the boy who fell into the sky

The sun was unusually warm for the season, and it was hard to pass up the opportunity to soak up the gentle rays while the brisk autumn breeze ruffled his coat and kept him from overheating. It was a beautiful day, one that he was more than happy to enjoy with his son. It was rare that Val stopped by, he was more of a wanderer at heart than anyone else the aging giant had known. Certainly more than he'd ever been. The two of them were enjoying a rare moment of tenderness, their tails resting atop one another as the two celestially adorned titans lounged with eyes closed and heads lolling a little. The temptation to nap was overwhelming.

Deion, to his credit, would sleep when he was dead. So he let out a long sigh, and blinked those crimson eyes open to examine the movements of the buffalo that still lingered on the knolls. "Have you considered sticking around for a while? I think your sister is going to be joining us in the future, and I would not turn you away should you want to stay for a season or two." he rumbled quietly to his son, making a point not to look at him. After a beat, he thumped his tail affectionately against Val's, kicked a paw out to nudge him. "Also, I will be dead soon. You should spend more time with your dear, decrepit father before he is worm food." though he spoke in a relatively monotonous grumble, there was a distinct humour to be found in his deadpan tone and stoic delivery. What were eldest sons for, if not to bully into being responsible?

With his little jab at his boy delivered, the curmudgeonly brute shook out his ruff and resumed his observation of the herd's movements. Hardly a skilled hunter by any metric, he was still keen to keep an eye out for stragglers. There were plenty of mouths to feed, and many of them quite young. As winter reared its bitter head, a store of rich buffalo meat would be helpful to keeping everyone healthy during the lean times.