AURIBUS TENEO LUPUM

"Holding a wolf by the ears"

Used to describe an unsustainable situation, and in particular one in which both doing nothing and doing something to resolve it are equally risky.

A/N: Hello, hello! I know it's been forever and a half since my last story, but I was inspired to write again by my love for My Hero Academia (been growing ever since I started reading the manga towards the beginning of 2016 and kicked into high-gear by the amazing anime adaption).

I'll have you know that my idea for this story was jump-started by a prompt by Astridalen over on tumblr. ^^

(You might recognize the specific one later in the story, hint hint)

From there, I literally wrote out the entire plot and have 9 pages of planning to show for it! Phew! But at least I have a game plan moving forward. :D

This is completely un-betaed by the way, so I hope that there aren't too many errors. ; v; Just a forewarning.

Anyway, that's enough of my rambling for now. Hope you enjoy the first chapter!

Rated T: for violence and language (a la Bakugou)

Pairings: None, but plenty of fluff.

(Because my fics are self-indulgent as all get out)

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT own My Hero Academia, just my own words.

There comes a day when the lost heir returns,

when a great power is divided,

enemies' lives become united—

when one falls, as does the other—

for such a power

pitted against itself

leads to ruin.

"Ow!"

The exclamation pierced through the quiet of the midafternoon air. Izuku Midoriya found himself wincing as he sucked at the cut on his finger, glaring betrayed at the hawthorn plant that he'd been attempting to harvest berries from.

The teen gave an irritated huff as he examined the cut, deeming it shallow enough to continue his task, but still in need of a bandage to prevent infection. Grumbling to himself he rummaged through his leather satchel, retrieving a strip of bandages and an herbal salve his mom has given him just for occasions such as these, where his clumsiness got him hurt in one way or another. Unfortunately, that was more often than the boy really wanted to admit, but c'est la vie.

Smearing the salve over the cut and deftly wrapping a bandage his finger, Izuku turned back to the hawthorn bush resolutely. As much as he really didn't want to continue messing around with the prickly plant, his mother had asked specifically for more hawthorn, as their stores were running low. As annoying a plant as it was to harvest from, hawthorn was too useful and versatile to just brush over, much to his chagrin. The leaves, berries, and flowers all could be used for medicine and treat ailments from chest pain to indigestion, and, most commonly, stomach pain. Thus, hawthorn was the base for most of the Midoriya's potions and medicine and as such, ran out far quicker than other herbs, like yarrow.

Bracing himself, the teen pulled his right glove back on and continued his hunt, plucking the brightest and largest berries, then placing them in the woven basket he brings for his errands.

As the only male in his household, after his father had left when he was a baby, Izuku carried the responsibility for making sure he and his mom had what was needed to keep the business going. Their potions and medicines were rather popular in the towns near the two's cottage, most everyone having traded for them at some point or another for various ailments, from hay fever to injuries from a mishandled farm tool. Their livelihood depended on their potions, so the boy considered it a necessary evil to forage for herbs in the forest surrounding the area as often as he could manage, even with the dangers of the local wildlife or the occasional bandit.

While the current king, known to his people as All Might (a name spoken in hushed whispers and reverent tones) had greatly reduced the overall crime rate in the kingdom—often known to go on rides throughout the kingdom himself and take down evildoers that had even the best of his guard hesitating—there was only so much one man could do. Not to mention that as the king aged, he began to go out less and less, meaning that criminals had gotten bolder. No one was quite sure why he was unable to patrol as much as he used to, but most chalked it up to the pitfalls of old age and left it at that.

But still, how could someone who had seemed so unstoppable and tireless suddenly…drop like that?

The teen frowned at the thought.

Even though crime rates tended to be higher in the bigger cities and towns, such as the capitol, even his rural community had been seeing a spike in crime. As a result, his mother had insisted that he carry a dagger with him at all times. Luckily for him, he hadn't really had much reason to use it as of late, but the thought that he one day might was unsettling.

Still, he supposed, it was better than remaining unarmed and vulnerable.

Izuku paused in his work to examine the sizeable pile of herbs in his basket. Bright red hawthorn berries, lush hawthorn leaves, some yarrow, thyme, sage…

"Hm, I think that's everything…" The teen muttered to himself, setting the basket down for a moment to look around the area, then examine the contents of his satchel to ensure he hadn't accidently dropped anything.

