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These are, hopefully, mostly short stories. I want to try to expand the background and worldbuilding of Greenwood.", "count": "1" } ], "description": "Welcome to the first story of \"Green Chronicles.\" This series goes into the other citizens of Greenwood and not (so much) of the Wolfe family... I started this for what I just said, but sometimes I just can't help myself inserting our favorite furry family into something -_-\n\nAnyway, I hope you enjoy these shorter stories.", "description_bbcode_parsed": "Welcome to the first story of "Green Chronicles." This series goes into the other citizens of Greenwood and not (so much) of the Wolfe family... I started this for what I just said, but sometimes I just can't help myself inserting our favorite furry family into something -_-

Anyway, I hope you enjoy these shorter stories.", "writing": "Friday, April 18, 2031 \n\n\tIt was quiet in the small family owned Thai restaurant in Greenwood, Colorado. The small restaurant named “Baan Thai“ sat in the middle of a larger complex with eleven other businesses of varying types. It wasn’t much to look at and largely went unnoticed by most of the town’s 5,000 or so residents. It was the smallest unit in the building at 1,253 total square feet, 1,240 for usable space.\n\n\tThe eight tables, four bench style and four regular style tables, was kind of crammed into the small public side, even though there was more than four feet of space between the benches and the round tables that sat two people.\n\n\tThe inside was lit up with natural light from the six six-foot tall by three-foot wide glass panel windows, and at night, the warm interior lighting made it feel even more cozy, almost like a warm cozy home dining room.\n\n\tThere were three groups of patrons inside. One pair sat at a bench table. Another pair, a mom and a little girl, both ‘Fishing Cats,’ sat nearby at one of the standard tables. The last was a single man, an Aardvark, sat on the opposite side of the small dining area.\n\n\tThe front-of-house was just 24 feet wide and 28 feet deep. The back-of-house was separated by a long counter where the cash register sat, the menu mounted on the wall just behind the register. The register area was separated by two short walls, one with double swinging doors, then the 20-foot long counter, then at the very end was an open space that was being blocked by the large fountain drink machine. The actual back-of-house was separated by a full wall with another set of double swinging doors. Sounds of metallic scrapping, electronic motors humming, and the sizzling of various foods could be faintly heard from the front. The smell, however, was easily noticeable as it wafted out of the kitchen with ease.\n\n\tIn front of the register and on the customer side of the double swinging doors was a normal door, marked with a sign for a multi-gender bathroom. This actually led to a short hallway, a dead-end, where the bathroom door stood on the long wall. The space had once been larger, used for storage or something similar, but had been reconfigured. The hallway, bathroom, and manager’s office now occupied the area, with access to the manager’s office requiring entry through the kitchen.\n\n\tThe two Fishing Cats sat across from each other at a small table, the woman’s lean, athletic frame tucked neatly into the chair, her posture was relaxed but alert. Mottled gray-brown fur, streaked with dark spots and faint stripes, caught the dim light, tracing the patterns along her arms. Her broad, flat face was sharp in its stillness, framed by small, rounded ears with pale white spots on the back. She had amber eyes that would occasionally flicker here and there then back at her daughter then the menu. A banded tail curled loosely around one chair leg, the tip flicking now and then in small, absent gestures.\n\n\tAcross from her, the girl mirrored her in miniature. Her fur was softer, a lighter shade of the same mottled gray-brown, with spots not yet fully defined, like they were still deciding where to settle, and to finish filling out. Her bright green eyes glinted beneath a fringe of uneven hair along her brow. She shifted often, her partially webbed fingers fidgeting with the menu sheet, while her striped tail twitched with the kind of energy her small body couldn’t contain.\n\n\tThe two Fishing Cats were looking at the menu sheets at their table. The young one, no older than 7 years old, looked up at her mom. She asked her mom why she hadn’t brought more money. She said that she would like to have chicken nuggets too, along with the Isan-style curry that was already ordered. Isan-style curry is a fragrant, bold dish that combines tender chunks of chicken with a rich, creamy broth. The curry is infused with fresh lemongrass, galangal, and kaffir lime leaves, adding a vibrant, citrusy base. A balance of spicy chilies and tangy tamarind creates a warm, zesty kick, while coconut milk smooths everything together for a satisfying finish. The curry is often served with a side of sticky rice.