Vira's far from simple, as much as she'd like to claim otherwise. A shy recluse who refuses to stay out after dark for reasons just as mysterious, her very presence seems to draw rumors of the unwanted sort to her and her family--and her squirrelly squire sweetie is intent on finding out why.

Paws may or may not be involved.

This was a little short-and-sweet done by a friend, namely  raddaraem as something of a birthday gift! Can't thank the guy enough; it's a fun little story that can more or less act as something of an introduction to Vira, a manipulator of shadows who has trouble controlling her intrinsic gift, and whom I may write about on my own in the future. Be sure to send him some love and check out the rest of his stuff if this caught your fancy in any way!



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“You ever wonder how those rumors get started?” Eyes closed and hands behind his head, the squirrel nuzzled into the cheek of the fair lass resting besides him. Sprawled out upon a gentle hillside overlooking the quaint hamlet he called home, a gentle breeze rustled at the fur upon his face. Flashes of orange and red flared across the back of his eyelids. The sun shimmered brightly as it sank towards the western mountains.

“Hmmm?” Blushing, the raccoon scooched to the right so that her body pressed up against his own. Dandelions and unruly tufts of crabgrass itched at her arms and back but she paid them no mind. Tree branches creaked and rustled behind them, broad thick leaves playing to the wind’s song. “Which rumors, Sebastian? There’s a lot to choose from.”

Eyelids scrunched together, the squirrel rolled his peepers about in their sockets. “They do come and go in cycles, don’t they?”

After last year’s particularly wet spring, the low lying valley in this hilly land had been turned into winding trenches of marshes. Wary tales of lights flickering in the darkness above the water abounded amongst the residents of the tiny town. It was said they drew people out into the mire; to slowly drown and be consumed by the land itself. And before that were the cryptic warnings of how, under the light of a full moon, a path deep into the black heart of forest would coalesce.

Sebastian stretched his neck to direct his gaze behind him, scraping the side of his brown furred nose against the grass. The proud and looming oaks, with their gnarled trunks and bark, swelled in number the further he cast his eye. Grasses and flowers had no place amongst such powerful flora, the soft carpet of green and purple and yellows giving way to dirt and gravel as the concentration of trees intensified the deeper into the forest one went.

Deep inside that mass of nature was, allegedly, a clearing, where it was said monsters gathered to drink from a brook that babbled and churned. More than one person claimed it spoke in hushed tones to those who knelt to drink from it. Always always always, it was worrisome how consistent this fact had been across every retelling, it warned those who drank from it to flee, to leave this clandestine clearing. Before it was too late.

“I mean sure, we have the will-o-wisps and the babbling brooks…” Sebastian stretched out his left arm, sliding a limb underneath his dear friend’s back and drawing her close.

Vira smirked at the first mention. Arms tucked against her chest, she allowed herself to be pulled into the cuddle. The lights were very real, but anyone with a shred of common sense was safe from their temptations. Just don’t walk out into a marsh in the middle of the night when it’s dark out, easy as that. The offhanded remark about the moonlit path forced her to pause and clench her teeth. Every now and then there was a kernel of truth behind those tales.

“But I’m talking about that damnable bogeyman everyone won’t shut up about!”

Vira’s eyes went wide as her ears timidly flattened against the top of her head.

“Most times I feel like these rumors are just unnecessary means of scaring sense into us.” Right arm extended high above him, he counted off his synopses. “Don’t go wandering about the forest at night. Don’t try to traverse a floodplain at night.” The squirrel exhaled in frustration. “There’s no need to dress up such simple advice in such fanciful stories! Anyone with a head upon their shoulders knows it’s dangerous to do any of those things in the sun’s absence.” The squirrel’s eyes flitted towards the shrinking raccoon. “I… apologies, Vira. There’s no need to voice my complaints at you of all people.” Sebastian proceeded to mete out a snug in apology.

“Ahhh it’s fine, Sebastian.” Planting a kiss upon his cheek, she relished his embrace which did wonders to lift her sagging spirits.

