{"sf1_id":1341709,"sf2_id":"XekxVaQm","title":"Heal The Wound","author":"STRONG","words":9081,"posted_at":"2018-06-12T04:47:18.000Z","tags":["Amputee","Greentext","Human","M/F","Maned Wolf","Snuggles","comfy"],"url":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/1341709-heal-the-wound","original_url":"https://sofurry.com/s/XekxVaQm","image_url":"https://cdn.sofurryfiles.com/submissions/thumbnails/5d/37/5d375bff-c7a9-4e92-bf87-2df7824378f6","description":"Anon Meets a One armed Maned wolfess and help her heal","content":"Chapter 1: Instant crush\n\n\\\u003eYou are Anon\n\n\\\u003eIt’s your day off so you decide to go to your favorite little restaurant\n\n\\\u003eYou walk in and wave to the waiter, an old fox who knows what you like\n\n\\\u003eYou look around calmly and enjoy the atmosphere\n\n\\\u003eBut... Somethings wrong\n\n\\\u003eYou see a maned wolf, Raquel, another regular there\n\n\\\u003eYour table is to her right\n\n\\\u003eShe's usually quite happy, and has a laugh that you swear fills the room\n\n\\\u003eTo be honest you had a sort of crush on her but never had the balls to do anything about it\n\n\\\u003eBut now she’s quietly sobbing, her ears drooped\n\n\\\u003eAn uneaten steak on a plate in front of her\n\n\\\u003eA young man is sitting across from her\n\n\\\u003eYou don't hear the whole conversation but he looks quite unhappy\u0026nbsp;\n\n\\\u003e\"One of you people\"\n\n\\\u003e\"Cripple\"\n\n\\\u003e\"Worst date ever\"\n\n\\\u003eYou can see tears falling freely onto the steak\n\n\\\u003eWith each word her ears droop a little bit more\n\n\\\u003eYou aren't exactly one to get into other people’s business, but seeing this made you angry and upset\n\n\\\u003eYou stand and walk over to them both\n\n\\\u003eYou put a hand on the man’s shoulder\n\n\\\u003e\"I think you should leave\" you say firmly\n\n\\\u003e\"What? Man mind your own fucking business\" he says looking up at you\n\n\\\u003eYou don't remove your hand\u0026nbsp;\n\n\\\u003e\"It’s my business when I see someone making a lady cry\" you say frowning\n\n\\\u003e\"Now get out of here\"\u0026nbsp;\n\n\\\u003eHe huffs and looks like he's going to reply\n\n\\\u003eInstead he simply says \"Fuck it\" and leaves\n\n\\\u003eYou turn to Raquel and smile at her\n\n\\\u003e\"Sorry, I just couldn’t sit back and see that\"\n\n\\\u003eHer ears are still drooped but she’s looking up at you with surprise in her eyes\n\n\\\u003e\"I hope he didn’t ruin your meal and hope you don’t mind I stepped in\"\u0026nbsp;\n\n\\\u003e\"Oh. Oh no it’s fine...You're Anon right?\" she says\u0026nbsp;\n\n\\\u003eSo much sadness in her voice...\n\n\\\u003e\"Mind if I join you? I would hate to leave a sad lady alone\" you ask politely\n\n\\\u003eHer ears perk up a little\n\n\\\u003e\"Oh uh...sure I would like that actually\" she says with a faint smile\n\n\\\u003eYou look at her and notice something that should have been painfully obvious\n\n\\\u003eHer left arm is gone just below the shoulder, the long sweater she was wearing tied in a knot at the end\n\n\\\u003eYou don’t want to stare so instead you focus on the rest of her\n\n\\\u003eHer entire build is what you would call lanky\n\n\\\u003eLong legs, long arms...arm, and long neck\n\n\\\u003eLong fluffy tail that is swishing behind her with a tip of white fur\n\n\\\u003eHer fur is a golden brown,, a black streak running from between her ears down past where you could see\n\n\\\u003eDark brown eyes\n\n\\\u003eHer ears twirl and flick gently, the left one pierced towards the middle with a single gold ring\n\n\\\u003eYou sit and smile at her, you get a small smile\n\n\\\u003eYou wave to the waiter who is bringing you your usual meal of a bacon cheeseburger and fries\n\n\\\u003e\"Ah here you are Anon, do enjoy\" he says as he drops it off\n\n\\\u003e\"Thanks Joe\" you respond\n\n\\\u003eShe's back looking sad\n\n\\\u003eFuck\n\n\\\u003e\"Hey what’s wrong, I hate to see a pretty girl frowning\"\n\n\\\u003eSmooth dude\n\n\\\u003eShe looks back up at you\n\n\\\u003e\"I...I need help, can you...can you cut my steak for me...\" she says sadly\n\n\\\u003eYou smile at her\n\n\\\u003e\"Aww that’s all you need from me? I would be happy to help with that!\" you say as you reach over and grab her plate and slide it over\n\n\\\u003e\"Now I just need a...\"' you look around for a good knife\n\n\\\u003e\"Here\" she says as she hands you a steak knife\n\n\\\u003e\"Thank you\" you say cheerfully\u0026nbsp;\n\n\\\u003eYou set to work cutting up her steak\u0026nbsp;\n\n\\\u003e\"How big should I leave the pieces for you? I usually like bigger pieces\" you say as you saw through the steak\n\n\\\u003e\"However you like will do\" she says as she watches you\u0026nbsp;\n\n\\\u003e\"There we go, all done\" you say as you finish and slide the plate back to her with her fork\n\n\\\u003e\"Thank you Anon\" she says with the first genuine smile you've seen from her today\n\n\\\u003eYou wave it off\n\n\\\u003e\"Don't mention it, it’s no big deal\"\n\n\\\u003eShe’s quiet for a moment\n\n\\\u003e\"It is to me, I haven't had the best of luck lately\" she says frowning\n\n\\\u003e\"Ah well we can't all have the best of dates, I had one where the girl I was with played on her phone the whole time\" you say trying to avoid the whole...missing arm\u0026nbsp;\n\n\\\u003eShe sighs\n\n\\\u003e\"Yea my friend set me up on a blind date, said that it would be good for me to go out and socialize, I guess she didn't tell him I was a maned wolf or about Uhmm...this\" she waves the stump of her left arm at you\n\n\\\u003eYou grimace\n\n\\\u003e\"Well his loss then, I mean I don't get a chance to have lunch with a pretty lady like yourself very often, so I guess I should thank him later\" you say with a smile\n\n\\\u003eShe laughs at that\n\n\\\u003eGod her laugh is addictive to listen to\n\n\\\u003e\"Aw you flatterer, thinking I'm pretty\" she says with a smile, looking down at her plate\n\n\\\u003e\"Well it’s true\" you say before munching on a fry\n\n\\\u003eYou both eat and chat\u0026nbsp;\n\n\\\u003eYou learn little things about her\n\n\\\u003eShe’s 27, works as a designer, enjoyed reading and sewing as hobbies\n\n\\\u003eYou tell her you work as a web designer\n\n\\\u003eWhen the waiter brings the bill, she reaches for her purse but you stop her\n\n\\\u003e\"I'll get your meal, don't worry about it\" you say as you grab it\n\n\\\u003e\"Oh, but you don't have to Anon “she protests\n\n\\\u003e\"It’s fine, besides I don’t let girls pay for dates\" you say handing the waiter your card\n\n\\\u003eHer ears flick quickly\n\n\\\u003e\"I didn't know it was a date\" she says smiling\n\n\\\u003e\"Well it started as your blind date, and I guess turned into a date between us\" you say with a shrug\n\n\\\u003eThe waiter gives you back your card which you pocket\n\n\\\u003eShe smiles happily\u0026nbsp;\n\n\\\u003eShe stands and you follow suit\n\n\\\u003eYou walk her out and she stops to look at you\n\n\\\u003e\"Thanks Anon, I needed a good time like that\" she says\n\n\\\u003e\"It’s no problem, I enjoyed your company\" you say with a smile\n\n\\\u003eShe hugs you\n\n\\\u003e\"Here’s my number if you want to try date number 2\" she says as she hands you a slip of paper\n\n\\\u003eAwesome!