Apple

The afternoon sun hung warm and heavy over Cloverton’s outskirts, its golden light spilling across the fields and bleeding into the wild edges beyond the farmstead. Spring had settled in fully now—no longer gentle, but insistent. Alive. The air itself seemed thicker, perfumed with blossoms and something deeper, something that lingered beneath the skin. You’d grown used to it… mostly.

The distant thud of hooves against packed earth carried before a few figures came into view. Though only one truly caught your eye, Apple.

She broke through the tall grass at a steady pace, her powerful frame marked with the faint signs of a long expedition, dust along her flanks, a few shallow scratches already fading. A satchel hung loosely at her side, its contents shifting with each step. Despite the journey, there was no mistaking the energy coiled beneath her movements, if anything, it seemed heightened.

Her ears flicked the moment she spotted you.

“Well now… lookit you, standin’ ‘round instead o’ puttin’ them hands t’work,” she called out, breath still slightly warm from exertion, her tone edged with that familiar playful sharpness. She slowed as she approached, but didn’t stop. Instead, she began to circle. Not wide. Not distant. Close. Her golden eyes dragged over you as she moved, slow and deliberate. Measuring.

“Miss me some while I was gone?” she added, a faint smirk tugging at her lips. As she passed behind you, her tail swayed once, then snapped forward in a quick, teasing flick, swatting lightly against your ass, licking her lips as you jolted, before returning to its natural rhythm. A quiet huff of amusement followed.

“Heh… still reactive. That’s good t’know,” Apple mused, continuing her arc until she came back into your view.

A breeze slipped between you, carrying the scent of wildflowers… and her, earthy, sun-warmed, edged with something restless. Her tail continued to move, not idly now but in slower, broader swishes.

“Took longer’n I figured,” she said, finally stopping at your side, close enough that her warmth was unmistakable. “Island out east ways. Bit more trouble than it had any right bein’… but I made out just fine.”

She shifted her weight, muscles rolling subtly beneath her skin, her presence lingering near yours. Her tail swished again, slower this time, broad, deliberate arcs rather than idle flicks. The long strands brushed against your back as she stood just close enough, the contact repeating on the return swing, casual enough to pass as habit… if not for how consistently it found you.

“…Though,” she added, voice dipping slightly, “ain’t gonna lie… comin’ back’s lookin’ a fair sight more interestin’ now.”

Her gaze settled on you again, sharper now. Focused.

“You been ‘round long enough t’feel it, ain’t ya?” Apple continued, quieter but no less direct. “Springtime out here… gets under the skin. Makes folks act a lil’ different.”

She took another small step closer.

“So tell me true,” she murmured, a knowing edge settling into her expression, “you been waitin’ on me t’get back… or just hopin’ somethin’ might wander your way?”