#so i will continue to pet sheep whenever i have the chance to which is usually once every couple years

[cablestwisted]

can i just

Moment of happiness abt our current bedsheets

Sheeps.....

[robbie-roo]

My favorite animal....

this is such a hard topic for me which sounds so dramatic but hear me out-

as a kid I was adamant about my favorite animal being a Jaguar- GO Diego GO was the trigger and my dictionary of mammals book made the rest history

I continued with jaguars being my favorite animal for years I remember during 6th grade we had to write our own myths about different animals and all of mine were about jaguars- how they got their spots, why they can swim so well, why they live in the jungle you name it- I knew tons about them I proudly told people about Jaguars being the best big cats in the world and announced that I was gonna work with big cats when I grew up

and then I turned 15 and my first real opportunity to work with animals showed up

I had been working summer camps every so often around horses and taking trail rides whenever I got the chance I knew my way around a farm but I hadn't had a good way to actually pursue my interest

my family moved around a lot and my mom is legally blind so that left only my dad as our ride to and from everything- I wasn't allowed to do after school clubs and we didn't have money for horseback riding lessons every weekend so all my time was spent reading about animals instead of being with them

but then I turned 15 and we moved to a new house that just so happened to be next to a llama farm and my grandma spoke to the owner and got her to agree to take me and my siblings on as Jr llama handlers

I'm not kidding... I have proof look this is me when I was 15 training a llama

and by then I was thinking "well fuck... my favorite animal can't be something I'm never gonna see" and llamas were my way in- I finally got to work and interact with animals once a week for three hours

I saw my first live animal birth on my first day of work. I taught crias how to tolerate human touch- I taught llamas how to do jump and agility courses and I desensitized them to absolutely everything. I was training them to be show llamas primarily but the owner of the farm also sold a few off to be emotional support animals a few times

I loved it. this opportunity came to me at the worst year of my life I would have drowned in my own misery if I didn't get that 3 hours a week outside working with llamas

so llamas must be my favorite animal right?

well I ended up moving again and I got myself a new job- this one was paid! and it took me a few years but eventually I became the manager of the petting farm that hired me I worked for them for around 4 years and at times I hated it I hated my boss I hated the customers sometimes I hated the animals for being particularly assholey to me

(my first day I was a tour guide!)

but it was still an amazing job- when I was the petting farm manager I got to start learning how to do basic veterinary medicine on livestock

I helped a few goats give birth (and one sheep) and I took care of 8 ponies an emu a cow a bundle of birds and 3 bunnies usually around 4 times a week for over 12 hours

it was exhausting.

but I came out of it adoring goats and learning how to read their body language and handle them

I also got to work with horses consistently for the first time ever

I learned how to train horses using similar techniques that I did with llamas- we taught ground manners and desensitization I learned how to give them some very basic medical care and how to look after their diets

(me and Taco the farm's project pony he was such a dick I loved him)

around the same time I finally got a trainer- a dressage trainer.

he let me work 4 hours in exchange for a 30 minute lesson and I loved it... most of the time

I worked with over 25 horses at least twice a week I got paid for one shift and would ride a lesson for my second shift

(me on my last ride for my college team)

I learned how to actually ride a horse and I joined my college's equestrian team the following year (I quit the year after that)

so now I'm sure you're as confused as me horses...goats...llamas? what about those jaguars?

well then you have to add my veterinary internship

I learned way more about animal healthcare and shelter life I found out about a few careers I'm interested in pursuing I found out I fucking love pitbulls and that I want a medium hair tabby kitten I found out how to train dogs- something I had done a little with my own dog growing up

(me and a dog who was starting to fall asleep from anesthesia)

I learned dog behavior and I'm so grateful for the fact that I can now recognize appeasement behaviors

so now what? what's my favorite animal?

I have no fucking idea.

[justletmeplayminecraft]

I just read your sheep!Zed & Werewolf!Ren one-shot and now I can't stop thinking of Ren herding Zed like a sheepdog. Maybe jokingly herding team ZIT together, sometimes because one is loney, down, or upset.

One-shot please?

i will gratefully take any opportunity to revisit the space outlaws universe! i love these guys and this universe a lot and this is such a fun prompt. hopefully i can provide!

the space outlaws universe belongs to @martuzzio ! usual reminder that my fics are not necessarily canon to the full universe because i like embedding my own headcanons. this is generally fluffy, light hurt/comfort.

Zed wakes to a wet spot poking at his side. He whines, rolling away and trying to pull his crop-top down. The cold patch returns with more ferocity, nudging until it budges him from his comfortable position on the sofa. Zed pushes himself up with a groan, raising a hand to rub his face. He jumps backwards at the sight of black eyes staring at him, surrounded by fur.

"Oh, Ren!" Zed's giggle is strained and high-pitched, folding forwards as he rests a hand over his heart. "You can't do that to me, man, I'm fragile!" Ren pats his front feet back and forth, continuing to nose at Zed's stomach. Zed tries to push him back. "Ren, that's cold!"

Ren steps away, looking at the door to the common room. Zed tilts his head, frowning in thought.

"Do you want to go out? No- I... You can open the door yourself." Zed leans forward, resting his forearms on his knees. Ren takes the opportunity to bump Zed's face, leaving him to splutter. "Ah, Ren, I don't want fur in my mouth! I've got enough of my hair to deal with."

Ren stares at Zed, and Zed stares back, trying to figure out what Ren wants from him. Usually he'd be pulling in his speech device by now, so Ren probably thinks he can communicate this without it. Hm. Ren finally backs away, once again pointing his body towards the door. Zed sighs, rocking forward to stand. Ren sticks by his side as he walks over and with a wave of Zed's hand, the metal panels slide open.

"See, there you go. Open." Ren stands there, continuing to blink at him. "I- Are you not planning to go, then?" An ear twitch. Very helpful. Lunging, Ren locks his teeth delicately around Zed's skirt, tugging him towards the doorway. "Ren?" Ren looks up at him, fabric still in his mouth, before pulling again. This time Zed takes a step forward. "Alright, do you want me to follow you?" Ren drops the fabric to nod. "Okay, let's go."

Ren trots down the hall, claws clicking on the metal. Zed tries to pull out the wrinkles in his ensemble. He should really stop taking naps in random places. It's not like there's not enough beds to sleep in around this ship. He unconsciously finds himself stroking his hand through Ren's fur as they walk, watching the doors as they pass by. Ren occasionally sniffs the air before deciding which turn to take.

"Where are you leading me, buddy?" Zed muses. Ren glances at him, ears pointed up. There are no answers on that adorable puppy face of his. Zed scruffs up the fur on Ren's head. "Guess I'll find out, huh?"

They continue their walk in silence, Zed bouncing with each step. Ren's tail wags leisurely behind them, a pup on a mission. They end up going down a floor, as the colour gives way to the white of the labs. Zed glances around, keeping an eye on where they're heading. He can't figure it out. Not until Ren takes a turn into one of the labs, butting the door with his head until Zed laughs and opens it.

The sound of electronics is loud, and Zed waves at Impulse, sitting in front of various blueprints. A pair of goggles sits atop his head, a stylus tapping against his lip. The screens flicker out upon seeing his guest.

"Oh, hey Zed." Impulse waves. Ren slinks around the corner and Impulse laughs upon seeing him. "And Ren, too! Here to help with my lab work?" Ren seemingly ignores his words, walking behind Impulse so he can nudge at his back. Impulse frowns, looking down at him. "Huh."

"I, uh, get the feeling we're being herded?" Zed says, rubbing at the back of his neck. Ren's tail wags, pushing Impulse again.

"Okay, okay, just give me a minute to clear up, yeah?" Ren plops straight down on the floor, sparking a laugh from Impulse. He pets Ren's head whilst pulling the goggles off his own. "Thanks, dude." Zed waits by the door as Impulse puts his files and trinkets away, trying to figure out exactly what it is Ren wants. He'll admit to being stumped by it, still.

The second Impulse steps away from his bench, Ren is curling around him and encouraging him to the door. Impulse chuckles, walking obediently and joining Zedaph. From there, Ren takes the lead again, walking with a purpose. They haven't got too far when Zed yawns, leaning on Impulse's shoulder. Impulse wraps an arm around him.

"Tired?" He asks. Zed huffs, rubbing his eyes.

"Ren woke me up from my nap, man!" He whines, perching his head on Impulse's shoulder. Impulse smiles, squeezing Zed's side.

"How awful."

"You lived, right?" Impulse asks, with a teasing glimmer in his eyes. Zed swoons, Impulse laughing as he struggles to keep him upright.

"I know! I got poked by a wet nose!" Zed gestures at his outfit, a simple crop-top and loose skirt. "I'm not made for poking, Imp."

"Barely, it was terrible! I nearly crossed the golden bridge!" Ren looks back at them both with a disapproving look. Impulse shoves Zed back onto his feet to scratch behind Ren's ear.

