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fanwarriorfictions · 6 months

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Not Again- Part Four

Summary: With the discovery of a special book, Y/n is one step closer to home. The inner court learns even more about her family back home. And Azriel needs a babysitter of his own

Series Masterlist

-Part Four-

Amren found them in the kitchen, food had been waiting for them on the counter before they’d even arrived, the house it seemed was sick of her not eating as well. She’d simply laughed at the nagging presence and started filling her plate. Azriel had entered moments later, a small scowl on his lips from being left in her dust. He’d huffed and quietly filled his plate, he wasn’t kidding when he said flying worked up his appetite.

“I have use of your stray, boy. Go find somewhere else to be.”

Azriel gives the small female an unimpressed look, “nice to see you too, Amren.”

Y/n pushes her half eaten plate away, waving off the wisps of shadows that angrily dance around her at the action, “Did you find something?”

“I had that insufferable songbird pull any books she could find with your Wyrd marks,” Amren says, snapping her fingers.

A pile of books fall onto the counter, old withered pages that look like they hadn’t been opened in many many years. A plume of dust flies off them and Y/n wisks it away with a small breeze.

“Can you read them?” Azriel asks, eyeing the pages one book that’d fallen open.

“I thought I told you to find somewhere else to be?” Amren snaps, though there’s no threat behind it.

“My babysitter here is vigilant in his task,” Y/n sighs ignoring the withering look Azriel gives her, she takes one of the books into her hands and flips through some of the pages, “My mother taught me what she knew of the marks. Protection, locking, unlocking, many things like that, but we never covered gates, it simply wasn’t possible, and she didn’t want me testing fate.”

“Well to bad, it would’ve been useful to know that now,” Amren sighs, picking a book out of the stack, shoving it towards her, “Gwyn said this one practically jumped off the shelf at her.”

Y/n eyes the title and almost drops the book in shock. Azriel takes a casual step closer to peer over her shoulder at the book, a shadow finds her arm and gently wraps around it, a comforting touch.

“You know it?” Amren asks, giving that wisp of shadow a curious look, “I couldn’t read it, what is it called?”

“The Walking Dead,” Y/n answers breathlessly, “in my native language.”

Azriel couldn’t read the book, but he still looks over her shoulder periodically as she flips through each page. She’d been at it for hours, taking notes on the scraps of paper littered over the dining room table. Amren had taken the remaining books to look over, most had been fae scholars from this world musing over the marks, nothing quite as useful as the book in Y/n’s hands it would seem. Amren would also look over the Book of Breathings, see if anything jumped out at her.

Y/n had barely spoken to him the whole time, quietly mumbling to herself once in a while as she wrote. Azriel noticed that her notes switched between his language and her own in sporadic patterns, sentences switching back and forth, one word in one language then the next in the other. Swirling letters that connected in long strokes of her pen. The words were close together, she hardly lifted the pen as she finished one to write the next, like her brain was moving faster than her hand could keep up.

She was so focused that she didn’t notice Azriel slip out the door, didn’t notice when Rhys had appeared and waved him towards the hall.

“How’s research going?” The High Lord asks, “Amren has yet to find anything useful.”

Azriel turns an eye through the door, at the female still engrossed in that book, “nothing yet, though it seems Y/n may put Amren to shame in relentless focus. I don’t think she’s looked away from that book for more than the few seconds it takes to write something down.”

“I’ll be sure to tell Amren she has the competition,” Rhys chuckles, “I hear you two went for a flight today. All over Velaris people are talking about the almighty Shadowsinger chasing after a bird all afternoon.”

He gives Azriel a shit eating grin and Az scowls back at him, “she was determined to leave her babysitter in the dust.”

His scowl deepens when Rhys just laughs, “what? Don’t like chasing after pretty females?”

“I’m sure his ego is just bruised cause he can’t keep up,” Y/n’s voice calls out from the room behind them, “Big strong males tend to dislike being shown up by us pretty females.”

Azriel glares over his shoulder at the female who hadn’t even looked up from her notes, “I can keep up just fine.”

“Sure you can,” she laughs, turning a page, “I won’t hold back next time if that’s what you wish.”

His shadows laugh in his ears and he turns his glare on them. Rhys next to him grins as he walks into the room, eyes taking in the mess of papers full of Y/n’s half put together thoughts. She finally looks up then, acknowledging the male with a small nod of her head.

Her eyes are tinged red, like she hadn’t even blinked in the time she’d been sitting there. She glances at him, grinning at the scowl still on his lips. He glares harder, shoving his shadows down as they continue to laugh at him.

Rhys looks between them, “found anything useful?”

It breaks their stare and her smile falls. Azriel gets the strangest sense that he wants it back.

“Yes and no,” she sighs, “I recognize a lot of it, this was the book my mother learned a lot of what she knows of the Wyrd marks. She used it to open a gate to the place souls rest once to talk to… a friend. I’m sure it’s in here somewhere, I just need to keep looking.”

He notes the pause, the shift of her tone, whoever Aelin had tired to talk to, it was a sore subject. Take a break, she’s sad again, sad, she needs to rest, working for hours, hours, break. Azriel is half tempted to hiss at the nosey little shadows. They’d been at it for the last hour, as soon as the sun started to dip below the horizon, it’s like they switched into nanny mode. He wasn’t sure why they were so concerned anyway, she was more than capable of taking care of her damn self.

“The gates are the tricky ones,” she continues, grabbing pages of notes, “I’m close to figuring it out, I could probably open a gate, but to get to the right place is the hard part is opening one to the right place. I could just as easily walk right into a hell realm as I could into my own. And as fun as that seems, I’d rather not test my luck.”

“How many realms are out there?” Azriel asks.

“Who knows,” she shrugs, “my mother remembers falling through many, she couldn’t even describe most of them because of how fast she was falling. Give me a day and I think I could figure this out-“

“You’ve been at it for hours,” Rhys cuts in, “surely you could take a break. Maybe join us for dinner? We’ve all stewed up more questions for you, Cassian has a list.”

Yes, yes, yes, dinner, she didn’t eat enough, yes. Mother above, he wished he could get the shadows to shut up.

Y/n hesitantly glances at the papers surrounding her on the dining room table, “I seem to have commandeered the space. I’d hate for it to get stained.”

Azriel could tell that what she really wanted to say was, I need to keep working so I can get home. It was written in the longing glances at the book, in the way she flew towards the horizon like home was on the other side, the way she looked at the sky expectantly, searching for something he couldn’t quite figure out.

“We’ll eat at my home,” Rhys shrugs, “your research will be here, exactly where you left it when you return.”

She looks ready to argue, to deny, to beg to stay, but instead she sighs, “Is dinner a casual affair, or does your lot like to preen?”

Rhys laughs, “It’s whatever you like, preen as much as you wish.”

She hums, “My babysitter and I will be there shortly then.”

Mother, give him strength. She pushes to her feet, giving him that saccharine smile as she walks past him towards her room. Her scent lingers as she leaves, that hint of embers stronger than usual. He can’t help the subtle intake of air, nor the shadow that grazes her wrist like it would wrap around and make her stay.

She’s barely out the door before Rhys is clapping him on the shoulder with a quiet chuckle, “do you need a babysitter? I’m sure Cassian would like to return the favor.”

Azriel snarls at him, “We’ll see you at the house brother.”

Rhys just laughs again, throwing a wink over his shoulder as he moves towards the door, “take your time. I wouldn’t blame you for being a little late.”

“Get out.”

Azriel waits for her in the living room, she’d still been in her room when he’d gotten dressed, which wasn’t surprising since it only took him a few minutes to change into a slightly nicer shirt, he didn’t bother with the preening, Rhys did that enough for all of them.

Heel clicks on the floor alert him to her approach, she turns the corner into the room and Azriel couldn’t stop the way his body goes absolutely still.

He thought night court black suited her but he was wrong, she looked good in it but it didn’t compare to the way she looked in this dress. Deep green of a forest, the silk fabric flows with her body like water, showcasing each of those curves like currents, with accents of silver thread and shining jewels that glow in the light like the stars above. She’d lined her eyes with kohl, giving them that sultry look that could drive a male wild. And her lips, Mother help him, her lips were painted a deep wine red, so dark it could’ve been black.

Gorgeous, she was absolutely gorgeous. He’d known she was pretty, he wasn’t blind, he’d noticed when he’d found her laying in the moonlight, even covered in blood she was beautiful, but it didn’t strike him till now exactly how attractive she was.

“You like what you see shadowsinger?” Her grin is feline and lethal, voice dripping with honey, “I told you I was your type.”

He doesn’t respond, simply continues to look her over. There’s a fire in her eyes that has his shadows whirling around him and when her head angles in that predator way, he’s almost willing to be the prey.

House wasn’t a good discriptor of the giant building that sits before her. Manor maybe, but Azriel had called it the River House. Rhys and Feyre’s personal residence that Feyre had apparently designed herself. The garden in the back had been where she’d fallen into this world, she’d been to frantic to really appreciate her surroundings. It was absolutely beautiful.

Azriel led her through the front door and the interior was just as magnificent as the outside, intricate and elegant, yet it still felt warm and lived in. A multitude of paintings lined the walls as they walked to the dining room. From their conversation earlier, she assumed they were done by Feyre herself. The High Lady had mentioned her art studio, she had a class this afternoon that she would be teaching. Y/n had leaned towards musical arts, but she always loved going to galleries with her aunt Lysandra. According to Rhys, there was a section of Velaris called the rainbow, the artist quarter of the city. She assumed she’d flown through it today with Azriel, the place had been alive, filled with music that she couldn’t help but be drawn to.

As they moved down the hall she could hear the sounds of the Inner Court, as they called themselves, growing closer and closer. Their laughter reminded her of home, of dinners with the cadre and her uncles visiting from Adarlan, or even Nesryn and Sartaq all the way from the southern continent. They were never quiet affairs, always full of laughter and teasing, usually from Fenrys and Dorian on the later.

The last dinner like that had been little over a month ago. She’d dressed up in a gown this exact color. Her aunt Elide had helped her do her makeup, she’d practically had to hold her down in her chair so she could finish, to excited to sit still. It was her favorite nights of the year, these dinners, seeing her family come together all in one place. Sometimes they’d even convince Manon to join them, never aunt Manon, though she’d gotten away with that once when she was a child. It was always magical seeing her and Dorian dance around each other as if they weren’t desperate for the other.

She would sit there and watch her family, watch the way everyone loved each other. How her parents would stare into each others eyes and grin like someone had told a joke. How her uncle Aedion would dance with her aunt Lysandra to music only the two of them could hear. How uncle Chaol and aunt Yrene would bicker together with smiles still on their lips, to the utter annoyance of her cousin, Josefin. She watched them all, and hoped one day she would have someone who would love her just as fiercely

“Where’d you go, princess?”

Her mind drifts back from that far away place across the stars, finding Azriel’s gaze on her. Stoic as always, but she could see the bit of concern behind those whiskey eyes. It warms something in her, just barely, just enough for her to give him a small but genuine smile.

“Home,” she says quietly, “I was home.”

“So you’re telling me, a demi fae is one of your strongest warriors,” Cassian says, throwing quotes around the words, “and the guys power is death, just pure death? And he’s how tall exactly?”

Y/n laughs, “My uncle Lorcan has described it to me as death, I’m not sure what that means exactly, it was a gift from the old God of Death, Hellas. It looks like Azriel’s shadows, though they’re not sentient little creatures more like whips of shadow that he controls. I don’t know how tall he is exactly but he’s taller then you, he’s taller than all three of you males, actually. You should see the height difference between him and Elide.”

Azriel couldn’t help the small grin on his lips as his brother continues to pester Y/n over the apparently giant uncle of hers. It’d started with him asking about her father, and then the rest of his cadre. She’d told them all about the mighty warriors. Fenrys, who she could only describe as very very pretty, he could shift into a giant white wolf, and winnow, though not quite as much as those here could. Lorcan, the giant shadow wielder, who’s name is apparently Lord Lorcan Lochan, to everyone’s utter amusement. And a mysterious figure named Vaughan, who she admits wasn’t around a lot when she grew up, usually away in Wendlyn, he could shift into a massive osprey.

“There’s no way, he’d have to be like seven feet tall,” Cassian argues, mouth opening to ask yet another question.

Nesta elbows him in the side, “I want to hear more about the shapeshifter.”

“Lysandra,” Y/n supplies the name with a warm smile, “Her favorite form is a snow leopard, lethal creatures, but the softest fur you’d ever felt in your life. When I was a child she’d let me cuddle up next to her by the fire to take naps.”

“You’d mentioned a sea battle earlier,” Mor chimes in, “what was the creature she shifted into.”

Y/n’s eyes light up, “One of my favorite stories, I would beg to hear it again and again. It’s called a sea dragon, the companions of the Mycenians of old Terrasen. When they were banished from their home centuries ago the sea dragons all died out and it became legend that once the dragons returned, so would the Mycenians.”

Azriel watches her, enraptured by her stories. It had been like that the whole night. She’d been stolen away by Feyre as soon as they’d arrived, more and more questions being thrown at her throughout dinner. He’d taken a seat across from her next to Cassian, who had by far asked her the most. But she met each one with a story, that look in her eye from out in the hall hidden but not gone. She’d seemed lost, far far away, and so sad. He’d almost turned around and brought them back to the house of wind just so she could keep looking for a way home, just to erase that look. But when she’d smiled at him, all he could do was stare.

“During the war my mother had traveled to Skulls bay.” She talked with her hands, Azriel noticed. “One of the missing Mycenians was there, she’d figured it out a long time before that when she was still an assassin, when she’d wrecked the whole port to free hundreds of slaves. Captain Rolfe, the pirate lord, was not happy to learn the assassin who’d ruined his island was actually the long lost Queen of Terrasen. He refused to send aid, so my mother did what she does best, she schemed. Her and my aunt devised the plan to bring the sea dragon back. The battle didn’t go quite as planned, the valg had sea wyverns, vicious and powerful. But that sea dragon form, huge and magnificent was stronger, smarter. She used them against the valg forces, sending those beasts straight into the hulls of their own ships. My mother tells me that she could barely keep up with Lysandra’s speed, if you blinked she was gone. It was close, she was badly wounded, but she won.”

