The Howl on Silent Moor

Mist crept low over the salt marsh, shrouding the Silent Moor in a silvery haze. The air was heavy with the briny scent of seawater and wet grass. Somewhere in the distance, a loon cried, its haunting call echoing across the desolate expanse.

Quaraun stood knee-deep in the sludgy mire, his delicate pink robes clinging to his thin frame, their edges damp and stained. He scowled at the mud seeping into the silk, feeling a sting of revulsion.

“Disgusting,” he muttered, his gold-plated hands flexing in agitation. He thrust his cane into the muck for balance and swept his free hand over the sullied fabric. “It will never come clean. Never.”

“Stop fussing, JellyElf.” BoomFuzzy’s gravelly voice cut through the quiet, tinged with amusement. “Ya been bitching all day.”

“Look at me!”

“Love, ya knew I was digging clams. Ya could have stayed back at the lighthouse or worn something not silk.”

“I only wear silk.”

The Phooka crouched nearby, his black hakama rolled to his knees, the hems tied around his waist. He dug into the soft earth with his hands, pulling up clams and tossing them into a wooden bucket. His woolly grey dreadlocks hung damp against his face, and his violet tartan sash was splattered with mud.

“Look at your hakama! You are ruining the silk I wove with my own hands!” Quaraun snapped, his voice rising. “You are ruining it!”

“Love. I’m a fisherman, a lobsterman, and a clam digger. If ya want me to not ruin the silks ya make me, then make me hakam that is not made of silk. Ya know my job. Ya know what I do every day. I’m out here in the mud hauling up food to feed our wee ones. Remember? We got four hundred mouths to feed in the BioDome.”

“Why can others not dig clams?”

“Everyone of us has a job we do. It keeps our community running like clockwork. The bairns and the handmaids tend the crops and livestock in the BioDome, so they do not put themselves in danger out here. The Goblins and Kelpies do the heavy lifting jobs and carpentry. You do the weaving and sewing and keeping everyone clothed and warm. GhoulSpawn keeps all the mechanical and electoral stuff in working order. And I do the hunting and fishing, outside the perimeter, because I am a Lich and if a zombie attacks me, it isn’t gonna hurt me. You and GhoulSpawn help me when I am out here, because you are a necromancer and are actually good at fighting zombies, and GhoulSpawn is good at quick thinking under stress and coming up with ways to get us out of trouble if zombies should show up. We all have a job to do, and this happens to be the job I do!”

“You do not have to yell at me.”

“But it’s fine for you to yell at me?”

“Can you two not fight?” GhoulSpawn asked.

“We are not fighting, Goat–”

“I’m a Shee–”

BoomFuzzy threw a fist full of mud in GhoulSpawn’s face.

“I’ve had enough of it from him, I’m not gonna take it from you to!”

“Stop throwing mud!” Quaraun shrieked. “Now you are ruining his silks!”

“Ah, ya’ll weave more. Plenty o’ silk in that tent of yours,” BoomFuzzy said with a sly grin, wiping his hands on the sash. “Yar worse than the clams, squirming about in yar own shell.”

Quaraun glared at him, his blue eyes narrowing. Before he could retort, a low, guttural sound rumbled across the marsh.

A howl.

Quaraun froze, his silver hair shimmering faintly in the dim light. His fingers tightened on his cane as his heart began to pound. Another howl answered the first, then another, closer this time.

“Wolves,” GhoulSpawn said softly, his voice barely a whisper. He stood several yards away, his hulking frame silhouetted against the mist. His cloven hooves made faint clattering sounds as he shifted nervously, his green coat blending into the reeds. “Not ordinary ones. Terror Wolves.”

“Lovely,” BoomFuzzy muttered, rising to his feet. He slipped his obsidian blades from their sheaths, the dark glass catching what little light filtered through the fog. “Stay behind me, Love.”

Quaraun stumbled back, his jellyfish hair twitching. His gaze darted around, but the mist was too thick. The wolves were invisible, their glowing red eyes the only sign of their approach.

“I hate wolves,” Quaraun whispered. “I hate this place. I hate everything about—”

“Shh, JellyElf,” BoomFuzzy said, stepping closer. He planted a firm hand on Quaraun’s shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze. “They’ll smell yar fear, Love. Keep calm.”

Quaraun’s lips trembled, but he nodded, his breathing shallow.

The wolves emerged from the fog, sleek and monstrous. Their fur bristled, dark and matted, and their teeth glinted like daggers. They circled slowly, their movements predatory and deliberate.

BoomFuzzy barked a sharp laugh, raising his daggers.

“Come on, ye flea-bitten bastards! Let’s see what ya’ve got!”

The largest wolf growled, its eyes locked on the Faerie. BoomFuzzy smirked, stepping forward with a swagger that seemed almost taunting.

“Unicorn, stop provoking them!” Quaraun hissed, his voice cracking.

“Relax, Love. I’ve faced worse than an overgrown pack o’ mutts.”

While BoomFuzzy held the wolves’ attention, GhoulSpawn crouched low, his fingers digging into the marshy earth. He scooped up a handful of phosphorescent algae, its eerie green glow faint but unmistakable. Muttering to himself about bioluminescence and chemical reactions, he smeared the algae across a large rock.

“Don’t attack ‘em,” GhoulSpawn said.

“Why not?”

“Because I think we can get away from them without fighting.”

“I like fightin’.”

“We shouldn't risk anyone getting hurt.”

“I’m dead! How much hurt do you think I can get?”

“Me and Quaraun are still alive.”

“Bah! Hurry up.”

