Villager: Valafor
4
Villager Info
ID: #77021
Name: Valafor
Gender: Male
Location: Olde Foxbury
Born 8 years, 10 months ago
Career: Animal Husbandry
Owner: Amerlex
Species: Deer
Color: White Tailed
Buffs:House: Olde Foxbury House (1/250)
Career (View All)
About
~Artemis~
"I can do it! Just give me a chance! :D"
Dependable | TAILOR | Crybaby
"I can do it! Just give me a chance! :D"
Dependable | TAILOR | Crybaby
"Nana!" You call over the country side as you bound over to her. Living outside of the city has its perks, you can hear the river nearby, and smells carry for miles as they waft down the hill, you can smell the bread in your Nana's oven baking as you run up the gravel walkway to her house. It's a bit of a walk into the city, but you don't mind going into town for your grandmother, it makes you feel important, and needed. Scrambling up the porch steps you let yourself in, the screen door creaking as it closes behind you.
She is bent over the open oven when you find her, holding a risen and golden loaf of bread gingerly in her oven mit covered hands, a clunky silver bracelet at her wrist. Her eyes are small and dark behind her glasses making her look like some kind of bug, but her slightly drooped ears and fangless grin makes your stomach go into knots. You just love her so much.
The morning plays out like every morning before, you sit at her large tea-table and sit with her for breakfast. Homemade peach jam and hot fresh bread. It had been like this ever since you remember. Your parents couldn't take care of you, for whatever reason, so you lived with your grandmother ever since you were a baby. Come to think of it, you don't even think you could form a face for your parents if someone asked you. All that comes to mind is your grandmothers loving wrinkled face, and the smell of warm baked goods lingering on her fur.
Recently however, you don't know if its you getting older and more perceptive, but you noticed your grandma starting to have troubles with her age. First the stairs became a problem... then you noticed how her hands shook as she would pour her tea... you have done your best to help her when you can. Helping her up the stairs and into her bed, pouring the tea when you have breakfast, and even doing some of the chores around the house.
What broke your heart the most however, was when your Nana had to stop sewing.
She made the most beautiful dresses and clothing. Small delicate detail work that had even the most upper class of folks jealous of her talents. You always wanted to take after her one day, and when you asked a few years back, she gladly taught you. But now when you ask, her small eyes search the fabric and her shaking hands try to build stitches but nothing finds purchase. You decide after that to sew alone.
But you don't mind doing chores and such, you love being helpful. But some nagging feeling in your head makes you feel worried.
She sends you into town one day, to pick up some groceries and her medicine. And you swear, you didn't dawdle much. Sure you stopped to pet a uni, and maybe used some pocket change for some candy but you come back as soon as you can. But when you leave the city, you hear the ambulance way before you see it.
You stood on the edge of the yard, out of sight of the paramedics, just stunned. You had a feeling... that her time was close... but if you knew it was today you never would have left...
Fear grabs you and you take the bag of groceries and wait in the woods nearby until everyone leaves. The last woop of the siren cutting though the night air like a hot knife in butter.
Your foot hesitates on the steps. It's just your house, go inside don't be scared. You feel your wings trembling as they knock against the screen door. You go inside and the house has changed since this morning. Its cold, and dark, all of the warmth gone with your Nana.
Drat! What did Nana tell you to do? She had told you, when she started to act funny, what to do when she died. You grab your ears frustrated as you struggle to remember. You had to call someone... Old Foxbury doesn't have an orphanage.. You startle when you think of the word. Orphanage. Horror stories whispered on the playground as you played in the park. As a child you don't think maybe its just rumors, the fear is very real to you.
You decide you don't want to go there either.
You run upstairs and pack a bag. A scarf, some food, a small sewing kit, you have never done something like this so you don't know what all to bring. In a spur of the moment decision you dump the candy bowl into the top of your bag. You don't know if you will need it after all. You hear something down stairs and freeze. Someone turned a light on. "Artemis? Are you in here? Your Grandmother left us a note that you would be here alone should she... pass on.. I am a police officer here to escort you to the Quezal Palace orphanage. Artemis?"
