#I could feel my ears swaying in the wind along with my tail

[smallgothcanine]

Feeling like I’ve been here before..

When the waters were higher and the wind was colder

Where to now?

[ryescapades]

hihi :333

sooo i was rotting in bed and was reading ur dazai like reader and i liked it alot 😼

so what if reader is a like a vice captain of a another division and acts like dazai and likes to tease and mess around with hoshino and narumi (basically just likes to mess around with everyone) so it's kinda hoshino x dazai like reader x narumi

thank u + have a great day 😸

(ur writing is really good 😜)

characters: hoshina soshiro x gn vice-captain dazai!reader x narumi gen

genre/warning: fluff, attempt at crack, leaning more towards platonic (bcs idt there's any ounce of romance in this... apart from like,, a few dirty jokes lol), set in a joint training camp between multiple divisions

a/n: omg yall rly love dazai!reader huh xD and thank you for the req ,, you're so sweet !! sorry for the delay, i'm glad my work could be your source of enjoyment while u were bedrotting haha

1.23k wc | narumi's ver | hoshina's ver

if someone's ever asked to describe you, they'd usually say something along the lines of humorous, arbitrarily smart or even ridiculous sometimes.

but for those who are unlucky enough to be close acquaintances with you, they'd rather say you're an anomaly. someone who is unpredictable and whimsical at times but intuitive, intelligent and too sharp-witted for your own good.

after years of knowing you, narumi gen has never had a day of peace whenever you were within his vicinity. it's always something or the other.

"why am i here with you again?" narumi grumbles under his breath, feeling icky in his own combat suit out of nowhere. the wind atop the highest building in the city where he's located at blows, ruffling his dual-toned hair.

your lips lift into a cheshire grin. "oh? have you already forgotten what vice-captain hasegawa said? my platoon is assigned to work with you, captain." you remind.

the man exhales before rolling his eyes. "i'd rather get eaten by a kaiju than have you here chasing after my ass," he mutters, and it makes you smile even wider. "what a shame. i'd have loved to have a tap on that ass," you sigh oh so woefully.

narumi halts in his steps, body rigid as the tips of his ears burn hot at your claim. "w-what the hell did you just say, you—!" he doesn't get to finish his sentence when the building suddenly shakes vigorously, sending everyone to tumble on their feet.

narumi clicks his tongue when a massive body of a snake-like kaiju slithers from below, looming over you two and the rest of the officers. "took you long enough to show up, damn reptile," he glares at the monster.

the kaiju hisses before spurting out a spray of some dark, viscous liquid. "watch out!" someone bellows from somewhere as everybody scatters, dashing away from getting hit by the sizzling and corrosive substance. narumi grips on your arm, pulling you behind him as he takes a step forward and readies his gun.

he doesn't get far as the snake starts lashing its heavy tail around, tearing more at the building and trembling the ground from the force. at that point, the building might as well just collapse from how tilted it's becoming.

"everyone, get off the building now!" you shout the order, helping your platoon members stand back up straight. your hand abruptly shoots out to hold the railings when the building is no longer standing straight, stabilizing yourself so that you wouldn't sway from the staggering force.

your eyes dart around as narumi, who has been distracting the kaiju from attacking the other officers while they're moving to other platforms, turns to you. "there's no time," he grits, noticing there's no escape route for both of you.

suddenly you hold his bicep, gaining his attention. narumi's about to ask what was wrong when you start running to the edge of the inclined building, dragging him along. his eyes widen in realization.

"wait, wait, no, what are you doing? y/n, hold on, NOOOOO—" the next thing he knew, he's already free falling from a tilted 150 meter building after being forced to jump off from it, his heart plummeting down alongside his physical form.

his scream is cut off when you yell at him to 'hang on tight, captain!' over the wind, the whizzing sound of something caught in his ears before there is a sudden jolt, and then the two of you are suspended in the air, swinging steadily from side to side.

he's convinced that he might've experienced a temporary death in the middle of that free fall.

when the two of you finally manage to get back on your feet, narumi quickly turns to you with a snarl, "are you crazy?! you could've told me first we were going to plunge ourselves into our impending doom!" he shrieks.

your eyes shine with mirth. "crazy? i was crazy once—" he interrupts your musing with a loud, stretched out groan, running a hand through his hair in frustration. "just focus on your job, vice-captain." he sighs in relent, eyeing the grappling hook gun that you had used.

he should really file a complaint on your behaviors to your captain one of these days... at least that's what narumi has been telling himself for the nth time after he started getting roped into your shenanigans one too many times. he wonders why he hasn’t done so until now.

"well, all in all, you're welcome for saving that cute little ass of yours, captain." you send him a wink as you walk away, causing him to combust where he stands when your words finally register in his head, embarrassedly throwing out curses with his vulgar mouth at your disappearing back.

narumi swears with you around, he's gonna grow literal grey hair and die young, and it's not because of a kaiju.

˚ ༘♡ ⋆｡˚ˏˋ°•*⁀➷

“i heard the mission yesterday went well?”

you turn around when you hear hoshina approaching you from behind. “as well as it could possibly turn out. why? were you worried about me, hoshina-kun?” you tease, focusing your eyes on him now instead of assessing the officers who are training just a few feet below the watch tower you’re at.

hoshina scoffs, “please, i was more concerned about narumi who was unfortunate enough to get assigned with ya. and that’s sayin’ somethin’ cuz i barely even care about him,” he reproaches.

you snicker, shrugging nonchalantly, “i just gave him a little jumpscare, that’s all.” hoshina doesn’t believe that ‘little’ one bit so just he hums, “well, whatever i guess. he’s a big boy. he could handle whatever shit show ya put him through,”

at his words, your eyes gleam under the striking ray of the sun. “oh, he’s a big boy, alright…” you drawl, lips curling upwards in a smirk. hoshina mentally facepalms himself. “don’t ever make a dick joke about captain narumi around me again. that’s disgusting,” he grumbles.

suddenly a new voice interrupts you, “make a what about me?” narumi butts in, thick eyebrows furrowing in suspicion and mild curiosity. your eyes light up even further. “oh, captain narumi! nice timing! we were just talking about your d—“

“do not finish that sentence, vice-captain y/n,” hoshina glares at you. you only send him a pointed look, smiling innocently at him. the captain’s gaze bounces between the two of you. “were you two talking shit behind my back?” he crosses his arms angrily, though you and hoshina can only see a grumpy child who’s about to throw a tantrum and start stomping his foot on the ground.

“whatever makes ya think that?” hoshina counters.

“you’re not answering the question, bowl-cut bastard,” narumi argues back.

you decide to chime in, “you see, vice captain hoshina here—“ the man in question tenses, ready to oppose whatever claim you’re about to make before someone calls out in the distance, “narumi!” it’s hasegawa.

the three of you turn to look, and narumi visibly deflates at his own vice-captain’s scowling face. he sends you two one last glare, pointing at himself with two fingers and back at you two next, as if to say ‘i’m watching yall,’ before storming off.

hoshina huffs, and you let out a chuckle as you watch narumi getting smacked on the back of his head by hasegawa.

you sigh almost dreamily, “ah, i just love to push your buttons,”

“i’m going to push ya off this tower if ya keep this up,”

i'd like to believe that narumi is the cake-less one out of the two (it's canon actually. the empty cans in narumi's room told me so).

also this is me giving yall something to smile and giggle at before i drop the next part of OTST :)

--

©🅁🅈🄴🅂🄲🄰🄿🄰🄳🄴🅂. do not steal, translate or repost my work anywhere else !

[island-babys-blog]

🏵 Sunbathing thoughts 🏵

Part two

Can you imagine being Neytiri and Jake‘s daughter but being the young version of Neytiri? Just fierce, headstrong, good with bows, the oldest out of the four, and spicy just like how her mother was with first meeting Jake in Pandora.

But being spicy with Tonowari and Ronal's oldest Son, the gentle giant that mostly takes after his father, the oldest out of the two, rides the largest Skimwing, and most of all the tattoos on his body ( oh gurl)

Summary: Leaving your home due to Quaritch's hurting your family, you and your family search and find refuge in the Metkayina village. Frustrated at having to abandon your home, you encounter the clan leader's elder son, who is unafraid of your temper. He warmly welcomes you and your family into the village, perhaps, into his heart.

The wings of your banshee flip tirelessly trying to keep flight as he flies a long flight away from home “ I know tiger, where almost the hang on” you whispered feeling the fatigue creeping behind your eyelids

The intricate braid in your hair was adorned with colorful beads, delicate feathers, and even some animal teeth from past hunts with your mother. As the wind gently stirred, the beads and teeth made a soft clicking and clicking sound, prompting you to close your eyes and savor the sensation of the breeze.

"Hey, Babygirl, are you still there?" Jake asked from the seat next to you on his banshee. "Just a bit longer, we're almost there," he said, his long dreads blowing in the wind as the scenery whizzed by.

“ I’m good, stop babying me” You smile and roll your eyes until you see land in front of you, seeing that your family made it to Awa’atlu the village that the reef-dwelling Metkayina inhabited. Getting closer and flying over the people making it to land.

As you stood on the scorching sand, your hair adorned with sparkling jewels swayed as you dismounted from the tiger. With a nose adorned with two thanator teeth, resembling a septum, you inhaled the salty air. The glances of onlookers reflected both confusion and curiosity as they observed my family.

“ hey leave it” you heard your father say to your mother “Eyes on me” Jake and Neytiri walk together. As you walked confidently, you brushed off the curious glances from others. Your brothers, Lo’ak and Neteyam, followed along until you grabbed them in playful headlocks, a technique your father had taught you from the sky people. Kiri and Tuk trailed behind you and your brothers, wearing concerned expressions.

Neytiri called for Tuk to hold her hand “Be nice” she said looking at the people gathering around them, Jake holding his arms out showing that he was not a threat

The mummers and whispers were all the Sully family could hear as they walked through the entrance of the village. Despite the noise, the siblings held their heads up high, trying to show no fear. Kiri, the sister, wrapped herself in her clothes, seeking comfort and security in their familiar embrace.

Observing Kiri, you reached out and gently took her hand, offering a reassuring smile to show her that everything was okay. She looked up at you and returned the soft smile, finding solace in the simple yet powerful gesture of solidarity.

Until the harsh footsteps of a Metkayina boy followed by another one came from within the crowd glaring at the newcomers that stepped foot on land, seeing his glare made you tighten your grip on Kiri's hand

Seeing this your younger brother, Neteyam being polit greeted the boys ‘ I see you’ gesture

“ Easy, just be cool,” Jake says to his family as the boys walk behind your brothers laughing and chuckling

“What is that?”

"Is that supposed to be a tail?" They laughed, but their laughter faded as they heard a hiss, prompting them to turn their ears towards you. Your sharp eyes glared at them from across the room, causing them to stop.

"Piss off," you said, your expression mirroring Neytiri's angry look, your tail moving in irritation. Moving away from your brother you refused to shy away from eye contact staring them down

As your father says a tiger never loses its eye on a prey

Just then water from the ocean alerted you and your brother's attention from the boys, seeing a beautiful metkayina girl swimming on an ilu, moving off from her ride and swimming underwater to come up moving her hair over her shoulders as water drips from her body

Capturing Lo'ak's full and undivided attention

“ heh perv” you whispered in Lo’ak’s ear as You and Neteyam giggled at what just happened Lo’ak elbowed you in the side and you responded by laughing

“ Do not Rotxo and Ao'nung” the girl slapped Rotxo while looking at Ao'nung sighing in disappointment as she turned to bring her attention towards you and your family

“Hey” Lo’ak smoothly says as you snort turning your head away while Neteyam tries his best to cover the smile threatening to come on his lips

Laughing a breathy chuckle the girl moves her head down to hide the upcoming smile on her face

Hearing roars of something above you, looking up you notice two large flying creatures, you gasp “Skimwing ” seeing that the creatures had their riders on them. Noticing one had lifted his oar landing near his people, swimming to meet the commotion

As Jake and Neytiri made their way forward, the imposing figure of Tonowari, the chief warrior, emerged. His intricately designed garments draped over his shoulder swayed with each purposeful step. Adorned with striking tattoos, his towering frame stood in stark contrast to Jake's, exuding an air of authority and strength.

Following closely behind his father, Tonta appeared slightly smaller in stature but still quite tall. His face was adorned with a prominent chin tattoo, and he sported a striking tattoo that extended from his chest down to his stomach. His long hair was neatly pulled back into a ponytail, allowing his distinctive earrings, which held Akula’s tooth, to be prominently displayed. Additionally, Tonta proudly showcased large vibrant feathers on his shoulders, similar to those worn by his father.

“Wow,” you whispered eyes catching the man behind his father greeting your parents. You couldn’t lie, he was gorgeous. He flashed you a charming smile before walking away. Your heart skipped a beat and you could feel yourself blushing. You quickly looked away and took a deep breath.

‘Keep calm’, you told yourself, but then you heard snickering from beside you. You reprimanded the boys by gently tapping them on the back of their heads and giving them a disapproving look.

( A/N: Oh yall We love a gentleman )

But all good things must come to an end, a figure walking towards them the people gathering around moved out of the way

The tsahik known as Ronal had her long, flowing hair tied back into a low ponytail, with a delicate seashell adorning her forehead. Intricate tattoos lingered on her chin and forehead, and her top was adorned with colorful beads and tiny shells, creating a striking and beautiful ensemble. And a large stomach showing life growing inside her

Making her way to your family, your parents greeting her as she ignored them with a distasted look in her eyes “Why are you here” she sharply said her accent coming forth,

Jake speaks “Uturu” he breathes “We seek Uturu”

“ Uturu “ Ronal says as if the word had poison in it, looking at her husband and then her son to see if she was hearing Jack Sully correctly. Marching forward before Tonowari and Tonta could speak to her

Tonowari spoke knowing his wife and her harsh words “ We reef people, and you forest people your skills will be nothing here”

With a tone of conviction, Ronal strolled around still listening to her husband as her son looked at your family but mostly you, her gaze fixated on your brothers. It seemed as though she was meticulously dissecting your family, her eyes ablaze with what appeared to be fury.

"We are eager to learn from you," Jakes said, a note of desperation in his voice followed by Neytiri’s small “yes”. As they continued walking, she abruptly grasped your mother's tail, her intense gaze fixed upon it. Your mother met her gaze, struggling to keep her rising anger in check.

“Their arms her thin” her voice booms through the air grabbing Tuk roughly as Neytiri pulls Tuk away from Ronal’s hold “Mom” Tuk whispers

"Their tails," she said as she grabbed Kiri's tail. "Ow!" Kiri spoke, dropping hers and then grabbing yours. "Are weak." You roughly pulled your tail out of her grasp, your lips curling into a sneer as your ears pulled back.

"Hey, watch it," you barked, not backing down just because she was the Tashik, not noticing the eyes watching you soften.

Ronal glares at you and you do not break eye contact “You will be slow in the water”

“ You would have been slow on land” you snarky replied holding fierce eye contact with the women feeling Jake grabbing your arm to calm you not wanting to get kicked off the village and have to fly again

Moving on Ronal grabbed Kiri's hands flipping them until her palms were facing up “ These children” she paused raising Kiri's hands higher” are not even true Navi”

As everyone gasped in fear and stepped back, whispering to each other, your family lowered their heads in shame. However, you stood tall and resolute, refusing to succumb to the same feelings of disgrace.

Then Ronal grabs Lo’ak’s hands showing five fingers saying “ They have demon blood!” More shouts and cries from the Metkayina until Jake stood up and showed his hands proudly trying to help his son

Grabbing Lo’ak hand in comfort and bring the rest of your siblings closer ,shielding them from everybody glaze

“ Look, Look!” grabbing her attention away from Lo’ak’s hands “We can adapt, alright,” jake says trying to persuade until Neytiri spoke voice firm, but you weren’t listen, to busy with unwanted thoughts in your head

Would we have to go back, leave?

Hearing Ronal say that ewya has turned her back, Thats when something inside you snap Marching forward ignoring your siblings protest as Tonowari and his son looking to see want you would do,

Standing infront of your mother taking her by surprise and your father as well, you hiss loudly as if you were a tiger at ronal showing dominance “ All were asking is for help” you hiss back oh how you were neytiris daughter standing up for your family and surly not taking any bullshit too

Ronal hissed at you, to explaining shortly it was like a kitten hissing at an older cat. Seeing this made Tonta walk forward gently grabbing his mother and pushing her behind him Tonta then stood in front of Ronal, his stance wide, and his eyes narrowed. His lips were pressed tightly together and his jaw set. He looked like a protective guardian.

“ If you seek Uturu, we will grant you it” he whispered to your eyes, speaking much emotion. You felt a chill run down your spine. You knew he was serious. You knew he had the power to make it happen.

You nod as Tonta shouted to his people “ toruk makto and his family will be staying, we are to treat them as our own, teach them our ways” his father proud at his son has his siblings held mix expression one in annoyance and one in excitement

“ Thank you” you say firmly you and your family walking to get your stuff

“ Son are you sure” Ronal ask her son looking up at him

He nods not even looking at his mom but at you walking away to your banshee

Knowing his time with you will be exciting

Might do a part 2, who knows 🤫

[skyward-floored]

The cat’s out of the bag chapter 4

More kitty wind yet again! Starting to get into real plot now :)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/52017334/chapters/141645076

Chapter 3 | Next

————————————————————

Once Wind and Twilight returned from the woods, the Links finally got moving, heading in the direction Wild had pointed out.

Wind felt his bad mood fade as they walked along, the pine trees giving way fully to birch, more sunlight visible with their thinner branches. It really was a nice day, and though he was still annoyed at Twilight, Wind felt much happier as he trotted along with the rest of the heroes.

He wished they’d take smaller steps though. Keeping up with anyone but Four was exhausting.

Wind confidently raised his head whenever someone looked back at him though, intent on appearing steady. He could keep up perfectly fine, he wasn’t going to slow down the group.

Sky might need them.

Wind spent a while focusing intently on keeping up, not tripping on any roots or rocks that the heroes walked over, and staying in the center of the group where he’d ended up, trotting near Wild’s heels. It wasn’t obvious at first, but Wind eventually realized that the others had moved to walk a little closer to where he was, generally keeping him company as he padded along.

Wind was suspicious, but he didn’t mind too much.

...Even if it felt a little like they were keeping him from wandering off.

“So... I have to admit, I’ve never really seen a cat before,” Wild said after a long period of silence, looking down at Wind.

“Really? Never?” Legend asked from beside him, and Wild shrugged.

“I’ve only seen one or two,” Time added from nearby. “They’re just not very common in some places, it seems.”

“Yeah. I’ve never seen them except in Twi’s world. I didn’t even know they were a thing until then,” Wild said.

“They are, believe me,” Four said a little grimly, shaking his head and making his earring sway. “Cats can be... a bit on the vicious side, in my experience.”

“Really?” Wild asked in interest, and Wind perked his ears, curious. Four rolled up his sleeve when everyone looked at him, and Wind had to crane his neck to see him show off a large circular scar near his elbow, one that looked like it came from a large tooth.

“Really.”

