#there was supposed to be a lynx in here too but i ran out of room!

[ekingstonart]

“Lena, breathless from more than just the dancing and trying her hardest to contain the blush now surely covering her entire body, doesn’t even notice the other package beneath the Christmas tree until Kara is nudging it shyly into her lap. She carefully peels back the polar bear wrapping paper to find a leather-bound notebook identical to her own. “You know you already gave me one of these, right?” she smiles, nudging Kara in the ribs.

Kara smiles back, but her eyes are apprehensive. “Open it.””

— with the birds i’ll share this lonely view by @searidings

[ash-the-porcupine]

Sneak peak of my new fanfic: "A Million Reasons".

"Buster, wake up before I smack you with this PB&J!" 

A sharp voice was what snapped Buster into ultimate awakening. He swiveled his head towards the irritated facial expressions of one punk-rock porcupine he knew as his daughter/best friend, Ash. A quirky little smirk sprouted on Buster's face quicker than he could say ventriloquist. "Why that sandwich specifically?" he said through a yawn, swinging his office chair around so it would spin in a short circle.

Ash rolled her blue eyes and shoved his shoulder playfully, accidentally knocking him out of the chair to tumble flat on his face. She tried to hold back her laughter, but with limited success. Buster shot her a small glare before sticking his tongue out at her with exaggerated bitterness. Ash knew he was just messing with her, and giggled. "Rehearsals were supposed to have started fifteen minutes ago, you doof!" she teased, throwing his blazer at him. 

She knew him too well. It landed straight on his face. Typical of Ash to do that, really. She'd been staying at the theater for a while, a room had been fixed up for her and everything! She loved it here. Even Porsha had her own room here. It was neat. They were like a big, weird multi-species family. 

Buster was quick to tug on the blue coat and chase the porcupine down the stairs, tripping at least twice in the doing as he ran out and skidded to a stop on the stage. "Good morning, everybody!" He greeted with his characteristic enthusiasm. "Sorry, I slept through my alarm. Peanut butter related violence seems to work better, anyway." 

Ash snickered evilly, taking a bite from the aforementioned sandwich now that her boss and honorary father-figure was awake. "I mean, better than bringing in the Ronald McDonald mask, Moon." Ash reminded, giving him her very vest villain face. Buster shuddered in response, leaving everybody to laugh. 

As Buster handed out papers, they all exchanged pleasant conversation until the main bits of this started. "Now, everyone," Buster announced, clapping his hands together to bring everyone's attention to him. "I want you all to remember that Nana should be showing up at any time today with the owner of Majestic Theater himself! So I need all of you to be on your very best behavior. Looking at you, Nooshy." he said with a playful smirk. 

The lynx raised her paws with a grin. "Guilty." She admitted, a quirky tilt of her ears topping off the expression. "I'm too awesome. Can't unleash my charms here." Nooshy looked at Johnny, who stood beside her. "I got the rizz, too." she purred in a husky voice, simply to toy with the gorilla, who's face went bright red.

"I'm not going to ask what rizz is, but everyone understand? We've gotta be at our very best today!" Buster was good at taking on a commanding tone when necessary, a trait that was found to be rather admirable when compared to his natural, upbeat disposition. "If I find marshmallows in the piano again, we're bringing in Commander Crawly."

Commander Crawly, as Buster had titled it, was the old lizard's serious side - which reminded Buster of a Drill Sergeant more than anything. It was quite amusing when you weren't the one having orders barked at you. Everyone in the room was half on-edge and half amused by Buster's final statement, and a serious of "Yes, sir, Mr. Moon!"s filled the atmosphere. 

Buster chuckled knowingly. He could see Crawly simply basking in this on the side of the room as she played her usual morning round of Candy Crush, while simultaneously sipping a caramel frappe she had somehow found the time to retrieve from Arlo's, down the street. Best dessert shop in Calatonia, really. 

Ash wondered vaguely how Buster always managed to wake up so easily and get moving in the morning. She had to throw herself off the side of the bed just to convince her brain to work. It was actually quite entertaining to witness. Porsha was certainly not a morning person either, even just judging by the fact that the wolf - who stood beside Ash, drowsily sipping a coffee - was still in her pajama pants. Buster clearly had noticed as well.

"Porsha, if Nana's swinging by, pants may be necessary. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news." He said, his tone one of fond teasing if anything. Porsha looked down and muttered an incoherent curse, apparently not having realized she was still wearing PJs before now. It took everything within Buster not to laugh. 

Porsha sighed and walked off, coffee cup in hand, to go fix that. "Dream crusher." she joked as she trudged past. 

"Someone had to fill the position!" Buster looked down at his clipboard with a hum before analyzing his crew. They were all reading through the song pages they had been handed. They had about an hour to rehearse before Nana arrived, and if all went well, they would be rewarded for their efforts with whatever they chose to do. Buster was always happy to pay for some treats or a movie for his crew. 

He soon sat down in his usual place in the front row as Crawly brought him a cup of coffee and the rough draft of his latest script for him to edit. This was the hardest part for him to do. Buster struggled to focus sometimes. When writing, his hands where always moving and his mind was n hyperdrive. Editing, however, was a slow process that required him to sit completely still other the occasional highlighting of a line for long periods of time - something that was hard for him, due to being a bit of a busybody. 

Nooshy, as well, had this trait. She would get bored if she was seated or having to stay still for any longer than twenty or thirty minutes. When they went to the cinema, Nooshy had swung her legs back and forth into the back of Buster's seat for most of the duration of the movie. He hadn't minded too much, but it was a bit annoying to listen to. 

Buster thanked Crawly for the coffee as he read through the papers, scanned for errors, typos, or lines that could be improved. Once or twice, he ran the yellow highlighter over a line of dialogue, reminding himself to fix it, or the red one to remind him to cut that line from the script. 

It both felt like a mere moment and an eternity as the hour slipped by, and soon they were rehearsing on stage (having practiced in the back enough to perform for Buster with moderate confidence). Meena came first. She had an uncanny habit of memorizing her papers with astounding speed. She'd gotten much braver, too, overcoming stage fright over the few years she'd been with Moon Theater.

Buster was more than happy to listen as she sang her assigned song, birthday cake, by Dylan Conrique. It was sad, but a beautiful song. The play they were working on was quite the concoction, a mixture of melancholy and vibrant. As Buster viewed it, it would be a masterpiece. 

It was the middle of Rosita and Porsha's (quite intense) duet of Dandelion by Gabbie Hanna that the theater doors boomed open and in strode Nana, followed closely by a panther. His fur was a dark shade of grey and his head was held high, regarding the people with a rather snooty look from his dark brown eyes. He held a cane, but didn't use it. He wore light grey suit with a white button-up shirt, an outfit completed by a grey bowtie. 

Buster felt a bit intimidated as the panther came to a halt in front of him, but every doubt was destroyed a moment later when the visitor loosened up and looked down at Buster with a bit friendly smile, all the the haughty, arrogant attitude fading in an instant. The panther was simply playing with him! "Tyson Myers!" The panther announced, extending a hand with an inviting, enthusiastic tone.

Buster eased up a little and shook his large hand, nodding in approval. "Buster Moon. Nice to meet you, sir." he introduced politely, his anxiety draining away faster with every moment. Tyson's smile held no malice, and he insisted on shaking everyone's hand as Buster's crew came in to meet the owner of the Majestic. Nana looked half exasperated and half amused by Tyson's display. 

When he got to Ash, the porcupine regarded him with a skeptical side-eye, looking suspicious of the panther. "So, Mr. Moon," Tyson said, "As Nana may have told you, I'm here because - after your performance of Out of This World at my theater, I'm interested!" Tyson declared cheerfully. He had a thick and distinctly British accent, very different from Johnny's more subtle Welsh one. Many people mistook Johnny as British, but they would have come to a different conclusion once they heard Mr. Myers speak. 

Buster nodded in acknowledgement to Tyson's words, diverting every bit of attention to it. Porsha stood to the side, watching Tyson closely. She was much less tense than Ash appeared, but held an equal amount of distrust deep down. After what happened with her dad, this was justifiable. 

"You see, that show brought in more audiences than we've had in years! And I was wondering if you'd be up to my little suggestion…" Tyson seemed to take on a more thoughtful tone, musing the matter with a rather difficult expression to read. Buster exchanged glances with Rosita before tilting his head.

"Well, sir, what did you have in mind?" Buster asked, fairly sure he wasn't looking at another Jimmy Crystal anymore, the threat still fresh in his mind. He still regularly suffered from the memory, but as each minute passed, the threat of Tyson seemed to diminish. 

Tyson's black lips perked in a smile. "What would you and your crew think of a nation-wide tour?" he asked, looking a cross between mischievous and thrilled at the mere idea. "If you all would be willing, I think it would be simply magnificent if you could hit the major theaters of mine in each state, finishing it off with a big new show! You can re-use ones you've made previously through the duration of it, but a big, new, original finale!" 

The enthusiasm in the panther's voice was rivaling the heights of Buster's own ecstatic words before a new big show. Buster's grin was growing by the moment, but he tried to keep his mind and words level and calm. Keeping a level head was something he'd had many chats with Rosita about since the incident with Crystal. 

He looked around to his friends, who sat patiently on the edge of the stage, who only watched with expressions ranging from blank, to suspicious, to thrill. He glanced back to Nana and Tyson. "Well, I'll have to talk to my friends, but I'll certainly consider the offer, sir!"

Tyson nodded in acceptance, his mood not dampened even a bit. He shook Buster's hand once more, slipping a card into it in the doing. "Great! I hope to hear from you before the week is up. I look forward to it." the panther stated surely before walking down the aisle and out the theater doors, going to sit against Nana's limo.

Nana sighed at the man's behavior, shaking her head. "He's such an air-headed man." She said, "However… I won't deny being fond of the lad." 

Tyson and Nana had been friends for years, for Nana was once a performer at his theater. Buster had a few questions, but had the experience to keep them to himself. "See that you put due thought into his proposal, Mr. Moon." Nana reminded. "And Rosita?" she inquired, turning to face the sow. "Make sure he doesn't do anything foolish."

"Yes, ma'am, Ms. Noodleman." Rosita agreed with a confident nod, poking Buster's ribs teasingly. She didn't plan to do so much as let him out of her sight. Buster was well-aware of this, too, as they watched Nana stride from the theater - more troubles on her mind than Buster would have ever guessed. 

A while later, the troupe sat in a circle, conversing with one another in hushed tones. They were trying to decide what to make of this. Buster had been prepared for some spontaneous, strange, or simple, but this was way different. Tyson had failed to mention just how long the tour would be, but he knew it was be at least fifty days if they were to tour the whole country - to hit more than one state in a day was absurd. 

Buster took a long, thoughtful breath, returning to reality. "What about my kids?" Rosita asked, a more than valid point of reasoning. "I can't just leave Norman here to take care of them, and how could I cart all of them with us? Summer or not, that's ridiculous!"

Buster nodded in acknowledgement. "I understand, Rosita. And we will figure this out. And you know what? If we can't find a good solution, we just won't go. I'm not going to force anyone into doing this." he said, holding his paws up as if defending himself. 

The room fell quiet for a moment as Rosita looked at him. "Are you serious? You'd call off the whole trip just because of the situation with my kids?" She appeared to be surprised by Buster's statement, stunned that he would do such a thing. She knew how much this probably meant to him, so it was a gesture she was more than grateful for. 

Buster nodded. "Of course. I understand." he said. "Besides, I've babysat them all myself, Rosita. I know they can be a handful. We have until the end of the week, okay? Don't stress out too much over it." he reminded, setting a paw on top of her hoof for a moment in a supportive attempt at comfort.

She smiled a bit. "Thank you, Buster." she said, feeling a little bit better now. However, the next to speak was Ash, and she appeared to have her feathers in quite a ruffle. Erm, fur.

"But- Buster! How are you supposed to sort EVERYTHING out?! Johnny and Nooshy help Marcus at the Auto Shop, Porsha has a job, I play at the night clubs, we don't even know WHAT Gunter does, and some of those plays require CLAY! He's all the way in Redshore! How can we bring him back here in time for that anyway, assuming he even agrees?!" Ash said, putting only a few things out there out of everything. 

"Yeah, Mr. Moon. I want to come, of course, but what about my family? I'm supposed to help my mom with my grandparents. Redshore was just a few weeks, but this could be a few MONTHS!" Meena pointed out. 

Buster held his hands up in an inaudible hope for silence. "Listen, I know this is a mess, and kind of all-at-once. I will talk to Marcus, and I'll figure out the job things. Not too worried about Gunter. He can talk anyone into anything at any time. He's got a skill. As for Clay, you have his contact. We can talk to him together, alright? As for you, Meena… I see what you're saying, I acknowledge it, and I promise you we will figure it out. As I said, it isn't completely confirmed that we're going yet. So just try and calm down a little, guys. Meena, Johnny, Rosita: just gently bring the idea up to your families when you find a good time." he said, about to add on but was cut off by Ash.

"Moon, this is completely unreasonable!" Ash groaned. "How are there even solutions for some of this?! And, just saying, unless you can magically bring Suki-the-babysitting-wonder along with us, even just Rosita's kids bring up a BIG problem!"

"That's actually not a bad idea, Ash!" Buster praised with a big smile, snapping his  fingers. He looked at Porsha, who shared the expression that came with the bright idea. 

"Don't even think about it, Moon. Suki's got bigger fish to fry than you going on a tour with us. I mean, seriously. And I'm sure Jerry's not making her job any easier." Ash pointed out with a huff of indignation. 

"But Suki could help!" Porsha cried. "I mean, she pretty much raised me!" The wolf insisted. A serious of shouts and sentences and general clamor rose up throughout the group, leading Buster to smash his ears flat against his head to try and block out the noise. 

"BE QUIET!"

The uncharacteristic shout was what caused the room to fall silent, and everyone to lower themselves back to the ground. Buster gave them all a sharp glare, slowly letting his hands fall back to the ground after silencing them all. "We'll work this out, okay? But fighting won't solve anything. It won't! You've all got to cool down. Just… go home, alright…? Get some sleep. We'll continue this in the morning." 

And with that, Buster stood up and walked off, heading up the stairs to his office with a rather tired, defeated expression. "Moon…" Ash sighed, going after him. Geez, that got messy, fast. The remaining troupe members exchanged brief looks, slow to filter out from the theater, wondering what happens next?

………

Meena sat beside her mom as the dinner table, her grandparents across from her. She picked at her food slightly, deep in thought. Her mother seemed to pick up on how withdrawn Meena was this evening. "Meena?" She finally questioned, setting down her fork. "Anything happen at the thester today?"

Meena glanced at her mother, Betty, with a nervous look. "Well, we got invited to do a tour. Across the whole entire country." Meena sighed softly as she got it out, not having much else to say yet. This caught the attention of both of her grandparents - Fredrick and Elenore. 

Elenora stood and hugged her granddaughter in sheer joy, bouncing as much as her old legs would allow. "Oh, Meena, that's great!" she shouted, and Fredrick gave an approving grunt.

"Well, why so glum about it?" Betty laughed, squeezing her daughter's shoulder with a smile. It was hard for Meena to put into words what she was thinking, because there was so much emotional weight attached to it. She wanted to go on the tour, of course she did, but what if her family wouldn't - or couldn't - allow it. 

"Well, I'm supposed to help you, mom…" Meena mumbled awkwardly, shoving her hands into her pockets. 

Meena was expecting some down-beat response or sympathetic word or even an exclamation from her grandpa, but instead was met with a long, clear laugh. "Oh, no, sweetheart!" Betta said through her good-natured laughter. "You take this! This is a special apportunity. We can manage just fine. You tell that koala you'll be there!" Betty said, and a smile began to spread across the young elephant's features. 

She then hugged her mom, completely abandoning her plate as she ran to her room to call Mr. Moon and tell him the good news. 

At Johnny's, however, it was a different story…

…

"So, um, dad, you know how I told you we were gonna be seeing this major theater owner? Y'know, the guy that owns the Majestic?" Johnny asked, moving a spare tire to the other end of the Auto Shop while Nooshy fiddled with various wrenches. 

"Yeah? Well, what about 'im?" Marcus questioned, calling to Stan and Barry, who were playing pool in the back, to "OI, QUIET DOWN BACK THERE!" Which was followed by a series of apologetic shouts. 

Johnny sighed. "Well, basically, we got invited to a tour." Johnny stated with a nervous tone. 

"Okay. And?"

"Oh, for the love of Pete on the mantle, John!" Nooshy cackled, standing up and brushing herself off. "We got invited to tour the country! Performing at the different theater's of Mr. Myers' in each state! And Johnny and I were wondering if that was alright with you." 

Marcus seemed to consider Nooshy's words for a moment, putting them into utmost consideration. "I dunno, kiddo. We got a lot o' work around 'ere."

Johnny grew a bit desperate, and in a rare burst of defiant confidence, he shook his head and stepped in front of Nooshy. "Come on, dad, please! This would be a good opportunity - really! I know it'd be som extra work for y'all down here, but-"

"'Ey, hold yer horses, Johnny." Marcus sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Look, I get that you wanna go, but I don't know how long it'll last, a'ight? And I can't hold down the fort without ya! This shop's gettin' busier by the day! You kids know that." Marcus reminded with an indignant grumble. 

"I know that." Johnny sighed, shoulders slumping a bit. "But isn't there any way we could convince you?" he asked. Marcus seemed to really let the words sink in as he leaning against the wall of the garage, rubbing the grease from the car he'd been working on off his hands. The larger gorilla glanced over at his brothers, who were now watching the conversation with eager expressions. 

Barry was more passive about the situation, not caring overall whether Johnny and Nooshy stayed or went. Though, a small part of him was rooting for the kids. Stan, however, was openly supporting the young duo, being far more energetic, extroverted, and opinionated than Barry. 

"Now, come on, Marcus!" Stan said. "Johnny's always pulled 'is weight around here, why not give the two a chance to spread their wings a bit? Let 'em take the tour! Barry and I will help you, alright? And, ya know, Dexter still owes us a favor, mate." He reminded. 

Dexter was a former rival of theirs back when they were a gang, and after Marcus had pulled some strings to help Dexter and his buddies get out of a pickle, the polar bear owed them a favor. 

Marcus rubbed his chin. "I s'pose he does…" he thought, "We could have him and one of his buddies help us out while you kids are gone. Alright. Fine. You kids can go." Marcus agreed with a sigh. Cheers of excitement and joy broke out between the two young adults, and they exchanged high fives and happy cries. "On one condition." Marcus added. 

The jubilant cheers died down a bit and Johnny cocked his head slightly, waiting for his dad to say what he wanted them to do. Surprising them, Marcus simply opened his arms wide. "Ya both 'ave to give me a hug." He stated with a lopsided grin, and both the animals in front of him were more than happy to oblige. When they let go, Marcus expressed concern over a topic. "What about this Myers fella, eh? You think he's like that old ass, Crystal? I don't think Moon can take another fall like that one; just sayin'."

Nooshy shook her head. "Aw, no way, sir. We met the guy. He's a lot like the Moon Man, actually." she pointed out, applying the nickname with a fond note to her voice. "You're right though, and we'll be keeping an eye on him. I'll bet Rosita has a chat with him, too, if we go…" 

…

Rosita hummed quietly to herself as she did the dishes, the kids having already been sent to bed. She checked the time. Eight o'clock. Norman would be home at any minute at this point, and she was eagerly awaiting the moment. 

It wasn't long before a click of the doorknob and a familiar "I'm home, honey!" filled the small home and Rosita rushed over to greet him, kissing his cheek with a smile. "Good to see you, too, Rosita." Norman said, pecking her back with similar affection. "What's goy you so excited?" 

"Well, Norman, I need to talk to you about something…"

[jaybird3756]

Daystar's story snippets

I've been writing bits and pieces of my fursona's story, enjoy.

Characters: Daystar/Day: orange caracal cat, 19; Nightshade: black lynx, Day's sister who he abandoned, 16

Smoke and blood. 

Screams and the cackling of flames as huts creaked and imploded.

The feeling of cold steel in his hands and the rush of adrenaline. 

The entire village was ablaze and Day loved it. It wasn't one of his villages after all. Just another small town to loot. Slaughtering the entire village and burning it to the ground was just an extra treat. Daystar's men chased the fleeing, the berserkers among them roaring and howling with glee. He felt it too, the rush as he sank his blade into another faceless victim, the joy and butterflies in his stomach to hear the screams, see the terror, smell the blood and gore from the trail of broken bodies around him. Some may have been his own men but he couldn't tell and didn't care. 

A creaking sound turned Day's head and he rolled out of the way in time for a burning figurehead to fall off a hut and crash to the ground in a flurry of embers. What an exhilarating night it had been! This was only the latest in a long string of raids on small villages in the archipelago. The blaze was the only illumination on the cloudy night and a pyre of smoke rose up into the dark sky. 

This is what it means to be a VIKING! Day cackled and howled into the night, hearing howls from his ulfhednar brothers that pinpointed their locations through the chaos.

