#that sure is a cat herding geese

[chaotic-neutral-knitter]

Went to a museum last weekend and saw this, which has now become very important to me.

The tag was

Ostracon Depicting a Cat Herding Geese Limestone, Ink New Kingdom, Dynasties 19-20 Egyptian Museum JE 63801

[quill-of-thoth]

Letters from Watson: The Blue Carbuncle

Crimes in Context: Opportunistic theft is boring so we're going to talk about geese. The domestic goose is not a common food in the USA during the modern era, and it's only barely more common in the UK due to the traditional Christmas goose. As it turns out chickens and turkeys are a little easier to grow at factory scale, and in proportions that would prevent them from surviving in the wild. Nevertheless, they were excellent backyard livestock for a Victorian household, given a patch of grass and some water they mostly didn't need any additional feed, unless you gave them some grain to fatten them up for market. Being water fowl, they don't tend to fly away often if they can waddle, and you could always clip their feathers to prevent it. Domestic goose and domestic turkeys are similar in size, with the yield of edible meat from a turkey being a little bit greater, because the goose has a lot more fat to render out - though this wouldn't necessarily go to waste, since goose grease, like chicken schmaltz, is very suitable for use as a cooking fat. Geese have been domesticated in various parts of the world for about as long as chicken and ducks, (Some time in 4000 to 3000 bce) and the probable method is the same: find nest, steal eggs, hatch eggs. Allow birds to forage around the local settlement where there are fewer predators, steal more easily from their nests. Repeat process year after year until the geese start displaying a variety of funny colors and don't run away when you throw them some sprouted grain you can't cook with. When mature, slaughter, cook, and serve some while keeping others to make more eggs and the next generation of goose dinners. Geese are also fairly useful if you, for example, want to keep a nicely clipped lawn. They're primarily grass-eaters, and their poop is decent fertilizer for more grass. You can herd them around to make sure they nibble the bits you want instead of your garden. They're also large enough birds that they can defend themselves in a backyard poultry setting: they're more than a match, in groups, for the neighbor's cat, or even their large dog. In addition, the feathers are very useful - geese and ducks have down feathers (the fluffy stuff UNDER their oily exterior feathers) that keep them warm in and out of the water, and these have been popular for stuffing pillows and mattresses (due to being softer and less likely to start decaying if they get a little damp) more or less since there have been pillows and mattresses. Also, geese have "teeth" (Actually made of cartilage, not bone) on their tongue and the interior of their beak. Useful information if one of your ambitions is to be bitten by a dinosaur.

[werspinna]

The baker stirs awake, eyes slowly opening. He feels someone in his arms, head turning to his guest. His eyes widened seeing the alchemist, a blush forming on his face. He replays the night in his head as a hand covers his red face. NOt helped by the look on Wolf's face as a bashful chuckle escapes his lips. "Am I blushing? I'm blushing aren't I?"

PROMPTS FOR THE MORNING AFTER !

Back in he convent the morning was never quiet- there were the hasty noise of steps on the corridor from the nun running into the chapel for the morningprayer, there were the busy clattering of pots and dishes from the kitchen when the breakfast was prepared, there were the loud noises of the children who- beside the fact that everyone in the convent was orderd to be silent- were herded like a flock of chattering geese to the refectory for a quick breakfast so they could go to their first lessons as soon as the nuns had finsihed their prayers. Here however the morning was almost quiet, there was Chris breathing changing its quiet tact when he stirred awake and the distant echo of vehicles on the streets that were as tiered as their drivers, yet at this hour of the morining were the light was still grey, almost white, it was so strangely quiet that it had woken Wolf who was so used to the loudness of the convent in the morning that she was suddenly alarmed and alerted, up. Chris reaction and words made her laugh in all good humor and the young woman propped herself up on one elbow. The pale light falling into the room drew soft shadows on the amused smile on her face. Still laughing she took the man bigger hand in her scarred ones, pulled it gently from his face and kissed his knuckles, humming so lightly her breath stroked soft like a veil over his skin: "...Wol mich der stunde, daz ich ihn erkande, diu mir den lîp und den muot hât betwungen. Sît deich die sinne sô gar an ihn wande, der er mich hât mit eein güete verdrungen. Daz ich gescheiden von ihn niht enkan, daz hât ihn schœne und ihn güete gemachet, und ihn rôter munt, der sô lieplîchen lachet." The young woman grey eyes flicked up to Chris, squinting in a smile that was only a little wolfish, only a little impish, only a little sly as she chirped as innocently as she was definitive not: "As the bard sung so nicely- no need to be afraid of blushing red when this is when people are the most beautiful. I for one -" She breathed another kiss on the mans knuckles, this time however looking directly at him and with a knowing smile curling around the scarred corner of her mouth. Gently, softly, tenderly she lead his hand to herself, to her neck, to her bare shoulder, down to one of her breasts: "-am so very nicely bewitched by that pretty colour on your face, not gonna lie, not lying at all. You sure are the most beautiful when you are blushing."

This was the exact moment when the dimensional-traveling-watch that Wolf had put on the dresser beside Chris bed started to beep and blink like an angry firefly and for a second, just a second there was a irritated scowl crumbling Wolfs poxscarred face into a annoyed grimace. Then the second ended, the mask found its way back to her face, and a amused little laughed escaped the young womans mouth as she fell back on her back in the bed, stretching her arms up as if she was a sleepy cat in the sunlight. She reached up, stroking a finger over the mans cheek gently: "Ah, the Multiverse wants me back, it seems. No nice pause for me, no, never a nice pause for me, not at all. It is not the nice way, not at all, not nice really, but would it be okay if you eat your breakfast without me, Muuske?" [ @bewitchingbaker ]

[saving-word-crawls]

Fantastical Train Word Crawl

By: SilentSilverSlip

I hope you’re ready for your short train trip. Oh, what’s that? You haven’t packed your bags? Best get to it! Sprint for five minutes.

Got everything? Charger? Writing tool of choice? The black cat known only as Abyss sitting in the shadows of your bag? Awesome! Best head off to the train, however you want to do it.

You decide to take a leisurely walk. Hold a 12 minute sprint.

Good thing you’ve got your good shoes on! Take off for a small run. Hold a 8 minute sprint.

You have better things to do than walk along the streets, dodging bicycles and dragons and the goddamn magical geese which refuse to move out of the way, no matter how much you shout. And so, you decide to drive. Hold a 5 minute sprint.

You have better things to do than try to stick to the footpaths and the roads. You decide to take your handy broomstick and fly. Hold a 13 minute sprint (look, there are rules about flying and airways and what roads you can take, there’s a lot of traffic up there!)

You make it to the train station, only almost late, which is better than being late by far. The train is already waiting in the station, purple smoke puffing up from the front carriage. The rest of the train is vaguely Hogwarts-esque, black with red highlights. You squint at it, suspicious. Does the smoke appear to be forming random animal shapes or is just your imagination?

“All aboard!” Well, there’s no time for questioning such things, you quickly pull out the ticket in your pocket and hand it over, before climbing on board the train. Your bag thumps against your side as you look for your seat. What was it again?

The aisle and the various seats look endless, and the ticket stub with the seat number seems to be getting smaller and smaller. Was that a 5 or a snake shifting around the ticket? Lifting it closer to your face seems to be no help, either. Best do it the old-fashioned way then—walk until a seat looks right.

Sprint for 10 minutes as you look for your seat.

There it is! You settle down in the carriage, offering a smile to the people nearby. You’ve been gifted with a window seat, which is fantastic because you’re sure there will be amazing views—once you leave the city. At the moment, all you can see are the other stations, grey and boring with the other travellers the only bright blurs of colours.

A phoenix, flames blue-green-orange, races across one platform, wings extending on either side. Your attention is drawn away, however, as the train slowly begins to pull out of the station

And, while the cityscape surrounds you, you decide to get some wording done while you wait for the far prettier views to appear in your window.

Sprint for 15 minutes.

When you emerge from your haze, you glance outside, and blink in surprise. The countryside almost seems to be glowing green and the sky is bluer than you’ve ever seen. And, if you squint, you can make out a herd of unicorns racing across the fields. They move so quickly that their legs almost seem to be blurring together, becoming one endless river of white.

“Mrow.” A call has you looking away from your window and you look down at your bag, to see Abyss poking their head out at you. The black cat stares up at you, nose wrinkling. Their green eyes grow bigger and you find yourself giving in.

“Alright, I’ll go get some food.”

“Mrow.” Cats, it turns out, can sound quite content when they meow. This is not new to you, but Abyss does it extremely well.

Roll a 3d3 and times the number by 50. That’s how many words you have to sprint to, best get going!

You find the trolley witch who, for some reason, also carries cat treats. She offers you a brown paper bag with six tuna surprises. Abyss seems to enjoy these ones in particular, though you’re not sure if that’s because they’re in the shape of the earth or if it’s because they taste like fish.

Regardless, you bring it back to your carriage, only to find that Abyss is nowhere to be seen. You knew bringing Abyss might have been a bad idea, but you could hardly leave the cat behind! Which carriage should you go check out first?

You now get to choose which carriage to investigate. You’ll need to check out all the cabins before moving onto the next step!

Pick a number between 1 and 5

No. 1: The Stylish Carriage

There… appear to be a lot of people here and they all seem dressed to the nines. You feel somewhat out of place in your clothes, which are very much casual clothes and not at all ready for the party.

“Hello dear!” someone calls, and you turn to look at them and find yourself wondering if you’ve fallen into some Pride and Prejudice costume carriage. You’re fairly certain those clothes hadn’t been in fashion since the 19th century, though that didn’t necessarily stop people from wearing them, you supposed. “Join us for some tea and cakes, yes?”

And, well, you can’t not join, can you?

Sprint for 15 minutes. These people can sure hold a conversation!

Abyss is not in this carriage, so you best move on. What’s the next carriage on your list?

No. 2: Alice in Wonderland the Second Carriage

There must have been a theme for this train that you weren’t told. Upon entering the second carriage, you find yourself besieged by people who seem to have just left Wonderland. There’s Alice, in her blue dress; and a white rabbit wearing a waistcoat and a top hat, complete with a time piece. Not to mention, you see the Madhatter and the Dormouse too. There’s also the March Hare, with a slim red bowtie around their neck.

Somehow, they appear to be holding a tea party in the carriage despite the seats separating them. You can even see a tea kettle floating over your head, purple with green dragons streaking across its surface.

Something sends a gust of smoke into your face and you cough, waving your hand. Since when is smoking allowed on trains?!

“Why is a raven like a writing desk?”

Well, why is a raven like a writing desk? Sprint to 200 words as you try to figure out the answer!

Once you answer the question, the being that might be a massive caterpillar but could also just be someone in a very realistic costume, huffs. “You are missing the point,” they say.

Which, well, you’re also missing a cat, who doesn’t seem to be here at all. And, while you wouldn’t mind some tea, you have a feeling that whatever inky blackness is pouring out of the kettle isn’t actually tea. Best to move on.

No. 3: How good is your eyesight?

You cannot see a single thing in this carriage. No, seriously. Even the seats are hidden from sight, and there must be something hiding the windows from sight. Holding your hands out in front of you, you do your best to walk through the darkness without stumbling into anything.

Sprint to 150 words in 5 minutes.

Success – You made it out of the carriage without any issues, but also without a cat.

Failure – You made it out of the carriage, complete with a stubbed toe and many curses, and… without a cat.

No. 4: OSHA Violations

You walk into the carriage, only to immediately duck a fireball. “Hey!” you shout, popping back up with your hands on your hips. “Watch what you’re doing with that!”

Three teenagers stare back at you. One shifts awkwardly. “Oops?”

Oops is right. You huff. “It’s Magic 101 to practice fire spells safely, complete with the necessary precautions,” you lecture. “Even ignoring the flammable nature of everything in this cabin, you should have a shield up at minimum.”

“We’ll do that next time,” one of the teenagers says begrudgingly. Had you ever been like that? Magic, you hope not.

Do you continue to lecture the teenagers? If yes, sprint for 15 minutes. If not, sprint for 7 minutes.

The teenagers, still somewhat grumpy, part with a lighter so that you don’t share their actions with their parents—only one cabin along.

Regardless, though you might now have a lighter, you are still lacking abysses—and Abyss. Best to keep looking.

No. 5: Partying Without the Kids

The fifth carriage holds a rambunctious group of adults, who all seem to be celebrating for one reason or another. When you enter, someone shoves a party hat on your head and you find yourself holding—not a paper plate with a cake on it—but an old-fashioned lantern… without a candle.

Everyone cheers at you and someone toots a party streamer at you, loud enough that you jump. The lantern swings wildly in your hand.

“You get a candle if you pin the hat on the witch!” someone challenges you. Before you can even answer, a blindfold is put around your head and you find yourself spinning around.

Sprint for a dizzying 3 minutes!

Unfortunately for everyone around you, this is kind of your speciality, even without magic. Somewhat confidently, and maybe zigzagging a little, you make your way up to the carriage window and slap the witch hat onto the poster.

You pull off the blindfold, and grin upon seeing that you’ve managed to stick the witch hat on the witch. Success! You’ve got a candle for your lantern!

And no cat…

Where could that cat be? If you were a black cat named Abyss, where would you go…

Of course, the third carriage full of shadows! You didn’t see anything because you were blind in the dark, but now you have a lighter, a candle, and a lantern. There’s no stopping you now!

Full of courage and cheer, you enter the dark carriage with your lantern held aloft. Yellow light pools out around you, fighting back the shadows. Red eyes glow from one of the corners and you gulp, watching as a shadow shifts.

Abyss… is no longer cat size. Eek!

Convince Abyss that being the size of a small horse is really not quite what they want, and that they should probably return to being house cat-sized. Sprint for 20 minutes!

Somehow, against all the odds, you manage to convince Abyss to shrink themselves back, and you find your arms full with a black cat who is acting like they’ve never done anything wrong in their life ever. Like the moment you left them, they didn’t go and try to turn into an abyss consuming monster that came from another world with the desire to destroy this one.

Cats, honestly. They were really quite alien creatures.

You were quite an adventurer a few years ago, but you certainly don’t miss the whole… fighting aspect. Much better to enjoy travelling without warring about grave injury or, y’know, death.

Returning to your seat, Abyss still in your arms, you decide to relax in your seat for a bit, enjoy the scenery outside…

Sprint to the nearest 500 or 1000.

“Please disembark from the train!”

You blearily re-emerge from sleep. Abyss, a black housecat once more, blinks up at you from the ground. “Mrow?”

“I’m fine,” you reply, wiping a hand across your eyes. You can’t believe you’re already at your destination. You glance down at the cat who caused more mischief than you’d expected—and done a good job at preventing you from wording too. “You are a danger.”