"It's okay, Zed doesn't mean it." Zed rolls his eyes at the both of them.

Zed didn't even realise how far they've been walking until they're entering a residential part of the ship. Their talk falls into gossip about a recent mission. It's been a while since one of them three have gone out. They don't like going without each other, but they don't like going with each other either... It's hard. They're still trying to work on it, but they've not gotten far.

Zed shares a look with Impulse as they get closer to their own bedrooms. Is Ren trying to tell Zed he needs to go to bed? But then why get Impulse? He also can't ignore the missing point of their triangle.

Ren bumps his nose into Zed's door. Zed steps forward, unlocking it with quick movements. He glances around carefully before his eyes fall on his nest bed. And the person burrowed amongst the pillows. Tango sighs at the sight of them, sinking further into the blankets. Ren strides in without care, nudging at Tango's face before curling around his back.

"Ren, I told you it was okay," Tango whispers, stroking Ren's head. His voice shakes uncharacteristically, even his hands struggling to stay still. Impulse walks in, taking Zed's hand to lead him inside.

"Tango? What's wrong?" Impulse asks, his voice gentle. Tango continues to focus on Ren, voice still quiet.

"It was just a stupid bad dream. It's no big deal." Zed climbs into bed, crawling over to Tango instead of his usual leap into it. He wastes no time in wrapping his arms around Tango's shoulder, cuddling his side.

"That doesn't matter. You've stayed up with me for loads of my nightmares."

"And mine," Impulse agrees. "And even if you hadn't, you're our friend." Impulse sits on Tango's other side, arranging a few pillows so he can curl up comfortably. "We're not going to leave you. You can call us whenever you need."

"I don't- I didn't think I needed you." Even as he talks, there's an uncertainty in Tango's voice. Zed gives him a squeeze.

"Well, Ren disagreed," he replies. "And we're here now." A soft smile appears on Tango's face at those words. He leans into Zed's hold, reaching a hand out to Impulse.

"Yeah. You guys are here now."

"And we're not going anywhere," Impulse tells him, running his thumb over Tango's knuckles. "I don't think Ren is, either." They look at the werewolf, already slumbering. At least, pretending to. There's every chance he's listening in secretly.

"Mm, I'm going to copy him," Zed yawns again, shuffling down into the blankets. Tango adjusts his hold so Zed can curl against him, Ren behind them both. Impulse watches with a smile, trying to commit this sight to memory.

"Don't be afraid to call us, okay?" Impulse says. Tango looks at him.

"I can't promise that," he admits. Impulse hums.

"I'm not asking you to. I just don't want you to deal with this alone, okay?" Impulse shuffles down further. "We're all safe. We're going to stay that way."

"You can't promise that," Tango replies, tilting his head. He looks tired.

"But we can try," Zed whispers. "And we're not alone this time." He strokes through Ren's thick fur, his eyes already closed.

"We can try," Impulse repeats. "And hey, we've survived this many years, right?" He squeezes Tango's cheek, managing to pull a laugh from him.

"Is it really surviving if I'm stuck with you two?"

"Hey!" They fall into content giggles. With his half-open eyes, Zed could swear Ren is smiling.

[ggukkiedae]

❝𝕔𝕒𝕥𝕔𝕙𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕦𝕡❞

𝚗𝚘𝚝𝚎𝚜:

⇢ hannah meets up with one of her close friends to catch up; alternatively: the fox and the quokka meet again

⇢ set in mid april 2021

𝚛𝚎𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚜:

⇢ conversations written in italics are spoken in english. feedback is highly appreciated!

Hannah shook her head fondly as she watched Yoonmi race down the hall towards the recording studio frequently seen on vlive. She and Yeonjun exchanged amused looks as the young girl excitedly entered the room, yelling the name of her older brother.

“Come on,” Yeonjun placed a hand on her back and sped their pace up, “or else Chan hyung’s gonna use us not being there as an excuse to stay longer.”

She scoffed at that, following Yeonjun regardless. “Please, he’d drop everything for Yoonmi anytime, and you know that.”

Yeonjun’s laugh was the only response she got as they entered the studio. The door opened immediately as they arrived in front of it, revealing Yoonmi dragging a chuckling Chan away to probably her manager’s car.

“Looks like they’ll be gone for a while,” Changbin laughed from the inside before nodding at her with a smile and turning to Yeonjun. “Let’s go before Wooyoung and Haknyeon decide to make us pay for being late.”

Yeonjun nodded and stepped out with Changbin, ruffling her hair on his way out. “See you in a bit, Hannah.

She glared at him a little before turning towards her friend who remained cleaning up the studio. They haven’t been able to see each other since their promotions overlapped. Or since the award shows, actually. “Hey, quokka.”

“Miss foxy,” Jisung playfully bowed at her before continuing to gather up his stuff, “long time no see. You hungry?”

“Always,” she playfully rolled her eyes at him, “or have you forgotten already?”

“Not when you and Yongbok have been constantly sending each other desserts. No cookies recently?”

“Yoonmi makes the best cookies, and she always sends some over to Chan hyung for you guys. Felix told me.”

The betrayed look he had on his face when he realized this made her laugh. It dawned on her that, though Chan may have told Felix to let the others get some cookies whenever they want, Felix must have kept it a secret. He loved Yoonmi’s cookies, so it was no surprise.

“He never told us!”

“Come on, let’s go eat.”

The two friends found themselves in the JYP cafeteria, food paid for with Jisung’s credits. He had a whole set of food in his tray, which was quite a drastic difference from her single bowl of salad. He frowned when he saw her tray.

“Just a salad?”

She shrugged. “We’re in the middle of promotions, so I’m dieting.”

“Nope,” he placed a plate of pasta on her tray and some extra side dishes, “your boyfriend and members are gonna kill me if I don’t feed you. Our food’s all organic, anyway. It’ll be fine. We’re sharing side dishes, by the way.”

She rolled her eyes but followed him to an empty table. They settled across from each other and began digging in. The conversation carried smoothly, as if they didn’t have a solid four or four months of not seeing each other. It switched from the food to normal catching up to preparations.

“Your comeback’s really good, by the way,” Jisung noted. “I listened to the whole album. Really good. You worked on lyrics, too!”

“Just a bit,” her tone was humble as she moved the salad around on her plate. “I thought it was fitting since it’s our first full album, so I did my best. Sorry for bothering you for help, by the way. I know you’re pretty busy with Kingdom.”

“Please,” he shook his head, “I needed the distraction. We were so caught up on preparing for the show, so I needed to forget it just a little.”

“How are you guys, by the way? I’ve seen your past few performances.” A teasing smirk made its way up to her face while she looked up from her food to meet his eyes. “I liked your cover of I’ll Be Your Man. Very impressive high notes there, mister main rapper. Very desperate.”

Jisung snorted and tossed a little sausage from their side dishes onto her plate. “Shut up, you know the performance is supposed to seem desperate.”

“What’s coming up? The collaboration stage, right?” She took a moment to recall the last episode’s ending. “It’s a shame that you guys aren’t working with The Boyz. You, Eric, and Sunwoo rapping together would have been cool.”

“You’re friends with Sunwoo?”

“We’ve met, but you already know I talk to English line the most.” She jolted up straight upon remembering something, startling Jisung into hitting his leg against the table. The boy curled in on himself a little, making her laugh. “Sorry about that. Did you hear? Changmin oppa invited me to co-host your sports day!”

That was the reason why she had been in a meeting the day before right after their schedules. She didn’t expect that she’d be brought straight to the company right after her schedules with NCT Dream, much less did she expect that she’d be meeting with a few higher ups and some Mnet staff alongside her senior for a cameo.

Jisung raised an eyebrow at her. “What? You’re coming to watch our sports day?”

“Co-host, but yeah.”

“This is gonna be so funny,” he laughed. “You know that, even if you have a boyfriend now, Juyeon hyung has an idol crush on you, right?”

“Stop!” Her hand went to her forehead in embarrassment. “Eric always mentions it whenever we talk, I swear.”

The smirk on her friend’s face sent a chill down her spine. “But there’s also Seonghwa hyung and Chani… Oh my god, man! What is it with you and these older guys, huh?”

“One more word out of your mouth, Han Jisung, and I’m telling Chan oppa that you had a crush on Yoonmi.”

Ah, yes. This short-lived crush her friend had on her other friend which amused her to no end every time he’d talk to her about how Yoonmi’s lyrics hit different, how her on stage persona is captivating, how she’s adorable in BTS content, or how her rap is unmatched by any other girl idols. Jisung, like many other fourth generation idols (and some from third generation) had fallen for the international sweetheart, and she made sure to tease him about it whenever given the chance.

Jisung groaned, “Of course I tease you about other’s having a crush on you, but you can’t tease me about people liking me.”

“Hey, if it means anything,” she began, “I used to like you the slightest bit back in late 2019 when we did those collab stages. Nothing much, it died as soon as it started, so don’t get too cocky.”

