Maki's cheeks were flushed with warmth, her gaze shifty as she hid amongst the Willows. She was far away enough from home, surely? She sucked in a deep breath, scenting the air with his mismatched nose, checking then double-checking to make sure Delphi hadn't followed. That no one in general was lurking around. With the world as vast as it was, you'd be surprised how hard it was to find...privacy, she always found company in the most unexpected places. And usually that was a good thing, she liked people, even if she was sometimes kinda awkward and cringe.

But now?

Oh ho ho. She'd brought along her little collection of scrawled notes, ideas that had popped into her head and she was determined to compile them together into one story. So many troupes, a lot of them were contradictory and wouldn't mush together well, but her mind was made. Her creative vision floating about in her mind, ready for a spill of words to tumble from her lips. Maki got comfortable against one of the willow trees, back resting against it, tail curled around her back thigh. Her poor little rat scribe looked less than thrilled, but the scraps Maki gave were pretty good....

"Ahem. Where did we get to?" The rat patted at the notepad and Maki skim read the part of the story they'd left things off at. Ugh, he was so dreamy sometimes she just couldn't, got flustered just thinking about her stories, let alone putting it into words. "You remember yeah, write everything I say!" her scowl wasn't very threatening, all it earned was an eye roll for the rat. "Deron's muscles rippled with desire, his gaze so darkly intense Ebony couldn't help but feel intimidated. He was so strong and masculine, so dangerous and yet she wanted nothing more than to fall into his embrace. He- he stepped up behind her, chin resting on the shaply curve of her back, her form petite and slim yet she had such a temptingly curvy rump. They shouldn't...she wouldn't allow him this close and yet...   "

Oh gosh, her cheeks felt like they were about to burst into flames.

Redrum padded silently through the willows, intent on making his way through in search of prey until his nares caught the scent of something unfamiliar – stealing his attention away. It wasn’t entirely foreign a fragrance, suggesting one that he’d smelled mingled on another wolf’s fur before. Intrigued, Redrum followed the scent until he came upon a clearing where a girl sat beneath the willow trees. Not the best hiding place ever, he would know.

Redrum watched from the shadows, curious about the girl and the strange ritual she was performing. He listened as her voice filled the air, her words painting vivid images he could scarcely understand. Brows furrowed, the boy crept closer, eventually coming out into the open as he cautiously prowled up behind her. She seemed to be speaking in tongues? No, she had parchment at hand. Reading? Despite himself, Redrum found his curiosity piqued as she stumbled over her words, seeming to be unsettled? He didn’t know what all the words she was using meant in tandem with the others.

Instead of letting her go on when he was already as lost as a mole above ground during the daytime, he leaned over her shoulder and spoke. “Why– shouldn’t they— be close?” His tone was soft, trying not to scare the girl. His golden eyes bore into her searching for answers to the questions that lingered in his mind. Why was a butt tempting? That’s where poop came from.

""

"Grah!" Maki startled, near tripping over her own paws as she whipped around.  Mismatched eyes wide, not with anger or anything quite so vicious, but her embarrassment was apparent. His question was an innocent one, overly innocent and she stumbled, it took a few false starts for her to actually be able to speak, you know like a normal person. "Well ah- er, you see- herm."

She cleared her throat, wanting desperately to wax poetics about her character's forbidden romance- eyes practically sparkled with the notion- but at the same time she was terribly embarrassed. Hanky panky was- a topic she skirted around but found herself interested in all the same. Ain't no way she was gonna try and explain it aloud though.

"They ain't supposed to be together," was the reason at the base of it, sort of. "It's jus' a story, I'm kinda...workin' on stuff and it helps to read it aloud, you know? Didn't think no one would be here- not that you ain't welcome or nothin'. I er- I'm Maki. Cool ears."

