apples and oranges

@knox!

Right after galloping out of a cafe, M had loaded himself up with sweets. He had run for what felt like an awful long time, feeling hunted by the security that had came after him for swiping their things. M had been clever this time, he had stalked the little sweet shop for a few days, looking for the owner's face before morphing himself into the man. He was able to stride in and make up a story about samples for a trip, but made the mistake of plopping down at a table and gorging himself on them.

Still loaded with at least half a sack of various things, M trotted the unfamiliar city, lost and winded. His large grey and pink ears flicked, and his fluffy tail billowed in the wind behind him. Feeling rather majestic all of the sudden, M hefted his bag over his shoulder, automatically looking to his side for his brother, Y. Of course, Y didn't like going on adventures as much. He liked settling down, hiding in bed and just waiting for his brother to return instead. Boring. Tongue lolling out, M found a pretty little patch of grass with a couple trees to flop down under, poking his nose into his bag of sweets to check inventory.

Content to gnaw on the little scone he had found in the bag, M zoned out for a minute, blinking as he enjoyed the final days before the snow fall. The cold wasn't as bad when it was midday, and much more tolerable to sit out in. Something had sprung up from the grass, and M stiffened, thinking it might be another one of his pursuers. But no, it was only a sandy little fox, bouncing closer boldly. He was no stranger to forest animals, though the sight of one out in the city could either mean pet or rabies. M's nose wrinkled, and he wriggled back a moment, ears twitching as the cold air tickled through the heart-shaped holes.

Carefully, M rummaged in his bag once more, biting into his small scone to keep it in his mouth. Withdrawing a small muffin, M scooted forwards a bit, carefully nudging it closer to the animal. It sounded friendly enough, and offering it food seemed like the better option. Y liked the muffins, and M had only gotten him one to be polite. He didn't really deserve anything for not coming out on an adventure, anyway. "You like muffins? I've got ... Cakes, too, I think." Offering the bag out for the fox to inspect, M didn't really think it was too strange to offer sweets to a wild animal, and reached up to his own mouth, extracting his scone just in case the fox decided it wanted that one, instead.

M's nose twitched, more than a little upset that his hard-earned keep was being swallowed more or less whole. The little creature was a hungry fox, and it ate everything he had to offer. He had hoped the thing would take maybe only one or two things, not all of it. In no time, his bag was empty once more, and M's face twisted into something of a pout. He'd have to repeat the process all over again, now. "You're not supposed to eat all of it."

The fox seemed to be more content than he, and with little more than a grumble, M crumpled up the bag to leave it for later. He jumped only slightly when the fox shifted shapes, turning slightly to examine this new form a little better. Shifting up and onto his knees, he shuffled forward, a somber expression on his face. The man was taller than he, obviously, and his hands reached up to grasp at the ears atop his head. Practically on top of a strangers lap, M boldly fussed with the man's ears, excited and alarmed to see something so similar to himself. From what his fingers could tell, his ears had no holes in them, and M tilted his head curiously. The only ears he had ever encountered were his and his brothers, complete with matching hearts. "You have no holes."

M began to purr quietly, stroking the man's ears with his hands. "I do!" Pulling the stranger's hand up, he placed his fingers on top of the larger ones, guiding them up to the heart-shaped holes cut out into the centre of his ears. "Big holes!" The smaller ones were too small to stick his fingers through, but the larger ones he could manage to thrust one or even two if he placed them properly.

Staring plainly up into the red and yellow eyes, M studied the man right back. "I'm growing." Snapping at the size comment, his mouth bunched up and his hands dropped from Malakai's ears to his shoulders, pushing himself down into a sitting position on the open lap. "I like your eyes. They're very unique. What are you? Are you like me? You have ears, too." M had never met anyone besides his brother that was a hobgoblin as well, and M wondered how he managed to escape. "I'm M."