The stars twinkle over the treetops, the north star a guiding light better than any compass. Only your footfalls can be heard between the trees, paws landing almost silently in the moss. This has been your whole life, moving from place to place, never settling down or finding a home of your own.
The hunters still nip at your heels, driving you forward.
Stopping means dying.
It is how it has always been. But perhaps it can change.
Maybe, just maybe, you could win the fight for your right to live.
Maybe you could find a home.
» Create your MC's gender, sexuality, and appearance.
As well as the appearance of your coyote form.
» Romance one of four possible love interests, or don't.
» Adapt and survive.
» Find a purpose of your own.
Characters
Liam/Lia:
The young wolf has been your dearest and only friend from before you can remember. They've always had a special smile just for you, a twinkle in their eyes that is only present when the two of you are alone. It's been years since you saw them last, and you miss the way they would brighten your dour days.
Kody/Kara:
The soft bear that's given you far more kindness than you expected. A soft smile and gentle brown eyes that always try to make you feel safe and welcome despite knowing nothing of you. They opened your home to you when you needed it most and then helped you more still.
Taylor:
The introverted bear is as far from a "people person" as one could get, a stark contrast to their older sibling Kody/Kara. They don't like nor trust you in the least, and they make no effort to hide that. They would rather you took all your troubles with you and left.
Vincent/Vivienne:
A kind and surly stranger who stopped to help when most are content to ignore you. Their laidback attitude hides secrets they would never dream of telling you, at least, not yet.
what would RO reaction be if mc made a small trinket for them but was too shy to give it directly, so she secretly placed it on RO desk with a little note. But RO accidentally threw it away? Thinking it was just a trash because of how poorly it look (since it was her first time making something for them), and the note might have blown away with the wind. MC later finds out and assumes RO didn’t like the trinket. RO only learns about it a few days later probably when someone who teach MC to make the trinket ask about it. And they just, "what trinket?"
The answer is under the cut because it became long, like almost 1000 words long. (It's written as if the MC and the RO are in the crush stage.)
Little Willow bounds up to K, sweet smile plastered across her face. "Sooo. How did you like it?"
K bends down, hunching their frame until they are eye to eye with the small child. "Like what, Willow?"
"The thing! I taught MC how to braid bracelets! They didn't say who it was for, but I know it was for you," she giggles.
K would melt at the thought of you spending time with the little cubs, sitting patiently alongside Willow, and listening intently to her instructions as you braid the pieces of string together. They can't, however, far too busy panicking as it dawns with horror that the small piece of string or their night table, which they had faultily assumed to be nothing but rubbish, was in fact a gift from you.
It takes hours of digging through the trash, which was about as unpleasant as you might imagine, but eventually the small trinket is returned, safe and sound, into their care. After a good wash, it's in its rightful place around their wrist, and they'll have to remember to thank you for it next time you speak.
Little Willow sneaks into the kitchen, likely here to steal the spoons and bowls that still contain traces of brownie batter. Taylor pretends not to notice, acting oblivious to the little menace peeking out from behind the counter.
To their surprise, after snatching the whisk, she lingers, parading up to them while enjoying the spoils of her theft. "If you take it, you clean it," Taylor calls out, glancing at her from the corner of their eye.
She shrugs off their comment; it's a fair trade after all. "How did you like your gift?"
Taylor turns to the little imp. "What gift?"
"I know MC gave you a gift, because I taught them how to make it," she proclaims, proudly puffing up her chest.
"Well, I haven't gotten anything."
Willow narrows her eyes at Taylor. "I followed them and saw them put the bracelet on your desk."
It strikes them suddenly that the small item, which they had assumed was nothing but a piece of string, was actually a gift from you.
"Shit."
"You swore!"
"Don't tell your parents," they mumble, mind already drifting to where they put your gift. After a thorough check around their room, they come to the unpleasant conclusion that they've thrown it away. It's not often they feel guilt, but standing in front of you, explaining how they accidentally threw away your gift, they burn with the feeling.
V is just standing at the bar, minding their own business, when Ducky decides it's a good time to disrupt their peace.