“Wow,” Elain breathes, eyes sparkling, “That’s amazing.”

“My uncle Aedion tells it better,” Y/n shrugs, smiling at the memory, “He always told me that it was then that he decided he could not live without her. When he saw her bleeding on that beach still in that huge form, half wild from the fight, he wasn’t afraid of her even though she looked ready to bite his head off.”

Cassian laughs, hooking an arm over the back of Nesta’s chair, “I know the feeling.”

Nesta looked half tempted to bite him right then to prove his point. Cassian simply grins at his mate, that telltale look in his eyes that would usually have the pair leaving early at any moment.

Azriel rolls his eyes at the pair, looking towards the female across from him. To find Y/n already looking right back. She’s got that overly sweet smile on her painted lips that she knows gets under his skin. He gets the sense that she enjoys it, the way he glares at her, it’s like a game. See how much she could push before he finally pushed back.

Rhys leans forward, that knowing grin on his lips again, “How fast can you fly in that hawk form? You said you went easy on poor Az earlier.”

She laughs and somehow he doesn’t care that it’s at his expense, “Very very fast, I can shift the air under my wings to go even faster. I could make it to the house of wind in less than a minute if I wished.”

“Impressive,” Azriel says, rolling his eyes.

“Oh don’t be a sore loser, Az,” she taunts.

It’s the first time she’s called him that, he quite enjoys the sounds of it, “Is it really losing if your competitions got a boost?”

“Only using what’s in my arsenal,” she shrugs nonchalantly, taking a sip of her wine.

Azriel’s eyes zero in on the motion, appreciating the way her lips rest on the edge of the glass. He was right, that color stained.

Careful brother, Rhys whispers in his mind, Or I really will send Cassian to babysit you.

He glares at the high lord, I do not need a sitter.

That’s what Cassian said, Rhys shrugs, Now look at him.

And it’s like a timer goes off on his patience, Cassian stands from his chair, taking his mate’s hand in his own.

“Well I think it’s time for us to go,” Cassian declares, he’d lasted longer than Azriel thought he would.

Nesta turns her eye on Y/n, “We train at the house of wind every morning, 8 am sharp, be there.”

Y/n grins, baring those sharp canines, and Azriel has the good sense to be wary of letting those two near each other in a sparring ring.

Tag List- Anyone in white could not be tagged. Let me know if I got your tag wrong!!

@inloveallthetime , @microwaveallthedemons , @nayaniasworld , @thecraziestcrayon , @fightmedraco , @blackgirlmagicforever , @nikt-wazny-y , @fangirlloza010 @fussel9913

#there’s some tension here and it’s mostly coming from azzie #hot lady wears some lipstick and this man is on his knees #acotar #acotar x reader #azriel #azriel x reader #rowaelin daughter #rowaelin

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dazaiandhislovelybandages · 5 months

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hii~ i hope you’re having a good day/night! i was wondering if you could do Mu Qing from TGCF with the prompt #16. "Don't ever say that name again"? idk why but i can definitely see him being a petty and jealous significant other (gn reader if can please) thank youu <3

A Tiny Bit Of Jealousy {Mu Qing}

A/n: thank you for requesting and I hope you like the outcome. I just wanted to say that a) I am lowkey loving this coloured layout since the photo is for the tgcf manhua and b) I am still three books in tgcf so I am incredibly sorry if this isn't an indepth writing or if his character isn't fully accurate

Pairing: Mu Qing x gn!reader

Trigger warnings: jealousy

You never realised how and when you got in a relationship with Mu Qing and there had been times when you couldn't help but wonder and question the circumstances under which the relationship came to exist. Not in a bad way of course, never in a bad way. But when originally you thought Mu Qing was just not ready to open up to you yet, as the months and years passed by, you realised that he wasn't hiding anything from you.

It was on odd feeling, being with him. After meeting Xie Lian and Hua Cheng and witnessing some parts of their relationship you could say with great certainty that he wasn't as open with you as those two were with each other. He wasn't neglecting you but he wasn't all touchy either. He was just there and if you happened to want cuddles or kisses, you would have to ask.

On that note, he wasn't bad at picking up signs, especially when it came to you. He knew your reactions -he could predict them even-, your likes, your dislikes, your routine. He knew everything because you were open with him. And it went without saying that when it came to you, Mu Qing was an excellent listener. He could sit down and listen to you mumble about the latest gossip in the Heavenly Realm for hours. Did he care? No. But you were the one talking so he would listen to you even if his ears somehow disappear.

Naturally, he also knew every single one of your friends in the Heavenly Realm; and the ones you didn't like that much.

And god he was jealous.

He was jealous of a very few selected people but not in the toxic way. He would never try and get you away from them since he knew that their and your intentions were pure but he couldn't help but envy the fact that they could give you something he thought he couldn't: a good and fun time.

In his mind, Mu Qing thought he was boring you and perhaps that was the only thing he had never been honest with you about. He could never easily laugh, express his feelings without being asked and most of the time he was a little too focused on his work.

And then the day he begged and prayed not to come actually came. He saw you laughing with another god. Now, on the surface there was nothing wrong with it. He had seen you laugh at something another god or goddess had said a million times and it never bothered him.

But this god was Feng Xin.

"Hey!" Your melodic voice echoed around the room as you walked through the pink silk curtains. You didn't have to ask, it was as clear as day that there was something wrong with him. And you didn't have to ask what was wrong either since when the two of you started dating you made a silent agreement: Mu Qing would always tell you in his own time what was wrong.

"Hello." He responded gruffly.

"I just came to check in since I have to do some paperwork." You walked up to him and placed a soft kiss on his cheek; a kiss to which he didn't react. "Oh! Feng Xin-"

"Don't ever say that name again!"

His tone was harsh and angry but he didn't raise his voice. Him pulling away was enough to realise that most probably you had said something wrong.

"We'll talk later," was all you said and walked away.

Mu Qing sighed and sat back down at the soft pillow on the floor, closing his eyes. You hadn't done anything wrong, that small part of his brain that could think clearly said so. Laughing and talking with Feng Xin was okay. Not once had Mu Qing thought about controlling you and he would rather die than do it. But it felt like a betrayal of some kind. You knew about his bad relationship with Feng Xin so why on earth did you have to bring him up?

Though if he had to be completely honest with himself... it wasn't the fact that he and Feng Xin were practically enemies that made him angry. It was the fact that not once had he made you laugh like that. He wanted to hear that unique sound he had never heard before once again with all his heart but he didn't want it if he wasn't the one causing it. What good was a partner who didn't make you laugh with all your heart?

"I am sorry," he whispered. He had gathered the courage and later that day, at night to be precise, he had walked all the way to your palace just to apologise. You didn't deserve someone who was as petty as him and he knew it but he needed you.

"I know," you whispered back and took that one step, closing the distance between the two of you with a hug. "You always say things you don't mean when you're angry."

In an ideal world, he would have preferred it if you didn't comment on it. But you did and the truth hurt a little but he deserved it.

Gently, he wrapped his arms around you and placed a soft kiss on your temple. "Should I make up for it? What did that bastard want?"

"You know... I am pretty sure that if I tell you, you'll get angry again."

#mu qing x reader #mu qing tgcf x reader #heaven official's blessing mu qing x reader #heaven official's blessing x reader #tgcf x reader #tgcf #mu qing #writing #anime and manga #anime #manhua

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spriteofmushrooms · 5 months

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As Nie Huaisang poured their tea, Jiang Cheng rubbed his thumb against the carved wooden box in his lap and tried not to fret over what the other man was thinking. He knew what he looked like: the white streak at his temple announced it all. Jiang Cheng's cultivation was failing, and with the discussion conference tomorrow, it would be impossible to hide. Not even the reputation of Sandu Shengshou could shield him from being known now.

"Jiang-xiong, if you brought me a present, you have to give it to me," Nie Huaisang said behind his fan. His eyes seemed amused, at least, maybe.

"I know that," Jiang Cheng said, flustered and annoyed for being so. He placed it on the table between them.

Nie Huaisang tapped his hand with the closed fan where he hadn't yet pulled it away, and Jiang Cheng snatched it back to his lap. "It's a beautiful box, Jiang-xiong, but you can't keep it, either!"

"We're supposed to drink tea first," Jiang Cheng groused as Nie Huaisang's dainty fingers opened the lid.

"No, I distinctly recall the Gusu edict that states gifts are more important than anything," Nie Huaisang said. "If it's on their wall, you know it's orthodoxy itself. Oh, what are these?"

In his hands, the brilliant pressed ink cakes were even more beautiful. He was holding the azure bird, and his skin glowed against it. "One of the painters in Lotus Cove has... eccentric ideas. She's been experimenting with pigment and ash combinations. These are her more stable creations, but even then, they're not as permanent as standard ink. But, well." Jiang Cheng pulled a small book out of his sleeve and handed it over. "Here."

Nie Huaisang pulled his bottom lip into his mouth, darted a glance at Jiang Cheng's face, and then set the ink cake back into the box. "I don't have enough hands," he whined, but he took the book graciously. Page by page, his expression grew sharper; a slight flush brightened his cheeks. "A generous gift, Jiang-xiong."

Jiang Cheng swallowed. "She said the pink is especially fleeting, so you shouldn't hang anything with it in direct sunlight," he said gruffly. "Some of them have inclusions that make them act unpredictably in water. It's... You'll have to work with them a lot. To know how they'll perform."

"This kingfisher shimmers with true to life colors," Nie Huaisang murmured. After a moment of silence, he said, "I haven't painted in a long time."

"I know," Jiang Cheng said miserably. At the other's look, he added, "The fans from the last few years weren't your style."

Instantly, Nie Huaisang's fan was between them again. Jiang Cheng looked away, neck hot.

After a tense silence, Nie Huaisang said, "Jiang-xiong, would you tell me if something was wrong?"

"You know something is."

"Can something be done?" Nie Huaisang paused. "Gusu healers, perhaps?"

Jiang Cheng scoffed. "What Lan would help me? Hanguang-jun has never hidden his disdain for me, and Zewu-jun seems determined to live on darkness and silence forever. The Lans who would graciously ignore the feelings of one can't forgive me for being associated with Jin Guangyao and Guanyin Temple, for not noticing a-Ling's xiao-shushu was a treacherous minx who had beguiled the First Jade and would hurt his precious feelings later. As if I've ever picked up on anything like that before."

"How is Jin-zongzhu?" It was hard to read Nie Huaisang's tone, but that wasn't new.

Jiang Cheng fiddled with Zidian, tugging the chain. "He has his friends, his duties, and his shibo."

"Not his jiujiu?"

"You know how Wei Wuxian is," Jiang Cheng said.

Another pause. "I suppose I do." Nie Huaisang picked up and repositioned ink cakes for a moment before asking, "Does he know?"

"Unless the Jin spies defected, yes."

Nie Huaisang rapped his knuckles with the fan, and Jiang Cheng looked up at him. "He should have heard it from you."

"You don't get to tell me how to die," Jiang Cheng snapped.

Nie Huaisang looked bored. "Oh? Then why are you here?"

"This is why tea is supposed to be drunk first," Jiang Cheng said peevishly. "The entire pot is cold now."

Nie Huaisang draped himself over the couch and fanned himself. "You're a thorough person, Jiang-xiong. You must have an heir to announce tomorrow; likely, one of your usual retinue to these things. Not your head disciple, for as dear as that boy is, he doesn't have the head for politics, and politics and reputation have kept YunmengJiang safe. Chen Helin?" At Jiang Cheng's sharp look, he added, "I pay attention to you, too, Jiang-xiong."

"If you know everything, why ask?"

"No one can know everything," Nie Huaisang said gently. "I very often know nothing and must hope for the best. QingheNie hasn't fallen yet, which suggests even caged birds in pavilions aren't always prey." He looked at the box. "You want me to paint again. Why now?"

"After," Jiang Cheng started. He wasn't used to seeing Nie Huaisang's entire face. He wasn't used to seeing Nie Huaisang in soft, unembroidered robes. He wasn't used to seeing Nie Huaisang's hair down from its braids. "After," he repeated, "I didn't ask about your leg."

Nie Huaisang waited, but then murmured, "It healed."

Jiang Cheng swallowed. "I was selfish. I didn't want to think about it. I didn't want to think about Chifeng-zun's body or what seeing it in pieces would do to you, because I can't—things are better when you don't think about them. But you stopped painting when he died, Nie-xiong, and all I did back then was scold you for not knowing how to triage your sect in its grief. In your grief." Here, the traitor that used to be his body swelled, and the foreign wave of mourning filled him once again. "You should paint," Jiang Cheng said through tears.

"Oh." Nie Huaisang opened his mouth, and then he closed it, simply looking at Jiang Cheng. "Come here," he said, patting the couch.

Obediently, Jiang Cheng moved to sit next to him.

"Good, good. Put your face here, please."

Jiang Cheng hesitated, but was it wrong to seek comfort when invited? He hadn't asked for it. Nie Huaisang probably didn't know how much he needed it, so it wasn't like he pressured him into it. He fell forward and pressed his face into Nie Huaisang's neck. Engulfed by the complex herbal and spice blend preferred in Qinghe incense and Nie Huaisang's sweet, peppery chrysanthemum, he simply breathed.

"You helped me a lot back then, Jiang-xiong." Nie Huaisang was a little cooler than him, since their cultivation levels were so different, but it was refreshing on his heated cheeks. "Maybe you were stringent, but someone fussing at me to take care of my duties was comforting." His hand moved to the back of Jiang Cheng's head. "I'm sorry I didn't go to Lotus Pier and make a complete nuisance of myself when you needed one."

"I didn't expect you to."

"Why?"

"They said I killed your friend."

Nie Huaisang's hand tightened in his hair. "Weren't you my friend?"

Jiang Cheng didn't want to say that he didn't know, so he said nothing.

#mdzs #sangcheng #pallas.rtf #my writing #i wrote this over a year ago but i still think it's cute

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luvkyu · 1 year

Text

what are we? ( park jongseong/jay )

jay x male!reader

jay and his best friend define their relationship.

content : 1.5k words, fluff, high school!au, bub pet name toward reader

a long, drawn out yawn left y/n's mouth as he looked out of the window in his last class of the day. his closed palm supported his chin on top of his desk, completely spaced out.

