Reflection:

It was a quiet, peaceful, contemplative night in the Emerald forest, a shining jewel in the mountain wilderness of Asia. If one was an animal, it was the perfect sort of time to lie around and do nothing except rest, relax and take in all the beauty of nature: from the wet, tender blades of grass beneath one's feet to the silvery moon and iridescent stars filling the vast, awe-inspiring sky above.

Any and all signs of activity in the forest - as daytime creatures turned in for the night and nocturnal creatures came out to play, free to roam around unharassed - were light and subtle and easily faded into the background of the woodlands, from crickets chirping in the grass to squirrels rustling the tree branches above the ground.

Deep in the heart of the forest, in the center of the woodland community, two creatures, two close friends from far away, were lying in their den, resting up while they admired their new home after dark. It would still be a good while before either of them felt sleepy enough to turn in for the night, so they did what they often did as they relaxed after sundown: chat amiably about all the different experiences they had had, in the past and in the present.

Tonight though, the brown wolf had a rather touchy subject he wanted to dive into with the creamy white goat, one that had been on his mind for a while, and one he felt the duo needed to talk about eventually if they were going to move forward. So when their lighthearted last topic died down and things had gone quiet once more - crickets chirping continuously in their ears - the scruffy lupine cleared his throat and bit the bullet.

"So, Mei... Now that most of the danger's gone, do you think you'll ever want to go back to your old herd?", Gabu broached curiously.

His traveling buddy perked up his ears and glanced at his brawnier friend with big blue eyes, lifting a brow, wondering what brought that question on. Gabu already had a pretty good idea what was going through the billy goat's head at the moment.

"Not to live there or anything. Just to visit, and see some of your old chums", the wolf specified. Things had changed quite a bit for the pair since the circumstances that forced them to leave home and flee for their lives, and at the moment, the wolf figured they ought to stop for a moment and have a talk about the near future: discuss their options.

Mei's expression shifted with newfound comprehension, and it gradually became more thoughtful as the billy goat hummed in thought and chewed on his lip. After a moment, he came up with an answer for his scruffier friend.

"Honestly, I don't know. I mean, I made my choice and they made theirs. They made me choose between keeping you as a friend, betraying you, or being kicked out of the herd, and I think it's gonna be a while before I can forgive them for that", Mei replied honestly, digging deep into his inner feelings that he usually didn't like to dwell on, his inner hurt about the last few months.

Gabu looked on sympathetically; it seemed Mei's viewpoint hadn't changed that much over time.

"Still, still… my grandmother is there, and some of those guys were practically family", Mei conceded, after another moment of contemplation. "It would be a good idea to go back there just once someday, just to let Gran know I'm not dead", he admitted to himself.

Gabu rested a steadying paw on his shoulder but otherwise remained quiet beside him, letting Mei think unencumbered.

Another thought occurred to Mei, and a small, mischievous smile appeared on the billy goat's muzzle. "And we'd certainly give Tapper a scare", he added, shooting a quick grin at Gabu, who couldn't resist smirking back at that rather tempting idea (recalling the billy goat's more annoying friend).

The creamy white goat laid back, settling on one concise statement. "Right now, I'm just not in any hurry to go anywhere near that mountain again", Mei decided, shivering just a bit at the terrible, terrible memories that had been made on the snowy summit; memories that were still fresh.

Gabu hummed and nodded his head, agreeing with the goat on that particular feeling, accepting the answers he had been given by his little buddy.

Mei glanced over at the big, brown lupine, inspecting him curiously. "What about you? I know your pack treated you a lot worse than my herd treated me. Do you think you'll ever miss any of those guys?", Mei asked earnestly.

He was referring of course to how Gabu's old packmates had ganged up on the lupine and tried to execute him for fraternizing with the enemy, inadvertently threatening the pack's secrets. While Mei's flock had threatened to kick him out of the herd, Gabu's pack had tried to kill him, and they chased him down for weeks to try to finish the job. Mei would never say it out loud, because it would be rude and incredibly insensitive, but he considered that punishment to be one of many reasons why wolves were much more extreme animals than goats.

Still, he was a bit worried about how his meat-eating friend would fare, cut off from pack life for good. Wolves were social creatures just as much as goats were, and Gabu would probably need more company than just one goat.

Like Mei, Gabu took a moment or two to come up with an honest, proper answer, looking within himself as he scratched his head. "I'm gonna be honest, Mei. It's gonna take me a while to get used to the whole 'lone wolf' thing. You have a certain connection, a certain understanding with your own kin: running together, hunting together, living together for years", the lupine admitted. However, he was far from done.

