Ofs/Ifs Chapter 1, Part 2

            “Has anyone even considered how we’re going to explain this to Mother?” Evan’s voice bounced down the dank hallway and its musical lilt sounded out of place in the darkness. Nocturne abandoned his cloak at the doorway, not meeting the eyes of his companions. Truth be told, he had been considering this all the way back from their lair and had found no easy answer.

            But in reply he smirked and said, “Of course I have Evan. Don’t worry about it. Let me handle this.”

            “Meaning he had no clue,” Silver’s lip pulled into a sneer. Nocturne shot his jealous rival a menacing glare, but the loud clomping on the stairs distracted them.

             They all stiffened as Romulus appeared, except for Evan, who rushed forward. Romulus continued towards them, approaching cautiously.

            “Romy! Guess who’s home! Did you miss me? Did you? Did you tune my guitar?” Evan wrapped his arms around the other blond, ignoring the tightness of Romulus’s lips and the rigidness of his torso.

            Nocturne shook his head when Romulus turned to him with the question in his eyes. Evan poked him in the stomach. “Romy you’re ignoring me!”

            “My apologies Evanescent,” he brushed the boy off and continued to address Nocturne. “Are you telling me you didn’t find any to kill? We are hardly difficult to find!”

            “We found them quite easily,” Nocturne admitted. “But…they were not what we expected.”

            Understanding lit Evan’s eyes, and he whispered loudly to Romulus, “Oh! I get it! You want to know if we killed the werewolves like we were supposed to!”

            A collective sigh traveled through the other four and Romulus relaxed. When their quiet breath had dispelled, the air seemed lighter around them. They breathed freely for a moment in each other’s company before Romulus murmured, “I see.”

            Four faces turned to question him, and he smiled gently at them. “I had worried you would come home and think me a beast as well.”

            “I believe it would have made us beasts ourselves if we had killed them,” a fourth voice intoned from the corner.

            Nocturne nodded. “Eternal is right, Romulus. We watched the werewolves for two days before we planned to kill them, and by the end, we couldn’t. The third day we spoke to them. They welcomed us into their shack and were shocked when we told them our purpose,” all the boys smiled at the memory of the people who had surprised them so much. “Then they begged us to leave before the full moon so they would not harm us, and sent us away with two boys they had rescued.”

            “They reminded us too much of you for us to kill them, wolf-brother,” Eternal’s hair swept over his face as he shook his head. “The boys they had rescued were victims of a coven war. Vampires, Romulus… our family. Why would they do this? Why were we ordered to kill your people when there are clearly other troubles to be concerned with?”

            Heaviness settled in Nocturne’s chest at the sight of Romulus’s torment. He knew the answer before it left the werewolf’s lips: the reason behind all the pain of the pack and the human victims alike.

            “It’s a blood feud, Eternal. It’s all about power.”

Ofs/Ifs Chapter 1: Of Blood and Water

Tess glanced up from the letters on her polished desk to peer out the bedroom window. Four cloaked figures huddled outside in the snow, their muffled voices carrying through the crisp air. Her lips turned in a smile even as her stomach contracted in hunger. She dared not greet her boys when she had not fed in so long. She sighed.

            “Romulus?” she called softly. “Rom?”
            “Here, my lady.”
            Her eyebrows rose into a delicate arch. “How quickly you respond, my cub. One would almost think you had been waiting for me to notice you.”

              She noted his awkward silence but did not turn to look at him. Instead, she lifted her pen again and continued tracing flowing letters across the script. Her steady hand fashioned a small flourish at each corner of the page. She laid down the pen. His heavy, musky scent countered her building hunger and settled her mind, though the dull drum of his heart teased her. He stayed mute behind her, unaware of his influence.

            “Romulus,” she sang, “Why were you waiting outside my door?”

            “The boys have returned.” His demure voice held a trace of resignation. He did not continue, but stood at attention, eyes riveted on the pages where she had written. Tess winced as his pace quickened.

            “Are those the papers, my lady?” he abruptly asked.

            “Naturally.”

