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(Previously...)
“Station: Champ de Mars.”
The blue and white Metro train eased to a stop at the platform. The doors slid open, masses of Montrealers and tourists alike streaming out to explore the city’s best-known area. Among them was an unusual grouping: three deer, a beagle, and two hybrids, all with skates slung over their shoulders. More than a few passengers glanced at the blended family as they marched along the platform and up the stairs. Their destination: le Vieux-Port – the Old Port.
Faces all through the group lit up as they reached the Old City proper, and not without cause. The district was a charming place at any time of year, but it truly came into its own in winter. Most of the lights and greenery from Christmas were gone, but the gentle snowfall and the distant melodic pealing of the bells in the Notre Dame Basilica and Bon-Secours Chapel lent a little extra magic to the narrow streets and stone buildings.
Sophie was especially grateful to hear those bells ring out their song, the neighbouring parishes seemingly in joyful conversation. Her new hearing aid had emerged unscathed from her run-in with the neighbourhood bullies, and once again adorned her right ear. In place of her usual winter clothing, which was still damp from the previous day’s excitement, she wore a slightly too big coat that had once belonged to her sister. It was yet another contribution to her cheerful mood, a vast improvement on the day before.
“It doesn’t get old.” Krista smiled as she watched her daughter’s eyes dart back and forth with delight, absorbing the scene around them. “Every day it’s better than the day before."
“You’re so lucky to be able to work down here, Mom,” Sophie replied.
“I’m never at a loss for inspiration, that’s for sure. Even oversaw the renovation of a couple.”
“And it’s so definitively Canadian,” Becca snarked. “Where else but here can you find a Dairy Queen across the road from a Ben and Jerry’s?”
The air grew especially crisp as the group reached the river. The massive Ferris wheel towered over the port and welcomed the group to their destination. The ice rink below was buzzing with activity, multicoloured blurs sliding around in every direction.
“I wish Dad had come with us,” Sophie sighed.
“Your dad has many talents; skating is not one of them,” Krista chuckled. “We went the first Christmas vacation we were together. Everyone thought it was so cute that we were holding hands the whole time, but he was just hanging onto me so he didn’t fall.”
“It’s just as well; can you believe how much they’re charging us to get in?” Becca exclaimed.
“It’s all about the atmosphere,” Krista replied. “Hard to go wrong with a backdrop like this!”
They duly paid and entered the rink proper. One after the other, the kids plopped themselves down on benches, their mothers helping them swap their boots for skates.
“Figure skates?” Matt asked with surprise as he watched Becca help Yuri tighten his laces.
“Yeah, I saw Gracia in hers and wanted a pair too. They looked nice!”
“Don’t see too many guys with them.” Matt looked down at his own hockey skates.
“He can wear what he likes,” Becca jumped in. “If my boy wants figure skates, I’m not going to say no.”
“Yeah, I guess.” Matt gave it no more thought. He hopped off the bench and strode towards the gate. “Let’s hit the ice!”
“Hang on, we need to get ours on too!” Krista called after him, but he was on the ice before she could finish. He didn’t go too far, however, making small circles near the wall of the rink, staying close to the rest of the family. Sophie and the twins soon joined him, the four staying together as they waited for their mothers to join them.
The group was short-lived, however, as Gracia broke away and skated up ahead, looking over her shoulder. “Catch me if you can!”
Matt shot off like a rocket after her, Yuri not far behind. Sophie watched them as they sped away, weaving in between groups and couples. She did not give chase, instead staying behind with Krista and Becca. The former took her daughter’s hand, and together they glided smoothly across the ice.
“You don’t want to play along?”
“No, not yet,” the hybrid replied softly. “I can’t go that fast.”
“We’ll have to get you a bit more practice in. Hit up a rink sometime, just you and me with no one in the family watching,” Krista smiled warmly.
“Sounds good.” She held back a sigh, a weak smile on her face, but there was no mistaking the dimmed sparkle in her eyes.