"But, it also feels really good being able to go wherever I like, do whatever I like, and talk to whoever I like without having a death threat hanging over my head all the time", the wolf proclaimed, folding his arms in thought as his brows settled into a solid line.

"Giro was a complete ass of an alpha, and he needed to be taken down a few pegs. Sure, I might have gotten my flank beat in that fight - royally beat - but it was still worth it, standing up to him", the wolf figured with a huff and a toothy smile, injecting a bit of levity into the conversation like he often did, which made his goat buddy chuckle.

"If standing by my friend makes me a loathsome traitor to the pack, then I'm quite proud to be one", the lupine declared. He'd made his choices and he refused to feel ashamed of them, of his relationship with his little buddy.

"There's the spirit", Mei encouraged him, patting the bigger wolf on the back. Mei couldn't help but notice that Gabu had changed slightly ever since their experience in the mountains. He was still a lovable goofball of a friend, but ever since he had made his last stand against many of his former brothers and lived to tell the tale afterwards, his confidence level seemed to have shot up a bit.

"Do you think some of them are still out there, hating us right now?", Mei wondered, voicing a new, creepy possibility that had occurred to him.

Gabu wrinkled his snout at the idea, perturbed, but considered the question nonetheless. "Maybe. I really doubt I was the only one who made it out of that avalanche alive. Especially since I still don't know how I survived it", the wolf reckoned, theorizing.

Well, that idea was discomforting. Though at the moment, it was nothing more than an idea, with nothing concrete to actually substantiate it. "Well, if we ever run into any predators again, I just hope I'll be able to contribute something for once", Mei thought aloud.

Once what the goat had said actually sank in, Gabu furrowed his brow and tilted his head in confusion. "What do you mean by that?", he questioned the billy goat.

Mei glanced up at the brown wolf, surprised as well, and he met his puzzled stare with certain blue eyes. "Well, Gabu, surely you must have noticed by now", Mei figured, like what he was getting at was totally obvious. However, that apparently wasn't the case, since Gabu only shook his head and gestured for the goat to elaborate further.

"You've saved my life four or five times now, Gabu, and I've never done the same for you once. I've never been able to", Mei explained, laying it all out plainly.

Gabu's expression softened and the wolf huffed, understanding now. His companion was worrying about nothing. "Mei, I think those times I tried to eat you helps to balance the scale", the wolf countered, though not without a noticeable twinge of guilt. He didn't divulge any further than that though. Ever since the two moved to their new forest, they had already had quite a few talks about the wolf's guilty conscience.

However, Mei pressed on with his inner concerns like he didn't hear the lupine interject. "And even before I met you, I was always kind of the useless one in my herd, the slow one", the creamy white goat admitted. "If we're going to be partners, Gabu, I want to be able to pull my own weight", the mountain animal insisted.

Gabu shuffled forward, the lupine's brow setting into a firm line as he grew serious. "Mei, you're not useless", he stated. "Hell, between the two of us, you're a lot of braver than I am", he figured.

Mei glanced at his brawnier friend and raised a skeptical brow. "Really?", he said in disbelief.

"Yeah", Gabu replied, nonplussed. "I'm built for fighting and hunting, Mei, even if I'm not really good at them. But you, you're meant for a quiet, peaceful life grazing on grass. Everything we've done, everything you've done, you've done it without claws or fangs to fall back on. Leaving home, jumping in rapids, climbing a mountain, soldiering on all winter without me - and you made it, Mei. You even gave me your trust when you had no reason to", Gabu argued, baring his private, innermost feelings, catching the billy goat off guard as his expression gradually shifted.

The wolf placed his paw on the billy goat's shoulder, addressing him directly with proud green eyes and a toothy smile. "You're a pretty brave goat, Mei, and a pretty crazy one. I kind of look up to you, and I try to be more like you", the lupine confessed.

A bashful little smile grew on Mei's snout as the goat peered up at his companion, touched by his words, processing everything they meant. "Gabu... that's actually kind of sweet", he said.

The wolf shrugged, unabashed. "It's how I feel", he stated gruffly yet sincerely.

Like Mei, Gabu was always the odd one out back in his old pack. He was a competent enough predator to survive in the wild - his parents raised him well, after all - but he never assimilated into pack life and the pack mentality as well as he should have. There were very few wolves in the pack he would actually call his friends, he was frequently scolded by the alpha male and his beta wolf for being weak and indecisive, and he was mocked by his packmates for being too softhearted or being a coward in their eyes. He didn't fit the standard, the image of an aggressive, territorial, rough and tough wolf as effortlessly as the others. Ironically, when they became friends, Gabu's warm heart and his emotional openness were the two things Mei liked the most about the lupine, things he would never want him to change. And since then, the wolf had proven to himself and others that he could be strong and courageous when he needed to be.

