#Finn the quail

[birdhism]

[ratsoh-writes]

What they put as their SOs contact name

Sans: bonezone buddy

Papyrus: MY BEAUTIFUL DATEMATE WHO I LOVE VERY MUCH!!

Star: bootylicious ;)

Honey: cinna-bun followed by an obscene amount of emojis

Red: drumstick gotta pay homage to the legs

Edge: prince/princess

Mal: bedazzle✨

Cash: he wouldn’t even add a name. It’s just a very poorly taken profile picture

Oak: buns

Willow: SHORT DATEMATE WITH TERRIBLE TASTES IN MONSTERS

Charm: the good flavor~

Sugar: love, but he also includes a creep shot of your butt at the profile picture

Lord: just your name

Mutt: babe❤️

Wine: dearest (yn)

Coffee: that hoe

Pop: he doesn’t put contact names in his phone. It’s just your number lol

Rhythm: twinkle toes

Pluto: my starlight

Jupiter: my little hero

Peaches: snacc

Rancher: just your name again

G: thiccus dickkus (doesn’t matter if you don’t have a d*ck. That’s your contact name)

Green: just your name, but he adds an emoji that describes you at the end

Snipe: …… daddy. Or mommy lol

Bruiser: partner in crime

Ace: baby❤️❤️❤️

Slim: no contact name, just a creep shot of either your cleavage, your shoulders, or your butt as a profile pic

Butch: darling

Boss: kitten/bunny

Rust: my squishy

Noir: shortie

Lilac: also bootylicious lol

Basil: little honey bee (and an obscene amount of emojis)

Helios: just your name, but instead of your picture, it’s a picture of goku

Artemis: bae (and like a ton of cake emojis)

Orion: inktastic! Doesn’t matter if you have a tattoo or not, this is your contact name

Atlas: partner in crime~

Sparks: THE LOVE OF MY LIFE AND ALL ETERNITY!!

Salt: honeybuns, and a creep pic of your butt of course

Lush: sugar baby (lol)

Pepper: sugar daddy (they’re both terrible)

Sir: my dearest (he’s a sap)

Weasel: that clown, and he includes a picture of one of his creepy clown dolls as your pfp

Flambé: he also puts you as “sugar daddy” lol

Pesto: sweet tooth~

Butler: my love (sap #2)

Gold: bestie I also kiss and snuggle

Cider: he calls you “little quail”

Barley: fine wine

Ram: lamb, and it’s a picture of a sheep instead of you lol

Pitch: just your name, and a picture of you laughing

Moose: darlin’

Maple: CHAINSAW DENIER.

Fisher: he calls you a shortened version of your name, if that’s not possible, then just an emoji that represents you

Jasper: MY PARTNER AND SELF RESTRAINT

Hook: doll, and it’s a cute picture of you in your swimsuit

Captain: co-captain

Finn: the top scout!!

Sails: …. Daddy, or mommy lol

Quill: softie (and a pic of you holding one of his stuffed animals)

Crow: sugar baby once again lol.

Roost: babe.

Harpy: pet~

Mango: my (your name), and the picture is you struggling in one of her Zumba classes lol

Papaya: just your name, and a picture of a pineapple for some reason

Alden: the best piece of art!

Ollivander: treasure chest

Barin: my darling (and a heart emoji. Adorable)

Arwin: PARTY ROCKER!!!

Hilda: I BENCH-PRESS THIS HOE EVERY NIGHT

Saga: prince (or princess) charming

Gears: just your name, but the picture of you is super cute with you concentrating over a project

Compass: no contact name, just a picture of you holding one of the iguanas

Zen: love of my life

Shield: my armor~

Lens: lifeline

Cricket: MY FAVORITE PIECE OF TRASH

Tempo: the best beat (and your picture is a pic of Mozart for some reason)

Vibrato: MY PRINCE CHARMING!

[mymiraclebox]

The Kwamis

Alpha Kwamis: Vitaa the Panda of Life Shii the Crow of Death Tikki the Ladybug of Creation Plagg the Black Cat of Destruction Graay the Wolf of Order Prrysm the Platypus of Chaos Stellar the Firefly of Space Koree the Raccoon of Void

Elemental Kwamis: Swaar the Dinosaur of Gravity Longg the Dragon of Storm Tonna the Feathered Serpent of Earth Zeffyr the Griffin of Air Duskk the Grim of Darkness Nokk the Kelpie of Water Emburr the Phoenix of Fire Matto the Pterosaur of Aether Kirrin the Qilin of Light Kiikaa the Thunderbird of Electricity Uunice the Unicorn of Magic Ziima the Yeti of Glaciation

Timekeeper Kwamis: Antiqq the Aurochs of Reversion Shaash the Bear of Preservation Sass the Cobra of Opportunity Zipp the Dragonfly of Progression Allta the Frog of Change Keena the Lynx of Intuition Frostt the Penguin of Stagnation Fluff the Rabbit of Evolution Apple the Red Panda of Lineage Passtel the Snail of Patience Faae the Spider of Destiny Mataara the Tuatara of History

Delta Kwamis: Harmonee the Ant of Cooperation Sannar the Axolotl of Restoration Fangg the Bat of Fatigue Chaapa the Beaver of Innovation Pollen the Bee of Subjection Maggi the Binturong of Magnetism Yanna the Bison of Victory Blancca the Blackbuck of Inversion Nooroo the Butterfly of Generosity Duune the Camel of Perspective Milli the Chameleon of Emotion Purr the Cheetah of Agility Reef the Coral of Sensitivity Dess the Cougar of Apathy Remmi the Coyote of Despair Snapp the Crab of Adaptation Llucie the Crocodile of Clarity Fawnna the Deer of Wilderness Barkk the Dog of Detection Clikk the Dolphin of Sound Olivv the Dove of Peace Liiri the Eagle of Freedom Tuskk the Elephant of Memories Florra the Elk of Growth Sorren the Falcon of Observation Flowwe the Flamingo of Rhythm Trixx the Fox of Deception Elle the Gecko of Equality Parra the Giraffe of Confusion Ziggy the Goat of Imagination Karrma the Goose of Justice Verr the Gorilla of Sacrifice  Spikke the Hedgehog of Precision Taamus the Hippopotamus of Density Kaalki the Horse of Migration Ravenna the Hyena of Scarcity Gloss the Ibex of Friction Niisha the Jackal of Connections Belaa the Jaguar of Imperception Jellos the Jellyfish of Hatred Kicc the Kangaroo of Avarice Vexx the Komodo Dragon of Corrosion Valoree the Lion of Courage Donna the Llama of Attention Vollee the Locust of Invasion Xuppu the Monkey of Derision Allces the Moose of Evocation Duux the Moth of Hope Baash the Mouflon of Strength Mullo the Mouse of Abundance Currio the Narwhal of Wonder Attlantis the Octopus of Choice Jiicho the Okapi of Perspective Fleet the Ostrich of Guidance Ziibi the Otter of Transformation Tyyto the Owl of Secrets Stompp the Ox of Determination Lynn the Pangolin of Boundary Ecco the Parrot of Language Duusu the Peacock of Psyche Daizzi the Pig of Love Glaace the Polar Bear of Endurance Anjjel the Quail of Mercy Habuu the Rattlesnake of Beauty Ommen the Raven of Probability Mannta the Ray of Immersion Kaanda the Rhinoceros of Augmentation Orikko the Rooster of Vitality Finn the Salmon of Navigation Aynna the Scarab of Reflection Verriti the Scorpion of Truth Daante the Seahorse of Intimidation Misst the Seal of Elusion Flairr the Secretarybird of Passion Poppy the Shark of Joy Yuume the Sheep of Dreams Frijj the Snow Leopard of Silence Tinni the Squirrel of Diminution Twwist the Stoat of Elasticity Prrince the Swan of Loyalty Acce the Thylacine of Isolation Roaar the Tiger of Force Scuut the Tortoise of Knowledge Wayzz the Turtle of Protection Teer the Vulture of Sorrow Sotaa the Wolverine of Conflict Drill the Woodpecker of Dimension Divvi the Zebra of Duality

[irenethewoman]

Mrs.Shelby-Chapter 9- Gift

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@noirrose21-blog

@ell0ra-br3kk3r

April 1920, Birmingham

John called us to the Garrison pub, claiming there was a matter to announce. He said he was going to marry Lizzie Stark. I don't want to comment on this. Everyone's a whore; we just sell different parts of ourselves. Those were Tommy's words.

Lizzie Stark is a good person; at least she knows gratitude. She took care of Martha before she died, and even after, she often visited Martha and John's children.

But John is a Shelby. How can Thomas Shelby's younger brother marry a whore? What does that mean for the future of the Peaky Blinders? What has happened to the Shelbys? Love runs deep, and for the sake of love, people throw everything away.

"Tommy, can you understand?" John pleaded with his brother. "You have Diana, and I deserve love too."

...Why should I care? I am Lady Vanessa from Chelsea, and would it be embarrassing for Tommy and me to be together?

At this moment, Finn rushed in, saying we had been robbed. The Lee family made it clear that they are also a bunch of bastards.

As I flipped through the ledgers, reconciling the lost property, Tommy found a pair of pliers on the table in the meeting room.

"Don't move! There's a hand grenade here," he warned.

Listening to their stories about the "jokes" on the battlefield, I was stunned. Still, I quickly responded, "No, there isn't. Otherwise, we would have been blown up when we came in."

"The bullets they sent only have my name on them. They want to kill me."

...Alright, what bullets? Tommy kept this from me again.

I watched him run out of the betting shop, seemingly knowing the location of the bomb.

I looked down at the ledgers. Money can be earned again, but things more precious than money are irreplaceable. If we want to replace Billy Kimber, we cannot afford a setback and let the Lee family take advantage. We must negotiate and become a tight unit.

Tommy returned, having found the bomb in his car.

He listened to my thoughts and nodded. I asked if he wanted me to accompany him.

He remained silent for a moment and shook his head. "The Lee family knows I have a beauty with me, but they don't know you."

"So what?" I frowned at him. I didn't understand. I just wanted to help him bear more, and besides, we were going for negotiation, not war. What's so scary about them knowing who I am?

Tommy shook his head and gave me a teasing kiss. "Can you... uh, smoke less..."

Tommy went to the outskirts market, and I accompanied Polly to find Ada.

Poor Ada, pregnant and living like a rat in the dark basement. Love? If this is love, I'd rather not.

Ada gave us the address of one of Sean's associates, a life for a life.

Since Ada left home, this was the first time I had seen her. She had changed from the lively girl of those years into a thin woman with a bulging belly. Her face was pale, and her eyes rolled around like a frightened quail.

"Don't torture yourself just because you hate Thomas," I squatted down, trying to persuade her gently. "And Thomas has done a lot for you and Sean, even though he sometimes seems annoying, he loves you. Go home."

I tried to persuade Ada to go home for rest, but she firmly refused.

It was raining heavily. I tightened my coat and stood in Tommy's garage.

Finally, Campbell arrived.

I handed him a note with Chapman's address. "This is Stanley Chapman's residence, and he has £200 from the Russians."

Campbell reached out to take the note but I dodged. "Use it to exchange for Sean."

He nodded. "You have my guarantee, Miss Turner."

Guarantee? Who would believe your guarantee? I raised an eyebrow.

His eyes betrayed him; he seemed to see me as a little animal that could be played with. He probably thought I was a gentlewoman protected by Thomas, harmless and innocent.

I didn't bother to correct his mistake. Let him see the consequences of his prejudice.

He asked me to pass a message to Thomas, asking him to hand over the weapons as soon as possible, and made a series of threats.

"Your spy, Grace from Garrison Pub," I spoke as he walked away. "Quite useless."

I watched Campbell stop in his tracks, turn around, and look at me.

We silently confronted each other.

"Miss Vanessa," he called me by my title.

That's right.

Despite scoffing at the news of "grandfather looking for me," I still managed to contact the informant who came from London. My grandfather, David Barton, was in poor health, his only son had already passed away, and he wanted me to return to be his heir, inheriting his factory and vast wealth. He even offered to help me inherit the title of Baroness—even though my younger brother George was still the current heir.

