{ "submission_id": "2519964", "keywords": [ { "keyword_id": "2411", "keyword_name": "alcohol", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "4419" }, { "keyword_id": "1007", "keyword_name": "blood", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "21616" }, { "keyword_id": "21442", "keyword_name": "character development", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "1350" }, { "keyword_id": "944", "keyword_name": "deer", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "30901" }, { "keyword_id": "62", "keyword_name": "feline", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "154618" }, { "keyword_id": "123", "keyword_name": "female", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "1105535" }, { "keyword_id": "11770", "keyword_name": "firearms", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "117" }, { "keyword_id": "14186", "keyword_name": "injured", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "591" }, { "keyword_id": "15723", "keyword_name": "interspecies", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "10833" }, { "keyword_id": "302", "keyword_name": "jackal", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "12065" }, { "keyword_id": "165", "keyword_name": "male", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "1215655" }, { "keyword_id": "103649", "keyword_name": "nonsexual nudity", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "232" }, { "keyword_id": "6611", "keyword_name": "siamese cat", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "1689" }, { "keyword_id": "3769", "keyword_name": "smoking", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "6052" }, { "keyword_id": "1368", "keyword_name": "steampunk", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "1318" }, { "keyword_id": "14493", "keyword_name": "surgery", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "516" }, { "keyword_id": "227", "keyword_name": "underwear", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "43750" }, { "keyword_id": "4002", "keyword_name": "undressing", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "7680" }, { "keyword_id": "997", "keyword_name": "western", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "4568" }, { "keyword_id": "33544", "keyword_name": "zeppelin", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "27" } ], "hidden": "f", "scraps": "f", "favorite": "f", "favorites_count": "0", "create_datetime": "2021-08-25 02:53:22.116427+00", "create_datetime_usertime": "25 Aug 2021 04:53 CEST", "last_file_update_datetime": "2021-08-25 02:28:40.591353+00", "last_file_update_datetime_usertime": "25 Aug 2021 04:28 CEST", "username": "Timer", "user_id": "119930", "user_icon_file_name": "406316_Timer_timersimp.png", "user_icon_url_large": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/usericons/large/406/406316_Timer_timersimp.png", "user_icon_url_medium": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/usericons/medium/406/406316_Timer_timersimp.png", "user_icon_url_small": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/usericons/small/406/406316_Timer_timersimp.png", "file_name": "3707487_3timer_fly_to_hell_4.doc", "file_url_full": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/full/3707/3707487_3timer_fly_to_hell_4.doc", "file_url_screen": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/screen/3707/3707487_3timer_fly_to_hell_4.doc", "file_url_preview": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/preview/3707/3707487_3timer_fly_to_hell_4.doc", "thumbnail_url_huge": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/huge/3707/3707487_3timer_fly_to_hell_4.jpg", "thumbnail_url_large": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/large/3707/3707487_3timer_fly_to_hell_4.jpg", "thumbnail_url_medium": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/medium/3707/3707487_3timer_fly_to_hell_4.jpg", "thumb_huge_x": "297", "thumb_huge_y": "300", "thumb_large_x": "198", "thumb_large_y": "200", "thumb_medium_x": "119", "thumb_medium_y": "120", "files": [ { "file_id": "3707487", "file_name": "3707487_3timer_fly_to_hell_4.doc", "file_url_full": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/full/3707/3707487_3timer_fly_to_hell_4.doc", "file_url_screen": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/screen/3707/3707487_3timer_fly_to_hell_4.doc", "file_url_preview": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/preview/3707/3707487_3timer_fly_to_hell_4.doc", "mimetype": "application/msword", "submission_id": "2519964", "user_id": "119930", "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": "d0eb5d0f3822e43668cb623f77ebf050", "full_file_md5": "d0eb5d0f3822e43668cb623f77ebf050", "large_file_md5": "", "small_file_md5": "", "thumbnail_md5": "53b90961b4bae5f27222a0ee42d946c5", "deleted": "f", "create_datetime": "2021-08-25 02:28:40.591353+00", "create_datetime_usertime": "25 Aug 2021 04:28 CEST", "thumbnail_url_huge": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/huge/3707/3707487_3timer_fly_to_hell_4.jpg", "thumbnail_url_large": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/large/3707/3707487_3timer_fly_to_hell_4.jpg", "thumbnail_url_medium": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/medium/3707/3707487_3timer_fly_to_hell_4.jpg", "thumb_huge_x": "297", "thumb_huge_y": "300", "thumb_large_x": "198", "thumb_large_y": "200", "thumb_medium_x": "119", "thumb_medium_y": "120" } ], "pools": [ { "pool_id": "43728", "name": "Fly to Hell", "description": "Everything to do with Valentine and the lovely Ada.", "count": "6", "submission_left_submission_id": "2191240", "submission_left_file_name": "3181293_3timer_fly_to_hell_3.doc", "submission_left_thumbnail_url_huge": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/huge/3181/3181293_3timer_fly_to_hell_3.jpg", "submission_left_thumbnail_url_large": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/large/3181/3181293_3timer_fly_to_hell_3.jpg", "submission_left_thumbnail_url_medium": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/medium/3181/3181293_3timer_fly_to_hell_3.jpg", "submission_left_thumb_huge_x": "297", "submission_left_thumb_huge_y": "300", "submission_left_thumb_large_x": "198", "submission_left_thumb_large_y": "200", "submission_left_thumb_medium_x": "119", "submission_left_thumb_medium_y": "120", "submission_right_submission_id": "2735673", "submission_right_file_name": "4054710_3timer_fly_to_hell_5_final.doc", "submission_right_thumbnail_url_huge": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/huge/4054/4054710_3timer_fly_to_hell_5_final.jpg", "submission_right_thumbnail_url_large": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/large/4054/4054710_3timer_fly_to_hell_5_final.jpg", "submission_right_thumbnail_url_medium": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/medium/4054/4054710_3timer_fly_to_hell_5_final.jpg", "submission_right_thumb_huge_x": "297", "submission_right_thumb_huge_y": "300", "submission_right_thumb_large_x": "198", "submission_right_thumb_large_y": "200", "submission_right_thumb_medium_x": "119", "submission_right_thumb_medium_y": "120" } ], "description": "Promised to a rich businessman, Ada must travel across the continent to the untamed western land in an airship. Accustomed to a life of privilege and wealth, the young Siamese cat is thrust into an uncomfortable glimpse of the commoner. To make matters worse, she finds herself in the company of a gun toting jackal with a fatal disease and a sinister grin.\n\nWant to support my work? If so, please visit my [url=https://ko-fi.com/3timer]Ko-fi[/url] page!", "description_bbcode_parsed": "Promised to a rich businessman, Ada must travel across the continent to the untamed western land in an airship.  Accustomed to a life of privilege and wealth, the young Siamese cat is thrust into an uncomfortable glimpse of the commoner.  To make matters worse, she finds herself in the company of a gun toting jackal with a fatal disease and a sinister grin.