“You’re it!” Matt gently tapped a mitten-clad hand on Gracia’s sleeve, eliciting a squeal from the doe.
“Look out, boys! Here I come!”
Matt and Yuri split up, Gracia pursuing her brother instead of Matt. The feline took the opportunity to skate over to Sophie and the moms. “C’mon and join us!”
“I can’t go that fast,” she repeated.
“We can do a gentler round for you, if you like.”
“Maybe…”
“Oh, go on,” Krista encouraged her youngest daughter. “You don’t want to miss out."
“All right.”
“Great! Soon as Gracia’s done her round, I’ll explain the plan.” Matt zipped off, rejoining the fray. He cut off Gracia from the fleeing Yuri, and the doe took the bait.
After a valiant fight, the boy was once again ‘It’, and he duly tagged his sister. The trio waited for Yuri to catch up, at which point Matt explained the new game plan.
“Bit slower this time so Sophie has a fighting chance.”
“And so y’all don’t plow into anyone – or each other,” Becca added. “We don’t want any broken anything to go home with.”
“Okayyyy,” Matt huffed. “Ready? 1…2…3…GO!”
The three of them split up, Sophie looking every which way, trying to decide who to pursue. Remembering that Yuri had not yet been tagged, she turned and skated after him. The buck was fast, but not so fast that the hybrid could not give chase. The pair laughed playfully as Sophie neared him, just in time for him to speed up and get out of reach.
They repeated this a couple of times before Yuri decided to let Sophie tag him for real. The cat-dog delivered a satisfying tap to his back, just in time for him to swiftly turn in another direction. It was at that moment that Sophie realized three things: 1) she was going far faster than usual, 2) she would not be able to stop easily, and 3) she was about to slide into a mother and daughter dead ahead of her.
Sophie scraped her blades on the ice, fighting to gain traction. The motion was enough to slow her down but not for her to stop in time. In a panic, she pushed herself to one side. She was just barely able to slow herself down enough that it did not hurt when she collided with the wooden railing at the edge of the ice. She clung onto the top crossbar for dear life, panting for breath.
“Vous allez bien?” Someone asked.
“Oui, désolé, désolé...” Sophie repeated, assuming it was the skaters she was about to crash into and apologizing for the near disaster. She looked up and was surprised to learn that they were not strangers to her. “Minnie!”
“Hello Sophie,” the spaniel replied, a smile on her face. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, kinda.” The hybrid slowly pulled herself up into a standing position, turning around to face her friend. “Sorry for almost sliding into you.”
“It’s okay. You stopped yourself.”
"You did a good job of turning away,” added her mother, who had just joined them.
“Thanks, Ms. Lesperance.”
“Oh, just Zoe will do, ma petite.”
A chorus of metallic scrapes heralded the arrival of Sophie’s family, Krista and Matt leading the pack.
“What happened?” the beagle cried out.
“I slid into the railing,” Sophie grumbled.
“She had just managed to avoid sliding into us,” Zoe added.
“Not been your weekend, has it, Kiddo?” Krista pulled Sophie into a one-armed hug.
“Why, what else happened?”
“Some bullies destroyed our snowcat,” Matt jumped in. “They shoved Sophie into the ground and got her hearing aid wet.”
“You poor thing!” Zoe told Sophie.
“But then we pelted ‘em with snowballs till they ran."
“Oh, formidable!” Zoe cheered, clapping her hands together. “Well done!”
“Today is a small reward for defending their sister’s honour,” Krista concluded. “Or honorary sister.”
“Thanks, Aunt Krista,” Gracia smiled.
“But where are the other spouses?”
“They stayed home with Vicky. She wasn’t interested, Dan has two left feet on the ice, and Alex didn’t want to mess up her knee.”
“Dommage. Looks as if you’re having fun together, though.”
“Accidents aside, yes. Can I get you a cup of something warm?”
