Alces Familiaris Gigas

Moose

Moose

Squiddily diddily
Benefactor
Mac looked around furtively, reaching into his large backpack and pulling out one of his old antlers to gnaw on. His new antlers were already growing back in, and the old one was on its last legs. There was a loud crunch as the antler broke in half and he quickly hid the piece that wasn't in his mouth, continuing to gnaw on the piece in his mouth. It was a rainy, late spring day and the farmer's market had opened up again, he hid his antler back in his backpack before heading over to the stalls. The stall owners knew him as he had been here since he was a child, for the past few years it was without his family, so they had gotten used to his presence and understanding him when he mumbled out his requests.

Once he swallowed the antler, he finally properly entered the market. When he kept his mouth shut he mostly looked like an oddly colored moose, only splotches of white and his bright blue eyes giving away the illusion that he is anything but an herbivore. To that end, he used his appearance to his advantage, talking as little as possible as he made his way through the stalls and headed for the chicken farms. Once there he crouched and began to pick out eggs to put into the cardboard cartons they provided. The chicken running the stall was smiling politely at him, he was her biggest customer both figuratively and literally.

He pursed his lips and mumbled out, "How much." once he was ready.

"Forty." she said, holding her hand out for the money. He pulled out the two twenties and handed them over, waiting patiently for her to bag the eggs. She handed him the large sack and he accepted it, heading down to the stall for full cream milk and getting a purchase there, putting the milk in his bag. He then began to wander around the market, looking for new stalls or new faces to see if there was anything new and interesting around.
 
Some stalls had always been there, some changed for time to time. Grisham sold his product, an odd combination. Vegetables on one side, and some wool clothes on the other. You could comission them, he'd take measurements and have it ready in some time. Depending on the client's side. It wasn't a secret the old wolf-dog ran a sort of facility for sheep to live in a few km away from the town. He gave them a place to live comfortably, food and safety, and only asked for wool in return. His nephew was a shepherd dog, and the young lad helped plenty around the house and with the clients.

The nephew was also the one that usually came to the market, so i was strange to see Grisham there instead. Something could have happened, maybe... but not many dared ask. He wasn't known for his kindness, unless you were a client or a sheep. There were of course, rumours. That he sometimes ate them, for example. But he was at least respected enough that no one would say something like that to his face. Unless they were wishing for a good punch to the gut. Otherwise, he was pretty quiet.

Which was probably why It'd come as a surprise to Mac when Grisham sniffed the air and looked around towards him as he approached. As if about to say something.
 
Mac approached Grishams stall and looked over the vegetables, picking out several root vegetables before turning to the wolf dog who had been sniffing the air. He cleared his throat "yes, I know I smell a bit of dog." he mumbled, barely opening his mouth.

He looked around before using a thumb to pull up the side of his lip to reveal his canines without an act of aggression, "I'm half... What happened to the shepherd that's usually here?" he asked, before placing down the vegetables he was ready to purchase
 
A hybrid, Grisham had heard that story before too. Hadn't paid it much attention, except for the time Olliver brought it up and they discussed it a bit during dinner. It had been a most... enlightening conversation, and it had remained at that.
He acknowledged the smell bit with a short grunt, not even wrinkling his snout. But Olliver had said something. Something something say hi to this person and the other. This hybrid fellow was one of them.

"Got hurt while working back home but he's alright. Sends his regards, Olliver. Are you two friends or something?" Asked Grisham, looking over the vegetables the other had picked.

"That'll be 3'50, kid"
 
Mac shrugged, "Kind of, I'm a regular with these stalls. Olliver just always had the vegetables I wanted, was nice enough. It's nice to have people not afraid." He said, handing over the money.

Mac's ears went up, "Aww crap." Sled dogs in suits were approaching the market, their distinctive boots being the tell that he had needed. Heavy snow boots with steel noses and heels, they had snowshoes slung over their backs with spikes coming from them. A single moose led the pack, dressed in cargo pants and a thick jacket, his antlers larger than Mac's.

"Family's here." He said, staring them down as they made a beeline for him.
 
Grisham hummed while Mac told him about his and Olliver's relationship. If it could be called that. Then new smells, dogs and moose came in as Mac spoke. Strange family, that one. Not people he usually dealt with.
It didn't seem like the hybrid was very happy to run into his relatives either. Grisham would reflect on his next words later without understanding why they came out at all.

"You could come see Olliver, I'm sure he'd appreciate it."
 
The dogs and the moose approached him, "Mac, your father would like a meeting with you at your earliest convenience." The moose seemed to speak for all of them.

Mac groaned and looked to Grisham, "I will." He turned to the moose, "I'm shopping, you can come pick me up at the house after I drop the groceries off."

The moose pulled a few twenties out of his pocket and slapped them on the table near Grisham, "We would thank you for your help kind sir, if you could hurry this boy on home."
 
