Bucky 'Baby Bear' Nicholsonmale • scorpio • demiLikes:• the smell of woodsmoke
• vanilla ice cream
• nature & foraging
• his bandana
• hiking
• summer
• lake swimming
• spicy noodles
Dislikes:• cold weather
• white chocolate
• food getting stuck in his teeth
• complicated technology
• the smell of lavender
Hobbies:• making decorations out of pinecones
• sketching landscapes
• leaf printing
• wood carving
Moodboardsxx xxPersonal PlaylistFireflies - Owl City
405 - This Wild Life
Northern Downpour - Panic! at the Disco
Sleepwalking (cover) - This Wild Life
What a Catch Donnie - Fall Out Boy
No More Bad Days - This Wild Life
Paper Tigers - Owl City
Wolves - Löic Nottet
You Be The Anchor - Mayday Parade
House of Gold - Twenty One Pilots
Personality: Bucky is a down to earth, happy-go-lucky kind of guy. He's always up for an adventure, but is also a bit of a parent-friend because of how responsible he is. He's always telling people to keep out of trouble, and encourages others to make good decisions. He doesn't like confrontation, but knows how to stay calm in tense situations.
When he's off duty he can become a lot more excitable about things, and is very talkative if someone gets him going. He's a bit of a sap sometimes, and loves watching romantic comedies. In the morning he does yoga, and has recently taken up meditation, which he finds helps his concentration and memory. In his spare time he likes to listen to music, mostly indie bands, and anything chill/acoustic.
Occupation: Bucky's main job is as a forest ranger, a job which he thoroughly enjoys. He's always been very enthusiastic about nature, and he was overjoyed to find that he could use this passion to help him into this kind of occupation. He feels proud of the responsibility this job gives him, and how he has an impact on the world around him. It may not be the whole world, but it's a major part of his, and to the animals that live in these forests. Knowing he is helping the ecosystem thrive gives him a big sense of achievement.
His job involves roaming the forest paths, helping out hikers, and looking out for anything dangerous like forest fires. During some seasons the rangers take turns staying in one of the watch towers, which is like a very high-up cabin. They keep watch overnight to make sure things stay safe out there. The view is amazing, of course, but they only share it with themselves. This part of the job, as well as other parts, involve being alone. You have to be comfortable being by yourself, which Bucky is. He quite likes having the time to himself, away from everyone else, where he can just take the time to be with himself under the stars.
His second occupation, which is relatively new, involves taking disadvantaged youths camping. This project was designed to teach them important life skills, while also letting them have fun and get away from their current situations. They learn how to pitch up tents and make shelters, how to find their location by mapping the stars and using a compass; but the most important skills are teamwork, and having belief in oneself. He's very passionate about helping people grow for the better, just as he cares about taking care of the forest.
• • • •
The air was crisp. The night was young. Not too long ago he'd watched the sun set in a blaze of red and orange. Now the sky was navy, dotted with a million stars and then some. The moon hovered above, big and beautiful and glowing. Bucky stood out on the small deck, breathing in the cool air, resting his arms on the railing. His head was tilted up, gazing up at the moon.
"Just me and you tonight, huh?" He said aloud. His quiet voice seemed to hang in the atmosphere for a moment, before being dissolved into the dark forest around him. The ground was tinted silver, and the edges of trees were softly illuminated by moonlight.
He took in another breath, letting it out slowly, when he heard the crackle of a radio through the open door. Turning, he made his way back inside the watch tower. It looked like a cabin, in his eyes, just with more technology and equipment. He sat down in the wheely chair by the desk, picking up the receiver as he did so.
"This is Bucky here, reporting."
"Just checking up on ya, Baby Bear," a voice said, cracking again slightly. Bucky rolled his eyes. An affectionate nickname given to him as a child that, after telling one workmate, quickly spread throughout the rest of them. So all these years later, Baby Bear was back in play.
"Everything's good here," he replied. "Hardly a sound out there. Touch wood, we're in for a peaceful night."
"Alright alright, sounds good. Radio in if you need anything, otherwise I'll check in, in about an hour or so."
"Cool, cool."