“How big are the cats in your time?!” Twilight asked in shock as he stared at Four’s arm, eyes wide with disbelief.

Four pulled his sleeve down, and smiled for some reason. “Depends who you ask. Most folks I know would say ‘huge’.”

“I fought a huge cat once,” Legend hummed, idly rubbing his shoulder. “It could curl into a spiked ball and had fangs as long as my forearm.”

“Aw Vet, you have all the fun.”

Wind felt at his teeth with his tongue while the conversation continued on, feeling a pang of disappointment. How come I didn’t get fangs as long as Legend’s forearm?

I seriously got the short end of the stick with this form...

Something ran along Wind’s head, snapping him out of his thoughts, and he looked up to see Legend had stopped walking and kneeled down to pet him.

“Holy crap Champ you weren’t kidding, he’s so fluffy,” Legend said in delighted astonishment, and Wind twitched his tail, not quite sure if he appreciated the petting (even though it... did feel kinda nice).

“Er, can I..?” Hyrule asked, and Wind nodded, letting Hyrule run a few fingers along his back. “Wow, you’re really soft.”

“He’s a cute one alright,” Twilight said with a smile from a few paces away, and Wind gave him a foul look, still a bit grumpy from earlier.

Twilight’s smile faltered and he looked away as a curl of guilt twisted through Wind. It was quickly interrupted by someone scratching him behind the ears though, and Wind relaxed at the feel of it, his grumpy thoughts fleeing. He leaned into the touch as a purr escaped his throat, and heard someone laugh.

Okay, the petting was pretty nice.

“Hey, we’ve got Sky and a dark lizard to find, you can pet Wind later,” Warriors called from a good distance in front of them, and Wind heard at least two awws as the petting stopped, and they quickly resumed walking.

The group began moving closer to their normal pace, and Wind had to scurry to keep up, his legs beginning to ache at the unfamiliar motions and muscles he was using. He ignored it though, and kept going, purposely walking extra fast when Twilight glanced back to check on him.

He had to get used to walking more with the others when they’d first met anyway, this was just like that. The only difference was he didn’t have shoes to get blisters from now.

Though I guess my paws could get blisters anyway... but there’s nothing rubbing them, so hopefully not. I guess cats can’t really wear shoes, huh. Though maybe they could? You’d have to get some that were the right size though. I wonder if Twilight’s ever seen a cat with shoes?

...His Hyrule is definitely weird enough for people to do that for their pets...

Wind was so caught up in his thoughts of blisters and cat shoes that he forgot to pay as close attention to where he walking, gradually veering away from the others.

And he might not have noticed for a long while, but for the fact that his next step dropped right out from under him.

Wind let out a surprised yowl as he suddenly fell down a sharp incline, scrambling to regain his footing. He didn’t succeed though, and heard a shout behind him as he slid, tumbling down the slope and wincing as he hit a few rocks.

Wind finally rolled to a stop at the bottom, a little dizzy from all the spinning he’d just done, and shook his head, a puff of dust billowing out from his fur.

“Sailor! Are you alright?!”

Wind meowed back a somewhat dazed affirmative, getting to his feet and making sure he wasn’t actually hurt. He felt more sore then before, but he was overall not too worse for wear.

Maybe cat shoes wouldn’t be a bad idea after all, he thought dizzily, sitting back down.

Footsteps approached, and Wind looked up as the rest of the Links came down the slope, barely even an obstacle for them due to their sizes. Legend reached Wind first and kneeled beside him, giving him a quick look over before brushing some dirt off his head.

“Good grief sailor, don’t do that,” he sighed, and Wind curled his tail around himself, sure he’d be blushing if he was physically capable of it. It wasn’t on purpose!

“You’re okay?” Twilight asked next, his eyes wide and face creased with anxiety, and Wind nodded, looking at his paws.

He couldn’t believe he’d tripped. Now Twilight and the others probably wouldn’t let him walk anymore today, if at all, and he’d have to let them carry him around like some sort of useless fluffy pillow—

“Hey, look at what Wind found!”

Wind looked down at where Wild was pointing, and saw that he’d landed in what must have been a dried-up creek bed, dust and scraggly weeds in the bottom.

With a handful of bootprints clearly visible in the dirt right beside his tail.

“Those aren’t from us,” Hyrule said as he kneeled down to look at them. “You think..?”

“They might be Sky’s,” Four finished, and Wind felt hope flicker to life in his chest as they all studied the marks in the dirt. Maybe tripping down here wasn’t so bad after all!

“They look about the right size...” Warriors said thoughtfully.

“Who else would even be out in the middle of the woods like us? It’s got to be him!” Wild declared, then cupped his hands around his mouth and yelled. “HEY SKY! YELL IF YOU CAN HEAR ME!”

Wind tilted his head and pricked his ears, but there was no response to Wild’s shout.

“Guess he can’t,” Legend said flatly, rubbing his ear.

“Maybe Wind can tell if they’re Sky’s prints or not,” Twilight said, much to Wind’s surprise, and kneeled down next to him. “Cats have good noses. Can you see if you can make out Sky’s scent?”

Wind blinked, and gave a sort of shrug, looking at the prints.

“Maybe?” he meowed, well aware Twilight had no clue what he’d said. But Twilight must have caught on to his uncertainty, and he hummed, putting a hand on his chin.

“Right, you’ve been a cat for less then a day... uh... try to think about Sky, and what he smells like,” Twilight instructed. “Once you’ve got that in your head, take in all the smells around you, and filter out the ones you know aren’t right, like the dirt and grass. Breathe deep. Focus.”

Wind nodded, missing the look Warriors gave Twilight, and began to sniff around the prints, closing his eyes in order to focus better. That all didn’t sound too hard.

The first thing Wind could smell was the dirt, a little damp and earthy. Next to that he could smell grass, fresh and green, and a few small flowers, along with the still-present whiff of the ocean in the distance. There was another smell aside from those though, one more complicated.

This one had some perfumed notes like the flowers, and hints of a smell kind of like the trees nearby... wood maybe? But there was also something sharp, like the sea before a storm. It matched the scent Wind had pictured for Sky, and he focused in on it, tail going up in excitement.

Looked like these were Sky’s prints!

“You got it?” Twilight asked, and Wind meowed an affirmative, trying to find where Sky’s scent was strongest. It was hard to just focus on one scent, but Wind did his best.

Twilight followed around behind him as he sniffed along, and the other Links remained mostly quiet while he worked, watching to see what would happen. Wind’s aching body and feet got swept to the back of his mind while he followed the scent, intent on what he was doing, and he diligently followed his nose.

Come on Sky, please be here somewhere...

Wind abruptly stopped as the smell he’d been following got interrupted, another smell overtaking it. It was much more pungent than Sky’s scent, and Wind wrinkled his muzzle as it invaded his nose. He twitched his tail and sniffed harder, trying to find where the first smell had gone, but only finding more of the new musky scent.

Then Wind stopped, looking down at the large clawed footprint he’d just stepped in.

“Monsters,” Twilight said as he studied the mark, tapping a hand on his chin. “But no more sign of Sky?”

Wind meowed in the negative, and lightly bapped Twilight’s hand, guiding him over to another bootprint he’d just noticed next to the clawed mark. It was joined by several others, and they trailed off deeper into the woods alongside the clawed prints.

The others gathered around, and they looked at the marks in silence for a moment, faces worried.

“So Sky... and monsters,” Hyrule frowned, and Twilight nodded.

“Looks like it.”

“But was Sky following the monsters? Or were they following him?” Warriors mused. “Could you tell which scent was stronger, Wind?”

Wind gave another sort-of shrug, looking back at the prints. The monster smell was stronger than Sky’s, but he couldn’t tell if that was because of what it was, or if it just really was more recent.

Wolfie would be able to tell, he thought gloomily.

“It looks like he might’ve been in a hurry, these are pretty well spaced out,” Legend said, studying the further away tracks.

“So Sky was traveling quickly, either following monsters, or trying to get away from them,” Time surmised, his knees cracking as he lowered himself to look. “Good job Sailor,” he said as he ran a light hand over Wind’s head. Wind let out a happy purr at the motion, the compliment warming him. “This should help greatly with finding our missing knight of Skyloft.”

“So long as something else doesn’t find him first,” Warriors said grimly, and he straightened, everyone looking out at where the footprints led.

Somehow the forest ahead seemed a lot less pleasant to Wind.

“Come on. The sooner we find Sky and what’s leaving these tracks, the better,” Legend said with a frown.

The group quickly set off again, and the triumph from finding the tracks faded as Wind was sharply reminded of his sore body. The short break he’d gotten hadn’t helped much, and his legs were heavy and aching, the rest of him sore from his tumblr. The pads on his feet stung with every step, tiny rocks and dirt finding their way in between his toes, but Wind stubbornly ignored the ache.

Sky might be in trouble, and that mattered way more than sore feet, or aching paws, or even Wind’s annoyance at being a cat.

Sore paws weren’t going to stop him.

Despite his determination to keep up, Wind gradually drifted farther and farther behind the other Links, his feet dragging the longer they went. Everyone was moving much faster than before, and Sky’s tracks meandered up and down hills and over rocks and past all sorts of spots that were hard for an already-tired cat to follow.

And unfortunately for Wind, it wasn’t much longer before Twilight noticed his dragging paws and drooping whiskers.

Wind felt himself get scooped into the air for the second time today, and he mewed, frowning tiredly up at Twilight and ignoring how much better he felt not being on his paws anymore.

“Hey, don’t look at me like that. I said you could walk as long as you told us when you got tired, and you’re barely even walking straight,” Twilight said pointedly, and Wind struggled a moment longer, then went limp, letting Twilight place him on his shoulder without further fuss.

He really was tired, as much as he hated to admit it. And Twilight’s pelt was a nice place to relax for a bit.

...Plus hey, he could see pretty far from up here. That was a plus.

Wind set his head on his paws with a breathy sigh, enjoying a view that wasn’t just feet and legs. That was another downside of being so small now— Wind couldn’t see barely anything, even when he craned his neck, and he hadn’t quite managed jumping just yet. So the view from Twilight’s shoulder was much appreciated.

Even if he would rather be walking.

“Hey... Sailor,” Twilight said after a minute, voice quiet. “I’m sorry about earlier. I know you’re having a hard time. I’m not trying to be pushy, I just want you to be careful.”

“I’ve been being careful,” Wind meowed quietly, knowing Twilight couldn’t understand, but hoping he’d get the gist. “You’re being overprotective.”

Twilight looked over at him, a serious look on his face. “I still remember the first day I got transformed. It was against my will, and I made a lot of mistakes, ones I could have avoided if I’d had someone who knew what it was like being transformed into an animal. I just want to make sure you don’t make the same ones.”

Wind blinked, thinking about that for a moment.

Then he sighed, stretching out a paw and lightly bapping Twilight’s nose. “Okay, I get it.” He’d try listening to Twilight a little more.

But if he kept being so crazily overprotective, all deals were off.

“Thanks Sailor,” Twilight said with a smile, and Wind flicked an ear in response, getting comfy on his shoulder.

No problem, he sighed to himself, and nestled down into Twilight’s pelt, intent on resting up so he could keep going as soon as possible.

Just don’t forget I’m a hero too, Twilight.

[rotdistressxox]

Hi... can i ask a little thing?

I dont know if you do this but...

Pleaseeee can you write something about mountain x reader x aether?

I was thinking about a lil fic but choose whatever you feel inspired to do (sfw and/or nsfw, i dont care at all)

(If you dont like poly trio can be at least mounty x reader? He's a little giant puppy, i would cuddle 🥰 him all day if he was real...)

Oooo today's your lucky dayyy

A Spring's Soft Greeting

Mountain x Reader x Aether

Established relationship (Poly) No Warnings! Just lots o' fluff / kissing n stuff

The air was crisp just as it was gentle when the ministry's willow tree swayed with the breeze. Though one could still feel a chill when the wind blew, the sun was warm and comforting. Blanketing the green grass and the wildflowers as their colors reached their peak. Spring was here, finally.

Aether and Mountain had planned this day with you for weeks. They made sure the weather was perfect, even going so far as to cast a few good weather charms. The Ghouls and the Sibling's of Sin had off from their duties today, and nothing would ever get in the way of their perfect picnic Mountain and Aether had planned for you.

Aether was carrying two hefty baskets of dishes and food. A ghouls' gotta eat. Meanwhile mountain had flowers hidden behind his back. With a pep in their step, they headed over to the Willow tree where you said you'd meet them. And there you were in all your beauty.

You were sitting on a checkered blanket, sunning yourself with a hat over your face. They smiled and picked up their speed as they approached you. Though they were thinking about catching you off guard. Aether gently set down the picnic baskets, the of them got on their knees and crawled towards you. Their tails flicking in anticipation.

They sprung at you, attacking your face with kisses on both sides. "Guys!" You shouted in surprise as they sandwiched you into a hug. "Hey Love" Aether purred in your ear, his sideburns tickling your face.

"Hello my handsomes, glad you showed up" you sat up from your position, a little dazed after the sneak attack. Mountain held a bouquet of flowers under your nose. It was clearly a fresh batch, hand picked by the ghoul himself. Gasping, you give him a giant smooch on his nose and he chuckles.

The day was spent lounging on the blanket and eating whatever Aether brought along with him. Everything was perfect, down to a dot. It was moments like this that you had to take a step back and feel the world around you. Nobody made you feel as loved as Mountain and Aether did. They were similar, yet very different, and they enjoyed eachothers company as much as they do yours.

Spring was around now, which means the ghouls were as cuddly and lovey dovey as ever. Their moods changed with the seasons, and in warmer climates the ghouls certainly prospered.

With a full stomach, you rested your back on the blanket, looking at the branches of the Willow tree. The two ghouls joined you, squishing you between them. "What's up beautiful?" Mountain chimed into your thoughts, taking your hand and kissing it.

"I can't wait to go skinny dipping" Aether almost choked on his spit when you replied. "How blunt" Mountain laughed "I get to join you, right?"

"Duh!" You looked at Aether with a smirk "You're also invited if you want." The quint grinned "How could I refuse?"

With Mountain and Aether tucked into both of your sides, you couldn't help but blush. Mountain had his tail wrapped around your leg with his head next to yours. While Aether had his head resting on your stomach, his strong arms relaxed around your hips.

The quint ghoul slightly lifted your blouse and left small pecks on your stomach, and the earth ghoul decided to join in. He lightly suckled on your neck, and all of a sudden it was kinda like you had two cats giving you affection.

"So warm" Aether mumbled into your abdomen face first. "So soft" Mountain said into the skin of your nape. You massaged Aethers scalp and placed your palm on Mountain's cheek.

"You two are very touchy today" you commented, but it certainly wasn't a complaint.

Aether detatched his face "It's not our fault, you're just-" "irresistible" Mountain finished. "Took the words right outta my mouth"

You sighed "Just don't do too much, we don't want to give the others a show"

"And why not?" Aether pouted.

Mountain chuckled and rubbed the quint's head "If anyone here is needy it's you." Aether face planted back into your stomach, groaning as his tail swished around.

"Don't tell me it's that time of the year" You sat up on your elbows, furrowing your eyebrows as you looked at him.

His tail fell and he looked up at you "Well-"

[ruiniel]

Hello!

I hope your feeling better, I myself have been feeling like crap lately so you have my sympathies.

I saw your post on glorfindel and was wondering if you'd be happy with more tolkien requests, though I definitely love your castlevania works!

That being said, may I request a glorfindel and a human lady reader?

Thank you for sending! And yes, welcoming Tolkien requests.

I redid an older Glorfindel scene for this... wanted to 'revive' it instead of letting it sit in my drafts. Might follow up with something NSFW, not sure?

General note: also working on the older asks, it's taking forever

Lairë

Pairing: Glorfindel x human fem!reader

Count: 0.5k

Rating: T

Forlond, Lindon, late Second Age

“Laurefindil, Laurefindil!”

He turns from his musing at the sound of his name, his eyes torn from the swaying waves. The day has given way to dusk, and it’s been one of clear skies and mild winds. He breathes the salty breeze, his chest filling with the rush and flow come from the sea depths.

You’re breathless when you reach his side, taking him by the arm. “Look, look a whale! Do you see it? Look there, to the East!”

Glorfindel watches you for a moment, smiling at the sight of your sparkling eyes. He follows your pointing finger. Indeed he sees the tip of a tail splashing silver foam away in the far distance, just where the Gulf of Lune flows into the sea. “I do see it… well done,” he glances back at you. 

Your hair is loose, your dress wet, the sheer material clinging to your thighs and legs after a spree in the shallow waters kissing the shore. Glorfindel himself is unshod, his plain grey tunic reaching his knees, his trousers rolled up to his calves. 

“Well done indeed, and I win, my lord,” you tease, a finger pointing at his chest. “And you know the wager. Tonight, you dance.” His frown makes you chuckle. 

“I most certainly will not.”

You cross your arms. “That was the wager. You took it. I said that I saw them, and you asked me to prove it. I did. Or does Lord Laurefindil only keep his word when it suits?” For a long time, you’d taken to calling him by his Quenya name, knowing it gladdens him to hear it. “No, you promised. Imagine the look on their faces!”

The Elf shakes his head. “You’re being childish.”

Whatever else he may have uttered, it is lost with the way you barrel into him, and even Glorfindel loses his balance with the swiftness of your movements. The sand is warm beneath him, but it’s also in his mouth and ears. Your face hovers into view, framed by salty locks, eyes now twinkling mirthfully above him. “Rise and let me up, or you go unaccompanied to your dancing tonight.” He tries to sound demanding, but somehow, in the short years he’s known you, you’d come to see through most of his devices. 

A half-smile graces your lips, your arms propped on his shoulders. “Make me.” 

He could never stay upset with you for long, pretend or not. His hands slip along your thighs, up your hips, settling there. He closes his eyes at the warmth of your mouth, trailing along his chin, to his lips. His grip tightens on your hips.

And then he’s fast on his feet, even with you struggling and laughing in his arms.

“Put me down, you cannot! Put me down! Laurefindil! You will regret this!”

Still smiling he carries you, futile resistance and all, to the shore. Glorfindel advances into the lazy waves, painted gold and green in the sunset.  “No,” he takes your chin between his fingers. “You will.” And he drops you.

You gasp when cold water douses your sun-warmed skin, thrashing to be free of him. Anyone passing would stand perplexed at the sight of a famed Balrog slayer jestingly dunking the head of a young maiden beneath the sea while she grapples and tugs at his clothing like a writhing handmaiden of Uinen. Your laughter glitters along the shore, lost in the faraway winds.

[certifiedlovergirlsstuff]

battle of the sexes

pairing: lo’ak x female omatikaya!reader

WC: 1.5K

warnings: dont think theres even cursing. completely clean, well, theres a bit of tension.

summary: always have to one up each other

A/N: could i have choosen a better title? absolutely. i got inspired by 1x04 of That 70′s Show where donna and eric play basketball at the end of the ep. idk just some mindless fun.

