"Bastien, Bastien!"
He looked back at his father to see him shaking his head in disapproval and under his breath mumbled,
"Bloody idiot."
He continued to look at his father with glazed over eyes as thoughts as memories swirled together creating a beautiful harmony of pictures and sound. All his life he had been told that he was daft and the only reason that he was not dead yet was because he lived a sheltered life.
The day had progressed like any other by wandering the hallways each step echoing in the long corridors. Every crack and crevice had been memorized years ago in the old mansion, the only place in which to find solace was the gardens. The gardens had always been a free place for him to clear his mind and leave the over sight of his father who was an influential count from old Swiss money. In the sprawling gardens he felt he could connect to the life growing and changing it was a place to sit and day dream without anyone telling him what a failure he was. But of course this was never meant to last, it was his eighteenth birthday and his father was going to send him a way in hopes to learn a trade, to in his words "Become a use to this family."
"You must go now Bastien, try as I have to help you learn by providing the best teachers there are you are simply slow and there is nothing I can do to change that fact." He grabbed a piece of paper of his deck and with a sigh gave it to his son, "This is all the information you need to reach your new master who has generically decided to make you his apprentice, and he hopefully can find what to do with you."
He took the paper and sadly left his father's home for a strange town and a strange new life.
For a year he learned the ways of the wolf, for when his father told him that he was to have a new master his father had only been told that this man was the best behavioral scientist in the world but of what the father had never inquired. So his son spent a glorious year listening to ways of the wolves and they taught him to what it means to be a part of something and how everyone must look out for each other as a family, he became part of the pact.
On the last day the master gave him a necklace made of wolf teeth and intricately carved beads.
"Thank you, master you have been kind to me this past year and this necklace is more than a gift it is a reminder of my true family and I will forever be in your debt." Bastien bowed his head in thanks, but the master lifted his head up and spoke,
"You are now your own master, never forget that and never forget the wolves. The shaman in my village believed that this necklace gives the owner the ability to have a deeper bond with his wolf brethren as long as he is pure of heart and you are the most pure I have ever seen." Bastien bowed and left for the journey home with a mix of anticipation and sadness.
On his return his father greeted him with open arms and promised him a feast in his honor if he could answer a simple question, but of course his father would not reveal what the question was until Bastien was rested from his long journey. When the time had come for the question to be answered everyone in the house gathered together in the study.
"Now, son, tell me what you have learned during your time away from your home." All eyes were on him in anticipation
"Well, umm, Father I have learned what the dogs say when they bark,"
"Is that it?" He ask,
"Well no but-"The Count cut him off sharply, "Lord have mercy on us! I thought that you had actually learned something during your time away from here, I guess I was mistaken" He shook his head then looked back to his son, "I will send you to another town to another master and this time you will learn something!" His father stormed out of the room with the rest of the staff. Slowly he made his way back to his room wishing he had been more careful with his words, only if his father knew what he had actually learned.
Again he was sent off to another master in a far off land, but this time he was sent to a rolling country side with a master who studied birds for a living and had discovered six species of new birds in the past five years. Along with this he was a successful opera singer and composer. Every morning he was greeted by a chorus of chirps which at first had almost driven him mad but after a while he could tell which bird was singing and what the song meant. His master always told him "Birds are like humans they have the ability to tell stories though song, if you learn the song then you can learn the language." Bastien spend his time taking care of the birds and learn the ways of music and in return the birds taught him their language.
When it was finally time for him to leave all the birds in his master's home sung with both joy and sadness to see their new friend leave.
"Bastien, before you go, let me give you something." He pulled out a small wooden bird no bigger than a thimble, "I saw your necklace with the wolf a while ago and thought that a missing something, so I took the liberty to have this bird made." He then put it up to his mouth and blew, it gave a sharp pure note. Bastien took it and up the charm with the wolf on his necklace and proceeded to leave to go back to his home.
A week later he was back home and in his father's study, the exact same place he had been a year previous, but now it was feeling less like home and more like a strangers home.
"So son, I must ask again, what have you learned?"
"Well I have learn many things from when I last came come but most importantly I have learned what the birds say when they sing." He grinned to himself believing his answer cunning but when he turned to his audience they all looked back at him in confusion and anger.
"One last time, that is what you have." Said his father very quietly. Dumbstruck he walked out of his father's study and out of habit into the garden.
The garden was immense with every variety of flora that possessed the ability to thrive during the cold Swiss winters and some that had to be replanted every year. But by far his part of the garden was a large maple tree in the furthest corner on the edge of the forest, on sleepless nights he would go out there and watch the stars and fall asleep under their watchful stare. In the morning he would then wake up to the pleasant sounds of chirping birds and servants franticly searching for him. Bastien walked over to the familiar spot on the maple and sat down, he knew that this time if he was to fall asleep that no one would come looking for him in the morning.
And he was just fine with that,
"My dear boy, I will truly miss you but keep in mind during your year away that you must learn something!" Flustered his father looked away from the carriage and it rolled away, off to Bastiens new master and another year far from home.
The long journey from home brought Bastien to a small remote cottage near a lake and what smelled to be a swamp. Walking up to the cottage was no small feat the ground was soft from new rain and amphibians littered the path each hopping and moving in randomly. A stout man waddled out of the cottage and gave Bastien a very large hug.
"Welcome! Oh and make sure you don't step on the frogs they are very particular about that sort of thing."
For the next year Bastien fell asleep to the symphony of frog croaking and after a time, just like he had learned what the birds sing about when the chirp, he learned what the frog croak with the help of his new master. His master was an eccentric man to say the least with a tendency to knock over his books and occasionally the tanks that he kept his various animals in. But he was a man with a kind soul and he was willing to help him with whatever task he was require to do.
When it was finally time for him to leave he knew that this was the last chance to tell his father what he had learned or bare being disowned. Just as the carriage was to depart back to the mansion his master came puffing up with a small yellow hanker chief and thrust it into his hand. As the carriages departed and the lake side melted away Bastien opened the small gift and smiled, it was a small brown frog made from what looked like a smooth stone.
He was now in the same position he had been three previous years ago and this moment was to decide what they meant.
"Son, I will ask you again, what did you learn?"
The entire room was waiting with baited breath for his answer. By law he was no longer a boy and his father had every right to treat him as an adult, but how far that went was another question. He took a deep breath and knew what how he had to answer.
"Simply put father I have learned how the frogs croak."
For a moment he stood there with eyes staring, what seemed to be into his soul, and judging his worth as a citizen but more importantly his worth as a son.
His father gave out a cry and started yelling and shouting,
"He is no longer my son! He is not worthy-no-he has never been worth! See that he is turned out to the streets with the rest of his kind, kill him if you must"
Tears streamed down Bastien's face and the servants had to carry him from the room try as he must to brake free there was always others to hold him back.
"FATHER!" he cried out in desperation hoping that it was not too late to show that he was telling the truth.
He wandered, for what seemed like eternity, day had to night and the warm summer sun was beginning to come up. The trees were few and far between at this point, a town was his safest and best option. So he shambled on not resting until he came across a small village with a towering stone fortress. He begged for a nights lodging from the lord of the castle and it was granted only if he was to spend it in the eldest town. Before Bastien proceeded to the tower the Lord stopped him,
"I must warn you, the tower contains wild dogs which bark and howl all though the night without stopping. They will most likely devour you as they have done to many men before, much sorrow has come from these dogs but now one has known what to do with them. Maybe you hold the answers to the unfortunate dilemma."
He responded simply "When I go to sleep there tonight give them some food for which they can eat, no harm shall come to me then."