QElwynD

Harvest - 3

"Make way! Make way!" Sergeant Fallan bellowed, ushering carts and common folk out of the way as we crossed the Wolfsbridge. "Make way for the witches! Yes you, you sorry lout!"

It was somewhat amusing watching the sergeant work, almost surreal in some ways as he bellowed at people and shoved them out of the way. Like we were a procession of nobles, rather than largely unkempt witches in varying garb. It also said a lot that the others were talking amicably, even snatching a fe...

Harvest - 2

It wasn't long before the foxes got tired of my antics, with both Nim and Nem grumbling about overexcited kits. Something I had to admit was fair, considering I woke up the fox kits and spent a good half hour playing with them and Tricks after I shrunk down closer to their size. They were adorable little things, and I couldn't help but feel protective of them; they were family now.

There was something mildly concerning about that change, a moment of panic brought on by recent e...

AI Images for story.

So, I've spent a while generating AI images for myself. I've not posted them anywhere yet, but I figured it's about time I showed them to my patrons!

I'll be releasing them as part of my update to the Dramatis Personae, whenever I manage that, but until then you get them exclusively. And I'll only be selecting a single image for each character for that purpose.

While I'm open to trying to generate suggestions, trying to get the different characters in the same image is... unlike...

Harvest - I

I crept forward slowly and quietly for the third time this night, right up until I was scant inches away from my prey. It was resting casually, slowly beating its wings as if to stretch them, and totally unaware of my presence. Tensing my legs I readied myself, waiting for just the right moment... and pounced, leaping after the moth atop the long stalk of turquoise grass.

Only to miss, planting my nose straight into the ground beyond.

My ears twitched as they tracked the sound of ...

Amber - Speakers

Aderic followed his longtime friend, Fitz, back into Lord Renard's lair. It had been more than a decade since he had last brought someone to see their god, and as far as he was aware none had entranced his lord quite so thoroughly before and after their meeting. If there was one thing he had learned over his century of being a speaker, it was that the Fox loved nothing more than a curiosity or a puzzle that he had to solve.

Only a story unheard of and utterly new, such as that of the or...

Amber - 21

In an instant, the grove fell utterly still, the only sound a sharp intake of breath from Aderic. The God of the Wilds, the Wild God, tilted his head, his good ear swivelling to focus more intently on me.

A primal fear ran through me, rooting me to the spot, as he focused on me to the exclusion of all else.

My breathing stopped, a certainty that any movement was a mistake and I couldn't afford to make seizing me.

All I could do was watch with wide eyes as the great ...

Amber - 20

"This is nicer than I thought it would be." Vivi said softly as I ran my fingers through her hair, partitioning it out for a braid. I didn't do it much for myself, braids were good for keeping hair under control but I liked mine being free to go everywhere. "More relaxing than... it's relaxing."

I snorted lightly and kept going, the motions helping keep me calm and busy enough that my thoughts didn't wander. A half-crown braid, maybe?

Shouldn't be too hard, and it should ...

Amber - 19

"She–" I hissed as I waved a hand at Janice, "drugged me! She gave me spiked tea and– I didn't ever intend to join in, you know that! But I did, and then two bastards separated me from Vivi and someone came in and–" I shuddered, remembering the feeling of him touching me, the way my body had responded, the way I had wanted it, had wanted to take in more of the intoxicating scent he wore. "Fuck, I threw myself at someone I didn't know because of her!"

I gasped, my...

Amber - 18.5 - NSFW - Non-Essential

An actual Lewd scene. Strangely, despite hating everything else about this sub-arc... I don't entirely hate this?

I don't necessarily think it's good, but it's certainly not as bad as some I've seen. So, there's that. A little sudden but also aphrodesiacs and thirsty teenagers.

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Vivi pushed me back with her kiss, forcing me to the ground and pinning me there as she ravaged my mouth; ...

Amber - 18

It might be a problem with this arc that actually exists, the fact that I managed to lose my buffer to rewriting, or just the general depression I'm in at the moment, but I'm really regretting this sub-arc.

I'm sorry it dragged out as long as it has. Tomorrow's chapter is the last of it; three whole chapters on something that shouldn't have taken that long to get through and I hate it.

Things should pick up after the meeting ends, the final scene of which will come next Saturday. ...

Amber - 17

As the time moved towards evening our impromptu little party dispersed, everyone except Vivianne, Heather, and myself moving off to do our own things. I had originally intended to head off to go help Celestine keep an eye on the apprentices, I'd somewhat neglected to look after Trix and she had probably woken up by now, but with all the fun I'd been having I ended up following Heather towards the revelry starting up around the fire.

