Week 80 of #ThursThreads had some terrific tales and a great turn-out! I'm honored to see all of the returning writers and read your stories. Thank you for coming back again and again to write. And welcome to the new folks who stopped by. Great thanks to Maureen O. Betita for judging this week. :)
Entries:
- Dee Little
- Silver James | @SilverJames_
- Rebecca Brennan | @bexbrennan
- Greg Nance | @acenance
- Brandon Yusuf Toropov | @BYToropov
- Siobhan Muir | @SiobhanMuir
- Sheilagh Lee | @SweetSheil
- Susan Hayes | @capricia13
- Imaginator | @theimaginator20
- Kelly Heinen | @Aightball
- Dr. Magoo | @drmagoo
- David A. Ludwig | @DavidALudwig
- Kayla West | @bookwormattack
- Lisa McCourt Hollar | @jezri1
- Rebecca R. Kovar | @RRKovar
- Ryan Derham | @Ryan_Derham
- Kirsten Arnold
- Cara Michaels | @caramichaels
Winners Announcement:
Honorable Mentions
Dee Little
Maureen says: I really liked the revenge aspect of this bit. I really am a sucker for a good vengeance tale… I bought into the need for a pound of flesh. Very good!
Silver James | @SilverJames_
Maureen says: When a tidbit can make me want to read a full MS, it’s good. I’ve only read one other dragon shifter type story, but this makes me rethink that. I do love a confident man!
Greg Nance | @acenance
Maureen says: I really suck at a full story in few words, this was masterfully done. I saw the whole story in this snippet.
Week 80 Winner
Maureen says: I wrestled a lot between this and one other, but in the end…this proved terribly invocative. I’m partial to a steady eye when it comes to dealing with a bloody scene. Very well done, Lisa! You didn’t blink, you didn’t overdue, just enough description.
The Wolf
It was born at midnight, all teeth and fur… and hungry for blood. It climbed from its mother’s belly after having eaten through her womb. Even then it was hungry, so it picked her bones free. Watching the creature, Kylee reached out to pet it, but Nanna slapped her fingers back.
“Leave it alone.”
Kylee watched the creature feed and then studied its mother. Tara had been her sister. Kylee had been jealous when she’d been chosen for the Quickening. To be the mother of the wolf god was an honor. Tara hadn’t thought so. She’d screamed while its seed was planted.
When it was done eating, the creature looked at Kylee, growling slightly. Kylee felt something stir inside of her. It sniffed at her, sticking its nose close to her sex. Then Nanna shoed it away.
Kylee watched it leave, disappointed. “Will it come back?”
“When it reaches the end of its life it will return to choose a new vessel.”
“So he can be reborn.” Kylee felt the yearning again, a combination of fear, hope and desire.
“By then you will be very old. You will be Nanna.
Kylee looked crestfallen. “Oh.”
“Don’t be so disappointed, child. The wolf only exists when the moon is full and then it must feed. You do not want him here those nights.”
“And the other nights?”
“He will take another form, one more pleasing than the wolf, though no more tame and sometimes more dangerous. Those nights he is a man.”
It was born at midnight, all teeth and fur… and hungry for blood. It climbed from its mother’s belly after having eaten through her womb. Even then it was hungry, so it picked her bones free. Watching the creature, Kylee reached out to pet it, but Nanna slapped her fingers back.
“Leave it alone.”
Kylee watched the creature feed and then studied its mother. Tara had been her sister. Kylee had been jealous when she’d been chosen for the Quickening. To be the mother of the wolf god was an honor. Tara hadn’t thought so. She’d screamed while its seed was planted.
When it was done eating, the creature looked at Kylee, growling slightly. Kylee felt something stir inside of her. It sniffed at her, sticking its nose close to her sex. Then Nanna shoed it away.
Kylee watched it leave, disappointed. “Will it come back?”
“When it reaches the end of its life it will return to choose a new vessel.”
“So he can be reborn.” Kylee felt the yearning again, a combination of fear, hope and desire.
“By then you will be very old. You will be Nanna.
Kylee looked crestfallen. “Oh.”
“Don’t be so disappointed, child. The wolf only exists when the moon is full and then it must feed. You do not want him here those nights.”
“And the other nights?”
“He will take another form, one more pleasing than the wolf, though no more tame and sometimes more dangerous. Those nights he is a man.”
Congratulations FourTime Winner Lisa, Dee, Silver, and Greg! Don't forget to claim your badges and display them with pride. You certainly earned it! :)
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