Posted by Kasra 6 years ago Report

An excellent conclusion to a very enjoyable series. "It is possible to be both," as Aura said, and the dueling perspectives really contributed.

The chase itself was probably my favorite part. I honestly didn't expect Jessi to get as far as she did, and then...well, Aura has clearly been planning this a while. Dedication enough that I wonder what she might have done had Jessi not agreed to go out hunting!

And I must admit, I smelled a double entendre when Aura said "see what you fall into" near the start.

Posted by BizzareBlue 6 years ago Report

Thanks. I was worried the chase went on too long but couldn't quite bring myself to cut much of it out. I think if Jessi had continued to refuse then Aura would have eventually backed down and gone hunting on her own. Of course, that doesn't mean she would have given up. Even though she would have been busy with her masters for the next few months, sooner or later she would have found the time to visit Jessi and invite her on another hunt. Aura is definitely the patient type. It might take her a while but once she decides that she wants something she'll eventually get it.

Posted by Arta_Shrike 6 years ago Report

I’ve been eagerly awaiting the completion of this series!

It’s testament to your writing skills that I felt genuinely bad for Jessi. She and Aura were both jerks, but at least Jessi was honest about who she was.

Then again, this chapter was a pretty heavy rat torture session, so it was bound to raise some sympathy. Aura really made a point of making her friend’s last night as hellish as possible. This might be personal preference, but I felt the cruelty went on unbroken a bit long.

Still, this series was an engaging read, and I’m glad to see it finished! Thanks for sharing!

Posted by BizzareBlue 6 years ago Report

Yeah, part of the reason this took so long was I felt sorry for Jessi and had to rewrite the ending several times before I was okay with killing her off. Those two were probably the nastiest predators in any of my stories, and this was pretty close to my limit for cruelty as well, but it was still really hard to do that to the poor rat no matter how much she deserved it.

Posted by tariq 6 years ago Report

I think that may be because she was written well as a complete character with understandable motivations and reactions, even if she's a pretty terrible person. It was hard not to identify with her. So even though this was really the only way it could have consistently ended, that made it hard to read. Probably harder to write.

But I had to finish it anyway because it was really well written. Thank you.

Posted by BizzareBlue 6 years ago Report

Unfortunately for Jessi, there was really only one way that this could have ended for her. She was a very fun character to write though, specifically because she was so unrepentantly awful. I might have to do some more stories with predatory rats soon.

Posted by tariq 6 years ago Report

Looking forward to them if you do.

Posted by Mechdragon1k 4 years ago Report

Maybe you could make a alternate ending that is nom-fatal with partial digestion.

Posted by skylz 5 years ago Report

Great story! Fantastic dynamic.

Posted by BizzareBlue 5 years ago Report

Thanks

Posted by SteampunkerJoe 5 years ago Report

The emotional weight and superb writing you put into your work is downright inspiring. Bravo to you, I'll definitely look forward to more!

Posted by BizzareBlue 5 years ago Report

Thanks. Hopefully I'll have some more ready soon.

Posted by DrakeZephyr 3 years ago Report

I do like a turnaround... sort of. Never read this story chain till now. Not the largest fan of cruelty of course... except when, well... the cruel party is on the menu. Jessi did rather seem, in denial... exactly what everyone she hated said she was. A sadist, not a predator... for a predator is hunting out of hunger, not out of a deep desire to inflict as much pain as possible. Would perhaps be more likely to view the harsh reality of the chain of prey and predator, with dismal acceptance, rather than revelling in death and misery, and indignant to be on the receiving end.
I do tend to like the, exploration of... the possible unrelated states of prey and friend, although the... "can be both" thing rings hollow when it comes to, torture and so forth. But then... while Aura does need to hunt, she is cruel... I have to admit, I'm less than swayed by the emotional dynamic, it just doesn't ring true... I'm not sure that balance has ever been struck

Posted by BizzareBlue 3 years ago Report

Yeah... I have to admit, I was never very happy with the way this story ended. The first three chapters came out pretty much as I wanted them to, but the last one just ended up a mess. I have considered going back and rewriting this, but I still can't really see any better way to end it. Finishing stories in a satisfying way is one of the parts of writing that I always struggle with.

Posted by TestAccountPleaseIgnore 2 years ago Report

It's always refreshing when a bigoted sociopath gets what's coming to them.

But I enjoyed it too, not just Aura.

Posted by BizzareBlue 2 years ago Report

Hehe, yes. Jessi was fun to write because she had pretty much no redeeming features and kind of knew it. She was always going to pay for it in the end, though.

Posted by alittletrolling 9 months ago Report

What a beautifully nightmarish, cruel scene! I love the way you set up your world pf pred and prey dynamics! These animals are horrible to each other and chalk it up as nature, and the writing makes it seam so normal, its unsettling! Bravo!