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yel-halansu · 4 years

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Hiya! Perhaps do you have any in-depth information on Vulcan fauna? I have read the page on Memory Beta but there aren't many info on various species, so I was wondering if there was some more material I was unaware of. Thank you!

Na'Shaya! There isn't much additional information on the animals that do appear on Memory Beta, however it seems to be missing some creatures that are mentioned in the VLI and other sources. I've compiled all the info I could find here for reference. I apologise because this is not really what you were hoping for, but perhaps it will be useful to the fanfic writers (and xenobiologists! 😛) out there:

A'lazb: a kind of very small, transparent spiders who, like their Terran counterparts, have the ability to weave near-invisible webs.

Askor: an animal with the ability to change color, much like Earth chameleons do.

Aylak: small scavenger animals that are palm-sized, dark brown in color, and have six clawed legs and two whiplike tails. They tend to live in the driest parts of Vulcan, and often perish for lack of water. Dead aylakim serve as a primary part of the diet of the le-matya. Though not domesticated, they seem to enjoy the attention of observers when in captivity.

Ch'kariya: a small mammal resembling a Terran weasel, with pale skin, sparse hair, and two large forepaws with six razor-sharp claws which it used to climb and dig. These burrowing animals are active during the day, often foraging for food to maintain a high metabolic rate. Chkariya relied largely on plant roots for nourishment, but also ate fruit, carrion, and the occasional small animal. They are extremely friendly and bold enough to be fed by hand, and to venture into the cities and destroy carefully-tended gardens, much to the dismay of the Vulcan population.

Dokai: a large domesticated fowl that is used for keeping weeds and insects out of the crop fields in the circumpolar region of Vulcan.

D'rachanya: an extinct breed of flying reptile, similar to the dragons from Terran legends.

Dzharel: also spelled jarel, this creature is a pony-like horned animal with clawed feet and a distant relative of the kenel.

Fnell: an extinct wildebeest-like animal which used to be raised for meat and milk.

Haurok: a kind of bird.

Hayalit: a small burrowing animal, their flesh is edible and said to taste like chicken.

Huum: an extinct bison-like animal, with clawed feet instead of hooves, which once roamed the desert in vast herds.

Kaashk: an extinct bobcat-like animal; widely domesticated as a pet in pre-Surak times.

Kenel: an extinct animal, somewhat like a cross between a horse, camel and gazelle, with rhino-like skin. It used to be widely domesticated for riding.

K'karee: a species of poisonous snake with mottled blue-gray skin. When the k'karee coils to strike, two sacs located below its throat expand outward, creating the appearance of a small pair of silvery fins and giving it the ability to project its venom in a concentrated spray with an effective range of up to 5 meters. The k'karee poison is not in itself fatal to humanoids, but it can temporarily paralyze a limb (for 24-48 hours) or cause blindness if it hits its target in the eyes. Either can leave a victim an inviting target to further attacks by the snake or by other predators in the area, unless proper antitoxins can be promptly applied.

K'nurt: a rabbit-like rodent.

Kriil: an alligator-like reptile of northern waterholes and lakes; it is very ancient and used to be a lot more common before Vulcan underwent desertification.

Krin-tu: also known as krinti, an extinct wolf-like animal.

Krovill: an animal that despite not having any teeth, can eat anything from an artichoke to a xylophone.

Lanka-gar: a predatory night flier, known for their wheeling shape and the downward swoop it used to catch prey.

Lara: the lara bird is bright blue in color, and resides in desert areas such as Vulcan's Forge.

Le-matya: a predator, similar in size and shape to a Terran mountain lion, equipped with poisonous claws and fangs. Their fur is green, grey, yellow or orange and sometimes has diamond patterns. Their hide is almost impenetrable. Known for its lightning-fast reflexes, they attack anything they saw or smelled, and drinking the blood of their victims even if they have recently fed. They will also feed on carrion, such as dead aylakim. The deadly nerve toxins in their claws were capable of killing a small animal within minutes, or paralyzing and even killing a humanoid. There is no known cure for le-matya poison. Due to their aggressive nature, no le-matya are allowed on any of Vulcan's nature preserves: if one enters a preserve it is removed as quickly as possible. Le-matya live in the deserts near ShiKahr, the Valley of the Seven Winds, and the volcanic plains; and tend to stay as close as possible to the desert waterholes. Specimens as large as 90 kilograms had been reported in the vicinity of the Cheleb-khor desert. Le-matya typically live in the hills but do emerge in times of drought when native prey was sparse, and have even been known to wander into the cities and attack pets.

Mah-tor-pahlah: a type of bird that mates for life.

Masu-sark: also known as the Vulcan water-beetle. A type of insect native to the coastal regions of Vulcan.

Mazhiv-oluhk: also known as sand viper. A common blue-green serpent-like animal native to Vulcan.

