On February 21st, I messaged a friend on Discord, wanting to check in on them after not having talked for a while. I was surprised to get a reply but I was not expecting somebody else to be on the other end. The Discord status showed the mobile icon so I could guess it was through my friend's phone. It was their sister. They informed me that my friend, Yanders, had died recently to his cancer. I was aware that Yanders was receiving treatment and had a lengthy hospital stay but I wasn't aware that it had advanced too much to be treatable.

There's still a bit of numbness to the reality of it all. I dunno if it was because I was prepared for it or something else. But it still hurts to know he's gone and that I never had the chance to tell him goodbye and ask if I made what time he had left fun. A lot of our conversations revolved around roleplays and what we enjoyed as far as the furry smut, with one of Yanders's OCs always at the forefront: his red panda college professor Anne. She represented a type of furry character I enjoy as far as silly shenanigans of a kind I don't really express here often. Though I always promised to try and get a picture of her commissioned, I never really followed up on it. The most I can do for Yanders now is show how much I appreciated his companionship and the fun he and Anne brought to me on days where my job left me exhausted and frustrated.

So I went to my friend Dee and commissioned him to do this. I love how it came out and I'm sharing it here as well as my story to remind everyone to hold your best and dearest friends close to your heart, let them know how much you care about them, and give back as much love as they gave you.

Rest in peace, man, I know you're in a better place.

Art by  CHASM-006
Anne belongs to  Yanders