Toby Trouble

Toby's in a constant clash of head versus heart. Some days he exists, some days he doesn't. He's very flipfloppy, and doesn't like to be in one spot for long. He's hyperactive, and doesn't think much of what others see him as. Deep down, he's more than a little afraid of himself, but would rather die than face his emotions head-on, much less his fears or other nasty feelings.

Toby's origins are rarely brought up in a conversation. He keeps to himself, seldom bringing up why he's in a specific place or what he wants. A deep-seated fear of the unknown keeps him moving perpetually.

Born into a small family, Toby was put into survival mode right from the get-go. His mother and father lived in a secluded cabin in the woods, where they would board up during the night. It was rare any of them got any sleep.

Despite this, Toby was a small beam of light the couple had. A blink of familiarity, and a joy to be around even into his preteen years. Toby would often bring back wounded animals from the forest to nurse them back to health, despite the qualms his mother had with it. He was never able to talk, but gained the ability to transmit radio waves telepathically thanks to some salvaged tech from his mom, and some magic nonsense from his dad.

As he neared his 16th birthday, Toby brought home a wolf pup. After a long talk with his father about how it might have parents, met by Toby's insistent begging to let them keep it. Eventually, his father caved, and they introduced a fourth member to the family. Toby named it Rubble.

As the days got shorter and the nights became longer, Toby's family began to settle down for the winter. Due to his habit of sleeping during the day and going out at night, he would often sneak out to play with Rubble and explore the forests surrounding his home.

One day, though, he came across a strange looking fungus. He kept Rubble away from it [ much to the puppy's dismay ] and pocketed some in case it could be useful. However, something latched onto the small of the mushrooms and followed the two back.

As Toby fell asleep in the morning, he awoke to a shrill scream. He ran to his parents, only to find that they were being torn apart by a lumbering figure- fur matted and ears flat against its head. It tore into the petrified adults without so much as a blink. He kept Rubble close. Despite his screams, the wolf-like creatures ignored him, and left once they had eaten their fill.

In the dim silence of a ruined home, Toby howled his strangled anger and grief away alongside his canine companion.

The sun didn't rise after that. Toby didn't get up, either. His body hurt and ached- the stench of his parent's bodies hurt his nostrils, but he couldn't move. Over a week later, when their blood dried into a black stain and Toby's stomach hurt from a lack of water, he buried them.

It was only then, after cleaning his hands off in a river, did he notice the beginnings of wolf ears were sprouting from his head, like a mushroom invading a tree stump. His tailbone hurt, too, but he could do little to stop it.

He grabbed the ruined mushrooms from his pocket and crushed them, tearing into them with his teeth as he swore to the gods above he'd get them back for ruining his life. Though, with time, Toby adapted a more primal look to life, living with survival in mind. He kept Rubble by his side, though- the last memory of the life he once had.

Now, he wanders from lonesome village to lonesome village, trading any useful items he might come across. He keeps the wolf pup close, only allowing Rubble to emerge when no one else is around. Despite his need to move on from everything, something staring between the trees refuses to let him be at ease.