Distant cousins of the jungle's stingbat, the aptly named stunbat (Tsealìm in Na'vi) is a native of the Txepìva volcanic plains that hunts by diving from great heights and colliding with their prey head-first, stunning them.

Their head is blunt, with a threefold crest reminiscent of the great leonopterix's dual one, but significantly more ossified. Their neck is thick and muscular, to help support the structure, but also to weather the high velocity impacts.

The hands, small and with fused fingers in jungle stingbats, are much larger here, and used to catch stunned prey falling from the sky, or pick them off the ground as they swoop down. It also allows stunbats to eat on the fly, as it were, as the plains' chaotic environment doesn't always provide them with safe perching opportunities. 

Stunbats have short, prehensile neural queues that retract under thick, keratinous neck frills. The extra mobility of this limb allows them to make quick connections while in mid-air, front to back, back to back, or belly to belly, the latter being the more commonly seen one, accompanied by a stabilising "handshake".

The stunbat's vision is excellent. Early research by Eyris Makri with the Tuin clan of the Txepìva showed that their domesticated stunbats were able to spot prey up to 4 miles away, seeing clearly at ten times the distance of their Na'vi handlers. Their primary eyes show a high concentration of foveas, giving them enough focus to clearly distinguish prey moving against the complex backdrop of the plains and lava fields. 

Although the stunbat's barbed tail has lost most of its poisonous sting, it is still used in defence against larger predators. Their best defence, however, remains a Na'vi bow.

It is hard to tell exactly when domestication started, though the olo'eyktan of the Tau'un clan claims one of his ancestors was the first to tame a stunbat. We're told this happened during the "Time of Long Nights", but dating that event is equally complicated. Current estimations are a minimum of two millenia.

During that time, the stunbat's range remained tied to the volcanic plains of the Txepìva clans, although the species has been observed by Serafiina Hukkala as far out as Mons St. Helen. One must note that the stunbat is unlike our previous study case of the Viperhound, which are bred for various purposes. Interviews with Txepìva hunters (Makri et al.) suggest that their relationship to the Na'vi is similar to that of cats and humans, with multiple domestication events, beneficial to both species. Na'vi led breeding appears to be very incidental, as stunbats tend to fly off to find mates in the wild, rather than mating among their clan's flock.

This species is significantly larger than their forest cousins.

The most common uses of stunbats are for scouting and hunting. While hunting of small game is extremely similar to what humans once achieved with eagles, stunbats also take part in hunting expeditions for large prey. 

They are used to follow the movements of herds, but also to help separate young calves from their mothers, or the weak and wounded, by dive bombing them (Hukkala et al.) They understand complex orders, communicate with clicks and shrieks, and will come to hang on the queue or harness of their paired Txepìva to share more detailed visuals through Tsaheylu.

This is also how they are used for scouting. Serafiina Hukkala postulated that the stunbats' mated pair lifestyle influenced Txepìva culture by making the act of scouting a couple's task. Scouting, we must remind the reader, is a lot more crucial to the Txepìva, who have no qualms waging war against each other for the domination of water sources and fertile land. Raiding parties, while not frequent, are a banal part of life on the plains. Even small children learning to work with stunbats will be sent on sentry duties, often on the back of a Lenonin Hound. 

The reason mated pairs of stunbats are favoured is because of their long flight range and their ability to connect together in mid-air. This means one side of the couple can move far ahead, and report back to their partner, already extended to the edge of their range. A couple of scouting stunbats effectively covers double the range a single hunter would.

Stunbats are occasionally used to communicate with similar techniques. While one half of a pair can be sent to deliver a message to another tribe, the other remains with their clan (often brooding). The homing individual (whichever has best endurance, as both sexes feed and brood chicks at will) can find its way back to them even if the clan is on the move. More research is needed on their communication capabilities. 

When travelling or staying in temporary camps, stunbats are housed in loose baskets designed to let them hang onto the side. These carriers are custom made by every clan and come in many forms and sizes. Brooding stunbats are carried, either by a Na'vi who will fashion straps to turn the basket into a backpack, or tied to the back of Leonin Hounds.

In more permanent camps, the Texpiva craft treillis to give them places to hang from. Serafiina Hukkala reported a clan that arranged dried branches and material for firewood as perches, while Eyris Makri stayed with a couple who fashioned fake branches at the top of their tents, like rafters. Both heard reports of clans that house their stunbats along with their livestock, but the practice seemed frowned upon.

The bond between Na'vi and Tsealìm needs further study. It isn't as exclusive as with an ikran, but much more complex than with direhorses. Stunbats bond strongly with a small family node, and more weakly with the extended family and friend group. Tsaheylu is typically only done with their main Na'vi hunters, although the stunbat can be introduced and passed down to children. 

Emergency tsaheylu was witnessed twice by Makri, when a scout had urgent reports and the stunbat was sent ahead. Connection was made with the clan's tsahìk, who had a habit of bonding with every newborn stunbat. The practice, we were told, can be controversial. 

Hunter depicted without ornaments, to highlight the process of Tsaheylu.

Some clans craft harnesses for hunters to better carry and support their stunbats, while others prefer natural body-to-body contact. The folding or tying of the neural queue to allow for better access to the kuru/tendrils seems universal among all interviewed hunters and scouts. Different styles were observed and will be presented in our published notebooks, after our paper on the use of stunbats in skirmishes and outright warfare, as the Txepìva practice it.

Part II of @straydaddy (art and design) and @bluedaddysgirl (lore concept + final art entry) in-world collaborative study, "Introduction to the Txepiva clans, their nomadic pastoralism and niche selective breeding practices in species of stingbats and viperwolves". On twitter we are Knarme and Bluedaddysgirl

HUNTING YOU

CHAPTER V : SEE

ALL WORK IS MY ORIGINAL WORK!!!  I DON’T OWN ANY CHARACTERS!

SUMMARY: The reader is a part of the Metkayina clan. She couldn't help herself as she watched and wanted Neytiri and Jake. Maybe it was because they were the first forest people she had ever seen. But she wanted them like a hunter wants its prey. Little did she know that they had also wanted her and were willing to hunt her if that was the only way they could have her.

 WARNINGS: nsfw(18+), smut, minors dni, clit play, degradation kink, fingering, squirting, avatar/na'vi!jake, dilf!jake, fem!bodied reader, metkayina!reader, creampie, unprotected sex, breeding kink, dry humping, pet names (babygirl, dirty girl), poly relationship

PAIRING: jake sully x neytiri, jake sully x reader, neytiri x reader, jake sully x reader x neytiri

NOTES: My song suggestion for this part is… Disfruto by Carla Morrison<3

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“It is time we make the bond ma mates.” She said as she pulled her braid from behind her back. You looked over to Jake and you could see him pulling his own braid from behind him. All that was left was for you to bring your braid. It was finally happening. You would have your own mates, your own family, and the love you've been yearning for forever. It was time for the hunter to finally become the prey.

You felt the air around engulfing you, suffocating you in the best way possible in anticipation of what’s to come. As you sit there naked, your skin begins to feel hot again as your hand moves to your back on its own accord. You can feel as it wraps around the base of your braid and you slowly tug it forward. Jake and Neytiri scoot closer to you, all three of you kneeling in front of one another as you finally bring your braid forward. Jake and Neytiri stare at you first, before they turn to look at one another. He cups her face with his hand bringing her in for a kiss before bonding to each other first, and you watch as their pink tendrils of their queues connect. Their eyes blow wide and then they close as they begin to nuzzle their faces into each other, and once they open their eyes, they turn to look at you. They each hold their connected queues by the base of their braids as you bring your own forwards, their intertwined queues waiting for yours. You slowly inch yours forwards, and the pink tendrils from your queue inches forward, searching for its mate, when it finally reaches them, your tendrils wrap around theirs and you close your eyes and gasp for air as you feel them. 

It’s like nothing you have ever felt before or imagined, it’s better. You close your eyes, lost in the feeling of them, you can feel all of them. All the way from the sway of Neytiri’s tail, to the soft grass underneath Jake’s knees. You can feel them both and individually at the same time, you don't know how to explain the feeling.You feel the love they have for eachother, their children, and for you know.It fills you with so much love and joy, feeling complete and happy at the same time, so much that tears begin to pool at your eyes.You feel as they both nuzzle into you, each one on either side of your neck. 

“I love you both ma mates, I see you both.” You say as you pull back enough to stare at each one. You can feel your tears fall freely and they both stretch out one hand each, wiping them away. Your left hand reaches Neytiri’s face and your right Jake’s shoulder. You take time to give each one a kiss feeling excited at the fact that you’ll finally be a part of a loving family. You begin to feel as they kiss down your neck, Neytiri making small nips at your neck with her fangs and Jake sucking softly at your collar bone making sure to leave marks so that everyone knows who you belong to. As Jake lowers his head even more, he reaches your breast and begins lightly sucking on your nipples as Neytiri leans over kissing you again. She slips her tongue into your mouth as you do the same, while your hands pull at her top, exposing her breasts to you as Jake unties her loincloth exposing her to him. Without breaking the kiss you begin to cup her breasts, pinching her nipples lightly as Jake continues sucking on your nipples as his right hand finds Neytiri’s pussy, running his fingers up and down her slit. You feel as Neytiri’s right hand cups your pussy, and her fingers search your slit nimbly looking for your clit. You feel Jake’s need through the bond, and you reach for his cock, taking it in your hand as you begin to pump him, his cock ready and hard.

“I need you both.” You say as moan, needing to feel them both at the same time. Carefully you begin to move around, making sure you don't break the bond of your braids. You push Neytiri to the floor lightly, having her lay down as you sit on top of her as she grasps your hips. You feel Jake come behind you, settling in between her thighs as he spreads her legs putting them around his waist. He begins rutting his cock over her pussy, making sure to gather her wetness on his cock as his hands reach from behind you cupping your breasts. You can’t help but look down at Neytiri as you begin grinding your pussy over her stomach, needing friction to alleviate your aching clit. Jake drags his cock over her clit one last time before he reaches down with one hand and pushes into her, inch by inch. She lets out a moan as she throws her head back once he bottoms out inside of her, as she lets a hand come up, rubbing slow circles on your clit as you begin grinding again. You can’t help but look down at her with an excited smile as your next words catch them by surprise.

“I want you to cum in her ma Jake - I - I want us both to carry your next children at the same time.” You let out shyly as her eyes widen and Jake lets out a small gasp. You still for a moment afraid you said something wrong before a wide smile spreads over Neytiri’s lips as Jake let’s out a happy chuckle.

“Nothing would make me happier ma y/n.” Neytiri let’s out as Jake whispers into your ear in agreement. Jake begins a steady rhythm of slow thrusts into her pussy as she drags your hips up to her face. She slowly seats you over her face as she begins dragging her tongue up and down your pussy, tasting you as you feel Jake speed up behind you. As her mouth closes  in around your clit sucking lightly, you can hear as Jake grunts throwing her left leg over his shoulder as he begins pumping in and out of her fast. All you can hear around you is the sound of skin slapping skin, Neytiri’s wet pussy squelching around Jake, and her moans vibrating into your clit. You can’t help but feel the coil inside of you begin to break as you grind down on her face, feeling as your pussy and legs begin twitching. You reach an arm back, rubbing on her clit and you can feel as she begins to squirm and her legs twitch. You can feel Jake thrusting into her hard and fast, his balls slapping her ass as he grunts behind you. Neytiri begins devouring your clit with her mouth as she reaches up and pinches your nipples into hard peaks. The sound of Jake’s hips slapping against hers, his grunts as he fucks into her like an animal, her tongue on your clit all make you fall over the edge. You cum with a cry as your legs clamp around her head and your legs twitch, grinding down harder on her face. The vibrations of her moans send little shocks throughout your body. You feel as she’s close to cumming, so jump off her face carefully and go to kneel next to her as Jake continues to fuck her like an animal in heat. You grab her right leg and pull it down towards her chest as your free hand goes to rub tight circles on her clit. She begins to cry out, close to cumming so you rub tighter and faster circles over her needy clit. She cums with a loud cry, her legs twitching as her pussy clenches around Jake milking him for all he’s got. His hips begin to falter and he cums with three hard thrusts, bottoming out and stilling inside of her as he throws his head back and bares his fangs, his white cum coating her insides. He slowly brings his hips to a stop, as his cum starts leaking out of her he grabs her hips putting them at an angle so his cum stops leaking out. You all take a moment to sit there, embracing each other's presence as one.

“You next ma y/n.” Neytiri says as she lets her hand caress up and down your thigh. You feel Jake’s hot breath in your ear as he begins letting his hand wander down to your pussy.

“Come on baby, you’re gonna give me a baby too. You said it yourself.” He says as he begins pulling you towards him. He ends up putting you on all fours, arching your back so your ass is in his face. He begins licking long hard swipes on your pussy, making you squirm in his hold as Neytiri goes to sit in front of you. You spread her legs so she’s open and exposed to you, and you slowly begin pumping two fingers in and out her slowly, stilling them inside of her making sure Jake’s cum stays inside. And you slowly feel Jake teasing your needy pussy with the head of his cock, making sure to swipe at your clit. You begin to thrust back into Jake, needing him to thrust inside of you, filling you to the brim with his cock. He takes this as his signal, and with one hard thrust bottoms out inside of you, his heavy sack laying against your clit. You gasp as you feel his hard cock inside of you, squirming you need more. He begins to pull out, just to thrust back in and continues to do this as you moan out begging him to give you more. He begins a rhythm of hard thrusts as his sack slaps your clit every time he thrusts. You lean down into Neytiri’s pussy, immediately finding her clit and you begin sucking. You keep one arm across her thighs holding them down as you feel them start twitching beneath you.

