It was Maple’s favorite part of the night, her dark-red tail swishing behind her like the rustling leaves of a sugar maple in the wind. She waited patiently and sat on her bottom as Roger heated up the water for her bath. They were always lovely after a cold day, especially when Roger let her and her new little foal go outside, just for a short while to let her feel the leaves crunch under her soft hooves. She came back inside and sat in Roger’s lap to share a can of baked beans for dinner, along with some of the special milk production kibble, then fed her foal while daddy readied the bath. She sang softly to him, rubbing his sides with her hooves while he hungrily suckled away, his body gently vibrating with a subtle coo.
“I think that’ll do it,” Roger said, sticking his finger into the washbasin and lowering in the little ‘safety cage’ he had made one afternoon with a few old coat hangers and a pair of pliers. It made for certain that the little fluffies couldn’t somehow wiggle out of his hand and into the deeper water, though it was more for peace of mind than necessity as this had never happened yet.
“Baffies! Maypo wub baffies!” She wiggled in place, trying not to unlatch her little foal as she contained her excitement.
“You go ahead and finish up feedin’ the lil’ guy. Water won’t get cold too fast in a nice tub like that,” he told her, moving it a little closer to the wood stove and taking off his hat to set it on the table.
Maple looked up, staring at the shiny skin on the top of his head where his fluff didn’t grow anymore. “Daddeh, wiww Maypo nu hab fwuff up hewe when she owder?” she asked, reaching up with her front hooves and rubbing a circular pattern on her crown.
Roger slowly cracked up into a deep laugh. “…Goodness, girl. No, no… I don’t think that will happen to you, but I can ask the gal in town next time I’m there.”
Maple nodded solemnly. She hoped she didn’t lose her fluff, but that thought was quickly replaced by joy as she reached down to hug her little foal who had finished feeding. He chirped softly and rubbed his face on her teat after feeding as a silent way of thanking her and she lifted him up to give him the best huggies she could give.
Roger watched the tender moment before coming over to join them, lifting up Maple into his arms and holding her close, nuzzling the top of her head. He planted a little kiss there for the first time to the surprise of Maple, her head tilting up to look at him with a little glimmer in her eyes.
“Alright, you two. Time to get all warm and clean and pretty.”
“Maypo am pwetty?!” she asked, clearly fishing for compliments, but Roger didn’t care.
“So pretty. The prettiest girl in a mile radius, at least,” he told her, winking at his own little joke. Maple didn’t realize how far they were from civilization.
He lowered them in slowly, setting down Maple on the little safety cage where she sat comfortably, holding the little foal and slowly acclimating him. He struggled a bit first, but she was smart enough to help him making peepees and poopies before getting in, so none of that mucked up their water.
Daddy dipped his hands in and she heard the click of that bottle. It was her favorite shampoo tonight! She was going to smell like strawberry nummies! But not taste like it. Last time she begged and begged and begged daddy to let her taste it and it was awful!
His soapy, foamy hands and fingers began to work into her fluffy, her eyes closing in a peaceful trance as she leaned from side to side. Was wawa really so bad for fluffies? She thought about it for a bit as the peeping slowed down. The little foal relaxed in the water at last, laying his head on her breast with the rest of his body submerged. It almost felt like she was going to fall asleep until his fingers came up to her scalp, combing through her mane and rubbing her scalp.
“I was thinking of a name fer our little guy, he’s a pretty dark brown. What do you think of Walnut? He could be named after a tree, like his mom.”
“…Babbeh’s owd mummah hab twee namesie?”
“No, Maple. That’s you. You’re named after a tree.”
“…Maypo hab twee namesie? Maypo nu knu dat.”
“You didn’t, huh? Well, around these parts, we have a big beautiful tree called a Sugar Maple. The wood is a nice, soft brown, medium darkness to it. The leaves are red like your mane and your tail, so it’s a good fit fer ya. The little one here is a little darker, and there’s a tree called a Walnut.”
“Wow, daddeh su smawt! Knu su much ‘bout twees!” Maple opened her eyes, tilting her head up at him as he began to rinse her with a little cup, this made sure none of the water got into her eyes which made bath time a bit less fun.
“So, do you like the name?”
“Yus! Babbeh am Wawnut.”
“Perfect,” he told her. “Should I wash the little baby too, or are you still just using your tongue for all of that?”
“…Mebe nu yet. Maypo give wickie-cweanies tiww see-pwaces open, den daddeh gib good baffies.”
“I’ll trust your judgment, little ‘mummah’,” he told her, rubbing her shoulders for a little longer. She sighed and closed her eyes again, almost melting at that touch. After a few more minutes, he picked her up, setting her down on a soft towel and wrapping up both of them. He had a much smaller cloth with finer fibers to gently dry off the little foal, who, to Roger’s pleasant surprise, wasn’t making much of a fuss. He got out his little brush, carefully combing through Maple’s fluff and mane while she leaned down to lick the foal a little more, nuzzling his tummy and playing with him as he huggied her snout.
“Alright, you two. Nice and dry, nice and soft. Nice and pretty. And you, lil’ lady, smell like strawberries.” He smiled at Maple, reaching down and running his fingers through her mane as if he hadn’t combed her enough at this point. She was spoiled, but fortunately for both of them it never went to her head. He lifted them up and took them over to the rocking chair, holding them in his lap as he began to do that intoxicating motion that seemed like magic to Maple.
Soft pets, warm lap, and being snuggled up with her little baby in daddy’s lap was the happiest her heart had felt as the world around her slowed down, her mind drifting off to join the foal that was already asleep on her tummy fluff.
This was always the tricky part. Roger got up as slowly and carefully as he could, carrying them over to their little bed. He pulled off the little blanket, tucking in Maple. The foal stirred a little, but a gentle rub behind his tiny ears soothed him back to sleep against the soft fluff that smelled like delicious nummies he would be tasting soon enough. The soft pink blanket came back up over the two of them and Roger delicately tucked it in under her body.
Roger stretched, taking off his boots and laying down on his cot on the other side of the room. He pulled an old wool blanket over him, looking over and staring at the little creatures on the other side of the room. He’d made up his mind, from now on, this was a second chance. He was loving them like they were his kids.
He stood back up, picking up the cot and moving it across the room to be closer to them, laying down now with his face just a foot or so from Maple’s. He might get a little hot being this close to the wood stove, but for now, he craved the warmth this put in his heart.
End.