Mei chuckled a little and dipped his head, chewing on what he just learned. After a moment, he glanced back up and made a decision. The billy goat padded forward, closing the gap between himself and the scruffy lupine. Mei buried his head deep in the wolf's fur coat and started nuzzling his chest, being mindful of his horns, showing his affection for the lupine.

The wolf was caught off guard for a moment, but pretty soon, his heart grew warm and sappy. He lowered his strong, sinewy arms around the billy goat and pulled him into a firm, loving embrace, keeping his pal close to his chest, returning the sentiment. Closing his eyes, Mei let his muscles relax, leaning against the brown wolf without a care in the world, while Gabu lightly rubbed circles in his back, enjoying getting to hold Mei the way that he was. The two animals stayed like that for a while, hugging each other without exchanging words, before Mei eventually pulled back a bit, so he could address Gabu properly.

"You know Gabu, now that we're alone, away from any prying eyes, I can do this", the goat figured, before he leaned up and, without any fear or hesitation, lapped a warm, pink tongue across Gabu's cheek.

Just like that, the wolf grew still, stunned by the goat's actions. He reached up and touched the wet spot on his cheek with his paw, just to confirm it was really there; his green eyes flickering between his paw and the adorable bundle of fur leaning against his chest. However, while he was surprised by his buddy's decision, he didn't look off-put by it. Quite the opposite.

"You've wanted to do that too, Mei?", he asked.

Mei beamed up at him with bright blue, bold eyes. "Ever since we escaped from the river", he answered unabashedly.

Blinking, the wolf chuckled roughly at the goat's declaration, shook his head at the new revelation, and then smirked down at his best friend. "Well then, I am in good company", he declared, a low, jovial rumble in the back of his throat.

Bending down slightly, the wolf returned the favor, letting his warm, wet, rough tongue lap the side of Mei's face, mussing up his fur, showing his love and affection for the goat the way canines did. However, Gabu's tongue was considerably larger than Mei's, and left more of an impression on the creamy white goat.

"Gabu, that tickles!", Mei exclaimed, giggling at his friend's ministrations.

Gabu quirked a brow, taking note of that. "The perfect kind of torture", he cheekily retorted, teasing the billy goat, as he decided to push on licking his companion..

As his friend started tickling him now on purpose, Mei laughed and decided to play along with him, lightly pushing against the wolf's chest with his hooves as the lupine's warm tongue kept lapping against his face. "You fiend!", he proclaimed as dramatically and phonily as he could, squirming in the wolf's arms.

"Never trust a wolf, little goat", the lupine teased him.

Going one step further, Gabu decided to let himself have a little spill and tumble over backwards, causing Mei to yelp lightly. Taking Mei along for the ride, safe in his arms the whole time, the lupine plopped down onto the ground with a soft thud. Once he was lying on his back, the wolf released his buddy from his grip and the duo made their respective moves. Mei charged ahead first, knowing the score.

The two animals tussled and play-fought as they sometimes did nowadays: nipping and jabbing at each other, ruffling each other's fur, rolling around in the grass without a care in the world, enjoying being silly and ridiculous together (though the fact that their den wasn't all that large limited how much they could move around somewhat). As the nighttime rolled on, the two animals had a good, playful romp.

Eventually, once they had worn themselves out, things quieted down with time and the pair of animals sat back on their haunches to catch their breath, Gabu panting while Mei sweated lightly. Noticeably, the duo sat closer to each other than they had done before, almost subconsciously, while the mood of their den became thoughtful and contemplative again. Each of them let their mind wander, considering what they had just learned about each other, thinking about how to move forward. Gabu in particular thought about Mei's self-esteem.

After a while, Gabu spoke up again, catching Mei's attention,

"You now, there are ways a little goat can mess a wolf up pretty badly, or some other predator", Gabu quietly stated, recalling how badly scarred his previous alpha had been, which led Mei to furrow his brow at the sudden change in conversation.

The lupine looked down at the goat tentatively, thoughtfully. "With me around, I'd like to think it would never come to that. But since I'm a full blown traitor now, I suppose I could always give you some tips, so if anything happens, you'll be ready", the brown wolf offered.

Mei's ears perked up, the billy goat blinked, and a pearly white, elated smile curled its way across his muzzle. "Yeah. Yeah, I'd like that. Thank you, Gabu", the creamy white goat agreed gratefully.

