End of Sorrow (Animal Crossing Fanfic)

[Rob_Silvermyst]

 ((This is a fan fic I wrote many years ago for an AC forum.))
Leaving home to start a new life is never easy. For Greyfus however, there were no shortage of reasons to leave. His parents had a very messy divorce and in the end, his mother could barely keep both herself and him supported. And with little work to be found, Greyfus couldn't find a means to help ease the financial burden. The young wolf, only 18 years of age, stood at the train station. His mother couldn't see him off, but at least she didn't let him leave empty-pawed. In his backpack he had three sets of clothes, a mess kit, some ramen and a thousand bells, which she had been saving for such a day. The gray wolf took a small breath as the train pulled into the station.
 
According to the newspapers, the town of Furgasta, which was a few hundred miles away from his hometown of Kemet, had several job openings. At least finding work wouldn't be all too difficult, he thought as he sat himself down in one of the empty sections of the train. it would take a full day's worth of travel to get to Furgasta. He was a loner for the most part. With the hectic life he had, between his father's constant drinking habits and his mother working two jobs, Greyfus was used to being by himself. However, he wouldn't be alone for long.

 
A male feline waltzed over to the young wolf and offered a smile. "Do you mind if I sit here? It's more fun traveling in pairs, or so they say right? I promise I'm not crazy." the cat asked. Greyfus shook his head and looked up to the feline. "No. Go right ahead." he answered. The feline hopped onto the seat before speaking again "Thanks again. It sure is nice meeting friendly folk on the train." Greyfus only gave a light nod.

 
The feline in turn tilted his head a bit. "Not much of a talker, are you? What's your name by the way?" he asked. The wolf looked out the window at the passing scenery. He wasn't used to having a pleasant conversation with anyone, much less a stranger. "Greyfus" he replied simply. The feline chuckled lightly. "Greyfus Well, that's an odd name. But that's not my business. My name's Rover." Greyfus gave a bit of a smirk. "You're name's quite odd too...usually we canids carry that kind of name."

 
Rover laughed lightly. "Touche`. By the by, I was behind you when you bought your ticket. I wasn't eavesdropping, but I heard you were heading to Furgasta?" Greyfus closed his eyes a bit. He had always heard of the noisy curiosity of cats, but now he had to endure it first-paw. "Yes." he answered. The feline smiled. "That's one of my favorite towns to visit. It's always so peaceful, and everyone is really nice. I even have an old friend of mine that runs a store down there"

 
Greyfus's ears perked a bit. This sounded like it might lead to a job. "Oh?" Greyfus replied. Rover gave a nod before replying. "Yup. So what sends you to Furgasta? On vacation?" Greyfus shook his head. "Moving." he replied simply. Rover smiled brightly. "Oh, well then you'll definitely enjoy it there." he spoke before looking at Greyfus's face. "So, you have a place set up to move into?" He asked.

 
The young wolf shook his head. "Not yet. I want to see what kind of apartments they have there." he spoke. Rover broke into a gasp. "I hate to tell you, but there are no apartments You'd have to buy a house there." Greyfus's jaw dropped. No apartments? A house?

 
Suddenly alarms went ringing in his head. However, Rover suddenly got the look of an idea sparkling in his eyes. "I know! That friend I told you about. He can help for certain." With that, Rover headed off to the rear of the train and pulled out his cell phone. Greyfus was almost sweating bullets at the news, but with the promise of help, the stress was somewhat lifted from his shoulders.

 
Rover returned to the seat and offered a smile. "No problem. When you get to Furgasta, look for Nook. He'll help you out for sure." Greyfus gave a solemn nod. "Thank you." he spoke before looking back out of the window. Things were starting to look up for the gray wolf after all.

 
A day passed. Greyfus's eyes opened upon the sound of the train's whistle. Looking out the window, he could see the town up ahead. Rover was no longer there. Perhaps he got off at a previous stop when he slept? Who knew. it was a shame really. He wanted to thank him again for the help, but oh well.

 
The train finally came to a halt before the station. As the wolf left the train, he could see a coon wearing a blue half apron with an apple logo upon it looking right at him. The coon move towards him and offered a paw. "Hi. You must be Greyfus, right?" Greyfus gave a nod. "I take it you're Nook?" he replied.

