CAUTION: This story contains implied sexual activity between minors, mild violence, and profanity. Reader discretion is advised.
Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. Unless otherwise indicated, all the names, characters, events and incidents in this book are either the product of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
Masala Chai
by IndigoNeko and TaintedThylacine
Chapter 17
Thursday, May 26th, 2016
“Freedom!” Willow exclaimed as the final bell rang, signaling that the school day was over and that summer vacation had officially started for her and the other students. It didn’t take long for the blue-haired mouse to make her way out of English class and down the crowded hallway to the Theater classroom where Alex and Azalea had their last class of the day.
“Hey Willow!” Alex called as the mouse approached. “I’ve gotta run to finish cleaning out my locker and get to the bus. You two have my number. Call me anytime you want to hang out, okay?” The tigress didn’t wait for confirmation before turning and darting down the hallway, weaving through the dense crowd of students and vanishing from view, waving farewell.
As Alex headed off in the direction of hir locker, Willow walked up to Azalea and wrapped her arm around the jerboa-squirrel hybrid’s arm. “So, Azzy baby... You know, we need to celebrate or something. It’s summer vacation!”
“And just what do you have in mind?” Azalea asked as she looked at the mouse, following her down the hallway in the opposite direction the tiger had taken. “Gather up all our school books, start a bonfire, and dance naked around it?”
“Well, as much fun as that sounds, I don’t think it will end well,” Willow said, smiling broadly enough to show off her buck teeth. “I have something else in mind; something that I know we will both like.”
“The way that you put that, it sounds like this will lead to more trouble than my idea,” Azalea said, somewhat suspiciously. “Might not happen right now, but I’m sure that it would come back and bite us in the tail.”
“Oh come on. Trust me. Pleeease,” Willow said, the mouse looking up to the taller squirrel-thing with wide eyes as the two rodents reached their respective lockers.
“You cheater,” Azalea said playfully, smiling. “You know that I can’t say ‘no’ to that look.” The rodent hybrid huffed as she opened her locker and started cleaning it out. “I still can’t get over the fact that the batteries never ran out on this,” she said as she started taking down the little dinosaur tea party and lights that she had set up on the top shelf of her locker at the start of the school year.
“I knew you were weird, but I didn't think that you would do something like that,” Willow said, watching Azalea putting the little dinosaur figures into her bag. “It’s cute though,” the blue-haired mouse admitted as she finished cleaning out her own locker.
“It was just something I did one day when I got here early and was bored,” Azalea explained as she gathered up all the loose paper from her locker and stuffed it into a nearby trash bin.
“That still doesn’t tell me why you had dinosaurs and stuff in your backpack,” Willow pointed out as she slung her bag over her shoulder and closed her locker.
“Well, I had been using my bag to keep some odds and ends in and I guess I forgot to take them out before it became a school bag,” Azalea explained with a little shrug, going back to close her locker. “You won’t be missed,” the jerboa-hybrid said, sticking her tongue out at the locker.
“So weird,” Willow said as she took the squirrel-jerboa’s paw and started jogging down the hallways, practically dragging the other rodent behind her.
“Yeah, I know. That’s why you like me,” Azalea said, with a snicker, huffing as she tried to keep up. “I mean... this is coming from the girl that would just sit and watch me in class. When Alex told me about it, we weren't sure if it was because you liked me or if you wanted to pounce and kill me.”
“Well, I do want to pounce you, but it’s out of love or something,” Willow admitted as the two rodents reached the front of the school. “So are you doing anything tonight?” the mouse asked as they walked over to one of the benches and sat down to wait for their respective rides home.
“Well, I was thinking that I would be a slack-ass,” Azalea said, shrugging. “My guild leader said something about trying to get a raid or something like that going, but if you have something better in mind, I’m game for that.”
“I can think of something,” Willow said with a smirk as she pulled out her phone and started typing out a quick message. “Maybe a sleepover, lots of snuggling, and some other things,” the mouse suggested, casually resting her paw on Azalea’s.
“Oh. Oh my,” Azalea murmured, blushing as she used her free paw to fish out her phone and send off a message. “I’m sure that my guild leader can deal with not having a tank. She’s pretty good at it.”
Willow’s phone dinged in her paw and she quickly looked down at it and smiled happily. “Well, it’s clear on my end for me to come over,” the mouse said leaning in and kissing her girlfriend. She started to say something but was cut off by a ding from Azalea’s phone.
“Well, we have the answer. Mom says that it’s okay for you to come over. Do you want to hitch a ride to my place?” Azalea asked, fluffy tail twitching excitedly.
“Nah. I’ll show up at your place later. There’s a few things that I need to get,” Willow said, leaning over and kissing Azalea before getting up. “Well, there’s my bus. I’ll see you in a couple hours,” the mouse said, hopping up and running off to the bus that had just come to a stop.
“Damn it, girl,” Azalea muttered, licking her lips as she watched Willow’s tail disappear through the crowd of students. The hybrid leaned back and sighed, trying not to let her mind wander too much. She knew were it would end up and she didn’t need it in the gutter.
