#and i heard moominpappa and was like WHY IS THAT VOICE FAMILIAR

[tepli-mravenci]

same guy

[rainydelaneyy]

From a young age Snufkin knew he wasn't a girl, knew that his body wasn't quite right if it made everyone think he was a girl, eventually he couldn't bear it anymore and came crying to Moominmamma. The big moomin held him in her arms, smoothing down his fluffy hair to sooth him and rocking in her chair.

"What is it, my dear? What has you so upset?"

The poor little mymrik's face was all wet from his tears and some of his hair was sticking to his face. He didn't typically show it when he was distressed, but this was super serious to him.

"Oh Moominmamma, I don't know what's wrong with me! I'm not a girl, but you all think that I am! I don't want you to think I'm a girl, I'm a boy Moominmamma! I'm a boy!" He wasn't angry, he was just incredibly upset with the situation. It wasn't a situation the moomin was familiar with, but it didn't seem too difficult to fix. She kissed his forehead and hummed thoughtfully.

"Well, it will definitely help now that you've told me, darling. Why have you never said anything about it?"

Snufkin wiped his eyes and sniffled "I thought maybe everyone would figure it out without me having to say anything. I didn't know I would have to say it."

Moominmamma helped him wipe his tears and took him to wash up his face with a warm wet rag. "Well now that you've told me, the issue will be resolved. I will make sure to tell Pappa, Sniff and Moomin unless you want to tell them yourself. Oh, and was there another name you'd like to be called? I don't think anyone else has the name Snufkin, so I don't think it would affect anybody's view of you."

He shook his head "There's nothing wrong with my name. I like my name." He said, giving Moominmamma a tired smile. She smiled back at him, scooping him up in her arms and going back out to her chair where they were soon joined by Moomin who she scooped up in her other arm.

"Oh hello Moomin, dear. What woke you?" Mamma asked, smiling as the two almost instantly curled up together.

"Snufkin being gone did, mamma. I heard crying and I saw that she was gone and- What's the matter, Snufkin?" The little moomin didn't know what he'd done, but Snufkin suddenly looked very upset again.

"Well, Moomin, he's just told me that he's a boy and we've had it wrong this whole time. I think you may have hurt his feelings just now, dear."

Moomintroll frowned and buried his snout in Snufkin's hair. "Oh Snufkin, I'm so sorry! Why didn't you tell me?" The gesture was reciprocated by Snufkin pressing his face into the moomin's fluffy neck.

"I thought maybe you would figure it out! Or maybe you wouldn't like me anymore if you found out, and I don't want you to not like me anymore."

Moomin pulled back from him, a shocked look on his face. "Why would that change me liking you? You're my favoritest person in the whole world! Nothing will ever ever change that. Especially not you being a boy." He laughed, rubbing his nose against Snufkin's.

As time went on, things got better, everyone was fairly good about things. Even Moominpappa, who was fairly stubborn and ignorant about everything, got used to it eventually. But then things got bad again as his body and voice started to change. Strangers would call him a girl even more often, and he couldn't stand it. In a fit of rage, he cut off his back length curly hair down to where it barely passed his ears. He thought he'd regret it later, but he actually had grown quite fond of it. He'd also started wearing baggier clothes, but he didn't know what to do beyond that.

On one of their adventures they met Snorkmaiden, who Snufkin was quite silently jealous of at first, as Moomin would often go out of his way to impress her, but one day the two of them ended up being the only ones awake so Snufkin settled for playing with her. She wasn't actually all that bad when Moomin wasn't around flirting with her. Suddenly she seemed upset and started anxiously fiddling with the end of her tail.

"Snufkin, do you think they've noticed that I'm not..that I don't have the right body?"

Snufkin was confused.

"What do you mean?"

She tilted her head at him "I'm like you! Well, except the other way. I'm a girl, but people don't understand that I'm a girl because I don't look enough like a girl snork, or sound enough like one. I've been seeing this nice lady that helps me with it, but sometimes I'm worried it won't be enough."

Snufkin hadn't even noticed anything off, but he also didn't know snork anatomy or assume anything about anyone. He felt comforted by her confiding in him with this information though. "Even if they have noticed, I don't think it matters to them. They like you no matter the body mix-up." He said, making her laugh and smile. She relaxed again and laid back in the flowers, turning her head to look at him.

"You know, I thought you didn't like me. You always seem upset when I'm around."

Snufkin blushed and looked away. Gods this was embarrassing.

"Well- It's- I- Okay. It's just..Moomintroll is always so..show offey in front of you. I don't know why it makes me so upset, but it's like I'm not his favorite person anymore! I guess that's fine if that's how he feels but.." He sighed, his ears drooping. The snorkmaiden gave him a sympathetic look, looking away for a moment before looking back at him.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't realize...I didn't realize that you were in love with him."

Snufkin turned to look at her so fast he nearly fell. His face was burning red. He hadn't realized it until this moment but she was absolutely right. He was in love with him. He let himself collapse against the wildflowers and clutch the chest of his shirt with his paw.

"Oh goodness I'm in love with him…"

Snorkmaiden looked very confused. "You mean you didn't know you were in love with him?"

Snufkin shook his head "I guess I never really thought about it that hard before...But um, it's okay if he loves you. It may be better even. I know how hard it is on him when I leave, it would only be worse if he loved me."

Years passed and feelings only grew, but he said nothing of them to Moomintroll. Not even when he came in so fast for an embrace he nearly knocked Snufkin over on his first day back that Spring. He was so excited to see them he'd almost forgotten to show them something very important. He waited for the perfect moment at dinner that night to reveal his fresh pair of scars right under his pectorals, and how smooth it was now compared to the lumps that had laid there before.

