#youre very own spirit fox to snuggle with!

[ask-october-fox]

OwO whats this? Me shamelessly self advertising again?? Say it aint so! Thats right, spirits! The gift boxes for this year are still available over in my ko-fi shop, but they are going quickly! Only 9 are left currently, so if you're on the fence about getting one, perhaps this might help you decide ;3 You can also purchase the digital version of this year- and previous years- prints too! Those come with extra versions because im indecisive I just wanted to give you a extra special treat! Thank you all again for your support over the years. Because none of these things could happen without you! 🤍🖤🧡

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[auspicioustidings]

For the 1k requests/suggestions:

Druid!Soap who's protected the lands faithfully and ferociously for years, and Reader, the nature god/goddess/diety/spirit of those lands, decides to reveal herself and reward him for it?

Could go in any direction you want, pure fluff or darker or smut or anything! Just the first idea I had

Ok so you know how you said it could be darker or smut? Got carried away with this one :') This is just feral PWP that was written in one sitting and Johnny is mean as shit in it so pls HEED THE CWs.

Foul Magic

Words: 2.8k

CWs: Non-con, heavy smut, threatened bestiality (sort of, it's a Druid-ey shapeshifting hybrid thing and I have no clue how to CW that)

He was your greatest protector, had been for a decade now. When John MacTavish had offered himself to your service he had been a reckless teen, already an expert at spilling blood. You were no Silvanus, only a simple forest spirit with your own forest to tend and a handful of followers amongst the bordering villages mainly made up of the hunters and foragers who benefited from your kindness. 

“I will pledge myself tae ye for 10 years forest spirit” the young man had called out in the midst of the trees, “and in return I ask that once my service is complete ye reveal yourself tae me.”

It was a strange offer. You had never had anyone pledge themselves to you before. People left offerings certainly, made small shrines, but you had never had a sworn protector. A Druid, you thought, you could make him a Druid. You could finally test what your magic could really do.

Human lives were such short things that you didn't fully believe he would complete the 10 years. The life of a Druid was solitary and hard. He took to it with a violent fury that took your breath away. Never before had the soil been so sustained on the blood of those who sought to plunder its treasures without the proper respect. Every boon afforded him, John took and wielded as if born to hold such power. 

He was magnificent. Bear like in his strength, wolf like in his ferocity, fox like in his cleverness. And all too soon the 10 years was up. You had made a deal and would have to hold to it if you wanted to keep him. And you did want to keep him. The thought of your Druid leaving your forest made the flowers wilt around you.

He strode into your Grove, a man now. He was broad and full of scars proving his devotion to your protection, his hair shaved in at the sides but left long in the middle with braids shot through. You were fascinated by how strong he had become, muscles functional and snuggled under a layer of fat as proof of your care for him, tartan fabric held to his body with only clever pleating and a belt. 

“I have served faithfully for 10 years as was promised, I’ve come tae collect what I’m due.”

“And I hope in those 10 years you have enjoyed my patronage.”

He turned to see you, an ethereal thing made flesh for him. Fucking finally. He strode forward as your fond, soft smile turned to a look of fear, his hand bunching up in your hair and yanking you to look at him. You found that when you tried to shift to another form his magic, the magic you had given him, was weaving through yours to try and block you. The thought that you would be as helpless as some human maiden was horrifying.

“If ye had any sense at all, ye wouldnae have given me all yer power. Did ye really think I’d serve ye for ten years just tae look at ye?” he spat, venomous and unlike the Druid that had spoken worship on the wind to you all this time. “Fucked plenty of virgins in yer wee forest right under yer nose, had them gagging and crying, but none of them have satisfied what it is I really wanted. Been thinking about your tight wee nymph cunt being good and broken on my cock since I could use it, and I am a very patient man when it comes tae the things I want.”

You glowered at him, feeling your magic slide against the wall he had built and glancing off. He grinned an awful beastly grin and threw you to the floor, the slam of your knees on dirt unfamiliar and unpleasant. 

“You cannot do this. Please John, see reason. You are a protector of this place!”

He laughed and circled you, putting a boot firmly to the centre of your back and kicking you down so your face landed in the soil.

“Aye, I was until today. 10 years was the agreement, and now I take payment. Arse up, present properly for yer protector, least ye could do after all this time.”

He surely couldn’t mean to mount you like some beast. The idea that he meant to violate you at all was already unthinkable, but to do it in such a violent and debased manner was unforgivable. 

“You will not do this!”

You flared your power and he shoved it back, forcing it to act against you. He controlled it, the sickening pulse of your own magic being twisted as your body cracked and shifted. It was wrong, some half shift that felt unnatural. You heard the tear of the thin gossamer gown draped over you as something ripped through it. He laughed meanly and you howled in pain as you were grabbed by what you realised was a tail to force your hips up for him. He had done a disgusting thing with your magic, keeping you in your human form with the tail of your wolf form purely to torture you. It was forbidden to do such a thing, to create some new creature outside of nature in any way. You could feel hot tears spilling over as he wrapped the tail around his fist, pulling and twisting horribly. 

“Ye going tae behave? Or dae ye need to find out what I can dae to my own form?”

The implication was horrible. You scrambled with a sob, bracing your knees and moving yourself to present the way he wanted you to. 

“Aww, dinnae want a nice knot?” he said as he leaned over you, pressing his body to yours so his hot, wet breath was panting in your ear. “Maybe ye’d prefer something else.”

His foul magic invaded you again and you could see how your nails sharpened. Your hand barely started to shift into the paw of a snow leopard and you immediately started to plead. If he fucked you using that kind of cock you would surely be torn to shreds.

“P-please! Your cock! Just yours John, I want it.”

“Aye? I dinnae ken if I’m convinced. Maybe it’d be good to get my barbs in ye, fuck you bloody.”

“No please, it… it wouldn’t fill me properly if it wasn’t your human form. Wouldn’t be able to breed me like I want. Please fuck me with your cock John, I want it so badly” you sobbed, bile rising at your own words.

He laughed in dark delight, the hand gripping painfully at your tail letting go to plunge two fingers into you. It felt like you were being penetrated with a hot poker with how little warning he had given. You choked through breaths as your shape twisted back to yourself, tail painfully deforming and the formation of paws reversing. 

“Good thing yer body is backing ye up. So fucking wet and messy already little slut, knew ye’d be drooling for my cock.”

He noticed how you were taking shuddering breaths, clearly fixating on a spot in the distance to try and dissociate. That wouldn’t do at all and he ripped apart what was left of the thin gossamer so he could bring his open palm hard to the meat of your ass. He knew by how you squealed that nobody had ever taken a hand to you before and it was delicious.

Breaking you was all he had ever wanted, it was all he thought about when his cock was deep inside some new needy cunt or tight arse or wet mouth. He hated how after they would try to keep him as if he was something to be owned by anyone else. He had lost count of the lives he had taken from losing his temper over it. But now that he had you crying in the dirt, pussy throbbing around his fingers, he wanted to savour it. 

Your nails clawed at the ground and you tried to get onto your hands and crawl forward when his fingers left you and instead he buried his head between your legs. His grip on your thighs was painfully tight, yanking you right back into position with your arms collapsing back under you, face down ass up. 

It was too much, his tongue was wet and squirming and hot and inside you. He meant to devour you, to ruin you entirely. You had about braced to be fucked, but not for this, not for the intense spark of heady desire that came from this. 

“Fuckin’ knew it, knew ye’d taste sweeter than anything else” he growled against you as he released one thigh to get his fingers on your clit, needing to get you wetter to sait the thirst for your arousal that was burning through him now. “Dae ye taste good everywhere?”

“J-John! Ah you can’t, not there” you babbled as he licked up to your rim, diving into it with the same enthusiasm as he had your pussy. 

It was disgusting how he tongued up the slick that was weeping from your cunt to drag it to your ass, plunging his tongue in and out of your hole and driving you absolutely mad. This was debauched. The trees were creaking and groaning around you, powerless to help their mistress.

“Tell me ye fucking love it.”

“Stop, please!”

“Fucking say it” he growled, sinking his teeth into the same flesh he had slapped earlier. 

You screamed, sure he must have used that horrid magic again to sharpen his teeth to that of a predator with how you felt the skin break, his tongue lapping at the trickle of blood he had earned himself. 

“I love it” you said quietly, ashamed.

“Use your fucking words.”

The threat of his teeth was still there, they were scraping against your clit.

“I love your tongue in my ass! It’s perfect, thank you so much, making me so w- making me so wet” you moaned out, feeling your cunt clench with the shame of knowing it wasn’t quite a lie.

“Good girl” he purred, the praise vibrating through you. “Should reward ye naw? What dae ye want?”

There was a dark warning laced in his tone. You knew there was a wrong answer and you wouldn’t dare to give it. If you pleaded for a stop to this he would do much worse to you than if you pleaded for the less painful option.

“Want to cum on your mouth, want to cum on your cock in my pussy.”

“Mm? Whose mouth? Whose cock?”

You squeezed your eyes shut against the utter humiliation this human was making you face.

“Yours… master.”

“Atta girl.”

He laughed behind you before bringing that sinful mouth to latch onto your clit. He sucked hard and then lapped at it like a beast until you were squirming only to then go to your opening and make sure he got every drop of sweet liquid drooling out of you. It was torturous as your body betrayed you over and over again, pliant and gushing for him. He kept you on the edge of euphoria for what felt like hours before you broke.

“Fuck! Please master, want to cum!” 

The panting moans were brainless, you were so desperate. He cooed at you, his tone saccharine even as his words were degrading.

“Needy wee slut, cannae keep your legs closed can ye? Disgusting bitch tae let a man do this tae ye. Bet ye dream of walking into the village and letting everyone have a go at this sloppy cunt.”

“Only you master, please please please!”

“Aye, only me.”

His tongue which had been wild before was now lethally precise, the tip of it flicking rapidly at your throbbing clit. As you felt yourself crest he wrenched one of your arms to put your own hand there while he removed his face. Out of some hedonistic instinct you started to play with yourself to make the orgasm last, so stupid from the pleasure that it took a moment for the pain to sink in as his cock was forced inside you to the hilt.

Johnny was in rapture. Forcing himself in while your poor cunt was fluttering and clenching on nothing was almost painful from how tightly his cock was being squeezed. Your body was panicked, pleasure and pain at their height at the same time making you so incredibly tight and hot for him. Fuck, the way you were pulsing around him it was almost like getting a blow job, the ripple of wet pressure making him howl out his pleasure against your screech of pain.

He had already so thoroughly broken you that when he started to fuck you at a brutal pace you just drooled and cried and babbled. The distinction between pain and pleasure, what you hated and what you loved, was completely erased. It was all the same liquid heat inside of you that was demanding this. Demanding for you to be fucked savagley into the dirt, for you to take everything he had to give you. Demanding to be bred like the bitch in heat you were.

“I ken sweetheart, ye need tae earn it. Cum around my cock again.”

You didn’t even know what you were saying out loud and what thoughts were your own anymore as your clumsy fingers slipped around on your clit, trying to create friction despite the smooth glide from how much you dripped with arousal. You could feel the stickiness on your fingers, feel tendrils stretching lewdly in a connecting strand whenever you moved them away from your skin.

“Fucking dae it, cum on my cock!” 

It was a lightning storm of pain versus pleasure ripping through you as he adjusted to slam into that spongy spot inside you that set off every nerve ending over and over with no reprieve. At the same time he began to absolutely brutalise your ass with his open palms, violent and unrestrained. There was a gush of liquid as you came, screaming your throat raw.

John had never felt so powerful. You had been reduced to a squirting, screaming mess underneath him, a fucking animal begging in the dirt. He handled you how he liked, went as hard as he wanted. Any human would have broken. Any human would have fucking died with how he finally unleashed the beast inside of him, finally married violence with sex the way he had always wanted. 

“That’s it, fucking daft bitch, stupid wee brood mare, made tae fucking take it!”

You were begging again, nothing left in your brain but the desperation to be bred by a strong male. He was happy to do it, loyal protector that he was. Happy to give you exactly what you whined and mewled for, slamming home and cumming deep inside you. He fucked you through his own orgasm. He fucked you even when it was painful. It wasn’t until his cock finally slipped out, spent and struggling to find any purchase when he wasn’t fully engorged given how fucking sloppy you were.

He pushed you away after, leaving you a pile on the floor panting and ruined. Sitting back on his heels he had to take a moment for the dizziness from what had just happened to subside. Time for him to get out of this forest he supposed. He was not welcome on this land anymore. As he stood he took stock. While his kilt simply draped again to cover the sticky mess you had left on his skin and the dirt on his knees was easy enough to dust off, your gown was torn to shreds, your body beaten and bruised. He was perhaps a little surprised when your eyes opened and you blinked at him.

You felt the delicious strain of the most satisfying fuck of your life, only opening your eyes when you heard him get to his feet. Oh, he thought he was leaving. His eyes lit up with confusion and a tiny spark of feral delight as vines erupted from the ground to ensnare his ankle. Silly boy, thinking you powerless. If you had truly imbued him with the amount of your power he had deluded himself that you had, his human body would have burnt up and been dust on the wind years ago. It was laughable that he would have been able to block your magic.

“Did you truly think I didn't know your intentions from the start? Oh John, you are mine” you said with the fond bemusement one might have for a grumpy child. “Now come and perform your duty to your mistress, I am hardly done with you.”

[connectionterminated13]

It's a story in the universe of run of my au's gears and rot, The basic idea is the robot kid theory is true William built a robot Evan and a robot Elizabeth then realized how weird it was and shoved them in the murdered clown basement. Then the events of sister location happen Mike is about to get himself Scooped Evan intervenes but Mike still suffers serious internal bleeding since the scooper grazes him, he then "dies" from. Now the 2 are off on a quest to find William in hopes of freeing the Spirits.

Sorry the summary took so long, This is my submission for the first days prompts Nightmares/fun! I'll get into it now! Anyway I hope you don't mind but @and-stir-the-stars :3

It was cold. It was dark and it was quiet except for the sounds of Father's footsteps. The Others make no noise. Father would be mad if they did. Evan was waiting for the sound of his father's footsteps, Because that meant his father, the most wonderful man in the world, was coming to say hello! He double triple checked to make sure his illusion discs were on his father didn't like it when they weren't!

He couldn't help but vibrate with excitement as the door swung open. “Well I see they've made you quite at home…” His father kneeled down, Evan waiting for permission to hug  stared at his father's wonderful face. “You can talk now if you'd like” Evan could barely help himself he jumped up and down excitedly he could talk. This was going to be the most fun visit In the entire world! 

“Well it's been a while since I've seen you but the nice nice technicians put me in this nice nice room and put me in this clown outfit which I don't really like but They said you like it so that made it a lot better also I got to play with the fun fox and we drew fun pictures you want to see them!!?” Evan could feel his voice box overheating with how fast he said the words it had been so long since he got to talk to his father. There was so much to talk about that this was going to be so wonderful.

“I thought they would have fixed that by now…”His father muttered as he surveyed the room as well as looking Evan up and down. Evan's room was amazing. He had his very own blankets and two pillows that he had stacked up in the corner to make a little cozy Nook, where he could read his Two books! 

Other than that the room was empty if he ignored the corner where he had put the bear. His father had told him he was supposed to love the bear but he didn't. He hated the bear. Evan pretended to like it when his father was around like now he picked up the bear and snuggled it close trying not to gag touching it.

His father looked over all of it, seemingly bored. “Where did you get the blankets and the books.. Don't remember giving you those”. Evan excitedly ran over deciding he had hugged the bear for long enough. He picked up one of the books and proudly presented it to his father. “Ballora Got it from a nice kid at a party, and she said I was a nice kid, so she gave it to me!”

His father didn't say anything for a moment before running his fingers through Evan's hair. “Evan remember we don't take things from the animatronics, Especially not things with blood on them!” His father gently took the book from Evan's hand. Evan wanted to grab the book back but his father was right.

“After all, we don't want your Nice clown outfit or Fredbear getting dirty?” His father said haphazardly throwing the book out the door. One of the technicians would pick it up and throw it out. This is what his father wanted so Evan knew it must be right 

“Know why I visited today, Evan?” His father said changing the subject but Evan didn't even notice because his wonderful, amazing, kind father was beaming down at him. Evans' eyes Glowed with excitement. “Is Lizzie coming back? Because I missed her a lot and so did everyone else and I have all these nice drawings to show her!!! I've also been sad without her here so please say she's coming back!” Evan tried to make a frown like in his book but he couldn't.

His father stopped and the smile disappeared from his face. “ She was bad, remember? And you were bad too when you took the book and when you took the blankets and the pillows? You were also bad when you dropped Fredbear, you're supposed to love Fredbear, remember he's your favorite?”  

Evan looked down. “I miss Lizzie... I know you're so wonderful but could you please give her back, what she did that was so bad?” His father looked down at Evan, his loving wonderful father.

“Pick up the bear. It's your job Evan you are supposed to be my son and my son loves that bear..You wouldn't want to let me down after all the hard work I've done to keep you safe do you?” His father looked down at him coldly. Even shrunk away, his father was right he was being so selfish. But something in him, something wrong, told him to push harder.

He wanted Elizabeth back so much… He tried to not think of her like father told him but he couldn't.. He missed the way she used to sing him lullabies and tell him wonderful stories. “Where did she go? What did she do wrong? please Daddy please bring her back..” He quickly wrapped his arms around his father's legs holding as tight as he could without hurting him.

“Don't touch me…” He felt himself being pushed then falling. Evan landed on the ground, He felt one of his face plates click open with the impact. The illusion was broken.

“Just like she wasn't Elizabeth you'll never be him… You're just cheap metal and Spare circuit boards..The disc doesn't make you look like my son… And you can't even pick up a stupid bear when you're supposed to.” His father's voice was cold 

“You know those blankets in books are probably covered in agony, you know what I could do with that? and you selfishly hoarded it all for yourself..” His father's voice was filled with such.. Evan's programming wouldn't let him say the emotion in his father words, since his father was wonderful and wasn't capable of hating him 

“I'm sorry…” Evan got to his feet, his father was so right. Why did he ask more questions? What was wrong with him and why was he so broken? He thought this visit would be nice but he had ruined it..

He picked up the bear as his father stared at him and hugged it close to his chest. Evan could feel himself beginning to shake, which didn't make any sense because his father loved him and everything was happy and perfect!

“Remember Evan sorry isn't good enough you don't do it in the first place…” Evan crumpled to the ground in pain as the shock ricocheted through him.

His father loved Evan so so much 

“I don't know why you're doing all these things. You are not programmed too, you're supposed to sit here till I need you..” More lightning harder this time 

Father loved him with all of his heart 

“But of course I shouldn't be surprised I'm such a brilliant inventor of course I made you… alive” 

Evan's father loved him so so much

all Evan's father could do was love 

Evan turned to the side trying to find a position that would make the horrible electricity hurt less.

The mangled remnants of his sister's face stared back at him.

Evan could barely move, the pain was too intense. His sister's face plates were broken hanging open at wrong angles, her endoskeleton once made of beautiful curved metal was rusted, And her eyes always glowing that bright calming green were now dark black.

All he could do was stare there at his sister's broken form as the lightning continued to surge.

“But of course not all of my genius rubbed off on you. You don't understand anything really… After all, you think you're a child.. You're a machine built to kill and sit there when I want you to. Nothing else.. Never to be human, you'll never even have that half life the others have, you will always be an unthinking uncaring sack of metal”

His father loved him 

The pain was getting worse 

Evan just wanted to crawl away from everything to bury his head in his blankets and pillows and books and cr-

—------------------------------

He looked around the room frantically. The lightning was gone, it had only been a dream. But he could still feel his body buzzing. He slowly lifted his upper body up off the bed, The familiar noise of metal scraping against metal comforted him slightly. Which didn't make any sense. His dream had been mostly wonderful! His father had been there and his father loved him.

Evan was in the same place he was last night, cozy in the hotel room's bed. It was just a nightmare. And there quietly sketching on the bed next to his was his brother. Having his brother Michael here was almost as good as having his father. Just like his father Michael was wonderful and loving! The only downside was that Michael was sick and no matter what Evan did he never got better. 

But that was not a worry right now. The real worry was why Evan felt so scared.. He knew the feeling of being scared was a bad feeling his father had told him that before but he couldn't help it. It made him want to clutch his foxy plush Tighter and run over to Michael. And deep down it made him not want to love his father which was equally as scary as the fear itself.

After what felt like a couple minutes Michael looked up from his sketch and startled. Evan didn't understand why Michael startled so much. His father had been startled sometimes when the illusion was broken, but Michael was startled all the time. If the illusion discs were off he startled and if they were on he startled more

“Ev You're awake I'm sorry! I'm just.. I'm sorry” Michael got off of the bed and then just kind of stood there awkwardly not knowing what to do.

Evan tilted his head making his ever-present smile wider. He liked the way that Michael stumbled over his words.It made his sentences like a roller coaster, or what Michael had told Evan roller coasters were like.

“Oh Christ you're shaking! A-are you okay??? Do I need to do something??? What do I need to do!?” Michael had noticed Evan was shaking. He kind of looked around the room as if someone would tell him what he was supposed to be doing. That scared Evan more his father didn't like it when he shook, what would Michael think?

“Nothing! just a dream! Oh it was so wonderful father was there and I was back in my old room but before Dad removed the blankets and pillow! And it wasn't exactly a dream it was more of a memory.. it turned into a dream at the end because Elizabeth's body wasn't there in Memory…. Then it got scary and there were a lot of electric shocks, it hurt but it's okay because Dad loves me…?” Evan spoke quickly trying to get the words out he didn't like thinking about the dream but hopefully it would make Michael not be so startled

“One of those nights huh…” Michael sat next to Evan on the bed. Evans stayed quiet just looking at his brother tracing the green Swirls and potholes that littering his skin. 

“Am I alive?” Evan hated how scared he was, how he couldn't stop shaking, How the question sounded so wrong and yet so true as it vibrated through his metal head 

Michael sat there thinking for a moment before saying. “You're not alive in the same way I'm n-not I don't know how to…” Michael paused again, looking uncomfortable with the subject matter “We're not alive in the same way Dad was alive-or is alive-” Evan couldn't parse through the amount of spite, hope and every emotion in between loaded in that or is still alive

“-and that's good because Dad was a dic-Garbage bag who treated us both like garbage..”

“Father's wonderful and he loves me” Evan said the words without thinking but they were true his father loved him.

“Funny I forget you're a robot sometimes..” Michael gave a small smile and a small chuckle.

Evan didn't understand what him being a robot had to do with this but nodded.

“You know what, let's have some fun tonight!” Evan looked confused slowly getting out of bed as Michael got up and ripped the sheets off of his own bed. “How about we spend the rest of the night in a nice and cozy pillow fort?!” Michael's smile faltered “ If you're not too tired..”

Evans' eyes lit up with joy. A pillow fort, a real pillow fort! With real blankets and pillows not stained with blood… Yes of course he was grateful for the room that William had given him and he didn't deserve the pillows or blankets. But a real pillow fort was just so wonderful 

Michael continued to stand there, the blankets and pillows from the bed still held awkwardly in his greenish arms. 

“Only if foxy is allowed in.” Evan held foxy close. Evan liked foxy a lot more than the bear.. Foxy was a cool pirate and Foxy didn't make him feel scared.

“Of course Foxy's allowed in and Dad isn't!” Michael added on noticing Evan's look of confusion "Yeah I know he's not here but when we're in the blanket fort, you don't have to talk about how wonderful he is… he's not here so you don't need to do that anymore..”

Evan nodded, that it made sense it was still hard to wrap his head around a place where his dad wouldn't be allowed but it seemed nice.

He quickly wrapped his arms around Michael's leg, hugging it tightly. “Hey don't do that little guy I'm going to need your strong arms for the Blanket fort!” Evan smiled nodding seriously before ripping all the bed sheets off of his bed and helping Michael With building the beginnings of their fort….

[lonely-lost-soul]

Little Fox

(C!Fundy x Reader)

Request 12: Hey if you're making a request, do you do c!Fundy? If so, can I get a Fundy x half fox shapeshifter!reader where fundy finds an injured full fox!reader, and takes her home to patch her up without knowing that she's a shifter ówò? Context, the reader can shift into three forms: full fox, half and half(fox legs, tail, ears, fangs), and fully human. Thank you have a blessed day!!!

Requested By: Anonymous

Moving away from L’manburg or what was once L’manburg was one of the best decisions Fundy has ever made. Did it get lonely from time to time, sure, but at least he was finally at peace. He was away from his ghost of a father and away from the drama of everyone else fighting and the looming sense of death that lingered over everyone that lived in the once-prosperous nation. It was quiet and he was happy to be left alone, well, mostly alone. There was one exception, a snow-white fox that trotted around his house from time to time, curious (e/c) watching him with intent. He had always felt a connection to foxes considering he was part fox, he hated seeing them hurt or starving or treated with disrespect, so he kept them around. However the white fox didn’t seem to pay him any mind other than silently watching and wandering around his home, he started placing food out for the fox. This went on for a few months until one night something felt off. Fundy kept glancing out the window, almost like he was expecting to see someone but no one popped up until he remembered his little buddy. He didn’t know why it sent him so on edge, it was just a random arctic fox maybe it was the way the food was left untouched or the pull he felt to go the woods, but he grabbed his coat and stepped into the forest.

The first thing he noticed was the small animal prints littering the snow, there seemed to be some sort of scuffle. Worry entered his veins and his ears pressed flat against his head, he journeyed deeper into the forest and noticed little droplets of blood. Fundy adjusted his hat nervously and followed the blood droplets, crumpled on the ground in front of his feet was a blood-stained fox. The once pure white coat of the fox was stained with red splotches a big gash was torn from its side, Fundy felt nauseous. The wind seemed to blow against his exposed ears, almost urging him to pick up the fox and take it home. He reached out and picked the fox up in his arms and held it close, the wind blew again, his eyes widened a little in surprise, the wind seemed to whisper a thank you.

Back at the house he laid the fox down on his couch and began to patch up her wounds. Hopefully, she wouldn’t attack him in the morning, be too freaked out, he wrapped the bandages around the wound stopping the flow of blood. He just prayed his foxy friend would be alive come the morning light. Fundy flicked the lights off and went to sleep in his bedroom, even though all the windows were shut and locked tight he still felt that odd breeze tickle the tufts of his ears. ‘Take good care of her’ it seemed to whisper, his heart thudded in his chest as he snuggled under the covers. The morning sun streamed through his windows, blinding the hybrid slightly, he groaned loudly and sat up in bed. He ran his sharp nails through his hair tussling it a little bit, trying to calm the rat’s nest down. As snapped to consciousness fully when he noticed footsteps coming from his living room, very human-sounding footsteps. Fundy tensed and hopped out of bed storming into the room, a dagger in hand. He let out a startled shriek seeing a beautiful half-naked young woman standing in the middle of the room. However, he couldn’t even focus on that, he was more focused on the snow-white fox ears that sat atop her head, the fluffy tail behind her, and the fox-like legs.

