Move On, and On, and On...

"Move On, and On, and On..." is a [SEASON NUMBER] thread started on [IRL DATE] and finished on [IRL DATE].
==Summary==
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==Full Text==
=== Part One ===
The storm, though only lasting for a few short hours, weighed heavy on the young deer’s mind as he sat next to a paltry fire, kept in the safe company of the doe slowly rubbing his back. The thought of his father being caught up in this tied his stomach into knots; Dario couldn’t remember the last one this bad.
“Want to try and eat something, sweetheart?”
Her level tone and steady cadence was enough to pull him out of his own head for a moment. He turned to her with tired eyes, offering a forced grin as best he could. The idea that there was food to spare was foreign even to the child.
“No, mom. I’m okay… thank you, though.”
He returned his gaze to the flames. The crackling of thunder seemed to become more distant with time, but still no sign of life outside the single door to their home. The darkness out of their windows made the house feel somehow smaller than usual.
I can’t wait to be ten. I’m gonna move out.
The familiar footsteps that followed his thought were unmistakable – Dario took to his feet and rushed to the door, throwing it open with an energy that had been dormant for some time. He could see the faint outline of a stocky elk progressing on their dwelling, and rushed into the now-softened rain to meet him.
“Daddy, where have you been?”
The boy threw himself around his father’s leg, sliding around it while his legs trailed deeper into the mud around them. Two hands reached around his midriff to pull him to his feet.
“Don’t be gettin’ yerself all filthy now, kiddo. Where’s your mum?” He ruffled his son’s hair, both as a gesture of love, and to remove the excess dirt clumps embedded in it. “Got some fun news for ye’ two.”
Dario grabbed his father’s hand, tugging with what youthful strength he could muster to pull him towards the door. He could see his mother, in all of her poise, waiting for the pair to enter. As they crossed the threshold, the sound of muddied hooves trampled the wood panels below. The fire was being gently stoked by the wind passing through the door frame, with the family settling in for what would be a longer night than usual.
“Anita, my glass- thank you, dear.”
“Always ready to have you back, Luca.”
The doe had procured his spectacles before he could finish his request for them, and as the three sat near the fire, the elk took a breath and exhaled deeply.
“I know I just got back, but I think ye’ both are gonna like this.” He held Anita’s hands in his own, taking note of her anticipating glance. “I heard back from the fella’s who went out to Central a few fortnights back, and they’re lookin’ for a couple good masons. The pay ain’t the best, but at this point, I have te’ look out for what’s going to keep us afloat.”
Dario didn’t fully understand what his father meant. The young deer tapped his fingers against one another in a swift, repetitive motion.
“Do we have to go away, daddy?”
Luca placed his hand on the back of Dario’s neck, rubbing his thumb against the base of the deer’s head. Knowing the weight of this information, the elk pulled his son into his lap and embraced him fully.
“Yeah, buddy. I think ye’ will enjoy things a lot more there. Things will be… eh, different, but yer a smart kid. You’ll be fine.”
The elk leaned over to Anita, giving her a brief kiss on her cheek. She leaned into Luca, placing a hand over the still fidgeting fingers of Dario’s.
“So long as you have your father and I, things will be alright, Dario. This is going to be so good for us.” She closed her eyes for a moment, allowing the warmth of the fire and the company of her family engulf her in a sense of serenity.
“It’s getting late, boys. Sounds like we’ve got a lot of work ahead of us tomorrow.”
=== Part Two ===
The elk pulled his thumb across his index finger in a repeated motion, allowing the sparks to bounce from his hand with no regard to the freshly cleaned clothes in direct proximity to him. He’d been heavily fixated on staring at the lights flashing until a hand covered his fingers. The sudden obstruction shocked him back to reality.
“You know better. If Dario were home, he’d be trying this next. Stop it.” Anita squeezed Luca’s hand before walking over to the window. “Speaking of that kid, the sun is starting to set. He’s usually home by now.”
“Probably out lookin’ at bugs again. Not a whole lot more for ‘im to be doing around ‘ere.”
“It’s been two years, Luca. You would think he would have at least one friend by now, at least one that we’ve met.”
“He’s a good kid. He’ll figure it out in time.”
The doe sighed in frustration; she knew her husband meant well with his words, but he didn’t see what she saw in Dario’s eyes when he was home. Something about this place had broken the boy, and it took everything in her not to want to pull him out of it.
“Oh, he’s coming.” She watched the silhouette along the amber backdrop struggle along, moving ever closer to their home at his own pace. The slumping and staggering was a heavy implication of discontent, and it was anything if but a familiar sight to Anita. “Can you go start a bath?”
“Of course.”
As Luca wandered away, Dario was met at the door by his mother, who was now presenting a worried look to her boy. She immediately noticed the laceration across the side of his head; it was easily visible, as they were forced to shave the sides of his head after an incident involving some human children around his age. She knew this could not have been anything different.
“Dario, sweetheart, come inside. We’re drawing you a ba-”
Anita was swiftly cut off by the weight thrown at her. Within seconds, the deer had wrapped his arms firmly around her, with his face buried into her arm. She could feel him trembling, although no sounds were audible. It was moments like these that she could truly grasp how tall he’d gotten. He’s nearly at my shoulders now, the poor boy.
“Dario, let’s sit down, please. Tell me what happened.”
She took his hand and guided him to the nearest chair, motioning for him to take a seat. He plopped down onto it, with his face falling instantly into his hands. Dario was visibly ashamed, and it tore Anita’s heart to shreds.
