Welp! Here we go, this will be by far the longest story I have posted. So far, at least! Its somewhat a prequel to the events of the "Long Distance Fun" comic posted in my gallery. And I am really happy with how it turned out! Started out as a short story in my mind about Cedar going home to tell her parents of her knew partner. And then it kept snowballing as I introduced more and more of her family and other bits of lore that I had been planning. So hey! Two birds, one stone! But I will apologize for the big wall of text that you are all about to see. Of course any sort of comment and criticism is much appreciated. I also must warn that this story wasnt very heavily edited after I wrote it, so grammar errors and the likes are gonna be pretty... common XD Oh well, Im still learning! The image for this story was an amazing sketch done by Okaliz over on twitter: https://twitter.com/0kaliz. And, before we get into the story itself, I will post the list of Cedars family here as well.
Parents
Mother: Willow: 45s
Father: Alder: 45s
Siblings
Twins: Linden: (son) 18 Tilia: (daughter) 18
Child: Rowan: 15
Daughter: Magnolia: 10
Other Family
Ancestor: Rosemary: Passed
So yeah! Sincerely thank you to anyone who gives this a read, I do hope you enjoy!
Cedar knew that it was never easy going back to town. First of all, the drive was long. Or, if she opted for a plane that would be too expensive. Now mind you, she wasn't your typical broke college student, but flying was expensive! Most of the money she made usually just went into savings whenever she didn't have to pay bills anyways, so she could handle the drive. Slamming an energy drink, which she typically hates, and then heading out at the ass crack of dawn. A full tank of gas, some side snacks for the trip, and she was off. It was always an interesting sight, one she didn't get to see too often funnily enough. After all, she didn't actually leave the city all too often. But this was a special occasion. Watching the large skyscrapers thin out and vanish. And once she left the outskirts nature would start to reclaim the sights. Large evergreen trees dot the mountains of the landscape. Being so early, the sun was barely just starting to cast its light upon this side of the earth, giving a view through the mist of the morning.
And then as she traveled more and more, even those mountains, like the skyscrapers before them, would start to thin out and vanish, giving ways to the large open prairies. This was the first sign that her hours-long journey was finally coming to an end, the sun higher up in the sky breaking away to a full cloudless, and hot, day. Dang, she wished she had fixed the air conditioner sooner, but that wasn't as much an issue in the city when she was only really in her car for a few minutes at a time. Plus with ample shade she didn't really worry all too much, the air conditioner was just an expense that could wait. Perhaps her dad would know how to fix it, he was way better with these kinda things than her, and this old truck used to be his after all. She might get a lecture on keeping up the proper care… Which would be fair, she really oughta be taking care of this thing, it's lasted her this long after all!
Soon she would look out her passenger side window, and yup there it was. She always thought the sign was too… Fancy for what her town really was, a sentiment shared by most to be fair! The sign was large, made out of some kind of marbled stone, and in delicate silver lettering on the blacker front surface was “Welcome to Rosemary” Above the lettering was a bundle of wheat, and below it was a selection of fruits that are commonly grown in the town. This was placed here when she was pretty young. But she remembered ALL the complaints about it. That the town would rather see the money going somewhere else, or something along those lines. Then again, these country folk could really find a way to complain about just anything, even the things they liked. Good ol southern charm
She sighed, shaking her head. She loved it all, though. And Rosemary had changed… Barely at all in the time she was gone. She would still see the large corner market where all the farmers came to peddle extra goods that didn't get shipped out. She would see the little strip mall which was perhaps the newest addition to the town, now being about eight years old. Its once shiny signs that dedicated which store was which had faded and dusted over, more of that southern charm. This mall was, surprisingly, well received by the town. After all being this far out from any major city, if people needed more than your general farm goods or medical supplies it was hours driving. But now they had a tech and repair store, so on and so forth. The young ones living in town sure loved it, as right at the side of the strip mall was the large food court that came along with it. Cedar just smiled, thinking of all the different shakes or smoothies she used to waste her money on, chatting with her siblings or friends.
And then finally she would turn down her street, Main Street. It was kind of funny, Main Street ran through the entire town, you could reach just about anywhere from it. The schools, the shops, the farms. And she was lucky enough to live right on the very end of main street, at a little homestead labeled ‘1313’. One might see that as unlucky, but this house was built with the town, by her distant grandparents, she couldn't recall how many greats there were. In fact, it was her ancestor Rosemary Calloway that had set up this homestead. The family legend was that she got sick and tired of all the men in her life and moved all the way out here to be on her own, with her daughter. She made her house, labeled it 1313 in hopes that others would see her as some kinda spooky witch lady and not live anywhere near her. To the lady's dismay, she happened to find the prime spot for farming, so when word got out that there were some “Blessed lands” out here, the town just kind of formed around her slowly. She begrudgingly accepted it, as it was a lot of land, too much for her to take advantage of all on her own.
