mapleleafred

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and
incidents either are the product of the author's
imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to
actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living
or dead, is entirely coincidental and beyond the intent of
either the author or the publisher.

Maple Leaf Red: Sugaring Off
Torquere Press Publishers
PO Box 2545
Round Rock, TX 78680
Copyright 2012 by Vic Winter
Cover illustration by Alessia Brio
Published with permission
ISBN: 978-1-61040-698-7

www.torquerepress.com
All rights reserved, which includes the right to
reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form
whatsoever except as provided by the U.S. Copyright
Law. For information address Torquere Press. Inc., PO
Box 2545, Round Rock, TX 78680.
First Torquere Press Printing: February 2012
Printed in the USA

Maple Leaf Red: Sugaring Off - 2

Maple Leaf Red: Sugaring Off

By Vic Winter

Jacques closed his eyes and put his head back,

enjoying the sensation of the late autumn sun on his
face. The breeze that blew was cold, the sound of the
leaves rustling on the ground like bones in a graveyard.
Winter was coming, he could feel it in that wind, and it
was promising to be both long and harsh.

Which meant the sap would be plentiful when it

started running in the spring. Until then, he'd have to
keep warm and make sure that what he had lasted until
he got next year's batch of maple syrup to Montreal and
with it, a new windfall of cash to buy supplies with.

A cloud passed over the sun, and Jacques shivered at

the sudden lack of warmth. He pulled his coat tighter
and continued with his inspection. He was checking the
trees today, making sure last night's storm hadn't
damaged any of them too badly. So far there had been
one that had lost a large branch. He'd cut it off properly
and put pine sap over the fresh wood to seal it off. If he
didn't, that particular tree wouldn't produce come spring.
Given that it took forty liters of sap to produce a single
liter of maple syrup, every drop counted.

If next year was as good a year as it promised to be,

he might be able to get several acres worth of trees
tapped on a line next fall, instead of into the usual pails.
The old-fashioned way certainly worked, but work was
the operative word. The lines could bring the sap
directly into the boiling house, saving him hours of work
collecting every day. That would be more time he could
devote to his carvings.

Of course Grandpère would ask what he needed that

newfangled crap for. He had two perfectly good legs,
didn't he? And if he didn't have to go collect the sap,

Maple Leaf Red: Sugaring Off - 3

then what would he do all day? The devil made use of
idle hands, after all, and art was not a business. But then,
if Grandpère were still alive, he would think Jacques
was the very devil in question, given his desires...

Jacques shook his head and trudged around toward

the back of his property, where it edged onto the
provincial park. His parents had been killed in a car
crash when he'd been very young, and Grandpère had
been the one to bring him up. It was a hard life, farming
the maple trees for their sweet nectar, but it was
rewarding, and Grandpère had been a hard man, but had
never taken a switch to him like so many of the old
man's generation had with their kids, and Jacques had
never felt a lack of love.

He'd been on his own for three years now and he

missed the old man every day, but especially on days
like today, when the wind made that lonely sound while
he walked the property. It didn't have to be a lonely life,
but this property was well off the beaten track and,
honestly, Jacques actually enjoyed the peace and
solitude much of the time. He'd never found anyone he
wanted to share that with; of course he rarely went
looking, either, so it was a catch twenty-two, really.

A sound from the trees beyond his property line

brought him up short. There was no fence separating his
trees from the province's, so there was nothing to keep
animals from coming to him, and the park boasted all
manner of wildlife. He'd even seen a moose one year,
and more than one bear had stolen sap from his buckets
in the spring after a long winter of hibernating, so the
noise could be any animal, big or small, dangerous or
not.

Jacques stood, head cocked, holding his breath, as he

waited to see if the sound manifested into an animal. He
stayed like that until he couldn't hold his breath any

Maple Leaf Red: Sugaring Off - 4

longer and then shrugged and continued along the line of
trees, inspecting for damage. He hit the little hut at the
far east corner and unlocked it, made sure that his
equipment was all there -- the taps, the buckets, the
rubber mallet. He had a similar hut near the house,
making it easier to cover the entire swath of land.

It was all there, all good, and he put the lock back on

the door and pocketed the key. He'd cut back through
the middle of his property as a random inspection. It was
getting late into the day, and he wasn't going to have the
sun with him all the way home. Luckily, if he cut
through the woods, he'd only have a kilometer or so left
to go by the time it was truly dark. The moon wasn't full,
and it wouldn't illuminate very much through the trees.

As he made his way through the woods, he thought

he heard another sound, but he brushed it off as his
imagination or the wind playing with the branches of the
trees. When it came again, he stopped. An uncanny
feeling hit him, like he was being watched.

Holding back a shiver, Jacques turned very slowly.
There, only about twenty meters behind him was a

wolf. Jacques stared, and the beast stared right back at
him.

He didn't know what to make of it. Wolves usually

stayed well away from humans -- really all the animals
did, even the moose and bears he'd seen had only been
in passing and well away. Why was this one acting so
strangely?

He took a step backward, and the wolf didn't move.

When he took another one, though, the wolf took a step
forward, or at least sort of did. Jacques was pretty sure it
was limping. If it was hurt, that might explain its strange
behavior. He took a step forward, and then another. The
wolf limped backward, keeping the space between them.

"It's okay, chiot, I'm not going to hurt you."

Maple Leaf Red: Sugaring Off - 5

The wolf didn't seem convinced, still keeping the

same amount of space between them. Jacques watched
for a moment longer, but he was losing the light and
wanted to be much closer to home before it disappeared
completely.

"Okay, then, I'm going. You can follow me if you

want. I have bandages at home. And food." He turned
and started walking again, thinking that if anything
made the wolf follow him, it was likely to be the
promise of food. Not that he thought the wolf had
understood his words, but he imagined that most
animals knew that where there were humans, there was
also food.

He gave up all pretense of checking the trees as he

trekked along, instead glancing back to check on the
progress of his wolfy shadow. Sure enough, as long as
he kept moving, the wolf followed him.

It crossed his mind, as the sun disappeared

completely and the sky darkened, that maybe the wolf
was waiting until Jacques was at a disadvantage due to
the darkness before attacking. It might make up for his
injuries, and if the wolf was hungry enough... Well, if
that was true, there wasn't much Jacques could do at this
point, and his best bet was to just keep going. Besides,
something in the wolf's eyes made him believe it
wouldn't attack him.

