Billy's Halloween - 2007 
Mini-fic by
TheShadow

"Sir! Vebarlia has just reported that their troop has made contact with the locals of another country on Earth! She, Joogar, and Tilrodius are taking notes and planning to capture a city called Pouncefield. Tilrodious has become quite popular among its townsfolk. It won't be long before this town belongs to your kingdom of Sypalupt, sire."

"Very, well, you may take your leave."

"Yes, my lord."

Two aliens end their meeting in a dark room on board a spaceship. It's unclear who they are talking about, but one thing is certain. There will be trouble for the people of Pouncefield. Who are these invaders? What do they want? And who are they talking about? All will be explained. But for now, let us go down to Earth, to the town of Pouncefield. Travel inside the halls of St. Lovejoys where we find Billy and the rest of his friends at play during recess.

"So, got any plans tonight, Billy?" Ed asks the platypus.

"Not really. I just want to have a calm night tonight," Billy replies.

"You can't, Billy," Edna says, skipping up to the pair.

"Hey Edna," both Billy and Ed greet her in unison.

"Hey brother. But, yeah, can't have a calm night tonight. It's going to be crazy! It's Halloween! Spooks, vampires, zombies, that kind of stuff. Plus 'trick or treat'!"

"Oh yeah, I forgot about Halloween. I guess that's easy to do since it's my first time celebrating it. Man, Edna, you're right. It will be one crazy evening tonight," Billy replies with a smile.

I can't believe I forgot it was Halloween. I better get things started. Billy thinks to himself.

"Hey, I've got some kin coming in from out of town tonight. Would you guys mind coming and visiting them? Tell Laura and the rest they're invited too. We're going to be having a party. I would really, REALLY love it if you all came," Billy says with a smile.

"Well, Paige and Jenny have their own plans tonight, but I'll see if the rest can come," Ed answers.

"Yeah, if all else, Ed and I will be there," Edna adds with a smile.

"Well, that's good. Like I said, tell everybody else that they're invited," Billy urges the fox siblings.

"Wait, what about Jen," Edna asks.

"Oh, Jen? Yeah, she won't be able to come. She said she's going out of town to go to see a show. 'Phantom Of The Opera'."

"That's not a bad show," Ed chimes in. "You should see that."

"Thanks, maybe I will," Billy replies.

With that, the bell ending recess rings. Billy goes through his motions of going to class until the day ends. After school lets out, he rushes to find Ed and Edna to see if anybody's going to be coming to his house. Not much time passes until he finds the foxes.

"So, what'd they say?" Billy asks, gasping for breath.

"Poke, Cynthia, and Laura said to count them in," Ed answers.

"Cool, well, I gotta run. Gotta get everything set up for the festivities tonight. Swing by my place at 7 PM tonight."

"Will do," Edna says as Billy takes his leave of their company.
Billy, unable to wait for the bus, runs all the way to his house. He runs through the front door to his living room, where his parents are sitting.

"So, any of your friends coming tonight?" Stephen asks.

"Five... of them... are coming... tonight. They'll... be here... at seven," Billy replies, gasping for breath between words.

"Perfect, we'll have a grand old time then," Mary adds to the conversation.

Time flies as the trio of platypi get ready for their company, both from Pouncefield and from out of town. The doorbell rings at 7 PM. Billy answers to see Ed, Edna, Laura, Pokeinfo, and Cynthia, all in different costumes, standing at his front door.

"Come on in guys," Billy greets his company.

"Will do," everybody answers.

"Hey, Billy, this party ain't gonna last too long, is it? Got me trick or treating to do," Poke says playfully, yet seriously. Cynthia slaps him in the back of his head. "Ow, what was that for?"

"For being stupid. Don't mind what Poke said. We'll stay until we're no longer welcomed," Cyn says, apologizing for Poke who just crosses his arms and walks into the house.

"Trust me, you'll be very welcome all night," Billy replies with a smile. Upon hearing this, Ed gets shivers up and down his spine, which causes him to jump a little.

"Scared already, Ed?" Laura asks.

"No," Ed whispers to Laura. "There's something with the way Billy said that to Cynthia that just didn't sit quite right in my stomach. Maybe it's jitters from not knowing how scary this party's going to get."

"Probably. Turn off your imagination for a few. Don't want you scared stiff. Well, let me rephrase that, cause the stiff part actually sounds good," Laura tells Ed.

"Not now, Laura, we're at another kid's house, in front of his parents, and he's expecting company."

"There's always the bathroom," Laura hints.

"Not right now. Let's enjoy the party a little first. If it blows, maybe you can too," Ed says with a chuckle.

The two laugh as they enter the living room, where Stephen and Mary are sitting. Everybody soon gathers, except for Billy. A half hour of conversation goes by before Edna starts to worry about Billy.

"Um, is Billy ok? We've been here for a half hour and he hasn't joined the party yet."

"Everything's fine. Billy's just making some last minute preparations," Stephen assures the young fox cub. As soon as Stephen finishes, the door bell rings.

