Sunset Valley II

<3

Would Stag have faulted Ego, if only he knew?

It was hard to say. The boy had grown in different ways than he would have, if Stigmata had still been alive. He had grown in such a way that he often strove to see the good in things, even when they were at their most wretched hour.

In truth, would he have turned into the kind-hearted, empathetic Stag they knew today, if he had lived under his father's thumb? Or would the general's iron heart have been transferred like a ritualistic token, from father to son -- where Stag would grow as sharp and hard around the edges as Stigmata had done?

There was no use perusing the what-ifs. They never would be.

Stag may have noted a reticence hanging around Ego like a dark mist, but he did not comment. His eyes were trained ahead as his brother spoke, the tip of his tail twitching in acknowledgement. "Let's go." He gave the boy but one second before he was off at a rowdy clip, eager to stretch his legs and pit his worth against the inimitable strength of his brother -- and to once again, run alongside his kin as if no time at all had ever passed.