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Kofi: purple[/color] \n\n[color=#729fcf]Principal: Light Blue[/color] [b]Random Characters: Thick Black[/b]\n\n[color=#3465a4]Nikki: blue[/color] [color=#f57900]Asha Kofi: orange[/color] \n\n[color=#edd400]Raphael: Yellow [/color] [color=#4e9a06]Christa: green[/color] \n\n[color=#8f5902]Hazel: Dark Orange[/color] [color=#8ae234]Holly Rhoads-Hunter: Light Green[/color]\n\nThe cover pic was done by Ruusen\n\nWhile Balto, Nikki and most other Characters came out of my dirty mind,\n\nAntu and his father belong to [iconname]anima27[/iconname]\n\nAnd Holly Rhoads-Hunter, plus her whole family, belong to [iconname]HazelandJohana[/iconname]\n\nThanks to all my friends and readers for all your kind words and your ongoing support, it means the world to me, I hope you will enjoy this second part, the next pages will follow soon.\n\nStay safe out there!", "description_bbcode_parsed": "Balto: Red                 Idrissa Kofi: purple        

Principal: Light Blue    Random Characters: Thick Black

Nikki: blue                 Asha Kofi: orange            

Raphael: Yellow        Christa: green            

Hazel: Dark Orange   Holly Rhoads-Hunter: Light Green

The cover pic was done by Ruusen

While Balto, Nikki and most other Characters came out of my dirty mind,

Antu and his father belong to \r\n\t\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tanima27\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t		\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tanima27\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t


And Holly Rhoads-Hunter, plus her whole family, belong to \r\n\t\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tHazelandJohana\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t		\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tHazelandJohana\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t


Thanks to all my friends and readers for all your kind words and your ongoing support, it means the world to me, I hope you will enjoy this second part, the next pages will follow soon.