The wolves advanced, their growls deepening, their breaths visible in the frigid air. Quaraun trembled, his fingers fumbling for his Rainbow Wand. He felt utterly useless, a fragile thing in a world of predators.

“Oi, Glinta!” BoomFuzzy called without looking back. “Any bright ideas, or shall I just start hackin’ away?”

“Working on it,” GhoulSpawn muttered. He struck his flint against the algae-covered rock, and a sudden burst of green light flared, casting ghostly shadows across the moor.

The wolves recoiled, their snarls turning to whimpers. GhoulSpawn quickly dragged the glowing rock in a wide arc, creating the illusion of a ring of fire. The phosphorescence shimmered and danced, confusing the beasts.

With a final howl, the pack retreated into the mist, their glowing eyes vanishing one by one.

BoomFuzzy sheathed his daggers with a flourish, turning to face Quaraun.

“See? Easy peasy, Love. Ya Goat used science to chase ’em away.”

“I’m a Sheep.”

“Aye. No wonder the wolves was after us. Wolves loves eating sheep.”

Quaraun collapsed into the mud, his knees buckling. His hair fanned out around him, a silken pool of silver strands.

BoomFuzzy rushed to him, dropping to his knees and pulling the trembling JellyFish Elf into his arms.

“Aw, Love. They’re gone now. Ye’re safe.”

“I hate this,” Quaraun whispered, his voice muffled against BoomFuzzy’s chest. “I hate wolves. I hate mud. I hate everything.”

BoomFuzzy chuckled, his rough hands stroking Quaraun’s hair.

“Ye hate everything but me, aye?”

Quaraun didn’t answer, but he leaned into the Faerie’s touch, his breath hitching.

“Let’s get ye home,” BoomFuzzy said softly.

He stood, lifting Quaraun with surprising ease. The Elf clung to him, his grip tight, his face buried in BoomFuzzy’s neck.

GhoulSpawn followed silently, his long green coat trailing in the muck.

Back at the lighthouse, the trio settled by the fire. BoomFuzzy wrapped Quaraun in a thick tartan blanket, tucking it around him like a cocoon. The Elf sat cross-legged on the floor, his Rainbow Wand in hand. He murmured softly, weaving a spell to ward off future predators. The air around him shimmered faintly with pink light.

BoomFuzzy placed a steaming bowl of clam chowder in Quaraun’s lap, pressing a kiss to his temple.

“Eat, Love. Ye’ll feel better.”

Quaraun nodded, his fingers brushing BoomFuzzy’s as he accepted the bowl. The rich, creamy aroma filled his senses, grounding him.

“Thank you,” he whispered, his voice barely audible.

BoomFuzzy grinned, ruffling Quaraun’s hair.

“Always, me wee pink JellyElf.”

The Pink Necromancer, Moon Elf silk weaver & merchant: Quaraun on Noodle Beach. His master chef Phooka turned Lich husband: BoomFuzzy with his 1968 VW Bus Beach Noodle Food Truck. And their on again/off again mad scientist Sheep Demon lover: GhoulSpawn with his 1974 AMC Gremlin time machine. Time Travel setting swings back and forth between 40th century Maine after a comet hit the moon decimating the planet, and the 1970s, Maine. Quaraun in the main character, he and BoomFuzzy are a married gay couple. GhoulSpawn is their shared live-in lover. Art by Wendy Christine Allen.

BoomFuzzy King Gwallmaiic aka BoomFuzzy the Unicorn: Quaraun's husband, BoomFuzzy aka King Gwallmaiic, a Scottish Phooka, who is King of The UnSeelie Court. BoomFuzzy is a "classic fantasy type" Necromancer who uses sorcery to raise the dead. Being a Faerie he is also an illusionist and master of trickster magic. By profession, he is a Master Chef, owning the global monopoly on restaurants, taverns, pubs, and food trucks. Until his death, BoomFuzzy was regarded as the world's most powerful wizard. He is now a Lich. BoomFuzzy is also half-Human. His mother was a Mongolian/Chinese Human, which is why he wears distinctively Asian outfits, along with a great kilt worn as a cape. Known as BoomFuzzy the Unicorn, he often takes the form of a purple Unicorn. BoomFuzzy's exact age is unknown, though he was well over two thousand years old at the time of his death, and Quaraun resurrected him as a Lich around 500+ years ago, making him close to 3,000 years old. In his BlackBird form he is fifteen thousand years old. Art by Wendy Christine Allen

Quaraun Quaraun aka The Pink Necromancer: The F2M transgender Persian Moon Elf main character: The Pink Necromancer, Quaraun The Insane, with BoomFuzzy the Unicorn. F2M for those unaware = Quaraun was biologically born female, but transitioned to live as a male; this is why there are stories where Quaraun is sometimes pregnant, in spite of being male and using he/him male pronouns. Quaraun is a Necromancer by the actual dictionary definition of the word, meaning he is a psychic medium who sees and hears ghosts, and uses tarot, spirit boards, and seances to communicate with the dead. By profession he is a silk weaver/tailor/silk merchant. Quaraun is an Elder God JellyFish who takes the form of an Elf to blend in with society. His 12 foot long hair is made out of venomous, stinging jellyfish tentacles. Quaraun is BoomFuzzy's apprentice and regarded as the world's most powerful still living wizard. Quaraun's exact age is unknown, but he is somewhere around 750 years old. In his SunTa form he is twelve thousand years old. The Scared Pink JellyFish that lives in him, is stated to being over two million years old. Art by Wendy Christine Allen

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