FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

(((Author's note: For the song Hope sings at the beginning of this chapter, you can find it here. (Edit 7/28/16: video isn't available any more. But you can still find the one from toys here.))))

"If I cannot bring you comfort, then at least I bring you Hope."

A familiar voice drifted melodious up the stairs as Dannica made her way down. She'd had enough of using the cane in the house for the week, so it was by the front door, waiting for her and Hope to go out, if they decided to.

"For nothing is more precious than the time we have and so, we all must learn from small misfortune, count the blessings that are real."

The sound of the crackling fire was a pleasant undertone to the music and the smell of woodsmoke hung light in the air, even though she knew that Duke had just had the chimney swept. She remembered all the cursing in trying to look up someone to do just that a few months ago.

Class was out for the holidays, something that lasted from Thanksgiving all the way through past New Year's in this small-ish town. Apparently, according to Miss Robins, her accelerated English teacher, all the teachers had gotten together and decided that trying to get the students to concentrate for the two weeks that the district actually left them between holidays wasn't worth the time, and so the school day had been extended half an hour every day through the year to give the students an extra long holiday break.

That hadn't stopped Hope from getting on her case for the first week, Dannica thought with a grumble. Though she couldn't fault her friend's logic. Now that they were done with all the work their teachers had assigned them, they had another almost four weeks to simply enjoy their time together and they didn't have to do as the other students did and catch up right at the end of break.

"Let the bells ring out for Christmas, at the closing of the year."

The song finished, and Dannica leaned herself up against the arm of one of the chairs in the living room.

"You could have called me," Hope said from what Dannica knew to the be center of the room. Her voice was mildly scolding, but only in her teasing manner.

"I'm better than I've ever been, Hope," Dannica replied. "I've been making it up and down the stairs all by myself for months now."

"I'll let you slide this time," Hope said. The tone in her voice conveyed her ever-present smile.

"You never told me you could sing," Dannica said.

"I always think I sound funny."

"Nonsense. You're gorgeous. I'm going to have to have you start singing to me at night. Your voice is lovely."

She heard the pause in Hope's response before she responded.

"I'd be happy to," she finally said, a completely different tone replacing the first, and Dannica knew that if she had her hands on her friend's face, she'd feel the heat of her blush.

"What are you and Da up to?" Dannica asked, changing the subject.

"We're not up to anything," Hope said, taking Dannica's hand when she arrived at the bottom of the stairs. "Your dad made hot cocoa, the kind with the cinnamon that you like."

Dannica grinned and stepped towards Hope, moving further into the room.. The scent of woodsmoke was heavier here, but it was overlaid with the scent of evergreen and that scent brought an even bigger smile to the little tigress' face.

"You got a real tree!" Dannica squealed, hopping a little from foot to foot.

"I would have gotten one last year," Duke grumbled, "but for some reason they don't allow them in the hospitals. Some stupid fire code or something."

Dannica giggled and followed Hope around the furniture until she felt Hope directing her hand towards something. A moment later, soft needles made contact with her paw and she chuffed, stepping closer to the tree to let both hands touch and explore.

"Well, we were all there for some kind of burn, Da," Dannica said, distracted by the feeling of the tree beneath her hands. "I guess they didn't want to risk lighting the place on fire and making everyone worse."

"There is that," Duke admitted. "But it's your first Christmas here in this home, and I wanted to make sure that it was special."

Dannica turned towards his voice, knowing from its direction that he was in his usual favorite chair. A few steps brought her right to where she knew his knees were and she gently hoisted herself into his lap.

"Just being home is special, Da," Dannica said, curling up against his strong chest, feeling his arms enfolding her.

Everything felt right and safe when she was in his arms, similar to when she was with Hope, even though her safety and love was a different feeling.

"I know," Duke said quietly. "But humor your father, okay?"

"Okay, Da. Thank you," Dannica answered, hugging him tight again before she climbed back out of his lap.