\n\n\\\u003e\"I’ll definitely call\"\u0026nbsp;\n\n\\\u003e\"Ok cay then\" she says with a happy bounce\n\n\\\u003eShe says with a smile before walking away\n\n\\\u003eYou look at the paper with her number with a little heart next to it\n\n\\\u003eWhat a strange way to start dating\n\n  \n\n  \n\nChapter 2: True Colors\n\n\\\u003eIt had been a few days since you saved Raquel from her blind date\n\n\\\u003eTo be honest you wanted to call right away and arrange the 2nd date\n\n\\\u003eBut you also didn’t want to seem like you were desperately thirsty\u0026nbsp;\n\n\\\u003eBut a few days should do it right?\n\n\\\u003eYou pull up her contact info on your phone and press the dial button\n\n\\\u003eIt rings twice before she picks up\n\n\\\u003e\"Hello?\"\n\n\\\u003eOh good she sounds sad again\n\n\\\u003eYou try to remain chipper for her though\n\n\\\u003e\"Hey Raquel! It’s Anon! I was just calling to see if you were serious about that second date!\"\n\n\\\u003e\"Oh....OH! Anon! Yes! Yes I would love to go on another date with you!\" She says as you hear a bit of cluttering around\n\n\\\u003eHer voice is melodically happy now, you guess she was sulking and you snapped her out of it\n\n\\\u003e\"Great! When are you free? I would love to take you to this sushi place I know\" you say as you rifle through some files on your computer screen\n\n\\\u003e\"Uhh can I say tonight? I’m free tonight...or tomorrow...or the next day\"\n\n\\\u003eUh oh she’s going sad again\n\n\\\u003eYou can only guess that this has something to do with her missing arm but you weren’t going to ask\n\n\\\u003eBut you need to pull her out of this sadness\n\n\\\u003eWell...you didn’t need to\n\n\\\u003eBut a part of you wanted nothing more than to hear that laugh of hers\n\n\\\u003eIt was one of the things that made you have a crush on her in the first place\n\n\\\u003eShe was usually sitting with friends drinking tea and laughing while you sat alone\n\n\\\u003eBut you don’t have time to mope about yourself\n\n\\\u003e\"Of course you can say tonight! And hopefully things will go well enough that you would want to tomorrow as well!\" you say standing up from your desk and heading to your closet\n\n\\\u003eYou weren’t going to wear your usual video game t shirt or band t shirt on a date\n\n\\\u003e\"What time did you have in Mind Anon? It’s still pretty early but I’m down for whenever\"\u0026nbsp;\n\n\\\u003eYou think for a moment\n\n\\\u003e\"Well I'm off work right now so I could say anytime, I mean even if its early we can do other things together\" you say as you pull on a blue button down shirt\n\n\\\u003e\"Is like an hour ok? I could be ready by then\" She says with hope in her voice\n\n\\\u003e\"Yea an hour is fine! Text me your address and I’ll come pick you up how’s that?\"\u0026nbsp;\n\n\\\u003e\"Oh that’s perfect! I’ll see you in an hour then!\" she says happily\n\n\\\u003e\"See you soon\" you say before hanging up\n\n\\\u003eA moment later her address Buzzes onto your screen\n\n\\\u003eA 30 minute drive for you at most\u0026nbsp;\n\n\\\u003eYou throw on your socks and shoes\n\n\\\u003eBrush your teeth because why not?\n\n\\\u003eComb your hair so it isn’t a fuggin mess like always\n\n\\\u003eYou grab your essentials, wallet phone, keys, jacket for the cold\n\n\\\u003eYou step out of your apartment and head outside\n\n\\\u003eThe brisk fall air blows by as leaves of gold and brown flutter past\n\n\\\u003eWhile it’s still only about 5 the sun is sinking down painting the sky with reds and oranges\u0026nbsp;\n\n\\\u003eYou breathe in deeply and let out a relaxed sigh\n\n\\\u003eTonight would be great you could feel it\n\n  \n\n\\\u003eYou pull up to the apartment building Raquel gave you and park in the visitor’s parking spot\n\n\\\u003eYou check the time on your dashboard and see you’re still about 10 minutes early\n\n\\\u003eShould you wait in the car like a nerd?\n\n\\\u003eNah fuck that noise\n\n\\\u003eYou head up to her apartment and knock\n\n\\\u003eThe door opens and you see Raquel\u0026nbsp;\n\n\\\u003eShe’s wearing a pink sleeveless shirt and blue jeans\u0026nbsp;\n\n\\\u003eThere are bandages around her stump\n\n\\\u003e\"Hey Anon you’re a bit early\" she says \"Come on in and let me finish up\"\n\n\\\u003e\"What can I say I was eager to spend more time with you\" you say with a smile\n\n\\\u003e\"Oh you’re such a flatterer\" she says before heading into what you assume is the bathroom\n\n\\\u003eYou look around\n\n\\\u003eThe walls are covered with pictures of different clothes styles,\n\n\\\u003eOn her table there is a bunch of different papers you recognized as sewing patterns\n\n\\\u003eA sewing machine sit on the table\u0026nbsp;\n\n\\\u003eIt has a thin layer of dust on it though...\n\n\\\u003eYour thoughts are broken by Raquel returning with some light blue eyeliner on\n\n\\\u003e\"Hey there all ready to go! I haven’t had sushi in ages!\" she says with a smile\n\n\\\u003eYou picked sushi on purpose, quiet meal but also its easy to eat one handed\n\n\\\u003eGotta plan ahead\n\n\\\u003e\"I know this great place that’s not far\" you say with a smile\n\n\\\u003e\"You look great by the way\"\n\n\\\u003eHer ears flick softly causing the gold hoop to fling around\u0026nbsp;\n\n\\\u003e\"Thanks\" she says quietly\n\n\\\u003eYou open her door and hold it for her\n\n\\\u003eShe heads out and you follow\n\n\\\u003eShe locks her door of course\n\n\\\u003eThe drive to the sushi place is filled with conversations about outdoor stuff\n\n\\\u003eShe says she loves hiking and backpacking\n\n\\\u003eYou had never been backpacking but were willing to try it\n\n\\\u003eYou both have similar tastes in music and movies except she says she doesn’t like RomComs\n\n\\\u003e\"They're so predictable and boring\" she says\u0026nbsp;\n\n\\\u003e\"The guy always gets the girl after some stupid shenanigans happen, plus I hate the humor where it’s just like Oh lets embarrass the main character\" she said as she fiddled with the knobs on your radio\n\n\\\u003e\"Yea I always feel embarrassed FOR the character! It’s not funny at all! My siblings loved movies like that and I always had to leave the room!\" you said as you pulled into the parking lot\n\n\\\u003eBut you were currently sitting across from her\n\n\\\u003eThe little Anthro Shiba Inu family that ran the restaurant were very friendly\n\n\\\u003e\"I’ll have Uhmm... the California rolls, the dragon rolls and some uh....of the pot stickers\" Raquel says as she looks at the menu\u0026nbsp;\n\n\\\u003e\"Oh and one of those ...Orion? Beers\"\n\n\\\u003eYou order Salmon, eel, octopus and squid\n\n\\\u003e\"You said you wanted sushi! That’s not real sushi\" you say when the waitress scoots off\u0026nbsp;\n\n\\\u003e\"I don’t know about eating Raw fish though... seems weird\" she says her ears drooping a little\n\n\\\u003e\"Well how about this, you can TRY some of mine, just small bits\" you say as you pull out your chopsticks and click them together a few times, testing your grip\n\n\\\u003e\"Besides it is cooked just instead of fire they use sushi vinegar, it kills the bacteria and stuff that makes people sick\"\u0026nbsp;\n\n\\\u003e\"I didn’t know that, and yea I guess I’ll try some of it, gotta be a little adventurous right?