[Furry, Fluff]

A young girl was walking along a long trail. Where was she headed? To her grandmother's, of course! It had been a while since she been so close and tender with the woman that had been so important to her, and her mother finally gave her a chance to go visit. She had a big basket full of home-made treats and trinkets slung under her arm, and she happily skipped down the path. Knowing that once she arrived, she'd receive the same kind of warmth that she had grown so used to.

Aka-chan was her name. It wasn't because she was a redhead, far from it, but it was because of her adorable red hood. She wore it every day she could. It didn't matter if it was bright or if it was dark, sunny or rainy, hot or cold. Aka-chan did not go outside without her hood. It was her most favorite piece of clothing, because her grandmother had sewn it for her when she was a terribly tiny little thing. And she kept on sewing more and more pieces of cloth onto it as she grew older, so it kept matching her with every year that passed. Sure, it was starting to get a little small as she reached two digits of age, but grandmother was also growing really old, so it was fine!

"I wonder what grandmother might think when I bring her my favorites?" Aka-chan chimed to herself as she stopped for but a brief moment as she pulled up the cloth on her basket. The warm smell of pastries and the fresh jam stuffed into them wafted out, and it made her shiver in delight. Oh, she just loved making those things with her mother. It was hard work, especially since they always made way more than they usually could eat. But the taste was divine and always worth it, because of all the nice smiles she'd see on the people that ate them. Whether it was her mother, her own smile in the mirror, or the other kids that crowded around to try and ask for one. Sure, they were a bit greedy when they did so, but she was happy just seeing them happy...

All of a sudden, she heard the loud sound of a branch smashing against the ground. Not a small branch, a big branch. And she heard somebody crying out. Was it in pain, or in fear? Either way, Aka-chan quickly stuffed the cloth back down into the basket to preserve the heat and headed straight for the source. Going to grandmother could wait. She wanted to make sure that whoever had gotten hurt wasn't going to get worse!

A quick jog was all that it took, because she quickly noticed the one that had screamed. It was a young wolf boy, around her age. And unlike the wolves that seemed to stalk around the forest that the hunters had to deal with, this one... Oh, he was positively tiny in all the worst ways! It looked like there was no bone beneath his fur, and his cheeks looked so malnourished. Not only that, but he seemed to be completely and utterly scared out of his mind, courtesy of the log-like branch in front of him that had nearly crashed down on him. Poor thing.

"Are you okay?" Aka-chan asked as she came closer, her gaze locked on the young wolf. He was actually really cute, which made the fact that he was hurting because he hadn't been eating hurt her in turn. She didn't like seeing somebody this cute hurting. "I'm Aka-chan, who are you?"

The wolf-boy looked towards the redhooded girl and quickly felt fear shivering through his body, causing him to bare his teeth and back away from her. Which only served to emphasize his malnourished and sickly frame. He looked like he could barely stand, and yet he tried to back away from her and look threatening. "G-Go away! Y-You're just like the hunters, aren't you!?" He shouted, seemingly traumatized by what they had done...

"No, I wouldn't do anything like what they've done." Aka-chan said with a soft smile. Sure, she couldn't argue that they had done some very gruesome things to try and fight back against the wolves... But that was what adults did. She wasn't an adult, and neither was he. "Are you hungry? If you need anything to eat, I have a bit you can eat!"

The wolf-boy backed away further, trying to growl as his hairs stood on their ends. "I-I don't need a human's help! Y-You just want me to lower my guard! I-I'm a proud wolf, just like the others!" The furry youth cried out... Which really just sounded like one big whimper. No matter how hard he tried to seem like a truly intimidating or powerful force, he just made himself look more pitiful.

Aka-chan hummed and huffed as she tried to figure out how to make the boy agree to a bit of food, especially since she could hear his stomach growling all the way from where she stood. Her solution? Well, it was a simple one. Instead of bothering to try and get through to him with words, she just quietly put her basket down on the fallen branch and smiled. She didn't say another word, merely just walking away... All to hide behind one of the other trees, right outside the boy's vision.

He remained on guard until he saw her vanish, blinking. Where's she go? Did she disappear? G-Good. He didn't want to talk to a Human. They were... They made him shiver and they made him a bit frightened. Not that frightened, though! He was a proud wolf, and they would see once he grew up and could fight back.

For now, he started walking away.... And then he looked back towards the basket. She said... She said she had food, right? He... He really was hungry. Maybe he could take just one thing out from there. Maybe a few more. That was the way he thought as he walked over to the basket, a bit of drool slowly pouring down the sides of his face...

