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mage-cat · 4 years

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Half Moon

Time to see where Catra’s mended bridges lead.

The 7th and final part of the Mending Bridges series. Start from the beginning of the series here.

Story under the cut. ~2300 words. Link to AO3 through here.

Catra, Adora, Glimmer, and Bow hurried down a tunnel that had started under Bright Moon. They doubted that the terrain above them was still anywhere near the castle though. Shadow Weaver had escaped--long story--and had done what she always did. She went to the most powerful force that had not actively spurned her recently and offered her services. Where Glimmer and Catra had spent their time with Horde Prime bluffing and giving as little away as they could, Shadow Weaver had clearly told him everything, and that had emboldened him to increase the aggressiveness of his assaults.

Etheria’s best hope laid with them rendering the Heart of Etheria useless as a weapon. Entrapta and Hordak had figured out how doing so should be possible. The Sword of Protection had been reforged and was now back on Adora’s arm as a bracelet, the stone projecting a path for the four to follow. The rest of the Rebellion had stayed on the surface to try and protect what they could.

It was hard not to run--everything felt urgent--but they did not know just how far they would have to go. They couldn’t tire themselves out too quickly. As they traveled, pure glowing crystal had given way more and more to rough stone, the light turning from day-bright to something much dimmer.

A shadow broke away from part of the tunnel wall ahead of them and stood in their path, squinting at them with slit-pupiled eyes that reflected green.

“State your business,” said the shadow in a voice that sounded male.

Catra found herself focusing on his ears. There were several feline species on Etheria. The ears were the quickest way to tell most of them apart. Lion and tiger people had rounded ears. Lynx people had ears tipped with tufts of fur. The one time Catra had spotted ears as pointed as her own in a crowd, they had turned out to belong to a fox woman. The shadow had ears the same shape as Catra’s.

It was Glimmer who answered first. “Just passing through.”

The shadow stepped forward, the darkness resolving into brown fur and deeper brown hair cut to chin length. From his belt hung a coiled whip on one side and the hilt of a light sword on the other. “No one just ‘passes through’ Half Moon.”

His gaze lingered on Catra as she fingered the whip at her own hip, and she tried to see herself through his eyes. She had mostly stopped wearing black. More red suited her better. She had cut her hair so that it was scarcely longer than her fur now. It seemed silly to say that, with the weight of all she had done, it had felt good to remove the weight of all that hair, but it was true. More than one person had said that the change called attention to the delicate features of her face. Given that the man seemed to have been literally living under a rock, there were good odds that when he looked at her he didn’t see the person who had conquered a sizable chunk of Etheria. That was a relief.

Adora broke Catra’s line of thought. “Any way we could arrange passing through? We really are headed elsewhere.”

“You will have to meet with Queen C’yra. She will decide what to do with you. I am Captain Percival of the Half Moon guard. Your introductions can wait for the queen.”

---

They had been following Percival for less than a minute when the tunnel curved and opened up to an immense cavern. Orange stone walls had been carved into buildings stacked on top of each other rising about ten stories above where they had entered and descending perhaps twenty stories down to the shores of semi-circular lake that reflected the warm light of the crystals that illuminated the underground city. The lake really did look like a half moon.

“Felix!” Percival called out, grabbing the attention of a young cat man whose black fur and hair were interrupted by white markings on his face, neck, and hands. “I have a message for you to carry.”

The rest of the conversation was too low for Catra to hear until she could make out Felix’s concluding “Yes, sir.” He took a long look at the visitors before beginning to climb a nearby building.

Percival returned to them. “We have to go up two levels. I’ll be taking you the long way. Magicats are skilled climbers, but we do remember that not every species is.”

The long way was a spiral along what could be thought of as the roofs of the buildings below or simply the wide path in front of the buildings they passed. Climbing did seem to be a much more common means of passing between levels than the route they were taking.

They ascended the first level mostly in silence, now and then nudging each other to point something out.

“This place is beautiful,” said Catra.

Percival smiled at her. “It does my old heart good to hear that you say that about our home.”

Once they were two levels up from were they started, Percival said, “I hope you all will forgive the staring.” Catra had, in fact, lost count of the cat people--Magicats--who had stopped what they had been doing upon catching sight of them. “We have kept to ourselves for a very long time, and we cut off what little contact we kept with the surface years ago.” He lead them into a building, passing from an antechamber to what was clearly a throne room. “The last time anyone from Half Moon had any significant interaction above ground, it ended with us loosing our most prized artifact and, more importantly, one of our children.”

A female voice came from the head of the room. “The artifact was known as the Mask of the Magicat Queen, and the child was my daughter.” The Magicat woman had charcoal gray fur and salt-and-pepper hair fell in a wild mane halfway down her back. Everything else about her was intimately familiar, right down to the brilliantly blue right eye and equally bright yellow left.

She continued to speak as she walked towards them. “I had brought her along on a diplomatic mission to discuss Half Moon adding its forces to the Rebellion against the Horde--I knew several members of the Alliance had children roughly her age--but our party was attacked before ever reaching Bright Moon, and we were overwhelmed. The sorceress who led the attack gave me two choices, I could surrender my people and our knowledge to Horde control, or I could give up my daughter to her care to buy Half Moon’s continued secrecy and freedom. The Horde would never attack Half Moon while Shadow Weaver coordinated its forces. I weighed one life against all of Half Moon and have prayed everyday since that my daughter might live long enough to forgive me. I gave her the Mask in the thin hope that its enchantments might aid her.” She came to a stop in front of Catra. “Today, I know my daughter lives, but my entirely unearned forgiveness is still very much in question.”

There was no question who her daughter was, not when looking at those matching mismatched eyes.

The air vibrated between them--literally--as they purred. Not every purr meant pleasure. Catra saw the queen’s wide eyes and tight face, feeling the same expression on her own, and knew that it was an attempt to self-soothe and get a grip on this situation. Forgiveness was so often hard to ask for. Catra knew that painful reality so many times over.

Queen C’yra raised her hand a fraction, clearly fighting the urge to reach out and touch her. “Catra,” she said in a tone she must have also used for all those years of prayers. “To say I’m sorry does not begin to be enough. I--”

She was cut off by Catra throwing herself forward to wrap her arms tightly around her. The tenor of the vibration that filled the air changed as the two purrs shifted tone and harmonized. The queen returned her daughter’s embrace, and they each felt their shoulder grow damp with the other’s tears.

They stayed like that for an eternity that could never be long enough before C’yra stepped back. She ran a thumb over the edge of Catra’s mask. “You do wear the Queen’s Mask well. But you didn’t come here for this, or you would have said as much to Percival. What could possibly bring you all the way down here?”

“Have you ever heard of the Heart of Etheria?”

C’yra blinked. “We guard it. It’s a history that would take too long to tell standing here. Our knowledge of it was part of what I was determined to keep away from the Horde. If you are here to activate it...” It would clearly give this reunion a turn she didn’t want.

“We’re here to disarm it. Dissipate the energy back to the planet and its people before the Heart can be used as a weapon.”

“You would need a She-Ra for that.”

“We have one.” Catra turned to Adora, who in turn waved somewhat awkwardly. Behind her, Bow and Glimmer were clearly fighting back their own misty-eyed reactions to the reunion they had just witnessed. “Adora and I grew up in the Cadet Corps together. She joined the Rebellion when she found the Sword of Protection. I... was stubborn and stayed longer. I made it all the way to second-in-command before I left.” She couldn’t resist a little boasting. It wasn’t like it had been easy.

For the moment, C’yra’s attention was on Adora. “I want to see.”

“Of course, your Majesty.” At a touch, the bracelet transformed back into a sword, which Adora held up. “For the Honor of Grayskull!”

There was a time when Catra could easily think of Adora and She-Ra as two different people. That had been made easier by the fact that, aside from having the same face, She-Ra had never looked like Adora to her. That time has passed.

The person who stood before them was obviously She-Ra, all in white and gold with touches of red, larger than most humans, and radiating power. The differences were in a dozen tiny details, the way the spun-gold hair now stayed pulled back, the loss of the cape, its color transferred to the lining of the coattails, the tiara that now looked to be one solid piece rather than disjointed elements that happened to be near each other. The tiara, in fact, now had a shape that echoed Catra’s mask. Everything was subtly more solid, more practical. This wasn’t the She-Ra the First Ones sought to use as a tool. This was Adora at the height of her power.

C’yra had no way to know about the changes, but she clearly knew a She-Ra when she saw one. “The power of the Heart flared several months ago.”

“I stopped it.” Adora powered down. “Now we’re going to stop it for good.”

Bow spoke, “Catra was actually the one who figured out that the Heart had been collecting power from people as well the planet.”

“People on the surface anyway,” C’yra said. “One of the reasons the Magicats went underground was because it turned out the there was such a thing as being too close to the Heart to be affected by the collection field.”

Catra conjured a globe of amber light. “I had to be off-planet for a few days. Hordak’s big brother has come conquering, and he brought spaceships.”

“How did he get spaceships into Despondos?”

“When the Heart’s power flared?” said Glimmer. “That was part of Etheria being pulled back into normal space. Everything else is kind of terrible, but the stars are beautiful.”

“I’ve taken you to see the Heart before, Catra. I don’t expect you remember the way.”

Catra shook her head. “I don’t know the way, but the Sword does.”

“At least let me take you to the mouth of the tunnel. It’s down by the lake shore.”

---

As they followed Queen C’yra, Catra’s mother, down the winding path to the bottom of Half Moon, they hung back. Glimmer had needed space after reuniting with her father. It was only right that Catra would need the same.

“Told you that mask looked like a tiara,” Glimmer joked.

“Yeah,” Catra smiled. “You did.”

“It’s a lot to take in,” said Adora.

Catra looked out over the city where she had been born. “It would be good to have a home base where I don’t feel like I’m living off some princess’s--some other princess’s--good graces. If it turns out I disappoint them here, I guess I could always go back to the Crimson Waste and take over another bandit gang. Actually, technically, I think I can still claim to have one answering to me, even if it’s only two other people right now.”

Bow put a hand on her shoulder. “You aren’t going to disappoint them.”

Glimmer said, “Their lost princess has just returned carrying with her friendly diplomatic relations with a half-dozen realms and a military record that would make any enemy of Half Moon think twice before attacking.”

“Any enemy aside from Horde Prime and Shadow Weaver,” said Catra.

Adora wrapped an arm around Catra’s waist. “Good thing we were already planing on stopping them. Together.”

The four friends exchanged glances, and Catra said, “Together.”

#catra #catra's mother #adora #cat writes #she ra #fanfiction

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obscurelysevere · 5 years

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5: Introductions

Nerves that were uncharacteristic of her were flitting around in her stomach, as Usagi tugged at her and Mamoru's arms, pulling them toward Crown parlor. "Ooh, I can't wait to introduce you to my friends! Another senshi! This is so exciting!" the tiny blonde bubbled, as the sliding doors parted for the trio. "How many others are there?" Kat asked, betraying her own nerves. "Well, there's..." Usagi stopped to think, counting silently on her fingers. "Ten of us? If you include Chibimoon and myself." "Ten?!" She was not expecting that many. "Oh! But don't worry, not everybody is here all the time. Haruka and Michiru and Setsuna and Hotaru kind of like to... keep to themselves. And Chibimoon is in the future with Neo Queen Serenity and King Endymion," she continued to babble on. "Endymion? Neo Queen...?" Kat stopped walking, and looked up at her brother, who went by the same name in a previous life, with her, and Princess Serenity. Usagi stopped walking and looked back at the siblings. "Eh... uhm... yeah. So... Neo Queen Serenity and King Endymion are me and Mamo-chan in the future. And Chibiusa is their... our daughter." Usagi poked her two pointer fingers together a couple of times, sounding slightly embarrassed.