            Outside, the wind had picked up again, and the murmur of voices retreated to the downstairs hall. The floor shook slightly as the door was slammed shut against the elements. Most of her recent conversations with Romulus had played in this fashion: the tenseness, the long silences, and the strange disquiet in her normally unshakable cub. It was almost a relief to see that something could sway him from his servitude and submission to her. She wondered, if she pushed him far enough, would the monster within him finally break loose?

            “My lady, is it true what the boys were doing in the woods?”

            Tess straightened, then stood, her lithe form flowing with inhuman grace to his side. He appeared as a figure of gold in the warm light of the fireplace, and when she caressed his cheek, he remained as a statue beneath her touch.

           “Romulus, not all your kind are as…tame…as you are. Their numbers must be controlled. Do you understand?” He turned away from her hand, his face distorted.

            “Does it bother you that much, my cub?”

            “You sent the boys, who I consider my adopted kin, to learn to hunt and kill my true kin. And you ask,” his golden eyes hardened, “if it bothers me?”

            “They are not your kin, they would have killed you if they had found you in-“

            “If you had not found me so young, I believe you would have killed me as well.”

            Tess froze, lips parted and eyes plaintive. The hand that reached for his arm was stilled. “My cub…” she whimpered.

            He stepped away from her and turned his gaze to the wall. “It is time you learned the difference between a cub and a wolf, my lady, and between blood and water. This wolf is not tame.”

             He snatched the papers from her desk and threw them into the fire. Both he and they vanished in a flash of gold, leaving Tess with both a heat and a chill she could not escape.

Old High-school Sims 2 Scribblings: Ofs/Ifs

I could not believe what I found the other day. This is the first "Sims Story" that I ever tried to write, way back when I played Sims 2 in high-school. I could not believe it was still on the internet.

I am both intrigued and somewhat appalled by it. Although it is not related to the Sims 3... or to challenges, for that matter... I think I will share it! Consider this both an interlude and a predecessor to The Dog Days.

50 Foals Challenge: Foals 5-11

With both parents working from home, Annette absorbed their attention and learned very quickly how to walk and talk. It helped that she was a very clever child. Digit and Starlet grew up and were sold. Flicka had a foal by Wayfarer, but as Ditto looked just like his mother and did not inherit any unicorn qualities from his father, I somewhat ignored him in favor of aging Annette up well.

I will give Ditto credit- he sold for over $10,000, just because of his relations to a unicorn. So Annette will grow up in the lap of luxury due to him!

Bella gave birth to this oddly colored creature named Walker (Bella x Earth Shaker, half-brother to Digit and Ripley). Pardon my in-game shot, but I include this picture due to odd foot placement. It made me do a double-take. Ah Jareth... even without your tight pants, you are always a phallic object.

Annette did her part for the family funds by painting, just like her mother. Due to race money/jumping money from Wayfarer, selling several foals, and fishing/painting earnings, the family was able to afford to purchase a new house... a very nice house, might I add. 

Somewhere around this point I sold Flicka, now an elder, and adopted a black mare whose name escapes me (I think I called her Athena...we'll go with that). During this process, Bella gave birth to another foal, Serena, the filly with the black band around her middle (Bella x Cavatina, half-sister to Walker, Digit, and Ripley). Afterwards I sold Bella, soon to be an elder, and adopted Fortune, the grey mare in the back, who I bred to Wayfarer. This is about the point when I stopped paying attention to what was going on in the game.

Annette did not think much of becoming a teenager. But she was about to get a gift that would change her mind.

Fortune gave birth to Stardust, a unicorn filly, on the day that Annette became a teenager. As I had planned to have Annette carry out the challenge when she aged up again, it seemed perfect. Now she would have a unicorn to breed.

Annette immediately bonded with Stardust. The two became nearly inseparable, leading to a few near misses with the school bus.

Oh, and here is foal #8 all aged up. (Athena x Someone... I really became dismissive at this point...) I think her name was Shadow. She was somewhat outdone by the unicorn filly....

As his last act before leaving the family, Wayfarer taught Annette how to ride. Then Jareth returned him to the wild. He had done his duty... or so I thought.

