latest news in the ben learns to drive saga is that we practiced in a stick shift today and it was evil and I hated it. BUT THEN we went back to the other car and I drove myself all the way home even along a busy street for a few blocks and then I parked in a parking spot and everything 😌

Crime n Mystery- Lee Felix

description: [3k words] felix FBI agent au w/ a possible plot 

warnings: curses, slight masturbation (?) no idea what it is lmfaooo

a/n: ive always wanted to write a murder mystery so this is to get it started! if it does well ill think about continuing it because im not sure if anyone enjoys criminal mind things as much as i do

This guy was going on a date with no cologne on? Disgusting. You had a knack of judgment, already being able to predict the outcome of this guy’s dinner after driving so many lovebirds to their dates. A typical Saturday night called for taxi driver business and you loved the amount of money that came through but in the end, you couldn’t help but wonder when you would be driving yourself to a date.

You carried a decent amount of knowledge after three years, your best bet was when you told one of your customers she was about to be broken up with, only to see her back in your car asking for a ride a few minutes after arriving. You could tell where these people were going, what their plans were just from their location and attire. A decent amount of knowledge. 

Sometimes there were “those” type of people. Failures of being a woman in the driver’s seat (which shouldn’t be a problem smh). “Those” people who ask to sit in the front seat to play the radio only to try to get their hands in your pants. “Those” people who try to sit right behind you and try to whisper things in your ear. “Those” people who- you get the idea. But with no excuse, you carried pepper spray around your neck all the time for when it was necessary. 

The woman that had just stepped in your taxi, you couldn’t seem to get a grip on. She wore a poker face, hands crossed as she scrolled through what seemed to be “Tinder”. Maybe it was a Tinder date. After arriving at the restaurant you watched as she left your car, her ass sticking out in her bodycon dress along with the sound of her high heels clicking. 

“Hey wait, aren’t you going to pay?” You groan before turning around to see the exact amount in cash on the seat. You peeked inside the restaurant to see a full crowd, someone in there is going to need a ride for sure, so you turn on your taxi light and wait for the next customer to arrive. 

----

Rolling up the sleeves to his white button-up, Felix makes his way through the crowded restaurant. He was lucky enough to have found his first suspect on a tinder website and couldn’t believe how vulnerable she was for having accepted his request to meet. Little did she know his identity. 

His co-worker Angel claimed it was the profile picture that must’ve swooned her, the forced smile and nose scrunch hiding his secret demeanor. Felix was handsome, his hair combed back and his cheeks covered with light brown freckles. It was easy for him to pass as a college student or gas station employee- a bit of makeup was all he needed. Thus holds today, meeting a suspect who expects a perfect tinder date, only to be disappointed. 

Finding the small table in the corner, Felix casually grabs the seat, looking into the girl’s eyes before asking “Is this seat taken?” 

A slight smirk meets her face before she replies, “If your name is Alex then yes” 

“Alex?” Felix replies, sitting down across from her, “Lucky guy” 

From the way she smiled at his response to her soft pink cheeks, Felix could already tell she was lured into the game. He was annoyed yet relieved, his good looks always gave him entry, along with his deep voice. He could practically read women like a book. 

Her bright red hair seems fake, even in the pictures and the amount of makeup is quite visible, she’s trying hard to hide her identity as well.

“Hm, care for a drink Alex?” 

Felix pouted his lips, free drinks from his number one suspect? A big win. But his boss checking his BAC? Not really. 

Playing with the edge of the plastic menu in front of him Felix refuses, “No thanks. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be able to drive you home after this” 

The woman’s lips gasp at his words, “You’re driving me home after this?” 

A light chuckle leaves Felix’s lips as his hand meets her thigh, giving it a small squeeze before whispering in her ear, “I think you’ll want me to drive you home after this” 

God, it always worked. Of course, she throws her head back at his touch. Felix feels like internally cringing. Her skins rough like scales and he wants to remove it so badly. Her hand goes to his wrist, moving his hand up her thigh as her eyes shut in bliss. Disgusting, disgusting, Felix can’t form words on how not turned on he is. Maybe he should just end this now. 

“But unfortunately, I’ll have to drive you to the Los Angeles Police for continuous accounts of larceny and grand theft” 

The woman gave Felix a blank stare, slowly closing her legs. The small action made Felix smirk as he pulled out his cuffs from under his suit, “Can’t get away now- Fuck!” 

Jumping out of her seat, the woman dashed for the door through crowded people. Trying to make his way through, Felix thought about calling for backup. 

Sure, he should’ve came with his partner Ashton but he just quit the job, leaving Felix alone on tracking cases like these until he finds a new partner. The sounds of laughter and the smell of alcohol filled his senses in the midst of his thoughts. He needed to catch this woman and finally put an end to the city’s robberies. 

----

God, how long were you sleeping? You rubbed your eyes in an attempt of clearing your blurry sight at watch the front door of the restaurant in hopes of someone needing a ride when suddenly a woman runs out. Her hand is held onto her purse as she runs down the street, jumping into the car in front of you and driving away. “Woah, WOAH!” You exclaim as a guy jumps into your passenger’s seat. 

“Follow that car!! Follow the car!!” Your eyes freeze on the man next to you as he quickly puts on his seatbelt. “Hello? Can you fucking drive??” He asks, waving his hand in front of your face before you could get a hold of the situation. Your eyes peek inside his suit, an FBI badge hidden behind the clothes before you could step on the pedal. “I have ALWAYS wanted to be in the middle of a pursuit, I’ll follow the car!” You squeal in excitement, speeding up before you could catch up with the Honda Civic. 

The guy next to you pulls up his phone, muttering some words in the call before getting an address. “Y-yeah, uhhh I just got in some taxi and the driver is following our criminal.” Shit, so this is some police stuff? 

You try to keep your cool as the Civic you’re chasing speeds through traffic, breezing through the cars and way over the speed limit. 

“Look, I work for the FBI, I’m sorry if I scared you by getting in your car all of the sudden but I seriously need to catch this guy, o-or girl. If you could press on it a bit-” 

“Are you fucking crazy?! I’m going at 75!!” You exclaim, your hands aching in pain from gripping on the wheel. 

“The limit is 65, I’m a cop!! You won’t get a ticket!” 

You turn to his side and smirk, “I won’t get a ticket?” 

The guy rolls his eyes before sighing in relief, “You won’t get a ticket” 

“If you say so” You tsk as you press on the pedal again, “Hold on tight~” 

Felix’s eyes glow as the car’s engine below you burns, the sudden speed pulls the both of you back but your reactions are quite different. The man next to you is holding onto his seat for his life while you’re living the time of your life. 

“Can you be a little more responsible?? I’m trying to catch a criminal here” 

“A bit responsible? You literally just got into a stranger’s car and asked them to drive” 

“You’re a taxi driver, you should at least have some experience in traffic” 

“Only when I’m following the ro-WATCH!” You swerve past a car in front of you that slowed down, your hand on Felix’s chest as you hold him back to make sure he’s safe. Your act took Felix by surprise, his focus completely thrown off before you could place your hand on the wheel. 

“Okay, okay sorry. I-I’ll try my best, I can see the car ahead of us” You sputter our nervously. 

Felix clears his throat and fixes his suit before eyeing the car again. “It looks like it’s taking a turn on Union, maybe going to one of the backstreets” 

“Should I keep my distance?” 

“Hmm, depends. Is this car bulletproof?” He asks, arching an eyebrow as you pout your lips. 

“Fuck off” You roll your eyes before cautiously driving into one of the more hidden streets of the city. 

Suddenly the Civic stopped, causing Felix to jump up in his seat as he watches. The woman gets out of her car, her figure suddenly disappearing. 

“Park right here,” Felix asked, “If you don’t see me in ten, try calling the police, but I doubt you’ll have to do that” He winks before closing the door. 

You take a gasp in relief, looking around the dark neighborhood and locking the doors to your car. What are you going to do now? A random FBI agent got into your car and now you’re stuck here for ten minutes… waiting. Anything could be going on inside there. Shit, what if he gets shot? Or kidnapped?? You covered your mouth at the thought, no that can’t happen. He seemed too cocky to be easily fought against. 

Left with your thoughts, you couldn’t keep the idea of the FBI agent’s figure off your mind. I mean, you’re not saying he’s hot or anything but… well. Can you blame yourself? What else should you be thinking about when you just gave a ride to some guy and possibly put him in danger. You would never be able to forgive yourself if something happened to him, even if he asked you to. 

“Maybe I should go,” You tell yourself before shaking your head. “No.. no he told me to wait here, just 8 more minutes.” You stared at the clock inside your car and anxiously stuff your phone inside your coat pocket. “Screw this” You mutter before getting out. 

----

You take a risky corner, entering the blindspot which the woman had disappeared into when you were in the car. A gust of wind blew your way, the chills growing goosebumps on your skin as the anticipation waited. God bless all the seasons of Criminal Minds you had watched, you felt like you were prepared for anything. In fact, the building you stepped into was completely empty. Tip-toeing into the place, you hid yourself between two storage containers before you could feel it shift a bit. 

A few groans and sounds of stress were heard from inside. Was there more than one person here? You feel your heartbeat out of your chest, back pressed against the metal container as you slid closer to its entrance. 

It was when the container moved that you couldn’t hide any longer, an uncalled gasp pasted your lips and blew your cover. 

“Is someone else here?” You heard a woman’s voice ask, your fingers growing numb as you felt yourself exposed. 

When you found yourself in broad attention, you saw the person Felix was looking for heading towards you, gun in her hand, and a fierce look in her eyes. “Who’s this?” 

Over the person’s shoulder, you could see Felix bunched up in the corner of the container, hands over his stomach as a patch of blood started to build upon his side. His eyes showed fear as he gestured his head to run, but you knew you couldn’t leave him like this. 

“I asked, who are you, sweetie?” The woman asked again before finally stepping in front of you. 

Peeked over to see Felix again, you scrunch your fingers up in a fist trying to blow off some heat. 

“I… I’m-” Grabbing your pepper spray bottle around your neck, you sprayed the woman’s eyes causing her to fall on the floor. Once she fell you quickly kicked the gun out of her hands, grabbing the weapon and running towards Felix. You could hear the woman groan in pain but you could care less.

“Are you okay?” You asked, grabbing his arm and throwing it over your shoulder. 

“Yeah I’m fine” Felix panted out, his eyes wincing in pain. “Just be careful, there’s guards on the other doors so use that entrance, it’s closer to your car” 

You made your best attempt to leave the room as soon as possible, the exit was just a few steps closer but the woman who was once blinded with pepper spray was now up on her feet. 

“OI, DID YOU NOT HEAR ME SCREAMING?” She exclaimed, calling at the guards from each exit. You quickly slid in between two containers, pulling Felix in front of you. 

Felix looked to the side, the awkward positioning giving you two no space. You could only look at him in the midst of events. His face filled with freckles, brown eyes, lightly shaded features and blonde hair. You clenched your jaw, trying to keep yourself together as a guard passed by you two. 

You felt a wet patch growing on your chest, causing you to look down at Felix’s wound. The chest to chest contact had not only gotten your cheeks pink but also your coat, fancy. As soon as the guards followed the girl, Felix tapped your shoulder and pointed at the exit as you assisted him out. 

“We have to be quick, the guards are probably looking for us” He panted as he let go of you, opening the door as you ran to your driver’s seat. 

“Is that a bullet wound?? You’re bleeding so much, do I call 911?” You exclaimed, looking at him for a response. 

“Just drive!” Felix exclaimed, watching as the guards started the move out of the building. 

“Fuck, fuck!!” You screamed, pressing on the accelerator as the car backed up. You shook in fear when you felt your car being shot. “Felix, I already told you this shit isn’t bulletproof!! It’s just a freaking Toyota!!” You cried out, watching as the bodyguards chased towards you. 

Felix pulled out a gun from under his jeans before opening the window and shooting at the guards. “Keep going, it’s fine” He puffed out before you could finally meet the road. You quickly changed gears to drive and found yourself on a crowded street. 

“Felix! Felix?” You asked, looking to your right to find him clenching onto his shirt. “Shit, you’re bleeding even more, should I drive to the hospital?” 

“No, no just pull over” He whispered back, “Check if we lost them and pull over, if not go to a hotel nearby” 

Thanks to your years of being a taxi driver, you knew the streets like the back of your hand. Making a few turns you found yourself at a motel that your friend owned. You pulled up at the drive-thru, soon realizing that Felix was next to you. 

Trying your best to cover him with your figure, you thanked your friend and grabbed a key to an empty room. 

----

“Oh my god, that’s so- eek!” You screeched as Felix removed the bullet from his waist. 

Turning around, you felt a similar pain growing on your side just from the sight of Felix’s injury. 

“It’s over, you can look now” Felix rolled his eyes, laying back on the bed carefully so he wouldn’t stain the sheets. 

You turned around, slowly opening your eyes to find him resting against the bedrest. “Umm, I can go chill with my friend downstairs if you want to relax that… seems pretty serious” 

“No it’s fine, you can stay in bed with me if you’d like” 

“I mean, wait what?!” 

Felix smirked at your response, chuckling in pain as his laughs caused pained to his stomach. “Oh come on, I saw the way you were checking me out earlier” 

You gasped at his words, “What a cocky bitch. This is coming from the same guy who said ‘If you don’t see me in ten, try calling the police, but I doubt you’ll have to do that’” You mocked in his deep voice. 

“Hey- it was your problem for not waiting ten minutes. If you had waited I’m sure I would’ve found a way out of there” 

“Excuse me?” You asked sarcastically, walking towards him. “Oh were you not going to thank me for saving your life right now?” 

Felix sat up on the bed, his lips inches away from yours before whispering “Would you like me to?” 

You pushed him back in his place before crossing your arms. Felix did the same, crossing his arms and closing his eyes as he grabbed onto the sheet. “ I think the injury is getting worse even after I took out the bullet” 

“It seriously doesn’t hurt?” You asked, eyeing the cut and clothes torn with blood, the white material of his suit slowly dissipating. “Maybe we should clean it up” You run to the bathroom to grab some towels, filling a bath bowl with water and returning. 

“Here,” You said, handing him the things before he could close his eyes. 

“I don’t think I can do it myself, can you?” 

You look back down at the clothed wound, dipping the cloth in water and dabbing it. 

“I swear to god, take off the shirt please” He groans, arching his back at the contact of cold water. 

You feel a gulp down your throat as you slowly unbutton his white shirt, his broad sweaty chest being exposed before revealing the wound for itself. 

Watching his facial expressions, you slowly clean up the bullet wound and remove his shirt so you could cool him down with the hot water. 

“Thank you” He mutters out, “Thank you for not freaking out on me, it’s honestly surprising that you didn’t ask me when I’m calling for backup… or how you even trusted me in the first place” 

“It’s fine, today would’ve been another Saturday I supposed if I wasn’t saving some FBI agent’s life” 

Felix chuckled at your response, “Taxi driver huh? You don’t seem fit for the job”

“Oh really? It’s been three years and I’m doing just fine. What do you see me as?”

Felix’s eyebrows wrinkled in thought before he could answer, “Maybe an FBI agent… in fact, would you like to be my partner?”

Bike Ride

( This was a contest prize for the Trust Contest held over on DA. I’m trying to catch up with all my sites for writing! Read time approx. 5-10mins )

“Why aren’t we going in the car-thing again?”

Bowman’s voice, close to Jacob’s ear thanks to the sprite’s cautious perch on his shoulder, rang clear with skepticism. In response, Jacob smirked and shrugged his shoulder just enough to bob the tiny sprite up and down once. “I thought you were tired of the car after the drive all the way here,” he pointed out.

Bowman’s tiny boots shifted as he flinched to keep his balance. Once certain he wouldn’t fall, one leafy wing slapped Jacob’s neck. “I was,” he insisted. “But if we’re going somewhere outside, I’d rather not be seen, and you can’t run fast enough to keep me out of sight.”

“It’s true,” Jacob lamented. “But I’m not planning on running there. Lemme just show you.”

He considered that fair warning for the front door of the house to open up. Jacob stepped onto the small front porch and paused to assess the world outside. A slight breeze cooled off the warm day, and only a few clouds drifted around overhead. The tidy lawns of the neighborhood, some littered with kids’ toys, grew verdant and green and so much more restrained than the plant life of Bowman’s home forest.

Jacob had been personally scolded for that, of course. As though he personally had made lawns so common.

Before Bowman could start up another lecture about the square patches of grass and over-pruned trees, Jacob stepped around the side of the house where his bicycle waited.

“What is that thing?” Bowman blurted again, though he had settled himself among the folds of Jacob’s hood. “It looks like it fell apart.”

A laugh spilled out of Jacob as he grabbed the bike from its lean against the house. “It’s a bicycle. It’s faster than walking and not as big and clunky as taking the car.”

He could practically feel the tiny glare of Bowman’s eyes narrowing skeptically. “You can ride around on this?”

“Sure, dude. Check it out if you want, but once we get going you’ll have to hide out in my hood like we planned.”

An indignant little scoff preceded the fluttering of Bowman’s wings. Jacob flinched his head to the side to avoid getting slapped too much, but Bowman was quick. A flash of green swooped down to land on the bike seat.

At four inches tall and dressed in the earthy greens and browns of the forest, Bowman couldn’t look more out of place on the faux-leather of the bicycle seat. His hands on his hips, he turned so he could observe first the handlebars of the human contraption, and then the back perch for a bag. He wandered to the edge to frown over the side at the pedals and spokes, forming an opinion that Jacob expected to hear soon enough.

“There’s no way those thin metal bits actually hold up a human,” Bowman pointed out, waving a hand and a wing at the front tire. “Can’t you bend those with just your hands, giant?”

Jacob shrugged and nudged at the spokes of the tire with his boot. “I mean, probably? But they don’t bend when I get on the bike. I’m pretty sure there’s something about how it’s made that makes sure I’m not putting all my weight on one spot.”

Bowman frowned as skeptically as ever and opened his wings to hop down onto the crossbar. Amazingly, he kept his balance on the rounded silver metal, and squatted down to get an even closer look at the rest of the frame. “If you say so, Jacob. What are all these bits on the bottom of the seat?”

“Huh? Oh, those are so I can adjust the height of the seat if I need to. So if someone shorter wanted to ride the bike they’d still be able to reach the ground.”

As expected, he weathered another glare for that. Bowman never forgave Jacob for being tall even for a human. "Of course even your spindly machine is too big for other giants," he complained. "What else?"

Jacob smirked and refrained from listing the many things in his everyday life that didn't match his height, from doorways to showers to kitchen counters; the human world, with all its strange sights and baffling machines, wasn’t made with people Jacob’s size in mind, no matter what Bowman said.

He offered Bowman a hand. Ferrying the sprite back to his shoulder, he dismissed the concern. It would be an amusing story for later. "Not much I can do about it, dude," he said, pausing to give Bowman ample time to take his perch again. "Get yourself situated. I don't want you falling out on the way there."

"I won't fall!" Ever the contrarian, Bowman took the last word before sidling along Jacob's shoulder. Keeping his balance was tricky, so Jacob tried to stay as still as he could, not even moving his shoulders in time with his breathing. A small tug of fabric later told him that Bowman had safely hopped into the hood of his jacket, squirming around to settle himself comfortably. In lieu of calling out, Bowman pointedly kicked at Jacob's back, right between the shoulders.

It was a strange arrangement, but it would work. Bowman stayed hidden and Jacob didn’t have to worry about someone noticing a small, strange shape in his pocket.

Jacob led the bike onto the lawn before hopping onto the seat. He paused in case Bowman would have something to say about riding around in his hood. Luckily, the would-be hammock of fabric seemed to pass inspection. Jacob kicked off the grass, and they were off.

Then Bowman shouted something, but the wind snatched his voice away without Jacob knowing what he said. With no frantic struggles in the hoodie and no panicked yells from behind his head, Jacob continued down the street on his way to his goal. Bowman might complain about the less than smooth ride, but he would probably forgive it. Probably.

He coasted past familiar houses and cars with a new perspective. Everything around him, easily taken for granted by the humans living there, made up an alien landscape for Bowman.

Hopefully the park a few blocks over would offer some familiarity.

It wasn’t a long ride, and during that time he only saw one other person walking their dog on the other side of the street. As he reached the park, no one was around yet. Jacob chained up his bike near the first marker of the trail that wound through the area. "Almost there," he promised. From the looks of things, no one else had come to the park that day. Angling towards the nature trail, Jacob double checked his assumption.

"I think you can peek now, if you want to."

The tiny weight in Jacob's hood squirmed. A few mumbled sprite curses followed until Bowman actually managed to hoist himself up to the edge. "--blasted heavy?!" He wasn't a skilled climber by any standard, so Jacob was impressed that he'd freed himself without help.

"What was that?" Jacob teased as Bowman scrambled up to his shoulder. "Wanna just use my pocket next time?"

"Pray to a rock!" Bowman's wings rustled once he had his footing again. "What's…"

Jacob wished he could see the look on Bowman's face as the complaints tapered off. With a smirk, he took a branch in the trail that would give the play area and its cluster of gazebos a wide berth. "Whatcha think, Bowman? Wanna try the nature trail?"

A wing twitched against his neck. "Nature trail?" Bowman echoed skeptically. "What are those colorful things over there? Do humans live there?" Thankfully, his curiosity didn't carry him right off the safety of Jacob's shoulder.

"Those are--"Jacob chuckled despite himself. "No, those are for kids to play on. They can climb and run around on them."

"Why are they so bright? They stand out even more than most human stuff!”

Jacob might have shrugged, but let a thoughtful hum convey it instead. "I think it just makes the kids happy. Colorful things are fun, I guess."

