[dzo]

please let me know asap if my small animations are not allowed, thanks :)

This summer, Raziel and Tamar grew more into family life. The two adopted an orphan child, who is one of the best things that has happened to them, according to Raziel. Not only did she find the child, but she also surprised Tamar with golden retriever puppy, because she was sick of Tamar moping about how she missed her two beagles (who had passed away the summer before.)

New friends Leilani and Delphine learn about eachother as they tell stories to eachother while they stargaze under the cloudless sky.

Dar’adethe, a lonely spirit, watches over the human captured viscet, Discovery. She does not know he is there as he hasn’t revealed himself, but instead protects her and looks out for her in silence.

zZz
Its Sylvain's last summer as a childless man- he really wanted to adopt a child more than anything. He understood he would have to make sacrifices while raising the kid, so because of that, his best friend made a list of a bunch of things he might not get to do for a while, or at least do often. Periwinkle and Sylvain went on all sorts of adventures all summer. It certainly was a summer to remember (however that doesn’t change the fact that Sylvain isn’t fond of selfies.)

Yaxha meets a scared fae who flew in through mythos’ gates. Lost and scared, Yaxha noticed the glowing creature while she was taking a walk and kept seeing a streak of white flying around. The fae was trusting of Yaxha, and she was gentle. She gave the fae a place to stay, and they actually hit it off pretty well. Yaxha is now the fae’s best friend and provider of protection.

Separated from each other early summer, Ornella and Daiyu have to deal with, not a long distance relationship, but absolutely no communication whatsoever. They are- physically- thousands of miles apart, but they are with each other in spirit.

[Mint Chip]

Why does everything feel different now? A gray viscets questioned himself as he walked casually through the city. He hopped onto the sidewalk, stepping past a few people gathered there. His green eyes fixed ahead of him as he paws carried him along the familiar path he'd walked so many times before. Juaquin was patrolling the city and its borders, this was his duty his father had sent him on for today. He heaved out a quiet sigh as he paused in the shade of a tall building. It's certainly hot out here, he thought as he sat down in the shade for the moment. Lifting his nose to the air, he scented quietly. The hot asphalt, gas from cars, street vendors food, all wonderfully familiar scents that he'd grown up smelling. Well, nothing abnormal here. Juaquin noted, taking only a moment more before pushing himself back up to keep going.

There had been something bothering Juaquin for weeks now. Nothing seemed to explain it and he couldn't find the words to ask anyone. No one would have understood, he had assured himself every time he considered trying to talk to anyone. His father never seemed to understand his problems, the two might have looked similar in size and strength but their tactics couldn't be more different. There was always his friends but none of them seemed like the right fit. He couldn't talk to some of them because he just didn't know if he could be real enough with them without him ended up being taunted endlessly for it.

He had considered confiding in Ciaran but something had been off with him this summer. The summer was always one of the more busy seasons in the city. More crime and more people home to protect. Both viscets had grown significantly from the previous year which had increased the numbers of patrols and general outings they went on. In that time it felt like forever since Juaquin had gotten to sit down and spend time with his best friend. When the opportunity came and he finally had worked up the courage to try to open up about what was bothering him, he couldn't find Ciaran anywhere. It had been the one day both of them were free to just chill and try to hang out and yet Ciaran was nowhere to be found. Several extra patrols had been sent out during that day to find him and all the while, Juaquin had grown worried that he had gotten attacked or worse. It had been nearing midnight when Juaquin caught his friend sneaking back in. The two had a sharp conversation that didn't end well. There was something he was hiding and an unfamiliar scent on his pelt. The more Juaquin had tried to press the more defensive Ciaran got until Ciaran forced his way past him, declaring he was going to bed and to drop it. The fight itself was unusual, it was rare that either of them fought with each other unless sparring but this was different. This had been a real fight, that moment had created a rift in their friendship. One that left Juaquin feeling lost, Ciaran was like a brother to him and they had always shared everything but after this incident, neither of them hardly spoke except for in passing.

With all of that still weighing heavy on Juaquin's mind, it made it hard to sort through his own emotions and problems. He still didn't understand what had happened but he knew something was changing. Maybe it's me. He considered now that he was thinking back on the present. He didn't know whether it was and without being able to confide in Ciaran, he wasn't sure he'd figure this out. He considered Braith a moment, she had been there with her and Ciaran going up. He'd always seen her as a sister or family but when he considered confiding in her, his face flushed and he immediately determined he couldn't. He didn't quite understand why he couldn't, he just knew that he couldn't open up about all of this, his feelings, his emotions, and the change he still was uncertain of. He rubbed frustratingly at his cheeks, they felt like they were burning. He turned his attention to the sky a moment to scowl at the sun as if that had been the cause for the sudden burning in his face.

As he walked his mind started to cloud up again as he tried to consider what he felt different, why things were different, but he couldn't find any definitive answers. Quietly the dark viscet resumed his patrolling, he still had another couple hours worth of walking to do but he that only gave him more time to ponder. He lost himself in thought as his paws took him the typical routes, pausing in all the places he always did before continuing on.

When he looked up again the sun was beginning to go down, his eyes showed his confusion as he took in where he was. This wasn't his typical routes, actually this wasn't even one of his occasional routes. His paws had taken him to the park of all places that was located in the city's center. It wasn't as lively as it was in midday but there were still several people wandering about. He started to turn from that path and get back on track but something caught his attention. His eyes snapping on two individuals sitting in the grass, something about them seemed to captivate him. Twitching an ear, he curiously moved closer to watch and listen, perhaps there was some reason he was so intrigued by this interaction.

The gray viscet settled himself beneath a tree nearby, his gaze never leaving the two he spotted. He watched their interactions, the laughing, the smiling, everything they were doing seemed to be saying something. He could feel their happiness radiating off of them. As he watched them, his mind began to wander again. A smile spreading across his maw as his mind thought of Braith, he hadn't taken the time to spend with her, just the two of them, since their little fight earlier at the start of summer. That thought snapped him back to reality as a slow realization wash over him. His face flushing, eyes widening as he audibly gasped. Wait- no, that can't be- His mind was whirling, it had been shortly after that fight when everything had begun to feel... different. He swallowed dryly, he looked to the two still sitting closely and radiating their happiness. Their a couple, that's what this is. His heart was thudding against his chest as he considered the possibility that the awkwardness around Braith and the weird feeling he kept getting could be connected to all of this.