"y/n?.. bub!"

y/n snapped of his trance to see his friend standing by his desk now.

"class is over?" y/n asked as he looked around to see everyone gathering their things. jay snickered and nodded.

"daydreaming again? you can borrow my notes again if you need to," jay offered. y/n clicked his tongue as he stuffed his books carelessly into his bag. jay smiled to himself, watching him struggle with the tetris game that is fitting everything into one bag.

"sorry that i don't really care when some not-really-that-important person in history took a shit in 1875 or whatever," y/n responded with another yawn.

jay rolled his eyes and stuck his hand out for his friend to take. y/n finally stood up from his desk before seeing the gesture. he happily took jay's hand as he swung his bag over his shoulder. jay then led the way out of the classroom, following other eager students who were ready to get home.

y/n felt his heartbeat intensify just like it always did when jay held his hand. no matter how many times he silently scolded himself, the feeling never went away. the pair had been friends since their first year of middle school, and y/n's feelings seemed to grow by the day. it didn't help that their peers would ask frequently if they were dating yet, as they were usually holding hands or displaying other kinds of affection. y/n always assumed jay just didn't care what others said or thought, but he was starting to grow desperate to know if the male really only saw him as a friend.

"oh hey, i forgot," jay's voice cut through the noise of the hallway while the two stopped at their lockers, "tonight is the film festival i told you about like a week ago. i know it's short notice, but do you wanna go with me?"

y/n's eyes brightened in excitement at the invitation. there was nothing he'd rather be doing on his friday night than spending time with jay.

"of course, that sounds fun!" he replied. jay nodded, turning his face away from the other to hide his smile.

"cool. well, i have a study group i'm meeting in five minutes, but i can pick you up later and we can go together?"

"sure, that works!"

jay closed his locker while nodding again at the reply. he ruffled y/n's hair fondly before putting his newly filled backpack on.

"i'll text you, bub."

y/n nodded and watched him turn to head toward the library. his nerves, as usual, were left a mess from the nickname jay frequently used. he finally looked away when jay turned a corner, out of sight. he then resumed moving the rest of his books and materials into his bag and closed his small locker door.

before turning to leave, he saw another friend skipping toward him energetically.

"woah, this is the first time i've seen you not with your boyfriend, y/n!" sunoo exclaimed, stopping in front of him. y/n rolled his eyes.

"not my boyfriend, sunoo."

"tsk, sure. not yet."

y/n scrolled through his instagram feed as the opening credits of a film began to play. he was now sitting on a blanket that jay had brought along to the festival. the male had just left to get them snacks and drinks, insisting that y/n stay and relax.

the weather was perfect for a movie night. there was a large screen set up and fairy lights streamed in a few places. many other people were scattered across the grassy hill with blankets and comfy chairs. y/n couldn't help but notice all the couples. he hadn't thought about the fact that the film festival would be filled with couples on dates. the idea of this being a date with jay then seeped into his mind, and it made chills go up his arms.

"okay, i got popcorn and some candy and drinks!" jay's eager voice brought the other out of his thoughts.

"oh, thank you," y/n responded. his cheeks now glowed with a bright pink, which didn't go unnoticed.

y/n watched jay sit down closely next to him, getting settled with the snacks. jay took another large blanket and draped it over their legs while y/n decided to brush off his thoughts for now. if he focused on such things, he knew he wouldn't be able to really enjoy their night together, date or not.

"you okay, bub?"

y/n looked at him and gave him a convincing smile.

"i'm fine!"

jay grinned at the cute response and nodded before the duo turned their attention to the screen and began eating.

throughout the movie, they managed to finish their popcorn and naturally move closer to each other without a thought. jay's arm soon hung around y/n's shoulder while the latter's head rested on his chest. this was nothing abnormal for the pair, having cuddled many times before, but something felt off. something different was in the air between them tonight and y/n couldn't decide if he was crazy or if jay could feel it too.

"open," jay said quietly as he held two pieces of candy in front of his friend's mouth. y/n smiled and obliged before jay fed him one piece and popped the second into his own mouth. y/n looked up at him, but jay's gaze was already turned back to the film.

y/n's line of sight suddenly landed on his other friend from a ways away. sunoo was comfortable with sunghoon on their own blanket, but sunoo's view was trapped on y/n and jay, making kissy faces toward them. y/n felt his anxiety rise, hoping jay wouldn't see.

to y/n's relief, sunghoon saw sunoo's teasing. unsurprised, he simply turned sunoo's head back to the screen and pat his head as if saying, 'now stay'. y/n made a mental note to thank sunghoon later.

eventually, the film finally ended and chatter filled the area. jay yawned lightly while y/n stretched in his arms.

"there's another one playing right?" y/n asked.

"yeah, but i think there's a small break before it starts."

y/n nodded and sat up to stretch a bit more. jay gazed at his friend, a little disappointed at the loss of closeness. he watched y/n run a hand through his hair and then check his phone for any notifications. jay felt mesmerized by the view, but could feel nervousness sprout in his chest. he didn't think this was how just friends were supposed to feel. he'd been unable to decipher his feelings in the past, but lately they'd become much clearer.

jay's thoughts were cut off as y/n set his phone down and went back to cuddle him. he now laid on top of jay with his head on his chest again, jay's hands going to play with his hair.

jay couldn't stop a smile from curving on his lips. he somehow felt his confidence bubble up in that moment, deciding to finally go for it. but before he could speak, y/n beat him to it.

"jay?"

"hm?"

"what are we?"

jay's heart skipped a beat.

"oh.. well," he paused. what exactly were they? y/n meant the world to him. he was the first person he thought of in the morning. he was the first person he shared good news with. y/n was just everything.

"we're best friends," jay finally said. he couldn't quite read y/n's reaction, but decided to continue anyways.

"but i'd like to be more."

y/n's face brightened now, a little shocked.

"really?? like.." he stopped while jay smiled again and nodded.

"like boyfriends," jay finished for him.

y/n's whole face went red, unable to stop his own smile now.

'boyfriends', he thought. the simple word ran on repeat in his head for a minute. this couldn't possibly be reality.

"boyfriends.. jay's boyfriend. y/n and jay boyfriends," y/n mumbled in awe. jay laughed lightly at his disbelief.

"you're so cute.. is that a yes, then? ..boyfriends?" jay asked. y/n finally looked at him again and nodded happily.

"boyfriends," he replied as he tightened his arms around him. jay quickly hugged him back as they laid on their blanket in content.

"y/n?"

the male looked up again at the sound of his name, meeting jay's gentle eyes.

"can i kiss you?" he asked. y/n's smile somehow grew even bigger. he nodded again before jay moved to press their lips together softly.

once separated, jay pulled their second blanket back over them as the next film's intro began playing. y/n's head rested on his chest again, not really caring much for the film as nothing could quite amount to the comfort of his new boyfriend.

#enhypen #enhypen jay #park jongseong #enhypen x male reader #enhypen x reader #kpop x male reader #male reader #jay x male reader

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thirstywoso · 2 months

Text

Caffeine for the Heartache - Jessie Fleming x Reader (part one)

W/C: 2.3k

Warnings: none - maybe a little angst but mostly fluff

Synopsis: you find comfort in caffeine and Jessie after a shitty break up and club move.

Six years, six entire years you'd shared with her. Now here you were in your apartment alone, you weren't even sure who you were without your girlfriend. Well now ex-girlfriend.

You'd started dating in college and she followed you across the pond when you got scouted by Arsenal, after playing there for a few seasons you decided now was the time to return to your home country.

You'd packed up your St Albans apartment and had bid farewell to your old teammates, genuinely looking forward to the fresh start when...

"For fuck sake Emily, the last truck will be here in ten minutes and half of your stuff is still scattered around the apartment!" You seethed trying to gather your girlfriends stuff together.

Bending down to gather some of her books you heard her feet pad across the now nearly empty apartment and felt her presence behind you as she sighed. Your stomach dropped as you stood up to face her, she grabbed your hand and looked into your eyes for what felt like an eternity.

"The thing is y/n/n... I'm not coming" blinking away tears you look at your girlfriend who now looks so small dropping her hands as you try to formulate a response.

"What do you mean? We are literally leaving for the airport in four hours Em! Of course you are coming?" Your last sentence trailing off in a question, beginning to doubt what you thought was real.

"Look, I've done some thinking and I moved out here to help you with your dream, I've been nothing but supportive. You have to understand though, I have a career too and I can't just stop and pick up again in another city. It's just not fair"

You sigh and nod, you understood it wasn't fair but you thought you'd at least have an understanding with the girl.

"Can we at least discuss it?" You look down fiddling with the hem of your shirt, your foot sweeping back and forth across the hardwood.

"I've already decided" she says in a more cold tone than you were expecting.

"What about us?"

"I'm not sure.." she replies.

"Is there someone else?" You thought it silly to ask but you had to, yet her reaction maybe made the question not so silly after all.

She couldn't look you in the eye or give you a straight answer and that's all you needed to know.

You didn't know what to say, instead you just asked her to leave whilst you gathered your things unable to even look at her.

A few hours later you found yourself at the airport, you were alone and the reality was setting in that this next adventure would be a solo one.

As you got on the plane you sent her a message telling her it was over, you then blocked her number and turned off your phone. Taking off for Portland and not looking back.

Which brings you back to now, standing in your new apartment alone surrounded by boxes. None of which you wanted to open knowing it would be too painful to even see anything that reminded you of her.

Moving to Portland was a choice you had made for your career, some of your arsenal teammates had also played there and sung high praises of the club. This made your choice of NWSL club easy.

You knew a fair few of the players at Portland too, the likes of Sam and Sophia from National team and Janine and Jessie from when they also played in the WSL.

Your first training session with the Thorns had come around soon enough with it only being a few days after your move to the city.

You had settled in well sitting with Janine and Jessie and lunch and partnering with Sam for drills. In fact it was a pleasant distraction from what was going on in your normal life.

You were pleasant and kind to everyone but to some of those who had known you longer it was obvious that you weren't your normal self.

One of the people that noticed was Jessie, you knew her from parties back when you had both played in London and had gone out with her and some of your shared friends on several occasions but never just the two of you.

You'd count her as acquaintance but not quite a friend or at least not a close one, that didn't stop her from showing you kindness though.

After the first week of training she had invited you to dinner at her apartment along with some of your other teammates and their partners to help welcome you in.

It wasn't until she had mentioned that you could bring your girlfriend that you remembered that you no longer had one. Awkwardly scratching the back of your neck you admitted to Jessie what you were currently going through.

Jessie's cheeks flushed pink and her eyebrows furrowed embarrassed that she hadn't known, worried she had upset you she began profusely apologising before saying it was okay as she was the only single one that would be there and that she would keep you company if you still wanted to come now she had put her foot in it.

You laughed at the way she had become flustered and took her up on the offer to spare her from further embarrassment.

When you'd gone to dinner it wasn't as bad as you had worried it would be with other couples around, Jessie's company had distracted you from a lot of those thoughts and together you and even mocked some of the other couples.

Once the night had come to the end and everyone began to leave you'd offered Jessie a helping and which she accepted, as you helped clean the dishes and the dinner table you mindlessly chatted with her.

You hadn't even realised how much you had opened up, it's not like you'd really had anyone to talk to about the break up since you got to Portland and you found it easy to let go of some of the hurt that had been building up.

When you went to bed that night you felt content knowing you'd deepened your friendship with Jessie and that you had someone to rely on close by.

Waking up the next morning you'd seen a message from her in your phone

Jessie 🇨🇦: Hey, I know it's late notice but did you want to go grab coffee? I know a great little place downtown? 8:43

Looking at your clock you notice it's 9:02

You: That would be great, I've just woken up though! Would 10am work?

You pull yourself out of bed and go through your morning routine before heading out to meet Jessie, the coffee shop turned out to only be a few blocks from where your apartment was.

Walking in you see a peppy Jessie already sat in the corner at what you'd soon find out was her favourite table.

"Hey, I didn't know what you liked but in my opinion you can't go wrong with an iced coffee" she says sliding the drink she had gotten you across the table as you sit down.

"You shouldn't have" you say taking a sip "delicious though, you were right really can't go wrong with an iced coffee" fishing out your purse you go to grab so bills before realising you didn't know how much it was.

Looking up at her "how much do I owe you?" To which she just laughs.

"It's on me, put your money away" she says sincerely.

"Okay well next time it's on me, thank you!" She gives you a smile in response. "What's your go to then?" You ask her. "Ooh probably a latte or an iced caramel latte, guess it depends on my mood" she gives with a shrug.

"I can't get behind that" you agree

"I usually come in here to read and relax with a coffee but we can go for a walk if you like?"

"Sounds good to me" you pick up your respective coffees and head for the door, Jessie holding the door open for you.

As you walk along the streets you talk more about how you're finding the city and the move, Jessie intently listening to you vent. Every now and then giving you feedback to let you know she was engaged in the conversation.

"Anyways, I've been talking about me too much. How have you been since moving back here?"

Jessie then talks about her settling in and it being easier than she thought with the likes of Janine helping her. She also noted that she hadn't recently gone through a break up so it was probably a lot smoother than your transition.

Before you knew it you'd walked around a majority of the city, Jessie telling you various facts as she rambled on about her time here. A welcome distraction for you, you then notice Jessie has stopped walking and you turn back toward her.

"So I don't mean to presume, but it's getting late and I'm in need of some lunch. Would you like to get some and go sit in the park" she nods at a small sandwich shop to the side of her before pointing across the road to the park.

"I could go for some lunch" you say "it's on me though" you tell her as you enter the small establishment.

Making your orders before paying the cashier, you watch as your sandwiches get freshly made and wrapped up in paper with the name of what you found out was the family that owned the shop across it.

Arriving at the park you see Jessie dig into her bag and pull out a checkered blanket. She wafts it in the air before placing it on the grass, pulling you down with her so you could sit and eat.

"Anymore surprises in there" you motion to where her bag at as you chewed on your mouthful of sandwich.

"I mean just my latest book, a notebook, a pen and my camera" she lists off.

"Oh yeah, what are you reading?"

"Well really it's just a book of poetry but more of a compilation of poems rather than a specific poet" she tells you.