She was the de facto leader for some time till her passing, and once she did depart from the world, they had held their first mayoral election. No one wanted, or could even imagine, to replace her though, so they built a separate town hall on the other very far end of main street. Cedar wasn't sure how much of those stories held weight, but she did know the town was at least named after her ancestor, so that was pretty nice. The drive down Main Street was a long one to get to the homestead, so she had plenty more time to think about things as she would glance out her windows. It was so strange to see everything looking so… The same. The city felt like things changed everyday, buildings constantly changing from one store to another or the constant road works. But nope, as she glanced out the left window once again she could see her High School, Middle School, and Elementary school all down side by side. It was essentially one big schooling complex actually, but sectioned to separate the three levels. She could see kids all walking around. Actually, she grinned a little and would pull over into the parking lot.
It was very much not too often that she got to see her youngest sibling, little Magnolia! She was really starting to grow… Well, grow for a mouse that is. They were never a big species, but she had at least a couple inches, if not more, in height since the last time Cedar saw her. They would chat, catching up as Cedar drove her back home now. The youngest of the mouse siblings, Magnolia was a bit of a troubled baby when she was born. Having caused the entire family some scare! But she pulled through and now the white freckled mouse was enjoying every day of life to its fullest. And not only Magnolia but she was excited to see the twins Linden and Rilia. And of course young Rowan. Gosh how long has it been since she last saw them all together? Probably a good year and a half now! She didn't visit home last break due to… Well the reason she was gone!
She got a little giddy already, Magnolia was curious, but of course her curiosity would have to wait, as Cedar would tell her with the rest of the family! She would pull up to the usual parking spot reserved for the truck, grinning as she would hop out. Glancing out towards the back of the homestead she would see the light in the barn on. She gave Magnolia a wave, wanting to head back there first to spy who was there. She would hum and would soon peer through the wide open doors of the barn. Grinning, she would see her father there. They didn't have much in terms of livestock anymore, like they did when she was younger. Mostly focusing on chickens and food stuff. The barn held so many memories, and she was sure so many more to be made. She would sneak up on her father. The once young and chestnut brown mouse had slowly started to gray in his older age, mainly due to the hard work and stress. He was still relatively young, after all. And, as some other ladies would say, quite handsome still. But to Cedar he was just dad. It was funny, though. Given her family traditions, he wasn't the actual Calloway of the family. Traditionally they carried that name through the female line, so he was the one to marry into the name. But he worked as hard as any other Calloway, and he was as proud as any other as well. If one didn't know better, they would say he was a natural born one!... Which is a little creepy too but Cedar never thought about it that much. She would surprise him by speaking up, asking what he is working on. He would drop whatever tool was in his hand, looking like a little wrench.
Soon though the two would hug, after he had cleaned off his hands and arms hastily. But she would quip that she was still that farm girl he raised, not minding any kind of dirt that he could get on her. She would soon also mention needing the truck to be looked at, earning her a suspicious glare from her father. She would soon rush off though, flicking her tail playfully saying they would talk more at dinner! He would grab her tail before she could get too far, making her squeak. He gave her a light scolding, wanting more time with his precious daughter before she rushed off to see the rest! So she stuck around the barn, chatting about her studies at school and the dance lessons she was giving.
It was nice, but she did want to see the rest of her family! He would soon groan but relented, giving her a kiss on the cheek, turning back to his work and allowing her to leave. She walked in through the back door that leads into the kitchen. And there stood her mother. She wore that usual cooking outfit of hers. An outfit that makes it look more like she stepped out of a diner job and didn't change when she got home. But it was what made her comfy, so no one questioned it! Of course Cedar could smell the food and her ears twitched with excitement. It was her favorite. It was a very classic meal but one she enjoyed so much. Grilled cheese, most of which was homemade ingredients. And tomato soup, also all home made. It wasn't long before her mother noticed her, though. And she would squeak with excitement! Both did, in fact.
And of course Cedar would brace for the rush of hugs and kisses her mother would so lovingly assault her with hugs and kisses. Cedar would playfully whine but relented to the assault for a moment before she could finally pry herself from her mother. They would spend a minute catching up as well, Cedar repeating some of the information that she had told her father. But of course she didn't mind that at all. It was so nice, though. Seeing her family again. And here was her mother, the matriarch of the Calloway family. She would let out a happy sigh as they talked. Her mother always loved the family traditions, but one of said family traditions was being able to break them! She was eager to jump on the chance to be able to fund her daughter's college expenses and send her to the city. She was the one so supportive of her ice skating and dancing. She couldn't ask for a better mother. Her mother retained much of her natural youthful looks as well, something Cedar was thankful for. She still got mistaken easily for being a good ten, sometimes twenty, years younger than she actually was! Her eyes shimmered in the same blue as Cedar, dark on top, lighter on the bottom.