Less than a minute later an orange Honda Element pulled up. Getting to her feet, Azalea rushed over to the car, opening the back door to toss her bag in before closing the door and getting into the front passenger seat of the car.
“You’re free!” Cora said, smiling at her daughter.
“Yes! It feels so good,” Azalea agreed, smiling as she buckled up and the car started moving. “No more having to try and sleep, no more homework, none of that boring stuff.”
“That’s right. So, I assume that Willow will be coming over later?” Cora asked as she pulled out of the school’s pick-up lane.
“Yeah,” Azalea confirmed. “She said something about needing to get a few things, so that will give me time to go home, shower and things like that. No idea what she’s planning.”
“That’s one reason that you two get along so nicely,” Cora pointed out, nudging her daughter.
Azalea rolled her eyes and sighed.
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“Alex?”
The tigress in question blinked as hir ears swivelled, subconsciously reacting to hearing hir name. After a second hir brain caught up with hir ears and shi raised hir eyes from the Nintendo in hir lap, looking up the center aisle that ran down the school bus. Jerome was turned around in his seat, facing hir. The tigress raised an eyebrow at the mountain lion, having missed the first part of the conversation. Shi had been tuning out the racket of the fifty or so kids on the bus that were anxious to get home and start their summer vacations.
“I know it’s almost a month away, but... Will you be attending the Litha festival?” Jerome asked.
“Unless something else comes up... Yes,” Alex replied. Suddenly shi remembered the handfasting ceremony at the Beltane festival and had a brilliant idea, quickly pulling out hir phone. “Oh, thanks for reminding me... I need to talk to my parents and Priestess Sharleen.”
“You also need to give me your phone number,” Jerome said. “So that we can keep in touch. Most of us will still be going to Scott Carpenter next year-”
“But I will be moving on to Prairie Flats Preparatory Academy,” Brandy interrupted with obvious pride, a smirk on the albino skunk’s muzzle.
“...What she said,” Jerome acknowledged, waving his paw in Brandy’s direction. “Anyway, I wanted to start a group chat so that we can all keep up over summer and discuss plans for the Litha and Lughnasadh festivals. And since we all live in Aspen Glen, we should all be within biking distance, so if we get bored we can hang out over summer break...”
As the mountain lion continued to talk, Alex suddenly realized that shi didn’t have a bicycle. Having a bike would be useful getting to and from Ravi and Aruna’s house, if shi could learn how to ride one. Shi nodded as Jerome finished talking, then read off hir phone number so he could add them to the bus stop gang’s text message chat. A moment later, Alex started tapping out a message to hir parents about both getting a bicycle and having a talk later that evening about handfasting Ravi and Aruna.
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No sooner than Azalea sat down on her nest after cleaning up than she heard someone ring the doorbell. The jerboa-squirrel jumped to her feet and rushed downstairs to get the door. “Who is it?” she asked, standing at the door.
“Feed your head, feed your head,” the voice on the other side said.
“Oh hey, it’s a dormouse,” Azalea said as she opened the door, stepping aside to let the blue-haired mouse inside.
“At least you got that reference,” Willow said as she kicked her shoes off, a plastic bag in her paw and her backpack slung over her shoulder. “Come on, I got something to show you,” the mouse said, heading upstairs to the hybrid’s bedroom.
“What have you got in there?” Azalea asked as she followed the mouse upstairs.
“I have some nice stuff for you,” Willow answered as she sat on Azalea’s nest, followed a moment later by the jerboa-squirrel. “This is the first thing,” the mouse said, reaching into the bag and pulling out a box that was labelled ‘bleaching kit’.
“You’re going to bleach your hair?” Azalea asked, tilting her head a little. “But I like the neon-blue you’ve got going this month.”
“I’m not dying my hair,” Willow said with a smirk as she sat the box down before pulling out another box. “We’re going to dye yours,” the mouse said, showing off the box of magenta hair dye.
“I don’t know, that's a little... wild,” Azalea said, staring wide-eyed at the boxes.
“Oh, come on. It will wash out before school starts back up... and I’m sure that I can dye it back to your normal color if it doesn’t. And that’s not all,” Willow said as she sat the box down, and started going through her backpack, pulling out a small zipper bag that had a number of different colors of nail polish.
“Well, I have been thinking of trying something new,” Azalea admitted, looking at the various cosmetics that the blue-haired mouse had brought with her.
“I thought that you would like it. and I think that magenta will look really cute on you with your natural purple and orange,” the mouse said, smiling and looking her girlfriend up and down. “New hair, new nail color... and if you’re good, I’m sure that I can come up with something to reward you. Now, you’re going to need a shirt that you’re not worried about getting messed up,” the mouse said as she started opening the box and pulling out the instruction leaflet.
Two minutes later, the two rodents were sitting in Azalea’s bathroom, getting ready to start dying the jerboa-squirrel’s orange and purple head-fur.
“You know that my mom will freak,” Azalea pointed out as the mouse started putting latex gloves on.
“Which one?” Willow asked, smiling as she wiggled around a little, getting behind Azalea. “Like I said, I can dye it back to your normal color.”