\" she says grabbing her chopsticks and struggling a bit to get the right grip\n\n\\\u003e\"How are you so good at that?!\" she says frustrated as she drops one of the sticks onto the table\n\n\\\u003eYou reach over and correct her grip\n\n\\\u003e\"I studied in Japan for a year while I was in college\" you explain as you show her how to move her paws to grab things\n\n\\\u003e\"Cheers on trying to Orion beer by the way\" you say with a smile\n\n\\\u003e\"Why what’s wrong with the Orion beer?\" she says perking her ears up at you\n\n\\\u003eHer tail swishes a bit behind her\n\n\\\u003e\"Let’s just say it isn’t the best beer they have in japan, I would have recommended the Asahi\" you say with a smile\n\n\\\u003e\"You dick why didn’t you tell me that when I ordered!\" she says as she playfully hits you\n\n\\\u003e\"I wanted to see your face when you drank it\" you say with a laugh\n\n\\\u003e\"Screw you I’ma love it I bet!\" she says as she picks up and ice cube from her cup of water\n\n\\\u003e\"Hey you got it!\" you say with a clap\n\n\\\u003e\"I had a good teacher\" she says smiling happily at you\n\n\\\u003eYour food Arrives\n\n\\\u003eIt never takes long to get your food here\n\n\\\u003eThe Shibe dog behind the counter works fast and can make a large order in no time flat\n\n\\\u003eThe waitress places your drink, a Dr.Pepper™ can in front of you with an empty glass\n\n\\\u003eShe places the Orion beer in front of Raquel along with a small cup\n\n\\\u003eWow that is just like Japan\n\n\\\u003eYou pour the can into the cup and take a sip\n\n\\\u003eMmmm refreshing\n\n\\\u003eRaquel pours her beer into the cup and takes a sip\n\n\\\u003eShe makes a disgusted face and shudders at it\n\n\\\u003eShe seem you smiling like an idiot at her\n\n\\\u003e\"Oh yea... I...I love it...” she says, still making the face\n\n\\\u003e\"Want another?\" you say\n\n\\\u003e\"NO\" she says firmly\n\n\\\u003eShe takes another small sip and sticks her tongue out in disgust\n\n\\\u003e\"Why do they even have this?\" she says to you as she pushes the glass to you\n\n\\\u003e\"Every country has cheap beer, you just happened to pick the Japanese one, get an Asahi those are good\" you say picking up the cup of beer\n\n\\\u003e\"The key to drinking Orion is to down it fast\" you say before drinking the whole thing\n\n\\\u003e\"Wow I’m both disgusted you can do that and impressed\" Raquel says\n\n\\\u003e\"Hey I went to college! I learned stuff!\"\u0026nbsp;\n\n\\\u003eYou pick up a Piece of salmon and motion of Raquel to pull off a tiny bit\n\n\\\u003e\"Just try it\"\n\n\\\u003eShe pulls off a piece and her ears droop\u0026nbsp;\n\n\\\u003e\"D-do I have to?\" she says looking at it pensively\n\n\\\u003e\"It’s a small piece! Just try it!\" you say before eating your piece\n\n\\\u003eShe puts it in her mouth and chews a bit\n\n\\\u003eHer ears perk up almost immediately\u0026nbsp;\n\n\\\u003e\"Oh that’s good! Lemme try the others!\" she says reaching with her chopstick to snatch more\u0026nbsp;\n\n\\\u003e\"Hey hey hey! Get your own!\" you say as you chopstick fight her to save your meal\n\n\\\u003e\"Nah Gimme!\" she says laughing\n\n\\\u003e\"Ugh fine! I’ll order more\" you say as you wave the waitress over\n\n\\\u003eThe rest of the meal goes very well, you convincing her to try new foods and her liking them then stealing them from you\n\n\\\u003eYou get to see her true self under all that sadness\n\n\\\u003eYou're walking along a boardwalk with her now\n\n\\\u003e\"I’m having such a good time, it’s been a while since I had this much fun\" she says looking out over the water\n\n\\\u003e\"I’m glad\" you say as you steal a glance at her\n\n\\\u003eShe’s gorgeous, that’s for sure\n\n\\\u003e\"You know I was surprised when you called me, I thought you wouldn’t\" she says still looking out over the water\n\n\\\u003eShe shivers slightly as a brisk wind gusts by\n\n\\\u003eYou take off your jacket and put it over her shoulders\n\n\\\u003e\"Now what made you think that? I thought our first \"date\" went great\" you say slightly shocked\n\n\\\u003e\"It was but I didn’t think you would call because...well this\" She wiggles her stub out from under your Jacket\n\n\\\u003e\"Oh... Well it doesn’t bother me at all\" you say with a shrug\n\n\\\u003eHer ears perk up\n\n\\\u003e\"Wait really?\" she says looking at you\n\n\\\u003e\"Why would it? You’re still fun to hang out with and a great person\" you say with a smile\n\n\\\u003eShe puts her paw to your face\n\n\\\u003e\"Thanks anon, I really needed to hear that\" she says before shivering again\n\n\\\u003e\"Do you wanna go somewhere else or what?\" you ask her\n\n\\\u003e\"Let’s grab some beers and go to my place and watch a movie or something\" she says cuddling into your jacket\n\n\\\u003e \"Alright\"\n\n  \n\n\\\u003eYou’re at Raquel’s apartment with a 12 pack of Dead guy Ale\n\n\\\u003eShe chose it and you weren’t gonna argue\n\n\\\u003e\"What movie should we watch\" she says going to her DVD collection\n\n\\\u003e\"I’m thinking scary!\" she says\n\n\\\u003eYou shrug\n\n\\\u003e\"Scary works\"\u0026nbsp;\n\n\\\u003e\"Hmmmmm how about...Alien! Old school is best school after all\" she says holding up the DVD\n\n\\\u003eYou nod in agreement\n\n\\\u003e\"Can’t beat the classics\"\n\n\\\u003eShe pops in the DVD happily\n\n\\\u003eBut then her ears droop and her tail starts trying to scoot between her legs\n\n\\\u003e\"Uhmm... Before we watch it...can...can I have your help with something?\" she says sadly\n\n\\\u003eYou get up and walk over to her\n\n\\\u003e\"Yea what’s up Raquel? I’ll help with whatever\"\u0026nbsp;\n\n\\\u003e\"Can...can you. Help...change my bandages?\" she says frowning at the remains of her arm\n\n\\\u003eYou smile and nod\n\n\\\u003e\"Yea no problem, just tell me what to do and I’ll get it done for you\" you say\u0026nbsp;\n\n\\\u003eShe motions for you to follow her into the bathroom\n\n\\\u003eIn the bathroom, on the counter is a box of gauze, bandage material , medical tape and some type of antibiotic cream, and alcohol wipes\n\n\\\u003e\"First take off these\" she says pointing to the bandages currently on her arm\n\n\\\u003e\"Then clean the area ,then put that cream on, then gauze, then bandages, then tape it up\" she says pointing out each thing\n\n\\\u003e\"Alright then let’s do this\" you say confidently\n\n\\\u003eYou gently peel of the tape and bandages from her left arm\n\n\\\u003eThe area around the amputation is shaved clean, there are still stitches holding the cuts and incisions closed\n\n\\\u003eThis happened recently, you don’t know how recently but you’re sure it’s within a week\n\n\\\u003eYou gently wipe the area clean\u0026nbsp;\n\n\\\u003eShe winces slightly\n\n\\\u003e\"Sorry did I hurt you\" you say as you jump back\n\n\\\u003e\"No...No it just.... Stings around the stitches\" she says as she watches your reactions\n\n\\\u003eYou try to rub the cream on as soft as you can to not hurt her\n\n\\\u003eGauze, bandages, tape\u0026nbsp;\n\n\\\u003eYou make quick work of it with precision that would leave a surgeon proud\n\n\\\u003e\"Th-thanks Anon, it’s really hard to do that one handed\" she says as she looks down sadly\n\n\\\u003eYou put a finger to her chin and raise it to look at you\n\n\\\u003e\"It’s nothing, I’m happy to help. Seriously\" you say\u0026nbsp;\n\n\\\u003eYou’re deadpanned serious\n\n\\\u003eShe gives a weak smile\n\n\\\u003e\"Promise?