Skinning otters is lucrative work, which is why Noah Crabtree has split off from his usual hunting buddies and set up along the coast of Canada. With close to twenty furs and no one to split costs with, it looks like he'll be filthy, stinking rich when he gets home. Especially if he can catch that white beauty with the brown cross on its back. Dobharchu is the sixth story in the Bestiary Tales.Not everything that a soldier does is fighting, not every moment is spent killing,minute surviving,hour training, even when deployed and out on the field.Downtime Warfare is about those in between moments, the quiet times of a soldiers life,In between orders, deployments duties and death, when a soldier can just be.

Niclas is a Nazi, and he's good at what he does - in fact, rumor has it he's in line to be promoted soon. His superior and inferior officers alike both admire him, and his record is entirely unblemished...of course, that could all change if he can't get rid of the voice in his head and his attraction to a Jew. Incubus is seventh story in the Bestiary Tales.The PA is a humourous short story about the world post-apocalypse (PA). It is 1182 words.

Sandra Hedley was getting sick of her horrible life in New York...until a mysterious dark-skinned man showed up with his giant black Rottweiler. Phooka is the fourth story in the Bestiary TalesOne day while rummaging around in the church attic, Pastor Butch Gregory discovers evidence that something in his beloved church's past has been covered up. Unable to get it out of his mind, he begins to try and find out what happened almost forty years ago, and what he discovers opens up the floodgates of healing. The Land Begins to Heal is a reminder that there is a spiritual dynamic to addressing the injustices of the past.

Emi Nakano just wants to eat carrion in peace. And thanks to a business deal she had going with Goro Nanase, that was possible...until a group of teenagers posed a threat to her way of life. No big deal, though. She'll just scare them off; how hard can it be? Jikininki is eighth story in the Bestiary Tales.In Prohibition-Era Kansas City, being a part of the underworld was sometimes both a figurative and literal concept. In an underground speakeasy located just outside of the metropolis, Paul Verconi was already aware of the risks involved in simply being where he was and who he was. On this rainy night, he'd been looking for nothing more than a few drinks to soothe his nerves before heading home. However, what came looking for Paul would prove to be even tougher to swallow than the diluted bootleg whiskey swirling in his dirty glass: a drop-dead gorgeous dame that was enigmatic, curiously silent ... and perhaps even dangerous.

Peter and Edward are best friends - they spend their days in blissful abandon, generally doing what little boys do best (that is, making messes and having fun). However, one day, Edward becomes ill. So ill that Peter thinks he isn't going to make it. All Peter can wonder is why did his friend get so sick so quickly?Grylio is first story in the Bestiary Tales.In A+ For Murder, English teacher Michael O'Brien has to solve a murder mystery before he becomes the next victim. But before he got caught up in solving murders, Michael had to handle smaller mysteries that sharpened his skills and failed to give him self-confidence.In The Adventure of The Costume Ball, Mike is stuck at a costume party event, and his superintendent is trotting him out as a mystery-solving teacher. But before Mike can make his escape, the lights go out and priceless jewels vanish, and Mike has to stop the thief before he gets through the very door Mike has been eying since the party started!

Gail Hollyworth has lost her wedding ring. Her husband won't take too kindly to that, particularly because she probably left it in the bedroom of Highgate's handsome leather worker, Thom. Damndest thing, though - she doesn't remember taking it off while she was with him. Alicanto is the fifth story in the Bestiary Tales.Vincent had not been happy with Nancy Beth and had taken steps to remove her from his life so that he could seek a better partner. Susan Wilkerson seemed to be the ideal replacement. One happy experience with her was followed by another, then another. There came a time when she cooked a splendid dinner for him. It had been a meal to end all meals. See whether you can guess what happened after this sumptuous repast.

Mayasa knows she is as skilled as any male hunter in her tribe, and she aims to prove it by hunting the high-dwelling antelope of Mount Meru. Of course, to do that, she must enter the jealously guarded territory of Wawindaji Pepo, guardian of the mountain. Mngwa is the third story in the Bestiary Tales.Bored in the Breakroom is a compilation of flash fiction and slightly longer stories that I have written, most of which had already been published on my blogs as well as blogs run by others.Originally this collection had no theme and was instead just a glom of everything I thought worthwhile. During the editing process, Matt DeBenedictis mentioned the strong presence of academic and office life in many of the stories. We decided to do much pruning here and add some detail there to make the content less burdensome. The result is a more cohesive narrative about the lives of academics and young, urban professionals.All stories written by Jay DiNitto.Edited by Matt DeBenedictis.