FSE

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"Man, Sophie. You're growing like a weed!" You say as you marked a dash on the wall over her head and noted the difference between it and the last one.

There were two lines from last time, in fact: one for her head, and one for her big pointy ears. The lines for her current head height and previous ear height were very close to overlapping. As you marked her current ear height, you imagined how tall she'd become next time if she kept the pace up. And of course, the next time after that, and so on. It was almost an impossible thought imagining her even half her height taller than when you first met her. And yet, as you finished marking her at current, you knew that day was going to hit you before you realized it.

"I am?" She asks as she steps away from the wall and checks for herself. "Oh!"

Even she seems surprised at the difference between now and last time. You can see her head shift to looking at one to the other, and really gauging just how much progress she's made. You knew that on average, wolves were a fairly tall species. Now that Sophia was actually living in a nurturing household, where she had a proper diet that was able to do more for her than the bare minimum, it was as if some invisible ceiling over her head had burst. She was a growing girl, now that her body could afford to do so.

Hell, you could tell simply by rubbing her head, realizing the slightly higher position your arm had to rest at while you did so. You were awash with pride.

"Before long, you're going to be at my height!" You joke...well, half-joke, considering her surprising pace.

"...I hope I don't get too tall." She notes quietly.

"Too tall?" You question. "What's wrong with getting tall?"

Sophia hesitates her response as she shifts slightly in place.

"I don't want people to think I look...scary." She pipes up, albeit mumbling the last word.

"You're not going to be scary, Sophie. And certainly not to me." You tell her, rubbing her head some more. "I know you're worried about becoming more like your bio dad, but nobody is ever going to treat you like that, even if you did happen to grow as tall as him. Height doesn't change how sweet you are."

"..." Sophia takes in your words, and after a few seconds, gives a light nod.

"Plus, we don't even know when you'll reach your peak." You add. "But it doesn't matter how tall you get..."

You suddenly reach down and scoop her up into your arms, letting her see things from your height. She let out a light gasp, but was smiling lightly by the end of it. You knew she had fun whenever you did this.

"You're always going to be my little girl, all right?" You finish the sentence.

"Okay Dad." She smiles lightly.

"Breakfast is just about ready." You look up at the sound of Reita's voice, finding her leaning against the corner to the kitchen with a warm grin.

You wonder how much she heard and saw as you gently let the little wolf back down.

"Thanks, Honey." You say.

"Thanks, Mom." Sophia echoes.

"Come on now, Sophie. Your father and I want you to grow big and strong." She says somewhat cheekily, having you believe she probably heard the whole thing.

The three of you head back into the kitchen, where breakfast basically only needs to be plated at this point. Sophia had made her way to the dinnerware cabinet, and while she could reach up and open it, the plates themselves were still pretty out of reach.

"Don't worry, I got it." You tell her as you approach.

Sophia moves over so you can grab a stack of three, but you rub her on the head before you do. Her tail wags behind herself, and she lightly pushes her head up against your palm. You can't help but smile as you look down at her.

Tall or small, you know that she'll never stop being as absolutely precious to you as she is now.

***

The next time it hit you was as inconspicuous as it could've been. While coming home one day, you decided to pick up something for Sophia. It'd been a while since she's gotten one of her favorite chicken sandwiches. She was, of course, delighted by the surprise. You got two for her, since one would've hardly been a snack.

"Thank you, Dad!" She said, polite as ever as she took her meals.

"Of course." You respond with a smile, before moving over to the table with your own sandwich. "Oh, are you going to want a plate, Sophie?"

Given how much she could tear into her food, you thought you'd offer. Not that she was an extremely messy eater or anything, but a little bit of insurance never hurt.

"I got one." You heard her say, as well as the dinnerware cabinet shutting.

You blink, unsure at first why you suddenly felt a sense of surprise. Turning your head, you see that Sophia in fact did have a plate, and was making her way to the table. You looked from her to the cabinet, and realized that, yeah, why wouldn't she be able to get a plate herself now? Such a mundane thing, and yet...

"Hey, Sophie?"

"Yeah?"

"When we're done eating, I want to measure you again." You tell her.

"Oh, yeah." She nods, glancing down at the plate in her hands. "...I'm a little taller than last time."

"You're noticing it too, huh?"

"Mm-hm."

"How're you feeling about it?" You ask, remembering her previous worries.

"Um..." She hesitates slightly. "...I like being able to help you and Mom with stuff easier, like putting away groceries."

