#also the first campsite villager could have been So Much Worse

[iwantyoursexmp3]

ERIK MOVING ONTO MY ISLAND JUST IN TME FOR AUTUMN AND WINTER OMGGGGG

#HE'S SO CUTEEEEEE #im back in my animal crossing era so much #my villager lineup so cute atm lilke... #pashmina dom audie merengue erik lopez sherb teddy #IM WINNING!!!! but also feel like im winning too much i need someone to be my villain #lopez is a flop to me because of angry coconut but makes it funny to have him #also the first campsite villager could have been So Much Worse #i want retro town + woodsy forest vibes

[americangirlstar]

american girl contemporary dolls’ animal crossing islands

bc apparently covid is now canon to the agverse you know they all got new horizons

lindsey bergman: the first contemporary doll also has THE most chaotic island. she does what she wants and nobody can stop her. she only accepts the villagers with the wildest designs, made everyone’s catchphrase either uwu speak or smth like “gay rights,” only wears the most hideous outfit combinations, and buys everything from redd no matter how fake it is. one room of her house is filled with haunted artwork, another has nothing but snapping turtles. she’s figured out how to make memes into clothing patterns and now every pathway on her island is the pogchamp face. best friends with flick. honestly she’s an icon 

kailey hopkins: spends 90% of her time swimming or fishing. only 90% because she actually takes her role as island rep seriously and she has worked very hard to get it to five-star. she does abuse her power to make a million rivers and turn her island into basically a waterpark, but that just makes it cooler. died of joy when swimming was enabled and now has two of everything you can collect in the ocean decorating her house, every room of which resembles a beach house. also collects seashells and has very pretty shell arches decorating doorways

marisol luna: she went into the game with a list of who she will and will not allow on her island and is ruthless in kicking out villagers in order to get who she wants to move in. absolute QUEEN at catching tarantulas/scorpions, goes hunting for them on islands with the insane amount of nook miles she collects by doing random quests. loves collecting emotions for her character to do and then making funny videos out it. filled out the fossils in her museum FAST and now just digs up fossils to decorate the lawn with. each room of her house is a different dance studio. 

jess mcconnell: QUEEN of fishing and bug-catching but can’t dive for SHIT. she has about three of every fossil because she can’t stand the idea of selling them. is obsessed with gathering every possible DIY recipe even if she doesn’t plan on making anything with them, she just thinks they’re neat. has a shrine on her island for redd and celeste in attempts to get them to come more often. she’s been on her island religiously every day since she got the game, it’s a little scary. thinks murder should be legal on her island 

nicki fleming: cannot chose a mean dialogue option to save her life. she can barely stand to kick out villagers she dislikes either, only does it if they ask to leave and then prays to the nintendo gods that bunnie will come visit the island. the main room of her house is reflective of her actual room, the rest of it is absolutely gorgeously decorated, stuff made to look like meadows or snowy mountains. winter is her favorite, she makes a snowboy every day no matter how many times she crashes the snowballs. LIVES for cj and flick because she always hated the idea of her fish/bugs dying for a competition. saves all her new stuff for the museum for nighttime because she feels bad waking up blathers 

mia st clair: wants to hack the game so that it’s winter all the time. soon as the winter DIYs dropped she redecorated her entire island and house to be as icy as possible. she’s basically queen elsa at this point. she’s horrible at catching items so her museum is mostly fossils, but even then sometimes she sells fossils before identifying them if she’s short on bells. she visits sable every day in hopes of making her feel happy. she has pretty much every possible clothing wand so that she can carry around one to match each outfit. one time her brothers went on to try and fuck with her island and we don’t speak of what happened following that. fear her 

chrissa maxwell: shares an island with gwen and sonali. she’s the one in charge so she’s working very hard to make it a 5-star island so isabelle will stop bugging her about it. also very into DIY and likes to decorate the island with things she’s built. favorite seasonal event was the wedding anniversary one, she can’t get enough of redesigning and taking photos of those funky lil alpacas. plus, she got a lot of neat stuff out of it. goes to the able sisters every day to see what kinds of new outfits they have, and yet somehow cannot make a good fashion decision to save her life. obsessed with swimming and now leaves all other museum donations to her girlfriends so she can spend all her free time looking for crabs 

gwen thompson: somehow absolutely brutal. will send clashing-colored toilets in the mail to villagers she doesn’t like to fuck with their home design and hit them with butterfly nets. she’s tried to hit them with axes as well. shakes trees constantly in an effort to catch wasps and has not gotten stung once because she’s that quick with a net. her favorite character is celeste and chrissa and sonali have barely any star stuff because whenever celeste is on gwen is hogging the switch. changes her characters’ hairstyle, like, every five minutes. when she sends her friends gifts the letters will say something like “fuck u, love u <3″ it’s so wildly different than how she normally acts in public that it’s a little scary 

sonali matthews: even worse than gwen. has tried to murder villagers she dislikes before. sometimes fucks with parts of the island just to see how people react. would sell her soul to redd just to piss off tom nook. the only thing she takes seriously is gardening, she has a fenced-off area where she breeds flowers and woe befall anyone who messes it up. her house is a hoarder’s nightmare and chrissa and gwen have been begging her to let them redesign it but she refuses. screenshots the worst parts of their island and posts them on twitter with the dreamcode so people can see the graveyard she made to intimidate rodney 

lanie holland: still lives in a tent because she thinks it’s cool, refuses to pay up to nook so she doesn’t have to get a house. somehow has the cutest outfits of everyone. her island design is to die for, half the island is full of flowers arranged in rainbow-order and the other half looks like a faerie forest. has filled out her museum’s bug collection and has half the fossils but keeps forgetting to go fishing. her little sister emily joined her island and keeps trying to get lanie to upgrade to a house or expand other stores but lanie refuses, it’ll mess with the aesthetic. emily basically has a huge mansion in the corner of the island while everything else is practically a glorified campsite. leif is lanie’s favorite and she only collects bells in order to buy things from him 

kanani akina: the most beautiful island design you’ve ever seen. she also takes the best screencaps and posts them just so her friends know what she’s up to but becomes internet famous for how gorgeous everything is. the best designs, very diverse plants, all the houses are arranged in an aesthetically pleasing way. kanani’s house is on the beach so she can easily swim, fish and collect shells, but the inside is the best part. five of the six rooms are just as beautiful as you’d expect, with soft pastel aesthetics and quiet music playing. then her basement is referred to as the “special room” which holds nothing but several candles in a summoning circle and a single tarantula figure in the center. there’s a skeleton in the corner. whenever anyone asks about it she pretends she doesn’t know what they’re talking about. it’s the funniest thing 

mckenna brooks: disastrous. horrible at paying nook back and keeps getting angry letters from the happy home academy. her goal is to find any loopholes in the game and exploit them, no matter that the game is super simple and thus “cheats” aren’t very useful. she found out about island star ratings and now is trying in vain to get a five-star but she can’t get above a three. has been stung by wasps about a million times while shaking trees to try and find loose bells. one time she shook a tree and a toilet fell out and it now has a dedicated podium on her island, and whenever anyone asks she simply tells them that the toilet is the god of the island. hasn’t been able to keep a villager for longer than a few weeks, and also somehow got raymond on accident. still having the time of her life

saige copeland: spends far too much time designing customs and far too little removing weeds. wants to have flowers in rainbow order like lanie but keeps accidentally picking them. has absolutely no rush to do anything, lived in a tent for like three months because she forgot she could pay off loans. only accepts peppy or normal villagers so her island is pretty much all-girl and she refers to it as the amazon island; this is, however, because somehow no horses have shown up on her island yet even though she very much wants them to. likes to dream and go to random islands to get inspiration. she has a room in her house full of rainbow eels because she thinks they’re pretty 

isabelle palmer: will not stop buying things from the able sisters. she visits every day, pretty much buys one of everything, and then mixes and matches costumes instead of fixing her island. lives for the days when label visits because she takes her requests very seriously and comes back in outfits that slay™. almost exclusively gives clothing gifts to her villagers so that they have a better fashion sense. has a lot of flowers but can’t figure out how to get them to mix. the bug section of her museum has butterflies and nothing else simply because she only thinks to try and catch butterflies. hits rocks every day to try and find the daily Money Rock™. keeps trying to get raymond but her sister won’t let her pay anyone actual money for him 

grace thomas: when she visits the nook store she will solely speak to tommy. constantly checking the wiki to find out which DIYs sell well, and thus only collects shells in order to make shell arches to turn around and sell back. insanely good with bells and with figuring out how to make her island palatable, got a five-star fast. the main room of her house is decorated like a restaurant, with two different kitchen rooms and the upstairs decorated to look very french. she made everyone’s catchphrases french, too. is the only person in the world upset you can no longer eat the fish. goes swimming every day just so she can find a scallop and talk to pascal, she thinks he’s cool 

lea clark: there are a lot of plants here. just. far too many plants. of every color too! she’s very proud of it. she has a short attention span though so there’s like fifty different unfinished projects. she is best friends with like three villagers and forgets the names of the rest, but one time she accidentally hit a villager with a butterfly net and cried for an hour. only ever dresses in summer clothes and is awful at saving money so she only has like eight bells at a time. seasonal events are her absolute jam though, she can’t get enough of them. would die for leif. almost got blocked by the animal crossing twitter for constantly begging them to give her the froggy chair (thanks @lesbianleaclark!) 

gabriela mcbride: her island is more important than her social life. she is very serious about making it a functioning island, and is obsessed mainly with filling out her museum. every time she catches a sea bass instead of something new she lets out a series of swears not appropriate for a child audience. she is best friends with all of her villagers and cries whenever one of them thinks about leaving. her favorite kk slider song changes by day and she’ll switch the music around everywhere whenever she feels like it. visits other islands in order to gather materials to sell in order to make her house bigger; she’s got a dance room, a poetry corner, a student council room, and the main room looks like the liberty arts center. whenever anyone (who’s not redd) visits her island she cries and tries to figure out how to give them things for free because she loves them so much. whenever redd comes by without genuine art she tries to hack into the game in order to skin him alive

tenney grant: obsessed with getting every kk slider song. every time he shows up to the island she pulls up the list of available songs and picks one she doesn’t have yet to request. she wants to get a different song playing in every area of the island and every room of every house. shares an island with logan, jaya and holliday but she’s in charge, which sucks because holliday is way better at doing island management. she’ll text holliday with what isabelle wants her to do and then go DIY a guitar. she set up a stage area near the beach so they can give concerts for the villagers and honestly it looks gorgeous. she named her island “nashville” but makes no attempt to actually make it look like tennessee. she released her dream code on her twitter and because she’s technically a celebrity people keep coming by and asking her why everything on the island looks good except logan’s house and she’s like “ask logan idk” 

logan everett: speaking of which, yeah, logan’s house is a disaster. he cares naught for decorating his place and fills it with random things he thinks are “cool.” likes to run through flowers until they explode. the best diver on the island, though, and is responsible for that area of the museum, while tenney gets fishing, jaya gets bugs, and holliday gets fossils. they all work together to buy everything from redd whether it’s real or not because they think the art is pretty, they find out whether or not it’s real after taking it to blathers. he will place random toilets in the middle of the island and wait for someone else to find it, they have no idea he’s the one doing it and it’s driving them crazy. it’s also the funniest thing he’s ever done and he’s very proud of it. whenever kk shows up he requests a song tenney doesn’t have yet and leaves it outside her door. she didn’t ask him to do this he’s just like that 

z yang: the god of all things video games. she’s a streamer now and while she mostly streams mario, zelda or sonic games, on holidays she’ll stream her island and take suggestions for what she should do to it. due to this, her island can be a mess at times, but she somehow keeps getting good ratings. every time there’s an update she loads up a report of what’s new so she can be one of the first to try it out. she named her island something like “zworld” and refuses to change it. every room of her house is a different movie set, and she put cameras everywhere on the island “so the villagers don’t get any ideas.” somehow keeps getting rare villagers on the first try and won’t let them leave 

luciana vega: would die for celeste. her island is incredibly space-themed and well cared-for, because this game soothes her anxiety so she’s on it 24/7. her town flag is an incredibly accurate constellation. she fills out her museum specifically cause it’s run by celeste’s brother and she’d do anything for that owl; her parents got her a celeste plush for her birthday and now she won’t let go of it. she schedules her life around animal crossing updates. her favorite thing to do is go swimming at night and just look at the animation on the waves under the stars. also wisp’s best friend. won’t accept a villager unless they look like they could potentially be an alien, which means she has the coolest villager collection of everyone 

blaire wilson: due to her family’s experience running an inn she knows exactly how to run a village. her island’s almost boring in how well it’s designed and run, but she always has something extra to keep interest, like an island in the middle that’s filled with exotic flowers. went to the wedding picture event every day in order to get every piece of furniture she could and now has a “wedding area” of her island that nobody uses but is great for photos. isabelle is her favorite character and she will do anything for her. somehow able to make the funniest animal crossing memes in the world. once caught a coelacanth without expecting it and screamed and dropped her switch 

joss kendrick: the BEST fisher. has never lost a fish once, nobody knows how she does it. best friends with cj and takes his seasports challenges way too seriously. wishes they were able to surf but swimming is good, too, though sometimes she’ll spend upwards of ten minutes chasing a particularly stubborn crab. she is incredibly patient at terraforming and uses this skill for evil, as every time her cheer squad comes to visit her island she has completely changed it around and then has them all play hide-and-seek. nobody knows how to find anything. the only consistent thing is that the beach will be the coolest-looking beach in the whole game. she named her island “lesbos” and accepts villagers that “pass the gay vibe check.” nobody is sure what the gay vibe check is 

kira bailey: is horrible at saving bells or getting a good rating on her island but she doesn’t care because her main focus is DIYing her own decor to make her island look like her aunts’ conservatory. as such, will only accept animals that could potentially live there, such as koalas or kangaroos. she’s bad at figuring out where to put houses and buildings so her island’s a mess to navigate, however she knows the routes like the back of her hand and gets confused when people ask her how the hell she finds anything. for some reason absolutely terrified of wisp and refuses to wander her island at night in case they show up 

#american girl #american girl dolls #american girls #girl of the year #animal crossing #mine #americangirlstar #contemporary squad

[cottage-babe]

Burning Scars part III

Previous | Chapter 3 | Next 

Masterlist

Sooo I lied... NEXT chapter will give more details on Y/n’s past. I was gonna write it in this chapter, but this came out wayyyy too long. 

I also changed the story up a bit from the shows plot, but it’s generally the same. 

Summary: Y/n, a werewolf from a hidden village, comes across Zuko and Iroh after being exiled. How has fate intertwined the wolf into the avatar's destiny?

*****This chapter takes place on Season 2 Episode 11 (I love using quotes from the show!!)

___

It was late into the afternoon when the three of them set out on their journey to the next town. 

The sun was bright and was about an hour away from setting into the highest peaks of the mountains. The forest around them was quiet; the only noises being made were soft crunches as the feet of the ostrich-horses padded into the dirt path. Yes, you heard that right. Ostrich-horses. 

Lee decided to take an extra one that was there in the stables so the three of them could travel faster. When Y/n asked him how much it costed him, he said the owner had generously lent it for free. Of course, even she wasn’t stupid enough to believe that. 

But nonetheless, they traveled with Mushi on his own Ostrich-horse while Lee and Y/n rode the other one. The girl still couldn’t manage to ride the horse properly and had to stick both legs on one side. She had tried to ride with Mushi, but he insisted that the pain in his shoulder would increase if she ever needed to hold on to him and that it was safer to be with Lee. She doubted she would ever need to hold on to a rider, but she didn’t want to hurt the old man, so she agreed with him. 

Turns out, she was wrong and on multiple occasions the ride became too steep for her to just hold on to the saddle. Y/n had to grip tightly onto Lee until the hills would even out (and let her just say, Lee was not as scrawny as he seemed to be).

The trio traveled a lot faster than they did the first time. An hour had passed and the town and its people were already miles away. The sun’s last rays shone out of the mountains before it faded away; the sky turning from bright orange to a light lavender. 

For the entire ride, they were oddly silent. It seemed that the events that had occurred earlier in the day quieted the two talkative members. This silence was soon broken by a quiet moaning. 

“Uhhhh.... OhhAhoo...” Mushi quietly groaned. 

Y/n and Lee looked over to the old man to see him clutching at his shoulder. 

“Maybe we should make camp,” said Lee.

“No please,” Mushi insisted. “Don’t stop just for me.”

Then, Mushi shot the girl a wink and continued to groan loudly. Y/n giggled as Lee’s shoulders began to tense up and he pulled the reins of their ride to halt the animal. Mushi copied his nephew. 

“This is a good place to stop anyways.” Y/n spoke as she hopped off. “I can hear water somewhere around here.”

It was a quiet sound; a soft rushing of a stream, perhaps a river. It'd be nice for her to finally take a real bath.

"Really? I don't hear anything." Lee said when he jumped down beside her.

She should probably make a mental list of all the things that humans can't do. To start it off: humans have sucky hearing. The water seemed about half a mile away, so a 5 minute jog or 10 minute walk. The fact that they couldn't hear the it was quite alarming.

How have humans survived this long?

Y/n shrugged her shoulders in response to Lee. 

“Seems like my ears are just superior to yours,” she grinned competitively. 

Lee playfully glared back at her before a small smile rested on his face. Maybe the two were finally coming to better terms. 

The trio grabbed all of their things from the horses and set up their camp. They didn’t have much; two sleeping bags that belonged to the boys, a tea pot with cups, and some food from the last village. Unfortunately, Y/n didn’t have anywhere to sleep, but that didn’t phase her at all. The floor wasn’t the worst place she’d slept. 

Although the sun had already set, the sky had yet to succumb to darkness and it was still quite bright. The girl in the group decided that she still had enough time to bathe and make it back before the stars appeared, so she grabbed the clothes she had borrowed from Lee and started on her path to the river. 

Being back in the forest, away from the barren sun and rocky floors, brought a swell of happiness to Y/n. The passing breeze sang to her as it fluttered through the trees; an orchestrated harmony to match the chattering animals that hid in secret places around her. It was so nice to be back, to feel so free. 

She spun around with a quiet laugh and the skirt of her dress twirled around her. The girl felt so at home that it almost seemed that nothing had happened to her; almost like she hadn’t been forced to leave her pack and be taken in by strangers. It just felt so free here. 

Y/n slipped off her shoes and began to run.

The wind blew past her in defiance to her speed, but nothing seemed to slow her down. The smiling girl jumped over wood logs, through leaning branches, and sped past towering trees. 

It wasn’t until the greenery subsided into an open area that the girl stopped her antics. The sound of the wind was soon replaced by a the soft hum of the flowing river. 

She stopped to catch her breath, then undressed to begin her shower. Before she stepped into the water, Y/n sat down on the dirty clothes so she could examine the wound that adorned her thigh. Slowly, she unwrapped the white cloth then set it off to the side; just at the bank of the river. Her hands drifted to the wound and gently felt the skin there.

Her bite had completely healed already. 

She bit her lip as she tried to think. The skin had scarred deeply and settled into  a pinkish tone that showed where the teeth marks had been. She knew that a werewolf’s period of healing was slightly faster than a human’s, so she’s going to have to cover it back up with the used wraps before she could go back to see the boys. 

Ew, that’s kinda gross. 

Ignoring her disgust, Y/n walked into the water. The sensation cooled her skin and the water lapped around her. The river was fairly calm, but the flow of the water gently pushed up against the shore before receding back down. She scrubbed her body with her hands until the area ran clear and the mud drifted down the long river. When she finished, she cleaned out her borrowed clothes from Lee. They weren’t that dirty, but she wanted to be polite as a her way of thanks. 

Soon she waded back to shore (after seeing the first few stars twinkle in the sky) and put her dress back on. The girl looked to where she had set her bandages, but her eyes only found an empty spot. 

Oh no.

She frantically searched around the bank of the river for the white, bloody pieces of cloth, but unfortunately came up empty handed. They weren’t hidden in the reeds or blown away to a near by rock. They were gone.

Y/n stood still for a moment, trying to think if she had misplaced them. No, she had left them right here at the edge of the shore, just a few feet away from the river so it wouldn’t get swept up in the wa-

Just as she thought that, the tides rushed up and touched her feet, exactly where she knew she left her wraps. 

The water had carried her bandages away. 

What was she supposed to do now? She can’t go back to the boys with her bite magically healed. They would suspect that she was a “dangerous being” or something. 

She’s going to have to see if they have an extra one that she could take without their suspicion. She’d steal it if she had to. 

And that was what riddled her mind as she walked back to their campsite. Maybe it would be too dark for them to see her scars? No, they would have a camp fire. 

Eventually, Y/n saw the orange light of their fire and paused before she hit the edge of the treeline. The two boys were sitting on rocks next to the fire while drinking tea and eating. They seemed to be having a light and happy conversation between them. 

Okay, good moods = good reactions. 

Here goes nothing.

Y/n walked over to Lee and Mushi; both of them looking up to greet her. They both had a smile on their faces that met their eyes. It was good to see Lee so happy. 

Lee looked at the pile of wet clothes in her hands that conveniently covered her wound. “Oh, you washed my clothes. You didn’t have to.” 

He held his hands out to take the clothing. Y/n quickly passed it to him, then brought her hands back in front of her. She tried to nonchalantly cover her scar, but it seemed like Lee noticed it anyways. 

“Do you need some new bandages?” He asked, standing up straight. “I can help you put them on. Let me go get them.”

He walked over to his bag and ruffled through it until he pulled out the clean wraps. When he returned, Lee looked as though he was looking for a place for the girl to sit. Instead, she raised one hand up to politely decline him. 

“Really, Lee, it’s fine. I can do it myself.” She tried to reach out for the wrap with the hand that didn’t cover her leg, but he pulled the item back. 

“There is no reason to cover up your wound, Y/n!” Mushi laughed. “It can’t be any worse than what we saw yesterday.” 

Y/n forced a laugh out when she looked at the old man, but unfortunately for her, Lee saw this moment to catch her off guard and grab both her hands. He had planned to pull her down to sit on the large rock, but paused when his eyes met her leg. 

Lee instantly gasped and let go of her.

Y/n slowly backed away in fear of his reaction with wide eyes. 

“U-uhh, I c-can explain,” she said defensively and she raised her hands up in a surrender. 

Once his eyes saw what the cause of the commotion was, Mushi rose from his position and stared at the girl with a confused look. Lee, on the other hand, had drawn two swords out of nowhere and was threatening her with it. 

“Why is your leg healed already? What are you?” He yelled. 

Y/n was a few feet away from him and was still racking her brain for an answer to his question. Should she just confess everything right now? And put her people at risk? Was her life really worth the safety of her town; the people that betrayed her? 

She decided that now was not the time to let everything out and took a step toward Lee, her plan being to calm him before he decided to kill her.

“Lee, listen to me. I’m not-” 

Her words and steps were interrupted by one of the boy’s swords sweeping out, a line of... fire shooting out?! 

Y/n jumped back quickly and barely dodged the lick of the flames.

H-how is he...? Did he just...?

Before she could think much of it, Mushi had shaken off the shock and ran towards Lee.

“Zuko! Stop!” The old man warned. He grasped one of Lee’s arms to stop him from harming the girl.

The young boy grunted while sweeping out the arm that was yet to be captured and another shot of heat spread from it. It tried to reach her again, so instead of jumping back, she ran toward the forest in a complete sprint, ignoring the calls of Mushi behind her. 

She was completely hidden in the trees and bushes before she decided to look back. Her eyes focused on the two males that couldn’t see her and saw that they were arguing quietly... well sorta quietly. Mushi was whisper yelling while Lee was quite loud. 

Lee’s words of mistrust leaked from his mouth and flooded her area. Could he really feel that way? She had thought that they were becoming friends, but it turned out she was wrong .

Y/n’s heart still felt like it was beating out of her chest. 

What was she supposed to do now? Why did fire come out of his hands? Will they try to kill her? Mushi wouldn’t let that happen, right? Lee was such a wildcard, though, so who knows what could happen. 

So much things were happening in such a short period of time. Just yesterday she had been shamed and banished from her pack, marked with a bite that will show her embarrassment for all time. And today she relished in the care of Lee and Mushi before they, too, turned on her. Maybe she should start taking that “lone wolf” phrase more seriously. 

But leaving now was so hard. She didn’t know where the next town was and she didn’t know anyone nearby. Once again, she was faced with the torment of being an outcast. 

It was way too dark to travel, so the lonely wolf girl laid on the softest part of the ground; the two men never leaving her line of sight in case they moved too close. 