Everyone was very happy for him and that only made his heart more full, but he still didn't say anything about his feelings. Not even when he and Moomin laid together in his tent that night and the moomintroll traced his scars with his soft furry fingers. Not even when he could have sworn he saw Moomin think about leaning in for a kiss but look away before anything could happen. Not even when the furry beast held him as they went to sleep, or when he was reluctant to part with him in the morning.

He couldn't. It wasn't even just for Moomintroll's sake now, it was for his own too. He could never have the alone time he desired if he desired his dear friend so much more. He hoped one day it would just go away so that they could live on with their lives without the heartache.

Even more time passed, and today he was sure it was the day he had to let go, but his feelings were stronger than ever, making things a bit difficult. It didn't matter though. Moomin had gone and Snufkin didn't know where to, and he must not have cared if he hadn't left a note, so he supposed he was leaving Moominvalley for good this time. But as he finally started to go, Toffle called him over from the coastline about a boat approaching and the sprint he broke into was involuntary.

At first he didn't see what Toffle was talking about and was fairly disappointed, but sure enough, there it was. The Adventure in all her glory, with a singular Moomin aboard and Snufkin knew it was him. He dropped his bag and hat on the grass and ran out to meet him as soon as he was docked, tears forming in his eyes. He gasped and laughed as the moomintroll picked him up and spun him around a few times, causing them to nearly lose balance when he set him back down.

"I'm so sorry I didn't say anything, I didn't know where you were or if I'd see you again before you left, and I was so focused on trying to make Snorkmaiden happy that I totally forgot to write you a note and-" Moomin was cut off by Snufkin suddenly bursting into tears, which was definitely not something he did unless it was a super big deal. "Oh no don't cry-"

"I thought I was never going to see you again! I didn't even know where to look for you and- I thought I was never going to have a chance to tell you that I love you and I would travel alone for the rest of my days."

Moomin held his face in his paws and blushed "Oh I'm so so sorry! I promise I'll never make you feel so helpless again for as long as I'm alive. Oh Snufkin, I've loved you forever, how could you not know that?" He crooned, his tail sticking straight up when his friend kissed him, but it was almost instantly reciprocated. This was it. The moment their lives this far had been leading up to. From that day on there would be no more silent tension, they would finally get to fully enjoy each other's company without overthinking about how the other may not feel the same way, because they knew. From now on, things would be just perfect.

(Or would they? Because perfect doesn't exist and every relationship has conflict even if it's just friendly arguments over silky things, but they're happy. I need to write my whole au and actually develop the story more, but it will exist eventually. Also this took like a minute to write please appreciate it. Also mymrik is my word for the hybrid that he is and either Jox or Mymble named him idk but he had a note with him that was just his name. Not canon, just canon in my stories.)

[the-local-oddity]

The Ripper

A short story but an old legend Snufkin recalls and soon learns the truth behind. As well as reunites with someone from long ago.

I'm on mobile, so I can't put it under a read-more, but please enjoy:

“There are no monsters in Moominvalley.” Snufkin started, as he pushed more wood into the fire, his friends sat on the opposite side of him, “This thing isn't a monster… it's something else…”

The exchanged glances before looking back at him, he was looking down at the fire, instead of at the group.

“He's called, The Ripper, ”  Snufkin took a deep breath and started his story, “he hunts the forests late in the night, he's eight feet tall with razor sharp claws that cut through anything. His eyes are glowing blue and can be seen for miles upon miles.”

Sniff grabbed onto Moomintroll, and nervously squeezed his shoulders, Snufkin had barely started the story and he was already terrified.

“Oh, would you calm down Sniff.” Little My hissed at him, “If you dare start screaming I'll bite your ears off!”

“What does he hunt for?” Moomintroll asked, to get the others attention back to Snufkin, who glanced up at him.

“People,” Snufkin answered in a grim tone, “anyone who is outside the woods late in the night. No tent, no house, no camp.” He motioned to his own tent, and Moominhouse not too far off, “We're safe right now, bit if we were in there, ” he pointed to the forest, “We'd probably be dead.”

Sniff covered his mouth so he couldn't scream and Little My wouldn't bite him.

“Or maybe not. Depends on if he's moved from his last victims.” Snufkin shrugged and looked up to the stars.

“Moved on?” Little My leaned forward, “What do you mean by that?”

“He likes finishing off bloodlines you know. Starting from the oldest and moving down to the youngest.” Snufkin was now looking at his friends, his face seemed more serious than usual.

Little My looked at the others, who were petrified with fear, then back to Snufkin “Who told you this story anyhow?”

Snufkin paused and tapped his chin, “I don't really remember, all I remember is hearing it when I was very young.”

“Well, it's not true.” She stood up and smirked at him, “I was told the same story, it was just to keep us out of the woods late at night. It's not true!”

“You're probably right.” Snufkin nodded at her, and the others seemed to relax just a little bit, “After all, I've never seen him, and I've been in the forest without a camp several times.”

“exactly, ” Little My folded her arms, proud to have proved his story incorrect, but then got a mischievous smile on her face, “he either doesn't exist or he isn’t finished with your father yet.” Her eyes burned into Snufkin.

“What do you mean by that?” Snufkin asked, still looking calm.

“Don't you remember stupid?” She began to walk towards the bridge, the others were watching closely, “The person who told us that story was your dad, and he said that he was The Ripper’s current target. Which means, soon as he kicks the bucket, you're next!”

She proudly whipped around and walked to the house, Snufkin watched her and glared when others weren't looking. The heard the sudden noise of a fire being put out and looked back in time to see Snufkin zip his tent up.

“Good night.” Was all he said.

The all walked back to the house, Moomintroll planned on talking to Little My and telling her not to say such things again, but she was already curled up and bed and he didn't want to risk bothering her.

In the morning, Little My went to go bother Snufkin but found he wasn't by his campsite. He wasn't even in his tent when she poked her head in. She frowned and looked around the dinghy tent, her eyes catching sight of a piece of paper. It was a drawing, a sort of sketchy one.