 
The raccoon gave a nod and smiled. "Yup. I would have thought most people coming here would have known that we don't have apartments That kind of thing is for city-folk. Now then, let me show you some of the houses we have for sale here. We can talk about price later." Greyfus gave a nod before speaking up. "What about the jobs here?" he inquired.

 
Nook laughed a bit before answering. "There's plenty of work to be done here in the town, but none are the standard types of work you'd find in the cities. You can go fishing and sell what you catch, you can do landscaping for some of the other residents here, you can help out the museum or grow an orchard and sell off the fruit. In any case, so long as you work hard and help animals out, you'll find life here easy and enjoyable."

 
It wasn't much of a walk from the train station to the houses that Nook spoke of. Greyfus hoped he wouldn't have to worry about the noise of the trains waking him at night. Nook turned around and looked at him. "Now, keep in mind these places are very new, so they're quite...cozy. But take a look around, see which one you like and then come and talk to me. I'll be waiting out here."

 
Greyfus gave a nod and walked inside the first house to his right. Cozy. yeah, more like barren was what came to the wolf's mind. All the place had was a single room with a bathroom behind it, a simple fireplace and a bed. Well, at least he had a bed to lay down on. he could imagine the other houses were about the same set-up.

 
Walking back out he approached Nook. "So then, how much for one of these houses?" the wolf asked. he didn't like to beat around the bush on anything. Nook looked at Greyfus's backpack. "Well, let's see how much you have first." Greyfus sighed and pulled out his pouch, filled with one thousand bells. Nook shook his head. "Barely enough to scratch the surface. But you need a place to live, so I'll let you pay it off as you work here. In fact, I know I have a few errands I need for you to do. The total cost overall is 75,000 bells. Well, 74,000 after this, and less once you've completed the tasks I have for you."

 
Greyfus gave a nod. Hard work was something his mother instilled into him. Nothing in life was free, and one's way needed to be earned, not just given to them. Greyfus followed behind Nook to the coon's shop, Nook's Cranny. As he walked into the shop, Nook tossed a half apron to him, one similar to the one that Nook himself wore.

 
"Alright, I need you to hand out these fliers to all of the town folk. I'm going to have a big sale tomorrow, and the more time I can spend here preparing, the bigger the inventory will be. Besides, it'll give you a chance to meet everyone and introduce yourself. Two birds with one stone, right?" With that, Nook handed him four papers. "Talk about a small town." Greyfus spoke as he blinked.

 
Nook laughed a bit. "Yes, well this place isn't exactly the city. People come out here to relax and live a simple life. And besides, those are just for the normal residents. That doesn't include the mayor Tortimer, the mail clerks Pelly and Phyllis, or the Able sisters that run the clothing shop. And here, take this map, just so you have an idea of where everyone lives. Less time getting lost means the work will get done quicker."

 
Greyfus gave a simple nod before heading off. Even the pamphlets here were different. Unlike the in the city, each one was written specific to the person. After looking over the letters and the map, Greyfus began heading to the four resident houses.

 
The first was Mitzi. Her home was closest to Nook's shop according to the map, and could be seen from it as well. Mitzi, a white and blue furred feline, was out hanging laundry on the line as Greyfus approached. She turned and gave a look of surprise as she saw the wolf. "Wow, a new face!" She spoke before then offering a smile. "I see you're wearing Nook's uniform. You must be working as an assistant, aren't you?" She asked.

 
Greyfus gave a polite smile and nod before holding out the pamphlet addressed to her. "Yes, I am. You must be Mitzi, right?" he asked. At least with the letters and maps he didn't need to guess much on the resident's names. Mitzi gave a nod and smiled as she took the paper from him.

 
"Yup! So what's your name? What brings you to Furgasta?" She asked, looking at him with inquisitive eyes. The young wolf looked a little nervous at her stare. "Greyfus" he replied. She gave a light chuckle at the wolf's nervousness. "A pleasure to meet you Greyfus No need to worry, I won't bite." she teased before looking at her basket of laundry.

