance in Nargothrond, and though he would have joined Finrod's muster, seldom had he trained together with the soldiers or rangers and he was firmly left behind.

Barawen was in Ladros. Her husband and son at once joined the defense of the Men of Dorthonion; Barawen at once set about arming herself and the other hale women without small children to join as well.

Gilhíril was with Aegnor in Dorthonion, but he sent her from his side when he first saw the fires coming, bidding her see to her mother's safety. Gilhíril did so, and brought Andreth and many other Bëorings safely to the Forest of Brethil.

Barawen fought well and bravely in the company of the Bëorings, and in that company was slain and passed to the Halls of Mandos, and thence beyond the borders of Arda. And insight came to Aegnor even as he fought his last defense, that his oldest child was gone and he would not see her again before the end of the world.

Gilhíril meant at first to stay in the Forest of Brethil with her mother. But Andreth said: "Your father and sister are dead, and soon I will be dead too. We may yet all see each other again, if your uncle's hopes are true, but I do not know. But now you must go to your brother. Tell what truths you will and walk what roads you must. Do not concern yourself any more with my worries, or your father's." So Gilhíril left her mother for the last time and went to Nargothrond.

Not long after passed Andreth Saelind, and Arda was poorer for her loss.

Despite Andreth's blessing, her surviving children chose not to tell their truths, and the road they chose was to be Gilhíril and Gildor, children of "Inglor", even in private.

They survived the First Age in the company of Ereinion Gil-galad. When Eönwë informed them of the Choice of the Peredhil, they agreed: They chose the elves. They already had.

They dwell yet in Middle-earth with Gil-galad and Galadriel.

[pinkydevil16]

Aemond targaryen x targaryen reader: part 22

Daemon had taken matters into his own hands, hiring assassins to kill one of Aegon's brats and tasking them to get his daughter back. He had wanted to go but Rhaenyra had suffered greatly, the loss of her son and the capture of her daughter resulting in her losing her baby. The stress pushing her to an early labour which Daemon had worried neither would survive, he had been clear to the maesters to keep his Nyra alive no matter what. He believed a son for a son to be fair, he had not told his wife yet she needed to rest and heal after the birth. Jacaerys was due back from his mission in a few days, Daemon decided to fly out to make sure the greens wouldn't attack him, Rhaenys staying with her niece. 

As the assassins creeped through the castle, splitting up, one to go collect the princess and another to avenge Lucerys. Y/n had only been brought back from the cells two days prior, only venturing out with Aemond at night. Aemond had taken a liking to Y/n riding him on the throne, his ego growing when she would call him King. Her dark words of him taking the throne and how feared he could be. He would whisper to her of all the children they would have, his sons sitting on the throne. A pure bloodline to keep the Targaryen name strong. He would often laugh when he said strong, a subtle stab at her family which she would grind her teeth and bare the spark of pain she felt. He didn't believe her intentions were pure, he understand her manipulations trying to get him to take the iron throne but she was being everything she wanted. Accepting him even if he knew she wanted him for different reasons, but she needed him. She wanted him, begged for him and had clung to him in her time of need. He protected her, it was how he could convince himself she loved him. She was aware if she killed him, tried to atleast there would be no more chances. His mother had visited her one morning and held a dagger to her throat, any black blood was not good enough for her son. Reminding her it would be easier to deal with a grieving Aemond than an angry one, Alicent had no idea of what would truly happen but she feared an angry Aemond more having seen the wild way he reacted to Y/n escaping. It had been helpful, he had struck fear into the people of kingslanding of what would happen if they betrayed the greens. He had gotten rid of not one but two enemy dragons and the bastard who took his eye and her sources told her the grief had made Rhaenyra weaker. It would only be a matter of time before she would fall and all of her allies would turn to the greens for forgiveness. 

Once prince Jahaerys was murdered, the two assassins, Blood and Cheese searched for the princess. They did not have much time but searched high and low, finally finding her alone in a chamber, stood by a chained window staring at the sky. Turning around she began to speak believing it to be Aemond

"I thought you had to train.." she trailed off as she saw the random men in her room, her dark green robe dragging along the floor as she moved to get a drink, sighing loudly as she poured a large cup of wine. Downing it before turning back to the two men.

"If you've been sent here by the queen to kill me, can i request to be thrown from a window so i can feel the rush of flying once more." 

"My princess we are here on orders of your father to bring you home." The two men presenting her the seal of her farher, she recognised it instantly. Y/n's eyes widening running towards them, pulling them into the room and slamming the door behind her.

"Can you promise i will get out. I cannot try unless you are certain, no doubt in your mind i will be able to be free." She spoke quickly, when they nodded she began running to change not caring for her company. As she stood in front her, her boots on and hair braided quickly behind her head.

"If Aemond sees you must make it seem as though i am fighting, i will scream and cry, if you don't think it's going to work threaten to kill me." Her eyes fierce. The two men agreed and snuck her from the room, taking out guards quietly as they pulled her through the tunnels below the castle. She could hear the screaming of what she assumed to be a servant, the trail of guards leading Aemond and his guards to her. Aemond ran around the corner, seeing Y/n being dragged, a hand around her mouth as she cried and screamed. Her hand pulling free to reach out to him as the two large men picked her up. Blood could see more guards coming behind them, it was unlikely they would get her out. Pushing her against his as he placed a knife to her throat. Aemond stopped all his men, shouting at them to not get nearer.

"Give her to me now." Aemond demanded, his hand outstretched, Y/n now full sobbed against the man, Aemond's heart breaking as he watched her. Her hands digging into Bloods arm as she stared at Aemond, her body shaking wildly. The two men were impressed by how quickly she had been able to act so scared, unaware she was just terrified of Aemond knowing she'd left willingly. A fight quickly broke out, the two men throwing Y/n towards Aemond, she couldn't risk them being caught so she fell into him and cried. Aemond pulling her away, the two men managing to escape. Y/n clung to him, her arms around his neck and he held her. Whispering to her she was safe, he was there and he had protected her. He tripled the guards around the chambers, laying with her on the bed as she told him what happened.

"They broke in, i was about to leave to watch you train. The two guards had agreed to take me to see you, they grabbed me and began running. I hit the taller one but they were too strong for me i screamed for you but they shoved their dirty hands over my mouth." Y/n stood abruptly grabbing a cup and filling it with wine, reminding herself to keep the story simple, remember it as though it was her name. Pushing tears out as she turned, downing the cup and reaching out to Aemond who pulled her into a hug. 

"I'm so proud of you for fighting them, they killed Halaena's son Jahaerys i suspect they were sent by your mother." He pet her hair as he spoke, he was so happy with her. She'd tried to stay with him, tried to fight them off and ran to him. Y/n shook her head holding to him tighter.

"Can we sleep? I want to feel safe in your arms." Y/n tugged on his arm, both dropping to the bed and cuddling. Her head on his shoulder as she ran her hand up and down his torso. An escape would never be possible on her own, she needed either an army or a dragon capable if taking down Vhagar. She kissed his cheek and closed her eyes. Aemond watched her sleep, petting her head thinking how lucky he was. 

what does everyone think? Also does the taglist work?

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[sunnixsunshine]

Just image meowth learning some of the conspiracy theories about him.

Him Arceus? Some sort of desguised legendary Pokémon? Puffffftttt

Although some butterfly effect certainly could be interesting… what if more wild Pokémon got interested in learning to speak or write? Like to tell humans not to destroy their habitat or to not capture them? Some could see how Meowth technically stands as an equal with his human counterparts and become interested

Just food for thought especially since you mentioned that Meowth stayed 5 years in the past and was a key player on historical events. That can cause some serious butterfly effect

Oh he hears them! He, being a cat, tends to find spaces to hide/sleep on lazy days so he's overheard tons of ridiculous theories. His favorite is probably him being a time traveler from a future where pokemon have taken over and humans no longer exist— its only 25% true, the rest he'll break a rib from laughing so hard.

When he gets home and hears of the internet bred theories, that's when he feels a bit lightheaded. There's too many of them and none of them even make much sense!

Oh there's consequences from him staying! Most of the events after the games' events were small, but still important enough to be acknowledged in books and schools all the way to the current year. Maybe Laventon published a Meowth centric book all about the species, many many years before it was supposed to be published, especially by a different author/scientist. Things about Meowth were discovered before they were supposed to be.

I wouldn't really say many pokemon have learned from him and tried learning to talk/write like him, however. Perhaps some pokemon have tried through the years, but not many were successful in becoming fluent in human speak. They got close, but they didn't have the drive, real reason, or wide resources Meowth had.

