The Quiet Architect
Where I live
You’ll find me beneath the fields and forests of Europe - in the soft green belly of the countryside.
My home is a deep-sett, carved with care and passed down through generations.
Some of these burrows are older than the oldest trees still standing.
What I eat
I’m a forager of many tastes - worms are my favourite, but I’ll eat berries, roots, frogs, fallen fruit, and even a hedgehog if I must.
My nose is sharp and low to the ground, and I follow it like a compass.
My cousins and how we differ
I am part of a wild family - with distant cousins like the American badger, the honey badger, and even the wolverine.
They are feistier, fiercer, louder.
But I am the quiet one - the one who builds, tends, and teaches patience beneath the soil.
A fun fact about me
My home is a marvel.
My sett can have dozens of entrances, winding tunnels, and chambers for sleeping, nursing, and resting.
I line my nest with leaves and moss. I am, in truth, a forest architect.
What I hope you'll remember
That I am not fierce, not fearsome, not to be hunted or blamed. That I am gentle - a creature of order, rhythm, and habit. And that beneath my striped face is a being who wants only to live in peace.
