travelling-shifter

[travelling-shifter]

Open call for starters and plotting!

[travelling-shifter]

Magpie

by Richard Steel

[travelling-shifter]

This snow leopard’s leap leaves me speechless. 

[travelling-shifter]

20 Images Of Norwegian Architecture Plucked Straight From A Fairytale

The Norwegian countryside is strewn with architecture that looks better suited to crown the pages of a fairytale book. More commonly known for its Vikings heritage and fjords, these photographs display a wide variety of architectural styles that have been used throughout the Middle Ages to the 19th century in Norway. Check out the stunning collection below.

Crooked and towering wooden churches beckoning like an old crone’s fingers, winding stone path weaving through a forest, hidden waterfalls and lonely wooden cabins overlooking a vast valley at its base are some of the outlandish homes and architectural designs we have featured in this series. Teetering Stave churches, eerie waterfalls cascading down like a creature with its own mind, wooden homes made in the typical Norwegian indigenous style called byggeskikk have none of the linearity or conformity that modern buildings do, and have whimsical elements that heighten its sense of magic.  

Each of these structures below have a particular way of being set into its own environment, standing out from the elements without obstructing nature. Most of the buildings and bridges and pathways have been built with stone and wood balance the scene it has been engineered upon.

Barn In Valldal

Renndølsetra

Ancient Road Vindhellavegen

Bridge Over Låtefossen Waterfall

Kvednafossen Waterfall In Norway

Old Farmhouses

At The End Of The World, Tjome

Natural Swimming Pool In The Forest

Old House

House In Norway

Fjord Houses

Old Village

Fisherman Hut, Undredal

Bridge In Norway

Rogaland, Gullingen

Lake Bondhus

Small House In Norway

Fairy House In Hunderfossen, Lillehammer

Under The Aurora

h/t: boredpanda

[travelling-shifter]

The unexpected titch of volume brought Handsome’s smooth beak to the back of Jamie’s neck, ear angled to better catch her sentiment. His feathers fluffed briefly in thought. Did his nightmare-interrupted attempts truly count? If so, perhaps an hour prior. If not... Well, if not, the next question was if passing out was viable. Once he had arrived back from that hell of darkness, his body had failed to suffer the stress. If that, too, failed... Gaia...

“Months...”

False Faces

[travelling-shifter]

Matsumoto Castle is one of Japan’s premier historic castles. The building is also known as the “Crow Castle” due to its black exterior.

[travelling-shifter]

[travelling-shifter]

Gaia, how badly he wished for that to be true. The constant lie which no one ever believed, the fluid little comfort: It’s okay. His people were bystanders, carriers of history and knowledge, he wasn’t one to interfere. He’d watched wars play out, seen hundreds upon thousands die in his time, been strangled by tragedy and journeyed on. Morality, good and evil, all of these things were viewed from different eyes, and all of this was natural. But there, back in that oppressive darkness, he’d lost the broken fragments of himself again.

The first moment of Jamie’s embrace brought fluffed up pinions and a quiet hiss, but still Handsome found his resolve and calmed under logic and love. For now, she was what he had. He could only hope that such a manner would remain. With a few huffs to calm his heart, he eased his beak against her shoulder, rubbing the smooth feathers under her jaw in some form of thanks. Yet still he couldn’t close his eyes. He knew what waited behind closed lids. He knew what lurked in blindness.

False Faces

[travelling-shifter]

he is just a baby

[travelling-shifter]

Before he’d even reached the far side of the cavernous room, the scent of blood filled the air. Things were far clearer now. A quick glance showed the scuffle of his ally had already drawn crimson, though it was difficult to tell which party was commanding the fight. He couldn’t dwell too long. He had matters of his own to attend to.

Rumbling low in his chest, the Shifter turned sharp violet to the two men in a state of shock. Surprise was his friend as well, so it seemed. Nonetheless, they attacked. It gave him the opportunity he needed to fight back. Using his full bulk and claws, he hurled himself at the thugs, landing squarely over the torso of one and digging into his back and neck. Gravity took over as he launched the short distance to the other. They were sure to be up soon, but he couldn’t do too much at a time. He could only work in counterattacks should he wish to keep his morals strong.