But the biggest affect Meowth had on the past, and by extension, future was the opinion on Meowth as a species;

Maybe there was an attempt to bring Meowth over to Sinnoh and domesticate them there, but Glameow and Purgly were too aggressive with their territory and killed the Meowth people tried to bring over? But regardless, Meowth became a big figure in Sinnoh, which brought a lot of tourism to Kanto, which made Kanto flourish, so to further capitalize on Meowth's image, Kantonians would come over with their pet Meowth and make profit over that— so now, in modern times, Meowth is a really big craze in Sinnoh, from figures of good luck(the maneki neko) to a whole festival in Jubilife celebrating not just the species, but Meowth himself and his endeavors. So then maybe Dawn would be more enamored by Meowth at the start???

Possibly due to the attention to the pokemon, Meowth is also sought out by pokemon hunters. More people know about the amount of good luck the Kantonian variant brings compared to the Galarian and Alolan. So maybe as a result, Meowth is rarely seen anymore. They're either hiding or so many of them are caught that the number of wild Meowth have gone down. Meowth's influence and historical fame have caused dangerous repercussions to his species.

Or there's an overpopulation of Meowth in Kanto and maybe they were even successfully domesticated in Sinnoh and soon they were bred, released, and overpopulated. They've become somewhat of an invasive species, but they're so celebrated, no one is willing to do anything about it. Oh oh!!!! A Sinnoh variant Meowth maybe???????? An ice type because it's in Snowpoint!

This is actually really fun to think about 👀

[mmprviolet]

Rise of the Beasts: The Dream

(Spoilers; based on headcanons i have of the film); eventual Cheetor x OC.

I stood on the platform of the temple, as a light breeze sent shivers across my arms. Outside the markets were still open, catch that last bit of sunlight. To my right the builders were finishing what they could of their work. New temples to store of food for the coming months. I was done with my lessons; I spent that whole day writing what i saw.

For generations my family ruled over this kingdom. It was told we were descended from a simple farmer who, after a drought, shot a bow and arrow into the clouds. Bringing much needed rain. Over time, what was once a village expanded into a city. We had wars, though none in mine nor my parents years. Likely because we had help from our friends.

We believed them, the giant creatures that protected us, to be sent by the Gods. One a normal day they roamed around disguised as the local fauna. You couldn't tell them apart...you have to look very closely at the fine details.

But on other good days - and bad - they transformed into other things. They walked on two legs, like us, though not with skin or organs. Theirs were of a much different material, harder than stone and smoother than bronze. You could still catch pieces of the animal parts placed on discreet areas of their bodies. They came with weapons far to complicated for me to describe but they rarely used them. That was a good thing. War frightened me.

Aside from that they were friendly. They helped any way they could, as healers and hunters and teachers or simply a shoulder to cry on. They expressed the same emotions we did, cried and laugh and mourned. And loved.

I heard a big cat growl from behind me. I wasn't afraid. We played this game multiple times. But I still pretended to be oblivious as I allowed the beast to approach me.

It lunged.

Quickly I darted out the way confusing the beast. Its eyes went from cunning to surprised as I let out a laugh. The big cat reared back its spotted hinges and crept towards me again. I hid behind my bed eyeing the beast still grinning. Big cat lunged again. I avoided its paws stepping off to the side. We danced around like this for minutes. Each time it tried to ensnare me I managed to evade its capture.

Finally, i allowed it to swoop me up. I felt its weight on my back as it straightened itself up so it wouldn't smoosh me too much. Because of how it was built it was far heavier than normal animals.

"Caught ya," it huffed in my ear in triumph.

"Only because I let you," I retort with a smirk. I shifted until I was facing its green eyes. "You have to know i don't taste very good, I might make you sick."

"It's worth the risk," it replied before nuzzling its maw into my neck. I couldn't help but sigh. Its pulsing frame and soft purring sending different kinds of shivers through me. We stayed like this taking in each other's warmth...

Until a shrill alarm awoke Destiny from her sleep. Angered she slapped the snooze button and dragged the covers over herself. The tiny Brooklyn bedroom was still dark. She wanted nothing more than to stay in her domain. But she had to get up and get ready for work.

Work...if she was royalty she never had to work. Just like the Princess in her dreams. Minus the cheetah of course. She didn't want dirty wild animals anywhere near her. After a quick shower she put on a pink t shirt and hot pink smoking pants, and went into the kitchen to fix herself some cereal. The tv was still on, the morning news talking about some event that happened in Africa. Animal trafficking. While Destiny didn't like animals she still despised the idea of taking them from their homes to be cooped up in some rich white lady's house.

In what was now Peru, there were ruins of a once proud city. The evidence were a few temples left standing. At the bottom of the largest one a seal glowed hot green.

[batgurl1989]

A Wolf In Toussaint Chapter Three

Summary: After being summoned by the Duchess, you and Geralt head to the Palace of Beauclair with some trouble on the road.

Word Count: 2120

Warnings: spoilers for the Blood and Wine DLC

A/N: I know this is so soon after the last chapter, but I was too excited not to post it. Taglist is open, requests are open.

Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Chapter Four Chapter Five

Taglist: @rmtndew @henrynerdfan @princesssterek @seanh-boredom @djinny-djin-djin @diegos-butt @cynic-spirit @daddys-littlewhitegirl

"Younin! Watch out!" Geralt growled a warning at you as you dodged a stream of caustic acid an Archespore shot at you. Where Igni hadn't scorched the ground, the large plant-like monsters' poison had. Geralt slashed at one of the large plants, trying to sever it's head.

You tried to stay to the edges of the battle zone, drawing on the smoldering embers for power as you kept fire shooting from one hand at the plants. You didn't have any silver weapons on you, which would have to be remedied as soon as possible. You knew Geralt was worried about you, and that was causing him to be distracted. It had only been a few days since you woke up, and this was the first time you had had to fight since the bandits on your way to Novigrad. You knew it was a risk to draw on the fire, as it was the hardest element to control, and the chaos was weakening you at an alarming rate. But right now, you didn't need to control where it went as long as you aimed wide of where Geralt was.

"It's multiplying!" You called out over the din of the fighting. Buds were springing from the ground. Though these weren't full blown monsters yet, the vibrations of the fire and the fighting were agitating them. One burst close to you, spitting acid in all directions. A droplet landed on your boot, sizzling as it ate through the leather. "Shit!"

Geralt was by your side in a flash, pulling your boot off before the acid could make it to your skin. His eyes met yours for the briefest of moments, concern and something else flashing in the golden depths. You nodded that you were alright, and he was gone again. He swung his heavy silver sword deftly into the monster, his energy seeming to have jolted back to full now that you had come close to being hurt.

Turning your attention to the buds, you carefully stepped further back, out of range of any shooting poison. With your boot off, the rocky ground bit into your sole, but you couldn't think about that now. As long as you avoided the acid pools, you could handle it. Eyeing up the buds that seemed ready to burst, you unleashed a stream of fire, using all your concentration to aim true. The blooming plants burst into fire, sizzling as they wilted to the ground, their poison remaining inside and lighting up with the petals.

Your head snapped around when you heard hissing and squealing. Geralt had slashed through the bud that served as the monster's head, ending the monster's life, and stopping it from creating more buds. He carefully wiped his blade off before returning it to it's sheath alongside his steel blade.

With laser-like focus, he stormed over to you, his hungry eyes raking over your body in such a way that your breath caught in your suddenly dry throat. The tip of your tongue darted out to wet your lips, his eyes tracking the motion like a starving animal. You heard a low rumble deep in his chest, and it set all your nerves on fire, ready for him.

When he reached you, he pulled you roughly into his arms, his mouth covering yours with such force your teeth clacked against his. A long low moan escaped you as you pressed against him, desperate to get closer. The adrenaline from the battle still coursed through both your veins, and it needed an outlet. His hands spanned your back, pressing you tightly against his armour, his fingers gripping the linen shirt you wore for the road. You clutched the grooves of his armour, standing on your toes to kiss him deeper, your tongue delving into his mouth to tangle with his own.

His hands travelled lower, gripping your arse before he lifted you off the ground. Instinctively you wrapped your leather bound legs around his waist, your arms going around his neck to steady yourself. With one arm banded under your legs, his free hand dove into your hair, pulling it free of the ponytail you had tossed it into. Your red hair caught in the breeze, fluttering around both your heads in a curtain of fire, blocking out the world.

You pulled away when breathing became a necessity, resting your forehead on his. His golden eyes searched yours, but you didn't know what he was looking for. You breathed deeply his scent, the adrenaline leaving your system, and your nerves calming. This man drove you wild and seemed to centre you. It was a complete whiplash effect, and had your head spinning, but you wouldn't give it up for anything.

"I suppose we should find the horses?" You whispered, not wanting to destroy the mood of your little world. Geralt chuckled softly, before kissing you all too briefly one last time. Slowly, he let you slide down his body until you were on solid ground again. As your foot hit the rocky ground, you remembered you only had one boot on. "I don't suppose you packed extra boots in my size?"

"Sorry, it was a vast oversight on my part." Geralt shook his head, going to retrieve your boot. He examined it quickly to make sure there was no acidic poison left on it, and to make sure the hole hadn't ruined the integrity of the boot. "You should be able to wear it until we get to the city. I promise to buy you a new pair."

