#Maple (jayrnski)

[alexstyxart]

Lovely Maple 💞

[jolienjoyswriting]

Pancakes and Passion (ft. Maple)

"Passion and Pancakes," a fan fiction story.

Full of pancakes and energized by syrup, Joseph and Maple pick up right where they left off in the forest.

Word count: 4,274 – Character count: 24,178 Drafted: October 6th, 2022 Revised: October 7th, 2022 –

Oh, crap, there's more?!  Oh, no… there's more… And things get even more predictable, somehow…

Maple and related characters and concepts created by © jayrnski Joseph Lithius and related characters and concepts created by and © Jo Li

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    Joseph here, again, continuing a certain story about a certain reindeer.  If you thought things were interesting, before…  Eh heh heh… mm.

    So, in the last story, I wound up lost in the woods of North Ontario-io, in North Ontar– wait, did I make that reference last time, too?  Sorry.  Anyway!  Woods of North Ontario.  In doing so, I ended up in the company of a reindeer named “Maple”.     I quickly learned two things about Maple…  One: they were super cuddly.  And two: they had also gotten lost.  Oh, and they also seemed to have, uh, no preference for pronouns?  But… since they were more feminine than not, I sort of settled on female pronouns for the story.     At the end of the story, Maple helped me get out of the forest, then we went off in search of “brinner” – or breakfast for dinner.  We went to a 24-hour pancake house and ate our fill.  And then…?  Well, I left it to the imagination!  But, okay.  More things did actually happen that night.  And… that’s the story I’m here to tell, now!

    “Woo!  That was so much fun!”     “Eh heh…  I’ve never seen someone eat that many pancakes in a stack…”     “I told you, I looove pancakes!”

    After a late brinner at a pancake chain, Maple and I got back into my car.  She hugged my arm and thanked me for the meal, then I started the engine and we got on the road.  When I asked where I could drop her off, she acted a little funny and folded her ears.  I watched her mouth open and close a couple of times… or rather, I noticed her do that.  I had my eyes mostly on the road.  In any case, I got the feeling she had nowhere to be.  So…     “I don’t suppose… you want to… check out my motel room?”     Maple’s eyes went wide and she looked right at me with raised ears.  It seemed like she was blushing more than usual, too.     “I-I dunno why I said that,” I told her with a nervous laugh.  “It just seemed like–”     “I’d like that.  Yes, p-please.”     The way she answered gave me pause.  That wasn’t her usual, high-energy voice.  No, she was speaking calmly…  When I glanced over, though, she was giving me her usual smile.  I didn’t know what to make of it.  So, yeah.  I drove us to the motel where I was staying.

    “Wow…  Your room is so clean!”

    The two of us walked into my modest motel room, Maple taking note of its condition.     “I, uh, I like keeping a tidy place,” I explained as I closed the door behind us.     When I turned around, I noticed that Maple was already bouncing on the edge of the bed.     “What’s on TV?” she asked, grabbing the remote for the room’s television.     “No idea,” I told her.  “I mostly just watch the news.”     “Can we watch cartoons?” was her next question.     I chuckled.  “I don’t see why not?”     The dear deer happily bleated and started flipping through channels.  Meanwhile, I walked over to a small writing desk.  There, I set my backpack down and started unloading it, as well as the contents of my pockets.

    “Does this place get cable?” she asked, taking note of the limited number of television stations.  “I can’t find the cartoon channel…”     “This is a pretty rinky-dink motel–”     “Rinky-dink!” she echoed with an amused giggle.     “– so I don’t think they have cable…  Sorry.”     “Oh, that’s okay!”     She turned the TV off and set the remote aside before turning back my way.     “I’d rather cuddle up with a fluffy friend, anyway!”     I blushed a little, looking over at Maple.  She was still seated on the edge of the bed, watching me with a smile.  She was leaning back slightly, letting her body sway.  I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: that girl liked to wiggle.     “More cuddles?” I teased, making her perk.  “Didn’t you get enough in the forest?”     She smiled brighter, her ears perking.  “Nope!”     I rolled my eyes… but my wagging tail told her how I really felt.

    Once my backpack and other things were sorted, I removed my jacket and walked over to Maple.  She intently watched as I drew near, her body tensing.  I feel like she was doing her best not to pounce on me.  She loved cuddles almost as much as she loved syrupy pancakes!     “Hi, there,” I said, smiling as I sat nearby.     She quietly bleated at me before wiggling in place, then she flopped over, laying on the bed.  Her hands came to her chest and a warm glow appeared on her face.     “I bet you want me to lay down with you, huh?”     “Yes, please.”     I smiled more.  Not long after, I turned my body and got the rest of the way onto the bed.  It was amusing, watching Maple wriggle her way up next to me.  I rolled onto my side and she rolled onto hers.  A second later, she curled against me and nuzzled my nose.     “You smell like maple syrup,” I whispered with a grin and a blush.     “You, too!”     Without any warning… she licked my lips!     “Taste like it, too!”     Maple giggled and squirmed against me, amused by her own actions.  Me, on the other hand?  I was left blushing and a little stunned.  I hadn’t expected her to just… lick me.  But, it’s okay.  It’s okay because… I got a surprising bleat out of her.     For some reason, I’d gotten the notion to give her a lick around the mouth, too.  I wasn’t surprised when she reacted positively, giggling even harder and scooting much closer.  She probably figured I was “returning the favor”… w-which, I was!  But…     “Hey…”     I mean… ya know…     “You’re blushing!”     I was starting to… “feel things.”

    When Maple noticed my reddening face, I tried to look away.  I dunno…  I was nervous.  Luckily, that darling little creature seemed perfectly in tune with me.  Instead of teasing me or trying to lick more syrup off my muzzle, she just slid down and tucked her head under my chin.     “I’ve had a lot of fun today…” she whispered as gently hung onto my shirt.     I took a deep breath, relaxing…  Maple was so patient with me…     “You’re super nice, Friend Joseph.  I’m glad I met you.”     “I’m… I’m glad I met you, too, Maple,” I told her.     She hummed.  A few seconds later, she leaned back and looked at me.     “Do you wanna cuddle s’more?” she asked.     My ears fell back.  Something seemed off…     “Since when did you start asking?” I queried, trying not to sound too surprised.     “S-since I noticed how shy I was making you!”     My ears folded back even more.  Maple was still looking on with patience, but her ears were folded back just as much as mine.  That excited sparkle in her eye seemed gone, too.  It seemed like she was taking my hesitation personally while trying not to show it.

    “Do you know why I’m being like this, Maple?”     That seemed like the right thing to ask, at the time.     “Are you scared of me?”     And that… seemed like a very odd response.     “S-scared of you?”  I blinked at her, my ears flicking.  “What do you mean?”     “W– well…”  She slid back, nervously laughing.  “I-I worded it wrong, but what I mean is… you’re scared of liking me?  Oh, gosh… that doesn’t make sense, either, does it?”     “Honestly?  Yes.  It does make sense.”     I softly chuckled, looking down.     “Yeah… I’m a little worried that if I let my guard down… I’ll end up doing something that might hurt you.  Or hurt me.  You know?”     “Like kissing me?” she asked with a compassionate smile.     “Like licking the syrup off your cute li’l face.”     Her hands shot up to her cheeks and she laughed out loud, wiggling again.  Then…     “I’m sorry for licking you, Joseph…  I should’ve asked, first!”     She apologized?  She apologized!  W-wait, why was she–

    “A-and, I’m sorry for all the attention I’ve been giving you!” she continued, her smile becoming shy.  “I know I’m a handful…  I just like you so darn much!”     She reached over, then she withdrew her hand.  Her second attempt didn’t go much better.  It was like she was scared to try and touch me.     “I…”     So, she trailed off and ended up scooting back over, snuggling against me, instead.

    We looked into each other’s eyes for a long while, neither of us making a move beyond gently embracing.  I listened to her soft breathing and felt her small body twitching with every beat of her honest heart.  I’m sure she was doing the same with me.  We were both kind of lost in the moment, neither of us knowing where to go from there…

    “Maple?”     She made a quiet “deer noise” before refocusing.  “Y… yes?” she called.     I bit my lower lip.  “Just… I… I have some hypothetical questions.”     “I might have some hypothetical answers!” she said, her face looking hopeful.     I took another breath before I began my interrogation.

    “Alright, so…  If I… stroked your cheek, what would you do?”     “I’d lean into it!” she said with a giggle.  “I love being petted!”     “And, if I bumped noses with you, again?”     She giggled again, albeit quieter.  “I’d bump back!”     “What if I licked more syrup from your mouth?”     She blushed a little more than normal, her ears sliding back.     “I… I guess I’d start licking syrup off your mouth, too!” was her answer.     “And… what if our tongues touched?”     She looked down, still smiling.  There was a delay before she answered.     “Joseph, are you…?  Do you want…?  Is that what…?”     She looked back up, then.     “Are you asking me for a tongue kiss?” she asked with a silly, somewhat shy smile.     “Not… exactly?” I answered.  “It’s just… if we’re both licking each other’s faces, there’s a chance our tongues might…”     I cleared my throat, blushing.  I needed to go about this a different way.

