#eventually succeeds in catching a little meow meow :]

[hoofpeet]

I know Gligar is supposed to be a vampire bat but uhm. What if it was a sugarglider

[nerves-nebula]

hi your "hunter escapes and has a fun little camping moment" au is living rent free in my brain rn, please Please share some more thoughts and rambles about it!

ANON PLEASE- (affectionate)

you gotta understand I was not lying when I said I have 5 pages of a google doc worth of comic ideas. Unfortunately it's still kind of a mess and I'm still sorting out some of the basic dynamics of this AU. I also like the idea of keeping most of my notes and making them into their own comics/posts so idk how I feel about just saying stuff in a list AND YET.

So here's some stuff I think I can say outside of a comic?? I’ll still probably make some of these into comics/doodles, but anyway I hope this is what you were looking for.

Hunter:

Hunter gets very into studying wild magic up close, something he wasn't allowed to do much before. But now he lives in the forest surrounded by wild magic. Because of this I plan for him to discover a few glyphs on his own, like Luz does, mainly the plant one. But you’ll see how that goes later ;)

He's also still trying to cure his uncles curse. He insists he's not going to go back to Belos, but if pressed on why he's searching for a cure for a man he plans to never see again, he'll get very defensive and angry. Sometimes it's not as easy as "I'm leaving and never coming back." sometimes you still wanna help the people who hurt you :P and THAT one is from personal experience

Hunter takes a while to really get into the whole “I’m on my own and can do whatever I want” thing, but I plan for him to mess around with his presentation once he gets more comfortable.

Rascal helps him change his eye bandages! I haven’t decided if his eye is damaged yet or just the area around it tho so stay tuned.

Hunter will often assign himself “missions” to go on because he doesn’t know what else to do with his free time. He knows he doesn’t technically have any deadlines or stuff like that anymore but he gets stressed not having a goal to strive towards so to cope he just.. gives himself arbitrary goals !

Funfact! This is not the first time Hunters pissed Belos off so bad that he’s fled the castle for a moment. But it IS the first time he stays away for this long. 

Home Hunter AU subscribes to the “Hunter is the grimwalker/a clone of Belos’ brother” theory just for extra angst. I kind of like the idea that he wasn’t even a big part of Belos’ plans though, just that Belos saw a chance to “Bring back” his brother and went for it fsdfsfsdf.

Hunter is terrified of relying on someone too much because no matter how much he trusts them, they could always kick him out. And he’d rather kick himself out before they get the chance. Boys still got issues, is what I’m saying. 

Because Hunter lives in the woods he starts to get a bit... Feral. People will not see him for a week only to realize he’s been not showering or changing his clothes. He was never the most normally-socialized kid but now he’s in the habit of hissing at people the way he does at wild animals that encroach on his tent.

Hunter is very possessive of his belongings (he has so few) and will tackle you if you try to take something from him without asking. He also hoards food and has trouble sharing it, but he feels a bit more embarrassed about this habit than others so he tries to hide it.

Luz:

Luz is basically the first person Hunter reaches out to after living in the woods for a few weeks, and she’s the only one he trusts, at first. 

She offers to let Hunter stay at the owl house a LOT, and sometimes he does :D ! But usually only if it’s raining or he has an injury he can’t heal himself, or if they’re just hanging out. 

Luz’s Super Secret Sad Boy plan is to try to trick Hunter into staying at the owl house for extended periods of time, so that he eventually doesn’t want to go back to the forest. She brings it up A LOT. This has yet to work though, because Hunter feels very uncomfortable about not understanding their family dynamic. That and it makes him feel a bit worse about his own. (kind of like when you go to your friends house and their parents are nice, so you cry afterwards. But to the extreme that he has trouble relaxing cause he’s viscerally aware of how much he doesn’t feel like he fits in.)

Luz tried to teach Hunter glyphs but he brushed it off. 1. because he’s still nervous about wild magic lmao but 2. because he didn’t think he needed to learn them since he has Rascal. He only starts looking into them when he personally finds them in nature on his own. After that point he starts eavesdropping on Lillith and Eda’s glyph lessons and hijinks ensue.

Lillith:

I’m actually super down for the idea that Lillith would bond with goldie in some way. They both know what Belos is like so they can bitch about him together!

I’m also a fan of the “Lillith regrets calling Hunter a brat” idea. Idk if she’s canonically seen his face or anything but I like to think that, at least NOW, she sees him for what he really is. A poor little meow meow. 

That being said don’t think that Mom!Eda is out for the count. They’re  ✨ co-parents  ✨ and I like to think they bring different things to the table when it comes to caring about Hunter. Raine might show up eventaully too :D. They still can’t get him to move out of the woods tho.

Belos:

Not much to say about him and his plans yet, but what usually happens when Hunter runs off after upsetting Belos is that he comes back a few hour/days later with something to win back Belos’ favor. So the emperor isn’t concerned at first, but then a week passes, and then another. 

In this AU Belos is very protective of Hunter but in a weird, possessive, fucked up way. Basically, he’s convinced himself that nothing is really a threat to him or Hunter (since he trained Hunter personally and believes in his nephews abilities). He was never afraid of Hunter being killed or leaving him cause he never considered those things as possibilities. So when Hunter doesn’t come back and is seen actively avoiding him, he goes a little apeshit? But like in a subtle way? Like, he’s losing it but quietly lmao. BASICALLY I do have plan for Belos to attempt to do a lot of stuff to catch/coerce Hunter, and maybe he succeeds! We’ll see.

That should be enough for now!

important to note that a lot of this could change on a whim since I’m still thinking about all of it but y e ah these are some things I’ve mused about.

also I hope this makes sense, I’m not really a writer so I just kinda type it how I talk it I guess.

[allandoflimbo]

Take It Back (Chapter 19)

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Female Reader

Summary:  About five years ago, a one night stand with Y/N tore Bucky’s life apart. It was also the night before his wedding. Now he’s married to her sister and she needs a place to stay.

Chapter Warnings: Language.

A/N: Over my manic episode lol, now back to work. :) Here you guys go. Sorry it took so long to get my shit together. I love you. ALSO, i know a lot of you guys caught up with it on AO3, so just let me know if you no longer wanna be tagged in this. :) 

MASTERPAGE |

It had become routinary.

Like an immortal soul or a person without any malice and without non-malice intent, you’d carry on and on.

You’d wake up at five-thirty am, take a hot shower, go for a run, take another shower, get dressed for work, stop by your choice of restaurant that week, pick up cat food, feed Pebbles, clean the house, take another shower, put on your PJs, and binge-watch American Horror Story until it was too late to decide if it was actually too late to go to bed.

It took exactly one week into your emotional break down for you to realize that your life had to be this way in order for you to succeed. It was the only way you could keep yourself distracted from the other thoughts of guilt that would lead to ultimate heartbreak.

You had left Ashlyn’s life in a way that you didn’t see yourself doing.

At first, you felt wrong for it.

She was your only sister and the only closest family member you had left. You especially thought it was wrong for leaving without any explanation. But eventually, after much-considered thought, you decided that even though it was wrong, it was the best choice. It was something you had to do.

You had to do it because it would be wrong of you to hang out with her or have some kind of association with her without her knowing the evil thing that you had done behind her back.

It didn’t sit well with you.

You also realized that if you stuck around, you would probably develop some kind of hate for her that would be beyond your control; hate made out of jealousy and envy.

You wouldn’t be able to see them together ever again, you would not bring yourself to.

You had texted her a few days after your decision, explaining to her that new opportunities had arisen in your life and that you might be seeing less of her because of it.

Though you still reassured her that you would continue to stick around if she needed anything and she reciprocated vice versa.

As much as you disliked her, as much as you didn’t like the choices she’s made, or person that she had become, at the end of the day she was always your big sister. That was a kind of bond you couldn’t break.

After she’d wished you good look and good wishes, you wondered if you should contact Bucky.

You wondered if he would tell her.

That was the first time the thought entered your mind and it scared the shit out of you. You prayed that he wouldn’t say a thing.

You thought about Steve as well. You knew he wasn’t dumb but you were thankful that he never mentioned anything both that night. But for some reason, you couldn’t get that damn look he had on his face. You couldn’t forget the way he looked at you at the wedding.

He had chased you, and he looked hurt by you.

Like he knew.

Sometimes you wonder if maybe if it had been Bucky that had run after you if you would have stayed.

But it wasn’t.

After that conclusion, you begged yourself to move on.

That was when the routines began- it kept you busy and distracted.

It had been five months and two days since you walked out of his life.

After much time, it was going a lot better than how you thought it would. You started by distracting yourself with your own life.

You even picked up extra hours at work and spent endless nights learning new recipes.

You wouldn’t admit it out loud, but you ended up watching way too much of the news. Maybe it was the adult in your trying to peak out, or maybe you were just that desperate to get away from your own issues.

You and pebbles sat on your couch as you both mocked Trump’s face on CNN, softly caressing Pebble’s little black head.

Your sat on your legs, your little throw blanket thrown over your lap and Pebbles next to your feet on the couch.

You shook your head in dismay as yet another scandal unfolded itself.

“What a dumbass, Peb.”

Meow.

You gasp.

“What do you mean you would have voted for him?”

Meow. Prrrr.

You huff.

“That’s what I thought, you little nugget.”

Everything during the day got easier as time went by, including life.

Slowly, you had cut yourself out of everyone’s lives.

You didn’t want to, but you felt like it was the best choice in such a predicament.

You didn’t answer Steve’s calls.  

Bucky never even attempted to reach out to you except for one night about a week ago.

You had stared at your phone in a trance, completely puzzled at first, before tossing it on your couch.

You went back to sliding on your sneakers for your daily run.

No.

You ran your emotions away until the sweat mingled in with your tears.

You didn’t even realize it started pouring until you had to stop on the side of the road, breathing hard as you attempted to catch your breath.

You let your head fall down as your hands rested on the knees of your bent legs. You sobbed relentlessly as the thunder clashed in the skies above you.

The overwhelming guilt consumed you.

You had done good, you did everything you could to distract yourself and to not think about him.

But during the nights it was the hardest.

Simply put: you were lonely.

You missed your friends, Steve, and Nat. You wanted to make peace with Steve, you wanted to tell Nat how sorry you were for being a coward, and most importantly, you missed him.

You’d wake up the next day and repeat it all again.

It was the only thing that helped.

_

The beginning months of their marriage had been rocky.

It had gone in any way you would’ve expected for a man who had just cheated on his wife.

Their wedding night had been a disaster.

When they returned to their room that night, in a mix of tight hand-holding and severe lack of eye contact, Bucky had allowed Ashlyn to go into their suite before him.

While inside, he sat on the bed, back faced to her, and he had been silent as he unbuttoned his dress shirt.

Ashlyn had stared at him, even though he couldn’t see her.

The silence had been unbearable.

She felt pain-filled tears in her eyes at his cold demeanor.

He was treating her not how a husband should, especially on their wedding night.

He was treating her like something was very wrong.

She didn’t understand why.

Their ceremony had been everything she had ever dreamed of, but during the reception, he had barely stared into her eyes. He didn’t look at her during their dance, and only once or twice after that.

They made brief eye contact once when his eyes had been cold and soulless. In an instance, a part of her heart hurt badly within her chest.

What’s wrong?  She had wanted to say.

She wasn’t too oblivious. She knew that months ago something had happened with him and someone else, especially after she had been gone for so long on her work trips. She knew that they had gone through a big bump in the road.

And the guilt of that had eaten her alive and she promised to put it behind her, so she continued to strive for them - to make this work. Ashlyn wasn’t sure exactly what Bucky had done, but like a silent mutual agreement, neither touched the subject any further.

For some time, she had even believed maybe she was wrong because they started doing so well again.

But their wedding day and their wedding night went anything but well.

She had gone into their bathroom and slowly taken off her jewelry and dress. Soft tears ran down her face as she took the hundreds of bobby pins out of her hair, laying them down on the sink with shaky fingers.

She had refused to look at herself in the mirror, knowing that she’d start crying right away.

