I didn't expect today to be so hot. I hope it doesn't screw with our trip too much. I look away from the clear, blue sky and back at my unusual family. No matter how many times I see their bushy tails, canine ears, tan fur, or cute snouts, I don't think I'll ever get used it. These anthropomorphic creatures are kinda rare; there's around one for every hundred humans. 

"Will, the blanket's about fall!" Kathryn warns me. 
"Huh... oh!" I snap back to reality and position the blanket into a more secure place. 
"Are you okay, dear?" Her ears droop as she tilts her head. 
"I'm fine. I'm fine. Just thinking about... society as a whole, I guess." 
"Okay," she continues to walk beside me. 

I've seen a few in my life, they've been around for a little over fifty years. Yet, over all that time, we still have yet to give them an official species name. I guess I would just call them, fumans, like the others do, but I think it sounds too silly. It kind of works because they are humans but with fur... and various other animal-like traits. 

I look back at the dirt path we're following. The park clearing isn't far from us. I'm sure we'll be there in less than a minute or two. The thin forest opens up into a large, clear area with some hills, a small playground, and river, calming flowing through the whole park. My daughters, Katie and Kathy, are already dashing towards the sun-bleached playground, leaving Kathryn and me to find a place to set up the picnic. Eventually, we settle for one of the taller hills with a shady tree on top because it gives us a scenic view of the place. After rolling the blanket out next to a tree, Kathryn and I sit down on it. 

"Do you need anything, dear," Kathryn asks, a few minutes into relaxing. 
"I'm fine, thank you."
"Okay." She grabs a tiny book from her slightly bigger purse and rests against me as she starts reading it.
 
I don't know what I, a low-paid manager at @1, did to get blessed with such a curvy dog-girl as my wife, but I'm not gonna argue about it. I'm glad I could be with her. I reach my arm around her and start petting her head. Kathryn lets out a growl of affection as more and more of her leans over me. Now she's completely lying over most of my body with her back against my chest, all while still reading that book. 

"What are you reading about, honey?"
"Oh, this book, it's about cooking and stuff."
"Are you going to try any of the recipes in there?"
"Oh, no, it's not a recipe book. It a book about the history of cooking."
"Ok, don't let me keep you from reading it. I'll just take a nap." 
"Rest well, dear." I close my eyes and prepare for deep thought. 

I feel wide awake, but, with Kathryn on top of me, I could doze off at any second. At least she's super hot right now. I'm nearly sweating because the heat she's giving off. Though, it's not too warm, so I think I can endure it. She'll have to get up eventually. Anyway, I wonder what the kids are up to... Umm, this is weird; I can't open my eyes, no matter how hard I try. Wait... Am I asleep already!? That can't be! My entire body is limp, from top to bottom! Well, this isn't too bad, at least I'm aware. In here, I can do anything and everything; the possibilities are endless. Hmm, I wonder-

"Daddy, wake up. " I hear Kathy, one of my daughters, whisper quietly. She freed me from my own freedom. It's still bright in the beautiful park. 
"What is it, Kathy?" I'm still half asleep, so I'm not sure exactly what I said.
"Can you follow me for a second."
"Yeah, sure." I want to get up but Kathryn fell asleep on me in an almost suggestive position. I guess that's why Kathy's whispering.
"Just wake her up, it's easy."
"But just look at how cute she is right now." We both look at Kathryn sleeping peacefully. 
"Okay then, I'll try to get it to you." I knew she wouldn't disturb such an adorable sight. Kathy walks away without making a sound. 
"Did you know I was awake, dear?" Kathryn unexpectedly murmurs as she climbs closer to my face. 
"N-no." I couldn't back up if I wanted to; she has me against the trunk of a tree. Her rubs on my cheek before she lightly kisses it. 
"You know I love when you flatter me." A short moment of silence flies by. "Can I have five more minutes?"
"Whatever makes you happy... "
"Thank you."

Kathryn's fluffy tail wags calmly as I let her cuddle with me even longer. Kathy comes back after a little while, but now she's deliberately carrying a tiny house made of twigs in her hands. As she brings it closer, I can see that it uses grass knots to keep it all together. 

"Geez Kathy, how long did it take to make that."
"I don't know... I lost track."
"Are you going to take it home with you."
"Yep!" Kathryn turns her head and asks Kathy a question. 
"Have you seen Katie recently, dear?"
"Yeah, she's playing in the sandbox."
"Could you go get her for me?"
"Okay." Kathy dashes back towards the playground, no questions asked while Kathryn starts digging through the picnic basket. 
"What are you doing, Kathryn?" 
"Those pups have to be hungry if you are."
"How could you tell I was hungry?"
"I could hear your stomach while I was laying on you." 

She has all the food out before Kathy brings Katie back to our little, shady area. They're both heavily dusted with sand even though Kathy, besides a few twigs in her fur, was pretty clean. Kathryn quickly dismisses herself and the kids and takes them to the small restroom in the corner of the park to wash off. While they're gone, I look at the collection of tasty food Kathryn has set out. There're some slices of turkey, six plump peaches, a loaf of bread, and four juice boxes. The smell of all of the food is extremely overwhelming, so I look for something to distract me. I reach for Kathryn's tiny book and begin observing it. "The History of Modern Cooking", the title of the book reads. Kathryn's description was spot on. Upon opening the book, I see that each page has a year printed in the corner and a has loads of text describing the culinary advances of that year. Apparently, I'm supposed to have complex cooking knowledge before reading because I can't understand half of what they're saying. 

Kathryn, Kathy, and Katie come back while I'm flipping through the glossary, cleaner than when they entered. We all sit down on the towel and wait for Kathryn to prepare the food. She makes one turkey sandwich for every and leaves the peaches for anyone who wants them. Kathryn, Kathy, and I take one, while Katie takes two. We all eat slowly to make the delicious meal last longer, but Kathryn is still the last one with food on her plate. The kids and I thank Kathryn for the food before Katie takes the last peach and Kathy back to the playground. The sky displays a soft fade from a calm blue to a relaxing orange as the sun crawls down. 

While we're relaxing on the soft blanket, Kathryn slowly points towards the sky "Look at the clouds, dear," She stares up in awe, "they're so beautiful." 
"Almost as beautiful as you," I say without really thinking. The turkey is already making me loopy.
"Oh you!" She blushes softly and tries to hide her face as her tail whips back and forth. 
I shake my sleepiness away. "Kathryn we better leave before that turkey gets to us."
"Yeah," Kathryn yawns loudly, "I'll go get the kids." 

She stands up and walks away in a tired stupor, leaving me to pack up the picnic. We leave the park before it gets too dark and stumble home half-asleep. The sun is halfway past the horizon by the time we get home. Katie and Kathy are asleep on my shoulders while Kathryn lugs the picnic basket through the door. It's dark on the inside, but I manage climb upstairs to their room and put them in their respective bed. Kathryn is already in our bedroom just down the hall. I put on my nightwear and slip into bed with her. She wraps around me, leaving all of me surrounded by her soft, warm body. 

"Good night, Will."
"Good night, Kathryn."