Want to support my work?  If so, please visit my Ko-fi page!", "writing": "[center]Fly to Hell\nPart 4[/center]\n\nAda was slouched in the chair next to the open window feeling drained, hoping the cool air would clear her mind.  At the rear of the ship the engine exhaust was strong, but when the breeze blew across the ship she'd get a whiff of the clean, high atmosphere.  Her hair was disheveled and her makeup smeared.  Adding to the unbecoming appearance was the fact that she was only in her corset and petticoat.  On the back of the door Valentine’s belt, holster, and pistol hung on a hook next to her dress.  Valentine had insisted that she remove it as well as her gloves, boots and stockings.  Not for any lewd reason, but because the risk of getting blood on her was high.  As it was she had gotten some on the skirt of her petticoat.  \n\nValentine was on the bed and managed to be far less presentable than she was.  The jackal was naked with only a towel to keep him modest.  One of the few clean towels left after using so many to control the bleeding.  His lower abdomen was tightly bound with fresh bandages.  His body was frightfully thin.  Gaunt arms and legs with the bones of his ribs clearly distinguishable through the fur.  If it weren’t for the rise and fall of his chest and the wheeze of his breathing he would have looked dead.  \n\nIt had been a harrowing hour for Ada.  Somehow she had managed to perform an operation on him with the limited contents of the ship's first aid box.  The injury, a deep puncture in the side of his lower abdomen, had not been quite as severe as he feared, even though it looked absolutely dreadful to Ada.  No major arteries had been severed and his kidney had been missed, but his intestine had gotten lacerated, requiring repair and a thorough cleaning to prevent sepsis.  She knew nothing about what she was doing outside of some embroidery she had done as a young kitten, but Valentine guided her through the procedure while observing with a mirror.  Giving instructions between chewing his belt and taking drinks to keep himself suitably numb, but not drunk enough to start slurring his words.  Ada had been astonished by the jackal’s capacity to endure the pain, the liquor could only have done so much to help him.  Despite his sickness, he was shockingly resilient.  Something she lacked. Many times she was certain that she was going to vomit, once even having to put her head out the window, but he had given her some advice to reduce the urge. \n\nOn several occasions she had noticed a shadow through the gap under the door, indicating someone lingering outside, however Valentine’s groans, grunts, and heavy breathing must have sounded intimate as opposed to agonizing so nobody dared interrupt them. This was exactly what the jackal was betting on.  The wild card had been Jack.  The wolf was unpredictable.  If Valentine’s remaining enemies had decided to force the door, they could with ease, but they appeared to be biding their time.  Perhaps still licking their wounds after the loss of one of their own.  The gamble had paid off.\n\nAda stood up and scrubbed her paws in the sink.  They felt dirty even though she had washed them multiple times.  She was convinced she could still smell blood, as well as unmentionable other body fluids, on them.  Her refined paws that her mother had never even allowed her to get dirt on had been handling someone’s internal organs.  She had insisted many times that this was beyond her, that she couldn’t possibly do something like this, not in a million years, but Valentine had never allowed her to be dissuaded. Before he finally allowed himself to pass out he had spoken the only words he had ever said to her with sincerity:  \n\n[i]You did well, Ada.  Thank you.[/i]\n\nAda turned to look at the resting jackal who shivered in his sleep.  He coughed lightly and groaned at the effort.  He looked pathetic and small, but still alive.  What she had done was the most profound thing she had ever accomplished, making every other notable event meaningless.  She saved someone’s life.  However, if only half of what she had come to learn about him was true he was undeserving of her efforts.  That weighed on her. \n\nShe shut the window and pulled a sheet over Valentine before putting a paw on his head.  The jackal’s condition made him more susceptible to infections, but he didn’t feel warmer than he should be.  Not yet at least.  The hours ahead would be more telling.  Ada stood up and opened the door a crack, peering through.  The hall outside ran down the sleeping quarters where passengers were finding bunks to sleep in.  It was the female quarters, separated further up from the male quarters by a curtain.  Many were in various states of undress as they changed into nightgowns.  One of the stewardesses, the whitetail from before, was assisting.  Helping them find space to share in the bunks, since there were far fewer beds than bodies looking to rest.  The stewardess happened to look up the hall and Ada waved her over.\n\n“Ma’am, this room isn’t meant for the passengers, and a male should not be back here!”  The doe admonished her with a hushed voice.  \n\n“I realize that, and I’m terribly sorry.”  Ada spoke timidly.  “I’m afraid the gentlemale and I were expecting to occupy this room until morning.  I’m aware that this is an imposition, but I hope you can understand?”  \n\nThe stewardess glanced past Ada and saw Valentine sleeping under the sheet.  There should be nothing incriminating in her view, at least not of what they had really done.  Ada had changed the sheets after they were finished and thrown any evidence of blood out the window.  Something that should irritate the staff when they discover how many towels are missing.  The stewardess looked over the Siamese, who attempted to hide herself behind the door as best she could.  The doe had a critical frown and Ada could feel the heat on her face as she bloomed in humiliation.  \n\n“Just until morning.”  The stewardess sighed.  \n\nAda gave her a grim smile.  “Thank you so much for your kindness.  If I could trouble you even further, would you please bring my luggage?  I suppose, Mr. Valentine’s too?”  \n\nThe doe nodded.  “Of course, ma’am.”  \n\nWhile Ada waited for the doe’s return, she found herself wondering if she would ever tell anyone about this night, deciding that she would likely go to her grave without doing so.  Who could she tell anyway?  Her fiance?  She was uncertain why she had done what she had done, how could he be expected to understand?  She thought about him for a moment, realizing that he was more a sprawled signature in a letter to her than a face.  He would look different than she remembered and she wouldn’t even get a chance to know him before being bound in matrimony.  She would find herself in bed with a stranger on her honeymoon.  That suddenly frightened her.  