# Faux Fossil

Author: Doc Hauke
Tags: Badger, Family, Petrification, basilisk

Daydreams of the far-flung future when we've settled down and had extended family over to visit; done as a writing exercise for a weekly prompt at FurAffinity. It turned out cute so I thought I'd share it elsewhere.

There were nice things about having extended family visit:&nbsp; Hauke hadn't heard the sounds of little paws scampering around the badger sett tunnels for quite some time.&nbsp; It warmed his heart, just a little bit.&nbsp;&nbsp;

  

There were some nerve-wracking things about having extended family visit:&nbsp; the sounds of curious badgers making their own tunnels or discovering they'd gone deeper than intended was making him grind his beak.

  

"I think they've found a bunch of Uncle Bruce's books," said their mother.&nbsp; Hauke couldn't keep himself from thinking of her as "that youngster Katie".&nbsp; Thinking too much about her actual age would be depressing.

  

He sipped some coffee.&nbsp; "Good, maybe they'll rip some of them up.&nbsp; He's collected way too many of those over the years.&nbsp; Or maybe take some with you when you go, I'm sure he won't miss them."

  

Bruce would be asleep for quite a while longer; my badger had always liked sleeping in, but most of the rest of his family did not.&nbsp; Having folks to talk to in the morning was another of those things that simultaneously did things to his heart and his beak, depending.

  

"Mom!&nbsp; MOM!"&nbsp; Three little badgers tumbled into the kitchen carrying some dusty prize, recovered from the ground.&nbsp; "Let ME show her," said the smallest, who socked his older sister in the stomach.&nbsp; Ah, siblings...

  

"It's a fossil," said the tallest.&nbsp; His name escaped the basilisk at the moment.&nbsp; "A fossilized shark tooth.&nbsp; I almost stepped on it, and we dug it out."

  

"Is that so," asked Hauke.&nbsp; He leaned forward to peer at the pointy triangular rock.&nbsp; "A petrified tooth...it very well may be."

  

"Wouldn't that mean that there used to be an ocean here?&nbsp; That's what I learned in school," the tallest one continued while the two other youngsters traded more blows to even the score between them.&nbsp;&nbsp;

  

"There was never an ocean here," yawned Bruce as he arrived in the kitchen.&nbsp; "Not even in prehistoric times."

  

"Then how did it get here?"&nbsp; The young badger shook his head and scowled.&nbsp; "It just doesn't make sense."

  

"Tell you what," said Bruce.&nbsp; "Let me hang onto that one and I'll try looking it up in an almanac I know about; you go look for more!&nbsp; One might just be a coincidence.&nbsp; I'd suggest looking off to the west tunnels, since they're the least disturbed."

  

The small band of young badgers rushed off.&nbsp; "They came from the other way," said Katie.

  

"Yup," said Bruce.&nbsp; He held up the tooth to Hauke.&nbsp; "Is this your handiwork?&nbsp; I caught you saying 'petrified' instead of 'fossilized'."

  

Katie was taken aback.&nbsp; "You keep them in....my kids stumbled across...."&nbsp; She avoided looking at the basilisk.&nbsp; "Uncle Bruce, does he really still...."

  

"No, not in years," Hauke cut in.&nbsp; "And if I had, so what?&nbsp; A fine thing...whatever happened to that indomitable badger attitude?&nbsp; Don't tell me it dilutes itself generation after generation, my dear Katie."

  

She smiled and edged a groove in the tabletop with a long claw.&nbsp; "It doesn't.&nbsp; No, it absolutely doesn't.&nbsp; I was just thinking, I didn't want to explain...certain realities to the kids, just yet.&nbsp; Their father has no idea about you, that's a conversation I'd like to save for a future date."&nbsp; She gazed at the stone tooth in Bruce's hands.&nbsp; "So, you got a shark?&nbsp; I don't imagine that's something you'd stare at every day."

  

"No, it was something called a Sergal.&nbsp; Darn thing popped up one day when one of those interplanetary conventions was going on."&nbsp; The basilisk shook his head.&nbsp; "It's a shame he was always top-heavy, he fell down a couple weeks ago.&nbsp; Broke apart; bottom jaw cracked off and went into pieces.&nbsp; That must have come off when we were taking the remains outside."

  

"They talk to him," Bruce told his niece.&nbsp; "The statues.&nbsp;&nbsp;Even the pieces.&nbsp; He couldn't stand having the guy around after he'd fractured."&nbsp; He held up the tooth and pointed it at his mate.&nbsp; "Is it still talking?"

  

"Yes, it's providing quite biting commentary on our conversation."&nbsp; He looked back and forth between the two badgers.&nbsp; "No?&nbsp; Nothing?&nbsp; Well, I thought it was funny...."

Source: https://sofurry.com/s/dePV593n