My grandfather went as far as seeking Churchill's help to communicate with me. Although I was indifferent to inheriting the wealth, I felt a bit emotional seeing the news of my grandfather.

In the face of the upcoming war, the support of such a wealthy old man would be a great help to the Shelby family. So, I decided to return to London temporarily.

I briefly talked to my grandfather on the phone, but the most important thing for me was to find information about the Russians.

The Shelleys sent a car to pick me up.

I drove my car and waited at the entrance of the Garrison. I planned to tell Thomas about my temporary departure to London and also to ask him about the Russians.

But Thomas seemed to be in a bad mood.

"Tommy," I called his name, but he only gave me a cold look.

"I'm leaving for London. Grandfather asked me to inherit the family business," I said softly.

This time, he finally looked at me seriously. "When?"

"As soon as possible. I'll be back after handling the family affairs. It's just a temporary return."

He didn't say anything. I could feel the chill in his eyes.

"I need to know more about the Russians. Do you have any information?" I continued.

He finally spoke, his voice indifferent. "We're dealing with them."

That was all he said.

I left Birmingham without saying goodbye to the others. As I boarded the car, I took one last glance at the Garrison, hoping that when I returned, everything would be fine.

However, fate had a different plan for me. I didn't know that my temporary departure marked the beginning of a series of unpredictable events.

As I stepped into the car, I could feel a storm brewing on the horizon. Little did I know, the storm would change everything.

[putyouinabettermood]

Finn the quail from Fat Hen Farms wearing a little mushroom hat via https://ift.tt/XnjY3RC putyouinabettermood.com

[peacefulheartfarm]

Raising Animal Protein

Raising animal protein for food on the homestead. What are some of the options? And what are some of the factors to consider when making your choices. As you may know our choices for raising animal protein on the homestead currently includes cows, goats, sheep and poultry. In the very near future, we plan on having pigs. There are other types of protein that we may have or have considered. I’ll talk about all of those.

But first, as always, I will never take you all for granted. You make this show possible.

Welcome to any and all new listeners and welcome back to the veteran homestead-loving regulars who stop by the FarmCast for every episode. You mean so much to me. Thank you so much for your support of this podcast. It has been a while and I’m so excited to share with you all about the homestead.

Our Virginia Homestead Life Updates

We’ve had a busy morning already. Scott is milking. I set up for making butter in a little while and put some yogurt on to ferment. It will be ready in less than 8 hours. I’ve been out to the garden and planted a half dozen flowers, stocks this time, and let the chickens out to play.

Chickens/Quail

Chickens you say. When did that happen? If I remember correctly, the eggs began hatching on April the 8th. I had 24 eggs each of American White Bresse and Black Copper Maran. There were two incubators running and all went well. I hatched 17 White American Bresse and 7 Black Copper Marans.

Due to the low hatch rate on the Marans, the eBay seller sent me another dozen for the cost of postage. I incubated those and hatched three more of the Black Copper Maran from that batch.

The first batch of low hatch rate was not my fault. Most of the eggs were not fertile or perhaps were “scrambled” in the shipping process. But I must say that of those that didn’t hatch in the last dozen, four were nearly or fully formed. I have no idea why they died just before hatching but have to believe it must have been something I did or did not do with that last batch.

At the moment, I have 14 American White Bresse and 9 Black Copper Maran. I lost three of the Bresse and one of the Marans. That last loss happened just a few days ago. That particular chicken was hatched six days after the rest of the crew. It was always smaller, but a little over 2 weeks ago, it developed some kind of disorder. It couldn’t really stand up. The vet happened to be here that day and took a look at it. She recommended antibiotics for a few days and see how it goes. That seemed to help a bit but eventually the chick succumbed to whatever the ailment was.

The vet did not have a lot of information on chicken issues of this type. She said there are just too many variables without testing. And chicken generally are not worth the cost of testing. So, there you go.

Dogs

There is a lot to talk about with the dogs. I’ll try to keep it brief. Let me start with the current state of affairs and then go back and fill in a few details. Finn disappeared about 4 weeks ago and has not returned. While he and Charlotte escaped a lot, Charlotte has always been back the next day and Finn never more than two days. We did have to go and fetch him three different times. He seemed to get so far away that he did not know how to get home.

Charlotte and Mack are now guarding the sheep. They seem to be doing well with that task. Charlotte still goes wherever she wants, whenever she wants, but she stays relatively close. She grieved for about two weeks after Finn disappeared. I had her on a tether so she could not run away, but even after I let her loose, she was very quiet. Being a Great Pyrenees, she generally barks a lot. But there was nothing for many days. Now she is back to barking up a storm.

Fear of Thunder

Speaking of storms, on the day that Finn disappeared, there was a storm and Charlotte returned home only hours after they both escaped. I found that she is very scared of thunder. Still, after seven months, she will not let me walk up to her to pet her. But if there is thunder, she is right there beside me looking for comfort. I can pet her all I want in those moments. But Finn did not show up with her, not unusual.

Let’s see if I can be brief regarding of the circumstances of Finn’s final escape. Starting about six weeks ago, we were trying to get them to bond with the sheep so we put all of them together in the front pastures. We had already been trying this for some time in the field next to the house. We were able to contain the dogs there. The same was not true when we moved them to the front fields. For several days we tried patching places in the fence to keep them contained. They still escaped nearly every day. After an escape that had Scott going a few miles to pick up Finn, we put both of them back in the field right next to the house. Finn was put on a tether. Charlotte will stay close by to him. We then spent long hours discussing what we were going to do.

Another Coyote Attack

In the meantime, we left the sheep in the front pasture. Within three days of the dogs being out of the pasture, we had a coyote attack. We lost six of seven lambs and one of our new ewes. The remaining sheep and lamb were moved back into the field next to the house with the dogs. Just three days alone and the coyotes zeroed in on them. We suffered yet another huge emotional and financial loss. It’s far in the past now and I am over it, but as you can probably imagine, it was quite traumatic at the time. Again, I was questioning whether we wanted to have sheep and goats.

I got over that bit of negativity and we still have the sheep and a deposit on some goat kids. More on that later.

After lots and lots of research, I decided to try and train Charlotte and Finn with an ecollar. It was recommended over and over again in the Livestock Guardian Training group on Facebook. No matter the ecollar system, it is an expensive and time-consuming undertaking.

We were keeping Finn on the tether and Charlotte always stayed with him. But what to do about protecting the sheep? We can’t keep them in the same field forever. The sheep must be rotated from field to field for their health and the availability of grass. The idea of fixing fences every day, every time we move them to another field or paddock was completely unrealistic. The time to complete the ecollar fence and training would be months and months. We decided to go back to an original plan before we got Finn and Charlotte. Mack was to be the sheepdog.

We had kept him separate with the cows because he chased the sheep. He bonded well with the cows and we were preoccupied with trying to train Charlotte and Finn to guard the sheep. All was well there. Now that Finn and Charlottes plan with the sheep was scrapped, we decided to bring Mack back into the picture. And this was the fatal day that we lost Finn.

Let’s Train Mack

Now that we decided to train Mack with the sheep, what was the plan to make that happen? We needed to check the health of the flock after their coyote ordeal. The plan was to bring all the sheep and Mack to the corral together so he could see us working with the sheep. Then we would bring the lot of them back to the field next to the house for a week or so until Mack could start to see them as his animals to be protected. Well, we needed to move Finn and Charlotte out of that field while we made this short jaunt up the travel lane to the corral and back.

We put Finn and Charlotte into the lower garden fenced area. We had held them there before and there was no problem. We didn’t take the time to move the tether. By the time we returned with the sheep and Mack only about 30 minutes had passed. I’m guessing that within 10 minutes Finn and Charlotte had gotten into the orchard and then completely out of the perimeter fence.

I’m still grieving over Finn. Tomorrow will be four weeks. There is not much hope, but I still cling to just a little bit of hope. He has a collar that has our farm name and phone number clearly visible from 3 feet away. I can’t imagine someone would steal him. How would they know they needed to strongly contain him? He could have run afoul of a bear or that pack of coyotes. He could have been hit by a car, though we have found no evidence of that. Someone could have shot him. He could have gotten to the Primland resort. They have all sorts of bears, lions, and who knows what else over there. It’s an internationally known hunting resort. I just don’t know. I just don’t know. And that’s the worst, not knowing. He could still be out there.

A Brief Hope Still Burns

About three weeks ago, we had a call from someone who thought they had “our dog”. I was so relieved, but then it wasn’t our dog, it wasn’t Finn. It was a Great Pyrenees dog that was extremely skinny and had some medical issues. Perhaps Finn is still out there somewhere like that trying to survive. There is that small string tied to hope coming up again. I better move on.

Sheep/Lambs

The remaining sheep and lamb are doing really well. We moved forward with the plan for Mack guarding them. Charlotte was also in the same field and I let her off the tether after only a few days. She was so despondent I thought it was best. My instincts were correct for once in that situation. No more escaping. She stays pretty close, though she does still roam around various places on the property. I will eventually have to train her to stay within the perimeter.

I think Mack is beginning to bond with the sheep. Moving him out of the field next to the house has sealed that deal. Before that move, the sheep were with Mack and Charlotte, but the calves were also in that field. Mack immediately bonded with the calves, but not the sheep. Moving the dogs and sheep to a separate paddock from the calves seems to have worked. Fingers crossed, so far it has worked. The sheep are still wary of the dogs. It will likely take months and months for them to become comfortable with Mack. I mentioned in a previous podcast that he is food aggressive. He has chased them away from his food multiple times. We are working on a system where the dogs can have their food and the other animals cannot get to it. The sheep are easily chased away but we really want them to get along with the dogs. Eventually, all of the cows and sheep will be together and the cows are not so easily chased away. And truly, the dogs should not have to fight for their food. Yet another plan is a work in progress. Scott is working on that today.

Goats

I’ve gone back and forth about whether I want to bring goats back onto the homestead. I already decided that I want Kiko goats. They are very expensive goats. And when I say expensive, I mean very, very expensive. The kind of expense that would really hurt our finances.

I have put down a deposit on a trio of Kiko goats. It will be late summer, fall or even next spring before we have these goats. Two does and a buck as a starter herd is the plan. Not only is it imperative that the dogs begin guarding the sheep so I can feel confident they will guard the goats, but more training will be needed so that the dogs don’t harm the goats when they arrive. Thankfully, that is still quite a few months down the road. There should be plenty of time to get the dogs and sheep stabilized in their symbiotic relationship. Adding the goats will be just a short training period with the goats in the next field over where they can be seen but with no contact. After a few weeks, we would introduce them to the dogs with close supervision until we are comfortable that the dogs will accept them as part of the family.  

More on the goats as that time gets closer.

Cows/Calves

Luna went to a new home. We sold Luna and her bull calf to a lovely couple looking for a family milk cow that was not going to overwhelm them with milk. Luna was perfect for them. And her bull calf is going to be breeding their other cows. It was a great fit and I’m so glad that we could rehome her so well.

Since Luna is rehomed and Cookie finally had her calf, we are now milking three cows. Butter, Cookie and Claire. I make cheese on Mondays and the rest goes to the calves and fulfills the herd shares. All is going well with the cows at the moment.

AI for Spring 2023 Calves

AI for birthing in March has already started. We AI’d eight cows. By Monday we will know whether we need to try again with any of these girls. If we see signs of any of them coming into heat again, we call the vet and she will try again.

We also have a tentative plan to breed one or two in the fall so that we have milk year-round. Perhaps if only one or two do not take, we will let one slide and try again in December for births in September 2023. And there is always Cookie. She calved so late that she did not make it into the initial AI session. At the moment, she is already slated for December AI. Of course, we can still change our mind at any time until mid-July. AI can be done as late as Mid-July for projected births no later than mid-April 2023. There are always so many decisions to be made.  

Garden

I’ll briefly mention the garden. Finally, the entire garden is planted. Yesterday I put in the last of the winter squash and melon seeds. I may plant a few more flowers, but the veggie part is done.

