Wyld Life

[Amazee Dayzee]

I don't see her as going crazy as much as I see her starting to go a bit native and think more like an animal. Really hoping that it helps her to become a lot more open to things she hasn't felt too comfortable trying!

[GingaDensetsuAleu]

She's just relaxing and opening up a little, she'll be fine.
Maybe.
Probably.
You know what let's not overthink it.

[GingaDensetsuAleu]

Chapter 18: Autumn

Brook sat up and yawned, stretching, then frowned and scratched at her belly. It itched like crazy. Actually, EVERYTHING itched like crazy. She scratched at her leg, her arm, her back; she couldn’t even REACH that itchy spot. When her hand came away, she frowned at it and blew a tuft of loose fur off of it. She watched it float across her den with a grimace. “Ugh… am I going bald?”
She wandered outside for her morning routine. As she was taking care of what she needed to, she looked up and blinked at the treetops. A bright orange splotch drew her attention. When she was finished, she frowned and scurried up the tree to get a closer look. The leaves in that particular spot were to blame; maple leaves that had faded overnight to their autumn orange. She snatched one and carried it down the tree to look closer at it, scratching at her arm some more.
“Oh, you got some that are changing color.” Heather shambled into view from the direction of the river, carrying a woven basket of fish. “They’re pretty.”
Brook startled, then placed a hand on her chest. “You scared me, I didn’t know you were there.” She’d gotten used to Heather’s presence over the months, but she still always had an initial scare whenever she saw her. “I guess that explains Bunker letting me sleep in. He’s probably waiting for you to leave.”
She snickered and set down her basket, taking the leaf from Brook. “Mm. Yeah, I saw him watching. He’s not quite as sneaky as he thinks he is. He does have that camouflage trick he does, where he covers himself in plants so you can’t see him.” She turned the leaf this way and that, then passed it back to Brook. “I can’t believe autumn is starting already. Feels like just yesterday it was spring.”
Brook nodded, grabbing a stick and using it to scratch the itchy spot on her back. “Mmph… Oh yeah, that’s the stuff.”
Heather smirked at her. “You’re shedding, aren’t you? Super itchy?”
She turned the stick to scratch another spot. “Oof… Yeah, I’ve been SO itchy since I woke up this morning.”
She laughed and slapped her on the back. “Heh… Housepets don’t ever grow a PROPER winter coat, so this’ll be your first time. You enjoy being an itchy mess for the next few weeks.” She picked up her basket again. “I gotta get back to my den. I’ve got some gorging to get started on if I wanna be ready for hibernation.”
She frowned. “What do you mean WEEKS?!” She shouted after her.
“She means weeks. Don’t worry, you won’t really notice it once you get started on your preparation for winter.” Three Toes came from the opposite direction, the direction of his den. He grinned at her. “You look miserable, Brook. And how’s the forest’s favorite ex-pet?”
She put her ears back and used the stick to scratch a spot just above her tail. “I feel like I rolled in itching ivy for a few hours.”
He snickered and patted her back. “Don’t worry, now that Heather’s gone, Bunker will be here in a few minutes to tell you how to prepare for winter, and then you’ll be too busy to itch.”
“I thought I was ALREADY preparing for winter, with the food and then berries and the nuts and stuff.” She frowned.
“You were, but making sure you have food is only part of it. You need to winterize your area. Bunker will show you the basics, but it’s basically setting up so you still have access to what you need even when the area freezes over. It’s gonna take most of the fall, so you’ll be too busy to itch.” He nudged her. “Also, stop using that stick. You’re gonna give yourself ticks.”
After a moment, he grinned. “I gotta head off. I wanna get at Pevensie’s walnut trees before they’re picked clean.”
Brook watched him dash off, frowning, then squeaked when the world went black. A pair of hands covered her eyes. “Bunker!” She spun around and gave him a little shove. “I told you not to sneak up on me!”
Bunker smirked at her. “Then maybe you should pay more attention to your surroundings. You want that bobcat to come back?”
She swatted at him. “We agreed not to mention that again!”
“You agreed. I laughed.” He snickered, then looked around. “We got some work to do around here.”
She nodded and looked around. “Three Toes said there was some winterizing to do.”
“Well… it’s less preparing for winter, and more preparing for not having the bugs to warn you about predators. We gotta set some traps for the predators to step on if they come this way, so they don’t come after you. If they hurt themselves, they’ll leave looking for easier prey. It’s too much work in the winter to keep warm AND hunt, so they’ll mostly be looking for people who are asleep.” He looked her over, then reached up and pulled a tuft of loose fur out of her coat. “Keep as much of your shed as you can, it makes good bedding.” He put it in her hand.
She grimaced and followed him as he turned and started gathering up sticks. “I’m… I mean…” She hesitated, thinking of how to say it. “It really itches. A lot.”
He turned to her and grinned. “Yeah, it does. Is this your first? I remember my first, it was the WORST. Of course, I was still a kit. I bet it’s even worse as an adult.” He looked her over with a smirk. “A very ATTRACTIVE adult.”
“Still no.”
“Darn. Worth a try.” He laughed and tossed her the bundle of sticks he’d gathered. “Let’s start with the spike traps.

Brook sighed and stood up suddenly, leaving a bunch of upright twigs stuck in the dirt. “I can’t take it anymore. I’m gonna go rinse off in the river, see if I can’t shake loose some of this shed.”
Bunker looked up from where he was spreading a bramble and frowned. “Stop. You’re not going to do it in the river.”
She turned and stared at him. “You throw EVERYTHING in the river.”
He shook his head. “Not shed. Give me five minutes to get something from my den. Meet me in YOUR den.”
She sighed. “Fine.” She turned and stomped off to her den, scratching furiously at her arms and belly.
A few minutes later, Bunker let himself in, holding a broken hairbrush. “SIt.” She plopped down with a huff, and he moved around behind her. “Some humans left this behind because the handle broke off. So wasteful. But it’s EXCELLENT for harvesting your shed, so I hold onto it.” He started brushing her, holding the brush like a horse brush in his palm.
Brook closed her eyes. “Mmm. That feels pretty good, actually.”
“I’m glad you like it, because you’re doing me when my shed starts.” He kept brushing her, every once in a while pulling her hair out of the brush and tossing it in a pile in the corner.
She sighed happily when he finished, finding herself far less itchy. “Ohh… that feels SO much better… thank you.” She turned and kissed him. Halfway through, she realized what she was doing and pulled away, feeling a blush spread to her ears. “Er… That didn’t happen.”
He grinned at her. “Sure, if you wanna say so. But I’m gonna remember it anyway.”

[Welsh Halfwit]

Bunker, remembering what didn't happen? GASP! How could you(!)

[GingaDensetsuAleu]