At the top, he had written: “The Ripper” she looked down at the picture itself and was surprised when the face seemed oddly familiar. Quickly she folded it up and shoved it into her dress pocket. She had to ask someone else about it later and before she could be noticed she slipped from the tent and back to the house.

“Well now…” Moominpapa started at the drawing Little My had handed him, “I certainly see what you're saying, they do share a resemblance to each other, but Snufkin hasn't ever seen him before, I don't believe it's intentional.” He tapped his fingers on the desk.

“He probably just doesn't remember meeting him.” She said with certainty, “But he has seen him before, I know that because I've seen them together before!”

“When was that?”

“When he was really little…”

“Exactly, ” he passed the picture back, “it is an odd coincidence, but nothing major I believe.”

“Fine. Whatever.” She snatched the picture from him and hoped off his table, “It's super freaky though!”

“I never said it wasn't.” Moominpappa sighed and shook his head.

She later placed the picture back where she had found it, and hoped Snufkin never knew it had been missing.

As the days went on, Snufkin didn't talk about The Ripper anymore and was always sure to be back at his camp before night fell.

No was willing to say it out loud, but they all knew he was scared. Or at least the ones who heard the story and what Little My had said that night did.

Snufkin could never be sure if his father was dead or not, he had never seen the man, but of course, he knew the story was fake. He'd never seen The Ripper before or was that only because his father was still alive? He could never know, and he stopped wanting to risk it.

And as winter came the fear remained, though much more calmer than before, he was able to push it down and ignore it as he began his travels. This year, he found a new path that lead him down to a new town. It was small, one of those towns that were mostly made of travelers who came and went, those who did live there permanently had family roots in the town and they didn't want to leave.

He walked through the town as the rain started to fall, he pushed his way into a bar or a cafè not that it mattered, he was allowed in and he didn't like alcohol. Not that he'd ever had it before, but he didn't like the sound of it.

He found himself a seat where he wouldn’t bother anyone, and no one would bother him. Hopefully.

Near him, there was a man sitting on a stool, he seemed to be tuning his guitar. The man gave a glance in Snufkin's direction and smiled at him, Snufkin quickly looked away. The man felt familiar, but he couldn't put together why.

“Are you new around here?” He directed the question to Snufkin.

“Yes.” He kept the answer short, hoping that would deter him from continuing to talk.

“You seem a little young to be all on your own.” He strummed his guitar to check the sound, “Where are your parents?”

“I don’t know.” Snufkin took out his harmonica to polish it and hoped the man would leave him alone if he seemed busy.

The man leaned forward and took a good look at the harmonica, then at Snufkin. He watched him for a few seconds, before going back to his guitar. Snufkin sighed to himself in relief.

“Ripper!”

Snufkin jumped a little bit but turned to follow the voice, he was an old gentleman standing near the guitar man.

“Leaving so soon?” The older man asked him.

“I told you, I don't stay anywhere too long.” He strummed the guitar again, “It's bad luck.”

The older man patted his back, “I couldn't see you ever being bad luck, but I can't stop you can I?”

“Nope.”

“Well then, could play us one more song?” He asked the guitar man, who smiled and nodded.

“Alright, one final song.” He stood, and strummed the guitar loudly to gain attention, “I call this, The Story of The Ripper!”

Snufkin sat and began watching the man closely as he started to move around the room and sing his song. It told the story of the Ripper, but not exactly like how Snufkin knew it. It was different.

The new story went as follows:

“There is a creature known as The Ripper, he lurks the forests to find lost souls in the night and return them to their homes. His eyes are glowing blue, his head is pointed and on his pitch black hands are sharp claws. He is seen as a beast and monster and his frightful appearance scares this eye wishes to help.

He wasn't always this way, long ago he was a traveler, he was kind, and wasn't one to settle down. Then one day he met a kind girl and fell in love. With her, he had a son, a child who adored with all of his heart. A tiny Snufkin, who even at a young age showed love for all nature. But one day, the man was out with his child, they lost track of time and the forest got dark. It wasn't long before they were separated. The man did everything he could to find his son, but it was too late and by the time the sun rose in the sky, his child was gone.

In grief, he took to wandering again, leaving behind the girl he loved and home he had grown so used too. Afraid that he could fail them as well. As the years went on, his grief changed him and he began to look more beastly. The man promised to help any lost soul he found, but in the dark, the people only feared him.

He is known as the Ripper to those who have seen him, and stories tell of him as a beast who only kills. But that was never his truth.”

As the man finished, it slowly dawned on Snufkin why he looked so familiar and he quickly began to dig into his backpack, pulling out the picture he was drawn that last spring. He held it up to the man to compare, the man glanced over at him.

They looked so very much alike and something seemed to click in his mind. He suddenly remembered what Little My had said about who told them the story, and as his eyes fell on the man once more a connection to an old faded memory resurfaced.

“Papa?”

[geminiamethyst]

Nightmare.

Sorry it’s been a while, my brain has not come up with much inspiration lately. So I’m just gonna do a few short stories here and there and I’ll see where I can go from there. This story takes place after Possession. If you haven’t read it yet, I’ll post a link at the end of the story so you guys are up to date. Please read it if you haven’t as there are some spoilers ahead in this story.

Enjoy.

The day had seemed pretty normal to Snufkin. It was a normal Autumn afternoon. The once lush green leaves were now in various shades of oranges and yellows. The beautiful flowers that had graced the valley during the Spring and Summer have shrivelled, leaving nothing more than bare stalks and dead petals on the ground. The trees themselves seemed to have followed suit, some bare completely of their leaves while others were just barely clinging onto them. Even the grass was dying, their green had become yellow from the cold. The skies were completely silent apart from the occasional whisper of a harsh wind, as the birds have all flown south, wanting to not get caught up in the snow. The clouds in the sky seemed to have taken on a grey hue, threatening to open up and rain upon the valley. Animals hurried about, squirrels collecting nuts and burying them and hedgehogs hurrying to finish their dens for the Winter. The residents were no different. They all collected the essentials that they needed such as firewood and other rations should they wake up from their Winter hibernation too early. Everything seemed fine.