Her answer prompts you to think back on the last couple of times that had happened. Sophia was always eager to help out where ever she could. You never minded how well of a job she did, it was always the thought that counted. But now that you considered it, she really was able to help out more than she usually could. These things were becoming increasingly noticeable.

Your girl was growing up...

***

"If you'd look at these lines..." The physician for Sophia's checkup explained as you and Reita crowded around the monitor. "...you'll see the typical upper and lower limits of lycanthrope anthros. Outliers excluded."

You study the graph, which noted age on the x-axis and height on the y-axis. Despite their curving shapes, all lines were mostly parallel to each other as they began gradual, shot up to a steep incline, and then smoothly flattened out by the end. There were five lines in total.

"This line here is the average rate for boys, and this one here for girls. You'll notice that at around here, there's a short period where the girls are taller, since they tend to hit their growth spurts earlier. But even considering that...you can see Sophia here is considerably above average." He points out.

You look for yourself, noting how the estimated growth for Sophia was a very considerable amount above the average girl line. And, according to where it leveled out... Sophia might end up taller than a majority of guys, too. It's almost difficult to even believe, but taking a quick glance at Sophia, it makes a lot more sense.

"Now, take her estimation with a grain of salt. Because we don't have a lot of data on her earliest years, this could certainly be off. It might just be the reason why she seems so above the curve." The physician continued. "Though at the very least, I'd still expect her to be a noticeable amount taller than wolf girls her age."

"Hear that, Sophie?" Reita turned around and smiled at your daughter, who was sitting politely on the examination table, legs dangling close to the floor. "Looks like you've still got a good amount of growing to do."

It's a little hard for you to wrap your head around. In just a few years, her height had basically doubled from the girl you first met. Her strides were longer, her ears reached higher, and she was even beginning to duck her head down a little each time you rubbed it. Before, she'd usually be pushing her head up into your palm, but that had become less necessary by the day. In past visits, you'd have helped her get down from the exam table, so it was another small detail nonetheless hammering in her growth when she simply dropped down from it without any issue or need for assistance.

And it felt like all you had done was blink.

"So I'm going to get really tall?" Sophia gives a very weak and quiet chuckle that's, quite clearly to you, a soft attempt to hide her more complex feelings. "Like...really really tall? I hope it's not too much. Hehe..."

"Nothing wrong with that, Sophe." You assure her good-naturedly. "The only thing that matters is that you're healthy. That's all I want from you, okay?"

You earn a sheepish grin from her.

"Okay Dad. I'll try." She tells you earnestly.

"Now that's my girl." You smile, giving her another head rub.

Man... She really was getting tall, you think to yourself as you see how much higher your hand has to perch on her head.

***

It was only a couple minutes into the New Year. You and your family had been watching movies in the living room to pass the time until midnight. You and Reita sat on the couch together, while Sophia had decided to take the armchair. The wolf girl had eventually ended up sitting sideways across the plush armrests. She had allocated ample support to her back, which left her legs to cascade off of the other end, dipping somewhat close to the floor.

"Happy New Year everyone." You say again after a slight yawn and a stretch, standing up from the couch once the credits began rolling. "How about we all go out to eat tomorrow. Does that sound good?"

"Of course." Reita says, standing up herself. "Where are you thinking?"

"Hm, I'm not sure yet. Hey Sophie, do you have any suggestions?"

"..."

"Sophie?"

You look over, finding your daughter in the same position she's been in for the past couple of minutes, her chest lightly rising and falling as her eyes remained closed.

"Aww, looks like someone fell asleep." Reita grins in a slightly quieter voice.

"At least she was up when it mattered." You say, remembering how she had cheered for the New Year with the rest of you when it happened. "She must've been trying hard to keep herself awake until then."

"She looks so peaceful..." Reita dotes. "I almost just don't want to wake her up."

"Well..." Reita's comment had planted an idea in your head. "Maybe we don't have to."

"What do you mean?" She asks as you walk over to your daughter. "If we leave her sleeping like that, it's not going to feel so good for her when she wakes up in the morning."

"Who said we were going to leave her down here?" You say at the foot of the armchair of the conked out wolf.

With considerable care, you reach over to place one hand under her back, and the other under her knees. Once those spots were secure, you take a deep breath before beginning to lift her up. Your arms quake slightly from the initial exertion, and you have to let out a heavy exhale as you lift Sophia from the couch, but before long you have her in your arms against your chest. At least, the side of her torso is against your chest. Even as her limp form scrunched together slightly at the center, and drooped anywhere that wasn't directly supported under your arms, her sideways length still had you wondering if you'd better cross through the doorway while turning to the side.

