Stella:

"I think I'm warming up to these."

She took a big bite from the pego fruit. Its gooey insides clung to the walls of her mouth while its sweet and sour taste danced on her tastebuds. Breaking its shell was child's play after her first week of training. She still couldn't believe how far she had come, even somewhat competing with the furry menace she called a friend.

Speaking of said menace, Lien carelessly slurped the fruit empty like an uncivilized brute, her snout drenched and sticky with purple mesocarp. It was sloppy yet cute, like a baby making a mess of their food. No matter what the pup did, Stella's heart fluttered stronger than ever with each interaction.

...But an eerie feeling built inside her gut. There's much about Lien and her family that the Human didn't know. What was she discussing with her uncle? What did that have to do with her mother? What was the source of the captain's dislike of Humans?

Who was Weth?

...

"Lien?"

"One minute!" The pup poured a jar of water on her snout, scrubbing the fruit leftovers away. After succeeding in her task and drying herself by shaking her head rapidly for a solid minute, she turned back to the Human. "What's up?"

Stella glanced at the empty pego shell and threw it in a random corner. As it clacked against the ground, the Wolf instinctively pounced on it, carrying it in her mouth back to the Human, who laughed at her silly antics.

"So, can I be honest with you? Like, brutally so." The girl gently put the shell on the bed.

Lien tilted her head in interest. "Why do you ask?" She scratched her ear with her foot. "I mean... Yeah! Packmates can't hide secrets!" She suddenly ceased. "Wait, was that saying about secrets or trinkets?" She muttered to herself. "Eh. Potato, tomato!"

Stella would take this as a yes. For a moment of weakness, she was tempted to whip out the "I love you, and I want to live in a house in the mountains with you" bomb. Still, she stood firm and swallowed her foolishness, opting for the less destructive truth.

"I think your mom hates me." She spoke at once, trying to sound casual and careless while her tummy ached with crippling anxiety.

Lien stood still, frozen in dumbfoundedness. "O-Oh!" Her leg lowered back into place. "I was hoping you didn't notice, to be honest." She forced a laugh to hide the awkwardness that was carved on her milky eyes. After a few silent seconds, she sighed. "I-I'm sorry." She fidgeted her fingers. "I know my mom is a jerk. I should've said something..."

Stella waved her hand in dismissal. "Nah, it isn't your fault. Moms are scary." She stroked her own arm, a faint tint of dread dripping on her expression. "...I think."

Lien lay down on the straw bed, softly huffing. "It's not your fault. Something horrible happened in our family when I was a baby."

The Human swallowed hard, anxious about her upcoming question. "Anything to do with this Weth you've mentioned?"

Lien froze, her expression unreadable. Stella shook with worry, her heart accelerating with the prospect of the pup bearing a grudge for daring to touch that subject. Somehow, that thought terrified her much more than another assassination attempt.

"H-How did you hear that name?" The Wolf asked, her voice cracking with apprehension.

Stella took a deep breath, looking at her shaking hands. "Y-You mentioned the name when you hugged your uncle, remember? Back in that poker game?"

"Oh." Disappointment coursed through Lien's tone, most likely directed at herself. "Yeah. It was about... him."

Was the "him" she just mentioned Weth or her uncle? Damn it, Stella was becoming paler with each passing second. Why was she so fucking curious all the time?

The pup straightened up, sitting by her side. Her ears lowered, and her tail recoiled and stagnated. "I don't know if I should tell you that. Mother sounds so scary when I even mention his name..."

Namadi's Light... How could someone be so cruel to a pure creature like Lien, regardless of circumstance? She usually was upbeat and energetic, but she also had her vulnerable moments, scared like a child after hearing a loud thunder in the middle of the night.

Reflecting on the Monoke's milky eyes, she saw herself on the night of her panic attack, running through the streets of Pantsti.

Stella couldn't resist her. Unbeknownst to the pup, she had a mighty grip on the Human's heart. She winced as her friend pulled her into a tight, loving embrace. Was it the first time the girl had initiated the hug? Presumably, though, it didn't matter anymore.

Like Asra was for Stella, she needed to stay strong as an unbreakable pillar of emotional support for her troubled friend. Her heart clenched as a puddle started to form on her shoulder, prompting her to clutch the Wolf tighter. Her earthy smell became oddly intoxicating...