He spotted his next target, a young woman staggering out of a burning house coughing and clutching a bundle to her chest. More fresh blood to spill, Day thought, licking his lips, tasting the blood already spattered on his face from someone he'd bitten. 

"Hmm, I would have thought you'd recognize this place" a voice slithered through his ears.

Day whipped his head around frantically looking for anyone who could have spoken. "Who's there!? Where are you?" he shouted into the flames. He focused back to his prey. Gone. They had escaped while he was distracted. Day snarled and peered into the dark shadows dancing in the firelight. He saw a shoe and a child's sword lying on the ground in the shattered remains of a farmhouse. Why would I recognize this place? It's just another random village. I've never even been here before.

"Yes you have. Although I suppose it looked different when it wasn't on fire" The voice whispered into his right ear. 

It sounded so close that Day jumped, his fur standing on end from his ears to his tail.  "SHOW YOURSELF!!" Day screamed. "RIGHT NOW! And maybe I'll only cut your arms off!!"

No answer. And no one else anywhere around. 

"I've been here?" Day asked himself, looking around for any glint of familiarity. He began to wander out of the center of the fire towards the edge of the village. He still gripped the handles on both axes tightly. 

"Families. This place was someone's home. There were families here. Until now, until you." 

Daystar shook his head. He never cared about the people he killed before; he never gave them a second thought usually. Was this odd twisting feeling guilt? No, not guilt. I feel like something's stalking me...

"How many families have you destroyed?"

"STOP IT!!" He screamed, dropping one of his axes and clutching at his head, smearing more blood across his face. His eyes flicked around, still looking for his mysterious stalker. Still no one. His eyes land on a planter box next to a burned wreckage of a house. Fire had not touched the trellis of green vines and purple hanging flowers. Purple flowers, bright yellow center, green vines. Something about it wriggled it's way into his mind deep into memory. He felt like destroying the whole planter, but his legs felt ice cold and stuck in place. So he ran. 

Why am I running? There's nothing here. My men and I have killed everyone already! Day saw his vikings congregating out of the flames, stealing anything that wasn't nailed down or destroyed. Others still were chasing down the survivors and slaughtering them as they tried to run. He saw a few of his men glance at him and forced his fur to lie flat. 

"You'd better hope you haven't" The voice snarled and Day sprinted off again.

"WHY? WHAT IS IT??" Day stopped running like he'd just hit a stone wall. For a few moments he stared straight ahead trying desperately to regain his breath. The fire and sounds of screaming echoed from behind him.

It was a well with a beaten path leading back to the center of the village. He heard footsteps coming up behind him, but he just stood still. It felt like time had stopped, or perhaps was moving backwards. 

"Do you remember this town now?" The voice came from the man standing next to him. Day recognized this man. He had no scent to mark him, a feature perhaps more distinct than a scent would be. The man wore all white clothes. White as the snow fresh fallen on a cold winters day. No fabric could ever be made that white and wouldn't be for a thousand more years. 

"I remember," Day's voice cracked. "This is where I left her."

It had been the night he killed his father. Covered in gore he approached his sister, Nightshade. She had passed out. She was 10 of course she had passed out from seeing her father gutted in front of her by her big brother. He bundled her up in a blanket and tied her into a secure bundle before slinging her over his shoulder. Giving one last look at the massacre scene in their house, he shook his head and carried Nightshade. And he ran and ran and ran until his legs hurt. The pain fueled the rage that had been boiling all night as he saw a weak light glowing from between the trees. Stalking quietly out of the forest, Day saw a small village with lantern posts dotting around the town.

He had left her by the well on the outskirts of the village. He left her a small, shivering black lump of fur under the blanket. It was this well. It was this village. 

He left her, his sister, his only remaining family. He hadn't known what else to do. It had seemed like the best thing to do: leaving her in another village far, far away from their tribe. A place where she could be adopted and grow up normal. 

Day's blood ran cold. Nightshade! This was her village! Day turned and ran back to the burning village. 

"STOP! ALL MY VIKINGS STOP NOW!!!" He ran through the village, disturbing his men's raiding wherever he could. 

"You're a horrible person. A sorry excuse for a chief. What kind of brother just leaves his sister? You killed her dad. Then abandoned her. And then came back years later and killed her whole new family. Burned her whole town to the ground. You better hope she's not dead." Day grabbed someone's arm, dragging them away from a cowering child. It wasn't her. It wasn't his sister. But it could have been. 

"Get back to the ships NOW!" He yelled.

"But Chief!-" the warrior protested.

"NO!" Day struck the man across the face. "We are LEAVING! NOW!" 

Fearing being on the wrong end of their chief's fury, the rest of the warriors hurried to load their ill-gotten gains on the ships. Day stood watching while the fires crackled around him. He saw a few dark figures dash from their hiding spots and into the forest. I hope she got away. I really hope I didn't kill my sister...

"Actually you should probably hope she is dead. Otherwise, she watched you kill her family twice. That wouldn't make for a happy reunion." Day clenched his teeth and shut his eyes tightly. Shut up, shut up, shut up, he growled to himself. 

"How bad is it that you can't even remember the faces of the people you've killed tonight? You don't even pay attention to the lives you take. It's hilarious to watch! You could've killed your sister without even noticing. You really are a deranged psychopath, just like your father always thought you were. You should have died instead of your mother. Then Nightshade would still be alive. Your father would be alive. They would be a family if not for you."

SHUT UP! Day growled at the voice. The fear and regret gnawed through his insides, turning into a vile rage. He screamed and howled into the night, voice mingling with the crackling of the fire. He took his axe and tore into a chunk of debris. His hands were bloody and his pads were torn and scorched. He kicked at a burnt shell of a broken creature at his feet before dismembering whoever that once had been. 

"If not for me...." His voice rasped.

"If not for you. You ruin everything you touch. You."

Day raised his snout to the sky and began to laugh. He sheathed his weapons and walked down to the ships. 

[joywindsong]

The Seductive Bandit Pt 7

It's the middle of the night in Eversong Woods. A young Alyarus stands watch over the road just outside Fairbreeze Village. She is wearing a ranger's uniform with her hair tied back, leaning against a tree on the side of the trail. Her eyes are heavy and she's nodding off in the moon lit forest. A hand grabs her shoulder and she jolts awake aiming her bow at her laughing brother.

"Gotta pay attention Ranger Alyarus." Moraliuen teases.

Alyarus rolls her eyes leaning back on the tree. "Yeah right. Nothing is coming up this far. I don't know why they have me stationed all the way back here and expect me to stay awake."

"You're a novice ranger. You're not gonna be seeing any real action." Moraliuen says tying his hair up that is barely long enough for a bun. "But, we all have to do our part for our city. Maybe one day you'll be on the frontlines but... you're definitely a long ways away."

"Yeah, literally a long ways away. I'm barely outside of the city. Sure hope a rabid lynx doesn't try to snatch someone's baby." She looks her brother up and down admiring his chainmail under armor. "Being a paladin seems so much more exciting. If mom and dad were gonna make me do something why couldn't they let me go with you to train?"

"Because you lack discipline. The light is a difficult power to wield without incredible devotion." Moraliuen lectures to Alyarus miming talking with her hands.

"You've told me all this. I'd rather be challenged like that than do archery drills all day, and then sit here bored all night." Alyarus crosses her arms. "Why are you here anyways? Weren't you and the others supposed to head back south this morning to the chapel?"

Moraliuen's face turns from light hearted to serious.

"Not much I can tell you. We received a letter this morning that something is going on in the human kingdoms and it's better for the elven paladins to stay in Silvermoon until further notice." Alyarus looks bewildered.

"Something going on?"

"I reiterate: not much I can tell you. The details I was given were minimal, but sensitive. It's best for me to keep quiet until there is an official statement from the High King." Moraliuen says sternly to his yawning sister.

"I'm sure Windrunner will say something to us at dawn if it's that serious. I know better than to try cracking you 'oh devout paladin.'" Alyarus teases.

"Well this devout paladin needs to go get some rest for training at dawn."

Moraliuen puts his arm out and Alyarus steps forward from the tree into her brother giving her a one arm hug before turning and walking away. Alyarus leans back on the tree and looks up the road. Reminded of how heavy her eyelids feel, she struggles to stay awake. A spot of light is fuzzy off in the distance as her vision blurs.

~Alyarus...~

~ALYARUS...~

"ALYARUS!"

The high elf awakes on the jungle floor. Vontez standing over her with his cloak covering her body and a finger to his mouth.

"OH ALYARUS!" A blast of light followed by the crash of a falling tree can be heard in the distance. "Come on out little sis! You've run too far and for too long!"

Alyarus sits up, her head is aching. She scans her surroundings. The sky is turning orangish purple as the sun sets. They're on high ground as Moraliuen is slicing at narrow trees below. Moosehead's bag is on the ground next to her. She is reminded of what she last remembers and looks to Vontez keeping her voice low.

"What happened?"

"I grabbed you and ran for cover but by time you got here you were unconscious. I tried to heal you but I don't think it was a physical injury." Vontez explains close to Alyarus' ear as the crashing and yelling persists.

"ALYARUS!?" CRASH.

The high elf stands up and accounts for all of her equipment. Long sword at one side, dagger on the other, revolver concealed but ready. She looks out at the commotion below and takes a deep breath.

"Alright. I guess this is the situation I'm in." She says to herself.

"Are we retreating to the ship? We're still a ways away." Vontez towers behind Alyarus watching her pull a green flask from her boot.

"No. The only reason he hasn't found us is because you had to stay put. Once we're on the move he'll definitely track us down and I'm not endangering the rest of the crew." She pulls the cork from the flask with her teeth and starts coating her blades. "We've already had too many casualties today and I've spent too much time running."

"Are you sure you're ready for this?" Vontez questions.

"Forget what you saw from me back there. I'm not the scared little girl who deserted her home and I've accepted that I'm not his cherished little sister either." She removes her cloak. "If it's him or me, then I choose me."

"Let me go in first. We have the two on one advantage and he's too strong to face alone. He's driven by divine purpose right now to call upon greater power and his retribution seals are going to return your damage back and then some." Vontez explains stepping forward. "If I'm protecting you, I can use that purpose to call upon greater power as well and withstand whatever retribution he deals as you break him down."

Alyarus sighs.

"As much as this is my fight, I'm not a fool... Go engage him and stall as long as you can for me to get into position to strike."

Vontez nods before leaping down to the lower level of the jungle with light glowing on his impact. He pushes his hair back and marches forward towards the bursts of light.

"That's enough blood elf!"

Moraliuen turns to face the barrel chested human entering the artificial clearing.

"I've had enough of you... where is my sister?" Moraliuen points his sword at Vontez threateningly.

"I never had a sister, or siblings. But if I did, I couldn't imagine harboring such evil in my heart to want them dead for trivial reasons!" Vontez swings his short sword in challenging manor.

Moraliuen lowers his sword and tilts his head.

"Evil? Trivial? I am enacting order on the world as it should be. I am a servant to the light and that comes before blood." Moraliuen looks down at the ground. "My sister made a choice on the darkest day of our lives. That choice was to commit treason."

Moraliuen lowers his hips and wields his sword to settle into a combat stance.

"She turned her back on her people!" Moraliuen yells "The strong survived and if she was too weak to see the end of the battle then she has no right to walk among the blood elves! She has no right to live in this world!"

ZISHING!

"GAH!" Moraliuen jolts forward. The tension of his chainmail armor popping away is immediately followed by a sharp burning sensation running deep up his back. He feels light headed and the taste of copper comes from the back of his throat. He sees blood splattered at his feet before looking up at Vontez still standing as he was.

Alyarus pulls the bloody knife from beneath the plate under his shoulder blade and watches the gaping wound start to cauterize itself as Moraliuen takes deep heaving breaths.

"So you think I'm weak? That's a sad thing to think of the sister who's going to kill you."

[joshslater]

Matt and Liam

This is a rewrite of scallylads89's untitled story that I had sitting forgotten in a folder for two years. Similar stories and bonus material on my Patreon.

It was Thursday again already and Matt had been dreading this afternoon all day. It wasn't the best sixth form college, but he was more than happy to finish his diploma in IT there. He'd always been into computers and programming, and his parents had always encouraged it. The problem was the way the college ran its classes. Despite running completely separate courses and qualifications, they ran a set of mandatory mixed classes throughout the week. All students had their normal lessons in their program specific classes, but subjects like art, PE, and social studies were taught in cross qualification classes, practically making you have two different sets of classmates. It was supposed to promote integration and team building among the students.

In theory Matt didn't mind. He could see the value of it, and even enjoyed some of the classmates in his mixed classes. In practice though there was Liam. Liam studied for his builder qualification and came from a different background to Matt, and spent most of his childhood running free on the estate away from his mum who was usually sat in front of the TV or down the local with her mates drinking. He was lacking respect for others and didn't mind punching up, but positively relished punching down or sideways with Matt as a frequent target of his bullying. PE had never been a strong subject for Matt, so he knew that every Thursday Liam would be there taking the piss out of him and embarrassing him in front of all of the other students. Students that came from all over various classes at the college.

They hadn’t long kicked off the game when out of nowhere Matt felt a jolt in his back and a stomp on his foot as he flew forward onto the ground being shoved by Liam. Liam smirked chuckling to himself. He had timed it just right, the tutor was looking the other way and hadn’t seen a thing. The thud of Matt's face planting the pitch immediately drew the attention of the tutor. Liam wasn’t in the least bit worried. He knew Matt was too chicken to dob him in. The tutor asked Matt if he was ok, and Matt a bit shaken stuttered “Yes sir, I’m ok I just tripped and I think I’ve done my ankle.” The tutor quickly inspected Matt’s ankle and suggested he go back to the changing rooms and sit this week out. Despite his thankfully only minor injury and the way Liam had treated him he was actually kind of pleased, at least it meant he got to skip PE this week. The pain was almost worth it.

He sat down in the changing room and took a deep breath as he slowly pulled his shoe off, his ankle was a little swollen. He continued to get undressed taking his kit off and folding everything up neatly when out of the corner of his eye he saw the pile of clothes on the opposite bench loosely laid out. It was Liam’s tracksuit. He didn’t know why but he really had the urge to try them on. Matt was about as far from a chav as you could think but he kind of liked the style of Liam’s clothes. He justified the idea to himself as if it would be a big fuck you to Liam knowing he had dressed up in his clothes and pretended to be a dick like him and Liam would have no idea. Besides there were ages yet before anyone would be coming back to get changed. Matt began dressing himself in Liam’s clothes.

To Matt’s surprise Liam’s boxer briefs were also in the pile of clothes, that must mean he was commando in his football shorts out there! The thought actually turned Matt on a little. He wasn’t gay but he couldn’t get the image out of his head. Matt thought to himself that if he was going to dress up as Liam he may as well do it properly. As he picked up Liam's boxers he froze. He could feel his heart racing. Off in the distance he could hear the rest of the class cheering a goal or something. According to the wall clock he still had plenty of time. It was now or never.

He slipped on Liam’s boxers and joggers, and felt a bit of a rush as he looked down on the somewhat baggy clothes on his frame. The socks were a bit discolored from the inside of the sneakers, by having been worn a bit too long between washes. He put them on and then slipped his feet into Liam’s 95’s. They were a little big for him. Liam was a size 11 and Matt only a size 8. Slopping around in Liam’s trainers, Matt hastily pulled the T-shirt over his head, putting on the hoody and zipping it up. Wafts of stale cigarette smoke and Lynx body spray came off the clothes. He was as excited as he was nervous.

He finished the look by taking off his glasses and putting on Liam’s cap, tucking his hair into it to make it look short like Liam’s. Matt could see the growing bulge beginning to poke through Liam’s joggers. Either it was the fear of being caught or his growing attraction to Liam he was finding it harder and harder to ignore how turned on he had begun to feel.

Matt paraded around the changing room pretending to be Liam, walking around with an over exaggerated swag in his step and a cocky stance of self importance. Matt’s boner was really starting to become a pain. He lowered his hand to his crotch to try and adjust himself from outside Liam’s joggers, grabbing a handful of his package. To Matt’s horror he hadn’t realized how close to the edge he was. All it took was just the extra bit of movement for him to lose control and pass the point of no return “SHIT SHIT SHIT!” Matt blew a huge load into Liam’s boxers!  Fuck! How the hell was he going to get away with this? Liam was going to notice this! And it couldn’t be anyone else! He sat back down on the bench in a panic, lifting his foot he tried to slip off one of Liam’s trainers. Something wasn’t quite right, they didn’t fit this snug before! Surely they hadn’t shrunk, and both his feet couldn’t have swollen up that much so quickly for no reason. He slipped his foot back in and paused for a moment aware that everything seemed clearer, he felt his face in disbelief checking if he had forgotten to put his glasses back on, but there was nothing there.

Matt stood back up and walked over to the mirror. He couldn’t help but notice the way he involuntarily walked with a similar stride to that he had before whilst mimicking Liam. Matt gasped at his reflection, the strands of hair that he had tucked up into Liam’s cap had gone, rubbing the side of his head with the tips of his fingers the sides of his head were shaved to almost nothing. Taking his cap off Matt revealed the exact same haircut Liam had, shaved back and sides with a short trim on top combed forward to a short straight cut fringe. As Matt continued to examine his hair his attention was drawn to his face, his jawline was narrowing, his facial features growing sharper like Liam’s, Matt’s nose also narrowed to the same shape as Liam’s. Matt in his disbelief looking at himself in the mirror said to himself “holy shit! What the hell is happening to me?” This only made things more confusing as he uttered the words in Liam’s voice and accent. The final physical changes taking place as his arms, legs, and torso stretched making him as tall as Liam.

Liam had continued playing football with the lads while Matt had been gone, something wasn’t right though, he just couldn’t seem to get into the game. Liam was making all sorts of mistakes and getting a bit of stick for it too. To make matters worse he had started to get an awkward boner, he usually liked to go commando in his kit but this suddenly felt like a bad idea. It was getting harder to conceal his erection which only further distracted him from the game, then without warning he blew his load into his shorts! Liam suddenly thought to himself “shit! I have to get out of here before it shows and starts dribbling down his leg!”. He was so embarrassed which was unlike him. Liam made an excuse that he was desperate for the toilet, so he could go clean himself up in the changing rooms.

On his way back Liam was oblivious to the changes he was going through. He had lost the swagger in his walk, his slim, toned body was softening as were his facial features, he was beginning to look more and more like Matt with every step. Liam’s hair had grown so much he had to sweep his fringe across his face. Approaching the changing rooms Liam was finding it harder to focus on his surroundings, his eyesight was so bad. Liam looked up at the door frame as he walked into the changing rooms, he was sure it wasn’t that tall before.

Once inside the changing room door the transformation was so far along that Liam started to have trouble walking in the now slightly too large shoes and loose clothes. If it hadn't been for that he would have spotted Matt right away, instead of stumbling upon him mere steps away. Matt too had been too absorbed in his own changes to notice Liam, so it was a surprise to both of them when they saw each other.

Matt looked at Liam, now looking like Matt, in amazement. They hadn't switched bodies in the consciousness transfer way, but rather both of their bodies had independently transformed into each other. He tried to look for small imperfections he knew all too well, and found them. He kept racking up question after question. How? Why? What now?

Liam had no such subtle thoughts. "You fucking, thieving body snatcher! Give it back!", he shouted and hit Matt hard in the guts. Matt took a step back and tried to shield himself. "Mate, this isn't proper innit. Yous gotsa stop." But Liam kept attacking. Matt, realizing that he was now the larger and stronger of the two grabbed hold of Liam. Liam, much more street-wise, kicked out Matt's legs from under him, so he went down on his back with a thud. "Have it fucking your way!" Liam shouted and threw his kit shirt in Matt's face.

In a few swift motions Liam was out the rest of his ill-fitting football kit, grabbed Matt's backpack and bundle of clothes, and rushed out of the changing room naked with Matt's stuff in his arms. "If you come anywhere near your old house I'll call the police and hit you with an ASBO so hard you'll pick trash for a year," he shouted as he exited.

Matt sat on the floor, still confused about exactly what had happened. All his belongings were gone and he was wearing Liams clothes. And body. He got up and collected Liam's kit from the floor. When he got to the shorts he saw that Liam too had shot a load. He stuffed all of the clothes into Liam's bag and left.

Where to though? Liam had made it clear that he shouldn't go home. Matt had no idea how ASBOs actually worked. He'd never even spoken to a police officer, but he was pretty sure that Liam knew what to say to make problems for him. Did Liam's body have any records? He didn't know, but Liam did. Fuck. He would have to go to Liam's home, wherever the fuck that was.

He searched his pockets. Some coins and a key with "E" stamped on it. Not very helpful. He made a guess that someone like Liam would live at a council estate, and King's Gardens was the closest, though not really that close. He immediately felt bad for making such a conclusion based on stereotypes, but it was all he got.

Matt looked at the route map at the bus stop and took the next bus towards King's Garden. Why does such shitty complex always have nice names? As he sat down on the bus and watched the neighborhoods getting worse it suddenly hit him what a fucking crazy awful day it was. He saw his own reflection superimposed over the brick buildings outside the window. What if he stayed like this? How could he prove to his parents he was he? He couldn't even speak properly anymore.