"I got it," Billy yells in from another room. A few moments go by before Billy enters the living room with his new company.

"You were right, Tilrodius. These five will make fine pets," one of the two guests says.

"Very nice work, Tilrodius, Vebarlia, and Joogar. King Zumbo will be pleased," the other guest adds.

"Pets?" "Tilrodius, Vebarlia, Joogar?" "King Zumbo?" "What's going on?"

The five cubs from Pouncefield start to panic, but before they can escape the clutches of their evil captors, they're shrouded in a ray of light. One moment, they're sitting in Billy's living room. The next, they're in a metal room with blinking lights and beeping sounds. A gas is released into the room, and all five fall asleep. Edna is the first to wake up.

"Huh? What happened?" Edna tries to get up, but can't. She looks around, worried about what's going on. She finds that she, her brother, and her friends are all strapped to five separate tables in a circle. She also realizes that all five are naked. "WAKE UP EVERYBODY!!!"

The rest of the cubs wake up and do exactly what Edna did when she first woke up.

"Where are we?" Ed asks.

"You're on-board my king's spaceship," a voice responds from a behind the table.

"Show yourself," Poke demands bravely. From behind the table steps Billy.

"BILLY!" all five gasp in unison.

"My name's not Billy. I'm Tilrodius from the planet Sypalupt. Me and my 'family' were sent to Earth along with other Sypaluptians to discover flaws in Earth's defenses. My 'family' and I then were instructed to move away from where we landed to find other countries and discover any other flaws elsewhere. That's when we found Pouncefield. I was instructed by my lord, King Zumbo, to infiltrate your society, lure you into a false sense of security, lure you back to our ship, and wait for Halloween to be beamed up onto this ship to be experimented on."

Edna's mind starts to run wild. Thoughts of metallic tentacles exploring her every crevice enter her head. One tentacle penetrating her back door, another entering her snatch, all the while her mouth and hands being explored by alien cocks. Her final thought is of Billy using his shaft to explore every nook and cranny of her wet, hot box. This thought causes a huge smile to form on her face and some juice to drip from her pussy.

"Edna, snap back to reality!" Ed cries. Tilrodius looks from Ed to his sister, sees what Ed sees, and laughs.

"Trust me, young fox. What we have in store for you will be much worse than you think, and you WILL NOT enjoy it," Tilrodius reprimands the poor cub.

"Why us though? I thought we were your friends?" Laura cries.

"Friends? Don't make me laugh. Why would I want friends who are dumber than rocks? You five, aside from that stupid dingo, his dumb girlfriend, and that idiotic tiger are the only ones who didn't think of me as an alien. That's why you. Easy targets. I just wish I could've gotten that dingo and those felines up here too."

"You know, you will rue the day that you messed with us," Pokeinfo growls fiercely at his alien abductor.

"Oh no, somebody save me from the big scary lion. News flash! You and your friends are strapped to my experimentation tables with no escape. There's no way you can make me pay."

A door in the back of the room opens. The only one who has a view of who it is is Ed.

"Another alien," Ed sighs.

The alien approaches the group. Tilrodius kneels before the guest. The group also take a look at their new visitor, and see a crown upon his head.

"Hail, Lord Zumbo."

"Arise, Tilrodius."

Tilrodius stands up before his king.

"I see our guests are awake and comfortable. Have you begun experimentation yet?"

"Not yet, your majesty. I've been explaining to them about their problem."

"Why would you tell them what we have planned? If you just kept your beak shut and just experimented on them, we would have all the intel I need to rule Earth."

"Forgive me, my lord."

"You are forgiven, but do not screw up again. For if you do, it will be your head."

Zumbo turns around and takes his leave of the room.

"Why do you put up with that? Now, you see, you had peace and respect on Earth. You had friends, now you have nothing but a dictator to deal with," Cynthia starts talking to Tilrodius. "I think most of us would be willing to forgive you if you let us go."

"Forgive me and be my friends again? Act like nothing happened?"

The cubs just nod slightly. Tilrodius starts chuckling.

"You Earthlings are too rich! Trying to play my emotions to escape. Nice try though. Zumbo demands that I experiment, and so I shall."

Tilrodius walks to a station and starts pushing buttons. A saw, a drill, and laser all drop down from the ceiling of the room. The saw starts spinning as the drill and laser remain stationary. The saw starts moving toward Edna, who's still daydreaming.

"Fuck no! EDNA WAKE UP!!!" Ed cries to his sister. But it is to no avail. The screams she lets out are enough to make even the toughest guy cry as she is sliced open at the waist. The blade continues to cut as it moves up to her chest. Tears form in Ed's eyes.

"EEEEEEEDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDNNNNNAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!! NNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!"

The other three cubs just stare at the mess that was once Edna, one of their dearest friends. The blade pulls away from Edna's body and stops spinning. Tilrodius steps away from his console and toward the deceased fox cub.

"BILLY!!! YOU BASTARD!!! YOU'LL PAY!!! YOU AND YOUR WHOLE FUCKING RACE WILL PAY FOR THIS!!!" Ed threatens Tilrodius.