 
"Maybe you could stop by later on to chat? I have to get this laundry up before I go out and do anything else." Greyfus gave a nod to the feline and turned towards the direction of the next house. "Sure. I have to get these out to the other residents. it was nice to meet you." he spoke before heading down to the next house. Rosie and Wolfgang were just as friendly in varying degrees, but Tom was rather outright rude and selfish. If anything, Greyfus was certain to keep his contact with the rogue feline to a minimum.

 
Even with this task done, the wolf decided that he wanted to meet the other residents. Tortimer seemed a friendly yet stern old man. Pelly was very friendly and certainly had a professional attitude. Blathers was too tired to really have much of a conversation with. Looking at the map, he saw that the last place he wanted to visit, the Able Sisters shop, was down by the beach. He smiled, thinking of how nice it must be to live close to the ocean.

 
The building looked simple, but very nicely built. Upon entering, he saw the two hedgehog girls. The blue female approached him with a friendly face, but the brown female simply sat at the sewing machine. From what he could see, she seemed quite absorbed in her work. "Hello and welcome to the Able Sisters, where you are the fashion designer. My name is Mable." The young female spoke before holding out her paw.

 
Greyfus smiled and shook her paw before taking a look around at all of the shirt and umbrellas and the designs on them. "I'm Greyfus pleasure to meet you." he spoke before looking back to Mable. "These are all very nice designs. Better than some of the normal stock out where I'm from." he spoke. Mable giggled lightly before pointing over to the other hedgehog. "These are all of her designs. That's Sable, my older sister. She's not a very talkative person sadly, but she puts everything into her work." She commented.

 
Greyfus smiled lightly before continuing speaking once more. "So no one else has created any designs here?" he asked. Mable shook her head. "Very rarely. There aren't many people who live here, and those that do rarely have the time to come and delve into their creative sides. Nook visits us every now and then, but mostly to pick up shirts to sell at his store. But if you ever want to design something and you have some bells to spare for materials, you're always welcome to create and display your designs here." Mable spoke with a bright smile at the last part.

 
Greyfus gave a nod to her offer. "I will. Probably once I'm done with the work Nook's got lined up for me." he spoke. The wolf turned to exit the building, but not before taking another glance at Sable. There was something in that look upon Sable's face that seemed sad. However, it wasn't his business.

 
Greyfus returned to Nook's, with Nook waiting at the entrance of the store. "I take it you've met everyone in town?" Nook asked. The young wolf gave a nod in reply. "Yup. Most of the people here seem very nice. This is a pretty tightly knit community." He replied. Nook gave a nod as he picked up a small roll of carpeting. At least there was a few common factors between the city and country. The use of osiriptah energy to shirk and enlarge items, and even to meld and retrieve items into and out from specialized leaves.

 
"I need you to deliver this to Wolfgang. And once you're done, we can talk about the loan." Nook spoke as he handed the gray wolf the mini carpet. Greyfus gave a nod and went straight to Wolfgang's house. At least it was some comfort to Greyfus that he wasn't the only wolf in town. "Ah Greyfus. great to see you again brudda." The black wolf spoke with a bit of a heavy accent.

 
Greyfus gave a wave of his paw before holding out the miniature carpet. "Here you go, one classic carpet. Straight from Nook's." The young gray wolf replied Wolfgang hmmed a bit in thought before accepting it. "You know, I know you're new here, so you probably don't have much of anything. So, let me give you my old flooring. It's a simple oriental flooring, but much nicer than what ever basic flooring you must have in your house brudda."

 
Wolfgang walked inside his house, only to come back out a few moments later carrying a mini rolled up oriental floor. "Here you go. If you need any help, just come and talk ta me." Greyfus gave a smile as he accepted the flooring "Thanks. And I'll come back every now and then. After all, we do live in the same village." He spoke with a light hint of jest before heading back off to Nook's.