“I’d be delighted.”
“After you!” Krista turned to the kids. “You be careful on the ice. Nice and slow.”
“Yes, Mom,” Sophie and Matt monotoned.
The kids watched as their mothers glided away, Krista asking Zoe about the latest in her singing career. Matt turned to Sophie. “We’re gonna skate around a bit more. Want to join us?”
“Nah, I’m gonna stay here with Minnie.”
“Cool. We’ll come back for you in a bit.”
“Why didn’t you want to go along?” Minnie asked after Matt and the twins had left.
“They’re better skaters than I am. I can’t really keep up with them. You saw what happened when I tried.”
“Want to try with me? I can hold your hand.”
“What if I pull you down with me?”
“We get back up!”
Minnie held her mitten-clad hand out, smiling warmly. For some reason, the sight brought about a warm tingling feeling in the hybrid, unfamiliar but not unwelcome. Sophie placed her hand in Minnie’s and the pair meandered around the rink, Sophie copying Minnie’s confident movements.
“Don’t look down,” the spaniel said when she noticed Sophie’s eyes Dart down to her skates. “You’ll overthink it.”
“Okay. You skate very well!”
“Thanks! I’ve had a lot of lessons.”
“Like for competitions?”
“Yeah, but it turns out I wasn’t quite good enough for the fancy moves. I’m glad I have a short tail; I fell a lot.” The spaniel wore a bashful grin, which prompted a giggle from Sophie.
“You wanna go a little faster?”
“Sure!”
They sped up, skates clinking and scratching along the ice. Sophie’s heart was pounding, but she felt lighter than air, and she wore a genuine smile on her face for the first time since they arrived. Her fingers tightened the grip on Minnie’s, though she did not need the support; even through wool and Thinsulate lining, the touch of Minnie’s hand in hers made the hybrid melt inside. She stole a glance in the spaniel’s direction, revealing that she was glancing back. They looked at each other shyly, smiling at each other. So into the moment were they that they didn’t notice as Minnie’s skate caught in a gouge in the ice.
Both girls let out a scream as they tumbled to the ice. Minnie landed first, falling on her rump and hands. Sophie followed her, falling face first onto her friend, noses only a few whiskers apart. Despite the cold of the day, their faces were warm enough to glow.
“Are you okay?”
Startled, the girls looked up. Gracia was looming over them, the others not far behind.
“Yeah…just tripped,” Sophie mumbled.
“Mom does say that things happen in threes.”
“My fault this time,” Minnie jumped in. “I hit a rough spot in the ice.”
“Let’s get you back on your feet.” The doe held her arm out.
“Wait!” Sophie felt her ear. Her hearing aid had remained in place, possibly thanks to Minnie being on her left side rather than her right. “All good!” With Gracia’s help, Sophie and Minnie pulled themselves upright again.
“The moms are talking about getting lunch. You guys wanna skate some more first?”
“Nah, I think I’m done.”
“Two falls in one day enough for you, eh?”
“Yeahhhh.”
“Can’t blame you. Let’s get moving; Mom’s thinking pizza.”
“Yum!” Sophie smiled.
“But no mushrooms!” Matt yelled out.
“Dad likes them too!”
“Dad thinks canned mushrooms should go on pizza!”
“It’s okay, I like them too,” Minnie told Sophie. “Maybe we can share one.”
The hybrid smiled again. She had no idea what the fluttery feeling in her chest was, but she hoped she would feel it more often.
Looks like Sophie's discovering new feelings!
A belated winter adventure, delayed by a combination of writer's block and the FA read-only stretch. But it's done now! Sadly, while writing this story, the announcement was made that the Old Port Skating Rink would be permanently shut down. I didn't feel like rewriting, so it now lives on in my version of Montreal.
Original by
katilina can be found at https://www.furaffinity.net/view/56913168/
“Station: Champ de Mars.”