Abyss seems extraordinarily pleased with this and licks one of their paws. You roll your eyes in amusement, and quickly organise yourself, packing your bag. Time to head off to the holiday house you booked—and to actually enjoy your vacation.

Hopefully there will be no more Abyss-related adventures…

I hope you enjoyed this word crawl! Thanks for giving it a go!

[quarthly]

Twilight characters as random animals that I think are oddly fitting

(Also yes, I am roasting the animals as well)

Edward: He would be a Cheetah. Now I know, seems like a cop out just because of his speed but hear me out. Cheetahs are, at face value, pretty cool. They used to be my favorite animal as a child, but then I grew up.

Cheetahs, through no fault of their own, are severely inbred. Now thats mainly because of poaching, but the cheetas anxiety also comes into play. In captivity, cheetahs are usually given emotional support dogs. I will admit it is cute but it negatively affects the population. Excluding one in the wild, cheetas can be to anxious to breed and thats not good for conservation efforts.

Cheetahs can hit up to 80 miles per hour in a couple of seconds. They are designed for fast running and agility. Their claws are similar to that of a dogs for better traction and they have elongated spines for longer strides. They have a thin build, long legs and a long tail for balance.

This has downsides though. Many times after making a kill, it will get stolen for them by larger predators. Thats right, they get absolutely bodied by the other animals. I should probably make these shorter but I'm on a rant now, so I guess this will be semi educational.

Throughout the series, we see Edward over estimated his abilities and value, constantly getting bodied by others. He's essentially a perfect mormon, though thats on S'meyers. He constantly judges others, dehumanizing them to their baser flaws, without doing any self reflecting. Him viewing himself as a monster doesn't really count to me. While he definitely hates himself, the only thing he is truly demonizing is being a vampire.

Bella: Picking up from Edwards, Bella is a Chocolate Labrador. Yes, she is his therapy dog. I feel like this is really fitting for her. I know Golden retriever would make more sense, as thats the most common breed for service animals. However, I kind of focused on her appearance. Only at first though! I just know that Edward raved about her human qualities and that would pass over as animals as well. Her chocolate eyes and brown fur, very average and boring. Thats essentially Bella. Even Edward wasn't into her until he got a wiff. Labradors a very loyal dogs and while they have more personality than Bella, I just couldn't shake it. Their also very stupid. Ok that's kind of mean, they're not stupid but when it comes to love, then yeah they are stupid.

I used to have a lab, loved him to death, but god he was something else. Very much danger prone, from their own stupidity or their lack of survival instincts. I know that labs are almost aquatic. They love water, swimming, all that jazz. We can just say that bella has a few screws loose in her dna and is just "not like other labs."

Rosalie: Now she was hard. There are quite a few animals that I think would fit for her. I'll list the other ones, but that one I went with is the Swan. Like Edward, seems a little on the nose, but I have my reasoning.

I was going to pick a predator for her, as she is shown to be very vengeful and viscous. I would have pick some type of cat, most likely a purebred, from a rich family. It could still work, but the swan just speaks to me on this one.

Swan's are known for being beautiful, graceful, and are pictured as the symbol of love. They are also very vain. Edward constantly brings up Rosalies vanity. She was constantly valued for her beauty as a human, so of course that crossed over in the transformation. She was raised to be married into wealth, she was used as a bargaining chip to increase the family's standing.

Rose has a very strong character and makes her opinions known. She's assertive and aggressive at times. She's not afraid to get dirty.

Swans mate for life and like geese, are known for being great parents. I was also going to choose geese as an option for the maternal instincts. I was wary at first because swans can be really aggressive. Like actually, you think geece are bad? Yikes bestie...

I was conflicted because swans are known for drowning dogs and sometimes people. However, I can actually see Rose drowning Bella. It's not that unbelievable lmao.

Emmett: Now this one is just ironic. I only associate him with bears. Its inevitable, but picking a Grizzly or Black bear is too obvious. So I went a slightly different route...

So I was going to pick the Sun bear just because of looks alone. Like, I'm not exaggerating, it looks like someone wearing a bear costume. I don't think it fits him but I know for a fact that he would dress up as a sun bear and sneak into a zoo to see if anyone would notice. I'll put a pic of it here

Like look at this thing. I have no words...

Anyway, what I picked was a Sloth Bear. Now Sloth bears are mostly nocturnal, which either way works consider vamps don't sleep. Their diet is also odd but honestly so is the cullens. They're native to the Indian subcontinent, and are known for being aggressive towards humans. Its said that for the most part they're pretty calm, so I think its just fear of humans that make them act aggressively. Honestly, that's a good thing because they are listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red list.

They have some similarities with sloths, which is where they get the name. They have long claws and unusual teeth. They are known to hang upside down from tree branches, and is described as having a messy appearance. Honestly, Emmitt has a messy personality. Sorry bestie but you're a lot of work.

Now heres the biggest reason for choosing this bear. Aside from Baloo from the jungle book being a sloth bear, they are known to run fades with Tigers. Honestly, how fucking badass is that!? Now I don't think there are recorded instances of a Sloth bear killing a Tiger, but when push comes to shove, they can hold their own and I find that incredibly impressive.

Carlisle: This one was somehow the easiest as well as the toughest. I know Owl seems like the obvious choice, and I can see it. However, I believe Carlisle values emotional intelligence as much or if not more than academic intelligence. He is so charismatic and values other's above himself. He might not be as Saint like as Edward thinks, but he does try and I think he genuinely cares about others. For that reason alone, I choose a Elephant.

Elephant's are very social animals and are extremely intelligent. I could rave about them for ages, I love them so much.

Now elephants live in a familial unit and are usually matriarchal. Bulls usually are on the outer edges of the herd or form little groups with other males. Honestly, they're not that bad aside from when their in musk.

In the group of males, the elder ones will teach the younger where to get the best food, water, how to use things as tools, and every other thing that will increase their odds of survival. This is really cute to me tbh, they do this because the females usually choose the older males because they've proved that they are intelligent and strong, that they have survived and will continue to for awhile. Teaching the younger males these things are to make the odds of them getting chosen to mate more likely. The whole unit just reminds me of a father that has to deal with rowdy teens.

Carlisle likes to take in strays, he might not have a herd but he will make one and teach them to thrive. That's how he envisions it anyway. He just has a found family and is trying his best.

Esme: Now this might seem like an insult, but I promise it's not! This is in no way misogynistic. I love cattle and ever since I took animal science in highschool, I have appreciated these grass puppies like they deserve. Call me Castro because I love cows.

Yup! I chose a Cow for her. Specifically a beef cow. That might sound weird but its because beef cows have higher maternal instinct than dairy cows. I'm thinking Scottish Highland based on vibes alone.

They are nicknamed the Gentle Giants of Scotland. Super maternal and sweet and ugh look how cute they are!

Esme came from a abusive marriage and had just lost her child, she was depressed and desperate. Her changing was, in a way, salvation. She just fits in. She adopts all these strays along with him and will protect them to the death. She might be gentle by nature, but don't fuck with her family. She lost her first one and she isn't going to lose this one.

Alice: She's an odd one. There are so many possibilities and maybe I'm biased, but I feel like she would be a Crow.

Ok listen, I'm definitely biased but it just feels right. Crows get a bad rap, they are so cool! They are so intelligent and have the ability to actually sit and think about the past, prest, and future. I forget what its called, but this was only seem in humans! Maybe other apes, I can't remember exactly, but either way its awesome. They do live in groups, or murders, and remember people and faces. They remember locations and are able to pass down information through generations. They essentially have their own language! They are able to use tools too!

Alice's story is really sad. When we first meets her, it revolves around the death of her mother and her institutionalized. She was essentially tortured and forgot everything from her past. All she had was the future and even that wasn't constant. Crows a often viewed as omens, they are associated with death. I personally believe that instead of being the cause, they just know something is going to happen. They are very inquisitive and can be creative.

If you befriend a murder of crows, sometimes, depends or the group, they will bring gifts. Its can range from food to shiny metals and colorful plastic. Hell, I think I've seen a post of one stealing things from people just to gift it to their human.

Alice's love language is gifts. Even if they are focused around fashion, she still goes out of her way to get something that will look good and at least be a little comfortable. By that I mean she tends to forget peoples comfort zones, but she means well.

Jasper: Honestly not to sure what to put for him. I know a predator would be more fitting, but for some reason I can see a donkey working. I know, seems like I'm clowning on the confederate. Fair, but I'm serious about the donkey thing. Honestly, it would be perfect if it wasn't a herbivore. Porcupine would also work.

Being a predator would make more sense. Given his backstory and his characterization, it wouldn't make sense for him to be a prey animal. Usually I wouldn't count this, but given his gore filled past and trouble with the diet, it seemed fitting.

I see him as a Big Cat. Honestly, vamps in general just give cat vibes. Jasper though especially have some cat like qualities, which originates from hunting and being a soldier.

I specifically see him as a Mountain Lion. Aside from him being blonde, he just has the predatory stealth to him. In midnight sun, we see him use his gift to make the nomads overlook him. He's honestly really powerful.

Mountain lions are known for being stealthy with an air of grace and power to them. They are stong animals. And I mean strong. They can jump 40-45 feet.

They're very elusive and quite. They stalk their prey and tend to attack from behind but don't think they won't hold their ground if need be.

Jasper was changed during the Civil War and forced to fight in the Newborn wars. He was a soldier as a human and as a vampire. He's able to feel and manipulate others emotions. He's covered in scars and is very intimidating.

He still struggles with the diet and honestly I hate how the others handle it. Like they have no room to talk. I don't want to defend the confederate but it just pisses me off. He has to deal with his hunger on top of everyone else's. Like damn, besties always on edge! Everyone doubts him which I don't think helps any.

Also, Mountain lions and Cheetahs can purr!

@aquanova99 I'll do a Volturi one too. That one will be fun lmao

[kelyon]

Dark Mistress 1: Anticipation

Poor spinner Rumpelstiltskin gives himself to the beautiful Dark One. 

Read on AO3

Though the sun was just setting, the full moon rose over the horizon, round and yellow as a knob of butter. As he looked at it, Rumpelstiltskin licked his lips and grinned. 

Leaning on his staff, he hobbled from the yard to the barn. The farm where he lived wasn’t his, not really. Not only because--like everyone in the village--Rumpelstiltskin rented the land from the manor knight, who in turn gave rents to his liege lord, who paid fealty to the Duke of the Frontlands, who served at the pleasure of the King. And even the King was at the mercy of the gods and the stars and other forces, both dark and light, that could bring prosperity or ruin, life or death to any man, no matter how grand or powerful. The King was mortal, after all, and all the true powers were deathless.  

No, even with all that in mind, Rumpelstiltskin knew that his home didn’t belong to him. At best, he was the caretaker for it, a steward waiting for the day when his son would claim the farm as his birthright. 

It all belonged to Baelfire, and Rumpelstiltskin had no claim to it. Milah’s grandfather, Baeden Strong, had been granted the tenancy of this land after fighting for his lord to clear it. As recently as a hundred years ago, this great swath of land, from the nearby sea coast to the far-off Gray Forest, had been overrun with ogres. When the monster went beyond their natural borders and began attacking villages, the armies of men had slaughtered them. The First Ogre War, where Baeden Strong had earned his name and his farm, had been a war of conquest. It pushed the ogres back north to the mountains where they had stayed for a generation. After it was over, Milah’s family had settled in a patch of the reclaimed land and made it theirs. 

Baelfire’s great-grandfather had raised the timbers on the cottage and the barn. When Milah’s father, Mikon Smith, had inherited the land, he’d used the barn as a forge, and taught the principles of metalworking to his son, Micah. Father and son were both dead now, killed in the Second Ogres War. That was when Rumpelstiltskin had assumed ownership of the farm. 

Milah had always been quick to remind him that he wasn’t good enough to walk in the footsteps of her father and brother. Limp, she would correct herself. Rumpelstiltskin couldn’t walk anywhere.  

He never had much to do with the barn. Mikon’s forge tools were sold long ago. The cows and oxen and geese that had once filled the space were likewise sold off, replaced with sheep that were easier for one lame man to care for. Then, when times were at their worst, those sheep also had been sold. For a time, the barn had stood empty, better fit for kindling than as a shelter.

But in the past six months, Rumpelstiltskin’s fortunes had steadily increased. A future was coming to light for Bae. Now the barn was home to four ewes, three hens, and a colony of cats who were all the same tortoise-shell color, so it was impossible to know how many of them there were. In a sty around the back of the building, a hog slowly fattened up on scraps and garden waste. The rafters were empty but cleaned out--waiting to be filled with a harvest of hay and straw.

Inside the barn, Baelfire was making sure their meager herd had enough water for the night. Baguette, whose training as a sheepdog was slowly coming back to her, trailed behind the boy, making sure the ewes were behaving themselves.

“Everything alright in there?” Rumpelstiltskin called.

“Yes, Papa,” Bae answered. “The chickens are roosting in the coop and I’m finishing up with the sheep here.”

Rumpelstiltskin nodded. He knew Bae had a handle on things. The boy had a natural talent with animals. He was observant and kindhearted, as any shepherd should be. In the spring, he would turn fifteen years old. Practically a man. Rumpelstiltskin needed to trust that his son knew what he was doing. 

But worrying was in his nature. Worrying about Baelfire doubly so. Better than most, he knew that life was cruel. As clever and good and hard-working as Bae was, that was no protection from disaster and shame. If he could spare Bae any of that, any pain or misfortune, then Rumpelstiltskin would give the world to do it.

Of course, he already had. And he would do it again tonight.

Inside the cottage, Rumpelstiltskin began to ready dinner. There was only one large room in the cottage, dominated by the sturdy stone hearth. He poked at the embers in the fire and put on a fresh log. Bae had done a good job of chopping wood this morning. This time of year, there was only the slightest frost in the air, but nights could be cold and Rumpelstiltskin didn’t want to risk his boy catching a chill. 

It had been a few years since the two of them had stopped sharing a bed. Baelfire had a corner of the cottage that he had made his sanctuary. It was a little bunk against two walls, the straw mattress piled high with blankets. The boy’s favorite drawings--carefully preserved on thin strips of white birch bark--were stuck into the mud wall with pins.

The bed where Rumpelstiltskin slept had been a wedding present from Mikon. It had a sturdy chestnut frame, built large with the hope and blessing that their family would be numerous enough to fill it. Mikon had only had two children before Milah’s mother was taken by a fever,  but Baden Strong and his wife Lainia had seen seven infants reach adulthood. Big families were good for farms, and Milah had wanted to be a mother, once.