Snufkin felt the fishing rod tug in his hands. The float bobbed under the surface furiously as the fish down below tries to savagely yank the bait off of the hook. Snufkin was stranger though as he pulled on the fishing rod, sending the fish flying through the air. Being quick, he grabbed the line and as the fish was thrashing wildly, he unhooked it into the bucket that he had beside him. Five small fish were swimming around in circles, their cycle almost interrupted by the unexpected arrival of the sixth. Snufkin smiled at how many he had already caught before turning his attention to Moominhouse. It was slowly starting to become dark already, the day already gone too quick for anyone’s liking. The sky was becoming a light shade of orange and pink blended together. He wondered if Moominmamma would like some fresh fish to cook for her family. With that in mind, he stood up and carried his fishing rod and bucket towards Moominhouse. As he slowly approached the house, he could hear laughing on the veranda. He could see Moominmamma, Moominpappa, Moomin and the Joxter, the father he reunited with last year there, laughing at something and enjoying some hot beverages. Joxter was sitting on the railing whilst the family was sitting at the table. Moomin seemed to have caught sight of Snufkin because he had gotten up and started waving at him. Snufkin waved back, the smile he had on his face growing a little bigger. Joxter turned to see what the young troll as seeing. Upon seeing his son, he too started to wave at Snufkin. Snufkin waved back. Everything was perfect.

Too perfect.

Snufkin stopped waving abruptly. He stopped walking too. His smile faded. A foreboding chill ran throughout his entire body. He remembered nothing of the prior events that had taken place before he went fishing. He couldn’t remember waking up and having breakfast that morning. He couldn’t remember going for a walk or seeing his friends. Nor could he remember playing his harmonica, if he did at all. He couldn’t even remember getting his fishing rod. The one thing that he couldn’t remember most importantly, was seeing Joxter return to Moominvalley. Joxter was away somewhere, most likely causing trouble. So, if he was outside of Moominvalley, why was he here?

Snufkin felt his heart stop as he heard something behind him. It sounded like...laughter. Very familiar laughter. He slowly turned around to see a large black mass behind him. Snufkin felt like his body had turned to stone, even his breathing stopped all together. Two, blood red eyes opened up and a toothy grin spread in the black mass. The eyes shined with demonic glee as Snufkin felt all the colour drain from his face. His hands stopped responding as he dropped his fishing rod and the bucket. Water splashed over his feet and the fish flopped uselessly on the ground. He barely noticed it. He could barely hear anything, only his heart beating louder than a drum.

“Hello, mutt.” The shadowed figure grinned at the traveller’s expense. That was the push Snufkin needed to finally move. His legs snapped out of their stone like state and worked faster than he ever thought they could. He could hear the ground behind him cracking and crumbling. The house in front of him seemed to be further than it was a minute ago. Snufkin tried to run faster, but no matter how hard he tried, he seemed to be going slower than he did faster. The family on the veranda didn’t seem to notice and just continued to smile and wave at him, taunting him in a way. The ground vanished under his feet and he fell into a deep, seemingly bottomless, black pit. Snufkin didn’t react to it other than his lungs not taking in air and hand outstretched uselessly for someone to grab him. He didn’t even have enough time to scream. The pit closed up, closing off all light.

Snufkin didn’t know how long he fell but he stopped very suddenly when something wrapped around his arms. Gravity had taken such an affect on him, that he thought that his arms would be ripped completely off of his body. He looked around seeing nothing at all but darkness. He tugged at his arms to try to free them.

“I’ve got you now.” The voice taunted him. Snufkin stopped struggling and looked on ahead. There were those blood red eyes again. Snufkin couldn’t help but feel that fear creeping back up into him.

“No. You’re not real! You’re gone!” He cried out, tears threatening to fall down his face.

“You can’t get rid of me! I’ll always be there, in your shadow.” The figure taunted, leaning in too close for Snufkin’s comfort. “And one day, you’ll be my little puppet once again!” Suddenly, Snufkin felt something moving his legs, forcing him to walk on invisible ground that had just appeared underneath him. He tried to stop his movements but it was no use. The invisible force that held him forced him to move literally like a marinette puppet. Snufkin looked around blindly for something or better yet someone to help him.

“Snufkin!”

Snufkin looked to where his name was called from. It was Moomin. Snufkin almost wept in joy at seeing his best friend.

“Moomin! Please! Help me!” He begged, desperately trying to fight back against the strings.

“Why should I?” Moomin suddenly scowled, an angry look crossing his face. Snufkin could only stare wide eyed at him. What? “It’s not like you’ll pay me back for it! You’re useless!”

“No! Moomin! Snap out of it! This isn’t you!” Snufkin protested, his eyes threatening to leak.

“Shut up!” Little My suddenly yelled as she stood next to Moomin.

“My!” Snufkin cried out, shocked that his older sister had said such a thing to him.

“What did I say, you useless crybaby?!” Little My barked. There was a noise of a zipper and Snufkin suddenly found that his mouth was zipped up tight. “That’s better! I’m getting sick of you just by your whining!” Snufkin shook his head, trying to scream as loud as he could for this to end. “You pathetic crybaby!”

“Is the jerk crying again?” Snorkmaiden asked as she appeared next to Moomin. Sniff joined her quickly afterwards.

“Yeah! The loser is here to grace us with his tears!” Sniff scowled, pointing at Snufkin. The traveller only responded by shaking his head furiously, trying desperately hard to not believe that these were really his friends shouting such abuse at him like this.

“The tramp is finally leaving is he?” Moominpappa enquired as he appeared behind his son, with his wife standing next to him. “Good. It was about time too. He was never good enough for this family anyway!”