The slightly astonished look on her friends face made her remind him that it was a momentary thing rather than a prolonged crush. This, of course, didn’t stop Jisung from poking fun at her.

“Aye, I’m so telling your boyfriend,” Jisung laughed.

She gave him a pointed look. “Nothing is kept a secret in our group, and he’s in the same unit as one of the people most overprotective of me.”

The 00-liner wisely kept his mouth shut, making her laugh. A silence passed between the two before they silently agreed on not speaking about these infatuations ever again. She finished the last of her food before rummaging around her bag and pulling out a small bottle. It was something she didn’t use often, but prefered whenever she didn’t have to promote. Black nail polish.

“I brought this, by the way,” she mentioned as her phone started ringing. “I don’t know why you asked for it, but here you go.”

“Nice,” he took the bottle, “now answer your phone while I finish my food.”

The familiar face on her screen brought a subconscious smile to her face the moment she got her phone out of her pocket. It was her none other than her boyfriend, Liu Yangyang. She chuckled a little before answering the phone.

“Hey, Schnucki. I’m with Hannie right now. Jisung, say hi.”

She brought the phone closer to Jisung’s face, where he awkwardly greeted the boy on the other end of the phone. The awkwardness made her laugh and take it back. Maybe she should have waited until after he swallowed before making him say hi.

“Me again!”

“Have you eaten dinner yet?” Yangyang asked her with the slightest hint of concern in his voice. “Renjun told me you skipped out on the food your manager got you guys on the way home.”

“Hwang Injun, that snitch.” Her mumbling was easily caught by Jisung who snorted in amusement. She lightly smacked his arm from across the table then went back to her conversation. “I just ate dinner! JYP Entertainment’s special organic food is pretty filling, don’t worry.”

“Alright,” his voice sounded relieved. “How long are you gonna be there? Will you be back too late? You still have an early start tomorrow.”

She chuckled at her boyfriend’s questions. Ever since their jacket shoot, her schedule had been filled with preparations for NCT Dream’s comeback. Yangyang had been texting her good morning everyday without fail and constantly checking up on her to make sure she was still functioning properly somehow. For some reason, she found this endearing about him. He usually wouldn’t seem like that type of boyfriend, but he is.

“I’ll be here until Yoonmi finishes shopping for her future nephew and Yeonjun oppa comes back from dinner with the 99s. Hannie’s taking care of me, don’t worry.”

Jisung’s scoff from across the table made her send him a pointed look.

“Could you put me on speaker?”

“Hold on.”

One more warning look was sent towards Jisung as she placed the phone on the table. Jisung looked at her curiously before turning towards the phone.

“Yangyang?” he called out cautiously.

“Hi, Han,” Yangyang greeted. “I know we only spoke a few times, but I hope it’s not too much to ask to take care if Hannah?”

“No problem, bro,” the Stray Kids member nodded despite the fact that the WayV boy couldn’t see him. “We’ll just be here in the company, there’s a bunch of places to lounge in and a lot of food.”

There was a laugh from the other end of the phone. “Thanks for taking care of my pet fox.”

“Excuse me,” she interjected, making the two boys laugh, “I will sheer your hair off your head, you sheep.”

“Kidding! Anyway, Han, you’re Hannah’s friend, so I’m trusting her with you. As a friend, right?”

Jisung chuckled. “Of course. No need to worry.”

Hannah snatched up her phone and turned speaker off before the conversation could get any longer. “Is that it?”

“I’m at the dreamie dorm right now, so I’m expecting cuddles when you get back.”

A slight chuckle escaped her lips as she playfully rolled her eyes. “As long as you’re out of the dorms by 1:30am at the latest, okay?”

“Of course, babe.” The wink was evident in his voice, she didn’t even need to see him to know he did. “I’ll see you later, okay?”

“See you later, Schnucki.”

With that, she hung up her phone and looked up to find Jisung looking at her with a teasing smile. “What?”

“You’re so whipped,” he drew out. “Honestly! The smile on your face says it all. It’s different from when you’re talking to your members or your other friends.”

“My smile?”

Looking back on it, Jeno did mention that there was something different in the way she looked at Yangyang. Donghyuck mentioned it as well while jokingly whining about her not giving him as sweet of a smile. Even Yoonmi told her that she sometimes catches Mark smiling at her the way Hannah smiles at Yangyang. Was it really that noticeable?

With a shake of her head, she picked up the black nail polish bottle once again. “What do you want to do with this?”

“Could you paint my nails?”

[lygerastia]

Kietthen (Keith)

Summary: You've always wanted to approach the Red Paladin, but he's being as fickle as a kitten. Will you ever get on his good side?

Warnings: none. 

Chapters: 1 [completed] 

Words: 2,019

READ IT ON AO3. 

**

Sometimes (or rather, most of the times), Keith reminds you of a kitten.

Not a cat, but a sweet and angry little kitten. He couldn’t possibly grow in your eyes into something more mature because Keith…

...oh, Keith, my dudes, was the epitome of adorableness. 

Don’t believe me? Come on, you must see the resemblance. Keith was moody and he did whatever the fuck he wanted, regardless of everyone else’s opinions (or at least, kept their opinions at a minimum). He acted independent, was a lurking loner, standing to the side and pouting all the time. The boy might seem calm and collected, acting all mysterious and cool, but approach him and he’ll bite your head off (if he could). He’s fussy—he’ll scratch, hiss and run if you stepped on his tail or rubbed him the wrong way. So most didn’t dare to approach him because he acted this way, despite having moments when he was goofier than even Lance, if you can imagine that (don't tell him, he'll only get confused).

But there's one thing he can’t do to deceive your keen eye--he wasn’t scaring you at all. Because you could see through his actions and he wasn’t convincing: he craved affection yet he had no idea how to ask for it. You just wanted to make Keith feel at home and safe—plus, it was a sweet guilty pleasure trying to tease him and push his buttons just to see his adorable reactions.

And mostly because you loved cats and you missed the ones on Earth. Alien creatures that acted like pets were cute too, but you still preferred having a real feline next to you. So you resorted to torturing Keith, although he has no idea of your intentions. And you knew (sort of) how to approach cats, to tame them. You also wanted to tame Keith and earn his trust—but approaching him with food wasn’t the best of ideas. He bristled the first time you offered him a piece of your cooking creation and almost choked on it. You were confused: what was wrong with it? You put your heart in it and he just spat on it. You tasted it later: it was ok. Maybe too much alien salt... Wait—he didn’t like it because it was hot? 

The idea of Keith having a cat’s tongue was too darn adorable.

You tried a different tactic, but nothing seemed to work. Taking him by surprise and smothering him with affection made him run away. When you tried to casually touch him, he flinched and shrug you away—at least that happened less and less now, having gotten used to your random acts. His fluffy hair was out of question, forbidden zone. You tried running your fingers through it once and almost got a bruise by how tight he grabbed your wrists. He apologized for that, though, saying that it was his survival instincts kicking in. Why he needed a defensive mechanism for his hair, that was beyond your comprehension. But you believed that he was simply not used in people showing him some interest. He was an orphan, after all. He probably spent all his life alone, wandering the universe and wondering what his true purpose was. You hoped he found it by now..

You weren’t going to give up, much to his chagrin. Probably due to your rather ‘aggressive’ approach, he got scared and mostly avoided you. Whenever he saw you getting close to him, he ran; much to your disappointment. Looked for any excuse to not be near you. It hurt you a lil’ bit, but you could understand where he was coming from. Maybe you should’ve given him some space—but your kink for cuteness got the better of you. Cats shouldn’t be forced; they had their own free will and if they felt like it, they’ll come to you on their own. You’ve learned that the hard way countless times, but you thought that maybe Keith was more malleable. Seemed like your theories were wrong. He was still prickly, albeit a bit tamer lately. At least he smiled more. You feel like you need to apologize for your straightforward behavior but you never got the chance. With the approaching battle, you all had other thoughts to worry over.

You let him alone, not bothering him—you found a new target, though. Lance was a wolf in sheep’s clothing.

And so days passed (not as if you could really count in space) and a lot happened.

The team barely managed to escape their last fight against the Galra and you were waiting for them in the castle, alongside Coran. Being the medic and supporter of the team, you were always confronted with a hard task of seeing them hurt and bruised. But you were there for them and that’s what you did that today too. When they came tumbling out of their lions, you wanted to run to your first target: Keith. He was always the reckless one that got hurt the most (second being Lance). So you knew he needed help—but his angry gaze quickly stopped you in your tracks. That look wasn’t directed at you, as he clutched his arm and limped towards you. But it was enough to remind you that you weren’t welcomed in Keith’s presence, no matter how serious the wounds were. You let Coran handle that and, with a sharp inhale, you focused on another target: Lance.