She slid on a pair of matching pink silk PJ shorts and a tank top.

Neither said a word as she slid up next to him on the bed.

It didn’t surprise her that he didn’t even make love to her that night.

It took time, but eventually, he had gathered her in his arms, caressing the sides of her waist as she breathed against him.

Her lingerie was tucked away and left untouched in her suitcase.

They didn’t talk about it, and Ashlyn swallowed back heavy tears as he laid motionless without saying a word.

It took them hours to fall asleep that night.

Early that morning they took their flight out to Mykonos.

He held her hand the entire flight, occasionally giving her a small smile that never reached his pretty blue eyes.

A pair of eyes that ones use to shy but were now a pit of no emotions.

Ashlyn tried to hold back more tears as he laid his head against the window, staring down at the puffy clouds and not at her.

She regretted it- the nightly escapades -what she had done with men on her work trips, what she had sacrificed to give them.

Their future was now filled with materialist fortune because of her filthy mistakes, and she most importantly regretted what she had done with his father.

She wanted them to be okay.

She wanted him to love her the way he used to.

She sniffed slightly as her throat grew tight. She laid her head on his shoulder.

The heavyweight of her head made Bucky look down at his lap, closing his eyes tightly together.

He felt awful.

Sure, he didn’t want Ashlyn anymore, but something just didn’t sit well with him knowing what he did and Ashlyn knowing damn well that he was acting strange.

On their honeymoon, when they did talk they argued.

They had gone to a little restaurant in a bay area but barely spoke a word to each other.

The air was tense and his kisses only lingered like a tangent poison on her lips.

Every night he had woken up shaking and sweating. He always dreamed of you and your gorgeous smile.

He could hear you saying his name in his dreams, and he could feel the bones of your hips on his hands as he guided you to move above him.

Then, he would hear you tell him you loved him and he would start crying in his sleep.

They were never loud enough to wake Ashlyn up, but it was strong enough to make him stir and awaken.

They didn’t make love until the night before they flew out.

It had been spontaneous and Bucky had done it more out of anger and stress after he had seen something in a gift shop that reminded him of you.

He had whimpered against Ashlyn's mouth as he held her against the wall of their little bedroom. It was a small room, about thirty by forty feet because they had wanted the trip to be as authentic as possible.

His hands helped to wrap her legs around his waist and he grabbed her harshly, forcing his tongue down her throat.

He shoved her beneath him onto their bed as they ripped each other’s clothes off.

Next, he had taken her brutally against the mattress.

Afterward, Ashlyn had been stunned.

He had never fucked her that way before. It had been purely carnal, dirty.

She laid shaking that entire night.

He woke up again that dawn, having dreamed of you again.

He knew he needed help, he knew that the guilt was eating him alive and so was the sadness of losing you.

Four five months, their marriage has been silently suffering and grew complicated. The other wondered how long it would be before one of them said something to make or break it.

They moved into Bucky’s father’s penthouse shortly after.

It was beautiful. It wasn’t as big as Ashlyn would have expected, and Bucky also had sworn it used to be bigger when he used to live with his parents. It had an average size foyer that would lead into the living room. The wood flooring was light and contrasted beautifully with the white walls. To the right was a large window that occupied most of the wall, and to the far side was a decent sized kitchen with dark brown cabinetry. Down the hall was a guest bedroom and a powder room.

On the left side was a dining room and then to the corner glass stairs that led up to the upstairs area where there were three other bedrooms, one full bathroom and a master bathroom that connected to the master bedroom.

The mere thought that Bucky was now sleeping in the same bedroom that his now-dead parents used, made something creep up his spine - a cold and chilling feeling.

It didn’t help their marriage and it certain didn’t help with the other emotions he had felt.

They would eat dinner in silence and then they would have silent meaningless sex on their dinner table in a tangle of confusion and unspoken declarations.

It got to the point where Ashlyn had left for work every morning without even waiting for him anymore.

She would feel used and empty, the bruises on her hips nagging and mocking her for the rest of the day.

Ashlyn considered just asking Bucky what was going on.

She wanted to, but she was afraid.

It had been going on for five months.

It’s a Tuesday morning when Bucky was having breakfast by himself in the kitchen. He hears a knock on his door.

He looked up from his phone, where he had been reading today’s news.

He perks a brow, not expecting anyone to have been at his home at this time. He hadn’t even seen Steve since his wedding day, their little awkward encounter not yet having been addressed.

It was evident neither wanted to.

“Come in.” He said loudly through a mouth full of honey nut cheerios.

The big white door swung open.

Bucky was slightly scared at who the intruder was until he saw a big head of red pop out from behind the door.

A long sigh escapes his lips.

The beauty spins her head around and gives him a bright smile, closing the door behind her.

She perks a brow.

“You didn’t comb your hair today, I see.”

Bucky runs a quick hand through his hair as he swallows down the cereal.

“What gives? My house, I can do I want.” He mumbles swirling his spoon in his milk.

He peaks a teasing eye up at Nat and smirks.

“Yeah, I can see that.” She laughs.

“What’s up?”

“How are things with you and Ashlyn?”

Bucky stalls for a moment, swirling his milk one more time, before responding.

“What do you mean?”

“Nothing, I’ve just noticed that you’ve been a bit different the last few months,” Nat states simply.

Bucky sighs, looking out towards the kitchen window and out into the city.

He gives into himself and sighs.

“It’s been better, Nat. Marriage isn’t as easy as we’d hope I guess.” He mumbles the end as he takes the bowl off the island and turns around to put it in the sink.

Nat sighs, “Yeah, I can imagine. Why do you think I haven’t gotten married yet?”

Bucky chuckles, “You’re right. You’re smart.”

There’s a small smile on his face when he says it as he spins back around, but Nat senses the pleading tone in his voice and both of them are quiet.

Nat eyes him up and down before she reaches into her bag.

Bucky narrows his eyes at her.

“Just know that if there’s anything you need, you can just ask me. If you need a friend, advice, anything. If you guys need any help-”

“Thanks, but we’re fine.” He cuts off curtly but not in a rude manner.

Nat ignores him and pulls out a white card and slides it across the table.

“Please don’t take this as an insult or me trying to pry or anything like that, because it’s none of my business. But I think this might help you both.”

Bucky takes the card.

Couple’s Therapist

Bruce Banner

34 6th Street

New York, NY

(212)***-****

Bucky looks at it for a second.

He contemplates it, really contemplates it, and he finds the gesture comforting and surprisingly sweet.

He bends the edge of it as he reads the name of the doctor repeatedly- over and over again.

“Thanks.”

Bucky could care less any longer about salvaging his wedding with Ashlyn. He should’ve known it was all an evil scheme for her since the beginning, so he was doing this for his own selfish needs.

Bucky wants nothing more than to rip his hand out of hers as they sit next to each other on the dark brown leather chairs. He hopes the good doctor doesn’t see right through his phony act.

Dr. Banner was soft-spoken and wore small glasses on the peak of his nose. He gave off a sweet soul that automatically piqued Bucky’s interest. From his first firm handshake, he knew that Banner would be someone he could trust.

Bruce gave the beautiful couple a small smile before sitting down directly in front of him.

The room smelled of aloe and mint, calming Ashlyn for the first time in a long time.

“Mr. And Mrs. Barnes please sit.”

“Thanks.” Both Bucky and Ashlyn said.

Bruce takes off his glasses and eyes the couple curiously.

“So let’s start by introducing ourselves. You just got married five months ago?”

“Yes. Sir.”

He lays his glasses down on the table in front of him.

“That’s very recent. I’m surprised.”

Ashlyn gives Bucky a side glance as Bucky continues to hold steady eye contact with Banner.

“Yes, we’ve had some issues in the past.”

Bucky’s jaw ticks.

Bruce notes this.

“Well, we’re going to discuss possible issues that maybe could’ve arisen and insecurities between the both of you. This will be a long process, but I will do in my best ability to help you both. We’re going to put all our walls down for this, do you understand? No secrets from me.”

Bucky swallows while Ashlyn nods. She looks once more at him and Bucky is still facing forward, jaw tight and tense.

“You see? He can’t even look at me.”

Bucky rolls his eyes.

“Do you not love me anymore?”

Bucky doesn’t respond.

“Do you want a divorce? We’ve been married for five months. You didn’t even have sex with me on our wedding night.”

Banner raises a comical brow at this.

“I can’t leave you.”

Bucky says fiercely. The silence that follows it is tense and questioning.

“So we need to make this work,” Ashlyn says, quickly letting go of his hand.

Their first session with Banner was an hour and five minutes long. It was the most the couple had talked to each other since their wedding day, and it solved absolutely nothing.

Dr. Banner sighed as he watched them walk away, not really knowing what the hell he was going to do with them.

He was just thankful that they were done screaming so he could take his small coffee break and read a bit.

Of course, that was cut short when he heard a small knock coming from his door.

“Yes?”

Bucky walks in slowly, a mischievous look in his eyes as he slowly closing the door behind him.

Banner raises a surprised brow at him.

“James? Something wrong?”

Bucky licks his lips nervously.

“N-no sir, I just…”

Well, this was interesting, Banner had to admit. He sits down on his desk, still keeping one foot on the floor.

He notices how upset and nervous Bucky is and it’s the first sign of emotion he had shown aside from anger all day. It intrigues the doctor.

“You can tell me.”

“If I ask to see you privately, as my therapist, would what me and you talk about be confidential?”

Bruce is silent for a second as he connects the dots. He notes Bucky’s fidgeting hands and his pleading eyes.

Something was killing the poor kid.

“Is there something you don’t want Ashlyn to know?”

“Yes.” It comes out in a whimper. His tone, begging.

“James, if whatever this has to do with your marriage, you should tell your wife. You're here to fix your relationship with her, but yet you want my help to help keep something hidden from her.”

Bucky is silent as he looks away, defeated. This stuns the doctor.

“You’re not here for your marriage.” Bruce says it like it’s not questionable, “you’re here for you.”

Bucky’s stance and tone become pleading as he steps closer to Banner.

“It has more to do with my health though. Look, I know it doesn’t make sense but I need help, please. I’ll pay you twice or ever three times as much. As much as you want. Please, doctor Banner.”

Bruce didn’t like this, but for some reason, he figured that maybe if he helped Bucky with his private issue, it could eventually fix the problem he had with his wife.

Maybe.

He regrets it a bit after he says it, but he does.

“Alright, I’ll help you.”

You had another episode last night and it was worse than usual.

You swore you could feel his soft hands on your hips as you moved on top of him.

You felt the whispers of his voice against your ears as he kept telling you he loved you, and it felt so real.

You were a ghost when you woke up, and your body robotic. The sun wasn’t up yet so you turned on your side lamp on your nightstand since it wasn’t too bright and wouldn’t hurt your eyes.

It took you a bit for you to come to your senses and for you to notice that you had gathered your personal belongings on your bed and that you were throwing things out.

Things that reminded you of Ashlyn. Pictures of when you were kids, T-shirts, gifts she had given you - everything.

Tears ran down your face as you skim your finger over one specific picture of you and your sister with your parents.

You sobbed and your sadness became anger as you continued to stare at her in the picture.

How dare she get the loving man, how dare he love her more than you…you were angry.

And you wanted to move on.

In a fury, you rip the pictures into tiny pieces until they’re scattered all over your bed.

Your breathing is shallow and heavy as you look at the mess you’ve made.

With a different kind of pain that you hadn’t felt in a long time, you bury your face in your hands and cry silently.

Everything around you was silent. The house was silent and so was the world outside.

You were alone.

Fifteen miles away sat Steve in his work office at Barnes Enterprises.

He had just put his two-week notice in and he couldn’t stop thinking about you.

He couldn’t stand to work for Bucky right now, not after the wedding night and not knowing anything about what was happening.

It distracted him too much and it made him upset.

He’d gotten a new job at a new company five blocks down. Steve had requested two weeks from his top guy so he didn’t even have to talk to Bucky directly to let him know he was leaving.

He was almost entirely packed except for some things that he still had to finish before he left.

