It's mermay time babey!!!

Starting the party with some olympic peninsula mermaids

can you imagine spreading misinformation on the internet i literally had to double check if i was holding a rockfish or rock greenling becore posting <- guy who has deliberately manufactured fake graham nash gay proof and post it online

For King and Country (20/122)

For King and Country | saratogaroad rating: T total wordcount:  280,466 characters: Evan Pettiwhisker Tildrum, Roland Crane, Aranella, Batu, Tani, Lofty, Leander Aristidies, Bracken Meadows relationships: Roland Crane & Evan Pettiwhisker Tildrum, Aranella & Evan Pettiwhisker Tildrum, Roland Crane & Aranella, Batu & Tani, Batu & Evan, Tani & Evan, Evan Pettiwhisker Tildrum & Lofty, Rolander other tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon-Typical Violence, Mother-Son Relationship, Father-Son Relationship, Place Slowly Becomes Home People Slowly Become Family, Found Family, For Want of A Nail warnings: none

Pulled from his world by mysterious powers, former president Roland Crane finds himself caught in the middle of a coup meant to take the life of the young King Evan Pettiwhisker Tildrum. Joining forces with Aranella, the pair of them set out to aid Evan in making his dream of a kingdom where everyone can live happily ever after a reality.

But the road to peace is a long and treacherous one and there is no promise of success in a world where darkness spreads ever thicker with each passing day. If they are to stand a chance, they must stand together, for king and for country.

(A retelling.)

=

For all his lack of experience in actually ruling anything, Evan hit the ground at a run. Where other leaders would have delegated most of the work, Evan was outside doing it. From morning until evening he was out among his people, helping wherever anyone needed one more pair of hands. More than a few times Roland had spotted him helping the Pirates with construction or the Greenlings with planting or the Dellians with any matter they couldn’t handle themselves. He didn’t hold himself like a King, lording himself above his subjects, but instead he acted like he was one of them.

Just one more ordinary citizen trying to carve out a new life for himself, down among the masses. It was clear to Roland that the masses—if you could count just over fifty people a mass—loved him all the more for it. Having a King who cared so much and so obviously for all of them was doing wonders for morale, though it did also mean that Evan was a little harder to track down than Roland would have liked. More than a few times he had crossed paths with a frustrated Aranella as they tried to track down their wayward charge to little avail.

Thankfully Evermore had yet to grow very large, so with enough legwork it was possible to track Evan down…even if that sometimes did mean finding him in the oddest of spots.

Like right then, on a fine late spring morning. Roland stood back and silently watched as Evan dug a hole in one of the crop fields. He was already elbow deep in the soil, sleeves more mud than cloth, and there was mud streaked across his face and clumped in his hair, throwing his bared teeth into stark contrast.

“Evan?” Roland asked, bemused. The only response was the flick of one ear and a lash of Evan’s tail. Slipping the papers he had brought into his arms band, Roland walked closer. Evan had stopped digging for the moment and seemed to be trying to pull on something with all he strength. “Is everything okay?”

"Just--fine--ah!" Evan tugged a little too hard and fell backwards onto his rear end in the dirt. He growled low in his throat, sitting there for a moment. “I almost had it that time!”

“Had what?” Roland asked, though he wasn’t quite sure he wanted to know. Evan kicked at a clump of soil with one heel.

“There’s a rock down there,” he said, “And the Greenlings already lost half a crop to it." He got back to his knees and dove back into the hole. Roland’s eyebrows shot up. Had he dug that whole thing with his bare hands?! “I’ve been trying to get it out all morning!”

And it was clearly giving as good as it got. Quickly taking off his coat, Roland slipped that into his arms band as well. Rolling up his sleeves, he stepped onto the field.

"Scoot over," He said, "Let's see if we can't get it together."

Even poked his head up, a beaming smile spread wide across his face. It stayed there even as he dove back in for a second time, throwing dirt in nearly every direction as he dug his original hole wider. Dirt landed in Roland’s hair a couple of times but he closed his eyes against it, going by feel. Sure enough, at the bottom of the hole, there was a fairly large stone. About as big as Evan’s head and slippery with mud, it was no wonder he’d been having such trouble! Working by feel he grabbed Evan’s hands and placed them on the rock.

“Got it?”

“Got it!”

“On three.” He adjusted his grip. “One, two, three—”

Together they heaved the stone up the slope of the hole. It wanted to roll back down but with another massive heave they pulled it up and thumped it onto solid ground. Evan gave a triumphant cry, uncaring that he was covered in mud.

“Yes! We did it!”

“We did.” Roland got to his feet, shoving the rock—really it was more of a small boulder—off to the side of the field. There was mud under his fingernails, but a warmth lingered in his chest as he turned to see Evan still beaming. It was good to see he still had a chance to be a kid every now and again. He deserved it. “But if you go back to Aranella like that, she’s going to skin us both.”

Evan blinked, then gave himself a good look. Laughing sheepishly, he pulled on the fabric of his top, leaving a muddy handprint in the blue for his troubles.

“We do look a fright, don’t we?”

“You could probably use a bath,” Roland said, and had to swallow a laugh at the look of distaste that crossed his face. Cats not liking proper baths must have been universal, even if Evan wasn’t really a cat. He gestured over his shoulder at the river. “At least wash the worst of it off.”

Evan still didn’t seem happy. With the air of a teenager off to do something they didn’t like, he trudged to the riverbank. The water was shallow enough here that it came up to his knees, rippling around him as Roland stepped into the cool water beside him. It was a welcome break in the heat of the afternoon, and the pair cleaned off in a companionable silence. Once the water ran clear from his hands, Roland looked at where Evan was picking mud out from under his nails. He was so focused on them that there was still dirt on his face.

“Hey, Evan?”

“Yes?” Evan lifted his head and turned to look at him. Moving quickly Roland cupped the cool water between his hands and sent it flying in a massive splash. Evan had no time to get out of the way; it hit him face first, washing away the dirt but leaving his hair clinging to his forehead in bedraggled chunks. He was too stunned to even sputter. Roland fought back a smile.

“You had dirt on your face,” he said, voice trembling with the effort to not laugh. “Took care of that for you.”

Evan blinked once, twice, three times, before his eyes gleamed and his stunned expression gave way to a plotting little smirk.

“So do you!” he cried, and came out swinging both hands through the water. Roland leaned out of reach with a laugh, but Evan gave chase, laughing and splashing the whole way. Quick as he could Roland returned fire, and before too long they were both soaked to the skin. Roland spun on his heel to retaliate to a double-handed splash, but the rocks twisted beneath his foot and with a short cry he fell into the water! Evan let loose a triumphant yowl and dove closer.

“I’ve got you now!” he shouted, laughter breaking up his words. Roland threw up an arm in useless, sopping wet defense as Evan bombarded him with rapid splashes.

“I yield, I yield! You got me!” He cried. Evan let one final splash go, then stood back with a beaming grin. Smug as only a cat could ever be, he planted his hands on his hips and puffed out his chest.

“That’s right,” He said firmly, “And don’t you forget it!”

“Do I want to know what you two are up to?” Aranella’s voice came from the shore. Evan whirled around, still grinning.

“I beat him, Nella!” He said, running back out of the river and up the shore. Realizing he was streaming water in his wake he slid to a halt before her, but nothing could dim his smile. Warmth uncoiled in Roland’s chest as he got to his feet, Evan saying, “I took him down!”

“I can see that.” Aranella rested a hand on Evan’s head, then raised an eyebrow at Roland. “A training bout?”

Hardly. Though that was an idea worth considering.

“Oh, just making sure his reflexes were good.” He said, reaching back to wring water out of his ponytail. “I don’t think we need to worry about that anytime soon.”

The gleam in Aranella’s eye told him she did not buy his cover story one bit, but she didn’t call him out as he waded back to shore. She simply smiled.

“That,” She said, “Is a very good thing to hear.”

Tunicates and bryozoans were probably the first animals to attach themselves to Holly’s steel jacket in 1966. Next came the amphipods and barnacles. Within two years, barnacles, mussels, and sponges had overtaken the structure. A thick reef crust began to form—as thick as 10 centimeters in places—as more and more invertebrates fixed themselves to the growing artificial reef. Anemones and sea stars arrived. Rock scallops. Limpets and jingle shells. Crabs and more crabs. And because the structure itself casts long shadows in the water column, the way a kelp forest does, it attracted juvenile fish and other prey looking for somewhere to hide.

Each structure has its own type of life, says Bob Evans, when we spoke by phone. The Santa Barbara photographer began diving in the 1960s. Since then, he has logged more than 5,000 hours underwater, and more than 850 dives on Holly and other nearby Channel Island platforms. He and his fellow divers—often biologists surveying the wildlife beneath the platforms—were amazed by the diversity and size of wildlife they found there. In a single photograph, says Evans, he has counted more than 30 crabs. Mussels, in particular, grow unusually deep and large under Holly. Evans surmises that the larvae, which are usually found drifting in shallower waters, might have attached themselves to Holly’s steel legs when the structure first arrived in the Santa Barbara Channel, floating at the surface for several days before the engineers flipped the jacket and drove the legs into the pilings in the seafloor.

Below the jacket, mussel shells and other invertebrates accumulated on the seafloor, dislodged from the reef above by routine platform cleaning or heavy swells. (Oil companies typically “clean” the biofouling every six months or so from the top portion of the jacket.) The shell mounds that form below platforms can grow to several meters thick, creating more habitat for octopuses and shrimp, rock crabs and king crabs, and many, many fishes: rockfish, lingcod, poachers, painted greenling, and other benthic species. These mounds also carpet the mud and broken bits of rock brought up from below when the wells were first drilled. It is possible, say scientists, that toxicants could be released into the ocean if the shell mounds are disturbed or dismantled.