Chapter 19: First Snow

Brook shivered and hugged herself, rustling her bed a little as she tried to remain asleep. Nonetheless, she eventually had to give up on sleeping, and sat up crankily. It was cold in her den, and she didn’t like it. She stumbled to the entryway and listened. She couldn’t hear any bugs, but that wasn’t unexpected; the forest had gone silent weeks ago. She peeked out through the gap where her handle was and frowned. All she could see was whitish-gray.
After a few moments, she pushed against the cover. It slid open easily, and she peeked out. The sun was just disappearing over the horizon. After a moment, she meekly slipped outside and looked around. A soft cover of white powder was covering most things; she could see the sky through the canopy now that all the leaves had fallen. It was actually kind of pretty.
She climbed up into the oak tree and sat, watching the snow falling as the sun faded from behind the clouds and the light dimmed. Once the sun was fully down and the moon was trying to shine from behind the cloud cover, she looked down over her territory. She could see everything from up here; Bunker walking along the river’s opposite shore toward the crossing, the footprints from Three Toes crossing her border to go around a wall of brambles and then crossing back into his own land again, and even footprints from one of her daywalker neighbors, faded now, as they went about their business the previous day.
She grinned and stayed up in her tree, watching Bunker approach her den. He stared at her footprints and started to follow them. When he got close, she dropped from the lowest branch and dropped right in front of him. “BOO!”
He gave a startled squeal and jumped back, falling on his backside, then started laughing. “Oh, you got me GOOD!” He stood up and dusted off his fur, snickering. “You’re up early. You’re NEVER up this early.”
She shrugged. “It got too cold in my den to sleep, so I got up to watch the sunset.”
He looked her over. “Yeah… I came over to show you what to do about that. You’ll need that stuff we got when we went to town.”
She nodded at him. “Okay. It’s in my den. After you.”
She watched him move aside her cover, grinning at the view, then followed him inside. Her den was a lot more cramped now, with dried food and other supplies packed in against the walls. She dug through it for a moment, then pulled out the flower pot, with the bricks and candles placed inside.
Bunker grinned and unpacked it. “Okay… so first, you’re gonna clear an area so there’s nothing flammable nearby. I learned that the hard way. It was a very cold winter until my fur grew back.”
She smirked. “Ooh, tell me the story.”
“Later.” He took two of the four bricks out of the flower pot and set them down next to each other, then took a candle and squished it in between the two bricks so it sat upright. “You stand up your candle like this, then take the other two bricks and stand them up on end like so…” He demonstrated, then got the lighter out. “Light the candle, then flip the flower pot upside down and carefully set it on top of the setup like so. The fire warms the pot, and it radiates outward, warming a decent area around it.”
Brook stepped forward and put her hands out. “I bet it takes a little bit first though.”
Bunker cleared his throat and hesitated. “I… um… actually have a question related to this. Since we weren’t able to find very many candles… I was wondering… if you wanted to share dens for the winter? We can use my den as storage, and that way we can stretch our candles.”
Brook opened her mouth to accept, but then her eyes fell on the secret compartment. She hesitated. “I… um… Can I think about it? You’re sometimes… a little bit much.”
He put his ears back. “Am I? I’m sorry, I just-”
“That’s not what I meant! I just… sometimes, I need some time to myself.” She scrambled to think. “Er… y-yeah. You can move in. Just… if I ask for a few minutes, you’ll need to go outside for a little while, okay?”
He hesitated. “Y-yeah, okay.”
After a moment, she smiled. “Good. You wanna do it now? Or wait until the river freezes over so you don’t have to walk through the icy water?”
He hesitated. “I’d better do it now. Well… actually, there’s not really much TO do. As long as there’s space for me here, we can always move storage over later.”
She nodded. Then a thought occurred to her. “We’re not snuggling.”
He pouted. “But we can save our leaves if we share our bed! They always start working awful thin by the time spring comes around. I don’t wanna sleep on the cold floor.”
She sighed. “Fine. We can share a bed, but don’t be getting fresh.”
He grinned and put his hand up, dragging a finger from his other hand from shoulder to opposite hip and the other shoulder to the other hip, crossing his chest. “Cross my heart, I don’t lay a finger on you without permission.”
She nodded and stared at him for a moment. “It’s getting warmer in here. The heater’s working.”
He looked around, then grinned. “So it is. Let’s work on the bed.” He pointed toward her pile of leaves. “You still have your shed, from when your winter coat grew in?”
She shuddered in disgust. “Yeah.”
“Go and get it. We mix a little in with the leaves, the leaves will last longer and make a better barrier against the floor.” He moved over and started scooping her bed up into a pile.
She frowned and stared at the pile of supplies, stepping around it to dig out the pile of loose fur. It was a surprisingly large pile. She grabbed an armload and carried it over to Bunker. Bunker grinned up at her. “Just drop it right in there, I’ll mix it in real good, add some fresh leaves, and spread it back out.”
She dropped it into the pile, then frowned as she watched Bunker mix it in with the leaves. After a moment, she went to grab an armload of fresh leaves and dropped them in the pile too. He grinned and mixed them in, then stood up and started spreading them out. “And there we go, our new bed.”
A shiver ran up Brook’s spine when he said ‘our bed.’ She felt the fur on her tail fluff up, and hurriedly smoothed it out with her hands before he could see. “ER… yeah, it’s nice.” She looked at it, then leaned over and blew out the candle.
He looked up. “What’d you do that for?”
She grinned. “Let’s go outside.”
He frowned. “Why, what’s outside?”
She snickered and, instead of answering, darted outside, pushing aside the cover to her den.
Bunker frowned and followed her outside, then squeaked and sputtered when a snowball hit him directly in the face.
Brook laughed playfully. “You DID tell me it was important to take a break and play sometimes!”
“Oh, you… I’m gonna…” Bunker bent down and started scooping up a handful of snow. “I’m gonna GET YOU!”

[GingaDensetsuAleu]

Chapter 20: Snuggle

Brook opened her eyes to see what was warm that was pressed against her, then quickly closed her eyes again. It was Bunker. He was snuggled in, in front of her, facing away. She nuzzled in closer, pretending like she was still asleep. Bunker felt warm and soft, and she kind of liked it.
After a while of cuddling into him, she felt him stir. She pretended like she was asleep, partially to see what he would do, and partially because she didn’t want to stop cuddling.
After a few moments, Bunker spoke. “You don’t have to pretend to be asleep. If you wanna snuggle, we can snuggle.”
She felt her ears warm up and opened her eyes. “Oh… I’m sorry, I just… I don’t know… I thought you’d expect MORE if we snuggled.”
He grinned and rolled in place to face her. “Mm. Nah. It’s not mating season. Besides, I wouldn’t MAKE you do anything you don’t wanna do. But there’s nothing wrong with snuggling. It’s cold out. We gotta keep warm.”
She grunted and nodded. “I… um…” She stared at him. She wanted to snuggle with him more often, she realized. “I wish I could… er… are you familiar with the human concept of dating? I learned about it when I was a pet.” Her mind raced.
“Dating? I’m not sure, why don’t you tell me about it?” He lifted himself up on his elbow to look at her. She squeaked a little and covered her mouth for a moment, looking up at him.
She hesitated. “It’s when a couple… who think they might like each other… spend time together, get to know each other a little better. They might… snuggle… or see a show…” She hesitated. “... Kiss…”
Bunker stared at her for a few moments, then his big, lopsided grin started to spread across his face. “You think you like me?”
She fidgeted. “I… I do. But I’m not sure if I can… um… I have…”
His grin faded. “It’s to do with where you go some days, isn’t it? You’re worried about that.”
She put her ears back. “Oh… y-you know about that?”
“Brook, the whole FOREST knows about that. A raccoon goes out during the day? Frequently? It’s been in the gossip for MONTHS.” He nudged her. “And I’m not gonna ask about it. If you wanted me to know, you would tell me. But I don’t really care. It makes you mysterious.”
She put her ears back. “The whole forest?” She wondered why nobody had asked her about it yet.
He grinned. “It’s kind of attractive that you have a mysterious secret, actually.”
She blushed again, her ears heating up, and stood up abruptly. “That’s… actually, uh…” She flicked her tail, fidgeting her hands together.
Bunker watched her patiently. “... How about we get breakfast and talk it over? The river will probably freeze over soon, so it’ll be our last chance to get fresh fish.”
She gave a weak smile, thankful for the save. “I’d like that.”
He opened up the den and smiled, going outside. Once she was alone, Brook took a deep breath. “What’re you doing, Sarah? You can’t date him, you’re not even the same SPECIES!” She thumped herself on the head, then followed him out.
They walked together down to the river, and Bunker frowned. “Oh… it’s frozen already…”
Brook put her ears back and walked up to the river, wiping a layer of snow off the top and looking down at the ice. For a moment, all she saw was her reflection- a cute, slightly chubby raccoon with heart-shaped markings around the eyes. Another raccoon appeared behind her reflection, and she focused on Bunker for a moment. A raccoon. Just like the one that was in her reflection. The same.
Then, something moved under the surface, and her focus shifted to underneath. She grinned. “Oh! It’s not frozen through, it’s just a surface layer! Give me a rock, I bet I can smash through!”
Bunker blinked, then turned and started digging through the snow, checking place by place until he found a big rock, then gave it to her. She grinned and held it in her hands, perking her ears. “Bombs away!” She twisted at the hips and chucked the rock, watching it smash out into the middle of the river and break right through. She laughed and darted out toward it, flopping on her belly in the snow right next to the hole. “Hey, Bunker! Ever go ice fishing?”
Bunker laughed and ran out, flopping down and peeking through the hole. Ten minutes later, he had four or five fish laid out in the snow next to them, flopping weakly. “Heh… This is great. That was smart, I would never have thought of checking if it was solid.”
Brook grinned. “Yeah, just be careful. Throwing the rock like that could break ALL of the ice, not just the ice where you want it broken, and then you could fall in and freeze in the water.”
He scooped up their catch. “Let’s head inside before my arm freezes off.”
She grinned. “I’ll go fire up the furnace.” She ran ahead and lit two candles under the pot, to heat it up quicker. Bunker ran in after her and tossed the fish to the floor, turning to pull the cover on and trap in the warmer air.
They ate in silence for a few minutes, munching on the fish Bunker had caught while Brook’s mind raced. Should she ask Bunker out? COULD she ask Bunker out? Would he even be open to such a human idea as dating? It had been a long time, even before the project began, since she had been on a date.
She cleared her throat awkwardly, looking up at Bunker. “I… um… about what we talked about earlier?”
He paused, swallowing his bite and looking at her. His face was so cute when he looked at her like that, she decided. She felt her ears go warm. She didn’t know what she was going to say. “I mean… it’s… I’ve never really been… I don’t know how to say it…”
“It’s been a while since you’ve been attracted to anyone, hasn’t it? I can tell… And, for some reason, you’re fighting it. Like when you think I’m not looking and you peek, and then you look away, or when you think I can’t hear you and you scold yourself.”
She felt her ears heat up so much she was sure they were steaming from the melted snow in her fur. “Th-there’s a reason that I really shouldn’t, but then I can’t talk about it with you, but I like you, I do, I really, REALLY like you…” She stammered, fumbling for an excuse.
He put a finger to her muzzle. “Shh. Let me finish.” He paused, then perked his ears. “You’re hiding something. I feel like it might be something important. I’m not really sure what it is, and I don’t care. We don’t have to mate, but I would love… no, I would be HONORED if you would… what was the word you used? Date? Date me. I would be honored, if you would date me.”
Brook hesitated, stunned. She looked up at Bunker, feeling another blush spread across her ears. She felt like she’d been blushing an awful lot today. She put her ears back and took a moment to think. She was stuck here for over another year. She was, for that time, like it or not, a raccoon, just like Bunker. She put a hand to her mouth, her heart pounding.
“I… um…” She considered what she should say. She pictured herself saying no. Bunker would be fine, he’d just say okay and move on, like he always did. He might be a little sad, but he wouldn’t hold it against her or anything. But on the other hand, if she said YES, she could snuggle into him whenever she wanted, warm her hands in his fur, kiss him. She felt her heart race at the thought. Bunker was her best friend in the world, at least for now, and she felt like she couldn’t live without him. Literally. She found that she didn’t WANT to live without him.
Brook put her ears back, looking at Bunker’s eyes, staring hopefully back at her, and took a step forward. She leaned in and kissed him, pulling him into a hug and burying her face in his chest. “I would LOVE to date you.”