The blue and white Metro train eased to a stop at the platform. The doors slid open, masses of Montrealers and tourists alike streaming out to explore the city’s best-known area. Among them was an unusual grouping: three deer, a beagle, and two hybrids, all with skates slung over their shoulders. More than a few passengers glanced at the blended family as they marched along the platform and up the stairs. Their destination: le Vieux-Port – the Old Port.
Faces all through the group lit up as they reached the Old City proper, and not without cause. The district was a charming place at any time of year, but it truly came into its own in winter. Most of the lights and greenery from Christmas were gone, but the gentle snowfall and the distant melodic pealing of the bells in the Notre Dame Basilica and Bon-Secours Chapel lent a little extra magic to the narrow streets and stone buildings.
Sophie was especially grateful to hear those bells ring out their song, the neighbouring parishes seemingly in joyful conversation. Her new hearing aid had emerged unscathed from her run-in with the neighbourhood bullies, and once again adorned her right ear. In place of her usual winter clothing, which was still damp from the previous day’s excitement, she wore a slightly too big coat that had once belonged to her sister. It was yet another contribution to her cheerful mood, a vast improvement on the day before.
“It doesn’t get old.” Krista smiled as she watched her daughter’s eyes dart back and forth with delight, absorbing the scene around them. “Every day it’s better than the day before."
“You’re so lucky to be able to work down here, Mom,” Sophie replied.
“I’m never at a loss for inspiration, that’s for sure. Even oversaw the renovation of a couple.”
“And it’s so definitively Canadian,” Becca snarked. “Where else but here can you find a Dairy Queen across the road from a Ben and Jerry’s?”
The air grew especially crisp as the group reached the river. The massive Ferris wheel towered over the port and welcomed the group to their destination. The ice rink below was buzzing with activity, multicoloured blurs sliding around in every direction.
“I wish Dad had come with us,” Sophie sighed.
“Your dad has many talents; skating is not one of them,” Krista chuckled. “We went the first Christmas vacation we were together. Everyone thought it was so cute that we were holding hands the whole time, but he was just hanging onto me so he didn’t fall.”
“It’s just as well; can you believe how much they’re charging us to get in?” Becca exclaimed.
“It’s all about the atmosphere,” Krista replied. “Hard to go wrong with a backdrop like this!”
They duly paid and entered the rink proper. One after the other, the kids plopped themselves down on benches, their mothers helping them swap their boots for skates.
“Figure skates?” Matt asked with surprise as he watched Becca help Yuri tighten his laces.
“Yeah, I saw Gracia in hers and wanted a pair too. They looked nice!”
“Don’t see too many guys with them.” Matt looked down at his own hockey skates.
“He can wear what he likes,” Becca jumped in. “If my boy wants figure skates, I’m not going to say no.”
“Yeah, I guess.” Matt gave it no more thought. He hopped off the bench and strode towards the gate. “Let’s hit the ice!”
“Hang on, we need to get ours on too!” Krista called after him, but he was on the ice before she could finish. He didn’t go too far, however, making small circles near the wall of the rink, staying close to the rest of the family. Sophie and the twins soon joined him, the four staying together as they waited for their mothers to join them.
The group was short-lived, however, as Gracia broke away and skated up ahead, looking over her shoulder. “Catch me if you can!”
Matt shot off like a rocket after her, Yuri not far behind. Sophie watched them as they sped away, weaving in between groups and couples. She did not give chase, instead staying behind with Krista and Becca. The former took her daughter’s hand, and together they glided smoothly across the ice.
“You don’t want to play along?”
“No, not yet,” the hybrid replied softly. “I can’t go that fast.”
“We’ll have to get you a bit more practice in. Hit up a rink sometime, just you and me with no one in the family watching,” Krista smiled warmly.
“Sounds good.” She held back a sigh, a weak smile on her face, but there was no mistaking the dimmed sparkle in her eyes.