  —  Oil Rigs Are a Refuge in a Dying Sea

The full book title contains 3777 words and reads as follows: 'The historical development of the Heart i.e. from its formation from Annelida: Clam worm, Seamouse, Lugworm, Megascolex, Tubifex, Pheretima, Freshwater leech, marine leech, land leech. Arthropoda: Ladybird, Krill, Rock Barnacle, Root-headed Barnacle, Copepod, Silverfish, Cairns birdwing, Silver - spotted skipper, Scutigera, Cray fish, Large white, Andonis blue, Camberwell beauty, Tiger swallowtail, Regent skipper, Black – veined white, Green – underside blue, Blue Morpho, Apollo, Guava skipper, Cleopatra, Large copper, Millipede, Orb spider, Black widow spider, Giant crab spider, Wolf spider, Bird – eating spider, Tenebrionid beetle, Green Tiger beetle, African goliath beetle, Scolopendra, Diving beetle, African ground beetle, New guinea weevil, Barnacle, Lobster, Shrimp, Woodlice, Mite, Prawn, Housefly, Butterfly, Monarch butterfly, Peacock butterfly, Honey bee, Fairy shrimp, Horsehoe crab, Tick, Bluebootle, Froghopper, Yellow crazy ant, Water flea, Sea spider, Fiddler crab, Shiny spider crab, Hermit crab, Sail swallowtail, Red admiral, Morpho butterfly, Desert locust, Stephens island weta, Speckled bush cricket, Mole cricket, Dung – beetle, Euthalia ynipardus, Small blues, Termite, Hornet, Mosquito, Garden spider, Tarantula, Desert hairy scorpion, Emperor dragon – fly, Moth, Centipede, Wood ant, Stag beetle, Indian red admiral, Blue admiral, Harvestman, Hoverfly, Shield bug, Assassin bug, Cicada, Coreid bug, Rose aphid, Water – boatman, Wasp, June bug, Large tortoiseshell, Frog beetle, Mexican red – legged tarantula, Paintedlady, Sydney funnelweb spider, Small tortoiseshell, Mountain bumble bee, Trapdoor spider, Jumping spider, Daddy longlegs spider, Orchind bee, Asian carpenter bee, Parasitic bee, House spider, Giant longhorn beetle, Flea, Bedbug Beetle, Cockroach, Scorpion, Spider, Ant, Gnats, Grasshopper, Silver fish, Crab, Great green bush cricket, Elephant hawk – moth. Mollusca: Neomenia, Chaetoderma, Chiton, Lepidopleurus, Apple snail, Sea hare, Sea lemon, Dentalium, Freshwater mussel, Marine mussel, Pearl oyster, Cuttlefish, Giant squid, Chambered fish, Devilfish. Fishes or Pisces: African glass catfish, African lungfish, Aholehole, Airbreathing catfish, Alaska blackfish, Albacore, Alewife, Alfonsino, Algae eater, Alligatorfish, Alligator gar, Amberjack - Seriola dumerili, American sole, Amur pike, Anchovy, Anemonefish, Angelfish, Angler, Angler catfish, Anglerfish, Antarctic cod, Antarctic icefish, Antenna codlet, Arapaima, Archerfish, Arctic char, Armored gurnard, Armored searobin, Armorhead, Armorhead catfish, Armoured catfish, Arowana, Arrowtooth eel, Asian carps, Asiatic glassfish, Atka mackerel, Atlantic Bonito (Sarda sarda), Atlantic cod, Atlantic herring, Atlantic salmon, Atlantic Sharpnose Shark - Rhizoprioltodon terraenovae, Atlantic saury, Atlantic silverside, Australasian salmon, Australian grayling, Australian herring, Australian lungfish, Australian prowfish, Ayu, Baikal oilfish, Bala shark, Ballan wrasse, Bamboo shark, Banded killifish, Bandfish, Banjo, Bangus, Banjo catfish, Bank Sea Bass, Barb, Barbel, Barbeled dragonfish, Barbeled houndshark, Barbel-less catfish, Barfish, Barracuda, Barracudina, Barramundi, Barred danio, Barreleye, Basking shark, Bass, Basslet, Batfish, Bat ray, Beachsalmon, Beaked salmon, Beaked sandfish, Beardfish, Beluga sturgeon, Bengal danio, Betta, Bichir, Bicolor goat fish, Bigeye, , Bighead carp, Bigmouth buffalo, Bigscale, Billfish, Bitterling, Black angelfish, Black bass, Black dragonfish, Blackchin, Blackfin Tuna - Thunnus atlanticus, Blackfish, Black neon tetra, Blacktip reef shark, Black mackerel, Black scalyfin, Black sea bass, Black scabbardfish, Black swallower, Black tetra, Black triggerfish, Bank Sea Bass aka Yellow Sea Bass - Centropristis ocyurus, Bleak, Blenny, Blind goby, Blind shark, Blobfish, Blueline Tilefish, Blowfish, Blue catfish, Blue danio, Blue-redstripe danio, Blueline Tilefish , Blue eye, Bluefin tuna, Bluefish, Bluegill, Blue gourami, Blue shark, Blue triggerfish, Blue whiting, Bluntnose knifefish, Bluntnose minnow, Boafish, Boarfish, Bobtail snipe eel, Bocaccio, Boga, Bombay duck, Bonefish, Bonito, Bonnetmouth, Bonytail chub, Bronze corydoras, Bonytongue, Bowfin, Boxfish, Bramble shark, Bream, Brill, Bristlemouth, Bristlenose catfish, Broadband dogfish, Brook lamprey, Brook trout, Brotula, Brown trout, Buffalo fish, Bullhead, Bullhead shark, Bull shark, Bull trout, Burbot, Bumblebee goby, Buri, Burma danio, Burrowing goby, Butterfish, Butterfly ray, Butterflyfish, California flyingfish, California halibut, Canary rockfish, Candiru, Candlefish, Capelin, Cardinalfish, Cardinal tetra, Carp, Carpetshark, Carpsucker, Catalufa, Catfish, Catla, Cat shark, Cavefish, Celebes rainbowfish, Central mudminnow, Chain pickerel, Channel bass, Channel catfish, Char, Cherry salmon, Chimaera, Chinook salmon, Cherubfish, Chub, Chubsucker, Chum salmon, Cichlid, Cisco, Climbing catfish, Climbing gourami, Climbing perch, Clingfish, Clownfish, Clown loach, Clown triggerfish, Cobbler, Cobia, Cod, Codlet, Codling, Coelacanth, Coffinfish, Coho salmon, Coley, Collared carpetshark, Collared dogfish, Colorado squawfish, Combfish, Combtail gourami, Common carp, Common tunny, Conger eel, Convict blenny, Convict cichlid, Cookie-cutter shark, Coolie loach, Cornetfish, Cowfish, Cownose ray, Cow shark, Crappie, Creek chub, Crestfish, Crevice kelpfish, Croaker, Crocodile icefish, Crocodile shark, Crucian carp, Cuckoo wrasse, Cusk, Cusk-eel, Cutlassfish, Cutthroat eel, Cutthroat trout, Dab, Dace, Desert pupfish, Devario, Devil ray, Dhufish, Discus, Diver: New Zealand sand diver or long-finned sand diver, Dogfish, Dogfish shark, Dogteeth tetra, Dojo loach, Dolly Varden trout, Dolphin fish - Corypaena hippurus, Dorab, Dorado, Dory, Dottyback, Dragonet, Dragonfish, Dragon goby, Driftfish, Driftwood catfish, Drum, Duckbill, Duckbill eel, Dusky grouper, Dusky Shark - Carcharhinus obscurus, Dwarf gourami, Dwarf loach, Eagle ray, Earthworm eel, Eel, Eel cod, Eel-goby, Eelpout, Eeltail catfish, Elasmobranch, Electric catfish, Electric eel, Electric knifefish, Electric ray, Elephant fish, Elephantnose fish, Elver, Ember parrotfish, Emerald catfish, Emperor angelfish, Emperor bream, Escolar, Eucla cod, Eulachon, European chub, European eel, European flounder, European minnow, European perch, False brotula, False cat shark, False moray, Fangtooth, Fathead sculpin, Featherback, Fierasfer, Fire goby, Filefish, Finback cat shark, Fingerfish, Firefish, Flabby whale fish, Flagblenny, Flagfin, Flagfish, Flagtail, Flashlight fish, Flatfish, Flathead, Flathead catfish, Flier, Flounder, Flying gurnard, Flying fish, Footballfish, Forehead brooder, Four-eyed fish, French angelfish, Freshwater eel, Freshwater hatchetfish, Freshwater shark, Frigate mackerel, Frilled shark, Frogfish, Frogmouth catfish, Fusilier fish, Galjoen fis, Ganges shark, Geel, Garibaldi, Garpike, Ghost fish, Ghost flathead, Ghost knifefish, Ghost pipefish, Ghost shark, Ghoul, Giant danio, Giant gourami, Giant sea bass, Gibberfish, Gila trout, Gizzard shad, Glass catfish, Glassfish, Glass knifefish, Glowlight danio, Goatfish, Goblin shark, Goby, Golden dojo, Golden loach, Golden shiner, Golden trout, Goldeye, Goldfish, Gombessa, Goosefish, Gopher rockfish, Gourami, Grass carp, Graveldiver, Grayling, Gray mullet, Gray reef shark, Great white shark, Green swordtail, Greeneye, Greenling, Grenadier, Green spotted puffer, Ground shark, Grouper, Grunion, Grunt, Grunter, Grunt sculpin, Gudgeon, Guitarfish, Gulf menhaden, Gulper eel, Gulper, Gunnel, Guppy, Gurnard, Haddock, Hagfish, Hairtail, Hake, Halfbeak, Halfmoon, Halibut, Halosaur, Hamlet, Hammerhead shark, Hammerjaw, Handfish, Hardhead catfish, Harelip sucker, Hatchetfish, Hawkfish, Herring, Herring smelt, Hickory Shad, Horn shark, Horsefish, Houndshark, Huchen, Humuhumunukunukuapua'a, Hussar, Icefish, Ide, Ilisha, Inanga, Inconnu, Jack, Jackfish, Jack Dempsey, Japanese eel, Javelin, Jawfish, Jellynose fish, Jewelfish, Jewel tetra, Jewfish, John Dory, Kafue pike, Kahawai, Kaluga, Kanyu, Kelp perch, Kelpfish, Killifish, King of the herrings, Kingfish, King-of-the-salmon, Kissing gourami, Knifefish, Knifejaw, Koi, Kokanee, Kokopu, Kuhli loach, Labyrinth fish, Ladyfish, Lake chub, Lake trout, Lake whitefish, Lampfish, Lamprey, Lanternfish, Largemouth bass, Leaffish, Lefteye flounder, Lemon shark, Lemon sole, Lemon tetra, Lenok, Leopard danio, Lightfish, Limia, Lined sole, Ling, Ling cod, Lionfish, Livebearer, Lizardfish, Loach, Loach catfish, Loach goby, Loach minnow, Longfin, Longfin dragonfish, Longfin escolar, Longfin smelt, Long-finned char, Long-finned pike, Longjaw mudsucker, Longneck eel, Longnose chimaera, Longnose dace, Longnose lancetfish, Longnose sucker, Longnose whiptail catfish, Long-whiskered catfish, Loosejaw, Lost River sucker, Louvar, Loweye catfish, Luderick, Luminous hake, Lumpsucker, Lungfish, Mackerel, Mackerel shark, Madtom, Mahi-mahi, Mahseer, Mail-cheeked fish, Mako shark, Mandarinfish, Masu salmon, Medaka, Medusafish, Megamouth shark, Menhaden, Merluccid hake, Mexican golden trout, Midshipman fish, Milkfish,, Minnow, Minnow of the deep, Modoc sucker, Mojarra, Mola, Monkeyface prickleback, Monkfish, Mooneye, Moonfish, Moorish idol, Mora, Moray eel, Morid cod, Morwong, Moses sole, Mosquitofish, Mouthbrooder, Mozambique tilapia, Mrigal, Mud catfish (Mud cat), Mudfish, Mudminnow, Mud minnow, Mudskipper, Mudsucker, Mullet, Mummichog, Murray cod, Muskellunge, Mustache triggerfish, Mustard eel, Naked-back knifefish, Nase, Needlefish, Neon tetra, New World rivuline, New Zealand smelt, Nibble fish, Noodlefish, North American darter, North American freshwater catfish, North Pacific daggertooth, Northern anchovy, Northern clingfish, Northern lampfish, Northern pike, Northern sea robin, Northern squawfish, Northern