She was like him.

“Fundy right?” She sent him a crooked smile, sharp fangs very visible, making him feel all types of things. “Names, (Y/n) and you saved my life last night.”

“You- Fox?! but- human-” His hands tangled in his orange hair mentally trying to come to terms with the fact that he had probably saved a forest spirit. “No shirt!” he sputtered feeling soft hands take his own, he noticed a smile on her lips, their eyes locked together,

“I’m a shifter. A pleasure to officially meet you.” He felt you squeeze his palms and he swallowed thickly,

“Shifter?”

He watched you nod tail swishing from side to side, you were very happy to be talking to him it seemed, Fundy felt oddly honored. “I have three forms! Full fox, half fox, and fully human,” You explained holding up three fingers on your hand. “Usually full fox is easier but as you can see,” You motioned to the bandages covering your chest, “it’s not without risks.”

“Hold the phone you’re telling me the fox I’ve been feeding-”

“Yup! That was me!” You giggled as his cheeks went red, “I appreciated it.”

“I gave you dog food! I’m so sorry, oh my god!” He sputtered out completely mortified by the situation. You let out a roaring laugh, it was very reminiscent of that of a fox but he supposed that, that made sense. He watched you dip your head and nuzzle underneath his chin, once again he felt his entire face burn red, your ears were so soft, the fur tickling his chin.

“It’s okay, I didn’t eat any of that. Just pretended.” You reassured lifting your head to once again meet his eyes. “Soooo...you gonna tell me your name? Or should I just call you handsome?” He felt the blush spread down onto his neck,

Oh no, she was so cute.

“Fundy! I’m Fundy.” He nodded more stiffly than he wanted too suddenly very aware of how close the both of them were to one another. You blinked after a few minutes peaking around his shoulder, oh shit was his tail wagging? A bright smile spread across your cheeks “Laugh it up okay! Not every day I get to have a cute fox girl nuzzle against me alright!” Your ears fell flat against your head, he watched pink spread across your cheeks, score.

“Cute?” You meekly whispered you pulled away a little to grab at your tail shyly, “Thank you.”

He was going to die, you were going to be the death of him.

After that first encounter, you, the real you, had become a staple of his life. You had moved with him a few days after showing your more human form to the hybrid. You knew how to cook which made him swoon, it tasted divine, he was tired of being alone. You made him feel like he still had hope, you were his family now even after only knowing you for such a short amount of time. There was an odd sort of bond the two of you had, he was happy to have someone understand him, on a level that no one has ever been able to before, especially not his father. Days rolled into weeks and weeks turned into months, it was about eight months in when Fundy finally confessed to you.

You’d spent the day away from home, in your full fox form, saying you needed to stretch your legs and Fundy let you go. That didn’t mean he wasn’t a mess all day worrying about your well-being all day, he barely could get anything done, so when he saw your white fur streak through the trees that night he knew you were home. He ran out onto the stones of the path and called out your name, he watched your ears twitch and turned towards him. He felt his tail begin wagging ecstatically and he could see yours begin to do the same, you charged headfirst towards him shifting as you run, as you arrived he held out his arms and you jumped right on in them. He felt your arms wrap around his neck as he lifted you into the air. He spun you around as he laughed,

“I missed you, Dee!” You purred out happily leaning back a little bit in his arms, he still held you above the ground.

“I missed you too Dearheart,” Fundy whispered looking up at your sparkling eyes it was then, with your white fur shining in the moonlight that he realized he was in love with you. “(Y/n)?”

“Hm?”

“Can I kiss you?”

“Please.” You breathed out softly, cheeks pink, ears twitching, “I’d like that very much.”

So, he did.

Two years being together of being together was finally when Wilbur- or ghostbur- decided to visit his son. You were outside in the garden, tending to some of Fundy’s vegetables deadset on using some of the fresh ones to make soup for tonight. You were in your human form so you didn’t get your white fur covered in dirt, so you didn’t hear the ghost coming close to the house until he was leaning over your shoulder.

“Hello!”

You screamed like a little kit throwing your basket through the ghost who shivered at the foreign feeling.

“Sorry, sorry! I didn’t mean to scare you!” The ghost apologized adjusting the round glasses on his face. “I heard my son Fundy lives around here but I must be mistaken!”

“Are you...you’re Wilbur aren’t you?”

“Oh! You’ve heard of me! Was it my music, please say yes!” The ghost’s eyes seemed to sparkle with hope, he shrunk a little as he watched you shake your head, “oh…”

“I’m-”

“(Y/n)! I heard you scream, you alright?” Fundy peeked his head out the door eyes going big seeing his dead father standing beside you. Wilbur looked between the both of you before a tiny smirk spread across his face,

“Ohhhhhh, I see now.” Wilbur nodded watching his son’s face go red, “My little champion is all grown up! With a beautiful human to mind you!”

“Er...not exactly.” You mumbled, allowing your ears and tail to pop up from your head, Wilbur’s jaw dropped in shock and awe.

“She’s like you!” Wilbur gaped reaching up to touch your ears, you flinched a little, and Fundy snarled at his father. “Sorry, sorry,” He pulled his hand back with a sheepish smile Fundy finally walked over to the both of you, pushing you behind him only slightly.

“What’re you doing here dad?” His voice was gruffer than you’ve ever heard it, his tail was puffed up in a way you’ve never seen before from your boyfriend.

He was on edge.

Wilbur shuffled a little fumbling with a piece of something blue in his hands. “I just wanted to check up on my son. No one’s heard from you for a while we’re all getting a little worried. I love you so-”

“Dad.” He groaned pressing his fingers to the bridge of his nose pinching it, “look. I appreciate you’re all worried but I’m happier here.”

“But you’re all alone out here! It’s not good for anyone’s health, especially not a young fox!”

“Excuse you?” Your eyes narrowed in offense, “I lived out here all my life.” You bristled in frustration, “I turned out fine.” Wilbur eyed you warily and Fundy squeezed your palm tightly, “I did!”

“I didn’t mean any offense. I’m just looking out for my son.”

“No offense but I think he can look after himself just fine.” You shot right back and Fundy covered up a surprised laugh, “So far so good. Plus he’s not alone, I’m with him.” You squeezed Fundy’s hand rather tightly, as Wilbur glanced at your intertwined hands.

“What she said.” Fundy nodded his head, “we have each other and that’s all we need. At least for right now. So try not to worry too much.” He waved his dad off, “Now if you don’t mind we have dinner to cook.” Wilbur gave a hesitant nod before turning back to look into your eyes,

“Don’t hurt him.”

“I don’t plan on it," You assured nodded your head you both had a brief staring contest before Wilbur said his official goodbyes and headed on his way. “I’m sorry,” Fundy watched your ears fall flat against your head.

“What for?” Fundy’s brows furrowed in concern, “He was being an ass, you had every right to defend yourself. Plus I hate him so.” He shrugged unbothered, “I love you though.” He pecked your cheek and you smiled shyly.

“I love you too Dee.” You spoke softly, pulling him close by his jacket, his tail began to wag enthusiastically.

“Kiss?”

“Kiss.” You nodded standing on your tiptoes to give him a long kiss, he purred tangling his fingers through your hair. You pulled away much too soon for his liking and let out a low whine, you giggled happily and peppered his face in light kisses. “Fundy?”

“Hm?”

“Let’s get married.”