You get lost in the feeling of her sweet taste as you begin to feel Jake speed up his thrusts behind you, the head of his cock rubbing against that spongy spot inside of you each time, and his heavy balls slapping your clit with each thrust. He lays a hand down on your back, making you arch even more, reaching deeper inside of you with this now angle. You can’t help but moan into Neytiri’s pussy, sucking hard onto her clit as your fingers begin thrusting into her. The sounds of her moans spurring you on as you begin to thrust back into Jake’s hips, indicating for him to fuck you harder. You can feel Neytiri’s legs twitch below your arm, so you hook both fingers inside of her caressing that spongy part inside of her as you suck harder. You feel her still and she cums, clenching around your fingers as you suck hard on her clit. She cries out as you continue to suck lightly on her clit as she comes down from her high and you slowly release her legs, letting your hands rest on her thighs as you begin to lose balance as Jake speeds up his thrusts behind you. He reaches from below you and lets one hand pinch your nipples as his other rubs hard circles on your clit as he ruts his hips into yours. You can’t help but lay there on Neytiri’s thighs as he fucks into you, she caresses your head encouraging you to hold on. You begin to feel your pussy clench around his cock as your wetness drips down your thigh creating a delicious friction. His fingers rubbing tight circles on your clit, his hands pinching your nipples, and Neytiri’s delicious scent in your face all have you cumming. You cum hard clenching around his hard cock as you bite down on the inside of Neytiri’s thigh, letting out a hiss. You feel his cock twitch inside of you as the head of his cock brushes your cervix with each thrust and he lets out a roar as he cums inside of you. He bites down onto your shoulder as you feel his hot white cum coat the inside of your needy pussy, as Neytiri coos at you, massaging your scalp. He lets out a few final hard thrusts, as he stills inside of you, making sure his cum doesn't leak out as he keeps your hips at an angle as he uses his cock as a plug. You do the same, making sure your fingers never once pull out of Neytiri, feeling as they’re coated with her cum and Jake’s. You stay like that for a while, fucked out and in a state of euphoria, imaging what your life will be after this. He slowly pulls out of you, just to lay you down on the ground, him in between Neytiri and you, one at each of his sides. You and Neytiri turn to lay on your sides, throwing a leg each over him, intertwining the three of you. You lay your head on his chest, and Neytiri rests her own at the crook of his neck as you feel her hand searching for your pussy. You do the same, and the both of you slip two fingers inside one another, using them like plugs so his cum doesn't leak out. You can't help but look at her, and then at him as you sigh in a blissful state.

“I see you Neytiri. I see you Jake.” You say, giving each one a soft kiss as you feel Jake caress your back.

“We see you y/n.” Jake says softly as he gives you a light kiss on your head. You can’t help but let the sound of his heartbeat lull you to sleep as your free hand holds onto Neytiri’s. You can finally sleep in peace, knowing that you’re a part of a happy family. You’re excited and nervous at the prospect of being a second mother to the kids, and to soon experience the pregnancy and birth of your own along with Neytiri. You sleep peacefully knowing you won’t be alone, you’ll have your mates with you and you realize that sometimes it is good to let yourself become the prey.

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AHHHH HERE IT IS GUYS!!!They’re finally mated and it’s something I really wanted them to have, a happy ending. Like I'm totally down to write something with angst but, they’ve been through too much. Time to be happy for a change!! Let me know what ya’ll think, i’ll probably write a blurb after this of their domestic life. Enjoy!

TOODLES <3

TAG LIST : @neteyamforlife @fanboyluvr @n1ght5h4d3-24 @itssomeonereading @myheartfollower @nyahhhsstuff @yeosxxx @alohastitch0626 @neytirishottie @whydo-theyhate-rey @cleverzonkwombatsludge @iikatsukii @slutforsmut4ever @acorspee @kyber4crystal @jiminsthickthighs @frfavatar @tulken-toruk @arminsgfloll @keeyuu-u @hai-kbai @jakesullyssluttt @babyymeme @im-in-a-pansexual-panik

Lost: pt 3

Fic description: You and Jake have mated now, it is time to build your home in the village. You transfer to a Na’vi body permanently, get used to your new life, and eventually plan to start a family. 

Tw: Ritual, breeding kink, predator/prey, primal, alien x human, na’vi heat cycles, mating, dom! Jake Sully, Fem!subby! Reader, praise kink, size kink, minors DNI 18+

“Ma Jake…,” you whisper to your mate as the both of you wake, the sunlight glimmering on top of the Tree of Souls. “Nga yawne lu oer…” (I love you) Jake says to you as he helps you up. The two of you have spent the night with each other, connecting, making love. “The people must know that I am now mated. Come,” he sternly voices to you. You take your hand in his, as he leads you to the village. You see the Tsahik, Mo’at. Jake has put on the traditional wear of the Olo’eyktan. He announces to the people that you are his mate. Never have you felt so honored.

They are familiar with you, although they were surprised that Toruk Makto’s chosen mate was a human scientist. The decision was made to fully assimilate you to life as a Na’vi. You fell in love with Hometree, with the forest, and most importantly, with Jake. You were his mate, and from then on, over the course of a few months, he has taught you the way of the Na’vi, all up until you become a hunter and chose your own ikran. 

You barely spent any time at the lab now, your main priority was him, your Jake. You loved living free as one of the people now, all aspects of your human life just seemed to drift away. You have spoken to your co-workers back at the lab, they too agreed with your choice to permanently transfer to your avatar body. 

You barely spent any time at the lab now, your main priority was him, your Jake. You loved living free as one of the people now, all aspects of your human life just seemed to drift away. You have spoken to your co-workers back at the lab, they too agreed with your choice to permanently transfer to your avatar body. 

You barely spent any time at the lab now, your main priority was him, your Jake. You loved living free as one of the people now, all aspects of your human life just seemed to drift away. You have spoken to your co-workers back at the lab, they too agreed with your choice to permanently transfer to your avatar body. 

Night- Hometree

The ceremony had taken place on the day of an eclipse. The Na’vi moved in unison, queues connected to the forest, as your tiny human body was carried by Jake. All you remember was looking up at him as he carried you to Mo’at, a look of adoration adorning his face. Mo’at and the others began to chant, as you felt yourself become sleepy, and then you saw a blank space, you had seen Eywa. You met her, and she was beautiful. Eywa has guided you, and you open your eyes once more, now they are yellow, matching your Jake’s. You were now one of the people, forever. 

That night Jake had wanted to celebrate. “Come, babygirl. Want you to pick a spot for our home together,” he said, eager, his tail moving erratically. He looked so beautiful, as the luminescent light of the forest shone on both of you. His (still larger) hand was in yours as he led you down a grassy path, and then the two of you climbed a tree together. The top of the tree overlooked the forest, the Hallelujah Mountains visible in the distance. 

“I think it will be here, Jake. Our home,” you whispered to him, softly, as he chuckled, his bright yellow eyes meeting yours. His large hand comes up to cup your cheek, you feel his face get closer to you. Your foreheads are touching, you feel your tail becoming faster and faster. He stays with you like this for a bit, your foreheads together, eyes closed. Without even thinking, your queues connect. Jake pulls away, his hands now moving down to hold you up by your hips. “My mate, my girl. Can’t wait to start a little family with you, baby,” he coos at you, you start to hear yourself purring. 

He chuckles at your surprise. “You are Na’vi, Omaticaya, now; sweetie. It comes with a few physical effects that human women do not have,” he explains to you. You stutter, nervously. “Like what?,” you ask. “Like your heat, honey. You will get it soon, there is no set time when Na’vi women get theirs, but you’ll have it soon, I’m sure, since you are already mated. Eywa will guide you, baby, she will guide your body. You will know when it’s time. I’ll help you through it.” 

Although you really wanted him to fuck you right then and there (and he did, slamming you up against the bark of the tree, for all the forest life to hear your little mewls and purrs, his grunts and pants) he did not finish. He told you that you had to wait for your heat. “When your heat comes, it affects me too, it affects my want for you, baby. When it comes, I’ll pump your cute little pussy so full of me, gonna breed you, knock you up. Everyone will know that you’re mine,” he coos at you. 

One month later, it did arrive, just like your Jake had warned you. You were settled in your home already, you wake up on the straw bed to find that your Jake is missing, you feel that he is on a hunt somewhere due to your bond. You feel physically hot, like you’re burning. Most importantly, you feel your pussy ache and clench around nothing, it was just so empty, and you NEEDED it to be filled, to be all stuffed with your Jake’s fifteen inch cock. 

You moan out in frustration, you needed him, and he was away!! You laid on the straw, your hand trailing down below, making a weak attempt to ease some of the wetness and ache that you felt. You’ve never been this turned on in your life. Suddenly you hear Jake enter the home, quickly shutting the door behind him. You gazed up at him pathetically, with a pout. 

“Ma Jake. Please. What’s happening?,” you wail at him. You were feeling quite a bit emotional at the moment. Jake’s soft eyes rake over you, you sense in him pity and yet also something dark, the way he looked at you after you became his mate. The look of sheer hunger. 

He cups your face in his hand, cradling you like a doll not meant to be broken. “It’s your heat, my love. You’re fertile now. I warned you — it was going to be hard,” he explains, in a gentle tone that you had rarely heard him use. 

His fingers trail over your lips gently. He gently climbs onto the straw bed, you see him start to remove his thin loincloth. You sit up to reach for him, his biceps clinging around your waist immediately. You feel yourself starting to purr again, just a little bit. He trails a few light kisses on your neck, your queues connect. You can sense what he is thinking, how ultimately content he was at the moment. 

“Been waiting for this moment, babygirl. I knew you’d be my mate, I just dreamt of fucking your cunt full, helping you through your first heat. Every warrior needs a sweet mate to come home to, hmm?,” he whispers to you. You feel his fangs trail over your neck as well, as he brings you in for a few hungry kisses. His nose scrunches, his eyes blow wide as he stares into yours. “Need you, ma Jake,” you quietly moan out to him. You felt so alive next to him, it was a need that just felt like an itch you couldn’t wait to scratch. 

“S’okay,  baby girl. I got you,” with that you feel one of his hands trail down between your legs, his hand spreading your lips apart gently, teasing you. You feel his soft blue thighs flush against yours, you try and reach around his wide shoulders to steady yourself, but he stops you. “No. Turn around.” His voice was commanding, sending a rush of pleasure down to you, and yet his eyes were gentle. He looked at you like he wanted to both destroy and take care of you. 

You do as he says, you feel his arms steadying you as you turn on your stomach. He leans down,  putting almost all of his weight on you. “Good girl. My love. You ready? Just a little heads up. Once I start, it’ll take me a while to stop. Wanna use you for a bit. That okay, sweetie?,” he asks, his large hand petting your head. 

He always asked for your say, no matter what — One of the many reasons you loved him. You nodded fervently, closing your eyes as you felt his soft head tap on your lips lightly. Fuck. He was teasing you.

You felt him push into you slowly. There was no need for foreplay, after thinking about him almost all day, you were just so happy to finally get stuffed all full on his cock :) 

He went deeper than before, you felt the pressure even on your torso and stomach. It got worse when he started to move. Way, way, worse. “Fuck. Atta girl,” you hear him stutter out. “So tight f’me. So perfect,” he almost moans out. You couldn’t see his face but you felt his aggression, his veiny hands make use as they grip your hips, he was using all his strength. His fangs grazing your neck lightly. You feel his balls lightly slap you as he moves in and out. A predator, breeding his helpless prey.

You feel his chest down on your back, more of his body weight pressing down on you. One of his hands slid under, he had you completely in his hold now, in his control, like you were his little toy to play with. “You feel me in there, sweetie? Gonna give you so much of my cock that you’ll get knocked up. But you’ll do that for me anyway, won’t you, honey?,” you feel his hot breath on the side of your face. All you could do is nod and moan. 

You realize that he pushed himself in all the way, which he never did before. Fifteen inches was a lot to handle, even in your Na’vi body. The pressure just kept building, so intense that your vision was going in and out.  But, you just kept taking your Jake’s cock, like the perfect mate!! 

After the first few orgasms, you still wouldn’t calm down, pawing at your mate with your smaller blue hands, begging him to keep you stuffed full again. 

Jake let out a low chuckle. “Just that desperate, huh, baby? That’s how it always is with heat. I got you, my love. Gonna take care of you. 

God, you just felt taken care of, so small, so protected, under him while he rutted into you like an animal. His fangs, your fangs, your tails intertwined, your queues connected. You were able to feel all that love and adoration he had for you in this moment, it reminded you that he was your mate, and he was going to care for you in any way he could. Including pumping you full of his cum, of course. 

You finally calmed down when it was close to morning, the luminescence of the forest beginning to slowly fade away under the sunlight. He gently laid you over so your head rested on his chest, locking his long and heavy arms against you. You felt him calm as well, the heat induced hormonal flashes were no longer driving the both of you insane. 

“Did so good for me, my girl. It’s all over now. You can rest,” he soothes you, his hand coming to cup your cheek. The both of you fall into a deep sleep, his hand coming over to rub your belly, foreshadowing what was to come in a few weeks. 

--------

A month later, you noticed something was off when you suddenly felt ill on a hunt. Jake, being protective as he is, insisted that you leave the group and go visit the Tsahik. You began to trail off back to the village, until he ran up next to you. “Can’t let you go alone. Come,” he sternly reminds you, you take his hand and the two of you set off. 

Mo’at was able to determine what was wrong with you. “Feeling nervous about this, Jake,” you say to him as Mo’at continues to inspect you. “Don’t be,” he reassures you, as his large hand holds yours. 

“You are with child, my sister. You must tell the clan. May Eywa be with you,” she whispers, a look of astoundment adoring her face, as she exits the room. Jake’s wide smile matches yours, he picks you up momentarily, as you cling to him. His kind eyes meet yours, you feel that he is bursting with joy, just like you.

“Ma Jake,” you look up at him as he sets you down, (now extra carefully.) He cups your face gently, bringing you in for a light kiss. He then bends down in front of you, his large hand now splayed over your belly. “I see you,” he whispers to you, and to your belly, running his hand over it. “I see you,” you whisper back to him. Oel ngati kameie, Eywa ngahu.  

Avatar tag list: @23victoria @drinking-tea-and-be-obsessed @jake-sullys-whore @aerangi

I posted 935 times in 2022

That's 243 more posts than 2021!

169 posts created (18%)

766 posts reblogged (82%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@actuallycuteanimals

@is-the-primate-vid-cute

@fluffydogbutts

@orcinus-veterinarius

@delightful-dolphin

I tagged 923 of my posts in 2022

Only 1% of my posts had no tags

#queue - 563 posts

#pets - 160 posts

#marine mammals - 129 posts

#wildlife - 128 posts

#cetaceans - 127 posts

#zoos - 86 posts

#orcas - 81 posts

#cats - 81 posts

#dogs - 78 posts

#killer whales - 76 posts

Longest Tag: 139 characters

#’trust these infographs made by me… whose only title is ‘activist’… more than these accredited zoological facilities! watch a netflix doc!’

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

If you ever go on a dolphin tour boat and your guide permits passengers to feed or jump in the water with wild dolphins, entices the dolphins closer to the boat with various forms of bait, chases after them, or attempts to corral them with other boats for a better viewing experience, please report them to Fish & Wildlife for violating the Marine Mammal Protection Act. Feeding, touching, or harassing any marine mammal is prohibited in US waters. Document the violations if you can.