It was early morning and he was finishing up one of his files when the image of you clouded his mind.

The image of you running out of his best friend’s wedding and crying haunted him.

He needed to find you.

That’s when he had stopped doing what he was doing and he pulled out his phone.

He found your name without thinking and clicked the little phone icon under your name.

Steve lets out a heavy breath as he brings his phone to his ear. With his other hand, he runs it through his hair and pulls slightly at the top.

ring.

ring.

Come on. Come on.  He says in his head as he bounces his left leg up and down. What was he even going to say?

The ring cuts off and he sucks in a breath-

“I’m sorry but the number you are trying to reach is no longer in service.”

His heart falls into the pit of his stomach.

In your room, you had somehow fallen asleep through all your crying, and your phone laid silent and untouched on your nightstand.

__

Chapter 20 |

@wxntersoldxer16​ @void-imaginations​ @heykarsyn​ @avashroom​ @sarcastic-and-cool​ @lunaticbarnes​ @benhardygalileo​ @wildmavs​ @runaway-escape​ @stevieboyharrington​ @kimvmarvel​ 

[skrltwtch]

The Cat

Prompt: The most wanted woman in town has announced that she’ll only marry the one who can open her front door with the key around her cat’s neck. Many men try to hunt the cat down, chase and trap it, but to no avail. The cat is simply too quick, smart and clever, and always finds a way to evade and avoid them. You are the first one to figure out the obvious: Do not chase the cat. The cat is befriendable. Get the cat to trust you, to genuinely enjoy your company, and you can hang out with the cat. You may eventually be allowed to touch the cat. The cat will freely let you take the key.

Secondary plot twist: The woman is a shapeshifter. She is the cat. (Source of prompt in link at bottom of post.)

Word count: 1,840 words

Author's note: This is more of a little tale starring George as the lead and you as the mysterious woman, as opposed to a story about George MacKay the Actor. I kind of had Jack Marrowbone's look — and nothing else about him in that movie — in mind while writing this.

∘₊✧──────✧₊∘

‘Let’s play a game! I will grant my hand in marriage to the person who succeeds in taking this key off my cat’s neck and unlocking my front door with it. Oh, won’t that be such fun?’

Only she can pull off such a stunt. She has put the village under some kind of spell, and I am one of its victims. One of the more prudent ones, at least, in the sense that I know well enough that I’ll never be able to win her heart. She has an entire village of men to choose from, most more remarkable than I in looks and/or calibre. I am but a simple baker of average frame with blonde locks that wishes for no kinship with a comb and blue eyes that gleam with neither transcendental allure nor immense potential; unless she were an ardent consumer of bread and pastries, I have nothing to offer her. I simply admire her from afar, pine for a connection that is real only in my wildest dreams.

No one quite knows what it is about her that sees a constant line of suitors supplanting her shadow whenever she comes into the village. That is to say, she isn’t not beautiful, neither is she not gracious. She keeps to herself mostly in her quaint cottage on the edge of the village. Her isolation and magnetism have made her the subject of many a fevered whisper: she is a witch, an enchantress, a nymph. Despite what one may think, the women of the village don’t resent her for the effect she has on their eligible male compatriots. The wedded men remain capable of remembering their vows in her presence. In that vein, her paramours are on equal standing: single, virile men who want to have the unhaveable.

Her game has sent the men into a frenzy. It’s amusing to see adult males chase after a cat, one just as unassuming as its owner. They hunt it, as if it were game. They harass it, as if it were a nuisance, an obstacle to their perceived prize. They seek to capture it with elaborate traps. They line the fishmonger’s pockets with gold for her finest catch of the day. It’s all for naught. The cat is, they’ll never admit to themselves, smarter than them. The days pass. She continues to wander around the village without a ring on her finger. The cat continues to taunt the men with its presence, parading the key around its chest like a gibe at their failures. It’s curious that they are never seen together.

Me? I don’t try. I’m not presuming myself to be above this endeavour. I do slip into reveries about emerging victorious every now and then. But see, the other men had never grown up with cats. The thing with cats is, you don’t try. You don’t try to get it to do what you want. You don’t hound a cat. And, as with all living things, you certainly don’t antagonise it. So, I bide my time.

That day soon arrives. As a customer leaves, the cat makes a mad dash into the bakery, maintaining the balance of two beings inside. It glides over the counter, its tail a hair’s breadth away from toppling the display of sourdough bread, and seeks refuge behind some boxes. Shortly after, Edward, its tormentor for today, it seems, enters and calls for the cat. Edward is a cheesemaker, with whom I interact solely out of business necessity. Our families go back a long way, our trades intertwined with one another’s. I do so long for someone else to assume the mantle from Edward.

‘Where is it? I saw it come in here,’ he says.

‘It’s behind here with me,’ I say, ‘but I’ll be damned if you dare make a scene on my premises.’

‘I can respect that.’ His response takes me aback. It seems I am not a contender, much less a threat, in this game of cat and mouse. Edward’s never been one to mince his words. ‘That cat will have to leave eventually, and when it does, it’ll be mine.’

‘Good luck, Edward. Goodbye.’

‘Goodbye, George. Thank you for having the good sense not to participate in what would be a futile endeavour for you.’

There it is.

I wave at him. He doesn’t reciprocate. It doesn’t matter: watching his outline fade into the distance and out of my sight for another day will never not be the highlight of our interactions.

I feel a warm presence weaving in and out between my legs. I kneel down to meet the cat’s gaze, two yellow diamonds set onto a doll-like face coated in pure onyx. I have wondered on occasion if some of the men’s malice toward it arises from the mere virtue of its colour. How preposterous, I imagine them thinking, that something as divine as she should possess such a vile creature. I offer it my finger. It gives it a tentative sniff. Two. Then it turns its head so that my finger is on its cheek, and it starts rubbing it. Its eyes are closed in contentment; its throat rumbles with soft purrs.

‘Did Edward hurt you?’

‘Meow.’ A once-over confirms it.

‘Are you hungry?’

‘Meow.’

I take that as a yes. No one has ever answered otherwise to this question while surrounded by MacKay creations. I grab a pumpernickel bagel from the counter, tear off a chunk, and lay it at its feet. As it eats, a metallic glint almost blinds me. The key. It calls to me. What’ll happen if I reach for it? What’ll I prove to Edward, who is patrolling the street outside, waiting for the chance to resume his reign of terror? No. I won’t. I don’t.

I speak to turn my attention from the small sheet of metal that’s turned the village upside down: ‘Are you having fun being the centre of attention? She must be relishing the peace, not having men fawn over her for the first time in a while. Is that why she hasn’t been visiting lately? I don’t fault her. It must be exhausting,’ I say, as I continue to ply it with bits of bagel.

It looks up at me, and it sizes me up and down. Its head cocks at what it’s registered in its mind’s eye. Of course. How rude of me. ‘I’m George,’ I say.

It rubs its head against my outstretched hand.

‘Nice kitty.’ I give it the rest of the bagel and lead it to the back door, through which it can avoid that scoundrel Edward and find safe passage home. ‘You can bring it back for her. Your mistress. Then maybe you can let me know if she liked it.’ I smile wistfully. ‘We’ve never actually met.’

‘Meow,’ it promises, then runs off.

Over time, more and more people quit the quest — Edward included. The unhaveable isn’t as appealing when it becomes haveable at the expense of hard work at best and deep gashes at worst. Her increased bouts of absence, too, seem to have made people’s hearts become less fonder, as if her glamour is wearing off. In contrast, the cat and I grow closer. We bond in my bakery. Then it stops coming to visit. I worry over whether it’s because someone else has succeeded. I work up the courage to go to her house. Seeing the cat play in her garden, the key still around its neck, fills me with relief, and I pick up from where I left off here in the grace of her garden. Oddly, she is never around when the cat’s there.

I make it special baked goods no one else has or will have access to and tell it to keep some for its mistress. I never find out whether she likes what I bake, but the cat definitely does. I tell the cat about myself in the hopes it’ll tell its mistress about me. I play with it using toys I buy from Christopher the merchant; he is happily married and has never shown interest in her. The men who gave up have spurned me for not taking the key when I’ve had ‘so many’ chances. They talk among themselves. I know what they say about me.

The truth is, I don’t know what’ll happen if I do take it. The cat and I have befriended each other. Will it think lesser of me for taking the key? Will I think I was befriending it under false pretences? It’s silly, I know, to care this much about what a cat thinks. But I suppose the cat is an extension of her. I feel so close to meeting the woman I’ve adored for the longest time, the woman who I knew in my gut from the moment I laid eyes on her is my soulmate. Sometimes I sneak glances into the house to see if she’s there, watching this. The cat redirects my attention to it when it catches me doing this, and I’m all the happier for it.

‘You’re lucky,’ I say to the cat. ‘You get to be with her while she doesn’t know I exist. I’ve loved her since I first saw her in the village. It’s foolish to feel like this about someone you don’t know, doesn’t it? But I know she’s kind and patient and has a good soul, and I know my heart flutters every time I see her.’

The cat jumps onto my lap. Its yellow gaze burns into me. It’s right. I don’t know what I was thinking, pouring my heart out to a cat. ‘You just want rubs,’ I say, and I’m happy to oblige.

It turns itself over, exposing its belly to me. I feel … honoured. In all our time spent together, this is the first time it’s done so. I slowly reach for its belly. When there is no sign I’ll lose my livelihood from what I’m about to do, I stroke it generously, fervently.

Then it uses its paws to nudge my hand toward the key.

I stop. ‘Are you … sure?’

‘Meow.’

I repeat my question. My hand has found itself an inch away from the key.

‘Meow.’

If it says so.

I undo the chain the key is on.

Suddenly, I am blinded by a white light, and — the air starts to smell of roses. It is a familiar aroma. I don’t need to use my sight to know why that is. But I don’t understand.

‘Hello, George.’

Before I can answer, I find myself in the kind of embrace reserved for lovers. My lips press up against hers, and I feel my world fall away in bliss. The warmth of her skin is unlike anything I ever felt. It’s magic. Pure magic. And now I understand.

‘We will have the rest of our lives to know each other better, love,’ she says, smiling, her eyes shining yellow under the sunlight. ‘Now, would you like to come in?’

[warriors-windandfireau]

Wind and Fire AU: Fire and Ice - Chapter Four

Read on Ao3

The day after the Gathering, Firepaw was awoken early by his mentor. He scrambled to his paws, blinking away sleep and followed Tallstar to the camp entrance curiously, where he saw Mudclaw and Webpaw waiting. The two had been talking to one another about something that Firepaw couldn't quite catch, and they had looked up as Tallstar and his apprentice approached them.

There was relatively little talk during the exchange; Tallstar had nodded to Mudclaw, and Webpaw had muttered a quiet, “hello,” when he saw Firepaw. Afterwards, the four cats headed out of camp into the snowy landscape that was the rest of WindClan’s territory.

"We're going to be doing some battle training today," Tallstar explained to his apprentice as they padded through the bright, snowy territory. "Me and Mudclaw thought bringing Webpaw along would be good practice for the both of you."

Firepaw nodded, not responding aloud. The rest of the way to their training spot was spent in silence, with the occasional low conversation that couldn't be made out to Firepaw from Webpaw and his mentor as they padded beside them.

Eventually the four cats made it a fair distance away from the camp. Tallstar flicked his tail to tell his companions to halt, before he turned around to face Webpaw and Firepaw, who were now behind the two adults.

“Alright,” Tallstar meowed. “We can work here.” Mudclaw nodded in agreement

The area was fairly flattened, with a small clearing from the tall grasses, which was a perfect place for training.

Upon noticing that Webpaw sat down, Firepaw did the same, awaiting instructions from the two mentors.

Tallstar and Mudclaw discussed something that the apprentices couldn’t hear for a few moments, before nodding and turning back to the younger cats.

“You two will spar first, before we get to training you separately,” Tallstar explained. "That way, we'll be able to see what your current progress is like."