“What?”

~~~

Next Up: Immortality and Nymphs Part II

[countessofbiscuit]

Fine before Eleven

Foxiyo, Teen, 1100 words | Ao3

Senator Riyo Chuchi is anxious. Tomorrow will see the very public installation of Sujimis’s Junior Delegation. It’s a night that calls for dry heat and a dry run, if only her lover will cooperate. . . .

“You have to mean it,” Riyo declared, her voice stern against the blanket of heat.

“But I don’t want to mean it.”

Stood over her was Fox, holding a broom of birch, junipine, and linden cuttings. He’d been largely initiated into the ways of the sauna; entered into its rituals with relish, even if Riyo sensed its physic properties bemused him still. Her lacquered nakedness. The plush, everclean towels. The sibilance of oil and water upon hot stones, a sound like the anticipation of an outdoor exercise. The fine scarves of steam. He visibly joyed in these things.

One custom remained. And on the eventide of a momentous cultural occasion — something of a personal triumph — a traditional branching seemed appropriate. A hearty flagellation to excite her blood, before Riyo introduced the Plutonian Talz to the Senate.

But Fox was struggling to get into the spirit of things; the feathering he’d just given her wouldn’t scare a snipebug.

“My love, ápu are not for decoration,” Riyo told him. Gathered from groves around the summer house, the branches had been manicured and bundled into bunches of varying lengths and character for her Coruscant home. Fox had selected the smallest, enervated it further in water, and now wielded it limply.

“This is very rough,” he observed, worriedly. Disregarding the effort gone into making it anything but.

“I am not for decoration, either.”

“I command the Guard. I’m honor and duty and everything-bound to prevent harm upon you. Not a scratch on my watch.”

Prone on the bench, Riyo bristled. “If you don’t want me in high dudgeon, you will smack me, Fox. And before the caf goes cold, if you please.”

“Can’t I just give you a massage, sweetheart?”

“And press all my pores down? No. I wish to be whisked — need to be, if I am to look my best tomorrow.”

“You’re always glowing.”

“Such sweet kark. Grandmama will thrash you, and then you’ll see what Pantoran affection looks like. And she won’t spare your tender bits.”

Any mention of Grandmama usually sent Fox complying. She represented a profound authority.

Fox thwacked her. His wrist directed the motion, but Riyo was soon alive to childhood sensations and present contentment. Eventually she turned over to expose her front, feeling pleasantly rotisseried.

“Much better.” She rewarded Fox with a fondle and dragged him outside. There they crowded into the new plunge bath. Riyo settled herself upon Fox’s lap, swilling water crisp as snowmelt over stones that did not breathe, and helped herself to both bowls of kudinai because Fox balked at real cheese, even if it wasn’t bantha-based. Then they returned to the sauna, so she could frisk her Fox instead. Demonstrably.

The exertion had its effects.

“Did you just — ”

“Yes,” Riyo clipped, purpling. “I’m allowed to toot in my own company.”

“Maybe if you people didn’t torture your cheesestuffs, it wouldn’t seek vengeance.”

“You people.” She hit him, hard. “Uncouth man!”

Chortling, Fox rolled up. “I’m not the savage here,” he said, stealing her and her apú away. He loped into the house with her across his shoulders, now and then whacking her bottom playfully, until Riyo was most exhilarated. Pink and ripe and ready.

Fox applied himself in bed with no encouragement at all. Riyo lost her breath in a wet cry of bliss.

But find her voice again she must. Thi-Sen’s delegation was en route; Prime Ambassador Sessi was old, and never made speeches now except when in his brandy; and her dress was steamed like she, its sash ruched and fastened with an immense, pearl-studded narglatch broach. The ceremony and everything it signified existed in all but historical fact. There was even an OpenNet article on the One-Day War, a name popularized by a sensational headline in The Peito Gazette.

Riyo reminded herself of Speaker Cherkou’s goodwill and was heartened. Her confidence, too, had plumed over the ratification of the Cold Spear Peace. She snuggled against Fox’s chest and tuned herself with a recital many minutes long.

“... and forge a genuinely shared system for generations to come. And that it might be said the magnificent narglatch looks at the moon not in despair, but in hope and kinship.”

Riyo finally dropped her datapad, sighing deep, pleased that it hadn’t been much needed. “How was that?”

Behind her, Fox set aside a burl bowl emptied of Eazy Shells and dressing. He had to be coaxed into making domestic decisions for himself; the results were sometimes extremely individual. Her parents would be spared the anecdote.

“I don’t get it,” he said.

“Oh dear.”

“No, just the last line. It’s very pretty” — here, a kiss upon her neck for emphasis — “but is it a reference to something?”

“Yes. To the Talz tradition about the moon. Thi-Sen is to perform the tale ceremonially. But I’ll make the allusion less obscure, in case the program changes unexpectedly. It often does.” Riyo highlighted the text, already chewing over the phrasing in her mind. How tired she was of speech-writing! The medium of interpretive dance was beginning to hold great appeal.

“What’s the tale?”

“It’s much better told by Thi-Sen.”

“I can’t understand Thi-Sen.”

“It shall be translated by Padmé’s protocol droid.”

Fox groaned. “Even worse. I can’t stand his voice.” He hugged her tighter. “I’d like to hear it from you, first.”

“Very well,” Riyo began. “Plutonia has its own native species of vulptex. Very white, fluffier than ours on the tundra. The Talz say that long ago, the Great Narglatch was locked in a ceaseless pursuit of Vulptex the Cunning. One night — Fox, you really must behave if I’m to remember this right.”

His wonderful wandering hands stilled. “Sorry.”

“One night, tired of cutting canyons around the planet, Vulptex stopped on a frozen lake to parley with Narglatch. She pointed to the pink orb under the ice and convinced him it was a block of meat — the reflection of Pantora, of course, and much tastier than she. Narglatch was famished, and so he clawed and clawed and gnawed and gnawed at the ice, gobbling up so much that he burst. Thus his spiked mane, and why the Talz say the narglatch roars unhappily at the moon.”

“What happened to Vulptex?”

“She ran far beyond Narglatch’s reach, burrowed deep, and is rarely seen to this day. Medcha Wanto — Thi-Sen’s deputy, you know — he promised to bag one for me. I told him that wasn’t necessary.”

“Mmm,” rumbled Fox, nibbling her ear ungently. “You already have a fox.”

Riyo grinned. “I do, indeed.” And she stuffed the ‘pad safely beneath the pillows, to be forgotten until morning.

. . . . . 

(Ao3)

[thebookwormfairy]

Daminette/Maribat Fairy Tail Au Part 2

Part 1

As the months turned into years Marinette's bond grew stronger with her spirits and her guild mates

Durning this time she gained 2 more golden gate keys, Pollen spirit of subjection, and Kaalki spirit of teleportation

Kaalki was one of Damian's favorite spirit because most of the time she eliminated the need for long travel on vehicles that make him sick

Marinette was able to use star dress with Tixx and Pollen now, but Kaalki refused to do it so far, which Marinette respected

Damian, Marinette, and Jon's team became one of the top teams in the guild

Though they didn't have an official name a lot of the other guild members called them team Hatchling much to their chagrin

Marinette also noticed that Damian was very protective of her

He still let her fight and go on missions with other people, but he was also quick to shield her or step in front of her when facing off against dark wizards

Marinette acted like she was annoyed with it sometimes, but really she was flattered and couldn't help but feel a little flustere at his actions

Jon sometimes joked that he felt like a third wheel, but never made him feel left out or unwanted

They were a tight knit team so much so that when Marinette, the youngest of the group, turned 18 they decided to pool their money and buy a house together

They ended up buying a nice 2 story house close to the guild

It had 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms

It was decided early on after Damian almost burned down the kitchen that cooking would be left to Marinette and Jon and Damian would do any repair work that was needed around the house

About a month after moving in together Marinette started to wake up with Damian in her bed

Not like that you weirdos

Marinette would go to sleep alone in her bed and wake up snuggling with Damian

Not that she minded, but she did wish that he would at least ask before he snuck in

Damian claimed no knowledge in how he got in her bed

He says that he would fall asleep in his own bed and wake up in hers

When he told his brothers they all got the same smug look

Dick: oh you're growing up so fast hatchling

Jason: I guess we should be expecting wedding bells in the future now, huh?

Tim: Should have known, you wouldn't bring just anybody back to the guild with you

Damian: What are you morons babbling about? And I brought Marinette back because she's a powerful wizard

Dick: We're talking about how you are showing all the signs of a dragon slayer whi has found his mate

Damian: WHAT?!?!

Jason: That's right Demon Spawn, it looks like you found your mate

Tim: Dick acted the exact same way when he first met Kori

Damian continued to deny it until one day he found Marinette trying on her new white sundress that flowed around her like water

Something just clicked in his brain

Marinette was his mate no doubt about it

Now he only had to tell Marinette that

And he had every intention to tell Marinette there was just never a good time

As time past the Grand Magic Games approached

This is the first year that Damian, Jon, and Marinette were competing along with Dick, Jason, and Tim

This was also the first year that Marinette's old guild was competing

Their team consisted of Adrien, Alya, Nino, Lila, Natalie, and Ms. Bustier

Unknown to the Justice League guild Grabriel had a nefarious plot cooking up

Gabriel had ordered Lila and Natalie to try and get Marinette's keys no matter what

Marinette was the only person who stood in his way of attaining the final 6 golden keys

Once he gets those keys his wish can be granted and nobody will be able to stand in his way ever again

This wasn't the first time he tried to get the keys from the blasted girl

He sent wizard after wizard to get those keys and all were defeated and either sent back or sent off to jail

He even tried to send a dark guild after the girl and that led to her joining freaking Justice League!

He hoped that with all of the choas from the Grand Magic Games that getting the keys would be easy

Oh boy was he wrong

Marinette was nervous

This would be the first time Marinette would see her old guild in about 3 years

She hoped for the best, but new she wouldn't get it

And she was proven right as her, Damian, and Jon were making her away back to their hotel after exploring the city when they were stop by her old team

Alya: Oh if it isn't the weak little wizard that abandoned us

Marinette sighing: Hey guys how is it going

Lila: Great our team's status has gone way up since you left. We should have kicked you off the team way before

Marinette: You didn't kick me out I left on my own after you abandoned me with no way to protect myself from a dangerous wizard

Nino: Dont be so dramatic dudette. It's not like you got seriously hurt or anything.

Lila: In all honesty the only downside was losing that quick clean up your spirit did. You should have really left her and the rest of your keys with us.

Lila held out her hand like she actually expected Marinette to hand over her keys to her

Marinette stepped back covering her keys with her hands

Damian stepped in front of Marinette and Jon stepped closer to her side

Damian: You know compulsive rings are illegal. Luckily for us we were trained on how to spot those and other illegal rings right away, because their weakness is awareness

Lila growled under her breath

Why couldn't Marinette make this easy for her. It's not like she even deserve those keys

Adrien glaring: And who are you?

Jon: I'm Jon her guildmate

Damian: I'm Damian her...Guildmate!

Damian wanted to say mate, but he still hadn't had that talk with her yet about it and this was definitely not how he wanted her to find out

Alya snorting: Anothe rguild actually took you in? Who did you trick to pull that off

Marinette: I didn't trick anybody! I earned my spot in Justice League!

Marinette showed off her guild mark to her ex-friends

All their jaws dropped

Damian: That's right so unless you want to make some very powerful enemies you'll leave us alone

Damian wrapped his arm around Marinette's shoulder and lead her away from her ex-guild mates with Jon on her other side running her arm in comfort

The games started the next day full of different competitions and different match ups

Marinette hadn't had to go one on one against her ex guild yet until she was put up against Lila in a match up

The two girls stood across from eachother glaring

Lila in the taunting voice how about we make this more interesting Dupen-Cheng. If I win I get your celestial keys if you win I will admit every lie I've ever told

Marinette glaring even harder: NO WAY LILA! No decent celestial wizard would trade their keys away on a bet. My spirits are my friends. No, they're more than that they're my family, I would rather die then let you touch even 1 of them!

Lila with and evil glint in her eye: So be it. If you win it's not like it would actually count. You'll just hide behind you spirits the whole time

Marinette glared at the girl wanting to prove her wrong

The battle that followed was brutal

Marinette didn't call her celestial spirits right away she used her star dress to fight Lila

She would switch between her star dresses impressing the crowd

She switch from ladybug, to black cat, to turtle, which was a soldier looking outfit, to Bee, which was black overall shorts with a yellow off the shoulder crop top striped tights and yellow converses with her hair in a bun.

Marinette finished Lila using her fox star dress creating a illusion of herself to lure Lila out and knocked her out with a blow to the back of her head

Marinette won

She felt a weight ahe didn't realize was there lift off her shoulders

She just proved that everything Lila had ever said about her and other celestial wizards wrong

She felt her teammates engulf her in a hug yelling congratulations before lifting her up and carrying her out of the stadium cheering

The rest of the games were just as exhilarating the final match up that will decide if Justice League or Miraculous Moth would win the whole tournament was between Damian and Adrien

Damian remember all the times Marinette cried over how her old team treated her and he wanted revengs

Nobody treated his mate like that and got away from it

The battle was brutal if one boy gained the upper hand the other would take it back quickly

But Damian won the match up and the tournament with a well time shadow dragon roar

Justice League piled into the stadium surrounding Damian as they cheered over their victory as Adrien was being carried out by medics

Marinette squeezed her way through the crowd reaching Damian

Marinette: Congregations Damian you did great

Damian: Thanks Ang-

Marinette cut him off with a kiss on the lips

Damian froze for a moment before wrapping his arms around her waist and kissing her back enjoying every second of it

The two vaguely registered that the cheering seemed to get louder but ignored it

The guild continued the celebrate throughout the night

Most of the guild was so hungover the next day that they had to put off leaving till another day

A decision they would soon regret as they were attacked the next day by Miraculous Moth

Apparently Grabriel was tired if waiting and decided to attack Justice League whe. He thought they would be at their weakness

Miraculous Moth wasn't as powerful as as Justice League, but they had more members

It was 4 to 1

But Justice League refused to give down without a fight

The battle that followed destroyed half of the town they were in

Luckily Barry, Wally, and Kaalki were able to work together using speed and teleportation magic to get the civilians out of the town

During the climax of the battle Marinette finally learned what type of magic her former guild master possessed

He was a celestial wizard just like her

He also had 6 golden gate keys

During the fight Marinette called put Tikki and Plagg while having Wayzz star dress while Gabriel called his own spirits

Gabriel: Give up you stupid girl! You're no match for me!

Marinette hiding behind her shield: Why are you doing this?

Grabiel: To bring back my wife and to gain power over the celestial king

Marinette: You're planning on using the 12 golden gate keys to form a key for the celestial king!?! That will destroy the other spirits! IT WILL KILL THEM!!! I CAN'T LET YOU DO THIS!

Gabriel: And what are you going to do about it?

Marinette darted her eyes around trying to think of a solution when her eyes landed on Damian and she remember a spell her grandfather taught her. One that only the most powerful celestial wizards could cast, and one that must only be used in emergencies.

Marinette closed Tikki's and Plagg's gates before yelling to Damian

Marinette: DAMIAN CATCH!

Marinette threw her keys to Damian who gave her a confused looked but trusted Marinette and her apparent plan

Marinette charged towards Gabriel not dropping her star dress until the very last minutes

Marinette grabbed his keys not letting go as Gabriel tried to claw them out of his hands: Scattered these keys to the four winds. Use the stars as their guide to lead them to partners. Let them shoot across the sky like falling stars and hope that they land within good hands!

As Marinette finished her spell Gabriel's key ring exploded sending his keys across the continent.

The shock wave from the explosion pushed Marinette and Gabriel back

The shock was just what Justice League needed to end the battle and win

Gabriel: NNNOOOOO!!! What have you've done?

Marinette: I've scattered your keys and I won't let you hurt any of them ever again.

With the battle over and Miraculous Moth in custody life was able to settle down

Damian was finally able to talk to Marinette about them being mates

They started dating and 2 years in after a sorcerers' weekly article (a/n: going to do a seperate ova post telling that story) Damian marked her as his mate showing everybody they were together forever

Team Hatchlings adventures continued on for many years

Through marriage, kids, and old age the team of three remained the best of friends, Damian and Marinette welcoming Jon's wife into their team with open arms

No matter what the friends stuck together and fought for what was not only for themselves and their friends but for the future.

@loysydark

@mikantsume

@doli09

@krissykat0207

@czgamz

@myazael

@renscorpio

@mochinek0

@daminett4life

@kuroko26

@vixen-uchiha

[fiction-fun]

Hey! Would like to request a story for Kurama x Botan from YYH, with some angst and hurt/comfort because that's the good stuff lol Thanks in advance! =D

Hey! I hope this is something like what you want!

Fandom: Yu Yu Hakusho

Pairing: Kurama/Botan

Words: 1268

Warnings: none

Botan sighed as she looked at the spirit she floated in front of.

“Sir, I’m sorry but you have to come with me. You’ve….” Botan tried again for the third time to get the man to understand.

He glared at her.

“No! You listen here! I’m not going anywhere! Not with you, or anyone!” He declared again.

Botan’s head dropped down and she groaned softly.

“Sir please. You have to come with me you can’t just….” Botan was once again interrupted.

“I said no! You stupid bitch, I said I wasn’t going anywhere!” The man said angrily as he advanced on Botan.

Botan sighed and groaned again, before looking at him with her own glare.

“Fine! Stay! Get stuck on earth for all eternity! See if I care!” she said before flying off.

Botan sighed in relief as her feet touched down in spirit world, before she walked into the building. She headed towards Koenma’s office to explain what had happened and then to sign out for lunch.

“You’ll just have to keep trying Botan there’s nothing else to be done. And don’t be late for you next appointment!” Koenma said firmly without looking up from his work.

Botan turned with a huff and walked out of his office and the building all together, with a sigh her shoulders slumped as she moved to sit atop her oar. She took flight to the human world and let a small smile grace her face as she let herself relax, knowing a certain someone was bound to help her feel better. She paused outside of his work before taking a breath and ghosting through the wall into his office, still invisible. She watched him finish a meeting for a few minutes before he dismissed his co-workers.

“I thought we were meeting at the diner, not that I’m not happy to see you sooner.” The red head said as he turned to face her.

Botan smiled became visible to everyone, not just him.

“We were originally. But today’s been a day and I just…. wanted to see you.” Botan said softly as she walked towards him.

Kurama smiled softly, concern creasing his brow a bit as he held his hand out pulling her down into his lap. He reached up and brush her blue hair out of her pink eyes.

“That doesn’t sound very good.” Kurama said and it wasn’t a question.

Botan sighed softly and nodded leaning her forehead against his shoulder.

“No, it’s not. I’ve had three souls fight me repeatedly on going to spirit world and Koenma’s done nothing about it! If it was just verbal fighting that’d be one thing.” Botan said softly voice muffled against his shoulder.

Kurama froze slightly at her words as they fully registered in his brain. He titled his head down and lifted hers with his finger, to meet her eyes.

“What do you mean if it was just words?” He asked his voice calm and quiet.

Botan shivered slightly at the undertone in his voice, she knew what it meant.

“One guy slapped me and another shoved me and I hit a wall. I’m ok though don’t worry!” Botan said trying to put some cheer in her voice, it came out sounding false.

Kurama stood still holding her gently and settled her in his office chair, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

“I’ll be right back, then we can go to lunch.” He finally said with a small smile.

Botan nodded watching him. After his door closed she leaned back and closed her eyes.

‘This isn’t going to end well, is it?’ she thought sarcastically to herself as she waited for Kurama to return.

After a few minutes, Kurama returned with his jacket on and his bag in hand, he offered her his free hand.

“Shall we?” he asked smiling at her gently.

She couldn’t help the smile that spread across her face, as she nodded and took his offered hand.

“We shall.” She said softly.

Kurama lead her from the building, and towards a little Café on the corner that they frequented. They settled into their normal table, outside in a back corner surrounded by the flowering bushes that worked as privacy barriers between the outside seating and the pedestrians on the street. It also helped it was far enough for the other tables, that they could talk relatively freely without anyone over hearing them. They spent a nice time relaxing over lunch and Botan sighed softly as she realized the time.

“I don’t want to go back. But I have to get back to work. Koenma wants those spirits in spirit world by the end of today.” She said softly looking up at him, her pink eyes meeting his green.

Kurama gave her a smile as he stood and offered her his hand.

“Well then we should get going.” He said softly.

Botan gave him a confused look as she took his hand, standing with him.

“What do you mean? What about your work?” she asked looking up at him.

He carefully brushed her hair from her face.

“Don’t worry, I took care of it. I’m all yours for the rest of today.” Kurama said softly.

Botan smiled up at him, slightly confused still but also grateful. The two of them walked off, Botan tugging them lightly into an alley where she went invisible and he smiled as he watched her. After a minute she smiled at him, and took his hand lifting them into the sky to go back around the city back to the first spirit that had caused her issues.

“Not you again, you sniveling bitch! I already told you I ain’t goin’ an….” The man’s sentence broke off mid word as he turned and saw just who was standing there.

Kurama who had been leaning against a lamppost, hands in his pockets stood up and stepped closer to the spirit.

“I believe you owe Botan an apology and to go with her peacefully. We wouldn’t want anything….hm…unsavory to happen to you, now, would we?” Kurama asked voice smooth and low.

Botan felt a shiver run down her spine at his tone. The spirit was obviously affected as well as he quickly apologized and agreed to go with her to Spirit world. Botan turned to look at Kurama who smiled and waved.

“I’ll be here when you get back. And maybe we can even have a nice early dinner at home, then relax a little.” Kurama said as he moved over to sit on a bench.

“Thank you, I’ll be back!” Botan called before bringing the spirit up.

She returned and the scene repeated a few more times before the day was done. When they got home, Kurama sent Botan to go relax for a little bit and he made dinner. They ate a simple dinner before curling up in bed with a show playing in the background.

“You didn’t have to do that, but I grateful you did.” Botan whispered an hour or so later.

Kurama smiled down at her, leaning over and pressing a kiss to her forehead.

“I’d do anything for you, even if it means playing the big bad fox to a couple of disagreeable spirits.” He said with a small laugh.

Botan giggled with him and snuggled in close, yawning softly and slowly falling asleep. Kurama smiled at her again, setting his book to the side and pressing another kiss to the top of her head. He reached over flipped the light off and slid down in bed, allowing himself to relax and fall asleep with Botan curled in his arms.

[bellatrixobsessed1]

Speak No Evil (Part 15)

There is a relief that comes with the knowledge that her journey is almost through and what a painful and hellish journey right to the very end. She hurts all over, in and out. But it doesn’t matter because the pain can’t follow her where she is going. She certainly hopes that it can’t.

Seicho blabbers on and on behind her but she is far past listening or caring. The stories had been nice, those little gestures and soft words… They aren’t enough.

They aren’t enough and they sting as much as they help. It should be TyLee speaking them. And even if it had been, she wouldn’t have deserved them. She doesn’t deserve help now and so she won’t take it.

“Seriously. Slow down.”

She hastens her pace if for no other reason than to push a message through.

Her belly rumbles and her throat begs for something to alleviate the dryness. She doesn’t have time to attend these needs. They are trivial anyhow. Null and pointless. The volcano is so close that she can taste sulphur and retribution on her tongue. She thinks that the two might share a taste.

She isn’t sure that the lava will be enough to cleanse her spirit and the demons that plague her emotions. She is lost, lost beyond finding. Beyond salvation. She is scared. Scared and alone. Scared and determined.

.oOo.

Tuya passes her a bowl of tentacle soup. TyLee doesn’t mean to be rude but she crinkles her nose. “Can I get something less...uh…” she jabs at the little suction cups, “tentacle-y?”

Tuya laughs. “Arctic hen or sea prune stew?”

“Oh either one of those would be great.” She smiles. “Arctic hen sounds good though.” Mostly she just wants to smell the fire that it will be cooked over. She can’t help but miss the Fire Nation at least a little especially on the nights when the wind whips merciless flurries at the walls and the arctic fox-wolves howl.  Fire smells cozy. It smells like home. Not that Tuya hasn’t made her feel like she is at home still.

It has been more than wonderful to learn about domestic life in the tribes. It is as cozy and mundane as the glacier was chilling and grand. She thinks that she likes the simplicity of bundling herself up in heavy furs--so long as she doesn’t think of the hunting it took to get them. Though she has come to respect the hunters and their rituals.

She tries to imagine herself snuggled up with a new lover by the fire but she can only picture Azula and Mai. Despite it all, she misses them too. But she doesn’t miss the way that they made her feel when it got bad…

“I said, do you want some seasoning on your arctic hen?”

“Oh!” TyLee exclaims, “yeah, that sounds nice, just a little though. Too much seasoning tickles my nose.”

Tuya laughs, “you remind me of my twin.”

“You have a twin?”

“Yatu.” She smiles. “He went out with the last hunting party, they should be back soon.”

“Do you think that he could teach me about hunting?”

“You want to hunt?”

TyLee shakes her head vigorously. “Oh no, I could never bring myself to actually do it. I just wanted to learn about some of the hunting rituals.”

“I’m sure that he’d like to do that, he loves talking about his hunts.” She hands TyLee a platter of arctic hen. “Now enjoy your meal and I can tell you some of my favorite folktales.”

TyLee grins. “I have a few from the Fire Nation!”

She takes a bite. The arctic fox-wolves howl into the storm, one long and drawn out call after the next. And, later on, when she lays her head back and really listens, she swears that she can hear the arctic lights singing.

.oOo.

It is so close now and her feet are so sore. The woman hasn’t paused once since leaving the ruins, not to sleep, not to eat. Seicho has had walk and eat at the same time, nearly stumbling several times.

And now their trek is almost finished. The volcano looms overhead jagged, burnt black, and sinister. A hateful mound with a simmering core. Seicho’s stomach flutters with anxious anticipation.

“Can we slow down?” Seicho asks again, huffing and panting. She is drenched in sweat and ready to topple. She doesn’t know how the woman can manage, especially since she hasn’t eaten or drank a thing. Either the woman is used to this sort of thing or she just doesn’t care at all. Or maybe she is just so frighteningly distraught that she doesn’t feel anything but whatever torments her.

Seicho has a fear of her own, a distress of her own. A yelling, yowling demon and the woman is rousing it awake. She is digging up dark treasures that she isn’t aware of at all. She is carrying the skeletons to the surface without even realizing that there are bones in her hands.

The shadow of the volcano falls over them. It sends a chill through her entire being. She very nearly laughs. She has to, afterall, the whole endeavor has been one big joke. She has a feeling that the woman thinks so too. She has a feeling that the woman has a lot of unsavory opinions despite everything. They reach the foot of the volcano and Seicho reaches her breaking point.

“You think that I don’t know what this is?!” Seicho damn near shrieks. “You think that I don’t know what this whole quest has been about?”

The woman stares almost blankly at her. There is a glimmer of resentment or annoyance.

“I know that you think I am, but I’m not clueless.” She bunches her fists. “It was all...it was all bullshit! The ruins, the spirit, of course you didn’t even want to check them out! You’ve never even been in this jungle before.”

The woman turns around to continue her stride. But Seicho has reached her limit, she has reached several of them. She grabs her by the shoulder and turns her around. “You just played along to appease me so that you can…” she gestures to the volcano. “Chara, my sister, she did the same thing. She didn’t ‘just not come home’ one day. I saw her swim out into the ocean…” Her voice breaks, falters. She is shaking. “I told my parents that I had no idea what happened to her because I knew how they would feel.”

For a moment, she thinks that the woman will change her mind. She shakes Seicho off of her and makes the final few steps to the base of the volcano with a renewed vigor. She watches the woman take the first few steps onto it and resents the earthbending ancients who had carved a convenient little staircase into the volcano’s rim.

“Go ahead!” She shouts. “Stairs or not, it’s a long climb. You won’t even be able to make it to the top.”

She isn’t deterred. Seicho hadn’t expected her to be, she has been nothing but persistent and stubborn. But it doesn’t matter, when a body is spent, it is spent. Especially if the mind that inhibits it is twice as exhausted.

She follows the woman up the stairs, she has to give her credit, she makes it a little more than halfway up. She topples and Seicho nearly goes with her. She braces herself against the rocks and heaves her back up. She removes her pack and has herself a real meal before lifting the woman up and beginning the daunting trip back down. With luck, they will be a good distance from the volcano by the time she wakes up. With luck, Seicho will be able to handle whatever fit she will throw upon doing so.

[madllamamomma]

Journey Back to the South Part 10~

[Ok I am so sorry this is late! I am currently on vacation with my husband, then my step dad now has the virus and that really stressed me out, because I’m closer to him than my own P.O.S. father... Sooooo yeah... Life is a nightmare. Thats why I write fan fiction to escape it..... Thats healthy.... right......right?.... *crickets....*  Anyways, enjoy!]

WARNING: Heavy topics about abuse and rape. NSFW.

Part 10~

“You’re important too.”~

As the crowd is continuously distracted by giving praise to the new Illuminator, Muriel is still gently forcing his way towards the front where you are standing. As he finally comes to your rescue, he is just as shocked as you are to find Shona, the sole Kokhurian in all of the Shining Steppe that claims to despise you and your people, hugging your neck and literally crying on your shoulder. Unsure what to do, your hands hover over her but you are unsure what to do with them. “Uummm…”.

“Thank you….” Shona whispers, shakiness in her voice. Just as quickly as she embraced you, she pulls away and scurries off out of the gathering tent without a second glance or thoughts. Everyone else is too focused on showering Ava with much deserved praise, no one else even noticed what had just happened.