“I think that Cora would be okay with it. I mean... artsy mom,” Azalea clarified. “Business mom would be the one that does the freaking,” the hybrid said as Willow began combing the bleaching gel through her hair.
Working the bleach into the hybrid’s hair was just the start of a long process. It took a while to make sure that everything was covered, without getting it anywhere else. Once that was done, they had to rinse it all out. After rubbing it down with a towel, blow drying it, then brushing it, they were finally ready to move on to the next part.
“It’s so weird seeing you with grey and blonde hair like this. Is this, like, a look into the future? My mate, years and years later, a little old lady,” Willow said with a giggle as she pulled out the bottle of conditioner-based dye and shook it vigorously.
“And you talk about me being weird,” Azalea said, shaking her head as she looked back at her girlfriend, watching her getting things ready. It was obvious she had quite a bit of experience with hair dye. “You know, I think that I could get used to this kinda thing.”
“What? Dying your hair and sporting a wild look like me? Or the dating thing, snuggles and all that?” Willow asked as she put on a fresh pair of gloves. “Turn back around,” the mouse instructed as she started working on getting the magenta dye into place.
“Well, depending on how much trouble we get into... the wild look thing might be a little on the fun side,” Azalea snickered, wiggling her ears a little to keep them out of the way. “Though I really do like the idea of dating and snuggles and all that.” The hybrid blushed, grateful that she was facing away from the mouse.
“Yeah, I’m happy about the dating thing too. Earlier this year, I was thinking that if I even talked to you, that I would be friend-zoned right off the bat,” the blue-haired mouse said as she kept working the magenta dye through Azalea’s hair.
“Well, if things had gone differently with Alex, then you might have... but you also have hir to thank for pointing out that you liked me more than just as a friend,” Azalea said, letting out a little sigh. “You know, shi noticed earlier this year that you were always looking at me. Shi wasn’t sure if you liked me or hated me.” The hybrid snorted in amusement.
“Well, as you see, I like you,” Willow said as she finished using up the last of the magenta dye, then started combing it through Azalea’s hair to evenly distribute it. “I would kiss you, but I don’t want to get magenta dye anywhere it shouldn’t be. You know... Alex seems pretty cool.”
“Shi is really awesome; a big sweetheart, but boy if you mess with her or her friends... Well, she might do to you what she did to my walls... or that carpet at the arcade... and nearly did to Heath,” Azalea said, taking a deep breath. “I’m happy to have hir as a friend.”
“Well then, I will just have to stay on hir good side,” Willow said as she leaned back a little, nodding and smiling at her work. “Perfect. Now we wait,” the mouse said, pulling the gloves off and tossing them into the box. “Now, turn around and show me those paws.”
“I knew you had to have some weird kinks,” Azalea teased, turning and lifting her foot up, wiggling it at her girlfriend. “So kinky!”
“I’m going to pour bleach on you or something,” Willow threatened, picking up one of the nail polish bottles before turning back around. “I bite. You know that, don’t you?” the mouse asked, taking Azalea’s foot and holding it in place as she started painting the hybrid’s toe-claws.
“See, now you’re even talking about biting me. God, you're so naughty,” Azalea said with a giggle. “Whatever floats your boat.”
“It’s a good thing that I think that you’re so damn cute. Otherwise I think that I would have to keep you gagged or something,” Willow said, shaking her head.
“Now you’re into bondage too?” Azalea joked as the mouse painted her toe-claws.
“Hush, silly squirrel,” Willow ordered, spending the next few minutes in silence as she focused on painting Azalea’s claws, eventually switching feet and spending another few minutes.
Eventually the silence became too much for Azalea. “Sooo... do you have any other things you find cute or kinky?”
“Hmmm... Yes. I also happen to think that a girl is super cute in nothing but a hoodie and a pair of stockings,” Willow added with a smirk as she sat down the squirrel-jerboa feet, then took her hand and started painting the hybrid’s fingernails.
“Oh, I have a hoodie in my closet somewhere,” Azalea said, grinning. “Tell me more.”
“Well, I want to try something with some strawberries and whip cream... or something like that,” Willow added to the list, a blush tinting her ears. “Oh, and you want to know the thing that will get me off the most?” she asked, grinning as Azalea leaned towards her. “Don’t tell anyone else about this, but... I get off when someone calls me a rat when I’m wearing a wig.”
“Really?” Azalea asked, cocking her head and looking at the mouse as if she’d grown a second head. “I mean I know different strokes for different folks, but that's... Wait, do you really?” the half-jerboa asked again.
Willow laughed. “No. At least, not the rat thing. I’m not that weird. Now be quiet while I finish your nails. If you make me laugh and I screw up, I’ll need to re-do them.”
Azalea huffed, but went silent, watching the mouse carefully run the small brush across her finger-claws, painting them the same magenta color as the hair dye over the next several minutes. As Willow finished up the last of Azalea’s claws, she closed the bottle of nail polish.
“So, I’ve been thinking... I’m okay with calling you a rat, but I don’t know where we would get a wig on short notice,” Azalea said.
Willow laughed, then leaned forward and kissed Azalea on the nose. “Silly. Now come on, ” Willow said, holding her paw out to help the jerboa-squirrel up and pushing her towards the bathtub. “Time to get that stuff out of your hair.”