\n\n\tThe young cat girl loved Isan-style curry. It was her favorite from this restaurant.\n\n\tThe older Cat woman, sighed sadly, and softly shook her head, not really knowing how she could explain it. They didn’t have much money. This outing was a special occasion, though nothing really special about it, other than she didn’t feel like cooking after a long, arduous day at work. Her back hurt, her feet was beyond aching, and her arms were almost like jello. She worked for Greenwood sanitation. She rode on the backside of a garbage truck every other day picking up bags of garbage, pulling garbage cans and dumping them into the back of the garbage truck, then tossing them back to the side of the road when empty. On days she wasn’t out picking up trash, she was helping sort through it for recyclables that weren’t magnetic, like aluminum cans, glass bottles, different types of plastic, electronics, and other types of garbage. It was always backbreaking work, and smelly too. She barely made over minimum wage, and the rent on their little two-bedroom house took 50% of that. Each check she was able to put aside only five to fifteen dollars into savings for emergencies only, and the very rare dining out occasions, such as today.\n\n\tThe young cats hopeful expression turned into sadness. She truly didn’t understand that they were poor. “Mother, you said I could have two things for my birthday. That’s today,” she replied.\n\n\t“Did you not just get that plush animal from Lal-Mart?” Her mother replied. The young girl nodded, “yes, mother.” Now understanding that the “two things” meant either two food items, or two toys, or one of each. She sighed, but knew that she shouldn’t argue with her mother, she knew what could happen, lose out on the meal or perhaps even both if she misbehaved too much.\n\n\tHer mother was able to provide her daughter with three meals a day, even if it meant that she went hungry during one, or more, of the meals. She taught her daughter that she should eat what was placed in front of her, and do her best not to waste food.\n\n\tIn the booth nearby two girls were quietly talking and eating their own Thai food. One of them a 19-year-old Kinkajou, was listening in on what the young cat girl had asked for, and what the mother had said. She took a bite of her Pad Ngor Ngae (Cry Baby Noodles), then sat her fork back down to listen to her girlfriend.\n\n\tThe, 20-year-old, Pharaoh Hound girl was talking about her college classes for that day. She paused for a moment to take a bite of her Pad Kee Mao (Drunken Noodles). She had ordered it with four bird's-eye chilies, two of them de-seeded, and two left whole, making it spicy but not quite as fiery as it normally would be. She then went back talking.\n\n\tThe Kinkajou girl was still unsure if she really wanted to go to college or not. She knew that it would help her out in the real world, but she also knew that she had a multi-million dollar trust setup for her, which would start paying out when she was 27 years old, 21 if she went to college. She wouldn’t mind working small lower paying jobs to pass the days, and for extra spending and bill money.\n\n\tThe Kinkajou, Elli Metayer-Wolfe, focused her hearing on the two at the table near them, toning out her girlfriend. When she heard that the mother didn’t have enough for a ten-dollar order of chicken nuggets. She noticed that the mother had ordered food too, but asked for a half portion, so that it would be half the price for her.\n\n\t“Excuse me for a moment, Akhi,” Elli said quietly, then stood up from the bench seat and headed to the counter. Akhi looked on in confusion while she watched her girlfriend head up to the counter without either of them saying another word.\n\n\tElli quietly whispered to the Sunda Pangolin woman at the front, while making slight, polite, hand gestures. The Sunda Pangolin looked over at the two cats then back at Elli, then nodded.\n\n\t“Do you have anything for cakes?” Elli asked.\n\n\t“We have some Thai Tea Cake,” she replied.\n\n\t“Two slices of that too, for them, please,”\n\n\t“Okay,” the Sunda Pangolin replied, then wrote it all down.\n\n\tThe employee handed another employee the order sheet, then turned back to the register and tapped everything in. Elli handed her forty dollars and told her to keep the change for a tip.\n\n\tAbout ten minutes later, just after the young girl finished eating her soup, the Sunda Pangolin woman headed to their table. She asked if the food was good and acceptable. Both replied that it was. The Pangolin was happy to hear that, she told them. She turned around then headed back to the counter for a moment then returned. She sat a plate of a dozen chicken nuggets down in front of the young cat girl, and another bowl in front of the older cat woman.