“We don’t need trash like that around Moominvalley. Life will be better without him!” Moominmamma uncharacteristically snarled. Snufkin shook his head again and tears escaped his eyes as he couldn’t fight them anymore. The family took as an opportunity to continue shouting insults at him.

“You’re worthless!” Moomin yelled.

“You’re pathetic!” Snorkmaiden spat.

“You can’t do anything right!” Sniff sneered.

“You’re weak!” Moominmamma shrieked.

“You’re a burden on this family!” Moominpappa insulted.

“I wish you weren’t my brother!” Little My stabbed the blade of insults deeper into Snufkin. The traveller continued to weep, tears streaming down his face faster than ever, as the insults kept coming at him like a horrendous storm. Some were repeated and some weren’t, bring new cruel names to label him with. He kept repeating over and over again in his head that this wasn’t truly the ones that he called family for the harsh words. Each one was sharper than a knife cutting into his flesh, tearing his heart into thousands of pieces. He was forced to stop moving, being forced to hear the verbal and emotional abuse even more. Only his foot was hovering in mid air. He didn’t understand why, he didn’t even think as to why. All he could try to do, was to block out all of the abuse thrown his way. He suddenly jumped, letting out a muffled yelp when he felt a pair of hands  lamp onto his shoulders. He shuddered as the person behind him leaned over to his ear, their hot breath tickling his ear.

“I wish you had never been born.” A familiar voiced hissed down his ear, filled with pure loathing towards him. It was heard above everyone else, filling the boy with more despair. Before Snufkin could whip his head around to confront the abuser, there was the sound of snapping strings and the hands shoved him over an unseen cliff edge that he had been standing at. The voices of his loved ones continued to hurl abusive words towards him and he plummeted through the air. He hurled through the darkness, screaming as loud as he could.

“NO!” Snufkin screamed as he sat up, petrified. He lungs were constricted, making it extremely difficult to breathe. It was so hard that Snufkin thought that from the shire pressure was going to snap all of his ribs in half. His heart pounded so rapidly that he felt like he was going to pass out. His stomach was tied into so many knots that he literally felt like throwing up his supper. He blindly looked around his tent, panic overtaking his mind. Where was he? Where was his father? Where was everyone?! Without thinking of putting on his hat or his boots, he stumbled right outside, tripping over his own feet. He landed onto the half frozen ground, frost already creeping onto the grass. The change in temperature was just enough to have him stop and try to breathe again. He laid there on the ground, taking deep breathes as steady as he could. His breath turned into white mist in response to the cold. The mist faded within seconds, along with his panic. Slowly, he sat up, his heart beat slowing to its regular rate and his chest was less tight. The night seemed peaceful enough with its star decorated sky and the almost full moon. There was not a single cloud, making the night more cold than it would’ve been. The crickets played in time with the rapids of the stream, creating a harmonic melody. Owls hooted into the night, playing their own midnight melody. The stream looked like multiple moonstones as it reflected the moon.

Snufkin shivered a little in response to the air. He wiped the cold sweat that trickled down his face as the reality of the nightmare he suffered set in. He wanted to scream so loud that the valley could hear him but his voice got caught up in his throat. He looked over at his tent, wondering why Joxter hadn’t come to comfort him like he had done so before. However, he remembered once again that his father was away. Sitting on the frozen ground, he glanced over towards Moominhouse. While, the rest of the house was dark, the lights downstairs were still on. Someone was still awake. Snufkin looked over at his tent. Normally it would be his own place of sanctuary in a way. A place for him to feel safe while he slept. Now however, the dark inside of it reminded him of the black abyss he fell into in his dream. Steeling himself from the cold, Snufkin slowly got to his feet, the thin socks he wore made his limbs feel almost like ice in response to the frost, and carefully stumbled towards Moominhouse.

Moominmamma hummed to herself quietly as she scooped out the pumpkin on the kitchen counter. Beside her were a few jars. Some of them were full of pumpkin filling, being ready to be made into soup whilst others were waiting to be filled. Pumpkin husks were laid empty on the other side of the counter. There was also a bowl with pumpkin seeds filling it. The mother planned to plant them for them to be grown into full pumpkins for next year. The fireplace in the drawing room was lit to help warm up the house downstairs as the night was bitterly cold. Normally she wouldn’t be up this late at night, in fact right at this moment she would rather be curled up in her warm bed and do this in the morning with her family. But there was this nagging feeling that wouldn’t leave her alone, so she decided that she would tire herself out so it could leave her alone by keeping busy. However, even while she was keeping her hands busy, the feeling wouldn’t leave her be. She didn’t understand what it was but had a sense that she would figure it out soon.

Suddenly, there was quiet knocking at the door. The mother looked up from her work. At first she thought that she had imagined it, but when she heard the knocking, a little louder this time, she knew that it wasn’t the dark playing tricks on her. As she quickly washed her paws, clearing them of the pumpkin and its seeds. As she shook her damp paws dry, she hurried to the drawing room where the knocking had come from. She gently opened the door, revealing a familiar, green dressed figure, shivering from the night’s cruel coldness.

“Oh! Snufkin! This is a bit of a surprise.” Moominmamma exclaimed, seeing the young traveller standing in front of her. That’s when she caught sight of his pale face and damp skin, his fringe sticking to his forehead. She noticed that his scarf, hat and boots weren’t there either, as if he had literally just woken up and didn’t think about putting on these things. “Are you alright? You look awfully pale dear.”

“Moominmamma...” Snufkin started before his voice failed him. He cleared his throat quietly so he could try again. “I’m sorry to disturb you, but...” He trialed off involuntarily, fiddling with a loose thread on his sleeve.

“Is everything alright?” Moominmamma gently probed, seeing how uncomfortable Snufkin had suddenly become.