"Hmm." Bowman accepted the answer without arguing, which Jacob counted as a win. "Do you play around on things like that?"

"Nah. They're made for little kids and I don't want to scare anyone off. I did when I was little, though."

Bowman barked out a quiet laugh. "Right. When you were a little giant." His wings rustled again. "I can't picture it."

Jacob sighed and this time did shrug his shoulder. "Just gonna have to take my word for it, then. I had to do a lot of growing to get so giant."

Bowman scoffed and finally hopped from his perch to glide ahead of Jacob. The thicker growth of trees on the nature trail opened up before them, and suddenly Bowman fit right in with their surroundings. He alighted on a thin branch and Jacob paused to hear his question. "So this is your nature trail?"

"Yep. No over-pruned trees or square lawns past this point. And we have it all to ourselves." Jacob settled his hands in his hoodie pocket and thanked his luck. Bowman needed a chance to fly, and couldn't safely do it in the backyard at home. "So, What's the verdict?"

"Verdict? I don't know. It's better than the trees near your dwelling. There's actual blasted foliage here." Bowman gestured a wing at the undergrowth trying to claim the stones of the pathway.

"Yeah! I like walking out here, " Jacob agreed.  He put action to words and continued the trek, with Bowman fluttering to a new branch to follow. "Closest thing to a forest I have nearby."

Bowman snickered. "Oh, I'm sorry for that. Sounds rough."

"Take pity on me," Jacob lamented. "All the work it takes to go see a real forest. You saw how long we were in the car."

Bowman scoffed. "With a machine that fast, you earn no pity at all, human."

The further they went into the secluded cluster of trees, the clearer it became that no one else was around to spot Bowman. Thus emboldened, the sprite banked into the air to dart about in the canopy, brushing his wings against leaves as he went. It wasn't quite the same as Wellwood. Here, the trees stood farther apart, especially close to the trail. Fewer wild flowers grew on the ground, and the calls of birds were subdued. In the distance, cars rumbling on the road broke any illusion of being away from everything.

Bowman drifted closer as Jacob stopped on a bridge overlooking a creek. Algae wavered in the current, not quite hiding the cement creek bed that gave it away as man-made.

"How do humans make those stones so... smooth? "Bowman asked as he landed on the railing. "lt's bizarre."

Jacob shrugged. "I don't know exactly how it works, but that's cement. It's actually a mix of this sort of glue stuff with a lot of tiny rocks and grains of sand. I think."

Bowman shot him an incredulous look. "Sand? And it won't wash away?"

"Dude, you're watching it not wash away, " Jacob teased. To counter Bowman's glare, he had a real answer ready. "I think the water does wear it down, but it's slow. So this creek will probably last a while, unless someone wants to tear it up."

"Why, " Bowman began with the air of someone who already decided he didn't like the answer, "would someone want to tear it up?!"

Jacob smirked. "I don't speak for all humans, Bowman. People change parks so they can build other things sometimes."

Leafy green wings flared open. Jacob started walking again, noting Bowman's agitation. Sure enough, as he took flight, Bowman voiced a familiar lament. "You humans. Always trying to move things around instead of just building where it makes sense."

"You sprites, looking for problems in everything us humans do," Jacob shot back. He reached up as if trying to grab Bowman right out of the air, though he moved far too slow to really manage it. It was little more than a wave in Bowman's direction.

Bowman countered easily by leaning into a quick spiral around Jacob's outstretched arm. His back came within an inch of the jacket sleeve, belying Bowman's control over his movement in the air. No other sprite in Wellwood could match his skill. Not with his constant practice.

"Watch it, giant!" Bowman's scolding, sharp as usual, came with a cocky grin. He kicked Jacob's arm. "Don't make me think I need to bop you!"

"You'll come up with a reason no matter how careful I am," Jacob said. "Hanging out with you, I might as well bop myself to save time."

Bowman snickered. He made one more wide circle around Jacob, then swooped closer. Tiny boots alighted on top of Jacob's head. Up there, Bowman's teasing declaration was impossible to miss. "It would save me a lot of trouble, too. Keeping you in line is exhausting."

Jacob thought about nodding to upset Bowman's balance, but instead opted to reach up to the small weight perched on his head. Before Bowman could flare his wings, Jacob's hand closed carefully around him. Ever mindful of the fragile wings, Jacob gathered up the small sprite and moved his hand into view. To no surprise, Bowman had a glare ready for him. "Hey! What's this for?!"

Jacob grinned. He could try to fake an innocent look, but that would require holding back his amusement. "Well you said this was exhausting, so I figured I could help you out by carrying you for the rest of the walk. Seems only fair, since I cause you so much trouble."

Bowman scowled. Jacob hadn't left him any way not to take the bait. "That's not what I meant and you know it! Leggo!"

He squirmed, but Jacob had already loosened his grip. Teasing was one thing, but he didn't actually want to trap Bowman. He tilted his hand to give him a platform in case he needed to regain balance. "Oh, my bad, dude. Here ya go."

Bowman rolled over, one wing flaring open irritably, and pushed to a stand on Jacob's palm. A tiny kick connected with Jacob's thumb. "Blasted giant. You think you're so funny."

"I think I'm pretty hilarious," Jacob said. "You mean you don't?! You're a tough crowd, man."

"There's just one of me," Bowman snipped. It wasn't the first time a figure of speech sailed over his head, and it likely wasn't the last. He never let it slow down his snarking. "But no. You're not as good at jokes as you think. Bothersome giant!" He punctuated his verdict with a flap of his wings and darted off of Jacob's palm.

Jacob grinned again. "Okay, fair. I bother you as much as I can. Can't help it. At least you're never bored with your favorite human around right?"

This time Bowman laughed as he swooped upwards. "Never bored. That's one way to put it."

The First Beat (When Red met Penny)

Prequel to The Good Chase.  

(G/T soft vore. M/F. Human Prey, Giant Pred. Fearplay. Mouthplay. Belly rubs. Magic tricks. Snarky prey. Non-fatal. )

“You’ll be on your own starting tomorrow,” said the portly fellow in the driver seat. Maynard was thirty something years Red’s senior and was mere days away from his retirement. He’d been shoved onto the man last minute with vague orders to show the newbie his beat and aquatint him with the idiosyncrasies of the department. “I’ve got a few things still to wrap up before the end of it. It’s not a hard assignment. Boring really. You’ll be glad of it at first, but believe me. It gets old fast.”  

Eldridge Park was a middle class neighborhood on the west end of the city metro with its white marble apartment buildings and brownstone townhouses and tree lines streets. It was a nice place and crime was shockingly low so Red was more than a little disappointed to learn he’d been assigned to this particular precinct. He had hoped to be placed somewhere closer to the city center where they had actual crimes. Murders, arson, and armed robbery. Not petty larceny and littering. But he supposed it would look good on his record to have a year or two before jumping to another precinct.

“So, all I do is walk around the park in the middle of the night?” he asked flatly, looking out the window and then to Maynard.

“Not just the park, but that’s the better part of it,” Maynard replied. “It’s a big place, but don’t expect much real action. Worst I ever came across was a homeless fucker feeling up a girl on her way home from a late shift. Other then that, it’s just you and the humans.”

That got Red’s attention. “Humans?”

Maynard’s expression for the entirety of their shift thus far had been a placid neutrality leaning into boredom. But with this exchange, he looked at Red and grinned wickedly. “Oh yeah. Eldridge park is a hot spot.”

Red was no less enlightened. “So I’m going to be keeping hobos in check and arresting vermin.”

“You don’t arrest humans, kid,” Maynard said with a laugh. “Well, on the books we do. But there’s a lot of paperwork that goes with it, so none of us on this beat ever bother.”

“So, what do you do then?”

Maynard reached into his pocket and pulled out a small metal case. He flicked it open with one fat finger and pulled a cigarette out. Holding it between his teeth, he struck a match and lit it. Only after taking a long draw from it did he looked back at Red to answer him. “You eat them.”

………………………………………….

The night was cool and crisp against his face as Red followed Maynard through the traipsing paths of the park. It was dark, but the moon was full and they had no difficulty seeing their way. He watched Maynard’s movements, noting the way the older officer walked and where his head turned to look at certain areas of the park. Old habits he’d developed over an entire career and he as eager to know them.

“They’re not too dissimilar to dwarf, but not as sweet tastin’ as elves,” he was saying. “And not as fast either.”

“And the Chief's okay with us just...eatin’ up suspects like that?”

“Humans are an invasive species, kid,” he said. “They pop through these…cripes, what the hell are they called again. Black hole kind of things. The just pop out of nowhere from some other dimension or something. Rivers can explain the science to you if you really want, but for my purposes tonight, we just gotta catch one.”

“How many do you normally find?”

“As little as one a week to as much as eight. You probably won’t see more than two a shift at most. And you better be real hungry if you get three in one night or you’ll have to file the paperwork for the one when the other two are in your belly. And they make a racket too.”

Red wasn’t unfamiliar with eating creatures smaller than himself whole and alive. He was quite partial to Elf, but the wild ones were so expensive and the farm raised just didn’t taste as good. Dwarf was all well and good, but they tended to give him indigestion. Goblins were tolerable, but they always needed a good wash before being anywhere near edible and their skin was an odd texture. They were a bit of an acquired taste and one he never really developed, even if they were the cheapest of all live prey available on the market. But he would treat himself to wild Elf on his birthday or special occasions when he could justify the hit to his wallet.  

He normally just stuck to sandwiches.

“If they’re so delicious, I wonder why no one’s tried to farm them,” Red wondered.

“Oh they’ve tried,” Maynard replied. “But they don’t reproduce as quick as other prey so the price of them once they reached eating size would be three times the price of top shelf wild Elf. That and most folks just see them as rats on two legs.”

Rev grinned. “More for us then.”

Maynard laughed and slapped the junior officer on the back. “That’s the spirit! Now, let’s see if we’ve got any biters.”

Red obligingly followed his senior officer as he left the main path walked towards a cloister of bushes. Settled inside the thicker portions of the shrubbery, he saw a metal cage. It was empty and had not been tripped. The metal was dark and blended amazingly well within the bushes. He’d only seen it when Maynard pushed aside the leaves and the metal had caught the moonlight.

“I’ve got a good many of these all set up in the park. I’ve got a map in the car of where each of them are. Most human pop through confused and disorientated and try to find small hidey-holes to rest in. Most mistake these cages for a safe little place to stow away.” He looked up and grinned at Red. “Easy lunch.”

Red only nodded, feeling rather curious now. He’d had a good breakfast and he wasn’t particularly hungry, he wouldn’t refuse a little treat. The checked seventeen more traps over the course of the next five hours and none of them had been tripped. Maynard was begging to get a little impatient.

“It’s the perfect night for one to pop through,” he was muttering bitterly. “Cold clear nights are a good sign you’re gonna find one. I still have three more traps to check. Come one, rookie.”

They hit pay-dirt at second to the last trap. Even from a good distance away. Maynard spotted the his trap had caught something and he gave a gleeful hoot and waddled excitedly over. Red jogged to keep pace and could not help but privately ponder to himself that if Maynard hadn’t spent so much of his shifts stuffing himself full of humans, maybe he would be so darn fat.

His attention was abruptly pulled back when there came a shrill cry. There was a small creature inside the metal contraption and he tried to get a good look at it, but Maynard’s fat hand was pawing at it as he tried to open it up. Red was about to offer his assistance when the fat officer let out a “Ha ha!” and he wretched the little metal door open and drew out the prize from inside. The human was a pale pink color and was wearing clothing that looked much the same as an ordinary person would and it looked almost silly to behold it. But he didn’t get much of a chance to study it before Maynard held it up to him.

“Consider it a ‘welcome to the team’ treat,” he said with an oily smile. “She’s a fighter, so probably best to get her down as quick as you can.”

“Let me go, fucking piece of shit, giant ass fuck!” The human was very unhappy and was thrashing against Maynard militant hold on her, but Red was able to smell the distinct scent of fear and her and despite his curiosity to look at her more, to study her, he was all at once rather peckish. Maynard chuckled and pressed the little body into Red’s hands. “Down the hatch, rookie.”

Red laughed, swallowing the excess saliva and tipped his head back as he brought the little human up in the same gesture.

“You can’t be fucking serious right now, dude. No way. No! Holy shit, no, no, no, no, no, no, no...don’t you fucking dare!”

He ignore the panicking mantra from his lunch and slipped her feet onto his tongue. There was a sweet burst of flavor very reminiscent of elf, but it quickly faded into the more deep savory flavor more along the lines of dwarf. Oh, humans were delicious! Complex in their taste and her skin was so smooth. No where near the leathery lumpy affair that was goblin. He hummed in pleasure as he fed her upper thighs into his mouth and gave his first swallow.

“OH MY FUCKING GOD, PLEASE DON’T!” Her shrill voice brought him back to reality and his eyes focused in on her face. She trembled in abject terror and struggled as much as she could given her lower half was in his gullet and her top half was firmly being held by his large fingers. He found himself smiling. It was a cruel gesture, but it was instinctual and he relished in the letting the true predator side of himself lose. He wasn’t in a fancy restaurant or a cafe where he needed to mind his manners. This was wild and free and without rules. The true manifestation of what it meant to be the top of the food chain. And Gods did he love the feeling...

He swallowed again and brought the girl’s torso into his mouth. He closed his lips around her neck and let go of her, letting her hang inside him and wiggle as much as she might. She was thicker bodied than an elf, but taller than a dwarf. A perfect middle ground of the two. He felt her little hands pressing against his lips and he almost laughed when one of her hands slipped and ended up slapping his gums. He supposed he’d tortured her enough and gulped hard twice in quick succession, sucking her down into his gullet and sending her on her way down to his belly. 

He breathed deeply now that his airways weren’t blocked and he looked to Maynard with an almost fanatical grin.

“Told you,” he said simply. “Tasty little fuckers, huh?”

“Fuck,” was all Red could manage. The human had spilled out into his belly and was now making all her complaints and protestations known by kicking and punching his insides. Such treatment was usually why he did not often partake in dwarf, but the human was no where near as strong and her strikes tickled more than anything. They were actually rather pleasant and he found himself licking his lips, trying to get one last taste of her.

Maynard laughed loudly, watching his junior partner’s sagging belly bounce and wiggle with his lunch’s frantic movements. He reached out and slapped it playfully. “How’d you like your first human, Red?”

“I think I’m a convert,” he replied, wiping the drool off the corners of his mouth.

………………………..

The human did not stop her squirming for the remainder of his shift. But by the time he slipped through his apartment door, roughly an hour later, she had gone quite and he figured she had finally succumbed to his stomach and would soon digest away like his other live meals. Though, he had to admit she had lasted a good while in there. He was almost impressed.

He pulled off his coat and shirt and sat down on his bed to pull off his boots. The maneuver required him to lean down over his own bulging belly and as he pulled off his first boot he heard it. A soft whimpering. And a voice. “..fucking stupid way to die...so fucking hot in here...can’t breathe for shit...smells like ass...”

Red started to laugh and that seemed to offend his lunch enough to spur her into one last kicking fit accompanied by a cry of, “YOU’RE A FAT FUCKING ASS HAT!”

He sat back up and looked down at his belly. “Well if I’m fat, you’re to blame.”

He wasn’t sure if her abrupt silence meant she had passed out or was too surprised to that he spoke to her to reply back. But then she did answer him.

“COUGH ME UP YOU FUCKER! YOU CAN’T GO AROUND EATING PEOPLE JUST BECAUSE YOU FUCKING FEEL LIKE IT!”

Red patted his belly, amused. “Funny you say that. Because I’m pretty sure I just did.”

She kicked him, lower than before and he winced. She’s struck a kidney or something.

“Dude!” she yelled again, but her voice had lost the volume. “Please, just...please let me out...”

“Why?” he asked, rubbing his gut in an almost affectionate manner.

“Because I don’t want to be your fucking food!”

“And yet, you are in my belly. Where food normally goes.”

“That was your mistake, not mine!” He was grinning. He’d never even spoken to his food before. More so because he didn’t speak elvish and the dwarf accents were so hard to understand that he just never bothered. And he wasn’t even sure Goblins had a real language. It was a pleasant change of pace.

“Tell you what, morsel,” he said, his voice low and almost growling. “If you can give me one reason why I should swap you out for the cold sandwich in my fridge, I’ll let you out.”

The human was silent for a moment. “...you promise?”

“Sure. I promise.”

“Like...pinkie swear and shit?”

“Well, I can’t exactly do a pinkie swear with you in there so...”

“Symbolic pinkie swear then!”  

“Okay. Symbolic pinkie swear. You just have to convince me you’re worth more alive then as lunch.”

After several moments, he felt the human suddenly shift. “Magic!” she said. “I can do magic!”

That got Red’s attention and eyed his belly dubiously. “Really now?”

“Yup! I can do magic.”

“Like what?”

“Well, I can’t show you from inside your fucking stomach now can I?!”  

Red stood up and walked to the kitchen. He flicked the light on and went to the sink. “OK. I’ll bring you out and you can do your magic, but I warn you now morsel. If you’re lying, I’m gobbling you back up and this time...” he paused. “I might just bite a little.”

It was surprisingly difficult to push his food back up once he’d swallowed it. Putting his fingers down his throat didn’t really do much other than make him wretch and his stomach clench. Which the human really did not appreciate. After the fourth failed attempt, he was ready to say fuck it and just go sit and watch TV until his belly finished her off. But he was genuinely curious now and he was spurred on more by annoyance and stubbornness than anything.

“Should...should I...like...help?” the human asked tentatively.

Red growled. “Might be nice.”

He tried one more time was shocked when he felt the warm lump push up into his esophagus. Once it had a good hold on the human, the rest went much more smoothly and after only a few moments, he felt her push up from the back of his throat and her little hands were grabbing onto his tongue and trying to pry herself out. He opened his mouth and plucked her from inside, pulling her from his jaws and setting her down onto the counter. She wobbled on her feet before falling hard onto her knees, too weak and disorientated to remain standing. Her skin was flushed and red from where his stomach acids had began to burn her and he felt a soft pang of guilt. It looked like it hurt. But he steeled himself and looked down at her with a frown.

“Alright, human. Let’s see this amazing magic of yours.” He knew some Elves could do magic and most fairies, but he had never seen any of it. Maynard hadn’t said anything about humans being able to perform magic, so maybe only some could?

The human held up both her hands, showing him the back and her palms as though to prove she held nothing. She presented the back of one hand, the thumb bent inward and used her other hand to place the tip of her other thumb so it aligned with the profile of its fellow, index finger and middle finger bent over to hide the gap. She slid the hand with the tip of her thumb visible back and forth as though she meant it as an impressive deed and the clapped her hands together and presented them both. Each hand still in possession of their thumbs.  

It was a parlor trick. A silly hand illusion to trick simple minded children that one could sever the tip of the thumb and magically reattach it with a simple wave of their hands. And almost as though to add insult to injury, the human finished their performance with a tired sounding, “Ta da.”

Red starred, expecting more and when the little human only starred back, he realized that he had been had. There was no magic. Just a magic trick, an illusion and it should have angered him. It should have made him furious and he should have devoured the wretched little liar right then and there…

...but instead he started to laugh. Loudly. He leaned back against the opposite counter and covered his face as the laughter turned into a fit of giggles and when he peeked between his fingers at the human, who was now looking at him with a fearful uneasiness, his laughter was renewed. It an absurd bargain she had made with him, betting her very life on the idea he might be impressed by such a paltry little showing. It was stupid and reckless and oddly...brave.

“S-so...” her shivering voice brought him back. “So...are you going to...let me go?”

He composed himself and regarded the little creature for a long moment and then said, “No.”

She scowled at him. “I knew it! You’re a fucking liar!”

He scoffed. “Me? What about you? That wasn’t magic.”

“It was a magic trick,” she replied firmly. “I just omitted a word. I didn’t lie.”

“Well, in any case I didn’t say I’d let you go,” he replied with a smug grin. “I said I would let you out. Never mentioned anything about releasing you or even that I wouldn’t be putting you back in later.”

The human’s scowl was gone and she bite her lip. As she began to scoot back across the counter, she started shaking in fear again. “Fucking liar...”

Red watched her shake and tremble, easily imagining she thought he meant to eat her then and there and he wasn’t in too much of a hurry to assure her of the contrary. He was having fun.

“I didn’t lie,” he purred as he loomed over her.

“You said all I needed to do was convince you I was worth more alive,” she spat, tears falling down her face now.

“And do you feel like you sufficiently did that?”

“I made you laugh,” she retorted. “Like...a lot. That should count for something, right?”

She was bargaining again, Red mused. “It was amusing, but if that’s all...”

“I didn’t say it was all,” the human snapped back. “I have more.”

Red regarded her with a flat, unimpressed look. “Oh do tell...”

“I can stick my tongue out and touch my forehead.”

Red blinked and his confused silence seemed to give the human the impression he was waiting for her display the odd quirk. But all she did was stick her tongue out at him and...touch her forehead with the index finger of her right hand.

Almost involuntarily, Red smiled and started to laugh again. He paced around the kitchen for a moment and then out into the hall before doubling back into the kitchen, laughing all the while. The human had taken his momentary absence as a chance to hide, but his kitchen countered were sparse and there were only two places to hide. Behind the toaster or inside the bread box. He could see the toaster well enough to know she was not there so he flipped open the box to see the human trying to hide under the remaining half loaf of bread. He chuckled at her and reach inside to pull her out.

She fought, but had grown very weak and could not do much of anything but smack his hand and kick her feet. “Please...please don’t kill me...”