\" she raises a pinky from her paw at you\n\n\\\u003eYou take her pinky with yours\n\n\\\u003e\"Promise, now let’s get to that movie\"\n\n  \n\n\\\u003eThe movie is just as good as you remember\n\n\\\u003eAction\n\n\\\u003eAliens\n\n\\\u003eSPAAACCCCEEEEE!\n\n\\\u003eYou’re on Raquel’s couch\n\n\\\u003eShe’s leaned up against you, quietly watching\n\n\\\u003eAt least she was\n\n\\\u003eA few short snores tell you she’s falling asleep\n\n\\\u003eYou softly shake up awake\n\n\\\u003e\"Hey Raquel, you’re falling asleep, let me tuck you in\" you say softly before scooping her up\n\n\\\u003e\"Mmmm ok Anon\" she says sleepily before rubbing the side of your face with her paw\n\n\\\u003eYou set her into her bed and turn to leave\n\n\\\u003e\"Mmmm don't go...I’m lonely... just stay and snuggle with me please\" she says groggily\n\n\\\u003eYou breathe in deep and exhale softly\n\n\\\u003eYou could call in tomorrow or just go to work from here... couldn’t hurt\n\n\\\u003e\"Alright\"\n\n\\\u003eYou slide into her bed behind her, your right arm under her neck and your left arm around her waist\n\n\\\u003eShe scoots into you\u0026nbsp;\n\n\\\u003eYou reach and pull the blankets up over you both\n\n\\\u003e\"Thank you Anon\" she mumbles before quietly falling asleep\n\n\\\u003eYou pet her head gently then close your eyes and drift off to sleep\n\n  \n\nChapter 3: you and me\n\n\\\u003eIt’s been about 2 weeks since your second date with Raquel\n\n\\\u003eYou had had a few more dates, some nights of just hanging out\n\n\\\u003eShe had perked up a lot since that first day\u0026nbsp;\n\n\\\u003eYou were at her apartment with her\n\n\\\u003eIt was raining out and her windows were open, you enjoyed the sound of it\n\n\\\u003eShe was actually sewing again which made you happy\n\n\\\u003eShe had worked through having only one arm and was currently sewing a shirt on you\n\n\\\u003eNo literally\n\n\\\u003eYou were standing in the middle of her living room as she danced around you happily pinning bits of fabric the shirt you had on\n\n\\\u003e\"Hold this here\" she said as she pushed a star shaped piece of fabric to your side\n\n\\\u003eYou obliged and she pinned it down\u0026nbsp;\n\n\\\u003e\"What are you making this for again?\" you ask\n\n\\\u003e\"One of my old client’s wants something called and wants something space themed for a movie premier or something\" she says happily\n\n\\\u003eOh good she’s working again too\n\n\\\u003eYou smile as she works\n\n\\\u003eYou didn’t mind being a living mannequin because it was for her\n\n\\\u003e\"Ok now take it off!\" she says\u0026nbsp;\n\n\\\u003eYou pull the shirt off gently and hand it to her\n\n\\\u003eShe goes to her sewing machine and starts sewing on the pieces\n\n\\\u003eShe hums a tune you don’t recognize as she uses her foot paws to slowly work\u0026nbsp;\n\n\\\u003eHer remaining paw gently guides the fabric\n\n\\\u003eYou sit across from her at the table and watch her work\n\n\\\u003eShe eventually notices you watching\n\n\\\u003e\"What?\" she says with a smile\n\n\\\u003e\"Nothing, you’re just beautiful and I like to look at you\" you say with a smile\n\n\\\u003eShe rolls her eyes\n\n\\\u003e\"Oh please\" she says\u0026nbsp;\n\n\\\u003eShe goes back to her work sewing and humming\n\n\\\u003eGod she’s pretty\n\n\\\u003eShe finishes her work and admires it for a moment\n\n\\\u003e\"Could you put this on the hanger for me please\" she says, handing you the finished shirt\n\n\\\u003eYou take it and hang it for her\n\n\\\u003eShe’s gotten a lot better about asking you for help too\n\n\\\u003eYou can see the Maned wolf from before again\n\n\\\u003eShe smiles and laughs and jokes again\n\n\\\u003eShe takes a few pictures of it and sends them to her client you guess\n\n\\\u003eYou look at it\n\n\\\u003eNot something you would wear but if they liked it then whatever\n\n\\\u003eHer phone bings and she smiles happily\n\n\\\u003e\"He likes it!\" she says as she does a little jig over to you\n\n\\\u003e\"That’s great!\" you say with a big hug around her\n\n\\\u003eShe hugs you close and holds you tight\n\n\\\u003e\"Thanks anon, you’ve been a real great help for me\" she says into your chest softly\n\n\\\u003e\"Hey it’s nothing, anyone would do that for you\" you say petting her head\u0026nbsp;\n\n\\\u003e\"No I mean for everything\" she says looking up into your eyes\n\n\\\u003e\"I was in a real bad place after I lost my arm, and you helped me get better...you showed me I’m still me... even if there is a little less of me\" She whispers\n\n\\\u003eYou hug her closer\n\n\\\u003eYou kiss her on the forehead and smile\n\n\\\u003eShe kisses you and pulls away softly\n\n\\\u003eHer deep brown eyes are looking right into yours\n\n\\\u003eYou pull her into another kiss and you feel her tongue push into your mouth\n\n\\\u003eAn explosion of sensations, happiness, her beauty, her smell everything comes at once as you feel her body and tongue\n\n\\\u003eShe breaks away and hugs into you\n\n\\\u003e\"Thank you so so much\" she says with tears in her eyes\n\n\\\u003e\"Hey hey hey its fine\" you say wiping away the tears\n\n\\\u003eA brisk wind blows and she shivers slightly\n\n\\\u003eYou break from the hug and go get a blanket\n\n\\\u003eYou go to the couch and drape the blanket over your shoulders\n\n\\\u003eShe sits in your lap and you close the blankets around you both\n\n\\\u003eYou spend the evening snuggling and listening to the rain\n\n  \n\n\\\u003eChapter 4: Be Together\n\n\\\u003eFall winds blow as you trudge up the mountain\n\n\\\u003eRaquel and you were backpack hiking\n\n\\\u003eYou had taken time off work for this\n\n\\\u003eA week long trek, going up the California mountains, through the redwood forests, maybe even a bit of abalone diving\n\n\\\u003eBackpacking wasn’t something you had done before, Raquel talked you into it\n\n\\\u003eUsually a few hour hike sated your need for the outdoors\n\n\\\u003eRaquel as besides you as you walked through the trees up the mountain\n\n\\\u003e\"These aren’t mountains ya know, these are big hills\" she says as she fidgets with one of her rucksack straps\n\n\\\u003e\"Bullshit these are mountains, that’s what we called them on the east coast\" you retort quickly\n\n\\\u003eYou reach over and help her with the strap\n\n\\\u003e\"That’s because they never saw REAL mountains, ones with snow caps!\" she says as she slaps away your hand playfully\n\n\\\u003e\"HEY I’ve climbed mount Fuji! Don’t mess with me!\"\n\n\\\u003eYou pull a kung Fu stance\n\n\\\u003eShe’s laughs loudly\n\n\\\u003eGod you love that laugh\n\n\\\u003e\"What’s Japan like anyway?\" she asks through a laugh\n\n\\\u003eThe sun is slowly descending, the sky burns orange and red\u0026nbsp;\n\n\\\u003eThe only traces of civilization are contrail etches across the skies\n\n\\\u003eYou think for a moment\n\n\\\u003e\"It’s...different... in a good way\" you say as you stop and look around\n\n\\\u003e\"Let’s set up camp over there\"\u0026nbsp;\n\n\\\u003eYou point to a small clearing next to a downed redwood\n\n\\\u003e\"What do you mean different?