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#there's also an african wild dog

rinovarka · 10 months

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African Wild Dog and Spotted Hyena! Both matriarchal, both live in groups, both rivals to another, but one's bulkier one's slender, one's a canine, one's distantly related to cats.

Aiming to do more animal art and other art studies, to improve my skills and one day work on nature related projects :] Doing one illustration, one sticker sheet to go with them. Studywise, some bits are off here and there like. My tendency to give angry animals a "gator mouth" look, and that an on-edge hyena would have her tail curled. But all a learning processss

#watercolor #african wild dog #hyena #animals #animal art #nature #nature illustration #like i love giant converting robos but i also like wanting to be hireable some day idk LOL #also i genuinely like drawing animals and learning about them. if life was different and favorable id be working w them actually

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matoitech · 2 years

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been working on a design 4 peril today since ive never been solid on one, theyre a maned wolf. anyway these r in order of ones i did first to latest today, getting closer w the 3rd one w colors/facial markings but not quite there i think.. ive had a hard time w their hairstyle i wanted to give them more of a style but idk if thats Worked

#my art #ocs #furry #first one looked too foxy.. second one looked .. african wild dog.. and both were too washed out #i tried more desaturated base colors to contrast w orca but wasnt rly in2 it. i like saturated colors. also i needed a redder base #more desaturated orangebrowns dont rly scream maned wolf #none of the art here is like the Best but it wasnt supposed 2 b lol #i dont usualyl share like design wips but i thought it would b fun 2 see them

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blackopals-world · 1 year

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Vet!Yuu: (rubbing Ruggie's ears) Did you know that despite their appearance Hyenas aren't related to canines like the african wild dog? They are in fact part of their own family known as Hyaenidae. This family is made up of 4 different species of hyena. Each is very distinct in coat and size. Ruggie's is the largest as the spotted Hyena.

Ruggie: You got that right!

Vet!Yuu: Spotted Hyenas also have the most distinct ears since they are rounded outwards instead of pointed upwards.

I've been disguising education as Fandom.

#vet!yuu #twisted wonderland #twisted wonderland x reader #twisted wonderland yuu #twisted wonderland incorrect quotes #twst ruggie #ruggie bucchi #ruggie x reader #twisted wonderland ruggie

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afeelgoodblog · 8 months

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The Best News of Last Week - September 11, 2023

Sorry for not sending last week's issue as I got covid again :/ I passed it, so here's the best things that happened last week :)

1. The IRS plans to crack down on 1,600 millionaires to collect millions of dollars in back taxes

The IRS announced on Friday it is launching an effort to aggressively pursue 1,600 millionaires and 75 large business partnerships that owe hundreds of millions of dollars in past due taxes. The newly announced tax collection effort will begin as soon as October. “We have more hiring to do,” Werfel said. “It’s going to be a very busy fall for us.”

2. The NGO African Parks announced it would purchase the world’s largest population of privately owned white rhinos

Africa’s beleaguered rhinos have been thrown a significant lifeline with the announcement that nearly 2,000 semi-wild rhinos owned by South African rhino breeder John Hume will be “rewilded” into reserves across South Africa and other parts of the continent over the next 10 years.

3. Mexico supreme court decriminalizes abortion across country

Mexico’s supreme court has unanimously ruled that state laws prohibiting abortion are unconstitutional and violate women’s rights, in the latest in a series of victories for reproductive rights activists across Latin America.

Wednesday’s ruling came two years after the court ordered the northern state of Coahuila to remove sanctions for abortion from its criminal code, a decision which prompted a tortuous state-by-state process of legal battles. So far 12 of Mexico’s 31 states have decriminalized the procedure.

4. The first human organ created inside an animal opens the door to manufacturing ‘spare parts’ for people

It is a historic image. A team of researchers in China has successfully generated a blueprint of a human organ in another animal for the first time. The experiment, conducted with humanized kidneys in pig embryos, represents a step toward the still-distant dream of using other mammals as source of organs for transplants.

5. Study Shows a Single Dose of Psilocybin's Astonishing Impact on Depression and Could Change Medical Treatments of Mental Health Forever

Psychedelics are making a comeback, and this time, they're dressed in the respectable garb of clinical research. Recent studies have reignited interest in these substances, particularly psilocybin, the active compound in magic mushrooms, as a potent treatment for major depressive disorder (MDD).

6. Missing cat reunited with owner after it disappeared during Alaska flooding

Twenty-six days after he went missing, an adorable black and white cat named Leo has been reunited with his family. Brave Leo went missing after historic glacial flooding swept away his home and all his owner's belongings.

7. Dogs perform Mozart with orchestra in Denmark

youtube

A classical music festival in Copenhagen, Denmark, has opened with some canine additions to the orchestra.

---

That's it for this week :)

This newsletter will always be free. If you liked this post you can support me with a small kofi donation here:

Buy me a coffee ❤️

Also don’t forget to reblog this post with your friends.

#Youtube #best news of last week

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sofiareidings · 8 months

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Falling For You

Summary: Spencer is completely oblivious to how madly in love you are. That's it. Warnings: fluff and swearing.

A/N: I feel like this idea has been done before, so if I subconsciously copied a fic, let me know!! Also, I didn't mean to do it, but this story is technically spencerxgn!reader so. Also, i'm back!! Another story is coming out at 9pm EST, so be ready!!!

Word Count: 0.9k

Song Suggestions: Wildest Dreams (Taylor's Version) by Taylor Swift

You two clicked immediately. It was strange, you were both so opposite. I guess that's what made it work. What he lacked you made up for and reversed. Not many other people knew much about your personal life except for him. Your favourite thing about him was his words. Everytime he rambled about the most random times you could listen forever.

Whenever he looked at you, you melted. When he smiled your face burned from blushing. And whenever he talked you just wanted to kiss him. But you had no clue if he felt the same. For a genius he was quite oblivious to your flirting and comments. If he liked you he definitely had a good way of hiding it.

There was only one issue.