    “I guess what I’m ultimately trying to say is…”  I paused.  “I… I might want to… give you more forms of affection?  Because… because I like you so darn much, too?”     “Do you want to kiss me?”     I flinched at the sudden, direct question.  “Y-yes,” was my answer.     She blushed again, softly giggling…  I think she appreciated my honesty.     “You’re so adorable,” I continued, “and so nice to be with…  I want… I want…”     My face warmed and I sighed.     “I wanna take you on dates… maybe see where this friendship goes.  I… I’m sorry.”     “You’d date li’l ol’ me…?”  She sounded surprised!     “Y-yes,” I said again.  “I’d date you in a heartbeat.”     She hummed, looking down in thought.  She was still smiling and still blushing…

    “Joseph?”     “Y-yes…?”     When the reindeer looked up, there was a twinkle in her eyes.     “Can we kiss, now?” she asked in her normal, innocent voice.  “I’d like that very much.”     My heart skipped a beat when she asked that.  She sounded so shy… yet there was a feeling of desire in her voice.  I… I don’t mean that kind of desire.  No, it was more like… a desire to make me happy?  Or maybe she just really wanted all the kisses and cuddles she thought I was going to give her.  Either way…     “A… absolutely.”     I was happy to oblige.

    Maple scooted in, snuggling up against me.  Her arms curled around my middle and she nuzzled my muzzle.  My arms wrapped around her middle, as well, and I returned the nuzzles.  We bumped noses a couple of times, our eyes meeting.  She softly laughed and I chuckled.  Then… I gave her a little lick and she reciprocated.     Our eyes slid shut as we started kind of… “grooming” each other’s mouths, taking any traces and tastes of syrup out of our fur and off of our lips.  I blushed fairly hard the one-or-two times I felt her tongue graze mine but nothing came of it.  We seemed perfectly content to steal all the syrup flavor we could from each other, as well as stay cuddled up close.  We never did kiss, though…

    I think it was a few minutes later when I opened my eyes.  Surprisingly, Maple was already looking at me.  Her eyes were half-lidded and there was a rather warm glow about her face.  She looked pretty mellow…     “Hi,” I whispered, stroking her cheek.     “Hiya!” she quietly giggled, bumping noses with me.     “That was intimate…”     “It was!”     My eyes left hers, returning not long after.     “Can I ask you something personal, Maple?”     “Go ahead?” she said, closing her eyes and rubbing her cheek into my hand.     “Do you…  I mean…  When you’re cuddled up with someone like this, um…”     She peeked an eye open, warmly smiling and letting one ear flick.     “I…”  I stumbled.  “I don’t… know how to ask–”     “Yes,” she answered without knowing the full question.     I blinked, my ears flicking.  “Y… yes?”     “Yeah,” she whispered.  “When I get like this… I s-start feeling warm all over…”     I blushed again as she reached over and put a hand over my heart.     “Especially right here,” she said, softly rumbling as deer do.     “What… what do you do when that happens?” I nervously asked.     Her blush flared up… then she leaned in and kissed me.  Just like that.

    My eyes fluttered shut as Maple’s lips melded with mine.  It wasn’t like that kiss we’d shared in the forest…  No, this was something different.  I shivered as her hand found its way to my cheek, caressing the fluffiest parts of my face.  I shuddered, then, as she brushed against me a little harder than normal.  I noticed her leg start to slide in between mine, too.  Things were starting to get… well… very “warm”.  Maybe… a little too “warm”?

    Maple blinked hard, sitting up and staring in surprise.  I was kind of surprised, too.  For some reason, I was the one to pull out of the kiss and I was the one to push her away!     “Joseph…?” she bleated with a pout.  “Did I– did I do something wrong?  Did I kiss too hard?  Did I accidentally bite your lip?  Did my horns– no, wait.  My horns were nowhere near your face…  Wait!  Did I– did I knee your lap?!”     She immediately looked down.  Right at my lap.  She looked gravely concerned, too.

    “Is your lap okay?!” she cried, sounding panicked.  “Do you need ice…?!”     “N-no, I don’t need ice…!” I panted.  “I need… I need… I need to stop kissing you.”     She looked confused by my answer.  “Why?”  She sounded confused, too.     I blushed hard before telling her, “I’m getting… um… ‘overheated’.”     “You’re getting…”     Maple looked even more confused.  Then, slowly…     “Oh.  O-oh…  Ooooohh…”     She started to realize what I’d meant.

    “Oh, gosh…!”     The poor girl brought her hands to her burning cheeks and sweetly smiled at me.     “W-was the kiss that good?” she asked, sounding genuinely surprised.  “Did you… did you like kissing me that much…?  Oh, my gosh…”     She wiggled in her seat and giggled a little bit.     “Friend Joseph,” she said after a few seconds.     “W… what?”     I sat up on my arms, watching her and catching my breath.  She had sat up, herself, curling her legs daintily in front of her and placing her hands on her skirt.  She was smiling and blushing just a little more than normal, giving off a calm aura of happiness.  Not gonna lie…  Seeing her sit pretty, like that, helped my emotional state immensely.

    “Friend Joseph…” she said in a warm voice.  “I’m flattered that you like me like that.  Really flattered!  I had a feeling… but now that I know it’s true?”     She wiggled again and giggled s’more.     “Gosh, you make me feel all warm and mushy inside!”     I blushed a little, my nasty mind warping that into an innuendo…     “I guess the only question is…”     She calmed, again, returning her usual soft, sweet disposition.     “Do you want to keep going and see what happens?”     “Wh-what?”     “W-we don’t have to!!” she excitedly bleated when I questioned her.  “It-it’s just an idea!”     She hid her face with her hands.     “Aah, p-please, don’t be upset with me!  I’m sorry!”     She paused to peek through her fingers.     “I’m just a cuddle-hungry li’l reindeer who likes making nice people happy…”     She hid her eyes, again, after saying that.     “It’s– it’s okay if you don’t want to!  Honest!  I-I understand!”     “I mean… that’s kind of the problem?”     She peeked again, making a squeaky deer noise.  I was looking at her with a blush.     “I kind of… do want to continue?” I said, folding my ears.  “But…”     I looked away, feeling guilty.     “I’m pretty sure I know where this’ll head if we do…”

    “You don’t… want that?” she shyly asked.     I chuckled, shaking my head.  “I do, is the problem.”     Her hands began to slide away from her face.  “Why is it a problem?”     I looked up with a frown.  “What do you want to do?”     Maple put her hands in her lap and softly smiled.  “I want to make you happy!”     “And… you think doing that with me will make me happy?”     When she nodded, I just scowled.  What kind of a guy did she think I was?  Come to think of it… what kind of reindeer was she?

    “Maple…  Don’t feel obligated to do anything.”     “I’m not!” she told me, still smiling.  “I want to!  I want to, with you!”     I chuckled.  “Are you sure about that?”     When she nodded, I looked away and sighed.     “So, if I told you… right now… that I want us to do that, right here, right now…”     “I’d do it with you,” she answered without hesitation.     I glanced her way.  “We… are talking about the big ‘that’, right?”     She giggled softly, blushing… then she nodded.  Great…  We were on the same page…     “Why?” was my next question.  “Why are you willing to go that far with me?”     “I want to make you happy, Friend Joseph!  Making you happy makes me happy!”     I frowned as she laughed.  “But–”     “I’d really like to, with you… be– because it’s you!” she explained.  “I like you very much!  A-and… w-well… um…”     She bit her lip, blushing and giggling.  She was also… squirming.  Uncomfortably…?     “You’re not the only one who got ‘overheated’ from all that kissing…”     The way she nervously giggled at me made my face burn and my heart skip, again.     “W-wait… are you saying–?”     “I’m warm all over…” she shyly answered.  “And… and I want to be warm… with you.”

    I blinked several times in succession.  Maple was… looking at me like I’d never seen her look before.  There was a cute shyness to it, as well as an underlying sort of desire.  And this time?  I do mean “that kind” of desire.  She was doing her best not to push me into anything… while doing her best to be as honest as she could be with me.  I was flattered… honored, really!  That cute, adorable, perfect little reindeer… really wanted to go “all the way” with me…

    “Oh?  Mm, hee hee…”

    I sat up and scooted over.  Without a word, I pulled Maple into my arms and hugged her.  She returned the favor, nuzzling her nose into my chest.  When I stroked her back, she stroked my head.  Then, when my hand found her tail… she rubbed her cheek against mine, encouraging me.  I rubbed that wiggling little thing on her butt very fondly and she lovingly sighed into my ear.  She kissed my cheek and I kissed hers.  We bumped noses.  Our lips met.  Our bodies drew closer…  And, uh, well… things… m-may have escalated from there… –     I don’t really know what time it was when I woke up.  It was daylight…?  All I know is that when I woke… I found myself in my hotel bed, lacking clothing and sharing my blankets with a very cute, very warm reindeer.  One who also seemed a little “underdressed”…     “Maple…”     I softly nuzzled the reindeer.  She smiled and nuzzled back.     “Good morning, Friend Joseph…” she fondly whispered.     “You stayed with me…?”     “Why wouldn’t I?” she asked with a soft giggle.  “I like you very much…”     “Even after what we did, last night?”     She bit her lip, stifling an outright laugh.  God, she was so cute…

    “I had so much fun yesterday…” was the next thing she told me.  “I hope we can have lots more fun together.  Outdoors… indoors… everywhere!”     Now, she’d said that with a perfectly innocent voice, but…     “I wanna spend lots of time with my new fox friend, doing all sorts of things with them!”     Again, innocent enough, buuut…     “And I hope… my new friend still feels that way… about me.”     Okay, that one wasn’t open to interpretation.     “Of course, I do,” I whispered as I stroked her cheek.  “You’re awesome, Maple…”     “No, you’re awesome, Joseph!”     She giggled, pecking me on the cheek.  I smiled, returning the favor.     “We should get cleaned up,” I told her, then.  “My fur feels… funky.”     “Okay!”     The cute reindeer hugged me a little tighter.     “First: snuggles!  Then: cleanup!  And then?”  She smiled.  “Breakfast!”     My smile warmed.  How could I turn down an offer like that?