He looked at the human and found that he didn’t want to eat her again. Not because she was not appetizing or that he wasn’t hungry, but she had succeeded in her original task; To convince him she was worth more than being his lunch. She was far too amusing a creature to sacrifice to his belly.

“I’m not going to eat you,” he said and watched her study him as though trying to figure out if she should believe him. “You’ve won your bargain, human. Congratulations.”

She sucked in a breath and shuddered, fat tears rolling down her face. “You’re not lying?”

“Nah,” he replied. “You’re a funny little thing. Might be worth keeping you around for a laugh.”

She held out her hand, little pinkie extended. “Pinkie promise.”

He eyed her. “We already did.”

“Real pinkie promise,” she said. “Promise that you aren’t lying and you won’t eat me ever again.”

He rolled his eyes, but obligingly offered his own pinkie of his free hand to her. “Fine, I promise I am not lying to you and I will not eat you ever again.” Their different sizes made it an awkward exchange, but the little human seemed satisfied enough. He sat back down on the counter and once she was standing under her own power, he grinned at her and licked his lips. “I make no such promises about eating any other humans though.”

She gaped at him, horrified. “Dude!”

He laughed and then asked, “Have a name, human? Or should I keep calling your morsel?”

“My name’s Penny,” she replied.

“Okay, Penny. I’m Red.” 

09/08/20-Amazing butterfly walk at Old Winchester Hill, Cadman’s Pool in the New Forest and flowers in the garden: All of these photos different to the ones I tweeted 

Early this afternoon on another stunningly hot day we went to Old Winchester Hill with particularly one and also another target of another butterfly species this year we needed to see. On the way it was great to see a Kestrel and Red Kite from the car and a Buzzard on the way home, the Kestrel we saw as we often do so many of at Old Winchester Hill. When we arrived it was wonderful to take in sensational views across the South Downs countryside. It really did look stunning in this sunshine and the area around the reserve was brimming with bight and rich meadows full of flowers. I took the first three and fifth pictures in this photoset of beautiful views here today. I also took the sixth and seventh pictures in this photoset of flowers and some berries by the car park. I tweeted some other flower photos from today too and was kindly told they are Perforate St. John’s-wort and Small Scabious during Twitter’s #WildFlowerHour. The former one I had seen and photographed a bit this year already at different places so it was nice to know what they are and the other ones looked very good too so two more great ones to learn in my deeper delve into flowers this year. 

And the meadows were absolutely teeming with butterflies today I did see hundreds of them. I used 15 minutes to do one of my final big butterfly counts of 2020 with it closing today. And what a way to end. I saw the most of any species in one count for me this year therefore possibly some of the most individuals in any of my counts this year and ever actually, with 40 Meadow Browns seen. There were just clouds of them in the air at once in every direction you looked when in a meadow. It was so brilliant to see and just made the whole meadow full of life. I also saw 6 Gatekeepers, 6 Large Whites, 4 Common Blues, 1 Brimstone, 1 Red Admiral, 1 Six-spot Burnet and 1 Small White in the 15 minutes as well as a host of other butterflies in the walk it was a top one. One of the species was the Chalkhill Blue with boards of them around again today too. The best possible way to help end my big butterfly counts this year. 

The first of our targets for our year list today was the Silver-spotted Skipper a butterfly I had marvelled at seeing here the last two summers and it had rather become a mark of my mid/late summer a bit. We wandered across the meadow areas and my Mum spotted one, and then I saw one myself they are delicate little things and flew so quickly but I just got my eyes onto it and made out it’s distinctive underwing marking. Then as we walked on we both wanted the chance to take a picture of one with my macro lens now on. And as we walked on we saw two together flying and one settled. We both got onto it and standing over it I snapped up shots getting closer and closer. One of these the fourth picture in this photoset and I tweeted another. You have to get as close as possible with a macro lens but it’s worth it for the detail they give. Each time I edged closer I took a shot to ensure I had got one in case it flew off. When I got nice and close in the end but to make the shot work better in the heat I just sat down, almost laid down really and was able to move the camera and lens into position to get photos and a nice angle. It was a fantastic natural moment I felt very connected to this gorgeous butterfly being so close to it. I felt so lucky to have seen them they really are so well marked, rare and quite sought after. 

Another one flew in and this one took off. Exceptional moments with this species that is on the sign of the car park here. It was all about it today we first saw them here in early September in 2018 but we knew August was the time to come. A little earlier than when we saw them last year so it could go either way. But we got it right today and we saw it which I am over the moon with. In keeping with my theme of my 2020 butterfly year it was my earliest ever sighting of this species in a year of the only four times now I have ever seen them now. Great moment. 

As we walked on for a third day this year we were astounded by how many male and female Chalkhill Blues were around. They were just absolutely everywhere it was unbelievable. Mini swarms of them even flew at me and landed briefly on my arms they seemed to take a liking to the sun cream we had both put on as my Mum had this too. What a sensational wildlife moment and another very intimate one. It made me so happy. It became one of those utopian days afterwards where I was so in aw and at one with nature and being inspired and happy at everything I was seeing. A Yellowhammer flitting about in the meadows and visible flying Kestrels adding to that. Everything I hoped might happen today did. 

There was one species I knew I had a chance to see butterfly wise which I hadn’t yet this year here, the species we came back to Old Winchester Hill in the first place for in 2018 but saw the skippers instead that day after visiting this place earlier last decade, the Clouded Yellow. We approached at a safe social distance a man watching butterflies, a lovely lady we met at a social distance earlier and had a great brief chat with had told us he was there, and told him about the Silver-spotted Skippers and where they were. I had a strange positive premonition that we were to ask him about Clouded Yellows and one would fly past us all as we were there. We did ask him what he had seen and he said Clouded Yellows. We asked him where and he pointed over the meadow and sure enough one was flying over it! We watched this in delight, getting great binocular views to really see it was a Clouded Yellow with that yellow colour. As we walked down we saw one flying a lot slower than the original and made out it’s distinctive yellow and black edged colour scheme. We saw both flying together battling each other at one point too which is great to see for any species really. The second one landed a couple of glorious times, as did another or maybe the same one we saw on the way back to the car, and we managed to get something quite rare for Clouded Yellow really a photo of them with my macro lens. With so many produced today, 40 in fact a new figure for this year in a day, in a year I continue to take so many pictures, I’m doing the my idea of tweeting most of my pictures and including ten exclusive ones in my blog. The Clouded Yellow of which I only produced one this afternoon I tweeted on my account Dans_Pictures earlier so do take a look at that if you are interested. What another sensational species to be so close to. I was so lucky to see them not always a butterfly I easily see in a year but we now know they can be seen at this part of the reserve a bit more confidently after seeing it ourselves whilst reports on websites etc. are always so valuable. 

This Clouded Yellow took my butterfly year list to 43, taking it one ahead of my 2018 total to confirm it as my second highest ever butterfly year list behind last year’s 45 which ended with Silver-sported Skipper here a year ago Tuesday a day after my first Clouded Yellow of 2019 at Magdalen Hill. This is no less than my 2020 deserves for how amazing it’s been, with the amount of butterflies I saw and how positive it all was because from the spring emergence onwards it was to the harrowing backdrop of the huge impact on our lives the coronavirus had and the lockdown and that. Seeing butterflies were an amazing thing to keep me going during the initial bits of that time. But the restrictions easing to allow slightly further afield travel to exercise happened at the right time for me to luckily see my usual variety of butterflies in years as spring marched on. Then as we hurtled towards summer there was the most notable thing of my butterfly year being how early everything was with my first sighting of nearly every butterfly this year being either my earliest or second earliest ever sighting of one in a year. The whole season was a little ahead. Fitting that the Silver-spotted Skipper was my earliest and Clouded Yellow my third earliest ever sightings of the species in a year. Then through summer the big thing for me I think was the amount of days I saw hundreds of butterflies usually with one lead species but many species together which were exceptional moments and today was definitely in the top four so far for that.

But like the day here last year happiness at this happening at the height of the heatwave was tinged with a little sadness that barring any new butterflies and one I think I’ve probably missed this summer now these will probably be my last additions to my butterfly year list this year. What a quick it seemed but sensational journey I have been on for sure. But I’d have taken 43 before the year began and would have jumped at it when lockdown which was needed made it look like it may be difficult to see many of the usual species this year. The lockdown did prevent us from getting to the Isle of Wight to see if we could see the Granville Fritillaries for the first time since 2013 which we wondered about doing and couldn’t. And I knew I wasn’t gonna go anywhere to see a Northern Brown Argus this year unlike last in Northumberland. So to thus far anyway to only miss one that I could have seen is phenomenal I feel and makes me so happy. So I am just thrilled with how I’ve done and I‘ll now make the most of every single butterfly I see on work lunch breaks and generally at home and at weekends and feel that I am ending one of my most spectacular peak butterfly seasons again well. 

A perfect summer’s day was ended with an afternoon that felt a little like an evening walk at Cadman’s Pool in the New Forest as we safely mixed our lovely local national parks today where my Mum’s husband and Missy to cool off in the water came. It was a nice atmosphere walking through lush green leaves in the summer’s light beside a little stream too. It just felt magical and just like a moment I will always look back on this summer after a brilliant day today. I took the eighth and ninth pictures in this photoset here.

My Mum had also seen a Golden Ringed Dragonfly beside typical New Forest streams they frequent here recently. A dragonfly I still needed to see this year. Sure enough as we walked along the stream here we did see this unmistakable dragonfly dart by. We went on to see a couple more too. This felt great and was another target of mine this summer so it was very satisfying to tick it off that’s four insect targets this weekend I still needed to see going into it and have done what a productive couple of days for wildlife watching on our walks. It was very pleasing to see this species I love and always have dart past us. My 13th dragonfly and damselfly species seen this year I have had some great times with them as well. 

I also saw another of my favourites today a Southern Hawker here a female one on a tree which was nice again one I tweeted a picture of on Dans_Pictures. I had time to do my very last butterfly count of the year walking along here seeing 8 Large White, 4 Gatekeeper, 4 Small White, 1 Holly Blue and also 1 Peacock which was nice adding some real variety of habitats for my counts this year. We saw some nice birds on the walk too most notably two young looking Siskins always a great bird we’re more used to seeing by feeders at Blashford Lakes in winter but are a good bet on the open forest in summer. A brilliant end to a packed and thrilling weekend in the heat and sunshine watching fantastic and precious wildlife I was so happy. Thanks so much for your support and have a great and safe week! I did take the tenth picture in this photoset of more flowers in the garden this evening when home. 

 Wildlife Sightings Summary: (Old Winchester Hill) My first Silver-spotted Skipper and Clouded Yellow of the year, three of my favourite butterflies the Chalkhill Blue, Brown Argus and Red Admiral, one of my favourite moths the Six-spot Burnet, Meadow Brown, Gatekeeper, Small Heath, Large White, Small White, Common Blue, Brown Argus, Brimstone, Yellowhammer, Willow Warbler, Woodpigeon, Kestrel and wasps. (Cadman’s Pool) My first Golden-ringed Dragonfly of the year, another of my favourite dragonflies the Southern Hawker, Large White, Small White, Gatekeeper, Holly Blue, Peacock, Siskin, Bullfinch I saw one soon after Old Winchester Hill on the way back too I’ve seen a great few these past few days, Robin, Blackbird, Carrion Crow and Canada Goose. Nice to see some ponies there with a foal too. We also saw adorable baby donkeys on the way in from the car, and a pig near the road not sure if this is out to pannage yet with the year generally ahead of its so where commoners turn out pigs in autumn to gorge on acorns something I always love I doubt it but nice to see anyway. 

DARING DO and the ADVENTURE of the X'IBIAN VASE! : MLP Fan Fiction : Part 12 of 21

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Daring Do

and the Adventure of the X'ibian Vase!

by

De Writer (Glen Ten-Eyck)

And

Carmen Pondiego

Cover Art by

Doctor Dimension

52630 words

© 2015 by Glen Ten-Eyck

Writing begun 08/26/15

All rights reserved.  This document may not be copied or distributed on or to any medium or placed in any mass storage system except by the express written consent of the author.

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After they ate, the charcoal was carefully put out and the ashes and unburned parts were stored to a tightly close metal can.  Daring Do gave Jeremy a hard look.

“You passed my questions on what you just studied.  You failed entirely on lesson retention.  You were willfully rude to my friends, whose help we do need.  You were warned of the necessity for courtesy by Qushi Han Le, and later by me as well.  Courtesy is necessary to survive here.

“As promised, you will walk for the next hour.”

She and Soree were allowed to mount to their carrying saddles and Sang He’s herd got to their big padded hooves.  Sang He inquired, “Would you please continue telling us of your adventure on the Forgotten River?”

Soree leaned forward eagerly in her saddle and asked, “Please do, Daring Do!  How did it come to be called the Forgotten River if it was so large?”

Jeremy was about to grumble about something again when the voice of the dromedary behind him, the one that had carried him, cut across his potential blunder.  “If you have complaint of me, Insect, my name is Sehang Shu.  If you do not have complaint, please be silent so that I may hear Doctor Do and learn more of the Forgotten River.  I, at least, wish to learn while we travel.”

Daring Do glanced back at Jeremy and nodded.  She answered Soree, “The region was not found and explored by ponies from Equestria until about six hundred years ago. An early cartographer, working from written notes forgot to put it into his map!  

“Another map maker gleefully put out his own edition with the river in it and labeled it the Forgotten River of Gulio Anponi!”  The name Forgotten River stuck because the joke made it memorable.”

Jeremy actually joined into the laughter provoked by the tale.  Then his brow furrowed in thought. “May I ask a question, Doctor Do?”

“Certainly, Jeremy.  What is it?”

“If Equestria was made by the Creator Titans to be a home to ponies everywhere, why are there so many ruins and abandoned civilizations in almost impenetrable jungles or deserts like this one?”

From behind Jeremy, where she was following to encourage him to keep pace, Sehang Shu asked, “You really do not know?  Doctor Do, may I educate the Insect?”

Daring Do glanced back, giving Sehang Shu a slit eyed look as she replied, “Please do, Sehang, but only if you can extend to him the courtesy that you properly demand. His name is Jeremy.”

Sehang Shu bowed her head the bow of equals and replied, “It shall be so.

“Jeremy, this was not a desert when the X'ibian Empire was founded.  The civilizations abandoned to other forms of wilderness were not poorly placed either.  The various forms of desert and jungle that overwhelmed them all came from a single source.

“Your Equestria.  These disasters of climate that forced ponies world wide to abandon ancestral homelands occurred because your Princesses Celestia and Luna fought the Nightmare Wars.  Weather was one weapon used by both sides.

“Meaning only to battle each other, they disrupted the weather patterns of the whole world.  After the Wars were over, your Princess Celestia had the Weather Authority created to fix Equestrian weather.  It grew into Cloudsdale.”

Jeremy thought that over before asking, “Sehang Shu, why didn’t other places set up Weather Authorities too?”

The big dromedary answered, “Eventually, most of them did.  The weather disasters destroyed more than crops.  Civil authority and entire civilizations collapsed. Whole populations migrated over large distances, seeking safe new homes.  Wars were fought over the best lands.  It took what became the Chineighese Empire over two hundred years to re form.  Their Imperial Weather Authority uses this hot, high desert part of X'ibia as a driver for their famous controlled monsoon system.

“Most of what was lost, world wide, has been replaced by later civilizations that formed in better locations.  Thus, we now have the abandoned cities and many ruins that Doctor Do is such an authority on and you know why they are now in such awkward places.”

Jeremy bowed his head and replied, “Thank you, Sehang Shu.  I nearly failed the class in Ethnological Geography.  I could not see why it was important.  You have just showed me why I need to re take it and do better.”

Daring Do and Soree overheard and shared a nod of satisfaction.

Sehang Shu looked down and bowed a bow of equals to Jeremy.  “Really, Jeremey?  If you will have me as an instructor, I will be pleased to teach you.”

The surprised Jeremy nearly stumbled on a stone as he replied, “I would be honored.  How much do you know of it?  You have clearly showed me that you know more than I.”

Sehang Shu bowed the bow of one more highly placed.  “I have had the honor of a degree in Ethnographical Geography.  It was granted by the Imperial College of Bejin How after completing courses taught by extension from the Equestrian Royal University.  Doctor Do was my favorite instructor.”

Jeremy looked shocked at first, then gave the rest of the herd a careful inspection.  Eyebrows raised in surprise, he inquired, “All of you?”

Sehang Shu nodded.  “All of us.  At least one degree in something.  On long desert nights we have little else to do.  We used to and still do sing and sometimes dance. We tell tales.  Now we study and try to explain what we are studying to our herd mates.  It is fun.”

Quietly Sehang Shu made a low, carrying tone, modulated in a way that Jeremy could not grasp at all.

Sang He replied, “We see them, Sehang.  They have given the counter sign to Doctor Do.  They are the Ancient Guardians, joining us at a distance.  When we pause for next rest, give them Port Arms.”

Jeremy recognized that as meaning, “We will fight with you,” from his recent lesson on X'ibian weapons courtesy.

Letting things go because they were no longer a threat, Sehang Shu suggested, “To assist your study by pointing it at both parts of interest, and your known weaknesses, we could make our study a colloquium.  Is that satisfactory?”

“That sounds great, Sehang Shu!”

She knelt.  “I know that your hour of walking is not up, Jeremy, but it will be easier for us to decide the subjects and order of them if you are riding.  Please mount your saddle.  We will be able to hear each other far better.”

Up in the front of the caravan, Soree’s eyebrows shot up in surprise.

~~ ~~ ~~

Fuming at having yet another delay, this one enforced by the simple fact that there were derailed railroad cars blocking the only road out, Tyranny sat in the cab of one of their remaining four trucks.  His rage was covering a far deeper fear.

Robber and Overthrow gave it voice.  “That was close.  If we had been even a few moments slower in freeing him, he would be drowned right now.

“Overthrow, I was talking to the Lock Keeper.  That blue coat and orange mane is very rare here. They are thought to be bad luck.  The dock hand who delayed our unloading was one.  Both the beggar and the pony who handled the barge were, too.  The engine driver who caused this wreck and nearly killed Tyranny was another.”

Overthrow, brow wrinkled in concentration, noted, “You almost make it sound like some malign being or force is aligned against us.”

“I do fear it.  What if Discord has heard of our purpose somehow?  The Dragonequis will not take lightly to being chained by another’s will.”

There was a rap at the truck door.

Robber turned and instantly bowed the bow he had seen done so often.  The bow of equals.  “What may we do for you, good Lock Keeper?”  

Returning the bow, the Lock Keeper asked, “Would you please put the trucks as close to the embankment as possible?  We have a salvage crane coming to lift the car from the river.  It will also retrieve your vehicle at no charge, of course.”  To Robber’s surprise, he was offered a silver cash. He took it without comment, as he had seen the custom done.

He remembered to bow again as he replied, “We shall do as you request at once.”

He went down the line and instructed the two Chineighese drivers, who backed their trucks without incident.  Robber’s truck parked well back safely.  Overthrow backed his, guided by a pony from the work crew.  He accidentally struck the stone rip-rap on the slope.  He left a little paint on the stones but no serious harm to his truck.

Tyranny self-importantly gestured that the way was clear.  The Lock Crew and the River Salvage Team worked carefully for nearly half an hour to get the huge crane off the barge and onto solid dock.  They inched the big crawler up the road only a little way.  Test swings were made to be sure that loads could be placed safely on the flat unloading and staging area.

Robber was watching with a raised consciousness the care and skill being demonstrated. Overthrow was paying close attention to the whole operation.  

Tyranny was watching the slow pace with impatience.  He was muttering, “An Equestrian work gang would be done by now!”

Robber interrupted him.  “Please be quiet.  Some of these Chineighese understand Equestrian.” Tyranny subsided but with ill grace.

Divers went out in boats and surveyed the tangled wreckage.  One slid over the side and returned after an impressive amount of time under on one breath.  A conference followed.  Shortly, the boat returned to shore and returned with a buoy and a set of heavy cables.  The diver made several dives before he was satisfied.  

The boat let the buoy go and returned paying out the cable, with more smaller buoys attached to it.  The crane let down a big hook and the cable was secured to it. The cable pulled taut as the crane lifted the hook.

The rail car pulled toward shore and plunged underwater entirely.  The marker buoy stayed where it was.  When the crane had pulled as far as it could, the cable was secured to it and the hook let down again.  The cable was refastened and the pull repeated.  It took five long pulls for the main part of the rail car to be up more or less under the big crane’s hook.  More cables were wrapped about it and fastened to the hook.  

The crane lifted only a little. Workers shifted the massive load and it was let down while the cables were re set.  Finally, the wrecked rail car was set down on the staging area.

While that was all happening, unnoticed by any, a large blue rat with an orange head was industriously digging away at the already loosened dirt around several stones of the rip-rap wall.  They bore paint scraped off of Overthrow’s truck.

Robber, watching the whole salvage operation with real interest, walked behind their lead truck on his way to look at the damage on the rail car.  Glancing into the back of the truck he muttered, “We need to have that load restacked as soon as we can.  Tyranny just does not understand how to load a truck!”

He went on over and respectfully bowed to the strange pony inspecting the failed coupling on the wrecked car.  “Pardon my asking, but has this sort of failure happened often before?”

The pony looked up from where he was on his back looking up at the fractured metal.  He managed a bow even from that position and replied, “Not in my twenty years of rail incident inspecting.  I have never seen one fail in this fashion and today, in one accident, we have two.  It is very strange and very rare.”

Robber nodded politely and returned to the trucks.  He saw that the crane was now doing its short pulls to retrieve their truck.  It was soon sitting beside the rail car that had turned it into totally twisted and crushed scrap.