@alecmores my editor💗

been in the drafts since april 2

masterlist / lo’ak sully

it was a pleasant midday in the forest of pandora. the sun was blazing brightly and a cool, steady breeze would caress the leaves and flora, giving a melodic tune around you and lo’ak.

your feet were dipped in the crystal clear water of a nearby pond with a tiny stream. your back laid against the plush green grass, arms cushioning your head as you kept your eyes closed and enjoyed the peace. the twittering and humming of the fauna buzzed in your pointed ears making them twitch at every noise.

a touch on your ankles made you flinch and lift your head, elbows pushing your upper body into a half-sitting position. lo’ak’s head peeked over the surface, water lapping at his chin. his eyes shined with a gleam that pulled a lazy smile upon your lips, he always made you feel weightless. he smiled back as he swam closer to the shore.

he crossed his arms as they rested beside your thighs, his head lolling to the side as he stared up at you with a slight raise of his brows and the smile that still sat on his lips. his braids fell over his shoulders, the two with beads covered an eye as they always did. on impulse you leaned over and moved them away, your fingers dragging down lo’ak’s face that stopped at his chin before pulling away.

“we should get back to practicing.” you blurt out as you pull your legs out of the water and move to grab your bow.

“what? oh, come on!” “we have rested long enough, we must train to be mighty warriors for the people.”

with a popped hip you set your hand onto the skin while you hold your bow and arrows beside you. you took the eye roll the boy gave to your reply but watched as he pushed out the water, droplets sliding over his stomach and stripes. they caught your eyes and you were transfixed until a nudge to your shoulder snapped you away.

“see something you like?” his cocky tone made you feel warm but you just rolled your eyes before walking back to the training grounds. his laughter followed behind.

you re-entered the area where lo’ak set up targets to practice your shooting. you did some quick cleaning as you waited for lo’ak to catch up to you, when he was taking forever you decided to start on your own.

so you notched an arrow along the string and pulled with your fingers. you sucked a breath in, making sure your stomach was solid and your arms weren’t wavering. when the moment felt right you released the arrow and it flew straight into the bullseye. you smiled.

“wow! nice shot!” his voice came from above and you looked up into the trees.

he was perched on a low branch with his legs swinging in the air and his tail swaying behind him. his forearms sat on his thighs and he hunched over with his hair dancing in the wind.

“why don’t you come down and show me what you got? Since you’re always bragging.” you held your chin high.

you saw the shake of his head but couldn’t see the smile on his lips or how his eyes sparkled as he stared down at you. he gathered his bow and arrows, and jumped his way down to the forest floor with a muffled thump. he pushed his braids behind his ears before taking your spot.

“watch and learn, syulang (flower).” he said cockily and got into his stance.

you rolled your eyes but ignored the rapid beating of your heart as you watched lo’ak. not taking your eyes off him for a second and letting them wander as he was distracted. you watched how his muscles flexed and his back pulled taunt as he was in an aiming position. his tail skimmed the grass by his feet and his ears twitched now and then if one of the forest creatures cried out.

he stayed in the stance for a while and you were about to speak up just as he let the arrow fly and sink into the bark of the tree, just beside your arrow.

“not bad, not bad. but you were supposed to hit the middle dead on,” you pointed a finger at the arrows, “that is not dead on.”

he scuffed and pointed to said arrow, “sorry, but there seems to be an object in the way. someone forgot to take their arrow back.” he walked to the target and yanked both arrows out, and walked back, handing yours over.

“maybe we should work on some combat. i think our shooting is at its best right now.” you put your bow on the ground and spun to face lo’ak. his eyes just watched you.

“lo’ak? are you fine with combat?” a step forward and he snapped out of his trance.

“y-yeah. combat is fine. but i won’t go easy on you.” he smiled and his fangs poked out. it made your tail waggle.

“wouldn’t be practicing if you went easy on me.” you crouched into a defensive position. the right arm pulled back with your left hand touching the ground. your tail swung low to the grass, shifting over the blades. your ears stood at attention and you watched lo’ak get in a similar position.

it was quiet for a few minutes, both of you waiting to see who would make the first move. when the silence stretches on too long, you get closer to lo’ak and hissed deeply with your fangs showing dominance. he looked thrown off by the display, but it vanished fast and he hissed back and lunged at you.

you rolled out of the way and kept your eyes firmly on his creeping form. your eyes roamed over his body to look for any points of weakness that would allow you to attack. his eyes didn’t look to be fully in the moment, his mind elsewhere and you took advantage. you pounced at the boy, hands latching onto his biceps and throwing him to the ground. the two of you tumbled in the grass and rolled to a stop with you straddling lo’ak and pinning his wrist to the ground.

“that was an easy win. i thought you weren’t going easy on me, syulang?” a smug smile on your face as you let your eyes bounce over lo’ak’s motionless features. your loose hair fell over your shoulders and formed a curtain, hiding your face from outsiders.

he didn’t fight against you or scuff or roll his eyes. he was a blank wall with his eyes following you. you tilted your head, smile slipping. you leaned in closer and peered into his eyes, his widened and you heard the sharp intake of breath.

“did- did i hurt you?” you let up on his wrists, moving back to give him space to breathe.

lo’ak started to shift a bit and you moved your hands from his wrist to sitting on the ground beside his armpits to keep you up. he moved his arms and then pushed himself to his forearms, upper body meeting you halfway.

you stared into each other’s eyes, lo’ak’s golden orbs hypnotizing you into a calm energy. you were so hypnotized that the smirk on his face went ignored by you and the feeling of his legs wrapping around your waist forced you to move off his lap, positions switched. lo’ak straddles you while pinning your wrist down. open mouth and wide-eyed, you were stunned into silence.

“gotcha, paskalin (honey)” lo’ak’s smirk never left his face.

you huffed a laugh, feather top shifting with your breaths. lo’ak’s braids swung in the air, his beads hitting each other as he tilted his head from side to side. you wouldn’t catch his eyes, knowing the heat from his touch would further spread to your face to the tips of your pointed ears.

“wanna go another round?” you heard the smile in his words as the warmth turned to a fire. “uh… uh…” your tail moved off the ground and the furred tip grazed over lo’ak’s leg.

when you made eye contact with the boy still over you, it was like you both could read what the other was thinking. how the sunlight peeking through the leaves shined on them and they were glowing, their eyes staring at each spot on their face making sure to memorize their details. how just a simple touch of skin-to-skin contact makes their heart race quickly. how they so desperately wish to move in closer, breath skating over lips and wishing to know the feeling-

you abruptly pushed lo’ak in the chest when he moved his hands away. he fell to the floor beside you and you quickly jumped off the grass and walked away. you shook your head free of any thoughts coming to fruition, hair tickling your back.

“hey,” his voice made you jump but you turned to him, “you okay? i didn’t hurt you or anything?” his hands reached out for you. his fingers a gentle caress on your cheek.

your eyes softened at the simple touch, “yes. everything is fine. i just- i just got tired suddenly.” a shaky sigh.

his eyes just studied you for a minute or two before nodding his head and picking up the bows and arrows. he handed over yours and the both of you headed back towards home. neither of you spoke up about those moments during combat training.

...

[amberlide]

Reflection

Pairing: Imelda Reyes/Nerida Roberts Tags: Fluffy romance, broken friendship, found love, love confessions, first kiss Word count: 5.5 k Tag: @libellule-ao3

AO3 link: here :)

A/N: this is my first F/F! I wanted to investigate why Imelda and Nerida weren't friends anymore and give a bit more insight into Nerida's secondary quest. I want to thank Shivvy for the amazing beta reading!! <3

@theladyofshalott1989 can you put put the AO3 link in the queer fic list, please? :) when you have time of course!

Faster.

Imelda leaned on her broom, tightly gripping the handle with her bare hands. Her chest rested on the hard wood, her chin almost touching the smooth, polished surface. A sly grin painted on her flushed face, tears glistening in the corners of her eyes from the unrelenting wind. 

As the forest trees darted beneath her, she plunged even lower, the undergrowth becoming just a splash of green and brown in the corner of her watering vision.

Faster. 

She hooked her legs around the tail of the broom, knees pressed firmly together. 

The surge of adrenaline coursed through her body as she swayed to the right just in time to avoid a solitary tree in the middle of the path. 

A perfect move for a perfect rider with the perfect mount. 

Mr. Weekes wasn't joking about how amazing his new update was. 

At this rate, nobody would beat her record in the flight trials. 

The vicious smile on her face widened; she would be the only one at the top of the ranking. 

Soon, the castle came into view. Its majestic reflection waved over the Black Lake, basking in the glow of a warm summer afternoon with its pinnacles and towers. 

Imelda lowered herself, sprinting toward the lagoon, the surface rippled by tiny waves brought by the wind. As the familiar emptiness in her stomach greeted her, she closed her eyes for a split second, savoring the cold splashes of water on her face. Her heart beating thunderously in her ears as the tips of her feet brushed against the surface. 

It was the best feeling ever, being so free and so empowered at the same time. 

Competing against others made her feel strong and powerful, but competing against herself made her feel alive. 

Her best time on that same course was from last week, and now she was ready to beat it again. 

A distant shout reached her buzzing ears, and she grinned, recognizing the voices of her teammates. They would never catch up to her; she was the Icy Queen of the Pitch. 

It was time to show those dung heads why she was their captain.

She snapped her eyes open, ready to take a turn around the castle, zigzagging around the towers. She perhaps even startled some first years as she headed for the Quidditch pitch. 

At the thought, she chuckled under her breath, feeling the rush of the wind against her face, reddening her cheeks and making her skin tingle. 

Victory tasted like sweat, salt, leather, and wood polish.

Exhilarated by the moment, catching a glimpse of some students sunbathing along the lake's shores, Imelda didn't waste a moment to showcase her abilities. 

Even if the race wasn't over yet, why not celebrate in advance something she would win anyway?

After all, her grandfather hadn't spent all that time teaching her during summer and winter breaks just so she could fly like a boring Fwooper, no. 

She was a Jobberknoll. A silent threat.

She inhaled deeply, the salty scent filling her nostrils and tickling her nose. Then, she leaned to her side, as if poised to fall, only to swiftly jerk her hips and execute an impressive, swift maneuver—a complete turn on herself, writhing like a snake again and again at least three times. For a split second, her long ponytail coiled around her, her cloak enveloping her slender body in a mixture of green and silver. She could hear the spectators holding their breath, their eyes wide in astonishment, releasing a "oh" of admiration followed by a flurry of applause.

It was the weaving serpent, a corkscrew acrobatic move that her grandfather had taught his son first and then her, the hallmark of the Reyes family. Her father had demonstrated it multiple times after successful victories on the Quidditch pitch. And she was certainly no different.

As Imelda got back on course, her head light and dizzy from the sudden movements, she turned slightly toward her left, an involuntary and almost imperceptible tilting of her head. 

Her gaze darted for a second to the Boathouse, where a small figure was hung by the pier. 

She snorted.

Dawdling. 

Like every afternoon, she was still there, but this time she wasn't huddled over, checking her reflection on the water; instead, she was standing on the low stone curb surrounding the dock. 

What was she doing?

As Imelda approached the cliff to which the castle was clinging, a wave higher than the others hit the shallow rocks below her, splashing water onto her face and entering her nose just as she was about to turn around, convincing herself that she didn't care about the figure.

She sneezed.

Immediately, her broom decelerated and the handle lowered, almost brushing against the water as someone zoomed next to her in a whirlwind of green and black. 

"Hey Reyes! Keep your ass busy showing off! I'm going to win this!" 

Imelda gritted her teeth and regained control of her mount. She jerked it upwards, desperately gripping the handle and digging her fingernails into her white, sweaty palms. 

"Sure, Sallow," she cried, rising again. "In your dreams!"

As she swayed to the right to turn around the castle, the girl couldn't help but cast another curious glance towards the Boathouse. 

The figure shed her cloak. Then raised her arms. 

Imelda squinted her eyes. Was she going to dive? Did she finally learn how to swim?

Swinging her arms in the air, after a moment of clear hesitation, the small figure hunched and jumped, plunging into the dark waters below. 

Imelda held her breath and widened her eyes as she kept turning her head behind her, checking if the figure was coming back, while hurtling toward the Quidditch pitch.

Five seconds. Ten seconds. 

She was already so far away that she couldn't distinguish anything anymore. The surface of the lake was just a dark mass, a bottomless pool. Her pulse quickened. 

Twenty seconds. 

She swerved, turning abruptly. She hadn't resurfaced from the water yet. Why?

To her surprise, Imelda found herself anxious to know whether the figure was going to make it or not. Thirty seconds. 

She had made her decision. 

Without much hesitation, Imelda lurched forward towards the Boathouse.

"Cap! The Quidditch pitch is on the other…" But the rest of the words got lost in the howling wind. 

Imelda didn't care about the race anymore.

"Damn Roberts!" she thought, her eyes darting around, flashing on the surface. 

"If she's pulling my leg, I'm going to drown her with my own two hands!"

But Nerida wasn't coming back up. 

The only movements on the Black Lake were the constant washing of the waves, sweeping over towards the Boathouse. What should have been the soothing, rhythmic sound of the undertow resonated inside her like an eerie call from an ancient cult, echoing her fears and heightening her senses.

Imelda hovered over the surface, lowering herself until her feet touched the water, the moisture seeping through her shoes making her shiver in discomfort. 

"Roberts!" 

But only the croaking of the wooden boats answered her call.

She took a deep breath, her hands clammy from the strain of holding the broom, her shoulders tense, and her face and hair damp from the constant splashes of water. On the side of the Boathouse were Nerida's bag, her shoes, and the bundle of her cloak. 

Still, no sign of her.

"Nerida!" she cried again, her anguish increasing, her heart beating in her temples, making her stomach churn and her mouth dry. 

Biting her tongue in frustration, Imelda approached the pier.

She hastily dismounted. Abandoning her broom against the wall, she kicked off her shoes and got rid of her cloak. Finally, taking a running start and a deep, desperate breath, she dove headfirst into the lake.

The chilly, murky water welcomed her in its cold embrace.

Imelda widened her gaze, ignoring the darkness pressing on her eyes. She started scanning her surroundings, adjusting to the dimly lit environment. The bright light from the sunny afternoon barely broke the surface; as she dived even deeper, it became too dark to even distinguish the rocks near the cliff.

The rocks! 

At the thought, she gasped, losing a lungful of precious air that escaped from her mouth in a spiral of tiny bubbles and danced towards the surface. Her hair swayed around her as she desperately turned around, frantically searching for her friend. Twisting her body and slashing her legs, Imelda tried to avoid being pushed up to the surface and onto the shore with its razor-sharp teeth ready to maul her.

She felt her clothes heavy, dragging her down, while her head was light from the lack of oxygen. Bright small flashes pulsed in front of her. Imelda struggled to keep her focus; this was a race she couldn't afford to lose.

As the sounds around her dulled, only the erratic beating of her heart filled her ears. But it wasn't from an intoxicating experience like flying; it was from the fear of losing someone so dear to her.

She just wanted to see the delicious way her friend's freckles twitched when she smiled, just one more time.

Just once more.

Imelda plunged deeper, biting her tongue and cursing herself for not allowing wands during races. She could have done very well with just a bit of light; now, every shadow around her resembled Nerida's slender body.

Uncertain whether to continue her fruitless search or go back up for a quick breath of fresh air, Imelda caught a glimpse of something shining in the corner of her eyes. She turned so quickly that the water swirled into her pounding ears.

"Nerida!"

The silhouette of the girl's body was just a few metres from her, suspended in the dim strip of water just below the surface. Clearly, she had tried to resurface without succeeding.

With newfound hope, Imelda lurched forward, ignoring the pain in her muscles and the aching of her head. 

Within seconds, she grabbed hold of Nerida. 

She firmly wrapped her arm around the girl's waist and dragged her closer, but the other was limp and heavy from her drenched clothes. Her disheveled hair swayed gently in the current, hiding her face and impairing Imelda's vision.

Imelda gritted her teeth, slashing her legs. A groan escaped her lips, together with another cascade of bubbles; more precious air leaving her lungs. She didn't have much left by now. But she tensed her arm. 

She wouldn't let Nerida go. 

Not this time.

Imelda brought her left arm up, slicing through that murky wall, then pulled it back with all her strength, propelling forward. Her body screamed from the intense effort, but she could see the water becoming clearer by the second, the feeble rays of sunlight penetrating the surface. She was close; she couldn't give up!

She had endured worse when Quidditch training with her grandfather.

Suddenly, something caught her ankle, dragging her down. Imelda opened her mouth and a silent scream filled the last bubble. She tried to fight, fear and desperation mingling in her already foggy mind.

She could feel a presence next to her, a shadow rising up to her left side. A scaled, translucent arm wrapped around her waist. Imelda tried to fight as the creature pressed against her tired body, but her head was heavy and she didn't have much strength anymore. She soon surrendered to what felt like a sturdy, slimy monster. 

The Giant Squid perhaps?

Without much effort, they were propelled upwards by the fast, swaying movement of what Imelda imagined was a tail of some sort.

But Squid didn't have tails.

They soon broke the surface; the brisk air filled Imelda's burning lungs, her nose was sore from the muddy water, and her eyes were stinging. Her ears were assaulted by the rushing sound of the wind meandering through the rocks and the slashing of the waves, and started buzzing. She blinked against the bright light of a dying sun.

Imelda closed her eyes and took in a deep, painful breath while she felt the body behind her gently carrying her and Nerida towards the Boathouse. Once close enough, the creature let go of her, and Imelda gathered enough strength to reach the low stone curb that gently descended into the water.

She groggily moved on all fours in her drenched clothes, dragging Nerida's listless body with her until she collapsed onto the ground inside the Boathouse, coughing and spitting water. The last image imprinted on her eyes was the whipping of a long, bluish tail with almost transparent fins, elegantly swaying in the air before disappearing with a splash into the murky depths.

*

Imelda shivered and raised her arm to shield her sore eyes from a pesky last ray of sunshine peeking through a fissure in the ceiling of what looked like a moldy and mossy building. 

Her body was cold, her fingertips numb. Moving was an endeavor of its own. Imelda tried to swallow, but her throat ached so much she felt tears filling her eyes. 

Exhausted and completely breathless, she sensed something next to her, radiating comforting warmth that drew her attention—a small fire in a jar. 

A strained smile caressed her burning lips, recognizing the charm as one of Nerida's specialties.

She had witnessed her summoning it countless times during winter, as they always sat together under the arches in the courtyard or in the Slytherin dungeons. Nerida was the type of girl who always suffered from the cold, her nose red and chapped from the chill and the countless sneezes. Imelda's first and last Christmas gift to her had been a pair of warm, hand-knitted socks. 

Did she still have them?

A sudden rustle next to her interrupted her thoughts. 

As the memory of what just happened flooded her mind, she cracked her eyes open. The hard stone floor was covered in pebbles which dug into her hands, leaving marks as she struggled to raise herself up. 

Imelda ignored the soaring pain in her limbs as she turned her stiff neck, scanning the shadowy building with locks of soaked hair plastered to her face.

"Nerida!"

Something slipped on top of her, and through her blurry vision, she soon realized it was her cloak.

"I'm here." A soft, gentle voice responded to her tentative croak. 

Her voice.