"I'm shaking in my webbed feet."

Tilrodius stops inches from the young cub's body. He reaches one arm inside and starts to pull out all kinds of organs. Each one he pulls out goes in a separate jar. When Edna's corpse is picked clean, Tilrodius pulls his arm out, wipes it off, and heads back to his console.

"Well, you Earthlings got a lot of stuff on the inside. And it looks like each one is needed to live. Time to see what makes you creatures tick upstairs."

Tilrodius, upon returning to his console, pushes two buttons. One raises the saw from its current position to its stationary position. The other starts spinning the drill.

Oh god. Poor Edna. Ed's pretty useless now, and I can tell the girls are scared. I gotta come up with something quick before Billy finishes his work with Edna and moves on to his next target. Pokeinfo starts to plan an escape. How to pull it off though. We're strapped down, unable to move our arms and legs. We can move our heads, but that's pretty useless. Let's see. Saw, drill, laser. Wait, metal tables, and a laser. That's it. Hopefully, if I do this right...

"Hey, duck-dude. I bet you my life as a slave that you can't nail my ear in one zap from that laser from where it's sitting," Poke yells to Tilrodius.

"And if I miss?" Tilrodius asks.

"You release us."

"You're on. God, Lord Zumbo will be pleased to hear he has a new slave."

Tilrodius pushes a button on his console to stop the drill. He turns a nob to point the laser at Poke's left ear. He pushes one last button, letting a small blast from the laser go. Poke's reaction time couldn't cut it any closer as he moves his head to the right just as the blast hits the table. The beam bounces off the metallic table, up to the metallic ceiling. It bounces off the ceiling and flies straight for Tilrodius's console. It hits, causing an explosion. The explosion knocks Tilrodius across the room, and all the restraints are released. Everybody gets up off their tables, except for Edna. Ed rushes over to Edna and starts to cry, holding her head to his shoulder. Poke, Cynthia, and Laura walk up to him.

"I'm sorry for your loss, Ed. You gonna be ok?" Laura asks.

"Yeah. I'M GOING TO KILL THAT SON OF A BITCH!!!" Ed yells in blind fury. He drops his formerly living sister and rushes over to where Tilrodius lies. Poke quickly rushes over and restrains Ed.

"Ed, no! You can't kill him yet. We need him alive to help us get off. I have an idea."

"LET ME GO!!! THIS FUCKER HAS TO DIE!!!!"

"Ed, I can't imagine what you must be going through, but if he dies, we won't be able to get off the ship. If we can unhook those instruments above the tables, we could slice and dice our way off, but he knows how to get us off and back onto Earth. Lame-man's terms... He dies, we die."

"But Edna..." Ed sobs.

"That can't be helped. But are you willing to avenge your sisters life at the expense of your own and everybody else's lives? Would Edna really want that from you."

Ed just drops his head below his shoulders. "No, she wouldn't," Ed says with a depressed sigh. "Ok, so, what's your plan?"

"Yeah, Poke, tell us," Cynthia begs, tears in her eyes from all that's happened.

"What's the plan?" Laura adds to the questioning.

"Well, it's like I said. We slice and dice our way off," Poke reveals. "But we should find some clothes first. I don't know about you guys, but I'm freezing my nuts off here."

Pokeinfo walks to one of the metal tables and puts his paw on it. "I'm going to climb on this table. Ed, you climb on my shoulders and see if you can't dislodge the saw, the drill, and the laser. Cyn, Laura, you two need to try and wake Billy up. We need him awake so he can tell us how the hell to get off this thing and back to Pouncefield."
Poke quickly climbs on the table, followed by Ed. Cynthia and Luara move to Tilrodius.

"Ok, everybody ready? Be careful, girls. We don't really know what Billy's capable of."

With that said, Ed climbs on Poke's shoulders and starts examining the equipment.

"Yeah, I can get this stuff down. I can cut through the wires with the saw," Ed says.

"Are you sure you should do that? What if they're still live?"

"Don't worry, Poke. That console controlled everything in this room but the lights. The laser's a waste of time to pull off, because it needs the console to work. But we can hack and slash, like you said, Poke, with the drill and the saw."

Ed starts using the saw to cut the wires to the drill and the saw. Laura and Cynthia shake Tilrodius to wake him up. Just as Ed finishes cutting the wires to the drill, Tilrodius regains consciousness.

"Hmm... huh? What happened?"

"Billy's up, Poke. What should we... aaaggh!" Cynthia exclaims.
Poke looks over to see her swept off her feet, landing in front of Tilrodius. Laura is knocked to the ground and off to the side.. Tilrodius removes his shoes.

"Stop right there, you two."

"Or what?" Pokeinfo demands.

"Don't make me show you," Tilrodius threatens Poke.

"Ed, get that saw loose. So, Billy, how's it feel knowing you lost?" the cocky lion cub taunts the alien.

"Much like this..."

With that, he lifts his right leg up and crashes it down heel first into Cynthia's heart. Cynthia let's out a scream of pain. Moments later, her screams end, with her body going limp. Cynthia lays there, motionless, dead.