“Yeah, we don’t want this stuff to, like, burn my hair,” Azalea agreed as she got the shower nozzle down before starting the water and kneeling over the edge of the tub.
“I don’t buy dye that does that,” Willow said as Azalea got the temperature right. “Lean forward and close your eyes. I’ll handle this part,” the mouse said, quickly wiggling out of her shorts and shirt after Azalea leaned over the edge of the tub, long magenta hair obscuring the jerboa-squirrel’s vision.
Once her clothing was safe from being splattered with dye, the mouse stepped into the tub and picked up the shower head, then started spraying down the hybrid’s long hair. Starting at the roots and slowly working her way down, Willow washed the dye out of Azalea’s hair. It took at least five minutes, but eventually the water wasn’t bright magenta, and several more before it started running clean.
“Stay there. Just about done,” Willow instructed, as she finished rinsing her paws before setting the sprayer down and picked up the comb again. “Oh man, that looks good on you,” the mouse said, brushing Azalea’s hair back and wiping the water from the fur around the half-squirrel’s eyes.
“Willow!” Azalea exclaimed after opening her eyes, blushing at the sight of the nearly-naked mouse squatting in the tub in front of her.
“What? I think that the colors look good on you,” Willow said, frowning.
“Not that; it’s more that you’re... naked,” Azalea replied, blushing and trying to keep her gaze on the mouse’s face rather than... on her exposed underwear.
“You know, since we’re dating, seeing each other naked is kinda on the normal side of things,” Willow said, smiling and running her paw along Azalea’s muzzle. “You don’t have to be shy.”
“I know, but I didn’t think that you would just suddenly get all naked at me like this,” Azalea said with a laugh, then letting out a squeak as the shower-head stream hit her face. “Oh, you butt,” the half-jerboa said, wiping the water from her face. “I will channel my inner beast and bite you.”
“Oh really now?” Willow asked, sitting back on her tail in the tub and spreading her legs lewdly. “I’m sure that I can think of something for you to munch on,” the mouse said.
“Fuuuck,” Azalea swore quietly. “And you and Alex call me a bad influence,” the hybrid muttered, only to have everything go dark as a towel was dropped on her head.
“Keep it in your pants for a little bit longer,” Willow said, with a smirk as she climbed out of the tub, grabbing another towel and quickly drying off the little bit of damp fur on her ass and arms, then re-dressing.
“God, you’re such a tease,” Azalea huffed as she got up and used the towel to dry her head. “If you hadn’t chickened out, I would have done things to you,” the rodent hybrid said, still blushing as she kept working the towel over her hair.
“I know you would, but doing it in the bathroom... it would suck to have your moms or sister come and interrupt it,” Willow said as Azalea dropped the towel into the basket along with a wet shirt before looking in the mirror.
“Yeah, that would suck... Wow,” Azalea exclaimed looking at her newly-dyed magenta hair. “This looks really nice,” she said, as she picked up a blow dryer to finish drying off her hair.
The moment that the dryer was shut off and Azalea started to brush her hair, Willow spoke up. “You know, I think that I did a good job, considering this is the first time that I did someone’s hair other than mine. Looks really cute on you.”
“It does, but I still can’t wait to see one or both of my moms flip out,” Azalea said, grinning. “Now, shall we go back to my room for some snuggling? Or something more...” the hybrid said suggestively, as Willow opened the door and the two slipped across the hall, back to Azalea’s room.
“Like I said, I can dye it back to your natural color. I mean, it’s not that hard and it’s not like you have to go to school or anything like that,” Willow countered, flopping onto Azalea’s nest, then freezing in panic as she felt something buzzing through the pillows and blankets. “Azzy... Why is your nest buzzing and should I worry?”
“Ummm...” Azalea blushed, knowing exactly what it was. “You don’t have to worry. Nothing is going to blow up or anything like that.”
“Oh God. Azzy... Really?” Willow asked after feeling under the blankets for a moment before pulling her paw out, holding a purple vibrator.
“I, well, you know... I have to do things to take care of myself and all that,” Azalea said, blushing furiously and taking a moment to close and lock her bedroom door.
“You don’t really need this. I mean, you have me to help with that now. Though I’m sure we can find a use for it,” Willow said as she turned the buzzing toy off before going back to reaching under the blankets. “And the lube is here too. Azzy baby, we need to get you a better hiding place.”
“I think it’s a good spot, really... both of them are right there when I need ‘em,” Azalea pointed out. The half-jerboa walked over to the nest, fully intending to do the aforementioned things to the mouse.
“Azzy, Willow,” Cora’s voice came from the other side of the door, causing the two to jump. “Dinner is in less than five minutes, come down and help.”
“Okay Mom,” Azalea replied. “Be down in a moment.” She sighed in frustration.
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After closing and locking the side entrance door behind hirself, Alex quickly jogged over to the Vivint security panel that was loudly announcing ‘disarm now’ between triple beeps. The tigress quickly swiped down on the touch-screen and entered the security code, sighing with relief as the security system finally went silent. A sticky note with the ‘silent alarm’ code hung on the wall next to the panel, which would automatically call the police when used instead of the real code. It made Alex smile that they had a ‘trap’ code sitting in plain sight for burglars.
