Side Stories: Wulf Slater
Wulf was pretty proud of the deer he'd bagged in the Southern Fang. It wasn't the biggest buck he'd ever seen but it wasn't a small one by any means either. He stood tall and walked confidently with the carcass bound and slung over his shoulders in the manner old Aubrin had taught him in order to still keep his bow and quiver free and handy if need be. The sun was setting. His shadow grew long as he crossed the bridge and he gave a nod to his friend, Sam, who had the displeasure of finishing up whatever last minute maintenance task Kining had her apprentice seeing to before the next day's festivities began. Sam's inquisitive look and sparkling eyes just made Wulf smile. "I'll tell you all about it at the Root later. Our usual? Once I've talked to ma and let the gang know I'm back. You be done with that by then?" The nod and smile he got was all he needed. He still didn't know what had happened to his friend to make him a mute, and he didn't need to know. They'd been friends ever since Sam had come to town just over a decade ago now, and the one sided conversations never felt that way with how expressive the fellow could be.
Wulf passed the town's tavern and tried to gauge how many folks from out of town were here already, the night before the Market Festival kicked off. It seemed pretty lively so chances were good folks were already pouring in to town. He continued west around the market green spotting the place his family would be setting up in the morning but nobody was there right now. They were probably all home already sitting down to eat. Another smile graced his face in the growing darkness. It would be nice to see them all. Even if he'd only been gone a few days he always missed his brothers and sister and his parents of course no matter how long he was gone. Every trip. So when he knocked on the door of his family home out on the west side of town, close to the "farm" his father was so proud of he couldn't help but feel that smile get bigger and bigger. The door opened up and he was treated to a squeal of delight and a tight squeeze of a hug from his little sister. The immediate commotion of a loving family welcoming home a son and brother warmed his heart.
A short while and good meal later Wulf was helping to clear the table and told his ma that he'd be at the Root with Sam for a little while but he'd see everyone in the morning. She fussed a bit and in a motherly fashion complained that he'd be waking up the other kids when he got back but she'd make up the bed anyway and have some words with him in the morning. He just smiled and playfully teased about all the trouble he'd be getting up to but at the end of the day he gave a good hug and ducked out to meet with his friend. He stopped by the shrine to give a thank you to Erastil for such a fine catch but didn't dally. He was never extremely devout and, after all, he wanted to see if there were any new faces at the ol tavern anyway, or maybe some old ones, not to mention he had a story to tell.