\" Raquel asks, dropping her pack roughly and leaning it against a stump\n\n\\\u003e\"I mean I didn’t fit in there at all, the people were nice and friendly and the food was good but...\"\n\n\\\u003eYou stare off into the distance\n\n\\\u003e\"But?\" she asks sliding up to you\u0026nbsp;\n\n\\\u003e\"The showers are too short for starters, people always want pictures because you’re different and have to sense of personal space\" you say as you pull the 2 person tent out of your pack\n\n\\\u003e\"I enjoyed the sights and such but god they are such a collective community that they seem almost 2 faced\"\u0026nbsp;\n\n\\\u003eYou had taken a few culture classes on your days\n\n\\\u003eJapan had a very collective culture, America and most of Europe were individual focused\n\n\\\u003eYou start setting up the tent and swear gently as you struggle against it\n\n\\\u003eRaquel grabs a few of the stakes and pushes them in so they are upright, waiting for you to hammer them in\n\n\\\u003eYou glance over at her occasionally\n\n\\\u003eShe’s a total doll and you can’t help but feel lucky to have her here with you\n\n\\\u003eHer dark fur contrasts her bright yellow shirt with the words \"Make music not war\" printed in pink letters\u0026nbsp;\n\n\\\u003eHer stump has a small red ribbon wrapped around it\n\n\\\u003eYou were sure she could be a model even with the missing limb\n\n\\\u003eThere were models like that right?\u0026nbsp;\n\n\\\u003eYou had seen a few ads with them\n\n\\\u003eYou think about this as you set up the poles of the tent\n\n\\\u003eWhen it’s finished (after a lot of swearing from you) you set the packs inside and unroll your sleeping mats and bags\n\n\\\u003eRaquel is making a small fire pit, gathering stones to form a circle\n\n\\\u003eYou go to gather the logs around and set a fire up\n\n\\\u003eRaquel watches as you walk around grabbing logs\n\n\\\u003e\"You’re such a weird guy Anon\" she says after you throw a termite infested log down the mountain\n\n\\\u003eYou perk up and look at her\n\n\\\u003e\"Yes, yes I am....but why am I this time?\" you say as you dump the good logs you found into a pile and set up the campers stove on a boulder\n\n\\\u003e\"You’re dating an Amputee maned wolf, take pleasure in stupid things like throwing rocks at the moon and yelling \"fuck off space egg\" and you drink and only get more romantic towards me\" she says with her ears perked up and her tail swishing\n\n\\\u003e\"Fuck that space egg\" is all you can laugh out as you put some sausages on the stove\n\n\\\u003eShe walks up behind you and hugs you tight\n\n\\\u003e\"I don’t think I could be happier than I am with you now\" she says softly \"with or without my arm\"\n\n\\\u003eYou turn and pull her into a close hug\n\n\\\u003e\"I’m glad you’re happy again, you deserve that\"\n\n  \n\n\\\u003eDusk flows into night\n\n\\\u003eRaquel tells you about her childhood, her parents who live in Brazil, How she was raised in the US by her aunt, how her aunt died a few years ago in a car accident\n\n\\\u003eYou think and take a swig from your flask as you listen\n\n\\\u003eThat explains why she’s been lonely\n\n\\\u003eMost of her \"friends\" were fair weather friends, disappearing when she needed them most\n\n\\\u003eHer Family was back in Brazil and probably didn’t even know she had lost her arm\n\n\\\u003e\"What about you Anon? What’s your family like? Can I meet them?\" she asks\u0026nbsp;\n\n\\\u003eShe's sitting on a tree stump looking at you with those beautiful eyes\n\n\\\u003e\"My parents divorced when I was young, they got split custody of me and my siblings , so we went back and forth never really settling in\" you say as you take another quick swig\n\n\\\u003e\"And I don’t think you'll meet them, I'm Anonymous after all\"\n\n\\\u003eA few years ago you had been pulled into this world\u0026nbsp;\n\n\\\u003eSimply woken up in a park with nothing save your wallet and clothes\n\n\\\u003eYou lived on the streets for a while\n\n\\\u003eNo one really noticed or cared until you met a factory worker who told you about the BHA\n\n\\\u003eThey helped you get your life together\n\n\\\u003eYou owed a certain tiger and her...boyfriend? Partner? Housemate?\u0026nbsp;\n\n\\\u003eYou’re looking into the fire\n\n\\\u003e\"You're Anonymous? I didn’t know that\" Raquel says as she shifts and sits next to you\n\n\\\u003eYou lean your head onto her shoulder and wrap an arm around her\n\n\\\u003e\"Yea...appeared here with nothing\" you pass her your flask and she takes a quick swig\n\n\\\u003e\"That’s why I know loss\"\u0026nbsp;\n\n\\\u003e\"You lost your arm and felt empty like you weren’t the same, I know that feeling, wake up and everything you knew is gone, every person you ever met out of reach, it... hurts\" you say as you pull her closer\n\n\\\u003eShe’s quiet for a moment\n\n\\\u003e\"You never asked how I lost my arm\" she says drinking the final few drops and setting the flask down\n\n\\\u003eYou look to her\n\n\\\u003eThe firelight dances in her eyes, her golden brown fur shimmering\u0026nbsp;\n\n\\\u003e\"I figured you would tell me when you were ready\"\u0026nbsp;\n\n\\\u003e\"It was... stupid\" she says\u0026nbsp;\n\n\\\u003e\"My friends and I were on the lake swimming around our boat and I guess another boat didn’t see me and.... well the propeller got me\" she says with a tear in her eye\n\n\\\u003eYou reach over and wipe it away\n\n\\\u003e\"I’m sorry that happened to you Raquel\"\n\n\\\u003eShe leans her head against yours\n\n\\\u003e\"I’m happy it let me meet you Anon\"\n\n\\\u003eYou smile and listen to the crackle of the fire\n\n\\\u003eYou chance a peek at your watch\n\n\\\u003e10 pm\n\n\\\u003eYou would be up at dawn so you should probably turn in\n\n\\\u003e\"We should probably turn in for the night\" you say, rubbing her side gently\n\n\\\u003e\"Mmm ok\"\u0026nbsp;\n\n\\\u003eYou stand and both walk to the tent\n\n\\\u003eQuickly you kick off your boots and undress\n\n\\\u003eYou help her out of her clothes and get into your sleeping bag\n\n\\\u003e\"Scooch over Anon\"\n\n\\\u003eShe slides into your sleeping bag with you\n\n\\\u003eWarm soft fur pressed against you\n\n\\\u003eYou wrap your arms around her and kiss between her ears, which flick quickly\n\n\\\u003e\"Goodnight Anon, I love you\" she says softly\n\n\\\u003e\"I love you too Raquel\"\n\n\\\u003eYou were happy you could share your stories\n\n\\\u003eYou were happy you could be together like this\n\n\\\u003eShe fades off to sleep and so you do, with visions of you two together for years to come\n\n  \n\nChapter 5: Mourning Morning\n\n\\\u003eYou had lost everything\n\n\\\u003eThe wildfires had swept across states from California leaving fields of ash\n\n\\\u003eIt took weeks to contain the fires\n\n\\\u003eYou were standing in front of what used to be your apartment building\n\n\\\u003eYou and Raquel had been evacuated, you literally only had a luggage bag of clothes and your car\n\n\\\u003eRaquel’s apartment building had been