The late afternoon sun filtered down through leaves and branches, casting long shadows from the west. All attention was on me. With Maria at my side and the firm trunk behind my back, I started telling the story of the ancient spirit and how she came to be.
Ellis continually asked questions...
2023-11-22 08:00:07 +0000 UTC View PostIn disbelief, I read the screen again.
New Domain established!
[Error: Insufficient power.]
“No way...” I said, too shocked to be bothered by the return of my insufficiently powered nemesis. Everyone was in a loose circle surrounding...
2023-11-20 08:00:07 +0000 UTC View PostDespite the events of the day, I thought it was going to be a relaxing afternoon.
The sun filtered down through the canopy above, its light shifting and swaying with the wind blowing through the leaves. Maria put her hand in mine, and I held her tight. Corporal Claws, the apparent druid of ...
2023-11-17 09:00:06 +0000 UTC View PostWith the warm glow of magical fire lighting the smooth stones of the underground church, I weighed Barry with my eyes. The air between us seemed to thicken with tension, and before it could grow any more palpable, I sighed.
“I know this is me poking my head where I’ve specifically reque...
2023-11-16 08:00:06 +0000 UTC View PostLate morning gave way to midday as Maria and I toiled in the kitchen. We’d left Claws and Leroy behind in the clearing to do... I dunno. Gardening stuff? Frankly, I was too excited to care what they were up to.
“You’re sure this is gonna taste good, Fischer?” Maria asked, f...
2023-11-15 08:00:06 +0000 UTC View Post“What about the lemon trees?” I asked as we traveled across the sand at an infuriatingly slow pace. “Did they germinate? How many?”
Leroy swallowed his bite of the leftover pastry I’d given him before grimacing my way.
“I have my suspicions, but I don’t want to find out ...
2023-11-13 08:00:05 +0000 UTC View PostThe ancient spirit, for what she thought was the first time in millennia, was completely content.
Compared to the span of her life, her time since reawakening had been turbulent, to say the least. She had been indifferent, angry, humbled, grateful, and, worst of all, almost torn apart by me...
2023-11-10 08:00:05 +0000 UTC View PostIn a throne room high in the royal capital, Augustus Reginald Gormona shifted in his chair.
His usually comfy chair had felt hard and uninviting lately, as if it protested his very existence. The colorful light that bathed the room during the day had long departed, and with the darkness of ...
2023-11-09 09:36:46 +0000 UTC View PostHello friends!
I'm taking suggestions for the name of a certain spirit within a blue-trunked tree.
I don't think a name will be chosen in the story for a hot minute because of *reasons*, but I had a lot of fun sourcing Bill's name from you all, and I think I'll make it a recurring the...
2023-11-08 23:16:18 +0000 UTC View PostLit by the warm glow of tiki torches and the half moon high above, a silence stretched between us that was only interrupted by the soft buzz of Bumblebro and Queen Bee.
Barry shook his head at me.
“Are you serious, Fischer?”
“Uhhh... yeah?”
“This is why you’re ...
2023-11-08 08:00:05 +0000 UTC View PostI took a deep breath as I gazed at the western mountain range, an undeniable smile crossing my face. There wasn’t a cloud to be seen, and the setting sun painted the sky with a swath of soft pastel colors.
“Ho, Fischer!”
I turned toward Barry’s voice, raising an indignant hand...
2023-11-06 10:35:32 +0000 UTC View PostWith careful steps, the bumblebee approached the honeybee queen.
She watched him keenly, with a promise of violence held in her posture. When he was within three of her body lengths—needle-like stinger included—he stopped. They weighed each other from afar, and as the moment stretched o...
2023-11-03 08:45:31 +0000 UTC View PostI beamed at the pelican on the sand before me. The sun was entirely over the horizon now, lighting his feathers from behind and giving him an almost holy appearance.
I licked my lips.
“How do you feel about the name—”
“Fischer!” came a booming voice from somewhere behi...
2023-11-02 09:50:23 +0000 UTC View PostAlright gang, it looks like Buccaneer Bill is the undisputed winner of the previous poll.
GrandSageGand made another suggestion in the comments that made me giggle with the dialogue possibilities it gives. Ie:
"Oh, that? That's Warrant Officer Williams," I said. 2023-11-01 23:42:40 +0000 UTC View Post
I had a name picked out for the pelican, but Collin throwing out wild guesses in the comments made me think it'd be a fun idea to let you guys decide. Our new pelican pal's name will go live in tomorrow's chapter.
I can't express how thankful I am to all of you, my dear patrons, who support...