With the fire stoked, Rumpelstiltskin set the kettle over the flames. A pottage of beans and onions had been warming in the coals, the same they’d had for a midday meal. The food was stored in a glazed and painted earthenware crock. Good old Lainia had been from a family of potters. Milah’s grandmother had come into her marriage with a bounty of earthenware--cups and plates, jugs and bowls. Most people in the village ate off of wood, but Baelfire never had. Years had passed, and some of the pottery had broken, but the skill of Bae’s ancestors still provided for them.

In the cupboard there was only enough bread to cut into three slices. They would need bread tomorrow morning to break their fast, so that only left one slice to eat tonight--and that a thin slice as well. Rumpelstiltskin didn’t hesitate. He cut off a neat third and put it on one of the glazed plates. He ladled the soupy mixture out of the pot and over the bread and set it on the table for Bae.

It was far from the first time he had skipped a meal to feed his son. He only counted himself lucky that there would be a slice for him to have tomorrow. He would need the bread more in the morning than he did now. Now, his stomach was fluttering and nearly shaking. There could have been a king’s feast laid out in front of him, and he wouldn’t have been able to taste it. 

The water in the kettle over the fire was warm, but not boiling. Rumpelstiltskin poured some out into a basin and wet his hands and face. Then he took cold ash from the edge of the fireplace and rubbed it into his skin to wash. They would make proper soap soon, but this would do well enough for now.

Most of that day’s work had been in the making of rushlights. The dried stalks had been soaking in melted animal fat for the best part of yesterday. He and Bae had spent the daylight hours wicking away the excess fat and braiding single stalks of rushes into thicker, sturdier rushlights. The fat--the accumulation of grease and drippings that they had been saving in a crock for the past year--stunk, and smelled even worse when it was melted. The grease clung to Rumpelstiltskin’s hands, until he washed it away with ash and water. 

Perhaps it had been foolishness to do such a stinking task on today of all days. But the harvest was coming in soon, and anything that could be done before that needed to be done and quickly. Besides, if Rumpelstiltskin was the first person at the market with rushlights to sell, then passers-by might be tempted to give him their pennies in exchange. In a few weeks, when every farm in the village was slaughtering their animals and rendering the fat, then everyone would have rushlights and soap and ointments to sell. 

This way, perhaps, he might finally get a leg up before winter. In other years, he wouldn’t be so hopeful. But things had been different ever since Bae’s fourteenth birthday. Ever since the war had ended. Ever since…

“Papa, what are we going to do with that Dabbey?” Baelfire burst into the cottage, the dog at his heels. He took a pinch of ash from the fireplace and joined Rumpelstiltskin at the water basin. “What do you do with a sheep too ornery to eat?”

Grinning, Rumpelstiltskin took a second pinch of ash and washed his hands again. He made sure to rub underneath his fingernails and into the fine lines of his palms. He had to be clean tonight.

“It isn’t orneriness that turns a ewe off her feed,” he told Bae. “Have you noticed anything amiss with the other three?”

Bae shook his head, wiped his hands with a linen cloth, and then offered the cloth to Rumpelstiltskin. “Abbey, Babbey and Cabbey are all fine. And they’re not pushing Dabbey around either. I watched them at the trough, they were all polite. But Dabbey didn’t want any grain.”

“Maybe she’s full up from her time in the pasture,” Rumpelstiltskin suggested. “I’ll take a look at her in the morning.”

Bae nodded and went to the table. He didn’t take his seat at the bench, but stopped in his tracks and stared at the single plate that had been set down. 

“I already had mine,” Rumpelstiltskin said quickly. He tried to smile. “Eat up, boy.” 

His son’s eyes were wide and brown and steady. Too serious, for such a young boy. Too burdened from the poor hand life had dealt him. For his son’s whole life, Rumpelstiltskin had tried to put light in the boy’s eyes. He tried to keep him from worrying, to keep him from knowing about the misery and misfortune that walked beside them every day. Sometimes, he thought he succeeded. 

And sometimes, Rumpelstiltskin knew how he failed. 

The moment passed. Baelfire slumped to his seat and picked up his spoon. Baguette lay down at his feet, ready for anything that might drop. 

“Will you at least have some tea and honey, Papa? That has to be better than nothing.”

Rumpelstiltskin took two earthenware mugs--painted with flowers, the same pattern as Bae’s plate--and prepared tea and honey for them both. Baelfire poked at his bread and beans, but didn’t eat. 

“You know, with that Dabbey,” he said to the boy, “it could be that she’s in need of a ram to service her.”

Baelfire looked up quickly and made a face. “Don’t put it like that, Papa! It’s so crude.”

“Farm animals are about as crude as creatures get.” Rumpelstiltskin shrugged. He tried to play it for laughs, to keep Bae from dwelling on dinner. “And ewes are known for going into heat as the days get shorter.”

The boy’s mouth turned down at one corner, as though he wanted to say something, but didn’t think it was the time. Then he looked down again, and spooned up a bite of his bread.

“Where do we go about finding a ram?”

“We can ask around at the market tomorrow,” Rumpelstiltskin said. “The real question will be who has the cheapest stud fee.”

After a moment’s thought, Baelfire’s face twisted into disappointment and disgust. “There’s even a price for doing that?”

“Can be quite a high price,” Rumpelstiltskin drank his tea. 

“Even for sheep?”

“For everything, Bae.” He set his mug down on the table. “Everything has a price. But if we can pay this price, Dabbey will be out of her ill-temper, the other three will never get into a temper, and we’ll have new lambs come springtime. Could be the start of a proper herd.”

“We wouldn’t have to buy fleeces next year, at least not as many.” Baelfire was shrewd enough to know what a benefit that would be for them, to no longer have to pay for the wool they spun into yarn.

Rumpelstiltskin nodded. “If the stars shine brightly, this time next year, we might be able to charge our own stud fee from a new male.”

Baelfire rolled his eyes.

“If you’re going to be a farmer, you can’t be squeamish about husbandry.” He was gentle with his chiding.

Bae shrugged and finished his bread and beans. “I don’t think I’d like to be a farmer, not forever anyway.”

“That’s fine,” Rumpelstiltskin said. “That happens. Your great-grandfather worked this farm, but then your grandfather worked all his life as a blacksmith, and then your uncle was apprenticed to be a tinsmith before he died.”

“And you’re a spinner,” Bae supplied.

Rumpelstiltskin tried to smile. He tried to keep from telling his son the same things that Milah had told him for years: That spinning was women’s work, that a real man worked with the sweat of his brow and the strength of his back, that he was hardly more than a beggar and she and Bae would be better off if he was dead.

Instead, he nodded at his son, the greatest thing he’d ever done.

“Yes, I’m a spinner. And my father was a wastrel, and my grandfather and great-grandfather were so unremarkable that I don’t even know their names. But you can be more than that, son. You come from good stock on your mother’s side. You can be anything.” 

****

After they cleaned up supper, Bae automatically went to their evening work. In a corner of the cottage, far from the fire, they kept a large basket of washed and dyed wool. Sitting on the dirt floor, Baelfire took out a pair of carding combs and began to smooth out the fibers.

Rumpelstiltskin had picked up a comb of his own, the fine-toothed bit of carved bone that had been a bride gift he’d given to Milah. He was picking through the tangles in his thin hair when he saw that Baelfire had started.

“Oh,” he said. “Uh, you can put all that away for now, son.”

The boy’s eyes were dark as he looked up from his work. “You’re not going to spin tonight?”

Rumpelstiltskin glanced at the spinning wheel in the corner of the cottage, then looked away. “Why don’t you practice your letters instead?”

With an aggravated sniff, Baelfire tossed the carding combs back into the basket. “I already know my letters, Papa.” 

“Then practice your drawing,” Rumpelstiltskin tried. “I liked the one you did of Baguette the other day.”

At the sound of her name, the old dog raised her head. Her tail beat the ground and she let out a halfhearted whine. Bae sat down beside her on the hearthstones and scratched her behind the ears. He stared at the ground. 

Rumpelstiltskin finished combing his hair. At least--he thought he was finished. His hair felt smooth and neat, but he had no way to know for certain. He’d never thought that he would be vain enough to want a mirror in the house, but more and more he had come to care about his appearance. He wanted to look acceptable. More than that, he wanted to look pleasing.

“You’re going out again, aren’t you?”

It was more of an accusation than a question, but Rumpelstiltskin chose to ignore the hostile look in his son’s eyes. When all this had first started, he had tried to keep this from his son. He would arrange for Baelfire to spend these nights with his friends or their neighbors, but his explanations for doing so had quickly grown thin. Then he had tried to delay his departure until after the boy had fallen asleep, but that left little time for him to do what needed to be done and still get some sleep in the morning. So now Rumpelstiltskin stood before his son, his head held high as it ever could be, and he answered:

“Yes, I’m going out tonight. Is that a problem?”

Baelfire frowned and poked at the fire with a stick. “They say that monsters come out during the full moon. Terrible beasts. Aren’t you afraid?” 

Leaning on his staff, Rumpelstiltskin sat on the hearthstones next to his son. He wrapped his arm around him. “The monsters left when the Ogre War ended. If you’re safe at home, I’m not afraid of anything.”

“But you’re not safe at home,” Bae whispered. He was too old to let himself huddle in his papa’s arms, no matter how much he seemed to want to. “Where do you go on nights like this? What do you do?”

“I’m sworn to secrecy,” he half-joked. “But I can honestly tell you that I go to a place and I meet with a person.”

Baelfire rolled his eyes. “Are you courting? Are you going to come home some morning and tell me you’ve married? Introduce me to my step-mother?”

Rumpelstiltskin laughed. “I can’t imagine that ever happening,” he said. He kissed his son on the crown of his head. “The important thing is that I always come back to you. And I always will. And you’re always here for me to come back to.”

The boy didn’t say anything, but he didn’t pull further away. They sat together, in the warmth and comfort of their hearth. Not for the first time, Rumpelstiltskin regretted that he couldn’t be more honest with his son. This was the only part of his life that he didn’t share with Bae, the first thing he’d kept from him since he was an infant. 

It felt like such a selfish thing, to sneak away twice a month without saying where he was going or why. And Bae knew that this was a secret, something his father was trying to keep from him. Did he think that it was shameful? Would he, if he knew the truth? If he knew who Rumpelstiltskin met and what he did?

Bae was a good boy, innocent in the ways of the world. Rumpelstiltskin had tried to keep him that way, tried to keep him safe from corruption as well as danger. Perhaps he had gone too far. If the boy blushed over the thought of rams and ewes breeding, how would he react when his own body started to respond to girls? At fourteen years old, it could happen at any time. It could have started happening already and Bae had been too embarrassed to tell him.

That would make two of them. 

What father wanted to know these things about his son? What son wanted to know such things about his father? Rumpelstiltskin remembered his own childhood, to the nights when his father would brusquely throw him a blanket and tell him he had to sleep on the floor of whatever ramshackle room they had managed to rent that month. He would try to sleep, try to shut his ears as well as his eyes. Sometimes the women his father brought home would smile at him and say he was a sweet boy. He never saw any of them more than once.  

Bae had no memories like that, Rumpelstiltskin knew. By the time the boy was old enough to remember anything, all the affection between Rumpelstiltskin and Milah had been dead for years. The large chestnut bed, the wedding present, had never come close to being full. There had been no one since. Who in the village would want him? Poor and lame, never particularly comely to begin with, he had nothing to offer a woman--until he’d found a woman who wanted nothing. 

Nothing, and everything.

Rumpelstiltskin stood up. “I should go now.”

Bae and Baguette both looked up at him with large eyes. 

“You’ll be safe?” Bae asked.

“I will,” he promised. “And so will you. You’ve got a fearsome guard dog by your side.”

The boy rolled his eyes, but gave a half-smile at the same time. “What should I do while you’re gone?”

“Like I said before, practice your writing. Have you gotten any more birch bark lately?”

Bae nodded. 

“Good. Practice with ink and a quill this time, not just charcoal. You never see a scribe getting paid to write letters with a burned stick.”

“Can I draw a little with the quill too?”

Rumpelstiltskin pretended to consider the matter. As far as he was concerned, anything his son did with a quill was an investment in his future. An illuminator could make a living as well as a scribe. If Bae thought drawing was a reward for writing, then that was all to the good.

 “Every page you fill with writing, you can draw on the backside. Deal?”

Baelfire nodded, and took Rumpelstiltskin’s hand. “Deal.”

“And bank the fire before you go to bed.” 

“Yes, Papa.”

****

The moon was high in the sky now, smaller than before, and white as bone. Rumpelstiltskin’s pulse raced as he looked at it. Pale light shone down on the farm, leading his way into the forest. 

Before he went into that darkness, he stopped by the herb patch in the small garden behind the cottage. Resting all his weight on his staff, he knelt down on the ground to gather a sprig of mint. 

A hazel tree grew along the path from the cottage to the forest. The hazelnuts would be dropping to the ground soon, but Rumpelstiltskin only needed a twig. He snapped one off, feeling the soft green fibers inside the bark. If he were a whole man, he could have peeled away the hazel bark as he walked. Instead, he leaned his staff against a tree branch and supported himself on the trunk. He brushed his teeth with the hazel twig and chewed on the mint to freshen his breath. 

When he passed by the creek, he scooped up some water into his hands to scrub at his neck and face. After a moment’s thought, he took another scoop and discreetly splashed some cold water over his cock to wash it as well. He couldn’t be sure if he would be permitted to use it tonight, but it never hurt to be prepared. 

As clean as he was likely to ever get, Rumpelstiltskin followed the moonlight into the dark forest. If he had the use of both legs, he would have had a spring in his step. Even so, he felt buoyed, free of the usual burden of being himself. 

It was a full moon, and he was going to meet the Dark One.  

[pindl3]

LIZARDS!! PALS!! i suppose that flowers do make a tasty snack for them pft

i have not been on any adventures involving geese or ducks however that sure sounds like an Experience 0_0 they really just went after you there huh

i have however been busy with my cats :D they have grown very quickly and i love them dearly

thank you for blessing me with the lizard pictures they are such little guys,,, and i hope you have a wonderful day!!

AGKH my notifs failed me and now im 6 days late T-T

But yes!! Pals, lizards are the best! I’ve told you abt the number of lizards in my house yea? It’s a lot, definitely a lot. You are so lucky to not have gone on any geese adventures, they are prickly bastards filled with spite and lacking in fear. Recently the geese have been moving about and one day they decided they wanted their entire herd of like. 50 or more geese, to sit in the middle of the fuckin road. They have no fear, they know that no one would dare hurt them, so they sit on their concrete throne as cars stop before their presence. Pretentious fucks.

Your kittens are making their way to becoming cats… the joy of a parent, truly. I’m so glad they’re doing well tho!

