{"submission_id":"418892","keywords":[{"keyword_id":"2271","keyword_name":"buck","contributed":"f","submissions_count":"1952"},{"keyword_id":"143500","keyword_name":"city-state","contributed":"f","submissions_count":"10"},{"keyword_id":"5214","keyword_name":"combat","contributed":"f","submissions_count":"690"},{"keyword_id":"78583","keyword_name":"cottontail rabbit","contributed":"f","submissions_count":"872"},{"keyword_id":"1580","keyword_name":"daughter","contributed":"f","submissions_count":"2492"},{"keyword_id":"123","keyword_name":"female","contributed":"f","submissions_count":"519850"},{"keyword_id":"2968","keyword_name":"fighting","contributed":"f","submissions_count":"2503"},{"keyword_id":"689","keyword_name":"friends","contributed":"f","submissions_count":"4069"},{"keyword_id":"1799","keyword_name":"friendship","contributed":"f","submissions_count":"3611"},{"keyword_id":"3856","keyword_name":"lapine","contributed":"f","submissions_count":"4829"},{"keyword_id":"165","keyword_name":"male","contributed":"f","submissions_count":"639795"},{"keyword_id":"4196","keyword_name":"medieval","contributed":"f","submissions_count":"812"},{"keyword_id":"66","keyword_name":"mother","contributed":"f","submissions_count":"4642"},{"keyword_id":"8265","keyword_name":"soldiers","contributed":"f","submissions_count":"140"},{"keyword_id":"948","keyword_name":"story","contributed":"f","submissions_count":"6800"},{"keyword_id":"13179","keyword_name":"swift fox","contributed":"f","submissions_count":"871"},{"keyword_id":"1308","keyword_name":"vixen","contributed":"f","submissions_count":"15885"},{"keyword_id":"3104","keyword_name":"vulpine","contributed":"f","submissions_count":"20426"},{"keyword_id":"143516","keyword_name":"walled city","contributed":"f","submissions_count":"3"},{"keyword_id":"397","keyword_name":"war","contributed":"f","submissions_count":"1287"}],"hidden":"f","scraps":"f","favorite":"f","favorites_count":"1","create_datetime":"2013-05-28 22:37:23.926382+02","create_datetime_usertime":"28 May 2013 22:37 CEST","last_file_update_datetime":"2013-05-28 22:34:09.406542+02","last_file_update_datetime_usertime":"28 May 2013 22:34 CEST","username":"MeganBryar","user_id":"1036","user_icon_file_name":"115639_MeganBryar_iconstreamnov28th-meg-sm.png","user_icon_url_large":"https://nl.ib.metapix.net/usericons/large/115/115639_MeganBryar_iconstreamnov28th-meg-sm.png","user_icon_url_medium":"https://nl.ib.metapix.net/usericons/medium/115/115639_MeganBryar_iconstreamnov28th-meg-sm.png","user_icon_url_small":"https://nl.ib.metapix.net/usericons/small/115/115639_MeganBryar_iconstreamnov28th-meg-sm.png","file_name":"540173_MeganBryar_13oseille-motheranddaughter.rtf","file_url_full":"https://nl.ib.metapix.net/files/full/540/540173_MeganBryar_13oseille-motheranddaughter.rtf","file_url_screen":"https://nl.ib.metapix.net/files/screen/540/540173_MeganBryar_13oseille-motheranddaughter.rtf","file_url_preview":"https://nl.ib.metapix.net/files/preview/540/540173_MeganBryar_13oseille-motheranddaughter.rtf","files":[{"file_id":"540173","file_name":"540173_MeganBryar_13oseille-motheranddaughter.rtf","file_url_full":"https://nl.ib.metapix.net/files/full/540/540173_MeganBryar_13oseille-motheranddaughter.rtf","file_url_screen":"https://nl.ib.metapix.net/files/screen/540/540173_MeganBryar_13oseille-motheranddaughter.rtf","file_url_preview":"https://nl.ib.metapix.net/files/preview/540/540173_MeganBryar_13oseille-motheranddaughter.rtf","mimetype":"text/rtf","submission_id":"418892","user_id":"1036","submission_file_order":"0","full_size_x":null,"full_size_y":null,"screen_size_x":null,"screen_size_y":null,"preview_size_x":null,"preview_size_y":null,"initial_file_md5":"43490be80b7a0e1e7a0cd5f212e86c68","full_file_md5":"43490be80b7a0e1e7a0cd5f212e86c68","large_file_md5":"","small_file_md5":"","thumbnail_md5":"","deleted":"f","create_datetime":"2013-05-28 22:34:09.406542+02","create_datetime_usertime":"28 May 2013 22:34 CEST"}],"pools":[{"pool_id":"17450","name":"Oseille","description":"Oseille is my first novel, and it was my first serious attempt at putting a story together.","count":"33","submission_left_submission_id":"416704","submission_left_file_name":"537275_MeganBryar_12oseille-determination.rtf","submission_right_submission_id":"418897","submission_right_file_name":"540178_MeganBryar_14oseille-abduction.rtf"}],"description":"After nine years apart, Deirdre is finally reunited with her daughter as some latent maternal instincts kick in.