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![Snowcats and Snowballs [Illustrated Story]](http://d.furaffinity.net/art/dhlawrence1985/1737075051/1737075051.dhlawrence1985_mattsophiesnowcat_arvenic.png "Click to change the View")
CW: Bullying
“This is gonna be the best snowman ever!” Matt exclaimed.
“Yeah!” Sophie agreed, patting some snow down to hold the right ear in place. “Hey Matty? Why is it a snowman and not a snow-woman?”
Matt paused. “I dunno! That’s a good question.”
“Was just wondering.”
“Maybe Mom or Dad will know.”
A few more pats to pack down the snow, and the pair paused to admire their creation. “Best snowman ever!” Matt repeated as he swept loose snow from his bare paws, his snow leopard blood holding off the effects of the cold.
“What should we call them?” Sophie asked.
“What about a girl’s name?”
“That would be good! What about Bluey?”
“Bluey’s a dog! We made her look like a cat.”
“The ear shape is right!”
“…True. We’ll save it for if we don’t think of anything. Hey, what about Gracia?”
“Oooh, you picked Gracia! Wonder why!” Sophie teased.
“Knock it off!” Matt fired back with a blush.
“Okay, okay…what about naming it after Grandma?”
“Which one?”
“Our Grandma. Dad’s mom.”
Matt looked at the snow figure, contemplating silently. “It works! Kathy the Snow-Woman!”
“Great!”
“Dad can take a picture for us!” Matt dropped his ears as a swift wind blew through the small park. The shock of the cold air on his body also alerted him to another urgent matter. “Right after I use the bathroom.”
“I’ll stay here and guard it!”
“Are you sure you’ll be okay on your own?”
“Just for a couple minutes.”
“All right, but don’t move from this spot!” Matt dashed across the road to the yellow triplex they called home. He danced on the spot as he unlatched the back gate, passing through and racing up the porch steps, disappearing inside.
Sophie, meanwhile, returned her attention to their snow-woman – adjusting the pebble smile, and adding a couple more stick whiskers. Then, without warning, an unpleasant sound set off a sickly feeling in the pit of her stomach.
“PUPPY-CAT! PUPPY-CAT!”
Sophie knew those voices anywhere: Dylan and Melody Richard. The hybrid’s blood ran as cold as the wind as she looked up and saw the red, black, and white foxes approaching.
“Hey, what’s the matter? Couldn’t find anyone to play with you?” Dylan sneered.
“M-my brother was here,” Sophie began.
“M-m-m-m-my brother was here!” Melody retorted. “I don’t see him now.”
“Nice snowman.” Dylan circled the figure, nodding as if an art critic evaluating a sculpture.
“Snow-woman! Her name is Kathy.”
“Looks pretty cool. Just needs some…finishing touches!” Bellowing the last two words, Dylan shoved the upper ball of snow, sending it rolling to the ground.
“Doooon’t!” Sophie wailed.
“Don’t worry, just adding some improvements!” Dylan and Melody each took a stick and swung at the balls of snow, chipping off chunks with each swipe. The ears Sophie had worked on for so long were pulverized in seconds, the pebble smile crumbling one stone at a time.
“Stop it!” Sophie charged at them, hoping to hold off further carnage. An effortless push from Melody sent her crashing onto the snow-covered ground with a thud.
A wave of horror washed over the hybrid as she regained her senses and realized that her world had gone silent. That meant only one thing: her hearing aid fell out. She dug frantically through the snow, searching for the crucial piece of pink plastic. Chunks of powdery snow fell from a shaking tree branch above and landed on her face, further obscuring her tear-filled eyes. All the while, the fox twins continued to make fun of her, either unaware or unconcerned that she was not able to hear them.
“What are you tryin’a do, put it back together? Gonna need a lot more snow than dat!” Dylan gloated.
THUNK!
Sophie looked up just in time to see the snowball hit the back of Dylan’s head from above, as if arriving by request. Seconds later, another sailed past from another direction, landing on Melody’s shoulder. The pair could only sputter obscenities in French as the volley of snowballs persisted, covering them in snowy white polka dots.
“Let’s get out of here!” Melody yelled at her brother. The pair beat a hasty retreat to the next road – but did not get out of range in time to avoid one last missile, which struck Dylan’s side.
“Ow! That one had an ice chunk in it!”
Sophie sniffled as she watched them, but was still able to smile at her salvation. She spun around to where the snowballs originated, and saw her sister Vicky emerge from behind a bush, accompanied by Yuri and Gracia Hirschburg, the deer twins next door. A glance upwards revealed her half-brother Matt, who shimmied down the trunk of the tree she was crouched next to.
