The Gift of Iorony
A short story about to wolves becoming closer due to false assumptions.
_ ~Author's note~ _
_ Oh yeah, surprise! Here's a story. I made this a while back, I just forgot to upload it here. xb I haven't written anythinnnggg in months, so b-be gentle. ;w; CONSTRUCTIVE criticism is always welcomed as well what you thought of the story. ^^ Snowy belongs to me, Ruby is someone I made up and is not a real character. Happy reading~! ** _ ** ** **
_ *PS: I marked this as mature, because there are some PG 13 themes suggested in here, so I dunno. If it's wrong just let me know. c: * _
The Gift of Irony
By Snowiri
The sky lit up with a fiery blaze; vibrant colors pulsed across the sky with their symphonic crackles. Lights of red, white, blue, and other colors of the spectrum lit up the night that signified the New year. Sounds of celebration and promises of new resolutions were made. Young love filled the snowy streets of the village from which the light show erupted from. Couples in bundled up sweaters and scarfs, hands held in hand as the holiday fever loomed in the air. Snow flurries floated down, saturating the land in the dreamy white frost that covered the hemisphere in the blanket of enchanted white.
Away from the village lied a thick forest filled with biodiversity. The natural land and inhabited village coexisted in blissful harmony; tress rooted within the village, little park benches spread throughout the forest. From a major distance, two wolves watched the flaring sky in awe. The two sat close, brushed up against one another for warmth. "This is so cool..." The wolf to the left said. "This... are the humans really doing this... for me? For my birthday?" He gazed up at the stars, watching splashes of red, blue, green, and orange fill the sky with their fiery colors. The wolf was white; he had blue tips along his ears and tail and an oceanic blue within his irises. "Maybe!" The other wolf yipped her happiness to the male next to her. "Regardless, happy birthday, Snowy." She nuzzled against him affectionately. Unlike him, she was completely white; her irises a beautiful gleaming silver. The two were best friends since they were pups. They supported and helped one another. "Thank you so much, Ruby." He murred softly, still captivated by the light show he assumed was for him. "This is the best birthday ever..." He smiled, looking into Ruby's silver eyes. "You've shared every birthday with me, it always means a lot to me, Ruby. Your birthday is coming up pretty soon too!" He wagged his tail idly, laying down next to her. "Mhm. It is!" She barked her excitement. "But hey, I'm gonna go to the village and pick us up some dinner, you'll be okay?" She tilted her head, looking down at the wolf. "Yeah, I'll just watch these lights." He looked up and closed his eyes, a sign of content written on his face. She giggled and headed off away from the male and down to the village to find themselves a meal.
When she arrived, the village was decorated with colorful lights. Homes were decorated with weird structures that looked like reindeers and giant men with beards and weird looking hats. She padded along the village streets, hearing conversations which grabbed her utmost curiosity. "Hey mommy? What are those pretty lights in the sky?" A child asked her parent. "Those honey, are fireworks! They're lights set off by people for the holidays. During Christmas and New years!" She told her daughter. "Oooh! Cool! How do they work?" The little girl's eyes sparkled with the utmost curiosity. "Well, there is the box which people deposit the fireworks in and set them off with a match. That's why they are called fireworks, because they work using fire!" Ruby felt a sinking feeling in her chest. "So... these lights are called fireworks, and they aren't for Snowy's birthday...?" She thought to herself as she continued with her quest for food. "Should I tell him... it might break his heart knowing that all these years, no one knows it's his birthday." She folded her ears back, padding up to a food cart. She gave the owner a pleading look followed by a fake and pathetic whine. The man looked down and tossed Ruby some steak. She quickly picked up the hunk of cooked beef and ran off back to her home. Thoughts filled her mind about the idea that her and Snowy had been mistaken this entire time. She considered letting him indulge in the false sense of celebration. She really didn't want to hurt him, but he had to know.