“N-n-no...and I need to talk to someone. Please?” Snufkin stammered, becoming more out of character just by begging that. Moominmamma only looked at him out of pity, before she delicately placed an arm around his shoulders.

“Come inside, dear. Let’s get you out of the cold.” She said as she gently nudged him inside. She wordlessly guided him to the fireplace and have him sit down before it. Snufkin welcomes the heat from the fire, the coldness from outside seemed to fade away like a forgotten memory. Moominmamma draped a blanket over his shoulders, helping him to warm up better.

“Thank you.” He smiled a little, clutching the blanket to the point where his knuckles became whiter than a pearl.

“Now dear...tell me everything.” Said Moominmamma as she consolingly sat next to the traveller and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. Snufkin didn’t answer right away. Moominmamma didn’t rush him as she could tell by his trembling frame under her paws, she knew he was badly shaken up.

“Before I do, can you answer me this honestly?” He asked, his head bowing a little in shame. Moominmamma only responded by nodding her head, her eyes flashed with confusion. Snufkin took a deep breath before he blurted his question out. “Do you think I’m useless?”

“What?! No! Snufkin I don’t think that. Neither does my family. Why would you ever think that?” Moominmamma exclaimed, gently tilting his head up to look at her. Snufkin’s eyes went downcast. “Snufkin, if you don’t talk to me, I won’t be able to help you.” Snufkin looked at her, and she felt like her heart would break. He was wide eyed and seemed to look like a frightened child. She had seen this look before. That was the night before he met his father for the first time, the night he had a nightmare about the events that caused him to be separated from those who love him. He became an emotional wreck after that, and it looked like he was relapsing into it again.

“It was a nightmare.” Snufkin finally started, slowly. Moominmamma didn’t force him to let it out at once. She knew to take her time with Snufkin, he had every right to be slow with this. “At first, it was just me fishing and coming up to your house to see if you wanted any fish for your family. Then I saw Father on the veranda with you and that’s when it got bad very quickly. I heard him.” Snufkin shuddered at that, feeling like he was going to be sick. Moominmamma didn’t feel the need to ask what the traveller had meant. The previous year in Autumn, Snufkin was possessed a vengeful spirit, a spirit of a boy who died when Snufkin was an infant. A boy who made his father kill Little My’s father just so he could have her mother. A boy who was so spoilt that he have a tantrum worse than that of a toddler’s to get what he wanted. A boy that was so hate filled when attention was drawn way from him, that he would do anything to get it. That included trying to murder Snufkin one night whilst he was sleeping in is crib. The spirit was so filled with hate that he didn’t cross over, biding his time for his revenge. He had possessed Snufkin with the intent on getting rid of everyone for he blamed everyone for his life going wrong and his death. With the help of a spirit medium, Madame Portia, they were able to get Snufkin back and send the spirit to the other side for good. They had almost lost Snufkin but they were glad to have him back after such a long and tortuous night.

“I fell down a dark pit before the spirit caught me. He said he’d be back, to take me as his “puppet” again. He forced me to walk as if I was one on strings. That’s when Moomin, Sniff, Snorkmaiden, Little My and you and your husband came. I thought you’d help me but instead....” Snufkin had to pause, his throat collecting a heavy lump inside of it. “You all called me names, saying that I was worthless and weak and a burden on the family. So many awful things. I kept trying to block it out, but the words just got louder, and I couldn’t do anything or say anything to stop it. I was forced to stand still with the words being yelled at behind me.” Snufkin had to stop again with his explanation. Moominmamma only started to rub his back consolingly, her heart feeling like it would shatter instantly. “Suddenly someone came up behind me. They said that they wished that I had never been born. I didn’t need to see them. It was Father. I know he wouldn’t say anything like that to me really but it didn’t stop it from hurting. He then pushed me over a cliff and that’s when I woke up.” Snufkin feverishly wiped his tears but they wouldn’t stop coming. “I know it wasn’t real, but it felt like it. And I hate it!” That’s when Moominmamma couldn’t hold back anymore. She carefully wrapped her arms around Snufkin. The boy only responded by leaning into the warm embrace. He could faintly smell pumpkin on the mother, telling him what she was more than likely doing tonight. His tears dampened the mother’s fur as she combed her fingers through his messy hair. Now she understood why that nagging feeling kept her up this night. She somehow knew that Snufkin would be having this night terror, and knew that he would seek comfort while his father was gone.

“You are strong. You are not worthless, you mean so much to us. And you are not a burden on this family. You have changed my family’s life, especially Moomin’s for the better. He has never been so inspired to go on adventures so much more than he was before he met you. Just by meeting you and hearing your stories has opened up his eyes to so much in the world.” Moominmamma whispered to Snufkin, rubbing his back in a smooth circular motion. Snufkin listened intently, her words breaking down the emotional barrier that held him. “You are and always will be a part of this family. We all love you very much Snufkin and there is no power on Earth that can change that.” Snufkin felt the tears coming down his face quicker, but out of the joy and comfort that he was feeling.

“I just...hate feeling trapped like this. I just want this nightmare to be over.” He cried, trying to make his hoarse voice as loud as he could.

“I know, Snufkin. Believe me, lately I’ve been concerned about it too, especially now. I think everyone in fact has been like this. And remember what Madame Portia told you?” Moominmamma sighed rubbing his back gently. She then carefully took his wrist and pushed back the sleeve of his coat, revealing a turquoise beaded bracelet. “She said that as long as you wear this bracelet, no spirit will possess you again.”

“But what it doesn’t work? What if I lose it? I don’t want to hurt anyone like that again.” Snufkin cried, snatching his hand back and curled in on himself.

“That’s enough Snufkin. It won’t happen. If it does, then we’ll be ready for it.” Moominmamma suddenly said in a stern tone as she gently forced the traveller to look at her. Snufkin blinked a couple of times before wiping his tear stained face.

