The sun had long set and the forest was cold and dark. The snow had claimed most of the landscape and rested heavily on the pines, spruces, and larches. The skies were clear, the stars sparkling behind the slowly undulating green and purple veil of the aurora borealis. The lands looked as if they were frozen in time, resting through the polar night in apathy. Amidst the snowy trees, a lone person stumbled, eons away from civilization. A vulpine with beige fur and huge ears, packed in multiple layers of clothes and carrying a huge backpack, his tail tucked between his legs. Each step was toilsome, he shivered as the frozen winds gushed through the narrow cracks in his attire. How did he ever end up so far north? He was a darn fennec fox, not an arctic fox! He grew up on the southern beaches, and lived for the heat and the sun!

Entir wasn't here because he enjoyed the icy hell, obviously. He was a military scout on a mission, ordered to look for enemy structures, troop movement, and anything else suspicious. So far the fennec hadn’t found a single sign of enemy activity anywhere, just more snow, an endless ocean of snow, enough snow to slowly make him go insane. He was supposed to keep going for an entire month, but he had lost track of time. It was always dark and his watch had surrendered to the harsh climate, so all bets were off. Had it been a month already, or just a few days? He couldn’t tell. To make matters worse, he barely even knew where he was because his compass had broken. The night sky helped him figure out the cardinal directions, but only as long as it stayed clear. If the clouds accumulated, he was essentially blind.

As if nature had heard his thoughts, an armada of clouds gathered in the sky. The fennec grunted and gritted his teeth. The weather robbed him of the only beauty this land possessed, the starry sky and the aurora, but there was no time to complain. He had to move on, only ever forward. With every step he took, he sank deep into the soft snow, always struggling to pull his boots out again. They hadn't even equipped him with snow boots, that's how little they cared about this mission and about him. The whole thing was ridiculous and unbelievably dangerous! He was expendable and his death had even been included in the planning. That’s why they hadn’t sent just one scout, but three, each on their own. If one died, that was okay. If two died, that was still okay. In the end, one of them would make it. For the others... tough luck.

A gust of icy air blew into his face, and he felt something wet on his muzzle. A brief look up sufficed to confirm his biggest fear. The clouds had merged into a sky-spanning colossus, a storm was brewing, a blizzard was coming. The first few snowflakes fell from the sky. Within minutes, the few turned into infinitely many. The snow poured down in a blinding flurry, inexorably depositing a thick blanket of fresh snow on the silent, dark woods. The wind grew stronger, his walk became even more sluggish, and then he fell. This was quickly getting worse than all the other blizzards he had weathered. He had to get out of this mess! If only there was a safe place somewhere. Luck would have it that he found an elevated overhang, a recess in a rocky cliff large enough for him to fit into. In a final effort, Entir crawled up and slumped into the safety of the recess.

However, the safety of the narrow recess was deceptive. As he lay there, utterly exhausted and tired to the bone, the snow outside piled higher and higher. With the help of the battering winds, the wall of compressed ice crystals grew tall enough to cover the entire cliff and block the entrance. It trapped him inside the cliff, and it was at that moment he realized that this recess could become his grave very soon. Entir forced himself up with a miserable groan, crawled to the entrance, and sluggishly dug away at the snow. As long as there wasn’t too much snow, he might have a chance to escape, but it was pointless. He had to use his bare paws, and even if he managed to get out, where to go? He would just die outside in the blizzard instead.

Eventually, his movement slowed and his paws were rendered useless by the cold. From deep within, strange tranquility welled up and engulfed his mind. There was no doubt about it, he had lost the fight for his life, but it didn’t feel as terrifying as expected. A deep, almost happy sigh escaped his lips. He had never voluntarily chosen anything in his life, every single step had been determined by others. First by his own mother and then by the military after they drafted him. In the two decades of his existence, he hadn’t spent a single second in freedom. But that no longer mattered. Soon, he would draw his last breath and slide over into eternal darkness, into ultimate freedom. If it only weren’t so arduous and painful to achieve. The cold crept up his limbs, paralyzing him and sucking the last trickle of energy from his body and spirit. With a final, defeated groan, Entir closed his eyes and gave up, collapsing on the spot to wait for his inevitable demise.

