Long ago, before Avery was even an idea in anyone's head, his family decided it was time to settle down.
They had always lived as travelers, nomads, selling and trading goods between the small villages and towns and minor encampments within the Arach Forest and along the Mistral River. They were a proud but rag-tag family of domestic corgis who could trace their lineage back to when the domestic dogs first began to come visiting in the Arach Forest. Back when the few tiny settlements were nothing more than lean-to's built up around a central fire pit Avery's family had interbred with a couple of magical pygmy corgis, before they became more wary of the newcomers. Over the generations the magic was all but bred back out by sticking to mostly mating into other merchant families coming to the area from the south and east, but occasionally their line still threw the odd power or set of horns as a relic or reminder of the more idyllic times.
Avery's father, the leader of their little gang of traveling sales dogs, got tired of being constantly on the move, and decided it wise to finish his days in a town or village. In his youth he had fallen in love with a lovely corgi girl from the town of Seren, but her family wouldn't let her travel, and at the time he wasn't ready to settle down so they parted ways. Once he had finally saved the capital to buy a little place of his own he went to call on her and to his delight found her still unattached. They had a whirlwind courtship as he became an established merchant in Seren Town, they had a small apartment built over his shop and they settled into blissful domestic life.
Eventually they had a litter of puppies, adorable little corgi floofs all roly poly balls of fuzz. All the neighbors doted on the little ones, and they grew up showered with attention, under their parents' feet in the little store below their home.
Now, Avery's father may have willingly left his nomadic life behind, but he refused to leave his history along with it. He made sure he raised his pups to respect the woods, and be wary but curious about any non-domestic dogs they might encounter in their lives. He had been told all the myths and stories his family had been handing down for generations of living the often difficult life of constant passage through a forest that was often unfriendly to domestic canines. He wanted his children not to fear the forest, the way the town dogs did, and he shared all of his family's stories with his kin, his mate listening right along side their pups to the stories she'd never heard in her own youth growing up fearful of the forest's border and everything that lay beyond.
Avery was the only puppy in the litter born with horns and his father was especially proud of him and doted on him to no end. He spent extra time talking to him about the lore of the forest, and about their family history, and wanted most of all for Avery to be proud of his past as well. Avery, instead of becoming conceited, was humbled by the extra attention, and the representation growing from between his ears of where he was from and all that his family had done since they first came to the Arach Valley so many generations ago.
As he grew he realized he wasn't going to be cut out for returning to his traveler's roots the way a couple of his siblings had planned to, but he did want to see a couple of the other towns and villages before he settled down into helping his father with the family business. Once he came of age, he planned a trip to do a circle around to the other two large towns and a couple of the smaller villages and settlements along the historic trade routes before returning home in the end. He packed up everything he needed and set out with one of his sisters who planned to part ways with him after their first stop to join up with the pack of traveling merchants their father had left to move to Seren.
Avery never got further than his first stop, the Village of Vaim.
By the time the arrived there he was exhausted and dirty. He found an inn and got cleaned up, and as he settled in for a meal in the pub his waitress came by and knocked him completely off his feet.
She was the daughter of the inn keep and was working as a waitress in her father's pub until she decided what to do with herself. She was a tall border collie shepherd mix with a sweet face and a beautiful starry coat pattern similar to the stories his father had raised him on of the celestial foxes that lived in the elder trees deep in the forest. She was charming and sweet, and he was head over heels in an instant.
He cancelled his plans to travel further, deciding instead to remain at the inn to get to know this lovely girl he'd met by happenstance.
Her name was Kristol, and she was charmed by Avery as well. Many nights she found it difficult to serve the other guests at the pub because all she wanted to do was hang around at Avery's table talking and joking with him and hoping for an opportunity to brush paws. Eventually, her father grudgingly accepted him and they began going out on the town. Kristol had spent her whole life in Vaim and had only heard stories of the larger town of Seren from travelers in the inn, but she knew all the best places in the village and happily shared her world with Avery.
He spent the entire summer living from his room at Kristol's father's inn. As fall drew nearer his money ran out and he picked up work helping clean up around the pub and straighten up rooms after guests checked out.
Eventually he brought up to Kristol that he did have obligations back at Seren to learn the family business and eventually take over for his father and mother so that they could finally relax. Kristol was nervous about leaving her home, but she didn't think she could bear to see him leave and not go with him. Once she made up her mind for sure, Avery went to her father to ask his blessing for them to become mates and for their journey back to Seren where they would take over and run his family's shop. Kristol's father understandably did not want to see his baby girl leave home, the last pup to leave the nest, but he begrudgingly agreed that Avery made a good match for her and he agreed to let her go.
It took them some time to make plans, but they set off before the first frost came with a family of roaming mystics for company. He found the trip home far more enjoyable than his trip there, probably a combination of more pleasant company and realizing that he truly wasn't cut out for travel much as he'd always suspected.
Avery's family adored Kristol from the start. She fit in with them beautifully and she was happy to help out in the shop and once Avery's parents decided to retire from running the place, they moved in with one of his brothers and his family closer to the town square and let Avery and Kristol take over the apartment above the store. Life was beautiful and serene and the store always turned just enough of a profit to keep them ahead of the game.
They welcomed their first litter shortly after they moved into the apartment alone, the pups were a rowdy bunch and they grew quickly. They raised them much the same way that Avery was raised, learning all the stories of the forest, and how to work, and when they came of age most moved out and went on to work for their aunts and uncles or elsewhere, all except one daughter, Piper, who stayed behind because she wanted to help with the family store.