    Eventually, we did manage to pull ourselves out of bed and get cleaned up.  It was pretty easy, too, since we shared a shower.  Uh… it… was her idea.  Honest.  A-and no, nothing happened.  We were focused!  Well… Maple kept me focused, anyway…  Eh heh…     After we were clean and dressed, Maple and I headed out to catch a late breakfast.  Once again, she had pancakes, but she also had some fruit on the side.  I decided to just have waffles, myself.  Something in the back of my head told me she might frown if I had any kind of meat…  I know.  Weird thought.  I hadn’t actually asked what her dietary habits were, though, and I didn’t want to risk ruining the perfect start to a great friendship– well… relationship, I guess! – with something as seemingly trivial as what I had for breakfast.

    “I’m really glad you came up here, Friend Joseph.”     I looked up with a mouthful of waffle.  “Mm?”     Maple giggled at the funny face I was making.  Then, she calmed.     “I’m glad we met, too,” she continued.  “Yesterday was extra-special fun!”     God…  She was really good at making innuendos without trying.     “I’m gonna be so sad when you go home…”     I blinked, swallowing my food.  That’s right…  I hadn’t remembered until she mentioned it, but yeah.  I was just on vacation…  I was about to say something, but Maple wasn’t finished.

    “S-so… I was thinking…”     She fidgeted, looking unusually nervous.     “If… if you want to… a-after breakfast…”     I cocked my head.  She was starting to blush.  More than usual, I mean.     “M-maybe… we could…”     She looked up, her eyes full of hope.     “S-spend today together, too?”     I opened my mouth to speak… but again, she cut me off.

    “We don’t have to do anything you don’t want to!” she cried, getting flustered.  “I-I know you’re here on vacation and you probably already have plans!  I-I don’t want to interrupt them!  I just thought… a-ah!  No, I mean, no!  I-it was a dumb idea–”     “Maple.”     She perked.  “Y-yes…?”     I smiled at her, wagging my tail.  “Mis vacaciones son tus vacaciones.”     Her face lit up and she wiggled in her chair.     “Super!  J’aimerais vous rejoindre!” she bleated with a bright smile.     “Huh.  I didn’t know you spoke French…”     “Ah–!”  She covered her mouth.  “Je suis désolé!  Ah– I mean…”     “Tu es proche et chère à mon cœur,” I interrupted, “mon précieux petit cerf.”     Her hands fell over her muzzle and her eyes welled with tears.  Clearly, she understood what I’d said… and it had touched her quite deeply!     “J-Joseph…!  Je… je ne savais pas que tu parlais Français!”     Maybe… for the wrong reason.  I was trying to flatter her, not impress her!     “I don’t,” I told her with a shy grin.  “I’m looking it up on the Internet as I go.”     I was half expecting her to get mad at me.  She didn’t.  She just laughed and wiped the joyful tears out of her eyes, fondly smiling.     “Tu es merveilleux, Ami Joseph…” she happily sighed.     I smiled back.  “Toi aussi, Ami Maple…”     For the curious… she said I was “wonderful” and I told her, “you, too”.  Hee.

    My Canadian vacation was pretty much the best time of my life.  Not only did I get to see things I’d never seen and go places I’d never been before, but I also ended up making friends… well… getting into a relationship with the dearest deer in the world!  When it was finally time for me to leave, Maple came with me to the airport and we had a very tearful goodbye.  I almost missed my flight because I was so darn hesitant to let her go…  Eventually, though, I did board the airplane home.  We waved to each other as I took off.  I hated to go…     During the flight, I looked at all the pictures we took during my vacation.  N-no, I didn’t take any of those kinds of pictures.  I just mean the two of us going here and there in Ontario.  When I saw a cute one of her kissing me while I smiled at the camera, I just sighed.  There was absolutely no question about where I’d end up the next time I had vacation days.

    See you soon, Maple… I thought with a sigh.  But, not soon enough…

[animatedmau]

What a cute Maple @jayrnski-real 🧡🍁🦌

[toxinstudios]

Jay

OC @jayrnski Shy Maple

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[irohcards]

-GIFT- Maple and Skye Jayrnski Trading Cards

A couple of gift cards for @jayrnski ! I am happy to finally have these made for the holiday season! As always, DMs are open if you want your own cards made!

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[eukaryoticprokaryote]

Maple Syrup DTIYS Level1

I decided to do my first ever DTIYS.  This is based off of https://www.instagram.com/p/CQt34mvJoNe/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link The character, Maple is a Canadian Reindeer (who belongs to @jaynski (https://www.instagram.com/jayrnski/)) and is just so cute!  I had to draw them, given the opportunity!  But not just that.  Oh, no!  You see, this was just my first attempt at a DTIYS of this character, based off of the first slide in the posting.  But, you see, the original artist made a grievous error.  They explicitly said I am free to change anything I please... Mmm...HmmHmmHmmHmmHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! https://tenor.com/view/death-note-laugh-gif-19355615 Now, bear ye witness to what I have wrought upon the world!

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[jolienjoyswriting]

The Dearest Deer in Ontario (ft. Maple), Ch. II

The finale (Chapter 2) of "The Dearest Deer in Ontario," a fan fiction story.

Joseph becomes lost in the woods… and bumps into an brand new friend along the way.

Word count: 2,962 – Character count: 16,953 Drafted: October 4th, 2022 Revised: October 6th, 2022 –

Yep.  Utterly predictable…

Maple and related characters and concepts created by © jayrnski Joseph Lithius and related characters and concepts created by and © Jo Li

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    My ears fell back and I stopped what I was doing.  I felt so bad…  Just when I started to apologize, though…     “Hey, do that again.”     She, uh… told me to do it again.  So…     “Nom?”     I did.     “Noms!”     And she giggled.     I smiled, wagging my tail and giving her little nibbles accompanied by vocalizations.  She wiggled and giggled all the more, reveling in my affectionate actions.  We were both having fun being silly.  But then… she did something.

    I blinked in surprise, staring at the reindeer girl.  She stared back with her usual chipper smile.  I mean… at first.  Once she noticed how hard I was staring, though, she started getting shy and shrinking down.     “T-t-too much…?” she nervously asked.     I put a hand on my cheek.  She’d kissed me, again.  For a second, I thought about telling her it was alright… and I also considered telling her it was more than alright.  Instead of telling her, though…     “H-hey?”     I showed her.

    She closed one eye as I kissed her cheek for a change, then she giggled and wiggled again, covering her mouth.  Not long after, she leaned back in and kissed my nose.  So, I kissed hers.  She aimed another friendly peck somewhere else on my face and I did the same with hers.  Before long, we were both laughing and playfully kissing each other’s heads all over!  But of course… something had to give.

    We both blinked, blushing hard.  I guess we’d had the same idea and both went in for another friendly kiss to the face or something.  Somehow, though, we ended up going in the same direction at the same time and kind of… touched lips.     “Ehm…”     I started to look away… only to perk as Maple giggled at me.     “Friend Joseph…”     My ears twitched.  She was giving me an odd look.     “If you wanted kissies…”     She slid forward.     “All you had to do was ask…”

    I froze again.  She had her hands on my cheeks as she pressed her lips to mine.  I’m sure she didn’t mean anything by the kiss…  Maple didn’t seem like that kind of girl.  But, for some reason… having her kiss me on the lips, like that, got me overly excited.     “Mm…?”     And I tried to deepen the kiss.

    “J… Joseph?”

    Maple looked at me after pulling away.  For the first time since meeting, she seemed unsure.  Or more specifically, she seemed unsure of me.

    “F-Friend Joseph…?”     She looked down, then she looked up.     “Do you… l… l… like me?”     I blushed hard.  I was not expecting her to ask me that.

    Maple fidgeted with her hands, rubbing her index fingers together and idly looking about.  Every time we made eye contact, she quickly looked away and her cheeks flashed.  She was smiling the whole time, but it was a softer, somewhat off sort of smile.  I think… she was waiting for me to answer her question.

    “Um…”     When I made a noise, Maple bleated in surprise.  She gave her full attention, then.     “I… uh… well…”     Her blush brightened as I stammered.  Her ears were folded and her tail was twitching.  H-how did I know?  I was nervous and didn’t want to look her in the eye, okay?     “M-Maple, it’s…”     “Y… y-yes?”     Her green eyes were startling to sparkle.  Uh-oh…     “I… I do like you,” I told her, speaking honestly.     “But?”     I felt a wave of relief wash over me.  Maple had picked up on my hesitation.     “B-but… I… um…”     “You have someone?”     “Huh?  Oh, no,” I told her.  “It’s just…”     Her ears curled back and her smile started to fade.  “You don’t like me like that?” she asked, beginning to sound… dejected?     “N-no, it’s… I…”     “Well, for Heaven’s sake…”     Her smile came back as she patiently looked at me.     “Don’t keep me waiting, Joseph!” she exclaimed with a slight wiggle.  “What is it?”     “I just… I guess I was wondering…”     I took a deep breath.     “Do you… like me?”     She laughed before playfully patting my nose with her palm.     “No fair, Friend Joseph!  I asked you, first!”     “I-I know you did, but–”     I blinked, my ears perking and fur bristling.  Out of nowhere… she kissed me, again!     “Yes,” she whispered, slowly swaying from side to side.  “I like you.”     Her smile brightened.     “I thought you knew that by now?” she asked with a giggle.  “Silly…”       Well, I was right back to where I was before, I guess.  Maple had me cornered and disarmed.  I had no idea what to do or say.  Why was I so unsure of myself?  Was I scared of hurting the cute caribou?  Was I worried I’d scare her away?  Or maybe… maybe I was afraid of being hurt by her…  Still, the more I thought about it, the less sense it made for me to be nervous.  I took another breath before looking up.     “Maple?”     “Yes?” she answered in a calm voice.     When I took her hands into mine, she stifled a giggle and had to keep herself from shimmying with excitement.  She was trying her best.  I had to try my best, too.