Am I in love? The viscet stiffened at even the notion. He was a soft-hearted young man, he had always been comfortable with flirting much like his father was. But that had all been learned behavior that was integrated into him, he had no idea how to react to the idea of being turning in love with someone. Much less being in love with one of his best friends. He felt his stomach squirm as he suppressed his thoughts of Braith as best he could but the harder he tried, the harder it was not to recall every little detail about her. The fur along his back raising as he saw her beautiful face in his mind, those golden eyes shining bright like the sun. He drew in a sharp breath as he forced himself to his feet but his paws felt unsteady, whether it was from the sudden movement or the thought of Braith was anyone's guess.

Juaquin steadied himself as he pushed himself to begin walking back home. He felt awkward watching this couple now that he realized that was what it was. Still his mind kept whirling, replaying every detail he'd committed to memory. The way she moved, graceful but certain of herself, have I always felt this way? The way she looked that evening when their eyes met, his heart skipped a beat. I can't have. His paws were becoming more clumsy, no longer certain of their way back home. He stumbled over the sidewalk, narrowing missing traffic.

Horns blared at him to remind him to stay clear heard but how could he with this realization. Juaquin forced himself to straighten up and push every thought about Braith from his mind. For a short time that worked but as he entered the shopping district, he caught a glimpse of her in the distance. His whole body frozen, his breath catching in his throat as his mind tried to make sense of what he should do. A more confident viscet would have approached her, maybe even confessed the truth but not Juaquin. He quickly dove into an alleyway, trying to collect his thought. Even if I were bold enough to just come out and say it, she'd never take me seriously. Something in his gut told him that he had to do something more. Something more lasting, something that would prove his feelings to her - and himself - without a doubt. His ears twitched, he couldn't hear above the pounding of his heart but he could smell that she wasn't coming that way.

Exhaling a breath of relief, Juaquin cautiously peeked out from the alley. She must be shopping for her mother. Looks like she's heading back home. He watched her quietly until he couldn't see her any longer before stepping back onto the sidewalk. It was getting dark now and he knew he had to get home. I'll have to tell her or I'll burst, but how? Hesitantly, he started back on his way home. He had a lot to think on and accept but something about this realization just made too much sense to question. He had always been fond of Braith but he had never once considered that it could be because he felt more than friendship towards her. Perhaps it's because we're both growing up. They both had changed a lot in the past few years. Regardless of the reason, he knew from the ache in his heart and the knots in his stomach that he was feeling something deeper for her. Hard to deny that proof.

The next few weeks weren't any different from the ones before but yet, Juaquin felt different. Like he was someone completely different even if no one else knew it. He puffed out his chest a bit any time he saw Braith, walking with confidence and pride in hopes of catching her eye. Most of the time he was certain it went unnoticed but he never looked back to know for certain. There were a lot of things, even just little things, that changed in him but his heart didn't change. He still knew he had to show her he cared because the romantic in him knew that simply saying it could never be enough.

One day an idea came to him while he was standing guard outside in the cool night air. He had brought his guitar with him to pass the time as he often did. He had been strumming and humming to the sounds of the crickets and night sounds when the idea hit him. The idea was a simple one but to him, there was no better way to express exactly how he felt about her than this. Orchestrating the "date" took some doing, he didn't want to just outright ask her but he did want to ensure it was just the two of them or else he might chicken out. So the following day he approached Braith, asking her if she'd like to sit out in the courtyard with him after sunset. There had been some hesitance before she agreed to meet with him then.

Juaquin had been so relieved she had agreed but the entire day long as he tried to get everything set up, he was riddled with anxiety. His nerves were almost got to him a couple times as he had considered telling her he didn't feel well or something came up. But he knew this was something he had to do. It was scary, the thought of expressing his feelings to her, especially not knowing how she'll react to it but he knew there was no turning back now. It was still a few hours before sunset as he was finishing cleaning the area and settling everything into place. He set his guitar by the wall entrance to the courtyard, knowing it would be safe there and he'd easily be able to pick it up.

"What are you doing out here?" The voice startled Juaquin.

He turned to look too shocked to realize who it was. "Dad?"

His father, Dominic, gave a snort, "Of course, who else?"

"Uh, so," Juaquin looked away a moment, "What are you doing out here?"

"I just asked that," Dominic reminded him.

"Oh, uh, right." Juaquin's face flushed as he looked away. "I, um, I'm getting things cleaned up out here."

Dominic surveyed the area a moment before raising an eyebrow, "For a date?"

"W-what, no." Juaquin stuttered, "What made you think that?"

"The courtyard is clean, there's a blanket over there and," Dominic pointed to the guitar against the wall, "and you have your guitar out here."

Juaquin lowered his ears, he couldn't think of a good cover up lie. He lightly kicked at a pebble on the ground, too embarrassed to look up.

"Son," Dominic's voice softened a moment, "It's alright." He stepped over to his son. "Who's the lucky girl?"

"...Dad, please." Juaquin's face was flushed again.

"It's Braith isn't it?" Dominic wiggled his eyebrows, grinning. He grinned a little more when that got a reaction out of Juaquin. "What you think your old man hadn't noticed?"

"Uh, I, what?" Juaquin looked startled. "You mean you 'knew'?"

"Oh don't look so surprised, I was in love once." Dominic replied. "Looks like you're really going all out. Don't worry, I'll make sure no one interrupts your date, alright?" He gave Juaquin a pat on the shoulder before heading back inside. "Good luck, son."