"Oh, honey! Be careful!" Reita frets slightly, seemingly unsure if she wanted to rush over to help support you, or to back up and ensure she wouldn't end up getting in the way.

"Don't worry..." You say through the exertion. "I wouldn't drop her on my life...!"

"I was more so talking about you."

"Oh. Well, don't worry about me either." You tell her, beginning to take careful steps around the corner of the living room. "I'm happy to do this. It's been way too long since I've held her."

"I think there might've been a reason for that." Reita comments. "She's gotten so big, Honey. Are you really sure you want to carry her all the way to bed?"

"No matter how big she gets..." You say over a grunt, taking the first step upstairs. "...she'll always be...my little girl."

"That's really sweet Anon, and I mean that, but please be careful!"

It's almost inconceivable that this sleepy lug used to be your little Sophia. Still is, by your account. The fact she was able to grow up from that poor, malnourished little wolf girl you first met her as to right now... It makes you so proud how far she's come. You do miss when you had no trouble at all lifting her into your arms, but like hell if you'd ever stop trying just because she got a little bigger. Maybe you'd really start working out your core to make this easier.

The important thing though, is that she really was able to grow up big and strong, like how any parent should wish for their child's future. This was only a testament to her becoming healthy in spite of her past, and that made you happier than you could possibly describe.

With careful and steady steps, you carry Sophia up the stairs towards her room. Reita keeps pace close behind, ready to run in and lend her support should it become necessary. You'll admit, the task was not at all effortless (especially when the stairs came into the equation), but you were resolute. Sophia slept soundly in your arms, the quiet hum of her light breaths hitting your ears. That precious sight was more than enough to keep you going.

...The way you see her really hasn't changed despite the passing years. No matter what, she's still Sophia.

After a bit of time, you successfully make your way into her room.

"Reita, could you pull back the covers?" You ask. "My hands are a little full."

Reita obliges quickly, peeling her bed covers back. Once that's done, you move forward, holding Sophia over her bed before very gently lowering her on it. Your arms thank you once she's finally down.

"See? That wasn't bad." You say after a relieving exhale, tucking the sleeping wolf in.

"I think you just lost your back a year or two." Reita jokes.

"Whatever, it's worth it. Maybe I'll start working my core until she's light as a feather to me." You say, only half-joking with that last bit. "I'll carry her around just like old times."

"Not worried about embarrassing her?" Reita smirks.

"You know Sophie. That probably wouldn't even bother her that much."

"Hm!" Reita sniffles a light giggle. "It really wouldn't."

She moves beside you, before leaning down and planting a peck behind Sophia's ear.

"I'm heading to bed too." Reita says. "Going to join me?"

"In a little bit." You answer. "I want to check something downstairs first."

"All right then." Reita covers her mouth as she yawns. "Don't keep me waiting too long."

With that, she steps out of the room. You remained for only a couple of seconds before turning around and preparing to leave too.

"S...Sorry, Dad..." A tired voice stops you in your tracks.

"Huh? Sophie?" You turn back around, spotting her heavy-lidded eyes ever so slightly peering back at you. "How long have you been awake?"

"...A little bit." She utters a bit incomprehensibly, as if she were a couple of seconds from drifting off. "Sorry you...had to carry me. ...Thank you."

"Always, Sophie." You affirm. "No matter what."

You think something of a tired smile creeps up on her snout.

"...Love you...Dad..."

"Love you too, Sophie." You smile, giving her a light rub behind the ear. "Now get a good night's sleep, okay? Let's start the New Year off with a bang."

"..."

Seems like she was already in the process. You take just a few seconds of watching over her before turning away and making your way out of her room. After gently closing the door behind yourself, you head downstairs to the kitchen, pouring yourself a small glass of ice water.

Taking a sip as you stare out into the pitch black scene behind your window, your head then turns to the wall with numerous pairs of little lines and numbers. It was a time capsule of your daughter's growth. There was no consistent interval in which you decided to measure her; only when you realized she looked a bit taller than the last time. As you glance at the amount of lines, and thought about how much time had passed, you realized that happened a lot.

It almost puts you into a trance as you stare at the wall, placing her at each line within your imagination. There's no sound but the faintest outdoor ambience as you look at the marks. Just...reminiscing. The difference between the first and last lines were unthinkable. Your little girl might not be so little any more, but that only continues to make you so proud of her. Although...

...You just wish that it hadn't have happened so fast.

After a couple minutes of silence within your head, you take one final sip to finish your water. You move your eyes from the wall, put your cup away, and turn off the lights before leaving the room in darkness