Desmond nearly killed them the first time he spotted the family through the trees.
The group— not that he could really
call it a group, their numbers were so miniscule— was unassuming as they carefully trekked through the thick foliage and vines on the windy morning. Hiding in the canopy, all Desmond could tell was that one was a female, one a male… and he also noticed another light scent he couldn't identify. He definitely didn't see another shape through the trees.
Well, no matter. Trespassers didn't get very far in his jungle, anyway. The energy in the forest easily bended to his will as roots buried deep within the ground responded to his call, shifted in the earth, and eased their way to the surface. Just a quick
snap, and problem solved. Desmond really didn't want to deal with anyone unruly today. He wouldn't even make it hurt.
Desmond’s not entirely sure what made him pause long enough for the pair to rest. The female carried a sturdy rucksack at her flank, and the male was quick to relieve his partner of her burden. And out of the bag came… an egg.
So
that's the smell.
The roots stopped before they reach the surface. He watched as the pair cuddled their precious cargo, and inch by inch, Desmond’s roots receded back into the earth. His gaze was unreadable as he watched the pair regain their energy while carefully doting on the egg, and they didn't even notice him when they pass under the tree he was resting in. He was almost tempted to laugh at how blissfully unaware the vigilant parents are.
Still, he allowed them deeper into the jungle. Nothing wrong with giving a viscling a home, after all.
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Desmond doesn't reveal himself to the couple in those first few months. He merely watches as the pair builds a home for themselves from the ground up, and every day he watches as the male lays on the ground and indulgently holds the egg up to the light every morning like a prayer, just to catch a glimpse of the tiny life tucked inside.
If Desmond subtly cranes his neck out to take a look from his vantage point too, then no one’s the wiser.
It does make him a bit restless knowing how close the family is to his tree, a Kapok barely as ancient as he… but, then his mind strays to the developing life inside that egg. To the hopeful, determined faces of the two parents. It's a strange experience, this sort of offhand protectiveness he feels towards the young family. Desmond can't recall ever showing this level of concern over
anything trespassing in his home. He loves his home, truly… but rarely interferes for anything outside of it.
After all, a Mahogany tree graciously offers itself as a shelter to a passing songbird, but dually watches on impassively as it’s snatched up by a hawk in the same branches. The old proverb rings in his ears as Desmond watches on intently, curious eyes constantly tracking the egg in the warm sunlight. The family shouldn't hold this much influence over him.
They
shouldn't.
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He's discovered entirely by accident one evening.
Day by day, Desmond silently observes as the family’s egg grows more opaque under the weak morning rays, until one day the mother interrupts her partner’s habitual routine to keep the egg inside the developing house.
He sees not hide nor hair of the family for several sunrises, but it barely surprises him when they come out one day with a small body cradled in the female’s arms.
The baby's a tiny thing, merely a brown blob nestled against her parent’s feathers, and Desmond continues to observe as she's brought out day by day and grows fat and happy under watchful eyes. Six instead of four as the tyke’s likely led to believe.
Curiosity wins out one day as he strays much too close to the home. The parents were gone that day for whatever reason (not sure why they would, but he's never raised a viscling so what does he know), and Desmond noticed that the viscling had strayed. Considering her natural predator was
everything, he knew this had a high likelihood of going south, and fast.
She regards him curiously as well when he came into view. She’s rightfully wary of him, but the fact that he was also a viscet like her parents made her approach him on wobbly paws. He’s quite sure what to do with her once she clings to his leg, but he gingerly picks her up in an attempt to return her home.
He's not quite sure how he ends up staying outside with the child, letting her battle with his ears and tail. Desmond’s leery about letting her be so close to him but he thought a being a babysitter for a few hours can't hurt.
It's probably the baby blue eyes.
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He's not sure what it says about him when he doesn't even hear the male approach him from behind.
The poke comes out of nowhere, and it's a testament to how engrossed he was with the child not falling off his back when he calmly looks over his shoulder and into the pale blues of the male. Desmond looked at him blandly, but he did shift a bit as the male’s expression remained wry, but nonetheless intense.
«
I suppose I should thank you for watching Genoveva,» He said.
It takes Desmond longer than he’d like to admit to process the language. Talking’s never really been his strong suit, but he still managed to blurt,
«Why did you leave her alone here?»The male had the good grace to look sheepish.
«She's gotten more mobile than we’ve anticipated. Hard to keep in once place.» Desmond's careful to stay still as Genoveva’s father carefully retrieves her, and he internally notices how adorable it is when she stretches out her paws to meet her father.
«But we didn't leave her alone— I knew you were here to watch over her, oh protector of the jungle.»Desmond's eyes snap up at that. So they knew he was here this whole time.
He must've been more transparent than he'd thought because the male gave him a wry half-smile and said,
«You're not as well camouflaged as you think you are, child. I honestly thought you were a black jaguar at first, but the ears gave you away.»«My ears aren't that
big,» he calls after the male as he walks away with Genoveva. And then, petulantly,
«…And I’m not a child.»«Well, come on then.»Desmond dutifully follows.
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It seemed as if that exchange was a thinly veiled excuse for the family (Santiago, Adella, and Gen as he came to call them) to invite Desmond into their home. They quickly brought him into their fold as Genoveva’s honorary big brother. They also regarded him as a son, though he wasn't sure why— he might look younger than them, but it didn't mean he
was.They were a quiet, well-settled pair, but quirky nonetheless; he could sense weak magic in all three of their souls, and suspected they could sense his as well. It's a wonder that they didn't question him about the fact.
Desmond watched as their daughter grew into a soul far older than her parents' optimistic spirits, and they went to great lengths to keep him around the house whenever he wasn't checking his territory.
Including giving him a greenhouse on the top level of their home. Adella’s exact words were,
«Well, we brought the forest inside to keep you inside.» Desmond's still not sure why they filled it with tiny trees, though…
It comforted him knowing that they came for the sole purpose of protecting the Peninsula through preservation efforts. (Though unnecessarily, as he never told them— there's a reason why there was next to no civilization in his Peninsula. No creature ever got far enough to attempt it) It's the thought that counts, really.
Desmond grew to love the three in a way that made his heart constrict in an entirely foreign way.
Well, Desmond supposed it was never too late to create another promise. He’d protect this family, too.
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It's a wonder how the only thing he couldn't protect them from was a fire. He never found Gen’s young body in the ruins.
The forest mourned with him that day.
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For Desmond, at the very least, the years passed in a near eternal blur.
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It’s a sickeningly cheerful day when he spots the form from his vantage point in the canopy. He doesn't even bother letting his roots creep to the surface at the intrusion. He also doesn't notice that the figure disappeared during his internal slump.
He barely reacts to the poke on his flank. He calmly turns around and peers into baby blues. The female casts him a wry half-smile, and says,
«You still suck at camouflaging yourself, Desmond.»Desmond's voice cracks, betraying his bland stare.
«Genoveva.»▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