"Hope," Duke called, "there are three boxes by the door, would you bring them in here?"

"I'll go help," Dannica offered.

"No, Dannica," Duke said, "I know you're doing better, but I don't think you should be carrying these around the house just yet. They're very fragile, and they can't be replaced, so let Hope get them. You come with me."

She felt his big, warm hand surrounding hers and she followed along as she heard Hope's bouncing footsteps heading to the front door.

"Hope seems to be doing better, too," Duke said, trying to make it sound offhand, but Dannica heard the slight worry in his voice.

"We found a couple more to help," Dannica answered, her face heating when she did.

"I'm glad. I've talked to Hope, too, and from what she's told me, you have very good taste."

Dannica's ears flattened and she felt her face getting even warmer. "What do you mean?" she asked. Was her father checking out her girlfriends?

"Hope says they're nice girls and she trusts them. I've gotten to know Hope well enough to know that she wouldn't say that about just anyone."

Dannica barely stopped the sigh of relief that would have probably made the situation worse and she chuckled. "Well, she introduced them," she said.

"You remember what I said, though, right? You only have to say something and someone will be there, okay?"

"Don't worry, Da. I know."

"All right," Duke said. "I'll leave you alone about it, then. You stay here for a sec, I'm going to go get one more box."

He patted his big hand on top of her head and she heard his boots clomping out of the room about the same time that Hope's soft footsteps came back in.

"Your dad has a lot of ornaments," Hope remarked, her voice carrying over a soft thump of something being set on the carpet. The smell of dust washed into the room, giving a little itch to Dannica's nose. "Seems like he's had them out in storage for a while."

"Well, they certainly smell like it," Dannica said with a laugh, wrinkling her nose at the musty smell.

She walked towards Hope's voice and held out her hands for Hope to take when she was near enough. Hope obliged as she always did, and then set Dannica's paws on the boxes.

"They're all the same, red boxes with green lids," Hope said, letting Dannica feel the shapes and sizes of the boxes.

A moment later, Dannica felt the lid moving under her hands and she took it out of Hope's hands and set it aside, fingers wiggling with eagerness to be about finding out what was inside the box. She giggled when the first thing she felt was tissue paper, but slowly, she found her way to the ornaments buried under it.

One by one, she pulled them out of the box, with Hope describing each one to her before they each walked to the tree to find a place to hang it. There were snowmen, horses, little gingerbread houses, elves and everything else that Dannica imagined a Christmas tree should have.

"Duke went a little overboard with the ornaments, don't you think?" Hope said as they started into the second box. "I don't know if we're going to fit all of them on the tree."

Dannica smiled and let her fingers wander one of the branches. "I never had this many when I was growing up. We were lucky if we had lights that worked on our tree."

"Wow," Hope said, guiding Dannica's hand to an open space, "I've always had a big tree with my family. Lots of lights and everything. One year, dad wanted to put some actual candles on the tree, but mom wouldn't let him. She thought it was bad enough the four strings of lights that he always puts on."

Dannica chuckled. She'd met Hope's family a few times when she had to meet her friend at her house, but she knew that while Hope was fairly open about their relationship, her parents weren't the most approving. Duke was the strange one in the town, being perfectly fine with whoever she loved. It was good to hear, though, that there were very good times in her friend's memory.

"When are you decorating yours?" she asked.

"They won't get it until next week," Hope said. "I asked if it was okay for you to come help decorate with me, and they said yes."

"I wouldn't miss it," Dannica said with a smile.

She didn't go back for more ornaments just yet, deciding to wait for Duke to come back while she waited by the fire. It wasn't long before she heard him tromping in the front door again.

"Did you have to go catch it yourself?" she asked, chuckling.

"Almost ran away from me, too," he answered as he always did.

Dannica smiled and stood up again, walking towards him. "What is it?"

"It's a present from John and Cadie," Duke answered.

