{"sf1_id":794905,"sf2_id":"k1VWjp7e","title":"A Thoughtful Gesture","author":"eduardosoliz","words":982,"posted_at":"2014-12-12T05:36:00.000Z","tags":["Christmas","Clean","Rabbit","Snow","Winter","Wolf"],"url":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/794905-a-thoughtful-gesture","original_url":"https://sofurry.com/s/k1VWjp7e","image_url":"https://cdn.sofurryfiles.com/submissions/thumbnails/11/e3/11e3eef9-5b87-43d0-a978-408730e3143d","description":"Wolves are fairly popular to (other) furries as well as to a few of my friends. While chatting with one such friend, I made the observation that there were no wolves in any Christmas stories or folklore that I was aware of, so 2014's Christmas story includes a wolf...for better or for worse.","content":"It was wintertime in the forest.\u0026nbsp; A layer of snow lay on the ground and more slowly fell from the grey sky.\u0026nbsp; A pair of rabbits, a male and a female, sat in a thick bush and carefully peered through its branches at a wolf that lay on a tree stump some distance away.\u0026nbsp; Despite being fairly well hidden, the rabbits remained on their guard while observing the carnivore.\n\n\"He's been sitting there for a while now, dear,\" the male rabbit whispered.\n\n\"And so have we, Jack,\" the female replied, annoyed.\u0026nbsp; \"He isn't hunting, so we should get going before he gets hungry.\"\n\nThe grey wolf got up on his feet; the two rabbits suddenly gasped and tensed.\u0026nbsp; The wolf shook himself to shake off a thin layer of snow that had accumulated on his fur.\u0026nbsp; He then yawned and lazily stretched out.\u0026nbsp; He lay down, placed his forepaws in front of himself and placed his head in between them.\u0026nbsp; He slowly closed and opened his eyes before letting out a tired sigh.\u0026nbsp; The rabbits relaxed.\n\nAfter a few moments, Jack whispered: \"I think something's wrong with him, Amber.\"\n\n\"Do you think he's sick?\" Amber asked, showing a little bit of concern in her voice.\u0026nbsp; \"Not that I'd care about what happens to a smelly old wolf, mind you.\"\n\nJack chuckled at his mate's concern.\u0026nbsp; \"Of course not, dearest.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;_Not in the least,_\" he said, doing little to hide his amusement.\n\nAmber playfully nudged him.\u0026nbsp; \"Oh, hush.\u0026nbsp; I think the poor thing is lonely,\" she said.\n\n\"That very well may be.\u0026nbsp; I've not seen very many wolves about.\"\u0026nbsp; Jack observed.\n\n\"True, but nobody should be alone this time of year, love.\u0026nbsp; We should find him somebody.\"\u0026nbsp; Amber replied, determined.\n\nJack was both pleased and shocked at Amber's concern.\u0026nbsp; \"I admire that you're concerned for\u0026nbsp;_our natural enemy,_\u0026nbsp;my dear, but who?\u0026nbsp; One of your sisters?\u0026nbsp; I don't think there would be a second date,\" he stated.\n\nAmber pondered the question for a few moments.\u0026nbsp; Her face suddenly brightened.\u0026nbsp; \"I know this is going to sound crazy, but I know someone, if I can find her.\u0026nbsp; Keep an eye on our friend there, and I'll be back.\"\n\nJack was now confused.\u0026nbsp; \"Friend?\u0026nbsp; Him?\u0026nbsp; What?\u0026nbsp; How?\" he stammered.\n\n\"Just wait here and I'll be back,\" she said before hopping out of the bush.\n\nJack sighed and looked towards at the wolf.\u0026nbsp; \"I hope she knows what she's doing,\" he said to himself.\n\nHalf an hour later, Amber crept back into the bush.\u0026nbsp; \"I found her.\u0026nbsp; Watch.