His notebook peeked up at him from his bag, nestled against a few empty potion vials and his handkerchief that his mother had embroidered for him for a birthday gift a few years ago. He rooted through the bag a bit more, before deciding that yes, he hadn't forgotten anything.

"Guess I'm done for the day!" The teen cracked a smile and stretched for a moment, glad to be able to retire for the evening. The sun was only just beginning to dip below the horizon, dying the treetops a fiery orange and sending dappled light through the natural pavilion to warm the Izuku's face.

Letting the smile drop from his face, Izuku picked up his basket and began carefully making his way through the undergrowth back towards the trail. Thorny branches and hidden brambles would be quick to latch onto him if he didn't pay attention, so he kept one emerald eye trained on the terrain as he went.

A flash of brown caught the boy's gaze as he pushed past the last of the precarious foliage and Izuku gave a soft sigh of relief at the sight of the well-worn trail.

Thank god… I'd really rather not get lost this late in the day.

Humming a song his mother used to sing to him as a child, the teen swiftly made his way back to the small cottage he and his mother called home.

"Mom! I'm home!" Izuku called through the door, a smile edging at his lips when he immediately hears a thud and then hurried steps rushing towards the front of the house.

The worn door is yanked open to his mother's flustered, but grinning face as she smoothest down her apron with her hands.

If anyone else was looking at the scene, the resemblance between the two was nearly uncanny. Izuku easily had his mother's eyes and hair color. If not for his own freckles and his mother's crow's feet and larger figure, inherent to her age, one could easily mistake them for twins, the two standing at approximately the same height—Izuku maybe having an inch or two over her.

"Welcome back Izuku! Dinner is almost ready, if you'd like to freshen up first." The green-haired woman's eyes trailed to the basket clutched in his gloved palm before lighting up and shooting back up to the young man's face.

"Ah, you have the hawthorn I asked for! Thank goodness, we were just about out! And that would've been typical, wouldn't it? Running out of one of the most important ingredients right before the Akarui Festival! It's one of the most important trading events of the year—"

Izuku just watched his mother ramble on, listening with half an ear as he was hit with the mouthwatering scent wafting from the kitchen. His stomach growled loudly, cutting through his mother's rambling like a warm knife through butter.

Izuku immediately flushed, warmth flooding his face up to the tips of his ears.

Inko blinked, then gasped.

"Oh Izuku! I'm so sorry—I went rabbiting off again! You should've stopped me! You know I wouldn't mind." She exclaimed, reaching out to grab the basket from the teen's hand. She backed away from the doorway and ushered Izuku inside hurriedly.

"C'mon, c'mon! We don't want the stew getting cold now. Go on and wash up and I'll get the plates ready."

Izuku obediently came inside at his mother's insistence, sliding off his boots in the doorway. He turned around, looking after his mom as she rushed towards the kitchen.

"You sure you don't want any help?" He inquired.

Inko glanced back at him, her expression melting into a fond smile before shaking her head.

"No sweetheart, I can manage. You do more than enough around here, please let me take care of at least this much."

Izuku nodded affirmatively, flashing a sliver of a grin in her direction before trudging up the stairs to his bedroom. Pushing his door open, the boy was met with the sight of his room dyed a myriad of blue and purple hues, courtesy of the rapidly-approaching evening. Fumbling about, he managed to find a candle and match and lit the wick, before placing it on his nightstand.

The flickering light, while small, managed to illuminate the room's meager offerings. A sturdy bed with a slightly moth-eaten quilt was pushed against one wall, directly beside the window. To the left of the bed, Izuku could make out his desk, made of sturdy cedar wood and worn from years of constant use. Papers spilled over the edges of the desk, a few decorating the floor beside his desk chair and dotting his woven rug—a mottled collection of scarlet, gold, and royal blue, the national colors of Yuuei. A tapestry of the same colors adorned the wall next to his door, depicting a victorious All Might with his signature grin.

The pail acting as his trash bin beside the desk was overflowing with papers and a few cracked potion bottles, from nights spent coming up with new ideas for medicines, as well as—embarrassingly enough—his observations and theories about the source of the king's seemingly otherworldly power. He always came back to magic as the ultimate answer and while magic certainly existed, it was super rare that there was a large enough output from a single individual that such force could be exerted.