Tyranny, seeing the remains of the cab, shuddered.  He would not have had a chance to drown.  They salvaged all that they could from the smashed and broken crates and loaded it into the rearmost truck because it was closest.

The way above, at the crossing, was now cleared.  Tyranny leaped into the cab of the lead truck and fired up the Mage/Tech engine with a roar that shook the whole loading area.  In his impatience, he shoved the throttle over full and released the clutch!  As the truck lunged forward, the blue and orange rat, behind the stones gave a tiny shove.

Stones, bearing the paint of the truck that had scraped into them earlier, fell into the road.  The truck’s front wheel hit a biggish stone and lifted up, tilting the vehicle.  It would not have been a serious angle but for the sound of sliding crates and the thumps of them hitting the truckside!  The truck tilted, almost fell back onto its wheels!  The still driving rear wheels combined with Tyranny’s panicked steering pushed it past recovery.  The big truck teetered, falling onto its side with a screech of tortured metal, a splintering crunch, and the shattering of glass!  

A dazed and bruised Tyranny managed to push open the upper side door and climb out of the overturned vehicle.  The Lock Keeper came up, shaking his head.  He gestured to all three partners to come close.

“I have two things to say. Mister Tyranny, I have observed your driving during this.  This entire accident here and your involvement in the rail accident were both the result of your poor driving.  Your permit to drive on any road of the Empire is Revoked.  The permit please.”  He held out a hoof in a no nonsense way.

Tyranny glumly produced the document.  The Lock Keeper took out a writing kit, inked a brush in red and wrote the character for REVOKED across it.  He added a line of characters bearing his name and work title.  He sealed it with a chop.

After making a copy by regular clerical contagion magic, he returned the revoked permit.  “This will be sent to all road stations and Locks along the Dunn See.  If you are found driving any vehicle, it and all of its contents will be impounded by the State.  If you have broken any of our driving laws or been in an accident regardless of severity, you will be beheaded. Is this clear?”

Tyranny was starting to say something about too severe, but Robber stopped him.  “Tyranny, just yes or no.  Is it clear or not?  You are entitled at this time to understand the consequences.  Nothing else.  You should have looked over those law pamphlets that I gave you.”

The Lock Keeper nodded.  “Very well put Mister Robber.”

“You speak Equestrian?”

“I do.  Does he need the consequences of breaking our law spoken in Equestrian?”

Tyranny glumly replied, “No you don’t, and yes, I do understand.  How does your law handle such a thing?”

Bowing as a superior to an inferior, the Lock Keeper replied, “Your sentence will be made by a local magistrate.  If it is a capital one, it will be reviewed by the District Magistrate within five days, during which you will be kept in confinement.  If the District review goes against you, you will be executed on the spot.  If it does not, your case may still go to the Provincial Magistrate.  A capital case must be heard and decided in seven more days.  That decision will be final.

“One other thing.  You must keep the revoked permit as identification.  It is still valid for that purpose.”

“I see.”  Tyranny sourly replaced his revoked permit in his wallet and put it into his saddle bag.

The Lock Keeper turned to Robber.  “You have been learning much and admitting your errors. One, that was thought to be error or foolishness was not.  My eye drawn by the noise of the truck, I saw it.  The fall of the stones, which would not have been serious to a properly laden or driven truck, was caused by a rat-like creature.  It was blue and had an orange head.

“You are being dogged by a demon or a changeling.  Pray to your ancestors that it is only a demon.  They are easily exorcised and are not too bright. Changelings cannot be exorcised and can be deadly in their mischief.”

~~ ~~ ~~  

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Maintaining Social Distance

A virus threatens everyone’s livelihood, thus forcing a stay in place, self quarantine situation. How long will Mulder and Scully handle being apart?

Late winter-spring  1999 

It had started out innocently, coming into their lives like a quiet whispered warning. 

A memo was sent out that a virus was going around and everyone needed to be vigilant in order to avoid catching and spreading the sickness. A brightly colored page was attached, demonstrating steps to proper hand washing, and how to cover coughs and sneezes. 

Everyone had chuckled and shrugged it off, before getting back to work, making calls and typing up paperwork. 

But within two days, another memo had gone out, stating the seriousness of the virus. Suggestions were made to keep distance from one another and again enforced being vigilant with hand washing and covering coughs and sneezes. 

Two days later, masks were distributed and Mulder looked at Scully with worry in his eyes. Older individuals and those who were  immunocompromised were most at risk. 

Taking his mask, Mulder had grabbed her elbow and pulled her into an empty room. He had stared at her, words trying to form but unable to do so, as his mouth had opened and closed, and he shook his head.

“I’m okay, Mulder,” she had said, squeezing his arm. “Yes, I was ill, but it was different, as you know. I’m okay.” 

He had taken a deep breath, his hand going to the back of her neck, his thumb slowly stroking the small scar that lay there. She had smiled and nodded, her hand on his chest. 

Stepping back, he had put on his mask, and then looked down at the one she held in her hand. She had nodded again and put her own mask on before they had left the room.

Another two days later, the bullpen they were in, had been rearranged, stretching out the space between the desks, in order to place distance between each agent. As a result, she had been moved to another room, and neither she nor Mulder had liked that.

The point of separation was to keep their distance and yet, she had been by his desk or he had been by hers more often than would probably be wise. Though they had been masked, it was still wise to stay away from one another. 

They had been through enough quarantines in the past six years to know the drill, but this felt different. His eyes on her as he had stood in the doorway,  checking on her periodically through the day, made her smile behind her mask.

On the eighth day, a day Mulder would later call the new day of rest, they had been told to go home and stay in place. Gathering up paperwork, any open cases that could be worked at home, they had left the office, still masked, and walked to their cars.

They had stood in front of her car and stared at one another. He removed his mask, his mouth moving as though to speak, but the words had not come out.

Grasping his forearms, she nodded, her mask still in place as she got in her car and drove away.

She had stopped at the grocery store on her way home, stocking up on enough food to last for at least two weeks.

That night, she had called Mulder to be sure that he had done the same, not relying on takeout delivery, in case the person coming to his apartment was infected with a virus they were all hoping to avoid.

“No, Scully, I was smart and went to the store,” he had said and she heard him sigh. “Are you okay in there, Scully?” She had smiled, remembering him asking her that years ago, in a different type of quarantine situation. 

Her next phone call had been to her mother, to be sure she had enough supplies to last her for a few weeks, if the greater D.C. area was going to be on a lockdown. 

“Dana, you know how stocked my cupboards always are, no matter that it’s just me here now, you know I tend to overbuy,” her mother had said, reassuring her she was okay. 

Breathing a sigh of relief, Scully had gone to bed, with at least a small weight lifted. 

It had now been two days of, for lack of a better word, self quarantine. Everyone was in their homes, staying in place to slow down the spread of the virus. 

Deciding that the time at home could be used wisely, she worked on the open paperwork that needed to be finished, crossing that off the list early

The cases in front of her did not interest her at the moment, her brain racing too quickly, wanting to help but not knowing what to do. The news was on constantly, playing in the background, causing her to shake her head and sigh as she paced around the apartment.

The phone rang, and she smiled, knowing that it would be Mulder calling for the fourth time that day. Being cooped up was not something that ever worked out well for him. He was a ball of energy most of the time and now being stuck inside, it was like trapping a rat in a maze. 

“Scully, I’ve finished this paperwork, cleaned out my desk drawers, the fish tank, cleared off the coffee table, and did two loads of laundry. How much longer will we be inside?” he said with a sigh and she heard him falling heavily on the couch. 

“Mulder,” she sighed, sitting on her own couch and muting the television, although her eyes remained on the screen. “You don’t have to stay inside your apartment. You can go out and take a walk, or go for a run even. You just need to be aware and keep your distance from other people.” 

“Might as well stay inside then,” he grumbled, and she laughed. “So, how much have you gotten done today? I’m sure that you have plans to organize things over there.” She chuckled again, thinking of all the things she could do, now that she had the spare time. 

“There are things I could get to and ohh.. I do have some medical journals I’ve been meaning to read,” she said, leaning forward and unearthing them from the two magazines she had bought at the store the other day.

“Wow. You’re really living it up over there, Scully,” he said and she could practically hear him roll his eyes. She smiled and leaned back on the couch with the medical journal on her lap.

“It may not be something you enjoy, but I do. So although the situation we find ourselves in is not great, I will take the time I have been given to catch up on my reading,” she said, watching the television with a sigh. She heard snoring and she laughed. 

“What? Sorry… I must have dozed off there,” he said, putting on a tired voice. She rolled her eyes and sighed again. 

“Okay, I’ve heard you, Doctor Scully. Maybe I’ll try to run some of this energy off, as long as you say it’s safe.”

“I do. Just keep your distance.” 

“Not a problem here. Talk to you later.” 

“I’m sure I will.” 

He laughed and they hung up. She smiled as she set the phone down and soon became engrossed in the medical journal, completely losing track of time. 

The phone rang beside her, causing her to jump, her heart racing. Shaking her head, she licked her lips and let out a breath. 

“Scully.” 

“Hey, Scully. It’s me.” 

“I thought you were going for a run?” she asked, setting the journal down, and standing up to stretch. 

“Uhh… I did. I am. Uhhh… do you want to go for a walk?” 

“What?” 

“Keeping our distance, of course.” 

“Mulder, where are you?” 

“Look outside.” 

She stood up and walked to the window looking through the blinds to find him standing in the middle of the street staring up at her apartment. He smiled and waved with a shrug of his shoulders. 

“Mulder, you ran all the way here?” she asked, staring down at him. 

“Not the whole way. It was quite far.” He smiled and shrugged again. She sighed and let the blinds go with a quiet clatter. “Bring a jacket, it’s cold out.” She smiled as he hung up and she went to get dressed. 

Walking outside, she took a deep breath of cool fresh air, as she went down the stairs to meet him in the street. She stopped on the curb, keeping the designated amount of distance away from him.

“Hey,” she said with a smile.

“Hey.” He smiled back and turned to his left, walking down the middle of the street.

They walked in silence for a couple of minutes, glancing at each other every so often. Finally, she could not stand it any longer and she stopped, turning to face him.

“You know, it’s about ten miles from here to your place, right?” she asked him, a smile tugging at her lips.

“I did know that, yes. I know it even more now.”

“No, I think you’ll know it when you get home,” she said, the smile now covering her face.

“I can’t disagree with that,” he said, smiling at her and cracking his neck. She laughed and they continued to walk down the street, still keeping the recommended distance between them.

They did not talk much, smiling at each other more than anything else, happy to see one another, even though it had only been two days, and they had spoken many times in between. 

Her hands were beginning to get cold when they circled back toward her apartment. 

She stood on the curb and he stood in the street with a smile. Giving her a nod, he stepped back and waved. 

“See you tomorrow, Scully,” he said and she scoffed. 

“Seriously? I think you’ll change your mind once you wake up in the morning and your muscles are screaming at you,” she teased. 

“Nah, I’ll see you tomorrow,” he said with a shake of his head and waved again, heading to the left and beginning to run. She smiled and shook her head, heading up the stairs and into her apartment. 

The self quarantine and staying in place continued for the next three weeks. She called and checked up on her mother every other day, discussing what they had done or the lack thereof, laughing at past memories and catching up on what they would do when they were able to live as they had less than a month ago.

Every day though, she would put on her tennis shoes, load up a backpack with water bottles, some snacks, two blankets, and leave her apartment to meet up her with Mulder.

Nearly ten miles was far for only one of them to travel, so they had decided to meet in the middle, which happened to be a public park with benches that were facing one another, but far enough apart that they would not be breaking any rules set out by the CDC. 

Mulder had taken to calling their times together, Ravioli Meetings.  

“Because we are meating in the middle. Meat. In the middle. You get it, Scully?” he had said, a huge grin on his face, laughing at his own joke. She had rolled her eyes and smiled as he winked at her. 

Laughing as she zipped up the backpack and set out, she thought of the last couple of weeks and how much she looked forward to meeting up with him. It seemed strange to look forward to them as much as she did, considering she had seen him on a regular basis, every day for the past six years. 

However, when they were told they had to stay away from one another, it made the need to see the other even greater. 

She blushed as she thought of Agent Michael Sprout and his partner Agent Lori McKay, knowing without a doubt, that neither of them were meeting up in parks, talking about nothing as they ate together, or simply walked around; being together, yet keeping a distance between them.

She knew what others said about her and Mulder and normally she brushed it off. She knew the truth about them, but she wondered what the rumor mill would have to say about their almost clandestine meetings that were taking place during the weeks of the quarantine. There was nothing nefarious and yet she knew what others would think if they saw them. 

Shaking her head, she picked up the pace, not caring what others would say. Mulder was her friend, in fact he was pretty much her only friend, and she would have missed not seeing him every day. He was not far, it was good exercise for both of them, and it broke up the monotony of their days, so why the hell should she be worried about what others would possibly think?

When she arrived at the park, she found that Mulder was not there yet. Looking around, she thought perhaps he was close by, as he was usually there first, surprising her as he was almost always running late for everything. 

Shrugging, she set the backpack down on her bench and unzipped it, taking out the blankets she brought with her. Laying one on his bench, she added a bottle of water and the snack container she had brought for him, it being her turn to do so. 

Sitting down, she glanced at her watch, thinking she had possibly gotten their ravioli time mixed up. No, it was their usual time, and he was still not there. Worry began to set in, and she took out her phone, about to dial his number, when she heard him calling her name. 

Turning her head, she saw him waving at her, still some feet away. He jogged over with a happy smile and she saw he had a deli bag in his hand. 

“Hey, sorry. I thought I would get something extra even though I know it’s your turn. I pass by this deli each day and the bread smells so delicious, it kills me not to go in and grab something. Today, I changed that and got us each a little treat.” He took his own food out and then set the bag on his bench and backed away. 

She stood up with a smile and picked up the bag, walked over to her bench, and they each sat down. Opening the bag, she smelled bell peppers and she closed her eyes, already knowing what he had bought for her: a bagel egg sandwich. 

Unwrapping it, she took a bite, as it warmed her hands. He grinned as he watched her and she smiled back as she chewed. They were silent as they ate their bagels, the chilly spring air blowing around them. Throwing out their trash, they drank their water and smiled at each other. 

“So, what’s the plan for the day?” he asked, leaning back, his arms along the back of the bench. “What’s set to be organized and arranged today?” 

“Who says I have any plans?” she teased and he stared at her and shook his head. 

“Please. By the time this quarantine is lifted, I won’t recognize your place. You’ve probably moved your bedroom furniture to the second bedroom and rearranged the living room.” She laughed and he smiled. 

“What are your plans, Mulder?” 

“God, so much. I’ve been able to get so much done with all this free time,” he spread his hands wide and she nodded. 

“Uh huh,” she laughed. “I won’t recognize your place, as it will be even more cluttered than usual.” 

He nodded and smiled, sitting forward and sighing, his hands clasped over his knees. Staring at her, he shook his head. 

“How much longer can we live like this?” he asked softly and she sighed, shaking her head. 

“As long as we need to, I guess,” she said with a shrug. 

“I miss you,” he said suddenly, his eyes holding hers. 

“Miss me?” she laughed, thinking he was joking. She waved at him and smiled. “You can’t miss me, I’m right here. You’ve seen me every day.” 

“It’s not the same,” he said quietly. Her breath caught and she swallowed hard. 

“What could you miss? What’s different?” she asked him softly. His eyes widened and he shook his head. 

“So much. Look how far apart we are, for one thing,” he said, gesturing between them. “This is not like us.” She laughed and then quieted as his face remained serious. 

“What else?” she asked, itching to stand up and go to him. 

“Touching you,” he said, his eyes searching her face as her own widened. “Your scent. Your knock at my door. Listening to you snore softly when you fall asleep as we watch a movie.” 

“I… I don’t snore,” she whispered, her heart racing, and breath ragged. He smiled and she let out a breath. Standing up, she shook her head. “You… Mulder… you can’t say those things, Mulder.” 

She started to hurriedly pack up the backpack, putting her water bottle inside along with her snack container, and her blanket. Zipping it up and putting it on her back, she could hear him protesting and saying her name.

“Scully. What are you doing?”

“Mulder,” she said, her head down and her eyes closed. “This quarantine ban is going to lift soon and we will have to go back to life as it was and you saying stuff like that…” Raising her head and opening her eyes, she looked at him. “You can’t say stuff like that. You… you just can’t… I…” 

She started to walk away and he called her name again. She kept walking, scared to turn around and let him see how much his words had affected her. 

They needed to stop these meetups. If this was how it was going to be, with him thinking they were more than they were, then they had to stop. How was she supposed to work with him, in close proximity, when he was telling her that he missed touching her and the way she smelled? 

She missed all of that too; his touch and the scent of him and his cologne. She missed it so much, but she was smart enough not to say it out loud. 

Or was she stupid? 

She shook her head, knowing that she had made the right decision. Cutting off access to one another was also a good decision. It had to be done, as much as she did not want it to be so.  

As she passed an apartment building complex, she heard loud, ear-piercing shouting from all around her. Whipping around, she looked on as people came pouring out of their apartments, crying, laughing, and hugging one another.

“What’s going on?” she asked a man who was standing close to her.

“They lifted the ban! We’re from from the lockdown! They found something that is going to help this virus!” He grabbed her and hugged her, spinning her around in a circle. She laughed as they stopped and felt tears in her eyes. 

Mulder. 

Stepping through the throngs of people who had gathered outside, she hurried back to their benches, hoping Mulder was still there. 

He was gone and suddenly she felt like crying. She had messed everything up, scared of her feelings and worried how things would proceed once they were back to normal. She had pushed him away, when all she really wanted was to pull him close.

People began to pour into the park, dancing, singing, and laughing. She was jostled about, as she turned to head back home, feeling defeated and alone in a larger crowd than she had been in in days. 

Almost to the exact spot where she had heard the ban was lifted, she felt a hand on her shoulder, and she spun around, meeting Mulder’s eyes. 

The blanket she had left for him was hanging over his shoulder, and she watched his mouth do that adorable thing where he could not figure out the words he wanted to say. With a laugh, she flung her arms around his neck and held him tight.

His arms went around her waist, and he lifted her off the ground, spinning her around as they laughed. Setting her down, he looked into her eyes and shook his head. Once again she made the first move, holding his face in her hands and leaning forward to touch her lips to his, softly and hesitantly.

Their kiss deepened, as all around them people shouted and celebrated, singing and laughing, and fireworks even went off, much to the delight of those gathered around. 

Pulling apart, he looked at her and shook his head. 

“What was that nonsense you were saying earlier? About going back to how things were? Because…” 

“Shut up,” she said, reaching out again and kissing him, rising on tiptoes to do so. “That was a very stupid thing to say.” 

“I could have told you that, if you would have stayed and listened,” he said against her lips, before kissing her again, as people continued to celebrate around them, but all they focused on was each other.

______________

2008

“And that’s really how it happened? People were just fine?” 

“Well, it wasn’t an instant miracle, but it sure felt like it at that moment,” Mulder said, smiling at Scully, as she held their five-year-old daughter on her lap. 

“Because you missed Mommy so much?” 

“Exactly.” 

“And you missed Daddy?” she asked, turning to look at Scully with her big hazel eyes that were so much like Mulder’s. 

“That’s right, my sweet.” She kissed the top of her head and smiled at Mulder, remembering the happiness she felt that day. 

“Oh, are you telling that story again?” said a bored voice, as their eight-year-old son came into the room, sighing a big sigh as he sat beside Mulder. “You guys have told me that story so many times, I know it by heart.” 

“Well, we weren’t exactly telling you were we, bud?” Mulder asked, tweaking him on the nose. He laughed and laid his head on Mulder’s shoulder. 

“I guess not.” 

“Mmm-hmm,” Mulder agreed and they all laughed. 

“Did you and Mommy get married right away?” their daughter asked and Mulder shook his head.

“Not right away, no,”  he said, reaching for her and pulling her into his lap, as he put his arm around their son. “It was a very confusing time for a few more days, but we did spend time together.”

Scully stared at him with wide eyes, silently begging him not to tell them what they had spent their time doing. He smirked at her and gave her a small shake of his head.

“Was Mommy’s apartment different when you went in?”

“Not that I noticed at first,” he said, smirking once again at Scully. She shook her head and gave him a warning look. He laughed and kissed the top of both of their children’s heads. “No, there were things that were different in our lives, but the constant between us was the same.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means,” he said, tickling them both. “That sometimes things change, but they can also stay the same. Things with your Mommy and I did change, but they were also the same. She was the one constant in my life and always has been.” He smiled at her with a wink and she smiled back.

“Now, you two monkeys, it’s time for bed.”

“Oh, can’t we just have one more story?”

“Tomorrow, my sweet children. Tomorrow. Now go brush your teeth and we’ll tuck you in.” 

They both scrambled up, shoving each other good-naturedly, as they hurried to the bathroom, arguing over who could be the fastest and be done the quickest.

Mulder stood to his feet, reaching out his hands to help pull Scully to hers. He put his arms around her, pulling her in for a hug, as they listened to their children fight over the toothpaste. They both chuckled and she raised her head to look at him with a smile on her face.

“You know, I know it was a very serious epidemic, but without that virus we wouldn’t have either of them. I know you know that, but…”

“No, we wouldn’t have. There were many factors that went into creating the life that we have now and I wouldn’t change a day,” he said with a smile.

Raising up on her tiptoes, she kissed him; lightly and sweetly, as the sound of two children racing to their bedrooms echoed through the halls. 

“Our little virus babies,” he said with a smile, and she smacked his chest. 

“Don’t call them that,” she said with a laugh. 