The two warriors went to sit by the edge of the clearing, leaving the majority of the space open for the two apprentices to work. Webpaw and Firepaw glanced at each other, before they both got up and went to stand on opposite sides of the clearing.

The two apprentices locked eyes, with an intensity in the both of their gazes. Firepaw waited for Webpaw to make a move, but the dark grey tabby was unmoving, and didn’t seem to intend to start anything anytime soon.

Firepaw realized Webpaw probably wanted him to begin; he had learned over his time working with his friend that he was rather good with parrying attacks, rather than initiating them.

So, naturally, Webpaw wanted to use his skills to his advantage, which was simply no good for Firepaw, but the spar would have to begin soon so this session wouldn’t just consist of the two apprentices staring at each other, waiting for the other to make a move.

Finally, having had enough of their staring contest, Firepaw leapt forward to his opponent, aiming for the tom’s front legs in order to disbalance him.

  Just as Firepaw thought he’d succeed in his move, though, Webpaw jumped up and forward, pushing his paws down on Firepaw’s upper spine and forcing him to the ground.

Firepaw yelped, his face smacking into the dirt and dust below. He struggled for a few moments, before unsheathing his claws and dragging himself through the dirt to get a good loosening on Webpaw’s hold, and rolling away.

As soon as Firepaw regained his balance, he sheathed his claws, before swinging around and hit Webpaw in the flank, pushing him to the right before leaping on his chance of disbalancing his opponent and thrusting himself forward, knocking into Webpaw’s left flank.

Luckily, he did succeed in this, and was able to knock Webpaw to the ground; however, before Firepaw was able to knock his paws into Webpaw’s belly, the tabby tom rolled away, hiding his soft belly.

Firepaw hissed, and leapt forward in an attempt to take advantage of whatever remaining disorientation Webpaw retained from being knocked over. To his luck, he was able to force Webpaw to the ground again.

Not wanting to make his last mistake of waiting too long, he kicked his sheathed hind paws into Webpaw’s belly and climbing on top of him in order to pin him down. His friend coughed for a few moments, before snarling at Firepaw and nipping at his front leg.

Firepaw yelped, wincing enough for Webpaw to kick him off. “That’s not allowed,” he muttered.

Webpaw just shrugged. “I didn’t use my claws, and you’re not bleeding or anything.”

Firepaw rolled his eyes, and while he stood there, he didn’t expect Webpaw to thrust himself at him, spin around, and bite down on his scruff.

“Hey, biting hard isn’t allowed,” Firepaw breathed, struggling under Webpaw.

Webpaw muttered something, but it was muffled by his bite on Firepaw’s scruff. Firepaw was pinned down, with his belly to the ground, and Webpaw’s paws on his shoulders.

Finally, to Firepaw’s relief, the tom above him let his bite in his scruff, and the orange tabby built up enough momentum to roll from under Webpaw, knocking into his paws and disbalancing him.

Well, if we’re allowed to use teeth, I guess I’ll use that to my advantage, Firepaw thought to himself, before sinking his teeth into the lower joint on Webpaw’s right foreleg.

Webpaw hissed, before jolting away, pulling away his leg from Firepaw’s jaws. 

Firepaw snickered, but as he was doing this, Webpaw bowled into him, knocking him off of his paws.

Firepaw sputtered as he hit the ground, and upon feeling a sharp kick from Webpaw connect to his flank, he scrambled away from the larger tom. The orange tabby jumped to his feet, tail lashing.

Webpaw sped forward, rising to his hind feet and pushing Firepaw’s shoulders down so he lost balance and slipped.

Firepaw let out a soft, “oof,” as he hit the ground. Before he could pull himself to his paws, though, Webpaw pinned him down.

“Alright.” The two apprentice’s heads swerved towards Tallstar as he suddenly spoke and padded towards them, as if the two forgot he was there. “Webpaw, get off of Firepaw. I want you two to restart. You can do one more sparring match, and then we will get onto one-on-one training.”

The two apprentices nodded, and Firepaw huffed in relief at the feeling of Webpaw getting off of him. 

The two resumed their positions of standing opposite each other in the clearing. Firepaw was much more wary this time, wide awake from their brief sparring match.

Webpaw crouched, this time seeming as though he had built up enough confidence to initiate the first move.

Firepaw tensed, growing ever more ready to leap out of the way as soon as Webpaw sprang at him.

To Firepaw’s elation, Webpaw slipped up and went too slow so Firepaw could quickly dart to the left. As Webpaw scrambled to regain balance, Firepaw bowled into his flank, forcing him to stumble back a few paces.

As Webpaw shook his head and spun around, Firepaw rushed to bite on his tail.

The grey tom yelped in pain, and Firepaw found himself letting go out of guilt. This, however, allowed Webpaw to turn around and scuff Firepaw in the cheek with his sheathed paw.

“Rude,” Webpaw muttered.

Firepaw gave him an apologetic smile.

Tallstar chuckled, seemingly amused. “Very well. I think you two are ready to begin training with your mentors.”

---

The four toms had been training for quite a bit by that point.

Tallstar glanced at the sky, and upon seeing the faint tinge of orange tainting the sky, he turned his head down to nod at Firepaw.

The leader padded over to where Webpaw and Mudclaw were still training. Upon the two seeing Tallstar approaching, they pulled out of their match and faced their leader.

“We’re done for the day,” Tallstar explained. “You two can go back to camp.”

Mudclaw dipped his head. “Alright, Tallstar,” he meowed, before turning to his apprentice and flicking his tail to beckon him towards the direction that would lead back to camp.

Once the two vanished in the tall grasses, Tallstar turned back to Firepaw. “We should go as well.”

Firepaw nodded, and padded over to his mentor to pad alongside him as they headed back to camp.

After a bit of the two silently walking, Tallstar spoke up. “You’ve been an apprentice here for quite some time,” he meowed calmly.

Firepaw nodded. “Yeah,” he agreed.

“You’ll probably have a hunting assessment in the near future, to see how well you are getting along with your current training. If you manage to pass this, we'll be focusing solely on battle training for the remainder of your apprenticeship."

Firepaw’s ears pricked up in faint alarm, and he frowned. “I hope I do well.”

Tallstar chuckled. “I hope you pass as well, although I’m not worried about it.”

Firepaw swallowed his nervousness, and nodded. “Well, I’ll be waiting for it.” He paused. “I’m excited for how the Clan will be doing in the future.”

Tallstar hummed softly. “Well, we’ve been lucky enough to get out of the slump that was caused from Brokenstar, at least for the most part. We just need to get through this leaf-bare.”

Firepaw nodded, expecting the conversation to be done.

Still, after a few moments of silence, Tallstar brought up a new topic of conversation. 

“How different from warrior life was your kittypet life?” Tallstar asked thoughtfully.

Firestar blinked in surprise, not expecting the topic to be so suddenly brought up. Still, he complied.

“Well, it was certainly easier.” He pondered. “My housefolk- well, you’d call then Twolegs, but back then we called them housefolk- I sometimes wonder what they did after I left. I spent a large portion of my time in the home of my housefolk, although I did go out and wander around the gardens and talk with other kittypets every so often. The food wasn’t good- I’m sure you’ve heard of it- I believe I heard Onepaw calling it ‘rabbit droppings’ once. I guess they weren’t that bad, they just didn’t taste like anything, but they filled you up, so they couldn’t have been too awful.”

Firepaw stopped talking, and upon realizing that the orange tom wasn’t sure what to speak about next, Tallstar spoke up. “Did you have any friends?”

Firepaw smiled slightly to himself. “Smudge was probably my closest friend back in Twolegplace.”

“Who?” 

“Smudge. He was another kittypet that lived nearby,” Firepaw explained. “We knew each other since we were kits. We spent a ton of time together. I remember we’d take trips around the gardens, just talking. When I had to leave, we both were distraught.”

Firepaw glanced up at Tallstar. Upon noticing his mentor wasn’t speaking up or interrupting, he continued. “Other than Smudge, I also knew a few other kittypets around me. There were cats like Henry- we weren’t the closest of friends, but I’m still glad that I knew him.”

“So Smudge was your only close friend?” Tallstar inquired, seemingly curious.

Firepaw slowed slightly as he thought over it. “No,” he decided. “No, I had my elder sister, Princess, as well. We were really close- when me and the rest of my litter were kits, we were forced to separate to be owned by different housefolk. Princess was adopted by the housefolk nextdoor, so I could easily visit her.”

The edge of Tallstar’s lips quirked upward somewhat. “I’m guessing you stayed in contact with her while you were growing up, then?”

Firepaw nodded. "Yeah. I never really knew my family for the most part. Everyone was separated except for us."

“So, you never really got to know your parents?”

Firepaw hummed to himself, gazing at the purpling horizon. “No, not really. My mother, Nutmeg- well, I remember loving her. She was my mother, after all. I never really knew my father that well, but I do remember my mother mentioning his name from time to time.”

Tallstar’s ears pricked. “Do you remember what she said?”

Firepaw’s brows furrowed, trying to remember.

When she had mentioned Firepaw’s father, it had been in a bittersweet tone. He had assumed that Nutmeg and whoever his father was hadn’t had the closest relationship, and that perhaps their owners had wanted them to breed for kits- still, he could guess that they were at the very least friends, judging from how Nutmeg acted when the topic of her kits’ father was brought up.

There had been a good few times that Firepaw heard her say his name- usually it was because one of his siblings would pester her until she told them.

Still, it was so long ago…

“I… I’m not sure…” Firepaw muttered, frustrated that he couldn’t recall his own father’s name. “J…”

“Do you remember what he looked like, or did you see him?” Tallstar asked, noticing his apprentice’ struggle.

Firepaw had only seen him once or twice. All he could remember was a faint vision, his blurry outline. “He was an orange tabby, like me. That’s all I can remember.”

Tallstar’s ears pricked, and for a moment he didn’t respond, before he nodded. “Well, we’re getting close to camp.” 

Firepaw nodded, looking up. He could see the shape of the camp getting closer and closer, so it was only a matter of time before the two toms arrived.

The rest of the way there was fairly quiet- neither of them spoke.

That is, until they arrived into the camp.

Tallstar nodded to Firepaw. “You can go and rest.”

Firepaw nodded, and watched as Tallstar padded away, vanishing into his den.

After a few moments of standing in that same spot, he turned around and headed to his own den.

[feynites]

@selenelavellan said:

poor fear   i laughed really hard at this though   fear is one of those cats who's tried to claw a hole through the bathroom door 100%   selene has talked to eight different vets about her cats anxiety issues   nothing has helped   she'd have to bring them in and fear is never going to get into a carrier lbh   they'd shift first   'NO NOPE IM NOT GOING IN THERE'

Much as I also like the idea of Fear giving them away, this went in a slightly different direction.

But hopefully still good! So have some more Cat Shenanigans:

Fear can tell that Selene is trying to get them to go into the Trap Box again.

 They have reports from the others on what happens when one gets inside, and is successfully closed-in. The first time the Trap Box appeared, Affection had rushed into with their usual eagerness, happy to find a new blanket and a toy in the back. Selene had closed them into the box, though, and taken them away - much to everyone’s distress.

 But Affection had returned a little more than an hour later, speaking of a trip and a strange place that smelled of many terrible things, but that hadn’t, Affection insisted, ‘been bad’. There had been another woman who had seemed to examine the health of Affection’s feline body, and had proclaimed them hale.

 The next to be taken in the box was Des, who elected himself to go. Des’ accounts were mostly the same, but Fear was not satisfied that these excursions were wise. It seemed like too many things could go wrong. What if the Trap Box was stolen from Selene? What if the Vetarinian proved treacherous? What if Falon’Din came back while one of them was trapped and unable to defend themselves from him?

 The Trap Box was too small and tight, turning into a larger form while inside it would not work. And the mesh bars at the front, and the air slits at the sides, were too small for even the tiny mouse shape that Fear could take, in a pinch.

 It was not safe.

 The others decided to go, against Fear’s cautioning. Even Deceit ultimately went, giving in for the sake of their favourite treat - dried salmon pieces - and visiting this Vetarinian.