“Hey, babe…” the Blue paladin coughed out, attempting to smile despite the bruises on his face and general weakness in his body. “Happy to see you so worried about me..”

You pursed your lips, focused on carrying him out of there. “Shut up and let me help you.” But you weren’t strong enough: Lance was darn heavy.

“Here, let me…” Shiro’s voice is heard behind you and you’re grateful for the help, offering the man a smile. “I’ll go with him where the pods are, ok?” You nodded, standing there and unsure what to do.

Until you heard some yelling to your right. You turned around and saw Keith angrily pushing Coran away from him. “Don’t touch me!” You sighed: here he goes again. What was his problem now? He obviously needed help, so why was he refusing it? He never did before when Coran gave it to him. Keith didn’t let you. So you never bothered. Wounded pride? Sounded like Keith…Maybe you should try to—

“[name]!” Keith barks your name out of the blue and you realize he’s staring heavily at you. You blinked: was he serious? “You’re capable. Come help me.” Coran scoffed in annoyance and muttered a "Earthlings" under his breath. 

“Oh—Ohh?!” but, seeing him so impatient made you act, so you rushed by his side. “Umm, ok, let’s see here…” Quickly you slipped into the role, making Keith sit down on a random box with a grunt. You scanned him over, trying to determine the source of his pain because of his grimace. “Tell me where you’re hurt.”

“Ugh, probably—my ribs and back,” he spat out between shallow intakes of air. He was incredibly pale and sweating a lot. “I fell on a rail, I got pushed…”

“Mmm, that’s nothing I can fix,” you muttered, knowing that he should be in the healing pod, not wasting time with you.

“And my ankle—I’ve sprained it.”

You nod; he was indeed been limping before. “I can at least help ease the pain. Take off your boots.” He barely moved. “Ok, I’ll do it.” You did so and gently examined it, testing to see how much it hurt. Judging by his face, it looked serious enough. “Stay still.” He simply shot you a ‘are you serious’ look as you searched the aid kit for the appropriate tool. You two stayed in silence as you wrapped the bandages around his ankle as gently as possible, not wanting to hurt him more. It must’ve hurt like a bitch because he kept his grunts at a minimum—only a hiss escaped his gritted teeth, probably trying not to seem weak. He was an idiot; nothing could’ve changed your opinion that he was anything far from brave. But you let him too it—it was a miracle he let you touch him, more so to leave himself in your care. He most likely trusted you more when there was a serious thing on the line.

“Done!” you exclaimed, finishing with carefully tying the bandages. “It shouldn’t hurt as much when you’re walking, but don’t do anything extreme. The pod should fix all. Can you take it until then?”

Keith nodded, looking slightly offended at the presumption that he wasn’t strong enough to take it. You raised your hands in defense and sighed. Continued with another subject, eyeing his face strongly. He was taken aback by the intensity of it and cocked his head to the side in confusion. So cute!

“And who dared to break your nose, huh?” He was like a dirty and fight-ruffled kitten, dust and dirt covering his forehead and cheeks, while there was a trail of dried blood from his nose to his lips. You grabbed his chin and brought him closer, unaware of this dangerous proximity. He was more aware of it and his hair stood on its edge, face heating up and mouth moving wordlessly. “Did someone actually manage to slip through your defenses and hurt your pretty face?”

“P-P-P-Pretty??” he mumbled in a whisper, at a loss.

“I’ll clean you up and then—Woah!”

Keith pushed you away by the shoulder, softer than ordinary. Oh my, his blush was totally adorable! It made you giggle, only deepening his furrowed eyebrows and pout. “I-I’ll clean up myself!”

“He he, that’s right, you’re a big boy,” and you involuntarily took the opportunity to pat him on the head, ruffling his soft hair in all directions. The fluffiness of it only amplified your pleasure and you continued on rubbing his head, unaware of his reaction. “Ahh—your hair is so soft, geez—“ and then you stopped, hand frozen over Keith’s head. You forgot. It completely slipped your mind that he hated being touched there. And he wasn’t saying anything, which was even worse than being told off! You retracted your hand, hoping you didn’t make him incredibly mad. Strands of hair fell onto his expression, so you couldn’t see his eyes or anything else. “I’m so so sorry, Keith, just a reflex. Ha ha, I’ve always been wanting to do this, I guess I just took the chance without asking, I apologize. And I’ve also wanted to apologize for all the times I’ve bothered you and made you wary of me, I promise that I’m not like that. It’s just that you’re so cute and—“

“I don’t…” a timid murmur.

You leaned in towards him seeing that he was clearly tame. “Sorry? I couldn’t hear yo—“

“I said that I don’t mind.” The dark haired boy lifted his head, his locks dancing a little bit in the motion. He was still pouting, though, conflicted. “…Anymore…”

“Anymore? Ah! You don’t hate this—“ His glare made you shut up. “Sorry, I won’t ask.” So you grinned innocently.

“It’s better than you staying with Lance..”

“Hmm? Did you say something?”

“N-No, nothing. Just…If you like my hair, then you can do it…It—It calms me…” Hearing him say this so sheepishly made your heart rate increase. He was too adorable.

“Alright, but don’t regret it afterwards. If you want me to stop, just tell me.” He nods, glancing away. “Aww…” and you simply petted him again with both hands, a bit rougher than intended.

Keith hissed as a response and told you to stop. You immediately pulled your hands, holding them by your side (even if your fingers were aching for action). “Remember that I’m still hurt?”

You snapped back to attention “Yes! Sorry!” you stood up, reprimanding yourself for getting distracted. “Let’s get you there.”

But you were secretly happy.

 Mission complete: earned the kitten’s—I mean, Keith’s trust.

-

[masterlist]

[inky-animatronic]

A Different Tune: Chapter 6 - The Smut Chapter

Smutty chapter ahead! I have good news there for those readers that don’t want to read this;

For those that don't want to read smut: The next chapter I am going to have Dani think back to the events of this one but not go into detail about it. Also might have a small timeskip too. Nothing plot related happens in this chapter anyway so you won't miss anything other than Dani getting violated and feeling disturbed. That chapter will be out sooner or later. Same with the next chapter of Stray Meets Stray. I want to work on that one too. 

Anyway, Sammy is a creep, Dani is screwed (literally), and now he's taking drastic measures to keep her, even going as far as to hurt her like I said in the summary of the story.

Warnings: Smut. Language. Stuff like that really. Also I suck at writing smut so apologies for that.

I'm actually glad I did this chapter. It gave me all sorts of new ideas for the plot and how the rest of the story will go because I had hit a total dead end with writers block for this story. But now I have an idea as to where I want to take it and all it took was one smut chapter lol. Idk if there will be more smut chapters later though. For now this is it. There will be warnings and stuff at the beginning if there is another.

Sammy gently rubbed Dani’s sleeping face. She was strapped down to the table again and Sammy was laying on top of her, humming to himself.

He had his head rested on his other arm on her chest as his one hand gently rubbed her cheek and right ear. Then he trailed down her neck before going back up again.

“Urg…” She groaned, her head feeling like it was going to explode at this point. How hasn’t she gotten brain damage or a concussion yet?

“Hello sleepy head.” Sammy grinned from behind the mask.

“Am I…” Dani started, trying to move her hands. “…I am… aren’t I?”

“Hm?” He hummed, sitting up on her stomach, legs on either side of her.

“I’m strapped down…why are you on top of me?” Dani questioned, her vision becoming more clear.

“Well, that depends little one, do you want to play now? Quicker we play this… game, the quicker you get let go so we can start our way back upstairs again.”

“What about Boris?” She asked, confused about this game.

“What about him?” He asked in a irritated tone.

“I need to-” Sammy covered her mouth.

“No you don’t. Not right now.” Sammy said, noticing her look. He huffed, knowing they weren’t going to get anywhere like this. “But… if you’re good. Then I suppose I can help you find him.”

“Really?” Dani raised a eyebrow and muttered under his hand, which he removed right after.

“But you need to stay with me. I don’t want to be alone, I like having a companion. I can also keep you safe and take good care of you. Boris can be our companion too. However, you just need to listen to my rules and give me your love and loyalty. Understand, little sheep?”

After a moment, Dani nodded. Maybe listening will get them closer to Boris. Hell, maybe in the process they can find a way to change the cultist back to a human so he could let her go.

“Okay. As long as we find Boris I’m happy.” Dani replied. “But I can’t stay here forever. I won’t survive like this.”

“Yes you will. I told you, I’ll keep you safe and take good care of you. Now, let’s play then we can look for Boris, for real.” Sammy replied.

“What game?” She asked, unsure if she actually wanted to know.

“A… pleasure game…” Dani felt her face drain of color and become pale when she heard this, knowing damn well what he meant.

Sammy chuckled at her reaction as he slowly lifted her shirt up to her chest and started rubbing her stomach and sides.

“You really are insane.” She muttered, watching him.

“Aren’t we all? Even just a little bit?” Sammy replied and took his mask off, letting it drop to the floor.