Still though, as much as she wanted to stay and chat, she wanted to go see the others. Her mother, just like her father, would begrudgingly relent, mentioning dinner would be ready in about half an hour! Cedar nodded and traced the usual steps, making sure to not fall over the little dip that separates the kitchen from the living room. And there sat on the long lounge couch working on some sheets was young Rowan. It wasn't easy being the youngest middle child of the family. Older than Magnolia, but younger than the twins. Still, though. Cedar knew they were going to be wonderful, they were already so bright. They had such a shine about them too whenever they would get on a topic they enjoyed and would go on and on about it. Cedar would of course listen intently to anything they would have to say.
It looked like they were working on some math sheets, one of their more interesting topics as of late. All kinds of math, that is. Number theory, geometry algebra, she was sure they were getting into trigonometry. Math was… Not something Cedar enjoyed, to be honest. But if it was her siblings interest she would listen. After a few minutes of them going on and on about the work they were doing, not even school work, just practice sheets they had printed out themselves, they would finally take note of who they were talking to! Happy hugs given once again, the young more white colored mouse finally acknowledging it was Cedar, and they would catch up in a more normal manner. Chatting about the work they were doing was nice and all, but learning about what their college bound sister was doing was of interest as well!
Still, though she still had two more siblings to meet before dinner time, she gave young Rowan a kiss on their cheek and would soon move off. The twins were likely in their studio in the basement, the place those two normally were at. The twins had their own special interest, that of course the parents supported. They were bloggers/vloggers, and made a lot of videos. But among that, Linden was a tailor, aspiring at least. While Tilia was about the smartest social media expert Cedar knew of. Cedar herself was a touch hopeless on that, but she didnt mind. She made sure the red light was off, meaning she could walk into the studio, and would smile as she saw the twins both stretched out across the floor. Linden was measuring out some fabric, and Tilia was running the camera. She peaked back over her shoulder to make sure the light was off, before moving in a bit more and coughing to announce her presence. A shout of ‘pause’ rang out from Tilia, and Linden near instantly froze in place. There was a few seconds of silence before Tilia would finally carefully place her camera down on the tripod, and she glanced over.
Squeaks of surprise and happiness at the arrival of their eldest sister, of course. Linden stayed in his spot on the floor though, not moving even an inch, but he did shift slightly in his place. They explained that, simply, they were trying a new experiment for one of their videos, a “stop motion” made outfit. But it meant Linden himself, and all the things around him really could not be disturbed. They have had their meals delivered at the door for two nights now. Cedar would pout just a bit, pleading with her twin siblings to join the family at the table tonight. It didn't take much convincing though, thankfully. The twins had set up measurements in case they had to move from their spots for some reason or another. And then of course there was catching up to be done, Cedar followed the two on their social medias though, so she knew the most about them and what they have been up to! It was quite a fun time watching them pursue their interest in this manner, and it was working well for them. Cedar remembered when the basement area used to just be a simple area for storing unused decorations for christmas or halloween, as well as for some of dads tools. But now the area was fully opened up, well mostly. There was two corners at the back end. One was set up for an… Editing suite? Is that what its called? Cedar was not too sure herself.
And the other corner was just set up for recording themselves with a green screen and such. It was all pretty wild to Cedar, she had seen when they first were getting this set up and they really just slowly took over the area fully and now the basement was just their studio. She giggled a bit and made sure to give the twins a hug before heading off. Passing back up through the living room, passing a still deep in study Rowan. And then she trekked up the stairs further to head up to the bedroom hallway of the homestead. The house was carefully planned to be able to fit much more than just the main family, the rooms on the left side of the hallway were typically the guest rooms and the smaller bathroom. The rooms on the right were for the main family, and of course at the very end of the hall was the room to the master bedroom for the heads of the household. Cedar, being the eldest of the main family, had worked her way down the hall. She used to have the room closest to her parents, but now her room was at the end of the hall just right next to the stairs. The door was nice and sturdy, as most things were in this traditional homestead.
The outside of the door was not much to be spoken of. Just the simple brown wood and a little name plate that had her name written on it, in her own faded blue chalky handwriting. Around her name though there were several little additions from the rest of the family. Linden and Tilia were likely responsible for the editions of yellow and green chalk that designed out what looked like an idea for a skating outfit. They were the ones who made her outfits that she uses now after all! She took out her phone to snap a full picture of it. Giggling as she would send that text over to Val. What time would it be there now? It was getting late here, which likely meant it was early there. The orange edition of some math equation was, most obviously, from Rowan. She would huff and snagged up the blue chalk that hung from the side of the board and… Just wrote down fourteen as she had no clue. And lastly, written in simple white chalk from Magnolia, looking like she had to step on her tippy toes to write it was a simple addition. Two words. ‘Miss you’. That just made Cedar melt.