The beach town where I’m staying for my internship is full of dolphin tour boat companies who condone or even practice these illegal, harmful activities. It’s very disturbing to see locals and tourists alike posting on social media about their ~magical wild dolphin encounters~ without knowing or caring about the danger to the animals. Wild dolphins need to stay wild. They cannot rely on humans for food. They cannot lose their wariness of boats. Not to mention it’s unsafe for you. Dolphins are intelligent, wonderful creatures, but they’re not the gentle, benevolent entities popular media has made them out to be—they’re large, powerful, wild animals that deserve respect. Please enjoy observing wild dolphins from a safe distance, and if you ever find yourself approached in the water, let them pass by you undisturbed.

1,684 notes - Posted June 30, 2022

#4

Baymax has veterinary programming 😭

1,838 notes - Posted July 1, 2022

#3

See the full post

2,677 notes - Posted June 12, 2022

#2

The first of several red wolf pairs was recently released into the wild by USFW, and the Facebook comments on the official announcement are of course filled with uneducated hunters and self-proclaimed “wildlife biologists” labeling them “vermin,” “coyotes,” or “not real wolves,” and openely promising to shoot or trap them to “protect” the deer and turkeys. The red wolf project is incredibly personal to me, and it’s absolutely nauseating to see cruel, selfish humans threaten the lives of animals I know and have cared for. 

Red wolves (Canis rufus) are native to the southeastern United States. We have fossil evidence dating them back at least 10,000 years. Recent DNA evidence (2021) suggests their presence in North America may predate even gray wolves and coyotes, making it impossible for the species to be simply wolf-coyote hybrids as was once widely believed. The American Society of Mammology recognizes them as a distinct species, and they are protected under the Endangered Species Act.

Red wolves are a separate, unique species. Red wolves are part of the natural ecosystem of the southeastern United States, and they have been here long before European colonists ever arrived. Red wolves belong on their ancestral land. They are considered critically endangered by the IUCN Red List, and killing one carries grave legal consequences under federal law. Conservation is about maintaining a healthy planet of both predators and prey, not preserving overpopulations of game species so there’s plenty to go around for recreational hunters. 

Save the American red wolf.

3,869 notes - Posted February 27, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

All my homies hate PETA.

16,310 notes - Posted April 7, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

Fic and Tag Masterpost

General Tags:

my writing: writing that is mine

my ideas: posting main ideas of outlines

keep on keeping on: updates on progress

cue the queue: queued posts

my lack of writing: not writing by complaining about writing

the holy subtexts: theory posts about various fandoms

tw: puns: punderful jokes

Note: If you feel inspired, feel free to take inspiration from these. The chances of me actually writing these are very small.

RWBY:

Change of Skin and Heart

-Ilia/Weiss Childhood Friends to Lovers.

A Magnetic Personality

-Penny meets Pyrrha shortly before their match, puts her foot in her mouth, and changes history.

Ship of Theseus

-Saphron Cotta-Arc/Red Haired Woman crackship taken seriously.

--CH1 Posted!

Rosenkavalier

-The opera Der Rosenkavalier, retold as a Frosen Steel story.

Fe3H:

Consolidation

-Lysithea & Edelgard childhood friends to adoptive sisters, except its more like childhood prison mates.

Lusus Naturae

-The Chalice of Beginnings is successful in bringing Sitri back to life... as a giant zombie dragon. Golden Route.

Persona:

the old age new age adage (series)

-Futaba & Fuuka, Haru & Mitsuru, and Ryuji & Chie found family shenanigans, as separated fics.

Genshin:

Are you sure you want to delete this file?

-Nahida successfully stops Scaramouche from deleting himself. She then shows him how to do it correctly.

a flower for the dove

-Columbina/Rukkhadevata crackship taken seriously.

The Fifth Descender

-A full Aloy story quest. Major HZD crossover.

old friends (are the easiest to prank)

-Venti/Hu Tao summer fling crackship, ft. Suffering Zhongli. Outlined before 3.4

Unheard (but not unwelcome) (series)

-Abyss Princess Lumine had no idea her brother was alive, thanks to the machinations of the Abyss. When she finds out, the Abyss has a bad time.

Venerated Archons

-Compilation of the archons being fucking dumbasses.

Worm:

Hiveswarm

-Taylor doesn't go to her camp, joins Emma in the alley, cluster triggers alongside her, and Escalates(tm) with intertwined powers.

Useless Prey (affectionate)

-Sophia adopts a dog who can’t do anything… other than set Shadow Stalker on a redemption arc.

Vistalante

-Despite both of their best efforts, Vista and Shadow Stalker accidentally adopt each other.

Other:

Advanced Placement

-(Carmen Sandiego): Julia gets hired as Player's teacher.

baby's first gaslight

-(Honkai Star Rail) Bronya decides the best way to annoy (flirt with) Seele is to say outrageous things with the excuse that she's sheltered. Sampo is perfectly fine being the scapegoat for once.

Duality

-(GenLock): Miranda is GenLock compatible.

-Probably abandoned.

A Spark of Blue

-(BNHA/Monster Hunter): Kaminari (among others) gets a Monster Hunter inspired quirk(s). Heavily explores quirk classifications.

Chapter 14 - SBT

Here it is!

The Australian had taken a few short naps in his van. He woke up and stretched his legs and arms. After a few seconds blinking and landing back in reality, Mundy looked over in the direction of the restaurant. The sky had gone completely dark now but thank God there were lots of lights on and around the impressive building. 

Mundy grabbed the binoculars he had borrowed from his friend and had a look. He wasn't interested in who was coming and going, nah. Seeing a herd of snobs in absurdly expensive clothes and even sometimes wearing bits with real animal fur did nothing but infuriate him. 

His line of sight moved to the side of the building. Ah, he needed to go somewhere else to get a better view. He grunted. There was nowhere he could park the van to see better. Thus he left his van and went on foot. 

The point was to have the back of the restaurant clearly in sight. Why? Because here is what Mundy had thought: whoever had lost that button came from that place. As the butler told him, they were way too well enough to care and would surely not even bother fixing the thing, but rather replace it altogether. Now, add to that what the tailor said, that he embroidered the name of the owner of the jacket directly on it: the Aussie's mind was set. He needed to get his hands on that bloody jacket!

With all that in mind, where would it be? Where Eddy had pointed to, namely, the bin. 

This whole reasoning was the motivation for Mundy half hiding in a dark alley where he could see the back of the restaurant. It was now the early hours of the morning and he saw the restaurant had more people exiting than coming in. Closure time was imminent. All he had to do was to wait for anyone to take the trash out to the big bins outside. From that, Mundy would only have an hour and a half, maybe two before the trash would be collected. He hoped that he would have enough time to rummage through them and find the jacket.

Mundy put a hand in the pocket of his jacket and took a pack of cigarettes. He lit one and waited without complaining. His past life as a hunter had taught him patience long and through. And so before his eyes, he saw the successive smoke breaks of the staff, people opening the first few buttons of their jackets and easing their shoulders for a few minutes before adjusting it all and going back in. 

It lasted what other people might call an eternity but the Aussie didn't mind much. It could be worse, much worse. He could have been waiting to ambush poachers on a cold night of November, lying on the floor, on his stomach and looking through the scope of his infamous rifle...

Mundy shivered and shook his shoulders. He blinked a few times to shoo away these thoughts. 

Two men finally exited with big black bin bags. Mundy's eyes opened wide. They threw it all in the large dark bin boxes and slipped back in the restaurant. The Aussie waited to make sure no one would catch him. He saw all the staff exit the place little by little. The flux of people gently calmed down until the last person locked the backdoor and left. He followed them with his eyes and made sure they were long gone before approaching. 

Mundy looked up and around. There were a few security cameras but he was lucky enough as most were turned such that they watched over the back door but not in the direction of the bins. 

He got closer and opened the large box. He winced at the smell and coughed a few times… 

Roight, gotta open these. 

He took his van key and slashed through the bags. Their content, and stench, spread quickly. Mundy held his breath and lit up the small light he had on his keyring. 

He realised that the first few bags must have come from the kitchens as it was mostly organic waste and food packages. The next few ones were mostly paper and cardboard… 

Ah! 

Mundy saw some dark blue cloth. He grabbed it and pulled. 

Yes!

It was indeed a jacket! He looked at the buttons of the front but his smile vanished when he saw that they were all there. 

Bloody hell… 

He rummaged more and more impatiently but it was the only piece of clothing that was dark blue and golden. Mundy was about to throw it away when something caught his eyes. 

Those snobs, they even have buttons on their cuffs…

He looked at the other sleeve and couldn't see the button. 

"Crikey! It wasn't a front button but one on the sleeve!" 

The Aussie eagerly took the jacket in his hand and checked the name on the tag. 

Antonio Sanchez.

"Gotcha, ya mongrel!"

After searching the pockets, he tossed the jacket back in the bin and left. He needed a good night of sleep and a good wash to chase that smell away before the next steps. 

---

The next morning, the Aussie woke up next to the lake. He grabbed his bar of soap and washed himself thoroughly before slipping in clean clothes. 

Mundy then jumped in his van and drove off. There was one person who might know who this Antonio Sanchez was and how to find him. 

He left the forest and arrived in town. Ah, he wished his old friend would remember him. Thinking about it, the same anxiety as before meeting Phil and Matt seized him. He was unsure about it all and he was unsure of knowing his own self anymore… 

Mundy took a deep breath. He needed his friend and despite him repeating to Eddy that he worked alone, it wasn't exactly true. He had a well-filled address book of contacts. Well, he had one a good decade ago. It was a miracle that those people were still around and in the same line of business. A lot can change in ten years, as the Aussie had started to realise only recently.

Mundy looked in front of him. He knew where he needed to go, he had better go on foot so he parked the van as soon as he entered the right neighbourhood. 

The sound of his old heeled boots resonated on the dirty pavement as he walked. Curious eyes emerged left and right, creeping out of the walls themselves. Mundy was in the poorest and gloomiest neighbourhood of the city and even in broad daylight, the whole place was strange. The people who lived and hung out there were not the same bunch as those he had seen a few hours ago at the Queen Victoria. 

Fancy suit and ties versus rags. 

People here mostly lived at night but they never slept entirely either, like fearful preys whose predator was life entirely. They kept their ears pricked for any noise and their eyelids never closed.

The million eyes followed the tall and slim silhouette of the man in the washed out red polo-shirt walk along the dirty streets and alleys until the boots stopped. 

"Old brown boots. Worn out more than when I saw them last time, but they are the same, there is no mistaking it."

A voice said. It came from a man sitting on the pavement. His clothes were also old and brown, but the colour had faded much more on his rags than on the Aussie's clothes. 

"G'day, M." 

"And to you too, Mundy. Glad to see you remember my name." The dirty beggar answered, his head still low and his voice as fragile as ten years before. He hadn't quitted smoking.

"Yeah well, you seem to remember mine too."

"You sound surprised." The man sat on the floor calmly said, still looking at Mundy's boots as if he was talking to them more than to the man himself.

"It's been 10 years. You could have forgotten." 

"No, I can't. We are too similar for me to forget." The beggar stood up and his ragged coat flowed after him. "Follow me." 

They walked through some alleys and Mundy noticed how intrigued the million eyes now looked. Who was that man under the hat following M? 

"Still have yer business I see?" Mundy asked the man who was a few centimetres taller than himself. 

"And I see you have come back to yours." 

"Sort of." 

"Your presence here tells me that you have. There is no doubt about that."

They passed a few streets until M went in an alley, Mundy on his heels. The alley was very large such that people were lining up left and right against the walls. Most of them nodded and greeted M as both him and Mundy passed, and those people were dressed in a similar fashion as M's. Beggars too, no doubt. In the middle there was an additional long queue. Both M and Mundy walked up along it until they arrived at a table. A few people were serving what Mundy guessed was some soup. 

"These are all the people that the city throws away. Rejects they call them. They don't fit, you see. This one is a drug addict, that one lost his job, that one was crawling in debt… Instead of helping them out, the city pushed them into misery head first."

"I don't remember that you were feeding people. And I don't remember there were that many."

"Time has passed, Mundy." 

"Looks like it, yeah." 

Both men arrived at a dead end. M kicked the lamp post and it switched on. 

"So, what do you want to know?" He asked as both took a seat on the crates there. 

"You're willin' to help me?" Mundy asked.

"Why wouldn't I be?" 

"It's been ten years and I've left the business without saying anything to anyone. You might have thought I was dead. You also might not want to work with me."

"I might have thought you were indeed dead, caught by the last poachers you were after, but I knew otherwise. And why wouldn't I want to work with you?"

"It's not like I'm payin' you or anything to help me and I disappeared without even letting you know. Not very professional."

"Yes, it's true. But you're doing a job only you can do and you're doing it in the best way. I can't come between you and your mission."

"What?" Mundy asked, confused. 

"I knew you were not working anymore." M answered. "You see, as much as your campervan is your dwelling, mine is the streets. I have eyes and ears everywhere. I knew and I know."

"D'you know why I decided to stop workin'?" 

"I have my doubts and suspicions. But I won't burden you with them. In the end, and even if I'm surprised, I am glad to see you back." 

Mundy smiled faintly. He was happy to be back too. 

"Tell me what you want to know." 

"Antonio Sanchez. He's a waiter at the Queen Victoria, I need to know more about him." 

"Hm. The name does not ring a bell but I will see what I can find. Why do you ask?" 

"He's robbed some alligators off a rich bloke."

"You came back for some rich man's crocodiles?" M asked and Mundy didn't know if there was disdain in his voice. He raised an eyebrow. 

"Don't take it badly, I am just curious. As you said, you went away and tried to hide for ten years. Today, you come out of your hiding, with clothes that almost look older than mine, and you enquire about the whereabouts of a man who stole alligators as if those ten years did not exist."

Mundy sighed. 

"Yeah."

M raised an eyebrow. 

"I… I came back for the 'gators. They're the last of their kind. But anyway, I'll go back to town. Got stuff to do. Y'know where to find me." 

"Indeed. And you know how to spot my boys still?"

"Unless it's changed, green soles, isn't it?" Mundy asked. 

Maurice smiled and nodded. He extended his hand to his old partner now coming back to the business. The Aussie shook it. 

"Ah, before you go, Mundy, you should know this." 

"Yeah?" He asked. 

"The Queen Victoria seems to be attracting an awful lot of attention as of late. Tread carefully." 