You glance up and meet Muriel’s eyes, and he mirrors the same dumbfounded expression that's in your face. As his hand wraps around your waist to pull you close, you both stare out the tent in the direction she fled, and he mutters. “Did…..did she…. just—?”

You nod your head slowly, still completely stunned as well. “I’m…. I’m glad I wasn’t the only one who witnessed it. I don’t think I would have believed what happened…… I still don’t believe it actually.”

This is… very shocking. Little did you suspect that she’d thank you let alone hug you.

Soon the crowd makes their way outside around the large fire in the middle of camp. Muriel tugs you both along with everyone else and notice Una standing in front of the fire as she speaks in Ruin. “We thank our Great Mother and Great Father for blessing us with a very fruitful year. We have had many blessings that we have shared. Many victories, and some losses. But we are strong, we will always keep going. Tonight concludes our Winter Solstice! May winter have mercy on us as we continue to honor our Great Mother and Father. May our departed visit us tonight as the spirit realm and the living realm merge tonight....” Una keeps going on, but you start to zone out slightly feeling very tired all of a sudden and you lean into your hermit. Even he looks a bit tired, lusting after a good night sleep.

As soon as the closing ceremony was completed, Muriel, Inanna and you head back to the tent and nearly collapse out of exhaustion. Lazily taking off your clothes and dress into your long shirt and taking off your pants. All the anxiousness you and Muriel had felt for Ava’s trials have all but vanished and left the want to sleep for about a full day or two. Even though the ‘celebration’ was completed, it sounds like others are still up, singing, dancing, and being merry and whatnot… Hmmm… it has to be for Ava. But they deserve to be celebrated over! They worked so hard... You groggily turn over and murmur good night to Muriel and Inanna before you gently drift off to sleep and you feel a feather light kiss on your temple and his warm arm wrap around the small of your back. For some reason you hear Una’s words repeat in your head before slipping out of consciousness.

‘May our departed visit us tonight…… as the spirit realm and the living realm merge tonight…..’

—————————

The feeling of being on all fours and fur all over my body are becoming rather familiar to me now. The dark tundra is frigid and icy and I can see my warm breath cloud in front of my face, yet it never bothers me. The moon is just barely showing any light on the dark plane. I’m alone again…. but not for very long.

I can’t help but feel such joy when I start to sense warm air rush overhead and a large ball of fire lights up the hillside. It’s her…. Rhemi… She flutters her wings over me for a moment and she makes happy little calls and I growl softly back in response. Gracefully, she brings herself down from the sky and perches herself on a nearby bolder. Once comfortable, her flames dissipate showing her dark brown and red feathers, the dark night blankets the vast tundra once again. For a moment I just gaze at her…. Even now, underneath all her magical flames she is so beautiful. She always is…

My body starts to move, and before I realize it I’m sitting next to her by the boulder. Her small beak rests on my snout, and she snuggles up against my thick fur like she always does, even in the real world. I always like how she does that. It makes me feel wanted… loved. After a while the two of us start to stare into the dark night sky, I’m unsure why, but I feel like something is bound to happen soon.

The Aurora’s lights suddenly start to dance across the sky and I can hear that deep humming once again. With bright colorful lights illuminating the tundra, I can see that we are sitting in the middle of Khamgali’s graveyard on a small hill.

One by one I can see what looks like people’s casts burst from the ground and tombstones. Bears, wolves, eagles, hawks, caribou, foxes, and many other animals crawl out. But after they come out, their bodies become physical like mine and Rhemi’s. The bright colors of the cast dissipate giving away to the various furs, feathers and other features. Thousands emerge and stretch their limbs and backs out as if they have been resting for a long time. Soon the creatures start to roam around, seemingly recognizing each other, and greet nearby animals. Some even start to wrestle, chase, or play around on the vast plane. I find myself rather dumbfounded at this sight, unable to take my eyes off the scene. It is even rather entertaining to see.

“...Muriel?..” A very deep male voice calls out from behind us nearly startling Rhemi and I—I…. I feel like I know that voice… The two of us quickly turn around. Two bears are standing side by side; one as big as I am, maybe even slightly bigger, and the other is smaller and silky, beautiful. They both have deep green eyes and have this presence to them that feels…. comforting…. warm… I feel like I know them. Like I used to see them in my dreams before when I was young…

The smaller one starts to approach me warily, apparently attempting to not scare me… She smells sweet like fresh heather and after the morning dew. It finally clicks in my head… Her presence is all too familiar and I step backwards ashamed and I hang my head down low wishing to disappear. I glance my eyes over to Rhemi, still perched on the boulder. She looks a little confused at first, but seems to understand who these bears are as she sees my face. Her ruby eyes light up, and she mutters a low chirp as her eyes glance back to the two bears in wonder.

I shake my head as my eyes shut close tightly and the feeling of dread overwhelms me, tightening my chest and my stomach feels like it's in knots. No…. please no… No, no, no….  I…. I really don’t deserve you or your comfort… all this time I thought you both….. just got rid of me… Because I was a burden… but really you were just protecting me… protecting this land… Now that I stayed here I completely understand why you did….. but for the longest time… I didn’t want to care about you… I didn’t want to even think about you…… No…. I don’t deserve your love.

Suddenly I feel the small bear lifts my head up with hers and starts to softly growl and grunt as she lovingly nuzzles my furry neck with her small silky soft snout. She’s a lot stronger than I expected and she pushes up against me, but she’s comforting non the less…. She has tears in her deep green eyes as she huddles close to me. The other larger one trots over and gently lays his head over top of mine. Why does the feeling of him there so reminiscent of when he would pat me on top of my head? I remember enjoying that when he came back after hunting or trading…. Now that I think about it, I do the same to Ida when I see her.

The two bears both are making very small sad, yet happy, gruff whimpering noises like their hearts are torn in two… I don’t want to… but I feel myself relax as they are around me. I know why you both stayed here and fought—I do now at least… but…… part of me…. wishes we all left the Steppe together—GodDamn it….. that sounds so selfish.…. But…. I wish…. I got to know you both better myself… I wish you got to know... me. Maybe… I’d be more like you two…. maybe I would be braver….. stronger…

The small bear pulls away to look me in the eyes. I can see the corner of lips curl up… she’s smiling at me… she looks… proud? “Our little cub…” She says softly, but somehow does it without moving her mouth at all. Her voice is as silky, calm, and smooth as her fur... Just like I faintly remember when she used to sing home to sleep.

“... Look how you have grown. Our boy, mo ghoul.”  The large bear mutters, his voice shaky. His voice minds me of the one in my head. Very similar to my own when I speak, but just slightly different….. it’s strange to hear. “We love you, Son… we always have….”

I don’t open my mouth…. but somehow words flow out like a river before I can stop them. “..... I know….. I know you did…. I’m sorry…. I’m so sorry…” I can feel tears drop down my long nose. Just less than a minute ago, I didn’t want them to come even near me…. but… now…. I don’t want them to leave…. “I wish I was better for you both…..”

“Nothing to be sorry about, my son.” The bigger bear mutters in such a kind and warm tone. “We can never ask for a better son. We are sorry we had to leave so soon.”

The two bears huddle up to me once again. This time they are even tighter… Even though they don't have any arms, I can feel their loving embrace around me. It feels good… Like I have been craving it somehow. “We will always be here with you cub…. Always…. Even if you don’t see us.” The smaller bear says.

….I can feel that pulling once again…. Something is taking me back to my body…..

Please no!..... Why?! Why am I being pulled back now?! Whatever this is—a God? Father Sky? Or Mother Earth?.... or even me…. Please stop this!! Don’t make me leave them!!.... Not again… Please!!! I want to be with them…..just... let me stay…. just a little longer….. wait… —WAIT!

“We love you, little cub.” I can hear them both say as I fade away from this realm….

“..... I love you both too…..”

————————

You can feel as Muriel snaps his trunk up from the bedding with a gasp. For a moment he just sits there panting hard. His movements wake you from your slumber as well. But it takes you a few seconds for you to  sit up and get awake. Once you feel like you can move your body, you rub your tired eyes to comfort Muriel… Those bears... they were Glenna and Artturi… his parents. Una mentioned that the solstice was the time when the spirit realm is closest to the living. You glance up towards the hole in the tent. It’s still night, the moon is hardly even out... Probably not even midnight yet.

Carefully you slide your small fingers and lace them with his and he very slowly tightens his grasp. You both sit there for a while in silence listening to the fire crackle and hiss. “...You ok?....” You very quietly ask, leaning your head against his large deltoid and look up to his very emotionally torn face. He presses his lips tightly together and he very sluggishly nods his head, but you can see the tears forming in his eyes. “.... Ya’ know….. It’s ok to miss them….” You whisper.

He opens and closes his mouth a few times, trying so hard to say what’s on his mind. “I didn't…. I didn’t care when I forgot their voices… or their faces…” He stops for a moment and he closes his eyes and furrows his brow, thinking hard. “.... I dunno…. maybe I didn’t think I did…. but… but now… I.... I just…. just…. wish……” Tears flow from his eyes and chokes on his sentence. He covers his eyes with his hands to stop them and shakes his head irritated with himself as his body starts to tremble. “.....S-... Sorry…. Rem.” He murmurs through his tears.

“Please, don’t be sorry, Mur...” Your heart breaks in two anytime you see him cry like this… but it’s to be expected after that dream. Sitting on your knees, you wrap your arms around Muirel’s shoulders from behind him and place a kiss on his temple bone. Those two bears were his parents' spirits…. ghosts?… previous casts?— Well…. whatever you want to call them, and however they got there hardly matters. The fact is that they were there to see him. Perhaps Artturi still can leap into dreams even after death?...Maybe he knows how to bring Glenna with him?...Who really knows?... You take in a large thoughtful breath and place a soft kiss on Muriel’s head again. “... It’s okay to miss them… even if you don’t remember.” You understand how it feels not to remember your parents faces either. It hurts not to know—it’s almost infuriating how much it does.

He shakes his head avoiding looking you in the eye. “.... All my life…. I didn’t… let myself… miss them..... but n-... now…. Do… do I even have the right to?.... Especially after the way I thought of them? That they just... abandoned their only son?”

“Of course you do, Love…” You tenderly guild his head down and turn him so he rests his head on your chest and pet his hair and he clutches the back of your shirt. He seems to feel soothed once he’s there and starts to calm down a bit. “….. You were too young to understand what was really happening…… no one was there to tell you tell you otherwise….. You did what you had to do to survive….. Perhaps thinking that they sent you away was a method of coping with it all… somehow to make sense of it... It’s better than not knowing anything forever… I think guessing about it most of your early life would have been worse.” He huffs a long exhale and shrugs. Your fingers brush through his dark hair pulling it out of his handsome face. “...You really shouldn't beat yourself up about it, Muriel. ”

“.... I wish I could… see—” He slightly flounders in his words, then gives up mid sentence in frustration. “—I…. I don’t know…..”

“Come here…..” You whisper, very tenderly pulling him back down to the bedding. As you rest your head back on the pillows and he buries himself into your neck and shoulder holding you tight while you both lay on your sides. You squeeze him back comfortingly, tears still slowly trickling from his eyes. “... They both were so happy to see you….” You mutter just above a whisper, pushing back his hair out of his face again.

He softly closes his eyes, melting into your touch, but doesn't appear to be convinced. “.... How can I know?.... Know for sure?..”

“They were. I know it…… So do you…. they loved you, Muri. They still do….. I… I think they’re still watching like Khamgalai….. But perhaps the Great Lights really do hold a part of their spirits….. even after a year has passed…. just like Kok… I guess we’ll never really know for sure…. But I know they are proud of you. You could tell on their faces.”

“...... I….. I wish I could have known them…..” His body starts to feel slightly warmer as he looks back into your eyes rather sheepishly. “... I wish…. they could have met… you….”

You smile back at him a little… He doesn’t know. “Well…” He lifts his head up slightly and listens to you intently. “....Before….. I woke up….. And you left…. For some reason I stayed a little longer….”

“...What?” His eyes light up and widen as you say that. “.... What…. what did they…?”

“.....They just…. Kinda hugged me—well first your mother inspecting new all over like Una did our first day here— but then they both nuzzled their faces kindly on me like they did to you….” You can feel as your cheeks glow red as you continue and Muriel still has his eyes locked onto your in astonishment. “...They asked me…. To take care of you…..”

“They….. they did?” Muriel seems to get a hold of his tears now. You scoot into your back and he follows, slightly hovering over you, resting his hand on his propped up arm... “.....and… what did you say?”

You can’t help but give a silly love stricken grin as you open your mouth to tell him the answer. “I told them I would… forever…. until I drew my last breath… and even after that…..” Your hands start to shake a bit, feeling anxious as you continue, and you grab his large hand and caress his palm with your small thumbs. “.... I will always be here by your side, Muriel. I will protect you with all my might….” His eyes seem to sparkle when you utter those words and he looks so adorably smitten. But then your brain decides to ruin the moment as overthinking takes over and you start to expel words. “Well—I know that’s not saying much… I-I’m not very strong physically compared to you—…. but you know I can kick some ass if I need too— I won’t let anyone hurt you that’s for sure! As long as I can—” Suddenly Muriel’s hand cups your right cheek and he presses his parted lips to yours, stopping your silly rant and kisses you like you're the air he needs to breathe. A little surprised muffled squeak escapes from behind your teeth, but then you start to melt into his touch and kiss him back.

As he very slowly pulls away, his forehead meets with yours with a little happy grin on his face as he strokes your bottom lip with his thumb. “.... Sometimes….. you talk too much….” He says with an amused snort.

You slightly pull away, sticking out your bottom lip, feeling a little embarrassed and you avert your gaze to the other side of the tent and sigh, “Yeaaaaah….. I know…” You do have a tendency to rant at the worst of times.

He exhales sharply through his nose and he turns your face back with his thumb and pointer. “....But I love you for it….” He sits up, holds you close and your head rests in his large shoulder as he embraces you tightly, and you kiss his neck a little. “... thanks…. for being here… and…. letting me talk… and understanding me…”

You smile wrapping your arms around his strong torso. “I always will, Muri… I love you… with all my heart.”

“... I love you too….” His whispers back in your ear very sweetly.

He returns laying on his side facing toward your direction and the two of you lay there facing one another, still entangled in each other's arms as you both drift off back to sleep.

—————With feather made of hot embers, you float back to the realm of dreams————

…….But this time Muriel isn’t there with you….

You glance down, and your feathers have faded away and you are in your normal body.

This place…. it looks familiar….. you're not sure where you’ve seen it before. But it feels like you’ve dreamt…. or maybe been there…. but a very long time ago...

—It’s night time again. The buildings look different to you compared to the ones back home. They are mostly made of wood instead of brick or stone, they are delicate looking. Tall mountain peaks are surrounded everywhere, on the very tops are powdered with snow. It looks like whatever city you’re in, lives in the heart of a valley. The sea is nowhere in sight, neither is salt in the air. You’re landlocked. It's rather pretty scenery wise, but a strong sense of foreboding seeps into your chest as you continue to roam this strange place…. Why do I know this place…. it's so pretty here… so why do I feel like I hate it?

Suddenly you stumble upon what looks like a noble’s house… a vast mansion with tall widows and ornate sculptures everywhere… It's rather lovely… almost reminds you almost of Nadia’s palace, the bright lights inside make the stained glass windows shimmer as they cast their colored light on the stone outside. As it appears to be flakes of snow are softy falling down. You peer up and twirl around, even though you hate being cold, you have always liked to watch snow as it fell from the heavens. Cupping your hands, you reach out your palms to catch them. However the white snow turns dark and looks ominous. Once it falls into your hands you then realize it’s not snow at all—It’s soot and embures falling from the sky. Your body makes an about face back to the beautiful home. The entire mansion is now engulfed in flames. You never thought that stone or marble could catch fire…. but it seems that you were wrong….

There isn’t a soul around and you look all over for someone to help put it out. But it’s dead still other than the terrible flames consuming the building. You're still all alone…. or so you think…. Out of nowhere, a lone woman with dark brownish red shoulder length hair, and very familiar looking clothing is suddenly standing in front of you about eight meters away. With her back turned away as she stares at the flames as they quickly eat away at the mansion. “...H-... Hello?” You quietly call out to her, almost afraid to utter a single word.

Eerily the mysterious woman turns her neck around very sluggishly, just enough to reveal a small part of her profile over her shoulder. The whites of her eyes are blood red and sickly looking, you can even see red veins under her eyes and mouth. You take a few steps back instinctively out of fear. I know that look all too well…. The red plague….. those are the end stages…. The visible corner of her lip curls up into a comfortable grin as she stares at you with those cold burgundy eyes that almost have no life in them.

Your feet take a few steps back in fear. “Who….. who are you?”

She still won’t turn herself all the way around to face you, but there isn’t any denying her familiar features.... Is that…. me? Your eyes squint and you tilt your head feeling just completely dumbfounded once again tonight.

Finally she opens her mouth and begins to speak over the loud roaring flames as the mansion’s riff begins to crumble away. “...... You know who…...” it’s rather creepy to hear your own voice answer you, but it sounds so weak… so tired… so strained.

“What do you want?...” You ask not sure if to run or press on.

“.... Truth….” She replies, the loud noises if the inferno dampens as she speaks, you can hear her crystal clearly.

“...Wha—What do you mean ‘truth’?” You shake your head slowly trying to comprehend this strange answer. “Where are we—?”

A loud viscous enraged scream suddenly comes from the fiery mansion making you nearly jump out of your skin. It sounds like a person has been very badly injured…. But a very icy shiver runs down your spine and shakes you to your very core. It sounds like the voice of the creature who killed Ezavior—It frightens you to hear it again so soon. “W-..... What is that?? Is there someone in there? Shouldn’t we save them??”

The wind starts to pick up her hair and flows over her face. “....You know who…..”

You feel as your mouth sneers at that preposterous answer. “What??—No I don’t! That's why I’m asking!”

“You know who it is…..” She repeats sounding almost saddened. “.... You can’t deny it….. You know they survived… You remember seeing them… don’t you?”

“What—? No!!! I don’t!!! Don’t you listen??” You start to become frustrated with all of this strangeness, and just desire answers, not more coded messages.

She shakes her head disappointedly, her grin falls and turns her back to you once more and sighs. “...You're still not ready… one day your going to need to face this…I may not be here to protect you anymore.....”

“What?— What does that even mean?”

“.....Now is not the time…. Not yet.... you should go.”

“What do you mean I’m not ready?!— WOOOH!! HEY!!” Out of nowhere an invisible force wraps around your torso and throws you backwards through an open door frame. It’s so dark inside.

She finally turns all the ways around, but the flames cast too dark of a shadow for you to see her sick face. “Go…. be with him… enjoy the time you share spending together.” She says warily.

“What do you mean?? What’s going on?! Wait just a moment!!! Why aren’t fucking answer me??”

She brings up her left hand and waves it. “I suppose you’ll see in time….” She utters lastly as the door shut in front of your face before you can dash out of it.

“Wait!!!” You scream right before the door completely slam closed. It then starts to feel farther and farther out of reach then it completely disappears into oblivion and you find you yourself running towards it. “WAIIT!!!!!”

—————

“Mmmmmmm…. W-Wait......” Your body sits straight up and you wake with a start fluttering your eyes open….. Did I just say.. something… just now? What was I even doing?

“Rem—You ok?” Muriel and Inanna quickly come to your side from the middle of the tent by the fire, both look rather worried. “—Was it another bad dream?”

You squint your eyes and look all around, slowly becoming oriented with where you exactly are. “Hmmmm? Wha-.....What now?”

Muriel brushes his knuckles against your sleepy cheek and huffs a bit grumpily. “.... Did you just have a bad dream?”

You realize that you were just dreaming and it was a strange one too. You tilt your head looking at the covers, squinting your eyes in attempts to recall it… but there is just nothing…nothing you can remember about what you just dreamt. Inanna nudges her snout under your right elbow and you start to lift your arm up to pet her still pondering hard. Your lips click, and you shake your head a little. “...I….. I don’t really know….. it was definitely a weird one….. But I…. I can’t really tell you what happened in it….” He looks at you pointedly, brow slightly furrowed, looking for any signs of fibbing. You stifle and yawn and drowsily smirk taking his wrist and place it over your cheek, cuing him to hold your face. “I told you I would talk to you. I promised, Mur. This time I really don’t remember. I would tell you if I did.”

He sighs and he slightly relaxes as you lean into his touch and he strokes your cheek with his thumb, looking more convinced. “Alright….” He leans down and kisses your forehead sweety and you do a little happy tired wiggle. “Come on, I made some breakfast for us.”

“Alrighty~” You get yourself out of bed, quickly donning your tight pants for warmth. It may be warmer from the fire in this tent, but the temperature has most definitely gotten colder since you both arrived nearly two weeks ago. As you get on your socks, you see that Muriel was kind enough to make you some fish and eggs for breakfast. And you start to boil the kettle for tea. “Whatcha think, Love? Earl grey, or cinnamon chai this morning?”

“Hmmmm….” He looks thoughtfully glancing between the tea tins, then closes his eyes. “..I like them both... But Chai always goes good with fish… I think so anyway...”

“Oooo!! That’s true. Good call, my sweet~” You say with a toothy yawn and start to prep the tea cups. While the tea steeping, you take the time to stretch like you do every morning when you can, making your spine and hips pop satisfyingly. Muriel just shakes his head with a small grin as he watches you. He may attempt to hide it, but you are pretty sure he likes to watch when you do a stretch called ‘the pigeon’, it shows off how flexible you are.

Soon all three of you start to chow down breakfast that your hermit so kindly made for you in comfortable silence. Slowly you start to wake up, the food and the chai tea slowly bring you back to life this early morning. As Muriel swallows his last piece of fish, then stares very thoughtfully into the fire, a somber expression washing over him. “.....Should be leaving soon.” He faintly breaks the silence and you stop mid bite to listen to him. “.... Gilbert says the snow will be falling any day… don’t want to get stuck…. Asra would be sad….and so will his idiot.” Muriel's face looks almost sad when he says that. You can only imagine how hard it is to leave his new found family. But you both have obligations back in Vesuvia… you with the shop and him with the forest.

You lean into his arm and snuggle up to him and he leans back. “We’ll come back next year.”

He blows out sharply through his nose and brings his tea cup to his lips. “....Yeah, I know.”

You both lapse back into silence for a moment and you think about the middle of last night during the dream in the graveyard and Muriel’s parents. He said he didn’t remember their faces or voices….. but Una has a way of tapping into distant memories. “Hey…. Muriel?”

“Hmmm?”

“Do you remember when we first met Una in the graveyard?”

He nods firmly, unsure where you're getting at. “...What of it?”

“...Well .... I was thinking… about last night…. What you said…. about your parents….”

“Oh…..” He averts his eyes over to the other side of the tent and still looks a bit ashamed for some reason. “What does that have to do with the first day we met everyone?” He asks with a raised eyebrow, curiosity now in his gaze.

You look back at your warm tea and run your pointer finger over the rim. “... Well…. before we leave… maybe…. you can ask Una…. to show you…. your par—”

“--M-Madainn mhath!” Just as you were about to finish your thought, you hear a familiar little child’s voice outside the tent. “....Cousin!..... Not Cousin!!” It’s Ida. And by the second pair of feet stepping behind her, it sounds like she isn’t alone. Inanna's tail starts to wag as she hears her little voice and quietly whimpers in excitement. Who is gonna miss Ida more when we leave? Muriel or Inanna? You smile and chuckle to yourself. “....Are you both awake?” Ida calls out again, but a little quieter in fear that she may be disturbing you two.

Muriel and you exchange surprised glances, it’s still early in the morning. You shrug and you and Muriel stand up. “....Uhhh…. H-hang on, Ida.” Muriel replies, grabbing his shirt and throwing it on while you make yourself decent. He shoots you a quick glance before opening the tent and you nod once you fasten your corset belt over your long shirt.

Once the entrance is untied and opened, Ida steps in and Inanna goes straight for her, licking her little face and she giggles adorably. “Nana!! Tha thu a ’fàileadh mar èisg!! Hee-hee!” She hasn’t been wearing her hood lately, perhaps she’s becoming more comfortable in her own skin. Not very much to your surprise, Ava comes into the tent behind her, they look a little tired, evident with the small bags under their eyes. They were probably up all night celebrating after getting the approval from the elders, but they look so happy like a five ton weight was lifted off their shoulders. It looks good on them.

“Ida…. Ava.” Muriel says stepping aside to welcome them in with a nod. “Morning.”

Ava smiles up at him with a toothy grin, this is the happiest you have even seen them other than last night. You are actually excited to see them again. The last you saw of them they were being paraded around camp the night before and you didn’t get to say good night. You lunge forward and wrap your arms around them giving them a large hug, almost startling them (but they have almost gotten used to your mannerisms). “AVA!!!! How’s my favorite Master Illuminator doing today~?” You ask cheekily, moving them slightly side-to-side in excitement.

Ava’s face quickly flushes, yet they can’t help but keep a large humble smile on their lips as you call them that. You pull away so you can watch as they communicate with their hands. “... Not a master yet, Rhemi….. but I am officially an Illuminator now… that is thanks to you and Cousin Muriel of course.”

“We were very happy to help! Right, Love?” You turn your face towards him with a giddy looking grin.

Muriel smiles over to Ava and gives a solid nod, then reaches down and pats Ida’s head and she giggles again. She turns around, grabbing his wrist and starts to inspect it. He snorts, knowing what she is looking for. “Don’t worry.” He says showing her the bracelet she made him. “... I haven’t taken it off…. I promised you I wouldn't.” Her little cheeks are painted bright pink as she lifts up her arm and shows hers as well.

Ava makes a little muffled laugh at the two of them then turns their attention back to you. “Sorry to interrupt you both this early in the morning. Didn’t want to wake you.”

“That’s alright. We were just having some breakfast.—We have some tea left if you’d like some.”

Ava politely shakes their head. “We are here on business…”

“Business?” You repeat with your head tilted slightly a little surprised.

Ava scratches their neck and looks slightly sheepish. “.... The elders are all in the gathering tent this morning. They asked me to come and get you two. They want you and Cousin to join us.”

Muriel looks rather confused, still not understanding Ava’s hand language as you start to look uneasy. Ida tugs on his large wrist to get his attention. “Momma, Papa and the other old people—” Ava shoots their sister a particular scolding look and Ida tries to recover herself. “.... I-I mean e-elders—wanna see you and Newcomer in the big tent where we eat.”

You look over towards Muriel then back to Ava. “Wait…… the elders?…. Are…. Are we in trouble, Ava??”

Ava shrugs and scratches the back of their head, honestly, not really knowing what the deal is. “Elder Evander said to try not to keep them waitin’--.” Ava gently smacks the back of their sister's head to scold them. She apparently wasn’t supposed to say that part. Ida rubs where she was struck and blows a raspberry at Ava and they just sigh irritatedly.

“Sorry…. Take your time, but they are all waiting for you two.” Ava communicates sheepishly, noticing that you aren't fully dressed with your plum colored overshirt and blue skirt.

Muriel huffs slightly grumpily, from Ava’ expression, he could tell what they were saying. “Tell them we’ll be there in a moment.”

Ava nods and opens their hand up for Ida to grab hold. She takes it and they both walk out the door and Muriel closes it so you can get dressed.

Feeling nervous, you try to get dressed quickly, but fearing the worst. “What do you think that they want us for?”

Muriel shrugs, taking off his shirt to fasten his belts to his torso. “Maybe it’s about leaving. They may want us to get going before the snow starts to fall…”

“I doubt that… If we decided to stay, I think they’d be more than overjoyed.” Muriel pauses for a moment, and hides a little smile, he won’t admit it, but you know he agrees. “Uggh….. I hate that we have no idea why they are calling for us…… You know…. I get a feeling like I used to get into trouble a lot…. Maybe that's why I am so anxious.”

Muriel stifles a chuckle sounding a bit too amused. “Why doesn't that surprise me?”

“What does that mean?? I’m a goddamn angel~” You smile fakely innocently and bat your eyelashes.

“Pffttt!!! You’re a goddamn mess is what you are.” He throws his head back and cutely laughs with a large smile. “... Come on. Let’s not make them wait anymore.” He leans down and quickly steals a kiss and it makes you feel a little more calm.

“Well if we are in trouble, at least we're in trouble together.” You say with a smile, throwing your traveling cloak over your shoulders.

You follow your hermit out the tent, through camp and to the gathering tend, trying your best to not feel so anxious about all of this. As the two of you make your way inside the gathering tent, you notice that not only are Una, Gilbert and the other elders that you expected to be there; But Ronin, Tad, Ava, and Shona are also there. They are all sitting in a semi-circle on the blankets and pillows a new feet away from the fire. Una is holding her boy baby in her arms as he sleeps away peacefully.

“Muriel! Rhemi! Madainn mhath!!” Gilbert cheerily greets with a warm hearty chuckle like he normally does. He points to the front of the semi-circle. “Come, come, come! Have a seat!”

You take Muriel’s hand, feeling him starting to get a bit anxious as well and you both take a seat. He hates being front and center of everything. “We…. we aren’t in trouble…. are we?” You warily ask sporting a nervous smile.

Una jolts and sputters at the thought, waving her hand dismissively. “Oh heavens!——No!! We just have something we would like to discuss, that's all! Something good!” She then smiles reassuringly at you. “Sorry if we worried ya!”

You exhale a long relieved sigh and relax your shoulders and lean into Muriel’s side. “Pfffew!! Ohhh!!! Thank goodness…..” You mumble under your breath and Muriel quietly snorts at you.