"I'm here, okay?" The Human whispered gently in her ear. "You don't need to be afraid. You can say anything to me. I would never judge you..."

Lien's voice came out as a desperate whimper. "P-Promise?"

"Yes..." What happened next was outside Stella's control. As instinct took hold of her senses, she softly pressed her lips on her friend's fluffy neck. Her eyes widened in realization, and her heart sank with guilt. She had crossed a line.

The Human quickly pulled away from the embrace, body shaking with dread. "I-I'm sorry, Lien!" Tears started building up in her eyes. "P-Please! Let me explain!" She lost all strength in her arms and legs, her heart pumping blood at a pace never seen before.

She cautiously observed the pup's reaction. The Monoke gently caressed her neck. A distant stare was all that could be glimpsed in her blinded eyes.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

"You... kissed me..."

Stella held her head down in shame. She had done it now... Her best friend in years, gone by her own-

The girl was caught off-guard by the Wolf pouncing on her, her lips bearing a... smile?

"You. Kissed. ME!" Her toothy grin widened.

Stella helplessly blushed, utterly lost in the reality she was in. That was if she was awake...

"I can't believe it took you so long!" Lien jumped out of the Human, her tone carrying absolute glee. "You are so against touching I didn't dare to do it myself!" She scratched her head. "Well, compared to the non-Wolf Monoke, you are slightly more tolerant..."

Stella took a moment to take deep breaths and regain the color of her skin. If it took any longer, she would have lost her right to say the N-word... And no, I won't put it in narration. I don't think a shapeless entity can identify with any race or ethnicity.

"S-So..." Namadi's Light, she felt like she was underwater for hours! "You're not mad at me?"

Lien frowned in confusion. "Why would I? I've been waiting for this for so long!" She pumped her fists in the air.

Stella's face burned. "R-Really?!"

"Yuh-huh!" She eagerly nodded, running circles around her. "I don't know how it is with Humans, but we constantly kiss our family and packmates!"

Ah.

Once again, the pup didn't see malice in Stella's actions. Her mind was too drowned in desperation; she had forgotten she had seen Wolves kissing each other in public with multiple people without a pang of shame.

...

......

She laughed. Her cackle was so loud that Lien stopped her childish hopping and crouched near her friend. Stella wanted to stop, but her body wouldn't obey her! It was just too comedic! Why would Lien think of her romantically?! They couldn't be more different, physical-wise! She was the freak here!

...Then her laughter lost its luster, reduced to pathetic gasps.

"Stella, I'm a little worried about you..." Lien put her paws over the girl's shoulders. "Tell me what's wrong..." Her lips returned the favor by landing on the Human's neck, making her shudder with goosebumps.

No, no, no, NO! She couldn't take this anymore! Why was Lien so... so...

"GET OFF ME FOR ONE FUCKING SECOND, CAN YOU!?" Stella pushed Lien to the wall. Shame immediately rained on the former's mind as the latter massaged the back of her head.

"What gives?!" Lien complained. "If you didn't want to be touched, I-"

"That's the problem, Lien!" Stella snapped back to her frustration. Her head was flip-flopping through multiple configurations. She started to feel nauseous. "I DON'T want you to stop. But you don't understand why!" She clenched her fists, her voice cracking with agony.

Was she really going through this? As much as she fought to hide these feelings, her heart was too wounded to stop. She felt like she was being pulled by a locomotive without breaks, running straight to a cliff, but there was not a thing she could do about it.

Lien stood up, her eyes struck with perplexity. "I really don't understand..."

Tears streamed down the Human's cheeks. "Humans don't freely touch each other like you Wolves do. It's too fucking weird for us." She crossed her arms, bracing herself for the emotional impact. "From where I come from, kissing someone's neck is something..." She gulped. "Lovers do..."

Lien's entire body froze, including her tail. Her eyes widened as realization set in. "Oh, my..." She turned to Stella, her globes missing the mark. "So, when you-"

"Yep." The Human's gaze was not on her friend anymore. She couldn't bear locking eyes on the pup. The truth was revealed, and Stella hoped this would be the last time they'd see each other. The irony wasn't lost on her. They had gone through a similar fallout in that cave before the Lads came to pester them. All that journey and turmoil to end up here... What a wicked joke...