“Honestly though,” he rested his chin upon her head, “a bogeyman? Some great and terrible shadow that lurks through the forest on moonlit nights and preys upon hapless wanderers? It’s all anyone can talk about lately and it’s laziness, pure and simple.” He grumped in the general direction of the hamlet, log houses with thatched roofs lining the top of the hill opposite them. “At the very least they could try to be creative about it, it’s little more than a rehashing of the babbling brook. Pfft, even then it is nothing more than some ridiculously roundabout way to keep people from venturing into that congested gathering of trees.”

“A-about that…” Vira turtled up and buried herself into his chest. A particularly powerful burst of wind, a crescendo to the song played over the air itself, whipped the branches above them back and forth violently. Leaves tapered down and flitted over the couple. Sun swinging down from its apex in the sky, their long distended shadows danced playfully on the ground, the wind’s instruments whirling in place above Vira and Sebastian as if drawn to them. Biting into her lip, the raccoon watched as the black blobs of blotted light vanished into her own shadow before the whirlwind abruptly ceased. Fluttering to the ground the leaves tumbled down the hillside, sans their silhouettes.

“Goodness gracious and the gossip about your family! So rude.” Brows furrowed sharply, Sebastian defensively tightened his embrace around the raccoon.

Eyes half lidded, Vira sighed into his chest. Sweet as he was, the squirrel did have a tendency to ramble on. Nnnfff, and it would be sundown soon. The shadows snaking towards them from the forest, sun perched atop the leafy canopy, was evidence enough. Tucking her arms against her own torso, she pressed her hands into his chest.

“Just because they choose to live on the outskirts of the foroof!” Ribcage pressing his lungs flat, Sebastian splayed out upon the grassy ground while the raccoon rose to her feet.

“I ought to get going.” Dusting off her pale blue dress, stars and crescents sewn along the fraying fabric edges, Vira distanced herself from the talkative squirrel.

“So soon?” The edges of his lips curled gently downward. “Vira, I didn’t mean to prod!” She always got so defensive and quiet… well, quieter, whenever the topic of her family broached their conversation.

Ever so slowly the raccoon sauntered down the hill, mindful to stay just out of reach of the lengthening shadows spilling out from the dim dense forest. Her feet brushed along at the edges of the distended shapes. “I’m not mad, Sebastian.” She stifled a giggle as he trotted up beside her, the squirrel all but assured of his wrongdoing at his lovely lady’s attempt to convince him otherwise. “You know I don’t dabble in doublespeak. If I’m cross with you, I’ll tell you. It’s time for me to return home is all, nothing more.”

“At the very least, could I accompany you? To guarantee your safe passage?” Out along the edge of the forest the raccoons had set up shop with nothing to their name. Any excuse that let him spend more time with Vira was one worth taking!

The raccoon arched her brows.

Errr. “N-not that I’m saying you require my presence to return home safely! Just umm… offering.”

“That knight speak doesn’t suit you, Sebastian.” Smirking, she gently papped a palm against his ruffled cheek.

“I know, I know.” The squire-in-training let his shoulders slump. “The chivalry is a bit forced, huh?”

Vira twiddled gray furred fingers at her chin as she contemplated her response. “Only a lot.” Ever so shyly she brushed her hand against his own, before interlocking her dainty digits with his calloused ones. “Just remember not to go assuming everyone is in need of help, regardless of what those stuffy knights say. I don’t think you’ll win over too many maidens in waiting when you imply they’re helpless without you.”

Sebastian dipped his head low in shame. “My apolo-bluh. I’m sorry, Vira.”

She clamped his hand tight in her grip. “Ask, don’t assume, next time. Might find you have better luck then.”

Large and puffy tail twitching behind him, the squirrel shook his head and gave it another shot. “Vira, would you mind if I walked you home this fine summer afternoon?”

“Not today, Sebastian.” Her ringed tail brushed against his poofy one. It wasn’t for want of effort that she shot down his request though. …She supposed there was no harm in meeting him halfway. “Maybe not tonight, but perhaps you can accompany me most of the way there? Stuffy or silly or embarrassed or not, I do enjoy my time with you.” He may not have been graced with a silver tongue, but she adored the squirrel nevertheless.