    “Maple, you’re… you’re wonderful.”     She blushed and her face lit up.  It seemed like she was going to give me another hard hug and maybe pepper my face with kisses, again.  However…     “Th-thank you, fluffy friend, but… tell me how you really feel.  A-about me.  Please.”     I blushed a little at her encouragement.  I guess she was getting tired of me doing the “avoid dance” with her…     “Maple, I think you’re wonderful,” I repeated.  “You’re this sweet… charming… adorable deer girl that I–”     Once again, she interrupted me with a pop on the nose.  I blankly stared.     “Joseph, I…”     I blinked as she leaned in, nuzzling me.     “I-I’m a reindeer!”  she said, leaning back and looking flustered.  She squirmed a little before calmly adding, “B-but, if you want to call me a girl, that’s okay!”     She giggled… before she offered an almost fearful look my way.     “Does… does that make sense?  Th-that I’m a reindeer?  Gosh, I hope it makes sense…”     I paused, taking in what she said.     “W-well…” I began, “yes.  You can’t really change what you are, now can you?”     She brightly smiled, looking relieved.     “But, I mean… if I had to give you a… uh… ya know… ‘label’ other than that…?”     “Huh?”  She looked confused.     “What I mean is… what would I call you?  ‘Boy’?  ‘Girl’?  ‘Hey, you’?”     She laughed out loud.  “I like that last one!”    We shared a smile, then.

    “I’m just a silly li’l reindeer…” was the next thing Maple told me.  “I’ll always be a reindeer.  I don’t have any experience being anything else!”     She giggled again.     “You call me what you want, though.”  She smiled.  “Even ‘hey, you’!”     I hummed… then I nodded.     “You can call me what you want, too,” I told… well, I’m still gonna call them a “her” in the context of the story.  Hey, if Maple isn’t offended, why should you be?     “Can I call you ‘cute and fluffy’?” she asked.     My face warmed and my tail wagged.  “Only if I can call you the same thing,” I said.     “It’s a deal!”     With that settled, we shared a long, friendly hug.  She was so sweet…       “Now, before we get distracted, again…”     The reindeer leaned back, gently tapping my nose and smiling at me.     “Say all the nice things you want to say about me, please!”     She wiggled again.  Man, she sure liked wiggling… not that I minded.  It was cute!     “Seriously,” she added in a calmer tone.  “Speak from the heart.”     I blushed as she put a hand over my heart.     “And I’ll do the same.”     “W… well… like I was saying,” I started anew, “I think you’re wonderful.”     She softly nodded, giving me her full attention.     “You’re sweet, kind, cuddly, patient…  You’re cute as anything–”     That got her giggling, again.     “– and you’re just the best kind of person…”  I sighed.  “I… I want to see more of you.”     “You wanna see more of me?” she asked, tilting her head.     “Yeah.”     “Okay!”

    I blinked, tilting my head as she leaned back.  She tugged on her tie, loosening it from around her collar.  A second later, she undid the top button of her nice shirt.  Wait, what?!     “M-Maple…?”     She paused… before offering me a sly sort of smile.     “You said you wanted to see more of me, right?”     The reindeer undid her top two buttons, loosening her collar… but that was it.     “How’s that?” she asked with a big, silly grin.     I blinked, softly blushing.  I could see her collarbone quite clearly.  She had a bit of fluff there and it seemed like that creamier fur ran down her throat and kept going, too.     “Uh… you… know this isn’t what I meant, right?” I quietly asked.     “I do!” she exclaimed with another giggle as she fixed her shirt and redid her tie.  I had no idea if she was being silly… or being a tease.

    “I wanna see more of you, too!” she said, suddenly unzipping my jacket.     “Whoa– whoa–!!”     “I’m kidding, I’m kidding…!!”     The instant I said anything, she zipped it up and sat back, laughing and looking… well… oddly nervous, actually.  I guess she was worried that she’d gone too far.     “But, I mean…”     She looked at me, her face relaxing.     “I do wanna see you more than this one time,” she told me, choosing her words carefully.  “You’re a super-sweet fox friend!  You give good cuddles and sweet kissies!  You’re really nice and I like you lots…”     She looked down… then she looked up and scooted back into my arms.     “Friends?” she asked with big, hopeful eyes.     I smiled at her.  “The best of friends.”       I’m sure I don’t need to say it, but yeah… we ended up doing more cuddling, nuzzling, cheek-rubbing, and even a little more kissing.  Can you blame me?  She didn’t just start it.  She encouraged me to keep doing it!  I was kind of enamored with her, to be honest.  It isn’t every day that a precious thing like Maple comes into your life.  I had a hard time letting go of her for even a second.  I just wanted to spend all day snuggling with her in the woods…  Thankfully, something snapped us both out of our cuddly state.

    “My tummy wants pancakes…”

    Maple’s stomach gave a loud rumble in the middle of our… not-quite-make-out-session.  I stopped trying to nuzzle her and sighed with a smile, then I helped her up.     “Let’s go get you some brinner,” I offered.     “Brinner!” she giggled.     I pulled my phone out of my backpack and checked the map app.     “Uh…”     Only to find that it had no idea where I was.

    “What’s the matter, Friend Joseph?”     “My… phone isn’t getting a signal,” I told her.     “Oh, deer…”     My face scrunched.  Maple was giggling.  Did she just… do wordplay at me?     “The compass app doesn’t work, either…” I noted.  “It must work on GPS, too.  Great.”     “Great!” she echoed with a bright smile.     “I… was being sarcastic.”     “I know!”  She laughed, then she hummed.  “Hey, help me up that tree over there?”     “What?”     I blinked as she ran over to a nearby tree.     “Please, give me a boost, fluffy friend!”     “Oh.”  I put my phone away and walked over.  “Right.”     “And don’t look up my skirt, please!”     “S’cuse me?”     She giggled like crazy when I squeaked in surprise.     “Kidding, kidding!” she assured me.  “I know you wouldn’t…”     When I didn’t answer, she tilted her head, giving me an odd look.     “Wait, do you… want to see under my skirt?”     “Wh-what?”  I blinked, folding my ears.  “I–”     “Why-come?” she giggled.  “It’s just a bum-bum and some undies under there!  I’m sure you’ve seen lots of both.  Right?”     She smiled, leaning in and hugging me.     “It’s okay if you look, though,” was the next thing she said.  “I was only teasing.”     “Y-you don’t care if I look?” I repeated.     “Why would I?”  She quietly giggled, shaking her head.  “Now, c’mon.  Lift me up, please!  I’m just a tiny thing who can’t climb very well!”       Well, I’m sure at least some of you will be happy to know that I did everything I could to not look up her skirt as I helped her into the tree.  I mean, sure?  I was curious.  Plus, Maple clearly didn’t care, either way.  I could have looked…  I dunno.  I guess she had different standards and priorities than most people.  Maybe that’s why I liked her so much…

    “Hey!  Is that your car waaaaay over there?”     “What color is it?”     “Green!  Green and white?  Green, mostly!”     “Yeah, that’s my car.  Where is–”     I went wide-eyed.  With little warning, I heard a snap, a startled bleat, and wound up getting knocked to the ground by a free-falling Maple.  Guess she didn’t know how to fly…

    “Are you insane?!” I cried, staring at her.     “What?”  She innocently blinked at me.     “Why did you do that?!” I yelled, angry and confused.  H-hey, don’t get mad.  My brain hadn’t quite processed everything, up to then, and I was sore from “catching” Maple.     “Why did I fall out of the tree?” the deer nervously giggled.  “The branch broke!  See?”     My head craned back as she showed me a slender-looking tree branch.     “I didn’t wanna fall down, but Friend Tree must be getting old…”     Maple slid off of me and got to her feet.  I stood shortly after, watching as she hugged the tree as best she could.  It was a pretty big tree.     “It’s okay, Friend Tree!” she told it.  “It was my fault for being in your pretty branches!  Reindeer don’t belong in trees!”     My eye twitched as she giggled.  Still, I calmed as I watched her place the branch onto the tree’s roots.     “Are you okay, Maple?”     “Thanks to you!” she exclaimed before stepping over and hugging me.  “My hero!”     I blushed hard as she leaped up and kissed my cheek.  I just couldn’t stay mad at her…

    “So, your car is about 1,200 meters that way!” she told me, pointing in… some direction.  “Um, and the sun is going down, so we should probably get going!”     “W-wait, how do you know it’s–”     “Follow meee!”     She started marching in the direction she’d pointed.  I had no other choice but to follow.

    “Maple,” I called as we trekked through the ever-darkening woods.  “How in the world do you know how far it is to my car…?”     “I’m really good at gauging distance and heights and stuff!” she explained.     “Really?”     “Uh-huh!  Like… most of the trees here are around thirty meters tall, but some of them are forty or more!”     I scoffed.  “I mean, that’s what the pamphlets said, too…”     She stopped in her tracks and spun around.  I blushed as she intensely looked at me…  Was she mad?  I wasn’t trying to start a fight…       “You’re… just under 173 centimeters, not counting your ears!  Aren’t you?!”     “I… have no idea,” I admitted.  “I don’t know what that is in feet.”     Maple giggled and wiggled.  “You’re almost 173 centis.  Trust me!”     “Hm…”  I paused for thought.  “What would that make you?  How tall are you?”     “137 centis, about!  Not counting my li’l reindeer horns!”     “Huh…”  I smiled.  “The last two digits of our heights are inverted.  1-7-3… 1-3-7…”     She gave me an odd look before smiling. “It just means we were meant to be friends!”     I chuckled.  “If you hadn’t already won me over with how cute you are – physically and personality-wise – that would definitely have done it.”     She beamed at me.  “C’mon, Friend Joseph!  Let’s go find your car!”     “Okay!”

