A Memory From A While Ago

At nine years of age, Al felt like he was on top of the world. The arctic wolf pup was the little prince of Pack Street, strutting about the royal pavement and the original art pieces along the stone walls that made up his very confusing, maze-like castle grounds. The peasants he passed would stop in their tracks, thrust their noses in the air and sniff, catching the light scent of the bar of white chocolate (almost whiter than his fur!) in his paws. Sniffs would turn to snickers that would turn to stares as they directed their eyes at him, but Al marched unheeded along the way.

It was common knowledge that any sweet confections carried by a male on this date would indeed be meant for a special someone, and Al’s someone was very special indeed.

With this in mind, he figuratively kicked himself for betraying his elation to the crowd of passersby, even though it seemed just as much of a crime to keep something so amazing hidden. He didn’t want to be asked who the chocolate was for. That would attract attention, and attention from strangers wasn’t the kind of thing that he wanted today.

Padding down across a few streets, and over to the corner of a grassy park, he found what he was looking for, hidden behind a rather suspiciously placed placement of pines. Had she traveled back in time, planted these trees in such a convenient pattern, and come back without telling him? He asked this to her back (since she was facing away from him) as he stepped into the little forest of juice boxes and empty chip bags.

What might have been his favorite deer in the entire world laughed in response, and turned towards him with a soft smile on her face. “You’re silly, Al.”

“No, I’m sweet.” he fired back, and held up his gift.

A legend among the children of Zootopia. A real, genuine, pristine bar of Goatdiva white chocolate. Handmade in a foreign country too complicated to pronounce, and sold at a price too high for anyone their age to normally afford. Rumors told of its silky smoothness. Its flavor was like a loving hug after spending years without such contact. And it was right here in Al’s paws, untouched and in offering to one, lucky little Velvet Roe.

The doe’s awe was alarmingly abundant in her wide eyes. “Where’d you get that? That stuff’s like, thirty bucks! You bought chocolate for THIRTY whole dollars!”

The smile that Velvet received in response warmed her heart and at the same time made the gears in her head turn very, very fast. “Did you steal it?”

“Be my valentine?” Al seemed to avoid the question.

“Yes, of course, but you need to tell me who you stole this from because if you get caught––“

But he didn’t.

“V,” he placed a paw on her shoulder. “I bought this. I saved money for an entire month.”

“Liar.”

“No.”

“Yes. Liar.”

“Seriously.”

“Really?”

“Yes!”

“Really…”

Al nodded, and this admission of the truth seemed to finally be enough for young Velvet, seeing that she had wrapped her arms around him as soon as his head had come back into resting position. The two held each other close, feeling the heat radiate between them. All the fur in the world could be theirs, but secretly they both theorized that they could never obtain such a comforting warmth as they could whenever they touched.

The only thing able to cut through that warmth seemed to be the coldness of Al’s nose as it twitched and drew in the scent of the doe it was currently smushed into. It could smell many things off of fur, as was expected of most wolf noses. Her fur in particular was really nice, though. For instance, it smelled flowers, and some kind of citrus, and more flowers, and a little bit of sugar, and pine needles? There was also some––

“You’re doing it again.”

Al drew back from the hug, ears twitchy with self consciousness. “Sorry.”

Velvet giggled. “Do I really smell so good?”

Nodding sheepishly, the wolf took her hand and put the chocolate bar into it. “You wanna eat this before or after dinner?”

“We’re getting dinner?”

“I already got it,” Al announced proudly. “We just gotta walk a little.”

“Then what are we waiting for?”

Velvet’s hooves felt like warm, soft vinyl, and when Al felt them against the tips of his fingers he always felt better about the fact that they were not claws. Comfort, however, did not last. Al’s happiness was quickly tainted by something small and empty, and soon a small part of him was not happy at all.

They walked out of the trees together, hand in hand.


Counting the steps it took to get from the park to his apartment rooftop was proving to be a little too much, so around the thirtieth step they remembered to count, Al decided (at Velvet’s behest) to stop. Instead, he drew his attention up from his and Velvet’s feet, taking in the previous sights that greeted him not thirty minutes before. Kind of.