"It's kind of inspiring me to do my own little private project" she says

"And what's that?"

"I mean I don't really tell anyone about it"

"Sorry, I shouldn't have asked" you quickly apologise feeling slightly bad about it.

"No no, I want to tell you, I just haven't really shared this part with anyone before"

"Well feel free, you can trust me but also don't feel like you have to"

"Okay so, I've been writing my own poetry, nothing great just little poems and then I capture a photograph that encapsulates the poem, or the other way around. I like taking photos but recently I've been writing poems inspired by the shot I've taken"

"Holy shit Jessie, that's so inspired, can I see?" You begin excited before almost whispering the request.

"Uh sure" she replies pulling her camera and notebook from her bag.

She shows you a few of them and it completely blows your mind, until she gets to the last one which has you almost speechless.

"This one I call 'storm season'" she says showing you a photo of a moody sky

Something about the emptiness of the picture the way the moody sky contrasted with the fields, it seemed so full and yet so empty and void and it struck something inside you.

She handed you the notebook and you looked at the poem scribbled in her handwriting across the page, it was short but kind of haunting in a way that matched the photograph.

This is a poem for lonely days

With little colour and mostly greys,

For people who are sick in bed

And those of us with lots to dread

Of things to come, or things in past,

Of things that didn't seem to last

"Wow" you say, kind of taken aback by the rawness of it all. "That's beautiful" you whisper looking up and meeting her eyes.

"I mean I don't know, I wrote it at a time where I was struggling you know"

"It's raw, it's good" you say unsure how to put into words your feelings about it.

After tucking her stuff back into her bag you lay down next to her looking up at the growing skyscrapers around you.

Both content in each others company, you tilt your head to look at Jessie, noticing she's reading some of the poetry in her book.

"Read me something"

"Sure, what would you want to hear?"

"Anything"

"You treat them as if

They have a heart like yours

But not everyone can be

As soft and as tender as you

You don't see

The person they are

You see the person

They have potential to be

You give and give till

They have taken everything

Out of you and leave

You empty"

You lay there staring up at the sky for a second

"That was Rupi Kaur, that poem kind of reminds me of you" she spoke

You leant up on your elbow looking at where she was sat, her eyes looked sad but not as if she pitied you but like she could also feel your pain.

After some time of enjoying each others company you walked back to your apartment discovering it was only a block from Jessie's and that you were practically neighbours.

You waved goodbye to Jessie as you made your way into your apartment building, arriving home you close the door falling back against it slightly sighing to yourself, wondering why you felt so guilty for having a good time.

#woso #woso x reader #jessie fleming #jflem #wofo #woso imagine #portland thorns #women's football #women's soccer #canwnt #jessie fleming smut #jessie fleming fic #jessie fleming imagine #woso smut #canada women #wlw

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acourtofmarvels · 10 months

Text

Comfort - Cassian Pt.2

Part 1

Warnings: none. cuteness overload :D

*35 years later*

"Cassian can you please take your feet off the table? We eat there." I smacked his leg and took a seat beside him to eat lunch.

He groaned and obeyed, putting his feet on the ground. "Gimme a bite." He pointed to the sandwich I had just made. I haven't even taken a bite of it yet.

"You just ate like, 3 minutes ago." I took a bite of my sandwich, glaring at him. I swear he is always hungry.

"Yours looks better than mine," he whined like a child.

I looked over at Azriel who was sitting across from us. He'd already finished his lunch and was reading a book at the table.

"Azriel did you not give the dog a treat after lunch?" Azriel lifted his eyes from his book, humor in them.

"That was rude," Cassian replied.

"Let the girl eat her lunch in peace," Azriel defended me, going back to his book.

I stuck my tongue out at Cassian and then took another bite of my sandwich. He was glaring at me but I could see the mischief behind his glare. I'm in trouble.

"Ask the house to-" I stopped my sentence. The air grew cold and eerie. Still, everything went so very still.

Azriel and Cassian felt it too, sitting up straight in their chairs. Something was different. We could all feel it.

There was a thud from the balcony. As if something jumped onto it, or someone landed on it.

Azriel and Cassian stood up simultaneously, grabbing their weapons. Their siphons glowing as they listened around.

Who the hell just landed at the House of Wind? No one can get up here unless they have wings. The Illyrians wouldn't dare to step foot up here. It can't be Mor, she's suppose to be in the Hewn City all day.

Azriel's shadows swirled around him, informing him of whatever just entered our house. My heart plummeted as I saw the color drain from Azriel's face.

"What's wrong? Who's here?" I shot to my feet. I was almost tempted to grab one of the daggers at Cassian's hip. If Azriel was scared then-

"I was expecting some open arms, not swords and daggers."

I don't think I ever turned around so quickly in my life.

Rhysand. Rhys. My brother. He's home. He's here, he's alive.

My knees buckled and I would have fallen to the ground if Cassian had not caught me.

My hand covered my mouth, silencing the sob that escaped me, tears poured out my eyes.

I beat Cassian and Azriel to him first, wrapping my arms around his neck so tightly. I held on for life, afraid this was a dream and the second I let go he would be gone. But I could feel him, smell him. He's here, home.

His arms stay wrapped around me as I placed my hands on his face, looking him over.

"Are you hurt?" I didn't dare ask if he was okay. How could he ever be okay from what ever torture she put him through?

"I'm alright," he replied. No signs of injury or bruises. But he was so very pale. Years away from sunlight would do that to you.

"I can't believe you are here." I wiped the tears from his cheeks, he did the same to me.

I wrapped my arms around him once more, kissing the top of his head a few times.

I didn't want to let him go but I know Azriel and Cassian would want their time with him.

The second I stepped from his embrace Cassian replaced me, literally picking Rhys off the floor and spinning him around.

"If you do not put me down I cannot promise that I will not puke on you," Rhys's laugh sent warmth through my body. I never thought I'd hear that again.

It didn't feel real. The days turned to weeks, weeks turned to months and the fact that Rhys was here still felt like a dream.

Amarantha was dead. Feyre saved us all, Rhys's mate. Rhys's mate... He has a mate. Who's marrying someone else. He showed us her. Showed us all she did. His face lit up telling us the story about her killing the wyrm.

It's been 3 months and I am savoring every last bit of it.

***

"You're different, sister." Rhys stared at me from across the room. He sat at his desk as I lounged in the chair in his bedroom. We did this often. This was where we always had our deep talks or hashed things out if we were upset. He would do work at his desk and I would occupy my time in the chair by reading or writing.

"I'm happy. You're finally home." I looked up from the hat I was knitting, another thing I picked up in the 50 years he was gone.

The smile faded off his face as he looked down at his hands. "Mor told me..."

"Whatever she told you, is in the past. Everything is good, now you're home. I'm good, I promise." Though I looked away from him I could feel the guilt in him from across the room. "Enough with the sadness, please."

"Fine, you don't want to talk about it. I'll respect that. Is there anything you do want to talk about?" His voice was hinting. There's no way he knows. We haven't.... well not since he got back. That was my decision.

"Like what?" I didn't dare look up at him.

"Hey, you guys down for Rita's tonight?" Gods his timing was the worse. Of course Cassian had to come in and interrupt now.

Rhys and I made eye contact. He had a stupid smirk on his face. He knew... How did he know?

"Cass, please join us. We were actually just about to have a chat." Rhys pointed to his bed for Cassian to take a seat.

Cassian went to take a seat, completely oblivious to the situation. "No, leave." He froze in his spot, looking at Rhys and me confused.

"Cassian, take a seat. As your High Lord, I order you." I could smack that stupid smug smile off his face.

"You can't do that." I snapped, crossing my arms over my chest. Pulling this High Lord card... I should smack him up side the head.

"Can and just did, sit."

Cassian took and seat and glanced between at Rhysand and I, who were having a stare off.

"Cassian..." Rhys began, now looking at him. Cassian was trying to play it cool but I noticed the sweat beginning to form on his forehead. My heart was racing a hundred miles an hour, no doubt my brother could hear it too. "Are you sleeping with my sister?"

"Oh my gods, really Rhys?" I shot up from my seat. I felt the lie on my tongue, "Cassian and I are not-"

"We're together, yes. We have been for a while now. We take care of each other, watch out for one another. You can be mad at me, beat the shit out of me but I don't give a fuck." Cassian stood back up, no longer looking at Rhys but now me. "400 years I have loved her. 35 years I have been utterly, hopelessly in love with her."

Silence all around. I was shocked he admitted that right away. I mean we were caught, it was gonna be hard to lie to him. Cassian was standing up for us and here I was gawking like a complete idiot.

"Cassian and I are mates," I admitted to my brother nervously, but proudly. "I am madly in love with him. We wish to be mated and married but only with your permission."

That smirk had faded from my brothers face the minute Cassian spoke. His face was blank of emotion and he was silent for a while.

"This is not what I was expecting." He spoke. He crossed his arms over his chest. He looked mad but he was silent again for a while. "Fine. You have my blessing. But I'm still kicking your ass for hitting on my sister." He stood up a punched Cassian in the shoulder and then came and wrapped his arms around me which automatically relaxed me.

He placed his hands on either sides of my face, forcing me to stare into his eyes. The eyes we shared from our father.

Are you sure? He spoke to me in my mind. My shields were down for him the second he wrapped his arms around me.

I nodded and replied to only him, I've never experienced this type of happiness before.

His face softened as a single tear rolled down my face, and he wiped it away. He was always the one to wipe away my tears. He placed a kiss on my forehead and pulled away.

"Just don't show it around me," he shivered and I rolled my eyes.

"Rhys I'd like to request some time off work," Cassian said with a smirk, looking me up and down.

"I hate this already. Get out of my face." He waved us off.

Cassian held his hand out to me which I gladly took as we ran out of Rhys's room. The second we were out of earshot, to spare Rhys, Cassian's hands and lips were all over me.

"I'm never waiting that long ever again. It was pure torture not to kiss you, to hold you, to touch you," Cassian growled in my ear.

"I know, I'm sorry." I brought his lips back to mine. "Never again."

"Are we doing this?" He whispered, out of breath.

"Meet me at the cabin in an hour." I stepped out of reach from him, a big smile on my face.

"An hour?" He groaned.

"One hour and then... you'll have me for eternity." I stepped forward and kissed his lips once more, in a slow and achingly long kiss. "I love you. One hour." Then I winnowed away.

A/N cute little ending :) hope you guys liked it!

Masterlist

#acotar #acotar fanfiction #acotar imagine #cassian #cassian fanfic #cassian fanfiction #cassian imagine #cassian x reader #a court of thorns and roses #acotar x reader #cassian acotar

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eras-mus · 10 months

Note

HIII I HAD A THOIGHT THAT HAS BEEN KILLING MY MIND AND I NEED TO TELL IT TO SOMEONE OTHERWISE IM GNA EXPLODE

get this . everyone chilling at ramshackle dorm doing their own thing, yuu (and grimm by extension), ace and deuce sitting by the table talking about whatever crosses their mind

Eventually the conversation escalates to birthdays and holidays and ace asks how old Yuu is. Azul interjects with saying Yuu's age from the contract they signed a few months ago, but then Yuu pipes up and tells them that they're one year older than that.

Theres a small moment of confusion until it dawns onto Deuce that Yuy's birthday was a month or two ago and they never spoke a peep about it. Not even to grimm!! And when asked, Yuy makes an excuse like "that was when __ was kind of close to overblotting and I didn't want to make it about me because that'd be so nitpicky—"

It was based off an audio i heard and idk if i want to write it into a short drabble for myself i probably cant since im only on book 2 ueue). But like. its a fun prompt methinks. what would all of them do when they find out Yuu deliberately didn't say a thing about their birthday

🎉

THAT WAS YOUR BIRTHDAY???

★Reader is Yuu and is 17 years old

★gender neutral

★takes place after the third book

Sorry it's short, hope you like it!

"Can we start yet!" Ace complained, head slamming onto the table.

"I told you we're waiting on a couple more people." The perfect told him "I invited Kalim and Azul to join us since Sebek and Jack couldn't make it"

Tonight was the Ramshackle dorms weekly game night, normally it was just the freshmen but Sebek said that Malleus 'needs' his protection and Jack was just to tired from Spell Drive practice.

"They outta hurry up" Epel started, country accent slightly showing through "don't they know it's rude to be late."

A awkward silence fell over the dorm for a moment before a knock echoes through the dorm.

When y/n opened the dorm they were greeted with a cheerful smile and a hug.

"Thank you so much for inviting me!" Kalim smiled "I hope you don't mind that I brought Jamil, I also brought food, well Jamil did, he made it!"

Y/n blinked for a moment, taking in all the words one guy manged to say so fast. They looked over Kalim's shoulder just in time to see Jamil face plant.

"Thank you for the food Jamil" They smiled, giving him a wave.

"If was the least I could do perfect" he stated, not returning the wave.

Luckily Azul showed up before y/n could shut the door.

Just a few minutes later the group was playing some sort of trivia card game where they would either have to answer a question about someone else playing, a question about themselves, or just a random fact. If they got it wrong the next person would answer the same card, whoever got the most questions right won.

"Who is the most followed person in Magi Cam?" Epel read, "That's easy, Neige"

He revealed the answer to show it was correct.

"Of course you would get that one right" Ace complained "Vil never stops going on about it"

Every one just ignoring him looked over at Deuce, who was next to pick a card.

"How old is the person sitting to your right?" He looked over at y/n. "I'm not sure...18?"

They just shook their head.

"I know this one" Azul butted in, ready to take another point "Our contract from a while ago said that they were 16."

One again y/n shook their head. "I just turn 17 last month"

The room went silent for what seemed like forever.

"WE MISSED YOUR BIRTHDAY!" They all shouted in union.

"Riddle is going to have a heart attack when he finds out" Deuce commented, Ace nodding in agreement.

"You should've said something, we could've had a huge party" Kalim whined.

Y/n scratch the back of their head, "It's not big deal, it was right after one of the overblots, plus where I'm from birthdays aren't that big of a deal."

"Jamil we need to plan a party right now" Kalim said, getting up from his seat.

"We have to too" Ace said "Or get Trey and Riddle to do it for us"

Soon everyone had said something similar and got up and left leaving a confused Ramshackle perfect.