I’m giving them flowers <333

Ofc ^-^* you deserve all the lil guy pictures :DDD and I hope your day is wonderful too, whenever you see this!!

And some flowers for u too <3333

[pocketmemes]

discord nonsense  ∕   sentence starters taken from the ‘saved’ channel of a sever i’m in. edited for clarity. 

‘ shut up, you guys don’t know what i’m doing. ’

‘ yeah, but do you know what you’re doing? ’

‘ jesus fuck, what in the cornbread biscuit hell is that? ’

‘ i don’t know how you keep breaking your electronics. ’

‘ hang on i’m going to snap a polaroid. ’

‘ oh magic conch shell, should i hunt down and kill [name]? ’

‘ you utter idiot. you absolute, sunflower-tasting dumbass. ’

‘ never before have i wanted something to fall from the ceiling. ’

‘ please, water heater, something, blow up and kill [name]. ’

‘ i’m going to doink my enemies. ’

‘ i came because i saw a party and there’s already talks of treason. [name], what did you do this time? ’

‘ i mean, i’d do it to the Rock, too! ’

‘ money is a powerful friend. ’

‘ [name] is one of those people who can play russian roulette with five chambers loaded and still win. ’

‘ don’t make me slowly turn around! ’

‘ i don’t think that many here have that much of a death wish. ’

‘ it’ll be like herding cats. while on a unicycle. in the rain. on a hill. a night. ’

‘ who needs friendship when you can have alcohol.? ’

‘ i am being passively shot at right now. ’

‘ great work finding that out, you dipshit! ’

‘ now i can have a giggle. ‘

‘ don’t take that out of context! ’

‘ please stop, i don’t want to die in a bunk bed accident. ’

‘ ...was that a dab!? did he just dab!? ’

‘ i’m sure the public education system would love to hear you say that. ’

‘ jeez, what are you aiming at, australia? '

‘ does he cook burgers and fries? else we don’t care. ’

‘ i’m mailable to any doorstep in the us in three days or less. ’

‘ oh sure, abandon us after you kill yourself. ’

‘ we have two neighbors: geese and drugs. ’

‘ okay, now we’ve crossed a line. ’

‘ ah, good, we get to climb directly into the sun. ’

[reiven2017]

Monopoly with me.

Chapter 2.

The raven stretched, dispersing blood in the joints. Her neck moaned plaintively and made a sound similar to a wound spring when the girl looked too sharply to the side. In the distance, half the sun was shining, and there was an azure sky above her head and Raven realized that it was morning. She cringed when the cold air seemed to pass through her. The weather in the mountains was ... unstable. And what did she have a day for today? I’d better not say anything. The girl frowned when she heard a short scream, and then the rough male voices. Reason clearly echoed in her head. “This is something that definitely doesn't concern you. Go on your joyful dear Raven. ” But Raven ignored the voice and came closer to the edge of the roof. Two black men's backs caught her eye and something light, sandwiched and hunched over peeped out from behind them. Climbing closer, Raven realized that it was a girl. Tears flowed down her cheek, and her mouth opened and closed in a silent cry. Her half-tattered dress hung miserably in shreds from her shoulder. Raven frowned even more, and her eyes darkened. She quickly felt the handle of the dagger, on her belt, and ready to rush at them, she froze. One of the men moved away from the victim and the Royal Guard badge flashed on his chest. Damn it. Rachel hesitated, considering how likely the chances were that she would be next to the poor thing. Going to men was not a good idea anyway. They excelled in strength. And go to the soldiers of al-Ghul ... you know, imagine a huge herd of bulls that scoot at you. Presented? Great, now imagine that these bulls have sharp swords on their horns. Well, how great are the chances of dying. The girl cried out again and this was a signal for Raven. She shoved the entire internal dialogue away, focusing on not catching the Lyuli. Raven jumping, knocked down one of them, landing on him, when the other already pulled out a sword. The girl jumped from the man and threw up the blade. She took a fighting stance, I do not know what next. “Shine, Rachel. Congratulations, you’ll be buried with a sign {Dumb idiot deciding to act as hero} "The guy maliciously grinned and growled some curse in ancient Arabic in her direction. It is so good that she did not know this language. Second, his colleague pulled out his sword and threw away his It’s much more interesting, of course. The victim slid down the wall, reveling in sobs. It was the Raven who needed to sob now, and her. The man whom she knocked down jumped to his feet and did not even try to get his weapon. He grinned caustically and shook his head.

“To save another and expose yourself to a blow, how stupid it is.” Can't you find a puppy? - Yes! The raven barely suppressed the answer before he managed to slip from her lips. She knew perfectly well that this was stupid. Raven, you didn’t even let this blade into action when you didn’t! What will they be from this bullshit? You do not know how to fight. You do not know how to fight. You don't know how to fight, you fool! Sweat ran down her back, and adrenaline rose in her blood. Her skin burned under a mask and Raven was grateful that at least he had put on a hood. The two began to slowly approach, and the girl was moving away, and only now Raven realized that they were in the fucking dumb street. There was one solid wall behind and the girl who was attacked fell apart across. Fainted from fright. This is definitely not what she needs. Rachel began to randomly run her gaze through the space, which was rapidly decreasing as the two approached like hunters following a small mouse. And here, as a salvation, Raven saw from the side, a shovel. Old, rusty. She could swear that she literally glowed with snow-white lights. She rushed in that direction, at that moment when one of the soldiers had already managed to attack her. He stumbled. Geese saved Rome, why not a spade to save her? Raven hit him on the head in a huge sweep. The man went limp and staggered. He crashed to the ground, clutching his head. The other, without wasting time, threw a shurekin, just like a girl in her forearm. The raven grimaced, her face contorted in pain as the steel cut through her skin, digging sharp spikes into her hand. She wanted to cry, but the instincts of self-preservation did not let her lose her mind. In front of her stood another soldier, much more than the one whom she hranulo a shovel. He rushed to her, throwing the spatula to the side and grabbed Raven by the throat. The girl cluttered, trying with all her might to tear this rotten hand away from herself. The man grinned and began to compress his fingers harder. E

- Well, you son of a bitch, let me even look in your face before death. - No. Just not that. Raven still had a little hope for life, and if they see her face, the hunt will begin. These soldiers will definitely want revenge. She had already imagined how she would be allowed to go around, a chill went all over her body, and Raven clung even harder, trying to kick the attacker. At least somewhere. So the girl woke up and, seeing what was happening, picked up with trembling hands lifted the cobblestone from the ground and began to slowly approach, swaying. Yes, you are faster! The soldiers turned out to be quicker and in one sharp jerk, tore off her hood and ... froze. He was stared at by beautiful amethyst eyes framed by a layer of fluffy eyelashes. He blinked with wide eyes, not believing that a girl had attacked them. But they did not give him time to think. Due to shock, his grip loosened and Raven forcefully pushed him with both legs away. He fell, falling on his back, when he did not have time to move away, he received a stone. The raven fell to her knees, exhausted, hoarsely swallowing the air. Her hands darted to her throat, and then to her forearm and gently felt the flesh. The wound seemed to throb and burn. Streams of blood were already streaming down his arm and Raven winced. She sucked in air through clenched teeth and jerked out a shureken. Fucking fucking shit. More blood spattered. She tore a piece from her sleeve and bandaged the wound. Raven cast a short glance at the two carcasses, burning with the urge to stick this shurekin to them in one dry, hard-to-reach revenge. Raven stared at the girl. She did not blink at the soldier whom she had hit with a stone. Light blonde. The raven moaned and rose to its feet, brushing off dust. Only now a girl looked at her.

- Thank. She whispered softly, with her lips. Ha. Rachel grinned. It was she who just saved her.

- What is your name? - asked the Raven, again pulling his hood and looking around in search of eyes that could become random witnesses.

- Adila.

- So, Adila, let's agree that you will erase my face from memory and forget this hour. Do you get it? - Raven looked at her. The tone of her voice sounded calm, but there was clearly a threat in him. The girl nodded obediently. - Good.

Raven again carefully looked into her face and made sure that she had truncated the whole scale of the problems that she could provide, she turned around and took a step from this street. She pulled on her hood harder. These fuckers won't forgive this. This place does not tolerate this and literally all the bones in her body insisted that this was not the end. Hmm, she imagined her start to the day clearly wrong.

- - Mother is my woman! - exclaimed the old man, stepping out from behind the bar and threw up his hands to the sky. His wide-open eyes ran excitedly over the familiar figure into the hood, and his lips extended into a smile. The raven grimaced at the disgusting smell of alcohol floating in the air. And how does Gassan endure it?

“Raven, isn't that you?” Oh my god! The thin old man cried noisily, hastily wiping his hands on the apron. Bright paint poured on his face, leaving no trace of that tired person and it seemed that even the ancient wrinkles on his forehead were smoothed out. He cast a short look at the crowd of onlookers gathered at the tables, which were now carefully studying what was happening, drinking directly from the bottles of arak. The man nodded toward the stairs leading to the second floor and the girl followed him without asking questions. Only when her bony shadow darted into the room, securely hidden from prying eyes, did the girl pull off her hood. Before he could recover, the man was captured by her hands, covered with the skin of an animal, when she hugged him tightly. The girl made a sound reminiscent of a contented cat and laid her head on the old man's shoulder. The man hugged her back.

- Hi Gassan. Raven whispered softly, not unclenching her arms. Her heart was beating happily in her chest, content with the moment.

- Hello, my angel. - in her manner answered the man. He took the girl by the shoulders, gently moving away and looked around. “How prettier and grown you are, Raven.” Straight beauty indescribable. And your pallor remained with you. Amazing - He thoughtfully stared at her face, and then, as if it dawned on him, he reached out and uttered dumbfounded. - - My angel, how did you end up here? - the girl giggled, relishing the expression of complete misunderstanding of the situation. She smiled conspiratorially and deliberately slowly explained:

- How, how, arrived three days ago. From caravan to caravan and to Ghula. Her voice sparkled merrily and shimmered with carelessness, as if that was what the whole world had been dedicated to.

- Three days?! But how so! Holy Manat, - the man looked up, turning to the gods and squinting at the girl. “Why did you order that this masterful girl come to me just now?” Oh, I will die of a broken heart. - He theatrically put his hand on his chest and exhaled sadly. Raven burst into fervent laughter as a child who had just seen the best performance in life.

“No, well, look at her.” I am seriously unhappy that you decided to visit your old friend so late, my angel.

- There were things. What can you do? - She spread her arms and grunted easily.

- Oh, how busy everyone is. Gassan clicked in displeasure and shook his head.

- Come on. How are you?

- Good, my angel, good.

- I heard Zakir also in the city. Do not know where to find it? - the man froze for a moment, his face did not express anything and Raven held her breath. For several minutes there was a deadly silence, and the air cooled. His eyebrows stiffly converged on the nose, forming a deep wrinkle on his forehead. Gassan's voice became extremely serious when, after a pause, he answered:

“You should take hold of the mind, my angel.” The raven looked at him embarrassedly and arched a questioning eyebrow in an arc. AND? He says that she is that. Fool?

- What?

- - You would throw this business, ignoble, Raven. The old man muttered grimly, looking off to the side, clenching his teeth and exhaling heavily. He seemed upset. The girl cheerfully waved him off.

- What are you doing? Yes, everything will be fine with me. - She tried to make her voice more relaxed when Gassan again clicked disapprovingly. He exhaled heavily, as if resigned to something.

- Good. I am before him, my angel. And now, I need to go to work.

“I'll come again tomorrow.”

He woke up on the street when the moon had already risen in the sky. His head hurt and throbbed. The man lifted himself up on his elbows, moaning softly. Next to him was his partner. Vidocq was no better.

- Woke up? - he asked. But the man did not hear him. A thousand and one ideas were carried in his head, rampant revenge. Pictures of that drunken face surfaced. Such a city will not be difficult to find. And when he got to her, God forbid her, heaven had not seen such a thing.

[hotcocoandmarshmallows]

More then a Moment,

Here take this. It needs glasses because of how unfocused it is but there’s content.

Warnings: Implied abuse

Ships: Sprace

Word count: 772

________________

Race paced angrily. “How could you. How the FUCK could you?!” His tail lashed, his ears flat against his curly hair. His blue eyes narrowed into slits. “You know what a risk that kid is. If Snyder hears about a fucking bald eagle in Brooklyn, where do you think he’s gonna go?!” 

Spot’s own ears were pinned back, and his large teeth were bared. “He’s a kid, Racer. You got much more dangerous people on your side of the bridge! We can take care of our damn selves!”

Race stopped and glared at him. Spot could see the tension in his body. He was bothered. Really bothered. Spot did not appreciate it one bit. “Will you calm the fuck down? We’re fine here. Just go home if you’re so worried.” 

The blond reeled back. But his face was set in stone. "Fine. I'll go. Have fun dying." He stormed out, almost closing the door on his fluffy yellow tail.

Spot missed him as soon as he was gone. After a few minutes of sulking, he went downstairs to make sure no one was dead and shepard them all upstairs for bed. That turned out to be harder than anticipated because two were missing. New kid and Myron. 

Spot groaned. Why was it always Myron? 

He also noted that there was no sign of York or Rodger, border collies who were also brothers. Whatever, they were probably fine. Those two were resourceful little assholes. But they left him alone to herd cats.

He tried to get all people there upstairs. It wasn’t an easy task, as Hildy had to go home and Joey wanted to know where Race had gone. Spot ended up dragging her and Rafaella to bed. Graves went up by himself.

Spot only allowed himself a moment to look at the spot where Bart had once slept. 

Once he had the rest in bed, he sat on the fire escape and waited for his lost kids to come home. He watched as it got darker and darker and the world around him got more and more dangerous. Eventually two collies came out of the darkness. Both with brown ears and silky tails. York had an eye patch, the only way to tell him apart from his brother.

“You’re late.” Spot barked, climbing down the fire escape he’d taken residence on. 

York shrugged. “Sorry boss. Geese.” Roger nodded in agreement. 

Spot sighed. “Inside and bed. Now.” He left no room for argument. He missed the days when Brooklyn went to the dogs. Then he’d been able to keep his borough in line. Nowadays there were people with no sense of obedience and who thought they were smart. When they really weren’t. 

But, with the diversity came strength. And Brooklyn was known for being stronger than any other. And Brooklyn didn’t leave their friends.

Or at least they did their best.

Spot turned his eyes to the sky, waiting for the scarlet wings he knew belonged to Myron. And maybe the massive wingspan of Hotshot, blocking out the stars. 

Eventually wings blocked out the sky. And a flash of red signaled the people he was waiting for. Without further ado, he started to go inside, before something stopped him. He looked up at the moon. Full as the bellies of the ships in New York harbor. 