sparred but everything everywhere was covered in ash\n\n\\\u003eYou kick a bit of burnt wood and sigh\n\n\\\u003eWhat now\n\n\\\u003eYou had insurance on your things but that would take weeks to process\n\n\\\u003eLiterally thousands of people had lost everything just like you\n\n\\\u003e\"Anon? Come on babe, let’s go, we won’t be able to salvage anything\" Raquel says putting her paw on your shoulder\n\n\\\u003eYou stare up at fire scorched building and swear angrily to yourself\n\n\\\u003eThings were just going too well\u0026nbsp;\n\n\\\u003eYou had just gotten a promotion, Raquel was getting more and more celebrities looking for her work\n\n\\\u003eAnd then life decided to kick you in the metaphorical balls again\n\n\\\u003eFirst you lose everything when you’re transported into this world\n\n\\\u003eThen you lose everything because California is a place where you could fart and the state would blow up and everything around it would burn\n\n\\\u003eYou couldn’t even go back to Raquel’s place yet\n\n\\\u003eThe area was under quarantine, the smoke and ash was heavily toxic after a few chemical plants burned down\n\n\\\u003eThey said the cleanup could take weeks\n\n\\\u003eYour phone goes off, you look at the screen and frown slightly\n\n\\\u003eJasmine the tiger was calling, it’s not that you disliked her, far from it\n\n\\\u003eShe was friendly and nice and called you periodically seeing how you were\n\n\\\u003eShe got you in contact with the people to help get your certificates and credentials back after you got transported here\n\n\\\u003eBut you were in an sour mood and didn’t want to accidentally burn a bridge because of your temper\n\n\\\u003eYou answer the call anyway\n\n\\\u003e\"Hi Anon, how are you holding up, I hope those fires didn’t affect you too bad\" she says with questioning tone\n\n\\\u003eYour frown deepens\n\n\\\u003e\"Well I’m currently looking up at the charred remains of my apartment, so they did\"\n\n\\\u003eYou could almost hear her wince through the phone\n\n\\\u003e\"Well Uhmm... what about your girlfriend? Could you stay with her?\" she asks pensively\n\n\\\u003e\"Toxic ash... her place is quarantined\" you say as you reach over and hug Raquel briefly\n\n\\\u003e\"Oh mhmmm....do you have anywhere to stay long term? Friends or fam....err your girlfriends family?\" you know she’s doing her job but you really want to end this conversation\n\n\\\u003e\"No we don’t\" you answer grumpily\n\n\\\u003e\"Ok well there is an Anonymous temporary shelter around there, let me make a few calls and see if I can get it open for you and your girlfriend\" she says, you hear papers flipping in the background\n\n\\\u003e\"Her name is Raquel by the way\" you say with a slightly better tone\n\n\\\u003e\"Oh ok! I’ll give you a call in a bit! Take care!\" she says before she hangs up\n\n\\\u003eShe’s a bit too cheerful for the mood you were in\n\n\\\u003eYou look at Raquel and smile softly\n\n\\\u003e\"Well we have some good news, that BHA Agent says there might be a temporary Anonymous shelter we can stay in until we're back on our feet\" you say to her\n\n\\\u003eHer ears perk up a bit and she smiles\n\n\\\u003e\"See, I told you things were going to get better\" she says hugging you softly\n\n\\\u003eYou get to your car and sit inside waiting\n\n\\\u003eNot like you could go anywhere else\n\n\\\u003eYour work office had burned down\n\n\\\u003eThe restaurant where you met Raquel was extra crispy\n\n\\\u003eYour phone buzzes to life and you answer\n\n\\\u003e\"Hey Anon! Good news! There is a Shelter you can go to in the next city, a BHA agent will meet you there with the keys!\" Jasmine says happily \"I'll text you the info!\"\n\n\\\u003e\"Thanks Jasmine\" you say as you start up the car\n\n\\\u003e\"Also can you send Me Raquel’s Info? I need it for your file\" she says matter of factly\u0026nbsp;\n\n\\\u003e\"Uhh I’ll give her the phone\"\n\n\\\u003eTheir conversation is short\n\n\\\u003ePhone number, address...Species\n\n\\\u003eBy the time she hands your phone back to you, you had already gotten a text with the info\n\n\\\u003eYou plug it into your GPS and get going\n\n\\\u003eThe ride is quiet, you both were tired,\u0026nbsp;\n\n\\\u003eThe evacuations, the busy shelters\n\n\\\u003eThe traffic, the suspense from not knowing if you would return to your home or....nothing\n\n\\\u003eAll of it lead to this\n\n\\\u003eYou had stayed in one of these shelters before, little apartments, hotel room like suits with small kitchens and a few pots and pans\n\n\\\u003eNothing fancy\n\n\\\u003eBut you supposed you were better off than some... but that doesn’t make you feel better\n\n\\\u003eYou park and there is a Man in a BHA uniform waiting\n\n\\\u003e\"You’re Anon? Jasmine said you would be coming, here’s the keys, just drop them at the local office when you’re back on your feet\"\n\n\\\u003eYou enter the hotel like buildings front door with all of your possessions and with Raquel’s luggage\n\n\\\u003eLooking at the key, you see the number 114 engraved into it\n\n\\\u003eFirst floor at least\n\n\\\u003e\"114 love, should be on this side\" you say to Raquel as you follow the numbers\n\n\\\u003eYou find it and unlock the door\n\n\\\u003eIt’s basic\n\n\\\u003eA queen sized bed, a nightstand, a small TV, the kitchen was so small you doubted you could open the dishwasher the whole way\n\n\\\u003eBut it was free and was a roof over your heads\n\n\\\u003eYou collapse onto the bed, and Raquel follows suit\n\n\\\u003e\"Fuck\" you say softly\n\n\\\u003e\"Fuck\" she parrots\n\n\\\u003eYou grab a hold of her paw\n\n\\\u003eShe squeezes it gently\n\n\\\u003e\"Well get through this\"\n\n\\\u003eYou always do\n\n  \n\nChapter 6: on Melancholy Hill\n\n\\\u003eThings between you and Raquel had been...tense\n\n\\\u003eNot because you were mad at each other, you love each other\n\n\\\u003eThe fires and loss of everything you own had actually brought you closer together\n\n\\\u003eThe issue was that you were both cooped up in a single room with each other\n\n\\\u003eYou had no outlets for your stress and too much spare time\n\n\\\u003eYour boss had gotten in contact with you and said the new office would be ready in a few months\n\n\\\u003eRaquel couldn’t get to her sewing machine because of the toxic ash\n\n\\\u003eYou had bought a new TV and a laptop to get some stress away but you could only do so much\n\n\\\u003ePlus there were several other Anonymous members here that were affected by the fire\n\n\\\u003eSome alone, some had brought whole families\n\n\\\u003eCabin fever was getting to you so decided...fuck it\n\n\\\u003eVacation\n\n\\\u003eYou weren’t losing vacation time so might as well right?\n\n\\\u003eLuckily you were smart and had saved all your important documents\n\n\\\u003eAnd because you were such a great guy, you saved it as a surprise\n\n\\\u003eYou were currently driving to the airport\n\n\\\u003eRaquel was trying to get you to spoil the surprise by asking 20 questions\n\n\\\u003eQuestions like \"what’s around it\" \"what’s it known for?\" and \"do I know anyone there\"\n\n\\\u003eTo which you answered \"Stuff\" \"things\" and \"no\"\n\n\\\u003eYou parked in the \"long term\" spot and unloaded the luggage\n\n\\\u003e\"What gate are we?