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This little ditty came to me a few days ago. I figured that it fit the contest, so here it is. Enjoy!
"My little foxy," Dean murmured as he cuddled the stuffed fox that he had ordered online.
He didn't remember the last time he had had a plushie. Presumably, it was when he was a baby, or maybe a toddler. Too long ago to remember.
But with the way that life had hit him hard and taken away the love that he had thought was his forever, he somehow ceased to worry about being manly. Not that anyone in the world would know that he had given in to the urge to buy the toy.
He had no idea why he felt the urge to have his own little stuffed foxy. He didn't really question it. People have felt affection for inanimate objects for all of recorded history -- whether it be a doll, some kind of memento, or a car.
He also didn't question why his wife of some thirty years left him just after the last kid moved out. For a long time, it was as if all they were were somewhat friendly acquaintances who partnered in the task of child rearing. As much as he tried to rekindle the love, or at least the close friendship, she remained cold.
She left.
She took her clothes, her electronics, a few favorite pieces of furniture, some dishes and cookware, some mementos, and an old trailer to carry it all.
She even took the cat.
And she left.
Even the divorce was done by remote control.
She had already started her own bank account. They had never merged their retirement accounts.
It was all neat and tidy. No fighting. No emotion.
Just gone. Just over. The final settlement, still in its envelope, sat on the filing cabinet.
While all of that was grinding through the court system, Dean had cleaned out the house. Things that no longer mattered were given away or just thrown out. The house was clean.
And empty.
Dean got ready for another night in his big, empty bed. Retirement is a lot less fun when there is nobody to share it with.
No more work. No clubs. No reason to leave the house, except to pick up groceries every few weeks. Without the Internet, he would be pretty much without human contact, save for phone calls on his kids' birthdays.
He kissed the stuffed fox the nose, scritchied it between the ears, and hugged it to his chest.
Again, he dreamed of running wildly through an enchanted forest on four feet. Fairies flew and ran about without a care. Some looked like little people with dragonfly or butterfly wings. Some took on the forms of animals. Some looked like forest elves. Some took forms half way between beast and man.
Sometimes, he was running after prey. Other times, he was running after... something. Something he desired. Something his soul ached for.
Love?
It was much too late for that. He had lived most of his life. The love that was supposed to take him into his golden years had run off.
Even when he had love, his soul ached to be whole. The inside never really matched the outside. Even when he was in love, the hole was still there. The best he could do was to try to ignore it.
The dream faded and he woke up.
He stroked his fox and found that it had become real. Somehow, a part of him expected that. Maybe it was the dream.
But somehow, deep down, he knew and felt the reality of the little red vixen that was actively snuggling with him.
Right before his eyes, she shifted to an anthropomorphic fox form. She gave him a hug and kissed him straight on the lips. He returned it with enthusiasm, feeling a connection that he had never felt before.
Then, he felt sad. "It's too bad that I'm too old for you."
She smiled and held him tighter. "You don't know how many centuries I have searched for my soul mate. I'm not about to let her go now! We belong to each other forever.
He felt himself shifting. He... She looked down in wonder at her furry breasts, then up into the eyes of her love.
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Comments
Simple, sweet, and too short
...ending right where the real adventure began; but I understand that you were working against a deadline. Nice that after a drab and dutiful life she found the realization of her vulpine dreams, and wholeness. Maybe her foxy new girlfriend can show her the secret door to the enchanted forest where they can frolic with the other magical creatures and she'll never have to change back...
~hugs, Veronica
What borders on pure insanity?
Canada and Mexico.
.
... Before the real adventure
I had to end it before the real adventure. The contest specified that it had to be pg-13 or less.
Drat, too late for a "foxy" comment!
So I just have to compliment you on your entry in the "Furry Kiss-and-Tail" contest.
Furry kisses
There were plenty of those.
I've Been Teased
I like this story but it's too short. I feel teased, like a wig that's been attacked by an old wooden comb with splinters.
Any chance for a followup to this story? Hm?
Thanks and kudos (number 31).
- Terry
Teasing...
I have to leave something to the imagination, don't I? And who's the one who ended a story with us all wondering whether or not the two soul mates would ever be in the same universe together again?
Short story
This is probably the shortest tale I have ever written, with the exception of a drabble or two. If it was just a bit shorter, it would qualify as a short short.
I added a couple of paragraphs in the middle about the fairies and stuff just to make it a little more explicit that the new foxy fox came from the fairy realm. And a paragraph that mentioned the hole in her soul that came from the inside not matching the outside so that the reader would know of her lifetime of gender dysphoria. If I hadn't written those extra paragraphs, it probably would have been a short short.
I really wanted to add more imagery at the end, like the novelty of kissing with a muzzle. But the last line was too perfect of a way to end it.
So I'll have to explore things like snogging with fox muzzles in A New Life. There will be plenty of frolicking in that novel.
Very Sad.
It had a very sad premise. And the conclusion... Perhaps a trap like the "Elf King"?
-- Daphne Xu (a page of contents)
Sad
Yes, the demise of a marriage is very sad. It happens all too often in this world.
The only thing worse than the demise of a marriage is if the two stay together in a dead, or worse, an actively antagonistic marriage.
But all worked out for him. I mean her. Not to mention her forever soul mate.
Her ex? She made her own decisions. Hopefully, she can find some measure of happiness.
Thanks for your comment, and thanks for reading my humble offering.
Very nice, but...
A very nice short tail, but not so nice that their marriage broke up AFTER he retired. If she had planned to leave him she should have done it when she first wanted to and not wait.
Even though she basically took him to the cleaners, in furnishings, he found something of more value. Love.
With this as a beginning it would be nice to see where her love finally took her.
Others have feelings too.
Broken marriage
I didn't delve deeply into the backstory, and just left enough hints to build the story.
Their marriage started to die soon after the kids were born. While they promised to have and to hold, forsaking all others, his wife was trained by the celibate old male religious leaders that sex is for procreation. So, when he offered that they should have the kind fun that married couples are allowed, nay, commanded to have, she saw it as a demand. Stubbornness and bitterness ensued, both not really understanding where the other was until it was too late.
To their credit, they stayed together and raised the kids until the kids left home.
So she didn't take him to the cleaners. They already had separate jobs, bank accounts, retirement accounts, and the like. And, like most families, there was "dad's easy chair" and "mom's easy chair." And like most modern families, each had their own cell phones, computers, and all of that. And their own cars.
So he got the home, and she went to live elsewhere. She let him have the home to make it easier for her to make a clean break, and because he loved living in a natural area, while she craved the convenience of the city.
And that left him open to finally find his foxy destiny as a freshly minted vixen.
A New Life addition maybe?
With some slight changes at the end this could slip in to that universe. But with another family of Weres.
Wil
Aine