stargazer, Notothen, Nurseryfish, Nurse shark, Oarfish, Ocean perch, Ocean sunfish, Oceanic whitetip shark, Oilfish, Oldwife, Old World knifefish, Olive flounder, Opah, Opaleye, Orange roughy, Orangespine unicorn fish, Orangestriped triggerfish, Orbicular batfish, Orbicular velvetfish, Oregon chub, Orfe, Oriental loach, Oscar, Owens pupfish, Pacific albacore, Pacific cod, Pacific hake, Pacific herring, Pacific lamprey, Pacific salmo, Pacific saury, Pacific trout, Pacific viperfish, Paddlefish, Pancake batfish, Panga, Paradise fish, Parasitic catfish, Parore, Parrotfish, Peacock flounder, Peamouth, Pearleye, Pearlfish, Pearl danio, Pearl perch, Pelagic cod, Pelican eel, Pelican gulper, Pencil catfish, Pencilfish, Pencilsmelt, Peppered corydoras, Perch, Peters' elephantnose fish, Pickerel, Pigfish, Pike conger, Pike eel, Pike, Pikeblenny, Pikeperch, Pilchard, Pilot fish, Pineapplefish, Pineconefish, Pink salmon, Píntano, Pipefish, Piranha, Pirarucu, Pirate perch, Plaice, Platy, Platyfish, Pleco, Plownose chimaera, Poacher, Pollock, Pomfret, Pompano dolphinfish, Ponyfish, Popeye catalufa, Porbeagle shark, Porcupinefish, Porgy, Port Jackson shark, Powen, Prickleback, Pricklefish, Prickly shark, Prowfish, Pufferfish, Pumpkinseed, Pupfish, Pygmy sunfish, Queen danio, Queen parrotfish, Queen triggerfish, Quillback, Quillfish, Rabbitfish, Raccoon butterfly fish, Ragfish, Rainbow trout, Rainbowfish, Rasbora, Ratfish, Rattail, Ray, Razorback sucker, Razorfish, Red Grouper, Red salmon, Red snapper, Redfin perch, Redfish, Redhorse sucker, Redlip blenny, Redmouth whalefish, Redtooth triggerfish, Red velvetfish, Red whalefish, Reedfish, Reef triggerfish, Remora, Requiem shark, Ribbon eel, Ribbon sawtail fish, Ribbonfish, Rice eel, Ricefish, Ridgehead, Riffle dace, Righteye flounder, Rio Grande perch, River loach, River shark, River stingray, Rivuline, Roach, Roanoke bass, Rock bass, Rock beauty, Rock cod, Rocket danio, Rockfish, Rockling, Rockweed gunnel, Rohu, Ronquil, Roosterfish, Ropefish, Rough scad, Rough sculpin, Roughy, Roundhead, Round herring, Round stingray, Round whitefish, Rudd, Rudderfish, Ruffe, Russian sturgeon, Sábalo, Sabertooth, Saber-toothed blenny, Sabertooth fish, Sablefish, Sacramento blackfish, Sacramento splittail, Sailfin silverside, Sailfish, Salamanderfish, Salmon, Salmon shark, Sandbar shark, Sandburrower, Sand dab, Sand diver, Sand eel, Sandfish, Sand goby, Sand knifefish, Sand lance, Sandperch, Sandroller, Sand stargazer, Sand tiger, Sand tilefish, Sandbar Shark - Carchathinus plumbeus, Sarcastic fringehead, Sardine, Sargassum fish, Sauger, Saury, Sawfishm, Saw shark, Sawtooth eel, Scabbard fish, Scaly dragonfish, Scat, Scissortail rasbora, Scorpionfish, Sculpin, Scup, Sea bass, Sea bream, Sea catfish, Sea chub, Sea devil, Sea dragon, Sea lamprey, Sea raven, Sea snail, Sea toad, Seahorse, Seamoth, Searobin, Sevan trout, Sergeant major, Shad, Shark, Sharksucker, Sharpnose puffer, Sheatfish, Sheepshead, Sheepshead minnow, Shiner, Shortnose chimaera, Shortnose sucker, Shovelnose sturgeon, Shrimpfish, Siamese fighting fish, Sillago, Silver carp, Silver dollar, Silver dory, Silver hake, Silverside, Silvertip tetra, Sind danio, Sixgill ray, Sixgill shark, Skate, Skilfish, Skipjack tuna, Slender mola, Slender snipe eel, Sleeper, Sleeper shark, Slickhead, Slimehead, Slimy mackerel, Slimy sculpin, Slipmouth, Smalleye squaretail, Smalltooth sawfish, Smelt, Smelt-whiting, Smooth dogfish, Snailfish, Snake eel, Snakehead, Snake mackerel, Snapper, Snipe eel, Snipefish, Snoek, Snook, Snubnose eel, Snubnose parasitic eel, Sockeye salmon, Soldierfish, Sole, South American darter, South American lungfish, Southern Dolly Varden, Southern flounder, Southern hake, Southern sandfish, Southern smelt, Spadefish, Spaghetti eel, Spanish mackerel, Spearfish, Speckled trout, Spiderfish, Spikefish, Spinefoot, Spiny basslet, Spiny dogfish, Spiny dwarf catfish, Spiny eel, Spinyfin, Splitfin, Spookfish, Spotted climbing perch, Spotted danio, Spottail Pinfish - Diplodus holbrooki, Sprat, Springfish, Squarehead catfish, Squaretail, Squawfish, Squeaker, Squirrelfish, Staghorn sculpin, Stargazer, Starry flounder, Steelhead, Stickleback, Stingfish, Stingray, Stonecat, Stonefish, Stoneroller minnow, Stream catfish, Striped bass, Striped burrfish, Sturgeon, Sucker, Suckermouth armored catfish, Summer flounder, Sundaland noodlefish,Sunfish, Surf sardine, Surfperch, Surgeonfish, Swallower, Swamp-eel, Swampfish, Sweeper, Swordfish, Swordtail, Tadpole cod, Tadpole fish, Tailor, Taimen, Tang, Tapetail, Tarpon, Tarwhine, Telescopefish, Temperate bass, Temperate perch, Tenpounder, Tenuis, Tetra, Thorny catfish, Thornfish, Threadfin, Threadfin bream, Thread-tail, Three spot gourami, Threespine stickleback, Three-toothed puffer, Thresher shark, Tidewater goby, Tiger barb, Tigerperch, Tiger shark, Tiger shovelnose catfish, Tilapia, Tilefish, Titan triggerfish, Toadfish, Tommy ruff, Tompot blenny, Tonguefish, Tope, Topminnow, Torpedo, Torrent catfish, Torrent fish, Trahira, Treefish, Trevally, Triggerfish, Triplefin blenny, Triplespine, Tripletail, Tripod fish, Trout, Trout cod, Trout-perch, Trumpeter, Trumpetfish, Trunkfish, Tubeblenny, Tube-eye, Tube-snout, Tubeshoulder, Tui chub, Tuna, Turbot, Two spotted goby, Uaru, Unicorn fish, Upside-down catfish, Vanjaram, Velvet belly lanternshark, Velvet catfish, Velvetfish, Vermillion Snapper - Rhomboplites aurorubens, Vimba, Viperfish, Wahoo, Walking catfish, Wallago, Walleye, Walleye Pollock, Walu, Warmouth, Warty angler, Waryfish, Waspfish, Weasel shark, Weatherfish, Weever, Weeverfish, Wels catfish, Whale catfish, Whalefish, Whale shark, Whiff, Whitebait, White croaker, Whitefish, White marlin, White shark, Whitetip reef shark, Whiting, Wobbegong, Wolf-eel, Wolffish, Wolf-herring, Worm eel, Wormfish, Wrasse, Wrymouth, X-ray fish, Yellowback fusilier, Yellowbanded perch, Yellow bass, Yellowedge grouper (Hyporthodus flavolimbatus), Yellow-edged moray, Yellow-eye mullet, Yellowhead jawfish, Yellowfin croaker, Yellowfin cutthroat trout, Yellowfin grouper, Yellowfin Tuna - Thunnus albacares, Yellowfin pike, Yellowfin surgeonfish, Yellowfin tuna, Yellowmargin triggerfish, Yellow moray, Yellow perch, Yellowtail, Yellowtail amberjack, Yellowtail barracuda, Yellowtail clownfish, Yellowtail horse mackerel, Yellowtail kingfish, Yellowtail snapper, Yellow tang, Yellow weaver, Yellowtail catfish, Zander, Zebra bullhead shark, Zebra danio, Zebrafish, Zebra lionfish, Zebra loach, Zebra oto, Zebra pleco, Zebra shark, Zebra tilapia, Zebra turkeyfish, Ziege, Zingel. Amphibians: Frogs and Toads, Painted frogs, Disc tongued frogs, Fire Belly toads, Litter frogs, European Spadefoot toads, Parsley frogs, Tongueless frogs, Clawed frogs, Mexican Burrowing Toad, American spadefoot toads, Screeching frogs, True toads, Glass Frogs, Poison dart frogs, Ghost frogs, Shovelnose frogs, Tree frogs, Sedge frogs, Southern frogs, Narrow-mouthed frogs, Australian ground frogs, True frogs, Moss frogs, Seychelles frog, Giant Salamanders, Asiatic Salamanders, Mole Salamanders, Pacific giant salamanders, Amphiumas, Lungless salamanders, Mudpuppies and Waterdogs, Torrent salamanders, True salamanders and Newts, Sirens, Common caecilians, Fish caecilians, Beaked caecilians. Reptiles: Turtles, common snapping turtles and alligator snapping turtle, pond turtles and box turtles, tortoises, Asian river turtles and allies, pignose turtles, softshell turtles, river turtles, mud turtles, sea turtles, leatherback turtles, tuataras, scaled reptiles, agamas, chameleons, casquehead lizard, iguanas, Madagascar iguanids, collared and leopard lizards, horned lizards, anoles, wood lizards, Neotropical ground lizards, geckos, legless lizards, blind lizards, spinytail Lizards, plated lizards, spectacled lizards, whiptails and tegus, Lacertids, skinks, night lizards, glass lizards, American legless lizards, knob-scaled lizards, gila monsters, earless Monitor lizards, monitor lizards, worm Lizards, shorthead Worm Lizards, two-legged Worm Lizards, snakes, wart snakes, false coral snakes, dwarf pipe snakes, African burrowing asps, stiletto snakes, boas, anacondas, Old World sand boas, Mauritius snakes, Colubrids, typical snakes, Asian pipe snakes, cobras, coral snakes, mambas, sea snakes, Mexican pythons, pythons, dwarf boas, pipe snakes, shield-tailed snakes, vipers, pitvipers, Fae's viper, night adders, pitvipers, rattlesnakes, true vipers, sunbeam snakes, blind snakes, primitive blind snakes, slender blind snakes, thread snakes, blind snakes, typical blind snakes, Crocodiles, alligators, garials. Aves: Ostrich, rheas, cassowaries and emu, kiwis, elephant birds, upland moas, great moas, lesser moas, Tinamous, Australian brush turkey,megapodes, chachalacas, curassows, and guans, Guineafowl, pheasants and allies, New World quail, pheasants and relatives, mihirungs, screamers, magpie-goose, ducks, geese, and swans, grebes, swimming flamingos, flamingos, pigeons and doves, sandgrouse, mesites, Tawny frogmouth, Nightjars, oilbird, potoos, frogmouths, owlet-nightjars, treeswifts, swifts, hummingbird, cuckoos and relatives, turacos and relatives, bustards, hoatzin, cranes and allies, cranes, limpkin, trumpeters, rails and allies, adzebills, finfoots, flufftails, rails and relatives, thick-knees and allies, thick-knees and relatives, sheathbills, Magellanic plover, plover-like waders, golden plovers, ibisbill, oystercatchers, plovers and lapwings, jacana-like waders, painted snipes, Egyptian plover, jacanas, seedsnipes, plains-wanderer, sandpipers and relatives, buttonquail, gulls and allies, coursers and pratincoles, crab-plover, skuas and jaegers, auks and puffins, gulls, skimmers and terns, sunbittern, tropicbirds, penguins, albatrosses, austral storm petrels, northern storm petrels, petrels and relatives, White stork, storks, frigatebirds, boobies and gannets, darters, cormorants and shags, ibises and spoonbills, hamerkop, shoebill, pelicans, herons and