***

The movie was about halfway through and you made sure to turn the couch into a bed, Spencer had come over to watch it with you. If someone asked you tomorrow morning what the movie was about you wouldn't be able to say, he'd been talking the whole time.

"...That actually isn't correct," He started, moving his hands around for emphasis. "In the wild, there are two formally recognised lion subspecies. The African lion is found in Africa, south of the Sahara desert. The Asiatic lion exists in one small population around Gir Forest National Park in western India. Wild lions in the west and central Africa are more closely related to these Asiatic lions in India than to those found in southern and east Africa. So realistically the characters would be..."

Listening to him talk was like heaven, but at the same time it was hell. He just looked so huggable.

No, kissable. The butterflies in your stomach made you giggle, he paused and frowned. Looking like a lost puppy.

"What? Did I say something wrong?" Stumbling over the words as he spoke, you stopped laughing and grabbed his hands while smiling.

"No, no you didn't. It was just…cute." You muttered.

"Thank you?" A confused look on his face when he responded. Your heart shattered a little, that was obvious wasn't it? Did his feelings not reciprocate? "Oh! Also, manes on male lions tell a story. Male lions grow impressive manes the older they get. These manes grow up to 16 cm long and are a sign of dominance. The older they get, the darker their manes go. As well as attracting females, their manes may also protect…"

His words trailed off again and he stared at you. "You keep being weird. You're all red. Did I say something wrong? I know that sometimes I speak for too long and I go on and on, which annoys people-" He sighed, "And I'm doing it now. I'm sorry."

"No, please. I love when you talk. It's calming." Grinning, you continued, "So what about protection?"

"Oh, um…manes can also protect their neck and head from injuries during a fight." He slowed down his speaking, like he was a little self-conscious about his words now. When he stopped talking everything was silent, except for the sound of the movie quietly playing on the TV in front of you.

"Spence? What's wrong?" Tilting your head and looking at him, he was staring at the TV but he didn't seem to be watching it. Just thinking, his eyebrows furrowed like they normally did while he was deep in thought. "What are you thinking about?"

"Have you been flirting with me?" He blurted out, looking back up and at you. You almost jumped, not expecting that question.

"What?" Still in shock it took you a minute to respond. Letting the silence fill the air again, he didn't speak. He just stared, waiting for an answer. "I-What would you think if I was?"

"I would've wished I'd noticed sooner." He sighed, making that puppy-dog face you loved. Neither of you really knew what to do and sat there for what you would believe could've been hours.

"Fuck it." You breathed out and as if he knew what you were thinking as well he leaned in at the same time as you, kissing you softly. After a couple seconds you felt his hands wrap around your face, holding it as he kissed more.

Your hands didn't know where to go, after a couple more seconds they finally found their place, one around the back of his neck and the other tucked around his waist. Pulling you closer to him.

A couple seconds later you both moved away from each other, only long enough to catch your breaths and muttering random words. Before you knew it the both of you were back to kissing, to make up for how long you guys spent not kissing.

The longer it went the closer to each other you got, his one hand started to slide down your neck and then your waist when suddenly your hand hit a button and the movie that was still playing turned up to full volume.

Both scrambling for the remote he managed to shut the TV off, surrounding you both in the darkness of the night.

The two of you continued to kiss every once in a while but it didn't take long for the darkness to make you both sleepy and you ended up just cuddling. You fell asleep with your head on his chest, listening to his heart beat. He had one hand holding you close to him, as if someone was coming to steal you away. The other hand tracing up and down your back until he too, drifted off to sleep.

#criminal minds #spencer reid #criminal minds fandom #fandom #fanfic #bau #spencer reid x reader #spencer reid x you #spencer reid x gn!reader #sofiareidings

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why-animals-do-the-thing · 3 months

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That “telling animals apart” ask reminded me of a bit I saw on a zoo show once, can’t remember which. They needed a stool sample from a specific African Painted Dog, and so the way they went about it was adding glitter to a meal. Color coded glitter. Which, clever, but also hilarious. Whatever works, I guess. XD

This is very common! Since you can’t observe animals in a shared exhibit constantly so you can know whose poo is whose, a dose of differently color glitter in everyone’s dinner makes telling them apart easy.

(I think generally it’s thought to be harmless and they pass it without any medical issue, although I do worry about microplastics exposure. Then again, it’s not like animals in the wild aren’t exposed to way more. Not my area of expertise.)

#zoo animals #zoo animal management #glitter as an identifier #tw poop talk #I have no idea what to tag this

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tokay-blog · 3 months

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I think everyone have already forgotten the other incarnations of Life, whose designs were drawn last year. All this time they have been on my mind because I also wanted to make them into personalities.

The wild african dog of the five stood out the most, as it belonged to a completely different area. While She-wolf, Bear and Lynx live relatively close to each other, Dog is the only one who lives in isolation and therefore has his own perception of his surroundings (plus the fact that he is blind).

Goes by the name Kaang. The locals probably believe that he is the god who, according to African mythology, created the world. The Dog doesn't agree, but he doesn't deny the rumors that are created around him x)

The She-wolf might have been one of the few who could, and more importantly wanted to, visit him.

But Wolf didn't share that opinion. Too alien. Too out of this world x)

#sketch #fanart #oc #sketches #life #wolf #death wolf #african wild dog #Kaang #trying to find an image of him

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a-dinosaur-a-day · 11 months

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The Birdcage

Jurassic Park: It's Ironic, by Meig of A-Dinosaur-A-Day

What follows is a retelling of the Jurassic Park story, mainly based on the 1993 film, with portions of the original novel used to supplement the story. The main point of divergence occurs when the park is unable to find workable nonavian dinosaur genetic material for cloning, since - as in the real world - dna degrades much too rapidly. Instead, the park consists only of extinct dinosaurs that can be brought back - birds from the last 2.5 million years. What happens after that is, as Ian Malcolm would say, an emerging pattern.

