((Ryuukishin's Teepee))

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Jin-Soo wandered aimlessly around the forest that had been his temporary home, a friend at his side but a sigh on his lips. Bitey, his first and only daughter, had recently told them of her intentions to leave, to travel, to go out and see the world. In hindsight, it shouldn’t have come as much of a surprise as it did. She used to wander when she was only a foal, and her expeditions outside only lasted longer and longer as she grew. That they would continue to grow longer was the next logical step, and it wasn’t as if she wasn’t ever going to visit. But he felt as if he’d been blind-sided by the information. A few years was nothing compared to how long he’d lived, but he’d grown accustomed to the family life he had while his children were growing up, and though it occurred to him that it would eventually change, he hadn’t expected it to be so soon. Bitey was barely an adult! The world was so vast and so dangerous, there would be so many opportunities for her to get hurt and—

“Stop it, Jin,” Goatee said with a huff, his voice cold. “No matter what happens, you know you won’t stop her.”

Jin calmed, a little more at ease knowing Goatee felt the same worry he did. Though the goat acted indifferent, he had helped Jin raise the foals, and Jin knew Goatee considered the children to be his own, too. It was true he seemed grumpy, did nothing but complain when the children tried to play with him, and screamed at them at times, but he was never unnecessarily harsh, he never denied them his time, and he always kept an eye on them when no one had asked him to. “Uncle” Goatee was a name he was proud to be called.

“They’ve changed you,” Jin said, laughing at the realization.

“They changed us both, Jin. I didn’t think it was possible for anyone to get through that thick head of yours,” Goatee grumbled. He hadn’t denied Jin’s claim, but he was flustered now, and he trotted ahead.

Jin smiled and let his gaze roam, settling on the strip of beach he could see between the trees. When he had first entered one, he had hated it. The grained shifted with the slightest of weights pressed on them, so that every step had been precarious. The ground had been hot, too, and the plants salty. But it was there that Iie enjoyed a part of her meals, the fish and the crabs that settled in the tide making up a part of her diet. It was also where they could enjoy a nice, cold swim, and a warm, sunning rock, with a brilliant sunset reflected on the vast ocean at the close of each and every day. And now, he couldn’t have loved the beach more.

There was a pang in his heart. He felt that their days as an entire family would soon be over. Only Bitey was leaving now, but who knew what the others would do? Kraken might want to join his sister, and he and Iie weren’t exactly mates. He felt the children had been their strongest bond, but they were old enough now to be considered adults. How far they had come...

Jin remembered when Bitey had first left her basket. Iie had warned him of the Twisted Tunnel and its effects, and though he thought he was prepared, he hadn’t expected her sideways mouth. He was terrified: he thought she was hurt. His fears had quickly been relieved, but he never forgave himself for that moment. He couldn’t imagine coming out of his basket, only to see his own father’s horror. Bitey had been extremely self-conscious of her mouth the first year of her life, going so far as to lay down sideways whenever she ate, and he blamed himself. And when he found out she would paint herself horizontal lips and pretend to be mute around her friends, he cried. There was nothing wrong with her and she’d been perfectly healthy, and yet she had preferred to take away her own voice than let others see her. But she’d changed. She knew she was different, but she wasn’t ashamed of it. She was so kind, and so accepting, and he was so, so proud of her.

“I’ll miss her,” he said, his voice breaking.

“I know, and I will, too,” Goatee said softly, more gentle than he’d ever been in a long, long time. “Children bring such happiness; you never think they’ll break your heart, but they always do…”

They walked in silence after that, deaf and blind to anything going around them, lost in their own memories. Then, quietly, “I may go back to travelling, too.”

“What?” Goatee looked at his partner, surprised. Jin treasured family. He wasn’t the type to simply leave them behind, no matter how loose the connection.

“If they don’t need me, that is,” Jin replied thoughtfully, still quiet. “Iie’s had children before, you know. And she... she means a lot to me. I’d like to meet them.”

Goatee pondered it over. Even though Jin had come from a settled family, he’d spent most of his years on his own journey. He wanted to learn as much as he could about the Kawani lands, and he hadn’t felt as if he’d gained much before he discovered he was to become a father. It made sense, then, that he would want to travel once more. And it would give him – no, it would give them both something to help adjust with the coming change.

“Well, I suppose I’ll have to come with you, then. Bitey and Kraken may have grown up just fine, but you wouldn’t last a second without me,” Goatee said, lifting his nose with a delicate sniff.

Jin burst out laughing, but he was grateful to hear it, and he nuzzled the goat to show his thanks and appreciation. They were close friends, and no matter what happened, they knew they would at least have each other. Comforted with the knowledge, the two turned and made their way back home.