"CYNTHIA!!! NOOOO!!!!" Poke cries out.

"Damn it, I forgot about those poison barbs... gragh! Got the saw!" Ed grunts.

Ed and Poke hop off the table. Ed holds the drill as Poke takes the saw. They quickly corner the alien they know as Billy. Billy, as a last resort, pulls Laura up and holds her against him.

"Not so fast. You want me, you go through her."

"COWARD!!!" the fox and lion yell in unison.

"Ok, so let's save each other some hassle and get down to it. You want me dead and off the ship. I want you dead and me to live. How about we compromise. I get you off the ship and we both live?"

"How do we know you won't turn on us?" Edward asks sceptically.

"You don't. You have to trust me. What irony. Trusting somebody who moments ago was trying to kill you. You know, you could always kill me here, but then you wouldn't be able to get off the ship. What's it going to be?"

"Ugh... we have no choice but to trust you."

"ED!?!?" Poke and Laura ask, shocked at Ed's response.

"He's right. But, if you try to stop us from killing any other alien, we will cut you down before leaving the ship. Also, you gotta let Laura go before we do anything."

"Agreed. But if you turn on me, I will kill you three."

Tilrodius lets go of Laura, who quickly rushes to Edward's side. Tilrodius then opens the door to the room and leads them down a corridor. Needless to say, they encounter a few Sypaluptians along the way. Pokeinfo and Edward make short work of them. At the end of the corridor, the alien known as Billy opens another door and everybody enters the room.

"Here's our teleportation device. You can use it to go home."

"This ship have a self-destruct system?" Ed asks.

"Yes. To keep the ship out of enemy hands, it has a self-destruct system. Let me guess, activate it? I can't from this room."

"Well, send Laura back to Earth and then we'll take you to the system," Ed demands.

Upon hearing the demand, Tilrodius pushes a button on a pod-shaped machine. A glass door opens.

"Wait, I don't trust him. How did we wind up in that room when we were beamed here, but now we leave through this?" Poke asks.

"Our 'beamer' is activated through this. It can teleport you to any location you choose, whether you're in it or not."

"Good enough for me. You two take care," Laura says, ready to get off the ship.

Laura then climbs into the device. Tilrodius pushes a button in it to close the door, and pushes one more button. However, insead of teleporting Laura out of the ship, the pod is raised up through the ceiling to a room above. Grinding sounds and screaming can be heard. Silence follows soon there-after.

"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO!?!?" Ed demands as he grabs the alien.

"Two Earthlings left. You'll never get off this ship," Tilrodius says with a laugh.

Without skipping a beat, Ed throws Tilrodius across the room, runs to where he landed, and impales the drill into his left shoulder. For the first time since abducting the cubs, Tilrodius not only screams, but fears for his life.

"That's only one. I still owe you two more, and Poke owes you three. Now, we can collect now, or we can get off this ship. You're call," Ed threatens his former friend.

"You win. I'll take you to our real transporters."

The alien climbs to his feet and leads his captives across the hall into the room opposite the one where Laura had just died.

"Good, now activate the self-destruct sequence," Ed demands.

"I can't, not from this room."

"DO IT OR DIE!!! I can figure out how to work these buttons, you can't live if we kill you," Poke threatens the alien.
With that, Tilrodius presses a button on his belt.

"Tilrodius to Joogar, Tilrodius to Joogar. Joogar, do you copy?"

"Joogar here. Everything going according to plan?"

"Yes. The cubs are all dead. Time to kill the king and get out of here. Activate the self-destruct system."

"On it."

Ed and Poke just stare at Tilrodius.

"You were planning on blowing the ship up anyway?" the pair asks.

"Not really. Joogar was planning it. I was going to turn him in."

"You're own father?" Ed asks, shocked to hear this news.

"He's not my father. He only played it. But now I have no choice but to let him activate the self-destruct system."

With that, sirens go off inside the ship.

"You're attention please. This ship will self-destruct in two minutes. Please evacuate imediately. I repeat. You're attention please. This ship will self-destruct in two minutes. Please evacuate imediately. I repeat..."

"Ok, Billy. Lock the door, and destroy the locking mechanism," Poke demands.

Tilrodius turns to a console and pushes some buttons. A beep from the door is heard.

"Good, now send us home."
The alien pushes another button on the console. Lights start to form underneath a ball connected to wires in the ceiling.

"Go under and you'll be sent to Earth."

"Good. Poke, go on ahead."

Poke jumps into the light. He vanishes. Ed walks over to Tilrodius.

"You're ok, Billy. Just a shame you chose to die."

With that, Ed jams his drill into the temples of his former friend. The alien collapses imediately.

That was for you guys. Rest in peace Edna, Cynthia, and Laura.
With this, Ed takes his leave of the ship. On Earth, in Pouncefield, outside Billy's house, the two cubs watch the explosion. Their suffering has ended.

"Ed! ED!!! Wake up Ed!!!" Ed hears Edna's voice. "Ed, please wake up!"