It was Kat's turn for her mouth to fall open slightly, at a complete loss for words. So Usagi continued. "Chibiusa - Chibimoon - comes and visits us here, in the past, sometimes. She also comes to see Hotaru - they're best friends, you see." Kat closed her eyes for a moment. She just spent the past few months trying to wrap her head around her past. But there was a future world she had to think about too? She couldn't help but smile, though. The idea that the prince and princess still existed in another time made her happy. "Well, I can't wait to meet her sometime." "I guess that would make her your niece!" Usagi exclaimed, excitedly, now that she knew she didn't freak Kat out. "So, then, if she's from the future... Does she already know about me?" The question tumbled from Kat's lips before she could swallow it. It didn't want to impose on their lives in any way, and that question almost felt too close to the line. Usagi and Mamoru exchanged an unsure glance. "Eh... She hasn't said anything about you, before," Usagi started, carefully. "Yeah, but, I only became aware of your existence after you did. So maybe, your... awakening will start to spark something in all of our memories?" Mamoru was quick to offer. "Yeah, yeah!" Usagi agreed just as quickly. She grabbed Kat's and Mamoru's hands, pulling them along again, as she walked backwards towards a booth full of four other girls and two... cats? "Usagi-chan!" A blonde with a red bow stood up, beaming. All the girls looked up at the sound of Usagi's announcement. They looked like they were going to greet her, but their voices stuck in their throats at the sight of the newcomer. The girl with the blue bob spoke up first. "Who's your new friend, Usagi?" Kat suddenly felt very under the microscope. All she had planned on doing was meeting her brother today. But she'd already met him, his fiancé - the moon princess - heard of their daughter, and she was meeting other senshi, that she had only had a very faint knowledge of just until an hour ago. Her face felt hot - was she blushing? "This is Roun Katrina! She's... well..." Usagi stopped again, looking up at Kat and Mamoru, as if asking them to finish explaining for her. Mamoru cleared his throat and put his free hand on Kat's shoulder. "This is my sister, from the Silver Millennium." "Whaaat!?" All four girls - and the cats - cried at once, in disbelief. "Your sister!?" the raven-haired girl repeated, the words almost sounding funny on her tongue. "Mamoru, honestly, how long have you been keeping this a secret from us?" she demanded. "He didn't know," Kat was quick to jump in. "I just... found him today. I only got my memories back a few months ago." "Right around the time Galaxia... killed me." Mamoru added. "Wait, what!?" Kat's head snapped up. "You died again?" Mamoru quickly put up his hands in defense. "Yeah... When you showed me your memories, I saw more than just our past, I saw your life up until... well, today, really." "Kat is a sailor senshi, just like us!" Usagi added, with much excitement. The girls began throwing a barrage of questions at Mamoru and Katrina. "Here, here, let me just show you," Kat offered. She glanced around, there weren't many people in the Crown parlor, so she felt fairly safe letting the other girls see her past. She wasn't aware that her past also included her transforming for the first time in the present and fighting the phages, which she assumed came from this Galaxia that her brother had mentioned. The girls each put a hand in the middle of the table, fingertips touching, and Kat hovered her hand over theirs. Her signature rosy-golden glow illuminated her fingertips and warmth flooded over the other girls' hands. They were all silent as the memories merged in their minds. Kat also sensed the two cats presences in the peripheral of her mind. They all opened their eyes as Kat pulled her hand back. They blinked slowly, and looked at her with new eyes. Not recognition, but acceptance. The warmth that squeezed at Kat's heart was new and unfamiliar. She'd never had so many people around her before. "Sailor Earth," the brunette said, wonder in her voice. They each began to introduce themselves - Minako, Sailor Venus, Makoto, Sailor Jupiter, Rei, Sailor Mars, Ami, Sailor Mercury, and even the two cats - Artemis and Luna. They all moved to make way for her to sit amongst them. Mamoru excused himself, kissing Usagi atop her head, saying something about really needing to study, and he was so, so sorry, but he promised Usagi and Kat that they could all get together for dinner that night. Kat wasn't in the least bit nervous about her brother leaving her behind with these girls she'd only just met. It felt like she'd always known them, Usagi especially. Conversation quickly bubbled up, about school and studies, and eating and sleeping and gaming (courtesy of Usagi, herself). It was clear the girls had a deep bond, one that went far beyond them just being sailor senshi. The girls asked where Kat lived, where she went to school, what she did for a living, etc. Kat tucked some hair behind her ear, looking down at the strawberry parfait sitting in front of her (one that Usagi had insisted that she try). "Well... I live in Hakone right now... but I've been looking at moving here and studying at Keio University. I want to continue studying biology, with an emphasis at animal husbandry and conservation. I'm currently a vet tech at one of the best vets in Hakone, but I want to be able to do much more." "So like, zoology?" Ami asked, smiling gently at her. "Yeah, exactly like zoology, actually. I would love to work at the Tokyo zoo, eventually. But that seems like such a long ways down the road. Especially after discovering who I really am. But it's gotten so quiet since you beat Galaxia, that I feel like I might be able to dedicate more of myself to my studies." Ami nodded sagely. "Being a sailor guardian can be a lot of work, itself. But I've been able to maintain my studies and honor roll, so it's not impossible." Usagi and Minako groaned and rolled their eyes a little bit. Kat laughed. "I take it you two aren't too fond of school?" Rei smorted. "Usagi avoids studying like the plague. And her grades show how vested she is in her 'studies'." "Why should I try to memorize something I'm going to forget immediately? And it's something that's not so important anyway, not like being Sailor Moon is!" Usagi's voice grew louder with determination. "Shhh!" The girls were quick to shush her, and she hung her head slightly. Kat laughed. "You're such good friends." "What about your friends, Kat-chan?" Usagi asked, innocently. Kat wasn't used to the affectionate nickname. It made her feel warm and welcomed. "Well... I don't really have friends outside of my coworkers back home, really," she admitted, quietly. "Don't worry, we'll be your friends, from now on!" Usagi cheered. "Especially if you're going to move here! Oh, you have to move here! Us scouts have to stick together!" Kat smiled at her. "You really think so?" "Of course I do! You can't stay alone! Especially now that Mamo-chan knows he has a sister. Mamo's parents... they died in a car accident when he was younger. So he's never had any blood relatives around. He was an orphan when he was younger. But I'm his family now! I could be... your family too, if you would let me." Usagi offered a soft, small, genuine smile. Kat couldn't help but feel the warmness spread through her. Though there was something that tugged sadly at her heart. How her brother grew up, it didn't sound too much different than her upbringing. Though her parents hadn't died. They had just given her up. She spent most of her life feeling unwanted, and like she didn't belong. But here, now, sitting with the five other girls, and knowing that Mamoru was in her life, it felt like she'd never really been alone at all. That night, Usagi and Katrina went to Mamoru's apartment. When they walked in, the rich smell of home-cooked udon ramen warmed the sparse living-space. "I don't cook often," Mamoru admitted, when he saw Kat eyeing the cooking food. "But this felt like an extra special occasion." He smiled at her and rested his hand atop her head, like he always used to do. It made her smile, fondly. Everything about this day had gone so much better than she had expected it to. In fact, she had been pretty sure that she wasn't even going to find her brother on this short trip at all. At the very least, she would check out Keio and talk to some professors, to see if it would be a good fit for her. But here she was, with her brother, and her new-found friend, whom she felt as if she had known her whole life. Usagi was purity and goodness and sunshine and love. It was no wonder she was Sailor Moon, and Princess Serenity. Even when she wolfed down her double chocolate parfait, leaving whipped cream and chocolate on her face, somehow Kat could still envision her as the princess of the Moon Kingdom. Even when she bickered with Rei in a losing argument, she could see it. Even when she tripped over the lip of the step up into Mamoru's apartment, Kat couldn't shake the vision of who Usagi once was; who she was destined to be. "It looks so delicious, En- Mamoru," Kat said, whilst Usagi peered over her shoulder. Usagi giggled. "Mamo-chan, it looks soooo yummy! Much better than the instant noodles that Mama buys me!" Mamoru laughed, and turned his affections to his fiancé. He slipped an arm around her waist, kissing her tenderly. Kat turned away. She wasn't used to this level of love, or any sort of stable relationship. Because of the way she'd grown up, and the deep-seeded feeling that there was something so very different inside of her, none of her relationships had lasted past the one year mark. And that was only a one time thing. All of her other relationships lasted far less, it seemed. Not that she minded - it had given her time to focus on her studies, and her job. But seeing her brother and Usagi together, Katrina felt a pang in her chest. Quietly, she pulled herself away from the small, but open kitchen, and padded around Mamoru's living space. It was very minimalistic, and she got the feeling that he didn't spend a whole lot of time here, save for sleeping. It was very clear that Usagi didn't spend more than a bit of a time here, either, as there wasn't a woman's touch to be seen. Not even a trace of clothing. "Oh, Mamo-chan! Katrina-chan is looking at enrolling at Keio!" Kat perked up at the sound of her name, and looked at the couple in the kitchenette, mainly her brother. He had one raised brow. "Oh really? What for?" He sounded genuinely interested. "Biology. Zoology to be more specific." "Yeah! Yeah! She wants to work at the zoo. Wouldn't that be so cool, Mamo-chan? She could spend all her days working with cute little animals!" Usagi was so animated. Mamoru smiled at Kat. "That doesn't surprise me. From what I can remember, you were very much an animal-whisperer, even when you were a little girl." It sounded weird having someone refer to her at such a young age. She was used to people knowing that part of her. No one had ever stuck around long enough to even try and learn. She laughed, a little self conscious now. "I guess I did spend a lot of time in the gardens, and the woods, getting to know the animals in the area." "Ooh. Like a real-life Snow White?" Usagi sounded fascinated. "Well... I never sang to them." Kat's face was a little flushed. She wasn't used to all of the attention, and positive feedback she was receiving from both of them. Kat was absolutely flabbergasted when she saw the way Usagi wolfed down three full bowls of ramen, not even waiting for them to cool down, and gasping and whining every time she took an especially hot bite. "Where does it all go?" Kat asked, half joking. Usagi shrugged. "That's what I wonder, all the time," Mamoru said with a chuckle. Once they were all finished, Usagi and Kat stood in the kitchen, cleaning the dishes. "You and Mamoru are really close, huh?" Kat asked. Usagi was happily wiping the dishes dry, and putting them away, as she went. "Of course!" she answered, without missing a beat. "I mean... he's my soul mate. And if time has proven anything to us, it's that we'll always find our way back to each other, every time." Usagi grew quiet for a moment, as if she were deep in thought. "I mean, Queen Beryl killed and brainwashed him, but he came back. Then, he was receiving warning dreams from King Endymion in the future, warning him that he might be my downfall. So we broke up. But he came back. And the Dark Moon Circus was draining his crystal with their powers, while they were here. But he never went anywhere, at least not completely. And then Galaxia... killed him. I thought he was just overseas, studying in America, and he didn't have time for me. But he came back, once I defeated the Chaos in Galaxia." "You know what I'm hearing?" "What's that?" "That you, and your love, have saved him time and time again. Without you battling to protect this planet, and everyone on it, none of us might be here right now. I really wish I had gotten to know you sooner, Usagi." Kat's voice had grown a little softer, a little more quiet. Usagi stopped wiping, and peered up at the other woman. "But... you're here now, and that's all that matters, right?" She smiled so brightly, the room seemed to glow with her energy. "Right." Kat smiled warmly back at her. "Usako!" Mamoru burst from his bathroom, in dark grey sweatpants, his hair still dripping wet from his shower. His voice was urgent. "People are being attacked downtown!"

#sailor moon #sailor earth #usagi tsukino #mamoru chiba #writing #fanfiction

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bae-in-maine · 6 years

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The Hocus To My Pocus

Notes: This is my addition to the Hocus Pocus theme for Clextober18! This story is loosely based on the 1993 Disney movie, Hocus Pocus. This is a multi-chapter story, and the first two chapters are posted here and on AO3 and FF. The rest of the story will be posted on AO3 and FF by 10/31/18 under my author name: Jude81.

Rating: Current rating is T+, but as the story continues, the rating might change.

Tags: Clexa, Clarke and Lexa, Raven, Echo, Nia, Anya, Madi, Aden, Salem, Hocus Pocus, Halloween hijinks, high school. More tags will be added on AO3 and FF.

@clextober

************************************ Chapter 1:

“Come on, Madi! We are going to be late if you don’t get a wiggle on!” Clarke stood at the bottom of the staircase, hand on the railing as she leaned forward in an attempt to project her voice so her nine year old sister would hurry up. She’d promised Madi she would take her trick or treating, and it was already 7:00 pm. If they hurried, she could be back in time at 9:00pm and make her way to the party at the Tri mansion being thrown by none other than her new highschool crush, one Lexa Tri, Captain of both the swim team and cross country team.

She tapped her fingers on the bannister, wincing when she noticed some flecks of dry paint still embedded around her fingernails. “Crap,” she muttered as she tried to pick away the paint. She was interrupted though by a loud yell, and she looked up just in time to catch the small body clad in a Wonder Woman costume.

She stumbled backwards, her feet desperately trying to regain their footing as she wrapped her arms tightly around her younger sister, but the sheer force of small body hurling through gravity propelled her backwards into a wall with a loud thump.

“Damn, Madi!” She yelped as she wheezed from getting the air partially knocked out of her. She let Madi slowly slide down her body, while she bent over, hands on her knees wheezing slightly.

“You shouldn’t swear, Clarke.”

“And you shouldn’t throw yourself down the stairs like that, Madi! What if I hadn’t caught you?!”

Madi cocked her head, looking up at her sister before smiling a little. “But you always catch me, Clarke. Always.”

Clarke stood slowly and looked down at her younger sister. Madi might have been nine, but she was the size of a six year old, a small six year old. She’d been sick most of her life, the doctors never really understanding the stomach pain and wild mood swings that plagued the young child. Her parents had abandoned her at the age of three in the hospital, deciding that the medical bills and a sickly child were simply too much for them.