He slipped off. Everyone else was accounted for. He should check that his last pack member could come home to. 

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

The bars of moonlight in the Refuge never seemed so terrifying. Especially not to the three children gathered together in the furthest corner. Tonight felt horrifying.

Jack Kelly, stared at the moon. Fuck this place. He wants to get the fuck back out. He just can’t get out. Snyder had cat proofed the place. And Jack Kelly, ever the bitchy and inventive kid he was, was still going to break down.

Because stupid human Snyder forgot Maine Coons love swimming. The problem was, he had to get a deaf Dalmatian and a terrified human out with him. He was not fucking leaving them. He planned to drag them away from this spot.

His tail twitched in nerves as a pained howl echoed through the building. He’d never seen whatever made that noise. And he sure as hell didn’t want to.

Because that howl was a wolf’s.

[rotttnapple]

count: 1,379 tw: loss, death, sadness, animal death mention (non violent) part 1 | part 2 under a cut because of the absolute sadness, okay

country roads, take me home @pohocounty

“Can you take me out on the porch for a spell, darling?”

An old voice, soft and dusty, still smiling in it's age. Dulu nods his reply, making that long lean down (his back gives a twinge, he makes no complaint) to pick up a body as light as a crow. Frail bones and paper-thin skin. Charley rests a head gone white as the snow atop the mountains against Dulu's strong chest, arthritis bunched hands folded in his lap. There is no pain, his mind is clear, he knows his time is near and he would like to look out on their land one last time.

Dulu carries him through the house full of their life, art and artifacts, photos of marches and causes and lost children they called their own long since grown. Photos of children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Christmas cards and birthday cards. Celebrations of old festivals with old friends, some as ancient as Dulu, campfires and bonfires. Dulu nearly invisible, covered in kittens. Dulu with his arms full of a litter of mutt puppies. Dulu and Slaughter. Snapshots papering the fridge, selfies that spanned long years, good years and hard years, fences repaired and roofs replaced. Their old home, it's walls warm, full of laughter and love. Dulu is careful setting Charley down in his rocker, it's wood worn smooth from a thousand, a hundred thousand touches. The boards underneath show the movement of that rocker, neat grooves in the cedar wood. There's a willow tree out there in the yard, full of corn and pumpkins and flowers, it's trunk a broad expanse, planted some sixty years past. Dulu's settling that quilt over Charley's lap now too, the old man that was once a young man gets chilled so easily now, even in the heat of the summer. Charley doesn't rock now, he's too fragile for that, but when Dulu settles down next to him, he lays a hand on that broad forearm. Dulu can feel the ponderous beat of Charley's heart in his fingertips.

“Seventy-two years.” Charley murmurs. Dulu nods again, daring a low, chuffed grunt. He doesn't dare say too much, as little as he speaks. There's a strange sting in the back of his eyes, dark brown, the color of fresh turned earth. No, he doesn't dare say too much.

“You're going to keep this place going?” Another nod from Dulu, the smallest little grunt. There's a thickness in the back of his throat now, he tries to swallow it down and finds that it won't budge. Not one bit.

“And brush your teeth.” A big orange cat slowly, carefully, reaches out with one paw to tap at Charley's blanketed lap. With exceeding care she moves the rest of her mass there, settling down and purring soft and deep. There's snow around Poppy's whiskers too, it's been many long years since Dulu had taken her out of the tree amid the raging floodwater, Poppy and her three tiny kittens, trapped up there in the fork of an elm with the water rising fast below them. Out there on the farm a small herd of deer meander past a tom turkey (he ruffles his feathers and gobbles fetchingly to no avail), nibbling as they go. “Yuuh-yea.” Dulu manages to speak, just a little. His voice is lower, gruffer than it usually is. Charley doesn't mind, he rests his other hand on Poppy's warm orange coat.

Dulu knew man's time was finite, he had known it for as long as he had walked this earth. He knew this would hurt, but it still didn't prepare him for the pain. It had been coming a while, little signs here and there. Sometimes Charley would wake him, ask if he wouldn't mind checking on Slaughter out in the barn – Slaughter, long since buried, still Dulu would yawn and stretch and walk out to the barn where new eyes glowed in the darkness. Assure Charley, in his way, that the cat was just fine so his partner could rest without worry. Ask him if he's fed the goats, Dulu knowing he's talking about Speedy the First and her companion Peaches, also gone many, many summers now. Man's time was finite, but it didn't help that lump in his throat any.

Seventy-two years. They'd had a long life together, a good one. Two old friends, two old life partners, two old men, sit together on the porch as they had sat thousands of times before. Listening to the peace-noise of the farm. Guinea fowl and chickens, ducks and geese, goats and donkeys and turkeys and crows. Crows landing in thick blankets on the barn roof, weighing down the branches of trees. Crowding the perches in the corn, lining the fence.

Dulu realizes he can no longer feel Charley's heartbeat in his fingertips. No longer hears the slow, ponderous draw of his breath.

Dulu can't stop the heavy, braying sobs that spill out of him like thunder. The crows take flight all at once, and for a moment they block out the sun.

Dulu digs the grave with his hands, it's more efficient than the shovel. Great big scoops of black dirt, one after another, until the pile looms over his kneeling figure. He pats the bottom smooth, not wanting any rocks poking at his friend. Pats it real smooth before he stands (knees popping like firecrackers, he's not so young himself, hasn't really replaced nothing these past few years) and takes slow, even steps back to the house where Charley rests in his funeral shroud, a bunch of snapdragons – daughters and sons of that first one, the very first one seventy years ago – resting on his chest, over where his heart once beat so strong and young. A heart that now rested next to his, so carefully wrapped. There was just some things Dulu didn't want Charley to see.

Out there among the graves, of crows, of dogs and cats, goats and birds and deer, some that didn't make it farther than their infant days and some that lived well into their golden years, Dulu takes the earth and lays it down one hand at a time. Gently patting it down, settling it around, over, until the grave is filled again. He plants flowers atop it, flowers that Charley loved.

Later he'll set a great, ancient river stone at the top. A guardian stone, Charley's name written in the old tongue, but first he has something else to do. Something Charley had asked him to do, many years ago.

For the first time in a timeless age Dulu isn't sure he'll be able, not with that thick lump sticking in his throat still, but he swallows the heart well enough and it joins the beating of countless others. For a while, Charley allows the man his space. He gives Dulu his time to grieve.

Charley's young again, still so full of life even in death, there to remind Dulu to brush his teeth, showing him how to thread the sewing machine so his clothes don't fall to tatters all over again. He's there in the comforting touch of a hand resting on Dulu's arm, there and not there all at once. Charley's voice is gentle as he tells Dulu which vials to use, how to draw blood, how to give shots, how to mix the formula just right. Which formula is right because there's so many different kinds in the cupboards now for all manner of animals in need. He's there to help him change bandages and splint wings, he's there to remind him to be careful.

Charley's there, rocking his chair again, mindful of kitten paws and kitten tails. Laughing with him, still pulling those booming belly laughs out him like a magician pulls a rabbit out of a hat, singing songs so old they're all but forgotten when Dulu settles his guitar in his lap and plays the tunes. Wishing him sweet dreams every night, nagging him to eat breakfast every morning. Gone from life and yet immortalized in death.

When I'm gone, Dulu, I'd like you to take a little piece of me. Take a little piece of me, I don't want you to ever be alone again. Promise me that, please. I promise.

[ellanainthetardis]

I fully expect tonight France will be World Champion so first of all YEAAAAAAH! And now... Let’s go to the cityyyyyy!

[ff] or [ao3]

73. 22 Months & 10 Months (2)

“Which one of the babies do you want?”

Haymitch barked the question more than he asked it and he immediately regretted his tone. The tension in the small room as the hovercraft began his descent toward the Capitol was already reaching its peak. It had been two weeks of tension actually. Two weeks of Effie frantically designing and sewing proper outfits for the trip, packing only to unpack, roaming the house at night and scrubbing it from floors to ceilings all day. It had been a while since she had been so agitated, so fragile and…

“I will take Snowball.” Effie replied in a soft, almost faint voice.

She grabbed the leach Haymitch had just clipped on the dog’s blue sparkly collar. Their fingers brushed and she flashed him a poor excuse of a smile. He forced himself to smirk back but it was strained.

He hadn’t been able to relax either since Plutarch’s phone call.

It wasn’t just the perspective of her publicly acknowledging what had happened to her during the war when she could barely talk about it in private. It was the fact that they were heading to the Capitol – that they were now about to land in the Capitol– with their kids. All of their kids. It made him anxious, paranoid…

The Samoyed wasn’t used to the leach at all and he shook himself, probably hoping to get rid of it. Haymitch felt bad for him. They usually let him roam free but in the city… It would have been wiser to leave him behind but to whom? He had left the geese is Sae’s care but she was far too old to handle the dog. The Clarkes had offered but while they were close friends, it was such an imposition to leave Snowball to them for more than a week that Effie had refused. Besides, he knew just how much the dog could calm her down and make her feel safe and he knew it might come in handy at some point.

“Be careful out there, yeah?” he still requested. “He’s not used to all the cars and everything.”

She gave him a meek nod and crouched to scratch Snowball’s head, hoping to calm him down. After three hours trapped in the hovercraft, the Samoyed was understandably restless. Haymitch thought they all were.

“I’m taking April.” Katniss declared, not leaving much room for debate. She picked up the sleepy toddler who, far from protesting, simply grabbed the girl’s leather jacket with a hum, hugging her cat rag doll close to her chest. She had been sick twice on the way already, her young body not receptive to the flight.

Katniss had been fidgety for the last hour at least and she looked just as anxious as Haymitch felt. She looked ready to fight teeth and nails if necessary and the way she was holding April tight…

For a moment, he let himself wonder why they were doing this at all when it would have been so much easier to stay hidden in the Village.

“Do you want the luggage or the jellyfish?” Peeta asked, jolting his knees so Aidan would laugh in delight.

Haymitch’s son had made himself at home on the boy’s lap during the last hour of the flight and Peeta was the only one still sitting. Not just because of the baby, either. Peeta was the only one who didn’t look overly worried.

“I’m gonna leave the luggage to you.” he joked – or tried to but it came out harsher than intended. “I’m an old man now.”

“When it suits you.” Katniss mocked.

And then the hovercraft touched ground, jerking them all for a second, and any attempt to joke the situation away was forgotten. Haymitch strapped the baby carrier sling to his chest and after Effie made sure the babies were both suitably wrapped in their coats, scarves and beanies, they all exited the hovercraft.

As it turned out, Peeta had the best part of the deal because the hovercraft attendants insisted they would take care of their luggage.

They emerged out of the hovercraft on a military landing strip on the outskirt of the city, as agreed beforehand, to avoid too much press attention too soon. They were all aware they wouldn’t escape it forever but they wanted to control it as much as possible.  

“At last!” Plutarch exclaimed, quickly walking away from his slick black limo to meet them halfway with a big smile.

Uncharitably, Haymitch thought he had put on more weight since he had become Secretary of Communication and that the hair implants weren’t working that great for him. A sharp elbow in his side reminded him that voicing any of that aloud was probably a sure way to get scolded later on. He glanced at Effie, whose features were schooled in a polite pleasant expression, and he smirked. If she was still watching out for his manners, she was alright.

“Effie!” Plutarch exclaimed first, planting a daring kiss on her cheek despite the Samoyed’s protective grumbling. He then moved on to Katniss whose cheek he kissed too before patting April’s head with a stupid enchanted smile. “You do have a lovely girl.” he praised and then shook Peeta’s hands with enthusiasm before finally moving toward Haymitch with arms open wide.

It was very obvious Plutarch was going for a hug and Haymitch would have probably avoided it altogether if there hadn’t been another pointy elbow in his side. This time, he shot Effie a glare but she simply lifted an eyebrow. The whole thing lasted less than a second and when Plutarch finally closed in, all he could do was turn a little sideway to avoid Aidan getting crushed in the middle. The sideway hug didn’t deter Plutarch who clapped his shoulder twice before peering at the baby in the sling with another delighted smile.

It wasn’t that Haymitch didn’t like Plutarch. He had been happy to call the man a friend in Thirteen. They had shared a compartment, a vision about what they wanted Panem’s future to be… But then the actual taking of the Capitol had happened and… Katniss might be blaming Gale Hawthorne for what had happened to her sister but Haymitch had his own set of culprits. Coin hadn’t taken the decision to launch the Hummingbird Operation alone. Plutarch had been there every step of the way. And he hadn’t talked her out of it.

And it wasn’t something Haymitch could forgive.

“I am so happy to see all of you again!” the Secretary of Communication insisted, ushering them toward the limo that wouldn’t be really inconspicuous even in the city.

If he noticed the less than enthusiastic answer, he didn’t let on. Once they were all comfortably settled in the car, Effie made an effort to keep up with the conversation while Haymitch kept his baby girl close to his side and a protective hand on Aidan’s back. The dog had curled up on top of Effie’s feet. Katniss stared through the window with her jaw clenched and her fists bundled on her lap until Peeta covered one of her hands with his. The girl relaxed and smiled back at the boy.

Haymitch didn’t relax or smile. He was too far from the window to get a proper look and he wasn’t sure he wanted to anyway. Rationally, he knew everything would look different. The city had been badly damaged during the war and most of the buildings had been destroyed, entire blocks had collapsed… The layout would be different, it would be like being in another city entirely.

And yet…

He wasn’t sure if he was relieved or feeling even more dreadful when the car finally came to a stop after a good forty-five minutes drive. April had been awake and irritable for the last twenty of them, not used to being trapped in such a small space any more than the dog was. Effie had settled her on her lap but the toddler remained ill-tempered and they eventually figured she still wasn’t feeling that well. The hovercraft trip hadn’t agreed with her stomach and she refused water and food.

On that account, he was glad to arrive but knowing everything it would trigger…

The street was lined with impressive looking houses that seemed designed to make visitors feel insignificant. The display of wealth was so obvious it made him wrinkle his nose as soon as he stepped out of the car. Before he could make a comment though, the front door of the closest house opened and out came Elindra and Tadius.

They didn’t rush, of course, because it would have been inappropriate and Haymitch could feel the eyes of the neighbors spying on them from behind their curtains but they certainly looked eager enough. Elindra had pale pink hair nowadays and he had to swallow back a gibe as soon as he saw her.

Fortunately, the woman was more interested in the baby strapped to his chest than by him and thus she didn’t see his mocking expression.

“Oh, how you grew up…” she beamed, immediately stealing Aidan away from Haymitch. It was hard to resist the instinctive urge to grab the baby back. Not that he didn’t trust Elindra now but being back in the city… Finally, the Capitol looked up at him with a genuine smile that was a rare sight on her face and briefly squeezed his arm – partly in greetings, partly in thanks for finally agreeing to come, he figured. “Haymitch. Welcome home.”