The help was welcome, especially when Kristol became pregnant for the second time.
They had always lived as travelers, nomads, selling and trading goods between the small villages and towns and minor encampments within the Arach Forest and along the Mistral River. They were a proud but rag-tag family of domestic corgis who could trace their lineage back to when the domestic dogs first began to come visiting in the Arach Forest. Back when the few tiny settlements were nothing more than lean-to's built up around a central fire pit Avery's family had interbred with a couple of magical pygmy corgis, before they became more wary of the newcomers. Over the generations the magic was all but bred back out by sticking to mostly mating into other merchant families coming to the area from the south and east, but occasionally their line still threw the odd power or set of horns as a relic or reminder of the more idyllic times.
Avery's father, the leader of their little gang of traveling sales dogs, got tired of being constantly on the move, and decided it wise to finish his days in a town or village. In his youth he had fallen in love with a lovely corgi girl from the town of Seren, but her family wouldn't let her travel, and at the time he wasn't ready to settle down so they parted ways. Once he had finally saved the capital to buy a little place of his own he went to call on her and to his delight found her still unattached. They had a whirlwind courtship as he became an established merchant in Seren Town, they had a small apartment built over his shop and they settled into blissful domestic life.
Eventually they had a litter of puppies, adorable little corgi floofs all roly poly balls of fuzz. All the neighbors doted on the little ones, and they grew up showered with attention, under their parents' feet in the little store below their home.
Now, Avery's father may have willingly left his nomadic life behind, but he refused to leave his history along with it. He made sure he raised his pups to respect the woods, and be wary but curious about any non-domestic dogs they might encounter in their lives. He had been told all the myths and stories his family had been handing down for generations of living the often difficult life of constant passage through a forest that was often unfriendly to domestic canines. He wanted his children not to fear the forest, the way the town dogs did, and he shared all of his family's stories with his kin, his mate listening right along side their pups to the stories she'd never heard in her own youth growing up fearful of the forest's border and everything that lay beyond.
Avery was the only puppy in the litter born with horns and his father was especially proud of him and doted on him to no end. He spent extra time talking to him about the lore of the forest, and about their family history, and wanted most of all for Avery to be proud of his past as well. Avery, instead of becoming conceited, was humbled by the extra attention, and the representation growing from between his ears of where he was from and all that his family had done since they first came to the Arach Valley so many generations ago.
As he grew he realized he wasn't going to be cut out for returning to his traveler's roots the way a couple of his siblings had planned to, but he did want to see a couple of the other towns and villages before he settled down into helping his father with the family business. Once he came of age, he planned a trip to do a circle around to the other two large towns and a couple of the smaller villages and settlements along the historic trade routes before returning home in the end. He packed up everything he needed and set out with one of his sisters who planned to part ways with him after their first stop to join up with the pack of traveling merchants their father had left to move to Seren.
Avery never got further than his first stop, the Village of Vaim.
By the time the arrived there he was exhausted and dirty. He found an inn and got cleaned up, and as he settled in for a meal in the pub his waitress came by and knocked him completely off his feet.
She was the daughter of the inn keep and was working as a waitress in her father's pub until she decided what to do with herself. She was a tall border collie shepherd mix with a sweet face and a beautiful starry coat pattern similar to the stories his father had raised him on of the celestial foxes that lived in the elder trees deep in the forest. She was charming and sweet, and he was head over heels in an instant.
He cancelled his plans to travel further, deciding instead to remain at the inn to get to know this lovely girl he'd met by happenstance.
Her name was Kristol, and she was charmed by Avery as well. Many nights she found it difficult to serve the other guests at the pub because all she wanted to do was hang around at Avery's table talking and joking with him and hoping for an opportunity to brush paws. Eventually, her father grudgingly accepted him and they began going out on the town. Kristol had spent her whole life in Vaim and had only heard stories of the larger town of Seren from travelers in the inn, but she knew all the best places in the village and happily shared her world with Avery.
He spent the entire summer living from his room at Kristol's father's inn. As fall drew nearer his money ran out and he picked up work helping clean up around the pub and straighten up rooms after guests checked out.
Eventually he brought up to Kristol that he did have obligations back at Seren to learn the family business and eventually take over for his father and mother so that they could finally relax. Kristol was nervous about leaving her home, but she didn't think she could bear to see him leave and not go with him. Once she made up her mind for sure, Avery went to her father to ask his blessing for them to become mates and for their journey back to Seren where they would take over and run his family's shop. Kristol's father understandably did not want to see his baby girl leave home, the last pup to leave the nest, but he begrudgingly agreed that Avery made a good match for her and he agreed to let her go.
It took them some time to make plans, but they set off before the first frost came with a family of roaming mystics for company. He found the trip home far more enjoyable than his trip there, probably a combination of more pleasant company and realizing that he truly wasn't cut out for travel much as he'd always suspected.
Avery's family adored Kristol from the start. She fit in with them beautifully and she was happy to help out in the shop and once Avery's parents decided to retire from running the place, they moved in with one of his brothers and his family closer to the town square and let Avery and Kristol take over the apartment above the store. Life was beautiful and serene and the store always turned just enough of a profit to keep them ahead of the game.
They welcomed their first litter shortly after they moved into the apartment alone, the pups were a rowdy bunch and they grew quickly. They raised them much the same way that Avery was raised, learning all the stories of the forest, and how to work, and when they came of age most moved out and went on to work for their aunts and uncles or elsewhere, all except one daughter, Piper, who stayed behind because she wanted to help with the family store.
The help was welcome, especially when Kristol became pregnant for the second time.