Abby had been her doctor, specializing in diseases and pediatric care, but it had been Clarke who had fallen in love with Madi one day when she visited Abby at the hospital. It didn’t take much convincing, Jake and Abby had always wanted more children, but the time had never been right, and ten year old Clarke had convinced them that this child had been waiting for them, and they her.

The adoption had become official when she was five years old, and now they understood better Madi’s sensory issues and her dyslexia. Her stomach issues meant she was on a restricted, no dairy and no gluten diet, which made Halloween, her favorite holiday, particularly….tricky.

But Clarke was ready, her backpack stuffed with an extra Wonder Woman costume, wipes, underwear, water, noise-canceling headphones, and special gluten and dairy free candy. Candy she would sneak into Madi’s plastic, pumpkin head basket and exchange for the snickers and kit-kat bars when Madi was inevitably distracted by something else.

Madi’s stomach issues also usually meant Madi was prone to accidents, something that was often humiliating for Madi, but after years of this, they had a system in place, and Clarke was very good at helping minimize her sister’s shame, turning it into a game of costume changes.

She ruffled the top of Madi’s head, laughing at the way Madi jerked her head away. “Noooo! My hair, Clarke!”

She laughed again, “You hair is fine, Madi.” She leaned down so they were eye to eye and tapped Madi on the nose. “Hey…” she waited for Madi to look at her. “I will always catch you, Madi. Always.”

“I know.” Madi smiled happily, clutching her shield and grabbed Clarke’s hand. “Let’s go!” She pulled on Clarke’s hand, her small feet skipping along as Clarke chuckled and let herself be pulled out of the house, stopping only to turn and lock the door, before they stepped into the small crowds of children running about along the long sidewalks framed by tall trees and light posts every six feet.

***************************

Lexa stepped out of the house, shutting out most of the noise behind her. It was eight, and the party was supposed to start in another hour or so, although judging by the number of people in her parents’ home, they party was already well under way. The basement had been set up for her and her friends, while the ground floor was reserved for the adults to have their own Halloween party.

The adult theme this year was Unconventional Couples, and she shuddered at the thought of how many Jokers and Harley Quinns would probably show up at the party. But she supposed the theme was fitting, since her parents were considered fairly unconventional. Her mother, Indra Tri, was a four star general in the Marines, the only woman to ever achieve such a high rank, and she was technically retired, but she made a lot of trips from their home in Salem, Massachusetts to Washington DC, trips that she couldn’t speak about. And her father Gustus Tri was a great hulking man with more tattoos than he spoke languages, and he spoke seven. He taught Economics and Classical Literature at Salem State University.

Her parents roots were deep in Salem, especially her mother’s. Her mother’s family had been here since the early 1600’s, one of the original families. Her grandfather back twelve or so generations had been one of the first black slaves brought to Salem in the 1630’s, only a couple of years after Salem had been founded. It had been his grandson who had earned his freedom, and the subsequent generations had been freemen despite slavery not being abolished until the 1790’s in Massachusetts.

Their roots were deep, and Lexa’s freed tenth generation grandfather had taken the last name Sangedakru, in honor of his African grandfather’s clan. But over the years it had been Anglicized and then Americanized until it was simply Sanderson. It was a seemingly simple, innocuous name, and most had forgotten it’s African origins, but it still caused people in Salem to pause when they heard it.

Because when people thought of Salem, they thought of the Salem Witch Trials, and those who visited Salem, quickly learned of another trial, the trial of the three Sanderson Sisters. Three sisters, all witches, accused of sucking the life of the children of the village, so the sisters could be immortal.

And on October 31, 1693, the three sisters were hanged in the dead of night by the light of dozens of torches from the townspeople. But before they died, with her last breath, Nia Sanderson cast a spell promising that when a virgin lit the candle on the night of Hallow’s Eve, the sisters would rise again.

Lexa stood on the front porch watching as witches and goblins, ghosts, and iron men, and captain americas, and zombies, and princesses, and winnie the poohs, and cowgirls littered the street, bustling about about, screaming excitedly to each other, pillowcases and pumpkin heads laden with candy.

She shivered and looked up at the full moon peeking behind the clouds. The sky was a dark slate, shadowed in blues and purples. The moon hung in the sky, a silvery white that simply glowed, pushing the shadows back. It was beautiful, but there was something chilling in the air, something more than the fall frost in the air. She pulled her sherpa fleece tighter around herself, trying to shake the feeling of...something...something big...impending...dark...something just around the corner.

She chuckled and glanced over, eyes widening slightly at the black cat that had jumped up on one of the thick marble railings. “Well, hello there, Raven.” She reached out and scratched behind the black cat’s ears. “I was wondering when I would see you.”

She smiled at the way Raven bumped her hand, clearly in the mood for more scratching behind her ears. Lexa smiled, enjoying the soft silk of her fur against her fingertips. She glanced down at the red collar, with the old, tarnished heart hanging from it. It simply said Raven. There was something about the old metal heart that always made her feel strange, almost cold. It was old, her father had said that it had been made by a blacksmith, you could see the hammer dings in it. This wasn’t a heart that was purchased on Amazon or at Petco.

But no one knew who the cat belonged to. She came and went. Lexa would go months without seeing her, and then she would suddenly pop up again. Lexa and her parents fed the cat every time. And when she was a child, she had tried to find the owners, hanging up flyers, even asking the local police if they knew who owned the cat, but no one knew. They only knew that the cat had just always...been. Even the old-timers who gathered down at The Witche’s Brewe swore they had seen the same cat with the red collar and tarnished heart when they were children.

But a cat couldn’t be sixty odd years old. Could it?

She glanced away, trying to shake the feeling. Raven never failed to show up on Halloween. Every single year as long as Lexa could remember, starting when she was four, Raven had appeared on the marble railing on Halloween night. She licked her dry lips and turned away again.

“Well, Raven, I think I’m going to take a walk. You coming?” She walked down the steps, knowing without seeing that Raven was a few steps behind her. They did this every year, walked down the streets, turned up the north alley, and kept walking until they reached the Sanderson Museum. It was the original Sanderson Cottage and had been passed down to her mother, and someday she supposed she would inherit it. She rarely went in. The cottage was...unsettling, especially on Halloween, but sometimes it felt like it was calling to her. And she knew Raven was intimately acquainted with the cottage. She had seen her around the cottage enough times to guess that maybe it was her home.

It had been her great-grandfather who had turned it into a museum in the very early 1900’s, after returning from the Great War. He had been like a man possessed, cleaning out the cottage, repairing parts of it, and then setting it up as a museum. It was popular in the summer, but nobody went near it on Halloween, the curse hanging over them like an avenging shadow. And no teenager wanted to admit they were a virgin anyway.

She scoffed and tucked her hands into her pockets and stepped out onto the small street, turning left and walking down the sidewalk away from the center of town. It was quieter here, along the neatly cobbled sidewalks, the tall trees swaying slightly in the light breeze. She pulled the beanie down over her ears, wishing she’d grabbed her gloves. She walked down the street, nodding at the children tumbling about, the crowds quickly thinning out, as most people were headed to the center of town. Little Salem. It was technically part of Salem, but functioned as it’s own small town of about 17,000 people. Big enough for a movie theater, golf course, boutiques and stores catering to the tourists, small police force and a ten man fire department, three healthcare clinics, and the hospital was only twenty minutes away in the heart of Salem. It was a good town, perfect for her. Not big enough to feel truly lost and alone, but still big enough to afford her a little bit of independence.

She turned crossed the street at the stop sign and turned the corner, Raven padding along behind her, only run into something or someone.

She yelped when their bodies collided, and she stumbled narrowly missing tripping over Wonder Woman.

“Damn!”

“Holy Hell Hannah!”

“You shouldn’t swear.”

She blinked and looked down, her eyes clashing with green that looked almost exactly like her own. “Oh..I...uh...sorry…” She muttered, pink blossoming across her cheeks.

She glanced over to the older girl, swallowing harshly at the sight of a wild mane of blonde curls tumbling about the girl’s face, her snapback askew on her head, her blue eyes sparkling in peach cheeks.

“Sorry. Are you hurt?” She looked back down at Wonder Woman, “You ok?”

“Yup.” Madi nodded and shuffled her feet leaning into Clarke’s side, relaxing the moment she felt her sister’s arm fall across her shoulders.

“Yeah. Yeah...sorry. That was my fault. I was hurrying,” she laughed, pink now staining her own cheeks, as she scrubbed at her cheek with her other hand before grasping the brim of her hat, and turning it back so it was behind her head again.

Great. Her crush. Clarke had smacked right into Lexa, and damn if she hadn’t smelled good. Like vanilla and lavender. She licked her lips and looked away, too embarrassed to look her in the eye.

Lexa smiled a little, she had noticed the blonde in a couple of her classes, and she didn’t know much about her, a recent transfer from California. She knew the girl took a lot of art classes, including at least one class at the local college. She might have asked Octavia about Clarke. The two were in the same classes, both Juniors while Lexa was a Senior.

Clarke straightened her shoulders and stuck out her hand, grimacing a little when she remembered that she still had paint on her fingers, but it was too late, because Lexa grabbed it in shook it.

“I’m Clarke.”

“I know.” Lexa smiled and held her hand a little longer than necessary before finally releasing it.

“Oh. Right. We have some of the same classes,” Clarke ducked her head glancing down just in time to see Madi roll her eyes at her. Madi might have only been nine, but Clarke still shared almost all her secrets with Madi. And Madi was well aware of who Lexa was.

She bit her lip, hoping and praying that Madi wouldn’t...well be Madi. Just this once, her sweet sister with a corruptible streak might actually not out her in front of Lexa. Although she had an idea Lexa already knew she was bi, as she didn’t exactly hide it. No, she prayed Madi wouldn’t out her crush on Lexa.

“You’re Lexa.”

Clarke winced. Too late.

Lexa looked down at Wonder Woman, and then glanced up at Clarke, quirking her eyebrow at her, a small smile playing about her lips. It was clear that Wonder Woman knew who she was, despite Lexa not introducing herself.

“I am. And what is your name, Wonder Woman?” She held out her hand, smiling at the way Madi blinked owlishly up at her, chewing on her lower lip, before finally deciding to shake Lexa’s hand. Lexa was surprised by the firm grip, but it still made her smile.

“I’m Madi, Clarke’s younger sister. She talks about you. A lot. I like your cat. Our eyes are the same.” Lexa blinked, her mouth hanging open a little, her mind buzzing with all the words that had just tumbled past Madi’s lips.

Madi...Clarke...talks about you...cat...Cat? What cat? Oh! Raven!...eyes.

She nodded and chuckled looking up to meet the mortified face of Clarke, her peach skin now flaming red. She chuckled again and reached out, laying her hand on Clarke’s arm. “Really?”

Clarke closed her eyes briefly, debating between yelling at Madi or just keeping her eyes closed forever so she wouldn’t ever have to face Lexa again. But she was pulled out of her humiliating reverie by a squeeze to her arm, and the sudden warmth of a tall body almost pressing into her’s.

“Hey. It’s ok.”

She looked up, blinking at how closely Lexa was standing in front of her. The older girl was only a couple inches taller, and only a few inches away. Her eyes wandered across high cheekbones, dusky skin with a light smattering of golden freckles across her nose, to full coral colored lips. She licked her own, wishing she had the courage to close the space between them, but before she could even finish formulating the thought, Lexa stepped back.

Lexa blew out a shaky breath, her skin warm enough now that she unzipped her jacket a little. She glanced down at Madi. “Yes, we do have the same eyes don’t we.” She bent down a little until she was eye-level with Madi.

“You know, Madi. I’ve noticed your sister too. I know she likes to paint, and she is funny. I like hearing her laugh,” she whispered to Madi, pretending to ignore Clarke, but making sure Clarke could still hear her.

She heard Clarke gasp, and it made her smile again as she straightened. “Have you had fun trick or treating?”

Madi nodded and reached up grabbing Clarke’s hand, “Clarke? Are we going to do more trick or treating, or are we going home?”

Clarke nodded. They’d already hit the houses on the lower end where they lived and were on their way to the center of town.

“Do you want to come with us?” Madi handed her candy basket to Clarke and then held up her other hand for Lexa to take.

Lexa was tempted, but she needed to do something first. She had been heading to the Sanderson Cottage, her yearly pilgrimage. She wasn’t sure why, but the pull was even stronger this year, and by the way Raven was starting to rub against her legs, she knew the cat was anxious to get going also.

“I would love to, but I’m actually on my way somewhere. Unless you want to come with me?” She grabbed Madi’s hand and looked expectantly at Madi and then Clarke.

“Ok!” Madi grinned and swung their arms, deciding for them. She pulled on their arms, turning back the way they had come and then looked up at Lexa, waiting for direction.

“Oh look! Your cat!”

Lexa turned and saw Raven ten feet ahead of them, standing in the sidewalk, tail twitching, clearly waiting for them to follow her.

“Raven isn’t actually my cat. She only belongs to herself.” Lexa pointed towards her. “Every year we visit the Sanderson Cottage. She knows the way.”