Why couldn’t he at least come across the country to her and allow them to be wed with family in attendance?  His last correspondence with her had begged for forgiveness, but his business couldn’t be abandoned at the moment.  Important deals were taking place, however, the wedding should not be put off any longer.\n\nWhen her luggage arrived she sifted through it to find fresh undergarments, setting them out.  She spent a while sitting in front of the mirror, removing her makeup and putting her hair back in place.  Her thoughts troubled her and she could see it on her face.  It was an unattractive look.  A bride should look regal, but approachable, not frowning in worry like an old maid.  She made an effort to soften her expression.  \n\nAda stood up.  She wanted to hang a sheet to block herself from the view of the male, but worried that in doing so she would disturb him.  He’d likely take efforts to make this more difficult if he was awake.  After satisfying herself that Valentine was indeed soundly asleep, she unfastened her petticoat and slipped it off.  Earlier, after some resistance, she allowed Valentine to loosen her corset.  Not something she wanted him to do, but the situation taxed her so much she needed to free up her breathing or risk swooning.  At least it now made it easier to reach behind herself and pull the ties.  The relief of unburdening herself of the corset was accompanied by the air cooling her sweat-moistened chemise underneath.  She carefully pulled the damp undershirt over her head and hung it to dry, leaving her only in frilly bloomers. \n\nThe feline ran her dark paws over the light fur of her stomach and meager chest.  The matted and damp feeling left by the tight corset was disagreeable, and she preferred to brush down.  She eyed Valentine.  Seeing he was resting comfortably for the moment, she decided to chance it.  An evening brush was typically a relaxing time for her, but she was rushed and unable to do her own back.  Yet again the lack of a servant pained her.  \n\nBehind her Valentine moaned and there was a creak of the bed.  Ada quickly snatched up her nearest article of clothing and clutched it to her chest before turning around.  Her wide eyes regarded the jackal in dismay that he was going to catch her like this.  To her relief, he didn’t wake up.  Only adjusted his position and groaned at the pain of the attempt.  He pulled the sheets up under his chin and the cover slipped off one of his legs.  Ada couldn’t help but notice that wasn’t all that was exposed.  \n\nValentine was the first male that she had ever beheld in a complete state of undress, an honor that should have been reserved for her husband.  She tried her best to avert her eyes, but her curiosity had gotten the better of her.  Her awareness of the male anatomy had been mostly based on what her mother had told her, artwork, and medical books that she could find at the library.  This limitation had proven a challenge when writing her novel and she had to use her imagination more than her knowledge.  Seeing what a male looked like made her realize her imagination was wanting, not to mention the words and sketches don’t do it justice.  She swallowed and forced herself not to look as she eased toward the bed to carefully fix the sheet.  Hiding it away from her treacherous eyes.  \n\nAda quickly dressed herself and slipped into her nightgown.  It was still improper attire around a male not related to her, but more comfortable.  She had little grace left to save around him anyway. She picked up her petticoat and fretted at the blood on it. Turning on cold water, she stuffed it into the small sink before sitting down to let it soak. \n\nAda looked at Valentine’s luggage.  A faded canvas bag with a drawstring closure was all he had.  She glanced at the jackal before standing the bag up and pulling the knot.  This was wrong, she knew, but she couldn’t help it.  She comforted herself with the knowledge that he had already admitted he would have done the same thing.  There was not much in it.  Slacks, shirts, underwear, socks.  An envelope with some monetary notes and papers that were not of much interest to her.  Although she did discover his first name was Derek.  She smirked to herself.  He didn’t look much like a “Derek”.  Eventually she happened across a rolled up cloth that had some weight to it.  She unfolded it to find a handful of trinkets.  There was a laughably small derringer.  A military metal with a brass star that she was unsure of its significance.  Valentine had been decorated?  He hadn’t mentioned that.  There was also a small crude figurine that appeared to be carved from bone.  It was a strangely proportioned female, but the details were too worn for the species to be determined.  Perhaps a pagan goddess?  \n\nThere was also a tarnished oval locket.\n\nThe locket was without a chain and appeared to be made of silver.  There was highly detailed scroll work on the exterior and if polished it would be quite a marvelous piece.  Ada carefully pried it open.  Inside was a small portrait painting of a female jackal with blue ribbons in her long hair.  His mother perhaps?  If it was, she was quite young at the time the portrait was done.  Opposite the image was an engraving:  [i]Donec Obviam Iterum[/i].\n\n“My sister.”  Valentine spoke quietly.\n\n“Oh!”  Ada let out in surprise.  She closed the locket hastily, clasping it in her paw.  She fumbled with the other items as she folded them back into the cloth.  “Mr. Valentine!  I-- I don’t know what came over me!”  \n\nValentine waved a paw weakly.  “It’s not like I have much to hide, or if I do, it hardly matters anymore.  Honestly, I’m flattered that someone like you would take enough interest to be intrusive.”  \n\nAda frowned.  “I’m sorry.”  She apologized.  “I don’t know what I was expecting to find.  I just… had to know.”  \n\n“Know what?”  Valentine asked with a raised eyebrow.\n\nAda set the bundle of keepsakes on her lap.  “That what I did was right.”  She admitted.  “Jack-- Mr. Tallan told me some things about you.” \n\n“Nothing good, I expect?”  \n\n“No, not at all.”  Ada admitted.  “I know I shouldn’t take his words as truth.  He is your rival, after all.”  \n\nValentine let out a suppressed cough and grimaced at the effort.  “He’s not the type to fabricate slander.  Can’t imagine he has any talent for it.”  \n\n“He told me you killed a peace officer.”  \n\nValentine nodded.  “That’s how the story goes.”  \n\n“So it’s true?  And the harlot as well?  What occurred in Fall Creek?  Did you really--”  The sickly male shot her a glance, there was a harshness to his face that Ada had not seen before and was taken aback.  \n\n“I... I think I’ve earned the t-truth, Mr. Valentine.”  She stammered.\n\n“You’ve earned my thanks, and I’ve given it.”  Valentine stated flatly.  “Since you’re not adverse to rummaging through my belongings, could you be so obliging as to fetch the smoke case from my pants?”  \n\nAda could feel her fur rise.  What did she really expect?  She knew what he was even before entering this room and should assume no absolution from him for her actions.  Bundled on her lap was a small weapon.  His tiny derringer.  Was it loaded?  Surely, with a male like Valentine, it would be.  The best thing for all concerned would be if she pointed it at him and pulled the trigger.  She fumed at herself for even thinking such a thought.  Does being in proximity to evil rub off on you?  Ada believed it must.  A thought, however, does not equate to action.  She could no more follow through on that fancy than throw herself out the window.  She was not like him.  Instead, she did as he bid and found the case in the pocket of his pants.  \n\nValentine flipped open the tin case and slipped out a methodically rolled cigarette.  He poked it between his lips and started to fumble with the matches.  The first one he tried broke in half.  A second one slipped from his fingers.  \n\n“Lost considerable blood pressure.”  He muttered with a sigh, looking to her for aid.  Ada hesitated before lighting a match for him.  She touched the flame to his smoke as he drew in a breath and nodded his gratitude.  \n\nThe Siamese shook out the flame and sat back down.  Why was she doing this?  Why did she do any of this?  Attending to a male -- who by all accounts was as vile a villain as any she could imagine -- like a doting nurse?  This is not her place.  She’s better than this.  Better than him.  Yet it wasn’t in her to simply leave him to the mercies of his enemies.  Through some outlandish twist of fate she was bound to him, and would see this through.  Even if it leads somewhere terrifying.  Ada opened her paw and looked at the locket.  If he wasn’t going to tell her the truth of what he was, maybe he would tell her something else.\n\n“What was your sister like?”  Ada urged him.\n\nValentine breathed out a stream of smoke, coughed lightly and winced.  For a moment he remained silent and Ada assumed he would ignore this request as well.  \n\n“Her name was Sybilla,” the jackal began, “but everyone called her Billie.  She was older than I by eight years and had as much to do with raising me into the fine gentlemale you see before you as my mother did.  She was endlessly patient, had a wonderful sense of humor and the elegance of a queen.  You would have gotten along with her fabulously.”\n\nValentine rolled the cigarette between his thumb and forefinger thoughtfully.  He appeared to savor the memory.  “When suitors started to entice her, of which there were many, I did my best to discourage them.  I was only a pup and had no interest in relinquishing her.  I insisted to one of them that she had wooden teeth, another that her long, glorious hair was, in fact, a wig, and on several occasions asserted that she padded her bodice.  She chastised me for my antics, but didn’t punish me.  I suppose those lies gave her some insight into their character.”  Ada couldn’t help but giggle and the jackal looked at her with interest.  \n\n“So you [i]can [/i]laugh.”  He gently quipped.  “I was starting to wonder.”  \n\n“I’m sorry, Mr. Valentine.”  She said with a smile.  “It’s just that I can relate.  My sister didn’t want me to leave either.  She cried all day when she discovered I was packing my luggage.”\n\n“Cubs don’t much care for change.”  \n\n“No, I suppose they don’t.”  Ada agreed, realizing that she still preferred the safety of stagnation.  After all, her kitten days were not long behind her and all these frightful, brutal experiences only buttressed that conviction.  “You got over it when she chose a male, though, didn’t you?”\n\nThe pained expression on his face indicated otherwise.  “As it happened, I didn’t have to. She never did. The migraines started not long after her sixteenth birthday.  At first it was attributed it to stress, but they worsened and fainting spells became commonplace.  The doctors examined her and eventually discovered the cause.”  Valentine pointed to his skull.  “Cancer.  A very aggressive form.”   \n\nHe nodded grimly.  “At her bedside I vowed: ‘Don’t worry, dear sister, I’m going to be a doctor.  I’ll fix you’.  Billie had been heavily pacified with morphine, but she patted me on the head and smiled.  ‘I know you will'.  One day Mother had put her in a bath.  They seemed to be of some help so they were drawn for her daily.  Billie would lay in there for hours, soaking away her suffering.  Mother would let her rest and come in periodically to--”\n\nValentine was struck with a fit of coughing.  He writhed in agony at the strain on his abdomen, but was unable to suppress himself.  Ada quickly assisted him, helping him sit up so he could better clear his lungs.  She sat on the bed beside him, holding him firmly, knowing there was nothing else she could do for him.  When the spell passed he rested against her.  \n\n“Just giving your handiwork a test.”  He muttered as he checked his bandage.  There was a spot of red showing through, but not enough to indicate the stitching had torn.  Ada gave him a kerchief and he wiped his mouth, coming away with a smear of blood.  \n\n“Is there anything remaining in the bottle?”  He asked.\n\n“A little.”  Ada informed him as she retrieved it for him.  The jackal downed the last bit and started to cough again, but this time managed to quelch it.  He raised the still burning cigarette to his mouth and realized what he was doing.  He grimaced and smashed the ember between the pads of his thumb and forefinger before tossing the butt onto the floor.  After some hesitation, Ada stroked the fur on his back comfortingly.  He felt like there was nothing between the bones and skin. Valentine flinched at her tender touch, but didn’t complain. \n\n“You can’t continue like this, Mr. Valentine.”  She admonished him softly as she opened her paw and revealed the locket.  “I'm ignorant of most Latin, but I know this inscription: ‘[i]Until We Meet Again[/i].’  The path you're on… all the wickedness.  That won’t happen. You know that, don't you?”  \n\nValentine gave a quiet chuckle that was devoid of any joy.  “I didn’t finish the story, did I?”  He informed her.  “In the end Billie was in constant pain, even with the morphine.  My mother had not heeded the razor blade, and when she left Billie alone...”  He allowed that to linger unfinished, or was unable to finish it. The jackal looked down at the bottle.  It was empty, but he turned it up anyway, taking the few drops it offered.  Ada’s face fell into lament as she realized what Valentine was implying and what scripture fated for those who committed such an act.  She closed her eyes sadly.\n\n“So you see,” he told her, “I will be with her again. By my reckoning, I will be with her very soon.”  ", "writing_bbcode_parsed": "
Fly to Hell
Part 4


