#wolves are good

[too-tired-to-write]

5.

A cottage in the woods is not a normal place for a little old lady to live. To be outside of the village means to be outside of the community.

Witches live in cottages in the woods.

Witches occupy an odd space in society – not quite in and not quite out at the same time. They are the one everyone turns to when the cattle are sick, the milk is sour, the crops are blighted or the people are afflicted.

Of course, regular, upstanding, God-fearing folk are very suspicious of things like that. It stands to reason, don’t it, if they can make sickness and blight go away, that they can cause it to arrive as well? Best for everyone if that sort of thing gets stamped out, good and proper.

.

Little Red Riding Hood’s Grandmother lived in a cottage in the woods.

It so happened that one day Grandmother was sick. Mother packed a basket with cakes and wine, and sent Red out to deliver it.

She sensed Him before she saw Him – just a flicker of something shadowy moving between the trees.

She kept walking, every sense alert. There He was again, closer this time. Her pace quickened.

Again – looking at her, now, she could see the starlight glow of His eyes. Little Red Riding Hood dropped to one knee.

“My Lord,” she said. The Wolf padded over to her, silent as nightfall.

“Leave the path and follow me,” the Wolf commanded.

.

A man from outside the village had been hired. He came with experience, and he came with an axe.

He’d also come with a dog, but it had stepped on a thorn on the way to the village and had gone terribly lame. Fortunately he’d met a woman on the road with a dog for sale; a fine hunting hound, she assured the woodsman, but since her husband had run off she had no use for it.

The woodsman was well pleased with his new purchase. It was a fine hound; as big as a wolf, powerful and fast as lightning, with fierce eyes. Smart too; did everything you told it right away. You could almost think it understood you.

He tackled the old crone first. The old ones were usually the most dangerous – they’d had decades to gather knowledge and power.

That made it all the more strange that she didn’t fight back. He’d made his move whilst she was drawing water from her well; she was struggling to haul up a full bucket of water, and vulnerable. His new dog had leapt to her throat and she’d seemed to accept it. Dead before she hit the ground.

He dragged her to the nearby stream and chopped her into pieces, throwing them into the water one by one. It was important to dispose of the body properly. There must be no risk of the perverse creatures returning and seeking out vengeance.

His new hound went and ate up her heart, the stupid creature. Snatched it up off the ground and near enough swallowed it whole whilst his back was turned. Still, it was only natural. It was just a dog, and this was just another hunting trip to it, he supposed. Probably it’s previous master has allowed it to eat scraps of offal after a successful hunt.

The woodsman took down the Mother next. One of the men from the village had told him where to find her, and he and his stealthy new hound had crept up on her picking apples from her garden.

Again, he dragged her to the nearby stream and chopped her into pieces, throwing them into the water one by one.

His new hound went and ate up the Mother’s heart too. Snatched it up off the ground and near enough swallowed it whole whilst his back was turned. Still, it was only natural. It was just a dog, and this was just another hunting trip.

He decided to see if the new hound could track the maid. A village woman identified a red cape with a hood that had been left in the cottage the maid and her Mother had lived in as belonging to the maid, and the woodsman held it out for the hound to sniff.

“Go find her,” he encouraged it. “Track down that evil thing.”

The dog needed no further prompting. It made a circle around the cottage, then set off into the woods with it’s head down. Delighted, the woodsman slung his axe over his shoulder and followed.

.

Little Red was ready when the woodsman and the Wolf arrived.

She had followed the Wolf’s instructions exactly; a small fire was burning within a ring of small stones. A long, sharp knife tied to her belt. Needle and thread in her skirt pocket. A small straw doll, a lock of Little Red’s hair wound around it’s waist, sat hidden away in the hollow of a nearby tree.

The Wolf had come into the clearing first, still in the form of a hunting dog. He trotted over and pushed His muzzle into her hands. Comforting her. He knew she was afraid.

The woodsman’s voice was hard and cold.

“Get! Get her! Get her, you bloody useless article!”

He was striding towards them, face pinched in anger.

“Bewitch my dog would you, you bloody woman?” he snarled.

He raised his axe high over his head, and swing it down on Little Red.

In the hollow of a nearby tree, the doll of straw split into two. But not a thing happened to Little Red; the axe swung through her as though she were a mirage. The woodsman’s axe sunk into the ground with a thud, dragging him down with it.

The Wolf leapt.

Red saw His form change as He leapt, edges blurring as he became less something flesh and blood and more something shadow and spirit. By the time He was sinking His teeth into the woodsman’s thick neck, there was no mistaking Him for a hunting dog.

.

Little Red had to do the next part alone.

The Wolf lay by the fire and sent Himself into a deep, heavy sleep. Little Red held her knife in the fire for a moment, and once it had cooled sufficiently she used it to slit open the belly of the Wolf.

Out of the Wolf’s belly fell Grandmother and Mother! They held one another and rejoiced to be here, reunited and alive.

Mother held the pin in the fire, and when it had cooled sufficiently she took the thread and sewed the Wolf’s belly back up. Grandma whispered into His ears, and He awoke.

“Thank You, my Lord,” the three witches said.

“It was no trouble,” the Wolf replied. “You are my children.”

[reasonsforhope]

"Inspired by an innovative Chilean forest restoration effort, the English town of Lewes is enlisting the help of dog walkers to rewild a local nature reserve.