But right before the boy sank his hands underneath the cloth, a tinge of guilt poured through his body. No, he remembered what his parents had told him. Don't antagonize the Humans. Their fight was not personal. It was a fight over territory. But if any started hurt the other faction's livelihood... Then they'd end up devolving into a full blown war. Not just a skirmish here and there. That... And he really didn't want to feel like he was being bad by stealing.

With his conscience pulling at him, the wolf boy picked up the basket and started looking around. Where did she go..? He had to try and find her, so he could return this and then disappear himself. He didn't want thanks, he just wanted to make sure that she didn't lose her basket. And then he could just leave and he could... w-well, probably not get any food, but it'd be better that way.

He walked around a bit, completely missing the young girl as he passed by the tree where she was hiding, as sweat and worry started to pour down him. Not only was he hungry, not only was he worried, but he was... Very hot. Not the kind of hot you'd get from being stuck in the sun for too long, the kind of hot where it felt like he was burning on the inside. He just wanted to get out of here after giving her back the basket...

"Awwww!" The boy suddenly froze as Aka-chan came out from behind the tree, causing him to very nearly drop the basket as she wrapped her arms around him. "You're not as bad as you say you are! You're a really good boy! The best boy, even!" She giggled, and quickly let go of him once he started to struggle. "Sorry for hiding from you, I just wanted to see if you wanted to take some of my food without me being there. But you didn't take a thing!" The red-hooded girl cried out in delight, showing nothing but happiness towards the boy.

He tried to back away, only to notice that he still had the basket in his hands. And against his better instinct, he just held it out. "T-take it and go! I-I don't want a Human's food! Y-You're probably-" He tried to put up a defensive front like before, only for Aka-chan to not only grab the basket and him. "H-Hey! Let me go!" He cried out, trying his best to break free from her. He didn't like this at all.

"Okay, here's what we're going to do!" Aka-chan chimed, being a little forceful. That's what mother always said. If somebody definitely needed help, but kept trying to stop people from helping them, then you needed to strong arm them a bit. Especially when they really needed that help. "I'm gonna take you with me to my grandmother, and we're going to give you a big meal, and if you still want to go leave after that, then that's okay! I just don't want to hear your tummy growling like that!"

"I-It does not!" He tried to argue. But then his stomach let out a right powerful growl, nearly knocking him off his feet if not for Aka-chan keeping a good grip on him. And he then started to blush, his fur pressing down against his gangly body as he did little to make his words seem true. "S-Stop looking at me like that..." He muttered defensively. He felt so weak. He felt so ashamed. But at this point he couldn't say no to the offer. It'd be even more embarrassing to turn her down.

Aka-chan giggled as she wrapped her fingers in between his, and put her basket under her free arm. "Okay, what's your name? I already said mine, it's Aka-chan, but I don't just wanna call you wolf or pup or boy. I wanna know who I'm helping." She chimed, smiling from ear to ear. "And I wanna know what my brand new friend's name is!"

The wolf boy nervously shifted as she held his hand. "O-Oka." He muttered. And blushed even harder as she beamed with more happiness. Why did his name make her that happy? It didn't make sense. Were all Humans like this? Was this why his family tried to encourage him to meet Humans before they ended up having to fight a hunter for territory..?

"Okay then, Oka-kun! Let's go!" Aka-chan giggled. It was nice to have a wolf as a friend. And with their hands weaved together so tenderly, it was easy for her to guide him along. At least, it was for a few moments, before he started to slow down.

That's right. He was still really weak. No wonder that one branch had fallen, he probably collapsed against the tree and accidently caused it to snap off when he colided with the tree. But if he couldn't walk, and there was a good deal of walking left before they ended up reaching grandmother's house, then...

Oka let out a sudden gasp as he was lifted onto the red-hooded girl's back, prompting him to kick his legs around a little. "D-Don't do that! I-I don't need to be carried!" He cried out. Even now, he was being stubborn and prideful. But Aka-chan just ignored him, and made sure that she had a good grip on his legs while she gently walked down the long winding road towards her grandmother's house.

The wolf boy trembled as he laid against her soft back. He didn't like this. But he had to admit... She was warm. She was nice. And she was... She was...

Before he had a chance to mentally articulate what he thought about the girl, he had already fallen asleep against her. His soft and tired snores echoed from the girl's back as she walked onward without having an issue with him sleeping on her back. He was really cute when he did that...

She just hoped that grandmother would be okay with her being late, and that they could have dinner for three!

---

Oka's eyes slowly but surely fluttered as he trembled all over. He felt really warm. Not the bad kind of warmth. This was... This was a warmth that he only felt when he was sticking close to his mom. When she rubbed real close to him and made sure that he could endure the harsh cold of their region. Had... Had she come back..?