 
Once more, Nook was at the entrance to greet Greyfus "Good to see you're back. And it looks like you've got a present from one of the residents." the coon said. "Animals around here are always nice enough to reward others for their work, and rewarding others who help them. Now about your loan, your work in total today comes out to 1,500 bells. All of which will go straight to the loan. Now then, I'll let you keep that outfit, but I don't have any more need for assistance. Now how you go about making money around here? Well, for one help out everyone, and if they give you something you don't want, just sell it to me. Anything you sell to me I'll pay top bell for, and you keep those bells. When you want to pay on the loan, go see Pelly at the post office and pay into my account. Perhaps one of the best ways to make money once you can buy some of the tools here is to go fishing. Fish is one of the residents' favorite foods aside from the apples that grow around here, and I buy them in bulk to sell out to vacationers, and to residents like Tom who are too lazy to fish on their own." Greyfus couldn't help but chuckle at the comment. Evidently, Tom wasn't very popular here. "Well every community needs its proverbial black sheep." Greyfus jested. Nook grinned. "True, but just remember, treat everyone with respect. We're a small enough community as it is. We don't need to be getting smaller."Several days passed since Greyfus first came to Furgasta. During that time, he became the go to person for the fish he caught. Quite often the local cravings were for red snapper, which he seemed to specialize in. He also visited the Able Sisters to create designs. And every time he came in, he was greeted by Mable. Eventually, even Sable would occasionally look up at him, and at one time, even said hello, which took Mable completely by surprise. However, almost every time he saw Sable, there was a look of sadness in her eyes when she worked at the sewing machine. As much as Greyfus wanted to ask, he didn't feel it was his place to.

[Rob_Silvermyst]

One week since his arrival, at around midnight, Greyfus tossed and turned in bed. The train was going by, and the sound of its passing did little to help the young wolf fall back to sleep. Restless and now half-awake, Greyfus decided to head down to the shore and fish for a while, intending to release all of his catches. No one was awake, and he had no refrigerator yet, so keeping the fish wouldn't make any sense. Unless it was something rare that he could turn in to Blathers. The owl was the only one who would be wide awake at this hour of the night. And even then, Greyfus was half-awake and in no mood to listen to the old owl ramble on with facts and pathetic jokes. But when he got down to the shore, what he saw surprised him a bit. The lights in the Able Sisters shop was still on, and he could hear the sound of the sewing machine going. Curious, he entered into the shop to see Sable still at the machine, her eyes red from fatigue. Mable was no where to be seen. more than likely she was sleeping. Sable didn't seem to notice his entrance, or perhaps she was too focused on her work. "Sable? What are you doing up this late at night?" he asked in a quiet tone of voice. Sable blinked and raised her head quickly to see Greyfus standing there with a fishing rod in one paw, the rod resting upon his shoulder. Greyfus blinked. "I'm sorry I startled you. I've never seen this place open this late, and to be honest, you look like you could use some sleep." Sable shook her head before going back to her sewing. "It's no trouble. I have a lot on my mind. And you don't look like you should be up either." she commented. Greyfus gave a bit of a chuckle. "True, but with that train constantly going back and forth tonight, I can't sleep either." Sable gave a light nod. For a few minutes, there was complete silence. Then, finally, Greyfus spoke. "So what's been on your mind to keep you up so late if you don't mind me asking?" Sable shook her head. "I'm sorry. it's personal." she replied before then looking up. "What brought you here anyways? Not to the shop, but to Furgasta? From what I heard Nook telling sis, when you first came here, you were completely unprepared." She then quickly shook her head. "Sorry, I didn't mean to ask that."