The smell was coming from him, he realized and snapped out of thoughts. Mingled in smell of Lynx, sweat, and smoke was the unmistakable aroma of his hour-old cum drying in his underwear. That he sat so wide with his legs probably didn't help. He really needed to smoke a fag. He'd never smoked anything before in his life. Is his stop soon? His mind was wandering. That in itself annoyed him too.

The bus stopped very close to the estate, and helpfully there was a map of the complex. Buildings numbered 1 through 15, but also the six tall, ugly buildings named A through F. Perhaps he had some luck today. Was his surname Calder? If so he lived on floor 6.

The key did fit in the door of Cindy Calder. Matt stared in disbelief when he opened the door. His mother was upset if he didn't vacuum the floor once a week. Here he could hardly see the floor. Newspapers, ads, shoes, a bike wheel, and other crap cluttered the entrance.

"Orite!" No answer. From the small hallway one door led into an even messier living room with a big sofa in front of the TV, and a bed by the window. Straight ahead was a small bathroom. On the other side of the hallway was a small kitchen, and the room he assumed was his. There was a desk, a bed, a cheap workout bench, and a mess of clothes and bicycle parts strewn all over the room. A laptop was lying in the messy bed, charging.

He put down the bag and picked up a dumbbell. Never before had Matt even touched one, but now holding one in his hand, moving it up and down comes naturally. Liam's body of course would have done this hundreds of times, so Matt wasn't surprised he could do it more or less with muscle memory.

He had barely done a few curls when someone knocked on the door. It was a black man, a few years older than him, with long rasta hair, and matching track top and joggers. "Oi. Got you text. I can take it right now."  Having no idea what this was about Matt stepped aside and answered "Ok". The black man entered and walked into Liam's room as if he has been there many times, and quickly returned with the laptop. "Two days tops. Cash or products, your choice. See you bruv" and walked out.

Wait. Did he just sell his laptop? Or rather did Liam just sell his laptop? Matt realized that he didn't have either of their cell phones, not that having Liam's cell phone without the PIN would do him any good. Was Liam messing with him? Why would he do that? Matt walked back into the kitchen and sat down at the table, lit a cigarette from the packet on the table, and let his eyes wander in the room. It was in need of a good scrubbing. There were grey marks around all knobs and handles. Matt decided he needed to know more about Liam, and then it became clear to him. Without a phone or a computer he was useless. There was nothing he could do besides digging through the trash in the apartment, or leave and randomly talk to people. The latter was a horrible concept to him. He lacked both confidence and social skills to strike up conversations with strangers, or people that were strangers to him at least.

The black man had talked about getting products as payment. Did he mean drugs? Did that meant Liam had a stash somewhere in the apartment. Matt decided to hunt for it. Perhaps he could use it to blackmail Matt into meeting and sorting this out. Liam's room was such a  mess you had to shift things around, move things from one pile to the next. Bicycle parts, dirty clothes, old comics, machine parts, clothes with anti-theft tags still on, an overall, empty cans. After almost an hour of work he had just uncovered Liam's stack of porn magazines.

Then it hit him that of course Liam would hide any drugs in a different room for some sort of deniability. He was just about to search the bathroom when another thought crept up on him. If he did find any drugs he was in no position to use it against Liam while he was in his body. At best he could get rid of them to prevent Liam from blackmailing him! He would have to know about something about himself to use it against Liam, but there really wasn't any.

Matt had a chilling though. If Liam and he had swapped bodies, did that mean that he is now as stupid as Liam was? Was Liam stupid to begin with? Matt didn't feel stupid, but all decisions he had made so far had all been pretty bad. Or had they? Fuck! He threw himself at the bed and glanced at the bag on the floor.

This all started when he cummed while wearing Liam's clothes. Perhaps he could do something like that again and set everything straight. He slowly removed all his clothes and dropped them in a pile on the floor. Then he unzipped the bag. There in a big, moist, wrinkled bundle is the football kit. He shook it all out on the floor. Damp football jersey, cum-sticky shorts, knee-socks, and boots.

He stepped into the sorts and pulled them up. The damp cloth feet cold against him. Then the socks and the football boots, also cold. All he could smell was lingering cigarette smoke, but he imagined this would smell at least as much as when he got dressed in Liam's street clothes in the changing room. After having tied both boots he was surprised to notice his hard on had come back. Surprised but pleased. He put on the jersey and went to the bathroom to have a look.

He was taken aback as he looked in the mirror. For some reason he hadn't really expected to see Liam looking back. He knew that was what he was going to see, but it was still jarring to see it. He did a bit of acting, trying different faces. It just turned him on more. With nothing under the shorts there was plenty tenting.

He went back to his bed and lied down on it, grabbed his dick through the glossy shorts fabric, and begun to slowly jack off. It felt amazingly good, and in his mind he struggled with both feeling incredibly sexy as Liam, but also hated almost everything about his life. As he exploded with a second load of cum in the shorts he felt a sharp pain in his head and yelped out loud.

The drug stash was in the boots just inside the door. His mother wasn't coming home until nine, probably. Darell picked up his laptop. Suddenly he remembered everything about Liam's life. As the pain subsided he slowly came to realize he couldn't remember anything of his own life. He could remember both trying out Liam's clothes and running in from the field at the same time, somehow, but nothing prior to that.

As Matt showed up for metal shop class the next morning Mr. Fox told him to go to the headmaster's office. He was quickly shown into the headmaster himself, someone he had never met before, at least not as Liam. "I've been informed of yesterday's incident. I'm always willing to give people a second chance if they are willing to take responsibility for their actions. Are you willing to do that, Liam?"

"Sound, mate."

"I've only heard the other side. You assaulted Matt on the soccer field during yesterday's practice, then went after him again in the changing room so he had to flee without any clothes on him. Is that what happened?"

"Mate, I didn't..."

"I'm gonna stop you there before you make a mistake. Matt has graciously asked for no punishment as long as you two are separated from now on. So I'll ask again, is that what happened."

"Yes. Whatev."

[heartsywritesthethings]

Getting Better

Author: GA!Babe

Fandom: Banana Fish

Summary: *MAJOR SPOILERS FOR EPISODE 24 BANANA FISH* IMMA FIX THIS BULL SHIT ENDING REAL QUICK HOLD MY BEER. aka these boys are getting to Japan safely, thanks. no sad times in the library allowed.

When Eiji had first heard what had happened back in New York, he had been walking out of the airport in Japan. He had just taken his phone off of airplane mode and decided to check his messages. 

As soon as he had read what had happened, he felt his blood run cold. No wonder Ash hadn't made it to the airport in New York... it wasn't because he was bad at good-byes or that he was relieved that Eiji was finally leaving... it was because he had been attacked. It seemed like the world around Eiji was spinning and he was caught in the middle of it, unable to move freely in this stupid wheelchair. Once Ibe had read what had happened too, he took Eiji straight to the nearest counter in order to get him back over to America. It had taken what had seemed like hours to convince the airline that he really did in fact want to go back the way he came. 

All of the yelling and talking and negotiating seemed so far away in Eiji's mind as he just imagined Ash, alone somewhere and thinking that Eiji was just on the other side of the world, without him. Just that thought was enough for tears to prick the corners of his eyes. He realized that he didn't want to say sayonara. He didn't want to say good-bye to Ash Lynx, the most feared gang leader in New York. Not after everything they had been through together. It couldn't end like this. 

As quickly as they could manage, Eiji and Ibe were back on the next plane to New York City, heading straight towards the poor snow leopard who had almost given up half way up the mountain. Eiji just prayed that he could just hold on for just a little bit longer. 

Sure, maybe it was selfish for him to want Ash to stay, but Ash deserved to be happy. No, not just that, he deserved to forget the terrors of his past and move on in a place where he didn't have to fear for his life. If -- when -- Ash healed, Eiji was taking him straight to Japan. He didn't care if he had to drag him there, but Ash would be out of New York if he had anything to say about it. 

*~*~

At the hospital, Eiji sat comfortably in his wheelchair in the waiting room of the hospital Ash had been taken to. Apparently, he had been discovered in the library with his head resting on Eiji's farewell letter. A librarian had at first dismissed him as just another napping student, probably too tired from exams to get up, but then she noticed the blood.

Eiji did his best not to blame her. What would he had done if he had seen something like that? Well, what would he had done before he had met Ash? She couldn't have known. Even if he was angry, that had to be directed towards whoever decided to hurt Ash... again. 

Eiji balled up his fists in the blanket across his lap, wishing he could just will Ash better.

A nurse walked in from the ICU. They made eye contact. She smiled.

And Eiji knew everything was going to be okay.

~*~*

Only family was allowed to see Ash while he was in the hospital, so naturally, the gang waited until Ash had healed up after a week or so before breaking him out of the hospital. 

Naturally.

Eiji had planned pretty much every step of the operation as the New York City police were still kind of under the impression that Ash Lynx was dead and Eiji planned to keep it that way. One less enemy to keep an eye out for. 

Finally, Ash limped into a secluded apartment they had set aside in neutral territory. There was a moment where time stood still. Their eyes met, both Ash and Eiji, both still broken and healed from their ordeal together and now having made it to the other side. Together. Eiji's eyes filled with tears and his crutches clattered to the ground on either side of him. Ash inhaled sharply as Eiji's arms wrapped around him tightly. It hurt, yes, but it was something that he couldn't help but love. 

He had made it to the top of the mountain. For a while, he didn't think he would get a happy ending, but here it was. His happy ending was right here. Shakily, Ash wrapped his arms around Eiji and they both sunk to the floor, too emotional for words. Eiji balled his fists in Ash's hospital gown and inhaled deeply. Sure, it mostly smelled of the sickly sweet scent of medicine and cleaning supplies, but it was also undoubtably Ash. His Ash.

"I'm okay," Ash breathed into Eiji's hair, pulling him closer. Eiji choked out a short laugh.

"What are you comforting me for?" Eiji asked, looking up at Ash through his tears. Ash just smiled softly and wiped away Eiji's tears with the pads of his thumbs.

"I love you," Ash said before he could stop himself. Then he realized what he had said and his cheeks flushed pink. That was definitely unexpected, especially from him. Maybe it was the pain medicine. 

Eiji pressed a soft kiss to Ash's lips. At first, the blonde froze up, expecting a wave of panic to settle over him like it had every time someone had kissed him, but not this time. This time, there was no danger, no need to move information, no need to shut down. He was safe. With that, Ash melted into the kiss, cupping Eiji's face in his hands. 

Was this what kissing was supposed to feel like? Is this what love was supposed to feel like? This was intoxicating, sweet, and everything that he had never dared of it being. 

"Am I hurting you, Ash?" Eiji breathed against Ash's lips, pulling away for a moment. It took Ash a second to realize that it was because he was crying. He hadn't even realized. 

"No," Ash responded, surprised at how raspy his voice had become. Eiji smiled and gave him a small peck on his lips before slowly, and painfully, getting back on his feet. 

"I would help you up, Ash, but I do not think that would be best for either of us." Eiji said, leaning heavily against the arm of a nearby couch as he handed Ash one of his crutches. Ash slowly pulled himself up and they both limped over to the bedroom. 

"What now?" Ash asked, sitting on the edge of the bed. He wasn't sure if he meant for them or... what they were supposed to do now that everything was over.

"We sleep and then get on a plane tomorrow at six." Eiji sighed, laying down on his back and wincing as his stitches pulled uncomfortably against his skin. Ash laid next to him, curling up on his side with his forehead resting against Eiji's shoulder. 

"Where are we going?" He asked even though he already knew the answer.

"Japan. You'll be safe there." Eiji sighed, shifting to his side so he could face Ash. He ran his hands through Ash's slightly greasy blonde hair, twirling the locks in between his fingers. Ash hummed softly, letting himself enjoy the soft touch as he slowly drifted off to sleep. Eiji brushed Ash's bangs behind his ear to see Ash's sweet face better. A small sleepy snicker left Ash's lips.

"Stop, that tickles." Ash mumbled sleepily. Eiji smiled and pressed a soft kiss to Ash's forehead.

"Go to sleep, my ticklish little Ash. You'll be safe in the morning," Eiji whispered and for the first night since... well, he couldn't remember, Ash slept through the night without a single nightmare.

The fucking end they both lived happily ever after in Japan goddamnit.

[ffxiv-angora]

Day 25: Silver Lining

The fact that Shria managed to sneak off away from her family was a small feat in itself. Though it probably helped that they were all distracted by much more important things…and the fact that someone had left a window open in Kallan’s house.

Okay, maybe it hadn’t been that hard to sneak out...and she probably could have used the front door. But still! She desperately wanted to see the coeurls and hide from any prying questions that she knew were coming. Hurt should be damned. The injury she’d gotten in the fight with the Lynxes hadn’t been serious, but it was the damage that the arrows did by scraping around against her shoulder joint and bones that was giving her trouble. Now she was stuck in a stupid sling for gods know how long and wasn’t even allowed to try and move her arm much at all for the time being. It was annoying.

Despite that, she still wiggled her way out a window and was running off towards the forest. It’d been a few suns since all the fighting had ended. Shria hasn’t been able to go see the coeurls since then. She felt so restless. All she wanted was to check on them and spend some quiet time with the big cats away from the rest of the village. So that’s what she’d do.

It didn’t take long for her to hunt them down. All she had to do was go to their usual spot and whistle. There was quiet at first…but soon there was movement in the bushes coupled with the sound of familiar little bells. Two of them, to be exact. Khums came barreling out from the trees with an excited hoot. He was very careful not to just run her over like he usually did. Instead he ran a few circles around Shria before shoving his big head up under her good arm. Ayanga, on the other hand, took her time. She slowly padded her way over and dodged her mate’s zoomies so she could gently rub up against Shria from the side.

It was then that Shria really smiled for the first time in the last few suns. Her good hand got to work on giving Khums some good scratches under his jaw where she knew it would turn the giant coeurl into a puddle. She also leaned against Ayanga and gave her a kiss on the side of her head. They were such good cats and she loved them so much.

The trio remained that away for some time before Shria gave in to her tired legs and shifted to sit in the grass. Khums took up his usual spot behind her so she could lean against him while Ayanga curled up in front. Normally the female coeurl would just stay within arms reach. She wasn’t the cuddly type like her mate. But this time she is close enough that she can rest her head in Shria’s lap. Ayanga totally hadn’t been worried. Not at all. Shria chuckles, leaning into the fluffy mountain that was Khums and relegates her good hand to Ayanga petting duty.

“I’ve missed you two so much. I-I…I was so worried. But I’m glad you are doing okay. I’m sorry I couldn’t come sooner,” she sighs. “But you both did so good! Khums” —there was a light thumping from the coeurl’s tail at the mention of his name— “you ripped an arm off! Helped with others and chewed on all kinds of bad guys. Ayanga you…well, you about harassed a man to death. Which is good! You kept him busy so he didn’t hurt anyone else! He just…might have lots of coeurl nightmares now. But he probably deserves it if he’s anything like the other men from that tribe.” Ayanga just yawns. The well-being of that man was the least of her worries. Her lizard was safe. That’s all she cared about.

“They…saw that weird magic, though. Everyone saw it.” Shria’s small smile shifts into a frown. Both coeurl lift their heads to look at her when they can practically feel the waves of anxiety rolling off of her. “I k-know they are going to have questions. I would have questions too. Bu-…But what am I supposed to tell them? I don’t even know what it is!” Ayanga quietly chuffs, shoving her head back up under Shria’s hand to demand more pets both for selfish reasons and because she knew it usually helped calm her lizard. It did help. Just a little bit. Khums curls around Shria a bit more as well.

“There is a silver lining! Maybe now they won’t see me as so helpless. We can do well in a fight! I-I can help! Not that I like hurting people. O-Or…or they could see it as too weird.” Shria’s voice cracks. The only thing that keeps her from curling up is Ayanga’s head in her lap. What if her family saw it as too weird of magic? “They wouldn’t just…drop me somewhere. R-Right? Toss me out and leave me behind…” her voice is a whisper at this point as her vision grows blurry.

No. Shria sniffles, furiously wiping the tears from her eyes with her arm. Family, real family, doesn’t do that. Besides, she had other family members that had just as weird magic! Crazy blood magic and y’know…all the lion stuff. “Besides, even if they did throw me out, at least I’d have you two along with Luna, Khart, and Jin. I wouldn’t be all alone again. I’d be okay. We’d be okay.” Shria forces a smile and falls into silence, slowly petting the top of Ayanga’s head while resting her head back against Khums.

Maybe she’d stay out here a bit longer than planned. Just to take a long nap.

[linniewritesficz]

Tooth and Claw // M. Y. G.

Hybrid Yoongi x Fem. Reader

Genre: Angst

Warnings: Violence, blood, basically all the injuries that come with fighting and shit, death (but not a main character so no worries), I guess you could call it animal abuse since he’s part animal, reader almost gets assaulted

Summary: Predatory animal hybrids are rare and illegal in your society, but that doesn’t stop some people from rearranging the DNA of orphans and then selling them on the black market. Min Yoongi was one of those orphans who was “adopted” as a baby and turned into the monster he believes himself to be now. Because of his panther DNA, he is an incredible fighter and is feared in the underground fighting rinks his owner forces him to participate in. He has given up on living a normal, comfortable life free of violence and constant running from authorities that want to get rid of his very existence. That is until Yoongi meets you.

Author’s Note: I’m supposed to be finishing the first chapter of my Prince Au but,,,,,,,,,,,,,,I had this idea and had to get it out. It’s barely edited and mostly written at some ungodly hours of the morning, but I loved the idea so I ran with it. Its on the long side so grab a snack! Um also, the ending is a little up in the air so if you want a part 2 let me know :) Enjoy! xx Linnie

Bright fluorescent lights blind Yoongi for a split second before he hears the deep growl of the grizzly bear hybrid that was placed in the pit with him. The familiar smell of sweat, alcohol, and blood coupled with the fear of the young hybrid in front of him fills Yoongi's senses. He could tell that he was no older than maybe early 20s. This was his first fight, and with Yoongi’s track record, it would most certainly be his last.

“Place your bets, gentlemen! The panther or the grizzly!” the man with the megaphone announces to the crowd of men who were most certainly not gentlemen in any translation of the word.

“Win this fight, kitty, and you might get something good to eat tonight!”

Yoongi rolled his eyes at the slurred words of his owner. They were obviously lies, fully knowing that he would be given the bare minimum of calories needed for survival tonight and locked in his too-small cage.

“Didya hear me kitty? Useless bastard!” This was his owner’s philosophy: an angry and hungry hybrid is a winning hybrid.

Before Yoongi has the chance to react like he wants to, a scantily clad lynx hybrid is kicked across the dirt floor holding a sign announcing the first round was beginning. The men in the stands above them begin cheering and yelling obscene statements towards the female hybrid and she scurries away to climb out of the pit, much in the same way his opponent would be carried out of dead in a matter of minutes.

Yoongi readies himself, lowering his center of gravity and extending his claws. Although he was usually smaller than his opponents, he possessed superior agility and speed, leading to his gruesome victories.

Yoongi notices almost immediately how unsteady his opponent is on his feet. He is tall and broad, but top-heavy and will be easy to take down with a strategic pounce on his back, forcing him to fall on his stomach. After that, it would be an easy win. Yoongi would use his claws or his sharp teeth to rip into his opponent’s neck and instantly causing him to bleed profusely. It would kill him in approximately 10 minutes and another win would be under Yoongi’s belt.

“Your winning streak is over, kitty” the grizzly hybrid spits and bares his sharp teeth at the smaller man.

“You have a lot of confidence for someone who’s about to die,” Yoongi says calmly but narrowing his eyes while his sleek black tail flicks angrily around his ankles.

After the horn sounds, it doesn’t take long for the younger fighter to move towards Yoongi, and for Yoongi to quickly run and slide in between his opponent’s legs. He easily swiped at his hamstrings, slicing through the fabric of his pants and into the thick muscle of his leg. The grizzly howled in pain and spun around clumsily to face Yoongi, bleeding and limping severely. Yoongi glanced up to where his owner was leaning over the railing of the pit, him receiving the signal to keep going. He nods and prepares to deliver another blow to his opponent.

In the process of the exchange between Yoongi and his owner, the grizzly manages to swipe at Yoongi’s face narrowly missing his eyes. Yoongi dodges a second blow, raking his claws across his opponent’s arm. Another painful, but ultimately minor injury. He knows that the men watching him fight are here to watch a show, and although this was his first fight with a grizzly bear hybrid, he was proving to be an easy opponent. However, he gives them what they want until his owner gives him the signal that it is time for the fight to end. 

After nearly 10 minutes of playing around with the grizzly hybrid, Yoongi is panting and wincing in pain from a painful swipe to the shoulder the younger opponent manages to get in. However, the other is in much worse shape. Both legs are bleeding profusely while claw and teeth marks litter his neck, arms, and back. It is here that Yoongi looks up at his owner who nods.