Edward's eyes open inside Billy's house. He jumps up from where he is laying and looks around.

"But... but... what... wait..." Ed stammers.

"Jeez, I knew I'd scare you guys, but I didn't think I'd scare any of you that bad," Billy says with a laugh. "You scared me when you passed out from the light." Billy points up at a disco light hanging on the ceiling. "Oh, by the way, these are my grandparents from Australia. They flew in to celebrate my first Halloween with me. We came up with the alien thing to spook you guys."

"But Edna, and Cynthia... Laura... you all died! And Billy..."

"Ed, it was just a dream. Calm down," Billy tells the worried fox assuringly. Ed does finally calm down, and they celebrate by watching a scary movie and telling ghost stories. 10 PM rolls around.

"Well, it's getting late. I'll catch you guys at school."

"Goodnight Billy," Ed, Edna, Cynthia, Pokeinfo, and Laura all say in unison as they walk out the front door.

"We're going to go to bed too," Billy's grandfather says as he and Billy's grandmother take their leave of the room.

Fifteen minutes pass. Stephen and Mary check the halls to make sure nobody's lingering. They return to sit next to Billy on their couch.

"Those Earthlings look like they'd be good slaves. Don't let them get too suspicious though," Stephen tells Billy.

"Of course not, Joogar. Domination of Earth in name of Sypalupt is on the lines. Well, time for sleep. Good night Joogar, Vebarlia."

"Good night Tilrodius," both "parents" answer.

With that, Billy enters his room and goes to sleep. Thus ending Halloween 2007. 
*****
Billy's Birthday - 2008

The sun rise shines on Pouncefield, inviting it's residents with a warm, basking glow. Some furs are waking, some are still slumbering, and some are already heading off to work. Most of the cubs in Pouncefield and ignore the glow, but Billy can't. He rises from his bed as soon as the first light breaks and he dashes out of his room. He runs to the kitchen, to see his parents awaiting his arrival.

"Happy birthday son," they both say to Billy as he arrives.

"Thanks mom. Thanks dad," Billy says with a gigantic smile.

"The big 13 now. Congratulations son. You're now a teen," Stephen tells Billy.

"Yeah, I know. So, are there any gifts I can open up yet?"

"Honey, you should wait until your party to open any gifts," Mary informs her son.
"Aw, ok," Billy says with a slight pout.

The day is celebrated as best as Billy could have ever dreamed. Steak and eggs for breakfast, his friends all coming over early for a day of fun and games, and even Geoff calling up to wish Billy a happy birthday. The call was short and somewhat hate filled, but it's the thought that counts is all Billy thought when he got the call. The day wears on and it's soon for his party. He and his friends are all gathered in the kitchen with the cake and gifts.

"Hey, where's Sonia, Alex?" Billy asks his silver-furred friend.

"Beats me. She's been gone all day," Alex replies.

"Come to think of it, Edna wasn't home at all today either," Edward adds to the conversation.

"Really? She's not here either? I was kinda hoping to see them today."

"For what purpose, Billy?" Poke playfully asks with a chuckle.

"Good ol' Pokeinfo. Is there ever a time your mind's not on yiff?"

"Nope. I'd rather die before I go a second without thinking about yiff. It's the best sport in the world!" the lion cub yells playfully.

"Ain't that the truth," Billy replies.

"Ok kids. Settle down. We can either have cake first or gifts first," Mary informs Billy.

"Gifts!"
"Ok. Well, start opening then."

Billy starts with the smaller boxes and opens them. He receives a Wii from Edward, a bike from Paige and Jenny, and a weird ring from Poke.

"A ring?" Billy asks his friend.

"Yeah. Cock-ring. You put it on your..." Pokeinfo begins.

"I'd rather not know! Thanks none-the-less," Billy says, cutting Poke off.

"Hey, don't forget my gift," Cynthia informs Billy.

"I'm not."

Billy opens up another small gift.

"A box of condoms?"

"Open the box up," Cynthia commands the confused platypus.

Billy does as instructed and opens the box. Inside there's a $100 bill.

"What a unique way to give me money, Cyn," Billy laughs.

"Just one more gift, honey. It's a big one too," Mary informs Billy.

Billy looks at the large box.

"Jeez, this is big. Ok, let's open it."

Billy unwraps the gift. He pulls the lid off the box contained within the paper and looks inside. Soon, the walls of the box collapse exposing three naked cubs. Sonia, Jen, and Edna.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" all three shout.

Billy blushes upon the sight.

"Uh... what's... uh..."

"We're your gift, silly," Sonia tells Billy. "We all pitched in on this one. You have the three of us to yourself the rest of the night."

"What're we waiting for then? Girls, to my room. Now!" Billy says with a laugh. Within seconds, the four cubs disappear from the kitchen.

"Lucky son of a gun," Poke says with a grumble.