He could still see the crowd of predators making their way through the streets, but only in slivers through the little windows of open space created by the buildings he was walking behind.

The alleyway leading back to the apartment was relatively clean, save for a few scattered cans of pop. Back here, the vandalism was a little less for the eyes of the public. Or anyone with taste. Neither Al nor Velvet paid it any mind. None of the graffiti was as good as it was out in the front, anyway. And they didn’t understand half the words scrawled on the brick, though the fact that they were definitely not for their youthful eyes or ears didn’t escape them.

“You okay?” Velvet asked. She had noticed that he wasn’t talking. To be fair, there wasn't too much to talk about, but they usually made do with what they had. “We can keep counting, if you want.”

“No,” was the response she received. “It’s okay.”

But it didn’t sound like it was okay, and it really wasn’t. For all his excitement before, Al was beginning to feel the sharp sting of guilt in his side. His lack of words were merely a result from hiding it.

The two lone travellers that were not alone were gaining on the entrance to the apartment when the taller one stopped, gently slipping out of her companion’s pawgrip in favor of crossing both her arms.

They stood off, daring each other to make some sort of move even though neither had no other plans of attack or defence.

“Not moving until you tell me whats up.” The doe announced.

Fur bristling, Al crossed his arms as well. “You can’t just––“

“Yes I can.” Velvet interrupted, turning to study a chicken scratching of two wolves...hugging? “See, I’m doing it right now. Totally gonna do this forever. Unless you talk to me.”

Her resolve broke with the wolf’s aggravated sigh, and she crept up to him, ears down. “Al, come on. Am I not your valentine?”

Their paws came together. It was funny how much their paws came together. They were like magnets. Special magnets. From space. Or maybe made with magic. That only came together for each other and when one magnet was cold the other could complete it and they’d be warm.

“Can I tell you when we’re at the top?”

“Fiiiine, but I’m not gonna forget!”

A snippet of a snicker escaped Al’s mouth before he stopped himself, covering his snout for a few seconds before breathing deep and letting his arms fall, a wide smile still painted on his face. “You know that this would never happen in a pack, right?”

“Oh? Why not? I thought wolves were all ‘raaaaah’ all the time with each other.”

The horror on Al’s face was almost comical. “No!”

Velvet tilted her head. “Really?”

“The Alpha wouldn’t be questioned! Everyone else just quietly thinks to themselves about how dumb he’s being, unless you’re the Beta. Then you can be all growly with him.”

“And the other Alpha, right?”

“Right!”

“And we’re gonna be the two Alphas, right?”

“Ri—Er, I don’t know, actually.” The wolf pup scratched the back of his head. “Yeah. I mean, prey aren’t usually allowed in packs––“

“But it’s probably fine––“

“If it’s you and me? That’s what I was thinking.”

“I mean, it’s not like you don’t already break the rules for me anyway.”

The sight of Velvet’s white teeth under her braces and the flirty look in her eyes made Al blush––something that she relished every moment of. Rubbing the back of his paws with her thumbs, they traversed into the wide expanse of the apartment together. At some point, Velvet let go of Al’s hand, but whether that was because she was just tired or because it was for the better to not be seen holding hands was unclear.

The back entrance to the apartment was no better than the streets outside, but that was quickly remedied by speedwalking into the lobby. Thankfully, no one was here. Static played on the big TV, crackling softly for what was once an empty room with no one on its couches. It was actually sort of weird.

Approaching the homely arrangement of furniture, Al looked around. It didn’t smell like anyone had been here for at least...two hours. Not anyone that he knew, anyway.

“Where is everyone?” he wondered.

A voice that wasn’t Velvet’s spoke up. “Probably enjoying the holiday, little pup.”

There was an antelope behind him. Weird. Al looked to his doe, catching the confused look she had on her face. She definitely had no idea who he was as much as he did.

“Hi.” Al greeted the stranger, giving a polite wave.

The prey animal raised an eyebrow at him. “What’s your name, wolfie?”

“I’m Al and,” the pup pointed to his tall, short tailed valentine. “She’s Velvet. Do you need our help with anything? Why are you here? It’s really weird to see prey around.”