The Aussie frowned for a second. 

"What d'you mean?" 

"The kind of attention that could bring trouble to you. Or stop your career, for good." 

Mundy's jaw clenched. 

"What's happenin'?"

"Even I am not sure. But more and more rich people are pouring to town. Rich people who didn't get their money by playing it fair. But those aren't the most dangerous. Keep your eyes open and your guards up, Mundy." 

The Aussie's eyes went to the floor and he frowned further. 

"What are you tryin' to say?" 

The tall beggar headed out of the dead end and left the hunter alone without adding a word. 

"Christ's sake…" 

Mundy jumped off the crate and walked out into the streets. He made his way back to his van with his hands in his pockets, his eyes locked on the pavement which rolled below his feet. No, M knew more than what he said, that was sure. But what he meant and the serious tone with which he did say it stuck in the Aussie's mind. 

He jumped in his van and drove off. He needed somewhere calm to think. He grabbed a sandwich and let the van guide him. She led him all the way back to the lake. When he arrived, he kicked his boots away and walked barefoot on the grass up until the calm water hugged his feet rhythmically, lazily. 

He looked at the water come and go, the cold and wet sensation invading his toes and the space between them. He stared emptily. 

Mundy knew that he could trust M but something was tickling him on the inside. If M knew why he had left, what was he thinking of him and his return?

𝓢𝔀𝓪𝓹𝓹𝓮𝓭 : 𝓐 𝓢𝓷𝓸𝔀 𝓦𝓱𝓲𝓽𝓮 𝓡𝓮𝓽𝓮𝓵𝓵𝓲𝓷𝓰

Once upon a time, in the Kingdom of Far Far Away, there lived a King & Queen who were happily married. The King’s daily temper tantrums could be heard all over the land, and their silly fights were a matter of regular gossip among the subjects of the province. The aristocratic couple had only one son, Damien, a dark boy with tanned skin & hazel eyes. Everyone who met him, found him to be uniquely beautiful. One unfortunate day, the King had a sudden fall in his kingly bathrooms, & died an untimely death. A tall statue was erected in the town square, to commemorate his valiant wars, during his younger days & all the subjects paid homage at his tomb. The Queen mourned for about a month, feeling lonely for the lack of someone to squabble with. 

 Then began the reign of The Great Queen of Far Far Away.

The Queen set out to expand her empire, fighting valiantly to conquer the domains of the Lords of the West, winning many battles. While her son, now a well mannered boy of fifteen, looked after the daily affairs at his mother's castle. At the same time, the long queues of  kings & princes, asking for her hand in marriage for political leverage, grew steadily. The kingdom flourished during this period of expansion, with a steady inflow of precious metals from the defeated lands making the kingdom's treasury look like a picture from every pirate's dream. 

All was well, until the day her majesty met The Count of Well-Spun-Lies. He was tall, dark, & perceived to be amusingly idiotic. Unfortunately the Queen fell for his masculine charms. The now married couple were in pure bliss for the first few months, until the Queen was bored by the new King’s constant complaints about the quality of the bathing soaps, & aromatic perfumes because the King was very concerned about his flawless bronze skin.

But the new King had a secret, no soul except his own knew. Every night, as the clock struck twelve, The Count would stand before a mirror and chant the twelve most important words of his life, 

“Mirror, mirror on the wall who is the darkest of them all?” 

“Your Majesty, you are the darkest in all the land.”, said the same voice everyday, in its deep baritone. And the The Count would smile slyly, fix his hair & return to his bed-chamber, with peace & calm in his heart. 

                                                             ***

To escape the new King’s narcissistic self-absorption, the Queen entertained herself, by hosting massive dinners and balls with dukes & nobles, to celebrate no occasion in particular. The King & Queen grew further & further apart, but neither really cared. Not until one summer night when the castle was celebrating the eighteenth birthday of the young Prince Damien, where the Queen hoped to get the Prince married off to a dignified princess after the ball. 

The King stood once more in front of his mirror, and for the first time in his life, heard the words he had always dreaded to hear.

“You are ONE among the darkest in the land. But there now exists one who is of a darker beauty & a golden heart.” uttered the voice which was now just above a whisper. 

“And WHO might this impostor be?”, roared the King as he examined his face in the candle light, searching for wrinkles, but finding none. 

“He is the young prince who turned eighteen today.” replied the voice only the king could hear.

The King burned with jealous anger at this terrible news, & plotted his way to reclaim the title of the darkest beauty in the land. He knew the young Prince could not be harmed unless the Queen was removed, & so he laced her wine with rat poison during one of the palace parties. She did not die. So, he increased the dose by vast proportions, & the Queen was finally declared dead by the end of the week. The fate of the young prince now lay in the hands of The Count of Well-Spun-Lies.

Thus, began the evil reign of His Terribleness, the new King of Far Far Away.

The long queues of  queens & princesses, asking to be married to his Majesty returned. The King began by marrying the princesses from lands with expensive spices, perfumes & bathing oils, to regain his dark beauty. He tried every way he could to become younger, from long baths in goat milk to getting tanned in the Sun. But nothing he tried ever worked. In the meanwhile, Prince Damien was confined to the dungeons of a castle that was no longer his home.

                                                               ***

The Forgotten Prince, the subjects called him. Some said he was dead, or that he had died of grief after the death of his poor mother. But no one dared question the King, for fear that they would be beheaded for being beautiful, or worse be used in one of the insane beauty potions to enhance his youthfulness.

As the days went by, the Kings’ frustration grew. The voices in his head mocked him for his ugliness, & he almost went mad when he spotted a slightly greying hair in the mirror. He had had enough, the young prince had to die & his golden heart would be used in his latest beauty potion, mixed with rare herbs from Egypt, whose princess he had most recently been engaged to.

 “Summon the Head Huntswoman!” ordered the King, & the trembling servants rushed out of the throne room, a welcome break from his vexing presence. 

The head Huntswoman walked in, wearing all black with her bow swung over her shoulder. Her skin was brown like honey, her eyes had a fierce fire in them, & her heart was one of stone. She is pleasing to the eye, thought the King, but she has no gold, silver or spices to give me. & so the King dismissed the thought & focused on the pressing matter at hand.

“You summoned me, your Majesty?”, asked the Huntswoman with a small bow. She disliked giving respect to people, when they clearly deserved none.

“I have a proposition for you.”, he said with a stupid smirk, that he thought people found attractive. 

“Today, you will kill the young Prince in the dark forests beyond Far Far Away, & return with his heart, by midnight. Don’t think I’ll be fooled by a pig's heart in place of the Princes! That has been done before. I’ll have my doctors closely examine the heart! You will leave now.” commanded the King. 

She gave a curt nod, showing no sign of weakness. 

The Huntswoman was surprised by her latest errand, because this proved that the forgotten prince was still alive, but she did not show her surprise, for she had committed crimes far worse than killing a Prince at his Majesty’s command. The once happy land of Far Far Away now lived in mortal fear of its erratic King; and the Huntswoman, though she hated it, was another pawn in His Majesty’s wicked game.

“You are dismissed.” he added with an air of annoyance. He was late for his new bath, this time with spices brought all the way from China.

The Huntswoman left without a word, and proceeded to the dark dungeons of the castle, which always brought a chill to her skin. She had been there several times, twice for disobeying the King, and the other times to torture innocent subjects for crimes they had never committed. But she shrugged those painful memories away.

                                                               ***

In under two hours she had the Prince sitting on a horse beside her. All she had told the Prince was that the King had asked them to visit the dangerous forests at the border & find him a special kind of herb for his potions.  

“I’m Damien, you are?”, asked the Prince, studying the handsome Huntswoman beside him who seemed lost in thought. She glanced back at him, noting the way the Sun lit up his hair like a halo, & the dimple on his left cheek when he smiled. Yes, he was beautiful, she said to herself. 

“I’m Gretel.”, she answered rather rudely, feeling bad about it immediately. The Prince sensing her hesitation to speak, did not try to converse with her further as they rode deeper into the woods. 

Suddenly, Gretel had an inkling that they were being watched, as though she was the hunter no longer, & was now the prey. And she wasn't wrong as they soon heard the sound of hooves, voices, and excited dogs following them, rapidly advancing towards them. She recognized the hounds immediately, this was the hunting party of the Princess of the North, a sworn enemy of Far Far Away. They exchanged a look & pushed both their horses into a frantic run, as they sped through the forest brush, as fast as their horses could take them. 

There was hope for a close escape, until an arrow flew through the air, intending to kill Gretel when instead the Prince pushed his horse in the way & the arrow plunged straight through his heart. The Prince fell off his horse with a groan, & immediately fell into a coma. Gretel, quickly stalled her horse & fell by his side in shock,thoroughly puzzled by the sacrifice the Prince had just made for her. Why had he given his life in place of hers, when he knew nothing about her but her name ? And she was supposed to murder him later that evening.

                                                                ***

“And who might this beauty be?”, asked the Princess of the North in her shrill voice, pointing to Damien, who was growing paler by the second. 

“He is the Forgotten Price of Far Far Away.”, replied Gretel in a calm voice, that was the opposite to the turmoil she was facing on the inside. 

“Well, he’s dying. He needs his true loves’ kiss!”, said the Princess matter-of-factly & gave the Prince a long sloppy kiss. But his lips only turned blue, & his skin turned as white as snow. 

“He’s already dead”, said the Princess in irritation. “I shall have him placed in  a glass casket at my castle for all the world to gaze at his deathly beauty.”, she declared, climbing onto her horse & shouting orders for her guards to follow.

When the hunting party had left, Gretel could stay calm no longer,& the tears began streaming down her face, as she leaned in to kiss the Prince on his cheek as a final goodbye. If only they had more time, she would understand his kindness, but now all she felt was guilt, for that arrow could very well have been her own.

“Why are you crying?”, asked the Prince with concern in his tone. Gretel opened her eyes & found lovely hazel eyes staring back at her, as the Prince tried to sit up. 

“I thought you were dead!”, she stated, between tears. 

“Don’t worry, the arrow missed my heart, it's wedged in my shoulder”, he replied, prying the rest of the arrow out. 

“But you turned blue, & white.” she continued, wiping away her tears. 

“Yes, that happens whenever I have fits or concussions”, he replied with  a laugh taking her hands in his.

“Shall we run away?”, he asks, pointing at the horses behind them.

“Why not?”, she replied with a mischievous glint in her eyes, showing him the bag of gold bullion which had been forgotten during the scuffle. And so they raced their horses towards freedom, into a night full of new hopes & beginnings.

                                                      * The End * 

Copyright Ⓒ Megan Pereira 2020

Pic Credits : Wiki Fandom

WIP Wednesday-Vampire Knight

I wrote on this quite sometime ago, was cruising my files and stumbled across it. Read through it, tweaked it, started writing on it again but got distracted because I’m a Gemini with the attention span of a peanut. My favorite characters in Vampire Knight are Kaien Cross and Takuma Ichijo. No idea why. Just the way it is. This is a Kaien Cross story. Massive liberties taken with creator’s world and backstories, I’m sure, but I’ve done a little bit of tweaking here and there to make it a bit more ‘canon-compliant’. The title is The Vampire Without Fangs and it’s an origin story essentially. It’s set during the series arc (sort of) but this snippet is from Kaien’s past (totally made up). It is slash with an original character, mainly because shipping him with anyone else is weird? He’s as old as some vampires so everyone’s a child to him. This is actually from mid-way in the story thus far and from Kaien’s vampire lover’s point of view.

Autumn leaves swirled through the trees as Reya watched with no little interest the sandy-haired hunter worked his way through the undergrowth with surprising agility. There was something otherworldly about this one, like a human child trying to play grown-up games. The hunter silently pulled the razor-sharp long sword from its scabbard, the metal gleaming in the dull light filtering through the tree branches.

Reya longed to tell the hunter he was wasting his time. Most of the little pack of Level E vampires were dead at Reya’s own hand, or rather fang. He’d been hungrier than usual for some reason. However, Reya had no intention of garnering the attention of the Hunter Association. The fewer people who knew of a progenitor’s existence, the better off said progenitor would be.

Also less harassed by the so-called Vampire Senate and their Kuran puppet ruler.

There was a growling hiss, fallen twigs and leaves rustled with quick movements and Reya noted that the hunter disposed of one vampire already. Sand fell to the ground.

“Ashes to ashes, dust to dust,” whispered the hunter with no emotion.

Reya’s interest was further peaked. It was a strange thing to say. He watched the hunter kill the remaining two vampires in quick succession, repeating the same mantra as their dusty remains settled to the earth.

“You can come down, vampire, I know you’re up there,” called the hunter, turning in Reya’s direction and looking up right where he sat crouched on a tree limb.

“Impressive instincts, hunter,” approved Reya, leaping from his perch and landing expertly on his feet. He bowed formally, politely. “I am Reya and –“

“I don’t care. Fight or die or stand there and die. Either way, die.” The hunter rushed forward, sword raised and Reya nimbly dodged away. The hunter froze for half a heartbeat and then lowered his sword. “You are not one of them.”

Reya smiled. “Indeed, no. In fact, I just finished consuming my fill on them when you arrived.”    

The hunter looked around with a frown. “I thought there should have been more,” he noted, as if interested despite himself.

He looked at Reya squarely and the vampire felt as if someone punched him in the gut.

The hunter was more than handsome, he was exquisite. Pain and loneliness shone from within, his brown eyes more golden than earthy and his features were fine and aristocratic in make. Sandy brown hair pulled back in a queue was tugged by the slight breeze. His long body and delicate-looking stature was misleading of his actual strength. If he’d been female, the term ‘elfin’ might have been applied to him.

The sword raised once more and Reya was brought from his reverie. “And it’s the hunters’ job to hunt vampires, not yours.”

“There was no hunt with these fools,” scoffed Reya, flicking a dismissive hand at the sandy remains scattered here and there. “I was hungry and I needed to eat. I frown on consuming the local human populace. That leaves rats or vampires. I assure you, vampires are less trouble than catching a rat. They taste better as well.”

The hunter’s confusion increased, if his furrowed brow was any indication.

Reya stepped forward, bypassing the sword point and grasped the hunter’s other wrist gently, bowing over the man’s hand in gentlemanly fashion as if he were a courtier and the hunter a fine lady. “Might I have the pleasure of your name, hunter?”

The hunter became flustered and drew away nervously. “Kaien Cross.”

Reya gave a start and then chuckled. “One of the famous Cross clan hunters! I have not met one of your bloodline in many generations.”