The wolf never got any closer, no matter how dark it

got, and it was fully dark by the time Jacques entered the
clearing where his house and the sugar shack were. Here
the bare crescent moon gave off a little bit of
illumination. Jacques' fingers had started to go numb, as
had his cheeks, the wind picking up and seeming so
much colder without the light.

He trudged up the stairs and turned. The wolf was

still about twenty meters from him, staring. "Are you

Maple Leaf Red: Sugaring Off - 6

coming in? It's warm and there's food, water. And I can
take a look at your leg."

The wolf continued to stare at him.
"Have it your way, chiot." He stomped in and let the

door slam behind him. Then he went and lit the fire. He
had an oil heater, but it was damned expensive and the
more he could use the fireplace to keep himself warm,
the better. He didn't bother to take his coat or boots off -
- it would take a while for the fire to warm the place up.
Besides, he knew damn well he was going back out
again to feed his visitor.

He found a bowl and cut up the leftover pork roast he

had from the night before. He added the potatoes, too.
He only held back enough for a sandwich for himself.
Then he grabbed a second bowl and filled it with water.

Taking both bowls outside, he set them on the ground

about three meters from his door. If the wolf wanted to
eat, he was going to have to trust Jacques enough to
come closer. He backed away to his door, but the wolf
stayed where he was.

"Not very trusting, are you?" He didn't blame the

wolf -- who knew how that leg had been hurt, maybe it
was a human who'd done it with a trap or a gun or
something. Jacques went inside and closed the door. He
could watch from here.

It was nearly fifteen minutes before the wolf crept

forward, the white in his fur reflecting the scarce
moonlight, and Jacques could see now that he was
dragging his back right leg rather badly. He also knew
the animal wouldn't thank him if he were to spring out
now and try to fix it. Food and water first, then, if he had
the animal's trust, he'd see if he could do something
about that back leg.

The wolf, well, wolfed down the food like he hadn't

eaten in days, and short work was made of the water,

Maple Leaf Red: Sugaring Off - 7

too. Then the animal began to slink back toward the tree
line.

"Hostie, tabernacle." Jacques swore and opened the

door. "Come on, chiot, you're hurt. Come into the warm
and let me look at that leg."

The wolf gave him a look, but made no attempt to

come back to him. The wolf didn't go further into the
woods, though, either. They were at a stalemate.

The wind made a mournful sound and his hands

ached from the cold. It would be time for mittens soon.
Hell, it would be time to stay inside soon. The injured
wolf was clearly in no shape to hunt, and food would be
scarce out there now on top of that. Jacques couldn't just
abandon the beast.

"Look. I'll open the door to the boiler." He went over

to the sugar shack and unlocked it. He left the door
about a quarter open. It was shelter and would be better
than nothing, certainly warmer than staying where the
wind could get to you. "Go on, chiot. I won't bother
you," he promised.

Then he went inside and for good measure, locked

the door nosily. That made him laugh at himself. Did he
really think the wolf would understand what he'd said,
what he'd done? Maybe he'd been out here alone too
long if he thought he could talk to animals and be
understood.

To his utter shock, after about five minutes, and

taking a circuitous route, the wolf slowly made his way
to the sugar shack, slipping in through the door and
disappearing from view.

Well. Maybe the wolf could understand, after all --

Jacques' intentions at least, if not his actual words.
Feeling better about the wolf, he went back to his little
kitchen and made his sandwich with the leftover pork
roast he'd kept back from his four-legged guest. He

Maple Leaf Red: Sugaring Off - 8

added some whiskey mustard to his, the last of
Grandpère's stash, and went into the living room where
the fire was warming the place up nicely.

He spread the wood out a bit; he'd just needed to take

the chill off and didn't need to burn more than the few
pieces he'd used. Soon enough he'd need every flicker of
warmth he could find and would sleep in here by the
fireplace, but winter didn't have her hooks in him yet.
Sitting in Grandpère's chair, he turned on the television
and the DVD player and settled in with season three of
24.

***

The sun woke Jacques the next morning, shining

warmly onto the bed, teasing him with the promise of a
beautiful day. He needed to take stock of his provisions
today. There was some money left in the grocery tin
and, if winter was going to be as long as he suspected,
he maybe needed to add to his stores. He knew what he
had, but it never hurt to double check and it gave him
something to do.

There was a cow in the freezer in the cold room from

Dulac, who farmed the land on the other side of Jacques'
sugar bush. The chickens and sausages were from the
same source, and, weather permitting, he would get
fresh milk and eggs from the man once a week.

A check confirmed that he had plenty of flour,

powdered milk and yeast to make bread with. He'd
picked up homemade jams from Dulac's wife, and there
were loads of canned vegetables on the shelves, a little
bit of canned fruit, too. He supposed it wouldn't hurt to
take a day while it was nice, to go into town and make
sure the cupboards were a little more full.

Maple Leaf Red: Sugaring Off - 9

He refused to admit that what he was thinking his

cupboards were lacking was dog food. The wolf
wouldn't stay, right? Especially not after Jacques
doctored up his leg. It would take off as soon as it felt it
was healed up enough to survive.

He shook his head and grabbed the first aid kit. If he

was going to do this, it would be best to just get it done.
The wolf wasn't going to get any easier to deal with. If
Jacques wasn't trusted now, he probably never would be.

Opening a can of chili, he put it in the same bowl he'd

used last night and headed for the sugar shack. He didn't
know if the wolf was still there or not, but he made
plenty of noise as he crossed the clearing to the building,
not wanting to surprise the wolf and make it feel
cornered. It was a large animal and, injured or not,
Jacques figured it could do a fair bit of damage with its
teeth.

"Where are you, chiot?" he asked as he opened the

door all the way and blinked in the sudden darkness
inside. There was movement beneath the boiler and
Jacques snorted. "There's no warmth for you there this
time of year." He guessed it felt safer than being in the
open, though.

The wolf simply blinked at him, eyes picking up the

light from behind him, and Jacques put the food down
near the boiler. "Breakfast. It's chili -- probably not as
good as last night's fresh meat, but I wasn't expecting
you."

Instead of leaving, he grabbed a bucket off a hook

and went over to the sink to fill it with water. He placed
that near the food and then sat on the bench that ran the
length of the side wall.

"I'm not going this time. You need to have that back

leg looked at and if you can't trust me enough to do it,
you'll have to find your next meal on your own." He

Maple Leaf Red: Sugaring Off - 10

rolled his eyes at himself again for talking to the wolf
like it could understand him.