Mazhiv-ukram: also known as sand worm. This large, mysterious animal is so rare that many believe it to be merely a legend. It is said to have large eyes, fleshy-looking mandibles, a mouth with no visible teeth, two long antenna-like or tentacle-like projections above its eyes, and a tough segmented body. It burrows underground but emerges to the surface to hunt for prey.

Melshk: a very rare, snake-like reptile that lives deep underground.

Mor-gril: a wolverine-like animal.

Muuk: a skunk-like animal. Extremely rare, and not related to any other living species.

Mu-yor-spahk: called Nightclaw in Federation Standard, a mysterious animal on the prohibited list within the United Federation of Planets and thus protected from hunters.

Myrmidex: a type of multilegged animal that roams Vulcan's desert wastes.

Pandree: a python-like animal, noted for the ability to lure prey into traps dug into the desert sands.

Plakrala: also called Bloodwing, a majestic, heavy carrion-eater known to require a long takeoff distance. They were also introduced to Romulus by the migrants from Vulcan during the Sundering.

Quattil: leaping herbivorous creatures that travel in herds. In the distant past, these animals were often preyed upon by flying predators. In spite of their main predators going extinct, the quattil retained an ancient deeply driven instrinct to flee whenever they saw a shadow over them.

Ran-tu: also called a "ranti". An extinct dog-like animal; widely domesticated as a pet in pre-Surak times.

Rikrusal-fo-aushfa: molusks that live in the modest seas of Vulcan. They are edible, but most Vulcans do not eat them due to their strictly vegan diet.

Salan-faufa: also known as wind-rider, these are flying creatures with delicate, translucent bodies that live in the highest areas of the deserts of Vulcan, such as the L-langon Mountains. They are too frail to ever touch the ground, and have hollow bones, tissue-thin skin and transparent fur, and glow faintly in the night like fireflies. They spend their entire lives in the air, hunting, mating, giving birth and dying without ever touching the ground. No one understands how wind-riders are able to survive Vulcan's harsh environment. They are very rare, so seeing one is considered very fortunate for those interested in the fauna of Vulcan.

Sa-te kru: a type of large, cat-like creature. Like the le-matya, the sa-te kru is a formidable and dangerous predator.

Sehlat: Probably the most beloved Vulcan animal, the sehlat is a large bear-like creature with six-inch fangs and fur that covers their bodies completely. In spite of their fierce appearance, they have a friendly temperament and some breeds of sehlat have been domesticated in Vulcan since the Time of Antiquity, being used as transportation, beasts of burden and household pets. These domesticated breeds are far smaller than the wild sehlats that prowl the harsh deserts of their homeworld, and they are thought to be excellent pets for Vulcan children to learn discipline and responsibility (though domesticated, nobody wants to get in the way of a hungry sehlat!). Sehlats are thought to have originated in the temperate forest areas of the southern hemisphere of Vulcan, but they spread and adapted well across the entire planet. Their fur protects them from desert heat and they have excellent hearing. They did not like to climb and prefer to remain close to the ground, which provides a way for travelers to escape any potential attacks if they encounter a sehlat in the wild. They are omnivorous, and wild sehlats feed on grubs, roots, and small burrowing animals. Some of the many breeds of sehlat include the nesh-sehlat, the khav-sehlat, the vai-sehlat (used by the ancient warriors to travel across the desert, and said to slumber in large groups in their lairs) and the wild norsehlat. An Vulcan proverb states that the norsehlat has no conception of right or wrong, yet the Vulcans do not allow them to eat their citizens.

Sha'amii: also spelled sha'mi and sham'amii, this animal is halfway between a Terran sheep and a goat. They are domesticated and live in the Sas-a-shar desert surviving on the native browse. They yield edible milk, and their long, silken wool is a staple of the Vulcan fashion industry.

Shatarr: a poisonous breed of lizards that live under rocks or in small caves and burrows. They are known for striking out at prey or intruders who pass near the entrance to their homes. Specimens can grow as large as two meters, and the larger ones have been known to attack human-sized prey. Shatarr poison is a neurotoxin that quickly attacks the victim's nervous system, causing massive muscle spasms. For the small animals that are usually its prey, death occurs within minutes. If a larger animal or humanoid is bitten, the poison requires more time to take effect, which gives the victim an hour at most to seek treatment.

Shavokh: a graceful hunting bird with gold and brown feathers, a 2.5 meter wingspan, and a powerful musculature that allows it to propel itself along the mild wind currents of Vulcan's atmosphere. This carnivorous bird possessed two pairs of sharp golden talons, and its prey consisted of small rodents and reptiles. The legends say that encountering a shavokh when travelling through the desert brings good luck, for where it descended to ground, one would find ground water or a soak not too deeply buried nearby. The shavokh does, however, also eat carrion, occassionally making them an unwelcome sight to desert travellers.

Shkral: a rat-like rodent, very common.

