Chapter Text
A kobold with black fur walked along the dirt path of Heartwood. He came to a stop in front of the village leader’s door. It has been years since he had last seen his son. Buck wasn’t around for the birth of his first grandchild and had only heard about him in letters. However, there had been a rumor lately that the village leader of Heartwood had another child. One that Buck was completely left in the dark about. Ever since Buck moved to Shattered Bay, it had gotten a lot more difficult to keep a close eye on his son. He had always made frequent visits to make sure that the standards of the village are met. He may no longer be the village leader anymore, but he still has some control.
Buck approached the door and knocked. He always knocks on the door three times and as loudly as he can. It was always so distinct in an odd way. There was the sound of laughter from inside the home, but after Buck nocked it came to a complete stop. The door slowly opened, and Buck was greeted by a tall kobold with dark brown fur and black heavy armor. Sigmond, Bucks’ son stared at his father. His expression was mixed with fear and anger. He didn’t want his father to be here, and to come without notice. Buck wasn’t too pleased either, and Sigmond could tell.
“So, what brings you here father?” Sigmond asked trying not to sound nervous. Buck knew something was very wrong “Oh nothing, just coming to check on the grandkids.”
Sigmond’s face turned pale. He didn’t tell his father about his new child, and for good reason as well. “Don’t you mean grandson?” He said trying to keep his cool.
Buck squinted his eyes “I know what I said.” Buck shoved the door open letting himself inside.
Sigmond would have tried to close the door, but out of pure instinct let him in instead. When Buck entered the main room, he started looking around. Hanging on the wall was a small family portrait. In it was Sigmond, his wife Clover, And Edgar. Edgar was Sigmond’s first-born son, In the picture, he appeared to be a toddler. A small reddish-brown kobold wrapped in a red cloth. Something was off though; Buck couldn’t exactly figure it out, but the atmosphere changed since the last time he visited.
Sigmond was starting to get nervous. “Listen, father now is not a good time—"
“Shut your damn mouth. Has Edger been through the offering ritual?” Buck asked in an annoyed tone.
“Yes, I have you know things are running smoothly around here. I am taking care of Heartwood just fine on my own.” Sigmond said.
“Good. Now we can focus on the more important things. Listen, I have my reasons to come here. Something you’re not telling me…” Buck said in a deep low voice.
“What do you mean?” Sigmond was starting to get nervous. He had this sinking feeling of knowing exactly what he meant.
Just as he was about to say something, Clover stepped in. Right behind her was Edger, who seemed to be cowering in fear. “Why are you here Buck?”
Buck paused for a moment and just stared at her. But just as he was about to respond, he heard a slight creak. He turned to look up the stairs to see a small kobold figure, looking down from the steps. The kobold appeared to have rich red fur with a tooth on their lower jaw sticking out. But the one thing that caught Buck’s eye, was their long tail.
Buck pointed up the stairs and looked at Clover. “That’s why.”.
“They are none of your concerns. Edgar is the future leader of this village, not Luka.” Said Sigmond.
Buck turned toward Sigmond giving him a death stare. “Luka, is it?” he asked. Buck stepped closer to the stairs and gestured for Luka to come downstairs. The small kobold nervously walked down the steps, holding their long tail for comfort. Luka was only halfway down the stairs before they were grabbed by the arm and pulled to the main room. Buck grabbed Luka’s tail and tugged it closer to Sigmond’s view. “THIS IS TAKING CARE OF HEARTWOOD? You know good and damn well that every kobold of Heartwood has to go through the offering ritual.” Buck was so angry that they almost forgot the reason why he came. He entrusted his son to continue the rituals that kept him and the village alive.
“Listen, father, I don’t think we should trust this entity you speak greatly of. The winters become colder each year, making it difficult for the wayfarer to clear it away. Something bad is going to happen I can feel it.”
“Because of this!” Buck pointed to Luka’s tail “The village is safe as long as we pay our end of the bargain. Now I can forgive the fact that you didn’t tell me about the little runt, but I will not let you neglect your duty as village leader.” After Buck let go of Luka’s tail, he made his way to the door and turned towards Sigmond. “If you do not perform the ritual, I will personally come back and chop the kid’s tail off myself.”
“But he is too old for the ritual! We cut the tails when they are newborns! Luka is passed that age.” Sigmond said with a worried expression. He wanted to spare Luka from the ritual. This was going to be his chance to find the truth.
Buck’s expression went cold “Does it look like I care?” Buck opened the door and stood at the frame facing the outside. “You have one week to not screw this up.” Buck slammed the door shut causing the whole house to shake. A small picture frame fell to the floor, scattering broken glass everywhere. All Sigmond could do was just stand there.
Luka held their tail close to them as they ran upstairs to their room. They held their tears until they closed the door behind them. They didn’t know what they were talking about, but all they could think about was their tail getting chopped off. The whole tail won’t get taken off, but it would still hurt. And they would still lose a piece of themself. They crawled onto bed wanting the day to be over. That was all they can do for now. Luka simply laid there and cried themself to sleep.