\n\n[i]Oseille[/i] is my first novel, and it was my first serious attempt at putting a story together. It introduced a lot of my most important character, many of whom I still use today, and it was while working on this story that I really began to learn the basics of the art. Comments are welcome, of course, but as this story is now 15 years old I will no longer be doing any revisions on it. Critiques and suggestions will instead be applied to future projects.\n\nAll chapters will be marked as \"adult\", primarily due to violence and mild language.","description_bbcode_parsed":"After nine years apart, Deirdre is finally reunited with her daughter as some latent maternal instincts kick in.
Oseille is my first novel, and it was my first serious attempt at putting a story together. It introduced a lot of my most important character, many of whom I still use today, and it was while working on this story that I really began to learn the basics of the art. Comments are welcome, of course, but as this story is now 15 years old I will no longer be doing any revisions on it. Critiques and suggestions will instead be applied to future projects.
All chapters will be marked as "adult", primarily due to violence and mild language.","writing":"Deirdre—Mother and Daughter\n\n\tWhen Deirdre saw her daughter fall, she jumped off her own horse and knocked down two of her own soldiers to get to the girl. Ciara’s black stallion stood over her, pushing at her helplessly with his muzzle. When she got close, he tried to bite her, but she slapped his nose.\n\t“You know who I am,” she said. \n\tEmbarr snorted, and laid his ears back. But he let her squat down next to Ciara and rip her shirt open. The wound on Ciara’s shoulder was ragged, and her fur was matted with blood. But the arrow hadn’t gone in that deep, and it hadn’t stuck. Deirdre cut Ciara’s shirt into strips with her dagger, and marveled at how much her daughter had grown up.\n\t“You must really be stupid to be out here. Just like your mother,” she said.\n\tWhen she got the bleeding stopped, she picked her daughter up and draped her carefully across Embarr’s back. Then she grabbed his ear, and twisted.\n\t“You’re going to help me get her into the city. She needs a doctor, and you’re going to get me in there, even if you have to kick the gate down,” she said.\n\tHe jerked his ear out of her grasp and snapped at her, but then he turned and trotted slowly towards Oseille. She jogged beside him, with one hand braced on Ciara's stomach, so she wouldn’t slide off.\n\tThey were met at the gate by a large, grey-furred rabbit. He was carrying a heavy branch, and he brandished it awkwardly when he saw them. But when he saw Ciara, he abandoned his post and rushed out to meet them. Embarr whinnied at him, and pushed his muzzle against the rabbit’s chest in greeting. The rabbit scratched him between the ears, and he and Embarr pivoted around each other so that the rabbit was suddenly between her and Ciara.\n\t“Thank you for bringing her to me,” he said “Now go away. Please.”\n\tHe took hold of Embarr’s mane, to lead him into the city. She jumped in front of the gate, and put her hand on the hilt of her sword.\n\t“I’m going with her. I’m not about to let her out of my sight, now,” she said.\n\t“You don’t have a choice. She’s my friend, and you’re a foreign soldier. You aren't invited,” he said.\n\t“But she’s my daughter,” said Deirdre.\n\tHe clucked his tongue and led Embarr forward, forcing her to scramble out of the way to avoid being trampled. But she jumped through the gate after them, before the rabbit could shut the gate.\n\t“Ciara is my responsibility,” she said.\n\tThe rabbit walked quickly through the city without looking back at her. Embarr followed him with his head held high, and he didn’t look at her, either.