“I’d be happy to.” Victory! A pity win, but it was still a win. His heart fluttered from something so simple as the warmth of her hand clasped around his own. It wasn’t all that long a trek to Vira’s domicile. Though, he had never actually set sight upon it what with Vira always shooing him off upon approach. Unfortunately, that short distance only contributed to the share of rumors surrounding the raccoons.

So close and yet so far, the infrequency and brevity of their visits couldn’t help but get gossip stirring about from whence they came. Rumblings of their former affiliation with the Pilgrims of the Dark always tended to permeate conversations about them. A secretive bunch that dabbled in hexes and occult magics in the lands far east. Understandably, such allegations aroused people’s suspicions.

Come now Sebastian, you’ve made it this far! Entertain and regale your lovely lady friend. “S-so.” And we’re off to a solid start.

“So?”

“Soooooo I had a question for you.” Vira cocked her head to the side in response. Uncertainty and hesitation welled up in the squire’s chest. “Do you… do you ever get tired of us just hanging out?”

The raccoon hmmed, edges of her lips flattening. When the squirrel got to thinking, those thoughts of his rarely if ever stayed contained in his head. There was no need to prod.

“It seems all we ever do is recline on that hillside and count the clouds passing by,” Sebastian sighed before elaborating. “I just… fret and bother that all of this might bore you. That I don’t take you out on the town, treat you to dinner, and the like!”

Ahh, so that’s what it was. Suppose he was bound to notice how she always dodged around his invitations at some point… Vira tugged at his arm, dragging him forward. “Oh, so am I not allowed to enjoy the simpler things in life?”

“N-no! Wait. Yes. No. That’s not… I’ll quit talking.”

He always did fluster so easily. Biting down at her welling smirk, she playfully bumped hips with him. “I’m only teasing, Sebastian. You don’t need to show off or wow me like those other knights tend to do. Just being here at my side, hand in hand, is all I need.” Vira’s amber eyes locked briefly with his hazel orbs. “So to answer your question; no. You’re not boring.” She couldn’t help but giggle at the fiery redness burning through his cheeks, her own face growing warm at the show of affection. “I truly do relish your company, Sebastian.” Digging the bottoms of her padded toes into the thinning grass, she arched her paws. Pressing her lips against his own, she smooched her squirrely squire. Slowly wrapping her arms around his waist, she nearly closed her eyes before she felt a cool sensation tug at her ankles. Her hands slammed against his chest and abruptly disengaged the locking of lips. “But I ought to get going.”

Parting from the kiss with a light heart and lighter head, Sebastian would have to make do with what little sugar he’d been provided. “Same time tomorrow?” As Vira evaded his lingering questions, dancing between yes and maybe while backpedaling away, the squirrel’s eyes flickered back and forth between his lovely lady’s shoulders. Faint and subtle in their movement, he could swear that the shadows themselves coiled and knotted towards her from the forest’s gaping maw. Like a flower lifting its petal ringed head towards the sun.

“Anyway, I best get going.” She reached forward to pat him on the cheek. With a wave and flick of her ringed tail, she vanished amongst the trees. In her wake, the flat black tendrils stretching towards the raccoon’s feet wavered for a moment before violently recoiling into the mass of darkness.

Jaw quivering, Sebastian could only gulp while he watched the layer of shadow blanketed across the crisscross mesh of roots and leaves recede like the ocean tide. Fists clenched, the squire tried and failed to steel his trembling limbs. Even his limited training told him something was amiss, and terribly so. Vira, dear Vira, could be in danger! “H-hey now, she’s smart and knows these forests better than I do. Who am I to say she’s in need?” Ripples scattered through the shade, drawing further and further back towards the sun itself.