Thanks to beta readers @plokool, @killdeercheer, and @otussketching! Thanks to logo artist @i-draws-dinosaurs for the killer logo! Happy 30th anniversary of the Jurassic Park film!

Fic Chapter Masterpost

Prologue: The Peck of the Raptor

Robert Muldoon had seen much in his forty-odd years on planet earth. A pride of lions tearing into the carcass of a giraffe. An elephant kicking an African leopard into the air. A swarm of hyenas attempting to hunt the wildebeest, only to flee in panic from their hooves. Nile Crocodiles and Hippos fighting over river space, with no obvious winners. Wild dogs hunting him, with coordination and planning he wouldn’t have believed if he hadn’t seen it for himself. Indeed, if someone were to have asked Robert Muldoon if he had seen everything nature had to offer, he would be tempted to say yes.

At least, until today.

It was a simple transfer operation. Take the new asset from the hatchery complex to their permanent enclosure. Introduce them to their new flock members. Try to not drown in the torrential rain, to hear each other over the violent wind. Remember that humans are warm-blooded and no matter how much the rain soaked to the bone, warmth would return. Go home in time for dinner.

The thought now, of course, made Muldoon snort out loud, though of course no one could hear him. Flock was the moniker the higher-ups had chosen, ages ago, but he knew flocks. This was no flock. Better, really, to call this grouping a pack. Not that it mattered. After this, Muldoon was certain of his course of action.

He had to recommend termination.

Everything had happened so fast. The loud calls of the other assets, anxious for their flock member far away. The container, raised to the pen entrance. Locked in, safety verified. The animal was silent, but they usually were during transfer. Muldoon had chalked it up to fear or hesitancy, though it was odd that it wasn’t calling back to the others. All workers were in their proper positions, so he called for the gate to be raised. And then, before he could register any of it, the asset had rocked against the container, shaking it loose. It managed to reach out, grab onto Jophery’s hand – the scream chilled Muldoon down to the marrow – and suddenly there was no more Jophery, apart from his second hand, grabbing for dear life to the side of the container. On instinct, Muldoon grabbed his hand, and pulled as hard as he could. Jophrey was still screaming, the other workers were shouting and scampering, alarms were blaring from the cage, a gun or two going off pointlessly. The asset, still, remained silent. It didn’t even bite, or claw, or crunch, or tear.

All it had to do was peck – at the temporal artery

Peck again – at the leg – near the femoral –

Peck again – on the neck – blood was everywhere –

A final peck, Muldoon couldn’t even see where, there were feathers and limbs and blood and screams and –

Jophery went still.

Only a few more seconds, and the asset was also down, multiple tranq darts sticking out of various places. Muldoon hadn’t even had a chance to insist on lethal ammunition, but there was no point now. The asset was neutralized. No one was in immediate danger. The alarms were still blaring, and Muldoon was starting to lose his hearing from it, as loud as it was in his ears. But he couldn’t undo Jophery’s grip – it had been so strong; it didn’t even need rigor mortis to lock in – and he found that the slippery blood oozing from Jophery’s neck and face down the arm weren’t helping matters. But Muldoon had been hired for this position for a reason – a few, actually – and he managed to take a deep breath, grit his teeth, and remove the hand from his.

Now he was walking, slowly, to his employer’s office, tracking mud and rain and blood down the hall with him. People were running, talking in hushed whispers, angrily arguing. He didn’t much care for these lab rats who never entered the tropical sun, never mind interacted with the very things they were working on. Even now, when their concerns should be one and the same, he heard mentions of rehabilitation, modification, and genetic integrity – worries from individuals who did not have blood on their hands refusing to dry in the humid air. So antiseptic they had removed their own humanity.

Muldoon couldn’t wait any longer. The image of Jophrey’s clouded eyes hung in his mind as he shouted into the hallway.

“HAMMOND.”

Ray Arnold stuck his head out from the control room, eyebrows raised over the rims of his glasses. “Hammond isn’t here. Shouldn’t you be getting cleaned up?”

“We have to shut it down.”

Arnold sighed, “You know he won’t do that, Robert.”

“This is the third worker.”

“Yes, but –“

“Third. If you think officials across the water will ignore it at this point, you’re out of your god-damned mind.”

“People die on construction projects, Rob. All the time, in fact.”

“Their corpses don’t usually come back littered with peck marks.”

“We’ve managed all crises up to this point. Hammond insists on moving forward with this asset.”

“All because his impossible pet project didn’t work out, we have to insist on these uncooperative, murder-minded –“

“They’re no more murder minded than a lion or a wolf.”

“Says someone who has never interacted with any of them.”

Arnold sighed, fidgeting with his tie. Muldoon had moved to face him directly, but Arnold continued to look at his computer screen, the lines of code reflected in his glasses.

“I’ll talk to Hammond. If we can’t even get them in the enclosure, maybe it is time to pull the plug.”

“Finally,” Muldoon spat out, “Thank you.”

“Uh-huh.” But Arnold was already back at his computer, not even facing his torso towards Muldoon. So Robert turned and walked back, through the hallway, muddy bloody footprints showing his short journey down the hall and back.

It was time to call up another family.

#jurassic park #jurassic park au #fanfiction #palaeoblr #jp #dinosaurs #birds #prehistoric life #jurassic park: it's ironic #the birdcage

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blogforfauna · 11 months

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Parahyaena brunnea

Mostly due to habitat loss, brown hyenas are the rarest of the hyena species, with 4-10 thousand individuals in the wild. There are 30-50 thousand wild spotted hyenas, for comparison.

Brown hyenas are also known as strandwolves, which means "beach wolves" in Afrikaans, a language spoken primarily in South Africa. This name was given to them because brown hyenas in coastal areas spend a lot of time walking down beaches in search of food, and maybe to unwind after a long day. Some of the largest brown hyena populations are found in these coastal areas of Southern Africa, but there are also large populations in the Kalahari desert.

Although the name strandwolf suggests it, brown hyenas are not closely related to wolves or other canines. They can resemble canines, but hyenas are more closely related to cats than dogs. Their closest relatives are mongooses and civets. The photo below shows an African civet.