\n\n\t“There must be a mistake, ma’am,” the older cat said, “we didn’t order those.”\n\n\t“Paid for by someone else,” she explained. “Enjoy.”\n\n\t“Well, umm, okay. Thank you,”\n\n\t“Thank you!” The young girl replied, then cheerily started eating the chicken nuggets. She poured out some hot sauce from a bottle onto the plate, then began dipping the nuggets into it, then ate them. She smiled happily tasting the chicken nuggets, that were cooked with native Thai spices.\n\n\tThe surprises didn’t stop after she had finished off the dozen nuggets. As soon as she was finished, two more plates where sat down in front of each of them. Two slices of Thai Tea cake, perfectly baked.\n\n\t“Already paid for, and with a message,” the Pangolin woman said with a smile, “Happy Birthday! I hope you enjoy the evening, your birthday, and your slices of cake.”\n\n\t“T-thank you, again,” both replied. The mother sounding uneasy about accepting free food. She caught a glimpse of the teenager smiling for a second, from the corner of her vision. She turned her head towards Elli. “You?” She asked, mouthing the words. Elli nodded once. “Thank you,” the mother mouthed. Elli gave her a small head bow.\n\n\tThe young girl, unaware of the silent conversation, giggled and sliced her fork through the moist cake and took a bite. Her body and tail wiggled in reply from just how tasty it was. It was better than a normal vanilla birthday cake, even if she loved just normal straight up vanilla cakes.\n\n\tA few minutes later, Elli and Akhi stood up and headed up to the register and paid. Just seconds after they left the restaurant, a voice called out to them. The mother Fishing Cat caught up to them.\n\n\t“Please, let me pay you,” the mother cat said, clutching her small handbag and trying to open it.\n\n\t“No,” Elli replied, placing her hands on the mothers to stop her from opening her handbag, “those were our gift to your daughter for her birthday. And for you too.”\n\n\t“Are you sure? I can pay you for them,”\n\n\t“I’m sure. I’m not worried about money. Just seeing your daughter with that smile was more than enough payment,” Elli replied. “Go on. Go back to your daughter and have a wonderful evening.”\n\n\t“I… Okay,” she replied, then bowed. “Thank you, for your kindness.”\n\n\t“You’re welcome,” Elli replied, then bowed back at the lady.\n\n\tThe mother cat headed back into the restaurant then sat back down. They finished the cake a few minutes later.\n\n\tThe young cat was already having a wonderful day, but with the surprise chicken nuggets and the cake slice, it was made even better. She thanked her mom a lot for buying them. Her mom told her the truth, that it was the two teenagers that was sitting in the booth that had bought them. The young girl turned towards the now empty booth. The plates and bowls were neatly stacked, ready to be picked up for cleaning. The dirty paper towels were placed in one of the empty bowls so that they wouldn’t roll around or be blown by any strong, stray air currents.\n\n\t“I wish I could thank them,” the girl replied.\n\n\t“I’m sure they know that you thank them for their lovely gift,” her mother replied.\n\n\tSome time later the two Fishing Cats headed out of the restaurant and began their walk back home.\n\n***\n\n\tAt home, her mother asked if she wanted a back massage.\n\n\t“I would love one, mother,” she replied happily. She pulled her shirt off and tossed it on the coffee table and plopped down on the old, ragged, stained, couch. Her mother giggled at how just unbothered her daughter was at getting undressed in the living room. Nudity didn’t exactly bother her, but she never practiced it, or at least rarely in front of her daughter. Before she knew it, her daughter was laying down on the couch in just her light-blue panties. Her tail wiggled beside her, while she patiently waited for her mom to begin the massage.\n\n\tFive minutes into the massage, her daughter was purring loudly, her tail flipping back and forth happily as her mothers palm-pads kneaded her skin and muscle. She let out a moan here and there, happy and content.\n\n\t“How does this feel, Nina?” Her mother, Anika, asked while still kneading.\n\n\t“Hmm, wonderful, mother,” she replied.\n\n\tAround ten minutes later her mother let up and sat on the couch. She rubbed her shoulders, trying to stop the pain in them. Nina sat up and smiled at her mom, then thanked her for the gift, the food, and the massage. She asked her mom if she wanted a shoulder massage, but her mother thanked her but declined. “It’s time for you to take a bath, then get ready for bed,” she said.