Family Reunion

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     Time seemed to stop momentarily for Snufkin. He felt as if he were standing on pins and needles. The man nodded, pulling a paw off of Snufkin's shoulders to wipe at his eyes.

     "You do remember! Why, you were so little that I was scared you wouldn't be able to recall! Look at you, you look so grown up!" The man scanned Snufkin up and down, which was making him very uncomfortable. This man was his father...but he felt more like a stranger.

     "J-Joxter, please. May I have some space?" Snufkin averted his gaze and turned his head, the shade of his hat covering the red burning on his cheeks. Joxter was quick to pull away.

     "Oh, right! I'm sorry Snuf." Joxter nodded understandably. "It's been so long since I've seen you, I just couldn't help myself. You were hardly the height of my knee last time I saw you, and now you're just as tall as your pops!" Joxter beamed. "You've grown up so much, I can tell just by looking at you that you've got the blood of a mumrik! Traveling on your own, facing the world with what you've got, it's exciting to see you take on the open road!" The Joxter's tail swished wildly, he was overflowing with pride. Snufkin lowered his head, the large brim of his hat covering his face (which was now the color of his father's hat).

     "I..." Snufkin was at a loss for words. "I don't know what to say."

     "You'll find your words once we get a chance to sit down and talk. We can go to where I set up camp and catch up!"

     Snufkin didn't say another word as his father led him through the woods. He felt a pit weighing in his stomach, a pit that wouldn't go away the whole walk there. He shouldn't feel this way, this man is his father! But...something just doesn't feel right.

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     Snufkin wouldn't be able to tell it was a campsite if there wasn't a fire pit pit together. There was no tent, no pots for cooking or anything else.

     "...you don't have a tent?" Snufkin turned to his father, who was now rubbing two sticks together at the fire pit. Before Snufkin could offer matches, there was a spark, and the fire slowly grew. The Joxter plopped down by the fire, holding out his paws to warm them.

     "Nope! I like to sleep in the trees. It's quite nice sleeping up so high. Though the occasional bug likes to crawl in my hair." Snufkin grimaced at the thought of sleeping up so high up (and bugs crawling in his hair).

     "I see..." Snufkin mumbled. Joxter looked over at his son, and took this moment of silence to get serious. He sighed, and pulled a pipe from his coat pocket.

     "...Snuf, I know you have a lot of questions. Let's sit down and talk. Hit me with any question you got."

     "I would like that..." Snufkin nodded, sitting across from his father. It was quiet for a few moments, before Snufkin asked the first question.

"Why did you leave?"

     Joxter sighed, chuckling sadly. "Opening up with the big one, huh?" He lit his pipe and held it between his teeth. "I loved you, Snuf. I still do. I love you and your mother Mymble with all of my heart. But...some things came up when you were just a little boy. Let's just say that I got myself into some trouble. Some trouble with the wrong kind of people. I was worried that those people were going to not only come after me, but you and your mother. I brushed off their empty threats at first, but things quickly escalated. At that time, me and Mymble had already ended our relationship, but I agreed to stay with her and help her raise you. She was...pretty busy to put it lightly, ahah...you're picking up what I'm throwing down. She has over thirty children for the Groke's sake, you know well that I'm not the father of all of them!"

He couldn't help but laugh, but his laughter ceased once he began talking again (and after he noticed Snufkin was starting to get uncomfortable with the subject matter). "And so...I left. I told Mymble, but I assume she didn't tell you to not  scare you. I was only supposed to be gone for a few months at the most, just to get those fools off my tail. But I was gone for a year. And when all was said and done, when those people finally left me alone...

I got cold feet. I couldn't muster the courage to go back. I...liked the freedom. I liked not having responsibilities...and I feel like such a dickweed now. A selfish dickweed. I can't say I was 'young and stupid' like many others do. I was fully responsible for disappearing like that, I knew it was wrong but I didn't listen to my conscious. I'm actually surprised...surprised that you aren't angry with me."

It grew quiet between the father and son. Snufkin's hat covered his face, so Joxter was unable to see how Snufkin reacted to the truth.

"...that's not true." Snufkin finally spoke out.

"Pardon?"

"That's not true...I am angry with you."