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[sky-arcobaleno]

The Bouloo Homestead

They say home is where the heart is. But what is home if the heart is haunted by the past?

I went of a description spree really. 

The Homestead Exterior:

Built of Southern Red Oak, the Bouloo Homestead stands at a gorgeous height of 28 ft. tall - Each story (2) being about 11 ft. tall.

With cedar wood shingles, a second-story balcony, and a full-coverage covered porch, the homestead is perfect for large families and beautiful pictures.

The full-coverage covered porch is made of the same Southern Red Oak as the rest of the house. However, the railings of the porch are made of wrought iron with a design similar to blooming wild flowers - a different flower for every support beam captured section {no section/flower is the same}

The Homestead’s First/Ground Level:

When you come in from the driveway, using the front yard’s gravel path, you enter the foyer using the half-glass, two-vertical panelled Oak door. You noticed how the doro had a half glass panel on each side, a flower design engraved in the glass on the door and panels. Yet, you can’t identify the flower.

Entering the foyer, your shoes hit wood hard flooring. It is Oak wood, with a gray finish. Taking your shoes off, you hop the one step and enter the living room, or as your Gam Gam called it - the Great Room.

You pad along the hard flooring and, in passing, look at the hearth. Encompassing the fireplace are heavy stones found from within the nearby woods. A fond smile appears as your eyes travel up the fireplace. The coarse rocks went up the ceiling of the first floor, through the second, and finally stopped on top of the roof, where a square copper-based chimney cap was mounted to keep away the elements from the fire below. Then you looked towards the road-side, where a window made of two double-hung and a picture frame was laid. Its view of the front yard meadow forces happy memories to your mind. Returning to the fireplace, you catch the sight of two more double-hung windows, one on either side. You forgot how much your Gam Gam liked the natural sunlight.

Returning to your tour, you look up right before you enter the kitchen. There, the upper floor’s wooden railing stood, protecting the top from the bottom. Your eyes gazed to your left. Behind the wall there were the stairs leading up.

Entering the kitchen, your feet remained on gray oak flooring. Examining the kitchen, you saw how there was a snack bar in place of the dining area. It was about 4 ft. tall, made of cedar wood with a wooden top. Passing the snack bar into the appliances zone, you raised an eyebrow at the MayTag logo. Your father had kept his word. Over the farmhouse sink was an awning window that extended outside. You followed the wooden countertop all the way to the refrigerator, where just a few feet away, stood the other outside entrance. It was a two-lite patio door, fully made of glass, with a white wood finish. Pulling the full curtain over the door, you turned towards your left, where the utility room was. It was sealed by a full-wood door.

Uninterested, you turned a bit more to your left and took the flight of wooden stairs up. Holding onto the wooden railing as you went.

On the Second Floor, you arrive at the loft, or study, as Gam Gam called it. There is a small entrance to the attic and the familiar wooden railing that looks down upon the Great Room. In the loft, there is a tiny pocket where a casement push-out window lays. Looking upon the wooden forest behind the homestead.

Walking along the gray oak flooring, you reach the master suite of the house. The master bedroom holds a walk-in closet with a single sliding panel door, a storage area pocket that also holds an attic entrance, a balcony, and of course, the master bath. You pass the king-size bed and open the glass doors with a simple push.

Amazed, you understand the balcony’s beauty. The door looks like a regular door, until you push in the middle, where it splits away, revealing to glass half-doors. Like a princess door. Your fingers trace the abnormal glass design. Unlike the flowers that were at the foyer’s doors, or the floral patterns of the covered porch railings, a mighty dragon soaring towards the sky was encrusted here. Turning away, you reach the edge of the balcony, where wrought iron railings guarded the fall. The design here was also atypical. Three sleeping dragons held up the railing, but encased each of the dragon was an empty case. As if something is supposed to be there, yet nothing was. Pushing away the urge to search, you returned inside, locking the balcony’s doors behind you.