[CunningFox]

Lovely chapter.

[GingaDensetsuAleu]

Chapter 21: Openermas

“Don’t attack, we’re coming over!” Brook’s ears perked at the distant call, and she lifted her head.
“Mmph… what is it?” Bunker mumbled quietly, opening one eye. “Come back and snuggle…”
“I thought I heard someone calling that they were coming over.” She sat up.
Bunker gave a little whine. “So what? I’m not done getting cuddles.”
She leaned down and kissed his nose. “Let’s just see who it is.”
“Aawwww, babe….” He whined softly, but started standing up, pushing on the floor to stick his rump up in the air first like always.
Brook tilted her head to watch the show, then stood up herself and walked over to the cover of the den, lifting it up slightly to see who was there. “It’s a lady coon, two kits, and a possum.” She paused. “I think she’s prettier than me.”
Bunker squeezed in next to her to peek. “It’s Jessica and Ink. I wonder what brings them way out here? It’s a day’s walk from here to Jessica’s Bungalow. They’ve got a wagon with them.”
Brook crossed her arms and tapped her paw, rolling her eyes and waiting for Bunker to realize what she’d said.
He peeked out for a few moments, then squeaked. “Oh! Uh… of COURSE she’s not prettier than you! She’s just-” He mumbled something.
She flicked her ears and looked at him. “She’s just what? I couldn’t hear you.”
He put his ears back. “Er… my ex. She’s my ex.”
Brook stared at him, then peeked out again. “Are those YOUR kits?”
He squeaked. “No, no! It was YEARS ago! I haven’t seen her since that rabbit became the Opener and she moved closer to Jessica’s place to see him.”
She nudged him playfully and pushed open the den. “Let’s go see what they want.”
“W-wait! I’m coming, just-” He stuttered, running over to blow out the candle under the furnace, then stumbling out of the den after her.
“Hello! Over here!” Brook waved her arms to get the attention of their visitors. They waved back and started making their way over.
“Boy, I sure hope Ink’s not still mad that I broke up with her.” Bunker whispered.
“You broke up with her? Why?” Brook whispered back.
“Religious differences.”
The raccoon woman grinned. “Oh, Hi there, Bunker! Got yourself a new girl? Oooh, she’s so CUTE!” She walked around them, poking at Brook.
“Oh, she’s FURIOUS!” Bunker whispered. Brook swatted him behind her back.
“Bunker says you live quite a way away. What brings you all the way out here?” Brook asked politely. “Can we get you anything?”
“Could we come in and warm up? It’s cold over here.” The opossum tightened her lime green scarf and tugged the wagon up toward her.
“Of course, I’ll go light the candle.” Brook turned and went back inside. The opossum and the other two raccoons followed her in, and Bunker paused to close the cover.
The other lady opossum, apparently named Custom Ink, grinned. “See, that’s what I liked about dating Bunker, he made those little covers for the dens so the cold didn’t get in. Remember, Jess, how he made you that door, for your old den?”
The possum rolled her eyes. “And then I had to have Fals fix it because it didn’t work right?”
“Oh, hush, it’s the thought that counts.” Ink grinned at Brook. “Don’t worry about her, she’s just a pessimist.” She put her hands out over the heater. “Why don’t you tell ‘em, Jess?”
Jess rolled her eyes. “My boyfriend used his allowance to buy some blankets for those of us on the other side of the forest. We had more blankets than we had people, so we decided to bring some of the extras over to this side for those less fortunate.”
Brook blinked. “Your boyfriend… allowance?”
“She’s dating the Opener! A mere mortal!” Ink squealed, waving her hands around like a minister.
“Stop that, Ink.” Jessica pushed her away. “Unfortunately, we’ve only got one blanket left, so you’ll have to share.”
“Happy Openermas!” Custom Ink grinned and dashed outside, pausing on her way back in to close the cover and let in her two kits. She ran back over to Brook and plopped a rolled-up blanket in her lap.
Brook smiled. “Oh, thanks. We were just about to have some breakfast, why don’t you tell me more about this… Opener, and Openermas stuff while Bunker goes across the river to our storage to fetch some food?”
Bunker sputtered. “Wh- me?!”
Brook gave him a kiss, and he grinned. “You know what, actually I’d LOVE to go find something for our guests.”