Nearby, she could hear him pulling paper and tape off of something and when she stopped, he took her hands and put them into a box full of the little foam peanuts that she enjoyed so much every time they got a package. Buried deep inside, she found something hard, but light. As her fingers wandered over it, she made out the various shapes. There were three figurines on a little base with a something shaped like a house behind them. Something fuzzy covered the base, and she ran her fingers over it again and then again.

"Snow," Hope whispered in her ear.

Dannica smiled and nodded, the picture coming more clear. One of the figures was taller than the rest and broader, one was a smaller than the others with what felt like curly hair, and the other was just a bit taller than the shorter one, this one with straight hair. She let her fingers touch the faces and the telltale feeling of facial hair on the largest one in precisely the pattern that Da had on his face told her what she was feeling.

"It's our house!" she said, the sense of accomplishment lighting a glow on her face.

"Yes it is," Duke answered. With you and me and Hope.

"I love it," Dannica said, finally feeling the bottom of it, where a cone shape attached to the base. "It goes on top, doesn't it?"

Duke didn't answer, but she heard him standing, and then she felt his strong paws on her sides as he lifted her up. She was larger than she was when he first started doing this, though he was an impressively strong man. She found herself on his shoulders in a heartbeat and he moved under her, walking towards the tree.

"You get to top the tree, Dannica," he said. "It's right in front of you, just reach out and you'll feel the tip."

She reached out with her free hand and true to what he told her, the top of the tree was quite within reach.

"Are you standing in the tree, Da?" she asked with a giggle.

"Never mind me, kitten," he said, joining in with her laugh, "just put the topper on there before I get too sticky."

Dannica heard Hope giggling behind them and she gently set the ornament on the top of the tree, hands staying on either side until she was sure that it was going to stay, then reached down to hold on while Duke moved back away from the tree. When he stopped, she spread her legs and slid down off his shoulders, easing herself to the floor with her hands on his shoulders.

"Oh, Dannica," Hope said softly beside her, resting a hand on her shoulder, "it's lovely."

"And we haven't even gotten to the good box yet," Duke said, accompanied by his clomping step.

"This one here is the ornaments I had when I was a kid. We've got to find a place for those."

With the music in the background, the three of them started emptying all the boxes. Each ornament passed through Dannica's hands, and Duke told her and Hope the story that came with it. Some were simple stories, ornaments that were picked up here and there, and others marked special occasions in her father's life. When the last ornament was finally on the tree, the three of them stood, Duke's hands on Dannica's shoulders and Dannica's hand in Hope's.

"Now it really feels like home," Dannica said softly. The welling in her throat threatened to spill over and she pulled Hope into her embrace, feeling her father's strong presence behind them. "Especially with you," she whispered in Hope's ear.

---

The nightmares came again that evening, and after she'd been awakened twice by images she could barely get out of her mind, Dannica padded soundlessly out of the bedroom, leaving Hope breathing gently behind her. She shut the door softly and crept down the stairs. She knew her father would be woken by the softest sound, and while she loved him with all her heart, she knew that he'd be concerned for her and spend the night without his own sleep. The nightmares were something that she was learning to live with, things that came and went, and though they were disconcerting and scary, they faded on their own now. There was no reason to wake anyone.

Finding herself in the living room, she walked until her fingers found the branches of the tree, feeling the needles in her palms as she let her fingers nervously caress the branches. Having something for them to do, something for them to feel helped her feel a little more grounded. It told her that she wasn't in the dream any more.

Besides, in her dream she could see. That was what made them all the worse. For while she was dreaming the horrible things that had happened to her, reliving them in her sleep, there was a part of her that was honestly grateful to see again. Even though she'd had the dreams many times before and knew what was coming, she wished with everything she was that even the nightmare would continue so that she would have something besides black to look at.

