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"deleted": "f", "create_datetime": "2023-12-30 21:52:16.106124+00", "create_datetime_usertime": "30 Dec 2023 22:52 CET" } ], "pools": [ { "pool_id": "71220", "name": "Nikki's and Balto's Adventures", "description": "Grab a cup of cocoa, and follow Nikki and Balto on their way", "count": "38", "submission_left_submission_id": "2869668", "submission_left_file_name": "4268766_Balto_birthdays.doc", "submission_left_thumbnail_url_huge": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/huge/4268/4268766_Balto_birthdays.jpg", "submission_left_thumbnail_url_large": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/large/4268/4268766_Balto_birthdays.jpg", "submission_left_thumbnail_url_medium": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/medium/4268/4268766_Balto_birthdays.jpg", "submission_left_thumb_huge_x": "300", "submission_left_thumb_huge_y": "161", "submission_left_thumb_large_x": "200", "submission_left_thumb_large_y": "107", "submission_left_thumb_medium_x": "120", "submission_left_thumb_medium_y": "64", "submission_right_submission_id": "3094521", "submission_right_file_name": "4823076_Balto_30._journey_to_austria_juliaugust_2023.doc", "submission_right_thumbnail_url_huge": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/huge/4823/4823076_Balto_30._journey_to_austria_juliaugust_2023.jpg", "submission_right_thumbnail_url_large": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/large/4823/4823076_Balto_30._journey_to_austria_juliaugust_2023.jpg", "submission_right_thumbnail_url_medium": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/medium/4823/4823076_Balto_30._journey_to_austria_juliaugust_2023.jpg", "submission_right_thumb_huge_x": "300", "submission_right_thumb_huge_y": "179", "submission_right_thumb_large_x": "200", "submission_right_thumb_large_y": "119", "submission_right_thumb_medium_x": "120", "submission_right_thumb_medium_y": "71" } ], "description": "I hope you enjoy this story.\n\n\nHolly Rhoads-Hunter, Hazel and Johana belong to [iconname]HazelandJohana[/iconname],\nBalto, Nikki, Christa, and the whole Kofi Family belong to me.\n\nI hope you enjoy this story.\n\nSpecial thanks to [iconname]HazelandJohana[/iconname], [iconname]Gruenschnabel[/iconname] and all my other friends for their great help, I wish you all a happy 2023! (I know I am late)\n\nArt was done once again by the outstanding [url=https://www.furaffinity.net/user/ruusen]Ruusen[/url]\n", "description_bbcode_parsed": "I hope you enjoy this story.


Holly Rhoads-Hunter, Hazel and Johana 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
,
Balto, Nikki, Christa, and the whole Kofi Family belong to me.

I hope you enjoy this story.

Special thanks 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
, \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\tGruenschnabel\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\tGruenschnabel\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
and all my other friends for their great help, I wish you all a happy 2023! (I know I am late)

