So far the best picture I have received! I am in love with this peice and though there were some troubles in getting it thanks to the pandemic it was more than worth the wait!
Thank you so much too @stuffaeamade for making this for me! I always love the art you make of Finn and the addition of Anchor makes this peice extra sweet! I look forward to ordering from you again :3
I wish you would write a fic where... More of the Mystery fic with werewolf Obi! :D Maybe habits that carry over between forms that lead to shenanigans?
Part of Wild Song
Obi’s waiting at the edge of the village at dusk.
Shirayuki keeps her eyes on the tree line, the long shadows of the forest growing deeper the further evening takes hold. She doesn’t see him, but somethingabout the bond they formed, the bond she melded without really even knowing it,tells her he’s near; lurking, somewhere between shadows. He knows she’s looking for him, and amusement prickles through, tickling the inside of her skull.
“Ready?”
Shirayuki blinks, looking up at Claren. “Yes,” she says absently, “thank you.”
“Here we go!”
She’s bracedherself, she tells herself that she’s prepared, but as he takes the iron bar and pumps once, twice, three times before cold water gushes out from the spout and over herhands, she finds she is very much not ready. Grimacing,Shirayuki scrubs her hands quickly, bits of sticky blood and afterbirth washclean away. The edge of her skirt catches the splatter, and it clings to her stockings. Ugh, just what she needs for her walk home: soggy feet.
“Enough?”Claren looks over the pump at her, and Shirayuki gets the distinct impressionthat he’s laughing at her.
“Almost,”she grits out, her bones aching from the cold. Her nail catches on her thumb, not deep enough to cut just to make it feel like it has. “Ow.”
“I’ll makesure to warm it up for you next time, Duchess,” he teases.
“Don’t-” Shirayuki steps away, flinging the water from her fingertips and shoving them under herarm pits. “-call me that.”
He laughs, letting go, and the pump moves on its own for a few more rounds, the watertrinkling to a stop. “You know,” he begins, smiling oh so charmingly down ather. “It’s getting late. We could make a bed up for you here.”
“It’s alright,” she says, holding her hands out infront of her and clenching and unclenching them. “I have enough time and a lantern. I’ll manage.”
“I would feel bad, having you walk all that way by yourself in the almost dark,” he says, tooeager. “Maybe I could walk you home.”
Shirayuki smiles kindly, heading back over to where her satchel reclinesagainst the side of the house. “And then you would be forced to walk back inwhat will definitely be the dark.”
“It’s a risk he’d be willing to take,” an older woman’s voice calls frominside the house. Door screeching open, Maun leans her hip against thedoor frame. “Of course, you are more than welcome to keep him for the night ifyou’d like.”
Shirayuki’sface heats, and she fidgets with the strap on her shoulder. She doesn’t know why everyone in this town is so overly concerned with who her bedfellows are, but, glancing back, she is grateful that Claren is flushed just the same as she.
“Really,” Shirayuki mumbles. “Thank you for the offer, but I’ll be alright. Please let me know if there are any changes over the course of the night.This is Ama’s first babe and-”
“Please,” Maun flutters her hands at her. “I’ve had five of my own andmanaged just fine before you even started midwifing.”
Shirayuki averts her eyes, swallowing down the urge to sigh. It’s always like this. This town will trust her with any ailment, physical, magical or otherwise, but when it comes to childbearing- “I know, I just… want to be careful. That isall.”
“Of course you do.” Her voice warms, coming closer to wrap her in a hug. “Nowyou take care. I’ll have Claren bring by some chickens tomorrow to help pay thedebt from today. I’m sure that wolf of yours has nearly picked your flockclean. And, ah, you wouldn’t happen to need any tomatoes, would you?”
Shirayuki smiles. “I’m afraid I have an excess as well.”
“Drat!” Maun snaps her fingers, reaching down into one of her many pockets.“Then I guess I’ll have to part ways with this, then.”
Shirayuki stares at the little brick wrapped in wax paper, mouth slightlyagape. It’s too much to hope that it is what she thinks it is. “Is that-?”
“Hush,” Maun grins, wicked, and waves it under her nose. Shirayuki’s mouthwaters when she catches the fragrance seeping through. “If you say it, everychild in that house will be upon you in seconds.”
Shirayuki lowers her voice. “Where did you even get it?”
Maun winks. “Maurice just came back from the capital. Brought me a fewtreats.”
“Oh!” Shirayuki flusters. “I couldn’t take this. It was a gift!”
Maun tisks. “Don’t be insulting.” Taking her hand in hers, Maun flips her palmupward and deposits the little package in Shirayuki’s grasp. “I can do what Iwant with it. And don’t worry. I got more than that hidden away.I wouldn’t have given you everything.”
Shirayuki flushes. “Thank you.”
“Night isfalling. Off with ya,” she swats at her lightly and Shirayuki laughs, droppingthe little parcel in her bag and heading towards the gate. “Claren, say goodnight, lad.”
“Good night,Miss Shirayuki,” he says dutifully as she passes. “Come again soon.”