The beast crept out from beneath the boiler, though,

and made short work of the canned chili before moving
on to the bucket of water. The wolf drank for a long
time, making Jacques frown.

"I'm not so sure you should be drinking quite that

much. What with the injury and all." He wasn't sure why
he knew that, but it was probably something Grandpère
had told him. His grandfather had known a lot of things
and had tried to impart them all to Jacques. It had only
been in the final years of the old man's life that Jacques
had really paid attention and made an effort to learn.
With Grandpère's health failing, he'd had to do more and
more to keep the business going and during the last year
of Grandpère's life, it had been clear it wouldn't be that
long before his grandfather was no longer with them.

Jacques had never guessed how lonely it would be

out here once he was on his own. He'd never realized
just how much companionship his grandfather had
offered. Grandpère had been fairly quiet and rather
rough and plain, but he was family. Jacques wasn't in the
habit of going to town for socialization -- he'd had to
hide his true nature from Grandpère and it was easier to
just not go than to try to come up with reasons why he
never found any girls to spend time with. Now, though,
he wished he at least knew where to begin to look for
proper companionship, for something more than a
quickie in a bathroom.

Ah, it probably didn't matter -- it wasn't like anyone

was going to want to come out to the boonies and set up
house with him. Maybe for a month or two, but nobody
came out here willingly or stayed very long. He
supposed he hadn't sold up because this place was in his
blood. Grandpère always used to say that maple syrup

Maple Leaf Red: Sugaring Off - 11

ran in the Duchamps' veins instead of blood. It had
always made Jacques laugh, but now he didn't know. He
was still here, after all, even though it was a lonely
existence of long periods of quiet followed by mad
working for several weeks.

Maybe that was why he was so interested in helping

the wolf, though; he understood what it meant to be
completely alone, and he couldn't imagine what he
would do if he was hurt. Grandpère had had him; he had
no one.

Jacques started to talk to the wolf, just telling the

animal what he was doing as he opened the First Aid kit
and started looking through it for things he might need
to take care of the wolf's leg. Finally, he got up and went
to the wall, turning on the light switch. It wasn't terribly
bright, but he had a flashlight, too, and figured he'd be
able to see the wolf's wound with that.

The wolf didn't back away when Jacques got down

onto his hands and knees and crawled over. He let the
wolf smell him -- Grandpère had owned a dog who'd
died two weeks after the old man had, and it gave
Jacques some insight into the wolf's behavior. He knew
the beast needed to get his scent in its nose before it
would let him touch it.

Once the sniffing was done, Jacques stroked the

beast's muzzle. "You are a beauty, aren't you, chiot?"
The wolf was all manner of grays, his pelt thick with the
softer, finer fur beneath. "Lie down for me, eh? Let me
see your leg."

The wolf growled softly, but it didn't feel like a

warning or like the wolf wanted him to back off. That
was confirmed when the beast lay down and settled on
its side, offering him access to the wounded leg.

"Oh, chiot, did someone shoot you?" That's what it

looked like upon initial inspection.

Maple Leaf Red: Sugaring Off - 12

The animal whimpered as he examined the wound

and the blood-matted fur around it. He was right; the
wolf had been shot. Jacques shook his head; the
provincial park was protected land and the wolf should
have been safe there.

"I think I should try to take out the bullet, and that's

going to hurt. I think even the cleaning is going to hurt."
He slid his hand back along the wolf's flank, back to the
big head with the heavy muzzle. "There are painkillers
in here that I should be able to give you, but it's going to
hurt. Will you let me do it?" He would have to wrap the
wolf's muzzle as well, keep the beast from lashing out
from the pain and biting him.

The wolf's tail thumped once.
"Was that a yes, chiot?"
That tail thumped again, and again just the once.
"I'm taking that as a yes. No biting me if I'm wrong.

Let me just go back and get a blanket for you to lie on
and some matches to sterilize things." He gave the wolf
another pat on the head and trotted back to the house for
the rest of the things he'd need.

***

Jacques had managed to dose the wolf with some of

the painkillers Grandpère's dog had been on for arthritis.
Then he'd wrapped the wolf's muzzle with a cotton t-
shirt, just enough to keep him safe from those teeth.
He'd managed to dig out the bullet, clean the area and
wash all the blood out of the wolf's fur. The wolf was
now back under the boiler, on a blanket, his back leg
wrapped, his muzzle not.

Then Jacques finished writing up his grocery list, but

he thought he should wait a day or two before going to
town, maybe even three, in case the wolf needed him.

Maple Leaf Red: Sugaring Off - 13

He realized that maybe what he needed was to get a dog.
Clearly, he was feeling the need for companionship or
he wouldn't be so worried about how the wolf was
doing.

He checked once more on the wolf and then cleaned

out the shed containing all his tapping gear for this end
of the bush. He'd just finished up when a provincial
police car drove up, a large cop getting out. Jacques
hadn't seen Constable Messier since Grandpère had died
three years ago.

"Bonjour, Monsieur Duchamps." The man held out

his hand.

Jacques shook, nodded. He had to admit he was

curious; the police didn't just drop by. "What can I do
for you today?"

"We have a fugitive on the loose. He's about two

meters tall, short, dark hair, blue eyes."

Jacques shook his head. "I haven't seen anyone for

days."

"When's the last time you were in your back woods?"
"Yesterday, actually. Checking to make sure the

storm hadn't damaged any of the trees. I didn't see
anyone on my land." No one except his wolf, who while
he had dark hair and blue eyes, was nowhere near two
meters. And also not a man. Jacques almost chuckled at
the thought.

"No signs of anyone?"
"None at all, Constable."
Messier pursed his lips. "What about a blood trail?"
"What?"
"The thing is he was shot while running. We're pretty

sure we got him." Messier took off his hat and ran a
hand through his hair before replacing the cap. "He's a
fugitive. A wanted man."

Maple Leaf Red: Sugaring Off - 14

"I haven't seen him." Jacques would have known if

he'd seen a man running on his land. Or even just hiding
there. His buildings were kept locked.

"Do you mind if I look around?"
"In my house? You don't believe me?" Now Jacques'

dander was up; he had no reason to lie to Messier and
the constable had no reason to think he was lying.

"Not at all, not at all. But he could have snuck into

one of your outbuildings."

"There's no one in them, just my chiot in the sugar

shack."