Brown hyenas are generally smaller than striped and spotted hyenas, but they can still get pretty big, weighing up to 90 pounds (40.8 kg). This size and their powerful jaws make them seem like formidable predators, but they're pretty bad hunters. They mostly scavenge for food or steal it from more capable hunters like cheetahs, leopards, and jackals. Since they can digest bones, hooves, horns, hair, and skin, they can basically eat every scrap food they find. Brown hyenas often live in groups, but this scavenging is done on their own.

Their clans are much smaller than those of spotted hyenas, and the structure is more similar to a wolf pack; most hyenas in the group are the offspring of the dominant hyenas. Brown hyenas are very social and form close bonds with other hyenas.

I rate the brown hyena 17/10. I like them. They seem a little bit lazy with their poor hunting skills and walks down the beach

Photo credits:

(1) Christophe Jobic (2) Mario Nonaka (3) Yarin Klien (4) Thilo Beck (5) Johan Swanepoel (6) Joel Sartore

#brown hyena #brown hyenas #hyena #hyenas #animals #biology #nature #science #wildlife #zoology #animal #wild #african animals #hyaena #south africa #Africa

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blackbackedjackal · 2 years

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So since dogs, wolves, and coyotes can interbreed and have viable offspring are there any other canids that can? Not saying we should let them or anything. Completely against wild and domestic animals interbreeding. It's just so interesting that these three species can when most hybrids are infertile.

So theoretically, most species in the Canis genus could interbreed. Gray wolves, red wolves, eastern wolves, and dogs have all hybridized at some point with coyotes. Dingoes and golden jackals have hybridized with dogs so they could theoretically make viable offspring with coyotes and wolves. African golden wolves and Ethiopian wolves are in the same genus, so they could also potentially cross with the others (though I don't believe I've seen any confirmed examples of either).

Here's some examples of various hybrids:

Sulimolv dog - A golden jackal x domestic dog. The initial pair were Lapponian Herders crossed with golden jackals.

Dingo-dog. Because of ongoing interbreeding of dingoes and domestic dogs, there is a wide range of colors and body shapes today among the Australian wild dog populations.

Golden jackal x feral dog in India.

Coyote x long-haired dog breed.

Eastern coyote (Canis latrans "var.") - Predominantly coyotes but have traces of gray wolf, eastern wolf, and domestic dog.

#ask

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atlasofthestaars · 7 months

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[MK X READER] New Era - Chapter .008

first part | previous part | next part

NOTE: Hope to have fed you Bi-Han fans well with this chapter! I literally hopped into the game before writing this to relearn some of his combos for this LMAO He also. Crashed my computer when I tried to send a screenshot of his movelist.

Also, this chapter does get a little down during certain parts?? You’ll see what I mean, but I did want to say that just in case?? Oh yeah, and violence, I know this is Mortal Kombat, but just in case you needed the warning?

Finally time for Havik’s poll! As usual, the poll will run for a week!

This is the last call for last minute love interest requests, Chapter .010 is the LAST chapter I will be putting a poll for (assuming that we do not get an excess amount of polls).

FROM THE EYES OF ONE WHO HELPS OUT OTHERS

Sparring with Bi-Han was always a thrill.

Staring down the grandmaster, you let out a steady breath as you settled yourself into a comfortable fighting stance. Sub Zero did so as well, and you watched as frost covered his hands and forearms. You two circled each other, matching each other in even steps as you watched the other.

“No holding back, all powers allowed, going until the other yields?” You questioned, eyeing the frost on his arms. Bi-Han nodded. He did not don his mask for this spar, something you were thankful for. At least you would not have to worry about punching a metal mask. “Good.” You said, inhaling deeply one more time. “Now show me the prowess of the Lin Kuei grandmaster.”

Creating the wings of a common swift on your back, you flapped the wings back, sending you hurling forward towards Bi-Han with alarming speed. You let out a grunt as you transformed your leg into a secretary bird, aiming a powerful kick to his ribs.

Sub Zero grunted as he moved to block your kick. The arm that blocked it had frozen over with ice. You let out a breath as you took back your leg to quickly dodge his hand that thrust towards you with an iced knife.

You used the momentum of the dodge to curl up, transforming into an armadillo. You bounced behind him before transforming back once you got behind him in a crouched position. Swiftly, you lunged at him, transforming into a panther to pounce on him.

You hissed as he slid out of the way, the ground beneath him turning icy. You outstretched your paw, barely scratching his cheek. You dug your claws into the ground as you recovered from the leap to. Your eyes widened as you saw him send a fast incoming ice ball your way. You transformed back quickly, crossing your arms in front of yourself as you endured the hit.

The ice shattered against your block, and you resisted a shiver as you felt the shards bounce off your skin. You watched as Bi-Han moved towards you, creating a slide of ice your way. You ran towards him, catching him off guard. Jumping, you grabbed onto his shoulders, changing your hands into coconut crab claws to get a better grip as you flipped over him. With a grunt, you used the momentum to throw the man away.

Keeping on the offensive, you followed where he had been thrown, charing as a rhino. Sub Zero recovered mid air, sending an icy blast your way to change direction of his fall. You got hit by a blast, getting knocked to the side as you transformed back. You let out a groan as you stood back up.

Sub Zero had recovered faster than you had, and slid towards you once more. He conjured up an icy mace in the form of a skull and spine and slammed it down on your head before using it to launch you upwards. You let out a cry as he jumped up, sending a few punches your way before kicking you away back onto the ground.

You staggered up, not deterred. You blocked the ice clone he sent your way that was intended to punch you. You ran up and swept the man off his feet, catching him by surprise. As he tumbled to the ground, you transformed into an African wild dog, snarling and howling as you clawed at him. You yelped as he shoved you off, kicking you off him.