Cross’ features darkened. “You won’t meet another ever again,” he stated grimly. “I am the last and it will stay that way.”

There was bitterness there but something else nudged at the vampire, something that Reya couldn’t quite put his finger on. He dismissed the feeling for a moment and surveyed his wary companion. “I mean you no harm, you have my assurances.”  

There was a distant roll of thunder but no clouds lined the sky.

“I see the battle has recommenced.” Cross sheathed his sword and nodded brusquely to Reya. “If you will excuse me, I have to return to my post.”

“Who are the French shelling now?” Reya asked with a frown.

“It’s mutual shelling,” the hunter told him grimly. “The Austrians aren’t giving up without a fight.” Cross looked at his vampire companion. “Do you not know where you are?” he asked incredulously.

“A mountain looks like a mountain, a river looks like a river and a sheep meadow looks like a sheep meadow,” philosophized Reya with a negligent shrug. “After thousands of years, one area looks the same as any other and the political borders of countries shift enough that it matters little.”

Cross waved a hand in the direction of continued cannon bombardment. “Austerlitz will fall soon and Empereur Napoleon will only have the British and Russians to worry about before unifying Europe under his command.”

Reya snorted derisively. “I wish the little general the best of luck. He is going to need it. Even the might of Rome failed and Julius Caesar, I assure you, was taller, prettier and more charismatic than Bonaparte shall ever dream of being.”

Cross’ honey-colored eyes narrowed in disapproval. His back stiffened and his lips thinned. Obviously he disagreed with Reya’s assessment of Napoleon’s skills and odds of success. “Vive l’Empereur,” he murmured stubbornly.

“I prefer Viva Espana but it is probably a touchy subject. Hunter Kaien Cross, until we meet again.” Reya bowed formally to his companion one more time. “And I assure you, we will meet again, I shall make certain of it.”

Cross scowled at him and shook his head. “It will be a battle to the death then.”

Reya looked amused. “Will it? I would prefer a battle of another sort but if not, that is a battle I would like to-“

There was shouting in French and German, followed by a close barrage of musket fire nearly drowning out agonized screams.

“Damn!” growled Cross and he put his sword at the ready.

“Fool, sharp as it is, it will do you little good against a musket ball,” snapped Reya and jerked Kaien to him before leaping into the air and into the highest tree top.

The hunter started to struggle but both of them stilled at German voices speaking low, muttering about the sounds of a fight they swore came from this direction. For twenty minutes, soldiers in Austrian uniforms searched the wooded area, never once looking into the treetops where two men watched them from above.

Once the Austrians moved away, both men relaxed. “That could have been unfortunate for you,” noted Reya casually, regretfully releasing the handsome armful from his grip. The hunter turned his scowling features from the ground to the vampire next to him. “What do you look like when you smile, I wonder?” The scowl increased. “I shall have to find out at a later date then.”

“You’ll be dust,” snapped Kaien, leaping from their branch perch and landing nimbly on the ground. “I must report back. Au revoir.”

Reya watched the hunter disappear toward the French lines. There was more to this hunter than met the eye.

Hunters normally stayed out of the politics and machinations of humanity and vampire alike, content only to hunt their prey as needed and stand on the sidelines. This hunter seemed to be up to his winsome neck in the French revolts and it’s following regime.

His interest peaked by the oddity of Kaien Cross, Reya decided he had nothing better to do so he followed the hunter home, so to speak.

“Champion’s dawn”

Chapter 4 - “A great hunt”

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'You missed!'

Celeborn's disbelief was all too obvious when another herd of guinea hens run away with dreadful sounds. They only saw a stalks of tall grass moving in clear trace and then the birds were gone.

'Well, sorry.' Galathil said not at all concerned as he lead his horse from the bushes. Galathil never had a heart for rivalry.

'They were just ahead of you!'

Oropher sighted from a side listetning to his cousins and he let Hakon eat grass. Their previous intentions to go hunting truly turned into pure horse ride through the forest of Brethil and after being outside of the walls for so long they have not managed to hunt anything yet. However, each of them managed to drink at least one bottle of wine.

'Don't worry, I brought all my three quivers' he said bidding his horse to move towards his cousins 'Maybe one of the arrows will be lucky for Galathil.'

'Or the animal handicapped.'

'Very funny.' Galathil said as he hunged his bow on his back. All three of them lead their horses back on the forest road they previusly left to see the hens.

In the distance they heard the calls of frogs that dimmed the sounds of cicadas around the forest. From time to time a branch broke under the pressure of some animal and birds on the tree tops flew from one side to another flapping their wings. Oropher looked around – there were does and stags lurking between the trees, watching them and thinking they were unseen, but Oropher clearly could see their forms in the darkness. The trees rustled their leaves in warm welcome and Oropher from time to time send whispers into the air to greet them as well. Sneaky fox crossed their path and in moment it was gone beyond the tree line.

The forest of Brethil was the safest around Doriath – the trees let no evil pass through them and if anything of concern appeared within their reach the word was given all the way to Menegroth or Western Tower where the marchwardens would follow the track of unwelcome presence. Although, Queen Melian protected Doriath with the Girdle, the Dark Power had its ways as well and foul beasts of the enemy would enter Doriath covered with magic and spells. Melian was a great Maia and she was able to sense a danger and dark presence lurking in her kingdom and beyond all, the army watched over the forests and scheduled patrols at every Change of Stars.

Galathil took from his sack another bottle and after drinking a bit he passed it to Celeborn who rode in the middle of them.

'A cherry liquor.' Celeborn said after tasting it. He was not a huge cherry gourmand.

'Drink, don't complain.' Oropher said as he took the bottle from his hands and took his queue.

They rode in silence for a while only passing the alcohol between them. They had many ocasions to draw their bows, but they were not so fast to do so preffering to enjoy the ride and each others company. The elm tree they passed by turned its branches towards them and they answered in soft words.

Oropher briefly remembered a story told him by his father when he was but a small child – so little he barely walked. It was during the Great March when the Teleri stayed behind along with their kin who were reluctant to pass over the mountains. Lenwë and his son Denethor were of those elves who wished to stay and while Oropher had only a cast of a memory about Lenwë, he remembered Denethor well – they met many times during the March, later at the Battle Under the Stars and Oropher even visited Ossiriand few times at Elwe's order before Doriath was girdled.

It was Denethor who tought him how to speak with the trees. It happened during the March under the gaze of the mountain range they were reluctant to pass. Oropher and Galathil sat near the oak tree unaware about being silently observed by it, but they felt safe under long branches that reached up to the stars. Denethor approached them and placed each of them on his one lap before the tree. Oropher remembered the feeling of shivering roots beneath him and when he placed his tiny hands on tree's bark it felt as if a wind swooshed through his hands, but he felt no cold and he knew he was welcomed.

Oropher grabbed the bottle that was given to him and took a huge haust of liquor. It was bitter as it should be.

'Have you heard that Arvellon is courting someone?' Galathil said and both Celeborn and Oropher nodded, though he could not see it.

'Yes, but I feel a bit sad he said nothing about it.'

'He is young, maybe he is still a bit mortified about his feelings.'

'Come on, he is not that young.' Celeborn said 'It's just us who see him as such.'

'Maybe you are right.' Oropher agreed taking the last sip of the cherry liquor.

'Besides.' Celeborn said to Galathil. 'Do you know we were summoned for so very important meeting by our Elders? Uncle Edwethon almost ordered us to find a wife.'

'You angered him, I suppose.'

'He was angered after Celeborn proposed to marry me.' Oropher said and Galathil sincerely laughed and they joined remembering their clearly appaled uncle and the lone image of him seemed even more amusing after the alcohol.

'By the great rivers, I would like to be your witness if that ever happens!'

'That would save us a lot of trouble.'

'Hold up!' Celeborn called 'I hear ducks.'

Deep inside they knew it was no longer a good idea for them to use their bows, but on the other hand why shouldn't they. Celeborn bid his horse to leave the forest road and soon he dissapeared in dark bushes. As a true hunter should, Celeborn cursed along the way when he was cought in bur-flowers and tried to detach them from his riding clothes. Galathil and Oropher waited patiently and after a bit of waiting Galathil took a cider from his sack and gave it to Oropher, who shook his head incredulously. It was such a long time since he spent such a pleasant time with his cousins, bothered by nothing and no one and with a bottle of cider in hand.

A sigle swoosh of an arrow was heard and then a herd of birds rose up in lager clearly spooked.

'Thank me and admire!' Celeborn called as his horse trotted from the bushes. They came forward and Celeborn presented them a large bird he held in hand 'I saved our honour!'

'Congratulation for hunting a rooster!' Galathil said while Celeborn tucked his prey to the saddle.

'It's a pheasant.'

'Hush it!' Celeborn snapped at them taking a cider from Oropher's hands 'At least I deserve the reward, not like you two'

The warmth of the alcohol pulsed through their veins pleasantly, sending them in a merry mood. They tongues loosened, but they still needed much more cider or wine to start singing. But being wise and responsible they finally decided they had enough – it would not be proper for them to come back inevitably drunk.

They did quite a large circle around the forest speaking of all they possibly could and turning their every problem to joke and in time they ended up recalling their childhood – their times when Amdír was still with them, when they were young enough to not have responsibilities.

'This one time we decided to catch all the golden fishes in the fountain.' Galathil smiled to memories 'Precious moments.'

'Or when we sneaked up to the kitchen and stole the cream made for a great feast.'

'We cought a porcupine and let it inside the gardens!'

'The first time we get drunk.'

'Hold on!' Oropher called 'This time I hear ducks!'

He took his bow and arrow in hand and lead his horse closer to the sound he heard. Nearby was a calm lake where Oropher used to spent time with Alagos and he was sure there should be ducks nearby.

Despite the alcohol in his veins he managed to notice and hear a moves on the side and he fired an arrow instantly. The birds scattered around gurgling horribly and Oropher rode closer to see if the arrow met its target.

There it was! Oropher smiled and carefully got down from his horse. Hakon was well aware that his usually composed rider was not functioning well and he used the situation by cropping delicious grass each time he could and slacking around. Oropher was focused on getting down and when he stood on his legs the world around him didn't seem stable at all, but he managed to bend down and gather his prey from the forest floor without getting off balance. He examined the bird briefly and took away an arrow from the body before he tucked it to the saddle and then ungracefully he managed to put himself back on his horse.

'Salutations, general!' Galathil called when he came back. 'Especially getting on your horse was done with gracious skills.'

'Thank you. I hope you learned something from me.' Oropher said and Galathil nudged his arm.

They were back on the wide road towards Menegroth. Celeborn lied down on his horse's rear and gazed at the stars above. Galathil rode beside him with mocking smile asking if he was seeing fireflies and Oropher on the lead turned around in his saddle to face them.

'We need to pin Arvellon!' Celeborn said all of sudden as he lied on his horse and gesticulated with his every word. 'I want to know who he is courting!'

'Well, we will have to wait. He is on a patrol.' Oropher said leaning his hand on the back rest of his saddle. 'Our little cousin is making a name for himself.'

'Good, good.' Celeborn said. 'He always dreamed of being a warrior. Too bad he can't be in your ranks. I met him few times during last changes and he was ill at ease. I wonder what gnaws him.'

Oropher considered what Celeborn just said. He rarely met Arvellon beside their familiar meetings when they could talk like cousins and not like subordinate and superivisor. He sometimes saw him train on the fields or during briefings with high ranking officer of Egnaspen, but apart from that Oropher had almost no contact with his cousin in the army. Arvellon was under the Wolf banner and Oropher didn't know his orders.

The known oak trees welcomed them a bit amused at their state and when they left the tree line and rode to the bridge towards Menegroth they rised themselves to sit straightly on their horses. A single horn sounded delicately and the gates opened welcoming the Princes. They rode into the main courtyard of Menegroth in clearly good moods and they have not hastened their horses even a bit. Oropher didn't know how his cousins, but he made sure no appointments were planned after his trip and he truly hoped no unexpected meetings would show up.

It was Galadhon who by chance passed nearby and decided to greet them. They halted in front of him on a sandy courtyard and Galadhon shook his head knowing immediately that it was no hunting they were gone for.

'I see you had a pleasant trip.' he said reaching out to pet Galathil's white horse and immediately Celeborn's mare also demanded caresses.

'And fruitful, too.' Celeborn said as he cut free his pick-up and showed it to his father. 'I got a pheasant, you see. A soup from a pheasant is healthy and delicious.'

'I have a duck.' Oropher said presenting his own prey.

'It's a turkey.'

'Close enough.'

Galadhon sighted, but he could not surpress a smile. He was glad Galathil, Celeborn and Oropher held each other in such friendship – they needed each other as he needed his own brothers. All three of them truly deserved their rest and free time and Galadhon was glad they spend it together.

He looked at Galathil who in turn shrugged his arms. His younger son was a good archer he never felt the pressure to show it off and he was never much interested in archery competitions or sword fights.

'Take your rest then, great hunters.' Galadhon said with knowing smile and he was already on his way.

They dismounted carefully and the stable masters appeared within a moment taking their horses away and leading them to the stalls where they had fresh water and few treats waiting for them.

Celeborn was determined to not waste the birds they hunted and throw them to hunting dogs, so he decided to give them to the kitchens and maybe the chefs would think of any delicious meal made of a pheasant and a turkey.

They chose to enter the kitchens through a smaller door where tirelessly worked Beriel, who with her husband Luinor, was a chief cook in Menegroth and prepared the meals for the King and Queen. Also, they were the Elders of the elven race, being born at the Cuivienen, and they were in close friendship wth Elwe. Oropher, Galathil and Celeborn were very fond of both Luinor and Beriel, who always showed them kindness and were always somehwere around during their childhood. They often used to sit in the kitchens or hiding beneath the tables and steal either a cupcake or a pencake, which was of course noticed by the elder elves, but they never said a word.

Beriel was standing with her back to them being busy with decorating a berry pie. She hummed to herself clearly in good mood and only when she was finished they decided to scare her, since they were sure she didn't hear them approach.

'Hello, Beriel!'

The elleth jumped clearly surprised and immediately turned to face them. They truly appreaciated the time when nobody was looking and they didn't have to hold on to titles and formalities.

'You have not changed a bit!' Beriel called 'You are still the same imps, only a grown up ones!'

'And we know you missed us.' Oropher said, 'We are back from a hunt and we have pick-ups.'

'I know what kind of hunting this was.' Beriel said looking at them suspiciously, but she took the birds from Oropher and Celeborn. 'A pheasant and a turkey. Hmm, there may be a stew today and turkey with apples.'