"Did you like your gift?" Ducky asks, leaning with his hip against the counter.
Swinging their head over in Ducky's direction, V stares blankly at him. "Did you hit your head on the doorframe on the way in? What gift?"
"MC wanted me to teach them how to fold origami for a gift they were making. I think they snuck it into the pocket of your jacket."
"Ducky, you're terrible at origami," V comments, memories of crooked swans and finless fishes in their mind's eye.
"I'm good at it! I made you a frog one last year."
"Oh, it was supposed to be a frog? I assumed it was some malformed fish or something."
"Wait-" V stops Duck in his tracks, holding up a hand as V strides over to the trash can underneath the register. After some rummaging among the papers, they produce a folded piece of paper. "Is this what you meant?"
"You threw it away?!"
"How was I meant to know? It looks like trash!"
Ducky snatches the orange paper from their hands and holds it up to the light. "It's obviously a fox."
Stealing the 'fox' back, V places it on one of the shelves behind the bar. "There, it can guard the bar."
"You're not taking it home?"
"I'm barely at home anyway, I spend most of my days here."
"Softie," Ducky accuses, before ducking under V's swung fist.
L marches next to you, letting the birdsong and the rustling of leaves fill the silence between you. As their gaze lands on a small piece of wood, they are reminded of a project you'd been working on in the evenings, curling around it the moment they got close. "What happened to that thing you were whittling on before?"
It takes you a moment to realise that they'd spoken, too engulfed in the sounds and smells of the forest to hear them speak right away. "Oh, that. I wasn't very good."
"What? Show it to me, and I can give some more pointers."
"I don't have it anymore," you explain, shifting uncomfortably from foot to foot.
"Why not?"
"Well, I gave it to you."
L freezes in their step, feet stuck among the grass and moss. "No, you didn't. I would've remembered that."
"I put it on your sleepingbag."
Horror blows L eyes wide. "That was from you!"
You nod in response, but you don't think L notices, rambling as they are. "It was two nights back, right? That's not too far. If you wait here, I can double back and-"
"L!" You call, finally managing to catch their attention. "It's not worth risking our lives over."
"I'm sorry, I didn't know."
"I'll make you a new one."
L releases their held breath, relieved that there seems to be little harm done. They'll have to make it up to you later, though, to make sure you know they'd treasure anything, as long as it's from you.
If it's not too explicit, LIs reaction to being called mommy/daddy/other(unsure of nonbinary equivalent)?
It's not too explicit at all.
The only one I can imagine being really into it is V. They'd roll with it and start bossing you around, having the time of their life.
If L were still around, they would need some time to get used to it. It would definitely shock them the first time, but after some processing, they wouldn't mind it. It would mostly be for the MC's sake, but they'd get into it.
I'm not sure what the nb equivalent would be (calling Taylor "parent" doesn't have the same vibe😅). Even still, if the MC just sprang it on them, they'd need to pause and have a conversation because it's not their style. (They're not judging you, though.)
K is the one who'd be against it the most; they could roll with being called "sir"/"ma'am" occasionally. But "mommy"/"daddy" is a hard pass for them.
hey! I'm reading the demo for the first time rn and I found a couple paragraphs with the wrong pronouns for Liam
"The weight settles comfortably over your sleeping bag, giving a small tug to pull you just that little bit closer. "Is this okay?" he mumbles, breath ghosting against your neck as she tucks her head below your chin.
Your neck grows warm from her rhythic breathing as well as her current closeness, the gentle movement expanding her chest to make it press closer to yours. The distraction movement almost makes you forget her question.
"Yes," you breathe before you let the calm thumping of her heart lull you to sleep."
I chose the option to set all possible ros as male so I guess this bit may have been coded wrong? (if it matters to help find this section, I chose for my mc to avoid all touch but cuddle with L anyway.) loving the story so far, I hope you have a good day!