This isn’t home, he wanted to say but he suffered the air kisses on his cheeks and her clucking of tongue when she declared he looked tired and should invest in some foundation powder. Soon enough, she had moved on to her daughter and granddaughter and he was facing Tadius’ outstretched hand. He shook it gladly, letting the Capitol pat his shoulder twice, knowing the Trinkets were honestly happy to see them. If anything, that made the trip worthwhile.

It had been a recurrent request of theirs for Haymitch and Effie to bring the children over.

There was a lot of noises and exclamations, greetings being exchanged, goodbyes when Plutarch declared he needed to go back to the office…

They were all herded inside the house by Elindra.

“Leave the luggage, Peeta dear, we have staff for that.” she chided the boy, nudging him toward the front door.

And there was a staff. A butler who supervised the others, a ballet of maids in dark uniforms, a couple of men… It made him uncomfortable so he took a good look around instead.  

The main hall was… cold. All marble and gold moldings that looked very grand but also very… soulless.

Effie leaned against his side, her eyes darting around, probably taking note of what had changed and what was the same… They hadn’t really discussed that, he realized, coming back to her parents’ house… It had been her idea but the last time she had been there they had kicked her out and…

“Alright!” Elindra declared, speaking loud to cover the different conversations that were going on and the joyful chaos of coats, scarves and hats being taken away by the maids. “I am sure you all must be very tired after that trip and would like to rest for an hour or two. Tea will be served at four in the small parlor for those of you who wish it.”

“That means everyone regardless of personal wishes.” Effie whispered blankly for Haymitch’s attention alone.

“Jenkins will show you to your respective rooms.” the Capitol continued, nodding at the butler who professionally nodded back.

“I think I can find the way by myself.” Effie replied, her tone polished to sound casual rather than confrontational.

Elindra blinked and, for a second, there was an odd tension between the two of them. Haymitch briefly wondered if being in the Capitol would destroy all the progress they had made. Effie hadn’t been happy in that house, he knew that – and he also knew only too well how some places could wake up old wounds.

“Naturally.” Tadius cut in with a good-natured chuckle. “The nursery is ready for the children. It is perfectly suitable, you will see. We had it refurbished a couple of years ago for Bryden and Timotheo. And we bought beds for the babies… They should be comfortable. I was assured it was the best on the market…”

“I am certain it will be perfect.” she agreed easily, her tone softening. .

“We thought you may like your old room.” Elindra said suddenly, a bit hesitant. “But there is another guest room closer to the nursery if you’d prefer. The maids can have it ready in a tick.”

Effie hesitated and Haymitch shuffled his weight on his feet because… Closer was better in his book. They had packed the baby monitors naturally but…

“Whatever you organized is fine, Mother.” she said eventually.

Elindra seemed to relax a little. “Very well. Katniss and Peeta are in the green guest room.”

“Thank you for having us, Mrs Trinket.” the boy timely offered. “Katniss and I really appreciate it.”

“Nonsense.” Effie’s mother dismissed with a brisk wave of her hand. “You are family, are you not? It won’t be said I let family go to a dreadful hotel when there are perfectly suitable guest rooms in my house.”

Haymitch felt Effie relax next to him. Acknowledging the kids as part of their extended family was a step in the right direction. Elindra flashed her a hesitant smile that she answered in kind. Still, he thought the peace might not last forever when he heard Elindra mutter to Tadius “Did they have to bring the dog?”. He quickly nudged his wife up the stairs, hoping she hadn’t heard. It would be stressful enough for all of them without their feud flaring back to life.  

The rest of the house was just as cold as the main hall.

Oh, it was all prestigious looking but… He couldn’t shake off the feeling it lacked everything of importance. There were elegant furniture but none of the clutter of a lived-in home, the walls were painted a sad shade of white, the framed paintings – while probably expensive and originals – looked bland,  most of the tables and dressers were see-through or metal when it wasn’t marble…

Effie paused on the first floor to push a door while the kids continued down the corridor, following the taciturn butler…

“This is the nursery.” she declared.

He peeked inside to find everything had been prepared for them. There were toys neatly aligned on shelves – although most of them had probably belonged to Effie and Lyssa first given the numerous amount of dolls, there were also a few that were clearly her nephews’ and some that were obviously brand new and more adapted for small children – soft plushy rugs on the floor and two identical beds made out of pale wood. The first thing Haymitch did was check April wouldn’t be able to get out if she tried to – and she did try to more and more.

“Katniss and Peeta’s bedroom is down the corridor.” Effie continued, adjusting her hold on April who had insisted on being carried at some point. She was still clutching Snowball’s leach in her other hand and the dog was getting impatient to be allowed to explore, he was sniffing around like crazy. “Ours is on the third floor with the master bedroom and Lyssa’s old room.”

One floor up from their kids…

He wasn’t sure he liked that.

“Lead the way.” he grumbled.

Neither of them suggested leaving the children in the nursery and Haymitch was already plotting how to get those two beds up in their bedroom – assuming they would fit.

He was aware Effie’s breathing wasn’t quite natural. She was clearly making an effort to remain collected but he wasn’t sure if it was because she was fighting a panic attack or because the house brought back memories. Sometimes she discreetly brushed her hand against the wall or her lips stretched into a small sad smile…

“You’re okay?” he asked eventually when she stopped in front of a closed door that he assumed to be their room.

“Yes.” she promised. “I simply never thought I would come back here again.” April was fussy in her arms and she pressed a kiss against her forehead. “I know, darling. It will get better.”

She pushed the door open to find their suitcases piled in a corner. Haymitch looked around eagerly, having been ready for a teenager’s room and disappointed by how… neutral the whole bedroom looked. He had seen two of her apartments over the years – and he had seen what she had done with his house – this wasn’t an Effie Trinket place to leave. The walls were a boring shade of caramel, the framed artworks on the wall were very generic and there was absolutely no personal touch. None at all. None of the eccentric colors he had gotten used to, no crazy spark, nothing.

“That’s your old room?” he scoffed, disappointed.

She placed April down on the immaculate bedcover before flashing him a smile over her shoulder. “My parents turned it into a guest room two weeks after I moved out.”

He wrinkled his nose, putting Aidan next to his sister. “Harsh.”

She shrugged it off with apparent casualness but he could see it still stung. He couldn’t imagine doing anything like that to their children.

He watched her dig into one of the suitcases, fishing out April’s huge stuffed dog that looked so much like Snowball – Snowball who was very busy investigating the en-suited bathroom for the moment but who would ask to be taken out very soon. He grabbed the water bowl from another suitcase and filled it with water for him, taking a second to shake his head at the amount of luggage they had. He traveled light – or he would have if Effie hadn’t insisted on packing up suits and public event appropriate outfits – but she had two suitcases for herself, one for each of the kids – clothes, baby related stuff and toys alike – and a bag full of Snowball’s stuff – his bed, the purple monkey, a spare collar and leach, a brand new dog harness in case he was being too difficult outside because they didn’t want to take any risk with his safety, his plate, his water bowl and a few chew toys. What had happened to the time he could live a month with a single bag?

“Here you go, my darling.” Effie hummed in the bedroom. Haymitch petted the dog for a couple of minutes, watching him lap the water eagerly. “And here for you, my jellyfish.”

When he walked out of the bathroom, Aidan was sucking on the bottle full of water they had packed for the trip. A similar bottle was capped on the bed next to April but the girl seemed happier cuddling her toy, curled up on the bed.

“You think she’s alright?” he worried, immediately feeling his daughter’s forehead. It was a little warm but nowhere near feverish.

“Just an upset stomach, I think.” Effie shook her head, taking the children’s shoes off since they were both on the bed. “The hovercraft didn’t agree with her and that car trip felt endless.”

He flopped down on the mattress next to their daughter who immediately used his thigh as a pillow. He ran his fingers through her disheveled blond hair, not quite reassured. “I give it two hours. If she’s still feeling sick I’m gonna ask your dad if he knows a good doctor.”

“Agreed.” Effie hummed, tickling Aidan’s tummy. The boy wriggled and laughed but soon grabbed his stuffed giraffe and crawled closer to his sister, his eyelids drooping. He hadn’t napped in the hovercraft and the trip was starting to take its toll. It wasn’t long before Snowball jumped on the bed to curl against the boy’s back, completing the mass of sleeping babies. Effie’s lips twitched with unabashed amusement. “Aren’t you all cute.”

Haymitch rolled his eyes but alternated between petting April’s hair and rubbing Aidan’s back when he wasn’t scratching the dog’s head. He took a couple of seconds, let it sink that they were all alright. Yes, they were in the city but that didn’t mean anything bad would happen. They would all take care of this anniversary stuff and their children would be safe with their grandparents, they would have fun – as much fun as possible with Elindra anyway – and they would get to spend some time with their cousins which was… Well, Haymitch wasn’t sure what it was. He had never expected to get a family that large but he wasn’t against it now that he was used to it.

“Are you alright?” Effie asked carefully, gently reaching out to brush his hair away from his face.

He snorted and looked up at her, a self-deprecating smirk on his lips. “Shouldn’t that be my line?”

Her smile was tentative and didn’t reach her eyes, still when she leaned in and stole a kiss, he didn’t protest.

“Apil too.” their daughter mumbled.

Effie chuckled and bent down to give the requested cuddle, careful not to wake Aidan who had fallen asleep, his little fist clutching his sister’s sweater. He watched her straighten up and kick off her heels before turning to the suitcases. He wasn’t surprised when she immediately started unpacking.

“Being in the Capitol feels weird.” she admitted after a couple of minutes.

“Don’t tell me.” he sighed, flopping down on his back and staring at the cream colored ceiling. Who painted ceilings? “You think Annie and Jo are already here?”

“They are only arriving tonight, aren’t they?” Effie frowned. “I am fairly sure that’s what Johanna told me.”

“And tomorrow the circus starts.” he grumbled, closing his eyes. He wasn’t eager to be paraded around again. He wasn’t eager at all.

It would start with a press conference for the surviving members of the Star Squad and the remaining victors. Then an official dinner at the presidential mansion, followed the next day by the commemoration ceremony and the unveiling of whatever statue was waiting at the City Circle – and how Katniss was going to go through that he wasn’t sure but they could probably get her excused if she didn’t feel like doing it – and the day after that there would be Paylor’s announcement and Effie’s big speech followed by the ball at the mansion. There would be more stuff afterwards, some interviews and campaigning for the next election that only concerned him.

Effie didn’t comment and kept on putting clothes away in the dresser and the wardrobe. He watched her carry their toiletry bags to the bathroom and gave her a small pout. “So, I don’t get to see your childhood bedroom but do I get to see embarrassing baby pictures?”

She came out of the bathroom with her lips pursed but a spark of amusement in her eyes. “I am afraid none of those exists.”

“Liar.” he accused. He would ask Tadius, he decided. He was interested in baby pictures. He wanted to see if their children looked like her younger self.

“Now, now, darling…” she chided, laugher in her voice. “Is that any way to talk to your wife?”

He shrugged, propping himself on his elbows. “My wife refuses to be embarrassed.”

“How disappointing of her.” she grinned, her hands on her hips. She studied him for a moment and then rolled her eyes. “Very well. If you insist.”

Before he could ask what she meant, she was kneeling next to the bed and blindly feeling around beneath it. He sat up straighter, watching her with curiosity – and jerking April who sighed as if it was a great inconvenience and sat up too, her rag doll and the stuffed dog both clutched to her chest, before reaching for her untouched bottle of water. His attention was momentarily diverted when his daughter shook the bottle in a commanding fashion with something akin to a demanding grunt.

“Words, sweetheart.” he reminded her.

They always encouraged her to talk rather than make noises but the unimpressed look she threw him at that second – so very similar to Effie’s pissed off one – made him roll his eyes and take the lid off the bottle. She sucked on it eagerly, which, he supposed, meant she felt better.

Meanwhile, there was a popping sound from under the bed and Effie exclaimed in triumph.

“The fuck you’re doing?” he frowned.

“Watch your tongue in front of the children.” Effie reminded him, half her body was under the bed now and when she finally came out, she had a couple of floorboards in her hand.

“Your mother’s okay with you destroying the floor work?” he mocked.

Effie tossed him a glare. “It has always been loose. I used the space as a hiding place.” It took some more work but she eventually managed to level out a square box from under the bed. She shifted to sit down before rubbing her palms together to get rid of the dust, her nose wrinkled. “There. Now you can make fun of my teenage self to your heart’s content.”

He eagerly snatched the box from her and opened it while she went to thoroughly wash her hands in the bathroom – he didn’t make fun of her for that, he knew only too well how she hated feeling dirty and how easily it could trigger a flashback.

He opened the box, smirking hard when he found what unmistakably was a pink diary. He set that aside for later consideration, not sure she would mind him poking around it or not. There were a couple of trinkets, a battered packet half full of cigarettes, a pink lighter that probably didn’t work anymore, a few folded sketches of ridiculous looking dresses… And at the very bottom.

He laughed when his fingers closed around the action figure. He couldn’t help himself. “Seriously?”

She leaned against the bathroom’s threshold and folded her arms in front of her chest, a teasing smile on her lips. “You wanted to mock my naïve self, didn’t you? Here is your chance.”

He inspected the toy, still chuckling. There had been action figures of all victors. They were toys for children mostly but he knew some crazy people collected them religiously. He had seen a couple of his from time to time, he had even signed some. The likeness had been good but now that he wasn’t sixteen it was really hard to tell, the action figure’s hands were empty but he knew it originally came with a set of plastic knives. Later, it had been re-edited with a knife and a bottle.

“Tell me, sweetheart…” he teased. “What did you do with that toy?”

She lifted her eyebrows in challenge. “Wouldn’t you like to know.”

He could just picture it. Her twelve year-old self romancing the action figure and inventing ridiculous stories in which he fell in love with her at first sight… And then, when she had been older…

His mind was saved from falling into the gutter by his daughter reaching for the toy.

“Apil?” April asked, looking at him with those blue puppy eyes he could never say no to.

He looked at Effie uncertainly, not sure he was comfortable letting their child play with that. It had been funny when he had thought about his wife doing it but… It was a reminder of a time long gone, of something he wasn’t proud of and…

“I do not see the harm in it…” Effie hesitated. “It is just a toy. And how many children can say they have an action figure of their father?”

He licked his lips and studied the action figure, unable to really see himself in it anymore. He used to hate those things like he hated everything reminding him of his arena, of his status, but now… That had been so long ago…

“I guess.” he relented eventually, letting April take it. It was heavy for her little hand and it fell on the bed. Their daughter didn’t see the victor when she looked at it. She was just seeing a toy. And like all kids presented with a toy, she wanted to play with it. “You’re feeling better, shrimp, yeah?”