Starok: a nocturnal mouselike mammal with forelimbs modified to form membranous wings and anatomical adaptations for echolocation by which they navigate, much like a Terran bat.

Tcha'besheh: also known as a'kweth or Underlier, it is a large silicon-based lifeform that live on Vulcan, similar to the Hortas of Janus VI. They are large beasts that were the size of a great house and possessed several tentacles. Very little is known about the Tcha'besheh's biology or their evolution. They do not apparently need to respire, require oxygen or feed and were one of the first recorded species that lived on a planet alongside carbon-based lifeforms. As a series of intense solar flares started to shape Vulcan into the desert world it would become, in order to avoid extinction, the Tcha'besheh moved underground and continued a secluded life far beneath Vulcan's surface, being extremely difficult to detect by scans. They are highly intelligent and are considered to be the Vulcan equivalent of whales, however they are not aquatic, but travel beneath the sands of their homeworld. Legends say that in the ancient days, before the proto-Vulcans developed language, one such Vulcan known as The Wanderer learnt his first word through an encounter with a Tcha'beseh.

Tchakarya: also called "chkariya", it is a small, ferret-like predator.

Tchorka: also called "chorka", it is an extinct camel-like animal that was occasionally domesticated as a beast of burden.

Teresh-kah: also known as silver birds, they have chromium-coloured feathers. They are falcon-sized and have an eerie cry; they are said to sing only at dawn in order to greet the sun. They nest furtner north in the L-langon mountain range and usually come over the Sas-a-shar desert at dawn.

Tugno't: a sheep-like animal native to Vulcan. Its soft, curly woool is used for making heavy robes.

Valit: a small rust-colored burrowing rodent with powerful claws capable of digging through the hardest soils or even volcanic rock. It lives in large family units in vast underground complexes and emerges onto the surface world only at night. The creatures are highly intelligent, and xenobiologists at the Vulcan Science Academy have recently begun experimenting with domesticating the creatures.

Vralt: an animal similar to a wild mountain goat.

Vulcan ant fish: foraging aquatic creatures that live in colonies and work for the benefit of their community, in the same way that the honeybees of Earth do.

Wihlb: an extinct peccary-like animal that was occasionally kept in captivity as a pet.

Wuhrf: a mildly venomous, chameleon-like reptile.

Yel-hafa: also known as the Sundweller. These large flying peaceful beasts spent their entire lives gliding through the desert winds of the Vulcan homeworld. It is said that they mated in the skies and never touched the ground. Not even the predatory Shavokh were known to hunt them. Despite this, they were known to be fragile animals and were believed extinct by the age of Surak. It was believed that the wars that were destroying the planet, as well as the pollution released into the atmosphere, had killed the Sundweller populations, however, a few were still known to be seen at the time. Due to the rarity in seeing these animals, it was believed that should one be seen then it should be considered an omen of bad things to come.

Yon-kushel: also known as the Firebird. A very rare species of bird, said to live for only a few moments after hatching. However, the Firebird's short life is filled with more joy than what a hundred beings could experience in their lifetimes added together. Beings from the farthest reaches of space have fought and killed for the chance to see a Vulcan Firebird. Typically, it took anywhere between three hundred to a thousand Earth years for Firebird eggs to hatch. The reason for the difference in hatching times was due to a need for another being to nurture the Firebirds to life, resulting from an inability to exit their eggs independently.

Zhekenel: an extinct zebra-like animal with clawed feet; a distant relative of the kenel.

Sources: Memory Alpha, Memory Beta, Hidden Universe Travel Guide: Star Trek: Vulcan, The Way of Kolinahr: The Vulcans, VLI glossaries, VLD.

#long post #text post #vulcan fauna #vulcan animals #fauna #animals #le-matya #sehlat #teresh-kah #vulcan planet #reference #vulcan fauna reference #ask box #my asks #askbox #star trek #star trek animals

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rideboldlyride · 7 years

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In Her Image

It’s a long short, so it’s under the break. This one is set in my current storyline, about 2.5 years after Summer’s death. It’s based heavily in Armenian Mythology with a RWBY twist. Hope you enjoy!

Credit to @ellelehman for the title and being an unknowing source of inspiration. ;)

Somewhere between Vale and Vacuo, sat the sacred town of Khor Virap. Deep in the mountains that separated the two kingdoms, the peaks opened up into a flat valley. Empty of people, the flats were occupied by wild roaming horses. In the center rose a small domed hill, a small village left mostly empty. It's few regular inhabitants were the men and women that cared for the monastery.

The rest of the housing was open for visitors to the land. A frequent pilgrimage for the righteous, it would hold multitudes during certain seasons of the year. No one knew for sure how to get to Khor Virap, or precisely where it was on a map, but if you entered the mountains with the intent of finding it, your feet would carry you to the city gates without fail.

Qrow wasn't sure how much he believed of the rumors, but long discussions with locals gathered no useful directions. At this point, he deemed, it was just worth trying it. Besides- he could fly himself out if he got lost.