An hour had passed, maybe less, maybe more, when a gust of confusingly warm air ripped him out of his daze. Where was that warmth coming from? Was he finally going insane? Another gust of even hotter air blasted over his face. He opened his eyes a crack and saw a puddle of water forming beneath a flickering and glowing light at the entrance. It sounded like a gas stove. Then a flash of fire broke through the snow, and he saw the toothy maw of some creature. Another danger of the polar circles had arrived to haunt him, feral dragons. A desperate chuckle escaped his lips. He wouldn’t die to hypothermia in a cave, he would die as a dragon’s dinner. What a way to go. Thankfully, he wouldn’t be awake to witness the gruesome feast, because just as the beast entered the recess, he blacked out.

For him, just a single moment had passed before he woke up again. The first thing he noticed was something heavy and warm lying on him, weighing him down and blocking his sight. It was uncomfortable, but it also told him that he wasn’t dead. He sensed gentle movements and heard a soft breath. Whatever it was, it was fuzzy and alive. Hadn’t he been weakened from his slog through the arctic taiga, he would’ve pushed that creature away. But then he was suddenly struck by a realization. His last memory had been that of a dragon’s piercing glare. Panic seized him, where was he and who was lying on him?

His sudden and erratic movement, albeit feeble, awoke the creature on his body. The fennec heard a growling yawn when it slipped off him with relishing slowness, giving free his vision and allowing him to raise himself. When he turned his head to inspect it, his suspicions were confirmed, he was facing a dragon. It wasn’t very big, just about his size and weight, had a clearly quadrupedal physique, large, folded wings and a tail as long as its own body, a very aerodynamic appearance that even extended to its slender, sleek muzzle and long, arched-back horns. Most of its body was covered in a dense white-silvery fur that shimmered in the light of a single torch. Looking past the furred dragon, he saw what must be its den. There was one huge pile of stuff, its hoard, and several rugs and hides scattered about the place. It stared at him with its big red eyes, a jolly smile on its lips. Either it was happy to see him alive, happy about the imminent snack, or he misinterpreted its facial expressions and it was something else entirely. After all, he couldn’t even tell its gender.

"You're awake!" it chirped with a bell-like, ringing voice. It sounded as happy as it looked, its long tail swishing around like an overgrown paintbrush. In its excitement, it began to wander around, tip-toeing and bouncing around with delighted laughter. "You're awake! Thank the elders, you made it!"

While the dragon exuberantly celebrated Entir's return from the dead, he took a moment to examine himself. First of all, he was completely naked, stripped from all his clothes, his backpack, and his weapons. Thankfully, it was pleasantly warm in the cave, probably because of the torch and the fact that his savior was a fire-breathing dragon. Though, the dragon was much smaller and delicate than he had expected. He wondered if it actually was the same creature he had seen before he fainted in the storm. After a quick count, he found that he still had all of his limbs, confirming that the dragon hadn't had a taste of him. It really seemed to be more interested in his survival than his demise, so it probably wouldn’t eat him. That was a comforting thought.

With the most important stuff out of the way, he turned his focus back to the dragon. "Where am I? Where is my stuff? Who are you?"

The dragon halted and rolled over with a gleeful chuckle. ”You’re in my den, and my name is Lulu. I found you snowed in just a mile away, barely alive, and decided to pick you up. Didn’t think you would make it. I never saw any of your kind in the forests before, but you look... you look odd and not made for the colds. Such big ears and such a silly, short pelt. Oh and as for your stuff: I put everything in a different chamber, but I left the deadly things back in the snow.”

After hearing her name, he concluded that she was a female. However, he still could be wrong because he had no idea what gender differences dragons had. ”The deadly things?” he wondered.

A shiver ran through the furred dragon. ”The weapons, loud bringers of doom and terror,” she hissed.

So she had left his weapons where she had picked him up. That was unfortunate because he really needed them in case he had to fight other creatures that were less friendly than her. He couldn't complain, though; he was only alive thanks to her. When he tried to sit up, a piercing pain ran through his back. Entir grimaced and groaned in agony.

”Oh no, are you okay?”

He slowly raised his paw and made a calming gesture. After taking a deep breath, he replied, ”Yeah, no worries. It’s just... my body obviously didn’t like what I’ve been doing to it over the past couple of weeks.”

”What did you do? I hope you didn’t kill things.”

”No, never needed to. Thankfully. I was scouting the area when this wretched blizzard hit and knocked me out,” he explained. ”By the way, I probably should introduce myself as well. I’m Entir.” He briefly nodded at her. ”Has the weather cleared?”

Lulu gave him a befuddled look and shook her head. ”No, the storm is still going strong. Why are you asking?”

”My mission. I need to return to the base.”