Her room could wait, she walked down the hall and knocked on little Magnolia's door. She didn't get to talk too much on the ride home, mainly having been lost in some thought of her town. Mags opened the door and would smile a bit and Cedar was fast to lift her up into a nice big hug and a little twirl. The two had a bit more of a time together now, just talking more in detail and catching up properly. Magnolia would admit that she was still a bit at a loss. The young girl was precocious, perhaps too much for her own good. She would see the ‘legacy’ of the family that came before her. Each Calloway had, in one way or another, made some sort of achievement that the youngest now had to look at and think of ‘well what now?’ Does she try and do what they do, and risk the fear of not being as good. Or does she try her own things, and risk failing over and over. Cedar would giggle at that, shaking her head a bit.
This wasn't a lecture, no. She wanted to comfort her sister. And so she listed every single time she had failed. The amount of tournaments she had lost couldn't even fit on two hands and her feet combined. But, she never gave up. Every fall, every scuff, she would get back up. Linden and Tilia had to work very very hard to get where they are now, social media and the internet was a scary and fickle place. And Rowan well… Rowan was quite gifted in the mind, she had to admit, but that too had its shortcomings in the pressure that they place on themselves to always live up to that giftedness. They really took failure the hardest, since they shouldn't be failing. But Rowan, like everyone else, had learned this too. Failing is okay, as long as you learn from it and strive to get better from it.
Cedar was also sure to remind her that Magnolia wasn't even out of elementary school yet! She was, quite literally, a child! She still had so much time to figure out who she is, and who she wants to be, and what she wants to do. And her family, her parents, all of them would be there every step of the way. Besides, Cedar was sure that Magnolia was the best singer of the family, by far for sure. Perhaps she could work on that, if she wanted to. Magnolia smiled a little more and nodded, hugging her sister again.
Cedar stood and smiled, just nodding to her sister. Making sure to reassure her that there was plenty of time. Time to fail, time to succeed, and time for family to always be there for her. Blowing her sister a kiss, Cedar turned on her heels again, peaking over her shoulder and making sure to say that she also missed her a lot.
And soon she was at her own door once again.. She wasn't sure why this always made her nervous. It was just her room. But it was more than that, wasn't it? It was her home, her little bundle in the oh so large room. It was the room that she lived in, it was the room in which she cried, in where all her deep and personal thoughts had happened. But, now she was growing up, she was at college. And so much more happened beyond this room. What if her room swallowed her up, refusing to let her leave again… What a wicked though, making shivers go up her spine. She loved her room, her house, her hometown. The town that she came from. But she was so much more than it now, she was so much more than that small mouse strapping on her first pair of ice skates.The blueish gray wall of her room was calming. Her blue blanket looked all nice and fluffy, and must have been freshly washed for her arrival! And of course her curtains were still drawn. She would get those opened up, allowing light to flow into the room. Gently unpacking her simple laptop onto her desk. And she flopped into bed. Sighing out again as she just rested for a minute. Yeah… Things were always going to be somewhat scary. But this was her Journey. She is Cedar Calloway, and she was going to show the world who she is!
But it all still starts with family. This part made her even more nervous. The family sat around the table, eating, drinking, joking and talking. Everyone was surprised Cedar had convinced the twins, prying them from their project. Cedar smiled and continued on with the eating and joking as well. Telling more and more stories of her college days that she has had. From the strange professor that taught her business management class, to the different friends she was making. An interesting red panda from the UK who was a photographer. She even mentioned that Jasper, of course, had somehow wound up at the same college as her. Jasper was her long time childhood friend that had, initially, introduced her to the world of ice skating in fact. But he was, surprisingly as well, doing his own thing. Having gotten into fashion as well, mentioning she would have to send his info along to the twins, perhaps they might be able to do some work together.
As the dining conversations slowly started to dwindle down as bellies got more and more filled, there would be some dessert brought out. Her mother had, of course, gone all out for this as well. Apple pie and Vanilla ice cream. And once again the eating had resumed. But the family would take note of Cedar's more quiet nature throughout this portion of the meal. She had something on her mind, she wanted to tell them. She had to tell them. It wasn't a big deal, right? It's not like it was some secret that she had an interest in boys and girls, right? She had dated as such before, and the ones she brought home were always warmly received. But this was somewhat new ground. Not only was it a long distance relationship but… It was also the strongest one Cedar had ever felt for. Sure, she had some nice flings, but this was… This was something else entirely.
And so she spoke. Telling them of the trip, telling them of the skating trip she had gone on. Now, they all knew some of these details, as of course she missed out on the last family meetup because of it. And so she continued on, telling them of the nice hotel that she stayed at… And of the even nicer worker that she met there. Of the tour they had together, of slowly but surely growing more and more close to one another. That, before either of them knew it, they had shared their first kiss together. She told them of Valery Crescent. A lovely tall bunny that she had met, and was now properly dating. Well, long distance, that is for now. And, well strangely enough as if on cue, her phone started to buzz. Cedar grinned a bit and brought it up, telling her family to get ready to meet her partner.