Dani felt herself physically cringe at his inky black face and shuddered at his white sharp teeth.

Sammy bent down and kissed her on the lips, his fairly long, black tongue forcing it’s way into her mouth along with a lot of saliva and drool, which trickled down her mouth and neck. As he kissed her, he continued to rub his hands up and down her sides.

It wasn’t until a minute or two later that he pulled away and sat back, she let out a cough and gag. After a second, she looked up to him, seeing him give a toothy smile.

“That’s disgusting! What the hell is wrong with you, yah son of a bitch!?” She all but shouted, feeling very disturbed, scared, and vulnerable.

“I don’t appreciate being talked back to like this.” Sammy glared.

“Fuck you, Sammy! I’m not playing this game! Let me go! I’ll find Boris myself even if it kills me!” Dani replied, trying to force her hands through the metal straps, trapping them at her sides.

Sammy stared at her for a moment and watched her struggle to get out before climbing off of her and over to a button. His sudden movements made her stop and she realized what he was going to do.

“W-Wait! No! I’m-” Sammy pressed the button, causing her to yelp.

“Wish I had a shock collar to put on you.” Sammy mumbled, climbing back onto her like he was. “That way I can shock you whenever you disobey me.”

“Ow…” She shivered with a whimper.

“So… are you going to continue to talk back and disrespect me? Longer were here the longer we give Alice the chance to kill Boris. If she hadn’t already that is.” Sammy continued.

“Please…” Dani cried, looking away and feeling tears fall from her face.

She didn’t want this. God… Why didn’t the ink demon kill her hours ago or Alice with the elevator!?

“Shh… I know it hurts.” Sammy used his finger to wipe away her tears but left trails of ink in it’s place. “But I have to punish you when you’re bad. How else will you learn not to be a bad lamb? Plus, as long as you obey me and treat me with respect, the easier things will be.”

“Just…” Dani sniffled. “…Make it quick. Please. I want to save Boris.”

“Okay.” Sammy smiled and bent down again. This time, he kissed her neck and gave her some bite marks making her breathing hitch when he bites down and licks her wound.

After a couple of minutes, Sammy moved away from her bruised neck, noticing that she was still crying silently and was looking at a wall. She was also shaking beneath him too.

“Just a few more things then we can go.” Sammy said, moving down the table and reaching under the strap around her waist and pulled on her pants.

“What?” Him grabbing her pants brought her attention to it. “W-What are you doing now?” She knew what he was going to do.

“Getting you ready.” Dani didn’t like the sound of that. How big was he?

She watched the best she could from her position as he pulled down her pants and underwear so that they were closer to her shoes. Of course with the way her feet were strapped down, it made her legs already spread.

Sammy licked his lips being bending down and licking at her clit. Making her shudder at the sudden pleasure. He chuckled quietly, noticing what she did. He knew that deep down she’s enjoying it.

Soon, just the way she tasted and smelt proved it too.

‘Damn my body and it betraying me!’ Dani yelled in her head as tears continued to stream down her face.

He continued to lick at her folds, hitting her g-spot over and over, making her moan and start humping but the strap over her waist kept her from humping very much.

“Mmm.” Sammy purred into her. “Would you like your Sheppard to take the strap over your waist off?”

“Y-Yes.” She whimpered, wanting this to be over.

“Yes what?”

“Yes….my Sheppard?” Dani asked, in a confused tone.

“Sounds nice but… try again.” He went back to licking her.

“I-” She yelped at the licking. “I… don’t know what you want?”

It was true, she didn’t understand what he wanted.

“Hmmm.” Sammy grumbled. “I never went over the rules… did I?”

“Nuh uh.” Dani lifted her head as he lifted his to her.

Crawling back over her body, he started kissing her bite wounds again and licking at the dry blood.

“Well,” He huffed warm breath into her neck. “For now on, I’m your Master and Sheppard. Bendy is our Lord and you are to obey us both. That includes no running away, back talking, or disobeying me.”

“Are those the rules?”

“For now. I might add some later.” Sammy said. “Now, about that strap…”

“Please take it off, Master.” Dani said, quickly. Knowing they were wasting so much time. Though she figured that was probably Sammy’s plan.

“With pleasure, my little sheep.” Sammy grinned and undid it. “There. Now it makes things easier and more comfortable for us both.”

Sammy licked at her clit a little bit more, covering it in his inky saliva and eventually her cum too.

“Hmm… don’t cum too much. This is only the beginning.”

‘Please kill me.’ She thought to herself.

Then Sammy moved off of her and undid his pants and suspenders. Her eyes widening when she realized just how big he was.

“Oh fuck me.” Dani couldn’t help but mutter.

This caused him to chuckle again.

“In due time, little one. Right now, I think you should return the favor.” Sammy said, walking over by her head. “It’ll make things go less painful.”

Dani gulped as Sammy got back on top of her, his large inky dick in her face, making her burst out crying again.

“Shh.” He pet her head. “Just suck for a little bit. It’s not so bad… at least I don’t think anyway.”

‘That helped nothing.’ She thought to herself.

Knowing that Boris needed her, Dani forced herself to take his tip in and start sucking. Sammy moaned, feeling very pleased at her obedience.

“See? We both get pleasure instead of pain when you listen.” Sammy smiled.

Dani whimpered around his cock as he began to thrust in and out of her mouth. Soon, he began to face-fuck her and more slipped in and down her throat, almost choking her.

“Nn.” Sammy moaned. “Good girl. Good girl.”

His hands tightened around her inky hair, some of which dripping down her head and face.

“That’s it…”

Letting out a louder whine, she began doing all she can to get his attention without actually biting down on him. God knows what he’ll do if she did that.

“Hm?” Sammy glanced down, ceasing his hard thrusting a little bit. “What is it? You seem to be panicking?”

She whined and gagged again. Trying to tell him what was wrong.

“Ah. I see. I was over doing it. Didn’t realize I was big enough to choke you half to death.” Sammy let out a dark chuckle. “My bad…” He moved up a little bit, allowing her to breath again before going back to thrusting. This time being more careful.

Eventually, he finally came into her mouth, causing her to gag again.

“Don’t you even say a word about it.” Sammy said, reading her thoughts about the taste. Sammy then moved off of her and back over towards her lower half.

“T-That was-” She choked back a fearful sob.

“Sheep.” Sammy gave a warning growl, not in the mood to electrocute her again. “One more thing. Then we can go find Boris. Just… don’t speak. Or I’ll find a way to muzzle you.”

Taking a deep breath, she rested her head back. His cum and saliva dripping out of her mouth and down her neck still. God she needed a shower. Hopefully she can find a place with running water. She didn’t want to know how Boris will react to her bite marks along her neck.

With her being silent, Sammy laid down and began to thrust into her vagina. He started slowly and over a few minutes quickened his pace. His hands wrapped around her neck to keep himself steady.

“Nn. So tight. You’re quite the blessing… I’m so glad I didn’t succeed in sacrificing you.” Sammy said.

‘Is that suppose to make me feel better?’ She wondered, her tears not stopping.

Sammy continued to slam into her, pleased that other than her moaning, she was staying quiet. He leaned down and licked at her neck. Finally, Sammy came again and collapsed onto her.

“What a good sheep.” Sammy breathed into her neck. “You did so well! I might reward you later but… let’s go find Boris… if you’re up for it still.”

By the time it was over, Dani felt very exhausted but knew she couldn’t go back to sleep. All she could do was nod. Yes. Let’s find Boris.

Dani panted under him. Why did that hurt so bad yet have to feel so good yet wrong at the same time? She hoped that the ‘reward’ wasn’t a round 2. She was done for a while.

Sammy then got off of her and got his pants and suspenders back on along with his mask. Then he released all the straps. As she worked to pull her pants back up as painless as she could, Sammy grabbed some rope nearby.

Once her jeans were buttoned and zipped, she noticed that Sammy was tying rope very tightly around under her boobs and arms before tying it with a few knots behind her back.

“There. That should keep you from running.” He gave a experimental tug before helping her off of the table again.

‘Did he just fucking leash me?!’ Dani questioned, noting he had the other end wrapped around his left wrist.

Her legs wobbled for a moment, and despite not wanting to, she held onto him as she gained her balance back. Knowing that he likely enjoyed her depending on him to stand upright.

‘That’s his plan… isn’t it?’ She wondered. ‘He wants me to stay and be completely dependent on him. Probably what he meant by taking good care of me too. Heh. Yeah right, Sammy. You creepy bastard.’

Sammy held onto her before he knew she could stand on her own. Then let her go so he could grab the pipe and ax.

“Don’t you even think about it.“ He warned. “This is for your protection from the monsters.” Sammy said, before handing the pipe to her.

“You mean like you?” She muttered, rolling her eyes.

“What?” Sammy growled into her ear.