Yoongi’s ears flatten against his skull and every hair on his body stands at attention as his eyes narrow.

“I’m done playing games with you. It’s high time we end this.”

Yoongi’s ears flatten against his skull and every hair on his body bristles in preparation. Before his opponent has a chance to turn around at the sound of his voice, Yoongi is running at full speed towards him. He leaps onto the back of the grizzly and sinks his teeth into his neck, meeting tough muscle as he tries to rip it from the body. In a rage, the hybrid begins to try to shake Yoongi off of him and successfully manages to do so, causing Yoongi to be thrown at full force against the wall of the pit.

Although mildly disorientated, Yoongi launches himself off of the wall and on to the shoulders of the grizzly hybrid and flips off of them before grabbing onto the fencing that covers the makeshift ceiling.

The grizzly roars and grips his neck before looking around frantically. “Where the fuck did you go you fucking coward??” 

“Up here, asshat.”

Looking down at the grizzly, Yoongi grins wickedly before dropping down on top of him and sinking his teeth into his fleshy neck once again. It is this time that he is taken to the ground fully and is knocked unconscious. As the crowd cheers above him, Yoongi manages to finally rip open the grizzly hybrid’s neck, delivering the fatal blow. Another victory.

In an instant, it seems, gunshots ring through the room as people yell “Cops!” and begin to scatter. Yoongi has little time to react as he rips himself away from the dying hybrid in front of him and begins to climb out of the pit to hopefully make it to his owner before a bullet does. It takes two, albeit painful, leaps to make it to the top of the pit and onto the sticky ground of the room. 

“Where the fuck is my panther?” the drunken words of his owner rip through the chaos and Yoongi’s ears perk up at the sound. 

Although the piece of shit he calls home is the last place he wants to be, there really is no other choice unless he decides to run. Yoongi begins to move towards the sound but only stops due to the sight of his owner desperately trying to fight off two police officers. Yoongi stiffens. These men want him dead. His very existence is a threat to them and if given the chance, they would not hesitate to shoot him on the spot. So Yoongi runs, faster than he’s ever run before. And he doesn’t look back.

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The alleyways are almost as dirty as the fighting pits, offering a small sense of familiarity to Yoongi as he tries his best to tend to his own wounds. His shoulder is throbbing but the best he can do is not move it as he licks at his knuckles. Knowing that he did not get far from the fighting pits, Yoongi is on edge and is constantly looking over his shoulder as he walks down the dark alleys knowing full well he could be found at any minute.

Eventually, he settles himself beside a large dumpster and breathes a sigh of relief into the night. I did it, he thinks to himself, I’m finally out of that hell hole.

New scents and sounds flood Yoongi’s system as he attempts to fall asleep, but he knows it will not come easily as his heart is still beating rapidly with his panther instincts still on high alert. Every scurry of a mouse or shout from a bar in this distance makes Yoongi’s eyes snap open. He knows he needs to get farther away from the fighting pits for him to be safer.

It is not until about three in the morning when Yoongi’s shoulder stops bleeding and his eyes become heavier with sleep. He leans his head against the dumpster and begins to fall asleep. Suddenly, a sharp distress cry wakes him again and he jumps to his feet, ready to flee. There is no way the police could catch him if he leaves now, but Yoongi stops in his tracks as a new scent fills him.

This scent, coupled with a strong smell of fear and whiskey, is sweet and unlike anything Yoongi has ever experienced in his life. His tale flicks around his ankles, but not angrily, rather indicating his curiosity and need to know more about whatever person or object is producing that scent.

“C’mere baby. Just wanna taste is all.”

“Get the fuck off of me! Fuck! Help!”

From where he’s standing, Yoongi can see a burly man hovering over a smaller figure. Although the two are dimly light by a flickering street light, he can clearly see that the larger figure is incredibly drunk and is not listening to the words coming from the second person. Yoongi can tell that neither one of these people are hybrids and that the second person is a female, the one producing the scent that has peaked his interest. 

Yoongi can feel an intense push to run over to the two and pounce on the man that is seemingly attempting to assault the girl. 

No, you’re hurt you fucking idiot. Do you want to die on your first night of freedom?

Fighting within himself, Yoongi lets out a deep growl, one that was different than his usual growl that would be used to intimidate his opponents in the fighting pits. This one come from a different place. Not one of self defense, but of an overwhelming need to protect the girl from any and all harm. It scares him, but he pushes the fear back before running at full speed towards the two, giving into his primal instincts.

In an instant, he pins down the large man and snarls in his face.

“She said to get the fuck off of her. If I ever see you touch her again I will personally rip every limb from your body. GOT IT?”

Underneath him, the drunk man trembles and lets out a shaky breath.

“F-fine! Ok! I won’t touch your bitch!”

Standing up, Yoongi watches as the drunk man runs off as best he can towards another bar, presumably to find another woman to harass into the night. It is at this moment that Yoongi is filled with the scent once again and he turns around to find you backing away from him slowly.

He opens his mouth but as he does, his vision blurs and a sharp pain runs from where his shoulder wound is through to his entire body. Yoongi stumbles, no longer the fierce and agile predator but instead a very injured man in need of serious medical attention. As his eyes roll into the back of his head, he doesn’t notice small but strong arms catching him before he falls and slips from consciousness.

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“I didn’t know what else to do Tae! He saved me from some drunk asshole and then passed out. I couldn’t just leave a hybr- Yes I know it’s dangerous. Yes thank you for your insight.... Look if you’re not gonna help me I’ll call Namjoo- Thank you.”

You hang up the phone and sigh as you rub your temples. 

“Stupid stupid stupid! You fucking brought home a goddamn hybrid knowing full well you have no business handling a hybrid. You fucking dumbass!”

“Who’s the dumbass?”

Whipping around, you find the man, no hybrid, that saved you the night before standing in your living room instead of passed out in your room like he was ten minutes ago. He looks pale and scruffy, his black hair completely disheveled and matted in some places. You notice how he clutches his right shoulder and how the ripped shirt is stained with dried and fresh blood. There is a look of fear and curiosity in his bright amber eyes that make you cautious to approach him.

“I-I have a friend on the way.. He’s in veterinary school and can help with your wounds,” you look down at your feet before looking back up at the hybrid in front of you. “Thank you for saving me last night.”

He doesn’t acknowledge your words, and instead looks around the room to inspect every object and corner. He is scared and in an unfamiliar environment, you assume this has to be normal behavior, right?

“Where am I?” his voice is scratchy and low, like he hasn’t used it much in a while. 

“Um well, you passed out after attacking that drunk guy so I dragged you to my apartment.”

“Why do you smell like that?”

Your eyes snap up to meet his. “Pardon?”

“You smell different. And it’s not because you’re a human. Why?” the hybrid narrows his eyes at you and takes a step forward.

In response, you step backward and gasp as your back hits the countertop. As the predator takes another step, your attention is shifted to the turning of your doorknob.

Taehyung takes one step into the apartment before he is met with a sharp hiss and growl coming from the hybrid that now is aiming his aggression towards him. He jumps in fear and slams the door shut behind him.

“Shit (Y/N) you didn’t tell me he’s a predator!! You said he was a house cat!!”

“He is a cat!”

“Call me a house cat again and I’ll rip your arm off.” the hybrid spits in anger.

“Well then what are you??”

“I’m a fucking panther. Are you dense? Who are you?”

Taehyung cautiously sets his bag down and slowly holds his hands out for the hybrid to sniff. “My name is Kim Taehyung. I’m just here to help you, buddy. I’m going to school to specialize in hybrids, ok? My friend, (Y/N) here says you saved her. Now she wants to save you, but you gotta trust us.”

A moment passes before the hybrid speaks again, this time his voice is small. “You’re not gonna hurt me, are you?”

His words make your heart ache for him. This hybrid was obviously abused and made to think all humans would treat him like whoever had owned him in the past.

“We’re not gonna hurt you. Can you start by telling us your name and where you’re from?”

“Yoongi, Min Yoongi. And I don’t know where I’m from. The only time I was ever let out of the house was when my owner would take me to the fighting pits.”

“That must be why you’re so injured,” Taehyung says, mostly to himself. He turns to you. “(Y/N), can we use your bedroom? I’m gonna need some space to work.”

Hours pass by before you see Taehyung exit your bedroom, removing a pair of surgical gloves and running a hand through his hair.

“You owe me. Big time.”

“I’ll buy you dinner from that fancy French restaurant you like so much! He didn’t hurt you, right?”

Taehyung shakes his head, “No, but he did threaten me with my life multiple times. You’re making me rethink my dream job, but it’s fine.”

You reach out to hug your friend and he accepts, falling into your arms and sighing. While you want to comfort your friend, the only thing you can think of right now are Yoongi’s earlier comment about your scent. Thoughts like that don’t cross your mind, but due to the hybrid being obviously taken aback by your smell it is something you cannot shake.

“Hey Tae, you would know better than me. Are hybrids sensitive to smells? Like specific smells that a person or another hybrid can give off?”

Taehyung releases you and looks into your eyes. “Yeah. Why do you ask?”

You clear your throat and look down at your shuffling feet. “The hybr- I mean Yoongi said earlier that I smelled different. And not human different.”

He cocks his head to the side, like he always does when he’s deep in thought. “Well, some animal breeds mate for life and it is often based off of pheromones the two are producing, like wolves and swans. But hybrids are generally not bred like that,” Tae pauses for a moment, “The only way it could happen is if a male hybrid’s DNA is modified specifically to suppress his animalistic need to mate with multiple females.”

Your eyes glance over to your bedroom door, the only thing separating you from the panther hybrid that is sleeping soundly. There was no way whoever bred Yoongi to be who he is was that advanced in DNA modification. That doesn’t make sense.... Doesn’t it?

[foursideharmony]

The Cat, the Prince, and the Doorway to Imagination (Chapter 8)

Summary: Before there can be a mending, there must be a shattering...

Pairings: Platonic/familial LAMP/CALM, Platonic/familial DLAMPR

Content Warnings: Unconsciousness, extreme self-doubt, ugly crying, profanity

Word Count: 3,923

Read on AO3: here

Patton knelt beside Roman and maneuvered an arm behind his shoulders in order to lift him into a reclining position. The Creative Side remained worryingly unconscious—the Witch's power had evidently been shielding him from the effects of cold exposure, and he had traded his ethereal pallor for a sickly one. “He's chilled,” Patton reported. “Maybe a little shocky from the stress. We ought to get him underground and into some nice warm blankets.”

“Maybe it serves him right,” Virgil muttered even as he slipped out of his fur coat and laid it over the prince, relying on his hoodie to keep himself warm enough in the meantime. “So now what?”

“Aw, all those cool gross monster things are leaving!” Remus said, peering down the slope of the hill. “I wanted to see a gory battle! From the inside!”

“Can't you?” Virgil said acidly. “I thought you said you'd get control of the Imagination if Roman got knocked out.”

“I said I'd get control if I knocked Roman out. It's part of the whole sibling rivalry thing. We fight over who gets to play with the good toys. Didn't you notice that nothing has really changed around here? We're still in Roman's story.” He looked pensive, which was always a dangerous sign. “I guess I could try to clock him one anyway, but I don't know if it would work when he's unconscious already.” He shrugged. “Oh well, maybe he'll get frostbite and his fingers and toes will turn black and fall off! That would be a hoot!”

“Eugh, why are you like this?” said Virgil.

“Don't you dare touch him,” Patton said firmly. “That's one experiment that is not happening today.” He lifted Roman a little more and tucked the edges of the coat under him.

“How's he looking?” asked Virgil.

“I don't think he's getting any worse, at least. I still want to get him inside one of the shelters.”

“Something tells me that's actually not going to be necessary,” said Janus, speaking for the first time since he had managed to trigger Roman's sudden turnaround. He pointed toward the area of thick forest roughly to the east of the hill. “I do so hate to correct you, Remus, but that looks like change to me.”

All the trees in a roughly circular patch had lost their coatings of snow and displayed either dark needles or bare gray-brown branches. The patch was slowly growing, and as they watched, a trail of the same phenomenon formed, leading off of the main area and meandering toward the hill. The forest sparkled as drops of newly melted water fell from twigs and caught the sun, and before long, those twigs began to mist over with pale green.

The trail reached the edge of the forested area, and there emerged from the trees...a tawny, long-haired cat. As it paced forward, the snow vanished under its paws, revealing dark, damp earth from which grass immediately began to sprout. The cat began to climb the Hill of the Stone Table, and with every step, the nascent springtime spread farther and, astonishingly, the cat grew larger . Before it was halfway up the slope, it was somewhere between a lynx and a leopard in size and still growing. Its shaggy fur clustered around its neck and shoulders, its jaws became heavier, its tail acquired a tuft at the end. It was a lion that reached the crest of the hill, the snow fleeing before him, paws striking the ground like miniature earthquakes, tiny white and yellow flowers bursting from the ground in his wake.

The response of the assembled Narnians was immediate, collective, and extreme. They didn't drop to the ground kneeling or bowing, as one might expect in the presence of their King, but ran to the Lion, keening with delight and adoration. Talking Beasts nuzzled his paws and flanks, Fauns and Dwarfs combed their fingers through his mane, and the whole throng constantly called out his name— “Aslan, Aslan!” —the various tones and pitches of their voices overlapping and blending together into a susurration like surf on a beach.

Aslan, for his part, returned their affection in full, dipping his head to brush whiskers with the beasts, swishing his tail to tickle the Fauns. Yet he maintained his pace as he continued toward the center of the hilltop, toward where the Sides were watching the proceedings with awkward astonishment, like the outsiders they were. Remus stared at the great Lion with mixed apprehension and fascination. Janus looked like he'd rather be anywhere else, but understood that even the most casual exit would only attract attention. Virgil stood stiffly as if pinned in place, splitting the difference between terror and giddy excitement and landing somewhere in the vicinity of shock. And Patton...

Patton certainly hadn't forgotten about Roman, but at the sight of Aslan's approach, he was moved to lay the Prince back down on the warming ground and step forward, shy and sentimental, to greet Aslan.

“We've already met, haven't we,” he said. It wasn't a question. Aslan nodded. “Thank you, for what you did yesterday. It helped Ailim a lot. Me too.”

Aslan turned in a slow circle, his gaze sweeping to encompass the entire gathering in turn. At last he spoke, in a voice as heavy and rich as gold itself. “Things are beginning to be set right. But there are yet choices to be made.” He walked over to Roman and bent to sniff him, causing him to flinch and whimper, but not waken just yet.

“Is Roman going to be okay?” asked Patton.

“Physically, he will,” Aslan replied. “As for the rest...that is largely up to him.” He swept his golden gaze over the crowd once more. “Shouldn't there be one more of you?”

“If you're talking about Logan,” Virgil said, “he...wait, why am I telling you? Aren't you supposed to be all-knowing or whatever?

Aslan actually smiled slightly. “Indeed. Bring him here.” A small group of Narnians jumped up to fetch Logan from where they had hidden him earlier in order to make Janus's illusion convincing. “As for the rest of you...you may wish to cover your ears.”

They did (except for Remus, who tried to pull his off entirely and discovered too late that he couldn't), and even so, Aslan's roar was an almost solid physical force. A shockwave of sorts spread out from the hill at tremendous speed, and as it passed it obliterated the hundred-year winter—no slow melting of snow, no gentle emergence of leaf buds, but an instant replacement of one season by the next. In a mere moment, the white and gray world had been made over into one of azure and earthy brown and every possible shade of green, splashed here and there with delicate floral pastels.

And there was another instantaneous effect. The sheer noise of it woke Roman up. His eyes sprang open and he gasped, body twitching as every nerve and muscle was startled into full alertness. He flailed for a moment before managing to sit up just as the roar died away. He looked around wildly, apparently not recognizing his greatly altered surroundings, until his eyes focused and his glance fell upon the Lion.

Roman's face crumpled. He made a tiny noise of anguish and turned around so that he wasn't facing Aslan, or the other Sides, or anyone.

“Roman...” Patton said. “It's gonna be—”

“I'll go,” Roman said into his own knees. “I'll leave the Imagination running so you can keep the story going until you're ready to stop.”

“Roman. Do not run from this,” Aslan said softly. “You have wronged your companions. You must face those wrongs if you wish to ever dispel them.”

“Dispel them...” Roman repeated bitterly. “Are you sure I'm not meant to keep on compounding them?”

“Okay, Princey, enough,” said Virgil, stepping forward and grasping Roman's shoulder in a gesture that was equal parts friendly and forceful. “Lay off the self-pity already. Nobody here expects you to be the bad guy. Nobody here thinks you're the bad guy unless something goes really wrong, which apparently it did. And I can definitely tell you that nobody here wants you to be the bad guy. You owe us all an apology, but that can wait. The most important thing right now is that you fix that.” He pointed across the hilltop to where the Narnians were just settling the Logan-statue into place.

Roman's eyes found it, and his expression collapsed all over again, this time with a faint greenish tinge. But he steeled himself, got his feet under himself (pointedly ignoring Virgil's offer of a hand up), and made himself walk over to the quartz form of his friend. “I-I don't know if I can,” he said. “I used the Witch's power to...and I don't have it anymore. She has it back now, she's back, and—”

“Try,” said Aslan, the single syllable falling like the closing of an oaken door.

Roman made a short nod, gulping hard, and set his attention to undoing the enchantment. He drew his sword, willed it to act again as a magic wand, and focused on Logan. On making flesh (or whatever the Sides were, in the mindscape) instead of stone. On making him live again. He put all his power of wishing into it.

Nothing happened. Logan remained frozen in crystal. Roman staggered back a step or two, panting with distress. “I am losing control over the Imagination,” he said in a voice that was almost a squeak. “I can't even... It's probably for the reason Patton said. I...I...” Without another word, he dropped his sword and fled down the slope of the hill and into the green trees.

“Roman, wait!” called Patton, to no effect.

“Bye, bro!” Remus added with an over-the-top wave.

“I will see to him,” said Aslan. “But first...” He nosed Logan for a moment, then huffed out a breath over him. Satisfied, he padded away after Roman.

For a moment still, nothing changed. Virgil was the one to spot the subtle first sign: the dark lines filling themselves in on Logan's chest, tracing the shape of his logo, the bespectacled brain. The black color spread out quickly from there as his shirt softened into fabric, and within seconds, his face and hands flushed peach, his hair was brown and rippling in the light breeze, and Logan was back and... toppling over with a little shout of surprise as he overbalanced.

“LOGAN!” Patton exulted, tackle-hugging the Logical Side in his unbridled joy, adding to the confusion of his waking.

They decided later that it was, on the whole, worth it.

Start small.

It wasn't the first time Roman had lost control over the Imagination during an adventure. The stories sometimes took on a life of their own, after all, and that occasionally meant defying the author no matter how he tried to assert himself.

What was different this time was that he had also become the villain. The story had pushed him into it, but...had it, really? That was the question that needed answering.

I thought I was your hero...

Thomas doesn't want a wicked Creativity...

If he could take control back, then it meant he wasn't the bad guy after all, and things would be all right.

He had found a shaded grove with bare, reasonably dry dirt that he could sit on while he brooded and tried the smallest thing of all: making a mushroom. If he could coax a little fungus cap up out of the soil, he would know he wasn't too far gone. If not...well...better just focus on doing it.

So far, no luck. The ground remained agonizingly mushroom-free.

He became aware of a looming presence in the grove with him, and barely glanced over his shoulder at the bulky form of Aslan. “Oh. Hi,” he said. There didn't seem to be much else to say.

“I have restored Logan, and he is well,” said the Lion.

Roman turned back to his total lack of mushrooms. “Of course you did,” he sighed. “I made you to be able to do everything Aslan can in the books. Which is pretty much everything , since...you know. So why can't I do any of it now?” He blinked back a tear or two. “Why couldn't I fix Logan?”

“You did very well. You tried. That was all I asked.”

“For all the good it did.” He pulled up a handful of new grass and let the blades fall, a few at a time, through his fingers. “I don't know what to do anymore. I made all of this—I made you—so I could give them a fun, simple adventure and be the hero in a world where heroism and villainy are clean-cut...and it turned out I was supposed to be the villain all along. What do I do with that? Patton said it: Thomas doesn't want a wicked Creativity. I can't make his dreams come true if I'm not the hero...but even the Imagination doesn't want me to be the hero anymore...so what does that leave?”

Aslan circled around until he was in front of Roman and lay down on his belly, his bulk making the grove tremble. “Roman...do you really believe you are meant to be the villain?”

“I must be. I voluntarily went to the Witch. We...I stole your power! And then I took the Witch's power! I basically became her!”

“Yes. And then you released my power, and in the process gave up hers. You chose to turn away from that path. And I would say that the change began even earlier. Do you remember how you came to acquire the Witch's power?”

“Of course. I took it from her because she was...” Roman's eyes widened. “Because she was going to hurt the others, and it was the only way to keep them safe. I didn't even intend to take it for myself, it just happened that way.”

“Precisely. In a world where heroism and villainy are clean-cut...what would you call someone who thwarts a villain in order to protect the innocent?”

Roman made a half-hearted snicker. “You know, you sounded like Logan just then.”