Art was done once again by the outstanding Ruusen
", "writing": "29. Charity and Friendship\n\nHey there, folks! I hope you are all feeling well. Christmas is over. Nikki, her parents, my mother, and I are now looking forward to a nice spa visit over New Year's Eve, just like we did last year. It is time for the final entry of the year. This one will be a bit longer than the last, so let us begin. We will start at the end of October. Halloween, to be precise.\n \nPart 1: Halloween \n\n\nFor the first time, we decided to host a Halloween party at our home. My mom allowed us to decorate the house and our garden. With the help of our theater group, we prepared the garden like a spooky forest—the kind you would find witches and other evil creatures in. We even had a cauldron, under which we placed a fake fire. We also had a fog machine, which turned our garden into a really spooky place. Raphael said they found that thing inside the storage room at school. According to him, they had bought that thing for a performance of Macbeth. Besides the Musketeers, we invited Trish, Antu, and Mikey. The last two were dropped off by their fathers, and after speaking briefly with my mother, they walked over to Kofi's house, leaving Nikki and me in charge of our house. Perhaps our parents had planned to have their own little party.\nWe also invited Anna, but she couldn’t come. The reason was, according to Angelike, that the fox had found a new girlfriend in Buffalo, where she spent most of her time during the last few weeks.\n \nThe motto of our party was “The Witcher”, after those video games and the TV series. Nikki was wearing a tight black dress with a deep cutout. This outfit alone was worth almost every imaginable sin. Antu had his whole fur colored black, like he would be the kitty of an evil witch. Mikey was dressed as a sorcerer. Intentionally or not, he and Antu fit perfectly together. Trish, Angelike, and Svetlana wore medieval clothes. I guess they bought their outfits at the medieval fair, which we had in town during the summer. Joseph had an intimidating plague doctor’s outfit. Miguel, Jonathan, and Thomas came as town guards, and Gabriel was a blacksmith. The best-looking costume was Raphael's Geralt cosplay. And I was also dressed as a witch hunter.\n\nGabriel brought his grill with him, with which he made sausages and burgers for us. So delicious. The smell even attracted our parents. After dinner, as it was already getting dark, we all went trick-or-treating. We split up into two groups for that, since there were so many of us. There was so much candy after the walk. Antu and Mikey got the most of it. My bag must be around here somewhere. I haven't eaten much of the candy yet. Firstly, because my mother doesn't allow me to eat too many sweets at once, and secondly because I hardly ever eat sweets.\n\nAfter we came back from our candy tour, we turned on the music and danced around the cauldron like we would want to summon something evil from the deepest depths of hell. But the only demon we summoned was this angry lady three houses away, who suddenly came over to complain about the music. Antu's joke that our spell to summon the devil really worked didn’t do much to de-escalate the situation.\nWell, to be honest, it made us all laugh, but it angered this lady even more and made her walk away mumbling about what terrible and disrespectful people we would be.\n \nThe party was almost over at that point anyway, so it didn’t mean much. Mikey and Antu left with their fathers, and the Musketeers left all together to visit a club in town. \nOnly Angelike didn't go, since she isn’t much into clubbing. The Bengal didn't want to be alone at home, so she asked if she could stay with us overnight. A wish Nikki and I happily granted our friend.\n\nMom called me at about 11 p.m. to tell me she would stay next door and that we should tidy up the garden before we went to bed. \nThe evening went on. Around midnight, we were sitting on our couch watching a few music videos on Pawtube when Angelike suddenly called out:\n“No way!” \n \nNikki and I startled, then we turned our heads towards our feline friend, and my girl asked: \n“What is it? Did someone die? Are the Rolling Stones ending their careers for real?” \nAngelike showed us the screen of her phone with a big grin on her face. \nI swallowed when I saw the screen. It was my old Livefurs account. I was certain that they had deleted this account by now due to inactivity. There are only a few videos and photos on that site. Most of them show just me in different poses. But there is also this one video with Nikki. And that's exactly what Angelike had to find when she searched for wolf-cheetah teen porn (she explained that to us after we asked how she found the website). Nikki asked, still a little shocked:\n“Since when are you searching for stuff like that?” \nThe Bengal grinned as she replied:\n“Silly goose. I began to look for that right after our threesome at Trish's place. Believe me, I never felt so satisfied and relaxed. Balto’s knot—oh, I still get wet just thinking of it. I found this site a few minutes ago. It has some nice stuff on it. This video here, where you are riding on his cock, I love it! And these comments are hilarious. I can believe that many boys would have loved to have a babysitter like you, Nikki. Hell, I know I would have loved to have a babysitter like you. All I got was my fat, nerdy brother. You know, I also made photos for such a site once, but they were never that popular. I wonder if, perhaps, we could make some photos together, too. I mean, we already shared a bed; it wouldn’t be that awkward.” \nI couldn’t resist giving Nikki a naughty look, to which she responded by taking a deep breath. \n“I should punish both of you. On the other hand, I like making such photos. Tell us, Angel, how would you like to do it?” \nAngelike placed her hand on her chin. She thought about it for a moment before she stood up from the couch and looked at Nikki and me.\n“Balto, do you maybe have a chain, a collar, and some cuffs here?” \nAfter a brief moment of thinking, I answered her: \n“Yes, I have stuff like that in my room. I will go get it.” \nQuickly, I ran to my room to get the stuff. As I came back, I heard how Angelike explained her idea to Nikki: \n“I think it would be cool if you kneel naked while your hands are tied with rope. Balto is next to you, holding up a chain. Like he has just captured you during a dark ritual. And I will be in the back, on the ground, posing as your sacrifice for the dark lords. I think that would look great.”\nNikki seemed not to be so sure about the whole thing anymore, maybe because Angelike wanted to do all this outside. She asked our excited friend:\n“Angel, are you sure you want that? My biggest concern is that our friends could see this photo. What would the group say to that?” \nAngelike laughed. \n“Seriously, Nikki? Raphael is with Svetlana, Jonathan is with Miguel, and you are with Balto. I don’t know about the others, but why should they say anything? We are grown-ups, and we all like sex.”\nThe Bengal's eyes grew wide as she begged:\n“Nikki, please.”\n\nThe Bengal touched Nikki's knee and looked deep into her purple eyes. My cheetah could no longer resist.\n“Ok, but only because I also like the idea. Let us go into the garden and prepare everything for the scene.” \nWhile the girls walked towards the door, the cheetah turned her head back to me and asked:\n“Doggy, do we have a better camera? I fear our mobiles are not good enough for this.” \nI remembered my mother’s good camera. I pointed in the direction of the bedrooms as I replied:\n“Mom has one in her room. I will go get it.” \nAfter I got the camera, I rejoined the girls in the garden. Angelike was already naked, and Nikki prepared her “victim” for the sacrifice by tying her arms with ropes. \nThen I watched how Nikki directed Angel to a large upside-down pentagram in front of the cauldron, which we had previously placed there as part of the party decorations. After our friend was in the right place, Nikki took off most of her clothes, too.\nAt the end, she was only wearing stockings, cuffs on her wrists, and a thick, black collar with a metal chain attached to it. It is a good thing our garden is quite safe from prying eyes. \nAfter Nikki was ready, she set up the camera. That took her some time, which gave me the chance to take another look at Angelike. Seeing this beautiful feline there, naked, and defenseless, excited me. The girl seemed to share these feelings. She smiled at me, spreading her legs to show me that heavenly spot between her legs. Angelike even lifted her cute butt a bit, as if she wanted me to take her right there.\n\nBut unfortunately, we didn't have time for that. Nikki came over to us after she was done with the camera. My gaze was still fixed on the naked girl on the ground, my mind on something very specific, when the sudden touch of Nikki's hand on my shoulder brought me back to reality with a jolt. Nikki seemed amused by my reaction and said:\n“Before you two start fucking out here, the camera is set. Balto, you need to tie my hands together now. Do it the way I taught you.” \n\nSince our first bondage session, Nikki has shown me several times how to tie her hands properly. Nevertheless, I had serious problems with this, as I found it difficult to concentrate for two specific reasons.\nI mean, think about it. There were two beautiful women, both naked and with their hands tied. Angelike was lying on the grass, and Nikki knelt right in front of me. After I was finally done with the ropes, I took the chain on Nikki's collar into my hand. We were set for the photo. Just in time, as it got a little chilly, even for me. I can’t imagine how the girls felt while wearing nothing but their thin fur.\n\nWe took a few shots with slightly different poses to make sure we got at least one good picture. After we were done, I untied my girl and removed the collar from her neck. Now, Nikki wanted a few more photos with Angelike. She explained that she wants to send some of them to her modeling agency to get Angelike a job. \nThe hottest one was as she forced her victim to spread her legs widely, presenting the feline’s temple of lust to the viewer, who was me at that moment. I doubt that Nikki has sent that one to the agency.\n\nIt was late at night when we took the last photos. The wind increased in strength, so we quickly packed the stuff together to get inside. The girls, due to their nakedness, went ahead, while I switched off the lights and carried the extension cables into the garage. On the way inside, I glanced over at the Kofis' house. There I saw a light in one of the windows on the upper floor, and someone was standing there. I cannot say for sure, but I think this person may have watched us. For how long, I don’t know. I shook my head, then entered our house through the door of our laundry room. I locked it with the armored bolt, and then I did the same with the door that leads from the garage into our kitchen. Mom once told me that my father installed those extra-secure logs on the doors. Our windows have burglar-resistant glass, so they are also quite safe. At least as long as no one forgets to lock them. After I entered the kitchen, I quickly took the memory card out of the camera. It is not necessary for the mother to see these photos. While I walked past the bathroom to put the camera back in its place in Mom's bedroom, I heard the girls giggling in the shower. A hard decision had to be made: Should I join them now or first bring the camera back? Well, I decided to first put the camera away. If that thing gets damaged, Mom will be seriously mad. \nNikki's parents gifted it to her, and it is an expensive model. After I put it safely back in its place, I quickly moved back to the bathroom. The giggling had turned into a lustful moaning. Slowly, I entered the bathroom, just to see Angelike, with her hands still tied up, kneeling in front of Nikki. She licked my girl's vagina with such passion that you would have thought she was trying to prove something. Nikki had her eyes closed while her hands held her play partner's head in position. It was such a hot scene to watch.\nThe girls were so deep in their amorous play that they didn’t even notice me standing there. Thankfully, not all my brain was in horny mode yet, so I was able to take a few photos of them with my mobile before I also took off my outfit. Shortly later, I joined the girls in the shower, positioning myself right behind the kneeling Angelike. I cleared my throat to make myself noticeable. Both girls now looked at me. While Angelike almost immediately began to lick and suck my growing member, Nikki just crossed her arms, shook her head, and said in a stern tone:\n“Doggy, no.”\nShe then grabbed Angelike by the neck and pulled her backward. My member slipped out of the surprised feline’s muzzle. Nikki almost hissed at Angel.\n“Angel, you weren’t done here.” \nThe cheetah pressed her fellow feline back between her legs again and purred when she felt that greedy tongue deep inside her honeypot.\n\nNikki selfishness was a bit annoying at first, but after a few moments of watching the girls, I decided to enjoy the show and take care of my aroused member myself. I leaned back against the wall of our shower cabin, wanking my cock with my right hand as I watched Nikki enjoy our friend's seemingly talented tongue. The show took around ten pleasureful minutes until my cheetah screamed out her lust as a powerful orgasm overwhelmed her body. But Angelike didn’t stop. She continued licking after the tasty juices coming from Nikki's pussy, like it was some kind of drug for her.\nNikki, by her side, couldn’t do much more than moan and scream out her lust. Her second climax overwhelmed the cheetah’s body only minutes later. My girl was panting hard. Her long legs were shaking. She slowly sank to the ground in front of the Bengal. Nikki’s entire body twitched. It was such an arousing scene to watch. Angelike, whose muzzle was smeared with pussy juice, then turned her head towards me. She grinned as she asked:\n“Balto, can you untie my hands, please? I need to pee.”\n\nAfter I untied Angelike's hands, the girl quickly moved over to the toilet to relieve herself. Meanwhile, I helped Nikki back up, and I also helped her a bit to get clean. \nI was standing with my back against the glass wall of our shower cubicle when our guest rejoined us. Nikki smiled while she looked at the slightly shivering girl. Before Angel came back under the warm water, Nikki spoke silently:\n“Come back under the water, sweetie, before you freeze.” \nThen Nikki grabbed my still stiff member, which made me gasp. With a mischievous grin at Angel, she said:\n“What do you think? Should we give our doggy a little relief, too?”\nBoth girls now grinned at each other. They knelt in front of me. Seconds later, they let their tongues explore the full length of my cock. The feeling was incredible. No words could ever describe that. Two of the most beautiful girls I know licked my member like it was a popsicle. I closed my eyes, and while I continued to enjoy this sensational feeling of two girls working on my dick at the same time, I suddenly felt a hand on my balls. I think it was Angelike’s hand, since it felt a bit smaller than Nikki’s. Pleasureful moments passed, and then I felt how my red rocket entered a warm place. I opened my eyes a bit, just to see how Angelike took my cock into her mouth. Slowly she began to suck on it, supported by Nikki, who gently patted her head and whispered:\n“Good girl. Let the doggy feel your lips.” \nMy cheetah watched how Angelike moved her head back and forth. My lustful moaning filled the room. It was good for us that the window was closed. I was disappointed when this heavenly feeling suddenly stopped. Once again, Nikki pulled the slightly surprised Angelike back. But this time, she had a good reason to do so:\n“Before we waste even more water, let us move this over to Balto’s room.”\nOur guest seemed to be a bit grumpy about this break, but Nikki was right. With the help of our fur dryer, which is basically a full-body hair dryer for Anthros, we quickly dried our fur before we walked over to my room.\n\nAt that point, I was glad that I had turned on the heater in there. For me, it was even a bit too warm, but it was a nice temperature for the girls.\nNikki led me to my bed and told me to lie down, but with my head on the bottom part of the bed. I did as I was ordered, waiting for the girls to join me. Nikki seemed to have something special in mind as she looked for the toy box underneath my bed and took out some leather cuffs and two collars. With a few quick hand movements, she tied the collars around Angelike's and my necks. Like a porn director, Nikki then gave further instructions:\n“Ok. Angel, lay on top of Balto. I want you to kiss him.” \nAngelike happily did what she had been told to do. While we shared this passionate kiss, Nikki giggled and chuckled. \n“You two look so cute together. Angel, turn around now and give doggy a BJ. Present your pussy to him.”\nThe slender feline smiled as she went into the 69-position. Nikki now fastened the leather cuffs to my legs and Angelike's wrists. Those cuffs have snap hooks on them, with which she chained us together after she was done with adjusting the cuffs. I now had this incredible view of a juicy pussy while I got my penis sucked hard by a greedy feline. This must be what heaven is like.\nNikki turned her attention back to the toy box, looking for her strap-on and a middle-sized dildo for it. Maybe one or another remembers that thing. Nikki used it once or twice on me. Now I understood her intentions, and Angelike also seemed to know what was coming. Her tail began to twitch nervously, which made Nikki laugh. \n“Don’t worry, little kitty, I will be gentle. Now continue to suck his cock, and don’t dare to stop.” \nAfter Nikki attached the dildo to the strap-on and put the thing on, she slowly walked to the back of the bed, behind the nervous Bengal. She caressed Angelike’s butt to calm her down a bit and brought her into position for the main event. Before she went on, she had a few more words for me: \n“Doggy, her pussy won’t lick itself. Be a good boy and get to work.”\n\nThis was an order my girl didn’t have to give me twice. While I began to let my tongue wander over Angelike’s swollen vulva, I heard Nikki open the lube bottle. She placed a good amount of the glitchy stuff on the dildo before she rubbed that thing against our friend’s wet pussy. My girl then grabbed Angelike by her hips and carefully shoved the dildo inch by inch into the cocksucking Bengal cat. Angelike moaned when the dildo filled her out more and more. This feeling made her suck even harder on my manhood. My claws scratched over the bedsheets while my knot grew under this treatment. This girl surely has some skills, even if she looks so innocent and pure. After the dildo was fully in Angel's tight vagina, Nikki waited a moment to give our friend time to get used to the stuffing. My girl then pulled out the dildo almost entirely, just to slowly push it back in. Soon, the girls found a rhythm. \nWhen Nikki pushed forward, Angelike took my cock as deep as she could inside her mouth. Nikki pulled out, and the Bengal moved her head back. During all this, I did my best to please Angelike. The mixed scents of the girls, combined with the taste of pussy juice and Nikki's strawberry lube, took my mind away. I wish this could have lasted forever.\n \nThe girls steadily increased their pace. My knot quickly reached its full size and pressed against Angel’s lips every time she swallowed my cock. \nAngelike’s body began to shiver. She stopped moving, and after one last hard thrust by Nikki, a muffled, pleasureful scream could be heard when Angelike was almost knocked out by her orgasm. Our friend was panting. She moved her head back. My cock slipped out of her mouth, right before my seed spurted out of my twitching, saliva-covered cock. Angelike's face was painted with my creamy sperm. Nikki was slightly amused by how hard we were panting after this intense experience. She asked: \n“Are you two alright? Angel? Everything ok?” \n\nI felt her head moving, so I guess she nodded at Nikki, who continued: \n“Good. You both look like you could use another shower now. Balto, can you take care of your mess here while I help our guest get clean?”\n \nThe cheetah didn’t wait for me to respond. She separated the cuffs and helped Angelike get up. Shortly before the two felines left my room, Nikki stopped. She looked Angelike deep into her eyes, asking her an odd question: \n“Say, Angel, what would you say about becoming our pet? Would you like that?”\n\nThe exhausted Bengal only smiled, first at Nikki, then back at me, before she nodded and said silently:\n“Yes. I would like to be your pet, Nikki.” \n \nNikki smiled at our friend while she helped the Bengal into the bathroom to get her nice and fresh again, while I took care of our mess. New bedsheets, a third pillow—more wasn't necessary.\nAs the girls came back to my room, we laid down to rest a bit. Nikki was on the right side, Angelike on the left, and I was allowed to take the golden middle. It didn’t take us long after this intense play before we fell into a deep slumber. \nLuckily, Mom had allowed me to stay home from school on the first of November. Otherwise, this would have been a very hard day for me. \nThe last time I looked at the clock before we all went to sleep, it was about 3 a.m.\n\nIt was a surprise for me that I was the first to wake up the next morning. A quick glance at my watch told me that it was almost midday. Slowly and carefully, I stood up without waking the still-sleeping girls. After I left my room, I first went to the bathroom, then to the kitchen. Unexpectedly, Mom was sitting at the dining table as if she were waiting for me. Her voice sounded stern when she greeted me.\n“Good morning, my son.” \nI looked at the floor, fearing that I had done something wrong. I mumbled:\n“Morning, mom. I thought you would be at work. How was the evening with the Kofis?” \nMom took a sip of her coffee. \n“I also took the day off. And we had a nice evening. Just like you, at least if I'm interpreting the smell in your room and the fact that there are two girls in your bed correctly.” \nI felt ashamed and tried to apologize:\n“Sorry, mom, I will air out the room as soon as the girls wake up.”\nMom chuckled. \n“Balto, no need to be sorry. At least as long as you didn’t knock up one of the girls. By the way, this other girl. She is in your theater group, right?” \nI smiled and nodded. \n“Yes, mom. Her name is Angelike. She wanted to stay overnight, and then we…” \n\nMom interrupted my sentence. \n“Balto, please. I have eyes, and I can imagine what happened in your room last night. The only thing I ask is for you to be careful.”\nAt that moment, Mom must have spotted Angelike, as the cat peered shyly around the corner. In her typical, calm voice, she welcomed our friend: \n“You don’t have to be shy, darling. Sit down with us and have some breakfast. I am Balto’s mother. You can call me Christa. Nice to meet you, Angelike.”\n\nAngelike slowly walked closer until she sat down at the kitchen table. She took herself some coffee, a slice of bread, and some cheese. It was understandable that Angelike was hungry. While we all enjoyed breakfast, we had a kind talk together. \nNikki joined us more than an hour later. After she had breakfast, we cleaned my room and the garden. Subsequently, Nikki, Angel, and I watched TV while we cuddled a bit on the couch. It was a cozy day with these two sweet girls, which sadly ended far too soon. In the evening, Nikki and I brought Angelike home. After we came back, it was time for Nikki to return home as well. For myself, I had to prepare a few things for school before I went to bed at around 11 o’clock.\n\nWell, that was our Halloween this year. And what a remarkable Halloween it was. Now let's jump forward in time a little, to mid-November. Thanksgiving was just a week away, as was a big charity concert at Thunderdome Stadium.\n\n \nPart 2: Ahead of the Concert \n\n\nSome of you might remember Nikki's and my visit to Hazel and Johana's place in Ann Arbor during the summer. While we were there, of course, we also met her mother, rock star Holly Rhoads-Hunter, who is very well known in the anthropomorphic community. She is also one of Nikki’s biggest idols. I know that I am repeating myself here. I just wanted to mention it in case you haven’t read the entry “Friends and Idols,” during which I wrote about our visit. \n\nYou probably know that November and December are always popular months when it comes to welfare stuff. That isn’t much different here in Darwin’s Hope. This year, our city decided to organize and finance a charity concert. The money earned from this event should go to the cub’s infirmary at San Francesco D’Assisi Hospital, which is desperately in need of new technical equipment. Well, that is what I read in the papers. The more important thing was that, next to some local entertainers, including us, the Howling Musketeers, Holly Rhoads-Hunter had agreed to play a few songs alongside her band. She was the main reason why the Thunderdome sold out in minutes. Our town is not exactly a magnet for stars. It is simply too small and unimportant for that.\n\nHolly's husband Joe and her son Johana agreed to support the charity by helping the kitchen with their cooking skills, which became a crucial part of the event's success. The kitchen alone made so much money during the concert that they counted it twice before they believed how much it was. But one thing after another.\n\nIt was on Thursday, November 17. I had just finished my homework when a message popped up on the screen of my laptop. It came from Hazel. \n“Hey, Balto! How are you? Can’t wait to see you again. We will come to DW on the 22nd. We will travel on the tour bus with Mom. Maybe I can show it to you and Nikki. This thing is so cool. We will then stay in a hotel close to the Thunderdome, but we hope that we can visit your place, too. Johana said he wants to see your Iron Wolf armor, and for some reason, my mom wants to meet your mom and Nikki's parents. Oh, and Johana finally wants to give you the picture he drew of the two of you.”\nI chuckled a bit while I typed my answer: \n“Hey, Hazel. Nikki and I are fine, thanks. How are you? I can’t wait for the concert. It is mainly organized by Stark College, which is why the director wants us to perform there too. As far as I know, we will sing the opening song.”\nHazel quickly replied:\n“Oh, that is cool! And we are fine. Johana and Kirara have been playing in his room for hours now, and don’t let me join them. They are so mean to me.”\nIt was easy to see that Hazel was annoyed that she wasn't allowed to take part. I couldn’t resist making a little joke, which is why I replied:\n“Poor girl. Maybe you should tell your mom about it.”\nHazel didn't think this was funny at all.\n“Very funny, Balto. Sadly, I have got to go now. Mom is calling for dinner. We will have spareribs today.”\nI growled. I only had a large salad with chicken strips that day.\n“Not fair! Tell your dad to bring some to the concert for me, ok?”\nHazel didn’t reply anymore.\n\nHer father’s spareribs truly have an outstanding taste. The memory of them alone makes me hungry. But let us try to stay focused.\n \nSchool was a true pain in the ass on Friday. I couldn’t wait for the day to end. Relief came at 5 p.m. when the bell set us free. Unfortunately, I had to take the bus home. During the ride, I played a little on the new handheld console I got from Antu and his father for my birthday. That thing is really neat. My favorite game is Zelda: Breath of the Wild. I like the outfit Link is wearing. It could be something for the next cosplay. I bet Nikki would look great as Princess Zelda. My station is the last one on the route, which is why I needed almost an hour to get home. I really have to fix my damn bike.\n \nThe evening wasn’t anything special, so I will just skip it. Nikki couldn’t come over that day since she had a lot to do with college stuff, and I also needed to work on some things. Mainly for an essay on Lincoln and the Civil War. I worked until 2 a.m., but at least I could almost finish it. Needless to say, I was tired afterward and slept until the early afternoon on Saturday.\n\nIn the afternoon, our theater group had a meeting with the college's director, Mr. Schaeffer. Nikki and I drove there in her car after Mom reminded me kindly of my book report. Other than usual, this meeting wasn’t held in the event hall. This time, the director invited us all to his office, where it was warmer and more comfortable to talk. For me, it was the first time I saw this part of the college's campus. I was impressed by the big doors and high ceilings in the building the office is located in. It had something of a palace. I also remember the words that were written on the walls. Nikki also mentioned them in her part of the entry about our camping trip with Mikey and his father. \nThe one I liked the most comes from Terry Pratchett:\n“You have to believe in things that aren’t true. How else can they become?”\n \nThe nameplate next to the door of the director's office was also interesting. A golden plate inside a wooden frame with the name Principal Professor Dr. William Schaeffer written on it. \nIt was interesting to me because I didn't know this man's full name and title until that day. \n\nAfter we all sat down inside this slightly oversized office, we began a relaxed discussion about the concert. The main part of that discussion was about the songs we wanted to sing and with which one we would start. \nThe first one we came up with was, of course, “All for One”. But even though this is one of our favorite songs, we needed a song for the whole group. “All for One” is something for a maximum of three singers.\n\n After some brainstorming, we decided on “We are the World”. Even if the song is a bit cliché, it has a nice message, and everyone in the group could sing a part of it.\n\nTo our surprise, Dr. Schaeffer explained to us that we should not only start the evening, but also end it. He told us that he would give a short speech after the last performer had finished. Then the director would want me to go out, dressed as Puck, to recite the little poem once again, which I think you all know by now. Even if I like playing Puck, I get tired of this role. Why did he want me to do that again? I guess it is because “A Midsummer Night's Dream” is by far our most well-known play by now. \nAfter we finished our discussion about the concert, Dr. Schaeffer talked a bit further about the group and the upcoming Festival of the Arts in December. Five other schools will come and join the festivities to celebrate peace and friendship. \n \nTheir drama classes would present plays or short sketches on stage. In addition, there will be a wide range of different dishes prepared by several cooking groups, as well as different panels about topics like science and creative writing. I heard that even a group of Furries wants to come and present their stuff. At least on paper, it already sounded like a great time for everyone.\nThe whole meeting took hours. It was already getting dark as we left the office. Nikki and I were just about to get into the Nikkimobile when Angelike and Svetlana reached us. They asked if we would like to join the rest of the group for dinner at our favorite restaurant. We love to go there to celebrate after our shows, so the decision was an easy decision to make. We had some tasty snacks, laughed, and talked until I got a message from my mother.\n“Balto, where are you? You said you and Nicole would come home after the meeting. You still have some homework to do.”\nI sighed. Mom was right. I still had to work on that essay I mentioned earlier, which must be done by Monday. Besides that, I also had to study for English class. High school is really no joke. I told Nikki that I needed to go home because of school stuff, which made Nikki a bit mad. I guess she wanted to stay longer with our friends. Since I didn’t respond to her message, Mom sent another message with a stern tone:\n“Young man, you have exactly five minutes to respond and thirty minutes to come home. Otherwise, you are grounded for the next two weeks.” \nI hastily wrote a reply:\n“Sorry, mom. We went to a restaurant after the meeting. I almost finished that essay yesterday. Nikki will bring me home now.”\n \nNikki and I left the restaurant together. In silence, we walked to the car. Nikki really seemed to be angry. We had just taken our seats in the car when Nikki turned her head to me and said in an annoyed-sounding voice, \n“Balto, why didn’t you say something before we went to the restaurant? It isn’t common for you to forget something.”\nI had to think about what to say. This whole situation was so embarrassing for me. \n“Nikki, I am so sorry. We had such a nice evening. I really didn’t think about this stupid essay anymore. It is almost done anyway. I wanted to finish it tomorrow.”\nNikki only shook her head before we drove home. After she parked the car in the driveway of her house, we stepped out of the car. She then only said goodnight and sent me home. I was about to cry on my way. Stupid school. Stupid me.\n\nShe was still mad when she greeted me with a stern voice and crossed arms. \n“There you are. You had five more minutes left. Now get your butt in your room and finish that essay.”\nI felt so humiliated that I shouted at my mom:\n“Why, mom? You know that I always finish my homework. Because of you, Nikki is pissed at me. You embarrassed me in front of the entire theater group. Why, mom, why?”\nMy mother took a deep breath before she replied in a warning tone. \n“Balto Star, calm your voice at once. I only agreed to this whole theater thing under the circumstance that your performance at school wasn’t suffering under it. Yesterday, I received a call from your school. They told me that you are often unfocused and tired. You even fell asleep during class. If this theater group is too much for you to handle, I will forbid you to continue with it. And now, go to your room and finish your homework!”\n\nI walked to my room with quick steps and slammed the door behind me after I entered. Mom never yelled at me like that. What the hell was going on? Yes. I slept in class, and at times I wasn't as focused as I should have been. But I'm still the best in my class. Why was she suddenly so damn angry?\n \nI tried my best to finish this essay. It took me another two hours to finish this damn, stupid thing. When I was finally done, I took it and made my way to the living room. \nMom was sitting there on the couch, watching one of her TV shows. What surprised me was that Nikki was sitting next to her. I felt so sorry for shouting at my mom before. Especially since she was right with what she said.\nSlowly, I entered our living room, with the report in my hands and my tail tucked ruefully between my legs. \nThe women didn’t notice me until I spoke up in a whiny tone.\n“Mom? I am sorry. I didn’t mean to shout at you. My essay is done. Do you want to read it?” \nThe two ladies turned their heads in my direction before my mother answered calmly.