Joxter hummed softly to himself, tail flicking impatiently as he watched the warm glow of the distant village flicker on the horizon, the orange light contradicting the soft blue and purple hues of the night sky, blocking out some of the stars with the light pollution. He sighed and took his hat off, setting it in the grass beside him. The fire crackled before him, sparks floating in the air like dead leaves on an autumn breeze. He threw in another wooden sign to feed the flames, smiling as the fiery beast consumed them happily.
He finally stood, having burned the last of the signs, and looked back into the woods behind his tent. A soft breeze ripped through the trees and blew through his hair, whispering warnings about what he would become if he continued.
"I know.." He whispered, his voice low and gravelly. He knew what he was doing. He knew it was wrong. And he knew it wasn't safe for-
"Dad?" Joxter tensed at the voice, turning to look at the boy. His brown hair was growing longer, worn green hat hiding the bulk of the mess. The smile he wore was tired and fake, a show he was putting on for his father's sake. "I brought dinner." He said softly, holding up a decent sized fish as he let his rod drop to the ground with a soft thud. Joxter smiled and hummed, taking the fish from his son.
"Thanks Snufkin." He picked up a stick laying nearby the fire and put the fish on carefully, setting it above the fire to cook it.
There was silence between them. A comforting one, sure, but still silence. The only sound was the crackle of the fire and the soft hum of the crickets around them. If you listened close enough you could hear a running stream not too far off and the soft bustle of the village people as they settled in for the evening.
"This fish is a bit bigger then the last couple.." Joxter noted, glancing up carefully at the boy who was sitting in the grass, his knees to his chest. His hat was brought down to hide his eyes but that couldn't stop Joxter from seeing the way his son tensed a bit.
"Yes. I tried fishing a bit further upstream this time.. Just like I thought there were more of them there, and they were bigger too." Snufkin remarked. The older looked back at the cooking fish and let out a small sigh.
"You fished by the bridge, didn't you. You we're fishing with that Moomin again." He guessed. He saw the way Snufkin's posture fell in surrender and scoffed a bit. "I thought I told you already, we have no business with them." Snufkin looked up, showing his eyes again. They glowed a steady umber from the glow of the flames on them, his gaze defiant and strong.
"Why can't I talk to them? Just because you have grudges and unfinished business?" Joxter shook his head.
"Because they're foolish creatures! They do everything out of pure kindness for each other and..." He scoffed a bit, waving his hands around. "Love. It's all about love to them. They do this and that and the other, they risk their lives, they go hungry and cold all for love. And if you meddle around with them too much you'll become soft. Just like them!" Joxter said, raising his voice more then he meant too. He was unable to keep the anger from shaking his voice, tail curling as he spoke.
The silence was no longer comfortable, now poisoned with a heavy unease that settled in Snufkin's stomach like a stone. He knew his father was strong, and when he had a belief he would fight for it even if it meant hurting his own son. It wouldn't be the first time that their fights got physical and it sure wouldn't be the last.
But this time, Snufkin didn't want to stand down.
"Do you trust me?" Snufkin asked, keeping his voice calm despite the way the fur on his tail bristled. He always had a way of calming down a situation, but it didn't always work on someone as strong willed as his father.
Joxter calmed a bit, his posture still tense and ready for anything but his tail had settled softly at his side, expression falling to something calmer then before. He let out a soft sigh and looked up to meet the youngers warm gaze.
"Yes?" He answered, voice wavering slightly so it almost sounded like a question. Snufkin held his gaze a bit longer before sighing. He stood up carefully and pulled his hat down to shield his eyes.
"Enjoy dinner. I need to go for a walk." Joxter watched as his son began to walk into the night, the buckles of his boots clicking softly as he walked further off.
"Snufkin, wait." The young Mumrik paused, tail giving a flick to show he was listening. "I do trust you, I just... I worry for you. I'm your father, it's my job to worry. I don't want you to become soft and weak because of them." He let his words hang in the air, hoping maybe it would all sink in easily for Snufkin. "In a world of crime you have to stay sharp and strong." Joxter said, his voice growing strong with authority. "That's the way of a crook."
Snufkin turned back now, his eyes flinging with something like disgust.
"Have you ever stopped to think if that's the life I want? Ever stoped to think that what you're doing might not be what I want? Because it isn't!" Snufkin snapped, hands clenched into fists. He took a step back and shook his head. "But you don't care about that. You don't care about me. Now, I'm going on a walk Joxter. You'll be lucky if I come back." He said, the name 'Joxter' cracking harshly off his tongue like a whip. It was the first time he had addressed him as anything that wasn't 'dad' or 'father'.
Joxter watched as his son stomped off the way he came. Back to the Moomins, he guessed. He looked down at the fish, now charred black from being left on the fire too long, and growled. He balled his hands into fists and stood, kicking the burnt food off the fire and picking up his hat.
"We'll see how far their kindness gets you then Snufkin." He hissed, going into the tent. He pulled out the youngers harmonica, one of his only possessions, and threw it as hard as he could, listening to the soft whistle of it flying through the air until he heard a splash in the river. He then picked up the youngers fishing rod, throwing it into the fire shamelessly and watching the flames devour it.
"You wanna do it this way, we'll do it this way." Joxter snarled, begining to gather everything to head off.
"But if you play with fire, you're gonna get burned."
[TBC]
Bit of a different take on Snufkin and Joxter's relationship but uh bare with me this is my brain lmao
Hope you enjoy uwu also prolly slowish updates cuz b I start school soon whoops-