\"\u0026nbsp; She said, grinning.\n\nJack said nothing but continued to watch the wolf.\u0026nbsp; The wolf was still asleep and a layer of snow had once again accumulated on his fur.\u0026nbsp; A moment later, a female wolf appeared.\u0026nbsp; Jack gasped and tensed again, but Amber did not react.\n\n\"Don't worry, we'll be fine,\" she said.\n\n\"If you say so.\"\u0026nbsp; Jack replied, forcing himself to relax.\n\nThe female wolf slowly approached the tree stump.\u0026nbsp; She stopped and sniffed the air for a moment before walking up to the male, who continued to slumber.\u0026nbsp; The female stopped just in front of him and looked at him for a moment.\n\n\"Hello?\" she said, but the sleeping wolf remained so.\u0026nbsp; \"Pardon me?\" She asked.\u0026nbsp; There was still no response.\u0026nbsp; The female tilted her head slightly, let out a small 'humph,' raised a paw and gingerly poked at his paws.\n\n\"Hey.\u0026nbsp; Wake up.\"\u0026nbsp; She said, becoming slightly impatient at her inability to rouse the sleeping canid.\u0026nbsp; She then poked his nose.\u0026nbsp; The wolf reacted by inhaling quickly with a snort, shaking his head briefly, then without warning let out an \"AHH-CHOO!\"\n\nThe female winced at the sneeze, quickly closing her eyes, flattening her ears and leaning back.\u0026nbsp; The male opened his eyes just long enough to see the female make a face before letting out a high-pitched sneeze of her own: \"Ah-chu!\"\n\n\"Bless you.\" The male said, shaking his head to wake himself up..\n\n\"Bless you, too,\" she smiled.\n\nThe wolf on the stump stood up and introduced himself: \"I don't think we've met before.\u0026nbsp; My name is Gary.\"\n\n\"I'm Libby.\" The female answered.\n\nGary hopped down from the stump and shook the snow from his fur, eliciting a giggle from Libby.\u0026nbsp; He sat in front of her and asked:\u0026nbsp; \"Shouldn't you be with your pack?\"\n\n\"I should ask you the same question.\" Libby replied, smiling.\n\nGary looked off in the distance. \"I left my pack.\u0026nbsp; I wanted to see what else was out there, so here I am.\"\n\n\"I was forced out of mine.\" Libby quietly answered.\n\nGary gasped and looked at her, curious. \"That's terrible.\u0026nbsp; Why?\"\u0026nbsp; He asked, his tone becoming a little harsh.\n\nLibby let out a small whine, looked at the ground and hesitated before whispering: \"I-I'd rather not talk about it.\"\n\nGary realized he had upset her and softened his voice to apologize, \"That's fine.\u0026nbsp; I'm sorry.\"\n\n\"Thank you.\"\u0026nbsp; She said, quietly.\n\nGary stood up and said, \"You know, Libby, it's going to be pretty cold tonight and I know of a hollowed out tree nearby that'll keep us out of this.\"\u0026nbsp; He turned as if to walk away, looked back at Libby, and offered, \"Care to join me?\"\n\n\"I'd like that.\" Libby answered, her tail wagging.\u0026nbsp; She walked up to Gary and nuzzled his cheek.\n\nGary returned the embrace, smiled and said, \"Let's go.\"\u0026nbsp; The two wolves walked off into the forest.\n\nIn the bush, Amber let out a dreamy sigh.\n\nJack didn't share her appreciation, he asked:\u0026nbsp; \"I hate to ruin the moment, dear, but what happens to us in the spring when they have a new litter of pups to feed?\"\n\n\"I thought of that,\" Amber replied.\n\n\"How so?\" Jack inquired.\n\n\"Libby was cast out from her pack because she doesn't eat meat.\" \u0026nbsp;Amber answered.\n\nJack smiled and nuzzled Amber's cheek.\u0026nbsp; \"Oh, how I love you,\" he said.\n\n\"I know.\"\n\n  \n  \n\n"}