#kalim al asim #Jamil viper #azul ashengrotto #ace trapolla #deuce spade #epel felmier #grim twst #twst yuu #twst x reader #twst scenarios #twst x male reader #twst x female reader #Twst x reader

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simplymarr · 6 months

Text

Chapter four.

warnings: none (yet).

I spent all weekend trying to guess what i had done, where i comitted a mistake. Over-analyzing each phrase, each word and tone used. I couldn't grasp it and i was losing my mind.

An then of, course, it was the shame. Why do i felt this way? I mean, he was just my professor. Professor Vincent Renzi. Two days a week. Nothing else. Maybe my mistake was thinking we could talk about everything we wanted and that he would understand. That we could be just friends.

"Yeah no, that's bullshit". Claimed Justine, interrumpting my train of thoughts.

Justine was my roommate and best friend. We could talk about everything as i trusted her like a sister. I mentioned the whole situation with Mr. Renzi to her and, with her usual histrionic personality, she pointed a few things to me.

"First he flirts with you and then he acts like nothing happened?" She said, with big eyes.

"He was absolutely not flirting with me" I interrupted, quite nervous just thinking about it. I mean, just the thought of it made me shiver.

"Well, let's just put it this way" Justine sat at the blue couch in the living room, taking a softer tone. "First, he complemetns your thesis, tells you you're brilliant. Then he offers to drive you several times and acts like you both know each other for years, and then he just completely dissappears?"

I sat in silence, thinking. Justine continued.

"I'm afraid you might not be the wrong one here, y/n". She let the words sink in the air as i just sat there in silence.

She was right. Fuck, she was right. All this confusion, all this twisted games weren't my fault. It was his.

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

Next week arrived and, with it, Mr. Renzi's class. I didn't t want to call him Vincent again.

The classroom cold as every winter morning. My fingers were nerviously tapping on the wooden table as i waited for him to start. I was going to wait patiently until the end, until he was all alone. A strange anger mixed with angst took over me, a build up tension that he had to resolve, one way or another.

The bell rang.

I slid over each seat until i got to his desk where he was picking up his books. He turned back surprised to see me. The two of us now alone.I looked at him with big eyes and started speaking, praying that he wouldn't fail me the rest of the year.

"Can i ask what happened to you? why do you act so different all of the sudden?"

He hessitated for a minute before asnwering me. "I don't know what you're talking about, y/n. Please, let's drop this." His accent getting harsher as he is getting, for the first time, nervous.

"Bullshit, you know exactly what i'm talking about" The words coming out of my mouth like knifes. "First you drive me home and everything's fine and then you just stop talking to me?". I looked at him waiting for an answer. a real answer.

"I won't do this right now. Not here." His tone firm. He wasn't joking.

"Vincent, plea-"

"I'm still your goddamn professor". He said, almost yelling. Big blue eyes pierced at me.

I couldn't articulate any word. I just looked at him as i could feel the tears behind my eyes, threatening to come out. My head buzzing with all the words i wanted to say but couldn't.

I left immediately, and as i walked down the stairs i heard him calling my name, trying to stop me. This was such a stupid idea. What did i thought he was going to say? What did i expected?

I stepped out of the building once again, almost running, wanting to escape from all that happened. Tears finally rolling down my cheeks, pink nose and lips.

A couple of blocks later i could hear a car getting behind me. I kept walking without looking back. The car kept on near, almost stepping by my side. I didn't need to look to know who it was.

The window opened. "y/n, let's talk, please".

I didn't answer, i just kept on walking on the freezing sidewalk. He, again, tried to reach to me.

"y/n, please. I'm sorry for what happened".

I stopped almost instantly. "Do you mean in the classroom? or all that nonsense you pulled last week?

"Just me explain it to you".

I hessitated, looking at him. His looks quite concerned, the strands of silver hair falling on one of his eyes. His cheeks also seemed pink, like he was freezing too.

"Please" He insisted.

I opened the door and got into the chevy.

Silence again. Like the first time.

He was driving with both hands, his gripping on the steering wheel harsher than usual. He kept his eyes on the road as he spoke:

"You're right, okay? i was an idiot. You are on your right to be mad".

I kept on listening in silence, also looking at the road.

"I-i just...i don't know how to explain it. I can't do this, i can't be near you this way." he stuttered a bit as he tried to explain himself.

"But why? what's the problem? i thought you enjoyed talking to me.

"I do, believe me i do. It's just-" he kept looking at me as i was letting my words come out in confusion.

He parked near the bus stop.

"Vincent, please, I don't really underst-"

He didn't let me finish the sentence, as he grabbed my face with his cold hands and kissed me firmly.

His eyes closed, perhaps trying to feel it was all just a dream. I just stayed still, eyes gently closing as i was losing myself in the kiss, beggining to understand the reason of my ache. He tasted like sweet coffee, maybe cigarettes but not too invasive. Our mouths began to move slowly, with precaution, like if we were tasting each other's limits. The tip of this tongue softly touching my lower lip with each movement of his lips. I could feel his nose brushing into mine, both cold as the windows began to glisten with heat. One strand of my hair fell and he put it behind my ear, using that hand to hold my cheek.

Gently he broke the kiss, opening his eyes to look at me as we both grasped for a breath. I couldn't believe what just happened.

"Now you understand?" He said, almost whispering, with a shy smile.

"Yes, now i can" i thought to myself. Not only his feelings, but mine.

next chapter soon

#swann arlaud #swann arlaud fanfic #vincent renzi #vincent renzi x reader #vincent renzi fanfic #anatomy of a fall #aoaf

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hlficlibrary · 1 year

Text

✤ Mpreg Fics ✤

A series of posts with the top five fics of each category by kudos plus five more hidden gems from that category! Remember to leave kudos and a comment on the fics you enjoyed to show your appreciation! You can find our other recs here.

- Top 5 H/L Fics -

1️⃣ Cold Little Heart by seducedbycurls (T, 194k)

Louis is a soft omega with an abusive past and an alpha child A few months after getting a divorce, Louis meets Harry, an ex-military alpha wolf that offers him something -odd.

In exchange for teaching him how to cook, Harry will babysit his son, Abraham Louis really could use the help.

2️⃣ Queen of Arizella by seducedbycurls (M, 277k)

Stealing from Royalty is punishable by death.

Louis starts over, doing his best to keep his hands at his sides but he is hungry and he tries stealing from the wrong Royal.

Harry is King of Arizella, he needs a Queen and who better than an omega on the run from death? Louis will learn to become the perfect Queen -the perfect fake Queen, but only for a few months.

A fake lover, a fake Queen, but a real bond.

3️⃣ we can take the long way home by eleadore (E, 27k)

“Fertile,” Louis says, and then laughs because it sounds stupid to say out loud. He hasn’t ever really thought of himself in those terms. Baby-making terms. It’s just one of those things his body can do, like exercise, or go without tea. Doesn’t mean he will.

or, The band takes a break. Harry and Louis come together.

4️⃣ Perfect by happilylarry (NR, 117k)

Soulmates had only been in the history books for the past few hundred years, so people were still trying to get the hang of it. From what he's read, back then, if you met your soulmate, that was that. You either chose to be with them and be happy, or be with the one you truly loved and suffer.

Sort of poetic, you know, if he believed in that shit.

5️⃣ Kiss me on the Mouth and Set me Free (but please don't bite) by seducedbycurls (M, 42k)

Harry is the CEO of Flora Corp, Louis is his new secretary.

"...Louis wanted him so badly. Wanted Harry to pick him up, bite him, and break him. Make Louis his, make Louis cry, make Louis a beautiful, plump, pregnant omega..."

HIDDEN GEMS:

💎 Know a Trick or Two by @sadaveniren (E, 44k)

The night before Louis is scheduled for a Portkey to begin training with the Vratsa Vultures in Bulgaria he heads into Muggle London for one last night of fun. A few months later he finds out he’s having a child.

Eleven years ago Harry had a one night stand and now there’s a strange man on his doorstep telling him his daughter is something called a wizard and she’s got a place at the British wizarding school Hogwarts.

Aka the one where Muggle Harry and Wizard Louis have a one night stand and get more than they bargained out of it.

💎 My Kind of Rain by @lululawrence (NR, 30k)

Louis Tomlinson is a household name after hitting number one on the country music charts with four songs over the last three years. It's time for his third headlining tour, his biggest yet, while he finishes up his third highly anticipated album.

Personally, though, the past year or two have been rough. He's dealing with the loss of his mother and the fact his long term partner had cheated on him before breaking off their engagement. Despite it all, the stage has always been an escape for him and he's ready to be performing again.

Harry Styles is Louis' opening act this tour and he seems nice enough. His fiancé leaves something to be desired, but overall, Louis can't complain.

Or the Tim McGraw/Faith Hill AU where Louis is Tim, Harry is Faith, and just when Louis thinks he is going to get some rest, his entire world turns upside down thanks to the man with curly hair and the voice that seems to sing right to Louis' heart.

💎 (It's New) The Shape of Your Body by @fallinglikethis (M, 18k)

Taking a deep breath, Louis tears open the packet and holds the test in his hands. Deep down he already knows what it’s going to say. He can feel the certainty of it in his bones but he needs to see it. He needs confirmation.

Movies always make it look like you have to wait a bit to know, like you have to set a timer and give it a few minutes, wringing your hands for an answer. Even the box says it’ll take time, but it actually only takes a second after Louis pees on the strip to see the two pink lines appear that tell him what he already knew. He’s pregnant.

“Oh god,” he breathes, staring down at it. And just like he’d known the test would be positive, he knows now that everything about his life is about to change.

💎 Another One For The Road by @reminiscingintherain (T, 15k)

She looked up at Louis with a smile. "Congratulations Louis. You're pregnant." "Oh fuck," he said softly, before his eyes rolled up into the back of his head and he promptly passed out.

Or the one where Louis' on tour when he finds out the hard way that men can get pregnant too....

💎 save me, call me baby by delsicle / @eeveedel

Louis didn't plan for him and his husband to be pregnant at the same time. Somehow, it works out.

An omega/omega love story in three snapshots.

#ficrec #hljournal #hlcreators #trackinghappily #trackinghome #1dficvillage #hltracks #hlsource #1dsource #larry fan fiction #delsicle #reminiscingintherain #lululawrence #sadaveniren #seducedbycurls #eleadore #happilylarry #mpreg #28th appreciation

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little-miss-dilf-lover · 1 year

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I DIDN'T KNOW YOU'RE WILLING TO WRITE FOR PETER 3 AAAAAAH, sorry I just love him

can you write some pinning (fluff or angst), please?

thank you sm <3

hii!! yess!! I love peter 3, he’s my fav🥹 and no don’t be sorry, I react the same way. I had too many ideas, so I had to shorten everything, hope it all makes sense lol. thank you for requesting, hope you like it 💌

strangers

peter parker x f reader

wc || 854

warnings || none, just fluff

masterlist & taglist

You liked routine and order. You like doing things a certain way, most days of the week. And one of those things is your daily visit to your favourite coffee shop. This quaint little store had become a part of your daily routine a for a year now, where you'd drop by on your way to work or go in-between errands.

You've grown to know the staff and other regulars well, so when you notice someone new enter, you can't help but look. The stranger sits on the opposite side of the room, parallel to your usual seat by the window, a book in hand with an espresso in the other. He's really quite a sight, a slim guy with brown hair, wearing a chunky knit sweater and glasses, the cute nerdy type. He was a rather beautiful stranger, and you definitely would've remembered his face.

You pick up your drink and aimlessly look around the room until you meet a set of brown eyes that are not so subtly staring at you. You smile in your usual friendly way to the stranger opposite before resuming the work on your laptop. You slowly peek over the screen, slyly gazing from afar, briefly making eye contact, in which you both momentarily look away as if you're nervous. Get back to work, you told yourself repeatedly, but you couldn't. You couldn't pull yourself away from him because all you wanted to do was look at him. He was like one of those beautifully mysterious people you walk by on the street, the ones you think about weeks later.

Eventually, you finish everything you were supposed to, so as a reward, you allow yourself another opportunity to look at the handsome stranger. But when you peek over, he was gone. He left. New York is a populated place, so the possibility of seeing him again was very slim, a slither of a chance. So when he disappeared, you couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness at his absence.

The next day you come to the coffee shop at your usual time, order your usual drink and sit in your usual space. You put your headphones on and open your laptop, immediately getting to work and doing everything you need to do.

You take a brief break, sipping your drink and taking a bite of your cake when you notice him. The stranger from yesterday sat in the same place, doing as he did the day before. What are the chances? You thought to yourself.

You subtly gaze at him over your mug, almost instantly locking eyes. You hold eye contact for a few seconds before you glance away, feeling too nervous under his gaze. He notices the shy expression on your face and chuckles into his hand, which causes him to get strange looks from the other patrons, consequently making you snicker into your mug. You meet his eyes again and softly smile at the exchange.

Over the next week, similar events would occur. You'd make eye contact more frequently, and as the days went by, he sat at a table closer to you. He was almost to you, just one day to go, one table to go.

Today was the day you two would technically meet, and you couldn't wait. You felt sick, nervous, like a bag of jelly, but you were excited. You were looking forward to finally meeting the man you've been gawking at all week. He wasn't here yet, so you get to work on your laptop, trying to kill time and ease your nerves before he arrives.

But he never came, and you felt hurt.

The next day you were feeling better about the situation. You understood he had a life outside the coffee shop, but in that moment, you were upset. You were looking forward to meeting him, so when he didn't show up, it did hurt your feelings.

You walk into the coffee shop and immediately notice the back of a person in your place. It wasn't your seat, but all the other regulars had specific spots, and the one in the corner by the window was yours. The man turns around when he hears the bell chime on the door, and you meet the face of the stranger, your stranger. He smiles at you and waves you over.

Once you reach the table, you see two sets of drinks and cakes, his usual order and yours.

"Hey, I'm Peter," he grins, gesturing for you to sit. "Hope this isn't too weird," he chuckles, nodding to the spread on the table.

"No, not at all," you smile as you share your name, shaking his extended hand.

"I- uh, hope I got your order right," he softly laughs, nervously scratching the back of his neck. "I had to check with the barista,"

Your smile widens. "It is. It's my exact order, thank you," you pull out a couple notes from your wallet, and Peter instantly pushes it away.