"You don't have to do that. I can buy my own." You blushed as you sat on a nearby log to pull your boot back on. The hole wasn't any larger than the size of your pinky nail, and as long as it didn't rain, you would make it to the city. "Could we also stop by a blacksmith, and see about getting me a silver sword or at least a dagger?"

"Of course." Geralt nodded, offering you a hand to help you up once your boot was laced again. You took his rough hand, but didn't let go once you were vertical. He raised his eyebrows at you, but a small smile played at his lips, and his grip tightened around your fingers. "But first, horses."

It didn't take you long to find the horses. They had run off at the first sound of trouble, but these were Toussaint horses, and were used to being ridden into battle, so they hadn't gone far. They were munching grass as though bored, which you couldn't help but laugh at.

"Dandelion is bringing Roach and Marabelle when he comes down. He sent a letter while you were sleeping." Geralt explained once you were back on the road to the Palace of Beauclair.

"So the King let him go?" You were surprised that you hadn't been worried about it until now. Sure you had been busy being captured and then healing and regaining your strength, but your friend's well-being should have come to mind before now. You mentally kicked yourself for being so selfish. "Do we know yet what went wrong?"

"From what Yen could figure out from her sources, the King of Beggars is either working for someone who wants you and he was delivering you to him, or he was trying to get you away from the person who wants you." Geralt fought hard but ultimately failed to keep the edge off his tone. You weren't the only one jealous of an ex. "One day, you will have to tell me what he means to you."

"If that's what you really want." You had nothing to hide, and if Geralt needed to know for his own peace of mind, you wouldn't keep that from him.

"I'm not sure that it is." Geralt grumbled, adjusting the reins in his hands. "But it might be something that can give us a clue as to what just went down."

"Perhaps when we get back from the Palace, we will have time." You nodded. You knew how hard it was to ask about an ex, and if Geralt wasn't sure he was ready yet, you weren't going to push it. The King meant literally nothing to you other than as a friend, but you weren't sure Geralt would believe that without hearing the rest of it. "So is there anything I need to know about the Duchess?"

"Other than she likes things done her way and quickly, not really." Geralt shrugged. To him, the Duchess was no different than any other client, other than she had the army to back up her demands while farmers and villagers barely had the coin to get his services in the first place. "She can run a little hot and cold, but that depends on how grave the job is. If there is no job, she is actually quite pleasant to be around."

"Oh?" You raised your eyebrow at the Witcher, your voice dripping with unimpressed sarcasm. Knowing him and his past, there was only one conclusion that jumped out at you after what he said.

"Not like that, I swear." Geralt laughed deeply, warmly, in a way you rarely ever heard. Then his face grew serious. "Her sister, however..."

"You're joking! You have to be!" You blinked a few times, trying to wrap your head around the fact that he slept with the Duchess's sister. You were pretty sure she was dead, but didn't know if Geralt had a hand in that or not. "Are you joking?"

"I don't kiss and tell." Geralt winked at you but remained silent. Frowning you tried to think of a way to get him to talk, but knew that once he set his mind to it, there wasn't much you could do to change it.

"Fine. Keep your secrets." You mock pouted, turning back to the road ahead. The palace and the sprawling city across the river from it had come into view, and it took your breath away with its beauty.

"Like nothing up North, isn't it?" Geralt commented, watching you take in the fairytale-esque scene in front of you. The towering palace with its spires and arching bridges. Tall trees and rooftop gardens painted the scene with every shade of green. The lake shone like a fiery sapphire as the sunlight reflected on its smooth surface.

"Definitely not." You couldn't tear your eyes from it as you continued to ride towards it. You didn't remember making the decision to kick your horse into a gallop, but sound the wind was whipping through your loose hair, pulling it behind you as you raced toward the city. Geralt kept pace with you, smiling as the joy inside you bubbled into laughter at the freedom you felt in that moment.

At the city gates, you slowed your horses. Unlike in Novigrad, the guards at the gate were mostly there to keep the peace. No one was checking papers, or questioning anyone about whether they were magical or not. Everyone was free to roam in and out of the city as they wished. The atmosphere was completely different than what you were used to, and you felt almost giddy about it.

As you rode through town, your head was constantly swiveling to take in the sights and sounds of the lively city. Artists advertised their skills and their work outside brightly lit shops. Bakers were rushing to keep up with the demand for their pastries. Florists boasted about the colours of their most recent blooms, ready to steal the hearts of those who received them. Fresh fish was brought in from the river, the catch of the day being shouted to draw in more customers. There were few street walkers and even fewer homeless people. The cobble streets were wide and clean, nothing like what you were used to in Velen.

Geralt watched you with an amused look, indulging you when you wanted to stop to watch a street performer either sing or dance. He handed you coins to give to them when the performance was finished as you clapped loudly. Your heart sang out in happiness that he was showing you this part of his world and his life. You could see yourself easily settling in at Corvo Bianco, making wine, traveling to the city when you wanted to take in some art and culture. You found yourself wondering if Geralt would ever retire from the Path, and settle down here for good. But you shooed that dark cloud away before it could rain on the brightness of your day. You didn't know what the Duchess wanted, and that was as much darkness as you wanted right now.

[echo-three-one]

Whatever It Takes

Sequel to A Forgotted Memory

Somewhere out there

Beneath the pale moonlight

Someone's thinking of me

And loving me tonight…

Chapter 14 to another story made by Ray (echo-three-one) Comments and Reviews appreciated! I hope you enjoy! Love you all ❤️

Previous Chapter : Alex and Augustus

Meet Me Halfway

John "Soap" MacTavish

Task Force 141

Location Unknown

18 hours ago

He thought he was dead. He thought they were going to kill him. He wished they would, just to end the suffering. But he also wished they wouldn't. He had greater plans, he still wanted to enjoy his life. And it looked like Nero granted half his wish, while depriving him of the other half. He's going to live the rest of his years in hell.

He couldn't stop thinking about that song, he lay flat on the ground, feeling weak, powerless and defeated.

If I lay here… Would you lie with me and just forget the world?

He couldn't feel a thing but he knew he was being transported somewhere. Red flashes filled his eyes as he slowly slipped away from the conscious world.

~

2 Seconds.

A single drop of water plopped on the cold floor where he laid every 2 seconds. It was getting annoying, but he thanked it for actually waking him up.

Soap struggled to get up and forced himself to do so, grunting in pain as the muscles and bones of his body reacted to his sudden movements. Enduring all the pain, he gasped and got up, moving to the direction of the only ray of light from a crack in the ceiling.

He limped but he had hope, exhaling with excitement as the light got closer every step he took. Then clang! He hit his head on an iron bar. He's in a prison cell, deep underground.

"Shite." he cursed, dropping his knees on the ground, his energy already ran out and he felt thirsty.

"That's freshwater dripping down there." An unknown voice emerged from the darkness, Soap wanted to believe he's hallucinating, but an old figure emerged from the shadows. His hair mostly greyed out and it was long enough that Soap believed he'd been here for far too long.

"The name's Jack. And I suggest you rehydrate. I've been here long enough that you could trust that it's safe." he suggested. His tone was strict but helpful and Soap knew he's trustworthy. They're both prisoners and as the saying goes: "The enemy of my enemy is my friend"

"So… uh Jake. What brings you to this dark and gloomy place?" Soap asked, his voice was barely audible but he was heading straight to the dripping freshwater.

"Turns out our friend Nero doesn't want me dead yet. He couldn't pry any information from me. I'm CIA, literally trained half my life to keep information away. He should've just killed me when he got the chance." He replied.

"So, that means he's going to get something out of you too…" he added, Soap looked worried, he didn't undergo some torture training and hes afraid of what Nero wants from him.

"Look kid, I know you're worried. That's why we won't let that happen. Okay? I have a plan." Jake patted Soap's shoulder, it still hurts from all the stomping and the tossing around but he knew he didn't mean it.

"So… CIA. Guess you crossed paths with Alex." Soap asked, his low accent echoed across the dark cage.

"Yeah. Alex. He was like my son, trained him and assisted him all throughout his CIA Career."

"He kinda disobeyed orders by joining the good side which looked bad in the eyes of the higher ups." Soap reported.

"Hm… It's very unusual of him to not follow orders, unless he believes it's for a better cause." Jack supplied to which Soap nodded, agreeing Jack's assumption.

"It was a good cause. Sacrificed himself for the greater good. Miraculously made it out, but lost his leg in the process." Soap continued, updating the old man about his protege, he's actually glad he did as he could feel the man's mood rising from grumpy prisoner to someone a little less grumpy.

"He had good morals, that kid. He could go far with that attitude… I just hoped that falling in love would not be his downfall… just like what happened to me…" he muttered. Soap didn't make out the last sentence so he assumed it was his own thoughts leaking out of his head. He didn't bother asking again.