“Are you avoiding the question?”

“No...but even if I was a hero in that moment, I sure went hard to the bad afterward.”

“Until you stopped yourself.”

For the first time, Roman actually lifted his head to meet Aslan's gaze. He studied the Lion's bottomless amber eyes, looking for even a hint of manipulation, but found only absolute sincerity. After a long moment, he found his words again.

“So which am I? The hero or the villain?”

“Any answer I could give to that question would be misleading. You worry too much about what you are. You might do better to think instead about what you choose to do. And what you will choose to do.”

“One thing's for sure...like Virgil said, I owe the others a major apology.”

“Indeed you do.”

“But I don't know if I can face them yet.”

“Try,” Aslan said as he had before...except that his tone was much lighter this time. “I will be with you.”

“Will they forgive me?”

“There is only one way to find out.”

Roman nodded slowly, and carefully stood. “Let's find out, then.”

At his feet, unnoticed, a tiny mushroom swelled from the earth.

A hush fell over the hilltop as Roman returned, walking stiffly as if he had to force every step. His head was slumped, his arms folded tightly across his chest. Aslan trailed him by several paces, and hung back when Roman stopped, a courteous distance from the other Sides. He didn't look up as he took a deep breath and said, “I...I have...something to say,” in a thick voice.

The others all traded glances. And traded glances again. “Go on...” Patton prompted in as neutral a tone as he could manage.

It seemed an eternity before Roman forced “...i'm sorry...” through a throat half-clogged with unshed tears. Suddenly he was sobbing into his hands, his knees slowly buckling.

Patton lunged for him, but to his surprise, Virgil beat him by a hair, gathering the Prince into his arms and helping him down into a kneeling position on the grass. “I gotcha, Princey,” he said. “Get it out, it'll be okay.”

“I'm so, so sorry!” Roman wailed, clutching at Virgil as he were the edge of a cliff. “It wasn't what I wanted at all but it seemed like the Imagination did and...Patton, I'm sorry about the ice, and Logan—oh, god, Logan, I'm SO sorry I...” He trailed off into more wrenching, ugly sobs while Virgil tightened the huge, Patton joined in, and Logan placed a steady hand on Roman's heaving shoulders. Without at any point speaking the words “I forgive you,” all three of them made them understood.

(Unnoticed by the four of them, Remus stepped forward and opened his mouth to say something. Janus calmly silenced him.)

Roman cried for a long time. He cried until he was out of tears and nearly out of breath, until the exertion of bawling left him limp in the others' arms. Only then did the storm finally subside, leaving Roman with a peculiar empty space inside him where something had drained away. At its center was a hard, sharp little knot of hurt, no longer wrapped in the resentment and bluster he had been using to cushion it. He sagged, depleted and hollow, in the embrace of his companions, and like opposing magnetic fields, their presence kept the nugget of pain suspended safely away from his emotional nerves, until by and by something new began to trickle into the empty place to shield him from the sharpest edges.

Roman took a deep breath, and felt as though he were breathing in light. “So,” he said, hoarse but with a genuine warmth that they had all been missing, “I've been acting like an idiot, haven't I?”

There was a pause, and then Virgil said, “You were acting?”

Roman shoved him away with amused annoyance, and the whole scene might have dissolved into absurdity had Janus not loudly and meaningfully cleared his throat. Roman was suddenly intensely, mortifyingly aware of their audience, and he got to his feet, slapping grass debris off his trousers, cheeks burning with more than just tear tracks.

“Far be it from me to interfere with you four,” Janus said, “but are we all done here? No loose ends to tie up?”

Remus pried his hand free of his mouth with his other hand. “Heh heh, you said 'tie up!' What about me, Roman? Don't I get an apology?”

Roman pulled a face. “I haven't done anything to you. And as for you...” he went on, turning to Janus, “...I don't know if I'm ready to be sorry yet.”

“Fair enough, I suppose. I appreciate your honesty.”

“Do you, though?”

Janus shrugged extravagantly, half-smiling.

“But to answer your question...you can all leave if you want. The Imagination will let you out. But I still need to deal with the White Witch.”

“But you were the White Witch,” said Janus. “Weren't you?”

“Not exactly. I took her...I'll tell you how that all worked later, if you want. The point is, she's back now, as herself, and she still needs to be defeated if this story is to have a proper happy ending.”

“That doesn't seem so hard,” said Patton. “Aslan is here and he brought spring back, you're here and we've made up...if we're following the book, then we're back on track!”

“Indeed,” said Aslan, startling the heck out of Roman, who hadn't heard him approach. “At your request, Roman, we can proceed with the story as you originally intended.”

It would be so easy...just hand the reins to the big omnipotent god-lion and let him take care of everything, secure in the knowledge that the story had already been written. “No,” Roman said. “Some stories are about a wrongdoer being redeemed by a higher power, and those certainly have their time and place.” He smoothed down the front of his suit, adjusted his sash and cuffs, and reclaimed his sword from where he had dropped it on the hilltop. “This story is going to be about the wrongdoer fixing his own fuck-up.” Patton gasped at the curse word, which was gratifying in its own way. “I'm going to fight her myself. She'll want revenge on me anyway, for stealing her power. I'm going to let her think she can get it...and take her down.”

“Ooh!” Remus quavered. “Sounds violent! I'm in!”

“N-no...well...I guess you can watch, but no interfering! I'm going to challenge her to a duel, for Pete's sake!”

“If Remus is going, then the rest of us should probably stick around too,” said Virgil. “Who knows how many of us it's going to take to keep him corralled? Besides, look what happened the last time we let you wander off to the Witch's castle by yourself.”

“Sure, rub it in,” said Roman. “So who all is coming with me?”

The Sides formed a line, standing shoulder-to-shoulder before Roman. “It would appear that we all intend to go,” said Logan.

“You don't have to face any more evils alone, kiddo,” said Patton.

“But let's make it quick, because I have a salon appointment at two,” said Janus, pretending to study his fingernails through his gloves. He glanced up and winked.

“And you do not wish my involvement in any way?” asked Aslan.

“No, I want...wait. Is indirect involvement a possibility? Because I'm suddenly thinking it's going to be a long walk to her castle, and it might be nice if you could...give us a boost? Please?”

“Certainly,” said the Lion. “Do not be alarmed.” With that, he blew out a long breath over the Sides, and the Hill of the Stone Table and its environs blew away as if they were only a flimsy façade, perhaps painted on scraps of paper. After that eye-wateringly disorienting moment, they took stock of their situation.

They were surrounded on three sides by tall, lush evergreens, and underfoot was mostly crumbly pine needles. On the fourth side was a brief meadow of patchy grass and sparse wildflowers, and beyond that was a lake, or perhaps a broad pond. It did not seem to have thawed completely with the springtime; there were plenty of ice chunks bobbing in the water. These may have broken off the large and solid bank or platform of ice near the center, upon which was the White Witch's castle.

It looked different by daylight, and out of the perpetual winter. The Witch's power yet extended as far as her own dwelling and a little area around it, but without a backdrop of oppressive snow to bolster it, the castle seemed a much poorer and punier structure. Some of the trees at their backs were taller than its spires.

“Thank you for the...” Roman said, trailing off as he realized that Aslan was not there.

“You did request only indirect assistance from him,” Logan pointed out.

“Yeah...” Roman swallowed and squared his shoulders. “Showtime,” he muttered, and strode forward toward the castle.

[kiwi-muses]

Kanej WIP

I’m not entirely sure if I’m going to go anywhere with this but I’ve been enjoying working on this little fic in my downtime. 

-----

It had been a few days since the fight, and Inej could tell the wound was getting worse. It was entirely her fault, for neglecting it, but in her defense, others had more serious wounds that needed attending to. Or, so she had thought. Now, she was beginning to think her wound was more serious than it initially led her to believe.

The slash was across her waist, long but not deep. She had done a quick wrap, but had forgotten to seek attention from an actual medik after she saw to the children from the slave ship. The next evening, she began to see flickers - someone walking by her just out of sight, but when she turned, no one was there. It made her uneasy. The next day, the visions got worse and Inej felt warm. Inej knew something wasn’t right when she was seeing Matthias - he was dead, and he couldn’t possibly be on her ship but there he was, right across from her in her cabin, talking to her.

They were two days from Kerch when the visions became nightmares and began to haunt her. She thought she could make it. She thought wrong.

Kaz was going about his day to day business - balancing the books, breaking some noses, and the like - when a man he had never seen literally ran into The Crow Club. It wasn’t often someone ran into the building (though people often ran out of it) and it had Kaz raising an eyebrow. The man looked around wildly, and when he caught Kaz’s eye, he made a beeline straight for him. Kaz straightened as the man came to stand in front of him. “What business?” he asked, using the customary Kerch greeting despite this man not looking as though he was from Kerch.

“I need you to come with me,” said the man. He was tall, with dark hair and dark skin, much like Inej, and had that same lilt to his voice as she did. Kaz supposed he must be Suli. He was broad shouldered with strong arms, but not too tall. Kaz could tell he was nervous, constantly twitching like he needed to be in motion.

Kaz raised an eyebrow. “Not likely,” he remarked dryly.

“Please,” he said, “I need you to come to our ship. The Captain said if anything went wrong we were to come and find you.” Kaz furrowed his brows. There was only one captain of one ship on his radar, and certainly only one that might have any measure of trust to send someone to him.

Maybe it’s someone different. Maybe she sent another ship your way. “What exactly did your Captain say? Why didn’t the Captain come to me personally?”

“The Captain said if something went wrong, we needed to find Kaz Brekker - he’d be in a suit with a crow head cane, with eyes the color of bitter coffee. The Captain didn’t come because… the Captain is the problem, sir.” Kaz was beginning to get a bad feeling in his gut. The man looked around, leaned in a little closer, and said in a whisper, “There’s something wrong, and we had to contain the Captain. There was no other way, and we don’t know what to do.” Kaz very nearly growled as his eyes narrowed, and the man backed away from him. He felt that white hot fury prickle in his chest at the thought of Inej being contained, of being caged.

“Leave here, and I will come as soon as I am able.” The man clearly wanted to argue, but self preservation won out as he looked into Kaz’s shark eyes, and he departed as quickly as he had come. Kaz called for one of his new runners, an orphan Inej had saved that had nowhere else to go. “Go to the Van Eck mansion, and tell them to meet me at Berth 22.” The runner nodded, and quickly ran off. Kaz waited a few minutes, the picture of calm, before he got his coat and headed to Fifth Harbor, his mind racing with the possibilities.

Kaz wasn’t used to this panic, this unsurity. He never went into a situation without all of the information, every bit of gossip he could find. Granted, that had been harder since his Wraith had left him and the Dregs a year ago, but Dirtyhands never let that stop him. There wasn’t much that could bring his Wraith down, and the fact that something brought her down enough that she could be considered a danger to her own crew made a chill run down his spine. She loved her ship, she loved her crew. He remembered the day she set sail. It had been a month after her parents had arrived in Ketterdam, and she and Specht had spent the month gathering a crew. He hadn’t seen her much as a result, but Inej had come to see him the night before she set sail for the first time. He’d been at his desk and he felt that familiar shift in the air. Without turning around, he had said, “What business?” There had been a moment of silence, and then a quiet, “I set sail tomorrow.” He had turned around then. She’s been on his windowsill, the light of the moon dancing across her hair, and he’d had another moment where he believed in magic. “What’s your plan?” he rasped.

She settled in on the windowsill. “We’ll spend a month at sea, learning to operate as a crew. Then we’ll head to the Ravkan coast - the caravans will be traveling through, so we can drop off my parents and start hunting the slavers.”

Kaz smirked. “Efficient.” A smile flickered across Inej’s face.

“I know you don’t do goodbyes, so I figured I wouldn’t see you at the docks tomorrow. But I wanted to thank you, even though I still haven’t found the words for what you have done for me.” Her gaze was steady, and it made him feel warm.

“This city owes you for what it did to you,” he remarked. “I just made it pay up.” Inej looked at him, and he felt as though she saw right through him.

“You did this, not the city, and I will not forget that. I am not done here, Kaz Brekker.” She slid off the windowsill and made her way towards him, and his heart began to pound inside his chest. She stopped next to him, and he looked up at her as she knelt down to his side until she was eye level with him. “I am not done with you, Kaz.” His heart was galloping inside his chest as her eyes bore into his, and then she was leaning towards him. As gentle as a breeze, she pressed her lips to his cheek, and his heart felt as though it stuttered and died. She pulled away, and his body had no chance to roil in disgust at the contact of her skin, just revel in the softness of her. He brought his gloved fingertips to her cheek as she gave him a gentle smile, and then she left the way she had come, silent as the night.

Kaz reached back to that evening when the days were hard, when he needed to remember her. As he walked to Fifth Harbour, he felt that flint in his chest getting ready to strike, ready to ignite that white hot fire, if Inej was anything but perfectly well.

----

Inej knew her crew had put her in the brig. Truthfully, she couldn’t blame them after she had thrown a knife and almost hit Maji, a young boy that had joined their crew. She had been aiming for someone else… but they weren’t real, and the knife had been, and lodged itself in the very real wood of the ship. After that, Inej surrendered her knives even though it ripped something apart in her. However, it was often forgotten that the Wraith didn’t need knives to be dangerous. After she attacked the crew member who tried to look at her wound, she was tossed in the brig for their protection.

“You set sail to help the frightened girls like you,” a familiar gravely voice said. “It seems to me you just managed to frighten them in a different sort of way.” Kaz’s voice, that had been a balm to her, was a mockery. He’s not there, he’s not real. But Saints, he sounded like he was right next to her. She peeked at him past the curtain of her hair; it had long fallen from it’s braid in her struggles against the imaginary. He was standing just outside the bars.

“I knew when I gave you this ship it would be a waste.” He clicked his tongue. “I figured you’d last a touch longer though; afterall, you were the Wraith.” The past tense, the mockery - it became too much and she lunged forward, grasping the bars. Kaz didn’t flinch.

“I am still the Wraith. This doesn’t change that. It doesn’t change that I am the deadliest knife wielder in Ketterdam.” Kaz stared her down.

“It seems to me you’re just a prisoner, someone meant to be caged, whether by silks, or knives and crows, or bars. Stop trying to be something you’re not Inej.”

She could feel the tears running down her face as she pushed away from the bars, and turned her back to him. Having the voice she trusted most give volume to her fear was too much, and her heart couldn’t take it after the last two days. The first time Kaz showed up, she’d thought she had just slept through the rest of the voyage and somehow made it to Ketterdam. Her heart had stuttered seeing his familiar face. He could help her - he would figure out why she had seen Matthias, why she had seen others long dead. Kaz had looked her in the eye, and said, “Little Lynx, caged yet again. That certainly didn’t take long.” She had backed away, her breath catching in her throat at the sound of the name in the tenor of his voice.

“You don’t call me that,” she had whispered.

Kaz had laughed. “Why not? Just because I didn’t use your body doesn’t mean I didn’t use you just the same. You were a means to an end Wraith. I have my regrets about giving you up, that’s for certain.” Every word had suffocated her more and more, her eyes clenching shut and she tried to make sense of what he was saying. But when she opened her eyes, he was gone, and Specht was standing in his place.

“Where’s Kaz?” she had asked. Specht furrowed his brow. “I just saw him.”  

“Captain, he’s not here. We haven’t even made port in Ketterdam yet; we’re at least a day and a half out.” Specht was concerned, she could see, but she was too busy trying to make it all make sense. If they hadn’t made it to port, it couldn’t have been Kaz there. But who was it?

That had been at the beginning. By now, Kaz had returned to taunt her, giving voice to every insecurity, every question she had ever asked herself.

“Did you think you were going to be able to undo all the terrible things you did?”

“You know, you’ll never escape your past. Once a little lynx, always a little lynx. How long until a slaver ship sinks you and takes you back? I bet you’d make a great prize.”

“I’m the king of the barrel - I’m not sure how you could ever think I’d want someone like you. I could have anyone, for any reason I choose.”

It was a special kind of torture, for Kaz to be her tormentor. Matthias had remarked that he’d thought she’d been good deep down inside, but she’d turned out as horrible as the worst of them. And it had hurt, but from Kaz it was like having her own knives turned on her. She wasn’t sure how long she could stand this slow torture, this persistent torment. She prayed for her Saints to grant her oblivion.

[bangtan-sinnamons]

Exotic l2l

Part 1

⤞ Paring: Snake!Jungkook x Human!reader

⤞ Summary: When you are stranded on an island full of hybrids, a little someone is excited to meet you.

⤞ Genre: Fluff, Romance, Sprinkle of angst, Action

⤞Warning: Blood, fighting scenes (self defense) , claw marks, possessive behavior (not from kook)

⤞ Word count:  1650

My heart says write fluff, but my brain functions in angst. T-T

As the sun was rising Jungkook tries to stretch his body across the caves’s floor, but is met with you drawing him close to seek out the warmth of his body. In seconds, your body is moulded into his, sharing body heat as easily as Jungkook is willing to share his heart with you. He is so overwhelmed with happiness that he begins to nudge his nose into the crown of your hair.

When he takes a deep breath in, the smell of sweetness tickled his nose. It was no longer the disgusting smell of the bear hybrid or the initial smell of salt water when he first met you. Right now, it smelled addicting. Jungkook didn’t realize how effected, he’d be with you literally clinging on him simply to avoid hypothermia.

He tried so hard not to engulf you with his scent. He deemed mixing scents was too romantic and needed consent for. To you, scenting was probably the equivalent of dating. But in the back of his mind he knew the real reason he was stopping himself from scenting you, he was scared. Terrified that he would get too attached. Once he had scented you and when you left, he would long for you and no matter how much he wishes you to come back his words would reach nowhere, but the seemingly endless ocean that separates the both of you.

You began to stir and he withdraws his arms around you, nervous that he would seem overly possessive with you. To his delight, you roll closer and your hand slowly pats his chest in the process of finding his soft hair. He was left breathless with the constant surprises and affection you gave him. Once you felt his locks, you started to caress it delicately.

“Kook…aren’t you supposed to be sleeping? You said you were mostly nocturnal,” you murmured, stroking his hair. “Last time I did this, you fell asleep really fast,”

The disappointment becomes apparent on his face. Of course you didn’t do this because you loved him as much as he did. He was embarrassed that he thought your touch could possibly mean much more than friends. He suddenly felt shy, even going as far as hiding his redden face with his slender fingers.

“Hey. What’s wrong?” you asked, taking a peak at his face. Your hands stopped for a moment. Maybe he didn’t like you touching his hair you thought.

“I missed this. Do it again,” he pleaded. You begin to play with his hair again, but this time with more confidence that he actually liked the feeling.

“Miss what exactly?”

“This feeling,” he snuggled into your hand. The way you caressed his hair was filled with nostalgia. “It reminds me of my caretaker. She use to do this before they dragged me on this island,”

You couldn’t even describe the heartache you were feeling due to his soft and fragile voice. How long has he been left alone? Maybe you should somehow help him find some other hybrid friends before you left?  But then how could a human help him?

You were interrupted from your thoughts, when Jungkook suddenly perks up and sits on the floor.  His eyes moved with the alertness that comes from anxiety. He heard something, but more specifically someone and he is ready to protect you this time around.

“𝚂𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚋𝚎 𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎,” a voice calls. His eyes widen at how fast they were approaching.

“Hey Y/n… stay here I’m going to check something,” Jungkook says, hesitant to leave you alone in the cave. His hands were clenched in tight fists by subconscious demands. You tilt your head in confusion, but you nod your head in agreement.

He rushes out of the cave giving one last glance at you curling up to go back to sleep. He wanted to settle this problem quickly so he could snuggle back into your arms.

“𝚂𝚗𝚊𝚔𝚎, 𝚕𝚘𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎 𝚗𝚘 𝚜𝚎𝚎,” the voice penetrates Jungkook’s ear and he growls in response. “𝚆𝚑𝚢 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚏𝚊𝚌𝚎? 𝙰𝚛𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚒𝚍𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚋𝚢 𝚖𝚎?” he snickered. The lynx was ridiculing him. He could see the lynx’s mouth beginning to form into a vile smirk, a smile that said lets fight.

Jungkook scans the forest and its surroundings, he was worried that this was a part of scheme and it wasn’t just this lone lynx asking for a fight. “What do you want?”

“𝚂𝚒𝚖𝚙𝚕𝚎. 𝙸 𝚠𝚊𝚗𝚝 𝚑𝚎𝚛. 𝚂𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚋𝚎𝚊𝚛 𝚝𝚘𝚕𝚍 𝚖𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚠𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚑𝚒𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊 𝚑𝚞𝚖𝚊𝚗 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛𝚜𝚎𝚕𝚏.” Despite Jungkook trying to block his way, the lynx continues approaching closer to the cave, “𝚂𝚘 𝚒𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚖𝚘𝚟𝚎. 𝚝𝙷𝚊𝚝 𝚠𝙾𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚋𝚎 𝙶𝚛𝙴𝚊𝚝,” The lynx tried to push him aside, but Jungkook doesn’t budge.

