[Valkyrie] Tidings from Valhalla

[Echelon]

*waits with bated breath*

[Valkyrie]

Don’t pressure me Echelon! And no this post is not the one you are waiting for. In all seriousness I’d like to apologize to the players in Avanthal for having pretty minimal activity this week, I’m rather stressed out and can’t focus on writing right now. I have four rats and one of them is at the vet having surgery today so I’m anxious over how that will go. Surgery is never easy with such tiny creatures. Rats are too small for the vets to give them IVs and breathing tubes so if her heart or breathing stopped due the anesthesia or any other complication there is no way to resuscitate her. The surgery is for tumor removal, a common malady in rats. I give my rats a thorough body check twice a week to see if I can find any growths forming and when I checked her last Friday she was fine. My husband and I were busy over the weekend so we didn’t get many chances to take them out for playtime so I was quite shocked to see a huge growth protruding through the fur on her tummy Monday morning. I brought her into the vet last night and the vet confirmed my fear that it is likely a mammary tumor though of course they can’t say conclusively until the mass has been tested. We were in luck that the vet had room in her schedule to do the surgery today so we left Rhea at the clinic overnight and hopefully she will pull through the surgery so we can see her again tonight. It was really hard for both my husband and I to leave her at the vet. We hadn’t planned on that and had thought we would get more time to cuddle her before she had to get the surgery but it’s for the best that the growth is removed as soon as possible. My husband has been so upset he hardly slept all night and I’m sure waiting through the day is going to be hard as well. It’s never easy when pets are ill and could possibly die but it’s been especially hard on hubby. He grew up in a typical suburb setting and never had many pets before nor has he had any close family members die so he hasn’t had to confront death in something he loves. My grandparents owned farms which I spent a lot of time on and my mom lived in the woods where we always had a ton of cats (The amount of cats we’ve had is unbelievable. I think people would have litters they didn’t want and then just drop them off in the country because random cats who were clearly used to humans would show up all the time and never leave. And it wasn’t neighbors’ cats, we didn’t have any neighbors, just hunting land that was only occupied seasonally for several miles in each direction) who were regularly eaten by bobcats and other predators. Or sometimes hit on the road. My mom’s best friend was also a horse breeder who lived near us who we helped out with chores a lot. During my time there I witnessed the birth of several lethal whites and the subsequent euthanizing. You get a real respect for death when you see a newborn colt get shot in the face. Anyways, the point is that I’m used to animals dying though it still greatly saddens me and watching my husband deal with the death of animals for the first time has been a really interesting experience. Hopefully I can find out how the surgery went soon and deal with the necessary emotions so I can have a clear head to continue writing. I realize not everyone thinks rats are worth getting upset over (this has been made clear to me by several rude people in RL) but I have close emotional connections with my pets and I would appreciate everyone’s patience while this is going on.

[Kayliegh]

I love rats! My friend had one and had to give it away. It was a sad day.
But I get why you love your animals, it's hard not to get attached to something that you take care of and that loves you back.

I really do hope the surgery goes well and your little Rhea is back and safe soon. And I hope your husband feels better, maybe he can try and distract himself somehow? Get his mind off of the surgery...

[Gossamer]

I'm so sorry for what you are going through. I have a cat currently with mammary cancer we can't operate on because its well over a thousand dollars and shes in her teens. Its a horrible thing to have to deal with. I'm so sorry. I hope things turn out well at the vet. I also wanted to comment about the Lethal Whites. Any 'breeder' worth the title doesn't breed frame overo pintos to frame overo pintos because you have a better than 25% chance of getting a lethal white and you get a 100% chance of passing on the lethal white gene. That woman should have never had white foals on the ground if she was anything near responsible or educated about horses. The genetic tests for lethal white genes in pinto mares runs about $30 bucks a horse. Seriously... how hard is it to get them tested? We have too many horses going to slaughter (close to 150,000 last year in the US alone sent to Canadian slaughter houses) that were 'bred' and then ended up thrown away by people that felt the need to do so... for whatever their justification was. It makes me so mad... so very mad. No child should have to experience any of that ever.

[Valkyrie]