Her eyes widened and she shook her head even stronger. ”Wait, wait, wait. You’re not thinking about leaving, right?”

Entir grimaced and grunted, ”Of course I need to leave. I’m on a mission. If I don’t return, they’ll think I’m dead. And if they find out that I’m still alive, then I’ll be a deserter and get shot when they find me.”

”No, no, no! Only over my dead body! You’re staying here. If you leave, you’ll die, and I don’t want you to die. Not after saving you from death. Once the night is over, you may leave.”

As cute as the fluffy dragon looked, she sounded fierce and determined and allowed no objection. The fennec made a single attempt to leave, crawling to the exit of her den, but she stood in his way and blocked him with her body. This entire situation was a predicament. She wanted him to stay until the night was over, but it wasn’t a normal night, it was a polar night that ended in about two months. By then he definitely couldn’t return to his people because he would be shot for desertion, assuming he didn’t die on his way through the cold already. He also couldn’t defect to the enemy because they would either shoot or incarcerate him. Death was waiting behind every single option he had. The risk was too high, Lulu was right, he had to stay whether he liked it or not.

”Okay, I’ll stay. But how are you going to take care of me? I mean, I need to eat.”

Lulu grinned and walked over to a pile of stuff. At a closer look, it turned out to be a whole bunch of berries. ”Don’t worry about food. I’ve hoarded plenty.”

”That’s a lot. Why are you storing so much for yourself? You’ll hardly eat so much just on your own. Besides, only eating berries won’t be enough.”

"It's not just for me. In the summer, when the berry bushes are full, I spend a lot of time gathering as many berries as I can. And don’t worry, I’ve stashed more than enough small game as well. It’s just outside in the cold so it doesn’t go bad. This way I always have enough to give should a hungry traveler find their way to my den. The winters are long and harsh, and I want to help wherever I can. Just like I helped you."

”Oh, well, that’s very noble of you.”

Lulu beamed with joy at his compliment and pranced around him. ”Thank you!”

”However, you basically want me to stay here for two months or so. Just having something to eat is only going to help so much. I’m far away from home, stuck in the cold, lonely, and probably soon bored out of my mind.”

"Oh, I've got an idea of what we could do because you're right, winter is boring. And during a storm I can't even take a quick flight to distract myself," she grinned with a surprisingly sultry smile. "I'm a dragon, I'm always warm. So maybe I could share some of my warmth with you? And maybe we could make this a little more fun, what do you say?" She turned around and lifted her tail, exposing her backside to him.

Entir needed a moment to comprehend her brazen offer. His jaw dropped, and he stammered, ”You mean, you want to have sex? Now? We just met for the first time. Are you sure that you wanna do it with some stranger like me?”

”Why wouldn’t I? It’s fun and warm, only the best things. And we won’t stay strangers for very long because you’re stuck here with me for the night. So, don’t see it as an offer between strangers, but as an offer between soon-to-be friends. Also, I’m just as lonely as you are.” Her eyes glowed with desperate desire. ”It has been so long since my last time. I just... I just need it!”

The fennec took a deep breath and stared at her for a very long time. Her enthusiasm was palpable. She was starved for sex and incredibly needy, dancing around him and lifting her tail again and again. It felt like she was doing a mating dance. He also clearly smelled her arousal, wafting over and infusing the air. However, Entir was reluctant about her offer. ”Even if I indulged you, I wouldn’t even know where to begin. I never had sex with a dragon before.”

”Then let me help you change that fact! Here, look, that’s where you stick it in!” She kept her tail hiked and backed up against him, pushing her crotch against his face. ”Are you convinced yet?” 

Entir still couldn’t see any holes, but he could smell her scent even more prominently. It was potent and intoxicating, kindling a fire inside him he hadn’t felt in months. After spending so long in the cold, the heat of lust was very comforting. No, it wasn’t just the lust, but also her mere presence that infused his heart with new energy. He didn’t know her at all, but that mattered less and less. He was desperately craving intimacy with another living, intelligent being. As his lonely, frozen heart melted, he was finally ready to indulge her. Besides, she wasn’t wrong. Sex could be a perfect entertainment and distraction from an otherwise pretty dark and dull time. After all, he would be trapped in this little cave for months. ”Alright, if you’re so eager about it, who am I to refuse.”

”Yes!” Lulu squeaked. She almost immediately dropped on her knees and raised her tail higher than ever before, bursting with need. ”Come, let’s do it then!”