Terror grips you and you find yourself fumbling with the window lock. You can't really fly yet, you are too little, but maybe you can glide down to the ground and run back into the woods. You throw your bag over your shoulders and settle it between your wings.
You hear someone climbing the stairs, the third stair always creaked and it would echo though the house.
The cold night air slaps your face as the window slides open and you hesitate just a moment before flinging yourself out the window. You tumble more than glide, but when you hit the ground it doesn't hurt too badly and you bolt into the woods.
Your legs are screaming at you when you finally collapse. The grass is soft and cool on your fur. Quickly you fall asleep.
You wake with a start and the last 24 hours hit you like a speeding train. The ambulance.. running away...
It floods your memory and you finally cry. All of the pent-up sadness and fear, overflowing as you break down. What are you even thinking? You ran from a cop! You broke the law! Your crying quickly turns into a wail as you panic.
"What are you doing so far from town kid?"
You are on your feet in a second and you turn around to face the person talking to you. They are a tall, (well everyone is tall to you) brown and cream-colored raccoon, their coat covered in scars and scratches. You gulp and wipe your face.
"you look familiar actually... hm... are you related to the old bat who lives up on the hill?" They nervously add "I mean like literal, an old lady bat, not like a senile old person"
"How do you know my Nana?" You don't know what makes you say it, fear or what. But they know your Nana, they will probably turn you over to the police once news gets out that she died. Hopefully they don't know that yet...
"oh she has helped out my family in finding a place to settle down. We live far out beyond the other hill, but she doesn't mind us cutting though her field to get to town. I am Casey" They flash a grin at you and you nervously return it. "I am Artemis, I uh.." You try to think of a good reason to be out here "oh Nana wanted me to come introduce myself to you and your family. she said it would be good for me to know the neighbors!" You are a bad liar. You are always too excited when you try. Darn, this is it, off to Quetzal Palace...
"Oh that's great! I was headed there myself. We should stop by your house, so your Nana knows you are with me and wont worry"
"Ah! That wont be necessary! Shes the one who sent me, besides you can walk me home later and say hi then!" It takes every ounce of your being to not grab your ears in frustration. This is going so poorly.
They nod slowly, considering it and then they beam down at you. "Great! Lets get going then, its kind of a long walk"
The walk though the woods helps you relax a bit, you sneak a few candies from your bag and take it easy. If this is gonna be your last day on the outside then you are gonna really enjoy it.
You go over the hill and the smell of baking bread makes your stomach knot up a bit. It's a small village. There is one large house in the middle, and several smaller houses that look like they double as shops during the day. The big house has a column of smoke rising from the chimney and with it carries the smell of bread, chewy with a thick crust to survive the wood oven. Slowly your stomach unknots and your mouth waters with hunger.
Casey sees you eyeballing the house and chimes in "lets stop by for some breakfast and then I will show you around"
Inside the house it's even stronger, the smell of bacon and eggs makes your stomach growl. There is a large living room in the house, but Casey leads you to the kitchen. Its bright and lit with lots of windows and very few real lights. There is a large male horse at the stove wearing a small pink, heavily stained apron. He looks up at Casey and then over to you and you feel a bit intimidated by his size. He greets you with a short wave and then lays his apron over the handle of the stove before leaving, high-fiving a small rabbit who is sitting at the counter on his way out.
"Don't mind Tai, children make him a bit nervous. but i think he likes you, he even waved at you" Casey helps you up onto a bar stool between a rabbit and a ferret and then busys themselves making you a plate to eat.
"Hey Case who's the kid?" The ferret says with a mouthful of bacon. "That's Artemis, that's Faye's grand baby. Artemis that's Tobias, and the rabbit on your left is Sophie but I think she is focused on her book"
Sophie looked up at hearing her name and startles a bit when she sees you so close. "Oh uh, hello there, welcome to our village" Shes covered in weird scars, maybe burns of some kind, either way her fur isn't growing in spots and you stare for a bit longer than what is probably polite. Tobias clears his throat and you look back at him.
