#arvicola

[mammalianmammals]

European Water Vole (Arvicola amphibius), family Cricetidae, Arundel Wetland Centre, Arundel, UK

photograph by Peter Trimming

[flamecherry]

Decided to make a scry for my random white coatl urge. this is Cirmton, and his story is under the read more! ^>^ (As you can see from the fact he doesn't have any white on him as a baby, you can probably see where this is going)

Also here's another character that appears, Arvicola!

It was a known fact that eggs could simply... Appear. No one knows where they come from, only that they can be found, hidden oddly between boulders, small cracks, sitting in lava, and more. This is how Cirmton was found, sitting calmly within a melting experiment at Quarantine Zone #86, which had been affectionately nicknamed "HALKEN" by staff. This, of course, was quite a shock, as they hadn't been expecting an egg to form.

...Right?

But that isn't important right now, for the team at HALKEN were deciding what to do with it. After all, the egg could either hatch a monster of endless destruction or a simple spiral. Fearing what could hatch from it, the writhing egg was locked inside a chamber, with a one-sided window for observation, and several different ways to kill whatever hatches out.

Soon enough, the egg started to crack, and the research team waited with bated breath, claws over the many kill-switches until...

Chirp! Chirp! Chirp!

Immediately, the coatl on the team, known as Arvicola, was overwhelmed with instinct, beginning to scream she needed to see the baby. The other researchers attempted to calm her down, but she simply ignored them, too overcome with maternal instinct to listen, having to be put under a minor sleep spell while the child hatched.

Soon enough, a small, trembling coatl fully emerged, shaking off viscera and revealing itself to be...

...The same colors as the experiment that birthed it.

Letting the hatchling out of the chamber, the research team decided to give the newly hatched coatl to Arvicola after a magic test, finding it would be best to let the kit live a civilian life, instead of one stuck inside a prison of a lab.

Arvicola, now awake and having apologized for her outburst, took the hatchling in with open claws, naming it Cirmton.

But, of course, this is not where our story ends.

When Cirmton grew old enough, he decided to try and train to be a warrior, wanting to protect his village, Northmoon, from harm.

But, when he failed a jump during a training, a part of his scales fell off.

This, of course, was already shocking. But what was more shocking was that instead of his flesh being visible through the hole, pure white, almost gem-like "skin" could be seen.

Thinking he was cursed, Cirmton broke down into tears.

He didn't want to be cursed. He didn't want the eleven to be angry at him.

Yet here he was, glaring white "flesh" visible.

Soon, Arvicola came, finding the depressed Cirmton at the edge of a cliff, looking out into the setting sun, tear streaks still running down his face.

The older coatl simply wiped his tears, asking him what was wrong.

"Can't you see!?" He snapped. "I'm cursed! And I don't... I don't know what I did to deserve this."

Arvicola smiled. "I guess it's about time I told you where you came from."

The star-patterned dragon paused. "You... Found my egg out in the wild?"

The stained coatl giggled. "Close, but not quite. Here, I'll tell you the true story."

Arvicola told Cirmton everything. About how his egg was found, her outburst, and her adopting him. After, the teal and crimson dragon had a look of both betrayal and... Satisfaction.

He felt betrayed his mother didn't tell him about this for all these years, and satisfied that he had an answer.

He didn't know what to do now. Now he had an answer. He simply sighed, and continued to stare into the sunset with his mother.

After his training, it was decided he would be a spy. Shocking, because he didn't think he could be a spy. He thought he was way worse at hiding, after all.

But, he was happy. Happy he could protect Northmoon, and his mother.

NOTES:

Those bandages are because he keeps getting hurt and because he's trying to hide his white patches. he's still a little nervous about them ^<^'

If people don't act like this then oops! I don't know how people work!

[birdblues]

Water Vole

[mammalianmammals]

European Water Vole (Arvicola amphibius), family Cricetidae, Arundel Wetland Centre, Dorset, UK

photograph by James Leyland

[divepelagos]

Cucù #bnw #blackandwhite #arvicola https://www.instagram.com/p/CFuAcuEFePY/?igshid=oszdu577gm1s

[emanuelepennini]

Probabilmente tutti conosciamo la favola di Esopo del topo di campagna e del topo di città: quella in cui l’umile e rozzo topolino di campagna accetta l’invito del cugino cittadino, ma, dopo essere sopravvissuto per miracolo ai cani della villa dove vive l’amico cittadino, decide di tornarsene nella sua serena povertà.

Quello che pochi sanno è che c’è anche una versione di montagna della favoletta, però molto più cruda e truculenta. Nella variante montanara, i topolini non riescono a scappare alle grinfie dei gatti della casetta in cui si era infilati: come nella più tradizionale narrativa horror, i topi vengono fatti fuori uno alla volta, in un crescendo di pozze di sangue e squartamenti. Forse Esopo rinunciò a narrare questa versione perché troppo splatter per l’elegante cultura greca. Così tocca a me riportarla a galla: e non mi ci vuole granché, visto che l’abbiamo vissuta dal vivo in questi ultimi due giorni.

Se il topolino di ieri era morto stecchito, ma integro, quello di oggi se n’è andato all’altro mondo lasciando sul pavimento dell’ingresso un orecchio e un pezzo di coda. Merito di Malphas e di Lilith, che hanno agito col favore della notte per portare a termine la loro battuta di caccia. Il piccolo roditore ha poi fatto in tempo a scappare fino in bagno, dove si è addormentato per sempre con le zampette che gli reggevano la testa.

Insomma: tra arvicole e topolini, i gatti hanno un gran daffare. Ci chiediamo, però, che fine abbia fatto la faina, di cui da tempo non si hanno più tracce; la sua scomparsa, in effetti, ha condotto fino a casa i vari piccoli roditori.

Giaciglio di capriolo

La muta del serpente

Lei è Geggè. Lei non caccia i topi, ma i ghiri sì.

Il topo di montagna Probabilmente tutti conosciamo la favola di Esopo del topo di campagna e del topo di città: quella in cui l'umile e rozzo topolino di campagna accetta l'invito del cugino cittadino, ma, dopo essere sopravvissuto per miracolo ai cani della villa dove vive l'amico cittadino, decide di tornarsene nella sua serena povertà.

[dendroica]

A stranded water vole floats on debris near the banks of the River Severn in Aust Warth, South Gloucestershire. Picture: SAM HOBSON/REX FEATURES (via Pictures of the day: 4 February 2014 - Telegraph)

[superbnature]

Water vole by mikemcken8 http://flic.kr/p/jn8UDi