Sophia got curious about Fey’s personality because it seemed to have changed drastically after the transformation into her humanoid body. It turned out to be more of a coincidence because Sophia simply hadn't spent enough time with her yet. The changes were primarily based on the fox-girl not being in the regular world, where she feels responsible for upholding discipline and order, thanks to her extensive knowledge, combined with her wanting to understand Steph, the girlfriend of her daughter, better, among various other things.

“Fenfen!” The duo weren’t the only ones having a good time together. Even before Sophia returned home, running into Fey, and everything that happened after, Chloe went to visit the male wolf in his forest to spend some time with him.

“Well, that’s certainly a surprise.” Fen, who was relaxing in the shade under his favorite maple tree on the soft and comfortable moss in the middle of his biome, lazily lifted his head to look at the pink fox.

“I hope I’m not a bother right now.” She just smiled at him.

“You would never be.” He seemed to be in a good mood.

“Ehehe~.” Chloe liked his reply.

“Is there anything I can do for you?” He was wondering why she came to visit. “Did Sophia do something ridiculous again?”

“No.” She paused for a moment. “I at least don’t think so?” The fox-girl tilted her head. “I haven’t seen her today, but you never know when it comes to her.”

“True.” He nodded along.

“I just wanted to visit you.”

“Oh, I see!”

“I really like this forest!” The fox looked around with a big smile on her lips. “It’s so cozy!”

“That was the goal~.” Fen was glad she liked it. “Though, a lot of the praise belongs to Ari because she helped a whole lot.”

“I heard about that.” Chloe nodded. “I was quite surprised about that.”

“Yes, I hadn’t expected it, either.” He was just as surprised about their sudden collaboration.

“Would you like to do something with me, too?” She wanted in on the fun.

“As long as it isn’t anything related to snow or anything else cold, I’m willing to listen.”

“Ahaha.” Chloe let out a small chuckle. “There are way too few enjoyers of the cold in this group.”

“I think there are too many.” He disagreed with her. “There are more than zero, after all.”

“Yet another explanation why you and Sophia get along so well, huh?”

“And Ari.” Fen agreed. “She seems to dislike the cold the most, after all.”

“Don’t worry, while I prefer the cold, I would never force it on anyone.”

“That’s reassuring to hear.”

“Do you plan to leave this place completely natural, or are there any plans to make something homely inside the forest?”

“For example?” He showed some interest in her question.

“Something like a small and cozy log cabin somewhere inside here somewhere. Napping outside is nice, but knowing Sophia, there will be a weather system in her domain sooner or later. Outside naps are a lot less enjoyable when it’s raining.”

"A fair point.” Fen nodded. “Especially if you add a fireplace, something like that is quite enjoyable.”

“After our cozy winter evenings in the capital mansion, I knew you’d like that. Your favorite spot was on that rug right in front of the fire, after all."

Stolen novel; please report.

"I am unable to say anything in my defense."

“I knew I’d get you with that.”

“I think I’d like to keep this forest natural after all, though.” Fen liked the place he and Ari created, so he was reluctant to change it that much. “That being said, I wouldn't be against the idea of creating a new area with a cozy hut like that in the middle of it.”

“I’d love that!” Chloe lightly clapped her hands while smiling at him. “Okay, hear me out on this, okay?!” Her eyes suddenly started sparkling. “Half of the coziness of napping in front of a fireplace in the mansion came from it being winter and how you see it being snowy and cold outside from the windows, right?”

“I suddenly don’t like where this is going.” The wolf had a bad feeling.

“Again, I’m not going to force you, but think about maximum comfiness possible!”

“Fine, go on.” Fen reluctantly let her continue.

“Imagine a densely-grown and evergreen needle-leaf forest full of firs, pines, spruces, and larches. In the middle of that forest, we will place the coziest log cabin in existence. Here comes the twist, though!"

“Can we do it without the twist?” The wolf already had a feeling he'd know what it was.

“That’s the most important part!” The fox shook her head. “The entire forest and the hut will then be covered in a nice layer of snow! Not on a level where everything is completely buried in it, but rather just a nice coating of white everywhere. Once Sophia has the sky thing sorted out, we’ll make it permanently night with the starriest night sky anyone ever saw. Enough to illuminate the area and make the snow and forest look extra cozy!”