"Do you mind if I take a look?" Messier asked again.
The sun had gone behind some clouds and the day

was suddenly gray and gloomy and the last thing
Jacques wanted to do was allow Messier access to his
property, to let the man roam through his home. It didn't
seem right, somehow and he felt like Messier was
accusing him of something. In the end, however, he
shrugged.

"Go ahead. I have nothing to hide." Unless it was

illegal to harbor a wolf. He didn't know if it was or not,
really. But if the animal stayed under the boiler, Messier
wouldn't be able to tell it was actually a wolf and not a
dog, would he? Jacques figured he was going to have to
take that chance. Jacques didn't really want Messier
coming back because he hadn't had a chance to search
the place properly this time; he had nothing to hide and
he resented the implications that he did.

He stayed out in the clearing by Messier's car,

watching in disbelief as the first place the constable
checked was the shed he'd just finished cleaning. The
man didn't believe him! The only reason for Messier to
check in there was if he thought Jacques was lying to
him about having seen someone. Messier believed
Jacques was harboring a fugitive. It made him grind his

Maple Leaf Red: Sugaring Off - 15

teeth and glare. He wanted the constable gone, off his
property.

Next Messier checked the house, spending far longer

than Jacques thought was necessary in there, before
moving on to the sugar shack. By now Jacques was
annoyed enough that he hoped the wolf would bite
Messier on the ass.

Still, he was relieved when Messier came out of the

boiler room and doffed his hat. "You're safe, there's no
one hiding out."

"I told you that." He was annoyed all over again at

Messier's attempt to make it sound like the constable
was doing him a favor by checking the place. Nobody
was going to jump out at Jacques in the night; there was
no one there to do it.

"Your dog isn't much of a guard dog, though. He only

growled a little at me."

Jacques shrugged nonchalantly. "He knew I wasn't in

trouble."

"Well, thank you for your cooperation, Duchamps. If

you see anyone call me, okay?" Messier handed him a
business card. Jacques took it reluctantly.

He stayed in the middle of the clearing in front of his

house, his arms crossed, watching as Messier got back
into his car, did a three point turn and headed back the
way he'd come. Then Jacques put his hands, which were
getting a bit cold despite the sunshine, into his pockets,
grunting as his cell phone vibrated for a moment.

Pulling it out, he saw the text message notification. It

was from Dulac, from about five minutes before Messier
had shown up, warning him the cops were on their way.

He texted back, letting Dulac know Messier had

come and gone and thanking him for the heads up. It
wasn't Dulac's fault he couldn't feel the phone vibrate
when it was in the pocket of his thick, fall jacket. He

Maple Leaf Red: Sugaring Off - 16

switched it to ringer on so he'd hear it next time it went
off and headed to the sugar shack to check on his wolf.

Maybe his wolf. He supposed that was up to the wolf.

It would either stay or it would go and Jacques figured
there was precious little he could do to influence the
beast one way or the other. The truth was, though, that
he hoped the wolf chose to stay.

***

It grew colder quickly, and about a week after the

wolf had let Jacques patch him up, he allowed Jacques
to coax him into the house. It wasn't that surprising,
really: it was warm inside his place and there was food
and water. With winter attempting to blow in early and
the wolf still limping, it wasn't that strange to Jacques
that he had earned the beast's trust.

He brought the blanket in and put it next to the

fireplace, chuckling as the wolf immediately circled it
several times and then curled up by the warmth. As he
turned the TV on to watch more of 24, he had to admit
to himself that it was nice having a companion, even if it
was only a wolf he'd rescued.

He found himself talking to the beast during his days,

about the TV show he was watching, or the pieces he
was carving. Jacques wouldn't admit it to anyone, but
his secret dream was to become a sculptor. Well, he
supposed as he was doing the carving, he was a sculptor
already; the dream was to get paid for it, to make a
living doing what he loved. Funnily enough, most of the
pieces he'd done lately were wolves...

About a week after Jacques had coaxed the wolf into

his home, it started sleeping on his bed at night. As the
days grew colder, it was great to have the extra warmth.

Maple Leaf Red: Sugaring Off - 17

And, just maybe, it was nice not to be sleeping alone,
either.

Jacques put down his tools and sighed. He probably

needed to get out, go to town and try to get off with
someone, even if it was in an alley or the bathroom of a
bar. He was starting to think of his wolf as a proper
companion, for Christ's sake. He was starting to think of
the wolf as his.

"I'm going a little stir crazy, chiot. You know? Sitting

here all day and talking to you like you can understand
me. Like you're going to stay once the weather turns in
the spring. Like you're really mine." He shook his head
and started putting away his tools. Maybe he'd check out
the Internet, see if he could find somewhere to try to sell
his carvings. That would give him an excuse to go to
Montreal, maybe. He could stay overnight, or even a
couple nights. There were some gay bars there, though
he'd never been to one -- it wouldn't have been right
while Grandpère was alive and he just hadn't had the
chance since. The trick was to time it when the roads
were still clear.

The next day there was a blizzard the likes of which

he couldn't remember seeing in years. He couldn't see
more than a few feet outside the windows, and the snow
was piling up high outside the door. The roads would be
impassible for days, maybe even a week or so if the
weather didn't turn warm again; he was isolated enough
the old dirt road to his place wasn't cleared by the
province and the road leading to his dirt road was last on
the list.

He laughed a little bitterly.
"I guess I'm not going anywhere, am I, chiot? The

weather gods have decided I should stay here with you.
Not that I mind -- I do enjoy your company, strange as
that might sound, but you, chiot, don't talk back."

Maple Leaf Red: Sugaring Off - 18

"I could."
Jacques laughed. Now he was hearing things. He

turned from the window to go pat his wolf, and his eyes
went wide at what he saw. There, instead of the wolf
was a man. A tall, dark and handsome man. A tall, dark,
handsome and very naked man.

"Hostie, tabernacle!" He stumbled a half step

backward, hitting the wall.

"Don't faint," said the not-a-wolf man.
"I'm not going to faint," snapped Jacques. He hit

himself in the head, though, because he had to be seeing
things, right? And if he wasn't, then who the hell was
this stranger in his house? "Who are you and how did
you get in here?"

"You let me in."
"I most certainly did not!" He was pretty sure he'd

have remembered letting a hot stud like this into his
house. No way did he go to Montreal already and drink
so much that he blacked out not only picking up and
bringing home this guy, but had forgotten going in the
first place. He shook his head again for good measure
and added another, "I did not."