Staring became the only form of communication between the two hybrid. Both of them were not backing down.

“Jungkook? I thought I heard something, so I….” Your voice was a distraction.  A fluttery feeling formed in his stomach and his head buzzed with anxiety, he looked back at you. The urge to make sure you were okay overrode the current stare-down.

The second Jungkook’s eyes left the lynx, the sly hybrid slams his fists into his chin. It was harder than he expected, even stumbling back from the force. “Kook?!” You ran over to him while he wipes the blood that drips from his lip.

The lynx couldn’t help, but burst into a fit of laughter. “𝚆𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚏𝚞𝚌𝚔. 𝚈𝚘𝚞 𝚊𝚛𝚎𝚗'𝚝 𝚊𝚜 𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚘𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚛𝚞𝚖𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚜 𝚜𝚊𝚢.” The lynx steals a look at you, while Jungkook contemplates on what he should do next. Although it was very subtile, an arrogant smirk formed as the lynx checks you out and Jungkook hisses. He never felt so hungry for destruction, so ready for his animal instincts to kick in and allow himself to throw punches until this lynx was soaked in a pile of his own blood. “𝚂𝚑𝚎 𝚒𝚜 𝚊 𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚝𝚝𝚢 𝚑𝚞𝚖𝚊𝚗. 𝙿𝚎𝚛𝚏𝚎𝚌𝚝 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚋𝚎𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚖𝚢 𝚙𝚎𝚝.”

How dare he.

If you weren’t standing by Jungkook’s side, it was a guaranteed fact that the snake hybrid would have lunged for an attack. “I don’t know what’s going on, but is it really worth getting bloody over that? Cause obviously I’m no pet,”

“If you’re asking, if you are worth it… then yes,”

You were at a loss for words. You stared into his brown slit eyes burning with anger, and fell silent.

Jungkook still wanted to settle this peacefully, despite the strong urge to wield a few hits…

“Leave.” Jungkook demands. “This person is not worth your time and energy. This person is not worth your time and energy,” Jungkook reminds himself.

The lynx steps closer to the both of you, sniffing the air and his smirk only grew “𝚈𝚘𝚞 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎𝚗'𝚝 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚗 𝚜𝚌𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚑𝚎𝚛. 𝙸𝚝'𝚜 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚊𝚜𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚖𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚊𝚔𝚎 𝚑𝚎𝚛.” He provokes.

Jungkook lost it. Absolutely lost any rationality left. He landed a stern blow on his mouth. This mouth that talked shit about you. A crack could be heard, but he doesn’t care because the lynx deserved it. Once satisfied he starts pounding the lynx’s eyes. These eyes that dared looked at you with such evil intent.

The snake hybrid couldn’t suppress his animal features any longer and his lethal stare brought regret to the lynx.

“𝚂𝙷𝙸𝚃, 𝚂𝚃𝙾𝙿” the hybrid yelps, trying to dodge the attacks, but Jungkook holds him down by the collar. The lynx became desperate to get the beast off of him. The once egotistical hybrid was now clawing Jungkook’s ribs in distraught.

Jungkook hisses, baring his fangs when the lynx tries to jab a knee to his stomach. Whether it was in contact with Jungkook’s old scars or how he despised the lynx, he only knew to respond through his fists.

His punches were relentless. You belonged to nobody. Especially not this bastard.

“Jungkook!” There was something in that shout, was it pain or disappointment, he did not know. His mind was still hazy and intoxicated with darkness.

Despite how overpowering Jungkook seemed to be, he could still feel the stinging pain as the hybrid digs his claws into him, but right now his main focus was protecting you. Yes, protecting you, but why wasn’t he by your side comforting you? Why was he still hitting the hybrid? He already won this fight. As the realization hits him, his punches were no longer hard and fatal.

He had come back to his senses. No longer worried about the lynx and allowing the beaten hybrid to scurry away into the forest without a second thought.

When Jungkook finally comes into full view, you don’t recognize him. He looked so feral. His lip split, the fact that a large tail had even grown from behind and his fists were covered in blood should have contributed to you shaking in fear, but you don’t. Opposed to how intimidating he appeared to be, you notice how his bottom lip trembled.

You weren’t even aware that you were holding your breath until you ran towards him and melted into his form. Feeling his firm torso and the heart that was racing within. His hands wrapped around you, drawing you in closer. “You were so so cool,” you smiled.

“You’re not scared?”

“Never, but we need to get you clean up,”

He pouted “But…I was going to show you something before a certain somebody came,” He wanted to give you good memories before you leave. Not memories of him being violent, but he can’t say no when you were already dragging him by the hand to the creek. Just being with you made his smile complete.

“Hurry up and get undress, look at all this blood” you pointed, a frown forming on your face, when he walks even slower.

He could feel the heat rise into his face and he paused in his tracks. He had to undress and rinse off in front of you?!

(Tell me if you guys want a Drabble for Kook’s “bath” scene b/c it’s not going to be in part 3. I’ll write it if at least 5 people are willing to read it)

Drabble here!!

Part 1

[emmy-writes-sometimes]

Lonely

Henry notices you’re lonely after moving out to the country with him, but he has a surprise under his sleeve.

Pairing: Henry Cavill x reader

Word Count: 2,627

Warnings: FLUFF! Fluffy puppies, fluffy Henry, etc. 

A/N: I had this idea and HAD to write it down. I hope you love it just as much as I do! 

-

           “Are you sure you’re alright? I really can just ask for them to switch scenes and…” Henry started when he saw you sitting on the floor of the den, Kal’s head in your lap as you rubbed behind his ears.

           “I’m fine,” you insisted. “You two go. You’ve been here long enough.” You and Henry had finally bought your own place together – you’d sold his old house in Kensington for a small farm. It was gorgeous – it was a few acres in every direction, an old but gorgeous house, and stables for Henry to live his best horse boy life. It was definitely a little bit more responsibility, but it had so much room for Kal to run around and it had extra bedrooms for when you and Henry would have a family of your own. You loved living out there. The only con was that Henry had to leave an extra half an hour early just to get back to the studio they were filming the Witcher at. You’d moved in two weeks ago and this was supposed to be his first week back on set.

           “Alright. If you insist,” he sighed. “Can you get Kal’s bag ready?” You nodded and stood up, earning a small whine from the dog who just wanted his mum to pet him. You walked over to the hutch by the door, one that you’d brought from Henry’s old house, and started packing up Kal’s toys, wipes for his eye boogers, and a small jar of peanut butter that Henry usually filled a toy with to keep him busy while Henry was on set.

           You put Kal’s harness on him by kneeling down and putting it over his head. You sighed when his face hit your arm and reached up to scratch his ear again.

           “I know, buddy, I’m gonna miss you too,” you said in the voice you reserved for just him. The black and white and brown dog pawed at you as you started to hook his leash to the red harness. You didn’t realize that Henry heard you, and he wasn’t sure he wanted to. He hated leaving you, and normally you worked from home so you were able to go to set with him and with Kal. But the house was a lot more responsibility now, so you needed to be there as much as you could. You could come with Henry maybe once or twice a week, if even that, especially now that you had horses that needed to be taken care of every so often during the day.

           “Alright. Kal, car!” Henry made a kissing noise as he pointed toward the door, opening it, and the dog disappeared through the crack in the door and out to the car. Henry put a hand on your waist and tugged you toward him, leaning down and kissing your lips. He was wearing your strawberry chapstick, you noticed, probably because it was on the vanity and it was so cold outside that his lips would get chapped before he even got to set.

           “Have a good day,” you said sweetly.

           “You too. Let me know if you need anything, love, and I’ll come home. I promise.”

           “I’m fine, Hen. Go film your show.” He gave you a soft smile.

           “I love you.”

           “I love you, too.” You stood on your toes and kissed his clean-shaven face, smelling the Lynx aftershave he always used. And then he turned and left the house, taking Kal’s bag with him. You were alone.

           The first part of the day was fine – you checked on the horses, even braided one’s mane because you were a little bored, and then took a walk around the house to take care of the garden. You had to admit that you were lonely in the gigantic farmhouse alone, but that was mostly because of the size. You were sure you would get used to it eventually.

           Henry called you during his lunch break and told you what had been going on so far, but that only made you feel more alone when FaceTime hung up and left you alone. You desperately wished there was a dog at your feet keeping you warm or Henry sniffling in the corner, highlighting his scripts. You looked behind you in the office you two shared, looking at his desk, and grabbed his cashmere blanket to use.

           Henry was finally home late that night, and after making himself an extremely late dinner he came and joined you in bed. He pulled you into his chest and shut the bedroom light off right after the shower shut off in your bathroom. You smelled the aftershave from that morning, but there was a hint of the chamomile tea he drank on his breath mixed with his toothpaste.

           “How was the house?” He asked you. You put an arm around his waist and cuddled into his bare, slightly damp chest.

           “A little lonely,” you admitted. “I think it’s just because it’s bigger. And we have all these empty bedrooms. And I miss Kal…” Your voice trailed off. “But I love it. It’s just a little lonely.”

           That wasn’t the first time you’d expressed how you felt to him – the loneliness started when you were packing up the old house while he was working. You missed him when he was gone. You were both notoriously clingy, especially toward each other, and most of the time you even traveled with him. You wanted to be around each other, all the time. That was just how your relationship was – your language toward each other was physical touch.

           “What if I told you I might have something that’ll help?” He asked. You felt the vibrations in his chest and shut your eyes, relaxing at the sound of his voice.

           “And what would that be?” You asked.

           “That, darling, you’ll have to find out this weekend.” You giggled and settled down, hoping that he wasn’t just messing with you. “Alright. Good night, love.” You turned away from him and he adjusted, putting his chest against your back, and tugged your duvet up toward your chin so you would be warm.

           You woke up the next day and he was already gone. You started your routine again, but you had to make a run into town for groceries. That really reminded you of how alone you were – you’d only been out to the town two or three times, all with Henry, all laughing and talking the whole time. You put your AirPods in and listened to a podcast to feel a little less alone, but as soon as you got into the house to unload everything, the feeling returned.

           It was just making you feel depressed, more than anything. You missed your person. You missed your pup. You hated the silence so much that you turned the TV on just to keep you company. You nearly jumped with joy when Henry pulled into the driveway, just in time for dinner, and you sat up like a child while he talked, eyes wide, wanting to hear everything about his day.

           “Will you give me a hint?” You asked, trying to figure out what Henry’s solution could be. You were thinking either another horse or a new car or maybe that they were transferring to a closer studio, but you really had no idea. And by the way Henry looked at you and ran his fingers through his curly hair and grinned, you had a feeling that it was something good.

           “No. Not at all. You’ll just have to see tomorrow.” You sighed and crossed your arms, letting him clean up as you started to get ready for bed.

           You woke up bright and early, nearly dragging Henry out of bed, and he finally just told you to get in the damn truck before he lost his mind. He took you out for tea and shopping, probably just to pass some time, but instead of heading back toward the house he went to the other town. You looked at him, confused, and you were especially confused when you saw a text from the dog-sitter saying that Kal was excited. That confused you even more, and when Henry pulled onto a dirt road you realized he was going toward another farm.

           “I swear, Henry, if we’re getting another horse…” He grinned and took your hand, squeezing it tightly.

           “We don’t need another horse,” he said, trying to rationalize you a little bit. You rolled your eyes and let go of his hand, crossing your arms against the sweatshirt you’d borrowed from Henry.

           “Well, where are we?” You asked when he pulled up to a house. He shut the truck off and let you out first, and without answering led you up to the front porch. He rang the doorbell and the wooden door erupted with bark after bark, and that was when you kind of realized what was going on. Maybe. You looked at Henry, who was grinning.

           “Do you know now?” He asked.

           “Henry,” you started to say. And then the door opened, revealing a woman who was holding a fluffy puppy in her hands.

           “Now do you get it?” He asked you. “Hi, I’m Henry, this is my girlfriend, Y/N,” he said to the woman. The woman shook both of your hands and you started to realize what was going on, but only briefly.

           “I think?” You responded, trying to contain your excitement. The woman led you into the house’s living room, where there was a gate set up. The room had probably about eight or nine puppies in it, and you looked over at Henry. Happiness flooded into your heart when you finally understood what was happening. You were getting another Akita. Henry smiled back at you, knowing that you got it.

           “We have three females and five males,” the woman explained, “but since you already have a male I would suggest you get another. Of course, it’s up to you, though.” Henry put a hand to your back.

           “Well, go on and pick one, love,” Henry said with a smile on his face.

           “You mean…?”

           “It’ll be all yours.” You hugged Henry from the side, squeezing his waist as he kissed the top of your head. “Go on.” You giggled and sat down on the floor. The puppies were all different colors, and you could see what looked to be the mother or the father in the other room walking around. Henry started talking to the woman and you soon came to find out that this was where he’d gotten Kal from. So, theoretically, this dog would actually be related to Kal. Something about that made you tear up.

           You looked around and petted all of the pups, who had different colored ribbons hanging on their necks. The pink and green ones were running around you, too busy playing with one another. The red and purple ones were sniffing you, and the others were walking around you. The blue one, though, was the first one that rest his head on your lap. He looked a little like Kal, but instead of almost black fur he was mostly the color of caramel with a little black and a little white. He was absolutely gorgeous. As soon as you looked down at him, he was the one.

           “You found one you like yet?” Henry asked a minute later, walking into the little corral and sitting down beside you. You carefully picked up the blue-ribboned puppy and smiled when the dog put his head on your shoulder.

           “I think this is the one,” you said softly, stroking the fur on his back. Something inside of you just broke and all of the loneliness and sadness you’d felt recently flooded out of you. Your eyes filled with tears and suddenly Henry was sitting beside you, his hand on the dog, too, and he put his lips to your temple.

           “I cried when I got Kal, too, it’s okay,” he said. You laughed and sniffled, hugging the soft, warm pup in your arms. “You know what you’re gonna name him?”

           “Well, it has to be after a superhero,” you responded like it was completely obvious. “But I don’t know yet.” Henry chuckled.

           “I’ll go arrange it. Spend some time with your new buddy.” Henry rubbed the dog’s ear for a second, agreeing with your decision, before walking back to the other room where the woman was standing talking to her family.

           In a few minutes you were all set and you were carrying the puppy out to the lawn, sitting back down. The puppy seemed to enjoy the sunshine, and when you got him into the car, he settled right on your lap. Henry’s hand reached over to pet the dog and etched on his face was a beam you hadn’t seen in a long time.

           “It’s not a fix-all,” Henry said to you. “But I know how much you love Kal and how happy he makes you. And I know how lonely it gets during the day, so when I take Kal, you can have this buddy.”

           “I can’t believe you got me a puppy.” You cuddled the dog like you had before, up by your neck, the soft puppy smell invading your nose. So did the hair, and you turned away to sneeze for a second.

           “Anything for my favorite girl,” he said to you. “I think you made the right choice. He’s so good in the car. Kal was absolutely evil when I got him, crawling around everywhere.” You giggled.

           “Yeah, he’s a good boy,” you commented as the dog whimpered when Henry went over a bump. “Drive carefully, my baby’s sad!” Henry chuckled.

           He pulled into the driveway a few minutes later and you made the introduction between the two dogs. You expected it to go worse than it did – Kal was territorial, especially over Henry and you, but he sniffed the puppy and sat down and let the dog even bite his ear without protesting at all.

           “I think they’re getting along well,” Henry commented as the two of you sat down on the couch and watched. You leaned into Henry’s shoulder, burying your face in his sweatshirt.

           “Thank you, Henry. You’ve no idea how much this means to me.”

           “I don’t want my love to be lonely. And I secretly just wanted an excuse for Kal to have a brother.” You giggled. “Thought of a name yet?”

           “You’re going to hate me for it.”

           “It depends, I’ll only hate it if it’s stupid.”

           “Well, since Kal is named after Superman, maybe we should name this one after another superhero.”

           “Oh, I hate where you’re going with this.”

           “Okay, you might kill me,” you confirmed. “But doesn’t he kind of, at least a little bit, look like Pietro? Maximoff?”

           “I’m sorry, I don’t speak Marvel.” You rolled your eyes and took out your phone, searching Google. Henry just tilted his head when you showed him a picture of the character you were referring to, and instead of protesting Henry just kind of nodded.

           “He… actually kind of does.”

           “Maximoff it is,” you grinned, walking over to the puppy and picking him up. “Max for short?”

           “Yeah, I’m calling him Max,” Henry said with a small roll of his eyes. He walked over to you and leaned down, kissing you. “Our family’s growing, love.”

           “Yep.” Henry reached down to pet Kal, praising him for being such a good boy to the new puppy, and you squeezed your new best friend tightly. “I love you. And Max.”

           “His name is Maximoff!”

[whenihaveyouromione]

When I Have You - Chapter 27

Read on Fanfiction.net or ao3 if you’d prefer!

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Chapter 27

Dublin. 

That was where Ron and Harry found themselves on their very first mission on Christmas Eve. They'd been given their destination only hours earlier, told to take with them only what they would need and nothing more. Then they'd been given the coordinates to a dainty wizarding pub in the heart of the city, where they'd be sharing a room for the next two nights. 

It wasn't the fanciest of places, nor was it the cleanest, but it would do for their first time away. 

"Not bad," Harry said. "Not what I expected, but —"

"Not bad at all," Ron agreed, throwing his bag onto one of the beds. It creaked in a way it shouldn't have with something so light on it. He grimaced. "Though, my own bed is looking very tempting at the moment."

"Ha! Yeah." Harry sat on the second bed, which also creaked, sinking so low it almost touched the ground.

Ron laughed. “I s’pose we have to get used to things like this.”

Harry stood up again, eyeing the bed reproachfully, then looked up at Ron. “When do you think we’ll hear the next instructions?”

Ron shrugged. “I guess when everyone has arrived. Do you think we’re all staying here or around the city? Or… do you think we were all partnered up and sent to different locations?” The allocation of places and partners had been very secretive. Ron felt lucky that he’d been put with Harry, but he had barely had time to wish the others luck before they were all separated and told to Apparate away immediately. 

“No idea,” Harry said. “But I doubt we’d find out where the others are, even if they are here.” Noticing Ron’s quizzical look, he added, “Well, if this were a real mission, and we ran in to Dark wizards, they wouldn’t hesitate to torture us to reveal the things we know. So the less we know, the better, right?”

“Yeah, makes sense.” Ron took in the small room. There were many cracks and leaks in the ceiling, which could be fixed by a simple spell, but the owners seemed to think it was not worth their time. “You think we really are chasing people or it’s something else?”

“Possibly,” Harry said. “I mean, the dates were planned, but not the location. But it’s all part of the training, either way.”

“I just want to get out there and do the thing,” Ron said. “Get on the field. I mean for real. Not just training, not these ‘fake’ missions. It’s all been great, but it will be better when we’re fully qualified Aurors and none of this is planned.”

“Restless?” Harry asked, smirking. 

“A little,” Ron confessed. “I mean, we’re doing a pretty prestigious job, but it’s been eighteen months, and we’re still just trainees.”

“Which we knew when we accepted Kingsley’s offer,” Harry reasoned. “Surely you’ve worked out by now that there’s a lot we don’t know and need to learn?” 

“Yeah, I know that.” Ron sunk onto his bed. It wasn’t as bad as Harry’s, but it still dipped fairly low. “I understand it. And it’s fine. I mean, it was fine, but… look at Hermione.”

“What about her?” Harry asked, frowning. “She’s doing alright in the Magical Creatures department, isn’t she?”

“Yeah, and that’s what I mean,” Ron said, and he averted his eyes to the ground. He’d not spoken of this to anyone — not even Hermione — but it had bothered him ever since Hermione had said it. Just a trainee. Her words had stuck more than he cared to admit. “She’s been there for a few months and is already writing laws, trying to change the way wizards view magical creatures and all that. Which is great!” he added hastily at Harry’s expression. “She’s doing amazing work, and I’m really proud of her…”

“But?” Harry asked. 

“But, well, we’ve been Aurors a lot longer, haven’t we? But we’re just trainees.”

“Just trainees?” Harry said. “We’re not —”

“It’s what Hermione said,” Ron mumbled. 

“What? Hermione said that?” The information seemed to surprise Harry. He even sounded slightly angry. 

“Well, we were in the middle of a fight,” Ron said. “And she did apologise, but… is she right?”

“No,” Harry said, and he definitely sounded angry now. “Hermione’s wrong. What we’re doing is one of the most important jobs in our world. You told me that yourself, more than once. It’s like the Muggle version of police. Really important in maintaining law and order in society.” He paused, and Ron felt Harry’s eyes on him. “Her job is no more important than what we’re doing. There’s a reason ours requires training and hers doesn’t.”

“Yeah,” Ron said. “I just… I don’t think she meant it as it sounded, but it just made me feel a little pathetic, you know? Maybe a bit like I wasn’t living up to her expectations or something. Like… I’d disappointed her something.”

Harry said nothing for a moment, then, shifting from where he was once again sitting on the bed, said, “You two okay? I thought you’d sorted things out. Mostly, at least.”