That night, Brook waited for Bunker to go outside to check that the traps were still in place for predators, then opened the secret compartment and pulled out the computer inside. She typed furiously.
“Day 308. Today we had visitors from the other side of the forest- an opossum named Jessica and a lady raccoon named Custom Ink- who stopped by to bring us a blanket. They seemed very nice. Jessica was very no-nonsense, while Custom Ink seemed to be very into a local religion. I got her to tell me about it, detailed below.”
“Apparently, the religion follows a deity that was trapped in what sounds like a cave or cavern, speaking to the forest animals via dreams to give them instructions on how to free him, until a rabbit visiting the forest managed to open the doorway and free the deity. The rabbit then became a prophet that they call the Opener, or Opener of Ways. They religiously follow this rabbit’s every move. Ink had a copy of their holy book and let me have a look inside. From what I could tell, it was just stories and copies of the diary from some pet rabbit living in a nearby neighborhood. Apparently he spends extended periods at Jessica’s Bungalow. From what I understand, he’s dating Jessica.”
“This is very interesting. Three Toes has mentioned the Opener a few times, but this is the first I’ve realized that there’s actually a religious divide in this forest- not all of them believe the same as Bunker. Perhaps, in the spring, I’ll take a trip down to Jessica’s Bungalow and learn some more about this other religion. I may even meet this ‘Opener’ for myself and ask him how it feels to be a religious entity.”
“There may be an entire cultural divide, given the distance one has to travel to reach the other side of the forest- as I understand it, it’s a whole day by foot, and the other side has several manmade structures that the animals there take advantage of.”
She saved the file, closed the laptop, and tucked it back into the secret compartment, fitting the cover in place just a few seconds before Bunker came back in and smiled at her. “Shall we cuddle under our new blanket?”

[Amazee Dayzee]

Since she is trying to make sure that Bunker doesn't see what he is writing and doesn't ask questions about why she has a laptop on her, I am guessing that he doesn't know why she is actually out there. When that truth does come out I can see him being very hurt and betrayed.

[GingaDensetsuAleu]

Chapter 22: Defrost

Brook’s ear twitched. There was a sound coming from outside that sounded familiar, but she couldn’t quite place it. She sat up with a yawn and wandered to the entryway to listen.
Bunker whined a bit when she left, then tugged the blanket around himself in his sleep.
After a few moments, Brook realized what the noise was. Running water. Her ears perked, and she grinned excitedly, pushing the cover out of the way to peek outside.
Thick fog blanketed the territory, making it difficult to see, but she COULD see winding tracks through the snow cover, looking like a snake had burrowed just under the surface. The insides of the tracks were made of ice, and little rivulets of water melt-off followed them downhill toward the river. Droplets fell from the treetops as icicles gradually shrank and caked-on snow gradually melted, occasionally sending a white bundle falling out of the sky with a soft WHUMP noise.
Brook’s ears perked and she slipped outside, wandering the territory with wonder. The quarter moon covered everything in silvery light, combining with the fog to give everything a mysterious, mystic look. She laughed and ran along one of the safe paths between their autumn traps, swatting at low-hanging branches to make them drop their load of snow. Her eyes closed, and she gave a spin, enjoying the warmer, somewhat moist air. “Ohh… this is GREAT! The snow is melting! It’s so WARM out!”
After a moment, she turned and ran down toward the river, eager to see what it looked like. She found that the ice along the edges had started to melt, and a channel down the middle had standing water. As she watched, a blockage melted enough to finally break, and the water started to flow again, quietly trickling down the falls. She flicked her tail eagerly and trotted right up to the river’s edge, kneeling to scoop a handful of the flowing water out and sip it. It wasn’t as clean as she had hoped, but it was LIQUID- she was tired of eating snow instead of drinking water.
“Careful, Brook. The river rises fast when the ice starts to melt. It could rise without warning.” Bunker’s hand rested on her back, and she grinned. “I’ll be careful… what do you wanna do today?”
He looked around quietly. “We should stay inside as much as possible. I’m worried about this fog. Predators may use it to sneak up on us. With the snow melting, our traps will be visible, and therefore ineffective.”
She put her ears back. “Ugh… predators. Always ruining our fun.” A chill ran up her spine as she thought of the bobcat that had almost gotten her last summer. “... Okay. I’ll run across to our storage den and grab some food, and meet you back at the den?”
He nodded quietly. “Be careful. If the river rises, even the crossing’s not safe. If you get stuck on the other side, just stay put, and I’ll come and get you.”
She grabbed him and pulled him close, letting her hand rest on his hip and placing her other hand on his back as she kissed him. “Mm. I’ll be back soon, don’t worry.”
He gave a happy purring sound and kissed her back. “Mmm. I won’t worry one little bit. I’ll just… go back to bed and dream about mating season.”
Brook’s ears perked. “Oh… yeah, you… uh… do that.” She turned and started walking downstream, turning to give a wave at Bunker. He waved back, then turned and started toward the den as he faded from sight in the fog.
She sighed and continued on her way down to the crossing, carefully stepping from stone to stone as she tried to avoid setting her paws on the slick-looking ice. “All right, Brook, settle down. You can ask during your next check-up. Maybe there’s a raccoon contraceptive.” She mumbled to herself as she made landfall on the other side of the river.
She started walking back upstream, feeling a pit in her tummy. “But… I kinda…” She slowed down and blushed, putting her ears back and covering them in case someone was watching and the blush made her ears steam. “Kinda want his kits?”
She shook her head and resumed walking. “No, bad Brook, BAD. You’re a scientist, not a raccoon. You don’t have TIME for kits. You won’t even BE here long enough to raise them, you’re almost halfway through the project. It’s just the raccoon hormones messing with your head.” She pulled aside the cover from Bunker’s den and slipped inside, pulling the cover closed behind her. “You told yourself, snuggles, kisses, and holding hands, but not… THERE.”
She looked around the storage. It was getting kind of thin in here; an armload of spare leaves for their bed, fifteen or so bundles of dried food plants, and a handful of nuts remained. She looked around and sighed, grabbing up four or five of the food bundles. “Besides, we BARELY made it through the winter with what we were able to gather for ourselves. We’d NEVER make it with kits!”
She let herself out and replaced the cover, starting back and continuing to berate herself during the return trip. “Besides, you can’t be with HIM. Just because he’s kind… funny… considerate… and perfect… He’s a raccoon! You’re a human! I mean, you’re a raccoon right NOW… but what happens when the project is over, and you have to return to your human life, your job, your FAMILY?”
She felt her ears droop as she came back to the crossing. For some reason, the thought made her sad. Shouldn’t she be happy at the thought of returning to human life? A fulfilling job, fame and glory from the project she was working on RIGHT NOW, easily accessible food year-round?
She drooped a little. Taxes, a mother that only talked to her once or twice a year, no boyfriend, social and political issues, societal expectations? Hadn’t she learned that out here, she could act however she wanted and nobody would care? She could laugh and play, and nobody would tell her it wasn’t scientific or professional. She could be sad and nobody would tell her to smile, they’d just sit next to her and try to comfort her.
She had a BOYFRIEND. She blushed at the thought. If she’d have told herself a year ago that she would be dating a raccoon, she’d have thought herself a loony. She had warned herself not to go native when she’d started the project, saying involvement might taint her data; however, now that she was halfway through the project, she could see that she was gathering far more data now, having gotten involved, than she ever would have being standoffish and professional.
She opened the den and slipped inside, turning and hugging Bunker. “Hey. I got some food, but we’ve only got enough for a few more days.”
Bunker grinned and kissed her. “Good. That means spring is practically here. We’ll have fresh food again. Don’t you worry, we can find some of the early growers starting to grow under the snow in the meantime.” He took one of the bundles from her and broke the grass cord it was wound in. She noticed that it was sloppy work, one of her first cords from the previous summer.
“Oh, wow… That was one of my earlier ones.” She picked up the broken cord and looked at it. “I was awful at this.”
Bunker laughed. “Yeah, but you got better fast, didn’t you?” He poked at her belly.
She giggled and started unpacking her own bundle. “Yeah…”

[Amazee Dayzee]

I always find a good belly poke to be very charming when it comes to anthro animals in fiction. Probably because you would never get away with it in real life as a human and people would look at you like a weirdo.

