*Skim down to the end if you don't want to read the story*
“Aaaand so, after Amanda found out about my… predicament… she left me out in the cold... literally, she sped off with my coat still jammed in the door and sped through a stop sign. I suppose after the Boston PD chased her down for speeding she got what she deserved, but at the end of the day, I nearly got frostbite and I lost 12 friends that I didn’t really like in the first place.” Zaahirah finished, tightening the warm blanket around her as her Hijab fell back to reveal braided-cornrows. “So… overall, it wasn’t any worse than any other Monday.” Hannah didn’t exactly share her sentiment but did admire her positive attitude. Granted, being dumped by someone who you thought was your friend for a shredded credit card must be a bummer… but then again, loosing Amanda can’t be all that bad. “Hannah, I know I haven’t talked to you in a positive tone, ever, but there’s one thing that sets you apart from all the other humans and Anthro’s I’ve grown up with. You never cared about my hostility.” Hannah’s ears perked up, and she had a feeling the human noticed. “I mean, sure, when I knocked on your door freezing I expected to just wait at the library for my dad to pick me up, I never thought you would let me in, into your room, into your fridge-“ Zaahirah hugged the cup of warm coco she was given not too long ago. “-Not that I’m taking you for granted… it’s just… Amanda never treated me this way…” She coughed into her open palm. “I mean… I’m sorry if I’m just wasting your time, but after seeing your generosity first hand… maybe it’s about time I jumped back onto the right foot after all these years of follow-the-bitchy-leader.” Hannah chuckled, extending her paw with a grin on her face.
“Apology accepted!” Hannah said happily. While Zaahirah was taken aback by how easy it was for Hannah to forgive years of hostility, she gracefully shook the Hyena’s paw. “You can borrow one of my older coats if you want to.”
“What for?” Zaahirah asked after finishing her coco and rising from Hannah’s bed. Without saying a word, Hannah pranced over to her closet and swung open the door, releasing a faint aroma of wool, fine fabric and musty leather.
“We’re going out. What better way to turn over a new leaf then over lunch?” Hannah chirped as she pulled on an old WWI officer’s jacket that fit perfectly over her front and pulling on a pair of gloves and topping it off with a beret. “You can have my red Jacket, I haven’t worn that in a while.” Zaahirah smiled in response. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- While there was a noticeable chill in the air, mother-nature was loosing her grip on the winter season. Slush as far as the eye could see had begun to pool in below-zero temperatures and heavy Boston Traffic. Zaahirah trudged along the sidewalk with her new acquaintance, and hopefully future friend. Zaahirah had grown used to skipping over puddles in weather like this, but Hannah waltzed through everything in her path thanks to her heavy 6-inch platform boots.
“I still can’t believe you can walk in those things in this weather.” Zaahirah playfully stated as she readjusted her Hijab.
“I can’t believe your feet haven’t turned into blocks of ice.” Hannah replied. Much to Zaahirah’s displeasure, she had a point. Running shoe’s weren’t known for their water-proof materials.
“Ar, I believe their called wool socks, Captain.” Zaahirah responded as Hannah pulled her boot-cuffs over her knee’s and splashed through-shin-deep slush at a particularly flooded intersection, which Zaahirah navigated by walking over a stalled Pontiac (Much to the drivers anger). “I just hope this diner is as fancy as it’s cracked up to be.”
“No other place sells Zebra burgers.” Hannah licked her lips. “Plus bear is on the menu today.” Zaahirah blinked.
“Well, as long as it’s not pork, I’m all set.” Zaahirah smirked. Thankfully, the front entrance to the diner was above water-levels and the girls got in just in time as snow began to fall from the heavens. Kicking loose snow free from their footwear, Hannah and Zaahirah made themselves at home at a cozy booth. After ordering a tall glass of white hot-chocolate each and placing an order of Zebra and Bear burgers, the two stretched their legs.
“Now what?” Zaahirah muttered as Hannah placed her beret on her seat.
“What do you mean? We talk!”
While the food at the diner was known for its mouth-watering meals, the waiting times were not as desirable. But you can’t rush perfection, and it’s not like the two had anything else to do at the moment. Zaahirah had plenty to say about her old friends and much more about what she was going to do next. What surprised both of them was just how much they had in common. Besides Species, Religions, footwear choices and cultures, they could have been twins when it came to music, literature and school interests. Unfortunately, it didn’t bring their meals to their tables any faster, so Zaahirah decided that taking a bathroom break wouldn’t blow up the planet, especially after she started her second cup of hot-chocolate. And so, Hannah was alone at the table. Just then, the door to the diner opened, revealing a rather frozen vixen with a strange hat perched atop her head. A Fox ears hat. While others would call it childish, it looked adorable on her, but Hannah kept that to herself as the Vixen sat down at the adjoining booth, her suede ankle boots soaked down to her stockings. Looking out the window, Hannah noticed it was quickly getting colder as frost began to develop on the windows. Clearly the weather man lied to her, but she couldn’t help but peer at the Vixen out of the corner of her eye as she played with her Hot-Chocolate. Taking a larger peek, she noticed that the Vixen was digging through an empty wallet, practically counting pennies in her paw as she choked back a tear. An empty wallet, soaking boots on a cold day and judging by the rumbling from behind her, an empty stomach. Hannah hugged her hot chocolate as sympathy grabbed her by the reigns. Lifting it off the table, she placed the mug on the divider between the two.