Thanks for telling me, I'll change it with the next update! It was just several variables that, when mixed, ended up giving L the wrong pronouns.
hey! just played through the game so far and i love it! I don't know how I haven't run across it before but I'm stoked to find it now. Also, fully invested in Liam even though we've barely seen them and only in flashbacks 😭 my mc is fully like "i destroyed the best thing in my life" and will probably mourn forever if he doesn't turn up lmao. One of the more angsty (and true to self, lol) MC's I've made for a game.
eagerly awaiting the next update, and loving what you've already posted! thanks for sharing your work :)
Why would you move on when you have the option of a long and possibly endless descent into ruin?
If it’s any consolation for the amount of pain he caused, I think the final version of ducky is lovely.
The contrast between him and Vincent is very ammusing and Mc needing to convince him to charge rent was a great moment .
(Though, I’m willing to bet said rent with either be: A. Unreasonably low, or B: not actually deducted from Mc’s pay. Like it says it is on the stub, but Ducky had just increased Mc’s pay enough for it to cancel out lmao.)
Ducky and V are like a platonic old married couple. No one is going anywhere, so they can argue and disagree as much as they like 😅.
That guess is... unbelievably close to what I have in my notes. Not spot on, but it will come up if you had to force Ducky to let you pay rent.
I’m so obsessed with this IF!!! Your writing is fantastic and I love it so much!!! Over here going “L has to be alive in some way, right?? Right??” (Copium my beloved) - thank you so much for creating!!! You’re amazing!!! 💗💗💗💗💗
Well, they're alive in the MC's memories? That has to count for something, right?
Love the update! Ducky is a character, lol 😅 love how they interact with V. Also, Taylor is a mood, lol. But Kody is great 😊 i missed them. They are such a sweetheart. i wasn't expecting us to get our own place 😅. Also, it's funny to imagine Kody in the place since they are so tall. Especially compared to my short Mc. 😅
Hope you been doing well!
K is like the personification of a warm blanket on a cold day. Just kind and calm to everyone they meet.
The MC needed to move out since neither Taylor nor K would have felt comfortable romancing the MC if they were still reliant on the bears for a place to live. A part of Kody was worried he was gonna bump into something by accident when he was there 😅.
I just finished the demo and I just wanted to say that the option where the Mc pretends to talk to Lia/m made me cry, I didn't think I'd get so emotional but when I read the scene I just started crying cause it really hit so close to home for me.
Thank you for your hard work cause I really love the story you made.
Sorry my English isn't very good.
Your english is more than fine ❤️. If I'm being really honest, I might have cried a little bit when I wrote it.
New chapter was very wholesome! You know, sans the ‘talk to L’ and the romance responses for K saying they want to check up on Mc, which destroyed me emotionally 😭 (though, I do wish you could get both of those scenes on one playthrough). Someone get this poor little coyote a hug and a century’s worth of therapy.
Also, this is more of a me thing, but I continue to adore the interplay of leaning into both the friendly and cynic personality stats. Slowly having my Mc’s jaded walls come down to reveal the adorable softy inside as it sinks in that these people actually do just want to help , that Mc isn’t alone anymore and that they really did make it home was excellent. (And the friendly scene with T telling Mc to stop apologizing and actually comforting Mc? Hello? Perfection.)
Anyhow, as for the actual ask, I was wondering if you could reveal anything about L and Mc’s past (like when/how they met, were they already on the run, that sort of thing)
I can't let the MC have it too nice now, can I? I need to sandwich it between some sweet angst 😅. Taylor doesn't really want the MC to feel bad. They're just annoyed and making it everyone else's problem because if they're suffering, they're not doing it alone.
L and the MC have known each other from infancy. Their parents lived in a small community, not unlike the bears do, and they were close friends. Of course, that meant their kids (L and the MC) spent their first years playing together.
going insane thinking about K probably only needing one arm to carry coyote MC imagining them all curled up in the crook of K's arm while they move around the house, doing whatever uggghhhh sickening
A little coyote weighs nothing to K. And if they tell you to use your own legs, you can just give them ✨puppy eyes✨and they'll fold within a second and just resign themself to carrying you around like their most prized possession.