Within moments, her vision adjusted to the light, and Imelda could discern the figure that knelt down in front of her. A pair of warm, brown eyes, glowing under the inviting flicker of the jar-fire, held a concerned expression. Long, chestnut hair — lighter than hers — was damp and gathered in neat tresses, adorning her slender neck and narrow shoulders. A tentative smile tugged at the corner of thin, chapped lips, and a splash of freckles dusted the bridge of her small nose.

Imelda took in a deep breath of relief, her nostrils filling with the moisture from the lake, the fishy scent from the Boathouse mingling with the acrid smell of tar. 

She seemed to be fine.

Imelda then squinted her eyes, frustration soon building up within her. 

"What in Merlin's name did you think you were doing?!" she exclaimed, trying to hide her worried tone with a decisive note, but her voice still came out shaky and coarse from all the water she had ingested.

Immediately, Nerida lowered her guilty gaze, her hands clinging to the jar where the small fire was still burning. Its flames cast dancing shadows on her face, its inviting warmth spreading all around them.

"I'm… sorry," the girl murmured, her voice strained and low.

"You better be!" Imelda huffed, "If you don't know how to swim you better stay on solid ground."

Nerida took a deep breath, "I thought I could manage. Adelaide said I improved so much from our last lesson…" 

Imelda snorted so loud, she had to dry her nose with the hem of her cloak from the little splash  of water that came out of it.

Oakes. Of course, she had to imagine that it was all her fault.

"Well, next time you see her, tell your friend that I almost died because of her!" Imelda shook her head, her drenched hair releasing cold droplets on her neck and down her shirt collar.

“If you wanted to learn how to swim properly, why didn't you…" she didn't finish the sentence and bit her tongue, averting her gaze.

Come to me? Was that what she wanted to say? 

Would she have helped her, if she had done so?

Maybe…

Feeling uncomfortable with her own thoughts, Imelda started to busy herself by adjusting her hair. She pulled her disheveled ponytail to the front and reached for the hairband, tugging at it impatiently. "I lost my race, and I almost drowned in the lake," she let it slip with a groan of pain, her soggy hair falling in wet, sticky tresses all over her shirt.

"And all for what?" she continued, passing her hands through her long, dark locks. As she started to rake them, Imelda winced, feeling tight knots under her fingers.

Not hearing an answer, but rather a rustling, she raised her gaze, curiosity piqued: Nerida was hunched over her bag, searching for something. She could discern the shuffling of parchment papers and quills.

Imelda's eyes lingered on the damp shirt clinging to the girl's form. She could make out her corset under her clothes, and the feeble light filtering from the open door in the back made her stand out like a silhouette against the dark backdrop of the stone building. 

Swallowing hard Imelda averted her stare just in time, hoping to pass off the flush on her face as the warmth coming from the fire.

Soon enough, after more rustling and bustling, Nerida presented her what looked like a piece of jewelry. It was a silver necklace with a pendant adorned with a greenish stone that gleamed under the flames. 

"I went to look for this," she murmured and Imelda realized that the necklace must have been what had caught her attention when she was looking for her under water.

It was what had brought her to Nerida.

"What is that?" she asked, making a half-hearted attempt to hide her growing discomfort by pulling her fingers through her hair with force, working out the tangled knots with impatience.

"It's a Mermish artifact, a gift I went to retrieve form a cave…" Nerida's voice trailed off, "I'm so sorry, Imelda. I didn't want to ask for help. Who would dive into the lake for a lunatic obsessed with merpeople?"

Imelda shifted her gaze from the necklace to Nerida, who was tormenting her hands by twitching her fingers and casting pleading looks while mumbling more excuses and thanking her for saving her.

Soon, the girl found herself torn between the urge to lean towards Nerida to better grasp her words or to hug her in a comforting embrace.

"It wasn't me," Imelda cut her off, "I didn't save you. A mer… something got us both," she murmured, continuing to work on her hair, cursing under her breath every time she pulled a bit too hard.

"Oh!" Nerida exclaimed, sudden excitement lighting up her pale features, "It must have been Melusine. The gift is from them and…" She didn't finish the sentence. Instead, she left the jewel on Imelda's lap and raised her arm, gently swatting away the other's nervous hands from her hair.

"Let me take care of it, would you turn?"

Imelda nodded silently and complied, crossing her legs. She felt Nerida drape her cloak over her trembling shoulders before starting to comb her hair with her fingers, gently intertwining them in her locks, carefully avoiding tugging and disentangling them one by one.

Imelda shivered under her touch.

She had forgotten how nice it felt to have Nerida's small hands in her hair. During their first year, the girl had always taken care of it, braiding it in simple yet elegant styles that Imelda secretly loved but never admitted. 

She had never complimented her friend for her abilities, and now she regretted it.

She felt her scalp pleasantly tingling under Nerida's soft caresses as she parted her tresses neatly and raked them with the help of a small comb, something she always carried in her shoulder bag in a purse decorated with green stones.

"You're letting it grow, and it suits you," Nerida remarked casually.

Imelda hummed in agreement, feeling suddenly embarrassed by the simple comment.

"Do you remember the last time I did your hair?"

A soft smile formed on Imelda's lips. Of course, she remembered!

"It was before potion class, one of the last days of school," she murmured, memories flooding her mind as if it were ages ago.

"Yes!" Nerida chuckled. "I accidentally put a honking daffodil among the other flowers, and it woke up during class."

"Sharp had a panic attack!" Imelda laughed, recalling the scene vividly. All her classmates had stared at her while the flower kept honking happily in her hair.

Imelda had exchanged a look of dismay with Nerida, but she couldn't be angry. She remembered her friend stifling a laugh, putting her hand over her mouth and closing her eyes, the freckles on her face forming that endearing grimace she was so familiar with.

Was she doing it right now?

She tried to fight the temptation to turn and check, but the soft, enticing chuckle kept filling her ears, and she didn't want it to end with what Nerida might think was one of her sour looks.

"We did have fun!" she exclaimed.

"Yes, we did!" agreed the other, resuming her work and starting to dry Imelda's hair with a piece of cloth.

Imelda closed her eyes, relishing the feeling of being taken care of, but soon, she opened them again. That memory had stirred something else inside her, something she longed to confront Nerida over.

She bit her lip. They weren't friends anymore for a reason, and she knew if she asked, she was going to ruin this peaceful moment between them. Nonetheless, she wanted to know.

Drawing in a deep breath, she asked, "Why didn't you come that day?"

The question hung in the air, stretching the tension between them heavily.

Imelda felt Nerida's hands quivering, brushing her neck as she gathered her locks, her fingertips twitching and lingering on her skin.

"I waited for you all afternoon near the pitch. I thought we were going to fly together during our second year too. You really didn’t have time anymore?"

The silence felt heavier now that she had spoken those words—words she had kept within herself for almost four years now. And a burning question she had never dared to ask.

It was the first of September, and she remembered being so eager to meet her friend again. They had talked about it during the summer holidays in sporadic letters, but soon, Nerida had stopped replying, and Imelda had just hoped she would come to the pitch as they always did during their first year.

Two hours. 

She had waited two hours that afternoon until it was so dark she couldn't distinguish her feet anymore. Her hand was so stiff from gripping the handle of her broom that she thought it was grafted to it. 

Imelda had kept staring at that piece of parchment for an eternity, struggling to keep tears from rolling down her cheeks, shivering in the autumn Scottish breeze coming from all around the hills.

"I don't have time anymore, I'm sorry."

When Madam Kogawa had found her, Imelda was so worked up that the professor mistook tears of pain for frustration. From that point on, she had always tried to maintain her cold demeanor and unrelenting composure, earning her the name of the Icy Queen.

"You know I'm not jealous of you, right?" 

Imelda shivered at the question; Nerida's tense voice was low, almost a whisper.

"Yes, I know," Imelda breathed, fidgeting with the hem of her cloak. "I thought if I started telling the others that, it would be easier to convince myself of my own lie," she explained. Then she turned lightly, trying to catch a glimpse of Nerida's face.

When she did, the girl met her eyes with an apologetic, bittersweet smile that stretched her lips, a silent question in her eyes. "No, it didn't work," Imelda added, averting her gaze and fixing it on a couple of spiders scuttling about on the ground, trying to reach a hole in the mossy stone.

She heard Nerida take a deep breath; the hair around her neck tingled. Nerida asked, ”Do you remember the last day we flew together?"

Imelda nodded.

"It was one of the last days of school. Like now," she murmured, perfectly recalling that warm afternoon and the joyous chatting, excitement filling their minds as they already savored the summer holidays.

"Yes, we went near the lake for a last run," Nerida continued. "It was fun. I had fun," she corrected. 

Imelda closed her eyes, waiting patiently; she had never been the patient type.

"But then we dismounted and stood near the shore for a bit, until Madam Kogawa came. She proposed that you join the Slytherin Quidditch team the next year. I remember being so proud of you! You had dreamt about it all year, but there wasn't a free spot."

Imelda nodded again, recalling the moment vividly. It was not every day a professor and a star like Madam Kogawa complimented your skills.

"I remember looking at our reflection in the lake while you were talking to her. I saw a beautiful young girl, so talented, so proud, so amazing in everything…" her voice broke, and Imelda struggled to resist the urge to turn and check on her.

"I… I knew I couldn't be enough for you." Nerida sobbed, passing a hand under her eyes.

"I was afraid you would grow tired of me, of our friendship. I knew once you were on the team, you would be the queen of the team and… I could never hope to reach your level, but I desperately wanted to show you that I was interesting, that I was worthy of your attention."

Her voice broke again, a soft sigh escaping her lips. 

Imelda could imagine her tormenting her hands as she used to do when nervous.

"So I stopped coming to the pitch. I wanted to tell you, but I felt so guilty. I was afraid you would read in my face what… what I was trying to hide."

"Nerida…"

"And then I joined the Crossed Wand club!" The high pitch of Nerida's voice thrilled in her ears. The sudden change made Imelda jolt. 

"I thought I could still show you that I could make it. I could compete as well! But then you became the best player on the team, then Quidditch captain, and then you won the Quidditch Cup last year. It was suddenly too much to bear… so I preferred to keep quiet and just watch you from the bleachers."

"Or from the pier," Imelda interjected, trying to keep a casual tone.

Nerida gasped. "You… you noticed?"

"Of course. Why do you think this is my favorite course for my races?"

Nerida blushed.

"Why do you think I dropped Divination?" Imelda grumbled, her heart starting to race.

"Because Professor Onai told you you have no inner sight?"

Imelda scoffed. Of course not!

"I… I couldn't stand you and Oakes together. It was painful enough to see you two chatting and giggling during Astronomy. Gossiping and making predictions while stargazing. It felt like a never-ending date between you two," she groaned, biting her lip, realizing she had said too much.

"Adelaide is just a friend…" Nerida murmured, her voice lighter all of a sudden. 

Imelda felt her small hands on her back, gently massaging her shoulders. She looked at hers, full of calluses and completely ruined by the sweat from her Quidditch gloves. She would have renounced all of that to have her Rida back just for one day to fly together around the castle as they used to do.

She turned, finally facing the girl.

"I don't know… is she?" Imelda raised her gaze, a tentative question in her brown eyes.

Nerida nodded before taking her hands in hers, gently rubbing her stiff fingers. "Nobody will ever replace you, Imma," she whispered, her eyes filled with silent tears, some shimmering on her eyelashes.

Imelda felt her stomach turn. She hadn't heard that nickname in years, and it warmed her heart to hear it now, from the only person who was entitled to use it.

"I wanted to join you that day. I felt too guilty for leaving you there waiting, so I sent that message… but I didn't have the courage to tell you that…"

She swallowed, meeting Imelda's gaze.

"That…?"

Nerida didn't answer, biting her lip as a solitary tear streamed down her cheek.

"Rida, what did you want to tell me?"

She took a deep breath. "That you're beautiful and strong and amazing, and I admire you so much! You deserve the world, Imma! I don't care what the others say!"

Imelda felt her heart thump in her chest. She knew she was a lot of things.

She was a talented player for Madam Kogawa, bossy and overbearing for her Quidditch team, arrogant for most people in the Gobstone club, and the next star of the Reyes family in the eyes of her grandfather.

Imelda was used to the little compliments people gave her, usually about her abilities on a broom and as a Quidditch player. But never, never had she imagined she could be beautiful and strong and amazing… for someone she liked as much as Nerida. 

The very person who patiently endured her swinging moods, her occasional bitchy attitude. The girl who never failed to amaze her with her ability at Wizarding Chess, and always took care of her with small endearing gestures like styling her hair or trying to make her laugh with innocent pranks.

How could she not be impressed by her resolve to be a liaison to Merpeople?

She even learned how to speak mermish!

She felt Nerida’s warm little hand gently stroke hers, squeezing her fingers together, catching her attention. Imelda's tanned, ruined skin was a stark contrast against her pale, delicate fingers.

"I miss you, Imma," she murmured, tilting her head, tears staining her pale cheeks.

Imelda leaned forward, the last rays of a dying sun penetrating through the open door behind her, making Nerida's soft hair gleam. 

The sprinkle of freckles adorning the bridge of Nerida's nose made Imelda wish she could drown in those cute little spots. She was gorgeous.

By instinct, Imelda took her hand off hers and gently trailed them up, reaching her face. She caressed her cheek with the back of her hand, trying to dry some of the tears, the warm drops dampening her skin. Nerida took her hand when she held it to her face, gently tilting her head, savoring her careful touch.

Nerida closed her eyes, and a contented sigh escaped her lips. When she opened them again, a silent invitation lingered in her brown irises, a question that Imelda was eager to answer and didn't want to wait years for.

The girl moved forward, closing the gap between them. When their lips finally met, her pulse resonated with the calm undertone of the waves outside, echoing the turmoil in her chest.

The kiss was gentle, warm, and tender. Imelda could still taste a faint saltiness from the lake on Nerida's chapped lips. It was perfect.

When they parted, they gazed into each other's eyes for what felt like ages, finally reconnecting after all the years they had spent apart. 

Suddenly, the light from the small jar-fire dimmed, leaving them in the cold shadow of the building.

Nerida immediately stood up. "Let's go!" she exclaimed with a playful smile, tears still trapped in her eyes, this time from joy. Imelda nodded, following her.

They took a minute to adjust their clothes, putting their drenched shoes back on as they playfully complained about how uncomfortable they felt. Finally, they left the Boathouse, and Imelda reached her broom, mounted it, then invited Nerida to sit behind her.

Soon, they hovered over the lake. "Tell Oakes I will be giving you swimming lessons!" exclaimed Imelda, casting a look down as she balanced the broom.

"Maybe during the summer?" Nerida hummed happily against her shoulder.

"Hey, Reyes!" Someone called for her, and Imelda raised her gaze, surprised to find someone around in the approaching darkness of the evening.

"I won the race!" Sallow’s smile flashed with a smugness she didn't like.

She felt Nerida gently hugging her from behind, her chin resting on her shoulder and her hair tickling her neck.

"I didn't lose anything, Sallow! I gained something better!" she screamed, and with a decisive tug, she commanded the broom to rise, finally darting toward the castle with its stained windows shimmering in the early moonlight. 

Their faint reflection in the water perfectly accompanied Imelda and Nerida’s trembling figures, as they were finally together.

[waywardwritesstuff]

could u right one of me as a fox? /nf :3

The Forest and Me

A therian fox story Tense: First person | Word Count: 506

My paws tread lightly through the underbrush, the dirt feeling good on the pads of my feet. Sniffing at the air the scent of autumn is in the crisp evening air. I can't wait for the leaves to turn and match the colour of my fur, to be able to roll around in the fallen growth and blend into the ground. This is my time in the forest. The forest feels like mine.

I continue to trot through the forest, looking around at all that I pass. Bushes and tall trees, ones where I see the birds nesting and flying through the branches. I yip at the birds and they chirp back. My eyes sparkle when they respond. The understanding that we have keeps me calm, knowing I have eyes in the sky with my feet still on the ground.

I take a moment to sit. Tilting my head left and right listening as the forest around me sways with wind surrounding me. It’s calm, serene, and full of life. My home is always the way I remember it, always beautiful. Always gorgeous.

My ears prick up towards my left as I hear a crunch and I rise from sitting to my legs, prepared to run or pounce. But out from the logs jumps another one of my friends. I yip excitedly

“Yip yip”

“Yipp Yiup”

They run towards me, and I run to them. We jump up around each other and playfully nip at one another in a show of greeting.

I'm happy to see my friend again, I wonder where they had wandered off to. A new place to sleep or maybe they had been running by the river?

Running. I wanted to run. I yip at my friend and flick my head down into the forest. And I bound off in that direction, moving my legs as fast as I can go. The sound of my paws pushing the dirt and leaves underneath me to move faster, the wind feeling good in my fur.

The sound of my friend beside me makes me howl with delight. Running, the best thing to do. Running about in the place I call home, wandering to a new place with new things to discover. Maybe a comfortable log to sleep on, covered in moss with some bugs to eat. Or maybe a new juicy berry bush.

I was glad to run, and glad to see my friend again. We scampered along the forest until both of us were panting our chests puffing in and out in quick succession. I slowed down again, and they did too. I turned back to them and they pounced on me. We tackled around on the floor, kicking leaves into the air and getting dirt into our fur. Yipping at each other until we were finally too tired, we finally lay down, curling up with our tails to our faces.

It had been a long day, and as the sun set it was time to sleep. And do it all again tomorrow.

Hope you enjoy it! Thanks for my first request and sorry it took so long.

[silvergolddraco28]

He’s Mine- Roleplay with @sanityisinthemusic

Chapter 3 Wind’s Whispers

Red and gold eyes cracked open as a weak beam of sunlight shined in his face from a nearby window. ‘That’d the light of sunrise.’ Wukong idly noted as he sat up finding he was alone with the bandage around his chest having been changed along with the bandage around his splinted leg. ‘I need to get up.’ Wukong thought as he shifted himself over to the side of the bed noting how much slack was on the chain attached to his ankle as he gripped the bedpost and stood up testing how much weight he could put on his leg and finding he could stand on it for a few minutes before he had to sit back down. ‘My pain tolerance must have been reduced.’ Wukong mentally noted.

On the other side of the closed door, Macaque's ears twitched from the sitting room where he'd been reading aloud to Qi Xiaotian. He listened for a moment trying to guess what his mate was doing. He'd not put his glamor back over his ears since he'd shown them to their cub, wanting to make sure the child viewed their six glowing ears as a normal thing, as it was a sign that he was his son. So hearing Wukong moving around wasn't much of a stretch. And based on the curious ear twitching of the baby monkey, Xiaotian could hear it too.

"Let's go check on Mama," He said with a smile, scooping the now giggling and cheering little monkey into his arms. "Baba's gonna show you a fun trick, okay? Don't worry, you're safe with me. I'll never let you get hurt," He nuzzled the little one's head before singing into the shadows, darting invisibly into the bedroom where Wukong was safely and securely kept in bed to recover. Seeing his Sunshine on his feet both surprised and didn't surprise the shadow monkey. He popped out of a shadow by the foot of his bed as he sat back down. "Guess I should have expected you to be up and moving around again after some sleep. How's the leg?"

