“Bucking the Trend” by Madison Keller

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You’re listening to The Voice of Dog.

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I’m Khaki, your faithful fireside companion,

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and Today’s story is

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“Bucking the Trend”

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by Madison Keller,

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who has won a Coyotl Award

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and two LEO Literary Awards,

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and his newest book is

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Ritual of the Ancients

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by Fanged Fiction and you can find more of his stories on his webpage.

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“Bucking the Trend”

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by Madison Keller

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Theo closed the app on his phone, tapping so hard his hoof-tipped finger almost broke the screen.

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Then, for good measure, he tossed it across the room,

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aiming for his bed where it bounced off the pillow.

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He was mad, yes, but not angry enough to risk ruining his expensive phone.

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Why did online dating have to be so hard?

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Why were guys such

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jerks? It was Friday, damn it.

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He should be getting ready for a hot date with a hot buck, not sitting alone in his bedroom.

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Absently, he reached up to scratch his antler attachments.

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The surgery had been six months ago.

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They were healing nicely, but they still itched.

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He glanced around the small room

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and spotted his phone laying on top of his empty backpack.

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His eyes ran over a poster on his wall that showed a green,

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leafy forest. On impulse

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he grabbed the empty bag and started stuffing clothing into it.

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It might be October,

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but it hadn’t gotten that cold yet.

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He was going camping.

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On his way out the door he snagged some butter out of the fridge and then

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an acorn squash and a few onions out of the garden,

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stuffing them into his pack on top of his clothes.

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He opened his car door and tossed his bag into the passenger seat before ducking down to slide into the driver’s side.

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He didn’t duck low enough for the height of his new antlers and they bounced off the doorframe,

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painfully pulling at his new scars.

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“Ouch,” he snarled, standing back up and rubbing at the top of his head.

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“Stupid things.” He grabbed the base and twisted, detaching one antler and then the other.

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He tossed them onto the passenger seat next to his backpack and then got behind the wheel.

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He wove out of the city

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and then headed up a canyon

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into the mountains.

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As the green trees whipped by the windows,

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he could feel himself starting to relax.

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This had been a good idea.

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There was a pull off ahead near a trailhead.

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About ten miles up the trail were some camp sites he’d used before

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that were first come, first serve.

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This time of the year there shouldn’t be anyone else up there.

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He parked and got out of the car,

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shivering as the cold air hit the fur on his arms.

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Ever since he started testosterone he’d been warmer

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and been having to wear less layers, but he still had emergency sweatshirts stashed everywhere he frequented.

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He got a hoodie out of the back seat and pulled it on over his head,

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reflecting as he did so that there were benefits to removable antlers.

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His cis-guy friends all had to buy zip-up hoodies and button-up shirts because they couldn’t get the pull-over stuff over their antlers.

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Speaking of antlers,

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Theo pulled his off the passenger seat and reattached them before shrugging on the backpack.

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This time of year there wasn’t much birdsong,

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but even the sound of the wind rustling through the leaves around him as he hiked relaxed him still further.

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His hooves and legs were sore from the hike up by the time he reached the campsite

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at the top of the rise.

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As he predicted he had his pick of spots.

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Only one other tent was visible,

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pitched at the far end of the camp site and almost hidden by the trees.

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In his haste Theo hadn’t packed a tent,

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but the weather forecast was clear.

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He set his bag down in a camping spot and went to gather twigs and logs to start a campfire.

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It wasn’t long before his fire was merrily burning away

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in the brick fire pit closest to the spot he’d picked

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away from the other camper.

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There was only one pit for every four campsites,

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not that that was an issue tonight.

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He pulled out the squash and set it on the bricks by the fire to warm up.

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Then with a stick he pushed a burning log away to make room for the two onions.

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He put them inside the pit,

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as far from the fire as he could get them,

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nestled up against the brick edge of the pit.

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Almost immediately

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the scent of roasting onion wafted up from their skins

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where they rested against the hot bricks.

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Now that the squash was warm,

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he pulled out his big pocket knife and rolled the squash onto its side,

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preparing to cut the top off.

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Just as he was slashing down with the knife,

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a deep male voice came out of the darkness behind him.

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“Wow, that smells good.”

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Theo jumped in surprise and his knife missed the top of the squash.

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The blade bounced off the bricks with a ping,

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putting a big dent in the edge.

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Theo turned to glare at the newcomer,

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ready to give him a piece of his mind, but instead his mouth just opened and closed uselessly.

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The stranger had moved closer,

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giving Theo a good view of him in the light of the fire.

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The stranger turned out to be the most handsome buck Theo had ever seen

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with long lashes,

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big black eyes, and soft-looking tan fur that Theo wanted to run his fingers through.