When she returned to their spot, she sighted him lying in the same spot she left him in. He was still mesmerized by the lights that violently exploded in the sky. She stood in front of him, plopping down the pile of cooked beef, a hesitant expression on her face. "Hey, here's dinner!" She said nervously, butterflies fluttered within her stomach, making her feel a bit nervous. "Ooh, thanks!" Snowy swished his tail happily, immediately rising to his feet. Before he devoured his portion of the meat he gazed into Ruby's eyes. "Is everything okay?" He blinked, tilting his head. "Oh... umm... Well... Snowy, we need to talk about something..." She dropped his gaze, sitting down as she scattered through words in her mind to try and lay the information down as painlessly as possible. "Hmm? What's wrong?" He asked, sitting in front of her. "She gulped and looked at him once more, taking in his soft complexation, noticing a trace of worry in his eyes. "Well... As I was getting our dinner, I overheard a conversation between a mother human and her daughter. Those lights are in the sky are called fireworks and well..." She paused, looking back down. "Well, what?" He nosed at her softly. "Well... they, erm. They aren't celebrated for your birthday, sadly. They're celebrated for New Years. And well... I'm sorry Snowy..." She looked at him. His soft expression turned into one of bewilderment. "Oh.." He folded his ears against his head, looking down at the ground. A few droplets splashed into the snow below him and he sniffled softly. "I really thought those fireworks were for me... I guess it is too good to be true... They wouldn't care about my birthday..." He lay back down in the snow, sulking in the realization on how unimportant he truly was. Ruby was torn by his words; knowing just how special those lights were to him. Every year, they had danced across the sky in vibrant colors for what seemed like the day he grew a year older. She lowered her ears and whined, nudging the food towards her friend. "You should eat Snowy... it'll be alright..." She said softly to him. "I'm not hungry..." He mumbled, curling up into a tight ball. Tears trailed down his cheeks as he sulked. "I'm sorry... I know it's hard..." she placed a gentle paw on his back, rubbing softly.
She felt terrible; feeling like she was to blame. She somehow felt his pain, knowing all too well what it was like to not be cared or loved for. Ruby was born as a runt in a healthy litter of pups. She never got to eat, she never got love and affection, she never got anything. She barely hung on to life as her siblings grew stronger and larger. Eventually, she was chased out of her own pack for being deadweight. Her own mother didn't feel like keeping track of her and abandoned her in one of their hunts. She found Snowy in a similar situation, also born the runt of the pack, curled up in the snow; barely alive and breathing. For as long as she could remember, her and Snowy always were there, supporting one another. She felt as if it was her responsibility for his happiness, and thus caused to her to develop secretive feelings of love for her friend. She loved Snowy with every fiber in her body, so when he was sad, she felt his pain.
She refused to let this ruin his day. She stood up with a determined look on her face and remembered a conversation from earlier from the humans. She raced into town, looking up into the sky; following the flares of the fireworks being launched into the sky. She seen children running in the streets, playing with sparklers and noticed a stand with many of the unlit sticks, with matches beside them. She waited for a bit, waiting for the owner to turn his back and she made her move; taking the match and sparkler. She continued her quest, running through the snow as she followed the fireworks, coming across the boxes flaring off the colorful lights. The men working the stations were idle in chitchat conversations about their wives, children, and how drunk they were going to get after a long night of partying. Ruby bolted for one of the small boxes, grabbing a few fireworks and grabbed the box by the handle, having a metal box, matches, and fireworks all shoved in her mouth made her look really awkward. She raced back through the town, receiving a few concerned and questionable looks from people strolling through the streets.
She raced back to Snowy, dropping the stuff in front of him, snapping the male wolf from his sorrowful daze. "What's all this...?" He said, looking up at Ruby. She took a second to catch her breath before responding. "You'll see, just sit still." She told him, setting out all of the ingredients before herself. She nudged the box and grabbed some of the fireworks, placing them in the slots. She took a second to think back as to how on earth these things work and remembered she needed the matches. She pawed at the matches, wondering how to make fire. She seen on the box there was a weird looking a dark material covering the side of the matchbox. She opened the box, taking one of the matches and running it across the material. It soon sparked and a small fire had started going, but it quickly flickered. It was very cold out, so the flame wouldn't really stay for long. She grabbed a sparkler and lit the tip, watching it flare into crackles of yellow light. Snowy stood, captivated by her work; a curious look plastered on his face. Ruby continued her experimentation, praying in her mind that this works. "Please..." She said in between her teeth, placing the sparkler up to the ignition rope. "Please please please..." She clenched her teeth. The spark made it way to the box and suddenly, a firework launched into the sky. A beautiful blue flower exploded into the sky. Snowy's ears flew up, his muzzle wide open as the captivating light exploded right above him. "R-ruby..." He said, staring over to the exhausted female. She lit all the cables at once, padding over to the male. "I have erm.. Another present for you." She said.