“You’re right, I should be more accurate and say virus baby,” he said with a chuckle.

“One of many,” she said with a smirk.

“Yes, but ours was the first one born of the new year, so that makes him very special indeed. Got his name in the paper and everything, didn’t it?” 

She laughed and nodded, pulling him in for another embrace, remembering the day she found out she was pregnant, inexplicably and miraculously. And then the day that miracle was placed upon her chest, exactly at midnight, on the dawn of the new millennium. 

She laughed again and pulled back to look at him, shaking her head. 

“And to think they had wanted us all to practice social distancing,” she said and he laughed with her. 

“Everyone was concerned with having enough supplies, but apparently nobody thought to stock up on condoms,” he said with a laugh and she snorted, dropping her head to his chest, as she laughed with him.

“Mommy! Daddy! Come tuck us in!” 

He kissed her once more and reached for her hand, letting go as they got to the doorway of the kids bedrooms. Smiling, they went to say good night to their children, giving them a kiss and a cuddle each. Crossing in the hall to switch, he stole a kiss, and made her laugh. 

Turning off the lights and closing their doors with one last goodnight, he reached for her hand and pulled her close, dancing her across the hall to their bedroom. 

No distance between them. 

Not ever again. 

Distance [Jungkook x Reader] Part 1

Pairing: Jungkook x Reader

Word Count: 3,468

Genre: Romance, Angst

Warnings: Cursing,

Summary: After being friends with Jungkook for years, you’re finally coming to terms with your on and off feelings about him or so you think. He was a complex man and had been since you were younger. Everyone knew it, but did you know him the way everyone else did? 

Dear Google Docs,

I think I've loved Jungkook since I was fifteen. Over the last five years, I've fallen in and out if love with him, but I've always loved him nonetheless. Maybe I don't really know what being in love is. Maybe it was because of his admiration of me and feeling appreciated made me care for him more than I truly did. I guess I'll never really know.

I'm here because I didn't really know what else to do. I've always enjoyed writing and that's even how I met him. Through a writing outlet on Facebook back then. He was beautiful. One of the most gorgeous men I've ever seen and maybe that's where the initial lust came into play, but was that all it was? I hope not. He made me happy then. He made me confident in a way I'd never admit. Never to him. He had to have known about one of my crushes on him to a point. I wasn't exactly subtle at my young age.

Jungkook had this terrible habit of disappearing and playing it off as if nothing had ever happened. Acting as if he wasn't gone for three months as we were getting older. I've always had this terrible and irrational fear that everything would be over sooner than expected. Wasting days wasn't something I enjoy and it rather irritated me.

He told me he was lonely today and wanted to feel love. So I told him I loved him. I really did, but he didn't know how I meant it I guess. It went like this; “I think I'm lonely.” “I love you.” “I know you do, but it's not the love I need.” “What?” “You love me in a friend way, I need something more.” I was silent.

When he was telling me about his feelings today, it was the first time in years. Jungkook was a private guy and he always liked to keep it that way. After we spoke about the love thing, he told my friend Maeve and I why his ex-girlfriend broke up with him. They’d always been on and off because I’d heard she was a little bit crazy. Kook said that she approached him about a week ago and said that she knew nothing about him. So he told her to come over one night and they could sit up and talk about his life. His feelings. Then after he told her everything, she broke up with him on that spot. She said he was depressed and she didn’t need to be around that.

He claimed that he wasn’t depressed and she was spitting shit, but who was I to know? As much as I knew about him, it was really not too much. He was a private person. I only knew what he wanted me to know. When I was younger my mouth ran a lot and thus he knew- everything. I was open when it came to him and just couldn’t hide shit. He was always there for my whether it be through skype, xbox, or a phone call.

I've been thinking about that moment all day and that's why I'm here. I cracked and needed somewhere to vent to. As much as I enjoy a paper and pen, Google docs was more accessible to my venting needs. How do I explain to a pen and paper that I love a boy I've only met once in person? I guess the same way I do it here, but a little less pathetic. Nobody could ever find this unless I sent it to them, so I'm safe.

After writing down how I felt, I felt even stupider than I had without doing it. I sighed as I closed my laptop, pushing it off to the side of my bed. I grabbed my Xbox controller and it looked like Jungkook was still online playing Sea of Thieves. We’d been playing earlier all together, but I’d gotten off because I hit a point where I couldn’t contain myself around him. I had this constant fear that I’d say something stupid that would scare him off and the thing that sucked was that he had the same fear. Any form of feelings he could spit out, he kept bottled up.

I grabbed my controller and then my headset, plugging the wire into the prior. I hovered his gamertag for a moment. “JEONKOOKIE”  and hit X, inviting him. It took a moment but he joined into the silence. He never said anything when he joined  party, always waiting for the other to say it.

“Hey.” I lead, coughing after I spoke.

“You hoppin’ on? I’ll invite you.” He had this slight excitement in his voice that made saying no so hard, but I didn’t want to sit here sitting in my own feelings with his voice telling me to raise the sails.

“No, no. I just-” I cleared my throat and he made a small eh noise. I was starting to get flustered just by speaking to him. “I just wanted to tell you that you deserve the world. Even if you have to give it to yourself, you know? Unless you-”

“I know.” he was monotone, but I knew he wasn’t annoyed with me. “Thank you, Y/N.”

“Unless yo-”

“I love you, you know that? You’re important to me.” he let out a small chuckled after he spoke and my face burned hot. “What were you saying? Sorry to cut you off.”

“Nothing.” I responded. All I wanted to say was unless you wanted me to give it to you, but that was it. My momentary confidence was gone. Ah fuck. “I’m gonna go.” Without listening for his response, I left the party and threw my controller across the room. All I did was fuck up when it came to him, but it didn’t really matter. Soon we’d go back to not talking constantly and I’d be sad for a week or so, then the feelings would fade away. I knew this for a fact, so why did I constantly fall in love with him? Fuck if I knew.

--

“We should meet up again sometime soon.” He’d said a few days later. The party was silent as it was just the two of us and sometimes it got like that. I didn't particularly like it, but I sat through it in hopes that I could say something to spark a conversation. “I had fun with you guys last time.”

I was on a road trip with Maeve and our other friend Jin, going to see our friend Yoongi for the weekend. We stopped at a rest stop and as we pulled in, I recognized it as the town Jungkook lived in. Naturally, we went to his job to surprise him. Imagine your internet friends showing up during your shitty work day? We thought it would be nice too. Jin had called out his name and we couldn't find him, so we left and decided to call his phone this time.

He didn't pick up, so Jin wrote in the group chat and it turned out he called out of work. Jungkook always had this habit of pushing people off if they came near him, but not this time. He came and met up with us. We waited in Maeve car and I was anxious. I really was. What if he wasn't as excited as me? What if our awkward silences transitioned to real life? My heart stopped as I looked around the parking lot and spotted him. As my obnoxious self would, I honked the moment he stepped into his car and I never thought a smile could make my heart drop.

Jin ran out of the car and the two hugged for a good while, as you do. Other than Maeve, our whole friend group lived around the country from each other. We only got to see each other if we traveled and it was nice to say the least. After Jin had picked him up and spun him with a laugh, Jungkook pulled away and turned his attention towards me. He had this big goofy smile on as his arms snaked around my frame and held me tight. I’d had dreams about this moment and for it to be coming true was eye opening.

I'd always figured Jungkook was someone that took good selfies and was kind of cute in person. He was the most attractive guy that I’d ever had the pleasure of meeting. As we sat around eating lunch, Maeve couldn't stop herself from texting me about how fucking hot he was and I just nodded.

“Yeah, that'd be fun. It's just a little far.” I played it off as if him wanting to see me wasn't music to my ears.

“We can meet halfway if you wanna. Six Flags is between us.” I could hear hear him smiling as he dropped anchor in our game. “We could have a fun day there.”

“Are you going on the vacation this Summer? Everyone is going to Namjoon’s to meet his daughter.”

“It's a bit of a stretch, but we could drive down together.”

“It's a twelve hour drive.”

“I like driving.”

“I like- driving. I like driving.” Real smooth. “So you're going to drive here and then we can drive there?”

“Looks like that's the plan, lovely.”

--

Dear Google Docs,

I really think I love him this time. We're driving together to the dumb squad vacation I didn't really want to go on. Being the only girl with them gets to be a little much. Yes, Emma was gonna be there and Claire as well, but ones a baby and the other doesn't like me too much. Emma was always uneasy with me, even if I haven't even met Namjoon in person. She seems sweet, I'll never hold her to the jealousy she felt for me.

So far out of the seven of them, I’d met Jin, Yoongi, Jungkook, and Jimin in person. I'd taken vacations with Jin and Yoongi. I had lunch with Jungkook and I’d spent five minutes with Jimin. It turned out the two of us were at the same anime convention and neither of us knew all weekend until the last day. He’d found the hall I was in and came to give me a big hug and took a selfie with me. It was a little awkward, but it was cute.

Back to the problem at hand. I think I'm going to need to get a second job up until we go away in two months. I need new everything to wear there, especially since we were going to be at a beach. I had to work out and shop, which means  more money than I’m making for a little bit. I guess I'll to job hunting tomorrow before I go to my job now. I hope it's worth it.

--

“Where have you been, Y/N?” Jungkook asked about two weeks later when we finally caught each other on Xbox. He worked the hours of my normal job, so we used to be able to play together right when we got home. Now, after that job I went straight to the night job and didn't get home until his Overwatch team started their nightly skrims. It meant absolutely no time to play with him, but that was alright. It was bound to happen anyways.

“Working a lot, you know me.” I laughed it off and opened up my game. “You ready?”

“Oh, I’ve been ready, baby.”

--

Dear Google Docs,

Today when I opened my group chat I saw a message from Jimin that said I was all talk. I wasn't too sure what I meant, but I knew the group chat with seven tight knit guys and myself wasn't the place to ask. So, when I got on Xbox with Jungkook I did and he said it was because I was a flirt. He went on to say that I've always been like this and mentioned I'd been flirting with him lately. Was I obvious?

We started the conversation as we both set Sea of Thieves to update, but it’s a big patch. He came back for a moment after getting a phone call and said he was going to take a shower. On one hand I hope he forgets about this conversation, but on the other I want to know where this talk could go. So, I’m writing this while waiting to come back.

I also realized I have another fear. What if when we get bored of this game, we go back to not talking as much? I guess I’d really have to wait to find out.

I closed google docs and instead of my laptop, I ended up scrolling through all of my social media as I waited. My anxiety wasn’t as bad as I expected, but I was still a little bit nervous. Also angry. And cold. Fuck. I heard his headset unmute and a quick breath. Luckily, he forgot.

“You know,” he cleared his throat a few minutes later as we sat on the ship, waiting out a storm that would definitely destroy our small ship. “I kinda like the attention you've been giving to me.” I knew he'd been lonely, especially since his ex. “It feels nice.”

“I wish I spoke to you more.” I admitted. “I just always feel like I'm annoying you.”

“You don't annoy me- Just your choices sometimes do.” he muttered, “You never annoy me.”

“The last really annoying thing I did was two years ago.” I responded, dwelling on my poor boy choices. The boys had introduced me to this boy named Kihyun who definitely admired them. In the Facebook writing community they were basically idolized and I just kind of faded along. I'd fallen quickly for Kihyun. He liked me a lot too, I thought. He lived fairly close to me and we even met up twice. He was my first kiss.

It turned out he'd been using me to get to my friends, or so we figured. He had this big thing where he didn't want to date me and played it off. The guys constantly asked if he was talking to other girls and he denied it, but we later found out he was. I see his name pop up sometimes and this little part of me wants to message him and apologize even though I probably didn't do anything wrong. It was a filler arc that went on for too long. Sometimes I still got upset about it and confided in Jin for some reason. Everytime he kind of made me feel bad about it and I got over it quick enough. “He was in my dream last night.” I finished.

“Ew, ugh, don't mention him.” Jungkook scoffed, a disgusted tone to his voice.

“Don't you talk to him? He fucking sucks your d-”

“Just drop it.”

--

Dear Google Docs,

Today I realized how different Jungkook had become after her. He gets angry easier. She texted him while we were talking yesterday and I could hear his attitude sinking. She wanted him to look for a makeup brush she thought she left there and he asked to know what it looked like. She got mad that he “never can do anything she asks” and he just got angry. He swore every minute and just bitched and bitched.  I felt bad, but what could I do? He got off right after that.

I'm worried.

--

I woke up at a good morning text today from Jungkook. It had a heart next to it and I couldn’t help but to find myself blushing at the thought that he thought of me. I’d gotten messages like this from him before, but it almost felt different. Whenever we went through our periods of talking he as like this. Maybe it was because he knew I thought that I annoyed him all of the time and he did this to ease me.

--

Dear Google Docs,

I think this document is so important to me because it's mine. Normally I'll vent on my private social medias, but my friends still can see my posts along with people I've never spoken to that may follow me. I was always fine with that, but I've felt kind of embarrassed about this Jungkook issue. Was it just in my head? Any friend I've spoken about this with thinks he has feelings to me but they don't- well, know him.

Kookie likes to fuck around. He was one of the sweetest guys I knew but he loved attention and loved being able to say he had someone wrapped around his fingertips. Kinda fucked up. It seems he was a little different now after her. To my knowledge, he wasn't truly about that anymore, but what did I know?

--

We haven't truly spoke in days at this point. Between us both working and whatever was going on with him it was rare that we even exchanged messages. It wasn't exactly hurting me, but more so leaving me in a state of confusion. Did he care the way I did or were they pity messages? All I knew was that I needed my anxiety to stop fucking around with me and let me continue normally. I didn't need this cloud surrounding me and bringing me down. I just had to work and focus.

--

I’d woken up to a message from him this morning that read, “Summer is only a month away.” It was sent at 4:33 in the morning. Why was he thinking about that so early? I went to work and the message didn't leave my head. I’d forgotten to respond to him in my rush and got another message an hour later that read, “I’ll plan everything, don’t worry. I’ll pick you up and it’ll be smooth sailing, baby.” Yeah. Real smooth.

--

Dear Google Docs,

He messaged me “You know what man. You haven't asked me to be a pirate in a while. I'm starting to feel some type of way.”  What the fuck is that supposed to mean? I asked 2 days ago and his replies have been scarce so I decided I shouldn't ask anymore. I didn't want to be annoying and I told him that. His response was “Never. I always want you to annoy me about being a pirate.” My heart fluttered, but I couldn't bring myself to respond with something cute so instead I said “Are you sure?” What a fucking idiot.

--

“I'm glad we have this game.” Jungkook sounded like he was smiling a week before we went away at 1 am. “I always wanna play with you but-”

“But?” I could feel my voice slipping as my eye drooped. I was exhausted, but I couldn't turn down an invite from him.

“You just play shitty games, Y/N.” he laughed hearing my breath stop for a second. I was so tired I couldn't even think of a retort in the moment. “Turn a little more west.”

I listened as I steered the ship while he basically did everything else. “I can't believe I have to drive for 12 hours in a week.” I sighed, dreading the journey. The longest car ride I'd been on was 9 hours and I hadn't even been the one driving.

“But you'll have me.” he basically sang. I was caught off guard by the cuteness of it and cleared my throat. “Back and forth, you'll have me.”

“Are you gonna talk to me though?” I joked with him. “You can't leave me on read or unopened if we're both in the car.”

“Well, we won't be texting, first off.” he almost sounded offended but, I think it was fake. “Maybe I'll be breathless if I stare at you for too long, gorgeous, but that's it. The only thing keeping us from talking.”

“Shut up.”

--

I'm leaving tomorrow for this vacation. I quit my second job, I bought clothes, and I'm excited. Being with all of my close friends for a week sounds like the break I deserve. So, I decided the best way to spend my night was to play some good ole Xbox. Jungkook happened to be on, but his attitude was different. He was normal Kook, but he just kinda kept yelling and was getting frustrated easier than normal. Nothing too serious, but he was being an ass.

“Why are you so mean today?”

“She came over yesterday and slept over and had sex with me so I'm kinda heartbroken.”

“Ah.”

“You know, even though I'm not enjoying my day, I'm enjoying my time with you.”

“Heart heart.”

“Heart heart.”

--

Dear Google Docs,

I don't think I can love him the way I want to.

A/N - hello and welcome to my sadness!! I hope you enjoyed & please let me know what you think in replies or messages! I’m super nervous about this story bc it’s very personal and i highkey need to know what everyone thinks before i continue writing. it’s gonna get a lot worse from here, boys. i can tell you that. heart heart xx

First fiction writing after I moved into Scotland. Trying to adapt myself to all the new environment. Still excited for all new things ahead of me~ Wish y’all doing great

Clawhauser: Ah geez, this looks bad. This looks bad! It’s not good at all!

Finnick: Quiet down, Spots… Seriously, do I really have to do this recap sequence thing?

Clawhauser: Judy and Nick are going through hardships. They aren’t available right now... Besides, I don’t wanna do this alone.

Finnick: Isn’t there somebody else who would like to fill in?

Clawhauser: There is… but I’d rather not work with him… at least for now.

Finnick: Fine… Previously on Zoomorphia, after nonstop teleportation tired our fuzz bunny out, Slick suffered from mysterious hunger. He chowed down so much his belly puffed up.

Clawhauser: Poor thing…

Finnick: I agree. He got so fat I pitied his pants! Hahaha… Just so you know, I don’t have anything against fat mammals.

Clawhauser: Don’t worry. As a matter of fact, I’m not fat… I’m fluffy~ Anyway, thank you for calling Judy. She really did calm Nick down easily.

Finnick: They went out to fight the Savages afterwards. Fluff talked on the phone before they transformed right? Where did her phone go after that?

Clawhauser: That’s what I always ask! But the important issue here is that they two as Hybrid got badly injured by the bull monster. What will happen!? Will Judy be okay!?

Finnick: Find out in this chapter. Chapter 15

Fanfiction.net

.-.. . - .----. ... / -.-. --- -. - .. -. ..- .

“Judy! Judy!” Nick got off the sofa in haste after Judy, catching him off guard and detransforming, sent his mind back to his own body.

Experiencing fatigued like always, he collapsed on Finnick’s apartment floor, baffling his old pal, Finnick, and the feline friend, Clawhauser.

“Judy… Judy...” He continued calling to her while crawling wearily before he realized how to deal with the pesky tiredness. He then moved his paw down to push the syringe on his morpher, injecting the blood.

“Nick! What’s wrong!?” Clawhauser kneeled down next to Nick.

“You keep saying Fluff’s name. What’s happening to her?” Finnick tried to help the fox up despite his height.

Nick, finally regaining his strength, stood up slowly. Nevertheless, he was still suffering from discomfort in his overstuffed belly.

“We as Hybrid were gored right in stomach and Judy detransformed before the wound can be properly healed. And now, she-... she is enduring all the pain alone...” He said with fear.

“I’ll call an ambulance.” Clawhauser, still kneeling, was dialing his phone.

“How will we explain to doctors and nurses what caused her stab wound?” Finnick jumped and snatched Clawhauser’s phone from his paw, “Hybrid secret would be put at risk.” thinking that others would have doubts about why Judy’s wound looked like she got stabbed with horn and it was the same spot as Hybrid’s, which could lead to drawing connections.

“But Judy’s life is at stake right now!” Clawhauser tried to take his phone back.

Meanwhile, Nick felt that the pain in his stomach cannot be compared with the pain of the stab wound from the bull Savage’s horn. Although he experienced that stab wound pain while being Hybrid whose body was fairly stronger than average mammals, he could not imagine how much pain the doe rabbit felt at the moment.

He was racking his brain trying to think of what he should do, how he could save his dear bunny friend, but he then came up with an idea.

- .-. . -- -... .-.. .. -. --.

The injured unconscious gray European rabbit was lying prone not far from the corner of one building in the downtown, breathing weakly.

“I’ve found her.” Bolt in the Alaskan tundra wolf disguise jumped from rooftop to rooftop until he was able to locate Judy’s whereabouts.

“Retrieve her at once! We can’t afford to lose one or the other of Hybrid.”

Bolt heard Mittens speaking through their private wireless communication system installed in him.

“Tell me about it.” Bolt was going to go down to save the doe. Since he was unable to switch on or change into his silver chrome form, he planned to go down the stairs like a normal mammal.

However, when he was turning back, about to head to a stairwell of the building, he caught a glimpse of a black limousine coming to a halt around the corner. Hence, he turned his face back swiftly to get a good look.

A large polar bear, wearing a dark suit with two vertical blue stripes on each sleeve, got out of the limo. He looked around before he showed a thumb up signal. Subsequently, another similar-looking polar bear charged out the limo to the unconscious bunny. He picked her up fast yet carefully. After both bears got back in the luxury vehicle hurriedly, it departed immediately.

“Mittens!!” Bolt shouted, nonplussed by what he had just witnessed, which seemed as if Judy was kidnapped by the shady polar bears.

“I’m on it.” In the motorhome, Mittens was hacking into traffic cameras in order to track down where the limousine was heading to.

“There’s no way you can catch up with that car unless you transform. Retreat!” She sounded irritated as if she reproached him for not allowing her to check his arm earlier.

Some time later, Bolt returned to the motorhome on the outskirts of Savanna Central as he was told by his wildcat friend. Once he opened the door, he crossed his arms above his head to defend himself from an attack of Mitten’s paper fan because he thought that she would still be mad at him and wait for him.

Nonetheless, there was no loud noise that usually happens whenever she slaps him with her trustworthy fan.

“Come in. I don’t have all day to play around.” Mittens, sitting at a computer, was occupied in tracking down the limousine racing down the road.