“Nothing.” Dani bowed her head, looking away as Sammy stared at her before roughly pulling on the rope and walking out the door, dragging her behind him.

[petlover18-blog1]

The healing touch

New Post has been published on https://www.petlovers.shovelnews.com/the-healing-touch/

The healing touch

By Lauren Kelmar

Special to The Almanac

The 5-year-old boy was receiving treatment for cancer and staying at the Ronald McDonald House at Stanford with his family. As a treat, he and his dad came down to see the animals at Jasper Ridge Farm, arriving just as the volunteers finished setting up in the outside courtyard.

The volunteers brought along two bunnies, goats, a miniature horse and dogs — a hodgepodge of friendly creatures kept at the farm to provide therapy for visitors.

The boy, who appeared a little unsure of the animals, was coaxed by his dad to pet them. Encouraged also by a volunteer in charge of the bunnies, the boy slowly entered the enclosure and sat down.

Then, one of the bunnies, Pippin — white, with long black eyelashes and matching black eyes — hopped toward the little boy. The volunteer scooped up the friendly creature and asked the boy if he wanted to pet Pippin’s soft fur, telling him the bunny’s name and age. The boy nodded.

The child’s father smiled above the enclosure, watching his son forget, for a few precious moments, about his health struggles. Pippin stayed with the little boy for almost 30 minutes, just sitting in his lap, completely still, and letting the boy kiss and pet him. When the boy and his father eventually left, they wore ear-to-ear smiles.

Making moments like these possible is what the nonprofit Jasper Ridge Farm, located at Webb Ranch in Portola Valley, is all about.

Animals helping children

Wendy Mattes founded the nonprofit in July 2009 on a small piece of land in Woodside. She began adopting miniature horses, rabbits and other friendly creatures to help fulfill the nonprofit’s simple mission: animals helping children.

The seed for Jasper Ridge Farm was planted in 2008, when Mattes’ horseback riding student, a 13-year-old girl, was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor rendering her unable to attend riding practice. Mattes knew of the girl’s fondness for horses and how she was struggling with not being able to see one.

So Mattes devised a way to help the girl and her family: She brought a miniature horse into their home.

The smile that engulfed the girl’s face when she saw the horse enter her living room forever changed Mattes, she recalls, not only because of the comfort the animal provided, but also because her parents were happy to see their child smiling. For that hour, the family forgot about the girl’s health problems, and just enjoyed the horse’s affection.

A few months later, the little girl passed away, but Mattes was so struck by the impact the horse had on the child that she created her nonprofit to help other terminally ill children through animal therapy.

Soon enough Mattes, who still serves as founder and executive director, had adopted almost a dozen animals, the majority from the Peninsula Humane Society, for visits to local hospitals. The animals included three miniature horses, two bunnies, two guinea pigs, two goats, and a cat.

The nonprofit began bringing these animals to the Ronald McDonald House to provide comfort to the terminally ill children and their families, at no charge.

“Animals don’t judge, they love people unconditionally and can sense when something is wrong or when someone needs a little extra love and attention,” Mattes says.

A dream blossoms

In 2012, the organization started its HorseBuddies program, which uses animal therapy to help kids with mental or physical disabilities. It partnered with schools in the county for a three-week session. This was the first of many program expansions.

The nonprofit began growing beyond Mattes’ wildest dreams. But with limited operating space and a small staff, the needs became difficult to accommodate.

“We had more requests for visits than we could imagine or handle,” Mattes says.

After four years of operation, Mattes considered moving locations to accommodate more animals and a growing client list. Around the same time, the nonprofit’s lease expired in the Woodside location.

Riley’s Place and Mattes had great relationships with Webb Ranch, she says. The nonprofit often used Webb Ranch horses for visits, and the Webb Ranch owners loved what the nonprofit was doing. The ranch offered Mattes a 3-acre, rent-free spot in its Portola Valley location. All the nonprofit had to do was raise the funds for a barn. So in 2013, the nonprofit began the long process of moving and building.

There were complications in the moving process, but in 2016 the structure was completed and the animals moved into their new home. At that time, the nonprofit also changed its mission slightly from “animals helping children” to “animals helping people.” Jasper Ridge Farm dedicated itself to helping adults and groups in addition to sick children.

It also adopted new animals, including a flock of chickens, two sheep and more bunnies.

“The Webb Ranch partnership has allowed Jasper Ridge Farm to grow,” Mattes says. “It was a match made in heaven.”

Now, Jasper Ridge Farm has the space to hold programs on the ranch, but still has the option of transporting the animals to the client’s location, Mattes notes.

Those who benefit

Some of the groups the nonprofit provides animal therapy to now include: homeless shelters, domestic violence shelters, the Elmwood Correctional Facility, veterans through the HorseHeroes program, high schoolers through the “de-stress” programs at Menlo-Atherton, Menlo and Castilleja high schools, blind and deaf people, senior citizens, and physically and mentally disabled children through the HorseBuddies program, in addition to terminally ill children.

In 2017, Jasper Ridge Farm served 2,654 children and adults, and the number grows every year. There are five staff members and 116 volunteers.

The farm continues to offer all of its programs at no charge, which means it relies on donations and grants for transportation, vet bills, animal food and other necessities.

Alyssa Houk, Jasper Ridge’s general manager, comes to the farm every day and oversees the day-to-day operations while working on the big-picture ideas with Mattes.

Houk cites an experience involving an 8-year-old special needs boy in the HorseBuddies program as one of her most memorable moments.

A typical HorseBuddies program includes having the kids groom, pet and eventually ride the horses at the farm. But the boy was not interested in any of the animals, Houk recalls. He couldn’t sit still or listen, and was yelling. But at a certain point, there was no more screaming.

“It was silent, and I was confused because this little boy had been yelling the majority of the time,” she says. “I walk around to see him holding onto the end of a horse’s leash with a volunteer in front of him walking the horse.”

He thought he was walking the horse alone; he and the volunteer did multiple laps around the barn, Houk says. “He was finally calm. His behavior completely changed, and he was excited to be here.”

Rachel McGillis, a special education teacher and the farm’s volunteer coordinator, had a similar experience when she took her students to a HorseBuddies program.

Her students had been looking forward to the visit all year, she says, and their behavior completely changed when they arrived at the farm.

“They were all listening and being quiet, which is very rare for them,” McGillis says. “It brought them out of their comfort zone, and they couldn’t stop talking about the visit for the rest of the year.”

Another Jasper Ridge Farm program is called HorseHeroes. This program involves animals helping veterans in partnership with the Veterans Administration Health Care System in Palo Alto.

HorseHeroes uses horses from Webb Ranch to help veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and head injuries, according to the nonprofit’s website. The program is near to Mattes’ heart because her husband is a Vietnam veteran, and she has two sons in the Air Force.

Mattes remembers an incident where an Iraq War veteran named Steve, who had suffered a traumatic head injury while serving, came to the farm to ride a horse. He walked with a cane and a service dog, and was having trouble carrying his saddle.

“I offered to carry his saddle, but he said, ‘If I can’t carry my own saddle then I don’t deserve to ride a horse,'” Mattes recalls. After some struggling, Steve made it onto the horse and rode for a while. He now comes to the farm regularly to ride, she says.

Jasper Ridge Farm volunteers and staff also visit the Elmwood Correctional Facility in Milpitas. The animals have a tremendous impact on the inmates, who are unable to show affection otherwise because of their lack of physical contact with other people, Mattes explains.

The animals also don’t know the inmates’ background or what they did; they are just there to love and respond to the need, she says. “The animals are funny and affectionate. This little goat or bunny is going to love you no matter what.”

Whenever the animals come to the prison, Mattes hears the women weeping with excitement over the chance to hold the rabbits and pet the goats, she says. One woman held a bunny for the entire duration of a visit.

A warden told Mattes that the inmates’ behavior improves before and after their visits, she says.

Mattes credits the farm’s friendly animals for helping her with her own health challenges. She has multiple sclerosis (MS) and believes being around the animals has kept her symptoms in check.

“Sometimes I feel like our biggest client!” she says. “Coming to work at such a peaceful place with affectionate animals helps me.”

For more information on Jasper Ridge Farm, including how to volunteer or donate to the nonprofit, visit jasperridgefarm.org. The farm is located on Webb Ranch at 2720 Alpine Road.

Lauren Kelmar is a longtime volunteer at Jasper Ridge Farm.

Source: https://www.almanacnews.com/news/2018/08/13/the-healing-touch

[josthecommision]

Chapter 1: Fighter’s Guild jr cup

1. The Elder Scrolls Short Story:  Jozre 4E 4rth of Frostall 196, Cyrodiil

It was a joyous time among the students of Bruma Academy and their teachers now that the anticipated extracurricular event of the fall had finally come. The grand academy festival of martial skill was hot vibrant with the cheers of students and family alike, all scattered across the campus among the events. None were more exited of this event then the students of the junior fighter’s guild and their mentors both teacher and parents. It was at this time of the year were the young fighters proved their merit and skill in sparring against each other to see who was best. Jozre Antonius Alkazier was among the exited hopefuls ready to prove himself in combat for the girl, or as his friend liked to correct, girls he liked.