'We will leave it to you then.' Galathil said perfectly knowing that Beriel was already lost in her own musings as how to take good care of given goods. And everyone knew she had countless ideas on how to prepare even a simple hare's meat.

'Go, go! Leave me to my work!'

Despite his state, Galathil here and there decided that he must see his wife. Before either Celeborn or Oropher could stop him, he was already gone and they both suspected that Faineth will be less than pleased seeing him like this and it will probably end with Galathil's banishment. In the memory of their brother's courage they decided to drink something more in a refuge of their apartments.

However, it was not long when Celeborn was cought on the corridor by one of his assistants while they were on their way to the Celeborn's place.

'What do you mean you can't count up the latest expenses?' he asked clearly irritated.

'It is as if at least one reckoning scroll was missing, my Lord.' the assistant said helplessly and then looked uncertainly at Oropher. 'And the latest losses with one stable only mixed it further.'

Celeborn grumbled something about incompetence and how he must do everything alone.

'Forgive me.' he said to Oropher. 'But it seems I still have work to do.'

'Go and save us, brave coucillor.' Oropher said and Celeborn turned to him one last time with truly grim look on his face. His advisors will have hard time softening Celeborn from his irritation.

That left Oropher alone. He sighted deeply closing his eyes, but the world spinned dangerously around him so he hastily opened them and after the world was a bit more stable he headed to his own apartment were he will get his rest. Or maybe he should finally sit and finish his papers for Mablung. Drunk reports were better than none, but he didn't believe that Primus General was of this same opinion.

The royal apartments were pleasantly lightened with torches, but Oropher easily felt a pair of dark eyes on himself watching him closely.

'How many times have I told you to not lurk around in those apartments?' Oropher asked as he passed by a figure standing in not lightened corner.

Alagos smiled under his nose. He was just back from the renowated stable to check on Halloth, Tinnu and Amrun who despite their previous training still worked hard and cleaned the building so it would glint as a new one. He knew Oropher expected this and it happened, as the general wished. Alagos moved from the wall he was leaning on and slowly tracked his commander.

'Don't follow me.' Oropher snapped at him sharply.

But Alagos was brave. That's one of the reasons why Oropher felt such alluring attractivness towards him. Their relation was based more on strong curiosity and sudden, violent needs and rising emotions. They never formed a steady and true relationship preffering to see each other what they both needed and wanted their presence.

There were few fast steps and before Oropher knew Alagos was in front of him crossing his path. Alagos was as tall as him and there was a subtle smile on his lips that Oropher recignized too well. As much as he liked Alagos, what Oropher now wished was solitude and he would not let anyone bother him.

They clashed like two bulls who met each other head on and Oropher didn't step back from Alagos who was standing much too close and Alagos have not lash out immediately to kiss him.

'Alagos, get out of my way.'

There was not even a slight dissapointment in hazel eyes of Alagos – he was turned back so many times and he knew perfectly to not push further when Oropher didn't wish to see him. Each refusal made him wait for the time he would be welcomed and when it happened, those moments would be fierce with need and longing, and pleasure even more blissful.

Obediently, Alagos stepped aside letting his general walk pass him. One of the reasons they never formed a relationship was that their love was not a true one – it was more about desire and none of them cared if the other had someone else in bed. Besides, Alagos was Oropher's subordinate and he was held in sharp discipline as everyone else and their meetings were always up to Oropher – he either wished to see him or he didn't. And every time Alagos approached Oropher he felt as if he breached a well guarded territory.

'Whatever anyone would want from me, you are the one to take care of it. I don't wish to be disturbed.' Oropher said clearly before he disappeared inside his room not gracing Alagos with another glance.

Oropher walked into the first room of his apartment. It was a small cosy living room - in the corner there were three armchairs covered in furs and in the middle of the small circle of armchairs was a round table. Before the fireplacelied an animal hide on the wooden floor – Oropher remembered he chased after this caribou for quite a while before he managed to hunt it down. A large sofa stood in front of the fireplace and a low table in front of it. Above the fireplace hunged few bows and his master sword – the Mountain Grass. Each time Oropher took it in hand the sword seemed to hum quietly and then all of sudden it was quiet. Pearls embellished in weapon's handle flashed with strenght and topazes filled up the composition. The steel of the sword was transparent on the edges and shone with diamonds. There was a strange vigour in this weapon as if the sword wished to have a will on its own.

Oropher detached his sword belt and placed it on one armchair and leaving the room he entered the bedroom scrething out arms until his shoulders snapped loudly. The sound of a stream immediately reached his hears calming his pleasantly. The alcohol made him sleepy and he decided to refresh himself after his rest. He quickly pulled off his long boots and took away his riding clothes throwing them to the ground before falling on the bed with deep sight.

Perhaps he should have let Alagos pleasure him - it was quite a bit since he was with someone, but he knew it was already too late. Alagos was away as he ordered him to be and the only thing he had were memories of firm kisses upon his body and undeniable ecstasy into which Alagos was always driving him.

Covering himself with light blanket he lost himself to his reverie hoping to be sharp in mind once he will be back on his legs.

❧ emotion rollercoaster

words: 980 words genre, warnings: fluff, angst, vampire!au

❝So, what you’re trying to say is that… You, a God-knows-how-old vampire… is afraid, from heights?❞ You asked, with the ghost of a smile appearing on your face.

BaekHyun always made fun of your scared self. He liked to prank you, most of the times having in mind your feelings. But having him in front of you, with that big cute pout of his was far too entertaining –and the long queue to get on the rollercoaster didn’t seem to get any smaller soon. You decided not to waste the precious opportunity to get your little and sweet revenge. Who would have thought that someone with the strength necessary to lift easily a car would be afraid of a simple rollercoaster?

❝You don’t understand ____...❞ He whined again, ❝they are big and scary metal monsters, I’m old, ____, it escapes to my mind how they could work without actually killing you.❞ His pout got a little bigger as the queue reduced its length, people getting on the ride. You didn’t know why, having this irrational fear to heights he was the one to suggest the idea of going to a theme park for a couple of days –even going as far as to buy a room in one of the hotels nearby the park.

It didn’t take too long for you to finally arrive to the ride, his anxiety starting to rise and –even if at the start was funny it was starting to worry you. He was fidgeting in his spot, moving from side to side as he waited for your turn to enter the long carriage with the shape of a bright red dragon. ❝You know… you don’t really have to get in if you don’t want you,❞ you spoke softly, trying not to scare the shit out of him, since he was more preoccupied with the idea of getting into the ride than paying attention to his surroundings. BaekHyun was pretty stubborn when he wanted to be, and even if you actually told him it wasn’t necessary to get in the ride, you found yourself screaming in joy next to him –who screeched in terror at the top of his lungs.

❝You know, you could try and be a singer, you can hit those high notes!❞ You exclaimed as you let him sit down in a bench under one of the big trees that decorated the park –he felt a little dizzy after exiting the ride. He just dry-laughed at you not being able to form words coherent words yet. ❝Where should we go next? There are a lot of rides and different expositions in the park to visit…❞ Looking for the map in your purse, you didn’t take notice of how he got up. It wasn’t until he physically took away the map from your hands you didn’t look up to meet his beautiful blood red eyes. A rare occurrence, since it only happened was when he was on his five senses and fully aware of his surroundings, like when hunting or being hunted. You stood there, frozen in your spot and ready for him to murder you in the bloodiest way he could find. That, however, never happened.

❝How about we go first to eat something and, then, go see all those expositions? We can take a ride on the carrousel then.❞ His soft voice spoke and, for you, it told you to run away from him –velvetish and seductive, like inviting you to a sweet death. You were terrified to your bones, but still found yourself unable to move, to run away. It was like he possessed your body and actions. Was this what they called hunting? He never explained well how he did it, even if you actually asked a few times for him to explain how it was –he always told you it was far too complicated for you to fully understand, that it was something human vocabulary could not explain.

❝Okay…❞ Your mouth moved against your will and, when you were able to regain consciousness of your actions, both of you were already half way down to the small snacks bar. His eyes back to their gorgeous dark chocolate-like colour. ❝What…? What happened?❞ You asked, clearing your throat a couple times, somewhat a little sore from the experience.

❝That is, my love, called mental manipulation. It’s a… technique, you might call it, that we vampires use as one of multiple methods of hunting. While looking at our victim at the eyes we can manipulate them into doing what we want. Once we have fulfilled our wantings we can either break the bond or just kill them.❞ He calmly explained, as he wasn’t talking about literally killing people. ❝Of course, whatever happens while the prey is being hunted depends on the vampire’s strength, the victim’s mental health and the morals of the hunter. There are terrible monsters out there. ❞

❝Why did you do it?❞ You knew he didn’t trust himself around you, even if he was opening his heart and feelings at you. You trusted him, or at least you wanted to trust him –but he was a vampire, and he had to consume human blood to keep living as human-like as possible.

❝You wanted me to explain how I hunted back then, right?  So I just did it…❞ He simply stated as he took a turn and walked straight into one of those cotton-candy selling machines. His hands, holding yours, were freezing and soft, like a well cut piece of ice. ❝Do you want some cotton candy? ❞

Byun BaekHyun was a mysterious vampire. He courted you, he loved you, but he also scared you. Why were you still talking and, somewhat, living with someone who could easily kill you? Well, not even you knew that. Maybe he had you under his spell all this time and you didn’t even know that.

Kid was no stranger to being on stages, obviously, but he wasn't exactly performing for other people, in fact there was only one person who he cared about, and that person was being escorted to the front of the stage by Play. He wasn't used to being on the outs with girlfriends, he was good in relationships, but it was some of the stupid shit he did when he wasn't that ironically was the thing that put the strain on the relationship he was in now. He knew the situation had embarrassed Siobhan in a way he'd never wanted to so he hoped making a public spectacle would mend fences enough that she could at least look at him again. He was used to being polished and prepared, for this  he wasn't, but his intentions were sincere so when he saw Siobhan was close enough, Kid hopped on stage with a mic. "Excuse me." He said, and suddenly people were cheering and making their way towards the stage, they probably figured he was performing, and technically he was, but he wasn't putting on a concert, just putting himself out there for someone special and immediately he launched into the iconic 'Blues for Nina' poem from Love Jones, knowing the movie was one of her favorites. Say baby, can I be your slave? I’ve got to admit girl, your the shit girl And I am digging you like a grave Now do they call you daughter to the Spinning Pulsar Or maybe Queen of 10,000 Moons, Sister to the distant yet Rising star Is your name Yemaya? Oh hell nah, it’s got to be Oshun Ooh is that a smile me put on your face child? Wide as a field of jasmine and clover Talk that talk honey, walk that walk money High on legs that’ll spite Jehovah Shit, who am I It’s not important But they call me brother to the night And right now I am the blues in your left thigh Trying to become the funk in your right Who am I? ’ll be whoever you say But right now I’m the sight raped hunter Blindly pursuing you as my prey And I just want to give you injections of Sublime erections and get you to dance to my rhythm Make you dream archtypes Of black angels in flight Upon wings of distorted, contorted metaphoric jizm Come on slim, fuck your man, I ain’t worried about him It’s you who I want to step to my scene Cause rather than deal with the fallacy Of this dry ass reality I’d rather dance and romance your sweet ass in a wet dream Who am I, well they all call me Brother to the night and right now I am The blues in your left thigh, trying to be the funk in your right Is that alright?" His eyes didn't break the contact he had with hers, and he couldn't  really see from where he stood the expression on his face, but he would find out soon enough. The crowd clapped though it didn't really matter, and his boys were on queue both with the music and crashing the stage as his back up. Sometime during the first chorus of Method Man and Mary J’s ‘Youre all I need’, Kid jumped down from the stage and went over to stand in front of Siobhan and finished the rest of the song face to face with the girl, more than anything he wanted her to see his eyes and how serious he was about making all of the shit from the past month right.  He could feel the eyes of the people in the crowd who were whooping and clapping for him, but he was focused on hers, and chanced slipping his hands on her hips, "So you fell in love with somebody kind of extra, but I just want to say I'm sorry again, and I want to try to get back to where we were so...do you think we can do that, baby?"

@s-hawkins

Ladies of Legend: Atalanta

References: The Greek Myths Volumes I and II (The Folio Society, 2003) by Robert Graves, Mythology: Myths, Legends, & Fantasies (Hodder, 2013) by Dr. Alice Mills, The Greek Myths Volumes I and II (The Folio Society, 2003) by Robert Graves, Mythology: Myths, Legends, & Fantasies (Hodder, 2013) by Dr. Alice Mills, Eyewitness Companions: Mythology (Dorling Kindersley Ltd.) by Philip Wilkinson and Neil Philip, A-Z of Mythology (Bison Books Ltd, 1990) by Peter Clayton

Miss February is Atalanta, a Greek huntress with very terrible luck but a very interesting life. The identities of her parents vary from one iteration of the legend to another – one version has her as the child of Iasus and Clymene, while another names King Schoenus of Boeotia – but regardless of who he really was, her father was a man who wanted a son so badly that when he got a daughter instead, he ordered that she be abandoned on a hillside to die. But Atalanta did not die. She was instead mothered by a bear, who fed and protected her, and was later taken in by a clan of hunters, who taught her all their skill. She molded herself after the tradition of Artemis, goddess of the hunt: beautiful, virginal and tough as nails.

Artemis was also, like nearly everyone in the Pantheon, very easy to offend. When King Oenus of Calydon forgot to make a sacrifice to her in his annual acknowledgement of the gods (an oversight dobbed in by her fellow god Helius) the indignant goddess sent a gigantic boar to ravage the countryside in his kingdom. Oenus sent out a call for the greatest hunters in Greece to kill the monster. Among those who answered was Atalanta. Though some of the other hunters objected to the presence of a woman in their line-up, Oenus’ son Meleager declared that either she competed alongside them or they could all go home. So Atalanta stayed.

Before you go getting the wrong impression, this was not the act of an egalitarian prince who believed in gender equality. Meleager had a crush on Atalanta that was so obvious his uncles immediately started doomsaying over it. This was fair enough – not only was Meleager already married, he was sort of cursed as well. Oenus was the father he had grown up with, but by birth Meleager was the son of the war god Ares. When he was born, the three Fates came to his mother Althaia to prophesise what his life would be. Clotho, spinner of mortal life, predicted he would grow to be a brave man; Lachesis, weaver of life, declared he would become a hero; but Atropos, cutter of life, pointed out a log on the fire, warning that Meleager would live only as long as it took the wood to burn to ash. Althaia immediately snatched the log from the fireplace and hid it away. So Meleager grew up, unaware that his life was literally in his mother’s hands.