[GingaDensetsuAleu]

Chapter 23: Back at the Institute

Brook stood up when she saw the van coming and bustled to the side of the road. She climbed up inside and closed the door behind her, sitting down and declining her burger. “No, thanks, I’m not hungry.” She turned to the vet and stopped him from starting his checkup. “Let’s do it in your actual office. I have some questions.”
She held on as the van started moving, and put her ears back. “Can someone call Mr. Milton? I need to talk to him, too.”
Her stomach was in knots as she thought about the decisions she’d made that she planned to act on today. She watched the world zip by past the window and put her ears back.
When the institute came into view, she hesitantly stood up and pulled on her ID tag, looking at the human side with a sigh. She climbed out of the van and followed the vet to his office, climbing up on the exam table. He looked her over. “Well… you’re a perfectly healthy, if slightly overweight, raccoon. You had questions?”
She put her ears back and swallowed nervously. This was it. “What’s the prospects if I… er… were to decide to have some kits? Am I healthy enough for that?”
He seemed surprised. “Well, there’s no reason why you SHOULDN’T be able to… Physically speaking, that is. But…”
She put her ears back. “I’ve been considering things for a while… I’m going to talk to Mr. Milton today.”
He put his hand on her shoulder and patted her back. “Well… Good luck, and congratulations in advance, if that means what I think it does.”
She gave a weak little smile, shaking his hand. “Thanks… I need to go file my report.” She climbed down off the exam table and smiled up at the vet. “Er… thanks for putting up with the crazy pickup schedule. It must have been really inconvenient for you.”
“Any time, Doctor Wyld.”
She wandered down the hall to her lab, uploaded the week’s logs, and turned on the webcam. “Video log of Brook Wyld, week fifty-one. This week, I had some hard decisions to make. I’ve failed as a scientist. I wasn’t able to keep myself emotionally distant from my study subjects. I’ve fallen in love with Bunker. I intend today to tender my resignation, effective immediately, and request that I be dropped back off in the forest to live the remainder of my days with him. I didn’t come by this decision lightly; it’s a scary thought, disappearing into the forest and never returning to my human life, but I don’t want to ever live without Bunker. My plan is to come back next week and spend a couple days here writing my paper based on the research I have already gathered, turn in my equipment, and head back out.”
“Doctor Wyld, signing out for the last time.” She stared at the camera for a few more moments, then flipped it off, uploaded her video, and powered down the computer.
Mr. Milton was waiting for her outside the door. “They called me and said you wanted to talk.”
Brook nodded and gestured to him. “Shall we borrow someone’s office?”
“I already have. This way.” He led her to an empty office and closed the door behind them, climbing up into the seat behind the desk while she climbed up across from him. Once they were both settled, he stared across his desk at her quietly. He waited a few moments, then spoke. “What did you want to speak to me about?”
She sighed and looked down at her hands for a moment. “Sir, I would like to officially tender my resignation, and request to be released back out into the forest. I am willing to first write the paper I promised you to the best of my ability given that only half the research time limit has elapsed.”
He stared at her for a few moments. “Request denied.”
She gawped. “Sir-!”
“Call me Keene.” The interruption, or rather the contents of it, were so unexpected, that she could do nothing but sit there with her muzzle hanging open for a few moments.
“... Sir?” She tilted her head, perplexed.
“I’m not your boss. You don’t have to call me sir, or Mr. Milton, or any of that stuff. Just plain old Keene is fine.” He was quiet for a few moments. “As for your resignation, I can’t let you just resign. We’ve sunk over a year into this project, Sarah. I don’t want you to just rush through the paper to get it done. I want you to write it properly, cross-reference your research… it could take weeks.”
She put her ears back. “B-but, sir-”
“Keene.” He stared at her for a few moments, then continued. “So, I want you to tell your boyfriend the truth. Tell him you’re a former human researcher there to observe him. Tell him you’d like to continue to live with him once your research is done. Then, invite him to come with you during your next pickup. You can stay here, at the institute, while you write the paper. Then, when you’re done, we’ll turn you both loose back at the drop-off point, with some new equipment so we can let you know if we need to see you again.”
Brook sat there in shock for a few moments. “You want Bunker… to come HERE.”
He nodded. “We’ll get our vet to check him over and keep him entertained while you’re working on your paper. It shouldn’t take more than a month.”
She sighed and rubbed her muzzle. “And… what if Bunker doesn’t WANT to come here? What if he’s mad I lied to him and never wants to see me again?”
“If he chooses not to come, then he chooses not to come. And if he gets angry about the human thing, then at least you’ll KNOW. It’s always better to set out with the truth when you’re considering spending your life with someone. That way, there’s no surprises later down the line.” He looked her over. “If your logs are anything to go on, though, he’ll be okay with it. He may be upset for a few days, but he’ll come back to you. It sounds like he’s head over paws for you, after all.”
She squeaked. “He is?”
He grinned and leaned forward. “Either he’s the nicest raccoon in the world, or he’s hoping you’ll fall for him like he fell for you. Nobody’s going to spend all their time for an entire year with someone just to be NICE.”
She blushed, then hesitantly looked up. “Sir… Keene. When I started this project, I had decided I was going to spend the rest of my life lonely and single. Maybe get a cat or two when I got older, so there’s someone left to bury me when I pass. But over the last year… I tried, sir, I really did try to keep my emotional distance, like you’re supposed to when studying a culture, but slowly and surely, I fell for my research subject. I must be the worst wildlife behaviorist in the world.”
“Or the best one.” He smiled at her kindly.

[Amazee Dayzee]

It is awesome to see Keene being nice to others rather than thinking about how to make a situation benefit him in some way! He tends to impose his will on others to get what he wants and thinks he is above the consequences that follow.

[GingaDensetsuAleu]

Yeah. I had to make him a little out of character for this scene because I was tired of writing this story and wanted to be done, and that was the quick way to do it. I choose to think of it as "noncanon character development."

[GingaDensetsuAleu]

Chapter 24: Introductions

Brook sat in the den, watching Bunker sleep. Her heart fluttered at the thought of what she had to do and how Bunker might react. She was scared out of her wits that he might leave her. She knew that the sooner she said something, the better, but she couldn’t bring herself to wake him. He looked so cute when he was asleep.
He stirred gently and opened his eyes, feeling around for her for a moment before looking up at her. “Come back to bed, it’s chilly.”
She smiled weakly. “Actually, I need to have some serious-time talk with you.”
He sat up. “Oooh, serious-time talk. Sounds important.”
She put her ears back. “It is. VERY important.” She scooted over to sit next to him. “I need to… I’m not sure how to do this. Maybe… I should start with properly introducing myself.”
He tilted his head. “But I already know you. You’re Brook.”
She sighed. “You remember when I first got here, and you gave me the name Brook? How I told you my name was Sarah?”
He looked upward for a moment. “Oh, yeah. I forgot your name used to be Sarah.”
She sighed and reached out to grab his hand. “My full name is Doctor Sarah Wyld. I am… or I was… a human scientist. I came out here to learn about your culture and what animals in the forest REALLY do when no humans are around.”
He stared at her for a few moments, then laughed. “Tell another one.”
She sighed and stood up, walking over to the fake wall and popping it off its space. “I thought you wouldn’t believe me, so I brought my ID badge home today.” She picked it up and tossed it to him.
He fumbled to catch it and looked at the card, then flipped it over and looked at the other side. He put his ears back. “You’re… you’re not kidding. This is YOU… and on the other side-”
“That’s also me. That’s… how I looked as a human. I used to change back when I went in to do my reports, but the thing was going to stop working, so I stopped.” She put her ears back and watched him look at the ID, then get up to look in the hidden compartment she’d kept secret all these months.
“What’s this?” He pointed at her computer.
“That’s a miniature computer I use to keep notes. That’s what I do every morning before I let you come in for bed. The stringy bit on the side is a portable drive. It comes out and I bring it with me to my pickups so I can copy my notes to a bigger computer at the Institute.” She watched him play with it for a moment, then reach to pick up the emergency beacon. She’d warned the institute that he might play with it, so they wouldn’t rush out to save her unless it was on longer than ten minutes.
“What’s this thing?” He turned it in his hands and flicked the switch, watching the indicator light up.
“That’s an emergency beacon. If at any point I needed to abandon the project or I felt like I was in danger, I could activate that and the people from the institute would come to take me away.” She reached over and flipped it off again.
He looked in the hidden compartment and picked up the book, flipping through it. “A book of plants?”
She hesitated. “That’s a book of forageable plants. I didn’t end up using it because you were here. You knew more edible stuff than was in the book anyway.”
He closed the book and set it down inside the hidden compartment. “I… This is a lot. You’ve just been… studying me?”
“Well… no, not just YOU. Everybody around here. I’m sorry…” She put her ears back.
He stared at her quietly for a few moments, then leaned down and put the cover back on the compartment. “Why are you telling me?”
She put her ears back. “That’s the… um… the part I’m worried about. I asked if I could end the project early and move out here to be with you… for real. Er… if you’ll still have me after all this.”
He hesitated. “I… I’m happy you want to be with me, but… I…” He stood up. “I need some time to think. I’ll be in the other den for… I don’t know. Maybe just the night.”
“W-wait-!” She gasped and stood up. “They… uh… they want you to come with me during my next pickup and hang out while I write my paper. It… it could take a few weeks.”
He sighed and rubbed his face. “I’ll think about it, Brook- Sarah. I’ll think about it.”
She put her ears back. “You don’t have to- just call me Brook, it’s fine. I like Brook.”
He looked at her, then turned and walked out.