 
Greyfus smiled lightly before leaning against the wall. "Well, at some point in history, my father used to be a good man. I don't know what happened to change him, but for as long as I've known him, he'd go out and work, come back drunk and take out his anger on me and mom. A few years ago, it got so bad he even beat my mom, and then me when I tried to defend her. But with the help of the police, we were able to get him arrested and she was able to divorce him. I had hoped that would end our problems." Greyfus shook his head a bit before taking in a deep breath. "But things didn't get better. My mother ended up having to work two jobs to support her and me, and I couldn't find any real work to try and ease the burden. So, I decided to leave. Without me there, my mother can go back to working one job and supporting herself, and out here, I can support myself and start making a new life for me." Sable's machine came to a stop. Her head was downcast as she spoke. "I'm sorry for you Greyfus. Having to live that kind of life." Greyfus shook his head. "No, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to go on like that about my past." Sable stood and walked over towards the window near Greyfus and looked out and up at the sky. "My sister and I were raised by mom and dad. Mom taught me how to sew when I was seven. Because of my interest in it and my dreams, she wanted me to take over the Able tailoring business. But when I was eleven, and my sister only five, there was a fire at our house. Mom and dad were trapped inside. And by the time the fire fighters got to them, it was too late. Ever since then I've been working hard here to support myself and Mable. Nook helped us out since we were childhood friends, but he's become more of a businessman since opening up his shop. He doesn't pay us much, so I have to work all day making shirts to get by. He's still a good person, but he cares more about making bells now. I still want to pursue my dreams, but every time I sew, I can't help but think about mother and father. I keep thinking of how it would be different if I was there. I could have helped get them out." Gently, Greyfus placed his paw upon her shoulder. "Oh things would have been different all right. Your sister would be alone right now. All three of you would have died." Greyfus spoke, and a look of horror came to Sable's eyes. "What's past is past. We can't go and change our pasts, even with noble intentions, because things more than likely wouldn't work out as we expect them to. There was nothing you could have done." Greyfus then stood straight up.

 
"And what's your dream?" he asked, his voice calming, and sounded more like he wanted her to remember her dream then for him to know about it. Mable closed her eyes some as a few tears streamed down her cheeks. "I want to fill the town with my creations. I want this town to be beautiful, and I want my sister to remain happy." Seeing her tears, Greyfus gently brushed his fingers along her cheek to wipe them away. He felt something in his heart, something that screamed in his head to hold her. He didn't know what it was. Instead he rubs the shoulder his paw was resting upon. "Well, I think you should focus on doing just that. I know your mom and dad wouldn't want to see you like this. I'm sure they are proud that you've been able to carry on this business and raise your sister on your own, but I know they would want you to be happy and to accomplish your dream." he spoke, his voice soft and gently like the wind. Within an instant, Sable gripped his shirt and pressed her face upon his chest, crying her tired eyes out. Greyfus softly wrapped his arms around her waist and held her close, being careful of her quills. He would not try to stop her crying, but instead allow her to let go of it all. He knew she needed this, to let everything out, everything that she had been holding inside for Isis only knew how long. Once she had finished, she pulled back a bit. "I'm sorry...I've soaked your shirt..."

 
Greyfus shook his head and placed a pawtip upon her lips. "Don't worry about my shirt. I can always wash it and hang it to dry. What matters is, are you feeling better?" He asks with a gentle gaze falling upon her face. Sable gave a brief nod and a gentle and genuine smile. "Yes. Thank you Greyfus. I'm sorry I was always so silent when you came around." Greyfus shook his head. "No need to apologize. What's done is done. Let's focus more on that dream of yours and making it a reality." After he spoke, he tried to stifle a yawn that was forcing its way out. "But perhaps we can do so in the morning. Will you be going to sleep as well?" the wolf asked. Sable gave a nod to him. "Yes, but first I want to finish this shirt. It's not like me at all to leave a job unfinished." Greyfus gave a nod and a gentle smile. "I'm glad to hear it. I'll see you in the morning Sable." And with that, he turned and left the store. Halfway to his house, he turned around and looked over at the shop. He felt a pull in his heart as he looked upon the house. When the lights finally went out, Greyfus turned and headed into his own house.

 
The morning sun rose and rustled Greyfus from his slumber. Thanks to his fishing, he had more than enough bells to live off of, and with the recent growth of more fruit trees, he had more than enough food to last him and the residents. In a break from his usual daily routine, Greyfus went straight to the Able Sister's shop instead of Mitzi's and Wolfgang's places. Normally he'd give a morning hello to Mitzi and Wolfgang, and then Rosie who was normally already up and about the place. But this time he had a goal in mind, and that was to help Sable. Upon entering the tailor shop, Greyfus gave a smile to Mable who greeted him before he went to Sable, who was setting up the sewing machine. "Good morning. Did you sleep well?" he asked the brown hedgehog. Sable gave a smile to Greyfus and nodded. "Yes, first time in a long time. Thank you." She replied before sitting herself down. Mable smiled a bit. "You and my sister really get along. It's rather unusual, but I'm glad to see her like this." Sable blushed lightly before replying. "Mable, please." Greyfus gave a light chuckle. She actually looked pretty cute when she blushed, he thought. "Do you need anything?" he asked Sable. She thought a bit before answering. "Maybe just some fruits. Usually Mable goes out to get them, but we've got a big order to fill, so I'll need her here." Greyfus smiled and gave a nod. "Certainly." he spoke with a smile before heading back out. He thought for a bit as he looked at the store. Even though it wasn't too far from the beach, the land around the shop seemed rather barren. Most of the fruit trees were closer to the railroad. In thinking, an idea formed in his head. He headed up to his house to get his shovel and a bag full of bells. He headed then up to Nook's to buy several bags of flower seeds before then searching for some fruit.