His skepticism took a hit as the mountains opened before him.

"Ya know what?" The huntsman muttered under his breath. "After the things I've seen, nothing should surprise me. And yet..."

He gestured out into the valley for the benefit of no one.

"Here I am. Surprised."

Over the distant mountains the sun slowly began stretching the shadows down the side of the range. Night was beginning to fall, and the huntsman had a burning desire to be at the village when it did. A treeless landscape always set him on edge.

A little more than an hour later, the red-eyed man paused before the gates, taking in the inscription beside the entryway.

"Those who wish

Bridges broken to mend

The Nhang awaits

To those who ascend."

Taking in a deep breath, Qrow steeled himself. It was a long shot, but there was nothing else left to do. This was the last option, and he owed both of the loves in his life to attempt it. So, ascend he did.

Twin spires rose before him at the peak of the hill, a beacon to the weary traveler. The monastery emerged from the tight confines of the village roads, an oasis in the eerily quiet sea of empty homes in summer. Softly, a multitude of chimes caught on the wind and filled the area with soothing noise.

The doors of this oasis were open and inviting, candlelight spilling into the darkening village. Slipping inside, Qrow was dismayed to find the space mostly empty, a handful of devotees moving with determined pace and purpose around the room. Hesitantly, the young man made his way across the chapel.

Nervous, he stopped before the table full of lit candles in the middle.

"Choose one."

The voice was kind, but it made the skittish man jump. Beside him, a kindly older man appeared at his side, dressed in a cacophony of colors. A devotee.

"Choose one, thinking of the wrong you wish to right. The bridge you wish to mend. The unfinished."

A single arm cast out into the open space beyond, where doors opened out into darkness.

"Then go out into the grove, and if your business is unfinished, or the soul you seek wandering, and the Nhang finds you of pure soul, you will be given a chance."

"To do what?"

Slowly, a gentle smile pulled over the man's face as he laid a hand on Qrow's shoulder.

"To say goodbye."

A shudder passed over the huntsman, and he turned his gaze back to the candles before him. With a shaking hand, he reached for one that had been burning for a while. The older man's voice soothed his fears as he spoke.

"If you wish to return for the night, the doors are left open at all times. You will be welcome. However, if you, like many others choose to carry on into the darkness, I wish you safe journeys, and may your heart be whole once more."

There was something genuine in the older man's voice, but when Qrow turned to him again, he had moved along, indecipherable from the other caretakers with him.

Nodding to himself, he carried the still lit candle in his hand. Glancing down at it, he realized the folly he had made by choosing a candle that was shorter. It would not last very long. That being said, he determined that exchanging them would probably be frowned upon.

Before the thought had finished, he found himself stepping beyond the back doors of the monastery, and into a grove of trees. Alone with his thoughts again, he pondered back on what the older man had said.

Am I really ready to let her go? I mean, he quickly added an addendum to his thoughts, if this was legit. Which it isn't. But if it is....

His foot faltered and he stopped.

I'm not sure I am.

Shaking his head, he pushed away the fears as he pressed forward into the forest. He wasn't there to make amends. He was there to see if Summer was alive. If this really was some gateway, and she really had died... she might be here, right?

He pressed further on into the grove. Uncertain of the time spent in the darkness, he began to count steps. Each one was rang with sadness... and relief.

"Qrow?"

The sound of her voice sunk his heart like a lead weight.

"Qrow? You came here?"

Turning, he felt his eyes grow wide at the sight of her. Perfect and radiant, as beautiful as he remembered her. A smile lit up her face as she bounded into his arms.

"It is you! I can't believe you came!"

As the shock wore away, the sense of loss became sharp like an open wound in his heart. Wrapping his arms tight around her, he dug his nose into her hair. She smelled like tropical fruit, she smelled like her. Like Summer.

His voice emerged like a harsh whisper.

"You... you're really gone?"

Pulling back, her silver eyes glistened in the moon light. All the tension in her back disappeared as her shoulders fell.

"I'm sorry, Qrow. I-I didn't want to go."

He nodded, holding back his tears as best he could, eyes downcast.

"I know."

A soft hand on his cheek raised his eyes.

"I've missed you so much."

"We miss you too."

"How are Tai and Yang?"

A voice whispered in his ear. Something was off. Tai and Yang. There was someone much more important missing from that list...

"They're surviving. They miss you." He pulled a smile across his face, even as the huntsman's mind worked overtime. "But I'm sure they'll be okay."

She nodded, grabbing his hand.

"Qrow, I only have a short time here. If I don't cross soon, I won't be able to."

Mind still spinning, he looked towards the petite woman, a question on his brow.

"You can walk with me, help me to get there... if you want."

Truly torn, certain that something was wrong and yet, desperate for the closure he hadn't expected, his red eyed gaze took in their interlocked hands.

"I- I think I'd like that."