“Fine. I can move around on it for a few minutes at a time.” Wukong stated. “Am I going to be given any clothes?” Wukong asked.

Macaque chuckles. "I dunno, I think you look pretty good like that. Makes things easy for this little guy." He sits the little monkey on the bed so he can scurry over to his Mama. "But I guess if you're feeling modest..." A shadow portal opened above him, dropping a silky red and black robe onto his head. "You can wear that until you're healed. I need easy access to change the bandages."

Wukong scowled but slipped the soft robe on as he rested against a pillow as Mk ‘ate’ his breakfast. ‘To think I'm going to have to get used to breastfeeding Mk for the next decade now that he will age like a normal demon Cub instead of a human.’ Wukong thought.

Macaque was quiet for a moment as he watched the domestic scene play out in front of him. 'This is gonna take a while to get used to.' Wukong might have always been great with the Cubs, but this was on a whole other level. And this was all his. His tail swayed behind him as he walked around the bed and sat on the edge of it as he had done the day before. "Gotta admit, I'm surprised you could only stay on your feet for a few minutes. I know you're healing's slowed down but I didn't think a couple of holes would be able to slow you down this much."

Wukong grimaced. “My pain tolerance has been reduced, might be an effect of the collar reducing my magic."

Macaque hummed and nodded. "Makes sense. Still, you're healing faster than a mortal at least." He wasn't sure he wanted Wukong's leg to heal that quickly, but he wasn't going to mention that. "I'm surprised you managed to keep the little one so safe in the last month with how cheerful and curious he is." Macaque noted, watching the little one still latched on tight to Wukong. "Did you have to use some spell to make him sleep? That wouldn't require too much magic."

“No… I fed him a mix of milk and my blood to keep him from imprinting on any of the demons if we got caught or cornered.” Wukong replied.

Macaque nodded. "Good call, especially considering the kid's track record. He's always been too friendly for his good." As he continued to watch the child from his spot, a thought popped into his head. "You know, I think he might just be the youngest a celestial monkey has ever been born. "He glanced up at Wukong's face. "The two of us were both born old enough to not need milk." He paused, frowning slightly. "Well I guess I can't say about the Gibbon or the Baboon, but at least that we know of, he's the youngest. Wonder why?"

“Because he was made from only a fraction of my egg that wasn't much larger than a watermelon once the clay form was sealed inside,” Wukong answered as Mk finished his meal burping afterward as he giggled and reached up to touch and investigate Wukong’s face.

“Mama pretty peach!” Mk giggled repeating the words the whisper of wind blew into his little ears.

Macaque paused, ears twitching, listening for whatever the wind may have carried to him, but heard nothing at the moment. Instead of wondering if some fool had dared to say such a thing about his mate, he smiled. "Oh, you think your mama's pretty as a peach too?" Macaque asked the little one, glancing up at his mate's face. He'd certainly said it himself in the past.

Mk nodded. “Baba, beautiful blueberry!” Mk giggled, his cute little ears twitching.

Macaque's eyebrows raised. Now that was an old memory unlocked. He smiled more. "I see the winds are already sharing all sorts of interesting things with you Xiaotian. Do you know where those words are coming from?" He leaned toward the cub, still clinging to his mama, and lowered his voice to a stage whisper. "They're coming from the past."

Mk tilted his head listening intently to Macaque with wagging tails. “Wind telling stories?"

"That's right," he said as he scooted forward. "The wind knows everything because it hears everything. It carries every word someone says. So it knows all of the stories and for monkeys like us-" he wiggles his ears, "it will sometimes share those stories."

“Like Mama peach and Baba blueberry!” Mk giggled.

"Exactly like that." He lets his tail come around and tickle the little one's nose. "That's something Baba and Mama would say to each other a long, long time ago bud. The wind thought you might like to hear that story."

“Story!” Mk cheered settling in Wukong’s lap before a loud and hungry growl came from Wukong’s stomach making the golden monkey blink and blush a deep tomato red in embarrassment.

Macaque blinked before snickering. "Sorry bud, looks like story time has to wait. Looks like your Mama started getting hungry again." He said, standing. "Be right back Peaches." He took two steps forward into a shadow and fell through. Once he arrived in the kitchen, he quickly grabbed a few fruits (mostly stone fruits, but there were a couple of bananas in there,) into a bowl. He didn't think Wukong would need to be hand-fed after his stomach made a sound that loud. But just in case he grabbed a small place where he could sit and cut fruit this time if he needed to. When he returned to the room, he sat the bowl on the nightstand next to the glass of water that had been refilled after he'd changed the bandages. He grabbed the peach he'd placed on top of the pile and offered it to Wukong. "You up to eating yourself this time?"

“I can eat on my own,” Wukong replied taking the fruit in hand and biting right into it consuming the flesh and seed with ease.

Macaque frowned, rolling his eyes. "Really? You're gonna teach the kid to do that if you keep it up."

Wukong grimaced at that. ‘Right… monkey see monkey do…’ Wukong recalled the old saying. “Dont repeat what Mama just did starlight,” Wukong advised the cub with a boop to the nose.

"Right, so you wanted a story." Macaque said, sitting back down as he looked at the little cub. "The story behind Papa Blueberry and Mama Peach is a simple little story. It might not be a story you'd find that fun to listen to," he admitted. He was sure he could make it sound more interesting than just the two of them flirting over a millennia ago, but his cub was so young, he wasn't sure he'd be interested in what was essentially a love story. Even if it was an old romance story.

Wukong silently tuned out the old memory of a story while Mk listened rather intently with wagging twin tails. ‘Macaque always did have a knack for weaving epic tales from simple actions.’ Wukong recalled as he silently devoured the bowl of fruit leaving behind the seeds he wasn't supposed to eat that his seven immortalities made the issue a moot topic for him.

Spinning a tale to entertain a child was simple for him. He fell easily into his storyteller's voice as he talked, dramatizing events from so long ago he only half-remembered them, playing more into the silliness into the whole thing in an attempt to make it more comedic for his baby. He even directed his child's eyes towards a wall, letting shadow figures play across it to aid in his storytelling. He was pleased to see how much their child liked his impromptu play. Story done, he dismissed the shadow monkeys on the wall. "As I said, not the most exciting story. I'm glad you enjoyed it though. Next time I can tell you a more exciting tale, how's that sound?"

Mk clapped his hands. “Baba shadow puppet master!” Mk grinned before he let out a rather large yawn showing off his milk fangs while rubbing at his eyes.

“Someone is ready for their nap.” Wukong hummed in amusement.

Macaque's tail flicked in pleasure as he reached over and placed his hand on the side of his little cub's head, gently stroking sensitive those little ears. "I'd say that was a good bedtime story. Why don't I take you back to your room so you can get that nap?"

Mk reached for Macaque purring as he snuggled into the silky black fur.

Macaque purred back, petting the little one's head. "Be right back Sunshine. Want me to grab you more food, or are you good?"

“I’m full,” Wukong replied to the question, watching as Macaque left through his shadows. ‘Now… time to investigate what I can reach.’ Wukong thought in determination, turning his gaze to the shackle on his ankle. ‘That needs to go but I need something to break it.’ Wukong planned as he got up from the bed making his way to the desk under the window only for the chain to go taunt.

[wildstar25]

for the xiv questions, #2 and #3!

question list

2. How did they acquire their Echo? 

It was about five years prior to the seventh umbral calamity. Arsay was 17 and working on a ship in the south seas. She was keeping the night shift, a common occurrence since she had the best night vision on the crew. Arsay was happy to be of use but she never quite liked how lonely it was being the only person awake. It had been a particularly long day for her as well: lots of cargo to be moved at port that afternoon, she had to swim back to the ship because the merchant she worked for (once again) overloaded the dingy with new stock and they didnt have time for two trips, and then she of course had to also help move all the various sacks and crates into the store chambers around the hulls. Needless to say she was exhausted and with no one to talk to or anything to do (other than stare silently at the sea and sky) it was pretty easy for Arsay to nod off.

She had drifted to sleep for but a moment when her ears picked up a whisper on the wind. "Hear... Feel... Think..." Arsay's eyes snap open. The dark blue of the night sky was now a bright, burning crimson. Flame rained down from above as far as her eyes could see, like the stars themselves were shot right out of the sky, extinguishing on contact with the sea. Arsay wasn't sure if this was the work of some kind of monster, or if they were under siege by pirates, but the fear she felt was undeniable. She got to her feet as fast as she could and made her way to the crew cabin. Every step just as uneasy as the last. Had to be the waves from everything crashing into the water's surface causing the boat to sway. Nothing to do with how weak Arsay's legs felt, how heavy her feet were, or how much her head hurt. Finally, the cabin door was in reach. She pulled it open and yelled inside, "Oi, wake up! All of you! There's some kinda monster? Pirates? Somethin' strange! Just get up and get outside!"

She waited for the stirs of acknowledgement before rushing back out to the main deck on her own. The sky was had begun to change, red and oranges turned to back to blues and black. The stars as well returned. A few lingering trails of flame landed across the horizon just as the disgruntled merchant spoke up from behind Arsay. "Right then, catgirl, you figure yourself some kind of jester do you?" "No, I- You have to believe me! Just now, I opened my eyes and the whole sky, red! Huge chunks of fire falling into the-" "Opened your eyes? Ah, so you were asleep on the job." "I mean... I closed my eyes for a quick second but..." "Ever consider it was all a dream, kid?" "I was awake, I swear!" "No need to be embarrassed, everyone's dozed on watch at least once. Though most of us can tell the difference between our nightmares and reality." A few snickers come out from the crew. Arsay felt the fur on her tail bristle out and her face turned flush, "I'm tellin' you, what I saw was not a dream!"

"Yeah, and I'm next in line to the throne in Ul'dah." The merchant paid not Arsay's insistence any mind. He let out a loud yawn and turned back towards the cabin. "By my estimate you've another couple of hours before dawn. Stay awake t'ill then or I'll be dockin' your pay for this little jape of yours." The crew followed suit and headed into the cabin, mocking Arsay along the way. Their laughter remained audible until the door fully closed. Arsay is alone on the deck once more, left to question whether what she saw was reality or a dream.

-- Arsay would never have that vision again. Not until she embarks for Limsa Lominsa. However, that memory was locked away with the rest of the 1.0 adventure Arsay experienced. Upon hearing descriptions of the Seventh umbral Calamity which occurred five years prior to ARR, Arsay rationalized her vision as her witnessing the fall of Dalamud. It only feeling like five years ago to her as well, when in reality it was 10. Though, she could have sworn she continued to see that red moon in the sky afterwards... whenever she tries to recall it now it's kinda hazy. It's not something Arsay gets hung up on though.

3. Does their Echo function like it does in the MSQ? Or is there a twist to it?  Largely yes, with a few points I like to elaborate on and one addition:

Visions of the past that Arsay experiences while awake are fairly uncommon. Aside from one extra instance I have added to her story, she has only had the visions that are shown in the msq.

As well, She has to have some kind of per-existing connection with an individual in a vision in order to connect with their emotional state at the time. Otherwise she can only gleam information from what she sees.

When Arsay has echo dreams, it's always snippets of her Azem's, Lethe, life (sometimes Ardbert's after shb); but, she never remembers them upon waking up. The dreams might leave her in a particular mood but she will often shake it off.

The future vision aspect of the echo like seeing party wipes is canon and a skill she keeps to herself. Mostly because she'd rather not dwell on all the times she's felt herself or seen her friends die.

Arsay's echo can also predict the impact of non telegraphed attacks. She does not see them as aoe markers on the ground, or a vision of her getting hit there, or a build up of aether, it's more like a tingle in her tail telling her shes in the blast zone. (Like a spidey sense) Once Y'shtola gained her aethersight, she clued into the fact that Arsay could sense where danger spots were; however, it was evident that Y'shtola could recognize them before Arsay could.

I always like to say that Arsay's ability to transfigure elemental aether the way that she does while using her Ninja and Summoner skills are largely due to her echo. Basically Arsay is more strongly tuned to some elements than others and when she does pull in aether from her environment its more likely than not going to be those elements over the one she is aiming for. But, by combining the right ratios of elements, she can produce the one she needs!

When she's setting up mudras with ten,chi,jin or drawing shapes in the air, That's her channelling and balancing out the elements she needs.

Wind+Water = Ice, Wind+Lightning=Fire, Water+Fire+Fire=Earth

stuff like that! I know its not /exactly/ in line with how elemental magic works in universe but its one of those ideas i came up with while going through the game and can't let go of. I suppose just think of it similar to how a few butterflies in elpis can become robes to wear. Only it's a gust of wind and a spark of lightning turning into a huge fireball that is or isnt concentrated into the form of a carbuncle depending on the occasion.

[thistledown-au-warriors]

fire and ice - chapter 29

< Chapter 28 || Index || Chapter 30 >

It was sunhigh by the time Fire Heart got back to camp from a hunt. He'd managed to catch a small rabbit. It felt like prey had gotten leaner, as nothing he'd caught for a while felt like it had any fat in it. He padded into the clearing and dropped his prey in the usual place. The spot had been empty so far.

Fire Heart wondered if he should go out again and hunt - Golden Flower's appetite was increasing with the size of her belly, and the kits of the Clan had to be fed at all costs. The snow was heavier now, and a cold wind was beginning to blow through the ravine. Fire Heart was studying the darkening sky when he heard Brindle Face’s worried meow near the nursery. He bounded over to see what was wrong. “What’s the matter?”

“Have you seen Cloud Tail?” she demanded.

Fire Heart shook his head. “Is he missing?” His paws prickled as Brindle Face’s rising panic began to infect him.

“Yes. So are my other kits. I only closed my eyes for a moment. I just woke up and I can’t find them anywhere! It’s too cold for them to be out. They’ll freeze to death!” The queen swayed on her paws.

Alarm shot through Fire Heart as he pictured the last time a young cat had disappeared from the camp. 

It had been Blazing Cinder.

“I’ll find them.” Fire Heart promised. He automatically looked around for Gray Stripe. The wind was rising and the snow was growing thicker — he didn’t want to search alone. Fire Heart rushed to the warriors’ den and pushed his way inside, but Gray Stripe wasn’t there.

Sand Storm was just waking up. “What’s wrong?” she meowed, seeing Fire Heart peering around the den.

“Brindle Face’s kits are missing.”

“Cloud Tail too?” Sand Storm scrambled to her paws, instantly awake.

“Yes! I was looking for Gray Stripe so we could look for them together, but he isn’t here.” Fire Heart meowed, his words tumbling out in a rush. He felt a stab of rage that Gray Stripe was missing yet again.

“I’ll come with you.” Sand Storm offered.

Fire Heart blinked. “Thanks.” he meowed gratefully. “Come on. We should tell Blue Fur before we leave.”

“Dusty Earth can tell her. Is it still snowing?”

“Yes, and it’s getting heavier. We’d better hurry.” Fire Heart looked at Dusty Earth's sleeping form. “You wake him. I’ll tell Brindle Face we’re going and meet you by the entrance.” He bounded away, back to the nursery. Brindle Face was still sniffing around in search of scents.

“Any sign?” Fire Heart asked.

“No, nothing.” Brindle Face’s voice was trembling. “Frost Shine's gone to tell Blue Fur!”

“Well, don’t worry. I’m going out to look for them.” he reassured her. “Sand Storm’s coming with me. We’ll find them.”

Brindle Face nodded and carried on searching.

Fire Heart and Sand Storm arrived at the gorse tunnel together and hurried out into the woods. Outside the camp, the wind felt even fiercer. Fire Heart narrowed his eyes and hunched his shoulders against the blizzard.

“It’s going to be hard picking up a scent through the fresh snow.” Sand Storm warned. She let out an angry hiss of concern. "Kits! They just had to pull this stunt at the worst time."

Fire Heart nodded. “Let’s start by checking to see if they’ve climbed up to the forest.”

“Okay.” meowed Sand Storm. 

“You take that side.” Fire Heart pointed with his nose. “And I’ll take the other. Meet you back here. Don’t be long.”

Sand Storm bounded away, and Fire Heart leaped over a fallen tree, heading toward the trail the Clan followed most often. The sides of the ravine were even more thickly coated than they had been that morning, and slippery now where the snow had frozen into ice. Fire Heart stopped and lifted his head, his mouth open, but he could find no scent of the kits. He looked in vain for pawsteps — would their trail already be covered by fresh snow?

He trekked along the bottom of the slope but found no sign of any cats, let alone lost kits. The wind blew until Fire Heart could hardly feel the tips of his ears. No kits could survive in this weather. He had to find them before nightfall.

A large shape was visible through the whiteness. Fire Heart padded forward and squinted. It was Gray Stripe, heading for Fourtrees. 

"Gray Stripe!" Fire Heart called out. The gray warrior froze, and turned to Fire Heart, ears flat.

"What?" He meowed defensively.

There was no time to feel hurt. "Cloud Tail, Ash Fur and Fern Cloud are missing! They left camp and are out alone in this snow!" Fire Heart informed him urgently. 

The scowl in Gray Stripe's face was replaced by shock. He turned his broad head to look over his shoulder, then looked back at Fire Heart. "Alright. I'm coming."

He felt his heart soar as Gray Stripe came to his side and ran with him. Fire Heart and his friend raced back to the camp entrance. Sand Storm was waiting for him, her fur striped with small ridges of snow. She shook them off as she saw them coming.

“Any sign?” Fire Heart meowed.

“No, nothing.”

“They can’t have gotten far.” Fire Heart pointed out, although fear sunk his stomach. If one of the best hunters in the Clan couldn't find their trace, who could?

“Come on, let’s try this way.” Gray Stripe called them, heading toward the training hollow.

Sand Storm and Fire Heart battled after him. The snow was getting deeper, and even though she had longer legs than Fire Heart, she sank up to her belly with every step. He fell to the back of the group, and the two smaller cats used the ridges Gray Stripe left on the snow to march forward.

The training hollow was empty.

“Do you think Blue Fur realizes how bad the weather is out here?” asked Sand Storm, raising her voice against the wind.

“She’ll know.” Fire Heart called back to her.

“We should go back and get help, join up with another search party.” meowed Sand Storm.

Fire Heart looked at the shivering warrior. It was not just the kits who might freeze out here. Perhaps Sand Storm was right. “I agree.” he meowed. “We can’t do this by ourselves.”

Gray Stripe raced back to them before they could call to him. "Wait. Did you hear that?"

The three warriors stood silently, and it seemed like a tiny squeal sounded through the wind. 

Sand Storm parted her jaws and began sniffing the air furiously. Suddenly she lifted her head. “That way!” she meowed, pointing with her nose to a fallen tree.

Fire Heart leaped toward it with Sand Storm right behind him. Gray Stripe gained on him and matched his stride, helping him through the piles of snow. The squealing grew louder until Fire Heart could make out several little voices. He scrambled up onto the log and looked down the other side. Huddled in the snow were three small kits. Fire Heart felt a rush of relief and fury shot through him. 

"What do you think you're doing out of camp?" he yowled.

“Hunting!” squeaked one of the kits, Fern Cloud. Her voice trembled with cold and fear, but there was a note of defiance in it.