Entering the master bathroom, the oak flooring finally changed to glazed ceramic tiles. Your anxiety lessened at the sight of simple glazed ceramic tiles. Looking at the shower, a hazed glass panel answered your unasked question. Looking to your right, the tub big enough for three hushed your fear. You would definitely fit here. Unlike that tiny apartment one. Shaking your head you passed the wide glass mirror that stood above the double sink with a wooden countertop. At least Gam Gam kept the theme through the whole homestead. Leaving the master bathroom, you looked at the tiny pocket where another double-hung window perched. Your gut dropped however, as you took a few steps towards it. This pocket was...no ordinary pocket you recalled. Sea-sunk memories arose, but you immediately left the room in search of present memories. The Homestead was both pleasant and unpleasant.

Returning to the ground level, you passed through the great room and foyer, entering the forest bedroom on your left. Immediately, your mind went to a happier place. This was your old, childhood bedroom. The peeling wallpaper of soft flowers was the tell-tale sign. You looked at the window facing the road. It was the bigger of the two the room had. This window, a glass block divided 2x3, was covered with a yellow-stained white sheer curtain. Turning to the other window, your heart seemed to fall beat in fondness. A tiny clay model of a little girl stood, holding a basket. Your child-self’s remodel of Red Riding Hood. She stood alone on the sill of the storm window Wiping away your tears, you left your childhood bedroom and went to the bathroom.

It, unlike the recent bedroom, was still in kinder condition. The single-person tub and shower was shielded by a plain tan shower curtain. The single sink, with a fracturing mirror, had rusting stains. Ceramic glazed tiles similar to the master bath reflected the soft white light bulb. With a brief reflection in the fractured glass, you see the reflection of childhood you. Carelessly smiling with a blue thumb print of her cheek and orange paint smeared down the right eye to her neck. Then, with another blink, she was gone. You left, turning off the light bulb.

Finally, you stood in front of the final bedroom. Your hand sat coldy and sweaty on the silver door knob. To open meant accepting. To keep close meant a good night’s rest. Taking a few minutes to breathe, recuperate, and settle racing thoughts, you grabbed the door knob and turned.

Inside the final bedroom, the same scene appeared like it did some many years ago. A full twin bed, with camo bedspread, a wildlife wallpaper, blocking sunlight from the two storm windows on either outside-facing wall, was a tree-canopy green curtain. At the bedside, a chest with a keyhole lock stood gathering dust . Feeling the chill of the hardwood flooring through your socks, you decide to leave the room without a final glance. It was like a deep cut was reopened and sea salt was rubbed into the squishy, bloody flesh in a hard, pressing motion.

Finishing with the homestead’s interior tour, you left out the foyer’s entrance. Now on the covered porch, you walked with your fingertips grazing the wrought iron railing. With the creaking of the wood boards beneath, you stopped at the back of the porch. Where a three-step stairwell led down to the grand backyard before the tall grass bloomed into the treeline, marking the forest’s turf. You stared at the mighty trees, who watched the homestead for a solid 6 generations. Without conscious thinking, you have reached the backyard stairway. Yet, it was the way the forest seemed to phase between real and magical that stopped you from taking the three steps. Your body was telling you that danger lurked within the wooden world only feet away. Turning your back on the forest, you returned to the road side of the homestead. Walking down the three-step stairwell, you walk back towards the gravel driveway. There, in front of your car, is the three-car garage.

It is made of Southern Oak Red wood as well, but the garage reflects the natural wood beauty. With a dark white finish and dark red wooden garage doors, the garage reflected the grandeur of the homestead. Each garage door had a sunrise window in the center and meticulously burned into each garage door was a name. The furthest left, ending with the symbol for earth, was the name Yia Bouloo. In the middle garage door, with a fire symbol, was Xiou Bouloo. Finally, the final door held the name Zaly Bouloo, written in a simple way, with the symbol of air at the end. You gave a soft, sadden smile before walking over to the driver’s door and entered your hand-me-down vehicle.