    We continued finding our way through the woods at a reasonable pace.  My phone was pretty useless for navigation, but its flashlight function proved useful, at least, since the woods were getting darker still.  Thankfully, Maple seemed to know where we were going.  Once we were clear of the woods, Maple ran over to my car.  She spun around and hopped in place, waving both hands as I made my way over.  Once I was there, she brightly smiled.     “Thank you for rescuing me, friend!” she exclaimed with a giggle.     “Hey, that’s my line.”     She laughed and wiggled.     “But, seriously…”  She softly smiled.  “I’m glad we met.”     “Me, too!”  I smiled.  “You’re a really cool gir– uh… reindeer!”     She excitedly bleated before giggling even more.     “So, uh, do you have a phone, or…?” I asked.     “Mm… not on me,” she said.  “I never take it with me.”     “That doesn’t seem very safe…”     “What?  Oh, no!” she laughed.  “No, I mean I never take it with me when I go into the woods!  No signal!  But, you knew that.  Anyway…”     Maple put her hands behind her back, softly smiling at me.     “Where are we going, next?”     I blinked.  “What?  We?”     She nodded.  “That’s what I said!”     “You’re coming with me…?”     “You promised me brinner!”     She giggled… before shyly looking down and rubbing her foot against the ground.     “B-but, it’s okay if–”     “No, you’re right,” I said, getting her attention.  “I owe you brinner.  So, who’s driving?”

    Maple’s face lit up.  She emitted a loud, happy noise, hugging me tightly.  Soon after, we both got into my car and I drove us into the city.  From there, we had a nice pancake dinner at a chain restaurant.  Man, that girl could eat…     Huh?  You wanna know what happened next?  Well… that’s a whole other story.  For now, let’s just leave it with… “and they lived happily ever after”.  Seriously, though.  It was a pretty perfect end to a very interesting day and a good start to what I hoped would be a wonderful friendship with an adorable, Canadian reindeer.  Only time would tell, though… eh?

[jolienjoyswriting]

The Dearest Deer in Ontario (ft. Maple), Ch. I

Chapter 1 of "The Dearest Deer in Ontario," a fan fiction story.

Joseph becomes lost in the woods of Canada and bumps into an brand new friend along the way.

Word count: 3,603 – Character count: 20,624 Drafted: October 4th, 2022 Revised: October 6th, 2022 –

The same as always: I see a cute character, Joseph dates said cute character.  What more need I say? I mean, okay, I'd been watching Jay for a while and took a liking to their stuff.  But, I mean, how frequently is my story blurb just like… "I likes ya and I wants ya, so I wrote a story"?  All too frequently, I'm afraid… I'm terribly predictable…

Maple and related characters and concepts created by © jayrnski Joseph Lithius and related characters and concepts created by and © Jo Li

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    What’s up, gang?  It’s time for another tale of me getting myself into trouble.

    For those who are new here, my name is Joseph Lithius.  I’m a male, American red fox… but the “red” parts of me are actually olive-gold.  Blame my parents, heh heh.  I’m pretty average all around – average weight, average height – and I have very poor eyesight without my glasses.  Why am I telling you all this?  Well, like I said… if it’s your first time here, you’re not gonna know who the heck I am, so…

    Anyway, it was fall, I think, pushing toward winter.  Normally, I would have been lazing about in my apartment somewhere in the midwestern United States.  However, something had gotten into me, that particular season, and I decided to do some traveling.  I headed north to Canada.  Yeah, I don’t know why, either.  I guess I just wanted to get away.     In any case, I’d been spending a lot of time in Ontario, seeing the sights of the cities there.  Mississauga, Kingston, Ottawa, Windsor…  London.  Yes, there’s a “London” in Ontario.  Toronto is there, too.  I love Toronto!  However, I was getting tired of the concrete jungles.  It was time for me to see one of the biggest attractions that Ontario had to offer – the thing that I recall from the song about “the little blackfly”.  That’s right…  I decided to go pathfinding up to North Ontario-io, to North Ontario!  Specifically, I wanted to roam through the boreal forest!

    “What’s a boreal forest?”  I… don’t really know.  I just know the woodlands of Canada are freaking massive and that there was a lot to see before I even got to the woods.      Beautiful fields of grass and wheat, growing wild and waving in the wind…  Small bodies of water – swamps or sumps, maybe?  Distant mountains and hills…  Uh…  Well, okay, that was about it, actually.  S-still, it was very pretty!  But, again, that wasn’t the focus.

    I parked my rental car near a natural path leading into a wooded area, eager to get lost in the trees.  As I headed out, though, I noticed something – or rather, I felt something.  It kind of felt like I was being watched…     Must be the wildlife, I told myself.     Pausing, I pulled out my smartphone and opened a navigational map.  I just wanted to set a waypoint before I did any exploring – ya know, just in case I got lost for real.  I also took note of where my car was – which, according to my compass app and the map app, was parked to the southwest of the forest I’d planned to explore.  With that sorted, I grabbed my backpack of supplies and headed into the woods.

    As one might expect from a heavily forested area, it was dense with trees.  Very beautiful trees!  I’m not sure what kind of trees, though.  Some were prickly like pines.  Some had fluffy leaves.  And of course, there were more than a few plain ol’ maple trees.  The leaves were already turning red, on those.  It was quite lovely.

    I walked farther and farther into the forest, pausing to take a drink when I got thirsty.  The more I headed in, the darker it seemed to get.  Understandable, considering the forest canopy was so darn thick.  That didn’t stop me from walking onward, though.  I was having fun and had no intention of stopping my journey!

    So, I’m not sure how much time had passed since I’d entered the woods.  Well, wait…  That’s a lie.  I was regularly checking my watch.  If I remember right, I think I was about two hours in when I felt my stomach rumble.  Looking around, I noticed a fallen tree near a creek and decided to sit down for lunch.  And by “lunch”… I mean a granola bar.     “This’ll have to do…” I said, cursing my lack of preparation.  I really could’ve done with a sandwich or something…     I sat on the log, looking around as I chewed on a granola bar.  The place was very serene, what with the softly-flowing water and slight breeze.  Plus, my snack bar had oats and a little bit of carob in it, which made for an enjoyable– hey, don’t judge.  Carob is pretty good!  But yeah, I was enjoying myself, looking around and taking in the pretty scenery, when all of a sudden…     “Hiya!”     “Glarghph–!!”     I fell off the log, startled.

    I thought I heard a “bleat” of some kind as I tumbled.  When I looked up, I noticed a bright, cheerful face looking back at me.     “O-oops…?”     It was the face of… a caribou?     “Uh…”     That was about all I had to say as I looked them over.

    From what I could tell, the caribou was a small thing.  They had creamy, orange fur with a tan-colored face and inner ears.  They also had brown ear-tips and little horns with two points each.  Curiously, they were dressed rather nicely for wandering in the woods.  They had a blue, button-up, “buffalo plaid” shirt with a matching, cyan necktie… and a pleated skirt that was navy in color.  I couldn’t see anything else of note, though they did seem to be blushing at me and smiling nervously, staying tilted overhead and watching me.  Why?  No idea.

    “Are you okay, Fluffy Fox?” they asked in a cute, feminine voice.     “Yeah?” I said, taking another bite of my granola bar as I lay there, nonplussed.     “Oh, good…!”     My head tilted.  The caribou… girl?  I’m gonna say she was a girl.  The caribou girl carefully knelt before brushing her skirt down.  She was still smiling and blushing.     “I’m ‘Maple’!” she energetically told me.  “I’m a Canadian reindeer!”     “Uh… okay?”     “What’s your name, Friend Fox?”     She seemed pretty happy to meet me.  I wasn’t exactly unhappy, myself…  She seemed nice enough.     “I’m Joseph,” I told her.     “Nice to meet you!”

    She offered her hand.  I gave her an odd look…  We weren’t really at a good angle for shaking hands…     “Oh, that…  W-wait, no, I’ve got this!”     Something she noted pretty quickly, I might add.

    I watched Maple crawl over to my side.  Wait, why was she crawling?  She could’ve just stood…  Regardless, once she was sitting directly to my left, she smiled and offered her hand, again.  I accepted, giving it a shake.  Her mouth opened and she made a happy sort of noise.  I smiled, too.

    “So, what brings you out to the woods?” she asked after our handshake.     “Boredom, mostly,” I told her.  When she cocked her head, I clarified, “I wanted to get away from the city, so I headed up here to the north.”     Her head went the other way.  “‘North’?”     “Yeah.”  I nodded, taking another bite of my granola bar.  “I live in the United States.”     “You’re on vacation?”     “Yep.”     “Well, then… welcome to Canada, eh?”     The girl covered her mouth and merrily giggled.  She was being silly.     “Surprisingly,” I told her, “not many people seem to talk like that, up here.”     “Have you met any French Canadians, yet?”     What a random question.     “If I have,” I answered, “I’m not aware.”     She nodded a couple of times.  There were no follow-up questions, oddly.

    “What about you, Maple?”     “Eeehh…?!”     Her face warmed, her blush brightening.  I guess I’d taken her by surprise.     “Wh-wh-what about me, new friend…?” she asked, getting worked up.  She was still smiling, but she seemed way more excited than necessary, wiggling and everything…     “I was just wondering what brings you out into the woods,” I said.     “O-oh…!”     She calmed down, her smile relaxing.     “I like the woods!” she told me.     I watched as she pulled her legs up and hugged them.  I kept my focus on her face.