Perhaps hours had passed, but soon enough the girl’s exhaustion caught up with her and she succumbed to the patient whispers of her dreams. 

___

“Shut up Ayano!” Y/n whispered as the two of them made it out of their den, past the sleeping wolves. 

They were lucky to even have made it this far; most of the pack had gone out for a long days hunt and were exhausted. Since it was so late into the night, everyone was deep in their sleep. 

Her sister giggled once more into the palm of her hand. She always loved the thrill of sneaking out, didn’t she?

Soon enough, the sisters made it deep into the forest to find their meeting spot. It was a large rock that curved inward and up toward the bright moon. Ayano and Y/n ran to the side of it and began to dig with their hands into the soft dirt; their palms becoming increasingly dirty until their hands met a large leather bag. They opened the bag to retrieve it’s contents, but paused when they heard a low growl. 

The girls looked around worriedly; scared that they had been caught in the act of leaving. The punishment would be severe, especially with their family’s high ranking. Three sets of glowing red eyes appeared behind the bushes and they challenged the sisters. The girls knew better however and stood statue-like. 

Then, the hiding wolves pounced on the two girls and Y/n gasped in surprise. Ayano was tackled harshly to the ground, the impact leaving a bruise on her human skin, no doubt. She let out a small scream and tried to get away from the large animal above her. 

The night was dark, but even the white streak of fur that lined the back of the angry wolf couldn’t be hidden. Y/n scoffed.

“Binu, get off of her.” 

The wolf’s red eyes looked over to where you were standing and bared its teeth in a growl. Eventually, the noise morphed into an obnoxious laugh as the boy changed into his human body.

“We really got you guys, didn’t we?” Binu rolled off of his sister and helped her up. 

Ayano angrily wiped at her body to removed the dirt; she had spent an hour cleaning herself at the pond earlier. 

“You guys are so stupid, what if an Elder heard us and we all would be punished because of your idiotic games.” The girl mumbled. 

The two other boys shifted into their bodies as well. The three of them were the sister’s brothers: Binu, Fen, and Shong. They were all technically twins (or whatever you call a set of five), as they were born at the same time from the same mother. 

“I told them the same thing, Ayano!” Fen whispered while he looked around in fear of someone watching. “I don’t even think we should go out tonight, we should stay here and get ready for the trials tomorrow.” 

Shong pushed his brother to the side and walked over to the leather bag that the girls had dug out before. “Quit being such an ass-kisser, Fen. It’s not like we have anything to worry about anyways. Our plan is fool proof.” 

He opened the bag and threw everyone their clothes. The siblings quickly got dressed in their brown and green attire. 

“Are we ready?” Shong asked. 

The group nodded and started on their journey to the human town a couple of miles away. Binu had overheard that a festival was occurring that night in the village; the cause of the celebration was unknown, but the five of them just adored the liveliness of the humans. They always got so much happier at night when the music was playing and the lanterns were out. 

They eventually made it to the town and heard the soft beating of a drum accompanying the laughter of the citizens. 

Thump... Thump... Thump...

___

Thump... Thump... Thump...

Y/n’s eyes shot open from her dream. That noise was not just in her head.

She slowly got up from her position on the floor and rubbed the sleepiness from her eyes. The sun was barely peaking out from the eastern mountains; it must be morning. The boys were laying in their bed rolls fast asleep, but they probably wouldn’t even hear anything if they were awake.

Y/n strained her ears to listen again for the beating noise. It sounded like a pack of big, four legged animals. The way they ran sounded different than wolves and it seemed like they were half a mile away... okay now way less than that. 

They’re so fast and they’re coming in this direction!

She was going to jump out and wake them up (even despite their large fight last night, she didn’t want them trampled), but then she head human voices near the animals. They must be tamed animals then.

So Y/n decided to wait in her spot at the edge of the trees to see if the boys were going to react in any way. They were certainly cautious when she first met them. 

The animals had finally made it to the boy’s camp and the girl looked around the trees to see them. 

They were five huge... lizard things? They didn’t seem too dangerous, but the men riding them looked like they would kill someone. They were decked out in black and red clothing and made a tight circle around the sleeping men.

Lee and Mushi’s ostrich-horse began to get antsy at it’s post. The squawks of the bird aroused the men from their sleep and they finally noticed the group around them. They jumped up and held their hands in the same position that had threatened her with. 

Maybe that’s how they fight, or it could be that weird flame thing from last night.

The two men were clearly outnumbered. Even if they could fight well, it seemed like the group around them were warriors of some kind. If it came down to it, Y/n would help them without hesitation. 

After a tense moment of glaring, Mushi lowered his arms and placed a hand on Lee's shoulder. The younger boy didn't lower his guard, glanced around at his uncle. 

"Colonel Mongke!" Mushi smiled. "What a pleasant surprise!"

The man who spoke next, presumably Colonel Mongke, had three large feathers poking out the top of his head. His face was long and a gold nose ring adorned it. 

"If you're surprised we're here, then the Dragon of the West has lost a few steps."

Then, he and his group began displaying their weapons; clashing gauntlets, swinging swords, and aiming bows. 

A show of power, huh?

Y/n had seen this many times before when she was with her pack; animals would demonstrate their deadliest trait to scare their opponents. This challenge of strength caused the girl to release a low growl. 

Wow, didn't know I could do that as a human. 

This was really getting serious. Y/n began removing her clothes and throwing them into a pile on the floor. If she was going to change, then she didn't want to ruin her brand new dress. 

"You know these guys?" Lee spoke as the group's flaunting finished. 

"Sure, Colonel Mongke and the Rough Rhinos are legendary. Each one is a different kind of weapon specialist." Mushi looked around to each person. "They are also a very capable singing group."

Y/n let out a laugh, of course he would find something to joke about now. 

"We're not here to give a concert." Mongke snarled, "We're here to apprehend fugitives!"

Fugitives?

Mushi rubbed at his arm. "Would you like some tea first? I'd love some. How about you, Kahchi? I make you as a jasmine man. Am I right?"

"Enough stalling! Round 'em up!"

Those words were a good enough cue for Y/n to join in as well. As the first sounds of battle began to ring out, the girl began her transformation. 

She could feel her bones stretch, her fur growing out of her skin, her teeth elongating. It used to be such a painful experience, but she grew numb to the feelings already. Being in her natural fur could only be described as freedom. 

The girl knew exactly how she looked to everyone; her fur was as black as the night sky and her eyes matched. It was the one thing that separated her from her siblings, their eyes being a fiery red while hers blended with darkness. It's why she was always the best hunter. 

But here in the daylight, she probably looked like a hound straight from the shadows of the spirit world. To humans, she was probably otherworldly. 

Y/n jumped out of her hiding spot and attacked the first red man she saw. He had an arrow docked on his bow that was aimed straight at Lee and was about to release it, but the girl's claws reached him first. She tackled him off his saddle and bared her teeth at him. 

No, I can't kill them. Not in front of Lee and Mushi. 

Instead of doing the harm she wanted, the girl used her paw to push him away like a rag doll. The fear of dying was enough for him to jump on his lizard-animal and ride away in the direction they came. 

Y/n looked around to see that everyone had stopped to look at her. They had probably never seen a creature like her. 

Mushi took this opportunity to wrap the chain of one of the men's weapons around the leg of a nearby steed and sent the lizard running, efficiently ridding the battle of another opponent. 

Lee fought with the Colonel, but the man stopped attacking when he saw Y/n beginning to approach his other two members. 

Mongke yelled at his men to retreat before smirking at Lee and Mushi. 

"I'll just let nature finish the two of you off."

He quickly rode off with the rest of his group and left the trio alone. 

Mushi and Lee looked at you with fear, determination, and confusion written across their faces. The younger boy looked as though he was getting ready to strike her; as if she was some wild animal that needed to be tamed. 

Alright, let's stop this before they try to kill me. 

Y/n began to shrink back down to her human form; her bones reduced in size, her fur and claws retracted into her skin. Slowly, the girl returned to be the person Lee and Mushi had helped before. 

Mushi's eyes widened in disbelief, "Oh my."

Lee had the same look decorating his face. It was as if he wanted to speak, but the only words that left his mouth were stutters of random letters. 

Y/n was kneeling on the dirt floor and stood as the boys processed her. She looked at their faces to gauge their reactions, but was left confused when Mushi looked to the side and Lee froze with a red face. She followed the boy's gaze until it landed on her very naked body. 

Oh, spirits...

Y/n quickly used her arms to cover as much as she could and ran back into the forest. 

"W-wait! Come back!" Lee shouted after her. 

She was kind of flattered that he tried to stop her from leaving. It was the only thing that littered her mind as she gathered her clothing and put them back on with a smile. This might mean that they've changed their minds about her. 

After she was dressed appropriately, Y/n took a deep breath and stepped out of her cover into the duo's line of sight. They looked relieved to see that she hadn't run away. 

"I think we have a lot to talk about," she said, wringing both hands in front of her in an almost shy manner. 

This is going to be a long conversation. 

___

That was about 4,000 words, phew. 

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Masterlist

Taglist: @bucky-blogs @hopefuloperaangelnerd @simplyfandomish @oddlypointlessescapes ((Sorry the tag didn’t work!))

#zuko #zuko x reader #atla

[pocket-luv101]

Across Time || Chapter 25

Fandom: Servamp Ships: KuroMahi (main), LawLicht (side) Characters: Kuro, Mahiru, Hyde, Licht

Summary: Mahiru falls into a well and is taken to a new, fantasy world. He comes across a half-blooded cat demon trapped in a tree. After he frees Kuro, he helps him collect the shards of the sacred jewel. (KuroMahi, InuYasha AU)

Ch.1 || Ch.2 || Ch.3 || Ch.4 || Ch.5 || Ch.6 || Ch.7 || Ch.8 || Ch.9 || Ch.10 || Ch.11 || Ch.12 || Ch.13 || Ch.14 || Ch.15 || Ch.16 || Ch.17 || Ch.18 || Ch.19 || Ch.20 || Ch.21 || Ch.22 || Ch.23 || Ch.24 || (Ch.25) ||

Mahiru walked through the marketplace and scanned the goods on display. He needed more parchment to practise making spell tags. He also hoped he would be able to find charms that he could enchant and gift to people. Behind him, Kuro carried the scrolls he had purchased. Even though he was uncomfortable with crowds, he offered to go to the market with him.

“There’s only a few more things I have to find. When we get back to the camp, I’ll cook that expensive seafood ramen cup for you.” Mahiru said and hooked his arm around Kuro’s. They walked close together and it was as if they were shopping together like a normal couple. He wanted to lean his head on his shoulder but he felt a little shy with so many people around them.

“Tonight’s the first new moon of the month. I’ll be a weak little kitten then so you should treat me kindly.” Kuro joked with Mahiru but he kept his words a whisper. He didn’t want anyone to overhear them and learn his weakness. Each half demon had a time period they become human and vulnerable. He was careful to keep when he changed a secret from others but Mahiru was the exception. He trusted Mahiru with his life.

“I don’t sense a jewel shard nearby so we don’t have to worry about fighting demons. If one does attack us, I’ll protect you, Kuro. I doubt it’ll come to that though.” Mahiru reached up and fondly scratched Kuro’s ears. From the way his ears relaxed and moved slightly, he knew that he enjoyed the simple touch. It was amusing to him that he would act like a cat sometimes. “Give me a few of those bags. I’ll help you carry them back to the cave.”

“It’s fine. I’m going to earn three cup ramens by carrying so much for you.” He shook his head and lifted the bags out of his reach. Mahiru rolled his eyes at the childish gesture and stood on his toes to try to take one of the bags. He was grateful for his kindness but Mahiru wanted to share the work. They were partners, after all. “Stop teasing me, Kuro.”

“I would call this being a doting lover.” They bantered until Mahiru wrapped his arms around his neck. A light force pushed his hands down but he wasn’t concerned since he recognized Mahiru’s spiritual power. With a light kiss to distract him, he stole one of the bags from Kuro’s hand. He rocked back onto his feet and grinned up at him.

“Now that one of your hands are free, you can hold mine while we head back to the campsite.” Mahiru said and held out his hand to Kuro. He threaded their fingers together and they started to leave the market place. “I picked up a few treats for Kirara. I don’t know what Licht usually feed her so I hope she likes these treats.”

Mahiru noticed someone approach them but he didn’t recognize the person. From his clothes, the man appeared to be a simple villager. He stopped in front of him and pointed to Mahiru. “Excuse me, are you a priest? My onsen is being haunted by a spirit and I have been searching for help. Priest rarely visit our village though. Please, exorcise the demon for us. We will house you for the night.”

“Of course, we’ll help.” Mahiru was quick to accept. He could hear how desperate the man was and he wondered how long the spirit had been haunting his home. He was sympathetic to his plight. A night at an onsen would also be relaxing after the fights they faced over the past week. “We’re friends with a monk and he has a lot of experience with exorcisms.”

“Thank you, kind Priest.” The man shook his hand excitedly. “I will show you to my onsen. It is at the top of the mountain.”

“This is a fancy onsen. I didn’t have to lie about a ghost being here for a free stay because Mahiru already did that for me.” Hyde joked and Licht rolled his eyes. No matter how much he kicked him for tricking humans, he would continue to do so. He didn’t know how he was able to become a monk. Despite his personality, Licht had to admit that the demon was a skilled monk and fighter.

“Did the onsen owner tell you about the spirit that’s lingering here? Kirara doesn’t sense a demon nearby. I haven’t fought a spirit before but I think it’ll be similar to demons.” Licht leaned against the wall and adjusted the straps on his boots. He glanced around the lobby and noted, “The onsen doesn’t look busy. It’s more like a haunted house.”

“Not many people are willing to stay in an onsen with spirits. Mahiru said the owner sounded desperate for help and this is likely the reason.” He nodded towards the empty lobby.

Hyde pulled his fencing sword from his belt and tossed it into the air. The sword became embedded in the floor and Licht was shocked to see that it was now a staff. “The owner asked us to perform the exorcism after the sun sets but I want to begin now. This is a good chance for my brother to relax with his mate. He hasn’t told me this but I know he would appreciate alone time.”

“That’s surprisingly thoughtful for a demon.” Even as he said the words, Licht thought of how different Hyde was from the demons he fought in the past. While there were a few intelligent demons who resembled humans, they were violent and dangerous creatures. On the other hand, Hyde clearly cared for the people around him. He also protected humans to keep a promise to his lost lover.

“I was hoping you would think I’m more than just an oni dressed as a monk by now, Lichtan. My staff will point us to any dark auras within the building. Hopefully, it’ll take us to the hot springs so we can have a little fun while we’re investigating.” He laughed even as Licht kicked him for the joke. His staff fell to the ground and pointed to the hallway. Hyde used his feet to move his staff towards the hot spring entrance. “It looks like my spiritual powers are so strong that I predicted the future! Let’s go.”

“The only thing worse than a demon is a pervert.” He picked up the staff and swung it at his head. Hyde didn’t try to dodge his attack and he was knocked into the wall. Licht gripped the collar of his shirt and dragged him down the hallway. “Let’s find the spirit.”

The hot spring relaxed Mahiru and he sank into the warm water until it reached his shoulders. He hadn’t been able to enjoy a warm bath in a long time. Mahiru wanted to soak in the water before they tried to purify the spirit. He planned to speak with Hyde about the best way to find it after a quick soak. He had placed a few spell tags next to the pool and he organized them into piles.

The door slid open behind him and Mahiru looked over his shoulder to see who entered. Due to the mist around them, he could only see that the man had dark. He didn’t recognize him at first and instinctively grabbed his arrow resting nearby. Mahiru stopped once he realized that the man was Kuro as a human. “You almost gave me a heart attack, Kuro. You should’ve knocked or said something.”

“The moon is out sooner than I thought it would and I didn’t realize I transformed.” Kuro told him as he slipped off his robe. A blush appeared on Mahiru’s cheek and he wondered if it was caused by the steam. “Is it too hot in there? I’ll get a fan to help you cool off. It’ll be troublesome to carry you out if you faint in the water.”

“I’m fine, Kuro.” Mahiru told him. He could hear Kuro’s kindness beneath his sarcastic voice and smiled to himself. While he was human now, he had a toned body and he stared at the muscles on his arms. He couldn’t help but imagine himself being held by him and Mahiru was glad Kuro couldn’t read his thoughts. “It was kind of the owner to give us a room with a private spring.”

“We have this pool to ourselves. Hyde stopped by to tell me that he’s going to exorcise the spirit on his own.” Kuro sat next to Mahiru and leaned back against the rock wall. In the corner of his eyes, he watched Mahiru. He thought he was attractive but he didn’t know if he should close the small space between them. Aside from a few kisses, they hadn’t been able to be intimate much. He was afraid to move too quickly and make a mistake.

“I don’t know if he said that to give us time alone but I should thank him later. He’s a monk so he should be able to handle things on his own.” Mahiru reasoned. The manager had specifically asked him for help so he felt a little guilty that he wasn’t searching for the ghost. Yet, he couldn’t help but be grateful to spend time with Kuro. “We can relax tonight. Can you turn around for me, Kuro?”

“Okay.” He didn’t know why Mahiru would ask him to but he turned so his back was facing him. Kuro felt his fingers run over the water droplets on his back until his hands settled on his shoulders. Gently, he massaged his muscles and loosened the knots he had. Kuro turned slightly to look back at Mahiru and saw how flustered it was.

“It’s stressful fighting every night. The hot spring is relaxing but I thought a massage would help more. After I finish, will you give me a back massage as well?” Mahiru held his breath as he waited for his answer. Kuro didn’t know how he expected for him to answer when his touch was so distracting. The only thing he could focus on was his hands on his naked skin. Occasionally, he would stop kneading his shoulders to rub his back. “You have a scar here. I wish I could heal it for you.”

Mahiru hesitantly touched the scar where Kuro had been shot by an arrow and pinned to a tree. He kissed the mark gently and then leaned his cheek against his strong back. He thought of the dangerous battles they would have to face in the future and vowed that he wouldn’t let Kuro be hurt again. Kuro turned around and brushed his wet hair from his brown eyes. Then, he took his hand and placed it over the scar on his chest. “You already did more than heal it, Mahiru.”

The day they met, Mahiru had freed him from Tsubaki’s curse. His tender hands then erased the scars on his heart and mended the rift between his family. Kuro was certain he would’ve never met Hyde and Lily again if it wasn’t for Mahiru. Their eyes met for a moment but then Mahiru looked down at their reflection in the water. “You keep looking away from me. Do I look strange as a human?”

“No. It’s different though. Dark hair suits you but I do miss your ears. They were cute.” Mahiru said in a teasing voice and ran his fingers through his shaggy hair. His light hair was the same colour as the moon and the unique feature reflected his calming personality. No matter his appearance though, he loved Kuro. “You don’t have your fangs either.”

Mahiru placed his finger against his lips and felt Kuro kiss his skin lightly. He wrapped his hand around his and lifted his wrist so he could press a kiss there as well. He wondered if Kuro could feel his pulse racing when he kissed him. The shyness Mahiru had earlier was gone and he leaned towards him.

Mahiru heard a splash behind him and he jumped back. Afraid that someone had entered the hot spring, he instinctively grabbed Kuro’s jacket next to the pool and covered himself. He looked back into the pool and found that the sound was caused by a peach falling into the water. Embarrassment coloured his cheeks and he smiled awkwardly.

“That was surprising. It was just a peach. Do you want to go back inside and have these as a snack? We should ask the manager before we pick them though. I’ve never seen fruits this big before— Oh God.” Mahiru’s eyes widen as he dropped the peach. The shock in his voice made Kuro jump to his feet and he ran to his side. “The peach has a human face.”

“Troublesome.” He picked up the fruit and looked up at the tree beside the hot spring. “I’ve heard of cursed trees that can grow fruits with human faces. It’s said that you’ll become immortal if you eat its fruit. Long ago, a group of farmers would sacrifice priests with a lot of spiritual power to these trees. I thought the trees were all destroyed since they weren’t able to maintain the trees for long.”

“Why would a tree like that be in an onsen? We have to talk to Hyde and Licht about this.” Mahiru was worried about his friends and he didn’t want to waste his time returning to his room. He took Kuro’s red jacket and slipped it on. His jacket was a little big on him so he had to tie it around himself. “It’s lucky that I bought my arrows and spell tags in here with me. Let’s go, Kuro.”

“We have the worst luck with inns.” Kuro groaned as he pulled on his pants. As he tied the tessaiga to his belt, he couldn’t help but glance at the new moon in the night sky. He didn’t know how well he could fight as a human but he would do everything he could to protect Mahiru. The cursed trees feasted on people’s spiritual energy. Of the four of them, Mahiru had the most energy and the manager likely targeted him for being a priest.

“The trail ends at this wall. We should look for a hidden door. I would suggest that we ask the owner where the door could be but I don’t think he’ll be honest. The longer I’m here, the stranger this onsen is. There’s no one here. I understand the lack of guests but there should be a few workers here. He can’t maintain this large onsen on his own.” Hyde muttered. His staff had led them to the basement of the onsen.

He briefly considered returning to his brother to speak with him but he didn’t want to endanger Kuro when he was human. He needed to find what the onsen was hiding before the demon could target them. Hyde knocked on the wall lightly to find where the door was. He paused when Licht placed his hand on his shoulder and stood beside him. “Do you sense a demon?”

“Only you.” He didn’t take his hand off his shoulder as he pivot his body to kick through the wall. Licht used his grip on Hyde to balance himself as the bricks crashed to the ground in front of them. He waved the dust from the air and he coughed slightly. Once the air had cleared, he found another wall blocking their path. Tree roots hanged from the ceiling and Hyde pushed them aside enough for Licht to slip through. He followed him into the hidden room.

Among the tree roots were large pots. He opened one to investigate and he immediately had to cover his nose due to the smell. The pot was filled with peaches, bones and wine. Hyde quickly covered the jug again and searched the room for any hints of what the peaches could be. He picked up one of the tree roots and thought he could feel it pulsing in his hand.

“Someone is harvesting human-faced fruits. These roots are huge so I can only imagine how large the tree is. The person tending to the tree has sacrificed a lot of people as well. The person of immortality can turn humans into demons.” Licht’s hands tightened over the tree root. “We need to tell the others and burn the tree to the ground.”

“You’ll destroy the inn if you do that.” A tiny voice argued and Licht followed to a stone box. At first glance, it seemed to be a small replica of a farm. Then he noticed that the people within were moving and were far too realistic to be dolls. He carefully laid his hand next to one of the people so he could lift them out of the box. “Are you a koro-pok-guru and that’s why you’re so tiny?”

“My name is Tetsu and I’m the true owner of this onsen. I hope you’re enjoying your visit.” The blond man said and climbed into Licht’s hand. “This onsen has been in my family for generation so you can’t burn it down. I know where the main tree is and I’ll take you to it.”

“If you’re the owner, who is that man that brought us here?” Hyde had to question him since it was clear that the inn held a lot of death and secrets. The other man had clearly lured them into a trap and he didn’t know if Tetsu would do the same.

“He’s telling the truth, Greed.” Only his siblings would call him by the nickname. A tiny bat flew in front of him and he recognized Hugh. “That man came to the onsen a month ago holding a jewel shard and a seed. With those two things, he shrank us and took the onsen. He has been sacrificing our guests to his tree ever since. I can’t fight him because he made me so small and he has a shikon jewel.”

“Well, you were already tiny, Hugh.” Hyde said and a powerful gust of wind struck him. “I was going to add that you were strong even when you’re short, Nii-san. Kuro is here too so let’s go explain the situation to him too.”

“This is the largest human-faced tree on the property. All of the other trees seem to be connected to this one as well. If we cut this tree down, the others should be destroyed as well.” Mahiru looked up at the large peach tree. He used a spell to follow the spiritual power within the tree and it led them to a cliff. “We don’t have anything to cut down the tree and kill it. Setting the tree on fire could be dangerous if the flames become too large and travels… I can sense a jewel shard approaching us.”

As he turned around, Mahiru drew an arrow from his quiver. The onsen owner approached them but he didn’t lower his bow. He held a peach in his hand and there was a faint glow in the fruit. Mahiru shifted his aim to the man’s hand, hoping to take the shard without killing him. But then, the man ate the peach with the shard and his body began to change.

“I become immortal once I eat this peach. Your arrow can’t hurt me.” His thin body changed and grew until he resembled a stone ogre. Kuro gripped the hilt of his sword but he knew that he wouldn’t be able to help in a fight since he was a human. He glanced at the lowering moon and prayed for the sun to rise soon. He couldn’t let Mahiru fight alone.

“The effects of the peach are temporary but my tree will soon be fully grown. I only need to water it with your blood.”