Heavily degraded by foot traffic, the project co-opts dogs’ tendency to run about in the woods to spread wildflower seed from saddlebags strapped to a harness around the dog’s abdomen.

The idea mimics the function that wolves once played in that part of England, roaming over vast distances getting grass and flower seeds stuck in their coat, only to fall off and germinate somewhere else.

This helter-skelter seed-spreading is actually how many plants evolved to reproduce, and it’s key to maintaining a biodiverse and native ecosystem.

“We’re really interested in rewilding processes, but they often involve reintroducing big herbivores like bison or wild horses,” said manager Dylan Walker from the Railway Land Wildlife Trust who organized the project back in 2019.

“In a smaller urban nature reserve it’s really hard to do those things. So, to replicate the effect that those animals have on the ecosystem we aimed to utilize the vast number of dog walkers that are visiting the nature reserve daily.”

The saddlebags are filled with a variety of perennial plant seeds mixed together with sand. This allows the seed to be spread for longer across larger distances, while also providing a helpful tracking sign to inform the Trust’s employees where dogs are walking.

THE REWILDING MOVEMENT IN ENGLAND…

Salmon Return to the Heart of UK for First Time in 100 Years After Dam Removal: ‘It’s very rewarding’

‘Give Nature Space and it Will Come Back’: Rewilding Returns Endangered Species to UK Coast

Farmer Combats Flooding by Returning Creeks to Nature: ‘Wildlife That Has Come is Phenomenal’

Finally Rid of Invasive Shrubs, Scientists Use Lichen to Regrow the Celtic Rainforest in Loch Lomond, Scotland

2 Beavers Named Hazel and Chompy Reintroduced to English County–the First Ones to Live Here in 400 Years

“I signed up because it sounded like such a good fit. I was asked to place a harness on my chocolate cocker spaniel called Bertie and he ran around spreading seeds like wolves used to do many years ago,” Cressida Murray, a dog walker who regularly uses the nature reserve, told The Guardian. 

Wolves were persecuted to extinction in England as early as the reign of Henry VII, who reigned during the latter third of the 15th century.

“A community-based project like this not only helps engage and teach people about the ecological impacts of wildlife but also allows us to make our wildlife and environments richer in the process,” said Walker."

-via Good News Network, July 30, 2024

[101suouexpressions]

You know the friendship is real when your first instinct against danger is to protect the group's little puppy.

This is one of the scenes that I adore SO much. You can tell that both Suou and Sakura made the decision to shield Nirei subconsciously. This is so important because usually Sakura would charge into the battlefield and leave Nirei in the care of Suou since he was aware that Suou could do that with ease.

The look of surprise on their faces when they saw the other doing the same thing is so priceless. I think at that moment they really realised how much they had grown on each other.

[dunmeshistash]

Everyone should read perfect communication and wolves tell no lies by Ryoko Kui

[chloesimaginationthings]

Why is he kinda...

These two asks were right next to each other, and I think that’s beautiful

[hinamie]

the sirens are turning red

[tubbytarchia]

The bloodied moon cried for you, but you only heard the stars The weeping moon then bled for you, but you only saw her scars

[azatas]

"we need more complex female characters" you couldn't even handle her

[thegoodmorningman]

It *so* is.

[ogsherlockholmes]

There are two wolves inside of you. One believes ACD had a perfect plan whilst writing the Holmes canon: every inconsistency or ‘mistake’ had a planned and well-thought out reason behind it, and we are supposed to solve the mystery he has set out for us. The other believes ACD could not fucking care less and was flinging Holmes stories out of his arse in order to be left alone.

[sangpires]

more tiny villagers

limited time stickers !

[fluentisonus]

(typing this as I walk to work so this is not articulate but) thinking a lot abt how les mis w javert sort of. hm. questions? problematizes? the Idea of dogs & the domestication of dogs (metaphorically ofc) like it sort of looks past the 'man's best friend' angle entirely & makes you think things like. kind of fucked up of humans [the social order] to domesticate the wolf [person outside of society for whatever reason] expressly to turn against & cause harm to other wolves in order to keep them out [away from respectable society] & keep themselves safe but never truly consider it an equal [it'll always just be a dog]. kind of fucked up that the dog finds enjoyment & life's purpose in this

[kaiserin-erzsebet]

We never find out how Jonathan got past the wolves.

Which means there's nothing in the text stopping me from imagining that he befriended them because they aren't vicious without the Count's influence. Just Jonathan and a pack of good boys who decided not to eat him.

[runningwithwolvesss]

[ghcstao3]

soap isn’t sure what to expect of ghost’s wardrobe outside of work—probably just the same loose clothing, the same neutral, dark tones. ghost doesn’t seem like he would dress eccentrically in a public, civilian setting as he sort of does out in the field, so soap feels pretty safe in his conclusion. either that, or he’s secretly some fashionista when he’s on leave.

but the truth? partially as soap had suspected—however otherwise, ghost still dresses like he’s a teenager in the 90s. he owns an honest-to-god tracksuit, and for that alone soap is (briefly) contemplating disowning him.

[okaydiscount]

SIIIIGGGHHHHHHHH

finally i finished it!!!! and its... okay!

so yeah here ya go i hope yous like it :)