#meat the nighbors

[allseeingportrait]

Had the idea for the FUNNIEST Meat The Neighbors AU will draw more later

[sharkticonxqueen]

Like No Tale Ever Told

Pack Progress and a glimpse into No-tail’s past.

“Food.” growled No-tail.

Wildtide ignored her, resting his helm against her belly. The metal bulged, as h e rested his cheek on her paneling.

One, two, maybe three... by pressing down with his fingers, he could feel several hard lumps beneath her hide.

“Fooooood.” No-tail huffed, stroking her mate's helm. Instinctively, the two of them knew they'd broken the rules. Their firstborn wasn't fully grown, and it wasn't the right time of year for new pups. They'd likely get no help from the pack with this new litter.

Wildtide smiled. Honestly, he wasn't the least bit ashamed. Who could blame him for wanted to breed with such a strong, brave female? No-tail may have been missing a limb, but she was more of a woman than anyone he'd ever met. If he had it his way, he'd impregnate her a hundred more times.

Wildtide rumbled, nuzzling her belly. No-tail lifted a leg, pressing her foot against her mate. With a push, she managed to roll him away.

“Food now. Babies need food.” She told him, smiling wryly. Wildtide rose, stretching.

He tilted his helm, moving his hand in a swimming motion. Fish?

No-tail shook her head.

Wildtide held up two fingers, like ears. Petrorabbit?

No-tail patted her abdomen with a growl of approval. “Fast.” She ordered. “Go now, come back fast.”

Wildtide chuckled, changing to beast mode. He headed toward the trees. No self-respecting male allowed his mate to go hungry for long.

No-tail settled back against a pillow of rotting vegetation.  The sunlight overhead beat down on her metal, the warmth doing little to ease her sluggishness.  She was about to doze off when a familiar smell tickled her olfactory sensors.

Female-scent. Young-scent. Pack. Family.

She opened her optics, watching as her daughter Star sauntered over. The younger female had dark juice around her mouth, her sharp teeth gleaming as she smiled.

No-tail tried to sit up, grunted, rolled back and forth a bit, and finally managed to tumble to her feet.

“What have?” She demanded, approaching her daughter. “Star, what have?”

Star grinned, turning away. She shoved a handful of something dark into her mouth, more black juice staining her fingers.

“Oil-berries!?” No-tail bristled, outraged. “Are oil-berries? Share!”

She waddled toward her daughter, extending a hand.

Star lifted her own hands, showing they were empty. “Gone!” She announced, wiggling her fingers.

No-tail growled. Star may have been her little girl, but she was also a lower ranking female. Flaunting food like that would earn her a bite or two. The mother sharkticon was just about to struggle into beast mode when Star propped her hands on her hips, looking pleased.

“Found bushes. Lots ripe. Show you. Just for us. You, me, Papa.” Star declared.

No-tail squinted. “Bring berries.”

Star shook her helm. “No, you come.” Then her optics gleamed. “Trade.”

“Trade!?” No-tail snarled. “Trade what?”

Star clasped her hands together behind her back, rocking onto her tiptoes.

“Trade story.”

And that's how the two females ended up on the outskirts of the Packs territory, weaving the trees side by side. They walked quietly, for the most part, Star occasionally pausing to nip at her mothers flanks and shoulders.  

Most mothers wouldn't have tolerated such childish behavior from a nearly-grown pup; but for the moment, Star was No-tail's only child, and No-tail adored her daughter. Star was almost a copy of her.

“Much more far?” No-tail grumbled, pausing a moment to rest. She winced, setting a hand on her belly. The eggs were shifting.

“Not much far.” Star hopped onto a fallen log. Holding her arms out for balance, she put one foot ahead of  the other, swaying a bit. She closed her optics, daydreaming about the wonders and mysteries her mother had shared about her life before the pack.

“Want Story!” Star declared, turning on one foot to face No-tail. Now she was walking backward.

No-tail watched her, squinting slightly. “Watch hips!” She scolded. Then, “What kind story?”

“Trap-easy! Trap-easy story! Tell about flying!” Star declared. She missed a step and toppled backward with a yelp.

“Trapeze.” No-tail corrected. “Trapeze.”

Star sat up, brushing dust off her armor.

“Trapeze, then!” She retorted, getting to her feet.

No-tail brushed past a vine tree, exhaling.  A story had a lot of words, it'd take a lot of thinking and effort.

Still...she enjoyed remembering. And it was so easy to recall, it seemed like only yesterday...

“Bugrimova Central.” No-tail stated. “Big city. Big buildings, as far as can look.  Mecchamo Sharkticon Circus stop by three days.  Each day like this; First painted clowns falling down,  then tamer wrestling. Next, juggling and dancing, and fire eating. Music, tricks. Then...”