\n\n\tAfter her bath, she slipped into her loose fitting nightgown, brushed her teeth, combed her fur, then headed to bed. She pulled the covers up then snuggled into her mom’s side with a hug. After saying goodnight to each other they did their best to fall asleep as soon as possible.\n\n\tTheir apartment was a 1-bedroom, 1-bathroom unit. It was the best that Anika could afford. She would love for her daughter to have her own bedroom for privacy and all that comes with having her own bedroom. But at this time and for the foreseeable future, it wouldn’t be possible.\n\n\tDue to her ex-husband, Nina’s father, racking up more than 300,000 dollars of debt from credit cards, loans and pay-day loans debt, due to his extreme gambling habit, which she is now on the hook for. Then on top of that, he was murdered by some gang members, from which he had borrowed more than 50,000 dollars from to try to pay off the pay-day loans. The gang got their money back from taking their vehicles and other valuables, including Anika’s great-grandmothers wedding ring, which was valued at more than $40,000.\n\n\tHer great-great-great-great-grandfather had the ring commissioned for his wife the ring for $350 back in 1920. The ring had a 3-carat natural untreated Burmese ruby, cushion cut and glowing with the rare pigeon blood red hue. The stone measured 9 by 10 millimeters and was 6.25 millimeters thick. It was set in an 18-carat yellow gold band crafted in a classic Art Deco style, featuring clean lines, geometric detailing, and stepped shoulders. Flanking the ruby were three small diamonds on each side, for a total of 6 diamonds, each were 0.08 carats, adding a total of 0.48 carats of sparkling accent stones that enhanced the ring’s rich color and vintage elegance. \n\n\tLosing that ring crushed her, but the gang’s alternative was so much worse, selling her daughter’s virginity and forcing them both into a life-time of prostitution. She made the easy choice of handing over all the valuables to protect her daughter and herself. As soon as everything was done and the gang members left, she took her daughter and left. They headed to the police station to report what had happened. She never saw the ring again, and the insurance ruled that it ‘felt too suspicious’ and refused to payout the insurance coverage. After months of battling it in court, the court ruled in favor of the insurance company. She filed a motion for reconsideration, but it was denied. She then appealed the decision, but the appeal was also dismissed and the case was closed for good. They had lost pretty much everything that she had left on court fees and her lawyer. The lawyer was at least kind enough to knock off twenty-five percent of what she owed him. He wished her the best of luck and that he was sorry that he couldn’t help any more.\n\n\tAfter the courts closed her case, she packed up what little they had, caught a bus, and headed west. They stopped in Orion City, and their money ran out, so did their plans to reach Washington State. That was where her parents had once immigrated after leaving Jhorehat, Howrah District, West Bengal, India. Her parents died, at 60 years old, eight years ago from cancer caused by industrial chemicals that had polluted the local waters in India, just like multiple generations before them had. Even Anika is at risk of developing cancer from her having lived there, playing, bathing in, and drinking the polluted waters.\n\n\tShe found work fairly quickly after a couple of rough days spent living in the bus station and nearby abandoned buildings. That job was nothing special, but it allowed her to save a little and get out of the expensive city. She arranged a job and got hired for garbage collection in Greenwood, Colorado. A week later, they packed again, took a bus down to Greenwood, and moved into a run-down apartment. And so, began their new life in the small, mountain-like town. It has been a struggle for the two of them, but she knows it could have been so much worse for both of them.\n\n\tAnika rolled onto her side and stared at her sleeping daughter. She moved the bangs from her eyes and smiled at the peacefully sleeping girl. She kissed her between the eyes and wished her a happy sleep. She stared up at the ceiling for sometime just thinking about their situation, the stress of trying to keep a roof over her daughters head, keeping her fed, bathed and more. She had the fleeting thought of moving back to India where it would be cheaper to live, but she mentally slapped herself for that. Even though places have been cleaned up a bit, it was still a mess, and the waters would be polluted for a long time thanks to the still ongoing industrial plants dumping waste, both legally and illegally.\n\n\tIt took a little bit, but Anika was finally able to fall asleep.\n\n", "writing_bbcode_parsed": "Friday, April 18, 2031

