Epilogue: The Soldier Black to a funeral, that was the rule. Johnathan Valentine had an cousin that said anyone wearing black to his funeral would get a bucket of paint thrown in them, but his parents overrode that suggestion when he lost the battle to the Laughing Teeth. At least he went out with a […]

Just a little bit further. Lily had been telling that lie to herself for a long, long time. But she kept believing it long after she lost faith in the words. Something she had to believe to get her legs to move and eyes to open every day. And it worked, so she was not […]

Lily wandered through the forest, picking directions as they suited her fancy. Sometimes left, sometimes right, sometimes straight, and sometimes just going back for a little while. Never too far though. That would lead back to the conclave and she didn’t want to go there. She didn’t want to go anywhere in particular. All of […]

Lily bled. The sandrunner didn’t mind all that much. Chrys Jr. was bleeding too, just a little bit, but she shook her feathers out and that got rid of the cutting sand. Lily didn’t have that luxury. She just held every single part of her being as close to the bird as she possibly could […]

“So,” said Snapdragon, “What do we do now?” Greg and Reggie had left once the storm stopped, a little too hurried to hid their panic. But they left and the congregation of Blossoms got back to discussing that particular matter. “We knew there were others out there,” said Daisy, “This isn’t new. I told you […]

The sand burned as it whipped past them on their ride. Lily kept her head down, buried in the back tufts of Chrys Jr.’s feathers. It kept the worst of it away. Not all of it, not by a long shot, but it did manage to make the ride almost bearable. The rhythm set by […]

Lily found a dark little corner to hide away in. There was nothing out there for her now, the lush rolling fields, the azure sky with no ceiling, no limits, the gentle breeze that carried rain every so often, none of it was for her. And the rain brought what she learned was lightning with […]

The dawn came soon enough and all too soon. Lily was sleeping wonderfully, and the slowly rising heat of the day turned that fitful and restless before it eventually collapses around her and she was left under a stuffy wing that smelled of fungus and old wood chips. It wasn’t soft and warm anymore, just […]

Lily Jr. II kwehed and settled in for the night. It was about time and everything needed to be perfect. Lily was nearby, sharp pointy stick in hand, ready and willing and able to fend off anything that came near her knew chosen partner. The bird tried to peck and claw at anything that came […]

Working on a farm was hard, back-breaking, arduous, strenuous, exhausting and several other things that Madder didn’t quite have the words for. By the end of the first day, he felt every muscle in his body start their grand revolt. They were being overworked and underpaid. They should unionize and organize. A strike would do […]