Stay safe out there!", "writing": "[b][u]Chapter 2: Last week in Middle school[/u][/b]\n\nThe last days in Middle School. Luckily, I don’t have to go to a different school next year, since the Seppala Middle School also houses our local High School. It is just a different building on the campus. Maybe I will try to draw a plan of it for you one day.\nMy alarm clock woke me up from the aforementioned dream at 6am.\nTiredly, I stood up and walked out of my room. My first station was the bathroom, afterwards it was time for breakfast. My mother had prepared cereals for me, plus fresh orange juice. Since she bought this juicer, mom makes fresh juice all the time from whatever fruit she can find. What is cool because it tastes much better than the stuff from the market. While I was enjoying my breakfast, mom and I talked a bit about the day and our plans for the rest of the week. Since Nikki and I would be gone for a week in July, we wanted to spend the next days together. You know, watching movies, make walks, and such stuff. She also wanted to see a doctor with me. Don’t worry, I am not sick. I only need a new recipe for my hay fever medication and a new EpiPen. I am certain that I have mentioned my allergies before. Besides my hay fever, I am allergic to stings from bees, wasps and other insects. And as if that wouldn’t be enough already, I am also not allowed to eat nuts and apples in a raw form, what is a perfect excuse for not eating green food. Mom says that in most cases, I won’t need something like an EpiPen. But better save, than sorry.\nPersonally, I couldn’t wait for a few free days. \nI wanted to play video games and work on my journal, spend time with Nikki, and besides that, we had a few trainings with the theater group on our list. Not only do we have some new members and volunteers with the Howling Musketeers, but we also have a professional vocal trainer now. The principal of Stark College seems to be very serious with his support for us, what is amazing. The vocal trainer is a lioness in her 50s, her name is Severa Abbas. As she told us at the first meeting, she is a former actress and dancer. But due to her age and some other problems, she needed to find a new profession. And that is why she now works as a trainer. So far, I only met her twice. The first time as the principal introduced her to us, and the second time was at our first training together. Somehow, I had a feeling that she doesn’t like me. Ms. Abbas always yelled at me to speak louder, clearer, but regardless of what I did, it was always wrong. The worst thing for me was as she excluded me from the training after some time. That also pissed off Raphael, what resulted in them having a heated discussion. The result was a half-hearted apology, in which she said that she had never worked with kids before. I guess we will see where this is going with her. It is safe to say that so far, she didn’t make herself many friends in our group.\n\nBut that should only be a side note for now. More important for me was something I have seen on the schoolyard during our lunch break. As usual, I had made myself comfortable in the grass under the big trees. Mom had made me chicken sandwiches that day, so delicious. When I was done eating, I let my gaze wander over the yard. The others played and ran around, while I just tried to relax and to enjoy the sun, before we had to go back to class. Then I saw Mikey. I was already wondering where he was because he usually spends the break with me. \nThe fox wasn’t alone, alongside him came Antu, the white tiger boy. You might remember, I have mentioned him in my last entry. \nWe became friends pretty quickly after he came to Darwin's Hope with his father. Antu’s dad is a human, and a close friend of Mr. Kofi. They know each other from their time in the army.\nMikey and Antu spent a lot of time together lately. What surprised me that day was to see them walking hand in hand. Without any doubts, they would make a great couple. I giggled silently, as I imagined who would be the more dominant part in their relationship. In my opinion, it would be Antu.\nThe tiger spotted me, waved, and then the two joined me at my little spot underneath the trees. \nWe had a nice little conversation, in which Antu told us about his favorite restaurants and the locations he visited with his father, both in our town and during the time he traveled from one military base to the other with him. We talked until the bell rang, and we had to go back inside.\n\nThe rest of the day wasn’t much to talk about, just the usual school stuff. Well, beside the last hour. We were allowed to visit the part of our school, which houses the Seppala High School. Somehow I was disappointed, since it looked mostly like the rest of the school. Including dirty and damaged toilets, but they are to be renovated during the summer. Well, at least one thing there was special. We crossed a showcase with prices, trophies and certificates the school had won in the past. \nMost of them were for winning talent and sports competitions. A brief look at the dates on the signs showed that the last victory in one of these contests was some time ago. \nOne trophy had a photo next to it, which showed a familiar looking girl. The description underneath confirmed it: Nicole Kofi, winner of the 2018 Erie County High School Talent Contest. Nikki looked so cute back then. After about half an hour, it was time to go back to our classroom.\nAs the bell ended the day, everyone was relived. Including our teacher.\nI was already on my way to the bus, as my mother called. It was just a short call, in which she asked me to wait for her in front of the school. The reason was that she had made an appointment with the doctor and wanted to pick me up. I used the time to play a little puzzle game on my mobile. \n\nMy mom arrived about 20 minutes after the school was over. We drove to the doctor, and afterwards we went home. \nWe had dinner together, while we watched two episodes of Lucifer. Then I helped mom cleaning up, afterwards I went online on Pawtalk. Nikki seemed to have waited for me, since it took her less than a minute to call me. I wondered what she would say to this strange dream I had the night before.\n\n[color=#cc0000]“Hey Nikki, how are you? How was your day?”[/color]\n[color=#3465a4]“Hi Cutie. It was ok. And yours? Is everything ok at school?”[/color]\n[color=#cc0000]“Sure, Nikki. We were allowed to take a look at the part of the school we will attend to next year. But it wasn’t something special, besides some decorations. I have seen a photo of you in a showcase there.”[/color]\nNikki seemed surprised.\n[color=#3465a4]“A photo? Oh, I think I know which photo you mean. I won a talent show in 2018, was it from that?”[/color]\n[color=#cc0000]“Yes! You looked so cute back then!”[/color]\nThe feline looked at the camera with played anger.\n[color=#3465a4]“Do you think I am not cute anymore?”[/color]\nHer look somehow freighted me, and I fold back my ears in submission.\n[color=#cc0000]“No, Nikki. I just meant that you were cute back then.”[/color]\nMy girl began to laugh.\n[color=#3465a4]“You look so sweet when you are scared. Fluffy, all is fine. Honestly, I don’t remember much of this contest. Just that it was somewhat important for the school back then. I think my mom has filmed it. If I don’t forget, I will ask her about it.”[/color]\nNikki took a deep breath.\n[color=#3465a4]“Balto, what I really wanted to talk about is the theater group. I had a group call with the others before, and we decided that we have to do something about Madam Abbas. This woman tries to take complete control, although she is only hired as a vocal trainer. She now wants trainings daily, wants to decide who can join and who has to leave the group. Today, at a little spontaneous meeting, she wanted to throw out Miguel and you.”[/color]\nI gulped.\n[color=#cc0000]“Why? Did we do something wrong?”[/color]\n[color=#3465a4]“No, Balto. The simple reason is that she doesn’t like you, what she openly admitted during the meeting. And Miguel, well, Miss Abbas also dislikes Mexicans. She even called Miguel sloppy and lazy. Raphael literally exploded in anger. He wanted to see the principal right away, but sadly, he had already left the school. Listen, don’t worry, Balto. \nIf she really manages to exclude even one member, we will all leave. And that is something the principal will never let happen. Ms. Abbas is sawing the branch she is sitting on, and soon, she will fall.”[/color]\nThose unpleasant news made me sad. \n[color=#cc0000]“Nikki, maybe it would be better if I leave the group.”[/color]\nNikki shouted into her microphone:\n[color=#3465a4]“Balto, you take that back immediately! As long as you are with me, you will not quit, especially not because of a power-hungry wannabe star! We will talk to the principal as soon as we can. If we are lucky, Ms. Abbas will have to look for a new job by the end of the week.”[/color]\nNikki scared me at that moment.\n[color=#cc0000]“Nikki, please. Stop shouting, you scare me.”[/color]\nNikki calmed herself.\n[color=#3465a4]“Sorry, Balto. It is just, well, let us change the topic. Do you have something to talk about?”[/color]\nI gulped nervously.\n[color=#cc0000]“Well, I wanted to tell you about the dream I had last night.”[/color]\nMy girl smiled at me from the monitor.\n[color=#3465a4]“Oh? Did my doggy had a naughty dream?”[/color]\nAgain, I had to gulp, while my heart was beating fast. I guess I was silent for a bit too long, since Nikki added:\n[color=#3465a4]“Doggy? Are you still with me? Tell your cheetah, what you have dreamed about.”[/color]\nAnd so, I began to tell her:\n[color=#cc0000]“Well, I dreamed of you and your mom doing things together.”[/color]\nNikki tilt her head.\n[color=#3465a4]“Things? Do you mean what I think you mean?”[/color]\nI nodded, before I answered.\n[color=#cc0000]“Yes, you two had sex together.”[/color]\nNikki chuckled, as she leaned back in her chair and put her paws on her desk.\n[color=#3465a4]“Tell me more, Balto. Come on.”[/color]\n[color=#cc0000]“Well, first your mom gave you a paw massage, you moaned loudly and spread your legs, so your mom could lick you. After a while you leaned back, and your mother came above you. Then there was a kiss. I remember that I saw a shadowy figure appearing in the back, which came coming closer, but then my alarm woke me up.” [/color]\nThe feline looked at me suggestively.\n[color=#3465a4]“That is all? I thought there would have been more. It seems like you woke up before the main event. Balto, it was just a dream. A strange one, yes, but still just a dream. Don’t put too many thoughts into it. On the other hand, a couple of weeks ago, my mom came up to my room to speak with me. I was naked, and stayed that way while we talked. I could see how she checked me out, how her eyes roamed over my body. But the strangest thing was that she asked me if I would have sex with her, if she wasn’t my mother.”[/color]\nHer reaction made me kind of curious, My ears were standing up straight, while I asked her:\n[color=#cc0000]“Would you?”[/color]\nNikki went silent for some time, before she finally answered:\n[color=#3465a4]“Well, mom is a good-looking woman. Just like your mother. So, yes, I would. Hm, and to be fair, tell me. Would you like to have sex with her, if you could?”[/color]\nHave you ever wished for a hole opening underneath yourself, so you can disappear? That was exactly what I wanted to happen at that moment. \nBut since that was unlikely to happen, I had to say something to Nikki. Ashamed, I looked down at the floor as I answered:\n[color=#cc0000]“Well, if you ask me like that, yes. She is hot. Well, for a mom.”[/color]\n\nI didn’t need my speakers to hear Nikki’s laughter, while I disappeared underneath my desk. I really told my girlfriend, that I find her mother attractive enough to have sex with her. Luckily, Nikki took it with humor. After she was done with laughing, she said:\n[color=#3465a4]“Balto, all is fine. We are talking about purely hypothetical stuff here. So come back up and look at me, sweetie.”[/color]\nSlowly, I came back up, and folded my ears back submissively. But my eyes became big, as I looked at the screen in front of me. Nikki had taken off her shirt, and I could see her firm breasts. This view makes me smile every time.\n[color=#3465a4]“That’s more like it. I know how much you like seeing them, Balto. Now let us talk about something else, what I forgot to mention before. On Wednesday, we have a group meeting at the college. I have talked with your mother before, she will bring you there after school. Raphael wants to try one last time to talk to the lady. Try to make it clear to her, that she is only a trainer, and not the boss. But he isn’t very optimistic, that she will understand that. Anyway, we are not in the position to fire her. That is up to the principal and the council. We can only hope for the best.”[/color]\nNikki sighed.\n[color=#3465a4]“It is getting late, Fluffy. We both should go to bed. Tomorrow is a new day. I love you, sleep well.”[/color]\n[color=#cc0000]“I love you too, Nikki. See you tomorrow.”[/color]\n\nI yawned, and was a bit shocked, as I looked at the time. It was way past my bedtime. I went to bed, but I couldn’t sleep. My mind circled around the theater group. As you can imagine, I didn’t get much sleep that night. Sometimes, I hate my brain.\n\nThe next day was rather eventless. In class, we only talked, watched a movie, in the afternoon, we had sport. I can’t tell you how much I hate sport. Especially if we must play any games. As you might remember, if you read my entry about the first time in New York, I am not good in playing games with others. This time, we had to play soccer. As usual, I was voted last into a team, and was told to sit on the bench. But as you can imagine, that was the best thing that could have happened to me. That way I had the time to write down some notes and to think about more important things.\nAfter I came home that day, mom asked me to help her in the garden. We cut the lawn and took care of mom's vegetable patch. She really loves growing her own vegetables, mostly carrots and such stuff. This year, she tries to grow blueberries. From what I understood, they look good so far. We just need to keep the snails away from them. Mom yoked that we should get a duck or two to get rid of the snails, but she is afraid that I would eat them. It isn’t my fault that duck is tasting so good.\nBut now, let us move on to Wednesday.\n\nThe school day wasn’t anything special. In fact, it was a boring day. At least, we had our cooking class in the afternoon. This time, we made a New York Cheesecake. It was so tasty!\n\nAfter school was over, mom picked me up and brought me to the college. As we arrived, I could already see the rest of the Howling Musketeers waiting in front of the main entrance. Mom drove to the parking lot, where I gave her a kiss and left the car. She drove home, since there was no need for her to wait. Nikki was here, and I would go home with my girl after the meeting.\nMiguel was the first one who spotted and greeted me. Nikki was in the middle of a conversation with Raphael and Svetlana, which is why she didn't see me at first. \nI talked with Miguel for a while, before Thomas, Gabriel, Angelike and Joseph joined us. Raphael, Nikki, Svetlana and Jonathan followed shortly after. My girlfriend gave me a hug, then we walked over to the event hall. Inside we met with Ms. Abbas.\nThe lioness wanted to begin a training session as usual, but Raphael cut her off after her first few sentences. A conversation followed, which turned into a loud dispute between the two after only a few minutes. I tried to cover my ears, but at the end, I had to leave the hall. \nI simply cannot stand such conversations. Nikki followed me outside, where we sat down on a bench. First, we were sitting there in silence. Then I heard her speaking in a concerned voice:\n[color=#3465a4]“Balto, is everything ok? Raphael is still talking with Ms. Abbas. This woman is stubborn as a mule.”[/color]\nI looked to the ground, as I answered her:\n[color=#cc0000]“I just can’t stand if people yell at each other.”[/color]\nNikki sighed and placed her hand on my shoulder.\n[color=#3465a4]“Balto, adults sometimes do that. Sure, it is stupid in most cases, but it is normal. Now come, let us go back inside. The others need us in there.”[/color]\n\nNikki took my hand, and just as we were about to go back inside, we saw the principal walking towards the entrance of the event hall. A look into his face clearly showed, that he was annoyed by something.\nNikki greeted him, but the big rottweiler didn’t respond. At least, he held the door open for us, as we re-entered the hall behind him.\nRaphael and Ms. Abbas were still arguing on stage, while the rest of our group was sitting in silence on chairs in the first row. The director walked straight up on stage, where he used his powerful voice to silence the two squabblers.\n\n[color=#729fcf]“What the hell is going on here? My secretary told me that Mr. McAlister here called several times. I have a lot of work in my office, so better make this quick.”[/color]\nMs. Abbas was faster than Raphael with giving him an answer:\n[b]“This group here is a catastrophe! You told me I should train them, show them how to improve their skills. But they don’t do what I tell them to do. I was a star, I played on Broadway and in several movies, and I never experienced such an unprofessional bunch of wannabe actors. The girls cannot move, the men are good for nothing. And this child. You never told me that I would have to work with a child. I demand you to tell these amateurs that I am in charge, and that my decisions are final!”[/b]\nRaphael nearly exploded.\n[color=#729fcf]“Ms. Abbas, with all due respect. You are only our vocal trainer, and nothing else. Since you are here, you try to take over this group. You insulted us. You excluded Balto from exercises. You deny all successes we had during the last few months. Every one of us simply has enough of you.”[/color]\nMs. Abbas screamed back at Raphael and the principal:\n[b]“I am in the show business since I was 16. I was one of the first anthropomorphic movie stars. I will not accept rewords from a bloody amateur.”[/b]\nNow the principal raised his voice:\n[color=#729fcf]“Ms. Abbas! Mr. McAlister is right, I only hired you as a voice trainer for this group. Nothing more, nothing less. This group is the best one Stark College had in years, and I will not accept you destroying it. We hired you because we wanted to provide further support to the group. Mr. McAlister has proven himself as a great leader, and I will not accept any attempts from outside to change the group. Is that clear?”[/color]\n\nMs. Abbas puffed angrily, before she answered in her usual condescending tone:\n[b]“No, that is unacceptable! If I am supposed to train them, then I am the leader, and I will make the important decisions. I will decide who joins and who will leave the group. And the first ones to go are the boy and this Mexican there. I can’t work with either of them.”[/b]\nThe principal had enough at this point.\n[color=#729fcf]“I can’t believe what you just said. Or better, how you said it. Mr. Rodrigo is a Mexican, yes. But on this College, we see the person, not the heritage. And like him, Balto here has proven his talent and his worth for the group several times. \nMs. Abbas, you are fired. I will not accept a hateful, arrogant, or even worse, a racist teacher in my school. Get out of here.”[/color]\nMs. Abbas shouted and cursed, as she left the event hall. None of us was able to say anything, we all just looked at the principal. The rottweiler needed a few moments to calm down before speaking to us:\n[color=#729fcf]“This woman was supposed to help you. I am sorry for the inconvenience caused by her. Please, go on with your training. Next time, I will involve you in decisions that affect the group so directly. You all do a wonderful job. Oh, and before I forget it. \nMy colleague at Seppala Middle School called and asked for our group to perform at the closing ceremony of this school year. Nothing big, just some songs or small sketches. Would you be interested in doing that?”[/color]\n\nRaphael answered him: \n[color=#edd400]“Sure thing.” [/color]\nThen our leader looked at me. \n[color=#edd400]“Balto, isn’t the Seppala your school? Would it be ok for you to perform in front of your classmates? Believe me, the judgment of classmates can be scarier than that of any critic out there.”[/color]\nThis made me chuckle.\n[color=#edd400]“I don’t care about them. Let’s do it. Otherwise, it will be a boring party anyway. They want us to dance there, but barely anyone in my class can dance. And if it comes to my classmates, most of them don’t like me anyway.”[/color]\n\nNikki interjected:\n[color=#3465a4]“Balto, I don’t think that this is true. What I think is that they simply ignore you, since they feel that you don’t want to have anything to do with them. Don’t get me wrong doggy, but even if you have improved in the past two years, you still have a very introverted personality. And that isn’t easy to handle for most people. Maybe this is a chance to improve their opinion on you, Flu…I mean, Balto.”[/color]\nShe was about to say it. She wanted to call me Fluffy in front of all the others. Gladly, she stopped herself before it was too late. I sighed with relief, while Miguel grinned at me. The Mexican Wolf began to laugh, since he figured out what Nikki really wanted to call me. But gladly, he didn’t say anything in front of the others.\nThe rest of the meeting was pretty much as usual. We talked about Friday, I spoke with Miguel about this “Fluffy” thing, then Nikki and I drove back home. My girl and I spent the rest of the day learning for Friday, until she had to go home. \nThursday was uneventful, so let us skip it and move on to my last day in Middle School.\n\nFriday, the 24th of June. The last day before the summer break. A day to celebrate, for party. Well, for the most of us. Not for me. Yeah, I admit it, I like going to school. I like it because I enjoy because I like to learn new things. There is so much I still don’t know, so much to discover. So many books to read, so many plays to play. At this point, I remember a phrase from a book I recently read at Trish’s place. A sentence from a guy called Ingvar Kamprad:\n“Most things aren’t done yet. Wonderful future.”\nBut back to topic. Where were we? Oh yes, Friday, and plans for the summer.\n\nMy mother and I never had the money to make long journeys or even visit other countries. Every year after the summer break my classmates talk about their big vacations.\nI never had something to tell there, and sometimes that really hurt. Nikki’s parents offered mom more than once to join them on longer trips, but she always denied that. Maybe because she felt bad, that she couldn’t pay for such trips herself. Don’t get me wrong. I am thankful for having such a carrying mother. More thankful than I have ever told her. She did everything in her powers to take care of me. She is the best mom ever. \n\nOur longest trips so far were to Niagara Falls, Cleveland, and of course, New York City. And I loved every single one of them, as long as mom was there. Our school also made trips from time to time, mostly to camps in National Parks and such stuff. It never took more than a day for me to get homesick on these trips. That is why mom wasn’t so sure to let me go on vacation with Nikki. But this time, I will have Nikki with me, and I won't be in an area where you don't have a single bar. That means that I can call mom every day, and not only if the camp allows it. Ok, now we come to Friday.\n\nThe graduation ceremony was supposed to start at noon in our sports hall. That is why I could sleep till 8 o’clock. The tasteful smell of fresh waffles with maple syrup leaded me into our kitchen, where mom had prepared breakfast for me. Besides the waffles, she made fresh orange juice for me. I say it again, I have the best mommy. \nThe graduation ceremony is a tradition at Seppala High and Middle School. There will be music, dancing, a buffet, they will say a few words about every student. But this whole show is more for the parents than for the students. At least that is what Mr. Wertenson has told us about it. For those who don’t remember, he is my biology teacher. He is also a guidance counselor at our school. I really hope we will still have him next year.\nMom took the day off, so she could go there with me. We sat next to each other and had a nice breakfast together. We talked about plans for the summer, a bit about Nikki and me, and about the happenings during the last weeks.\n\nAs we came to talk about the last weekend, I couldn’t hide my curiosity anymore and ask my surprised mother:\n[color=#cc0000]“Mom, how was the sex with Mr. and Mrs. Kofi last weekend? A saw you had cuffs on your arms. You made bondage, right?”[/color]\nMum looked at me with a serious expression in her face.\n[color=#4e9a06]“Balto, I am glad that you accept me having a sex life again, but that really is something I will not talk about with you. Understood?”[/color]\nI folded back my ears in shame.\n[color=#cc0000]“I understand, mom. I am sorry.”[/color]\nMy mother placed her hand on my shoulder.\n[color=#4e9a06]“It is ok. Now, let us talk about school, before we leave.”[/color]\nShe gently caressed my head.\n[color=#4e9a06]“My big boy. In September, you will be a High School student. Time is running so fast.”[/color]\nShe rubbed me behind my ears, what made me smile.\n[color=#cc0000]“Thanks, mom. But I don’t think that much will change. It even is the same school. I wish I could attend to Nikki’s college.”[/color]\nMom shook her head.\n[color=#4e9a06]“Balto, you will be there soon enough. But for now, concentrate on your time in High School.”[/color]\nMom was right. As always.\n[color=#cc0000]“Yes, mom. I promise I won’t disappoint you.”[/color]\n\nMy mother took me into her arms.\n[color=#4e9a06]“Balto, you could never disappoint me. You reached so much within the last two years. Don’t be mad, but I remember times you were one of the worst students in your class. And now you are one of the best. Since you are with Nicole, you have a better condition, better grades, you are more open to other people. You are in a theater group, something I would have never dreamed of. You even had a play in New York, and you did a wonderful job there. I am so proud of you. I always tell my colleagues at work about you, and they loved the videos from your performances.”[/color]\nShe sighed.\n[color=#4e9a06]“If only your father could see you today. Now come, it is time we get ready. I prepared your good jeans and ironed your bandana. And please brush your teeth and wash your face. You have waffles and syrup everywhere.”[/color]\n\nI saw how mom took her phone and wrote a message, as I left the kitchen to get ready. It took me 20 minutes to clean myself and get dressed. Mom had done the same in the meantime. \nShe was wearing her best dress, a midnight-blue evening gown, which shows her well-formed legs. She looked beautiful. But her outfit wasn’t the only surprise. As I opened the front door, my jaw dropped. Nikki was waiting for us outside. She was wearing a tight black summer dress, shoulder free and a high leg cutout. A real femme fatale. I couldn’t say anything, this look of hers made me speechless. \n\nNikki and mom both began to laugh after a moment.\n[color=#3465a4]“Oh doggy, you should really see your face. Hi Christa. How do I look? I hope it isn’t too much.”[/color]\nMom touched my chin to close my mouth.\n[color=#4e9a06]“You look amazing, Nicole. This dress really suits you. If Balto is done with drooling, we are good to go.”[/color]\nNikki took me into her arms, I could smell her strawberry-coconut shampoo. I must admit that this smell is still turning me on.\nWe took our car this time and arrived at the school about half an hour later. \nTogether we passed the big fountain at the main entrance, with the statue of Athene on top of it. She is still watching over our school.\nNikki looked at it and smiled.\n[color=#3465a4]“Ah, the sweet goddess Athene. I always loved this statue. I still remember how we used this fountain to cool down on hot summer days. The janitor always shouted around, if he caught us in it.”[/color]\n\nWe all laughed, as we entered the auditorium. There we met with the rest of our group. We talked a bit on our way to the sport hall. As we arrived there, Mr. Wertenson welcomed us. \nFirst, he shook my mother’s hand.\n[b]“Mrs. Star, it is a pleasure to see you again. Hello Balto.”[/b]\nThen he looked at Nikki, who was holding my hand.\n[b]“Ah. And you must be Balto’s famous girlfriend. Now that I finally meet you in person, you seem familiar.”[/b]\nNikki looked at my teacher, while she played with her hair.\n[color=#3465a4]“Hello, Mr. Wertenson. My name is Nicole Kofi, you were my biology teacher, as I attended this school. I am now at Stark College.”[/color]\nMr. Wertenson touched his forehead.\n[b]“Ms. Kofi. Yes, now I remember. I didn’t recognize you without Ms. Jones by your side.”[/b]\nI can imagine how you look right now, my dear reader. I also was confused. Same went for Nikki, at least for a second.\n[color=#3465a4]“Ms. Jones? Oh, you mean Trish. No, she sadly isn’t here today.”[/color]\nMr. Wertenson turned his head to me.\n[b]“You know Balto, your girlfriend and Ms. Jones were known troublemakers here. Good students, but wild. Ms. Kofi once played baseball with the nest of some angry hornets. The thing landed right in front the paws of the former director. He needed three weeks to recover. Not to mention the Mensa massacre.” [/b]\nNikki tried to cover my ears, but it was too late. I looked at her with a grin in my face:\n[color=#cc0000]“Mensa massacre? Nikki, you never told me about all this.”[/color]\nMy girl placed her hand on my snout.\n[color=#3465a4]“Wipe that grin off your face, Balto. There is nothing to tell here. Trish and I just had a bad day, nothing else.”[/color]\nMr. Wertenson had to laugh.\n[b]“Bad day? I still remember that we had to renovate the whole Mensa, after Ms. Jones and Ms. Kofi started a food fight on Spaghetti Day.”[/b]\nOur whole theater group began to laugh, even mom couldn’t hold it in. Nikki seemed to be a bit annoyed.\n[color=#3465a4]“That was during my first year in High School. As far as I remember it, we were provoked by some boys who threw their food at us first.”[/color]\nMr. Wertenson calmed down and gave Nikki a smile, but somehow, I felt that he was hiding something.\n[b]“It doesn’t matter anymore. Ms. Kofi later proved to be one of our best students. I am happy to hear that you made it to Stark College.” [/b]\n\nMr. Wertenson looked at Raphael and the rest of the group.\n[b] “Oh, I am so sorry. Are you the other singers?”[/b]\n\nRaphael introduced the Howling Musketeers, then we entered the hall. The decoration wasn’t anything special, but it looked nice. The food smelled like the typical stuff from our cantina. That means you better stay away from the meat, since it might bite back.\nOk, bad joke about food at school – check\n\nRaphael took the Howling Musketeers next door to prepare for the show, while mom, Nikki and I took our seats at a big round table. There we also met Antu and Mikey with their fathers. \nWe had a good conversation, and a lot of fun. Antu and Mikey held hands for most of the time, but I was too shy to ask, if they are really a couple now.\n\nAfter an hour, we heard Mr. Wertenson’s voice through the speaker.\n[b]“Dear parents, beloved students, my name is Christian Wertenson, I am the guidance counselor of the Leonard Seppala High and Middle School. Today, we want to celebrate, since our students here have reached the end of their time in Middle School. In September, they will return here as High School students. It became a tradition at this school to hand out each student their final report card and their Middle School Diploma in person, if they reach this milestone.\nBefore we begin, I am pleased to announce that all students successfully completed this year. \nThe first student I want to introduce you today is a boy who came to us from far away. He always showed great enthusiasm in the classroom, and his success is nothing less than inspiring for many at this school. Please give applause to Antu Strife. Come to me, Antu.”[/b]\n\nThe tiger walked timidly towards Mr. Wertenson. A blind man would have seen that this situation wasn’t comfortable for him. The clapping and the knocking on the tables must have been somehow traumatic for Antu. So traumatic that his father stood up to go with him on the way, so he could get his report. (Maybe I should mention that Antu originally comes from Afghanistan and has seen some pretty bad things there)\n\nAs Antu and his father came back to the table, he looked proud at his grades, and his father gave him a hug. Tears formed in my eyes, as I watched this scene. My mother noticed that and gently touched my back. Then she whispered into my ear:\n[color=#4e9a06]“Balto, is everything ok? Why the tears?”[/color]\nI lowered my head and looked at the ground. Gladly, the others were busy with their own stuff, which is why they didn’t pay attention to me.\n[color=#cc0000]“I was just thinking about dad. I wish he would be here, mom. I want my dad, like all the other kids have theirs.”[/color]\nMom pressed me against her, while she caressed over my head.\n[color=#4e9a06]“Balto, believe me when I say, that there is nothing I would wish more than that your father would walk through this door there right now. But that is impossible. I know that I can’t replace your father. But believe me, Sebastian would be more than proud to see you today.” [/color]\nNext was Mikey, followed by the rest of the students. A little detail here, the ceremony wasn’t only for my class, it was also for the parallel class. That was the reason why Mikey and Antu were here, because they aren’t exactly my classmates. But because of that, the ceremony took forever. Hopefully, Raphael and the others had something to do, while they waited next door.\n\nIt took me a while to order my thoughts. Mom held me tight the whole time. After a while, I could hear Nikki asking:\n[color=#3465a4]“When does Balto get his report? We need to get ready for the show.” [/color]\nMom answered her:\n[color=#4e9a06]“I don’t know, but we must be at the end of the list now. As far as I see it, everyone else got their report now. I don’t know why Balto is the last one who gets his.”[/color]\nMr. Wertenson’s voice silenced this conversation.\n[b]“I thank you all very much for your patience. Now, before we come to the show part, I have one more student on my list. I know this young man since he first set his paws into this school. He always was a silent boy, barely interacted with others. His grades sadly suffered under this introvert behavior, although he showed his great talents even then. I hope he doesn’t hate me now for sharing this with you. Well, about two years ago, there was a change. This was a positive surprise for my colleagues and me, I can tell you that much. \nHis grades improved drastically, and he began to open, or, as you kids might say it, to lower his shields. He began to talk, to be more active during the lessons.\nAs I have heard, he recently joined a theater group at Stark College, even played on Broadway in a little competition. Well, without any more words, Balto, would you please come up here?”[/b]\n\nMom had to give me a little push, since I somehow didn’t want to go on stage after this speech. I stood up and walked up to Mr. Wertenson. He gave me my report card and my certificate. A few more bloomy words followed, which gave me an even more uncomfortable feeling. I felt how everyone in the room was looking at me, especially my classmates. On my way back to the table, I took a quick look at the piece of paper in my hands. \n\n“The student still has problems with social participation”\nThat was one of the first sentences written on it. The same sentence as every year. But well, I think I made some progress in that matter. After I rejoined the others on the table, Nikki and mom looked at my report card.\nMy mother took me into her arms.\n[color=#4e9a06]“This is fantastic, Balto. All the learning really worked out. I am proud of you, my son.”[/color]\nNikki began to giggle.\n[color=#3465a4]“We only have to work on your sports grade, I am sure you can do better than a B-, doggy.”[/color]\nSport is really my least favorite subject at school.\n\n[color=#cc0000]“That is just because of these stupid games they force us to play all the time.”[/color]\nThe whole table laughed.