And so this is how Billy's first birthday in Pouncefield is spent. Happy birthday, Billy Plats.
*****
Geoff Bevar's Christmas Spirit

The holiday season is always a happy time. Furs filled with joy, good will towards others, and general peace on earth. Everybody around town greeting you with a sincere smile and not so worried about making it in life or being better than the next. Everybody slows down and just enjoys the time of year and who they're with. One little cub in the city of Pouncefield does not though. His name is Geoff Bevar. He used enjoy the holiday season when he was younger, but for the past four years he's been unhappy. While in school before getting out for vacation, he wanders the halls, looking at all the cubs smiling and giggling, all excited about the season. They are all excited about getting gifts, spending time with friends and family, and having fun indoors and out. Geoff watches the happy cubs and sighs to himself, wondering why he can't feel that way anymore. When all the cubs are let out for their vacation, he sits at home on the couch, still wondering what's missing that is making him so miserable this time of year. On Christmas day, Geoff opens all his gifts from his parents, and every gift is one he wants and enjoys, but they cannot get even a smirk out of them. He looks at them and sighs to himself, again wondering why these gifts aren't making him happy. He looks to his parents and tells them with a false smile "Thank you" before setting the toys aside and dressing up for some outdoor activities in the snow. The depressed beaver heads outside into the cold snow and walks the streets of town, occasionally looking into a window that doesn't have it's blinds pulled down or curtains blocking the view. He looks inside to see families smiling as they spend time with one another or cubs having fun playing with one another. As Geoff walks the streets of town, he happens upon the Tigre house. He walks up onto the porch and looks in through the window, watching as Jen and her father sit together on the couch, covered up with a blanket, and watch television together. Geoff sighs greatly and steps off the porch and heads for home. As he heads back for his house, the depressed beaver passes some cubs outside playing. They are throwing snowballs at one another, building snowfurs, and sledding with one another. Geoff frowns and continues along his way, heading inside once he reaches his house. He sits down on the couch and watches the Christmas specials on TV all day, zoning out off and on throughout the course of the day. The only time Geoff gets up off the couch is to eat dinner with his family. Once the late night rolls over the city of Pouncefield, Geoff climbs into his bed and closes his eyes. There is only one thing that the little beaver can think as he drifts off to sleep. "Why can't I be that happy?"
*****
Billy's Birthday Surprise - 2009

The Plats family were all waiting at the airport at terminal seven, waiting for a special guest to get off the plane. Billy stands there, looking around nervously and anxiously while his parents stand there, checking their watches every few moments as they all wait. The youngest platypus of the family twitches a few times before the anxiety and excitement overcome him.

"When is this 'mystery guest' getting here?!?" Billy frantically blurts out.

Mary looks at her frantic son and smiles. "Soon."

"Who is it?!?"

"You'll find out when the plane lands, son," Stephen tells Billy, using a stern yet soft tone to try and calm the young man's nerves.

"I can't wait!!!!"

"You no longer have to," a familiar voice says to Billy.

Billy turns around to see a young platypus standing in front of him.

"Is that you, Barbara?!? It's been so long!!!"

"I know! It has!"

"What brings you here?" Billy asks his ex-girlfriend.

"We thought that a visit from young Miss Walsh here would be a nice birthday gift for you," Stephen informs his son.

"Oh definitely! We have so much to catch up on!"

"As soon as we get home," Mary tells the young platypus.
Billy nods and the four platypi leave the airport and climb into the Plats' family car. The ride home was filled with conversation between Billy and his girlfriend of old, including how Billy's life is in Pouncefield, how the community has been while he's been gone, and their new relationships. Barbara, since Billy's departure from Australia, has started seeing a new boy, one who takes an interest in playing rugby. Billy tells Barbara of Sonia and the rough time he's having with Jen and Geoff. The chatter stops when the car arrives at the Plats household. Billy and Barbara climb out of the car as Mary and Stephen head inside. Billy starts walking away from the house and beckons for Barbara to follow.

"Come on, I wanna introduce you to my friends."

"You're not going to sleep?" Barbara asks Billy.

"Sleep? Why? We got the whole day ahead of us!"

"That's it exactly! It's daytime out!"

"What, are you a vampire or something? Scared of the sun?" Billy jokingly asks the confused platypus.

"No. I'm just not used to being out with the sun up."

"If it don't feel right, go with your internal clock. Still some night left back home."

"That's true. It may be light out, but I don't feel tired."

"Well then, quit stalling and let's go!" Billy tells his friend from back home.

Barbara nods her head and follows her excited pal down the street.

"Where are we going anyway?"

"Well, school's getting ready to let out... take a guess."

"Is the school here nice? You really haven't mentioned it."

"It's a good school. Just a little different."

"I can imagine. Can't be easy going to a school where everybody looks so different."

"That's not what I mean. Everybody here is nice. A few have some rough edges that need smoothed out, but they're all nice."

"Then what do you mean?" a confused Barbara asks.

"Let's just say that the cubs in this school are really... friendly... with each other. And before you ask, I really don't want to go into any more detail than that."

"Uh... ok..." Barbara says, still confused about Billy's meaning. "So how much longer before your ribs heal? You mentioned them getting hurt and you couldn't swim..."

"Actually, they haven't been hurt more than a week. I still got a few months before they heal and I can go back into the water."