Shirayukiwaves, just as Maun calls out, “Don’t let that wolfof yours get to it, ya hear?”
Shirayuki glances over her shoulder, smiling. “I won’t!”
~ ~ ~
Shirayuki walks into the treeline, her unlit lantern and satchel swinging from her hip, and glances back behind her one more time. Delighted to see she’s alone, she reaches into her pockets and smiles at the little brick of chocolate. It must have cost Maurice a small fortune; she really shouldn’t accept more payment than a few chickens, but- peeling back the wax paper, Shirayuki presses her nose closer and takes in its fragrance.
She feels a momentary twinge of guilt, followed by a hint of wickedness. Itwouldn’t do to ruin her appetite before dinner…
She breaks off a little section. Just a couple of pieces wouldn’t hurt.
Sliding the remainder back into her bag, Shirayuki nibbles off a square, letting it melt on hertongue. The thick flavor makes her toes curl, draws an involuntary smile across her lips, and her next steps have a decidedly more exuberant bounce to them.
Glancing into the forest, Shirayuki frowns a little. Still no Obi.
Rolling the chocolate around on her tongue, she mumbles to herself, “Where is he?”
He’s been in the back of her head all day, skittering excitement at times -heart thrumming and cheer high - curious the next - and then locked in quiet contemplation or unbearable boredom atothers. The last two are more tenable, and the first makes her hands shake withnerves. It will take some time to get used to this, she knows, and she tries to ignore it. It feels invasive of her, to know someone on such alevel, but there is nothing to be done.
She reaches out, tries to touch him, to get a sense of where he might be or what he could be doing, but his mind is suspiciously quiet.
Maybe he took a nap?
Shirayuki shrugs. He’ll come. He can’t not.
It’s not until her first bite of chocolate has melted away to nothing and the road is a burnished gold beneath her feet, dry and dusty from so manydays with so little rain, that she feels a strange little itch. It tickles the back of her brain, darting across the edge of consciousness with mirthand excitement-
So it really comes as no surprise when Obi explodes from the underbrush allat once, a mass of fur and cold nose presses to her knees, her bags; wagginghis tail and prancing about her.
It’s so nice to have someone so excited to see her. “I was only gone for afew hours, Obi,” she laughs. “There’s no need for all of that.”
His tail pauses midway, tongue lolling out of his mouth when he tilts hishead and stares up at her. And then her vision blurs, the shadow of fur meltingaway and Shirayuki blinks rapidly, trying to shake away the befuddlement of his magic.
Her eyes come back into focus and, ah, at least he remembered to bring clothes with him this time.
“But Miss!” He’s tying the stays at his trousers and she politely looksaway. It gives him opportunity to move in closer than she would normally allow.“You were gone half a day!”
She laughs, pressing her hands to his chest and he takes a single stepback. He was learning the difference between polite distance as a human and animal. Not that well, but he was learning. “I told you that youcould come with me!”
He wrinkles his nose. “Human villages…”
She glances up at him, curious. “What?”
“They smell.”
That’s rich, considering how foul the nest of blankets he so loves can be. “You should still come with me next time,” she says.“Get to know the village. They still think I live with a half-tamed wolf.”
He flashes his teeth. “Let them.”
She rolls her eyes, sticking another piece of chocolate in her mouth.
He’s eyes hone in on it. “What’s that, Miss?”
He still too close to be staring at her mouth like that. “Chocolate,” she says, pushinghim away a little.
His ears are human in this form, but the way he dips his head and rounds his eyes makes her see them pressing low against his head all the same. “It smells really nice,” he sniffs. “Can I have some?”
Shirayuki nods, about to give him the last piece before she remembers. “Wait,” she pauses, pulling her hand back to her. “No.”
A noise not unlike a whimper echoes from deep in his throat.
“Maun told me not to feed it to you,” she explains. “I don’t think you caneat it.”
He adds a pout to convince her otherwise. “Why not?”
“Have you ever had it before?”
“No.”
“It’s not-” looks around cautiously, but no one else is on the trail this farfrom town. “You don’t feed it to dogs because they can get sick.”
Obi puffs up, affronted. “I’m not a dog!”
“I know!” she sputters. “But- you’re a wolf!”
His side rubs against hers, almost toppling her over. “Not right now I’m not!”
“But you are sometimes!” Shirayuki insists.
“Please?”
Shirayuki shakes her head, sticking the rest of the broken off piece in her mouth.
Obi whines, butting her with his head. “Miss.”
“I don’t want to risk it.” Shirayuki mumbles around the chocolate, quickening her step.
His face presses up close to hers, nose almost touching her mouth.
“Obi!”she flushes, batting at him.
He doesn’t back down, tongue flicking out across her lips.
“Oh-!” Her back is suddenly to the tree, his mouth over hers, tonguesweeping past her lips and-
Shirayuki’s eyes flutter shut, her hands gripping at his shoulders and Obitakes the advantage, tongue no longer questioning but sure, flicking along theinside of her teeth, the roof of her mouth and when he groans, deep and satisfied, she’s not sureif its his body pressing against hers or her knees keeping her upright anymore.