He felt her forehead again, happy to find her skin cool to the touch. Color had come back to her cheeks too and he let himself breathe, relieved that it had just been motion sickness and not something direr. He hated to see his kids sick.

“We should all change.” Effie declared, clapping her hands once. “We will feel better in clean clothes.”

“I’m good.” he protested. Of course, she pursed her lips at him and he ended up rolling his eyes. “I’m gonna walk the dog and then I’ll change. Deal?”

“Deal.” she humored him, as if she hadn’t just gotten her way.

She selected a new outfit for April – a dress Elindra had bought her – and started the long process of undressing and then dressing the child again, of course interrupted by April’s timely “Potty!” declaration. Aidan was still sleeping so they didn’t disturb him for the moment. Instead, Haymitch watched Effie discard her traveling outfit for a dress that color coordinated with April’s and he swallowed back a remark because he didn’t like when she did stuff like that. There was no harm in it, he knew that, and the girl loved wearing matching outfits with her mother but he couldn’t help but feel it was all too… Capitol.

“We should drag one of the baby beds in there.” he suggested after a while of watching her get ready. Two beds wouldn’t fit but they could probably wedge one between their bed and the window. “April can sleep with us if it’s too tiny for them to share.”

She considered it, he saw it, saw her eyes traveling over their children, but then she shook her head. “I don’t want them in the same room as us. I… I don’t know about you but I am fairly certain I will have nightmares and…” She licked her lips and looked away. “There is another guest room closer to the nursery. Or if you want to sleep in there with them…”

“I’m staying with you.” he cut her off. She would need him more than the babies would. He knew that. He also knew the babies would be alright and safe. It was just… This was a foreign house in an hostile city. “You’ve got the baby monitors packed anyway, yeah?”

“And Peeta and Katniss will be down the nursery’s corridor.” She nodded. “They will be safe, Haymitch.”

“Yeah, I know.” he admitted.

But knowing and accepting weren’t the same thing.

She cleared her throat. “I have something for you.”

He lifted his eyebrows in surprise. “Yeah?” He had something for her too but he was saving it for the day she would give that speech. “What?” And then he smirked because when she gave him stuff… “Kinky lingerie?”

She laughed at the hopeful hint in his voice and fetched something from one of the suitcases. It was wrapped in silver paper with a neat red bow on top. She was a little hesitant when she handed it to him, a small blush on her cheeks. They didn’t really do spontaneous gifts. He didn’t know how to accept them graciously and she always started thinking he had something to atone for when he gave her stuff.

“What’s this for?” he frowned, unwrapping the gift quickly before April could get it into her head to help him. His frown deepened when he found a familiar dark blue box, marked with Twelve’s only jewelry shop brand. It explained why the owner had asked him if they had an anniversary coming on. He glanced at the old battered and scratched golden bangle around his wrist and made a face. “Tell me it ain’t the matching manacle.” She narrowed her eyes at him and he lifted his hand in a defensive gesture. “Fine, fine, no joking…” he grumbled before opening the box.

There was a watch in there. And not any watch but one he had actually been eyeing in the store’s window for a while but had denied himself because… Well, he didn’t really need it and money was better spent on other stuff. But, then again, he had the suspicion she hadn’t bought it with their money but with what she earned with her dressmaking job – otherwise he would have seen it when he had checked the bills.

“Effie…” he whispered, a lump in his throat. “You didn’t have to…”

“I know I didn’t have to.” she replied. “I wanted to. You have been…” She stopped and let out a long breath. “You have been so patient and supportive and now this, coming back here for me…” She gave him a small shrug. “I saw you looking at it and you never buy anything for yourself so…” He picked it up from the box, intending to put it on, when she cleared her throat. “There is an engraving.”

He turned the watch around, brushing his thumb against the words carved in the silver.

Forever yours. E.

He smirked because that was exactly the sort of foolish sentimental display she was fond of and he hated. He put the watch on, the brown leather straps warming quickly against his skin, and admired the elegant face for a second. Then he stood up, cupped her cheek in his hand and drew her in a deep kiss that was a little too dirty given their audience.

Not that April was paying them any attention, she was very busy making his old action figure straddle the stuffed dog like a pony.

“I love you.” he reminded her, the words slipping from his lips with more ease than it used to. He told his children from time to time because he never wanted them to doubt. They were always difficult to utter but he always meant them. “There’s no need for thanks in there.”

“I love you too.” she grinned, stealing another kiss. “And, yes, there is.”

He kissed her again because they would have to agree to disagree on that.

[thecastcompany]

The Writing Prompt given to the Cast Company was....

What was your childhood like? What was Azeroth or your Planet like when you were a child? Share a nice childhood story with us.

Here is the stories of: Lora, Rak'kaba, Zaneryne, Vida, Selth, Sam, Lyla and Maddi

Lora reaches up to adjust the dark red hat on her head, "Vol'dun wasn't great, but I had big sister there! At least...when I was little I did. A story?" She pulls down on her hat, almost covering her whole head with the brim. "Well, there was this one time our caravan stopped near some ruined building or something. The adults said we were gonna stop there for a few day and asked Nika and me to go find supplies and food and stuff! So Nika had a great idea to go explore all the buildings! Of course I wanted to follow my big sister on a big adventure! So we set out and started digging around the rocks and stuff." She seems to lean forward a bit as the memory of the story makes her more and more excited.

"Anyway, I didn't really find much but Nika found this, like, door or something. Me being much smaller, I could fit into the crack in the door, so Nika stood watch while I climbed through! When I got inside, there were these stairs that led underground so I followed them. When I got to the bottom, it was...amazing! All kinds of crazy paintings and broken pottery and stuff! I never found out what anything in there meant but there were these holes in the ceiling that shined light on all the walls and stuff!" Her tail begins to move erratically behind her as she continues to describe the walls in exhausting detail.

"Anyway, we didn't find anything useful, but I think Nika just didn't tell anyone what I had found and just said the place was empty. Maybe someday I can try to find that spot.." Her voice trails off as she starts talking in her native tongue about who knows what for a while...

click, click, click A singular, weathered talon taps against a table. It fills the silence, but leaves the interviewer wondering if they are speaking to a Mercenary. . .or a Bird of Prey. The bird in question hums, the talon finally pulling away from the table. "Hrm. Childhood? I do quite like talking about myself.  I will enlighten you on how I became a Solar Priest. Hrah! No questions, only listen." Rak'kaba begins to pace the room, making wild hand gestures as they speak. "As a hatchling, our Elders decide our fates. However, we can also decide ourselves. So I did whatever was necessary. Like tossing the flightless ones over the Spires." It's hard to tell what sort of emotions are expressed with the bird, but one thing is for sure - they think it's hilarious. "As a hatchling I excelled in the arts of Solar energy, I can make Night into Day with just myself and a particular ritual. Hrm, yes, I suppose I learned it to throw off the competition mainly. The Elders were impressed by my talents at such a young age. Hrm, you are impressed by my talents, correct? You should be. I am very important." The Arakkoa continues to speak for quite literally hours on end about themselves, making sure the interviewer understands just how important they are and not so much about the home they were exiled from.

Zaneryne smiles slightly to this question, "Well as all noble children of the Sun our lives were filled with schedules, schedules and more schedules....sure I grew up with a silver-spoon in my mouth, and had a lot of stuff to do, like school, mage training, this or that, but it was still a good life. I don't really know what the rest of Azeroth was like, I just knew what Quel'thalas was like. It was a golden palace of silver and golds and the finest of stones, everyday felt like a fairy tale and that you were the Princess of the city...but my most cherish childhood memory was.....a picnic we went too....it was my mom, me, my sister Zainstra and our father, we all day sat in the sun and ate cakes and sandwiches and chased geese and had some chase us back, and it was not until night when we made a fire and my parents told us the story of how they met and fell in love and had smores together, and my father was so particular about not having chocolate of anything smudge his face cause appearance was EVERYTHING!" flutters her eyes before rolling them.

She giggles a little, "He had the smallest smudge of chocolate here..." taps the left corner of her mouth, "my mother pointed it out by kissing it and saying he tasted sweet, he quickly went to wipe it away and this started a huge food fight, my mother smearing her smore into his face, and then me joining in, Zainstra at first was a little afraid to join in, but the tickle monster, aka my mother dragged her in and smear chocolate on her and we left the park looking a mess."

From Vida:

"Alright strap in, this is a story from like 20 years ago!" She said as she sighed nostagically. "So before I got into modeling and all that mess, I had a talent for tinkerin!  I mean at the time I could build a whole bunch of fun things!  I build a dancin robot, a music box, and explosive!"  She said as she laughed "the noise and sight were fun to watch!"  She said as she got comfortable in her seat.

"So at the time my old man and my ma lived in Dun Morogh.  My dad had this job he had hated working for this gnomes corporation.....I mean yeah he made a lot of money, but he had zero fun doing his job!" She said passionately.

"My ma didn't care about his happiness cause she was out spendin his money!  Man I wish she would die already!!!!" She said as she snapped before calling down.  "Anyways!"  She said happily

"So my dad took me to work for bring ya kid to work day and showed me some of the stuff they were workin on, and thats when I saw it!"  She said with excitement. "In my dads bosses office they showed a device powered on pure mana!  The goal of it was to help mages power interdimensional portals or somethin...who cares!" She said as she leaned closer.  "So when no one was lookin I decided to sneak back in and well....ya know play around with it!

"My daddys boss had a whole lot of cool things to tinker with, So I started really goin to town!" She said as she raised her goggles up " and after a hour later, my greatest creation was active!"  She said proudly.

"Daddy and everyone were lookin for me but when they found me my daddys boss flipped out!"  She laughed "like he saw what I made and panicked calling all law enforcement and nearly evacuatin the city we were living in!"  She said as she busted out laughing "apparently I made a dirty mana bomb that was SUPER unstable!" She said as she fell out of her chair from laughing "can you imagin it!?  Me making a dirty mana bomb!?  Man I was a stupid kid!  If I were more mature it wouldn't  had been dirty!" She said as she still laughed as she got back up.

"Anyway, they were able to defuse and everythin, dad was proud of me, ma was pissed and my dad lost his job.....oh as we were banned from ever enterin that city again!"  She said as she snickered

"Whats funny is that a shit ton of years later no one would be able to enter that city!  I mean I may have almost blew up gnomergan, but atleast I didn't irradiated the hell out of it!" She laughed

Selth

The forsaken man smiles as he pets his rather massive stitched abomination hound. "Ah, Lordearon, used to be so nice back then, less volitale plague, more green and normal mind you." The man tosses the hound a snack of a leg that still looks a big bloody, it appears to be an entire bear's hindleg. "I grew up on a farm, I spent many days helping gather crops, herding sheep, occasionally riding with my father to sell at the market, truly it was a better time."

The forsaken man smiles at his hound a moment, patting the head of the beast laying next to him chewing on the bone of the leg. "It was around my fourteenth birthday my father gave me Cerberon, an early birthday present, I loved him as much as I still do! He was always just an adventurous pup, and grew into a very strong dog, why he once helped me move a small tree that had fallen in the road on the way to the market." He frowns a moment as the next distinct memory comes to mind. "Then the scourge came..." he snaps out of it. "Apologies, a story best saved for another time I think."

Sam

Sam growls, getting in the interviewers face, baring his night elven fangs, "Drop it..." Sam storms out of the room leaving a young night elven woman behind looking apologetic. Lorianda Moonfury sighs, "I am sorry about my father's reaction. His childhood is a very sore subject, one he rarely even confides to me about." The young woman smiles, "Still, he is a wonderful father, he took me in after my family was killed by the Scourge and gave me a wonderful childhood."

Lori smiles fondly, "I remember one year around this time, though he was still stuck in his cat form he put on a beard and red suit and played Greatfather Winter for me. I believe it was the year after he adopted me and I was still suffering from the heartache of losing my family. He did everything in his power to make me smile and laugh, the man he is right now I don't recognize. I still see flashes of that wonderful father, but they are buried behind whatever mask he is wearing right now. Please do not think badly of him."

Lyla

Lyla sat back and sighed “Honestly most of our childhood was amazing. Full of love, and compassion, and family. My brothers were always picking on me, always. I sort of grew used to it and now that all of them but Teav have sort of given up I miss them picking on me. It was full of laughter and pouting. We did tons of farm work, and learned what working hard meant. We were responsible for the animals and crops but I learned the value of hard work.

I think one of my favorite moments include all the pranks we would play on each other. I gave Teav a box of crickets for Winter’s Veil. He squealed like a little girl. We were all laughing, my mom was in tears. That was also the year we got our horses. Teav and I were given really rare twin horses. The last gift from my mom before she died. I miss Westfall and the way things were, now I just hope to be able to give these two a life as grand as mine. She places her hand on her belly and smiles

Maddi

Maddi smiled “My childhood itself was … entitled. I was an only child, my mother died so my dad made sure I had the world. I had the best dresses, the best teachings, the best training and tutors. My father raised me towards the light, I would say the teachings were more like brainwashing, but it didn’t work. All I wanted to do was fight” She laughed “I would spar with the soldiers at night because they gave me everything I wanted. Even sweets. I was on a strict diet, and schedule. I  had amazing holidays and birthdays and literally got everything I wanted...I remember once I sat down with my dad and he asked what I wanted for my birthday, I told him a sword like his. He refused, so he got me my horse. And I fell in love with him, he was my only friend most of my life. I learned to do handstands on him and everything. He’s getting old now, but I love him. When I went back home after everything, he was still there being loyal. He was injured from many years before and his leg didn’t heal right but we rehabbed him and he only has a small limp now.

[rockett-to-the-purple-moon]

A Worthy Wife

A story from Whitney’s page on Purple Moon dot com:

In a town long ago there lived a merchant's son named Franz. Although he had hair of gold and a face clear and fair, Franz's heart was often dark with unkindness. He was known to pull the wings off of butterflies and tie bells to the tails of cats.

Early one morning, he was galloping his horse through the streets of town when he spied a peasant girl herding her geese across the road. Franz thought it would be a fine joke to watch the geese honk and flap their white wings in panic. So he gave spur to his horse and galloped into the middle of them. Feathers flew everywhere, and there was certainly a great deal of noise! But the girl, instead of running away, rushed toward his horse in a vain attempt to save her flock. As the horse galloped by it knocked her down and twisted her leg badly.

No one was there to help the girl -- and the horse, badly frightened, ignored Franz's efforts to stop its mad race down the road. The last he saw of the goose girl was her crying in the road, her injured leg crumpled beneath her.