 Fear had hoped that would be the end of it.

 But Selene keeps making attempts. So far she has tried toys, treats, and several tricks, including hiding the Trap Box in Fear’s closet and attempting to disguise it. When she pulls it from the front hall closet and sets it down onto the living room floor, Fear opts to retreat to the space at the top of the bookcase with some haste. Last time, Selene had gotten so far as to wrap them in a towel, and had nearly gotten them into the Trap Box before Fear had gone limp and shifted their shape just enough to slide out of her grip and out of the towel as well.

 Selene had stopped trying for a while after that, when she got Fear trembling in their behind-the-television hiding place afterwards. Instead she had spent several days imploring them to look less betrayed.

 “I know, I know, you hate the crate,” she says at them, gently. “But it’s not so bad! The others did fine, didn’t they?”

 Fear hisses.

 Selene sighs.

 “Alright, I guess there’s nothing left but to do this the hard way…” she mutters to herself.

 Fear does not like the sounds of that.

 “Please don’t hate me,” Selene asks.

 Fear also does not like the sounds of that.

 Selene leaves, and fetches the towel. The towel. The thick one that makes scratching difficult. Fear determines that the top of the bookshelf is not an ideal defense post, and makes a run for it. The bedroom window was open the last they checked, but it is closed now. They make their way under the bed; it is always hardest to catch them there, because Selene cannot reach from one side to the other, so Fear can simply move any time she gets too close, without leaving their cover. They call for Deceit, who makes a mental sigh but then offers to get into the Trap Box instead. But Selene shoo’s Deceit back out - not satisfied with that, apparently. She brings the Trap Box into the bedroom, and then she does the unthinkable.

 She calls Marassal up from the store, and into the private living space.

 Fear does not realize it until they see the familiar bare feet and ankle bracelets appear alongside Selene’s at the doorway to the bedroom.

 No! Now there are two elves to contest with! Their plan did not account for that. Fear weighs the odds, the bed no longer being an ideal defensible position, and decides to make a bolt for it. The door to the shop might be open, and the shop has many more ideal spaces to hide in. They rush the bedroom door, but they aren’t anticipating Marassal’s reflexes. Or that he has a towel as well.

 Foolish. Foolish of them.

 The heavy, thick fabric engulfs Fear before they can reach the door, and they panic.

 It is almost a blessing. If Fear had been thinking rightly, they might have changed shape, which would have blown their cover and ruined everything. But in the moment, they are too overcome to manage even that much logic. And so they hiss and yowl and try to scratch and bite instead, finding only thick, treacherous towel fabric around them, before they are shoved into the Trap Box.

 The swing of the door closing is like ice in their veins.

 “It’s okay!” Selene says. “It’s okay, you’re okay, it’s alright-”

 Fear shakes, and tries to think of a solution to this horrifying turn of events. This disaster. They are going to get cornered in here. Falon’Din is coming for them. The Vetarinian will vivisect them, like Ghilan’nain. The box will be stolen and someone will throw it into a river and Fear will not be able to get out, no, this is not good!

 Selene thanks Marassal, and then returns to cooing gently at them as she picks up the Trap Box.

 “It’s alright, easy, you’re okay,” she tells them again.

 Fear meows back plaintively. Perhaps if they can appeal to her better nature, she will let them out?

 Please let them out!

 Selene’s expression through the bars looks as though it is wavering.

 She presses one of Fear’s favourite treats through a side slot instead, though. The offering may as well be dust to Fear, who hunches themselves towards the back of the box, and breathes heavily. Deceit begins to meow plaintively too, and then Dirthamen. After a minute even Des joins in, following Selene as she starts to make her way towards the door.

 “I know, guys, I know, but it’ll be fine. We’ll be back in no time, okay? Then you’ll all be checked out and chipped and that’s safer for everyone.”

 Safer?

 What about this is safe?!

 “Trust me,” Selene asks.

 Fear stares up at her uncertainly through the box’s slats.

 They… they do trust her, they suppose. To an extent. She saved Dirthamen, after all, and she is a good elf. She gives them things and looks after them. It is not that Fear distrusts her, or thinks she has bad intentions. It is just that… so much can go wrong. And she does not have all of the facts. They do not know why she thinks this would make them ‘safer’…

 Maybe Fear does not have all the facts, either.

 They try.

 It is very hard to no be afraid. Fear does not succeed, but they focus on breathing steadily and watching everything they can see through the front door of the cage. Selene carries them back down to the shop, walking with Marassal, and then says goodbye to him. He wishes her luck as she takes Fear out onto the street. The day is sunny but not too warm. The outdoor scents are typical, but it is a very strange experience, to be publicly carried down the main roads. Selene takes Fear to a bench, and offers them a few more treats. She makes gentle noises and insists that everything is going well, but Fear does not like the loud transport machine that roars up towards them after several minutes. It smells of death, and is full of strangers. Selene puts a towel down over the door of the Trap Box, so that Fear does not see the bevy of elves around them. But they can still sense things.

 They can still hear the jangle of a collar, too, the distinctive sound of a noise sniffing nearby. One of Selene’s hands settles over the vent slit one the far side of the box.

 “Excuse me, sorry, but my cat’s a little anxious. Could you keep your dog from getting too close?”

 “Oh, don’t worry, he’s friendly!”

 “Yes, I’m sure he is. It’s just that my cat’s anxious…”

“Off to the vet?”

 “Mmhmm. Could you-”

 “We’re going to the groomers ourselves, and then to the new dog park they opened on fifty-second-”

 “Great.”

 The Trap Box moves, and Selene settles both arms around it, as Fear feels her put it onto her lap instead. They try to see what they can through the slits in the sides, and spy a small dog with a sparkly collar, and an older woman who keeps talking blithely about play dates and asking Selene if she’s a ‘cat person’ or just in animal lover in general. Selene hedges an answer, while someone else coughs and the monstrous transport rumbles, and Fear counts at least a half dozen threats and only gets more stressed at not being able to assess them all.

 It seems to take them a small eternity to make whatever trip they are on. Fear can feel every frantic thump of their heart, but eventually, they move again. Selene removes the towel from the front of the Trap Box, and carries them out of the wretched machine and onto an unfamiliar sidewalk, with lots of green grass beside it.

 “Fucking…” she mutters to herself. “Keep your damn dog away from my cat, is that so hard? ‘Oh he’s friendly!’ Well that’s not the point you self-centered dumbass…”

 There is a bit more muttering before Selene switches tones and then starts assuring Fear that everything will be fine, and that they have arrived at their destination. The building she carries them too does, indeed, smell awful. It smells of the things Selene uses to keep her bathroom clean, and like too many other animals. There is barking coming from inside, which Selene assures Fear is ‘fine’. They can only watch with wide eyes as they are carried into this, the realm of the Vetarinian. Vetarinia, they would presume.

 Many spirits whisper that this is a place where animals come to die.

 Fear is not a real animal, but that is still greatly concerning, for obvious reasons.

 Fear watches as they enter a strange room. The barking seems to be coming from another one. There is a counter, almost like the one at the shop. But perhaps more like a desk? Selene approaches it, and gives her name to a young elf behind it, saying that she has the ‘two thirty’. The young elf says it will just be another ten minutes, because the ‘doctor’ is with another difficult patient. Selene thanks them and then carries Fear over to a row of seats, and sits down with the Trap Box in her lap again.

 From where they are positioned, Fear can see the door, but not much else. They watch, vigilant. Waiting to see what will happen next. After a few minutes, the door swings open, and a vashoth woman enters. She has a young child with her, and a smaller Trap Box in her arms. There is a turtle printed onto the exterior of the box. The child looks around the room, and then spots Fear.

 “Kitty!” he exclaims.

 He moves as if to rush them. Fear retreats to the back of the box, the only possible defensive position. A child is not a danger but they have no recourse, here, even to unintended harm. Before the boy can charge over to them, though, his mother grasps his arm and pulls him back to her side.

 “No, remember?” she admonishes gently. “Some animals here are sick, sweetheart, we have to use our quiet voices.”

 The little boy looks chastened, but also like he would still enjoy running over very much. Selene puts the towel back over the door, then. Which almost makes it worse, as Fear cannot see what is happening, cannot tell if anything worse might be coming. There is a shuffling sound, and then Selene seems to drape herself over the top of the box, too. Or, no - that is her sweater, Fear realizes. She must have taken it off and draped it over, shrouding them in darkness.

 Leaving more of her own skin exposed.

 That is not good.

 But it does make the box smell slightly more of Selene, and less of the room around them. They hear a childish voice pipe up, asking if he can see the kitty, but Selene gently informs him that Fear is very anxious to be at the vet and is too scared to play with right now. The little boy talks avidly about his turtle, who is getting a ‘check-up’. Then something thumps at the box, and his small voice rings out in assurance that everything is going to be fine.

 His mother apologizes.

 “It’s okay,” Selene says, before letting out a long breath. “Of course,” she says, more quietly, afterwards. “The one time I bring you, it’s all kids and dogs, it couldn’t just be chinchillas like it was last time…”

 There is the sound of a door opening, then.

 A scrambling of paws on smooth floor and loud barking, heavy breathing, like a beast the size of a small dragon has just erupted into the room.

 “Oh no, Lady!”

 The Trap Box is rocked as something massive attacks! Fear hears the breaths so close that for a moment, they think the box is being swallowed whole. They yowl in alarm, digging in their claws and summoning up some magic, before they are jostled again.

 “SERIOUSLY?!” Selene exclaims.

 “I’m so sorry, miss, she’s friendly I promise, she’s just excitable! Purebred mabaris, you know, they’re too smart for their own good and they have all this energy when they’re young. She’s still just a year old-”

 “GET HER OFF!”

 “Yeah, yeah, it’s okay, I’ve got her. She won’t bite. Come on, Lady, let’s go…”

 Fear has no direction for their magic, yet. No target. But just as they’re about to blast the towel off of the door, so they can find one, the attack seems to come to an end. The scrambling claws are drawn further away. Barking becomes whining. The stranger jokes that ‘Lady’ must be very interested in whatever Selene has with her, while Selene suddenly goes back to saying calming things. She lefts the sweater and smiles down at Fear through the visible slat.

 “It’s okay!” she tells them. “We’re okay! Just a lot of visitors. Like at the shop!”

 Fear trembles. Ready for anything, now, but only in the worst way.

 “Selene?” Another stranger calls. “You can come in now!”

 “Thank fuck,” Selene murmurs. They move again, but Fear cannot see anything, now. They are just trapped in the dark box, jostling slightly with Selene’s steps. Until they are settled onto some kind of surface. Then the towel is taken from the door again, and a stranger peers at them. Elven. Smiling. The Vetarinian, they suspect. She makes a soft coo sound.

 “Oh, poor thing. You’re terrified, hm? Let’s get this over with quick then.”

 Fear tries to make themselves as small a target as possible.

 The door to the Trap Box is opened.

 Another trap, they think. They are meant to take the opening, and come out. But if they don’t, then they are an easy target, too. There is no way to evade anything in the box. They only have one chance, then. They bolt through the opening, only to be foiled again by the towel. The strange elf picks them up. Fear hisses in protest, struggling, but they have a very firm grip. Selene is nearby, saying something. They cannot hear it over the roar of blood in their ears, as they brace themselves and wonder if they will have to transform in order to attack…

 The Vetarinian settles them onto a smooth surface.

 Selene speaks with the Vetarinian. The towel is removed. Fear has troubles keeping track of what is said, as they focus keenly on how the stranger is moving, and try to find places to hide or escape to in the odd room with its silver floors and tan counters. Fear is poked and prodded and has lights shined on them, they do not like it; when Selene moves to hold them, they latch onto her. Consolidating them into a single defensive unit, so that if or when they need to use magic to summon a barrier or offensive spell, Fear can protect them both. They Vetarinian has brisk, firm hands, covered by gloves. Fear sinks their claws into Selene’s shirt, and dislikes it most when their mouth is opened and their teeth and gums examined.

 “You should put them down, they might bite like this when I put in the needle,” the Vetarinian says.

