2.3k word story I wrote awhile back and cleaned up a bit!
Feel free to leave comments or critiques!

A story about a micro getting used as an insole in cold weather. Inspired by the winter freeze in Texas last year.

---

The crisp air seemed to flutter past him like flashes of frigid fury, flurries of pure frost quickly freezing the poor micro. The snowy wind slashed around him as the glacial temperatures drained the warmth from his body quicker than he could generate it. The atmosphere was as heavy as it was cold, the piercing wind-chill clinging to his fur, threatening to drag him down into the accumulating floor of icy flakes.

Steven could hardly see just centimeters in front of him as he was forced to trudge through the thickening tier of snow swiftly numbing his legs with each slippery, sinking step. All he could make out was a white blanket of the enveloping, threatening, freezing precipitation, some terrifying flakes nearly half his size. Each time one of the flurries pounded against his vulnerable fur, it was like a biting sensation of burning cold that simmered down his entire body. Every second his body temperature plunged a few degrees.

The unfortunate little fox was on his way to a well-known underground micro safespace when the blizzard arrived much earlier than predicted. As his eyelids froze over and his legs no longer held the strength to struggle to push through the hefty building snow, his shivering intensifying. Steven could just feel his mental functions slowing, unable to think clearly. Eventually, after his whole body numbed to the bitter cold, all he felt was the strong desire to sleep. So he did, not even conscious when he collapsed…

His semi-aware brain could only sense the presence of somebody up above that had the power to save his life now teetering on the brink of frosty peril, and in a desperate last attempt for warmth, using up the remainder of his energy, he said, “I... j-just want… to be… w-warm…”


The young wolf had no idea what compelled him to go outside at that moment, in the dangers of the dastardly winter storm, but perhaps it was fate that drove him to discover his future micro companion out in the elements. He charged out his front door with energetic excitement, feeling his cheeks grow frosty as his face was lightly assaulted by the oncoming chilly winds. Bundled up under several toasty layers, he relished in the gentle freezing of his fur’s tips, a once in a lifetime experience for him.

The brightness of the pure white snowy air and the briskness of the wind made his eyes narrow as he was forced to look down. The risk of frostbite as he pushed into the piercing winds is what made the adventure exciting as he made his way through the beginnings of the blizzard bellowing beyond.

That’s when he spotted a flash of red before it was made faint through the coverings of the white dust. He took a few slippery steps forward, cradling himself against the cold, until he saw his prize for wandering through the dangerous conditions. A micro red fox.

He watched as it collapsed just a foot in front of him, and took a cautious knee, simply watching the rare small being in action. He supposed the micro must’ve been as cold, if not colder than he was himself, yet still made no motions to help the little guy as he kneeled directly in front of him on the icy snow. That’s when he heard a distant-sounding plea barely emanate through the harsh sounds of the wind flushing around them. A puny, desperate desire from the tiny being for warmth.

Alan wasn’t aware micros could talk, figuring they were just as unintelligent as all other wild animals, but he wasn’t shocked this fox did. Curiously, he used his gloved fingers to pluck the micro’s frozen tail, watching the limp being swing under his grasp. Unsympathetic to the micro’s needs, the wolf stood up, wordlessly claiming the smaller being as his own with a flash of excitement and contentment in his gaze. He now had a new pet.

And so he went back indoors, preparing himself for the night and ready to wake up to a day of fun in the snow, except now with a micro to keep him and his friends company.


The wolf groggily hit the “STOP” button of his phone’s blaring alarm that gave him an unfriendly, jolting start to the day. He rubbed his crusty eyes for a second, his memories slowly floating back, carrying with them a rush of excitement. Remembering his plans for his newfound snow adventure, his eyes flew open just as he flew off his bed like a rocket.

Alan quickly unruffled his mangled bed-ridden fur, looking over to his mirror to give his fur style a nice, presentable look, before rapid-fire shoving on his assortment of clothing spewn across the messy fur. He quickly paused to debate whether or not he should take a shower, not having had one the day before, but shrugged it off in order to get to his snow day with utmost efficiency.

Blurring around his room like the flash, he had his mismatched fit ready in no time. Jeans and sweatpants; an undershirt, his only long-sleeved shirt, a hoodie, and a zip-up jacket. Living in Texas, he’s never had the chance to experience a winter wonderland, taking a glance out the window with as much awe as one would seeing Santa’s workshop in the north pole.

Darting his eyes around rapidly to search for his sneaky socks, it wasn’t until he caught some movement out of the corner of his eye did he find them. His gaze instantly fixated on the pair of black undergarments plopped lazily on his desk the previous night, watching intently until one shifted forward ever so slightly. Alan gasped briefly before dawning a sly smirk, grinning as he realized it was just his micro prize from the night before, shoved deep into his warm damp sock to keep him toasty overnight.

Just to the side of the socks happened to be one singular packet of toe warmers resting casually on his desk. Excitement and maliciousness surged through him as he eagerly picked up the package, examining it as an evil idea dawned on him.

He only had one of these toe warmers left, and needed a second for his other foot. Poor toes couldn’t stand to get too cold out in the frosty weather, could they? A small object he owned designed to radiate warmth and absorb odor? Sounded perfect for the little micro toy! After all, the puny little guy wanted to be warm himself, right?