The Bouloo Homestead, a place of joyous memories and momentous griefs. As you back in reverse and quickly change to drive, you take a final glance in the rearview mirror. The Homestead stayed lit and happy. As if awaiting your next return. Yet, the way the shadowy forest rose behind it made you nervous. You couldn’t remember the last time the forest clung to the building. As if trying to hide secrets you should know. Yet, you didn’t know these secrets. At least not yet.

[sky-arcobaleno]

memories of the forest

Katsuki Bakugou x Reader; 

Sky piercing trees loomed an unreachable canopy above her head as she raced through the forest’s lower jungle. Vines and upturning roots were nothing to her skilled bare feet. Dodging another low branch, the cheeky girl laughed to herself. Her clan would never be able to catch her here! Within Teair’s close knitted playground, this child of the sky wandered freely. Slowing down to a small stream, the girl perked up at the sound of a grass being moved. Something was here. Something….soft? Standing up and brushing off her deer skirt, she turned around to see her uninvited guest. She blinked, genuinely confused, as a vulpine beast with four tails sat in front of her. The tips of its tails were a soft autumn orange. It was….divine like. Nothing like Grandame Forneil, but close. 

“Who are you?” The voice was male, but a child male. Close around her age...maybe. She would find out. 

“I’m a daughter of the sky! Who are you?” the beast curled its tails around its feet. Seeming to observe her before answering.

“A beast of fire.” She laughed to herself, but not quiet at all. 

“You are a land beast of flames!” The vulpine beast growled, quickly crouching down, ready to pounce. She only looked at the vulpine beast before giggling. 

“Silly vulpine! You are land fire. I am -” the mighty roar of Grandame Gowyual trembled the loose dirt below the girl’s feet. Giggling louder, the girl finished her sentence. “- sky fire!”

It had been a few summers since she saw that land firefox of four tails. Ah...Kitsune, Grandame Forneil had explained the night of the fateful day. A Kitsune of four tails at such an age was a feat Forneil had continued on. She was lucky that Kitsune was curious about her, lest the beast grow bored and end her life. Sighing and shaking her braid behind her, the now young teen races through the same forest. This time, instead of playing hide & seek, she was practicing her tracking and hunting skills. 

“Skills of a warrior. A survivor.” Grandame Locoful had croaked out before she left the nest with Grandame Forneil. Skidding to a halt and notching her arrow, focused gray eyes followed the peaceful deer. She was with a child, if the bigger belly was anything to go by. Removing her arrow and turning around, gray eyes locked on a sight of wonder. A golden kitsune with five tails, tipped in a familiar autumn tone. Ah…a fire kitsune. That’s when knowing crimson locked on her. Suddenly, she felt as if she was facing a true predator. A predator of many hunts and had victory in its tight bite. The kitsune rose, a head or two taller than her, and began to walk towards her. A small spark of fear struck her body, tensing her muscles. She was ready to fight. As the kitsune reached about a few paces ahead, the sudden breeze came. On its path...the smell of….smoke? Turning in the breeze’s direction, the girl saw the thick mog. Small, but growing rapidly. 

“Stupid humans!” the girl mumbled under her breath. Was she human? She assumed not. After all, she lived with dragons. No mere mortal could live as long as she had. Glancing at the kitsune, who was watching her actions, the girl spoke in her serious voice as she stood up right. 

“This is not the work of dragons. I will return with a dragon of water to save this forest.” The kitsune only tilted its head before speaking in a deep voice.

“A ride to a clearing may be the fastest way.” A kitsune making an offer? A trick if the situation wasn’t growing dire every minute. With a brisk nod, she walked over and carefully got on the furred back of the majestic beast. With ease, the beast ran through the thicket. No fur caught on low limbs and nothing hesitated the pathway. That’s when heavy clouds of ashy smoke filled the air and her breath. Fire. A forest fire caused by inattentive mortals. 