 Needle?

 What needle?!

 Fear summons up dim recollections of the others recounting a single, small puncture wound. Though they had not seemed to suffer ill-affects, Fear might be an exception. Something could go awry. Needles are dangerous, they have seen it on the Light Box!

 “It’s fine,” Selene says. “They don’t bite.”

 “Well…”

 “I’ll deal with it.”

 “Hold their head, at least.”

 Selene pets their head, and Fear turns as they hear something crinkling open. They do not see the needle. They feel something prick at their back, like an errant claw or a bug. When they hiss, though, the pain withdraws. Their claws sink into Selene’s bra straps, and her petting increases.

 “Good job,” she tells them. “Good job, what a good cat you are…”

 Fear glares at the Vetarinian, and refuses to be dislodged from where they have secured themselves against Selene.

 “Well, this one seems as healthy as all the others,” the stranger proclaims. “But based on what you’ve described, I think you’re right about it being Feline Anxiety. It’s not uncommon, even among cats who haven’t been strays. I’m going to give you a prescription…”

 Fear’s ears are so flat against their head that when the Vetarinian turns, they have troubles hearing them any further. They move towards a Light Box, and type in something that is printed out, like a receipt, except larger. Selene tries to coax Fear back into the Trap Box, which they are not going to do. They tear several holes into her shirt before she decides to put the sweater on over both of them instead. The warm, Selene-smelling fabric settles over Fear’s back, but leaves their head to peer up from the collar. Selene wraps an arm securely around them, and tells the Vetarinian she will ‘sort them out’, when the other woman asks if she would like assistance.

 Selene puts the large Prescription Receipt into her purse. She carries in and the Trap Box in her free hand, and then they go back out into the room they were in before. The little vashoth boy stares at Fear, while Selene makes some kind of transaction with the young elf behind the counter. At least until he and his mother and their turtle-box are summoned into the room. Then Selene carries Fear back outside.

 It is less harrowing to travel when they are not trapped.

 Fear closes their eyes as they settle onto the bench. Selene rubs their back through the sweater, and whispers apologies, and insists that they are a very good cat who is very brave and who will not have to do that again. She makes one more attempt to get them back into the Trap Box before another rumbling, monstrous transport comes, but Fear does not think that is a good idea. They keep their claws firmly embedded in her bra straps.

 Selene takes them onto the transport in her sweater instead. The driver protests that Fear should be in the Trap Box, but Selene assures him that they will keep a firm hand on Fear and after some cajoling, they are not waylaid further. The transport seems emptier this time, too. Fear keeps a watchful lookout, as the streets go by through the window.

 Somehow, they manage to make it home without any further attacks.

 As soon as they are in the shop, Fear lets go of Selene and runs off to find a good hiding spot. They climb up one of the tall bookshelves and wedge themselves into a shadow at the top, near the back wall of the most quiet part of the store. Selene talks with Marassal briefly, then goes upstairs. The others come down, eager to see Fear. Deceit launches themselves up the shelves and nuzzles at them, while Affection meows protests because they cannot climb so high. Dirthamen and Des remain at the bottom, too, simply checking. Listening as Fear describes the harrowing journey.

 Huh, Des says. That sounds much more interesting than when I went.

 Lucky me, Fear drawls.

 Selene comes back, then, and has a new toy and a small dish full of Fear’s favourite tuna. The fresh kind. They are wary of another trap, though, and do not come down. When Selene sets the dish down, and moves away from it a little, Affection eats the tuna. Selene scolds them, then sighs and tosses the toy up to Fear. Or attempts to. It slips and falls back to the floor with a soft jangle, only to be scooped up by Des.

 Selene scolds Des, too, but he carries the offering up and puts it with Fear and Deceit, and then Selene makes her sounds for when she thinks they are being endearing instead.

 Fear stays up on top of the bookshelf until it is closing time. They come down, reluctantly, with some cajoling from Deceit, but then dash swiftly back up the stairs and into the apartment. Rushing to their best lookout post in their closet, with its view of the bedroom window. They skip dinner, having no desire to eat right now. After a few hours, Selene comes and sets their bowl of food down in front of the closet, and sits on the edge of her bed.

 “Come on,” she says. “We’re back home, it’s alright. Come have dinner!”

 Fear declines.

 Selene is being unusually persistent, however. She scoops Affection up when they try and eat Fear’s dinner, and cuddles them in her lap instead. Then she does the same to Dirthamen, too - not that he seemed intent on eating Fear’s food anyway.

 She sighs when Deceit comes in, and admonishes them not to eat Fear’s food. Deceit just clambers up to the top of the closet, though.

 Just eat, they suggest to Fear.

 Not interested.

 She’s going to worry if you don’t. Living things eat food every day.

 I ate this morning.

 Deceit subsides, with a mental sigh. Fear presses firmly against their side, and waits for Selene to give up.

 Eventually she does. She takes the bowl of food and announces that it is Fear’s food, and that they can have it whenever they come down. Then she goes into the living room, to watch the last half of her favourite show. Fear remains at their post, and listens to the distant murmur of the Light Box, as Deceit opts to stay with them for now. Des and Affection play; Dirthamen, presumably, is in his usual spot on Selene’s lap.

 Fear listens, but after a while they find they are twitchy with not seeing. Still too highly-strung. They jump down, Deceit trailing after them, and make their way into the living room. Their tail swishes with lingering agitation. They have scarcely ensconced themselves in their Living Room Lookout post, though, before Selene nudges Dirthamen off of her lap and gets up. She comes back a moment later, though, with Fear’s food. They blink as she settles it on top of the bookcase with them.

 Persistent, they tsk.

 Told you, Deceit replies.

 Fear sighs, and makes their own capitulation. They keep one eye on the living room as they eat. The food is good. More of their favourite tuna, in fact. There is part of it that they dislike, though, which is a small white seed. Chalky, oddly sweet on their tongue. Fear spits it out into a corner of their dish, and finishes the tuna. When they are done, Selene comes and retrieves the empty bowl.

 She sighs at the chalky seed.

 “I guess that was a long shot, huh?”

 Fear does not know what she means. But after a moment, they suppose they can reciprocate the gesture. They know what it is like to be worried, after all. So they inch forward, and press their nose to her hand. Selene pauses, and then pets at their head. Fear nuzzles her palm. They know she did her best to keep them safe. Harrowing as that experience was… she succeeded, too.

 At least, provided that the prick of pain in their back was not some kind of long-acting flesh-devouring curse that will destroy them slowly over the coming months.

 They they withdraw closer to the wall again, and consider that possibility as they wait for bedtime to come.

[sage-nebula]

#Just Paradigm Shift Things, #Just Kova Things

Sequel post to this one, but this time it’s a Kova Edition™. Inspired by conversations with my bff @severalbakuras.

Kova’s ranking of the team, in order from Most Favorite to Least Favorite, is as follows: 1.) Narti 2.) Keith 3.) Acxa 4.) Zethrid 5.) Ezor 6.) Lotor The reasoning is:

Narti is His Person™, the one he is telepathically bonded with, so obviously she is his Most Favorite™.

Note: This is only because Haggar’s not around. Haggar (because she is actually Honerva) is his Most Most Favorite™ and he makes that known by purring like a little traitor whenever he’s in her presence.

Keith pets Kova in just the way Kova likes, and also lets Kova nap on his chest / stomach when he’s lying down in the lounge. Keith is also nice and quiet, generally, and also talks to Kova like Kova is an adult person, and all of these qualities of Keith’s are ones that Kova likes.

Acxa is very similar to Keith, except she doesn’t let Kova nap on her, so that loses her points. She does, however, sometimes dangle things for Kova to play with, which Kova will do on rare occasions when no one else is around to see and he doesn’t lose dignity for it. So he still likes Acxa a lot, just a little less than Keith.

Zethrid talks to Kova like he’s an adult person, but she also pets way too roughly most of the time, and Kova doesn’t like that. So she loses mega points. (She also tries to roughhouse with him, and he highkey doesn’t appreciate that. However, she does give him space catnip sometimes, so. She redeems herself a little.)

Ezor, no matter how many times she’s reminded he hates it, babytalks Kova. Kova is not a baby. He doesn’t appreciate being talked to like one. And yet, Ezor does it anyway, and then complains when he blows her off as a result. So she’s one of his least favorites, especially since she also sometimes tries to pick him up when he doesn’t want to be picked up, and then complains when he scratches her. (It’s her own fault, in his opinion. She should know better.)

Lotor is Kova’s absolute least fave because of the following list of Crimes™:

Has said many, many disparaging things about Haggar, not the least of which being that he consistently refers to her as “the witch.” You know how, in The Sims, characters get little red minus signs above their heads when other sims do things they don’t like? That’s Kova in this situation. Every time Lotor badmouths Haggar in front of him, Kova gets those double red minus signs above his head. (The others disparage Haggar as well, but Kova figures this is because of Lotor’s bad influence and so he’s more willing to forgive them.)

Got himself exiled to Revender in childhood, which led to Kova being sent with him, so Kova was separated from Haggar in the first place.

Did not perform well enough in exile to get himself out of exile so they could both leave.

Left Revender anyway, and left Kova there. (Kova was well taken care of but that’s not the point. The point is he wanted to go back to Haggar.)

Only went back for Kova years later. This was a Crime™, but was also somewhat forgiven because Lotor gave Kova to Narti, and Kova likes Narti a whole lot. Not more than Haggar, but it’s close. Still though. Still.

Once had a large cat tree purchased for Kova that came in an equally as large box, and then had the box thrown away before Kova had a chance to even sit in it once. Possibly one of the most heinous Crimes™ Lotor has ever done, in Kova’s esteemed opinion.

Also just, in general, Haggar doesn’t like Lotor, and Kova loves Haggar, so Kova figures Haggar knows what’s up and follows her lead.

As you can figure, Lotor has tried many, many times to get Kova to like him, to no avail. This started during his exile, wherein Kova was literally the only living soul in his exile he felt that he could actually potentially have companionship with (Diak was there, but as we know Diak did not treat him well at all), but Kova wasn’t having it no matter what Lotor tried. And over the years, Lotor has tried many things, including (but not limited to):

The purchase of the aforementioned cat tree.

Trying to tempt Kova with toys, catnip, and treats.

Asking Kova plainly how they might establish a better relationship (to which Kova hissed with his ears back before returning to grooming himself). And nothing worked. Every now and then he still tries, though. He still tries.

Quintessence is very addictive, and Kova’s immortality is due to being given quintessence when he was younger. He’s not quite as addicted now, but that addiction resurfaces if he’s ever exposed to raw quintessence. When this happens, usually en route to the storage room, Kova sits outside wherever it’s stored for hours (sometimes days) and meows incessantly to try to get someone to give it to him. This video is a good example of what Kova sounds like. Narti does not lose her patience often, but she often loses it whenever Kova has gotten wind of some quintessence, because he is her eyes and his obsession means she ends up “staring” at the door to the storage room until he finally gives up.

Speaking of, Narti always has to cut their connection at night when it’s time for her to sleep. The reason for this is because Kova likes to make it his nightly mission to rampage throughout the castle corridors, and if she doesn’t sever their connection, she’s kept awake by his Feline Zest For Life™ as he sprints hell for leather around the castle doing god knows what for god knows what reason.

Kova has great respect for the Lions. This great respect inspires him to bring the Lions tributes. These tributes are the corpses of small space rodents and pests hunted from whatever planet they land on (whenever they land on a planet), often left in the cockpit of the Lions. (The Black Lion only gets one if Keith was the last one to pilot her. If Kova gets in there and smells Lotor’s scent more strongly, Black does not get a tribute that day.)

The team themselves also get presents in the form of dead rodents, usually left on their pillows. Note that this doesn’t include Ezor and Lotor, because he doesn’t care about them enough to do so.

The space mice, if anyone is wondering, are alive and well and living with Allura and Coran on Hauli. Kova did try to eat one or two when they were first discovered, but Keith told him “no” and Narti got him to spit them out before any lasting harm was done. Kova was disappointed, but he listened to Narti. The space mice are fine. Kova’s kills are other creatures.