"Oh you poor thing... I bet that's driving you nuts."

"Like you wouldn't believe," Billy informs his friend. "The water is my home away from home. I feel like a bird that cannot fly or a cheetah that cannot run!'

"Yeah, I still know you," Barbara says with a giggle. "Sorry though. Hope you heal up fast."

"Me too. Anyway, we're here at school. We're not gonna be here long. All my friends have a list of various after-school activities, and I wanna show you around town. Ok?"

"That sounds like a plan, Stan," Barbara replies with a giggle.

Billy chuckles lightly himself before walking up to the front door of the school, his out of town friend following closely behind. Billy opens the door for her and allows her to enter first, following quickly after. Barbara starts to walk off, but Billy quickly puts his paw on her shoulder and stops her.

"They'll come this way. No need to walk off."

Barbara nods and stands next to Billy, waiting for his friends to arrive. One by one they make their way toward the doors and stop by Billy. A male lion shows up first, accompanied by a rabbit girl. Then a pair of orange foxes, one boy and one girl, with the guy fox holding hands with a cute squirrel. An adorable kitten shows up not long after, and the parade is ended by another squirrel and a white fox.

"What's this? Another platypus? We're gonna be overrun soon!" the lion says with a hearty laugh.

"Nah, I'm just here visiting Billy for his birthday," Barbara informs the lion.

"Oh, is that so? How do you like the town?"

"It's not bad. I think I might have to move here when I get older. It's nice looking at somebody who doesn't look a little like you."

"I can guarantee you won't have that around here. Billy is the only platypus in this school. And man, you should've seen his introduction! First week, he puts the school bully down for a week!"

"You fight?!?" Barbara hysterically asks Billy as she turns to face him. "You used to be such a sweet guy. I can't believe you're going around picking on people!"

"I..." Billy says, trying to defend himself.

"He didn't want to fight the guy," the male fox says, quickly defending Billy. "The guy found him, didn't like him, which isn't saying much because he doesn't like anybody. Anyway, the guy found Billy, didn't like him, so he started to attack him. Billy tried escaping, but when he couldn't, he used his barbs."

"That actually hurt him?" the calmed platypus questions the fox as she turns to him.

"Well, Billy didn't know at the time, but his poisons had developed."

"You're poisonous now!?!?" Barbara quickly asks Billy as she turns to him. 

"I didn't think that was gonna happen to you for at least a few more years!"

"Yeah, me either," Billy adds.

"Wait, you knew he was gonna be poisonous?" the lion asks Barbara.

"Yeah, all male platypi develop the poisons. We all learn that in health 101 when we get to age 10 back home. They don't teach you that kind of stuff here?"

"They should, but they don't. Billy is actually the first one to be in this school," the fox tells the female platypus. "Anyway, let's get off that. We haven't been blessed by your name."

"Name's Barbara Walsh. What are all your names?"

One by one, Billy's friends introduce themselves. Pokeinfo introduces Cynthia, Edward introduces Laura, and Billy introduces Jenny.

"Please don't mind Jenny, Barbara. She's shy. Hell, it took her a few weeks to gain the courage to say just a couple of words to me, let alone actually talk to me on a daily basis."

"I don't mind," Barbara says with a smile.

"Hey, sorry to chat and run, but Cyn and I got soccer practice," Pokeinfo informs Barbara.

"You know, I don't get why you call it soccer instead of football, and why you named your version of football football."

"I... uh... um... you know... I really don't know..."

"Big surprise there, Poke..." Edna says with a giggle.

"And just what does THAT mean?!?"

"Nothing," Edna cutely replies, putting on an innocent smile."

"Right... anyway, we need to get going," Pokeinfo informs Barbara again.

"And Edna, Laura, and I need to go as well. They've asked me to tutor them for a big test coming up in History," Edward adds.

"Hope you all pass," Barbara says with a smile.

"Don't worry, I'll make sure they do. Well, it was nice to meet you."

The gang of friends all smile and wave good-bye to Barbara before exiting out through the school doors. Barbara turns around to Billy, nods, and the two of them leave the school and begin to walk around town.

"So, I thought you said that you and a bully became friends? There's more than one in this school?" Barbara asks.

"Nah, there's just the one. But he didn't like me at first. He doesn't really like anybody. Something to do with the way he grew up and the way he was raised. He doesn't want anybody to know that he and I are actually getting along. He cares about his reputation. Why in heaven's name he cares about being the mean, tough guy that nobody likes is beyond me, but that's how he's happy, I guess."

"It takes all kinds of furs to turn the world, Billy. We platipy, of all furs, should know this," Barbara informs the young platypus.

"I know. Speaking of all kinds, I want to introduce you to my new girlfriend. But I can't. She and her family are out of town today doing something. Her family kinda scares me. Well, her parents do. Her brother, Alex, is kinda like the brother I never had."

"Oh really? Getting in good with the family huh? Planning to elope in a few years?" Barbara playfully asks with a giggle.