The wolf-dog's attention shifted between Mac and his family people. It felt like the whole Market had somehow gone quiet since they stomped in. Everyone listening in, waiting to see this through.

He growled lightly, reminding himself that people who dressed in suits to come street markets were not to be antagonized.
"I'm not a bodyguard or some sort of nanny. I sell vegetables and wool clothing. So unless you want to comission something or buy some food I'm afraid I cannot help you."He replied, not showing his fangs even as his fur fluffed up.
 
The moose laughed, "All right, well I won't disrespect your business." He took the money back and pocketed it before pointing to Mac, "We'll be waiting for you at home." He turned away and walked back the way he came, the sled dogs following in a clump.

"So, is there a good time that I could come to see Olliver?I'm mostly free." He said, pretending that they hadn't been interrupted.
 
He watched the hybrid's family leave without much of a hurry to provide an answer until they were gone. Something in their presence rubbed him the wrong way, making his fur stand up.

Once Mac and him were alone, or as alone as they could be in a packed day market in town, he handed the other his bag and answered.

"You can walk with me tonight once I'm done here, or come by tomorrow morning." He said, his fur flattening slowly.
 
Mac sighed as they had left, the market bustle getting back to what it was before. He licked his chops and then slapped a hand over his mouth, looking around furtively to see if anyone saw, but the market was very specifically avoiding looking in his direction. He gave a sigh of relief that he hadn't spooked anyone further.

"Thanks, I'll see about coming by tonight, it shouldn't be too long of a talk with my dad. Probably just the usual bs about taking over for him and mom like I'm supposed to." He rolled his eyes, "Thanks for the vegetables." He said, nodding and heading towards more stalls where he would finish his shopping.
*****
Mac came back at the end of the day as the market was beginning to pack up for the night, riding in a van with the moose from earlier. The van was quiet for its size which normally wouldn't be expected except for the fact that it had a decal on the side declaring it a hybrid. The van was large, boxy and pure white and Mac was riding in back instead of shotgun next to the moose who he was alone with. The van actually pulled into the market physically, past the signs that say "No Parking." and stopped next to some stalls that were mostly taken down.

He hopped out and waved at the moose who drove away without acknowledging the greeting. Mac wiggled his nose at being snubbed like that and walked over to Grisham's stall, "Hey, need any help?"
 
Before Mac left, Grisham only grunted as a goodbye sign.

*****
Once he was back, the wolf had already packed everything on the wagon he used for transport. There were some leftovers and a few comissioned pieces to work through over the next weeks.
Grisham watched Mac and the van through their arrival and the latter's departure.
"No, just follow me." He said, as talkative as ever. He gripped the handles on the wagon he'd be pulling and started walking.
 
Mac walked along with Grisham, eager to get away from his handlers and go somewhere new. He walked by with his hands in his pockets, carefully measuring his stride to match the older man's. "So, what got you into farming?" he asked, trying to fill the air with conversation.
 
It wasn't like the older dog minded the silence, he didn't in fact, not at all. But maybe his hybrid companion did.

"It keeps me busy and it's a good source of income out here. What do you do for a living?" He responded, happy with his short explanation. He'd rather listen than talk about himself. His life was no one elses business.
 
Mac winced at mention of his work, "Well, I work in a customer support call center... For Ikea..." He said with a cough, "It's not exactly the most pleasant, but it means I'm not dependent on the money my parents keep sending me." He said, trying to be as truthful as possible
 
"Whats with the independance?, Your family goes around not giving two shits about showing off their money." Answered Grisham, knowing that speaking like that about the moose family could get him in trouble in the village. No one legal wore suits 24/7. But from their exchange at the market, he didn't think Mac would care that much.

They still had a good hour walking to the farm.
 
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Mac laughed at the way the question was phrased, "oh, make no mistake, they still send me money. I just put it into savings or under use it." he explained, "I just don't want to be beholden to them." he looked over his shoulder before continuing walking.
 
"That's diligent of you. Maybe Olliver should learn a thing or two..." Said the wolf-dog with a bark of dry laughter. They continued to walk, the two of them on a road that led into a nearby forest. It was dark already, and sometimes strange sounds were heard in the distance.

"You might have to stay the night. There's always hunters out in the woods"
 
Mac smiled a little at that comment. He hoped Olliver wouldn't get put into a similar situation.

Mac nodded at the mention of hunters, "I know, I've met some of them before. Family does business with them." He said, his smile gone.
 
Grisham's tail stopped wagging.

"Your... Family, they deal with animal hunters?" He asked, his brow furrowed and his good mood completely gone.

What kind of friends did Olliver keep these days?, did he even know about this?. Was it a mistake to bring this... Hybrid into his home even if it was only to visit his nephew?. Many questions went through his mind, but it was useless to even think about them too hard. What did it matter if they were already well on their way there?. He'd have to deal with it one way or the other. And Mac had behaved so far. So at least for now, it was best to keep things civil.
 
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