The brown wolf grunted and nodded his head, making a mental note for the near future.

With that decided, Mei shuffled a bit closer so the billy goat could lean comfortably against his buddy's side. Mei was a bit worried he might have been too bold doing that, making things a bit too intimate for the lupine, but the wolf seemed to enjoy it, considering the laidback, toothy grin that spread across his snout, his tongue lolling to the side. Once they were comfortable, the two animals turned their full attention back to the mouth of their den, so they could watch the forest work at night once more.

And once they actually started to pay attention to their surroundings again for the first time in several minutes, instead of sharing tender words or playing around, the two animals realized they weren't alone anymore.

Resting in a tree branch in front of their home, several meters above the ground, was a single, lonely owl with sharp talons, keen yellow eyes, and bushy grey feathers, gazing down upon the duo, scrutinizing them closely. They had no idea how long the bird had been sitting there or how much of their silly behavior he had seen. He made no effort to speak or move at all now that they had caught on to his presence. He only stared at them eerily, with wide observant eyes, the same way owls often did.

Gabu and Mei glanced at each other for confirmation of what they were seeing, and then looked back at the feathery newcomer above them. Neither of them knew what to do or what to say to break the awkward silence and the equally awkward staring contest they were all locked in. They weren't even sure if they should do something.

Eventually, Mei decided to take some initiative first. The creamy white goat lifted a hoof off the ground and slowly waved it at the bird in the trees. "Hello", he greeted, plastering an obviously fake grin onto his face.

Following his lead, Gabu did the same with one of his paws, albeit a lot more vigorously.

The silent grey avian blinked and ruffled his feathers. The proud bird narrowed his eyes at the pair: whether it was out of distaste, distrust, or pure indifference towards the mammals, Mei couldn't tell. The nocturnal animal flapped his wings, building up a good amount of thrust and momentum, and then flew off his perch, soaring away from their den without ever saying a word in reply to the duo.

After the bird had flown away in the night, leaving the two creatures alone in their den once more, things were quiet and awkward again for a beat longer as the duo chewed on what just happened, until Mei finally spoke up.

"Well, that was harsh", the creamy white goat griped, a bit offended than they had been snubbed, which earned him a hearty bark of laughter from his lupine companion beside him.

Laying back on the grass, the two animals went back to watching the inner workings of the forest after dark, from the half-visible clouds rolling across the sky (backlit by a silvery moon), to the little, hidden creatures scurrying through the grass outside of their home. As they laid there in companionable silence, humming to themselves, the wolf and the goat could finally start to feel their muscles go slack, and their eyes start to get heavier. Pretty soon, they would be ready to turn in for the night.

However, Gabu still had one last thing he wanted to say, one last thing he wanted to get off his chest. "Do you really think we'll ever start to miss any of it, Mei? That we'll start to feel homesick?", the wolf wondered out loud, thinking about the future.

Mei glanced at his companion, his blue eyes reflecting the soft light pouring in from outside their small cave. "After a few months, or a few years, I don't doubt it", the goat answered honestly, even if he didn't like the conclusion he had come to himself. "Which is why we'll just have to make new friends, so we can move on fully", he added wisely and decisively.

Gabu raised a thick, bushy eyebrow, understandably skeptical at the notion. "You mean like that owl?", he replied sarcastically, unable to resist smirking.

"I'm not saying it will be easy. In fact, it'll probably be really difficult. But I don't think it'll be impossible either to get a few animals to come around to us", the goat reasoned firmly, voicing his rather optimistic convictions.

"Besides, we've got plenty of time to try", Mei added. "For once, we've got all the time in the world", he stated, taking a moment to appreciate the idea, the reality they had both worked so hard to achieve.

Gabu couldn't argue with that bit of truth that brought a content smile to his face, so the brown wolf tossed a lazy, sinewy arm around his buddy, keeping him close to the lupine, as the pair of animals finished asking any questions they had and started bunkering down for the night - enjoying their last few looks at the dark forest vista in front of them.

Whatever challenges came ahead in the following days, the two friends would face them and overcome them as a team, like they had done for the last few months. Though perhaps, considering everything they had learned about each other and everything there still was to discover, the two of them might just be a bit more than friends. Maybe quite a bit more.

Author's Note:

So this is another story idea I had been tinkering with for a while: a short coda to "Arashi No Yoru Ni / One Stormy Night", a rather cute anime about the power of friendship conquering all. This one-shot fully embraces the purposely gay undertones of Gabu and Mei's friendship, because whether you ship them or not, Gabu and Mei go on to develop some pretty nice chemistry. Feel free to leave a review.