lions

Drabble: Hugs

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Prompt: Hugs

Course stone scratches against my back as the heavy arms come down on my shoulders. I stumble, losing my balance even as I stand lean against the rock wall behind me. The limbs are soft but I can feel the strength beneath the fur; powerful muscles shift just beneath the skin. Great claws knead lovingly into the wall. I manage a small smile and wrap my arms around the great cat’s flank. I can’t even put my arms together.

A deep rumble starts in his chest, soothing, rhythmic, and I instinctively relax. I lean my head against the tuft of fur on his chest, marveling at how soft it feels. Despite the fact that I am now trapped between at least five hundred solid pounds of love and a cold slab of rock, I feel safe. Then he turns his head around to rub the edge of his mouth against my forehead and the hot stink of his breath makes me wince. Wet saliva drips down my forehead, but I’m sorry to say I’ve grown accustomed to it.

I try to indicate I want to move again and try to duck under a limb, but he’ll have none of it. He drags his arm down, blocks my path, and gives a deep throated whine that might frighten someone who didn’t know him as well as me. He marks my head again with more determination, this time flipping my hair around into my face. He probably thinks I deserve it for trying to cut his hugs short.

I sigh as he begins to lap at my hair. If everyone knew the King of the Jungle was such a love bug, his title would be short lived.

Originally posted on Typetrigger. Fiction in 300 words or less.
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A Curious Statue

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Saltaire Lion

Yesterday was spent with family. We had drinks, talked, watched some fireworks, played some board games, and grilled out; all the normal activities for the Fourth of July. It was lots of fun. Unfortunately I didn’t have much time to do writing, which is kind of expected around the holidays. Tonight is going to be devote to more family time, so I got writing time in while I could. For an hour’s worth, it’s not quite as much as I would like, but it’s enough to catch me up again with Camp NaNo. So deal with it, me. 🙂

Project: Madam Cloom’s Garden
Current Word Count: 15,803
New Words Written: 1,277

Progress: Expanded on the unusual fauna of the forest and how alien, albeit beautiful, it seems. After a long nap, Shaleigh finds she has company in the form of a living statue. She’s really going to have to get used to surprises in this world.

Commentary: I had forgotten how much I loved Mawr the Guardian until I was writing him again. His personality has gone through some major changes through each version of this story – from the short story that inspired him, to the first draft of this book, to the flushed-out outline, and now this draft. I kept trying to make him more harsh and more of a jerk, thinking that the world needed to be more dangerous than what I was making it, but I realized that this world has enough trouble without me forcing a character to be something he isn’t. I gave him an adorable background, a sad past, and smacked him in the middle of a dangerous land. She doesn’t know it yet, but she’s quite lucky to have found him.

Whenever I’m looking for inspiration to keep going with this story, I look at characters like Mawr and Colin, and I realize how unusual & interesting they are. There are plenty of examples of characters in this book that look frightening or seem dangerous at first when really they’re just following orders or are really quite kind under their off-putting appearances. I realize how much I want to share them with people and how much they deserve to be talked about and appreciated as much as I do. My sister even said he acted like Watson, the friendliest, roley-poley cat we’ve ever owned. I take that as a high complement.