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The buck wore a zip-up black jacket and jeans.

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“Gah,” was all Theo managed to spit out.

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The stranger leaned closer,

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closing his eyes

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and flaring his nostrils.

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“Is that onion and squash?”

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“Uh, yeah,” Theo finally got out.

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What was this about?

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Why was this buck drooling over his food?

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“It smells delicious.”

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The buck opened his eyes,

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flashed Theo a smile,

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and crossed his legs to settle down next to Theo.

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“Mind if I sit with you?”

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Theo’s eyes widened.

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“I, uh, no. I don’t mind,”

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he stuttered out. Picking back up his knife,

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Theo sighed over the damage to the blade.

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Ruined. But it still should be sufficient to cut the top off his squash.

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He wiped the blade off on his pants

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and then sawed off the top of the squash.

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Setting aside the top, he used the knife to scoop out the seeds

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and then plopped the cube of butter from his bag into the opening.

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He set the top back on

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and then nestled the squash into the ashes in front of his roasting onions.

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Normally he’d hold it on with toothpicks, but in his haste to leave the house he’d neglected to pack any.

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However, he’d cut it at an angle, and that was enough to keep the top from falling inside.

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“What are you doing?”

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the stranger asked,

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cocking his head as he watched.

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“Don’t you need a pan or something?”

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“Nope,” Theo said, using the knife tip to carefully rotate the onions so that they cooked evenly.

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“You can cook them directly in the fire.

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Once they’re done, you just peel the skins off and eat the insides.”

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He lay the pocketknife in the dirt next to him, since with the blade bent

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he couldn’t flip the blade back into the handle,

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and turned to the stranger, holding out a

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hand. “I’m Theo, by the way.”

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“Lukas,” the buck replied,

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reaching out and firmly shaking Theo’s proffered hand.

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His hoof-tipped fingers scrapped Theo’s as Lukas withdrew.

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A thrill went down Theo’s spine

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and the urge to flee from this handsome buck became nearly overwhelming.

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Behind him his tail popped up flagging white with his fear,

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and Theo was glad it was dark so Lukas couldn’t see how nervous he was.

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It was dark enough now

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that he could no longer see the tent through the trees,

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but he pointed in the direction he thought it was.

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“That your tent?” “Yeah,”

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Lukas sighed and leaned back to rest on his hands.

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“Being October I thought I’d be the only one out here.

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here.” “Me, too,” Theo admitted,

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wondering again why, if the stranger had come up here to be alone,

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he’d come over to join Theo at his fire.

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“Your onions smell delicious,”

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he said, as if he’d heard Theo’s unasked question.

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Theo shrugged, but inside he was smiling.

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They really did smell great.

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“Thanks—“ His reply was cut off by a loud growl coming from Lukas’ stomach.

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The lining of the handsome buck’s ears turned pink and he glanced away,

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putting a hand up to his stomach.

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“Um, would you like to share my meal?”

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Theo asked. It would have been too much just for himself anyway.

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He’d been planning to save the second onion and part of the squash for breakfast,

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but he could just wait till he got back to the city to eat.

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“Were you not able to get dinner before you came camping?”

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“It’s uh, kinda a long story.”

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Lukas leaned forward to rest his face in his hoof-hands,

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causing Theo to have to dodge to the side to avoid having one of the long tines coming from the far end of Lukas’ rack

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snagging on his hoodie.

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Lukas noticed his flinch and groaned,

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scooting his butt over a few inches on the dirt

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and tilted his head away.

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“You’re lucky yours are so small,”

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Lukas grumbled. Actually,

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Theo had begged his surgeon to give him bigger antlers, but she’d stood firm.

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Smallest model attachments only for the first year,

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to give the implants time to heal properly and for him to get used to the extra weight on his head. “Uh, y

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-y-yeah,” was all he managed to stammer out.

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To cover his embarrassment he picked up his knife

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and pushed up so that he could give all three of the roasting vegetables a turn

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so that they cooked evenly.

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When he was done

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he settled back down at an angle,

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turned more towards Lukas,

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but not so far that he couldn’t keep an eye on his cooking.

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“Well, it’s going to be at least another hour before these are done.

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I’ll tell you my story, if you tell me yours.

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Deal?” Theo held out a hoof-hand towards Lukas,

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who was still slumped over hiding his face in his hooves.

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“Fine.” Lukas reached up and shook Theo’s hoof without looking up.

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“You first.” “Fine,” Theo groaned.

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It had been his idea to pass the time this way, after all.

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“I’m up here to get away from everyone because, well, I’m frustrated that I haven’t been on a date in two years.