“Sorry. I’m being ridiculous, aren’t I?” He sniffed quietly, feeling ashamed with himself.

“Not at all. This is normal, Snufkin. And I’m glad that you came here after your horrific ordeal tonight.” The mother whispered soothingly. She gently brushed a thumb over his cheeks to clear his face of his tears. “However, I think that right now, you need something a little better than a mother’s love.” With a gentle pat on the head, Moominmamma got up from where she was kneeling. She hobbled a little, the blood flow returning to her legs. Without waiting for Snufkin to ask what she was doing, she made her way upstairs, disappearing into the dark. Without the comfort of the mother, Snufkin suddenly felt very cold and alone once again. He tightened his hold on the blanket, almost making a cocoon to warm him back up again. He stared into the fire, watching the various shades of reds, oranges and yellows made in its infinite number of patterns. He tried to find further comfort in the fact that he was safe in Moominhouse. His eyes drifted over to a talisman that hung on the wall. Another gift from Madame Portia to protect the household and its family. Snufkin wasn’t normally a superstitious person, but after last year, he had a different perspective on things. He shivered a little before curling further into himself. He was so wrapped up in trying to clear his mind of those awful memories, he didn’t realise that someone had come down the stairs and approached him. A paw gently rested on his shoulder. He looked up, expecting to see Moominmamma again, but instead he saw Moomin standing next to him. A tired smile was on his face, saying that Moominmamma woke him up to comfort his best friend tonight.

“Moomin...” the traveller smiled tiredly, standing up to greet the young troll.

“Mamma said that you needed a hug.” Moomin smiled. Snufkin let out a small stifled laugh (his throat still felt like there was a lump inside it) before he and Moomin enveloped their arms around each other. They stayed like that for a while, welcoming the warmth that each other shared. “I won’t ask what happened tonight, but I know that you don’t want to be alone right now.” Snufkin nodded meekly, wishing that his tears didn’t threaten to come once again. The young troll patted his back consolingly as the traveller noticed Moominmamma standing by the stairs. His red sore eyes looked at her, saying his thanks silently. The mother only smiled, wiping a small tear from her cheek. Moomin slowly broke away and took the traveller’s hand in his paw.

“Come on. You can sleep in my room tonight.” He said as he gently dragged the tired traveller up the stairs. Moominmamma watched them warmly as both her son and her unspoken adopted son disappeared in the darkness.

Snufkin almost sank right into the bed as he laid down in it. Both he and Moomin were under the thick covers, grateful that they were warming up once again in the dark, cold attic room. Moomin often hated this time of year because it meant that Snufkin was going to be leaving. However at the same time, he loved it because it meant that he can have moments like this with his best friend. He desperately wanted to know what happened to make Snufkin suddenly come to Moominhouse so late, but he knew better than to ask about it.

“Snufkin?” He asked. Snufkin only groaned softly as he opened his tired eyes. “I won’t ask you about what happened, but if you ever want to talk about it, or anything else that is troubling you, I’ll always be ready to listen.”

“Thank you...Moomin...” Snufkin tiredly smiled before he drifted back to sleep. Moomin gently held his hand, watching his friend return to a peaceful sleep. The young troll smiled a little at how relaxed his face looked. He yawned as silently as he could before his head sank into the pillows.

“Happy Halloween, Snufkin.” He whispered, before he slipped right back into a blissful sleep.

And nightmares didn’t plague the household for the rest of the night, as if all the spooks that were to come the next night decided that one horrifying nightmare was more than enough to scare the vagabond.

Happy Halloween everyone!

Possession Chapter 1: click HERE

[icycreek]

Lakeside part 2

(This is part 2 of my modern/human au. Here is part 1)

Taking the keys from the veranda table Moomintroll makes his way down to the shoreline. The lake still held his gaze as he made it to the sauna and it's extra room. The door opened after some trouble and a loud creek. Moomintroll looked around the room and let out a sigh. The place was covered in dust and cobwebs. He threw the bags to the floor and opened a window. He took a deep breath and took steps towards the sliding door. Moomintroll pulled on the door and it slid badly on it's rails. On the other side of that door was the washroom there were buckets and a wood powered water heater stood there next to the wall. From the years of use the wall had turned black around the water heater. Moomin turned back around and going to a different door. This time the door opened easily. In the small room there was a bed, desk and a cabinet. Each item of furniture was covered in dust. Moomin sighed and got to work.

After a lunch and a lot of cleaning Moomin was almost ready with cleaning when he heard a yell from outside. He stuck his head out of the window and looked for the source of the yelling. Little my soon walked near. "We are going to go to some camping ground. Chop chop." She said looking straight at Moomin. "Oh, but-" Moomin tried, but got cut off. "I don't care. Mamma asked me to come and get you so... Get a move on!" She started to tap her foot on the ground. Moomin quickly straightened his clothes and looked his white short hair over. "Good enough." He thought as he made his way out of the door after Little my who already sprinted off.

They walked the way to the camping ground. Pappa and Mamma keeping second hand in hand, only after Little my. Sniff was dead last, but even Moomin lagged more behind than normal. His thoughts were occupied by wondering ideas of how he wanted to spend his summer. Finally getting to the campgrounds Mamma and Pappa stopped and started going around introducing themselves as well as Sniff who stayed close to the couple in the hopes of being given food. Little my had already disappeared off somewhere and Moomin wanted to explore the place on his own. He said his hellos to some of the people who talked to him first, but didn't start anything himself.

As Moomin said goodbye to a lovely old couple who talked about this and that he heard a beautiful sound. a Harmonica playing a lovely melody. Moomin wanted to find it. He dodged and weaved between the people to the best of his abilities. He got to the edge of the campground and found two tents pitched right at the edge of the forest. Next to those he saw him the creator of that wonderful melody. His eyes were closed focusing on producing notes from his harmonica. His fluffy brown hair bounced a bit as he moved his head to catch the notes. His brows scrunched a bit as the melody moved. He was dressed in a dark green sweater with the sleeves rolled up, with darker brown pants that fit him nicely.