“I won’t let you touch Kuro.” Mahiru stepped in front of him with his arrow raised. He didn’t know if his arrow could piece stone but he would protect Kuro. He drew his power from his body and enchanted the arrow. They were cornered on the cliff so it was impossible for them to run.

“Mahiru, watch out!” He was focused on the man so he didn’t see the tree move behind him. Mahiru suddenly sensed the aura of the tree change and become demonic as it came to life. A branch swung down at him and Kuro pushed him out of the path of its attack. The demon tree stabbed his shoulder. He was dragged to the tree and vines wrapped around him.

Mahiru stood and saw him struggling against the tree. The man stumbled to the tree and raised his fists to attack Kuro. He didn’t have time to properly aim and instinctively shot an arrow at the man to stop him from reaching Kuro. The arrow struck the man’s stomach where the jewel shard was glowing. The jewel fell to the ground at the man’s feet. Before the man could pick up the shard, Mahiru shot another arrow at his hand. “Get away from Kuro and the shard!”

“How dare you!” The man screamed and rushed towards him. Mahiru reached behind him for another arrow and took a step back. He almost stepped off the cliff but he managed to stop himself. In the moment he was distracted, the man was in front of him. He raised his hands to protect himself but his barrier wasn’t effective against a human.

“Stop!” Kuro ignored the pain of the branches digging into his pain and broke away from the tree. He raced forward to save Mahiru and he threw his body against the man before he was able to reach him. The momentum of his attack sent them both falling off the cliff and he heard Mahiru calling his name.

Mahiru stretched out his hand to catch him but someone pulled him away from the cliff. He tried to push the person away and save Kuro. It would be nearly impossible for him to survive the fall while he was human. Licht’s voice broke through his desperation. “You can’t jump after him, Mahiru. Are you crazy?”

“I have to do something!” Mahiru broke away from him and knelt at the edge of the cliff. He looked over the ledge but he couldn’t see the bottom. His heart sank to the ground at the thought of what could’ve happened to Kuro. He tightened his hands in the dirt. “Why would he act so reckless when he’s human? He didn’t need to go that far to protect me.”

“You shouldn’t cry, Mahiru. Mr. Cat fought honourably and I’m sure he’s fine.” Licht told him and Mahiru couldn’t understand why his tone was so indifferent.

“Inns are troublesome.” For a moment, Mahiru thought he heard Kuro’s voice. He looked back over the edge and, with the rising sun, he saw Kuro on the ledge with Hyde. They climbed back up the cliff and Mahiru helped him onto the ledge once he was closer. The moment he was safe on the cliff again, Mahiru hugged him.

“Thank goodness, you’re safe.” Relief and happiness caused tears to enter his eyes. Kuro tenderly rubbed his back and he felt guilty that he worried him.

Hyde climbed onto the cliff and said, “It was lucky that I was there to catch Kuro. Lichtan didn’t tell you that I was going to investigate the bottom of the cliff, did he? You were worried for nothing, Mahiru. Don’t you feel silly for crying and worrying?”

“This isn’t something to tease me about.” Mahiru wiped his eyes and frowned at Hyde. “Sit, Hyde!”

Kuro fell to the ground and groaned softly. “I’m the one with the enchantment, not me brother. I’m glad I’m a demon again or that would hurt more.”

“I’m sorry, Kuro.” Mahiru sat next to him and stroked his ears.

#servamp #kuromahi #lawlicht #sloth pair #greed pair #servamp kuro #mahiru shirota #servamp hyde #licht jekylland todoroki #fanfiction

[crocifixio]

Quasimodo

You know that cliché shot – badass, multimillion-dollar contract action film star slowly making an appearance by walking out of that rise on the road, blurred by the hot fumes of the pavement. His leather pistol dangling by his side, wide-brimmed hat tipping down low. It is a cliché as old as cinema, a cousin of The Explosion Walk, and it works all the time. Only for that day, it was a stocky young man in a waway hat who had figured in my vision.

Three months had passed since our Tirad Peak hike and the misadventures surrounding it were almost wiped out now from our memory. In the next 48 hours we would be overwriting whatever clean slate we had with something much worse. I had my reservations about dwelling on the subject again but this is an honest journal and thankfully we would have none of the same misfortune involving local guides on our subsequent hikes.

I was again with my two regular hiking buddies Dirty Harry and Liquidator in this dilapidated sorry excuse of a bus out from Dangwa on a hot Good Friday morning. Whatever calories I might have stocked up on hours ago from Good Taste had been consumed by intermittent bursts of adrenaline as I imagine hurtling myself out of the windshield while I rode shotgun with the daredevil Kankana-ey driver. Dirty Harry and Liquidator were far in the back buried in boxes of live poultry. I was lightheaded when we got off the bus at the Kibungan municipal gate.

And then this kid in the waway hat. We had to figure out for ourselves that he was the assigned guide for us as he approached in his filmic entrance. We had asked him, but he just gave a grin and we took that for a yes. For the entirety of the hike he would be giving that menacing grin with his tobacco spit-stained crooked teeth, not making eye contact as half of his face would be shadowed by the brim of his hat (I later saw his eyes were misaligned). He would just launch on a low, continuous muttering every time we would ask him things. At times, I would ask him random questions just to get him into that state and annoy my two companions. Liquidator thought he acted like Gollum and was convinced he would kill us in our sleep. Dirty Harry on the other hand thought Quasimodo was more apt as he was wearing green, had little of a neck and had pants cut off just after the knee. But he also thought we would be killed in our sleep. I am all for benefit of the doubt, even if a number of villagers we would pass by had to shout ‘Ingat kayo dyan sa isang yan!’. After all, it was a joke common among Filipinos who would see friends in the company of unfamiliar guests.   

But Kibungan Circuit was such a beautiful hike that there was no effort freeing ourselves from all of our doubts about him. Never mind that he insisted we settle for Version 1 – we told him we were physically ready for Version 2 and that we were willing and able to add hours or days just to tab more miles and notch Mt Oten and Mt Tagpew, but his incessant mumbling told us he was not fit for it. So on we proceeded to what we would downgrade as just a relaxed hike, or ‘chill climb’ in local hiking parlance.  

We set off in a steady pace, and my two companions were all awe every step of the way. We passed by the cemetery, and the local who was tending the graves had to give out another ominous remark – apparently another warning to watch out for our guide. I was glad that my companions were too absorbed at the scenery to mull over the same worries again. The cemetery, which was sitting on a plateau, pans in a cinematographic way as you walk along the road while the nearby peaks at the background hung like painted cloth in this huge theater stage. I swear I could hear the The Ecstasy of Gold! Rest in peace, Ennio..

Packs down for early lunch in the first village we stopped by. You would think that we would get a lovely scenic spot for lunch but the guide pointed at a small corner of a cemented wall with about six inches of shade from the overhang of the roof, and then just left. Dirty Harry was furious after fully grasping the idea that the guide had meant for us to take our lunch on that spot. We moved to a more comfortable location, which was a charming Cordillera hut and shared our meal and coffee with the owner who was in his twilight years but still spoke fluent English from the Commonwealth era. The guide came back two hours later, still dazed from his siesta.  He had that troubled look that meant we were becoming too much of a burden already and he would show it once more come morning when he came back for us, two hours late again, at the Buga Campsite. I was glad we did not have to share tent space with him for the evening as he crashed in a nearby hut that was also the last water source. I had my whole A-type tent for myself, with a belly full of chicharon and Hainanese rice. Liquidator was up all night in the other tent, beside himself and his iPad all the time from the abundance of cellular signal all throughout the trail.

Speaking of strong cellular data signal in the vicinity, I remember running into the Bakun-Kibungan Traverse Team on our way down from Mt Tagpaya on the second day. I had initially considered joining them but could not yet find it in me to return to Bakun and wanted this hike to be all Kibungan. They were in high spirits, and were on their way to finishing their route opposite of us. About an hour after we had parted ways, we then ran into the tail of their group who did not appear to be as ecstatic and were in no rush to catch up. They told us they were sticking to the original itinerary after being voted off by the majority to cut their hike short by one day, suspecting everybody had spent all their power banks due to the abundant cell signal all throughout and were in a hurry to recharge batteries at the municipal hall. Five years ago, I would not have thought how the dynamics of a hiking team could be altered by this aspect of technology.

Meanwhile, Quasimodo would always advance ahead of us so he could stop by and smoke a cigarette while waiting for us to catch up. I would chase him and ask if he had another stick (to test him, because his cigarette pack was showing by the back of his pants, as was his buttcrack- insert coin here), not doubting he would say he had none left. We would repeat this process for a total of four times before we reached Tanap, where Quasimodo’s friend of a van driver was already waiting for us ‘for a reasonable fee’. I had my ViewRanger app open and could point to where we could cut the hike back to the municipal hall from the terraces, but Quamisodo insists he had contacted a van already. Reluctantly, I agreed because half of me would also like to see the exit from Lungsad Falls. I forgot how much we paid for it, but I asked the van driver in private when I had the chance if he was on his way back to Baguio as well and struck a deal. I knew Quasimado was up to something again, knowing that we had already missed the last trip to the city.

Back at the población, the washrooms were all occupied by the Bakun-Kibungan Team so I decided to gather everyone instead for a little snack by the adjacent grocery store after paying the guide fee. As we walked to the store, Quasimodo made the offer for us to get the same van back to the city for two thousand pesos. I did not reply. Moments later while having our snack and sodas, he would make the offer again, so I spoke directly to the van driver to clear it up as we already made a deal for six hundred pesos only. Quasimodo went back to the van driver in a mix of Kankana-ey and Iloko, and then back to us practically begging to just pay 1,500 because it was already late. I told him and the driver that if the terms were to change, we were better off spending the night at the municipal hall. The van driver told Quasimodo (from the little Iloko that I could decipher) to just shut the hell up as ‘kwarta na magiging bato pa’. Feeling defeated, Quasimodo let out a wail and threw his arms in the air like some vessel dispossessed of demons. I honestly thought he had given up right there, when, upon seeing Liquidator paying for the snacks, he asked the storekeeper for a fresh pack of Marlboro and sniggered at us, motioning to put it in our tab. Liquidator snatched the pack from Quasimodo and said something along the lines of an expletive and kanina ka pa ha!

 All pics in this post by Dirty Harry, Canon EOS 60D

Quasimodo, in the green shirt, fortunately with his buttcrack covered at this moment

Mt Tagpaya

My Canon G12′s sd card conked out early into the hike and was dead weight since

A lot of segments were like snippets of Bakun, this one reminded me of Mt Kabunian

This was to be the last time I would be wearing this brand, in the following months I would be signing up as Ambassador for two other local hiking apparel companies.

#philippine mountains #pinoymountaineer #hiking #backpacking #philippines #cordillera #kibungan #kibungancircuit

[castlebay-crossing]

The Villager in Tent Three: Chapter Three

Summary: When Aisling leaves her hometown for the island of Castlebay, as part of Tom Nook’s Deserted Island getaway package, all she expects is sun, sand and plenty of solitude. But when she gets there, not everything is as the brochure said. Secretive villagers, judgemental neighbours, and an antagonistic photographer turn out to be the least of her worries, however, when the mysterious villager in tent three turns up dead one night after a vicious storm that left the only plane off the island grounded. Someone on the island is a murderer. And it’s up to Aisling to work out who it is. Before they come after her, too.

Warning: Major character death, some description of violence

Other Links: Readable on AO3 and FFN.

A/N: Hoo boy, this one was a labour of love! Bit of a long chapter and a fair amount of stuff happens in it! Next chapter will likely be another long one with a lot of stuff also happening, then we’ll be dialling back to island life for a little while! So I hope you will continue to accompany me on this journey! Thank you to everyone who’s read, liked and reblogged so far! I really do appreciate every interaction! 

.-.-.

March 2nd, 2020 – Morning 

The medicine Muffy bought me worked like a charm. It came in two parts – a soft, sweet-smelling cream and a packet of small pink tablets. “Will cure most (non-fatal) illnesses and injuries!” the label boasted. I hoped I’d never have to test it on anything worse than the occasional sickness bug or ache and pain. Muffy helped me spread the cream along the injury and immediately, I felt the sting fade.

“Good as new, nightshade!” she trilled. “Do you feel better now?”

It really was quite remarkable how quickly it worked. Even the swelling looked like it was going down. “Much better, thank you.” I said. “Are you sure I can’t give you anything for the medicine, Muffy? Can I pay you back in some way? I feel bad you had to pay for it yourself.”

Muffy waved her paws at me. “I don’t need any Bells, nightshade! But, I suppose…” she tilted her head, considering. “One thing I do need is a punnet of fresh cherries. I ran out this morning when I used the last on my toast.”

I tried not to think too much about the concept of cherries on toast.

“You’ve seen the cherry trees, right?” she continued. “Even though fruit grows super-quick here, most of the trees near my tent have been picked clean. And the ones growing here aren’t quite ripe enough. But Bill told me there’s a huge patch of them right at the top of the island. I was going to go up but I’m too small to reach the best ones.”

“So you want me to get you… cherries?”

“Absolutely, nightshade!  If it’s not too much trouble, of course.”

It did sound like trouble. Entirely too much trouble. But I couldn’t bring myself to say no to her. She was the first person who had shown me kindness, purely out of the goodness of her heart, in such a long time. Sure, Tom Nook had been kind, especially with the tent and the Nookphone, but it had come out of a package deal that had been bought and paid for. Muffy had done it simply because she wanted to help.

I made myself smile. “Yeah, I can go up and get some for you.”

“Thank you!” Muffy beamed. “I’ll be in my tent the rest of the day so you can drop by any time. And oh, nightshade? You should pick up a few extra while you’re down there. You can bring any items you find to Tom Nook and sell them for Bells. It’s the easiest way to make money.”

Muffy’s advice sound vaguely familiar. It rang a bell, as it were. I snickered to myself, and then cringed at the fact that I’d even entertained such a terrible pun. “Yeah, I think Tom Nook may have mentioned it before,” I said casually, trying to shake off the internal embarrassment.

Muffy nodded. “Well, I better get off home. Thanks again, you’re a solid cat! I’ll be waiting, nightshade!”

She waved me goodbye with one of her chubby paws and toddled away, leaving me sitting alone outside Nook’s Cranny. A wind picked up, lifting the hair from my forehead and leaving the leaves giggling in the trees. Everything else remained still and quiet.

I pulled the Nookphone out and booted up the Island Map. For the first time since arriving on Castlebay, I finally had a chance to look properly at the island’s layout. The whole island was cut into four “parts”, I suppose was the best way to describe it, separated by criss-crosses of river. And as Muffy had rightly said, although the island was fairly covered by trees, they seemed densest at the northern part of the island. But what was the easiest way to get up there?

I set to plotting a route. For all the different sections of the river, only two were passable by bridge. The eastern part of the island – where my tent was – was linked to the central area with Nook’s Cranny, Residential Services and Muffy’s tent. The northern most section – containing Bill and Morgan’s tents – was also connected to my section with a bridge.  I allowed a sigh of relief. It looked like I wouldn’t have to swim up the river or anything ridiculous like that.

It would be a long walk, though. One that would be better started sooner rather than later. I decided that I would call in at my tend and pick up my rucksack, as I didn’t fancy carrying piles and piles of delicate cherries by hand. I tucked the Nookphone back into my pocket, along with the remaining medicine, and set off.

.-.-.

It was lovely to explore the island a bit more. There was sort of a sacredness to the place, this rolling stretch of (mostly) untouched land under a strip of blue sky. The air smelled clean, heady with the scent of woods after rain. Trees lifted their branches up, like churchgoers at worship, gently shaken, but unyielding in the breeze. There was no path once I crossed the bridge into the top section of the island, so I had to wind my way though skinny tree trunks and uneven ground. Sometimes the trees grew so thickly clumped together that I had trouble squeezing past, and other times the terrain opened out into such sparse clearings that I felt exposed and vulnerable, like I was the only other person in the world.

There was a tent pitched about five minutes away from the bridge – a joyful orange in colour with a makeshift post-box stuck haphazardly into the ground. “Bill” was splodged on in blue paint. I took a few minutes to look around the campsite. Aside from a few loose boxes and what looked like the bones of a campfire, there was no sign of life – or Bill himself – anywhere. Muffy had said he liked running. Perhaps he was still off galivanting somewhere.

The cherry trees Muffy promised lay in a small grove twenty minutes away from Bill’s tent. Ahead of the grove, the grass unfurled into a small beach, hidden almost completely from sight by an outcrop of steel-grey rocks. The beach couldn’t have been any more than a few metres in width and length, with a single solitary beach chair set up near the water’s edge. It looked very peaceful. I had to remind myself I wasn’t here to sunbathe. I was here for cherries.

The cherry trees themselves had thin trunks and spindly branches – easy to distinguish from the thick firs and oaks – and the cherries dangled precariously, looking as if they’d drop at any moment under their own weight. The lowest branches hung just above my eye level, so it was easy enough to reach up and pluck the cherries from their stalks. Admittedly, someone Muffy’s height would probably have struggled. A twist of hunger gurgled in my stomach as I breathed in their soft scent. When was the last time I had eaten? I’d had breakfast before getting on the plane at Doveport Airport but between sleeping all day and the sting from the scorpion, I’d not had time to eat anything since. Remembering this, it was like a cavern of emptiness opened in my stomach. The flesh of the cherries was plump, a rich wine-red in colour and I couldn’t resist biting into one. Then another. And then another and another until red stood out around my mouth, my tongue tingled with the mix of sweet and sour, and my belly felt pleasantly full.

Strength returned, I shrugged off my bag, hoping the cherries wouldn’t get damaged when I packed them inside. Hopping from tree to tree, I shook branches and watched the red fruits topple into the grass, gleaming like precious jewels, and then scooped them into my bag. Once I was satisfied, I hoisted the bag back onto my shoulders and walked a few experimental paces. It was certainly heavy, but not enough that it would hinder me on the long walk back. Well, so long as I kept it slow.

With all the tree hopping I’d done I’d wandered away from my original stopping point. I unhooked the Nookphone to get my bearings again. Surprisingly, I found I’d gone far enough that I was closer to Morgan’s tent than anything else. If I squinted and looked across the dipping hills, I could see what looked like the top of a tent among the fronds of leaves.

I could bring Morgan some cherries, I reasoned. He’d come to this place with nothing and nobody, just the same as me. And if we were going to be neighbours, it would make sense to have each other’s backs.

The ground on the way up to Morgan’s tent was messy, littered with branches and weeds, leaving me picking my way across. Several heavy stones stood out like scars, great chunks of them cut away, exposing the ancient layers underneath. I could see Morgan’s tent clearly now, growing out of the hills, a distinctive red that seemed unnatural, bloodlike, against the green of nature.

I was so busy staring at Morgan’s tent that I didn’t notice the hole. My foot slipped on the uneven ground, plunging into a neat little gap. I stumbled and grabbed the nearest tree to steady myself, cursing. The whole tree shook under the impact. Then something dropped heavily to the ground, accompanied by a fury of buzzing.

When I turned my head to look, I came face-to-face with a loose beehive and many small angry bees.

I didn’t wait. Fear gripped my heart; I threw myself to my feet and I ran. Within seconds, the bees followed in one dark cloud, the tempest of buzzing filling my ears. I’d never seen bees behave like this before. Pushing myself through tight clusters of trees, I darted and wove, trying to throw them off, confuse them, but nothing worked. I needed to find cover, quickly.

Morgan’s tent! I’d forgotten about it in the flurry of panic. It wasn’t much, but it was somewhere safe. I pushed harder. The tent flap opened, and Morgan stepped out, his hair tousled, grimacing in the light of the sun.  

“Morgan!” I cried. Let me in!”

He turned towards me, his mouth hanging open. I heard some sort of garbled shout, words crashing into each other, and then I was grabbing him by the arm and pulling him inside the tent with me. We crashed through the open flap and onto the ground, but I immediately pivoted on my knees and scrambled for the tent zipper, the droning noise of the bees still ringing in my ears. With trembling hands, I sealed us inside and sat back, my breath coming in ragged gasps.

Morgan tugged on the back of my bag. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

The presence on the bag was a sharp, and unwelcome, reminder. “My cherries!” I gasped, a brief vision of the fruit turning to nothing but juice pushing its way to the front of my mind.

“Your… cherries?”

“Yes, my cherries!” I opened the bag impatiently. Inside, the cherries stared back, some of them a bit bashed, but mostly intact.

“Why do you have so many—”

“One of the villagers asked me to bring her some cherries in exchange for some medicine she bought me because I got stung by a scorpion on the beach in the middle of the night!”

Morgan blinked. “Are you aware just how ridiculous you sound?”

I sighed and unfolded my legs. “Of course I do. And to top it all off, I disturbed a massive beehive…”

“Did you get stung?”

“I don’t think so. I didn’t feel anything.” I checked my arms and legs all the same, but only the sting from the scorpion stood out. “Um… listen, I’m really sorry for barging in.”

Morgan went quiet. He looked around the tent a few times, his sharp eyes darting back and forth. The bees buzzed angrily outside, their tiny shadows flickering on the tent canvas like specks of paint. “It’s fine,” he said eventually. “You can wait until they’ve gone.”

“Thanks,”

Morgan’s tent was pretty much the same as mine – a camp bed, in camouflage green instead of my canary yellow, a radio and a lamp. But most of his floor space was taken up by his camera equipment and, strangely enough, a rack of tools, including a net and a fishing pole.

He caught me staring. “I like to be prepared.” He said, his chest puffed up. “Lots of good photo opportunities if I can catch my own fish and bugs.”

I nodded, struggling for something to say. Inside his tent felt strangely claustrophobic, with so much heavy equipment and so little floor space to share. He was uncomfortably close, and I could feel the heat from his breath. I looked down and ran my fingers over the ground, feeling the blades of grass underneath. The bees still flitted outside.

“Have you met the neighbours?” I eventually asked.

“Just one.”

“Which one?”

“Bill. He came by the tent at six in the morning to say hello.”

“Ouch,” I winced. “I’ve not met him yet. I think he must have been out when I passed by earlier.” Everything I said sounded limp. The sooner the bees went away, the better. Still searching for something to say to fill the silence, I thought of the villager in tent three, the one removed from the map. “Have you met the other neighbour?”

“Muffy? No. She’s not been by yet.”

“No, I mean the other one.”

“What other one?”

“The one in tent three. Have you not heard of him yet? Muffy said his name was Ross, but his location won’t come up on the map, so I don’t know where he lives or if he actually wants to meet anyone…”

Morgan returned a blank look. “I thought we were the only two humans here,” he said with the smallest twitch of his shoulders. Then, with a pointed stare, “Oh well. It’s not like I’m here to make friends anyway.”

I lowered my head, trying to conceal the redness of my cheeks. Neither of us spoke, the silence between us expanding further. Then I realised I couldn’t hear the bees anymore.

“I think it’s safe now.” I said, pushing myself to my feet. “I’ll… get out of your hair.”

To my surprise, he followed me back outside. I looked around, suddenly realising how completely unfamiliar I was with this area. Nothing but trees and the occasional rock. I couldn’t even pinpoint which way I’d come in the first place. I consulted the map on the Nookphone.

Morgan came to stand over my shoulder. I tried very hard not to mind. “If you’re looking to get back to Muffy’s, you could probably get there quicker by going straight over the river.”

I stared at the map. Morgan indicated the river that curved from just beyond his house inward to the centre of the island. A frown tugged at the corners of my mouth. Sure, it looked quicker as the crow flew, but it wasn’t like I could grow a pair of wings and ride a good gust of wind across. I was stuck with stubby legs and no bridges this side of the island.

“There’s no bridges.” I said lamely.

“You don’t need bridges. You can vault over it.”

A vivid image of myself trying to vault the river and ending up soaked head-to-toe played inside my head like a rerunning silent movie. “Morgan, I’m not exactly a gymnast. And the river looks wide. And deep…”

Morgan made a low noise. “Wait there,” he said, disappearing around the side of his tent. A few moments later he returned with a long pole, easily as thick as the widest part of his arm. “You can use this. It’s a pole vault. Nook sold it to me after I went to his crafting course yesterday.”

The pole was at least a head taller than me, and surprisingly supple, but I didn’t trust it as far as I could throw it. Which likely wouldn’t be far. “How does it work…?”

“It’s simple,” he said, although I doubted it. “I’ll show you.”

Using the pole to anchor himself, he cleared the river in one jump after a short run-up. As he landed safely on his feet, I couldn’t hide the fact I was impressed. He vaulted back, a slight smirk curling on the length of his lips.