As you were shoved back, you transformed back, finding your footing as he also stood up once more. You lunged first, launching forward as a bull. You felt satisfaction as you felt him collide with you, and you launched him upwards. Using wings again, you swiftly jumped into the air. You transformed your hands into bear claws, slashing at him with ferocity before flipping forward, slamming a kangaroo tail into him to send him flying into the ground.

You dove towards his body, now as a lion. Your eyes widened as you saw you were instead heading for an ice clone. You were frozen on the spot as you landed on it. With a grunt, Bi-Han followed it up with a swift jab, his fist enhanced with an icy blade. Then he whirled around, sending a close range blast of ice into you before he knocked you off balance as he slid forward, jabbing the blunt end of an icy spear into your chest.

You cried out as you flew back, transforming back into your human form. With a grunt you forced yourself to get up, once again forced to block an aggressive blow from him. Grabbing his arms, you leaned forward as you grew a large scorpion stinger that jabbed him harshly in his shoulder. As he groaned out in pain, you let go of his arms to deliver a hefty drop kick, enhancing it by turning your feet into an eagle’s clawed feet.

With space created, the two of you returned both into a neutral state, slightly more on the defensive side this time as you both circled each other once more. With a whirl of his wrists, he froze the ground you stepped on, trapping you for a moment. As you were distracted with freeing yourself, you failed to notice him lunging at you, leaping.

The breath was knocked out of your lungs as you both tumbled before he ended up on top of you, pinning you to the ground as he grabbed your arms and held him above you with one hand. You panted as you laid below him, staring up to Bi-Han. There was a moment of silence as you both stared at each other, recovering from the fall. You could not get up as he straddled your waist.

Bi-Han stared at you, eyes wide from the frenzy of battle. Then, something changed as he stared down and processed the position. You watched as his cheeks reddened as he stared down at you, the exhaustion of battle probably hitting him. You swallowed as you watched his face.

His eyes searched your face, before they settled on your eyes. They held your gaze for a moment, before lowering down. Sub Zero let out a shuddering breath as his gaze stopped. You felt exposed and vulnerable, and uncertain. He swallowed before licking his lips.

Your face felt warm as he lowered himself onto his forearm, his face growing closer to yours, and you were suddenly aware of how cold his hands were as the hand that pinned your arms above you released, leaving your skin tingling.

His hands…wait. He released your arms.

You watched as his eyes widened in surprise as you suddenly flipped him over, You now sat, straddling his waist. You grew the scorpion tail once more as you grabbed his arms and pinned him down by keeping them in a coconut crab’s claw. With your other hand, you transformed it into a bear’s and pointed the claws at his neck along with the scorpion tail.

“Yield!” You demanded, eyes wide as you stared down at Sub Zero. He panted a bit, silent as he stared at you still, a certain look on his face that you couldn’t interpret on his face. Slowly, he seemed to return to reality as he nodded slowly.

“I yield.”

With a sigh of relief, you transformed back, releasing his arms. You stood up, staggering as you did so. You smiled down at the Lin Kuei grandmaster as you extended a hand out to him, offering him help. He stared at it for a moment before taking it, and you helped him up.

“You certainly didn’t hold back.” You commented, feeling the adrenaline from the battle still run through your veins. You shook out your limbs, trying not to think of the end of the battle, ignoring the particular way Bi-Han had stared at you. “I’ll be having bruises for days after this.” You sighed, remembering the parts of your body where he had punched you especially hard.

“I know better than to hold back against you.” Bi-Han remarked, an indirect compliment. You smiled, feeling pride at it. Warmth bloomed in your chest. “You also do not hold back.” He pointed out, referring to the scratches and claws you left on him.

“Guess we’ll both be in bandages for a while, hm?” You joked as you stared at the marks you had left on him from the battle. Both of you were battered and bruised, but you at least got a victory out of it. You blinked as you noticed the way Bi-Han scanned you, looking at you up and down before nodding.

He was still looking at you a particular way, and you weren’t certain what that look meant.

You tried not to question it, enjoying the more calm moment between you two. You let out a sigh as you wiped the sweat from your brow, having worked up a sweat over this. Bi-Han’s stare burned into you as you stretched.

“Well, let’s get patched up, shall we?” You inquired, walking over to the side where you had set down the medical bag you had brought earlier. You opened it up, and gestured the grandmaster over. He walked over , sitting on the chair you gestured for him to sit in.

You hummed as you began to clean off his wounds, making sure to disinfect the wounds you had left on him. He didn’t even flinch at the disinfectant, seeming to be too deep in thought as you began to work on him. You raised an eyebrow at the oddly silent behavior. He was more quiet than you were used to after a duel.

“Something on your mind, Bi-Han?” You inquired, reaching to his face. You wiped his cheek, putting disinfectant on a scratch you had left on it. You watched as he flinched, and you paused, scanning his features as he stared at you.

“I’m fine.” The cyromancer said after a moment, his gaze dropping to the ground, before he closed his eyes. You raised your eyebrows, not certain whether to push the issue or not. He didn’t look angry…he just looked…lost in thought. You shook your head and sighed as you began to put bandages on his wounds.

Bi-Han was probably fine.

“Good, I was worried for a second that I knocked the sense out of you when I slammed you into the ground.” You teased, grinning at him. You felt a sense of relief as Bi-Han sent you a narrowed eyed gaze. He was surely fine if he was paying enough attention to give you that reaction. Your grin grew just a tiny bit bigger.

“Don’t act as if I did not do the same.” He reminded you, and you swear your body ached as he pointed it out. You paused, taking a moment to rub your shoulder, where it would probably be bruised. He looked towards where you rubbed your shoulder. After a moment, he grabbed your hand, gently moving it before setting his own hand there.

His hand grew cold, but not enough to put any frost or ice on you. It was just…soothing. Your eyes widened at the action, looking down to look at the hand that was on your shoulder. You smiled, and despite the cold on your shoulder, you felt warm.

“Thank you.” You said, softly. The hand remained on your shoulder for a few more moments, before Bi-Han lifted his hand. It hovered over where it had just laid a few moments ago, before pulling back. You almost immediately missed the cold and how it soothed your sure to be bruise.