Suddenly as Moomin was lost in the wonder of the song and the looks of this man the melody stopped. Moomin turned his gaze upwards back to the man's face and saw that he had lowered his harmonica from his lips. His eyes were narrowly open and his brown colored eyes looked at him with suspicion."I am sorry. I heard you playing and it sounded so wonderful I had to find the source." Moomin got out mumbling in his words trying to look away form the man. "It is fine. I am glad you liked my song." the man said a smile playing on his lips. "My name is Moomin. Nice to meet you." Moomin said trying not to blush as he extended his hand towards the mysterious man. He got up and took Moomins hand. "Name's Snufkin. You camping here?" Snufkin said revealing his name. "Yeah...WELL no I live nearby here in a cottage, no I came to visit a cottage here for the summer. Haha.. I don't live here during the winter." Moomin stumbled as he tried to explain. Snufkin let out a cute chuckle while covering his face with one of his hands. Moomin looked on in awe. "Well that explains it." Snufkin said still holding his hand near his face. "Sorry." Moomin said letting his hand play with the edge of his shirt. "Don't be. You are staying nearby here, in which direction?" Snufkin asked lowering his hand from his face and grabbing his other arm that loosely rested on his side. "That way." Moomin pointed past the camping ground. "There is this little bay where our cottage is." He continued. "Our? You are here with somebody?" Snfkin asked and even if Moomin didn't notice it Snufkin's body tensed at the mention of somebody. "Oh, it's me, my parents and my two friends." Moomin answered his hand rubbing his chin as he thought.

Snufkin's arm let go of the other and lowered to his side. "Oh, that must be nice. I am here with my dad." Snufkin said pointing to the tents and as if on cue the other tent moved a bit before the tent opening flew open. An older looking man crawled out the tent and scratched his head looking over to moomin and Snufkin. Snufkin rubbed his forehead and explained "As I said my father Joxter." The man apparently named Joxter scratched his scruffy chin as he took steps towards the two all the while he scrunched up his eyes as if trying to make out what he was seeing. "You look familiar, boy." Joxter said as he got closer. "This is Moomin. His cottage is near here." Snufkin explained to his father. They really were alike both had similar jawlines and their brown hair was similar even if Snufkin's was of a lighter shade. Moomin once again lost in thought was snapped out by Snufkin turning to face him. "Well you boys have fun. I'm gonna go and see, if I can grab some grub as this party is going on." Joxter said as he walked off into the crowd. Snufkin let out a small laugh and Moomin joined in.

The two had been talking for a while now laughing and sharing stories, when Moomin heard his name being called. He turned around and saw his parents waving at him and walking in his direction, with Sniff behind them his arms full of food. "Well it's only fair you get to meet my family too." Moomin said getting up from the log turned bench he and Snufkin had been sitting on. His family got there and Moomin gave a quick hug to his parents and started the introductions. "This is my father Moominpappa and my mother MoominMamma, then there's Sniff my friend from back home." Moomin said pointing to each person as he introduced them. "Guys this is Snufkin. I met him here.." Moomin couldn't describe what they had been doing or why they were together, but luckily Pappa started talking. "You remind me of somebody." "Oh Snufkin's father-" was all that Moomin got out before he got interrupted by a yell "Moominpappa!" They all turned around and saw the hurried steps of Joxter coming towards them. "Joxter, good to see you." Pappa got out as Joxter reached them. After a short wave of hello between Snufkin and Joxter the group separated. Mamma and Pappa started talking together with Joxter, while Sniff, Snufkin and Moomin walked a short distance away and started their own talk.

After a moment or two of conversation Moomin remembered "Oh, we are missing one of my friends Little My. We lost her the moment we stepped on the camp site." Moomin explained. "Little My. I know her." Snufkin said without any emotion really. "How do you know her?" Moomin got out worry written on his voice while he rubbed his hands out of anxiety. Before Snufkin could even answer Little My walked up to the gab between Sniff and Snufkin. "You talking about me here?" She said snarkly while crossing her arms. She looked up and spotted Snufkin. Moomins heart beat fast as Little My took a moment before saying anything. "Hiya cuz." She said looking over to the sweating moomin. "I am your half-brother Little My." Snufkin said deadpan. Clearly bored of her snark attitude. "It's whatever isn't it." She said not caring really. Moomin realized the connection and let out a sigh, but as soon as that nervousness was over he was overcome by another. He knew of what had happened with Little My had the same happened with Snufkin? "You live with your older sister now, right?" Snufkin asked Little My. "Yeah, I spend a lot of time at the Moomin's too. You live with your dad?" she asked with clear weight on the question about his dad. "Well no. I live by myself and I spend holidays with him sometimes." Snufkin laughed awkwardly, while rubbing his neck. "Guessed so." Little My said throwing a dirty glance towards Joxter who was talking with Mamma and Pappa.

Sooner than Moomin would have wanted his parents came over and ushered that they had to start walking back now. Moomin sighed as his parents said their goodbyes to Joxter and Snufkin. They started walking towards the way they came Sniff and Little My following close behind. Moomin turned back towards Snufkin. Joxter had disappeared from his side and was crawling back inside the tent. "I hope I get to see you again." Moomin said scratching his arm. "I hope so too." Snufkin said a light blush covering his cheeks. "I'll try to come back here sometime and I'd hope to show you where I am staying too." Moomin got out trying to avoid Snufkin's gaze. "I'd like that." Snufkin said shortly. The two stood there without moving for a moment, before Snufkin said "You should go before you loose your family." Moomin turned around and took a step before saying "Yeah, goodbye Snufkin." Then he walked off after his family. "I hope I get to see you very soon." Snufkin whispered to himself as he watched Moomin run to catch his family.