Entir commented on her overeagerness with a gentle chuckle. "Not so fast. Once again, I don't even know you. While I'm willing to indulge you, I don't just want to do it. Look at me, do I look like I’m ready?” He pointed at his crotch, demonstratively pushing out his furry sheath. There was nothing to see but cream fur, his penis still safely tucked away inside. At least she quickly recognized the issue and dropped her tail again. That aside, they also belonged to two entirely different species. She was a furred dragon and he was a fennec. He didn’t know whether she was familiar with canine anatomy, but he was definitely not familiar with dragon anatomy. Watching her dance, he had noticed a prominent, furless spot on her backside under her tail. That was probably her crotch, but there weren’t any visible holes or distinct organs. As silly as it sounded, he didn’t even know what to penetrate yet.

”Oops, sorry. I just... I couldn’t wait.”

”I know, you’re sending pretty aggressive signals,” he replied. ”Why don’t you come over first and help me get erect?”

Lulu nodded excitedly and curiously walked closer, her eyes focusing on his empty sheath. At least she knew what her target was. Yet, her greedy, lusty eyes and her slightly open muzzle, adorned with a row of pointy teeth, prompted him to advise her further, ”But try and be gentle. And no biting or fire.”

”Huh? I would never bite you!”

"Just making sure, you know." Luckily, his worries quickly vanished into thin air when she began to lick at his sheath. It was kind of fascinating to experience her innocent shamelessness. Lulu had never hesitated and simply went to blow him as if it was the most ordinary thing in the world. Her two front paws resting on his hips, tenderly holding him down, while her long, tapered tongue danced around his sheath and her hot breath washed over the sensitive opening. She wasn’t very focused or skilled, but insistent and vigorous, and her efforts soon bore fruit.

Entir sighed softly and put his paws on her head, feeling and stroking her fluffy fur. His mind slowly melted under her licks and slurps. His last orgasm already lay a few weeks back, some masturbation before the beginning of his current mission, so he was really pent-up. His heart pounded a little faster, pumping blood through his body and into his slowly growing erection. Inch by inch, it slipped out of his sheath. First, only a narrow, crimson tip peeked out, but Lulu's wild licks quickly elicited the rest of his penis. Just like her tongue had danced around his furry sheath, it now wrapped and coiled around his throbbing taper, coating it with her hot saliva.

Her blowjob came to a very abrupt end when she suddenly pulled away and looked at him with the biggest, proudest smile. "There, all done. Now you're ready!" Entir responded with an utterly perplexed grunt. Why had she just stopped like that? However, when she turned around and prostrated herself, he knew the reason. She had done what she needed to do, she had given him an erection, and now it was his turn to take his swollen shaft and dick her down. At least that's how he interpreted the signs of the incredibly horny dragon as she wagged rear and lifted her tail.

The fennec rolled on all fours and crawled over to her, but he refused to simply mount her. Not only did it feel primitive and rash, but he also had to explore her first. He was ready, but she obviously wasn’t. Instead, he placed his paws on her furred butt and rubbed his thumbs along the one furless spot where he suspected her slit was, running then up and down. Lulu whimpered in disappointment at the lack of penetration. After closer inspection, he discovered a narrow rim running from her belly up to the base of her tail, separating her soft, warm scales. As he ran his fingers over it, her disappointment faded and she sighed with pleasure. A smirk formed on his lips and he rubbed it more. He had found what he had been looking for.

The smooth scales began to bulge as the flesh beneath swelled with blood. Then, in a wet, drawn-out slurp, the vertical slit opened up like a very lewd zipper and blossomed between his fingers. From one moment to the next, the rosy flesh was laid bare, and he was presented three distinct orifices, her urethra, her vagina, and her anus. Yes, now he was utterly certain that she was a female. A cloud of moist, scent-ridden air wafted into his face and disoriented him for a moment. It didn't smell bad, her scent carried less of the musky pheromones he had grown to expect, and more of an ashen, exotic odor, the crispy and earthy smell of burning leaves.

Gazing at the result of his rubbing, he now knew what he needed to know. Her incomprehensible zeal made him wonder. It felt like her previous mates never even bothered to reveal her genitals. What did they do instead? Did they just hump her until the force or the stimulation broke her open? Whatever the case, he made sure to use his experience and put in the extra effort for her. A series of very excited, soft moans told him that she was enjoying herself to the fullest. He grinned, this was just the beginning, she was in for even more fun.