“We’re alright,” Ron said with a sigh. “I mean, it’s not like it once was, but I think that’s just the nature of a relationship, right? Living together, becoming more comfortable with one another, learning things about them... but Hermione’s home a lot more now, and — it’s not really us, but me just dwelling on what she said, I guess. It’s just me wondering if all this training is worth it. Whether she thinks it’s worth it. You know, what if she gets sick of me always training, never having a ‘job’ as such?”

“I don’t think that’s going to bother her, mate,” Harry said, and he was now laughing. “Besides, even if she did have an issue — which she doesn’t — why does it matter? You enjoy it, don’t you?”

“I love it,” Ron said. “I just don’t want her to be disappointed in me, or anything.”

“I don’t think there’s anything to be disappointed about in going out with an Auror — trainee or otherwise.” Harry stood up and walked across the room to clap Ron on the back. “I think you’re thinking too much into it, to be honest. But you probably should tell her it’s bothering you, so she can tell you you’re being an idiot and you can move on from it. She’d probably be happy if it made you happy to be cleaning up after all the elite Ministry workers.”

Ron snorted, smiling. “Not likely. But, I’d probably be a teacher at Hogwarts before I took on something like that, so she has nothing to worry about there.” His smile widened, and Harry returned it. 

“You fret too much, you know? About what Hermione thinks about you. She loves you, and she’s just as proud of what you’re doing, as you are of her — even if her hours frustrate you sometimes. Even if things aren’t perfect at the moment.”

“Yeah, you’re probably right,” Ron said. He shrugged. He looked at Harry and smiled. “Anyway, how are we supposed to find out about the next steps? Will it even be today, or do you think the orders will come tomorrow?”

“I think I heard something about them being delivered by Patronus,” Harry said. “That is the most common way for Aurors to communicate, isn’t it? Can’t be intercepted as easily.”

“Well, while we wait, why don’t we explore?” Ron suggested. “I’ve never actually been to Dublin before.”

Harry agreed, and they dressed in warmer clothes and left the small inn.

Their location was situated somewhere in the north of Dublin, hidden from Muggles by the standard Muggle-repelling spells that all places like this were. Muggles simply walked past, their eyes going from the building Harry and Ron were staying in to the left, and then to the right, as if it didn’t exist. 

Being Christmas Eve, the streets were busy. People were dashing in all sorts of directions, determined to get their last minute shopping done before everything shut up for the holidays. 

Ron watched as a family of Muggles hurried past them, carting bags of toys and food. 

“They look like enough gifts for ten kids, not two,” Ron said to Harry.

Harry shrugged. “Maybe they have extended family?”

“I hope Hermione likes what I got her this year,” Ron then said as they continued walking. “She’s really hard to shop for, unless you want to get her a book or something. But a book’s really impersonal. And to think I have many more years of ideas to come up with, not to mention her birthdays as well.”

Harry smirked. “What did you get her?”

Ron hesitated, his face going red. “A book,” he murmured. “But a good one!” he added quickly. “A nice one. She’ll like it.”

“You can’t go wrong with a book for Hermione, I’m sure,” Harry said. 

“Well, I hope not. Do you have the same trouble with Ginny?”

“Yeah,” Harry said. “I resorted to asking her what she’d like.”

“And?” Ron asked. 

“She said she wanted something to take with her whenever she was away with all this Quidditch stuff, to remember what she was leaving behind.”

“What, so you doubled yourself?” Ron asked, sniggering. 

“No, I got her a photo of me.”

Ron stopped walking, Harry almost colliding with his back. 

“What?” Harry asked. 

“Over there.” Ron pointed down a dark alley where a silver light reflected against the wall. He thought he’d seen the corporeal form of a lynx disappear. 

“That looks like a —”

“Patronus, yeah.” Ron indicated for Harry to follow him, and they snuck down the alley. Any Muggles who walked past seemed none the wiser to a silver, glowing, transparent lynx sitting in a dumpster alley. 

When Ron and Harry approached it, the lynx looked at them and then walked away, rounding a corner so they were out of sight from any curious passersby. 

Immediately, the lynx spoke in Kingsley’s deep voice, “Newbridge Avenue. Your goal is to identify and deal with the issue taking place there.”

The lynx vanished, and Ron and Harry looked at each other.

“Is that it?” Ron asked, unable to contain the disappointment he felt. He didn’t know what he’d been expecting, but a quick message like that wasn’t it. 

“Well, we know where we have to go,” Harry said. “Newbridge Avenue.”

“Where’s that?” Ron asked.

“I dunno,” Harry said, “but let’s Apparate there and get started on what we have to do. I hope it’s obvious.”

Ron nodded, and turned on the spot, thinking of his destination. 

Newbridge Avenue was primarily residential, running along a river where a sports stadium sat opposite. Ron looked around, searching for anything out of the ordinary, but nothing immediately caught his eye. In fact, being Christmas Eve, all seemed quieter than usual. People were either out doing their last minute shopping or holed up at home, out of the cold. 

“What should we do?” Ron asked Harry. 

“Maybe we’re supposed to keep an eye out for anything unusual?” Harry said, and the words had barely left his mouth when a scream echoed down the street. 

Ron and Harry immediately drew their wands. 

“It came from that house over there,” Harry said, pointing to a single-story cottage down the road from where they stood. 

The scream came again, this time sounding more terrified than it had before. Ron and Harry ran towards it, their wands out. 

On the third scream, they rounded the house to where a young woman was standing and pointing at something Ron and Harry couldn’t see. Her hand shook as she spotted Ron and Harry, paying no mind to their wands. 

“Th-there!” she said. “Inside my house.”

Lowering his wand slightly, Ron said, “Er, what’s in there?”

The woman, eyes wide and terrified, said, “A burglar!”

“What?” Ron asked. Surely this wasn’t why they had been sent to this street — to deal with a plain old Muggle burglar. That was something for those Muggle Auror people to deal with. 

Ron looked to Harry, who shrugged. Well, they couldn’t just abandon her when someone was in her house, but they wouldn’t be able to use their wands. 

They crept forward, stowing them away. There was a rattle of the back door, and Ron had to resist the instinct of digging his hand into his pocket. There were two of them after all, and only one burglar. They could certainly take him without magic. 

The door handle turned, and Ron readied himself to lunge, but when it flew open, he was caught completely off guard. There wasn’t some big, burly thief like he had expected. It was… well, it was Hermione, and she was hurt. 

“What the —” He went to go to Hermione, his heart constricting at the sight of her. She was bleeding heavily, she seemed to be in so much pain, clutching at all the gashes on her body. 

“No,” Harry said, sticking an arm out in front of him. 

“Harry, what are you —”

Harry turned to the woman, who was still standing behind them. “Is this who entered your house?”

“N-no,” the woman said. “I-I don’t know what she was doing in there. I-I don’t know who that is. Is she okay?”

Ron couldn’t take his eyes off Hermione, who was now gasping in pain. Her life was draining from her by the second, and for some reason, Harry wouldn’t let him go to her.

“Hermione!” he cried, and he broke past Harry’s arm. He made it to her, just as she collapsed into his arms; but she didn’t feel like Hermione. She was cold, icy — she barely felt human. And then… she vanished. 

The woman gave a startled gasp. The blood that had spattered the ground was gone, too. There was no sign at all that just a moment ago, Hermione had been there, dying. 

“What?” Ron looked at Harry, who seemed to know more than he did. 

“It was a Boggart,” Harry said. “I think, at least.”

“A… but, my… it’s a spider. Not…” Ron stared at the spot where the Boggart-Hermione had just been. “Did you use the spell?”

“No,” Harry said. “No, but, well, I think you got rid of it by facing your fear.”

“What?” Ron said.

“You thought it was Hermione, and you ran towards her — it — and you’re not supposed to face your fear. It’s gone, I think. Without magic.”

Ron once again looked at the spot where he thought Hermione had been dying, almost feeling stupid for not seeing it before. There was absolutely no reason why Hermione, who was back in London, spending Christmas with her family, would be here in this Muggle person’s house. 

“I guess you have greater fears than spiders now,” Harry said, and he smiled. “It was kind of disappointing, to be honest. Having gotten rid of it so quickly.”

The woman, looking both terrified and confused, stepped up to stand between Ron and Harry. “W-what was that?”

They looked at her.

“Er, it’s basically your greatest fear coming to life,” Ron explained. “But it’s gone now. You won’t need to worry about it anymore.”

“But the burglar —”

“Is gone,” Harry said. 

The woman looked unconvinced, eyeing her house sceptically. 

“We can have a look for you anyway?” Ron suggested. “Just in case, I mean.”

“Yes please,” the woman said. “I came home from work and there was a fair bit of snow in my garden, so I was shovelling it away when I just…” she shook her head. “It’s so silly, me being afraid of someone breaking into my house. I am a police officer, I deal with this every day, but —”

“We all have our fears,” Ron assured her, thinking of the great big spiders that still haunted his nightmares occasionally. “Nothing’s silly about being afraid.”

She nodded, looking between them. “Thanks,” she said. “But I think I’ll be alright. You sure he’s — I mean, it’s, she’s — gone?”

“Positive,” Harry said. 

She nodded again. “Alright. Well, I’m just glad you two were around to take him — her, it, whatever — on.”

“It’s our job,” Ron said. “That’s why we’re here.”

The woman nodded for a third time.

“And I am really sorry about this,” Harry said, and before the woman could respond he performed a simple memory-wiping charm on her. They were already gone, walking back down the street before she came to again.  

“So that was it?” Ron asked when he was sure they couldn’t be overheard. “A Boggart in a Muggle house?”

“Perhaps it’s the first of a series of tests,” Harry said, though he also sounded disappointed. A Boggart was something they’d dealt with successfully in their third year. It wasn’t exactly dangerous Dark magic. 

Not that Ron was hoping for anything seriously Dark. He’d had enough of that to last a lifetime, but something more challenging than a Boggart would have excited him a little more.

What did interest him, though, was the fact that his Boggart seemed to have changed. It wasn’t anything he consciously thought about — after all, he hadn’t even realised it was a Boggart — but it made sense, he supposed. He still didn’t like spiders, but he’d faced far greater things in his life than them, and he’d seen death. He’d lost a brother, whom he still missed a lot, and one thing he feared more than anything else was losing someone else he loved. And he loved Hermione the most out of anyone, and her screams in Malfoy Manor still haunted him. He never, ever, ever wanted to see her in pain again. He never wanted to lose her. 

“You alright, mate?”

Ron looked up. He’d stopped in the middle of the footpath without even realising it.

“Yeah,” Ron said. “I guess I was just hoping for something more than that.”

Harry smiled. “I’m sure our time will come. We don’t want to go in too deep straight up. Besides, they did warn us they were looking for ‘real’ things to let us deal with. Maybe that was all they could find here.”

“Hm, yeah,” Ron agreed. He looked up at the fading sky. It was nearing dusk and all they’d done was get rid of a Boggart, and without any magic at that. “Fancy another look around Dublin?” he asked Harry. 

Harry grinned. “I was just about to suggest that myself.”

[goldandbluesmiles]

Acquisition

Summary: By Bruce Wayne's calculations, he still had two years to go until he could safely take over the Court of Owls, and an additional two years after that until he could turn them into something that could help Gotham instead of control it. His timeline gets accelerated when he hears about Richard John Grayson, a little boy being trained to become a Talon.

Ao3

Part 1 of Guardian Wolf

xxx

Bruce had never thought of children for himself. It would be easy to say that he never wanted them but the truth was that after losing his parents, he had refused to let himself even consider the idea. How was he supposed to take care of a child when he still felt half-broken and wrong from his parent's death. How could he take care of a child when there was an infinite sadness in him that probably had nothing to do with being an orphan and everything to do with the fact that he was just a mess. How could he subject a child to the dark ache inside of him?

No, he was best left childless even if sometimes his dreams were filled with the vague scents of small faceless pups, a hidden wish that was to never come true.

So Bruce buried his dreams deep and started his training. He travelled the world, visited mountains and desserts, met assassins and healers, and stood in front of crumbling temples and timeless treasures. He visited the league, became Ra's Al-Ghul favourite student and Talia Al-Ghul's favourite lover. Afterwards, he came back to the whispers of the Court of Owls and the hand they had had in his parent's murder. Slowly, he started to infiltrate them, turning members, sowing seeds of distrust and sending away anyone that was too much trouble. None of them exactly had clean records and while it took a lot of digging, there was always something that could be used to take their power away.

For four years, he worked his influence in the Court, gaining allies and putting on a false face. By his calculation, it would take him another two years to gain complete control and then another two turn the Court into something that could actually help Gotham instead of control it. It was a long game but Bruce was a patient man. He could wait.

Until he heard of the little boy. One of the Court's other favourites quietly informed him of a little boy that was being trained to become a talon. They hadn't injected him with too much yet since he still had to grow but they were working him to the bone.

"His name is Richard John Grayson," his informant told him

Grayson. He knew the name. He also knew that most Graysons, like William Cobb, consented to the transformation that made them Talons.

This child definitely hadn't consented.

"Has he been here the whole time?" asked Bruce

"Yes," the other answered.

Bruce cursed himself. He remembered hearing of the fall of the Graysons, remembered not paying it any attention since the talon-aged Graysons were already dead. The boy and the circus had quickly disappeared from the city and Bruce had assumed Richard would be with them.

How stupid of him.

"It's not your fault," murmured the other, quite understanding of his silences, "They kept it under wraps. Even the most loyal members do not know. Only the Grandmaster and his inner four,"

"How did you find out?" asked Bruce

The other grinned, "Everyone has a weakness of the flesh, Brucie. Mr. Crow is no different,"

Bruce raised his eyebrows at them, "I never would have expected you to go that far,"

His companions laughed, "Don't worry, Wayne. I was always going to use the sedative and I could have done it without getting naked but..."

"You actually enjoyed yourself," said Bruce, "Is the man really that good?"

"Well, if you must know..."

"Actually, no. Please leave,"

The other chuckled again, "Alright. I'm going to assume that you're going to accelerate your deadline due to this. Let me know if there's anything I can do,"

"I will," said Bruce, "And one more thing,"

"Yes?"

"Your therapist appointment?"

The other rolled their eyes, "Don't worry, Bruce. I rescheduled it for tomorrow,"

Bruce smiled, "Good. Take care of yourself,"

"You too,"

Once the door was closed again, Bruce went back to looking through the report.

It was time to make a few calls.

xxx

Deathstroke carefully deposited the boy in front of Bruce, his hands gentle despite the pain Bruce knew he was capable of inflicting. The boy seemed to be asleep, sedated most likely.

"How was he?" Bruce asked Slade, "Did he come easily?"

"He seems to be used to taking orders," said Slade, "Though he seemed bit out of it, sort of in a trance,"

Bruce nodded, surveying the little boy on the ground tightly wrapped in a blanket. From stories, he knew that the boy was a Panther shifter. He still smelled like a pup but Bruce could tell he was an Alpha.

Richard would grow up to me something formidable one day. For now, he looked small and broken, making every omega and wolf instinct rise up in Bruce.

However, it wasn't the time or place so Bruce pushed it down and turned to see a lynx and a coyote jump on the roof, only a few paces away from them. A few seconds later, Selina Kyle was fixing her hair while he had an arm full of Talia Al-Ghul.

"I missed you, Beloved," murmured the Alpha

Bruce smiled, and kissed her hair, "I missed you too, Darling,"

Behind them Slade made a disgruntled noise, forcing them to let go of each other.

"So, Lover," Selina, "What happens now? Do I need to take myself out of Gotham for a little bit?"

"You shouldn't have to but better safe than sorry I suppose," said Bruce

"What about the Court?" asked Slade, "It's going to create a power vacuum,"

Bruce smiled, "The Court won't go away. I have enough support to be seen as a hero for saving it from the attack from the 'traitors' and will be appointed the new Grandmaster. The changes I intended for will take some time but this is a start. Most of those that oppose me are currently being labelled to be exiled. Of course, I will kindly 'spare' some of them,"

Slade whistled, "And all this on an accelerated timeline. Remind me never to piss you off, Wayne,"

"Noted,"

"We should be going," said Talia, "We must not be spotted here by any lingering opposition of yours in the Court,"

"Right," said Bruce nodding, "Thank you for coming here,"

"Anything for a paycheque," Slade saluted him before jumping off the roof but not before calling out again, "Take care of the kid, Wayne,"

Bruce shook his head. For all his violence, the man could have soft spot for children.

"It's my city too, Lover," said Selina, "But I need to go look for safe transport out. Good luck,"

As always, Selina left on silent feet

"You should take care of the boy," said Talia. Her gaze almost seemed wistful as she looked at the child. Though maybe that was just his imagination.

"Yes," he murmured, "Will you go back now?"

Talia looks at him with regret in her eyes, "You know I must Beloved,"

Must. There were so many things Bruce would say to that, so many arguments that could be made. But there was a boy lying on the rooftop so he merely nodded. A gentle kiss on the cheek and Talia was gone too.

Bruce bent down and carefully lifted the boy up. He was impossibly light and easily fit in Bruce's arms.

"Alright, Pup," murmured Bruce, "What am I going to do with you?'

xxx

Alfred cornered Bruce as soon as he got inside.

"Master Bruce," said the butler, scandalized, "Please tell me that is not a child,"

"Richard Grayson," Bruce told him, "He was being trained to become a Talon,"

A look of rage passed over Alfred's before his expression settled into its normal blankness.

"I see," said the butler, "I shall ready some soup for when the young man wakes up,"

"Thanks, Alfred,"

Bruce was then left holding the small boy. On instinct, he took him to his room and gently laid him down on the bed. The space was too large for the little pup, making him seem like a deserted island in the middle of a green sea.

What could he do now? Whenever he wanted warmth he would get-

Blankets. Bruce needed blankets. The pup would like blankets. Yes, blankets.

He first raided his closet, there were some things that smelled fresh and some others that smelled like him, things he kept for when he was in heat. They still smelled like him so Bruce carefully laid them out around the little pup, leaving enough room for Bruce to slide in around him. He then took some pillows and cushions. After that, he took out some sweaters and shirts lining them in the small spaces of the structure, effectively filling it with more of his scent and closing any openings.

When he was done, Bruce stepped back and surveyed his work. Little Richard was still under the influence of whatever sedative had been given to him and was snoring softly. The blankets and other things around him would keep him safe and warm, just like Bruce wanted. Still, there seemed to be something missing. Something important. What was it?

Bruce thought back to his own childhood. He had tried to keep some of his parents' scent at first. Once it had become evident that it was just making everything worse, he had replaced them with-

Oh. He knew what he needed.

But he needed to leave the room to get it. Could he leave the pup alone? what is he woke up? What if he got scared?

In the end, the need to complete the structure won out and he ran to where he knew Alfred would be.

"Alfred!" called Bruce as he entered the kitchen, "I need more blankets!"

Alfred looked surprised to see him, putting down the spatula "Master Bruce, What-"

There was no time for questions! The pup was alone and he needed blankets quickly.

"Alfie, I really need blankets right now. Maybe something of yours and Leslie's and Richard is alone right now so I need to quickly find-"

Alfred placed a gentle hand on his arm, forcing him to slow down.

"Master Bruce," said the older Beta, "Why don't you go ahead and go back to Richard? I will find the suitable things for you,"

There was an understanding look on the man's face which was good. If Alfred understood then he would fix it. Still, Bruce hesitated. What if he got it wrong?

As if reading his thoughts, Alfred smiled.

"Master Bruce, need I remind you that I was the one who would help you with your nests as a pup?"

Bruce thought back to his childhood and nodded. Alfred was right, of course. He would find the right things and Bruce could go back to hi- the pup.

"Okay, Alfie," he said.

He quickly kissed Alfred's cheek and practically ran back to his room. To his immense relief, Richard hadn't woken up yet.

Carefully, Bruce made his way to the middle so he was curled around the little boy. Almost in a trance he pulled Richard to his chest and tucked him under his chin.

Bruce didn't know what was happening to him. He'd never acted like this before and yet he couldn't bring himself to leave the boy alone. He was so sure something bad would happen if he stayed away from the little pup too long. And as foreign as the feeling was it also felt right in a way very few feelings did.

In light of that realization, Bruce tucked Richard close and waited for Alfred to come back.

xxx

"Did he seem to be in a trance state or just worked up?" asked Leslie

"Just worked up," said Alfred as they walked to the room, "He seemed to be afraid to leave Richard alone,"

"I see," said Leslie, "Well, I don't think we have anything to worry about. It sounds like he saw a pup that could be in distress and the instinct built until he didn't know how to deal with it. It doesn't happen a lot but is quite common in people like Bruce,"

"People like Bruce?"

"He keeps a dangerously small pack on purpose, avoids pups including his cousins and obviously has some sort of anxiety surrounding the thought of children, all that builds up to feeling overwhelmed at taking care of a small pup," said Leslie, "Most do it on instinct but what do you do the when the instinct is completely foreign,"

"Hmm"

"By the way," continued Leslie "We really need to do something about the way he thinks about children. Even if he never has children of his own, it's not healthy,"

Alfred sighed, "I know. I just always thought it was something he was going through as a teenager, that he would change his mind once he was a little older and had some more time to get over his parents' death. I suppose that is on me for not seeing the signs,"

Leslie gave him a sympathetic look as they reached Bruce's room. Slowly opening the door, they found him sitting in the middle of his nest as he gently rocked the little boy in his arms. Whatever sedative had been given to the boy still seemed to be working.

