and nothing's ever guaranteed

The winter arrived in full swing, a whole year had passed. The rugrats were big and strong, and many of them were hardly coming home once per week. It was time to revisit his options, to consider what he wanted to do now that he wasn't keeping the little mongrels alive. Dusk was turning to night, and the sun was barely more than a few rays clawing at the encroaching blackness. The forest had treated the family well in the past year, and had become familiar as the home he'd grown up in. However, it was always intended to be temporary. He wanted to settle somewhere he could enjoy a community until the end of his days, to feel secure about where his next meal might come, somewhere that he could keep a steady stock of herbs for his increasingly creaky joints. If the kids were ready to move on, he would try to send them off on a journey of their own.

He'd been there to watch his parents wither and die, it had been terrible. He didn't want that for his own spawn, nor did he want them to be tied down taking care of him if something were to happen. Let some foolish pack with more empathy than sense take on that burden, not his kids. The cosmic titan hauled himself up from the comfortable furs, headed out to the clearing in front of the old redwood whose roots made his den. The firepit there had seen its fair share of use, and it seemed like a good night to start a fire blazing to keep him warm. Tinder, old coals, and a stack of branches. A few strikes of the well worn flint and pyrite he kept on hand (they'd cost him a small fortune of mead and drugs, when the pups had been barely old enough to be left alone while he made the trade) and there it was, a small ember. It was easily coaxed into a steady flame, the shelter of the thick woods kept any wind from interfering. With a heavy sigh, he dragged a few of his well used furs out of the den and out in front of the fire.

A small part of him considered, in a moment of weakness, calling out for one of the kids to come and sit with him. Perhaps he'd indulge in a little cuddling, against their will... no, they were too old to let their old man groom the tangles from their coat by now. He would just enjoy the fire for a little while, maybe pour himself a drink once the flames were well established.