 
Pears were plentiful, but there had two apple trees that he planted a week ago that had grown and now bore fruit. Given that Mable and Sable only had pears to eat, the apples would be a nice change. He plucked all of the apples from the two trees and six pears from two pear trees. Now with everything he needed in his backpack, he could start working on his idea.

 
Upon returning to the Able Sisters' shop, Greyfus took out four apples and four pears, placing them in a bowl beside the sewing machine. "Here you go. That should be plenty." he spoke. Both Mable and Sable looked at the apples with a bit of confusion. "Apples? I haven't seen any in this town for years." Mable commented. Sable smiled. "Well it's been a very long time since we had apples. So no complaints." she said to her sister. Greyfus smiled to Sable as he looked upon her face. "Well, my mother sent me some apples a week ago, so I planted them. Only having pears around can dull your taste for them out after a while." he replied before heading towards the door. "I have some things I need to do, but I'll be back later, and I'll put in a few designs." He spoke. Mable smiled and waved to Greyfus as Sable gave a small weak wave of her paw before going to work, almost as if she were nervous about something.

 
As soon as he closed the door behind him, the gray wolf went right to work. Taking out the flower seed, he began to plant a beautiful variety of tulips and roses around the sides of the store, careful not to make any noise. He wanted this to be a surprise after all. Thankfully with the energy infused with the seeds, the flowers grew and bloomed quickly. The marvels of nature and science. Then after planting the two gardens, he went a little ways away from the back of the store and planted the remaining four fruits: two apples and two pears. He smiled to himself at his work. 'Once these grow, they won't have to worry about going far for food.' he thought to himself. Granted it didn't seem like Sable every went outside, but perhaps the gardens would help attract people to the place at the very least. Still, he couldn't help but feel odd. He had never went out of his way to do things for others before, not on this scale. After standing in thought for several minutes, Greyfus went back inside to create some patterns of his own.

 
Greyfus wasn't much of an artist with the needle and thread, and Mable had to help guide him along in the design process. It took several tries, but finally he finished a design pattern. It was a golden ankh placed upon a boarder of royal blue and yellow stripes. After Mable put his pattern on one of the stands for display, Greyfus placed the finished work into his bag so he could use it on his own clothing. He waved to the girls as he headed to the door, a smile crossing his muzzle. He'd have to come back later that night for his surprise.

 
Heading down the path towards the lake, he saw Wolfgang chopping down an old rotted tree. "Oh hey Wolfgang." Greyfus spoke as he waved. "When did you get the ax?" Wolfgang wiped the sweat from his brow before offering the younger wolf a smile. "He brudda. Got this earlier this morning There's supposed ta be a thunderstorm brewing that according to the weather reports, will reach here in a few days. Gotta get the bad trees down n out. Don't wanna risk a forest fire. healthy trees take a while to burn and spread, so we can put them out easier. Something like this will go up in seconds, know what I mean?" Greyfus's mind drifted for a moment. He remembered what Sable had told him about a fire and er parents. he shook his head a bit before looking to Wolfgang. "Yes, of course. Tell me, does Nook still have any more axes in stock right now?" he asked. Wolfgang gave a solemn nod. "Sure does. If you're thinking of helping out, take the eastern half of town and look for any rotted trees. I'll take the western half here." Greyfus gave a nod and headed out for Nook's to get himself an ax He didn't know what was really going through his mind. However, he needed to do what he could for his new home and his friends. And manual labor wasn't something he was new to. His strong figure was proof of that.