A new smile lit up her face, and she tugged gently at his hand. "It's this way."

For a while, they walked hand in hand, talking like they had- like they were still in Beacon- about everything and nothing. He pulled her to a stop.

"Sum, what happened?"

She cocked her head to the side, her brow furrowing. "What do you mean?"

The huntsman swallowed hard, trying to gather his spinning thoughts.

"When I passed out," he finally spat out, "and woke back up. And you weren't there. What happened?"

Her eyes grew soft. Shaking her head kindly, a small tear gathered at the corner of her eye.

"I'm here now, Qrow. Doesn't that tell you enough?"

His brow furrowed, and a few hot tears fell fast and hard. The woman slightly tugged back at their hands.

"Its close."

Within a few steps, he began to hear the rhythmic sound of water gently lapping. They traveled on in silence. Rounding a bend, he spotted a small lake, with creeks feeding from it. The moonlight glistened across its nearly flat surface. Together, they stopped at the tree line, gazing out across it. She turned.

"This is it, Stilts."

Her soft voice drew his eyes down to its source. The closure she offered was tempting. So very tempting. But something was wrong.

Standing on her toes, she wrapped a hand behind his head. Softly tugging, she pulled him into a gentle kiss. She tasted like Summer. Exactly like he... remembered her. The realization began to come to a head.

When the kiss broke, he softly smiled down at her.

"I miss you, Summer. Your daughter misses you."

"I miss her t--"

"And I'm... coming to the realization... that closure might never happen."

The woman's face grew confused. He pressed on.

"I might never know what happened. But I really do believe now that you're gone. That now, I just have to accept that. And make sure your daughter never forgets you."

Her hand tightened on his, a frown pulling at her lips. "It's me, Qrow! Why can't you see it?"

Slowly she stepped towards the lake, pulling him after. The huntsman released his hand from hers.

Suddenly, the illusion around him fell-- instead of a lake, starting at before his feet, a large pit, its bottom dropping off into nothingness. The woman calling herself "Summer" floated before him over its edge.

With an slightly unnatural twist of her head, a smile opened inhumanly wide.

"So," she continued in Summer's voice, "you've seen through it. You may be the first, but you're not the first to fight the end."

Qrow stumbled back and away for the precarious edge, his hand going to his retracted broadsword. She reached the ground after him, grabbing for some purchase on him.

Swinging, he caught an edge of "Summer's" arm with its blade. Black smoke arose, as it screeched in her voice. Unnerved, he stepped back further, eyes wide. Retreating back, she floated above the wide pit, glaring.

Something slick and firm wrapped around his ankle and took out his feet, guiding him across the ground, again towards the pit, his weapon falling from his hand. Scrabbling for purchase, he started to ask questions.

"Is this what you do? Drag people to their deaths?"

"No," her voice continued, and he desperately wished it to be any other voice, "normally, they walk of their own will."

"So everyone who comes down here..."

"Not everyone. If they all die, who's going to talk about me? About the Nhang? The word would never escape, and I would be left here to scavenge what I could."

"So you can talk, more than just mimicry?" He grimaced out. The huntsman managed to gain a foothold on a rock and arms around a smaller tree base.

"Well, after centuries of getting into your kind's minds, you learn things."

"So you do read our minds- our thoughts."

"Oh yes. But-" a second tentacle rose, and Qrow watched it drop towards him with one crushing blow. Rolling at the last moment, and grabbing at purchase on another nearby tree, he lost a few precious inches. "-yours had a few mental blocks. Somebody's taught you."

Qrow smirked, happy to know that, as usual, both Summer and Ruby had been the instruments of his survival this far. Now it was his turn. Sparing and risking loosing one hand, he reached to his boot top securely placed on the stone. At its edge, he fingered a single blade, as the creature yanked harder.

Getting a solid grip on its handle, he risked all, slicing the griping tentacle clean through. "Summer" screamed, as a half dozen tentacles emerged from the void. A stink rose with them, and he recoiled. He continued to talk with the creature- the Nhang- as he went in search of his lost weapon.

"What's the goal? Just to kill us off?"

"Ha!" Another tentacle sped through the forest towards him wrapping around his weapons wielding arm. Changing hands, he gouged deep with the small blade and pulled. The end went lifeless as their laugh became a growl. Retracting back, it left brown and red behind on his arm, along with the intense smell.

"No, Qrow Branwen, I feed." It growled at him.

Spotting his fallen broadsword, he opened it to its full capacity, shifting to his scythe.

"Feed?" Another tentacle flung towards his voice, no patience left. The scythe was more adept at this form of work, as another tentacle was left tipless.

"Yes." She hissed out. "It's the younger ones I can never let free... so young and juicy."

"Juicy? Wait..."

Two more tentacles swung for his position in the forest and he rolled away while swinging. Both came back lobbed off, while she howled. The sinking feeling in his stomach turned to disgust.

"Blood. That's the smell. You feed on their blood!"