\tIt was quiet in the small family owned Thai restaurant in Greenwood, Colorado. The small restaurant named “Baan Thai“ sat in the middle of a larger complex with eleven other businesses of varying types. It wasn’t much to look at and largely went unnoticed by most of the town’s 5,000 or so residents. It was the smallest unit in the building at 1,253 total square feet, 1,240 for usable space.

\tThe eight tables, four bench style and four regular style tables, was kind of crammed into the small public side, even though there was more than four feet of space between the benches and the round tables that sat two people.

\tThe inside was lit up with natural light from the six six-foot tall by three-foot wide glass panel windows, and at night, the warm interior lighting made it feel even more cozy, almost like a warm cozy home dining room.

\tThere were three groups of patrons inside. One pair sat at a bench table. Another pair, a mom and a little girl, both ‘Fishing Cats,’ sat nearby at one of the standard tables. The last was a single man, an Aardvark, sat on the opposite side of the small dining area.

\tThe front-of-house was just 24 feet wide and 28 feet deep. The back-of-house was separated by a long counter where the cash register sat, the menu mounted on the wall just behind the register. The register area was separated by two short walls, one with double swinging doors, then the 20-foot long counter, then at the very end was an open space that was being blocked by the large fountain drink machine. The actual back-of-house was separated by a full wall with another set of double swinging doors. Sounds of metallic scrapping, electronic motors humming, and the sizzling of various foods could be faintly heard from the front. The smell, however, was easily noticeable as it wafted out of the kitchen with ease.

\tIn front of the register and on the customer side of the double swinging doors was a normal door, marked with a sign for a multi-gender bathroom. This actually led to a short hallway, a dead-end, where the bathroom door stood on the long wall. The space had once been larger, used for storage or something similar, but had been reconfigured. The hallway, bathroom, and manager’s office now occupied the area, with access to the manager’s office requiring entry through the kitchen.

\tThe two Fishing Cats sat across from each other at a small table, the woman’s lean, athletic frame tucked neatly into the chair, her posture was relaxed but alert. Mottled gray-brown fur, streaked with dark spots and faint stripes, caught the dim light, tracing the patterns along her arms. Her broad, flat face was sharp in its stillness, framed by small, rounded ears with pale white spots on the back. She had amber eyes that would occasionally flicker here and there then back at her daughter then the menu. A banded tail curled loosely around one chair leg, the tip flicking now and then in small, absent gestures.

\tAcross from her, the girl mirrored her in miniature. Her fur was softer, a lighter shade of the same mottled gray-brown, with spots not yet fully defined, like they were still deciding where to settle, and to finish filling out. Her bright green eyes glinted beneath a fringe of uneven hair along her brow. She shifted often, her partially webbed fingers fidgeting with the menu sheet, while her striped tail twitched with the kind of energy her small body couldn’t contain.

\tThe two Fishing Cats were looking at the menu sheets at their table. The young one, no older than 7 years old, looked up at her mom. She asked her mom why she hadn’t brought more money. She said that she would like to have chicken nuggets too, along with the Isan-style curry that was already ordered. Isan-style curry is a fragrant, bold dish that combines tender chunks of chicken with a rich, creamy broth. The curry is infused with fresh lemongrass, galangal, and kaffir lime leaves, adding a vibrant, citrusy base. A balance of spicy chilies and tangy tamarind creates a warm, zesty kick, while coconut milk smooths everything together for a satisfying finish. The curry is often served with a side of sticky rice.