What Lies Within || bloodwolvesandguns

Matt’s caught off guard when the man is suddenly not a man at all. There’s a sound that reminds him of a lion. It is a lion. The man coming at him seemed to have notice him being caught off guard and chose that moment to attack him, punching him in the face and splitting his lip open. He spat out blood, the coppery taste in his mouth and the smell of blood was now heavy in the air. To him at least, it was a stronger smell. He’s very aware of the padding of paws against the ground but he choose to ignore it for now. It would only prove to distract him.

They’re heading for him again and he dodged blows left and right, some of them connected, A knife connects with his side, nicking him barely, not enough to do any real damage. His fist connects with one of the men’s jaw, a sickening crack noise could be heard, his jaw must have been broken. The other two men are shocked and frozen in their spot, unsure of what to do with a lion.

There’s a gun hidden in the waistband of the man in front of the big cat, and Matt know’s its there. He made a mental note to find a way to disarm him before the man, animal, whatever he was gets hurt in his fight. Quickly he moves over to the man and his foot connects with his chest, sending him forward into the wall. Matt quickly kicks the gun away from him and then turns back to the other three attackers, seeing as the man had fallen unconscious.

[travelling-shifter]

But something did happen to me.

The thought was shoved away as quickly as he could manage with a distressed groan of sound. A few more careful clicks of his beak met the affection, a newfound stillness settling over him as security set in. He was safe here. He was with Jamie. For now, at least.

“Rest now” grated the raven in neutral intonation. To accent it as a question, he tilted his head and blinked a couple times at his bondmate. He didn’t want to be conscious right now, didn’t want to remember.

False Faces

[travelling-shifter]

Luckily, the masked man chose not to fight back. The altercation was now behind them, he needed no more retribution. Over the next few seconds, the Shifter carefully rolled his back up the wall to force his lungs to expand. The dust from them stuck to the sweat on his back, the cool stippling a sort of grounding measure to remind him that now he was relatively safer. Things could have been far worse, and had been in the past. 

And then they were. He only had the time to snap his sights to the man when four more came rushing in, armed and obviously with intent. Not exactly his best first night ever. He was quick to change gears, labelling his previous assailant as a necessary ally for the moment and gaining the faces of the four attackers. Two were of immediate importance. With a sharp spike of his pulse and a few steps back, he realized this would be a lethal encounter.

What choice did he have? One step was the pat of a human sole, the next was the grating of claws against old cement. Dark, cramped quarters, and weapons: his best option was that of a large cat. Much like his ally and with a rowl of warning, the shadow launched himself away from the scuffle of the masked man to take his pursuers out of range.

What Lies Within || bloodwolvesandguns

He had anticipated the shove far before it Shifter’s hand connected with his shoulder, the way his heart beat had picked up had allowed Matt to anticipate it far quicker then any one without his heightened senses would be able too. While Matt did not appreciate it, he understood why he felt the need to do so and choose to let it go. His beef wasn’t with this man after all.

Matt opened his mouth to speak only to close it as he heard the sound of four more heartbeats in the room. The steady thump, thump, thump, of heartbeats could be heard. Steady, never once picking up or slowing down. They were confident, they thought they were catching Matt off guard, they must think they had him right where they wanted them. Oh how wrong they were.

“Go.” Matt said firmly to the man but before Shifter could move, four men came at them out of the shadows. Two heading straight for Shifter and two for Matt. Matt anticipated the attacks fairly easily, dodging a blow intended for his face and ducking down towards the ground only to stand back up straight and leap into a series of his own attacks.

[travelling-shifter]

The tension which followed was tangible. The Shifter watched with wary violet eyes as his fate was mulled over behind a sightless mask. He could feel options weighed, information inspected, the heat of anger or vengeance steeping his thoughts. Thankfully, the blockade pulled away to leave him clutching the wall to keep from falling, coughing harshly to free his throat from a stopper no longer present.

As his own cacophony echoed away, the wanderer carefully righted himself and turned his head to truly look over the man. A sliver of moonlight gleamed upon his eyes for a second before he yanked his head away, fearing for his own safety in this individual’s company. Should anything seem awry, he worried his own security would be the price paid. 