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It’s Friday night,

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I should be at a club with a hot doe or a handsome buck,

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not sitting at home alone watching reruns of Doctor Hooves.”

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Now Theo mimicked Lukas’ pose,

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hiding his face. He hadn’t meant to admit to quite so much.

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Especially about his geeky love of the Doctor.

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Well, might as well throw it all out there now.

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“And yes, I know I could just go to the club by myself. But I’ve tried that. It’s boring.

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And no one looks twice at a tiny little, uh, buck like me.”

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He risked a glance out through his hooves at Lukas.

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The bigger buck had straightened back up,

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resting his hoof-hands in his lap.

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He was giving Theo a confused look.

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“So,” Lukas said, “you didn’t want to be home alone tonight, so you came up here to. . .

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be. . . alone?” “Well, when you put it like that,”

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Theo sighed and absent-mindedly ran a hoof along the base of an antler.

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“I don’t know why I came up here.

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I just wanted to clear my head, I guess.

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Not worry about being dateless for the thousandth night in a row.”

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“Makes sense,” Lukas said with a nod.

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Theo turned and checked on the onions and poked the squash,

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giving them each another quarter turn before settling back down and looking at Lukas.

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“Your turn.” “It’s stupid,”

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Lukas said, drawing in the dirt to his side with a hoofed finger.

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“Stupider than coming up to the mountains to be alone because I didn’t want to be at home, alone?”

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Theo snorted. That drew a belly laugh from Lukas.

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“Actually, yes. It is.”

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He fell silent, staring into the fire.

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Theo sat quietly, waiting while Lukas gathered up the nerve to speak.

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Beside him sap in the branches he’d gathered snapped and popped.

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The wind rushed through the unseen branches overhead,

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and blew straight through Theo’s thin hoodie.

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He shivered and rubbed his arms with his hoof-hands,

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scooting closer to the fire.

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“Oh, are you cold?” Lukas asked.

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“I have an extra hoodie in my tent.”

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Theo shivered and said through clacking teeth,

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“Sure.” “Be right back.”

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Lukas got to his feet and stumbled away into the dark.

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Branches snapped and he heard Lukas cursing.

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He wondered why such a prepared hiker,

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one with extra warm clothes and a nice tent,

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didn’t seem to have basics like food or a flashlight.

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Not that he was any better prepared.

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Theo tended to his cooking while he waited for Lukas to return.

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A few minutes later

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cracking branches and muttered curses heralded Lukas’ return.

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He plopped down next to the fire

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and wordlessly handed Theo a zip-up sweatshirt

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that smelled like mud and,

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even in the dim light of his campfire, looked none too clean.

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No matter. Warmth was warmth.

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It was actually good that it was far too big for him, because

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he was easily able to put it on overtop his other sweatshirt

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and still have room to zip it up.

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He pushed up the too-long sleeves.

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“Thanks.” Lukas’ teeth flashed in the dim light.

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“You’re welcome. Least I can do in trade for the first meal I’ll be having in days.”

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“Wait, days?” Theo stared at the buck.

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Now that he thought about it, he hadn’t seen any other cars parked in any of the lots or along the road on his way up here.

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Had he hiked here from somewhere else?

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“Yeah,” Lukas ducked his head again and looked away.

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“I’ve wanted to hike the Pacific Crest Trail for ages.

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I’m planning to do full trail starting next spring.

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This trip is kind of a practice run.

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I was supposed to hike from Seattle down to Portland,

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then catch the train back home.”

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Now it was Theo’s turn to look confused.

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“Supposed to?” “Well, uh,

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I kind of ran into a snag.”

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“You ran out of food, didn’t you.”

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Theo chuckled as he crossed his arms and shook his head.

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“Yeah.” The buck hung his head. “I did,”

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he whispered. “You know it’s another fifty miles to Portland,” Theo said,

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thinking of how long it had taken him just to drive up here.

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Without food, Lukas would never make it the three or four more days it would take him to hike in.

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“I can give you a ride to the train station in the morning.”

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“That’d be great,” Lukas said with a groan,

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pulling his knees to his chest and resting his chin on them.

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“What about your flashlight?

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I noticed you stumbling around in the dark.

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Did you forget it?”

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“Ran out of batteries.

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Those things are heavy, but I guess I skimped a little too much.

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I should have taken the clerk up on that purchase of a solar-charged battery pack after all.”

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Lukas sighed. Theo leaned over and patted Lukas’ leg as he sat up to check on the cooking, before picking up his bent knife.

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He poked at the flesh of the acorn squash with the flat of the blade

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and it easily dented the side.

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The squash was done.