And for anyone who made it down here! Squeak!! Thank you so much!!!
Parents
Mother: Willow: 45s
Father: Alder: 45s
Siblings
Twins: Linden: (son) 18 Tilia: (daughter) 18
Child: Rowan: 15
Daughter: Magnolia: 10
Other Family
Ancestor: Rosemary: Passed
So yeah! Sincerely thank you to anyone who gives this a read, I do hope you enjoy!
Cedar knew that it was never easy going back to town. First of all, the drive was long. Or, if she opted for a plane that would be too expensive. Now mind you, she wasn't your typical broke college student, but flying was expensive! Most of the money she made usually just went into savings whenever she didn't have to pay bills anyways, so she could handle the drive. Slamming an energy drink, which she typically hates, and then heading out at the ass crack of dawn. A full tank of gas, some side snacks for the trip, and she was off. It was always an interesting sight, one she didn't get to see too often funnily enough. After all, she didn't actually leave the city all too often. But this was a special occasion. Watching the large skyscrapers thin out and vanish. And once she left the outskirts nature would start to reclaim the sights. Large evergreen trees dot the mountains of the landscape. Being so early, the sun was barely just starting to cast its light upon this side of the earth, giving a view through the mist of the morning.
And then as she traveled more and more, even those mountains, like the skyscrapers before them, would start to thin out and vanish, giving ways to the large open prairies. This was the first sign that her hours-long journey was finally coming to an end, the sun higher up in the sky breaking away to a full cloudless, and hot, day. Dang, she wished she had fixed the air conditioner sooner, but that wasn't as much an issue in the city when she was only really in her car for a few minutes at a time. Plus with ample shade she didn't really worry all too much, the air conditioner was just an expense that could wait. Perhaps her dad would know how to fix it, he was way better with these kinda things than her, and this old truck used to be his after all. She might get a lecture on keeping up the proper care… Which would be fair, she really oughta be taking care of this thing, it's lasted her this long after all!
Soon she would look out her passenger side window, and yup there it was. She always thought the sign was too… Fancy for what her town really was, a sentiment shared by most to be fair! The sign was large, made out of some kind of marbled stone, and in delicate silver lettering on the blacker front surface was “Welcome to Rosemary” Above the lettering was a bundle of wheat, and below it was a selection of fruits that are commonly grown in the town. This was placed here when she was pretty young. But she remembered ALL the complaints about it. That the town would rather see the money going somewhere else, or something along those lines. Then again, these country folk could really find a way to complain about just anything, even the things they liked. Good ol southern charm
She sighed, shaking her head. She loved it all, though. And Rosemary had changed… Barely at all in the time she was gone. She would still see the large corner market where all the farmers came to peddle extra goods that didn't get shipped out. She would see the little strip mall which was perhaps the newest addition to the town, now being about eight years old. Its once shiny signs that dedicated which store was which had faded and dusted over, more of that southern charm. This mall was, surprisingly, well received by the town. After all being this far out from any major city, if people needed more than your general farm goods or medical supplies it was hours driving. But now they had a tech and repair store, so on and so forth. The young ones living in town sure loved it, as right at the side of the strip mall was the large food court that came along with it. Cedar just smiled, thinking of all the different shakes or smoothies she used to waste her money on, chatting with her siblings or friends.
And then finally she would turn down her street, Main Street. It was kind of funny, Main Street ran through the entire town, you could reach just about anywhere from it. The schools, the shops, the farms. And she was lucky enough to live right on the very end of main street, at a little homestead labeled ‘1313’. One might see that as unlucky, but this house was built with the town, by her distant grandparents, she couldn't recall how many greats there were. In fact, it was her ancestor Rosemary Calloway that had set up this homestead. The family legend was that she got sick and tired of all the men in her life and moved all the way out here to be on her own, with her daughter. She made her house, labeled it 1313 in hopes that others would see her as some kinda spooky witch lady and not live anywhere near her. To the lady's dismay, she happened to find the prime spot for farming, so when word got out that there were some “Blessed lands” out here, the town just kind of formed around her slowly. She begrudgingly accepted it, as it was a lot of land, too much for her to take advantage of all on her own.