“Here,” he pushed the pole into my hands. It was heavy, and I struggled to get the balance of it. “If you hop over this river and keep going straight, you’ll end up hitting Residential Services eventually. It’ll be a lot quicker than going all the way back around. Of course, if you can’t manage the vault, you don’t have to. You can do the walk.”

I didn’t dare want to admit that I’d rather walk. I didn’t want to give him the satisfaction. I’d never been massively physically fit and the idea of throwing myself over a section of deep water with only a wooden pole keeping me from falling in didn’t sit right with me. I forced a smile in its stead.

“Thank you. I can… bring it back later tonight, if you like?”

“Nah. Keep it. I can make another. You look like you need it more.”

I sucked in a breath, undecided if he was insulting me outright or inadvertently. Either way, I felt the smile on my face drop off. “Thanks,” I said stiffly.

“I didn’t mean to insult you.” He didn’t apologise, nor did he even sound sorry. “I just couldn’t help but notice that you didn’t exactly come here… prepared.”

I bit my lip and hoped he would let the subject go. It was hard to come prepared to a place like this from the situation I’d come from.

“You should get down to one of Nook’s classes.” Morgan continued. “He’s got all sorts going on, he’ll teach you everything you need. And if you don’t already have a net or a fishing rod, I’d suggest getting a hold of them. You really won’t last long without either of them.”

“Thanks for the warning.” I said coolly. “And the pole.” Out of a sense of obligation, I shrugged off my bag and opened it. “Would you like some cherries? I picked too many.”

“You’re fine, thanks. I don’t like them.”

“Alright then. I’ll see you around.”

“See you.”

Leaving Morgan, I walked further down the river. He had turned around and was facing his tent now, but I kept walking. There was absolutely no way I was going to let him see my attempts at vaulting across the river. Especially if I didn’t make it.

Finally, I found a part of the river that looked narrower. I dunked the pole into the water, pushing it down until it hit something solid. I wiggled it to test. Well, it would be as safe as anything else I’d done on this island so far.

I threw my head over both shoulders – just to make absolute sure that nobody was watching me – but something caught my eye in the distance. There was a tent sitting on the summit of a broad, steep hill. Nestled between thick clumps of trees, the tent was almost impossible to notice unless you looked up at the exact right angle. The flat top of the hill was rocky, falling away sharply on one side to cliffs hanging over the beach, and the hill upwards was covered in thick coarse grass and what looked like spiky brambles. It looked like whoever lived up there wanted to make it as difficult as possible for anyone else to reach them.

I pushed the thought away and got ready to make the leap. Trying to remember how Morgan had done it, it took me three “practice” run-ups to even gather up enough courage. On the fourth attempt, I plunged the pole into the middle of the river, pushed myself forward and sailed right over the water.

Landing on the other side, I fought the urge to jump around and cheer, thrilled with my own accomplishment. Even my bag of cherries had made it safely across. But as I turned around and looked back at the tent at the top of the hill, I saw a figure standing between the cluster of trees. The figure waited, unmoving, for what felt like hours. I thought maybe of waving, shouting a greeting, but the words died in my throat.

Eventually, the figure turned away and returned to the tent, leaving me with my heart beating erratically against my ribcage. This was becoming too much. The figure outside my tent, the one in the trees, now the one outside the third mystery tent. This settled it. I had to put all this straight. I couldn’t start a new life with these worries hanging over me like the clouds from an oncoming storm.

I needed to finally meet Ross. Tonight.

#The Villager in Tent Three #The Villager in Tent Three Fanfic #The Villager in Tent Three fanfiction #Animal Crossing fanfic #new horizons #animal crossing #animal crossing new horizons #acnh

[earlybirds-atla-au]

What are the dynamics like between the water tribe trio? And what's their relationship with Aang like? Does Aang have a crush like he did with Katara?

I answered the crush question here.

~~~

“Oh no.”

Aang stopped petting Momo to look up at Kya. She’d paused in sharpening her hunting knife to squint across the campfire at Hakoda and Bato, who were chatting quietly and using a stick to draw in the dirt. Well, Hakoda was drawing in the dirt. Bato was tilting his head and staring at whatever Hakoda was doing.

“...What?” Aang asked.

Kya gestured with her knife. “They’re scheming.”

Aang blinked.

“Well, Hakoda’s scheming,” Kya amended. “Bato isn’t much of a schemer, but unfortunately he’s a good and loyal assistant.”

Aang blinked again. “And...why is that bad?”

“Well, it’s not always bad,” Kya backtracked. “I mean sometimes it’s good. Hakoda’s come up with lots of good ideas! Hunting traps, and better ways to train the dogs, and when he fights he can get...very imaginative.” She smiled fondly. “Also his ice dodging test was very impressive.”

“Okay,” said Aang, who still didn’t really understand what the big deal with ice dodging was. Momo made an annoyed chittering sound, and he scratched the lemur’s ears. “So what’s the bad part?”

Kya’s smile fell. “Nine times out of ten Hakoda’s planning is going towards a prank.”

“Oh, fun!”

“No, not fun. He’s a master, Aang. He tried to lasso an arctic hippo. He put an octopus on his head and convinced his mother he was a water spirit. One time he released an arctic hen in town hall right before my father’s State of the Tribal Union. Remember those blubber bombs we used back when we got you off that prince’s ship? We didn’t invent those for war, Aang.”

“I’m getting the feeling you invented those for a prank war,” Aang grinned.

Kya shuddered. “We do not speak of the Great Blubber Fiasco, Aang.”

Aang kicked his feet against the log they were sitting on. “It sounds like fun!”

“You would. You’re just an innocent kid. You haven’t been through the horrors that I’ve seen. The only people here for him to prank are you and me, Aang! I do not want to get caught up in” - she waved at Hakoda and Bato - “whatever this is!”

“Aw, c’mon Kya,” Aang wheedled, “you should have some fun. I bet you’re great at pranks.”

“I’m fantastic at pranks,” Kya said. “Unfortunately, someone has to be the responsible one around here, and no one else seems to be volunteering so it’s gotta be me.”

Aang kicked his feet again, but it was more contemplative this time. “You are really responsible,” he said quietly, in a way that sounded like he was saying too responsible.

Kya shrugged. “Someone has to be,” she said again.

“We all can be!” Aang insisted. “Hakoda and Bato might be a little rambunctious, yeah, but they’re smart and helpful too and - well, they went ice dodging, didn’t they?” He might not understand ice dodging, but it seemed to be a good argument. “And I’m...a goofy kid, yeah, but I’m learning!” Just the other day he’d remembered to not immediately blurt out that he was the Avatar to the first villager they met, that had to count for something, right? “You don’t have to feel like you’re the only responsible one here, Kya.”

She mulled it over. “You’re right,” she said after a moment, and she stood up.

“Uh...where are you going?”

“I’m going to see if the boys are coming up with anything useful in that dirt, and if they aren’t I’m going to remind them that it’s their turn to do the laundry. Thanks, Aang.”

“You’re welcome!”

~~~

“They are...probably going to ban me from cooking for a while,” Hakoda said gloomily.

Aang watched Kya and Bato on the other side of the smoking remains of the campfire. They were all covered in dirt and so was dinner, but at least nothing was on fire anymore. “You did kinda start a grease fire. And make it worse. And ruin dinner.”

“I tried to fix it,” Hakoda grumbled. “How was I supposed to know you don’t pour water on it? It’s fire. Water puts out fire!”

“Not a grease fire!” Aang said cheerfully, examining the mechanism in his glider staff. “Doesn’t the Water Tribe cook with oil?”

“I’ll be honest, Kya and Bato cook more than I do,” Hakoda admitted. “I’m more of a cured meat kind of guy.”

“So water and oil don’t mix,” Aang said, opening and closing the glider wings. They hadn’t been hit by the flames, thank the spirits. “And oil is lighter than water and floats on top. So when you pour water on burning oil…”

“It sinks to the bottom of the pot,” Hakoda surmised. “And...explodes, apparently.” He thought it over. “Wait, no - it flash boils, doesn’t it? It boils and the steam tries to escape through the oil and ends up flinging burning oil everywhere.”

“That’s pretty much what happened,” Aang nodded. “Bato had the right idea throwing dirt on it after it spread, but next time just smother it with the lid to the cooking pot. Fire can’t burn if it can’t breathe!”

Hakoda stared at him. “...Aang, when you use your airbending to put out fires, are you removing the oxygen from the air?”

“Sometimes!”

“Sometimes?”

“I mean it’s really tricky and removing oxygen from an area can be dangerous, we need that to breathe you know!”

Hakoda stared at him. Aang busied himself with his glider, carefully opening and closing it, and waited for the questions about airbending that he wasn’t sure how he could answer. The little wooden mechanism that made the wings work was holding up alright, but Monk Gyatso had impressed the importance of proper glider maintenance onto him. Aang doubted there was anyone in the world who could fix it if it broke.

Hakoda watched the glider wings fan in and out a few times while he digested what Aang had just told him. Across the dead campfire, Kya was griping at Bato while she piled up fresh, non-oily kindling. Bato was nodding along to whatever she was saying while doing his best to rescue dinner.

“Hey, Aang?”

Aang looked up. “Yeah?”

Hakoda hesitated, and then he said, “So, grease fires. If there was more grease...and I’d thrown on more water...it would’ve been a bigger fireball, right?”

“Uh...probably?” Aang said. “I’ve never really experimented with it. Actually that’s the first grease fire fireball I’ve ever seen! And it was pretty impressive as it was.” He gestured at their ruined campsite.

Hakoda eyed the circle of soot. “There has got to be a way to weaponize this.”

“NO!” Kya and Bato shouted, so loudly that Aang and Hakoda both jumped in their seats.

Aang recovered first. “They’re probably right,” he snickered, opening his glider wings again.

Hakoda sighed. “Yeah, probably.” On the other side of the campfire, Bato and Kya exchanged glances, rolled their eyes, and went back to their work, grumbling under their breath. Hakoda turned his attention back to Aang’s glider. “...So, have you ever taken that thing apart?”