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He set the knife down on the edge of the fire pit and used the fingertips of each of his hoof-hands to pick up the hot squash

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on either side. The thick keratin nubs at the ends of each finger weren’t affected by the heat.

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He set the squash on the bricks

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and then check the onions,

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which were browned to perfection.

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He carefully picked up each one

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and set them on either side of the squash.

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Next Theo grabbed the squash’s stem and lifted off the top.

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Steam and a strong aroma of roasted squash and butter rolled out of the opening.

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Lukas’ head popped up and his big nostrils flared.

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Theo closed his eyes and inhaled deeply,

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salivating at the scent.

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This was the best part of any meal.

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He heard Lukas shifting around and then felt the heat of his body as he pressed close to Theo.

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Theo opened his eyes and glanced over at Lukas.

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The buck was even more handsome up close, if that were possible.

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But now that he was closer to Theo and the light of the fire,

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he could see the dirt marking the buck’s fur

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and see the big black circles under his eyes.

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“Here, that onion is yours,”

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Theo picked up the knife and gently tapped the head of the onion closest to Lukas.

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“Peel off the outer layers and then you can just eat the inside like an apple.”

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Lukas grabbed the onion.

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“Hot, hot,” he juggled it back and forth for a moment before he was able to get a grip with his fingertips.

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Steam billowed out

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as he peeled back the outer layers.

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Lukas didn’t even wait until he had the whole thing done,

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as soon as there was enough room to take a bite he began chomping at the onion’s soft, white insides.

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While Lukas devoured his onion,

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Theo used the knife to cut the acorn squash in half.

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Butter ran over his hands and scalded his palms.

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He used the blade of the knife to clumsily scoop out the seeds.

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Belatedly he realized that Lukas probably had utensils like spoons in his tent

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that would have made this job easier.

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He turned to Lukas intending to ask, but the buck was so engrossed in his food

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that Theo just shrugged and finished up as best he could with the knife.

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He held up Lukas’ half of the acorn squash

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as the buck was finishing up the last few bites of his onion.

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Lukas’ eyes lit up

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and he tossed the onion peel aside to take the squash.

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“Just like the onion,

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peel off the outside and eat,”

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Theo said as he passed the golden squash over to Lukas.

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The outside of the squash was singed

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since it was closer to the fire, but that didn’t matter

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because you generally didn’t eat the skin anyway.

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By the time Theo had finished speaking,

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Lukas had already stuck the end of his muzzle into the squash and taken a big bite right from the center.

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Lukas mumbled something unintelligible around a mouthful of squash

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and kept eating. Theo laughed and picked up his own squash half.

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Peeling back the skin on one edge,

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Theo took a big bite.

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Normally he would have added salt and pepper at this stage,

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or even some cinnamon, rosemary, and maple syrup if he had a sweet tooth that day,

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but even with just butter the squash’s flesh melted in his mouth.

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Theo took his time,

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savoring each bite.

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He’d only eaten about half of his piece when Lukas let out a big sigh

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and laid down onto his back.

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The tines of his antlers dug into the dirt behind him.

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“That was the best meal I’ve ever had.”

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Theo chewed and swallowed,

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then laughed. “I think that’s just your starvation talking.”

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“No way, man.” Lukas closed his eyes and patted his belly.

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“Delicious.” “Well, thanks.”

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Lukas lay there in contented silence

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as Theo finished eating.

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He thought the bigger buck had fallen asleep.

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After he’d cleaned up the discarded squash and onion skins by tossing them in the fire to burn,

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he leaned over Lukas, intending to shake him gently awake.

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The buck’s eyes snapped open before Theo even touched him.

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Theo froze as Lukas met his gaze.

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Smiling, the buck rolled on his side

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and propped his head up with one hoof-hand to look at Theo,

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who was still frozen with indecision.

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“I noticed you don’t have a tent.”

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Theo gulped. “No,” he whispered. “It’s nice enough.

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I was just going to sleep under the stars.”

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He shivered as a gust of cold wind blew through all his layers

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and ruffled the fur of his chest.

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Lukas’ smile widened

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and he reached forward with his other hand to pull the zipper of the hoodie he’d loaned Theo

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up until it rested snuggly against his throat.

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“Your choice,” he winked.

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“But my tent is big enough for two.”

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Heat flooded Theo’s cheeks and he fell back to land on his rump.

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He watched speechless, as Lukas stood up

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and stretched slowly

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then strutted off into the dark in the direction of his two-deer tent.

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Theo’s eyes fixed on Lukas’ ass,

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nicely defined by his hiking jeans.

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His white-edged tail protruded out above his shorts,

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waving like a flag and highlighting the soft curves of Lukas’ rear-end.