\nSentences like: “Your son has problems with social interactions? That happens, if a boy’s father isn’t around” nearly let my mom explode, but she controlled herself. She just swallowed her anger. Nikki then tried to calm the situation down. \n[color=#3465a4]“Balto, we should go and see the others now. I am sure they are eager to start with the show.”[/color]\nMom briefly looked at the lady, who has said this nonsense moments before.\n[color=#4e9a06]“Yes, Balto. I can’t wait to see what your friends have planned for today. Maybe you and Nicole can sing a little duet again? Like you did it in New York?”[/color]\nI nodded.\n[color=#cc0000]“Sure, mom.”[/color]\nNikki took my hand, and together we walked to one of the locker rooms, where Raphael and the others waited for us.\nThe Border Collie looked at us, as we entered.\n[color=#edd400]“There you are. I thought they might have forgotten us back here. Can we start now?”[/color]\nNikki smiled at him.\n[color=#3465a4]“Yes, Mr. Wertenson will announce us any minute. How shall we begin?”[/color]\nRaphael pulled out a list of songs.\n[color=#edd400]“This guy gave me a list of songs, which we are supposed to sing.”[/color]\nNikki looked at the list.\n[color=#3465a4]“These songs are boring as hell. We are here to bring some joy to the audience, and not to depress them. I think we should begin with something different. Svetlana, Angelike, how about “You’ll be in my heart”, “You Raise me up” and “You’ll never walk alone”?[/color]\n\nEveryone agreed to these songs, and they seemed to be a good start. You might wonder where the music came from, since we didn’t have any instruments with us. Besides that, not every one of us could play an instrument. Our group owns a karaoke machine for performances like this one. We also use it for our karaoke nights.\nRaphael added a few more songs, some of them were even on the Mr. Wertenson’s list:\n\n“We are young”, “Reach for the Light”, “Something just like this”, and “You got it”\n\nRaphael performed a song from “Dance of the Vampires” named “The Insatiable Appetite”, Svetlana joined him later for “Total Eclipse of the Hearth”.\nThen we all sang “All for Love” together, which is basically the hymn of our group.\nWe were nearly at the end, as Nikki and I sang “If you Believe”. The first time I have heard it was in the movie “Prince of Egypt”. I am not much into religion, but I like this song’s message.\n\nThe people applauded, after we were done. Or better, knocked on the table. Since our hands are a bit different from human hands, with pads and fur, applauding is not so effective. We prefer to knock on something, if possible, what can be heard better. Especially we wolves sometimes howl, but that is rare. It also often isn’t so gladly seen, or better, heard.\nWe were about to finish our gig, as Nikki pulled me closer. She whispered into my ear:\n[color=#3465a4]“Balto, maybe you should end this with Puck’s words. You know what I mean. Give this lady from before a taste of your talent.”[/color]\n\nI couldn’t hide a smile, while I grabbed one of the microphones from its stand. Miguel switched the speakers back on, and after he gave me a sign, I spoke Puck’s little poem:\n\n[color=#cc0000]“If we shadows have offended,\nThink but this, and all is mended—\nThat you have but slumbered here\nWhile these visions did appear.\nAnd this weak and idle theme,\nNo more yielding but a dream,\nGentles, do not reprehend.\nIf you pardon, we will mend.\nAnd, as I am an honest Puck,\nIf we have unearned luck\nNow to ’scape the serpent’s tongue,\nWe will make amends ere long.\nElse the Puck a liar call.\nSo good night unto you all.\nGive me your hands if we be friends,\nAnd Robin shall restore amends.”[/color]\n\nWe bowed to the audience and then walked off the stage. It wasn't our best performance, but in our defense, we didn't have much time to prepare. At least this lady from before seemed to be impressed. After we came back home later, mom searched a frame for my certificate, we watched a bit TV, and my mother showed us a video she recorded from our performance. Later, Nikki and I went online to watch a few music videos from Holly Rhoads-Hunter and her Band “Silver Fang”. I still have to say that this isn’t my favorite kind of music. We are now at the end of June. I can't believe how fast this year has gone by. The next entry in our calendar was the little party at the lake Nikki had planned for our group.\nWe drove to the cabin the next day, early in the morning. On our way, we stopped at a nearby supermarket. Nikki wanted to buy some food and snacks for the party. She bought meat, vegetables, some milk for breakfast. Unusual for her were the chips and the dips, since Nikki usually doesn’t eat such stuff. She also bought some ready mixture for cake. She wanted me to make some cake for the team, while we are at the lake.\nWe just were out of the market and walked with a shopping cart to Nikki’s car, as I saw a kid and his parents.\nI couldn’t look away from them, what Nikki noticed a few moments later.\n[color=#3465a4]“Balto, is everything ok? You look like you are very far away with your thoughts.”[/color]\nI nodded.\n[color=#cc0000]“Yeah, all fine. I was just thinking about my dad, that is all. Mom always told me how proud he would be about me. But I don’t know why he should be proud.”[/color]\nNikki gently caressed over my head.\n[color=#3465a4]“You are kind, sensitive, you support your mother, you are a little star at your school, you even performed on Broadway. There are several things he could be, no, would be proud of. Balto, I don’t remember your father, I was only 5 years old, as he died. But if only half of the stuff my father told me about him is true, your dad would be bursting with pride.”[/color]\nNikki’s words made me smile.\n[color=#cc0000]“You forgot that I have a cool girlfriend.”[/color]\nNikki giggled.\n[color=#3465a4]“Yeah, but that is more a compliment for me.”[/color]\n\nI sighed. \n[color=#cc0000]“Yeah. Let us go to the house now, before the milk gets warm.”[/color]\nWe drove to the house without any more words. After we had stowed the things in the kitchen, I sat down on the veranda, from where you have a clear view over the lake.\nNikki joined me there.\n[color=#3465a4]“Balto, are you still thinking about your dad? When was the last time you visited him?[/color]\nI drew my legs and rested my head on my knees.\n[color=#cc0000]“You mean his grave? That was on Christmas, with mom.”[/color]\nMy girl sat down next to me.\n[color=#3465a4]“Maybe you should visit him more often. You know, the others won’t come here until 7 or 8 in the evening. So, we have plenty of time. Let us go visit your father.”[/color]\n\nWhy she wanted to do that wasn’t clear to me. But saying something against it wouldn’t make much sense.\nThe drive to the cemetery took us about half an hour. At the impressive entrance, you can see three statues of angels. On top of the gate is Azrael, the angel of death. Raphael, the angel of healing on the left, and Gabriel, the angel of change and a new beginning, stands on the right side. \nDeath, healing, and a new beginning. Together, they guard the gates to this place. Mom always told me that they watch over the souls, and make sure that they get safely into the afterlife. I guess that sometimes faith can help to ease the pain, even if you know that it isn’t real. \n\nNikki looked at me, after she parked the car.\n[color=#3465a4]“Ready?”[/color]\nSlowly, I turned my head toward her.\n[color=#cc0000]“Nikki, would you mind if I go alone?”[/color]\nNikki shook her head. She told me that in the meantime she would go for a little walk.\nI nearly got lost as I wandered through the aisles of this place. But in the end, I found my father’s grave. A cold, black stone with golden letters on it.\n\n\n[center]Sebastian Star[/center]\n[center]Born 05/16/1979 Died 09/20/2007[/center]\n\n[center]“He who lives in the memory of his loved ones is not dead, he is only distant. Dead is only who is forgotten”[/center]\n\n\nI kneeled in front of my father’s grave, unknowing what to do next. I remembered what mom sometimes did here and began to talk.\n[color=#cc0000]“Dad, it’s me. Balto. I don’t know if you can hear me, since, well, I am sitting here and talk to a piece of stone. Sorry that I haven’t visited you more often. Nikki brought me here, mom is at home. But don’t worry, she is fine. Do you remember Nikki? She is my girlfriend since about two years. Mom once showed me a video, where you joked with Mr. Kofi about me and Nikki becoming a couple. You would love her now, she is awesome. She helps me with school, and with her help I became one of the best in my class. Oh, yesterday was my last day in Middle School. In September, I will be a High School student. I am also in a Theater Group now. We even performed on Broadway and won a competition there. I wish you would be here. I know that we never actually met each other, but I miss you.”[/color]\n\nAfter I said these words, a voice from behind startled me.\n[b]“I bet he misses you too.”[/b]\nI turned around, to see a familiar face. A human face. It was this guy named Peter. The last time I have seen him was in Central Park New York, during our first stay there.\nI growled a bit, then closed my eyes and shook my head.\n[color=#cc0000]“You are not here. No one else has seen you in New York. Everyone said that I was talking to myself.”[/color]\nThe strange man laughed, before he continued:\n[b]“Your father loves you, Balto. You can be sure of that.”[/b]\n\nAnd then, he was gone. Only the wind could be heard rustling through the leaves of the trees. Nikki’s voice broke the silence a few moments later.\n[color=#3465a4]“Balto? Balto? Where are you?”[/color] \n[color=#cc0000]“I am here, Nikki!”[/color]\nMy girl came closer, rubbing her arms. The wind became stronger, and a roll of thunder could be heard in the distance. \n[color=#3465a4]“Balto, there you are. Have you silenced your phone? There is a storm coming, we should leave.”[/color]\n\nWe walked to the car and drove back to the cabin. We arrived there, and just as we entered the house, it began to rain.\nNikki chuckled.\n[color=#3465a4]“That was close. Well, Balto, maybe we should start to prepare for the party. I will prepare the snacks, and you can start to make the cake. Today we will watch TV and talk, nothing special. Tomorrow, if it doesn’t rain, we will have BBQ. Gabriel brings his own grill for it.[/color]”\n\nWhile I was making the cake, I could watch Nikki preparing the rest of the house for our guest. She also took out the air mattresses for later. They are ideal for guests, but I prefer the bed.\nIt became late, and at about 6 o’clock, we heard a knocking at the door. It was still raining heavily. As Nikki opened the front door, we saw a feline, soaked to the bones. It was Angelike. She looked so cute, but by the expression on her face, she wasn't too happy about being all wet. I mean, wet from the rain, not the good kind of wet. You know what I mean. Nikki showed her the bathroom and gave her some dry clothes.\nThe next arriving guests were Raphael, Svetlana and Miguel, then Gabriel together with Thomas and Jonathan. They came in Gabriel's big, black Pick Up. \nJoseph sadly couldn’t make it because of family matters.\nThe wind became stronger, but besides that, it wasn’t as bad as the storm back in May. You might remember, the one which claimed several lives in our town.\nWe watched TV, played a card game named “Cards against Humanity” together, Miguel had his guitar with him and played a few songs for us. \nIt was a cozy evening with good friends, but the most interesting thing happened during the night and the next morning. \nWhile the others slept in the living room, Nikki, Raphael, Svetlana and I shared the bedroom. No, not all together in the bed. Svetlana and Raphael had an air mattress on the floor, Nikki and I took the bed.\nA rustling woke me up in the middle of the night. First, I thought it came from outside. That maybe someone was sneaking around the house. But this noise came from inside the bedroom. I listened closer and noticed, that it came from Svetlana’s and Raphael’s direction. They tried to be quiet, but here and there a soft moan escaped them both. The room was dark, so I could only imagine what they were doing. In my head, I had pictures of Raphael playing with Svetlana’s pussy, rubbing her little pearl. The imagination of them having sex made me a bit horny, but Nikki was asleep, and I wanted to avoid waking her up. The noises intensified, I heard claws scratching over the mattress, and then a load moan, as Svetlana probably was overwhelmed by her climax.\nI couldn’t hold myself and giggled a bit. They must have heard me, since they both didn’t move anymore for at least a minute.\nThe rising sun woke me up early in the morning. Nikki was still sleeping, same went for Raphael and Svetlana. After I stood up, I could see them laying there, arm in arm. Since I always sleep naked, I grabbed a bathrobe to cover myself, before I tried to leave the room as silent as possible. The bedroom door creaked a bit, as I closed it. On my way to the bathroom, I noticed that I was the only one who was awake. Gabriel and Thomas shared a mattress, Angelike strangely slept alone on the couch, and the remaining mattress was empty. There was no trace of Jonathan and Miguel. I thought that they maybe went outside for a walk. Without any more thoughts, I continued my way to the bathroom.\nAs I was about to open the door, I heard that someone was taking a shower. But there also was another noise, which made me curious. Slowly I opened the unlocked door, to risk a look inside. There, inside the shower cabin, I saw them. Jonathan, the Red Fox, was humping Miguel. I thought the Mexican Wolf would be in love with Angelike, which is why I was very surprised about what was happening here. The fox had his hands on Miguel’s hip, while the canine had his hands on the white wall of the cabin, pressing himself against his lover. I could clearly see the wolf’s cock bobbing up and down with every thrust. Jonathan didn’t hold back, and after a few minutes he forced his knot inside the butt of his play partner. That pushed Miguel over the edge, and he came hands free. Jonathan himself came only seconds later deep inside the butt of his lover. I simple couldn’t look away from this scene. \n\nTo be honest, it even aroused me a bit and reminded me of the sex I had with Mikey in the tent during our camping trip last year. Jonathan seemed to be exhausted as he cuddled up close to Miguel’s back. \nI tried to sneak out of the room backwards, but almost tripped over the laundry basket. The sound let the two lovebirds turn their heads to me. They seemed to be shocked, as they simultaneously yelled: [b]“Balto!”[/b]\nMiguel turned off the water, and Jonathan opened the shower cabin a bit. The wolf banged his head against the wall as he fretted that he hadn't locked the door. Jonathan seemed to be calmer, as he said:\n[b]“Miguel, stop that, before you make a hole in the wall. I thought you have locked the door.”[/b]\nThen he looked at me.\n[b]“Balto, can you please keep this for yourself? We will explain everything later, I promise.”[/b]\nI nodded wordlessly, turned around and grabbed my toothbrush. There was no need to leave anymore, so brushed my teeth and emptied my bladder first. I could watch in the mirror how Jonathan pulled his member out of Miguel’s butt. That fox is, let me say, gifted. \nI wonder if all foxes have such large cocks. Mikey is, if you remember the entry about the camping trip, pretty big down there too. That this thing fit in Miguel’s butt impressed me. See, I needed a long time until Nikki could shove the strap-on inside my hole. And the dildo she used isn’t that big. All this let me think about how long they have practiced until the fox was able to penetrate Miguel. \n\nI mean, Jonathan’s thing would make Vlad the Impaler smile. That was the guy who inspired Bram Stoker’s Dracula, for those who don’t know. Damn, Nikki is right. Sometimes I really annoy people with useless facts.\n\nAfter I finished my business in the bathroom, I left the two lovers alone and prepared some coffee and tea in the kitchen. Then I slowly walked back in the bedroom, where Nikki was about to wake up. My girl looked at me with a warm smile in her beautiful face, after she noticed me.\n[color=#3465a4]“Morning doggy. You are up early.” [/color]\nA loud yawn followed. \n[color=#3465a4]“Have you slept well?”[/color]\nI still had the pictures from before in my head, what made me giggle.\n[color=#cc0000]“Yes, Nikki. I have prepared some coffee and tea. The others are still sleeping.”[/color]\nNikki tilted her head a little.\n[color=#3465a4]“What is so funny about that?”[/color]\nGood for me, that she didn’t wait for an answer. Her gaze wandered down at the floor, where Svetlana and Raphael were just about to wake up.\n[color=#3465a4]“Morning you two.”[/color]\nThen Nikki turned her head back to me.\n[color=#cc0000]“Balto, please open the windows and the doors, we need to air out the house. And try to wake up the others.”[/color]\nI did what my girl told me to do. Gabriel and Thomas were up already, as I came back into the living room. Miguel and Jonathan were out of the bathroom by now and prepared breakfast for everyone, including some ham and eggs. Only Angelike was still sleeping on the couch. The feline looked so cute that I simply couldn’t wake her up. Nikki, Raphael, and Svetlana joined us, dressed only in their underwear. That isn’t a big thing, we all know how the others look without clothes. The reason is simple, we often share a changing room, and we showered together after a few rehearsals.\nWe had breakfast, listened a bit to the radio and the weather forecast.\nAngelike woke up at around 9 o'clock. \nAfter the Bengal stood up, she turned her back to us and stretched her slender body. That way we had a good view on the awesome marking in shape of the Elder Scrolls Symbol on her back. Angelike then joined us for breakfast. It was a relaxed morning. \nGabriel then prepared the meat for our BBQ later, we helped to build up his grill, then our group sat down in a circle around the fireplace. Raphael then stepped forward and told us about the next big project for the Howling Musketeers:\n[color=#edd400]“Ok everyone, please listen. I know it has been some time since we talked about a new project. First, thank you Nikki, that we can use this place for our meeting. The silence here, the fresh air, it is great. Last week I talked with the principal. He told me about a festival in December, for which he wants to invite a few other theater groups. He said we should pick a new play, and I think we found a good one for us. It is a funny little musical called “Mamma Mia!”, which is based on the songs of the Swedish pop group ABBA. If everyone is ok with it, we will start the training as soon as possible. There is a movie by the same name, maybe we can watch that later today. I think it can help us to choose the most fitting role for everyone.”[/color]\n\nAll of us agreed to Raphael’s plan. We then wanted to begin with the BBQ, but Jonathan asked us to stay for another moment. You can imagine why, but I want to write it down anyway:\n[b]“Everyone, I wanted to use the opportunity to tell you something. As you all know, I am gay. And I finally found a partner, with which I have a relationship since a couple of weeks. We kept this a secret since my partner needed time to find himself. Today, something happened, and there is no need to hide it any longer.”[/b]\nMiguel stood up slowly and took Jonathan’s hand, while everyone looked at them. The fox continued:\n[b]“Miguel and I are in love. This might surprise one or another, but I hope you can support us.”[/b]\n\nRaphael stepped forward. \n[color=#edd400]“John, Miguel, I am sure that I speak for everyone here, if I say that we will always stand behind you two.”[/color]\nWhile everyone stood up to congratulate the two, Angelike was still sitting on the log. She seemed to be sad.\nNikki, who saw how the Bengal was drawing lines in the sand with her paw, asked Miguel:\n[color=#3465a4]“Miguel, I hope you don’t mind me asking. But back in New York, after the competition, you couldn’t take your eyes off Angelike. Since when you know that you are more into guys?”[/color]\n\n\nMiguel gulped, but tried to explain:\n[b]“Well, Angelike and I were indeed together for two weeks or so. But it simply didn’t feel right for me. I have never told anyone, that I am more into boys. A part of me even denied it. Jonathan caught me one day, as I watched him taking a shower. We talked long after that and spend a lot of time together. And well, we fell in love.”[/b]\n\nNikki looked at the now crying Angelike. Seeing her fellow feline like that must have angered Nikki a bit.\n[color=#3465a4]“And what about her? It seems that she really had feelings for you, why did you play with her like that?”[/color]\nAll eyes rested on Miguel now.\n[b]“Please believe me if I say that I never wanted to play with Angelike’ feelings. I really thought that I would love her, but that wasn’t true. Angelike, Jonathan, and I talked a long time about this. I am sorry, I never wanted to hurt anyone.”[/b]\n\nNikki nodded and then walked over to Angelike, while Jonathan took care of his partner. Nikki took the Bengal in her arms to ease her. I joined her a few minutes later. \nThey talked for quite a while, and Angelike explained us that she is fine. It was just a bit hurtful for her to go through this again. She really liked Miguel, but like him, she felt soon after New York, that something wasn’t right between them. Angelike further explained us that she never had a relationship so far, what made it even more painful for her, that Miguel couldn’t give her the love she was hoping for. She also said that she is happy for Miguel and Jonathan, that she will continue to focus on her education and not actively seek for a partner any time soon. \nNikki then invited her over to her place for a girl's night, what Angelike gladly accepted. And I know what some might think now. I don’t think that Nikki had sexual intentions at this point.\n\nAfter Angelike stopped crying, Nikki had something else to tell the group. She stood up and spoke:\n[color=#3465a4]“Please, I also have some news, which might be of interest to the group. Balto and I visited a rock concert in 2020, and there we met the Hazel and Johana, the kids of Holly Rhoads-Hunter. Some might know her and her music. Balto kept contact with them, and now they invited us over to their place. Therefore, Balto and I will fly to Detroit on Monday. We will spend a week in Ann Arbor. Hazel, her daughter, told us that Holly maybe can give us some tips for a better performance.”[/color]\nWhile the others were only looking at Nikki, some of them seemed to hear from Ms. Rhoads-Hunter for the first time, Gabriel came towards Nikki. He acted like a school kid, like I have never seen him before.\n[b]“Holly Rhoads-Hunter? Holy crap, I am a big fan of her! You know, I was at that concert myself. It was so awesome. I tried to get an autograph, but I didn’t have a backstage pass that day. Do you think you can ask her to sign a photo for me? I must say that I am very jealous of you two. Oh, and please ask her for her new movie, and if she plans any new songs or concerts. Please, you have to promise me that.”[/b]\nNikki and I had to laugh, what was a little irritating for Gabriel. Nikki then touched the cheek of the big bear, as she answered:\n[color=#3465a4]“I promise, Gabriel.”[/color]\nNikki giggled.\n[color=#3465a4]“I have never seen you like that. I like that side of you. You are often way too serious, big guy.”[/color]\nRaphael joined the conversation.\n[color=#edd400]“Nikki, even if this isn’t the intention of this trip. It would be great if you can get some tips or tricks from her. Especially after that fail with Ms. Abbas.”[/color]\nNikki agreed with him.\n[color=#cc0000]“I will see what we can do, Raphael. It would help us for sure.”[/color]\n\nHer look went over to me.\n[color=#3465a4]“Especially for our Balto here. This is a big chance to learn from a star. Maybe she also can convince him to eat more vegetables.”[/color]\nEveryone laughed, while I growled a bit. Stupid vegetables. We wolves need meat.\n\nThe rest of the day wasn’t really worth it to talk about. We had a great BBQ. I had to fight with Miguel for the beef ribs. They were so tasty and tender. In the evening, we moved back inside the house, where we built up the karaoke machine to sing a few songs. Based on our next big project, we mostly sang ABBA songs like “Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight), “Lay Your Love on Me”, and “Waterloo”. Our singing session took until midnight, which is why we were all exhausted afterwards. \nBefore we all went to bed, we watched a few videos about the ABBA Musical. Well, at least I started to watch. I fell asleep after about twenty minutes during the first video.\nWhen I woke up the next morning, I was lying in bed, naked, with my claws colored like a rainbow. There was no one in the room besides me. I took my bathrobe from the hook, then I slowly walked out of the bedroom. It was a rather cold morning for the end of June. The singing of the birds could be heard through the open door. I looked outside, were I spotted the others. \nThey were packing their stuff in their cars. As soon as they saw me, they began to laugh. Especially the girls. First, I didn’t know why, but then Nikki told me to take a look into the rear-view mirror of Gabriel’s car. \nNow I could see this big, pink bow in my hair. As the colored claws wouldn’t have been enough. Angelike then explained to me that it is unwise to fall asleep during a sleepover. She gave me a hug, while she told me how cute I look. I didn’t response to her, just removed the bow from my hair and walked back inside to get some breakfast. To be honest, I was in a bad mood. \n\n15 minutes later, I was just eating some cereals, Nikki and Angelike walked into the kitchen and sat down on the table next to me. My girlfriend placed her hand on my back. I felt how she gently caressed my back, but I didn’t react to it. She tried to explain why they did this to me, that it was just meant as a little joke. Nikki also said that no one made any photos of it, so I don’t have to worry that anyone would see me wearing a bow like a little girl. As my bowl was empty, I raised my head to look at the two girls.\n[color=#cc0000]“So, no one will see that? No one will make fun of me because of it?”[/color]\nNikki shook her head.\n[color=#3465a4]“No, don’t worry. Balto, we are all friends, do you really think that anyone of our group would want to hurt you?”[/color]\nAngelike touched my hand with hers.\n[b]“Balto, you looked so cute while you were asleep. The nails were Johnathan’s idea. And the bow, well, that was me. I am sorry. We thought it would be funny.”[/b]\nMy eyes wandered from Angelike to Nikki, before I answered.\n[color=#cc0000]“Ok. But can you help me to get this off? I don’t want mom or Hazel to see it. Besides, are the others still outside?”[/color]\n\nNikki responded:\n[color=#3465a4]“No, they are already gone. They all had plans for today, so they didn’t want to lose time. Angelike will ride home with us later, and we will drop her off at her place. But until then, we will have a nice day together.”[/color]\nI tilted my head and looked at them. My imagination was going wild, as I looked at the two girls. I must have had a stupid expression in my face, since the girls began to laugh. Nikki then said:\n[color=#3465a4]“No Balto, not that kind of nice. You naughty puppy should take a cold shower.”[/color]\nAngelike laughed once more, while she tried to eat some bread. That made her cough, and I giggled a bit.\nNikki made herself some coffee, before we moved over to the couch, and Nikki switched on the TV. She searched through the channels for something worth watching. She stopped at the Science Channel, where they showed a documentary about Anthros. One of the scientists in it was Doctor Lucius Allister, the same man we met during our first stay in New York. He only looked even older than I remembered him. It was a surprise for me to see, that he still was alive. The main theme of this interesting documentation were the past and current relations between Anthros and Humans. They improved during the last years, but there is still much to do. They showed interviews with members of both sides, some of them were made in New York. There were people of every age, men and women alike. Even some teenagers. They talked about their personal experiences, most of them positive, but there were also negatives ones. One old woman said that an Anthro once robbed her, and that she thinks we are all criminals. One interview showed a police officer, who said that the most common problem between Anthros and Humans is discrimination. But he made clear that this happens on both sides. I may have said it before, there are many stupid Anthros out there, who don’t do us a favor with their behavior.\nThe documentation ended with a peaceful scene, showing Anthro and Human kids playing together. The narrator’ closing words were: \n[i]“There are still many problems and prejudices, if it comes to the relations between Humans and Anthros. We all need to work together, since we are all sharing this planet. We are not that different. All of us just want to live a life in peace and harmony. So, let us stop to look at the differences. \nLet us look at the similarities instead. You see these kids? They don’t seem to see any differences in each other. They just want to have fun together. We think that we could all an important lesson from them. A lesson humans should have learned long ago. Inside, we are all the same.”[/i]\n\nAngelike and Nikki both stood up and stretched, as the documentation was over. \nWe then decided to make a little walk through the woods, since the weather was just right for that. So, we grabbed our paw protectors and moved outside.\nThe wind blew gently through the trees. We heard the birds singing. Besides that, only the murmur of a small stream, which we passed after about half an hour, broke the silence. Angelike seemed to be amazed by the beauty of this place. But I didn’t dare to ask her why. I didn’t to disturb her thoughts. None of us said a word during this walk. We only listened to the surrounding nature.\nThe walk took us another hour, before we came back to the house. Sadly, it was time to pack our stuff together and go home. Angelike helped to close and secure all doors and windows, and to bring our stuff to Nikki’s car. We then took our seats in the Nikkimobil, and my girl started the motor. Angelike was sitting on the passenger seat, and I was sitting in the back. First, we drove to the place of our teammate. She still lives with Raphael and Anna in this nice Apartment close to the College. As the car stopped, Angelike looked at Nikki.\n\n[b]“Thank you, Nikki. Thanks, that you allowed me to stay with you for a bit longer. This thing with Miguel was hard for me, I really had feelings for him. I fear that I still have them. Seeing Raphael with Svetlana all the time, or Anna with this slutty raccoon girl, doesn’t really help much.”[/b]\n\nIn the mirror, I could see Nikki smiling. \n[color=#3465a4]“This raccoon is my best friend, Angelike. Her name is Trish. But yes, she can be a bit slutty sometimes. I am so sorry that it didn’t work out with you and Miguel. I am sure that you will find a fitting partner, too. I mean, look at you. I wonder why not every straight guy at college is after you.”[/color]\n\nI couldn’t see the Bengal’s face, but her voice sounded sad.\n[b]“Oh, I am sorry. But maybe you could ask her to be a bit quieter during her sex with Anna? That she runs around naked in the apartment is fine, but she is sometimes so loud, that our neighbors knock on the wall. Oh, and thanks. I guess I just will continue my studies. For now, I am done with looking for a relationship. I mean, I can have fun without it.”[/b]\nThat made me giggle, and I know that Nikki had her problems to keep a straight face at this point. She cleared her throat and answered:\n[color=#3465a4]“Sure, I will speak with Trish about that matter. Just be careful with that “having fun”-thing. A girl quickly gets a bad reputation. And believe me, that is something you wouldn’t want to have.”[/color]\nAngelike became curious.\n[b]“Did you ever have a bad reputation, Nikki? I only know you as the poster girl of the college.”[/b]\nShe got Nikki now, and after she took a deep breath, my girl explained:\n[color=#3465a4]“If you really want to know, yes. Back in High School, before Balto and I became a couple, I was, how should I call it, easy to get. It wasn’t for long, but long enough that boys only called me the ‘Spotted Slut of Seppala High.’\nYou can imagine that it wasn’t a pleasure to hear that every day.”[/color]\nNikki never told me this detail of her time at High School. I wanted to say something, but I thought it might be better to remain silent in the back seat.\nAngelike turned her head to me and placed her hand on my knee.\n[b]“You and Balto are such a great couple.”[/b]\nI smiled at her, as she continued:\n[b]“I hope you don’t mind me asking, Nikki, but how is the sex with him?”[/b]\nMy eyes became big in shock about this question, what made Nikki laughing.\n[color=#3465a4]“Oh my, that is an unexpected question. Well, Balto is different from other the other boys I had. He is more into taking care of me, than in simply, you know, fucking me. He has a very talented tongue.”[/color]\nI just wanted to disappear. But since that isn’t possible, I just pulled up my knees and hid my face. The girls saw that, and gladly Nikki stopped at this point. I heard her saying:\n[color=#3465a4]“But maybe we should talk about that at a more comfortable place. Hm, how about you come and visit us, after we are back from Ann Arbor?”[/color]\nAngelike seemed to be in a happier mood now.\n[b]“Sure, that would be cool! We three could have a pajama party! I promise that I won’t color your claws again, Balto. Well, I better let you two go home now, you said that you still need to pack your stuff. See you two later.”[/b]\nShe stepped out, waved at us once more, then she disappeared inside the building. I changed to the passenger seat before Nikki re-started the car, and then we continued our way home.\nNikki parked the car in front of our house, while mom came outside. She greeted us, gave Nikki and me a hug, then Nikki sadly had to go home to pack her stuff. Together with my mother, I walked into my closet to find a trolley for the upcoming journey. After we found it, my mother helped me to pack the stuff I would need. Underwear, clothes, Little Balto, paw protectors, a set of covers for blanket and pillow. I don’t like buttons, so I prefer to have my own bedsheets, which have a zipper, with me. Mom also had a bag with my medics prepared for me. She also gave me a detailed list of my allergies, next to a letter, in which she allows me to travel with Nikki. \nMy passport was the last item, that wandered into my trolley. I was set for the journey. Mommy and I spent the next few hours talking, while we watched a few episodes of Lucifer. \nAn episode in which god himself comes to earth and every time he appears, everyone begins to sing and dance. It is by far my favorite episode. \nThe actor of Lucifer has such a cool voice.\nIt was past midnight, as I went to bed. Mom made me some hot milk with honey. \n\nAs long as I remember, mom made me this before bedtime. She seemed to be sad, as she gently patted my head. Concerned by this, I asked her:\n[color=#cc0000]“Mom, is everything ok?”[/color]\nShe nodded, while she caressed over my head.\n[color=#4e9a06]“Don’t worry, Balto. It is just still hard for me to let you go for a longer time. But I think I must get used to, well…”[/color]\nShe sighed.\n[color=#4e9a06]“…that I won’t have you around me forever. One day, you and Nicole will leave. You two will have your own family. And that is sometimes hard for me to accept.”[/color]\nI nearly jumped up and hugged my mother tight.\n[color=#cc0000]“I will never leave you! Nikki and I will stay here.”[/color]\nShe smiled at me, with tears in her eyes.\n[color=#4e9a06]“Balto, it is only natural for a child to leave his home one day. But of course, if you and Nicole both decide to stay here, I am the last who would say no.”[/color]\n\nShe gave me a kiss on my cheek, we talked a bit further, while I drank my milk. Then it was time to sleep. She covered me in my blanket, before she slowly walked outside and turned off the light. \nIt was dark in my room, not a sound was to be heard. I was alone with my thoughts.\nIn a few hours, I would sit in a plane for the very first time. We will visit our friends in Ann Arbor, hopefully have a good time there. I shook my head to silence my brain, I wanted to sleep. The sandman finally came, and I felt into a deep slumber.\n", "writing_bbcode_parsed": "Chapter 2: Last week in Middle school