“Well, I-I suppose it couldn’t hurt to just check up on her?” That and given how intimate the two had grown over the months, it wouldn’t be completely unreasonable to introduce himself to her parents either now, would it? Pah, of course not! Laughing nervously, the darkness parting before him did little to assuage his fears. “G-goodness, the prospect of meeting Vira’s mother and father sure is a frightening one,” he told himself as he achingly set one paw down before the other. Yes. It was definitely that and not the weird shadow thing. Over and over, he repeated to himself a simple truth one of the rusted and battle scarred knights imparted upon him during his training. “You can’t be brave if you’re not afraid.”

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“Running or walking, it makes no difference.” Huffing and puffing, the raccoon’s clawed feet danced between the snaking wood roots that threatened to trip her up. Clouds of dust stamped up where she tread upon the bare ground. The trees hungrily and greedily commanded every drop of nutrition from the ground below, shouldering out any floral competition. Every step forward the shadows pulled up with her like tar, hesitantly being plucked off the forest floor before oozing into her soles. Padded fingers brushing against the trees fared no better, pulling shade off their trunks like layers of bark. Wherever her body touched the darkness, it stickily clung to her form, wrapping around her ankles and wrists before soaking into her furred flesh.

The sensation wasn’t altogether unpleasant; it was akin to wading through a creek, while moss covered rocks slid beneath your gait. “Though,” she stooped low, navigating along the overgrown trail hunched forward, “I could do without the swelling stature.” Tree branches scraped and tugged at the back of her dress as her billowing body filled out in width and height. In her wake, the utter absorption of darkness left raccoon prints that seemed to glow along the trail. Dainty little things that gradually swelled thick and long until a single one was wide as the path.

“Damn this shadow magic…” Vira’s penchant for spellcasting was a gift from her parents, inherited at birth. They were lapsed Pilgrims of Darkness, the raccoons having distanced themselves from the group of spellcasters following irreconcilable differences that they never cared to elaborate on. “Mother and father ought to be able to fix this…” She eeped when she felt her black furred ears poke above the canopy and flick in the open air. All of the great and terrible power that came with controlling the shadows but none of the experience. Such was life for Vira.

“I… oh bother.” She collapsed onto her rump, the raccoon’s thunderous impact echoing throughout the forest and sending flocks of crows squawking from their perches. Shadows naturally drew into and accumulated on her form, their mass adding to her own. However… she had yet to learn what to really do with them. There was no conduit, no spoken word, no staff or sorcerous gesticulation for her to cast with. Dark magic simply bottled up within her and without end, bolstering Vira’s mortal body to tremendousness!

Her hips brushed against and uprooted entire trees, pushing them over with terrible groans onto their sides. The forcefully made clearing surrounding her was sapped dry of darkness, positively glowing with the golden reds and oranges of the setting sun. Even when sitting cross legged her head poked above the tree line. She’d have to wait until nightfall to even contemplate returning home without being seen.

“Bogeyman, huh?” Elbow resting against her thigh, Vira cupped her chin in the palm of her hand. “I suppose there are less flattering names they could call me.” She sincerely hoped those knights, much less Sebastian, never got it in their heads to go about felling the dread ‘beast’ one of these days. With a sigh, she brought her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms about them. “Sebastian…”

Scrunching her toes, they clenched against her swollen soles. Should she wish to remain with him and… what a foolish hypothetical. “Of course I do,” the raccoon rumbled aloud. To remain with Sebastian into the foreseeable future, she would eventually have to disclose the cause for her daily departures. The nature of her magic. Her family’s history. And of course, her nocturnally variable stature. She didn’t doubt a significant portion of it would fly right over his fluffy head, but still. If that adorable worrywart could dredge up the bravery to be so honest and forthcoming with her, she owed it to him to do the same.

“Guh, what would Sebastian even say if he saw me like this?” Grunting, she traced a finger along the hem of her dress. Her digits poked at the threaded stars, the raccoon grateful that her plain clothing had been enchanted to grow with her. It was just such a startling, if not ridiculous, concept to thrust upon someone! Any imagined conversations with him that sprouted in the confines of her noggin sputtered no sooner than they started. Poor Vira simply couldn’t begin to fathom how someone would react to such a revelation.