Juaquin felt like melting into the ground after he had left. It had been embarrassing but in some ways he was thankful for it. At least he knew someone was rooting for him. The sun was setting when he could see Braith entering the courtyard. He admired her quietly as she made her way to the center and looked around for him. He picked up his guitar, steeling his nerves as he stepped out from the shadows. It's now or never, He thought as his paws began to glide across the strings. He kept his eyes on her as he stepped out, playing his guitar softly as he began to sing. Knowing that regardless of what happened, that this would change everything.


(2499 words)


Viscets used

Juaquin, Ciaran, & Dominic owned by me
Braith owned by Strudel

[SilverSamurai]

Res

[cyberdragon725]

Transcending Time

The final battle had come. Anger and hatred spewed from the demons as the fought against the guardians, millennia of training coming together against the light. Kamali watched horrified as those who he had helped or guided were suddenly having to fight to protect the lives they had built for each other. Around him was chaos. Injured or deceased were on the ground and all Kamali could do at this time was do his best to heal their injuries and help them to escape. His eyes caught yellow ones in the distance and as he made eye contact with his newest guardian of light, he felt his heart clench for the young mother. Taking a step towards where vixen held Randal protectively behind her, he prepared himself to change forward only to halt when darkness licked at his muzzle in a violent flame. The elder apprentice stood, fury in her gaze as her expression remained masked behind her armor. Beside her stepped forward a viscet... no, a monster.

Many lands have told the tale of the ancient demoness Hells Angel. Many revere her tales as simply that, tales to tell your visclings before bed to keep them well behaved. Others... know the truth. Hells angel was a being who not only managed to bring forth the extinction of dragons, but she managed to disrupt the world by indulging in the thousand year war. After here sealing, talk of the demoness seemed to cease as the people enjoyed relief from their absence. The seal was supposed to prevent the demoness from ever returning to this world. Yet, as Kamali glared into her rogue eyes, he knew his old apprentice had made a grave mistake.

"Asher!" he called out to her, desperation lacing his tone. "What have you done?"

"I did what I should have done a long time ago." Her voice crackled as it came through her mask Asher moved to stand before him, officially blocking his view of vixen and leaving him ignorant to her voice calling out his name. Kamali glared at Asher though his fear far outweighed his anger. Putting on a disappointed appearance, the crystal guardian stood tall and his gems glimmered with light at his movement. Ashers eyes crinkled in glee, feeling excited at seeing the mighty crystal guardian in one of his moments of weakness. "I almost had you. You were in my grasp, locked in the prison under those fools I called guards. But then she had to step in. That fox, claiming what should have been mine!"

Asher was furious, this much wasn't difficult to see. Kamali listened, mentally remarking on the silence of the demon who still stood one step behind Asher. The demons eyes glimmered with a sick joy and brought shivers down his spine in response. Realizing Asher was still speaking, he turned his focus back to her. "...After you escaped, one of the demons came to me with the most incredible idea. 'Seek out the demon in the seal,' he said. If you can control her then nothing would be able to stand before me. And now, almost a year later and here we are! And finally I have the power I need to overthrow you!"

"I believe... I should be the one saying that." With a sneer. Hell's Angel shoved Asher, forcing her to stand beside kamali. "You foolish girl, did you really think you could control me?" Asher seemed to realize her mistake and her eyes widened with fear. Kamali trembled with rage, trying his best to make himself appear larger and more intimidating for the fight he thought was coming. Hell's angel however, had different plans. Stepping forward, she placed her hand on the runic circle she had carved into the stone, one she had lured them over during their confrontation. Bright lights flickered around the pair as they were trapped in the seal. Kamali could feel his body ripping apart and he could hear the desperate pleas of Asher. Attempting to comfort her, he pulled Asher closer to him with his tail, glaring at Hells Angel yet knowing there was nothing he could do to stop this.

"How ironic, isn't it?" Hell's Angel stepped off the rune but her magics kept it activated. "The same seal created to cast away demons is now exiling the one viscet who can protect them from such creatures." She turned her back to the pair and slowly began to walk away as their bodies became nearly fully transparent and as Kamali lost his sight, the last thing he could see was the desperate faces of the nearby guardians, reaching out in their desperation to save him.

'Twas in the summer when they first met,
And again the summer did find,
Two friends, torn by tragedy
Lost forever, in kind.

One a soul of darkness,
Corrupted by those who led.
For ignorance cast her to shadow,
And revenge had filled her head.

Yet though a soul of darkness,
A spark of light could be found
As memories of better days
Return with a friend abound

When the guardian found her,
She felt her soul take flight,
Because though he brought her to darkness,
He too, can show her the light.

[Synerie]

mark !!

[Yugi]

Two nervous viscets stood toe to toe with each other, their faces reddened with both confusion and embarrassment. Fleur, while walking towards her post, had accidentally tripped and collided with Keaton. Her hair was ruffled up as she leaned into him, propped up against his chest and his arms. Papers that were once neatly organized and stacked in her hands were now floating all around them before settling gently to the ground.

"Uh, uhm..." Fleur managed to stammer out softly; it wasn't what she wanted to say, not at all, but being able to at least somewhat speak surprised her. She felt weak in the knees, something that she wasn't accustomed to at all. Her normally strong composure had completely melted away.

She had always hated how Keaton made her feel. But, at the same time, she also truly enjoyed every second of it. Fleur had never pictured herself dating anyone, or at least not anytime soon. During her time as a model, she consistently turned down those who asked her out as she was always uninterested. No one made her feel butterflies dancing around in her stomach, and most of those who she was in contact with were just simply not interesting to her. But, somehow, life had wanted to play a cruel prank on her by making her infatuated with this random guy.

What's worse is that she knew that she liked him, as no amount of self argumentation would ever change her mind. Instead, she spun herself a tale that Keaton did not like her back the same way she liked him. Fleur didn't want her first feelings of romantic affection to end in disaster, so she did whatever she could to protect herself. She had now firmly believed that she didn't appeal to him at all, despite the teasings of her friend, Paz, claiming otherwise.

And, perhaps, she didn't want to let herself fall even further for him.