\n“Yes, I will read it before I go to bed. Sit down, Balto. We need to talk.” \nI sat down next to Mom with my head lowered in shame. She then began to explain: \n“Balto, I have spoken with Nicole for more than an hour now. \nWe mutually agree that nothing is more important than your education. Don’t get me wrong here, my son. You are doing great, which is why I allowed you to take part in this theater thing. But now I am worried that you get increasingly distracted by it.” \nShe sighed before she continued. \n“I know you like being on stage, singing with your girl, and so on. It would be cruel to take you out of the group, especially as you have so much more social contact through them now. You've also started to open up, and since joining the group, you've gained much-needed confidence. I certainly don't want to jeopardize that. But we need to find a way for you to manage your time better. You need more time to rest. That's why I want you to reduce the number of rehearsals and meetings. In the last few months, you've had at least three of them every week. And as you know, they often take up several hours. Time that you can't use to do your homework or study for school. Balto, I'm not going to force you to leave the theater group. Not yet. You have until the end of the year to prove to me that you can handle it.”\n\nI couldn’t even say anything against her arguments. Mom was right. We invested a lot of time into our work for the group. Otherwise, we wouldn't have managed to get where we are now. And we still had the Mamma Mia play to perform in December. \nMinutes passed without either of us saying a single word. We barely even moved during those minutes. Finally, Mom placed her hand on my shoulder. My gaze was still fixed on the floor as she added a few more words: \n“Balto, I know how much this group means to you and Nicole. Just take a step back. Maybe you two could concentrate more on just singing for a while.” \nNikki listened to my mother’s words before she spoke, still a little mad, to me: \n“Balto, I can’t believe that. Didn’t you tell your mom about the meeting we had in September? Raphael clearly said that we all need more time to learn for college. Why didn’t you tell your mom about this decision? We could have spared this whole discussion. Your mom only wants you to do what was decided at a meeting we had almost two months ago. How could you, a boy who remembers the color of his favorite pacifier, forget to tell that to your mother?” \nShe looked at my mother. \n“Christa, I am so sorry. I didn't know he hadn't told you that. As I said, our group will take it easier in the future. I know that we have had many trainings lately. That was because of that show in December. As soon as this is done, the meetings will be shorter and will take place only on Saturdays. And, of course, only if there is nothing more important to take care of.” \nNikki was in a bit of a rage, which scared me so much that I cuddled close to my mother. Mom took me into her arms to comfort me. She then answered my girlfriend in her calm voice. \n“Nicole, please. Calm down. I am sure Balto learned his lesson. Don’t be mad at him. He made a mistake, yes. We all do that. He has done his work now. All is fine. So far, nothing bad has happened. So please, let us end this topic here.” \nShe then lifted my head with her right hand to look into my tearful eyes. \n“Balto, I think you should apologize to your girl for all the fuss you caused today.” \n \nShe took her arm away from me, stood up, and looked at Nikki and me. I stuttered as I tried to apologize.\n“Nikki, I, I am sorry. Please don’t be mad anymore. I didn’t think it would matter that much. I know that I am a stupid wolf. Please, can you forgive me?”\n \nI sat there like a watered poodle, ears laid back submissively, as I looked at my girl with wide, pleading eyes. Nikki did her best not to laugh as she looked at me and said,\n“Balto, I accept your apology. I also apologize for yelling at you. And you're not stupid. Believe me, I would kill for a mind like yours.”\nShe opened her arms to me.\n“Come here, Fluffy.”\nI took this chance to quickly jump forward and give my cheetah a tight hug. Nikki fell back on the sofa, with me on top of her. I shivered a little as I spoke to her in a tearful voice:\n“I don’t want to lose you. I thought you wouldn’t like me anymore. That you would leave me.” \nNikki took my head in both hands to look me deep in the eyes. \n“Balto, how could you even think things like that? I love you. I would never leave you because of something stupid like this. Problems and disputes are normal in a relationship. Even my parents have them from time to time. Please, stop crying. Everything is fine, as long as you have learned your lesson.” \nI only nodded while I further pressed myself against my cheetah. How do I deserve a girl like her? \n \nMom watched this scene for a while, then she came closer. She gently patted my head and Nikki's when she made us an irresistible offer.\n“What would you two say to a cup of cocoa?” \nNikki smiled, and I wagged my tail a bit. Together, we answered: \n“Yes please!” \n \nMom prepared two big cups of cocoa for us and some tea for herself. For the rest of the evening, we watched TV, talked about school and college, the upcoming events, and much more. The evening ended at about 2 a.m., as we all went to bed.\n\nThe next few days were nothing special, just school, learning, this kind of stuff. The next event worth writing about happened on Tuesday.\n \nHazel and her family arrived here in Darwin’s Hope on November 22. It was a cloudy day, with rain falling from time to time. School was boring that day. Only this test during English class brought some variety to it. I came back home at about 4:30 p.m. After doing my homework, I decided to ask Hazel if they had already arrived at their hotel. The conversation that followed was a bit longer. To cut a long story short, they arrived an hour before and were just about to visit the hotel’s wellness area. I won’t insert that conversion here, as it is not really essential for the rest of this entry. \n\nOk, there was one more important thing. During our chat, we discussed the possibility of Hazel, Johana, and her mother visiting us at home. At that point, we switched to a video call. Mom joined me on my side, while Holly sat down next to Hazel on their side of the line. Since the concert was held on Saturday, they only had time on Thursday or Friday. \nIt was decided that they should come here on Thursday afternoon. Mom was able to leave earlier at work, and I would come home with Nikki at 4 p.m. We gave them our address, and then we had to end the conversation. \nWe will make another cut now, straight to Thursday afternoon. Thursday, the 24th, two days before the big charity concert.\n \nWhen Nikki and I arrived at home in her car, we could already see a black Mercedes parking in the driveway of my home. Nikki became nervous when she saw that car and almost drove by the house. One hard brake with screeching tires later, she parked the car on the street, and we walked over to the front door of my home. Through the window, we could see Holly sitting on the couch, drinking something with Mom. Hazel and Johana were nowhere to be seen, and I thought they might not be here at all. My cheetah then pushed me to open the door, almost as if she would like to hide behind me. I opened the door, we cleaned our paws a bit on the doormat, then we walked inside. Mom and Holly turned their heads towards us. While Holly waved, my mother welcomed us.\n“Hello, you two. Did you see that idiot who just braked so hard on the road?”\n\nI couldn’t resist giggling, which made Nikki hit me in the side with her elbow. Then my girl answered:\n“No, we haven’t seen anything. Hello Holly, was it easy enough to find the address? I hope you had a nice journey here.”\nHolly chuckled a little when she saw how nervous Nikki seemed.\n“My dear, you don’t have to be nervous. I thought you had learned that during your visit. Sit down and have a glass of wine with us. That might help you relax a bit.”\nNikki shook her head.\n“No, thanks. No alcohol for me. Balto, could you please make us some cocoa?”\nNikki looked around nervously, as if she was looking for something. Holly saw this as she took a sip from her glass. \n“If you are looking for Marley, he isn’t here. Nikki, please relax.”\nHolly then looked at me.\n“Balto, be a good boy and make your girl something to drink, yes? Hazel and Johana should be in the garden. Can you make something for them, too?”\n\nI nodded and walked over to the kitchen, accompanied by my mother. She helped me heat the milk for the cocoa. Since we needed more than usual, we didn’t use the microwave for it. Instead, we used the stove. While the milk was heating up, I quickly went outside to welcome Hazel and her brother. Hazel almost ran me over, which amused Johana. Together, we moved inside, where it smelled heavenly after the fresh cocoa. I think you know this heavenly smell, yes? Oh, how I love it.\nWe all then sat down in the living room. Holly and Mom took our wing chairs while Nikki, I, Hazel, and Johana sat down on the couch.\nAfter a few moments of silence, Holly asked:\n“Balto, Nicole, how have you been since you visited us? Did the tips I gave you help a little?”\nI wanted to give her an answer, but Nikki was faster than me:\n“They helped us greatly, Holly. And because of your tips for training and a healthy diet, I lost 5 pounds. Balto built up muscles and has way better stamina now. And not only on stage.”\n\nYeah, she did say that. Right in front of my mother and our guests. Their reactions were mixed. While Hazel had a big grin on her face after that statement, her brother Johana looked a little disinterested at his phone. Holly chuckled, and Mom looked a bit shocked at Nikki and me. As for me, well, I wagged my tail a little. Yes, I was proud that I could now pleasure my girl better.\nNikki laid her arm around my shoulder before she continued:\n“And your advice also helped the other members of our group. They all hope to meet you at the concert. Especially Gabriel.”\nHolly had to laugh.\n“Oh, I remember that name. Isn’t he my biggest fan of all of you?”\nNikki nodded.\n“Yes, he is. I bet he is practicing how to greet you right now. It is adorable to see that big guy excited like a little kid on Christmas Eve. But you will see.”\n\nAfter this, it became a bit silent in the room. Like before, it was Holly’s voice that broke that silence.\n“I want to use this chance to thank you, Christa, for inviting us to your home. I really like it. Especially this fantastic kitchen. And I simply love this big window with the bench. I must ask my husband for something like that. I bet it is wonderful to sit there on a rainy day.”\nMom seemed to be a bit flattered.\n“Thank you, Holly. Balto and I truly enjoy just sitting there and talking. That spot was an idea of my husband, Sebastian, after we got the house. He often sat there with me for hours.”\nHolly looked at the photo of my dad, which stands on this little table next to the couch.\n“He is a good-looking man. Balto comes a lot after him, if you allow me to say that. When will he be home?”\nMom sighed.\n“He won’t. Sebastian died 15 years ago. He was shot during a robbery about a week before Balto was born.”\nHolly looked a little concerned as she searched for a suitable answer. \n“Oh, I am so sorry. I didn’t know that.”\nMom looked at me, then turned her head back to Holly and said silently,\n“It’s ok.”\nHolly took a bigger sip of her wine before she continued:\n“It must have been difficult for you to take care of this house and raise a child all by yourself. This is more than impressive, Christa. Balto is such a well-behaved boy. You did a great job with him.”\nI could see Mom smiling a bit. Not that she would ever admit it, but I think she enjoys hearing such compliments. No one said anything for a moment, until Johana suddenly spoke to me:\n“Balto, can you show Hazel and me your room? I want to see your comics and the armor you talked about.”\n\nWe excused ourselves and went to my room, giving the adults some time to talk. I showed Hazel and Johana my collection of comics, but Johana was more interested in the armor than the comics. I didn’t wear it for quite some time, but I still could. I mean, it is adjustable, at least to some point. \nSadly, I will not be able to wear it as an adult. But it will always be the centerpiece of my collection. Johana and Hazel were also interested in the rest of my stuff. \nEspecially in my father’s police hat and his badge, which are placed in a showcase on the wall above my desk, and in the photo with Robert Downey Jr. I got at the Comic Con two years ago. Hazel also noticed Little Balto sitting on my nightstand.\n“Aww, there is your little friend. He is so cute. Where did you get him from?”\nI smiled at her as I walked over to my little companion to take him in my hand.\n“Mom gave him to me when I was a cub. She said he would always protect me, which is why he goes with me on every journey. Sometimes, I really think he has a will of his own.”\nHazel’s tail wagged while she patted Little Balto.\n“So sweet! Will you bring him to the concert too? He could sit on stage and watch everything from there.”\nI had to think for a moment, then I shook my head.\n“I don’t know. I am afraid that I might lose him there. Maybe if mom takes him with her.”\n\nMeanwhile, Johana was browsing a bit through my comics. You might remember those special issues from the Iron Man comics I got in New York. Those were the most interesting for him. He also looked at my father's old Batman comics.\nAfter he was able to separate himself from my comics, I showed my guests some photos. Mostly from our trips to New York, to Niagara Falls, and from the cabin at Lake Spaulding. I haven’t made many big journeys yet, but that might change next year. If only mom could finally decide whether we would accompany Nikki and her family on their trip to Austria.\n \nThe photos reminded Johana of something important.\n“Hey, before I forget it. I brought you the drawing I made of you and Nikki. Without any doubt, it is one of my best works yet. Wait, I will go get it. It is still in the car.”\nHe left Hazel and me alone, which the young girl used to get closer to me. She whispered with a suggestive look in her eyes: \n“Finally. Say, Balto, what about a quickie?”\nI shook my head.\n“No, Hazel. That is too risky. What if your mom hears us? Sorry, I really think it would be a bad idea.”\nMy answer was disappointing for young Hazel. Just a minute later, Johana returned with a large poster roll in his hands. He opened it and showed me the drawing. It looks fabulous. Nikki looks so cute as a slave girl. I wonder what Mom will say when she sees this.\n\nSpeaking of Nikki, she knocked at the door and entered my room just as Johana was about to put the drawing back into the poster roll. While she walked over to my bed to sit down, she curiously asked:\n“Is that our drawing? Johana, why didn’t you say anything? I want to see it too.”\nSo, Johana carefully unrolled it again. Nikki purred silently while looking at the drawing.\n“Oh my, that turned out great. Balto, what about if we hang it up in the bedroom in the cabin?”\nHazel’s ears became big.\n“You want to hang up a picture like that in a house where your father can see it?”\nNikki and I chuckled, and my girl replied,\n“Oh, so doggy didn’t tell you. My dad gifted us the cabin. It will be mine and Balto’s second home. So, Dad must ask me if he wants to get in there.”\nHazel’s voice became excited:\n“Oh, that is so cool! I want to see it. Can we go there? I think this is like a tree house, but better. I wish I had something like that. I could make parties in there, with friends, and without having to be quiet.”\nJohana interrupted his sister.\n“Since when do you care about being quiet? You should hear her when she masturbates.”\nHazel was a bit annoyed:\n“And what about you? Last time you had sex with Kirara, my whole wall was vibrating. And you didn’t let me join!”\n\nJohana placed his hand on Hazel’s muzzle to shut her up. He was clearly a bit angry at his sister.\n“Will you shut up, Hazel? Mom is just a few steps away. Do you want her to know that we had sex together?”\nA sudden knock on the door startled us all. Then we heard my mother's voice:\n“Kids, is everything okay in there? Be nice to each other, or you will come back to us. Did you understand?”\nI answered her quickly:\n“Yes, mom, all is fine. We were just discussing which is the best Marvel series. Sorry if we were too loud.”\nMom wasn’t satisfied with my answer: \n“My son, first, I told you not to lie. Second, you know that we wolves have very sensitive ears, yes? You are lucky that Holly just went outside to take a look at the garden, and the doors were closed. Just a little tip from me. If you want to keep a secret, don’t shout it out inside a house.”\nI don’t know why, but Nikki laid back on my bed and laughed.\nAs I asked her why she was laughing, she answered:\n“You are such a terrible liar, doggy. But I admit, it was a good try. Do you remember the clash of the nerds at our first comic con? They had a similar reason for their dispute. I mean, they were beating the shit out of each other because they had different opinions on which studio had the better heroes. It was so sad and funny as hell at the same time.”\nTwenty minutes later, mom knocked on my door again:\n“Hazel, Johana, your mother wants to drive back to the hotel now. She needs to prepare things for the concert. And Nicole, your mother called. She needs you at home. Something about laundry. Your phone is in the living room, in case you are missing it.”\n\nNikki jumped off my bed, said goodbye to Hazel, Johana, and Holly, then went home. The rest of us also left my room and went outside to the black Mercedes, where Mom and Holly were waiting for us. I gave Hazel and Johana a hug before they stepped into the car. Holly had a few more words for Mom and me:\n“I truly enjoyed the time here. Christa, you have a wonderful home. And I want to compliment you once again on your son.”\nThen she took a step towards me, placed her hand on my shoulder, and looked me in the eye. \n“And I will see you together with Nikki on stage on Saturday.”\n\nMom and I waved until we couldn’t see the car anymore, then we went back inside. I still had to finish some homework, after which I did some vocal training. I couldn’t wait for the concert to start.\n \nPart 3: The Concert\n\n\nAn eventless Friday followed. It wasn't until the evening that we had something worth telling you about. I don’t know how many of you remember the entries about our two trips to New York City. During our first vacation in the Big Apple, we discovered a restaurant with a karaoke stage in the basement. \nWe had such a nice time there. Every member of our family performed at least one song down there. I even sang a song with mom, namely “We are one” from Lion King 2. \nAfter school ended that Friday, Nikki picked up at my school for the final rehearsal at Stark College.\nIn the early evening, we all went home to get some rest. After I finished my homework at around 8:30 p.m., I heard music coming from our living room. I went there to check, just to see mom watching old music videos vie Pawtube on our TV. I sat down next to her just as a man in a leather jacket began to sing. I looked at my mother and asked curiously:\n“Who is that?”\nMy mother chuckled, then turned off the sound to tell me about this entertainer.\n“That is David Hasselhoff. He was the star of the 1980s series “Knight Rider.” He was also a singer. I liked his songs.”\nOn the screen, I could see that man standing next to a wall, wearing a jacket with lights on it. Mom said as she saw that video:\n“Oh, that's one of his most famous songs. It's called “I've been looking for Freedom”. “\n\nWe listened to that song. I must admit, it has a surprisingly catchy sound. Another song we heard was “A Star Looks Down Tonight”. For those of you who aren’t familiar with that song, it is about a father singing a song with his young daughter about the mother, which has died some years ago. It is unclear to me why mom listened to these old songs. I thought it might be because of childhood memories. You know, since she grew up in the 80s and 90s. Honestly, I didn’t put much more thought into the matter at that point. A little detail I saw was that mom made herself some notes while listening to the music. This made me giggle, since I also like it to take notes during the day. I even have a special notebook for that. Yeah, I know, I am blessed with an eidetic memory, but I still like to write down a few thoughts now and then. Ok, ok. Enough of that.\n\nIt was about 10 p.m., as I went back to my room. I still had to pack my stuff together for the next day. Little Balto, my Puck costume, spare clothes, and some other things I could need there. My backpack was filled to the brim afterward. \nI went to bed around midnight. After lying down, I turned off the light, reached for my cell phone and checked our group chat. Raphael was still awake. He and the others were writing about nonsense, they were sharing photos of food, and then there was an adorable one of Svetlana and Angelike sleeping arm in arm on their couch. Nothing naughty, they both were fully dressed, it only showed Angelike having her head on Svetlana’s left boob, using is as a pillow. As Nikki already seemed to be asleep, I wished my friends a good night, put the phone down and closed my eyes. It wasn’t a very restful sleep that night. My nervousness was just too much, my stomach rebelled, and I had to get up twice to visit the bathroom. \n\nThe night passed far too fast. Since I didn’t hear my alarm in the morning, my mom had to wake me up at about 9 a.m. We were supposed to meet the others at the Thunderdome Stadium at noon for soundchecks and so on. The drive there doesn’t take that long, so I still had time for breakfast. Unfortunately, I had to do without my beloved cocoa. This was because Holly gave us the tip to drink nothing but water before going on stage. Mom had prepared made some baked roles for us, since she wanted me to have at least something in my stomach. Nikki showed up at about 11:30. She seemed very relaxed as she sat down next to me at the kitchen table.\n \nI guess she is just more relaxed or more experienced than me. Because of my shaking hands, mom had to help me with my breakfast. I felt like a little cub doing potty-training that day. The sight of me seemed to amuse Nikki. She even took a photo of me to post it in the group chat, together with the line: “Puck seems a little nervous today.”\nWhile I was trying to formulate a suitable answer, my mother took the phone away from me. \n“You get that back after breakfast.”\nHer look wandered to Nikki:\n“Nicole, you seem so calm. Balto hardly slept last night.”\nNikki smiled at my mother, after she took a sip of coffee.\n“I only try not to think about the concert. You maybe remember how nervous I was ahead of our “Dance of the Vampires” play. My thoughts were driving me crazy because I was thinking too much.” \nShe placed her hand on mine, and while she looked at me with her dreamy, purple eyes, she spoke in a calm voice:\n“Fluffy, everything will be fine. We will only sing one song, and that is it. You don’t have to be afraid. The only difference to our plays is the number of viewers we will have today. The rest is the same. You will do great. I am certain of that.”\nI sighed.\n“But Nikki, I am supposed to say the closing words too.”\nNikki laughed. \n“The same words you have recited so often. You even did it in the city theater.”\nShe tousled my hair, while I looked down to the floor and mumbled:\n“But Nikki, some of my classmates will be there.”\nMy girl took me in her arms and pressed me against her chest. \n“So what? Some of my classmates will be there as well. Balto, maybe you can see it that way. You are standing on stage. The girls in your class will be hunting you after this. The boys will be so jealous of you. Oh, that reminds me. Are Mikey and Antu coming to the concert? We would have some free VIP tickets for them and their fathers.” \nI smiled a bit at Nikki.\n“Yes, they are coming. I can ask them to meet us at the Thunderdome.”\nNikki nodded, while she turned her head to my mother.\n“And Christa, after the concert, we want to go for dinner in our favorite restaurant. You know, the one with the karaoke bar.”\n\nA short “sounds good” was Mom’s only response, as she stood up to clean the kitchen, while I finished my breakfast. As I was done, mom cleaned my muzzle with a wet tissue. Nikki commented this with a loud “Awww”.\nNow it was time to get ready. Nikki helped me to get dressed. I decided to wear my favorite shirt, a hoodie, and black jeans. A standard outfit, yes. But this is simply me. Just as I wanted to leave my room, Nikki stopped me with the words:\n“Wait, Balto. You forgot something important.”\nWhat she meant was my bandana. I don't know how I could have forgotten that. Must have been the nervousness. But Nikki wasn’t done with me yet. She went over to my desk, where I have my most important memorabilia. I heard her saying:\n“One last thing.”\nShe took the collar she once gave me. The one with the pink tag and the inscription\n\nNikki + Balto\n4 now and 4 ever\n\nwritten on it.\n \nMy girl walked back to me, put the collar around my neck, and then gave me a kiss.\n“Now we are ready to go.”\nI looked at Nikki from her head to her toes, then I said to her: \n“But you aren’t dressed yet.”\nMy sweet feline chuckled.\n“I will get into my dress at the stadium. You know, the red one, which I bought for the “vampires” play. But this time, I will also wear my collar to the outfit.”\n\nI love this red dress. It is sinful, but in an elegant way. After Nikki took a last look at my hair, I grabbed my backpack, and we left the house together with mom. Outside, we met Nikki’s parents, and we all drove to the Thunderdome in Mr. Kofi’s big Pick-Up.\nHe parked the car not in the main parking lot, as we were allowed to park at the performer entrance. There we also spotted this huge black bus with the inscription “Silver Fang”. Obviously, this was Holly Rhoads-Hunter's tour bus. Hazel was right, that thing is looked spectacular, even from the outside.\n\nWe passed the bus on our way to the entrance. We were lucky to meet Holly there, as she and her band just unloaded some things from the bus. On this occasion, she introduced us to the members of her band. There we had the bassist Leon, a lion, Donny and Roy, the African Wild Dog brothers, and of course Kai, the Shiba Inu we met in her house back in Ann Arbor.\nAfter a brief talk with them, we moved inside to meet Director Schaeffer, who showed us the way to our dressing room.\nIt was a large room with a big couch, a large TV, a fridge, several dressing tables, and mirrors on the walls. The start of the concert was getting closer, so our parents had to leave us now. Nikki handed the VIP tickets for Antu and Mikey to my mother. After a family group hug, the Kofis and my mom left. Only about 45 minutes remained, until we had to go on stage. My nervousness increased more and more. The last time I felt like that was in New York, shortly before we performed at the Minskoff. \nWhile the others got ready, I roamed from one side of the room to the other like an animal in a cage. My behavior seemed to make the others nervous too, so Nikki stopped me by forcing me to sit down on a chair. She knelt down in front of me, looked me in the eye and spoke to me in a gentle voice:\n“Balto, please calm down. You drive everyone crazy. This isn’t the first time for you on stage. Take a few deep breaths or exercise some musical scales. Anything, just calm down, ok?\nThe tone of her voice alone managed to ease me a bit. I took a few deep breaths, and about ten minutes before we had to go on stage, I was finally at a level I could think straight again.\nRaphael joked, as he looked at me:\n“Maybe we should try it with valerian next time.”\nNikki seemed a little angry with him for this joke. While stretching her body, she said to him: \n“You can do that, if you want to risk that Balto pukes on the stage. Not to mention that his mom would have a serious talk with you afterward. And believe me, I don’t recommend that.”\nRaphael apologized.\n“Sorry, that maybe wasn’t a good joke. But Balto, you need to be calmer. Nikki, I remember you sang him a lullaby last time. That worked wonders.”\nI protested loudly:\n“I am not a cub anymore. It is just that there are so many people out there. Way more than in the theater in New York.”\nNikki chuckled.\n“Yeah, by age, you aren’t a cub anymore. Balto, I already told you at home that this is just the same as in the Minskoff. You won’t see much of the audience because of the spotlights. Don’t worry, Balto. Drink a glass of water, take Little Balto, and then we will show the people out there what we are capable of.”\nA knocking at the door interrupted Nikki, then we heard a voice from outside:\n“You are on in a minute, come to the back of the stage now.”\nI took Little Balto out of my backpack. Like always, before we go out on stage, we all formed a circle in the middle of the room. While stretching his arm in the middle of the circle, Raphael said in a loud tone:\n“One for all.”\nAnd we answered, after our hands met Raphael’s in the circle:\n“And all for one.”\n\nAfter this ritual, we left our dressing room and walked to the back of the stage. We listened to the final words of director Schaeffer’s speech, before he introduced us as the first group of the concert.\n“And now, ladies and gentlemen, let's start with what we are all here for today. I am proud to present the Stark College Howling Musketeers with their version of 'We are the World'”.\n\nTogether, we slowly walked onto the stage. The crowd cheered. I quickly placed Little Balto on the side of the stage, so he could watch everything, then I moved to my position. The music started. Raphael and Svetlana sang the first lines, Gabriel joined in next, then came Angelike, and I joined in after her. Nikki was after me, Miguel, Jonathan, Thomas, and Joseph followed. \nAs Nikki said, I couldn't see much of the audience because of the spotlights. But what I could see as we sang our song were countless glow sticks moving to and fro in the darkened hall. It was just wonderful. Sadly, the song ended too soon. At this point, I regretted that we only had this one song. We had so much fun during the performance.\n\nAfter our song was sang, the director came back on stage. He shook all our hands, congratulated us on our performance, then he introduced the next performer.\nIt was a singer from Canada, he sang three songs, followed by a stand-up comedian, and after her, it was time for Holly and her band.\n\nThe Musketeers and I watched most of the program on the TV in our room. Only for Holly’s show, we joined our friends and family in front of the stage, where we also met with Antu and Mikey. They decided to wear fitting clothes for this day, including necklaces with rainbow-colored rings on it. I am so happy that they came together.\nHolly presented a few songs from her new Album, including ‘Ten Thousand Fist’, ‘The Animal’, and ‘I want my tears back’.\nThis show was the first time for me to see Holly’s band. The most outstanding member for me was Leon the Lion. He was wearing a cool kilt on stage. Just like in this Braveheart movie. But I can’t say if he has worn underwear underneath it. At the end of her gig, Holly took a microphone, stepped forward and addressed a few words to the audience:\n“Thank you all so much. My band and I had such a wonderful time here in Darwin’s Hope, we all love to be in this great city. Before we clear the stage for the next performer, I want to ask you kindly to spend what you can for the cubs. In case you are hungry or thirsty, please visit the bar. I promise, you will get excellent food and drinks there. All money you spend there goes to the charity as well, so even your empty stomach can do good things here. And now I hope you enjoy the remainder of the program. There are a few more fantastic acts you shouldn’t miss. And please always remember to stand together and help each other out. Only by working as a team, we can make it in this world.”\n\nAfter she placed the microphone back on its stand, Holly left the stage to cheers from the audience. We listened to a few more performers with our friends and families, before it was time for us to go backstage again. \nThe others wanted to pack their stuff, and I had to dress for the final words of the concert. Dressing up as Puck doesn’t take me so long, the more complicated part is the decoration on my arms and the thing on my head. As I was done, Nikki and I walked towards the stage. The last act was just about to finish, as we got there. Mr. Schaeffer waited there for us. As the final act was over, he walked forward to the edge of the stage, where he spoke a few lines:\n“Ladies and Gentlemen, like every good thing, this day sadly also must have an end. In the name of the staff, the bureau of the mayor of Darwin’s Hope, and Stark College, I want to thank all of you. A special “Thank You” goes to the countless volunteers at the ticket counters, the kitchens, the electrics. They all worked for free to give all of you a great time here. We are still busy with counting the money, which was so generously donated to provide the cub’s infirmary of the St. Francesco D’ Assisi Hospital with new equipment. The last stand we had was the amount of 50,000 Dollars, which is already fantastic for our little town. But the cubs could always need more, so please, we have shops with CD’s, DVD’s, posters and other merchandise, the kitchen is still open, in case you are hungry. Every cent you spend there goes to the charity. Some performers will also give autographs for a small donation. I hope you all enjoyed the time here while listening to these outstanding performers. To end today’s program, Balto Star from the “Howling Musketeers” has a few more words for you. Good night, everyone. Balto, the stage is yours.”\n\nI decided to play a little joke on Mr. Schaeffer, while he was speaking those last words. Light-footed and playfully, I sneaked behind him, sat down on the ground, and waited. \nAs he turned around, he startled, what made me chuckle and the audience laughed. I don't know if he was just playing it, but it was definitely funny. After I calmed down, I spoke my little poem. \nAs I was done, there was cheering, clapping, knocking. The spotlights switched off, the people left, it became silent in the Thunderdome. I looked at the empty rows for a few minutes, until Nikki came to me.\n“Balto, is everything ok? Come, our friends are waiting. Hazel and Johana want to show us something before we leave, and we have a reservation at our restaurant.”\n\nSometimes, it can be difficult to go offstage. You know, you miss the cheering, and the laughter you heard moments before. This sometimes feels like a drug. The same goes for the lights you see in the audience during a ballad. What I mean are the countless glow sticks, flashlights, mobile phones, or lighters the people hold up. That gets me every time. I sighed, as Nikki and I moved towards backstage. As we were about to leave the stage area, I turned around again, to get my Little Balto. He was still sitting where I positioned him at the beginning of the event. Backstage, I saw how Hazel and Johana were speaking with Antu and Mikey, while mom and Nikki’s parents spoke with Holly. Joe was nowhere to be seen, I guessed he was still working in the kitchen. Mom turned her head to me. I could clearly hear the pride in her voice when she said:\n“There is my little superstar. We just talked about you.”\nAt that moment, Hazel ran up and hugged me while shouting:\n“Balto!”\nShe then tried to drag me away.\n“Come, I want to show you and Nikki our bus! You must see it.”\nJohana, as usual, stayed a bit calmer than his sister. After Holly and mom agreed, the siblings showed their rolling palace to Nikki, Mikey, Antu and me. And boy, is that a monster. It had a kitchen, a TV, several beds (they somehow reminded me about the ones I saw inside the USS Growler in New York, as we visited the Air and Space Museum aboard the USS Intrepid). There also was a shower, and one slightly bigger room with a full-sized bed inside. It was breathtaking. Sadly, we didn’t have much time because of our reservation. Hazel, in particular, seemed a little disappointed. Maybe she had plans when she took us on this bus. Poor Hazel.