“Mhmm.” He sounded conflicted. “I like the sound of it, but… We just escaped the snow hellscape! To be actually working with it again. Not to mention that I’d need to go through it whenever I want to get to the comfy fireplace.”

“That can be easily solved!” Chloe didn’t want to let go of the idea so soon. “We can have Sophia put a portal inside the log cabin, so the only time you’ll be seeing snow is through the window while relaxing in front of the fireplace.”

“Enticing.” Fen was slowly starting to believe.

“I can do everything related to the snow, too! We can do the landscaping, the forest, and the cabin together before I take care of that!"

“How are we going to do the log cabin, though?” The wolf tilted his head. "I don't like to assume things, but you don't strike me as a carpenter."

“Ah.” Chloe scratched her cheek. “I hadn’t thought about that! Oh!” She suddenly clapped her hands. “There are a lot of great carpenters in the village where we met! I’m sure we could commission them to make one for us. I doubt a small cabin would cost all that much, not to mention that we’re, uhh… kinda rich? After all, we just need to deal with a slightly strong monster to get a huge reward.”

“That could work. Though, do you think Sophia would let them in here to work on it?”

“Do they have to?” The fox looked at him. “Alex and the others from the village could build it there, and once it's done, Sophia goes and yoinks it like the cottage back in the capital.”

“That tiger of ours is quite handy, isn’t she?”

“Very!” Chloe nodded. “So? Let’s go?!”

“If you keep the snow away from me, I’m inclined to give it a try.” He was still worried about that part. “More comfortable places to nap are always welcome, after all.”

“YAY!” The fox-girl looked delighted. “Should we start right now?”

“I don’t see why not.” He nodded.

“Let’s head over to the village first to ask Alex and the others about the log cabin! Afterward, we can start planning out the area!”

“Okay.”

Afterward, they returned to the cottage and headed to the portal hub there to travel to the elven village where the group first met Chloe.

----------------

“Remind me to tell Sophia that she should sort out that portal hub of hers, okay?” The duo arrived in the blonde’s treehouse inside the village hidden in the forest near the capital, and Chloe felt like complaining to the wolf.

“That is a good idea.” Fen nodded. “It’s just a massive all-white room with about 40 portals leading to wherever…”

“They’re not marked, either!” She seemed a little upset. “It took us four tries to get here!”

“Indeed, some signs surely wouldn’t hurt.” He saw the issue. "A little bit of grouping them into similar destinations, either.”

“Exactly!” Chloe agreed with him. “Well, whatever, let’s head over to Alex and tell him about our plan!” Dropping the topic, the duo went to the bar that was the central gathering hub of the village to look for Alex, an older fox-man with brown hair who had been more or less leading this place.

“Chloe! Fen!” Entering the bar, the man in question spotted them first. “What a surprise! It’s been a while!”

“Alex!” Chloe waved back at him.

“What brings you here?” Naturally, the male fox got curious about them.

“We’ve come for a business inquiry!” The pink fox was highly excited about her plan.

"Oho!" Alex was in high spirits but also looked rather confused. "Bless me with details, my dear."

“We’re looking for some skilled carpenters to build us a log cabin!” Chloe showed him a bright smile.

"You've certainly come to the right place. We have a bunch of amazing carpenters, but I thought you all left to travel? What sense does a cabin make in this context?”

"Sophia has a fancy type of magic that can transport everything, regardless of size, from one place to another. I only want it to be made here, but the cabin will be placed somewhere else once it’s done.”

“Ha.” Alex nodded a couple of times. "So, you want a log cabin, huh?" He didn't even try to comprehend what he just heard.

“The coziest one!” Chloe nodded.

“Alright, let's head over to our best carpenters! I'm sure they're delighted to receive a job request from our cutest pink honorary villager!”

“Yay!”

Afterward, the trio left the tavern, and Alex guided them to the mentioned carpenters to let Chloe explain exactly what she wanted to get in her cozy dream cabin.