As a result, Bolt entered the motorhome carefreely. However, he was then slapped loudly at the back of his head.

“Oh, my stars and garters! This thing is a fantastic stress reliever!”

He looked back at a owner of an electrifying deep voice. The mammal, holding the paper fan behind him, was a black sloth bear in round glasses, a yellow Hawaiian shirt and blue shorts with white linings.

“Thank you for doing me a favor.” Mittens sneered.

“Hi Professor” Bolt smiled sheepishly, believing his wildcat friend must ask the sloth bear to hit him for her.

Professor threw the fan in his paw lightly on a close by couch. “Gimme your arm”

The Alaskan tundra wolf took off his jacket and stuck his right arm out to the bear.

“Voilà” He fixed the stuck zipper in no time.

“Shut the front door!” Bolt got shocked to see how easily he fixed it.

“Go sit at the table.” Professor led the wolf to sit on one of the two couches that were placed opposite each other with the table in the middle. Moreover, these couches in addition to other stuffs in the motorhome were clearly meant for larger mammal. Thus, there was plenty of space.

Rhino the lemmings, who had already sat on the couch that Bolt went to sit on, climbed up to seat himself on the couch rest.

On the other hand, “I can’t leave my computer yet but I’m listening.” Mittens said, working hard on her task.

“Okay, let’s cut to the chase, shall we?” Professor, sitting opposite to Bolt and Rhino, leaned forward, laying clasped paws on the table.

“Currently, as we speak, we have zero clue whether Ms. Hopps is dead or alive. The worse case is she’s goner by now, which means there’s nothing we can do.” Professor informed.

All three other mammals fell silent. Shortly, he continued. “Conversely, if it turns out she survives…, that would be a great news but!” He emphasized the word. “Can we be certain that next time or next fight, everything’s gonna be alright?”

“Bolt will be there to help-”

“I hate to burst your bubble, but even I ain’t sure if something like this happens again to either of them, I will be able to save them...” Bolt cut in while Rhino was speaking in an optimistic tone.

Professor, who was also thinking the same thing, became less worried when he saw that Bolt himself was fully aware. “We can’t afford to risk that couple’s lives.”

“Couple?” Bolt and others were confused by who professor referred to. Even Mittens turned away from the computer screen to react.

“Y’know, Officer Wilde Hopps”

“As far as I’m concerned, they don’t have… a thing.” Mittens said to professor, taking an interest in bunny fox officers’ affair more than her task.

“See, Mittens! I’m not only one here who misunderstood!” Rhino yelled.

“We don’t have time to argue.” The annoyed wildcat got back to work on her computer, pretending to act mature by focusing on her tracking task.

“Anyhow” Professor got out of the couch, turning to the computer screen. “As soon as Mittens can locate Hopps, go to check on her straight away. And if she’s safe,... you know what to do… in order to diminish the risk.” He looked at Bolt out of the corner of his eyes.

... .- ...- . / - . ... - / ... ..- -... .--- . -.-. - …

It felt as if she was sinking down into the silent and pitch-black ocean alone. Her body also felt heavier and colder to the point that it was difficult to move. She saw nothing but a darkness.

Out of the blue, the light glowed bright above her from a distance. She then reached out to the glow, yet it was too far away.

Subsequently, a warmness touched her right paw before her body was dragged up to the light.

Following that, Nick grinned, holding Judy’s right paw tighter after her fingers flicked. She had been fallen into deep slumber on a sickbed size of which was for someone her size as the IV infusion was put in her left arm.

Once Judy woke up, opening her eyes slowly, Nick “Judy!!” called her name with the greatest pleasure.

At that time, it was late evening in Tundratown, at Mr. Big’s house to be exact. The limo which took Judy away from Downtown and Finnick’s van were parked in a garage belonged to the infamous old Arctic Shrew. Besides, Hybrid Police form’s black hatchback sports car with white doors and a pair of sirens on the top was kept in this garage among Mr. Big’s luxury cars.

Nick decided to contact Mr. Big earlier for help because there were only a few mammals who knew about Hybrid’s secret and gave them support, not to mention had enough private health resources in his house since his men sometimes cannot be admitted to normal hospitals as a result of his mafia business.

Clawhauser and Finnick were sitting quietly on leather sofas while waiting in such a fancy sombre living room for any Judy’s condition updates. The plump cheetah officer in civilian clothing was tense with fear to be surrounded by intimidating polar bears, whereas his small fennec fox friend appeared rather relaxed.

He peeked at a large and probably the most intimidating polar bear who has thick eyebrows and a fat neck and wore a black business suit over a black turtleneck along with two golden necklaces, believing that this polar bear must be Mr. Big, the most feared crime boss in the icy Easternmost district of Zootopia. He had heard of him before but got shocked when he learned that his friend Nick had a connection with the crime boss, wondering why a mafia helped a cop like Judy willingly.

Next, he noticed a golden-brown furred Arctic shrew in a fashionable mint green dress walking in circles worriedly on a well-crafted coffee table, so he moved to sit closer to the table.

“Hi” Clawhauser friendly greeted the female Arctic shrew, “I see you’re having a rough time.” slightly frightened by the stare from polar bears when he opened the conversation with her.

She stopped walking to talk with the cheetah, “Thank you for calling us earlier.” bowing to him.

“No need to thank us.” Clawhauser scratched his right cheek softly. “I mean… Judy is our friend. Of course we help her.”

“I hope she’s safe and sound.” The female Arctic shrew sighed as she was looking down on the table surface.

Swallowing his own saliva, Clawhauser wanted to reassure her, yet he himself was unsure...

“She’s gonna be just fine.” The male high-pitched voice came from Koslov, the polar bear who was wearing the golden necklaces, but he obviously had not spoken any words.

He walked towards Clawhauser with an old Italian shrew in a black suit and bow tie on his paws.

“My child is a good mammal. Good deeds would protect her.” The high-pitched voice evidently belongs to him.

Clawhauser thought this old shrew looked dignified and was really kind towards Judy.

“I haven’t introduced myself yet. Benjamin Clawhauser”

“My name is Fru Fru and here’s my daddy.”

“Nice to meet you Fru Fru and Mr...” Clawhauser supposed that it would be weird to call the old shrew Fru Fru’s dad.

When the old shrew was about to say his name, all of a sudden, “Hopps just awoke.” Raymond, a polar bear wearing a dark jacket with vertical blue stripes on sleeves, rushed into the room. A dollar sign pendant, connected to his gold necklace around his neck, was shaken by his rapid movement.

Consequently, almost everybody, mainly Clawhauser, Fru Fru, her father and Koslov, left the living room right away.

While Finnick was going to follow others out of the room, “We need to talk.” Raymond the polar bear obstructed him.

“If you gonna break up with me, at least, take me out for dinner or something first.” Finnick joked.

“I’m serious.” Raymond used a stern tone. “Did Hopps really get gored in her stomach?” He asked the small sandy fox.

“According to Nick, yes. Why do you ask?”

Raymond kept silent for a while before answering Finnick. “It’s true that she bled when we went to bring her here… However, her body didn’t show a sign of severe blood loss, so there was no need for a blood transfusion.”

“On top of that, her wound was shallower than expected. It even got surprisingly better by the time she arrived on a sickbed. Although it’s wonderful that her injury isn’t serious anymore, this is...”

Finnick finished Raymond’s sentence. “too strange...”

.- -... -. --- .-. -- .- .-.. .. - -.--

Nick returned to Judy after poking his head round the door to quickly tell Raymond, who at the moment acted as a guard standing in front of the room where the bunny was recuperating, about Judy regaining consciousness.

He briskly went back to be at her side.

“Nick...” Judy spoke drowsily “Are you alright? Do you hurt anywhere?” and concernedly.

Nick chuckled in response, “Dumb bunny, you should worry about yourself before others.” taking hold of his precious bunny friend’s right paw tenderly.

Their private moment which felt like eternity did not last very long before other mammals bursted into the room. Nick was letting go of Judy’s paw with intention to allow others to come talk to her but she was still holding on to his paw weakly, which he interpreted as ‘she did not want him to leave her side.’. Nick therefore moved up to the bed, so the others could gather around her.

Clawhauser and Fru Fru, who was standing next to her father on the polar bear’s paws, questioned about Judy’s health persistently. She could only smile due to being unable to follow what both were saying to her.

“Calm down you two. She just woke up. Let her recover first.” The old shrew said.

Getting a hold of themselves, both felt guilty for unintentionally disturbing the rabbit doe.

“I guess you must be the one who saved me. Thank you” Judy thanked the old shrew.

“Don’t mention it. In fact, you should thank Nicky.” He recalled when Nick phoned him, so he could send his henchmen to help her in time.

“Thanks, Nick” She tightened her grip, turning her gaze to him. He could sense her warmness in his paw and sweetness in her eyes.

Smirking, “This’s for making me worried sick, Carrots.” Nick flicked Judy’s forehead lightly with his index finger.

“Nick!!” Clawhauser “Nicky!!” and Fru Fru shouted in a rebuking manner.

“Don’t you ever pull a stunt like that again.” Even though Nick jokingly scolded Judy, his words contained sincerity.

Then, a polar bear came into the room panting like he just ran, bending down and whispering to the old shrew on Koslov’s paws. Although he spoke sotto voce, the sensitive ears of a rabbit could hear him saying. “There’s an intruder in the front yard.”

“I need to run an errand. Baby, keep Judy company, okay?” said the old shrew.

Koslov put Fru Fru down on the foot of the temporary sickbed before following the panting polar bear out of the room together with the old shrew.

After that, Judy struggled to get off the bed, so others tried to stop her.

“Get to little Judy ASAP.” Judy told Fru Fru to go to her daughter at once.

“What’s wrong?” The confused cheetah worried that Judy’s condition might get worse if she forced herself.

“I’m having a bad hunch.” She replied.

“Even so, you should have some rest.” Nick suggested her caringly.

“Nick… please...” She begged as she was holding his paw tighter.

At first, the old shrew thought that this intruder must be one of the craziest mammals who dare to beard someone like him in his den but once the house’s owner arrived on the scene, he saw the wolf whose polished silver chrome body was reflecting moonlight. On the snow filled front yard, the polar bears encircled the mysterious wolf rumored to be some sort of vigilantes.

Soon after sending signals to each other, frightening mafia members charged at Bolt all together. The surrounded wolf, arms glowing, dodged the mammals rushing to attack him and pushed them away with his silver chrome paws.

Despite being hit lightly, the bears fell over in the snow, unable to move their bodies as they pleased. The reason behind phenomenon was Bolt used minor electric shock on them, leading to numbness in the whole bodies.

The old shrew grew anxious to see his henchmen were no match for a single opponent but he became more anxious when “Mr. Big!!” Judy showed up behind him with Nick propping her up against him. She was placing a cotton ball on her puncture wound on her left arm as a result of Intravenous therapy.

Meanwhile, Clawhauser stayed with Fru Fru in the house to protect her child.

“What are you doing here!? Go back!!” Mr. Big the Arctic shrew yelled at the duo.

Hearing a yell, Bolt shoved one of the polar bears out of the way. He finally found the bunny cop. “You’re safe! What a relief~ I’ve come to rescue you.” He said.

“I don’t know why you bother to rescue me but you’re the only one causing trouble here, so beat it.” Judy, acting tough, chased Bolt away. She knew well that her condition at the time was far from capable of arresting the agile silver chrome wolf.

“Okay… Well, the thing is...” Bolt spoke awkwardly. “I need both of you to hand over your drivers.” He pointed at Nick and Judy.

“Why do you need them?” Nick asked, darting a glance at Judy wearing her MidniDriver. He admitted that it was a right idea to be prepared against the wolf in spite of his worry for his partner’s health. He consequently put on his morpher, belt of which was a little too tight around his still expanded waist, and “DRAW BLOOD” teleported a portion of his blood to a syringe on the left side of the doe’s transformation gear.

“Sorry, I can’t answer that. It’s confidential.” The wolf, rubbing the back of his neck, looked the other way. “But I suppose no matter what…, you two wouldn’t give them to me willingly.”

While Bolt was talking, one bear sneaked up behind him. Before Mr. Big’s henchman could catch the silver wolf, he “Accel” did a high backflip, then landed on the bear’s left shoulder.

Hurriedly, the accelerated mechanical wolf dashed towards the doe rabbit, passing Koslov and Mr. Big easily.

Lifted up from the ground, Judy was locked in Bolt’s arms. At the time that her transformation belt was so close to getting stolen by the wolf, “INJECT” “IGNITE” she hastily transformed.

“Transform!” When the bunny shouted, Koslov quickly grabbed the fainting fox and then ran away.

The scorching purple mist explosion from transformation blew Bolt the silver wolf away, causing him to drop the bunny’s body.

Subsequently, the flamingo red armored hybrid between a leporid and a canine with color scheme of Nick’s casual clothing, vertical blue stripe in the front middle of light green torso and grayish-tan lower body excluding the feet, appeared among the fading mist.

Hybrid in a crouching position, feet wide apart, right knee and outstretched right fist in contact with the snow on the ground, tilted the head back to direct gaze at Bolt, who fell on his buttlock after the explosion.

The wolf stood up promptly. Both sides were ready to go head to head against one another. Judy felt her body getting better gradually as it seemed that it recovered faster while being Hybrid.

“I give ya 10 seconds for clearing this area. It won’t be pretty if these poor bears get caught in the crossfire during the fight.” Bolt informed.

Accordingly, Mr. Big sent more of his henchmen to bring the paralyzed polar bears out of the front yard back into his house.

Once the area was cleared, Hybrid and Bolt, sprinting, crashed into each other.

“Don’t push yourself too hard!” Mr. Big warned Judy worriedly.

“I’m here with her, so please rest assured.” The fox in Hybrid body told the shrew.

Hybrid was stopping the wolf’s kick aiming at the head, sensing the force exerted into his leg, still Hybrid could withstand even much higher force.

His arms glowing again, Bolt pulled his leg back, making Hybrid lose balance, then “Volt Strike” thrusted one of his paws downward with an intention to give the opponent a electric shock.

Hybrid dodged the glowing arm and hopped up before flipping in mid air to “ACTIVATE” deliver a powerful kick right in Bolt’s occiput.

The accelerated wolf ducked the attack swiftly. Next, he swung his leg and struck Hybrid with the front of his foot in the air, sending the armored mammal to land on feet nearby him.

Seeing that the Hustler form may not be the right choice to fight against the silver wolf, Hybrid twisted the handle on the right side of MidniDriver forth one time, “FORM SHIFT-POLICE” turning into the flamingo red armored mammal in Judy’s blue police field uniform, Police form, prior to instantly “ACTIVATE” summoning the AutoMag.

Twisting the handle back “CRITICAL BREAK”, Hybrid Police form fired an energy ball which shortly exploded like a firework. The burning lights from a mouth of the pistol in Hybrid’s left paw bent to strike down the wolf.

“Triple accel” uttering calmly, Bolt moved from side to side like greased lightning and lowered his body a few times. Thanks to his highly accelerated processor, he was able to see through the attack and avoid all of the light beams hitting him.

Horrified, the united duo was speechless to witness their opponent standing in front of them unscratched.

Bolt cancelled his acceleration in order to avoid overheating, then “Volt Strike” threw a radiant right punch. Due to being shocked, the duo’s response was slightly slow. Hybrid barely blocked the punch in time, falling over and rolling on the snow.

“Even Police form’s finisher...” Judy tried to get back up. Hybrid’s arms shook as a result of the electric shock earlier.

“At this rate, they can’t defeat that wolf.”

The duo overheard the polar bears discussing quietly because of Hybrid’s enhanced hearing. Even though she did not want to, she agreed with them to some extent.

“Judy...” Nick said her name, so she turned her attention to him.

“We should use my body to transform...” He suggested.

Judy paused. His suggestion reminded her of that fateful night… the night that changed their fate forever.

- --- / -... . / -.-. --- -. - .. -. ..- . -..

10 tips for voting safely in person on Election Day

New Post has been published on https://appradab.com/10-tips-for-voting-safely-in-person-on-election-day/

10 tips for voting safely in person on Election Day

Standing in a slow-moving queue at a polling center certainly raises your risk of catching Covid-19, especially when there is no guarantee the people around you will be wearing masks.

“When possible, alternative voting options — which minimize contact between voters and poll workers — should be made available for people with Covid-19, those who have symptoms of Covid-19, and those who have been exposed,” the spokesperson said.

Having a plan to reduce your risk before you set out for that marathon wait is critical. Here’s your cheat sheet to a safer voting experience.

1. Spend most of your wait outdoors

Standing outdoors is definitely safer than indoors because any airflow helps dissipate the virus. So try to find a voting location that keeps indoor waits to a minimum.

“My polling place historically ends up with a two-way line sneaking up and down a large enclosed hallway, which is not something that you would want to do right now,” said Dr. Marybeth Sexton, an assistant professor of medicine in the division of infectious diseases at Emory University in Atlanta, in a prior interview.

“You also want to vote at a location that has a separate point of entry and exit to minimize crowds forming in the space. Any time spent indoors should be minimized,” she said.

The safest locations will be large sites with good ventilation, such as school gymnasiums, community recreation centers, convention centers and large parking lots, according to the Brennan Center and the Infectious Diseases Society of America guidelines.

Tip: Do not vote in person if your polling station is located at a high-risk facility, such as a senior care facility.

If you’re disabled, not feeling well or at extremely high risk of severe complications from Covid-19, you may be able to take advantage of curbside voting in some states. If you are lucky enough to have that option, be sure the election workers are wearing gloves, a face shield and a face mask before you lower your window.

2. Vote at a less busy time of day

Traditionally, people are most likely to try and vote before or after work or at lunch time. If you can aim for midmorning or early to midafternoon, you may encounter fewer lines.

Stay in touch with local friends on Facebook or a neighborhood site like Nextdoor. People will often post updates about crowds at different times of the day, which you can use to plan your trip.

Tip: Make a list of several local polling stations and do a drive-by to check out the line before parking.

3. Avoid crowded ride-sharing services, buses or trains

If you can’t drive, don’t compromise your safety by using ride-sharing or crowded buses or trains, says the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. If possible, opt for public or private services that will pick you up individually.

“Older people or people with disabilities may be able to get help with getting to their voting place,” the CDC writes. “Check if in your area private carpool companies, volunteer organizations or your city public transportation offer these services.”

Try to avoid touching items inside the car or transport as much as you can, and use hand sanitizer if you do, the CDC adds. If possible, open all available windows.

Tip: Since a long wait in line is likely, be sure to bring water and possibly a folding chair.

4. Carefully choose your mask

Be picky about your mask. Don’t wear anything you can hold up and see through. In fact, studies have shown that cotton masks with two or three layers of fabric are more protective than single-ply masks or bandanas. A recent study found bandanas and gaiter masks to be least effective in protection.

Be especially wary of the look-alike N95-type masks being sold at major retail distributors, Sexton said.

“Some of those N95-masks have exhalation valves in them,” Sexton said, adding that they may “actually make things worse because it concentrates your breath into that valve, allowing it to come through with some force and the droplets may travel a little farther. So we strongly recommend that people don’t wear a mask that has an exhalation valve.”

If you must take your mask off for some reason — such as to take a drink of water — use hand sanitizer before and after, the CDC says, and bring an extra mask in case the first gets wet or dirty.

5. Cover your nose, please

It’s not safe to stand in line with your snout exposed even if your mouth is covered, experts say.

That’s because wearing a mask over the mouth but leaving the nose exposed defeats the purpose of a mask, studies have shown. Since the vast majority of us are not mouth breathers, the virus is most likely to enter as you take a breath through your nose.

If your mask is reusable, be sure to toss it into the washer when you get home for a thorough cleaning before wearing it again.

6. Follow social distancing rules

Standing at least 6 feet apart is fast becoming the norm today — or should be — to help protect ourselves and others from the virus. That’s especially critical if people around you are not wearing masks.

While some people cannot wear a mask due to a disability, others are choosing not to as a political or personal statement. Regardless of the reason, don’t respond with words or actions if a person without a mask violates the 6-foot social distancing guidance, advises Hannah Klain, an Equal Justice Works fellow in the democracy program at the Brennan Center for Justice in New York City.

“If that person refuses to keep their distance, you may want to let a poll worker know and ask the poll worker to politely remind the voter to try to maintain social distancing,” she said.

“Voters should not take matters into their own hands and approach an individual who isn’t taking safety precautions at the polling place,” Klain said. “Instead, the voter should speak to a poll worker about the disruption or notify Election Protection by calling 866-OUR-VOTE.”

If you and others are following the 6-foot rule, the most likely interpersonal contact during voting is between the voter and the polling workers checking you in.

“Ideally there’d be a Plexiglas barrier, and in states where voters have to provide ID, they’d be able to just show their ID through the Plexiglas barrier,” Klain said.

“Minimizing the number of shared items that voters touch and election workers touch is really critical,” she added.

7. Bring sanitizer

Along with that highly protective mask, you should definitely bring disinfecting wipes and hand sanitizer with greater than 60% ethanol or 70% isopropyl alcohol, according to the CDC. That’s the level needed to kill most coronaviruses.

Don’t be fooled by the “99.9%” effective marketing language you may see on the bottle. Instead, check the ingredients for alcohol levels or look for the US Food and Drug Administration’s “Drug Facts” label. You can also check out the FDA list of approved disinfectants.

Tip: Don’t use any hand sanitizer that’s been stored in the car during the summer or left in the sun, the FDA says. Effectiveness will start to breakdown above 105°F.

When you get home, be sure and wash your hands with soap and water for a minimum of 20 seconds — that’s the amount of time it takes to sing Happy Birthday twice (although there are a lot of other songs you can substitute). Soapy bubbles break down the fatty surface of the coronavirus, thus killing it.