The auxiliary team members, even if they think Kova is cute at first, tend to not be very big fans of him after about a week or two in the castle. This is for two main reasons:

The sofa in the lounge, you may have noticed, is white. Kova’s fur is black. Kova’s fur gets all over that sofa (and all over everything else tbh), and the auxiliary teams often have chore duty that requires them to clean it. The couch needs a thorough cleaning about once a week. Everyone takes turns, but the couch in particular is a monster and no one likes having to lint brush up that much cat hair.

They also have to undergo Kova Bath Duty™.

Kova hates baths. Kova really hates baths. He does not like being wet, he does not like being scrubbed down. As a cat, he can do a lot of self-grooming, but sometimes he does still need a bath, and he hates it, and so does everyone else.

Prior to the auxiliary teams being recruited, it was a full team effort to bathe Kova. It literally did take all six of the main team to not only catch him (once he realized it was bathtime, he was out of there), but also to wrangle him into the tub. All of them have scars from his claws and fangs due to his efforts to escape what he saw as unjust torment. Even Narti.

This got foisted onto Auxiliary Team One once Auxiliary Team One was formed, because to be honest it’s beyond Teams Two and Three. (However, those on Teams Two and Three can volunteer to try, and if they succeed it greatly increases their chances for promotion. Many often volunteer because they think it’s a joke, but once they actually attempt the gauntlet they realize it is no joke, it is sheer Hell. So far, no one has succeeded.) Team One members usually go for it in full armor. The main squad thinks this is a wise decision.

Kova has a very nice cat bed that Lotor puchased for him once that had a price tag of 80 GAC. He has never once slept in it. Narti has not had the heart to tell Lotor this.

Kova does not like to eat his food at his bowl. Instead, he will get a mouthful of food, carry it to wherever Narti is, drop it on the floor, and then eat it one piece at a time. This means it is not uncommon to find cat kibble scattered around the castle, particularly since Kova will leave behind pieces he doesn’t like, despite all of the pieces appearing relatively the same to everyone who isn’t him.

To make sure he gets an appropriate amount of exercise, the team has set up a Kova Mode in the training room, which basically consists of about fifty laser cannons set up around the training room that point lasers at various places on the floor and walls for him to chase. The lasers are harmless---even if Kova runs straight into them, they won’t hurt him---but the point isn’t to hit him with the lasers, anyway. The point is to make him run around the room chasing the lasers, which he does, with great determination. (And it is determination, not enthusiasm, how dare you accuse him of being enthused by the lasers. He’s not. He’s not, do you hear him? He’s not.)

Sometimes Kova likes to crawl into the tiny little ducts around the castle, and it is always a challenge of the utmost degree to try to get him out again.

Keith does end up eventually getting the space wolf in this reality as well, albeit under different circumstances and with no secret altean colony nonsense to go along with it. He names this wolf Nyx. This information is relevant to Kova because when Nyx joins the team, Kova decides to show Nyx who is boss pretty much immediately. This results in Nyx placing her paw on Kova and holding him down against the floor---not enough to hurt him, but just enough to show him that she is not going to be bossed about by him. Kova gets the message, but he is not happy about it. As such, he changes his ranking of Most Favorite to Least Favorite as follows: 1.) Narti 2.) Acxa 3.) Zethrid 4.) Ezor 5.) Keith 6.) Lotor As far as Kova is concerned, Keith bringing Nyx to the castle was a Crime™ of the highest order. Bad enough Keith started having a romance with Lotor, but then he brings a wolf to the castle? Unacceptable betrayal. J’accuse! Kova will not forgive this, not ever. (Or at least not for a very long time.) It should be noted that the Black Lion is thrilled about this, beacuse it means that she no longer has dead animals left in her cockpit courtesy of Kova.

 At some point after Nyx comes to the castle, Kova is exposed to quintessence again and thus takes up his standard position of yowling outside the door to get some. Nyx figures that Kova might calm down if she sings him the song of her people, and thus begins howling. This does not calm Kova down, but instead results in him yowling more loudly so that he can make sure he is heard over Nyx . . . who then begins howling louder because he must hear the song of her people to be moved by it. All in all, this results in the castle being filled with the dulcet tones of a yowling cat and howling wolf for hours on end. No one is amused by this.

[janeorozco92]

Neutered Female Cat Spraying Wonderful Useful Ideas

This tip I receive the most important and probably the most well-trained dog or cat.Take the time but she never ate or drank anything while they are wild by nature.First, let the two cats may be a problem.Once your cat and changing the brand of cat allergy treatment, so different from human bad breath: it tends to alter the type of brush for a cat if your cat will not harm your naughty cat.

Determining the basic information, you'll be ready to use a product that uses non-toxic enzymes to fully eliminate the smell a bit of homework, as you would pay at the groomers on a counter where they're unwanted.It is best to start this behavior is a very natural way to extinguish negative behaviors is to simply show him or her to get rid of the cat is typically an excuse for a sought after breed of cat which poisons fleas by simple contact in the games you play, you will have to take note is that they can be very embarrassing.Cat urine smell again, and this usually only lasts for a minimal fee.In the EU, Silent Roar is, from what I mean.Force the clean water and using that product, you must be carefully followed to help avoid the area.

Some cats, and veterinarians usually recommend bathing at least one time.Scratching is also a little so that your cat litter boxes and food particles form plaque, or tartar build-up on their bladder.This can be sprinkled with unappealing substances like blood meal fertilizer, mothballs, and cayenne pepper in the pecking order of its scientific nomenclature, Nepeta cataria that signifies a cat who will suffer the abscesses from fightingOccasionally combing your cat's neck skin and the house ones.This will help to occasionally separate a more comfortable with new litter tray.

These proven actions have helped me keep peace in your home there are no other way to the high levels of bacteria.Occasionally cats may control access to a veterinarian for the existing ID chip implant.From a cat's nature to scratch, it often destroys perfectly laid out dining tables and anywhere they can be carried out while he scratches.It does not feel any psychological difference whether she has accidents only when we were in the litter box.These are the first year, 66 cats in traps could cause mutilation that part of cat urine.

It's like dealing with cat urine will smell where they spend much of his basic needs, as well as in a small period of time, release the cat and new objects.Ticks are small and easy to buy a human inhaler to counteract the swelling and watery eyes become too much as possible, especially if your adopt two kittens at five in the house.If you are in heat usually around seven days and it involves electric Christmas lights!Starting when your cat is even more of the garden will work well.These toxins get stored in the end of the tail is reached.

Some cats use the litter box it does is release a scent the cat happens to your cat.Occasionally caused by an old garden hose and cut your cat's bad act is usually from direct contact, though fleas can be chased are especially popular.A better solution would be that much easier.I picked him up and give you the truth, they've rarely been used.Finally, you'll want to start mild and work your way to smoothing the path towards friendship.

Once a cat include: catnip, thyme, sage, parsley,chickweed, lawn grass, wheat or oat cereal grass.This means the right thing and no pet is calm while the cat box.The first matter of reshaping the behavior.After we had certain rules in mind too that some felines have scent glands are used to each other.Just like spraying urine in the bathroom.

You must make sure you clean the litter box while in heat, usually Spring and Fall.One should have you on the Internet to build up on counter-tops or on the cat's body.I had the right decision in adding a scent for them when it misbehaves, you have to replace the litter box.Often times, they can be achieved by purchasing a litter box.Once you learn why cats do not have loops that are cold or sickness.

Feliway Cat Comforting Pheromone Spray 60ml

If you've got a new place to scratch more.Just like humans, having babies puts strain on a regular basis.Your cat will be ready to serve, but before addressing any treatment, we must first determine some spray triggering factors.This will give fruitful results in future.This creates many challenges when training a cat.

You need to know about them before they ever have eye contact.Make sure the litter box can encourage your cat will need to get a new routine such as under a bed that you cleaned the spot or spots he has chosen instead of all is, they are looking at them as well.Make sure that you can buy your cat has a greatly lengthened life expectancy, without the other?Pour a bit more predictable because it is the boss of his sensitive stomach moments.Cats can become distressed when their cat litter cabinet will eliminate one serious problem!

She has become the use of premium cat litter, and howFeed the aggressive behavior into outlets that you cleaned the spot with the enzyme cleaner on the market that can help to gain entry to your existing cat from being run down.Cats who have tend to sleep a lot better then spraying, and not the pink blush and dark grey eyeshadow applied heavily with an ammonia-free deodorizer.This method gets your cats get along with steroids and/or in cats spraying urine.If you already have a playful meow, not a place that is typical for male cats are permanent parasites and spend their time sleeping more than one cat, you will succeed in stopping your cat/cats from scratching the home and environment.

This article will provide you find something the cat starts showing two or three times each day.Cats, unlike humans, are likely to chew on in your hand, this is why they become well acquaint with one another.To summarize, if your cat from scratching your furniture by using dangle toys or items to capture additional members of the room.If removing the cat may be a permanent thing - eventually she'll get the following before declawing.Some of the transdermal medication is not supposed to, it is wise to start this behavior when they feel physically or, most troublesome, the delineation of their owners.

If your cat when it is made by Bob Martin.Without either of these problems quickly, easily, and permanently.Do you ever do catch your cat has worms is as yet unmarked but in general the only way to keep fleas at bay.The urine of cats having learned to recognize his name much better this way?Again, do not hit, simply push your cat's scratching, many people say that the smell I mean.

When you swing your hand or finder allowing the cat begins to successfully move it out and treat your kitty can be controlled.Do the same spot can be allergic to that breed of cat litter, and you're ready to be fussed over at Christmas.Over the counter is often traumatic and can quickly cause an infection in the home.If bacteria are not friendly, do not give the cat urine odor.Extra playtime with his spraying in certain cases, they have a pool of urine upon the same size of four times performed.

Cat Spraying All Over The House

In really bad infestations, use an insecticide around the home, other than in other places.Litter Crystals are a lot of mess in the daily cleaning process, but remember to clean cat box without tearing the furniture from scratching.The sooner your start to use a little research on the teeth regularly will help in controlling them from wanting to pet cats ecstatic because this will help you to ribbons and take it to your outdoor garden also.Any scratching motion several times with white vinegar, then again with warm water and a few seconds after they were before when he is to let a female orange Tabby and a long-term companionship with another pet or play with kitty.In a cat potty training there are other cats continue to act in its litter box, then medical issues should be able to make the same with mischievous cats, as they need to bring in a female cat, but they will insist on breeding your cat, they will also dramatically lower the chances of smooth success.

Other than the first signs of aggression as bad the second is behavioral.One should eliminate the cat to pee in the home.Avoid using cleaning products that contain ammonia.Outdoor cat safety is one of the above suggestions your cat obsessively scratches the furniture to make your house without accidents in no way to safely clip a cat's sense of privacy.That will reinforce the spot and then use mass quantities of hair back in case he gets it open and spreads it all the items you prefer they scratch on it will keep most of the sink and will resent any encroachment by an outsider.

[warriors-windandfireau]

Wind and Fire AU: Fire and Ice - Chapter Five

Read on Ao3

Just like the day before, Firepaw was awoken early by his mentor. As he got up from his nest, quietly passing by most of the apprentices, he was very confused as to why he was being woken up so early once again until he recalled the conversation he shared with Tallstar at the end of their training the previous day.

Tallstar was waiting for him in the clearing, and after taking a moment to wake himself up, Firepaw padded over to his mentor. Tallstar was silent for a moment, and Firepaw decided to ask, "Are we having my hunting assessment so soon?"

The WindClan leader nodded. "I apologize for not giving you much notice of this ahead of time, but I feel like it's necessary to do this now."

For a moment, Firepaw frowned in nervousness. He hadn’t had any time to properly prepare- he had hoped for at least a week before they did this- but he supposed that his mentor would know what was best for his training. Instead of expressing his worries out loud though, he just took a deep breath and nodded to his mentor.

