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Winter 10, Year 1

After collecting the 20 coal (easy) and 20 iridium ore (hard), Beep had delivered those to Clint a few days ago. Finally completing the quest the blacksmith had requested aid for all the way back in Spring; to demolish the boulder blocking off the summit.

This morning greeted the town with another explosion of similar disruption to the one Joja did in Summer to clear away the landslide they caused. While Susan was extremely thankful to no longer be trapped then, now she was purely pissed off at Clint's lack of forewarning her that he was going to be using explosives so close to her home. But what could be expected from him? He was too busy creeping over Emily to consider anyone else’s feelings.

At least the summit being accessible now meant people could hike up there. And with the new blanket given to him last night, Beep could explore the winter safe and warm! A horse blanket Marnie had ordered overnight, guessing Beep's measurements from how he fit into the calf blanket during the Festival of Ice. That was then taken to Emily, where she cut slots in an approximate location of where his wings would be (the fleshy part, since it didn't need to extend where his feathers were) and hemmed them with soft fabric to keep air out and avoid damaging feathers. Marnie had also given her the old calf blanket, which hadn't seen use for years until a few days ago, so it could be put to good use. Beep hadn't liked his wings restrained, which had been apparent when she took the blanket back and he bucked off, flapping his wings like a grumpy hen after being picked up. Now, Emily had sewn it down the middle of the horse blanket, and at the collar, to keep it secured. Then, considering the weight of it, both heavy over wings, but light enough to billow in the wind, Emily added some magnets in key points.

Three magnets on the wing flap, three more on the side of the horse coat that could easily be separated with minimal downward force from a wing, and three more near the central seam down his spine. (Per side.) This meant Beep could keep his wings covered when he wasn't using his wings, but then fold the flap up out of the way when he needed to use them! Emily explained this to Marnie, who then explained it to Beep when she put the contraption on him late last night. And since it was designed for horses to be left wearing, it was surprisingly comfortable to sleep in!

While Beep was collecting flowers on the summit, Marnie went up to Robin's house. She had seen the state of Beep's house yesterday, how it had been kept mostly clean and free of debris or filth, but the deer's nest was a pitiful pile of hay in the middle of the living room, in front of the fireplace. The 'bedroom' was being used to store what looked like stale crops and miscellaneous materials. While she was talking to Robin, Maru brought up how Demetrius (who had been sent out to get something he couldn't weaponised incompetence about) destroyed a bunch of stuff in the now-mushroom cave that might've been Beep's winter preparations. Tanned hides and preserved meats, thrown onto the ground and ruined not even two weeks before winter.

The ability to take such precautions confused the women, but they had already recognised Beep was no ordinary deer. Marnie knew what a deer was, and Beep was not. Robin knew no wild animal understood the exchange of currency for construction. Maru had investigated the antler projector after she cleaned it, and while it was clearly magical, it was not dwarf technology so not just something it had found. They weren't sure what he was, but this was beyond a weird ass deer. This was something more. And they should be scared of that revelation.

But he had been kind.

Never harming anyone, even when Marnie swung her broom at him. Helped Jas get back home when she was lost. Helped Evelyn with her flowers. Fled rather than attacked when Demetrius threw stones at him. He was different, but he was still a part of the community. And a member of their community was struggling this season. With Marnie's retelling of details, Maru's research about deer and bird habits (which is the best they could go off of), and Robin taking a deal for fresh cheese for the next year, they came up with a plan. One that would also involve Emily's help sewing, Leah's wood carving skill, and Caroline's connection to wares. Beep had put in his time helping them, they could help him back.

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Things different from canon; (AU???)
Gramps never had an heir, or they never show/ed up.
Special new farm map; Frontier Farm!
Stardew Valley Expanded; new maps, new NPCs, new events, a LOT of new stuff.
The new “Farmer” is just a Weird Ass Deer. NPCs will respond/react accordingly.

This is my first time playing Stardew Valley Expanded, so I’m learning as I go. (Please no spoilers if you play SVE)