Their own little boy, not grown, looked at them with wounded eyes. Leslie was reminded of the times years ago when he had looked at them like that, believing that they could fix anything. That belief ad wained over the years and the return of that look made Leslie's heart hurt. They would have to let him down all over again.

"Master Bruce," murmured Alfred, "We brought what you asked for,"

He just kept staring at them for another moment. He then looked at little Richard and then back.

"Leslie, Alfie," he brokenly whispered, "What am I doing? What's happening to me?"

"Oh my dear boy," said Alfred, sitting down just at the edge of the bed, "You're just a little overwhelmed by your instincts and your instincts are telling you that your pup needs a safe nest,"

"But he's not my pup, Alfie," Bruce sounds ready to cry, "It shouldn't feel- it shouldn't-"

"Shouldn't what, Kiddo?" asked Leslie

"It shouldn't feel this right," said Bruce, staring down at Richard's peaceful face, "He's not mine,"

Unfortunately, Richard wasn't but all those years of pushing down his wishes and his instincts meant that Brue had latched on. Leslie hated to think about what would happen once Richard had to part with him.

"Bruce," said Leslie, "For now, he doesn't have anywhere to go and from what I've heard, he's been trained brutally so let's just take care of him for now. Kind of like Lucious took care of you when I or Alfred couldn't. Think of it that way, okay,"

"Like babysitting?"

That wasn't what Leslie had meant but it seemed to be calming Bruce down so she merely nodded.

Bruce took a shuddering breath and carefully put Richard back down onto the sheets.'

"Okay," he said, "Okay, I can do that,"

Leslie shared a relieved look with Alfred. Baby steps. At least Bruce was calmer now. Once the boy woke up, they could check him over and convince Bruce to start the legal process for whatever was best for the little pup. Though, Leslie had a feeling they were going to be having an addition to their small pack.

"This is going to be difficult," said Alfred as they watched Bruce rearrange the nest again

"We'll help him," said Leslie.

He was still their little pup after all.

xxx

The Little Talon was floating on cotton candy. Very strange and nice smelling cotton candy. This was different than the other times. Usually, he woke up on the hard floor or the hard slab.

Why would he be on a cloud? Or maybe it wasn't a cloud?

Little Talon finally opened his eyes and found that he wasn't on a cloud at all. He was on a bed. A very nice bed.

Why was he on a nice bed? The beds Mr. Cobb like to get him to sleep on were always small and hard. He called them cots. They smelled like wood.

Little Talon tried moving his arms around and found that they were trapped in a blanket. He quickly untangled himself and sat up. He looked around and froze.

There was someone else there with him. A big man with dark hair and dark clothes.

This must be his new Master. Which meant that this was a test.

It wasn't like any other test he had been in though. For one, the Master seemed to be asleep.

He would wait.

After about two minutes and a half, the new Master started to move a little. Little Talon kept himself perfectly still.

The new Master opened his eyes and looked straight at him. His eyes were very blue.

"Hello," murmured the Master

Was he supposed to talk back? Taking a chance, he responded.

"Hello,"

Master smiled and Little Talon relaxed. It was a nice smile. This meant Master was happy for now.

"How are you, Richard?"

Richard? His masters didn't call him Richard. They called him Little Talon.

He didn't know how to respond and Master frowned. Oh no. Was he mad now?

"Isn't your name Richard?" Master asked

Richard? That wasn't what they called him. They called him Little Talon but...There had been the before. Before, that was filled with bright colours and happy voices. Cotton Candy and music. What had he been called before?

D-

Di-

"Dick, Master," he murmured

"Dick?" Master questioned

Little Talon nodded.

"Mama and Papa called me, Dick,"

"Do you remember your parents?"

Little Talon frowned, "I-I don't, not really. Fuzzy,"

"Oh," said Master, and then hesitated before speaking again, "Why do you call me Master?"

Little Talon frowned, "It's what you are, Master,"

"I see," said Master, "From now, I want you to call me Bruce,"

"Bruce?" Little Talon tested the word. He liked it, "Bruce,"

Bruce smiled the nice smile again and Little Talon felt happy.

"We're going to talk about some very important things, okay?" said Bruce, "So I'm going to need you to listen very carefully,"

Little Talon nodded. He was a good listener. He could be good.

"You were taken by the Court of Owls and your custody was given to Samantha Vanaver. Do you remember her?"

"Grandmaster," murmured Little Talon

"Yes. The people of the Court weren't very good people so I-"

Bruce hesitated.

"I made sure that the bad ones couldn't hurt anyone anymore," said Bruce, "I had some of my friends help with that. One of them got you out of there. Do you remember?"

Little Talon cast his mind back and a memory came to him. A large man with white hair and an eye-patch?

"Eye-patch man?" he asked

Bruce let out a laugh. Little Talon liked the sound. It was warm.

"Yes," he said, "I'm going to have to tell Slade about that one,"

Slade?

Bruce must have noticed his question because he smiled again.

"He's eye-patch man," Bruce told him

Oh.

"What happens to me now?" he asked, "Am I going to be you Little Talon now? Help you with the Court?"

"Oh, pup." murmured Bruce, "Sweetheart, you don't have to be Little Talon anymore, you can just be Dick,"

"Be Dick?" asked Little Talon. His throat felt funny so it came out all croaky.

Bruce's eyes seemed a little wet as he opened his arms, "Come here sweetheart,"

Little Talon hesitated but the room was starting to fill with a nice and sweet smell and it seemed to be coming from Bruce. He wanted to b closer to it so he complied. Once he was in Bruce's arms, he was glad he had listened. The arms were strong and felt safe. His skin felt tingly and nice everywhere Bruce was touching him so he curled even closer to chase the feeling.

"You're going to stay here now," Bruce whispered, "I'm going to take care of you. No one will hurt you here,"

"No training?" he asked

"No training," Bruce said firmly, "No cage, no cold,"

It sounded like a dream.

"Also," said Bruce, "I would like to call you, Dick. Is that alright?"

Dick. He hadn't been Dick for a while now. He had only been Little Talon but from what little he could remember, Dick had seemed like a happy boy with nice par-

There had been a fall and there had been screaming and blood. Someone had taken him away.

"My Mama and Papa are dead aren't they?" he asked.

He knew he should feel sad but all he felt was empty. Like he was light enough to be floating and the only thing keeping him in place was Bruce with his strong arms.

"Yes," murmured Bruce

"But I can still be Dick," he asked, "Even if I don't remember properly?"

"Yes," said Bruce pressing a kiss to his hair, "You can be Dick,"

"Will I remember later?"

He could feel Brue hesitate.

"You were given some drugs," said Bruce, "There is a chance that you might not remember but most likely, you'll start getting your memories about your life back,"

"I'm gonna be sad, aren't I? Because my parents are dead?"

Bruce's arms tightened.

"Yes," said Bruce, "Most likely,"

He thought about it.

"I still want to be Dick," he said.

"Okay," said Bruce.

Little Talon would become Dick again. And maybe, just maybe, he could be safe, like he was in his dreams sometimes.

Maybe, Dick could be happier and warmer than Little Talon was.

xxx

End Note:

Dick isn't completely lucid until five days later. Bruce takes this time to figure out the legal aspect. It doesn't take much to fake papers saying that he was to take care of Dick if anything ever happened to Vanessa. When Dick wakes up properly, he promptly freaks out but Bruce is able to calm him down. Dick can now properly remember his parents and starts the process of grieving, forcing Bruce to grieve too.

Oh, and they both go to therapy. Because in this universe, we are going to be healthy.

[raccoonpoptart]

wanted to share this scenario idea bcs it's adorable ;; it's where the reader accidentally made a mistake in casting a spell, ehich resulted in them turning into an animal! i'm wondering how the characters would react to them huhu

YESSS THIS IS SO CUTE THANKYOU 🌸✨ this is so funny to think about honestly could you imagine suddenly turning into an animal? personally if i turned into a raccoon i would never want to be human again 🦝🦝🦝

☼

that’s not how that goes...

warnings: none! wholesome times tonight <3

some of the animal choices are obvious but others are...just for giggles 🐝 hope you like it! ✨

Earlier at the market y/n got some new ingredients to use in a spell, but had to substitute a few obscure things with more easily accesible items. With nothing but hope in their heart (that they wouldn’t absolutely ruin anything important), they made their way home.

It wasn’t until about halfway through the spell that y/n realized something was a bit...off. The smell just seemed a bit more potent, and the color was a little more unexpected than usual. Magic was strange like that, so they shrugged and threw the last ingredient in the bowl. Poof! Smoke went everywhere and y/n was covered in green dust.

Suddenly, everything grew so much bigger in the shop and y/n began to panic. Asra wouldn’t be home for a few hours! What were they supposed to do? Their heart raced as they walked to the nearest mirror. They realized that it wasn’t the shop that got bigger, it was them who got smaller. Uh oh...

alright gamers lets do this

Asra

when he came home he looked everywhere for you and when he saw the mess you made he started to panic a little

he had no idea what you were trying to do but the fact that you weren’t around was...really unsettling

“mc?? where are you? please come back...”

suddenly he felt something slip up his arm and squeeze...

“oh, hi, faust...did you s-”

what looked back at him wasn’t those red eyes he was used to but instead it was two big purple eyes

he was about to scream (because who wouldn’t freak out over a random snake) when he heard your voice in his head

i think i messed up the spell :(

he laughed softly and placed a soft kiss on your head and assured you if he couldn’t fix it, it would probably wear off anyway

spoiler alert it took almost a whole day for it to wear off but he enjoyed having you wrap around him whenever he went anywhere

faust thought it was the best thing ever, she would wrap around asra’s left arm and you would be on his right

Bite the goat!

(i was so tempted to do a fox but i thought it would be cute to sorta be like a chimes and flamel moment)

Nadia

when she was told that a lynx had been spotted sneaking around the palace she was a little worried

lynx are not common, so of course she wanted to see! but when the lynx ran up to her and started to rub against her and purr?? she was very confused

it wasn’t until she saw your eyes that she realized it was you! but didn’t really know how she knew...it was just her intuition she guessed

she just assumed something magical happened and hugged you

loved when you followed her around the palace because everyone was so afraid, or just had a puzzled look on their face

when you would meowl (or, yell for lack of a better word) she would smile and kiss your head then laugh if anyone around her got scared

would talk to you like normal even if you couldn’t properly answer, she just assumed any noise you’d make was a response

complimented your ears and thick coat then offered to brush your fur (she wanted to hear you purr again)

she enjoyed having you around all day and once you were back to normal she asked so many questions

Julian

another damn raven had taken a liking to him and he was ready to leave vesuvia again

he facepalmed as malak and this new bird had started messing with his hair and squawking

meanwhile you found it pretty funny how he accepted it so quickly and waited a while before having malak tell julian

you and malak had continued to bother julian for a few hours but once he got annoyed you had malak explain and julian just laughed and asked if malak had run into a window again

when you softly pecked his nose and rubbed against his face he blushed softly

“ah, well...at least it’s temporary. it is temporary, right? please tell me it won’t last forever!”

boi was a bit stressed because now he felt like he had to look after you but malak told him to *ahem* buzz off we’ll say cause he was having so much fun

found the looks he got a bit funny because of course having two ravens follow you everywhere would look strange (CAN I MAKE A NORSE MYTHOLOGY JOKE PLS.....TWO RAVENS = ODIN LMAO)

once the spell wore off he held you close and let out a sigh of relief,,, “darling, you make a beautiful bird but please don’t scare me like that again <3”

Muriel

ignore the part where it says the shop got bigger, for this it got smaller ok thanks <3

inanna had been gone a while so he went out to find her

instead found her outside playing with a......bear?

he closed his eyes and exhaled then turned to go back inside to avoid dealing with another unexplainable thing

but inanna dragged him over to the bear and he just stared as the bear stared back

woof! “inanna that makes no sense, it’s not mc”

then the bear hugged him and he blushed but didn’t pull away because why else would a bear have silver fur and pink eyes

you couldn’t exactly fit in his hut so he decided to just sit outside with you. he assumed that a spell went wrong because the same thing had happened to asra before

“so, mc... do you think this is permanent?” you grunted in response and placed a paw on his head

it was a bit awkward but he laughed softly and placed a hand on your head (wholesome mountain man :( i would die for him...)

watching you catch fish was hilarious to him considering you couldn’t do it by yourself a few months ago, but made sure to keep an eye on you anyway

he liked that you were taller than him for a bit and felt safe when you would hug him, even if the sight of it would seem strange but was happy when you were back to normal (now he can kiss the top of your head and hold your hands properly)

Portia

walked into her cottage and stopped in her tracks

she was face to face a puma and her heart started racing, she was about to run until she saw pepi run up onto the bigger cat’s head and headbutt her

“pepi.....can you please explain who this is quickly” she was trying not to freak out in case the giant cat would attack her

in response pepi started to purr and rubbed against the cat and was surprised when the big cat started to purr too

she thought that maybe pepi had somehow made a new friend? and just was grateful that it didn’t eat her

you had to lead her back to the shop and show her the mess as well as the pile of your clothes on the ground for her to understand

“mc :3 does that mean you’re technically naked?~” she poked your side and laughed when you made a slightly annoyed noise

absolutely loved how everyone ran at the sight of her with a puma and walked with a bit more confidence “i feel like the main character in a story! strong, beautiful woman with her most trusted cats at her side!”

you wished you could laugh but you loved how adorable she was and also you were amazed at how even though you were walking, pepi stayed asleep on your back

after work the next day she found you asleep in her bed wearing some of her clothes and she smiled so big as she hugged you tight

Lucio

“can somebody please explain why the hell a damn PEACOCK IS IN MY ROOM???”

as he raised his voice, the bird puffed up its feathers and started to squawk which freaked him out but it just walked up to him and stared

he was so confused but was thankful the bird wasn’t attacking him so he tried talking to it

“uhhhh- hello there, aren’t you beautiful? are you an albino? your white feathers are gorgeous” you puffed up your chest at the compliments and expanded your tail feathers

he smiled and tried to pet your tail feathers “you aren’t so scary now, how’d you get in here?” he didn’t really think to ask anyone because the only person he could think of was asra and he didn’t want to talk to him

mercedes and melchior liked the bird so why shouldn’t he? he shrugged and just let you follow him around all day, talking to you like you were another one of his pets (which was annoying but you liked the compliments althought they were new, obviously you didn’t normally have feathers)

the spell wore off in the middle of the night he went from having two dogs and a bird in his bed to having two dogs....and YOU!! just when he thought being with you couldn’t have brought more surprises and weird stories

he gave you his shirt and laughed as you explained what happened ,, “well, it’s good it was temporary! if i never saw you as a human again i don’t know what i would do”

☼

that was so fun!! omg i love writing weird stuff like this 🍓 anyway, i hope you liked it! i’m thinking about writing a story where mc can turn into animals on the regular but we’ll see ✨✨ now i wish i could turn into an animal for a day lmao

[hanawrites404]

Wynne's Diary - Walk with Inanna

"Darling, I'm home" I opened the door of the house and came inside, removing my shoes as my warm bare feet touched the cooler floor. Today was a pretty long and tiring day of work and I couldn't wait to retire for tonight with the ravenhead I was looking for.

And so I walked in, looking for the giant man, but I noticed something very strange about the house; It was awfully empty.

I mean, of course it would be because only two beings lived here but it felt like someone was missing.

"Muriel? You there, Honey?" I called out his name, looking for him everywhere. He didn't give any response back though. Was he asleep?

As soon as that thought came up my mind, I went to the bedroom but Muriel wasn't there at all. There was someone else in his room, making herself comfortable at the corner.

"Inanna!" I called her name, and she sprang up to rush towards me and crowd near my legs. I kneeled down to her and petted her. She then licked my palm and whimpered lowly against it.

"Do you know where Muriel went??" I asked her. Perhaps she might know.

But when she whimpered once again and nuzzled her nose against my hand, I got her answer to be negative.

I sighed and got up, dusting my clothes.

"Let's go and find him then. It's very late at night now and it's not good to be outside at this time" I spoke.

Inanna agreed with a bark as she enthusiastically ran in front of me. I chuckled and ruffled her black fur, she for sure was pretty eager to find her master and lick the hell out of him I suppose.

And speaking of me, even I too was desperate to find him as soon as possible. He usually doesn't leave his home and be outside considering his introverted and antisocial personality so I was really worried about him.

Did something bad happen to him?? Only time can answer that and me and Innana knew that too well as we both rushed outside after I had put my shoes back and closed the door.

"Let's go to the marketplace first. There are chances that he might be there" I said to Inanna as we both headed there. Inanna trotted ahead of me as we both made our way to the market area.

We went through the forest where we spotted litters of baby lynxes, then at Asra's shop where he just wanted to have a hug and kiss but later didn't let me go so I had to drug him to sleep, and then to the community theatre where Julian was performing and he waved at me which was totally out-of-script, and we were finally at our destination.

"Hmmmm....it does not seem so crowded here, obviously" I rubbed my chin and peered at the scene in front of me.

"But Muriel cannot be here. He is too tall so he can be spotted quite easily but his enormous self is not here" I stated. Inanna whoofed in reply, agreeing in me.

"Yeah....." I sighed and nodded. Just where the hell did he go??

I then noticed Inanna sniffing the ground, maybe she was searching for his scent I suppose.

She kept her nose on the earth and continued moving forward as she investigated while I followed her, glancing and taking note of every step of hers.

After a couple of minutes, it looked like she found something noteworthy as she barked and ran fast towards where she was wanting to head at, not caring about the people who were inbetween her as she pushed everyone out of her road.

"Nanna!! Hold on!!" I followed her quick, muttering apologies to everyone whom she was subconsciously pushing away quite roughly.

"Sorry!....Coming through!.....My apologies!......Forgive me!.....Lady incoming!.....Oh that's a yummy looking lemon.........I'm so sorry!!"

Even after it had been about five minutes, she still wasn't stopping. Though I was not feeling tired from all the running but still it was bothering me that what was the thing which got her so excited. Wait.....did she finally find Muriel?? I don't know.

The answer to my question came to me when Inanna stopped at the docks, wagging her tail and panting with her tongue out.

There he was.... Muriel was staring at the waters as he had settled himself down. His huge black cloak was on him and he looked as if he was.......sulking.

I gulped and approached him. It was not a good choice to bother Muriel if he was in a bad mood considering his tendency to push everyone away even if they came to him for consoling him. But I didn't really had a choice. I mean, how can I leave him alone like that?? That would be very rude of me!!

And so I closed up to him, my footsteps creaking against the wooden bridge. It was loud enough to reach his ears as I had expected, because he turned to me without any hesitation.

"You are finally here........I was doubting that you would even find me at this place" He said, his deep voice resonating in my ears.

"Yeah.....I'm sorry if I'm troubling you but, it's getting very late. You should come back home" I sticked to the point and did not beat around the bush. This situation was really awkward already.

I heard Muriel sigh as he got up and walked closer to me. I locked my eyes with his emerald ones, they were glowing enchantingly with the night that I couldn't help but not break away from his eye contact.

But then I felt his big hand wrap around my smaller waist as he pulled me closer to him, to his large chest, hugging me partially.

I was kind of surprised from the sudden affection as I blinked twice, but I didn't think further about it as I closed my eyes and welcomed the warmth he offered me, placing my hand on his chest and rubbing him tenderly.

"I was missing you.....you didn't return home early so I had gotten worried......that's why I came here.......to make myself believe that wherever you were.......you were fine.....and will come back to me soon" he confessed.

My cheeks lightly burned pink. Was Muriel really concerned about me to such an extent?? Oh of course you damn moron!!!

"I.....I'm so sorry Muriel......I guess I got too much involved in my daily work" I blushed more from embarrassment and hit my forehead against his chest, cursing myself for my stupidity.

"It's alright......I know this is important for you but.......do give yourself a break" he then plays with my hair, tangling it around his fingers.

I chuckled and kissed his other hand.

"Of course. I will try to" I promised him.

"Good" He replied. I could hear him smiling when he said that.

But then we heard a loud bark and some desirous footsteps dashing towards us and soon Inanna literally lunged at Muriel and licked him lovingly.

Muriel slightly smiled and petted her, smoothing her black fur and patting her.

"Good girl" he said and Inanna happily whoofed.

I giggled and petted her, booping her nose with my other hand.

"Inanna was really yearning for seeing you again, did you know that?" I told him.

"I know......I guess I should have returned a bit early" he replied back, a bit pity in his tone.

"It's alright. At least we all are together again" I pointed out the bright side as Nanna howled from joy.

"Come on then. Let's go home" I got up and took hold of Muriel's hand. He gladly claimed my hand as we both made our way towards home, our lovely wolf following both of us and surrounding our feet.

The end......