.ʀᴇɴᴇɢᴀᴅᴇ ᴍᴀᴛʀɪᴀʀᴄʜ.
An early morning fog blanketed the dense landscape, beams of gold jutting through the branches of evergreens. The first traces of life began to reveal themselves, the hushed melody of birdsong and the silencing of katydids in response.
Life persists, even in the most unexpected of places.
Deep within the forest was an outcropping; rocks of varying size protruded from the earth, surrounding a deep crevice like protective barriers. The sound of rustling bounced off of the sheer walls of the pit.
An old hen, a Deinonychus who'd been laying amongst what greenery managed to survive deep within the chasm, raised her head from the dirt. Despite how long she'd been resting, she looked as if like she might as well had forgone sleep. With an intensive shake of her feathers, ridding herself of the morning dew and remnants of unconsciousness that clung to her, she stood up. She stretched her aching limbs, a slight tremble as her wings fanned out, before tucking them close to her yellowing breast once more.
She surveyed her surroundings, plodding around as she sniffed the ground, the air around her.
Her fellow kin were nowhere to be seen, their scent having already begun to fade. Without the energy to keep up, the hen resigned to watching over the territory, knowing her pack of defectors would return eventually.
The cool morning air nipped at exposed skin and scales, sending a chill through her body. The chasm, while it held safety for the most part, had the fault of blocking the warmth that daylight provided - until it was positioned in just the right way, in a very particular spot. The hen eyed the ridgeline, before turning her attention to a tall, but conveniently flat-topped rock that sat in the middle of the natural skylight, still shrouded in shade.
-
Dull talons scraped the hard surface, marred with previous gouges from past attempts. With what little vigor remained, the old hen managed to haul herself up onto that rock, the stone colder than the space around her. She paced around in circles for a few moments, before letting her weary bones rest once more, settling down and curling around herself.
She then waited...
And waited.
Until finally, the golden rays struck her inky, sleek feathers. Her wings, once tucked against her, were now spread out - eager to catch as much of that warmth as possible. Tense muscles slackened as slumber threatened to claim the hen once more, but she fought to ignore it, at least for now. This kind of peace was a rarity, something to be cherished. The light of the rising sun cascaded over jagged surfaces, enveloping the fatigued little raptor with a type of solace that had been lost on her for many years.
With the rhythmic rise and fall of her ribcage, the occasional huff through her nostrils and twitch of a claw, the matriarch rested.
-
172 notes
·
View notes
🦈Shark Awareness Day🦈
July 14th - Sharks, skates and rays belong to a subclass of fish called 'Elasmobranchii', being notable for their primarily cartilaginous skeletons and unique diversity.
Sharks play a vital role in maintaining stable ocean environments; by removing sickly fish, and controlling overpopulation of either invasive or smaller predatory fish in certain ecosystems. Filter feeders and sand sifters are just as important, being a part of the ocean's clean-up crew and nutrient cyclists.
Unfortunately, over one-third of these species are at risk or threatened with extinction due to climate change and misconceptions being spurred on by popular media over the years (Jaws, Shark Week, etc.). The loss of these animals would lead to a decline in ocean ecosystem health around the world.
376 notes
·
View notes
Spiderman AU: Mer!Otto/DocOck, aka 'Stumpy'
- More info below v
Meant to put this here before June started, but finally; here's my rendition of the merman AU I kept teasing elsewhere. He's been inspired off a beloved friend's design and story initially, and has since been developed into his own character, with his own lore n' whatnot. :}
❗❗ Questions are welcome and encouraged, as I have been working on him for quite a while now and would love to share things about him! However, I do ask that you do not claim it as your own / repost about it anywhere else / take heavy inspiration.
(This AU means a lot to me personally and I have been putting off posting about it for good reason. Don't be the reason it's taken down entirely.) Thank you! ♥ ❗❗
254 notes
·
View notes