Unabashed, unashamed gayness. Caby and I have been a thing for six entire months on the day I write this, and—I wanted something to post to commemorate it. Of course, the really long, evil thing I wrote, I can't show you, that's for my Caby only uwu. (Cammy gets it an awful lot, doesn't he?)

But, you know, with all the talk of forest spirits, here's something gentle and soft based off our DMs.


Cammy peered at his curly, dangly hair and studied his bright pink snoot in the lake's reflection. He wasn't used to not having to take care of it; being a forest spirit, he had no concept of a physical body anymore, only the form he manifested. He'd be here for an eternity, never aging, never changing.

"Are you alright, Cameron?" the capybara next to him asked.

He couldn't quite believe she was centuries old; she barely looked older than he did. He could see her fiddling with her long hair, long, delicate fingers buried underneath the golden-orange blossoms of her flower crown. She certainly looked like she had a body, even if it was obscured by her silky, gold-trimmed dress. He had a tunic and a cape to match, even.

"...Yeah, all good," he mumbled absentmindedly. Breathing in deep and taking in the clean, crisp old-growth forest's air, he looked at her. "Just something to get used to."

"I understand. I can't quite remember the feelings I had when I ascended, but I understand yours."

It had all come on so sudden. He wasn't a stranger to seeing new faces on his journeys, but meeting kindly, soft-spoken water hamsters whose touch could grow flowers was a...newer experience. But stranger still, they were comfortable together. Even as a mortal badger, he felt close to her, this immortal spirit girl, and inexplicably, she felt close to him. It didn't feel like a first encounter, but neither could place why.

The badger boy sprawled out and slipped his paws into the cool water, soaking the bottoms of his trousers. Capy hiked her dress up and followed suit, creating little waves as her feet dangled.

He remembered the trail of flowers sprouting behind them the first time she held his hand, biting her lip and trying desperately to hide her reddening snoot. He remembered the first time they flew together, held tight in her arms as they drifted above the sprawling canopy like nuzzly birds. Their first night sleeping together, wrapped in each other's arms on a bed of soft grasses and cool mosses was yet the comfiest he'd ever been.

And now, here he was: ascended. A forest spirit just like her. His powers were still weak and developing: he couldn't grow healthy, overgrown flowers quite like she did, and he exhausted quickly when he tried. He didn't need to sleep or eat anymore. All he needed, it seemed, was her: someone there to help figure himself out, someone to explore with, someone to ramble to...and someone to keep company and comfort when the weather was brittle and miserable.

He didn't like the stories she told of being alone for months on end, for hundreds and hundreds of years, unappreciated by the wanderers she'd guide and protect through these woods. He didn't like the stories she told of being chilled and bitten by the seasonal snows and winds with only the thin fabric of her dress to keep her warm. She deserved so, so much better.

Cammy splayed his toes, inviting the chilly lake water in between them. "Don't want you to get the wrong impression," he said quietly. "Mortals just don't work in eternities."

"They don't. It is an adjustment, but—I am here for you."

Cammy slipped his hand on top of hers and squeezed her fingers a little between his squishy pawpads. Fuzzy feelings bubbled up inside the both of them. "Very glad about that." His smile grew. "I'm here for you too, man."

"Can't think of a better person to spend eternity with."