"But you did. Don't you recognize me?"
"Recognize you?" This guy was fucking with him.

That was the only answer. And where the hell was his
wolf? A little bit of protection would have been nice,
seeing how Jacques had taken the beast in and nursed it
back to health, fed it, gave it shelter. "I don't know you
from Adam."

"Are you sure? Look closely."
Look closely? This guy was off his rocker. Still.

Jacques, for some reason he wasn't quite sure about,
looked the man in the eye. He was not going to look
elsewhere because having a raging hard-on from
observing the hot body in front of him would not lend

Maple Leaf Red: Sugaring Off - 19

credence to his annoyance at this stranger being in his
home. So, he stared into the man's eyes. And stared.

No. It couldn't be. It couldn't.
It was, though. Jacques had seen those eyes before.

He'd seen them every day for the last few weeks.

This was his wolf.
He shook his head. No. That was crazy. His wolf was

a wolf and this man… this man was definitely a man.

"Who are you?" he demanded again. He suddenly

remembered Constable Messier showing up the day after
his wolf had followed him home, warning him about a
fugitive, searching his place for the man. He hadn't even
asked what the man was wanted for. What if this was
him? What if he was dangerous? Where was Jacques'
phone?

"You call me chiot."
Jacques sat down, hard, right there on the floor by the

window. And this time he would admit that he very
nearly had fainted. "You can't be," he said softly.

"Why not?"
That made him laugh, and if the sound was a bit

hysterical, well nobody would blame him, would they?
"Because my chiot is a wolf, and you are not." Wolves
didn't just suddenly become men, no matter how much
the people they lived with were hoping to get laid. He
stood, not feeling comfortable sitting on the floor with
this very naked stranger in his home.

"But I am."
Jacques snorted. He wasn't going crazy, but the man

in his house was definitely crazy. There was no other
explanation. At least, there was no other explanation
until, in front of his very own eyes, the man shimmered
and shrank and changed until Jacques' wolf was sitting
in front of him, those very same eyes looking at him like
the wolf could understand everything he said.

Maple Leaf Red: Sugaring Off - 20

"But..." He shook his head again. "It's not possible."
The wolf shimmered and stretched and changed again

until it was a man once more. Still naked, still hot, and
still not a wolf. "No, it's possible," said the man.

"How..." He seemed to be stuck in the land of one

syllable sentences, but really, who could blame him?
And he couldn't stop staring. And who would blame him
for that, either? This was a man who had been a wolf
just a moment ago. A very handsome man with a great
body. Like a fantasy man.

"Am I dreaming or going crazy?" Because this

couldn't be real. There was no such thing as werewolves.
Not in the real world, only in movies. Right?

"Neither," the man told him calmly.
"Are you sure? Because if I call up Dulac and tell

him about you, he'll think I've gone stir-crazy from
being here on my own for too long. And if I call the
cops, they'll come and pick me up and take me to the
loony bin."

"You're not crazy, and you're not dreaming." The

man came slowly toward him, stopping when they were
toe to toe. "And you're not alone anymore."

Leaning in, the man kissed him. Kissed him! The

man who was his wolf when he wasn't a man kissed
Jacques and it felt good. It felt better than good; it felt
amazing. Jacques hadn't kissed very many men. What
little experience he did have had been furtive and quick
and had not involved a whole lot of kissing.

Jacques decided he liked kissing very much. He also

decided that he could keep worrying about going crazy,
or he could continue to enjoy the kissing, and really,
there was no contest between those. He parted his lips to
enjoy the kissing even more. If he kept kissing, he
wouldn't have to think about this.

Maple Leaf Red: Sugaring Off - 21

One of the man's hands slid through his hair and

tilted his head back, deepening the kiss. Jacques moaned
at that and leaned forward. The man's body was there,
keeping him from falling. The guy was solid, strong and
didn't buckle even a little as Jacques rested against him.
He seemed pretty damn real and if Jacques was
imagining this -- hallucinating -- then he really was
crazy. Big time crazy.

"What's your name?" He couldn't keep calling the

guy 'chiot', not while he was most definitely not a puppy
of any kind, but a man. Very much a man if the hard
cock pressed against his belly was anything to go by.
And when had they stepped this close to each other? Oh
yeah, he'd leaned and the man had let him.

"You can call me Grey."
"Like the color?"
"Yes."
He was skeptical. It sounded like a made up name,

made up for his benefit. Then he decided that it didn't
matter. Grey it was. He went back to kissing Grey; if he
was going to accept that his wolf could change into a
man, then a little thing like where the man had gotten his
name shouldn't make a difference.

Jacques' hands found Grey's waist, sliding around it

and they were pressed up close again. Too bad he was
wearing clothes. Or maybe it was a good thing. Would it
be right to have sex with this man he'd only known for
seconds? That was how it worked at some of the bars,
but this was his home.

And Grey had been there for weeks, had shared his

bed with him. Only it had been Grey the wolf who'd
done that, not Grey the man. While Jacques was very
familiar and close with Grey the wolf, he didn't know
Grey the man from a hole in the wall. It didn't feel right,
somehow.

Maple Leaf Red: Sugaring Off - 22

"Stop it."
"What?" He looked up at Grey in confusion -- Grey

was the one who'd started the kisses.

"Thinking so hard."
He backed away. "Get out of my head!"
Grey chuckled and held up his hands. "Sorry. I don't

know what you were thinking about, but I could feel you
get lost during the kiss."

"Oh." Jacques rubbed the back of his neck. "Do you

want some clothes?" he blurted out. "It would be less..."
He wasn't sure what, but he thought he needed Grey to
be less something. He finally settled on, "distracting."

"You don't want to be distracted? I thought you were

lonely?"

"Well, yeah, but I don't know you yet, and it seemed

weird to just be hanging around naked and it's too soon
to jump your bones."

Grey smiled softly, warmly. "But you do want to

jump them?"

Jacques found himself nodded emphatically. "I do."
"Okay. I can put on clothes if you have anything to fit

me." Grey was taller than Jacques, and more muscled,
too.

"I think I do." He had a robe that would be fairly

short on Grey, but would keep him from being naked.

It was only once they'd backed away from each other

a bit, that he realized Grey had a wicked scar on his leg
and was favoring it. "You're hurt."

"No, you fixed me -- dug out the bullet and

everything, remember?"

He'd done that. For the wolf. Who'd been Grey all

along. This was going to take some getting used to. "I do
remember," he finally answered.