“Forgot to disarm it again?” Raenne asked, poking her head out from the nursery down the hallway.
“Yeah,” Alex replied with a sigh of frustration. “I’ll remember eventually.”
“I’ll be out in a minute and then I can fix you a snack. Quesadillas okay?” the older tigress asked.
“Yep!” Alex said, turning and walking back over to the wood-floored foyer area to take off hir brand-new open-toed digitigrade sneakers that shi had purchased to replace the old ones that shi had outgrown.
Finally free of footwear, the tigress trotted towards the kitchen, pausing only a moment to drop hir backpack at the foot of the stairwell that led to the second floor. Once inside the kitchen, Alex quickly pulled a bag of cheese and another of tortillas out of the refrigerator and set them on the kitchen island before pulling down a skillet from the pot rack that hung over it. After setting the skillet on the range and turning on the gas burner, the young tigress pulled a plate out of the nearby cabinet and started putting together a quesadilla.
Alex couldn’t help but glance at the newly-installed cameras mounted high up on the slanted walls both inside and outside the enormous glass windows at the front of the house. There were at least a half-dozen more cameras that had been installed around the house exterior and a few more in the nursery and hallways, plus magnet-based sensors on literally every single door and window, including tilt sensors on the garage doors that detected if they’d been opened. There were glass breaking sound-sensors and water-intrusion sensors located around the house too, and even sensors in the cars that reported their location along with any issues. So many sensors.
As the skillet began to heat up, Alex transferred the cheese-covered tortilla to the skillet, stuck a lid over it, and waited for the cheese to melt.
“Sorry, kiddo. I was busy cleaning diapers,” Raenne said, walking over to the kitchen sink to wash her paws.
“No worries, Mom,” Alex replied, putting the cheese and tortillas back. “Do you want to split this with me?” the younger tigress asked, pausing before closing the fridge.
“Sure,” Raenne replied, drying her paws with the hand-towel hanging off the oven door handle.
“Okay,” Alex replied, taking a cup of peach yogurt out of the refrigerator before closing it. Shi quickly hopped up on the kitchen island and peeled the top off the cup before licking the yogurt straight out of the container.
“So... first thing’s first... Do you have any preference for what style of bike you want? I assume you’ll want a mountain bike, right?” Raenne asked.
Alex shrugged. “I dunno. I’ve never ridden a bike before.”
Raenne tilted her head, staring in disbelief at her daughter. “I could swear David taught you how to ride a bicycle.”
The younger tigress looked up at hir mother and slowly shook hir head, then dipped hir tongue back into the container of peach yogurt.
Raenne let out a sigh. Even she knew how to ride a bicycle. It seemed like every time she turned around there was something important that they’d forgotten to teach their daughter. “Well... I guess we’re going shopping tomorrow. There’s a small bike shop downtown, near the hardware store. Next question: You mentioned handfasting. I assume that you wanted to discuss the idea of handfasting with Ravi and Aruna.”
This time Alex nodded. “Yes.”
“Okay, explain handfasting to me,” Raenne said, then turned around and took down a spatula from the tool rack hanging over the kitchen sink. “You said it was like a miniature marriage or something, right?” the older tigress asked, flipping the quesadilla in the skillet and putting the lid back on..
Alex slurped up the last of the yogurt in the cup and set it down. “Umm... yeah. It’s a Celtic ceremony that originated in Ireland. A priest ties a braided cord or ribbon around a couple’s hands, and they’re considered ‘bound’ for a year and a day. If the couple still want to be together after that time, then they’re considered married,” the young tigress explained. “In neopagan religions it can also be used as a betrothal, temporary wedding, or an unofficial wedding. Handfasting isn’t officially recognized as a legal marriage.”
“Hmmm,” Raenne said, leaning against the counter next to the range. “That’s probably as close to an actual marriage as you can get with Ravi and Aruna. Polygamy is illegal, and so is adelphogamy.”
“Adel-what?” Alex asked, utterly confused.
“Adelphogamy. Sibling marriage.”
“Oh...” Alex said, taking a moment to repeat the word a few times, adding it to hir vocabulary.
“So you’re serious about Ravi and Aruna, huh?” Raenne asked. “Like, you want to actually marry them? Live with them for the rest of your lives? Until death do you part and all that?”
The young tigress looked up at hir mother and slowly nodded.
Raenne took a deep breath. “Look, marriage is a very serious commitment. Personally I don’t think it’s something you should even think about until you’ve been living together for at least six months. People behave very differently when they’re dating as opposed to when they’re living together. You may find they also change as they grow up... possibly into people that you don’t like anymore.”
Alex glanced down at the floor, frowning slightly as she thought that over. After a moment shi nodded and looked back up at hir mother. “You can also help people to change for the better.”