Tomatoes, Lima Beans, Eggplant and Chard

I ended up with a lot more tomatoes than I had planned. Who knows that I am going to do with them? I have four beds of baby lima beans that are looking good. The eggplant is going to be stellar this year, as is the chard. The chard is pretty easy, but I must say I am more than pleased with the eggplant. I haven’t grown it in four or five years because of repeated failures. I had given up on being able to raise that vegetable. I’ll say it again, these plants look fantastic this year. This could be the year of my success with eggplant.

Summer Squash and Cucumber

I also planted cucumber and summer squash which is also a first for several years. They have never done well for me. We shall see how they progress. It is too early to tell how they are going to do. We only transplanted my plant starts less than a week ago. I see many of them catching on, but time will tell.

Onions and Herbs

The onions look fantastic. I also have cilantro, parsley, and peppers planted. The cilantro looks weak. That one I keep trying but cannot say I have been successful with it – YET. No basil. I only started Thai basil and I sold all of those plant starts at the farmer’s market. I may have to buy a plant or two of sweet basil just to refresh my stock of dried basil. We shall see.

Winter Squash/Pumpkin

The last few beds have winter squash and pumpkin. Some of those are from seed which has not yet sprouted. I hope to see a jungle of plants out there in the next month.  

Creamery

As far as the creamery, Scott and I (mostly Scott) are putting up the ceilings in the barn and milking parlor area. He has finally gotten caught up on all of his other tasks and is moving ahead with completing the creamery. As usual, we are behind schedule, but you know what?, we will keep plugging along. It will get done, but on God’s timeline and now ours. That’s about all I have to say about the creamery today. I hope to have lots of updates on this topic in the next podcast. Let’s get on to the topic of the day.

Raising Animal Protein

We have lots of resources that I’ve already talked about. As you can tell, there are always challenges, no matter how well you think you’ve laid out your plan. And every day brings new decisions that you never knew you would have to make. No matter how educated or prepared you think you are, just know that every day is a learning experience. You will never get it done, settled, never to change.

Large or Small to Start

Unless you have previous experience with large animals, cows may not be your first goto animal for raising protein. My suggestion is to start with something smaller. Sheep and goats are smaller, but even smaller than that are chickens. Chickens are always a great place for anyone to start. Comparatively, they are easy. In many places, you can raise chickens in your backyard. If you have an HOA, maybe not, you may have to forgo the chickens, but there are other options. I’ll talk about some in a moment.

The thing to keep in mind with chickens is whether you are looking for egg or meat protein – or both. If you are looking for both, check out dual purpose birds. There are many other factors to take into consideration, but this one is the most important.

Choosing Chickens

You don’t want to get caught up in exotic chickens, really cool looking chickens, that don’t produce the meat and eggs you require for your family. While many exotic-looking chickens can provide exactly what you need, it is important to check the statistics regarding the finished size of the bird and/or expected numbers of eggs per year. Some may be as little as 150 eggs per year, while others may produce nearly 300. Generally, the more eggs, the less body size. And vice-versa. More body size can produce significantly few eggs. It’s not 100% true, but a good rule of thumb. Rely on the published statistics for your chosen breed. While you may not buy from Stromberg’s or McMurray’s (those are the two biggest outfits that I know), they are a great resource for comparing one breed to another. They each have lots and lots of information about the chicken breeds they carry. It really helps in making your decision. Then you can choose who and where to get the chicks for your enterprise.

Once you’ve chosen your breed, the internet, in general, is your resource for details. Search engines are amazing for providing answers to specific questions. Just today, I looked up the age at which my chickens should start laying. For the Bresse it can be as early as four months old, while the Marans can be as late as six months old. I didn’t really consider that in my decision for which breed to choose, but it may be an important stat for you. How quickly can you begin to get eggs? Which breeds may have health issues? Are there any climate issues to consider based on where you live in the country? And so on. Choose your breed, but then read up on it to make sure it will be a good fit for you. And as always, you may make a mistake and need to start again. No problem. You won’t be able to think of every single question and get every choice correct the first time. As I said, every day is a learning experience.

You may consider ducks, though often we keep ducks just because they are cute and not so much for meat. Having said that, they do provide good meat and they come with their own set of challenges related to water. I don’t have any and can’t provide much more information than that. They always seem like more trouble than they are worth. Your mileage may vary.

Rabbits and Quail

Other small animals to consider are rabbits and quail. Both of these can be grown in the smallest of environments. And an HOA will likely not even know you have them as long as you keep the manure cleaned up regularly. Both tend to produce a lot of odors from excrement. Out here, I can get away with any amount of odor I can stand. In an apartment or HOA subdivision, you will need to find ways to dispose of the manure likely on a daily basis. As with all animals, there is learning to be done, but both of these animals are relatively easy to raise.

Goats and Sheep

I would say that the next largest animals up the scale are goats and sheep. Obviously, you need some land for this. I can’t imagine any HOA allowing grazing animals in your yard. But you also don’t need a huge amount of acreage for just a few sheep or goats. You will need fencing. If you keep them close to you, a family dog can often provide deterrents to predators such as other dogs and a coyote or two. An acre or two of good pasture will suffice for one to five goats and/or sheep. Of course, it depends on where you live, but supplementing with hay is always an option if you don’t have the grazing space. You’ll likely need hay even if you have the acreage.

Pigs

Next up would be pigs. We haven’t given these guys a try yet, but it is only a matter of time. We have been so focused on the cows, sheep and goats that we simply haven’t had the time to get this enterprise started. You can also keep one pig in a relatively small area. They are generally friendly and easy to work with from everything I’ve seen. Of course, it depends on the particular animal. You could end up with a mean or unruly animal. Just like humans, there are all kinds of personalities out there. Visit the farm where you plan to purchase your pigs and see how they interact with them. Is the breed you are considering a docile breed? Will it do well on pasture. Sad as it is, there are some breeds that will require some confinement and lots of feed to live and grow. They have been bred to thrive in that environment. If you have woods, you have a great environment for raising pigs more naturally. This is another animal with which I have no experience, so I’m not going to say more here. Just listing it as an option for animal protein sources.  

Bovine Animals

If you are into the big animals, cows and even bison might be a good choice for you. Even with a cow, you can get by on a couple of acres. You’ll need more or less hay according to where you live. And as an aside, all of this info is for the US. I am definitely not your resource for anywhere outside the continental US. And I don’t have any info on raising bison, but there are plenty of them available out in the Oklahoma and Texas areas. They are a big, scary animal but it’s definitely doable. Check out Arms Family Homestead for info on bison.

How Much Do You Need?

Anyway, as far as beef, one butchered cow will provide protein for at least a family of four for a year. It depends on how much meat that your family consumes and that in turn depends on their ages. A couple of teenagers and you need the whole cow. If your children are younger, you might only need ½ a cow. And you will need to factor in what other animal protein sources you have chosen to raise.

Now that I am on that subject, I’ll give you our stats and you can perhaps scale it up for you and your family. For the two of us in a year we plan for as much as ¼ cow, ½ pig, 1 lamb and 1 goat. That amount changes depending on which animals we have available at any given time. But if all things were equal, that is what I plan for the two of us for a year’s worth of animal protein. Add to that lots and lots and lots of eggs from the chickens. As far as chicken meat, I don’t have a very good idea of how much we consume. Unfortunately, I’ve been buying them at the grocery store at irregular times. Usually, when I’m shopping and think, “gee, I haven’t had chicken in a while” and then I buy one of those rotisserie ones. All of that is coming to an end soon, thank God. At the moment we don’t eat a lot of chicken simply because it requires that trip to town.

I’ve heard others plan the number of meat chickens from one a week to one a month. There are 52 weeks in the year and 12 months. Your needs will fall in there somewhere. And all of that has to change if chickens and rabbits are your main source of animal protein. You might need two a week or some other number. Make your best guess and then adjust each year as you narrow those numbers down for your changing family situation. Again, your plans will change as you learn.

Final Thoughts

That’s it for today’s podcast. I’m changing my schedule to make it easier for me to publish podcasts more often. There is always so much going on and the animals and gardens have first priority – and of course getting that creamery up and running. We will get there eventually. In the meantime, I’m assessing how I use my time and opening up more opportunities to share our homestead updates and a little bit of wisdom on how you might get started.

God willing, I think I’ve given you enough basics on animal protein sources to get you started. Shoot me an email with any questions you have about getting starting with growing your own animal protein for food. I’m always happy to take a few moments to respond. Tell me what you are trying to accomplish and I will try and provide some guidance or at the very least, where to find more information.

If you enjoyed this podcast, please hop over to Apple Podcasts or whatever podcasting service you use, SUBSCRIBE and give me a 5-star rating and review. It really helps with the algorithms. If you like this type of content and want to help out the show, the absolute best way you can do that is to share it on all of your social media platforms. Share it with any friends or family who might be interested in this type of content. Let them know about the Peaceful Heart Farmcast.

Thank you so much for stopping by the homestead and until next time, may God fill your life with grace and peace.

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  Check out this episode!

[data2364]

Penny Johnson Jerald   as  Captain Victoria Gates    2013   in  Castle   “The Squab and the Quail“    

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2804932/

[missnmikaelson-main]

Norway: A Million Dreams

I do not own TVD or TO

Tall, strong men, always carrying their weight in each heavy stride.

Hunters, accustomed to silencing their feet; doing so without thought, but still always making some noise.

Weight had to be distributed somewhere.

Yet in their efforts to let her rest, they never made a sound.

She wished they wouldn't, finding the silence deafening.

She couldn't remember the last time she had a full night's sleep.

Harsh whispers floated around her, forming meaningless until a low voice snapped near her ear.

"Quiet, you'll wake Elena!"

"I am already awake," she mumbled, eyes cracking open enough to see them.

"Did we wake you darling?" He brushed her hair from her face.

"No," she smiled sheepishly, "I have been awake for some time."

"You should be resting," he admonished, but there was no real bite to his words.

"I tried," she rolled onto her back, "but rest is difficult when you are being battered from the inside." She cradled her swollen stomach as the ship swayed and a series of hard kicks reached her ribs. "I don't think she likes the storm very much."

From the corner of her eye she watched his siblings move to the other end of the ship.

She appreciated the illusion of privacy, but knew they could still hear.

Rain pattered overhead. She saw where it clung to his hair and dripped from his nose. His long fingers moved aside the heavy cloak someone placed over her body during her light slumber. With a jolt she realized the fabric was dry, as dry as could be after months at sea.

She squinted up at what was not the rolling clouds of the raging storm. All of her manipulation had only succeeded in quailing the lightning.

He covered her stomach and she looked down. The swell was huge and prominent on her small frame. Under the weight of his palm the kicking slowed; the babe twirled, rolling toward him.

"She?" He smoothed down her dress.

Elena shrugged, tilting her head; a smile played over her pink lips.

"Mother's intuition," she covered his hand, "never argue with it."

"Very well, darling," he chuckled, kissing her cheek. "She seems to have calmed down." He nodded to her belly.

"She adores her father," her eyes darted to the side. The faint outline of a body shifted beyond the curtain of water. She pushed up on her elbows and snapped: "get under here before you are soaked to the bone!"

"Too late," Nik smirked, ducking under the crude roof created by the spare sail.

"Honestly," she sat up, scoffing, "I know you were all taught better than to stand around in the rain. You'll be down sick."

"I don't think that's a problem anymore, love," Rebekah dropped in a heap near her bed. She drew her knees to her chest and rested her chin on crossed arms. "You're the only one who needs to worry about falling ill."

"With the way you all fuss over me that is unlikely to happen." She sat up; the cloak fell about her waist. The babe giving indignant kicks at the change in position.

"We are allowed to fuss, sister," Elijah raked his wet hair from his eyes.

"You are the most precious cargo aboard this cursed ship," Finn stared out at the rain.

Kol adjusted the cloak, lifting it to wrap around her slim shoulders.

"Are you hungry, my love?" He took her hands, rubbing his thumb over her knuckles.

She thought of the dwindling food supplies and shook her head. They would run out soon. All ready the fruit and vegetables were turning. that didn't present a problem for her, but she hated using magic in front of him. It pained him to view what he had lost, though he would never say it.

"I am fine for now," she squeezed his hand. The babe kicked and her stomach grumbled in a clear betrayal of her words.