She was the de facto leader for some time till her passing, and once she did depart from the world, they had held their first mayoral election. No one wanted, or could even imagine, to replace her though, so they built a separate town hall on the other very far end of main street. Cedar wasn't sure how much of those stories held weight, but she did know the town was at least named after her ancestor, so that was pretty nice. The drive down Main Street was a long one to get to the homestead, so she had plenty more time to think about things as she would glance out her windows. It was so strange to see everything looking so… The same. The city felt like things changed everyday, buildings constantly changing from one store to another or the constant road works. But nope, as she glanced out the left window once again she could see her High School, Middle School, and Elementary school all down side by side. It was essentially one big schooling complex actually, but sectioned to separate the three levels. She could see kids all walking around. Actually, she grinned a little and would pull over into the parking lot.
It was very much not too often that she got to see her youngest sibling, little Magnolia! She was really starting to grow… Well, grow for a mouse that is. They were never a big species, but she had at least a couple inches, if not more, in height since the last time Cedar saw her. They would chat, catching up as Cedar drove her back home now. The youngest of the mouse siblings, Magnolia was a bit of a troubled baby when she was born. Having caused the entire family some scare! But she pulled through and now the white freckled mouse was enjoying every day of life to its fullest. And not only Magnolia but she was excited to see the twins Linden and Rilia. And of course young Rowan. Gosh how long has it been since she last saw them all together? Probably a good year and a half now! She didn't visit home last break due to… Well the reason she was gone!
She got a little giddy already, Magnolia was curious, but of course her curiosity would have to wait, as Cedar would tell her with the rest of the family! She would pull up to the usual parking spot reserved for the truck, grinning as she would hop out. Glancing out towards the back of the homestead she would see the light in the barn on. She gave Magnolia a wave, wanting to head back there first to spy who was there. She would hum and would soon peer through the wide open doors of the barn. Grinning, she would see her father there. They didn't have much in terms of livestock anymore, like they did when she was younger. Mostly focusing on chickens and food stuff. The barn held so many memories, and she was sure so many more to be made. She would sneak up on her father. The once young and chestnut brown mouse had slowly started to gray in his older age, mainly due to the hard work and stress. He was still relatively young, after all. And, as some other ladies would say, quite handsome still. But to Cedar he was just dad. It was funny, though. Given her family traditions, he wasn't the actual Calloway of the family. Traditionally they carried that name through the female line, so he was the one to marry into the name. But he worked as hard as any other Calloway, and he was as proud as any other as well. If one didn't know better, they would say he was a natural born one!... Which is a little creepy too but Cedar never thought about it that much. She would surprise him by speaking up, asking what he is working on. He would drop whatever tool was in his hand, looking like a little wrench.
Soon though the two would hug, after he had cleaned off his hands and arms hastily. But she would quip that she was still that farm girl he raised, not minding any kind of dirt that he could get on her. She would soon also mention needing the truck to be looked at, earning her a suspicious glare from her father. She would soon rush off though, flicking her tail playfully saying they would talk more at dinner! He would grab her tail before she could get too far, making her squeak. He gave her a light scolding, wanting more time with his precious daughter before she rushed off to see the rest! So she stuck around the barn, chatting about her studies at school and the dance lessons she was giving.
It was nice, but she did want to see the rest of her family! He would soon groan but relented, giving her a kiss on the cheek, turning back to his work and allowing her to leave. She walked in through the back door that leads into the kitchen. And there stood her mother. She wore that usual cooking outfit of hers. An outfit that makes it look more like she stepped out of a diner job and didn't change when she got home. But it was what made her comfy, so no one questioned it! Of course Cedar could smell the food and her ears twitched with excitement. It was her favorite. It was a very classic meal but one she enjoyed so much. Grilled cheese, most of which was homemade ingredients. And tomato soup, also all home made. It wasn't long before her mother noticed her, though. And she would squeak with excitement! Both did, in fact.
And of course Cedar would brace for the rush of hugs and kisses her mother would so lovingly assault her with hugs and kisses. Cedar would playfully whine but relented to the assault for a moment before she could finally pry herself from her mother. They would spend a minute catching up as well, Cedar repeating some of the information that she had told her father. But of course she didn't mind that at all. It was so nice, though. Seeing her family again. And here was her mother, the matriarch of the Calloway family. She would let out a happy sigh as they talked. Her mother always loved the family traditions, but one of said family traditions was being able to break them! She was eager to jump on the chance to be able to fund her daughter's college expenses and send her to the city. She was the one so supportive of her ice skating and dancing. She couldn't ask for a better mother. Her mother retained much of her natural youthful looks as well, something Cedar was thankful for. She still got mistaken easily for being a good ten, sometimes twenty, years younger than she actually was! Her eyes shimmered in the same blue as Cedar, dark on top, lighter on the bottom.
Still though, as much as she wanted to stay and chat, she wanted to go see the others. Her mother, just like her father, would begrudgingly relent, mentioning dinner would be ready in about half an hour! Cedar nodded and traced the usual steps, making sure to not fall over the little dip that separates the kitchen from the living room. And there sat on the long lounge couch working on some sheets was young Rowan. It wasn't easy being the youngest middle child of the family. Older than Magnolia, but younger than the twins. Still, though. Cedar knew they were going to be wonderful, they were already so bright. They had such a shine about them too whenever they would get on a topic they enjoyed and would go on and on about it. Cedar would of course listen intently to anything they would have to say.