Three nights passed. Brook lay in her bed, feeling cold with nothing to cuddle into. The days were spent tossing and turning. How had she grown so dependent on his presence, so quickly? After a while, she finally forced herself to get up, pausing at the cover of her den to listen for the sounds of crickets. Satisfied that it was safe outside, she stepped outside and went for a walk. She strolled from tree to tree, marking the ones that she’d carved symbols into almost a year ago, refreshing her claim on the land just like Bunker had told her to.
She paused when she saw a purple flower sticking up off the ground not too far away, and she walked over to it, putting her ears back. Chicory. Bunker’s favorite, with its slightly sweet flavor and crisp leaves. She put one in her mouth and sucked on it, memories of fun times the previous summer spent chasing each other, playing in the river, and laughing with him.
She wandered to the river and looked across, hoping to catch a glimpse of Bunker foraging, or building a new cover for his den, or even just sitting on the rotting log his den was hidden under. She considered walking down to Bunker’s Crossing, going across the river and finding him, apologizing and begging him to come back, but she didn’t want to push him. If he said he needed time, she was going to give him time. She waded into the river to try her hand at fishing.
Her mind wandered to fishing lessons with Bunker, how he’d shown her how to hold very still until the fish got close, then snatch it up fast enough that it couldn’t swim away. A trout swam right up to her and nibbled her toes; she waited a few seconds, then snatched it up. Or, she tried to. She’d never been very good at it; the fish darted away, and all she got was wet. She gave a disappointed groan and moved slightly.
Suddenly, her paw slipped out from under her, and she fell into the river with a splash, finding herself tumbling head over heels downstream until she caught in the crossing, stopping with her face up in the water. She stared at the stars, so vividly clear this far out, and let herself float as the water continued flowing past her. She wondered if Bunker would ever forgive her. She could almost see his face, standing over her now.
She blinked. She actually COULD see his face standing over her. She sat up and looked up at him.
He gave that goofy little lopsided grin that always set her heart pounding. “You okay? That was quite a tumble.”
She blushed, putting her ears back to hide their warmth. “I never was very good at fishing.”
He reached out his hand and pulled her up to a standing position. “Well, you’ll have a long time to practice, won’t you?” He leaned forward and kissed her. “When do we leave?”

[Amazee Dayzee]

It probably will take some time (aka until the end of the story) for Bunker to forgive her when the truth comes out but I can't see him being angry at her forever. What would be the point in building up his character and their relationship only to end it permanently after the secret inevitably comes out?

[GingaDensetsuAleu]

I don't know, shock factor? Wouldn't really fit in with this story though.

[Amazee Dayzee]

That is true about the shock factor honestly but then all that build up to their relationship would have been for nothing and might leave people annoyed. I can't see many people being too happy that after all of that the relationship gets destroyed beyond repair.

[CunningFox]

Bunker's reaction was very well handled. He didn't accept it unbelievably quickly, but nor was there a boring "how could you lie to me?" relationship breakdown. He reacted in a way that felt believable.

[GingaDensetsuAleu]

Chapter 25: Bunker at the Institute

Brook climbed up into the van and turned to grab Bunker by the hand. She pulled him up into the van and closed the door, grinning. The usual woman passed each of them a bag from fast food, and Bunker blinked at it, looking around. “What’s this?”
“Oh, I asked them to bring me food when they picked me up, and so they still do.” Brook grinned and took her seat, patting the bench seat next to her. Bunker climbed up next to her and watched her open the bag. “And I also may have asked for a little extra because it’s a special occasion.”
Bunker looked around uncertainly at all the humans in the van. “Who are all of these… uh.. People?” He dug his burger out of the bag and tore off the wrapper, licking his chops eagerly.
Brook grinned and watched him dig in eagerly to the treat. “That gentleman is a veterinarian, he gives me a quick checkup every week to make sure I’m in good shape and a more in-depth one every three months.” She pointed at the next. “She’s… I don’t really know what her job is, but she’s always here. Security, maybe? And then of course there’s the driver, and the assistant project lead.” She pointed at everybody in turn.
He glanced around at them, then squealed when the vet reached in to start checking him up. “Wh- hey, don’t touch me, human!”
“Bunker, Bunker… relax, he’s just checking to see if you have any fleas, ticks, or stuff like that.” She didn’t mention that there WOULD be a full check up later. No sense scaring him.
Bunker put his ears back and glared at the vet as he dug through the fur on Bunker’s back. “He’s clean.”
Brook laughed and dug into her burger. Before too long, they pulled into the Institute, and Brook placed the visitor tag around Bunker’s neck. “You gotta leave this on so that Security knows you’re allowed to be here, okay? We’ll get you one with your picture on it later.”
Bunker put his ears back and looked at the tag around his neck. “I don’t know, Brook, I’m not so sure about this… are you sure these humans are safe?”
She chuckled and helped him out of the van. “These are my COWORKERS, Bunker! They’re fine! Nobody’s gonna hurt you. Besides, you’re ADORABLE.”
He grinned and glanced around to be sure nobody was looking, then laid his hand on her backside. “All right, all right, I believe you.” He grinned and leaned in and whispered in her ear. “I’ll believe anything my mate tells me.”
She squeaked and covered his muzzle playfully. “Hey, hey, I haven’t told them yet!”
He grinned. “Gonna make a spicy chapter in your paper though.” He kissed her nose playfully.
She snickered and swatted at him. “Come on, I’ll show you around.” She took his hand and led him inside.
He looked around. “I’ve never been inside a building before, except for one time when I snuck into a grocery store. It’s nice, I guess. Your moss feels a little weird.” His hands looked down at the carpeting, and she snickered.
“Come on, you goof. I’ll show you where I work.” She led him to her lab and booted up the computer, plugging in her portable drive.
Bunker looked around and stared at the computer. “Wow… This is fancy. You’re giving up all of this just to come live in the middle of nowhere with me?”
“A little late not to, wouldn’t you say?” She gave him a silly grin. “Wanna make my video log with me?
“Ooh, what’s that?” He turned and climbed up in her chair with her.
She laughed and opened the folder with all her old logs in it. “Here, I’ll show you. Um… here, here’s one from a couple weeks into the project, back when I used to turn human again.” She started the video to let Bunker see.
He leaned in. “Oooh, that’s you? Like on your little card thingy!” His tail flicked in her face, and she laughed, grabbing him by the hips and pulling him back into the seat next to her.
“Get back here! I just talk about what I did this week to this little camera here, and I record it so I can watch it back later to help me remember.” She pointed out the webcam, then pulled up the recording software. “Okay, you ready?”
He grinned. “Yeah! That sounds like a lot of fun!”
She snickered and hit record, standing up in the seat to be sure the webcam could see her. “This is video log of Brook Wyld, Week fifty-two! Happy anniversary to the project! The project’s over now, I just need to write the paper. But SURPRISE! I brought Bunker with me!”
Bunker popped up and grinned. “Hey, that’s me!” He pointed at the screen, leaning forward.
Brook laughed and pulled him back again so she could see. “It’s been a little bit of a wild ride since I told Bunker about the project, and there’s so much to tell. Not much pertaining to the project, but… well…” She leaned closer and whispered to the camera. “Bunker and I are officially mates now. Don’t tell anybody, it’s a secret.” She giggled. “That was fun. I especially liked the snuggling bit at the end.”
Bunker leaned forward after her to get his face back on the screen, talking loudly. “It was DEFINITELY worth the wait!”
“Bunker!” She laughed, swatting at him. “We gotta be at least a LITTLE professional!” After he leaned back again, laughing, she resumed. “Bunker’s here to keep me company while I write my paper, and then we’re going right back out to the woods. Hopefully it won’t take longer than a few weeks. I have a good reason to hurry, of course. At least, we’re HOPING I do. Just gotta avoid getting a full checkup with the vet while I’m here. This is Brook, signing off!” She stopped the recording, then turned around and swatted Bunker playfully. “Stop making faces at the camera, you SILLY!”
Bunker grinned and pointed at her map. “Look, it’s home! Did you make this?”
She nodded. “I marked down all the places you showed me. Look, here’s Brook’s Falls, Bunker’s Crossing, Hopper’s Thicket, Persimmon’s Glenn.” She pointed.
Bunker laughed. “I already told you I can’t read! But I recognize the layout from when I climbed trees. That’s definitely home.”
She looked at the map nostalgically for a while, then smacked Bunker playfully on the backside. “Hey, you wanna see the machine they used to turn me into a raccoon?”
“NOW we’re talking!” He jumped down off the chair and ran out into the hallway, then paused to wait for her to turn off the computer. “I just realized I don’t know where I’m going. You’d better show me.”
She laughed and took his hand. “Come on, you goof. It’s this way!”
The room with the metamorphosis machine had changed dramatically since the last time Brook had been there. The huge computer bank alongside one end had been reduced to just two or three networked computers, the giant speakers had been replaced with much smaller ones, and the chamber had had the glass on one side replaced with mirrored glass for privacy. Bunker gawped at it and opened the door to peek inside. “This is amazing. How did humans figure this out?”
Brook shrugged. “It honestly beats me. If I recall, they found some old drawings in a ruin somewhere that showed how it works, and they were able to create this machine from there. They’ve been doing research on it the whole time, since before I moved out into the woods.”
“Wanna be human again, just for a few minutes, for old time’s sake? We’re reasonably sure we’d be able to change you back.” One of the attending scientists asked her.
Brook put her ears back. “Er… no, I’d better not. It’s a bad idea for a number of reasons. Besides, I prefer consistency.”