\"\u0026nbsp;\n\n\\\u003e\"A24, let’s go\" you say as you look at the tickets, hiding them from her view\n\n\\\u003eShe pouts\n\n\\\u003e\"When do I get to know where we're going?\" she asks slightly annoyed\n\n\\\u003e\"Now\" you say pointing up at the sign that says \"Hawaiian Air\" at the check in\n\n\\\u003eHer eyes go wide and her mouth drops open\n\n\\\u003e\"HAWAII!?!\" she yells happily as she jumps into your arms \"HOW?!\"\n\n\\\u003e\"Yep Hawaii, I called in some favors\" you say with a smile\n\n\\\u003eA certain Anonymous member was really well off and was letting you use his vacation house provided you make his business a website\n\n\\\u003eWhen you asked how he wanted it he said \"I don’t care just don’t make it too annoying\"\n\n\\\u003eMade your job easier\n\n\\\u003e\"How Long?!\" she says practically skipping up to the check out\n\n\\\u003e\"A month, he said we could use it longer if we wanted since he wasn’t going to\"\u0026nbsp;\n\n\\\u003eThe whole process of getting through all the airport stuff was a breeze as Raquel happily danced around and talked about Hiking and swimming and snorkeling\n\n\\\u003e\"Ooo we can go to one of those shows and I can see if I can get some inspiration for new designs!\"\n\n\\\u003eShe was ecstatic and that of course made you smile\n\n\\\u003eYou loved seeing her happy like this\n\n\\\u003eSuch a HUGE change from that first day you met her\n\n\\\u003eIt was hard to see that same Maned wolf crying into her meal in the now happily chatting Maned wolf\n\n\\\u003eOr course you couldn’t complain about the change\n\n\\\u003eBoarding was easy and being the genius you were had reserved a window seat for Raquel\n\n\\\u003eYou grip her hand softly as the plane takes off and close your eyes\n\n\\\u003eMight as well get some shut eye\n\n  \n\n\\\u003eYou're awoken by Raquel gently shaking you\n\n\\\u003e\"Anon? Anon look there’s the island!\" she says happily\u0026nbsp;\n\n\\\u003eYou lean over her to look out the window and sure enough there it is\n\n\\\u003eA green jewel in a vast blue ocean\n\n\\\u003eThe flight paths around Hawaii are actually pretty low only about 9000 feet compared to cruising at 32000\n\n\\\u003eShe watches out the window as the plane lands and you try to wake up more\n\n\\\u003e\"Did you sleep at all Raquel?\" you ask her groggily\u0026nbsp;\n\n\\\u003e\"No, I was too excited\" she squeals happily\n\n\\\u003eYou smile and rub yours eye\n\n\\\u003eThe landing is uneventful and getting your luggage and a rental car was easy\n\n\\\u003eYou followed your phones directions to the summer house\u0026nbsp;\n\n\\\u003ePretty standard Vacation stuff\n\n\\\u003eAs you pull up you're in awe of the view from the house\n\n\\\u003eYou can see Diamond Head from here and the oceans beyond\n\n\\\u003eWhat did this dude have when he came?\u0026nbsp;\n\n\\\u003eIt even has a full working shower for Anthros\n\n\\\u003eRaquel is already unpacking and listing things she wants to do\n\n\\\u003e\"We have to see that pineapple plantation, and go to half moon bay and shark tooth beach!\"\n\n\\\u003eYou smile and start unpacking your things as well\n\n\\\u003eThis was going to be a fun trip\n\n  \n\n\\\u003eYou and Raquel decided that today was a comfy relaxing day...not a sightseeing day\n\n\\\u003eSo you found a beach that you and her could relax at and spend the day\n\n\\\u003eYou were driving the rental car, windows down, sunglasses on, not caring\n\n\\\u003eYou glance over at Raquel\n\n\\\u003eShe’s wearing just her red bikini top and a Flowing white skirt\u0026nbsp;\n\n\\\u003eIt took a while to convince her that she didn’t need to be self-conscious about her Missing arm\n\n\\\u003e\"There are lots of amputees in the world, nothing to worry about\" you said\n\n\\\u003eShe’s humming happily to a song on the radio you didn’t recognize\n\n\\\u003eShe had tried to get you to listen to some Anthro artists but most were pop music, which was one of the few things you and Raquel disagreed on, but didn’t let get in the way of your happiness together\n\n\\\u003eYou breathe in the salty humid air and smile\n\n\\\u003eFrom what you saw of the islands mountains beaches it was almost as beautiful as Raquel\n\n\\\u003eAlmost\n\n\\\u003eYou park and get out and breathe deep\n\n\\\u003eGod that salty sea air always smells great\n\n\\\u003eRaquel gets out and takes a few pictures of the beach and the sand\n\n\\\u003eYou cover your face whenever she tries to snap your picture\n\n\\\u003eYou aren’t vain enough to take selfies and dislike having your picture taken\n\n\\\u003e\"Come on Anon! Please let me get pictures of you! How else will we remember this?\" She pleads as you keep covering your face with random objects\n\n\\\u003eYou sigh\n\n\\\u003e\"Fine\" you say reluctantly\n\n\\\u003e\"YAY!\" she pounces on you with a hug\n\n\\\u003eShe snaps pictures as you both walk to the water\n\n\\\u003eLuckily this isn’t one of the \"touristy\" beaches so it wasn’t completely full\n\n\\\u003eYou set up a beach blanket, an umbrella and a cooler full of beer, sandwiches and water\n\n\\\u003eYou look out at the clear blue water, listen to the crashing of the waves and the cawing of gulls\n\n\\\u003eParadise\n\n\\\u003eBut it was only paradise because you were with Raquel\n\n\\\u003eShe's taken off her skirt revealing her red bikini bottom\n\n\\\u003eYou can’t help but stare as she runs off into the water laughing happily\n\n\\\u003eYou follow and jump in after her\n\n\\\u003eYou wade out to her and she hooks her arm around your waist as the water gently laps at both of you\n\n\\\u003e\"I’m glad you’re here with me Anon\"\n\n\\\u003e\"And I’m glad you’re here with me\"\n\n\\\u003eYhe Gorillaz had it right after all\n\n\"~Look, if heaven had a VIP, this is it, white sand, blue sea\"\n\n  \n\n\\\u003eYou were hiking through the jungles of Hawaii up some mountain that's name you couldn’t pronounce right\n\n\\\u003eBut you heard there was a beautiful waterfall and pool at the top you could swim in\n\n\\\u003eRaquel was having a bit of a rough time though\n\n\\\u003eThe trail was steep in some places and required handholds\n\n\\\u003eSo being the gentleman you were, you would go first and find the easiest way up then help her with both encouraging words and the occasional helping hand\n\n\\\u003eYou were sweating though and she was panting\n\n\\\u003eHumidity was killer here but you could tell the daily rain shower was coming\n\n\\\u003ePlus the hottest it ever got was 92 degrees Fahrenheit\u0026nbsp;\n\n\\\u003e\"I love the outdoors! I love this it’s such a different kind of Hike!\" Raquel says as she looks up at the canopy of the jungles\n\n\\\u003e\"The air is clean and wet, the ground soft! You can even see those super colorful birds!\"\n\n\\\u003e\"Plus you don’t need to worry about bears or mountain lions\" you say with a smile\n\n\\\u003eYou take a drink of water from your bottle and offer it to Raquel, which she accepts happily\n\n\\\u003e\"We should be nearing the top\" you say looking at the mile markers\n\n\\\u003eYou climb a bit further only to have your heart sink a little\n\n\\\u003eThere’s a sheer wall about 12 feet tall\n\n\\\u003eYou could climb it easy but....