The older tigress frowned for a second, then nodded. “That’s true... Okay. We can talk with Atman and Sevita about getting you three handfasted as a betrothal. Then if you’re still set on it, when you turn eighteen you can get handfasted as a temporary wedding. Then a year after that, you can be handfasted in an unofficial wedding. If Priestess Sharleen is okay with performing a polyfidelitous handfasting for you three, knowing your ages,” the older tigress said, then turned the range burner off before scraping the quesadilla out onto a plate.
Alex looked down at the floor, hiding the smile that spread across hir muzzle.
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The sound of gentle breathing and crickets chirping filled the air. Willow and Azzy had been sitting under the tree just past the small greenhouses for hours; the sun had set a while ago and the fireflies had come out. The early summer evening was quiet and peaceful.
“Willow, you’re bruxing,” Azalea murmured, looking at the field mouse sitting next to her.
“Sorry,” Willow muttered, blushing as she leaned over, kissing Azalea on the forehead. “I know it’s weird sounding and just weird in general.”
“It’s not that weird; it just means you’re super happy,” Azalea said, smiling at the surprised look that the field mouse gave her. “I’m glad you’re doing it. It means that I make you happy, or that you’re happy to be around me.”
“I am,” Willow confirmed. She smiled as she carefully climbed onto Azalea’s lap, putting her arms around the half-squirrel and looking into her brown eyes. “There’s nothing like spending an evening with someone that you really like, just... vibing with them. Like we don’t have to talk and we still say a lot, if that makes sense.”
“It does... Have you been reading my romance novels?” Azalea asked, playfully narrowing her eyes.
“And taking notes,” Willow said, quickly pressing her muzzle against her girlfriend’s. The mouse’s tongue slipped past the hybrid’s lips, their tongues dancing. Willow’s tail twitched happily as they made out and Azalea’s paws came to rest on the mouse’s hips.
“Gods, you have been. Not that I’m complaining at all,” Azalea said, panting as they kissed.
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Friday, May 27th, 2016
A tiny bell rang as David pushed the heavy glass door open and stepped into the small bike shop next to Ratchet’s Hardware store. The tall white tiger held the door open for his daughter, making sure hir tail was clear before letting go of the door. The inside of the bike shop was lined with racks of bicycles, all hanging from their front wheels. He actually recognized all the brands, for once: Cannondale, Schwinn, Specialized, and Trek. Most of them were clearly mountain bikes, but there were a few city bikes, fatbikes, and stunt bikes. The front wall was covered with bike helmets on display mounts and the back wall was set up with several workbenches and peg-boards covered with tools.
A surprisingly fit-looking rooster with a bright red comb and white feathers stood up from a stool at a workbench in the back of the store. “Hey there!” he crowed as he walked out from the back of the store, making his way down one of the aisles between bike racks. “I’m Tom. How can I help you?” he asked in a quieter voice as he reached the two tigers.
“Hey Tom. I’m David, and this is my daughter Alex. I need to teach hir how to ride a bike. So... something cheap and simple. After shi knows how to ride, we can look into getting something more advanced,” David said, looking down at the bird.
“Learning how to ride, huh?” the rooster turned to ask the younger feline, the skin at the corners of his beak turning up in a smile. “How old are you?”
“Ten,” the younger tigress said, glancing around at the various bikes hanging on racks around them.
The skin at the corners of the bird’s beak turned down in a frown as he looked the younger tigress up and down. “Hmm.” Then he smiled again. “You’re about my size, kid. I’ll tell you what... I’ve got an old mountain bike that will fit you, and you don’t need to worry about scuffing or scratching it. I’ll loan it to you for free, with a security deposit of three hundred bucks. I assume you’ll do a bit more growing, so when you bring it back you can buy a slightly bigger bike that you’ll grow into. Also, you’ll need a helmet, too. Feline, medium,” he said, pointing at the third column of bike helmets, about halfway down. “Pick anything that catches your fancy. I only stock five-star rated helmets so you don’t need to worry if it’s good; they’re all good.”
“What do you mean by five-star?” David asked, raising an eyebrow. “Who does the rating?”
The rooster looked up at the tall tiger. “Virginia Tech started doing independent helmet impact and concussion testing about five years ago. It’s the most comprehensive helmet testing setup I’ve ever seen. They test everything from football helmets to bicycle helmets; pretty much everything except motorcycle helmets. Five stars is their highest rating.”
“Oh,” David said, glancing over at his daughter as shi headed over to the wall of helmets, looking at the various designs they offered. “Interesting.”
“I’ll be right back with that loaner bike. If it doesn’t suit, there’s plenty of other options on the racks,” the rooster said, turning and walking back down the aisle. A moment later a door in the back of the shop opened, briefly letting in the bright early summer sunlight.
“Hey Dad?” Alex asked, pointing at one of the helmets with a visor on the front. “I like that one.”
David gave a wry smile. Of course shi liked it; it was black and orange. As he reached over and picked it up off the display mount, a bundle of extra padding fell out. He turned it around to check the shape and size while Alex picked up the dropped pads. The sticker inside said ‘Feline, Medium’ exactly as the proprietor had said it would be. He whistled at the price, listed at $100. A quick glance at the wall showed prices ranging from $40 to over $200, so he figured that wasn’t terrible.