The last days in Middle School. Luckily, I don’t have to go to a different school next year, since the Seppala Middle School also houses our local High School. It is just a different building on the campus. Maybe I will try to draw a plan of it for you one day.
My alarm clock woke me up from the aforementioned dream at 6am.
Tiredly, I stood up and walked out of my room. My first station was the bathroom, afterwards it was time for breakfast. My mother had prepared cereals for me, plus fresh orange juice. Since she bought this juicer, mom makes fresh juice all the time from whatever fruit she can find. What is cool because it tastes much better than the stuff from the market. While I was enjoying my breakfast, mom and I talked a bit about the day and our plans for the rest of the week. Since Nikki and I would be gone for a week in July, we wanted to spend the next days together. You know, watching movies, make walks, and such stuff. She also wanted to see a doctor with me. Don’t worry, I am not sick. I only need a new recipe for my hay fever medication and a new EpiPen. I am certain that I have mentioned my allergies before. Besides my hay fever, I am allergic to stings from bees, wasps and other insects. And as if that wouldn’t be enough already, I am also not allowed to eat nuts and apples in a raw form, what is a perfect excuse for not eating green food. Mom says that in most cases, I won’t need something like an EpiPen. But better save, than sorry.
Personally, I couldn’t wait for a few free days.
I wanted to play video games and work on my journal, spend time with Nikki, and besides that, we had a few trainings with the theater group on our list. Not only do we have some new members and volunteers with the Howling Musketeers, but we also have a professional vocal trainer now. The principal of Stark College seems to be very serious with his support for us, what is amazing. The vocal trainer is a lioness in her 50s, her name is Severa Abbas. As she told us at the first meeting, she is a former actress and dancer. But due to her age and some other problems, she needed to find a new profession. And that is why she now works as a trainer. So far, I only met her twice. The first time as the principal introduced her to us, and the second time was at our first training together. Somehow, I had a feeling that she doesn’t like me. Ms. Abbas always yelled at me to speak louder, clearer, but regardless of what I did, it was always wrong. The worst thing for me was as she excluded me from the training after some time. That also pissed off Raphael, what resulted in them having a heated discussion. The result was a half-hearted apology, in which she said that she had never worked with kids before. I guess we will see where this is going with her. It is safe to say that so far, she didn’t make herself many friends in our group.