    “It’s nice to come out here and get away from the crazy stuff…” she continued in a softer voice.  “Don’t have to worry about traffic or taxes out here, and the air’s actually breathable!”     I definitely agreed with that.  The air was really clean in the Canadian wilderness.     “I wonder if they sell Canadian air in the gift shops, up here…?” I asked.     She blinked at me… then she laughed out loud.     “Oh, Friend Joseph…”     And then…     “You’re so funny!”     She leaned down and… started rubbing her horns against my arm.

    I blushed a little, watching Maple’s horns rub against my jacket’s sleeve.  I blushed a little harder when she settled lower and started using those horns on my head.  It was only when she started touching me with her hands that I decided to say something.     “Maple?”     She bleated, slightly, before jerking back, sitting up, and giving me a wide-eyed stare.     “Y-y-y-yes, friend…?”     There was a mix of surprise and worry on her smiling face… like she knew what she was doing was “weird”.     “What’s with the horn rubs?  Do caribou normally rub their horns against stuff?”     Her face relaxed before she gave a confused look.     “I’m a reindeer, fluffy fox!” she explained, her smile returning.  “I told you, right?”     “S-sorry.”     “It’s okay!”  She giggled, smiling brighter.  “I forget things, too!”     I chuckled, my tail wagging slightly.  And that…     “F… fluffy…”     Seemed to get her attention.

    I blushed again.  The girl was suddenly cuddling my tail, petting it with one hand and rubbing her horns into my fur.  When I sighed, she stopped… but she didn’t pull away from my tail.  Instead, she just looked at me.  Inquisitively.     “Proceed.”     Her face lit up as I gave my go-ahead.     As I let her snuggle, nuzzle, and rub her face and horns all over my tail, I chuckled to myself.  I was pretty sure I’d be smelling my deer for a week after, but it was okay.  She was just so friendly and… honestly?  I kind of liked the attention.  It wasn’t often I had such a cute critter being so cuddly with me.

    “So, the horn thing…”

    It had been about five minutes since she began.  I’d finished my granola bar and washed it down with some terrible-tasting bottled water.  When I spoke, again, she stopped everything and stared at me with a small, curious bleat.

    “Do all reindeer rub their horns on things?” I repeated from before.     “I dunno!” she answered before giving my tail another horn rub.     “Really?”     “Really!” she giggled.     “Oh.”     There was a pause, during which she rubbed her face into my tail, again.     “Are you normally this affectionate with people?” was my next question.     Again, she paused.  However…     “Is… is it okay?”     She looked worried.  She was also blushing more, again.

    “You’re fine,” I told her with a smile.  “Just don’t be surprised if I start returning some–”     The girl made another loud “reindeer” noise… before pouncing on me!     “I’d love that!” she exclaimed, pinning me to the ground as she snuggled in.  She was rubbing her face against my chest and I could feel her horns poking my head.     “You… would?”     “Oh, yes!” she confirmed.  “I love getting hugs and pets and pats from nice people!”     I blushed pretty hard when I heard that.     “Um… well… if you let me up…”     Once again, she bleated in surprise and jerked back like she’d done something wrong.     “I-I-I’m sorry, Joseph!” she cried.  “P-please, don’t be upset with me!”     I finally sat up and got myself into a better position.  Not long after, she uttered another surprised bleat… then she snuggled into me.  I’d pulled her into a hug.

    “O-oh, Friend Joseph…” she cooed, basking in the attention I was giving her.     I chuckled, stroking her plush head-fur.  “You’re so cute, Maple…”     She made the most precious sort of noise… almost like a cross between a squeak and a purr.  A second after, she got a bit closer, sort of scooting into my lap.     “Maple?”     She was smiling a bright, cheerful smile, her pretty, green eyes staring into my gold ones.     “Soft friend…” she whispered, her eyes closing and face content.     I blushed again as she threw her arms around my shoulders and hugged me tightly.  I smiled, then returned the hug.  When she started rubbing her cheek against mine, I reciprocated.  When I started purring, though… she pulled back and gave me an odd look.     “What was that?” she asked, looking me up and down.     “What was what?” I asked, my arms still on her sides.     “I heard a funny sound!” she cried.  “Did you make that funny, rumbly sound?”     “What?  Oh, you mean this?”     I purred again… and her face lit up.     “Kitty…!!”     And she practically tackled me against the log, knocking the wind out of me.

    I panted, catching my breath as she rubbed her face against my chest and horns against my face for a second time.  Despite her horns nearly scratching my glasses, I was still smiling.  Maple was ridiculously adorable.  I was happy to have her there and even happier she was letting me share in her affections.  She was such a sweet thing…

    Eventually, Maple sat back up and started rubbing faces with me, again.  I was more than happy to return the favor.  Her arms clung to my shoulders and my hands stroked her head and back.  When my hand went a little lower and brushed against her tail… she tensed up.  Without a word, she scooted even closer in and rubbed her cheek against my ear.  Was… she telling me to keep going?  I tried stroking her little, wiggling tail… but she gave a sudden, loud bleat and scramble off of me, hiding behind the log.     “Maple?”     Only to pop back up and hug me from behind.

    “Oh, gosh…” she nervously whispered.  “I… no one really…”     Once again, she rubbed faces with me.     “Fr-Friend Joseph, I… I’m sorry about that!” she cried.  “I thought: ‘fair’s fair!’ and figured I’d let you play with my tail for a while!  B-but…”     She shivered.     “Oh, gosh…  Oh, golly gosh…”     I blushed when, suddenly, she kissed my cheek.     “Fluffy Joseph, I… I’m so sorry if I scared you!  I guess… my tail… is…”     She didn’t seem too eager to finish that thought.     “Off-limits?” I guessed.     She gave a squeaky noise before hugging me even tighter.  Honestly… she was kind of… making it hard to breathe…?     “I-I-I n-never said…!” she skittishly began.     “I-it’s okay, Maple!” I wheezed.  “I-if you don’t want your tail touched–”     “N-no, I… I want you to touch my tail!”     She let go of me and I gasped.  I looked behind me, then, and noticed… Maple was covering her mouth with one hand and blushing harder than ever.     “I’m… sorry?” I pressed, raising an eyebrow.     “I…”  She hesitated, looking away.  “I want you to touch my tail…”     “You want me to touch your tail?”     She nodded, her confidence slowly coming back.     “P-please!  I want you to touch my tail!” she repeated, her voice back to being chipper.  “Um… i-if you want to!”     “Um… okay.”  I nodded.  “Do you want me to get up, or–?”     She made another deer noise before hopping over the log and back into my lap.  Oof.  Glad she was so light…  Just like before, she cuddled in and hugged me – though her arms were under mine and her head was pressed against my chest.  One of her little horns was poking my throat, too…

    “You can… please, t-touch my tail… i-if you want to?”     Once again, she made that offer.  I noticed that her fluffy little tail was flicking like crazy, too.  I ducked away from the horn against my throat and took a soft breath.     “You sure?”     She nodded with excitement.     “G-go nuts!” she encouraged with a giggle.  “T-touch my tail!”     “If you’re sure…”     “Touch it, please!” she added with more confidence.     “Okay…”

    Slowly, one of my brown-furred hands reached around.  I stroked my way down her soft shirt, pausing as I found her lower back.  She was practically vibrating and her tail was going this way and that.  I hesitated for a bit longer… then I ran my hand over the top of her tail.     “Auuhhh…”     The sound she made as I stroked her tail drew a heavy, hard blush from me.  It wasn’t a squeak… wasn’t a bleat…  It was a way-too-soft, breathy sort of sigh… right in my ear.

    After the initial touch, Maple settled, tucking her head back under my chin.  She seemed ready for more, but I was extremely skittish about doing any more petting of that particular part of her anatomy.  I was by no means prepared for that little reindeer to make more noises like… like the one she’d made, the first time!  Still… I… I was kind of curious.  So… I gave her tail another testing stroke…     “Mmm…”     And she melted against me with a soft sigh.

    I relaxed – as did she – as I continued to gently pet her tail.  I guess that first noise had been a fluke… probably caused by a mix of overexcitement and nervous energy.  It seemed like Maple was just enjoying the gentle motions of an affectionate tail-petting… you know, instead of… like… “really enjoying it”.  Y-yeah… that… that’s where my mind went.  Sorry.     In any case, after about a minute of letting me paw at her tail, she started back in with cuddles and nuzzles, brushing her face against my chest and her horns against my muzzle.  Once or twice, she sat up and rubbed her nose against my face, which made me smile and blush a little.  She stayed sitting up when I started nuzzling back, clearly enjoying the attention.  When I purred again, though, she sat back down and put her ear against my rumbling chest.  I took the opportunity to stroke her other ear and she sighed again.

    “Oh, Friend Joseph…”     The girl leaned back after a while, looking at me with relaxed eyes and a soft smile.  Her face was a little red, like always, and she looked much calmer than before.     “You made me all loosey-goosey!”     At least until she made herself giggle, again.     “This is nice…” she whispered, settling into me.  “I’m glad I got lost, now…”     “Yeah…” I whispered back… before I jolted.  “Wait, what?”     She cuddled me a little.  “Mm… I said this is nice…”     “No, the other thing.”     The reindeer giggled… then she sighed.     “I get lost in the woods aaall the time, Fluffy Joseph,” she admitted like it was nothing important.  “I practically live here!  I usually find my way back when I smell something yummy… like fresh-cooked pancakes with lots of syrup…!”     I felt her clutch my jacket.  I also heard her stomach rumble.     “I haven’t eaten in daaays…”     I blanched.  “You’re starving…?!”     “What?!”     She jerked back, wide-eyed.     “What, no!”  She rapidly shook her head.  “I’m not starving!  I just haven’t had any pancakes in a few days!”     She bounced on my lap, making me grunt and blush.     “I want some pancakes sooo bad!” was the next thing she told me.  “They’re sooo good!”     “W-well… um… if you want…?”     Her eyes lit up like a Christmas tree.  Clearly, I had said the magic words.