Gilbert chuckles a little at your apparent relief. “OH! Before I forget…” Gilbert pulls out the journal from his fur cloak. “I read it all, Rhemi. Three times, in fact. It’s fantastic. I couldn’t ask for a better representation of the stories of old and of our history. It was very well written.”

“Thank you…. Can’t take all the credit, though! I had some help from Ava of course..” You nod towards Ava and they blush a little, seemingly at this point out of habit. Gilbert smiles over to his child, their face heats up even more and scowls as if to say, ‘please don’t look at me like that!!!’

He stifles a chuckle, shaking his large shoulders as he sets the journal down next to him and looks back to you and Muriel. “Well, I’m sure you want to know why we asked you both here this morning… We have something to ask of you both….” He pauses for a moment, what you could only guess is for effect. “...Since you two have been here, you have helped in so many ways…. Muriel helped us catch fish, fixed some things here and there, learned to grow plants with Una like your mother did, you even took care of the chickens and other animals during the mornings, you spared my young little warriors cubs to help them better defend themselves. Ha!! You even did patrol a few times when no one asked—you didn’t have to do that. Any of those things… But we greatly appreciate it....” Gilbert then reaches out his hand, gesturing to you and you stiffen. “....Then you, our Newcomer! You helped preserve our history and documented it accurately…. You’ve helped revive an old tradition of the Illuminators, and help my eldest child so they could pursue their dreams of becoming a storyteller. We just can't thank you enough. We are just glad that little cub has someone like you.”

You can feel Muriel’s body start to heat up and his heart pound, but he still holds your hand and doesn't show signs of letting go. Una chuckles softly at Muriel, lifts up her head and starts to speak.“.... Berty and I know you both have plans to get married when you go back to Vesuvia….. My husband, the other elders and myself have been discussing… and we have one more request before you both leave…. Many years ago, we had a tradition called the

Gabhail Ris Ceremony.”

You tilt your head, squinting your eyes thoughtfully. “.... ‘Accept…. it’…. ceremony?” You mutter the translation slightly perplexed.

The old woman that passes out the ale every night barks a quick amused laugh. “... Sometimes words have many meanings in the language of old, little one. Sometimes they can be lost in direct translation…. gabhail ris also means ‘acceptance’.” Her voice is shaky and has age to it, like the little old woman that you make a reumatizam potion for. She’s also very sweet and cute, but rather strong for her old age...

Gilbert nod then continues on after the older woman explains. “...Yes! Many many years ago, when a Kokhurian married someone from outside of our tribe, they would conduct a little ceremony. It was a way the betrothal’s family, mostly the parents, showed their child’s betrothal acceptance into the tribe—Not just as their spouse, but as an individual of the Kokhuri. Traditionally the ceremony was conducted the day or two before the actual wedding, but we know that you two are planning on becoming wed once you're back to your home in the north… we can’t be there when that happens, but… Well…. we wanted to ask if we could at least conduct this ceremony as a sigh of our gratitude—” Gilbert pauses and drops his gaze, a somber expression washes over his usually cheery face as a thought crosses his mind. Una notices his silence, peers over and places her hand on top of Gilbert’s and squeezes it. Her touch seems to snap him out of it. His eyes glance back up and he grins back at his wife and he clears his throat before pressing on. “..... Moonlight and I know we could never replace your parents, Muriel—We would never want to either…. But we care about you like you were one our own cubs….. That day we saw you at Aunt Khamgalai’s hut, well…. it felt like you were a missing piece in our hearts.... now that you're here, it’s like you’ve never left…. ” Muriel doesn’t seem to know what to do with that statement and his face turns a little pink. But you can tell, he feels the same way. “.... We also know that Glenna and Artturi would have loved Rhemi to death. And if they were still here——well…. they would have wanted this….. So…..” Gilbert trails off and peers back to Una, they suddenly place their right hands over their hearts and half bow while still sitting on their knees and Muriel starts to stiffen at the gesture, holding his breath. “..... Una and I want to host a Gabhail Ris ceremony in your parents honor.” Gilbert lifts his head up slightly to look at the two of you. “...That is, if it is alright with you, Muriel… It’s your decision afterall.”

Muriel quietly sits there next to you and flutters his eyes. He is completely baffled by this request. Honestly so are you. As you both sit there you can’t help but think to yourself,….They want to accept…. me? An outsider as their own??..... Muriel finally looks down at you and you both have no idea what to say. He flounders for a moment trying to understand everything. “.... You both want to make Rhemi….. an honorary… Kokhurian?”

Una and Gilbert straighten their torsos back up and she rocks her baby a little, shaking her head. “Rhemi wouldn’t be just honorary, she would be part of us. It’s more like… an adoption so to speak.”

Muriel’s eyes become a bit watery and squeezes your hand tight as he looks at you again for what to say. With one quick soggy eyed smile, he nods to himself and exhales sharply through his nostrils glancing back to Una and Gilbert. “I—…..we—….” He stutters a bit, still shaken at this beautiful gesture and he takes a deep breath. “.... It would be an honor if you accepted my br- br-....” His face quickly becomes red and panicked at that word, and he scowls grumpily at himself, drapes his arm over your shoulder and proudly hugs you in front of the elders. “—R-Rhemi….”  He then picks up his eyes and glances back at every elder with such gratitude. “Thank you….. both of you…. I mean all of you...” Your heart feels so fluttery and overjoyed as he utters those words. But then you smile uncontrollably at yourself a bit. Bride…. he was going to call you his bride. He still can’t say those words. Jeez, he’s too cute. Everyone’s faces light up and are so exactic and they all start to speak amongst themselves. Tad and Ronin are giddily huddled together trying not to cry sappily. They did say they loved weddings. Ava looks so happy and has this sweet looking emotion on their face as they look at you and Muriel, almost like a sense of longing. But Shona looks pointedly at her knees, she doesn’t look upset or angry like you expected. Instead she looks like she’s full of regret, she still won’t even look at you or Muriel or anyone else at all. Ava notices and places their hand on her shoulder and pats them comfortingly, but she still shrinks into herself.

Una hands the baby to her husband and takes the small bundle gently and starts to make silly faces at him, and he coos sweetly. Once her hands are free she makes a single clap, making a loud smack getting everyone’s attention once again. “Alrighty then!!! Now— there is one other thing…” The elders stop their chatting and listen to her carefully. “... Traditionally, Muriel’s siblings, usually with femine understands, would be assisting Rhemi to get ready for the ceremony….. However, Muriel doesn’t have any siblings. The other option is that a Kokhurian would volunteer to keep taking her into their care. So we need a person, of age, mind you, married or unmarried that would represent Rhemi. They will act as your Neach-Cùraim, or caregiver and will help you prepare for the ceremony, and teach you what to do.”

With a determined look in their face, Ava makes their way to stand up to volunteer. But suddenly Shona grabs their wrist before they get to their feet. The twin’s eyes meet and she tugs them back down, quickly whispering something in their ear. Ava's jolts and their face becomes rather red and they return to their seat looking complexly embarrassed hanging their head down low. Then, the tent goes dead quiet as Shona stands up to her feet. Everyone stares at her as she takes a large breath before moving her feet toward you and Muriel in front of the semi-circle. She still won't look you in the eye, keeping her gaze glued to the ground, but she suddenly places her right hand over her heart, and bows slightly, making her long braid fall off her shoulder. “... I’ll represent the Newc— I.. I mean….. Rhemi.” Ava and Gilbert’s mouths drop to the floor in utter shock and quickly exchange perplexed looks. Una eyes seem to gleam with pride as her lips sprout into a large smile, just beaming at her daughter.

Muriel’s eyes meet yours and the both of you are mirroring the same astonished expression as Gilbert and Ava. She…. wants to… help...me?... ME?! You flutter your lashes and look back to Shona with your confused big burgundy eyes. Her demeanor has completely flipped, normally incredibly confident, short, and snooty, she’s now very sheepish and humble. It is almost alarming. “You….you want to represent…. me?.... A-A Traveler?” You ask, tilting your head a little bit, not knowing if you are comprehending completely at this moment. Maybe…. is she misunderstanding?

She straightens back up and starts to play with her braid, opening and closing her mouth a few times, seeming to be struggling to form words. “I....I would be honored to represent you, Rhemi.” At last she answers. “...No one is more worthy of becoming a Kokhurian than you….I see that now……. And yes…. I would be happy if you let me…. If... If that's alright with—OOF!!”

Your body moves before you can stop yourself as you quickly stand to your feet and embrace her without a second thought. “I will be happy if you would, Shona.” Her cheeks light up a bright pink and for a moment; her face looks just like Ava’s has in the past; she continues to avert her eyes away from yours and her trunk is a little tense in your arms.

You realize that you may be making her uncomfortable and let go and awkwardly scratch the back of your head and everyone in the tent is rather quiet. Una looks to her husband and nudges with her elbow and he snaps out of the stupor. “Hmmm?—AH, Yes!!! Right, right, right!—Alrighty then!! Shona will be in charge of getting Rhemi ready! Good, good, good! That solves that problem!”

Una practically jumps to her feet, looking so completely thrilled with all of this. “Well, best be off then!! Let’s get you to my tent, eh? This ceremony won’t start itself, now will it??” Una and another woman around her age who is very heavily pregnant stands up and follows her. They then come on each side of you and loop their arms around yours and start to drag you out of the tent.

“Wait— you mean this is gonna happen now?!” Muriel interjects with a bit of alert in his voice, you both were not exactly prepared for this to happen right at this very moment.

Una turns to Muriel but keeps tugging you right along out of the large gathering tent. “Why yes, of course!!! The snow should be a-comin’ any day now! And you both said you wanted to head back north unless you plan on staying all winter here!”

“Wait— w-what’s happening now? Una?! What are we doing?” You mutter as you are being let out of the tent. Just as you turn back around to catch a glimpse of Muriel before exiting the tent, he looks a bit confused and rather uncomfortable making you feel concerned for him. “W-waits gonna happen to Muri while I’m getting ready??”

“Oh, don’t you fret ‘bout him, my dear! Gilbert, Shawn, Ronin, and probably Ava will be with him. They will be helping him get ready and keep him company while we get you all prepared.”

“Oh… wait, it’s morning, how long is this gonna take??”

“Well…. we have to bath you, do your hair, then get you dressed— we also need to get you fitted for a headdress and earring—Ohhh!! I’m so very excited! I haven’t seen one of these since I was a young girl! Glenna had a cousin that got married to a newcomer. Those two were so cute together!”

“.... So this is like a wedding?”

The pregnant woman giggles a little and speaks up. “No—Not quite. It’s more like Una said as an adoption into the tribe…. But in a way it's like a marriage to the tribe. Now don’t you fret, Muriel will be by your side. But we’ll be dressing you in traditional Kokhurian clothing during the ceremony.” You aren't sure what to expect at this point, but now that Muriel and you have agreed, there isn't any going back, so you decide to roll with it.

Ida comes running out of the tent with Inanna, both carrying a bucket of water. “Com’on, Nana!! We gotta fill the tub up in the other tent now!”

You can’t believe your ears for a moment and Ida and Inanna run toward the outside of camp. “... Did she say what I think she said?” You quickly open the entrance of the tent and see a wonderful looking sight of an extra large wooden Kokhurian sized tub. You can feel your left eyebrow slightly twitch. “..... You-... You had a tub this entire time, Una?!”

She chuckles a bit standing at your side. “Of course I do! Can’t bathe in ice water during the winter on this tundra, can we??”

For some reason you feel a little irritated at this discovery. “.... So…. your tellin’ me… I could have had an actual bath this entire time down here??” You ask, trying to hide your frustration.

Her arm drapes over your shoulder and she starts to laugh a bit more as you just stare at the tub with a rather disappointing look on your face. “Well—You should have just asked!” You can’t help but just groan semi painfully remembering how you were forced to use a bucket to wash your hair for the past couple of weeks. All you’ve been doing is dream of a nice tub to soak in. “Ha-Ha! Oh you poor sweet thing! Oi!! Don’t just stare at the damn thing! Get yourself undressed and get it!” Una says patting your shoulder as she leaves the divider.

The tub clearly has some years to it, it’s no royal tub like at Nadia’s palace. But it’s large enough to fit even the tallest Kokhurian, and it’s a sight for sore eyes. The water is steaming and you just can’t wait to get into it. You take your clothes and fold them to the side next to the divider and carefully step into the bath. The hot water feels so nice on your cool skin, you can feel your muscles unwind as you soak into it. It’s large enough that you can get your shoulders down into it. A happy sigh escapes your lips as you relax the back of your head on the side. This is so nice…… nothing can ruin my relaxation….

“Hey—” Shona's voice suddenly calls out to you behind the divider, making your eyes fly open and you shudder a bit. “... NewC—I mean, Rhemi?”

You drop yourself into the water and cover your naked body with your arms and legs….. Spoke to fucking soon….. You lift your chin up slightly so you can be heard and shyly answer. “Ye-yeah?”

“It’s me, Shona… do you mind if I come in? I have some flowers and soaps for the bath.”

“Uhhhhh…. oh??” The thought of her coming in actually makes you feel uneasy. You don’t really show your skin off to people normally. Muriel is the only one who has seen you naked… that is that you know about… But Shona did volunteer to help you after all. It may be incredibly rude if you deny her assistance. Besides….flower petals and soap would be nice. “Ummm…. o-ok I guess….. I’m naked though!”

You hear her snort a little. “Yeah I know you are, that's why I’m asking if I can come in.”

You feel a little stupid stating the obvious and you shrunk into your shoulders. “O-okay. Come in.”

She comes through the divider completely unperturbed by your nakedness. She isn’t wearing her long parka for the first time. Instead she’s wearing a pinkish-plum colored wrap around dress, with orange designs and yellow flowers embroidered on the collar. You’ve seen part of it when she pulled one arm out of her sleeve for the archery game, but you didn’t see the full dress until now. Hiding underneath the thick furs, she is rather stout and fit, but not as thick as you had thought, and she has an excellent and elegant figure.

Feeling rather embarrassed, you keep yourself covered tightly as she makes herself busy preparing the flowers amen soaps. She may not be bothered by your nude presents, but you curl into yourself trying to hide your body, hoping she doesn't think any less of you.

As she turns her attention to you noticing your tightly bounded self, she raises an eyebrow as she sprinkles the flower petals into the hot bath water and softly grins. “Please, don’t be shy, it’s just skin… All of Great Mother’s children have it one way or another.” She then sits next to the tub and places the bottles of soap and shampoos to the side on the floor. “... Kokhurians may hide our bodies under thick furs, but we are not afraid of it. Besides, we're both women.” Thhhhaat really doesn’t mean anything… You quietly snort, thinking to yourself, but you feel a little more comfortable and you unravel yourself. I guess it’s fine if she is with it. She sticks her hand into the water to swirl the petals around a bit and immediately pulls it out, her fingers a bit red. “Ssssshit!—Tha an t-uisge seo uamhasach teth!!” Her eyes finally meet yours and she looks very concerned, then realizes that your skin isn’t at all red or burning. She tilts her head and sneers out of habit. “—How… how are you sitting in that?! It’s scalding hot!”  

You smile awkwardly and scratch your neck. “Yeah….. I apparently have a high tolerance to heat…. a very high tolerance...”

She flutters her eyes and her sneer falls making her face soften looking impressed. “.... You are just… full of surprises. Huh?” She grins a little more.

“Yeah…. I’m told that a lot…..” You mutter bashfully. A bit of awkward silence takes over the tent while Shona starts to wash your hair. She really is taking her time and carefully washes your locks. Her longer nails feel very relaxing as she exfoliates your scalp and you start to understand why Muriel loves it so much when you do it for him. He even asks if you’d do it for him from time to time, you never mind either.

“Let this set for a few minutes.” Shoa says while getting comfortable sitting next to the tub, her arms draped over the side.

“Oh ok….” You reply with a half forced smile and you both lapse into very uncomfortable silence once again. You kind of want to start a conversation, but you have no idea how to do that with her… You don’t really know anything about her, other than she likes archery, making clothes, and taking care of her younger siblings.

Before you open your mouth attempting to ask a vague question, she surprisingly breaks the silence. “Can I say something without sounding weird?” She utters, finally glancing briefly into yours eyes.

You grin and shrug, relieved she broke the silence instead of you. “Ummm....Yeah, sure.”

Her eyes verse vertically and she stares uncomfortably down at your naked body as she rests her cheek on her knuckles. “... You have really nice boobs.” —HUH- What?!?! You start a bit when she utters that, but she looks like she’s very sincerely complimenting you. “... They’re a lot bigger than I thought they were. And they have a really great shape.” You shrink a bit into the water feeling a bit embarrassed again. “... I… I’m sorry if that was a bit too personal—”

You shake your head and try to relax. “N-..... No… it’s fine— it’s just—Uuuggghhhh. My friend, her name is Portia… She told me that too when we went shopping for swimwear this summer. It’s actually a really nice thing for someone to say…. but It's just very shocking when someone says it outloud… I never had a sister to tell me otherwise… Or at least I don’t think I did…..’”

Shona just snickers a little and leans her head into her arm resting on the side of the tub. “No wonder my cousin is crazy about you…” Her smile then falls and she averts her eyes toward the divider looking a bit ashamed. “..... Well that and you’re…. really patient….. and kind… and…. a better person that I am…”

Your heart drops when she says that, her tone filled with such regret and pain. “You’re not a bad person, Shona… I get why you didn’t like me. I remind you of someone that hurt you and your sister. And then Ava and I were keeping a secret from you…”

“It… It still doesn't excuse myself. You were right, the other day…. you didn’t hurt me or Ava… All you’ve done is help my family...” She pauses for a moment as she starts to rinse your hair with a bucket. “Here, close your eyes.” You do it obediently and she carefully pours the water on her head making your hair cover your eyes. You shake your soppy wet air and push it back out of your eyes. Once all the shampoo is rinsed out, Shona uses her fingers to comb through your hair to make sure there aren't any tangles, “.... It’s strange…. A Traveler took my sister’s voice. But another one gave them another….. For a long time, I thought I was the death of her happiness. But we just were looking at it from the wrong angle.”

“Ya’ know….” You look at her very kindly as she returns to lean on the side of the tub. “... I never hated you for not liking me, Shona… I'm just glad you're actually speaking to me like this.”

She looks away very ashamed grabbing another bottle of nice scented conditioner and starts to pour some in her palm. “I don’t know how or why you’re…. You're so understanding, I would have punched me in the face by now. I was a real bitch to you…”

You shrug a little, thinking it over. In normal circumstances, you would have done just that now that you think about it. But you never did feel hostility when it came to the twins, especially Shona. “....Maybe it’s because I get how you felt….. I mean…. in a way… People can be awful.” Shona stops washing your hair for a moment and just listens to your words. “....I didn’t like textile merchants for a long time… I made my friend buy me new clothes for over a year.”

“What do you mean?....” She mutters.

“... A few years ago, I woke up and didn’t have any memories…. the person I was living with was my only friend and he took care of me. He taught me how to be a normal person again….. but he would always leave town for awhile and I would be sad… really sad…. This one time when he left, for some reason I decided to go to a tavern… it got late, and this…. this guy I met there offered to walk me home.” You stop for a second, fiddling with a flower petal before you start again, Shona listening intently to every word. “.... I’m not proud of it…. but I was lonely and a bit drunk. He kept complimenting me, made me feel like I was wanted…. So… we started to kiss—this is before Muriel and I really knew each other, by the way….” She nods a little and you continue. “—But then he wanted to take it further, and it…. it just didn’t feel right. When I said no, he suddenly became so angry….. he overpowered me and pinned me against my own shop door.”

A look of horror washes over Shona’s face and she nearly stumbles on her words. “.... What did you…how- how did you— what did you do?”

Thinking back, you snort a little and lightly rub your forehead. “I head-butted the shit out of him and somehow broke his nose—hurt like hell too! Then I threatened him with a spell, but it didn’t work. Luckily Muriel was there and… and he saved me. Since I woke up five years ago he had always looked out for me. I just didn’t know it until just over a year ago. Then we got to know each other more… and… well you get the idea….” You feel your cheeks heat up at the thought.

Shona looks down at her dress for a moment, her hands slightly trembling. “How… How are you ok with…. just talking about it like that? Like it was nothing?”

You sink your shoulders into the warm water and fiddle with another flower petal pondering rather hard about it. “I…. I wasn’t. Not for a long time. I tried to forget that day even happened… but then, somehow the jackass wandered in my shop. He didn’t recognize me at first… he was looking for a sleeping potion but I knew he had other intentions…. Muriel was there again. Good thing too. I may have done more than just hurt the bastard.” You look back over to Shona and she’s just trembling all over, looking so terrified for some reason, tightly gripping her dress. Eerily, you know that look on her face. Very slowly you reach out for her shoulder. “... Shona…?” She jumps at your touch, but doesn’t pull away nor is she disgusted with it. “....Those Highwaymen... You said that Ava was protecting you from them?” Shona eyes become watery like a dam about to burst. “They….. did more than beat you up… didn’t they?”

Tears overwhelm her eyes and she can longer hold them back as they roll down her face. “M-Momma and Papa don't even know. Only Ava does…. Please don’t tell any—”

Bursting your top half out of the tub, without thinking you throw your wet arms around her, unable to stop yourself. “.... It wasn’t your fault what they did, Shona.”

She is a bit shocked at the sudden embrace at first, but doesn’t pull away. “Y-Yes it was. I was the one that insisted on going near the Great Gate…. I— I even flirted with that highwayman—the leader! He posed as a merchant when we were trading…. he-... he saw all that we had. That’s why he and his gang raided our tents!! But…. They’re all dead now... Papa and the other fighters killed them. So why does it hurt so much still?”

“It doesn’t just go away, Shona. It fucking sucks what they did! It was wrong! It’s sickening!” A single tear drips down from your cheek.

“Yeah. It.. It does. I fought them off as much as I could but…. They still…” She shakes her head, unable to say it. But she doesn’t have to, you know. If she doesn’t want to talk about the details, she doesn’t have to.

“Why didn’t you tell anyone about it? You’re mother especially? How has she not seen it?”

“I… I don’t know… She asked if anything happened… and I denied it—and why would she want to relive that?”

“... Why would you lie?”

She shakes her head a little, seeming unsure herself. “....I dunno….. They-they almost killed Ava. That was enough for my parents to deal with. I didn’t want to make things worse… Maybe… Maybe I thought if I didn’t talk about it… It would just go away. Like it didn’t happen. As if it was just a bad dream. I… I don’t know. It didn’t seem important.”

You hug her even tighter. “...You’re important too, Shona.”

Shona shakes uncontrollably, but she places her hands over your arms, excepting the comforting embrace. “It’s been so long…. it shouldn’t matter anymore.”

“But it bothers you still. Doesn’t it? That should be reason enough to talk to someone...... Get it off your chest. This is too much to beat. Even for you! You are very strong, all of the Kokhuri are… but you don’t have to be alone with this, Shona.”

“.... How do I even ask for help for something that happened years ago? Besides what can talking do?”

“....It's not just the talking, Shona… it's the listening part too….”

Shona leans into your arms and softly weeps, it seems like she needed to talk about this. A few minutes go by and she finally gets a hold of herself, gently pulling away from your arms. “....Thanks for listening, Rhemi…..”

“Any time....” You lean over the edge of the tub and kindly smile, then see her dress is half soaked now. “I’m sorry I got water all over you.”

She wipes her stray tears away with her forearm. “It’s… It’s fine. Th.. thank you… I.... I really don’t deserve you being so nice to me. Especially the way I treated you since we met.”

You smile a little wider, conjure your magic and wave your hand instantly drying her dress. She glances down in astonishment. You can’t help but be empathetic towards her. “... Yes you do. I knew you had a reason. Just because you disliked me didn’t mean I didn't like you. Believe it or not, I’m bad at talking about things that bother me too. So is Muri.”

She snorts a bit, at last giving a small grin again. “Cousin Muriel- I can see, but... you? You seem so open. You bearly know me and you spoke about a horrific thing that happened to you.”

“Yeah. You would think that, huh?... I think I kept a lot of secrets when I was younger. I don’t really know why I know. But I think I remember that I had to hide a lot. Especially the person who I really was…. But with Muriel. I never feel like that. I can alway be myself… I can be honest with him. And he loves me anyway. But sometimes I forget about that. He made me realize that I needed to be more truthful too.”

Shona just gives you a knowing look and smiles a bit wider. “Cousin Muriel is lucky to have someone like you, Rhemi.”

You shift your legs a little to make sure they don’t go to sleep and mirror her smile. “..Ya’ know…. you can call me ‘Rem’ for short if you like. My friends call me that.”

Shona flutters her eyes and makes a very happy sounding huff out of her mouth. “Thanks, Rem.” At last, you can call Shona your friend. It feels good. Like Ava, she seemed to be secretly lonely, even both of their energy seems to be lighter like a huge weight has been lifted.

Shona stifles a soft giggle as you start to shiver because of your cold wet hair. “I think we need to rinse your hair again, you don’t want to catch a cold.”

You tilt your head and gently close your eyes. “That’s actually a myth—”

Suddenly Keavy comes into the divider with something in her hands. “Oi, Shona! Have you seen—” Quickly you sink even deeper into the tub with a surprised squeak and tightly cover your breasts.

“—Keavy!! Privacy! Ever hear of it?!” Shona snaps looking rather grumpy and stirn again.

Poor Keavy shudders and quickly darts back behind the divider. She also doesn’t have her parka on and is wearing a wrap around dress very similar to Shona’s. “—Ooooh! I am so sorry, Rhemi! I didn’t mean too—…. Wait—Shona?! You're her neach-curaim???”

“Y-yes…” Shona‘s cheeks start to heat up very slightly, but as a matter of fact face washes over her. “.... What about it??”

“N—nothing!!! I-I…. just didn’t think… that…… Know what, n-... nevermind. I guess I’ll come back later.”

“I-It’s just you…. right, Keavy??” You whimper.

“Yeah it's just me. I promise! No one else!”

“You can come in then. B-But I’m naked.”

“Yeah…. I got that part.” She softly chuckles as she comes back behind the divider and you feel a little silly at your obvious statement. “I have the clothes you made for her, Shona. Momma just put the final touches on them.”

You whip your head to look at Shona in astonishment. “Y-You made me a parka??”

She shrugs with a hint of blush on her cheeks. “Well, I can't take all the credit. Momma and a few of the other people helped. Great-Auntie Khamagalai taught Momma how to sew very quickly and she taught me the same. And it’s custom that your new family make you a traditional parka, headdress and earrings. Since you're not getting married I’m afraid it’s not as fancy, we didn’t have as much time to prepare anyways. It was a parka I was already working on.” You look back towards Keavy and she gives you a huge smile and opens up the parka. Suddenly you feel breathless at the sight of it. It’s the same one you saw that she was working on the other day when you peeked into Shona’s tent. It’s so beautiful, she even made it short enough for you to wear. Your eyes suddenly get watery and Shona jolts. “—It really was last minute… I’m sorry if its not to your liking—”

“No! That's not it!…. I…. I love it, Shona. It’s— it's perfect.”

Keavy eyes dart between you and Shona, looking very surprised at how you both are getting along all of a sudden, not really sure what to make of it. Shona notices, then glances over to her sister a little irritation fresh on her face. “What??”

Keavy blinks a few times and shakes her head. “N-… nothing…. It's just good to see you…. look like that, Sis.”

Shona blushes a little more and plays with the end of her braid. “Whatever…. you weirdo. So are you gonna help us or just stand there staring??” She mutters as she stands to her feet.

Keavy looks rather surprised. “You…. you want me to…. to help you?”

Shona sighs, sounding a little annoyed to grab a towel passing by her. “Well you might as well make yourself useful…. right?” She utters grumpily flicking Keavy’s forehead at her older sibling-like as she passes by her. “I’ve still gonna get her the dress I had to make the other day and I still need to finish the earrings and the headdress…. Could you help her rinse her hair?”

Keavy is stunned at her sister's actions, but actually doesn't need to mind at all. A large ginger smile washes over her lips “Yeah!—I’ll be happy to help.” She carefully folds the parka back up and places it on a small stool by the dividers and picks up the small bucket and stands knees over where Shona was sitting before. Keavy seems so happy at this moment. Shawn mentioned that Keavy and her were close at one point when they were younger. He also mentioned that she never let anyone help her either when it came to her duties and took on way more than she needed to. Maybe Keavy hasn’t seen this side of her in a long time. It must feel good to be trusted to help.

Keavy helps you rinse your hair out then hold your hands as you step out of the large tub and blankets you with the towel. Once dry, Shona comes back with the dress she was talking about. It’s not a wrap around dress like theirs, she seemed to have taken another dress and sown it together to make it fit you. Her skills just amaze you, she made it look like it was purposely made that way. As you donn it over your head, it fits perfectly, and hangs off of you very well. Shona and Keavy then lead you out of the divider after you're dressed and you sit next to the fire.

“Awwww!! You look nice in mauve.” Keavy says cupping her cheeks in girlish excitement and Una comes into the tent with her newborn tightly in her arms. Una stops for a second as she sees you and a happy smile takes over her lips. “Look Momma! Oooo I am so excited! I haven't been to one of our weddings before!—Well I guess this isn’t really one. But…. it’s close enough for me! I can't wait to see Cousin’s face when he gets a load of you after we get you all ready~.”

Your cheeks light up, feeling so nervous all of a sudden. “You—You think he’ll like me dressed up?”

Una tuts at your statement and kneels down to your level and gently tilts your chin up. “Of course he will!! You are a very gorgeous girl, Rhemi! I’ve seen the way he looks at you. I’d bet ya he would think you're beautiful dressed in a potato sack!”

Shona fetches a comb and starts to brush your hair, patting your shoulder comfortingly. “You’re gonna blow his mind.” She adds while Una stands back to her feet, taking the sleeping baby to a small crib to sleep.

“Thanks… Both of you…” You say with a little happy grin.

Suddenly without any warning, Tad comes bursting into the tent, heaving heavily like he ran as fast as he could from the other side of the camp. “RHEMI!!!” He cries out with such urgency in his voice, making everyone in the tent just jump in shock.

