Family Reunion

Travel

Joxter was awoken to the smell of smoke and the sound of fire crackling. He sat up, and realized that Snufkin was absent. How long have I been asleep? He rubbed at his eyes, and found that he was covered by a blanket that he didn't remember having when he fell asleep. He saw his clothes folded up in the corner of the tent, the garments that were once damp were nice and dry. He crawled over to the stack, and slipped into his shirt. He didn't put his coat or boots on yet though.

"Are you awake?" Joxter heard outside of the tent. It was Snufkin's voice. "I caught some more fish this morning, I hope you don't mind eating that again."

"Not at all, my boy." Joxter crawled out of the tent to find his son cooking over the fire. "Mm, that smells good. How did you get a fire to start after all that rain last night?"

"I kept some firewood in the tent to keep it dry." Snufkin smiled. "So, would you like to leave after we eat? It will take about two days to reach Mymble's house, so we should get going as soon as we can." Joxter nodded, sitting down by the fire.

"Sounds good to me." He said, looking towards the morning sky. Snufkin sat across from him, adjusting his hat. "...do you think she's going to be angry with me?" Snufkin turned to look at Joxter. "Mymble, I mean..."

"Well...I can't say for sure. It's up to her to decide how she feels about the situation. You just have to accept however she reacts, and do your best to show her that you're really sorry and want to do better." Snufkin handed Joxter a stick with one of the fish speared on it. "Here. You might want to let it cool first."

"...when did you get so wise." Joxter purred, not really asking a question, but making a statement. He took hold of the stick, and began to eat. Snufkin did the same.

"I wouldn't call it wise...but I learned a lot once I...started to travel." Snufkin seemed to hesitate for a moment, like he was holding something back. Joxter noticed though, but decided not to say anything about it. But he did decide to say...

"I know I just now came back to you...and there's still so much to catch up on. But...if there's anything you're worried about or if there's anything bothering you, you can tell me."

"...maybe later. But thank you." Snufkin sighed.

It was silent between the two of then until they finished eating and began to gather their things in preparation for their trip. Joxter went off to find some food for then to take along, while Snufkin packed up camp. Joxter picked plentiful of fruits and berries, as well as some wild onions and carrots. He returned to find Snufkin was already finished packing. Having everything they needed, they set off.

A/N: So sorry for the delay as well as the short chapter! But I really wanted to say thank you all so much for the wonderful feedback on this story so far! It makes me so happy to see you all enjoy it and leave comments! I hope I continue to make you smile with this story as it continues!
Warning: It probably won't be the next chapter, but the chapter after that might get a little angsty again 🧿👄🧿