“The cavalry has arrived!” The cat-snow leopard hybrid announced triumphantly. It had no effect on his temporarily deafened cat-dog sibling, however.
“Don’t come close! I can’t find my hearing aid!” she cried.
Matt kicked gently at the snow beneath his feet. Once he was sure there was no buried treasure within, he dropped onto hands and knees, joining the search. Vicky and the twins shuffled their feet till they arrived at the remains of the mangled snow-woman, widening the search field.
“Found it!” Gracia exclaimed after a minute or two, holding the hearing aid up high. Matt rushed over to Sophie, patted her on the shoulder, and pointed towards the three. They quickly made their way over, watching as Vicky took the hearing aid from the doe and removed the battery, cutting power to the circuitry within.
“Let’s hope that helps keep it from being fried.” The beagle handed the device over to Sophie, who took it gingerly in a mittened hand.
“Yeah…let’s go home before they come back.” Matt threaded his arm around Sophie’s, the pair at the head of the pack as they marched to the road. As they reached the sidewalk opposite, they saw a brown tabby tomcat come down the porch stairs, clad in a charcoal overcoat.
“Hey Dad!” Vicky and Matt called out in unison.
“Hey kids,” Dan responded warmly. His smile faded, however, when he noticed his snow-clad youngest daughter, holding out a hand with a familiar pink object in her palm.
“Dylan and Melody,” Matt grumbled by way of explanation.
Are you okay? Dan signed to Sophie.
The hybrid nodded. “Yeah, I’m fine.”
Dan reached out to take the hearing aid, clasping his other hand around Sophie’s. “Let’s go inside.”
Coats slid off shoulders and were draped over chairs as the extended family made their way into the warmth of the kitchen. Dan grabbed a dish towel from the stove handle and laid it flat on the counter, setting the hearing aid on top. “Matt, go get that small desk fan from your room. Vicky, see if you can find Sophie’s old hearing aid.”
The pair departed and made their way upstairs. Sophie slumped down into a chair at the kitchen table, Yuri and Gracia on either side. Neither was proficient in sign language, but they flashed comforting smiles, a small one emerging on Sophie’s muzzle. Dan stepped over a minute later with a second towel, which he gave to Sophie to wipe her face.
Matt returned with the requested fan. He handed it to the tomcat, who plugged it in and turned it onto a low setting, gently blowing air over the wet hearing aid. Meanwhile, Vicky returned with a tinier white hearing aid in one hand and an opened package of hearing aid batteries in the other. She handed both objects to Sophie, who went about the task of powering it up and fitting it in her ear.
“Testing, 1-2-3…” Vicky spoke to her sister.
Sophie smiled. “Loud and clear!”
“That should do till we see if the new one still works,” Dan said. “Now, who wants to tell me what’s going on?”
Matt began. “We were making a snowman-“
“Snow-woman,” Sophie insisted.
“Snow-woman. I came inside to get you, but when I went back out, Dylan and Melody had knocked it over and were whomping it with the sticks we had put in it for arms.”
“I see…” Dan responded icily.
“Matt saw the three of us coming up the road and had us hide behind the bushes along the fence,” Yuri added.
“I climbed up the big tree by the fence-“
“So that’s why all that snow fell on me!”
“…Yeah, I guess. I didn’t know,” Matt replied, a sheepish expression on his face. “Sorry about that.”
‘It’s okay.”
“So you’re up a tree…” Dan returned to the topic at hand. “Then what?”
“And then we decided a snowball fight was in order.”
“With you providing aerial bombardment.”
“Basically.”
Dan sighed. “I guess that’s one solution. What about Sophie’s Babelfish?” He gestured to the counter.
“It fell out when Melody shoved me,” Sophie mumbled.
“You sure you’re all right, Sophie?”
“Yeah, the snow was thick there, so it didn’t hurt.”
“Well, you can go on up and have a long, relaxing bath. That ought to warm you up.” He smiled at his daughter. Before Sophie could move, however, Dan’s phone buzzed in his pocket. “No need to guess who this is…” He picked it up and swiped the answer button, the others watching anxiously.
“Hello bonjour!” A moment went by as the caller spoke, then he switched to French and resumed speaking. “And how can I help you today…Hmm, that snow is getting dangerous. I’ve got a wrecked snowman in the park, a girl who’s covered head to toe in the stuff, and a brand-new, very expensive hearing aid that’s soaking wet and might be ruined. Maybe Dylan and Melody can explain how that happened?” He looked at the kids and grinned. “Always a pleasure talking with you. Have a good one!” He ended the call and set his phone down. “That was fun!”