"Hey, uh, you alright?" Keaton asked, tilting his head slightly downwards. His arms were wide opened with surprise.

Fleur did her best to avoid eye contact. She didn't know what looking at his face would do to her even further; she was embarrassed enough as is. She was never this clumsy, so out of all the times she could have tripped into someone, she never thought it would end up like this. She kept her face obscured by her hair as she continued to lean against him.

Keaton spoke once again. "Hey, Fleur?" He reached over to her to hold her by the chin. He softly asked her to look up, as he was fairly worried about her wellbeing. He wasn't used to her being this quiet.

She did her best to relax before raising her face to meet his. Right before her eyes, she saw that Keaton was also red in the face. His blue eyes still carried the same worried gentleness as always whenever he looked upon her, but she never noticed him blush before. She moved herself away from him before stumbling backwards; apparently the heel of her shoe had broken off completely, which explained why she had tripped into him.

He reached out, grabbed her by the arm, and did his best to embrace her before she fell down onto the hard floor. He helped steady her despite her broken shoe. "You should probably be a little bit more careful," he said with a nervous chuckle, his face still reddened. "C'mon, let's sit you down, okay?"

He moved her towards a nearby bench, allowing her to sit down. As she removed her work shoes, Keaton went ahead to gather up the papers and binder she had dropped. They were slightly damaged due to Fleur's heavy binder landing on a few of them awkwardly, but they were all still legible.

After he had gathered every paper he could find, he went back to Fleur. He placed the papers and binder in between them before he sat down. "Are you alright?"

Fleur nodded, still unsure if talking at this very moment would be... right. She was flustered, and she didn't really know what to do. She loathed being unsure about anything. Regardless of how hard she tried, she was hesitant on her words and her actions. Instead, she just stared at the floor before her eyes drifted towards Keaton.

Keaton tilted his head, unsure of what was exactly on her mind. "You sure?"

"I..." she managed to speak once more. "I hope this isn't unprofessional, but..." Fleur bit her tongue; she couldn't believe her ears. Was she really going to ask him if he was already seeing someone? That she wanted to see if he was up for going out on a date? That she wanted to know if he liked her back? She shook her head immediately. "Never mind; I'm fine, I'm good. Thank you."

Keaton frowned. "You don't sound fine."

"You should probably head over to the medic ward, huh? You're going to be late for your job if you don't."

Keaton shook his head. "If I'm going now, then you're coming with me too; I want to make sure you're alright." As he raised himself up, he held his hand out to Fleur. "I'll walk you, okay?"

She hesitated for a few moments before she took his hand. He reached over and picked up her binder before they slowly began to make their way to the medic ward on the base. Keaton walked slower than usual, just to ensure that Fleur wasn't hurting from an injured ankle.

The walk over to the medic ward was quiet completely through. Only the sounds of shuffling footsteps, ocean waves, and birds squawking could be heard around them. Even when they neared the ward, the sounds present in and around the Wings of Peace base stayed very hushed.

Mercy, a brand new lead medic that was hired on a few weeks ago, was standing there, overlooking some paperwork. When she turned around, she saw that the two had entered, surprising her. "Is she injured?"

"I'm not sure. You want to check her for me?"

Mercy nodded, allowing all of them to enter a makeshift room that was created by movable curtains. Fleur sat on the bed as Mercy checked her legs and ankles. As she talked to Mercy, telling her about what had happened, Keaton stood by patiently.

"She's fine; she might just have some minor bruising, but even then I doubt it," Mercy stated. She made her way to exit the room. "You're all free to stay here for a little while more though. Today's slow, so I don't mind the company."

Keaton shifted his way over before asking Fleur if she would be fine with him sitting next to her. She nodded, still keeping quiet. Her paper-filled binder rested peacefully on his lap.

"Y'know, I was thinking about what you said earlier. Something about being unprofessional? What did you want to say?"

Fleur covered her face with her bangs. "I was hoping you would've forgotten."

"It's just... you usually speak your mind. I thought it was odd that you were trying to deflect this time around."

She redirected her gaze away from the floor and towards him. "I don't want to get hurt. I don't want to scare you away. I like what we have together right now, even if I want more," she muttered under a heavy sigh.

Keaton's face reddened once again. "More?"

In response, her face simply flushed too.

He twiddled his thumbs while he rested his hands on her binder. He stared at the floor for a little while before pushing his hair back. His attempt at taming his hair was futile though, as it drifted back messily into his face. "I, uhm. I didn't think you liked me like that."

"It's stupid, isn't it?"

Keaton shook his head. He took her hands into his, caressing them gently. He slowly did this, making sure that she didn't flinch or attempt to push him away. He didn't want to harm her in any way. "I do like you back though. Sorry for being so obscure about it; I just wasn't sure if you'd be okay with it."

Fleur didn't know how to respond back to him with words. Feelings of fear left her body and was quickly replaced with reassurance and joy. Her bright pink colored eyes lit up with immense happiness, causing them to flood over with tears. For so long, she was so afraid to tell him her true feelings. She didn't want her heart to shatter from a swift and hypothetical rejection, but by blocking herself off from him, it only caused her further pain. She was relieved to finally be released from her cruel beliefs.

She embraced Keaton tightly, nuzzling her face into his chest. Once again, his arms were wide opened with surprise, but soon his arms held her closely. He still kept a respectful distance from Fleur though, as he didn't really know what this whole situation would lead to.

"So, uh, does this mean...?" Keaton began to speak.

"That we're dating? Yes, I do believe so," Fleur replied, still hugging him tightly.

Mercy walked back in, this time with food and drinks as lunch time was nearing. Before she could speak to announce she had brought them something to eat, she halted in her tracks, unsure if she should interrupt their moment. She quietly placed the trays of food on the nearby bedside table before backing her way out, leaving Keaton and Fleur there to themselves.