During the boar-hunt, Atalanta separated herself from the other hunters. Two centaurs, Hylaeus and Rhaeccus, saw her and decided she would be easy prey. Their mistake. Atalanta calmly shot both her would-be rapists dead and went off to join Meleager. When the boar charged into the trap set for it, all went to chaos as the hunters’ over-confidence and just plain misfortune added up to a scene of carnage. Atalanta managed to land an arrow behind the beast’s ear; Meleager followed her up with a spear to its heart, and presented the dead boar’s pelt to Atalanta in honour of her drawing first blood. It was a well-chosen gift for a girl like that, but riled up his mother’s brothers some more, who thought he ought to have gifted it to them instead, based on social precedence. Meleager expressed his frustration with their attitudes by killing them both.

This, understandably, did not please Althaia, or for that matter her two remaining brothers, who attacked Meleager’s city. His wife Cleopatra managed to talk her husband into taking up arms, even though Althaia had cursed him to be defenceless in this war. When he killed the last two of his uncles, Althaia burned the log and Meleager was struck by a sudden savage pain. He died, just as the Fates said he would. Althaia and Cleopatra both committed suicide and Artemis concluded her revenge by turning nearly all of Meleager’s sisters into guinea-hens.

The outcome of the hunt on Atalanta’s side was an entirely unwanted reunion with her father, whose first words to the daughter he discarded were “My child, prepare to take a husband!” Atalanta had more reasoning behind her choice of a chaste lifestyle than a disinterest in domestic life. She was warned against marriage by the Delphic Oracle. She chose a very pointed way of refusing her father’s plans for her life: any suitor contending for her hand would have to compete against her in a foot race. If the suitor won, Atalanta would marry him. If the suitor lost, she would shoot him.

Here’s the thing. Atalanta was really good at running.

She kept to her word – any suitor who could not match her, and none could, lost his life – but that didn’t stop the queue of candidates. Eventually her cousin Melanion (or in some versions, a man called Hippomanes) tried his luck. Before the race, he prayed for help from the goddess of love and Aphrodite favoured him (mostly out of pure annoyance at Atalanta’s stubborn refusal to fall in love) with a gift of three golden apples from the Garden of the Hesperides, instructing Melanion to let them fall during the race.

Atalanta mocked the apples when she saw them, but when he dropped them she could not help being distracted by their beauty and stopped to pick them up. It took all three apples, one dropped right up against the finishing line, for Melanion to outrace her. He definitely cheated. Atalanta married him anyway and for a time it seems that they were happy together. Later, though, while out hunting, they passed a temple – sacred to Zeus in some versions, in others to Cybele – and Melanion persuaded Atalanta to have sex with him inside it. Of course, this brought on divine fury and the lovers were transformed into lions. In Cybele’s version, she compounds the curse with the indignity of using the couple to pull her chariot. Aphrodite’s hand may have been involved in the fulfillment of the prophecy – she’s a goddess who likes her thank-yous to be fulsome, and Melanion was a little too absorbed in a success that wasn’t actually his own.

There are other legends in which Atalanta bore a son, Parthenopaeus, to either Meleager or Ares, and left the boy on the same hillside where she herself was abandoned. Like his mother, Pathenopaeus survived and went on to make a name for himself as a warrior.

Atalanta’s story is a tragedy, in the sense there is not a happy ending. But I’m not sure that, for a woman as fierce and independent as Atalanta, becoming a lioness would be such a dreadful fate. Whether her body was flesh or fur, she’d always be a hunter.

These stories vary wildly depending on time and teller – I work with the sources I have to hand but if you know an alternative version I would love to hear it!

Originally posted on Wordpress

Nosgoth matchmaking problems

Nosgoth: Interview with a Game Dev For an Open Beta, the game is very polished and visually pleasing.  Well, I just got to play the game.  It may be humorous at first e.  I've stopped playing the game because the latest change to the way matches end took a lot of the fun out of the game, and I think it would be disheartening to new players to not get equal playtime with humans and vampires.  It's too hardcore and has a steep learning curve.  Very fun game, I'm looking forward the official launch and all the players that it will brings.

Nosgoth Review I've conducted separate experiments regarding this since the discovery of mmr in the game logs, and there are many notable issues here.  Battle Royale players may be experiencing issues matchmaking on all platforms.  I would only suggest this as a time killer.  The deft reaver is able to leap far into the air, pouncing on his prey and slashing with metal claws.  I must say, the first time I played this game, I hated it, but it slowly grew on me.  It really is a touchy subject and I think us higher level players will just have to wait and be patient.

SSBU Online Matchmaking Problems The movement of both vampires and hunters feel really smooth and I´m a big fan of the vampires´ ability to climb building and move effortlessly through the level.  If were in beta let the people who want to play the game play it.  Last week, smooth 4k on their finest in the gears of war ultimate.  A lot of what will make for a successful Rahabim player is picking the right loadout to set up the battle positioning based what the rest of the team is doing.  Nosgoth was developed by Psyonix yes, the developers of Rocket League and was published by Square Enix.

Community State of Play : nosgoth Pretty much all of the classes can't go in alone and get kills.  We will post here with more information as it arrives.  The announcement for the cancellation was made on April 8 th 2016 but the servers were shut down on May 31 st that year.  Well, for the majority of competitive smashers, this is totally unacceptable.  How can cause lobby disconnects in gears of hours of halo 4.  Update contains final map pack and player to play 47.

Gears of war 4 matchmaking problems Each class and race have very unique abilities and game-play elements that makes it load of fun to fiddle with.  Server side updates to gears of war 4; glitches 5.  No recommendations from players, no continued players.  Playing on Wi-Fi when the Belmonts have a strict timing window for special platform tech makes practice incredibly difficult for competitive gamers.  The contrast between foreground and background actually hurts my eyes this subreddit is bad but not that bad.  Real-Time outages and all finding escalation, specifically about this multiplayer games also recently? But if they keep pushing buggy incremental patches there will never be enough hype.  The matchmaking, even with 'Any' selected in matchmaking still seems to never find me a match.

Matchmaking Issues I've seen some bad games with bad glitches and stuff, but this makes those games look good.  Certainly a number of changes I'd like to see, such as adjustments to health stations, maps, random respawns but not enough to ruin it.  Outside of Nosgoth's team deathmatch, there isn't much else in the way of content.  However, this game is still in beta, if you haven't had a look at it on steam yet, go check it out.  Pasta όλων των ειδών με σπιτικές συνταγές, φρέσκες σαλάτες, αυθεντικά ιταλικά πιάτα με κρέας, παραδοσιακά ριζότο, και γνήσια ιταλική πίτσα με λεπτή ζύμη και διαλεγμένα υλικά.  What vampires lack in the technology of their mortal foes, they make up for in strength and incredible athletic prowess, making them an absolute blast to play.  Usually theres 2 strong players and 2 weak players on each team, or so it feels.

matchmaking problem? That would be best, with such a small pool, you're actively damaging people's experiences if they're not in a premade.  A team would almost always have two summoners just spam casting abysmal bolt or spike forgot the name and two other vampire's trying to fight which turned out to be 4 humans vs 2 vampires + summons.  Early access and beta buy-ins are great until they drag on forever.  Need a constantly updating feed of duty: ultimate edition customer reviews matchmaking problems that doesn't.  Balance is very poor in terms of Vampires vs Humans.  I haven't fell upon a single issue I'd deem horrible or Very fun game, I'm looking forward the official launch and all the players that it will brings.

Solved: Matchmaking Error It'll never get there if people are completely alienated.  The party system as of writing this is broken beyond belief and it almost seems like it doesn´t want you to play with your friends.  What happened to your old Matchmaking system from Black Ops 3? How can you fight,if half of the screen is blocked by your character and you cant see around you or where you going? And for the most part, the developer has been upfront that updates are coming quickly, starting with a new map and a female vampire class, both to arrive in the following weeks, with a new human class to arrive soon after.  Does he take the fight to the vampires? Do you want to join 5 second countdown.  Originally posted by :Consider this a Corey and co.

Anthem Errors Still playing the majority of the time as a solo queue player, though I have occasionally played with one or two people from time to time.  It's not even about competetive, it's about a group with evolving tactics, similar pings, likely teamspeak, etc, going up against a group that has none of that - a group that will have a higher number of newbies because there's no play for them to go.  A video game that benefits from well coordinated movement, pacing and attacks.  The group system also has tons of bugs.  It's a growing sentiment among the rest of us, but lets try and change that.  We'll be monitoring these as well as the game, for any issues you guys run into.

Videogame Misadventures: Monster Hunter Ultimate 4

WARNING: LONG POST

Let me give you some context before I go into the ordeal.

I played numerous missions in Ancestral Steppe, seeing how it is the first place you ever get to traverse. In the times I've walked it's plains, I've been intrigued by the lone egg in the only wyvern's nest, which sits atop the highest point of the map on top of a mountain. In almost every mission there, I would always go passed it, at least once, and eventually, I got the brilliant idea of taking it for my own. However, I never would have the chance to because I always had a mission to do with a time limit. Then, one fateful day, I unlocked the "gathering" mission, where you get to go into said map for an unlimited amount of time and gather whatever you want. And I did just that.

Excited, I prepared for the mission and got all the things I needed. Seeing how I became stronger AND encountered a wyvern on the map at least once prior, I equipped my strongest gear and loaded up on a ton of potions. (Let me tell you, Wyverns are scary.) Ready for whatever came my way, I accepted the mission and off I was. From my starting encampment, I headed to the mountain(which is the furthest point on the map. Number 8 out of all the other "rooms"). Went through the Jaggi (annoying little raptors) stomping grounds, climbed up 2 cliffs filled with giant armadillo like pill bugs with pincers, and finally reached the mountain peak. The walk there went really easy. In fact, too easy. I felt something was off. Thankfully, though, the wyvern was nowhere to be found. So, I grabbed the egg and headed back. Now, the egg was BIG and heavy. Because of this, it cut my endurance and mobility to half and forced me to carry it with both hands, disabling me from attacking or using items... Let the fun begin. Now there were two exits from the mountain. I could either jump, which would smash the egg, or go back to the 2 cliff cave with the rolling pill bugs. Pill bugs it was. I climbed down the first of the 2 cliffs and, guess what, little did I know, these things CLIMB. So, I avoided the bugs best I could, finally made it down the first cliff and BAM. I get hit by a rolling bug and have to climb back up and retrieve the egg.

Take 2. I grab the egg and climb down the first and second cliffs successfully only to be chased by a bug rolling towards me. So, I start running and I successfully beat the bug and reach the other floor only to run out of stamina and DROP THE DAMN EGG!.

Take 3. I grab the egg, get down the first cliff and then I notice something. It's a second exit, which I completely forgot about, which leads to a safer path, but also into a Jaggi pack. Sick of the bugs, I go into the alternative exit and QUEUE THE BOSS BATTLE MUSIC. My heart starts racing and I try to find what the hell is lurking around, ready to kill me. I turn and see, there was a Great Jaggi (one of those raptors, but much bigger) and it was RIGHT IN FRONT OF THE EXIT TO THE NEXT FLOOR. Being compromised, holding an egg, I go back into the cave, go back out hoping he moved and, NOPE. Still there. Taunting me. She knows. She knows I can't fight back and I'm easy prey for her nest. So, I go in front of her, lure her out from her position and BOOK IT into the next floor. The Great Jaggi, now pissed, followed me into the floor where the pack of Jaggi were Now I was forced to avoid both, the Great Jaggi and a hoard of regular Jaggi to get into the next floor all while making sure I don't run out of stamina and drop the egg. Successfully reaching the next floor, the Great Jaggi not far behind me, I just keep moving forward, climb down the tree, with the Great Jaggi close to my butt, I reach yet another floor. All of a sudden, I encounter 2 new Jaggi in front of me as the Great Jaggi continues to pursue. I dodge the two Jaggi and continue forward, knowing they won't follow me once I reach the next destination and I can FINALLY RELAX! Running as fast as I could, I finally make it to the "safe zone". No more running from carnivorous predators and annoying armored bugs. Triumphant, I walk over to my encampment, wyvern egg still in hand, and head over to the chest to drop my reward into it to take it home. Wait a minute... Apparently, you're not allowed to take the egg back with you because there wasn't an option to. Crestfallen, I drop the egg and watch it shatter just like my dreams. I leave the ancient steppe, save the game, turn off my 3ds and just stare at the ceiling, full of frustration and rage.