He felt a palm over his snout as Velvet stepped beside him. “I’m sorry! Are you looking for anyone we might know?”

Before Al could remind Velvet that she just repeated what he said, the antelope interrupted yet again. “No, I’m fine. I know where I am.”

“Well, we really––“

“You shouldn’t be together today,” said the antelope again, suddenly sweating a little as his eyes flicked back and forth between the two. “People might, you know. Get the wrong idea. Have a good day.”

The stranger hurried off without another word.

Confused, but wondering in the back of his head if he should be feeling despondent, Al looked to Velvet for guidance.

Grabbing his paw, she led him to the stairway, looking back rebelliously and muttering. “Guy had the perfect idea. So did we.”

Al was tugged up the stairs, turning corners and twisting this way and that until he felt like he was going to be tired, and then he remembered that he couldn’t do that in front of Velvet––she’d be fine with it and he didn’t want her to be fine with his being weak. He kept his slow building fatigue to himself until they reached the door, and stepped out into the picture perfect rooftop.

The sun shone brightly upon the ground and the sparse plants, casting a golden glow upon the place. It looked like summer, despite the crisp tingle of the cold February air. Velvet skipped ahead, expensive chocolate still in hand. “Man, I really love this roof. It’s weird how no one’s on it today. Super perfect for––well, kisses and stuff. Romantic! That’s what I meant.”

Burning spread across Al’s cheeks, and to get rid of it he peeked over the edge.

The antelope he had just met walked down the bleak sidewalk of Pack Street, slouched and shuddering and failing to shroud the fact that he was scared. He passed the crowd, and the crowd (being all preds) snarled and snickered in his face as they walked by. Al’s grip on the air in his fists tightened. His worry felt a little too real.

He suddenly realized that the antelope kind of smelled like one of his neighbours.

Velvet’s hooves brushed his shoulder, and he turned to see a comforting look in her eyes and a fully set up table of takeout food. The still warm aroma of the Bugburga and fresh scent of the salad hit his nose, enticing him to sit––which he did––and do what he came here to do. The antelope was going to be fine, and this fact was enforced and promptly put in the back of the mind after the first delicious bite.



Later, when all the food had been eaten and Al had checked again for any hurt antelope and found none whatsoever, Velvet pulled out the bar of chocolate.

The twinge of guilt from earlier came back to the wolf.

Hooves grasped at the corners of the wrapping, ready to pull it apart and reveal the treat underneath.

Her tongue licked her lips in anticipation for something sweet and luxurious after a nice meal.

Al almost said something, but then he heard the howl.

Primal instincts flooded his system, filling it with a desire to join in, building up in his gut and spinning around in his brain like a favorite song he knew all the lyrics to. Velvet stopped to watch, curious, She had only seen him like this once, and it was always like something out of a dream, when he became possessed by the siren’s song of a group howl. Al lasted a few more seconds before he had to throw his head back.

He howled, joining in with every other wolf from the area, feeling their emotions and their...Them. He felt just as together with the other wolves as he did sitting directly across from Velvet, and when the howl was done he felt the smallest bit empty.

That emptiness was quickly filled by Velvet. She was giggling, and that made Al happy.

“Wolves are funny,” she snorted. “And so, so cute.”

His father had always taught him to rip band-aids off as fast as possible, and to immediately treat every cut with alcohol. He wasn’t sure why, at first, but Al soon found that hurt always lasted the longest when you let it last, and faded quickly if you addressed it with the proper medicine. Naturally, this only meant that he felt even more guilty for letting it get like this, but he couldn’t help himself.

What would V think?

He supposed that he was going to find out.

“Velvet.” he said, clumsily saying her name a little too loud. “I lied earlier. You did too. You said you weren’t gonna forget.”

She attempted to respond, but he kept going.

“I didn’t steal the chocolate. I saved all my money for a month, but I was just five bucks away and I didn’t know what to do so I asked this kid walking by for his wrapper and then put some ten dollar chocolate in there, which is still pretty good but I wanted you to have the best because that’s what you deserve. And I’m not.” Al sighed, frustrated with himself.