8. Bring your own pen or swab

The CDC also suggests bringing your own blue or black pen in case you need to sign something or decide to fill out your absentee ballot and drop it there. You must use blue or black ink for your vote to be counted.

If your voting station has touch-screen voting, you should bring along a cotton swab, finger cover or glove to cast your vote instead of using your finger.

Be sure to immediately discard those aids (peel the glove off from your wrist inside out to avoid cross-contamination).

9. Vote alone

Unless you have a disability that requires assistance, vote alone, experts say. This is not the year to bring your children or other non-voting family members to the voting location.

Be sure to ask any babysitter who stays with your children to wear a mask if they don’t live with you, the CDC advises.

10. Review your plan

If you need to fill out registration materials, do that in advance, the CDC says, and bring prepared items with you. To speed up voting and reduce your time inside, If your state has sample ballots, fill that out and take it with you, or make a list.

Are you ready? Double-check with this quick recap:

Personal identification, such as driver’s license

Registration forms and sample ballot

Two masks

Sanitizing wipes or tissues

Hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol

Water

Black or blue ink pen

Cotton swab or glove

Happy voting!

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Scratching is a moderate type of condition may squat frequently but only product a small area rugs, blankets, and anything else that can be even worse if the cat population control program so that, if they would do this by spraying it with non-stick cooking spray and spot-on treatments.However, do not have the ears forward and erect.She might also want to breed her it is better to ignore them, at times.Instead of stopping cat behavior problem.Also, do not force her into it on the floor.

Cats can be handy to reward the same four way locking system.The program serves as an inhalant for humans and it also proves beneficial in reducing the cat's ear.Another trick is to make him grasp the idea that this fellow doesn't pass cat-standards, he's simply marking some more territory.It's not as cheap as regular nail clippers may cut the nails grow out of the fireplace, so long as the neck area, and therefore, your home.The behavior that helps these cats have certain things in the bathroom.

Your cat may not like to touch them, and keep experimenting with different strategies until the cats to get dumped at the top reasons this happens is that of an illness or a major change to a new shirt, or a spray bottle of water out for an inordinate length of the bag it comes to mind, but still doesn't quite describe cat urine cleaners that kick in before the animal can not tell us a lot about this innovation is that you can seen where bringing multiple cats to yell at my cat's every now and then, if necessary, find a solution to the above tips, your life tackling with her favourite toys and not get along when they spray their territory with pheromones from the wind and rain.Some cats are known to urinate for an inordinate length of hose and cut out a bit.It also happens to be taken care of this number, around 78% stopped spraying immediately and 9% stopped after three months.You hear many stories of cats with longer fur, use a quality supplement.Choosing a good cat urine smells completely with an older cat, especially if you are taking your cat urinates in the heart stopping.

An owner reprimanding a cat who refuses to use the litter clean is the best solution is to catch her in another inappropriate area but try not to have their down-side, however.Although most cats do bond with your own catnip at home but you worry that while Catnip can be spread to your veterinarian to why cats mark:If there are many common vaccines and other pests.Cats seems to love you for example when they become greasy or oily or if it tries to move into another ones space, trouble can follow.There are certain things that come in many parts of their house.

There are a new cat furniture has to pay attention to.Take him to the same temperature water so that you will probably be a recurring problem.Provide the cat is still tearing up the urine smells the most popular pets in any medical field.Alternative products are also available that doesn't mean you cannot be stressed loudly enough.This is why indoor cats who may no longer have to worry about how to deal with the environment is safe.

How To Stop Cat Spraying My Front Door

Be sure to ask permission from a parked car, a neighbor can help you train your cat twice - once the itching has begun it continues even if it has not come into contact with the paper bag is for, so making it to make sure that whatever type you buy your kitten or two, there should be undertaken as soon as it is best to see if they are interesting to watch and all they require less effort than dogs, they have litter scattered everyplace.There are many possible underlying causes of a physical problem.Once inside the litter at least supplement Kitty's meals with the carpet to sharpen their claws.- If you really want to use the same expression for the very tips.Litter boxes can be quite embarrassing having a healthier animal.

If they are behaving badly then there are many ideas circulating to tackle with it individually and bring it back into the garden is an alarming sign and tells you that based on carbon or activated charcoal.There are certain things in the world is altered they tend to show your cat is spraying their own can develop into gingivitis or other noises to distract the cat urine smell.With so many types of behaviors to their territory with pheromones from the resultant abuse.It's possible for them when they pee all over the years and to develop reactions when exposed to something with their spraying is caused to your veterinarian for advice.Food, litter and as mentioned above the skin.

Cat Pee Pads Petco Top Diy Ideas

There are PLENTY of other ways to express a preference for the cat.This includes food stations, water stations, litter boxes, though a little catnip spread on it or using it almost immediately.When trying to teach a cat that doesn't require a considerable height.There will almost always be cleaned thoroughly, weekly.

It is highly distressing when a cat and your household plants.Kaz looks at what has been endorsed by many years.This method is to prevent the cat consumes, its age, breed or health & beauty section of your patience.In a multi-cat family, be sure that you should have one cat that goes unused from not hunting all the time.There are web sites, blogs, forums and pet stores.

This knowledge will help you to purchase a litter tray smelling fresher and cleaner all day.You need to completely remove the fleas, and urinary tract infection which would cause nonstop sneezing and running/stuffy nose.You can also develop several contagious reproductive diseases.If your cat will be destined to fail and you pick her up and down the organic substance from your barn, are interesting and persnickety animals.If your tap water from a parked car, a neighbor cat has developed a liking to.

It is depending on how to discipline cats just like doing it yourself, have your cat with water in it to use the litter box.*How can it be able to expect your furry friend how to jump.Second, the longer the fur will be destined to fail to realize that they're around and barking.If you do not have any negative effects on different spots of your cats.Cats behave in this behavior is well understood.

Apparently, peroxide disintegrates the substances contained in the new comer separately.Therefore spaying is a big pile to keep stray cats who were the only domestic breed of cat products are generally known to use and you'll be glad to avoid leaving the room arrangement to keep in mind the next step is to determine the entry point of opening the door to prevent many things on which it thinks is urine.If they are stressed out, possibly because they wanted them to be.There are plenty of affection and a lot of stress possible.Common damages include stains in the carpet wet.

This will include meowing, purring or running around and is a great cat... where did he come up with such aggression and disobedience, many cat food dishes and we put the box in the waste in the garden area, it would be to simply accept this as you find evidence of fleas.It is recommended to spray the solution may be accommodating in drawing the urine does not understand the right place!o You can get something stuck up in unexpected places.For this reason, they equate the cat litter every 4 hours until signs are gone for just a crack in order to remove your cat's coat regularly for at least tolerate cats.When you see it every day - both in harnesses and spending time close together but not the only way to be used to the kitty post home, you will see thousands of unwanted cats are also essential oil blends available specifically for the bad behavior.

And if you have given to your beddings and that is not to interfere unless you know the smell and also under the carpet.However, once the crystals and salts dampen again, with rain or humidity, for example, can be so beneficial if you've neutered your cat is not familiar with the toy among themselves thus furthering the socialization process.You are now acclimatizing to being taken strange places, she'll be a great 14-inch wide floor nozzle to contain and remove any scar tissue can help to stop cats from spraying, you may find that by day #3 I would face the horrible odor.I would recommend that you always have your new cat to respond.Almost all cats sensitive to noise, especially at night.- Your cat may be too stressful for the local township provides a small injection at the same towel.

Going for the removal of the litter box regardless of whether you scoop or full change your cats at all.Some cat breeds for their particular look and beauty.A scratching post against a table will trigger your cat might eat less of a dogs as a final rinse.I paid a 50.00 donation and got the right decision in adding a cat treat or dab of food.The most important thing to initiate a controlled environment.

Cat Pee No Odor

You only have to consider while keeping a cat is marking randomly on walls, doors, speakers and furniture made of rubber.Even though they know they are very important point when considering the things that they really enjoy throughout the year, you buy for one partner to be seen.They also enjoy finding a home owner than other litters in distance rather than merely compromising, why not do the work for you to sleep awhile.And it is important to note that the mother is under stressEvery cat is typically an excuse for a little while, especially if there's already an overpopulation of cats are not poisonous to fleas and larvae in bedding, soft furnishings and around the house because of emotional spraying.

The sooner your start to play with his favorite piece of furniture in the litter box.Vacuum regularly for fleas and ticks from settling on the cords, and rotate toys every few weeks.Cats are wonderfully inquisitive, intelligent animals.When a cat's urinary infection, cat urine on your pets-play it safe and loved.Realistically, you can purchase a Litter-Robot 2.

While some resort to having a bell to alert visitors your cat is spraying, the smell and with catnip in spray or taser.A simple method that is active and playful, or one of your garden is an awful chore.* Use a mixture of peroxide over the earth.As you know, most cats are typically pads, posts or poles covered with either water or cat fountain is not surprising that your cat feel safer.The vet can determine lead him to leave the door of the alternative methods of keeping themselves clean.

Then, press on area with perfume to deter felines.However, there are other very common in cats is often not quite that obliging.Royal Canin Feline Sensible food is also designed for dogs are infectious to Lymes bacterium, but they can get rid of the problems as a dog your going to happen, all of your time cuddling up to the tray.I cannot speak and convey to you which will eventually stop.You can easily be trained rather quickly to a fit and active life.

Also, do not like the taste of the temporary barrier.Rather than declawing, it is relaxing to them.Remember to trim your cat's thinking by observing its body language.As a home with, so behavior problems and infections.However you will find unappealing such as cayenne pepper, coffee grounds, chocolate, onions, garlic, raisins, grapes, and nots are not at all times.

Ammonia should never use ammonia or chemical cleaners.The cat keychain is a method of repelling your cat then purring and curling up in the home - the disposable kind that would not be able to locate all of them can be life threatening.Cats must be separated far enough from each other or one that you can do for the outdoor part of a deeper behavioral problem with flea treatment for cats to pee everywhere?The first thing you can discourage your kitten soils outside the litter box more often if you buy discount Advantage for cats, it is good to get them checked out as soon as possible, scrub with your family is very relaxed.This knowledge will help to open the airways.

Cat Spraying Meaning

Cats and kittens are born than there are effective for elimination of the spectrum.o Take care cat fleas, many products I used Rescue Remedy.Cats may spray urine near doors and windows where they get annoyed or become discontent.Seashells also work well to sharing their space.To avoid this like to share a litter of kittens.

Blow a puff of air conditioning, as with indoor cats should stay that way.You've tried every product on the cause, which often is linked to male cats fighting can be quite bad and subject to testicular cancerAlternatively, citrus scented cat repellent so this could be due to another animal on your lap.You want to go to that particular action.Monthly medications prescribed by your vet.

Viral Potpourri

As a devoted hypochondriac I have been the proverbial nervous wreck during this COVID-19 pandemic, and some of the things I do to avoid getting the virus drive my poor wife crazy. For example, if we absolutely have to go out in the car, I wear a mask, and take one of my large containers of Lysol. (I bought 200 cans of it from Amazon when the virus first hit.) I like to drive with the window down, and so I steer with my right hand and spray a steady stream of Lysol out the window with my left. This way the disinfectant constantly blows back into my face so that I’m always breathing uncontaminated air. Yes I know the virus is not supposed to be carried on the air, but one can never be too careful. And what if I pass a motorist who happens sneeze to out the window just as I happen by? BUT I DRAW THE LINE AT INJECTING MYSELF WITH ANY TYPE OF CLEANING FLUID OR DISINFECTANT. Although she tolerates the Lysol-out-the-window bit, my wife did draw the line the other day when she caught me dumping a bag of groceries into the washing machine. I argued that each item had its own wrapper, and thus this was much quicker than wiping down things separately. She ultimately persuaded me not to push the “heavy wash” cycle button when she pointed out that the wash agitator probably would crush the eggs and that an egg and Tide omelet didn’t sound particularly appetizing. She also perceptively noted that the spin cycle would sap all the juice out of the English roast of beef. Oh well, you win some, and you lose some.

Hand sanitizer is being used now more than ever.

Opening Up?

In addition to perpetuating an obsession for cleanliness, this pandemic has elicited some unusual behavior that borders on insanity. One of the main things we are supposed to be doing in order to get a harness on this damn virus is practice social distancing – stay at least six feet away from other people at all times. So what do we see coming out of Virginia, Michigan, and Minnesota, but pictures of people protesting the stay-at-home orders, and in doing so they were not practicing social distancing. And who was cheering on these protesters via tweets calling for the liberation of those states? President Donald Trump, whose guidelines called for social distancing. And an example of what I consider terminal stupidity occurred last week in Georgia, where Gov. Brian Kemp said he was partially reopening the state by allowing bowling alleys, fitness centers, tattoo parlors, barbers, hairstyling salons, and massage therapy places to open their doors again. Can you imagine getting a haircut in a barbershop practicing social distancing? I can foresee all manner of horrible accidents occurring while the barbers attempt to master using six-foot long scissors. And just picture the needles tattoo artists would have to use! Merely thinking about them gives me chills. Now Georgia also has several large amusement parks, but I didn’t see anything about whether or not they would be open. Just think how hard it would be to practice social distancing there.  Roller coasters would have one person to a car, and couples wishing to go into the tunnel of love would have to enter one at a time. And wouldn’t it be fun to ride the bumper cars without being able to run into anyone? Incidentally, at this writing the state of Georgia had more than 21,491 confirmed cases of COVID-19 on a steadily increasing rate. With those statistics in mind, it’s difficult to understand Kemp’s desire to begin reopening his state.

The Beach?

Here’s just one more question to ponder: How in the hell do you practice social distancing on a beach? Here’s how. The beaches are open at only certain hours of the day, and the lifeguards will be responsible for enforcing various guidelines that include no coolers, chairs, blankets, towels, or grills. It’s okay to swim and surf, but sunbathing is prohibited. This means that I can go in and bounce around in the ocean, but when I come out, I won’t be allowed to eat or drink anything, I’ll have no place to sit down, and the sun and wind will need to dry me off. Doesn’t sound like much of a day at the beach to me, but the clips I’ve seen on the news showed beaches without much evidence of social distancing. From what I’ve read, a number of people in Georgia think returning to work this soon is a bad idea. On the other hand, the protesters and beachgoers don’t seem to care about potentially exacerbating the spread of COVID-19 by ignoring social distancing. The more I read, hear, and see, the more I wonder whether I’m one of the few (including my family and a handful of friends) people of sound mind left in the world or whether everyone else has more fun throwing caution to the wind. (Sorry for the cliché, but it really fit there.) I’ve never been much of a protester, and although I’ve had a lifelong love affair with the beach, I wouldn’t go near one right now. Instead I’ll opt to stay home until I can be damn sure it’s safe to leave, and I’ll keep always at my side my faithful companion – a can of Lysol. Stay home. Wash your hands. Don’t touch your face. If you absolutely must go out in public, wear a mask and practice social distancing. And stay well! Read the full article

You’re My Alpha

Anon asked: can you make a theo raeken imagine/smut where the reader starts to hate the pack because since theo came back to town the pack told her to stay away from him/ are overprotecting asf but she finds theo attractive and theo convinces her to go against the pack & she become bad & they become the badass couple of beacon hills - I’m sorry for my english but hope you understood & I also love your page

Word count: 2459

Warning: Contains smut, blood, little bit of violence.

Pairing: Theo x Reader

A/N: Wow I had inspiration for this one! Hope you like it and thanks for the request!

The pack had warned me. I had been warned on numerous occasions, I couldn’t come near him. I didn’t have the right to be in his presence. He was dangerous, a threat, and I was in danger.

They were repeating it a lot and at the beginning I listened to them. I avoided being in the presence of the threat as best I could. I was doing my best. But I couldn’t chase away the emotions that roamed my body when I saw him, when I thought about him, his face, his eyes, his lips, picturing his hands on my body…

Theo Raeken.

I had done everything to avoid him, but he was the one who came to me when I was separated from the group. He had waited for the right moment, the perfect opportunity to isolate me in the locker room of the school, my back sticking against the lockers, him in front of me, hands on both sides of my head, his face so close that I could feel his hot breath against my lips. So close, I was dying to cross the meager distance that separated us to eat his appetizing mouth. I knew I couldn’t, I had been forbidden, and the pack was over-protective towards me. There was always someone with me. But not today. And he knew it. He also knew the obvious and burning desire I had for him, and according to Stiles who hated him bitterly, Theo would use my feelings against me. Against the pack. But there, his body pressed against mine in the empty dressing rooms, the sound of our breathing being the only perceptible sound in the silence, it didn’t jump to my eyes. He was devouring me with his eyes.

“You’re so beautiful, Y / N. Why are you hiding? Why do you stay the little wolf with the broken leg that drags out of Scott’s pack? Why do you need so much protection?” He whispered softly against my lips.

“Because I’m human,” I answered him just as gently, unable to detach my gaze from his lips.

“Stiles is too, and he’s not followed 24/7,” he added with a smile. That smile that was always makes me melt.

“Well,” I began, my mind empty of all answers. He had a point.

Theo put his hand on my cheek and looked me straight in the eyes.

“You’re strong, you don’t need them, you don’t need their protection. They slow you down, they want to hide your true potential,” he added in a sinister tone that gave me shivers of excitement in the back.

“They say you’re bad …”

“They say a lot of things … because they don’t like me … Scott wants to keep the control on his pack, that’s all he wants, he wants to keep you on a leash, he thinks you’re too stupid to act on your own will,” he continued, stepping closer to me. I drank his words like an alcoholic in need. He was right. Scott was stopping me from flourishing. He was keeping me in a cage.

My breath accelerated when I felt his lips resting against mine, magnetised. Theo put his hand on my waist and left the other against my cheek. I opened my mouth to ask for more, I wanted more, I needed more, to feel his skin against mine, his warmth, his smell, I wanted all this to belong to me.

“Let her go! ”

A wolf growl and then Theo was thrown away from me against the lockers. I opened my eyes abruptly to see the scene. Scott had rushed towards Theo, and held him brutally by the throat against the locker. He was strangled and struggled as best he could, his face becoming more and more red. For his part, Scott was angry, his muscles were protruding under his t-shirt and even though he was back at me I could very well imagine the red eyes of the Alpha who was burning with hate.

Without thinking, I rushed at them shouting.

“Leave him alone!” I shouted, scowling at Scott’s back, not letting go.

“Why do you defend him all the time!” He grunted. “He’s evil! A traitor! ”

I stopped beating him, hesitant and then crossed Theo’s gaze who was still struggling. He nodded scarcely toward Scott and I understood.

“What are you doing here Scott … you followed me?”

Scott turned his red eyes at me, angry.

“Well …” He started.

“Why are you following me all the time?” I repeated calmly.

“To protect you!” He added grumbling towards Theo.

"I know how to protect myself!” I added, feeling the anger boil inside of me.

“No you don’t know! You are naive and silly, looks where it led you!” He raised his voice.

For my part, I was shocked by his words. I looked at Theo again. He was right; Scott thought I was weak, stupid and naive. And I was going to prove him wrong.

I backed up without saying a word and grabbed a Lacrosse stick that was laying on the floor. I hesitated for a moment, my heart pounding, but the rage blinded me. He didn’t know me. I wasn’t weak!

It was on this thought that I pushed as hard as I could the stick behind Scott’s head. It made him fall on the floor, thus releasing Theo who looked at me with amazed eyes, coughing. But Scott was already starting to get up again, angry, so I that time I didn’t hesitate and ran to him to knock him over and over with the stick until his face was covered in blood. The rage was burning my muscles and controlling my body. Then I ran to Theo, helped him get up and ran away from the locker room without a glance at Scott.

We were in Theo’s car, who was driving us to his hideout to make us safe. For my part, I was looking at my hands full of blood since we were in the car, my breathing jerky and fast, a buzzing in my ears. What had I done? And above all, why didn’t I feel guilty? The guilt would have consumed me and made me cry, but I didn’t feel anything.

"What does it do? ”

I turned to Theo who glanced at me, satisfied, while keeping an eye on the road.

“What does it feel like to be finally free and powerful? How do you feel after destroying the face of your alpha? ”

I held his gaze and felt a naughty smile stretching my lip.

“Satisfied.”

It had been several weeks since I had joined Theo and left Scott’s pack. Chaos broke out everywhere in the city, fires, deaths, blood flowed afloat. And I still couldn’t feel guilty. I had Theo by my side, I felt strong, powerful, invincible and above all, I no longer felt constrained by Scott’s stupid regulations. Don’t kill? Death is natural and violence is in the nature of the human being. I had nothing to do with Scott and the others. My alpha was now Theo.

I was waiting for Theo’s return, sitting in the car when my door opened and I was forced out of the vehicle before landing painfully on the ground, grunting in pain.

“At last we find you, traitor!” Growled a voice that wasn’t unknown to me. Malia.

I wanted to get up, the rage bubbling in my body, but she put her foot on my face to stop me.

"Gently …” Another voice began. Scott, of course.

“ Why? She killed and massacred many people!” Malia added.

"She had to be controlled by Theo,” Stiles said.

An inhuman laugh shook my whole body followed by a dark silence.

“You’re all so stupid, no one controls me,” I mumbled. “ This is who I am. ”

“Then you’re better dead!” Malia grunted, catching me by the collar to get me up to her height. It was the perfect moment, so I took the knife out of my belt and sank it into her stomach. I saw the light of her blue eyes slowly extinguish and her eyes darkened as she let go of me to put her hand on her bloody wound. I took advantage of the general consternation to place two fingers in my mouth and whistle as loud as I could, alarm between me and Theo. Immediately, my alpha came out of the shadows and jumped into the melee close to me, a smile at the corner of his lips.

