Didn't make posts for the last two chapters, it seems - whoops! I suppose I didn't have much to say (or...forgot.....). But here we are!
@Adaon ril'Morgerard: Not sure if you'll see this, but thank you! The Warriors similarities are because I used to write a ton of Warriors fics. When I moved over to original fiction, Vulpine was supposed to be kinda a training exercise to ease the transition - like training wheels, I guess. Of course, then it had to blow up into a 200k+ story.....But I'm glad you're enjoying it!
@Dovefeather5: Thank you! I'm glad you're enjoying the story. Personally, creating stories isn't something I struggle with - they just kind happen, and then completely dominate my life - but they can be difficult to stick with! You kinda just have to grit your teeth and plow through. For a time, I was attempting to write multiple stories at once, and it just became a mess - whenever I was working on one, I wanted to be writing the other. Narrowing your focus can be difficult, but it'll make you much more productive, in my experience. Hope that helps!
@Cinderpaw11 (Guess I'll do a few reviews at once here, wops): Yeah, Sage's whole life story is just one failure after another. He's never really found anything to stand for, though he has had his small rebellions - not telling about Nella's solitaire, running from the Skulk, etc. Sprite's the closest thing he ever had, but even his sunrise plan is, for lack of a better phrase, taking the path of least resistance. He would have died thinking he'd done the best he could for her, and that she has a better chance of making it out - but, as she points out, it was kinda a false choice, since they've managed to scrape by. It remains to be seen whether he'll ever be able to confront any of his demons, esp. considering how weak he's become. Poor guy.
Yeah, Toma's a bro. :) It's been nice having a younger mentor character - one who finds relating to his wards much easier, but still has good advice to offer. His parallels with Faun have been really fun as well. I think his presence is just pretty good at adding light to the story, which is something it needs.
(We'll never see proper proof in the story proper [though for a time I considered an extra one-shot thing] but Toma is right about the hunting trial being an attempt to shift blame away from Musk for Faun's demise. Therefore, we might assume his father has some affection for him, though the degree to which he feels it is unclear.)
And I'm stoked about your feelings regarding Koulder (and that quote is awesome)! Koulder's whole dealio is being an outsider, even where morality/feelings are considered. He's not fully on anyone's side but his own, but even what he wants is unclear.
There's one big thing that might help you understand his character, though - Koulder does not mince words. When he spoke to Sprite, he kinda stumbled over himself, repeated things, etc. etc., but that part of him is gone. Koulder says exactly what he means, even if it isn't always obvious (like "do you miss her" instead of "do you miss Iole" or always referring to Riven as "him" in his convo w/ Trick). Which means that whenever he speaks, it's important to pay attention to everything that pops out of his mouth, and consider all the possible implications.
For example - when he asks Faun about whether 'Please' ever stopped Riven & company from hunting/tormenting him. Remember, Koulder was once just like Faun - someone small and powerless that Riven despised. But Koulder never spoke up, never fought back, until Sprite intervened in his life and shook him up. She encouraged him to speak up, to find his voice - but ultimately it was violence, not his voice, that saved his life. In this one lil bit, Koulder's reflecting on his own past, Sprite, empathizing with Faun's suffering, and setting himself apart from Riven & co. They wouldn't have stopped because of a simple, desperate "Please." But he did, and to him, that makes all the difference.
(Even if it was partially because he'd break his neck if he went any further.)
That line's also key in understanding what he's doing to Faun, as is something in his next paragraph, where he says that he'll kill Faun, but it'll be swift. With this, he's attempting to get across that his quarrel with Faun is not personal. He has nothing against Faun. Rather, he understands the position he's in, the potential for suffering he's been presented with, and empathizes, however faintly, with his situation. More than that, he's not like Riven/Reyes/Waire. He's not hunting Faun for fun. He's not hunting him to make him hurt. He's just doing a job to get something he wants - and, perhaps Faun's end will be kinder with him than it would be with one of the others, if only because Faun's death, not his pain, is Koulder's goal. (Of course, Koulder neglects the fact that he does intend to torture Riven, as he mentions in this most recent chapter. Tsk tsk.)
Then, Koulder goes through the rest - showing Riven the body, killing him, and going home. And that's it. Conversation over. Because that's all that really matters to him. Catch Faun, take revenge on Riven, go home. Then it's all over. There's no reason for him to spit out one last jeer or jab when he leaves, as Riven might once have done - he's just doing a job, sticking to a plan. Nothing more.
That was, uh, a bit longer than I'd intended, but yeah. I could ramble on about junk like that all day. Koulder's been a really fun character to work with, and I've become pretty fond of him. But! Hope that puts some of his actions into clearer perspective for you. We'll get a lot more out of him in the next chapter, for sure.
(And I'd say Koulder almost certainly noticed Faun and Athor cuddlin' it up. He may be a little annoyed with himself for letting Faun get his goat, and possibly might be drawing some...other conclusions, but otherwise, he doesn't much care. Faun being a nice guy doesn't mean Koulder won't kill him. If Koulder doesn't do it, someone else certainly will, and they'll probably make a spectacle of it.)
And thank you for catching those mistakes! For whatever reason, FP sometimes doesn't like it when I offset just one word in italics. Should be fixed now. :)
@Nico: Thank you for your interest in the story! Hope the length hasn't frightened you off yet. :)
Well, I think that's it. See you guys next week, hopefully. :)