\tThe young cat girl loved Isan-style curry. It was her favorite from this restaurant.

\tThe older Cat woman, sighed sadly, and softly shook her head, not really knowing how she could explain it. They didn’t have much money. This outing was a special occasion, though nothing really special about it, other than she didn’t feel like cooking after a long, arduous day at work. Her back hurt, her feet was beyond aching, and her arms were almost like jello. She worked for Greenwood sanitation. She rode on the backside of a garbage truck every other day picking up bags of garbage, pulling garbage cans and dumping them into the back of the garbage truck, then tossing them back to the side of the road when empty. On days she wasn’t out picking up trash, she was helping sort through it for recyclables that weren’t magnetic, like aluminum cans, glass bottles, different types of plastic, electronics, and other types of garbage. It was always backbreaking work, and smelly too. She barely made over minimum wage, and the rent on their little two-bedroom house took 50% of that. Each check she was able to put aside only five to fifteen dollars into savings for emergencies only, and the very rare dining out occasions, such as today.

\tThe young cats hopeful expression turned into sadness. She truly didn’t understand that they were poor. “Mother, you said I could have two things for my birthday. That’s today,” she replied.

\t“Did you not just get that plush animal from Lal-Mart?” Her mother replied. The young girl nodded, “yes, mother.” Now understanding that the “two things” meant either two food items, or two toys, or one of each. She sighed, but knew that she shouldn’t argue with her mother, she knew what could happen, lose out on the meal or perhaps even both if she misbehaved too much.

\tHer mother was able to provide her daughter with three meals a day, even if it meant that she went hungry during one, or more, of the meals. She taught her daughter that she should eat what was placed in front of her, and do her best not to waste food.

\tIn the booth nearby two girls were quietly talking and eating their own Thai food. One of them a 19-year-old Kinkajou, was listening in on what the young cat girl had asked for, and what the mother had said. She took a bite of her Pad Ngor Ngae (Cry Baby Noodles), then sat her fork back down to listen to her girlfriend.

\tThe, 20-year-old, Pharaoh Hound girl was talking about her college classes for that day. She paused for a moment to take a bite of her Pad Kee Mao (Drunken Noodles). She had ordered it with four bird's-eye chilies, two of them de-seeded, and two left whole, making it spicy but not quite as fiery as it normally would be. She then went back talking.

\tThe Kinkajou girl was still unsure if she really wanted to go to college or not. She knew that it would help her out in the real world, but she also knew that she had a multi-million dollar trust setup for her, which would start paying out when she was 27 years old, 21 if she went to college. She wouldn’t mind working small lower paying jobs to pass the days, and for extra spending and bill money.

\tThe Kinkajou, Elli Metayer-Wolfe, focused her hearing on the two at the table near them, toning out her girlfriend. When she heard that the mother didn’t have enough for a ten-dollar order of chicken nuggets. She noticed that the mother had ordered food too, but asked for a half portion, so that it would be half the price for her.

\t“Excuse me for a moment, Akhi,” Elli said quietly, then stood up from the bench seat and headed to the counter. Akhi looked on in confusion while she watched her girlfriend head up to the counter without either of them saying another word.

\tElli quietly whispered to the Sunda Pangolin woman at the front, while making slight, polite, hand gestures. The Sunda Pangolin looked over at the two cats then back at Elli, then nodded.

\t“Do you have anything for cakes?” Elli asked.

\t“We have some Thai Tea Cake,” she replied.

\t“Two slices of that too, for them, please,”

\t“Okay,” the Sunda Pangolin replied, then wrote it all down.

\tThe employee handed another employee the order sheet, then turned back to the register and tapped everything in. Elli handed her forty dollars and told her to keep the change for a tip.

\tAbout ten minutes later, just after the young girl finished eating her soup, the Sunda Pangolin woman headed to their table. She asked if the food was good and acceptable. Both replied that it was. The Pangolin was happy to hear that, she told them. She turned around then headed back to the counter for a moment then returned. She sat a plate of a dozen chicken nuggets down in front of the young cat girl, and another bowl in front of the older cat woman.