“You’re it!” Matt gently tapped a mitten-clad hand on Gracia’s sleeve, eliciting a squeal from the doe.
“Look out, boys! Here I come!”
Matt and Yuri split up, Gracia pursuing her brother instead of Matt. The feline took the opportunity to skate over to Sophie and the moms. “C’mon and join us!”
“I can’t go that fast,” she repeated.
“We can do a gentler round for you, if you like.”
“Maybe…”
“Oh, go on,” Krista encouraged her youngest daughter. “You don’t want to miss out."
“All right.”
“Great! Soon as Gracia’s done her round, I’ll explain the plan.” Matt zipped off, rejoining the fray. He cut off Gracia from the fleeing Yuri, and the doe took the bait.
After a valiant fight, the boy was once again ‘It’, and he duly tagged his sister. The trio waited for Yuri to catch up, at which point Matt explained the new game plan.
“Bit slower this time so Sophie has a fighting chance.”
“And so y’all don’t plow into anyone – or each other,” Becca added. “We don’t want any broken anything to go home with.”
“Okayyyy,” Matt huffed. “Ready? 1…2…3…GO!”
The three of them split up, Sophie looking every which way, trying to decide who to pursue. Remembering that Yuri had not yet been tagged, she turned and skated after him. The buck was fast, but not so fast that the hybrid could not give chase. The pair laughed playfully as Sophie neared him, just in time for him to speed up and get out of reach.
They repeated this a couple of times before Yuri decided to let Sophie tag him for real. The cat-dog delivered a satisfying tap to his back, just in time for him to swiftly turn in another direction. It was at that moment that Sophie realized three things: 1) she was going far faster than usual, 2) she would not be able to stop easily, and 3) she was about to slide into a mother and daughter dead ahead of her.
Sophie scraped her blades on the ice, fighting to gain traction. The motion was enough to slow her down but not for her to stop in time. In a panic, she pushed herself to one side. She was just barely able to slow herself down enough that it did not hurt when she collided with the wooden railing at the edge of the ice. She clung onto the top crossbar for dear life, panting for breath.
“Vous allez bien?” Someone asked.
“Oui, désolé, désolé...” Sophie repeated, assuming it was the skaters she was about to crash into and apologizing for the near disaster. She looked up and was surprised to learn that they were not strangers to her. “Minnie!”
“Hello Sophie,” the spaniel replied, a smile on her face. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, kinda.” The hybrid slowly pulled herself up into a standing position, turning around to face her friend. “Sorry for almost sliding into you.”
“It’s okay. You stopped yourself.”
"You did a good job of turning away,” added her mother, who had just joined them.
“Thanks, Ms. Lesperance.”
“Oh, just Zoe will do, ma petite.”
A chorus of metallic scrapes heralded the arrival of Sophie’s family, Krista and Matt leading the pack.
“What happened?” the beagle cried out.
“I slid into the railing,” Sophie grumbled.
“She had just managed to avoid sliding into us,” Zoe added.
“Not been your weekend, has it, Kiddo?” Krista pulled Sophie into a one-armed hug.
“Why, what else happened?”
“Some bullies destroyed our snowcat,” Matt jumped in. “They shoved Sophie into the ground and got her hearing aid wet.”
“You poor thing!” Zoe told Sophie.
“But then we pelted ‘em with snowballs till they ran."
“Oh, formidable!” Zoe cheered, clapping her hands together. “Well done!”
“Today is a small reward for defending their sister’s honour,” Krista concluded. “Or honorary sister.”
“Thanks, Aunt Krista,” Gracia smiled.
“But where are the other spouses?”
“They stayed home with Vicky. She wasn’t interested, Dan has two left feet on the ice, and Alex didn’t want to mess up her knee.”
“Dommage. Looks as if you’re having fun together, though.”
“Accidents aside, yes. Can I get you a cup of something warm?”
“I’d be delighted.”