“They’re not gonna cause trouble, are they?” Vicky asked.
“I doubt it. Not if they think they’re going to be on the hook for a new hearing aid.” Dan turned to the twins. “Yuri, Gracia, you can head on home. I think we’ve got things from here.”
“Thanks for helping!” Sophie smiled to them as they headed to the door.
“Anytime!” Gracia replied. “See you later!”
“And now,” Dan addressed Sophie after the twins left, “I think it’s time a young lady had that bath. And when you’re done, there will be hot chocolate waiting for you.”
“Yay!” Sophie got up and wrapped her arms around her father. “Thanks Dad!”
“You’re welcome, Junebug. Now head on up. And don’t overdo it with the bubbles!”
“I won’t!” She stopped to hug Matt on the way. “Thanks for helping me. And you Vicky!”
As Sophie headed to the stairs, Dan turned to his eldest daughter. “Have you done your guitar practice?”
“Not yet. I’ll go do that now.” The elder Lansdowne sister exited the room, leaving only Dan and Matt.
“Guess I should go do homework…”
“Not just yet. Have a seat.” Dan indicated the chair Sophie had just vacated and sat down next to his son. “First off, I appreciate you looking out for Sophie. I mean that. I’ve been there too; I know what it would have meant to have someone pull off something like that for my sake.” He paused. “But…you won’t always be there for her. Part of being the protective big brother is helping her learn how to look after herself for those times you won’t be able to do the job. You get me?”
“Yeah, I do.” Matt nodded.
“That said, next time you come in to use the john, don’t leave her alone in the park.”
“I won’t.”
“The terrible twosome are just one reason. Snowmen can be rebuilt; we’ve only got one Sophie.” Dan’s face softened, and he patted Matt on the shoulder. “You did good, though. Would have loved to have seen their faces when all of you opened fire.”
“It was the best!”
“I don’t doubt it,” the elder feline chuckled. “Now, let’s get some hot chocolate going!”
(Next chapter...)
It took almost a decade, but I -finally- wrote down the first story idea I ever had for Sophie. The snowman angle was added after I got this amazing YCH from
arvenic. Came together over a late-night writing session that lasted for about five hours...and extended till almost 3am. Was worth the loss of sleep!
Original art can be found at https://www.furaffinity.net/view/58976627/.
Melody and Dylan are co-owned with
novalynxa. Yuri and Gracia are property of 
cervinecomedy.
“This is gonna be the best snowman ever!” Matt exclaimed.
“Yeah!” Sophie agreed, patting some snow down to hold the right ear in place. “Hey Matty? Why is it a snowman and not a snow-woman?”
Matt paused. “I dunno! That’s a good question.”
“Was just wondering.”
“Maybe Mom or Dad will know.”
A few more pats to pack down the snow, and the pair paused to admire their creation. “Best snowman ever!” Matt repeated as he swept loose snow from his bare paws, his snow leopard blood holding off the effects of the cold.
“What should we call them?” Sophie asked.
“What about a girl’s name?”
“That would be good! What about Bluey?”
“Bluey’s a dog! We made her look like a cat.”
“The ear shape is right!”
“…True. We’ll save it for if we don’t think of anything. Hey, what about Gracia?”
“Oooh, you picked Gracia! Wonder why!” Sophie teased.
“Knock it off!” Matt fired back with a blush.
“Okay, okay…what about naming it after Grandma?”
“Which one?”
“Our Grandma. Dad’s mom.”
Matt looked at the snow figure, contemplating silently. “It works! Kathy the Snow-Woman!”
“Great!”
“Dad can take a picture for us!” Matt dropped his ears as a swift wind blew through the small park. The shock of the cold air on his body also alerted him to another urgent matter. “Right after I use the bathroom.”
“I’ll stay here and guard it!”
“Are you sure you’ll be okay on your own?”
“Just for a couple minutes.”
“All right, but don’t move from this spot!” Matt dashed across the road to the yellow triplex they called home. He danced on the spot as he unlatched the back gate, passing through and racing up the porch steps, disappearing inside.
Sophie, meanwhile, returned her attention to their snow-woman – adjusting the pebble smile, and adding a couple more stick whiskers. Then, without warning, an unpleasant sound set off a sickly feeling in the pit of her stomach.
“PUPPY-CAT! PUPPY-CAT!”
Sophie knew those voices anywhere: Dylan and Melody Richard. The hybrid’s blood ran as cold as the wind as she looked up and saw the red, black, and white foxes approaching.
“Hey, what’s the matter? Couldn’t find anyone to play with you?” Dylan sneered.
“M-my brother was here,” Sophie began.