But that should only be a side note for now. More important for me was something I have seen on the schoolyard during our lunch break. As usual, I had made myself comfortable in the grass under the big trees. Mom had made me chicken sandwiches that day, so delicious. When I was done eating, I let my gaze wander over the yard. The others played and ran around, while I just tried to relax and to enjoy the sun, before we had to go back to class. Then I saw Mikey. I was already wondering where he was because he usually spends the break with me.
The fox wasn’t alone, alongside him came Antu, the white tiger boy. You might remember, I have mentioned him in my last entry.
We became friends pretty quickly after he came to Darwin's Hope with his father. Antu’s dad is a human, and a close friend of Mr. Kofi. They know each other from their time in the army.
Mikey and Antu spent a lot of time together lately. What surprised me that day was to see them walking hand in hand. Without any doubts, they would make a great couple. I giggled silently, as I imagined who would be the more dominant part in their relationship. In my opinion, it would be Antu.
The tiger spotted me, waved, and then the two joined me at my little spot underneath the trees.
We had a nice little conversation, in which Antu told us about his favorite restaurants and the locations he visited with his father, both in our town and during the time he traveled from one military base to the other with him. We talked until the bell rang, and we had to go back inside.

The rest of the day wasn’t much to talk about, just the usual school stuff. Well, beside the last hour. We were allowed to visit the part of our school, which houses the Seppala High School. Somehow I was disappointed, since it looked mostly like the rest of the school. Including dirty and damaged toilets, but they are to be renovated during the summer. Well, at least one thing there was special. We crossed a showcase with prices, trophies and certificates the school had won in the past.
Most of them were for winning talent and sports competitions. A brief look at the dates on the signs showed that the last victory in one of these contests was some time ago.
One trophy had a photo next to it, which showed a familiar looking girl. The description underneath confirmed it: Nicole Kofi, winner of the 2018 Erie County High School Talent Contest. Nikki looked so cute back then. After about half an hour, it was time to go back to our classroom.
As the bell ended the day, everyone was relived. Including our teacher.
I was already on my way to the bus, as my mother called. It was just a short call, in which she asked me to wait for her in front of the school. The reason was that she had made an appointment with the doctor and wanted to pick me up. I used the time to play a little puzzle game on my mobile.

My mom arrived about 20 minutes after the school was over. We drove to the doctor, and afterwards we went home.
We had dinner together, while we watched two episodes of Lucifer. Then I helped mom cleaning up, afterwards I went online on Pawtalk. Nikki seemed to have waited for me, since it took her less than a minute to call me. I wondered what she would say to this strange dream I had the night before.

“Hey Nikki, how are you? How was your day?”
“Hi Cutie. It was ok. And yours? Is everything ok at school?”
“Sure, Nikki. We were allowed to take a look at the part of the school we will attend to next year. But it wasn’t something special, besides some decorations. I have seen a photo of you in a showcase there.”
Nikki seemed surprised.
“A photo? Oh, I think I know which photo you mean. I won a talent show in 2018, was it from that?”
“Yes! You looked so cute back then!”
The feline looked at the camera with played anger.
“Do you think I am not cute anymore?”
Her look somehow freighted me, and I fold back my ears in submission.
“No, Nikki. I just meant that you were cute back then.”
My girl began to laugh.
“You look so sweet when you are scared. Fluffy, all is fine. Honestly, I don’t remember much of this contest. Just that it was somewhat important for the school back then. I think my mom has filmed it. If I don’t forget, I will ask her about it.”
Nikki took a deep breath.
“Balto, what I really wanted to talk about is the theater group. I had a group call with the others before, and we decided that we have to do something about Madam Abbas. This woman tries to take complete control, although she is only hired as a vocal trainer. She now wants trainings daily, wants to decide who can join and who has to leave the group. Today, at a little spontaneous meeting, she wanted to throw out Miguel and you.”
I gulped.
“Why? Did we do something wrong?”
“No, Balto. The simple reason is that she doesn’t like you, what she openly admitted during the meeting. And Miguel, well, Miss Abbas also dislikes Mexicans. She even called Miguel sloppy and lazy. Raphael literally exploded in anger. He wanted to see the principal right away, but sadly, he had already left the school. Listen, don’t worry, Balto.
If she really manages to exclude even one member, we will all leave. And that is something the principal will never let happen.  Ms. Abbas is sawing the branch she is sitting on, and soon, she will fall.”
Those unpleasant news made me sad.
“Nikki, maybe it would be better if I leave the group.”
Nikki shouted into her microphone:
“Balto, you take that back immediately! As long as you are with me, you will not quit, especially not because of a power-hungry wannabe star! We will talk to the principal as soon as we can. If we are lucky, Ms. Abbas will have to look for a new job by the end of the week.”
Nikki scared me at that moment.
“Nikki, please. Stop shouting, you scare me.”
Nikki calmed herself.
“Sorry, Balto. It is just, well, let us change the topic. Do you have something to talk about?”
I gulped nervously.
“Well, I wanted to tell you about the dream I had last night.”
My girl smiled at me from the monitor.
“Oh? Did my doggy had a naughty dream?”
Again, I had to gulp, while my heart was beating fast. I guess I was silent for a bit too long, since Nikki added:
“Doggy? Are you still with me? Tell your cheetah, what you have dreamed about.”
And so, I began to tell her:
“Well, I dreamed of you and your mom doing things together.”
Nikki tilt her head.
“Things? Do you mean what I think you mean?”
I nodded, before I answered.
“Yes, you two had sex together.”
Nikki chuckled, as she leaned back in her chair and put her paws on her desk.
“Tell me more, Balto. Come on.”
“Well, first your mom gave you a paw massage, you moaned loudly and spread your legs, so your mom could lick you. After a while you leaned back, and your mother came above you. Then there was a kiss. I remember that I saw a shadowy figure appearing in the back, which came coming closer, but then my alarm woke me up.”
The feline looked at me suggestively.
“That is all? I thought there would have been more. It seems like you woke up before the main event. Balto, it was just a dream. A strange one, yes, but still just a dream. Don’t put too many thoughts into it. On the other hand, a couple of weeks ago, my mom came up to my room to speak with me. I was naked, and stayed that way while we talked. I could see how she checked me out, how her eyes roamed over my body. But the strangest thing was that she asked me if I would have sex with her, if she wasn’t my mother.”
Her reaction made me kind of curious, My ears were standing up straight, while I asked her:
“Would you?”
Nikki went silent for some time, before she finally answered:
“Well, mom is a good-looking woman. Just like your mother. So, yes, I would. Hm, and to be fair, tell me. Would you like to have sex with her, if you could?”
Have you ever wished for a hole opening underneath yourself, so you can disappear? That was exactly what I wanted to happen at that moment.
But since that was unlikely to happen, I had to say something to Nikki. Ashamed, I looked down at the floor as I answered:
“Well, if you ask me like that, yes. She is hot. Well, for a mom.”

I didn’t need my speakers to hear Nikki’s laughter, while I disappeared underneath my desk. I really told my girlfriend, that I find her mother attractive enough to have sex with her. Luckily, Nikki took it with humor. After she was done with laughing, she said:
“Balto, all is fine. We are talking about purely hypothetical stuff here. So come back up and look at me, sweetie.”
Slowly, I came back up, and folded my ears back submissively. But my eyes became big, as I looked at the screen in front of me. Nikki had taken off her shirt, and I could see her firm breasts. This view makes me smile every time.
“That’s more like it. I know how much you like seeing them, Balto. Now let us talk about something else, what I forgot to mention before. On Wednesday, we have a group meeting at the college. I have talked with your mother before, she will bring you there after school. Raphael wants to try one last time to talk to the lady. Try to make it clear to her, that she is only a trainer, and not the boss. But he isn’t very optimistic, that she will understand that. Anyway, we are not in the position to fire her. That is up to the principal and the council. We can only hope for the best.”
Nikki sighed.
“It is getting late, Fluffy. We both should go to bed. Tomorrow is a new day. I love you, sleep well.”
“I love you too, Nikki. See you tomorrow.”

I yawned, and was a bit shocked, as I looked at the time. It was way past my bedtime. I went to bed, but I couldn’t sleep. My mind circled around the theater group. As you can imagine, I didn’t get much sleep that night. Sometimes, I hate my brain.

The next day was rather eventless. In class, we only talked, watched a movie, in the afternoon, we had sport.  I can’t tell you how much I hate sport. Especially if we must play any games. As you might remember, if you read my entry about the first time in New York, I am not good in playing games with others. This time, we had to play soccer. As usual, I was voted last into a team, and was told to sit on the bench. But as you can imagine, that was the best thing that could have happened to me. That way I had the time to write down some notes and to think about more important things.
After I came home that day, mom asked me to help her in the garden. We cut the lawn and took care of mom's vegetable patch. She really loves growing her own vegetables, mostly carrots and such stuff. This year, she tries to grow blueberries. From what I understood, they look good so far. We just need to keep the snails away from them. Mom yoked that we should get a duck or two to get rid of the snails, but she is afraid that I would eat them. It isn’t my fault that duck is tasting so good.
But now, let us move on to Wednesday.

The school day wasn’t anything special. In fact, it was a boring day. At least, we had our cooking class in the afternoon. This time, we made a New York Cheesecake. It was so tasty!

