Wigbrant stood the tallest among his four adoptive brothers. In temperament he stood opposite to his sibling Murchadh whose heart lay protected behind walls of ice, for the badger found himself incapable of living any other way than with his warm heart on his sleeve. It made him bashful at times, and frequently got him into trouble; for he had no ability to hide when it was that he liked a person or disliked them. Everyone always knew where they stood with Wigbrant. There were some who appreciated that about him, although it certainly didn't score him points with most of his surrogate family. For he thought the otter Rosewater to be capricious, the stoat Felfrond to be misleading, and the seal Murchadh to be overly harsh.

That is not to say he did not love his brothers, for he extolled the best parts of their nature to to all who would listen. But in the halls of the fey courtly drama and intrigue were always in demand. To manoeuvre in such places required a knack for politics, veiling one's intentions and avoiding the ire those with the power to ruin you. And the truth was he simply was not cut out for it. The earnest badger hated walking on eggshells around people who would look for reasons to take sleight, who would spread exaggerated rumours about him to his brothers for no other reason than to take pleasure in tearing his reputation to shreds. Knowing well that the straightforward and down-to-earth mustelid was an easy target to outmanoeuvre socially, for he did not know how to lie back nor did he understand why anyone would say things about him that were untrue.

The warrior of summer came away badly burned for his many faux pas during his time among the high society of the fey. His relationships to each of his brothers left strained by the focused efforts of one noble in particular; The Count Nyctos. On his very first day of being introduced to the courts, he made the mistake of honestly and politely turning down the flirtatious advances of the Count, whom his instincts told him was interested in his affections only on a whim. Thinking no more about the incident afterwards, for it had lasted for barely a minute of the two exchanging pleasantries... he had no idea that the Count, who prided himself on always getting his way, seethed with fury at even the smallest perceived act of rejection. Having seldom been told "no" in his life, for he made it his business to punish any who did. It became his personal mission to tear the badger down and sabotage his life in the hopes Wigbrant would be broken by despair.

It took the badger a long time to learn the culprit behind the sudden tarnishing of his good name. Upon finally discovering the truth, faced with the choice of exile from the halls of power or bowing down to the wishes of the man who refused to take no for an answer, he elected to become an outcast.

Stripped of the right to ever own lands, to bear a title any higher than that of a knight, and denied admittance to any feast hall where the Count's name held sway; Wigbrant became a wanderer who roamed in search of any warm hearth that would accept him. Seeking the pleasures of good food and drink, swapping stories and adventuring amongst those more interested in appreciating the people around them than plotting against them. Finding greater comfort in being close to nature and taking on the role of a fey guarding the hearthfires and wild bonfire celebrations on midsummer nights. From that happier place in his life, where he felt free to be his open and outgoing self, he reached out once more to his surrogate brothers in the hopes of repairing the damage done to their friendships.

A pity that the Count was not willing to simply let him be...

*****

Big loving badger learns the hard way why "honest to a fault" is a widely-known expression.

Another in a series of seasonal fey critters I've been getting from the ever-wonderful Madness_demon , this time representing the season of summer!