That, too, passed in its own swift time, leaving him on shaky knees, but upright. Lack of air and karmic retribution mingled in a pounding thrum behind his eyes, then carefully, slowly, the Shifter raised a hand towards the statue of a man. “I mean you no harm, but you do owe me this much.” A single sharp shove to the shoulder served well enough. The karmic march faded into obscurity. It was only then that he doubled over once more with a fresh vein of coughing.

What Lies Within || bloodwolvesandguns

The man was sweating, probably because he was so afraid. He could smell the sweat coming off of the man. Each breath was heavy, and desperate. He had definitely cut his air supply off but by loosening his grip on the man’s throat, he would be able to breathe better, even if he would have some trouble breathing. Matt knew just how much pressure to apply to keep the man from doing anything rash. He made sure to keep his focus on his heartbeat as well to help him anticipate any attacks that might head his way. He didn’t think he would attack but he couldn’t be too sure.

Matt’s own breathing was slightly heavy, elevated, but not from fear. Instead it was from a much different reason. Anger. He didn’t appreciate being played. After a moment of utter silence besides the heavy breathing filling the air, Matt let go of the man completely, deeming the man to be truthful. “I apologize. It must have been a misunderstanding.” He said, taking a step backwards.

How would they have known that this man would be here if he had no affiliation with Fisk and his lackeys? Unless they’d been watching this man and taken an interest in him, made him easy target for him. It only lead Matt to believe he had fallen into a trap, his entire body went rigid as he waited and listened for anything that would indicate his suspicious were true. Maybe he was being paranoid but between the beatings he had taken as of late, who could blame him?

[travelling-shifter]

It took supreme effort not to ball his raised hands into fists in an effort to keep himself conscious. That would not go over well, he suspected. Instead, exposed palms began to quiver with strain as sharp violet eyes drifted into dullness. Each breath was accompanied by a low rasp, each second a slight revulsion of his throat.

Until, thank Gaia, the pressure lessened significantly enough to allow a desperate cough. He should have tried harder to hold it back, he knew he should have, and regretted it when the bobbing of his throat in turn pressed into the offending limb. This was not a nice way to start his new stay in North America.

“I--” another wheezing cough of agony, trailed by a soft exclamation of such, “I am not lying to you, sir. I am less than keen on current events--” a few moments to try to breathe, “as we are... But I cannot prove anything to you, I-I am sorry.”

What Lies Within || bloodwolvesandguns

Matt quickly took note of how the man wasn’t fighting back, usually they fought back, usually they were trained to fight back. But this one didn’t seem to want to fight? Either he was doing it to make it seem like he wanted no trouble or he really didn’t know Fisk. With the way his heart beat picked up and was steadily frantic it was hard to tell. Matt was unsure if he was lying at this point. Maybe he was telling the truth, maybe he didn’t know.

Something Matt was sure off was that the man was afraid. Slowly the pressure to his throat loosened, he didn’t want the man to fall unconscious. He wanted the man alive and awake. If this man really didn’t know Fisk, then Matt had been played, and that only served to piss him off.  "Do not lie to me! You won’t like what happens next.“

[travelling-shifter]

He may have been in a bad spot, but that didn’t mean the Shifter had to allow his own helplessness. No, he wouldn’t physically fight. He would shove karmic law aside until he could bear it no longer, but observation was just as useful as altercation from time to time. Black attire, covered face, the man was not keen on being identified or noticed if he didn’t find it necessary. It seemed as though the material over his face would impair sight, but he had found the traveller easy enough. And the wall.

He continued to piece apart whatever he could for a brief moment until a further sound of discomfort eked out from his crushed throat. He still offered no fight. “I know no Fisk,” he replied, voice strangled from the stress he was under but calmer than he was in the moment. Long breaths, shallow as they were, were the way to go. If he lost consciousness there would be no hope for him. He wasn’t completely certain of this one’s ignorance, considering how swiftly he was found and with the brutality he was currently met with. There would be no way to know of his attacker’s intent if he lost his awareness. 

What Lies Within || bloodwolvesandguns

Upon closer inspection the man smells different then most. It’s like he isn’t entirely human but that can’t be right. There’s a hint of water, perhaps the man has been swimming recently. In the ocean, as the water smells mostly like salt water.

