"The mark of a good hunter is worn on their flesh. I strive to live up to my scars' reputation by protecting the innocent from what lies beyond."— Bastian, fall of 1184.[1]
Bastian, also known as The Wild Wolf, was a male mouse, a member of the Mouse Guard and a hunter. He had a talent for communicating with minibeasts.
Biography[]
Early life[]
Bastian claimed that as a young mouse, he and his friends — a Beetle, a Grasshopper and a Moth — ventured beyond the Scent Border in search of adventure, armed only with a pine bow and a quiver of thorn arrows.[1]
Bastian revelled in the new sights and smells.[1]
But a lone wolf ambushed the unlikely quartet. Bastian peppered the wolf's nose with his thorn arrows but this had no effect other than to enrage the canine.[1]
Bastian asserted that a spectral apparition of Ragnier the Hunter appeared and battled with the wolf. While Ragnier killed the wolf and saved Bastian, this victory came at heavy cost: the beetle, grasshopper and moth were all killed in the struggle.[1]
Life as a Guardmouse[]
Bastian joined the Mouse Guard in 1138, and from that date specialised as a hunter of predators.[2]
The winter of 1152 saw shortages of food and medicine at Lockhaven. Gwendolyn sent patrols of Guardmice to various settlements to secure the necessary supplies. Bastian, Aubrey and Delvin joined a patrol led by Sienna which journeyed to the settlements of Elmwood, Whitepine, Dawnrock, Thistledown and Wildseed.[3]
Later that season, Bastian attended Celanawe's funeral ceremony.[4]
During the spring of 1153, Gwendolyn sent Bastian and Delvin to hunt down a snapping turtle near the settlement of Grasslake. Bastian peppered the reptile with arrows while Delvin slashed the turtle with his sword.[5]
Later life[]
At some point prior to the fall of 1184, Bastian relocated to an outpost at the Scent Border between Grasslake and Wolfpointe. The outpost was fashioned from a wolf skull among other predator remains. There, he prevented entry of predators into the Mouse Territories.
During the fall of 1184, Bastian stopped two young mice from crossing the Scent Border by telling them the cautionary Tale of the Wild Wolf. Bastian concluded the story by telling the youngsters a true hunter hunted only creatures which threatened mice: to create a fight where none need exist was the action of a monster, not a hunter.[1]
Characteristics and personality[]
Bastian was recognisable by his large assortment of scars, which he earned from a lifetime of hunting beasts. During his years as a Patrol Guard he wore an orange cloak, but by 1184 he had taken to wearing a cloak of fur.[1]
In his early years with the Guard, Bastian craved culling predators in order to prevent their settling in the Mouse Territories. He believed that doing so made life better for all mice. Bastian gained a reputation for creating conflicts which other Guardmice would have avoided.[2]
In his old age, Bastian seemed to have resiled from that outlook. He advocated that other species need only be hunted when they threatened mice or trespassed into the Territories.[1]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 FCBD 2017: The Tale of the Wild Wolf
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Mouse Guard Official Website, as at 15 April 2020
- ↑ Winter 1152, Issue 1
- ↑ Winter 1152, Issue 6
- ↑ The Black Axe, Prologue