\nAfter we rejoined the others, Nikki and I saw how Gabriel tried to have a conversation with Holly. The big bear was so nervous, it was so adorable to watch him talking to his idol.\nAs Holly gave him a hug, I thought he was about to faint. Minutes later, it was time for us to go. Raphael said goodbye to the bass player, Leon, then to Holly, and the rest of the Band. \nThey also had to leave because they had another gig in Buffalo the next day.\n\nNow it was time to celebrate. The Howling Musketeers, our parents, Nikki, and I all went together to this small restaurant we always visit after our performances.\n \nPart 4: The Restaurant\n\n\nAs I said, it became a tradition for our group to celebrate our successes in our favorite restaurant. Right after we entered, we were welcomed by one of the waitresses. She is about at mom’s age, a red fox with a few pounds too much. If she smiles, you can see that one of her fangs is missing. I always imagined she lost it in a bar fight. Like always, Raphael had reserved a large table for us next to the karaoke stage. For dinner, we ordered a big portion of Buffalo Wings, Onions Rings, Pizza, and a few burgers. You could have called it the Heart Attack Plate deluxe. The entire table was full of tasty food. It was, in fact, so much that other guests took photos of our table. The following feast lasted for more than an hour. The food was so damn tasty, and none of us could have eaten another bite afterward. Even Nikki had a little food-baby, if you know what I mean. We didn’t even manage to finish everything, which is why we got some doggy bags for the leftovers. Mom took a few of them with her for the next day. She would never waste any food, especially not meat. For as long as I can remember, she always told me it would be disrespectful to the animal that died, so we could have food. Sometimes, I feel sorry for eating meat. I mean, I am a canine, yes, but still. I admit, if I had to kill for my meat, I would starve to death. I would be a lousy wolf in the wild. But back to the topic now.\nWhile we were sitting there at this big table, holding our full bellies, the waitress came back with a tablet, on which I saw little glasses holding a dark brown liquid. \n“Ok guys, I have non-alcoholic bitters for you. You all look like you need one after that meal. They are on the house.”\nI was shaking all over and looked a bit disgusted after sniffing it. Mom, Nikki and all the others laughed as they watched me. Mommy gently took the glass out of my hands.\n“There is no need to force yourself to drink that, Balto. Is everything ok with your belly? I swear you have the same appetite as your father.”\nA loud burp was my only answer. I was simply too full to talk much. I only apologized for my lack of table manners:\n“Excuse me.”\nAgain, everyone laughed, while mom patted me on the back.\n“You are excused, Balto.”\n\nWhile my gaze wandered over our table, I noticed that Raphael was gone. I looked around, then I saw him on his phone outside. He rejoined us about 10 minutes later, with a sad expression in his face. He took a glass and a fork, which he used to get everyone’s attention by banging them together.\n\n“My fellow Musketeers, I have happy, but also sad news. Director Schaeffer just called me because he wanted to inform us about the outcome of the charity concert and a change in plans because of the economic situation. First, the good news. The final amount was 81.582 Dollars, which is an excellent result. And now the sad news. The Festival of the Arts in December is canceled. Stark College, like many other schools, faces serious financial problems, and because of that, the festival got the boot from the school council.”\nA loud moaning came from all of us. We couldn’t believe that. Nikki spoke up in anger:\n“But we all worked so hard for this Mamma Mia play. Was that all for nothing? This was supposed to be our last big play for a while.”\n \nMy girl wanted to say more, but Raphael cut her off.\n“Nikki, please. I know that this is terrible news for us. But it is what it is, we can’t change that. Our training was certainly not in vain. each one of us improved during the rehearsals, and that is worth a lot. Director Schaeffer told me that we were chosen to bring the check to the hospital. He also asked if we could sing a bit for the cubs. I thought of some songs from the Mamma Mia play, to cheer the kids up. That way we can at least present a part of what we wanted to show in December. Heads up, everyone. Try to see it that way: We will get our long-needed rest, and a chance to concentrate more on our school. I am deeply sorry, my friends.”\n\nNone of us wanted to say anything. We were all looking forward to performing this play, and now it was never going to happen. Mom caressed my back gently, after I crossed my arms on the table and put my head to rest on top of them. She then said:\n“Don't be too disappointed, Balto. You need the time to study and rest. Times will get better again. Never forget one thing. Where there is darkness, there is always light.”\n\nI knew she was right, and the others agreed to her as well. But still, we were all sad. This news killed everyone’s mood. An hour later, after the bill was paid, we went home. It was decided to make a little movie night at the Kofis’ house with Grease and West Side Story. \nMom, Nikki, and I already wanted to go home after those movies, as Mrs. Kofi found a few recordings from our plays and karaoke sessions. What wonderful memories. It started with Nikki’s performance in Dance of the Vampires, then the karaoke nights in New York, and most important, our play in the Minskoff Theater. We have achieved so much during the last few months. While we watched the final video, Nikki cuddled herself close to me. I placed my arm around my girl, holding her tight, while our smiling parents watched us. \nI could hear Mrs. Kofi speaking silently to my mom and her husband:\n“I think we did a good job with our kids.”\n\nI could only smile at them. And Nikki? She had her eyes closed and purred, as I gently stroked her side. \nIt wasn’t planned, but since it was getting late, and we all were tired, mom, Nikki and I stayed at the Kofis house. Well, it was mostly because Nikki fell asleep in my arms, and we couldn’t wake her up. Mr. Kofi carefully carried his daughter up the stairs to her room before we went to bed. It was a silent night. A peaceful one.\n\n\nOk, what else could I tell you about? Oh, yes. A few days ahead of Christmas, I was sitting in my room, working on my journal. Outside, it was snowing like crazy. This year, we visited Nikki's paternal grandparents. I hoped that they would like me. Nikki said she told them about us, and that they were eager to meet me. Luckily, my mom also came with us to their place. I knew I could really use her help, since I am terrible at meeting new people. \nWhile I was sitting there, sunken in my thoughts, I read back over my memories.\nIt started on this faithful night I confessed my love to Nikki. Then how we told our mothers about our newly discovered feelings for each other. The next was the talk with Nikki’s father. I remember that evening as if it were yesterday. Especially how angry Mr. Kofi was at first. I think without Mrs. Kofi’s help, Nikki and I would have been so screwed that day. I cannot believe it's been over 2.5 years already. Such a long time. And so much has happened during these years. Let me think. The first girl who touched me sexually was a cute bunny named Erin. This crazy girl took my virginity. Shortly after that, I had my first time with Nikki. That was in the middle of May 2020. In June 2020, Nikki was accepted at Stark College. In September 2020, I got my Iron Wolf Armor from Nikki’s parents. And in October, Nikki and I drove to our first Comic Con. \nAt the same time, our relationship, which was basically illegal to that point, became legalized, after the Association for the Rights of Anthropomorphs managed to get a motion through Parliament that slightly adjusted child protection laws for us Anthros.\nThen came Nikki’s first time on stage. She played Sarah in the Stark College’s version of Dance of the Vampires. What followed was a camping trip with Mikey, and our first journey to the Big Apple. What a remarkable journey. Our second trip to New York followed soon after, and last July, we visited Hazel, Johana, and their family. \nWe did so many great things during the past years. I cannot wait what the future will bring.\n\nOh, now I know what else to tell you about, before me move on to the final part. Mom and Nikki’s parents had another talk about the journey to Europe. It was the day before Christmas, as Mr. and Mrs. Kofi came over for a visit. We all sat down on the couch, after mom made some coffee and cocoa. Mr. Kofi took a sip from his cup, before he began to talk:\n\n“Well, Christa. Have you decided yet, if you and Balto will join us on our trip to Austria?”\nMom wanted to deny the offer to go with them. She shook her head and replied:\n“Idrissa, it is a generous offer, but it is too expensive for us.”\nNikki’s father took another sip.\n“Christa, we invited you and Balto.”\nMom looked at me before she sighed.\n“I don’t know. Idrissa, I already owe you so much for the repairs at the house and everything. I cannot accept you paying for a journey like that.”\nNow Nikki’s mom spoke up:\n“Christa, come on. You owe us nothing. Join us on the trip, it won’t be the same without you two.”\nMommy was really struggling with her decision.\n“It is too much.”\nShe turned her head to Nikki and me.\n“Nicole, can you please go with Balto to his room? Watch a movie or something, you two don’t need to hear this.”\nNikki stood up and took my hand to help me up, but I refused to leave. Instead, I begged: \n“But I want to stay. And please, mom. I read so much about Austria already. I want to see it. Please.”\nMom’s tone became more serious:\n“Balto, go to your room. I need to talk to Idrissa and Asha, and this is none of your business.”\n\nNikki dragged me off the sofa, and we went to my room. She turned on my laptop, started a movie we could watch, but I was more interested in the ongoing conversation in our living room. I was leaning on the closed door and tried to listen. The voice I heard first was that of Nikki's father.\n“Christa, how long do you think you can hide the fact that you could never afford to maintain this house yourself? Your son isn’t stupid. Besides that, supporting you is something we love to do. You two are part of our family, and so it is self-evident, that we support you. And we want you to come with us to Austria. Besides that, why do you want to deny him this chance to and explore new places?”\nMom’s voice became louder:\n“Idrissa, I want to avoid spoiling Balto too much. And if he finds out that we can only live here because you two are paying for everything here, what would he think of me?”\nMr. Kofi answered calmly:\n“He would understand it. He would understand that family means supporting each other no matter what. To be honest, I explained this whole situation to him some time ago. He knows everything, and nothing has changed. He loves his mother, and nothing will ever change that. Now give yourself a push and join us on the trip to Austria.”\n\nMom went silent, and I heard Mrs. Kofi:\n“Christa, come on. We will have so much fun over there. And you know how eager your son is if it comes to learning about new things. I also think it would hurt Balto very much to be separated from Nicole for two whole weeks.”\nMom didn’t sound happy, as she finally answered:\n“Asha, I know how hurtful that can be, especially for a wolf, to be parted from his love. Ok, you convinced me. We will join you.”\nMrs. Kofi’s voice became higher, and sounded very joyful:\n“Fantastic! To be honest, we already booked the flights for you and Balto. We just knew you would agree. Should we tell the good news to our kids?”\nMommy answered:\n“Not necessary. I know my son. He listened to every word we said. Balto, come back here.”\nEnthusiastically, I opened the door of my room and moved with quick steps to the living room. Nikki followed slowly. As we reached the room, mom asked us to sit down.\n“Balto, I know you listened through the closed door. I told you a thousand times that it isn’t nice to listen to conversations that aren’t meant for you to hear. Well, as you already know, we will go to Austria next summer. But only if you continue to perform well at school.”\nShe paused for a moment, before she continued.\n“Balto, I just learned that you know about our financial situation. I am sorry that I haven’t told you about it.”\nI didn’t respond. Instead, I gave her a tight hug. My mom is the best in the whole world. Nothing can and will ever change my mind on this.\nSo, watch out, Austria. We are coming.\n \nFinal Part: Nikki’s Grandparents\n\n\nBefore I close this entry, I want to tell you about our visit to Nikki’s paternal grandparents on the second day of Christmas. \nThey live a bit out of town, and their house is even bigger than the one the Kofis are living in. But it also has many similarities to their home. I guess Mr. Kofi senior used almost the same plans when they built their second house.\nThe main differences are the big cellar underneath the house, and their garden is bigger. But maybe we should start at the beginning.\n\nMr. and Mrs. Kofi, Nikki, Mom, and I met early in the morning in front of the Kofis’ house. Once more, we used their big Pick-Up truck for the trip. Besides its hunger for fuel, it is really a fantastic car. Sadly, Mr. Kofi wants to sell it next year to buy a newer one, which will be a bit smaller, as he has told me. It will also need less gas, which is a good thing. Damn, I can’t wait to start with the training for my driver’s license. But I must wait until my birthday next year, before I can get my learner’s permit. Well, this will be a theme for an entry in a few months.\n\nWe arrived at Kofi Manor, and no, I am not joking, that is really standing in big letters on the front gate, about an hour after we left our home. Nikki's father honked the horn after he parked the car. The front door opened, and two persons came out. They looked a bit elderly, but still very agile and fresh. They both waved to greet us. Mr. Kofi was the first who stepped out of the car to give his parents a hug, followed by his wife and Nikki. Mom left the car. I was the last one sitting. My mother signed me to get out of the car. Slowly I followed her command. I was so nervous. After I finally found the courage to get out of the car, I could hear Mr. Kofi senior greeting Mrs. Kofi, before turning to Nikki.\n“Nicole, it is such a pleasure to see you again, my little protea.” \nHe then looked at his son:\n“Idrissa, she becomes more beautiful every time I see her. Are you sure you are her father?”\nMr. Kofi hid his face and shook his head. I could hear him mumbling:\n“Dad, please.”\nMr. Kofi senior chuckled, as he gave Nikki a tight hug and a kiss on her cheek. He then made a step towards mom and me.\n“Christa Star. You haven’t changed a bit. Your fur is still white as snow. It is a pleasure to see you again. It has been far too long since we last saw each other.”\nMom smiled, as the two shook hands. Then it was my turn. Shy as I am, I tried to hide behind my mother, what made Mr. Kofi senior laugh.\n“And who do we have here? No need to hide, son. I don’t bite. And after all what I have heard about you and my granddaughter, I am sure can give me your hand like a man.”\nShyly, I took Mr. Kofi Senior’s hand, and introduced myself with a slightly trembling voice: \n“I am B-B--Balto, S---ir.”\nNext, I felt his strong hand on my shoulder.\n“No need to call me Sir, little wolf. An Anthro should never call anyone Sir. Well, at least as long as you aren’t stupid enough to join the army, like Idrissa there did.” \nHe eyed me, even lifted me up a bit, then he turned his head to my mom:\n“Christa, what are you feeding him? Your son needs some meat on his bones. Otherwise, Nicole will wear him out quickly.”\nThis was such an embarrassing situation for me, but since I wanted him to like me, I didn’t say anything, since I wanted him to like me. Nikki never told me much about her grandparents. And even if it sounds strange, I never met them before.\n \nLuckily, Mr. Kofi came over to us, after he had watched the scene for a while.\n“Dad, please. Take it easy. Balto is a little shy with people he doesn’t know. I fear you frighten him.”\nThe older cheetah looked at me.\n“I am sorry, little wolf, but there really is no need to be shy. By the way, since you are a member of our family, you can call me Michael.”\nHe pointed at his wife.\n“And this is my wife, Sophie. Welcome to our house, Balto. Feel yourself at home.”\n\nI made a few steps to greet Nikki’s grandmother, who then asked us to go inside. \nAfter entering the house, I could smell something wonderful. I can barely describe this heavenly scent. It was like Nikki’s Grandma killed and cooked an angel. The smell was so tempting that it was hard for me to stay focused. \n\nAfter we took off our paw protectors, which we were wearing because of the snow, Mr. Kofi senior showed me most of the house. The little sightseeing tour included the big garden, in which they have a few big trees, and the cellar.\nDown there I could see a few expensive looking wine bottles, and in a corner room, I could see something like a table with buildings on it. Unfortunately, it was too dark in there. My first thought was a tabletop-game. But before I could ask, we had to go back upstairs. Don’t worry, I will come back to this a bit later. We rejoined the others in the big living room. By big, I mean that you could easily play soccer in there. The first thing I noticed in this room were two sofas. One in the middle, in front of a large television, and another at the back, in an area that looked like a small library. A few framed documents hung on the walls, along with some masks, which I supposed had an African origin. \nIn the library, I saw several heavy books. There were works from Charles Darwin, Gregor Mendel, Jean-Baptiste de Lamarck, and other biologists. I also found scientific and historical books, even some on law and legislation. And then I noticed that they had every single book which was ever written by Dr. Lucius Allister. \nA truly impressive library. The other end of the room is dominated by a round, wooden dinner table, which was already decorated with roast potatoes, vegetables, apples, some Christmas stuff, and a large free space in the middle of all of it. That was for the thing that Mr. Kofi and his mother brought into the room the next moment. It was the best-looking turkey I had ever seen. The bird was placed in the middle of the table, before Mr. Kofi senior asked us to sit down. Mom and Nikki were sitting on my left and right side, what gave me a bit of a safe feeling. I was still nervous like a fresh born cub. \nMr. Kofi senior then stood up again, to give a little speech:\n“I want to thank you all for coming to celebrate Christmas with us. This year, we have the pleasure of welcoming two more friends to our table. Christa, we have known you since your marriage with Sebastian. I am especially happy that we are finally allowed to meet your son, from whom we already heard so many good things. As I mentioned before, my wife and I know about his relationship with our granddaughter. At this point, I would like to clarify one thing. If you two are truly serious about it, we will always stand behind you two. We are all family. Now, before we all enjoy this wonderful meal, I would like each of us to share something that we are grateful for. I will begin.\nI am grateful for my family, my son, his wonderful wife, my granddaughter, and our dear friends. I am also thankful that we are all healthy and that we can live in peace and freedom. Sophie, would you go next?”\n \nThe voice of Mr. Kofi’s mother sounded so beautiful. Like that of a singer in the opera. So clear, so powerful, but still soft and gentle. \n“I am grateful that we are all here together, that we are all healthy. I am grateful that the past year wasn’t as bad for us as it was for so many others. I am also thankful that we can sit here around this table as one big family. Seeing how happy Balto and Nicole seem to be together warms my hearth. And finally, I am happy about Michael and I being able to travel to Africa next year. I can't wait to add a few more pieces to my collection. Asha, what about you?”\n\nMrs. Kofi stood up, looked at each of us and said:\n“Above all, I am grateful for our wonderful daughter and everything she has achieved in the past year. She and her friends worked hard, and it paid off. I am so happy that she can follow her dreams. Also, I am happy how Balto and Nicole managed to deepen their relationship over the past year. I am so proud of you two. Idrissa?”\nMr. Kofi stood up for his turn.\n“Well, Asha has basically already said it all. Balto, Nicole, we are proud of both of you. You proved, repeatedly, that your love for each other is true. I have the feeling that you two can handle every challenge life will probably have in stock for you in the future. Be assured, you can always count on our help and support. I am thankful for having such a wonderful daughter, such good friends, and for my future son-in-law. Nicole, your turn.” \n\nNikki also stood up, after her father has sat back down. She cleared her throat, and spoke:\n“I am mostly thankful for my wolf, and for the progress we both made during the year. We had concerts and plays, found many friends, and made people happy. I can’t be more thankful for having a wonderful boyfriend, and such a supportive family. Thank you all so much, and Balto, I love you more than even you can imagine. And now, it’s your turn.”\nMy heart was beating fast, my hands were shaking, and I had my tail between my legs when I stood up. In a stuttering voice, I tried to form a clear sentence.\n“I ... I'm grateful that Nikki still wants me as her boyfriend. I'm grateful that her parents and my mom have been so supportive of us in the years we've been a couple. I'm thankful for all the time we've spent together, for our karaoke sessions and for every song we've sung together. Nikki was the one who helped me overcome my fears and showed me how cool singing and acting is. And I am grateful that you invited my mom and me to your wonderful house. Thank you so much. Mom?”\nMom stood up to give me a hug. Then I sat down, and she began to speak:\n“I am grateful for my son, his girlfriend, my friends, and my family. We have experienced so much this year. We have been to New York City, our children have performed in a Broadway theater and at a concert in front of thousands of people. I am happy to see them both doing so well in school. You two remind me so often of my beloved Sebastian and me. Balto, you truly have your father's kindness, his strength, and his deep concern for those he loved. I am proud of you. And I know your father is too. I also want to thank Idrissa's parents for inviting us here to share this meal with us. I can't thank you enough for everything you have done for me and my son.”\nMom finished, sat down, and Mr. Kofi senior spoke up again:\n“I thank you all again for being here. Wealth is worth nothing, if you can’t share it with those you love. Christa, Balto, once more, I welcome you to our family. Sophie, this turkey looks wonderful. There is just one more thing I want to say, before we eat. Christa, Idrissa told me about your financial situation. I want to offer you a job in my housing association as a real estate manager. You are currently working at City Hall, and from what I have heard from Idrissa, you are perfect for the job. You would be responsible for the Lamarck district, so you could partly work from home. Your payment would be enough for a good living. And of course, there is a good insurance included for you, and for Balto. I don’t need your answer now, think about it. For now, let us enjoy this meal together. Mangiare, amici miei” \n\nMom remained silent for the rest of the dinner. By her looks, I can tell that she was thinking hard about this offer. A new job, which would end the struggles she had with Nikki’s parents always paying our bills. Not to forget the insurance. I hoped that mom would accept the offer. But back to the dinner for now. This meal will definitely go down in history as the best Christmas dinner I have ever had. The turkey was so delicious. Nikki and I got the legs. This would have been more than enough for me, especially since I also had potatoes and vegetables. But as Mr. Kofi’s father saw that I was done with my meat, he spoke to me:\n“Balto, want some more meat? Eat, boy. You are still growing. You need to eat.”\nHe then cut off a big piece of meat, which he gave to me. I ate as much as I could, but soon I was stuffed like this bird on the table.\nAs Mom saw that I still had something on my plate, she quickly helped me eat up.\nAfter the dinner, as soon as we were able to move again, Nikki grabbed something out of the remains of the turkey and happily yelled:\n“See Balto, the wishbone. Come, the one of us who holds the bigger piece after pulling on it is allowed to make a wish.”\nWe pulled, and I got the bigger part. But I simply couldn’t image what I should have wished for. So, I wanted to give the piece to Nikki.\n“I don’t know what I should wish for. I have everything.”\nNikki smiled.\n“You can’t give it to me. It doesn’t work that way. Close your eyes. And think of the one thing you want the most to happen. But you aren’t allowed to tell anyone.”\n\nWhat should I say. My wish already came true.\nAfter a while, Mr. Kofi's father stood up to clean the table. We all helped him, while his wife Sophie turned on some music from Andrea Bocelli. Christmas songs, to be exact. I love this man’s voice. It then was my mother who, after we were done with the dishes, suggested that Nikki and I should sing.\nSinging with a full belly can be a bad idea. So, Nikki chose for a simple song. It was the classical ‘Silent Night’, a song that was composed in 1818 in Austria. Thank God, we didn’t have to sing every verse. I can’t speak for the others, but I only wanted to sleep after the meal we just had.\n\nAfter we were allowed to sit back down, Mr. Kofi’s mother came to us with two packages. One was for Nikki. The other one, to my surprise, was for me. I turned and squished it a bit, while Nikki began to carefully open hers. I also began to remove the paper, after I heard Mr. Kofi senior’s voice.\n“I hope you two will like them. Balto, we ordered yours in a slightly bigger size, so you can wear it longer, as you are still growing.”\n\nNikki was done first with unwrapping her gift and was soon holding up a black leather jacket. She caressed over one of the sleeves with her eyes becoming big. \n“This leather is so smooth. Balto, you must feel this. This is so cool. Thanks, Grandpa and Grandma.”\nSoon later, I held my jacket in my hands after I carefully removed the wrapping paper. Nikki was right. The leather was smooth, but strong. The jacket is also pretty heavy. Mom came over to me, and she was also amazed by the material when she said:\n“This must have cost a fortune. I don’t know if we can really accept this.”\nThe old cheetah just smiled and shook his head.\n“Of course, you can, Christa. It is a gift.”\nQuickly, I put on my new jacket before I ran out of the room searching for a mirror. But I could still hear the voice of Mr. Kofi’s mother:\n“It seems he likes his new jacket.”\nThis jacket sure is great. I turned a few times in front of the mirror in the anteroom. Mr. Kofi senior was right, it is a bit big, but that isn’t such a problem. \nAfter a few minutes, I rejoined the others.\n“Thank you, Mr., and Mrs. Kofi. This jacket is so cool. I can't wait to show it off to my friends.”\nMom nodded, but also had an objection: \n“Sweetie, you better don’t wear it to school. You can wear it at any other place, but not there. I don’t want to risk it gets damaged or stolen. This thing probably costs more than my entire wardrobe. I want you to promise me, that you will be careful with it.”\n\nMr. Kofi’s father chuckled.\n“It is a jacket, Christa. It is meant to be worn. But you are right, at least in the winter, he should wear something a bit warmer. And Balto, you are welcome. Those jackets really suit both of you.”\n\nHm, oh, I almost forgot. After I gave the jacket to mom, since I didn’t want to make it dirty, Mr. Kofi senior asked me to follow him down to the cellar again. There we went to this dark room with the big table. The older feline switched on the lights, and I could finally see what was in there. It was a large model-railroad with 6 tracks, many buildings, a big train station. In the back was a mountain made out of styrofoam. This whole thing is so big that it is possible to go underneath it, and through two trap doors, you can be right in the middle of it. This would be a fantastic playground for a tabletop-game. Nikki’s grandfather left for a moment, and as he came back, he held some small, squared mirrors and some glue in his hands.\n“Balto, I asked you down here because I can use your help. I want these mirrors here back there on the wall behind the mountain. You would need to climb on the plate for that. Just be careful, putting all that together was a lot of work. I will give you the mirrors after I put glue on them. Don’t touch the glue, it is strong.”\nI didn’t answer him, I just climbed enthusiastically on the plate, waiting for the first mirror. The cheetah laughed.\n“I will take that as a yes. Good boy. That is how I like it.”\n\nIt took us some time, until the last mirror was in place. Now I was allowed to switch on the power. As the countless lights turned on, I didn’t know where to look first. The cheetah allowed me to play a bit with the trains, until Nikki joined us. \n\n“Grandpa, Grandma is looking for you. What are you two doing down here?”\nMy girl looked at the railroad, and our latest work.\n“Oh, are you working on that old thing again? Looks good.”\n\nHer grandfather smiled.\n“Your boy here helped me with something I couldn’t do without him. Balto, good job. Now let us go back upstairs, before the women get mad. Believe me, you don’t want to see those ladies in a bad mood.”\nMy answer to this made the older cheetah chuckle:\n“If Nikki is mad, I give her a paw massage. That always makes her happy.”\nHe touched my shoulder, squeezing it a bit.\n“Good boy. Always make your girl happy, and she will take good care of you. You know what I mean.”\nWe both laughed, while Nikki rolled her eyes and sighed.\n“Boys.”\n\nAfter switching off the power, we walked back upstairs, where we talked a bit more. Two hours later, it was time for us to drive back home. Before I stepped into the car, Mr. Kofi senior put me aside, away from the others. His tone suddenly wasn’t as friendly as it was before. He sounded cold. A bit like one of these mean Billionaire in a cheap movie.\n“Balto, before you leave, let us have a talk. For what I have seen today, you seem to be a good, and honest young man. Nicole loves you, Idrissa, and Asha like you. But I am not sure if you are the right partner for my precious protea Nicole. Because of that, here is a check over ten thousand dollars. All you have to do for it is to leave her alone.” \n\nHe wrote that check and waved it in front of my face. \nMy reaction, well, I was disgusted. I already thought he would be a nice man, and now this. I looked him in the eyes, shook my head, then turned around, ready to leave this place, as I felt his hand on my shoulder again. I growled at him, bared my teeth, but that only amused the man. He spoke to me once more, but this time, it was the warm, friendly voice again, which I knew from before. I was a bit confused, to say the least.\n\n“Balto, wait. Your reaction to my offer was exactly what I wanted to see. You passed my final test. No one would decline such an offer, if he would be only after money.”\nHe handed me a business card from his wallet with his phone number and e-mail address on it. \n“Call or write me in case you should need something. Young man, Nicole made the right choice with you.”\nStill confused, I looked at him.\n“Tell me, why did you do that? I love Nikki. She is all I want. I don’t want your money. Also, why do you always call Nikki a protea?”\nThe old cheetah nodded.\n“As I said, it was a test. If you are blessed with wealth, you must be careful who you allow joining your family’s inner circle. More important, Nicole is my only granddaughter, and my greatest treasure. I will do everything to protect her from any possible harm, including false lovers. And why I call her my little protea is simple. My favorite flower is the king protea, the African queen of the flowers. As you might know, Sophia and I were born in Africa. You should never forget your roots, Balto, even if they aren’t so pretty sometimes. And now, it is time for you to go. Your girl is waiting for you. A gentleman never lets a girl wait.”\n\nOn my way to the car, I looked at the business card. It also has a protea on it. I sat down in the car’s back seat, between mom and Nikki. We were already on the street, as they saw the card. My mother asked, while I was staring at this little piece of paper:\n\n“Why did he want to speak with you alone, Balto? Is everything ok?”\nI nodded in silence. But mom felt that something wasn’t right.\n“What is it, son? Spit it out.”\nI almost whispered my answer:\n“He wanted to give me money, if I leave Nikki for it.”\nNikki became furious, as she heard that. Mom didn’t even have the chance to say anything before Nikki shouted in a growling tone:\n“What? Who does he think he is? Dad, turn around, I need to speak a few words with grandpa!”\nI tried to calm her down.\n“Nikki, it’s ok. I declined, then he said that it was only a test. That he only wants to protect you from false lovers or other harm. It is ok. I only wonder, am I the first boy he tested?”\nNikki nodded.\n“Well, you are the first boyfriend I ever presented to him.”\nShe took me into her arms, pressing me against her, while my mother watched us. She was surprisingly quiet in this situation. Maybe she knew that everything was fine and wanted to keep it that way. Nikki’s father, who heard everything, added a few more words: \n“Balto, he did the same with Asha, as I introduced her to him. Not that I ever had any doubts, but I am glad you made the right choice, son.”\nI couldn’t hide my smile.\nHalfway home, Mom pulled out her cell phone. \n“Idrissa, can you please give me your father’s phone number? I would like to send him a note about this job he offered to me.”\nMr. Kofi looked into the rearview mirror. \n“Will you accept it, Christa? It is a good job, and secure, too.” \nMom smiled, as I gave her the business card with the phone number on it. \n“Yes, I will. This is a big chance, and I will finally have some financial freedom. Besides that, I won’t have to drive into the city anymore. It would be stupid to say no. The only thing is, that I barely know what my new job will be like.” \nMr. Kofi was clearly satisfied with my mother’s decision. \n“You won’t regret it. And don’t worry, my father and his staff will show you everything in the first few months. You will do great.”\n \nAnd with that, our friends, there is only one more thing to say. We wish you all a happy new year. \n \nAnd please, stay safe. \n\nNikki and Balto \n", "writing_bbcode_parsed": "29. Charity and Friendship