It looked like they were working on some math sheets, one of their more interesting topics as of late. All kinds of math, that is. Number theory, geometry algebra, she was sure they were getting into trigonometry. Math was… Not something Cedar enjoyed, to be honest. But if it was her siblings interest she would listen. After a few minutes of them going on and on about the work they were doing, not even school work, just practice sheets they had printed out themselves, they would finally take note of who they were talking to! Happy hugs given once again, the young more white colored mouse finally acknowledging it was Cedar, and they would catch up in a more normal manner. Chatting about the work they were doing was nice and all, but learning about what their college bound sister was doing was of interest as well!
Still, though she still had two more siblings to meet before dinner time, she gave young Rowan a kiss on their cheek and would soon move off. The twins were likely in their studio in the basement, the place those two normally were at. The twins had their own special interest, that of course the parents supported. They were bloggers/vloggers, and made a lot of videos. But among that, Linden was a tailor, aspiring at least. While Tilia was about the smartest social media expert Cedar knew of. Cedar herself was a touch hopeless on that, but she didnt mind. She made sure the red light was off, meaning she could walk into the studio, and would smile as she saw the twins both stretched out across the floor. Linden was measuring out some fabric, and Tilia was running the camera. She peaked back over her shoulder to make sure the light was off, before moving in a bit more and coughing to announce her presence. A shout of ‘pause’ rang out from Tilia, and Linden near instantly froze in place. There was a few seconds of silence before Tilia would finally carefully place her camera down on the tripod, and she glanced over.
Squeaks of surprise and happiness at the arrival of their eldest sister, of course. Linden stayed in his spot on the floor though, not moving even an inch, but he did shift slightly in his place. They explained that, simply, they were trying a new experiment for one of their videos, a “stop motion” made outfit. But it meant Linden himself, and all the things around him really could not be disturbed. They have had their meals delivered at the door for two nights now. Cedar would pout just a bit, pleading with her twin siblings to join the family at the table tonight. It didn't take much convincing though, thankfully. The twins had set up measurements in case they had to move from their spots for some reason or another. And then of course there was catching up to be done, Cedar followed the two on their social medias though, so she knew the most about them and what they have been up to! It was quite a fun time watching them pursue their interest in this manner, and it was working well for them. Cedar remembered when the basement area used to just be a simple area for storing unused decorations for christmas or halloween, as well as for some of dads tools. But now the area was fully opened up, well mostly. There was two corners at the back end. One was set up for an… Editing suite? Is that what its called? Cedar was not too sure herself.
And the other corner was just set up for recording themselves with a green screen and such. It was all pretty wild to Cedar, she had seen when they first were getting this set up and they really just slowly took over the area fully and now the basement was just their studio. She giggled a bit and made sure to give the twins a hug before heading off. Passing back up through the living room, passing a still deep in study Rowan. And then she trekked up the stairs further to head up to the bedroom hallway of the homestead. The house was carefully planned to be able to fit much more than just the main family, the rooms on the left side of the hallway were typically the guest rooms and the smaller bathroom. The rooms on the right were for the main family, and of course at the very end of the hall was the room to the master bedroom for the heads of the household. Cedar, being the eldest of the main family, had worked her way down the hall. She used to have the room closest to her parents, but now her room was at the end of the hall just right next to the stairs. The door was nice and sturdy, as most things were in this traditional homestead.
The outside of the door was not much to be spoken of. Just the simple brown wood and a little name plate that had her name written on it, in her own faded blue chalky handwriting. Around her name though there were several little additions from the rest of the family. Linden and Tilia were likely responsible for the editions of yellow and green chalk that designed out what looked like an idea for a skating outfit. They were the ones who made her outfits that she uses now after all! She took out her phone to snap a full picture of it. Giggling as she would send that text over to Val. What time would it be there now? It was getting late here, which likely meant it was early there. The orange edition of some math equation was, most obviously, from Rowan. She would huff and snagged up the blue chalk that hung from the side of the board and… Just wrote down fourteen as she had no clue. And lastly, written in simple white chalk from Magnolia, looking like she had to step on her tippy toes to write it was a simple addition. Two words. ‘Miss you’. That just made Cedar melt.
Her room could wait, she walked down the hall and knocked on little Magnolia's door. She didn't get to talk too much on the ride home, mainly having been lost in some thought of her town. Mags opened the door and would smile a bit and Cedar was fast to lift her up into a nice big hug and a little twirl. The two had a bit more of a time together now, just talking more in detail and catching up properly. Magnolia would admit that she was still a bit at a loss. The young girl was precocious, perhaps too much for her own good. She would see the ‘legacy’ of the family that came before her. Each Calloway had, in one way or another, made some sort of achievement that the youngest now had to look at and think of ‘well what now?’ Does she try and do what they do, and risk the fear of not being as good. Or does she try her own things, and risk failing over and over. Cedar would giggle at that, shaking her head a bit.