“And I’m sorry.” he added, after a moment.

“Al, I never said that I believed you. I just gave you a hug because your tail was down.”

Ears perked, the wolf pup looked at the doe with eyes wider than her own would be in the midst of headlights.

“It’s still chocolate, and it’s chocolate that you got for me, which makes it better than anything I could get myself.” she opened the wrapper, revealing the bar’s soft curves and gooey texture. “Even if you got me actual Goatdiva, it would have melted in my hand all the same. Also, I’m sorry that it melted in my hand, I should have let it sit in my pocket more.”

“Are we okay?” she added, not letting the moment go until she was sure they were fine.

They were. “Yeah, we’re okay. More than okay. Oh, and I had this just in case...”

Al left, and returned with a kettle of hot chocolate and a stack of styrofoam cups, hidden god knows where. Steam ceased to rise from the top, but it was still warm enough regardless. They broke the chocolate after agonizing about splitting it as equally as possible and dropped the lumps of melted sweetness into their already sweet drinks, nearly but (surprisingly) not completely saturating the flavor.

They picked their chairs up and moved them nearer to the edge so they could watch the crowd, but far enough so that they wouldn’t be seen. They scooted close, sipping at their drinks and savoring the heat they provided.

“This is why I’d make a great co-Alpha. I can always tell when you’re lying.” Velvet remarked playfully.

“Yeah, but I’m not too sure how you’d do with all the howling.”

“I have to howl? Wait, but I can’t yell that loud. What if my voice cracks? More? Oh, no. Is there skipping allowed? What if I’m at the library or something?”

“I’m kidding, V.”

“Oh.” she responded. “Well, I can usually tell when you’re lying.”

“It’s okay, you’re still the best prey in the pack.”

“What pack?”

“Mine, of course! When we’re grown up, we’re gonna have the best pack EVER, and everyone’s gonna look up to us and we’re gonna help them out when they’re feeling sad and it’s gonna be the best. It’ll be like...like, I don’t know. Just the best thing in the world.”

“What, the pack’s gonna be like our kids?”

The wolf didn’t even consider the possibility, but now that he thought about it...

“Yeah, a little bit.”

Soft lips pressed against Al’s cheek. His tail began to wag.

“Well, I can’t wait, Alpha.”

“Neither can I, other Alpha.”



Al, older than he used to be, leaned back into the fluffy cushions of his comfy couch, though right now the couch felt more like a throne. Content was the only feeling he was feeling at the moment. Midday tended to do that to him. He didn’t get the day off for Valentine’s, but his shift was short, and when he came home the lobby was free for relaxing in.

A movie played in front of him, but he stopped paying attention minutes before in favor of closing his eyes. The lack of sight enhanced his senses. He heard the movie, of course, but he could hear breathing, a door opening, laughter outside. Footsteps that made him smile on reflex. The scent of flowers, citrus, sugar, and a beverage that had long since become a tradition.

When Al opened his eyes, a steaming mug of hot chocolate greeted his peripherals. He took the drink with grace, watching Velvet with adoration as she walked around the couch and took a seat in the empty space next him.

“Happy Valentine’s, sweetie.”

Grunting in response, Al raised his mug. Velvet did the same with hers as they dedicated a silent toast to each other, softly bumping the drinks together before each took a long, gratuitous sip.

When Al had removed the hot chocolate from his lips, lips took its place. He leaned into the kiss, drinking in the sweetness of Velvet’s lips like it was water in a desert. There was nothing else he could want more.

“Uh,” A sheepish voice intruded on the moment. “Are you sure I shouldn’t leave, or anything? Because I’m totally cool with that. It wouldn’t be awkward in the least. I could just…Go back to my room.”

Al turned, and remembered the sheep beside him. A sheep that he had housed, harassed, accepted, and taken personal responsibility for. He remembered what he told V, vaguely, and that made him oddly content. “No, you’re right where I want you, wannabite.”

All three turned back to the movie as Velvet squeezed Al’s paw.

Warm. Warmer than anything he knew.

He squeezed back.



[For Thematic Thursday: Valentine's Day]
[Set in Pack Street, made by Weaver]