The iron doors opened and a new patch of light opened. Jack looked at Soap with determination and nodded.

"Looks like it's showtime, sharkbait." Soap nodded noting the Finding Nemo reference at these trying times.

Jack was right. They had a practice of how to handle prisoners for interrogation. A few stomps, handcuffs, sack on the head and push you if you don't cooperate. Soap had to go through the whole thing, and as far as he knows, Jack must have gotten the key.

He limped his way to the interrogation room, buying enough time for Jack to blindly find the keyhole from the cell. He tried fighting back but the taser sticks were already giving him a bad time.

Just as Jack described, the interrogation room consisted of a dentist chair and a television, his captors were beside him preparing orders from Nero on the screen.

Soap squirmed his way out of the chair, trying to be convincing that he had no idea what's going on.

"Stop squirming! Tell us where the girl is… or I'll take a wild guess and destroy your base instead." Nero yelled. His voice was low, like it ran through a voice changer.

"Sod off…" Soap spat and squirmed again, receiving a shock from the taser. He groaned as tendrils of electricity ran through his body shaking him almost unconscious.

"Lower the voltage or he won't respond! Dumbasses! We need something from him!" Nero yelled at his henchmen.

"So… MacTavish…22nd Parachute Regiment, S.A.S., Now Task Force 141… Skilled in combat, Sniper and Demolitions… You know a proper brainwash would help me get the code from you right?" he mused.

"FOUR!" Soap roared from the top of his lungs, panting after he yelled.

"Four? What the fuck are you talking about?" Nero asked, looking confused. Addition to that, the ground shook and made everyone else in the room wonder.

"What's going on?" Nero asked.

"What? we're under attack? By who? How?" Soap's ears could hear the distress from their leader and from the looks of it, 141 already found him making it easier for him and Jack to get out of this hell hole.

"Augustus is gone? They're going to pay! Okay boys kill this man now. We have to send them a message!" Nero yelled angrily and the tv turned to static.

Meet me Halfway

Francine "France" Winters

Task Force 141

Task Force 141 Base - Briefing Room

"We're being pressured to capture Nero. With our base compromised, the Board would now decide for our force's future. Simon Riley is now researching Augustus' burner phone, if we're lucky enough, it could lead us to our next clue." Shepherd calmly informed the force about the status. He looked in distress but he had to keep pushing forward, to end this warfare.

"Some of Nero's forces are already in New York. It turns out he could command the brainwashed civilians to deploy EMP blasts but recon noticed that he could only command a few at a time. This means without the IP address, he is still powerless and trying hard." Shepherd added.

"I want you all to always be ready for an all out attack on Nero. Let's prove to the board that we're the best one for the job." He muttered and dismissed everyone. France decided to stay in the briefing room and let the quiet consume her thoughts.

"You okay?" A reassuring hand held her shoulder. She knew it was Gary and tears started to fall from her eyes.

"I… I can't stop worrying about him, Roach." She croaked and gave Roach a very pained stare. She actually missed John's presence even after being together for a short while, she felt that they shared a lot of common things together, the strive to become better, the response to danger even off duty and the determination to achieve a goal. Those were her traits that he also had, these same traits that made him like her despite his cocky first impression.

"Let's help out Ghost track that son of a bitch Nero down. And maybe it'll lead us to him." Roach assured them as they both stood up and went to Research.

"How… how can you still be so sure that he's okay?" she sobbed.

"The dogtags." Ghost interjected while typing furiously on the computer.

"If Soap was dead, he should've shown us his tag. That would cripple some of our Force's focus and would lead to his success in invading and capturing Samantha." Ghost continued, he made sense and France almost smiled with the two's support. Instead, she just breathed out and helped Ghost.

"So, have you traced each source?" France asked Ghost as she also started furiously typing codes and strings of data input.

"Yes, they're really sneaky with the encryption, but I keep on getting pings at one location before it spreads in different places." he explained.

"The nearest signal tower. Every packet almost goes through there. You see that?" France pointed at the screen.

"Yeah I do. Let's start tracing that source." Ghost muttered and the map already pinged the tower's location.

"Bingo." they both whispered and cheered, hugging each other as a sign of success. France felt Ghost's tight hug and felt something off about the guy, then he actually removes half of his mask and pouts his cheek close to hers.

"I…. uh… I'm sorry" Ghost shyly said as France pushed him away and felt awkward at the situation. Gary just stood there in shock as Price entered the room.

"What's the news?" he asked, looking at the three.

"We found him, Sir." Ghost cleared his throat and put back his mask.

"Well, bloody hell. Let's go then!" he said as they all ran towards the exit and prepared themselves. France didn't have the time to think about the events earlier as she was still worried about Soap's safety. She hopes that whatever lies in that place would give her an answer.

~

"FIRE!" Captain Price yelled as snipers quickly shot the guards surrounding the icy fortress. The gulag housed people that the world didn't want but couldn't kill, and she hoped that John MacTavish was on that list.

Danger close explosions crippled both attacking and defending forces as Price roared at Shepherd to be careful. France gulped as she saw a very open field that they're dropping in on and knew for a fact that she's very open and weak at these positions.

Her mind raced, looking at every angle. Tangos were everywhere carrying different kinds of weapons. With minimal angles to hide on, the force, led by Roach aggressively advanced to the Gulag, dodging heavy fire, grenades and RPG Rockets. As soon as they found the tunnel leading deep into the Gulag, France already felt comfortable. This was her playing zone and no one's going to stop her from getting into Nero.

The way in was almost clear, no enemies were against them but instead they ran further into the Gulag. Something was off.

Gunfire was heard deep into the Gulag and as soon as the team reached the control room, Ghost already did his magic. Opening gates, looking at the cameras and defending their six. The masked man helped them further advance into the Gulag.

"Nero's not here…" Ghost said.

"How so?" Price angrily muttered.

"He never set foot in this place. He only uses a television to communicate."

"Bloody hell. Now what?"

" I see two heat signatures behind that wall."

Roach quickly planted a c4 breach and as soon as it exploded Francine pounced at the closest person, raising her fist and looking at its eyes to see the punch go through.

Blue eyes. Those shades of blue. France stopped his fist as tears started to well from her eyes, dropping some on his bare chest.

"John…" she whimpered and smiled.

"Fra.." she didn't let him finish, she kissed him. She didn't care what everyone else thought. The gunfire and explosions suddenly felt nothing to her. She didn't care how John's lips tasted, all she cared about was that he's alive and she's on his arms.

Extraction quickly followed as Shepherd's forces already did a lot of damage on the old fortress. They barely got out just in time for the building's inevitable collapse but they're safe.

Next Chapter : Secret Alliances

Notification Squad my beloved

@samatedeansbroccoli @enderio @smokeywhalee @beemybee @whimsywispsblog @ricinbach

[20thcentury-kylo]

Tides Of Memory Chapter 2

Surprise!! Wanted to have this up yesterday but things sorta got out of hand, and tbh after this I'll be kind of busy so I atleast wanted to finish this one- anywho Enjoy

--

A wild flower hill overlooks the calm sea at dusk. The sky’s color fades into a midnight blue as the moon and stars peak from the clouds. Ebisu sits among the wild life- Guitar in hand as he hums a simple tune.

“Just breathe… just breathe- it’ll all be fine~” Soft strums from the instrument follow in simplistic patterns. As he gazes up to the stars above he feels no words could better fit the moment. Amongst the chaos of interstellar wars and the literal end of the world- a scene like this- it’s peace.. He could believe that it would all be fine. Kiome had already gone back- most likely to keep Ebisu from seeing him break down completely, but Ebisu knew.. He could feel it in his soul- the scared tremors, the subtle shaking in his hands. The rose haired musician swore he’d be strong for the both of them, he wouldn't make Kiome face this alone, he didn't have to be alone, not anymore.

“Maybe it's the question.. Maybe it's the answer~”

--

The quaking roars were gone, but Kiome was nowhere to be found. He promised to stay away but as Ebisu runs through the ravaged battlefield the only thought coursing through his mind is finding the chubby swordsman.

“Kiome!!” He pleads out their name gaining no response. With every step he takes, dread seems to fill him more and more.

“Just breathe.. It'll all be fine~”

--

The blood won't stop pooling between his hands, the tears in his eyes won't either. In the midst of it all he somehow finds the strength to laugh.. How unfair it all was. His beloved laid there dying in his arms and yet here Kiome was… singing to him. How unfair the world could be. The last thing he sees before the light envelopes them is the pained smile on his face, as he whispers it one last time

“Darling… i love you~”

--

Ebisu is a 17 year old boy living in the Nakano ward in Tokyo with his adoptive guardian. He loves tales of the sea, of lost treasure and one day hopes to venture out there on his own, to maybe find his own lost fortune. Ebisu has the strangest dreams filled with even stranger people, and fleeting whispers of feelings that leave dull aches in his heart.. The words always echo in his mind and he can't seem to explain the tears in his eyes as he wakes. It was all so… confusing, and yet when their eyes met… when their eyes met suddenly the distant haze seemed to be clearing.