relatives, New World vultures, secretarybird, osprey, hawks, eagles, buzzards, harriers, kites and Old World vultures, barn owls, true owls, mousebirds, cuckooroller, trogons and quetzals, hornbills, hoopoe, woodhoopoes, bee-eater, rollers, ground rollers, todies, motmots, Kingfisher, jacamars, puffbirds, African barbets, Asian barbets, toucans, toucan barbets, American barbets, woodpeckers, honeyguides, seriemas, falcons and relatives, kakapo, kea and kakas, cockatoos, African and American parrots, Australasian parrots, Pesquet's parrot, vasa parrots, Pitta cyanea, Lyrebird, New Zealand wrens, suboscines, Old World suboscines, sapayoa, Calyptomenid broadbills, pittas, broadbills, asities, New World suboscines, bronchophones, manakins, cotingas, sharpbills, royal flycatchers and allies, becards and tityras, spadebills, many-colored rush tyrants, mionectine flycatchers, tyrant flycatchers, tracheophones, crescent-chests, gnateaters, antbirds, antpittas, ground antbirds, ovenbirds, oscines, scrub-birds, lyrebirds, bowerbirds, Australasian treecreepers, Australasian wrens, bristlebirds, gerygones and allies, honeyeaters and relatives, Australasian babblers, logrunners, quail-thrushes and jewel-babblers, cuckoo-shrikes, whitehead and allies, sittellas, wattled ploughbills, whipbirds and quail-thrushes, Australo-Papuan bellbirds, crested shriketits, painted berrypeckers, vireos and relatives, whistlers and relatives, Old World orioles, Boatbills, woodswallows and butcherbirds, mottled berryhunter, ioras, bristlehead, bushshrikes and relatives, wattle-eyes and batises, vangas , fantails, silktail, drongo fantail, drongos, blue-capped ifrits, Australian mudnesters, birds-of-paradise, monarch flycatchers, shrikes, jays and crows, berrypeckers, satinbirds, Australasian robins, stitchbird, wattlebirds, rockfowl, rock-jumpers, rail-babbler, fairy warblers, hyliotas, penduline tits, chickadees and true tits, Nicators, bearded reedling, larks, African warblers, cisticolas and relatives, marsh warblers, pygmy wren-babblers, grass warblers, Malagasy warblers, swallows and martins, bulbuls, leaf warblers, bush warblers , Bushtits, true warblers, parrotbills, fulvettas, white-eyes, babblers and relatives, fulvettas, ground babblers, laughing thrushes, kinglets, spotted wren-babblers, Hawaiian honeyeaters, silky-flycatchers, waxwings, Palmchat, hypocolius, wallcreeper, nuthatches, treecreepers, wrens, gnatcatchers, dippers, thrushes and relatives, flycatchers and relatives, oxpeckers, mockingbirds and thrashers, starlings and mynas , sugarbirds, dapplethroat and allies, flowerpeckers, sunbirds, fairy-bluebirds, leafbirds, olive warbler, accentors, pink-tailed bunting, weavers and relatives, whydahs and indigobirds, weaver finches, Old World sparrows, wagtails and pipits, finches and relatives, longspurs, snow buntings, rosy thrush-tanagers, Old World buntings and New World sparrows, American sparrows, palm-tanager and allies, New World blackbirds and New World orioles, Cuban warblers, wood warblers, cardinals, grosbeaks, and New World buntings, tanagers and relatives. MAMMALS: Rat, Bat, Horse, Standardbred, Throughbred, Saddlebred, Arab, Palomino, Australian stock, Appaloosa, Barb, Lippizaner, Mustang, American Shetland, Falabella, Percheron, Shire, Mule, Bullock, Setter, Oxen, Camel, Tiger, Lion, Hyaenas, Leopard, Bear, Cat, Dog, Sheep, Goat, Cow, Cob, Pig, Chamois, Bulldog, Borzoi, Loris, Longspur, Harvest mouse, Spiny – ant eater, Duck – billed platypus, Elephant, Rhinoceros, Tonkinese, Ragdoll, Margay, Tapir, Seal, Sea lion, Walrus, Dolphin, Bactrian camel, Arabian camel, Bushbaby, Burmese cat, Whale, Porpoise, Aardvark, Ape, Monkey, Gorilla, Chimpanzee, Flying Lemur, Hare, Pika, Macaque, Rabbit, Colobus, Antelope, Caribou, Cattle, Deer, Grizzly bear, Hyrax, Armadillo, Porcupine, Hedgehog, Arctic hare, Mole, Shrew, Beaver, Asian black bear, Polar bear, Sloth bear, Spectacled bear, Mouse, Squirrel, Dugong, Moose, Fallow deer, Reindeer, Red deer, Manatee, Egyptian Mau, Scottish fold, Himalayan, Birman, Red squirrel, Hippopotamus, Weasel, Whale, Wither, Blue whale, Sperm whale, Killer whale, Wallaby, Beluga, Baird’s beaked whale, Grey whale, Bryde’s whale, Pygmy right whale, Southern right whale, Seal, Ape, Indri, Aye – aye, Alaskan Malamute, Dobermann, Beagle, Kinkajou, Afgan Hound, Rough Collie, Cardigan Welsh Corgi, Sheepdog, Pointer, Poddle, Weimaraner, Bloodhound, Zebra, Giraffe, Yak, Arctic fox, Polecat, Golden Retriever, Kerry Blue, Prairie dog, Airedale, German spitz, Pekingese, Otter, Shih Tzu, Proboscis monkey, Orang – utan, Red Howler monkey, Spider monkey, Sloth, Koala, Pangolin, Mustelid, Mongoose, Guinea pig, Malayan Porcupine, Naked Mole rat, Capybara, Pallid Gerbil, Brown rat, Somali, Ocicat, Balinese, Bengal, Cymric, Chartreux, Devon Rex, Turkish Angora, Russian Blue, Yellow – necked woodmouse, Hamster, Grey squirrel, Chipmunk, Fox, Blue Longhair, Chinese Pangolin, Blue – cream shorthair, Tortoiseshell and white shorthair, Brown spotted shorthair, Red and white Japanese bobtail, Javanese, Red Persian Longhair, Brown classic tabby maine coon, Lilac angora, Seal point Siamese, Brown and white sphinx, Red classic tabby manx, Vampire bat, Proboscis bat, Franquet’s fruit bat, Bengal Tiger, Horseshoe bat, Noctule bat, Funnel - eared bat, Blue exotic, Foreign lilac oriental shorthair, Boxer, Bay, Cream point colour pointed british shorthair, Abyssinian, Cinnamon silver Cornish rex, Wolverine, Skunk, Human being, Pine marten, Stoat, Chocolate point longhair, Husky, Ant eater, Kangaroo, Gray Mouse Lemur, Musk oxen, Raccoon dogrie, Pasnda, Bouto, Pembroke Welsh corgi, Whippet, Whisker, Indus river dolphin, Franciscana, Sorrel, Finless porpoise, Jerboa, Harbour porpoise, Bottlenose dolphin, Border Collie, Diana Monkey, White – beaked dolphin, Atlantic white – sided dolphin, Bobcat, Alpaca, Aberdeen angus, Lynx, Pacific white – sided dolphin, Rhesus monkey, Irish wolfhound, Baboon, Slivery marmoset, Puma, Ocelot, Norwegian Forest Cat, Basenji, Keeshond, Akita, Samoyed, Briard, Brittaney, Vizsla, Weimaraner, Saluki, Greyhound, Rottweiler, Bullmastiff, Newfoundland, Puli, Bombay, Sphynx, Kangaroo rat, Humpback whale, Red panda, Maltese, Pug, Chihuahua, Papillon, Pomeranian, Schipperke, Aardwolve, Cheetah, Civet, Red – Bellied Lemur, Moustache, Monkey, Yorkshire terrier, German shepherd, Clumber spaniel, Bouvier des Flandres, Belgian sheepdog, Boston terrier, Italian greyhound, Chesapeake Bay retriever, Genet, Musk deer, Bichon fries, Rock Hyrax, Pony, Mink, Mammoth, Mastodon, Giant sloth, Llama, African Elephant, DeBrazza’s Monkey, Siberian Tiger, Hackney Pony, Bonnet Monkey, German wirehaired pointer, Ferret, Jaguar, Dalmatian, Red Bengal Tiger, Badger, Shunk, Skye terrier, Great dane, Grampus, Bandicoot, Wolf, Marmot, Squirrel monkey, Sable, Minke whale, Spectacle porpoise, Opossums, Airedale, Wombat. etc , Ramapithecus, Australopithecus bosei or Paranthropus bosei, Zinjanthopus bosei, Homo – erectus ( Java man, Peking man, Heidelberg man ), Homo – Sapiens ( Neanderthal man, Cro – Magnon man) to the modern humans with their development and structure of their Heart, their contributions to the formation of the modern humans. What is the origin of the heart? In which place the heart is situated? What is the weight of our (modern humans) heart? Can a person live without a heart? What is the function of the heart? How heart pumps blood to the body? What type of circulation takes place in the human heart? How big our human heart is? Why is our (modern humans) heart considered as the most developed in the world? Why does heart stop? What are heart sounds? What are the types of heart sounds? What causes the heart sounds heard with a stethoscope? What is the anatomy of the heart? Why heart is considered an important organ in the body? Why can’t people live if heartbeat stops? Where is heart located in? How many chambers are present in the heart? What is the number of heart beats per minute? What is the amount of blood pumped by heart? How much blood does the human heart pump in a lifetime? And Short notes on heart attack i.e. what is the definition of a heart attack? Why does a heart attack occur? What are the types of the heart attack? What happens if human get a heart attack? What are the symptoms of Heart attack? What are the causes of the Heart attack? What are the risk factors related to the Heart attack? What are the types of risk factors cause the Heart attack? What are the complications of a Heart attack? What types of diagnosis useful in detecting and treating a heart attack? What treatment is needed to treat heart attack patients? What are 5 strategies to be maintained after the heart attack? What to do after recovery from a heart attack? What is cardiac rehabilitation? Why cardiac rehabilitation is needed to heart attack patients? Does cardiac rehabilitation create positive effects? What are a lifestyle and home remedies are to be maintained? What type of coping and support should be given to heart attack patients? What are the immediate measures should be taken when you encounter an emergency of heart attack patient? What signs and symptoms list should be made to consult a doctor? What is a widow maker heart attack? What is the definition of a widowmaker heart attack? What are the symptoms of Widowmaker heart attack? What are the causes of Widowmaker heart attack? What are the risk factors related to Widowmaker heart attack? What are the complications of a widowmaker heart attack? What types of diagnosis useful in detecting and treating a widowmaker heart attack? What treatment is needed to treat heart attack patients? How to make over your lifestyle? What type of measures should be taken to stay away from a heart attack? What are 20 types of foods should be taken to keep your heart healthy? Solutions and answers of above questions, material and topics are included and cleared in this book.'