A moment later the back door opened again, briefly letting in the sun before it closed. The rooster wheeled a yellow mountain bike up to the front of the store. It appeared to be a Cannondale, though the lettering was badly scuffed... as was much of the rest of the bike. It had clearly seen hard use.
“As you can see, a few extra scuffs and dings won’t matter on this one. I’ve been using this as my primary enduro racing bike for six years now. The shifters alone are worth the security deposit. Brakes, chain, sprockets, and tires are about four months old. She’s got another two hundred miles left on her before she needs another tune-up,” the rooster said. “Right now I’m testing out one of Trek’s new e-bikes, so I don’t need this one right now. But I’ll expect her back in two weeks.”
“Uh... What’s an ‘e-bike’?” David asked, raising an eyebrow once again.
The rooster smiled. “Oh, boy, are you in for a treat. E-bikes are bicycles with an electric motor that can give you a bit of a boost as you’re pedaling. There are three different classes, or tiers, to indicate how fast the motor will go and whether they’re strictly pedal-assist or have a throttle...”
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Saturday, May 28th, 2016
Alex flopped down on the overstuffed leather lounge chair in hir room, not bothering to fix hir rumpled t-shirt or capris. It hadn’t taken long to straighten the guest room and hir own bedroom in preparation for Ravi and Aruna coming over, but shi had spent over an hour preparing everything that shi would need to fix dinner later. Hopefully they too would like the Thai food that shi liked so much: massaman curry, red curry, pad thai, and pad kaphrao.
While Alex was relaxing up in hir bedroom, a green Acura drove up to the front of the house, parking in the driveway. A heavyset russet-furred tiger got out of the driver’s side while a slender white tigress stepped out of the passenger side and a moment later the two back doors opened and a pair of white tiger cubs got out, carrying backpacks.
Together the family of Bengal tigers walked up the stairs to the porch that ran along the side of the Andreyev family’s house. Aruna was the first to get to the side entrance and rang the doorbell, bouncing in place. Both she and Ravi were excited that they were getting to stay the night with Alex again, now that they were officially dating.
Alex rolled off the couch the moment shi heard the doorbell and darted out of hir room, barrelling down the stairs to the front door and hitting it with a thud. A second later, shi unlocked the door and pulled it open. “Aruna!” shi yelled, grabbing the younger tigress and giving her a hug and kissing her cheek.
Aruna giggled at the hug and blushed from the kiss. “Someone’s excited. We heard you hit the door,” she said, returning the kiss, tail twitching happily.
“Sorry,” Alex said, pulling back. “I’m just happy that school’s out and we can spend the summer together.” Then shi saw Ravi and gave him a hug too, lifting hir muzzle to give him a kiss on the cheek as well. “Hi Ravi,” shi said, nuzzling the taller tiger boy’s chest and purring loudly.
“Did you get into the sugar? Or the catnip?” Ravi asked with a chuckle, blushing even darker than his sister at the kiss. “Good to see that you’re happy and everything,” the tiger boy said with a smile, brushing back Alex’s snow-white hair and kissing hir forehead.
“Very happy,” Alex replied, stepping back and noticing their parents approaching. “Hi Mr. and Mrs. Bassi. Come on in. Are you still sore from karate, Ravi?” the tigress asked, stepping back inside.
“A little sore, but it’s nothing like it was when we first started,” Ravi said, following Alex and his little sister into the house. “That or I’m just getting used to you beating me up. I could use some rest and relaxation though.”
“Snuggles would be, like, the best,” Aruna agreed as she bent to remove her shoes.
Alex waited until Atman and Sevita stepped inside before shi closed the door behind them, waiting patiently as they removed their shoes. “Please, make yourselves comfortable,” shi said as hir parents walked down the hallway to join them in the great room.
“Hello Atman, Sevita,” David said as he stepped into the living room area. “Thank you for joining us.”
“It’s no problem at all,” Atman said, carefully putting his shoes on the rack near the door before walking over to sit on the loveseat, followed a moment later by his wife.
Just as they had the last time they’d had a discussion, Alex and hir parents took a seat on the long arm of the sectional and Ravi and Aruna set their backpacks on the floor and sat on the shorter section, facing their parents across the coffee table.
“Now, what’s this all about?” Atman asked as everyone was sitting down. “Sevita told me you said it was important, but didn’t know anything about it.”
“So... Alex raised a curious idea earlier this week,” Raenne said after everyone was settled. “Legally, marriage is out of the question for an... unconventional arrangement like the one between Alex, Ravi, and Aruna. None of the established religions or secular law in America allow polygamy, sibling marriage, or child marriage... much less all three.”
Both Atman and Sevita nodded. “Go on,” Atman said.
“However, Alex is a follower of a neopagan religion called Wicca,” Raenne continued, “and a member of the local sect, which are apparently very influential in this community. They have a ceremony, called handfasting, which is similar to a wedding. It can be used either as a betrothal or engagement, a temporary year-long marriage, or even a permanent marriage. Handfasting is not legally recognized as marriage, but... Here in Winter Creek, it might as well be.”
Both Atman and Sevita leaned forward, paying close attention to what the other tigress was saying.