"You did a good job. Thank you."

Maple Leaf Red: Sugaring Off - 23

"You're welcome." He stared at Grey for a long

moment, the sensation oddly as it had been when he and
the wolf had stared at each other back in the first few
days. Only now he was the one who was gauging
whether or not he could trust Grey. He shook himself.
"Let me get you that robe. Don't go anywhere," he added
as he headed for his bedroom.

Grey's chuckles followed him. "I'm not going

anywhere."

No, he supposed not. Grey was very naked and it was

pretty cold out there. Of course, he figured Grey could
just turn back into a wolf and take off. It wasn't like a
closed door would hold him in if he could do the human
thing too. He'd just be human to open the door -- or heck
the fridge -- maybe it was a good thing he hadn't gotten
any dog food. The wolf liked his leftovers well enough,
and he'd guess Grey would like them, too. Although it
would make more sense for Grey to eat at the table with
him so they wouldn't exactly be leftovers, would they?
Would Grey eat more as a man than he did as a wolf, or
less?

Okay. Okay, he had to stop. He was freaking out a

bit. Or a lot. The wolf he'd taken in had turned into a
man. And then back into a wolf, and then back into a
man again. Jacques thought he was entitled to a little
freaking out. He needed to keep it together, though, to
deal with this, right?

He stood in the middle of his bedroom, the robe in

his hand and tried to decide if he needed to freak out a
little longer or if he should pull himself together and
deal. Dealing could mean more of those lovely kisses
and possibly even much more. Dealing could mean a
real companion, someone to share the long, cold winter
with. The shows he watched on DVD would be a lot
more fun if his running commentary was enjoyed by

Maple Leaf Red: Sugaring Off - 24

more than just a wolf. If someone else had opinions to
share, too.

Could he have that with Grey? Was that why Grey

had changed, shown Jacques this other side of himself?
Because Grey wanted to stay and be a true companion to
Jacques? Or was that just a fantasy, too?

"Jacques?"
He jerked, startled and gave Grey a rueful laugh.

"Sorry, I was in my own head."

"Yeah, I figured. I know it's a lot to take in." Grey

reached for the robe and took it from him.

Jacques was sad to see Grey's amazing body covered

up, but at the same time, it made things a little easier,
too. It was one less thing for him to get distracted by; his
thoughts were keeping his mind busy enough.

"I'm still not sure it's real," he admitted.
"I could change back again."
He shook his head. "No. I mean, I know it's real. I

saw it. But... it's a hard thing to believe." He wasn't
crazy, right? Because if he was, he figured this was
crazier than a couple sessions with some head shrinker
could fix.

Grey moved back into his space, reaching out to him.

Grey's fingers were warm through his clothes. "Does
this feel real?"

"I guess so." Just how good was his imagination?

Could he have been so lonely that he'd invented Grey?
The wolf? No, Constable Messier had seen the wolf, or
at least what he thought was a dog, the point being he'd
seen Grey. So Jacques wasn't entirely off his rocker.

Smiling, Grey stepped closer and curled the warm

fingers around his shoulders. "Maybe we need to make it
more real."

What did that mean? "Maybe." He agreed warily.

Maple Leaf Red: Sugaring Off - 25

Grey shrugged out of the robe again and those warm

fingers slid down his chest to grab the bottom of his
sweater and start to pull it off. Jacques put his arms up,
letting Grey undress him. He could go for this. He and
Grey's animal persona were old friends, after all. This
wasn't some stranger, not really.

"I guess you could understand me all the times I

talked to you, after all."

"Yes, I could."
"Okay, that's good." It made this feel less like a

random hook-up and more like finally connecting with
someone he already had a history with. And god knew
he wanted to be touched, to be cared for, to have
someone to share his body, and more, with.

His t-shirt came off after his sweater and he shivered

at the sensation of air against his skin. Once winter set
in, he changed quickly, efficiently and rarely had this
much time for the air to play on his bare skin.

Then there was Grey who was all over him with

hands and lips, touching and sucking. At first Grey
ignored his nipples, then Grey tortured them. Jacques
didn't know whether to gasp or moan or squeal, but he
did know that he didn't want it to stop. Grey was clearly
hungry -- starving even -- and Jacques had been
volunteered as the feast. He felt the need to feast himself
and he was going to forget everything else and just
enjoy this part.

He thought there should be more of him-touching-

Grey happening. This wasn't one-sided, after all. So he
slid his hands over the strong muscles, a moan leaving
him as his palms brushed over the hard little points of
Grey's nipples. He was fascinated by those little bits of
flesh and he ran his hands back and forth a few times,
before feeling them with his fingertips. As fascinating as

Maple Leaf Red: Sugaring Off - 26

they were to touch, it was the noises that came out of
Grey as he touched that were the real draw.

Grey whimpered and moaned, and he said, "Please,

more."

It made Jacques feel like a stud -- a new sensation for

him. He liked it.

Grey continued to touch him as well, and he enjoyed

the touches immensely. Again, his experiences had all
been quick -- a hand job or a suck job -- none of this
exploration that started slow and was growing quicker,
harder. More urgent.

His cock was pushing at his jeans, the sensation

almost painful and while he wanted this to last and last,
he also wanted very much to get off. Grey wanted that,
too. He could tell from the way the man's cock was so
dark, the way the drops leaked from the tip, making
Grey's cockhead shiny. It was quite beautiful and
Jacques reached for it, wrapped his hands around the
hot, hard silk.

He began to stroke.
Grey whimpered and fumbled, fingers tearing at the

button and zipper of his jeans. Jacques didn't help, he
was too busy feeling up Grey's cock, stroking and
exploring it. Such a novelty, to be able to really take his
time with a dick that wasn't his own. His eyes were on
his hand, watching as he pulled on Grey's cock.

Then suddenly his jeans and underwear fell down

around his legs, and Grey's hand wrapped around him.

"Hostie!" He bucked, pushing into Grey's hand. It felt

so good. It felt better than he could remember another
person's touch feeling.

He wanted to go slowly. He wanted to stroke Grey

off while Grey stroked him off for as long as possible.
He was eager and excited, though, and his hand moved
faster and faster on Grey, Grey's movements and speed

Maple Leaf Red: Sugaring Off - 27

matching his and he knew it wasn't going to take very
long.