“It is nothing.” Sub Zero grumbled, his eyes avoiding yours. You stood up, stretching.

“Well, you’re good now.” You announced, packing up the medical bag. You send another smile towards Bi-Han as you finished up, standing. “I’m going to go get some water before heading out.” You told him. You put a hand on his shoulder, squeezing. “Thanks for the spar, Bi-Han. You push me to be better.” You gave his shoulder one last squeeze, before leaving.

Bi-Han sat there, his hand touching where you had squeezed his shoulder. A small, rosy blush rose onto his face as he closed his eyes. His eyebrows furrowed, deep in thought. He had a lot to think about now, didn’t he?

And those last words of yours…why did you have to say that to him?

Damn you.

“I see you and brother sparred together without holding back.”

You turned your head to look at Kuai Liang who had just entered the kitchen. You smiled at him, waving before taking the last sip of the cool, icy water you had been drinking. The glass made a soft clink as you lowered the now empty glass into the sink.

“Yeah, what gave it away?” You asked, letting out a small chuckle. It was very, very obvious by the untreated wounds you had, and how in general how roughed up you looked. You only looked this way after the most intense spars between you and the grandmaster.

“Are you not going to dress your own wounds?” Scorpion asked, stepping over to you. You saw his eyes trace your wounds, a furrow in his brows. His hand seemed to hover in the air, as if wanting to do something, before dropping.

“I am, I just patched up your brother before I got water.” You told him, slinging the medical bag you carried with you onto the table. Scorpion nodded, yet the worry in his face did not go away. You raised an eyebrow, scanning his face before sighing. “Is something on your mind, Kuai Liang?” You inquired, stepping before closer to him.

“It is nothing.” The younger brother insisted at first. You shot him a narrowed eyed gaze, indicating that you did not believe him for a moment. Both of the brothers were stubborn. But with this one, you knew he would not blow up at you if you prodded a bit more. He seemed to linger on the idea of telling you, before nodding. “I know you mentioned months ago that you did not want me to talk about my brother but…” He looked up to the ceiling, as if searching for the words. “I worry for him.”

“It’s okay to worry.” You reassured him, placing a hand delicately on his bicep. He looked down, his eyes traveling to where your hand lay. “It’s natural to worry.” You said, nodding.You paused, pursing your lips. “Do you want to go outside to the gardens to discuss it in private?” You offered, sending him a gentle smile.

“You still need to dress your wounds.” Scorpion pointed out.

“I can do that outside.” You told him, letting out a small chuckle. “My wounds aren’t bad enough that I cannot mend myself and listen to you.” You informed him. Grabbing your bag, you hoisted it onto your shoulder. You hissed as you accidentally placed it on the same shoulder where Bi-Han had touched. “Wrong shoulder.” You muttered.

“Allow me.” Kuai Liang said, grabbing the bag. With grace, he placed it upon his own shoulder. He then guided you outside the kitchen, to the gardens. You sent nods towards the Lin Kuei members who passed. A few were confused, seeing your condition, while a few were amused. Most seemed to simply not bring attention to your current state.

“Everytime I come out here it’s prettier than the last.” You remarked as the two of you stepped outside. The snowfall was gentle. Normally you would try and grow fur out, but you needed to dress your wounds. You stepped closer to Kuai Liang, your pinkies accidentally brushing as you walked with him towards the bench near the center.

Kuai Liang was warm enough to abate the chill.

You made sure to sit close to the pyromancer, basking in the warmth he provided. He did not seem to him, and he even leaned the tiniest bit closer to you. You set to work on patching yourself up. As you did so, you realized just how bad your wounds looked, even if it did not feel that way. Either you were thicker skinned than you remembered, or the adrenaline was still pumping through your veins.

It could be both, in all honesty.

“So, about your brother?” You inquired after a few minutes of peace and quiet. While nice, that wasn’t the reason why you two had gone outside.

“I worry for Bi-Han.” Scorpion admitted, his gaze dropping to his hands. His hands clenched and unclenched slowly. “I feel as if he has been more…standoffish as of late.” The younger brother closes his eyes. “He has pushed me and Tomas away, especially Tomas.” You watch as his expression shifts into one of guilt. “I feel as if he seeks more and more power, straying from father’s principles.” There was a pause, “Is it wrong to doubt him, sometimes?”

You hold back the pit of despair in your stomach, staring at Scorpion. You remember the inky black shadow that you once knew Bi-Han was, and how Kuai Liang grieved over the loss of the man he once thought himself close to.

You could not let them drift apart.

“It’s not wrong.” You say, your voice quiet as you lean back on the bench, staring up to the darkening sky. Snowflakes fall onto your face, chilling you for a few moments before the warmth of your companion melts them away. “I can see what you mean.” You admit, shifting as you try to recall Bi-Han’s actions. “I think you should talk to Bi-Han.”

“I doubt that will go well.” Kuai Liang admits, and you nod, feeling the worry in your stomach grow. There had to be a way to prevent that horrible fate you remember. Not only to prevent corruption, but to keep the trio you’ve grown to care for together. “Brother is very headstrong.”

“You’re right.” You say, before drawing your gaze to the ground in defeat. “I’ll try and see if he will be more perceptive when talking to me sometime.” You offer, sending him a glance. “I don’t want to seem like I’m trying to insert myself into your family issues but…”

“No, I understand.” Scorpion says, his eyes settling on you. He searches your face, before nodding. “It would be appreciated. Brother has always…” The younger brother seems to search for the right words, hesitating, “He’s always been more…receptive of you.” You nod, though you felt there was a tone to his words you didn’t quite understand.

You could ask about that another day, right now, Kuai Liang’s troubles were more pressing.

“I’ll do whatever I must to help you, Kuai Liang.” You promised the yellow clad man. You smile at him, trying to subdue his worries. You saw him weakly return the smile. You placed a hand on his shoulder, squeezing it. You paused, considering pulling the man in for a hug. Would that be going too far?