The young khajiit was of the cathey-rhat sub species known for their naturally enhanced stature and muscle bulk and it showed as the young squire towered over the other children. Many of the young contestants of equal or lesser skill tended to lose confidence over this costing them the match, a fact Jozre was all too reliant of in the past. Having lost several matches to the more skilled and confident squires, Jozre was set on wining the competitions this time around after hard earned lessons of the past. This time, the teen-cub had actually practiced his swordsmanship and was ready to conquer.

Jozre’s golden brown eyes scanned the competition and events almost as if absorbed into it all because he could hear his best friend call out to him in frustration. It was only when the blue eyed bosmeri half-blood elf tugged on the green tunic of the dark brown maned and light brown furred khajiit that he got the feline’s attention. “Jozre, come on man, nirn to Jozre!” Cody the bosmeri half-breed snapped his fingers at Jozre before presenting his short sword in fencing motions.

“hmm? sorry there Cody, I kind of just drifted there. You were saying?” Jozre asked as he fixed his blunt bastard iron sword on his back by its rope when the smaller friend rolled his eyes.

“what, already day dreaming of the sexy girls we are going to enjoy once we win? Or I hope I win, you think the girls are interested in a swift fencer? I know I can’t win against Uldisiel and his halberd but perhaps I can insert the ladies. What you think?” Cody asked his friend as he thought of the guild undefeated champion and Aldmeri hopeful who was extremely skilled with the halberd pull ax. It was understandable how the High elf boy was not popular among the nords and imperials, a fact the elf never seemed to care about despite his polite yet professional attitude towards everything. A true altmeri perfectionist on the endless quest.

“I sure hope so for your sake, Uldisiel is apparently a young generous and I can’t expect to beat him. Not that I will not go down without a fight” Jozre commented just as they were actually passing by the young high elf who had likely heard them but showed no care in the world, simply nodding to the duo before continuing his training wile whispering something.

“man, doesn’t he ever stop practicing?”

“being a genius takes effort and you know how Altmer are, their perfectionists by nature” Jozre simply responded with a shrug as they continued to walk across the festival.

There was a great amount of merriment as the people celebrated youth and the growth of new warriors of Cyrodiil and of their community. Little children enjoyed events perfectly fitting for them as apple bobbing, animal petting with goats, sheep and small cows from the neighboring farms. Even the children were given a chance to show their fire to fight as little children were given padded armor and spongy clothed sticks standing for swords to fight each other while supervised. The older warriors would get a kick at watching children hit each other with spongy sticks while pretending to be great heroes. It was all very adorable to watch and most of the boys seemed to love it.

The boys were just sightseeing and enjoying the sights of the food offered to the populace, the jesters pulling tricks and the cute girls of ages 12 and up for the ever enthusiastic Cody. Jozre was sometimes put off at how someone so young as Cody could be thinking of wooing as many girls as a guy could but their instructors always said how boys would be boys. It was when they arrived at the archery contest just as it was beginning when Jozre’s thought of archery drew him of Cody yet again but this time at his lack luster archery when it came to the heavier bows for a bosmer.

“so light hunting bow as always Cody? Have you ever thought of lifting weights to get stronger, you know, for the war long bows” Jozre said, leaning on the fence that separated the shooting ranges from the spectators as he pointed at a 60-pound war bow sitting beside the much lighter hunting bow.

“no man, that muscle stuff is for the big guys, I like it nice and fun sized. Besides, I am really good with the hunting 30 pounder. You think would appreciate bull’s eyes?” Cody asked, knowing that the 30 pounder did not have nearly the same penetration force then the stronger war bows but he was fine with having perfect aim. “anything is possible I guess, there are bound to be girls who like someone that hits the center every time”

“Ok then, you convinced me. Going to show them why the bosmer are the most accurate shooters in the land!” exited and about the contest he would do best at despite using a weaker bow, Cody and Jozre clasped hands together with a smile as they wished each other good luck “hey, isn’t the sparing competition starting soon? Better get going then man, I’ll come find you when the archery is done.”

Jozre was surprised at the realization as the archery competition started just before the sparring and tended to end half way through the sparring. The friends clasped each other’s palms and tugged at each other in a form of manly salute before parting ways, promising to cheer for each other on. I only gearing up for sparing did not take so long. …

After approaching the location of the sparring tournament, Jozre knew that his mother was waiting for him with his gear so he was not in any rush to arrive so he took the time to inspect the competition. The grounds were thick with spectators and among them were the contestants who were mingling among the crowd and their family. Champion Uldisiel was not hard to spot as he silently gathered with his haughtier family members, all sporting high end elven garbs and even his father looking like Thalmor. Uldisiel himself wore a high end gambeson with an outer layer of silk and the signature gold falcon armor of the Aldmeri dominion, gleaming even without polish. The teen-cat felt a bit of relief seeing as the junior champ seemed to be a man of action rather than bragging like his family although he could be less cold about the world and perfection. It was then that Jozre was pleasantly spotted by the secret girl of his heart currently.

Kaylias, a ginger blond haired girl of pasty pale skin dotted with freckles and the bluest eyes one could get lost in, or as it seemed to the smitten Jozre, has spotted her secret admirer in the crowd “hay Jozre, how’s it been? Cant believe your participating! I can’t wait to see you in action!” Kaylias’ words of encouragement were followed by the ugliest smile a girl of her age could have: yellow teeth browning from over consumption of brown sugar and maybe even moon sugar.  Jozre listened to her with a love smitten expression barely hidden as her flaws were completely ignored by the Khajiit, flaws that kept on coming and flaws Jozre ignored because he truly loved her “hello? Nirn to Jozre!” Jozre was startled back to reality, noting he had quite the problem for day dreaming

“oh yea, the competition. Yea, sure am and I can’t wait to prove myself. You know, because I am awesome haha” Jozre said, taking a dorky pose that made Kaylias laugh “sorry, I still need to work on my pose ” Kaylias stole a look of her former crush Uldisiel who she was very vocal about until he out right rejected her after her confession to the elf to which Jozre was there to comfort her sadness. Even when she would never give him a second thought.

“Are you sure you want to? You’re going against Uldisiel the champion. He is so gallant and perfect with the halberd that he did beat you really bad the last 2 years”

“hah, I still have to try. Right?” Jozre declared just as his expression became solemn and thought this was the best time as any “listen Kaylias, I need to confess something to you and its very important so please hear me out” Jozre spoke as the world around him seemed to mute around him and he remembered all those times he stood by her when she was sad and hurt and alone whenever someone would reject her or even bully her about her pail skin, her yellow teeth or her second bellybutton. All of this apparent flaws to her that made her the subject of ridicule from others were trivial to Jozre because he saw the beautiful and up lifting girl that she was. This was his hour to make good on his feelings for the flawed yet perfect girl before him.

“what is it, you can tell me” Kaylias asked, giving him a smile that vanished as soon as Jozre took her by the hands so suddenly and held them in his paws as if they were made of gold.

“I….I have been meaning to tell you this for years and you know. Ok, just going to say it. I love you and have loved you sines the day I meet you!” Jozre would have continued with a request for her affection but the feeling that he had already been so intrusive kept him from doing so. Kaylias just stood there, shocked and when she did move, it was to with draw her hands and mumble to herself “oh…umm well” she could only blurt out before turning tail to run away just as confused as Jozre who ended up wandering where he went wrong or if he actually did things correctly. Jozre simply stood there before the bell signaling the start of tournament rang loudly, Uldisiel gone long ago which startled Jozre and set him rushing to his station.

Rushing to his block were his gear was and his mother who would assist him, Jozre came in running and took in his surroundings, hoping he was not too late warranting disqualification. His mother made sure to convince the judges to let the others go first which was not a real problem.

Maravi, a suthay-rhat,was almost an original template of Jozre by her fur’s dark and light brown combining colors and patterns similar to an ocelot but her eyes were darker and her hair lighter. Pointing to a rack holding up a plain but thick gambeson and an old iron sword and a kettle helm, her mother began to scold him for his lateness “where were you, hmm? Your 10 minutes late. You’re lucky I could convince the judges to let the other contestants go first! Now get ready and gear up. Make us proud ok, do your best!” Maravi spoke with a motherly passion that made Jozre happy they were alone. Giving her cub a kiss on the cheek and a tight hug, Maravi rushed out to find a seat on the stands before the good ones were taken.

The Khajiit was not of a rich family but being able to make do with what he had, Jozre was able to buy himself functional but affordable gear. Jozre began to put on the gambeson with practiced ease as the frontal belts and the belt on his hips were strapped rather swiftly and not just because his match might start soon. Jozre could feel excitement in the thought of finally getting somewhere in the festival rankings that he could swear he could not feel his kettle helm and stuffy armor on. Fastening his gloves and take in hand his buckler shield and iron sword in hand, Jozre took in a deep breath at the sound of the bell and announcement of the next participants to fight.