2023-11-01 09:24:43 +0000 UTC View PostThe smell of honey within the hive was almost as intense as the pain lancing the bumblebee’s side.
With a speed the hornet couldn’t hope to match, he retreated from the venom-pumping stinger. It pulled from his abdomen and sharp lines of agony ran the length of his body—he ignored the...
2023-11-01 08:31:14 +0000 UTC View PostWhen the pelican’s awareness returned, he was gliding on unseen currents high above the ocean. The sun was setting over the western mountains, and as he gazed at the surrounding sky, the colors struck him as... beautiful?
That was an odd thought—as was the recognition of thought at all,...
2023-10-30 11:45:22 +0000 UTC View PostWind rushed past me as I ran from the canopy’s protection and out into the afternoon sun.
With each step I took, a plan came together. I was home in no time and as I entered the kitchen, I beheld a scene of pure chaos.
Sergeant Snips was hissing loudly while softly pulling at Rocky....
2023-10-27 08:50:28 +0000 UTC View PostThe sun high above cast a broad shadow as the pelican circled the sky around my patented fish-on-a-pole technology. It flew around a few more times, then swooped down, landing on the sand gracefully for such an enormous bird.
The pelican looked up at the fish, then back down at me. Its head...
2023-10-26 08:00:03 +0000 UTC View PostThe morning sun filtered through the gap in the canopy above the clearing, and the fish frame made a wet slap as its tail smacked the ground.
Corporal Claws let out a loud chirp that, if spoken in common, would have roughly translated to: “what the frack?”
Each day since ...
2023-10-25 09:36:42 +0000 UTC View PostFive weeks earlier, in a land far to the northeast of Tropica, a lone bumblebee followed a terrific scent.
He had recently reached maturity, meaning it was time for him to attract a mate by creating every male honeybee’s magnum opus—royal jelly. Not that he was aware of this; he was a b...
2023-10-23 11:49:35 +0000 UTC View PostA cool breeze swept in from the ocean as the day’s warmth bled from the sand. The campfire heat was a welcome reprieve, and we all huddled closer to it. Each member of the fishing club was already digging into the food I’d dished out, as was my gang of awakened creatures.
The only peopl...
2023-10-20 11:04:24 +0000 UTC View PostWith the sun setting at my back and a cool breeze tickling my skin, I smiled at the pelican and lobbed the fish into the air.
The bird’s neck craned forward and its beak opened, easily catching the fish within its pouch. It tossed its head twice before swallowing the fish whole.
“...
2023-10-19 07:30:31 +0000 UTC View Post“Fischer!”
The voice came from far away.
Not right now, I thought back. I need to rest.
“Fischer!”
I tried to roll over, but my body wouldn’t respond. Something hard smacked me in the face, followed by an angry hiss, a loud
“You called yourselves what?” I demanded.
Laughter bubbled up from within me as I saw the arrayed smiles, and I let it come, delighting in the feeling.
“Why?” I asked when I could speak again. “Why animals, and what’s up with the rhyming?”
“Loat...
2023-10-16 11:26:41 +0000 UTC View PostBarry paused before the wooden facade covering the church's entrance. He turned and gazed toward the western mountains.
The sun rose at his back, peeking its head over his house and warming his body. A gust of wind kicked up, ruffling his hair and lending him a sense of tranquility. The bre...
2023-10-13 07:46:38 +0000 UTC View PostAs Barry led the men further down the underground tunnel, Ellis sharpened his pencil violently. Keith, who had the unfortunate position of being behind the overeager archivist, batted ineffectually at the barrage of shavings flying his way.
“Good gods, Ellis—can you aim that elsewhere?...
2023-10-12 11:43:08 +0000 UTC View PostWith a delicious taste lingering in my mouth and the campfire warming my skin, I beamed a smile at Corporal Claws.
“What took so long, you little scamp? We’ve already started...” I trailed off and pursed my lips, glaring at the cage she dragged behind her. “Claws...”
She coc...
2023-10-11 23:24:38 +0000 UTC View PostI shook so hard with laughter that my legs collapsed beneath me. Snips and Claws made their way to me, chirping and hissing their delight as they leaned against me. Barry laughed harder than I’d ever seen—he took shallow, halting breaths, trying to get oxygen to his lungs as tears streamed fr...
2023-10-09 12:18:06 +0000 UTC View PostWith the wind at his back and butterflies in his stomach, Theo strode across the sand.
His closest friends in the world were at his side, and despite how different the men could be, they were unified under a single ideal. Five men of different stations, with different backgrounds and ambiti...
2023-10-06 11:05:15 +0000 UTC View Post