Gorge Day Get Together
by tannim
April 21, 2013

	Muriel tried to get Tosh out of the kitchen, but the kid wouldn't budge.  The smells coming from the oven were too strong to ignore.  Esme's bean soup had quite them all hungry.  There was a large salad, too, but with the soup to look forward too, nobody gave it much attention.

	"Oh, Muriel.  Your mother and Father are just pulling in.  Why don't you go let them in." Esme crouched to hug Tosh. "You go too.  There are too many hot and sharp things in here for you to be trying to help."

	"Ok..." The four year old didn't sound happy, but let himself be wrapped in Muriel's tail and led away.

	When the door was opened, Oscar rubbed Tosh's head fur. "Hello, Tosh.  Why's your fur all messy? You should comb that!"

	The boy grabbed at his hand laughing and pulling away. "Don't! It isn't messy, you messed it up!" He looked into the scraggly beard of fur on the squirrel's chin and neck. "You need a comb, too!"

	Milan leaned over to nuzzle into his beard. "He did comb it.  You should see it BEFORE he spent fifteen minutes working it.  He is handsome though with it."

	"Mom... Here comes... I think Nasimi and Ossec."

	The squirrels hurried in and closed the door, it was more fun to make them knock.  They had to wait more than a minute before that knock finally came though.  Voices outside sounded moderately annoyed, though not at each other.

	"I thought that squeak was fixed! That oil must have been cheap if it wore off already!" "Well, you bought it on sale.  Maybe they have something here." "Might be time for a new one."  "Don't be silly, I just got the cushions broken in nice and comfy." "Maybe a new WHEEL then, I don't think it's fixable.  Carving that last one took forever as it was."

	When Milan opened the door, Ossec was just squatting to look at the wheel of his wife's cart.  The younger koala woman leaned around her large breasts to watch him a moment before looking back and greeting them.  Tosh peered out of the door, not used to seeing the two koalas very often.

	"My, you have grown a bit bigger, haven't you, Tosh!" Nasimi smiled. "I guess you're right, that wheel will keep until later." She helped her elderly husband up. "Something smells wonderful."

	Ossec rubbed his back then sniffed at the air too. "Yes, it does.  Something with beans I think.  There's some salad too! Oh, good to see you again, Oscar, Milan.  You too Muriel.  Where's Es... the kitchen. Where else on Gorge Day."

	Muriel waved her tail. "Come on in and make yourselves comfortable.  She'd come out and greet you herself, but she's busy cooking.  No touching without asking, Tosh." The boy stopped prodding Nasimi's left breast through her shirt and wandered off to his toy box. "Tannim will probably be here soon.  He's bringing Sorrel and Briar.  I'm not sure when Margaret and Morris will be coming."

	Milan poured herself a drink and nodded toward Tosh. "I wonder what he'll think of Reese.  I don't think he's seen her yet."

	"What's wrong with Reese?" Nasimi took the recliner and heaved her chest off her cart to let them rest on the arms of the chair and her lap.

	"She's a bit... gifted.  A bit like you that way." Milan nodded to her friend's chest. "Only hers is between her legs.  Quite gifted indeed.  Really shocked Margaret, that's for sure.  Complicated the birth  lot too! They thought they were having twins the whole time."

	Ossec looked up from where he'd crouched next to the cart again. "It's that big?"

	Tosh pushed a car through the room. "What's that big? How big is that big?"

	"One of the bowls your mother is filling up.  It's bigger than your car."

	There were laughs from the older furs. Tosh just frowned, knowing he missed something but not sure what that something was even related to.  He headed right for the kitchen, still bent over pushing his car along.  His tummy rumbled.

	"Mom, I'm hungry."

	"Soon, Tosh.  The food still has to cook for a while.  Can you get the bread from the table for me? Thank you.  I think I heard something outside.  Why don't you and Muriel go see if somebody else arrived?"

	When they got to the door, nobody was there.  Tosh frowned, thinking he had been tricked, but Muriel wrapped her tail around him and lifted a foot to tickle his side.  The four year old laughed and bent sideways around the teasing toes.  He grabbed at her foot and ran outside into the cool air with her following.

	Milan shook her head. "It was nice to have that much energy when we were younger, wasn't it?"

	"You're too young for that sort of talk, Woman." Ossec gave her a cheery grin. "Wait until you're not one of the younger adults in a room before saying something like that."

	"Oh hush.  It's still true even if I'm not quite half your age."

	Oscar tapped his wife's nose lightly. "You have plenty of energy when we're alone.  If you used less of it there, you'd have more to chase your daughter and the even younger cubs around."

	Tosh ran to the fence in his back yard and peered over before Muriel could get to him.  A llama stood there looking around confused.  A goat stood with her, checking a piece of paper.

	"It SAYS this address... I don't see a way in though.  Which side of the street did Tannim say Esme's house was on?"

	Since Tosh didn't recognize the two he darted away without a second thought about them.  Murie, however, looked over to see what he'd been looking at.  She recognized Sorrel, it was hard not to with her exotic features, so she guessed the goat was Briar.

	"Are you Sorrel and Briar?" When the goat hurried to say yes, Muriel waved her tail tip over the fence. "You're one road short.  It's on the other side of this fence."

	"Damn it, Tannim! Can't you at least give ... oh... that's a NINE.  With how he scribbled it looked a bit like there might be an extra line there to make it an eight.  It's still his fault."

	"I thought Tannim was bringing you."

	Briar crossed her arms under her large breasts. "He was going to, but SOMEBODY here wanted to go somewhere and said we'd make it on our own."