(1,591 words)

Keaton | Fleur | Mercy

[Winchester's Wolf]

Viscet's Used:
Anastasia and Tampa (there was a brief mention of Justin)

{WC: 2500/2500}
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His head turned over towards the window, seeing that the sky was becoming more gloomier by the minute. The family’s herald was sitting on his late mother’s throne, reading some romance novel that he found in the castle’s library. Also in the throne room was his father, who was talking to a group of nobles that came in to complain about a few robberies. Like the nosey viscet he was, the prince would love to butt into their conversations and try to find something to ease his boredom. But alas, the day had come where he got bored with listening to the conversations that the village folk had with the king. Now you may ask what he, Tampa Evendour, was doing this fine hour? Nothing.Absolutely nothing.

Should he be out with friends to enjoy the summer as much as he can before the daily chores of princely duties were piled upon him?... Well, one thing was for sure that he didn’t have any friends. Not anymore… The last set of friends used him all because he was royalty. Being in such a high rank was both a blessing and a curse. Bless those who are suffering from the lack of friends.
Tampa sighed before heading out of the throne room to find something to do besides sitting around.

“Criminy Lanore! You weren’t supposed to let her go!”

The prince’s head jerked around once he heard the family herald’s voice echo loudly throughout the halls. Ooooh. Drama happening in the throne room already. Tampa rushed back to where he was just a few seconds ago, only to see that Ross was on the edge of the throne, leaning over while reading his book. His father’s and the nobles heads were raised and turned towards Ross with a look of confusion and concern sketched on their faces. Ross’ head turned over towards them. A sheepish smile came across the herald’s face.

“Ross?”

“Yes, Your Majesty?”

“Can you keep it down?” the king brought a hand up to his face, “Or well better yet, can you go somewhere else and read…? I don’t know why you are even reading that book if it causes you that much emotional distress.”.

The family’s herald chuckled softly, “Of course Your Majesty.”

And with that Ross got up from the throne and headed towards the castle’s library. Tampa turned his head over towards his father who smiled at him before bringing his attention back to the group, who started to talk about something different this time...Which piped up the prince’s interest to go ahead and butt in. He moved over towards the group and squeezed his way next to his father, which did annoy the king slightly, but not enough to force his son out of the group. “Now, about this noblewoman from Russia, I think we should give her a sweet welcome. All the nobles could host a small garden party in the castle’s garden...That’s the other thing that we wanted to ask you about.” a male viscet mused as he ran his claws through his delicate mane.

“Mm? My garden? I wonder why you want that? Can’t you just decide on one of yours?”

The female viscet that was next to the one that spoke of the noblewoman laughed, “Well Your Majesty, don’t you think that it would leave a good impression on her if we hosted it in your garden? Not to mention, I think all of the nobles would have such a fuss on whoever has the Russian in their garden: I’m sure you won’t want that.”

“But why throw a party for one Russian noblewoman? It would make sense if there were two or more.”

“Oh don’t be like that! I’m sure it would be fine.”

“F-”

Tampa raised a hand up before his father could allow the nobles to raid their garden for some stranger, “Who is this Russian noblewoman we are talking about? And how do we know that she isn’t some sort of...assassin since you are insisting to use our garden?”

“Tampa.” his father hissed under his breath.

“Haha! That’s a smart boy you got there! Ah, the Russian noblewoman-- I think her name is Anastasia Lockheart. Or was it Natasia?... Hah! Who knows, but the man who told us about her-- he has a sister who lives in Russia and so while down at the docks last week, Lana and I overheard the captain speaking about some Russian noblewoman coming to visit this kingdom.”

“That doesn’t an-”

“Tampa. If this noblewoman was an assassin, we would have Ross follow her around all day just in case she doesn’t try anything. So calm down.”

The prince pouted before crossing his arms, “Fine,” he turned over towards the rest of the nobles, “When is she coming anyway?”.
Lana smiled, “Tomorrow afternoon.”

The prince’s and king’s eyes widen. “Tomorrow?!” Tampa exclaimed. The female viscet nodded, “We would’ve let your father know ahead of time, but he was busy with whatever.”

The king looked over towards Tampa and then back to the nobles, “Alright, I can see what I can do tomorrow...Just next time, would you please notify me ahead of time whenever a foreigner comes to my kingdom?”

“Yes Sire, sorry for not warning you about her.”

The king waved the nobles off, dismissing them. After they were out of sight, he turned towards Tampa, “Well there is a small problem regarding time. I’ll have the staff get everything ready early in the morning-- do you mind waking up at that time and lending a hand?”

“I see why not.” Tampa smiled as his father did.

“I can help too!” Ross called out in an angry huff. He held the book that he was reading over his head as he made his way down the stairs.

“Alright, you can help too-- but no more outbursts like the one today. We don’t want to scare off the noblewoman.”.

Tampa laughed as Ross’ face turned from angry to shock, “Yes Your Majesty, I promise there will be no more outbursts…”

“Good. Now you two go ahead and get some rest, we have a long day ahead of us.”

-----

The next morning the prince woke up with a loud knock at his door. His head lifted up and saw that it was still dark out. What time was it? “Good morning Prince Tampa! Yer father want me to wake you up!”

Tampa groaned, remembering the deal that he made with his father last night. “Prince Tampa?” the voice called out once again, which was followed by another knock. “Yeah yeah, I’m up!” he called out, a little grumpy. He hoped that this was all worth it for some Russian noblewoman.

After he got up and got ready, he headed out of his bedroom door, ignoring the struggling steward who was carrying a stack of plates that were twice his own size. He went down the stairs and entered the throne room to see his father tiredly barking out orders to the staff of the castle. “Father, it would be best if you took a break, God knows how long you have been up.” Tampa hummed as he looked over towards Ross who was helping out a maid carry some plates out into the garden.
The king turned towards his son and shook his head, “Negative. This has to get done...Everyone woke up late and so we are a bit behind schedule.”

“How so? What time is it?” he asked as he took a glance over towards the grandfather clock that was sitting in the corner. It was currently 6 A.M. How were they behind- oh. They had six hours to get everything ready. Such as food and drink preparation, the outdoor tables and chairs had to be set up… He wondered what caused everyone to wake up so late. Hurriedly, the prince made his way towards the kitchen to see the cooks at work, throwing sheets of cookie dough into the oven, along with cake batter. They ran around frantically to make sure nothing got burned.