"And yours will be the sweetest of them all!"

Caught off guard, he felt a tentacle sideswipe him, and flinging the huntsman forward, dangerously near the edge. The hard hit shook him, and he found it hard to gather his wits. Struggling, he got to his hands and knees. Her feet showed in his peripheral.

She kneeled as she rose his chin with an iron grip to meet hers. The dual tentacles remaining held an arm and opposite leg in place. Ever so gentle, she lightly pecked his lips.

"Just close your eyes and imagine it's her. It'll make the fall easier."

As she spoke, the ex-bandit again reached for his boot top blade. Impaling it into the tentacle round his leg, it recoiled as she screamed. All but one tentacle useless, Qrow knew she had no way of slowing her fall. Even though her illusion held firm, and "Summer" seemed to be like a separate being, after years of fighting Grimm, he had learned to trust his instincts.

Shoulder charging her, she flung over the edge into the pit. Flailing, she grasped at Qrow's arm. In a moment of panic and fear, he hung on.

Big silver eyes stared up at him, scared.

"Qrow, don't do this."

He stared down at her, eyes wide.

"Please, Qrow, if you do this... my soul will never find peace."

Squeezing his eyes shut, he fought to clear his mind. The words that escaped him were pained and slow.

"I..."

"Qrow."

"...love..."

"Please."

Clarity struck, and his eyes shot open.

"...Summer Rose."

His hand released, and the... thing... calling itself Summer fell screaming his name. Another voice, a dozen voices, a hundred voices, a thousand joined. Screaming. They bounced around in his mind, doubling, and the huntsman curled into a ball as they filled his mind, screaming his name. His voice joined them.

Till they suddenly stopped. Gasping, kneeling on the ground, Qrow turned to see a large pillar of thick black smoke raising for the pit, and he knew it was over.

It took a little less than an hour to find himself back to the monastery, as daylight was beginning to pour over the mountain tops like a blanket. Reentering the chapel through the doors he left, the tired man stumbled forward. Tears streaked his dirty face. Halfway back to the candle stand, he fell to his knees and forearms, sobbing.

"... please, Summer.... tell me I wasn’t wrong… that I didn’t… I... I just don't know anymore..."

Around him, the caretakers rushed to his side, worry evident on their faces. A strong wind burst from the open doors behind the man, in its eddies rode petals of every color, wrapping themselves around the huntsman. They twisted away, forming a feminine shape before him.

You did the right thing.

It was her voice, again, but this time it was only in his mind. Slowly he rose his head to the sight before him, and he could almost feel the wind like a human touch, around him.

I love you too, Qrow Branwen.

Kneeling before him, she leaned forward, and though the light was now pouring through the windows, bathing the entirety of the chapel in light, he could swear he saw silver eyes glinting back at him.

And I miss Ruby so much. But don't worry, I'm not leaving again. I'll be right here, he felt the wind whip around his head, even as the petal form dissipated, when you need me.

The wind fell, and he closed his eyes for a moment, before raising himself to his feet again. All present stood still, until the same older man from the night before stepped up to him.

"D-did you find closure, my friend?"

Qrow laughed.

"No, I just found out that I'm crazy, and have started hearing voices in my head."

"If you are speaking of the woman's response, we heard her."

The huntsman's eyes shot to the caretaker.

"We heard her response to your question."

Fear over his daughter's safety dissipated, and instead, he shrugged.

"Guess you're all crazy too." He moved past, a shake to his head. "Thanks, by the way, for the candle and the crazy night."

Not waiting for the older man's response, he slipped out of the chapel, and made his way down the village streets.

Be nice.

"If you're going to be in there, at least give helpful advice, creation-from-my-mental-break."

Sigh. You are such a stubborn man.

The caretakers glanced around at each other, shock on their faces. One of the older man's pupils appeared at his elbow.

"Father? What should I do about the petals? The pattern?"

Shaking away the shock, he turned to the younger man.

"Trace it. This could not have happened by chance."

Many years later, news reached Qrow in Beacon.

There was a sacred town somewhere between Vale and Vacuo, that you could only find if you were looking for it. Pilgrimages happened every summer, to the Festival of Vard. There pilgrims would add petals to the pattern etched into the floor as they prayed, looking for closure.

If they were fortunate, and the wind came from the North, through the doors to the grove, the smell of summer would arrive, sweet and fresh. Pilgrims would tell tales of communication with their dead loved ones, some even having physical manifestation before any observers.

Someone along the lines also mentioned an ancient hero who was the first to see their lost love in that place- and, of course, they were the ones to found the chapel.

Of course.

Qrow just laughed, and took another swig of whiskey.