“—YES!! What?! What’s goin’ on??? WHERE’S MURIEL?!” You half shout as your heart drops into your stomach fearing the worst.

He suddenly doubles over completely out of breath. “Wha—?..... Oh! He’s—he’s fine.” He utters exhaustively waving his hand. “Ronin,…. Gilbert,...A….Ava and…. Shawn are…. with him… Pffew—”

“Then what is going on? Spit it out, man!!” Una chims in, looking just as shocked and worried.

Tad huffs out his sentence, but only a single word at a time. “Rhemi,.....Can… Can I… Please….. Do… Your…” He takes in a large inhale attempting to slow down his breathing. “....HAIR!!!!!!”

You flutter your eyes and start to relax and slap your forehead with your palm. What the hell Tad…

To be continued…..

Again, I am so sorry this is late. These last few chapters are gonna be hella fluffy. So, be prepared! Hope you all are staying safe and staying healthy! Mother Llama loves you babies! Enjoy my hot trash!!

[satonthelotuspier]

❄️ Untamed Winter Fest 2019 ❄️

Day 19 - Snow - 1.3k

Follow on from my Day 7 - Relax Prompt

Once he found the footprints in the crisp white snow it was of course very easy to track the creature down. “Lan Zhan, its trail leads over here” Wei Wuxian called and his voice carried clearly on the chill air of the winters night. They tracked a yaoguai, specifically a malevolent fox spirit, who had been causing havoc in a small hunting village who had called for aid from the Lan Sect.

“Mn” he heard the soft sound of his husband’s acknowledgement, so he took off after the ghost, unwilling to lose it’s trail to the still falling snow. If they could ensure they dealt with the spirit tonight he could make Lan Zhan take a day away from Cloud Recesses tomorrow to relax and have some fun.

Not that Lan Zhan necessarily considered fun to be found in the same things as Wei Wuxian did.

Except for that. Which of course offered possibilities of it’s own.

More often than not “fun” was Lan Zhan following Wei Wuxian around like an overgrown nanny goat while Wei Wuxian larked and frisked like a newborn lamb in a meadow.

The only time he’d ever seen Lan Zhan completely let go and act like anything but a stuffy cultivator at his own instigation was when drunk. But as he never remembered anything that happened while drunk Wei Wuxian was under strict instruction from his husband that he wasn’t to encourage him to touch alcohol.

And as boring as that was he had promised.

He wondered what Lan Zhan would say if he ever revealed the silly, childish things he’d done whilst drunk back when they’d tracked Chifeng-zun’s severed body parts through the various sect lands.

Wei Wuxian would have laughed out loud and fox spirit be damned at the memory if he hadn’t then remembered how uncommonly dense he’d been about Lan Wangji’s completely obvious feelings, and really not even he had the face to laugh then.

His lack of concentration was to blame for what followed.

The fox spirit had turned back on his own tracks and waited behind a tree for Wei Wuxian to catch up. As Wei Wuxian drew level with it it leaped out and charged at him.

Luckily his reactions where very quick and he blocked the first swipe of claws with Chenqing. An unfortunate slip in the snow offered the yaoguai a second opening and its claws raked across Wei Wuxian’s chest in a glancing blow.

He dropped to the snow as Bichen flew in fast as an arrow and pierced the ghoul right through the chest before returning to Lan Zhan’s hand as he rushed forward and swung in a beheading arc.

Foe dealt with he rushed to Wei Wuxian’s side with a panicked call of “Wei Ying”

He groaned melodramatically, “Ahh Lan Zhan, it hurts so much, am I going to die?”

Lan Zhan was close enough now to see the wound wasn’t particularly deep and certainly not fatal. He knelt in the snow next to Wei Wuxian and pulled open the front of his robes, to assess the damage.

“Mn” he agreed and Wei Wuxian, who had been half caught between still pretending to be on the verge of death and wanting to tease his husband for trying to strip him in the snow, froze as he eventually realised Lan Zhan was teasing him.

All acting was forgotten and he launched himself at the other, arms around his neck as he pressed kisses against every surface of his face that came into reach of his lips in glee, “Oh Lan Zhan, would you mourn me? Or marry again?”

A bittersweet half-smile crossed Lan Zhan’s face, “Was thirteen years not enough for Wei Ying?”

Wei Wuxian didn’t have the heart to continue in the light of Lan Zhan’s words, “Fine, fine, I’d say fifty years but we both know I’m never going to leave you again Lan Zhan. You’re stuck with me. Forever”

“Mn” Lan Zhan’s eyes were full of love as he looked at the man plastering himself to his chest.

“Oh Lan Zhan, I’ve gotten blood all over your lovely white robes again” Wei Wuxian said in despair as he pulled away; he was indeed prone to bleeding all over Lan Zhan. “Maybe we need to talk to Zewu-jun and your uncle and have them consider changing the colour of the sect robes”

“Or be more careful to not get injured” Lan Zhan said with a faint hint of exasperation at him.

Wei Wuxian considered it briefly, but he did know himself. “No, I think it’s better if we speak to your brother and uncle” he said and Lan Zhan couldn’t help but give a small head-shake.

He pulled Wei Wuxian’s robes back together, “We should return to Cloud Recesses. Wei Ying’s wound needs cleaning”

“Lan Zhan, the snow is too thick to fly on your sword. Let’s use that hunting outpost I can see through the trees by the lake” he pointed to the small hut he could see in the distance. “Come on, lets” he rose to his feet and tugged on Lan Zhan’s sleeve. He was about to set off when Lan Zhan scooped him up into a bridal carry and moved off in the direction Wei Wuxian had pointed.

Of course if he had wanted to fly on his sword the snow wouldn’t have been much of a deterrent for Lan Zhan, but as ever Wei Wuxian’s every wish was his command.

Wei Wuxian wrapped his arms around Lan Zhan’s neck and snuggled into his warmth as the latter picked his way carefully through the still drifting storm.

Once they’d reached the hut he placed Wei Wuxian on his feet, “Build the fire. I’ll bring water” and he took a bucket obviously meant for that purpose and moved off towards the lake.

Inside the hut Wei Wuxian found a stack of firewood provided for just such an emergency and set a bed of kindling in the firepit. He was lazy though and instead of lighting the fire manually he used a talisman.

It soon began to warm up the small lodge as he fed the blaze with more wood, warming his outstretched hands.

Lan Zhan was soon back with lake water and they’d set a pot to boiling so he could tend to the bloody, but not particularly deep, scratches the fox spirit had scoured into Wei Wuxian’s chest.

“Is it painful?” Lan Zhan asked as he wiped away the last of the blood.

“It only stings a little now” Wei Wuxian admitted honestly, poking at one of the gouges.

Lan Zhan pulled his hand away, “Wei Ying, stop that” instead he lifted Wei Wuxian’s hand to his mouth to place a gentle kiss against his knuckles. Wei Wuxian took advantage of the caress and stroked those same knuckles against Lan Zhan’s cold cheek, looking over into his light amber eyes.

“It looks like this snowstorm is set in for the night, Lan Zhan” he murmured, sliding into his husband’s lap. We need to think of ways to keep warm. I do have one idea, if you’d like to hear it” he wrapped his arms around Lan Zhan’s neck and leaned in to whisper in his ear.

Lan Wangji’s arms had circled around Wei Wuxian and they tightened briefly at whatever was said to him, “But Wei Ying is injured”

“Barely. You’ll just have to be very gentle with this husband Lan Zhan, I trust you”

The snow continued to fall outside the small hunting lodge deep into the night but it was noticed by neither of it’s occupants.

[zach-the-fox]

Tribal Furs Episode 3: Secret Souls

Darkness shrouds the jungle, covering the entire land in blackness, for the sun has not been seen yet. Not a light is shining. We find the two friends within their congregative cave, lying against the rocky walls in front of a burnt pile of wood with their eyes closed. Emmy has her head up against the fox’s side, while she’s snuggled with Zach’s tail as if it were a blanket. The two remain undisturbed within the rocky shelter when beams of sunlight enter in. The rays hit above them, then slowly make their way down to their faces, waking the fox first before the warthog. Both shield their eyes with their arms before getting up.

“Morning already?” asks Zach, stretching and yawning. “Man, time sure goes by very quickly…”

“Of course,” Emmy agrees. “Knew we shouldn’t have spent too long out here. My stepfather will be worried about me. Then again, maybe not…” The friends start heading out of the cave.

“I think this cave is the perfect hiding spot. We should use it as our means of meeting.”

“I don’t know, Zach. I do like it. Perhaps it’ll-” Emmy halts, turning to shock. Zach looks toward where she’s staring at, noticing a blue and orange figure roaming around the area, several feet ahead and behind shrubs. “Zach, there’s someone there…”

“I know… I see them…” Zach squints his eyes, making out the figure to be a fox. “Appears to be a fox from my village.”

“Why is he out here? What reason does he have to be in the jungle?”

“I don’t know… Keep out of sight, Emmy. I’ll go find out what’s going on.” Zach heads off through the thickets while Emmy follows up in hiding. The orange fox appears before the blue one, pretending he’s unaware. “Oh, hello…”

The blue fox turns to Zach. “Ah! There you are! You didn’t come back to the village yesterday. I thought something bad had happened, so I went out looking for you.”

“I’m fine. Hey, I remember you. Didn’t we meet in the village square?”

“Y-yes,” the blue fox tells him. “I was that fox you ran into before you went out… My name is Nate. I know you as the chief’s son.”

“Zach,” the orange fox tells him. “My name’s Zach.”

“Such a good name.”

“You shouldn’t be out here, Nate. The jungle is a dangerous place.”

“Well, I was worried about you.”

“Worried about me?” repeats Zach. “For what reason?”

“I feel sorry for you. You’re always dealing with the chief’s rough attitude and no one wants to be your friend… I understand why you’d be out here; to escape from the harshness the tribe brings you.”

“Thank you, Nate. I appreciate your kindness, but I can manage things on my own.”

“Still, it isn’t good to have no friends. That’s why I’ll be your friend.”

“Um… Thank you…?”

“No problem.” The blue fox smiles. “What do you want to do out here?”

“I…” Zach looks to the warthog in the shrubs, thinking of something to say while not revealing his secret relationship. He then turns back to Nate. “I was actually looking to go for a walk and enjoy the peace and quiet.”

“Go for a walk? That’s such a good idea! Lead the way!” Nate’s tail sways quickly as his mouth stays in a smile. Zach begins heading off with the blue fox beside him. Emmy follows up from behind, staying low and moving stealthily in the bushes. The two foxes converse as they walk along the jungle floor. “I have a couple of other friends, but they don’t really talk too much to me. I mean, I make every effort to try and hang around them… They’ve given me some ideas, though.” Zach asks what kind of ideas. “Oh, just that I should jump into the river, or go deep into the jungle. Other times, they do say I’m either orange or blue and can’t be both… Then they also-”

“Nate,” Zach interrupts. “It doesn’t seem like they’re suggesting ideas… I think they’re teasing you and want you away from them…”

“But, they’re my friends… I can’t just ignore them…”

“Someone who’s mean to you isn’t your friend… A friend is someone who is friendly, kind, and caring toward you…”

“How would you know…? You haven’t got friends yourself, do you?”

Zach shifts his eyes to Emmy, then back to Nate. “Well, no, but my mother taught me that those key traits are what makes someone your friend. She always taught me great things before her disappearance… I wish I could find her… I miss her deeply.”

“I’m sorry, Zach.” Nate puts his paw on the orange fox’s back. “I try, though… And I apologize for this, but they’re my friends because we do make fun of you… But, I feel really bad for you going through all these things… I just-” Ruffling in the foliage catches his attention. “What was that?!”

“What was what?” Zach asks.

Nate points to the bushes to his side. “I heard those bushes move!”

Zach looks at the shrubs for himself, knowing his friend is within them. “I… don’t think anything is there, Nate. Other than an animal of some sort…”

“No… That couldn’t have been an animal…” The bushes ruffle again. “There it goes again!” The blue fox faces the shrubs and eases to it. Emmy remains still, watching as Nate closes in on her. She can see the fox’s arm reaching out toward the shrub she’s hiding in. Just as Nate’s paw touches a leaf, he’s pulled backward and collapses on the ground. “Whoa!” He lands on his seat.

“Oh my gosh!” Zach yells. “Are you okay, Nate?” He obscures the blue fox’s view of the bush, giving Emmy some time to flee. “That looked like that hurt.”

“What are you thinking? Pulling my tail like that!”

“I didn’t pull your tail…”

“Then who did?” Zach shrugs. Nate stands to his feet and grabs his own tail. “Zach, stop playing with me…”

“I didn’t pull your tail… It must’ve been one of the ancients that did it.”

“Ancients?! Oh Gods! The spirits are here with us?! P-perhaps we should go back to the village…”

“You go on without me. I’ll catch up.”

“And leave you here?”

“I’m not afraid of some ancient spirits. I know how to handle myself.”

“Uh… Okay… I’ll meet you back in the village, then…” Nate hurries off, heading down the path he and Zach took.

Emmy emerges from the foliage as soon as the blue fox is out of sight. “Ancients huh?”

“Very spooky,” Zach says, smiling. “They even told me to look out for you.”

“That was kind of funny when you pulled his tail. I am worried about him, though, because now he thinks you’re a new friend.”

“Yeah, I know. Shouldn’t be too much of a problem. As long as we keep our friendship hidden, there’s nothing to worry about.” @emmy-the-absolute-goof​

[greyskywrites]

Wolf’s Price

[First] [Previous] [AO3] [ko-fi]

Part V. Ima Vulgas || Mother Wolf

“News has come to me of what befell Morhall, and our king. They say my daughter fled into the snow, rather than be killed by the Kressosi. They say it is impossible that she survived, but I do not believe it. My Liana is a wild creature, fierce and stubborn. I do not know all of what the man we called our king did to her, but I know that if he did not break her spirit enough to make her afraid of the wild, then there is nothing in those wilds that can kill her, either. “My Liana will come home someday, and mark my words that when she does, she will be a greater woman to Saren than any queen who ever wore a crown.” Ervind Anarin, from a private letter 

XIX. Journey

5.1k

Veland helped me to gather wood for a fire, though he was quieter than I liked. I had told him we were going to see my family, and that was all, but I knew he must be able to sense that something was wrong. He asked me why we had to leave in secret, why Muras and Todd weren’t coming with us.

“There are dangerous people looking for us,” I told him. “Men who would hurt us. That is why we have to go to my family. Muras and Todd… they cannot help us.”

Veland held his armful of wood, and bit his lip. “Why not?”

That was a good question, one that I didn’t have a satisfactory answer for. I smoothed Veland’s hair. “Because this is a journey we have to make on our own, puppy.”

Always, it should have been alone. I was foolish for thinking I could keep Todd and Muras with me and still pay my debts. I should have left them the moment my feet were once more on Sarenn soil. If I had not been so afraid…

We were camped in a hollow where the wind did not touch us. We had been traveling several days, and we had to stop to find food, or else we would starve before we got any further. Tyna had come up with some mushrooms under the snow that were a little past their prime, but still edible. Veland had shown me how to build a rabbit snare, and set them himself. Atsa children learn early how to make such snares, but I took him away before he could learn to hunt for foxes and weasels. He would have made squirrel snares, too, but the squirrels were still hibernating. We would have to hope there were enough rabbits around to feed us.

I eased myself down on the blanket by the fire, the baby kicking up a storm. They had hardly ceased moving since I left Morhall, as if they, too, were running. We set the wood we had gathered near the coals to dry before we added it to the fire.

Bili snorted under the trees, shaking his head. Tyna emerged from the trees, having been checking Veland’s snares. She had two rabbits on her belt, and something in her herb basket. “I have good news,” she said, “I found a squirrel cache.”

“What did it have?” I asked.

“Walnuts. There must be a tree nearby.” She sat by the fire, and pulled out her knife to skin the rabbits. I sent Veland to the stream to fill our soup pot with water, and stoked up the coals of our fire.

Tyna waited until Veland was gone to say what was really on her mind. “I still think we could have afforded the time to better plan, store up some food.”

“I was not staying another moment in that place.” I had been so angry I was afraid I would kill them. I hadn’t felt rage like that since I decided to call the Wolf down on Corasin. It had scared me bone-deep, to feel that kind of hate again.

Tyna let out a quiet sigh, and separated out the organs we could eat and those we could not. “Be that as it may, this was rash. How do you mean for us to make it all the way to the river?”

I wasn’t certain, yet, but I knew I had no fear of starving. I had not come all this way just for the Wolf to let me die alone in the wilderness.

I took the walnuts from Tyna, and set out in search of a flat stone on which to break their shells. Veland came back from the stream with half a pot of water, which Tyna helped him hang over the fire. In went the rabbits, and their hearts and lungs and livers. The rest, Tyna wrapped in the skins and carried off into the trees, to pack them in the snow far away from our camp.

Veland came to smash walnut shells with me, crouching in the snow, a serious little frown deep in his face. “Ima,” he said, “how long are we going to stay with your family?”

“I don’t know.” Truthfully, I did not know how we would be received. Julas had a family, a Kressosi wife… I was arriving some eight years too late, asking an enormous task of my brother. An enormous amount of forgiveness. The only thing I knew for sure was that Julas would not immediately turn me away. We had been as close as twins, once.

“Can I see my brother again?” That was how he asked to see Kip’s portrait. He had a hard time with Kip’s name, if he even remembered it, but the word for ‘brother’ he had learned quickly enough. I reached under my blouse to retrieve the locket, taking the chain from my neck.

Veland opened it carefully, squinting at the small painting. “Is he with your brothers?”

I shook my head. “No, puppy. He’s with his father, in Kressos.” Foolish of me, to tell Veland he might someday meet his brother. They would never meet, now. I had made sure of that. Perhaps it would have been easier to never tell Veland about Kip at all. To not instill in him the same sense of scattered loneliness I carried in myself.

What was I going to do when Julas started doing math, and realized how old Veland was?

My son was not going to be anyone’s king.

When we had cracked open all of the walnuts, we added them to the soup pot, and I wrapped a blanket around my shoulders while Tyna cooked. The baby kicked again, and I let out a breath.

Tyna glanced at me.

“He’s coming soon,” I said. “Before the next dark moon.”

“That would be early, still.”

“I know, but,” I held my own belly. “Veland and Kip both jumped like this, in the month before they were born.” It would be early, but not so early. Tyna nodded. “Then we had best find a safe place for the little one to be born.”

Veland snuggled up against my side, and I wrapped an arm around him.  “Puppy,” I said, stroking his hair, “there is much I have to tell you, about where I came from. Who I was, before I was your mother.”

#

I was dreaming of being a wolf again, of running through the trees on four legs with a pack at my heels. I would wake up with snow and twigs in the wolf pelt I slept on. Tyna said no one could wake me before dawn. More than once, she had tended to Veland’s bad dreams while I slept.

We had found for ourselves a cave that was too shallow to host a slumbering bear, but deep enough to keep us out of the wind while we slept, and nurse a little fire.

Veland set his snares, and we didn’t starve, but it wasn’t enough to really ease the hunger. I knew we had to do something. I would not bring a baby into this cold when we were already withering. So in the night, when I woke inside of a wolf skin, I set out hunting.

Tyna about jumped out of her skin, the first morning she woke to find a deer carcass in our cave. Three wolves sat on the edge of our camp that day, watching as we butchered it. What we could not eat, or fit into our soup pot to keep hot for the next day, we fed to them. Everything that could be eaten was. We cracked the bones for marrow, sucking it out as we huddled by our fire, cut fat into our soup pot.

We stopped going hungry.

Veland would curl up with his head against my belly while I told him about my family—our family. I told him about my brothers, and my parents. “Your grandfather is passed now, but as far as I know, my mother still lives. She will be so happy to meet you.” I told him all the stories I had grown up with, of Anar and his sons, of great people in our family line. Veland would only move his head when the baby managed to land a kick against his skull.

“Ima,” he said, curled up next to me.

“Yes, puppy?”

“Are dangerous people looking for us because you used to be a princess?”

Tyna looked up from the tear she was mending in her coat, her eyes meeting mine.

I stroked Veland’s hair. “That’s part of it,” I said, “but not all.” I hesitated, and drew in a breath. “There is more I need to tell you,” I said, “about your father.”

Everything I had been through, I think it was telling Veland that he was the son of a king that was the most difficult. To try and explain to him, in a way he could understand, the importance of that, without terrifying him. He needed to be afraid, but he did not need anything added to his nightmares. “There are going to be people,” I told him, “who want to make you a king, too. A king is a very dangerous thing to be.”

I kept thinking of my meeting with Weta. Three kings will die on your account. “I won’t let anyone put a crown on your head,” I said, “because if they did, Veland, there is no count to the number of men who would want to take it from you.”

Veland stared at me so, it took everything I had not to look away. “My eba… was the king?”

I nodded. What else was there to say to a boy who could still count his age on his fingers? He did not need to know yet just what kind of man Corasin had been.

“But… Uncle Muras is the Wolf’s Son… he killed the king.” Veland’s face scrunched up in a frown. “Uncle Muras killed my eba?”

I took Veland’s hands in my own. “He did,” I said. “Because he is a soldier of Kressos, and that is what they do. That is why you can never be a king, Veland. Kressos will do everything they can to prevent it.”

“Would Uncle Muras ever hurt me?”

I gazed at my son, confused and afraid. “No,” I said, softly. “No, he wouldn’t.” If he had wanted to do anything of the sort, he had had ample opportunity.

Instead he had let everyone at Morhall believe that Veland was his.

I pulled Veland into a hug, kissing the top of his head. “I love you so much,” I whispered. “I will do everything—everything I can to keep you safe.”

Veland sniffled into my dress, and I held onto him while he hid his face from the world. These times when he was able to hide, they would be few and far between. I wouldn’t take any of that from him.

Tyna came over to sit beside us, and draped a blanket over Veland, rubbing a palm across his shoulders. “Little one,” she said, “there will be many people, too, who want to protect you, and keep you safe. Things will be hard, for a while, and they will be scary—but there will be good times, too, and friends you can trust. Your ima isn’t trying to frighten you, just prepare you.” She gazed at me a moment, and squeezed Veland’s shoulder.

Tyna had given up wearing her hair in a Kressosi style. It was braided now, beginning at the crown of her head. It had been a long time since I wore my own hair that way. Eleven years.

After we ate, as night closed in on us, I asked her if she would help me braid my hair.

Tyna looked at me a moment, as if I had asked something impossible of her, and then she nodded. By firelight, while Veland slept, she combed through my hair, gently working through the tangles. “I didn’t think you were going to tell him the truth about his father.”

“He deserves to know,” I murmured. “There will be no avoiding it.”

Tyna parted my hair, her fingers against my scalp. “And what are you going to offer the lords of Saren, if not a prince?”

“What they really want, and what they would get if I gave them a prince,” I said, “a bloody and brutal war.”

Tyna worked slowly and methodically with my hair. “And after?”

“I can’t give them rule,” I said. “I can’t tell them how to do it. It’s something that they will have to work out on their own. The only thing I care about is keeping anyone from ever again calling himself King of Saren.”

“Yes, I remember your hatred of kings.” Tyna’s voice was gentler than I expected. “What will you do with yourself, if such a war is won?”

I had thought so much on the inevitability of war with Kressos, of the pain and suffering it would bring, that I had not thought of an after. Of what my life would look like when my debt had been repaid.

I tilted my head forward, to keep the tension in my hair as Tyna finished the braid. “When war is done,” I said, “and my debt to the Wolf is paid… I will retire to Arborhall… and grow old and fat on cider and lamb.”

Tyna laughed softly, finishing off the braid. “An admirable plan. Will old Aziran-trained physicians be welcome?”

“I don’t see why not.” I was pleased that she intended to stay with us, at least for the time being. I had grown fond of Tyna’s stern and practical nature, even as she scolded me for doing dangerous and foolish things. She had even made sure Veland still practiced his letters, tracing them in the snow with a stick while we cooked and worked.

She had also saved him from poisoning us all with mushrooms that he found under the base of a particular tree.

When she tied off the braid, Tyna held my hair a moment more before she let it fall against my back. I touched the crown of my head, feeling how differently the weight rested on my skull. “It’s strange,” she murmured, “I didn’t think I’d missed this.”

“The hair, or being Liana Anarin?”

I wasn’t sure how to answer. Tyna got up to put more wood on the fire, to keep it burning through the night. It was the firewood, more than anything else that occupied our time now. We collected a great many pine cones to keep it lit. She seemed different, since we had left Morhall. I thought, perhaps, she felt a little guilty about all the people we had left behind.

“Where did you even get the name Sargis?” Tyna asked suddenly, looking up from the fire.

I laughed a little. “From a drunk man who asked me to marry him on the riverboat to Kressos.” I had almost forgotten him. He had been maybe seventeen, sloshed out of his mind, and I had grabbed his shirt to keep him from falling overboard. He had looked at me, smiled, asked me to marry him because I was “so kind and beautiful,” and immediately vomited over the side. “He said if I married him, I would be the most beautiful woman in the Sargis family.”

Tyna almost smiled. “Seems you’ve not had any shortage of suitors in your life.”

I shrugged, rubbing my belly. “For all the good it’s done me.” I got up to stretch, and we heard a wolf howl in the distance.

“One of yours?” Tyna asked.

“I don’t know. What makes them ‘one of mine?’” I settled onto the blankets and fur. Bili, who had already bedded down, reached over to sniff and snort in the middle of my back. The gelding that Tyna rode was already asleep, head tucked against his side.

“You’ll have to be better about pretending you understand how this all works when you’re talking to lords,” Tyna said.

“I’m not a fool,” I said, annoyed.

“No, you aren’t.” Tyna settled in, taking off her shoes. “I know you aren’t.” She rubbed her ankles, wincing. “You were right that I’ve been in Kressos too long. There’s so much theater to politics.” She pulled a blanket over herself, curling up on our makeshift bed of thin cedar and pine bows. “But there’s no sense worrying about all that playacting when we’re still in the woods, is there?”

“Can I ask you something?” I murmured.

“You can ask whatever you like, I can’t promise I’ll answer.” Tyna put an arm under her head, looking at me.

“Are you really here because you want a free Saren?” She had spent so many years in Kressos, killing for the crown prince—I had to wonder.

Tyna gazed at me a moment longer, and she drew in a breath. “That was why I decided to make a friend of you, when I realized who you were. I thought, finally, this can make a real difference. Something more than the nothing action of killing a single king and a single prince. Without something—someone—to remind the people what it means to be free, I couldn’t kill enough Kressosi nobles to make a single bit of difference.”

“And now?” I asked.

“And now,” Tyna murmured, “I am here because I don’t want to be parted from you.”

I gazed back at Tyna, not sure I wanted to ask her what she meant. I was still raw, still aching from what I had left behind. She had to know that.  She probably knew, too, how badly I needed her help. How friendless I was in the world without her.

“Don’t look so morose, Princess,” Tyna said, calling me that because she knew it would needle me, “I know how hard things must be for you right now. You asked a question, and I answered. That’s all.”

The baby kicked me in the ribs, and I let out a breath, shifting. “You should have seen the way they looked at me when they told me. They knew what they had done to me, and they thought I would just… stay.” That was what burned me the most. That they thought they could just tell me, and everything would be the same, afterward.

“I can’t puzzle out for you what they were thinking,” Tyna murmured, “or what they hoped to achieve. I can’t say anything that will make you feel less betrayed—but I can tell you this: your story isn’t hinged on those men. It never was. You are the one who was chosen by the Wolf, and you are the one who speaks for a god. Yours is the story that will be remembered, and not theirs.”

I laughed softly, shook my head. “I don’t care about my story,” I said. “I care about my life.”

#

I ranged far in my wolf dreams, farther than I should have been able to. I was coming to know this forest better than I had known any place I ever called home, its hills and hollows and the clear cold streams, many of which were at least half frozen.

As we were not presently in want of food in camp, I was only wandering that night, sniffing my way through the dark trees. The moon above was a thin sliver, not enough to light up the snow on the ground. I had slipped past a slumbering woolly rhino bull unnoticed, and was sliding through the ferns when I caught the scent of a human camp other than my own.

I stopped, chest deep in the brush, listening. It was late, and the camp was quiet, but I did not think it was large. I could only hear a pair of elk breathing, grunting in their sleep. Hunters, I thought. That was the only reason to be this deep in the forest, so late in winter.

I crept forward just to be sure, careful to stay downwind so the elk would not scent me and panic. I could see the smoldering embers of a fire, a red glow against the forest. Two figures were bedded down together, against the side of one of their elk. I watched them from the brush, trying to get a scent on them.

And when I did, I recoiled.

As familiar to me as my own scent, I knew them.

Todd and Muras had come looking for me.

I backed slowly into the trees, and spent the rest of the scouring the area around them, looking for others. They couldn’t have come alone, that would be mad. Alone, in an unfamiliar forest—they couldn’t be.

I found no one else.

As dawn drew near, I was called back to my human body in the camp. I plunged into as many streams as I could, following them until I could no longer, in hopes that if my tracks were discovered, they would soon again be lost.

I woke with the sunrise and a gasp, bracing as if I expected to be found already. I sat up slowly, scanning our camp—but Veland slept on, and Tyna too. I was the only one awake in the thin grey light.

I carefully pried myself up, bladder bursting, and watched the trees warily as I walked into the brush. How could they be here? To guess where I was going was one thing, but to find the route I had taken—I didn’t know how they could have done it.

I pulled our soup pot from the snow we had packed it under and hung it over the fire to heat while I waited for Tyna and Veland to wake. I could hear the wolves howling again, calling to each other. “Don’t harm them,” I whispered to the winter air. “Please, don’t hurt them.” If more blood had to be spilled on her account, she didn’t want it to begin with them.

A raven croaked somewhere nearby, and I let out a breath, deciding I should make myself useful and take the elk to the stream for water. I scratched Bili’s neck while he drank, his ears flicking every which way, listening to the sounds of the forest.

Muras and Todd were to the north of here by a few days ride, and it would not take them long to spy the smoke from our fire, if they hadn’t already. Could we risk leaving the cave, and looking for a new place to shelter? There might not be another place that safe for a hundred miles, and I knew the baby was close. If we didn’t have shelter when it came…

Tyna knew something was wrong the moment she looked at my face. She sent Veland to gather wood, and looked closely at my eyes. “What is it?”

“They’re looking for me,” I said. “And they’re not far from us.”

Tyna looked north, as if she could see them from our camp. “Well,” she said, “that’s terrible bad luck for us.”