“I- mom, I don’t…” Dario’s breathing became rapid and labored. She could feel the tangible panic in his words. “I was just walking, mom. I promise. I swear I didn’t- I didn’t-”
“Dario, Dario, breathe…” The doe reached for her son’s fingers and began tapping them against one another. “I want you- Dario, you need to breathe, son. I want you to focus on what I’m doing right now.” She repeated the tapping of his forefinger and thumb against one another, and once she was certain his attention was held, she proceeded to alternate the other fingers into the motion. “When you feel that overwhelming sensation… when it feels like you can’t focus and everything is too much… I want you to focus on your fingers. You’ll get really good at this, and you won’t even know you’re doing it.” She lifted her own hand, speeding through a repetition that seemed perfectly rehearsed. “Try it with me, we can go slow.”
The two continued to work on the coping mechanism, as she used her free hand to wipe the tears from Dario’s face. Anita would move his face back to meet hers when he would try and look away, ensuring their hands were perfectly in their line of sight. “You’re getting faster, see? You’re a natural, Dario.”
Luca turned the corner and noticed the two hands raised in front of one another, realizing very quickly what was transpiring. He backed away quietly, not wanting to interrupt. He stood far enough away to not be seen, but close enough to watch the faintest smile grow on Dario’s face.
“Alright, you’ve calmed quite a bit. I’m proud of you, son.” Anita ran her fingers through his hair, ruffling it a bit as she did so. “Do you want to talk about what happened?”
The young deer wiped his nose with his sleeve, performing a small shake of his head. “No, mom… not yet. I want to try this a little longer… if that’s okay…”
She chuckled a bit, leaning in to give him a kiss on his forehead. “That’s absolutely okay, kiddo. Let’s get you cleaned up first though, huh? Then we can spend all the time you want on this.” She glanced over to Luca, who understood the signal that it was alright to intrude now.
“Not gonna lie, bud, I’m a bit jealous. Yer mum never shows me these sorts a things.” He gave Dario a pat on his back, helping the boy to his feet. “I’ve got a bath going fer ya. Go get washed up and I’ll start some supper.”
The two watched their son move with less weight on his shoulders, and though they knew it wouldn’t last forever, it was enough… for one night, at least.
=== Part Three ===
“Again. You’ve almost got it. Stop hesitating.”
The stag knelt in front of his son, mimicking the same position the young deer had his hands in. The sun was rising through the window of their den, which meant everyone would be waking and starting their days soon. They had to be quick – the inquisition into magick use, and notably by half-breeds, was ramping up faster than anyone had anticipated. Each day was pushing his family further into danger.
“Ye’ got this right – keep that up. When you speak, you have to speak from the back of yer mouth, almost in the throat. Yer speaking with your tongue near the roof, which is making the sound resonate in the same space.” Luca shifted his weight a bit before closing his eyes and speaking.
“Léttu guðunum og endurheimtu þetta líf, því heimurinn getur ekki haldið áfram án þín.”
The glow from his hands was soft; Dario had seen it glow substantially brighter before, but he could feel in his father’s voice that he wasn’t placing too much effort into a demonstration. Hearing the incantation again helped.
“O-okay. I’ll try.” He glanced down to his hands quickly to verify the correct positioning before closing his own eyes. “ Léttu guðunum og endurheimtu þetta líf, því heimurinn getur ekki haldið áfram án þín.”
Luca had opened his eyes just in time to see the faintest glow. We’re making progress.
“That’s it, Dario – good job, my boy.”
The young stag opened his eyes, just missing the fruits of his labor. In his nineteen years, this was the incantation he struggled with the most. To finally have at least a semblance of aptitude with it was a wave of relief over the already anxious boy.
“How did it look? Do you think it could do anything? Do we need to try again?” Dario couldn’t break focus from his hands. His excitement of accomplishment and concern of continuity clashed violently in his head, but the calming, mixing accents of his father quelled even the deepest fears.
“Hush, Dario. Don’t dwell on it. Ye’ got that pretty well, and we just need ta’ practice. As with all we do.”
“Yeah. I really will, I promise.”
Luca chuckled at the earnest deer. Just like yer mother, bless her.
“We do have ta’ talk about the responsibilities that comes with this.” Luca would have hunched lower to imply the seriousness of his words in recent years, but his son’s height nearly rivaled his own at this point. He’d forgotten. “Just like the other incantations, ye’ got to know that we have these gifts for the benefit of others. Nothing should ever be done out a’ selfishness.”
“No, of course, dad. I would never.” Dario sounded nearly panicked at the implication, knowing the true intent of his father’s words in his heart. “You taught me that.”
“These sorts a’ gifts change people, Dario. Don’t let yerself become complacent, alright?” He placed a rough, heavy hand on his son’s shoulder, making it a point to direct his eye contact. “This incantation is powerful… and can be dangerous if the wrong person knows it. You could use it on yerself in theory, but there are consequences.”
The deadpan tone from his father had Dario even more in his own head. What was the young deer capable of? Was he strong enough to handle this?
“I… I understand, dad.”
Luca could feel the grave shift in conversation destroy the celebratory atmosphere. It was important to discuss, but not at the expense of his son’s self worth.
“Hey… you’ll remember that, son. I have no doubt. If we keep working at it, you’ll be able to do that with yer eyes open. Always a treat, that first time you get to see the glow in yer own hands.”
He took his son’s hands, giving them the gentlest of squeezes, before moving them back into the incantation position.
“Again.”