Untitled Proposal Story

Forrest sat alone in his workshop, working diligently into the dark hours of night to finish his next project. It wouldn't be long before his next opportunity to see Oboro, his friendly rival, and this time he was especially eager to impress. He finished his stitch and reached for the red sewing thread.

“Ah–”

The spindle made a noise that echoed through his empty workshop as it fell to the floor, Forrest having bumped it over by mistake. As he reached down to pick it up, a sudden knock on the door interrupted him. A visitor this late…?

Forrest got up, dusted himself off, and answered the door. Beyond the door was Kana, looking back at Forrest with a warm smile.

“Hey, Forrest!”

“Kana!”

Forrest’s and Kana’s bodies were compelled to each other from the moment they saw one another. Within seconds, they had hugged with enough passion to make up for the many months they'd been apart, each expressing in unison how they missed their partner so.

Eventually, Forrest asked the obvious. “What are you doing all the way over here? I didn't receive a letter that you'd be coming.”

Kana stepped back and awkwardly laughed before looking back up to his beloved. “That’s ‘cause it was a surprise!” He timidly shifted his gaze before continuing. “I’ve got a really important treasure to give you.”

“Is that so?” Forrest was still surprised–Kana had never made a trip to visit like this. “Well, I'm very happy to see you.” Forrest turned his body, making room to get through the door. “Go ahead and come in. I’m excited to see this treasure!”

“Yeah,” Kana said while walking inside. “I hope you love it!”

The two took a seat on the floor in front of Forrest’s desk. After pocketing some new ‘treasure’ in the form of loose scraps of fabric, Kana emptied the contents of his pouch before himself and dug up a large, sharp tooth from among the usual bones and trash. After taking a moment to look his treasure over, he happily and gently offered it to Forrest.

Though he mostly succeeded at hiding it, Forrest couldn’t help but be bewildered. “O-Oh. This looks quite marvelous, dear. Thank you so much! Where exactly did you find it?”

Kana, who had previously been smiling aimlessly at Forrest, slowly turned his gaze as he realized Forrest didn’t get it. To him, a wolfskin, this tooth meant a great deal; a trophy he had won to prove himself worthy of Forrest’s companionship. For a human, though… Unfortunately, Kana’s pride and stubbornness had stopped him from considering this detail. As he, lacking confidence that he’d be able to form the words necessary to explain, tried deciding what to do, Forrest could tell something was amiss.

“Is something wrong, dear?” Forrest looked back down at his new treasure. “This is truly wonderful. I really appreciate it!”

Though Forrest had misjudged the problem, his words still made Kana smile, replenishing just enough of his confidence to get started.

“Y-You’re welcome, Forrest.” He paused for a moment, filling the gap with a variety of ‘Um’s and ‘Ah’s. “Can I tell you what the tooth means?”

“Oh! Well, of course you can.”

“O-Okay! Well...” Kana took another moment to organize his words. He began to speak slowly. “I went out to M-… Went out to Mount Garou. Where the whole pack is! And this tooth is from a bear that only lives up on that mountain.”

Kana paused again, prompting Forrest to speak. “Mount Garou? You mean…”

“Yeah, well I had help this time!” Kana said with pride. “Anyway… The tooth! I-I had to… Had to kill that bear to get one.”

Forrest was shocked. Kana had always mostly been a pacifist, hardly even wanting to hunt for food. “Kill? You had to kill it just for a gift?” he stuttered.

Kana nodded. “Yeah! Wait, n-no! It’s not just that. It’s ‘cause I...” He paused once more, setting himself up for a running start. “I-I want you to be my mate!”

In an instant, Forrest’s face flushed with a red glow. “M-Mate?”

“Oh.” With the hard part over, Kana found himself able to speak more easily. “I guess a human would say something like… Something like husband?”

This time, Forrest fell silent, his eyes pointed to the floor. Kana placed a hand atop Forrest’s hand, covering the tooth, and tried looking him in the eyes.

Forrest met his gaze with a warm, but still flustered, smile. “Sorry,” he stuttered. “I’m just surprised.”

Kana beamed happily in response. “Then my surprise worked!” He pulled his hand away from Forrest’s, and grabbed at his partner’s sides. “Father taught me us wolfskin need proof of our strength in order to claim a mate,” he said. “S-So… That’s why I had to walk so far.” He softly laughed as his gaze faltered and his face became just as red as Forrest’s, who smiled, overflown with surprise and emotion.

Soon, Kana spoke again. “Will you?”

It didn’t take long for Forrest to decide. His body moved on its own—without uttering a single word, he was now hugging his husband-to-be for the first time. Kana understood without a word, too. His tail wagged happily as he embraced his mate.