“M-m-m-m-my brother was here!” Melody retorted. “I don’t see him now.”
“Nice snowman.” Dylan circled the figure, nodding as if an art critic evaluating a sculpture.
“Snow-woman! Her name is Kathy.”
“Looks pretty cool. Just needs some…finishing touches!” Bellowing the last two words, Dylan shoved the upper ball of snow, sending it rolling to the ground.
“Doooon’t!” Sophie wailed.
“Don’t worry, just adding some improvements!” Dylan and Melody each took a stick and swung at the balls of snow, chipping off chunks with each swipe. The ears Sophie had worked on for so long were pulverized in seconds, the pebble smile crumbling one stone at a time.
“Stop it!” Sophie charged at them, hoping to hold off further carnage. An effortless push from Melody sent her crashing onto the snow-covered ground with a thud.
A wave of horror washed over the hybrid as she regained her senses and realized that her world had gone silent. That meant only one thing: her hearing aid fell out. She dug frantically through the snow, searching for the crucial piece of pink plastic. Chunks of powdery snow fell from a shaking tree branch above and landed on her face, further obscuring her tear-filled eyes. All the while, the fox twins continued to make fun of her, either unaware or unconcerned that she was not able to hear them.
“What are you tryin’a do, put it back together? Gonna need a lot more snow than dat!” Dylan gloated.
THUNK!
Sophie looked up just in time to see the snowball hit the back of Dylan’s head from above, as if arriving by request. Seconds later, another sailed past from another direction, landing on Melody’s shoulder. The pair could only sputter obscenities in French as the volley of snowballs persisted, covering them in snowy white polka dots.
“Let’s get out of here!” Melody yelled at her brother. The pair beat a hasty retreat to the next road – but did not get out of range in time to avoid one last missile, which struck Dylan’s side.
“Ow! That one had an ice chunk in it!”
Sophie sniffled as she watched them, but was still able to smile at her salvation. She spun around to where the snowballs originated, and saw her sister Vicky emerge from behind a bush, accompanied by Yuri and Gracia Hirschburg, the deer twins next door. A glance upwards revealed her half-brother Matt, who shimmied down the trunk of the tree she was crouched next to.
“The cavalry has arrived!” The cat-snow leopard hybrid announced triumphantly. It had no effect on his temporarily deafened cat-dog sibling, however.
“Don’t come close! I can’t find my hearing aid!” she cried.
Matt kicked gently at the snow beneath his feet. Once he was sure there was no buried treasure within, he dropped onto hands and knees, joining the search. Vicky and the twins shuffled their feet till they arrived at the remains of the mangled snow-woman, widening the search field.
“Found it!” Gracia exclaimed after a minute or two, holding the hearing aid up high. Matt rushed over to Sophie, patted her on the shoulder, and pointed towards the three. They quickly made their way over, watching as Vicky took the hearing aid from the doe and removed the battery, cutting power to the circuitry within.
“Let’s hope that helps keep it from being fried.” The beagle handed the device over to Sophie, who took it gingerly in a mittened hand.
“Yeah…let’s go home before they come back.” Matt threaded his arm around Sophie’s, the pair at the head of the pack as they marched to the road. As they reached the sidewalk opposite, they saw a brown tabby tomcat come down the porch stairs, clad in a charcoal overcoat.
“Hey Dad!” Vicky and Matt called out in unison.
“Hey kids,” Dan responded warmly. His smile faded, however, when he noticed his snow-clad youngest daughter, holding out a hand with a familiar pink object in her palm.
“Dylan and Melody,” Matt grumbled by way of explanation.
Are you okay? Dan signed to Sophie.
The hybrid nodded. “Yeah, I’m fine.”
Dan reached out to take the hearing aid, clasping his other hand around Sophie’s. “Let’s go inside.”
Coats slid off shoulders and were draped over chairs as the extended family made their way into the warmth of the kitchen. Dan grabbed a dish towel from the stove handle and laid it flat on the counter, setting the hearing aid on top. “Matt, go get that small desk fan from your room. Vicky, see if you can find Sophie’s old hearing aid.”
The pair departed and made their way upstairs. Sophie slumped down into a chair at the kitchen table, Yuri and Gracia on either side. Neither was proficient in sign language, but they flashed comforting smiles, a small one emerging on Sophie’s muzzle. Dan stepped over a minute later with a second towel, which he gave to Sophie to wipe her face.
Matt returned with the requested fan. He handed it to the tomcat, who plugged it in and turned it onto a low setting, gently blowing air over the wet hearing aid. Meanwhile, Vicky returned with a tinier white hearing aid in one hand and an opened package of hearing aid batteries in the other. She handed both objects to Sophie, who went about the task of powering it up and fitting it in her ear.