“I’m sorry if I’m intruding, but I think you need this more than I do.” Hannah greeted the Vixen as she pulled off one of her boots, revealing a soaked stocking. Hannah saw the Vixen’s ears perk up instantly and her face react for surprise, only to be replaced by a smile as she blushed violently. Groping the warm mug, she gracefully gulped a good portion to warm herself up.
“Th-thank you so much.” The Vixen thanked her as Hannah too began to blush. “I lost practically all my money at my art-schools library when I wasn’t looking. I thought I had enough pocket change for something on the menu.” She placed her wet foot on the seat. “And I missed my bus, so I had to high-tail it here before the storm began to pick up.” Looking out the window again, Hannah noticed that the street began to glaze over from the freezing winds. It looked like they would be in here for a while. “I think those leather Nine-West’s would have been worth every penny.”
“You didn’t make a bad choice, you just chose a wrong month to wear them. They look cute, even if they are turning into wet cardboard right now.”
“I know, I just bought them last week.” The Vixen pulled off her other boot and dropped it to the floor, slapping the ground like a wet steak. The Vixen laughed as she wiped her tears away. “Ah, it’s like I’m back in England. Its wet one minute and the next day it snows.” She giggled as she squeezed her foot, trying to fight back the numbness. “My names Foxie Cortez.” Hannah suppressed a giggle herself. Although it did roll off the tongue with ease, and just like her hat, it was adorable. “What’s yours?”
“My names Hannah Mancini.” Hannah replied, shaking each other’s paws over the divider as a waitress planted a platter of burgers and fries on the table. “Ma’am, can I have a refill, please?” The waitress nodded as she peeled away from the table. Looking down at her tray of food, she noticed just how big the burger was, and with a Piece of Pecan Pie on the side, she began to wonder if perhaps she had ordered too much. Her thoughts were interrupted as she heard another rumble from behind her. Problem solved! “If you’re hungry, you can have my sweet potato fries if you want.” Hannah offered Foxie, who’s stomach replied with a rumble. Blushing again, she nodded in appreciation. After spending the last 5 minutes trying to dry her hands, Zaahirah gave up and rubbed her hands down her jeans and left the restroom, with an interesting sight at the table. Her food had arrived, and a Vixen was eating a plate of fries next to Hannah. Chuckling, Zaahirah sat down in the seat as Hannah finished her burger and licked her fingers.
“Making friends when I’m not looking, are you?” Zaahirah shrugged happily as she picked up her burger. Just as the power went out and abruptly came back on again. “See Mark? I told you that generator was a good investment!” The waitress shouted into the kitchen. Looking out the window, the three girls looked out the window and noticed that the city had gone dark as the storm took a turn for the worst. Hannah pulled out her phone and began texting.
“I don’t think I’m gonna get out of this building anytime soon.” Foxie said as she poked the few remaining fries that remained in her bowl. Looking up from her phone, Hannah shrugged.
“I just texted my mom, I think its best we just stick here until it dies down.” Looking to Foxie, she smirked, knowing her Christmas money had to have been spent sooner or later. “Want another round? I recommend the Zebra Burger.” Foxie smiled happily with that contagious grin of hers. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- So in the end, An otherwise dismally boring Saturday ended with Hannah attaining two new friends, and she was pretty sure the two had turned their abysmal day around with the help of warm burgers and an angry snow storm.
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This took me long enough, a gift for and her adorable OC Foxie having a pretty bad day, only to get a surprise from my OC Hannah ^^
I had a ton of fun designing their clothing, and I have to admit, it took awhile for me to draw Hannah's eccentric clothing compared to Foxie's. Also worth mentioning is the background, which is notably... existent XD Yeah, I need to draw backgrounds more often, they really help spice up the characters that inhabit them. And I hope ya'll didn't mind the campy story I tied to this, especially those waiting for another 2F2 chapter (Which has an uncertain future atm )
Anway, I hope you enjoy this as much as I did drawing it, keep the art coming girl ^^
Foxie - Hannah - Me Zaahirah - Me (Ten points to anyone who understands the irony of her name) XD
then I Realised its a story
And really good writing as well.