They're such a soft shade of amber- so warm so… familiar. The feeling that follows is so intense that he can't stop the stream of tears that follow soon after. The boy in front of him winces- bringing a hand to graze his forehead, yet never breaks eye contact.

“I-i’m sorry, are ya okay?” Ebisu tries his best to compose himself- stifling the tears long enough to pick himself up off the ground.

“Dont worry ive been through worse.” whatever was ailing him seems to have subsided and yet- they stay there, gazing at one another in a tense silence. The boy eventually begins to speak when he’s caught off by a shout from the distance.

“Hey! That creep snatched My wallet!” The cries of a knocked down pedestrian follow as the therian sprints away. Instinctively Ebisu checks his pockets to find his own wallet missing.

“That little sneak-” The fisherman prepares to apprehend the transient- brandishing his signature fishing rod and hook. Yet before he can even start the backswing- the stranger he’d just met is already dashing towards the thief.

“Oh no ya dont!!” Before Ebisu can blink the apparent swordsman is already flying at the transient- his still sheathed sword arced forwards. The encounter is over in seconds with the captured therian pleading apologies as he scurried off. He’d been so stunned at the boy's ability that he hadn’t noticed the small faded blue wallet being shoved in this direction.

“You dropped this..” Their hands brush slightly as he takes the wallet- and Ebisu’s mind fixates on the fleeting warmth. He wants to thank him sincerely, yet the blush flooding his cheeks keeps his eyes averted choosing instead to focus on his newly re-acquired wallet.

“I um- I never got your name~” Ebisu manages to stutter out- still refusing to meet eyes with the mysterious swordsman.

“HEY!!” The recognized shouts of none other than Nankano’s resident viral sensation, Benten. She practically flies at them, her phone camera trained on the chubby swordsman.

“Kiome! Didn’t expect to see you ‘round here, especially pulling off moves like that~” In the midst of her excited rambling he hears the name…

“Kiome…” It’s almost scary how naturally the name rolls off his tongue. Ebisu finds himself unable to control the smile that sneaks its way onto his face.

“Ebisu- you manage to find anyone for your little adventure, I’m still rarin to go of course~” The sudden reminder of his previous endeavor has him more embarrassed than he honestly should be.

“Ebisu huh.. Well If it's adventurers you need- you’ve just found the right guy.” Kiome expresses with a subtle wink. The nervous giggle that erupts from the rose haired boy resembles more of a shy highschool girl rather than a trained fisherman. Ebisu escorts the 3 of them back to the restaurant he helps run. For once he was thankful for Benten’s presence, having her between them with her excited chatter was perfect for keeping him distracted. Even so he couldn't help but sneak a passing glance at the chubby swordsman when he got the chance.

They sit down discussing the plans over some tea, and while Ebisu, and Benten fall into their usual banter- Kiome is reminded of the warnings his friends gave earlier

“Yeah, I've been hearing a lot of those recently as well, though in the end- it doesn’t change what we hafta do.” Benten’s proud declaration earning a chuckle.

“Actually, I looked into those before- judging from the location of where these pirate ships were being sunk, it’s most likely they were confronted with mermaids; the Daughters of The Waves-” Ebisu informs them. From what he’d gathered- the mermaids were likely guarding the treasure. As he keeps explaining- Kiome gets that same unsettling feeling from before- this wouldn’t be some light adventure… This was serious. By the time they’d finished the three of them settled on a plan; Benten was in charge of finding a crew- people strong enough to stand against the apparent threat that awaited them, a crew that now included Kiome, and Ebisu would handle getting the ship, supplies, and salvage equipment ready which from the sounds of it- he was already on top of. Benten had parted ways at the shop's entrance, eager to begin her search- leaving the two boys alone, Ebisu having offered to walk Kiome back to the station. So as they strolled side by side- Ebisu decides to break the silence.

“Y’know this may sound weird but- I have the strangest feeling… that we’ve met before, somewhere.” His words cause Kiome to turn with a pondering expression, he had no memories of a past life, but somehow he held the same feeling.

“It’s weird but… I know what you mean~” From there they fall into light conversation, a simple game of 20 questions passes between them yet both still held the strange possibility in the back of their minds. Before they knew it the train's electronic whistle was heard from afar.

“Guess the fun's over for now huh~” Kiome’s words followed by a breathless sigh.

“Yeah heheh , i guess so..” The pearl eyed boy parrots back. Kiome turns to him, suddenly unsure of what to do. A hug?, just a handshake? To keep himself from dallying he settled on the latter, extending a hand out to his escort.

“Nice meetin’ ya-' ' Ebisu stares a bit in awe at his hand for a moment before slowly reaching back with a hand of his own. Their hands meet in a subtle shake, it's the first real contact they've had, and Kiome can't help but notice how soft Ebisu's hand is. There’s a whisper of a feeling, warm, and nostalgic- the two seemingly lose themselves in it for the moment. It lingers even as they let go, and with sheepish smiles and stuttered goodbyes the two part ways.

In the clear star filled night- the haze further clears on their memories. Ebisu finds himself unable to find easy rest, finding comfort among the midnight sky. As he sits illuminated by the moon- lost in thought, something long forgotten seems to return to him. He has no idea what it means but the prospect has him anxious and excited to find out

‘I wonder what it looks like’ He muses in his thoughts. Gazing up at the moon's glow.

“San Diego~”

[leviackermansbrat]

Sacrifices (LevixOC) Chapter One

Utopia District: Year 847

Only my younger sister Layla survived the fall of Wall Maria. I was horribly mistaken to believe once I escorted them to the safety boats in Shiganshina that they would be okay. Before Armin and his grandfather arrived, a riot broke out over who would be allowed on the boats first. Unfortunately my family was caught in the crossfire. My father, a gentle and kind man, stood no chance against the angry and violent civilians who were fighting for their survival. He was trampled to death before he could step foot on the boat. My mother and brother were thrown overboard and left to drown. The only person who survived was Layla. In the end my efforts to keep my family safe were in vain. It wasn't the fault of the titans that my parents and brother were killed, it was humans who forced their fate. Humanity is ugly. But even so, I fight. I fight because I want to live in a world where the weak are not trampled by the strong. I fight to live in a gentle world. Because in this world, humans are just as dangerous as titans.

Jade tied her hair up in a high ponytail and made her way down to the fields where the cadets were patiently waiting for her arrival. She wore a black sports bra and green sweatpants with the Wings of Freedom badge sewn onto the left back pocket.

The blonde woman was never one for uniforms and seeing as she was now a squad leader and interim trainer for the cadet corps, she was allowed to follow her own dress code unless commander Erwin or Shadis stated otherwise.

"And you are?" Jade asked, looking at the new recruit with a buzz-cut.

Unlike the head instructor of the military corps Keith Shadis, Jade was not one to intimidate the new incoming recruits. She served as a nurturing and approachable figure in direct contrast to Keith's fear inducing presence.

This isn't to say that Jade couldn't be intimidating, that was far from the truth. However like her brother Kyo, Jade was a lover and not a fighter. This was very ironic for people who joined the Survey Corps whose sole purpose is to fight for humanity.

"Franz Kefka, miss Tojo!" the boy shouted, saluting to Jade.

Instead of intimidating the boy like Shadis would do, Jade gave him a smile.

"Nice to meet you cadet! I hope our next three years together will be lovely," she responded, making the young boy blush.

Jade, aware of her effect on people, always used it to her advantage. Her beauty was something that most people marveled at. Her long blonde hair that was normally tied in a ponytail was a direct contrast to her brother Kyo's short and loose brown hair. In fact, Kyo took after their father along with Layla, while Kai and Jade took after their mother with her blonde hair and bright blue eyes.

Most wondered if Kyo and Jade were actually siblings, but their personalities cleared everything up. Both were kind and gentle but at the same time fierce and strong. A few differences were spotted, like the fact that Jade is more wild and carefree while Kyo is more protective and reserved, but the two were inseparable.

"M-me too!" Franz responded, averting his eyes from Jade's.

Jade simply chuckled at how uptight Franz was and moved on to the next cadet in the row.

Eren watched Jade as she maneuvered from cadet to cadet, bright smiles lifting their spirits and making them think that despite Keith's looming presence, the next three years wouldn't turn out to be actual hell.

The young brown-haired boy had admired Jade since the day she saved him and Mikasa from the titan following Hannes as he carried them. She was like a beacon of hope in his dull world. After his mom died Eren was angry, depressed, and miserable. Not even Mikasa could manage to make Eren feel better, but Jade managed just fine.

Once Mikasa and Eren retreated into Wall Rose, Jade visited them and offered them a place to stay within the Trost district. Although Jade became an older sister figure to Mikasa, Eren ended up developing a 'minor' crush on the young blonde.