Most people held a trace of magic within them from birth, but few were able to really utilize it and of those that could, it generally took direct magical lineage and craft in order to have true control or impact. Witches and wizards were capable of magic, yes, but they had magic in their family for generations and spent their entire lives getting it under control. An example of this was his friend, Uraraka, who had been born with enough magical energy to enchant objects. She frequently bought potions from the Midoriya's as a base that she'd then enchant to achieve a certain effect for her family's store, which specialized in magical wares. As for herself, she had made an enchanted staff that amplified her magic power so that she could affect more than one object or person at a time, a favorite prank of hers being to make people levitate randomly as a prank—one he'd been on the receiving end of one too many times for his taste throughout the years they'd grown up together. Nonetheless, it wasn't malicious by any means, so Izuku supposed he could deal with it.

Other than that, the only other true magical beings were magical creatures themselves, such as dragons—though those hadn't been seen for ages and no one was really sure if they even existed in the first place at this point.

Izuku shook his head and determinedly swept aside his thoughts for the time being, shoving them back into a tiny compartment in his brain for further analysis. As it stood, he had spent enough time lost in thought and just the thought of dinner had his stomach screeching at him to get a move on.

Removing the dagger from his belt and tossing it onto his bed, alongside his satchel, the green-haired teen rushed to the wash bin located on his dresser. He ran his hands through the water with a dollop of homemade lavender soap, then wiped them off with a small hand towel. With that task done, Izuku booked it back down the stairs, more than ready to eat and relax for the evening.

"Izuku," his mother started, just as the teen polished off the last of his stew, spoon scraping the bowl.

Izuku lifted his head and met his mother's matching emerald gaze.

"Yes, mom?"

Seeing that she had his attention, his mother visibly brightened.

"As I'm sure you know, the annual festival will be starting in a week up in the capitol. We'll need to work really hard these next few days to get all the medicines and such done on time. Do you think you can handle helping me out alongside all your other chores?" Inko questioned, a worried frown slowly spreading across her face.

"I know that it's a lot…well, has been a lot ever since…since your father left really…" She trailed off, glancing back up at her son from where her eyes had drifted to the window at the mention of the absent Midoriya.

As she always tended to whenever Hisashi was mentioned.

Inwardly, a little seed of resentment curled in Izuku's gut at the mention of his absentee father. Not really because he missed him per se, he had never known him for goodness sake! But…seeing how…sad…it made his mother always left a bad taste in his mouth. He knew, god, he knew that hatred wasn't exactly the most constructive way to deal with the issue, but how else was he supposed to respond? To an enemy he can't find nor fight, even if he wanted to.

Pasting a smile on his face to hide his rapidly declining mood, Izuku nodded.
"No, no mom, it's fine. I can handle it! The capitol is about a three day journey on foot, give or take, so as long as we finish up everything by the middle of the week, it won't be a problem! Don't worry about me, mom."

His mom put a hand to her cheek, her gaze softening.
"Oh Izuku…how can I do anything but worry about my only son? It's practically my job!" She laughed, a small smile worming its way back onto her face.

Izuku felt the tips of his ears warming at her motherly teasing, mind immediately flashing back to all the times he had come home in the past nursing a dislocated shoulder from when he had tried helping a wounded deer on the way home and it turned out the buck did not want his help, thankyouverymuch. Or when he hadn't watched where he was going and ending up with scratches up and down his arms and legs from an involuntary tumble down a hill…or that one time with the tree—NOPE, WE'RE STOPPING THAT SPIRAL RIGHT NOW.

Still, at her smile, he felt his own become a lot more genuine.

"Mooommmm—I'm 17! I'm too old for you to worry about me. My job is to provide for you!" He protested.

She just laughed at his expense, only flustering him further.

"You'll always be my little boy, sweetie." Her tone softened and became just slightly more serious. "You're still far too young to be shouldering all that responsibility on your own. Please allow your dear old mother to handle her own part of the burden. You know our lives don't rest upon your shoulders alone dear."

At that, Izuku's eyes darted to the floor, suddenly uncomfortable with where the conversation was going.

"I know, I know mom…but…" Izuku sighed, eyes flickered from his mom's face to the window, guilt welling up. The feeling sat heavy and hot in his gut, roiling like a stormy sea.

The years hadn't been kind to his mother. Raising him alone was no easy feat, with modest trading opportunities and no one to help ease the burden. The youthful face and slim figure he remembered from his childhood had worn away, leaving a wrinkled brow and plump physique in its place. World-weary emeralds rarely sparkled as they used to, instead dulled by the struggle of keeping both herself and Izuku afloat when he was too young to do much more than hand her glass bottles while she worked.