Hey there, folks! I hope you are all feeling well. Christmas is over. Nikki, her parents, my mother, and I are now looking forward to a nice spa visit over New Year's Eve, just like we did last year. It is time for the final entry of the year. This one will be a bit longer than the last, so let us begin. We will start at the end of October. Halloween, to be precise.
  
Part 1: Halloween


For the first time, we decided to host a Halloween party at our home. My mom allowed us to decorate the house and our garden. With the help of our theater group, we prepared the garden like a spooky forest—the kind you would find witches and other evil creatures in. We even had a cauldron, under which we placed a fake fire. We also had a fog machine, which turned our garden into a really spooky place. Raphael said they found that thing inside the storage room at school. According to him, they had bought that thing for a performance of Macbeth. Besides the Musketeers, we invited Trish, Antu, and Mikey. The last two were dropped off by their fathers, and after speaking briefly with my mother, they walked over to Kofi's house, leaving Nikki and me in charge of our house. Perhaps our parents had planned to have their own little party.
We also invited Anna, but she couldn’t come. The reason was, according to Angelike, that the fox had found a new girlfriend in Buffalo, where she spent most of her time during the last few weeks.
 
The motto of our party was “The Witcher”, after those video games and the TV series. Nikki was wearing a tight black dress with a deep cutout. This outfit alone was worth almost every imaginable sin. Antu had his whole fur colored black, like he would be the kitty of an evil witch. Mikey was dressed as a sorcerer. Intentionally or not, he and Antu fit perfectly together. Trish, Angelike, and Svetlana wore medieval clothes. I guess they bought their outfits at the medieval fair, which we had in town during the summer. Joseph had an intimidating plague doctor’s outfit. Miguel, Jonathan, and Thomas came as town guards, and Gabriel was a blacksmith. The best-looking costume was Raphael's Geralt cosplay. And I was also dressed as a witch hunter.

Gabriel brought his grill with him, with which he made sausages and burgers for us. So delicious. The smell even attracted our parents. After dinner, as it was already getting dark, we all went trick-or-treating. We split up into two groups for that, since there were so many of us. There was so much candy after the walk. Antu and Mikey got the most of it. My bag must be around here somewhere. I haven't eaten much of the candy yet. Firstly, because my mother doesn't allow me to eat too many sweets at once, and secondly because I hardly ever eat sweets.

After we came back from our candy tour, we turned on the music and danced around the cauldron like we would want to summon something evil from the deepest depths of hell. But the only demon we summoned was this angry lady three houses away, who suddenly came over to complain about the music. Antu's joke that our spell to summon the devil really worked didn’t do much to de-escalate the situation.
Well, to be honest, it made us all laugh, but it angered this lady even more and made her walk away mumbling about what terrible and disrespectful people we would be.
  
The party was almost over at that point anyway, so it didn’t mean much. Mikey and Antu left with their fathers, and the Musketeers left all together to visit a club in town.  
Only Angelike didn't go, since she isn’t much into clubbing. The Bengal didn't want to be alone at home, so she asked if she could stay with us overnight. A wish Nikki and I happily granted our friend.

Mom called me at about 11 p.m. to tell me she would stay next door and that we should tidy up the garden before we went to bed.
The evening went on. Around midnight, we were sitting on our couch watching a few music videos on Pawtube when Angelike suddenly called out:
“No way!”
 
Nikki and I startled, then we turned our heads towards our feline friend, and my girl asked:
“What is it? Did someone die? Are the Rolling Stones ending their careers for real?”
Angelike showed us the screen of her phone with a big grin on her face.
I swallowed when I saw the screen. It was my old Livefurs account. I was certain that they had deleted this account by now due to inactivity. There are only a few videos and photos on that site. Most of them show just me in different poses. But there is also this one video with Nikki. And that's exactly what Angelike had to find when she searched for wolf-cheetah teen porn (she explained that to us after we asked how she found the website). Nikki asked, still a little shocked:
“Since when are you searching for stuff like that?”
The Bengal grinned as she replied:
“Silly goose. I began to look for that right after our threesome at Trish's place. Believe me, I never felt so satisfied and relaxed. Balto’s knot—oh, I still get wet just thinking of it. I found this site a few minutes ago. It has some nice stuff on it. This video here, where you are riding on his cock, I love it! And these comments are hilarious. I can believe that many boys would have loved to have a babysitter like you, Nikki. Hell, I know I would have loved to have a babysitter like you. All I got was my fat, nerdy brother. You know, I also made photos for such a site once, but they were never that popular. I wonder if, perhaps, we could make some photos together, too. I mean, we already shared a bed; it wouldn’t be that awkward.”
I couldn’t resist giving Nikki a naughty look, to which she responded by taking a deep breath.
“I should punish both of you. On the other hand, I like making such photos. Tell us, Angel, how would you like to do it?”
Angelike placed her hand on her chin. She thought about it for a moment before she stood up from the couch and looked at Nikki and me.
“Balto, do you maybe have a chain, a collar, and some cuffs here?”
After a brief moment of thinking, I answered her:
“Yes, I have stuff like that in my room. I will go get it.”
Quickly, I ran to my room to get the stuff. As I came back, I heard how Angelike explained her idea to Nikki:
“I think it would be cool if you kneel naked while your hands are tied with rope. Balto is next to you, holding up a chain. Like he has just captured you during a dark ritual. And I will be in the back, on the ground, posing as your sacrifice for the dark lords. I think that would look great.”
Nikki seemed not to be so sure about the whole thing anymore, maybe because Angelike wanted to do all this outside. She asked our excited friend:
“Angel, are you sure you want that? My biggest concern is that our friends could see this photo. What would the group say to that?”
Angelike laughed.
“Seriously, Nikki? Raphael is with Svetlana, Jonathan is with Miguel, and you are with Balto. I don’t know about the others, but why should they say anything? We are grown-ups, and we all like sex.”
The Bengal's eyes grew wide as she begged:
“Nikki, please.”

The Bengal touched Nikki's knee and looked deep into her purple eyes. My cheetah could no longer resist.
“Ok, but only because I also like the idea. Let us go into the garden and prepare everything for the scene.”
While the girls walked towards the door, the cheetah turned her head back to me and asked:
“Doggy, do we have a better camera? I fear our mobiles are not good enough for this.”
I remembered my mother’s good camera. I pointed in the direction of the bedrooms as I replied:
“Mom has one in her room. I will go get it.”
After I got the camera, I rejoined the girls in the garden. Angelike was already naked, and Nikki prepared her “victim” for the sacrifice by tying her arms with ropes.  
Then I watched how Nikki directed Angel to a large upside-down pentagram in front of the cauldron, which we had previously placed there as part of the party decorations. After our friend was in the right place, Nikki took off most of her clothes, too.
At the end, she was only wearing stockings, cuffs on her wrists, and a thick, black collar with a metal chain attached to it. It is a good thing our garden is quite safe from prying eyes.
After Nikki was ready, she set up the camera. That took her some time, which gave me the chance to take another look at Angelike. Seeing this beautiful feline there, naked, and defenseless, excited me. The girl seemed to share these feelings. She smiled at me, spreading her legs to show me that heavenly spot between her legs. Angelike even lifted her cute butt a bit, as if she wanted me to take her right there.

But unfortunately, we didn't have time for that. Nikki came over to us after she was done with the camera. My gaze was still fixed on the naked girl on the ground, my mind on something very specific, when the sudden touch of Nikki's hand on my shoulder brought me back to reality with a jolt. Nikki seemed amused by my reaction and said:
“Before you two start fucking out here, the camera is set. Balto, you need to tie my hands together now. Do it the way I taught you.”

Since our first bondage session, Nikki has shown me several times how to tie her hands properly. Nevertheless, I had serious problems with this, as I found it difficult to concentrate for two specific reasons.
I mean, think about it. There were two beautiful women, both naked and with their hands tied. Angelike was lying on the grass, and Nikki knelt right in front of me. After I was finally done with the ropes, I took the chain on Nikki's collar into my hand. We were set for the photo. Just in time, as it got a little chilly, even for me. I can’t imagine how the girls felt while wearing nothing but their thin fur.

We took a few shots with slightly different poses to make sure we got at least one good picture. After we were done, I untied my girl and removed the collar from her neck. Now, Nikki wanted a few more photos with Angelike. She explained that she wants to send some of them to her modeling agency to get Angelike a job.
The hottest one was as she forced her victim to spread her legs widely, presenting the feline’s temple of lust to the viewer, who was me at that moment. I doubt that Nikki has sent that one to the agency.

It was late at night when we took the last photos. The wind increased in strength, so we quickly packed the stuff together to get inside. The girls, due to their nakedness, went ahead, while I switched off the lights and carried the extension cables into the garage. On the way inside, I glanced over at the Kofis' house. There I saw a light in one of the windows on the upper floor, and someone was standing there. I cannot say for sure, but I think this person may have watched us. For how long, I don’t know. I shook my head, then entered our house through the door of our laundry room. I locked it with the armored bolt, and then I did the same with the door that leads from the garage into our kitchen. Mom once told me that my father installed those extra-secure logs on the doors. Our windows have burglar-resistant glass, so they are also quite safe. At least as long as no one forgets to lock them. After I entered the kitchen, I quickly took the memory card out of the camera. It is not necessary for the mother to see these photos. While I walked past the bathroom to put the camera back in its place in Mom's bedroom, I heard the girls giggling in the shower. A hard decision had to be made: Should I join them now or first bring the camera back? Well, I decided to first put the camera away. If that thing gets damaged, Mom will be seriously mad.
Nikki's parents gifted it to her, and it is an expensive model. After I put it safely back in its place, I quickly moved back to the bathroom. The giggling had turned into a lustful moaning. Slowly, I entered the bathroom, just to see Angelike, with her hands still tied up, kneeling in front of Nikki. She licked my girl's vagina with such passion that you would have thought she was trying to prove something. Nikki had her eyes closed while her hands held her play partner's head in position. It was such a hot scene to watch.
The girls were so deep in their amorous play that they didn’t even notice me standing there. Thankfully, not all my brain was in horny mode yet, so I was able to take a few photos of them with my mobile before I also took off my outfit. Shortly later, I joined the girls in the shower, positioning myself right behind the kneeling Angelike. I cleared my throat to make myself noticeable. Both girls now looked at me. While Angelike almost immediately began to lick and suck my growing member, Nikki just crossed her arms, shook her head, and said in a stern tone:
“Doggy, no.”
She then grabbed Angelike by the neck and pulled her backward. My member slipped out of the surprised feline’s muzzle. Nikki almost hissed at Angel.
“Angel, you weren’t done here.”
The cheetah pressed her fellow feline back between her legs again and purred when she felt that greedy tongue deep inside her honeypot.

Nikki selfishness was a bit annoying at first, but after a few moments of watching the girls, I decided to enjoy the show and take care of my aroused member myself. I leaned back against the wall of our shower cabin, wanking my cock with my right hand as I watched Nikki enjoy our friend's seemingly talented tongue. The show took around ten pleasureful minutes until my cheetah screamed out her lust as a powerful orgasm overwhelmed her body. But Angelike didn’t stop. She continued licking after the tasty juices coming from Nikki's pussy, like it was some kind of drug for her.
Nikki, by her side, couldn’t do much more than moan and scream out her lust. Her second climax overwhelmed the cheetah’s body only minutes later. My girl was panting hard. Her long legs were shaking. She slowly sank to the ground in front of the Bengal. Nikki’s entire body twitched. It was such an arousing scene to watch. Angelike, whose muzzle was smeared with pussy juice, then turned her head towards me. She grinned as she asked:
“Balto, can you untie my hands, please? I need to pee.”

After I untied Angelike's hands, the girl quickly moved over to the toilet to relieve herself. Meanwhile, I helped Nikki back up, and I also helped her a bit to get clean.
I was standing with my back against the glass wall of our shower cubicle when our guest rejoined us. Nikki smiled while she looked at the slightly shivering girl. Before Angel came back under the warm water, Nikki spoke silently:
“Come back under the water, sweetie, before you freeze.”
Then Nikki grabbed my still stiff member, which made me gasp. With a mischievous grin at Angel, she said:
“What do you think? Should we give our doggy a little relief, too?”
Both girls now grinned at each other. They knelt in front of me. Seconds later, they let their tongues explore the full length of my cock. The feeling was incredible. No words could ever describe that. Two of the most beautiful girls I know licked my member like it was a popsicle. I closed my eyes, and while I continued to enjoy this sensational feeling of two girls working on my dick at the same time, I suddenly felt a hand on my balls. I think it was Angelike’s hand, since it felt a bit smaller than Nikki’s. Pleasureful moments passed, and then I felt how my red rocket entered a warm place. I opened my eyes a bit, just to see how Angelike took my cock into her mouth. Slowly she began to suck on it, supported by Nikki, who gently patted her head and whispered:
“Good girl. Let the doggy feel your lips.”
My cheetah watched how Angelike moved her head back and forth. My lustful moaning filled the room. It was good for us that the window was closed. I was disappointed when this heavenly feeling suddenly stopped. Once again, Nikki pulled the slightly surprised Angelike back. But this time, she had a good reason to do so:
“Before we waste even more water, let us move this over to Balto’s room.”
Our guest seemed to be a bit grumpy about this break, but Nikki was right. With the help of our fur dryer, which is basically a full-body hair dryer for Anthros, we quickly dried our fur before we walked over to my room.

At that point, I was glad that I had turned on the heater in there. For me, it was even a bit too warm, but it was a nice temperature for the girls.
Nikki led me to my bed and told me to lie down, but with my head on the bottom part of the bed. I did as I was ordered, waiting for the girls to join me. Nikki seemed to have something special in mind as she looked for the toy box underneath my bed and took out some leather cuffs and two collars. With a few quick hand movements, she tied the collars around Angelike's and my necks. Like a porn director, Nikki then gave further instructions:
“Ok. Angel, lay on top of Balto. I want you to kiss him.”
Angelike happily did what she had been told to do. While we shared this passionate kiss, Nikki giggled and chuckled.
“You two look so cute together. Angel, turn around now and give doggy a BJ. Present your pussy to him.”
The slender feline smiled as she went into the 69-position. Nikki now fastened the leather cuffs to my legs and Angelike's wrists. Those cuffs have snap hooks on them, with which she chained us together after she was done with adjusting the cuffs. I now had this incredible view of a juicy pussy while I got my penis sucked hard by a greedy feline. This must be what heaven is like.
Nikki turned her attention back to the toy box, looking for her strap-on and a middle-sized dildo for it. Maybe one or another remembers that thing. Nikki used it once or twice on me. Now I understood her intentions, and Angelike also seemed to know what was coming. Her tail began to twitch nervously, which made Nikki laugh.
“Don’t worry, little kitty, I will be gentle. Now continue to suck his cock, and don’t dare to stop.”
After Nikki attached the dildo to the strap-on and put the thing on, she slowly walked to the back of the bed, behind the nervous Bengal. She caressed Angelike’s butt to calm her down a bit and brought her into position for the main event. Before she went on, she had a few more words for me:
“Doggy, her pussy won’t lick itself. Be a good boy and get to work.”

This was an order my girl didn’t have to give me twice. While I began to let my tongue wander over Angelike’s swollen vulva, I heard Nikki open the lube bottle. She placed a good amount of the glitchy stuff on the dildo before she rubbed that thing against our friend’s wet pussy. My girl then grabbed Angelike by her hips and carefully shoved the dildo inch by inch into the cocksucking Bengal cat. Angelike moaned when the dildo filled her out more and more. This feeling made her suck even harder on my manhood. My claws scratched over the bedsheets while my knot grew under this treatment. This girl surely has some skills, even if she looks so innocent and pure. After the dildo was fully in Angel's tight vagina, Nikki waited a moment to give our friend time to get used to the stuffing. My girl then pulled out the dildo almost entirely, just to slowly push it back in. Soon, the girls found a rhythm.
When Nikki pushed forward, Angelike took my cock as deep as she could inside her mouth. Nikki pulled out, and the Bengal moved her head back. During all this, I did my best to please Angelike. The mixed scents of the girls, combined with the taste of pussy juice and Nikki's strawberry lube, took my mind away. I wish this could have lasted forever.
 
The girls steadily increased their pace. My knot quickly reached its full size and pressed against Angel’s lips every time she swallowed my cock.
Angelike’s body began to shiver. She stopped moving, and after one last hard thrust by Nikki, a muffled, pleasureful scream could be heard when Angelike was almost knocked out by her orgasm. Our friend was panting. She moved her head back. My cock slipped out of her mouth, right before my seed spurted out of my twitching, saliva-covered cock. Angelike's face was painted with my creamy sperm. Nikki was slightly amused by how hard we were panting after this intense experience. She asked:
“Are you two alright? Angel? Everything ok?”

I felt her head moving, so I guess she nodded at Nikki, who continued:
“Good. You both look like you could use another shower now. Balto, can you take care of your mess here while I help our guest get clean?”
 
The cheetah didn’t wait for me to respond. She separated the cuffs and helped Angelike get up. Shortly before the two felines left my room, Nikki stopped. She looked Angelike deep into her eyes, asking her an odd question:
“Say, Angel, what would you say about becoming our pet? Would you like that?”

The exhausted Bengal only smiled, first at Nikki, then back at me, before she nodded and said silently:
“Yes. I would like to be your pet, Nikki.”
  
Nikki smiled at our friend while she helped the Bengal into the bathroom to get her nice and fresh again, while I took care of our mess. New bedsheets, a third pillow—more wasn't necessary.
As the girls came back to my room, we laid down to rest a bit. Nikki was on the right side, Angelike on the left, and I was allowed to take the golden middle. It didn’t take us long after this intense play before we fell into a deep slumber.
Luckily, Mom had allowed me to stay home from school on the first of November. Otherwise, this would have been a very hard day for me.
The last time I looked at the clock before we all went to sleep, it was about 3 a.m.

It was a surprise for me that I was the first to wake up the next morning. A quick glance at my watch told me that it was almost midday. Slowly and carefully, I stood up without waking the still-sleeping girls. After I left my room, I first went to the bathroom, then to the kitchen. Unexpectedly, Mom was sitting at the dining table as if she were waiting for me. Her voice sounded stern when she greeted me.
“Good morning, my son.”
I looked at the floor, fearing that I had done something wrong. I mumbled:
“Morning, mom. I thought you would be at work. How was the evening with the Kofis?”
Mom took a sip of her coffee.
“I also took the day off. And we had a nice evening. Just like you, at least if I'm interpreting the smell in your room and the fact that there are two girls in your bed correctly.”
I felt ashamed and tried to apologize:
“Sorry, mom, I will air out the room as soon as the girls wake up.”
Mom chuckled.
“Balto, no need to be sorry. At least as long as you didn’t knock up one of the girls. By the way, this other girl. She is in your theater group, right?”
I smiled and nodded.
“Yes, mom. Her name is Angelike. She wanted to stay overnight, and then we…”

Mom interrupted my sentence.
“Balto, please. I have eyes, and I can imagine what happened in your room last night. The only thing I ask is for you to be careful.”
At that moment, Mom must have spotted Angelike, as the cat peered shyly around the corner. In her typical, calm voice, she welcomed our friend:
“You don’t have to be shy, darling. Sit down with us and have some breakfast. I am Balto’s mother. You can call me Christa. Nice to meet you, Angelike.”

Angelike slowly walked closer until she sat down at the kitchen table. She took herself some coffee, a slice of bread, and some cheese. It was understandable that Angelike was hungry. While we all enjoyed breakfast, we had a kind talk together.
Nikki joined us more than an hour later. After she had breakfast, we cleaned my room and the garden. Subsequently, Nikki, Angel, and I watched TV while we cuddled a bit on the couch. It was a cozy day with these two sweet girls, which sadly ended far too soon. In the evening, Nikki and I brought Angelike home. After we came back, it was time for Nikki to return home as well. For myself, I had to prepare a few things for school before I went to bed at around 11 o’clock.

Well, that was our Halloween this year. And what a remarkable Halloween it was. Now let's jump forward in time a little, to mid-November. Thanksgiving was just a week away, as was a big charity concert at Thunderdome Stadium.

 
Part 2: Ahead of the Concert


Some of you might remember Nikki's and my visit to Hazel and Johana's place in Ann Arbor during the summer. While we were there, of course, we also met her mother, rock star Holly Rhoads-Hunter, who is very well known in the anthropomorphic community. She is also one of Nikki’s biggest idols. I know that I am repeating myself here. I just wanted to mention it in case you haven’t read the entry “Friends and Idols,” during which I wrote about our visit.