\t“There must be a mistake, ma’am,” the older cat said, “we didn’t order those.”

\t“Paid for by someone else,” she explained. “Enjoy.”

\t“Well, umm, okay. Thank you,”

\t“Thank you!” The young girl replied, then cheerily started eating the chicken nuggets. She poured out some hot sauce from a bottle onto the plate, then began dipping the nuggets into it, then ate them. She smiled happily tasting the chicken nuggets, that were cooked with native Thai spices.

\tThe surprises didn’t stop after she had finished off the dozen nuggets. As soon as she was finished, two more plates where sat down in front of each of them. Two slices of Thai Tea cake, perfectly baked.

\t“Already paid for, and with a message,” the Pangolin woman said with a smile, “Happy Birthday! I hope you enjoy the evening, your birthday, and your slices of cake.”

\t“T-thank you, again,” both replied. The mother sounding uneasy about accepting free food. She caught a glimpse of the teenager smiling for a second, from the corner of her vision. She turned her head towards Elli. “You?” She asked, mouthing the words. Elli nodded once. “Thank you,” the mother mouthed. Elli gave her a small head bow.

\tThe young girl, unaware of the silent conversation, giggled and sliced her fork through the moist cake and took a bite. Her body and tail wiggled in reply from just how tasty it was. It was better than a normal vanilla birthday cake, even if she loved just normal straight up vanilla cakes.

\tA few minutes later, Elli and Akhi stood up and headed up to the register and paid. Just seconds after they left the restaurant, a voice called out to them. The mother Fishing Cat caught up to them.

\t“Please, let me pay you,” the mother cat said, clutching her small handbag and trying to open it.

\t“No,” Elli replied, placing her hands on the mothers to stop her from opening her handbag, “those were our gift to your daughter for her birthday. And for you too.”

\t“Are you sure? I can pay you for them,”

\t“I’m sure. I’m not worried about money. Just seeing your daughter with that smile was more than enough payment,” Elli replied. “Go on. Go back to your daughter and have a wonderful evening.”

\t“I… Okay,” she replied, then bowed. “Thank you, for your kindness.”

\t“You’re welcome,” Elli replied, then bowed back at the lady.

\tThe mother cat headed back into the restaurant then sat back down. They finished the cake a few minutes later.

\tThe young cat was already having a wonderful day, but with the surprise chicken nuggets and the cake slice, it was made even better. She thanked her mom a lot for buying them. Her mom told her the truth, that it was the two teenagers that was sitting in the booth that had bought them. The young girl turned towards the now empty booth. The plates and bowls were neatly stacked, ready to be picked up for cleaning. The dirty paper towels were placed in one of the empty bowls so that they wouldn’t roll around or be blown by any strong, stray air currents.

\t“I wish I could thank them,” the girl replied.

\t“I’m sure they know that you thank them for their lovely gift,” her mother replied.

\tSome time later the two Fishing Cats headed out of the restaurant and began their walk back home.

***

\tAt home, her mother asked if she wanted a back massage.

\t“I would love one, mother,” she replied happily. She pulled her shirt off and tossed it on the coffee table and plopped down on the old, ragged, stained, couch. Her mother giggled at how just unbothered her daughter was at getting undressed in the living room. Nudity didn’t exactly bother her, but she never practiced it, or at least rarely in front of her daughter. Before she knew it, her daughter was laying down on the couch in just her light-blue panties. Her tail wiggled beside her, while she patiently waited for her mom to begin the massage.

\tFive minutes into the massage, her daughter was purring loudly, her tail flipping back and forth happily as her mothers palm-pads kneaded her skin and muscle. She let out a moan here and there, happy and content.

\t“How does this feel, Nina?” Her mother, Anika, asked while still kneading.

\t“Hmm, wonderful, mother,” she replied.

\tAround ten minutes later her mother let up and sat on the couch. She rubbed her shoulders, trying to stop the pain in them. Nina sat up and smiled at her mom, then thanked her for the gift, the food, and the massage. She asked her mom if she wanted a shoulder massage, but her mother thanked her but declined. “It’s time for you to take a bath, then get ready for bed,” she said.