\n\t“Not anymore,” said the rabbit.\n\t“Of course she is. Why on earth do you care, anyway? What could a fox possibly mean to a rabbit?” she said.\n\tThey wandered through a series of narrow, winding streets, and eventually stopped in front of a little, round house that didn’t look any different from any of the others. The rabbit lifted Ciara off of Embarr’s back and cradled her carefully in his arms. When he had her balanced, he kicked savagely at the door. It swung open a little, and a short, spotted skunk stuck his head out and glared at them.\n\t“You don’t have to break the door, Fiachra,” he said “I saw you coming.” \n\tHe swung the door wide, and ushered them into a dimly-lit room with a low ceiling. The room was bare except for a high, padded table a few charts taped to the walls, and a metal cabinet in one corner. Fiachra laid Ciara down on the table, while the little doctor ducked into the next room to do whatever it was that doctors always had to do before they saw a patient. He came back a minute later with a large jar of alcohol, and untied the bandage on Ciara's shoulder.\n\t“Will she be okay?” said Deirdre.\n\t“Everyone always asks that before I've had a chance to look,” said the doctor. He pushed Ciara's mouth open with his fingers, and frowned at her tongue.\n\t“You'd better know, and soon. She could bleed to death by the time you're done poking her.”\n\t“It's not that deep. But she might die of shame, if she knew the way her mother was treating her friends,” said the doctor.\n\tHe slopped alcohol over Ciara’s wound, and swabbed at it with several pieces of damp cloth. When the wound was clean, he covered it with gauze, and bustled out of the room again.\n\t“You’re lucky. Feargus doesn’t like foxes, and I don’t blame him. But he likes Ciara. She’s the only decent fox I’ve ever met,” said Fiachra.\n\tHe laid a hand over Ciara's bandage, and brushed a wandering strand of hair out of her face. The girl didn't stir, but Deirdre thought some of the tension went out of her.\n\t“Sometimes, I think so, too,” she said.\nShe clamped her hand over Fiachra’s, so she could still feel like she had some claim to her daughter. He tensed, and she felt him shudder in revulsion. But neither of them drew away.\n\t“Do you think you love her? Is that it? Is that why you were right there at the gate, waiting for us?” she said.\n\t“That’s none of your business,” said Fiachra.\n\t“It might not be so bad. She deserves to have somebody who cares about her,” she said.\nShe reached over with her free hand and stroked Ciara’s muzzle, the way she had done years ago. But as her fingers brushed Ciara’s whiskers, the girl jerked her head away, and opened her eyes. Her ears went flat, and before she was entirely conscious, she was half off the table before Fiachra could pull her back.\n“He's going to get killed,” she said.\n“You nearly were. Going back out there now won't do him any good,” said Fiachra.\n“He wouldn't give up,” she said.\n“Neither will you. But you should at least put your shirt back on first.”\nFiachra kept his arms around her while she pushed herself into a sitting position, and let her lean against him when her strength gave out. She rested her head against his chest, and he petted her ears.\n“Let me go, or I'll tell Niamh on you,” she said.\n“If she was here, she'd do a lot worse than hold you down. Remember when you fell out of the apple tree?”\nDeirdre felt a pang of jealousy. Even though they hadn’t seen each other in years, she had assumed that Ciara would look to her for comfort. She slapped the top of the table beside Ciara’s leg.\n\t“That was a stupid thing to do. What were you thinking? You could have gotten killed out there,” she said.\n\t“I’m trying to make sure I have some kind of a home left, after you and Connor are finished fucking around,” said Ciara “It’s nice to see you, too.”\n\t“But nobody is attacking Oseille. There’s even a wall around it, for God’s sake. You just did this because you’re angry at your father and me,” said Deirdre.\n\t“Why shouldn’t I be?”