“The local High Priestess, a tigress named Sharleen, agreed that for someone like Alex, a more conventional relationship would be, uh, unfulfilling. While a wedding would need to wait until they are quite a bit older, she is not opposed to performing a betrothal handfasting between Alex, Ravi, and Aruna.”
Atman raised an eyebrow, sucking in a breath of air. “Betrothal? So...” The tiger looked over at Alexandrea. “You’re serious about this, then? This isn’t just a casual fling with my son and daughter...?”
“I was always serious about it, Mr. Bassi,” Alex said, leaning forward and meeting the heavyset tiger’s gaze and nodding slightly. “They’re the only other tigers that I’ve ever met near my own age... There’s not very many of us. Just like our feral relatives, we’re an endangered species.” The young tigress took a quick breath, carefully reciting the short speech shi had practiced a hundred times in the past two days. “We have so much in common and became such good friends so quickly... This is like a dream come true. Mr. and Mrs. Bassi, I know it seems like it might be a bit soon, but I truly do love Ravi and Aruna. I’d like your permission to one day marry them.”
Both Atman and Sevita looked at each other, taking a deep breath. After a moment, Atman turned back to the youngest tigress, glancing over at his children for a moment to see they were as shocked as he was. After a moment, he nodded.
__________________________________________________
“Come on, slow pokes!” Aruna said, walking up the steps to the second floor now that the adults were done talking, her backpack bouncing around on her back. As she reached the short landing halfway up, she paused and looked down at the other two tiger cubs. “Make sure that you hold on to the railing.”
“What? Why?” Alex asked, looking up the stairs as shi followed Aruna. At the last second, shi grabbed the railing realizing that the younger girl was wearing skirts just as Aruna lifted the hem of her pleated skirt, showing off the purple panties she was wearing. “Oh right. That’s why,” shi muttered.
“Aruna, behave,” Ravi chastised, following Alex up the stairs.
“I am behaving... mostly,” Aruna replied, poking her tongue out before darting up to the second floor. “You two are sooooo slow.”
“Are not,” Alex countered, rolled hir eyes. “We’re being careful. We don’t like falling down stairs. You see, for us, falling down actually hurts.”
“Naaaa,” Aruna said, speaking quietly. “You’re slow ‘cause you see my panties and you get all flustered.” The little tigress vanished from sight, heading down the hall towards Alex’s room.
“She has a point,” Ravi said with a snort of amusement.
“Maybe,” Alex conceded, blushing slightly. “Why doesn’t flashing her panties do anything to you?”
“Composure... and practice,” Ravi said as they reached the top of the stairs. “I grew up with her, so it doesn’t bother me anymore. She does it to you ‘cause she likes getting a reaction.”
“You think if I see them often enough I’ll become immune?” Alex asked as they passed the upstairs bathroom, and turned to enter hir room.
“You can’t become immune to my cuteness,” Aruna said, standing in the middle of the room. The moment that Alex turned the corner, she lifted her skirt, showing off her panties again.
Alex nearly tripped on the bump in the carpet at the entrance to hir room, distracted by the sight of Aruna’s panties. When shi recovered, shi quickly turned and closed the door behind them. “That’s not nice; You nearly made me trip.”
“I could have done more,” Aruna said with a wicked smile as Alex walked over to her.
“Aruna!” Ravi scolded, blushing red. He quickly turned to Alex. “I’m so sorry. This is new to me. Aruna? Have you been reading those trashy stories again?” the tiger boy asked.
“Maybe,” Aruna answered her brother. “I just thought that this would be a nice way to tell Alex the good news.”
“What news?” Alex asked, looking into Aruna’s green eyes.
“I got fixed,” Aruna said happily. “You know what that means right?”
“Fixed?” Alex asked, confused.
“I got one of the IUD thingies,” Aruna said, smiling and leaning close to whisper into Alex’s ear. “So now we can play together.”
Alex’s mouth went slack for a moment before a grin spread across hir muzzle. “So... have you two...?” shi asked, turning to glance at Ravi.
“No. But that little butt there has been teasing me non-stop,” Ravi said, looking around the room. “I have no idea where she got it from.” The tiger boy shook his head with exasperation.
“Trashy novels, maybe?” Alex asked with a smirk, looking back at Aruna.
“Maaaybe. Ravi has some novels that have people kissing and stuff in them. You know... the ones that you can get at the drugstore,” Aruna said, giggling.
Alex raised an eyebrow, looking back at Ravi with a shocked expression. “You read romance? I’d have thought you’d be into mystery or fantasy.”
“Once in a while. It’s kind of a guilty pleasure,” Ravi admitted, blushing and looking around the room. The tiger boy looked down at his sister. “Aruna, if you don’t behave...”
“Oh, come on, Ravi. You know you want to scoop me and Alex off of our paws and take us over to the bed so that we can start kissing-”
“Hold it, hold it,” Alex interrupted. “As much as I want that too... we have to go ask Mom and Dad for permission first.”
“I’m going to have to hide my books,” Ravi muttered under his breath, shaking his head as the two younger cubs continued to banter with each other for a bit before Alex led them downstairs to talk with hir parents.",
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