I'm anxious for the next chapter to post, so I suppose I'm really enjoying this collab! I was a little wary of how bland Lume seemed at the start, but your writing of Fraser really helped!

Found this oneshot I wrote of Wren's death after I finished Sincerely, Shrikesong and was originally going to make a whole spin off about Canary, but decided to just settle for this instead, just to give a little insight into her mind ... so enjoy I guess.

_________________

“Come on, Wren! Hurry before the fish all swim away!”

Canary giggled, hopping around in patches of grass and leading her brother through the tangled brush to the little stream

teeming with fish. Wren looked at the ground as he lumbered after her hesitantly. “Sh-should we be going this far?” he

asked, looking back over his shoulder at the den in the distance. “Won’t mother be mad?”

Canary burst from one of the bushes and tackled him, tumbling down a hill and laughing all the way. “You worry too much!

Come on, come on! I saw some really big fish this time, one as big as me!” Wren rolled his eyes as he pulled himself to his

paws and shook out his ruffled fur. “But you aren’t that big,” he mumbled, padding after her slowly. Canary watched her

brother with intensity. He seemed nervous, cautious even.

She couldn’t blame him for that. There had been countless times where she had started playing with him, only to start biting

him or clawing him without rhyme or reason. More than once Robin had forced her off of their brother, snapping at Canary to

warn her off.

But Robin wasn’t here now; besides, she just wanted Wren to have fun.

Canary continued bounding down the hill, finally stopping as she peered into the clear stream. “Look,” she whispered to

Wren, as if she could spook the fish with words. The timid pup peered into the stream next to her, watching the silver fish

fight the current, holding their position in the water. The tension he had been holding began to melt away, and his pricked

ears and wrinkled brow relaxed as he watched the fish with a new sense of calm.

“See, see! Told you!” She stood to her feet and plunged her head into the stream, snapping her jaws shut at a fish, only to

have it dart from between her teeth just in time. She pulled her head out of the water and shook the liquid from her coat and

ears. “Rot,” she muttered with a pout, earning a laugh from Wren.

There were times when her brother feared her like death itself but there were also times like this, times where he forgot his

sister’s chronic violent tendencies and saw her for the excitable pup she was, just seeking a play mate.

Mother would be so proud, she thought as Wren slapped a paw on the water’s surface and laughed with ease as the fish he

was aiming for slipped between his paws. He’s happy and unaware, just how prey should be before you strike the final blow.

Wren’s eyes set on another fish, training completely on the slippery creature and leaving him completely oblivious to Canary

approaching him from behind. He pounced in a fox-like fashion with his front two paws into the water, missing another fish.

“Agh,” he hissed, “I was closer that time!” He turned to face his sister only to be met with paws flying into his face, pressing

him down and forcing his head underwater.

Canary could feel Wren’s body tense as the certain gurgle of water filling his lungs bubbled up to the surface of the stream.

All of the fish were gone now, the last of them scared off by the commotion of a young pup drowning her brother. Wren

thrashed beneath her paws, trying to claw at her with his back legs in vain. Pushing him down had been easy with the

element of surprise, but keeping him down proved to be a tougher challenge as both the current and the much larger pup

fought to push his head back up to the surface. Her forelegs were getting tired.

What had mother taught her about bringing down bigger prey with a disadvantage? “You haven’t got brute strength on your

side, so you’ve got to use your stamina to wear them down instead.”

Eventually, the strength in her forelegs gave out as Wren gave himself one last push against the stream’s bed to force his

head out of the water. He tumbled backwards and Canary stood to the side, watching as he struggled to drag himself a few

paw steps away from the water. He hacked up the liquid invading his lungs, shivering as his body tried to regain oxygen.

“And, when your prey is at its weakest and has used the last of its energy to give one final kick,” said Shrikesong’s voice,

“that’s when you go in with the killing bite.”

Canary padded up to her brother, watching his trembling frame convulse on the soil as he gasped for breath. He looked up

at his sister weakly, trying to speak but failing since the effort of coughing out water had left his voice too hoarse to discern.

After a while of rasping, Canary realized Wren was begging, pleading for his life.

(Continued in next post)

~CL1

NEW CL1, POST THE CHAPTERS OF THE BLOOD WAR THAT I NEED RIGHT NOW OR I-

Sorry. Let me try again. New CL1, would you be able to repost the chapters that I’m missing from The Blood War? See, I’m doing so well at being nice.

- President Loki needs a vacation

Your sure you won't let me die? I don't see how that worked out for me from this time...

I guess I'll tell the gators to leave you guys alone. Maybe they'll listen to me.

~Okay fine. CL1.

You won’t get murdered in the future with a Loki by your side! Stick with me, kid, and I’ll make sure nothing happens to you. Especially since I know who killed you in the first place.

You are NOT being called CL3, that’s dumb.

- President Loki is exhausted by your tangents.

Wait ... wait what? What if I don't want the mantle ... don't I get murdered in the future??

Woah, my words aren't in parenthesis anymore ...

Wait, does this mean I have to recruit a past version of myself to mentor now?

~CL1 says help .-.

Hang on. I'm like, the third CL1 ... right? So...

~CL3 says help .-.

Also, welcome back from the silence President Loki.

I’m really sorry for becoming inactive for a few days! I thought that I said something sooner.

CL1 from the past, looks like it’s time for you to take up the Limerickist mantle. *Passes over The Big Book of CL1*

My chapter is on its way, I promise :l.

Hope all is well with you!