\n\tFeargus came back into the room, carrying a large glass of water and a long strip of cloth. When he saw Ciara sitting up, he growled at her, and shoved the glass into Deirdre’s hands. Holding the gauze on with two fingers, he wrapped the cloth tightly around her arm, and secured it by wrapping a few loops around her waist.\n\t“Fox luck. Get shot, fall off a horse, and all you have are a few scratches. Now, you listen to the boy, and don't try to catch any more arrows today,” he said.\n\t“Fine. Next time, I'll just have to get Embarr to run faster,” she said.\n\t“They've locked the gate. You'd have to break it down to get out now,” said Feargus.\n\t“Which means you'd better stay put too, General,” said Fiachra.\n\t“As long as my daughter's safe,” said Deirdre.\n\tShe gave Ciara the glass, and the girl drained it, spilling half of it down her front. Panting, she leaned back against Fiachra again, and he let her wipe her mouth with the tail of his shirt. Deirdre felt her throat tighten, and she shivered with the memory of being held like that. If it were up to her, she'd be out there, running after Connor herself.\n\t“I know how you feel. I don’t blame you for wanting to protect what little you do have. But you need to think first,” said Deirdre.\n\t“I said the same thing to you, once. Do you remember what you told me?” said Ciara.\n\t“Things were different then. You were just a little girl,” she said.\n\t“Yes, I was. I needed you.”\n\tCiara stood up on trembling legs, and let Fiachra steady her while Feargus rummaged in the cabinet, for an old shirt, which he presented with a flourish. It was stained and wrinkled, but it covered her, and there wasn't any blood on it. Deirdre tugged at the hem, to get it to look decent. Ciara grumbled, but didn't push her away.\n\t“I have to do something,” she said.\n\t“Yes, you do. You have to heal.” said Feargus.\n\t“Is that all?”\n\t“No,” said Feargus, and he prodded Fiachra in the arm “You, boy, have to get her home and put her to bed.”\n\t“Now? But I want to help,” said Ciara.\n\t“I know. The pills I gave you will make you sleep, and you look like you need it.” he said.\n\tIt was Deirdre who caught her this time, when she bolted for the door. Ciara twisted aside and bit her arm, but they'd had too many of these fights when she was a pup. Deirdre grabbed her by the ear and swatted her hip. The shock stopped the girl in mid-squirm, and let Deirdre hold her up at arm's length.\n\t“Your father can be quiet bright, you know. He'll be okay,” she said.\n\t“But I only just got him back,” said Ciara.\n\tHer voice was small and sleepy, the way Deirdre remember it from years ago, when Ciara would stay up too late reading.\n\t“He knows,” she said.\n\tShe kissed the girl on top of her head, the way she used to do, and smoothed the shirt one more time. Then she let Fiachra take her back, and stood with Feargus while they went out the door.","writing_bbcode_parsed":"Deirdre—Mother and Daughter
\tWhen Deirdre saw her daughter fall, she jumped off her own horse and knocked down two of her own soldiers to get to the girl. Ciara’s black stallion stood over her, pushing at her helplessly with his muzzle. When she got close, he tried to bite her, but she slapped his nose.
\t“You know who I am,” she said.
\tEmbarr snorted, and laid his ears back. But he let her squat down next to Ciara and rip her shirt open. The wound on Ciara’s shoulder was ragged, and her fur was matted with blood. But the arrow hadn’t gone in that deep, and it hadn’t stuck. Deirdre cut Ciara’s shirt into strips with her dagger, and marveled at how much her daughter had grown up.
\t“You must really be stupid to be out here. Just like your mother,” she said.
\tWhen she got the bleeding stopped, she picked her daughter up and draped her carefully across Embarr’s back. Then she grabbed his ear, and twisted.
\t“You’re going to help me get her into the city. She needs a doctor, and you’re going to get me in there, even if you have to kick the gate down,” she said.
\tHe jerked his ear out of her grasp and snapped at her, but then he turned and trotted slowly towards Oseille. She jogged beside him, with one hand braced on Ciara's stomach, so she wouldn’t slide off.