Whimpering,she reaches up, carding her fingers through his hair. He growls softly, fingers at her hipsclenching for just a moment before he steps back, leaving herpanting and breathless.
“O- Obi?” she manages, eyelashes fluttering opening.
His chest is heaving against hers, smile bright and doggish from one ear to the other. “See Miss?” He toucheshis mouth, throat flexing in a swallow. “Not sick.”
~ ~ ~
“Miss!”
Shirayuki slams the door shut in Obi’s face, closes her wards to seal him out, and thenslides the lock into place for good measure.
Unfortunately, she never learned how to seal out noise.
“Miss!” Obi calls, and she thinks he is actually pawing at the door with human nails. “Did you forget? I am still outside?”
Tearing her scarf from her head, Shirayuki stomps into the kitchen. Grabsthe pitcher of water and pours herself a tall glass. Taking a long drink, squishes the water between her teeth vigorously, glaring at the front door just as a not-quite-human, not-quite-wolf howl bleedsthrough the door. “Miss? MISS??”
She patiently ignores him, filling up another glass and turns towards thestove. There’s still enough stew left over from last night that she needs to dono more than heat it up. Then she can sit down by the fire and have a nice cupof tea in silence for once-
“MIIIIIISSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!”
…in relative silence, for once.
She must make a noise, because his whining stops cold. And then there isthe scramble of feet on boards, moving across the front porch.
His head pokes into view through one of her front windows, wide eyes scanning the empty room before disappearing again.
Taking a slow sip of her water, she watches Obi moving from one window toanother, peering through the glass he can’t touch, and occasionally yelping when his nose comes too close. When hereaches the kitchen, his eyes immediately lock onto hers, and the worry on his face turning torelief. “Miss!” his voice is muffled through the planes of glass. “Do you seeme? Do you see your Obi? I am outside, Miss!”
Shirayuki crosses the room towards the window and his smile grows brighter,grows blinding.
“You can! You can see me! I’mso happ-”
She closes the curtains.
“MISSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS,” he howls. “MISS I’M HERE.”
~ ~ ~
It’s later.Much later. When his cries give way to dejection, whimpering fading to silence,and Shirayuki feels his shift in not so much pain buta strange tingling down her skin, a pleasant feeling that leaves the hair onthe back of her arms sticking up.
She sighs,leaning over her workstation and massaging her temples. Her ears ache with relief.
The silencedrags on for a bit longer, the sound of paws padding sedately outside and thesniffling of a nose pressed up against the door, and Shirayuki feels a slightpinch. A moment of guilt. Surely, he has learned his lesson by now. And if hisbehavior was anything to go off of, he’s lived his life mostly wild. He couldn’tknow what he did- couldn’t understand…
A howl drags out, impossibly loud and near and so acute that she’s certainher ears are going to bleed.
Right. Forgiveness cancelled.
The howling stops, cut off mid-song, and distress of a new kind bleedsthrough their link. Shirayuki perks up, frowning.
Nails scramble against boards, and he coughs, a painful hacking noises, oneright after the bother in quick succession.
Getting up from her chair, she opens the door, staring out into the darkedges of the forest.
And there’s a huge black wolf, tail tucked between his legs and head downlow, circling her front yard. There’s a bit of shine to the grass not thatfar from him, and he looks up at her pitifully, mouth a little frothy at theedges.
Shirayuki sighs.
“Go on,” she encourages. “Eat the grass. And don’t say I didn’t warn youthat this would happen.”
stuffaeamade replied to your post “I wish you would write a fic where... More of the Mystery fic with...”
Oh my god he has separation anxiety, that is SO LIKE HIM i can't even. Love it!
I’m not going to lie here. I have an upstairs neighbor with a husky who, like, SCREAMS her disapproval every time her owner takes the other doggo out for a walk for five minutes. She just goes between sitting at the window and clawing at the door, being like NOOOO DON’T LEAVE ME ALOOOOONNNNNNEEEEEEEEEE I SHALL PERISH ALL BY MYSELF I’M SO LONELY AND NEGLECTED T_______T
And I may, I MAY, have used her as inspiration for Obi in this chapter. JUST A LITTLE.
42. How many drafts do you usually write before you feel satisfied?
A loooooooooooooooooooooooot. A lot a lot a lot a lot. I typically write my notes, then write the most bare bones basic first draft known to man, then I go through again. And again. And again. And again. Either adding fat or sculpting it down. Until I am happy with it.
And then I post.
And I wait with baited breath for any feedback!
And then I start again.
(It’s a vicious cycle)
49. Favorite fictional world?
I haven’t brought this up in a while, and I would never want to live in it, but freakin Hellsing. Hellsing Ultimate was an amazing anime even if y’all don’t like the gore and warfare of it all, I LOVE IT. I never yell at my screen when I watch shows. I YELLED A WHOLE BUNCH.