 
It took the rest of the day to cut down and clear all of the bad trees and chop them up for firewood. Night had fallen upon the town as the moon's gaze lit the forest and the beach. Greyfus stood in front of the fireplace of his house, using his mess kit to cook some red snapper and roast some apple slices. After putting everything into a picnic basket, along with some plates and silverware, the wolf left towards the Able Sisters store. Out in the open plains near the beach, Greyfus set up the blanket and pulled out the containers of food, a large bottle of water with cups, the plates and the silverware. He couldn't help but chuckle a bit. This was elaborate, even for him. He could hardly believe he was doing this all for a female that he had only known for a few weeks. He walked up to the tailor shop and entered in to find Sable putting away the last of the shirts she had made. And the top one bore his design. Mabel was no where to be seen.

 
"Calling it a night?" he asked. Sable turned around and gave a nod. "Yeah. I was about to go and grab a few pears for dinner and head to bed. Was there something you wanted Greyfus?" She asked. Greyfus smiled and gave a nod. "Yes. Would you care to join me outside?" he asked with a pleasant tone of voice that seemed to hold a hint of nervousness. Sable smiled. "I don't see why not. I rarely go outside as it is." As Greyfus lead her outside, Sable's eyes opened wide at the set up he had laid out. "This is..." Greyfus smiled as he sat down. "Well, I had an abundance of food and I didn't want it to go bad. I would have asked if your sister wanted to come, but I didn't see her around when I came in." Sable blushed lightly and sat herself down on the blanket. "Well, Mable sleeps earlier than I do. But...wow." As she looked around, she caught notice of the two gardens beside the shop. "Did you do that?" She asked, turning to look at him with those wide brown eyes. Greyfus gave a nod. "I thought it would help draw more people to the shop if the surroundings were spruced up a bit." Sable's face grew beat red and she looked down. "I...don't know what to say. You've done so much..." Greyfus merely opened up the two boxes of cooked fish and cooked apple slices before then picking up a plate. "Well, you can start by telling me how much fish and apples you'd like." he spoke with a jestful tone of voice. She looked upon his face, staring for a while before turning her head quickly away. "Just a little." She spoke in a quiet and bashful tone of voice. Greyfus slipped half of a fish and five apple slices onto her plate before placing it down before her. "Here you go." he spoke before filling his own plate. Sable began to eat the food, slowly at first, but her eyes brightened as she tasted how good it was. "Wow, this is really good Greyfus. You should consider opening a restaurant" She said before looking over to him. Greyfus chuckled lightly.

 
"My mother taught me how to cook. I use her recopies mostly." Sable smiled before finishing her meal. She carefully moved closer to him until the two were only an inch apart. "You really are a good person Greyfus I've never met anyone as kind as you before, except for my father." Greyfus smiled lightly as he looked at her. "You remind me a lot of my mother. You work so hard to make everyone else happy, but you rarely do anything for yourself. i think someone like you deserves to have as much happiness as you give to others." he spoke before looking up at the clear night sky. He felt Sable's arms wrap around his bicep and her cheek rest against his shoulder. For Greyfus, the only thing he could think of was how wonderful it felt being with Sable like this. His ears perked as he heard her say in a very quiet voice, "Please, don't ever leave." Greyfus curled his tail around her waist as the two of them simply sat outside, taking in the night sky and the company of each other.
 
But the skies would not stay perfect forever. Three days had passed since that night. Greyfus continued to visit Mable and Sable between his fishing trips and brought them freshly cooked lunches and dinners during those days. But this day proved to be most turbulent. The winds whipped violently as thunder broke across the sky. The rain was light, but it didn't seem to help matters. Everyone was advised to stay indoors and wait for the storm to pass. Greyfus sat in his house, staring out his window towards the shop. He couldn't help but worry. The shop was out in the plains area, no defense against the winds. But the winds weren't the only thing to worry about. Suddenly, a crack of lightning fell from the sky and struck the edge of the shop, catching the wood on fire. The winds were quick to help rapidly spread the flames. Eyes opened wide, Greyfus grabbed his ax and ran out into the blistering winds. Every movement was like trying to walk fully submerged in water. However, he forced every step, pushing against the whipping winds and stinging rain. Fortunately, he was not the only one who saw the fire. Mitzi, Wolfgang, Rosie, Nook and even the self-centered Tom all braved the winds to get to the source of the fire.