"well welcome to the village Cuz' any child of Faye's is always welcome here" He ruffles your hair and shoves a piece of toast into his mouth before heading towards the door "Case tell Riley to hurry her butt up and get to exploring when she finally shows up for breakfast, I am sick of her being so lax on her job"
Casey chuckles as she places a plate of steaming eggs, bacon and toast in front of you and waves Tobias goodbye. You quickly bow your head and say grace before stuffing your face. It was a bit weird at the counter, Nana had wings too, so her table had divots so you could eat without bashing your neighbor with your wings. So you end up battering Sophie a bit with your stumpy wings while you mumble sorry with a mouth full of food. Casey settles down next to you and you enjoy breakfast in silence mostly. The coffee pot bubbles gently, and the sound of a hammer striking iron next door, if you really pushed your ears you could hear the small cries of something... small creatures of some kind but you don't really know.
You watch Casey wash their plate and you climb down off the chair and take your plate to the sink to wash and put on a towel nearby.
And then you started your tour.
You meet Phaedra the blacksmith first, she's pretty mean but her work is beautiful, you tell her so and she blushes up to her horn and snorts a bit. You kinda like her.
Ethan is the doctor and his office smells very very clean, it makes you nervous, you think of your grandma and you don't stay very long.
You don't really go anywhere when you run into Riley, she runs into you if you wanna be honest. She trips over your small body and you both tumble to the floor. She laughs it off in a flip of her bright red hair and she winks at you before running off into the woods. You aren't sure how to feel about her yet.
Casey takes you to the barracks and you see a moody looking manokit, Adriane, she snaps her fangs at you and gets scolded by Casey before disappearing out the back door snatching a sword off the wall. Red is more laid back, but he is also massive, you don't think you have ever seen a hyena as big as him ever, he could be as tall as maybe 11 of you... maybe.. you never were good at math.
You pass by an empty house, its small but the front window looks like it was made to be a shop for something fancy. Casey explains that it was going to be a tailor shop for your grandmothers clothing line, but she wasnt sewing anymore when they finally contacted her about the shop. For a moment, you think of yourself, older running this shop for your Nana and it warms you from your bones to your very core. It feels... right. You miss her, a whole lot, but you feel like this could be a good place for you. Everyone has been so nice. Casey talks about them like they are all family, maybe you could find a place here.
You walk by the alchemy shop and you hear an explosion. Casey has you wait outside and quickly she runs inside to haul a kicking and screaming opossum out by the tail. You don't know if its normal, but the opossum fur was rapidly turning blue and erupting in angry red boils. Casey quickly shoos you away after saving their friend. Honestly the whole thing just made you feel more eager to meet this opossum, Casey later tells you their name was Skudge.
Lastly you run into Valafor and his herd of drax, you are having a good time petting and feeding them until one jumps up and snaps a bite out of your ear. You start to cry and run to hide behind Casey but the damage is already done. the rascal took a good-sized chunk out of your ear. You get to meet Ethan after all, he's quiet as he patches up your ear, but at least you aren't in his clinical smelling office.
Casey looks you over after you are all patched up "I am so sorry this happened Arttie, we should get you back up to your grandmother's house asap. Aw dang what am I even gonna tell her..." Your guilt starts to show itself. you had forgotten why you came here in the first place. She leads you up over the hill and you walk a ways until you see your Nana's house and you see a cop car outside.
Casey beats you to the punch though "oh snap, what are the cops doing here?" You can't stand lying to your new friend and you break down. The words spill from your mouth like a waterfall. Your Nana's sudden death, your fear, the cop showing up to take you to the orphanage.
They kneel down and speak quietly to you. "Artemis. I know you are scared. I was an orphan too when I was younger. But we have to go talk to the cop."