"My treat," he grins before sipping from his espresso. "Maybe you can pay me back by accepting this as a date?"

@idontknowwhattohaveasmyuser @queerponcho @selfryed

#peter parker #peter parker x reader #peter parker x fem!reader #peter parker x you #tasm fanfiction #tasm!peter one shot #peter 3 #tasm!peter x you #tasm x reader #tasm spiderman

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olivescales3 · 3 months

Text

The Forgotten Legends of Chima Episode 4

“My dad really knew what he was talking about. There’s nothing in here”, Eris ruffles up her white feathers in frustration as she picks up everything available to analyze in this small section of a tall shelf.

The piles of paper and files have been growing ever since noon. And even before that, Eris’ voice didn’t stop echoing around the library from morning until now. The sunlight that was hitting our heads is now softer, but still feels like a heat wave is upon us, with the ceiling made out of glass radiating extreme warmth on us. I’m surprised how this hasn’t gone down with fires yet. Cragger is panting, trying to cool himself off, alas, to no avail— his arm’s temperature is hotter than normal, I can sense his scales getting dull from the touch of my paws. Eris, however, seems unbothered by all this heat.

She turns around, giggling a bit, “Guess you guys live in the cooler side of Chima. Just wait for the sun to move away.”

We continue listening to the incessant page-flipping noises. How come we’ve been almost the entire day here, and yet no sign of clues?

“If we don’t find anything soon, I fear that our situation might actually turn for the worse. I might’ve recovered, but this doesn’t mean we don’t have someone behind our backs.”

Eris freezes in place for a brief moment, her beak pointed at the empty shelf. She then turns around, facing the mounts she accumulated throughout the day. They look intimidating for sure; I wouldn’t have the brainpower to absorb— furthermore dissect— all of that information. She’s very dedicated to her goals. Pages upon pages of archived material won’t stop her from spreading them all across the wooden floor. This vast library’s walls are covered with books, but its center is empty; how many books are there, really? After a few minutes of thinking, the eagle calls us to stand besides her, then sits down.

The countless papers describing our sky and starts in detail… Ah, even from the distance I can find studies about the moon!

Eris sighs, perplexed, “So far, the only information I’ve found about the Hundred Year Moon was from anecdotes—”, she picks up a piece of thick, old paper, “and the document my dad previously talked about, like, a week ago”.

Unfortunately, ever since I got myself entangled on the inter-tribal dispute with those crocodiles, my dad started to be more worried with my vulnerability on the outside world… which is something I can’t deny. The incidents related to wolf deaths and the Purple Moon also began to increase, alongside to the strong rise in robbery of Chi— it’s a strange coincidence, too.

“The old piece of document aside, which I’ll try to decipher later— we only have three crucial clues for our mystery: the Purple Moon being linked to wolves going insane, who afterwards go searching for Chi.”

I ask, “Do you mean that the Purple Moon and Chi are somehow linked?”

She nods in response.

“Aight, but… If that’s the case”, Cragger interrupts our conversation, “then why did a lone wolf attack Laval?”

Eris shrugs; perhaps that specific wolf wasn’t affected by it, as they attacked me independently of the others in a premeditated manner.

She proceeds to grab a book, one that is open on a section about the moon. “I’ve been speculating about this for a while now… Chi has a liquid form, doesn’t it?”

I nod; Chi, in a liquid state, can be seen all the time, back at the Sacred Pool of Chi.

“It’s a well known fact— at least inside our Eagle circle— that the common moon shakes the lakes and rivers of Chima”, the bright eagle continues speaking as she looks at me attentively, “but the Sacred Pool of Chi is unaffected by this strange pull.”

The heat begins to die down a bit, enough for our minds to refresh. I have slight difficulties breathing because of the altitude, but it’s the expected. I’m feeling better, at least.

“Chi is normally found in crystal form, Eris.”

“Yes… but!”

She observes once again all of the things she had previously scattered, and focuses on them with her eagle vision. If there’s something unclear to us, then it’s obvious to her. I don’t doubt that a genius like Eris will let us down.

She adds, “ It wouldn’t hurt to test it out. Tomorrow will be Chi’s Giving.”

Because of the reoccurring incidents, our visits have to be done from inside the lion temple. Lagravis had discussed with his brother on how to let important visitors without risking them being attacked by the wolves— they reached the conclusion that events such as our “Chi’s Giving” can only be executed in the morning, around the time the Sacred Pool of Chi is bright enough like the sky above it.

I observe the blue, liquid Chi inside the pool; it twitches around in small waves, almost freezing at certain areas, which soon sinks then rises to the surface as a crystal.

Those waves… do they react with the Purple Moon?

“What are you looking at, son?”, Dad interrogates me, his worried tone of voice sounds passive aggressive— or that’s what it feels. He’s behind my area of view.

Lagravis kept his body stiff on top of his throne the entire time we waited for our guests. He chose to not budge. I fear for my dad, that anguish has started to consume him whole…

The temperature in the room refreshes a lot, and not even the scorching torches that hang from pillars are able to heat us up properly. It’s much better than whatever went on at the library.

I turn around; Dad’s head lies on his hand as support, and he’s sitting with legs crossed. The tapping noises from his toe echo across the octagonal room, though they blend in against the noises of the Chi waterfall behind my father.

“I’ve been thinking about Chi for a while. Do you believe there’s a reason for the wolves to want it so much?”

He sighs. “One can only speculate, Laval.”

Tall silhouettes appear on the distance, who seem to walk at our direction. A surge of relief falls upon me— I’ve been waiting for this moment, eager even, as Eris might push us forward and give us a boost to end this mess. Then, the clouds of feathers shine through the Chi’s light, revealing themselves as Ewald and his kin. They greet us with a shy hello.

It’s only a few minutes later that someone brings the courage to speak:

“Ah… well, quite complicated, isn’t it?”, Equila stuttered.

His white feathers blend with the blue reflection of the Chi; the light also hit his eyes, which aren’t protected by his goggles.

No one else had the audacity to speak over Lagravis’ silence, but Equila’s words have compelled my father to reply.

“Good morning. Yes, everything thus far has been more than complicated”. The lion king stands still behind the Sacred Pool of Chi, itching his chin nervously. “I hope you understand why I took these measures. It is simply not possible to hold the Chi’s Giving event outdoors. We have to escort Chima’s kings inside the lion temple.”

Ewald bows in agreement without letting his golden wreath fall down to the ground.

Eris and I glance at each other; this is the longest my dad has taken to execute this ceremony. He seems hesitant, his eyes staring down the electric blue liquid. I can see his paws shaking ever so slightly, and his black, shiny lips struggling to open.

I walk next to him and hold his hand; it’s cold and sweaty, kind of like mine sometimes. Lagravis melts a bit, his anxiety tones down. My eagle friend also comes to comfort Dad: she lays her head on his shoulder, then hugs him tight. It’s not we’re supposed to treat a king, but he isn’t bothered by our manners at all.

Ewald chuckles. “I’m sorry—”

“No. Do not apologize. I… needed this.”

Lagravis detaches us off him, proceeding then to kneel to the Sacred Pool of Chi; his muzzle falls near the reserve’s water, appearing as a distorted reflection on the liquid’s surface. Afterwards he raises his arms to honor Mount Cavora above us.

“I, king of the lions, hereby lend you the Chi bestowed by our creator, Mount Cavora. Your tribe shall be blessed by its magnificent power.”

This isn’t even the beginning of the ritual, and yet, the water inside the pool already begins to vibrate with intensity— it sways in huge waves, forming crystals from below. Nature itself is manifesting its power. It intimidates both Eris and I– her eyes glint not in a way it would–, because we’re sure to test whatever it takes to learn about this miracle we call Chi. Some may say it’s a daring move, or that we’re going against nature’s will, but I don’t care—

A surge of uncertainty pierces my heart.

Well… perhaps I do care. But I believe that I’m doing this for Chima, for everyone.

Lagravis continues his speech, while retrieving the crystals, “Please, accept this gift from Mount Cavora. We would be nothing without it.” He marches towards the leader of the Eagle’s Ruling Council. “Use it well, use it wisely.”

Lion guards, including Longtooth and Leonidas, surround them while wielding ceremonial spears, and tilt them, making some kind of ‘tent’ shape. They raise their spears and shout, “For Chima!”, before hitting their polearms on the ground in synchrony.

Usually, music would play. Seems that this event is going to be more discrete than usual.

The lion guards leave, marching outside the temple. Lagravis nods to signal that the event is over. It was quicker than I expected.

Eris waves to me. She blinks, because she knows she’ll see me later. I wave back. They leave.

…A surge of loneliness hits me. Why does all of this feel so… lonely? Before, animals from all tribes would look at us receiving our Chi. They would cheer out of excitement. Now, it’s just us, afraid, in danger. We’re terrified, with no light giving us hope to leave the cave of despair. I can’t understand why would this Purple Moon even happen in the first place, but it’s making our lives miserable. That’s why I want to find a solution; I want to bring peace again, just like a prince would do. Or, I hope to do such a thing. I will not disappoint.

----

I had seated myself on the first step of the Lion Temple’s entrance, as the scorching sun sizzled on my bruises and made them ache. I kept observing the few clouds that barely did anything to protect my fur; they came and went, just like the hours did. I ended up submerging myself into some kind of weird reality where only the blue sky existed, but it was just me drowning under my boredom. I had waited for Eris, and she came.

“Laval! Hello? Please, get away from the sunlight, you’re going to have a heatstroke!”, my friend scolds me, “You’ve been still for a while, it’s worrying, you know.”

I nod. “Yes… Sorry.”

I didn’t notice it at the time, but she parked her white, shiny Speedor right in front of the stairway. Animals go up and down, avoiding the vehicle that’s blocking their path. A few of them even glance at us, which is understandable, because they’re witnessing two important animals just… staying in the middle of their way. Me almost suffering from a heatstroke is also concerning. Eris hops on her unicycle, and I place myself behind her. As she takes her leave, riding us away from the Lion Temple, she turns to the left.

Our surroundings become drier, the landscape barren and fragile. Eris took a decent path towards the Eagle Spire. I think it’s quite fun to see that tall peak from far away.

She begins to speak, waving her head sideways, “So… you see, I may have just found something important… Actually— it may be just a hunch, but I need to test something out.”

I poke my friend’s back to remind her that she’s driving.

“Sure. What is it?”

She points at the sky, bringing my attention to an almost transparent dark dot. “That might be the Purple Moon. I saw it using my telescope just to make sure.”

“And you’re still not sure?”

“…Yeah— Doesn’t hurt to test it out, though!”

“Test what—”, my voice is cut off by Eris’ sudden speeding.

A marvelous sight at the Eagle Spire’s helipad greets me. It’s awesome! Eris brought a single Chi crystal with her. It shines bright, spreading light blue across our view.

The eagle observes her Chi up close.

“After the ceremony, my dad told me about the wolf invasion that happened inside your borders. I am sorry for the losses of both the Lion and Wolf Tribe… However, he said that those wolves were after your Chi, and it made me think for a while!”

Eris’ enthusiasm with her research surprises me… How can she keep such a bright spirit amidst the horrors of the Purple Moon?

“I have a tiny speculation… that might crack the code! That’s why I chose to call you under the Purple Moon.”

I ask about her ideas; she raises her voice in excitement.

“The Chi might be influenced by it!”

“Does this mean that you’ll have to use this crystal for your own research? Chi is a scarce resource! Do not!”

She groans. “Do you want more wolves to die?”

I shake my head.

Then, a familiar approaches us. Equila has come to see us, but why? Eris smirks in silence, refusing to utter a word. She giggles a bit before raising her head with a menacing grin. A macabre and suspenseful weight pushes both Equila and I down as we wait for the genius eagle to speak.

At the helipad, our horizon broadens exponentially— I can see the Outlands from here! It’s amazing to see the gray landscape of the Alpine Tundra, where stipples of dull greenery scatter across the surface. Sometimes, if I tilt my head, everything flattens up.

A cold touch pokes my shoulder, catching me off guard. Did I get distracted again?… Eris and her brother stand behind me; Equila’s expression right now has changed into fear, with sweat falling down his slick feathers, an unbelievable face considering how overly happy he was at the time of the last Speedorz Race; his orange goggles can’t be found on him, which reveals a worried and anxious look I’ve never seen on him before. He’s quiet.

Eris, on the other hand, is excited, chirping underneath her fluffy feathers. She has been holding a Chi crystal between her delicate talons. But then, she hands it to Equila.

“What do you want..?” He shrieks quietly.

Eris has not spoken yet, as she would only chirp merrily; a macabre suspense haunts the air around us, raising anxiety at each breath she takes. The bird looks at her awkward, scared brother, who reciprocates the visual contact.

“I want you to eat the Chi.”

Equila gasps in response, his beak open wide; this terrifying demand pierced through Equila like a thunder and left him paralyzed from head to toe. It was only seconds later that he managed to sweep away the shock and snatch the crystal from Eris’ talons, placing it behind his back.

“Eris! What went through your head?”, his despair shoots through his screaming voice, “Where did you get that idea from!”

In the blink of an eye, Eris holds herself back but returns to her eager face; her eyelids shine slightly with a faint violet tint of the Purple Moon that’s far away into the sky, hidden in plain sight.

She sighs, “I’ve thought hard about this. I’m not doing a sort of gag— if I understand how the Chi works, we might solve the problems that cause the wolves’ aggressiveness.”

Equila is visibly unable to understand his sister’s words and chooses to not ask any further.

“Your sacrifice won’t go in vain! Please, help us free the Wolf Tribe from suffering.”

“S— sacrifice? I don’t want to die! Eris, I’m begging you, for the Phoenixes’ sake, leave this idea behind. I am not going to swallow a Chi crystal.”

My friend clenches her palms; she frowns her fluffy eyebrows; her patience is reaching its limit. In an outburst, she cries:

“If you won’t, then I will!”

She’s not willing to back down.

I swallow my saliva in anguish. There’s no way she would do that, I thought, but if she’s this determined…

I lay my paw on her tall shoulder. She freezes for an instant.