Thank you for your kind words Kayliegh and Gossamer. It’s nice to feel supported. I picked Rhea up from the vet after work today and she got through the surgery really well, I’m very relieved. The tumor was very near her urinary tract system so we have to keep an eye on if she is having any difficulty peeing but other than that the vet was very confident that she shouldn’t have any complications. We were also warned it’s pretty likely that since she’s had one tumor she may grow more in the future. I’m hoping that won’t happen but we will deal with it when and if it comes. I’m just happy I got to bring her home. I can’t wait until she’s healed enough to play with the other rats and be social again, I'm sure she'll love having the company again. Goss, I’m sorry to hear about your cat. I hope you are able to give her lots of love and keep her comfortable in her last days. It’s a shame these surgeries are so expensive, I’m just lucky I got my state tax returns back in time to pay for this but next week’s grocery budget is going to be pretty tight. But the sacrifice is certainly worth it to me. As far as the lethal whites are concerned….. there’s not much I can do but shrug in response. I am not well informed when it comes to horse genetics and what can be done to prevent genetic disorders but I trust your experience when you say it’s a simple, cheap test. Does it shock me that this person would skimp on something cheap that could prevent a lot of problems? Unfortunately no, I’m not that surprised. There were many times when I was younger that I did not agree with some of her choices. I don’t want to make it seem like she was a cruel, evil person. She wasn’t, she was always kind to me and though she made some poor choices she certainly worked hard. She never abused or mistreated the horses but her heart was never in it. The horses were something she inherited from her parents and I think she always viewed it as her duty and burden. The horses were just income to her. Is that an excuse for not being a responsible breeder? Certainly not. It’s no excuse at all. I guess I’m just trying to rationalize it in my own mind. I was quite young during the time that I spent there (8 – 14) and there are a lot of things I think back to and wonder about.

[Traverse]

I'm so glad to hear the surgery went alright, Valk! I have never gotten to own a rat (My mother loves all animals from toads to spiders, to chinchilla's, but just couldn't abide the tails, so it was never a childhood option), and cannot wait for the day when I live in apartment that will allow rodents. We make do with our cat in the meantime . But I understand the animal thing completely, you get a separate perspective on animals after being surrounded by them on so many levels. The most cats we had at once was...eight I think, for the exact reason that you mentioned, though we never received any full litters, certainly. Something about the big barn was like a signal fire for people with kittens, though. At one point we had one of the sweetest mares, but we couldn't keep her because twice in a row her foals were born with major defects. I remember my parents wrapping a little colts legs in bandages because they swung as far forward as they could backward. Both of the foals she had made full recoveries, and I think that's what I always enjoyed about living on a farm, that for all the pre-mature deaths and sorrow, there were always as many comeback stories, critters you never thought would make it, or didn't want to get your hopes up for that did. Anyway, sidetracked there, I think the horse thing just brought up some memories. Best wishes to Rhea as she recovers, every time you mentioned playtime I got this adorable imagery of rats frolicking about, maybe you could post pics sometime?

[Sera]

So... I noticed that you live in Minnesota and well, I had to just say... Yay Minnesota! I miss home!

That is all.

[Valkyrie]

This is not an easy message to write but it is necessary nonetheless. As those who play in Avanthal will no doubt have noticed my activity has been abysmal at best lately. Because of this, I feel it is only right that I step down as DS of Avanthal. I informed the Founders and Noblesse a while ago about my intentions to retire and I feel that is the best decision. Avanthal is a wonderful domain that deserves a more active DS, I don’t want to be the cause of the city slowing down. I’m sorry for everyone who I was threading with or working on plans with that I am letting down. It has caused me a lot of anxiety to leave things behind but lingering isn’t going to benefit anyone and I know everyone will move on soon enough. I have enjoyed my time on Mizahar immensely and I am incredibly humbled by some of the wonderful writing talent I have had the pleasure of writing with. I wish everyone the best and I hope this community continues thriving for years to come. Well, that’s all there is. I tried to keep this notice short and sweet and not get too misty-eyed during the writing. I wish you all good luck in your writing as well as personal lives. Thanks for all the good times.

[Noblesse]

I promised myself I wouldn't cry like a spoiled little girl when this time finally comes but I can't help it. Sometimes I feel like you spoil me too much, Valkyrie. Thank you for patiently answering all of my pesky questions when I was just starting out. I must have been quite a handful as a newbie, and even more during my first few weeks as your AS. I'm sorry I can't lessen your workload more with my inexperience both as a mod and as a person in general. Sometimes I even feel that I add to your worries more than I'm helping, hahaa. Sorry this is starting to be a ramble of sorts, but I felt I just had to say this before you actually step down. Thank you for the love you gave Avanthal. Thank you for being so nice and level-headed when everyone most needed it. Thank you for making me feel that I belong within the city like every one else, and that I can write good, too. And most of all, thank you for being Avanthal's DS; I would not have stepped up if I wouldn't be working with someone awesome like you. I can only hope to love Avanthal the same way you poured your heart into the city. Ahhhh, I'm sorry I'm making this all awkward! Anyway, I wish you good luck and a happy life full of love and happiness! Seriously though, you deserve all the love you can get for everything you've done for us. Good bye and thank you mama Valkyrie. I will miss you.

[Sliver]

You will be missed dearly oh great lady of the Norse Mythology! Thanks for all of your hard work and dedication to Avanthal, and I hope this isn't the end of Miz for you, even if it happens to conclude your term as epic DS. You were one of the main inspirations that led me to become an ST, and it was a totally fun time chilling in your domain. You are always so energetic about my ideas, even if they had like giant problems with them, and were so patient with your resident Icewatch member as she fiddled around in the world. Avanthal really flourished under your awesome DS- ship and it totally shows! Thanks so much! <3