st. jude (the patron of lost causes)

Part 6/8

Donald Malarkey x Reader

Haguenau exists in liminality: poised on edges and forgotten in between humanity and devastation, war and civilian life, Germany and France.  

When you jump down from the back of the Army Jeep, strategically avoiding a puddle, you clutch your new helmet so you won’t lose it as you tilt your head back and stare at the bombed-out homes, the shattered storefront windows, the streets stripped of brick and cobbles. Yet, curtains still hang in the windows, flapping as if just flung by a maid to air out. A rocking chair waits on a porch, ready for an old man to rock and puff on a cob pipe. An abandoned bike, child sized and half-submerged in the street’s muck, looks forgotten minutes before by its scatterbrained, toddler owner. The markings of civilian lives, mundanity you haven’t seen since England and didn’t know to savor then, springs up in the slate gray-on-gray (gray mud streets, gray houses, gray skies) as if the first greenling indications of spring—or the first indications this damn war is drawing to a close.

Littered with hollowed-faced paratroopers, glancing at you—and once again over their shoulders—as they pass, you know these signs of life are forgotten by the soldiers. No one wants to look for hope, no one wants to allow themselves to feel it, not when German shells still whine at night and in a town fought over like the desperate, weak cry of a dying dog. A dog that’s passed its time, and needs to be put down.

You sigh, the memory of your childhood spaniel springing to mind, before turning to accept a box being handed down from the truck by Constance. You offer her a smile. “Almost in to Germany, Connie; can you believe it?”

“I’ll believe it when I see it,” she replies, no bite in her voice, instead a simple declaration, and you set off to carry the box into a building the Jeep driver directed to you as the temporary aid station. It’s in a basement, down a flight of stairs, and you’re tempted to ask how accessible the station would be for a man on stretcher. Yet, when you blink into the dim and the faceless humanoid forms occupying the station become human and detailed faces, Eugene Roe materializes from the gloom. A small smile curls his mouth as he eases the box from your hands.

Roe speaks first. “Well, hello there, Nurse. Good to see you.” His accent makes the words flow, as if the drawl smooths them, a river over rocks.

You return his smile. It’s hard not to when that smile seems precious and fleeting on him. “You, too, Eugene. How have you been holding up?” Behind you, Constance clops down the stairs. Her clogs are too big for her—you know because she complained about them the entirety of the drive over from the evacuation hospital.

“Here, let me take that,” Roe says, hurrying to put down your box down before grabbing the one from Constance. “Thank you, we really appreciate y’all dropping off these.”

“Of course,” you reply, inclining your head, wondering if Eugene evaded your question on purpose, if he grabbed a little too desperately to helping Constance as a distraction. Yet, he’s not your patient, he’s not someone in need of diagnosis and twenty-hour observation; if he couldn’t answer the question ‘how are you doing?’ in the positive and not be able to stand the lie, well, it wasn’t your business. So, you say, “Constance and I have more. We’ll be right back.”

“Good, great,” he says, nodding. “I’ll come help.”

The three of you troop up the stairs from the basement, you calling introductions between

Roe and Constance over your shoulder. Haguenau is still gray, maybe grayer than before, when you emerge into the daylight, but you notice more signs of life now, of life finding a way: a table set for breakfast through a nearby window, a neat row of books, and even a planter standing at attention by the aide station’s door, a single purple blossom budding daringly. You smile down at it, pausing and bending to inspect it, allowing Constance and Eugene to continue passed you.

You see his boots first, pitched forward as you are to peer down at the flower, and you know it’s him without looking. There’s something wonderful about his boots, shined despite the shallow puddle he stands in, the splatters of dried muck speckling his bloused pants, and it’s another sign of life—another sign that life, and the obstinate pride of a paratrooper, finds a way.

“Don,” you greet, tilting your face to grin up at him.

His hands are in his pockets, and he’s wearing that smile. A smile that pulls his chapped mouth wide, making his eyes crinkle and a wrinkle bunch at the bridge of his nose. Best of all, that smile has chased away the darkness in his face, the ghosts in his eyes, and you wonder if you’re glimpsing the last liminal space—the last expression—that allows him to shed the persona of sergeant, of soldier and just be Donald Malarkey. God, you think, memorizing that smile so you can conjure it in your memory later, I’ve never seen perfection before. But you stare at it now, and it left you speechless, thoughtless, so consumed by his smile that you are functionless.

“Hey,” he breathes. His fingertips dare to brush yours. “I…I’m so happy to see you.”

You straighten, savoring the warmth blooming in your chest that he realized what you had, moments after being dragged outside by an orderly: the convent has stripped your friendship—relationship?—of its pretexts. “Me too. How are you?” Unlike with Doc Roe, you say this question with all the feeling your voice will allow, making the words wobbly, because this is Malarkey and conventions be damned: he is your business.

He doesn’t reply immediately, smile remaining as his eyes drag slowly over your nose, your eyes. “Better, all of a sudden, actually.” Something like a cheeky grin sparks across his mouth, and you ‘tsk’ even as you duck to hide the heat on your skin. A soft laugh ghosts from him, and then he’s running a hand through his hair. The gesture brings back some of the grayness, ghosts swimming into his eyes as he lowers them from yours. “No, uh, no, I’m…good.”