Seeing no ethical concerns with subjecting an inferior being underpaw, he gleefully put his toe warmer in the other sock before shoving it on. Alan picked up his micro-clad sock, noticing the faint stench already clinging to the slightly dirty, used fabric as well as a little struggling lump tugged by gravity into the toe section, helpless to do anything against the strong cloth.

He took an exhilarated peek inside the tight opening of his remaining sock, easily quelling the kicking micro with one intimidating glance. The large wolf was unable to hide the excitement in his eyes, a dangerous glimmer alerting the micro to his new cat. Just before he screamed out in defiance, a loud, booming, taking over the entire space of sound to the point where the tiny fox could hardly hear himself think.

“Well, little guy, you wanted to be warm so now you will! This’ll be so much fun for us both! You’ll help keep my paw warm and he’ll keep you warm. Win-Win!”

The micro’s maw gaped in shock, the teasing wolf looming over him, making him feel pathetic and puny. He was unable to get free, unable to save himself from this fate. The cute fluffy face of the canine hid the deeper injustice of being the harbinger of future torment for the fox.

In an instant, the sock, with the poor micro in it, was shoved downwards, making the fox feel like he was in a rocket shooting towards the ground, rattling him around. Once he was level with the wolf’s feet, the fox felt his world shift back and forth, making him crash into both sides of the dirty sock, all the while having to huff the rank odor of stale sweaty wolf paws. The light from above was blotted out, making the micro fearfully look upwards, knowing what was to come.

Four humongous digits wiggled as they shoved themselves forward, barreling towards the fox with the intent of squashing him into the musk-stained fabric. The micro screamed for just a moment before the paw crashed into him, creating a skin-tight filament around him as he was buried between plush wolf pads and the used sock, head stuck between two splaying and scrunching toes. His head was constantly battered and squeezed before being let up only to give him the sight of sweat strands connecting two plump toes, reminding him of his place in life. Reminding him he was less than the bottom of another man’s feet.

Alan heard a little squeak coming from his paw and he blushed.

“Awww I didn’t think you’d be so excited about this! I wish I could do more since you’re so eager…”

The wolf thought for a moment, glancing at the window at the winter wonderland outside. He already shivered just looking at it. Then, he came up with the perfect idea! One that will fix both the potential cold and help out the micro with its fantasies!

“Actually, y’know what, little guy. I’ll double up on socks today. Doesn’t that make you so happy?!”

Alan listened to see if he could hear anymore excited squeaks but he guessed the sock muffled the little guy too much. Shrugging, he grabbed another old pair of socks, putting it up to his nose to sniff and recoiling at the pungent odor. For a moment, he felt bad for the micro, before realizing he probably likes it. And if the little guy didn’t, the ranker sock was on the outside so the fox wasn’t even touching it! Man, Alan was such a problem solver!

He quickly shoved the sock on, not minding how much harder it made it for the micro to breath, making him have to take deeper breaths of the rank musk just to stay conscious. It got unbearably tight around the fox, only to get tighter and hotter once Alan slid on his boots, grinding his paw down in order to get his foot comfortable, unintentionally squeezing and crushing the micro deeper into the pads to the point where he hardly made a lump anymore.

Alan ran downstairs, not wanting to waste anymore time, and kicked open the door to meet with his friends at the park. He was so insanely excited for his first ever snow day. He skied and sled and ran around, throwing snowballs. He felt like a little kid again, loving every second of the day, especially with how warm his paws got.

For the tiny fox, every second was another second in hell. Sweltering heat condensed into a fog around him, swirling as steam barely visible in the utter darkness. Every second dragged on, sweat starting to leak through the wolf’s pores, more and more with every moment that passed, until the fox was absolutely drenched with sweat. Each step squelched audibly, filling the micro’s ears as the sweat was squeezed around him, making him feel like he was constantly drowning.

While the heat burned his skin and the sweat made his fur heavy, the pressure was on a whole ‘nother level. Each compressing step made him flatter and flatter, basically tattooing him to the paw as he was buried deeper and deeper. Bruised and battered, his cries for help were unheard by anybody in the outside world. He could faintly hear all the screams of joy, reminding him of a world he’d lost. He was just an ornament for a giant’s paw. Something to be used and forgotten about. Something easily replaceable but used solely to keep his life in misery.

The worst part, however, was the smell. The pure musk, built up straight from the source and shoved right into his nostrils. It burned his airways and made him weak and lightheaded. The raw scent messed with his brain, ruining his thoughts as it stained, just as his skin and fur did. He would never smell the same. Dizzy, all he could do was huff the musk.

It felt like days had passed, but in reality it was just hours. All while Alan was chilly and having fun, the micro was in purgatory. But it did come to a temporary end…

Barely conscious, the fox couldn’t even comprehend when he was released. One moment, he was suffering underpaw as he remembered to always have been, and the next, he was tumbling out of a sock, stained with dirty fur, soaked with sweat that wasn’t his, but was instead his owner’s… At least it was finally over…

SNIFF SNIFF. Air rushed past him, a glorious relief from heat, as the macro sniffed his fur.

“WOW! You absolutely reek, dude! Worse than my paw! It’s like, you absorbed my smell or something! You’re gonna be so useful for now on! I’ll never leave home without you! You did such a good job, smelly, that Imma keep ya, haha! Ready for your second shift?”

The fox didn’t have the energy to fight it as he laid in his puddle of sweat. He simply groaned. For the rest of his life, he would be just an object for a larger man’s feet… That was the destiny of a micro. Was he just in the wrong place at the wrong time, or was he truly meant to live a tortured life…