[Rob_Silvermyst]

 
When Greyfus arrived, he saw Mable trying to put out the fire with a bucket of water. Evidently she had been going back and forth between the ocean and the store. As she spotted Greyfus, she cried out to him, her face laden with panic "Sable's trapped inside! I can't get through the front door!" Gripping his ax with both paws, Greyfus charged the front door. With the wind at his back, his speed was increased, and with it, he delivered a powerful blow to the door. But even though he broke open the front door, there was fallen beams blocking the entrance. He could hear Sable whimpering in pain. Wasting no time, he used his ax again, this time to break and clear off the window.. The house lurched and moaned. leaving the ax outside, the young wolf leaped through the opening and rushed to Sable. She was pinned under a beam, and the flames were getting dangerously close to her. Gripping the burning beam and tossing it, Greyfus kept silent the pain that screamed through him from the searing flames and the sharp nails . Sable could barely move and the place was about to collapse. Picking up Sable, he rushed back to the window and slipped her out. Mable quickly picked up her injured sister and got her away from the building. Just as Greyfus was climbing through, the building collapsed, The falling, flaming lumber pinning Greyfus's legs underneath it. Everyone around the area could hear his howl of pain. Wolfgang, Tom and Nook were the first to reach the collapsed store. "Brudda! Hang on!" Wolfgang, Tom and Nook used their strength to help get the beams off of Greyfus while Rosie and Mitzi, who arrived soon after, began attacking the flames with the fire extinguishers that Nook brought. Greyfus couldn't move. His right arm and his legs were bleeding and burnt, and the rest of his body soaked from the rain and covered with fire extinguisher foam. Wolfgang hoisted the injured wolf on his shoulder. "Mable, bring Sable with us to Nooks." the older wolf yelled out over the winds.

 
Inside Nook's store, Mitzi, Tom and Mable began to treat Sable and Greyfus's injuries while Wolfgang gathered up some dry clothing and blankets. Mitzi applied ointment on their burns, Mable washed the wounds out and sutured them closed. Tom washed the two of them off with a hot, damp facecloth while checking for any signs of fractures. Both Sable and Greyfus were in a lot of pain, but both did their best not to make a sound or movement. Nook grabbed two beds from his inventory and set them up, along with several bottles of water. "Here, lay them on these beds when you're done. We're going to need to look after them until they pull through." Sable suffered the least injuries, only having a very large bruise on her back, some singed quills and a gash on her left paw. Greyfus suffered the most with several burns on his right arm and his legs, and the several puncture wounds caused him by glass, sharp nails and broken spikes of wood made the wolf lose quite a bit of blood. Now all that the two could do was rest and recover their strength. All everyone else could do was watch and pray.

Two years have passed since that horrible day. The Able Sister's store was back in business, but on this day, the shop was closed. In fact, all of the stored were closed. there was another building built not too far from the Ables' shop, and from it came song and merriment. The town had grown in size and boasted of a full fourteen residents. And today every last one of them were inside the building. The building was a restaurant called the Wolfsong Tavern. Clapping and cheering could be heard from inside, as K.K.'s music was flowing through the air. As the doors opened, a flood of animals came out and formed a circle around the front door. Within moments, two figures appeared Sable, dressed in a wedding gown of pure white, and Greyfus, dressed in a tux, holding Sable's paw in one paw, and a walking cane in another. Mable watched on from the far end of the crowd as she held a stroller. Inside were two baby cubs, one a gray hedgehog girl and the other a tawny-furred wolf boy.

 
Sable continued to work at the tailor shop while her sister helped watch the children. Greyfus was the owner of the new restaurant as well as being head chef. Mitzi and Rosie working under him as waitstaff, and Wolfgang worked as his apprentice chef. From that day on, Sable and Greyfus would make their own memories, and their sorrowful pasts would be forever behind them. Now, only a bright future remained.