Mikasa was slightly upset while Armin was absolutely mortified that his best friend had a crush on his older cousin. It was especially mortifying because of how close Armin was with Jade. After his grandpa died on the mission to take Wall Maria, Jade came around to spend as much time as she could with the blonde boy whenever she was given time off. Kyo accompanied her on these visits and eventually Kyo and Jade became like older siblings to the younger trio. Eren especially took a liking to Kyo and admired the boy more than he could say.

Eren was brought out of his thoughts as Jade passed him, not bothering to inquire about his reason for joining the military. It ticked Eren off, seeing the smirk on her face as she ignored him. If it was one thing Eren hated, it was being ignored by the person he had fallen in love with.

"Your name cadet!" Jade demanded from the bald kid.

The bald boy saluted incorrectly but was too busy to correct himself due to the hearts in his eyes after looking at Jade.

"Connie Springer! I am from the Ragako town miss Tojo!" Connie responded proudly.

Jade snickered at his incorrect salute and adjusted his arms so that he was saluting the right way. Connie blushed and apologized to Jade, which she shrugged off.

"We all make mistakes kid, but I implore you not to make that mistake around instructor Shadis. He will in fact have your head on a platter as a midnight snack. I don't want that for you cadet, so get it right," Jade scolded lightly.

Connie nodded sheepishly while Jade walked away to find her next victim.

One shared potato, a few injuries, and several hours later, Jade dismissed everyone to go eat. While she watched the cadets scramble to dinner, she sent Eren, Mikasa, and Armin a smile and waved them off once she saw Hange, Kyo, and Moblit approaching her.

"What brings you guys here?" Jade asks as Hange wraps her arm around her shoulder.

The young blonde welcomes the affectionate touch of her best friend and leans in to savor the moment. It doesn't last long as Kyo gets jealous and snatches Jade away from Hange in order to capture Jade in a hug of his own.

"Kyo you're suffocating me!" Jade whined, attempting to pull away from Kyo's hold.

Jade was unsuccessful and the brown-haired boy cries hysterically in his sister's embrace.

"I haven't see you in so long and that's all you have to say to me?" Kyo wails. "You're so mean to me Jade! I missed you so much and you left your big brother all alone to take care of your squad full of hooligans!" Kyo continues, crying onto Jade's shoulder.

Jade only rolls her eyes and pats Kyo's back. When Shadis requested an interim instructor to take the burden of training the cadets off him, Jade leaped at the chance knowing that she would see three of her favorite kids. However she didn't anticipate Kyo acting like a little baby at her departure.

"There there you big baby," Jade emptily consoles her brother.

Kyo glares and pouts at Jade which makes her laugh.

Hange cleared her throat in amusement in order to interrupt the two, and Jade happily skipped back over to hug Hange's torso.

Jade and Hange have been inseparable for years, only being four years apart. Wherever Hange was, Jade was soon to follow and vice versa.

"Why are you guys here though? Don't you have paperwork you should be doing?" Jade teased Hange knowing the older woman hated the mere mention of paperwork.

"We actually came to relay some news," Hange started, her demeanor becoming serious.

This immediately alarmed Jade because Hange was never serious unless it was absolutely required.

"Erwin has fallen gravely ill. I have scouts and medics monitoring his condition around the clock but it isn't looking too good. There is no known cure within the walls, except for the underground. Moblit and I came to inform you about this, and Kyo will be your replacement since you and Levi will be setting out to look for the cure. Levi has knowledge about where to find the cure in the underground, and I need you to back him up. You guys are the best soldiers humanity has to offer-"

"Wow Hange I'm right here," Kyo retorted, making Jade snort.

"Anyways, we need you two to find the cure, if there even is one. You won't be leaving immediately, we still have a few things to prepare before you can go, so you'll still be training the cadets for a day or two more. I just hope Erwin can hang on," Hange finishes.

Jade looks at Hange with a sad smile and nods her head.

"I know he will. He has to."

[tsukki-rising]

Pairing: Tokoyami Fumikage x Gn!Reader

Genre: fluffy angst, it gets a little emotional

Summary: You meet Tokoyami in the woods directly after the LOV attack at the summer training camp and comfort him.

Word Count: 2.2k

A/N: Reader has an illusion quirk like Camie from Shiketsu 

Extra lessons. You don't necessarily have an issue with taking them, you value you education and understand that this is an important step to raising your grades. You are a little bummed out however that you won't get to accompany any of your closest friends for the nighttime activity being put on by the Wild Wild Pussy Cats. You specifically feel a little anxious that you can't be with Tokoyami right now.

At the beginning of the school year, Tokoyami was a quiet student, but there were a few of his classmates with which he had created friendships. You had the honor of being a close friend to the boy along with Tsu and Shoji. You had found his interest in you slightly ironic due to your quirk. You have an illusion quirk that you often use for disorienting light attacks.

You felt quite overwhelmed by most of your classmates, most having large and often overbearing personalities with goals of being a top pro hero. But Tokoyami was a calming presence and he found you to be the same so you two got along great and a friendship blossomed.

As you sit in the classroom now, staring straight ahead at the whiteboard, you fondly remember your favorite times with Tokoyami. The first time he spoke to you in hero training, the first time he offered you to sit with him at lunch, the times you'd studied together at each other's houses, and of course, the time that you realized that your feelings for your classmate were more than strictly platonic.

You begin to reminisce on a certain memory with the boy that had you falling even deeper. You two were finished with your studying and you were looking around and admiring the décor of Tokoyami's room, noting how he prefers darkness.

"You know, I found it kind of funny when you wanted to be friends with me. You prefer dark conditions due to your quirk yet, with mine, I'm always using light." you noted while looking over some of the book spines on his shelves (classic literature, gothic mysteries, poetry).

"I wouldn't let that get in the way of a friendship. To be honest, I think you're quirk might've only worked to have me all the more interested in you." He was sitting in his desk chair and occasionally telling you stories behind some of the things he had in his room. Suddenly though, it felt like you were the decor being looked at, the story behind you being told. "I remember as everyone was getting to know each other in class and you made that illusion of a light show, it reminded me of all the nightlights I had when I was really young. My parents were cautious of dark shadow so I always had multiple in my room."

You note his words, looking around and observing the numerous small light sources littered around the space. "'had'?", you look over to him with a teasing smile.

He appreciates the jest and chuckles lightly before responding, "Ok, ok. Well, in my defense, I have a lot less now than I used to. I'm trying to feel out my limits with dark shadow and exercise working with him rather than letting him take over completely.", with his finishing statement the atmosphere grows slightly tense. This seems to be a bit of a sore subject for him.

It makes your heart ache to see him upset. "Tokoyami, I haven't known you long but I have seen you in action multiple times now and the way you work with dark shadow is so sinuous it almost seems choreographed.", you compliment.

You see a small smile creep onto his face before he elaborates, "You have seen me in the light. Dark shadow is stronger in deep shadow, much stronger, but also much more difficult for me to control. I want to increase my ability to remain calm while using that strength with precision, so that I can be an asset in the dark rather than a hazard.", he frowns, "It scares me to think of losing control. I want to be a hero but if I lose control...I could hurt someone."

He's looking off now with concern on his face. You really can't stand seeing him like this so you take his hand to gain his attention.

"Then I'm all the more impressed that you continue to follow the path of becoming a hero. What courage you must have to strive for such goals, determination, passion." You look him in the eyes and let your heart speak freely for just a split second, "You are an inspiration Tokoyami.", you quickly shut your heart up the moment after, "It's awesome to be friends with such a person.", you give the most platonic smile you can muster before pretending to receive a message from your parent about needing to leave and doing so.

Now, rather than taking notes, you doodle images of those gothic light fixtures across your notebook's page. You've got nearly half the page filled when Mandalay's message comes in.

The group of students in the room aren't too concerned. There were only two reported villains fighting against two classes of aspiring heroes and four pros. But when a group of students who were out for the activity join the class with Vlad King, they give more details and it's difficult to stay optimistic.

Looking out the windows, you struggle to even make out the shapes of the trees and worry about your friend who is out there somewhere in the night's darkness.

Time passes slowly as you try to distract yourself with small illusions in the palm of your hand. When the fuss breaks out in the classroom over whether or not to fight when Aizawa's permission is given, you stay back. You're antsy to find out how Fumikage is doing but you lean towards agreeing with Vlad King that Aizawa meant the message to apply only for self-defense. When Aizawa himself comes in to deal with the fake fiery villain it's only solidified and you must wait oh so impatiently. Worrying about your closest friend, somewhere out in the trees.

When the emergency vehicles begin to arrive after Vlad King's call, students are let out of the building as the area surrounding is found clear of villains and many go out to search for the students littered throughout the forest. Koda is a big help in this effort, communicating with the animals of the area and locating groups of students. He is a quiet boy, but an observant one. He tells you which direction Tokoyami is in hopes to calm your nerves, as soon as you get the information though, you run off to find him immediately and ignore the yelling of the officers telling you that the scene is unclear past the trees.