"You are a terrible liar," Elijah smirked. "It is simply not in your nature to be deceitful."

"Perhaps I would get away with it if this child ever slept," she sighed. Her eyes turned toward her stomach. "You have yet to see the world, but already you take after your father; up to no good at all hours of the day and night."

"She will meet the world sooner then you can imagine," Rebekah smiled. "You can teach her then, though I don't know how much luck you will have."

"Not much," Nik smirked, passing Elena an apple, "the child is also Kol's offspring after all, and there are only so many behaviours you can correct."

"It's so nice to be surrounded by my loving family," Kol grumbled.

"This is what happens when you were a mischievous child," Elena giggled. She ran her hand over the mottled skin turning the fruit a radiant red. She bent forward and kissed his cheek; his face shifted under her lips as he fought away his smile.

She leaned back lifting the fruit, prepared to sink her teeth into the apple. She had barely pierced the skin when the ship lurched.

She pitched forward, falling into Kol's open arms. He held her tight as the ship was buffeted by a powerful wind and tipped precariously to the side. They rocked back and forth for a nerve-wracking minute that turned into two; when she was certain they were going to fall over the edge it stopped.

She tipped her chin up, saw his other arm extended holding the edge the ship, and then looked down. His siblings had moved, tossing anything and everything that might have come her way to the side.

She was the first to break the silence. She knew she would have to be they were all looking at her, waiting for her to say that she was all right, the babe was alright, that nothing had harmed her.

"What was that?" Juice from the apple dripped into her hand, rolling down her fingers from the half-moon cuts her nails had left.

The wind pushed them again and the ship creaked, groaning under the assault.

Nik secured the crate he had stopped from banging into her legs and stood up carefully. He placed his feet down only after ensuring his weight would not turn them over; the possibility was high given the angle of the ship.

The journey lasted an age that left bruises on the apple and Kol's arm where she gripped him. Her entire body trembled with the effort to remain perfectly still when the icy water broke over the side of the ship and soaked through the cloak.

"Hold on, love," Kol pressed a quick kiss to the top of her wet hair.

"You need not tell me twice," she offered a weak laugh, shifting her grip on his forearm.

"Nik," he called out, his brother had been silent for too long, "what is going on?"

His voice came back full of quiet wonder.

"Come out," he lifted the edge of the sail, "it's safe."

"This hardly feels safe," Finn scoffed. The overbearing smell of salt water filled his senses.

"It is, I swear it," Nik ducked inside. He turned his eyes on her and Kol. "The water can't be higher than Elena's knees."

"We are in the middle of the sea," Rebekah frowned.

"It would appear the storm has moved us off course," Nik grinned. "We're caught on some rocks, but land is close. Much longer and we might have run aground."

Everyone moved at once, leaving Kol and Elena in place. The ship rocked nearly knocking them over the side.

He never utilized his newfound speed around her, but he did then, standing and lifting her into his arms.

She grasped the back of his neck and turned her head to follow his wide eyed stare. Through the pouring rain she saw it: a towering rise of slate grey which she could only take to be a tall hill. Her breath caught in her lungs.

Only Rebekah remained on the deck with them.

Through the heavy downpour of water, she heard the unmistakable call of his brothers as they beckoned the three of them to the shore.

Kol shared a look with his sister before smiling at his wife and jumping from the ship with her in his arms.

~oOo~

The ground shifted underfoot, softened by torrential rainfall in such close proximity to the sea. Salt stuck to every inch of her skin, stiffened her clothes and assaulted her senses as it had every day since fleeing their home.

Grey mist stretched as far as the eye could see in any direction, yet her shoulders relaxed for underneath each dreary feature lurked the rich smell of tilled soil and a tantalizing aroma of pine.

It was neither safe nor permanent, but it was land. For the first time in months she stood perfectly still and tipped her head up, letting the light rain wash the tension from her body until she shivered in the cold.

Arms wrapped around her body from behind. She leaned into the hard chest, humming softly.

"You can't stand out in the rain," he kissed the juncture where her neck met her shoulder.

"I'd rather not lie on the wet ground," she covered his hands, holding them in place on her stomach.

"You will not sleep on the ground this night, wife."

"Where, pray tell, shall I lay my head," she glanced at him through her lashes and snuggled further into his arms. "You're warm."

She adored his touch, but his skin had been cold as ice and twice as pale for weeks — until that moment; in the circle of his arms she sat near a smouldering fire. Turning, she struggled to link her hands behind his head as the swell of her stomach separated them.

She huffed.

"I've a place in mind," he chuckled. Ducking his head he caught her lips in a quick kiss that turned her frown to a smile. "Nik stumbled across an abandoned farm."

"Abandoned?" She tilted her head.

"Completely deserted," he nodded, "with a sign warning away any who would settle."

"He could read the message?" She blinked.

"Yes, darling," he stepped back and took her hand, leading her up a path. The ground rose at a gentle incline. "It was a runic script that warned of a great flying beast."

"A dreki?" She lifted the hem of her skirt.

"The family that lived there appears to have fled in a hurry," he cleared his throat, gaze drifting towards the fog.

An acrid smell reached her nose the further they travelled, until Kol turned them away from and moved towards clear air where the fog began to lift.

She glanced down at his warm hand with its healthy glow.

Had the family escaped the rain of fire? Had they perished in it, or had they met a more recent, far more grisly end?

"Is there a dreki around, Kol?" She shivered. The cold weather clung to her body; she longed for a fire, but not one created by such a creature.

"Elijah and Finn are scouting the area for safety," he slowed his steps as the ground sloped down, "but we shall be safe for tonight and with any luck until this weather passes."

"Nik and Rebekah?" She squinted at the tall structure as it came into focus. From inside she heard movement.

"Cleaning up," he grinned, stepping over the threshold.

She followed him, taking a deep breath as she left the damp behind.

The small house held two rooms. In the first Niklaus knelt and stoked a fire; he glanced towards them and nodded as Kol led her through the entry and into the second.

The room held a simple bed and a handful of chests. Most of the cases were empty, but one held fabric that Rebekah picked through.

"There you are," she straightened up. "You must have wandered off."

"I assure you, Rebekah," she smiled, "I did not move. I believe you have forgotten how fast you run these days." Her eyes flickered to Rebekah's body; the blue dress she had worn was gone, replaced with a white one.

"I've laid out some clothes for you," she nodded to the bed, "you need to get out of that wet fabric and warm up straight away."

"Yes, mother," Elena smirked.

"How adorable," she rolled her eyes. "Get changed before you and my niece are down sick." Rebekah slammed the trunk closed and was gone.

She moved her braid over her shoulder, presenting her back to her husband. His long fingers made quick work of the wet strings and helped her peel the sleeves away. She finished the job, stepping out of the material and shivering as her smooth skin met the air.

She bent slightly, reaching for the dark blue dress. The soft material caressed her skin, nearly slipping from her hands when she straightened up and caught his lingering gaze; heat spread through her veins.

"What are you staring at?" She cocked an eyebrow.

"My beautiful wife, of course," his grin held a sunny cheerfulness she had not seen in so long.

She lowered her eyes to where her breasts sat heavy on her pregnant belly; a dark mark stained her skin.

He reached out, placing his hands on either side of her belly and bent to kiss her cheek before dropping to his knees in front of her.

Her body came to attention, shifting a few inches closer but he pressed his lips to her swollen stomach. A warm glow flowed through her as he whispered to their unborn babe; his voice shifted into a low song and she giggled. His breath tickled.

"Kol?" She held the dress in one hand and smoothed back his hair with the other.

"Hmm?" He glanced up, meeting her laughing eyes.

"As sweet as this is, and as loathe as I am to interrupt," she smiled, "I'm very cold." A shiver raced down her spine.

He straightened up and tightened the laces of her dress after she pulled it on. A fur blanket had been left behind and he wrapped it around her shoulders before leading her back out to the fire.

Elena sat on a low stool and watched as Rebekah plucked feathers from a small bird. The creature had a brown head, speckled wings, and a white belly.

"What is that?" She blinked.

"I've no idea," Rebekah shrugged. "I found it beyond the fence. Perhaps some form of chicken."

"I've never seen a chicken like that," Elena leaned forward. Heat from the fire reached her face and spread through her veins slowly.

"Probably poisonous," Nik snickered.

"Then you can have the first bite," she flicked a speckled feather at him.

"Why me?" He blew the feather away.

"Better you then Elena," Rebekah shrugged. She returned to her task.

The feathers piled up at a steady pace. Every once in a while when she wasn't looking Kol would pluck a few from the floor and stick them in Rebekah's hair. He had managed to slip twelve into the blonde strands by the time Finn and Elijah returned to their borrowed house.

She wondered how long they would rest before continuing their frantic run. With no threshold keeping her family out she knew the family who had lived there were indeed dead.

That didn't mean that they could go unnoticed forever. The best they could hope for was a short reprieve and that Mikael had been blown off course in the storm; an unlikely scenario for the experienced sailor.

"Kol," Elijah sighed, "what are you doing?"

Elena focused, following Elijah's gaze to the mess her husband had made of his sister's hair. A giggle bubbled up in her throat.

Rebekah turned towards Elijah and dislodged several feathers. She stared at them as they fell, fluttering to the ground. Slowly, her hand reached behind her head and made contact with the soft feathers.

She shrieked.

Elena suspected the only thing saving Kol from being tackled was her presence at his side. She covered her mouth but her mirth still leaked into her tone.

"He's proving that our child will reach maturity long before he does."

~oOo~

Three days trickled by with all the speed of a slow moving stream; all remained quiet.

She fell into a routine; in the long run she believed it pointless, but such was her nature when peace reigned.

In the morning she busied herself mending torn clothes and tidying their temporary home.

Afternoons passed in a blur of exploration for mid-winter herbs that might prove useful in the coming months; she glided over the gentle hills with a member of her family at her side or following her path.

Signs of a dreki remained well hidden, yet they were vigilant in watching her.

If not for the constant guard and the way they would each avoid her gaze after a prolonged absence she might have fooled herself into thinking they were safe.

They were not safe.

They would never be safe, so she explored.

She explored and waited for an announcement that it was time to run.

On the fourth afternoon the family went hunting and Rebekah accompanied her brothers; silently informing Elena that they were not seeking game. It seemed that every other day they required sustenance.

Only Finn remained behind.

She often struggled not to think of the thirty souls they had fled the New World with. In the beginning their deaths had been explained by drunken tumbles overboard in the dead of night, but as the numbers dwindled she had felt their anger and fear, as well as their covetous stares as she was left unharmed. She had remained healthy and unafraid while her belly grew.

She rested a hand on the swell and looked out over the field. Finn knelt in the snow with a handful of nails between his teeth and a hammer in hand.

"Why are you repairing that fence?" A tiny limb protruded and raised a bump beneath her skin; she rubbed it. "There are no animals to pen."

"I can think of several beasts in need of a cage," he mumbled. A few quick hits secured the board.

"Where are these beasts, brother?" She spun in a circle, eyes widened in feigned horror. "I have never seen one, let alone several. Are they behind me?"

She gasped, looking over her shoulder.

Finn chuckled, but his smile failed to reach his eyes. He took the final nail from his mouth and used it to point to her.

"A person could be lunging down on you with a knife, sister, and you would see something good in them."

"Do not mistake my nature for naivety, Finn," she approached, curling her fingers around his shoulder. "I can recognize the wicked intent of a person better than most, so know that when I see a glimmer of virtue in the heart of anyone it is because it is there."

She saw his eyes shimmer and turned to the fence to take attention from him.

"Why repair the fence, Finn?"

When he spoke his voice was thicker than normal.

"One day a family may live here again, or relations will lay claim to this place," he fingered a knot in the worn wood. "I should like to repay the hospitality they have unwittingly provided us."

"How very kind of you," she smiled.

He was silent for a moment before clearing his throat.

"My task will take some time, Elena, and I'm sure watching will bore you," he turned the hammer over in his hand. "I'm certain there remain parts of the farm you have yet to uncover."

She took one look at his nearly finished job and smiled her soft smile.