He opened his mouth to ask if they needed help, but none of them did, so that left him with having to help the servants. Tampa turned around and headed out of the kitchen and towards a steward who was having trouble with some plates. He offered some help but the steward said he got it all under control. The prince shook his head in dismay and decided to go help with the garden, but right when he stepped foot near the center, he saw that the tables and chairs were already set up. So there was no need for his help anywhere. Sighing, Tampa sat in a chair and waited for all the guests to arrive.

-------

When twelve o'clock rolled around, the guests started to arrive, with some bringing their own treats to share with everyone. Tampa continued to watch as nobles of every age started to pile in, sharing a few jokes here and there, and there were a few mentions of the Russian noblewoman here and there, but the more that the prince thought about it, the more he thought that this could’ve just been some sort of set-up just to use the king’s garden for their own parties, what kind of loyal subject would do that?

And his question was answered when Tom and Lana, the last set of nobles to walk through the double doors, smiling. Everyone quieted down and turned towards the king as he stood there with Ross, who out of habit, put his hand on the pommel of his sword.
“Ladies and gentlemen, and even the little vislings that decided to join us this fine afternoon, I present to you, Natasia Lockheart!” Tom mused as he took a step to the side and outstretched his arm to the closed double doors.

Tampa watched as the noble‘s wife leaned in to whisper something in his ear, and which the noble’s reaction was a bit priceless an awkward smile appeared on his shocked face, “Aha...Pardon me, I have misspoken. I meant Anastasia Lockheart. Let me just…”. Once Tom turned around, everyone laughed at his mistake, even the prince found himself laughing. But he soon ceased laughing as a female viscet of wonderful colors stepped out into the garden.

Her pelt was a golden-brown color, which matched her eye colors and the rune inscription on her tail. Her mane was a bi-colored white and chocolate brown. Her tail had the chocolate brown stripes that made it look like it was some sort of tail wrap. Tampa couldn’t really make out the rest as she had a thick, light brown shawl wrapped around her. There was a brown bow that was on her tail, along with a silver chain coming from the shawl and into the bow. Now he wondered what that was all about.
Tampa shook his head and listened in on his father’s conversation between the three of them.

“Anastasia, it’s a pleasure to meet you,” he said as he held out a hand for her to shake. The noblewoman looked a little startled and backed up a little, but she ended up taking his hand and shaking it twice. After she let go of his hand, the four of them stood there silently. As the awkward silence dragged on, the foreign noblewoman was starting to get a bit uncomfortable. The king and the family’s herald noticed this. “Anastasia, why don’t you take a seat…? I can get you something if you like.” Ross offered before the king could get the chance to.

The noblewoman nodded and looked around for an open seat, preferably somewhere she could sit alone. But of course, there was no other option but to sit with the prince, who was noticeably trying to ignore her. After she sat down in the chair across from him, Tampa looked over towards her and smiled a little. Anastasia returned the smile before looking away.

“...It’s a nice afternoon.” The prince spoke softly, quickly looking away as the noblewoman turned her head towards him.

“Da, it is.”.

Tampa turned his head over towards the noblewoman once she spoke, her accent heavy, making it difficult to understand her. “..Pardon, but can you say that again...I couldn’t understand you with the..accent.” The prince quickly brought his arms up to his face to brace himself from getting attacked.

“Prosti, English isn’t my strong suit… But I do mean that it is a nice afternoon.”.

Tampa lowered his arms, “I see… So, what’s your name if I may ask?”

“Anastasiya Lockheart. But ya can call me Anya if my name is a mouthful,” she chuckled before looking back up at Tampa, “How about ya? What’s your name?”

“Prince Tampa Evendour...You can just forget the title and call me Tampa.” he held out a hand for her to shake. Anya took his hand and shook it, “So I’m guessin’ zat’s your father?”

The prince nodded. “He can be a little over excited when it comes to meeting new..viscets... Not so much as Ross, our family’s herald.”

“Zat is fine,” she covered her mouth a little just to laugh, “I’m used to it.”.

Tampa smiled just a bit more before looking up at Ross who just came by to give a plate with a couple slices of pound cake on it to Anastasia, along with a cup of tea. The noblewoman thanked him and watched as he walked off without saying anything. “Is he always like that?”

The prince nodded, “Even when he’s reading that book of his...He’ll even have random outbursts…”

“Really? It seems like zat kniga is causing him some distress.” He laughed a little, “It seems so.”

It seemed to last forever, the conversations between him and the Russian noblewoman, and quite frankly, Tampa never wanted it to end. He had learned a few things about her, regarding her past and how she’s handling a curse that she got from the old tzar. It was bizarre, yes but at least she didn’t see how corrupt her world was after the downfall of the tzar. “Now, I have told much about me, how about you Tampa?”

“Ah. There’s nothing special about me.”

“Oh? Are ya sure? I heard that you were once friends with a commoner, Justin Winston, da?”

Tampa’s ears flattened against his head once he heard that name. “Yes, Justin used to be a friend of mine. We went our separate ways after he got me in trouble.”

“I see. Well. I’m not going to be sitting around here all month just talking to you, Ross and your father. I would like to meet him.”
Tampa flinched, but how can he say no to her, “Alright, I guess we can go see him. What harm could be done?” After all, Justin wasn’t really bright to meeting newcomers. But if it was what Anastasia wants, then she will meet him...Hopefully.

[Tordier]

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Featuring: Ay and Amarine
Words: 500 - 2,500 Total

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WIP

WIP

[tenlittlesoldierboys]

Mutt & Maynard becoming best friends???

Nebez meeting his first actual friend in a rat, that is just as hideous as him and kind of undead, too?! simply names the rat Goop ????