\tThey were met at the gate by a large, grey-furred rabbit. He was carrying a heavy branch, and he brandished it awkwardly when he saw them. But when he saw Ciara, he abandoned his post and rushed out to meet them. Embarr whinnied at him, and pushed his muzzle against the rabbit’s chest in greeting. The rabbit scratched him between the ears, and he and Embarr pivoted around each other so that the rabbit was suddenly between her and Ciara.
\t“Thank you for bringing her to me,” he said “Now go away. Please.”
\tHe took hold of Embarr’s mane, to lead him into the city. She jumped in front of the gate, and put her hand on the hilt of her sword.
\t“I’m going with her. I’m not about to let her out of my sight, now,” she said.
\t“You don’t have a choice. She’s my friend, and you’re a foreign soldier. You aren't invited,” he said.
\t“But she’s my daughter,” said Deirdre.
\tHe clucked his tongue and led Embarr forward, forcing her to scramble out of the way to avoid being trampled. But she jumped through the gate after them, before the rabbit could shut the gate.
\t“Ciara is my responsibility,” she said.
\tThe rabbit walked quickly through the city without looking back at her. Embarr followed him with his head held high, and he didn’t look at her, either.
\t“Not anymore,” said the rabbit.
\t“Of course she is. Why on earth do you care, anyway? What could a fox possibly mean to a rabbit?” she said.
\tThey wandered through a series of narrow, winding streets, and eventually stopped in front of a little, round house that didn’t look any different from any of the others. The rabbit lifted Ciara off of Embarr’s back and cradled her carefully in his arms. When he had her balanced, he kicked savagely at the door. It swung open a little, and a short, spotted skunk stuck his head out and glared at them.
\t“You don’t have to break the door, Fiachra,” he said “I saw you coming.”
\tHe swung the door wide, and ushered them into a dimly-lit room with a low ceiling. The room was bare except for a high, padded table a few charts taped to the walls, and a metal cabinet in one corner. Fiachra laid Ciara down on the table, while the little doctor ducked into the next room to do whatever it was that doctors always had to do before they saw a patient. He came back a minute later with a large jar of alcohol, and untied the bandage on Ciara's shoulder.
\t“Will she be okay?” said Deirdre.
\t“Everyone always asks that before I've had a chance to look,” said the doctor. He pushed Ciara's mouth open with his fingers, and frowned at her tongue.
\t“You'd better know, and soon. She could bleed to death by the time you're done poking her.”
\t“It's not that deep. But she might die of shame, if she knew the way her mother was treating her friends,” said the doctor.
\tHe slopped alcohol over Ciara’s wound, and swabbed at it with several pieces of damp cloth. When the wound was clean, he covered it with gauze, and bustled out of the room again.
\t“You’re lucky. Feargus doesn’t like foxes, and I don’t blame him. But he likes Ciara. She’s the only decent fox I’ve ever met,” said Fiachra.
\tHe laid a hand over Ciara's bandage, and brushed a wandering strand of hair out of her face. The girl didn't stir, but Deirdre thought some of the tension went out of her.
\t“Sometimes, I think so, too,” she said.
She clamped her hand over Fiachra’s, so she could still feel like she had some claim to her daughter. He tensed, and she felt him shudder in revulsion. But neither of them drew away.
\t“Do you think you love her? Is that it? Is that why you were right there at the gate, waiting for us?” she said.
\t“That’s none of your business,” said Fiachra.
\t“It might not be so bad. She deserves to have somebody who cares about her,” she said.
She reached over with her free hand and stroked Ciara’s muzzle, the way she had done years ago. But as her fingers brushed Ciara’s whiskers, the girl jerked her head away, and opened her eyes. Her ears went flat, and before she was entirely conscious, she was half off the table before Fiachra could pull her back.
“He's going to get killed,” she said.
“You nearly were. Going back out there now won't do him any good,” said Fiachra.
“He wouldn't give up,” she said.
“Neither will you. But you should at least put your shirt back on first.”
Fiachra kept his arms around her while she pushed herself into a sitting position, and let her lean against him when her strength gave out. She rested her head against his chest, and he petted her ears.
“Let me go, or I'll tell Niamh on you,” she said.