"Yes," she nodded, "I think I shall explore the eastern side of the house."

She turned and waddled away, granting him the private moment he was too proud to ask for.

The layer of snow crunched beneath her shoes. Flurries spiralled from the heavens to settle in her dark hair. She circled the house, drawing her shawl tighter over her shoulders.

The house she at first thought built into the side of the hill was actually pressed against it with only a narrow passage in between. She slipped into the space.

The snow came down a little faster behind her.

Through the shadows she saw something unusual and approached it until she ran her fingertips over the wood of a door built into the hillside. She hesitated, considered getting Finn, and came to a decision.

He was close enough to hear her cry out.

She pushed and the door swung inward on silent hinges. Through the narrow beam of weak light she spotted a candle; it ignited with a thought.

She stepped into the flickering light and felt the air rush from her lungs.

The door led to a narrow room carved into the earth. Candlelight flickered over the shelves pressed to the packed earth of the walls on either side of her body.

It was dry and as the heavy door drifted shut she discovered it was pleasantly warm compared to the outside; warm, but cool enough to act as cold storage, for that was what she had found.

Baskets and bottles lines the shelves. She lifted the candle and examined the contents: pickled vegetables, dried fruit, nuts, grains, salted meat and a hearty supply of root vegetables. The store would have fed a family of five well during the cold winter months.

The clothes had been hastily packed and coated in a heavy layer of grime; most of the neglected cleaning had been tidied before Kol had brought her to the house, but she had found hidden corners and grimy pots to clean.

An abandoned farm, a store full of food and a home covered in dust.

"What happened here?" Her whisper bounced back from the walls.

Had the family fled the dreki or had they run from something else? Why would they have left behind so much food?

There were areas where baskets and jars had been taken, leaving behind a lower pattern of dust. They had taken a small supply of food; she could only assume that they had perished before returning.

She located an empty basket used for transport and pulled down a selection of jars until it was too heavy to lift. She opened the door, blew out the candle and beckoned with her hand; the basket slid out into the snow. She followed behind and used magic to levitate it through the narrow pass until she came to a stop in the open air.

The snow slanted before her in an impenetrable wall. She hugged the side of the house, using her foot to push the basket in front of her until she found the door and stumbled inside.

Without the snow blinding her she had the confidence and concentration to use magic again, lifting the basket with her mind and depositing it on one of the benches lining the longhouse.

"Finn," she called, "are you in here?"

She received no response and shrugged. He must have still been outside; probably staring at the falling snow.

Her attention turned to the fire pit. She ignited the logs with fire and fed a few more to the flames before settling to her task.

She methodically laid out the contents of the basket, peeling and cutting and adding them to a clean pot. She hummed as she worked until she felt warm from head to toe.

The bubbling concoction filled the house with a rich combination of smells and by the time the door swung inwards she was tidying up her mess and nibbling on dried strawberries. She turned towards the startled cry of her name, freezing with a strawberry halfway to her mouth.

"What?" A line appeared between her brows. Her eyes flickered over her husband's haggard appearance.

"Where have you been?" Kol crossed the dark room in the blink of an eye. His hands patted down her arms.

"Here?" She frowned, catching his hands and meeting his frantic eyes. "What is going on?" She brushed some snow from his hair before the heat could melt it.

"We've been out looking for you," his eyes narrowed. "Finn said he couldn't find you when the snow fell. And you've been here?"

"Yes," she nodded. Her eyes flickered to the door as the rest of their family poured in. "I've been right here, cooking."

Elena let go of his sleeve to point at the bubbling stew.

"Dinner is ready."

"You've been here," Finn stared at her with wide eyes. "You were not inside when I checked."

"Then you must have checked while I was still in the storeroom," she reasoned. "I found it between the house and the hill, and I've been here cooking ever since." She glanced around at his siblings. "Were you all out traipsing through the snow to try and find me?"

"We thought you were lost," Rebekah crossed her arms. "You've got a habit of exploring."

"In my defence I did tell Finn I'd be on the eastern side of the house," she waved with the dried strawberry. "I couldn't exactly see the snow coming down while I was inside. Should I have ventured outside to find you all after I felt my way back to the door?"

"She's got a point," Elijah cleared his throat. "We would have never found her if she'd left."

"We might have," Niklaus glanced towards the still open door, "but she would have been covered in a layer of snow."

Elena followed his eyes, but she failed to see beyond the white curtain. A rush of frozen air whistled inside, stirred the dancing flames and sent a shiver down her spine. The layer of sweat she had worked up around the fire cooled.

"Would one of you mind sealing the house?" She rubbed her hands together. "You're letting the warmth escape."

Finn moved to bar the door and she relaxed, shifting back on her heels. Her hands moved, located the bowls and reached into the swirling smoke to ladle the bubbling stew into servings.

"Who's hungry?" She passed the first bowl to her husband. He caught it between cold hands when she gave him no other option; it was either catch the bowl or spill on the floor. Smoke tickled the back of her throat and she sneezed into the crook of her elbow.

"Let me," Rebekah shooed her back into a stool.

"I'm perfectly capable of doing this," she protested.

"You've been on your feet for hours, darling," Kol returned the first bowl to her hands along with a spoon.

Once she had settled in she realized how weary she was. An ache had settled in her lower back and her feet. She hadn't stood for so long in a while and the added weight wore her out quickly, so she settled on her perch and tucked into the bowl of stew.

After dinner they sat around the hearth and listened to the roaring wind and crackling flames. She folded her hands on her stomach, leaned over slightly and rested her weight against Kol, letting her eyes droop shut as his arm settled around her waist. Quiet conversation floated around her.

"How far along is she?" Rebekah whispered to her left.

"I'm not asleep, Bekah," she mumbled without opening her eyes.

"Oh," she sounded chagrined, but recovered and rephrased her question to be directed to her. "When should we expect this child to join the world?"

Elena's chest rose and fell with each deep breath in and out. She ran her palm over her stomach and considered fibbing, but after Henrik's accidental walk in the entire family knew that she and Kol had been intimate prior to the wedding.

"She should arrive by the beginning of Skerpla," she sighed, "after the snow has melted and the flowers have sprung up. Why do you ask? What month is it, anyway? I've lost track."

"I would think that you were the only one keeping track of the passage of time," Niklaus snickered from across the room. "If I've kept track of the days correctly then it is góa."

"That doesn't leave much time," Rebekah hummed, "only four months. We should find somewhere to settle for a time. You cannot deliver on the run."

"We cannot stay here," Elijah cut in. "It is far too close to the sea and the first place father would look if he were to land on the shore."

"We can't move far either," Rebekah snapped. "Look at her, Elijah," she waved with her hand.

"I can keep up," Elena opened her eyes and slowly shifted into an upright position.

"Darling," Kol rubbed her back. "Please do not take this the wrong way, but you can't even stand up."

"I can too," she turned to glare out of the corner of her eye.

"I would love to see you try," he smirked.

His hand moved away and her eyes narrowed. She moved her feet back from the hearth, planted them beneath her body and stood up, raising three inches before promptly losing her balance and falling sideways into Kol's open arms.

She saw the shaking shoulders of their family. Her muscles tensed as her annoyance flared and blood rushed to her cheeks.

"The first person to comment will wake up tomorrow covered in warts," she huffed, glad of the semidarkness that hid the flush on her face.

"Rebekah is right," Kol schooled his features into a stoic expression, but the mirth still shone in his eyes. He sobered quickly after that. "Elijah is correct as well. You need to be somewhere soon, somewhere that we can stay still at least for a short time."

"How close are we to the sea, really?" Niklaus glanced around.

"Elena was able to walk here through the snows," Finn stared at the fire. "Only a short walk to the north and you can see the crashing waves."

She tucked her long hair behind her ears. Her chest ached at the thought of walking through the cold winter days in search of shelter.

"We can start looking once the snow stops," Elijah suggested. "Elena should remain here until something suitable can be found further inland. Should father land she is the only one of us he will not harm on sight."

"I'll stay with you," Rebekah squeezed her hand. "Just let me know when you're exploring hidden storerooms."

"Will any of you ever let me live that down?" Elena rolled her eyes.

"Not in this lifetime, darling," Kol kissed her temple.

~oOo~

They had been gone for two days when the temperature took a drastic drop, but she wasn't worried about them. They would be fine.

She rolled onto her side and adjusted the pillow beneath her head. A sheepskin blanket softened the wooden bench, but it was still hard under her body; the bed would have been a better choice for comfort, but the benches ran either side of the long house and sat close enough that she could feel the heat of the fire.

The house was still cold.

She opened her eyes and watched the crackling fire. Flames licked up the sides of a fresh log, devouring it for added warmth. A second and third log were added; the smell of burning cedar reminded her of home and brisk fall evenings, but even in the New World winters were not this cold. The dead of winter in their former village would have been preferred to the one of the Old World.

The bed had been shared with Kol since they arrived at the abandoned farm, but only now that he was gone did she realize why he always retired with her. They required less sleep than they had before their mother's spell, and while Kol always came to lie with her eventually, he had always remained awake longer. He had joined her immediately so she would have his body heat; it had been like having a low fire in bed with her.

They didn't feel the cold as strong as she did.

"Rebekah?"

She paused in stoking the fire, mid poke. Her sapphire blue eyes landed on Elena.

"I thought you were asleep," she murmured.

"I'm experiencing difficulty with that task," Elena admitted. She shifted her curls back from her face, shivering as her icy fingers brushed her cheek. "I'm rather cold."

"I fear that if I put more wood on the fire you shall be unable to breathe for the smoke," she nibbled her bottom lip. The smoke swirled in thick patterns toward the ceiling.

"Would you lay with me?" She shifted on the wide bench to make room. "I know the cold weather no longer bothers you but it can't be comfortable either."

Rebekah gave the fire a final poke and moved away. She quickly gathered her pillow from the bench beside Elena's along with the heavy blanket and curled onto the sheepskin lining beside the brunette. Her creamy skin still held the heat of the fire.

Elena shifted a little closer so the warmth would leech from Rebekah to her. The baby chose that moment to roll over.

Rebekah stiffened.

"Sorry," she mumbled, "am I crowding you?"

Her reply came back tight.

"No, it's fine."

"Then why are you lying like I've strapped you to the bench?" Elena cocked an eyebrow.

"Am I?" Rebekah laughed; it was a soft broken sound. She relaxed marginally and rolled toward Elena so she could adjust the second blanket and cover the brunette with it. Her flat abdomen pushed against Elena's and the baby pushed back.

"She's been doing that lately," Elena murmured, "whenever there is any pressure on her."

"She's learning to fight back early," Rebekah smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes.

"What's wrong, Bekah?" Elena lifted her hand to place on Rebekah's arm. She cradled her elbow and watched the shadows on her soft features. She felt thin fingers on her stomach; each barely there touch garnered a tiny nudge from inside.

The blue eyes slid nearly closed, and in the stillness she heard a deep breath that she thought was meant to be relaxing but it failed to work because Rebekah's voice came out in a shaking whisper.

"I… I feel a little envious," she drew patterns over Elena's stomach.

"You'll have a little one of your own running around one day," Elena smiled, "if I can finally convince your brothers to stop interfering with anyone who offers suite."

In the flickering orange light a single tear slipped from Rebekah's eye, rolled over the bridge of her nose and dripped onto the pillow. She shook her head and more tears fell free.

"No…" she sniffled, "… I won't."

"Don't say that," Elena propped herself up on her elbow and shifted, gathering the sobbing blonde into her arms.

"It's true…" Rebekah shook her head. "They haven't noticed yet – what mother did – but I have. I last bled just after Henrik passed."

She sobbed harder, great hiccupping shudders wracked her body.

"We are frozen, sister," she wrapped her arm around Elena's waist. "I am frozen… I shall never feel my child quicken. I'll never feel a life growing within me."

"I'm sorry, Rebekah," she struggled to rub her hand up and down her spine. The soft whisper wasn't meant for her ears, but she still heard the admission that brought tears to her own eyes.

"I made a terrible mistake," she buried her face in Elena's shoulder.

"I'm so sorry," a tear slipped from her eye and rolled into her hair.

