#a familiar scent of woodsmoke and thunderstorms and cinnamon

[chriscyr]

Today, The Lion of Lark-Hayes Manor releases. I’m so grateful to have been a part of this magical story and to bring the cover and interior illustrations to life. Aubrey Hartman wrote a story that I would have voraciously consumed as a child, and this really felt like rewarding my inner kid. Do you like old world magic? Mystery in the pacific northwest? Deals so good they may break reality?

[aahsokaatano]

Cloneshipweek July 2021 Bingo

Day 25: A/B/O

Pairing: Echo/Wooley

Rated: G

Day 1 // Previous

And done! Woohoo! I'd like to take a moment to give a shoutout to @eyayah-oya @bitterfishies @firewoodwander and @wanderingjedihistorian especially for the encouragement to get through all 25 prompts for this. And a big thanks to the whole cloneshipweek discord server for being awesome!

@cloneshipweek

"Ugh," Echo complained, dropping his head onto Wooley's shoulder as he settled onto the river rock next to the other trooper. "I hate when Fives goes into rut. He gets all snarly and rude."

Wooley patted Echo's shoulder sympathetically. "He doesn't mean it."

"I know," Echo sighed, rubbing his nose against Wooley's neck, soaking in his scent - salty and electric, like a thunderstorm rolling in over the ocean. "Doesn't mean that I enjoy being snapped at, though."

Wooley made a sad sound and wrapped his arm more securely around Echo, tilting his head to give the beta more access to his neck.

Echo sank into the omega's embrace with a contented hum, putting his arms around Wooley's waist to return the hug as he drank in his scent, frustration slowly easing under the feeling of safe - warm - Wooley.

Eventually, he turned his head to rest more comfortably on Wooley's chest, apparently content to doze in Wooley's arms for the rest of the afternoon. For his part, Wooley smiled and briefly buried his nose in Echo's hair, enjoying the scent of fresh-cut pine and a hint of woodsmoke.

The river rushed past them just a few feet below Wooley's boots, drowning out the sound of the camp behind them. The breeze carried familiar scents to their sunny spot - the spicy tang of Jesse, mixed in with Kix's clean citrus; the sun-baked earth of Waxer, nicely complimented by the mellow sweetness of Boil; Longshot's warm cinnamon; Rex's gunsmoke; Cody's sharper pine. And, if he really concentrated, he could catch just a hint of Fives - metallic and biting, tinged with the fire of an alpha in rut. He was already back up on the Resolute, where he could ride out his rut in peace in one of the rooms specifically for it, but his scent still lingered around the medical tent.

Wooley sighed, eyes drifting shut as he soaked in the warm sunlight and rested his cheek against the top of Echo's head, getting another facefull of cut pine and woodsmoke. The familiar smell of his mate warmed Wooley's chest more than any nearby star ever could, and he smiled, perfectly happy to remain on the rock next to the river, just outside of the temporary camp, for as long as Echo stayed in his arms.