    “You’ll give me pancakes?!” she cried, starry-eyed and wiggling.     “I-I mean… if you want?”     She inhaled.  But then, oddly…     “Actually…”     She calmed back down.  Then, she settled back down.     “Can we stay like this for a little longer?  P-please?”     Her arms slid around my middle and she tucked her head under my chin – being careful of her horns, thankfully.  I gently draped my arms down her back in response and she happily sighed, cuddling closer.     “Thank you…”

    I breathed long, slow breaths as the two of us sat in that wooded way.  We could hear birds softly chirping and the quiet babbling of the creek near us…  We could hear the rustling of the leaves on the trees and the shifting of the grass as the breeze found its way into the area…  I could hear her soft breath as she stayed contently curled against my body and I’m sure she could hear my heart quietly bumping out its slow rhythm.  Everything just felt so… mellow.  So, of course… I had to screw it up by being me.

    Maple jolted slightly, whipping back and looking at me in surprise.  I’d only nuzzled her horns, but I guess she wasn’t expecting it.     “Friend…?” she whispered.     “Sorry…” I whispered back.  “I guess I’m still–”     I blushed, opening my sleepy eyes wider.     “Bop!”     Maple had brought her hand up and lightly popped me on the nose.  So…     “Boop.”     I gave her nose a poke.  That got her goin’.     “You’re so silly!” she giggled, covering her mouth.  “A silly, fluffy fox friend!”     “That’s me, alright,” I agreed with a chuckle.  “Silly as can be.”     She hummed, offering a warm smile.     “More nuzzle-wuzzles?  If you want?” she offered.     “I’d love to.”     Once again, her face lit up.  She was quick to curl back into me from there.  Then, I wasted no time in nuzzling that cute li’l reindeer with all my might.

    My nose ran around her horns – which were covered in a soft fuzz, I noticed – then I nuzzled the back of one of her cute little ears.  She made the cutest murmurs before she started nuzzling me, in return.  Soon enough, we ended up brushing our cheeks together, again.  I added lots of hugs and strokes, and she returned the favor.  When I purred, she growled a happy deer noise.  When I bumped my nose into hers, she tapped her hand against my cheek.  When our cheeks rubbed together one more time, she squirmed and snuggled me a little tighter.  Then, when I gave her a little nibble…     “Ack…!”     She froze.

[jolienjoyswriting]

The Maiden in the Mist (ft. Riku (the-minuscule-task), Ch. IV

Chapter 4 of 4 for "The Maiden in the Mist," a fan fiction story.

In the morning after a peaceful slumber, the ryū and kitsune discuss the future of their newfound relationship.

Word count: 2,620 – Character count: 15,228 Drafted: April 5th, 2023 Revised: April 6th, 2023 –

“Everybody wants a big dragon wife. uwu”     – the-miniscule-task

The more I wrote in this story, the more I found myself in full agreement with these words.  I… haven't fallen for a character so hard since jayrnski's Maple.  I guess… that's just my preference; I really like sweet, cute, innocent girls.  And, honestly?  While I'm not sure who's sweeter or more innocent between Riku and Maple, I do know that when I wrote this story… I was completely head-over-heels for the big, cuddly ryuusei waifu~ (Yes, I'm still aware that means "shooting star", not "nature dragon" or something.)

Riku and related characters and concepts created by and © the-minuscule-task Joseph Lithius and related characters and concepts created by and © Jo Li

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    "Mm…  Mmmmm…"

    My body moved and I felt short of breath.  Consciousness was coming back to me, slowly but surely.  My eyes fluttered a little… then they focused on something… green.  I tried to talk, but my mouth wouldn't cooperate.  I squirmed a little and found that I couldn't move very much.  Eventually, I started to realize… I was bound on the spot and my mouth – or rather, my lips – were being used.  By the time I'd fully understood what was going on, all the things locking me in place were released all at once.

    "Yozefu-san!"     I blinked several times in a row.  A familiar, green set of eyes was looking at me.     "Yozefuuu…"     And they were wet…

    "Oh…  H-hey, Riku," I whispered as I stretched.  "What's up?"     Riku, the lizard… dragon… uh… the cute thing from the hot spring was leaning on her arm next to me.  She looked ecstatic, beaming at me and half-crying.  As I looked around, I noticed that… we were still in that room at the hot spring.  That kind of made sense.     "I fell asleep…" I commented, sitting up.  "What time is it?"     I looked around for my phone… only for Riku to turn my head back her way.  She leaned in and offered a hard smooch before drawing back.  It was enough to get me blushing…     "W-well," I said with a nervous smile, "someone's affectionate this… morning?"     I looked toward the nearby window.  Yep.  It was morning…     "God… I don't know how people in Oedo did it…" I said, popping some joints as I stretched more.  "These straw mats are brutal on the back…"     I sighed, then I smiled.     "So?" I asked, gesturing to her.  "What's up?"     Riku looked like she was bursting at the seams to tell me something.  I'm pretty sure she'd been waiting for me to stop talking and pay attention…  I felt a little bad about that.

    "Yū sutēitto uisu mī!" she said with the usual amount of Engrish.  "Sankku yū…"     She gently stroked my cheek and looked at me with enough warmth to melt even the coldest of winters…     "Ai rāvvu yū, Yozefu…"     My brain hadn't quite caught up to what she was trying to tell me.  Something about staying with her?  As she leaned in and gave me another kiss, though, my brain finally translated her words.  And… I pulled away.     "Riku…?"  I stared, wide-eyed and red-faced.  "W-wait…  What do you–"     I paused, then I grabbed my phone.     "What do you mean you love me?" I had it ask in Japanese.     "Mm!"     Riku reached over… and drew a little heart over my heart.     "Rāvvu!" she exclaimed, beaming with pride.  Oh, crap…

    "Riku!" I cried.  "Hold the phone– I mean put on the breaks– ah…  Chottomatte!"     "Eeehh?"  The girl flinched, looking like I'd just struck her.  "Yozefu-san…?"     She smiled again… but tears were starting to build in her eyes.     "Rikaidekinai…  A-anata mo watashi o aishite i… iru to omoimashita ka?  Otagai-sukinara… d-dō shita no?"     I didn't know what she was saying.  I never did.  But I didn't need to.  She was huffing and trying desperately to keep from breaking into loud sobs.  I hated making her cry…     "No…" I whispered, reaching up and stroking her cheek.  "I…"     She closed her eyes, immediately calming as she leaned into my hand.  God… how could I deny such a warm, sweet, sensitive girl like her…?

    "Marry me."

    Riku's eyes slowly opened and she looked at me like a confused child might.  She was still leaning into my hand and her tears had calmed, but something was still wrong.  When my phone translated those two words into Japanese for her… she didn't seem to process them.  Then, without warning…     "Eh?  Eeehh…?  Eeeeehhh…?!"     She whipped back and looked at me like I'd gone insane!

    Okay, so… I don't exactly know how to transcribe what she said at that point…  It was… a lot of syllables.  I'm sure there were some whole words in there, too.  I'm just not entirely sure she was saying anything coherent.  She was in a full-blown panic!  Apparently… I'd… misunderstood her.  Like… severely.  And the worst part?  I'd only "proposed" to her as a joke…

    "Riku!  Riku, calm down–"     "Chottomatte, Yozefu!  Watashi wa anata–"     "I didn't mean– I was only–"     "Kekkon shitakunai!!  Wa-wa-watashitachiha otagai–"     "I-I'm sorry!!  I'm sorry… I…"     Riku was going to say something else, I'm sure.  When she saw me break down crying, though…     "Yozefu-san…?"     She snapped out of her panic… and went into full "comfort mode".

    I sniffled and shivered as she pulled me into her arms, rocking me and singing some Japanese… lullaby, maybe?  Whatever it was, it was the sweetest thing I'd heard in a long time… and it helped me stop panicking.  Heh.  I guess she just had that effect on me.  And I clearly had that effect on her…

    "Rāvvu…"

    Once we were both pretty sure I was calm, I leaned back and looked at her.  She spoke again, but in a softer voice than normal.

    "Rāvvu…" she almost whispered, holding up her hands in a heart shape.     "L… love…" I answered, returning the gesture.     "Dokidoki…" she continued, moving her hands forward and back like a heartbeat.     "Bump-bump…" I replied, doing the same.     "Suriru…"     "Um… 'thrill'?"  I wasn't sure about that one.     She nodded.  Then, she brought a hand up and gently poked in the middle of where my curled hands rested.     "Rāvvu yū, Yozefu…"     "I… I love you, too?"  I was starting to get confused, again.  What was she getting at…?     The dragon girl held a finger up.  She said a bunch of stuff into her phone.  Then, I listened as it played back in English…

    "There are many kinds of love in this world.  Conjugal love.  I love dogs and flying discs.  Love between friends.  Joseph, I love you as a friend.  You have come very close to me in a very short time and in a very meaningful way.  I hope we can get married someday.  Until then, I want to share love like the one we shared.  Cuddle.  I hate tea.  Say you will remain my friend."

    We both sort of… looked at each other.  Then, we looked at the phone.  Mostly in confusion.  Even though Riku's knowledge of English was about as limited as my knowledge of Japanese, she was pretty sure that a lot of what she said got lost in that translation.  Instead of trying again, though, she just sighed and tried something different.

