lots of recent rat stuff. updating their design a little (shorter legs fatter tails) and thinking abt ppl morgan knows and musun gender social politics. updated morgan backstory lore dump under tha cut
Morgan's parents were both borrowers. Just as he was becoming old enough to learn to borrow, his mother and father decided to return to his mother's colony of origin, where she had family, so that he could have a more secure lifestyle. However, the journey resulted in him losing both his mother and father - he arrived at the colony alone. His mother's name was the only thing that got him through the door.
The culture of musun colonies can vary, but Morgan's mother's colony - the Farrow - was fairly typical. The colony was a large, interwoven group of families headed by a dominant female. Overseen by her were reproductive females - those who were permitted to bear children - and the dominant male, who oversaw any reproductive males (who were typically few in number). Alongside them were nonreproductive females and males - those that were old and retired, those that were younger, and those who simply had low social standing. Reproductive individuals seldom left the colony, taking roles of farmers, nannies, wet nurses and tailors. Nonreproductive individuals could have any array of roles - including hunting and borrowing for the colony. It is ultimately up to the dominant female who is allowed to bear children - a nonreproductive female becoming pregnant could be punished or exiled, or even have her pups culled. Morgan's mother, Popper, was a nonreproductive female who concealed a pregnancy with a non-colony male - and chose to exile herself to protect her child. Despite his illegitimacy, Morgan carries his mother's name, and was allowed in, largely because his grandmother had become the Grand Dam (despite her daughter's self-exile). Regardless, he's a bastard, and his position is very low. Morgan's duties generally included borrowing, bug farming and seed collection.
He grew up alongside cousins who became like siblings to him - particularly Yarrow. As an adult, his cousin has a child, named Fern, that he helps raise - but for reasons unknown to him, she disappears, leaving him to care for the child. Whether she died or left in exile is unknown - and the topic of gossip. Nannying of children typically falls to reproductive roles, but can be shared more widely for pups that are weaned, and his cousin's pup prefers his company to the people that rejected their mother for associating with him.
Morgan also has a close friend, a nonreproductive male named Aster. He's a watchman and guard, whose job is to sound the alarm if the colony is threatened. He was apprenticing for this role when Morgan came to the colony - he's one of the first colony members Morgan met, and Aster is very loyal to him. Aster is sometimes called "Ash" as a nickname.
Colonies like Morgan's often have strict rules about entry and exit to preserve their own safety. Unrelated musun and outsiders have to petition for entry, and even if allowed inside, it can take years before they are considered "part" of the colony. One of their most important rules is in regard to safety - if someone is being chased by a predator, or are otherwise in danger from a malevolent actor, it is strictly forbidden for them to run home. This is because they risk leading the danger to the colony. If someone is being chased, they are instructed to run away from the colony and find a hiding spot until the danger has passed, at which point they can return home unseen.
Morgan breaks this rule when he is spotted and chased by something that is very interested in him - and runs directly home. This creature then lingers around the area of the colony for days, trying to find its scent and dig it up. It eventually gives up - but Morgan is exiled for his carelessness, leading him to become a solitary borrower against his will.
In the years following, Morgan grows used to living on his own (which is difficult for him, as an extroverted person). Back home, turmoil in the colony continues to grow for various reasons - largely related to issues of dominance and struggles for power. Aster, frustrated with his leaders for Morgan's treatment, leaves with Fern to go and find him. Anything is better than where they are now.
Unbeknownst to him, Morgan has been found and captured by the very creature that caused his exile all those years ago - a huge monster named Bug. Turns out Morgan had made his new nest in Bug's apartment.
Morgan comes to trust Bug. He had been living in Bug's walls, and continues to do so - but spends a great deal of time on Bug's person now, too. Eventually, Aster will find Morgan - who is now having a situationship with a giant monster. It goes about as well as you’d expect.