You let go of his shoulder instead, afraid of going too far.

“Thank you.” Scorpion murmured, looking at you intently. “You do not have to go to such lengths for me, though. I can find a way to talk to brother if you are unable to.” He tells you, trying to make sure he is not putting too much pressure on you. “Just allowing me to air my grievances is enough for me.”

“You and your brothers mean a lot to me.” You admit, turning your gaze to look at the snowy landscape around you. How beautiful it is out here when you don’t have to worry about catching frostbite. You exhaled, watching your breath rise into the air. “I don’t mind, really.”

“You mean a lot to me too, and I’m certain my brothers feel the same.”

Warmth bloomed in your heart, and internally you wondered if Scorpion had a secret ability to warm you up on the inside. You didn’t ask, only smiled at the man as you sat there for a bit longer. As much as your body longed to rest at a much warmer place, you were content sitting here just a touch longer.

“Thank you.” Kuai Liang repeated, looking towards you. You identified his gaze as fond, and you felt almost a bit too warm all of a sudden. Your fingers twitched in your lap.

“You already said that.” You pointed out, a light laugh leaving your lips. You watched as his smile grew, just the tiniest bit.

“I know. It just felt important to say again because I truly mean it.”

And you knew, as long as you could preserve that small smile on his face, you would do what’s needed to fix this all.

Johnny Cage was acting…off.

Crossing your arms, you sighed as you stared at the actor. You had to admit, you saw why he considered himself a great actor. He was certainly hiding any signs of worry or distress well. Still, it did not pass your perception.

His smiles were just a touch more strained. Johnny’s effort was a bit more lacking, and he seemed to refrain from jokes the tiniest bit. Still, the actor did enough to pass by the normal eye. This wasn’t just a one day thing, he’s been off for nearly a week now. You glanced over to see Kenshi looking at you with a raised eyebrow. You waved his concern off.

Did no one else perceive how off Johnny Cage was?

“Johnny’s form is bothering me.” You lied, not wanting to expose the man. Kenshi glanced over to the actor, before nodding. You weren’t certain if he agreed or not, but he didn’t question your words. As skilled as he was, he was respectful enough to know not to question your teachings. Kenshi quickly left your side, going to the other monks for a lesson.

You let out another sigh, closing your eyes.

A visit to Madam Bo was long overdue.

“It is always a pleasure to have you.” Madam Bo said as you prepared the tea for both her and yourself. Your name rolled off her tongue in such a familiar way, the same way she would say her own child’s name. You both sat in her teahouse, after closing hours.

You delicately placed the loose tea leaves in the cups, letting them steep in hot water before straining them out. As tradition for the way you were preparing them, you poured the first steep over the tea pets of the tea table. Then, you steeped the leaves once more.

This method was long familiar to you, a technique you assumed that you had from your past life. Madam Bo, when you had grown close, was delighted that someone else partook in this method of tea brewing. She often told you to keep it in mind, just in case you might need to do it to present the best tea to someone in an impressive way. She even taught you other traditional methods of serving tea.

You weren’t certain whether she was simply joking or not, but you practiced this method often enough. It made you feel regal and skilled, even if it wasn’t anything too fancy. Maybe the older lady was right, you’d need this someday.

“It’s always a pleasure to visit. I should do it more often.” You agreed, nodding.

“You should, especially now that you’ve taken Kung Lao and Raiden from me.” The older lady remarked, a light teasing tone in her voice. She looked at you with raised eyebrows as you handed her the second cup of strained tea. “As much as I’d like to believe you came to visit me for fun, I can tell you have something on your mind, child.”

“You know me too well.” You admit as you cradle your own cup of tea in your hands. It was warm, and it reminded you of Scorpion. You looked down at your cup, swirling the tea around in thought. “I worry for a few people, and I was hoping you might give me advice.”

Madam Bo nodded, before taking a sip of tea. She hummed in delight, seeming to like the particular flavor of the leaves you had chosen tonight.

“For starters, I worry about Bi-Han, Kuai Liang, and Tomas.” You admitted, knowing that you could confide in the older lady without worry that your grievances would leave her lips. You paused to sip the tea, calming your nerves. “Kuai Liang told me he worries that Bi-Han strays from Lin Kuei principles, and I can see what he means.”

“That one has always been too headstrong for his own good.” The old lady remarked, a tone of sass in her voice. You recalled how she had told you that she had been Lin Kuei too, once. “I do not blame him, his father was always harsher on him than his brothers.” She handed you her cup for another refill of tea. “Too much pressure can even crack a diamond.”

“I know.” You say, remembering the old Grandmaster. You had only known him for a little bit of time before his untimely death. You had thought him for the most part kind, at least to you. You did know that he was also rather strict, and how you never truly knew what went on behind closed doors. Although you had been trained a bit in the Lin Kuei’s ways, you had always been treated a bit differently.

It probably helped that you were considered a close companion to the god they served.

“Bi-Han, although at times thickheaded, is not completely unreasonable.” Madam Bo reassured you, gladly taking the refill of tea you provided for her. The older lady paused, seeming to think on her next words. “I’d advise to try and guide him towards better ideals. The elder gods above know that trying to confront him outright would not work.”

“I see.” You said, trying to formulate a plan in your head. You sighed at the look Madam Bo gave you. It was the same look she sent you whenever she was about to scold you for overworking yourself. “I know the Lin Kuei’s family issues are not my duty, but I fear what will happen if he does not change his ways.”

“You always were too selfless, child.” Madam Bo chided, though she did not press on. Instead, she took another sip of her tea. “I assume there is more?” She inquired, and you nodded.

“One of my students, Johnny…” You paused, looking at her face to see if she recalled who he was. You sighed, before sending her a look, “The handsome actor.” You quipped, and you saw her face light up in recognition. You couldn’t restrain the laugh that escaped your lips. “He has been off lately.”

“In what way?”