“Oh I heard about the cottage, but don’t really know the history. I heard there is a curse involved?”

Lexa nodded slowly at Clarke and then looked down at Madi, wondering how much to tell them.

“The Sanderson Sisters were witches: Nia was the oldest and the meanest, and Anya and Echo were twins, but they didn’t look exactly alike. They say though that there were more children, children who died mister-mishteriously.”

“Mysteriously,” Lexa corrected as she stared down in surprise at Madi. “How did you know that?”

Madi shrugged, “I’m not good at reading. I don’t like it, but mama gets me the audible books from the library so I can listen to them. And I like misherteries.”

Clarke smiled, “She has almost perfect recall. She can quote back almost anything once she had heard it once or maybe twice. She likes mysteries. She was really excited to move here.”

“You are from…”

“Los Angeles. We moved here in August.”

They walked along slowly, the houses slowly falling away in the distance until they finally reached their destination. It was a medium sized cottage, only two, open rooms with a partially open loft that ran the entire area of the cottage.

The weeds had grown up around it, and Lexa frowned, wondering why the gardener hadn’t been out to clear out the dying shrubbery. She shivered a little, staring at the front door, her fingers itching to grasp it and open it.

Raven had settled on a windowsill waiting patiently for Lexa to decide.

“It’s a little spooky.”

Lexa glanced at Clarke watching the way the blonde fidgeted, biting her lip, before she straightened her shoulders and puffed her chest out a little.

“Let’s go in. It will be fun.”

She was surprised the blonde wanted to go in, sure the younger girl was a little scared of it. She looked down at Madi who was staring intently at Raven, her brows furrowed.

“Ok,” she heard herself say before she had even thought of it. She dug into her pocket for the key and dropped Madi’s hand, approaching the door. It took a minutes of jiggling the old iron skeleton key before it finally clicked and the door opened with a small squeak.

Chapter 2:

They stepped into the large room, Lexa frowning again at the cobwebs. The museum had been closed for repairs for the last two years, but Lexa had assumed someone was at least cleaning everything. But she could see the dust coating almost everything, cobwebs in the nooks and crannies. She flicked the lights on, and the lights pinged and flickered before finally settling.

Clarke stepped inside, pleased that the lights at least worked. The room was full of items, many of them books. A table and chairs, a large cauldron. She rolled her eyes at that, sure it had been placed there for the benefit of the tourists. Witches weren’t an actual thing.

But there was a large book on a pedestal, a glass box covering it. She glanced down at it, wrapping her fingers around the edges of the pedestal.

“Wow...so they actually put a spellbook in here?” She chuckled and laughed, “bet the tourists love that.”

Lexa grumbled a little and moved further into the room, trailing her fingers through the dust. “It’s real. The sisters are real, and so is the spellbook.”

Clarke looked up, surprised at the tone in Lexa’s voice. “Sorry,” she muttered.

Lexa shrugged and sighed a little, “No, I’m sorry. The Sanderson Sisters are actually part of my family history. They were my great-great-great-great...well, a lot of great aunts. My family owns the cottage and museum.”

Clarke nodded and walked around the room, checking briefly on Madi who was sitting in one of the old chairs at the table, patting Raven who was sitting on the table purring to her heart’s content.

She stopped in front of a tall, thin metal handle holder. In it sat a pristine, fat black candle, the wick unburnt. It was the only thing that didn’t have a layer of dust on it. She frowned and stared at it. There were numerous candles scattered around the room, most of them a whitish, yellow, wicks partially burnt. This was the only black one, never burnt.

“Lexa, what is this?”

Lexa glanced up from where she was reading one of the books written in the late 1800’s that spun the tale of the Sanderson Sisters.

She set the book down and walked up to Clarke, their shoulders brushing each other. “It is the curse.”

Raven stopped purring.

“How does it go?”

Lexa said nothing for a moment, before spinning the tale she had heard from her mother as a child. “The Sanderson Sisters were born in the mid 1600’s, witches. Real witches. Not women that were simply independent and used herbs and such to heal people. They weren’t like the innocent women in the Salem Witch Trials.”

She shook her head, reaching out as if to touch the candle before snatching her hand back away. “They were real,” she murmured. “Like Madi said, Nia was the oldest. By twelve years. Their parents were farmers, but Nia...Nia was different. She had a cruel streak. After Nia was born, legend has it that three boys were also born, and they all died mysteriously as babies. The oldest only living to be two or so. People whispered that Nia killed them.”

“B-but, that would have meant she was a child too.” Clarke gaped at Lexa and shook her head, sure it wasn’t true.

“Yeah. Exactly. But then Anya and Echo were born. Twins, and they say they never cried. And they didn’t look like each other, which was unusual. I mean it isn’t unusual now. We know they were fraternal twins, but back then I guess fraternal twins only happened when a boy and girl were born, not twin boys or twin girls.” She shrugged again and crossed her arms looking around the room.

“Anyway, the girls were born and were inseparable. Echo almost drowned twice, but each time, Anya saved her. And they said that Anya was badly burned once on her hands, like..really bad. But somehow Echo healed her? I don’t really know. That part of the story isn’t well known, and there aren’t a lot of sources. Just a few diaries really.”

She rubbed her hands across her face, needing something to do with them, unsure why re-telling the story she’d told her friends a hundred times, suddenly was hard to do. It felt different, telling the story on Halloween in the cottage. Different, because Clarke and Madi were there. Different because Raven was just a cat, and yet, she swore sometimes Raven stared at her so intently, that Lexa was sure she would open her mouth and speak.

“Stuff happened. The girl all grew up, and if people angered them, suddenly their hogs would die, their kids get sick, the rain wouldn’t come. So the townspeople started to pay them tribute. Like give them money when they had it, give them their sheep and cows. They sold potions and stuff, stuff to heal people, and I guess it worked.”

“And then the kids went missing.”

Lexa and Clarke both jumped, turning around to stare at Madi who was sitting at the table, sorting her candy not looking at either of them as she continued. “Kids started going missing, and the sisters never aged. They should have aged, but they didn’t. So people began to suspect that the sisters were somehow living off the children. Like sucking them up.”

Lexa nodded slowly, “Yeah. That’s it exactly. Every few years a child or two would disappear. Until they took the wrong child.” She turned back to the candle, staring at it, imagining what it would look like lit.

“Which child?”

She jumped and her laugh quivered in her throat. “Aden. Aden Walker. They took Aden when he was only five years old. Lured him from his father’s house. Aden was said to be a strange child. He never spoke,” she muttered. His father was Finn Walker, but he was also called Aden Woods.”

Lexa stopped, surprised at what she had just said. She didn’t remember where she had read that Aden had also been called Aden Woods. She’d been obsessed with her family history when she was younger, and she had spent hours reading and researching the Sanderson line. She vaguely recalled the name Aden Woods in the genealogy and wondered if she had confused the two. There had been an Aden Woods in the 1600’s, but he couldn’t have also been Aden Walker, because Aden Walker had died as a child.

“No one knew who the mother was. He was delivered to his father’s doorstep when he was about two years old. Or something like that.”

“Maybe he wasn’t Aden’s father. Maybe he was just supposed to protect Aden.”

Clarke turned and stared at Madi before walking over to her and resting her hand on her head. “Why would you say that, Madi?”

Madi shrugged and went back to sorting her candy. She knew she’d had kit kat bars, but now they were all gone. She wrinkled her nose and stared at the small candy bars in her hand. The wrapping was red, and they were nut and dairy and gluten and soy free, and egg free. But they actually tasted good. But she knew she’d had kit-kats! She sighed and went back to sorting.

Clarke looked around the room, noting the dust and cobwebs, the almost haphazard piles of what looked like blankets or clothes in one corner, dried lumber and a toolbox in another corner. Obviously someone had been working on the cottage.

She walked back towards Lexa, “So what happened then?”

“He disappeared. Dead they say. Someone saw him die, I guess and ran back to tell the townspeople. The came in the dead of the night and captured the sisters in the middle of doing a spell to gain their immortality. They hung them. Right outside the cottage from the tall sycamore tree.”

Lexa said nothing for long moments, staring at the candle, her mind tumbling. History hadn’t recorded who it was that had witnessed Aden’s death and then run and gathered the townspeople and brought them back here. And that was odd, because history had recorded the events of the night in detail, even recording the names of the townspeople. The Blakes and Kanes had been present that night, the Millers and Monroes. Even the rest of the Sandersons had been there that night. They had even recorded the strange spell and ritual the sisters had enacted to suck the life out of young Aden Woods, but still...no one recorded who it was that had witnessed it all.

Clarke waited, giving Lexa a few moments to think about it. Whatever had happened here obviously meant something to Lexa, her family was tied to it. But it was still all legend. The sisters had probably existed, but they had probably been three women, refusing to conform and bow to the patriarchy like most women accused of witches. And they’d been murdered by the men of the town.

She pressed her shoulder against Lexa’s gently, taking a deep breath and brushing her fingers against Lexa’s. “Lex? What happened then?”

Lexa jumped a little, her fingers wrapping around Clarke’s. She squeezed and intertwined their fingers together, smiling down at Clarke, suddenly feeling lighter. “With her dying breath, Nia cast a curse, claiming that any virgin who lit the black candle on Hallow’s Eve, or Halloween night when the moon is full, will resurrect them again.”

“And?”

Lexa shrugged. “That’s it.”

“Sooo...no one has ever tried to light the candle?” She nodded towards the candle. “This is a new candle, no way it is from the 1600’s.” She laughed and dug into her pants pocket, pulling out her lucky lighter, the one her grandfather had given her. He’d been a young pilot during World War II and had given her the lighter, claiming it had saved his life when he’d been shot down over Nazi-occupied France.

She flicked the lighter and smirked a little, hoping to dispel the gloom sitting heavily in the room. “Come on, let’s light it, and see if the curse is real,” she wiggled her eyebrows. “Stories are just stories, but we should light it anyway.”

She held out the lighter to Lexa who shook her head and smirked back at her. “Sorry, Clarke, but that ship sailed this summer.”

“Oh.” She ducked her eyes, trying not to look as embarrassed as she could felt. Of course Lexa wouldn’t be a virgin, of course she was dating someone! She suddenly didn’t want to light the candle anymore, didn’t want to be in the cottage, and didn’t want to be near Lexa.

“She’s gone now. Costia. She and her parents moved away. We were better friends than girlfriends anyway.”

Clarke jerked up, color flooding her face again, but she couldn’t stop the smile that practically split her face in two. “So...no girlfriend?”

“Nope. You?”

“Nope. No boyfriend or girlfriend.”

Lexa nodded, already having suspected that Clarke was bisexual. The girl did have a patch on her backpack with the bisexual flag after all. And she had a rainbow sticker on her locker.

“You should kiss.”

Clarke choked on her saliva, face flaming, as she whirled around to gape at Madi who was staring intently at them both.

“Wh-what?”

“Isn’t that what people do when they like each other? It’s what you did with that boy Finn last year. That was a lot of kissy-face.” Madi wrinkled her nose. Finn had been ok, mostly. But she didn’t like the way that he always wanted to spend time with Clarke, demanding that Clarke stop spending time with her, and with him instead.

“Kissy-face eh?”

Clarke groaned a little under her breath. “Yeah, he was just a boy. I broke up with him before we moved.” She shrugged. “He was kind of annoying actually.” She laughed and looked over at Madi, well aware that Madi hadn’t really liked him.

“Yup. Annoying.” The girl unwrapped a piece of chocolate and popped it into her mouth, smiling as the sweet hit her tongue. She swung her legs back and forth looking around her.

“Are we going to get more candy?”

“Yeah, kiddo, we are,” answered Lexa as she turned towards Clarke. She shrugged, “light it if you want, but we should go.” She leaned in closer to Clarke, only inches away, her eyes searching Clarke’s.

“You know, part of the legend goes that when a virgin lights the candle, she should be kissed at the same time.”

Clarke bit her lip, looking up at Lexa from under her eyelashes. “Oh, really? Does it now?”

Lexa smiled and leaned in closer, daring Clarke. “Does it matter?”

“No.” Clarke flicked the lighter, the flame springing to life, and she reached over and lit the wick of the black candle, just as Lexa pressed her mouth to her’s.

***************************************

It was a moment before she realized that something had crashed loudly outside, the wind suddenly picking up and roaring through the trees. The house shook, and for a moment, she was sure it was because of their kiss.

But as she pulled back, she saw the cauldron lit with fire, the flame from the candle black as night and growing higher and higher. Raven was howling, and Madi screamed, jumping up and knocking over her chair with a loud crash, as she ran and threw herself at Clarke and Lexa.

Lexa scooped her up, Madi’s little legs fastening securely about her waist. She grabbed Clarke and pulled her back and behind her, stepping away from the candle. The light suddenly went out, and Raven howled again, the wind shaking the cottage. Books fell from the shelves, and the fire beneath the cauldron spit in angry time to the shaking of the house.