Ada was slouched in the chair next to the open window feeling drained, hoping the cool air would clear her mind.  At the rear of the ship the engine exhaust was strong, but when the breeze blew across the ship she'd get a whiff of the clean, high atmosphere.  Her hair was disheveled and her makeup smeared.  Adding to the unbecoming appearance was the fact that she was only in her corset and petticoat.  On the back of the door Valentine’s belt, holster, and pistol hung on a hook next to her dress.  Valentine had insisted that she remove it as well as her gloves, boots and stockings.  Not for any lewd reason, but because the risk of getting blood on her was high.  As it was she had gotten some on the skirt of her petticoat.  

Valentine was on the bed and managed to be far less presentable than she was.  The jackal was naked with only a towel to keep him modest.  One of the few clean towels left after using so many to control the bleeding.  His lower abdomen was tightly bound with fresh bandages.  His body was frightfully thin.  Gaunt arms and legs with the bones of his ribs clearly distinguishable through the fur.  If it weren’t for the rise and fall of his chest and the wheeze of his breathing he would have looked dead.  

It had been a harrowing hour for Ada.  Somehow she had managed to perform an operation on him with the limited contents of the ship's first aid box.  The injury, a deep puncture in the side of his lower abdomen, had not been quite as severe as he feared, even though it looked absolutely dreadful to Ada.  No major arteries had been severed and his kidney had been missed, but his intestine had gotten lacerated, requiring repair and a thorough cleaning to prevent sepsis.  She knew nothing about what she was doing outside of some embroidery she had done as a young kitten, but Valentine guided her through the procedure while observing with a mirror.  Giving instructions between chewing his belt and taking drinks to keep himself suitably numb, but not drunk enough to start slurring his words.  Ada had been astonished by the jackal’s capacity to endure the pain, the liquor could only have done so much to help him.  Despite his sickness, he was shockingly resilient.  Something she lacked.  Many times she was certain that she was going to vomit, once even having to put her head out the window, but he had given her some advice to reduce the urge. 