As soon as Izuku was old enough to walk without stumbling, he had insisted that he go out to gather the necessary herbs for their potions, but his mother, fearful of the predators lurking in the woods, had refused. Instead, she had him sweep the floors and begin to learn the way of medicine-making. Which ingredients best kept a wound from becoming infected, which combination best combats fever, how to properly stitch a wound shut before treating it…his mother taught him everything she knew and more.

On the days where her foraging and hard work had left her asleep at her work bench, Izuku would drag a blanket from his mother's room on the ground floor and drape it over her, before heading to the kitchen to make dinner. They needed to eat and he decided that until he was old enough to do more, he would do whatever he could to help out.

With time, it became routine. While his mother worked, he'd march determinedly to the kitchen and begin preparing dinner after tending to the fire and sweeping the wood floors. He learned how to maximize his ingredients, using odd combinations of odds and ends to make something satisfying, even if their modest income couldn't afford a constant supply of meat. He became resourceful and over the years, began to take on more and more of the household chores—from concocting the potions himself, to figuring out new combinations for new effects, to foraging, and finally, to travelling to neighboring villages to trade. As of this year, he was finally experienced enough for his mother to concede to Izuku's plea to make the trip to the capitol by himself for the annual festival.

The Akarui festival was the biggest event of the year, a celebration of King All Might's victory over the villains who had ravaged the land in the past, as well as a toast to the nation's growing prosperity. People travelled from all corners of the kingdom to partake in the festivities—whether as simple attendees or, as was the case with the Midoriya's, to sell their wares. It was the single most profitable event of the year, so it was always imperative that the Midoriya's attend, not only to make sure they would have the funds to keep the business going, but also to survive through another year. There was only so much medicine villages needed at a time and while the Midoriya's were well-known for their medicine, village doctors could make their own—even if it wasn't so quick-acting or effective.

Not only that, he mused. But he only had so much time in a day. Between taking care of general household maintenance, gathering and buying the ingredients for their herbal remedies, and then actually making them, he was only able to travel for trade once a week, give or take. Even with his mother taking up the more domestic tasks, such as cooking and cleaning, again as he grew more skilled in their craft, his time was still very limited.

And Izuku knew that his mother felt exceedingly guilty about it—always pushing herself harder and harder for their family and trying so, so very hard to do as much as she could to ease the burden to her only son as he had for her as a child. He knew that she felt that she was limiting him, her constant prodding to go out and explore the world, make a name for himself, she "knew he could do it" and "he was too smart to stay cooped up in a little cottage out in the woods."

But he couldn't do that to her. Couldn't rip away the one supporting structure she had in the world. He was the only one there to comfort her when she became swamped in thoughts of what she had lost when his father left, the only one who could chop away at old logs for fire wood when the winters dragged on, long and cold, the only one capable of making the long trading trips in the summer when the heat sapped all the strength from your bones and the sweat from your brow. She had always been there for him, always worrying over his well-being, cautioning him about his overly giving nature (she had been that way herself, always giving and giving and giving—until she ended up alone in her little cottage in the woods with a crying baby and no idea what to do)…how could he not do the same for her?

This was an on-going argument—one of the very few the two had ever had—and they were never going to see eye-to-eye on it.

Suddenly feeling very drained, Izuku ran a freckled hand over his face. Looking up at his worried mother, he cracked rueful grin. He really wasn't up to arguing with her tonight about his "hero complex," so he decided to skirt the issue for the time being.

By completely ignoring it and hope she doesn't call him out on it.

"I know, mom. I get it, I will try my best to pace myself, okay? But what you said is right—the festival starts soon and we need to put all of our focus on getting prepared."

He stood from the table, picking up his bowl and then collecting his mother's before she had the chance to get up (an effort that earned him an exasperated, half-hearted glare, but she didn't say anything so he counted it as a win) and walked to the kitchen to deposit them in the wash basin acting as their sink.

Just as Izuku reached for the soap, his mother appeared at his side with the speed of an avenging archangel to swat his hands away, quickly grabbing the dish cloth herself. He backed up a few steps in surprise, blinking at her, but she only smiled sweetly in his direction before waving a hand dismissively.