Dino & [XXX] - escaping the human lab, crossing a gate from earth to eqorah, suddenly finds himself alone and confused in another world till someone takes him under their wing


res idk what I'm doing

[lex]

total word count: 2500
entering for items/stubs only <3

Damsel in Distress
Characters: Canary, Crowley, Ellie, Frankie
Words: 1750

A viscet in a mottled cloak padded down the shoulder of an old, worn dirt road. His tail flicked restlessly behind him, and an arrow was in his paws. He mindlessly ran his fingers through the arrow’s fletching, his gaze down. His ears perked up, however, when he heard the steady beating of hooves on the ground. He reached up to push back the cowl of his cloak; he didn’t wish to be seen as a bandit at the moment. He looked like any other hunter of the forest, and he wasn’t very afraid. It was likely only a merchant’s entourage that traversed this path.
━━It was to his surprise when he rounded the turn and saw an elegant, well-kept carriage, with a pair of fine white horses drawing it. A small troop of guards marched in front and behind the carriage, and the viscet narrowed his eyes. Oh? A noble, passing through these woods? What a daring soul they were. Surely they knew how common robberies were on this path.
━━The guards seemed to know, at least. They eyed him as he walked past, and his own gaze flickered over. One of them made eye contact with him, and he saw their own eyes widen in shock. His hand went to his side and he drew his sword. “Wait, I know him!” the soldier shouted, and the viscet suddenly felt very uncertain. “Identify yourself!”
━━“I’m simply a hunter passing through. This forest, it is rich with game,” he said. It wasn’t altogether a lie. “I do not recognize you, I apologize. Perhaps it is someone else.”
━━“No, I’d recognize that snout in a second,” the soldier said. “This is Crowley Day━the wanted criminal! He was nearly executed two years ago, for his crimes of robbery. We must apprehend him!”

The soldier’s allegations were certainly not going unnoticed. The commander of the troop, signified by the loose cape he wore about his shoulders, drew his sword. There was something like a smile on his face as he spoke. “Mm, that is a bit of a familiar face. Arrest him. We can drop him off at the next town.”
━━Well, that had certainly happened fast. Crowley had barely been able to get a word in about his ‘innocence’ before they were descending on him. He had no sword; he had a knife, but he didn’t really feel like fighting off half a dozen guards with a knife used for skinning game. He backed up, reaching for his bow, and quickly tried to make as much space as he could between them. Damn, he thought, before he pulled the arrow he’d been fiddling with back on the string. I just wanted to get home before sundown.
━━Most likely, that wasn’t going to be happening.

A crossbow bolt slammed into a tree behind him. He’d have to aim for the crossbowmen in the back, first, while avoiding the assault of the swordsman that wanted to get unfortunately close. He loosed the first arrow, and a cry rang out from the man who was hit. The arrow had sunk deep into his right shoulder, and the crossbow dropped with a thump. For a moment, Crowley felt a pang of sympathy for him. He knew what that felt like. But, it didn’t last long.
━━One of the men swiped at him, and the others attempted to flank him as he stepped back. As they got closer, the crossbowmen stopped firing; they wouldn’t be able to get a clear shot with their comrades in the way. Crowley took this to his advantage, and he spun on his heel, aiming towards the soldier on his right. He let go of the arrow and it dug itself into the soldier’s hip, felling them. He wasn’t trying to kill them; just immobilizing them would be fine. As he turned, though, a sword swiped at his head and narrowly missed him. He was sure he’d seen a few hairs from his mane come off with that attack. He was forced to backtrack even further.
━━“Dammit!” he cursed aloud, nearly tripping as he backed away from the soldiers attempting to herd him into a corner. There were too many; this would be difficult. He glanced around for some way out, before he saw someone peak their head out from the carriage to see what was going on. There; that was his chance.
━━One of the soldiers struck with a recklessly wide swipe, and he ducked under it before rolling beneath him, getting to his feet and running. He loosed an arrow towards one of the crossbowmen. It didn’t hit, but it spooked the soldier enough his aim was off and the bolt went flying feet away from Crowley’s body. He ran to the other side of the carriage, slammed the door open and stepped in. One hand reached for his knife while the other grabbed the person who was inside, yanking them out. They let out a feminine yelp, dragged along with him, and he muttered an, “I’m sorry”, before he put the blade up to the woman’s neck.

All movement on the path froze. That was good, because Crowley didn’t much like the idea of killing some random girl who had the misfortune to have a trigger-happy troop of guards with her. “Drop your weapons!” he snarled, but no one moved for a moment. He leered at the commander before drawing the knife closer. “I said drop your weapons.” Another moment passed, and then one thud left one of the soldiers, and then one by one the weapons were dropped to the ground. “Now, then, I’m going to━”
━━He felt cold iron press against the fur on his chin and this time he froze. His eyes traveled down to the viscet who glared up at him. She held a pistol, and it was pointed firmly at his jaw.
━━“Drop your weapon,” she said slowly, pointedly.
━━He didn’t know how to react at first, because he certainly hadn’t expected the dainty little noble wearing a flowing white dress and a circlet of autumn leaves to be pointing the barrel of heavy iron to his head. “Well… aren’t you a feisty one?” he said slowly, pulling the knife carefully away.
━━“Drop. It.” Her tone left no room for chit-chat. He conceded, the knife slipping out of his hands. It fell, sinking blade-first into the dirt. She kicked it away with the side of her boot, before moving away from him. The gun remained firmly pointed at him and he raised his hands in surrender. He could outrun a sword, but he couldn’t outrun a bullet. He knew it, and he didn’t try to.
━━The commander hurried over, reaching into the carriage and pulling out a length of rope. He grabbed Crowley’s wrists, pulling them behind his back and tying them firmly. His quiver, bow, and dagger were confiscated, tossed onto the top of the carriage with the rest of the luggage. He got some sort of break, at least; they weren’t going to make him walk the whole way. Well, actually, maybe that would have been preferred, because instead the soldiers ushered him inside the carriage, tied his already-bound wrists to one of the supports, and bound his ankles together. When all was said and done, he wasn’t going to be escaping as easily as he usually did.
━━The ‘dainty’ noble climbed in next on the bench across from him, closing the door behind her. He heard a lock click, and he briefly thought about how foolish it was to keep the very one they were supposed to be protecting locked inside of a carriage with a criminal. Then he remembered that she had a gun, it was still trained on him, and she wasn’t locked in here with him; he was locked in here with her.
━━After a minute, they began moving again. It was a bumpy ride, but that was the least of his worries. Her gaze was trained on him, and he stared right back, and the awkward tension in the carriage was so thick a knife could have sliced it.
━━“So, ah… how’s the weather?”