Clout Tail had a small, frozen vole between his teeth. "We found fresh-kill!" he meowed through the dead prey. The small creature clearly had been frozen by the fierce snowfall.

Fire Heart sighed and scooped up the white kit by the scruff of his neck. Cloud Tail grunted in protest but refused to drop the vole that dangled from his mouth.

"Hunting for frostbite, more like." Gray Stripe huffed.

Fire Heart turned to see Sand Storm nudging the others. She picked up Fern Cloud, who was mewling pitifully, while Gray Stripe scooped Ash Fur up with a grunt. The gray kits were quite larger than Cloud Tail, but still shouldn't keep on trudging through the snow.

The bedraggled group struggled back to the camp. Brindle Face was waiting outside the gorse tunnel, Mossy Patch beside her. Blue Fur stood beside them, her eyes narrowed against the driving snow. As soon as they spotted Fire Heart’s party, they rushed forward to help. Brindle Face took the squirming Cloud Tail from Fire Heart, while Blue Fur and Mossy Patch took the two older kits. Then they turned and raced into the shelter of the camp, while the three young warriors followed them at a slower pace, panting clouds of steam into the wind.

Once in the clearing, the three cats dropped their cold bundles onto the ground, their mothers promptly licking the frost from their soft pelts. Fire Heart shook the snow from his fur and looked down at Cloud Tail, who was still stubbornly clinging to his prey.

Blue Fur glared at the three kits as Mossy Patch and Brindle Face stepped back. “What did you think you were doing out there? You know kits are forbidden from leaving camp!”

The two gray-and-white kits shrank under their their grandmother's angry gaze, but Cloud Tail looked back at her with round kitten-blue eyes. He dropped his vole and mewed, “Hop Speckle says the Clan is hungry, so we went to hunt!”

Fire Heart flinched at his boldness.

“Whose idea was it?” Blue Fur demanded.

“Mine!” Cloud Tail announced, his head still unbowed.

Blue Fur fixed her eyes on the defiant little kit and yowled. “You could have frozen to death out there!”

Cloud Tail was startled by the anger in her voice and dropped into a crouch. “We wanted to help the Clan.” he mewed defensively.

Fire Heart held his breath as he waited to see what Blue Fur would do next. Would she change her mind about letting Cloud Tail stay?

“Your intention..." Blue Fur meowed slowly. “... was good. But it was a foolish thing to do.” Fire Heart felt a flicker of hope. Then he cringed as Cloud Tail piped up again.

“I found prey!”

“I can see that.” replied Blue Fur coldly. She gazed at all three kits. “I shall leave it to your mothers to decide what to do with you. But I don’t want to find any of you doing anything like this again. Do you understand?”

Fire Heart relaxed a little as Cloud Tail nodded with the others. “Clould Tail. I'll add your 'catch' to the pile.” Blue Fur added. “But now the three of you need to go straight to the nursery and get yourselves dry and warm.” 

Ash Fur and Fern Cloud stumbled toward the nursery, followed by Brindle Face, who carried the tiny white kit. Cloud Tail mewled in complaint, saying something about how he wanted to take the vole to the pile himself. Mossy Patch hushed him, licking his face as she padded beside her mate.

“Well done.” Blue Fur meowed, turning her attention to Sand Storm, Fire Heart and Gray Stripe. “I’ll send Pale Tail out to retrieve the other search party. You should go to your den and try to warm up too!”

“Yes, Blue Fur.” Fire Heart answered. He turned to leave with the others but Blue Fur called him back. “Fire Heart." she meowed, “I want to talk to you.” Her tone made him feel apprehensive. Perhaps he’d relaxed too soon.

“Cloud Tail showed some resilience and tracking skill today, for such a young kit.” Blue Fur began. “But all the skill in the world is worthless if he can’t learn to obey the warrior code. It may be for his own safety now, but in the future the safety of the whole Clan will depend on it. He somehow convinced his denmates to get into trouble. I don't want him using their trust in him for dangerous things.”

Fire Heart stared down at the ground. He knew Blue Fur was right, but he couldn’t help feeling that she was expecting too much of the young kit. Cloud Tail was still less than three moons old, and he’d been with the Clan only a short time. Fire Heart swallowed a pang of resentment as he thought of how shamelessly Gray Stripe, a clanborn cat, was disobeying the warrior code. However, the pride and defiance he’d seen in the white kit’s eyes made Fire Heart wonder if he really would be able to adjust to Clan life. He looked up at the Clan leader. “Yes, Blue Fur.” he meowed. “I’ll make sure he learns.”

“Good.” Blue Fur sounded satisfied. She turned away and padded to her den.

Fire Heart made his way to the warriors’ den even though he no longer felt cold. Blue Fur’s words had made him burn. He noticed Gray Stripe standing outside the den, looking at him.

Fire Heart thought the tom would have been back to avoiding him by now. "Thank you, Gray Stripe." He meowed genuinely. "It means a lot to me that you helped me find Cloud Tail."

Gray Stripe looked away. "Wouldn't be right of me to allow kits to be in danger."

"Right." Fire Heart sighed. Whenever Gray Stripe did anything for him, he acted dismissive afterwards, as he was still mad Fire Heart meddled in his relationship. "Well, then. Are you going to keep her waiting?"

Their eyes met again. There was no need to specify who - they both knew. Gray Stripe scuffed the earth with his paws.

"I'm sure she understands it's hard to get out in this weather." The tom mumbled.

Nodding, Fire Heart attempted to brush past him to enter the warriors' den, but a bushy gray tail blocked him.

"Wait." Gray Stripe meowed. "Come with me. We need to talk."

  The two toms shook the snow off their pelts as they climbed inside the hollow of an ancient tree, a fair distance away from camp. The large roots made enough shelter from the wind, and they could watch the bright snow dancing in the dark outside the cover of wood. Fire Heart bent down to give himself a wash, getting the frost out of his shorter pelt. He felt Gray Stripe doing the same beside him. Fire Heart realized this was the first time since he'd found out about Silver Stream that they'd been alone together by choice, and he felt a pang as uncertainty filled his heart. He missed Gray Stripe, but the tom had felt almost like a stranger for so long he didn't know what to say.

But he didn't need to say anything, as Gray Stripe's low meow sounded beside him. "When you joined the Clan as an apprentice…" he began, and Fire Heart lifted his head to look at him. "... I was so happy. I finally had a friend. Raven Shadow and I didn't get along as well before you joined - despite everything, I was just a kit. He humored me because Sand Storm and Dusty Earth didn't like him either. But you came, and everything fell into place. I could teach you all about the Clans, and you'd listen to me in awe." Gray Stripe chuckled. "It felt good, like I was an older brother. And soon felt that way for Raven Shadow as well. I finally had real friends. Nothing like Dark Pine."

The gray warrior paused for a moment as his expression saddened. "Then I lost Lion's Heart, the best mentor I could've asked for. Rose Fall was nice, but also just another kin that doesn't remember me much. She was more like kin to Blue Fur and Thrush Wing's kits than to White Flower, and you know how he's kind of distant from them." Fire Heart didn't, but chose not to interrupt Gray Stripe. "Then Raven Shadow had to go, and I couldn't even begin to understand the circumstances. It all seemed so much bigger than me, I just wanted things to go back to normal since Broken Tail was gone. And it was when you left to find WindClan that I realized nothing would ever be back to normal. You don't need me anymore."

"Gray Stripe-" Fire Heart gasped, but his friend didn't let him finish.

"No, it's true , Fire Heart." His yellow eyes blazed intensely with emotion. "You aren't the clueless former kittypet that needs me to teach you things anymore. You're a better warrior than I am. Blue Fur pays a lot of attention to you, and I was kind of just… there. Sleeping alone for the first time in moons made me realize that I was the one who needed you to feel like I had a place in the Clan. And I was terrified of losing my one true friend and having to realize that the only ones that would care about me then would be my parents . Willow Branch cares even about Dark Pine who hates her for making him be born half-Clan."

Fire Heart stared, shocked silent. Dark Pine was half-Clan? He knew White Flower wasn't his father, but…

Gray Stripe looked away. "It's a long story, one that very few know." He murmured. "Willow Branch fell briefly for a ShadowClan warrior when she was young. She regrets it, but doesn't regret Dark Pine. He doesn't see it that way, though. He thinks it's only fair my littermates died to show her that she can't take back birthing him just because she had a new family."

"You… had littermates?" Fire Heart whispered. Gray Stripe had never told him that.

His friend nodded sadly. "Two. Many kits were lost that leaf-bare." His meow was a small murmur. "I don't even remember what they looked like, just that I missed them badly."

Not thinking twice, Fire Heart pressed himself against his friend, nosing his shoulder to offer him comfort. The gray tom tensed at first, then laid his head between the ginger cat's ears, inhaling sharply. "So… when you came back, I was glad, but also resentful. We were both made warriors that day, even though you were the one that did something amazing. And I realized that you were the important one. It wasn't the two of us against the bullies anymore."

"It still was for me." Fire Heart murmured. He felt his friend smile against his pelt, then pull away. Gray Stripe was now staring dreamily at the snow. 

"Then I met Silver Stream and… I don't have all these worries when I'm with her. She loves me for me, the way she met me. And I love her for the beautiful, talented and funny cat she is. She acts aloof and rebellious, but she's so much more." He sighed happily, and Fire Heart's pads pricked. The gray tom truly loved her, and he couldn't help but sympathize with him. He'd sought out his sister to feel like he belonged, too, and it was something he'd also gone beyond the code for. Gray Stripe went on. "I know I've been a mouse-brain. I couldn't bear to be away from her, and I assumed that, since you didn't need me, I could just see Silver Stream and not worry. I'm sorry."

Fire Heart sighed, exasperated. "I'm not your friend because I need to be. I'm your friend because I want to be."

"I understand that now. I was selfish." The gray tom blinked his round yellow eyes.

He held the warrior's gaze. "It's not my place to judge you. I just don't want you to get hurt, you're my best friend, Gray Stripe. You always will be."

Gray Stripe stared at him, his eyes clouded with relief and gratitude. Then, without speaking, they pressed together, sharing warmth. They sat together in friendship, watching the snow rage on as evening fell.

[kim-monsterlings]

Galan - M Gargoyle x F Human (Reader) // NSFW

The pictures do not belong to me. I only created the mood board. Do not repost my work anywhere.

Content: NSFW/Lemon; moving into a new home, mention of a ritual (just some words), tentative friendship turned intimacy (+ bathing him, no explicit nudity), nervous gargoyle, fluff, drinking alcohol (reader - not drunk), kissing, minor angst, fluff, inexperienced monster, general dirty talk, handjob and giving oral (no release yet), receiving oral, penetrative sex, kissing, clitoral play (+ with his tail), alluding to more

Notes: Galan is a really old idea of mine. I’ve wanted to redo him for ages, and I love him so much. He’s a sweetheart. I think this is my favourite mood board, too. It’s so pretty.

Wordcount: 4835

Masterlist

Of your closest friends - those same people lending a hand to rearrange your new furniture, or to offer help in lugging weighted boxes indoors, too many had asked when you would dispose of the stone creature resting in your garage. Only with a slight pinch of guilt were you glad to finally be alone now.

This new home of yours was beautiful. Beyond the garage full of your old clutter and a south-facing balcony leaning to the small woodland, the promise of the gargoyle had sold you. The last owners had little love for the statue, never removing the sheet darkened by dust in their years living there, and that sheet had been thrown over it from their sellers.

With the incessant ribbing - in particular that the stone would only waste space, it was with a struggle that you dragged him from the garage and up. On a thick quilt to protect the walls and new flooring, you fell onto the same bedding when you finally had him resting in sunlight on your balcony.

He belonged there, on display; the protector of your home.

As beautiful as the faded stone was in the dimming sunlight, it wasn't only for decoration. There was no promise he had ever been sentient, but you still lit the small tealights - more for the aesthetic, and lifted your hand to the broad expanse of cold stone, unwarmed by the setting sun. You kneeled between two, muscular forearms, the gargoyle perched on thick knuckles, and rested your forehead where the dip of his strong chest fell.

Not that you had a pinch of magic coursing through you, but this ritual was standard practice - nothing more elaborate than a few words whispered. If it failed, you could try harder and seek someone with experience in waking gargoyles.

You hoped he would wake.

Though when you uttered the last word with half in a foreign language, a tongue you weren't familiar with, the candles surrounding you extinguished. Maybe the wind, but you couldn't smother the rush of warmth rising through you.

The sun set slower, like a taunt.

Waiting for the last glimmer of sunshine to fade brought with it a chill, and one you couldn't yet ease without abandoning the creature of stone. To wake him, if he woke at all, and then have him wake from years unconscious and alone would be too cruel, so you tucked your knees against your chest and hunched back against the wall beside him.

The ache in your chest seemed binding as the sky darkened and your breaths began to cloud before you. It wasn't so late you were tired, so you left him with a lingering stare back.

Within the rite, it required the gargoyle to bathe in sunlight. He had only been free of the garage for one afternoon and you had all of tomorrow before repeating the ritual. Simpler than that, even, your pronunciation may have been off.

If he didn't wake tonight, you would try again.

No sound had come yet from the open door in your absence, yet you rushed in making a hot drink. With a blanket and thicker socks, you returned to the cushion beside him, though your presence earned no response; no flitting of those delicately carved wings nor a twitch to the thin tail curled to his back thigh. You resigned yourself to finishing only this drink before locking the door for the night.

It was an hour from sunset with your mug now cold and emptied that you sat up. If he became no more than a decoration to your new home, the gargoyle was still captivating, with curves of precision following the bend to his posture. Mug aside, you leaned closer and touched him for the first time properly bar the ritual, to trace the deep grooves dirtied with years of abandonment along his ridged wings.

Sharp claws pressed to your wrist. Dust clouded your failing sight but through it, you discerned a tremble to the stone, those wings tucked tighter against the large frame now angled towards you.

"You're awake," you whispered. His hand tightened - almost a paw, with a smooth touch of pads along his palm, his fingertips pinching. Slowly so the wholly dark stare could follow, you lifted your other hand to his, carefully easing him off. "You're okay. You've been sleeping for some time. Do you have a name?"

Unmoving, he stared back at you. Only the slight curling of his fingers against yours betrayed him, assuring you he hadn't fallen into a sleep again.

Really, you hadn't anticipated this working. There hadn't been guidance for how to greet newly woken gargoyles, and you couldn't leave now to research, not with his head tilting down in scrutiny.

Even bowed low, he was larger than you.

You introduced yourself quietly and held your breath at the pull of his thick lips when you rose closer. Whatever you whispered worked, be it an assurance of no harm or a promise to be careful, and you brushed your hand against the soft skin of his cheek. It was so soft, you wondered if it nearly felt furred.

His face mimicked that of a canine, with a jaw jutting forward like a smaller snout, his teeth evidently sharper. His nose scrunched back and was far from human, so unlike those eyes widening and focusing on yours when your thumb ran the length of his angular jaw.

When you lifted your hand back to trace the curve of his ears, a deep rumble rose from his chest. The gargoyle trembled and fell into your touch, but you faltered when he spoke in a rough breath, "Galan."

"Galan?"

"My name," he said. "You woke me."

"How do you feel?" Now tracing the two stubs of horns at his temples, his hand curled against yours. "You're supposed to stay in sunlight for a day until you've woken properly. After that, you could stay here on the balcony, or the garage-"

Lengthened claws pricked your palm again. "No."

His immediate aversion to going back twisted your stomach and you nodded. "Or, you could leave. I'll be here. You don't need to decide now."

The angling of his body back captivated you. Galan's strong frame trembled, muscles along his bare chest tensing, but you couldn't help watching as his breath left when finding the clear sky overhead.

"Here."

"You want to stay outside?"

"Tonight," he said, equally as tentative, and his hand squeezed yours. In an echo of you, he looked to the sliding, balcony door. "Go indoors. I will be here."

After waiting since moving in days before for this very moment, the rejection stung, but you left him. It was he who had just woken after however long in the garage, and not your place to demand his energy.

He would be there come tomorrow evening, and when you woke to a bright day, Galan rested in the same position. Crouched onto knuckles again, though his head no longer turned down but up, like his last thought had been to watch the sunrise.

Keeping his awakening to yourself burned the tip of your tongue. Not in doubt of your determination but in disbelief, your friends had never expected anything to come of the ritual should you have gone through with it like you wanted to - like you had, and now you had a new friend at home.

You would tell them soon. Soon, or whenever Galan was comfortable around you, first.

Some small part of you expected to find your balcony empty even before sunset, but he remained there, frozen, long into the evening. Time from returning home passed slowly until you settled in wait on your bed, the door opened just an inch.

The soft gasp and groan from his waking tugged you to stand, but you hesitated. From this angle, through the glass, he was still leaning down, the strain of his consciousness running back through the shaking of his head to the sway of his tail where the tip coiled and unfurled like a clenching fist.

Galan greeted you with a lowering of his head, but you lingered in the doorway until he turned as though to invite you out. Tonight, you didn't sit beside him, but rested by your shoulder to the wall.

Not admiring the deep rise and fall of his shoulders became a difficult task, so instead you stared out to the trees with him.

"How do you feel?"

He spoke hoarsely with a quiver to his voice. "Tired. Thank you."

With a returned, small smile, his revealing the larger curl to his lips, you asked, "how long have you been asleep?"

"Too long."

The night was somehow not as quiet as him, but the silence between you wasn't yet uncomfortable. He continued to shift his balance, and each gentle flutter of his wings let off a slip of old, ingrained dust.

"Galan?" The ear closest to you twitched in such an instinctual reaction, you smiled. "Would you like a bath? I could clean your wings."

When his head twisted back, a wing extending, you were torn between laughing or marveling; formerly at the frown twisting his scrunching face, and the latter for the beauty of his stretched wing, with how it rose into talons at the top of each.

Then, he looked to you. With only a soft nod, he began to rise and crept closer with his frame remaining lowered. Galan paused at the threshold, his arms crossed tight to his chest.

"We usually… usually stay outdoors."

"I can bring up a bucket and sponge, if you'd rather," you offered, only half-serious, and his lips twitched. "I'm asking you indoors. It's okay."

The bathtub wasn't small, but as Galan removed what little clothing he wore from its tie at his hips, somehow pliant though once stone, fitting him in it was harder. He sat angled, one wing curled to his side, the other extended beyond you.

He stiffened at the water filling around him until it began warming with bubbles, and you wetted the flannel. It felt right to begin with his face, but his hand rose to yours before you could, drawn against his cheek with a sharp breath.

"You are so soft," he whispered. "Be careful."

"I won't hurt you, I-"

Galan's almost inaudible laugh rumbled through him. "Careful I do not hurt you. Here," he said, and guided your fingertips to the small horns.

Too breathless even as he returned to hunching over his chest, clinging to the edge of the tub, it was his temple nudging up to your hand drawing you back to present.

"I'll be careful."

With every wringing of the flannel, the water dirtied until you filled the tub several times until it ran clear. Galan's eyelids had fluttered shut not long after you traced the deep lines of his face, reveling in the natural shade of his body emerging. His lips were a shade darker but you forced yourself not to linger.