Just to see what was happening. It wasn't... what I wa...

Amber - 16

After Trix came the other apprentice's inductions, with a vote occurring for each as to whether they would be accepted or denied on this day. There was no sudden Blink Fox interrupt to single them out and skip it, with Tricks squatting on my feet and being adorable rather than interfering. Heather came immediately after me, and though the vote was marginally in her favour of allowing her to take Richard as her apprentice...

It wasn't enough. Too many abstained from the vote, en...

Amber - 15

By the morning of the solstice a full six score, a hundred and twenty, witches had arrived; give or take a few. There was a slight disparity between the number of men and women, slightly favouring us girls, but not a great one. We had a few more elderly crones around and half a dozen or so more apprentices, but that was about it. A five to four ratio at most which could easily be put down to women being the ones who always had access to their children while men might leave theirs beh...

Amber - 14

I brushed a strand of hair out of Vivi's face with my free hand as she lay next to me, curling up tighter around my other arm as I disturbed her slumber. Tonight was going to be a pain and a half; I had hoped to catch up with or meet Celestine and everyone else on the way so I would have help with this part, as carrying Vivi through the forest alone in the dark was going to be quite annoying.

While I would hesitate to call her heavy, for reasons that were patently obvious, she ...

Amber - Kirin Tor Interlude P.2

Modera looked up from her small divination array, a scowl on her face at her complete failure to locate their missing prophet despite a personal connection to her, and watched as Prince Kael'Thas arrived at last. The whole of the council was in attendance, their disguises dropped due to the lack of necessity without an audience.

"Well," Kael'thas said, his voice bitter and brittle as he brushed off imaginary dirt from his shoulders – a nervous tick Modera had seen from him be...

Amber - Kirin Tor Interlude P.1

For the first time since King Terenas had, at last, allowed them to send a small group northward to investigate the plague in full, the Chamber of Air was filled again, with all six of the Archmages who made up the Council of Six present for a single meeting. It was rare that events called for their unanimous attention, rare that all of them held enough interest in a topic to be pulled from their studies and research to attend and listen to those that sought their guidance.

And just lik...

Amber - 13

My fingers brushed along the leaves of the moonleaf I'd planted in my garden. It was still weaker than it should be but it had some of the characteristic glow it had held back in the Blackwald. Tying it together with the willow I used for touching upon the Dream during meditation had succeeded, at least to some degree; only time would tell if it could manage without me babying it with Astral magic or if it would ever grow to the radiance the others had shown.

It could well be that it wa...

Amber - 12

"Have a safe trip, Trix," I said, giving my apprentice a hug before nudging her gently towards the coaches. "I'll be with you soon enough; listen to Heather and don't fight too much with Emma, please."

She nodded her blonde head firmly, resolved to be the better apprentice following several days of Emma being a brat. "I will." She said, her mature mask cracking as she grinned up at me. "You better catch up soon!" Smiling back I rubbed at her hair fondly. "Eh, no! Gwen! Stop!" S...

Amber - 11

I decided that, before anything else, I needed to work on Darius' request for shelter. I wasn't sure how many people he had brought through the wall, but it was sure to be in the thousands at least. Tens of thousands... would be difficult. Many would be taken on by relatives, allowed rest in inns, have a place in barns, or new homes raised for them. But outside of the last, which would take time, none were permanent solutions.

So I entirely understood why he wanted me to do this. It was...

Amber - 10

"–And that is the plan we have so far." I said, folding my hands in my lap as I finished explaining our thoughts on leveraging resolving the famine to bring the Witches into the limelight in a positive manner. "There will be a meeting during Midsummer where we can try to bring the rest of the Witches on board."

Darius mused at the hair on his chin thoughtfully.

"While we have the capability to prevent the failure of the harvest, and many of us would step up to do so in ...

Amber - 9

There was something of an argument come the morning of our departure, on who exactly was going to see Lord Crowley, though it was one with a foregone conclusion. Admittedly I wasn't sure everyone else involved knew that at the start like I did.

"Please," Emma whined, looking up at her mother with her best pout and the beginnings of fake tears at the corners of her eyes. "I don't wanna be left behind! I want to see Gwen's home, I want to meet Lady Lorna and Donovan!"

"Emma...

Amber - V,L

As promised, here is the bonus for me failing to post the Kirin Tor segment like I had intended to. As I mentioned in my comment it won't be Patreon exclusive but it'll take the place of a posted chapter – going after Chapter V this Saturday – on the forums, bringing up the number of chapters ahead you are by one.

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"And what exactly do you think you were doing? I was waiting, waiti...