By the time Franz rode back to his father's home, the girl and her geese were nowhere to be seen. Filled with a rare shame, the boy vowed never to hurt another living thing. He was as good as his word, and as the years passed he became known as a man both kind and fair. With Franz's help, his father's business increased until they were very wealthy. Because he was both rich and good, people began wondering who he would marry. What girl in the town was worthy enough to be his wife?

Finally, the merchant hired a marriage maker to go from house to house, searching out the perfect bride for his son. After visiting every house in the town, the marriage maker returned.

"I have seen girls that were beautiful, but not kind," he said. "Girls who were smart, but not beautiful. And girls who were kind but lacking in thought. I have met peasants and princesses, dairy maids and duchesses -- but of them all, only one is kind, beautiful and wise."

"Then," said the merchant to his son, "That is surely the one you should marry!"

"Ah, but wait," said the marriage maker, "for even she has an imperfection. There is a terrible scar on her leg and she limps when she walks."

"That will not do at all!" began the merchant, but Franz stepped forward.

"I will see this girl," he said. "If she is as lovely and wise as you say, then perhaps I may be of some help to her at least."

He mounted his finest horse and rode with the marriage maker to the girl's home. It was a modest house, plain but neat, surrounded by blooming roses and shady trees. On the porch hung a cage with a yellow bird in it. From the house's windows came the sound of someone singing.

At their knock, the girl came to the door. Her eyes were wise and as clear as a brook in summer. Her hair was the amber color of honey and her cheeks were pink as a rose. But though her long skirts covered her legs, it was obvious from her limp that she was as the marriage maker described.

"Maiden," said Franz, "I hear you bear an injury in your leg. How did you come by it?"

"Ah, sir," said the girl, "it happened when I was young. I was herding my geese through the town when a terrible boy rode me down with his horse. I have had this limp ever since."

Then Franz, the good and kind merchant's son, lowered his head with a shame he had not known in many years.

"Alas, I was the wicked boy who rode that horse and struck you down. Although you could not know it, it was seeing you injured that changed my life -- for if not for you and your dear twisted leg, I would be wicked still. I will marry you and no other, for every limping step you take makes me thankful I have a heart."

So they were wed the following day. And seeing him smile as he rode by his wife, the townspeople agreed that Franz had found the one girl worthy of him after all.

[josephkitchen0]

Fire Evacuation Procedures for Your Livestock

By Mary Wilson – The year 2013 was an informative and challenging year for Half Creek Farm in Bickleton, Washington. In late July and early August, we got our first “opportunity” to give farm fire evacuation procedures a try. We pretty much sucked at it.

I raise Kiko goats, British White cattle, Gotland sheep, a llama and a Holstein heifer. We also run a small herd of British Guernsey milk goats. We are raising geese, a zillion free-range chickens, ducks and three dogs.

Our animals are generally very gentle and used to us handling and touching them. We don’t have any craziness here (in the livestock sense). This fact led me to anticipate that should I ever need to put our fire evacuation procedures to the test, it would be a fairly simple thing to load all my gentle, well-behaved animals into the horse trailers and canopy and, away we’d go. Hah! That is not what happened.

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First, and foremost, you need to realize that all those friendly, sweet, easy to handle animals become raving lunatics when they sense something is wrong. My sweet Daisy (one of the British White cows) jumped her enormous girth (which I had no idea was even possible) onto a four-foot cattle panel and squashed it in half to escape the loading pen I’d thrown together. In spite of my warnings of oncoming barbecue weather, it took hours to lure Iris (the other British White heifer) into the horse trailer. That’s when I discovered that two of these girls weren’t going to fit in the horse trailer. So I took Iris and the llama to our friends’ farm in Goldendale (30 miles), dropped them off, and headed back. Daisy was having none of it, and ended up never being loaded out.

All of the meat goats were loaded up into the big horse trailer and hauled to Centerville, Washington (40 miles). When I arrived to unload the goats I discovered that one of my really nice registered Kiko doelings was crushed in the load. Not only is this heartbreaking, it’s a financial hit, as fire evacuation procedures are not cheap!

I unloaded the goats into the pasture provided by a friend’s farm and fed them to help settle them down. I was sharing a fence line with her goats, which made me nervous, and I didn’t have time to reinforce the fence between the two herds. This proved problematic, as the hay is always greener on the other side, and her herd broke through the fence and mixed with mine. That meant that a few months after I got my herd home I had to have the whole group blood tested for CL and CAE. Another expense I hadn’t counted on from our fire evacuation procedures.

I didn’t even try to move the poultry as part of the fire evacuation procedure, choosing instead to shelter in place. We have a large area behind one of the barns that’s void of grass and debris, and we put food and water out hoping for the best. The dogs stayed with us the whole time, traveling in the trucks while we moved livestock. The cats disappeared into the woods, not bothering to look to us for saving them.

Then we loaded the dairy goats and took them to a third farm. The dairy goats were near kidding and we were worried about them. We’d spent a lot of time and money having them AI’d and didn’t want to lose anyone. The people who owned the farm worked, which meant the girls would be alone for the day. They also didn’t know much about goats, so couldn’t tell when kidding was imminent, leaving us to check on them often. This farm was 25 miles from us on a side road.

Just when you think you’re finally set, you realize you’ve only begun with the hassle of the fire evacuation procedure. Once you have your animals moved, you are then responsible for making sure they get fed and watered. This was a really expensive challenge for us, as all of our shelter farms were about 30 miles away. We got up each morning and loaded up hay and buckets, and headed out to each farm to care for our animals. We couldn’t leave extra hay just sitting at our host farms because they had animals as well and their animals didn’t know our hay from their hay. So each day we’d drive out, feed and water all our animals, make sure they were doing okay, then in the evening we’d repeat it. One of the farms put the llama and the British White out on pasture so we didn’t have to do anything with them. This was so nice!

As we had feared, one of the British Guernsey dairy goats did indeed kid. We found her and her kid on one of our evening rounds and took her home, figuring if it got bad, we’d put her in the back seat of the car and run for it.

Dave made runs around our house and property with the Bobcat to help provide protection. There were tons of flying ash pieces in the air, and for weeks after the fire they remained on every surface on the farm. It’s amazing they didn’t start more fires as some of them were really large.

We brought the animals home in waves, about five days later, and then sat down to make a new fire evacuation plan for next time. We live in the rural west and wildfires are a fact of life. We have to be prepared to evacuate. However, remember there are many other reasons to evacuate, or to be prepared for disasters. From floods, to earthquakes, to volcanoes, we pretty much have it all and should be ready to provide for our animals as well as our families. With this in mind, I’m sharing with you some of the things that might help you in times of uncertainty.

Level 1=Get Ready, Level 2=Set, Level 3=Go!

We began waking up to heavy smoke in the air and flying pieces of ash. The fire departments sent trucks down to warn everyone to get ready for fire evacuation procedures (Level 2). They started advising steps to take to help minimize damage if the fire overran their fire line. It was a tense time. The smoke in the air was a constant reminder that all was not well.

Another thing to remember is that local wildlife is also on the run. Once your animals are out, open your gates, fill the water troughs, and close up your barns. You don’t want others running from the fire to be cut off from escape, or trapped in your barn thinking it’s safe, or full of your hay.

Pay close attention to local authorities and when you are moved from Level 2 to Level 3, assume you won’t be permitted to re-enter your place once you’ve left. All your animals need to be rescued before this point.

Finally, try to make sure valuable farm equipment is under shelter, and you’ve cleared around the shelter as much as you’re able. By now we’ve all had it drilled into us to clear a defensible area around our houses, but you should also have that same area around your barns and storage shelters. No debris, scrap lumber, or usual farm “stuff” should be banked up near any structures. If it’s valuable enough to keep, put it under cover; otherwise toss it, or put it in a pile in the middle of a clear field and away from structures.

So, I’ve told you how we did it, now I’ll tell you things that we would do differently, and things we’ve learned for the first time we executed our fire evacuation procedures.

1. Your tame well-behaved animals will become strangers. They won’t follow you like they always do, they won’t pay attention to the dogs, they’ll run everywhere but where you want them. Have a good livestock handling area set up in advance. It will make your life easier anyway so just do it. Sturdy aisles, good-working gates, and a well-built loading area will make things so much better.

2. If you have a lot of animals be sure you have room for all of them at host farms. In the case of a fire, you can’t just board at your neighbor’s because he’s boarding somewhere too. You need to be far enough away from the disaster to provide safety. Setting up reciprocal agreements with other farmers in advance is something you can do this week!

3. If you have a lot of animals and it looks serious, start moving them when you reach Level 2 of your fire evacuation procedures. You may not be allowed back if you wait until a Level 3 and have to make several loads.

4. On your final trip, leave a horse trailer at the host farm. When you return to check on your animals the next morning, bring plenty of hay and store it in the trailer. This way you can take a more economical vehicle for the rest of the fire evacuation procedures as you won’t have to haul hay every day.

5. Make sure all of your animals have positive identification on them, whether it’s a brand, an ear tag or tattoo. Have current pictures of unmarked animals and keep accurate records of where everyone went. It’s easy to lose animals while they are hosting at someone else’s farm, especially if everyone is working and there’s no one to watch your animals.

6. If you have to leave an animal behind, don’t chain them, or contain them where they will be trapped. Place them in a cleared area with enough food and water for 72 hours. Don’t rely on automatic waterers as you may lose electricity.

7. Make sure the host farms have all your contact info. Place contact info on your door when you leave.

8. When you have completed your fire evacuation procedure, put a sign at the end of your drive, advising fire and rescue that you have evacuated. You don’t want them to waste precious time going in to check to make sure you are safe when you aren’t even there.

9. Be sure to take important papers like registrations, health records, and vaccinations.

10. If you are unable to evacuate all of your animals, you need to decide which genetics are the most valuable. Prioritize if you can’t take them all.

The 5 P’s of Executing Immediate Fire Evacuation Procedures:

People, pets, and livestock

Papers — important documents

Prescriptions — medications, eyeglasses, hearing aids

Pictures — Irreplaceable memories

Personal computer

Before a Fire Evacuation Procedure:

Make a list of priorities. What will you pack when you leave? Write it down so that if it ever comes up, you can pull your list and begin loading the car.

Keep a kit: This should include a first aid kit, some emergency tools, a battery powered radio and flashlight with extra batteries, a spare set of car keys, credit cards, cash, water, non-perishable food, blanket/sleeping bag, a waterproof tarp, all packed in a backpack or carryall so you can grab it and go. Keep several packed and in handy places, like one in each car, and one in the utility room.

Always establish two escape routes in case of disaster.

When you leave your home:

Leave your electricity on and a light on!

Move flammable furniture to the center of the room.

Close shutters, blinds, and heavy drapes. Remove light-weight drapes and curtains.

Close fireplace screens and dampers.

Shut all interior and exterior doors and leave them unlocked.

Place a note on the front door stating names of all evacuees and your destination/contact info.

Place a ladder outside for roof access.

Originally published in Countryside 2014 and regularly vetted for accuracy.

Fire Evacuation Procedures for Your Livestock was originally posted by All About Chickens

[animalfactsus]

Cool Border Collie Facts Interesting Dogs 101#bordercollie

Cool Border Collie Facts Interesting Dogs 101#bordercollie

He’s fun, he’s energetic, he’s intelligent and he loves his people. The Border Collie, originally bred to gather and control sheep, is a people-oriented family dog and versatile working dog. Hi, welcome to Animal Facts. Today, we present ten fun facts about the fascinating Border Collie.

Let’s get started. But, before we start, take a moment to like and subscribe for more fun, fauna facts.

Let us know about your doggy in the comments below.

10. He was called collie after the ancient Celtic word “colley,” meaning useful or faithful. The Celtics began breeding Collies from the dogs brought to Britain by the Romans to be smaller, more agile sheep dogs that were more resistant to the cold than their predecessors.

9. Being originally bred on the border of Scotland and England is how the Border Collie got his name. It is believed that the secretary of the International Sheepdog Society, James Reid, an influential Scot, gave them the name when writing about them in letters to his colleagues.

8. He’s an independent thinker. Dogs, in general, are pretty smart, especially herding dogs, but no breed can beat the Border Collie. He was bred to be independent and solve problems on his own even for complex tasks.

Border Collie Training

7. This independent intelligence is not always good for training. Because he is so smart, you need to train him right from the outset. He learns very quickly and pick up on everything but may develop bad habits. When training him, make sure he stays focused on the task, if he is not engaged his attention will wander.

6. Herding dogs like border collies have been specially bred to chase and organize animals. This modified predatory behavior incorporates stalking, crouching, nipping, but without the messy killing. The need to herd is so deeply ingrained in him, that some modern owners actually rent sheep for their Border Collies to corral. He’ll herd anything though, including kids, cats, squirrels, or anything else that moves, including cars.

Celebrity Border Collie Owners

James Dean with his Border Collie

5. It’s become a tradition at Animal Facts to name celebrity owners in the number 5 spot. The Border Collie has some legends: James Dean, the cultural icon and American Film Institutes 18th best male movie star, rock legend, Jon Bon Jovi, frontman of rock band Bon Jovi, Tiger Woods, one of the world’s most successful golfers, and Crown Princess Mary of Denmark.

4. Don’t expect to lay around the house with a Border Collie around. The smarter the dog, the easier it is for him to get bored. The Border collie is a working dog and enjoys having tasks to keep him busy throughout the day. This high-energy dog needs to redirect its zing or else he will misbehave. This energy means he’ll excel in dog sports like agility and flyball.

3. You may catch your Border Collie giving you a look when you have something delicious in your hand. This intense stare, “the eye”, intimidates livestock and helps the dog herd and control them.

Queen Victoria Border Collie

2. Queen Victoria was a true dog lover who took a liking to many breeds and by many, we mean her name comes up quite often on Animal Facts. Hmmm, maybe we should do a video about her. In the early 1860s, she became an active Border Collie enthusiast. At this time, the Border Collie began to separate and become distinguished from the modern Collie.

1. Border Collies have all kinds of jobs, from herder to search and rescue, but one career you probably haven’t heard of is “goose master.” One Florida company trains Border Collies to keep geese off people’s property. The University of North Florida hired a Border Collie named Bee to be the goose master for their campus. Bee keeps geese away from high-traffic areas.

Cool Border Collie Facts Interesting Dogs 101#bordercollie

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Cool Border Collie Facts Interesting Dogs 101#bordercollie was first posted on May 22, 2017 at 3:07 pm. ©2017 "Animal Facts". Use of this feed is for personal non-commercial use only. If you are not reading this article in your feed reader, then the site is guilty of copyright infringement. Please contact me at dickson.leroy@gmail.com from Cool Border Collie Facts Interesting Dogs 101#bordercollie