“As best I can tell,” I said, “they’re alone. No soldiers anywhere that I could find.”

Tyna made a puzzled frown, bending to tend to the fire. “I can’t imagine Morhall would let go of its only commander like that.”

I held my belly in both hands as I walked around the camp, stretching my legs. “I don’t know how they’re here, but if we stay here, they’re bound to find us.”

“Much as I agree, I can’t advise we move without knowing where we’re going,” Tyna said. We didn’t even have a tent to shelter us from the wind if we couldn’t find a place to shelter. “Perhaps your wolves can give them the runaround for a bit. Lead them astray.”

Perhaps. I wasn’t certain, though, and that uncertainty meant I didn’t want the pack anywhere near the two of them. I remembered too keenly the men that had died on our journey north.

We ate, and set out to gather firewood and things that might supplement our soup pot. Tyna was happy to come across some large mushrooms growing out of the side of a tree, holding a tiny bit of snow on their tops, which she told us were quite delicious and filling.

Veland was quiet and sulky, which I had anticipated, but that didn’t make me worry any less. He checked his snares, and we were richer three rabbits. Toward midmorning, my feet hurt too much to do anything but return to camp and begin drying the wood, and skin the rabbits.

The baby was still kicking fiercely, which did little to improve my mood. I was sore and tired and cold and somewhere out in the trees Muras and Todd were looking for me.

It seemed I had always ended up in the beds of men who refused to let me go. Perhaps it was time to give them up altogether. I seemed to have nothing but bad luck with them.

I knew, even as I thought it, that it was both unkind and untrue.

Kaspar, for all his faults, had always been good to me. He had wanted me to be happy, he had wanted to take care of me. He just couldn’t be what I needed him to be.

I had known Todd would always put Muras first. There was no betrayal in that. They were connected in ways that I couldn’t be, simply because of how long they had known each other. Even so, once Todd was satisfied that I was not dishonest, and that I did not mean to displace him, he had always tried to make me laugh. He had played with Veland, kept a careful eye on him when he absolutely didn’t have to. I knew there had been times when Veland had gone to Todd for help before he had come to me.

And Muras… I knew why Muras had lied to me. It wasn’t because he wanted to protect me from the truth of myself, or protect us both from it. He had lied to me because as long as he pretended he didn’t know who I was, he could keep me by his side. As long as I was only Lya Sargis, and not Liana Anarin, he could allow himself to love me. Lya Sargis was only his Sarenn mistress. Lya Sargis was someone safe to love and protect.

Liana Anarin was a great deal more dangerous.

I knew and understood. It didn’t mean I forgave him for it. For marring the memory of his affection and tenderness with a lie. That he had known what he was bringing me back to, known exactly what it meant to me—and let me believe that I still had to hide it from him. How much easier would I have slept on that journey, in those walls, if I could have known there was one place I didn’t have to keep my suffering to myself? If I had known that my secret was safe.

That was what I was most angry about—that Muras had denied me that safety. And now he had the gall to come looking for me.

When Veland and Tyna returned, I had cooked the rabbits and mushrooms into our soup pot, and we ate together as the snow fell around us, hopefully dense enough that it concealed the smoke from our fire. I wrapped my arms around Veland while we sat, and thought on Arborhall, with its warm hearths and my foremothers’ tapestries.

I wished my father had lived long enough that I could see him again, or that I had been brave enough to return sooner. I had nothing to put in his barrow mound when I went, but I hoped that knowing that I had lived, that my son had lived, would be enough.

I could not let my father’s spirit believe that he had consigned me to death.

#

It was my father that first taught me to ride. It infuriated my mother endlessly, how my father conspired to get me away from my lessons and had me always at his side, whether he was with the elk or holding audience. Some of my earliest memories were of being perched in my father’s lap, playing with a toy while he discussed wool taxes with with the shepherds’ guild. I was his firstborn, his only daughter, and he spoiled me terribly.

But I learned, from all those hours spent watching my father. I learned how it was that Arborhall was run, not just the household that my mother managed, but the estate over which my father was lord. When times were lean for the farmers and shepherds, they were lean for us, too. “Starving men are dangerous men,” my father told me. “Hunger makes wolves out of all of us. When that is true, it’s best not to be the fattest lamb on the field.”

When our younger brothers were born, Father took Julas and myself to see them, and each time reminded us that we must look out for our brothers, that our family must be a haven for all of us. The world, he said, was a dangerous place, and if we could not trust that we would be safe with each other, then we could not trust anything at all.

I hadn’t known what he meant, then.

My father’s brother, the uncle Barwald that Tyna once met in Azira, I think was the reason for that warning. From what I remember of him, he was not a bad man, but he was terrible at correctly judging what he could say in front of strangers. Father had to work hard to appease more than one person my uncle had offended.

But when they traveled together, it was my uncle who could spy and shoot down a hunting snow lion no one had yet seen or heard. Once, when they were charged by a woolly rhino bull—a beast which is near impossible to kill when enraged—my uncle managed to put a musket ball through the bull’s eye, bringing it to a stop just at the edge of their camp, where everyone else had already fled trying to climb into the trees. However much trouble my uncle caused with other people, my father knew he would not have survived without Barwald.

While Julas and I were young, I think my father realized with some dismay that I was a great deal more like my uncle than I was like him—that wherever I went, there would be some trouble trailing behind me.

[jellyfish-and-deer]

Demonic Familiar

"Are you insane?" The demon, Landis, asked in a hushed whisper as he nervously hoped from one foot to the other. Neil considered everything, and all things considered, he probably was. Landis seemed to have figured out Neil's answer, as he groaned and rand a hand through his mud blue hair. 

"The blood sigil, Landis." Even as Landis began to write the sigil out in his blood, he complained. Bringing up logical and desperate arguments in an attempt to explain why leaving was such a horrible idea. "Thank you, your dismissed." Landis hesitated for only a moment before scampering out of the extravagant bedroom.

Slowly, lazily, Neil stepped into the circle. It glowed a bright and vibrant blue, the same color of his fathers eyes, his eyes, before Neil's vision went black. A moment later he came to, but found that the soft cushioning of the carpet made him want to go back to sleep. 

It would have been perfect if not for the soft sniffling from the bed above him. 

Shifting on his bare stomach, Neil took in the dark room. The first thing he noticed was the jagged word carved into the walls, repeatedly. Please. Neil wasn't sure why, but the scratchy word made him feel wrong, so very wrong. 

The next thing he noticed was the bareness of the room. Most children kept books, toys, pictures, something in their room, but this one was empty. Like a cell. A prison. Neil hated prison cells. He was not a prisoner. 

Thumping, unnecessarily loud, came from outside of the door. If Neil had to guess, he would say that the male slowly walking up the stairs was the reason the child above had softly began to mutter please over and over, like a prayer.

Neil was not an angel sent to answer.

The door slowly opened and Neil could make out the pristine black toe of two army boots laced onto a mans feet. "AJ, I'm home." The man's voice purred with a familiar sick delight as he stepped into the room and closed the door behind him. "What's wrong? Aren't you happy to see your big brother?" 

Creaking under the added weight, Neil wondered if the bed would crash down and flatten him. Then he wondered how he hadn't noticed the teenager in the corner, hands shakily grabbing his hair as he curled into himself. 

The dreamer. It clicked suddenly in Neil's head. This dream was a memory, a horrible one, but still a memory trying to appear threatening in a dream. Thankfully, dreams were Neil's realm, and the dreamer wouldn't think twice about his appearance. 

Either way, Neil was now a monster under the child's bed, and he wasn't about to let someone else scare the kid, even if he wouldn't be able to alter the past. 

The dim night light flickered as Neil pulled himself out, his glowing blue eyes settling on the man who had begun to tug at the soft baby blue pajama pants. Neil was aware his demon form was impressive, with his curly auburn hair framing his chilly blue orbs and the warm honey brown of his skin littered with wounds and scars held together by glowing gold stitches. Just to be dramatic he allowed his wings, large and white and covered in gold, to snap out. Not to their full length, but large enough, and the sharp black horns to float on either side of his head. 

Stilling, the man looked up, his muscular build looking small and harmless against Neil, who practically radiated annoyance in dark waves. "I am the monster hiding under Andrew's bed," Neil was sure that that was what the dreamers name was, not AJ, never AJ. "I am the only thing aloud to scare him. You are not welcome in this dream." Neil was taller, the dream making him a threat while forcing the man into a pathetically small ant beneath Neil. 

Like a mirage, the man flickered, his anger obvious as he screamed in outrage. It didn't matter in the end, because like everything else, he flickered and vanished.

Neil returned to normal, the surrounding area shifting into a nice dry clearing by a babbling brook surrounded by tall trees full of life. "What are you?" Tired blue clashed with blank hazel. 

"Your dream." When Neil didn't further explain, Andrew stood up and approached the brook. Neil didn't mind and instead took the time to lay out on the grass, his bare skin licking up the faux sunlight and stretching out his wings to their full twenty foot something length. 

"How did you get rid of," There was a pause as Andrew struggled silently. Neil decided to save him the struggle.

"Your fear?" He lazily opened one eye to observe the clenched pale fists before closing his eyes and releasing a deep hum. "Emotions are only allowed into dreams if the dreamer allows it. You are a dreamer, but I am . . ." Neil considered how to word it without scaring or freaking out Andrew. "Dream walker, spirit guide, thing." That would have to do.

"And your mine?" Andrew had sat down a few feet away from Neil, his burning gaze focused on the lazy creature in front of him.

Neil considered being owned by a human. It was an odd concept that wasn't often used in Hell. Then again, he was the offspring of such a rare deal. Eventually he would have to stick to a host anyways. "Only if you allow my to be."

Andrew was silent for a moment before replying. "Alright." A flash made the forest clearing flicker before locking into place once more. The heavy weight of the gold collar was unfamiliar and a little stifling, but Neil had managed worse. "What happens when I wake up?" 

"I don't know, we'll burn that bridge when we get there."

☆

The bridge was burning and Neil wasn't pleased. When Andrew had awoken, Neil had as well, and the all mighty and powerful dream demon found himself in the body of a small, common, red fox. It was embarrassing. Neil felt so ashamed, and then he felt tired and decided to get comfortable in his position at the foot of the bed.

But then the banshee had gone off. Neil knew that the young man wasn't actually a Banshee, but his horrified scream resembled one. "Andrew, what the fuck?!" 

"Oh. So he is real." Andrew said absently, observing the fox as he clambered out of bed. Neil gave him a look, quite impressive considering his current body, and then proceeded to snuggle into the warm duvet. "He's my familiar." 

Neil was slightly confused. 

Familiar's were witch pets. 

He was a witch pet? 

Oh! 

Andrew was a witch, so he was now a demonic familiar. 

Interesting. 

With those thoughts, Neil slipped into sweet unconsciousness. 

[zoocross0vers]

Raspberries Challenge #4: Bambi

Just apologizing in advance, this one’s actually pretty long. Guess I got too excited with this one, hehe ^^”

Oh yeah, there’s a cameo in this one too from too previously seen Disney characters! Yay! xD

Enjoy! :D

@wildehopps-rasps

...

Raspberries Challenge #4: Bambi

                                             Twitterpated

Spring was always such a lovely time in Zootopia. The sun was shining bright with life, the flowers were blooming, and everywhere throughout the city young couples were singing a chippery little spring song!

Let’s sing a gay little spring song,

This is the season to sing

So I’d like to suggest

That we all do our best

And warble a song about spring,

Spring, spring, spring

Let’s get together and sing,

Yes, all over Zootopia couples of all shapes and sizes were getting into the spring spirit. Young couples to be exact -- whether they be of the same gender, same species or mixed species, everyone was showing love toward their significant other in one way or another.

Let’s sing a gay little spring song

Just like the bird on the wing

Things always seem right

When you’re chipper and bright

So let’s get together and sing

Sing, sing, sing

Let’s sing a song about spring,

Spring’s influence resonated everywhere throughout the city, but most evidently at the park. Couples at the park were expressing their love for each other in their own unique ways.

There were two pigs snuggling snouts. A couple of elephants walked along the concrete path, holding trunks. And a teenage racoon gave a teenage vixen a flower. She gave him a peck on the cheek and the young raccoon sighed.

Let’s twitter and tweet,

A young male wildebeest literally tweeted his girlfriend a kissy face emoji with a heart. His girlfriend, who sat on the opposite side of the bench received his tweet and sent him a kissy face emoji as well. They looked back over to one another with a loving gaze.

Practically everyone was falling victim to spring’s influence...

Like the birdies in May

Get into the mood

And be merry today

Forget all your troubles and warble away,

That is...everyone except Bogo, the middle aged water buffalo that served as the Chief of Police in the city’s Precinct 1. It was his day off and the tired old water buffalo napped at one of the park benches. He thought to get away from all the lovey dovey attitudes going on around his neighborhood and assumed the park would be the perfect quiet place to get away from it all -- boy was he wrong.

He took one last snore before sputtering awake. “Wha--? Who-Who's ther--” Bogo looked around to realize that spring truly was everywhere! Nowhere was safe, not even his usual quiet spot in the park. “Oh what now?” he groaned, annoyed with it all.

Do, re, mi, fa, so, la, ti, do

Oh!

Let’s sing a gay little spring song

Music’s a wonderful thing

He looked around. There were chippery and merry young couples all around him. It was like a plague! “Hey! Hey!” yelled the grumpy water buffalo, “Stop that racket! Scat! Shoo! Shoo!” His angry shouts fell on deaf ears as everyone continued to sing and act lovey dovey toward one another.

Come on and rejoice,

At the top of your voice

Oh, let’s sing a song about spring

Spring, Spring, spring

“I’ll show them.” He cleared his throat with a very polite, “Ahem,” spoke as gently as he could, “Excuse me, but could you all just please be a little more...QUIET!!!” he shouted at the top of his lungs. That finally got a reaction as all the young couples at the park immediately flinched and grew quiet, greatly intimidated by the buffalo.

“There,” he huffed triumphantly, “That's more like it.” He resumed his nap. Only to be awakened from it two seconds later when everyone resumed their singing again.

Let’s get together and sing

Let’s sing a gay little spring song

This is the season to sing,

Ah, ah, ah

Bogo sputtered awake again. He covered his ears, while simultaneously gripping his head in frustration, “Oh, what's the use?” He got up and left. Opting to seek out a quieter section of the park to continue his nap.

He moved to a quieter, less occupied area and found a lone bench. The grumpy buffalo plopped himself down, “Same thing every spring,” he grumbled annoyedly. “Let's sing a little song about spring,” he mocked, “ Love’s sweet song,” he cupped his hooves and batted his eyes. “Bleh! Pain in the tail is what it is.” Bogo crossed his arms in a huff and yawned. With his eyes growing heavy, he resumed his nap and snored for about five seconds when--

“Flowers sir?”

“Aah! Wha--?!” Bogo awoke in a shock, waking up to the sight of flowers pressed against his face. He looked down to the mammal holding the bouquet of flowers -- it was a somewhat familiar looking red fox with emerald eyes dressed in a green Pawaiian shirt, brown khakis, and a red and blue tie. “What is this?”

“Flowers! It is spring! Care to buy some for your sweetheart? This pretty little number right here is going at half the price you’d pay for it at the store.”

“Swee--? Look fox, I’m not interested in buying flowers!” Bogo shoved the flowers away from his face.

The red fox held on tightly to his flowers, ensuring that they didn't fall from his grasp. “Boy, I’ll bet the ladies just go crazy for you with that irresistible charm--” The fox said, before taking a good look at the buffalo. “Bogo?”

The grumpy buffalo’s eyes widened. “How do you know my name?”

“You really don't recognize me?” the fox scoffed casually, “And here I thought I made more of an impact given how angry you used to get whenever I played in your yard.”

Bogo’s jaw dropped, “Wilde? Nick Wilde?!” the buffalo exclaimed in surprise.

“The one and only!” Nick stated casually.

“My, my you haven't changed a bit! ...What a shame,” he muttered at the end.

“Ha! Glad to see you haven't lost your sense of humor there Buffalo Butt.”

“Shut your mouth Wilde!” Bogo rebuked in a huff.

Nick gave him a cocky smile, missing this type of banter from his old next door neighbor.

“What are you doing here anyway?” Bogo inquired curiously, “I thought you moved away ever since your mother…”

Nick's ears fell back in sadness. Bogo’s words reminding him of the day he lost his mother years ago when he was a nine year old kit. She had been taken from him when a vengeful criminal stalked and followed them on their way home from school. He could still remember the terror in his mother’s eyes when they reached a fenced alleyway. She had managed to create a hole for him to crawl through and once she was sure he was on the other side, she had told him to run to the neighbor’s home and call his father. Nick initially refused until his mother promised him that she would meet him there. Nick trusted her and fled. The last thing he remembered was seeing her running back out the opposite end of the alleyway, luring their stalker away from him -- and desperately shouting to him to run and not look back.

After that, he could only very vaguely recall hearing a single loud piercing sound...then silence…

His mother never arrived to Bogo’s home as she promised she would.

Bogo called Nick’s father, Jonathan Wilde, who was the highly respected Chief of Police of Zootopia’s precinct one at the time. His father arrived some hours later to pick the boy up from Bogo’s home and told Nick the sad, terrible news that his mother couldn’t be with him anymore.

Given his father’s position, Nick hardly ever saw him during his first few years of life as he was always busy ‘protecting the city from bad mammals’ -- as his mother would put it. Heavy responsibility was hardly the only thing his father had to worry about however, as his position also brought forth many risks -- particularly the risk of crime lords and other criminals vowing revenge on the chief reynard for putting them away behind bars.

After his mother was killed, Chief Wilde had spend countless hours, days, weeks, and months to capture his wife’s murderer, but he was ultimately unsuccessful. Though he never openly expressed his grief, Nick could still see the hurt in his father’s eyes whenever he would ask him about his mother’s killer. The last time he had asked, Nick was ten years old and the only answer his father had given him was that he had asked for a transfer to a different precinct in another district.

Nearly twenty years had passed since then and Nick decided to finally come back to Zootopia. For what purpose he had no idea, he simply felt the need to come back to his old childhood home.

Bogo noticed the fox’s sudden silence and felt a wave of guilt for having reminded him of such a tragic memory. “I-I’m sorry,” Bogo said apologetically, “I probably shouldn't have said anything.”

“No, it's alright.” Nick replied, forcing a sympathetic smile as silence fell on them both.

Bogo cleared his throat, hoping to clear the depressing awkwardness in the air. “Well, in any case... it's good to see you again.” Bogo smiled sincerely.

Nick returned an appreciative smile, then returned to his usual cocky bravado. “Come on, don’t go getting soft on me buffalo butt. Being friendly doesn’t suit you.”

“And there he is again,” Bogo said annoyed.

Nick chuckled, “It’s good to see you too my literal old friend.”

Bogo huffed, once again annoyed.

“Hello there Nick!” a striped gray hare called out from behind the two. He wore a black suit and tie. Very formal looking and had piercing icy blue eyes. “Remember me?” he asked with a large welcoming smile.

“Stripes!” Nick called out happily, immediately recognizing his old childhood friend.

“Right-O!” the hare replied with a chuckle.

Bogo peeked behind Nick, also recognizing the striped hare. “Young Jack Savage, is that really you?”

“Ah, I see you’re here as well Commissioner Bogo. It’s an honor to see you once again sir,” replied the hare politely.

“Nice to see you too Savage. At least it’s nice to know you grew up to be polite, unlike some mammals,” Bogo huffed, glaring at Nick, who simply shrugged nonchalantly.

“Well I suppose I owe that to my mother. She was always quick to remind me of my father’s teachings,” Jack turned to Nick, “How have you been Nick? I haven’t seen you since we were children.”

“Eh, I just moved to a different city with my dad, got bored of it so I decided to come back. Start my own life back home,” Nick replied casually.

“And how goes it?” Jack inquired curiously.

“Well, I just got back yesterday, but I recently got in touch with Finnick and we’re going into business together.”

“Business?” Bogo echoed surprised, “You mean you’re not going into police work like your father?”

“Nah,” Nick brushed off the suggestion with a wave of his paw, “I’m not really cut out for the cop life like him. Not with all the trouble it brought him.”

“I’m surprised as well,” added Jack, “You always seemed so adamant about growing up to be just like him when we were children. To be a ‘Great Chief of Police’ as you would put it.”

“Yeah, well...things change.” Nick brushed it off, attempting to hide the fact that his reluctance stemmed from his mother’s incident. “ Besides,” he grinned coolly, “With my smooth talking skills, I think my skills are best put into business.”

Jack noticed the flowers in his paw, “Are you planning to become a florist?”

“Until Spring ends, you betcha!”

Bogo raised a curious brow, “Why only until Spring?”

“Because,” Nick replied confidently, “Finnick tells me flower sales tend to go up during this time of year here in Zootopia. So we’re gonna strike while the iron is hot.”

Jack scratched his chin pensively, “Yes, I see. That’s actually rather smart. Do you think I can enter into this business venture with you? Father actually wanted me to take over his farming industry, but I told him I wanted to venture out into the city to try my luck with my own business and this sounds like an excellent starting point.”

“Sure,” Nick agreed, “We could use someone with some math and flower skills. Although just so you know, we plan on shifting to selling pawpsicles once summer rolls by.”

“That’s fine. The more experiences the better. Though I must ask who is your supplier for the flowers? Must we look into forming a connection with botanists or farms?”

“No need,” Nick answered without a care in the world, “Our supplier is right over there.” Nick pointed to a flower patch on the park’s grass.

Jack looked on at the patch, confused, “But that’s just a barren patch?”

“Exactly!” Nick replied.

“Wilde, for your mother and father’s sake, I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear you just confess to stealing those flowers straight from the park’s flower patches,” Bogo stated with his usual gruffness.

“Well if you know a better place to pick wildflowers then by all means let me know,” Nick replied with a cheeky grin.

Bogo face-palmed a hoof on his face, “How are you your father’s son, I’ll never know.”

“Hey fellas!” called a gruff, heavy voice from behind them. It was a small fennec fox with a black and red bowler shirt and black shorts. He pulled a red wagon full of flower bouquets.

“Finnick!” Nick called out happily to him, excited to see his best friend after so many years. “You…” Nick paused, taking a good look at him. He snickered lightly, holding back his desire to laugh, “Looks like you haven’t changed a bit there buddy!”

“I’ll say,” Bogo said equally shocked at his short height.

“Ha,ha. Funny. Like I don’t know you’re talkin’ about my height.” Finnick gruffed annoyedly.

“Sorry about that buddy,” Nick offered him a friendly paw, “Good to see you again old pal.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Finnick shook his paw. “So we ready to do this Nick? We’re burnin’ daylight .”

“Sure. By the way, Jack here says he wants to join us.”

“You?” Finnick scoffed, “I thought your dad had a business plan for you?”

“He did, but I don’t want any part of it,” answered the hare, “I’d rather venture into business with you two.”

“Alright then,” Finnick gave in, “You deal with the money, Nick and me ‘ill work the crowd.” He handed Jack the black cash box.

“You boys never change,” Bogo muttered. The three younger mammals turned to face him, “You’ve been doing this since you were kits. Don’t any of you remember? Nick and Finnick here would come up with troublesome schemes...normally involving my lawn in some way...and then poor Jack would somehow end up getting dragged into them.”

“Hey it’s not our fault Jack is a literal dumb bunny,” Nick said casually.

“True, it’s not my fault I’m a--hey!” Jack frowned while Nick simply gave him a cheeky grin.

Out of nowhere, a young interspecies couple consisting of a tigress and a panda sauntered in front of the four mammals -- waltzing with a weightless grace.

The four stared at them dumbfoundedly, but more so the three younger mammals. “Huh, what’s up with them?” Finnick asked confused once the couple passed them by.

“Why are they behaving that way?” Jack added, just as equally confused.

Bogo chuckled, “Don’t you know?” Bogo leaned closer, as if to whisper to them, “They’re twitterpated.”  

“Twtitterpated?” the three young mammals echoed.

“Yes, nearly everybody gets twitterpated in the Springtime,” Bogo continued, shifting his gaze left and right as if fearful of others listening in to their conversation. “For example,” Bogo stood, walking in place. “You’re walking along, minding your own business. You look neither to the left, nor to the right. Then all of a sudden...you run smack into a pretty face.” Bogo jumped, letting out a scream to scare the three.

Jack jumped into Finnick’s arms, scared by the buffalo’s sudden scream and terrifying tale. “Get off” growled Finnick, dropping Jack on his tail.

Bogo jittered his knees, continuing with his terrifying description of love, “You begin to get weak in the knees. Your heads in a whirl! And then you feel light as a feather,”  Bogo cups his hoofs and bats his eyes, leaping ever so weightlessly into the air, “And before you know it, you’re walking on air. And then you know what? You’re knocked for a loop!” Bogo punched himself on the cheek, spinning in place. “And you completely lose your head!”

“Gosh! That’s awful!” Jack gasped fearfully.

“Dang,” added Finnick.

“Terrible,” Nick said.

“And that’s not all,” Bogo said, stalking slowly towards them, hiding his face behind his hooves, “It can happen to anybody. So you better be careful. It could happen to you!” He pointed at Nick, “And you!” He pointed at Jack, “And…” Bogo stopped, hesitating with Finnick. Would any girl really be interested in a small, child-looking fox like him? Well, he is an adult regardless of his size and face...Bogo reasoned.

“Yes, it could even happen to you!” Bogo said, pointing at Finnick. Finnick merely frowned in annoyance, knowing why Bogo would doubt any female could ever fall in love with him.

“Well, it’s not going to happen to me,” Jack stated after growing terrified of how enslaving love sounds.

“Me neither,” Nick stated as well, equally terrified of love’s hold.

“Me neither. There’s no way I’m lettin’ some filly control my life,” Finnick stated in agreement.

“There you have it,” Nick replied with his cool, confident bravado, “So if you don’t mind, we have a business to run.” Nick gave a confident wink and a two finger salute to the buffalo, leading his two friends with his head held high. His two business associates followed suit, walking away with their backs straight and chins up.

The three poised mammals walked through the park, keeping their prideful strides in tact and pulling their wagon of bouquets.  

 Not too far ahead of them, a beautiful Gazelle sat beside a flower bush covered with white flowers. With a flower in her hooves, she picked at the petals in a “he loves me, he loves me not” manner, until she was left with only one petal, causing her to sigh with a smile -- surely ending at “he loves me”.

The gazelle’s ear flickered, hearing the footsteps of approaching mammals. She glanced back to catch sight of Nick, Jack, and Finnick approaching in her direction. The gazelle smiled wide when she saw the three young males, but more so when her eyes landed on Finnick.

She blushed at the sight of him, for as tall as she was, there was always something about short males that immediately called to her. Perhaps it was because they tended to have this weird combination of handsome, yet a plushie adorableness to them -- and the fennec in her sights, certainly had both those qualities -- along with an air of confidence to him.

Eager to meet him, the gazelle plucked another flower from the flower bush and placed it in her tuft of blonde hair and then hid behind one of the taller flower bushes.

The three males rolled by. First Nick, then Jack, and last but not least Finnick who immediately stopped in his tracks the second his large ears heard a flirtatious giggle emanate from the bush. He turned to face it and spotted what looked like feminine light brown colored eyes peeking at him from between the flowers. Finnick’s own light brown eyes widened. He shook his head and rubbed his eyes. Was he seeing things? Or did this flower bush have eyes?!

Finnick looked back at the flowers only to spot the source of the eyes peeking her head out from the flowers. He took a few steps back when he came face to face with the mystery gazelle’s pretty face. “U-Uh...hey,” he stuttered nervously with a brief smile and looked back at his friends who were still marching, unaware that he had broken off from their group. Finnick tried to walk away and regroup back with the guys when the gazelle giggled again.

Her giggle, it was like a pan flute to mice to him. He stopped in his tracks and turned to face her again. Only now she had finally stepped out from behind the flowers and he managed a full view of her. She was tall, much taller than him and she had a very curvy physique. Finnick’s jaw dropped at the sight of her and his mouth felt fry. She wore tight blue jeans and a white t-shirt that accentuated her lovely figure.

The gazelle sauntered over to him, moving her hips side to side. “Hi I’m Gazelle. What’s your name cutie?”

“Fu-Fennec…”

Gazelle giggled, noticing the tiny fox’s nervousness. “That’s a strange name.”

“I mean, I’m a fennec fox!” Finnick immediately shook his head, only now noticing that he messed up on his own name. “Sorry, let me start over,” He took a breath, realizing he’s been acting like a moron. Seriously what’s wrong with him?! A girl is flirting with him! He’s gotta put those smooth moves to work! He stuffed his paws into his pockets and cleared his throat to start over, “Hey, how ya doin’ girl? The name’s Finnick.”

“Charmed to meet you Finnick,” Gazelle extended her hoof down to him. The flower perched in her hair falling to the ground as she crouched down, “Oops!”

“Don’t worry I got it,” Finnick immediately ducked down to grab the flower like a gentlemammal, “There ya g--” The second he lifted his head up to offer the flower back to her, she also happened to look up to him, causing both their lips to meet in a kiss.

The second he felt Gazelle’s lips on his mouth, Finnick’s golden fur immediately grew redder than a red fox’s and his body stiffened as did his upright tail. Finnick fell back like a slab of concrete, landing first on his back, then head, then face and belly first. He peeked up at her. She smiled.

In the distance, Nick and Jack continued onward. “So how much farther till we reach this sweet spot Finn? Finn?” Nick turned back only to realize that Finnick was no longer with them. Jack crashed into the red fox not noticing that he had stopped in his tracks. The hare turned back to look where Nick’s attention was and saw that Finnick was casually walking away with a tall pretty gazelle beside him.   

Finnick glanced back and realized that his friends were glaring at him from a distance. Not knowing what to say, Finnick simply shrugged and chuckled as if saying ‘c’est la vie!’ Finnick placed a paw on Gazelle’s calf and continued on his way with her.

Jack huffed offended, “Twitterpated.”