Aang snapped the wings shut and held the staff close to his chest.

~~~

“And there they are, the future of my tribe,” Bato sighed. On the other side of the campfire, Hakoda and Kya were...sparring was too dignified a word for it. Kya had lost her club and Hakoda had strategically thrown his machete to knock her boomerang off course half a minute ago, and the whole affair had devolved into something more suited to five-year-olds than to great warriors of the Water Tribe. There was hair-pulling involved.

“You’re the future too,” Aang said, biting into a fruit Bato didn’t know the name of and enjoying the show.

“Yeah, but they’re the future politically,” Bato said, wincing when Hakoda dodged a punch Kya had aimed for his shoulder. That looked like it would’ve hurt had it landed.

“...What?” Aang asked.

“Kya’s dad is our tribe’s chief,” Bato said, watching said daughter of his chief practically flip Hakoda over her back. “And Hakoda is practically...his apprentice at this point. Kya’s got a head for leadership, but Hakoda has a passion for it. He’s been following Chief Oomailiq for years learning how to run a tribe.” Said political intern was desperately trying to get Kya in a headlock, to no avail.

“So...Hakoda’s gonna take over your tribe?” Aang asked.

“Well,” Bato said, “if he gets elected.”

“Is that hard?”

“It might be, but he’s getting plenty of experience under the chief, and he’s got a good track record on the few projects he’s helped with. Give him a few more years of leadership experience and I’d definitely feel confident voting for him.” 

“Will Kya run for chief?” Aang asked. “Since her dad is and all. I bet she could give him some stiff competition.” 

Kya had Hakoda in a headlock and was aggressively noogying him.

“She probably could, but she doesn’t want to,” Bato said. “She can take charge but she doesn’t want to be in charge. Does that make sense?”

“Yeah, it does,” Aang said. “Water Tribe politics sure are cool! I think it’s great you guys choose your own leaders. The Earth Kingdom and the Fire Nation just kind of hand their thrones to whoever’s next.”

“That’s crazy,” Bato said. “What if the next person in line is an idiot? Or mean? Or just not a good leader?”

“You know, I asked Kuzon and Bumi that once, and they looked at me like I was the crazy one!”

There was a shout from their friends across the way - Hakoda had managed to catch Kya’s wrists in his hand, holding them up. She used the leverage he afforded her to kick him in the gut.

“How did the Air Nomads do it?” Bato asked. “If you don’t mind me asking.”

“Well, we had the councils,” Aang said. “Each temple had their own. They appointed their own members, but we could nominate people we wanted to see appointed.”

“Huh,” said Bato. He wasn’t sure if he liked the idea of that, but he wasn’t going to interrogate a 12-year-old genocide survivor on the intricacies of his people’s politics. Aang probably didn’t even fully understand his people’s government - and Bato didn’t want to remind the poor kid about yet another aspect of his culture he wouldn’t be able to resurrect. “That sounds interesting.”

“Yeah, I guess it’s probably closer to what the Northern Water Tribe does.”

“What the - what?”

“Uh...you know, how the Northern Water Tribe has their chief, who appoints his council members?”

“Wait, what - ?” Bato was only vaguely aware of Kya swiping Hakoda’s feet from under him. “What kind of a democracy is that?”

“Uh...I’m pretty sure chiefdom in the Northern Tribe is hereditary?” Aang said.

“What?” Miss Kanna had definitely left that part out when she’d regaled their tribe’s children with tales of her distant homeland. To be fair, they would’ve found politics to be boring bedtime stories.

“Oh, hey, look, I think Kya won!”

Bato glanced across the campfire and had to do a double-take. Kya had pinned Hakoda to the ground, and was smiling down at him fondly. Hakoda looked far too relaxed for a man whose wrists were in a deathgrip, gazing up at Kya with a goofy grin.

“Oh my moon,” Bato groaned, reaching out to cover Aang’s eyes.

The kid dodged his hand easily. “I’m not a baby, Bato, yeesh.”

“My tribe’s future power couple,” Bato sighed, gesturing at his dumb friends.

“I’m sure they’ll be great leaders,” Aang said.

#early birds au #Anonymous

[raendown]

Pairing: TobiramaKagami Word count: 1611 Soulmate au: The one where one of you knows the moment you meet and they must tell the other person

Follow the link or read it under the cut!

KO-FI link in the blog header!

Chapter 169: Tobirama/Kagami

He had known the very moment they met, of course. At the time Kagami had been terrified of the very prospect, hiding behind his aunt so the scary Senju wouldn’t see him there in the crowd of Uchiha, forgetting for a second that if he knew it meant that the other would not. Kagami recognized Tobirama as his soulmate when he was nothing but a terrified child raised on nighttime stories of the demon with red eyes that would gobble him up if he strayed out of bed at night. Tobirama looked passed him like he was just another face in the crowd, unaware of the secret born right under his nose.

Naturally inquisitive and more brave than was good for someone as untrained as him, it didn’t take long before Kagami was seeking out the Senju heir to see if he was really as bad as the bedtime stories had led him to believe. He couldn’t be all that terrible if he was living here in the village that Madara-sama had built so they could all stay safe.

It took several sessions of spying on the man as he trained a handful of other young people Kagami’s age before Tobirama gave in and called out for him to join them. Apparently he had known Kagami was there the whole time but was waiting to see if he would should his face on his own. Before he realized it he found himself with a team, a teacher, and between one week and the next he was spending several hours every day learning the shinobi arts from his own soulmate, one of the strongest fighters in any of the many clans now living here in Konoha.

Kagami could have mentioned it after that. He wasn’t blind, he knew Tobirama had developed a soft spot for him much quicker than the others, although that might have just been because he had perfected the puppy-eyed look and had no shame in chasing the man for a bit of extra attention. But he also wasn’t stupid and he knew it might be a little hard for the man to believe that someone eight years younger was meant to be his soulmate. Now might not be the best time to reveal his secret. Kagami held his silence, determined to wait, and did his best to ignore that soft feeling growing behind his ribs.

As a teenager he graduated from genin the chūnin. As a young adult he was promoted from chūnin to jōnin. And throughout it all Kagami waited for the right time to confess his secret to the man who didn’t know they were soulmates. One would think his biggest worry would be any possible anger over the fact that he had stayed quiet for so long.

But it wasn’t. Kagami’s biggest worry was his fear of the feelings growing inside him. Every year that passed he fell more and more in love while also growing less and less certain that Tobirama would accept such things from him. Not all bonds between soul-pairs were meant to be romantic, after all. It wasn’t a guarantee that his soulmate would have any sort of romantic feelings for him but after waiting for this long in silence Kagami wasn’t sure what rejection might do to his poor heart.

In the end he confessing by accident, midway through his twenties and so in love it choked him sometimes when he gave it too much thought.

They weren’t doing much at the time, just taking a calm meal by the fire together, sent out on some forgettable mission that he would later forget all details about except for this night. He’d been thrilled to get paired with his old team captain again and then doubly thrilled that it was only the two of them. Every moment they spent together was precious to him but it was more so when he could have the man all to himself.

“Why were you so eager to get away from home?” he asked, idly pitching the bones from his dinner in to the coals by their feet. “This mission is hardly anything of your caliber so you must have volunteered.”

“It’s hardly worthy of your skills either,” Tobirama pointed out.

“Flatterer.”

“Hn.”

Kagami grinned. “So go on then. Did you just miss little old me?”

“I will admit that seeing your name on the roster made the choice of which mission to sign on for a lot easier. Mostly I just needed to get away from Hashirama; he’s been insufferable lately.”

“More than usual?”

Tobirama snorted and Kagami triumphed for having made him laugh.

“Yes, more than usual,” the man explained. “For whatever reason he’s gotten it in to his head to bother me about looking harder to find my soulmate. As though it’s guaranteed that I will be the one who knows when I see them. If I had to listen to the same drivel over dinner one more time I was going to strangle him.”

“Oh.” Kagami bit his lip and looked away.

“Even worse, he’s gotten in to my head now. I find myself thinking about it even when he isn’t around and – kami help me I’m going to kill him but – he’s got me curious about others.” Tobirama turned to consider him and Kagami froze like a rabbit spotted by a wolf. “Like you, for example. I’ve never heard anything about soulmates from you.”

“Me? Ha ha ha, no I’m…fine.”

“That wasn’t an answer at all. Hashirama would have a field day with that non-answer.” Tobirama quirked an eyebrow, probably to say that he didn’t approve either.

Nervous, Kagami swallowed and spoke without thinking. “I am, really! I’m happy even if they don’t know!”

He winced as Tobirama turned to face him fully.

“You know who they are and you haven’t told them?” he asked, incredulous.

“Uh…”

“Don’t you think they would want to know?”

Stalling, he blurted, “Well would you want someone you’ve known for years to confess they’re in love with you? What if you don’t feel the same? I don’t want to ruin what we have now! Uh, what, why are you looking at me like that?”

“Hm? Oh, nothing. It’s silly.” Tobirama forced a light chuckle and waved him off. “It was just the way you worded that, it sounded as though you were implying that I myself am your soulmate.”

“Did it?!” Kagami squeaked.

He knew he was doomed when Tobirama looked at him closely again, knew his cheeks would be the color of shame and his eyes as wide as shuriken. For maybe half a second he considered fleeing for the sake of his continued sanity but it really wasn’t worth the effort. Tobirama would catch him before he could get out of the clearing they had turned in to a campsite.

Which left him only with the option of facing the music, not his favorite option but at least he would finally get everything over with and find out his fate at last. Also the deer-in-highlights look the other man was giving him was as least sort of worth it for entertainment value alone.

“Are...Kagami…am…I your soulmate?” Tobirama asked him in a shaken voice.

“Uh…maybe…”

“So you are…in love with me?”

“UHM. Well! You see…” Kagami trailed off, wracking his brain for some way to salvage the ruins of their friendship now that everything was out in the open because clearly Tobirama was about to hate him.

His brain got about as far as – well nothing. There was absolutely nothing in his head. Kagami was great with battlefield panic but personal matters usually left him with an empty head and a broken vocabulary, exhibited rather nicely right then as Tobirama reached for him and instead of dodging the blow all he could do was gurgle out a few disconnected syllables.

As it turned out, however, Tobirama did not strike him. Tobirama cupped his cheek and tilted his face up to bestow him with the single most amazing kiss he had ever experienced in his life. It was also his first kiss but that was just extra details. Even without prior experience Kagami was pretty sure Tobirama was the most amazing kisser in all of Fire country. His knees were weak, his heart was hammering, and his blood didn’t know if it wanted to rush up or down.

When they pulled apart he whined, chasing the other man for more without a thought for how pathetic it might make him look. He was too focused on all of his dreams coming true and trying to make this moment last forever.

“Kagami,” Tobirama murmured, his lowered voice a rumbling caress. “You and I are going to have words later about why you never thought to inform me of this.”

“I didn’t think you would like me like I like you.”

“You – what?” The dazed expression they were both wearing slipped away for Tobirama to frown down at him while Kagami squirmed.

Embarrassed, he rubbed at the back of his head. “Nothing. We don’t have to talk about it.”

“Hm. I believe we do. Later, though.” Tobirama gave him a stern look to make sure Kagami understood that the conversation they needed to have was non-optional. Then he nodded once to himself and leaned back down to dip Kagami almost entirely off the log they were using for a seat, ending the conversation with another mind bending kiss.

All things considered, despite the pain and the anxiety of biding his time, despite the mortification he would surely suffer later when they finally had that discussion, Kagami thought this moment right here was entirely worth it all.

#rae writes #soulmate collection #tobikaga #kagatobi #tobirama #kagami #fanfiction

[lovepmd]

an odd place to start for the shapeshifter au but i just

really like this idea ok, so

yeah

names and events subject to change for any reason or no reason

Shapeshifter AU: “First Trouble”

It had been a couple days since they set out on their journey towards the town with the guild. Lux wasn’t sure how they would get answers from there, but it was better to try than to sit around doing nothing. The couple dungeons they went through so far weren’t too bad, and Lux was glad they did some practice in the dungeons close to the village. They would’ve done worse in these other dungeons otherwise, still getting a handle on their abilities.

Night had fallen and the group set up camp in a small clearing. Aiden was busy getting a fire going, the spots on his head and back temporarily spouting flames as he lit up the fire pit in the center. Naida was nearby, carefully putting together their beds for the night and patting them down with her flippers.

Lux could only float nearby and watch them work, not knowing what to do. The shifter sighed and lightly tugged at the band tied around their arm, a gift from the siblings’ mothers before they all left. “Something to keep you safe,” they said.

They knew the two siblings were more than happy to join them, but they still couldn’t help but feel guilty. The village was so nice and peaceful, and who knew what dangers lurked out here? Lux remembered before they left about a warning from a traveling pokemon, about a group of thieves that might be in the area. They’ve been safe and careful so far, but did they pass by yet? Were they really going to be safe once they get through the mountain pass the elder mentioned?

“Lux!”

Lux flinched, their form changing slightly before turning solid again. The brionne was looking at them, lightly patting the bed underneath her with a flipper. “Come on, you need some sleep! Aiden said he’d take the first watch.”

The shifter glanced over to see the quilava sitting by the fire pit, who looked back at them with a smirk and a nod. “I’ll be fine, don’t worry.”

Naida settled down on her bed, curling up into a ball and sighing. Lux shook their head. They knew they shouldn’t worry too much about things, but everything was still so new and jarring, they-

Something fell over Lux’s head and covered their whole body, suddenly jerking them to the ground harshly. They yelped at the impact, immediately struggling against whatever was on them.

“Lux!”

They heard the siblings call out to them, and they finally took in what was happening.

A group of pokemon were slowly appearing, surrounding the campsite. Lux looked up to see one of the pokemon above them, an ariados. Web. That’s what Lux was trapped in, the ariados formed a net with their webs and used it to capture them.

“If you kids don’t mind, we’re taking this one with us!”

Lux looked over and saw a flareon step into the campsite, his fur was matted and a large cloth wrapped around his middle. They glanced around to notice some of the other pokemon were fire types as well. They were completely surrounded and outnumbered.

“We’re not going to let you!” Naida yelled, her brother taking a stance next to her but facing the other way to glare at the rest of the group.

The flareon laughed. “And what’re you going to do about it, huh? Just be good children and do as you’re told.”

“Screw you!” Aiden shot back immediately.

The flareon snorted and took another step forward. “You should learn to respect-”

A large, sudden water jet shot out from the bushes nearby, hitting the flareon in his side and sending him flying just past one of the group members. Everyone in the campsite froze up in confusion.

Lux flinched as something large landed over them, large legs towered them on all sides, and another water jet sprung forth, hitting a couple more of the fire pokemon surrounding the area. Naida and Aiden were quick to jump into action; the brionne attacking the other pokemon and the quilava sending a burst of flames straight towards the ariados to send the pokemon running.

The group tried their best to fight back, and Lazarus-the elder!- stepped forth and moved faster than Lux had seen him move before. He headbutted pokemon that tried to attack his companions, and he bit into the leg of a houndour and threw them aside like they weighed nothing. Lux watched with wide eyes at the sight before them. They were told that the elder had his battles back in the day, but never did they think the old kind soft spoken pokemon was this brutal and quick in a fight.

Once their attackers finally all fled, Aiden began to carefully bite and burn parts of the web holding Lux. “Holdth on, i goth thish!” He mumbled out.

“Elder, why- I mean, thank you so much!” Naida bowed towards the araquanid. “That could’ve ended badly, they were so many and they already had Lux and-”

“Yes, child, I saw.” Lazarus interrupted, stepping over to help take off the remaining web off the shifter. 

Lux floated up in the air and shuddered, patting down their body. “Thank you, that...that was surprising.”

“That was awesome!” Aiden propped up on his back legs and grinned. “They came out of nowhere, but then you came out of nowhere and-”

“Children.”

Both of the siblings went quiet, and Naida stepped over to line up next to her companions.

“I was worried about you all, this is your first adventure on your own, after all.” Lazarus continued. “Not to mention we had heard about that group before you left, so I was even more worried. I decided to follow you until you got to the Red Mountain Pass. Beyond there, the guild should have reached the area and would be able to help you out in such a bind. And there aren’t as many open areas as this. Our village is small and not too close to other places, so there’s plenty of areas around here where such bad pokemon take to hide. I’m just glad I was here and I was able to help.”

“So are we, elder,” Lux bowed their head a little. “Thank you.”

“You should especially be careful, Lux.” The shifter lifted their head back up. “You’re more unique than you think, I believe. There’s a reason why they tried to steal you away. Take it as a warning for the future; this won’t be the last time this happens.”

Lux floated down a bit lower to the ground and gulped. Being kidnapped for any reason was something they never considered to happen, but it only made sense. They nodded and fidgeted nervously. “I understand,” they mumbled.

“We’ll be more careful too, elder!” Naida piped up.

“Yeah, we’ll protect Lux better next time!” Aiden agreed.

The brionne and the quilava got closer to the shifter, wrapping their front limbs around Lux protectively. Lux couldn’t help but laugh a little. “Thanks guys, I feel safer already.”

Lazarus laughed at the sight. “Good, that’s what I wanted to hear. I will accompany you all to the mountain pass tomorrow, but for tonight, all of you sleep. You will all need your energy for tomorrow and the trek onwards.”

“But-!” The siblings said in unison.

“No. It’s fine, I can keep watch all night on my own, don’t worry.” The elder turned and walked over by the camp fire, carefully lowering himself to the ground.

Aiden and Naida let go of Lux and all three of them went to their beds.The siblings were quick to go to sleep, but the shifter had a lot on their mind. Those thieves saw that they were unique and tried to steal them away. For profit, most likely. Lux had been lucky so far honestly, the village pokemon took them in with no real issues. How would other pokemon react to them? Would they actually get help? Would other pokemon shun them away because of how different Lux was? Would they also try to take them away from the siblings?

The shifter sighed and closed their eyes. They wouldn’t know what could happen and worrying about it wasn’t doing them any good. They could only sleep and hope that things went better from now on.

#text #shapeshifter au #i love....araquanid #and everyone else here lol #poor lux doesn't know what they're doing yet dkfjgd

[gloriousgardendonut]

Gap Year Trip 2018 - Ireland continued

Week 2 - Summerfields campsite in Schull is a tiny and quirky campsite, a back garden really, we shared it with 2 vans the first night but had it all to ourselves the second night. May seems to be quiet on the campsites, yet all the main sites on the Way seemed busy, we wondered if summer would be more difficult to do the route. It took a lot of focused and considerate driving along the route and you don't get anywhere fast on the smaller roads, it is probably much more difficult in busier seasons. We'd planned to have a meal and a few beers in a local pub in the evening we arrived in Schull, but as none of the local pubs were adhering to the recently repealed 'dogs in pubs law' we got a big fat no at each of them. Luckily my daughter had contributed an Aldi shop as a gift on our departure and so we had lots of stuff in tins and packets back in the van to create a gourmet meal - tuna pasta is great when you're tired and hungry, it's also cheap. Next day we decided to head out on foot and did a 6 mile circular walk around Schull, first along the lovely coast and then back across the hilly back roads. Interestingly there seems to be a lot of property development or new building happening in some of the remote areas. Many properties were opting for big picture windows, well you would if you had the view here. It made us realise though that before central heating, these old properties would have relied on small windows and thick stone walls to keep that wild Atlantic wind out, they probably also shared with their livestock as well, probably similar to me with my sheepskin throw when it's a bit chilly in the van. As the sun came out we finished the day with a BBQ and a few beers - news from home was that the UK was expecting a heat wave and that temperatures would soar to compete with Ibiza, unfortunately,top temperatures bypassed Ireland and our Way remained The WILD Atlantic and chilly Way! Next day we soldiered on to Dursey Island in the drizzle and wind to experience the only Cable car in Ireland, I was a little unsure at first if Simon would brave it but as it was the only route onto the island he agreed to give it a go despite his fear of heights. With a 600 foot drop into Dursey Sound and the wind picking up Simon reluctantly faced his fears and boarded the cable car. His face was a picture for the first few minutes as fear set in and I must admit I felt a bit nervous too. We weren't sure which was worse, the rickety cable stanchions, the flimsy sliding doors or the jolt forward as you went through the stanchion that gave you a sense that you were about to fall into the water below. We survived though, the island was wild and remote but beautiful. We only stayed a short time but in that time managed a short walk with the dog held tightly. A sign at arrival on the island said 'dogs will be shot if off the road'. The woman operating the cable car assured us dogs are not usually shot. With a live dog and feeling a sense of achievement we caught the cable car back and continued on our way. We arrived next at Sneem Aire for the night and after pitching up walked into the village for a few well earned beers in the local hostelries. Sneem has an abundance of pubs and restaurants but is very small, there seems to be places like this along the route, yet other small villages with very few if no facilities. Next day being a bit behind time we had to cut across the Dingle Peninsula - a place we had visited previously when staying in Killarney but didn't have time to revisit on this trip. The WAW is long and whilst there is a South to North route or vice verse, there are also lots of off-shoots around coves and peninsulas, if you were a purist it would take a lot longer than three weeks to complete every little bit of it. Whilst we tried to take in all the key signature points, we quickly realised we had to miss lots of bits too, this didn't matter as we felt that every area we visited had something spectacular to offer and we encountered dramatic views all along the way. So onward from the dramatic scenery of County Cork and Kerry we caught the ferry that crosses the River Shannon from Tarbert to Kilrush and a short drive onwards we arrived at the seaside town of Kilkeel. We had planned another free night at a Brit Stop located next to the sea near Diamond Rocks Café. When we arrived the place was very busy with Bank Holiday weekenders and we'd hoped to use the café, but it closed as we arrived so instead we headed off along the long sandy beach to the town for a few provisions. The town is made up mainly of bars and as it was bank holiday weekend so plenty of people were partaking of the liquor and the atmosphere seemed lively. Back at the van the view was fantastic, just a little wall between us and the sea and the Atlantic waves crashing against the rocks. All seemed well and slowly over the evening the day trippers started to leave the car park. By 11pm we were the only vehicle in the car park. But something felt wrong, I could see Simon was watching vehicles coming and going with curiosity and knowing him well knew he was beginning to get twitchy. He had noticed a car coming very close to the back of the van and looking at it, then a van circled us twice. I got out and they drove slowly away. As Bradley Walsh always says on 'The Chase' always trust your gut. Our gut was telling us we were being watched but we were unsure if it was the campervan or the expensive bike on the rack either way we felt unsafe where we were. We were isolated really at the end of the beach road and an easy target, had there been other Brit Stoppers we'd have felt safer but there wasn't, so at nearly midnight we decided to pack up and move on. This meant us driving on unlit and bendy roads unsure of where we were headed. Luckily part way through the night we found a marina car park and pulled in there. Anyone who drives a campervan will know, that when you put the bed down at night loads of 'stuff' gets chucked in the front seats especially for us as we have a dog cage in there with a dog in. Packing up in the night meant our pull out bed had to be put away to accommodate the dog and cage, so at the marina where there were other vans with people in bed, we realised we couldn't get the bed out as we'd have made too much noise. So with Simon spread across the front seats and a gear stick prodding in his nether regions and me in the back seat sat up but sliding off the seat every two minutes into a dog cage, sleep was difficult. By 5:30 we couldn't stand the discomfort any longer so got up and moved on towards Galway. Interestingly one of the main signature points of the WAW are the Cliffs of Moher, which are supposed to be spectacular and a must see. During our night relocation we initially drove up to the cliffs visitor centre in the hope we could park there and get to see them the next morning. Unfortunately, we found the centre was cordoned off for improvement work and temporarily closed, this meant no overnight parking and us missing out on what is considered one of the best parts of the Wild Atlantic Way. We decided however that we could tick off we'd been but only as far as the car. Next day we did wonder how close to the edge we were on that precarious little road in the dark! So having been but not seen the cliffs we headed on to Galway in search of 'something' that would give us back a sense of normality. Most of the West of Ireland goes through small villages and towns, were facilities are limited out of 9-5 hours, we were also into the early hours of Bank Holiday Monday so felt going into Galway would be fruitless for refreshments or supplies but maybe a very good way to see the city and its architecture without competing with traffic jams and busy city folk. Indeed it delivered that, Galway at 5:30 in the morning in a campervan is a beautiful city it has the famous bay of course, but also a marina, historic buildings, parks, and quant shopping streets. But most relevant to our predicament at that point in time was not history or culture but a modern day retail park and those big beautiful Golden Arches we spotted from a distance. Our faces lit up when we realised that despite the hour we were about to partake in breakfast McMuffins, hash browns and lashings of tea - ah thank goodness for Micky D's! Fully refreshed we left Galway and headed to our next campsite stop - Eco Beach near Clifden. Martha and the Muffins van singalong over, we settled in to 2 days of relaxation. This campsite is wild, remote and on the beach - perfect for kicking back. We spent two days, walking the dog on the beach, reading, talking and just looking out at the sea. Oh and one mile down the beach at Claddaghduff is Sweeney's Bar, where we had a Guinness and the best Seafood Chowder for lunch. Also of note was that we were allowed 'inside' with our dog, renewing our faith in Irish dog friendly pubs that had been dashed in Schull. As well as the beautiful sweeping beach you can cross a causeway to Omey Island famous for its last permanent resident being a stunt man on James Bond films and for a horse racing meetings on the beach. Whilst at Eco Beach, Simon managed a peaceful cycle ride around the local area, whist I felt inspired to paint a water colour of the bay sat at the back of the van. Next we headed further along "those twisting, turning, winding roads of Galway and Mayo" (Saw Doctors van singalong) ....to Westport, having lunch on the pretty harbour and then on to Achill Island and camping almost on the beach and next to the local surf club. Surf was definitely up and we headed straight out for an almost horizontal walk along the windy beach, bracing as it was the views again were spectacular, Clare Island in the distance, some of the steepest sea cliffs in Europe either side of the bay and Slievemore mountain lurking magnificently in the background. After a van tea, we spent a few hours curled up just looking out at the bay and what made us smile most were the mummy sheep pottering along with their little lambs in tow. Next day we headed out for a 7 mile loop walk along an ancient track under Slievemore Mountain to visit the 'Deserted Village' An archeological area dating back to the Neolithic period 5000 years ago, the village itself has 80 plus derelict cottages and pasture land dating back to Medieval times. It is a tranquil but haunting site. Stepping inside one of the buildings with the remains of its thick stone walls you could imagine the shelter they brought to a hard working and isolated community on the wild Atlantic hillsides. We were grateful arriving back in Achill for a pot of tea and a slice of Banoffee Pie at the Beehive Craft and Tea Shop. So another week almost completed on our Ireland trip. Whilst this week has been amazing and we are having the time of our lives, there hasn't been a day when I haven't thought about and missed Barney. You see, van life, hills, beaches and adventure were his thing and not having him by my side is difficult. But I do now have Skyler and luckily he is loving this life too and proving to be a wonderful companion, although he keeps us on our toes with his energy and spirit. But what's most interesting is that when I feel sad about Barney he seems to know and comes to snuggle up to me.

[lirulii]

Onwards AU- Tribe hcs

I’ve started a trend of picking up THM headcanons because they’re nON EXISTENT lmao

or at least from what I hear

This round is for the Onwards AU (post-THM au), with the Tribe of Three being roughly 18-21 here 

((I’ll also include William and Kaznim because they’re dear to my heart))

-Ferdie eventually starts going through a small internship on a fashion shop, carrying cloth and measuring people

-Then she starts rising through the ranks, gaining fame for her embroidery on cloth

-And then she likes it

-OH GOD SHE LIKES IT

-She ends up getting an apprenticeship and is soon to buy the business from the current owner, who wants to retire to an Iberian beach already

-She’s a ruthless businesswoman and always ends up with the most ridiculous business deals which work out in her favor,,,somehow

-Ferdie is also the one who makes Tod’s graduation dress, her current work tunic also (Sep also asks to get his tunic made)

-William, when he’s off-time, is still very close and very dear to Ferd and he helps out in the shop 

-They still play the string game in StarChaser with all the juiciest gossip