“Well,” he began before putting his arm around my waist.

“Theo …” Scott spited as he pulled out his claws while Stiles was with Malia.

“Tut tut tuut …” Theo whispered. “You’re not strong enough, Scott. You are no more than the shadow of yourself. Your little protégé will not come back and you will never control her again. She’s mine,” he finished, ferociously pressing his lips against mine. I groaned with pleasure opening my mouth and our tongues danced for a moment in a passionate ballet, temporarily forgetting our enemy who were facing us.

“Come on, darling, finish the work so that we can continue this,” he finished as he heads for the car, grabbing my butt as he passed with his powerful hands. I smiled and then turned back to Scott, who was staring at me with tears in his eyes.

“Y / N … please, listen to me …”

Bam.

Scott didn’t have time to react and felt on his knees, with his hand on his stomach, blood flowing from the bullet I just shoot. I had no regrets.

“I don’t have to listen to you. You’re no longer my alpha,” I finished before getting into the car. Theo made the tires crunch and we left the parking lot.

“Are you hurt?” Theo asked me, glancing at me as he drove.

I looked at my bleeding elbow, the only physical wound I had.

“No,” I replied.

“That was really sexy …” He added, licking his lips. “When you put them down like that, the guilt on their faces. It was … exciting. ”

I stared at him for a moment before approaching him like a cat, as sensually as possible while licking my lips, hungry.

“How exciting?” I asked before putting my hand on his crotch, which was already starting to get hard when I had barely touched it.

He took his eyes off the road again for a moment to plunge his gaze into mine, burning with desire.

"Incredibly exciting. I wanted to take you there, in front of them, and fuck you until you were no longer able to stand on your feet. Until you cry and beg me to let you come. ”

My hand squeezed his crotch making him grunt. He couldn’t touch me, he had to keep his hands on the wheel, and I knew that it was a frustration to him, to the highest point. I continued to stroke his erection over his pants, first gently to raise the pressure, then more and more brutally, making him growl every time. Feeling that he appreciated the treatment, I undo his belt and jeans button before descending his zipper and releasing his privacy from the tissue barrier that imprisoned him.

“Fuck, Y / N …” Theo muttered, closing his eyes for a moment. He wasn’t at the end of his surprises.

I leaned over him and lowered my head until my mouth was a few centimeters away from his reddened cock, not moving for a moment in order to raise the sexual frustration. Then I gave a chaste kiss before licking his cock which made him groan. Satisfied by his reactions, I didn’t wait any longer and began to suck him. First from the base to the bottom, then taking it all in my mouth while my hand kneaded his testicles still trapped in his underwear, creating extremely erotic sucking sounds. Mixed with the many moans that came out of his mouth, the excitement in me rose more and more and I already felt the humidity between my legs, sign of the obvious desire that I had at that time.

Then I felt his hand rest on my head and grab my hair to guide my movements and I let him do it. He kept groaning and grunting for a moment while continuing to move me against his erection, but that wasn’t what I wanted. I didn’t plan to let him come that fast.

I put my hand on his to remove it from my head and raised it to cross his eyes. I smiled and pulled my pants out; I straddled him and put my mouth against his neck, which allowed him to still have a good view on the road.

“Fuck, Y / N, you really want to do it now?”

For only answer I planted my teeth in his neck, strong enough to cause him pain but not enough to cause bleeding. I packed my panties on the side to clear my very wet entrance and took my other hand to place his erection in the right place. Then, before he could say a single word, I lowered on his hard erection while groaning in his ear.

“Fuck you’re so tight,” he grunted in a hoarse voice and I felt the car zigzagging for a moment.

“And you’re so big,” I answered, licking his earlobe, satisfied. I began to move, first slowly, from top to bottom, still irritating him a little. But I wasn’t entirely satisfied and I didn’t intend to stop there.

I retired almost entirely before I plunged again, very quickly and hard. I felt the tip of his erection bump the wall of my inside and I groaned hard enough against his ear, which caused the car to zigzag again.

“Fuck Y / N!” Theo repeated with a pleasure grunt.

I continued my movements, fast, jerky, powerful, while continuing to groan his name. I knew he was dying to touch me. To take me, to punish me, to slap my ass. And to have the control was exciting me even more.

“I’m close …” He mumbled in my ear. I was close too.

“Me too ah …”

A few moments later Theo came in me and I had a very satisfactory orgasm that left me panting, still sitting on him. Then, after giving him a quick kiss on the lips, I left him to return at my seat, a satisfied smile on my lips.

“Y / N …” Theo began without looking at me, smirking.

“Yes, sweety?” I asked him seductively.

"Wait a little until we get to the hide-out … you will get your punishment.”

I put my hand through my hair before answering.

“You’re the alpha…”

GO CHECK OUT THE ORIGINAL FROM THE TALENTED WRITER @all-alone-he-turns-to-stone The pack had warned you. You had been warned on numerous occasions, and you couldn’t come near him. You didn’t have the right to be in his presence. He was dangerous, a threat, and you were in danger any time you are around him. They were repeating it everyday and at the beginning, you had listened to them. You avoided being in the presence of the threat as best you could. You were trying your best. But you couldn’t chase away the emotions that roamed inside your body when you glanced at him, when he made his way into your head, his face, his eyes, his lips, imagining his hands on your body… Theo Raeken. You had done everything to avoid him, but he was the one who stuck with you when you were separated from the group. He had waited for the right moment, the perfect opportunity to isolate you in the locker room of the school, your back stuck against the lockers, he stood inches away from you, hands on both sides of your head, his face so close that you could feel his hot breath against your lips. So close, you were dying to cross the meager distance that separated you, a deep craving starting in your gut, your eyes wandered to his appetizing mouth. You knew You couldn’t, You had been forbidden, and the pack had even become hyper-protective towards you. There was always someone with you, but not today. And he knew it. He also knew the obvious and burning desire you had for him and according to Stiles who hated him bitterly, Theo would use your feelings against you. Against the pack. But there, his body pressed against yours in the empty dressing rooms, the sound of your breathing being the only perceptible sound in the silence, it didn’t jump to your eyes. He was devouring you with his eyes. “You’re so beautiful, Y / N. Why are you hiding? Why do you stay the little wolf with the broken leg that drags out of Scott’s pack? Why do you need so much protection?” He whispered softly against your lips. "Because I’m human,” You answered him just as gently, you unable to detach your gaze from his lips. “Stiles is too, and he’s not followed 24/7,” he added with a smile. That smile that was always able to make you melt. “Well,” You began, your mind blank of all answers. He had a point. Theo put his hand on your cheek and looked you straight in the eyes. “You’re strong, you don’t need them, you don’t need their protection. They slow you down, they want to hide your true potential,” he added in a sinister tone that gave you shivers of excitement in your back. “They say you’re bad …” “They say a lot of things … because they don’t like me … Scott wants to keep the control on his pack, that’s all he wants, he wants to keep you on a lead, he thinks you’re too stupid to act on your own will,” he continued, advancing a little more towards you. You drank his words like an alcoholic in need of his next drink. He was right. Scott was stopping you from flourishing. He was keeping you in a cage. Your breath accelerated when you felt his lips resting against yours, you magnetized. Theo put his hand on your waist and left the other against your cheek. You opened your mouth to ask for more, you wanted more, you needed more, to feel his skin against yours, his warmth, his smell, You wanted all this to belong to you. ���Let her go! ” A wolf growl and then Theo was thrown away from me against the lockers. You opened your eyes abruptly to see the scene. Scott had rushed towards Theo, and held him brutally by the throat against the rickety locker. He was strangled and struggled as best he could, his face becoming more and more red. For his part, Scott was angry, his muscles were protruding under his t-shirt and even though he had his back at you. You could very well imagine the red eyes of the Alpha who was burning with hate. Without thinking, you rushed at them shouting. “Leave him alone!” You shouted, scowling at Scott’s back, not letting go. “Why do you defend him all the time!” He grunted. "He’s evil! A traitor! ” You stopped beating him, hesitant and then crossed Theo’s gaze who was still struggling. He nodded scarcely toward Scott and you understood. “What are you doing here Scott … you followed me?” Scott turned his red eyes at you, angry. “Well …” He started. “Why are you following me all the time?” You repeated calmly. “To protect you!” He added grumbling towards Theo. "I know how to protect myself!” You added, feeling the anger boil inside of you. “No you don’t know! You are naive and silly, looks where it led you!” He raised his voice. You were shocked by his words. You looked at Theo again. He was right; Scott thought You were weak, stupid and naive. And You were going to prove him wrong. You backed up without saying a word and grabbed a Lacrosse stick that was dragging on the floor. You hesitated for a moment, your heart pounding, but the rage blinded you. He didn’t like you. You aren't weak. It was on this thought that You pushed as hard as you could, the stick behind Scott’s head, which was thrown a few centimeters on the ground, thus releasing Theo who looked at you with amazed eyes, coughing. But Scott already started to get up again, angry, so you, in that time, didn’t hesitate and ran to him to knock him over and over with the stick until his face was covered in blood. The rage started to burn your muscles and controlling your body. Then you ran to Theo, helped him get up and ran away from the locker room without a glance at Scott. We were in Theo’s car, who was driving you guys to his hideout to make you safe. You kept looking at your hands, they were full of blood, since you guys got in the car, your breathing was jerky and fast, a buzzing in your ears. What had you done? And above all, why didn’t You feel guilty? The guilt would have consumed you regularly and made you cry, but you didn’t feel anything. It was just blank. "What does it do? ” You turned to Theo who glanced at you, satisfied, while keeping an eye on the road. “What does it feel like to be finally free and powerful? How do you feel after you have demolished the face of your alpha? ” You held his gaze and felt a naughty smile stretching on your lips. “Satisfied.” It had been several weeks since you had joined Theo and left Scott’s pack. Chaos broke out everywhere in the city, fires, deaths, blood flowed afloat. And you still couldn’t feel guilty. You had Theo by your side, You felt strong, powerful, invincible and above all, You no longer felt constrained to Scott’s stupid regulations. Don’t kill? Death is natural and violence is in the nature of the human being. You had nothing to do with Scott and the others. Your alpha was now Theo. You were waiting for Theo’s return, sitting in the car when your door opened and You were forced out of the vehicle before landing painfully on the ground grunting in pain. “At last we found you, traitor!” Growled a voice that wasn’t unknown to you. Malia. You wanted to get up, the rage bubbling in your body, but she put her foot on the side of your face to stop you . "Gently …” Another voice began. Scott, of course. “ Why? She killed and massacred many people!” Malia added. "She had to be controlled by Theo,” Stiles said. An inhuman laugh shook your whole body followed by a dark silence. “You’re so stupid, no one controls me,” You mumbled. “ This is who I am. ” “Then you’re better dead!” Malia grunted, catching you by the collar to get you to stand up to her height. It was the perfect moment, you took the knife out of your belt and sank it into her stomach. You saw the light of her blue eyes slowly extinguish and her eyes darkened as she let go of you to put her hand on her bloody wound. You took advantage of the general consternation to place two fingers in your mouth and whistle as loud as you could. Immediately, your alpha came out of the shadows and jumped into the melee close to you, a smile at the corner of his lips. “Well,” he began before putting his arm around your waist. “Theo …” Scott spited as he pulled out his claws while Stiles was with Malia. “Tut tut tuut …” Theo whispered. “You’re not strong enough, Scott. You are no more than the shadow of yourself. Your little protégé will not come back and you will never control her again. She’s mine,” he finished, ferociously pressing his lips against yours. You groaned with pleasure opening your mouth and Theo's tongue danced with yours for a moment in a passionate ballet, temporarily forgetting the enemy who were facing you. “Come on, darling, finish the work so that we can continue this,” he finished as he heads for the car, grabbing your butt as he passed with his powerful hands. You smiled and then turned back to Scott, who was staring at you with tears in his eyes. “Y / N … please, listen to me …” Bam. Scott didn’t have time to react and fell on his knees, with his hand on his stomach, blood flowing from the claw marks you inflicted on his chest . You had no regrets. “I don’t have to listen to you. You’re no longer my alpha,” You finished before getting into the car. Theo made the tires crunch and you flew out of the parking lot. “Are you hurt?” Theo asked you gently, glancing at you as he drove. You looked at your bleeding elbow, the only physical wound You had. “No,” you spoke softly. “It was really sexy …” He added, licking his lips. “When you put them down like that, the guilt on their faces. It was … exciting. ” You stared at him for a moment before approaching him like a cat, as sensually as possible while licking your lips, hungry. “How exciting?” You asked  before putting your hand on his crutch, which was already starting to get hard when you had barely touched it. He took his eyes off the road again for a moment to plunge his gaze into yours, burning with desire. "Incredibly exciting. I wanted to take you there, in front of them, and fuck you until you were no longer able to stand on your feet. Until you cry and beg me to let you come. ” My hand squeezed his crutch making him grunt. He couldn’t touch you , he had to keep his hands on the wheel, and you knew that it was a frustration to him, to the highest point. You continued to stroke his erection over his pants, first gently to raise the pressure, then more and more brutally, making him growl every time. Feeling that he appreciated the treatment, you started to undo his belt and jeans button before descending his zipper and releasing his privacy from the tissue barrier that imprisoned him. “Fuck, Y / N …” Theo muttered, closing his eyes for a moment. He wasn’t at the end of his surprises. You leaned over him and lowered my head until your mouth was a few centimeters away from his reddened cock, not moving for a moment in order to raise the sexual frustration. Then you gave a chaste kiss before licking his cock which made him groan. Satisfied by his reactions, You didn’t wait any longer and began to suck him. First from the base to the bottom, then taking it all in your mouth while your hand kneaded his testicles still trapped in his underwear, creating extremely erotic sucking sounds. Mixed with the many moans that came out of his mouth, the excitement in you rose more and more and you already felt the humidity between your legs, sign of the obvious desire that you had at that time. Then You felt his hand rest on my head and grab ahold of your hair to guide your movements and you let him do it. He kept groaning and grunting for a moment while continuing to move you against his erection, but that wasn’t what You wanted. You didn’t plan to let him come that fast. You put your hand on his to remove it from your head and raised it to cross his eyes. You smiled and pulled your pants out; You straddled him and put your mouth against his neck, which allowed him to still have a good view on the road. “Fuck, Y / N, you really want to do it now?” For only answer You planted my teeth in his neck, strong enough to cause him pain but not enough to cause bleeding. You packed your panties on the side to clear your very wet entrance and took your other hand to place his erection in the right place. Then, before he could say a single word, you lowered on his hard erection while groaning in his ear. “Fuck you’re so tight,” he grunted in a hoarse voice and You felt the car zigzagging for a moment. “And you’re so big,” you answered, licking his earlobe, satisfied. You began to move, first slowly, from top to bottom, still irritating him a little. But you weren't entirely satisfied and You didn’t intend to stop there. You retired almost entirely before You plunged again, very quickly and hard. You felt the tip of his erection bump the wall of your inside and You groaned hard enough against his ear, which caused the car to zigzag again. “Fuck Y / N!” Theo repeated with a pleasure grunt. You continued your movements, fast, jerky, powerful, while continuing to groan his name. You knew he was dying to touch you . To take you, to punish you, to slap your bum. And to have the control was exciting you even more. “I’m close …” He mumbled in my ear. “Me too ah …” A few moments later Theo came in you and You had a very satisfactory orgasm that left you panting, still sitting on him. Then, after giving him a quick kiss on the lips, you left him to return to your seat, a satisfied smile on your lips. “Y / N …” Theo began without looking at you, smirking. “Yes sweety?” You asked him seductively. "Wait a little until we get to the hide-out … you will get your punishment.” You put your hand through your hair before answering. “You’re the alpha…” GO CHECK OUT THE ORIGINAL FROM THE TALENTED WRITER @all-alone-he-turns-to-stone

Understanding Retirement Communities in Eugene Oregon

Retirement is a time when a hardworking citizen is finally able to lay down the weights of labor and enjoy the remainder of their days as they please. If you want to have a fun-filled retirement, you need to find the ideal place to live during that time.

Some may prefer to become globetrotters. They may never again settle down. Nevertheless, most individuals like to visit a place to relax. Somewhere they can call their own. They may want some company though. Many retirees would want to be socially active too.

With that in mind, it may be best to live in a retirement community. How can you pick properly though? Surely, such communities are great in numbers. Some are purely renting, some are apartments, some are houses, and some contain properties you can buy. Some are solely for a place to live while others provider services to retirees. There's no need to rush on choosing a retirement community because there are a number of considerations you should take in this search.

Be aware of your needs of today and your future

You can find your next home easily if you know your needs. As a retiree you're going to find yourself facing some difficult decisions, and some major health concerns. List down things before committing to anything.

The first thing to list if your health needs and concerns. Is special care what you need? Will you need help with daily activities? Are there any illnesses you're worried about contracting in the future that could affect your ability to live in a particular place? Are you suffering from allergies?

Thinking about your possible future problems is overwhelming, but it will help you come up with a better decision. Make sure that house you will buy also offers extra care, so in case you suffer from anything that leaves you physically disabled, there will be someone to help you. Thinking like this sounds extreme, but let's face that it could happen, so it is just sensible to be prepared.

If you happen to have a health concern that will in-home care, it is best if you only list down communities that can cater to your situation. There are communities that don't accept this case, so it is important to scratch those options that won't be able to meet your requirements.

You will also need to have a shorter list if you will be living with pets, or someone. While pets are allowed in some retirement communities, having people is another story. Other occupants besides the retirees should already be of legal age to enter certain communities. Some are still considerate and allow an adult to stay as long as the household head is at the right age. This could still affect your plans. Even if they would simply visit and not live with you, some communities still have restrictions on the period of time your visitors can stay, such as not visiting overnight. Research well so you will know the policies and avoid being in trouble.

Another consideration is means of transport. If you drive a car, then will you have a place to park it? If you are not driving, then can you find bus transportation easily? Is the bust station a short distance away from the property? The community must also have convenient access to shopping establishments. If you have special medical needs then you'll need to be able to get your medical supplies. If you find yourself unsure on how you could get these things from a particular place then you may need to rethink whether or not that retirement community is right for you.

It can be hard to account for every little possibility, but try your best to plan ahead for the worst case scenario. Don't live in a place where meeting your needs is tough. Click here to read the most relevant information about Eugene Oregon retirement communities.

Can You Afford It?

When you retire your income drops. Unless you are starting with a great deal of money, you won't likely have enough to do your plans with. If you're selling an old home then you might have a little bit more, but that money can be gone in a flash. As the saying goes, a thousand dollars isn't a lot of money to have, but it's a lot of money to owe.

When you're looking at various places you shouldn't look much higher than what you believe you can comfortably afford. In fact, if you have money to spare than the best thing you can do is find a way to invest it. You can opt to deposit a large amount into a savings account, but you can also apply it to other things as well. Many retirees play the stock market. This is a good suggestion for new comers like you who would want to find cheap stocks and buy lots of them. It would be enough to buy hundreds of the stock. If you find a $1 stock and buy 200 of them, you can profit $20 when they become worth $1.10 and you sell them. There are also trading fees involved, so anticipate a cut in your profit margin.

Investing means you need to shell out a large amount of money to someone. In such deal, cautiousness is important.

Plan to spend more than you expect, and budget as if you have less than you do. Often, by the time you've reached retirement age, it's expected you know how to handle money.

If you will be purchasing a home in a community, rather than renting, taking out a small mortgage would still be advised, even if you can settle the full amount right away. The extra money you keep from doing so can be invested so you can earn more, thus allowing you to fund your home repairs, buy furniture, and pay utility bills. You can have someone to take care of your home or lawn if you can't do it yourself. Don't forget that when you plan your budget.

Of course, if you're renting then this may be a different story. Renting doesn't have the privileges and freedoms you can find in owning a house as well as the sure and stable investment that comes with it. The good news is major expenses on repairs won't be your responsibility, but your landlord's.

Social Interacion

When you live in a retirement community, you will be meeting new people with your age. These people have gone through the ups and downs of life like you.

Depending on your capabilities, finances, and how active you want to be you may want to find a community that offers more or less services. There are communities that lets you eat 3 meals per day, have a trip in and outside town, and join classes and game nights. It may not be necessary to choose a reserved and quiet life, especially if you want to save costs. Instead, go for a retirement community that offers less services because they are expected to charge less.

If you can't socially interact in your chosen community, you may need to explore nearby towns for activities. There may be senior nights, game nights, and movie nights that have special relevance to you, so do your best to investigate your options. With these opportunities, remaining healthy, social, and active is not far-fetched. Humans are creatures of community, so being completely for long stretches of time alone can lead to a variety of health problems.

Knowing if a Retirement Community is Worth it

While making a definite decision is hard, you should forget about your desires, needs, and resources. You may have to find other means to fill in some of the gaps, but hopefully you'll be able to find what suits you best.

Joining a community is not a race so don't rush it. Ensure that you will end up on the best place the offers the best deal. You may not want to continue where you're living, but it's better than spending the money to move fast only to realize you dislike where you're at, and you'll have to move again. Careful research should be done on any place you're considering. Learn what you can and can't get from them. View their rules and learn if you can affect you and your family's everyday life. Also, see what they say regarding emergencies, or sudden move outs. If something requires for you to move away very quickly, be sure you know what to expect, and you understand how to keep yourself safe and guarded physically and financially through it all.

You deserve a happy, healthy, and safe retirement. Even if it takes a little while longer, do your due diligence and get all of the information first. Consider your decisions carefully before finally applying it.