She sat down on the floor while her fingers continued to explore the branches, letting her thoughts drift where they wanted. It was something she'd learned from Hope, that sometimes it was simply best to let the thoughts come. They were neither good nor bad, they were simply thoughts, and they would come and go as they liked and she could simply watch them.

"Dannica?" Hope's quiet voice called her from the doorway. "What's wrong?"

"Nightmares," Dannica answered plainly.

Hope sighed and soon her footsteps crept closer and closer until she felt Hope's warmth beside her.

"You can wake me, you know," she scolded.

"They're the same as they always are," Dannica said. "Didn't need you to wake up just for me."

"I'll always wake up just for you, Danni," Hope said, slipping an arm around her shoulders. "That's what I'm here for."

Dannica sighed softly and leaned her head against Hope's shoulder. "I just... I just wish I could see the tree. Everything we did today, all the ornaments and the lights and the garland. It just all seemed so pretty. And it's all just black, like everything else."

"The tree isn't important, Dannica," Hope said softly. "It's just a thing. Did you hear your father's stories?"

"About all the ornaments, yeah."

"That's what's important. The tree is just a tree with lights and things hanging on the branches. But all day long, you got to hear stories about your Da. You got to hear what was special to him about this time of year. It's not the tree. It's family."

Dannica sighed again and nuzzled her face into Hope's hair. A part of her wanted to say that her friend didn't understand, but the rational part of her realized that she understood perfectly.

"I know what's special to me this year," Dannica said.

"What's that?" Hope asked.

"You."

Hope chuffed quietly and stroked her hand down Dannica's arm while Dannica lifted her muzzle enough to gently nibble at the space where Hope's neck met her shoulder.

"I love you, Hope. I don't know if I've said it before, but I truly do. You're my rock and you keep me from going crazy."

"I love you, too, Danni. And you're not going to go crazy, I won't let you."

Dannica nodded against Hope's shoulder and slowly stood to her knees, then arranged herself between Hope's legs, her knees bent over Hope's thighs. She knew that Hope liked to sleep in as little as decent, only keeping on the bare essentials in case Duke were to poke his head into the room, something he rarely did if he could help it. Her fingers stroked down her love's body, expecting to find her in very little and she wasn't disappointed. Nothing covered her top and so there was nothing to stop her wandering fingers from finding and cupping Hope's breasts.

Hope groaned quietly and arched her back into Dannica's touch, pressing her chest harder against Dannica's hands. Dannica gave a gentle squeeze and then moved on, leaving a hand to caress Hope's chest while the other made its way down familiar paths, through soft belly fur and down between Hope's spread legs, fingers touching delicately through even softer fur until they found the damp warmth they were seeking.

As she curled her fingers into that warmth, Dannica leaned forward and breathed softly against Hope's neck fur, sharp fangs drawing through it in a light and playful nip, drawing a heated moan from her friend. There was no power tonight, nothing to heighten the arousal or the lust. Tonight, it was just her and her love as her fingers began to move, sliding inside Hope's warm, wet and willing body. Some nights their loving was manic and desperate, other times it was simply a way to relieve the pressure. Dannica didn't want either of those tonight.

Tonight, her hands were gentle and she put every last ounce of the love and tenderness that she felt for Hope into her motions. She couldn't shut her power out completely, though, and she could still feel the warm breeze of Hope's aura as it grew against her, from light warm summer breeze to the hot breath that came out of the oven set on high. She heard Hope's breathing quicken, felt her body start to move more erratically, and finally she pressed deep inside when she felt the inevitable falling over the edge of pleasure.

When Hope cried out in her release, Dannica pulled her tightly against her and put her muzzle right next to Hope's ear.

"I love you so much," she whispered, holding her lover through the throes of her orgasm, and then beyond, letting Hope pant and moan in her ear when it was over.

"That's what it's about, love," Hope said quietly. "Now come to bed so that I can repay the favor."

Dannica chuckled and then got herself to her feet to follow Hope back to bed, knowing that her friend would make the nightmares go away.