On several occasions she had noticed a shadow through the gap under the door, indicating someone lingering outside, however Valentine’s groans, grunts, and heavy breathing must have sounded intimate as opposed to agonizing so nobody dared interrupt them. This was exactly what the jackal was betting on.  The wild card had been Jack.  The wolf was unpredictable.  If Valentine’s remaining enemies had decided to force the door, they could with ease, but they appeared to be biding their time.  Perhaps still licking their wounds after the loss of one of their own.  The gamble had paid off.

Ada stood up and scrubbed her paws in the sink.  They felt dirty even though she had washed them multiple times.  She was convinced she could still smell blood, as well as unmentionable other body fluids, on them.  Her refined paws that her mother had never even allowed her to get dirt on had been handling someone’s internal organs.  She had insisted many times that this was beyond her, that she couldn’t possibly do something like this, not in a million years, but Valentine had never allowed her to be dissuaded. Before he finally allowed himself to pass out he had spoken the only words he had ever said to her with sincerity:  

You did well, Ada.  Thank you.

Ada turned to look at the resting jackal who shivered in his sleep.  He coughed lightly and groaned at the effort.  He looked pathetic and small, but still alive.  What she had done was the most profound thing she had ever accomplished, making every other notable event meaningless.  She saved someone’s life.  However, if only half of what she had come to learn about him was true he was undeserving of her efforts.  That weighed on her. 

She shut the window and pulled a sheet over Valentine before putting a paw on his head.  The jackal’s condition made him more susceptible to infections, but he didn’t feel warmer than he should be.  Not yet at least.  The hours ahead would be more telling.  Ada stood up and opened the door a crack, peering through.  The hall outside ran down the sleeping quarters where passengers were finding bunks to sleep in.  It was the female quarters, separated further up from the male quarters by a curtain.  Many were in various states of undress as they changed into nightgowns.  One of the stewardesses, the whitetail from before, was assisting.  Helping them find space to share in the bunks, since there were far fewer beds than bodies looking to rest.  The stewardess happened to look up the hall and Ada waved her over.

“Ma’am, this room isn’t meant for the passengers, and a male should not be back here!”  The doe admonished her with a hushed voice.  

“I realize that, and I’m terribly sorry.”  Ada spoke timidly.  “I’m afraid the gentlemale and I were expecting to occupy this room until morning.  I’m aware that this is an imposition, but I hope you can understand?”  

The stewardess glanced past Ada and saw Valentine sleeping under the sheet.  There should be nothing incriminating in her view, at least not of what they had really done.  Ada had changed the sheets after they were finished and thrown any evidence of blood out the window.  Something that should irritate the staff when they discover how many towels are missing.  The stewardess looked over the Siamese, who attempted to hide herself behind the door as best she could.  The doe had a critical frown and Ada could feel the heat on her face as she bloomed in humiliation.  

“Just until morning.”  The stewardess sighed.  

Ada gave her a grim smile.  “Thank you so much for your kindness.  If I could trouble you even further, would you please bring my luggage?  I suppose, Mr. Valentine’s too?”  

The doe nodded.  “Of course, ma’am.”  

While Ada waited for the doe’s return, she found herself wondering if she would ever tell anyone about this night, deciding that she would likely go to her grave without doing so.  Who could she tell anyway?  Her fiance?  She was uncertain why she had done what she had done, how could he be expected to understand?  She thought about him for a moment, realizing that he was more a sprawled signature in a letter to her than a face.  He would look different than she remembered and she wouldn’t even get a chance to know him before being bound in matrimony.  She would find herself in bed with a stranger on her honeymoon.  That suddenly frightened her.  Why couldn’t he at least come across the country to her and allow them to be wed with family in attendance?  His last correspondence with her had begged for forgiveness, but his business couldn’t be abandoned at the moment.  Important deals were taking place, however, the wedding should not be put off any longer.

When her luggage arrived she sifted through it to find fresh undergarments, setting them out.  She spent a while sitting in front of the mirror, removing her makeup and putting her hair back in place.  Her thoughts troubled her and she could see it on her face.  It was an unattractive look.  A bride should look regal, but approachable, not frowning in worry like an old maid.  She made an effort to soften her expression.  

Ada stood up.  She wanted to hang a sheet to block herself from the view of the male, but worried that in doing so she would disturb him.  He’d likely take efforts to make this more difficult if he was awake.  After satisfying herself that Valentine was indeed soundly asleep, she unfastened her petticoat and slipped it off.  Earlier, after some resistance, she allowed Valentine to loosen her corset.  Not something she wanted him to do, but the situation taxed her so much she needed to free up her breathing or risk swooning.  At least it now made it easier to reach behind herself and pull the ties.  The relief of unburdening herself of the corset was accompanied by the air cooling her sweat-moistened chemise underneath.  She carefully pulled the damp undershirt over her head and hung it to dry, leaving her only in frilly bloomers. 

The feline ran her dark paws over the light fur of her stomach and meager chest.  The matted and damp feeling left by the tight corset was disagreeable, and she preferred to brush down.  She eyed Valentine.  Seeing he was resting comfortably for the moment, she decided to chance it.  An evening brush was typically a relaxing time for her, but she was rushed and unable to do her own back.  Yet again the lack of a servant pained her.  