After school was over, mom picked me up and brought me to the college. As we arrived, I could already see the rest of the Howling Musketeers waiting in front of the main entrance. Mom drove to the parking lot, where I gave her a kiss and left the car. She drove home, since there was no need for her to wait. Nikki was here, and I would go home with my girl after the meeting.
Miguel was the first one who spotted and greeted me. Nikki was in the middle of a conversation with Raphael and Svetlana, which is why she didn't see me at first.
I talked with Miguel for a while, before Thomas, Gabriel, Angelike and Joseph joined us. Raphael, Nikki, Svetlana and Jonathan followed shortly after. My girlfriend gave me a hug, then we walked over to the event hall. Inside we met with Ms. Abbas.
The lioness wanted to begin a training session as usual, but Raphael cut her off after her first few sentences. A conversation followed, which turned into a loud dispute between the two after only a few minutes. I tried to cover my ears, but at the end, I had to leave the hall.
I simply cannot stand such conversations. Nikki followed me outside, where we sat down on a bench. First, we were sitting there in silence. Then I heard her speaking in a concerned voice:
“Balto, is everything ok? Raphael is still talking with Ms. Abbas. This woman is stubborn as a mule.”
I looked to the ground, as I answered her:
“I just can’t stand if people yell at each other.”
Nikki sighed and placed her hand on my shoulder.
“Balto, adults sometimes do that. Sure, it is stupid in most cases, but it is normal. Now come, let us go back inside. The others need us in there.”

Nikki took my hand, and just as we were about to go back inside, we saw the principal walking towards the entrance of the event hall. A look into his face clearly showed, that he was annoyed by something.
Nikki greeted him, but the big rottweiler didn’t respond. At least, he held the door open for us, as we re-entered the hall behind him.
Raphael and Ms. Abbas were still arguing on stage, while the rest of our group was sitting in silence on chairs in the first row. The director walked straight up on stage, where he used his powerful voice to silence the two squabblers.

“What the hell is going on here? My secretary told me that Mr. McAlister here called several times. I have a lot of work in my office, so better make this quick.”
Ms. Abbas was faster than Raphael with giving him an answer:
“This group here is a catastrophe! You told me I should train them, show them how to improve their skills. But they don’t do what I tell them to do. I was a star, I played on Broadway and in several movies, and I never experienced such an unprofessional bunch of wannabe actors. The girls cannot move, the men are good for nothing. And this child. You never told me that I would have to work with a child. I demand you to tell these amateurs that I am in charge, and that my decisions are final!”
Raphael nearly exploded.
“Ms. Abbas, with all due respect. You are only our vocal trainer, and nothing else. Since you are here, you try to take over this group. You insulted us. You excluded Balto from exercises. You deny all successes we had during the last few months. Every one of us simply has enough of you.”
Ms. Abbas screamed back at Raphael and the principal:
“I am in the show business since I was 16. I was one of the first anthropomorphic movie stars. I will not accept rewords from a bloody amateur.”
Now the principal raised his voice:
“Ms. Abbas! Mr. McAlister is right, I only hired you as a voice trainer for this group. Nothing more, nothing less. This group is the best one Stark College had in years, and I will not accept you destroying it. We hired you because we wanted to provide further support to the group. Mr. McAlister has proven himself as a great leader, and I will not accept any attempts from outside to change the group. Is that clear?”

Ms. Abbas puffed angrily, before she answered in her usual condescending tone:
“No, that is unacceptable! If I am supposed to train them, then I am the leader, and I will make the important decisions. I will decide who joins and who will leave the group. And the first ones to go are the boy and this Mexican there. I can’t work with either of them.”
The principal had enough at this point.
“I can’t believe what you just said. Or better, how you said it. Mr. Rodrigo is a Mexican, yes. But on this College, we see the person, not the heritage. And like him, Balto here has proven his talent and his worth for the group several times.
Ms. Abbas, you are fired. I will not accept a hateful, arrogant, or even worse, a racist teacher in my school. Get out of here.”
Ms. Abbas shouted and cursed, as she left the event hall. None of us was able to say anything, we all just looked at the principal. The rottweiler needed a few moments to calm down before speaking to us:
“This woman was supposed to help you. I am sorry for the inconvenience caused by her. Please, go on with your training. Next time, I will involve you in decisions that affect the group so directly. You all do a wonderful job. Oh, and before I forget it.
My colleague at Seppala Middle School called and asked for our group to perform at the closing ceremony of this school year. Nothing big, just some songs or small sketches. Would you be interested in doing that?”

Raphael answered him:
“Sure thing.”
Then our leader looked at me.
“Balto, isn’t the Seppala your school? Would it be ok for you to perform in front of your classmates? Believe me, the judgment of classmates can be scarier than that of any critic out there.”
This made me chuckle.
“I don’t care about them. Let’s do it. Otherwise, it will be a boring party anyway. They want us to dance there, but barely anyone in my class can dance. And if it comes to my classmates, most of them don’t like me anyway.”

Nikki interjected:
“Balto, I don’t think that this is true. What I think is that they simply ignore you, since they feel that you don’t want to have anything to do with them. Don’t get me wrong doggy, but even if you have improved in the past two years, you still have a very introverted personality. And that isn’t easy to handle for most people. Maybe this is a chance to improve their opinion on you, Flu…I mean, Balto.”
She was about to say it. She wanted to call me Fluffy in front of all the others. Gladly, she stopped herself before it was too late. I sighed with relief, while Miguel grinned at me. The Mexican Wolf began to laugh, since he figured out what Nikki really wanted to call me. But gladly, he didn’t say anything in front of the others.
The rest of the meeting was pretty much as usual. We talked about Friday, I spoke with Miguel about this “Fluffy” thing, then Nikki and I drove back home. My girl and I spent the rest of the day learning for Friday, until she had to go home.
Thursday was uneventful, so let us skip it and move on to my last day in Middle School.

Friday, the 24th of June. The last day before the summer break. A day to celebrate, for party. Well, for the most of us. Not for me. Yeah, I admit it, I like going to school. I like it because I enjoy because I like to learn new things. There is so much I still don’t know, so much to discover. So many books to read, so many plays to play. At this point, I remember a phrase from a book I recently read at Trish’s place. A sentence from a guy called Ingvar Kamprad:
“Most things aren’t done yet. Wonderful future.”
But back to topic. Where were we? Oh yes, Friday, and plans for the summer.

My mother and I never had the money to make long journeys or even visit other countries. Every year after the summer break my classmates talk about their big vacations.
I never had something to tell there, and sometimes that really hurt. Nikki’s parents offered mom more than once to join them on longer trips, but she always denied that. Maybe because she felt bad, that she couldn’t pay for such trips herself. Don’t get me wrong. I am thankful for having such a carrying mother. More thankful than I have ever told her. She did everything in her powers to take care of me. She is the best mom ever.

Our longest trips so far were to Niagara Falls, Cleveland, and of course, New York City. And I loved every single one of them, as long as mom was there. Our school also made trips from time to time, mostly to camps in National Parks and such stuff. It never took more than a day for me to get homesick on these trips. That is why mom wasn’t so sure to let me go on vacation with Nikki. But this time, I will have Nikki with me, and I won't be in an area where you don't have a single bar. That means that I can call mom every day, and not only if the camp allows it. Ok, now we come to Friday.

The graduation ceremony was supposed to start at noon in our sports hall. That is why I could sleep till 8 o’clock. The tasteful smell of fresh waffles with maple syrup leaded me into our kitchen, where mom had prepared breakfast for me. Besides the waffles, she made fresh orange juice for me. I say it again, I have the best mommy.
The graduation ceremony is a tradition at Seppala High and Middle School. There will be music, dancing, a buffet, they will say a few words about every student. But this whole show is more for the parents than for the students. At least that is what Mr. Wertenson has told us about it. For those who don’t remember, he is my biology teacher. He is also a guidance counselor at our school. I really hope we will still have him next year.
Mom took the day off, so she could go there with me. We sat next to each other and had a nice breakfast together. We talked about plans for the summer, a bit about Nikki and me, and about the happenings during the last weeks.

As we came to talk about the last weekend, I couldn’t hide my curiosity anymore and ask my surprised mother:
“Mom, how was the sex with Mr. and Mrs. Kofi last weekend? A saw you had cuffs on your arms. You made bondage, right?”
Mum looked at me with a serious expression in her face.
“Balto, I am glad that you accept me having a sex life again, but that really is something I will not talk about with you. Understood?”
I folded back my ears in shame.
“I understand, mom. I am sorry.”
My mother placed her hand on my shoulder.
“It is ok. Now, let us talk about school, before we leave.”
She gently caressed my head.
“My big boy. In September, you will be a High School student. Time is running so fast.”
She rubbed me behind my ears, what made me smile.
“Thanks, mom. But I don’t think that much will change. It even is the same school. I wish I could attend to Nikki’s college.”
Mom shook her head.
“Balto, you will be there soon enough. But for now, concentrate on your time in High School.”
Mom was right. As always.
“Yes, mom. I promise I won’t disappoint you.”

My mother took me into her arms.
“Balto, you could never disappoint me. You reached so much within the last two years. Don’t be mad, but I remember times you were one of the worst students in your class. And now you are one of the best. Since you are with Nicole, you have a better condition, better grades, you are more open to other people. You are in a theater group, something I would have never dreamed of. You even had a play in New York, and you did a wonderful job there. I am so proud of you. I always tell my colleagues at work about you, and they loved the videos from your performances.”
She sighed.
“If only your father could see you today. Now come, it is time we get ready. I prepared your good jeans and ironed your bandana. And please brush your teeth and wash your face. You have waffles and syrup everywhere.”

I saw how mom took her phone and wrote a message, as I left the kitchen to get ready. It took me 20 minutes to clean myself and get dressed. Mom had done the same in the meantime.
She was wearing her best dress, a midnight-blue evening gown, which shows her well-formed legs. She looked beautiful. But her outfit wasn’t the only surprise. As I opened the front door, my jaw dropped. Nikki was waiting for us outside. She was wearing a tight black summer dress, shoulder free and a high leg cutout. A real femme fatale. I couldn’t say anything, this look of hers made me speechless.

Nikki and mom both began to laugh after a moment.
“Oh doggy, you should really see your face. Hi Christa. How do I look? I hope it isn’t too much.”
Mom touched my chin to close my mouth.
“You look amazing, Nicole. This dress really suits you. If Balto is done with drooling, we are good to go.”
Nikki took me into her arms, I could smell her strawberry-coconut shampoo. I must admit that this smell is still turning me on.
We took our car this time and arrived at the school about half an hour later.
Together we passed the big fountain at the main entrance, with the statue of Athene on top of it. She is still watching over our school.
Nikki looked at it and smiled.
“Ah, the sweet goddess Athene. I always loved this statue. I still remember how we used this fountain to cool down on hot summer days. The janitor always shouted around, if he caught us in it.”

We all laughed, as we entered the auditorium. There we met with the rest of our group. We talked a bit on our way to the sport hall. As we arrived there, Mr. Wertenson welcomed us.
First, he shook my mother’s hand.
“Mrs. Star, it is a pleasure to see you again. Hello Balto.”
Then he looked at Nikki, who was holding my hand.
“Ah. And you must be Balto’s famous girlfriend. Now that I finally meet you in person, you seem familiar.”
Nikki looked at my teacher, while she played with her hair.
“Hello, Mr. Wertenson. My name is Nicole Kofi, you were my biology teacher, as I attended this school. I am now at Stark College.”
Mr. Wertenson touched his forehead.
“Ms. Kofi. Yes, now I remember. I didn’t recognize you without Ms. Jones by your side.”
I can imagine how you look right now, my dear reader. I also was confused. Same went for Nikki, at least for a second.
“Ms. Jones? Oh, you mean Trish. No, she sadly isn’t here today.”
Mr. Wertenson turned his head to me.
“You know Balto, your girlfriend and Ms. Jones were known troublemakers here. Good students, but wild. Ms. Kofi once played baseball with the nest of some angry hornets. The thing landed right in front the paws of the former director. He needed three weeks to recover. Not to mention the Mensa massacre.”
Nikki tried to cover my ears, but it was too late. I looked at her with a grin in my face:
“Mensa massacre? Nikki, you never told me about all this.”
My girl placed her hand on my snout.
“Wipe that grin off your face, Balto. There is nothing to tell here. Trish and I just had a bad day, nothing else.”
Mr. Wertenson had to laugh.
“Bad day? I still remember that we had to renovate the whole Mensa, after Ms. Jones and Ms. Kofi started a food fight on Spaghetti Day.”
Our whole theater group began to laugh, even mom couldn’t hold it in. Nikki seemed to be a bit annoyed.
“That was during my first year in High School. As far as I remember it, we were provoked by some boys who threw their food at us first.”
Mr. Wertenson calmed down and gave Nikki a smile, but somehow, I felt that he was hiding something.
“It doesn’t matter anymore. Ms. Kofi later proved to be one of our best students. I am happy to hear that you made it to Stark College.”

Mr. Wertenson looked at Raphael and the rest of the group.
“Oh, I am so sorry. Are you the other singers?”

Raphael introduced the Howling Musketeers, then we entered the hall. The decoration wasn’t anything special, but it looked nice. The food smelled like the typical stuff from our cantina. That means you better stay away from the meat, since it might bite back.
Ok, bad joke about food at school – check

Raphael took the Howling Musketeers next door to prepare for the show, while mom, Nikki and I took our seats at a big round table. There we also met Antu and Mikey with their fathers.
We had a good conversation, and a lot of fun. Antu and Mikey held hands for most of the time, but I was too shy to ask, if they are really a couple now.

After an hour, we heard Mr. Wertenson’s voice through the speaker.
“Dear parents, beloved students, my name is Christian Wertenson, I am the guidance counselor of the Leonard Seppala High and Middle School. Today, we want to celebrate, since our students here have reached the end of their time in Middle School. In September, they will return here as High School students. It became a tradition at this school to hand out each student their final report card and their Middle School Diploma in person, if they reach this milestone.
Before we begin, I am pleased to announce that all students successfully completed this year.
The first student I want to introduce you today is a boy who came to us from far away. He always showed great enthusiasm in the classroom, and his success is nothing less than inspiring for many at this school. Please give applause to Antu Strife. Come to me, Antu.”

The tiger walked timidly towards Mr. Wertenson. A blind man would have seen that this situation wasn’t comfortable for him. The clapping and the knocking on the tables must have been somehow traumatic for Antu. So traumatic that his father stood up to go with him on the way, so he could get his report. (Maybe I should mention that Antu originally comes from Afghanistan and has seen some pretty bad things there)

As Antu and his father came back to the table, he looked proud at his grades, and his father gave him a hug. Tears formed in my eyes, as I watched this scene. My mother noticed that and gently touched my back. Then she whispered into my ear:
“Balto, is everything ok? Why the tears?”
I lowered my head and looked at the ground. Gladly, the others were busy with their own stuff, which is why they didn’t pay attention to me.
“I was just thinking about dad. I wish he would be here, mom. I want my dad, like all the other kids have theirs.”
Mom pressed me against her, while she caressed over my head.
“Balto, believe me when I say, that there is nothing I would wish more than that your father would walk through this door there right now. But that is impossible. I know that I can’t replace your father. But believe me, Sebastian would be more than proud to see you today.”
Next was Mikey, followed by the rest of the students. A little detail here, the ceremony wasn’t only for my class, it was also for the parallel class. That was the reason why Mikey and Antu were here, because they aren’t exactly my classmates. But because of that, the ceremony took forever. Hopefully, Raphael and the others had something to do, while they waited next door.