“Well,” You poured the hot water over the leaves, preparing yourself another cup of tea. “He is usually enthusiastic and joyful, but it feels like he’s been forcing it lately.” You watched as the leaves steeped. “I don't know how to approach him about it.”

“You’re usually not this withdrawn when asking others about their issues.” Madam Bo pointed out, and you found your face growing warm from how true it was. Perhaps you were a bit too nosy. “But I can always offer you my special tea to serve him, if you wish.”

You hummed considering it, despite the slight joking tone in her voice. While you had never drunk her special tea, you know it had properties like alcohol. You mind swam for a moment as you felt a hazy memory of lounging around while an older Johnny Cage while he confided in you over as he sipped on some alcohol.

That, and you remembered him drinking alcohol while he had discussed with his wife.

You knew that alcohol in excess and partaking in it too often was bad but…maybe it wouldn’t hurt to let him indulge in it just once. Maybe he needed it, and if he didn’t want it, he didn’t need to take it and you would just talk to him normally anyways.

“You know what? I’ll take it.”

“Alright, I’m here, teach.”

Looking up, you smiled and waved Johnny over to the small table you set up for tonight. You had told Raiden earlier to take a night off, you needed to talk to someone. Then, you asked Johnny Cage to meet you in the courtyard tonight.

“Woah, what’s all of this?” Johnny Cage inquired, looking at the small set up you had. It was a table with the tea from Madam Bo (much diluted, to your request), and some snacks you had heard from Madam Bo was usually eaten by drunkards in her teahouse.

“I wanted to talk to you.” You said, slightly avoiding the question. “I know the monks don’t want alcohol here, so I wanted to offer you an alternative you wanted.” You gestured to the teapot. “Madam Bo’s special tea. I’ve heard it’s like alcohol, and I thought that you might appreciate it.” You saw the actor’s eyebrows rise, and you felt a little silly. “You don’t have to drink it or anything, I’m not forcing you to, but I figured you might want it. I want to ask about why you’ve been off lately.”

“You’ve noticed, huh?” Johnny said, walking over to the table. He paused before taking the teacup and raising it to you, asking for it to be filled. You poured it for him, a little portion for him. “You’re right to give me this, this shit is gonna suck to talk about.” The actor saying blatantly, before drinking the tea swiftly, as if it were a shot. He let out a long whistle. “Damn, that shit is strong.”

“It’s diluted too.”

“Really?” He said, looking down at the cup. “Can’t imagine how it must feel at its full strength.” He said, before lifting the cup again. You gave him another pour, mentally telling yourself to keep track of how much he was going to drink. There was a brief moment of silence before he sighed. “Thought you’d be wanting to talk about acting, finally.”

“We can do that, if you prefer.” You offered, shrugging. “I just thought it would be better to talk about what has been on your mind lately.”

“Nah, for once I don’t wanna talk about acting.” Johnny admitted as he relaxed his shoulders. He looked upwards to the starry sky, and you don’t think you’ve seen the expression on his face ever since you spied on him and his wife. “My wife-” You watched as the man cringed, “My ex wife called me a few days ago.”

“Oh.” You said, connecting the dots together. Johnny and his wife, or his ex wife, were splitting. You looked at Johnny Cage with a look of pity. Your mind throbbed as you were reminded of a very similar scenario, consoling the very same man about divorce, but for a much different person. “I’m sorry to hear that.”

“It’s fine.” Johnny Cage sighed, before pausing and rolling his neck. “Well, it’s not. But I’m trying to think it’s fine.” There was another beat of silence as Johnny’s face turned sorrowful. It was an expression you didn’t think fit him. “I really thought she’d be the one.”

You opened your mouth, wanting to say something, anything, but thought better of it. You closed your mouth and nodded, waiting for the man to talk more.

“Cris- my ex, she used to be my world.” Johnny lamented as he reached for a piece of food. He scratched the back of his neck. “She used to understand my dream, or at least I thought she did.” He tilted his head to you, looking at you with grief in his eyes. “Is it so wrong to want to chase my dreams? Or was she right and I’m in over my head?”

“I…” You paused, trying to think. You swallowed. “I don’t think you’re wrong.” You said carefully, as if the wrong words would shatter the man who sat beside you. You had a few more things you thought you could say, but they all felt wrong to say at the moment, so you just left it at that.

“Glad to hear someone thinks that.” The actor said, though you could tell there was a hint of uncertainty in his tone. “Divorce sucks ass, man.” He admitted as he swirled around the tea you had just poured for him, not drinking it just yet. “Do you think a man like me could ever get a second- well, more than a second chance, at love?”

“Yeah.” You said the word leaving your mouth before you could even process it. You looked over to see a surprised Johnny. You forced yourself to keep going, as to not make yourself seem like a fool. You looked away, looking up at the stars. “I think you just need to find someone who can support your new dreams.”

“Hm.”

You wondered if you had said something wrong, before you heard a small laugh leave Johnny’s lips.

“You know,” The actor said your name, something you weren’t used to, causing you to look over to the actor. He was smiling, even if it was a small and weak one. “You’re easy to talk to.” He admitted, closing his eyes.

If only he remembered what you did. How this scenario of him confiding in you was all too familiar to you. You forced a smile, not wanting the man to see the brief moment of weakness in remembering a life that he did not.

“I’m glad.”

“I really needed to talk about this.” He groaned, before downing the cup. He paused before he set down the cup. “Hey, is it wrong of me to want to shit talk my ex?” The actor asked, raising an eyebrow. You raised yours in turn, before humming.

“Well, the monks would normally advocate for me to tell you to move past those feelings…” You said, looking away before looking back at him with a small smile. “But I think maybe just this once it’d be fine to let you…’air your grievances.’” You said, putting up quotation marks. “I think ranting it all out first would be good for you, we can work on getting over her later.”

Johnny’s face split into a smile as he sat up, seeming more happy than the last few days.

“Okay so this one time, she…”

You both talked all through the night, nearly until the sunrise was about to begin. You didn’t care though, because the joy on Johnny’s face was worth the missed sleep.

part nine

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