It was time. She was going to show how much he truly meant to her. Her heart raced as a firework launched into the air, whistling as it burst into the sky. "Close your eyes." She said, another firework launching. She padded over to him and took a deep breath. Suddenly, her muzzle lips pressed against his. His body tensed for a mere second. He pulled away, a look of astonishment in his eyes. "R-ruby?!" He flushed, wobbling a bit. "W-what was that about..?" He stuttered, his heart raced. Ruby dropped her gaze, feeling ashamed in her suddenness. "Snowy... I have a confession."
"When you were talking about how no one cared about your birthday, it killed me... I care Snowy, I care a lot. The more and more I think about it, you've always been there for me, and I've always been there for you. Since childhood, we've always been protective of one another, and honestly, we owe each other our lives... I can't deny these feelings anymore... Snowy... I lo-" Ruby's words were cut off by his lips. She squeaked in surprise and snapped her eyes shut, warmth surrounding the two like a liquid veil of love and belongingness. This was such a special moment to the both of them. They had never experienced this powerful emotion before. They had never felt such an intense bond of love and desire, passion and intimacy. Ruby's heart melted into a puddle of warm feelings, her face heated to such a dream. They disconnected their lips, a trail of saliva leaving their connected kiss, taking the second to breathe. "Ruby... Thank you... for everything." Snowy choked a bit, tears swelling in his eyes once more. "I love you too, so much..." he cried, pouncing on the female, taking her to the ground with him. "Snowy..." She held on tight to the wolf. "Will... you be my mate? I know it's a silly excuse for a birthday present... but I really like you... Please, will you be mine?" She looked up at him, a wanting expression filling her eyes. "It's not silly, it's the greatest birthday present I could ever ask for. Yes, Ruby... I say yes." He sniffled, holding onto his newfound love with such passion. The sky burst into the beautiful colors as more fireworks were launched from the small box. Beautiful blues, reds, and pinks filled the sky above them. Their passion and the colors of the fire lit up the night in such a beautiful and astounding lightshow. The two wolves held onto one another, warmth enveloping the both of them, giving them a high of love. Nothing mattered to them, they belonged to each other, and nothing would stand in their path. Passion flared within the two lovers and their lips locked once more, holding onto one another with such vigor as they bathed in the warming glow of promise and acceptance. "Thank you, Ruby... For everything." Snowy said once more, staring down at his new mate. "This has been the best birthday ever... I can't believe this is happening..." He whispered, laying on top of her. Ruby giggled softly and licked at his cheek. "You're welcome, my love." She didn't find it awkward one bit, calling Snowy "My love", she found it naturalistic and completely normal.
After an hour of cuddling and soaking in one another's love, the two grew exhausted from a long and eventful day. They lay next to one another, paws wrapped around tenderly, eyes locked in an enchanted gaze; the two were completely in love. What started out as a false sense of belongingness turned into a sense of self-acceptance, a brightened future, and an all and all wonderful birthday. The wolves closed their eyes as they slowly started wavering in and out of consciousness, warmth surrounding the two as the crackles of celebration in the sky became drawn out and soon faded. A firework flew into the sky and gave off a beautiful pink glow, the shape was a heart. The night continued on as the couple fell into a deep sleep, having soft dreams reflecting off the events of the day.
Their future was bright; their hopes and dreams fulfilled, their childhoods forgotten as the two built a wondrous future together. For years and years later, the two mates still lived prosperously. Cubs of their own bounced around, yapping annoyingly, captivated at the lights that once drew their parents close to one another many years ago. Snowy and Ruby stood side by side, gazing up at the stars, three beautiful pups around them, as they took a moment of silence to appreciate the things in life. The pups wished their father a happy birthday and after hours of fun and playing, the family turned in for another evening. A decade ago, a small helpless pup was born, through years and years of hardships; he had grown into a beautiful wolf. He was blessed with a mate and three amazing pups. Every breath he took was a breath of eternal gratitude as he continued to live happily each day, supporting and loving his family. It goes to show what irony can do to a wolf, teasing him about how unimportant some things in life are, only to show that there is a hidden meaning behind them.