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Redrum blinked, he was amused by this older girl and that fact showed in his golden eyes as the boy chuckled at her startled reaction. She was embarrassed. It was evident in the stuttering of her words and the sheepish light in her gaze. Her eyes were interesting to look at too. One was pink and the other was black as night. He stared at the line down her face, then flitted his gaze up to her horns, lips twitching as he smiled. She was all extremes. Her explanation confused him, but he listened until she finished talking, plopping his crimson rump down to show he wasn’t going anywhere.

He tilted his head slightly, intrigued by her explanation. “Are– they from different- packs?” He replied, he questioned in his mechanical voice, curiosity coloring his words. “Oh- Redrum is- sorry. For scaring– you.” The boy pawed at the ground, a bit frustrated that he wasn’t totally sure how to go about social… interaction? His mothers parenting book didn’t cover that. As she complimented his ears, Redrum grinned that cheshire grin he’d gotten from his mother, and wiggled his ears with surprising precision. “Thanks!” The vermillion boy said, his wide smile twitching at the corners of his lips. “Red likes– Maki’s horns. And– eyes..?” That was a good thing to say, right?

There was a moment of silence as Redrum glanced around the clearing, making sure there were no threats around before he relaxed some more. The twitching of his muscles eased some with that, though a ripple still coursed through his body every so often. “Maki- can read to– Redrum. To– help?” He offered – curiosity and sincerity lacing his words. Despite his initial confusion, he was eager to hear more about her story.

""

Maki jolted, an overdramatic anime-esque guh passed her lips before she fumbled to correct Redrum.

"Nah! Ya didn't scare me, you ain't scary, well I mean unless you wanted to be? If you scowled real hard and bared your teeth, you'd be real menacing like-" oops a tangent was unravelling on its own accord, time to rein it in. She bonded over and raised a paw to try and pat his shoulder in a well meaning, but awkward there-there gesture. Mostly just so she'd have something to do and not just stand there like an awkward goose.

He mentioned that he'd like to be read to and Maki lit up like the northern lights, ears flicked up so straight and alert, static energy snapped down her spine and ended in her tail, spurring it into a giddy wag. Most folks just put up with Maki and her stories, yanno? No one had ever actually...shown an interest.

"You really mean that well I- ahem. Yeah of course." She tried and failed to play it cool, damn near trusted Redrum with her life. It was kinda hard to hide the flush on the pale side of her face, all that albino skin on show.

Scooting up by the tree, she patted the spot beside her before flopping down onto her rump, then lower to her belly. Might as well get comfortable, since once she started she wouldn't stop.

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Redrum watched Maki with wide eyes, amusement flickering in his golden gaze as she stumbled through her words and gestures. Her exaggerated reaction brought a chuckle to his lips. Her attempt at reassurance with a pat on his shoulder was endearing, albeit awkward. Redrum found himself liking her energy, her earnestness. It was weird, like he was getting swept up in her energy. Then again, his family was all oddballs, and he went with the flow with them too. “Redrum will try– to look scary.” He replied with a mischievous grin, scrunching his face into a mock scowl before breaking into laughter. The tension that had lingered in his muscles eased further, replaced by a growing sense of comfort. She was either really this friendly, or he was still way too naive. He’d checked for threats already, right? A peek over his shoulder eased his worries once again.

Maki's excitement at his request to be read to was infectious. Redrum's ears perked up, mirroring her enthusiasm. He could feel the static energy in the air, and it made him wag his own tail in response. Her genuine reaction made him feel special, like he had discovered something precious. Maybe there was something really amazing in her stories?

He moved to sit beside her, his crimson fur brushing against the cool grass. As Maki flopped onto her belly, he did the same, nestling into a comfortable position. His golden eyes remained fixed on her, waiting with bated breath for the story to begin. This was the first time he’d heard of stories or seen someone write on paper. “Redrum is- ready.” He said, his voice softer now, filled with anticipation.

""

Maki was most pleased by his stern display, her face practically lit up like a firefly lantern, felt like she was near vibrating with giddiness. Her front paws threatened to do tippy-taps she laid there, wholly smitten, staring at him like someone finally seeing the sun again after a horrific winter.