[Amazee Dayzee]

Her saying she prefers consistency pretty much means that she wants to stay as an animal for Bunker who took everything better than I thought he would. It is so refreshing not to see a relationship implode irreversibly due to one of the persons involved keeping a secret.

[GingaDensetsuAleu]

If your relationship implodes because of a little secret, ESPECIALLY when the one keeping it volunteers the information freely, then your relationship was hot garbage to begin with. People make mistakes, it happens.

[Welsh Halfwit]

If your relationship implodes because of a little secret, ESPECIALLY when the one keeping it volunteers the information freely, then your relationship was hot garbage to begin with. People make mistakes, it happens.

Yeah, but people can react badly to given information. Good on Bunker for dealing with it well. (And you for writing a character who can do that believably.)

[Amazee Dayzee]

To be honest I thought that Bunker and Brook's relationship was gonna end badly because I see that as a common trope on some drama shows that I watch. It is especially something that happens all the time on soap operas which I grew up watching.

[GingaDensetsuAleu]

Chapter 26: Author, Author

Brook meandered into her lab and climbed up into her chair, setting her cup of tea on the desk and booting up the computer with a yawn. She opened up the file with all her text logs and started reading.
At first, all the logs were clinical, all information and no emotion. She frowned as she read them, flicking her ears. As she continued reading, the faintest hints of emotions slipped in, more and more. She read about Bunker teaching her to fish, showing her which plants were good to eat, how to play in the river. She teared up a little bit when she read about him showing her how to play in the river, remembering how she’d been bummed out at the time from finding out she couldn’t turn human again if she wanted to continue her project. My, how times had changed so quickly.
She read the logs with rapt attention, fearing for herself when she read about the bobcat, laughing when she read about their trip to town, and giggling at her notes about deciding that maybe dating Bunker wouldn’t be so bad. It was like looking back at an old family album from before you knew a good friend, watching them become the person you knew and loved. When she reached the final entry from the previous night, she turned to the video logs.
The video logs were just like the text logs- they started out clinical and cold, and slowly got warmer and more emotional, until the smiling raccoon on the screen was excited and joyful and HAPPY. It made her happy to watch it happen. Once she was done reviewing all her research, she opened a text editor and started typing.
After a few hours, she yawned and took a long stretch. “Ugh… I gotta get some blood flowing. I used to do this every day?” She looked around, then left the lab, wandering down the hall. “Ugh… didn’t Mr. Milton say there was a gym here?”
A pair of hands covered her eyes. “Guess who?” Bunker’s voice whispered in her ear.
She snickered. “Oh, is it Harold, from accounting? No, no, I got it, it’s Louis, from Experimental Audionics!”
Bunker burst out laughing and rolled back in that goofy way of his. She turned around and poked him playfully. “You goof. What are you up to while I’m working?”
He gave a goofy grin. “I’m getting hugs from lots of humans. They love me.”
“Of course they do, you’re adorable.” She grabbed his ID hanging around his neck and snickered. “Nice picture.” The photo had him making moose antlers at the camera and sticking his tongue out. “Very you.”
He imitated it. “I’ve never had my picture taken on purpose before. Campers will sometimes take pictures of me while they’re camping, but never with my consent.” He grinned. “It was fun.”
She laughed and patted his back. “I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself. I’m just taking a little break. I forgot how tedious writing papers is.”
Bunker put a kiss on her cheek and grinned. “Aww, you’ll have it finished in no time. How far are you?”
She put her ears back. “You’re teaching me what plants are edible.”
“Wow… you’re barely even started, that was only the first ten days or so.”
She nodded. “This paper is already turning out to be more like a book. I might have to condense it in editing.”
“This writing stuff sounds hard.” He put his ears back.
“Well.. you can read my paper before I publish it if you like, so if there’s anything you’d rather I leave out…” She nudged him. “Maybe some embarrassing anecdotes?”
His ears perked. “That’s a nice thought, but… I don’t know how to read.”
She hesitated. “You don’t?” She remembered him mentioning it a few times, now that he mentioned it again.
“Most forest creatures don’t. There’s a couple, but most of us never really have a need to.” He shrugged. “So we never learn.”
“Huh… I never thought of it like that.” She shrugged. “I suppose that makes sense.

