Team Building
The bear and the wolf huddled close to each other. "March, fuckers." Mark held the door open so they could enter. Naked, they wandered down the hall past the male receptionist, who looked at the fox with a cocked eye but said nothing as they continued...
The Game We Play
Mark woke to a dull ache in his mouth and a swollen eye. He pushed his tongue around his mouth to assess the damage. _Blood, no loose teeth._ He squinted at his surroundings. _Oh, no..._ Sterile room. Metal table, to which his wrists were manacled;...
A Short Conversation
Chester was reclining on his couch with his laptop open when Mark entered the apartment with a knock. Whatever the bull had been doing - Mark suspected masturbating - he halted quickly and sat up nonchalantly, leaving a space on the couch for his...
Best Intentions
Chester knocked at the door. "Enter!" came Mark's voice from within, and the bull gingerly stepped through the frame. "I left it open. You don't even have to knock." The bull shrugged. "I'm polite?" Mark laughed. "Too polite, but whatever. Chips...
The Long Night
Two nights before the equinox, Tarvos and I were brought to a chamber deep in the heart of the mountain. Already, I could hear the commotion as we approached. "I admit to being... nervous." Oretas put his hand on my shoulder firmly. "None here will...
The Warrior and the Wizard
The warrior paced in his cell. It had been humiliating enough that he had been defeated, but the baron's men had caught him unawares in the river, naked. However, they had left his armour and weapons on the shore, and dragged him back to the town as...
The Boundary
In the morning, or what passed for it in the perpetual half-light that was the mountain, I was alone. I sighed, and wearily took to the now familiar halls to look for Tarvos. The air was fresher now, and the pass must be clearing. In a few weeks, the...
Tight Fit
Halex and Occit clambered up the scree that sat underneath the opening to the dragon's cave, rocks clattering as they manoeuvred up towards the entrance. "He's heard us for sure!" hissed Halex at the grey wolf. Occit grinned toothily back at the...
Pierced Hearts
Valskr was a frigid dung heap of a village, nestled in an otherwise picturesque mountain valley. Little abodes dotted the meadows, and stone fences helped corral sheep and keep neighbours friendly. In the centre of the large valley lay the heart of the...
Lost to Dreams
The words stirred me. I knew he was not here, left but recently, for the bed was still warm, and smelled of him, and fragments of the conversation drifted to me as I dozed fitfully in his absence. Snow drifted on the mountain, but I was not cold. I...
The Time Between
I saw him sitting on the floor in front of the fire in the common room. It had been sleeting all day, and I was looking for a warm fire and a hearty meal, and the inn beckoned me as the light began to wane. I could have camped again, but the lights...
The Field
The dirt road was dusty and dry in the autumn heat. Fields were to his left, and the long browning grass swayed in the breeze as leaves danced past him and towards the rise. Colour danced in the field, asters and daisies and cornflowers, and he could...