You run and dodge the obstacles in your path and run faster, you pass Midoriya quickly and find Tokoyami not far from him.

He is quite clearly in shock, standing still with his back to a tree and breathing shallowly. You approach him slowly and announce yourself so you don't scare him. When his sharp gaze makes contact with yours he seems to be broken from his overthinking trance and falls to his knees. You rush over and meet him in the dirt, placing your hands on his shoulders and assessing his body for any big injuries. There doesn't appear to be any so you look back to his face, he looks like a child who just woke up from a nightmare, like he lost everything.

"Tokoyami, breathe.", you realize you need to help him calm down, rubbing your hands up and down his upper arms, longing to hold him as close as possible to reassure yourself as well as him that he is ok.

You remember his words - "It scares me to think of losing control." -

"I did it...I let go. It was so dark and I let him take over." He's not looking you in the eye, shivering, though it's not cold out in the summer evening.

You remember his room, the lights. Using your quirk you recreate the candles and crystal balls, placing them all around the two of you and illuminating the space with a soft purple glow. You slowly surround yourself and him with the light as you continue gently rubbing his arms.

"You're ok though. You're here and you're ok. I'm here with you." Maybe your words served to console yourself slightly more than they worked to console him but you did grab his attention, his eyes lifting to meet yours. "Breathe. You're ok."

He caves into your steady form, hugging you tightly, his arms under yours and head tucked into your chest. His breathing seems more intentional at this point, relieving you. You move your hands from his shoulders to stroke at the feathers on the top of his head.

"I just- it was so fast and Shoji- He- and I couldn't-" He starts rambling, constantly stumbling over his words. You knew he didn't talk much, he preferred only to speak when it was necessary or directly useful for conversation.

"Tell me about it.", you rub up and down his back with one hand.

He takes a few deep, shaky breaths to steady himself before he pours out the story of him losing control to dark shadow. How he was trapped, enveloped in the darkness and at it's mercy as he watched it chase down Shoji and then Midoriya with lethal intent. How he figured out their plan to lure dark shadow over to others who could help and how he prayed to the gods it would work and no one would get hurt in the process. How bright and hot the flashes were next to him as Bakugo and Todoroki blasted their quirks on either side of his body to stop dark shadow. How he was shaking, walking with the others on the way to the summer camp's building before he got captured with Bakugo by a masked villain. The feeling of being trapped in the tiny marble of the villain's quirk. He was almost kidnapped himself along with Bakugo.

He's been talking for some time now, crying into your shirt and holding onto you tightly. He looks up at you then. You're also crying but there's a shakey smile on your lips. The furrow between his brows deepens as he looks at you.

You bring your hands to the sides of his head. "And you're ok?" You look over him again looking for any obvious wounds. "You're ok." You pull him back into a hug with his head on your shoulder and you cry, embracing him as tightly as you can manage. "I was so worried."

You realized as he was talking just how deeply you were in love with him, how much care you had in your aching heart for his safety. It surprised you how well you had been avoiding your feelings, concealing the full extent from even yourself and now you were a wreck. He could have been hurt, he could have hurt others and been unable to deal with the guilt of it, he could have been kidnapped. You held onto him now as if you were attempting to keep him safe from the dangers that were really gone for the time being.

With your arms around him he feels safe. With the lights around the both of you he feels at home. Hearing your heart beat slows his own down to a more healthy pace and he realizes too how much you mean to him. You've always been there for him, you've listened to his concerns, helped him in hero training and regular studying. You had become a part of what home meant to him and you grounded him. These feelings over came him and he reached up to pull your hands from his body to hold them in his own. Pulling away from you just far enough to look you in the eye.

You sat there with him on the forest floor, bodies pressed close and hearts beating loud. He looks you in the eyes for a second before bowing his head to rest his forehead against yours. You close your eyes to soak in the moment while you can.

"Thank you.", he says.

You separate from him by an inch to look questioningly into his eyes.

"You- You being here, the lights. Thank you Y/n. You mean so much to me and this,", he looks around "this is perfect. Thank you." He smiles and huffs out a small laugh, you really made things perfect in your little bubble of light in the woods even after all that's happened, he's calm now with you here.

You're speechless at this. He misses being as close to you as possible and surges forward with a bit too much force, capturing you in his arms before you both hit the soft dirt. You both share a little laugh at this that almost sounds like a sigh of relief and he nuzzles his head into your shoulder.

"You won't have to worry in the future. I want to be with you all the time Y/n, we'll stay close and when the next attack comes we'll fighting side by side."

He says it like no big deal but you hug him back that much tighter. "Close?" You don't want to get your hopes up.

"Close" He turns his head to nudge your cheek and you smile because he's safe and in your arms. Because he's with you and you're with him.

[maxheadley]

Callista's Investiture

Callista spent twenty years awaiting the day she became the Wolf Pack Leader. Her investiture had come slowly, painfully, and under odd circumstances. Her current Pack Leader, Ruben, decided to retire from his leadership. Immortality surely slowed down the age process and the wear and tear on one's body, but the mind could whittle down to nothing, leaving one acting loco. She suspected his mind was wearing down, needing some much needed rest. Of course, she wasn't the only apprentice Ruben mentored, there was also Inja Hills. She'd have to battle it out for the leadership name, but whenever her and Inja sparred, Inja always came in second.

Right now, Callista stared at her reflection in the rose-gold vanity mirror with the old-fashioned lightbulbs that produced bright white light. Her handmaiden brushed a rose-gold brush through her fabulous, long, black ringlet curls getting the tangles out. With hair like Callista's, it tangled easier than normal straight hair. "Princessa, how would you like me to style your hair?" Asked her handmaiden.

"Abaigael, how about two braids with silver rope intertwined?" She suggested, holding up silver strings sparkling underneath the sheen of bright white light.

"Perfect. Your investiture should be taking place, soon, shouldn't it?" Abaigael quickly and gently began braiding her curls into the first braid.

Callista played with the gold strings, wrapping them around her small index fingers, and sighed as Abaigael styled her hair. "Maybe. Tomorrow night, me and Inja do our final assessment. Whoever passes the assessment, becomes the new Wolf Leader. Ruben has to decide officially if I'm worthy enough of getting crowned the Wolf Leader."

"You are most definitely worthy of the honor, Ruben must know of this."

"Thank you, Abaigael, but Ruben hasn't been quite interested in me in some time, and has taken to pleasantries with Inja." Callista sighed, observing the nimble way Abaigael braided the second of her two braids. The silver ropes intertwined with her curls, shined, glittering under the light, making her hair glow a little. She liked that very much. Traditionally, wolf natives wore white, silver, gold, or a dark blue rope amongst their dark hair to bring out the beauty of one's face or generally, their ability to lighten the usually dark features. Callista's mother instilled the tradition of wearing a light colored rope amongst her curls due to the darkness of her hair. Callista almost never wore her hair without a few strings of rope. She liked it best, anyway.

"Inja will most likely be the leader of the Golnessa Pack, Ruben is forming. I have no doubt he'd pick you to lead us here in

Richica." Said, a deep, masculine accented voice.

Appearing the vanity's mirror, was her large, but not incredibly tall brother. He stood above her about six or seven inches. His height wasn't very intimidating, though his stance and presence could make a grown man shiver in his boots. But not once has he ever given Callista any sense of trepidation. His dark, luscious black curls trailed down his chest and back without any styling or product. His eyes were large, wide, and light caramel brown. His nose too was a bit large, but fit his wide, face. Atop his black curls sat a golden, silver crown, sparkling without light hitting the gems that were engraved inside the silver-gold frame. "You do realize, Rolan, you are the King of Richica. If anyone's leading us, it is you." Callista turned around in her chair, laying an arm over the top.

Rolan rolled his pretty eyes. "We both are natural-born leaders and we will both lead."

"Mother would say differently." Callista muttered, bitterly.

Rolan sat on the edge of her four-poster bed, pushing aside the sheer blue curtains that draped over the sides. He caused wrinkles to come about into her heavy, silky sugar cookie yellow duvet. "You know it's true. Who's the one who rallied the pups in when they wouldn't listen to me?"

"Me."

"And who's the one who kept the pups under control during the Wolf Council Meetings and their parents were attending?"

"Me." Callista sighed, looking at her brother.

"Exactly. You're a better leader and a tougher enforcer than I'll ever be. The only reason, I can lead as well as I do with Richica is because I married Victorea's niece and she's incredible at solving and helping me navigate the obstacles and responsibilities of being a king."

"Misty has been taught by the best of the best. You've been learning from her customs and instilling them within yourself. It helped a great deal during the last of the wars." Callista waved to Abaigael to leave as she was done with her braiding and Callista had no need for her at the time. Abaigael bowed to King and Princess, scurrying away quickly to attend to other duties. Callista rose, and swiftly moved to stand in front of her brother as he leaned onto his elbows.