“After you!” Krista turned to the kids. “You be careful on the ice. Nice and slow.”
“Yes, Mom,” Sophie and Matt monotoned.
The kids watched as their mothers glided away, Krista asking Zoe about the latest in her singing career. Matt turned to Sophie. “We’re gonna skate around a bit more. Want to join us?”
“Nah, I’m gonna stay here with Minnie.”
“Cool. We’ll come back for you in a bit.”
“Why didn’t you want to go along?” Minnie asked after Matt and the twins had left.
“They’re better skaters than I am. I can’t really keep up with them. You saw what happened when I tried.”
“Want to try with me? I can hold your hand.”
“What if I pull you down with me?”
“We get back up!”
Minnie held her mitten-clad hand out, smiling warmly. For some reason, the sight brought about a warm tingling feeling in the hybrid, unfamiliar but not unwelcome. Sophie placed her hand in Minnie’s and the pair meandered around the rink, Sophie copying Minnie’s confident movements.
“Don’t look down,” the spaniel said when she noticed Sophie’s eyes Dart down to her skates. “You’ll overthink it.”
“Okay. You skate very well!”
“Thanks! I’ve had a lot of lessons.”
“Like for competitions?”
“Yeah, but it turns out I wasn’t quite good enough for the fancy moves. I’m glad I have a short tail; I fell a lot.” The spaniel wore a bashful grin, which prompted a giggle from Sophie.
“You wanna go a little faster?”
“Sure!”
They sped up, skates clinking and scratching along the ice. Sophie’s heart was pounding, but she felt lighter than air, and she wore a genuine smile on her face for the first time since they arrived. Her fingers tightened the grip on Minnie’s, though she did not need the support; even through wool and Thinsulate lining, the touch of Minnie’s hand in hers made the hybrid melt inside. She stole a glance in the spaniel’s direction, revealing that she was glancing back. They looked at each other shyly, smiling at each other. So into the moment were they that they didn’t notice as Minnie’s skate caught in a gouge in the ice.
Both girls let out a scream as they tumbled to the ice. Minnie landed first, falling on her rump and hands. Sophie followed her, falling face first onto her friend, noses only a few whiskers apart. Despite the cold of the day, their faces were warm enough to glow.
“Are you okay?”
Startled, the girls looked up. Gracia was looming over them, the others not far behind.
“Yeah…just tripped,” Sophie mumbled.
“Mom does say that things happen in threes.”
“My fault this time,” Minnie jumped in. “I hit a rough spot in the ice.”
“Let’s get you back on your feet.” The doe held her arm out.
“Wait!” Sophie felt her ear. Her hearing aid had remained in place, possibly thanks to Minnie being on her left side rather than her right. “All good!” With Gracia’s help, Sophie and Minnie pulled themselves upright again.
“The moms are talking about getting lunch. You guys wanna skate some more first?”
“Nah, I think I’m done.”
“Two falls in one day enough for you, eh?”
“Yeahhhh.”
“Can’t blame you. Let’s get moving; Mom’s thinking pizza.”
“Yum!” Sophie smiled.
“But no mushrooms!” Matt yelled out.
“Dad likes them too!”
“Dad thinks canned mushrooms should go on pizza!”
“It’s okay, I like them too,” Minnie told Sophie. “Maybe we can share one.”
The hybrid smiled again. She had no idea what the fluttery feeling in her chest was, but she hoped she would feel it more often.
Looks like Sophie's discovering new feelings!
A belated winter adventure, delayed by a combination of writer's block and the FA read-only stretch. But it's done now! Sadly, while writing this story, the announcement was made that the Old Port Skating Rink would be permanently shut down. I didn't feel like rewriting, so it now lives on in my version of Montreal.
Original by
katilina can be found at https://www.furaffinity.net/view/56913168/
Category Artwork (Digital) / General Furry Art
Species Hybrid Species
Size 1715 x 2061px
File Size 1.07 MB
Comments