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Crowley held a wooden bowl with two hands, pouring a stew into a smaller one. Chunks of meat and vegetable splashed into the broth, and when it was significantly full he pulled it away, placing the bowl to the side and wiping a few drops of broth from his paws with a rag. “Alrighty, then,” he said, beaming, before picking up the bowl and walking to the kitchen table. “Here you go, Frankie. Don’t spill it everywhere.”
━━The viscling looked up at him curiously, his head tilting to the side. “Like you did, papa?”
━━Crowley’s ears went back and he glanced back to the wooden countertops, where Canary smiled at him in amusement. She was wiping up more of the broth that he had spilled onto the counter and onto the floor. “...Yeah,” he said, “like me.”
━━“Why didn’t you just use a spoon?” Ellie asked through a mouthful of soup.
━━“I didn’t want to,” he lied, pretending that he hadn’t briefly forgotten that ladles existed and made getting soup from one place to another much easier. No one seemed to believe him, but no one commented, either.
━━“You didn’t finish your story,” Ellie continued. “What happened next?”
━━“Oh? Well… I dunno. Your mother looked like she could’ve shot me right then and there. Probably would have, too, but…” He winked at Canary as she came to sit down with her own bowl. “My dashing good looks probably stopped her.” The look she gave him told him that was not, in fact, the case. He laughed, before sitting at the table.
━━“I pardoned him, when we got to the next town. My family had enough name I could do so,” said Canary. “He was surprised. Mmm… I’m not sure why I did it. Instinct, perhaps. I knew he couldn’t be all that bad. That, and… well, life as a noble didn’t really suit me. It never had.”
━━“Nope. Actually, in exchange for being pardoned, she wanted me to teach her the ways of a bow,” Crowley replied, leaning back in his chair. “After all, she knew I was a master of—”
━━“Dad.”
━━“What? It’s true.” He grinned. “Anyway, we hit it off then. It was pretty weird, actually. But… well, here we are. How many years has it been?”
━━Canary smiled. “Too many.”
━━“Heh. You’re right about that one.”

Leviathan
Characters: Fenrir, Melinoe
Words: 750

The air was muggy and stifling, barely any light filtering through the leaves of the trees overhead. Crickets, cicadas and frogs sang and their cries filled the night. It was hot, even though the sun had long went down. He did not care, though. He walked through the trees, wading through ankle-deep water on all fours. Mud caked and matted his fur, and his blue eyes seemed to glow. He crept through the swamp, his long tail dragging on the ground behind him.
━━A scent caught his nose and he licked his lips, his tongue running over sharp fangs. His hackles rose, and he stalked forward, following the fresh scent. He was hungry, starving, and the scent smelled like food. His pawsteps splashed quietly as he neared, and he saw a figure in the distance, uncertainly walking on a thin path. They held a torch in one paw, casting light a few feet around them. He did not care. They would not notice him come from behind.
━━He grinned widely, fangs glinting, and then he snarled and tilted his head back, letting out a cry. It was something strange, something between a howl and the scream of a hawk, but it did not last long. He rushed towards the figure, who had turned in fear to find the source of the noise. Unfortunately, that source was bearing down upon them.
━━He leapt, crashing into the viscet and sending the torch into the mire. Its flame did not last a moment in the water before it disappeared, coating the area in darkness. He pinned the smaller viscet down with his weight, opening his mouth and biting at them. The only thing he got was an arm in his mouth, though that didn’t matter; it was blood, and he would take whatever he could get. His prey would not last long, anyway. His gaze met their’s for a moment, and he could see the fear in their eyes, before suddenly, he froze. He felt the coppery taste of blood seeping into his mouth, but he did not move any further. He recognized them. He recognized her.

A flash of memories he had long since suppressed filled his head. Memories of himself as a tiny viscling, finding solace with his single best friend, a viscet with pretty wings and long ears and fur the color of the dawn sky. He let go, leaning back slightly. For the first time in… he didn’t know when, he could think. The bloodlust did not overpower him, at least in that moment. He spoke in a hoarse voice that had not spoken words in a very long time.
━━“M-Mel…?” he asked hesitantly. “Is that… you?”
━━The viscet stared at him, the fear never leaving her gaze. She could probably barely see him in the darkness, and what she could was probably… terrifying. His fur was matted with mud and blood, and his legs were soaked to the bone. He looked like a monster that had risen from the depths of the dirty mire. In a way, he was.
━━“Fenrir…?” Her voice was soft. Scared. Pained. She probably didn’t want this blood-crazed viscet pinning her down to be the viscet that she had played with and been friends with as a viscling.

Her voice stirred something within him, and his chest grew too tight to speak. He swallowed to try and push away the knot in his throat, but it remained there. Guilt pulled at him and he stepped back off of her. His expression changed from one of surprise to that of horror━not from her, but from himself. From what he’d done. He could see the wound on her arm and that guilt multiplied tenfold. He was afraid of what he’d done. What he could do. He took a step back, and then another. His legs shook, and a thought entered his mind: he was hungry. That thought terrified him. It’s coming back, he thought, backing away. It’s coming back. I need to get away from here. I need to get away.
━━The mantra repeated itself over and over in his head before he turned tail and fled. His footsteps splashed into the darkness before he disappeared into the swamp altogether. He tried to shake away the thoughts that pierced his mind like a nail.
━━I must get away, one part screamed. You’re hungry, go back, another replied. She hates me. She hates me. She hates me.
━━All he could do was run. So, he ran.