Rather than risk overstepping - though he assured you with a gentle smile that he didn't mind when you hesitated at his breastbone, you instead sat back on your heels. "Could you turn?" Water nearly overflowed in his haste, until wings spread, translucent beneath the pale bathroom light. "Are they sensitive?"

"Quite. The talons-"

"Galan," you sighed, and his guilty smile fell at your first, gentle touch to the thin membrane. "Did I hurt you?

With a choked hum of denial, you rested your free hand to his bare back. Though as carefully as you could, his muscles still twitched with each run of the flannel, locking tight when you cleaned the hooked talons.

When you began to aimlessly trace them, you retreated to your lounge and left him to finish washing in private. Now, more than anytime before, you wanted to tell your friends - to tell anyone, but that urge hadn't overcome your desire to ease his transition back to living as much as you could, nor would it.

Gratitude rose from a wide smile as Galan emerged, still dripping a little. He could rise to his full height in the living room without tucking back his wings.

Curled to his shoulders, water droplets fell from his hair, and in an effort to convince yourself to look up from the towel at his waist, you asked, "want me to dry your hair?"

No amount of reassurance lured him back indoors, even with the hairdryer on the lowest setting. In his recoiling, his hand had risen not only to defend himself, but to coax you closer to him, and it fell to the heat in your chest how he stood tight to you; your protector.

Instead, you accompanied him outdoors, where Galan sat against your legs and you on a chair. His hair slipped like silk through your fingertips in plaiting it.

"Tell me of yourself," he said after you finished the first, thin plait. Hardly your finest work, but it saved him from the chill in the damp hair this late. "Who am I protecting?"

Whatever little you had to tell him - of the mundanity of your working life, of snatching your dream home and waking him, he listened with delicate twitches of his ears, sometimes brushing to your knuckles.

Leaving him tonight, you were content. Galan rested nearer the balcony, head angled up, but he turned with a smile and a nod when you locked the door.

Since the rite, each passing day had been only sunny and warm. By midday after a warm morning, the sky darkened and only with luck on your side did you snag a rain sheet on your way home from a shop on the way, one large enough to drape over his hunched form. Tucking it to his horns was the most you could do for him then, but come sunset, you were tucking yourself beneath the sheet, too. Galan woke with a soft sigh, far gentler than usual, and his arms swept forward to pull you close before he'd so much as opened his eyes. Your lips parted on a rushing breath with him so close, still rich with the scent of your fruity bath bubbles.

"You will grow ill outside."

"So will you!"

Galan's cheek rubbed against yours before you were both moving, with his free arm now beneath your knees. "I will not. You covered me?"

"From the rain. I didn't want you cold." In the fleeting moment before he lowered you, his arms had tightened. You tucked the sheet against the door. "Were you?"

His throated tightened. "Sorry?"

"Cold," you said. Water glistened in the stray hairs fallen from plaits around his horns. He turned into your hand as you reached to rub the rain from his cheek. "Galan?"

"No. No, I… we don't feel. Not like that."

Your hand fell. "Oh."

"Thank you. I," he paused, and in a sudden and sweeping step closer, curled you into his arms. His head rested to yours and after a deep breath, you embraced him, too. "Thank you."

That little touch played in your thoughts each following night you lured Galan indoors. On nights resting beneath a clearer sky, his wing would curl to you and tuck you close, but it came so naturally that you were often already leaning into him.

Still, he hadn't said anything of his plans; plans to remain or plans to go, and you weren't comfortable bringing them up. Selfishly, you wanted him to stay, and he hadn't made any moves to leave - yet.

Even having a work friend over late one evening, they were gone before sunset so not to overwhelm him, with Galan still startled by your presence so soon after waking, and to maintain this new and precious haven.

That same night, Galan followed you back inside - always coming indoors only at your invitation, before his face scrunched and his tail twitched.

"Smells strong," he'd said, and you struggled not to laugh when he lifted your near emptied wine glass.

Though he had no need for food nor drink, he could still indulge, and you grinned. "Try it." The dark wine painted his lips pink, but it was soon spat back into your glass. "It's an acquired taste."

He handed it to you with an eagerness to be rid of it as you left it by the sink. "Why drink something so… so-"

"Strong? It's for fun, usually. It makes people happy. It makes me want to dance, sometimes," you said, and his wings ruffled slightly. You faltered on your way to sitting down and instead offered him your hand. "Would you like to dance?"

"With you?"

"You won't hurt me, Galan. I might stand on your feet, though."

"How would we dance?"

"However we want to.”

In taking your hand, Galan tucked you close with such grace, you were entirely as ease. Claws traced down your scalp in tucking you beneath his chin, your arms risen to fall around his broad shoulders.

Your dance never amounted to more than a gentle sway until you leaned back. "Spin me out?"

Delicate touches freed you to lure you back again in a blanketed embrace between his wings and his chest. Talons tucked to your shoulders, Galan's body pulled nearer, and with your heart beginning to race, you tiptoed.

"Please," you whispered. "Kiss me."

Stone had never been so warm and soft, his lips fainter than his stuttered breaths. For only a fleeting second, he was there, until he tore away, the balcony door closing at his back.

He left you cold and aching.

With the balcony his safe space, you busied yourself - tried to, though you couldn't stop clinging to the fading warmth of his body pressed so close. Without him here, you fretted over how much of an overstep it was, to use this new relationship, being his only real friend, to feel for him like that.

He had been the one to lean down, but it couldn't undo the ache in your chest.

The balcony was bare when you peeked out to apologise. Nothing replaced him but empty space, no cloud of dust left to signal a recent disappearance.

You slept, but barely. When morning came, you crossed your fingers to your chest.

No stone creature waited for you. The space remained deserted and your composure cracked.

Galan had nowhere else to go - that you knew of. Unless he travelled in the short while you left to bed at night, he could have lost himself.

There wasn't anything you could do but wait. Wait late into the evenings with a blanket gone so long untouched since his wings would cradle you, it felt wrong. Wait from waking until sunset, hoping impossibly that somehow, he would return.

Seven days and seven nights gone, he hadn't.

On the rare occasion you had friends over later than usual - why wouldn't you, now? - one stepped into your bedroom, and your smile faltered when they presumed your ritual hadn't worked to wake him. Neither agreeing nor disagreeing, you only refilled their glass and yours with a white wine instead of red.

The first rainfall from his vanishing came a week and a half from the night you couldn't stop replaying. The rain sheet tucked by the door flapped in the wind as though beckoning you out and wherever he was, you hoped he was safe, but you couldn't rest with the sheet outdoors and tormenting you.

It rained harder on top of the garage. Full of your old boxes and miscellaneous nothings somehow too important to throw away, you winced on hitting something hard a step in and hit the light.

You almost buckled.

Just home from work, you knew he wouldn't wake, not yet, but you ached to hug him close. Galan bowed low in the dark corner but curled into himself, wings risen like a shield.

It could only have been a shield against you.

However long he'd been there, you couldn't snatch this from him. That he had resorted to the garage he loathed sickened you, and rather than lay the sheet nearby, you tucked it away so not to disturb him.

Though in bed before sunset, you weren't asleep.

Distant flapping and a soft rap on your door roused you to turn, but the shadow huddled beneath your rain sheet beckoned you to let him in.

He came inside without needing your welcome, the thin fluff to his arms soaked. The sheet fell with a small puddle formed at the door, freeing the silhouette of wings you missed.

"I'm sorry, Galan," you whispered. When his head tilted, you distanced yourself a step, tucking your hands against your chest to stop yourself reaching for him. "It wasn't fair of me to expect so much of you just from waking. You've hardly been living and to force myself on you, I…"

"I'm your protector."

If he declared himself to be, had he been here the whole time? Your breath caught. "So you'll stay?"

Galan's thin wings bound to his slumped frame. "Who will you protect you from me, if I stay?" His curved ears twitched at your shuffle nearer. "I've never… I've never been with another, not a human."

"You do want me?"

"That was never in question," he muttered, only to stutter on a gasp. Those familiar wings tucked you close and you whimpered at the fluttering kisses against your face. "More than anything, I want you. Is that what you thought?"

"You left after I coerced you into a kiss."

"Coerced? No." When the warmth of his lips brushed to yours, he lifted you to your tiptoes and whispered, "if I were to hurt you-"

"Is that why you left me? Galan," you said, tiptoeing to reach for his turned face. He shuddered at your touch but didn't refuse it, the warmth of his wings now ghosting along your back. "I'm human, but I'm not so breakable. You'd be surprised."

His hands brushed against your waist. "I want you."

"We don't have to rush anything."

"I need you."

Gentle kisses warmed against your cheek, still an avoidance of kissing you how you dreamed. Though with his wings embracing you, Galan followed with your every step, until whining quietly as you settled on the bed before him.

The fabric knotted at his waist almost fell apart from the simplest of tugs, and Galan with it. His sharp teeth bit into his lip and his palms cradled your head.

"I can see you need me," you whispered, and gently lifted your hand to stroke along the thick length of his cock. Ridged and thick, it twitched against your palm and you coaxed a breathless moan from him, stroking the pad of your thumb to its throbbing head. "Is this where you need me?"

His claws pressed enough to your scalp they stung, and he whimpered. "Be careful."

Giant wings unfurled with your lips parting at his tip. Galan's whines became soft groans and he eased your mouth wider, guiding himself against your tongue with a stronger hold. The musk of him had your thighs clenching, gently stroking what you couldn't take.

He held you there, unmoving for a breath, long enough that you squeezed his thigh. Every flick of your tongue weakened his stance, until only the expanse of wings held him upright.

"Please. Please," he rasped, a slight buck to his hips forcing himself deeper to your throat. When your breath caught, his cock twitched, and he cried with your hand rolling his heavy sac. Galan's touch tightened against your temples before he angled himself away, laying you down in the same move. "Enough. Enough of me."

"Enough of- Galan-"

The gargoyle pressed his lips to your navel and tugged at your clothing, an impatient nip to your stomach stinging. He hesitated until you softened, though drawn to the weight of his cock against his stomach, still slick with you.

Not his intention, as you discovered when his hot breaths flushed against your bare heat. With hardly any time to ready yourself, Galan's thick tongue slid up through your folds. You collapsed back against the bed and far harsher than him, tangled your fingers through his hair.

"Good?"

Such a soft laugh sent a tingle deep through you when you lifted your hips for more, curling at your toes when his tongue flicked your flushed bud of nerves.

"Is that good?" Those dark eyes blinked up, only for you to groan and clench around his shoulders. "So ready for me," he gasped, not a second before the length of his tongue eased into your tight slit, an exploration for himself as he groaned.

Somehow crooking, your stomach fluttered at the drag against your body, before you gasped. "Galan, I'm close. I'm so close."

One last hum, the tip curling, and he whispered, "let me see how pretty you are," before sucking against your clit.

The heat overcoming you came hard. Galan stroked along your tense thighs but never sought a breath apart from your heat as you came, sharper gasps torn when he slipped his tongue back into your fluttering channel, chasing the remnants of your orgasm.

Warm kisses peppered from the dip of your navel and to your chest in your high. Galan held your limp legs to his shoulders until the slight stretch burned and you tasted yourself on his lips.

"Need your little body around me," he gasped into your throat. Galan's head dragged against your sensitive clit and again as you bucked. "Gently, I promise."

"I trust you."

"I'll take care of you," he said, lips to the shell of your ear, and the thick head of his cock filled you. Galan's promise of tenderness fell from your thoughts at the near immediate hastening of his pace, his hips rolling deeper until you dizzied. "Oh. Oh. That's it. Feels so good around me. You feel so good, so hot."

His rumbling and the sensation of him rutting in slow, sharp anglings of his hips burned in your stomach. The barely gone orgasm stole your breath and then Galan was filling you again. Faster, deliberately, and deeper.

Shadows cast with his wings spreading wider. Beneath him now, you could only whimper and clutch tight at the sheets. Galan teased you - though hardly intentional, by something so simple as taking your hips in his large hands with a roaming touch, exaggerating the arch of your body when lifting you further off of the bed.

"Kiss me. Kiss me," you whispered, and it was then he paused, his tongue jutted through his lips. The sharper teeth never fazed you and you coaxed him closer with your legs clenching against him, until he stuttered a breath and parted his lips for you. "I need you to touch my clit, please. Make me come again. For you."

"For me," he echoed, a soft rumble vibrating down to your bodies tucked tight together. "Here?"

It wasn't his hand that flicked your bud - both still stroking along your rear, claws tight to your soft skin and flexing with every faster thrust, but the tip to his prehensile tail.

With another stroke from the thicker tip and his lips soft to your flushed nipple, that heat rushed up through you once more. Your breath left you gasping and whimpering into his hair, against his horns, trembling beneath him when you felt his cock stiffening.

"I want to feel you in me," you breathed, and he came with a weak growl.

His hips angled as deep as they could when hot ropes pulsed through you, until he collapsed, wings fallen limp around you. The ache in your legs helped you loosen them to his waist, only to hold him close as he moaned.

Laying over you as he was, you traced the ease to his pale face. Gentle breaths flushed to your breast, his lips risen in a soft smile at your falling touches. Down to the skin between his wings and following the dip of his spine, until tracing the base of his tail, and his hips bucked into you with a softer whine.

With your thighs still slick and your bodies still flush, you felt him throbbing inside you, unhindered by your breathlessness. Galan murmured incoherently before kissing along the column of your throat and slipping his arms beneath you. He laid you carefully beneath him, now propped back against the pillows.

"Need you again," he whispered. His smooth hand framed your cheek and stroked under your blurred eyes. "Want you. Please."

"We've all night," you said quietly. You hugged him close, content to rest for a breath, but he returned a grin.

"All night," he echoed, and with your eyes rolling back at two, careful fingers rubbing alongside your clit, his hand against your crown, you knew he would have you up until sunset, but you weren't complaining.

[universallychaoticpan]

Sir, that’s a cat?

Osamu Dazai x fem! reader 

Atushi looked around the well lit room of the so called Armed Detective Agency, from a spot next to a window, enjoying the breeze and still processing the fact that these ordinary looking individuals were some of the most powerful people in Yokohama. Dazai and Kunikida he recognized, the tall, blonde man tiredly lecturing the brunette as he lounged on a couch a ways away. When he’d arrived a few days before, he’d been introduced Ranpo, now busily filling paperwork while simultaneously munching on sweets, Yosano, who stood in a corner silently sipping her coffee as she observed the oddly tame environment, and Kenji, who was at the moment out on assignment with Junichiro. 

Atsushi would’ve said he was adjusting well, except he’d been raised to never lie if he could help it. And the truth was he was confused, terrified, and still wondering if the whole experience had been a vivid dream. Part of him hoped he’d wake up and find himself still on the run from that damn tiger. Hell, he’d even settle to be back at the orphanage. 

A flash of movement caught his eyes suddenly, a blur of motion at the corner of his vision. Turning, he saw a black cat staring him down intensely from it’s spot on the open window’s sill, it’s eyes seemingly glowing as he stared back. It tilted it’s head curiously in his direction, tail swaying back and forth behind it as it opened it’s mouth to let out a soft mew. At least cats were still the same here. 

The cat jumped down from it’s perch and moved toward him slowly, it’s movements relaxed and lazy. As it approached him, he didn’t realize he was holding his breath until it began to wind it’s way around his legs, back and forth while purrs rumbled through it’s small body. Encouraged, Atsushi bent down and began softly stroking the spot between the cat’s velvety ears, the purrs intensifying as he did. He wondered why it was here, and who it belonged to, since it looked too well fed to be a stray. And besides, no one else seemed to really care it was there, so he had to assume it was because everyone else was already familiar with it. 

He decided to ask Dazai, wincing as he straightened from his uncomfortable crouching position. Striding across the room, he almost tripped over his own feet as the cat quickly darted between his legs with a yowl, dashing over to where Dazai was still lounging contentedly on the sofa and launching itself up onto his body. The man let out a noise of surprise, then of joy as he brought the cat gently to his chest. The feline nuzzled into his warmth as he cooed to it, solving the mystery as to who the cat’s owner was. Annoyed by the sudden disruption of the quiet, Kunikida approached, eyes narrowed, fully prepared to lecture his partner once again. That was until he caught sight of the cat that had now situated itself on top of the other man. 

“Wonderful. She’s back. I’ll need her to brief us on what she’s learned as soon as she can, but I’ll need to finish up the paperwork for this case first.” The blonde rubbed the space between his eyes tiredly, as Dazai’s smile grew even wider.

“Meaning I have more time with my lovely belladonna! Take all the time you need, please, then take a little longer if you would.”

Confused, Atsushi watched Kunikida walk away muttering to himself, before turning back to Dazai and the cat who was now batting her paws at his nose. 

“So she is your cat then?” 

Dazai blinked, before realizing who he was referring to.

“Nope! This little thing here is my lovely girlfriend!” 

If Atsushi had been hoping for his question being answered to solve his confusion, he was incredibly disappointed. Dazai, meanwhile, went back to cuddling the soft bundle of fur, paying no mind to the white haired boy beside him, as if he hadn’t just called the random cat who’d shown up at the agency his girlfriend.

“Sir, I’m sorry but that’s a cat?” 

Dazai only giggled, while the cat suddenly left her spot, apparently fed up with his antics. As she walked away, he started yelling after her, sparking a strange little argument as she went.

“WhAaaaaAt. I was only playing with him a bit, love. 

“Meow”

Fair point, but you went along with it, so you can’t really say anything.”

The cat didn’t answer, settling for shooting Dazai a glare before turning the corner. 

A startling flash of violet light, followed by a clatter kept Atsuhi’s eyes on the doorway she’d vanished through, jaw dropping completely as, in place of the cat, a woman stepped out in it’s place. There was no mistaking it, though. Her eyes were the same, her gait just as relaxed, but holding just as much power, as if she’d be ready to fight at a moment’s notice. She looked weary, dark circles under her eyes, as if she hadn’t slept in days, but as Dazai looked at her, Atsushi was convinced he was looking at the most beautiful woman in the world. 

He was more than a little embarrassed he hadn’t connected the dots sooner, and his superior laughed kindly as he saw the realization dawn on the boy. 

“Yes, her ability allows her to become a cat, not unlike how yours allows you to become a powerful tiger. She’s our top intelligence agent here, and goes weeks without contact while she keeps an eye on the Port Mafia’s movements. She’s just returned from one scouting job, and just in time to meet you!” 

The woman laughed, turning to Atsushi and smiling gently. 

“Sorry for this idiot, he finds it funny to introduce my as his girlfriend while I’m shifted. Lovely to meet you, Atsushi. I’m y/n l/n.” 

/////////

First post so I’m more than a little nervous, but I hope you enjoyed this little work. I guess I’m just doing this for fun, so if you enjoyed this, feel free to send me ideas/requests. I’m more than happy to try my hand for whatever characters you’d like in the fandoms listed on my account. Much love if you made it this far, likes, comments and reblogs are always welcome. <3

[lady-o-ren]

Moonstruck

Chapter One (Here) // Chapter Two (Here)

Chapter Two 

The wolf wasn't beneath the trees.