This wasn't a lecture, no. She wanted to comfort her sister. And so she listed every single time she had failed. The amount of tournaments she had lost couldn't even fit on two hands and her feet combined. But, she never gave up. Every fall, every scuff, she would get back up. Linden and Tilia had to work very very hard to get where they are now, social media and the internet was a scary and fickle place. And Rowan well… Rowan was quite gifted in the mind, she had to admit, but that too had its shortcomings in the pressure that they place on themselves to always live up to that giftedness. They really took failure the hardest, since they shouldn't be failing. But Rowan, like everyone else, had learned this too. Failing is okay, as long as you learn from it and strive to get better from it.
Cedar was also sure to remind her that Magnolia wasn't even out of elementary school yet! She was, quite literally, a child! She still had so much time to figure out who she is, and who she wants to be, and what she wants to do. And her family, her parents, all of them would be there every step of the way. Besides, Cedar was sure that Magnolia was the best singer of the family, by far for sure. Perhaps she could work on that, if she wanted to. Magnolia smiled a little more and nodded, hugging her sister again.
Cedar stood and smiled, just nodding to her sister. Making sure to reassure her that there was plenty of time. Time to fail, time to succeed, and time for family to always be there for her. Blowing her sister a kiss, Cedar turned on her heels again, peaking over her shoulder and making sure to say that she also missed her a lot.
And soon she was at her own door once again.. She wasn't sure why this always made her nervous. It was just her room. But it was more than that, wasn't it? It was her home, her little bundle in the oh so large room. It was the room that she lived in, it was the room in which she cried, in where all her deep and personal thoughts had happened. But, now she was growing up, she was at college. And so much more happened beyond this room. What if her room swallowed her up, refusing to let her leave again… What a wicked though, making shivers go up her spine. She loved her room, her house, her hometown. The town that she came from. But she was so much more than it now, she was so much more than that small mouse strapping on her first pair of ice skates.The blueish gray wall of her room was calming. Her blue blanket looked all nice and fluffy, and must have been freshly washed for her arrival! And of course her curtains were still drawn. She would get those opened up, allowing light to flow into the room. Gently unpacking her simple laptop onto her desk. And she flopped into bed. Sighing out again as she just rested for a minute. Yeah… Things were always going to be somewhat scary. But this was her Journey. She is Cedar Calloway, and she was going to show the world who she is!
But it all still starts with family. This part made her even more nervous. The family sat around the table, eating, drinking, joking and talking. Everyone was surprised Cedar had convinced the twins, prying them from their project. Cedar smiled and continued on with the eating and joking as well. Telling more and more stories of her college days that she has had. From the strange professor that taught her business management class, to the different friends she was making. An interesting red panda from the UK who was a photographer. She even mentioned that Jasper, of course, had somehow wound up at the same college as her. Jasper was her long time childhood friend that had, initially, introduced her to the world of ice skating in fact. But he was, surprisingly as well, doing his own thing. Having gotten into fashion as well, mentioning she would have to send his info along to the twins, perhaps they might be able to do some work together.
As the dining conversations slowly started to dwindle down as bellies got more and more filled, there would be some dessert brought out. Her mother had, of course, gone all out for this as well. Apple pie and Vanilla ice cream. And once again the eating had resumed. But the family would take note of Cedar's more quiet nature throughout this portion of the meal. She had something on her mind, she wanted to tell them. She had to tell them. It wasn't a big deal, right? It's not like it was some secret that she had an interest in boys and girls, right? She had dated as such before, and the ones she brought home were always warmly received. But this was somewhat new ground. Not only was it a long distance relationship but… It was also the strongest one Cedar had ever felt for. Sure, she had some nice flings, but this was… This was something else entirely.
And so she spoke. Telling them of the trip, telling them of the skating trip she had gone on. Now, they all knew some of these details, as of course she missed out on the last family meetup because of it. And so she continued on, telling them of the nice hotel that she stayed at… And of the even nicer worker that she met there. Of the tour they had together, of slowly but surely growing more and more close to one another. That, before either of them knew it, they had shared their first kiss together. She told them of Valery Crescent. A lovely tall bunny that she had met, and was now properly dating. Well, long distance, that is for now. And, well strangely enough as if on cue, her phone started to buzz. Cedar grinned a bit and brought it up, telling her family to get ready to meet her partner.
And for anyone who made it down here! Squeak!! Thank you so much!!!
Category Artwork (Digital) / All
Species Mouse
Gender Female
Size 1280 x 1775px
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