“You will not reach the clearing in time.” fearing for the woods and the lives within, the girl hummed to herself before stretching both arms to the sky.

“Hear my cry! O’ beast of the lake. Take flight to the Azure’s Domain and bring the blessing of new beginnings! Locoful, dragon of Shiramizu! Hear me and cry out your blessing!” The heavy snaps of trees falling and the crackling of flames echoed back. Her cry was swallowed by the dire situation. The kitsune whacked her head.

“No dragon will hear you, imbecile.” She growled at the statement. Hoping it was false. Locoful would hear her. She always did. 

“She will not abandon her fledgling.” The beast of fire exhaled heavily before turning around.

“Then at least be alive for her to save you.” Then, the Kitsune took off again. Running away from the flames. It is then, as the Kitsune jumped over a fallen log, a mighty roar and the sound of heavy crashing swallowed the air. 

“Locoful!!” She cried, overjoyed, as the mighty dragon arrived. Within mere moments, the forest fire was put to rest and the mighty beast stared at her and the Kitusne. Slipping off the Kitsune’s back and reaching Locoful’s side, the girl spoke.

“See Kitsune, beast of land fire? Locoful will always answer her fledgling’s cry.”

It was hardly a season’s changing since the forest fire, when she found herself alone by the lake nest. Around her, curled protectively, laid Setluno. Setluno was a young dragon, half the age of Grandame Forneil. Setluno was the only one who played with her. Now, Setluno is forever embraced by the forest’s trees and the lake’s watery shoreline. In front of the nest’s entrance, Gowyral was delimbed and beheaded by a blade endowed with magic. The lake was boiling in rage as Gowyral fell. Locoful had died upon return to the nest, multiple poisonous arrows cracking her scales and the poison taking her life before she could finish her warning. Forneil was the only one alive. Yet, she was over a season’s change away. She wanted Forneil to come back. Avenge the nest. Protect her. Save her. She was scared and lonely. She was no beast of sky fire. She was a mortal. Just like those responsible for the death of her nestmates. So blinded by the emotions she felt and the events that occurred within three sun positions, she didn’t notice the lake’s water coming into the nest. Hardly felt the power shifting within her. Never noticed how she was no longer pooled in blood, but now in the sky, riding a mighty beast. Intended on killing those who took her nest.

He heard the mournful cry of a dragon before he saw one take flight. Yet, this dragon was not one of the physical planes. No. This dragon was alive by the sheer magic of a mortal. A mortal intent on bringing justice. His favorite mortal to be precise. What had happened? Taking off in pursuit, he saw how the dragon looked, searched, for something or someone. What mission required such measures of hunting and tracking? That’s when the tree sprites, Kodama, began to whisper.

“Dragons dead”

“Beast slain by man”

“Oyamatsumi is enraged”

“So is Ryujin and Fujin”

“The fledgling calls for blood.”

“She will kill everyone.” Fearing that his mortal might do just that, the Kitsune prayed to his given deity. Prayed that his human would have to take rest on the ground. Allow him a chance to guide her away from the path of evil. 

“Please let me get to her in time. For the world will be chaos if she succeeds.”

Three summers have passed since that loss of her nest. She now ruled the forest with a close eye. Grandame Forneil was so broken by the deaths of her flightmates, she had taken her own life in the very same lake. Now, that lake was surrounded by beautiful flowers that would poison anyone who touched them. The only saving grace from them was if the person had suffered such a loss as she has. Now alone within the woods she called home, a thought passed her mind. Why her dragons? Why not her? This thought had haunted her for many nights and days. Nothing could stop these thoughts except the occasional hunting trips and killing off gluttonous men. Now, she stood in the lake’s shallow shores, naked under the sunlight. A bath after a recent hunting trip, when the snap of a branch caught her ear. Within a mere moment, she stood with her bow taunt and arrow notched, aimed at the noise. Only to see the familiar Kitsune. Yet, he now bore six tails. He had grown more powerful in the last three summers. They watched each other, waiting for the other to make a move, when she lowered her bow and set it on the sand. 