“Fuck! Fuck, Lexa! What is happening!?” Clarke grabbed at Lexa’s arm, pulling her with her, terror licking along her nerves. It was a myth, a legend, a stupid scary tale that they told to kids to scare them. But the lit candle’s flame was black, and it towered above them, almost reaching towards the ceiling now, but it gave off no heat, only a freezing cold slowly drifting through the air.

The lights were out, and they could barely see, and Clarke stumbled, her fingers gripping Lexa’s arm, refusing to let go, relieved that Lexa was carrying Madi, as she was the stronger of the two of them.

“Shit, Clarke! I don’t know. I don’t know! We have to get out now!” She pulled Clarke towards her and circled around the candle, staring in horror when she realized that the glass case covering the spellbook had been shattered, and the pages of the book were fluttering madly in the wind. Except…

“Lexa, how is that possible. There isn’t any wind in here?”

Lexa shook her head, her heart pounding in her ears, her skin hot to Clarke’s touch, but felt icy to her own. She could feel the temperature dropping. She tried to make her way to the wall, and with every step they took, a new candle suddenly flamed to life, blinding them only to suddenly burn out again.

“I can’t see, Clarke! Clarke!”

Clarke reached up, her hand scraping along Madi’s head, trying to soothe the wailing child. “It’s ok, Madi. It’s ok, we are getting it out.”

“Lexa, which way?” She was disoriented from the flashing candles, and the cold that was seeping into her bones, making her tired and dizzy. She fought to place one foot in front of the other, wondering why her movements were so sluggish.

“This way! Hurry! This way!” She heard the voice off to her left, and she tried to make her way towards the voice, pulling Lexa with her.

“Stop! No, move to your left, back! Back!”

She followed the voice, obeying their every direction, until she was able to get around the table, stumbling against the pile of lumber.

“The door. It’s right in front of you. Hurry!”

“Lex, this way!” She tightened her hold on Lexa and surged forward the remaining steps, her hand reaching out blindly for the handle. She closed her hand around it, and she pulled, struggling with the door as it refused to budge.

“Push it!” The voice hissed again. And Clarke threw her weight against the door, gasping as she and Lexa and Madi tumbled through the door, tripping down the wooden steps to land in a heap in front of the cottage.

They lay there breathing heavily, their hearts racing and limbs trembling. The cottage was suddenly quiet, all of the lights off, the candles blown out. The wind outside had died down, and they could hear mice rustling through the leaves under the trees.

“Wh-what was that?!”

“Madi! Madi, are you ok?”

“I’m ok.”

“Clarke?”

“Yeah.”

Lexa sat up, pulling herself to her knees and then to her feet. She swayed slightly, relieved when Clarke wrapped her hands around her waist to steady her, before leaning forward and sliding her arms fully around Lexa’s waist. She leaned her head against the back of Lexa’s shoulders, trying to regain control of her breathing.

Madi scrambled to her feet, lifting her arms to Lexa, who immediately picked her up again. She was probably too old to be held like this, but she didn’t care. She was afraid. They had done something. Something bad. Something was awake.

Clarke loosened her grip around Lexa’s waist and slid her hands up Madi’s legs, squeezing them gently.

“You sure, you ok, Madi?”

“Yeah.”

“Ok.” She nodded and pulled away, stepping around them both to look at the cottage, before turning back towards Lexa.

“Lexa…”

“Who were you talking to?”

“Wait. What?” Clarke looked at Lexa, surprise on her face. ‘What do you mean who was I talking to?”

“In the cottage. Who led you out?”

Clarke stared at her for a full minute, her heart dropping to her feet. “Lexa,” She stepped closer, her words somber and heavy. “You. Lexa, you led me out.”

“No, Clarke,” Lexa shook her head and wiggled her arms, readjusting Madi who still clung to her. “No, I was to your right, and that voice came from your left. I followed you, Clarke.”

“L-Lexa, I...I don’t...I followed…”

“Me. You followed me.”

They both froze and turned slowly to face the cottage again.

Raven sat on the front step calmly licking her front paw, before gracefully jumping down the few steps to pad over to them and sit a couple of feet in front of them. She tilted her head back and stared at the three of them. It had been done. Finally. She had waited centuries for this night.

She had always known that the Griffins would return to Salem, having fled it the same night that young Aden Walker had supposedly met his end. Salem had a way of drawing the original families back, especially those with magic in their blood.

And nowhere was the more magic in Salem than in the three who stood before her: a Griffin and the true Sangedakru. Except...She peered over her shoulder, her body tense, the cottage was quiet, too quiet. She knew they were in there, waiting like the predators they were. They didn’t have much time.

“Listen, I realize this is a lot to take in…”

“Oh my god! The cat is talking! The cat is talking! Why is the cat talking!?” Clare turned to Lexa who simply stood there, looking more than a little bewildered, her jaw hanging open, her eyes wide.

“Cool! A talking cat!”

Clarke focused her attention on the squealing Madi. “No, not cool! This is bad, Madi! Oh..god...it’s the candy!”

Clarke grabbed Lexa jerking her around, terror coloring each word as she grabbed at Madi, trying to pull her into her arms. “It’s the candy, Lexa! It’s been poisoned, by...by...I...a...hallucogenic! Oh my god! Shit! Shit! We have to get her to my mom, she will know!”

Lexa simply stared at Raven, her mind buzzing. “C-candy?”

“Yes, I ate the kit kats!”

“I knew it!” crowed Madi, earning a wild glare from Clarke, who had finally managed to pull Madi from Lexa’s arms. She wrapped both her arms around Madi and turned headed towards the long paved road back to town.

“It’s ok, Madi. It will be fine, don’t be scared.” But the words felt useless, and she could feel her own panic bubbling up about to spill over.

“I didn’t eat the candy,” whispered Lexa, before finally turning and jumping after Clarke. It only took a couple of steps before she caught her, grabbing her gently by her arms and pulling her back into her own body. She turned her, unprepared for the sobs that suddenly jerked Clarke’s entire body, or the way the blonde almost entirely collapsed into her arms.

Madi wiggled, unable to slip out of Clarke’s hold, now squashed between two bigger bodies. She tried to crane her head around Clarke’s so she could see Raven. Raven who talked, when she shouldn’t. She always knew magic was real.

“It’s ok, Clarke. It’s ok,” murmured Lexa as she ran her hands up and down Clarke’s back. “I didn’t eat the candy, and I hear Raven to. It’s ok. We aren’t hallucinating.” She sighed and gulped. “This is real.”

Clarke sniffed, Lexa’s words finally piercing her growing panic. Her sobs slowly subsided, and she finally stepped back a little, and Lexa carefully prided Madi from her arms, setting her on her feet, keeping one arm around her tightly.

Clarke laughed, tears drying on her cheeks. “Better? Oh god, Lex. How is that better? Could it be real?”

All three of them turned to Raven who hadn’t moved, but was clearly unimpressed. “Are you three done? Because we are almost out of time.” She stalked forward, her eyes intent upon Clarke, her tail flicking with every step.

“Listen. My name is Raven Birch. I was born in 1667, here in Salem. And I was turned into a cat on the night the townspeople of Salem hung the three Sanderson Sisters. With her dying breath, Nia Sanderson cast a curse promising that they would rise again when a virgin lit the black candle under a full moon on Halloween. The sisters have risen, and we have go. Now.”

“B-but...you can talk,” sputtered Clarke.

“Yes, oh smart one, I can.”

“Oh my god. Did she just sass me?” Clarke turned towards Lexa, her mouth open, hands on her hips, only to see Lexa trying not to laugh. “Really? You think it’s funny that a talking cat just sassed me?!”

Madi laughed and grabbed Clarke’s hand, pulling on it. “Come on, Clarke. It is kind of funny.”

Clarke huffed and rolled her eyes before turning her attention back to Raven. “Fine. You can talk. Look…”

But Lexa interrupted her, stepping forward and crouching down near Raven, “Could you always talk? And I just didn’t hear you?”

Raven smiled as only a cat can and stepped closer, rubbing against Lexa’s knee. “No, Lexa. I was always aware of who I was, but I couldn’t speak until the candle was lit.” She sat down and peered up at Lexa, her voice soft and gravelly, breaking a little “I’ve waited so long for this night, but we do have to go now, I will tell you the rest of what happened that night.”

“Well, well, well. And what do we have here.”

All three of them froze at the sound of the voice, before Raven turned quickly, crouching slightly, tail flicking wildly. She hissed and bared her fangs at the three figures standing in front of them.

“Well, well, Raven. It has been a long time. But how long exactly? Hmmmm?”

Lexa grabbed Clarke, who had already grabbed Madi, pulling them behind her. This was bad, very bad, because she recognized them from the sketches and paintings that had been done.

“It’s the sisters,” she whispered, throat tight with fear.

“Oh very good! Very good!”

The woman with reddish brown hair stepped forward and off the stoop, advancing on them slowly before stopping five feet from them. Her face was heavily scarred, but Lexa quickly realized that the scars were symbols and not random, and they were almost beautiful in a twisted way. The woman was thin, wearing a dark gray cloak, over a blue dress that obviously had gone out of fashion hundreds of years ago. Her eyes were ice blue and her chin sharp and haughty. She was clearly the one with the most power.

The woman to her left was taller with dark eyes and long brown hair tumbling about her shoulders in waves. She too wore a dress, long out of fashion, and leather shoes with buckles. Her cloak was dark green and clasped at the neck with, a large copper button. She grinned, her lips twisting, making her beautiful face all the more chilling.

And the last woman was taller than the rest, lithe and almost gangly. She wore what looked like a crown of interwoven branches upon her head, and her hair was long and brown with flashes of yellow in it. But it was her eyes, rimmed in what looked like charcoal with streaks spreading partly down her face that were the most startling. She wore trousers and leather boots, with a long coat studded with what looked like metal pieces.

“The sisters,” croaked Lexa.

Nia laughed and waved her hand and the woman to her left stepped forward giving a little curtsey, before smiling and licking her lips and stepping further away from Nia, circling closer to Lexa and Clarke.

Raven hissed when the woman moved, and she hissed back, her lips twisting into a sneer. “We meet again, Raven. You were always annoying.” She raised her hand, fingers extended towards Raven who backed up a step, just as the third woman stepped forward.

“Enough! We don’t have time for this,” She cast a quick glance down at the cat who was still staring at her sisters, but she knew Raven was watching her out of the corner of her eye. “Leave Raven be, we have no quarrel with this cat.”

“No, quarrel??” snarled Nia, “she is the one who brought them to our door!”

“Yes, and you cursed her and she paid her debt to you. It is finished.”

Nia stepped back and eyed her younger sister, her brows pulled low, her lips pursed slightly. It would appear that time had not brought her sister to her senses.

She stepped towards Lexa, smiling and holding out her hand. “So, you apparently know of us? Hmmm?”

Lexa swallowed harshly and nodded. “You are Nia,” she jerked her head towards the woman in the green cloak, “that would make you Echo, the youngest twin.” She pointed towards the last woman, the one with the crown. “And I guess that makes you Anya, the first twin.”

Nia laughed and nodded her head, while Echo clapped her hands and twirled in place. “So you recognize us!” She flicked her hand in the air, “We are rather unforgettable. But enough of that,” she flicked her hand in the air again, slowly letting her gaze roam over the three of them. “Tell me, what exactly are you wearing? Is it common for girls to wear pants? You are girls? Right?”

“Not that it matters, and gender is a social construct anyway, but yes,” hugged Clarke in annoyance.

“A gender..what?” Nia cocked her head, confusion wrinkling her face and making the scars jump slightly. “Oh never mind. That isn’t important. What year is it? How long have we been gone?”

“It is 2018,” chirped Madi, as she shifted out from behind Clarke, her curiosity getting the best of her.

“It’s...it’s...2018?!” sputtered Nia as she raised a hand and rubbed at her forehead, sighing deeply. “Well no matter.” She turned her attention to Madi, a slow smile breaking across her face, twisting her lips and highlighting her scars. She leaned down a little, while Raven spit at her.

“Aren’t you a beautiful, little thing.” She reached out towards Madi, as Echo stepped closer, her gaze intent upon Madi also.

“Look at her, Nia! So small and delicate! So...yummy,” Echo murmured, excitement spilling from her mouth as she licked her lips.

Clarke and Lexa both grabbed at Madi just as Nia and Echo suddenly rushed forward. Raven yowled and threw herself at Echo, who had managed to beat Nia to Madi, claws extended. Raven yowled again when her claws dug into Echo’s shoulders, her teeth catching Echol’s ear as she bit down.

Echo screamed and backed away, jumping up and down, grabbing at Raven and trying to pull her off of her. But her hands couldn’t find purchase in Raven’s twisting body, and the cat started to slash at her shoulder, ripping through the cloak.

Nia stumbled, falling to the ground when Echo had shouldered her out of the way. She cursed and held out her hands, fingers sparking, but she was too weak to draw her power from the spellbook.