"I'm sorry. It isn't fair, but I can't control myself when I'm with you." Stella confessed. "You're strong, loving, brave, optimistic about everything and everyone!" The words came out of her mouth like a high-pressure stream of water flying out of a pipe. Everything she held for herself now laid bare for the Wolf to hear. If this was the end of their friendship, she might as well end without regrets.

"Every time we hang out, you make me so fucking happy!" Her heart steamed and fluttered with each word. "You make me push myself further and further! And I'm not talking about beating you in a fight! I'm talking about in general!" Mustering the sliver of courage remaining in her, the Human stood up and locked her eyes straight onto the source of her pain and joy. "I can't be just friends with you. Not without dealing with these fucked-up feelings first..." She whimpered. "I-I'm sorry..."

Lien remained motionless. Her jaw fluttered with uncertainty without an end in sight. It was about what Stella expected...

With a twist on the doorknob and a few steps out, all of this heartache would be over, and yet, the Human's hand quivered when hovering over it. "For fuck's sake, stop shaking so much and go along with it!"

Her fingers were an inch close to the cold metal... Until a voice made them retreat like cowardly meerkats.

"You want to be my girlfriend?"

Stella quickly spun her body to glance at the Wolf again. Lien was fidgeting with her paws, her posture still shy and reticent.

"I-I don't want to force you to do anything." The Human's voice drowned in anguish. "It's my problem. I need-"

"That wasn't my question." Lien's tone rose higher, becoming more resolute. "I asked..." She stepped closer, prompting Stella's heart to pound stronger by the moment.

The Human's eyes widened as her friend cupped her cheeks with her soft, fuzzy paws. It was enough to make her melt in their warmth...

"Do you want to be my girlfriend?" The Monoke asked once again.

Stella's eyes glazed with awe. She could only nod, so disorientated she didn't remember the pup's condition.

Lien muttered. "Okay, I think that's a yes..." Then, she pressed her lips onto Stella's. The Human's eyes widened, tearing up again by the swirling vortex of emotions that tore her mind apart. Goosebumps crawled all over her body, from head to toe. Even though that was what Stella daydreamed of for weeks, she wasn't sure she could handle it for much longer...

Fortunately or not, the kiss was broken as fast as it came. Lien's ears twitched in curiosity, trying to detect any sound from the girl. The issue was that the Human was utterly out of breath.

Lien took a few steps away from her, yet still not enough to be considered a good personal space. "Did you... like it?" The Wolf awkwardly dragged her foot on the floor, impatient for an answer.

Stella slowly nodded, reveling in the memory. "Y-Yes..." It was all she could say.

The pup perked up. "Yes!" She put a paw over her chest, sighing and closing her eyes with relief. "I never had a girlfriend or a boyfriend before! I'm glad my kiss wasn't horrible!"

Fuck! She wouldn't stop being even cuter than before! Stella was conflicted between taking a seat and recovering herself further or tackling her girlfriend against the wall and kissing her again and again!

...Perhaps she should take it easy. They were still kids, after all. Tweens, to be precise, but it still counted!

The Human dragged her feet towards a chair and sat down. It was better not to push her luck by staying right next to her in this mental state. Then again, Lien was not a firm believer in personal space...

And so, ten minutes passed. No one said a thing or mentioned the kiss again. Lien played with and bathed her pet rat with her tongue while Stella stole glances at her.

The girl took a deep breath and cleared her throat. "So, Peat is looking great!"

Lien ceased licking the rodent. "Oh, this is not Peat. He died a few days ago."

"What? How?!"

"Mom came back home really stressed. She saw Peat, and because I didn't tell her he was a pet, she ate him as a 24th-hour snack."

Stella's jaw dropped, finally grasping the good, old Sayama's sense of normalcy again. "Wow. That... must have been hard on you..."

"Yeah..." She covered the rat's ears with her much larger paw. "I was planning to eat him as dessert the next day..." She frowned. "So rude..."

The Human facepalmed, thankful for her girlfriend not seeing her involuntary grin. "Of course..."