But his big feet make him easy to track, leading Claire and Caspian out of the wretched wood to a sea of wild hills that look like waves under the heavenly glow of the night sky. As they near two rolling mounds where the tracks drag against the earth, she sees a lonely crofter house nestled between them like a little boat, abandoned and shabby looking, but it's roof is still thatched and the stone walls still stand. Good enough really for a place to rest one's tired head. 

Yet Claire wonders why a wolf would seek a place so out in the open.

Better yet why anyone would seek out a wolf. 

"Because you're an absolute nutter, Beauchamp," says Claire to herself. " Or very possibly you're suffering a concussion." 

Swinging a leg off Caspian, she tugs on his reins with a warning to stay put and gathers a deep fortifying breath before stepping into the shadow of the house where the door hangs open.

Inside, shafts of bright silvery light illuminate the room, seeping in through the only window. There are cobwebs and dead leaves strewn about the place, emptied of almost everything except for a wobbly looking table by the soot stained hearth and a stool that must've been made for a child tucked into the corner. . .

Opposite of the big red wolf, eyes bright as stars in the pale blue dark.

Claire's breath quickens and her pulse jumps at her throat but she manages to keep her voice steady. Somewhat.

"We still have that deal don't we? You restrain yourself from biting my head off and I don't shoot you between the eyes."

A miserable sound echoes from the wolf's maw and that's answer enough for Claire. The floorboards creak beneath her as she shuffles about the room, finding a bit of flint left behind from vagrants come and gone and makes a pleased and grateful sound when the sparse bits of wood in the hearth catch fire. She then kneels down in front of him, fist outstretched and shaking as she chants -

"Please don't bite me. Please don't bite me. . ."

It's only when Claire feels something hot and wet swipe against her knuckles does she realize her eyes have been shut and she recoils in surprise,flat on her arse with a shriek. 

The wolf however snorts heartily.

“You're laughing at me aren't  you?” 

The corner of his long mouth quirks wryly as his bushy tail swings back and forth and Claire finds herself cracking a smile. The first of this very long and preposterous night.

"Well, a sense of humor must mean you have a heart after all. More so than Caspian anyways.”

And she hopes it means he isn't too badly injured.

Claire comes closer again and tentatively runs the back of her fingers against the wolf's broad crown, his dark copper fur soft against her skin, slanted eyes gone to slits. Encouraged now, she scratches behind his ears and the wolf makes a sound of pleasure from deep within his throat and drops his head onto her lap, sighing with heart filled contentment. She laughs softly with growing affection, her fingers finding their way underneath his great maw that makes his head upturn and tail to swish, swish.

"I don't care what you say you're a puppy and a sweet one too, aren't you?"

She then impulsively imparts a kiss atop his head and the wolf bumps his nose against her chin wanting another.

“Cheeky lad,” she murmurs warmly, but gives him another anyway.

However, she came here for a reason and that wasn't to cuddle a wolf.

Stroking her hand along his neck, that has him kicking out a long powerful hind leg, she says -

"I know I don't look it, but I know more than a thing or two about broken bones and gashes. Will you trust me to help you, even if it hurts?"

A beat passes before he licks at her wrist and she takes that as a show of trust and extricates herself from beneath the red wolf. Gently, she probes his back and ribs first and is amazed there's only a few marks from the bear, hardly deep at all. But then her hands pass over a crisscross of scars beneath his thick coat and her eyes meet his, searching.

“Someone's hunted you, haven't they?”

A frightful tremor crawls over him that grips at her heart and without thought she presses herself against him wishing she could ease whatever horror he was remembering.

“I hope you tore the bastard apart. Slowly. Bit by bit.”

His sides lightly shake and she knows it must be laughter.

Pushing her wayward curls behind her ear, Claire then touches him gingerly over his injured shoulder. The muscle is swollen and a part of her wonders if it's just a bad sprain. But she remembers that odd angle of his leg as he walked and how he nurses it close to himself now. 

“If you were a man I'd set your shoulder and wrap it in a sling. I've done so before though it's no small feat. But I haven't so for an animal much less a bear-sized wolf . . .” She sighs. Upset with herself.  Hand at her brow, the cut throbbing more so now. “There isn't much I can do without another pair of hands."

She looks helplessly at the wolf.

But there's no way for him to express to her that it's alright, he's suffered worse. And would gladly do so again and again if it meant keeping her from harm. This brown haired lass like no other woman he's ever seen before. Sae bonny and brave. 

So he nuzzles her palm and mouths the soft skin like the puppy she says he is and feels his heart swell and the pain in his arm to cease when a smile softly graces her face lovelier than a moonbeam.

Aye, she was worth it.

Claire leaves him for a moment to settle Caspian for the night in the old byre behind the crofter house and comes back with blankets from the horse's saddleroll, a flask and a fold of her cloak full of bittie yarrow leaves she'd found growing between the stones.

The flask is filled with brandy (courtesy of her former betrothed) that she douses torn strips of her gown with to clean the wolf's wounds (murmuring sweet things as she does so knowing how sharply it stings) while the yarrow leaves are mashed between her teeth and applied carefully like a salve. 

For his poor shoulder however, she says -

“I promise I'll figure out what to do in the morning. I owe it to you for saving me. Thank you by the way,” she softly adds, and scratches behind the wolf's ears as he likes until his eyes begin to droop and a long winded yawn escapes her mouth.

She's exhausted. Body bruised and aching from being tossed around like a ragdoll but she doesn't think she can sleep in a gown that's been slobbered and bloodied. So while the wolf is fast asleep, Claire undresses down to her chemise and stays and quickly wraps herself in one blanket while laying out the other for a makeshift bed, leaving her cloak to dry by the hearthfire.

Her ruined gown however she grasps in her hands.

No longer did it shine with promise. 

No longer was she to be a bride.

At least not for him. 

“The bloody two-faced fucking bastard,” Claire mutters angrily, tossing the damn garment across the floor to gather dust as a tear rolls down her chin. She then curls herself into a ball by the fire, shivering beneath the scratchy grey wool, and wrings her heart out of any lingering affection she's ever had for Frank Wolverton Randall by remembering the last moment she saw him. 

That morning of their wedding behind the church. Swaying on his feet as he groped a woman she could've sworn was his cousin. And then keeled over, grasping his manhood right after she kneed him.

If only they hadn't been on sacred ground she would've kicked him too.

But just maybe he pissed himself.

Lost in that ever pleasing hopeful thought, Claire is startled to feel a deep huff of breath cloud down her neck like steam and looks up to see the red wolf looming above her.

"You absolute fool," she scolds, though it's spoken without bite as she sits up to cradle his face with both her hands. " You're only making things worse for that shoulder of yours."

The wolf doesn't care. He nuzzles her cheek where the brokenhearted tear had fallen, making a sad whimpering sound as he does so that endears him evermore to Claire's heart.

 "No use arguing with a stubborn wolf is there?" 

There isn't. He licks the side of her face making her softly giggle before plopping down beside her with a heavy thunk and Claire can do nothing more but sink down against him, his fur radiating a tender warmth that seeps into her tired bones.

//

Claire wakes with the morning light that floods the room and stings her eyes that immediately shutter close behind the back of her arm.

While embers have kept the room bearable, she knows the only reason she hasn't woken with a sniffle is because of the heavy, heated weight that engulfs her like a brushfire. Drowsily, she lets her hand wander to the furry head atop her chest that rises steadily with a deep inhale of smokey air and then strokes softly down until her palm oddly meets naked flesh. . .

Her eyes bolt open and through the sleepy blur she sees a stranger, big and naked draped across her, mumbling something hot-breathed and incoherent as he smothers his face between her breasts right before she screams.

[selinakidreams]

pairing: merman! dabi x gn reader

warnings: nameless character deaths, a singular mention of nausea + throwing up, unfortunately a lot of blood mentions, near death experiences, SHARK! THERES A SHARK IN THE WATER ! (I SWEAR this is supposed to be pretty but the warnings make it seem otherwise) slight soulmate au?, dabi had a SINGULAR moment of softness.

a/n: guys I don’t even know what this is and it’s unedited,, but welcome to my contribution to mermay ! I had two scenes plain as day STUCK in my head and I just needed to get them out,,, honestly this was just supposed to be a short lil thing but I’m invested,, so here this is

ps, though this may not be edited... I would like to thank all my monster fucking moots who helped me to piece together the perfect mer version of dabi— I love you guys so so so much.

looking out into the darkness of the night, unable to locate the horizon from your position at the edge of the ship- you lift your gaze to the sky with a small sigh.

an unimaginable amount of stars litter the atmosphere, the clear view above could never be tiresome.

the city was no place for you; too crowded, full of men who were trying to court you for your fathers money and your beauty, not enough adventure. the ocean offered a type of freedom land could never- granted, the ship wasn’t much different from the bustling towns in the sense that all the soldiers would eye you like you’re a slab of meat.

the only difference given at sea is that you’re able to put those undesirable fuckers in their place. given your ranking, your power obsessed father wasn’t completely useless.

escaping to the empty deck had been your big feat today; everyone below was gulping down wine by the barrel when you managed to slip out. it was much colder out here, the chill of the salty wind was refreshing, sobering you up quite a bit- but still mentally fuzzy enough to tempt yourself into discarding edict and loosening up your tighter garments.

your drunken attention span shifted from fiddling with your bow in the back to the inky deep water...

what was that?

ripples were quietly dancing on the surface, the warm light reflections coming from the ship’s sconces moved along with them.

it had been really fast, so fast that you were almost left to wonder if you had actually imagined the most vibrant blue eyes you had ever seen... bobbing in the ocean.

two days. it had been two days since you had first “spotted” them and absolutely nothing out of the ordinary had occurred. the sailors still went about uglily gawking at you, your captain of a father was still behind the wheel, barking orders at everyone, while you went about your business. Sighing, the image of the eyes still fresh in your mind, you prepared to be lowered into the shallower sea.

upon hearing that there was a small island not too far from your current coordinates, you commanded a stop be made, needing to take some time away from the close knit quarters you constantly share with those horrific pigs. thankfully, no arguments surfaced and you headed straight for the dinghy. it had been surprisingly easy.

the trip wasn’t too long; you patiently waited for the tip of the boat to breach the soft sand, excited for what awaited you. it was such a lovely sunny day, big puffy white clouds dotted the expansive blue sky while the palm trees at the base of the beach greeted you with a steady sway.

once your boots sunk into the wet sand, you turned to the two other men who had escorted you and informed them that you were not to be followed- but to wait right there- which in retrospect, was not a good idea. that was too much trust and responsibility that was placed in their incapable hands.

you wasted no time trudging through the lush greenery to get to the other side of the island, wanting to be as far away from the crew members as possible. 

it couldn’t have taken you more than two hours for you to reach an elaborate array of tide pools sporadically placed on a flat uneven rocky surface, some being lapped over by waves while others sat calmly- living in their own little world.

you had to look in each and every one of them.

wide eyes and mouth open, looking at all the lives in the crystal clear pools was an absolute marvel. some only held a few small sea anemones of different colors while others not only held the soft flowery plant but also housed fighting crabs of all sizes, large chunky starfish, and even a fish or two!

you took careful steps towards the end of the rocks, towards the ones where the waves were constantly restocking the pools with new life, your heart flipping in your chest at the colors of the crashing waves.

peering down into one of the deeper ones, you found it hard to take your sights away from the glistening sun streaks that cut through the water; a small gateway to the open ocean was at the bottom of this pool. it’s like you were hypnotized. making yourself comfortable, you laid yourself down next to the glistening water and began to break the calm surface with your finger tips, eyes trained on the tiny ripples.

“they left you, you know.”

you felt so at ease with the sound of the waves crashing around you, you almost didn’t hear it. it wasn’t until the nagging feeling that you weren’t alone hugged you in all the wrong places, that you looked up... only to be met with nothing.

scrunching your brow, the tranquility you were feeling before suddenly slipping through your fingers. you sat up, but not before you held a lingering glance at the glowing water once more. that’s an image that will stay in your mind; you almost wish you had your sketch book.

your mind went blank when you saw something block the light as it swam by... something big. the next few minutes happened in a blur. after scrambling up to get away from the pool, a huge body washed up on a nearby rock plateau and by no means was it graceful. your heart dropped to your stomach as you watched the lifeless body get smacked with harsh waves.

he was wearing your ship’s uniform, now drenched in blood.

nothing came up when you fell on your knees and lurched over, your eyes squeezing shut- the gruesome image of the crew member engrained in your mind.

“they got what they deserved.”

this time when you whipped your head up to follow the velvet voice, you fell into an almost trance. those breathtaking turquoise eyes you had seen a few days ago were now staring right at you, not too far away.

you couldn’t help the gasp that you inhaled as you fell back. looking at him in his entirety- you must have been hallucinating. growing up hearing the tales of deep sea monsters and nasty magical land creatures could never have prepared you for what laid in front of you.

it was such a drastic change; going from looking at something so appalling to something so... flawless... it was indescribable.

on display, your eyes followed the curled figure- wet white hair flopped against a pale forehead, the tips of his pointed finned-ears peaking out from the wet hair. there were deep dark purple markings starting underneath his eyes, slightly mimicking bags that then restarted at the bottom half of his face- all the way down his neck, ending at just the top of his chest. the markings then continued down his arms, right up to his knuckles contrasting the pale thin slightly webbed fingers that merged to sharp claws, gleaming in the sun. his toned chest eased into a pearly type of color around his hips before submerging into a black ragged tail- but it did the strangest thing. when the sun reflected off of it, a blue so royal- that you’ve only seen it on the most expensive of garments- came to life. the dorsal fin looked just as rugged as the tail did, but his odyssey fluke was splayed out so beautifully, you didn’t give it a second thought.

it wasn’t until you took a second glance that you noticed there was a red tint to his claws that you put into context what was said earlier.

“did you- di- you killed that man?”

his voice came out as smooth as silk, “I did.”

how could you be so dense? this was a creature that came from the sea- a ruthless underwater world. he was a predator. but wait-

“you can speak- you s-said.. did you kill them for me? are you going to-?”

“I killed those men because of all humans, the ones who betray others for their own greed serve no purpose.”

he didn’t tell you more than necessary in his opinion, but he was smart enough and old enough to know that you’re still going to ask more.

it seemed you were sitting on quite the pile of questions but he wasn’t going to be the one to break the silence. it was clear that you were mulling over what should be said first.

“was it you I saw at sea the other night?”

out of all the things you could ask, that was the only thing your mind had on repeat- the only thought present.

“and if it was?”

after receiving two similar vague reactions, something in you was screaming for something to happen. the interaction seemed to be going nowhere and here you were, in front of a creature that you’ve heard so much about but never actually met- a drastic change in interaction was calling, and who were you to ignore it?

in hindsight, it was a terrible idea.

one minute you were on land, next you were shedding your heavy, restrictive clothing- the mer watching with a slight smirk and a heavy gaze- then seconds later, were in the violent push and pull of the ocean. luckily you were far enough to be out of the rocky reach, but the current was too strong. you were being swayed back and forth with too much force.

if it had been your first time in the ocean, you would have been a goner- you would have washed right into the sharp jagged edges; a terribly painful way to go. but thankfully, flowing with the ocean had been your specialty since you were young. incredibly masculine and dirty, but you simply couldn’t stay away. the watery depths have lured you in and there was no escaping the spell it had casted on you all those years ago.

maybe that’s why you dove in. or maybe you wanted to see what the mer would do. whatever the case, there you were in the lull of the tide and running out of air. breaching the surface was your main goal, urging your arms and legs to snap out of the shock of the cold water.

eyes on the bubbles traveling upwards, you finally get your arms to push through the current almost missing the dark shadow swimming closer and closer to you, getting larger and larger.

a quick sideways glance in the clear water showed something large with many many rows of teeth out on display, heading toward you and gaining momentum.

a shark.

a... shark.

of all the ways you possibly thought you could go... this was not one of them. it’s almost ironic- the one way you thought you wouldn’t go would end up getting you.

breaking the surface, you gulp your last breath of air- painfully waiting for the horrifying moment when powerful jaws clamp around your body... but it never came. all you felt was a strong current zip past your feet, slightly pulling you along with it.

you’re heart was pounding; adrenaline coursing through your veins, breathing choppy as you whip your head in every which way to see what was going on in the water beneath you. then you saw it.

blood.

just then, the gory image of the crewmate’s body flashed into your mind. there had been another sailor... the mermaid didn’t pull up two bodies- he wasn’t the only predator in the water.

before you could evaluate further, you were pulled by the ankle under the water and into a place where the blood hadn’t seeped yet.

not enough air was sucked in before you submerged, so you frantically searched for ways you could reach the surface again- not even thinking about the now-absent steady grip that dragged you under.

then you felt it. pointed claws lightly tracing up your sides before his handsome face was leveled with yours. if seeing him on land wasn’t good enough, seeing him in his element was nearly heart stopping.

but your lungs were going to collapse before your heart could-

or so you thought.

he flattened his palm around your waist, cupping it gently before he inched his face toward yours, lips slightly ghosting yours, as if asking for permission.

with his toned body pressed against yours, it was hard to think straight, but the most prominent siren going off in your mind was the fact that you were loosing oxygen, and quickly. you found yourself panicking in his grip. was this really the time?

his lips were on yours in less than a second, your struggling becoming more and more apparent- but it was when he got your mouth to open that you realized what he was doing.

A mermaid’s kiss gives you the eternal breath; the ability to breathe under water.

pulling away, he watched as your eyes went wide, the small smirk you’d seen before had appeared once more.

the sensation was otherworldly; though there was a heavy pressure in your chest as the water was filtering in and out of your system, you were breathing underwater.

slowed down by the new density, you lifted your head to look up at the mer- no doubt the most excited and bewildered expression on your face, just to realize the size difference. he was huge- how had you not noticed this on land?

the more human half of his body had to be around the six foot range, his muscular tail roughly adding another ten. the massive figure floating around you was... beautiful.

he had the softest gaze when looking down at you, it nearly shocked you more that the new incredible ability had. he didn’t seem like the type to be full of expressions; it was such a warm and familiar look, something that you hadn’t seen in a long time- and one you typically didn’t see on a stranger’s face, much less a merman you had only just met.

opening your mouth to say something-if you could, that is- his expression changed in a blink, fear now contorted his features.

everything was so fast with him; his arm wrapped around your waist in mere seconds before speedily guiding you through a passage of underwater tunnels that lead to somewhere you assumed to be in the middle of the island- a lush green grotto.

once you resurfaced, you inhaled a breath you didn’t realize you needed; the new air burned your lungs- you almost didn’t want to breathe.

“just keep breathing. it will get easier over time.”

he almost sounded... bored? a complete one 180 to what you had just witnessed in the water.

the mer guided you up to the pool’s edge, lifting you with ease until you sat with only your legs dangling in the water.

outwardly, it stayed quiet for a while. there wasn’t much noise around besides the occasional bird call and the delicate sound of waded water.

your breathing had slightly evened out but you weren’t too confident in your voice, so keeping your mouth shut seemed like the best option.

what now?

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