I love this story and I'm really eager to see where things go, I'm so glad you're still working on it! Really looking forward to whatever you have planned next, the writing and characters are both amazing!
Out of curiosity, are all the ROs solo routes, or have you thought about potentially including a poly route or two? (Mostly asking because I love K already but L's backstory with the MC just hits so good and I can't help but want to grab them both and toss them at my MC.)
It's still being worked on, even when there's radio silence 😅. Updates just take a while since I have a job and also have to do all the adult shit I need to do.
I have no plans for any poly routes; they're all going to be solo romances simply because that's what I'm interested in writing. Having multiple poly relationships also sounds like a coding nightmare, and I have so much respect for those who write it in their IF's.
And for those that like it, what would their go to cuddling position for a small coyote be?
K lives for cuddling. They also run quite hot, so it's cosying up to a furnace. For a smaller MC's, they'd love to be the big spoon, curling around you until they envelop you in their warm embrace.
V is historically not a cuddler, but they'll make an exception for the MC. And while they'd never admit it, they would turn to putty if you let them rest on your lap, gently playing with their hair until they are almost on the verge of falling asleep.
L likes to face you, letting your legs tangle together as their gaze rests on your expression, so at ease in their arms. Occasionally, they'd find their hands slowly tracing your features with an awe that they are finally allowed to do this.
Taylor actually likes to cuddle once you've managed to peel away all that hostility, to become part of the select few they consider dear to them. They have a preference for being the little spoon, even if the MC is so small that they feel almost like a warm backpack. There's something about having your arms wrapped tightly around them, pressing so close that there isn't a sliver of air between you, that eases their soul.
how would the ROs react if someone asked if they and the MC were together and the MC responded with “no i’m not their type”?
I'm going to answer this as if they're in the crushing stage (I'm also adding L even though this wouldn't really have ever come up) 😊
K blinks at you owlishly, wondering if you've really lost your mind this time. "What on earth gave you that impression?" They question, falling just short of a shriek, the poor person you spoke to completely forgotten.
"I dunno," you reply with a shrug.
"You don't know..." At this point, they're not sure how they can make it any clearer. Maybe giving a written declaration of interest will finally hammer home that they do, in fact, like you. Yes, that's probably the way to go.
To the untrained eye, it might look like Taylor hadn't even heard what you said. But look close enough, and you'd see the clench of their jaw and the faint trace of regret flashing in their eyes. It's not often their actions come back to bite them in the ass, and given how they've acted towards you, they don't blame you for coming to that conclusion.
They'll just have to start acting differently from now on. Maybe they can still salvage whatever there is of your relationship.
With a click of their tongue, V inserts themself into your conversation, not really caring that they hadn't been included in it to begin with. "We're not together, no. But I am regretably attracted to stupid."
After a brief moment of shock, L tears you away from the person you were speaking with, ushering you into a private corner where no one can disturb you.
"Where did that come from?"
"Hmm? I just assumed that-"
"Ithinkyou'rereallypretty/handsome."
"What was that?"
With a shaky exhale, they gather the courage to say what long been overdue. "I think you're really pretty/handsome."
Since halloween around the corner. What would the Ros dress up as? Also would they do a couple custom?
L has never had the luxury of celebrating Halloween, so I'll answer as if they had been able to. Would it be too on the nose if L would go as a werewolf? Because they would, because it's funny, but only if the MC goes as a werewolf too.
To V, Halloween is just an excuse to dress in revealing clothes. Nurse, vampire, or zombie, they don't care as long as it leaves little to the imagination.
K loves syncing Halloween costumes! They've gone out trick-or-treating with their nieces and nephews. Their favorite costume by far was when they dressed up as a queen/king, and the kids dressed up as little knights. If the MC suggested a couple's costume, it'd make K's day.
The MC would have to force Taylor into a costume. Bribes and pleas would fall on deaf ears. Only if it were life or death would they comply. And even then, they'd pick the option that was the least effort, picking up a broom and calling themself a witch. If the choice was a couple's costume or death, the MC will have to prepare a eulogy.