Behind her Valentine moaned and there was a creak of the bed.  Ada quickly snatched up her nearest article of clothing and clutched it to her chest before turning around.  Her wide eyes regarded the jackal in dismay that he was going to catch her like this.  To her relief, he didn’t wake up.  Only adjusted his position and groaned at the pain of the attempt.  He pulled the sheets up under his chin and the cover slipped off one of his legs.  Ada couldn’t help but notice that wasn’t all that was exposed.  

Valentine was the first male that she had ever beheld in a complete state of undress, an honor that should have been reserved for her husband.  She tried her best to avert her eyes, but her curiosity had gotten the better of her.  Her awareness of the male anatomy had been mostly based on what her mother had told her, artwork, and medical books that she could find at the library.  This limitation had proven a challenge when writing her novel and she had to use her imagination more than her knowledge.  Seeing what a male looked like made her realize her imagination was wanting, not to mention the words and sketches don’t do it justice.  She swallowed and forced herself not to look as she eased toward the bed to carefully fix the sheet.  Hiding it away from her treacherous eyes.  

Ada quickly dressed herself and slipped into her nightgown.  It was still improper attire around a male not related to her, but more comfortable.  She had little grace left to save around him anyway.  She picked up her petticoat and fretted at the blood on it.  Turning on cold water, she stuffed it into the small sink before sitting down to let it soak.  

Ada looked at Valentine’s luggage.  A faded canvas bag with a drawstring closure was all he had.  She glanced at the jackal before standing the bag up and pulling the knot.  This was wrong, she knew, but she couldn’t help it.  She comforted herself with the knowledge that he had already admitted he would have done the same thing.  There was not much in it.  Slacks, shirts, underwear, socks.  An envelope with some monetary notes and papers that were not of much interest to her.  Although she did discover his first name was Derek.  She smirked to herself.  He didn’t look much like a “Derek”.  Eventually she happened across a rolled up cloth that had some weight to it.  She unfolded it to find a handful of trinkets.  There was a laughably small derringer.  A military metal with a brass star that she was unsure of its significance.  Valentine had been decorated?  He hadn’t mentioned that.  There was also a small crude figurine that appeared to be carved from bone.  It was a strangely proportioned female, but the details were too worn for the species to be determined.  Perhaps a pagan goddess?  

There was also a tarnished oval locket.

The locket was without a chain and appeared to be made of silver.  There was highly detailed scroll work on the exterior and if polished it would be quite a marvelous piece.  Ada carefully pried it open.  Inside was a small portrait painting of a female jackal with blue ribbons in her long hair.  His mother perhaps?  If it was, she was quite young at the time the portrait was done.  Opposite the image was an engraving:  Donec Obviam Iterum.

“My sister.”  Valentine spoke quietly.

“Oh!”  Ada let out in surprise.  She closed the locket hastily, clasping it in her paw.  She fumbled with the other items as she folded them back into the cloth.  “Mr. Valentine!  I-- I don’t know what came over me!”  

Valentine waved a paw weakly.  “It’s not like I have much to hide, or if I do, it hardly matters anymore.  Honestly, I’m flattered that someone like you would take enough interest to be intrusive.”  

Ada frowned.  “I’m sorry.”  She apologized.  “I don’t know what I was expecting to find.  I just… had to know.”  

“Know what?”  Valentine asked with a raised eyebrow.

Ada set the bundle of keepsakes on her lap.  “That what I did was right.”  She admitted.  “Jack-- Mr. Tallan told me some things about you.” 

“Nothing good, I expect?”  

“No, not at all.”  Ada admitted.  “I know I shouldn’t take his words as truth.  He is your rival, after all.”  

Valentine let out a suppressed cough and grimaced at the effort.  “He’s not the type to fabricate slander.  Can’t imagine he has any talent for it.”  

“He told me you killed a peace officer.”  

Valentine nodded.  “That’s how the story goes.”  

“So it’s true?  And the harlot as well?  What occurred in Fall Creek?  Did you really--”  The sickly male shot her a glance, there was a harshness to his face that Ada had not seen before and was taken aback.  

“I... I think I’ve earned the t-truth, Mr. Valentine.”  She stammered.

“You’ve earned my thanks, and I’ve given it.”  Valentine stated flatly.  “Since you’re not adverse to rummaging through my belongings, could you be so obliging as to fetch the smoke case from my pants?”  

Ada could feel her fur rise.  What did she really expect?  She knew what he was even before entering this room and should assume no absolution from him for her actions.  Bundled on her lap was a small weapon.  His tiny derringer.  Was it loaded?  Surely, with a male like Valentine, it would be.  The best thing for all concerned would be if she pointed it at him and pulled the trigger.  She fumed at herself for even thinking such a thought.  Does being in proximity to evil rub off on you?  Ada believed it must.  A thought, however, does not equate to action.  She could no more follow through on that fancy than throw herself out the window.  She was not like him.  Instead, she did as he bid and found the case in the pocket of his pants.  

Valentine flipped open the tin case and slipped out a methodically rolled cigarette.  He poked it between his lips and started to fumble with the matches.  The first one he tried broke in half.  A second one slipped from his fingers.  

“Lost considerable blood pressure.”  He muttered with a sigh, looking to her for aid.  Ada hesitated before lighting a match for him.  She touched the flame to his smoke as he drew in a breath and nodded his gratitude.  