#rideboldlyride #RBR #The Argent Series #RWBY The Argent Series #rwby fan fiction #qrow #Summer Rose #qrow x summer #hummingbird #Flown North #Hunter's Dream #dusty rose #Qrose #qrow is ruby's father #qrow needs closure #all the mythology #armenian mythology base #the stars in the sky are stark white

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nothingman · 7 years

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By Martin Khor | (Inter Press Service) | – –

PENANG (IPS) – This week, Donald Trump will mark his first hundred days as US President. It’s time to assess his impact on the world, especially the developing countries.

It’s too early to form firm conclusions. But much of what we have seen so far is of serious concern.

Recently there have been many U-turns from Trump. Trump had indicated the US should not be dragged into foreign wars but on 6 April he attacked Syria with missiles, even though there was no clear evidence to back the charge that the Assad regime was responsible for using chemical weapons.

Then his military dropped what is described as the biggest ever non-nuclear bomb in a quite highly-populated district in Afghanistan.

Critics explain that this flexing of military might be aimed at the domestic constituency, as nothing is more guaranteed to boost a President’s popularity and prove his muscular credentials than bombing an enemy.

Perhaps the actions were also meant to create fear in the leaders of North Korea. But North Korea threatens to counterattack by conventional or nuclear bombs if it is attacked by the US, and it could mean what it says.

Trump himself threatens to bomb North Korea’s nuclear facilities. With two leaders being so unpredictable, we might unbelievably be on a verge of a nuclear war.

As the Financial Times’ commentator Gideon Rachman remarked, there is the danger that Trump has concluded that military action is the key to the “winning” image he promised his voters.

“There are members of the president’s inner circle who do indeed believe that the Trump administration is seriously contemplating a ‘first strike’ on North Korea. But if Kim Jong Un has drawn the same conclusion, he may reach for the nuclear trigger first.”

The New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof says the most frightening nightmare is of Trump blundering into a new Korean war. It could happen when Trump destroys a test missile that North Korea is about to launch, and the country might respond by firing artillery at Seoul (population: 25 million).

He cites Gen. Gary Luck, a former commander of American forces in South Korea, as estimating that a new Korean war could cause one million casualties and $1 trillion in damage.

Let us all hope and pray that this nightmare scenario does not become reality.

This may be the most unfortunate trend of the Trump presidency. Far from the expectation that he would retreat from being the world policeman and turn inward to work for “America First”, the new President may find that fighting wars or at least unleashing missiles and bombs in third world countries may “make America great again”.

This may be easier than winning domestic battles like replacing former President Obama’s health care policy or banning visitors or refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, an order that has been countered by the courts.

But the message that people from certain groups or countries are not welcome in the US is having effect: recent reports indicate a decline in tourism and foreign student applications to the US.

Another flip-flop was on NATO. Trump condemned it for being obsolete, but recently hailed it for being “no longer obsolete”, to his Western allies’ great relief.

Another note-worthy but welcome about-turn was when the US President conceded that China is after all not a currency manipulator. On the campaign trail, he had vowed to name China such a manipulator on day 1 of his presidency, to be followed up with imposing a 45% tariff on Chinese products.

Trump continues to be obsessed by the US trade deficit, and to him China is the main culprit, with a $347 billion trade surplus versus the US.

The US-China summit in Florida on 7-8 April cooled relations between the two big powers. “I believe lots of very potentially bad problems will be going away,” Trump said at the summit’s end.

The two countries agreed to a proposal by Chinese President Xi Jinping to have a 100-day plan to increase US exports to China and reduce the US trade deficit.

For the time being the much anticipated US-China trade war is off the radar. But it is by no means off altogether.

Trump has moved to shred Obama’s climate change policy. He proposed to cut the budget of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) by 31% and eliminate climate change research and prevention programmes throughout the federal government. The EPA, now led by a climate change skeptic, was ordered to revise its standards on tailpipe pollution from vehicles and review the Clean Power Plan, which was the centrepiece of Obama’s policy to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.

Trump has asked his Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross to prepare a report within 90 days on the US’ bilateral trade deficits with its trading partners, and whether any of them is caused by dumping, cheating, subsidies, free trade agreements, currency misalignment and even unfair WTO rules.

Once Trump has the analysis, he will be able to take action to correct any anomalies, said Ross.

We can thus expect the Trump administration to have a blueprint on how to deal with each country with a significant trade surplus with the US.

If carried out, this would be an unprecedented exercise by an economic super-power to pressurise and intimidate its trade partners to curb their exports to and expand their imports from the US, or else face action.

During the 100-day period, Trump did not carry out his threats to impose extra tariffs on Mexico and China. He did fulfil his promise to pull the US out of the TPPA but he has yet to show seriousness about revamping NAFTA.

A threat to the trade system could come from a tax reform bill being prepared by Republican Congress leaders. The original paper contains a “trade adjustment” system with the effect of taxing US imports by 20% while exempting US exports from corporate tax.

If such a bill is passed, we can expect a torrent of criticism from the rest of the world, many cases against the US at the WTO and retaliatory action by several countries. Due to opposition from several business sectors in the US, it is possible that this trade-adjustment aspect could eventually be dropped or at least modified considerably.