"I'm guessing the Wars showed how much I cared and would fight for my country, my wolves, my family." Rolan would've sounded smug, had he not possessed a sad tone.

"Precisely, you were meant for this, but to Ma, I am not meant for anything other than to be married off to the man of her choice and birth her grandchildren." Callista cued in an eyeroll. She highly doubted birthing children and marrying would be in her destiny's cards. She'd reject anyone who tried to marry her, being in love never appealed to her senses.

"Why can't parents allow their children to shape their own destinies and fall in love with their true love or true loves in wolf customs? I hope when my children come, they'll be free to choose who they are and who they love." Rolan shook his head and got up. "But you won't have to do as Ma says once Ruben chooses you to be his successor. She'll never be able to control you or your life again." He kissed her dark forehead, smiling. "I promise."

"You better hope he chooses me or I'm going beat you to a pulp." She chuckled as he departed the room.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. But he'll choose you."

Midnight's massive forepaw slammed heavily onto Sky's blue-gray chest, pinning her down. She growled, glancing up at the massive golden-yellow wolf leaping from the Great Rock down to where his apprentices had disturbed the debris. Vaguely aware of Sky's hindpaws scrabbling her flank unrelenting, Midnight spoke, unflinching as Paz, approached. His massive body slinking through the crowd of cowering wolves. He abruptly stopped at the dip's edge where Midnight overthrew Sky. "You can release Sky, Midnight." Paz said, in a deeply rich accented voice. His caramel-honey brown eyes blinking with appraisal and approval.

Midnight released Sky, growling, and leaped onto the solid grown. She sat on her haunches immediately. She observed Sky shaking off droplets of fine mud before she leaped onto the solid grown. Her yellow eyes glowering. "Well. How did we do?" Sky growled, not kindly.

"You should've done better and Midnight surprised me." Paz said, calmly, and met Midnight's humble gaze. "Midnight, you are cunning and calculating. I had never expected you to fight the way you have today. I am most pleased, and pleased to say, you have earned your new title as the Wolf Pack Leader."

Midnight blinked, astonished by the proclamation. She'd never expected Paz to tell her personally. She always presumed he'd tell the whole pack instead, let the surprise wash over her just like the praise and approval of her fellow pack members.

"You're kidding! What about me?" Sky shoved Midnight out of the way with a nasty growl. She faced Paz, the top of her mane rose up, spiking. She was shaking furiously and anger flooded her yellow eyes. "I deserved to be the Pack Leader, not her!"

Midnight drew her lips back in the beginnings of a snarl, but Paz flickered his golden ears warningly.

Paz gently ran a paw over Sky's blue-gray black tipped ears and gave her a swift, loving lick. "I've made my decision, my dear sister." He turned to face the wolf pack, that still remained in their spots, eagerly awaiting their new leader's announcement.

"Hear me now, my dearly wonderful and gorgeous pack, I have lead this pack since Sessian named me his successor many, many years ago. I have lead you through countless battles and three major wars, but my time as leader has come to an end." He leaped on the Great Rock, gazing out over his somber audience. All eyes were on him and no one whispered. He captured their attention greatly. Midnight hoped she'd capture their attention like he did, one day.

"I am proud to of lead you all, you have done me proud, and you've never failed me. I love you all with my heart, but as painful as this is, I know you'll love and loyally follow your new leader as you've done me." Paz beckoned Midnight to leap beside him on the Great Rock. "Please welcome Midnight as your new leader. I know she'll lead you as I have. She shows promise and her intelligence will serve you well." He said, as she settled beside him.

Murmurs and whispers passed around through the crowd and many stayed silent, unsure how to react to the news. Only one could protest to Paz's announcement, and that was Sky, but she said nothing and remained as silent as Midnight's mother was. Midnight grimaced at the hateful glare her mother gave Paz. At least I can rule without her influence and hateful attitude, Midnight thought, relieved.

"But before I officially give you all over to Midnight, I have another announcement." Paz waited for the audience conversations to die down, many ears perked up in anticipation to hear his new proclamation. "I have selected a good portion of you to set up a camp in the Golnessa Mountains, and it's come to my attention, the clan will need a leader and a name. I have decided Sky will lead the Wild Clan in Golnessa. I know she'll lead wonderfully and most of you know, she is deserving of a chance to make this clan succeed under her observant eye." If he were human, he'd of smiled at his sister, who looked about as astonished as Midnight felt.

"Are you sure?" Sky challenged, looking at the small group of clan members at the edge of the Wolf Pack. They each looked eagerly and calmly at their new leader. Surely, enough, they were happy to have her as their leader verses being leaderless. Midnight thought Paz did his sister right.

"I am positive, and I will be joining the Wild clan. I'd like to reside in the mountains for the rest of eternity." Paz nodded to Midnight, swiping his pink tongue over her black cheek, and leaped down onto the dusty ground. "Let us bow to our new leader as it is traditional." He howled, bowing his head to Midnight.

Following pursuit, the wolves bowed their heads, including Sky and her little clan. Midnight heaved her massive jet black body to her massive paws, lifted her head gracefully, and howled. Her howl echoing throughout the cove of trees, singing a song, and blessing her pack. She sounded strong, happy, and grateful.

A sudden chorus of howls and barks coursed though the audience, blessing her ears, and many were singing their praises, led by the one and only, Paz. Midnight met his caramel-honey eyes, seeing her dark reflection in the pupil, and howled once more.

"Let it be known, a new leader rules this pack."

Callista bid farewell to the Wild Clan and Inja. She stood on the grassy hill, behind the Richica border. Her dark eyes observing the small pack of wolves slink through the long grasses towards the snow, covered mountains bordering Nelessa. She knew the alliance between shapeshifter and wolf needed to be strong, and unbreakable. She though Ruben's idea of allying the wolves with the shapeshifters was bogus, but with explanation and love she came to the understanding, the alliance would harm no one and would in fact ensure safety of both the races and of course, the numbers would mean better battle outcomes. Their victories would come swifter and less casualties will result.

She had no objections allowing Inja to move into the mountains with the clan and keep peace between the wolves and shapeshifters to ensure their alliance's safety.

Beside her, Ruben, a short light brown skinned male with yellow eyes and white-gold curls stood. He told Inja, he'd catch up after he'd spoken privately with Callista. She agreed reluctantly to leave her brother behind. Nonetheless, she liked to have this last conversation with Ruben, for she may never see him again.

"You know Marvel plans to launch a Great Blood War?" Ruben inquired, hastily.

Callista knew Richica would suffer greatly under the wrath of the numerous demigods. Their numbers outweighed any race living on Legend's land. Many would die if Marvel had her way, but if all six races banded together, Marvel's plan would be unsuccessful and there'd be numerous casualties on her side. She'd be responsible for the end of her kingdom.

Callista suspected Ruben had concerns and that is why he abruptly brought up the question. "She can have a Great Blood War, but the wolves will not be on the loosing side." She turned, lifting her black skirts and faced Ruben.

Ruben rubbed his darkish hands together, they shook. "Many will die. You can't save us all. We are already a dying breed. We suffered great losses in the last war. If Marvel succeeds, she may end us for good." He looked thoroughly concerned. The safety and survival of the wolves needed to be ensured. Or he'll be devastatingly right.

"Not if I band together all seven of the races and that means including the Tigers."

"How will you convince Tigeress to consider fighting alongside her sworn enemies?" Ruben inquired, skeptically. "Or get involved in the affairs of a war she's never been apart of?"

"Tigeress can be persuaded. I just have to her an ultimatum or bribe her with something valuable. She is surely to come knocking at our door." Callista smiled, calmly.

"You better be right, or we'll definitely be done for."

"Ruben, I know I'm right, and if I can do this, you'll know. I'll send word to you once I have own the winning side and you'll know what I speak is true." Callista swathed Ruben into her embrace and held him for a few seconds. "But in the meantime, enjoy your rest and your new home. Go!"

She gave the chuckling Ruben a gentle push towards the mountains. "Goodbye, Cali."

"Goodbye, Ruby."

Callista's dark eyes trailed after him as he walked away. After a few minutes of watching him depart, she turned and proceeded to head back into the trees, but not before he called her name. "Callista!"

She glanced back at Ruben standing a good distance away. He was waving and smiling largely. "Thank you!" He shouted, then shifted into his golden-yellow massive wolf, Paz and ran down the rest of the hill at lightning speed. Callista chuckled, thinking he was so wonderful and deserved to live the next chapter of his life peacefully. Hopefully, he'd find a mate among the clan wolves, have a few pups, and raise them to be as great, loving, and caring as he was. She prayed he'd have the opportunity to do so.

She disappeared into the forest, knowing she'd never see Ruben Hills ever again, and wishing she'd known him better. He could have been her mate, the love of her life, if only she'd known what he truly wanted. Her.