You probably know that November and December are always popular months when it comes to welfare stuff. That isn’t much different here in Darwin’s Hope. This year, our city decided to organize and finance a charity concert. The money earned from this event should go to the cub’s infirmary at San Francesco D’Assisi Hospital, which is desperately in need of new technical equipment. Well, that is what I read in the papers. The more important thing was that, next to some local entertainers, including us, the Howling Musketeers, Holly Rhoads-Hunter had agreed to play a few songs alongside her band. She was the main reason why the Thunderdome sold out in minutes. Our town is not exactly a magnet for stars. It is simply too small and unimportant for that.

Holly's husband Joe and her son Johana agreed to support the charity by helping the kitchen with their cooking skills, which became a crucial part of the event's success. The kitchen alone made so much money during the concert that they counted it twice before they believed how much it was. But one thing after another.

It was on Thursday, November 17. I had just finished my homework when a message popped up on the screen of my laptop. It came from Hazel.
“Hey, Balto! How are you? Can’t wait to see you again. We will come to DW on the 22nd. We will travel on the tour bus with Mom. Maybe I can show it to you and Nikki. This thing is so cool. We will then stay in a hotel close to the Thunderdome, but we hope that we can visit your place, too. Johana said he wants to see your Iron Wolf armor, and for some reason, my mom wants to meet your mom and Nikki's parents. Oh, and Johana finally wants to give you the picture he drew of the two of you.”
I chuckled a bit while I typed my answer:
“Hey, Hazel. Nikki and I are fine, thanks. How are you? I can’t wait for the concert. It is mainly organized by Stark College, which is why the director wants us to perform there too. As far as I know, we will sing the opening song.”
Hazel quickly replied:
“Oh, that is cool! And we are fine. Johana and Kirara have been playing in his room for hours now, and don’t let me join them. They are so mean to me.”
It was easy to see that Hazel was annoyed that she wasn't allowed to take part. I couldn’t resist making a little joke, which is why I replied:
“Poor girl. Maybe you should tell your mom about it.”
Hazel didn't think this was funny at all.
“Very funny, Balto. Sadly, I have got to go now. Mom is calling for dinner. We will have spareribs today.”
I growled. I only had a large salad with chicken strips that day.
“Not fair! Tell your dad to bring some to the concert for me, ok?”
Hazel didn’t reply anymore.

Her father’s spareribs truly have an outstanding taste. The memory of them alone makes me hungry. But let us try to stay focused.
 
School was a true pain in the ass on Friday. I couldn’t wait for the day to end. Relief came at 5 p.m. when the bell set us free. Unfortunately, I had to take the bus home. During the ride, I played a little on the new handheld console I got from Antu and his father for my birthday. That thing is really neat. My favorite game is Zelda: Breath of the Wild. I like the outfit Link is wearing. It could be something for the next cosplay. I bet Nikki would look great as Princess Zelda. My station is the last one on the route, which is why I needed almost an hour to get home. I really have to fix my damn bike.
 
The evening wasn’t anything special, so I will just skip it. Nikki couldn’t come over that day since she had a lot to do with college stuff, and I also needed to work on some things. Mainly for an essay on Lincoln and the Civil War. I worked until 2 a.m., but at least I could almost finish it. Needless to say, I was tired afterward and slept until the early afternoon on Saturday.

In the afternoon, our theater group had a meeting with the college's director, Mr. Schaeffer. Nikki and I drove there in her car after Mom reminded me kindly of my book report. Other than usual, this meeting wasn’t held in the event hall. This time, the director invited us all to his office, where it was warmer and more comfortable to talk. For me, it was the first time I saw this part of the college's campus. I was impressed by the big doors and high ceilings in the building the office is located in. It had something of a palace. I also remember the words that were written on the walls. Nikki also mentioned them in her part of the entry about our camping trip with Mikey and his father.  
The one I liked the most comes from Terry Pratchett:
“You have to believe in things that aren’t true. How else can they become?”
 
The nameplate next to the door of the director's office was also interesting. A golden plate inside a wooden frame with the name Principal Professor Dr. William Schaeffer written on it.
It was interesting to me because I didn't know this man's full name and title until that day.

After we all sat down inside this slightly oversized office, we began a relaxed discussion about the concert. The main part of that discussion was about the songs we wanted to sing and with which one we would start.  
The first one we came up with was, of course, “All for One”. But even though this is one of our favorite songs, we needed a song for the whole group. “All for One” is something for a maximum of three singers.

 After some brainstorming, we decided on “We are the World”. Even if the song is a bit cliché, it has a nice message, and everyone in the group could sing a part of it.

To our surprise, Dr. Schaeffer explained to us that we should not only start the evening, but also end it. He told us that he would give a short speech after the last performer had finished. Then the director would want me to go out, dressed as Puck, to recite the little poem once again, which I think you all know by now. Even if I like playing Puck, I get tired of this role. Why did he want me to do that again? I guess it is because “A Midsummer Night's Dream” is by far our most well-known play by now.  
After we finished our discussion about the concert, Dr. Schaeffer talked a bit further about the group and the upcoming Festival of the Arts in December. Five other schools will come and join the festivities to celebrate peace and friendship.
  
Their drama classes would present plays or short sketches on stage. In addition, there will be a wide range of different dishes prepared by several cooking groups, as well as different panels about topics like science and creative writing. I heard that even a group of Furries wants to come and present their stuff. At least on paper, it already sounded like a great time for everyone.
The whole meeting took hours. It was already getting dark as we left the office. Nikki and I were just about to get into the Nikkimobile when Angelike and Svetlana reached us. They asked if we would like to join the rest of the group for dinner at our favorite restaurant. We love to go there to celebrate after our shows, so the decision was an easy decision to make. We had some tasty snacks, laughed, and talked until I got a message from my mother.
“Balto, where are you? You said you and Nicole would come home after the meeting. You still have some homework to do.”
I sighed. Mom was right. I still had to work on that essay I mentioned earlier, which must be done by Monday. Besides that, I also had to study for English class. High school is really no joke. I told Nikki that I needed to go home because of school stuff, which made Nikki a bit mad. I guess she wanted to stay longer with our friends. Since I didn’t respond to her message, Mom sent another message with a stern tone:
“Young man, you have exactly five minutes to respond and thirty minutes to come home. Otherwise, you are grounded for the next two weeks.”
I hastily wrote a reply:
“Sorry, mom. We went to a restaurant after the meeting. I almost finished that essay yesterday. Nikki will bring me home now.”
  
Nikki and I left the restaurant together. In silence, we walked to the car. Nikki really seemed to be angry. We had just taken our seats in the car when Nikki turned her head to me and said in an annoyed-sounding voice,
“Balto, why didn’t you say something before we went to the restaurant? It isn’t common for you to forget something.”
I had to think about what to say. This whole situation was so embarrassing for me.
“Nikki, I am so sorry. We had such a nice evening. I really didn’t think about this stupid essay anymore. It is almost done anyway. I wanted to finish it tomorrow.”
Nikki only shook her head before we drove home. After she parked the car in the driveway of her house, we stepped out of the car. She then only said goodnight and sent me home. I was about to cry on my way. Stupid school. Stupid me.

She was still mad when she greeted me with a stern voice and crossed arms.
“There you are. You had five more minutes left. Now get your butt in your room and finish that essay.”
I felt so humiliated that I shouted at my mom:
“Why, mom? You know that I always finish my homework. Because of you, Nikki is pissed at me. You embarrassed me in front of the entire theater group. Why, mom, why?”
My mother took a deep breath before she replied in a warning tone.
“Balto Star, calm your voice at once. I only agreed to this whole theater thing under the circumstance that your performance at school wasn’t suffering under it. Yesterday, I received a call from your school. They told me that you are often unfocused and tired. You even fell asleep during class. If this theater group is too much for you to handle, I will forbid you to continue with it. And now, go to your room and finish your homework!”

I walked to my room with quick steps and slammed the door behind me after I entered. Mom never yelled at me like that. What the hell was going on? Yes. I slept in class, and at times I wasn't as focused as I should have been. But I'm still the best in my class. Why was she suddenly so damn angry?
  
I tried my best to finish this essay. It took me another two hours to finish this damn, stupid thing. When I was finally done, I took it and made my way to the living room.
Mom was sitting there on the couch, watching one of her TV shows. What surprised me was that Nikki was sitting next to her. I felt so sorry for shouting at my mom before. Especially since she was right with what she said.
Slowly, I entered our living room, with the report in my hands and my tail tucked ruefully between my legs.  
The women didn’t notice me until I spoke up in a whiny tone.
“Mom? I am sorry. I didn’t mean to shout at you. My essay is done. Do you want to read it?”
The two ladies turned their heads in my direction before my mother answered calmly.
“Yes, I will read it before I go to bed. Sit down, Balto. We need to talk.”
I sat down next to Mom with my head lowered in shame. She then began to explain:
“Balto, I have spoken with Nicole for more than an hour now.  
We mutually agree that nothing is more important than your education. Don’t get me wrong here, my son. You are doing great, which is why I allowed you to take part in this theater thing. But now I am worried that you get increasingly distracted by it.”
She sighed before she continued.
“I know you like being on stage, singing with your girl, and so on. It would be cruel to take you out of the group, especially as you have so much more social contact through them now. You've also started to open up, and since joining the group, you've gained much-needed confidence. I certainly don't want to jeopardize that. But we need to find a way for you to manage your time better. You need more time to rest. That's why I want you to reduce the number of rehearsals and meetings. In the last few months, you've had at least three of them every week. And as you know, they often take up several hours. Time that you can't use to do your homework or study for school. Balto, I'm not going to force you to leave the theater group. Not yet. You have until the end of the year to prove to me that you can handle it.”

I couldn’t even say anything against her arguments. Mom was right. We invested a lot of time into our work for the group. Otherwise, we wouldn't have managed to get where we are now. And we still had the Mamma Mia play to perform in December.  
Minutes passed without either of us saying a single word. We barely even moved during those minutes. Finally, Mom placed her hand on my shoulder. My gaze was still fixed on the floor as she added a few more words:
“Balto, I know how much this group means to you and Nicole. Just take a step back. Maybe you two could concentrate more on just singing for a while.”
Nikki listened to my mother’s words before she spoke, still a little mad, to me:
“Balto, I can’t believe that. Didn’t you tell your mom about the meeting we had in September? Raphael clearly said that we all need more time to learn for college. Why didn’t you tell your mom about this decision? We could have spared this whole discussion. Your mom only wants you to do what was decided at a meeting we had almost two months ago. How could you, a boy who remembers the color of his favorite pacifier, forget to tell that to your mother?”  
She looked at my mother.
“Christa, I am so sorry. I didn't know he hadn't told you that. As I said, our group will take it easier in the future. I know that we have had many trainings lately. That was because of that show in December. As soon as this is done, the meetings will be shorter and will take place only on Saturdays. And, of course, only if there is nothing more important to take care of.”
Nikki was in a bit of a rage, which scared me so much that I cuddled close to my mother. Mom took me into her arms to comfort me. She then answered my girlfriend in her calm voice.
“Nicole, please. Calm down. I am sure Balto learned his lesson. Don’t be mad at him. He made a mistake, yes. We all do that. He has done his work now. All is fine. So far, nothing bad has happened. So please, let us end this topic here.”
She then lifted my head with her right hand to look into my tearful eyes.
“Balto, I think you should apologize to your girl for all the fuss you caused today.”
 
She took her arm away from me, stood up, and looked at Nikki and me. I stuttered as I tried to apologize.
“Nikki, I, I am sorry. Please don’t be mad anymore. I didn’t think it would matter that much. I know that I am a stupid wolf. Please, can you forgive me?”
  
I sat there like a watered poodle, ears laid back submissively, as I looked at my girl with wide, pleading eyes. Nikki did her best not to laugh as she looked at me and said,
“Balto, I accept your apology. I also apologize for yelling at you. And you're not stupid. Believe me, I would kill for a mind like yours.”
She opened her arms to me.
“Come here, Fluffy.”
I took this chance to quickly jump forward and give my cheetah a tight hug. Nikki fell back on the sofa, with me on top of her. I shivered a little as I spoke to her in a tearful voice:
“I don’t want to lose you. I thought you wouldn’t like me anymore. That you would leave me.”
Nikki took my head in both hands to look me deep in the eyes.
“Balto, how could you even think things like that? I love you. I would never leave you because of something stupid like this. Problems and disputes are normal in a relationship. Even my parents have them from time to time. Please, stop crying. Everything is fine, as long as you have learned your lesson.”
I only nodded while I further pressed myself against my cheetah. How do I deserve a girl like her?
  
Mom watched this scene for a while, then she came closer. She gently patted my head and Nikki's when she made us an irresistible offer.
“What would you two say to a cup of cocoa?”
Nikki smiled, and I wagged my tail a bit. Together, we answered:
“Yes please!”
  
Mom prepared two big cups of cocoa for us and some tea for herself. For the rest of the evening, we watched TV, talked about school and college, the upcoming events, and much more. The evening ended at about 2 a.m., as we all went to bed.

The next few days were nothing special, just school, learning, this kind of stuff. The next event worth writing about happened on Tuesday.
 
Hazel and her family arrived here in Darwin’s Hope on November 22. It was a cloudy day, with rain falling from time to time. School was boring that day. Only this test during English class brought some variety to it. I came back home at about 4:30 p.m. After doing my homework, I decided to ask Hazel if they had already arrived at their hotel. The conversation that followed was a bit longer. To cut a long story short, they arrived an hour before and were just about to visit the hotel’s wellness area. I won’t insert that conversion here, as it is not really essential for the rest of this entry.

Ok, there was one more important thing. During our chat, we discussed the possibility of Hazel, Johana, and her mother visiting us at home. At that point, we switched to a video call. Mom joined me on my side, while Holly sat down next to Hazel on their side of the line. Since the concert was held on Saturday, they only had time on Thursday or Friday.
It was decided that they should come here on Thursday afternoon. Mom was able to leave earlier at work, and I would come home with Nikki at 4 p.m. We gave them our address, and then we had to end the conversation.
We will make another cut now, straight to Thursday afternoon. Thursday, the 24th, two days before the big charity concert.
 
When Nikki and I arrived at home in her car, we could already see a black Mercedes parking in the driveway of my home. Nikki became nervous when she saw that car and almost drove by the house. One hard brake with screeching tires later, she parked the car on the street, and we walked over to the front door of my home. Through the window, we could see Holly sitting on the couch, drinking something with Mom. Hazel and Johana were nowhere to be seen, and I thought they might not be here at all. My cheetah then pushed me to open the door, almost as if she would like to hide behind me. I opened the door, we cleaned our paws a bit on the doormat, then we walked inside. Mom and Holly turned their heads towards us. While Holly waved, my mother welcomed us.
“Hello, you two. Did you see that idiot who just braked so hard on the road?”

I couldn’t resist giggling, which made Nikki hit me in the side with her elbow. Then my girl answered:
“No, we haven’t seen anything. Hello Holly, was it easy enough to find the address? I hope you had a nice journey here.”
Holly chuckled a little when she saw how nervous Nikki seemed.
“My dear, you don’t have to be nervous. I thought you had learned that during your visit. Sit down and have a glass of wine with us. That might help you relax a bit.”
Nikki shook her head.
“No, thanks. No alcohol for me. Balto, could you please make us some cocoa?”
Nikki looked around nervously, as if she was looking for something. Holly saw this as she took a sip from her glass.
“If you are looking for Marley, he isn’t here. Nikki, please relax.”
Holly then looked at me.
“Balto, be a good boy and make your girl something to drink, yes? Hazel and Johana should be in the garden. Can you make something for them, too?”

I nodded and walked over to the kitchen, accompanied by my mother. She helped me heat the milk for the cocoa. Since we needed more than usual, we didn’t use the microwave for it. Instead, we used the stove. While the milk was heating up, I quickly went outside to welcome Hazel and her brother. Hazel almost ran me over, which amused Johana. Together, we moved inside, where it smelled heavenly after the fresh cocoa. I think you know this heavenly smell, yes? Oh, how I love it.
We all then sat down in the living room. Holly and Mom took our wing chairs while Nikki, I, Hazel, and Johana sat down on the couch.
After a few moments of silence, Holly asked:
“Balto, Nicole, how have you been since you visited us? Did the tips I gave you help a little?”
I wanted to give her an answer, but Nikki was faster than me:
“They helped us greatly, Holly. And because of your tips for training and a healthy diet, I lost 5 pounds. Balto built up muscles and has way better stamina now. And not only on stage.”

Yeah, she did say that. Right in front of my mother and our guests. Their reactions were mixed. While Hazel had a big grin on her face after that statement, her brother Johana looked a little disinterested at his phone. Holly chuckled, and Mom looked a bit shocked at Nikki and me. As for me, well, I wagged my tail a little. Yes, I was proud that I could now pleasure my girl better.
Nikki laid her arm around my shoulder before she continued:
“And your advice also helped the other members of our group. They all hope to meet you at the concert. Especially Gabriel.”
Holly had to laugh.
“Oh, I remember that name. Isn’t he my biggest fan of all of you?”
Nikki nodded.
“Yes, he is. I bet he is practicing how to greet you right now. It is adorable to see that big guy excited like a little kid on Christmas Eve. But you will see.”

After this, it became a bit silent in the room. Like before, it was Holly’s voice that broke that silence.
“I want to use this chance to thank you, Christa, for inviting us to your home. I really like it. Especially this fantastic kitchen. And I simply love this big window with the bench. I must ask my husband for something like that. I bet it is wonderful to sit there on a rainy day.”
Mom seemed to be a bit flattered.
“Thank you, Holly. Balto and I truly enjoy just sitting there and talking. That spot was an idea of my husband, Sebastian, after we got the house. He often sat there with me for hours.”
Holly looked at the photo of my dad, which stands on this little table next to the couch.
“He is a good-looking man. Balto comes a lot after him, if you allow me to say that. When will he be home?”
Mom sighed.
“He won’t. Sebastian died 15 years ago. He was shot during a robbery about a week before Balto was born.”
Holly looked a little concerned as she searched for a suitable answer.
“Oh, I am so sorry. I didn’t know that.”
Mom looked at me, then turned her head back to Holly and said silently,
“It’s ok.”
Holly took a bigger sip of her wine before she continued:
“It must have been difficult for you to take care of this house and raise a child all by yourself. This is more than impressive, Christa. Balto is such a well-behaved boy. You did a great job with him.”
I could see Mom smiling a bit. Not that she would ever admit it, but I think she enjoys hearing such compliments. No one said anything for a moment, until Johana suddenly spoke to me:
“Balto, can you show Hazel and me your room? I want to see your comics and the armor you talked about.”

We excused ourselves and went to my room, giving the adults some time to talk. I showed Hazel and Johana my collection of comics, but Johana was more interested in the armor than the comics. I didn’t wear it for quite some time, but I still could. I mean, it is adjustable, at least to some point.
Sadly, I will not be able to wear it as an adult. But it will always be the centerpiece of my collection. Johana and Hazel were also interested in the rest of my stuff.
Especially in my father’s police hat and his badge, which are placed in a showcase on the wall above my desk, and in the photo with Robert Downey Jr. I got at the Comic Con two years ago. Hazel also noticed Little Balto sitting on my nightstand.
“Aww, there is your little friend. He is so cute. Where did you get him from?”
I smiled at her as I walked over to my little companion to take him in my hand.
“Mom gave him to me when I was a cub. She said he would always protect me, which is why he goes with me on every journey. Sometimes, I really think he has a will of his own.”
Hazel’s tail wagged while she patted Little Balto.
“So sweet! Will you bring him to the concert too? He could sit on stage and watch everything from there.”
I had to think for a moment, then I shook my head.
“I don’t know. I am afraid that I might lose him there. Maybe if mom takes him with her.”

Meanwhile, Johana was browsing a bit through my comics. You might remember those special issues from the Iron Man comics I got in New York. Those were the most interesting for him. He also looked at my father's old Batman comics.
After he was able to separate himself from my comics, I showed my guests some photos. Mostly from our trips to New York, to Niagara Falls, and from the cabin at Lake Spaulding. I haven’t made many big journeys yet, but that might change next year. If only mom could finally decide whether we would accompany Nikki and her family on their trip to Austria.
 
The photos reminded Johana of something important.
“Hey, before I forget it. I brought you the drawing I made of you and Nikki. Without any doubt, it is one of my best works yet. Wait, I will go get it. It is still in the car.”
He left Hazel and me alone, which the young girl used to get closer to me. She whispered with a suggestive look in her eyes:
“Finally. Say, Balto, what about a quickie?”
I shook my head.
“No, Hazel. That is too risky. What if your mom hears us? Sorry, I really think it would be a bad idea.”
My answer was disappointing for young Hazel. Just a minute later, Johana returned with a large poster roll in his hands. He opened it and showed me the drawing. It looks fabulous. Nikki looks so cute as a slave girl. I wonder what Mom will say when she sees this.

Speaking of Nikki, she knocked at the door and entered my room just as Johana was about to put the drawing back into the poster roll. While she walked over to my bed to sit down, she curiously asked:
“Is that our drawing? Johana, why didn’t you say anything? I want to see it too.”
So, Johana carefully unrolled it again. Nikki purred silently while looking at the drawing.
“Oh my, that turned out great. Balto, what about if we hang it up in the bedroom in the cabin?”
Hazel’s ears became big.
“You want to hang up a picture like that in a house where your father can see it?”
Nikki and I chuckled, and my girl replied,
“Oh, so doggy didn’t tell you. My dad gifted us the cabin. It will be mine and Balto’s second home. So, Dad must ask me if he wants to get in there.”
Hazel’s voice became excited:
“Oh, that is so cool! I want to see it. Can we go there? I think this is like a tree house, but better. I wish I had something like that. I could make parties in there, with friends, and without having to be quiet.”
Johana interrupted his sister.
“Since when do you care about being quiet? You should hear her when she masturbates.”
Hazel was a bit annoyed:
“And what about you? Last time you had sex with Kirara, my whole wall was vibrating. And you didn’t let me join!”

Johana placed his hand on Hazel’s muzzle to shut her up. He was clearly a bit angry at his sister.
“Will you shut up, Hazel? Mom is just a few steps away. Do you want her to know that we had sex together?”
A sudden knock on the door startled us all. Then we heard my mother's voice:
“Kids, is everything okay in there? Be nice to each other, or you will come back to us. Did you understand?”
I answered her quickly:
“Yes, mom, all is fine. We were just discussing which is the best Marvel series. Sorry if we were too loud.”
Mom wasn’t satisfied with my answer:
“My son, first, I told you not to lie. Second, you know that we wolves have very sensitive ears, yes? You are lucky that Holly just went outside to take a look at the garden, and the doors were closed. Just a little tip from me. If you want to keep a secret, don’t shout it out inside a house.”
I don’t know why, but Nikki laid back on my bed and laughed.
As I asked her why she was laughing, she answered:
“You are such a terrible liar, doggy. But I admit, it was a good try. Do you remember the clash of the nerds at our first comic con? They had a similar reason for their dispute. I mean, they were beating the shit out of each other because they had different opinions on which studio had the better heroes. It was so sad and funny as hell at the same time.”
Twenty minutes later, mom knocked on my door again:
“Hazel, Johana, your mother wants to drive back to the hotel now. She needs to prepare things for the concert. And Nicole, your mother called. She needs you at home. Something about laundry. Your phone is in the living room, in case you are missing it.”