-It’ s not like Ferdie WANTS all the gossip and has an amount of secrets rivaling Sally Mullin’s,,, it’ s a fashion shop. It just happens 

-Oskar is still working with Ephaniah as a mechanic, with some medical exp too since Ephaniah has been decreasing of health lately- not enough to be fatal, he’s just getting older

-He subs in as a scribe and is always sneaking Tod in and out of the Ancient Ways or getting to talk to her a little more

-Hairdresser: Ms. Todhunter Moon, what would you like me to help you with?

Tod, deadass serious: an elflock

the SH fandom: nO!!!

Tod: TWO elflocks

-She has them as braids that go around the back of her head- with a blue bead at the start of each braid

-William takes after his pseudo-cousin AND his uncle Nicko and does sailor beads in his hair. Reactions are, being optimistic, mixed

-Ferd leaves her hair long, Oskar ties his up in a ponytail (and maybe a small elflock every once in a while because Tod makes him), and Tod grows her hair out, starting when she was roughly 16

-It’s the first time she grows her hair after her mom’s death

-Kaznim works as the Red City assistant, guiding Septimus around, and is also taking up her mother’s trade

-At some point, most likely directly after StarChaser, Kaznim and Tod realize they’re related! They have some talk after that

-In fact, Kaznim takes her to the Draa campsite when Tod begins traveling for Castle alliances, and it becomes her temporary home for around 3 months.

-Kaznim is still kind of distant to Dandra, eventually gets over it

-Kaznim: TOD!! BAREV!

Tod: Ba-what-now

-Kaznim has to teach Tod Armenian (since it’s implied the Draas come from an area near Armenia or in Armenia proper). Kaznim suffers.

-William has a keen interest, apart from Magyk, in Alchemie. Marcellus is really fond of him and is more than willing to teach him some

-Simon also teaches him some!

-I haven’t tackled it but yes I headcanon William to get an apprenticeship in the wizard tower! Takes after uncle Sep a lot

-Tod leaves a month after her graduation to start the founding of Castle alliances around the world and comes back roughly a year later, in her late nineteens- early 20s

-The sudden separation left a lot of unsolved conflict and tension between Oskar and Tod- and her sudden return makes things between them even more cold and awkward. Ferd spends an uncomfortable 8 months playing messenger and trying to get them to settle down and get things straightened out

-William outcooks his mom, his dad, and his uncle Sep and those are just facts

-Ferdie suddenly starts getting pearl jewelry in her mail starting in her 20s and no one knows where it came from- she never finds out who it’s actually from

-Barney Pot, being some 14 years old when THM starts, also hangs out with Tribe occasionally, with some slight flirting on the side ((s’all for fun though))

-Flirting to whom? All three of course

-Oskar does get that Orm automata done for his graduation project!! It works  and the angriest he’s ever gotten at the Ormlet is when it tried to eat his creation of some 6-months

-He’s also fluent in Sign Language, English and Greek- Ephaniah’s ancestor language. You could argue he’s considerably worse at Greek though.

-Lucy often gives Ferdie ribbons in exchange for embroidery lessons. 

-The transition from being teacher-apprentice to coworkers is weird for Tod and Sep, as well as for Osk and Ephaniah

-Ferdie: Tod,,,what are feelings,,,im,,,,girls,,,what is love,,,

Tod, local demisexual:,,,,,baby don’t hurt me?? no more???

-I do hc Ferdie as panro! She’s very confused throughout her teens rip 

-Ferdie also takes after Lucy and puts ribbons in her hair, and ribbons  and flowers in her spring hats. It becomes a running trend, much favored by the Good Queen herself

-The Tribe and Will go ice skating in the winter- all three are complete messes and William has to teach these grown ass adults to balance themselves

-Ferd and Oskar stay in the Heap-Gringe household when they’re in the Castle, and are raised in Alchemie and some basic Magyk. Tod’s happily impressed

-Oskar’s walked out with his magnifying glasses and caused local panic because bUG MAN 

-They still take naps together because tHEYRE DORKS (tired dorks), sleepovers are less rare but involve a lot of salt on coworkers. The Tribe also ocassionally goes on ice cream parlor outings in the summer

-After her growing paranoia in the Red City, Tod has a sword made in the Draa camp, naming it Hamasteghut’yun ((Amernian for constellation)). She has an UnSeen on it and practices in private.

-After declining her mother’s offer of her own blade, Kaznim also gets a throwing knife crafted, called Halatsum (persecution)

-Kaznim has an,,interesting adolescence w her family (( that’s another post tho))

-Ferdie is the only one to not have a graduation party ((Tod has her own and Oskar has the Manuscriptorium annual)) so the Heaps throw her this huge ass party when she’s 21 to compensate.

-Tod wears heeled boots to be more intimidating and it KIND OF works,,, Ferdie, on the other hand, can stare down any man at her small height and send them running

-Official heights:

Osk: 5′11″

Will: 6′0″

Kaznim: 5′7″

Tod: 5′2″

Ferdie: 4′11″

-Tod has unexpected encounters with a certain Syrah Syara, who’s personality she’s drawn to. Sep has a very hard time talking to her about Syrah.

-Tod’s dyed honey-blond strands come from her visit to what would then be called France, given to her by the people before an international ball. She sticks with it for much of her life.

-Oskar’s fascination with the Dragon Boat guides him to hang out with Jenna more- who always wanted a younger brother. A nice friendship forms, although he’s still terrified of her, as one rightly should.

-Oskar picks up ukulele and guitar, Ferdie picks up viola and flute. Tod’s good with hand drums and singing, Kaznim with cymbals and Armenian percussion, and Will likes violin and xylophones

-The Sarn twins rent out an apartment when they’re grown in the Castle

-the neon glow-in-the-dark sunglasses was Oskar’s idea. They also have two sets of roller blades and the raddest scooters

-Will owns his own roller blades

-William grows to be the affection of everyone with his uncle’s charisma, his father’s kindness, and his badassery at lacrosse

-Famous/Iconic jewelry:

-Osk: leather bracelet from the draa camp, silver ring with a melting pair of wings (his first attempt at crafting jewelry), multi-purpose bracelet (think an army knife but,,not), cord necklace with painted glass beads and his golden universal Manuscriptorium key. Onyx earring mayb?

-Ferdie: Amethyst-and-silk bracelet ((shared with Tod)), all that pearl jewelry from before changed out into rotations, platinum ring Simon, William, and Lucy gave her, Leather twin chokers with a variety of charms, from a small crochet man to an elegant ruby set

-Tod: her iconic snake ring, ‘Find a way’ ring that she shares with Sep, Amethyst bracelet, leather bracelet from the draa camp, Gold-and-labradorite earrings, star necklace with draa beads as well

-The tribe sneaked out together in their late teens to walk around and admire the night lights. Cats always seem to be accompanying them- it’s a mystery

-All three have middle names: Ferdie’s is Lilliann, Oskar’s Liam, and Tod’s is Diana ((although her Draa family insisted Cassi always wanted a daughter named Seraldi)) They use each other’s middle name when they’re mad pissed

-Tod and Kaznim have two last names- the first from their mother, the second from their father.

-William is by far the most enthusiastic apprentice ever- he’s the happiest cleaning out the pyramid library.

-Out of the entire tribe, Ferdie is the most apt at self-defense, armed and unarmed.

-She’s also real buff she’s bench-pressed Oskar once or twice- and the guy built muscle from carrying heavy items

-In their actual vacation, back in the pathfinder village, they always set Vega out to the Path, tie the boat to one of the white markers and quietly talk until late midnight- pointing out constellations, conversing of the past , and falling asleep until the next day, bright at dawn. Dan and Rosie receive a lot of fish from sleepy, early-morning fishing from all three adults involved.

Expect more I have over three pages and I’m so ready

#todhunter moon #onwards!au #hell yeaaaaaaahhh #next hc list is more kaznim-karamander-darius oriented so watch out bitch!

[jamesandanna12]

Homer (Alaska) to Vancouver (British Columbia) - 12-28 Sept 2017

On our last evening in Homer we walked the beach for hours. It was so peaceful and beautiful. 

Then we heard a huge bang but couldn't figure what it was.... Until a few minutes later! It was a whale jumping above the water!!! This is something we had seen several times on National Geographic but never in the wild.... What an amazing and unexpected sight! 😍😍😍

It all happened out of the blue so couldn't take a photo but (thanks to Google images) this is what we saw:

Seeing the whale was amazing! We were a bit stunned.... There was no one around, just us. Beautiful! 😍

We waited for another half an hour or so hoping for another jump but that was it for the evening. We were delighted. We walked back and noticed a big bird landing in the water. We got closer and realised it was a bald eagle catching a salmon! It was another sight straight from a nature TV programme! 

We loved Homer and were sad to be leaving.  Just as the day we arrived, it was cloudy and damp on the day we left.  From Homer we needed to return to Anchorage.  However we planned two stops along the way.  We would stop at the Coopers Landing campsite to meet John and Julie, the hosts there who we'd met on the way south.  We would then spend a night in the coastal town of Seward where we hoped to do a glacier/fjord tour. 

We had an enjoyable ride to Coopers Landing where it was great to see John and Julie again.  We took along some cakes from The Moose is Loose bakery and had a lovely couple of hours over coffee. Having spent the summer in Alaska, John and Julie were also preparing for the long drive south to the lower 48 before winter.  We eventually said our goodbyes and headed to Seward.  We hope to meet John and Julie again in the future somewhere on the road 👋😊👋

Riding was beautiful. 

Then the weather changed... It was freezing cold!! 

We reached Seward in a downpour, a regular recent occurrence.  We checked into an unexpectedly nice motel and wandered around a very picturesque but wet town.  

We found and booked a boat tour for the following day.  

The seafront was lovely! 

Luckily the sun shone the next morning. Our tour took us out into the Gulf of Alaska via the Kenai Fjords National Park.  We were hoping to spot some whales but it was not to be.  However we saw wonderful glacier scenery and other wildlife along the way.

The boat trip was very relaxing.

 The scenery was gorgeous!

We saw a lot of beautiful glaciers!

We loved the boat trip!!

The glaciers really were very impressive!

After our lovely boat trip we got back on our bikes to ride to Anchorage. From Seward, it was just a few hours ride.  Just as we had experienced coming south, the return journey was very very windy, particularly as we got closer to Anchorage.  Sadly we passed a very serious motorcycle accident on the way. Not something one wants to see whilst riding a motorcycle. Later we found out that the rider sadly passed away 😞

It was late in the day for riding but we were treated to a lovely sunset.

The ride had one last twist.  The approach road to Anchorage was a fast 6 lane highway.  We were only 2 miles from the city centre and travelling at 60mph.  It was dusk - almost dark. At that moment, a huge bull moose (more than 2m tall) decided to saunter across the 6 lane road.  He was exactly the colour of dusk - almost invisible. Anna and I saw him simultaneously.  He was straight in front of me.  It was too late to stop.  With Anna screaming in the earpiece, I managed to slalom around the moose.  I couldn't stop of course as we both risked being rear-ended by the other traffic.  The moose just sauntered - no traffic was going to interrupt his evening walk! We had hoped to see a big bull moose all through Alaska - we hadn't reckoned on finally seeing one on a motorway in Anchorage! 

This is the closest Google image to what we saw - ours was just busier with traffic, fast, six lane road and bad visibility.... What could possibly go wrong! 😉

We were delighted to check back in to the lovely Bent Prop Inn and be greeted by John, the kind owner.  We would spend a couple of days resting before continuing the long ride south to Vancouver.  

So 2 days later, we set off for Tok, the first tiny settlement on the ride south.  It was a long but beautiful ride, showing Alaska's Autumn colours at their best.

The views were magnificent!

We couldn't get enough of the beautiful places we were riding through!

Riding was so beautiful! We loved it! But we were frozen so when we spotted a tiny cafe we had to stop for a hot drink.

The scenery was getting better and better!

Having been in Tok in late August and camping in a downpour, this time we decided to check in to the only decent motel in town.  We had a long (3,200km) and potentially cold ride south to Vancouver ahead - given the remoteness and potential for cold, we had decided to stay in motels whenever possible.  

We walked around for a few minutes before it poured! 

It was freezing cold after the sun went down so we were delighted with our warm motel 😊 We had a nice supper and good night's sleep (we slept like logs actually) 😉

Our plan was that after Tok, we would backtrack for a few days on our previous route as far as Watson Lake in the Yukon - the Alcan highway was the only road between the two points.  After Watson Lake, we would turn due south onto the Cassiar highway that runs 900km through the remote mountains of British Columbia.  We were nervous about the remoteness of the Cassiar but very much looking forward to it.

In a mirror image of our trip north 4 weeks earlier, our first day was the long ride from Tok through the Alaska/Canada border as far as Haines Junction in the Yukon. The weather was noticeably colder and greyer than when we had travelled north in August.

We rode through a very extensive wild fire area. 

The trees were gorgeous! 

We crossed the border very straightforwardly. Unlike in South America, everything is easy in US and Canada 😊

Riding was SPECTACULAR!! 

Then, out of the blue, the scenery changed and we were riding through desert! 

Not far from Haines Junction we started seeing beautiful mountains again. 

As it was the day before my birthday, Anna insisted on booking a nicer than normal place to stay in Haines Junction. It was very nice and cozy.

 We were gutted to discover that the lovely village cafe had closed for the winter.  It would reopen in April 2018. Summer is short in these northern parts! 

From Haines Junction, it was the short 170km ride to Whitehorse next day.  

Anna had very kindly booked a lovely hotel for 2 nights for my birthday.  

We had a lovely time in Whitehorse - plenty of coffee, a lovely birthday dinner and replacing some camping bits and pieces in advance of the Cassiar highway.  We liked Whitehorse - straight out of the TV series "Northern Exposure"!!

From Whitehorse, we had the long ride back to Watson Lake, still in the Yukon.   Being late in the year, and in a very remote area, we saw only a handful of vehicles all day.  It was fingers crossed that we didn't have any mechanical problems requiring help - people were scarce in these parts. By now, the days were mostly grey and very cold.  We were wearing all of our cold weather layers all the time.  The scenery was still beautiful.   

Our mileage - surely a lucky number! 😉

We couldn't get enough of the beautiful views!

Having camped in Watson Lake on the way north, we managed to find a clean motel this time.  It kept us out of the cold and we were able to give the bikes a " once over". 

However the "restaurants" in town were really poor - Anna managed to create a lovely supper from ingredients available at the local shop.

We set off the next morning for the tiny indigenous settlement of Dease Lake in British Columbia.  We counted the vehicles - we encountered 3 vehicles per hour. It was indeed remote.  We hoped the bikes would hold up and that we wouldn't need to seek help from the very few passing vehicles.

Dease Lake was tiny but we had booked the only nice motel available.  There was no restaurant in the village so supper consisted of pizza purchased in the local petrol station and cooked in the motel kitchen.  Happily we were also able to buy a bottle of wine.  We were the only "tourists " in the motel. The remaining guests were goldminers working in a remote mine 50 miles into the wilderness.  They worked 12 hour shifts around the clock, and were shuttled between the motel and the mine by the team helicopter.  There were no roads. We were fascinated by the miners and their tough lives.

We left Dease Lake early the next morning to ride to the glacier-surrounded town of Stewart, also in British Columbia.  Stewart was peculiar in that it was only 2 miles from the US (Alaska) border village of Hyder. As well as seeing the glaciers, we hoped to see bears fishing for salmon, the only real reason to visit Hyder. 

The ride started beautiful.....

Until we reached several of these bridges - incredibly slippery! Even though we tried to maintain our speed and ride in a straight line, the bikes had other ideas.... Because of the awful surface, the bikes were going to the left I.e. towards oncoming traffic! No fun!!!

We still  had a long and wet ride to Stewart, with intermittent views of the glaciers through the very low cloud cover.  

It was pouring rain on and off and we were getting fed up with being frozen. We rode past a lodge with a cafe and stopped for a bowl of hot soup. It was wet and muddy, just yuk!

We weren't terribly far away but the weather was getting worse.

Soaked, we finally arrived in Stewart. The town looked miserable with all the rain and dark clouds.

We checked in to a guesthouse run by an Austrian couple.

As both Stewart and Hyder were at the end of a 60 miles cul de sac, Hyder was probably the only place in the US where one can enter from another country without producing a visa and passport. There was simply no way out of Hyder other than to return the 2 miles to Canada (Stewart). A strange arrangement connecting these two tiny (and ultra-scenic!) settlements. 

As an idea of remoteness, our guesthouse hosts told us that they would not be around the next day as they were going on their once-per-month trip to the supermarket.  It was a 700 km round trip, all of which they did in one long day.  Imagine the planning involved for shopping, if you knew that forgetting something meant waiting one month for the next opportunity to buy. 

We went for a walk around town - there wasn't much there.

The following day we decided to ride 25km to Salmon Glacier - apparently an impressive one. There was a lot of cloud around and everything still looked soaking wet.

It was very cloudy when we set off.

Riding was wet and muddy so we hoped the views would be rewarding.....

It was not to be! We got to the viewpoint and saw nothing. The mountains and the glacier were covered in thick clouds! The clouds weren't moving away and it was freezing cold so we decided to go back. We didn't want to get stuck on the mountain with zero visibility.

Despite the mud, views were spectacular!

On our way back we stopped at Fish Creek in Hyder, where we hoped to see bears fishing. We spent a couple of hours watching the occasional salmon swimming upriver.  But no bears - it was too late in the season. 

We decided to return very early the following morning just on the off chance there were some hungry bears early in the day.

On our way back to our guesthouse we stopped at a few places in Hyder worth taking photo of (there weren't that many).

We saw a bicycle with the essentials - water and bear spray!

We left Alaska and chatted with border officials for ages - lovely ladies! 😊

There was nothing to do in Stewart so we had a bite to eat and watched some bad TV in our guesthouse.

The following morning we rose very early to ride the few miles to Fish Creek in Hyder again. We hoped we might be luckier this time.

We got to Fish Creek, waited for an hour and a half and.... Saw nothing. We were definitely too late in the season.

Happily as we rode back to Stewart, a black bear crossed the road immediately in front of us.  We had a great view whilst he climbed away from the road 😁👏😁

We went back to Stewart, packed up and set off for the long ride to the town of Smithers, British Columbia. Luckily the weather was (slightly) better as weather rode out and we had good views of several of the glaciers.  

We reached Smithers in midafternoon and found away very pleasant town, certainly the most developed we had seen in over a week. 

The high point was the fabulous Indian curry house next door to our motel - such a treat!

From Smithers, it was yet another long ride to the city of Prince George, technically the end of the Cassiar Highway.

The high points of the day were the several encounters along the road with black bears - such a special sight 😍

The low point was Prince George itself - it wasn't a city we warmed to. We saw significant drug and alcohol problems on the streets.  Combined with an unfortunate choice of motel (grungy!), the overall effect was of a gloomy and slightly edgy city.  We were happy to leave rapidly the next morning. 

We had a long but spectacular ride to the village of Cache Creek, our final overnight stop before Vancouver.  It was a day of lakes, mountains and farms. As we were gradually moving south all the time, this became the first day when we were able to start removing some of our endless cold weather layers.  

There really was nothing in Cache Creek, except our (very nice) motel, several petrol stations and a Subway sandwich shop.  Figure out where we had dinner!

Our ride the next day was fantastic.  The first half of the day was spent riding Fraser Canyon, a truly spectacular road............. and the weather was good.  For those of you who watch the Discovery Channel series "Highway Thru Hell" this is the featured road! 

After Fraser Canyon, we had a busy and flat 100km into Vancouver.   It was Friday evening and traffic was a nightmare from a long way out.  We had heard a lot of warnings about Vancouver traffic.  Now we had first hand experience!  

We were delighted to finally reach the city where we'd planned to spend 3 or 4 days.  As well as resting after the long journey from Alaska, we also intended to meet my (James) old friend, Lubna, as well as replace the chain and sprockets on both bikes.  

#Post

[mirkwoodshewolf]

Thunderbird rescue; Newt Scamander x reader

This all came to me last night and I was just DYING to write it and I finished the last bit of it just this morning. I always kinda imagined ‘How did Newt really save Frank’ and this kinda was born, plus Frank is literally my all time FAV. creature, the first time I saw him in the theaters I was just in AWE of him. So while dedicated to Newt I also wanted to show my love of Frank as well.

Warnings: INTENSE FLUFF!!! traffickers (PUT A STOP TO THEM BOTH HUMAN AND ANIMALS), near death, and Mother Hen!Newt Scamander (does that even count? Oh well here I’m counting it XD)

_____________________________________________________

It all started on a simple trip to Egypt.  I along with my lifelong friend and fellow Hogwarts student Newt Scamander were told by the Ministry to go there just to scope out any illegal actions or suspicious characters wanting to expose the wizarding community, but what we didn’t expect was for the adventure of a lifetime to happen.

One late afternoon, Newt and I were just passing through the small market place taking in all the sights of Egypt. Marketers were selling anything they could get their hands on from foods from exotic lands to valuable treasure.

“Would the lady like a necklace? My dear boy buy a pretty necklace for a pretty lady”. A jewelry salesman said to Newt and I as he held up a beautiful golden necklace with a beautiful ruby gem at the center.

“Should I?” asked Newt.

“It’s up to you, you know me I’ve never been a big jewelry fanatic, but it is a beautiful necklace”.

“Alright then, I’ll take it”.  He then paid the man five gold pieces and the jeweler handed Newt the necklace.  He then turned to me and said as he held out the beautiful necklace, “May I?”

“Of course good sir,” I said as I turned around and Newt hooked the necklace around my neck.  I turned back to face him and asked him, “How’s it look?”  Newt just stared at me and he muttered,

“Wonderful”.  I smiled bashfully and said.

“Well come on let’s go, more people could be coming and we wouldn’t want to block them”.  I then walked on as Newt followed behind me.  As the day went on, there was nothing suspicious going on nor were there any strange creatures wanting to cause havoc, that is until we saw three gentlemen walk into an alleyway.

“(Y/n), did you see that just now?”

“Yes I did, let’s go”.  We then followed behind the three men without being detected.

We followed them out of the city and far out into the desert and it was then did the three apparated.

“They’re wizards!” I exclaimed.

“Come on we can’t lose them”. We then apparated as well and trailed behind them.We soon found them at an isolated campsite, we stayed above a rocky hill slope that looked downward towards the campsite.

“I think we may have found our suspicious characters” I whispered.

“We might have, and did you catch the brands on those three men when we were following them back at the village?” Newt asked me.

“Yeah I did, why?”

“I know that brand, they’re traffickers”. My eyes widened and I looked down into the campsite.

“By Helga’s ghost, I pray they haven’t trafficked a child wizard like the last ones did”.

“I don’t think they’re those types of traffickers, in fact they may be worse”.  It was then Newt and I were horrified to see more traffickers come out with a large cage containing something inside, a very beautiful creature.

“Merlin’s Beard” muttered Newt.

“Isn’t that a—”

“A Thunderbird”.

“Oh the poor thing, kept like that in such a small cage”.  Newt then got up and began walking down the hill.  “What the—Newt? Newt! Come back here! Newt they’ll see you. Oh you bloody—” I whispered yelled at him but Newt wouldn’t listen.

I love that man but I swear one of these days his recklessness is going to get himself hurt if not killed. Wait a second, did I just say love? No, no, no. No time for that (Y/n) you’ve gotta help your friend not get himself killed by those traffickers.  I then got up from my spot and quietly and carefully walked towards Newt.

We stayed low and kept hidden from sight by hiding behind any nearby boulder that could be found.  As we carefully got closer we then began to hear the men talk.

“This beast will sell us a pretty price”. One man spoke with an Eastern European accent.

“Indeed, much better than that Erumpent horn we sold last month, eh Strasser?” said another man with an Australian accent.

“All I care about is that we don’t get caught by any of the Ministries and we’re payed full price for this creature” a Swahili man stated.  We then heard the sounds of the Thunderbird trying to get out screeching and cawing out in pain. Suddenly a loud bang to the cage and the Swahili man exclaimed. “Shut up! Bloody thing keeps squawking like that it’ll give us away. Let’s just kill it and be done with it!”

“No! We need it alive, no one touches the Thunderbird until we sell it. We leave first light” the ring leader with the Eastern European accent stated.  Newt and I looked at each other then we heard absolute silence as the men probably went back into their tents to rest up since it was starting to get dark.

“We’ve got to free this creature and get as far away from here as we can before sunrise” said Newt.

“But how? This is a Thunderbird Newt, it’ll start raising the alarms as soon as we get close to it, and who knows how many more men there really are”.

“That’s why I’ll take care of them while you get him free”.

“No Newt I won’t let you take on all those wizards by yourself”.

“There’s no time for debating (y/n), please darling the Thunderbird needs our help, and we haven’t got much time”.  Newt looked at me with those big puppy dog eyes of his that shined with so much love and passion for wanting to free this beautiful creature.  I sighed heavily and said.

“Just promise me you’ll try to stay safe if worse comes to worse”.

“I promise”. He held out his pinkie and I smiled at him and wrapped my pinkie around his as we made our pact.

Newt then peeked over the rock first and slowly walked forward to look overhead towards the campsite then he turned towards me and gestured with his hands for me to come out.  I cautiously followed behind him and we were soon right up to the Thunderbird’s cage.

Upon closer inspection, this beautiful creature was in worse shape than we thought.  He was all chained up to make sure he couldn’t even flap his wings, his left leg was bleeding some the ankle chains he bore on him. We could also hear him breathing heavily but it sounded like someone breathing with smoke in their lungs. That raspy, wheezing sound that almost makes your heart break.

He suddenly opened his eyes and began squirming as he screeched out like I had feared.  Newt shushed him gently as he whispered.

“Shhh, calm down, calm down. We’re not going to hurt you”.

“There’s a good boy, it’ll be okay” I assured him as well as I slowly reached my hand in the cage and touched its neck and stroked it as he began to calm down.

I had only read stories about Thunderbirds but never seen one this close before, and now seeing him even in this condition he was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen.  I couldn’t help myself but smile as a tear fell down my face as I softly giggled.

Newt then took out his wand but then suddenly that caused the Thunderbird to suddenly flip out and struggle even harder.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa! We’re here to help you! Easy, easy”.  Newt tried to assure the Great Albatross.  “Alohamora” he said to the main cage.  After a few clicks and turns the cage suddenly collapsed onto the ground leaving only the chains.

“You two!” Newt and I turned around and saw the poachers all standing with their wands at attention.  Newt shielded me and then fired a spell at them.

“Stupefy!” His shot hit one of the men down to the ground but the Swahili man fired a spell at Newt knocking him down to the ground. I apparated out of sight and Newt proceeded to the plan.

He kept the poachers distracted while I tried my luck at these chains as I apparated back beside the Thunderbird.

“Easy boy, I’m gonna free you okay but you have to keep still for me”.  I then took out my wand but it was suddenly knocked down across the sand.  I looked up to see an old man with a grizzly black and white beard, cold, heartless eyes staring back at me and he sent another spell towards me, this time it had lightning strikes involved.

I groaned in pain as I tried to go towards my wand but before I could reach it, the man stepped on my hand making me cry out in pain.

“You know you have such a pretty face, you could worth more than that useless beast”. The man had the Eastern European accent we had heard and judging by how he carried himself he was probably the leader Strasser.

“Useless? Useless? Go to hell you sick bastard!” I sneered.

“What a shame, witches like you never make it past their prime when involved with such jobs”. He then said a Crucio spell which made me scream out in agony.

“(Y/n)!” I heard Newt cry out but as I saw him run towards me, two of the poachers bounded Newt and forced him to his knees. After a few more Crucio spells, I could barely even move as the leader grabbed me by the back of my neck and dragged me to the cliff’s edge.

“No! No please don’t do this. You can do this to her! Don’t do this to her! Take me instead! I’m the leader of this rescue punish me!” Newt screamed out but the leader didn’t listen to his pleas.

“Your friend is either very brave or very stupid to involve a woman like you into this. There could be compromise if you agree to come with us”.  I only looked at the man with cold eyes then with whatever strength I could, I spat in his face. He narrowed his eyes then without a second thought, he let go of me and pushed me off the cliff.

*3rd POV*

As (y/n)’s scream echoed through the desert, Newt cried out her name and then something happened that the poachers did not expect.  They soon chains being broken and a proud screech pierced the air, the Thunderbird was free.He flew down the gorge cawing out and soon he appeared underneath (y/n) and soon she fell onto his back and once he felt she was on him, he flew high towards the sky.

*1st POV*

I couldn’t believe this. This was how I was going to die, oh Merlin’s beard if only I had gotten to tell Newt how I felt about him before I….Wait isn’t that…. Suddenly I felt feathers against my face and I gripped tightly and when my brain finally caught onto what was happening, I realized I was on top of—no scratch that, I was riding on top of the Thunderbird. 

I was riding a Thunderbird! 

We soon flew over the poachers and Newt as the Thunderbird proudly let out its cries.  He then dove down and grabbed the man who had pushed me with his talons and judging by the sounds of his screams of agony, I can tell he wasn’t holding him gently. The Thunderbird soon let the man go and he plummeted to his death.

The Thunderbird circled back around and by ones or twos by both talon and beak, he picked up every single poacher and trafficker and tossed them over the gorge until they were all gone.  

