A year after I wrote this for Keith’s birthday, Embers finally has its own artworks. I had to pay for these, even tho it was for an event I organized myself lol And a year later! But this fic is the most important piece to me so it was totally worth it. Thank you to everyone who read and commented💜
A huge thanks to @ashterism for accepting my request. You are so kind, and insanely talented. 💕
Without further ado, enjoy this little excerpt!
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“Found you.”
He ran towards the pool at the bottom of the falls. Keith gawked when he saw a hole on the ground and beside it, predictably, a mound of dirt. Because it was close to the water, it had turned into a pool of mud. He gave his wolf, who was happily wagging his tail, a droopy-eyed look. “Don’t tell me you did this.”
“He didn’t. I did.”
“Wha-“ A handful of mud was slathered on his face.
“What are you-“ Before he could even wipe it off, Krolia gave him another layer. This time, with both hands, spreading the mud all over his face.
“Just continuing tradition. Happy Birthday, Keith.”
Keith’s eyes widened as his mother’s words brought him back to a time he dearly cherished. To the earliest birthday party he could remember, back when his dad was still alive.
*******
His father bought him balloons, wrapped his presents, and baked him a chocolate cake. It smelled so good, Keith remembered sitting in the kitchen and staring at the oven the whole time. He lost count of how many times he asked his father “Is it done?”
He gasped when he finally heard the much awaited ‘ding’ from the oven. His father opened it and the rich aroma filled the kitchen. He took out the spring-form pan and set it on the counter.
“Almost done, son. We’re gonna have to wait for it to cool first.” He patted Keith’s head, while the boy pouted. He had more waiting to do.
Chuckling, his father took him in his arms. “Now we get to the fun part. Do you want to help me make the frosting?”
“Yeah!” Keith’s eyes sparkled.
His dad lifted him higher and spun him around. Their laughter filled the house. There were only two of them, but his dad made sure they were always happy. That Keith was always happy.
After spreading the frosting they made over the freshly baked, completely cooled cake, Keith climbed down the chair and stretched out his hand. “I wanna bring it to the table!”
“Are you sure? It’s a little heavy.”
“I can do it! I’m a big boy!”
“All right.”
Keith’s father carefully passed the cake over to the birthday boy. Face contorted in sheer concentration, he took small, careful steps. That’s why he was surprised when he wasn’t able to lift his foot all of a sudden and the next thing he knew he was on the floor, face buried in chocolate.
He sat up and saw his shoelace was untied. That was all it took to ruin the cake he was so excited to eat. He felt a pang in his chest from so much disappointment.
“Keith! Are you okay?”
His dad knelt in front of him. Upon hearing his father’s gentle voice filled with concern, his mouth quivered. His eyes started to feel moist, and he could feel a tear form on his eyelids.
Big hands grabbed fistfuls of cake. Keith could only look on, dumbfounded, as his dad smeared cake all over his own face. Before he realized it, Keith’s chokes and sobs turned into small giggles. His father took him in his arms and rubbed his stubble against his silky smooth cheeks, just as he always did to tickle him since he was a baby. And soon the house was once again filled with laughter.
Since then, every single year, it became a tradition to smear each other’s faces with all sorts of frosting- from chocolate to fresh cream and all sorts of flavors and colors- before they actually ate the cake.
*******
“So it wasn’t just a dream…” Keith spoke fondly, soft smile lighting up his face. “You saw it too, which means you know the tradition.” Smirking, Keith grabbed a fistful of mud. He aimed for his mother’s face, but Krolia ducked just in time.
“You’re a hundred years too early to catch me, child.”
“Hey! That’s not fair.”
He tried and failed. Tried again and failed again. How was his mother so damn fast?! But that just fired him up even more. The harder the challenge, the more he wanted to conquer it. He never backed down.
But his mother had amazing reflexes. He didn’t know how many years of battle experience she had over him (and he knew better than to ask a woman’s age), but she was the real deal. He already mastered everything she taught him in all the months they spent together in the space whale, but he was still nowhere near what she was truly capable of.
“Gotch-“
Splat.
And just when he thought he had an opening, the cosmic wolf dove right into the mud puddle, splashing dirt all over both them. Keith heard laughter. His chest was engulfed with warmth as he realized that was the first time he had ever seen his mother so happy and relaxed.
-
Embers
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