The Art of Execution - Chap 3

[The Hunters - Pursuing Losing Shares] - In this chapter we meet the Hunters. Like the Assassins, the main reason for their success was what they did when they found themselves in losing situations. - Unlike the Assassins, they did not sell out of those positions - they bought significantly more shares. Rather than killing an underperforming investment and forgetting about it, they stalked their prey - watching it get steadily weaker and lassooing another limb every time it stumbled. - Then they sat back with their prize and waited for it to recover, eventually selling it on for a handsome profit. - In gambling, such behaviour - effectively doubling down - is known as the Martingale approach. It is frowned upon and rightly so: it often leads to ruin. - But in well-chosen investments, this is a strategy that wins over time - you acquire more and more assets at cheaper and cheaper price. When the price of the assets goes up above the average price you have spent, even if it is hardly motoring into new highs, you will be making money. - Let me stress at the outset that the Hunters, like all successful practitioners of what is called ‘dollar-cost averaging’, planned beforehand to buy more shares if a price fell. So they did not go all in on day one. Rather, they invested a lesser amount at the outset and kept some cash on the side - waiting for an opportunity to buy more at a lower price in the future. - The key reason for the Hunters’ approach lay in their invariably contrarian style. They were value investors. They generally found themselves buying when everyone else was selling, and this was an extension of that philosophy, another wait of exploiting Mr Market when he was acting irrationally. - The approach the Hunters took is a little like the one many of us adopt when it comes to bargains in the January sales - putting off purchases beforehand because we believe what we’re after will end up getting sold at a significant discount. Unlike in a January sale, you don’y have to queue up outside for hours and fight you way through fellow bargain-hunters: you can slowly acquire more and more of your purchase as its price gets slashed. (Success starts from Failure) - There is a surprising overlap in early investing experiences among the Hunters. Near the start of a significant number of their careers, the Hunters had the good fortune of having a terrible year. - It was a year in which they lost many of their investors a lot of money - and soon found themselves losing a lot of their investors. By the end of one early traumatic period, one Hunter I worked with told me he only had a single client left. - The reason this turned out to be fortunate was because of the lessons the Hunters learned. They are what ultimately led to them delivering returns that made both them and their clients very wealthy indeed. - The Hunters realised that being a contrarian investor is dangerous because you are always going against the crowd. As such they became experts on interpreting charts and other methods to truly gauge the crowd’s sentiment. After all, it was no use buying when the crowd showed no signs of changing its mind any time soon. - It burned into their minds the important fact that just because something is cheap does not mean you should buy it. - They also grew unafraid to sell if it became clear they really had made a mistake. Poor value investors I have come across refuse to adapt when they are losing and tend to support their lack of action by saying, ‘I got it wrong but the stock is simply too cheap to sell now.’ A bad contrarian investor can make for a very committed Rabbit.  - But if a stock still passed the vital ‘Would I buy this knowing what I know now?’ test, the Hunters followed their plan, and started to put their money on the side to work as the share price dropped.  (Snatching Victory) - Some of the Hunters working for me did not simply buy more of a stock if it fell beyond a certain trigger point, say 20%. Rather, they enjoyed trying to pick the bottom, buying in at the greatest possible discount, something that is very hard (if not impossible) to do. - I saw a number of the Hunters get too many of these calls right to think they were playing a loser game. That said, the rest of us are probably better of doing what the others did and simply buying significantly more shares when a stock price falls between 20% and 33% (the reasons for this were covered in the prev chapter: that was the range in which the data made it clear it was sensible to materially adapt). - The exception is if our conviction in a stock has lessened for a good reason. In that case we should do exactly as the Hunters also did, and sell. - I saw the Hunters double or treble their holdings at the bottom on several occasions and then enjoy the rewards as the shares recovered. It was clear that such moments gave the Hunters a real adrenaline kick: apparently there is no better feeling than snatching victory from the jaws of defeat. - Be under no illusions: being a Hunter requires patience and discipline. You have to expect a share price to go against you in the near term and not panic when it does. You have to be prepared to make money from stocks that may never recapture the original price you paid for your first lot of shares. If you know your personality is one which demands instant gratification, this approach is not for you.  ‘I’m accustomed to hanging around with a stock when the price is going nowhere. Most of the money I make is in the 3rd or 4th year that I’ve owned something’ - Peter Lynch - Lets take a look at some examples of the Hunters in action. (case study: Aker Solutions) Aker Solutions is a Norwegian oil services company headquartered in Oslo. It is a global provider of products and services related to the construction, maintenance and operation of oil and gas fields. One of my Hunters bought this stock on 14 April 2008 at an initial price of  €15.48 per share. Roll on a year and a half and the share price had plummeted. On 28 Sep 2009 my investor seized the opportunity to exploit Mr Market and bought significantly more stock so as to reduce the average price paid for his overall position to just  €7.61. On 28 Jan 2010 he sold his entire stake in the company with the shares trading at  €9.58 after recognising his original thesis no longer valid. Had he not done anything he would have realised a loss of 40%. However, by having the courage of his convictions to buy significantly more shares when they were depressed, he sold out of the position having made a profit of 24%. The Hunter turned a loser into a winner.  (case study: Experian) Experian is an Irish company with operations all over the globe, including the USA. The company collects information on individuals and produces credit scores which are used by lenders to decide whether to extend credit to applicants or whether to give them a loan such as a mortgage. If you have ever been turned down for a loan following a credit check, chances are that the report the loan officer used to make his or her decision was generated by Experian. This paints a picture a rather bulletproof business model because so many companies rely on Experian’s reports in the day-to-day running of their businesses. What could possibly go wrong? A hunter bought the stock on 13 June 2006, at an initial price of   £9.02 per share. Despite holding out through the credit crunch, this Hunter subsequently sold his entire stake 5 years later on 1 September 2011 with the shares trading at  £7.06 per share. Had he done nothing, his patience as a buy-and-hold investor would not have been rewarded and he would have realised a loss of 22%. So much for the saying, ‘Time is your friend when losing’. Fortunately, the Hunter had bought more shares in the company when they fell in price during that period. This reduced the average book price of his shares to  £5.66 per share and meant that when he did well he realised a profit of 19% and not a loss of 22%. Whilst 19% does not represent an earth-shattering investment, and you could argue that he sould have sold and deployed his capital elsewhere, it is clear that the investor added signifcant value through his actions. He turned a loser into a winner. This is the type of investor I want on my team.  (case study: Technip) Technip is a French project-management, engineering and construction firm for the oil and gas industry. It is seen as a world leader in what it does - whether subsea drilling, laying specially built pipelines, producing floating offshore platforms or helping to plan the developement of an oil or gas field. One Hunter bought this stock on 11 April 2008 at an initial price of  €55.42 per share, and sold it just over 2 years later on 21 May 2010 when the shares were trading at  €52.13 per share. On the face of it, this was a poor investment tha tlost 6% and tied up capital that could have been better deployed elsewhere. However, this Hunter stuck to his process of buying materially more shares in the company if the share price falls and nothing otherwise has changed. He bought heavily during the two-year period when the shares sold off. By doing this he managed to reduce his average book price per share to  €42.24. This meant that isntead of realising a small loss he actually realised a gain of 22%. (case study: thomson reuters) Thomson Reuters is a multinational media company based in New York. It is one of a number of leaders at providing the very latest content and data to the finance industry. It produces material to help lawyers and accountants ensure they are meetig their requirements of continued professional education. It also produces research for the pharmaceutical industry. On the face of it, this looks like a solid business with attractive and clients. Surely nothing could go wrong? A Hunter bought the stock on 13 June 2006 when the shares were trading at  £22.25 each. 3 years later he decided to sell his entire stake in the company, with the shares trading at  £18.92 per share on 10 Sep 2009. Thankfully, because he had bought materially more shares in the first few years of his holding when the share price had fallen, he was able to reduce his average book price to  £15.82 per share. This meant that instead of realising a loss of 15%, he made a profit of 17%. (Hunting for the compounding effect) - Apart from discovering that E=MC ² , Einstein was also famous for saying: ‘Compound interest is the most powerful force in the universe.’ - John Larry Kelly Jr, a famed mathematician, showed that the way to create wealth was to ivnest in a manner that attempt to maximise the geometric mean of returns. By doing this you would exploit the power of compoundnig and become rich in the shortest possible time. - I do not intend to go into the detail of the Kelly Criterion as it is now famously called, but suffice to say this formula showes that you should invest big when the odds are great and you have an edge. - Warren Buffett is the most famous exponent of this approach. He invested 42% of Berkshire Hathaway in American Express in 1974 because he thought the odds were outrageously in his favour and he had an edge in his assessment of how that business would perform in the decades ahead. - One of the reasons that being a Hunter works so well is that it provides you with such opporunities. - If a stock you are invested in has fallen materially in price, but nothing else has changed -  the investment thesis is still in tact - your odds will have improved significantly and you should materially increase your stake in that company. - One of the Hunters invested 20% of the asssets he managed on my behalf in Barclays shares when they traded at just 55p in 2009, having been battered during the global financial crisis in 2008. The shares rebounded and he made a lot of money. - The key point here is that although the Hunter invested big in Barclays at the outset, he was prepared to invest a lot more money should it conitnue to fall, because the odds would have gone from great to extraordinary. - If you believe the way to control risk is to have a diversified portfolio, then obviously you have no choice but to invest small stakes in each company. - If you are a Hunter, though, you choose not to control risk by diversification but by thoroughly understanding the risk and returns of a particular stock or handful of stocks. Your goal is to find companies that have an unbelievably attractive, asymmetric payoff profile. - The fact that you are only investing in a few companies means that you have the opporunity to invest big on day one, and then follow up with a large top-up investments should the share price fall. As Warren Buffett said in his annual letter to the shareholders of Berkshire Hathaway in 1993: ‘If you are a know-something investor, able to understand business economics and to find 5 to 10 sensibly-priced companies that possess important long-term competitive advantages, conventional diversification makes no sense for you. I cannot understand why an investor of that sort elects to put money into a business that is his 20th favourite rather than simply adding that money to his top choices -  the businesses he understands best and that present the least risk, along with the greatest profit potential. In other words of the prophet Mae West: ‘Too much of a good thing can be wonderful’ - The Hunters often put 20% of their assets in a single stock, and had to be comfortable investing another 20% in that same stock when it was heading south.  - Most of us would suffer sleepless nights knowing that we had invested 40% of our money in a single stock. One way of dealing with this is obvious. Choose to only review the position every 5 years ot set up an alert on your trading account to inform you if the price drops by a certain threshold. It never ceases to amaze me how being ignorant of share price swings helps a person stay invested in a large position. - I would also advocate setting up standing orders in the market when you buy your first stake in a company. It is very easy to freeze with fear when shares drop - even if it’s to a price that we said at the outset he would be happy to buy more shares at. - Mohnish Prabai talks about having a crystal-clear exit plan before you ever think about buying a stock. I agree - but also advocate having a clear plan for topping up losers as well. (The Advantages of a Hunter) - In the tables below I show the hypothetical investment activities of a Hunter, an Assassin and a Rabbit, so that you can appreciate the power of the Hunter’s approach. All start out with $900 to invest. - The Hunter adopts the three-bites-at-the-cherry approach to investing, which means that he initially invests a third of the total amount he is willing to invest in the stock. If the price falls beyond a certain threshold, he invests another third. If the price falls yet further, he will deploy his final third of remaining capital in the stock. - The Rabbit invests his entire stake, $900, in one go and adopts a buy-and-hold approach. The Assassin also invests his entire stake of $900 in one go but will only keep holding if it doesn’t hit the stop-loss set at 25% below his original purchase price. - Here is an overview of each strategy over the next 4 years:  (picture in phone) - As can be seen, after 4 years of investing in a disciplined pound-cost-averaging fashion, the Hunter has made $270 profit. Being willing to stick with the losing position and buy significantly more shares paid off. - The Rabbit, on the other hand - who, like the Hunter, also stayed invested throughout - is showing a loss of $90 because he went all-in on day one and subsequently did nothing. By going all-in, the Rabbit list the ‘optionality’ to buy more shares when they fell in price - his fate was tied to that one point and one price. - On the face of it, the Assassin did the worst. He lost $224 and sold out. However, whether he was the worst investor depends on the returns he experienced from deploying the remaining $675 in other investments over the next two years. (Three choices, but only two make sense) - As you can see, if you find yourself invested in a stock that is losing money, you have to decide whether to be an Assassin(cut and invest the proceeds elsewhere) or a Hunter (invest more money in that stock). I do not propose to tell you which approach to adopt. You will know yourself which approach best suits you. (A Rare investing Style) - My experience of managing an elite group of professional investors is that when the shares of a high-conviction company fell in price, most invariably stayed optimistic (rightly or wrongly). Most gave me a chapter and verse as to why the story and the fundamentals had not changed, and why it still remained a great investment idea. But most did not buy materially more shares. - This was madness. If they were telling me it is still a wonderful company and the millions of pounds they have lost would be recovered, why would they not buy materially more shares when this amazing company’s shares were now trading significantly below the price at which they first bought them? - One powerful technique I found useful in persuading some of the investors to add to a losing positon was to get them to look beyond their current positon and at their broader portfolio. If the overall portfolio was making money I could say to them, ‘Look, you are in profit and can afford to add to the losing position - why not put some of that profit to work?’ Or if they were sitting on cash, I would point out that the return expectations of the battered stock had to be better than the return offered by cash. Especially in a zero-interest-rate world. - I am sure the professional investors who worked for me were not unique in their reluctance to adopt the approach of the Hunters. The reasons underlying their reticence to deploy more capital in a losing stock were varied. 1) Outflows - most funds are priced daily and clients invest or disinvest in a fund on a daily basis. If you are managing a fund suffering from redemptions, not only are you unable to buy a stock that has been beaten down, you might actually have to sell to meet the redemptions, further compounding the problem. 2) Not enough cash or no inflows - I experienced this problem with one of the managers I used to manage. He did nothing when his shares got beaten up unless he was fortunate to get an inflow of cash at that time. He did not keep any cash on the side to give him the option to top up a loser, nor did he take some profits from other positions to top up the losing ones. Most fund managers I have met seem to have an aversion to selling down or selling out of another stock to invest more money in a losing one. Deep down they likely fear they will compound their initial mistake. 3) Peer pressure - the pressure felt by professional money managers when things are not working in the short term can be intense. Often it will lead them to make the wrong decision - they do nothing because they rationalise that they are damned if they do and damned if they don’t. The effects of peer pressure in the investment industry were strikingly exemplified in an article about a court case brought by a fund manager, Patrick Evershed, against his former employer, the ill-fated asset management firm New Star: (talks of culture at work*) 4) Prior price movement - The price movement of the stock prior to your purchase matters because of representative bias, a term again first coined by Tversky and Kahneman. Quite simply, a stock price that has gone up is seen as ‘good’ and will attract buyers, while a stock price that has gone down is seen as a ‘dog’ and will be shunned by all but the bravest investors. As such, most will choose to stand on the side and wait for the stock they hold, and which has lost them money, to recover rather than getting involved while the price is still falling(this is known as the bystander effect). Adding to a loser is seen as a ‘bad’ idea, but so, perversely, is selling a loser. - Remember, losers hang around with losers and do nothing to get themselves out of their position.  (Conclusion to Part 1) - In the 1st part of this book I have attempted to show that success often arises from what you do when you are losing. My findings reveal that you can get big decisions wrong and still make money provided you are willing to materially adapt. - Below I have put together a decision matrix showing the consequences of the Rabbits’, Assassins’ and Hunters’ decisions. This matrix clearly shows that doing nothing is never an option. (DECISION MATRIX TABLE IN PHONE) - In my management of investment talent I focus relentlessly on what my investors do when they are losing. You cannot change the past but you can change the future.  - Many professional investors neglect to focus on the execution of the idea. Proof of this can be seen in the way a typical investment house is set up. They will typically have hundreds of highly educated analysts whose job it is to come up with stock ideas, from which a fund manager cherry picks the best once for his or her portfolio. Furthermore, when the fund manager put together this portfolio of stocks, he or she is focused on how these stocks correlate with one another to manage risk as opposed to how he or she will execute each of the ideas. - A more forward-thinking approach would see resources just as much - if not more - focused on helping the fund manager execute the investments well. I find it bizarre that top athletes and sportsmen and women have coaches but the majority of investment professionals do not. - How can they expect to improve their game if they do not have constructive feedback? END OF CHAPTER 3