EMP-459: Mossweed

Mossweed is a skilled hunter and never misses a beat. He will hunt with Alpine Ridge and Hachi at times but sometimes he actually will go hunt with Takumi just to knock some sense into him and make him work harder. He got his name from two grifix who found his egg under a bed of moss that was growing underneath a tree in the Herbalist Guild’s tree garden, which was the closest section of the guild close to the Hunters Guild. One grifix was from the Hunters Guild while the other was from the Herbalist Guild, the male hunter had been visiting the female herbalist when they both found the egg. The egg was only a few days from hatching so the female herbalist suggested that the two give it a little more magic to help it hatch, the male agreeing and they did. They both agreed it be best for the cub to be raised in the Hunters Guild since a lot of orphans were taken in there, so the male hunter brought the egg to the guild and let it hatch and the two had already chosen the name before the egg hatched.

Mossweed grew up around all the hunters and had been grateful to the two grifix that saved his egg, sometimes visiting the female herbalist just to be friendly and of course grew up with the male hunter as being his mentor. He knew the life of an orphan can sometimes be scary and sad because you always wonder, ‘Why did my parents abandon me?’ ‘Did they not love me?’ That’s why Mossweed always is so close to all the cubs, orphans or not. That’s why he will only drink when he’s not around any little cubs that are running around the guild hall, especially Bramble, a little cub that he has grown fond of ever since the day he found Bramble’s egg.

Mossweed was sitting inside the guild hall one night and was watching everyone eat and drink, mainly watching some of the grifix mess with their headmaster which he didn’t like one bit like some other grifix in the guild. He saw that the fire in the fireplace was slowly dying down, looking over at Hachi and Prey who were sitting at the table with him. “I’m going to go outside and fetch some more wood from outback.” He said as Prey gave him the okay since he was Dust’s second in command, heading outside and seeing the snowstorm was picking up that night so he was going to have to make it quick. He threw on a cloak that was hanging on the wall and headed towards the back where the wood was, using his gems to start picking some up and putting them on his back to carry a few before we saw something sparkling underneath some bramble.. an egg.

“What the-?” He said before going and slowly pulling the egg out from underneath all the bramble, looking at it and seeing it was close to hatching. Suddenly the memories of his own life filled his mind, thinking of how the two Grifix that found him must have felt when they found his abandoned egg. He didn’t want to see any egg suffer this way, so he made up his mind immediately. “I can’t leave this egg out here to die. I’m taking it inside.” He said as he held the egg underneath the cloak to keep it warm as he used his magic to carry the rest of the wood, suddenly seeing Alpine returning from a hunt. “Moss what do you have there?” He questioned as Mossweed showed him the egg, Alpine looking at him a bit confused. “Is this yours?” “No, I found it by the woodpile outback.. I can’t just leave it there to die, Alp.. I-I don’t want to see an egg suffer.. I don’t want any egg or cub to go through what I did. What if I never found this egg, Alpine..? It could’ve died! I can’t let it happen.. ever.” Mossweed said before Alpine agreed with him and decided to carry the wood for his friend while Mossweed took care of the egg.. god what was the guild gonna say to him.

They headed back inside as Alpine carried the wood and Mossweed held the egg underneath the cloak, everyone turning around to face him. “Mossweed? What are you holding?” Prey asked as Mossweed slowly showed the egg and everyone looked at him, the male getting worried. “Is this egg yours?” Prey asked as Mossweed shook his head, Alpine backing him up. “I found it abandoned outside by the firewood.. it’s so close to hatching and I don’t want the cub to parish..” He said as he saw the headmaster come up to him and look at the egg, Dust being a little drunk but not fully yet. “Since you found the egg, you will name the cub and raise it. You will make sure they are well fed and also trained properly when the time comes. Understood, Mossweed?” “Yes, Headmaster Dust.”

Dust Blizzard gave Mossweed a few days off just so he could watch over the egg until it hatched, which was very kind of her to do so. While Mossweed laid in his room he looked at the egg and talked to himself, sighing softly. “Is this how he felt when he watched over my egg..?” He said, thinking about the male hunter that watched and raised him. When the egg hatched and the little bundle of joy rolled out, Mossweed laid there and watched the kit stand up and walk around. He had to choose a name.. and he knew the perfect one.

The male removed his hair from his eyes so the kit could see his face for the first time, this being a special moment for him. “Your name will be Bramble. I am not your father or parent.. but you can see me as you wish.” He said to the little one as Bramble came up to him and crawled up onto his back and curled up in Mossweed’s fluffy mane and fell asleep for a while. “I know you will have many questions when you get older, and thoughts about life.. but I know exactly how you will feel, being in your pawsteps once myself..”

Mossweed continued to be a guardian to Bramble and still always will be, Bramble understanding that Moss wasn’t his parent after a few years. Bramble did call him father a few times when he was a kit but that’s common for a newborn, but now he understands and thinks of Mossweed as a big brother. Mossweed will come back from a hunt and see Bramble run up to him and ask him to play with him, and of course Mossweed doesn’t say no unless he’s extremely exhausted. He will take Bramble outside and sometimes show him how to catch small winter mice that run around the guild building, or throw snowballs at the little one and Bramble laughs and jumps around all excitedly. He does take time to start small training sessions with Bramble, but then has Bramble stay inside until he returns from hunts.

Mossweed will let Bramble play with his hair over his eyes and sometimes lets him pull it up so Mossweed can see at times. Mossweed only lets certain Grifix mess with the hair over his eyes or even see his eye color because his eye color is actually a very faded color, but he’s not blind, he can still see. But he also has a huge scar over his whole face that he got from an accident that he blames himself for and the scar haunts him.

Bramble has asked him about his scar, but he just tells the little cub that he was burned very badly.. which is somewhat true but there is more to the story than anyone thinks. The only grifix that know the full story is Dust Blizzard, Prey, Hachi, and Alpine Ridge.