Equila’s eyes twitch between the Chi on his grasp and his sister. He has a multitude of choices, but seems to only think of two. And so, with grief… he shoved the Chi down his throat. He flinches in pain, gulping multiple times; he starts to gag uncontrollably afterwards.

Eris stands there, staring at her brother— who once was an extroverted, outgoing eagle— transform into a surge of uncontrollable anguish. As the Chi went down his throat, he choked for a bit— then, a blue, almost ghostic silhouette of his rose from the ground, and it pushed us away with a powerful blow. After that, Equila’s eyes shined like the Chi he had swallowed. He couldn’t hide the pain, wouldn’t stop screeching; his cries have been piercing our eardrums, along with the noises of his nails scratching the helipad’s floor. Tears fell down his face until he was unable to hold himself any longer. It feels like an eternity—

He pounces on me, but lands face first onto the floor. I quickly turn around and run up to Eris, who kept watching everything without moving an inch. Senses come back to her, she pulls me tight to her bulky chest.

The haze leaking from Equila’s beak transitions from blue to purple, and the screams that rise out of his lungs become more and more unbearable.

“Somebody help us, please! Equila, hang in there!”, Eris pleas, her voice blending in with the painful noise underneath. Her panting breath grows louder as she holds me strong in the air.

A flash turns at us, and, in the blink of an eye, we’re inside a jet. My head stumbles itself into a state of shock; all that surrounds me become twisted into a fuzzy mess hurting my brain.

Soon enough, my eyes return to normal, yet I feel light headed. To my side, where the passenger’s door is, I can see ten other jets surrounding the Eagle Spire’s helipad, beaming downwards blue fire to stay afloat in the sky.

“Stay where you are, Equila!”, a deep, breathy voice shouts, “We won’t hurt you— just be still!”

The feral white eagle can be seen clenching himself from afar; he’s really trying to not go against those orders. However, I have a gut feeling that it won’t take too long for Equila to lose his control.

A sudden gust of wind races from Equila’s wings and wobbles the jets, including the one I’m in. At this moment, I turn around and notice that Ewald was the one who saved Eris and I from any further harm. He, the leader of the Eagle’s Ruling Council, put his life on the line for our sake. Right now, he looks horrified. His son has gone into a state of madness because of the Chi.

Eris cries with her hands over her face, “D— dad! I’m sorry! It’s all my fault.”

“What do you mean?”, her father shuddered.

Then, Equila punches his wings around the sky and they push the air at every flap, but it seems like he can’t keep up with the flight— the bright electricity on his body begins to sizzle, and the eagle has become unable to maintain his position. He lands on the Eagle Spire’s ground, exhausted.

When our eagle jet roosts down, Eris pushes the door open and sprints towards her unconscious brother. I follow suit, walking behind her.

The bird’s face rests emotionless, besides the pain felt wrinkles near his eyes. My friend lays her head on his chest; the tears that fall across her feathers would soon hit her brother’s apparently unmoving keel. His wings are spread across the floor, tainted with dust. However, Equila’s body is not stiff; when I lay my fingers on his wrist and press it for a bit, I can feel the blood crossing inside of him.

I smile in tears. “He’s not dead”, I cry.

A navy blue eagle— the one who helped us just now— leaves his flying vehicle. He walks up to Equila and, with a red magnifying monocle, analyzes his every feather.

Ewald whispers, his voice weak, “Eglor… Tell me that my son is alive!”

“Yes, he is. It would be a lie to say that he isn’t!

Eglor pokes Equilas knee, and the tendons jerk in reaction.

“Now, call the paramedics! I can’t help him all by myself”

Both Ewald and Eris screech with every strength their lungs can muster; thereafter, from a faraway building at the Eagle Spire, blue-tinted raptors slide in the air towards us, and four of them seem to hold a stretcher; they quickly come by, laying their golden claws down on the helipad. Equila is placed on top of the stretcher, disappearing alongside the other adults.

For a fleeting moment, I saw Eris' eyes shed tears, but she fled just as fast as the other eagles while mumbling to herself; each step she took was too fast for me to keep up with, and her words got lost in between her despair. I could see her silhouette from afar, getting farther away from me.

She continues to sprint without looking back; one of her talons twist right at the edge of the ground— and Eris has fallen in front of my eyes. As I reach the same edge as she did, my heart starts to punch down my guts. However, she's flying fine— a bit disoriented, I'd say— straight up to the library. I run around the stairs of the mountain, trying to reach the same destination as my friend; they are long and hard to climb for a lion like me, though bearable enough right now; at my top speed, I drift along the stairway a few times and enter the library.

Absurdly tall bookshelves corner me akin to a maze, yet they cannot stop me from overhearing Eris' weeps that echo from left to right. I go through the jungle of books; the sections vary by subject, like religion and geography. Until, something catches my eye: Eris is removing a book from a shelf; her body quivers a lot, shaking the arms without control; she opens the book, trembling, which reveals pages filled with child-like handwriting.

"I— I can't believe! Where is it?" She wails, the sound of flipping papers whispering beneath her tears.

The eagle seems to land on a specific part of the book, one that makes her stop and read; afterwards, she drops it and herself onto the wooden floor.

My soul can't stand looking at Eris like this!

"Eris! Don't worry, I'm here... Please—"

"I almost killed my brother!"

----

I can’t wipe the image off my mind— Equila’s reaction to the Chi was awful, and I suppose the pain he felt was horrible too. Though… I still don’t understand how this was influenced by the Purple Moon. Is it even a moon? And Equila ate a crystal, instead of drinking a liquid. Anyhow, now’s the perfect time to ask questions. Cragger and I have been waiting for our other friends to come, in hopes of discussing what to do next.

During our time doing nothing, Cragger kept nagging me about what games to play next.

I told him, “We’re in a critical situation right now, Cragger. It’s not safe to play out there!”

But then he got down to his knees and looked at me with big, watery eyes, begging me to race at least once.

“I have cool tricks to show you that Papa taught me! …Pretty please?”

“Okay, okay”, I grunted, “We’ll play later, just promise me to not do anything hasty.”

Well, at least that made my buddy calm down… He’s leaning on the same rock as I am, somewhere in the route between the Lion Temple and the Eagle Spire.

To think that I’ve been frequenting this area quite a bit…

Eris and Worriz arrive on their Speedorz, and we greet them.

“Good to see that you kept your promise, Laval…“, Worriz laughs, “You’ve been keeping a keen eye on this Chi stuff.”

I sigh, “Only keeping a keen eye… Since Eris is the one doing the actual research.”

My fur looks unkempt; I barely had the energy to tidy up, as the recent memories of Equila’s agonies haunted me down to my core— it made my paws tremble, and I needed to hide from Dad whatever happened beforehand by lying through my teeth that I was fine. I’m laying lies after lies; this will not end well. Dark circles cast from underneath my eyes, very much so, to the point where not even makeup could make them less visible.

“What are you going to do next?”, the pup asks Eris, snarking, “You guys are catching up some pace, but are still nowhere. Sacrificing your brother won’t do much.”

She puffs up, frustrated at Worriz’ words. “I’m planning to bring a bucket of Chi where the Purple Moon is near.”

Cragger, who was distracted with the rattling leaves from above, becomes startled with our conversation. “Where is the bucket of Chi? Don’t we just have crystals?”

“Or so you’d think— but I let the Chi simmer on hot water and melt for a long time. Oh, also, I thought that you could take notes with Laval during our experiment. We have to document everything we see... Everything.”

He nods.

Eris speaks with a melancholic tone of voice, “Great... Let’s go at the West side of Chima tonight, the three of us.”

Worriz huffs while hopping on his Speedor without afterthought and quickly leaves the area. It’s surprising that he spoke so little during our short meeting— perhaps it’s another jab against us? Or is he wimping out like a coward? … Is it my appearance?

----

The sky is pitch black, but It doesn’t bother us for the experiment. Instead, this might as well be the ideal scenario for Eris’ plans. From above, the only source of light remains the Purple Moon, and from below– where we are– dances a tiny flame at the eagle’s palm; a torch brightens the liquid Chi inside this bucket on the floor.

“When the moon moves, it might pull the liquid Chi. I made sure to come here when the normal moon was unable to be seen”, says Eris.

I— I can’t believe we’ve come this far. Equila's temporary sacrifice of his well-being showed itself to be the key for our experiment. We will save the wolves, I’m sure of it. If this water sways along with the Purple Moon, Chima will finally have some peace of mind.

I poke Cragger’s shoulder and point upwards. “Are you keeping track of the moon?”

He looks at me, slightly startled, as if I had caught him off guard, then returns his gaze to the bright, cursed sphere that hangs atop the horizon.

I stare deep at the Chi. Adrenaline pushes my heart back and forth. Pencil and paper in hand, my paws shake as sweat begins to crawl down my forehead— I swipe it aside with the back of my wrist as to not let it fall into the bucket. But the liquid wont move.

A sudden force pushes my arm.

“Look! The stars, they’re shinin’.”

At that moment, the Chi shook— it moved!

“Take notes!”, Cragger shouts.

I rapidly push my pencil on the paper and scribble down what I witnessed.

Eris and Cragger rush towards the bucket, observing it with all of their energy. Again, it moved!

Tears slide down Eris’ eyes. Cragger shoves us into a hug. We start to jump around and frolic.

Who could’ve thought that this was so easy, so quick? It’s amazing!

Thud!

Something hit the bucket; it’s circling on its own circumference. The liquid rocks violently, and it’s pushing the metal object.

Thud!

The bucket falls down. All of its insides flow out, being absorbed by the grass.

Then, a gust of dust blinds us for a second, before our surroundings tremble. Worse— I can see that a huge stampede runs at our direction.

A piercing agony cuts me in half, hardening my legs like dry clay. I can see the wave of creatures consuming the horizon. They get closer and closer each time I blink.

“Laval, what are you doing? Run!”, Eris screams from the bottom of her lungs.

She pulls me with her hand. I can’t stop looking behind me, even if she’s dragging me away from that crowd.

Loud howls form a symphony of wildness, followed by the percussion of paws running on the ground.

My legs return to their senses and begin moving with my will. I turn around and sprint far away from the stampede, but the darkness of the night engulfs us into a sudden, unpredictable maze. The cracking noises of leaves and branches can’t muffle down the stalking wolves; they get louder by the minute— they might catch us soon.

A sudden pebble gets stuck in between my toes— I loose my balance and trip. I can only feel the leaves breaking under my fall. But something lifts me just after, as it tightly grips my tunic.

I tried to scream, but fear shut my mouth.

And yet, the stampede is behind us. Maybe.

“How’re you this heavy?”

This familiar voice breaks the suspense haunting me. Childlike and brittle… It can only be Cragger!

“Alert! There’s a big tree nearby. Follow me!”

We follow suit the eagle’s words.

An explosion of leaves echo out of our sight.

“I— They’re getting closer!”

Eris’ voice becomes louder than before, "Cragger, please, hold my friend tight!”

He groans, “What do you mean?”, before a gush of wind pushes upwards on us.

Wing flaps can be heard, slow but steady. Worse— it seems that Eris picked us up just by herself! The pressure on my tunic gets stronger, starting to rip part of my clothes, and it worsens with my friends wobbling atop the sky, until I’m finally able to touch on high branches.

My friends proceed to hold themselves onto the tree alongside me. From the looks of it, as I stare downwards at the tree’s roots, the trunk is very, very tall. Weird enough, the branches are long yet sturdy, flowing in whatever direction it can.

The moonlight shines, hitting faintly on these huge, hollow seeds that hang from those branches. They’re not just hollow; they have open holes like doors and windows! Are they houses?

Cragger whimpers, “Eris… Tha’was close! How did you…”

“You just answered me by yourself.”

He sighs.

From below, the rush of wolves pass galloping in a hurry, avoiding us and the tree, but their noise attracts an unexpected rumble at our height too. We hear heavy panting, and it gets louder by the minute.

“Dude!”, the disembodied voice groans, “What in Cavora is going on?”

I look behind me and notice a small gorilla, perhaps a kid even, juggling from branch to branch until he reaches us— up close, his bright markings all across his face feel familiar.

“Ey, Gorzan!”, Cragger greets the child in relief.

“Oh, hi bud. Crocodiles never climb trees.”

Gorzan stares at us, suspicious of why we’re here in the first place. Though, he looks down once more, then analyzes us briefly, before nodding.

“So you guys are also troubled by this mess?…”

“Wait— what do you mean ‘also’? Where were you during all of the past Hundred Year Moon incidents?”

Eris starts to propel herself using an offshoot in an attempt to wrestle the kid, but he remains unfazed. The eagle’s eyes shine with tears— I suppose adrenaline also pumps violently in her, just like it does in me.

“…We stayed home each and every night it crossed our view. We’re not reckless, you know!”

I unwillingly giggle, my voice trembling a bit; now everyone’s attention is directed at me, so I lower my voice.

“Yes… We aren’t reckles… I guess…”

The gorilla laughs loud, swaying himself around. He’s amused, but I’m not. I don’t think my other friends are amused either. But he’s there, kicking his feet on the air, for a minute. Underneath his smile, I can notice he’s slightly nervous. Then, he returns to a calmer stance, hanging with one hand.

"You guys should come with me. My grandpa won't be happy to see us here like this..."

After being led with my friends by Gorzan into his village, we're greeted with faint lights that scatter across the enormous tree they're hanging from. Those lights all come from the houses of the Gorilla Tribe; one of them in particular strikes attention because of its flashy blue paint job. Gorzan points at it, telling us about a little party that was going on in there; it got previously interrupted due to the sudden wolf stampede, followed by our screaming. He proceeds to vocalize and whoop; the other gorillas who remained inside that house reply and wave at us. We swing our way to the party.

As we set our foot inside that abode, a dizzy sensation makes me lose focus; the seed is more hollow than I had imagined, with a lot of empty room, besides a circle of gorillas awaiting for us. One of them, a grayed elder, itches his dry lips before drinking straight from an open coconut.

"Thank you, grandson, for saving the future of Chima...", he bows to the child in relief, "When I heard them, I immediately recognized their voices... An old leader like me can't do much."

Gorzan gives him a massage on the shoulders. "Grizzam, don't worry about it, I brought them here just fine! Let's just relax and party!"