"Now, now don't give me that look sweetheart! You've had a long day. Go ahead, bathe and get ready for bed. As you said, we have a lot of preparations to do and tomorrow starts early! Let your dear old mom take care of the dishes, okay?"

Izuku opened his mouth to protest, but at her expectant stare, he let his mouth close with a click before turning to leave the kitchen.

Dear All Might, her mom stare is a power all on its own.

Izuku woke up to the gentle caress of the spring breeze through his hair and sunshine in his face. The air held the promise of summer, the just slightly heady scent of flowers beginning to waft up from the small garden behind the Midoriya's cottage.

His eyes cracked open and the teen let out a contented sigh as he stretched, sitting up in bed and allowing his comforter to pool around his waist. His emerald green gaze turned to look at the open window blearily before slowly snapping into focus, taking in the pristine blue sky and the small cotton candy slips of clouds splattered across it.

"Mmf- guess I forgot to close that last night." He mumbled aloud to himself.

Deciding that it was well past time for him to get up, Izuku reluctantly stumbled out of bed and grabbed his white long-sleeved shirt from the bed post where he had thrown it in his haste the night prior.

Three days had went by in a blur, with Izuku and his mother working tirelessly into the night to get their preparations done for the younger's trip to the capitol. Potions were brewed, herbs were dried and then crushed into powder and mixed for medicine, and Izuku made sure to stock the wood pile in the backyard with a sizeable stack of logs for the fire, since he'd be unable to do it while away. His satchel had been packed with rations meant to last him a good three or four days, as well as extraneous bandages and the like in case he accidently banged himself up again. A water skin had been filled to the brim with fresh water and been tucked away with his compass into the bag in addition to a general map of the area.

His mother had seen to it that their wares be kept in a separate case, a strong leather bound bag with multiple compartments to store the various vials and glass jars. He had been given a few small vials containing various powders meant to help him if in a pinch—one containing a sort of sleep powder made from poppies and the other a foul-smelling substance that stuck stubbornly to whatever it landed on.

The last one especially got a laugh out of him, teasing his mother than he was sure that whatever bandit got hit with a "stink bomb" would be running in fear which earned him a pout and a brief scolding.

The caps had been fashioned to hook onto his belt alongside his dagger, for easy access should the need arise for him to use them.

Mom had really thought of everything, hadn't she? He thought to himself with a small smile, shrugging on his shirt and padding over to his dresser to grab his signature green vest and belt. He quickly changed into his trousers, switching the soft cotton of his sleeping shorts for a hardier cotton blend. He looped the belt around his waist and buttoned up his vest, finishing the look with his pair of white gloves.

A soft inhale brought with it the scent of freshly baked bread and Izuku hastened to the wash basin to check his reflection for any disarray before dashing down the stairs, taking them two at a time.

"Good morning mom!" the teen greeted, plopping down at the table where his place had already been set with a steaming bowl of porridge, topped with a sprinkling of brown sugar and what appeared to be pieces of dried fruit.

"Good morning Izuku." His mother returned, poking her head out from the kitchen, a small smudge of flour on one cheek and a beaming smile across both.

Amused, Izuku pointed to his left cheek and gave her a teasing grin,

"Looks like you got a little something..."

Izuku watched as his mom quirked her brow questioningly before raising a hand to her own cheek, her fingers quickly becoming white as well.

"Oh silly me! Guess I got a little carried away," she laughed, grabbing the edge of her apron to dab at the offending smear.

"Anyway," she continued. "The bread is almost ready. I know you love fresh bread, so I made sure to make extra for you to carry on your trip."

Izuku felt his eyes well up with grateful tears—a habit he had never managed to break, though not for lack of trying—and he let a watery smile grow across his face. A warmth settled and grew in his breast, something fuzzy like the baby bunny he had once gotten to hold after saving a family of rabbits from a trap, but also soothing, like the warm milk and honey his mother had made for him as a child to help with nightmares.

"T-thanks mom, I really appreciate it." He sniffled, wiping at his eyes with one hand. "You always think of me."

She smiled softly at the green-haired teen, leaving the doorway to the kitchen to cross the room to the table where Izuku sat.

"Of course I do! You're my son." She said fondly. "I wanted you to have a bit of home with you on your trip. I know you've been to the capitol before, but never by yourself like this. It was the least I could do to help with the transition. My, it seems like only yesterday you were small enough to hide behind my skirts…but here you are, ready to take on the world." Her smile seemed to crack a little at the edges with her last statement, a mix of fear for his safety and love swirling behind evergreen orbs.