He placed the receiver back, and leant back in his chair. In front of the desk was a large panoramic window, taking up most of that wall. A dim light was on in the room, making a slight reflection on the glass surface. He looked past at it, out into the forest, out into the wilderness he loved.
Being a forest ranger meant nights like this, being with only yourself and nature. You had to be confident with your ability to be independent and rely on yourself, which he was. Responsibility was something he prided himself on, even if it wasn't something that everyone valued.
He stared at the sky for awhile, and when he felt his focus slip, quickly snapped himself back to attention. He pulled out his puzzle book, which he always brought along as something to do, and opened it. He'd made it through half a crossword when an odd cry reached his ears. He looked up, towards the door he'd left open.
Silence.
A minute passed.
Shrugging, he looked back down.
A second later he heard the cry again; high pitched, raspy, and very obviously upset. He picked up the receiver. "This is Bucky checking in, just letting you know that there's an animal out here sounding distressed, so I'm just going to have a look."
"Alright Bucky, let me know what you see."
Venturing out onto the deck with quiet footsteps, his eyes swept over the top of the forest. Everything seemed still, and normal. He waited, and the cry sounded out again, this time closer than before. Looking down, he saw the stretch of ground before the trees began and, emerging from them, a small dark shape. It stumbled as it walked, it's head swinging back and forth frantically, letting out another noise. He squinted slightly, before returning inside and picking up the receiver.
"Bucky here. I can't be sure from up here, but I believe it's a fawn? No sign of the mother, and it seems pretty lost."
"Any injuries you can tell of?"
"Can't be sure. There seems to be no other animal around, so I'm gonna head down and see if I can catch it."
"Roger that, Bucky."
With that he zipped up his jacket, made his way out of the tower and down to the ground below. Once more he surveyed the area and, finding no danger, slowly approached the animal. As he neared it was confirmed to him that he'd been right, it was indeed a fawn. The poor creature was still stumbling around, both looking and sounding confused. When it saw him it jumped, startled, and let out another cry.
"It's okay, little one," he soothed, crouching down as he moved closer. It tried to run away, but it's spindly legs gave it no help, and it stumbled and fell. He took the opportunity, quickly getting close enough to scoop it up into his arms. It fell silent, eyes wide, and began trembling. "It's okay," he murmured again. "You're alright."
Back up he went, struggling a little with his new passenger, but they made it up in one piece. He closed the door so it couldn't go out on the deck, and placed it down on the floor near his chair. Quickly he got out some blankets, making a nest on the floor with one, transferring the fawn into it, and placing another on top. Sitting next to it, he reached up to pull down the receiver.
"Bucky here, and I can confirm, it is a fawn."
"Do you have it in your care?"
"Confirmed, I do. Shaking a little, but not crying anymore."
"Any injuries?"
"Give me a second..." Without disturbing it too much he checked it over for any superficial wounds, and ran his hands gently over it's legs and body. "None that I can see, no. Bit of dried blood on its side, but I don't think it belongs to them. Looks splattered, if you know what I mean."
"You think maybe something got the mother?"
"Well, there's certainly been no one calling for them," he replied, gently arranging the blankets to try and make it warmer.
"Poor thing. Alright, I'll try and get one of the team down there to bring it back. Should have it settled by morning. That'll be fun, having a new little pal to visit."
"They're surprisingly calm at the minute," Bucky said. "Not as much shaking. More curiosity. I think they like the light."
"Maybe it's you, eh, Baby Bear? You've got that way with them."
He chuckled. "Yeah, yeah. Whatever you say."
"Alright, I'll try and get a hold of someone now. Radio in if you need to. Have fun babysitting."
"Will do," he replied, placing the receiver back. He looked down at the fawn. It stared back with big, dark eyes. He then looked out of the door, where he could still see part of the moon. "Guess it's the three of us then," he said out loud, turning his attention back to the fawn. "Don't worry little one, you're safe now. This is still a nice forest. We'll get you all sorted, and back out there once you're grown. You know, when I was little, I always wanted to do something like this…"
He carried on talking, his voice soft and calm. Eventually the fawn lowered it's head, it's eyes closed, and it's breathing evened out. Every now and then he checked to make sure it was warm. Outside, the forest stayed quiet, and the moon continued to shine.
Thank you so much Laozsho!