Slowly Rebekah drifted off to sleep and Elena found herself in a position she hadn't been in for months; she was the last one awake. Her eyes fluttered shut over the course of several long blinks until she too slipped into unconsciousness.

When they woke the next morning it was to find Kol adding a log to the fire.

"You're back," Elena croaked, stretching as much as she could on the bench.

"I am," he narrowed his eyes, examining her face, in the flare of light, "and you've been crying."

Elena felt Rebekah's pleading gaze as she stood and managed a tired smile for her husband who helped her off the bench.

"I'm pregnant," she stretched up on her toes and kissed his cheek, "I cry a lot. Where are the others?"

"Waiting for us," he held her hips. "We've found somewhere to stay still for a short time." One of his hands slid around to her naval and he bent at the waist. "Good morning, little one. Did you miss me?"

"She kicked me all night, every night," Elena smiled, "demanding to know where her father had gone."

"Well, I am right here," he straightened, pressing a slow kiss to her lips, "and I shall remain with both of you for every step of this journey."

"How far is it?" Rebekah frowned, her eyes lingered on Elena as she sized her up for a long journey.

"We should arrive in three days' time," he turned to his sister, "and there are places to rest along the way."

"Three days of walking?" Rebekah crossed her arms.

"Who said anything about walking?" Kol smirked. He led Elena to the door with Rebekah on their heels and pointed out.

She shielded her eyes against the brilliance of the rising sun and felt the air rush from her lungs. Three horses pawed at the freshly fallen snow.

"Borrowed from our new neighbours," he explained.

"Neighbours?" Rebekah's voice held a note of unease.

"Relax, sister," Kol looked over his shoulder, "they reside an hour from where we shall stay. Now," he turned back to the house, "would you prefer to pack before or after breakfast?"

He moved back into the house.

Elena caught Rebekah's eyes; she shook her head after a beat and Elena nodded in understanding. Their midnight conversation was to remain between them, as the subject had since the previous spring.

~oOo~

How easy, she often mused, to lose track of the days. Time raced by, flying around them with the speed of the birds until the sun gained a weak warmth to begin chasing away the bone chilling cold of winter.

Soon they would see grass.

She held the edges of her shawl closed and stepped outside. With any luck she could gather some firewood before anyone caught her and insisted on completing the task.

She rounded the corner of the small farm house and moved towards the tiny shelter someone had built to protect stored firewood. She moved aside the heavy covering and stepped inside. There was a healthy supply of wood on her left and a length of cloth covering something to the right. Her toe caught the edge on the way past and the material slipped to the ground with a soft thump. She turned back to replace it and froze.

A sturdy box had been pieced together with wood and carved with images of Frigg, Heimdall, Freya and Balder. Sheepskin had been tacked to the inside, lining the rough edges; she could see where the material could be worked free for cleaning.

"You weren't meant to see that yet," strong arms wrapped around her from behind.

A warm glow flowed through her. She wondered how long he had been working on it.

"Where's Nik?" She smoothed her palms over his wrists. "I should like to thank him for the beautiful carvings."

"How do you know I am not responsible for that?" He rested his chin on her shoulder.

"I love you, Kol," Elena tilted her head and threaded her fingers through his, "but you would surround our child with images of Loki."

"And I have no artistic talent to speak of," he chuckled.

"That too," she turned, catching his laugh in a soft kiss.

The chaste kiss sent the pit of her stomach into a wild swirl. She twisted slightly and trailed her fingers over the length of his arm to cup his neck. Her tongue traced the seam of his lips. The soft touch of his hand sent a warm shiver down her spine.

Her heartbeat skyrocketed, beating in her throat. She backed off for a second to catch her breath and gasped when his mouth covered hers hungrily to ravish her.

He pulled her to him, holding her tight and pressing her into the tall pile of wood.

She arched against him; her skin tingled deliciously wherever their bodies met even through the thick layers of clothes.

The harsh uneven rhythm of her breathing filled the small space as she felt the heady sensation of his lips against her neck, but as the flame in her blood rose to a frenzy he stopped.

His heavy breath rushed over her flushed skin, and she knew what she would see if he moved away from her.

"Kol?" Her hand slid to the back of his neck. Her body craved his touch, but she already knew she was destined for disappointment. "Are you alright?"

"I…" his voice sounded strained. "You smell…" he held his breath, but the scent hung heavy in the small shelter; he could almost taste it. His thumbs pressed into her hips; the last thing he wanted to do was leave her alone and have her feel rejected. "It's so close in here," he murmured, finally.

"Go, get some air," she lowered her hand, forming a wide arc down his back and around to his waist.

He was gone before she had finished speaking. She shivered in the rush of cold air, adjusted her shawl and took a deep breath.

She stepped outside and nearly collided with Niklaus.

"Sorry," she gasped, pressing her hand to her heart.

"Should I not be the one apologizing to you?" He laughed. "I do have superior senses after all. Where are you off to in such a hurry?"

"I was looking for you," she smirked. It wasn't a complete lie. "I saw the carvings and wanted to thank you; they're beautiful, Nik."

"You're welcome," he smirked, "and lucky. Kol was going to try his hand, but I got there in time."

"You haven't seen him have you?" She looked around the empty farm.

"You may want to give him a moment, love," he suggested, ducking into the shelter for firewood. "He's likely still recovering."

"Recovering," she tilted her head.

"I can guess what you were doing," Niklaus murmured, "and you shouldn't take him running off personally."

"It's hard not to, sometimes," she shrugged and took some of the wood from his hands. She didn't fully comprehend their new lives, but she understood that it was a struggle to spend so much time around her. If she weren't family she might have found herself as prey.

"It grows difficult to remain in your presence during…" he trailed off; colour stained his cheeks. "We can smell blood when it hasn't been spilled, and the further you progress with your pregnancy the stronger the scent becomes; it's as though you have more blood than usual."

"I hope you're not about to tell me he's never going to touch me again," she sighed. Her eyes widened when she realized just who she was talking to; it was one thing when it was Rebekah. "Sorry," she bit her bottom lip.

"It's fine, love," he cleared his throat. "I'm sure things will go back to… normal… after the baby comes."

"Thank you, Nik, but you don't have to do that," she held the wood tight to her chest. "I never should have brought it up."

"You need to talk about it with someone," he moved in front of her to open the door.

~oOo~

The further she progressed in her pregnancy the worse her need to move became. An itch took route in her feet. She could think of many activities that might have aided her predicament and soothed the burn beneath her skin, but such things were impossible; if Kol's behaviour hadn't done so then Nik had made that clear with his confession.

Walking was a close second.

"Wherever do you find your energy, darling?" He chuckled.

"There's a whole new country to explore," she threw out her arms, spinning in a wide circle, "and I want to see as much as I can before I'm confined to the house."

"You could never be confined," he caught her hands, "there is far too much fire in you."

"Be that as it may," she tipped her head back, smiling up at him, "I'll not be able to venture far after the baby arrives; at least not right away."

"Then I suppose we shall walk," he bent, kissing her cheek. "How much farther today, my love?"

"We haven't gone that far, have we?" She frowned. Her eyes glanced back to their tracks through the fine powder of snow, stretching in a line far beyond where her vision could see.

"We are nearly to the town," he nodded ahead.

"How close?" She tilted her head, listening to the distant whisper of voices that she had failed to notice.

"A further ten minutes," water dripped from an overhanging branch into his hair.

She reached up and brushed the moisture away. Standing still the cool air rushed through her body and she shivered.

"Perhaps we should turn back," he rubbed her upper arms, "so you may warm up by the fire."

"I don't want to go back yet," she sighed, "it grows so dreary inside."

"You are freezing, Elena," he murmured.

"I'm chilly, not freezing," she smirked, wrapping her arms around his neck, "and there are many other ways to warm up beyond a fire."

"Elena…" he warned.

"I know," she tilted her head, "just hold me."

"That might be a problem," he sighed, but there was a twinkle in his eye, "for when I hold you, I have this uncontrollable desire to kiss you."

"I don't think a kiss needs to be controlled," she cocked an eyebrow.

"Perhaps not a single kiss," his arms snaked around her waist, "but a single kiss rarely remains alone; it is always followed by a second and a third."

"When did kissing your wife become a problem?" Her fingers played with the thick hair at the back of his neck, twisting a heavy lock around and around to create a curl.

She recognized the possibility that she was approaching dangerous territory, but she couldn't help teasing him.

"You know exactly when," his eyes darkened, before lightening again when her smile dropped. "Very well, darling," he sighed, feigning exasperation.

"Am I about to receive a kiss?" She smirked as hope rose in her throat and shone in her eyes.

"Just one," he warned, not believing his own warning for a second.

"As you like, husband," she murmured. Her chin tipped up as he leaned down, meeting her halfway in a chaste kiss.

Heat, white and hot, raced from her lips to her toes.

Slim fingers gripped his hair, holding him in place. He had declared a single kiss, but he had failed to set a time limit on it.

"Darling," he mumbled.

"Still one," she breathed without moving her lips away and knowing he understood her perfectly. A warm chuckle was her only response.

He gave in to the desire coursing through him and swept his tongue along the seam between her lips, seeking entrance that she readily gave and exploring the familiar opening of her mouth. She warmed against him and when her heart began to race he held his breath, unwilling to end the kiss just yet; he held his breath until he couldn't any longer and was forced to inhale.

The richness of her blood hit him, mouth-watering and everywhere.

He backed away and closed his eyes. Instinctively, her body followed before she began to correct her weight.

"I'm," she panted, placing one foot behind her, "really starting to…" she shifted her weight, lost her balance and fell with a small shriek.

"Elena," he cried, reaching out, but his internal struggle slowed his reflexes and she landed on the ground.

The force of the impact stunned her and for a moment she could only look up at him with a numb expression on her face. Thoughts of her dislike for his mother flew from her head as she began to first giggle and then laugh, bringing her hands down to the soft pile of snow that had broken her fall.

"I am alright," she wheezed, waving his hands away. For the first time in months nobody had caught her or held her away from anything remotely dangerous and she found it refreshing. Her bright gaze lifted and she grinned, heedless of the dark veins still wriggling below his eyes. "I am alright," she pressed her lips together.

"I should have caught you," he shook his head.

"I am not fragile, Kol," she slapped her hands down with unnecessary force. Ice dragged along her wrist, cold and white hot all at once. She hissed, winced and looked down, lifting her hand.

A thin line of crimson welled up. She watched in fascination as a single drop rolled down the tender skin of her arm, beneath the sleeve of her dress. She would need to wrap the small wound with herbs; it would be good as new by morning and if she did it soon then there would likely be no scar.

Her stubborn nature meant she wanted to stand all on her own, but her large abdomen dictated her actions and the strong need for help. She pushed herself up with her uninjured hand and without thinking reached out.

Her feet landed on the ground; the speed of the motion knocked the air from her lungs.

"Kol?" She gasped and lifted her head. Her voice trembled as she repeated his name and cut off in a strangled shriek. She knew a piercing pain, and a great lightness washing over her before her world faded to black.

~oOo~

Her head throbbed, as though Thor himself had taken up residence and started a steady rhythm with Mjolnir behind her brow. She squeezed her eyes tight, turning her head from the light that pierced the darkness of her lids; a dull ache in her neck broke into a sharp sting as her skin pulled.

"Slowly, my dear," a feminine voice, rough with age and something else, murmured at her side. "You're body has healed, but you need rest and sustenance before you'll feel truly better."

She blinked slowly, bringing the woman into focus. Long locks of dark brown hair, held back in a Northern style, draped over her shoulders to cover the arms of an indigo gown. Black eyes watched her on either side of a straight nose; there was something familiar in the woman's face but Elena couldn't quite put her finger on where she had seen the features before.

"Wh…" she croaked, closed her mouth and swallowed thickly. Her tongue felt too big for her dry mouth.

She watched as the older woman poured water into a simple goblet. The slim arm wedged its way behind Elena's back, helping to lift her into a sitting position. The goblet pressed against her lower lip and she opened her mouth to take a long sip.

After her third drink she felt strong enough to hold the cup herself and by the time she had emptied the goblet she had enough strength to prop her body against the headboard.