"Oh mom…" Izuku started, a hand reaching out hesitantly and suddenly uncaring of the small rivers dribbling down his freckled cheeks.

"I just—I'm just really going to miss you Izuku. I know it's only a few days, but…but it feels like it's the start of something. Something…bigger than you or I. And I can't help but be frightened of it." She forces out, hands reaching out to grasp Izuku's outstretched one, then leaning down to pull him into a tearful embrace. The teen hung half-in and half-out of his chair, porridge forgotten as he did his best to console his mother, quickly latching onto her shirt and allowing himself a moment to feel like a little kid again.

"Mom…mom, please don't worry. It—it's only going to be a few days. We've been there before, nothing's going to happen." He gently pulls back and out of the embrace, just far enough to be able to lock his green gaze with her own.

"I'm going to miss you too. But I know how to defend myself and we need the money from the event to last another year. Not only that, but there are plenty of people out there whose lives will get better because of our medicine! We can't possibly keep it from those that need it just because of a bit of the unknown." He finishes, smiling crookedly at her and hoping that his reassurance will be enough.

He keeps his gaze steady with her own as she slowly begins to compose herself, allowing her hands to slip free of their previous vice grip on his shoulders and wipe the tear tracks from her face.

"When did you become so mature?" She sighs, finally. "Always so brave and heroic and always thinking of others…"

She shakes her head fondly.

"But you're absolutely right." She smiles resolutely at him. "Don't allow my silly worries to keep you from making the world a better place sweetheart. Just promise me you'll be careful."

"Of course mom." Izuku agrees readily, wiping away his own tear tracks and leaving the skin of his cheeks rosy with the effort.

"Good! Now go ahead and eat your porridge."

Inko pauses a moment, then slaps her hands to her cheeks.

"Oh my goodness-! I forgot about the bread!" She exclaims, spinning around and rushing back to the kitchen, Izuku's guffawing laughter echoing after her.

"Okay. And you have your dagger?"

"Yes mom." Izuku replies, both exasperated and amused, the feeling coating the syllables like an especially thick glob of honey.

An hour later found the Midoriya's double-checking that the younger had everything at the door, the sun high in the sky and a pleasant warmth to the air that was absolutely buzzing with energy. Izuku could feel the call of nature singing through his veins, the thrill of new life and the calling of adventure filling him with anticipation.

"Alright, alright dear. Then that should be everything. You have a safe trip now, you hear? I will be looking forward to your return." Inko says, an apprehensive crease in her brow, but a brave smile on her face.

After their tearful heart-to-heart at breakfast, the elder of the two Midoriya's had resolved to trust her son to look after himself and Izuku had promised her that he'd do his best.

"And I will be looking forward to coming home." The green-haired boy responds. "I'll be sure to bring you something back from the festival!"

"You know you don't have to do that honey," the woman laughs, but doesn't protest (because she knows there's no way he'd listen anyway).

"I know! But I want to!" Izuku replies, a sunny smile on his face.

"Alright, alright. But nothing too expensive!" His mom concedes before making a shooing motion with her hands. "Now go on! You'll want to get to the Ochako's shop before sundown."

"Of course!" Izuku calls over his shoulder, already heading towards the dirt trail that lead to the main pathway through the forest. He set his eyes forward determinedly and with a grin on his face.

His journey had begun!

A/N: Aaaannnddddd end!

I know this was a bit of a slow chapter, but it was needed to better establish the world, as well as (hopefully) give a clear picture of Izuku and his mother's bond. Their relationship and his mother's general involvement in his life is one of the things I really appreciate about Horikoshi's manga and I didn't want to gloss over such an important bond for both of the characters.

Never fear though! We have a bunch of new characters slated to be in the next chapter, so hopefully that'll be something to look forward to!

As for the general updating schedule for the fic, I have a general game plan for how I want to space out the fic and what plot elements will be included and when, but it'll just come down to writing them. I hope to get a few chapters written in advance to the release of Chapter 2 in order to not keep everyone waiting too long for the next update, but we will just have to see how that goes.

Thanks for tuning in everyone! Reviews give me life and encourage me to keep writing, so feel free to drop me a message if you have the time!

Til next time,

~ Strange-Charms