Anya crouched slightly, her hand going to her hip, where a long dagger rested, bound to her waist with leather cords. But she didn’t move, her gaze darting between Nia and Raven clawing at her sister.

Echo finally managed to get hold of Raven, and pulled hard, screaming as Raven bit at her head and scratched her across her forehead. Echo screamed and cursed again, finally throwing Raven from her.

Echo bent over, angry tears coursing down her face, her hands gingerly poking at the scratches on her head and forehead. “Damn that cat to hades!” She snarled as she whimpered at the pain and the sight of the blood on her fingers.

Raven landed on her feet, twirling quickly and facing the sisters again. “Run!” She spat and hissed raising her clawed paw.

And this time Lexa and Clarke ran, Madi safely ensconced in Lexa’s arms as they tore down the paved road as fast as they could back to down, Raven right behind them.

#clextober18 #Hocus Pocus #clexa fanfic #jude81 #The Hocus to my Pocus #clarke griffin and lexa #clextober #clextober fanfic #day 13 of clextober18

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pandoraspocksao3 · 6 years

Text

What are you reading this week? 03/18/2018

So, you know how Netflix has that thing where they recommend movies based on what you last watched? How cool would it be able to do that for fanfiction? In the spirit of that idea, I'm doing my fic recommendations for this week as:

Pandora's Picks!

Your mood:

What a shit day. I need hugs/cuddles, some action, but mostly romance!

PP recommends:

Reign by Optimistic Beth @optimisticsprinkles - *WIP. Fluffy romance, slow burn, arranged marriage, spunky Rey, enemies to lovers, great original characters! Intriguing original plot devices. Great writing style, easy and fun to read.

Thwarted by Perry Downing @perrydowning - *Complete. Slow burn, lots of feels, humor, and a cat! Fantastic original characters you really care about. If you want less action and more of just Kylo and Rey's love story, this one focuses on exactly that! There is also sumptuous descriptions of the surroundings and minutiae that really make you feel you are in the fiction yourself. And this is an author who delivers big time on “the feels,” so have tissues for when they creep up on you! The girl in a gilded cage and the man who doesn't understand why it's not enough. (Her latest, Unbidden, *WIP, is also fantastic!)

A Gift for the Emperor by LastMouseLeft - *WIP. Slow burn, Rey is captured and presented to the Emperor, but is a little too docile to be believed. What is really going on? This has a dreamlike quality to storytelling I really love. Original characters, beautiful details of settings and costumes. She has two other fics that are also very good, so check under her profile to explore!

Your mood:

I want some Reylo sex and I don't want to wait 10 chapters for it! My devices are charged, and I'm not talking about my phone!

PP recommends:

Dreaming Against the Stars by DragonWhiskers *WIP. Nothing "slow burn" about this! Fantasies spurred by reader prompts and author's vivid imagination, this one is pure erotica!

Wanton Lullabies by CoraRiley. *WIP. Reylo fantasies that are explicit and fun! This smut was so enjoyable it became a spinoff, Lascivious Weapons, also by the author, who wrote about Rey as a courtesan brought to the First Order who is quickly discovered by Kylo!

Hypothermia by LucidLucy @lucidlucy. *WIP. Kylo Ren and his wicked, wicked ways....oohh-la-la! Seriously, if you need a booster shot of sexy, read Chapter 2 (which is a long chapter) and see if you aren’t swooning at the end of it! This is HOT! This author has been on my “to read” list for a long time, and I’m finally getting some of hers started!

Your mood:

I need to laugh. I need something so funny I pee, but I also want smokin' hot sex. Does this fic even exist?

PP recommends:

The Force Arranges A Marriage and The Force Arranges a Honeymoon, both by Terapid @terapid. *Complete. This is, bar none, the FUNNIEST and sexiest thing I've read in AO3! It is explicit with graphic sexual content, but Rey and Kylo have a lot of steamy sex amid dueling each other, and there are other unconventional couples you will gasp at. (I don't want to include spoilers!)

Seriously, I have never laughed so damn hard I have had to put the fic down and wipe the tears off my cheeks! This is a satire that pokes good-natured fun of the Reylo Fandom, the author himself, and Star Wars in general with hilarious results! It's over-the-top hilarity and also scorching hot sex. I didn't even know that could be done, but somehow the author manages it!

Your mood:

I'm burnt out a bit Star Wars stuff, but I still want that Reylo dynamic in a different setting.

PP recommends:

Stranger than Fiction by Daxcat79 @wheresthefuckingexit79. *Almost complete! This is one of my favorites at the moment. Ben Solo is an author in England writing about Kylo Ren, but his publisher, Hux, insists the character needs a girlfriend. Ben meets Rey and pays her to hang out with him (not for sex), and from then on, art imitates life as Ben's world expands. This is REALLY FUNNY, but there are also deeper themes as the plot deepens. If you have a dysfunctional family like Ben does, you might even recognize things about your family or yourself (as I did), and it becomes something very relatable. Longer fic review to follow on just this story because of its awesomeness.

The Escort by Grliegrl @grlie-girl. *Complete. Amazing crossover fic that crosses Pretty Woman with Reylo. It is FUNNY and also has some great action and fabulous detailed settings in Chicago. Rey is spunky and independent and Kylo is the billionaire who finds himself swept away by the escort he hired. (I did a whole post about this you can search for under Pandora's Review or "The Escort" with details.)

Across Alternate Universes by INTPSyltherin_reylove97. *WIP. Summary: Somehow two Ben Solos from different universes switch places, leaving their Reys to figure out how to handle a Ben vastly different than their own—not to mention the finicky thing called a force bond. So, TWO sets of Reylo couples here! I just started it and I love it! I came across this randomly. I don’t know who this is on Tumblr.

Your mood:

Enough with the rom-coms; I want a thriller/horror story. Scare me!!!

PP recommends:

Praxis by CoraRiley @corariley. *Almost completed! This is about serial killer Kylo Ren, and there is no Ben Solo to be found! Rey is kidnapped by a creepy yet sexy Kylo who has already abducted and killed several women. Can she escape him? Explicit sexual content - not for underage readers or readers who are not okay with violence and sex. This is Dark Kylo Ren...expect twists, surprises, kinky sex, and plenty of suspense!

Your mood:

I'm ready for some Gothic horror or vampire stories with Reylo in them.

PP recommends:

Sanctuary by Terapid @terapid *WIP. This is one of my absolute favorites in the Archive. I lost my mind when I read the setup for it, an old Catholic boarding school of Gothic design. Professor Solo and student Rey are the main characters (Rey is not underage). Leia is headmistress, and...the rest of the cast is in it, but I won't spoil the plot by saying what their roles are. I was fascinated by this. Angels and demons and the occult figure in heavily, and this author is a master of suspense and action sequences, not to mention smut when called for! An interesting tidbit is that I would see a long black feather in my backyard usually the day before it updated. In fact, a few things turned up in a chapter once that were items I had that the author couldn't have known about and it freaked me out to the point that I wondered if the fic was "haunting" me a bit! True story!

Vampire's Kiss by DragonWhiskers @belovedunderwing. *Complete. An eerie Gothic read about Rey finding a Victorian mansion that she takes refuge in that is owned by Vampire Kylo Ren.

Witch's Moon by DragonWhiskers @belovedunderwing. *Complete. Kylo is a witch hunter who is sent by Snoke to investigate Rey. This is also one of my favorites. I'm very partial to this author, so I've read everything she's written!

Your Mood:

I just saw The Last Jedi again and I need a great post TLJ fic to read!

PP recommends:

Songs of Innocence, Songs of Wisdom by Cosmogonika @cosmo-gonika. *WIP. I just found this story and had the honor of doing a beta on a chapter for it, so I got to chat with author for quite a bit and I love where this is going! The title caught my eye because I'm a poetry buff and I recognized William Blake's words immediately. I haven't read all of it, but this fiction explores the dichotomies between Rey and Kylo, just as the poem suggests (poem can be viewed on the first page). It delves deep into the psyches of Rey and Kylo and has a good rhythm and pace, with a good plot and a lot of description.

Your Mood:

Meh, I'm so sick of conventional couples. How about polyamory?

PP recommends:

Codega, by Juulna @juuls. *Complete. This is another one that you should be able to do a search on in Tumblr by title and find my long review on this. This is a Reylux fiction that was recommended to me by Terapid, one of my favorite authors, and even though I didn't think I'd enjoy a pairing with Rey, Kylo, and Hux, he told me to give it a chance, and I really did like it! It's a slow burn and tasteful. The writing is so beautiful! There are lots of descriptive details about the setting and food and wine, and her action sequences with lightsaber training were fantastic.

Three’s Company by LucidLucy @lucidlucy. *Complete. Summary: Three might be a crowd elsewhere... but not here. A collection of unconnected Reylux (Kylo Ren / Rey / Hux) stories, some in-verse and some AU. I haven’t read this one, but I’ve read other’s by her and she’s a sublime writer, so I’m sure this will meet expectations!

Your mood:

I really need some interrogation chair crack fics...

PP recommends:

Admissions by Miss Harper @missharpersworld. *Complete. This is a short, sexy one-shot that packs all the fun you’re looking for in the “interrogation room” scene!

Forces Intertwined by Marla_Singer21 @marlasinger21 . *WIP. This is an excellent writer who started at the interrogation room scene and worked her way forward from there. It’s one of the first fics I found initially when I got on AO3 and it remains a very sexy and well written Reylo fic!

WRAP-UP:

I could go on for pages and pages, but I think this is long enough for this week! I try to keep alternating and adding in new authors, although I'm repeating myself a lot on this one. I'm trying to expand my reading and author list currently. Part of the reason I chose these is because I'm so familiar with them. I don't get as much time to read as I would like and I have a lot of fics going at once, probably like a lot of you!

There are a lot of recommendation lists going on that I'm making sure to reblog as well, because I do think people find fiction a lot that way. I used to just do arbitrary searches on AO3 and found some great ones. A lot don't have the kudos they deserve, so they deserve our support. And I also feel the authors who do have a lot of kudos deserve reblogging, too, because they spend a lot of time honing their craft and working on providing us with free entertainment!

Don't forget to leave kudo and a comment - even just a short one - for the author to show your appreciation. You won't believe how much even a short comment can make someone's day! And feel free to reblog this and add your own story or stories you like if you want! If you are a fic writer and you have a story no one seems to have found, I want you to reblog and tell people about it! Get it out there and circulating so people can find it.

#Reylo #Reylo fanfic #Reylo fanfiction #tlj #tlj fanfic #tfa #tfa fanfic #Reylo fanfic list #Reylo fanfiction list #Pandora's Picks #pandora reviews

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fine-not-fine · 7 years

Text

Grief

Blackpaw’s fur ruffled in the harsh wind. He knew what his plan was but he just had to admit it. Dustfeather was always beside him now. Worried about him passing out again, this would be what the second time now? Raintulip knew by now and he was sure Sootpaw and Sapfoot noticed something going on. He looked up and saw the cats sitting around in a circle but he noticed a new face. Softpaw! So Raintulip had taken an apprentice. His breath could be seen in the bitterly cold and empty air. Rainflower caught his eyes and she rose.

“Softpaw walk with Creeppaw would you? I have to ask Blackpaw about something.” She mewed briskly. The little silver apprentice’s eyes lit up in fear but he pushed back his shyness and gave an even smile at Creeppaw.

“Are you sure? I can…” Dustfeather started but Raintulip shushed him.

“He’ll be fine with me I’m a medicine cat.” She huffed, looking too tired to put up with much more fuss. Dustfeather nodded and padded over to talk with Sapfoot however he kept glancing back warily.

“So what are you going to do?” Raintulip asked as her eyes trained on the path ahead.

“I…I need to tell them.” Blackpaw mewed softly. He knew he’d gone too far, there was proof at his paws.

“Good idea. I’ll stop them inside the Star Cave.” Raintulip stated gently as the path narrowed and the hole that led downward was in reach.

Blackpaw felt his paws buzz like a bunch of wasps and his throat felt dry. He really should have put more ointment on his paw pads but he didn’t care much about that now. Everyone looked so calm greeting each other and smiling. His heart sank more and more into the depths of his chest as Raintulip glanced at him before she spoke. Everyone stared at them with this confused and surprised expression. Had their eyes always burned him so? They must have. He cleared his throat and moved forward.

“Everyone please listen to me. I should have said this sooner but I didn’t….I didn’t want to end up being wrong. But now I have proof. I’ve confessed it to Raintulip and a few other cats in my clan but now I have to tell you.” He began. Blackpaw started to explain what had happened to him so far. The visions, saving Rock, and even sneaking into the leader’s den. He could see Dustfeather’s expression lower with his ears. His eyes looked painful.

“That’s everything. I…I only did what I thought was best.” Blackpaw mewed folding his ears back.

“You did good Blackpaw but now we have to ban together.” Raintulip cut in her eyes scanning the cats before them.

“I haven’t seen any signs.” Ferretsmoke mention flattening her ears as if she was trying to travel back through her memories to find something.