She cast her eyes around the room; simple wooden furniture and a crackling fire reminded her of home and the house Kol had built with the aid of his brothers.

"Where am I?" Her fingers ran over the soft fur that covered her as a blanket.

"You are in my home," the woman poured a second goblet of water, this time sprinkling herbs on the top. "Your husband brought you here yesterday. He said you were attacked in the woods… forgive me…" she perched on the side of the narrow bed, "… I've never known an animal to leave such a mark…"

Elena raised her hand, gingerly running a finger over the raised flesh on her neck. The images trickled back to her: falling, cutting her hand, and Kol.

"What happened to you, my dear?"

"I…" red eyes and sharp teeth swam in her mind's eye. "I…" a phantom bite pierced her throat. "I didn't see," she swallowed. She flattened her palm to the bruise. "You're a witch."

"I beg pardon?" Her eyes widened.

"He brought me here yesterday, but I only have a bruise…"

"You'll have a scar," she held out the goblet, "but you will be fine. The gods must have been watching over you to bring your husband to my door. There is not another witch to be found within a fortnight of travel."

"Where is he?" Elena ignored the goblet. "Where is my husband? Kol?" She called, casting her eyes into every corner of the room. "Kol?"

"He's not here…"

"Kol!" Her heart pounded in her chest. She fumbled with the coverings as they slipped through her slick fingers. "Kol Mikaelson," a sob rose in her throat, "where are you?"

"He refused to come inside," the woman reached for her arm.

"He wouldn't leave me," she shook her head. Fat tears streaked down her face as she got to her feet, swaying on her legs. "Kol?"

"Elena," his voice carried through from somewhere distant.

She shuffled towards him, toward the front of the house, but she barely made it three steps before a strong hand clamped around her elbow.

"Let me go," she tried to shake her off.

"You need to stay in bed," the older woman insisted.

"I need to see my husband," Elena trembled. An ache in her lower back chose that moment to make itself known and she cried out at the sharp pain.

Heavy furs doubled as a door, separating the main part of the house from the bedroom; a slim hand, smooth and free from the wrinkles and spots of age, pulled the curtain aside. Through the haze of the cooking fire, beyond the body of a younger woman who looked even more familiar than the older she saw the faint outline of a man on the opposite side of the threshold where he stood in the cold.

"There," the woman patted her shoulder in a matronly gesture, "you've seen him, now you need to get back in bed."

"Listen to them, please darling," Kol called over the crackling fire.

"Why are you outside?" She groaned, pressing her hand to her naval.

"Because it is safer for you away from me." She couldn't see him clearly, but his voice sounded thick.

"Come on," the younger woman urged her back. Elena liked her better; she possessed kind eyes, despite the bitter sadness that lurked in the shadows.

Elena shook her head, ready to deny everyone's requests and march straight to her husband in order to inform him of how foolish such a decision was; he had lapsed. It hadn't been his fault, and if anyone was to blame it was her. The bleeding had stopped and there was absolutely no reason for him to place a magic barrier between them.

She was ready to march, but then a sharp pain ran from her back to her front. She felt a pop followed by a burst of fluid.

When the pain passed she picked up her hem with trembling fingers and stared at the dark liquid that rolled down her ankle; more of it clung to her thighs.

"Now you definitely need to get back in bed," the older woman glanced down. Her eyes cut to the younger. "See it's done."

Elena wanted to fight back and move across the room; she had a plan and that plan involved Rebekah, but she lacked the physical strength to break the young woman's grip.

Through the rush of blood in her ear she heard the quiet strains of a conversation; the soft words remained just beyond her comprehension.

"I'm going to examine you now," the quiet voice murmured.

Elena blinked as she was eased back to the headboard. She blushed but spread her legs all the same, breathing slowly as her skirt was lifted. She lost all interest in the younger woman when the older one returned to the room, dropping the curtain in place behind her.

"Where is my husband? I want my husband."

"What a strange notion?" Her brows shot up. "Childbirth is no place for a man," she clicked her tongue.

"Where is he?" A pain tore through her again and she doubled over, gasping. She had not the energy to explain her customs; where she came from it was unheard of for a father to not be present at the birth of his child.

"He has gone to inform your family that you shall be gone for some time," she held out the forgotten goblet. "And before you can say it, he didn't leave you. He shall return in no time at all."

"He's gone?" Elena stared numbly at the cup.

"He'll be back," the young woman eased her skirt down.

"He informed me that this was your firstborn child and as such I informed him that the babe would take at least a day to make an appearance," bony fingers curled her hand around the cup. "This will help with the pain."

"He may not have that much time, aunt…" Elena glanced over her shoulder, "… her pains must have begun while she slept."

"All the more reason to drink now," her thin fingers urged Elena to drink by lifting the cup higher.

She pushed it away.

"I want my husband." She had meant for the words to be strong, but they met the air as a whimper when the pain gripped her body. Whether they had begun in her sleep or not remained irrelevant; it was too much too soon. "She needs more time."

Her sob cut off in a groan. The babe needed more time; she had tended to several births in the village and heard of many more. She knew that Hel liked to claim the souls of infants born too soon, and had taken many born later than her daughter would be if the pains refused to cease. She couldn't lose their child before she had begun to live.

"Make it stop," tears streaked down her face. Over bright eyes darted from one woman to the other as she begged. "Please."

She held her stomach tight and rocked forward, unable to shake the unnatural feeling from her mind.

"It can't be stopped," the older woman soothed, running cool fingers through her hair. "We can no more stop your pains than we can stop the sun from rising. It is time for your child to enter this world."

She sobbed and fought it for as long as she could, but the shadows lengthened. The sun rose higher over the roof of the house, and she was powerless to stop the flow of time as her body worked through the motions without her consent.

Just before the pain became all-encompassing she wondered if it mightn't have been easier on her body to give in and breathe through it, but then she was pushing and she couldn't think, she could barely breathe, and the only thoughts she spared were wordless pleas to Frigg for her child's health.

Her world shrank to the narrow room.

Plea… breathe… push…

Pressure built down low.

Plea… breathe… push…

Kol would be hard pressed to talk her into more children after this one.

She thought that perhaps it was fortuitous the woman had sent him off to inform their family because if he were present she would have cursed him where he stood.

Plea… breathe… push…

Push…

Just one more push…

That was what the younger one said, and she fell for it every time because surely one time she would be right.

And then she was.

The pressure eased. Her pain faded to a dull ache — present, but easily ignored now in favour of the sight between her spread legs. Dark red streaked the young woman's arms to the elbow as she cradled something unbelievably tiny in her spread hands.

"She's not crying." Elena shifted to brace against the headboard and held out her arms. "Why isn't she crying?"

She watched the flash of a knife and knew the lifeline that tied her babe to her had been severed, and all she wanted was to put her right back where she had been to grow bigger and stronger.

"Not all babies cry," stained fingers dragged a rag over the tiny body.

"Give her to me," she whispered, broken by the lack of sound. She barely noticed the glance her companion cast over her shoulder, or the fact that they were the only two in the room.

She wrapped the babe in cloth, shifted onto her knees and carefully placed the child in the crook of her mother's arm.

Elena gazed down at the pinched features and mottled skin — too small for the world. She doubted her lungs could have handled a strangled grunt, much less a piercing cry. For one long moment all was still, but then she felt it. She traced her finger over the soft slope of nose and cheek to linger atop her heart; the pulse pressed upwards. She felt the life flow through her body, but it was nowhere near as strong as the magic her infant possessed — the last remnant of the power her husband had wielded — but no amount of magic would ever make up for the time she had lost.

"What have you done?" The sharp voice startled Elena into looking up; the infant pressed closer to her breast with a soft sound.

"She wanted to hold her."

"You've only made this more unbearable," she placed a steaming cup in Elena's hand and reached for the babe. "Drink that; it will help you heal."

"I don't want to put her down," she trembled, sipping the liquid before she could think better of it. Warmth spread through her body and weighed down her limbs; darkness crept into her vision.

"No mother ever wishes to part with her child," the voice came from everywhere and nowhere.

Her protests never made it past her lips as she was pulled under. The last thing she felt was the squirm of her baby as she was lifted from her arms with the shrill sound of her first cry.

[laceymorganwrites]

Uhh, ancient finns thought the Earth was born from a quails egg that broke.

In the beginning there was only Ilmatar, the void and a great deal of wind. She was lonely and wanted a son, East wind took pity on her and made her preggo. So then she just laid around for a while till a quail landed on her knee and made a nest, laying seven eggs, one made of iron while others were either normal or cosmic. Either way, her leg began to ache, and slowly she started to stretch it, but the eggs fell and broke, yolk forming the sun, egg white the moon, the shell the dome of the Earth, other created the earth snf underworld, and shattered egg pieces making the stars. Ilmatar then shaped the ground and added some things. Also she was still preggo at this point. The poor goddess had been pregnant for like. Seven whole fuckin ceuntaries, and after she was done making the earth, her son finally decided to come out and as you can guess, the guy was old as shit. Also a very good wizard!

Now as always, note that there's a ton of different version of this story, usually with minor detail changes but it's like the gist of it

Also apparently Vikings were scared of finns or somethin, because they thought they were all wizards who controlled the nature or somethin

Not too sure about that one tho

pls I love this sm!!!

this sounds so cool

[stellardarlings]

#SavingWhatWeLove Day 4

We Have Everything We Need – Celebrate the characters introduced in The Last Jedi. 

Rey really needs to get better about checking whether a space is empty before she barges into it. She has the ability to do that even without opening a door and yet, more often than not, she forgets, still unused to there being people everywhere.

It’s why she’s now trapped in a room with the silently crying form of Rose Tico, who startles at Rey’s intrusion and frantically wipes her eyes, pretending she hadn’t shut herself up in an engine room on the base to bawl her eyes out in private.

Rey would gracefully back out of the room and pretend they hadn’t seen each other, if Rose wasn’t already giving her a cheery, if watery, smile and a wave.

“Hey,” she greets Rey, sniffing and rubbing at her cheeks. “I was just—“

“I’ll go,” Rey assures her. “I only wanted a little—“

“Time alone?”

“Yeah.”

Rey likes Rose. She really does. She’s an endless source of optimism at a time when they really need it. And it’s a very focused, specific type of optimism which doesn’t allow for pessimism from anybody looking to squelch it. More than one officer has quailed under Rose’s glare when they’ve tried to proclaim a particular tactic or task is hopeless, and Rose has told them nothing is hopeless. Plus, she’s an excellent mechanic, always happy to listen to Rey’s ideas and find ways to make them actually work. She’s a good friend. Finn looks at her like she put the stars in R’iia’s eyes.

But Rey’s no good with crying. Rey doesn’t cry, hasn’t since childhood except for a few misguided moments on Ahch-To. She’d even resisted letting them fall when Han Solo plunged from the bridge on Starkiller Base, even though they’d stung her eyes. Rose is not what she needs right now.

And yet Rose’s forced smile has softened, its edges bearing her natural warmth. It’s genuine, even if it didn’t start that way. She shakes her head, her shiny hair shaking with the movement. “No. Stay. I’d like you to.”

Rey stays frozen in the doorway instead of approaching the crate Rose is perched upon. She has no idea what to say next.

“I’m sorry,” she blurts.

Rose’s eyebrows lift, disappearing behind her glossy fringe. “What for?”

“Whatever you’re crying about. Aren’t you supposed to say that to people who are sad?” She’s heard that from somebody. Maybe Poe? He’s always telling her that her manners are awful.

For whatever reason, this makes Rose giggle. “I mean, you can. But if you aren’t the person that made them sad, you don’t have to.”

“Oh.” Rey wraps her arms around herself, suddenly chilled in the drafty room. “Did somebody make you sad?” She could go yell at them if they did. That’s a way of being a good friend to Rose—at least, in a way Rey’s capable of.

“Kind of?” Rose looks down at her lap, then slips her hand below the neckline of her jacket. She’s clutching at something Rey can’t see. “I miss my sister, that’s all. Something reminded me of her and I had to get away from everyone for a little while.”