Nikki jumped off my bed, said goodbye to Hazel, Johana, and Holly, then went home. The rest of us also left my room and went outside to the black Mercedes, where Mom and Holly were waiting for us. I gave Hazel and Johana a hug before they stepped into the car. Holly had a few more words for Mom and me:
“I truly enjoyed the time here. Christa, you have a wonderful home. And I want to compliment you once again on your son.”
Then she took a step towards me, placed her hand on my shoulder, and looked me in the eye.
“And I will see you together with Nikki on stage on Saturday.”

Mom and I waved until we couldn’t see the car anymore, then we went back inside. I still had to finish some homework, after which I did some vocal training. I couldn’t wait for the concert to start.
 
Part 3: The Concert


An eventless Friday followed. It wasn't until the evening that we had something worth telling you about. I don’t know how many of you remember the entries about our two trips to New York City. During our first vacation in the Big Apple, we discovered a restaurant with a karaoke stage in the basement.  
We had such a nice time there. Every member of our family performed at least one song down there. I even sang a song with mom, namely “We are one” from Lion King 2.
After school ended that Friday, Nikki picked up at my school for the final rehearsal at Stark College.
In the early evening, we all went home to get some rest. After I finished my homework at around 8:30 p.m., I heard music coming from our living room. I went there to check, just to see mom watching old music videos vie Pawtube on our TV. I sat down next to her just as a man in a leather jacket began to sing. I looked at my mother and asked curiously:
“Who is that?”
My mother chuckled, then turned off the sound to tell me about this entertainer.
“That is David Hasselhoff. He was the star of the 1980s series “Knight Rider.”  He was also a singer. I liked his songs.”
On the screen, I could see that man standing next to a wall, wearing a jacket with lights on it. Mom said as she saw that video:
“Oh, that's one of his most famous songs. It's called “I've been looking for Freedom”. “

We listened to that song. I must admit, it has a surprisingly catchy sound. Another song we heard was “A Star Looks Down Tonight”. For those of you who aren’t familiar with that song, it is about a father singing a song with his young daughter about the mother, which has died some years ago. It is unclear to me why mom listened to these old songs. I thought it might be because of childhood memories. You know, since she grew up in the 80s and 90s. Honestly, I didn’t put much more thought into the matter at that point. A little detail I saw was that mom made herself some notes while listening to the music. This made me giggle, since I also like it to take notes during the day. I even have a special notebook for that. Yeah, I know, I am blessed with an eidetic memory, but I still like to write down a few thoughts now and then. Ok, ok. Enough of that.

It was about 10 p.m., as I went back to my room. I still had to pack my stuff together for the next day. Little Balto, my Puck costume, spare clothes, and some other things I could need there. My backpack was filled to the brim afterward.
I went to bed around midnight. After lying down, I turned off the light, reached for my cell phone and checked our group chat. Raphael was still awake. He and the others were writing about nonsense, they were sharing photos of food, and then there was an adorable one of Svetlana and Angelike sleeping arm in arm on their couch. Nothing naughty, they both were fully dressed, it only showed Angelike having her head on Svetlana’s left boob, using is as a pillow. As Nikki already seemed to be asleep, I wished my friends a good night, put the phone down and closed my eyes. It wasn’t a very restful sleep that night. My nervousness was just too much, my stomach rebelled, and I had to get up twice to visit the bathroom.

The night passed far too fast. Since I didn’t hear my alarm in the morning, my mom had to wake me up at about 9 a.m. We were supposed to meet the others at the Thunderdome Stadium at noon for soundchecks and so on. The drive there doesn’t take that long, so I still had time for breakfast. Unfortunately, I had to do without my beloved cocoa. This was because Holly gave us the tip to drink nothing but water before going on stage. Mom had prepared made some baked roles for us, since she wanted me to have at least something in my stomach. Nikki showed up at about 11:30. She seemed very relaxed as she sat down next to me at the kitchen table.
 
I guess she is just more relaxed or more experienced than me. Because of my shaking hands, mom had to help me with my breakfast. I felt like a little cub doing potty-training that day. The sight of me seemed to amuse Nikki. She even took a photo of me to post it in the group chat, together with the line: “Puck seems a little nervous today.”
While I was trying to formulate a suitable answer, my mother took the phone away from me.
“You get that back after breakfast.”
Her look wandered to Nikki:
“Nicole, you seem so calm. Balto hardly slept last night.”
Nikki smiled at my mother, after she took a sip of coffee.
“I only try not to think about the concert. You maybe remember how nervous I was ahead of our “Dance of the Vampires” play. My thoughts were driving me crazy because I was thinking too much.”
She placed her hand on mine, and while she looked at me with her dreamy, purple eyes, she spoke in a calm voice:
“Fluffy, everything will be fine. We will only sing one song, and that is it. You don’t have to be afraid. The only difference to our plays is the number of viewers we will have today. The rest is the same. You will do great. I am certain of that.”
I sighed.
“But Nikki, I am supposed to say the closing words too.”
Nikki laughed.
“The same words you have recited so often. You even did it in the city theater.”
She tousled my hair, while I looked down to the floor and mumbled:
“But Nikki, some of my classmates will be there.”
My girl took me in her arms and pressed me against her chest.
“So what? Some of my classmates will be there as well. Balto, maybe you can see it that way. You are standing on stage. The girls in your class will be hunting you after this. The boys will be so jealous of you. Oh, that reminds me. Are Mikey and Antu coming to the concert? We would have some free VIP tickets for them and their fathers.”
I smiled a bit at Nikki.
“Yes, they are coming. I can ask them to meet us at the Thunderdome.”
Nikki nodded, while she turned her head to my mother.
“And Christa, after the concert, we want to go for dinner in our favorite restaurant. You know, the one with the karaoke bar.”

A short “sounds good” was Mom’s only response, as she stood up to clean the kitchen, while I finished my breakfast. As I was done, mom cleaned my muzzle with a wet tissue. Nikki commented this with a loud “Awww”.
Now it was time to get ready. Nikki helped me to get dressed. I decided to wear my favorite shirt, a hoodie, and black jeans. A standard outfit, yes. But this is simply me. Just as I wanted to leave my room, Nikki stopped me with the words:
“Wait, Balto. You forgot something important.”
What she meant was my bandana. I don't know how I could have forgotten that. Must have been the nervousness. But Nikki wasn’t done with me yet. She went over to my desk, where I have my most important memorabilia. I heard her saying:
“One last thing.”
She took the collar she once gave me. The one with the pink tag and the inscription

Nikki + Balto
4 now and 4 ever

written on it.
 
My girl walked back to me, put the collar around my neck, and then gave me a kiss.
“Now we are ready to go.”
I looked at Nikki from her head to her toes, then I said to her:
“But you aren’t dressed yet.”
My sweet feline chuckled.
“I will get into my dress at the stadium. You know, the red one, which I bought for the “vampires” play. But this time, I will also wear my collar to the outfit.”

I love this red dress. It is sinful, but in an elegant way. After Nikki took a last look at my hair, I grabbed my backpack, and we left the house together with mom. Outside, we met Nikki’s parents, and we all drove to the Thunderdome in Mr. Kofi’s big Pick-Up.
He parked the car not in the main parking lot, as we were allowed to park at the performer entrance. There we also spotted this huge black bus with the inscription “Silver Fang”. Obviously, this was Holly Rhoads-Hunter's tour bus. Hazel was right, that thing is looked spectacular, even from the outside.

We passed the bus on our way to the entrance. We were lucky to meet Holly there, as she and her band just unloaded some things from the bus. On this occasion, she introduced us to the members of her band. There we had the bassist Leon, a lion, Donny and Roy, the African Wild Dog brothers, and of course Kai, the Shiba Inu we met in her house back in Ann Arbor.
After a brief talk with them, we moved inside to meet Director Schaeffer, who showed us the way to our dressing room.
It was a large room with a big couch, a large TV, a fridge, several dressing tables, and mirrors on the walls. The start of the concert was getting closer, so our parents had to leave us now. Nikki handed the VIP tickets for Antu and Mikey to my mother. After a family group hug, the Kofis and my mom left. Only about 45 minutes remained, until we had to go on stage. My nervousness increased more and more. The last time I felt like that was in New York, shortly before we performed at the Minskoff.
While the others got ready, I roamed from one side of the room to the other like an animal in a cage. My behavior seemed to make the others nervous too, so Nikki stopped me by forcing me to sit down on a chair. She knelt down in front of me, looked me in the eye and spoke to me in a gentle voice:
“Balto, please calm down. You drive everyone crazy. This isn’t the first time for you on stage. Take a few deep breaths or exercise some musical scales. Anything, just calm down, ok?
The tone of her voice alone managed to ease me a bit. I took a few deep breaths, and about ten minutes before we had to go on stage, I was finally at a level I could think straight again.
Raphael joked, as he looked at me:
“Maybe we should try it with valerian next time.”
Nikki seemed a little angry with him for this joke. While stretching her body, she said to him:
“You can do that, if you want to risk that Balto pukes on the stage. Not to mention that his mom would have a serious talk with you afterward. And believe me, I don’t recommend that.”
Raphael apologized.
“Sorry, that maybe wasn’t a good joke. But Balto, you need to be calmer. Nikki, I remember you sang him a lullaby last time. That worked wonders.”
I protested loudly:
“I am not a cub anymore. It is just that there are so many people out there. Way more than in the theater in New York.”
Nikki chuckled.
“Yeah, by age, you aren’t a cub anymore. Balto, I already told you at home that this is just the same as in the Minskoff. You won’t see much of the audience because of the spotlights. Don’t worry, Balto. Drink a glass of water, take Little Balto, and then we will show the people out there what we are capable of.”
A knocking at the door interrupted Nikki, then we heard a voice from outside:
“You are on in a minute, come to the back of the stage now.”
I took Little Balto out of my backpack. Like always, before we go out on stage, we all formed a circle in the middle of the room. While stretching his arm in the middle of the circle, Raphael said in a loud tone:
“One for all.”
And we answered, after our hands met Raphael’s in the circle:
“And all for one.”

After this ritual, we left our dressing room and walked to the back of the stage. We listened to the final words of director Schaeffer’s speech, before he introduced us as the first group of the concert.
“And now, ladies and gentlemen, let's start with what we are all here for today. I am proud to present the Stark College Howling Musketeers with their version of 'We are the World'”.

Together, we slowly walked onto the stage. The crowd cheered. I quickly placed Little Balto on the side of the stage, so he could watch everything, then I moved to my position. The music started. Raphael and Svetlana sang the first lines, Gabriel joined in next, then came Angelike, and I joined in after her. Nikki was after me, Miguel, Jonathan, Thomas, and Joseph followed.
As Nikki said, I couldn't see much of the audience because of the spotlights. But what I could see as we sang our song were countless glow sticks moving to and fro in the darkened hall. It was just wonderful. Sadly, the song ended too soon. At this point, I regretted that we only had this one song. We had so much fun during the performance.

After our song was sang, the director came back on stage. He shook all our hands, congratulated us on our performance, then he introduced the next performer.
It was a singer from Canada, he sang three songs, followed by a stand-up comedian, and after her, it was time for Holly and her band.

The Musketeers and I watched most of the program on the TV in our room. Only for Holly’s show, we joined our friends and family in front of the stage, where we also met with Antu and Mikey. They decided to wear fitting clothes for this day, including necklaces with rainbow-colored rings on it. I am so happy that they came together.
Holly presented a few songs from her new Album, including ‘Ten Thousand Fist’, ‘The Animal’, and ‘I want my tears back’.
This show was the first time for me to see Holly’s band. The most outstanding member for me was Leon the Lion. He was wearing a cool kilt on stage. Just like in this Braveheart movie. But I can’t say if he has worn underwear underneath it. At the end of her gig, Holly took a microphone, stepped forward and addressed a few words to the audience:
“Thank you all so much. My band and I had such a wonderful time here in Darwin’s Hope, we all love to be in this great city. Before we clear the stage for the next performer, I want to ask you kindly to spend what you can for the cubs. In case you are hungry or thirsty, please visit the bar. I promise, you will get excellent food and drinks there. All money you spend there goes to the charity as well, so even your empty stomach can do good things here. And now I hope you enjoy the remainder of the program. There are a few more fantastic acts you shouldn’t miss. And please always remember to stand together and help each other out. Only by working as a team, we can make it in this world.”

After she placed the microphone back on its stand, Holly left the stage to cheers from the audience. We listened to a few more performers with our friends and families, before it was time for us to go backstage again.
The others wanted to pack their stuff, and I had to dress for the final words of the concert. Dressing up as Puck doesn’t take me so long, the more complicated part is the decoration on my arms and the thing on my head. As I was done, Nikki and I walked towards the stage. The last act was just about to finish, as we got there. Mr. Schaeffer waited there for us. As the final act was over, he walked forward to the edge of the stage, where he spoke a few lines:
“Ladies and Gentlemen, like every good thing, this day sadly also must have an end. In the name of the staff, the bureau of the mayor of Darwin’s Hope, and Stark College, I want to thank all of you. A special “Thank You” goes to the countless volunteers at the ticket counters, the kitchens, the electrics. They all worked for free to give all of you a great time here. We are still busy with counting the money, which was so generously donated to provide the cub’s infirmary of the St. Francesco D’ Assisi Hospital with new equipment. The last stand we had was the amount of 50,000 Dollars, which is already fantastic for our little town. But the cubs could always need more, so please, we have shops with CD’s, DVD’s, posters and other merchandise, the kitchen is still open, in case you are hungry. Every cent you spend there goes to the charity. Some performers will also give autographs for a small donation. I hope you all enjoyed the time here while listening to these outstanding performers. To end today’s program, Balto Star from the “Howling Musketeers” has a few more words for you. Good night, everyone. Balto, the stage is yours.”

I decided to play a little joke on Mr. Schaeffer, while he was speaking those last words. Light-footed and playfully, I sneaked behind him, sat down on the ground, and waited.
As he turned around, he startled, what made me chuckle and the audience laughed. I don't know if he was just playing it, but it was definitely funny. After I calmed down, I spoke my little poem.
As I was done, there was cheering, clapping, knocking. The spotlights switched off, the people left, it became silent in the Thunderdome. I looked at the empty rows for a few minutes, until Nikki came to me.
“Balto, is everything ok? Come, our friends are waiting. Hazel and Johana want to show us something before we leave, and we have a reservation at our restaurant.”

Sometimes, it can be difficult to go offstage. You know, you miss the cheering, and the laughter you heard moments before. This sometimes feels like a drug. The same goes for the lights you see in the audience during a ballad. What I mean are the countless glow sticks, flashlights, mobile phones, or lighters the people hold up. That gets me every time. I sighed, as Nikki and I moved towards backstage. As we were about to leave the stage area, I turned around again, to get my Little Balto. He was still sitting where I positioned him at the beginning of the event. Backstage, I saw how Hazel and Johana were speaking with Antu and Mikey, while mom and Nikki’s parents spoke with Holly. Joe was nowhere to be seen, I guessed he was still working in the kitchen. Mom turned her head to me. I could clearly hear the pride in her voice when she said:
“There is my little superstar. We just talked about you.”
At that moment, Hazel ran up and hugged me while shouting:
“Balto!”
She then tried to drag me away.
“Come, I want to show you and Nikki our bus! You must see it.”
Johana, as usual, stayed a bit calmer than his sister. After Holly and mom agreed, the siblings showed their rolling palace to Nikki, Mikey, Antu and me. And boy, is that a monster. It had a kitchen, a TV, several beds (they somehow reminded me about the ones I saw inside the USS Growler in New York, as we visited the Air and Space Museum aboard the USS Intrepid). There also was a shower, and one slightly bigger room with a full-sized bed inside. It was breathtaking. Sadly, we didn’t have much time because of our reservation. Hazel, in particular, seemed a little disappointed. Maybe she had plans when she took us on this bus. Poor Hazel.
After we rejoined the others, Nikki and I saw how Gabriel tried to have a conversation with Holly. The big bear was so nervous, it was so adorable to watch him talking to his idol.
As Holly gave him a hug, I thought he was about to faint. Minutes later, it was time for us to go. Raphael said goodbye to the bass player, Leon, then to Holly, and the rest of the Band.
They also had to leave because they had another gig in Buffalo the next day.

Now it was time to celebrate. The Howling Musketeers, our parents, Nikki, and I all went together to this small restaurant we always visit after our performances.
 
Part 4: The Restaurant


As I said, it became a tradition for our group to celebrate our successes in our favorite restaurant. Right after we entered, we were welcomed by one of the waitresses. She is about at mom’s age, a red fox with a few pounds too much. If she smiles, you can see that one of her fangs is missing. I always imagined she lost it in a bar fight. Like always, Raphael had reserved a large table for us next to the karaoke stage. For dinner, we ordered a big portion of Buffalo Wings, Onions Rings, Pizza, and a few burgers. You could have called it the Heart Attack Plate deluxe. The entire table was full of tasty food. It was, in fact, so much that other guests took photos of our table. The following feast lasted for more than an hour. The food was so damn tasty, and none of us could have eaten another bite afterward. Even Nikki had a little food-baby, if you know what I mean. We didn’t even manage to finish everything, which is why we got some doggy bags for the leftovers. Mom took a few of them with her for the next day. She would never waste any food, especially not meat. For as long as I can remember, she always told me it would be disrespectful to the animal that died, so we could have food. Sometimes, I feel sorry for eating meat. I mean, I am a canine, yes, but still. I admit, if I had to kill for my meat, I would starve to death. I would be a lousy wolf in the wild. But back to the topic now.
While we were sitting there at this big table, holding our full bellies, the waitress came back with a tablet, on which I saw little glasses holding a dark brown liquid.  
“Ok guys, I have non-alcoholic bitters for you. You all look like you need one after that meal. They are on the house.”
I was shaking all over and looked a bit disgusted after sniffing it. Mom, Nikki and all the others laughed as they watched me. Mommy gently took the glass out of my hands.
“There is no need to force yourself to drink that, Balto. Is everything ok with your belly? I swear you have the same appetite as your father.”
A loud burp was my only answer. I was simply too full to talk much. I only apologized for my lack of table manners:
“Excuse me.”
Again, everyone laughed, while mom patted me on the back.
“You are excused, Balto.”

While my gaze wandered over our table, I noticed that Raphael was gone. I looked around, then I saw him on his phone outside. He rejoined us about 10 minutes later, with a sad expression in his face. He took a glass and a fork, which he used to get everyone’s attention by banging them together.

“My fellow Musketeers, I have happy, but also sad news. Director Schaeffer just called me because he wanted to inform us about the outcome of the charity concert and a change in plans because of the economic situation. First, the good news. The final amount was 81.582 Dollars, which is an excellent result. And now the sad news. The Festival of the Arts in December is canceled. Stark College, like many other schools, faces serious financial problems, and because of that, the festival got the boot from the school council.”
A loud moaning came from all of us. We couldn’t believe that. Nikki spoke up in anger:
“But we all worked so hard for this Mamma Mia play. Was that all for nothing? This was supposed to be our last big play for a while.”
 
My girl wanted to say more, but Raphael cut her off.
“Nikki, please. I know that this is terrible news for us. But it is what it is, we can’t change that. Our training was certainly not in vain. each one of us improved during the rehearsals, and that is worth a lot. Director Schaeffer told me that we were chosen to bring the check to the hospital. He also asked if we could sing a bit for the cubs. I thought of some songs from the Mamma Mia play, to cheer the kids up. That way we can at least present a part of what we wanted to show in December. Heads up, everyone. Try to see it that way: We will get our long-needed rest, and a chance to concentrate more on our school. I am deeply sorry, my friends.”

None of us wanted to say anything. We were all looking forward to performing this play, and now it was never going to happen. Mom caressed my back gently, after I crossed my arms on the table and put my head to rest on top of them. She then said:
“Don't be too disappointed, Balto. You need the time to study and rest. Times will get better again. Never forget one thing. Where there is darkness, there is always light.”

I knew she was right, and the others agreed to her as well. But still, we were all sad. This news killed everyone’s mood. An hour later, after the bill was paid, we went home. It was decided to make a little movie night at the Kofis’ house with Grease and West Side Story.
Mom, Nikki, and I already wanted to go home after those movies, as Mrs. Kofi found a few recordings from our plays and karaoke sessions. What wonderful memories. It started with Nikki’s performance in Dance of the Vampires, then the karaoke nights in New York, and most important, our play in the Minskoff Theater. We have achieved so much during the last few months. While we watched the final video, Nikki cuddled herself close to me. I placed my arm around my girl, holding her tight, while our smiling parents watched us.
I could hear Mrs. Kofi speaking silently to my mom and her husband:
“I think we did a good job with our kids.”

I could only smile at them. And Nikki? She had her eyes closed and purred, as I gently stroked her side.
It wasn’t planned, but since it was getting late, and we all were tired, mom, Nikki and I stayed at the Kofis house. Well, it was mostly because Nikki fell asleep in my arms, and we couldn’t wake her up. Mr. Kofi carefully carried his daughter up the stairs to her room before we went to bed. It was a silent night. A peaceful one.


Ok, what else could I tell you about? Oh, yes. A few days ahead of Christmas, I was sitting in my room, working on my journal. Outside, it was snowing like crazy. This year, we visited Nikki's paternal grandparents. I hoped that they would like me. Nikki said she told them about us, and that they were eager to meet me. Luckily, my mom also came with us to their place. I knew I could really use her help, since I am terrible at meeting new people.
While I was sitting there, sunken in my thoughts, I read back over my memories.
It started on this faithful night I confessed my love to Nikki. Then how we told our mothers about our newly discovered feelings for each other. The next was the talk with Nikki’s father. I remember that evening as if it were yesterday. Especially how angry Mr. Kofi was at first. I think without Mrs. Kofi’s help, Nikki and I would have been so screwed that day. I cannot believe it's been over 2.5 years already. Such a long time. And so much has happened during these years. Let me think. The first girl who touched me sexually was a cute bunny named Erin. This crazy girl took my virginity. Shortly after that, I had my first time with Nikki. That was in the middle of May 2020. In June 2020, Nikki was accepted at Stark College. In September 2020, I got my Iron Wolf Armor from Nikki’s parents. And in October, Nikki and I drove to our first Comic Con.
At the same time, our relationship, which was basically illegal to that point, became legalized, after the Association for the Rights of Anthropomorphs managed to get a motion through Parliament that slightly adjusted child protection laws for us Anthros.
Then came Nikki’s first time on stage. She played Sarah in the Stark College’s version of Dance of the Vampires. What followed was a camping trip with Mikey, and our first journey to the Big Apple. What a remarkable journey. Our second trip to New York followed soon after, and last July, we visited Hazel, Johana, and their family.
We did so many great things during the past years. I cannot wait what the future will bring.

