BiE 81: Mousdad

=BiE 81=

>Year 1157 in Equestria.
>The sun was beating down on your face as you slept.
>Or at least, it was trying to.
>Hard to get through the window when there's a corkboard covering it.
>Hah. Screw you Celestia.
>You threw your feet off the edge of the bed and stretched, releasing several pops throughout the room.
>You stood and started your walk to the kitchen.
>The rest of your apartment was dressed in similar lighting to your room, with thick sheets covering the windows and only allowing slits of light in.
>What can you say? You were not a morning person.
>You poured yourself some cereal and threw your coffee into the contraption Anon had rigged up for you on your last birthday.
>Your eyes scanned the living room.
>He should be out by now...
>"BOY! BREAKFAST!"
>You heard a body hit the floor from some height.
>The door adjacent yours opens. "Dad?"
>"Food."
>A small hybrid of bird and lion walked out of the shadows closer to you. "Dad, it's too early."
>"School is in an hour, Eitri."
>Eitri groans. "Dad, it's summer!"

>What?
>"Huh?"
>You walk over to the window and throw the sheet back.
>Sure enough. Your neighbors all had their windows open, many had laundry drying outside.
>"How the fuck long has it been summer!?"
>"About a month..." Eitri said.
>Fucking old age.
>You heard a yawn over your shoulder. "I'm going back to bed..."
>Oh hell naw.
>"Hold up there, poozer. When I was a kid we didn't get to sleep till noon until the last week of June."
Liar.
>Shut it.
>You point to his room.
>"Wash up, come out, and eat. We'll figure out something to do."
>Eitri groans again. "Daaaaad..."
>"Now."
>Eitri grunts and heads back into his room.
>You don't know what your mom was so on about, parenting is easy.

>You and Eitri sat at the table eating your breakfast.
>He was munching down on some bacon you had grilled up for him.
>It was nice to hear him calling you dad on instinct now.
>It had been...five years since you took him in?
>You still remember when you met him.
>He had stolen some fruit or something and hidden behind you when the guards chased him.
>Shit, but had he looked scared.
>Luckily, you were you. A simple "He's with me." was enough to scare the guards off.
>After taking him away and getting a meal in him, he had relented and stayed with you for the night, saying that he would be gone in the morning.
>A day turned to a week turned to a month turned to you sending him to school.
>Fucked if your Griffin kid was gonna be a moron.
>Eitri sat silently stabbing his bacon with a fork.
>"Eat it. I don't want you passing out when you do stuff today."
>Eitri glanced up at you. "Dad, do I have a mom?"
>Damn.

>"Every living thing has a mom, Eitri."
>He puts down his fork and glares at you. "You know what I mean."
>You sigh and lean back.
>"You mean a mare who lives with me."
>Eitri crosses his arms and nods.
>...Fuck.
>"I guess you had one a long time ago...but she died."
>Eitri swallows some bacon. "How long ago?"
>Your eyes meet his. "Very long."
>He seems to understand that he won't be getting an answer and goes back to his meal.
>"What was she like?" He asked.
>Shit, you weren't planning on a trip down memory lane.
>"She was...the best."
>"She was fiery, and smart, and kind...you'd have liked her."
>You look up and see Eitri smiling. "And she'd have liked you too."
>Eitri smiles as he eats his breakfast.
>"You wanna go see her?"
>Eitri's eyes snap up to you. "We can do that?"
>"Yeah, had her buried in the royal gardens. We can see her any time.
>Eitri twiddles his talons a bit. "That could be cool."
>Atta boy.

>The two of you headed out after breakfast.
>Eitri complained about your ladder, why you installed it.
>Screw off, kid. We don't get robbed because of that ladder.
>You made your way to the castle and walked in a beeline to the gardens.
>There in the back was a small headstone with the words "Lived: 978-1084" carved on it.
>At the foot of the headstone rested a small pool of water, inside of which was a single lotus flower.
>Eitri walked up to the headstone and looked around it. "There's no name."
>You chuckle as you sit down.
Hey pretty pony...
>"Her name was Lotus."
>He dips his talon in the water. "Has that been here the whole time?"
>"I change it once a week."
>Eitri walked back over to you. "How long did you know her?"
>"Eighty-three years."
>Eitri's eyes widen at the number. "Was she your wife?"
>"For a little while... she died right after we were married."
>You hold up your bracelet arm.
>"I got her a matching one of these for her neck."
>"What happened to it?"
>You point at the grave.
>"She still has it."
>Eitri is quiet for a little while.
>"Dad, how old are you?"
>...FUCK.
>"Old, kid."
>"Eitri walks in front of you. "No Dad. I want to know. How old exactly are you?"
>You can see from the look in his eye that Eitri isn't going to back down from this.
>"Dammit..." You sigh out.
>You lean back a bit and start counting.
>"I am...One thousand one hundred and eighty three years old."

>Eitri is left speechless. You had told him that you were one of the oldest things he'd ever see and why, but no specifics.
>Eitri just looks at the grave. "Must be nice..."
>"It has its ups and downs..."
>"And Uncle Anon has been with you the entire time?"
>"That and more, poozer."
>"What's it like, dad?"
>Oh here we go...
>"It's...life."
>"It's rough sometimes. It's great sometimes. I have my good days and my bad."
>You reach out and ruffle the feathers on his head.
>"But I'm dealing."
>"And you don't get sad because mom isn't around?"
>Mom?
>Heh. This kid.
>"Can't be sad. Gotta look out for you, poozer."
>Eitri swings his talons at you as you continue to ruffle his head. "So all you do is look out for p0nies?"
>"Gotta do something to keep from going crazy."
>"Who?"
>"Oh you know. You, Uncle Anon, the entire city if I'm feeling like it.
>"Everyone?" Eitri asks.
>"Every last one."
>Eitri and you sit there for a while.
>"Thanks for bringing me out here, dad." He says.
>"No problem, kid. I always like to come here."
>Eitri has a smile on his beak.
>"Wanna go have some fun?"
>Now that smile is twice its size." "Yeah!"
>"Wanna go mess with Celestia?"
>"YEAH!"
>You ruffle his feathers.
>"Atta boy."
>Eitri shoots off into the sky as you prepare to give chase.
>You pause for a moment and brush your hand along the face of the headstone.
>"See you in a week, babe."
>With that, you run out of the garden.
>She would have loved him...