Finn told Rey what happened to Rose’s sister. It wasn’t so long ago, really, but the Resistance has barely stopped running since escaping from Crait. Poor Rose must not have had much time to herself to miss Paige.

“She was all I had left,” Rose continues. “But she gave herself up to make sure we’ll win, so I feel guilty for feeling sad at all. I shouldn’t focus on how I feel—I should be doing whatever I can to help us win.”

“I don’t have anyone left either,” Rey finds herself saying, and then it all comes spilling out, like she’s a freshly uncorked bottle. “I thought I did—for years—but I found out recently that was a lie. A lie I’d been telling to myself. My family are gone, and I don’t miss them at all, not really. I feel guilty about that too.”

It’s not the only thing she feels guilty about. She misses somebody in particular, but it’s not her family. She’s not even sure it’s somebody who ever truly existed outside of her imagination, not even when he’d been kneeling in the abandoned hanger on Crait, staring up at her with dark, sorrowful eyes. If he’d existed, the Resistance wouldn’t be hunted across the Unknown Regions right now.

Rose exhales. “You shouldn’t. Feel guilty. Not if they abandoned you.”

“Then you shouldn’t feel guilty about missing your sister,” Rey says softly. “And we’re not the only ones without any family. Finn doesn’t know what happened to his, Poe’s are gone, Leia…” She cuts herself off. Leia has family left, even if not many people really know the connection between the General and the newly minted Supreme Leader.

“I guess we’ll just have to be there for each other,” Rose decides. 

Rey finds herself smiling. “I guess we will.”

[ratsoh-writes]

Which animals would they be?

Hmm

Finn would be a quail. A little skittish but friendly too. And not at all aggressive

Sails is something lazy and Mostly harmless. Maybe a whale shark

Hook is wild and playful but hella dangerous. Like a chimpanzee

Captain is that natural leader, rough and elegant. Like a lion

[bigbeautifulcartoonpeople]

So I've been thinking of baby names, and this is what I've got so far, right now the plan is to not know the sex until birth, but any suggestible additions or ones out of the lists that would be good a name?

Feminine:

Adora

Agatha

Alexandria

Amber

Athena

Auburn

Autumn

Ava

Avery

Ayodele

Brooklyn

Cathy

Dana

Evelyn

Fawn/Fauna

Genevieve

Hecate

Ionises

Jacqueline

Katana

Lilith

Magnolia

Meredith

Minerva

Naomi

Octavia

Penelope

Quinn

Raven

Sarah

Teresa

Veronica

Vinny / Vinnessa

Wednesday

Winona

Masculine:

Anthony

Barnaby

Brazen

Dionysus

Finn

Jerome

Levi

Macron

Mason Jr.

Philip

Piper

Spencer

Timothy

Uvo

Zeus

Neutral:

Ace

Alex

Amal

Andy

Ash

Augustine

Axil

Azar

Bai

Bao

Beau

Biscuit

Boa

Ewe

Faun

Grey/Gray

Maroon

Mint

Pepper

Quill/Quail

Tontonuse

Willow

Yak

Zax

[fablecoingolf]

I really need to figure out what quail looks like so I can draw them and ben finn like

[tolliver-j-mortaelwyver]

Fanfiction Sneak Peak Redux

I had a different direction for the story, one with less fluff and more spiritual connections, but...I decided that the shift in time to achieve this would be too jarring. So! Chapter 4 has been shifted to a Finntress style fluffy chapter of just Finn and HW activity before it gets back to business for the two of them. After that, i will skip all of the other “Flute Spell” stuff sine there’s no point in reinventing the wheel there and begin chapter 5 with the sneak peak I shared last time (and the rest of the story that comes after).

Any who, here’s an updated sneak peak. (I am writing and drawing a ton, so this might not get done until next week. Who knows? It depends on how much drawing I can get done tomorrow.)

Sneak Peak

IV.

Finn watched in an almost awed, hushed silence as Artetris notched an arrow onto her bow. His eyes glistened to see the warrior wizard at work, her eyes and mind focused on their targets above. Finn observed the two quails as they landed and silently gulped as Huntress Wizard crouched down and readied a bow for the kill.

“The mighty huntress has spotted her quarry high in the treetops…” he narrated playfully in his head as Aretris focused on nothing but the birds on high. “Her breaths flow in and out with the breeze as it rustles the leaves so has to conceal her presence from the birds…unless her breathe smell rank, yo? And the birds catch a whiff… I haven’t had an opportunity to find out is she and—wait. No, I can’t let my mind wander THERE…though, it would probably be nice to kiss her…”

Finn shook his head free of his own confusion as his mind snapped back reality. His Jake-like narration had derailed, but the hunt lived on. Not wishing to let his mind wander further, he decided to watch his ascetic mentor in silence.

Slowly, Artetris’ arm pulled back on her bow’s string; she held the arrow firmly in its place as she aimed for the quails above. Her hand nor her mind shook as she kept herself in that locked position, aiming for the two who had just been unlucky enough to have caught her hunger’s attention. Finn watched Artetris work with great admiration as the arrow loosed itself from bow to bird, killing the one quail before it knew what hit it. The other, whom Aretetris had also aimed to kill only to miss, panicked profusely and fluttered its wings to flee.

 Another pointed shaft brought the spooked beast down, and Huntress Wizard stood with mild pride. Finn blinked in confusion. When had she notched another arrow on to the bow string? Had it been after, and he missed it? Had she really been that fast? Finn stood up in awe as she stepped out to claim her prizes, and his face flushed as he watched her head back towards him. Watching Huntress Wizard’s instincts in play felt like…magic…even when there was no magic.

And why had there been no magic? Finn’s mind wandered to this as she held up one of the quails for him with a soft smile.

One for him and one for her.

Finn softly returned the smile and politely took her offer—a regular quail cabob!

“These two quails will make great quail cabobies,” she suddenly remarked, and Finn muffled a sniggle at their brains thinking together. She shook her head at him, not with disapproval but with playful endearment. As she walked past him, she elbowed him bro-style. “Come on. Let’s clean these up and get to snackin’. The sooner we finish the meal, the faster we’ll get back to our hunt. I can’t believe that in two weeks, we’ve turned up nothing more that a lesser spirit or two. It’s baffling.”

“Yeah, no kidding!” Finn agreed but not because he actually thought Huntress Wizard’s surmise was baffling.

A pang of guilt twisted in his gut as he thought of every flute song he had conjured post Egress. All of those songs he had been playing had not been for the Spirit of the Forest—even back at the river.

They had all been for her—his Huntress…

 Huntress Wizard snapped her fingers at him and brought him from his trance. Finn felt his face grow warm from embarrassment, and he nervously rubbed the back of his hat and head. Huntress Wizard kept her arms folded and stared at him blankly.

“You should not worry about it,” she remarked, speaking of the flute spell, as she headed off through the trees for their camp nearby. Finn silently followed, least his mouth said something it shouldn’t. “I don’t think the problem lies with you. I sense powerful notes in your songs, each one of them lulling and moving. It’s the kind of stuff he likes, so he should be listening. We just…need an extra something to draw him out…”

“Yeah, sure,” Finn said, agreeing upon seeing his chance to latch his thoughts onto new ideas. “Maybe I should serenade you under the moon and stars or some stuff. That sorta gossip would draw Jake’s eye in a heartbeat. Haha.”

Artetris said nothing to him as a reply. Finn’s skin crawled with the jitters. Why on their partially exploded earth had he said that out loud? Had she been offended? Had he crossed a line he shouldn’t? The old Huntress Wizard would have filled his hide with arrows for putting her in a spot like that, so…perhaps she had just not heard him. Finn heaved a slight breath of relief as the campsite came into view. He hoped she hadn’t heard him and thought poorly off him after their past week together had been so good…

Artetris stopped at the edge of the campsite and suddenly looked up towards the morning sky. Finn paused and waited for her to say something. Was she going to say something or not? Only the melodies of the woods broke the silence between them.

“That’s…not that bad of an idea,” she finally said, breaking the silence and shooting him a backwards glance. Finn smiled, a twinge of excitement growing within him. Had he just sounded smart in front of a wizard? “There’s a crescent moon tonight. It’s one of the most magical for forest folk…. We could totally try this serenade beneath the stars. If it doesn’t work, we’ll try one other thing before calling it quits I guess. I can’t keep wasting your time or mine. That witch won’t find herself if I keep dawdling too long.”

Finn’s heart sank.

“Right…” he said, though not enthusiastically.

“Quits”—he did not want to call it quits, not now when they had finally started getting along. Not now when they had finally started to learn one another’s mannerisms, quirks, and stories. He still had a few tales he wanted to spin for her, like Simon since she knew Betty…

Artetris moved towards the fire circle, and Finn quietly followed as he wondered what they could do on their next to last day while waiting for the moon and stars. While she sat down beside her sleeping spot and immediately began to pluck the feathers from her dead bird, Finn sat by the campfire circle and placed the arrow that held the quail in his mouth so that his hands were free. Huntress Wizard had a trick she could do to light a fire if she so chose, and Finn had remembered that at one point in time, he also knew that trick before forgetting. Somehow, with her, he found himself remembering lots of minute things of the old past. He wondered if that was the magic of love…

Once again, there are probably typos as I just spent the last hour or so writing (when I was supposed to be drawing some more). I’m going to call it a night early tonight (why am I telling anyone this?). Thanks for reading...for those who read.

If you don’t read, that’s fine too.

[saieras]

CH 6: A Horizon’s Bend

Summary: Every midsummer, the Haddocks made their way across the Great North Sea, back to the Hidden World where they could meet their dragons again. But as kings and empires rose in the East, and news spread about the wonders of the Archipelago, men sought after beasts of fire made flesh, for fire was power.

The fate of the Archipelago now rests on one family.

Genre: Adventure/Drama

Rating: T

Warnings: SPOILERS FOR HIDDEN WORLD

The Haddock children are canon. The other village children are my own creation.

Cover courtesy of gifs provided by @drchee5e​ and @frostyviking​.

“Are you sure you don’t want some, Brother?”

Finn looked up, bleary-eyed, to see a stout red-haired boy pushing a wooden plate at him. It was laden with boar cutlets and roasted quail, gleaming under the firelight and looking deliciously juicy. His stomach lurched.

“I do want some,” Finn said miserably. “But I don’t think I can hold it down right now.” The world was still spinning around him, and he moaned. “And don’t call me that,” he protested weakly as he suppressed another gag.

Leif Dagurssen, as per usual, ignored his every word. The boy shoved the plate in front of Finn, sidled closer to him on the bench, and said, in an awed whisper:

“So what was it like, Brother? Sailing past the Maw?”

Finn almost winced when he felt Leif’s arm around his shoulder. It’d always felt ridiculous and almost cringe-worthy to be called Brother, but the Berserker boy was impossible to deter. Something about continuing their fathers’ legacies, or some similar yak-dung in that vein. Uncle Dagur certainly didn’t help matters — the man had beamed at them the first time he’d heard the phrase, and had proceeded to babble excitedly to Dad about how their children were turning out to be just like them. Finn wasn’t so sure he’d like that, even if Leif didn’t throw knives at him.

“I don’t know,” he muttered, giving up on corrections. “Scary, I guess.” But not as scary as being thrown a dozen times in the air by grown men, he thought glumly. It was the worst form of torture to have a feast you couldn’t stomach. He wish he could switch off his nose, at least!

“Woah, I bet,” Leif said, equal parts adulation and envy. “Father says he’ll let me try after I come of age. Maybe sooner, if I do well.”

“Uh huh,” Finn said. “That’s gre—” here he just about gagged again. “Oh for the love of Thor…”

“I think I can do it sooner,” Leif continued, unfazed. “Don’t you, Brother? I mean, I’m stronger than you.” He reached over and squeezed Finn’s forearm, then nodded, satisfied that it was indeed thinner than his own. Finn rolled his eyes and put his head on the table again.

“You do you, Leif,” he mumbled.

“I will! Thank you, Brother.”

“Wasn’t a compliment.”

Read more on AO3 or FFN.

Or start from the beginning.

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[data2364]

Penny Johnson Jerald   as   Captain Victoria Gates    2013  in   Castle   “The Squab and the Quail”

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2804932/