“Then?” Star probed No-tail to continue, leaning forward eagerly.

The pregnant female turned on her heel. .She placed a hand at her waist, lifting the other in a sweeping motion. She bowed to a crowd of memories.

“Then me.” She murmured, imagining the roar of the crowd.  “Mecchamo's Famous Flying Sharkticon; Like No Tale Ever Told!”

“That's you!” Star clapped, delighted, “That your name!”

No-tail smirked. “Yes. I was star. Star of the show.”

The youngling grinned. “Now I'm Star.”

No-tail paused, turning to her daughter. Reaching out, she swung her arm, trapping the youngling in a headlock.

“I SHARE Spotlight.” She growled, giving her helm a nuzzle. “Still my light.”

“Graaaah.” Star wriggled, trying to pull free, “Share, like share berries?”

She pointed to a patch  of land just ahead. A group of dark orange bushes were clustered around an old vine tree, the coppery leaves gleaming.

No-tail released her daughter, waddling toward the brushes. Pushing the leaves aside, she let out a cry of delight. The branches were heavy with fruit!

The two females feasted. With so much to go around, there was no need for bared teeth or raised fins. No-tail showed Star how to choose berries, to leave the flowers and green buds so that there would be more later. She was happy to share what her mate Wildtide had taught her.

After all, Star wasn't a pup anymore. She'd leave the pack soon, in search of her own pack to rule. No-tail didn't doubt her daughter would be an alpha, with many males, and even more children.

She jolted, letting out a groan. Star looked up from her snack, worried. “Hurt?”

“No, no.” No-tail flopped down onto her back. “Pups.”

Star stepped closer, reaching out to touch her mother's abdomen. She vaguely understood that half-formed pups lived in eggs, occasionally stirring as they dreamed. She also knew males had something to do with getting eggs. Honestly, it didn't seem that interesting to her.

Stories, on the other hand...

“Mother?” She rested her chin on her mothers chest.

“Hmmm?” No-tail glanced at her.

“Did you Fly high?”

“Yes, high.”

“Higher than that rock?”

“Higher.”

“High as tree?”

No-tail scoffed. “Help up!” She ordered. Star gripped No-tail's hand, tugging her to her feet.

No-tail sauntered over to the vine tree. Digging her fingertips into the back, she began to climb.

She and Star were the only sharkticons in the pack who could climb trees. She was proud of this fact. Weighed down, she wasn't as fast as usual, but after a few moments, she found herself standing on a thick branch.

“This tree---” She called down to Star. “This tree, not high at all! Flew above ALL trees.”

Indeed, she had. The trapeze often went up as high as six stories.  Sometimes there was a net to catch her, sometimes there wasn't. A fall led to her losing her tail, but she didn't care. She flew better without it.

The memories were so clear. The smell of popcorn, of spun sugar. The musk of the circus animals. The applause, the applause that felt better than a belly full of meat.

She would never go back, but sometimes...No-tail missed the crowd, the eyes on her.

She glanced down. Star was looking up at her, rapt.

No-tail reached out, grabbing one of the vines. Iit was about as big around as her thigh. She gave it a good tug, putting her weight on it.  Looking out, she could see at least a dozen more vine trees stretched out ahead of her, ranging between two and three stories tall.

She smiled, gripping the vine tightly.

“Mother?” Star called out, “Mother, what doing?”

No-tail rocked on the branch, feeling it bend. One, two....

She ran forward and leaped, locking her arm muscles.

The vine flexed.

Strained.

Held.

She swung, focusing on the tree ahead of her, gauging the thickness of the vines, the positioning....

On the upward arch, she let go, flinging herself forward.

“MOTHER!” Star shrieked, horrified.

No-tail seized a nighboring vine, grunting from the effort.

“You flew!” Star clapped her hands over her mouth, unbelieving.

No-tail scaled the vine, resting on another branch. She paused a moment to catch her breath, then gripped the vine more firmly.

Inhale.

Jump.

She spun, corkscrewing her body. On the third rotation she reached out with both hands, grabbing the vine once more.

Star was clapping, delighted, watching as her mother swung toward the branch.

No-tail jumped, planting both feet on the branch.

Breathing heavily, she grinned, taking a bow for her audience of one.

Star applauded.

The Branch creaked.

The branch broke.

No-tail fell two stories to the forest floor below.

[jlwizardx]

4-19-17

hospital in day time and clinic in afternoon until 5pm. got some pho to take home for steena~she is having a cold today. then finished edit all video tonight. nighbor downstair surprised us with home made meat bun!