Eyebrows pinching, you don’t like how he sighed out ‘good’ and you wonder if that is a lie he could stand. You ask, “Yeah? What about your clothes? When did you shower last?” You gesture to his uniform, raggedy and torn and looking like it had taken him through hell. Probably because it has. “That’s something I can help with, at least,” you say this more to yourself than to him.

“Are you saying I smell, huh?” he asks, aiming for a joke but that grayness is settling, darkening, and he’s beginning to blend into Haguenau.

Damn, damn, damn, you think. Instead of pulling on a smile and teasing him, you ignore the pretexts and arch an eyebrow, flatly intoning, “Impressive distraction tactic, Sergeant Malarkey.”

He snorts, and the ghosts recede temporarily. He can meet your eyes again. “I had a shower two days ago, I’ll have you know.”

“What about new clothes?” you ask, stubborn.

“No, not since England.”

“Well,” you say, straightening your shoulders as if reaching a resolve, settling matters. “I can fix that. As soon we get the boxes inside the aide station, I have fresh clothes with your name on them.”

“Gee, Y/N, you sure now how to treat a man,” he replies, laughing and actually landing the joke this time. Yet, his words—how your name sounds in his mouth, as if he’s rolled it around in his brain often, turning it over and over again until it’s something precious, how he says ‘treat a man’ with heat—makes your breath catch, your skin flame, and the laugh you do manage to get out is soft and weak and strangled in your throat.

“You’re fluttering,” Constance observes, pausing just inside the supply tent, the flap drifting closed behind her.

You pause in your pacing, swiping your palms down the front of your skirt. “What?” you ask, blinking out of your daze, startled to be pulled so unceremoniously from your thoughts—thoughts that orbited entirely around the sound of a running shower from the modest stalls attached to the supply tent, usually reserved for medical staff only; thoughts about the bare, wide, and solid shoulders of Sergeant Malarkey that you glimpsed as he pulled off his fatigues, his undershirt, and readied for a shower.

Constance crooks a grin, her eyes darting to the entrance to the shower area. “You’re fluttering,” she repeats. “Pacing, hands worrying.” Resting a hand on her hip, she asks far more casually than she has any business being: “Thoughts all disorganized over the mental image of a certain sergeant in the shower stalls?”

You know your face is pink, flushed with the exhilaration of talking about Malarkey, nerves singing with the anxious excitement of a school girl, the hot adrenaline of your heart pounding at your own daring—all pretexts of nurse and soldier ignored—but you try to regain some dignity, replying: “I couldn’t possibly say. I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

She tilts her head, considering you, and laughter sparks in Constance’s eyes. You don’t mind being laughed at just now. You would laugh at yourself, if you weren’t certain it’d be high and a little hysterical (What am I doing? I didn’t think this through; what am I doing?). “You’re horrible at lying,” Constance observes before bending to retrieve a fresh blanket from an open crate, throwing over her shoulder as she disappears from the tent: “Just remember the orderlies shower in half an hour. Come find me when you’re done necking.”

You squawk something intelligible—it’s probably meant to be a protest, but even you can’t say—but its short-lived, the shower faucet’s hiss cutting off. You pivot, blinking at the entrance to the shower stalls before scolding yourself, bullying yourself into beginning your regimented pacing again. It wouldn’t do to be caught ogling the entrance, waiting for him to appear, as if salivating over the thought of him, showered and clean-clothed. As if you were desperate to see the ghosts and grayness scrubbed away and discover the man underneath the grim. Or, well, desperate in your worry, how you dwelling, over him.

You pause, fussing with the stack of undershirts you pulled from.

He refused an entirely new uniform, saying there is an excellent layer of grim on his old uniform that no German could distinguish him from a mud pit in. You shot back that he’s wearing a mud pit, and one side of his mouth slants into a smile that really didn’t know it was a smile. Yet, you know as well as he does his real reasoning; you’ve treated enough men, fresh from the line and the deep roots of comradery still growing in their chests, that Malarkey appearing in a fresh uniform while his boys languished in clothes three months overdue for a wash would severely cripple his position in Easy Company, and the men’s respect for him. You understand; you wish you didn’t because it leaves you wishing for fresh uniforms for all of Malarkey’s men (but wishes hold no weight in places like Haguenau; they were a waste of time, a waste of thought—thought that could be used for survival, or ensuring a wounded man’s survival).

So, you pushed a fresh pair of underclothes—a new shirt, extra socks—into his arms and insisted he use proper soap to wash before putting on the clean clothes. His face held a protest, you watched it build in his eyes, tighten his lips, but then he looked down at the clothes and puffed out a great sigh. He allowed himself to be herded into the shower stalls, leaving you to ‘flutter’ ever since.

Your fingers run, slow and listless, over the stack of undershirts. Its’ been months since you have looked at your nails, all of them now broken to the quick, cuticles dry and rough from the winter and being plunged into a hot bath for sterilization. You know Malarkey doesn’t care how manicured your hands are—or aren’t—but a wave of regret floods your stomach, heavying and plummeting it. This whole situation, this swirl of feelings Malarkey whisks up in your stomach, sending your heart leaping into your mouth? It’s surreal. Unfathomable. And, yet, somehow, you feel as if your nails should be shaped and lacquered with some bold color—red, you decide.

Again, you think: what am I doing?

You know the steps to this ritual dance in civilian life: manicured nails, pretty dress, powdered nose, red lipstick. You’d tilt your head prettily, letting your freshly fluffed curls fall around you, when Malarkey appeared on the front porch of your parent’s house. His hair would be slicked back, flowers would be in hand, and it really wouldn’t matter what he’s wearing—what you’re wearing—because the smile that switches on, bright as a lightbulb, when he saw you would outshine everything else.

Yet, that Donald Malarkey on girls’ porches, who fits into civilian life, you only know a fraction about. You don’t know how he’d fit into your civilian romance, if he remembers how. You could guess from the flashes you have seen, but you know Sergeant Malarkey (with the souls of the lost weighing his shoulders and with lips pressing into your hair as he cried into you) had a heart too heavied by war to understand something as civilian as love. Or maybe, it was your heart. And is that what this is—love? Will you allow yourself to feel it with death on your heels, allow yourself to label something so freshly hinted at in convent illuminated by fire and wax?

“Stop thinking so hard,” Don says.

Your head snaps up so quickly, a twinge of pain twitches down your neck.

And there he is, towel in hand, fresh undershirt clinging to his damp skin. His hair, made three times a deeper ginger, is plastered to his scalp, his thick Irish eyelashes heavy, twin icon necklaces in the crevice of his clavicle, and the heat of the shower has colored over the gray. You wonder if it’s an artificial solution, but also don’t want to find out. “What?” you ask, the word on a whisper; you heard him.

“I could hear you thinking from all the way over there,” Don replies, and maybe he meant to gesture, but with how he’s looking at you—how your eyes are meeting, drinking in the sight of each other, never wanting to look away—his muscles may have forgotten. When he speaks next, his voice is tempered, soft. “Let’s make a promise.”

“O-okay,” you agree, nodding shakily. You watch how his Adam’s apple bobs, how his eyes dart across your face, and you hope—hope with the desperation of woman clinging to a lifeline in an forgotten, gray corner of a forgotten, gray town—that this look doesn’t mean anything different than it does in civilian life.

His hands are taking yours. “Let’s not think too hard while we’re in here. Just for a little while. Let’s pretend we don’t have duties and responsibilities to think about.”

You look down at your fingers, threaded together, remembering how he said ‘good’ earlier, spitting out the lie. Him asking to forget, to hide from the world is as close to a real answer to your question of ‘how are you?’ You’re not able to stop the grin from spreading across your lips; of course you’d hide away from ghosts for him. You’d pretend everything is ordinary for him (you realize with the calm serenity of a long-coming revelation that you’d do anything for him.)

A hum escapes your throat, and a chuckle is startled from him, as if delighted by hearing a hum after years of never knowing something to hum about. “What?” he asks.

“I was…I was thinking,” you begin, unsure. But then, you reason, you left your shyness in the convent, you left you ghosts outside. Say it.

Rubbing his thumb, the skin rough and calloused, over your dry palms, he prompts: “You were thinking?”

“Before you came in, I was thinking about if you were to show up on my parent’s doorstep to take me on a date,” you admit in a great rush, worried the words might get caught in your throat if you spoke too slowly.

“Oh, really?”

You peak up at his face and he’s beaming. You duck your head, studying your hands knotted with his.

“Did you picture me spruced up, hair all done, wearing a tie and everything?”

“You had flowers,” you admit, smiling into his face as he laughs.

Around chuckles, he says, “Really? Wow! I’m a class act.” A spark lives in his eyes and what would I give to keep that spark there. “I hope the flowers don’t set your expects too high; I’d take you to a burger joint after, my tastes aren’t all that refined. But we’d share a huge milkshake and a large order of fries—I’d get more fries if you wanted them.”

“Very generous of you,” you agree, biting your lower lip to keep your mouth from stretching too wide, too girlishly. “And I’d try to be all ladylike and insist we don’t need to get more, but when we do, I’d eat most of them.”

“And I’d be secretly incredibly impressed,” Malarkey says before he steps back, one hand still holding yours, and leading you to the crate Constance fetched a blanket from earlier. He pulls out a blanket, laying it atop another crate. “After, we’ll drive out to this beautiful point just outside of town, of my hometown, in Eugene, Oregon, and—and we’ll count falling stars, and invent ridiculous wishes on each of them.” His hands are on your hips, boosting you onto the crate and you’ve forgotten how to breath.

(You notice his switch from past to future tense, and allow yourself to believe it’s entirely purposefully).

“Real spaghetti sauce in the Army canteen,” you offer, words sounding unreal even in your own ears. Something’s wrong with your voice, it sits too high in your throat.

“That’ll take a lot of stars and a lot of wishes,” he replies, hands still on your hips. He pauses, his eyes on your lips. “I’ll wish for another plate of fries.”

Mortifyingly enough, you snort. “What? Why? How could you possibly still be hungry?”

He shakes his head. “I meant that, well, if we still have fries, we are still on the date. It’ll never end.”