Fortune and Athena gave birth to two more fillies, Ashes (grey/white) and China (black/white). But at this point I discovered something very depressing. Stardust aged up... but I could not breed her at the stable. Unicorns evidently cannot be bred in that manner... there must be a stallion in the family to try for foal with. Also, unicorns cannot be sold. I evaluated whether or not to keep a stallion on the premises for Stardust, but I would constantly be rotating stallions in order to keep with the challenge's rules (no foals by the same two parents). Disappointed, I decided to allow Stardust to return to the wild. 

Although I could have continued playing, I was disheartened by this turn of events and decided to end the challenge with foal #11 (Ashes). I might return to this challenge again, but if I do, it will not be with unicorns. Fair warning for anyone who wants to try it!

50 Foals Challenge: Foals 1-4

We begin the challenge with Jareth and Sarah King, based entirely off the fanfiction "That Summer", in which Jareth finds peace as a rancher in Montana, and Sarah somehow finds her way to working for him. A very interesting, refreshing, and unique story that is based off one of my favorite country songs.

Ahem... anyways, the goal of the 50 foals challenge is to have 50 foals. No two are allowed to share the same parents. So I adopted two mares, Flicka and Bella, to accomplish this.

This is Flicka, enjoying an evening brushing after being bred at the stables. Sarah and Jareth switch out who cares for the horses and who brings in the bread.

I think Jareth enjoys working from home just a little too much. Although if I spent most of my time in tight pants, I would probably relish the freedom as well.

Soldier, Flicka and Cascade's foal, is the first colt born on the farm. He is an exact replica of his mother. He also taught me that foals do not appreciate being separated from their mother and that it is good to make friends with a human quickly... it also helps with training.

Soon Soldier was joined by Ripley, son of Bella and Swell. He looks just like his father. I had hoped for more... well, genetic blending!

When the unicorn Wayfarer appeared almost directly on our lot, he became the seventh member of the family. As a stallion, he could not offer much in the way of birthing, but I wanted to enjoy having him while Bella and Flicka bore his foals. The goal was for one of the foals to be a female unicorn so she could continue bearing unicorn foals, but... well, I'm still becoming familiar with the rules of the game. Moving on!

But that wasn't enough. I just HAD to fill that 8th character slot. It's not like I need that slot in order to actually complete the goal of the challenge, which is having babies. HORSE babies. Bella looks on in interest, wondering if this is why she hadn't been bred again.

Soldier and Ripley aged, so I made Jareth spend long hours training them to lose the "Untrained" trait. (Clearly his work-from-home uniform is the same as his work-outside-the-home uniform.) However, I soon realized this was pointless and wasted my time. So I sold them and bred the mares again. After all, that is the point of this challenge: breed foals. I seem to keep getting sidetracked with train foals, have unicorns, and raise a family.

Birthing is taking place all around. Ripley and Soldier were sold early in the pregnancy (though it isn't apparent from the story), so the mares gave birth about a day after Sarah... which is probably why I have no pictures of baby Annette.

So enjoy a picture of Starlet instead (Flicka x Breaker, half-sister to Soldier). She looks just like Flicka except for her father's black mane. 

And just to continue the look-alike strain, we have Digit (Bella x Cascade, also half-sister to Soldier as well as Ripley). 

As a parting shot, I leave you with a picture of Annette as a toddler, since I clearly ignored her in favor of the foals. Sorry, sister... they are what the challenge is about!

The Dog Days Are Over: Chapter One

Chapter One: Bringing a Dog to Heel

                Amelia leaned forward in her chair, cradling the book in her hands as her brown eyes skimmed the page rapidly. Finally, she found something potentially useful to her research. She had wondered if Benjamin misunderstood her needs when she asked to borrow one of his potion texts. Perhaps she had been a bit evasive as to why she needed it.

                When brewing potions that transform a living creature from one state of being to another, it is imperative to coincide the brewing with the phases of the moon. Potions that build upon the current state, like muscular enhancers, must be brewed upon a new moon and simmered throughout the waxing phase. Reducing potions, like fat burners, are the reverse. They must be brewed on a full moon, and aged through the waning phase.