\tAfter her bath, she slipped into her loose fitting nightgown, brushed her teeth, combed her fur, then headed to bed. She pulled the covers up then snuggled into her mom’s side with a hug. After saying goodnight to each other they did their best to fall asleep as soon as possible.

\tTheir apartment was a 1-bedroom, 1-bathroom unit. It was the best that Anika could afford. She would love for her daughter to have her own bedroom for privacy and all that comes with having her own bedroom. But at this time and for the foreseeable future, it wouldn’t be possible.

\tDue to her ex-husband, Nina’s father, racking up more than 300,000 dollars of debt from credit cards, loans and pay-day loans debt, due to his extreme gambling habit, which she is now on the hook for. Then on top of that, he was murdered by some gang members, from which he had borrowed more than 50,000 dollars from to try to pay off the pay-day loans. The gang got their money back from taking their vehicles and other valuables, including Anika’s great-grandmothers wedding ring, which was valued at more than $40,000.

\tHer great-great-great-great-grandfather had the ring commissioned for his wife the ring for $350 back in 1920. The ring had a 3-carat natural untreated Burmese ruby, cushion cut and glowing with the rare pigeon blood red hue. The stone measured 9 by 10 millimeters and was 6.25 millimeters thick. It was set in an 18-carat yellow gold band crafted in a classic Art Deco style, featuring clean lines, geometric detailing, and stepped shoulders. Flanking the ruby were three small diamonds on each side, for a total of 6 diamonds, each were 0.08 carats, adding a total of 0.48 carats of sparkling accent stones that enhanced the ring’s rich color and vintage elegance.

\tLosing that ring crushed her, but the gang’s alternative was so much worse, selling her daughter’s virginity and forcing them both into a life-time of prostitution. She made the easy choice of handing over all the valuables to protect her daughter and herself. As soon as everything was done and the gang members left, she took her daughter and left. They headed to the police station to report what had happened. She never saw the ring again, and the insurance ruled that it ‘felt too suspicious’ and refused to payout the insurance coverage. After months of battling it in court, the court ruled in favor of the insurance company. She filed a motion for reconsideration, but it was denied. She then appealed the decision, but the appeal was also dismissed and the case was closed for good. They had lost pretty much everything that she had left on court fees and her lawyer. The lawyer was at least kind enough to knock off twenty-five percent of what she owed him. He wished her the best of luck and that he was sorry that he couldn’t help any more.

\tAfter the courts closed her case, she packed up what little they had, caught a bus, and headed west. They stopped in Orion City, and their money ran out, so did their plans to reach Washington State. That was where her parents had once immigrated after leaving Jhorehat, Howrah District, West Bengal, India. Her parents died, at 60 years old, eight years ago from cancer caused by industrial chemicals that had polluted the local waters in India, just like multiple generations before them had. Even Anika is at risk of developing cancer from her having lived there, playing, bathing in, and drinking the polluted waters.

\tShe found work fairly quickly after a couple of rough days spent living in the bus station and nearby abandoned buildings. That job was nothing special, but it allowed her to save a little and get out of the expensive city. She arranged a job and got hired for garbage collection in Greenwood, Colorado. A week later, they packed again, took a bus down to Greenwood, and moved into a run-down apartment. And so, began their new life in the small, mountain-like town. It has been a struggle for the two of them, but she knows it could have been so much worse for both of them.

\tAnika rolled onto her side and stared at her sleeping daughter. She moved the bangs from her eyes and smiled at the peacefully sleeping girl. She kissed her between the eyes and wished her a happy sleep. She stared up at the ceiling for sometime just thinking about their situation, the stress of trying to keep a roof over her daughters head, keeping her fed, bathed and more. She had the fleeting thought of moving back to India where it would be cheaper to live, but she mentally slapped herself for that. Even though places have been cleaned up a bit, it was still a mess, and the waters would be polluted for a long time thanks to the still ongoing industrial plants dumping waste, both legally and illegally.

\tIt took a little bit, but Anika was finally able to fall asleep.

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