- President Loki

(... hello? Is this thing coming through clearly?)

...

(President Loki, Doom, are you there? Something's going on, I can't get in contact with me from the future. Have you heard from her at all?)

...

(I'm a bit worried ... just how long did she have until this supposed assasination??)

...

(Uhmm.... oh.)

(~CL1 I suppose ...)

*whisper* Lion?

:What was that, did you whisper something!?:

No

:Mhm:

-*!'-$+;$-:¥={€÷€°€=

Sorry- my first chapter took me a couple of days to write and post. Should be out now, though. =)

Yes, I have to tolerate you! Have you forgotten how much you torment and bully me? The name-calling, the threatening, the abuse! It’s ridiculous!

The more angry you get the less I want to tell you who your assassin is. -._^.

- President Loki

Crap, I'm too lat-

:SHUT UP:

:YOU ARENT SUPPOSED TO TALK. TALK AGAIN AND I'LL GAG YOU:

-Doœõ&#@$)!;''¥%{^{

Tolerating ME??

I'M not the one witholding the knowledge of the identity of an ASSASIN.

Tch. "Tolerating me."

~Classic Lok1 cannot believe the gall you have just saying that. Hmph.

Doom, whether you are spared or not just depends on how helful your information actually is, how much evidence you have, (and whethor not you did it, of course.)

The plan is to NOT get assasinated, that's the whole point of figuring this out. I'm running out of time. I don't know how far ahead future me was, but it wasn't THAT long.

But, should the worst happen, I've always got plan B.

(...)

(Wait, a minute you mean me?)

Yeah, I mean you.

(I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHO THIS DOOM GUY IS OR WHAT'S HAPPENING RIGHT NOW.)

Relax, you only have to take up my mantle and know things if I actually die. Just help me make sure that doesn't happen and we'll be fine.

~Classic Lok1 might not have thought this backup plan through fully...

P.S. The collab doesn't take place in the Ark, its closer to irl wolf packs with slight supernatural stuff, i.e. there are no basilisks

I could also do a big hellhound or smth, could command an army.

...

...

I would want complete assurance I would be spared if I told you who did it. If I did ofc. Also, what are you going to do after you get assassinated, I mean, will you just die or go back to CL1 instead of Clas- what are you doing he-

-Doom

Muah ahahaha

-???

Okiedokie. I’ve just posted my prologue- by the time you read this it should be released. =)

This is, indeed, the price to pay for such talented writing. Tolerating you. :’|

- President Loki

I could be a time lord.

Also I could be the greater evil maybe.

Like occasionally post a chapter of it when I remember and make you two to deal with it when I forget

Or I could be a different wolf or coyote or animal or whatever that occasionally pops in

I want in but consistently forget to write and post chapters so ._.

-Doom

P.S. *cough* Zero character ideas rn lol *cou- actually, sun wolf for villain maybe. Sun snake? Lion? Ancient basilisk of the sun that is gonna eat the entire world bc awake and angy?

I didn't say you killed future me, you stood by and WATCHED future me die ... which means you know who did this. Tell me who, and you will be spared ... probably.

Okay, so New Moon or Waning Unity. I'm good with either, so I'll let you come to a decision with whatever you use for your prologue. Don't stress out or rush, I'm still trying to think of ideas myself. My creativity's in Alaska.

(If your so suspicious of President Loki, why do you keep associating with them?)

There is a price we pay to make art. You'll understand when your older.

~Classic Lok1 hasn't exactly worked out the tweaks of pulling versions of myself from the past, so you must excuse me if I was a little off. I'm a poet, not a time lord ._.

I never assassinated you! I would never do anything like that! And besides I'm not invisible, nor did I know you had a castle. Besides I would never just watch as someone got assassinated, -Doom

P.S. it could be a 4th party or something.

Oh right. Never introduced you two, huh.

Ahem, Pres, this is me from the past.

Past CL1, this is President Loki.

(Oh, nice to m-)

Ah, ah, ah. Don't waste your breath. She stands by and watches as you get assasinated later -._-.

(Wha-)

Oh right, forgot to tell you. I'm kinda on limited time right now, so I'm enlisting you to help me solve our murder, kay? President Loki and Doom are suspect number 1 for now.

... oh right, you don't know Doom.

He's this phoenix that occasionaly pops in. He's currently running around my castle invisble, so if you see gators chasing something you can't see, just step aside and let them do their jobs.

(... I wanna go home.)

This is your home now. Get comfy.

~Classic Lok1 has started an odd game of Clue. You like Clue, right past me?

(The player isn't usually in danger of dying in Clue.)

Right, so this is more like Slueth.

(I hate that game, the controls are confusing.)

*cough* haha CL1, I have escaped your gators because my scent doesn't stay the same between shapeshifiting. Ha. You thought they caught me already right? And that's why I've been silent. No. I've just been busy.

-Doom

I’M SORRY, I didn’t mean send, I meant repost. I tried googling them and they seem to have vanished. They aren’t anywhere in the depths of Green Dye, either, so it might just be an issue for me. But if you could repost them I’d appreciate that. :-)

And yes, I draw a lot. I’ve even designed book covers for Nothing Special, Black Ghost, A Lone Howl, and In The Folds of Sanity. I thought about making one for The Blood War, but I wasn’t sure if I should since it isn’t traditionally MY book… and I don’t know how to make it look.

(These posts are going to be clashing a lot since we’ll be replying to different ones at different times. :/)

- President Loki can’t talk