    "Rāvvu yū, Yozefu," she repeated.  "Kawaii kitsune furīenddo!  Etooo…"     She paused, looking down as she desperately tried to "convert" words in her head.     "Hāguzu!" she chirped.  "Kishizu!  Dakishimeru…"     She gestured to me as she spoke.  First, she wrapped her arms around the air, squeezing.  Then, she brought a hand up and blew a kiss.  Lastly, she laid down and seemingly nuzzled the straw mat, scooting closer to some… thing?  I didn't get it, at first…  But, then…     "Riku…?"     She sat back up.  When she saw me smile, she smiled, too.

    "'Love'… 'friend'?" I asked.  She nodded, so I then asked, "You love me as a friend?"     Yes.  I know.  The phone had said that clearly.  Still… I wanted to confirm it.     She sort of understood what I was saying.  There was a look of confusion, followed by a bright smile… followed by another confused look, and an "Etooo…"     "Riku."     She perked.  When I leaned in and kissed her nose… she giggled, then she pulled me into a hug.  Okay, I think we were on the same page, finally…

    "So, I guess sex is off the table for now?"     I made sure my translator was off before I made my dumb joke.  However…     "Dainamaitto Sekkushī, ban-ban."     I had to stifle a swear.  She'd whispered to me, then she very gently kissed the base of my ear.  She was teasing me!  Luckily for us both, she stopped almost immediately and giggled.

    "Hey, uh…"  I turned my translator back on and asked, "Please don't be upset, but when I asked you to marry me, I was only kidding."     "Mm…"  She softly nodded, giving me a thumbs-up and a wink.  "Nō purobaremu!"     She brightly smiled at me.  What a relief…     "Also…"  I paused before asking, "Did you understand the last thing I said?"     "What you said when I replied, 'Dynamite sexy, bang-bang'?" she answered through her own translator.     I nodded.  "Yeah."     "I heard…" she began, her translation app skipping the word "sekkusu" for some reason, "but I didn't understand.  Was it important?"     I paused…  "Can I ask you something personal?"     She blushed, but she nodded.     "Why did you offer your body to me at the hot spring?"     I'm… not sure my translator did its job correctly.  Riku tilted her head as if processing what it said that I said.  After a few seconds, she talked into her phone and it translated.     "What does 'offering my body' mean?"     "You… seemed like you wanted to have sex after you checked to see if I was okay.  But, you seemed apprehensive, too…  Were you just being nice?"     The girl deeply blushed before the second thought got translated.  Apparently, the translation had worked that time.     "Etooo…"  She bit her lower lip.     "You don't have to tell–"     My translator tried to process that as she cut me off.     "I wanted to have sex," her translator told me as she uncomfortably shrank, "but I was scared.  We were strangers, but you seemed nice.  If you had tried… I would have let you…"     I felt a little tense.  There was a question I wanted to ask… but I wasn't sure I should.     "Did you want to have sex right now?"     I blushed as she suddenly asked the question for me, instead.  Well… not verbatim.  Her translator didn't relay the inflections, stammers, squeaks, or pauses very well.  Regardless, it still made me blush and fold my ears.     "Did you want to have sex?" I asked through my translator.     She shivered, blushing and looking… uncomfortable.     She whispered something that translated to: "U-um… if– if you want me to?"     Yep.  That was all I needed to make a decision.

    "E-eto– ch-chottomatte…!  Ah– mm…"

    I scooted over and knelt beside the girl, wrapping my arms around her shoulders and hugging her.  As I nuzzled her cheek, she changed from a nervous wreck into a warm, dragon-shaped kind of putty, heavily leaning into me and closing her eyes.  We were still tense, no doubt, but I think she appreciated the fact that I didn't want to just… use her like that.  What worried me, though, was the fact that she wasn't trying to cuddle back…     "Are you okay?"     She softly nodded in response to my translator.     "Do you want some water?"     She nodded again and I got up.  When I came back with a full teapot of cool water, she gently accepted it and put her lips to the spout, taking small sips.     "I'm sorry for upsetting you…" I whispered.     My phone picked it up despite my quiet tone, then Riku looked at me.     "Yozefu-kun?"  She looked… hopeful.  "Kissu me?"     I smiled.  "Okay."     The girl set her teapot down and turned to face me.  When I leaned in to kiss her… she pulled me in tight!  I blushed hard as she wrapped her entire snout around my muzzle and held me in place.  Was she going to tongue-kiss me…?!  I got my answer almost immediately… as she blew into my mouth.  Hard.

    As I jerked away, sputtering and coughing, she just laughed and laughed…  Eventually, I started to smile, then I laughed a little.     "Well, now I can tell people you blew me…" I joked.     "Sate," my cell phone repeated in Japanese, "ima dewa anata ga watashi o fukitobashita koto o hitobito ni tsutaeru koto ga dekimasu."     My ears fell.  "God damn it…"  Luckily…     "Yū burō mai mainddo, bēbī!"     Riku just winked and fired "finger guns" at me before giggling.  Apparently, my app had translated that sentence as something like "you blow me away".  We both laughed, then, as my phone picked up her Engrish and tried to translate it into Japanese.  I had no idea how close it was, but again… she seemed amused.

    "Anyway…" I began anew, "I really like you, Riku."     She smiled as my phone translated for me.  "I like you, too, Joseph!" her phone helpfully answered.     "I'd like to spend more time with you… if– if that's okay?"     She blushed and squirmed when my phone finished.  Then, she nodded.     "Kissu?"     Her face brightened and she smiled.  "Kissu!"     I leaned in again before telling her, "No burō."     "No burō!" she giggled.     I smiled, then I scooted closer.  We held each other close as she shared another long kiss…  God, she was good at kissing.

    "Mm…"     I blushed, my ears flicking as the kiss ended.     "Reddoroketto?"     "Wh-what?"     Riku giggled and tried to hide her face… but she asked again, "R… reddoroketto?"     Oh… my god.  Was she… was she asking if…?  I shyly nodded… and she squirmed, giggling.  Then, she leaned over, whispering something in my ear that I'm not quite sure I heard correctly.  Unless I'm wrong, though… I swear… swear… she whispered in her cutest voice… "Hoonī foo yuū, bēbī…"     I… I froze.  When she noticed me freeze, though, she gently placed her hands on my cheeks and leaned in, softly rubbing noses with me.     "Riku wa bakada…  Rāvvu yū, Yozefu…" she said.  She grinned, then, leaning back and opening her arms their full length apart.  "Ai rāvvu yū chiiiiisu māchu!!"     I couldn't take it.  I immediately burst into laughter!  When she did, too, we both fell over and continued laughing for a while.  She could be so damn cute…

    "Man… I never thought I could have this much fun with someone I don't understand…"     "Nani o itta no ka wakarimasenga, totemo umakatta ni chigai arimasen!"     "Same…"     We chuckled as we cuddled a little more, just happy to be there with one another.  It didn't matter that we couldn't properly communicate.  Friendship was something that went beyond the boundaries of things like language.  So long as we could look into each other's eyes… so long as we could touch each other's arms… so long as we could be open, honest, and sometimes even affectionate… I'm pretty sure we understood each other perfectly.  That's… probably why we never did end up having sex.  I know…  That's probably really disappointing – especially after all the build-up and tension.  But you know what?  Sometimes, it's nice to have just made a friend.  Especially one that's as amazing as her…

    Riku apologized on the morning that I was heading back to the States.  She apologized… like… a lot.  She begged forgiveness in two languages, even!  It wasn't necessary, though…  I understood… dragon or not… she just… wasn't comfortable in big towns.  She was amazing, though…  Not just because she might've been a magical creature thought to be extinct or because she was so tall and beautiful… but because she was honest.  Because she was pure.  And… because she loved unconditionally.     "Dorīmu avvu me, bēbī?" she asked, only half-serious.  She could tell how sad I was…     "I'll dream of you every night, Riku…" I answered, unable to stop myself from crying.     "Rāvvu yū tsū, Yozefu…" she whispered back, pressing her forehead to mine.     "Love you, too, Riku…"  I hated making her cry…

    I left Kurama Village feeling morose.  I managed to avoid crying on the plane as I remembered the almost two weeks I'd spent with that warm, beautiful lady… visiting springs, shines, and small villages as we got to know each other.  It hurt, knowing I wouldn't be able to see her again until my next vacation.  But, well… as the universal saying goes…

    "Shouganai"…

[eukaryoticprokaryote]

Maple Syrup DTIYS Level 2

As a reminder, I decided to do my first ever DTIYS.  This is based off of https://www.instagram.com/p/CQt34mvJoNe/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link The character, Maple is a Canadian Reindeer (who belongs to @jaynski (https://www.instagram.com/jayrnski/)). So, after drawing the first DTIYS, I decided, "What the hell?  The original artist said it was OK to put Maple in different clothes, and so I did.  I PUT THEM IN ALL THE CLOTHES!" In all seriousness, I decided to have a bit of fun and designed a beautiful outfit for Maple to wear...apparently in sub-zero temperature in powdery snow.  Actually, my thought was to take Maple's color scheme and translate it over into an outfit I might design.  And while I had fun, Maple's another story.  They look like they're not so sure of all of this.  Maybe if I give them pancakes afterwards, all will be forgiven. (In reality, I modeled this piece after Maple's leftmost pose in the second slide of the Instagram post). And now, I am going to bed, because I was up until at least 4am yesterday, and 3am today working on both images.  I hope that I didn't go overboard with the liberties that I took with this characters' clothes. Comments and critiques, as always, are welcome!

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