“Testing, 1-2-3…” Vicky spoke to her sister.
Sophie smiled. “Loud and clear!”
“That should do till we see if the new one still works,” Dan said. “Now, who wants to tell me what’s going on?”
Matt began. “We were making a snowman-“
“Snow-woman,” Sophie insisted.
“Snow-woman. I came inside to get you, but when I went back out, Dylan and Melody had knocked it over and were whomping it with the sticks we had put in it for arms.”
“I see…” Dan responded icily.
“Matt saw the three of us coming up the road and had us hide behind the bushes along the fence,” Yuri added.
“I climbed up the big tree by the fence-“
“So that’s why all that snow fell on me!”
“…Yeah, I guess. I didn’t know,” Matt replied, a sheepish expression on his face. “Sorry about that.”
‘It’s okay.”
“So you’re up a tree…” Dan returned to the topic at hand. “Then what?”
“And then we decided a snowball fight was in order.”
“With you providing aerial bombardment.”
“Basically.”
Dan sighed. “I guess that’s one solution. What about Sophie’s Babelfish?” He gestured to the counter.
“It fell out when Melody shoved me,” Sophie mumbled.
“You sure you’re all right, Sophie?”
“Yeah, the snow was thick there, so it didn’t hurt.”
“Well, you can go on up and have a long, relaxing bath. That ought to warm you up.” He smiled at his daughter. Before Sophie could move, however, Dan’s phone buzzed in his pocket. “No need to guess who this is…” He picked it up and swiped the answer button, the others watching anxiously.
“Hello bonjour!” A moment went by as the caller spoke, then he switched to French and resumed speaking. “And how can I help you today…Hmm, that snow is getting dangerous. I’ve got a wrecked snowman in the park, a girl who’s covered head to toe in the stuff, and a brand-new, very expensive hearing aid that’s soaking wet and might be ruined. Maybe Dylan and Melody can explain how that happened?” He looked at the kids and grinned. “Always a pleasure talking with you. Have a good one!” He ended the call and set his phone down. “That was fun!”
“They’re not gonna cause trouble, are they?” Vicky asked.
“I doubt it. Not if they think they’re going to be on the hook for a new hearing aid.” Dan turned to the twins. “Yuri, Gracia, you can head on home. I think we’ve got things from here.”
“Thanks for helping!” Sophie smiled to them as they headed to the door.
“Anytime!” Gracia replied. “See you later!”
“And now,” Dan addressed Sophie after the twins left, “I think it’s time a young lady had that bath. And when you’re done, there will be hot chocolate waiting for you.”
“Yay!” Sophie got up and wrapped her arms around her father. “Thanks Dad!”
“You’re welcome, Junebug. Now head on up. And don’t overdo it with the bubbles!”
“I won’t!” She stopped to hug Matt on the way. “Thanks for helping me. And you Vicky!”
As Sophie headed to the stairs, Dan turned to his eldest daughter. “Have you done your guitar practice?”
“Not yet. I’ll go do that now.” The elder Lansdowne sister exited the room, leaving only Dan and Matt.
“Guess I should go do homework…”
“Not just yet. Have a seat.” Dan indicated the chair Sophie had just vacated and sat down next to his son. “First off, I appreciate you looking out for Sophie. I mean that. I’ve been there too; I know what it would have meant to have someone pull off something like that for my sake.” He paused. “But…you won’t always be there for her. Part of being the protective big brother is helping her learn how to look after herself for those times you won’t be able to do the job. You get me?”
“Yeah, I do.” Matt nodded.
“That said, next time you come in to use the john, don’t leave her alone in the park.”
“I won’t.”
“The terrible twosome are just one reason. Snowmen can be rebuilt; we’ve only got one Sophie.” Dan’s face softened, and he patted Matt on the shoulder. “You did good, though. Would have loved to have seen their faces when all of you opened fire.”
“It was the best!”
“I don’t doubt it,” the elder feline chuckled. “Now, let’s get some hot chocolate going!”
(Next chapter...)
It took almost a decade, but I -finally- wrote down the first story idea I ever had for Sophie. The snowman angle was added after I got this amazing YCH from
arvenic. Came together over a late-night writing session that lasted for about five hours...and extended till almost 3am. Was worth the loss of sleep!Original art can be found at https://www.furaffinity.net/view/58976627/.
Melody and Dylan are co-owned with
novalynxa. Yuri and Gracia are property of 
cervinecomedy.
Category All / All
Species Unspecified / Any
Size 1960 x 1880px
File Size 2.95 MB
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