It didn't. As he watched their hands and cocks, he

could feel his climax building hard and fast and then all
of a sudden it was there and he cried out, his come
shooting up over Grey's hand. He was still shuddering
when Grey's hot come coated his own hand. Panting, he
leaned against Grey who leaned against him and they
held each other up, still holding onto their dicks. Really,
he didn't want to let go. He didn't want this to be over.

Grey's hand slid away and Jacques whimpered

embarrassingly.

"I'm not going anywhere," Grey said softly. "We can

do it again."

He finally let go of Grey's cock and looked into the

familiar blue eyes. "Good."

***

Jacques had never considered himself a horndog, but

he was beginning to think that maybe he needed to
revise his opinion. Sure, he'd used his own hand for
pleasure on a pretty regular basis, but that had always
satisfied him and it hadn't been more than once a day at
most. He figured most guys were like that, right?

Now, though, he was horny all the time. All it took

was a look from Grey or catching Grey's scent or seeing
Grey's ass as it disappeared into an old pair of Jacques'
sweatpants and he wanted. Morning, noon, and night,
Jacques wanted to make out with Grey all the damn
time.

He loved kissing and they would spend hours doing

it. It wasn't like there was anywhere to go -- the blizzard
had seen to that, dumping near thirty centimeters down.
And he wasn't complaining for a second. Grey's kisses

Maple Leaf Red: Sugaring Off - 28

were like magic. They made him warm inside, they
made him feel amazing, really. Who knew how great
kisses could be? Jacques did now and he indulged a lot.
His carving and his TV watching suffered greatly and he
didn't care for a second.

Most of the time kisses led to more and he'd had

more hand jobs and blow jobs in the last week than he'd
had in his whole life up until this point. Frankly, he
hoped his road remained impassable until spring. There
was more than enough food, even for two, more than
enough wood, and he would be happy to spend the
entire winter in bed -- or on the couch or up against the
wall -- making out with Grey.

He and Grey were currently curled up together on the

floor in front of the fire. They'd added a few more
blankets to the one he'd put down for Grey the wolf, and
it was warm and cozy and the perfect spot to nest
together and pretend nothing else existed. Jacques
figured that until spring, nothing else really did.

"So this being a wolf and a man thing." They hadn't

talked about the whole werewolf thing since the day
Grey had changed into a man. Grey hadn't changed back
into a wolf since then, either. Jacques just hadn't been
ready to deal yet. He wasn't a hundred percent sure he
was now, either, but he had questions and they were
beginning to fill his head. "I guess it isn't tied to the
moon or anything." All he knew about werewolves was
from movies. He didn't even know if that's what Grey
called it.

"No, it isn't tied to the moon. I get to choose my

form." Grey's fingers slid on his skin, drawing what
seemed like random patterns to Jacques. It felt good --
he loved it when Grey touched him, even simple little
touches like he was doing now.

Maple Leaf Red: Sugaring Off - 29

"Does it matter how long you stay one or the other?"

Jacques guessed that he'd decided to accept Grey as he
was -- both wolf and man. He figured he didn't have a
lot of choice and if he accepted that, well then it was the
details that interested him now.

"No, it doesn't matter. It's like… it's like a muscle and

if I don't use it for too long, then it's harder to do."

"So you should practice changing a couple times a

day, just to keep in form?" He wondered if that would be
fun to watch or simply freaky.

Grey laughed for him. "No. I don't need to do it that

often. But I should probably change a time or two over
the winter, just to keep those muscles stretched."

"Are you a werewolf?"
"I don't know." Grey shrugged. "I guess that's as

good a name as anything else and better than some."

"Better?"
"A lot of people would call me a monster."
Jacques shook his head. He didn't know exactly what

Grey was, but the man was no monster, and neither was
Grey the wolf. "You aren't."

"Thank you." Grey kissed him and Jacques melted, as

always.

He wasn't distracted from his questions, though. He

was too curious and his body too well-satisfied at the
moment. "So is it hereditary or did you get bitten or
something?"

"I don't know. I think I've always been like this."
"Were your parents like it, too?"
"No." Grey clenched his teeth, his muscles going

tight against Jacques. "I didn't know them. I grew up in
an orphanage. I don't know anyone like me. And anyone
I told believed I was a monster."

"Not me."

Maple Leaf Red: Sugaring Off - 30

"No." Grey began to relax again, tight muscles

easing. "You're different. You were from the start."

"From the start?"
"Yes. Who lets a wolf follow them home and then

feeds them, pulls a bullet out of their leg, and hides them
from the cops?"

"I didn't hide you at all," Jacques admitted. "Messier

said he was looking for a man and it never occurred to
me that my chiot could be a man." He shifted, looking
into Grey's eyes. "Are you the man Messier was looking
for?"

Grey stared back at him and after a long moment

answered, "Yes and no."

Jacques snorted. "That's not an answer. I won't

suddenly call him or kick you out or anything if you tell
me the truth." He couldn't believe Grey was a bad man.
He trusted Grey, in both forms.

"I am the man he was looking for, but I didn't do

what he thinks I did."

That wasn't very much clearer than Grey's original

answer but before Jacques could point that out, Grey
went on.

"There was a bank robbery that went bad. It turned

into a shooting and the man who did it looked a bit like
me -- same height, same hair and eye color. I was in the
wrong place at the wrong time and got shot in the leg. If
I'm hurt or sick, the wolf tends to take over and so I
didn't stick around to try to clear things up and as soon
as I was out of sight I let the wolf take over and made
my way to the woods."

"So you didn't do anything wrong."
"I didn't."
Jacques pushed in close again. "I didn't think so."
"Thank you." Grey kissed his cheek. Even soft kisses

like that felt so good.

Maple Leaf Red: Sugaring Off - 31

"For what?"
"Believing in me."
Jacques shrugged. "I know you."
"Not really."
Pulling away, Jacques sat up. "Yes, I do. We've been

together longer than I've been with anyone except my
grandfather, who raised me. Even if we haven't talked
about a lot of stuff, I've been around you long enough --
as a man and as a wolf -- to know that you're good. I
don't believe you'd rob a bank, or kill anyone."

"That's a pretty big leap of faith, Jacques."
"You took one when you followed me home and

accepted my food and my help. You had to trust me and
you did because you sized me up and decided I wasn't
going to harm you." They'd spent a lot of time looking
into each other while Grey had been the wolf.

"Yes."
"Well, I sized you up at the same time and I stand by

my assessment." He frowned as it suddenly occurred to
him that Messier could come back at any time, really.
"What happens if the cops come back? I guess you can
change back into the wolf again."