Your lower lip catches in your teeth, a blush pinking your cheeks, because he’s looking at you like—

His lips are against yours, a hand cradling your hair and tilting your head gently so he’s kissing you at an angle—so he can pull you closer, trying to fuse back together. Initially, your mouth is still against his, limp with shock at suddenly having one of his arms pulling your ribcage against his, the other around your shoulder so his fingers can twine around and around in your hair. The heat crashes over you. Your brain blanks of shock—blanks of anything at all—and leaves you with a singular truth: he’s kissing you, and all you want is to kiss back and never stop for duty, for the Germany Army, fuck, for General fucking Eisenhower.

Your arms are around his shoulders, your fingers damp from his slick hair, your knees are around his hips, and you’re urgently trying to assist in fitting together, two pieces to a torn part finally reunited and made whole.

He pulls back for air, eyes searching, and there’s a question there: is this okay? Are you okay?

Nibbling your lip, you nod. When he kisses you again, you could melt, you could cease to exist: for the first time in months, you remember the day of the week. It’s a Thursday. It’s a Thursday, and life finds a way, and fuck it all, you’ll label this exactly what it is.

Stone Shadows | Chapter VII

Chapter I Chapter II Chapter III Chapter IV Chapter V Chapter VI

Add yourself to the taglist!

As always, I appreciate any and all feedback. Comments would really help me keep going especially since my blog is pretty much dying due to the new Tumblr guidelines. I’ll be posting on Ao3 too; here’s a link to the series there.

Seven | Enezra

These corridors were the blackest among the labyrinth. So dark that the cold permeated every inch, bit at any that dared to enter. Only the frost wolves and snow cats ventured this far.. Enezra walked beside the dwarf, his wool wrapped hand holding up the low-burning lamp. Even she could not see more than three feet ahead of them.

She traced their path with her hand. Her woven gloves were as little protection as her patched cloak but she was used to the cold. She swallowed back each shiver which threatened to trickle down her spine. It was years ago that she had marked these passages; carved the symbols into stone. The first a warning, the rest directions. If any but her were foolish enough to chance them, they’d at least have a chance to make it through.

There had been another route to take until the dwarf had collapsed the roof in. It was longer but less treacherous and much less frigid. As it was, this was more direct and quicker. The sooner she was free of the dwarf, the better. She could go about her life as she had done for years. Alone. Free of his judgement. What right did he have anyway? He lived in a mountain; not so different from her caverns.

She tucked her free hand into her jacket pocket. Her fingers were growing numb and the cold had seeped through her scarf, nipping at her cheeks. She had long run out of wool to weave more cloth and her mending had done little to reinforce her fraying attire. She mourned the warmth of the spring, tempted to turn back. Perhaps upon her return she would visit it again.

“What is that?” The dwarf caught her elbow, holding her back as a low growl pierced the dark. She was shocked by his touch and he quickly released her as she flinched. She had been alone for countless decades. She hadn’t encountered another in as many, let alone felt the warmth of their hands.

“Shh,” She raised her finger, “Frost wolves. This is their territory and it is birthing season. They will be protecting their young.”

“Frost wolves?” He scoffed. “I’ve read of those in storybooks...as a child.”

She looked at him in the low lantern light. He was mocking her, she realized as she narrowed her eyes. He didn’t believe she was a greenling, he thought her a maddened halfling hiding in the caves in her delirium. She snarled and turned the corridor before, the shadow of a furried tail at the end of it. The beast was circling, trying to block their way.

Enezra unbuttoned the top her jacket, letting in the chill as she reached for her sling. She pulled a perfectly rounded rock from the pouch at her belt and set it in the leather. Thorin did not see the subtle movement, his sight and senses shrouded by the dark eating away at the lamplight. He only watched with unveiled concern as she stepped ahead of him, speaking in the ancient tongue to the animal growling menacingly at them.

“We are not here to harm you. We only seek to pass through.” She said to the wolf. Its growl grew deeper, teeth bared. “We have no ill-intent. Your young are safe from us.”

She heard the large paws edge closer, the rumbling warning still in effect. “Ez,” Thorin warned. She clutched her sling and felt the cold nose touch her finger tips, sniffing at her. “I have never harmed your kind. Let not our truce end here.”

The wolf nudge her hand and retreated, turning warily back as her growl died in the air. Ez watched her turn the next corner, returning to her young sleeping in some hidden nook. The greenling exhaled and turned back to her companion, a shadow looming behind him.

“Duck,” She hissed as the screech of a snow cat rose. Thorin did so with confusion and she swung her sling, loosing the stone into the jaw of the pouncing predator. The snow cat whimpered as it fell back and Ez took another stone, flinging it in quick succession. “Go.” She shouted, a third stone following, “Now.”

Stinging from the pelt of rocks, the snow cat retreated. Thorin straightening up as he shone the lamp in its direction. Its silver fur reflected the flame just before it faded back into the dark. 

“We should hurry,” Ez advised as she turned back to their path, “The ruckus will only bring more.”

He nodded and quietly followed, falling into step next to her. The silence which ensued was thick, filled with the words he longed to say. “What is it?” She prompted gruffly.

“What did you say to the wolf? How did it understand you?” He asked.

“Oh, did you not read of my kind in your storybooks? Of our earthly ways and natural tongues?” She taunted.

“Greenlings died out at least a century ago,” Thorin argued.

“You don’t have to believe me. I am what I am regardless of your opinion.” She shrugged. “But I know these corridors and I will get you out.”

She sensed his gaze on her. His eyes lingering as he considered her contemptuous tone. “Thank you.” He finally said. “For saving me.”

“I didn’t save you,” She countered, “I saved me. Snow cats are not so easily reasoned with.”

She led him down the next corridor, trying to hide the fierce shiver which threatened. As her adrenaline waned, the cold returned to her bones. She peeked over at the dwarf’s thick cloak, lined with fur and made of thick black hide. She envied him for just a second before peeling her attention back to their journey. The quicker they were free of these corridors, the sooner she’d be warm again.

Thorin

“In here,” Enezra stopped at yet another of her hidden chambers. “It is late. I thought we’d be further by now, but the night only brings more beasts. We best set up camp for the night.”

“You don’t come here often, do you?” He wondered as she shifted the narrow door. She slipped through but Thorin had to turn sideways to enter.

“Not in years,” She assured him, “But there is no one else down here to disturb it.” She took the lamp from him and crossed to a small chest hidden in the far corner of the chamber. She pulled forth three torches, lighting one as she lifted it and turned back to illuminate her sight. “Damn it.”

Half the ceiling had fallen to rubble and only a small space remained to them. They were so far down that the avalanche blocked any trace of the outside above. She set her torch between two stones to stand in the corner and lit another one for the opposite corner. A pit of ash remained and a spit stood over it, long-unused. Thorin watched as Enezra took a bundle from the other side of the small chest. She unwrapped the linen to reveal three thick logs and a bale of long sticks.

“It should last us the night,” She explained as she set to arranging the kindling.

He watched her hands as they shivered and she tried not to fumble the logs. She removed her gloves, tucking them away. Her fingertips had turned bright red even through the wool. He realized how thin her clothing truly was. Her cloak was threadbare and her jacket offered little protection from the chill they had been walking through all day.

Thorin glanced down at his cloak. It was a king’s cloak; thick and fur-trimmed. It was one of many he owned back in Erebor. His tunic and coat were just as luxurious and his boots had new soles; Enezra’s barely clung to her worn hide boots. Even through all this, the dwarf had felt frigid cut of the cold. The woman, in much less, didn’t even complain.

“T-tea,” She frowned as she chattered against her will. She sniffed and search through her pack. “It should warm us up while we wait for our dinner.” She took out the kettle and filled it from her canteen. She hung it on the spit as she took out her small pot, a strip of rabbit jerky, some leeks, and a single bent carrot. He wondered where she came by all this in these barren depths.

“Can I help?” He offered as he knelt beside her, pulling forth his knife and taking the carrot before she could answer. He cut it into fine slices and added to the bits of jerky she was tossing into the pot. She nodded in gratitude and they carried on in silence until they finished.

The kettle trembled and whistled and she poured the tea as she had the nights before. The rest of the water she added to the pot and hung it in place of the kettle. As she sat back atop her feet, a poorly concealed effort to warm them, Thorin handed her a cup, hoping it would turn her reddened fingertips back to their natural honey tone.

“Thanks,” She looked away abashed. She was more clever than she let on and realized what the dwarf was doing. He didn’t know himself why he was so concerned. She had lived down here long enough; survived the cold before.

Few more words passed between them as they awaited their evening meal. He recalled the harsh tones they had exchanged earlier. He shouldn’t have mocked her as he had done but she really didn’t have much of a sense of humour. He felt even guiltier knowing that she had saved him.

The stew was thin but tasty nonetheless. Thorin drank hungrily, watching the girl as she tried to hide her eager gulps. When she finished, she set aside her bowl and pulled her cloak tighter to her figure as she leaned against the wall, legs bent to her chest.

“It’ll be an early morning,” She said, “We should sleep. Put another log on the fire before you do.”

The chamber was so cramped that the fire took up most of its area; neither had enough room to lay down with the pile of rocks closing them in. Thorin stood from the other side of the pit, setting the last log into it. He turned to where Enezra sat against the wall, her eyes closed as she leaned her head back.

He unclasped his cloak as he neared her. He lowered himself beside her, spreading it over both of them as he sat. Her eyes snapped open as she looked over and pushed away his fur cloak. “I’m alright,” She insisted, “Please, it’s yours.”

“It’s big enough for the both of us,” He returned, shoving it back over her knees, “How well do you think you’ll sleep with the cold still in you?”

She sighed, staring him down as she slowly ran her fingers along the fur trim. “Are you sure?”

“As long as you don’t mind sharing,” He replied.

She nodded and let him put the cloak over her, tugging it up over her shoulders herself. “Thank you,” She said quietly. He could see her shame at accepting his courtesy. He wondered how long it was since any had offered her more than the sharp tip of their fang or blade.

“Not at all,” He assured her. He noticed as how she made sure not to lean against him; keeping three inches between them. As if she feared to touch him. She would be warmer if she let him closer but he would not argue further with the obstinate girl.

Thorin closed his eyes and leaned his head against the wall. He was tired. Another day of cold was ahead of them and he relished the night of sleep ahead. A brief reprieve from the grimness of these cave. One day closer to the Mountain.