And thus she went into her long spiel, spoke of forbidden romances and warring factions. Oh, so forbidden! Too much at stake to give into love! It was silly and entirely too cliché, full of tropes that she collected like trinkets, unabashed and unashamed at how silly it would all seem if she thought about it without her rose-tinted glasses. But she was happy, tail thudding against the ground the whole while, her words came out in a spill, needed to take a moment to suck in breaths because her sentences ran on and on- any sane wolf would wonder when it was all going to end.

She talked so much her jaw hurt, Red's poor charming ears must have ached too.

"-I'm thinkin' I need to work on a sequel or something. Maybe she has an evil twin or somethin' and she seduces Razor and Ebony catches them in the act and-" Off she went again. Someone stop her. She could ramble till her tongue went numb. "Maybe I should make you a character Red, like some super cool dude, you gimme...warrior vibes, like you could beat the snot outta anyone you wanted!

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Redrum watched Maki, her joy radiating off her like warmth from a fire that he was content to sit by. Her enthusiasm was contagious, and he found himself grinning continuously as she laid out her grand tales. Despite the over-the-top nature of her story, or rather the multitude of them, Redrum couldn't help but be drawn in. Her happiness made it impossible not to listen, even if his ears did start to swivel back from the sheer volume of her words. It was new, it was different. And the boy was different all on his own.

When she finally paused to breathe, Redrum chuckled, his golden eyes shining with amusement. His skill tilted up to the sky above, mulling over his thoughts before he returned to meet her gaze. “Redrum thinks– Maki makes stories- come alive.” He said, his voice softer now, filled with genuine appreciation for this art he had no idea existed. Not that he had any frame of reference, but no two wolves liked the exact same things anyways. It was probably just her demeanor that held his attention overall. “Forbidden- romance... warring factions. Redrum does not fully- understand- but. Sounds like– a wild ride.”

Her idea of a sequel made him raise an eyebrow, the corner of his mouth twitching in a smirk. “Evil twin? And- a twist! Redrum likes twists. Twisting his body- during a hunt- to catch prey.” He said, nodding slowly, trying to follow her runaway train of thought. Her suggestion of making him a character made his ears perk up.

“Redrum– is a warrior.” He echoed, looking down at his twitching paws as if imagining himself in her story. “Redrum can be- strong, fight well. But maybe... Redrum can also- be a friend? A protector?” He suggested, a bit of uncertainty tinting his rumble. “Redrum fights- for what he cares about. And- sometimes... listens, too. Redrum is- not good at- talking though.”

He paused, glancing at Maki with a stumble over his words. “Redrum- likes your- stories. Keep telling- them, Maki. Redrum will listen.” His tail wagged slightly, mirroring her own thudding tail. Part of him worried this new friend would be a fleeting moment, and he had too many of those.

""

Maki basked in his praise, like a lizard belly up in the sun, living its best life. And she was content, she'd made a friend, or at least it felt like she had, all close and connected-as if she'd known him forever. Maki wished she had, it would have been nice to have a friend when Mum had died, then the other left without a word. Like maybe Maki didn't matter to her the same way she thought she had.


"I'd really like to be your friend, Red." And there was no fanfare or dramatic lilt to her admission; not even just cause he was happy to listen to her stories, didn't huff or roll his eyes. Red listened and cared and-her heart was beating a little faster in her chest, like a chunky hummingbird too tubby to fly, but man was he trying and beating those wings as fast as he could!

She definitely seemed to perk up even more-HOW? Girl was practically giddy already-at the mention of him being a protector. Cause yeah! She could see that, all brave and strong, she wished she could fight like that sometimes, most of the spars and dominance matches she got into she'd sort of just…flailed her way to victory. Or defeat.

"Oh oh, I'd feel well safe under your protection, Red! And you're super good at tallkin', the words don't always come out like I want them to but you understand and I feel you, I do. " She sprung to her feet suddenly, tail straight in exclamation. "Like say a bear came runnin' outta the woods you'd be like- stand back Maki I got this! And you'd be like rAGH and hit it so hard it'd go cryin' back to it's Mumma!"