	"Oh... I wonder why he isn't here yet himself.  You can just walk or drive around the block.  Food isn't ready yet so you can still make it." Muriel looked over to find Tosh standing next to her again. "This is Sorrel and Briar. Tannim's friends."

	"Hi Sorrel.  Hi Briar." The two couldn't see him until he climbed up the boards on the fence.

	"Hi cutey.  We'll be able to see you better soon.  Be careful on that fence, you might get a splinter."

	"Yeah, you wouldn't want a little prick.  Us girls like the big ones... OW.  Hey!" Sorrel rubbed her ribs. "You did that on purpose."

	Muriel giggled and led the only somewhat confused Tosh away.  The got back to the front just in time to meet Tannim with Margaret, Morris, and their baby Reese as they strode up to the door.  They stopped to say hello and the young goat scooted closer to look at the much younger otter.

	"This is Reese, Tosh." Margaret crouched down to let him see.

	"Why is her diaper so big?"

	The woman didn't change her expression at the fully expected question. "She's special down there is all.  Reese is a lot bigger than most girls her age."

	"Bigger?"

	Tannim patted the boy's small horns. "In the same way Nasimi's chest is bigger than your mother's."

	"Oh."

	"Tannim!" Margaret glared but Morris gave her a squeeze.

	"It's a good analogy, my love.  We'll have to use that one in the future, as blunt as it is.  Mmm... I smell... I'm not sure.  A lot of good things no matter what it is."

	The chatter in the living room grew loud enough to drive a few of them out.  Many of the females went to the basement to leave the guys up talking about their things.  Sorrel stayed up there with them, enjoying the looks she drew with her protruding chest.  It was nothing compared to Nasimi's but it was enough with the much narrower appearance.

	Esephia joined them a while later, with Agnessa and two young camels she introduced as Alban and Karen.  Food was close to ready, but the house was getting quite crowded.  A card game broke out while everybody waited.  There were a few left to maybe show up, but those hadn't said for sure.  Schedules were hard to get right for everybody.

	"Everything's Ready!" Esme cheerfully waved out the kitchen door. "At least for those who don't want meat.  You carnivores can bring and cook your own food, I don't want to deal with it."

	There weren't any complaints.  The bean dishes were "meaty" enough for Tannim and the otters to feel satisfied while the lettuce and other vegetables went well for everybody else.  Burritos, Mashed and baked potatoes, Soup, Pizza, even a noodle casserole covered the table.  Four flavors of jello rested on the counter.  Ice cream, cake with and without frosting, cookies, and four types of pies and crumbles waited for dessert.

	Drinks were a bit more sparse with just milk, tea, and water available.  Esme didn't believe in soda and the run on fruit juices had left her with little options after forgetting it the first trip to the store.  They worked fine for everybody there, though, so it wasn't a problem.

	Tannim, closest to the door during the eating turned his head to it.  The knocking was timid as though the person doing it really wasn't sure if they wanted to be doing it or not.  He carried his plate over and found two porcupines there.

	"Hello?"

	"Hello..." The female smiled faintly. "I'm Hilly... This is Silly."

	"Err... Is it?" Tannim winced. "Sorry, that name still makes me think it.  You're Esephia's Editor and the secretary that works for her book company, right?"

	"That's right!" The look of relief on Hilly's face was pretty, in a spiky sort of way.

	"It was unusual to receive an invitation." Silly's monotone drew some curious looks from within. "but it would have been rude to refuse."

	Tosh stood up and walked over, eating a bean, lettuce, rice, and cooked carrot burrito. "You're spiky! What're You?"

	"I am a porcupine." Silly didn't smile as he said it, he just stated a fact.  Only after a few seconds of thought did he decide he should smile. "What are you?"

	"m a goat!"

	"No, you are a kid."

	"Silly! That was almost a joke!" Hilly hugged her brother before Esme hurried over and handed them plates. "I, for one, am not a porcupine.  I am just hungry!"

	There was more laughter.  Karen and Alben shared the kids table with Tosh and Muriel.  They watched the armless squirrel eat with amazement.  Neither had seen anybody use their toes to hold a knife and fork, let alone a girl using those same toes to shovel food into her mouth.

	"Were your arms cut off in an accident?"

	"Did it hurt?"

	The squirrel shook her head, brushing Tosh's ear with one of her long cheek ruffs. "Nope.  I was born without them.  It didn't hurt at all."

	Her mother made a loud hmph. "No... not at ALL.  For YOU."

	Nearby, Ossec carved a loaf of crusty bread with a sharp paring knife.  After sitting out on the counter for a few days, it was hard indeed.  It wasn't exactly wood, but it was certainly hard enough and Agnessa had expressed interest in seeing him carve something.  He was happy to show off, with setting some of the shavings in his soup as a cracker.

	Food passed around.  Then more food.  Gorge Day lived up to its name with everybody eating their fill and then some.  Everybody but Reese ate plenty of it.  Reese simply nursed at her mother's breast and at Nasimi's when the koala offered to take her for a while.  She needed help holding the baby otter in place with their over sized anatomy, but there were plenty of hands to help.

	Muriel was surprised to find Leslie at the door near the end of the meal, but welcomed her friend in readily.  She introduced him around to everyone and he ate just as much as they did.  His already chubby body fit the day perfectly and he stayed for a few hours before both he and Muriel excused themselves to go to the public concert at the central park.

	After that, everybody slowly said goodbye and Gorge Day was officially over.  There were some leftovers, as always, and Esme packed them away to bring to the food shelter.  Tosh helped with the dishes, which made them take longer, and they both were exhausted after a good holiday with  Esme hoping that nobody would come next year.  That'd be wonderful, or at least easier.