\n\n\\\u003eRaquel...\n\n\\\u003eYou turn to her, expecting the worst but you’re actually surprised\n\n\\\u003eShe has a look of stern determination\n\n\\\u003e\"Fuck this wall! I’m not letting it ruin our day. HOLD MY BAG!\"\n\n\\\u003eShe hands her bag to you and throws herself at the wall like nothing you’ve seen in her before\n\n\\\u003eShe’s about 2 feet front the top actually after that solid jump onto it\n\n\\\u003eBut she’s stopped\n\n\\\u003e\"Uhmm...Anon...Can you give me a boost?\" she says over her shoulder\n\n\\\u003eYou smile and drop the bags off then walk so you’re under her\n\n\\\u003e\"What do you need me to do love?\"\n\n\\\u003e\"Uhmm. Push my right footpaws up, I can’t find a good foothold\"\n\n\\\u003eYou cup both your hand and push her footpaw up and continue to push until you can’t reach further\n\n\\\u003eYou hear a bit of scrambling and then a triumphant yell\n\n\\\u003eYou look up and See Raquel jumping around at the top\n\n\\\u003e\"I did it! I did it!\"\u0026nbsp;\n\n\\\u003eYou smile and get the bags and throw them up to her one by one\n\n\\\u003eYou start to climb and get to where she was stuck\n\n\\\u003eFuck you can’t find a foothold either\n\n\\\u003e\"Raquel can I get a hand?\" you yell up\n\n\\\u003eYou see her poke her head over the edge\u0026nbsp;\n\n\\\u003e\"Sure love!\" she says happily\n\n\\\u003eShe lays down and extends her arm to yours\n\n\\\u003eYou grab her wrist and she grabs yours\n\n\\\u003e\"Ok... one...two...THREEEE\"\u0026nbsp;\n\n\\\u003eShe pulls you and you jump up until you can grab the edge and swing yourself up\n\n\\\u003eYou roll over the edge panting, Raquel next to you doing the same\n\n\\\u003eYou take her paw into yours and smile\n\n\\\u003e\"I Love you Raquel\" you say through pants\n\n\\\u003e\"I love you too anon\" She says with a toothy smile\n\n\\\u003eYou couldn’t be prouder of her\n\n\\\u003eAfter catching your breath you both continue the hike until you make it to the springs\n\n\\\u003eA 30 foot waterfall crashes into a large clear pool of water\n\n\\\u003e\"We made it!\" Raquel says happily\n\n\\\u003eYou hug her close and scratch between her ears gently\n\n\\\u003eYou get a happy growl from her\u0026nbsp;\n\n\\\u003e\"We sure did babe\" you say as you kiss her\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\n\\\u003eThe past month has been amazing\n\n\\\u003eYou got to do so much with Raquel\n\n\\\u003eSwimming, snorkeling, hiking\n\n\\\u003eYou went everywhere on the island and a few other islands by again trading favors\n\n\\\u003eThe Anonymous network reached everywhere it seems and favors for things were pretty commonplace\n\n\\\u003eYou got to see the pineapple plantation, an aviary\n\n\\\u003eThe USS Arizona... where one of your great grandfathers had died...in the other world\n\n\\\u003eThat part hit you hard, the other world\n\n\\\u003eBut Raquel was there to comfort you about it\n\n\\\u003eYou were happy for that\n\n\\\u003eAs you both flew home you knew that even if you were cooped up in a small room with her, you wouldn’t want to be anywhere else\n\n  \n\nChapter 7: Undisclosed Desires\n\n\\\u003eSome time has passed since the fires destroyed your apartment and left you with nothing\n\n\\\u003eBut you moved on with Raquel\n\n\\\u003eAnd moved in together\n\n\\\u003eYou shared a small 2 bedroom townhouse now\n\n\\\u003eThe 2nd bedroom was a workshop / office\n\n\\\u003eBut none of that was important today\n\n\\\u003eYou were sitting at the rebuilt diner you had met Raquel at\n\n\\\u003eShe’s sitting across from you laughing and drinking her tea\n\n\\\u003eIt’s like the maned wolf from before the accident and it filled your heart with Joy to see her again\n\n\\\u003eOf course she said it was all you that did it\n\n\\\u003eBut you couldn’t take all the credit\n\n\\\u003eAll you did was show her the way, it was her choice to follow it\n\n\\\u003e\"Raquel I have a surprise for you\" you say as she finishes her tea\n\n\\\u003e\"What is with you and surprises? You always do...this...\" her words trail off\n\n\\\u003eYou look over your shoulder and see that the plan worked\n\n\\\u003eHer mother and father are sitting at the Table behind you\n\n\\\u003eThey had had their muzzles and faces buried in newspapers, pretending to read them\n\n\\\u003eWell they might have been reading them\n\n\\\u003e\"Anon...What. How? Why?\"\n\n\\\u003e\\\u003e\"I called in some favors\" you say smirking\n\n\\\u003e\"But that’s not important\"\n\n\\\u003e\"This is\" you fish a ring out of your pocket and present it to her\n\n\\\u003eHer paw is to her mouth her eyes wide\n\n\\\u003eYou slide out of your chair and onto one knee in front of her\n\n\\\u003e\"Raquel Silva, you’ve made the past year of my life better than ever before, and I would love to spend the rest of it with you\"\n\n\\\u003eYou hold the ring up to her\n\n\\\u003e\"Will you marry me?\"\n\n\\\u003eTears of happiness run down her face\n\n\\\u003e\"Yes! Yes Anon!\"\n\n\\\u003eShe holds out her paw and you slip the ring onto her ring pad\n\n\\\u003eThe Diner erupts in applause as you stand up and kiss her\n\n\\\u003eHer father slides over his chair and so does her mother\n\n\\\u003eThe elderly Maned wolf speaks in broken English but you understand\n\n\\\u003e\"Anon he. Call us, tell of your accident and his love for you and for blessing\"\n\n\\\u003eHer mother speaks now\n\n\\\u003e\"Of course we say yes! He good man! And so handsome!\"\n\n\\\u003eYou feel yourself blush as she grabs you cheek with her paw\n\n\\\u003e\"Mom! Stop it!\" Raquel says swatting away her paw\n\n\\\u003eYou can’t help but smile as she talks to her parents\n\n  \n\n  \n\nSometime later\n\n\\\u003eThe wedding was amazing\n\n\\\u003eThe A man commonly called \"the Chickenman\" was your best man and he had brought along Jasmine the tiger\n\n\\\u003eYou swear you saw a tear in his eye but didn’t want to point it out though\n\n\\\u003eThe honeymoon was more than amazing\n\n\\\u003eYou took her to Japan and got to explore\u0026nbsp;\n\n\\\u003eShe loved climbing My Fuji with you, going to the poke centers and seeing the full-sized Gundam in Tokyo\n\n\\\u003eWork was going great too\n\n\\\u003eYou were now able to work from home to take care of Raquel\n\n\\\u003eRaquel still designed but there was a small hindrance\n\n\\\u003eYou look over from your computer to see her struggling to bend down to grab something\n\n\\\u003eHer swollen belly was in the way\n\n\\\u003eShe’s about 6 months pregnant at this point\n\n\\\u003eYou smile and stand up and hug her from behind\n\n\\\u003e\"Hey! I’m working! Stoppit!\"\n\n\\\u003e\"No\" you answer simply as you rub her belly\n\n\\\u003eShe swats you away with her prosthetic left paw\n\n\\\u003e\"STOPPIT Lemme work you romantic weirdo! Go yell at the moon again or something and let me work!\" she says shooing you away\n\n\\\u003eYou couldn’t help but love this Maned wolf more and more everyday\n\n\\\u003e\"Hey babe\" you say as you sit back down and let her work\n\n\\\u003e\"Whaaaaaatttt\" she says with a sigh\n\n\\\u003e\"Love you!\"\n\n\\\u003eHer ears perk up\n\n\\\u003e\"Love you too\"\n\n  \n\n~FIN~"}