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WHERE: a practice courtyard, somewhere in the backs of the arena

WHEN: blood brawl round one, in between shiva v. divina and razan v. sèleste

WHO: closed for @razanhell​​

Five.

As one of the land’s greenling vampires, Divina’s human years have not yet escaped her memory. Braided amongst half a century’s reveries, there have been five moments that have shown her what it might mean to be satisfied. 

Each lasted just that—a moment—before a new, deeper craving took its place.

Her eyes are opened when she is a child, draped in fresh silks and another’s name, and the echoes of the opera hall teach her to dream;

She is a girl, rocking a newborn through the night, and she learns what the fuss about love has been all this time;

She is a woman, limbs and lips tangled with the nocturnal kingdom’s crown jewels, and she grows a taste for blood;

She is a vampiress, the beauty in disingenuity, mistress of her song and her stage, and finally she is acquainted with purpose;

She is a power, painting the Dome’s floor with the blood of an ancient one, against all better odds, and all bore witness.

Her inaugural Brawl performance leaves behind an imprint — an echo of the crowd’s roar, a searing image of an audience in ovation during a final bow. She leaves the arena, skin and nails speckled scarlet with Shiva’s blood. Swift steps take her through the coliseum’s hallways, and already, the taste of victory is not enough. She craves something more.

She craves a sixth moment.

Adrenaline and confidence push reason aside, and instinct moves her too quickly to allow Divina time to second guess her trajectory; in a moment, she’s face to face with them.

“Razan?” she asks. Approach slow, intent eyes wide, Divina joins them in the courtyard. “I saw your match is next on the schedule, I wanted to come wish you luck.” 

“Of course,” she begins to tease, and a hint of play curves red lips upward at the corners, “I’ll be off to say the same to Sèleste in a moment. Unlike you, though, she’ll need it.”

underwater diver happens upon a rare and beautiful Rock Greenling

Grotto - Campbell River

Eiko Jones Beautiful & Unique Underwater Photography

British Columbia, Canada

January 15, 2013 - Pro Nature Photography Magazine

Chum Salmon Run - Quadra Island 

Cloud of Tadpoles

Lions Mane Jellyfish - Browning Passage, Port Hardy, British Columbia, Canada

Pink Salmon - Campbell River enroute to their spawning grounds in the Quinsam River, British Columbia, Canada

Lillies - Rock Bay, British Columbia, Canada

Yellow Water Lillies - Rock Bay, British Columbia, Canada

Rock Bay Cutthroat, Rock Bay, British Columbia, Canada

Waterfall split

Rock Greenling

Waterfall split

The male rock greenling’s ‘psychedelic rainbow coloration’

http://dlvr.it/RQGwKv

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Stone Shadows | Chapter II

Chapter I

So, I didn’t finish the next part of Ring of Fire as intended so you get this for now :)

I would love any and all feedback as I really do like this series but I don’t want to rewrite a whole fic for nothing. Thanks to any and all who read and hopefully I can hop back in and get this going.

TWO | THORIN

It was an ambush. There had been rumours of orcs remaining in the lands around Erebor since the battle. Thus, the party of dwarves should not have been surprised to find themselves at odds with a horde of orcs. Thorin Oakenshield, leading his men on a hunting trip, had found himself and his dwarves run well off the beaten path. Their game had drawn them beyond their purview and their enemy had chased them further away.

The dwarves were outnumbered by double their half-dozen. Dwalin had been the one to call for arms. Age had yet to dull his keen ears. Weapons were drawn as their foes appeared from behind the crags. The orcs bore down on the dwarves quickly, arrows barely missing their targets.

Thorin’s ax was easily freed from his back, his sword untouched at his hip. This was a fight of strength; of brutality. Even with the heavy battle ax weighing him down, he was agile. Against this enemy, defense was not so preferable to offense.

His ax shattered the dull scimitar of the first orc; their weapons worn and taken from lesser adversaries. Those innocents they preyed on. The wispy-haired orc recoiled, only a pommel left to protect itself. The king’s second blow rained down on the orc’s skull, leaving only what hair graced its head and strips of flesh along the shattered bone.

Another was quick to follow his fallen comrade. Thorin kept time with the steady battle around him. The beating of metal upon metal; steel versus steel. A deathly dance between dwarf and orc. Dodging under the blade of his new foe, Thorin spun away finding himself separated from the rest of of his party. The orc’s crooked rapier descended on him and he batted it away. He parried quickly, blood spraying across his cheek as he sliced from shoulder to hip.

“Dwalin,” He called to his companion as he met with his own adversary, “Bring our dwarves back to the Mountain. Should we find ourselves apart, I shall meet you there.”

Dwalin hesitated but returned a look of understanding; reluctant obedience. His king was much too reckless for his tastes. He had foreseen Thorin’s death much too often. He could recall then the duel with Azog which had nearly cost the king his life and his people their home. He had defied fate then but it was not so easily held off again.

Thorin found himself further from his party as another orc advanced upon him. He was reminded of the one-armed orc whom he had faced previously. The desperate struggle he had faced; which had nearly cost him all. He almost faltered at the thought. If he was further divided from his comrades, he would find himself once more at odds with his mortality. He could not hold them off forever. He was no fool either, he knew there were more orcs hiding around these lands.

He could not die here in the plains. Not at the hands of these vile creatures. He was the King of Erebor; he was sworn to lead his people and that he would do until his natural death and not before. He kept his foe at a distance as he observed his position; his dwarves were retreating as he had ordered, further from him by the second. There was forest not far to the east, the north held a caves hidden beneath the stout crags. Not many knew of those passages and those who did, dared not to traverse them. They were old and labyrinthine; the seers said they were cursed and the wise knew they were prone to collapse.

Yet, if Thorin kept to the shallow tunnels he could wait out his enemy. It would offer him a better chance than to face them endlessly. Reinforcements would not be long away. With a final strike which had his foe reeling but not defeated, Thorin made his decision. He set off for the crags, listening for the pursuit of the orc.

He looked ahead to the north-eastern mouth of the caverns and his heart leapt. He had never before descended into their heart. As a dwarfling learning his maps, he had been warned against it. No race, dwarf, elf, even orc, dared to venture into the underground. Those who did, rarely returned. And those who did emerge, were not the same. The tunnels were home only to those long thought extinct.

A panting not his own sounded from behind him. Footsteps echoed his own and steel clattered against mail. He pursuer was not far. Thorin hoped the caves would deter the orc, at least confuse him enough to dispose of him. With a final prayer to Mahal, Thorin entered the cave, his feet sending stone flying as he kept his speed.

He kept note of the tunnels arms, the light from without dimming with each step. The second right, and then a left, another right, a left down the third cavern from there. He repeated the pattern in his head so that he could find his out when the time came. The air grew colder the deeper he got and he shivered as he heard his foe follow.

Thorin slid to a halt as rocks blocked his path. A dead end. The passage had long since collapsed and left him no escape. He turned as footsteps neared, bracing for his adversary who arrived much sooner than expected. His ax caught the orc’s first blow, one so hard it had Thorin down on a knee. Ax and sword trembled against each other, blade sliding along his handle until the dwarf was force to slip away, knocking back the orc’s sword.

The orc pulled back but his blade bounced along the wall, the space tighter than he thought. Sword held back the ax’s next attack but barely. Thorin spun and aimed another strike, his dark hair fanning out around him. Steel clanged in an even rhythm as the enemies contended in the cramped corridor, grunts marking each thrust and parry.

Thorin’s foot caught one of the stones at the base of the collapse. He stumbled but recovered, barely dodging a slice along his chest. Another slid unnoticed at the disturbance but neither adversary could be bothered at the risk of their own life. Another rolled down the pile, and another, and the floor began to shift. But dwarf and orc would not have known as theystepped around the other, fighting to keep the other’s blade from their flesh.

The tension between life and death built. The cold air thickening as both foes felt the heat of fatality bearing down on them. And suddenly, the balance broke. It crumbled the floor beneath them, burdened by the weight of boulder and the fracas atop it. The orc was the first to fall and Thorin descended with him, tumbling as he remained wary of the orc’s sword which was dangerously close to his mail.

The orc slammed down onto the scatter of rocks which had preceded him. His sword was knocked loose by the collision and Thorin was saved only by the cushion of his battered foe. He landed with a thud which knocked the wind from him. He rolled from atop the orc and wheezed, struggling to find his breath. Slowly, he regained his bearing and rose with help of his ax.

The orc’s hand twitched and it weakly searched for its weapon. Thorin approached, kicking away the discarded blade though his enemy couldn’t rise if he wanted to. Blood flowed from its form along the rocks below it and the dwarf king approached solemnly. Make it quick, the orc’s eyes pled and the dwarf obliged. His ax blackened the light of the creature’s existence with a squelch.

Thorin removed his blade from the orc and turned to look around the cavern. This was exactly what he had feared. The underground. The ceiling was open from the avalanche but allowed no light. His eyes could barely take in much as adrenaline cooled in his veins. He couldn’t see more than the corpse before him and the shadows closing in. He sighed bleakly.

A rock skittered and he gripped his ax tighter. His breath formed a cloud in the air before it caught in his chest. He turned and kept his blade ready.He inched forward, trying to see through the darkness. He swallowed as he neared the direction of the disturbance, certain he’d have to face some beast of the deep.

Steel pierced the air once more and he caught himself before he could walk straight into the short blade of a dagger. He squinted at the small figure before him as she held him at bay with her pathetic weapon. Her jade eyes shone in the grey of the caves, her hand steady and taught with fear as she pointed her knife at him.

“You,” Her voice was a sharp squeak but came more even with her next words, “Who are you? What business do you have in these caves?”

“What business have you?” Thorin demanded. “And who are you to question my title?”

“You trespass,” She accused, “These caves are not the home of dwarves. So I ask again, who are you and what is your purpose here?”

“I am Thorin, Son of Thrain, Son of Thror, King Under the Mountain,” He introduced himself boldly, “So now you should answer me, who are you to question my title?”

“I…” She began tritely, “Am the keeper of these caves and you are in my home. This is not your mountain, dwarf. This is greenling territory and I am bound to my people to keep it thus.”

ainame (rock throut; aburako; Greenling woman) Guitar Case http://ift.tt/2wjOoz9