Another tiny gorilla, dressed up with flowers, hands us a handful of coconuts. Her blue skin bears a resemblance to Gorzan's, but her fur is brown.

“Drink it— you’ll feel much better, especially if you did a lot of exercise beforehand!

She crawls up to us, then whispers, “My bro loves coconut water… That’s because it helps you regain the salts you lose when sweating!”

Gorzan blushes in reaction after overhearing our small conversation.

He says, “Don’t mind G'loona, please! My sister's kinda talkative about our lives…”

“But she didn’t say anything special… Oh well, perhaps I do need to drink this more often”, I tilt the fruit at my muzzle and drink the refreshing liquid, “I tend to sweat a lot… Do you Gorzan?”

His face immediately becomes shiny, with water dripping from his forehead. He covers his face in shame and everybody laughs.

Eris starts to dance to the rhythmic clapping of the animals around us; Cragger also joins the fun; everyone chants and sway around eagerly... but me. I look behind, stare at the dead of night, thinking about the bucket of Chi we abandoned. Oh well, I wonder what those wolves did with it. The music bounces around the house— my ears hurt! Eris, however, probably noticed me crouched on the floor; she reaches her hand, inviting me to dance.

Should I?

My legs wobble and I fall back to the ground. She giggles and lifts me up.

"Don't be shy, Laval! I know you can dance."

"Yes... But—"

The gorillas stop their music. Grizzam's pale blue eyes shrink unexpectedly.

"You heard that?", he utters, "Troops are marching their way here. Gorzan, take care of the unwarranted visitors!"

The grandchild bows before hopping down the house; he descends from branch to branch, until I can't see him well at this height. I crouch again and tilt my ears forward; the silence helps me eavesdrop a husky voice below, then faint metallic noises. Eris sits near me, picking her feathers.

"Hey—", "Calm down..."

"Bring them to me!"

Afterwards, Gorzan comes back, panting and trembling.

"It's... It's the Crocodile Tribe's commander, grandpa! He wants Cragger and Laval!"

My blood runs cold— The commander, he said!

Grizzam coughs. "I suppose someone had to come rescue these children..."

I snap, "But— Why would it have to be the commander-in-chief? What about Cragger's dad! He's the king! Right, Cragger?"

He stays quiet. "I— uhh... I dunno..."

Gorzan pulls our hands, visibly afraid. Cruz— I can't even imagine what that deplorable criminal said to him!

"Guys... We have no choice", he whispers.

Cragger and I are brought down to the earth's level, face to face with the blue, tall, intimidating crocodile and his army. The moon still shines bright, but the purple tint has gone away. Gorzan runs back to the tree, and we're left alone with the crocs.

A medium sized vehicle stands behind Cruz; it's bulky and wide, with a crocodilian mouth open on the front. Cragger is slowly escorted by some guards to the back of that tank, slow enough to be deliberate; I see him distracted, his back facing me.

A blunt force hits my head and all fades to black.

----

That... horrible, disembodied voice— I know it... I've heard it one too many times. It pierces my skin without remorse. It haunts me, crawls inside my eardrums, spits on me, screams at me.

"And you thought that you could get away from me, brat!"

Cruz' foul breath hurts my eyes; I tear up, and whatever I could barely see is now gone. The humid and airtight room makes me squirm.

"What are you even doing?", I cry.

He pushes my head onto something hard; the pain spreads around the back of my skull. "Making sure you don't get in my way."

"Way of what?"

He hits me again, but I hold myself back from crying. "What do you have to do with the wolves?"

A finger shoves itself onto my muzzle; it pulls my mouth upwards, then snaps it back to place.

"You rat— Why should I tell you anything?" He stays silent for a moment, breathing heavily. "It doesn't matter anymore. I got what I wanted; you'll see it soon when I kill your entire family!"

No— not my family!

Chains rustle as I shake my body, trying to free myself. Cruz laughs with a raspy, sadistic cackle, before wet steps begin to hide his voice: "The Crocodile 'king' has a huge storm coming for him... Hah!"

Dead silence.

Here I am, once again caught in between these chains, hidden by the shadows of a selfish commander.

"If someone tried to attack us, we'd have no choice but to defend ourselves", the words of my uncle echo in mind.

While I am left here to rot, Cruz will, without a doubt, start war against my tribe. Perhaps... kidnapping me was the plan, to avoid the wolves from being saved, to continue this disaster and take advantage of it? Stir violence from violence? Meanwhile, where is Crominus? He's the one in charge; where is he in a fragile moment like this!

I stare down at my stiff, tightly held body; the strength of those chains begin to hurt my bones. An anguished sigh leaves my throat.

If I recall properly... Cragger didn't know where his dad was, right? I wouldn't be surprised if my Dad summoned him because of Cruz' actions. But it doesn't make sense for Cruz to be left alone and do what he wants!

Sudden noises– of what sound like sparks– burst around the surface; I hold my breath and listen to them, but they're interrupted by faraway screaming; it's followed by dashing steps that get stronger by the second, alongside a torch I see, being held by Crawley. He enters the cave, looks around, then whispers: "Dang it! Cruz has to stop drifting away from my plans!". When he noticed that I listened to it all, he gives me an ugly look, akin to a threat, and leaves the place.

"Troops, to the entrance! Go!", Cruz' orders manage to get inside my eardrums.

Noises of metallic weaponry clanging and banging around follow suit, but one seems to direct itself inside the cave. A tall brown crocodile, with a metal lower jaw, rises from the depths holding a torch.

The crocodile moves behind me and begins to melt down the chains holding me; the dampness of this cave makes them sizzle ever so slightly, as fire appears within my view.

“W– what are you doing!”, I cough blood.

Suddenly, the chains fall free onto the muddy floor, but I’m held by unbelievably huge, muscular arms.

“Silence”, he whispers, “They’ll catch us if you make any noise.”

The stranger hugs me tight before running away; I cannot see properly for I have been tied up longer than anything in my life; though I lost track of time, the light quickly blinds me in a matter of what feels like minutes, and deafening noises of heavy vehicle tracks invade my unrecognizable surroundings.

Even if my senses are adrift, I will always find my way— unfortunate, however, the stench of blood floats on the atmosphere; rich and metallic— a smell that I am too familiar with.

I cry, “The gore… It’s sickening…”

The crocodile’s heart beat shoots fast.

“Crug, you insolent swine! Go to the battlefield like I ordered you to!”, Cruz’ orders echo from afar.

Crug rubs my eyes, helping me regain my sight. He pets my tiny little mane and leaves me behind, hidden besides a tall tree, whose roots rise of the ground with very good shade. I hide underneath it, then stare at the mud on my legs and arms. Ugh.

And so I dive myself into the mud, hoping that my adrenaline stink becomes less noticeable.

Ugly screams of agony shake the ground, mixed with thuds of dead bodies being shot with Chi lasers, metals clanging, blood splattering. I could not interfere. Neither could I help. I'm left to rot here, and if I leave, I will die! Oh Mount Cavora— I had a hunch that Cruz was indeed plotting something... And he did! Outside of the Crocodile's Swamp Hideout is a battlefield!

Underneath all of the noise, a firm voice passionately screams far away: "Give my nephew back to me, heinous criminal! You will never be king, speaking as the brother of one! You are nothing but—"

A heavy gunshot silences Lavertus.

"I will run over all of your lions! Crominus is no longer with us— I, the commander of this tribe's army, have become the Crocodile Tribe's only ruler!", other gunshots ensue, followed by painstaking roars of demise, "Your nephew keeps meddling in my business; I'll take care of him just like I did with those soldiers!"

Crocodile soldiers bellow in pain; I close my ears in reaction. My body shakes in fear, as sweat surges from my skin.

No... First the wolves, now the crocodiles... No... Cragger— Oh Cragger, I'm sorry, I hope you're alright...

Lavertus groans, "Crominus... Crun— They're at the Eagle Spire, and you pounced at the moment they left because of the Purple Moon! You coward!"

I shut my muzzle shortly after, as to not gasp. My heartbeat loses all rhythm and goes out of control. Tears cascade down, burning my eyes.

Everything around me becomes bleached of color in a sudden— these wooden walls that surround the Crocodile's Swamp Hideout curl into an oddly familiar shape, similar to the Coliseum; it's like I'm watching a Speedor Race from above, as the tiniest of ants spiral, until a crocodilian mount of dirt rises from the ground, holding a gun.

Its eyes shine bright, like amber.

"The wolves, Laval... They don't know it yet!", it screeches into a macabre laugh, "It's too late. Give up."

In a fraction of a second, the entire scenario dissolves, revealing Lennox in front of the hideout's now burnt down walls. He pulls me away from underneath the tree, and, while he runs to somewhere, my eyes begin to lose their senses.

"Laval! Oh, please...", Lavertus' voice is swallowed by the never-ending cries of misery, as I fall asleep within someone's grasp.

----

I start shoving my face onto the bed's pillow with strength— it becomes stained with warm tears and mucus. I cry, scream, muffling down my voice on the cushion.

"Why, why? I'm useless! Oh Mount Cavora— ever since that sinister wolf hurt me, everyone's lives have been falling apart. I tried all I could, but it always ends up unfolding into something terrible. Wolves are being killed everyday, and now we got crocodiles trying to take advantage of this for power!"

My tail, whipping sideways, hits something— then it gets grabbed and pulled around! Ouch! And so I turn around.

It was Furty who picked my tail; but as I stare at his body, I notice the stiffness of his bright orange fur; his tan raggedy clothes are covered in dirt and grass. The fox’s quaking in place, kneeling in front of my bed, clenching his hands as if begging.

“Please, Laval, hear me out!”, he whimpers, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, but please give me one chance!”

“W— what is it? How did you even get in here? Guar—“, I tried to scream, but he shut my muzzle shortly after.

Furty lets me go, then wipes the tears off his eyes. “I betrayed you, okay? I told them about your plan. They went after you. It was my fault! But it was at that moment where things escalated— I had to run away! But they found me and threatened to kill me if I…”

His cries start to become too loud, so I shut his muzzle for a second.

“You… were involved with Cruz?”

“Yes! I thought he was some… crazy, overenthusiastic croc, but he’s actually doing it! His plan… He told me that if I snitched, he’d kill me. I don’t want to go back. I am the last of my kind— and I am done for!”, he cries on my bedsheet.

“You sneaky— Argh! Guards!”

Furty grabs my cold hands in despair; his dry paw pads uncomfortably itch my skin. He moans in fear. “No! If your guards catch me, they’ll kick me out! Don’t you understand?”

He looks at me with very, very wet eyes. It is a life or death situation for him— it must feel horrible to be the last fox, with his impending doom right behind the door. I don’t want to be responsible for anyone’s death… No… He put my life at risk, but I would never want to do the same…

“I need refuge. Please.”

I sigh, hiding the pain of my voice, “Look… I’ll try to save you, Furtivo. But you will have to promise me two things!”

His ears raise.

“First, you’ll have to tell my dad everything you know, spoke and heard about this; and you will never, under any circumstance, meddle yourself in crime! I will call the guards and you’ll be imprisoned— then, you’ll soon be interrogated by my dad and kept behind bars for your own safety.”

Before the fox could do anything, Longtooth gently opens the door, catching him on sight; to my surprise, I'm able to get out of bed and walk to the bodyguard. He looks at me with a worried expression, but he's understanding of Furty's presence; the lion pets Furty's orange fur and wipes away his tears. Of course, it was only a matter of time for that cunning youngling to be arrested. He better explain everything he knows about Cruz and the wolves... If he wants to be forgiven by those around him...

The leaders from each and every tribe of Chima have reunited to discuss about the reoccurring issues of the Purple Moon. Not only that, but—

"The commander-in-chief of your tribe has attempted to overthrow your ruling", Dad speaks with an assertive tone of voice that echoes within the lion temple, "Explain yourself, Crominus."

I tug on my father's leather skirt, afraid. Cragger... I am so afraid for you...

"Your Majesty, I went to visit the Eagle Spire with my wife and children— we had important matters to solve with the Eagles, right, Crunket?"

She, queen of the crocodiles, remains silent, without budging any of the pale green scales of her lips. Her moist pink dress flows stiff as she pinches it in inquietude.

He continues, "The wolves began to advance into our territory each Purple Moon. Their power is... Uncontrollable. The walls protecting the Crocodile's Swamp Hideout might not be enough. I had to consult Ewald for help— his tribe has the technology, after all."

Ewald picks on dead skin of his talons. "Exactly that, Your Majesty! But we're at a tough place right now. As I've said before, we have almost nothing about the Purple Moon. My daughter found extremely crucial clues, though they're not enough..."

Dad sighs, tapping the index finger on his arm. Those words don't seem to convince him of anything...

"You're drifting away from the point, Crominus. The captain you chose was not a trustworthy one; he kidnapped and tortured my son multiple times! I can't imagine how you weren't able to crack down on this sooner."

The crocodile king tries to speak, but his words are run over by those of my father, who gives Furty his turn to speak. Lagravis' menacing stare pieces through the poor teenager, whose face has become expressionless with dread. He laughs a bit, shaking.

"Ah, Lagravis— I mean, Your Majesty... It is of—"

Dad roars, "Do not play with me! Be honest and direct or face a father's wrath!"

Furtivo audibly gulps, "Yikes! Sorry— I first saw Cruz at the swamp... He was gnarling at Crawley— you know the one, who shot a bullet during the Speedor Race— about kicking Crominus out of power. His tirade was so absurd that I had to butt in... I swear to Mount Cavora, I didn't know he had that much power!

His breath runs short with saliva dripping from his muzzle down to his tan raggedy clothes. "He kind of hired me as his personal spy... But it was only at the moment where he began to manipulate the wolves that a red flag rose, especially with whatever happened after the Speedor Race. I couldn't back away as he had threatened my life when I did so."

I hide behind Lagravis' back, holding myself from tears. All of this can't be a ruse, the Chi moved along the Purple Moon, how could that crocodile even control such a raw item of nature?

"Furtivo, are you implying that the wolf attacks against my son have a correlation with Cruz' actions?"

"Yes, sir."

"Argh!", Lagravis screams as he hits the hilts of his throne, "I should have summoned the wolf elders. Was Wakz right all along? Is Wilhurt on the loose?"

"I... am afraid so, almighty king of the lions."

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