“Sebastian, I’ve been meaning to…” Vira’s brows flattened upon her forehead. Goodness that was as trite and noncommittal as they come. Tongue scraping against the roof of her mouth, she uttered another rehearsed response. “Surely you can understand…” What was she trying to do, shift blame onto him? “So. As you might have noticed…” She slumped forward and sucked air between the gaps in her teeth. Lords almighty this was absolutely painful. Drawing her gaze up from the gentle cloth patterns, the raccoon’s eyes went wide. “So much for practice.”

Before her Sebastian stood slack jawed and motionless, as if he were a particularly fuzzy statue. Waves of light flicked along his chest, bathing him in a gentle warmth. “H-hey, Vira,” he squeaked out.

“I really should know better than to jinx myself like that,” Vira mentally berated herself, heart catching in her throat. Biting into her lip, those thick squirrel sized fingers of hers clutched at the dress. Embarrassingly enough, the raccoon’s imagined conversations that went nowhere fast proved to be a far more accurate representation of reality than she would have hoped.

“Hi, Sebastian.” She twiddled her fingers against a thigh while her eyes nervously darted about. Oh gods how much did he overhear?

“You can, um,” the squirrel lazily kicked at the dirt, “You can go back to practicing your lines, if you want.” Voice no higher than a whisper, he tucked his chin against his chest.

Too much. Shades of crimson seethed through Vira’s pale gray cheeks, the raccoon feeling as if she could spontaneously combust at any moment purely out of embarrassment! Her tail bristled behind her. Well, it’s not like this could get any more awkward so may as well roll with it. “Sooooooooooooo.” Heavens almighty she was actually going that route?

A stray gust of wind tugged at the trees nearby, forcefully parting leaves from their branches. They twirled towards the swollen lass, her unconscious mastery of their shadows tugging the flittering greenery into her orbit. The leaves mirrored their shadowy mimics, every motion reflected onto them as though they were both connected. In principle what was done to a leaf, tit for tat, was inflicted upon its shadow. And vice versa, in Vira’s case. Her own silhouette drank in the darkness, stretching out and up from the infusion. Poor Vira was forced to match it, the raccoon’s body rumbling while it continued to grow. Scrunched raccoon toes scooched and tore along the ground towards Sebastian, piles of displaced dirt accumulating along the edges of her digits.

Sebastian remained locked in place, acknowledging but not reacting to the encroaching Vira paws.

“You maaaay have noticed that darkness, in its many forms, has a…” Twirling her fingers, Vira cringed at how the words would not cease tumbling from her maw, “Substantial impact on my stature.” There was no dignified or composed way to word why or how, yet why did she vainly try to do so regardless? Her amber eyes settled on the diminutive squirrel who had yet to flee from her looming presence. If he was going to reject her over this, it was bound to have happened one day anyway. May as well just get it over with and out of the way.

“I need to apologize to you, Sebastian. I’ve been disingenuous and dishonest. You deserve better. This,” she gestured towards all of her, “is the reason why I’m always so quick to break off our evening plans. To leave you flapping in the wind, vainly hoping I’ll one day accept your invitation. It’s not that I don’t like you! Truly, well and truly, I do! There’s no else I’d rather be with, just…” Vira slouched forward and sighed. What else was there even to say? “I know it’s not much of an apology.” Nostrils flared, her wet black nose snuffled quietly in anticipation of his response. “You don’t have to accept it if you don’t want to.”

The squirrel kept his head low and focused on the pebbles at his feet. His mind tumbled and rattled, struggling to comprehend what this meant for their relationship. Breathing in deeply, his bushy tail waved behind him while his chest bowed out. Clenched fists resting against his hips, he brought his head up and dared to ask the question burning at his skull. “So shadows make you big?”