                That sounded easy enough, though it grated her nerves that the text never offered why it should be done that way. The chapter continued with the recipes and descriptions of some of the most common Enhancers and Reducers, but when she flipped to the end, she huffed in disgust. There wasn’t a single page on Changeling potions, and while she understood the reason, it was still irritating to have read so far into the book only to be disappointed. She supposed she should be grateful to the author; no ignorant reader would be brewing up a batch of illegal Changelings on accident.

                Kat sighed across the room, her fingers clicking rapidly on the keyboard. Amelia spared her a glance, then flipped to the back of the book. Of course there was no index. She thumbed through the rest of the pages, but nothing remotely useful popped out at her.

                This was one reason why she had chosen to study practical magic instead of potion making. As much as she loved books, muddling through dusty tomes or glossy manuals looking for the perfect recipe proved both time consuming and potentially unrewarding. She never knew if she would find the right information in a particular book, or copy a worthless recipe, or even brew a dud. Wand-waving and incantations may look silly, but they provided instantaneous, measurable results.

                Kat interrupted her musing. “You’re never going to believe this.”

                “What’s happened now?”

                Amelia vanished the book with a flick of her fingers, giving it up for a lost cause. It appeared across the room on top of the pile of books they seemed to be accumulating. Kat’s voice was tight as she responded.

                “My grandmother has issued a pack-wide decree that any wolf found to be in contact with me will be stripped of their title and rank. I’ve been officially ostracized.”

                Cringing, she offered a sympathetic, “Gosh, I’m really sorry, Kit-Kat.” What else was she supposed to say when her best friend’s entire family had turned their back on her?

                “I’m not,” Kat snapped, jamming her finger into the computer’s power button. Amelia frowned at the mishandling of her brand new equipment but decided not to comment. “It means I won’t have to hear from any of those prats anytime soon.”

                Kat stalked to the chair across from her, ruffling her faux-hawk in irritation. The legs screeched against the wood floor as she pulled it back roughly. A sad smile touched Amelia’s lips. This was the typical Kat outlook- there’s no room for hurt if you’re angry. Combined with her “I’m better off without you anyways” bravado, Kat could almost have fooled her into thinking this last blow didn’t break her heart. Almost.

                “Have you heard from Kent? What does he think about this?” Amelia asked gently. Anyone else would have been clawed open from throat to groin for broaching such a sensitive topic, but Kat just shook her head as she dropped into the chair. Amelia’s heart panged, both for the friend sitting across from her and the friend she knew was suffering at home.

                She suddenly wished that Kent was there with them. He would have known what to say to Kat. He always knew what to say, how to calm her, and when to let her stew. Amelia shifted in her chair, the silence growing uncomfortable, until finally Kat threw her hands into the air.

                “Do you ever wish that you weren’t a witch?”

                Amelia’s mouth popped open in shock. Kat watched her impatiently, her brows furrowed, and Amelia realized that she expected an answer.

                “Umm, no, not really. I haven’t thought about it before.” A sudden suspicion flared into consciousness. Her eyes narrowed reflexively. “Why do you ask?”

                “Nothing, nevermind,” Kat grumbled. A slight flush crept up her neck. Amelia rolled her eyes, her suspicions confirmed.

                “For heaven’s sake, Kat, don’t make me lug your butt off to jail for purchasing illegal potions! You’re not actually considering becoming… human, are you?”

                “No, not…not really. Stop looking at me like that, it’s not that bad!” Kat barked defensively.

                “I know of a few laws and by-laws that say it is,” Amelia muttered in an undertone. Kat’s ears pricked in annoyance.

                “I heard that. You know I wouldn’t actually do it. Do you really think I’m that much of a pansy?”

                I think you’re hurt, you’re lonely, and you’re looking for a way out of your situation, Amelia thought. She chewed her lip, wondering if she dared to say it out loud. Kat leaned back in her chair.

                “And let’s just say I did,” she continued, holding up her hand when Amelia opened her mouth in protest. “Purely hypothetical. What’s the worst that could happen? Admit it, you would love it if I lost some of my wolfish temper.”

                Amelia raised a brow. “You really think that would happen? Just from a potion?”