It took me a while to order my thoughts. Mom held me tight the whole time. After a while, I could hear Nikki asking:
“When does Balto get his report? We need to get ready for the show.”
Mom answered her:
“I don’t know, but we must be at the end of the list now. As far as I see it, everyone else got their report now. I don’t know why Balto is the last one who gets his.”
Mr. Wertenson’s voice silenced this conversation.
“I thank you all very much for your patience. Now, before we come to the show part, I have one more student on my list. I know this young man since he first set his paws into this school. He always was a silent boy, barely interacted with others. His grades sadly suffered under this introvert behavior, although he showed his great talents even then. I hope he doesn’t hate me now for sharing this with you. Well, about two years ago, there was a change. This was a positive surprise for my colleagues and me, I can tell you that much.
His grades improved drastically, and he began to open, or, as you kids might say it, to lower his shields. He began to talk, to be more active during the lessons.
As I have heard, he recently joined a theater group at Stark College, even played on Broadway in a little competition. Well, without any more words, Balto, would you please come up here?”

Mom had to give me a little push, since I somehow didn’t want to go on stage after this speech. I stood up and walked up to Mr. Wertenson. He gave me my report card and my certificate. A few more bloomy words followed, which gave me an even more uncomfortable feeling. I felt how everyone in the room was looking at me, especially my classmates. On my way back to the table, I took a quick look at the piece of paper in my hands.

“The student still has problems with social participation”
That was one of the first sentences written on it. The same sentence as every year. But well, I think I made some progress in that matter. After I rejoined the others on the table, Nikki and mom looked at my report card.
My mother took me into her arms.
“This is fantastic, Balto. All the learning really worked out. I am proud of you, my son.”
Nikki began to giggle.
“We only have to work on your sports grade, I am sure you can do better than a B-, doggy.”
Sport is really my least favorite subject at school.

“That is just because of these stupid games they force us to play all the time.”
The whole table laughed.
Sentences like: “Your son has problems with social interactions? That happens, if a boy’s father isn’t around” nearly let my mom explode, but she controlled herself. She just swallowed her anger. Nikki then tried to calm the situation down.
“Balto, we should go and see the others now. I am sure they are eager to start with the show.”
Mom briefly looked at the lady, who has said this nonsense moments before.
“Yes, Balto. I can’t wait to see what your friends have planned for today. Maybe you and Nicole can sing a little duet again? Like you did it in New York?”
I nodded.
“Sure, mom.”
Nikki took my hand, and together we walked to one of the locker rooms, where Raphael and the others waited for us.
The Border Collie looked at us, as we entered.
“There you are. I thought they might have forgotten us back here. Can we start now?”
Nikki smiled at him.
“Yes, Mr. Wertenson will announce us any minute. How shall we begin?”
Raphael pulled out a list of songs.
“This guy gave me a list of songs, which we are supposed to sing.”
Nikki looked at the list.
“These songs are boring as hell. We are here to bring some joy to the audience, and not to depress them. I think we should begin with something different. Svetlana, Angelike, how about “You’ll be in my heart”, “You Raise me up” and “You’ll never walk alone”?

Everyone agreed to these songs, and they seemed to be a good start. You might wonder where the music came from, since we didn’t have any instruments with us. Besides that, not every one of us could play an instrument. Our group owns a karaoke machine for performances like this one. We also use it for our karaoke nights.
Raphael added a few more songs, some of them were even on the Mr. Wertenson’s list:

“We are young”, “Reach for the Light”, “Something just like this”, and “You got it”

Raphael performed a song from “Dance of the Vampires” named “The Insatiable Appetite”, Svetlana joined him later for “Total Eclipse of the Hearth”.
Then we all sang “All for Love” together, which is basically the hymn of our group.
We were nearly at the end, as Nikki and I sang “If you Believe”. The first time I have heard it was in the movie “Prince of Egypt”. I am not much into religion, but I like this song’s message.

The people applauded, after we were done. Or better, knocked on the table. Since our hands are a bit different from human hands, with pads and fur, applauding is not so effective. We prefer to knock on something, if possible, what can be heard better. Especially we wolves sometimes howl, but that is rare. It also often isn’t so gladly seen, or better, heard.
We were about to finish our gig, as Nikki pulled me closer. She whispered into my ear:
“Balto, maybe you should end this with Puck’s words. You know what I mean. Give this lady from before a taste of your talent.”

I couldn’t hide a smile, while I grabbed one of the microphones from its stand. Miguel switched the speakers back on, and after he gave me a sign, I spoke Puck’s little poem:

“If we shadows have offended,
Think but this, and all is mended—
That you have but slumbered here
While these visions did appear.
And this weak and idle theme,
No more yielding but a dream,
Gentles, do not reprehend.
If you pardon, we will mend.
And, as I am an honest Puck,
If we have unearned luck
Now to ’scape the serpent’s tongue,
We will make amends ere long.
Else the Puck a liar call.
So good night unto you all.
Give me your hands if we be friends,
And Robin shall restore amends.”

We bowed to the audience and then walked off the stage. It wasn't our best performance, but in our defense, we didn't have much time to prepare. At least this lady from before seemed to be impressed. After we came back home later, mom searched a frame for my certificate, we watched a bit TV, and my mother showed us a video she recorded from our performance. Later, Nikki and I went online to watch a few music videos from Holly Rhoads-Hunter and her Band “Silver Fang”. I still have to say that this isn’t my favorite kind of music. We are now at the end of June. I can't believe how fast this year has gone by. The next entry in our calendar was the little party at the lake Nikki had planned for our group.
We drove to the cabin the next day, early in the morning. On our way, we stopped at a nearby supermarket. Nikki wanted to buy some food and snacks for the party. She bought meat, vegetables, some milk for breakfast. Unusual for her were the chips and the dips, since Nikki usually doesn’t eat such stuff. She also bought some ready mixture for cake. She wanted me to make some cake for the team, while we are at the lake.
We just were out of the market and walked with a shopping cart to Nikki’s car, as I saw a kid and his parents.
I couldn’t look away from them, what Nikki noticed a few moments later.
“Balto, is everything ok? You look like you are very far away with your thoughts.”
I nodded.
“Yeah, all fine. I was just thinking about my dad, that is all. Mom always told me how proud he would be about me. But I don’t know why he should be proud.”
Nikki gently caressed over my head.
“You are kind, sensitive, you support your mother, you are a little star at your school, you even performed on Broadway. There are several things he could be, no, would be proud of. Balto, I don’t remember your father, I was only 5 years old, as he died. But if only half of the stuff my father told me about him is true, your dad would be bursting with pride.”
Nikki’s words made me smile.
“You forgot that I have a cool girlfriend.”
Nikki giggled.
“Yeah, but that is more a compliment for me.”

I sighed.
“Yeah. Let us go to the house now, before the milk gets warm.”
We drove to the house without any more words. After we had stowed the things in the kitchen, I sat down on the veranda, from where you have a clear view over the lake.
Nikki joined me there.
“Balto, are you still thinking about your dad? When was the last time you visited him?
I drew my legs and rested my head on my knees.
“You mean his grave? That was on Christmas, with mom.”
My girl sat down next to me.
“Maybe you should visit him more often. You know, the others won’t come here until 7 or 8 in the evening. So, we have plenty of time. Let us go visit your father.”

Why she wanted to do that wasn’t clear to me. But saying something against it wouldn’t make much sense.
The drive to the cemetery took us about half an hour. At the impressive entrance, you can see three statues of angels. On top of the gate is Azrael, the angel of death. Raphael, the angel of healing on the left, and Gabriel, the angel of change and a new beginning, stands on the right side.
Death, healing, and a new beginning. Together, they guard the gates to this place. Mom always told me that they watch over the souls, and make sure that they get safely into the afterlife. I guess that sometimes faith can help to ease the pain, even if you know that it isn’t real.

Nikki looked at me, after she parked the car.
“Ready?”
Slowly, I turned my head toward her.
“Nikki, would you mind if I go alone?”
Nikki shook her head. She told me that in the meantime she would go for a little walk.
I nearly got lost as I wandered through the aisles of this place. But in the end, I found my father’s grave. A cold, black stone with golden letters on it.


Sebastian Star

Born 05/16/1979   Died 09/20/2007


“He who lives in the memory of his loved ones is not dead, he is only distant. Dead is only who is forgotten”



I kneeled in front of my father’s grave, unknowing what to do next. I remembered what mom sometimes did here and began to talk.
“Dad, it’s me. Balto. I don’t know if you can hear me, since, well, I am sitting here and talk to a piece of stone. Sorry that I haven’t visited you more often. Nikki brought me here, mom is at home. But don’t worry, she is fine. Do you remember Nikki? She is my girlfriend since about two years. Mom once showed me a video, where you joked with Mr. Kofi about me and Nikki becoming a couple. You would love her now, she is awesome. She helps me with school, and with her help I became one of the best in my class. Oh, yesterday was my last day in Middle School. In September, I will be a High School student. I am also in a Theater Group now. We even performed on Broadway and won a competition there. I wish you would be here. I know that we never actually met each other, but I miss you.”

After I said these words, a voice from behind startled me.
“I bet he misses you too.”
I turned around, to see a familiar face. A human face. It was this guy named Peter. The last time I have seen him was in Central Park New York, during our first stay there.
I growled a bit, then closed my eyes and shook my head.
“You are not here. No one else has seen you in New York. Everyone said that I was talking to myself.”
The strange man laughed, before he continued:
“Your father loves you, Balto. You can be sure of that.”

And then, he was gone. Only the wind could be heard rustling through the leaves of the trees. Nikki’s voice broke the silence a few moments later.
“Balto? Balto? Where are you?”
“I am here, Nikki!”
My girl came closer, rubbing her arms. The wind became stronger, and a roll of thunder could be heard in the distance.
“Balto, there you are. Have you silenced your phone? There is a storm coming, we should leave.”

We walked to the car and drove back to the cabin. We arrived there, and just as we entered the house, it began to rain.
Nikki chuckled.
“That was close. Well, Balto, maybe we should start to prepare for the party. I will prepare the snacks, and you can start to make the cake. Today we will watch TV and talk, nothing special. Tomorrow, if it doesn’t rain, we will have BBQ. Gabriel brings his own grill for it.”

While I was making the cake, I could watch Nikki preparing the rest of the house for our guest. She also took out the air mattresses for later. They are ideal for guests, but I prefer the bed.
It became late, and at about 6 o’clock, we heard a knocking at the door. It was still raining heavily. As Nikki opened the front door, we saw a feline, soaked to the bones. It was Angelike. She looked so cute, but by the expression on her face, she wasn't too happy about being all wet. I mean, wet from the rain, not the good kind of wet. You know what I mean. Nikki showed her the bathroom and gave her some dry clothes.
The next arriving guests were Raphael, Svetlana and Miguel, then Gabriel together with Thomas and Jonathan. They came in Gabriel's big, black Pick Up.
Joseph sadly couldn’t make it because of family matters.
The wind became stronger, but besides that, it wasn’t as bad as the storm back in May. You might remember, the one which claimed several lives in our town.
We watched TV, played a card game named “Cards against Humanity” together, Miguel had his guitar with him and played a few songs for us.
It was a cozy evening with good friends, but the most interesting thing happened during the night and the next morning.
While the others slept in the living room, Nikki, Raphael, Svetlana and I shared the bedroom. No, not all together in the bed. Svetlana and Raphael had an air mattress on the floor, Nikki and I took the bed.
A rustling woke me up in the middle of the night. First, I thought it came from outside. That maybe someone was sneaking around the house. But this noise came from inside the bedroom. I listened closer and noticed, that it came from Svetlana’s and Raphael’s direction. They tried to be quiet, but here and there a soft moan escaped them both. The room was dark, so I could only imagine what they were doing. In my head, I had pictures of Raphael playing with Svetlana’s pussy, rubbing her little pearl. The imagination of them having sex made me a bit horny, but Nikki was asleep, and I wanted to avoid waking her up. The noises intensified, I heard claws scratching over the mattress, and then a load moan, as Svetlana probably was overwhelmed by her climax.
I couldn’t hold myself and giggled a bit. They must have heard me, since they both didn’t move anymore for at least a minute.
The rising sun woke me up early in the morning. Nikki was still sleeping, same went for Raphael and Svetlana. After I stood up, I could see them laying there, arm in arm. Since I always sleep naked, I grabbed a bathrobe to cover myself, before I tried to leave the room as silent as possible. The bedroom door creaked a bit, as I closed it. On my way to the bathroom, I noticed that I was the only one who was awake. Gabriel and Thomas shared a mattress, Angelike strangely slept alone on the couch, and the remaining mattress was empty. There was no trace of Jonathan and Miguel. I thought that they maybe went outside for a walk. Without any more thoughts, I continued my way to the bathroom.
As I was about to open the door, I heard that someone was taking a shower. But there also was another noise, which made me curious. Slowly I opened the unlocked door, to risk a look inside. There, inside the shower cabin, I saw them. Jonathan, the Red Fox, was humping Miguel. I thought the Mexican Wolf would be in love with Angelike, which is why I was very surprised about what was happening here. The fox had his hands on Miguel’s hip, while the canine had his hands on the white wall of the cabin, pressing himself against his lover. I could clearly see the wolf’s cock bobbing up and down with every thrust. Jonathan didn’t hold back, and after a few minutes he forced his knot inside the butt of his play partner. That pushed Miguel over the edge, and he came hands free. Jonathan himself came only seconds later deep inside the butt of his lover. I simple couldn’t look away from this scene.

To be honest, it even aroused me a bit and reminded me of the sex I had with Mikey in the tent during our camping trip last year. Jonathan seemed to be exhausted as he cuddled up close to Miguel’s back.
I tried to sneak out of the room backwards, but almost tripped over the laundry basket. The sound let the two lovebirds turn their heads to me. They seemed to be shocked, as they simultaneously yelled: “Balto!”
Miguel turned off the water, and Jonathan opened the shower cabin a bit. The wolf banged his head against the wall as he fretted that he hadn't locked the door. Jonathan seemed to be calmer, as he said:
“Miguel, stop that, before you make a hole in the wall. I thought you have locked the door.”
Then he looked at me.
“Balto, can you please keep this for yourself? We will explain everything later, I promise.”
I nodded wordlessly, turned around and grabbed my toothbrush. There was no need to leave anymore, so brushed my teeth and emptied my bladder first. I could watch in the mirror how Jonathan pulled his member out of Miguel’s butt. That fox is, let me say, gifted.
I wonder if all foxes have such large cocks. Mikey is, if you remember the entry about the camping trip, pretty big down there too. That this thing fit in Miguel’s butt impressed me. See, I needed a long time until Nikki could shove the strap-on inside my hole. And the dildo she used isn’t that big. All this let me think about how long they have practiced until the fox was able to penetrate Miguel.

I mean, Jonathan’s thing would make Vlad the Impaler smile. That was the guy who inspired Bram Stoker’s Dracula, for those who don’t know. Damn, Nikki is right. Sometimes I really annoy people with useless facts.