“If she was here, she'd do a lot worse than hold you down. Remember when you fell out of the apple tree?”
Deirdre felt a pang of jealousy. Even though they hadn’t seen each other in years, she had assumed that Ciara would look to her for comfort. She slapped the top of the table beside Ciara’s leg.
\t“That was a stupid thing to do. What were you thinking? You could have gotten killed out there,” she said.
\t“I’m trying to make sure I have some kind of a home left, after you and Connor are finished fucking around,” said Ciara “It’s nice to see you, too.”
\t“But nobody is attacking Oseille. There’s even a wall around it, for God’s sake. You just did this because you’re angry at your father and me,” said Deirdre.
\t“Why shouldn’t I be?”
\tFeargus came back into the room, carrying a large glass of water and a long strip of cloth. When he saw Ciara sitting up, he growled at her, and shoved the glass into Deirdre’s hands. Holding the gauze on with two fingers, he wrapped the cloth tightly around her arm, and secured it by wrapping a few loops around her waist.
\t“Fox luck. Get shot, fall off a horse, and all you have are a few scratches. Now, you listen to the boy, and don't try to catch any more arrows today,” he said.
\t“Fine. Next time, I'll just have to get Embarr to run faster,” she said.
\t“They've locked the gate. You'd have to break it down to get out now,” said Feargus.
\t“Which means you'd better stay put too, General,” said Fiachra.
\t“As long as my daughter's safe,” said Deirdre.
\tShe gave Ciara the glass, and the girl drained it, spilling half of it down her front. Panting, she leaned back against Fiachra again, and he let her wipe her mouth with the tail of his shirt. Deirdre felt her throat tighten, and she shivered with the memory of being held like that. If it were up to her, she'd be out there, running after Connor herself.
\t“I know how you feel. I don’t blame you for wanting to protect what little you do have. But you need to think first,” said Deirdre.
\t“I said the same thing to you, once. Do you remember what you told me?” said Ciara.
\t“Things were different then. You were just a little girl,” she said.
\t“Yes, I was. I needed you.”
\tCiara stood up on trembling legs, and let Fiachra steady her while Feargus rummaged in the cabinet, for an old shirt, which he presented with a flourish. It was stained and wrinkled, but it covered her, and there wasn't any blood on it. Deirdre tugged at the hem, to get it to look decent. Ciara grumbled, but didn't push her away.
\t“I have to do something,” she said.
\t“Yes, you do. You have to heal.” said Feargus.
\t“Is that all?”
\t“No,” said Feargus, and he prodded Fiachra in the arm “You, boy, have to get her home and put her to bed.”
\t“Now? But I want to help,” said Ciara.
\t“I know. The pills I gave you will make you sleep, and you look like you need it.” he said.
\tIt was Deirdre who caught her this time, when she bolted for the door. Ciara twisted aside and bit her arm, but they'd had too many of these fights when she was a pup. Deirdre grabbed her by the ear and swatted her hip. The shock stopped the girl in mid-squirm, and let Deirdre hold her up at arm's length.
\t“Your father can be quiet bright, you know. He'll be okay,” she said.
\t“But I only just got him back,” said Ciara.
\tHer voice was small and sleepy, the way Deirdre remember it from years ago, when Ciara would stay up too late reading.
\t“He knows,” she said.
\tShe kissed the girl on top of her head, the way she used to do, and smoothed the shirt one more time. Then she let Fiachra take her back, and stood with Feargus while they went out the door.","pools_count":1,"title":"Oseille-Mother and Daughter","deleted":"f","public":"t","mimetype":"text/rtf","pagecount":"1","rating_id":"1","rating_name":"Mature","ratings":[{"content_tag_id":"2","name":"Nudity","description":"Nonsexual nudity exposing breasts or genitals (must not show arousal)","rating_id":"1"},{"content_tag_id":"3","name":"Violence","description":"Mild violence","rating_id":"1"}],"submission_type_id":"12","type_name":"Writing - Document","guest_block":"t","friends_only":"f","comments_count":"0","views":"68","sales_description":null,"forsale":"f","digitalsales":"f","printsales":"f","digital_price":""}