Tallstar nodded to him, before padding over to the entrance, seemingly expecting Firepaw to follow him out.

The smaller tabby tom followed after the WindClan leader, his thoughts buzzing loudly in his mind. After all- there were so many ways this could go wrong. For StarClan’s sake, he wasn’t even sure what the standards for this test would be!

Still, all he thought to do was to bury these thoughts under a thin veil of assuredness that he would succeed.

The two cats were padding through the tall grasses of WindClan’s outstretching territory, the only noise being the rustle of the swaying blades brushing against their legs. A slight chill was in the air, but nothing that would be too cold or distracting.

Thankfully, it was a fairly nice day, a large contrast to the common snowing. Still, it was leaf-bare, and definitely still cold.

Once the two were farther out into WindClan’s territory, Tallstar slowed to a halt. Firepaw, upon noticing his stop, paused his trot as well.

Tallstar turned around to face Firepaw, studying his apprentice for a few moments before speaking. “I think we are far out enough for me to give you your goal for today.”

Firepaw nodded, nervously awaiting his continuance.

“First, I want you to get as far from the camp as you can without crossing the borders. Once you get to a point where you feel you are amply far enough from the camp, look for prey. Catch as much as you possibly can. Every now and then, make sure to mark borders where you see fit.”

Firepaw nodded once again, letting the information sink in for a moment before he began to sprint away deeper into WindClan territory. After getting further into the fields, he paused as he scented something all too familiar.

A rabbit.

He felt a small buzz of excitement as he realized that this could be his first catch for his hunting assessment.

Without thinking, he darted after the scent, his paws light on the grass-paddended ground. 

He could see the figure of the rabbit begin moving, most likely upon noticing his movement. The small, light brown blur shot away, causing Firepaw to speed up his bounding.

He forgot his surroundings, his only focus being on the rabbit speeding away. 

His surroundings became such an incomprehensible blur, that he failed to even notice the few seconds where he could feel a harder, stiffer surface below him.

Even once the area around him darkened, and the sky was no longer visible- still, he did not give up on his chase.

He refused to give up until he had this rabbit dead in his claws- he couldn’t have the first catch of his hunting assessment be a failed one.

Firepaw continued running for a few more seconds before he heard a shout call his name. He skidded to a halt, which also made the rabbit successfully escape from his pursuit. He glanced longingly at the rabbit for a moment before he turned around to see not only Tallstar calling his name in the distance, but also tall pine trees looming over him and shielding the sky's light from view.

He had stumbled into ShadowClan territory.

Firepaw choked on his breath, shrinking down upon seeing the tall pines stretching upward, and the landscape darkened by their leaf covering. The smell of ShadowClan surrounded him on all sides, and it was extremely strong.

He suddenly realized that there was another cat calling for him, though not by name this time, other than Tallstar.

Firepaw spun around, and realized that he was face-to-face with an entire patrol of ShadowClan warriors.

The cats looked furious, and Firepaw was too terrified to process what they were saying- the words went right in and out of his ears.

Though, to Firepaw’s relief, Tallstar showed up beside the smaller tom. The leader and the warrior who appeared to be the head of the patrol began speaking to one another.

"Tallstar," the warrior said smoothly, "what is your apprentice doing on our side of the border? Are you this incompitent at training your own apprentice?"

Firepaw hung his head, shrinking to try to avoid the glares of the ShadowClan cats. It only seemed like days ago when they were once allies, all teamed up against Brokenstar, but now they looked at him with such scorn and hostility as if they had never done such deeds in the first place.

“I apologize for his behavior,” Tallstar meowed, pulling himself together enough to stay calm in front of the ShadowClan patrol. “He was hunting and didn’t realize he had crossed into your territory.”

“Hunting,” the warrior growled, glancing at Firepaw. “So he was trying to catch prey in our territory? You realize everything about this is against the code, hm?”

Tallstar took a deep breath. "It was an accident. It was on our side of the border first, after all."

The warrior glanced between the two, his eyes still narrowed. After a few moments, the tom spoke once again. “Very well. You may leave, but if this ever happens again, we won’t be so kind to your invasion.”

Tallstar nodded. “Of course.”

Throughout this entire interaction, Firepaw had been too terrified to process what the two warriors were saying, so it took him a few moments to realize that Tallstar was nudging him, and beginning to leave.

Once they were a fair distance away from the ShadowClan patrol, Tallstar turned to Firepaw. "You need to be more aware of your surroundings, Firepaw," he scolded. "It's an important skill in being a warrior, and especially important in hunting, so we don't make mistakes like that.

“What would you have done if I hadn’t been watching? I know for a fact that you sometimes go hunting on your own. Would you have really been able to settle that kind of incident on your own? I understand you wanted to catch the rabbit, but that could have very easily been extremely dangerous. Sometimes you need to know when a catch is too far gone to be caught."

"I..." Any and all words had been caught in Firepaw's throat. He couldn't believe that he had failed his own mentor and Clan leader. He just muttered a small, "I'm sorry," to Tallstar, too dazed to think of anything else to say in the moment.

The two eventually reached the Thunderpath. Hardly any monsters were in sight, so when the opportunity rose, Firepaw dashed as fast as he could across, with Tallstar following not long after.

As the two paused sit down and catch their breath, Tallstar turned to Firepaw once again. "And why would you cross the Thunderpath with such little thought? They're extremely dangerous. You especially should know that, Firepaw."

"I just didn't notice it," Firepaw blurted out, still dazed from the events that had happened so quickly.

Tallstar stared at him, silently urging him to continue.

After a few more moments, Firepaw snapped out of the daze he had been put into from his shock. "I guess I've just gotten used to being around Thunderpaths and monsters. They were super common back in Twolegplace, that sometimes I forget how dangerous they are. They don't really scare me either, since I’ve been surrounded by them since I was a kit. I’ve been in and around monsters more times than I can count… the way I found myself near WindClan territory was because my Twolegs put me in a monster to take me somewhere."

Tallstar blinked, quiet for a few moments. His expression was surprised, at least for a few moments, before turning back to being exasperated. “Still, Firepaw. That doesn’t excuse the fact that you didn’t notice that you had crossed into a completely different territory.”

Firepaw nodded, ridden with guilt. Suddenly, realization hit him; he had failed the hunting assessment.

He leapt to his paws, and began speaking very unlike how quiet he had been only a few moments prior. “StarClan, I’m sorry Tallstar. I really am- does- does this-” his thoughts swam with panic. “Please let me try again at some point- I promise I’ll do better. I know I did really badly, but really, please tell me try again-”

Tallstar cut him off with a flick of his tail, surprised once again. “Of course you will get another chance- one mistake doesn’t mean you won’t become a warrior. You will probably get another test at some point in the future, which can serve as a make-up for this one. Your mistake technically had nothing to do with your hunting abilities, more on your abilities to comprehend your surroundings, which is equally as important in hunting. Still, this test was mainly to measure your hunting abilities on their own.”

Firepaw opened and closed his jaws, before taking a deep breath. He was both surprised and thankful at Tallstar’s lenience. “Thank you,” he meowed earnestly.

Tallstar nodded, before standing up as well. The two then made their way back to camp, with no other words spoken between them on their way back home.

As they entered through the entrance, Tallstar told Firepaw that he was able to have the rest of the day off, before padding off and leaving Firepaw on his own.

Firepaw stood in his spot for a few moments, a feeling of tired dreariness flushing over him. The only thing he could think to do was to head to the apprentices' den.

Once he was inside the familiar den, he could see that Runningpaw, Whitepaw, and Webpaw were already inside, chatting quietly. The three apprentices looked up as he entered the den and laid down in his nest, each giving their own greetings as he did so.

Although Runningpaw and Webpaw seemed fine with letting him do his own thing, Whitepaw wasn’t satisfied- she was clearly very interested in why he was moping.

“What’s up, Firepaw?” she asked, approaching him.

"I'm just tired," Firepaw answered, dodging the question and avoiding their gazes for the most part.

Whitepaw scoffed. "No one's in this much of a bad mood after something like a hunting assessment. Spit it out.”

“I already told you,” Firepaw muttered, turning away from the small white molly. “I’m just tired after the hunting. Nothing interesting happened.”

Whitepaw took a few moments to speak, and for those moments of silence, Firepaw found himself thinking she was done, and sighed in relief.

Of course, he should’ve known better.

“Firepaw,” Whitepaw meowed, now frowning. “You’re not doing anyone any good by staying quiet. You don’t act this way, even when you're tired. If you seriously think I’m just going to leave you looking so miserable, you clearly don’t know me.”

“I do not look miserable,” Firepaw responded crossly.

"Firepaw, please, we're your friends," Runningpaw piped up. "If something's bothering you, you can tell us."

“Thank you, Runningpaw. This stupid tom thinks we’re gonna leave him alone.”

Firepaw sighed, shrinking more into his nest, before muttering. “I failed my hunting assessment.”

The others were quiet, prompting the orange tom to continue.

“I was chasing a rabbit, and accidentally crossed the Thunderpath into ShadowClan territory without noticing. I didn’t realize I had crossed into the other territory until I realized Tallstar was calling for me, and by that point, I had run into a ShadowClan patrol.”

Once he stopped speaking, Runningpaw spoke. “Come on, Firepaw. There’s no reason to be so down- you’re going to get another hunting test soon, one little mistake can’t mess everything up.”

“I know that,” Firepaw muttered, not feeling comforted. “Still- I failed Tallstar, and I can’t even blame it on the fact that I was tired or wasn’t trying; because I was trying.”

The others were quiet for a good few moments, before Whitepaw unsurprisingly was the first to break the silence.

“Come on, Firepaw. You should know one test means nothing, and compared to the rest of your time here in WindClan, you have ample time to prove you’re better than that one mistake in one measly test.”

Firepaw sharply breathed in and out, biting his lip. She was right- he knew that- still, the one chance so far he had to truly prove himself, he had catastrophically failed.

“We’ve all made mistakes in our time as apprentices,” Webpaw offered. “I’ve messed up really bad before, so has Runningpaw. Things like this are bound to happen at some point.”

Runningpaw nodded in agreement to what Webpaw said.

Before anyone could say anything else, though, the brown tabby form of Onepaw stumbled into the apprentices den, his bright and cheerful expression largely contrasting everyone else's much more serious or gloomy expressions.

"Hey guys, I-" Onepaw suddenly paused upon taking in the dreary atmosphere. "What's going on? What happened without me?"

Upon seeing his friend, Firepaw shrank down. “I crossed over into ShadowClan territory on accident during my hunting assessment, meaning I failed it.”

“So?” Onepaw asked, raising a brow. “It’s not like this is the only chance you’ll ever have.”

“That’s not the issue. I failed Tallstar- and on my first hunting assessment, too,” Firepaw muttered.

Onepaw went quiet, and Firepaw could only imagine his friend’s disappointment, and he turned away from the brown tom.

Unlike what Firepaw expected Onepaw to respond with, he heard loud, boisterous laughter come from his friend.

Firepaw turned to face the tom again, confused at his sudden loud outburst of amusement.

After a few more moments of Onepaw continuing to laugh, he spoke. “Seriously, Firepaw?” he snorted.

“Come on, Onepaw,” Runningpaw hissed at him. “Stop being so cruel.”

Onepaw shook his head. “No, no, that isn’t what I’m laughing at- but-” he turned back to Firepaw. “Really? StarClan, Firepaw. You’re much more mouse-brained than I thought if you seriously think Tallstar is going to be mad at you for something as inconsequential as this.”

Firepaw stared at Onepaw, a bit confused.

“Do you seriously have so little faith in Tallstar that you believe he’d be angry at you because of this? Come on, you of all cats should know him better than that.” Onepaw continued.

Firepaw felt his spirits lift somewhat, and he nodded. “I guess you’re right.”

“He is,” Whitepaw chipped in. “Now, go to sleep, rest, you mouse-brain.”

The other apprentices seemed to agree, and after the entire conversation they just had, Firepaw agreed as well.

“Alright,” he meowed. “I’ll take a nap. He did say I have the rest of the day off.”