Oh, now I know what else to tell you about, before me move on to the final part. Mom and Nikki’s parents had another talk about the journey to Europe. It was the day before Christmas, as Mr. and Mrs. Kofi came over for a visit. We all sat down on the couch, after mom made some coffee and cocoa. Mr. Kofi took a sip from his cup, before he began to talk:

“Well, Christa. Have you decided yet, if you and Balto will join us on our trip to Austria?”
Mom wanted to deny the offer to go with them. She shook her head and replied:
“Idrissa, it is a generous offer, but it is too expensive for us.”
Nikki’s father took another sip.
“Christa, we invited you and Balto.”
Mom looked at me before she sighed.
“I don’t know. Idrissa, I already owe you so much for the repairs at the house and everything. I cannot accept you paying for a journey like that.”
Now Nikki’s mom spoke up:
“Christa, come on. You owe us nothing. Join us on the trip, it won’t be the same without you two.”
Mommy was really struggling with her decision.
“It is too much.”
She turned her head to Nikki and me.
“Nicole, can you please go with Balto to his room? Watch a movie or something, you two don’t need to hear this.”
Nikki stood up and took my hand to help me up, but I refused to leave. Instead, I begged:
“But I want to stay. And please, mom. I read so much about Austria already. I want to see it. Please.”
Mom’s tone became more serious:
“Balto, go to your room. I need to talk to Idrissa and Asha, and this is none of your business.”

Nikki dragged me off the sofa, and we went to my room. She turned on my laptop, started a movie we could watch, but I was more interested in the ongoing conversation in our living room. I was leaning on the closed door and tried to listen. The voice I heard first was that of Nikki's father.
“Christa, how long do you think you can hide the fact that you could never afford to maintain this house yourself? Your son isn’t stupid. Besides that, supporting you is something we love to do. You two are part of our family, and so it is self-evident, that we support you. And we want you to come with us to Austria. Besides that, why do you want to deny him this chance to and explore new places?”
Mom’s voice became louder:
“Idrissa, I want to avoid spoiling Balto too much. And if he finds out that we can only live here because you two are paying for everything here, what would he think of me?”
Mr. Kofi answered calmly:
“He would understand it. He would understand that family means supporting each other no matter what. To be honest, I explained this whole situation to him some time ago. He knows everything, and nothing has changed. He loves his mother, and nothing will ever change that. Now give yourself a push and join us on the trip to Austria.”

Mom went silent, and I heard Mrs. Kofi:
“Christa, come on. We will have so much fun over there. And you know how eager your son is if it comes to learning about new things. I also think it would hurt Balto very much to be separated from Nicole for two whole weeks.”
Mom didn’t sound happy, as she finally answered:
“Asha, I know how hurtful that can be, especially for a wolf, to be parted from his love. Ok, you convinced me. We will join you.”
Mrs. Kofi’s voice became higher, and sounded very joyful:
“Fantastic! To be honest, we already booked the flights for you and Balto. We just knew you would agree. Should we tell the good news to our kids?”
Mommy answered:
“Not necessary. I know my son. He listened to every word we said. Balto, come back here.”
Enthusiastically, I opened the door of my room and moved with quick steps to the living room. Nikki followed slowly. As we reached the room, mom asked us to sit down.
“Balto, I know you listened through the closed door. I told you a thousand times that it isn’t nice to listen to conversations that aren’t meant for you to hear. Well, as you already know, we will go to Austria next summer. But only if you continue to perform well at school.”
She paused for a moment, before she continued.
“Balto, I just learned that you know about our financial situation. I am sorry that I haven’t told you about it.”
I didn’t respond. Instead, I gave her a tight hug. My mom is the best in the whole world. Nothing can and will ever change my mind on this.
So, watch out, Austria. We are coming.
 
Final Part: Nikki’s Grandparents


Before I close this entry, I want to tell you about our visit to Nikki’s paternal grandparents on the second day of Christmas.
They live a bit out of town, and their house is even bigger than the one the Kofis are living in. But it also has many similarities to their home. I guess Mr. Kofi senior used almost the same plans when they built their second house.
The main differences are the big cellar underneath the house, and their garden is bigger. But maybe we should start at the beginning.

Mr. and Mrs. Kofi, Nikki, Mom, and I met early in the morning in front of the Kofis’ house. Once more, we used their big Pick-Up truck for the trip. Besides its hunger for fuel, it is really a fantastic car. Sadly, Mr. Kofi wants to sell it next year to buy a newer one, which will be a bit smaller, as he has told me. It will also need less gas, which is a good thing. Damn, I can’t wait to start with the training for my driver’s license. But I must wait until my birthday next year, before I can get my learner’s permit. Well, this will be a theme for an entry in a few months.

We arrived at Kofi Manor, and no, I am not joking, that is really standing in big letters on the front gate, about an hour after we left our home. Nikki's father honked the horn after he parked the car. The front door opened, and two persons came out. They looked a bit elderly, but still very agile and fresh. They both waved to greet us. Mr. Kofi was the first who stepped out of the car to give his parents a hug, followed by his wife and Nikki. Mom left the car. I was the last one sitting. My mother signed me to get out of the car. Slowly I followed her command. I was so nervous. After I finally found the courage to get out of the car, I could hear Mr. Kofi senior greeting Mrs. Kofi, before turning to Nikki.
“Nicole, it is such a pleasure to see you again, my little protea.”
He then looked at his son:
“Idrissa, she becomes more beautiful every time I see her. Are you sure you are her father?”
Mr. Kofi hid his face and shook his head. I could hear him mumbling:
“Dad, please.”
Mr. Kofi senior chuckled, as he gave Nikki a tight hug and a kiss on her cheek. He then made a step towards mom and me.
“Christa Star. You haven’t changed a bit. Your fur is still white as snow. It is a pleasure to see you again. It has been far too long since we last saw each other.”
Mom smiled, as the two shook hands. Then it was my turn. Shy as I am, I tried to hide behind my mother, what made Mr. Kofi senior laugh.
“And who do we have here? No need to hide, son. I don’t bite. And after all what I have heard about you and my granddaughter, I am sure can give me your hand like a man.”
Shyly, I took Mr. Kofi Senior’s hand, and introduced myself with a slightly trembling voice:
“I am B-B--Balto, S---ir.”
Next, I felt his strong hand on my shoulder.
“No need to call me Sir, little wolf. An Anthro should never call anyone Sir. Well, at least as long as you aren’t stupid enough to join the army, like Idrissa there did.”
He eyed me, even lifted me up a bit, then he turned his head to my mom:
“Christa, what are you feeding him? Your son needs some meat on his bones. Otherwise, Nicole will wear him out quickly.”
This was such an embarrassing situation for me, but since I wanted him to like me, I didn’t say anything, since I wanted him to like me. Nikki never told me much about her grandparents. And even if it sounds strange, I never met them before.
 
Luckily, Mr. Kofi came over to us, after he had watched the scene for a while.
“Dad, please. Take it easy. Balto is a little shy with people he doesn’t know. I fear you frighten him.”
The older cheetah looked at me.
“I am sorry, little wolf, but there really is no need to be shy. By the way, since you are a member of our family, you can call me Michael.”
He pointed at his wife.
“And this is my wife, Sophie. Welcome to our house, Balto. Feel yourself at home.”

I made a few steps to greet Nikki’s grandmother, who then asked us to go inside.
After entering the house, I could smell something wonderful. I can barely describe this heavenly scent. It was like Nikki’s Grandma killed and cooked an angel. The smell was so tempting that it was hard for me to stay focused.

After we took off our paw protectors, which we were wearing because of the snow, Mr. Kofi senior showed me most of the house. The little sightseeing tour included the big garden, in which they have a few big trees, and the cellar.
Down there I could see a few expensive looking wine bottles, and in a corner room, I could see something like a table with buildings on it. Unfortunately, it was too dark in there. My first thought was a tabletop-game. But before I could ask, we had to go back upstairs. Don’t worry, I will come back to this a bit later. We rejoined the others in the big living room. By big, I mean that you could easily play soccer in there. The first thing I noticed in this room were two sofas. One in the middle, in front of a large television, and another at the back, in an area that looked like a small library. A few framed documents hung on the walls, along with some masks, which I supposed had an African origin.
In the library, I saw several heavy books. There were works from Charles Darwin, Gregor Mendel, Jean-Baptiste de Lamarck, and other biologists. I also found scientific and historical books, even some on law and legislation. And then I noticed that they had every single book which was ever written by Dr. Lucius Allister.
A truly impressive library. The other end of the room is dominated by a round, wooden dinner table, which was already decorated with roast potatoes, vegetables, apples, some Christmas stuff, and a large free space in the middle of all of it. That was for the thing that Mr. Kofi and his mother brought into the room the next moment. It was the best-looking turkey I had ever seen. The bird was placed in the middle of the table, before Mr. Kofi senior asked us to sit down. Mom and Nikki were sitting on my left and right side, what gave me a bit of a safe feeling. I was still nervous like a fresh born cub.
Mr. Kofi senior then stood up again, to give a little speech:
“I want to thank you all for coming to celebrate Christmas with us. This year, we have the pleasure of welcoming two more friends to our table. Christa, we have known you since your marriage with Sebastian. I am especially happy that we are finally allowed to meet your son, from whom we already heard so many good things. As I mentioned before, my wife and I know about his relationship with our granddaughter. At this point, I would like to clarify one thing. If you two are truly serious about it, we will always stand behind you two. We are all family. Now, before we all enjoy this wonderful meal, I would like each of us to share something that we are grateful for. I will begin.
I am grateful for my family, my son, his wonderful wife, my granddaughter, and our dear friends. I am also thankful that we are all healthy and that we can live in peace and freedom. Sophie, would you go next?”
 
The voice of Mr. Kofi’s mother sounded so beautiful. Like that of a singer in the opera. So clear, so powerful, but still soft and gentle.
“I am grateful that we are all here together, that we are all healthy. I am grateful that the past year wasn’t as bad for us as it was for so many others. I am also thankful that we can sit here around this table as one big family. Seeing how happy Balto and Nicole seem to be together warms my hearth. And finally, I am happy about Michael and I being able to travel to Africa next year. I can't wait to add a few more pieces to my collection. Asha, what about you?”

Mrs. Kofi stood up, looked at each of us and said:
“Above all, I am grateful for our wonderful daughter and everything she has achieved in the past year. She and her friends worked hard, and it paid off. I am so happy that she can follow her dreams. Also, I am happy how Balto and Nicole managed to deepen their relationship over the past year. I am so proud of you two. Idrissa?”
Mr. Kofi stood up for his turn.
“Well, Asha has basically already said it all. Balto, Nicole, we are proud of both of you. You proved, repeatedly, that your love for each other is true. I have the feeling that you two can handle every challenge life will probably have in stock for you in the future. Be assured, you can always count on our help and support. I am thankful for having such a wonderful daughter, such good friends, and for my future son-in-law. Nicole, your turn.”

Nikki also stood up, after her father has sat back down. She cleared her throat, and spoke:
“I am mostly thankful for my wolf, and for the progress we both made during the year. We had concerts and plays, found many friends, and made people happy. I can’t be more thankful for having a wonderful boyfriend, and such a supportive family. Thank you all so much, and Balto, I love you more than even you can imagine. And now, it’s your turn.”
My heart was beating fast, my hands were shaking, and I had my tail between my legs when I stood up. In a stuttering voice, I tried to form a clear sentence.
“I ... I'm grateful that Nikki still wants me as her boyfriend. I'm grateful that her parents and my mom have been so supportive of us in the years we've been a couple. I'm thankful for all the time we've spent together, for our karaoke sessions and for every song we've sung together. Nikki was the one who helped me overcome my fears and showed me how cool singing and acting is. And I am grateful that you invited my mom and me to your wonderful house. Thank you so much. Mom?”
Mom stood up to give me a hug. Then I sat down, and she began to speak:
“I am grateful for my son, his girlfriend, my friends, and my family. We have experienced so much this year. We have been to New York City, our children have performed in a Broadway theater and at a concert in front of thousands of people. I am happy to see them both doing so well in school. You two remind me so often of my beloved Sebastian and me. Balto, you truly have your father's kindness, his strength, and his deep concern for those he loved. I am proud of you. And I know your father is too. I also want to thank Idrissa's parents for inviting us here to share this meal with us. I can't thank you enough for everything you have done for me and my son.”
Mom finished, sat down, and Mr. Kofi senior spoke up again:
“I thank you all again for being here. Wealth is worth nothing, if you can’t share it with those you love. Christa, Balto, once more, I welcome you to our family. Sophie, this turkey looks wonderful. There is just one more thing I want to say, before we eat. Christa, Idrissa told me about your financial situation. I want to offer you a job in my housing association as a real estate manager. You are currently working at City Hall, and from what I have heard from Idrissa, you are perfect for the job. You would be responsible for the Lamarck district, so you could partly work from home. Your payment would be enough for a good living. And of course, there is a good insurance included for you, and for Balto. I don’t need your answer now, think about it. For now, let us enjoy this meal together. Mangiare, amici miei”

Mom remained silent for the rest of the dinner. By her looks, I can tell that she was thinking hard about this offer. A new job, which would end the struggles she had with Nikki’s parents always paying our bills. Not to forget the insurance. I hoped that mom would accept the offer. But back to the dinner for now. This meal will definitely go down in history as the best Christmas dinner I have ever had. The turkey was so delicious. Nikki and I got the legs. This would have been more than enough for me, especially since I also had potatoes and vegetables. But as Mr. Kofi’s father saw that I was done with my meat, he spoke to me:
“Balto, want some more meat? Eat, boy. You are still growing. You need to eat.”
He then cut off a big piece of meat, which he gave to me. I ate as much as I could, but soon I was stuffed like this bird on the table.
As Mom saw that I still had something on my plate, she quickly helped me eat up.
After the dinner, as soon as we were able to move again, Nikki grabbed something out of the remains of the turkey and happily yelled:
“See Balto, the wishbone. Come, the one of us who holds the bigger piece after pulling on it is allowed to make a wish.”
We pulled, and I got the bigger part. But I simply couldn’t image what I should have wished for. So, I wanted to give the piece to Nikki.
“I don’t know what I should wish for. I have everything.”
Nikki smiled.
“You can’t give it to me. It doesn’t work that way. Close your eyes. And think of the one thing you want the most to happen. But you aren’t allowed to tell anyone.”

What should I say. My wish already came true.
After a while, Mr. Kofi's father stood up to clean the table. We all helped him, while his wife Sophie turned on some music from Andrea Bocelli. Christmas songs, to be exact. I love this man’s voice. It then was my mother who, after we were done with the dishes, suggested that Nikki and I should sing.
Singing with a full belly can be a bad idea. So, Nikki chose for a simple song. It was the classical ‘Silent Night’, a song that was composed in 1818 in Austria. Thank God, we didn’t have to sing every verse. I can’t speak for the others, but I only wanted to sleep after the meal we just had.

After we were allowed to sit back down, Mr. Kofi’s mother came to us with two packages. One was for Nikki. The other one, to my surprise, was for me. I turned and squished it a bit, while Nikki began to carefully open hers. I also began to remove the paper, after I heard Mr. Kofi senior’s voice.
“I hope you two will like them. Balto, we ordered yours in a slightly bigger size, so you can wear it longer, as you are still growing.”

Nikki was done first with unwrapping her gift and was soon holding up a black leather jacket. She caressed over one of the sleeves with her eyes becoming big.
“This leather is so smooth. Balto, you must feel this. This is so cool. Thanks, Grandpa and Grandma.”
Soon later, I held my jacket in my hands after I carefully removed the wrapping paper. Nikki was right. The leather was smooth, but strong. The jacket is also pretty heavy. Mom came over to me, and she was also amazed by the material when she said:
“This must have cost a fortune. I don’t know if we can really accept this.”
The old cheetah just smiled and shook his head.
“Of course, you can, Christa. It is a gift.”
Quickly, I put on my new jacket before I ran out of the room searching for a mirror. But I could still hear the voice of Mr. Kofi’s mother:
“It seems he likes his new jacket.”
This jacket sure is great. I turned a few times in front of the mirror in the anteroom. Mr. Kofi senior was right, it is a bit big, but that isn’t such a problem.
After a few minutes, I rejoined the others.
“Thank you, Mr., and Mrs. Kofi. This jacket is so cool. I can't wait to show it off to my friends.”
Mom nodded, but also had an objection:
“Sweetie, you better don’t wear it to school. You can wear it at any other place, but not there. I don’t want to risk it gets damaged or stolen. This thing probably costs more than my entire wardrobe. I want you to promise me, that you will be careful with it.”

Mr. Kofi’s father chuckled.
“It is a jacket, Christa. It is meant to be worn. But you are right, at least in the winter, he should wear something a bit warmer. And Balto, you are welcome. Those jackets really suit both of you.”

Hm, oh, I almost forgot. After I gave the jacket to mom, since I didn’t want to make it dirty, Mr. Kofi senior asked me to follow him down to the cellar again. There we went to this dark room with the big table. The older feline switched on the lights, and I could finally see what was in there. It was a large model-railroad with 6 tracks, many buildings, a big train station. In the back was a mountain made out of styrofoam. This whole thing is so big that it is possible to go underneath it, and through two trap doors, you can be right in the middle of it. This would be a fantastic playground for a tabletop-game. Nikki’s grandfather left for a moment, and as he came back, he held some small, squared mirrors and some glue in his hands.
“Balto, I asked you down here because I can use your help. I want these mirrors here back there on the wall behind the mountain. You would need to climb on the plate for that. Just be careful, putting all that together was a lot of work. I will give you the mirrors after I put glue on them. Don’t touch the glue, it is strong.”
I didn’t answer him, I just climbed enthusiastically on the plate, waiting for the first mirror. The cheetah laughed.
“I will take that as a yes. Good boy. That is how I like it.”

It took us some time, until the last mirror was in place. Now I was allowed to switch on the power. As the countless lights turned on, I didn’t know where to look first. The cheetah allowed me to play a bit with the trains, until Nikki joined us.

“Grandpa, Grandma is looking for you. What are you two doing down here?”
My girl looked at the railroad, and our latest work.
“Oh, are you working on that old thing again? Looks good.”

Her grandfather smiled.
“Your boy here helped me with something I couldn’t do without him. Balto, good job. Now let us go back upstairs, before the women get mad. Believe me, you don’t want to see those ladies in a bad mood.”
My answer to this made the older cheetah chuckle:
“If Nikki is mad, I give her a paw massage. That always makes her happy.”
He touched my shoulder, squeezing it a bit.
“Good boy. Always make your girl happy, and she will take good care of you. You know what I mean.”
We both laughed, while Nikki rolled her eyes and sighed.
“Boys.”

After switching off the power, we walked back upstairs, where we talked a bit more. Two hours later, it was time for us to drive back home. Before I stepped into the car, Mr. Kofi senior put me aside, away from the others. His tone suddenly wasn’t as friendly as it was before. He sounded cold. A bit like one of these mean Billionaire in a cheap movie.
“Balto, before you leave, let us have a talk. For what I have seen today, you seem to be a good, and honest young man. Nicole loves you, Idrissa, and Asha like you. But I am not sure if you are the right partner for my precious protea Nicole. Because of that, here is a check over ten thousand dollars. All you have to do for it is to leave her alone.”

He wrote that check and waved it in front of my face.
My reaction, well, I was disgusted. I already thought he would be a nice man, and now this. I looked him in the eyes, shook my head, then turned around, ready to leave this place, as I felt his hand on my shoulder again. I growled at him, bared my teeth, but that only amused the man. He spoke to me once more, but this time, it was the warm, friendly voice again, which I knew from before. I was a bit confused, to say the least.

“Balto, wait. Your reaction to my offer was exactly what I wanted to see. You passed my final test. No one would decline such an offer, if he would be only after money.”
He handed me a business card from his wallet with his phone number and e-mail address on it.
“Call or write me in case you should need something. Young man, Nicole made the right choice with you.”
Still confused, I looked at him.
“Tell me, why did you do that? I love Nikki. She is all I want. I don’t want your money. Also, why do you always call Nikki a protea?”
The old cheetah nodded.
“As I said, it was a test. If you are blessed with wealth, you must be careful who you allow joining your family’s inner circle. More important, Nicole is my only granddaughter, and my greatest treasure. I will do everything to protect her from any possible harm, including false lovers. And why I call her my little protea is simple. My favorite flower is the king protea, the African queen of the flowers. As you might know, Sophia and I were born in Africa. You should never forget your roots, Balto, even if they aren’t so pretty sometimes. And now, it is time for you to go. Your girl is waiting for you. A gentleman never lets a girl wait.”

On my way to the car, I looked at the business card. It also has a protea on it. I sat down in the car’s back seat, between mom and Nikki. We were already on the street, as they saw the card. My mother asked, while I was staring at this little piece of paper:

“Why did he want to speak with you alone, Balto? Is everything ok?”
I nodded in silence. But mom felt that something wasn’t right.
“What is it, son? Spit it out.”
I almost whispered my answer:
“He wanted to give me money, if I leave Nikki for it.”
Nikki became furious, as she heard that. Mom didn’t even have the chance to say anything before Nikki shouted in a growling tone:
“What? Who does he think he is? Dad, turn around, I need to speak a few words with grandpa!”
I tried to calm her down.
“Nikki, it’s ok. I declined, then he said that it was only a test. That he only wants to protect you from false lovers or other harm. It is ok. I only wonder, am I the first boy he tested?”
Nikki nodded.
“Well, you are the first boyfriend I ever presented to him.”
She took me into her arms, pressing me against her, while my mother watched us. She was surprisingly quiet in this situation. Maybe she knew that everything was fine and wanted to keep it that way. Nikki’s father, who heard everything, added a few more words:
“Balto, he did the same with Asha, as I introduced her to him. Not that I ever had any doubts, but I am glad you made the right choice, son.”
I couldn’t hide my smile.
Halfway home, Mom pulled out her cell phone.
“Idrissa, can you please give me your father’s phone number? I would like to send him a note about this job he offered to me.”
Mr. Kofi looked into the rearview mirror.
“Will you accept it, Christa? It is a good job, and secure, too.”
Mom smiled, as I gave her the business card with the phone number on it.
“Yes, I will. This is a big chance, and I will finally have some financial freedom. Besides that, I won’t have to drive into the city anymore. It would be stupid to say no. The only thing is, that I barely know what my new job will be like.”
Mr. Kofi was clearly satisfied with my mother’s decision.
“You won’t regret it. And don’t worry, my father and his staff will show you everything in the first few months. You will do great.”
 
And with that, our friends, there is only one more thing to say. We wish you all a happy new year.  
 
And please, stay safe.

Nikki and Balto
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