                “It’s a possibility. After all, it is the wolf in me that-“

                “Oh no, honey, I’m pretty sure that’s just your nature: taciturn, temperamental, and tenacious.” Amelia shook her head. “But that’s not the point. You could die.”

                Kat scoffed, but Amelia cut her off before she could protest. “Kathryn, there’s a reason these potions are illegal. If anything goes wrong in the brewing process, they become deadly. Even if it’s brewed correctly, there’s a chance your body will have a reaction. I’ve been researching how Changeling potions are made and-“

                “You? Researching illegal potions? Why?”

                “For a project. Don’t get sidetracked. There is a one in eight chance that the potion will turn your magic against you and kill you from the inside. There is no cure. Now, I know you’re unhappy right now, but think outside of yourself for a moment.” She pegged her with an intense stare. “What do you think I would do if you died? Your pack may be mad at you, but it would devastate them. And Kent would go crazy with grief.”

                Kat hung her head, her hands clenched on her thighs. It was a low blow, but Amelia wanted to crush these thoughts before they could take hold. Though she appeared calm on the outside, her heart pounded in her chest. Her hands trembled as she pointed an accusatory finger at Kat’s chest. “Are things really so bad that you would do that to us?”

                “I wasn’t actually going to do it,” Kat’s voice rang with a familiar whine. “I was just asking.”

                “Well, don’t scare me like that. That’s not like you.”

                “Yes, ma’am,” her friend grumbled sullenly. Amelia breathed a sigh of relief. That was the closest Kat would get to flashing the white belly of defeat.

                “Besides,” she added lightheartedly, “I really don’t want to have to wrestle you into a squad car. I’m not sure who would win, but it wouldn’t be pretty.”

                Kat shot her a small grin, but the pain in her eyes was still raw. In her heart, Amelia knew that her friend would have to reconcile with all the emotion she kept burying. It killed her to know that there was nothing she could do to prevent it. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she watched helplessly as Kat retreated behind her emotional walls, a smirk quirking her lips.

                “So, why are you studying illegal potions?”

                “I’m never going to get you off of that, am I?” Amelia laughed, the sound strained. “Don’t you have work to do?”

                “Yeah, guess I should go beat the ghosts out of people’s couches. I should be home around midnight. You working tonight?”

                “I have some charms I should probably attend to. At least if I plan on being paid.”

                “Work,” Kat spat as she slid out of the chair. “Gosh, I miss our teenage years. Life was so much simpler then. I just harassed Gram into giving me an allowance.”

                Amelia smiled wanly. “Welcome to adulthood. Nice of you to finally join us.”

                Kat barked a laugh. She turned as if to say something, then closed her mouth with a frown. Amelia could see the fragility lurking beneath the punked up hair and stony expression.

                “You sure you’re going to be alright?”

                “Yeah, yeah, those ghosts can’t get a pounding on me,” Kat deflected easily. “Werewolf, remember?”

                “Call me if you need me.”

                “Will do.” Kat gathered her belongings, her keys clanking noisily in her hand. Amelia had just started to ponder what case to work on first when she heard her friend pause at the door.

                “He’s not mad at you, is he, Mia?”

                The question was murmured so quietly she almost didn’t hear it. Amelia knew without asking that she referred to Kent. “Why would he be mad at me?”

                “For… for choosing me over him.”

                “I didn’t,” she responded honestly. “I love you both as much as I always have. Nothing can change that.”

                Nodding, Kat hurried out the door. She thought she heard a sniffle over the clattering of Kat unchaining her bicycle, but it could have just been her dog Diamond snorting, his teeth clamped around their newspaper. He gazed up at her with eyes that glowed amber against his black fur.

                “It will all smooth over with time,” she reassured him. “I promise.”

                She heaved herself from the chair, making a mental checklist of what she needed to do before she met her client. A wet nose on her fingers distracted her, and she knelt to stroke her hand down Diamond’s shaggy back.

                “Thanks, buddy,” she scratched behind his ears. “At least I have one mutt that I know won’t do anything stupid."

This is something of a one-shot, since I have decided it will not be the actual chapter one. So consider it a bit of a teaser ;).