Broken Antler Fen i might never be a knight in shining armor

for papa @Sebastian ! <3

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Mato stirs awake abruptly, taking in a soft gasp of air as he blinks, groggily around not quite awake enough to fully understand what he sees as his frenzied, half asleep gaze flutters around unable to grasp onto one solid thing as he blinks rapidly, his head heavy as it falls back against his paws and a low snort leaves his black, leathery nostrils as his eyelids slide closed. Mato isn’t sure what has woken him and he falls asleep for a few more minutes before he is awoken for real and lets out a wide yawn and a low groan. Some days he is the last to wake up but this is mostly because of his midnight excursions to stargaze. He thinks the stars are at their most beautiful on the clear nights, when they wink down at him from the night sky but he also likes them at dawn and dusk, too. He can see the sunlight filter in through the mouth of the den and he shifts, contemplating going back to sleep but knows that he won’t be able to and forces himself to his paws and ambles out of the den where he pauses to bite at an itch on his leg before he smooths over the mussed fur with a stroke of his salmon pink tongue before he squints against the sunlight.

He draws in a deep breath as he makes his way to one of the pack’s caches in the search for food. He can hunt for himself now but his late sleeping habits has made him too hungry to muster the energy for that. He tells himself he’ll take something from the cache for the morning and that he’ll replace it later in the day. As he does not particularly have much planned — explore a bit, maybe check out the borders again and wonder when he can cross over them and into the free territories that spilled beyond as far as his eye can see — so it will be easy for him to hunt for the cache.

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Sorry shitty, so tired. x)

Sebastian was looking over the caches to see how much of the carcasses were still in tact. Perhaps not all of them were in great condition, and it wouldn't be entirely healthy for a wolf to eat. Normally a wolf with common sense wouldn't eat it. Sebastian often moved good pieces together to make a new cache. He was busy with that until he checked one of the last. He noticed Mato was there. Sebastian greeted his son with a friendly woof. Sebastian was pleased to see him. He liked to see them become more independent.

"Hey son," he greeted and looked over what he seemed to be doing. "Are you going to take a meal from this cache?,"he asked curiously. There were a few bad pieces in there, and he wondered if his son could distinguish the better one to eat. He also saw this as a moment to explain his son about death care, circle of life and all that.

your posts are always wonderful! <3

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Mato only begins to dig up the loose earth that covers the pieces of meat he knows is hidden just beneath the surface when he hears heavy footfalls. The scent of his father is not far off and he turns around, abashed, when Sebastian greets him. “Uhm, hi dad,” Mato returns the greeting with a soft wag of his tail. He isn’t sure why he’s embarrassed — especially because the caches are for everyone to take from. He supposes it is because he doesn’t want his father to think he isn’t working on improving his basic survival skills (that obviously includes hunting). Though Mato has no real reason to he is struck with a habitual worry in regards to his father’s disappointment, borne from Mato’s own desire to not disappoint his parents. He closes the short distance between them and reaches his muzzle with the intention of planting a few licks to his father’s chin before he would move back. “Just something quick so I can be on my way,” Mato explains and then flushes again because that probably sounds lazy of him. “but don’t worry I’ll replace what I take.” It hadn’t been questioned but Mato feels better putting it out there, nevertheless.

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Sebastian quirked up his lips as his son seemed a bit flustered by the whole idea of it. Sebastian didn't mean to make his son insecure. He wanted to support him and his decision. "That's my boy," he smiled and gave him a nod of approval. Naturally the caches were for everyone to take so he would not scold his son for taking some food from it. He stepped back and let him dig for the meat, slowly sitting down on his haunches.

"Now you are at it, why don't you help me with a little task," he offered then. "Could you take all the good meat out the cache for me?," Sebastian requested. Death care was an important job. "Meat doesn't stay well forever so it is a good thing that we empty our caches, and perhaps relocate the fresh meat to a new spot. Do you know why I let some caches degrade until it is something inedible?," he asked him. Sebastian was always willing to teach his children a lesson after all. He wanted to be a helpful dad. If his kids would think 'Oh my dad taught me this!' then he would die a happy man.

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Mato’s tail thumps lightly against the ground when Sebastian praises him, accepting it though he hadn’t been actively seeking it. His ears perk forth and twitch atop his skull as his father makes the offer of helping with a task as Mato digs the cache open, attempting to juggle his selective attention span between the physical task of uprooting some breakfast and on his father’s task. “Ok,” Mato agrees a bit absently as the majority of his attention rests upon digging. At Sebastian’s question, however, Mato stops and swings his head around to look at his father, apple green eyes taking him in. The fact that meat when bad is…surprising to Mato whom had never considered that it rotted because he’d always eaten it fresh and didn’t give it a chance to sit around and go bad. When the cache is uncovered he begins to remove the good pieces of meat from the cache, sitting them to the side. It is easy to tell which has begun to decay and which has not and Mato wrinkles his nose in accordance. “Why?” Mato asks his father as opposed to out right admitting that: no, he didn’t know why he left some degrade until everything in it inedible.

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Sebastian was pleased to see the young boy take out some of the meats and left the decaying pieces for what they were. The father cleared his throat as the did not know why they should leave these pieces to rot together. "It is called the circle of life," he started, feeling wise that he could tell his son this. His mother had taught him this too.

"My own mother taught me this too. The meat that is now degrading feeds the ground, making the soil fertile so it means grass grows. What attracts our grass? Right, prey animals like deer or even smaller ones like rabbits. The rotting meat also attracts insects whom are eaten by birds," he explained. "So by leaving these scraps around it ensures that there will be other animals benefiting from this too. It is a circle, we kill a deer, but we don't only feed ourselves we also feed others with it and those others provide food for us in return."