You throw yourself on the floor and have a fit. No NO! You don't know how long you cry but you feel Casey's hand on your back gently petting you and that keeps you grounded. "Artemis.. I can go with you, so you don't have to be alone, but we need to go see what they have to say, your grandmother probably left instructions for your care"
You finally stand up and Casey takes your hand. Ok ok, you can do this. You walk up the steps and the screen door welcomes you in, you kinda missed the door hitting you as you came in, but Casey holds it open for you.
In the living room is a somber looking lioness in uniform. "Artemis?" You step forward and nod. You are scared, and you feel your heartbeat in your throat. She kneels down to your level and looks at you "Your grandmother passed away yesterday evening, she went peacefully in her sleep and her heart monitor bracelet alerted us to the house" You feel your lip quiver a bit but you let her keep talking "Your grandmother felt her time was short, and left a note with the station, that if she were to pass on, you would need to be cared for. So I need you to come with me please, so I can take you to the orphanage in Quezal Palace." She gives you a warm smile "we can ride in the cruiser, and once we are out of city limits, I will let you turn on the siren if you would like"
You glance up at Casey, their face is unreadable, their brows pressed together as they think. You are gonna have to make a decision here... You slowly step towards the officer and Casey speaks quietly to her. "I am a friend of the family, is there any possible way I could adopt him instead? You know, keep him here in Foxbury instead of all the way out at the Palace."
You feel your heart skip a beat. Stay here with Casey and their family? You think back to the empty shop in the village... your Nana's legacy... You think of warm lazy mornings in the main house, the feeling of the newly paved roads on your paws, sewing dresses for..for your family...
"YES!" The others startle at your sudden shouting. Apparently during your inner-monologe you miss the finer points of their conversation. The lioness looks down at you with a smile "well looks like all that is settled" She chuckles and then stands up and looks down at Casey "There will need to be paperwork, lots of paperwork. I will be in contact with you, we need to do this by the book. And then there lies the will, it still needs to be read. Thank you for your cooperation." She waves at you and slowly leaves the house.
You hear the car pull away and head down the drive when Casey taps you gently on the shoulder. "I mean i kinda took your yes, as well a Yes. But you really want to come stay with me?" You nod eagerly. "I need something first!" You run over to the living room and pull a picture off the table, its one of your Nana sewing, and it was always one of your favorite pictures of her.
You look up at Casey who looks kind of lost, half like they swallowed a bug, and half overflowing with joy. They look down at you and beam with pride. "You ready to go home kiddo?"
You are curled up under a tree, a pile of burlap bags in your lap as you drag a thick needle though the rough fabric. The way Riley and Tobias burn though these bags is enough to make you yank your ears! This is the third time this week having to fix popped seams, or sew a button back on. It may not be the fancy dresses you imagined, but you will get there one day. You look down at your messy seams and focus on making small precise stitches, and, yeah that looks way better. You can do this, practice makes perfect.
You hear Casey whistle for you from across the square, you aren't allowed to leave town on your own yet, but you pretty much have free reign as long as you take Whinnie with you. As soon as they cross your mind, your large fat guinea pig noses at you to get a move on. They were a gift from Valafor, as a sorry for the bite. As you find yourself mindlessly rubbing the notch in your ear you hear Casey whistle again. If she gets to a third whistle shes gonna come find you and then you will get grounded. UGH. You cram all of your bags into one of the larger ones and put away your sewing stuff before making a beeline back to Casey.
Back home...
STATS
Age:7
Pronouns: He/Him
Costumes Learned: All Costumes
Likes: Sweets, rubbing fabric with their toes, hanging out with Casey and Phaedra, wandering the village
Dislikes: Drax (thanks to a bite from one), darkness, knitting (he can do it, he just hates it).
ART:
COMING SOON!
He knows all costume recipes, and would be happy to make them if you want to supply the ingredients.
Paintie Credit to: Crystal