Thump, thump, thump. The sound of the man’s heavy heart beat is frantically pounding in Matt’s ears. Maybe he’s nervous, or maybe he’s lying. Maybe it’s both. Whatever it is, Matt doesn’t believe this innocent act he’s got going on. He said he didn’t understand but Matt believed the opposite. This guy knew exactly what he was talking about.

“Fisk. What can you tell me about Fisk?!” Matt demanded, pressing his elbow against his windpipe harder, making it harder for the man to breath. The sound of his struggles for breath could be heard clearly. Listening to something of the sort would normally be bothersome to someone, but not to Matt. Matt did what he had to do. He couldn’t let such things bother him if he wanted to protect the city. His city.

“Tell me what you know!” He demanded the man in a sharp tone that would cause the best of the best to flinch. He noticed the had an accent, faint but it’s still there. Persian by the sound of it.

[travelling-shifter]

bloodwolvesandguns:

Matt had gotten information out of someone earlier about the whereabouts of one of Fisk’s lackeys. Supposedly there was some deal going down in an area with a bunch of abandoned buildings. The man making the deal was suppose to have information on Fisk, information he needed, and the only way to get it out of him would to beat it out of him, just as he had done to several others before.

Matt had suited up in his black outfit and made his way out to the location of which the deal was suppose to be going down. Once he had arrived, he stood in the shadows where he would go unnoticed and listened. He could hear several things, the sound of construction work going on a couple of blocks away. They were just finishing up as night had just fallen. The sound of a bird preening his feathers and walking along the railing of a dirty pier, and the sound of rustling.

He zoned in on the sound of the rustling in a building that was abandoned, a warehouse perhaps. The sound of the heartbeat coming from the person doing the rustling, a male by the smell of him, could be heard, letting Matt know that he was in the right place. The male smelt strange but Matt decided not to dwell on that too much. Not at the moment anyway. It was time to make his move, while the man was distracted by whatever he was looking for.

Coming up behind him, Matt grabbed him and slammed him up against a nearby wall, pinning him to the wall with his elbow at his throat, applying little pressure to crush his wind pipe just slightly and let the man know he meant business. “Who do you work for?”

Well, his finds thus far proved this space wasn’t as abundant as he was hoping. He wasn’t particular. Anything abandoned was more than he had before. The only stray article which fit him was a pair of cutoff jeans with a stain along the side which he donned for the time being to continue his search.

A search which was suddenly cut short. This always happened, honestly, he should have learned by now that in this form he had horrid luck. Although, luck really didn’t have all that much to do with it. Lesser senses and naturally occurring physical prowess in exchange for astounding intelligence and curiosity. Which he had in any form he chose anyway. He always knew the risks, yet he always ended up here.

The sudden flash of motion tensed the majority of his muscles and dragged a sharp gasp from his lips, but he was too slow to Shift and run. He’d already found clothing, it would hinder whatever he chose-- not to mention give him away if he chose to do so here before the man. Pain pulled across his shoulders momentarily, but only served as a shadow of a predecessor to the pressure which dug into his throat and cut off his now heightened breathing. Karmic law pushed at him to fight back, to return the punishment given him, but his only response was to carefully, slowly, raise his hands in surrender and lift his chin to try to breathe easier.

“I do not understand,” rasped the Shifter after a grating breath. Work for? For one, why would he be suspected of such, for two, why on Gaia’s green earth was he being accosted by someone who felt the need to cover their face?

What Lies Within || bloodwolvesandguns

[travelling-shifter]

What Lies Within || bloodwolvesandguns

Lovely as Europe was, it was high time the Shifter moved on. He’d spent a few months wandering in the general area, checked in on things he’d once known to be much smaller, then made his way by wing and fin across the Atlantic. Several pods and visits with various old acquaintances later, a waterlogged crow sat preening its feathers on a lovely, if somewhat dirty, pier. He was never one to complain.

As night fell, he decided he would take the chance of communication for a while. There were abandoned buildings abound, surely he would be able to find suitable clothing for the time being. While it was all lovely to be without speech anyways, sometimes there was a gap which simply needed stories told to be filled. Therefore, once inside his best bet for a good find, the Shifter took a most usual form and began rooting around for any material opportunity he could find.