He hoped that he hadn't explained it in a too complicated matter. Sebastian was pretty sure Mato was smart enough to understand. "Hence why it is important to bury the wolves that have passed to they can give life back to the nature around us," he smiled at his son.

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Mato is quiet while Sebastian explains about life. That the meat that feeds them while it is fresh, when it is rotten it will feed the earth. The concept is a bit over his head but he tries to grasp it and put it into comparisons that he can easily understand. “So the grass is like a pup? It needs rotten meat to grow?” He asks to be sure he has the basic idea of it down. Whether his grasp is accurate or not he doesn’t know but his tail thumps against the ground as he tries to make sense of it all. He’d never…thought of it that way. That everything they do helps other animals too. “Oh,” He hums at his father’s explanation of why they bury wolves that die. So that the cycle can continue going. “So we’re…kind of like the guardians of the earth, right dad? We protect it and we feed it and we sure that life can keep going, right?” Guardians of the earth…that sounded pretty cool! Mato looks up at Sebastian with big, wide apple green eyes looking for affirmation that his idea is right (or at least somewhere close).

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I think you can even use this for your Naturalist trade! :D

Sebastian was proud of his son, seeing him already so mature. It was different than with Benjamin who seemed to act like his name implied. Sebastian loved them both as their father, though it was nice to see that he could have more intellectual conversations with his son now. Sebastian gave a firm nod in reply. Then Mato made a very smart comment with made Sebastian's tail proudly pat the ground.

"That is an excellent way of saying it. Yes, I believe that we are. We need to keep the balance right. Hence why we try to hunt the sick or injured," he added and smiled at his son. "So I see you have quite some interest in the life around us. That is good. Your sister Odette is also quite interested in all of that, if you want to learn more about it."

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The strong curve of Mato’s chest swells with pride as he is complimented on his ability to take his father’s words and apply them to the childish way he understands things. He grasps the ways of the world around him as all children do: slowly, but surely. By applying these new concepts to things that he already understands it only serves to help further his knowledge of them. His tail beats out a steady rhythm against the hard earth as he offers Sebastian a wide, teeth exposing grin. “I know,” He admits a bit sheepishly when his father mentions to him that Odette also shares an interest in the world around them. “We talked about stars a bit.” He informs Sebastian, unsure if Odette had already told their parents or if his eldest sister had kept those few hours they spent on the down low. “Do you think other wolves in other packs might know more?” Mato asks next. He would search far and wind to absorb as much knowledge as he could on stars and constellations, if that was what it took. It was almost addicting, this thirst to know more and he was eager to quench it unaware that it is a hunt that he would entertain for all of his life.

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Sebastian was happy to stroke the pride of his son. It was good that he would feel proud of himself. Sebastian wanted to be encouraging for him. The male quirked up his lips. Another question was asked, if he knew about other wolves that knew about stars. "Well, there is the alpha of Moonspear, Charon. I believe Odette went to him with questions," he offered to his son.

Sebastian realized that he still had to see this alpha for himself. "Perhaps we could visit their pack together one day, and I am sure he would be willing to tell you more about the stars." Sebastian wasn't that knowledgeable on the topic.

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His father speaks of a stranger named Charon, an alpha of the Moonspear and informs that his elder sister, Odette, once sought this man’s knowledge. The druid ponders it with a contemplative whisk of tail against his hocks and a wistful quirk of lips. If this Charon had answers to Odette’s inquiries then perhaps he would be able to sate the empyrean’s own curiosity as it remains ever growing for the stars. “Can we?!” There is a tremor of excitement that slithers down the druid’s spine as he practically prances in place before his father, gaze fixing intently upon his atar. The star dust kissed boy would hold Sebastian to that promise. “Please,please,please can we go soon?” As soon as possible! Now, even, though he does not broach it for it would be short notice and his father is hér and cannot surely be pulled from his responsibilities on a child’s whim. Patience was not yet a concrete concept within the young druid’s grasp. Mato thinks that if it does not happen in the here and now that it runs the possibility of never happening (even if that is absolutely not true).

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Sebastian smiled at his son enthusiasm. How could he ever deny him the visit now? Sebastian was soon to cave in and nodded. "Of course," he spoke. He wanted to see this Charon himself too, and perhaps it would make a good connection to have later. Maybe they would be helpful towards them.

"Remember me when it takes too long," he smiled at Mato. "I want you to be the best at what you like doing. If this male can help then of course we will go visit him," he spoke with a smile on his lips.

Fade soon? :D

i will go ahead and wrap this up & archive with my post. ♥

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The druid is obliged by his father with a staid of course. A slow whine of unbidden excitement and gratitude slips from betwixt the empyrean’s lips and he leans closer so that he may draw his tongue against the underside of Sebastian’s chin to further express his gratitude. The idea of getting to venture out on an adventure is equally as thrilling as the prospect of knowledge. “I will,” Mato speaks with a firm nod of his head. He wasn’t like to forget, after all; but he has been taught better manners than to relentlessly hound Sebastian about it — no matter how he might desire to. The druid’s attention shifts back to the cache, then, and the work they had been doing and sheepishly re-takes position before it. “I’ll keep sorting out the rotted meat from the good meat.” He promises as he resumes what he had initially been asked to do and when he is finished he helps his father bury the rotted meat in a different location so that it might nature the earth as it had once intended to nurture them.

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