Brook sighed and rubbed her muzzle with two fingers, staring at the text on the screen until it seemed to blur into a gray blob. It had been three weeks of writing, and she was getting fatigued. She groaned and leaned forward to place her head on the desk.
“Ugh… I’m tired. I don’t feel good. I just wanna be DONE.” She mumbled to herself.
“You’re ALMOST done. Does that count?” Bunker slipped in and set a cup of tea on the desk for her. “How much did you say you had left?”
“Two months’ worth of logs. Then a conclusion. Then proofreading, editing…” She groaned and leaned over to give him a kiss. “Thanks, babe.” She took the teacup and sipped it. “I’ve been feeling queasy lately.”
He looked concerned. “Should I call the vet?”
“No, no. I’m fine. It’s just… I guess I’ve been working too hard, trying to get this done.” She rubbed her face weakly.
He brushed her fur off her cheek and kissed her. “Let’s just take a break. Come on, out of the chair, let’s go.” He pulled her by her hand and led her down the hall. “I got a surprise for you!”
“Oh, no. You didn’t take apart the coffee machine again, did you? They got so mad at us the last time.” She followed him wearily.
He grinned and opened the door to what used to be an empty room. “I asked that nice ferret for a place to do this.” He led her inside to a big nest made of blankets and pillows.
She gasped. It looked like the most wonderful thing she’d ever seen. “Oh, it’s EXACTLY what I needed.” She ran in and flopped down in the middle of the nest, making a purring noise.
Bunker crawled in and snuggled in next to her. “I thought it might be.” He kissed her nose. “Here, take a nap. You’ve earned it. Maybe it’ll give you that boost you need to push through another month’s worth of notes.”
She leaned over and kissed his nose. “Mm… Thank you, sweetie… It’s exactly what I needed.”
He smiled at her and nipped her ear. “Mm… So why don’t you want the vet to know about your condition?”
She frowned. “If they know, they’ll get all protective, they’ll want to do a checkup, it’ll slow everything down, and I just want to get done so we can go home.”
He snickered. “Yeah? You don’t want them to know just so they don’t check that you’re healthy? That doesn’t sound like the logical Brookie-boo that I know.”
She put her ears back and blushed, feeling them heat up. “You think I should go to the vet, don’t you?”
He nodded and leaned down to kiss her belly. “I just think you should make sure our kits are healthy while you still have access to healthcare.”

[Amazee Dayzee]

Hopefully Brook will be able to get moving and do the rest of the paper done in a quick amount of time. That way she will be able to enjoy being either Bunker more and not fretting about her responsibilities as a human.

[GingaDensetsuAleu]

Well, this is it, folks: The final chapter. Thank you so much for following along with me as we watched Doctor Wyld fall in love with her work! I hope that one day I'll get around to making another story about Brook and Bunker, my cute little pair of coons.

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Chapter 27: Happily Ever After

The vet smiled, gently moving the ultrasound machine on Brook’s belly, now slightly swollen. Well, slightly more swollen than usual. “And there you are, four healthy kits, about one and a half months along.”
Brook looked at the screen and smiled weakly at the image. “Ohh… they’re so cute!” She stared lovingly at the image, then laughed when a head popped up between her and the machine.
“So this machine can see our kits before they’re born? It’s magic!” Bunker grinned, putting his fingers on the screen and leaning in closer to see.
Brook reached out and let her fingers brush along his spine. “Yeah, it is. Are you satisfied now? I’ve been to see the vet.”
Bunker turned and nodded eagerly at Brook, then leaned in and kissed her eagerly, then nuzzled into her. “Yeah, I’m happy now. Let’s go home.”
She watched the vet turn off the machine and waited for him to wipe the gel out of her fur before she climbed down off the table. “Thank you so much, Doctor. I guess… this is goodbye? I’ll be seeing you around?”
He gave her a little wave and took off his stethoscope. “I’ll be here again if you ever stop by.”
She smiled and took Bunker’s hand, walking down the hall. “I just have to submit my paper. Well… it turned into a book, rather than a paper. There was too much that I couldn’t cut.”
They stopped by Brook’s lab, and she booted up the computer for the last time. She dragged the file with her completed book into the software and sent it on its way. It took a few seconds to upload, and then she powered down the computer, turning to smile at Bunker. “That’s done. We’re going to have a lot of catching up to do at home. We haven’t collected ANY food for the winter, and spring’s practically over.”
Bunker laughed. “Don’t worry, I had Three-Toes collect for us and hang food to dry in your den. He was happy to do it.”
She put her ears back. “You… told him about me? What’d he say?”
He shrugged. “He didn’t, really. Just agreed to gather food for us and said he would miss us.”
She sighed in relief. For a moment, she’d been worried Three-Toes wouldn’t want to be her neighbor knowing she used to be a human. “Oh, good. Well, we better not keep him waiting.” She opened the door to her lab and walked right into Mr. Milton. “Oh-! I’m sorry, Mr… I mean, Keene.”
He grinned up at her. “Actually, we’re going to keep your neighbors waiting just a little while longer. I have stuff for you before you go.”
She put her ears back. “Well… I don’t really NEED stuff…”
“Nonsense!” He put his hand on her back and ushered her down the hallway. “It’s just a little stuff, nothing too big or fancy.” He led her to the van bay, where the two or three institute vehicles were kept when not in use. There was a wagon designed for off-road use being loaded into the back of the usual van, and a couple boxes.
He picked up a device and showed it to her. “This is a beeper. It’s an old device from ancient human times. You know, the nineteen eighties. We’ll use it to call you if we need you for any reason, but I’ve told them not to call you unless it’s necessary. It should be compatible with the solar charger we left you. Which brings us to…”
He gestured to one of the boxes. “Extra panels for your solar array. In case one breaks or you need more capacity for any reason.” He gestured to another box. “An electric heater, also compatible with your solar array.”
Someone rushed in, carrying a box and setting it down next to Mr. Milton. He grinned. “Baby supplies. Congratulations, by the way. I couldn’t get more on such short notice, but there should be some here, and we’ll be installing a dead drop location by your old pickup location where we’ll drop more supplies now and then, probably about once a month.”
He gestured to the last box as the unload team loaded it up. “A little bit of non-perishable food, since you’ll be behind on your foraging and storing. If anything breaks, or if you have garbage, bring it to the dead drop and we’ll pick it up when we come by and bring you a replacement. Also…” He leaned up to put the removable drive from her field computer around her neck. “If you have letters to home, or any requests for supplies, anything at all, go ahead and put it on that drive and leave it in the drop. We’ll swap it out with one with letters for you when we do drops, and page your beeper after we do a drop.”
His eyes twinkled. “If YOU do a drop, just pulse your emergency beacon twice for about ten seconds apiece to let us know. We won’t have a team on standby anymore, but we’ll send someone out when we can.”
He put his hand out to shake her hand. “Doctor Wyld, it’s been a pleasure working with you this past year.”
She grabbed him and pulled him into a hug. “I’m gonna miss you, Keene. Thank you, for everything.”
He let her hug him for a few moments, then cleared his throat. She let him go, and he nodded at the van. “All that’s left to load is you and Bunker. We’ll let you know when your book gets published. Maybe even send you a copy.”
She smiled and climbed up in the van, putting out her hand for Bunker. He grinned and climbed in, and she closed the door behind him.
Fifteen minutes later, Brook stood by the side of the road and grinned at Bunker. “Well… Shall we get home?”
He grabbed the handle of their wagon of goodies and leaned in to kiss her. “I’d love to.”
She took his free hand and flicked her ears. They turned together and walked away from the road and into the woods.

THE END

[CunningFox]

Cute story.

[Amazee Dayzee]

Knowing that Brook is going to have 4 kits makes me wonder if Custom Ink had more than 1 who was Tiny Tum and we haven't seen his siblings yet. That or more morbidly, they didn't make it.

[CunningFox]

Knowing that Brook is going to have 4 kits makes me wonder if Custom Ink had more than 1 who was Tiny Tum and we haven't seen his siblings yet. That or more morbidly, they didn't make it.

We've seen at least one if his siblings.

[Amazee Dayzee]

OK well in that case then I have to go with the theory that Tum has at least 1 other sibling out there so he is like the wolf cubs and King and Bailey's pups being a triplet. I am pretty sure he has one of each sibling so a brother and a sister.

[GingaDensetsuAleu]

Rick said he's pretty sure that Ink has a new litter every couple of years and that's why the raccoon kits don't age.

[Amazee Dayzee]

Yeah that makes a lot of sense but I wish we would see Jessica's mate in that case. Plus I wanna know what a now-probably teenaged or adult Tiny Tum looks like now. LOL

[GingaDensetsuAleu]

Well, in nature, the father raccoon typically doesn't stick around, but I've always just assumed it was Fals.

[Amazee Dayzee]

I don't think either Falstaff or Truck would have been the father of ANY of Jessica's litters because she probably has a bit more common sense than not to go near either of them. I think she has a mate but he isn't important or she had one and he's dead or left her.