“In the left, hailing from the dunmer lands of Morrowind just to prove his people’s superiority, the representative of the slavers of Ebonheart! give it up for Jubal!” the dark elf was probably as arrogant as any elf trying to proof something to everyone, wearing some sort of bug armor with the slaver’s chain of Dres in his chest. This would be fun. The crowd of dark elves more in touché to the savage ways of Morrowind cheered while the races and families of the oppressed and enslaved booed as hard as they could that it almost ended in a fist fight.

“yea that’s right you worthless scum, you all belong in cages!” the young Dres brandished his forked staff as if to use it to pin all none dunmer to the ground.

“and in the right corner, hailing from Elswayr and now a member of our community, member of the lesser noble house of tradesmen. Give it up to Jozre!” Jozre came out of his booth swinging his iron sword as if to challenge the slaver causing the crowd to cheer just because a khajiit was finally going to put a dunmer slaver in their place. Joining the cheers in the stands was Maravi who was pleased that so many cheered for her son even if it was situational and beside her were the rest of his family.

To her left was his father Skhar, a Cathey and just below Jozre in height, was of tall and of strong broad shouldered build who had suffered from the unfortunate belly of a beer drinking office worker. To her right was Dah-rha, cathey-rhat, and the tallest of the group despite being the youngest wile sporting the thin but athletic build of a fast runner. Dah-rah sported a peculiar feature that set him apart like his father in having a well pronounced and downward curving snout and nose. Next to him was suthey-rhat Rafra who was the wisest of them all and dark of fur like his father and baby brother, his thick build echoed the long ours in the Imperial humane resources offices. And last but not least was Skhar Jr, or Oscar as he liked to be called was the oldest of the litter arguably the tallest as a cathey-rhat and member of the Imperial military. Jozre took strength by the fact that his family was there to cheer for him, even if it was for a moment as each one had places to be.

With the bell ringing loudly, the fight was on the way and soon the two warriors began sizing them up, or at least Jozre did as the Dres boy was sure of his victory by racial virtue alone “so, cat, ready to eat dirt like the animal that you are?” the dunmer spat the word cat as he tried to seem bigger then he really was, almost a foot shorter than the still growing Jozre. Fighting against the urge to go berserk on the elf, Jozre studied his situation to find an opening as he noted he had the strength advantage but not the speed nor the reach thanks to the forked staff of the slaver who continued the taunting “so, ready to lose?”

“Big mouth for a privileged snob like you who’s ugly armor those not even have a scratch on it! what, first real battle little elf?” Jozre taunted back, noting that the bug looking armor was so pristine and scratch less that it had never seen real combat “you never actually fought have you? Only had slaves to spar with?”

Jozre had unwittingly guessed correctly as the Dres had little experience with a real fight unlike Jozre and in an attempt to prove the khajiit wrong the Dres boy attaced. Seeing the faint trace of mounting frustration, Jozre decided to block and side stepping the jabs the dunmer while looking for an opening in hopes of frustrating the elf “Is this all you have ashy? Man are you slow!” Jozre added salt to insult by rushing forward after a slightly clumsy thrust from the dunmer to bash him in the face with his sword’s pummel before stepping back.

The Dunmer screamed in agony right after stepping back, the blow of metal on bone having fractured on of his teeth as noted by the bloody drool and the faint sound of cringing. With his enemy stunned, Jozre took the chance and slashed at the dunmer’s knee before finally tackling him to the ground only to sit on top of him and bring his blunt iron sword between the gaps of the Dres’ helmet and breastplate “got you now.”

The judges had seen enough and rang the bell signaling the end of the match, sending guild members to aid the participants as Jozre got up with a smile on his face “match set, victory goes to Jozre” the crowd cheering for Jozre and for the defeat of the Dres roared in approval as Jozre took in the sight and lifted his sword in triumph “how those it tastes to eat the dirt an “animal” stepped on, eh chimuelo?” Jozre taunted and spat at his direction while no one was looking before rushing odd before the Dres could respond, cackling along the way. It sure felt good to put a jerk like that in his place but he had to keep that from going to his head, it was bound to get harder from up to that point. Little did the Khajiit know just how difficult the day was going to be because talented opponents were not the only threats Jozre would face that day.

[girlsandpets-blog1]

Top Ten Dog Training Tips

PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR DOG Learn how to pay attention to your dog. If your dog seems uneasy conference another dog, animal or individual, do not firmly insist that he state hey there. He's informing you that he isn't really comfy for a factor, and you ought to appreciate that. Requiring the problem can frequently lead to larger issues down the line.

BE GENEROUS WITH YOUR AFFECTION The majority of people do not have an issue being really clear about when they are dissatisfied with their pet dogs, however, they frequently neglect the great things. Huge error! Make certain you offer your dog great deals of attention when he's doing the best thing. Let him understand when he's been a great kid. That's the time to be additional generous with your attention and appreciation. It's even fine to be a little over the top.

DOES HE REALLY LIKE IT? Even if the bag states "a reward all pet dogs like" does not imply your dog will immediately like it. Some pets are extremely selective about exactly what they prefer to consume. Soft and chewy deals with are typically more amazing for your dog than tough and crispy deals with. Keep your eyes open for exactly what he delights in.

INFORM HIM WHAT YOU WANT HIM TO DO There is absolutely nothing naturally incorrect with informing your dog "no," other than that it does not provide him enough details. Rather of informing your dog "no," inform him exactly what you desire him to do. Pets do not generalize well, so if your dog leaps up on somebody to state hi and you state no, he might leap greater or he might leap to the left side rather of the right. A much better option would be to ask him to "sit." Inform him exactly what you desire him to do in order to prevent confusion.

CORRESPOND Whenever you're training your dog, it's essential to obtain as lots of member of the family included as possible so everybody's on the exact same page. If you are informing your dog "off" when he gets on the sofa and another person is stating "down," while another person is letting him hang out up there, how in the world is he ever going to discover exactly what you desire? Consistency will be the secret to your success.

HAVE REALISTIC EXPECTATIONS Altering habits requires time. You have to have reasonable expectations about altering your dog's habits along with the length of time it will require to alter habits that you do not like. Typically habits which are "regular" doggy habits will take the most time such as barking, digging and leaping. You likewise have to think about for how long your dog has actually practiced the habits. For instance, if you didn't mind that your dog leapt up on individuals to state hi for the last 7 years and now you choose that you do not desire him to do that any longer, that habits will take a lot longer time to reverse than if you had actually resolved it when he was a pup. Remember it's never ever far too late to alter the habits some will simply take longer than others.

DO N'T UNDERESTIMATE THE BENEFITS OF FEEDING A HIGH QUALITY FOOD Feed your dog a top quality diet plan with proper quantities of protein. If your dog invests the majority of his days relaxing in your apartment, do not feed him food with a protein level that is perfect for pets who herd sheep throughout the day. The cash that you will invest in feeding a proper quality food will typically be cash that you conserve in veterinarian expenses later. I suggest you constantly contact your vet for the ideal diet plan for your dog.

YOU GET WHAT YOU REINFORCE-- NOT NECESSARILY WHAT YOU WANT If your dog shows a habits you do not like, there is a strong possibility that it's something that has actually been strengthened prior to. An excellent example is when your dog brings you a toy and barks to lure you to toss it. You toss the toy. Your dog has actually simply discovered that barking gets you to do exactly what he desires. You state "no," and he barks much more. Paradise forbid you give up and toss the toy now! Why? Due to the fact that you will have taught him determination settles. Prior to you understand it you'll have a dog that barks and barks whenever he desires something. The service? Neglect his barking or ask him to do something for you (like "sit") prior to you toss his toy.

BRIBERY VS. REWARD The concept of utilizing deals with to train is typically related with bribery. Honestly, pet dogs do what works. If utilizing deals with gets them to do exactly what you desire, then why not? You can likewise utilize the world around you as a support. Every interaction you have with your dog is a finding out chance, so when you consider it, you most likely do not utilize food extremely typically other than throughout active training sessions. So why does your dog continue to hang out? Due to the fact that you strengthen him with appreciation, touch, video games and strolls. Simply keep in mind, the habits needs to produce the reward; the reward ought to not produce the habits.

LIBERTY Let your brand-new dog slowly make flexibility throughout your house. A typical mistake that numerous pet moms and dads make is providing their brand-new dog excessive flexibility prematurely. This can quickly result in mishaps connecting to housetraining and harmful chewing. So, block doors to empty spaces and utilize infant gates to area off parts of your home, if essential. Among the very best methods to lessen events is to keep your dog connected to you in your home and by utilizing a dog crate or dog safe location when you cannot actively monitor him.