Finnigan

Traits:
Bashful, Considerate, Approachable

Born into a race of fauns, Finnigan spent his childhood under the care of his loving mother, without any knowledge or ties to his absentee father. Without a father figure he hardly missed, Finnigan grew up shy, yet full of kindness like his mother.

While travelling across nature territory to take advantage of seasonal foraging in his tenth year, Finnigan and his mother encountered another young faun and his single father. The young faun, who was less than a year older than Finnigan, was a wildfire child named Micca who was as outgoing as Finnigan was passive and gave him the nickname 'Finn'. The two of them became quick, and soon inseparable friends.

While Finn and Micca played, Finnigan's mother and Micca's father shared stories of the joys and hardships of raising a child on their own, and became fond of one another after a day of travelling and conversing together. With the prospect of love blooming, and for the increased safety of their children, Finnigan's mother and Micca's father deemed it wise to travel together from then on.

The four of them stuck together for years. Finnigan's mother and Micca's father fell in love, Finn and Micca grew as close as brothers would, and all was well as Finn and Micca arrived at their first year as mature adult fauns. As the season approached, as all male fauns do, Finn and Micca began growing their first pairs of antlers. Where Finn's grew in tall, with small leaves and buds growing on them, Micca's grew in short, but with a density more akin to stone.

When the season was in full swing and young fauns fresh into adulthood were thriving, Finn was returning to his mother after a morning out socializing with Micca, when he came upon a scene that filled him with dread. His mother was standing her ground in an argument against an adult buck with a fully developed set of antlers. Upon seeing Finn, the buck pushed passed his mother and called out to him, referring to Finn as his son. Having no recollection of what his real father looked like, Finn deduced that this buck was indeed his father, judging only by the look on his mother's face. His father smiled at him, but the words he spoke next were threatening, and further deepened Finn's feeling of unease.

His father started by commenting on how petite Finn was. He called him 'skinny' and 'frail looking' and promptly accused Finn's mother of neglecting and not feeding him. His father swiftly continued on to ask Finn if he'd abandon his mother and travel with him instead, promising to teach Finn how to be a man, and further his father's bloodline.

When Finn refused, his father erupted into a fit of anger. He bore down on Finn, locking his much larger set of antler's with Finn's brand new ones, and with a powerful turn of his head he snapped Finn's antlers to splinters and the force threw Finn to the ground. Panicked, Finn looked up at his father with wide fearful eyes to see him looming above him, rearing his antlers back with the intention to skewer Finn on the sharpened prongs.

Finn heard his mother scream, and he screwed his eyes shut, bracing for impact.

But no impact came.

Opening his eyes, Finn saw Micca, who'd taken a running start and staggered Finn's father with a jab of his short antlers to his father's side. Enraged, Finn's father responded by taking a swing at Micca that connected with the side of his head and sent Micca sprawling to the ground.

Finn's father reared for another fatal blow, but Micca's father wasn't far behind Micca, and he charged Finn's father, locking antlers with him before Finn's father could strike. The two adult fauns clashed in a battle of strength and the sounds of antlers knocking filled the air until Micca's father used all the force he could muster to throw Finn's father clean off his feet, emerging victorious.

After the events of that day word seemed to travel because no other stags challenged Micca's father that season and the makeshift family never saw Finn's father again. Once the season ended, as is customary of all fauns after their first antlers shed, Finn and Micca left the safety of travelling with their parents and set off together on their own. Upon discovering a clan known as Lakerest, the two decided to stay and make the clan their home.

Funfacts:

• A big fan of dairy products.
• Finn prefers small, quiet, social gatherings. Opposite of Micca who prefers big, loud, parties.
• Since his father broke them during their first growth period, Finn's antlers have grown in brittle and uneven ever since.
• Finn never outgrew his fawn spots.