He then circled back and went for Newt. He grabbed him by his talons and I heard Newt exclaim frighteningly as he was taken over the gorge and released but before I could even urge the Thunderbird on, he already read my mind and swooped underneath him and soon Newt was riding behind me on top of the Thunderbird’s back.

Newt and I looked embraced each other as the Thunderbird let out a powerful screech and then he turned around and we flew away from the campsite.

The Thunderbird flew us higher and higher until we broke through the clouds. Newt and I just couldn’t stop smiling as we were actually riding this magnificent creature. Newt leaned over to the side till he met with the Thunderbird’s eye and as he blinked at Newt, he smiled and I couldn’t help myself but say.

“Higher!” As if understanding my wish, the Thunderbird flew higher into the sky and did a flip which caused me to fly off his back but he then caught me with his talons.

“(Y/n)! Are you alright?” I heard the concern in Newt’s voice and I told him.

“You gotta try this Newt!” I proclaimed.  The Thunderbird continued to fly until we came out of a cloud break and when I looked down I could see the entire desert plus the Nile all at once.  Usually I would be scared being up this high, but since I was flying with not only Newt but with a Thunderbird, I didn’t give a damn.

We soon dove down towards the river and just as we reached it, I was soon on the water but the Thunderbird gave me enough elevation to actually ski on it.  I let out a happy giggles and I saw Newt peek out from the side of the Thunderbird as he said.

“You enjoying this love?”

“Am I ever!?” As I was swayed side to side for a brief moment, suddenly we came up to a low tree with muggle birds all swarming around it.  The Thunderbird released me as I skidded underneath the tree and as the birds swarmed around me, I suddenly began to lose control and I knew I would soon go under the water, that is if I didn’t feel something push against my back.

“We got you love!” I felt the Thunderbird’s beak right at the center of my back.  I soon looked ahead and took notice of a waterfall edge coming up.

“Full speed ahead, I’ve always wanted to try this!” I then extended my arms out like wings and I felt the speed being picked up as I skied across the water.

Then on time as the birds flew over the waterfall, I struck out a flying poise and was soon back on top of the Thunderbird’s back and Newt standing right behind me holding me balanced as the Thunderbird let out another proud call.

Soon our little flying fest had to end, as we came up on a mountain side just a mile before you reached our campsite, the Thunderbird landed letting out a couple of screeches before finally landing full on the ground.  Newt first slid off his back then turned and helped me off.

“You alright?” he asked me.

“That was—wow”.  Suddenly a wing surrounded the both of us as the Thunderbird looked at us with his piercing golden eyes.  He let out a soft purr as he eyed us first before turning his head completely upside down. Newt and I copied him as best we could, the Thunderbird blinked and tilted his head at us before turning around with his head still upside down, as Newt and I tried to do the same, I let out a yelp as I fell to the ground.

“Oh (y/n), you okay?”

“Yeah I’m fine, guess I’m not Thunderbird material” I let out a bashful giggle. The Thunderbird kept eyeing us.  Newt then walked up to this magnificent creature and said as he gently stroked his head.

“We are so glad you came through to rescue us just as we were only meant to rescue you. I will be forever grateful how you saved my friend. She means….well she means everything to me” he stated the end of his statement bashfully.  Could he—feel the same way?

“He’s right, if you hadn’t gotten free of your chains I would’ve—well I obviously wouldn’t even be here. Thank you for saving my life”. I held out my hand and stroked underneath his beak.  The Thunderbird softly cooed as it nuzzled both Newt and I gratefully.

“For saving us, we’ll do you one even better. We’ll get you back to where you belong, won’t we (Y/n)?”

“Absolutely, you deserve to be back home where you belong big guy” I said as I continued to stroke the soft, shimmering feathers of this beautiful creature.

“I’ll only be just a few ticks love, mind watching him for a moment?”

“Of course”.  Newt then apparated leaving me and the Thunderbird alone.  I turned to him and said, “Don’t you worry now, where we’ll be putting you for the time being will be far better than that horrible cage, you’ll be able to fly, you’ll be fed three meals a day, and you’ll be kept out of sight until we get you home. Because when Newt makes a promise, he never breaks it”.

I then began to think back on my feelings for him.  We’ve been friends since well since the day we met on the Hogwarts express.  We did practically everything together, we were even bullied together but we always had each other, then the day came of his expulsion.  I was devastated and heartbroken because that was also the day I was going to admit my feelings for him.

Yeah I know I’ve been in denial but I can’t ignore it any longer, especially after what had just happened.  As if sensing my distress, the Thunderbird softly cooed and nuzzled into my chest.  I smiled and said.

“I’m sorry, it’s just…..I almost lost the chance of telling the man I love how I really felt about him. Newt means everything to me, he’s been my best friend since forever and I never wanted to ruin that friendship so I tried to suppress my feelings for him, but after almost losing my life today I….I want to tell him how I feel but I—”

“I’m back so sorry it took so long, I also took the liberty of finding this,” Newt then held out my wand and I stared at it in awe.

“Newt you—you found my wand, thank you”.

“It was no problem, so is he ready?” We looked to the Thunderbird who looked at us and I said.

“I think he is”.  Newt then set down his case and opened it up and said to him.

“In you hop”.  The Thunderbird took flight before diving down straight into the case then Newt held out his hand and said, “Lady’s first”. I curtsied and stated obnoxiously,

“Why thank you kind sir” making Newt and I laugh softly before I descended down the staircase with Newt following right behind me.

Once we entered the case, we had entered a whole new world of enchantment. Various habitats surrounded the entire place and creatures big and small could be either seen or heard from just one area.  We turned just a short ways from the shed to the desert habitat with a tall rocky perch and saw how happy our Thunderbird was.

“I think he’s going to be okay”. I said as I watched him as the sun shined brighter than ever before in his habitat.

“Indeed (y/n), soon we’ll put him back where he belongs, to the wilds of Arizona”. I turned to Newt and saw through his eyes of how proud he was seeing this creature free from a cage, like a parent sending their child off to school.  You know with the way Newt cares about his creatures, he’d make a pretty great dad one day.  “(Y/n) I—”

“Newt I was….” We both said at the same time as he turned to me.  We stopped and bashfully chuckled at each other.

“You first” said Newt.

“No, no you started talking first before I interrupted, go on”.

“Okay, (y/n) I’ve…..When I saw you up against that cliff, and I saw that man push you off, I thought for sure I had lost you forever. I never want that to happen again, especially after not telling you how I have really felt about you. From—from the first time I saw you on the train on our way to Hogwarts for the first time I….I thought I was looking at an angel instead of a witch, and….well now I’ve probably ruined our friendship right about now but I’ve always loved—”

Oh this sweet, sweet man. I interrupted him with a kiss and after a second, Newt wrapped his arms around my waist as I wrapped mine around his neck bringing him closer.  Soon the need for oxygen became necessary as we separated but kept each other at arm’s length.

“Oh Newt, I’ve felt the same way about you for so long. At first I thought it just hormones or something but as time grew on I knew it was more than that. In fact on the day of your….well that day I was going to confess my feelings for you but I lost it. Then I met you again just two years ago and those feelings came back but stronger than ever before. And after today I just—I just can’t believe I almost lost my life without having told you my true feelings, I could have never passed on had I…..”

“Shhh, don’t think about that anymore my darling. You’re safe, you’re alive, and you’re here with me. I love you so much (y/n) (m/n) (l/n)”.

“I love you more Newton Artemis Fido Scamander”.

“Quite frankly my dear, that’s not even possible”. We both smiled and chuckled before he brought me in for another kiss.  Suddenly it hit me.

“Wait that’s it!”

“What’s it my love?”

“His name. You’ve just given me an idea for our newest creature’s name. Frank”.

“Frank the Thunderbird? Yeah, yeah I like it, I love it in fact! What do you think Frank?” Frank who was now on the flat rock ledge in front of us tilted his head a few times chirping before letting out a powerful caw.

“I think he likes it”.

“Yeah, don’t you worry Frank, once you’re all better we’ll bring you back home, that’s a promise”. Newt told Frank as he stroked his head softly as he flapped his wings softly.  “Come on love, we best head back upstairs and leave Egypt as soon as we can”.  As I turned to follow Newt, I suddenly felt something fall on top of my head.

I reached up and felt something soft and thin. I removed it from my hair to see it was a feather, a Thunderbird feather to be exact.  I turned to Frank and saw him up on the tall rock perch looking down at me and I could swear he was smiling at me for how proud he was at seeing me and Newt finally admitting our feelings to each other.

“Thank you Frank, I’ll treasure your gift forever”. I then turned around and walked away and climbed up the stairs and exit the case.  Newt held his hand out for mine and I took it as he helped me out of his case.

“So onto our next grand adventure?” Newt asked as he closed his case and held out his arm for me to take.

“To the ends of the Earth my darling” I stated as I wrapped my arm around his and the two of us apparated out of the desert.

We had went to Egypt on a quest to report any suspicious characters or to even rescue any magical creatures that would be in danger, never did Newt and I expect that we would end up needing the rescuing and from a Thunderbird no less, and thanks to Frank, Newt and I finally worked up the courage to admit our feelings and never would I take back that day ever again.

#newt scamander #newt scamander x reader #newt scamander fluff #fantastic beasts and where to find them #fbawtft fandom #fluff #romanic fluff #romance #frank the thunderbird

[gastricpierrot]

Title: When Stars Align

Series: Daiya no Ace

Pairing: KuraRyou

Rating: T

Summary: Nothing good ever comes out of an intimate relationship between a human and a youkai, Ryousuke knows. He’s heard more than enough stories on betrayal, on disasters, on families being shunned. And being an onmyouji, he knows better than anyone else.

And yet, he lets himself fall.

Note: im late aGAIN AHAHAH im gomenasorry

Also on AO3

[Ch.1][Ch.2][Ch.3]

[Ch. 4]

As per usual, Ryousuke’s greeted by the foulest mash of aura to ever grace the land of Japan before he even sees the first signs of the Capital city.

He squints towards the distance as though to judge the night itself, chanting a spell under his breath to strengthen the layer of barrier between himself and the abomination of the Capital’s presence. Really, he fails to understand how anyone with even the slightest spiritual sense would be able to remain there for even a week. Ryousuke could feel malice pressing against himdespite being this far away; nauseating, making it difficult to breathe. It’s another reminder of how baffling human adaptation could be, he supposes.

He turns back to poke at his fire, exhaling a slow breath through his mouth. He’s high-strung. The Nine-tailed Fox; the overbearing city; him being so far away from familiar territory—it all builds up as pressure in his chest. That’s not good. He can’t let it affect his performance, can’t let his guard down for even a second if he wants to come out of this with minimum setbacks towards his own wellbeing.

They’re watching. He can sense youkai practically surrounding his campsite; curious, wary. Ryousuke keeps his gaze towards his fire, having learnt by now that it’s always better to ignore them as long as they don’t stir up some kind of trouble. Stay away, he makes sure the message’s extra clear anyway because he really doesn’t have the mood to spare dealing with them at the moment. If you value your life, I’d suggest for you to keep that distance.

Fortunately for him, none of them are stupid enough to test him, and he manages to find some sort of rest through his final night of travelling.

Despite the overwhelming youkai energy infesting it—so much so that even Ryousuke has to pause before strolling in past the layer of barriers—the mortal side of the Capital is lively as ever when he arrives. It’s late afternoon and the streets are packed with people; parents trying to keep their children from wandering too far off, errand boys shouldering bulking sacks as they hurried to their destination, people leading their horses by the leash, carts transporting goods and the higher class. As he makes his way further towards the city centre, canvas stalls and wooden houses are gradually replaced by solid buildings and stores, unnamed lanes to developing districts.

Unsurprisingly, youkai are also everywhere.

Ryousuke sees them everywhere he looks. In the urn at the entrance of that restaurant, perched on rooftops, lounging on people’s hats and shoulders, peeking from alleyways. There seems to be even more of them than Ryousuke remembers, both in number and variety. The barriers have no doubt worked to keep youkai out, but it’s also trapping those who manage to slip in from exiting. Most of them look harmless, but it’s not unusual for even insignificant youkai to manage something bad if they had enough numbers. What was the Bureau doing, letting it all progress to this point?

“Ryousuke-san!”

Ryousuke focuses towards the direction of the voice, taking a moment to spot its owner among the loose crowd of people around him. A young man in the Bureau’s standard uniform wades his way towards him, features set in a grin brimming with underlying mischief.

“Kazuya,” Ryousuke greets, “skipping out on your job again?”

“Straight to the point as always,” Kazuya winces slightly. “But nah, you were taking a bit of time to arrive so I volunteered to come escort you in case you got lost or something.”

“If you had that much free time, you could’ve done something about this place.” Ryousuke makes a vague gesture around them. “You guys are probably used to it, but it reeks here.”

“Oh, believe me, we tried,” Kazuya says, falling in step with him. “We’ve done our best to keep the larger and stronger ones under control, but the small guys are just endless and plain stubborn. With all that’s going on recently, the Head eventually decided to ignore them and focus our efforts where it’s needed more.”

Ryousuke hums, peering towards the first signs of the Imperial Palace. He knows better than to voice it there and then, but the timing of it all is too suspicious for it to be a coincidence. It’s not difficult to guess that the Fox’s presence is what’s causing this sudden influx of youkai everywhere; the malevolence is so profound this close that Ryousuke could almost feel her physically behind them, watching their every move. He clenches his fists, fighting to keep his sudden wave of irrational fear in check. Stay calm. I’m still in control, he reminds himself firmly. I’m still in control.

“Come to think of it,” Kazuya continues, though Ryousuke senses the growing discomfort in his tone. They had never gotten along all that well, so having their conversations die down after some quick exchanges have never been rare. He guesses Kazuya must be pretty unnerved himself, to make the effort of keeping it up this time. “How’s my dumb cousin doing?”

“Knowing your kind, you’d have to specify which one you’re referring to,” Ryousuke remarks, chuckling his apology at Kazuya’s subtle expression of long-suffering pain before going on. “But if it’s Eijun we’re talking about, all I can say is that he still hasn’t quite grasped the concept of an ‘indoor voice’.”

“I’m surprised you still haven’t exorcised him after this long,” Kazuya observes, to which Ryousuke only shrugs. “Did Haruichi ever end up making him his familiar?”

“I don’t think he’d want to even if he could,” Ryousuke says, “though it’s not like their relationship would change much even if he did.”

“Nothing less to expect from Ryousuke-san’s brother, huh?”

Ryousuke smiles, otherwise making no further comments. Fortunately, he doesn’t need to. He nods his greeting at the guards on duty at the gates of the Bureau as he passes through, finding himself subconsciously taking comfort in the familiarity of his surroundings. The Capital City may be a madhouse compared to the tranquillity of Ryousuke’s village, but at least his workplace pretty much has the same vibes wherever he goes.

“I expect you should know your way from here, so I’ll be leaving first.”

Ryousuke doesn’t even flinch when he turns and faces a completely featureless Kazuya. “Sure.”

Kazuya’s expression is one of exaggerated disappointment when it blinks back into existence. Ryousuke doesn’t know why he even tries. That trick has long gone stale for him, after all those years of trying to console and convince a much younger Haruichi that no, Eijun’s face isn’t gone for good he’s just kind of terrible at transforming. At least Eijun’s improved a lot on maintaining his human form now; Ryousuke’s had enough of all the times he’s called to investigate a place for a noppera-bo sighting only to have Eijun running over a bit later to apologize for his carelessness. He’s in fact mastered it to an extent that it’s easy to forget he’s a mujina at all, since he barely ever reverts back to animal form now.

Ryousuke takes a deep breath only after Kazuya leaves, putting the thought aside as he heads to report his presence. Now’s not the time for reminiscence; it’ll only make his situation feel more dreadful than it really is, more final. He’s got to focus.

It’s far easier to focus on what he has to do than what might happen to him in the process.

xXx

Haruichi winces at Eijun’s fifth sneeze, silently hoping he wouldn’t return his handkerchief until he’s at least given it a rinse.

“I’m okay,” Eijun declares before he can ask, running the cloth messily under his nose after taking a huge, messy sniff. He mutters his thanks when Haruichi passes him a glass of water, gulping it down with a sort of comical exaggeration his almost every action always carries. All his life, Haruichi has arguably not seen anyone as extra as Eijun when it comes to… well, a lot of things. He supposes he’s partly responsible for that; Eijun’s somewhat grown into the overly boisterous image of himself he’s tried to project for his sake when they were younger despite knowing how risky it is for him to attract so much attention. They were fortunately able to cover up for all his misses over the years; it’ll be a pain if people were to discover that one of Kominato Ryousuke’s younger brother’s closest friends is a youkai himself. Though with their lineage, Eijun being a youkai in disguise is the least they’d feel scandalized over, honestly.

“Is it because of the dust, I wonder?” Haruichi muses aloud as Eijun works to clear his nostrils. Eijun shrugs, trailing behind him towards one of the shelves in Ryousuke’s study. Haruichi scans over the neatly lined books, picking out the few he thinks would contain the information he wants.

“Are you looking for more stuff about the Fox or whatever that onii-san’s gonna face in the Capital?” Eijun asks, squinting at a title on a book spine with words even Haruichi can’t read. Haruichi hums, adding one last book to his stack and making his way back outside and to his own room. “You sure you want to know more, though?”

Haruichi knows he means well, asking that. Even if he doesn’t have the ability to change anything, he wants to at least be prepared for any worst case scenarios. Ryousuke might try playing it off as the usual, but Haruichi is aware that the match-up this time could not be worse.

“Say, Harucchi?” Eijun speaks up a bit after they’ve settled down on the floor. Haruichi makes him wait until he’s finished the sentence he’s reading before glancing up at him, prompting him to go on with a slight raise of his eyebrows. “I know I’m probably not in the position to ask, but is there something wrong with onii-san?”

He shifts uncomfortably when Haruichi straightens to face him properly, reaching to rub the back of his neck. “How much did you overhear the other day, exactly?” Haruichi asks, already contemplating over how much he should reveal. There are some things he simply doesn’t have the right to tell, not if he respects his brother.

And he respects him a whole lot.

“Uh, everything, basically,” Eijun admits hesitantly, tensing in expectation of a few sharp words from his companion. “I remember you mentioned about something acting up?”

Haruichi falls silent to that. They’ve always managed to keep Eijun away whenever Ryosuke’s episodes happened, haven’t they? Eijun hadn’t been close enough to him yet for frequent sleepovers during the times when Ryousuke would still spend entire nights alone somewhere in the mountain forest, working himself to the bone learning how to tap into the powers of the entity residing deep within himself while keeping it from taking over his body. He’s never seen the numerous times when Ryousuke’s impenetrable composure could still falter because of the monstrous effort it takes for him to maintain control. He doesn’t know how when Ryousuke first started his training he merely had the abilities of an average person, and how people used to look at him with faces ranging from pity to utter doubt when he used to declare he’ll one day be one of the best onmyouji that’s ever lived despite his stature and the fact that he couldn’t cast a single spell until his early teen years.

Eijun doesn’t know that part of the reason why their parents are never around is because of Ryousuke.

“It’s okay if you can’t tell me,” Eijun quickly amends when Haruichi’s silence stretches out for a tad too long. Haruichi is honestly at loss over whether he should tell him anything at all. There doesn’t seem to be any merit to it; Eijun could accidentally mention it in a conversation and possibly cause some sort of uproar. Onmyouji with youkai relations aren’t exactly the newest things around at this point, but the stigma around it still persists. Ryousuke most likely wouldn’t want him to know due to more personal reasons as well; he’d loathe it if he’s going to be treated differently just because someone knew the truth—especially if that someone chooses to feel anything besides a certain level of healthy fear towards him.

“I’m sorry, Eijun-kun,” Haruichi decides, absently thumbing the page corner of the book on his lap. “I don’t think I’m in the position…”

“No, no, like I said—it’s all fine!” Eijun assures, gesturing wildly with his hands. “It’s not really any of my business in the first place.”

Haruichi flashes him a small, grateful smile. “If you’re really curious, I think it’s best to hear it from aniki himself.”

Eijun nods, reaching over to fetch the topmost book out of Haruichi’s stack. He opens to a random section, absently flipping the subsequent pages over. “So. You’re looking for things about kitsune, yeah?”

“Nine-tailed ones, to be exact,” Haruichi corrects, focusing on his own book once more. “I want to see if I can find anything besides what I already know.”

“If it’s a weakness or something, wouldn’t onii-san have already read about it by himself?” Eijun asks, stopping at a page with a particularly striking illustration. Haruichi stares at its title, trying to decipher the upside-down characters but to no avail.

“Well, yeah, but…”he can’t seem to say the rest of it, fearing that if he does they’d inevitably come true. Ryousuke’s strong and he’s not working alone this time and yet it’s because of who he is that Haruichi feels a new wave of nausea at the sudden concern that seizes him. Foxes have a fierce sense of connection with their own kind; if there’s anyone who can possibly influence Ryousuke by sheer will, it’d be a nine-tailed fox spirit. And even if she doesn’t get the chance to do anything to him, what consequences would the potential public revelation bring? How would the Bureau react?

“Harucchi.”

At the sound of Eijun’s voice, Haruichi jolts out of his thoughts.

“Onii-san will be fine,” he assures, grinning with a confidence that doesn’t waver like Haruichi’s own. “It’s him we’re talking about, after all.”

“He’d be severely offended if he finds out we’re worrying over him like this, huh?” Haruichi manages a slight laugh, reluctantly allowing himself to take in some of Eijun’s positivity. Still, it doesn’t change the feeling of helplessness that comes with only being able to wait. “It’s frustrating, but I suppose all we can do for him now is pray.”

He blinks at him when he sees him stiffen visibly, very obviously hit by some sort of idea. Eijun steers their conversation away before he could ask, though, proceeding to launch into an animated recollection of his experiences with the kind of youkai described on the page he’s stopped at. Haruichi finds no further will to question him, deciding that some things are still best left to Eijun and his own devices.

He just hopes he’s not going to do anything overboard. Again.

xXx

“You want me to what.”

Youichi thinks it’s probably about time for him to clean his ears because he’s pretty this brat just asked if there’s any way he could check on Ryousuke for Haruichi.

Was it something he did? Had he done something lately that gave him the idea that he doesn’t value his life? Because Eijun might as well have asked him to exorcise himself first to save Ryousuke the trouble of kicking his butt for hijacking his mind. Unlike actual gods, Youichi isn’t omnipresent, so the only way he’ll be able to more or less “see” how he’s doing is by entering his consciousness. Ryousuke was merciful the last time, but Youichi isn’t sure he’ll be as lucky right now. Or ever again in general, really.

Though, he does have a pretty good guess that Ryousuke’s extremely distracted by something at the moment. Against his better judgements, Youichi’s left a miniscule remnant of the short link he’d formed with Ryousuke the other day, also with the subconscious intention to make sure he’s at least still alive. Ryousuke would no doubt have already noticed and gotten rid of it if he’s his usual self; he either can’t be bothered now, or he hasn’t realized yet. Whatever it is, Youichi can tell he’s ridiculously stressed at the moment. He could feel his tension even through the slight, negligible link between their minds; he’s like a rope pulled taut for so long that the edges at the centre are already beginning to fray before it eventually snaps. Youichi can’t help marvelling at him for being able to function despite bearing that sort of weight on his shoulders. What he’s feeling is merely a fraction of the real thing, a second-hand sensation of sorts—and he already feels slightly queasy.

But even more than his borderline inhuman drive to keep going regardless of his inner turmoil, Youichi ponders more over the root of Ryousuke’s anxiety. They’re talking about a person who has the power to even stand up against a minor god here; what’s there about the nine-tailed kitsune in particular that has him so tensed up and on guard? Sure, she’s been impossible to beat for a century now, but Ryousuke would still have enough confidence in himself without lowkey fearing for his life, wouldn’t he?

Or has his every confrontation with youkai actually been like this? Was it just that Youichi never noticed because Ryosuke has simply achieved that level of skill when it comes to hiding it?

“Who do you think keeps this place safe while Ryou-san’s off doing his thing, huh?” Youichi sighs wearily when Eijun repeats his question with a volume about a solid hundred levels louder. Really, just because mujina are good at projecting their voices doesn’t mean Eijun has to do it when they’re just two metres apart.

“Can’t you spare some time during the day or something? You spend most of your time just lazing around anyways,” Eijun argues, and Youichi just about to explain that there are very important reasons to his lazing around when he decides it’s not worth the effort.

“Look, I know you’re doing this for Haruichi’s sake, but you have to understand one thing—“he proceeds to tackle Eijun into a headlock and grind his fist against his scalp—“Ryou-san would probably flay me alive when he comes back if I do that, and you’re an idiot.”

“Isn’t that already two things!” Eijun protests, thrashing violently until Youichi releases him. “And only idiots call others idiots!” he accuses, jabbing a finger at his direction.

“Yes, yes.” Youichi makes a dismissive wave before crossing his arms. “If you’re thatkeen to know, though, why don’t you just turn into a bird and fly there or something? I don’t think it’ll take that long by air.”

Youichi braces himself for more yelling when Eijun opens his mouth, but he clams up without saying anything in the end. Huh. Did Youichi accidentally thread on a sensitive subject?

“Don’t tell me,” Youichi raises his eyebrows, “you’re bad at transforming?”

“’Course not!” Eijun denies, and Youichi could practically feel every sentient being within a fifty-meter radius wince simultaneously. He hesitates a bit before speaking again, mumbling under his breath as he does so. “It’s just that I promised onii-san that I’ll take care of Harucchi while he’s gone.”

Youichi takes half a minute to process that. Then oh, the implicit message behind Eijun’s words dawns him. It must be the Capital City that he has issues with. Youichi can’t exactly criticize him for that; he isn’t that fond of it himself. He’s passed by a few times during some journeys with his master, and the impression he immediately got was along the lines of ugh no thanks. To put it crudely, the smell alone reminded him of his master’s feet—which reeks like a pile of rotting fish—only about fifth times more pungent. He remembers being sourly told not to involve himself at all with the gods residing there if he could help it too because they’re all pieces of work who think they’re better than everyone else.

Frankly, Youichi always thought his master’s always been a little overdramatic, but he figures he has nothing to lose listening to him when it comes to deities. They’ve never been fond of youkai, and the feeling’s mutual.

“Well, sorry to break it to ya,” Youichi sniffs, “but I’ve been asked to watch over him while Ryou-san’s away too.”

“Then doesn’t that mean you’re already multitasking? What difference would doing one more thing make?” Eijun demands, and dear lord Youichi can’t tell if he’s seriously that dense or if he’s simply refusing to listen. He spends a moment to study him; spotting the telltale furrow across his brow, the tension in his jaw, the way he’s clenching his fists—and feels something in him soften. He’s genuinely just trying to support his friend in whatever straightforward, albeit slightly outlandish way he can, isn’t he? As much as Youichi hates to admit, he’s a sap for stuff like that. He can’t dislike him for doing his best to look out for someone he cares for.

Youichi exhales a long breath, deciding he’s probably going to regret this. A lot.

“Okay, listen,” he begins, holding up his palms in a sort of placating gesture. He sends a quick prayer to whoever’s kind enough to bother listening for Eijun to not start freaking out. “If it makes you feel any better, I am still maintaining a tiny link with Ryou-san’s mind right now. What I can deduce through that is extremely limited, but at the very least—“ he shoots Eijun a stern glare to shut him up before he can speak—“I’d know if he’s dead or alive.”

For a second, Eijun looks like he isn’t able to accept that. Then as Youichi watches, the fight seems to leave him all at once, and he averts his gaze, slouching his shoulders. So even he can look like that sometimes, Youichi muses. Even someone as aggressively stubborn as him could finally realize when to give in.

“I’ll definitely let Haruichi know if anything happens,” Youichi assures, doubting his own words the moment he voices them because can he really tell he boy if there’s a chance he won’t ever see his brother again? “Though, I’m sure Ryou-san would have everything under control somehow or another.”

When he realizes that isn’t enough to get rid of Eijun’s pensiveness, he does the only thing he could think of. He trudges behind him, and kicks him at the back of his knees. Eijun yelps, promptly proceeding to demand what that was for and accuse him for being a horrible guardian deity because people in his position shouldn’t be needlessly harming other youkai. Youichi merely answers with a trademark cackle and some snarky retort, hoping to keep this front up until Eijun leaves. Call him superstitious or whatever—it’s always foreboding when the boisterous ones become quiet. Youichi has his own unease already; he doesn’t need Eijun to make things worse.

Because surely, Ryou-san knows what he’s doing and getting himself into, right?

xXx