Entir tenderly ran his fingers over the glistening flesh, exploring her and feeling for sensitive areas. He didn’t know where her clit was, or if she even had one, but he would make sure to find it before carrying on. So he rubbed and kneaded everything, shallowly pushing into each of her orifices, listening for her breath and moans. ”Lulu, how does it feel?”

”Oh, this feels amazing! Keep going.” she urged. Her limbs were trembling, the damp scent of her arousal growing heavier and stronger.

Since his fingers couldn't locate any special spot, he proceeded with a much more sensitive organ. The fennec pressed his tongue against the bottom of her slit and slowly dragged it up, getting a first taste. Then he repeated everything his fingers had done with his tongue, curling and rubbing the organ against her holes, but with much greater efficacy than his fingers could ever muster. Being so close to her, he could feel and hear her body twitch and react to his every movement. Then he slipped his tongue into her pussy, twisted it around, and finally found what he was looking for. Her vigorous reaction was telling, her entire body tensed and she squeaked, ”Hah~ Yes! More! That’s the spot!”

Apparently, that was her sensitive spot. Entir grinned impishly, now he would ravage her with ferocious licks and rubs until she gave in. His tongue went back to work with renewed vigor, now with a specific target in mind. Every second of her reaction was a treat, her horny struggle, the high-pitched moans and sighs of pleasure, and the sheer wetness that gushed from her slit fueled his frenzy. He kept going until the very end until a particularly energetic cry announced the furred dragon’s climax. Her pussy started to twitch furiously, constricting and gushing with even more fluid, showering his face and compressing his tongue. He continued to indulge her and only pulled out when the contractions subsided and her orgasm calmed.

The fennec gave her cunt a parting kiss before he got up. His lips were dripping with her expulsion and he was grinning. ”How was that?”

”How did you do this?” She sounded enamored, but there was a lot of curiosity in her question. ”I mean, why did you lick it?”

”Has anyone ever done this to you before?”

”N-no, no one. I didn’t even know that this was a thing.”

"Now you know. And this way you're much more ready for my dick." It almost sounded like this was the first time she had ever engaged in foreplay. If that was true, she was in for a treat, because it would also be the first time she had been properly loosened up for sex. Besides, Entir didn't know how large males of her species were, so it was definitely a good idea to prepare her so he wouldn’t be too big for her.

Lulu’s enthusiasm was unbroken, and she was even more desperate to get a dick inside her than before. Her long tail curled around his torso and pulled him closer to her dripping slit. ”Hey, watch what you’re doing,” he warned. ”I’ll find my way on my own, I don’t need your help.”

She giggled, and let him go, the fluffy tip of her tail teasingly brushing along his chin before it came to rest on his back. ”Sorry. I can’t help it. I need it... I need it now!”

Once again, Entir grabbed her cheeks and pulled them apart. Ogling the glistening slit, he carefully aligned his crimson taper with her central hole. Everything was tightly bunched together and he didn’t want to accidentally shove it up her ass. Then again, it probably wouldn’t be the first time that happened. A shiver ran through Lulu’s body when his tip finally prodded her pussy, and it only became stronger when he finally pushed in. She was incredibly tight, her anatomy definitely not made to deal with someone of his size, but she never hissed or groaned with pain. Preparing her beforehand had definitely been a terrific idea. And what she lacked in width, she made more than up for in depth, and she readily took his entire length with a deeply satisfied moan. 

Entir slowly leaned over and embraced her body, his paws running up her sides and under her wings, sinking deep into her dense fur. He buried his face in her back, and then he affectionately got to work. His hips rocked back and forth and drove his cock through her wet channel. He didn’t need hard, rapid thrusting to be satisfied, Lulu’s incredible warmth and tightness made up for the lack of vigor and speed, and she seemed to share his perception. She didn’t make a lot of noise, but the low moans and gasps that escaped her lips were dripping with exuberant lust.

A few minutes of tender humping passed, and the fennec finally felt the familiar stir of an imminent orgasm in his loins. At that moment, a sudden realization struck him when he remembered a crucial detail about canine anatomy. If he wasn’t careful, he would end up knotting her. He had almost forgotten, since it was just so obvious. As much as he wished to simply go ahead and tie with her, just like the feral parts of his canine mind told him to, he mustn’t overwhelm the poor little dragon with his knot. Not wanting to risk it, he suddenly pulled back and removed his cock just in time. The base had already begun to swell with blood, the distinct lumps of his knot already visible. Lulu howled in frustration and turned her head to pierce him with a look of utter betrayal. ”Hey, put it back in!”

"I-I can't. Otherwise, I'll knot you."