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It would have been a glorious exit as he vanished into the dark,

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except that it was immediately followed by a loud curse and a thud,

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then Lukas said from the dark,

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“I’m ok. Antlers just caught in a branch.”

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Theo shook his head as he got to his hooves,

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able to follow Lukas’ trip back to the tent by the sounds of snapping branches and muffled curses.

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He looked at the dwindling fire

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and then at his own tiny backpack sitting next to an empty space on the dirt.

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He did have a thin,

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rolled up camping mat in his bag, but he knew from experience just how thin it really was.

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Lukas probably didn’t have anything cushier,

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having to haul everything on ones back meant packing light,

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but he did have a tent to protect against some of this arctic wind.

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And then there was Lukas himself.

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The buck was very hot,

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and had made his interest very clear.

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However, Theo was nervous how the buck would react to finding out he was trans.

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Plus, well, he wasn’t sure he actually wanted to have sex with Lukas,

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even as hot as he was.

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He shivered again and realized he should take Lukas up on the offer of the warmer tent.

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So far Lukas hadn’t been pushy

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and seemed to respect boundaries.

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He’d go, at least,

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and see how it went.

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His instinct was that if he asked to stop,

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Lukas would respect that.

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Nervously, Theo picked up his bag and began feeling his way towards Lukas’ tent.

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When he got there

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he could hear the buck rooting around inside.

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Theo tried to knock on the tent wall, but his fist just made a whooshing sound on the fabric.

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“Hello, Lukas?” There was a sound of a zipper opening.

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All of a sudden light spilled out of something in Lukas’ hand,

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blinding Theo.

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He fell back with a cry,

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covering his eyes.

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“Oh, sorry.” The blinding light dimmed somewhat.

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Theo blinked against the glare to see Lukas holding up a tiny lantern.

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“I found one more battery.

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Guess it had gotten rolled into that hoodie I loaned you.

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Come in, come in.” Theo awkwardly climbed inside, careful not to catch his antlers on the fabric.

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Not that it mattered.

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The area around the zipper and the top of the tent were covered in a variety of small puncture marks

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that had been crudely patched with duck tape.

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He sat his bag down and crawled to the side

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so that Lukas could zip the tent shut.

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Theo already felt considerably warmer.

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He unzipped Lukas’ hoodie and took it off, tossing it onto a pile of Lukas’ things on one end of the tent.

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Lukas set the lantern on the floor of the tent and then moved to sit next to Theo.

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“You came,” he said with a smile.

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“Yes, but uh, there’s something I have to tell you first.”

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Theo said quickly,

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trying to quash down his nervousness.

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Lukas deserved to know before things went any further.

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“Oh?” Lukas sat back and turned to fully face Theo,

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crossing his legs.

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“Does it have to do with you being trans?

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Cause I already figured it out, back at the fire.”

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“You did?” Theo stared at him,

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mouth gaping open.

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“How?” Lukas gestured at Theo’s pull over hoodie.

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“Dead giveaway, dude.

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First thing you should do, if you want to pass better, get rid of all your pull-overs and buy zip-ups.

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Cis-guy whitetails don’t buy pull-overs,

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they wouldn’t be able to get them on for half the winter until their antlers fell off.”

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“Of course.” Theo let out a laugh of half relief and half wonderment.

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Not only was Lukas taking it really well,

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he was giving Theo tips on passing.

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“Wait,” Theo gave Lukas a startled glance.

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“You knew when you flirted with me?

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You don’t mind?” “I don’t mind.

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I like guys, and you’re cute.”

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Lukas held up a hand.

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“Also, I swear this is not a pity fuck after hearing your story. Those

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guys and girls who turned you down don’t know what they’re missing.

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You’re adorable, a great cook, and an excellent listener.”

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Theo felt his ears and muzzle getting warm as he blushed.

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“Oh.” “Plus,” Lukas lowered his voice conspiratorially,

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“I’m kind of jealous you can take your antlers off when they get in the way.”

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He glanced up at the duck-tape covered top of his tent. Theo

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let out a laugh.

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“It is kinda convenient,”

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he admitted. A thrill went through him and he leaned down to plant a kiss on Lukas’ nose.

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Right then, the lantern flickered and died,

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plunging them into darkness.

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Lukas must have moved, because Theo’s muzzle landed right against the end of Lukas’.

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He didn’t protest as Lukas pulled him in for a long kiss.

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This was “Story Title” by Author Name, read for you

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by Khaki, your faithful fireside companion.

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You can find more stories on the web at thevoice.dog,

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or find the show wherever you get your podcasts.

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Thank you for listening to The Voice of Dog