As his eyes managed to open fully, he noticed that he was stuck underneath a blanket. And he was laying against a big pillow... And not only that, but he was in a human home. Even though he should be worried about the fact that he was in somebody's home... The blanket was too nice to ignore. What exactly had happened after he fell asleep? He didn't know, all he knew was that he felt nice and safe...

It didn't take long before he found out how and why he was laying in this big comfortable bed, as he saw Aka-chan walking into the bedroom with a big pot's worth of soup, the fragrance quickly hitting his sensitive nose. It smelled so delicious that his tongue immediately started to lull out of his mouth. So much so that he actually didn't notice the much older woman that walked inside alongside the red-hooded girl.

"You were right, grandmother! He really did like the soup!" Aka-chan cried out as she walked over and took a seat by the bed, putting the pot down on the nightstand as she kicked her legs back and forth. "Have you had wolves by before, grandmother? Is that why you know how to deal with them?" She asked, genuinely curious. Because if that was the case, she really wanted to learn. Just so she could make more wolf friends!

"Not many, just the few that end up stopping by. They're usually around his age, and they go away after I give them a bit of food. This boy, though..." The older woman said, as she smiled towards the young pup in her bed. "He seems like he needs a bit more than food. I'm glad you brought him by, Aka-chan." She said, reaching out towards the young wolf and gently rubbing him on the head.

Oka looked at both the young girl and her grandmother, and... he didn't shy away from the older woman touching him. Something about her made him feel warm inside. He didn't know how exactly to explain it, just that he didn't feel any kind of hostility from her. Was she... Was this why Aka-chan was like that? Because of her? If that was the case, then he almost understood why she was so nice. And why his parents wanted him to try and bond with humans. Because if this was what they were like when they weren't fighting over territory...

"Here, Oka-kun!" Aka-chan said as she scooped up a bit of that chunky looking soup, letting the ladle hover over the bed so he could have a sip. Just a little sip. Nothing too dangerous. She didn't want to make it seem like it was going to hurt him after all.

While he had been so aggerssively wary of her, the presence of the older woman and the warm blanket kept him from fighting back. He just let it approach him, and he took a brief sip. And immediately his cheeks flushed bright red. Not out of embarrassment, but out of the sheer amount of warmth pouring into him. It was actually a little astounding just how much it warmed him up.

"M...More..." Oka asked, and Aka-chan was more than happy to help. While he had only sipped a little bit of that thick soup when he got the first taste, now he finished ladle after ladle of the stuff. And his body quickly warmed up to the point where he looked less and less sickly. He was getting the nutrition that he had been missing...

Aka-chan was astounded by how quickly it was helping him recover, but it seemed like it was meant to do this. Grandmother looked proud of her soup after all, so she just helped him drink more and more until he finally said he didn't want any more...

After Oka... practically ate the entire pot's worth of soup, he finally sat up in bed and looked at both the young girl and the older woman, and he respectfully bowed towards them both. "T...Thanks, Aka-chan, Aka-chan's grandmother..." He felt not a single lick of shame after thanking them. Because why would he be ashamed after appreciating such good food? "I should..."

"You should do nothing, Oka-kun." The older woman said with a smile. "I know you want to run away. But it's okay. We'll take care of you until you're nice and healthy. I can't just let a boy wander back out into the woods while he's still looking so gangly." She remained firm as she spoke, all while reaching over and patting the boy on the head one more time.

Oka was shocked to hear that, and he was even more shocked as the older woman laid a big looking dress down in front of him. The same kind of dress that she wore. It took a moment to process, but... Well, he didn't say no to a gift like that. Even if it was an older woman's kind of outfit. And how loosely it fit him once he managed to get it on, to the point where a lot of his chest was showing and the sleeves were drooping really badly.

A soft snicker left the older woman's lips, before she just sighed and smiled. "Until you're healthy, Oka-kun, you'll be staying here. And then you're free to go. I just don't want to see a boy on the verge of falling over go back out there."

"Guess we'll be friends for a lot longer, huh, Oka-kun?" Aka-chan giggled as she climbed onto the bed and hugged the furred boy that looked like he was trying to look like a granny with that new outfit of his.

All he could do was just blush. Because now he felt a brand new kind of warmth. The warmth of... being loved. In a way that he never could've experienced, because of how wolves loved compared to humans. And as it washed over him, he quietly hugged the redhooded girl while her grandmother chuckled at the cute display.

...He really liked this warmth, so maybe it was okay that he stayed with them a little while longer.