”Knot me? What do you mean?”

He moved his throbbing shaft into her field of vision and pointed at the swollen base. ”If we just move on, this will get even bigger and we’ll be stuck together for minutes, maybe even an hour. Before I move beyond the point of no return and surprise you, I wanted to tell you.”

Lulu nodded and came up with a solution. ”Oh, thanks for telling me, but I don’t think I’ll mind. But if we’re going to spend so much time together, I think it’s better if we get into a comfier position.” She rolled on her back and spread her legs apart, inviting him to take her again.

”Are you sure you want me to knot you? We don’t need to do this.”

”No, please, stick it back in. It is so big, it feels great!” Her red eyes burnt with desire when she leered at him. She needed more and she needed it now. 

Entir nodded and embraced her, wrapped his arms around her chest as he pushed back into her. ”Ungh... there it goes. I just can’t...” Only seconds after he had sunk his dick into her cunt, the first waves of orgasmic pleasure engulfed his mind. Two more thrusts and his knot had finally grown large enough to tie them, and it continued to grow. Lulu whooped in horny surprise, and seconds later, her vagina began to pulsate around his swelling bulb. The rising pressure in her abdomen had triggered a second orgasm, and her face melted into an expression of pure bliss.

Once Entir’s knot had blown up to its full size, his body unleashed a sticky flood upon the squirming dragon. He grunted as the first few spurts of hot semen ejected from his tip, rushing deep into Lulu’s body and flowing into her womb. This was just the beginning of his climax, the first few seconds of many more minutes to come. Not that it mattered, time flew by as everything merged into one big blur of fur, warmth, and tightness. Throb after throb, he filled her up, every last drop inescapably pouring into her womb. What a nice change after weeks of cold and darkness, a reward he had never imagined, but one that was more welcome than ever.

Entir lay there on her chest with his eyes closed, stroking her fur while he listened to her heartbeat. Everything was wonderfully calm until her melodic voice pulled him out of his trance. ”You didn’t lie, there is no way you can pull out with that fat bulb. But is it normal that you’re still cumming? It just goes on and on.” It didn’t sound accusatory and was just an observation. It told him that she had recovered from her own high, able to speak and think clearly again. She wasn’t wrong, though, and he was equally surprised about his knot’s refusal to go down. Her incredibly tight pussy seemed to prolong his orgasm beyond its usual time frame, eliciting each and every last drop he had left to give. He slowly pulled himself up and looked at her belly. There were two subtle but noticeable bulges, one where her womb was swelling with his seed, and one where his knot distended her flesh.

”It should’ve softened already, but you’re a really tight fit. You’re just perfect for draining me dry,” he joked.

Lulu met his quip with an infatuated gaze. ”Do you think so? Do you like it?”

”Oh, I love it... I love it a lot. This is a great way to spend time. However, next time please don’t rush so much, okay?”

She nodded eagerly, beaming with a smile. ”This was the best lay I ever had. This was amazing!”

Honestly, after everything he had heard, Entir believed her. It was amazing what difference a little foreplay made. Hopefully, she would keep this encounter in her memories so she could remember it the next time she did it with another male. Though, it certainly wouldn't be the only time they fucked. The polar night was long and there was plenty of time to kill. With his shaft still stuck and squirting inside her, he leaned back down on her and snuggled against her fluffy underbelly, returning to lovingly caress her shining fur.

Not a moment thereafter, something nudged him. The fennec turned his head and found himself face to face with Lulu. Now that she had his attention, she quickly darted forward, her muzzle opening and closing around his, and gave him a kiss. He was taken aback at first but quickly indulged her with a kiss of his own. What a great idea to make the time they were stuck more entertaining. However, it also made him wonder. She had helped him and cared for him, willingly engaged in an act of intimacy, and even went so far as to share a prolonged time of closeness with him. He knew her for less than a day, but every second he had spent with her had been better than his whole life before the blizzard. It would be difficult to return back home anytime soon, or ever, and the risk of being shot for cowardice or desertion wasn't really encouraging either. Perhaps he could just stay with her forever, away from war and troubles. If she always had enough food to feed many, maybe she wouldn't mind keeping him? 

He didn't have to decide it now, though, he had two months to think about it and get to know her properly. But what he already knew of her was encouraging. Lulu was jolly and eager, just what his tired soul needed. Yes, a future with her could be wonderful. Tomorrow he would ask her, but for now, he just enjoyed a warm, cozy cuddle, feeling more alive than ever before after nearly dying in the dark cold.