“I-I think I found something.” Sootpaw proposed quietly with a nervous stare. Eyes turned onto her and she felt skittish right away.

“Well it’s not much but…I found clean mouse bones in the woods. It felt odd…there was a ladybug too. It just…was out of place you know?” Sootpaw breathed out and looked around for disappointed comments.

“Mouse bones and a ladybug?” Sapfoot asked her apprentice. Her interested had sparked like a wildfire.

“Yes?” Sootpaw confirmed but seemed increasingly nervous as her mentor’s mood intensified.

“That reminds me of Mousefall…” She murmured softly and curled her tail around her paws. The older cats grew silent at the name.

“Who’s Mousefall?” Softpaw whispered to Creeppaw only for Raintulip to speak up.

“Mousefall was the medicine cat before Sapfoot. She was a wonderful cat.” Raintulip urged and turned to Sootpaw.

“If she left you a sign that means we need to act and we need to act quickly.” Raintulip mewed out.

“Should we tell the leaders?” Sootpaw mewed out worriedly. What did this mean for the clans other than mass panic?

“Yes. They need to know. We need to be wise.” Ferretsmoke chimed in.

“We should contact Starclan for guidance!” Dustfeather pointed out and mews of agreement rumbled in their throats. Starclan would give them answers.

“We’ll continue this after we’ve all walked with Starclan.” Raintulip offered as she glanced down at her wide eyed apprentice. Poor thing was overwhelmed.

As the cats curled up in their normal spots besides Softpaw who took his place snuggly beside Raintulip, the glow of the Star Cave lavished their bodies, rippling across their mingling pelts. Their heads held down for a moment and their bodies tingled with anticipation. Each one felt the same spark as their senses mixed. Starclan called.

“Blackpaw?” Came a voice that was thought have died in Blackpaw’s mind. A voice so knowing and so powerful. He knew her.

“Mom?” He mewed out but his voice cracked like a frozen twig. He couldn’t help but feel his chest burn.

“Ravenwind?” Dustfeather mentioned as mother and son touched noses. It wasn’t the only tearful reunion though.

“Mousefall!” Sapfoot cried and nuzzled her old mentor warmly. Sootpaw awkwardly dipped her head in respect.

“Fawnheart.” Raintulip mewed and dipped her head respectfully to the she-cat.

“Long time no see! How are my children?” Beamed the large and amazingly fluffy warrior.

“Chatter like cicadas but they’re still kind as ever.” Raintulip informed with a small smile. Fawnheart lit up like the sun at that.

“I don’t know you.” Ferretsmoke mewed with confusion in her eyes. Another black and white she-cat like Ravenwind yet she smelled of Rubyclan.

“Yes you do. It might just take a few moments.” The feline mewed with a voice cool like the river in Green-Leaf.

“You look like Hollyberry.” Ferretsmoke mentioned and twisted her tail softly. It was at her claw tip, it felt so familiar.

“Enough playing Breezestar you old hare!” Mousefall chuckled and watched Ferretsmoke’s expression drop.

“I-I’m so sor…” She started off but Breezestar simply smiled.

“Don’t worry Bumblebee, it has been so many moon cycles since my face was seen. I don’t blame you.” Breezestar murmured in thought and turned back to the rest.

“Everyone! Attention please.” Fawnheart announced and watched living and dead felines sit beside each other like family.

“What’s happening to us?” Dustfeather asked with fearful eyes. It tensed everyone’s pelt like a fog in the moor.

“Humans are setting in. The world is changing. You must change with it.” Breezestar replied simply.

“Change? How?” Ferretsmoke asked and knead the cloud wisps of grass below.

“The loners you have brought in. They know more than they think.” Fawnheart mused and wiggled her ears.

“You should be on high alert and start looking for safer places to live.” Mousefall added softly and looked around at the small group.

“Safer places?” Sapfoot mewed to Mousefall softly but was only echoed by Dustfeather.

“Yes safer places. As much as I hate to admit it. Disaster is on the rise.” Ravenwind confirmed with a low sigh and a soft lick to Blackpaw’s head.

“Will you still be with us if we leave?” Blackpaw piped up with worry burned deep into his voice.

“Of course! Starclan will always be with our people.” Mousefall replied swiftly trying to qualm any fear the young cat had.

“You shouldn’t be going far, just expanding your territories.” Fawnheart added brightly hoping it would help.

The stars in the dead cat’s pelts flickered and then there was a soft mourning feeling once more.

“Goodbye Fawnheart. May you find peace.” Raintulip commented to the fluffy tabby only to find an odd flicker of hope spark in her.

“I already have Raintulip.” Fawnheart breathed with relief. She looked so happy.

“I suppose this is goodbye. It was an honor to meet you, Breezestar.” Ferretsmoke started and nudged her apprentice. She realized most of them where so silent through the interaction, likely due to the unfamiliarity.

“Yeah, it’s a big blessing.” Creeppaw whispered his voice barely breaking a mouse’s sniff.

“No problem. I’ll always protect my clan…but Ferretsmoke? Keep an eye on Foxstar. She’s made some bad choices that are coming after her.” Breezestar mentioned as her form became more faded.

“Will she be okay?” Ferretsmoke asked and was met with nothing but a twinkle of a glimmering green eye.

“Mousefall…I…” Sapfoot mewed out sadly as her old mention playfully tugged her ears.

“I know you miss me, Sap. But you have to live your own life now.” Mousefall cooed and turned to Sootpaw.

“And treasure this little beauty. I’ve never seen a more polite apprentice in Emeraldclan!” Mousefall chuckled and flicker her tail. The brown she-cat touched noses with Sapfoot’s light brown muzzle again with a warm purr as she started fading.

“M-Mom…” Blackpaw cried out feeling his mother coil around him. She wanted to hush him and lick behind his ears. Coddle him like everything was okay, but she needed to be strong.

“I’m so proud of you son…I’m so proud.” Ravenwind murmured softly.

“Please don’t leave me…” Blackpaw couldn’t help but sob. He felt so flooded and so tired.

“I’ll always be there for you. We may walk in different places but our hearts will always be connected.” Ravenwind purred and looked back at Dustfeather over her son’s shoulder. She gave him a brief smile and a silent thank you before she also faded with her companions.

One by one, cats awoke from their frosted sleep. Raintulip nudged her apprentice who asked how often that was going to happen, to Raintulip’s amusement. Other cats rose to follow the suit but a few lingered. Memories dancing in them.

“Come on Softpaw. We should be getting back.” Raintulip spoke up and looked back at the others.

“I’ll see you soon.” Raintulip mewed to her fellow healers.

“Bye Creeppaw!” Softpaw called out before chasing after his mentor.

“Us too. Creeppaw do you want to stay any longer?” Ferretsmoke hummed in a hurried tone. When she was met with a solemn shake of the head the two departed as well.

That left Blackpaw and Sapfoot, sitting with clouded visions of younger times. They both longed so badly for faces they adored.

“Blackpaw… I…” Dustfeather couldn’t find the words but was only met with a soft voice.

“A little bit longer…please.” Blackpaw shivered and curled his tail around him for some sort of security. Dustfeather nodded and leaned in. He quietly licked Blackpaw’s head and shoulders in comfort. His poor apprentice was ragged. Battered inside and out, Blackpaw was barely holding onto hope. Dustfeather needed to be there for him.

Sapfoot felt Sootpaw nuzzle her side in attempt to console her mentor and friend. The slender frame of the feline seemed weakened but the she-cat managed a faint grin and pulled Sootpaw closer. Silence. Warm silence. Sapfoot rose and wished Dustfeather and Blackpaw a safe trip back with her apprentice close by her side. Sootpaw did the same and wished them safety. Once they were gone it’d be a bit longer until Blackpaw stood and slowly let Dustfeather lead him out of the hollowed cave. It hurt but he had to move on. For the clan and for his mother.

#Page 29 #Gemclan #Blackpaw's prophecy

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theonyxpath · 7 years

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Yep, we’re back this week after having held a couple of meetings since last we talked. The Onyx Path gang and I talked about a bunch of things, like you’d expect, and here are our top topics:

1- Our ongoing Monarchies of Mau Kickstarter. It’s rolling through the slower section of the typical Kickstarter pattern, but Eddy and I have a few more interviews on tap before it wraps up in 10 days, so we’re hoping to get the word out a bit more. We also talked about letting folks know that there are still some of the rewards that let you get your cat or dog illustrated – so see below in the BLURBS! where I mention that!

So far though, we’ve been really happy with the response and are ultra interested in looking at it and Pugmire side by side once the KS is done.

Also, just to mention this here like I did on the KS page: Monarchies of Mau and Pugmire are totally compatible and designed so you can play cat and dog adventuring parties.

Thousand Years of Night illustration by Pat McEvoy

2- I pitched a bunch of projects to the new White Wolf last week, both for the 20th Anniversary line and for Chronicles of Darkness. That led, naturally to our team coming up with eleventy-billion ideas of what we could do, if the projects are approved. In fact, most of our meeting today was that brainstorming, he said teasingly.

3- Of course, because we are two months away from it (and how did we get to June so fast????), we touched base on our GenCon plans. Mirthful Mike is slamming through our GenCon graphics all this month, including this year’s brochure, the StoryPath brochure for this year that explains the system – but this time with a focus on the Trinity Continuum – as well as a new backdrop for our booth, and slews of buttons that we’ll be giving away during the con.

4- Just like the the Monarchies of Mau KS, Fast Eddy Webb has a deadline coming up next week: right after the KS is over, he gets on a plane to start his new adventure living in Ireland. We had a great chat in our traditional Monday Lunch Meeting today talking about the future of the world of Pugmire, how to find useful work to do when you are waiting for a huge life change, and several unannounced projects we’ll be talking about working on together in the future. More about Eddy and his importance to Onyx Path next week.

5- We went over where we are with our fiction ebooks with two “waves” of six books each already up on Amazon, and now appearing in the B&N Nook store. This is really just our toehold into those venues and what more we can do includes more venues like them (Apple Store?), or moving to another level by adding in game books. More info on that below in the BLURBS!, and please, if you buy any of the books from those venues, we would really greatly appreciate you leaving some kind of review. Stars or written reviews, anything helps spread the word!

M20 Book of Shadows art by Steve Ellis

6- We mentioned this in last week’s meeting, but I think it is worth bringing up to you folks: if you haven’t seen the Fiction Friday posts, they are well worth checking out as each Friday we excerpt some of the astounding and evocative fiction from both our novels and anthologies, and also from our game books. A really simple way to get a taste of game lines, and specific books.

7- We went over the set-up and possible developers for Chronicles of Darkness: Dark Eras 2. Thanks to all of our many backers who contributed ideas for possible new Dark Eras! We think we have figured out how we’re going to start the book and frame further chapters for when we do the Kickstarter – which will be the next one we do!

We think we learned a great deal from CofD: DE‘s Kickstarter, and follow-through, and are using that to pull together DE2 a little differently. We want to keep the main book a good sized book, but not the mammoth tome we eventually published for the original Dark Eras.

Exalted 3rd art by Gunship Revolution

8- And then, as we always do, we moved into the project updates phase where Rollickin’ Rose and Mirthful Mike go through where our active projects are. Pretty much the end result of which you read every week below in the Project Status Updates. Rose is still helping several dev teams across all our game lines, we’re expecting to send the Deviant outline over to the new White Wolf any day now, our new Exalted 3rd devs are really starting to get the hang of what we need them to do, and Mirthful Mike had a cold all weekend.

There ya go!

BLURBS!

KICKSTARTER!

10 days to go, and are at that stage where we’re doing a lot of talking to bloggers and games sites while pledging slows awaiting the big 48 hour push next week! Please help us out by talking Monarchies of Mau up on social media and to your friends, especially your cat-loving friends. Don’t be shy, every mention helps!

We’ve already shot past Stretch Goals for an exclusive t-shirt, an Intro adventure, the first three Mau stories in a fiction anthology, a book of character write-ups featuring the characters submitted by backers, and our second adventure goal – this time by Dennis Detwiller. Now we’re looking at more short stories, including one by our very good friend the amazing Joe Carriker, with plenty more to come! If you get a chance, here’s the link: http://ift.tt/2rmHhAG

SPECIAL ALERT: Right now, as I write this, a Gorgeous Kitty reward tier spot has opened up and allows you to get your cat pictured as a character in one of the beautiful illustrations going into a Monarchies of Mau book! These kinds of reward tiers get snapped up fast!

Also, there are five Conspicuous Canine reward tier spots still open which don’t just get your dog into an illustration, but created as an NPC in the world of Pugmire! Since one of our Stretch Goal rewards is the Roll of Good Dogs and Excellent Cats, they may even show up illustrated and statted-up in there! If you missed this in the Pugmire KS, now’s your chance!

ON SALE!