“I’ll say,” Nick scoffed, equally upset at their friend. Nick went over to grab their abandoned wagon with the bouquets. “Great, this was all Finn’s idea and he’s the one to abandon ship. Talk about not letting some ‘filly’ control his life.”

“Fear not, Nick old boy. I still know where most mammals tend to gather during this time of the year. Do you still remember the 'the watering hole’ fountain where we used to play during the summer?”

“You mean the one we used to collect wish coins from to buy ourselves some pawpsicles? How could I forget!”

Jack frowned, “You know mother was quite angry with me when she realized I was doing that.”

“Eh, so was mine, but you gotta admit it was worth it. Now come on we got flowers to sell,” Nick said as he slapped Jack on the back, ushering him forward. The two mammals continued on their way, Nick at the forefront pulling the wagon of bouquets and Jack following close behind him.

Ahead of them in the nearby distance, sat a pale-yellow furred vixen with sapphire colored eyes underneath a tree. She wore beige colored khaki overalls and a striped black and white elbow length top. The vixen sat eating yogurt covered strawberries and reading a romance novel titled, The Business Mammal and the Inventor, a novel about a male business rabbit who gave a young struggling inventor her first big break. She didn’t know what she loved better -- the scientific innovations the female protagonist would conjure up or the depiction of the gentle, yet strong no nonsense attitude of the male rabbit who served as the head of the company and was the only one kind enough to give the protagonist's inventions a chance.

The vixen sighed, bringing the book to her chest. She had just finished reading the best part where the male rabbit shared a kiss with the leading lady, thanking her for his company's success. Though she was a vixen and therefore the natural enemy of rabbits and other lapins, she couldn't help but feel deeply attracted to the male rabbit and the novel. Plus the writer’s descriptions of him -- gentle, adorably naive in a certain way, soft, cuddly, yet strong, proper, brave, classy, a bit uptight and conservative but in a good way -- it had her curious about perhaps crossing the line and dating outside her species. If only she could find someone like him...with those tall ears…

Just then, the vixen heard the sound of approaching footsteps. She turned to see a somewhat scruffy --- yet to be fair -- handsome looking male fox and right behind him she saw just what she was looking for! Behind the fox was a gorgeous male hare in a black business suit! The vixen’s jaw immediately dropped, “Oh!” she let out a dreamy gasp. She just had to get his attention!

The vixen hid behind the tree trunk and waited for the fox to pass. Once the hare was about to pass her by too, she immediately let out an attention grabbing “Ahem.”

It worked! The striped hare immediately froze in his tracks. He turned to see the beautiful vixen curling her long fluffy tail in a coquettish manner. Jack’s cheeks burned red and his eyes bulged at the sight of her. The vixen hid her face behind her tail, then moved it to bat her eyes at him.

Jack felt his gaped mouth grow dry. Strange. He had spend most of his life around foxes both in his neighborhood and even at school and he had always been fine around them. So why was it then that this vixen had such a hold on him?

But perhaps it was that. He had spent so much time around them that there were times he felt like he was one of them. Not to mention, there were times when he felt attraction towards some of his vixen classmates in the past. What with their long fluffy tails and their cunning natures and this vixen was no exception. She was the absolute most beautiful creature he had ever seen.

The female fox coquettishly made her way toward him, humming a light little tune, “La, la, la, la-la, la”. Once right in front of him, she batted her eyes once more to him, “Hello,” she said in a sultry voice, “I’m Skye and you are?”

Jack couldn't say anything. He merely took a deep gulp and felt his bulging eyes pulse as his ears twisted into one another. He was like a deer in headlights. Skye giggled at his shyness, “I don't know if you can tell, but I really like stripes on a mammal. I think they make you look...cute.”

That made Jack finally react, “O-Oh? Thank you, although you really shouldn't call a bunny cu--” As he spoke Skye slowly moved her muzzle toward his and placed a soft kiss on his lips, causing the shocked hare to immediately thump his foot to the ground in excitement.

Skye pulled back realizing his foot has yet to stop thumping. She pressed a finger to his nose, causing the hare to stop thumping his foot.

With an love dazed expression on his face, Jack continued with his previous statement, “But you may call me cute if you like,” he fell forward on his belly during his elated haze, while Skye cupped her paws together and wagged her tail happily.

In the distance, Nick reached the fountain. He turned back to talk to Jack only to realize the hare was no longer with him. Nick’s ears perked in surprise. Where could he have gone? He looked further back and saw Jack curled up on a vixen's tail.

Jack had a goofy smile on his face all the while Skye played with one of his ears. She flicked at it with her paw while once again singing, “La-la, la, la. La, la,laaaaa…” She held onto that last note, flicking his ear even faster. The sensation to his sensitive ears and the excitement of it all caused his foot to thump again.

Nick frowned and shook his head, “Traitor,” he grumped under his breath. Great, now he was all alone on his business venture. Though it was Spring, it was still a fairly warm day so Nick decided to pull his wagon to a nearby water fountain to drink some water before setting up camp to sell.

He started to drink when he suddenly heard a feminine voice speak to him, “Hello Nick.” Nick spit the water back down in shock. He looked up and saw a drop dead gorgeous gray rabbit with the most beautiful yet somehow familiar amethyst colored eyes he had ever seen. Nick gulped and his jaw slacked as the smooth talking fox felt his brain shut off at the mere sight of the pretty rabbit. The mystery bunny giggled, “Don't you remember me, Slick? I'm Judy.”

Judy?! Nick thought, at last feeling his brain function once more. It was no wonder he recognized her! How could he ever forget her? The two met as children when his mother used to work at the neighborhood bakery shop. He remembered that Mr. and Mrs. Hopps used to come all the way from Bunny Burrow to deliver fruits to the bakery. And every time they came they would always bring their little spitfire five year old daughter Judy along with them. Ugh, how much she would annoy him back then. Especially when she gave him his first kiss -- the one he had never asked for! I mean he was only eight at the time. Yuck!

Regardless of that kiss however, he’d always look forward to seeing her every chance he got! He never wanted to admit it, especially not to her, but he actually really liked that kiss.

And now, years later...he was finally meeting her again…

“Carrots…” Nick quietly uttered the nickname he had given her as he took in the sight of her full grown curvy figure that was well complemented by her pink flannel shirt and blue jeans. This wasn't the cute little dumb bunny he remembered. No, this was that same little bunny but now blossomed into a beautiful young lady.

Judy giggled at his stunned behavior and took a few steps forward, causing the nervous fox to take a few steps back. “I'm glad to hear you remember me, slick Nick.”

“H-How could I not remember a pretty--I-I mean dumb bunny like yo--ahh!” Nick fell back, tripping on his wagon of bouquets.

Judy gasped as the fox was covered in flowers and petals. Nick looked up at her, severely embarrassed by what just happened. Who was he kidding...anybody could see through his ‘sly, uncaring’ ruse. He was smitten by the bunny and she was forcing him to display a vulnerable side that no one had ever seen before.

An air of awkwardness lie between them, until Judy snickered a light-hearted giggle. Despite his embarrassment, Nick found himself also snickering a chuckle. In an attempt to play it cool, Nick grabbed one of the bouquets that was still in tact and offered it to the bunny, “For you Carrots.”

Judy’s eyes widened and she smiled. She took the bouquet in her paws and smelled them. She blushed, “Thank you Nick. They’re beautiful.”

Nick felt his heart beat wildly in his chest at the mere sight of her gentle smile. He felt himself blush as he chuckled nervously. Then without warning, Judy moved her muzzle close to his cheek. Nick gasped quietly and closed his eyes as he felt the bunny place a soft kiss on his cheek.

Nick’s eyes immediately popped open as he felt his head spin in a heavenly daze. The corners of his mouth rose in a goofy grin. The red fox sighed, his eyes practically rolling to the back of his head. Bogo was right. The second he felt that bunny kiss him, he felt light as a feather! And he could swear he was literally in heaven, with nothing but clouds surrounding him as far as the eye could see! And there hopping amongst the clouds and enticing him to follow, was a beautiful bunny shaped angel named Judy Hopps.

“Nick…” He heard her heavenly voice echo. “Remember when we used to play cops and robbers? Think you can catch me now?” She said, batting her purple eyes at him.

Nick smiled and without a word, sat up from the ground and made chase for the giggling bunny. It was a classic scene -- a fox chasing a rabbit. Or rather a predator chasing his prey. But in this case it wasn’t for food, but to woo over the prey in question to be his mate.

Nick chased after her through the heavenly clouds he had conjured up in his mind. The two of them leaping weightlessly, practically dancing amongst the soft clouds. Judy giggled and gleefully hid behind a bush shaped cloud. Nick chuckled and peeked through the cloud with a playuful grin, “Oh, Carro---”  

He was cut off, as his nose butted against another male fox’s. His heavenly daze was over and was brought crashing down into the real world.

“Nick? Nick Wilde?!” said the other fox, somehow recognizing Nick. Nick stared at him in shock and confusion. A brown cat popped his head out from the bush behind the intruding male fox. “Why look who it is Giddy! It’s good old Nick Wilde!” the taller fox chortled and grabbed Nick in a noogie, “You old rascal! Thought you could get away from us could you?”

“Remind me how I know you?” Nick groaned, struggling to break himself free from the taller red fox.

“Why, don’t you remember me?” the fox elbows his associate as Nick breaks free from his grasp, “He doesn’t remember us Giddy. It’s us! Your old pals Honest John and Gideon.”

Nick’s eyes widened as he massaged his neck, “Honest John?” Memories immediately flooded the fox’s mind. He knew the so called ‘honest’ fox since they were both kits. The other fox was a couple years older than him and he would see him around the neighborhood a few times. Honest John was a bully to Nick growing up and he would constantly tease the younger fox for wanting to grow up to be a cop like his father -- more so because Honest John was constantly getting in trouble with the law and was always quick to remind Nick of their lot in life as no good, sly foxes.

“Ha,ha,ha good to see you remember me old friend!” laughed Honest John with a slap to Nick’s back. “So tell me, is your old fox still failing at being a fox? Or did he finally decide to quit the force?”

Before Nick could answer, Judy called to him, “Nick?” Judy resurfaced from a nearby grove of trees. “Nick,” she looked beside him and immediately frowned at the sight of Honest John. She too remembered the older fox and of how he would torture poor Nick with his demeaning words.

Honest John’s eyes widened and he whistled while his feline associate adjusted his raggedy top hot, wanting to look presentable in the presence of a lady. “Do my eyes deceive me or is that little Judy Hopps all grown up?”

“Hello ‘Honest’ John,” Judy said apathetically with her ears pushed back.

“Well, well! So I see you remember me,” Honest John adjusted his cheap suit’s collar and shoved Nick back on his tail. Judy’s jaw dropped and she glared at him as he swaggered over to her, “I guess I must’ve made quite the impression on you, didn’t I?”

“Oh, like you wouldn’t imagine…” Judy practically hissed under her breath.

Honest John scanned his eyes over her and smirked flirtingly, “My, my. You really have grown haven’t you? Say,” he wrapped an arm over her small shoulders and shoved the bouquet of flowers Nick had previously given to her from her paws, “Given that it is Spring and l’amour is in the air,” Honest John made a rose pop up in his gloved paw via a sleight of hand trick. He offered it to Judy, “What do you say we take a little stroll in the park? Hmm? If you’d like I can even get Giddy here to pull us on a nice romantic carriage. Isn’t that right Giddy?”

His feline associate nodded in agreement.  

Nick glared at the taller fox in jealousy. His fear were put to rest however when Judy said, “Sorry ‘Honest’ John.” She pulled away from his arm and dropped the rose he gave her, instead picking up the bouquet Nick had given her. “But Nick and I already had plans for this evening. Isn’t that right Nick?” She looked over her shoulder to him.

Nick smiled. That sly bunny, he thought. She always was quick at thinking on her feet. Nick stood back up with a confident grin. “That’s right!”

“Nick?!” Honest John said with a bad taste in his mouth. “You may have grown Judy, but your taste sure hasn’t. Honestly, a pretty farm girl like you going for a disgraced cop’s con artist son.”

Nick gulped. How did he know that he wasn’t living an honest life?! Was he spying on him and Finnick when they were picking the wildflowers from the park?

Judy crossed her arms defensively, “For your information, I’m not a farm girl anymore. I’ve come back to the city to become a cop myself.”

“What?” Nick gasped quietly underneath his breath. Honest John meanwhile just laughed.

“What? You’re joking right? A bunny cop?!” he guffawed, “I’m sorry to laugh at you my dear, but that it the most ridiculous thing I ever heard! Hahahaha!” Gideon joined him in silent laughter.

Judy scoffed offended, “It’s not funny! A bunny can be a cop! Just look at Nick’s father, many mammals didn’t believe a fox could ever be a cop yet he proved you and everybody else wrong!”

“Right! Next thing you’re going to tell me is Nick there also came back to the city to become a cop too! Hahahahaha!” He and Gideon continued to laugh boisterously.

Judy turned to Nick for an answer, here eyes hopeful. Staring deep into her caring amethyst eyes and glancing back at Honest John and his incessant laughing, Nick took a deep determined breath. “So what if I did?” he asked the fox with his chest puffed out.

“Ha!-Huh?” Honest John and Gideon seized their laughter as Judy smiled wide with happy, cupped paws toward Nick.

“I...uh…” Nick glanced at the happy bunny. He smiled, decided. “I did. I’m going to become a cop just like my old fox and before you know it, I’m gonna be Chief of Police. That is, if a certain bunny doesn’t beat me to it.” He gave Judy a wink, causing her to blush.

“You? Chief of Police? Don’t make me laugh. Judy, you can’t possibly believe a sly fox like him could ever make an honest living when he’s off picking wildflowers from the park’s flower patches.”

Nick’s ears fell back in humiliation while Judy stood defensively for him. “That’s not true!”

“Oh no?” Honest John took the bouquet from her paws and unwrapped it, “Then why do your flowers still have roots and bits of dirt on them? Not to mention if you look around the park, you’ll find some bald flower patches. Care to add some input on a possible explanation to that Wilde?”

Nick’s face flushed in embarrassment as Judy turned to face him with a disappointed look on her face. “I…” Nick was at a loss for words. How could he lose her like this? Over a stupid con that he didn’t even manage to execute. Nick glanced up at Honest John who smirked victoriously at him. The older fox’s cocky face incited a furious fire in Nick.

No...he won’t lose Judy like this. Not because of him! Nick took the disappointed bunny’s paw in his and gazed into her eyes with sincere regret. “I’m sorry Judy. Honest John is right. I did take those flowers from the park and I was planning on selling them to others.” Judy’s gaze dropped in disappointment once more. “But...but then you came along and I managed to give them a better purpose. I promise I won’t ever do something like this again. And I promise you that I will become a cop and do what I can to make right by you and this city.” Nick gave her a sincere smile and she returned his smile. Her faith in him growing again.

Judy pressed against Nick’s chest and stood on the tips of her toes to rub her head affectionately underneath at the crook of his neck. “I forgive you, you dumb fox.” She smiled up at him with a boop to his nose. Nick smiled in relief and he reached down to give Judy a soft kiss on her cheek.  

Honest John’s jaw dropped, “What?! You’re going to forgive him just like that?!”

“He at least had the courage and true honesty to tell me the truth and apologize for what he did. When have you ever done anything to live up to your name? Dishonest John.”

Nick chuckled, “Good one, Carrots.”

Honest John growled in anger.

“Sorry Johnny boy, but the lovely Judy and I have a date to get back to. So see ya around, old pal.” Nick gave him a two finger salute.

Honest John huffed and turned around, “Come Giddy. Let’s get out of this dump!” The brown feline immediately rushed to the rejected fox’s side. Both of them leaving the park in utter humiliation.

Nick offered an arm to his new bunny girlfriend, “Officer Hopps.” Judy took his arm.

“Why thank you, Officer Wilde.” The two left together, arm in arm as the sun set on the horizon making way for a romantic evening in their wake.

[daydreambts]

Seokjin keeps his hands raised to show he means no harm while Sakura lowers the barriers around Hachi and Bao. He patiently waits for the witch's consent, aware she knows her familiars best. Sakura informs him the lavender spirit accepts his offer, and Seokjin gently smiles. He chuckles at Cake's excitement, watching the feline snuggle into Bao's arm. The panda is very adorable to Seokjin. Sakura tells him Bao is also okay with his offer. The kitsune nods. He closes his eyes. He's decided to work on one at a time. He focuses, his breath evening out. A soft golden shine appears in front of his palms, little sparkles accompanying it. The same substance appears around Hachi. Seokjin concentrates, slowly connecting his own life line to the familiar's. After Hachi accepts it, Seokjin carefully begins, transferring his large amount of strength and good health to the lavender spirit. It takes some time, but when Seokjin finishes, Hachi is strong enough to rise on their own. Seokjin moves on to Bao, repeating the process. By the end, both familiars are healed. The kitsune rises, bowing to them, silently thanking them for allowing him to service them.

- ☘️

•━»•»🌸«•«━━━━━━━━•••

“Please–don’t!” I cried, standing up and grasping Seokjin’s sleeves as he bowed. Slowly stepping back, I said, “Thank you.” I bowed, as did Hachi, Houki, Haruhi, and Cake. “I’m bowing for Bao too!” Cake purred, her paw patting the arm of the panda familiar, who was still laid out on his nest. “Hachi, you need to sleep some more. You too, Houki,” I said. Haruhi helped Hachi lay back in the lavender nest and Cake jumped off Bao’s nest before I reactivated the barriers around them again. I turned back to Seokjin. “I would like to escort you back to your realm, but because of the current circumstances, I have to stay here. But I’ll see you to the bridge.” Cake padded along, while Haruhi and Houki stayed behind. I unlocked the seal on the bridge and nodded to Seokjin. “You can open a portal to your realm from here. If… you want, we could keep the path open between the realms. I mean, if you’ll be coming by again, anyway,” I said hopefully, gazing up into his eyes. Sometimes, they appeared golden, betraying his fox blood. “Yes, Mr. Seokjin! And come back here with your familiars!” Cake meowed.

[ramblingcoyote]

Mythical Beans (Bnha Myth!AU)

(I had to do a quick little cute fic of wifey’s @empanadadooblez 💕❤💕 Bnha Myth!AU because I love it so much.💛💛 Recent asks she had about Kirishima’s relationship with all of them and the love for Baku’s toe beans inspired this so much.)

"Oi! Oi!"

Sero's eyes slowly opened at the booming sound of an excited voice calling out. His watch had been a calm one, thankfully so the naga decided to get a nap in while he could. He lifted from beside his coiled body, stretching his long arms over his head as he looked around for the source of the calling voice. A smile crossed Sero's face as he spotted the familiar face of an Oni he knew well, his friend Kirishima that hurriedly walked towards him, a bright toothy smile of his own at the sight of his friend. The man was big, intimidating to anyone who didn't know him well, he had definitely grown into his Oni size but those who lived in the forest knew he was mostly just a gentle giant. Sero and Kaminari could recite several instances where the big guy broke into tears from accidentally stepping on patches of flowers he didn't see underfoot.

"Kirishima, back already?"

"Yes!"

The oni's boisterous tone brought Sero's attention to why his watch had been so calm today, glancing back to his long body that was coiled tight, feeling a small shift within them. He glanced into the spiraled nest that was his body as if to check, a blonde fluff of hair just visible over the top coil that remained unmoving for now. Sero looked back to Kirishima as he grew closer, lowering his tone a bit quieter to give his friend the hint to do the same.

"Find anything interesting out there?"

Kirishima tilted his head, wondering if maybe his loud tone was a bit jarring for his just woken naga friend, nodding apologetically with a smile as he carefully set his club and bag down.

"Yeah, I found a bunch of jewel deposits in an old mountain range, and these really pretty flowers that were nice enough to give me some seeds to bring here."

Sero leaned his back to his coiled body, listening to Kirishima explain as he smiled.

"You asked the flowers first?"

"Well I didn't want to just take them. I told them where I was taking them. And then the town I passed through gave me a whole bunch of beans to bring back. They were practically throwing them at me!"

Kirishima gave a sharp toothed grin as Sero couldn't help but laugh, not having the heart to tell his friend the reason for the villagers' action as he shook his head.

"Sounds like some good finds."

The oni nodded excitedly, digging around in his bag of treasures, unaware of his arm nudging his large club as it tipped and hit the ground with a heavy thud. Sero winced, his dark eyes darting back to his coiled body as he watched a pair or red ears flick lightly in the blonde fluff, soon relaxing back down again as he sighed. He brought his attention back to Kirishima, broad shoulders quickly shrugging as the Oni stood closer then he was before with a curious expression on his face.

"What did you find, Sero?"

Sero chuckled lightly, leaning to the side slightly with his finger to his lips to signal quiet with his friend. He spoke in a whisper, leaning the top coil of his body down slightly for Kirishima to look over it. The large oni rested his hands on the edge of Sero's body to peek in at what was resting inside, so careful and quiet despite his large size. His red eyes widened, nearly sparkling as he looked at the sleeping kitsune curled up napping in Sero's nest of a tail.

" I found him first but he keeps finding me. He's the kitsune I told you about, he's been coming back pretty regularly. Thankfully he likes sleeping in the evenings."

Sero had to hold back a laugh as his friend looked at him in awe, Kirishima thinking his treasures were nothing compared to this as he gasped.

"I bet he's strong to keep coming back to fight you."

The naga shrugged, reaching down to brush some of the ash blonde hair from the fox's face.

"He is, really stubborn too. He tries to steal little things everyday. I'm starting to think it's just to get my attention."

Sero scratched his chin, a wide grin crossing Kirishima's face as he looked to his friend.

"He must really like you."

The naga's face blushed, giving Kiri a gentle scowl and shake of his head before looking back to the napping fox.

"What's his name?"

"Bakugou Katsuki"

"Oh, that's a cool name."

Bakugou shifted slightly in his living nest, his tail curled around him for warmth, ears flicking lightly at the sound of the other men's voices though he showed no sign of waking. Sero curled his coils a bit closer around him, a soft sigh coming from the kitsune as Sero and Kiri watched him.

"So cute."

Sero stifled another laugh at Kirishima's awed words, leaning back against a nearby tree with his arms crossed over his chest.

"Careful he doesn't hear you, he's got a temper on him."

Curiosity itched at Kirishima as he watched Bakugou sleep, wanting to know more about the fox, ask him questions, though his eyes were set on that fluffy tail.

"He looks so soft though."

"That's how he gets you. All soft and squishy then his claws come out."

Sero held his hands up menacingly, wrinkling his nose in a snarled expression as Kirishima didn't seem to buy into the act.

"And he just lets you curl around him like this?"

"Oh no, he demanded it. He pushed and shoved his way in there to nap. Where he wants to sit, he sits."

Sero shrugged, as comical as it sounded it was all true, Katsuki challenging him again to a fight that day that ended it's usual way. Their conflicts had started so bloody and now they were more playful, no blood drawing scratches or bites that ripped scales but mostly angry swats or punches and stubborn nips until the kitsune was bored or tired. Then came the very stubborn snuggling, Katsuki usually shoving and tugging at Sero's tail to make it just right before settling in his circle of coils, growling at the naga to not wake him until he was ready to fight again. Sero smiled at the thoughts, glancing back at Kiri who was cautiously petting a single finger on a fluff of Bakugou's hair as gentle as if the fox were made of glass.

"Then he really must be a good fighter. I can tell he has a strong fighting spirit, I wonder why he wants to steal so much though."

"Beats me."

The two seemed to shrug the thought off, their attention immediately grabbed as Katsuki gave a long stretch, his arms out over his head and his legs extending out over the side of Sero's body. Both naga and oni were mesmerized as the kitsune stretched, curling himself back up except for his pawed feet sticking up over the edge. Sero and Kiri went silent, huddled together as they were locked on the soft paws of the sleeping kitsune.

"They look so soft. I bet they feel like freshly steamed bean buns."

"That's a strange comparison, Kiri?"

"But they do....have you touched them?"

"Hm, no. I'm sure I've brushed them in a fight but I've never really touched them."

The two sat in silent though, the tip of Sero's tail twitching in interest as they watched the pads of Katsuki's paws flex in his sleep.

"Sero...what if we just touched them a little?"

"I don't know, he'd be pretty mad if we woke him up."

"We'll just pet them real quick. He'll think he stepped on something."

Sero gave a bland look, not sure on this plan as the two watched the fox's pawed feet intently. His decision seemed to be made after a few seconds, Sero sighing as he shrugged his shoulders.

"Alright, but only for a second. If he wakes up you better hide."

Kirishima beamed, the two inching a bit closer, peeking over to make sure Bakugou was still sleeping. They swallowed hard in unison, each reaching a finger forward and pressing it gently to the soft pad of Bakugou's paws. A moment of tension went by as Katsuki sighed in his sleep, still out as the other two seemed relieved.

"They are really soft, like soft little beans!"

Kirishima tried to keep his voice to a whisper, petting his finger gently on the fox's paw again with a smile. Sero tilted his head, running his own fingers over each toe pad of his paw with a small smile of his own.

"I guess you weren't too far off with that bean bun thing."

"Mhm!"

The oni smiled, putting his palm to Bakugou's paw to see the size difference, the two drawn into their investigating that they didn't seem to notice the ruffled sound from above them. Sero gave a startled hiss as he looked up, Kiri soon yelping as well as a fan of tails quickly snapped open over then, crimson eyes glowing as Katsuki's face was red.

"THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING!?"

Those soft paws reared back, kicking Sero and Kirishima straight in the forehead as the two tipped back at the force, both of them yelping in surprise as Bakugou stood over them. Fire sparked in his palms, tails raised in an intimidating display his focus on Kiri as he snarled.

"AN ONI! I SAW THIS PLACE FIRST SO BACK OFF! YOU WANT TO FIGHT!"

Kirishima stared wide eyed at the angry kitsune, quickly scrambling to his feet. He towered over Bakugou, his shadow cast over the angered fox though Bakugou stood ready for a fight with a snarl. Before he could lunge forward Kirishima dropped to the ground, bowing his head to the moss in apology.

"I'm sorry! I just wanted to know how soft your paws were! I didn't mean to wake you up! Sero warned me!"

Bakugou paused, his fires slowing as he glanced at Sero with an arched brow, the naga sitting up and rubbing the paw shaped bruise on his forehead with a sigh while he watched the kitsune step on Kiri's head with an irritated scowl.

"Oi Sero, this isn't really an Oni is it? You just let this guy wander in here? Some guardian you are."

Sero blinked, sure Kirishima was a bit of a softy but he was no less an Oni. The naga lifted his body up more as he sighed and shook his head.

"Yes, He's an Oni, He's my friend Kirishima. I've known him since we were small. We grew up together in this forest."

Kirishima kept his head down even though the weight of Bakugou's foot on his head was barely anything he wanted to be polite.

"Eh?! An Oni gets to just walk in here like that?! I Should-"

Before Katsuki could finish his thought Sero's tail was wrapped around his waist, lifting the kitsune off of Kirishima to keep him from attacking the soft hearted Oni. Katsuki gave a stubborn growl, trying to wiggle free before he was set down on the ground with a huff.

"That's enough. This is his home, he brings gifts for the forest, he doesn't take them...like someone."

Sero scolded as Katsuki's ears folded back at the accusation, growling at Sero as he felt his tail slowly slide away from his waist. His eight tails vanished in a soft boom, leaving one fluffy one to flick angrily behind him as he stared Kirishima down with a dangerous scowl.

"Oh! That's right, you like taking treasure!"

Kirishima popped up, flinching as Bakugou snarled at his words.

"WHAT'S IT TO YOU!?"

Sero sighed, his tail wrapped around the fuming fox again to keep him in place as Kiri scrambled over to his bag.

"Ah! I-I didn't mean to make you mad! Here, I have lots of these so I can spare one. And you won't have to steal anything."

Katsuki and Sero both tilted their heads, wondering what the Oni was getting at as he dug through his bag. The kitsune started to grow impatient, Sero's hold around him the only thing keeping him calm before Kirishima found what he was digging for. He took a bright round red stone from his bag, holding it out to Bakugou as it gleamed in the center of his large palm. It shined with mixes of red, orange, and gold with flecks of black within it as well. The fox's ears perked, still scowling though he seemed clearly interested in the stone the Oni held.

"It's called a dragon's breath stone. I found a bunch in the mountains so you can have this one if you want."

Sero watched Katsuki study the stone that was held out to him, his expression in deep thought at the offer as the Naga leaned by his ear.

"Like a peace offering."

Kirishima quickly nodded in agreement, smiling as Katsuki finally took the stone from his hand, rolling it around in his fingers as his other hand pushed Sero's face away gently.

"Tch, fine."

Sero and Kirishima gave a sigh of relief, the oni gathering up his bag again as the kitsune glanced to the weight of it as it was lifted.

"But I'm still going to fight you."

Kiri blinked in surprise though Sero didn't seem phased, this behavior not surprising of the kitsune. He had caught the fox eyeing the bag of treasures and could see his tactic clearly. Katsuki stood ready, his hands up almost exactly as Sero had mimicked earlier, nose wrinkled in a grinning snarl as his tail whipped around.

"Taking down an Oni will be a good warm up for me."

Kirishima glanced to Sero, both fighting a smile as they noticed that familiar pose of bared claws, the oni worried as he set his bag down.

"Take me down?"

"He means sparring, he's just trying to intimidate you."

"Quiet scale for brains, I'm going to destroy him and you're next!!"

Sero rolled his eyes reassuring Kirishima before trailing his way around the nearby tree to get more comfortable and stay out of there way, his elbow posted up on the ground with his cheek in his hand. His tail unraveled from Katsuki's waist, giving him a soft nudge to not be too mean to his friend.

"No he won't. You gave him something, this is his way of saying thank you."

A wide grin soon crossed Kirishima's face, glad he didn't seem too much on ill terms with the kitsune as he stood ready, his fists raised.

"A strange way to say thank you, but I'll take it! I haven't sparred in awhile."

"That's not it! I'm going to destroy you!"

"Oh! You're welcome!"

"Stop that and fight!"

Sero rolled over and laughed as the two started their fight, smiling as he kept a careful eye on their sparring. He wondered how it was that Katsuki had such a hard time making friends and allies, seen as a criminal yet even now was holding his claws back when fighting Kiri. The Naga grinned as he watched them, wondering if maybe the fox just needed someone to help translate his rough personality to others and wondering if he could fill that place. He watched as Katsuki hit against Kiri's forearms, handsome brow furrowed in a snarl with his hair a fluffed mess, Sero's eyes thinning a moment as he gave a content hiss under his breath. Yeah, he wouldn't mind filling that place at all. Maybe even someday he could help this thief fox become a guardian like him as well. Afterall, he really didn't seem to mind his company.