There’s a blanket of tense silence settled over the group of onmyouji entrusted with the task of aiding the holy ritual.

Ryousuke moistens his lips as he moves with them towards the designated hall in the Imperial Palace, willing his heartbeat to find its calm already. It doesn’t help that the summer heat is extra overbearing that day; harsh sunlight beating down on them in the exposed hallways, their robes doing more to trap the heat in than keeping it out. The only good it’s doing is making Ryousuke’s sweat less conspicuous since practically everyone’s mopping their faces every five minutes or so.

They’re led by the main person in charge of casting the spell, a man said to be a descendant of Abe no Seimei named Abe no Yasunari. He’s skilled, yes, though not to the point of being “spectacular” per se. Definitely not as prominent as his predecessor, but since Abe no Seimei had direct blood relations to a youkai it’s not much of a surprise. If anything, the fact that Yasunari is as good as he is now proves that he’s a person worthy of carrying the weight of his family name. Ryousuke’s seen him work a few times firsthand; his methods are highly efficient and effective,albeit slightly orthodoxical. Just because he doesn’t particularly stand out like his grandfather or the few among them including Ryousuke himself doesn’t mean he isn’t amazing in his own right.

They eventually stop before a set of sliding doors, Abe no Yasunari exchanging a few words with the men standing guard before they’re granted access. At this point, the tug in Ryousuke’s gut that’s been building up ever since he entered the city has morphed to something resembling an intense burn. She’s close, and it’s starting to react to her presence. Ryousuke takes a deep breath, swallowing thickly. It’s alright, he’s trained enough to handle this. He’ll be fine, he’ll be fine.

He then steps in through the entrance of the hall, and meets the gaze of the most beautiful woman he’s ever seen.

*to make things clear, miyuki's a tanuki and eijun's a mujina!

#kuraryou #kominato ryousuke #kuramochi youichi #diamond no ace #daiya no ace #i wanted to put this up a week earlier but then i discovered that my phone doesn't support copy pasting formatted text so??? welp #fanfiction

[euroexploro-blog]

Intro

I'm Rosie travelling around UK and Europe with boyfriend George in our Vanny (Vauxhall Combo Van). We arrived in London on April 6th (after around 24 hours flying from NZ). We stayed a week in a hostel in Shoreditch, found Vanny and set off on the road. We went straight up to Bakewell to see a friend and her friends, and stayed three (very cold + uncomfortable) nights in the back of Vanny. Then we were off to Wigan and stayed a (very comfortable) night with George's third cousin and a bottle of Emperial Moët. He was incredibly generous and helped us with supplies for a bed base to start the van kit-out. We then headed to Windermere in the Lake District and stayed a night roadside, waking to find three horses staring at us over the fence. We then made our way back to London and we're lucky enough to stay with George's uncle for about a week as we got Vanny ready to hit Europe. We booked in our ferry tickets and hit the road towards Harwich, having a stopover in Chelmsford where we found a carpark to stay the night. We had two nights in Harwich parked outside The Castle pub and on May 3rd we made the crossing to Hoek Van Holland. I had been getting progressively more unwell and by the time we landed in Netherlands I was not in good shape- resulting in a spew on the motorway (spewbag had holes in it 😓) and an emergency stop. We got to Amstelveen in Amsterdam where we camped in a camping ground for the following week as I got better then worse then better, all the while trying to do and see as much as we could. My highlights for Amsterdam were very predictably #1 keukenhof gardens. Sososo worthwhile and we were lucky to be in the right season. #2 I loved walking along and sitting beside the canals further out of the central city. #3 can't get enough of the parks and green areas on the train trip to the city from our campground. We had lots of bunnies hopping around our campground and it was surrounded by park/forest that was well used by horses and was so fun to see. #4 I'm inspired to ride a bike everywhere I go when I get back to Christchurch. (If only we had as safe and efficient bike routes..) I recovered and was keen to keep moving so we left the Netherlands and moved south to warmer weather which we immediately noticed when we hit Antwerp in Belgium. We were only there one night but I really loved it there. Hectic when we found ourselves central city at 5.30pm but once we got organised and did grocery shopping we were set. We ended up in the docklands area and stopped by a small marina next to a building site where apartments were going up. We set ourselves up and had a delicious meal on our cooker, having finally found the right gas cylinder to fit. We watched a very pretty sunset and moved to a carpark George had spotted earlier, where other campers were parked and people were picnicking on the grass bank looking as the sun went down. We went for a wander and it was a nice feeling in the air, lots of people around enjoying the springtime. It looked as though a festival was getting setup close by. The next morning we walked through the cafes and trendy bars, found a bunch of bedding had been chucked out for the rubbish collectors and so claimed a foam mattress that we dragged back to the van and cut down to size. We didn't really see a lot of Antwerp really but I would definitely recommend the docklands as a highlight to adventure around. Next we were off to Valenciennes in the north of France. It was a nice little town where we stayed two nights, first in a suburban residential carpark and second at the end of a dead-end street in a new subdivision(we never actually got out of the van at this spot-just climbed through the back and slept then climbed back through and set off). We were off again and headed to Epernay, home of Champagne and the beginning of our baguette buying. We stayed at the campground there for three nights and could walk into the town centre pretty easily. First night we arrived we walked into town bought a bottle of bubbles and went home to make dinner. The next couple of days consisted of wandering + baguettes + picnicking + bubbling. Highlights consist of all of the above plus #1 watching sunset over the vines from up in the hills-where you can see other little villages dotted about. Also #2 good place to picnic (although moderately busy) is the tourist info centre gardens. #3 flower market looked cool but we were sort of late and they were starting packing up. And since last Tuesday we've been camping in Paris at Noisy-Le-Grand, a train ride from the centre of the city. The drive from Epernay to Paris was really pretty, ambling through little villages and stopping for fruit and bread as we see places that appeal. We found a pretty place to make lunch, next to a paddock full of about 6 horses (including an adorable little baby horse). Since setting up in Paris we've seen as much as we can see in terms of touristing. Highlights at this stage #1 loved walking through to the middle of L'Arc de Triomphe. The walk underground was cool, the archway was humongous and it was fun being surrounded by the loopy traffic but not being involved (saw a confrontation between cyclist and bus driver mid roundabout which was hectic). #2 I can't get enough of the walk along the river Marne by our campsite. Such a nice way to start and end the day to/from the busy city. #3 Eiffel Tower is real cool, I just wish George hadn't pointed out the number of rats about. #4 nice + free view over Paris from Sacre Coeur. Was really good in the warm late arvo with a cold beer from a hawker we managed to barter with. Today's goal is to get up the Eiffel Tower but unsure yet how much standing in a line we will tolerate(missed out on prebooking tickets). Overall I couldn't be more pleased with our trip and our means of travel so far. Vanny is perfect, she's little but she's comfy. We've got a good setup to be able to slide out half the bed to have couch + bench surface to cook on and slide it back in for our bed at night + our recycled mattress is much more versatile than the air bed we were using previously (now used as picnic blanket when required).

[akisazame]

Auguste did not come to see Laurent off, but Jord did.

"Your Highness," Jord said, his tone clipped, as though he was struggling to keep himself in check, "are you certain you wish to travel alone?"

"I will not be alone," Laurent replied. He inclined his head towards Damianos, who was fastening a bag to one of the horses' saddles and trying to pretend he wasn't listening to every word Laurent said. "As you well see, I have tamed the savage beast. Two horses will travel much faster than a retinue."

"I don't mean to question your logic, Your Highness," Jord said in a voice that very much suggested the opposite. "You need not take all ten men, as was planned. I only mean to suggest that taking one or two might be..." He paused, his eyes flickering to Damianos. "Prudent," he finished. Laurent imagined it was the nicest word Jord could think of.

Laurent crossed his arms, but also let a bemused smile dust his lips, his body language a study in contrasts. In truth, he was mostly nervous that Jord would delay them long enough that Laurent might end up seeing Auguste once more, despite his efforts to the contrary. It wouldn't do to lose his nerve now, at the zero hour. Laurent said, "I imagine that you would prefer to be among those one or two men?"

Jord at least had the decency to look sheepish at being caught, despite the transparency of his inquiry. When he spoke again, it was in a whisper. "Does your brother know you are doing this, Laurent?"

The sudden shift to a more familiar form of address caught Laurent off guard, but he did not let it show on his face. Only Auguste and Damianos knew about the talisman and its effects; it was important that Laurent take any other variance from the world that he knew in stride. He could certainly extrapolate how Jord, loyal and steadfast in his own memory, might become a close personal confidante in another version of events. He did not think about how his own life in Arles might have been different with any sort of confidante at his side. Instead he leaned in conspiratorially and whispered back, "It was my brother's idea, in part."

"Figures," Jord muttered, then sighed. "It would be foolhardy to argue with either of you, though I imagine Auguste might be convinced."

"He might," Laurent said, tone even despite the constricting feeling in his chest, "but this part of the plan was mine."

Jord's brows knitted together. For a moment, Laurent could envision it perfectly: Jord, long-suffering, catching Laurent as he attempted to sneak out of the palace in Arles through the training courtyard. Laurent, perhaps a year or two younger than he was now, crouching on the rooftop and smiling down at Jord, utterly carefree. Jord, with the air of a man who tires of finding himself in the same position over and over again, asking, 'Does your brother know you are doing this, Laurent?'

Laurent, in reality, closed his eyes and pressed his thumb and forefinger against his eyelids. It was becoming more and more difficult to determine whether any of this was only his imagination, or something else entirely.

Whatever Jord had said was lost to the distraction of Laurent's mind. "Your Highness?" he pressed, louder, formal again for the benefit of the Akielon prisoner.

"Forgive me," Laurent said, voice very low. He snatched for the first plausible excuse, which was only a truth by coincidence. "I've not slept well."

The hard edges smoothed away from Jord's face in an instant. "So you will not be convinced?" He phrased it as a question, but Laurent knew that Jord didn't mean it as one. The time for a heated argument in the abating rain had passed.

In response, Laurent only shook his head. "We should depart, if we wish to begin regaining lost time on the road. I trust you will deliver my best wishes to my brother the king."

Jord gave Damianos another fleeting glance; Laurent pretended to not notice, though he suspected that Jord already knew. "Safe travels, Your Highness."

--

In another time, under different circumstances, Laurent would have found the first day of their journey exhilarating. The inclement weather kept him from pushing his horse to her full potential, but he drove her at a speed that made her wet mane whip against Laurent's face. He felt wild and free, unrestrained in a way he hadn't felt in years. He could lose himself in this feeling, he knew, if he allowed it, but doubts and memories and false memories kept drifting into the blank spaces of his mind, pulling him back to reality.

The knowledge of Damianos's presence tugged at Laurent as though they were tethered together; Laurent imagined he could feel the warmth radiating from Damianos's body, as illogical as that was given the physical distance between them. He began the journey periodically looking behind him to ensure Damianos had not fled, but he did so less and less as the day wore on. It was not a matter of trust, but a matter of heightened awareness, like a third eye on the back of Laurent's head, always wide open and fixed on his hated companion.

The rain let up by midday, but the damage to Laurent's planned itinerary had already been done; they were several hours out from the nearest village by the time they had to stop for the night. He'd hoped to keep their usage of the tent and bedrolls to a minimum, but continuing to push the horses would likely have worse consequences than one night of sleeping on the rain-softened ground. He led his horse off the road into the first clearing he saw, confident that Damianos would follow without needing to look back. Without so much as a glance at his traveling companion, Laurent dismounted and began to set up camp for the night.

His awareness of Damianos's existence was bordering on distraction now that they were no longer in motion. Matters were not helped by the fact that, once Damianos had completed the simple task of tending to his horse, he made no move to assist Laurent in the construction of their campsite. The tent was small, a basic frame with cloth the likes of which would ordinarily house common soldiers. A tent fitting Laurent's station would have drawn unwanted attention and been impossible to erect without the typical retinue, while the simple shelter allowed for a level of subterfuge that Laurent rather enjoyed.

It was not that Laurent required assistance, but simply that Damianos chose to watch, and do nothing. He could feel Damianos's eyes on him, burning like brands.

When the hammer slipped in Laurent's damp palm and caused him to miss his mark on the tent peg, Laurent bit his tongue to keep from shouting. He did not move, eyes fixed on the dirt in front of him. "I did not realize," he said, his voice carefully steady, "that Akielons so enjoyed watching."

There was a long silence; even without looking up, Laurent knew that Damianos was still watching him. Finally, in an equally careful voice: "In Akielos, we would have ordered the slave to build the camp."

Laurent tightened his grip on the hammer. "You are not my slave. That is barbaric."

"Then what am I?" There was a note in it that made Laurent look up, finally. He expected to see uncertainty on Damianos's face, or sorrow, or anguish. Instead, he saw a fierce determination. "If I'm meant to travel with you, this should be settled. I'm bound to stay by your side, by your word alone, but I am not a slave. I am not a prisoner, either, since you removed the shackles. If you'd meant to travel as royalty, you would have taken a retinue. If you'd meant to travel with speed, you'd have gone alone. You yourself said that you have little to gain by letting me retrieve the talisman you used." He waved his hand at the half-built tent. "What is the point of this, then?"

For the briefest moment, Laurent felt himself unravel under the weight of Damianos's questioning. He could come up with any number of trivial answers, half-truths or outright lies, that would certainly sate the curiosity that had built up over the course of a day's ride. But in that brief moment, Laurent wasn't entirely sure what the truth was.

The moment stretched too long. "So," Damianos said, his gaze affixed to Laurent's face, "will it be with the sword?"

The non sequitur caused Laurent's thoughts to stutter. "What?" he blurted, instantly regretting it.

"Or," Damianos went on, securely seizing the advantage he must have realized he had, "will it be with the dagger you've hidden in your boot?"

Laurent's eyes darted to said boot, which he realized too late would only confirm the location of the dagger. He had no idea whether Damianos had actually seen the knife, or if it was a bluff; now, of course, that difference was immaterial. "What are you implying?"

Damianos took one step closer, a silent challenge; in the same moment, Laurent rose to his feet. "It's obvious, isn't it?" Damianos said, his voice suddenly lower. "You've brought me here to kill me without witnesses."

The reality of it crashed over Laurent like a wave. He could run Damianos through like he'd meant to on the fields of Marlas, or slit his throat, or sever an artery and leave him to bleed out slowly and painfully. He could do anything in this moment and no one would know.

Except Auguste. Auguste would know, without Laurent ever saying a word. Auguste would sniff out Laurent's guilt like a hunting dog.

Laurent pressed his lips together; as close as they had become, he could see the way that Damianos's face reacted to even this small movement, eyes widening, then brow furrowing. He could practically see the threads of thought woven behind Damianos's brown eyes. When Damianos spoke again, his voice was lower still, barely even a whisper. "It hadn't even occurred to you." Not a question. A statement of fact.

Fury snapped like a twig. "What do you know about me, Former Prince of Akielos?" Laurent countered, reveling in the way Damianos blinked and recoiled, just slightly. "Do you know a single thing about Prince Laurent of Vere? Or was it Auguste alone you studied, so you could slaughter him on the fields of war? Was I discounted because of my youth? Was I not a threat to you? Did you think it would be a kindness to leave a child be after murdering his brother?" His voice was wavering with anger barely contained; Laurent closed the remains of the gap between them, leaning so close to Damianos's face that he could feel his own breath rebounding from Damianos's skin. "I promise you: that was a terrible mistake."

Laurent spun on his heel, pacing away and back to the half-constructed tent. He no longer cared whether Damianos was staring at him, or whether he might deign to assist. He wished that he had never consented to take Damianos with him on this journey to Patras. He wished he had been able to devise an alternate plan to keep Auguste from even considering committing murder on Laurent's behalf. He wished he hadn't faltered on the fields of Marlas, had run Damianos through and been done with it, so that Auguste would not have become involved at all.

But it did not matter what Laurent wished, because he did not have the talisman to grant it.

He was so consumed with his own thoughts that he did not notice Damianos had approached until the hammer was pried from his damp fingers. Laurent turned to see Damianos kneeling beside him, an indiscernible look on his face. Without a word, he began to hammer the tent peg into the ground. Laurent simply watched, stunned, as Damianos methodically continued the construction of the tent.

Several minutes passed, punctuated only by the sound of Damianos's hammer and the ambient noises of the forest around them. Laurent eventually pulled himself away from the scene to unpack the remainder of their supplies, divide rations, gather kindling for their fire, anything at all to keep from focusing on Damianos as he silently performed the work that Laurent had accused him of shirking. Every time that Laurent looked in that direction now, Damianos's eyes were focused on the tent, never so much as glancing at Laurent.

The tent was nearly complete and Laurent had just ignited the campfire when he heard Damianos's voice. "I know that Prince Laurent of Vere is thirteen years old." Laurent looked up at the sound, but Damianos was still staring at the ground, as though he were speaking to no one at all. "He is uninterested in learning to fight, as he prefers reading to swordplay. He is slight but not frail, simply untrained. He would make an easy target, were I to have the choice between him and Auguste." A pause; Damianos set the hammer on the dirt, then put his palm down next to it, flat against the earth. The light from the fire cast his face in shadow. "There was no honor in such a fight. It would have been murder."

Laurent's mouth was very dry. "An honorable fight beforehand did not make my brother's death any less of a murder." He'd meant there to be vitriol in the words, but there was none.

"Your brother lives," Damianos said. His fingers flexed in the dirt, digging in, and at last he turned his head to look at Laurent, his eyes very dark in the twilight. "How long will you continue to exact your revenge for an offense that never occurred?"

Until I'm satisfied, Laurent thought, and didn't say. He did not think he would ever be satisfied. "I don't trust you," he said instead, and there was more than one meaning in it.

"That is one thing on which we can agree," said Damianos.

They lapsed into silence, and there was more said in the nothing between them than they had managed to say in the entirety of their argument. Laurent sat beside the crackling fire and ate his portion of the night's rations; Damianos finished his work on the tent, then remained sitting beside it, his gaze periodically drifting towards Laurent but then away again. Each second of Damianos's attention was a hornet's sting.

The night grew dark, casting their camp in flickering shadows. "I will take first watch," Laurent said, growing weary of their standstill. When Damianos did not respond, Laurent added, "I will not kill you as you sleep," and he was uncertain who he was trying to convince.

He expected an argument, but instead Damianos simply got to his feet and went into the tent without a word. There was a brief period of rustling, but that quickly died away, leaving only the snap of the firewood, the idle sounds of the horses, and the beating of Laurent's heart. He couldn't explain the feeling that slowly overtook him, starting somewhere behind his ribs and radiating out until his whole body felt both very heavy and very light.

It was not loneliness. That was a feeling he knew deep in his core, the thing he had felt most acutely over the past five years. This was something else, adjacent but unknown.

He was tired, Laurent reasoned, exhausted from a sleepless night and a long day on the road. It was making him detached from his own sense of himself. This strange feeling would pass once he was properly rested.

The moon made its slow path across the sky, the fire dimmed to embers, and Laurent realized that he had spent most of the night not watching for bandits or wild animals, but watching the pale silhouette of the tent. Slowly, tentatively, he got to his feet and crossed the space between the remains of the campfire and the tent's door flap; there he stopped, his heart suddenly in his throat. He couldn't trace back the flow of thought that had brought him to this moment, couldn't name his intention. The night was not yet half done, yet here he stood, uncertain.

Laurent sat on the cold earth outside of the tent and closed his eyes. He could hear Damianos's breathing from within, but he could not tell if it was the even breathing of sleep. His own breathing shuddered at first, unwilling to let itself match Damianos's rhythm, but gradually slowed, lulled, beguiled.

When Laurent opened his eyes again, the sun was just beginning to peek through the trees. He came awake instantly, furious with himself for failing at the simple task of watching camp for half the night; once the initial wave of anger faded, Laurent realized that the tent's door flap hung open, and the tent itself was empty.

In the first moment, Laurent was relieved. It was the logical conclusion of events for Damianos to have fled, disappearing into the night, perhaps taking a share of the rations. He would have left the horse, naturally, as its noise would have given Damianos away; a quick glance confirmed that both horses remained tethered where Laurent and Damianos had left them the previous day. It was all quite rational, which was why Laurent was quick to accept it and move on. It was the exact type of plan he might have executed, were their positions reversed.

But then Damianos emerged from the woods, hair damp from washing, and Laurent was reminded that his own logic did not apply.

--

The sky was still clouded over, but there was no rain, which made the second day of their journey much more agreeable than the first. Their camp was swiftly packed, the evidence of its existence mostly erased, and the day's rations were divided beforehand so that they could ride without cease for the entirety of the day. The plan was to recover the time lost previously and reach the town of Châtelain, which would bring them back in line with the itinerary Laurent had originally intended. Despite sleeping on the cold ground outside the tent rather than in a bedroll, Laurent felt refreshed, and he found himself much less easily distracted by Damianos's presence than he had the previous day. He still felt the same relentless invisible tether that he'd sensed before, but it was easier to compartmentalize, and he focused instead on the rays of sunlight peeking through the clouds, the feeling of the breeze through the loose tendrils of his hair, the powerful muscles of his horse beneath him.

They came into Châtelain just past dusk, when most people had returned to their homes and begun to light lanterns in their windows. It was strange, to be in these towns which Laurent had known to be lost to Akielos, perhaps renamed, their Veretian citizens displaced, yet here, in this version of history, they had stayed exactly the same, as part of Delfeur. In this history, Delpha had never come to be.

There was an inn along the main road, and this was where Laurent led them. He flashed his signet ring and asked the proprietor if there was a single room with two beds available; he was fairly certain that this was not a normal request, but the woman was overwhelmed and disinclined to refuse her prince's request. She sent someone out to care for the horses, then provided Laurent and Damianos with large bowls of stew.

Without the distractions of the journey, Laurent found himself again acutely aware of Damianos, sitting across the table from him, looking into his bowl as though he was unsure of what he was meant to do with its contents.

"Have you forgotten how to eat?" Laurent said, voice low so as not to draw the attention of anyone else in the common area. He was quite sure that anyone who had seen his signet earlier was already paying attention, already wondering about the identity of the strange Akielon boy traveling with the king's younger brother, but Laurent would prefer to keep the gossip as non-specific as possible.

Damianos looked up from the bowl, and Laurent was both startled and pleased by the flash of anger on his face. "It was rather hard to eat with both of my hands chained," he snapped, speaking in Veretian, loud enough that two or three heads swiveled in their direction.

"Dogs manage to eat without use of their hands," Laurent hissed in Akielon.

"I will not save face for you," said Damianos, still in Veretian, louder still. There were not many people in the inn's common room, but all of them were watching Prince Laurent and his Akielon now. "In Akielos, we would never treat a Veretian the way I was treated, prisoner or no."

"Your Highness," came a woman's voice from the doorway, and Laurent was relieved to see it was the inn's proprietor. "The room you requested is ready."

Laurent rose with as much dignity as he could muster, his dinner forgotten. "I will be retiring," he said to the proprietor. He inclined his head slightly to her, then to Damianos. "My companion seems to be rather irritated with me. I trust he will behave with more decorum in my absence." He narrowed his eyes at Damianos, a silent threat; Damianos narrowed his eyes as well. Laurent snapped the moment in two, turning on his heel and breezing through the doorway.

The prepared room was on the second floor; it was likely the largest in the inn, and one of the beds had obviously been moved in from a different room, a bedside table haphazardly pushed into the far corner to make space. Laurent closed the door, locked it, then realized his error and unlocked it. His skin felt very hot; he was still angry, he knew, and now that he was alone he let it consume him. He pressed both palms against the wood of the door, watching the way his arms trembled against it, and forced himself to steady his breaths.

Every moment in Damianos's presence only served to incense Laurent further, which seemed to incense Damianos in turn. He could feel the fire of it raging in his chest, each of them stoking the other. It was only a matter of time until they burned down everything around them.

Laurent breathed slowly and thought of Auguste. His brother Auguste, the peacekeeper. King Auguste of Vere.

Auguste would not have let it come to this.

Then Laurent thought of the other version of himself, the one who had spent the last five years with Auguste rather than under the yoke of their uncle, and wondered if he would have let it come to this. A useless thought, because that version of Laurent was as good as dead.

Thoughts. Laurent clenched his hands into fists against the door. Thoughts were getting him nowhere. What would matter in the end were his actions. What mattered were his results.

He did not undress for bed, but unlaced his sleeves and removed his boots, then laid down with his back to the wall. Sleep seemed impossible; he did not know how long he stayed there, motionless, with his eyes tightly closed before he heard the sound of the door opening. He only opened one eye just enough to confirm it was Damianos. There was the sound of the door being latched, the sound of footsteps across the room, the sound of weight sinking into the opposite bed.

Laurent kept listening. He wasn't sure what he was hoping to hear. At some point, in the midst of the listening, he fell asleep.

--

This time when Laurent woke, it happened slowly. The bed was pleasantly warm, and while he remembered quickly where he truly was, he could imagine himself beneath the thick blankets on his bed in Arles. He imagined himself in a castle where he did not have to worry about the schemes of his uncle, where he did not need to be constantly wary, where he could sleep in peace.

He opened his eyes, and saw that Damianos was gone.

Unlike the previous morning, Laurent did not react strongly. If Damianos had decided to flee, he would have done so after their argument in the common room; there was no logical reason why he would have come back, to sleep in the presence of the very person from which he meant to escape. From another perspective, if it was meant to be a ruse, Damianos had been far too subtle about it.

So, rather than react, Laurent laced his clothing, put on his boots, and went downstairs. The female proprietor was not there, replaced by a young boy, not more than thirteen. The boy had clearly been informed as to the status of their guest, because his face lit up when he saw Laurent. "Your Highness," he said, voice still high like a child's but properly deferential.

"Have you seen," Laurent began, then stumbled briefly over which words to use next. It would have been prudent to have chosen an alias for Damianos beforehand. "My companion," he finished.

Luckily, the boy seemed to comprehend Laurent's meaning. "He came down about an hour ago. He went out, but told me he would return." The boy looked down at the floor, then back to Laurent. "Won't you have breakfast while you wait, Your Highness?"

Laurent saw no reason to refuse, especially since he had not given himself much opportunity to eat the night before. The boy presented him with an array of fruits and a bowl of porridge, then sat upon a stool on the far edge of the common room, watching with large, curious eyes as Laurent began to eat.

At first, Laurent believed the relaxation he felt to be a product of circumstance. It was the first morning he had spent in over a week where he was not concerning himself with Damianos, following the first full night of sleep he'd had in a similar amount of time. He still mistrusted Damianos, still uncertain of his intentions in both the short and long terms, but somehow he found it easier to view his situation objectively without Damianos in his presence, goading him by his mere existence. For the first time since using the talisman -- no, for the first time since Auguste's death, in Laurent's own time -- Laurent felt something resembling peace.

It was false, of course. He should have guessed it immediately, but it was not until he recognized the numbness in his hands and feet that he identified it. By then, it was too late.

The boy on the stool merely watched as Laurent tumbled to the floor and lost consciousness.

#captive prince #lamen #beef noodle #time travel au #fanfic #our frail mystic ships #i have no excuses for how long this took and i can't even apologize for it