In any case, as the new US trade policy finds its shape, the first 100 days of Trump has spread a cold protectionist wind around the world.

On another issue, the icy winds have quickly turned into action, and caused international consternation.

The EPA, now led by a climate change skeptic, was ordered to revise its standards on tailpipe pollution from vehicles and review the Clean Power Plan, which was the centrepiece of Obama’s policy to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.

The plan would have shut down hundreds of coal-fired power plants, stop new coal plants and replace them with wind and solar farms.

“The policy reversals also signal that Mr Trump has no intention of following through on Mr Obama’s formal pledges under the Paris accord,” said Coral Davenport in the New York Times.

Under the Paris agreement, the US pledged to reduce its greenhouse gases by about 26% from 2005 levels by 2025. “That can be achieved only if the US not only implements the Clean Power Plan and tailpipe pollution rules but also tightens them or adds more policies in future years,” says Davenport.

She quotes Mario Molina, a Nobel prize-winning scientist from Mexico, as saying: “The message clearly is, we won’t do what the United States has promised to do…They don’t believe climate change is serious. It is shocking to see such a degree of ignorance from the US.”

Will the US pull out of the Paris Agreement? An internal debate is reportedly taking place within the administration. If the country cannot meet and has no intention of meeting its Paris pledge, then it may find a convenient excuse to leave.

Even if it stays on, the new US delegation can be expected to discourage or stop other countries from moving ahead with new measures and actions.

There is widespread dismay about Trump’s intention to stop honouring the US pledge to contribute $3 billion initially to the Green Climate Fund, which assists developing countries take climate actions.

Obama had transferred the first billion, but there will be no more forthcoming from the Trump administration unless Congress over-rules the President (which is very unlikely).

Another adverse development, especially for developing countries, is Trump’s intention to downgrade the importance of international and development cooperation.

In March Trump announced his proposed budget with a big cut of 28% or $10.9 billion for the UN and other international organisations, the State Department and the US agency for international development, while by contrast the proposed military budget was increased by $54 billion. For the time being the much anticipated US-China trade war is off the radar. But it is by no means off altogether. Credit: Bigstock

For the time being the much anticipated US-China trade war is off the radar. But it is by no means off altogether. Credit: Bigstock

At about the same time, the UN humanitarian chief Stephen O’Brien urgently requested a big injection of donor funds to address the worst global humanitarian crisis since the end of the second world war, with drought affecting 38 million people in 17 African countries.

The US has for long been a leading contributor to humanitarian programmes such as the World Food program. In future, other countries will have to provide a greater share of disaster assistance, said Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.

“The US is turning inward at a time when we are facing these unprecedented crises that require increasing US assistance,” according to Bernice Romero of Save the Children, as quoted in the Los Angeles Times. “In 2016 the US contributed $6.4 billion in humanitarian assistance, the largest in the world. Cutting its funding at a time of looming famine and the world’s largest displacement crisis since World War II is really unconscionable and could really have devastating consequences.”

Trump also proposed to cut the US contribution to the UN budget by an as yet unknown amount and pay at most 25% of UN peacekeeping costs. The US has been paying 22% of the UN’s core budget of $5.4 billion and 28.5% of the UN peacekeeping budget of $7.9 billion. Trump also proposed a cut of $650 million over three years to the World Bank and other multilateral development banks.

The foreign affairs community in the US itself is shocked by the short-sightedness of the Trump measures and 121 retired US generals and admirals urged Congress to fully fund diplomacy and foreign aid as these were critical to preventing conflict.

The proposed Trump budget will likely be challenged at the Congress which has many supporters for both diplomacy and humanitarian concerns. We will have to wait to see the final outcome.

Nevertheless the intention of the President and his administration is clear and depressing. And instead of other countries stepping in to make up for the United States’ decrease in aid, some may be tempted to likewise reduce their contributions.

For example, the United Kingdom Prime Minister Teresa May in answer to journalists’ questions refused to confirm that the UK would continue its tradition of providing 0.7% of GNP as foreign aid.

This has led the billionaire and philanthropist Bill Gates to warn that a cut in UK aid, which currently is at 12 billion pounds, would mean more lives lost in Africa.

Besides the reduction in funding, the Trump foreign policy approach is also dampening the spirit and substance of international cooperation.

For example, the President’s sceptical attitude towards global cooperation on climate change will adversely affect the overall global efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and build resilience to global warming.

With one of the world’s largest emitters of greenhouse gases becoming a disbeliever that climate change is man-made and could devastate the Earth, and no longer committing to take action domestically and helping others to do so, other countries may be tempted or encouraged to do likewise.

The world would be deprived of the cooperation it urgently requires to save itself from catastrophic global warming.

Martin Khor is Executive Director of the South Centre, a think tank for developing countries, based in Geneva.

Licensed from Inter Press Service

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