“That’s a… concise way to put it, yes.” Vira forced herself to blink in rapid succession. Uncurling her arms from around her legs, she placed them out at her sides, palms flat against the ground. “You’re not mad or or or feeling betrayed?” Her gargantuan hands coasted out and away from her, flashes of warm and cool tickling at her furred fingers. What shadows she drank in through her fingertips forced her form to spill out wider, which in turn led to more darkness being within her grasp, which only fueled and perpetuated the vicious cycle! Eeeping softly, Vira nervously dug her toes into the ground. Patches of tilled dirt were left in their surging wake. The monoliths of fur and flesh came to rest inches before the stalwart squirrel. A gentle warmth radiated off of the shyly twiddling digits that now rivaled Sebastian in girth and height.

“I was worried, yes, but not mad!” Reaching forward, he dared to timidly pat at one of Vira’s toes. His shadow now in contact with her own, the raccoon’s latent power made his darkness her own by drawing it into her form.

Vira’s ears burned terribly at the sight and sensation, poor Sebastian practically dragged between her toes and promptly smothered by her thickening digits.

“When I saw you disappear into the forest, shadows surging after you in waves, I kind of sort of followed you.” Poking his head up from between firm and pleasantly soft raccoon toes, he brushed away at the layer of dust collecting upon them. “Just to check up on you, was all! Didn’t want to imply you n-needed saving or anything!” Ever so shyly, he nuzzled into what tufts of fluff he could grab at. “I’m relieved to see you’re unharmed.”

Blushing furiously, Vira simply could not accept the fact. “But but but the bigness! The shadow magic! None of that is offputting or cause for alarm?” And oh goodness that felt heavenly. N-no! Stop that! Quit thinking about twiddling your boyfriend between your toes! Teeth clenched together, her ringed tail refused to heed her commands and swayed gently behind her. The gust it created stripped the surrounding trees bare.

Sebastian dug down once more into the wellspring of knowledge the local knights had slowly been filling inside his head. “A lady has her reasons. It’s rude to pry and if she so wishes to disclose them, that’s for her to decide! You’re still you, Vira. Just uhhhh… taller.” Her toes trembled from continued growth, gently flattening him against the plushy soft padded undersides of her paws. “Just being here, at your side, is all you need, right? If that’s enough for you then that’s enough for me!”

Smile creeping up along her face, Vira’s cheeks ached. The raccoon wasn’t used to expressing this much delight in a day! “Very well, Sebastian.” Her upper body now poking up above the tree line, even while sitting, the fur hunched forward and pressed her chest against her legs. Eyes squinted, she glared at the luminous fiery orb taking its sweet time to dip below the horizon. This wasn’t the first time she’d been forced to wait out the evening, hence the Bogeyman rumors. But at least this time she’d have company. …Oh what the hell.

Smirking manically, Vira dropped her composed veneer and gleefully contracted her toes. Teasingly, she rubbed them back and forth all over her, relatively speaking, short squirrel. “I know I shot you down earlier,” she rumbled, “but would you be willing to reconsider walking me home this evening? Or at the very least keep me company until then?”

“I’d love nothing more than that, Vira.” Sebastian replied between what gasps of air he could swallow between her pounding paws blows. Bashful as could be, it was so strange seeing his lovely lady being so forward and forceful! Gentle, granted, but forceful! “S-so how long does this last?”

“Come dawn tomorrow morning, the new day’s sun will burn away what shadows I’ve accumulated and return them to their rightful owners. Yours included.” Lifting up her paw, Sebastian peeled off her smooshed sole and flopped to the ground.

Rolling onto his side, the squirrel gawked at absence of darkness beneath his lithe frame. Fading but glittering sunlight was the only thing to be found upon the illuminated forest floor.

“Until then, however.” Down came Vira’s paw once more, mooshing Sebastian tight into the creases in her swollen paws. As she paw played, she pondered back to their hillside musings. “Maybe it couldn’t hurt to fluff up those rumors of that Bogeyman, just a bit? Not enough to warrant any action from the knights, mind you!” She plucked him up from between her feet and cupped her palms around him. “But just enough to keep this forest to ourselves, hmmm?” Ears drooped against the side of her head, she booped her nose against his everything. “I think this has the potential to be a more romantic haunt than our sunny sloped hillside, is all. Don’t you?”