After I finished my business in the bathroom, I left the two lovers alone and prepared some coffee and tea in the kitchen. Then I slowly walked back in the bedroom, where Nikki was about to wake up. My girl looked at me with a warm smile in her beautiful face, after she noticed me.
“Morning doggy. You are up early.”
A loud yawn followed.
“Have you slept well?”
I still had the pictures from before in my head, what made me giggle.
“Yes, Nikki. I have prepared some coffee and tea. The others are still sleeping.”
Nikki tilted her head a little.
“What is so funny about that?”
Good for me, that she didn’t wait for an answer. Her gaze wandered down at the floor, where Svetlana and Raphael were just about to wake up.
“Morning you two.”
Then Nikki turned her head back to me.
“Balto, please open the windows and the doors, we need to air out the house. And try to wake up the others.”
I did what my girl told me to do. Gabriel and Thomas were up already, as I came back into the living room. Miguel and Jonathan were out of the bathroom by now and prepared breakfast for everyone, including some ham and eggs. Only Angelike was still sleeping on the couch. The feline looked so cute that I simply couldn’t wake her up. Nikki, Raphael, and Svetlana joined us, dressed only in their underwear. That isn’t a big thing, we all know how the others look without clothes. The reason is simple, we often share a changing room, and we showered together after a few rehearsals.
We had breakfast, listened a bit to the radio and the weather forecast.
Angelike woke up at around 9 o'clock.
After the Bengal stood up, she turned her back to us and stretched her slender body. That way we had a good view on the awesome marking in shape of the Elder Scrolls Symbol on her back. Angelike then joined us for breakfast. It was a relaxed morning.
Gabriel then prepared the meat for our BBQ later, we helped to build up his grill, then our group sat down in a circle around the fireplace. Raphael then stepped forward and told us about the next big project for the Howling Musketeers:
“Ok everyone, please listen. I know it has been some time since we talked about a new project. First, thank you Nikki, that we can use this place for our meeting. The silence here, the fresh air, it is great. Last week I talked with the principal. He told me about a festival in December, for which he wants to invite a few other theater groups. He said we should pick a new play, and I think we found a good one for us. It is a funny little musical called “Mamma Mia!”, which is based on the songs of the Swedish pop group ABBA. If everyone is ok with it, we will start the training as soon as possible. There is a movie by the same name, maybe we can watch that later today. I think it can help us to choose the most fitting role for everyone.”

All of us agreed to Raphael’s plan. We then wanted to begin with the BBQ, but Jonathan asked us to stay for another moment. You can imagine why, but I want to write it down anyway:
“Everyone, I wanted to use the opportunity to tell you something. As you all know, I am gay. And I finally found a partner, with which I have a relationship since a couple of weeks. We kept this a secret since my partner needed time to find himself. Today, something happened, and there is no need to hide it any longer.”
Miguel stood up slowly and took Jonathan’s hand, while everyone looked at them. The fox continued:
“Miguel and I are in love. This might surprise one or another, but I hope you can support us.”

Raphael stepped forward.
“John, Miguel, I am sure that I speak for everyone here, if I say that we will always stand behind you two.”
While everyone stood up to congratulate the two, Angelike was still sitting on the log. She seemed to be sad.
Nikki, who saw how the Bengal was drawing lines in the sand with her paw, asked Miguel:
“Miguel, I hope you don’t mind me asking. But back in New York, after the competition, you couldn’t take your eyes off Angelike. Since when you know that you are more into guys?”


Miguel gulped, but tried to explain:
“Well, Angelike and I were indeed together for two weeks or so. But it simply didn’t feel right for me. I have never told anyone, that I am more into boys. A part of me even denied it. Jonathan caught me one day, as I watched him taking a shower. We talked long after that and spend a lot of time together. And well, we fell in love.”

Nikki looked at the now crying Angelike. Seeing her fellow feline like that must have angered Nikki a bit.
“And what about her? It seems that she really had feelings for you, why did you play with her like that?”
All eyes rested on Miguel now.
“Please believe me if I say that I never wanted to play with Angelike’ feelings. I really thought that I would love her, but that wasn’t true. Angelike, Jonathan, and I talked a long time about this. I am sorry, I never wanted to hurt anyone.”

Nikki nodded and then walked over to Angelike, while Jonathan took care of his partner. Nikki took the Bengal in her arms to ease her. I joined her a few minutes later.
They talked for quite a while, and Angelike explained us that she is fine. It was just a bit hurtful for her to go through this again. She really liked Miguel, but like him, she felt soon after New York, that something wasn’t right between them. Angelike further explained us that she never had a relationship so far, what made it even more painful for her, that Miguel couldn’t give her the love she was hoping for. She also said that she is happy for Miguel and Jonathan, that she will continue to focus on her education and not actively seek for a partner any time soon.
Nikki then invited her over to her place for a girl's night, what Angelike gladly accepted. And I know what some might think now. I don’t think that Nikki had sexual intentions at this point.

After Angelike stopped crying, Nikki had something else to tell the group. She stood up and spoke:
“Please, I also have some news, which might be of interest to the group. Balto and I visited a rock concert in 2020, and there we met the Hazel and Johana, the kids of Holly Rhoads-Hunter. Some might know her and her music. Balto kept contact with them, and now they invited us over to their place. Therefore, Balto and I will fly to Detroit on Monday. We will spend a week in Ann Arbor. Hazel, her daughter, told us that Holly maybe can give us some tips for a better performance.”
While the others were only looking at Nikki, some of them seemed to hear from Ms. Rhoads-Hunter for the first time, Gabriel came towards Nikki. He acted like a school kid, like I have never seen him before.
“Holly Rhoads-Hunter? Holy crap, I am a big fan of her! You know, I was at that concert myself. It was so awesome. I tried to get an autograph, but I didn’t have a backstage pass that day. Do you think you can ask her to sign a photo for me? I must say that I am very jealous of you two. Oh, and please ask her for her new movie, and if she plans any new songs or concerts. Please, you have to promise me that.”
Nikki and I had to laugh, what was a little irritating for Gabriel. Nikki then touched the cheek of the big bear, as she answered:
“I promise, Gabriel.”
Nikki giggled.
“I have never seen you like that. I like that side of you. You are often way too serious, big guy.”
Raphael joined the conversation.
“Nikki, even if this isn’t the intention of this trip. It would be great if you can get some tips or tricks from her. Especially after that fail with Ms. Abbas.”
Nikki agreed with him.
“I will see what we can do, Raphael. It would help us for sure.”

Her look went over to me.
“Especially for our Balto here. This is a big chance to learn from a star. Maybe she also can convince him to eat more vegetables.”
Everyone laughed, while I growled a bit. Stupid vegetables. We wolves need meat.

The rest of the day wasn’t really worth it to talk about. We had a great BBQ. I had to fight with Miguel for the beef ribs. They were so tasty and tender. In the evening, we moved back inside the house, where we built up the karaoke machine to sing a few songs. Based on our next big project, we mostly sang ABBA songs like “Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight), “Lay Your Love on Me”, and “Waterloo”. Our singing session took until midnight, which is why we were all exhausted afterwards.
Before we all went to bed, we watched a few videos about the ABBA Musical. Well, at least I started to watch. I fell asleep after about twenty minutes during the first video.
When I woke up the next morning, I was lying in bed, naked, with my claws colored like a rainbow. There was no one in the room besides me. I took my bathrobe from the hook, then I slowly walked out of the bedroom. It was a rather cold morning for the end of June. The singing of the birds could be heard through the open door. I looked outside, were I spotted the others.
They were packing their stuff in their cars. As soon as they saw me, they began to laugh. Especially the girls. First, I didn’t know why, but then Nikki told me to take a look into the rear-view mirror of Gabriel’s car.
Now I could see this big, pink bow in my hair. As the colored claws wouldn’t have been enough. Angelike then explained to me that it is unwise to fall asleep during a sleepover. She gave me a hug, while she told me how cute I look. I didn’t response to her, just removed the bow from my hair and walked back inside to get some breakfast. To be honest, I was in a bad mood.

15 minutes later, I was just eating some cereals, Nikki and Angelike walked into the kitchen and sat down on the table next to me. My girlfriend placed her hand on my back. I felt how she gently caressed my back, but I didn’t react to it. She tried to explain why they did this to me, that it was just meant as a little joke. Nikki also said that no one made any photos of it, so I don’t have to worry that anyone would see me wearing a bow like a little girl. As my bowl was empty, I raised my head to look at the two girls.
“So, no one will see that? No one will make fun of me because of it?”
Nikki shook her head.
“No, don’t worry. Balto, we are all friends, do you really think that anyone of our group would want to hurt you?”
Angelike touched my hand with hers.
“Balto, you looked so cute while you were asleep. The nails were Johnathan’s idea. And the bow, well, that was me. I am sorry. We thought it would be funny.”
My eyes wandered from Angelike to Nikki, before I answered.
“Ok. But can you help me to get this off? I don’t want mom or Hazel to see it. Besides, are the others still outside?”

Nikki responded:
“No, they are already gone. They all had plans for today, so they didn’t want to lose time. Angelike will ride home with us later, and we will drop her off at her place. But until then, we will have a nice day together.”
I tilted my head and looked at them. My imagination was going wild, as I looked at the two girls. I must have had a stupid expression in my face, since the girls began to laugh. Nikki then said:
“No Balto, not that kind of nice. You naughty puppy should take a cold shower.”
Angelike laughed once more, while she tried to eat some bread. That made her cough, and I giggled a bit.
Nikki made herself some coffee, before we moved over to the couch, and Nikki switched on the TV. She searched through the channels for something worth watching. She stopped at the Science Channel, where they showed a documentary about Anthros. One of the scientists in it was Doctor Lucius Allister, the same man we met during our first stay in New York. He only looked even older than I remembered him. It was a surprise for me to see, that he still was alive. The main theme of this interesting documentation were the past and current relations between Anthros and Humans. They improved during the last years, but there is still much to do. They showed interviews with members of both sides, some of them were made in New York. There were people of every age, men and women alike. Even some teenagers. They talked about their personal experiences, most of them positive, but there were also negatives ones. One old woman said that an Anthro once robbed her, and that she thinks we are all criminals. One interview showed a police officer, who said that the most common problem between Anthros and Humans is discrimination. But he made clear that this happens on both sides. I may have said it before, there are many stupid Anthros out there, who don’t do us a favor with their behavior.
The documentation ended with a peaceful scene, showing Anthro and Human kids playing together. The narrator’ closing words were:
“There are still many problems and prejudices, if it comes to the relations between Humans and Anthros. We all need to work together, since we are all sharing this planet. We are not that different. All of us just want to live a life in peace and harmony. So, let us stop to look at the differences.
Let us look at the similarities instead. You see these kids? They don’t seem to see any differences in each other. They just want to have fun together. We think that we could all an important lesson from them. A lesson humans should have learned long ago. Inside, we are all the same.”

Angelike and Nikki both stood up and stretched, as the documentation was over.
We then decided to make a little walk through the woods, since the weather was just right for that. So, we grabbed our paw protectors and moved outside.
The wind blew gently through the trees. We heard the birds singing. Besides that, only the murmur of a small stream, which we passed after about half an hour, broke the silence. Angelike seemed to be amazed by the beauty of this place. But I didn’t dare to ask her why. I didn’t to disturb her thoughts. None of us said a word during this walk. We only listened to the surrounding nature.
The walk took us another hour, before we came back to the house. Sadly, it was time to pack our stuff together and go home. Angelike helped to close and secure all doors and windows, and to bring our stuff to Nikki’s car. We then took our seats in the Nikkimobil, and my girl started the motor. Angelike was sitting on the passenger seat, and I was sitting in the back. First, we drove to the place of our teammate. She still lives with Raphael and Anna in this nice Apartment close to the College. As the car stopped, Angelike looked at Nikki.

“Thank you, Nikki. Thanks, that you allowed me to stay with you for a bit longer. This thing with Miguel was hard for me, I really had feelings for him. I fear that I still have them. Seeing Raphael with Svetlana all the time, or Anna with this slutty raccoon girl, doesn’t really help much.”

In the mirror, I could see Nikki smiling.
“This raccoon is my best friend, Angelike. Her name is Trish. But yes, she can be a bit slutty sometimes. I am so sorry that it didn’t work out with you and Miguel. I am sure that you will find a fitting partner, too. I mean, look at you. I wonder why not every straight guy at college is after you.”

I couldn’t see the Bengal’s face, but her voice sounded sad.
“Oh, I am sorry. But maybe you could ask her to be a bit quieter during her sex with Anna? That she runs around naked in the apartment is fine, but she is sometimes so loud, that our neighbors knock on the wall. Oh, and thanks. I guess I just will continue my studies. For now, I am done with looking for a relationship. I mean, I can have fun without it.”
That made me giggle, and I know that Nikki had her problems to keep a straight face at this point. She cleared her throat and answered:
“Sure, I will speak with Trish about that matter. Just be careful with that “having fun”-thing. A girl quickly gets a bad reputation. And believe me, that is something you wouldn’t want to have.”
Angelike became curious.
“Did you ever have a bad reputation, Nikki? I only know you as the poster girl of the college.”
She got Nikki now, and after she took a deep breath, my girl explained:
“If you really want to know, yes. Back in High School, before Balto and I became a couple, I was, how should I call it, easy to get. It wasn’t for long, but long enough that boys only called me the ‘Spotted Slut of Seppala High.’
You can imagine that it wasn’t a pleasure to hear that every day.”
Nikki never told me this detail of her time at High School. I wanted to say something, but I thought it might be better to remain silent in the back seat.
Angelike turned her head to me and placed her hand on my knee.
“You and Balto are such a great couple.”
I smiled at her, as she continued:
“I hope you don’t mind me asking, Nikki, but how is the sex with him?”
My eyes became big in shock about this question, what made Nikki laughing.
“Oh my, that is an unexpected question. Well, Balto is different from other the other boys I had. He is more into taking care of me, than in simply, you know, fucking me. He has a very talented tongue.”
I just wanted to disappear. But since that isn’t possible, I just pulled up my knees and hid my face. The girls saw that, and gladly Nikki stopped at this point. I heard her saying:
“But maybe we should talk about that at a more comfortable place. Hm, how about you come and visit us, after we are back from Ann Arbor?”
Angelike seemed to be in a happier mood now.
“Sure, that would be cool! We three could have a pajama party! I promise that I won’t color your claws again, Balto. Well, I better let you two go home now, you said that you still need to pack your stuff. See you two later.”
She stepped out, waved at us once more, then she disappeared inside the building. I changed to the passenger seat before Nikki re-started the car, and then we continued our way home.
Nikki parked the car in front of our house, while mom came outside. She greeted us, gave Nikki and me a hug, then Nikki sadly had to go home to pack her stuff. Together with my mother, I walked into my closet to find a trolley for the upcoming journey. After we found it, my mother helped me to pack the stuff I would need. Underwear, clothes, Little Balto, paw protectors, a set of covers for blanket and pillow. I don’t like buttons, so I prefer to have my own bedsheets, which have a zipper, with me. Mom also had a bag with my medics prepared for me. She also gave me a detailed list of my allergies, next to a letter, in which she allows me to travel with Nikki.
My passport was the last item, that wandered into my trolley. I was set for the journey. Mommy and I spent the next few hours talking, while we watched a few episodes of Lucifer.
An episode in which god himself comes to earth and every time he appears, everyone begins to sing and dance. It is by far my favorite episode.
The actor of Lucifer has such a cool voice.
It was past midnight, as I went to bed. Mom made me some hot milk with honey.

As long as I remember, mom made me this before bedtime. She seemed to be sad, as she gently patted my head. Concerned by this, I asked her:
“Mom, is everything ok?”
She nodded, while she caressed over my head.
“Don’t worry, Balto. It is just still hard for me to let you go for a longer time. But I think I must get used to, well…”
She sighed.
“…that I won’t have you around me forever. One day, you and Nicole will leave. You two will have your own family. And that is sometimes hard for me to accept.”
I nearly jumped up and hugged my mother tight.
“I will never leave you! Nikki and I will stay here.”
She smiled at me, with tears in her eyes.
“Balto, it is only natural for a child to leave his home one day. But of course, if you and Nicole both decide to stay here, I am the last who would say no.”

She gave me a kiss on my cheek, we talked a bit further, while I drank my milk. Then it was time to sleep. She covered me in my blanket, before she slowly walked outside and turned off the light.
It was dark in my room, not a sound was to be heard. I was alone with my thoughts.
In a few hours, I would sit in a plane for the very first time. We will visit our friends in Ann Arbor, hopefully have a good time there. I shook my head to silence my brain, I wanted to sleep. The sandman finally came, and I felt into a deep slumber.
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