“What, beast of land fire?” The Kitsune huffed, keeping its distance. 

“You are not meant to be alone, mortal of flames. You need to be with others.” Gray eyes stared into crimson. She knew the Kitsune was correct. He usually was. Yet, to be with others meant risking another nest massacre. She couldn’t handle another heartbreak like that. 

“Leave Kitsune.”

“You know my name. Use it.” She shook her head. A name meant power. Power she did not deserve. Suddenly, a warm cloth covered her shoulders and a man’s voice spoke closer to her.

“Y/N, the others miss you. The forest misses you! I...I miss you.” Warm arms enclosed her, making her heart beat faster and her mind filled with happy, joyous memories of younger times. 

“Please...please don’t make me remember Kitsune.” The arms tightened, and the man’s voice returned.

“I will always remind you of the joy life can bring. But first, you must take my hand.”

She now stood before the overwhelming hearth of the mountain. She had found the murderers of her nest. The cause for her mourning. The cause of her grief. Today, she will return the favor. With her blade drawn and her eyes focused, Y/N was about to take the killing blow, when she saw the triplets resting in the mother’s arms. Suddenly, like ice had appeared, it sent shivers down her back. A mother and her children. Innocent children. With quick thoughts and quicker reflexes, she turned around and began to spirit back in the forest. The forest was now alive, gleaming with life. Yet, life that could be easily taken away.  Tears pricked her eyes and she tumbled down a hill. She could only feel the numbness in her heart. She had nearly repeated history again. With another family. Another generation of hurt and hate. Y/N closed her eyes, hoping for the tears to disappear. For this pain to leave. 

He watched in slow motion as his mate, his Rook, leaped in front of him. Taking the killing blow from the monstrous demon Shi-gi. He watched, as his luminous flames encircled her body. A mortal with Kitsune Flames. Proof of their mate bond. He was enticed by the way she reached for the heavens, crying out for her deceased nestmates, and aimed her hands at Shi-gi.

“From the dust and stars, a life is born. To dust and star, life returns. From the mighty cry of a dragon and the plead of humanity, I fused the realms to grant my inner desire and wish!” He watched, as the five primordial deities appeared in forms of a phoenix, tiger, snake, tortoise, and….dragon. Together with his mate, the beings reached out their hands and gave power to her.

“I command the soul of Shi-gi to be bound to the realms of the inner Earth! May no beast, no mortal, no divine being find you. May you wirth in the chaos of the world and never be able to take part in its affairs! I bound thee to this plane and no other!! I banish you Shi-gi, from paradise and hell itself!!” His flames encircled her and suddenly, he remembered the price for banishment from Paradise. A soul for a soul.

“No!” He reached out, but only the feeling of his flames returned. His mate, now burning away in his flames, smiled at him.

“Find me again my love. In a time where you and I can co-exist without Shi-gi.”

He mourned to himself as the forest his love protected was burned by his flames. No. There was no world without her smile. No reason to continue if she wasn’t there. No point in existence. Turning around, ready to end his own and see her, a glimpse of something flashed through his mind’s eye. A girl, with amber hair and glowing eyes, running away from him in a playful manner. The same girl mocking his sharp teeth. The girl seeking the yokai realm for the first time. Then, the same girl bore his mark. A mark only he could create. Like lightning, he turned away from the murderous flames and ran through the woods. He couldn’t die. Just as his mate asked, he would find her again. Find her in a time where that cursed Shi-gi did not exist. His name is not even remembered by humanity. She had returned to the world of the living in some time. He would have to be there, ready and waiting, to meet her all over again.