"No. I didn't do anything wrong. I would have let

them take me in and proved it when it first happened if I
hadn't been hurt. But now that I'm better, I don't have to
worry about the wolf taking me over, so it's safe to clear
my name."

"I hope he doesn't come back," Jacques admitted. He

didn't want Grey to leave. Probably ever.

"I hope he's already caught his real fugitive and it's a

moot point."

Jacques couldn't agree more. He didn't want to have

to worry about Grey being arrested, whether or not it
was only a matter of going in to clear his name. "I guess

Maple Leaf Red: Sugaring Off - 32

we could find out once the snow melts enough we can
get out."

"Sure. I'm not in any hurry, though."
Jacques beamed at Grey. "Me neither."
"Thank you," Grey said again.
"No, thank you. I didn't even realize how lonely I was

until you showed up."

Grey leaned over him and kissed him and Jacques

opened up, losing himself in Grey's magical kisses
again.

"I want to make love to you." Grey brushed his ass,

making his meaning clear.

Jacques wanted that, too. He wanted to feel Grey

inside him and to know what being penetrated felt like.
He wanted to give himself completely to his Grey.

"I don't have anything," he admitted. He hardly

needed condoms out here all by himself.

"I don't either."
That made him laugh. It would have been a good

trick, for Grey the wolf to manage to carry condoms
somewhere on his body -- a furry pocket like a kangaroo
or something.

Grey looked into his eyes. "I've never done it without

a condom, though, and I know you've never done it all,
so we're both clean."

They stared at one another for a long time. It was

what they did, Jacques realized, how they came to
decisions and found their trust.

"Okay."
Grey smiled as soon as Jacques said it and they

kissed again, Jacques losing himself in it.

Eventually, Grey's hands moved on him, exploring

his body with bold fingers that were learning all the
places where Jacques liked best to be touched. He tried
to return the touches, but he kept getting distracted by

Maple Leaf Red: Sugaring Off - 33

the wonderful sensations moving through him and
settling in his balls.

The lazy kisses and explorations became more heated

and it made Jacques hot, knowing where they were
going. This was going to end in all out love-making
instead of a hand job or blow job. And he loved those,
but he couldn't wait to learn about this other way of
loving Grey.

He had to get up to go get the lube -- the jar of

Astroglide was in his bedroom -- but it didn't break the
mood at all and they were soon back to kissing and
sliding against each other, hands and mouths building
the heat up again.

Grey opened him up with a single finger to begin

with and Jacques' mouth fell open at the sensation. He'd
never imagined it could feel this good, this… intimate. It
was the intimacy more than the feelings that he enjoyed,
craved. He hadn't known that until just now.

There was a burn when Grey used another finger to

stretch him, but it faded and came back again when it
was three fingers. That faded too, though. It turned from
a slight pain to delight. Jacques moved, helping Grey to
get his fingers deeper. He'd never felt so sensual as he
did with Grey.

When the time came for Grey to take his fingers out

and put his cock in, Jacques looked into Grey's eyes and
Grey stared back. They didn't stop looking at each other,
not when Grey began to push in and not when he was all
the way in. They didn't stop when Grey started moving
in a rhythm Jacques knew somewhere deep inside
himself. That connection was just as important to
Jacques as the one below.

He came, still staring at Grey, his whole body

convulsing with the most amazing, intimate pleasure

Maple Leaf Red: Sugaring Off - 34

he'd ever known. The hunger and joy in Grey's eyes
when he came a moment later felt so good.

"I love you," Grey told him, saying in words what

Jacques had already seen in Grey's eyes.

He touched Grey's cheek, squeezed his ass muscles to

keep his lover inside him. "Yes. Me, too. Love you."

When it was over, they curled up together in the

blanket in front of the fire and Jacques knew that no
matter what the spring brought with it, this was the
sweetest winter he'd ever known.

***

Jacques closed his eyes and tilted his head back,

enjoying the warmth of the late winter sun on his
cheeks. The wind was blowing through the trees, a twist
of warmth in it promising spring was on its way. A little
early this year, maybe, but the warmth it carried
promised the sap would soon be running.

Which was why he was out making sure his sugar

maples had survived a winter full of snow and storms,
tapping the trees, and putting up the buckets in
anticipation. It wasn't above freezing yet, but he could
feel it in his bones that it would be in the next week or
so. Grandpère had told him all the Duchamps had this
ability and that it was because of the maple syrup that
flowed in their veins instead of blood. Having cut
himself more than once while working, Jacques knew it
was only a metaphor, but it was one he enjoyed.

He worked his way steadily through the taps and

buckets he'd brought with him until the sun began to set.
It would take less than a week to get all the trees done
because now he wasn't doing it by himself. He had help.

That help was currently loping toward him, gray fur

being ruffled by the wind. Grey had run out to the far

Maple Leaf Red: Sugaring Off - 35

east corner and begun tapping the trees on the other side
of the property. Jacques had left a set of clothes for his
lover out there so Grey could work without freezing off
anything important. Jacques was very fond of all of
Grey's appendages and didn't want to lose a single one
to frostbite, or anything else for that matter.

"Good timing." He buried his freezing fingers in

Grey's fur. It warmed him, easing the way the cold made
his knuckles ache. Grandpère had suffered from arthritis,
and Jacques wondered if he would succumb to the same
fate. He hoped not, his wood carving was bringing him
more joy every day. Nearly as much as Grey did. Grey
who had ideas about his carvings, who thought his
carvings were beautiful, and was setting up a website for
him to sell his work from.

It felt good to have someone who believed in him. It

felt even better to have someone to share his days with --
the lazy ones and the busy ones, of which there were
about to be many. Possibly a couple months worth if the
Farmer's Almanac was right and the sap ran for over six
weeks. Between the collecting and the boiling, there
would be very little sleep, very little time for making
love until they were done for the year and their stock
taken to Montreal.

It was okay, though. Grey wasn't going anywhere,

was in fact actively learning the business, and Jacques
thought maybe Grey had a little bit of maple syrup in his
own veins -- he was picking it up that fast. And summer
would roll around soon enough, bringing more lazy days
to indulge in all his favorite pastimes again.

"Let's go home, chiot." He tramped his way back to

the house through the snow, Grey trotting along beside
him.

His life, like his maple syrup, was as sweet as any

sugar.

Maple Leaf Red: Sugaring Off - 36