ON AMAZON:

We’re delighted to announce the opening of our ebook store on Amazon! You can now read our fiction from the comfort and convenience of your Kindle. Our initial selection includes these fiction anthologies: Vampire: the Masquerade‘s Endless Ages, Werewolf: The Apocalypse 20th Anniversary Edition‘s Rites of Renown: When Will You Rage 2, Mage: The Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition‘s Truth Beyond Paradox, Chronicles of Darkness‘ God Machine Chronicle, Mummy: The Curse‘s Curse of the Blue Nile, and Beast: The Primordial‘s The Primordial Feast!

And now you can get these books in the Barnes and Noble Nook store too!

Vampire: The Masquerade: The Endless Ages Anthology

Werewolf: The Apocalypse: Rites of Renown: When Will You Rage II

Mage: The Ascension: Truth Beyond Paradox

Chronicles of Darkness: The God-Machine Chronicle Anthology

Mummy: The Curse: Curse of the Blue Nile

Beast: The Primordial: The Primordial Feast Anthology

And this week, we’re releasing another six fiction books:

Vampire: The Masquerade: Of Predators and Prey: The Hunters Hunted II Anthology

Werewolf: The Apocalypse: The Poison Tree

Werewolf: The Apocalypse: Songs of the Sun and Moon: Tales of the Changing Breeds

Vampire: The Requiem: The Strix Chronicle Anthology

Werewolf: The Forsaken: The Idigam Chronicle Anthology

Mage: The Awakening: The Fallen World Chronicle Anthology

Looking for our Deluxe or Prestige Edition books? Here’s the link to the press release we put out about how Onyx Path is now selling through Indie Press Revolution: http://ift.tt/1ZlTT6z

You can now order wave 2 of our Deluxe and Prestige print overrun books, including Deluxe Mage 20th Anniversary, and Deluxe V20 Dark Ages! And Screens…so many Screens!

ON DRIVETHRURPG.COM:

From the massive Chronicles of Darkness: Dark Eras main book, we have pulled this single chapter, Dark Eras: Three Kingdoms of Darkness (Changeling and Geist China 220-280). Famine weakens the empire, and war splits it apart. It is an age of ambition and strife, where the hungry dead walk the earth in great numbers, and the Lost must rely on their own kingdoms. Warlords and commoners, ghost-speakers and orphans — who truly serves the Mandate of Heaven?

On sale in PDF and physical copy PoD versions Wednesday on DTRPG!

From the massive Chronicles of Darkness: Dark Eras main book, we have pulled this single chapter, Dark Eras: The Wolf and the Raven (Werewolf and Geist Vikings 700-1100). The Viking expansion across Europe comes at a pivotal time in history, as new faiths rose to challenge the old and new ways threatened to sweep ancient tradition aside. The Forsaken sail with raiders and explorers, seeking new lands to claim and new spirits to conquer, while Sin-Eaters walk the battlefields bringing the honored dead to their final rewards. The world grows larger and more dangerous by the day, but there are great rewards for those brave enough to fight for them.

On sale in PDF and physical copy PoD versions Wednesday on DTRPG!

Curated by Matthew McFarland, developer of Changeling: the Dreaming Twentieth Anniversary Edition and featuring authors such as Myranda Kalis, Wren Handman, and Peter Woodworth, this C20 Anthology of Dreams is on sale in electronic/PDF and physical copy PoD formats on DTRPG.com! http://ift.tt/2snBT0X

We dream, and we tell stories. We dream of love and the sort of person who might complete us. We dream of horror and wake breathless. We dream of magic, of flying through the air, or breathing underwater. We dream of fantastic vistas and amazing monsters.

We dream, and then we wake, and we tell stories. Our dreams create the Kithain, the changelings. Our stories are sustenance.

Now on DTRPG, the EX3 Tomb of Dreams Jumpstart PDF/PoD jumps up for sale!

http://ift.tt/2qdriZU

Once, in the time before the gods forgot their names, when the world was flat and floated on a sea of chaos, there was an age of gleaming cities, untamed wilderness, enlightened devils, greedy spirits, and mighty heroes. This was the age of the Exalted, champions empowered by the highest of gods.

Tomb of Dreams will jumpstart your group’s Exalted game—all you need to start playing Exalted Third Edition is this book, pencils, and 10-sided dice. Included here are the game’s core rules, five pregenerated characters, and a self-contained scenario that can start a new campaign or that Storytellers can use in an ongoing chronicle. And for groups that already have the Exalted Third Edition main rulebook, Tomb of Dreams will serve as an introduction for new players and a quick reference during play—anyone intimidated by that prodigious volume need only read Part 1 of this book to get started.

What legends will they tell of your deeds?

Sailing out of the dark, the V20 Dark Ages Companion Advance PDF is now on sale on DriveThruRPG.com! http://ift.tt/2pX42dq

Travel the long roads and deep seas in search of power and experience danger, or tackle the wilderness to hunt monsters and face death. Settlements large and small dot the black expanse with the promise of sanctuary, life, and community. These bastions of civilization present cold comfort, when playing host to vampire warlords and sadistic Cainite faiths. Whether led by a Prince, a coordinated belief, or hounded by monsters from without and within — no domain is truly the same as another.

Dark Ages Companion includes:

• Domains scattered across the world, from small fiefdoms to massive cities. Bath, Bjarkarey, Constantinople, Rome, Mogadishu, and Mangaluru each receive coverage.

• Apocrypha including plot hooks, new Paths, and mysteries to explore in your games.

• A how-to guide on building a domain within your chronicle, including events and servants necessary to make a domain as functional or dysfunctional as you wish.

• A study on warfare in the Dark Ages period, so combat in your chronicles can gain authenticity and lethality.

Bill Bridge’s new W20 novel, The Song of Unmaking, is on sale in PDF/ePub/PoD versions on DriveThruRPG.com: http://ift.tt/2qXQH9f and in ebook form on Amazon: http://ift.tt/2qpQM2V !

The fabric of reality is cracking. Fissures appear in thin air, glowing with balefire. Something is scratching on the other side, pressing, beginning to break through….

The Wyrm’s corruption finds its way into the hearts of humans and Garou alike. Even an ultra-rational techno-cratic scientist can fall sway to its lies. Channeling his hate and resentment through the most sophisticated machine ever created, Basil Czajka has turned a tool designed to peer deep into the heart of the quantum universe into a nursery for the hatching of a horror — a creature whose birth cry is destined to unmake Gaia’s Song of Creation.

The only ones standing in his way are One-Song, a broken-down old Theurge, and Lord Albrecht, whose heed-less anger might be the very weapon the enemy needs to crack the egg and free the Unmaker.

The Chronicles of Darkness: Dark Eras Companion has arrived in PDF and PoD physical book versions at DriveThruRPG.com! http://ift.tt/2pygIL7

The Dark Eras Companion presents eleven new Eras for the Chronicles of Darkness. Stretching from Ancient Rome and Egypt through the Black Death, the Thirty Years War, the Reconstruction, and the Russian Revolution, the Companion showcases even more of the secret history of this eldritch world. Included in each era are “snapshots” of the various supernatural creatures, including vampires, changelings, mummies, and demons. Also included are lists of inspirational media to help you put these Eras in context for your troupe.

Open the Dark Eras Companion and take another look back in time.

V20 Lore of the Bloodlines awaits in PDF and physical book PoD versions on DriveThruRPG.com!

http://ift.tt/2pj8UuA

Lore of the Bloodlines is a single volume (created via Kickstarter) that revisits some of the bloodlines in Vampire: The Masquerade 20th Anniversary Edition, providing story hooks, character concepts, history, and bloodline-specific rules. The secrets of the Baali, Daughters of Cacophony, Gargoyles, Harbingers of Skulls, Kiasyd, Salubri, Samedi, and True Brujah are now yours.

Lore of the Bloodlines includes:

• The history, lore, and nightly practices of nine bloodlines, told from the perspective of the Kindred themselves.

• New combo Disciplines, powers, Merits, Flaws, and other rules specific to each bloodline.

• Revisions and updates of more classic Vampire: The Masquerade material to V20.

Night Horrors: Conquering Heroes for Beast: the Primordial, PoD and PDF versions is now on sale on DTRPG.com!

http://ift.tt/2j7p7lO

This book includes:

An in-depth look at how Heroes hunt and what makes a Hero, with eleven new Heroes to drop into any chronicle.

A brief look at why Beasts may antagonize one another, with seven new Beasts to drop into any chronicle.

Rules for Insatiables, ancient creatures born of the Primordial Dream intent on hunting down Beasts to fill a hunger without end, featuring six examples ready to use in any chronicle.

CONVENTIONS!Discussing GenCon plans. August 17th – 20th, Indianapolis. Every chance the booth will actually be 20? x 30? this year that we’ll be sharing with friends. We’re looking at new displays this year, like a back drop and magazine racks for the brochure(s).

In November, we’ll be at Game Hole Con in Madison, WI. More news as we have it, and here’s their website: http://ift.tt/RIm6qP

And now, the new project status updates!

DEVELOPMENT STATUS FROM ROLLICKING ROSE (projects in bold have changed status since last week):

First Draft (The first phase of a project that is about the work being done by writers, not dev prep)

Exalted 3rd Novel by Matt Forbeck (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Trinity Continuum: Aeon Rulebook (The Trinity Continuum)

M20 Gods and Monsters (Mage: the Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition)

M20 Book of the Fallen (Mage: the Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition)

C20 Novel (Jackie Cassada) (Changeling: the Dreaming 20th Anniversary Edition)

Hunter: the Vigil 2e core (Hunter: the Vigil 2nd Edition)

The Realm (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Dragon-Blooded (Exalted 3rd Edition)

C20 Ready Made Characters (Changeling: the Dreaming 20th Anniversary Edition)

Redlines

Kithbook Boggans (Changeling: the Dreaming 20th Anniversary Edition)

Ex Novel 2 (Aaron Rosenberg) (Exalted 3rd Edition)

DtD Night Horrors: Enemy Action (Demon: the Descent)

Second Draft

V20 Dark Ages Jumpstart (Vampire: the Masquerade 20th Anniversary Edition)

GtS Geist 2e core (Geist: the Sin-Eaters Second Edition)

Trinity Continuum Core Rulebook (The Trinity Continuum)

Scion: Origins (Scion 2nd Edition)

Scion: Hero (Scion 2nd Edition)

WoD Ghost Hunters (World of Darkness)

Pugmire Fiction Anthology (Pugmire)

Development

Signs of Sorcery (Mage: the Awakening Second Edition)

SL Ring of Spiragos (Pathfinder – Scarred Lands 2nd Edition)

Ring of Spiragos (5e – Scarred Lands 2nd Edition)

Changeling: the Lost 2nd Edition, featuring the Huntsmen Chronicle (Changeling: the Lost 2nd Edition)

M20 Cookbook (Mage: the Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition)

Pugmire Pan’s Guide for New Pioneers (Pugmire)

WW Manuscript Approval:

BtP Beast Player’s Guide (Beast: the Primordial)

VtR Half-Damned (Vampire: the Requiem 2nd Edition)

Editing:

Wraith: the Oblivion 20th Anniversary Edition

Arms of the Chosen (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Book of Freeholds (Changeling: the Dreaming 20th Anniversary Edition)

Post-Editing Development:

Indexing:

ART DIRECTION FROM MIRTHFUL MIKE:

In Art Direction

Beckett’s Jyhad Diary

W20 Pentex Employee Indoctrination Handbook

Cavaliers of Mars

Wraith 20

W20Changing Ways

Ex3 Monthly Stuff

Storypath Brochure

VDA Jumpstart

Scion Origins

C20 Jumpstart – AD’d and Contracted

Ring of Spiragos

Ex 3 Arms of the Chosen – AD’d & Contracted

Marketing Stuff

In Layout

M20 Art Book – In progress…

Prince’s Gambit – New Cards out for playtesting

Gen Con Stuff

Proofing

CtL Huntsmen Chronicle Anthology

M20 Book of Secrets – Hyperlinking and wrapping things up. Once all that is done, we will send it to WW for approvals.

VTR: Thousand Years of Night

At Press

Beckett Screen – Shipped to shipper.

Dark Eras: To the Strongest – PoD proof on the way.

C20 – Getting that over for indexing this week.

Pugmire – Printing.

Pugmire Screen – Printing.

Pugmire Cards & Dice – Printing/manufacturing.

Wise and the Wicked PF & 5e – At Press… signed off on the proofs on Friday.

Dark Eras: The Wolf & Raven– Going on sale on Wednesday!

Dark Eras: Three Kingdoms of Darkness – Going on sale on Wednesday!

Dagger of Spiragos (5e) – Out to backers.

Dagger of Spiragos (PF) – Out to backers.

V20 Dark Ages Companion – Inputting errata.

BtP Building a Legend – Errata should be wrapping up.

Monarchies of Mau Early Access

TODAY’S REASON TO CELEBRATE: In Ireland, today is June Bank Day Holiday! Which has got to be given props as the most generic holiday name ever! Slainte!

#Onyx Path Publishing

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