The Siamese shook out the flame and sat back down.  Why was she doing this?  Why did she do any of this?  Attending to a male -- who by all accounts was as vile a villain as any she could imagine -- like a doting nurse?  This is not her place.  She’s better than this.  Better than him.  Yet it wasn’t in her to simply leave him to the mercies of his enemies.  Through some outlandish twist of fate she was bound to him, and would see this through.  Even if it leads somewhere terrifying.  Ada opened her paw and looked at the locket.  If he wasn’t going to tell her the truth of what he was, maybe he would tell her something else.

“What was your sister like?”  Ada urged him.

Valentine breathed out a stream of smoke, coughed lightly and winced.  For a moment he remained silent and Ada assumed he would ignore this request as well.  

“Her name was Sybilla,” the jackal began, “but everyone called her Billie.  She was older than I by eight years and had as much to do with raising me into the fine gentlemale you see before you as my mother did.  She was endlessly patient, had a wonderful sense of humor and the elegance of a queen.  You would have gotten along with her fabulously.”

Valentine rolled the cigarette between his thumb and forefinger thoughtfully.  He appeared to savor the memory.  “When suitors started to entice her, of which there were many, I did my best to discourage them.  I was only a pup and had no interest in relinquishing her.  I insisted to one of them that she had wooden teeth, another that her long, glorious hair was, in fact, a wig, and on several occasions asserted that she padded her bodice.  She chastised me for my antics, but didn’t punish me.  I suppose those lies gave her some insight into their character.”  Ada couldn’t help but giggle and the jackal looked at her with interest.  

“So you can laugh.”  He gently quipped.  “I was starting to wonder.”  

“I’m sorry, Mr. Valentine.”  She said with a smile.  “It’s just that I can relate.  My sister didn’t want me to leave either.  She cried all day when she discovered I was packing my luggage.”

“Cubs don’t much care for change.”  

“No, I suppose they don’t.”  Ada agreed, realizing that she still preferred the safety of stagnation.  After all, her kitten days were not long behind her and all these frightful, brutal experiences only buttressed that conviction.  “You got over it when she chose a male, though, didn’t you?”

The pained expression on his face indicated otherwise.  “As it happened, I didn’t have to.  She never did.  The migraines started not long after her sixteenth birthday.  At first it was attributed it to stress, but they worsened and fainting spells became commonplace.  The doctors examined her and eventually discovered the cause.”  Valentine pointed to his skull.  “Cancer.  A very aggressive form.”   

He nodded grimly.  “At her bedside I vowed: ‘Don’t worry, dear sister, I’m going to be a doctor.  I’ll fix you’.  Billie had been heavily pacified with morphine, but she patted me on the head and smiled.  ‘I know you will'.  One day Mother had put her in a bath.  They seemed to be of some help so they were drawn for her daily.  Billie would lay in there for hours, soaking away her suffering.  Mother would let her rest and come in periodically to--”

Valentine was struck with a fit of coughing.  He writhed in agony at the strain on his abdomen, but was unable to suppress himself.  Ada quickly assisted him, helping him sit up so he could better clear his lungs.  She sat on the bed beside him, holding him firmly, knowing there was nothing else she could do for him.  When the spell passed he rested against her.  

“Just giving your handiwork a test.”  He muttered as he checked his bandage.  There was a spot of red showing through, but not enough to indicate the stitching had torn.  Ada gave him a kerchief and he wiped his mouth, coming away with a smear of blood.  

“Is there anything remaining in the bottle?”  He asked.

“A little.”  Ada informed him as she retrieved it for him.  The jackal downed the last bit and started to cough again, but this time managed to quelch it.  He raised the still burning cigarette to his mouth and realized what he was doing.  He grimaced and smashed the ember between the pads of his thumb and forefinger before tossing the butt onto the floor.  After some hesitation, Ada stroked the fur on his back comfortingly.  He felt like there was nothing between the bones and skin.  Valentine flinched at her tender touch, but didn’t complain.  

“You can’t continue like this, Mr. Valentine.”  She admonished him softly as she opened her paw and revealed the locket.  “I'm ignorant of most Latin, but I know this inscription: ‘Until We Meet Again.’  The path you're on… all the wickedness.  That won’t happen.  You know that, don't you?”  

Valentine gave a quiet chuckle that was devoid of any joy.  “I didn’t finish the story, did I?”  He informed her.  “In the end Billie was in constant pain, even with the morphine.  My mother had not heeded the razor blade, and when she left Billie alone...”  He allowed that to linger unfinished, or was unable to finish it.  The jackal looked down at the bottle.  It was empty, but he turned it up anyway, taking the few drops it offered.  Ada’s face fell into lament as she realized what Valentine was implying and what scripture fated for those who committed such an act.  She closed her eyes sadly.

“So you see,” he told her, “I will be with her again.  By my reckoning, I will be with her very soon.”  ", "pools_count": 1, "title": "Fly to Hell (Part 4)", "deleted": "f", "public": "t", "mimetype": "application/msword", "pagecount": "1", "rating_id": "2", "rating_name": "Adult", "ratings": [ { "content_tag_id": "2", "name": "Nudity", "description": "Nonsexual nudity exposing breasts or genitals (must not show arousal)", "rating_id": "1" }, { "content_tag_id": "5", "name": "Strong Violence", "description": "Strong violence, blood, serious injury or death", "rating_id": "2" } ], "submission_type_id": "12", "type_name": "Writing - Document", "guest_block": "f", "friends_only": "f", "comments_count": "0", "views": "165" }