"Nah. That kind of stuff is a far way away," Billy answers while chuckling himself. "But they are nice folks. Hell, they didn't even take a second glance at me when she brought me home to meet them and they saw their girl's boyfriend was a platypus."

"From what I saw, the furs here are really informed and really understanding."

"That they are. Some are more understanding than others though. My first day here, I got into that fight that was mention, and the rest of the week I was known as The Poisonous Alien Freak'. Annoyed me at first, but now I find it funny."

"Even your friends thought this?"

"Nah, the ones I introduced you to accepted me right away with no questions asked."

"Well, they seem like a great bunch of cubs."

"That they are," Billy says with a smile.

Their conversation ends and they walk around the city, Billy showing his friend the many sights of town, from the park to the movie theater, the mall, and finally the soccer field.

"Wow, I didn't realize football... I mean soccer, sorry... was so popular here."

"Hey, who can't love a good game of soccer? You know?"

"True. So very true."

Billy looks up to the sky to see the setting sun. He looks back to Barbara and smiles.

"It's getting late. We should get back to my place."

"Yeah. I'm getting a little hungry."

The two platypi walk away from the field and head back to the Plats household, smiling and enjoying each other's company for the first time in a few months.

"You know, I've missed you," Barbara mentions to Billy.

"I missed you too. It's really great to see you again."

"Well, maybe next year I can visit again? I dunno. It's all up to our parents. I mean, your dad paid for most of this."

"I figured as much. And it was great of him to do this for me. And it was great of you to come all this way to visit," Billy says with a smile.

The two cubs finish their brief conversation and finish their journey to Billy's home. Billy shows her inside, and the smells of a home-cooked dinner quickly hit the pair of hungry platypi. The two of them enter the house and immediately head for the kitchen, where Mary and Stephen smile and greet the two.

"Just in time for dinner. Sit down and eat, kids," Stephen says to the cubs.

Billy and Barbara nod and quickly sit down to the table and begin to eat the delicious dinner that Mary has presented them. The meal doesn't take long to eat, but the chatter at the table lasts for hours, telling tales of all the adventures that each one of them have had since the Plats family left Australia. The night is ended when Stephen asks the cubs to go to bed at nine o'clock. They all have to be up early to see Barbara off on her way back to Australia the next day. Billy nods and shows Barbara to the guest room in the house.

"Um... can I sleep in your room, Billy?"

"I know the guest room doesn't look like much... but..."

"It's not the room. I want to be with you."

"Oh, sure. I'll get my sleeping bag. I'll let you have the bed."

"No... WITH you..."

"Huh? Oh..." Billy says as he realizes Barbara's meaning and blushes. "Oh... I'm sorry... I can't. We're in relationships now, remember?"

"I know, but I flew all this way for you. I'd at least like to know what it's like to spend the night with you. I've wanted to for oh so many months now, but you never seemed to want to, so I kept it to myself."

"Wait, even when I was still in Australia you wanted to...?"

"Uh-huh. I just didn't know how to ask you."

"Oh... well, I do appreciate that you flew all this way to see me, and I did, and still kinda do, love you, but I'm with Sonia now. I can't betray her for one night of fun, no matter how long over-do it is."

"I... understand..." Barbara says defeatedly. "Can I at least sleep in the bed with you?"

"As long as nothing more than just sleep happens, sure."

"Alright. Thank you Billy."

The two platypi climb into Billy's bed and let their tired body's drift off to sleep. The next morning, they are awaken by a pounding on Billy's door.

"Come on, it's 8.30. We gotta get Barbara to the airport."

Billy groans before sitting up in bed and eventually finding his way to his feet. The tired cubs make their way to the door, where they are greeted by Stephen.

"Good morning. Sleep well?"

"Uh-huh," Billy and Barbara both answer the adult.

"That's good. Sorry, but we need to get Barbara to the airport."

"It's ok."

The four platypi get themselves ready to go and quickly climb into the family car. The trip to the airport is spent in silence, nobody able to think of anything to say so early in the morning. When the platypi arrive at the airport, they park and enter the main terminal, going through the hassles and checks that they must before escorting Barbara to her gate. Over the intercom system, an announcement is made.

"Flight 205 to Melbourne, Australia now boarding. Flight 205 to Melbourne, Australia now boarding."

The four platypi stop when they reach the gate for Barbara's flight. Barbara turns to Billy and gives him a hug.

"I had a great time. I hope to be able to see you soon."

"Yeah, me too," Billy replies as he wraps his arms around her and smiles.

"Try not to get too hurt while I'm back home, ok?"

"I won't. And try not to break too many hearts, ok?"

"I'll try not to."

Barbara and Billy release their grips on one another. Barbara smiles at Billy before turning to the gate and walking down the tunnel to board the plane.

"Take care Barbara. Hope to see you again some day," Billy says as she walks away.

Billy watches as the plane takes off. He smiles as he watches his friend leave his sight. Knowing what he does now, and knowing the choices he made, he can't help but feel happy, even as his girlfriend of old leaves. As Barbara sits on the plane, she drifts back off to sleep. Her last thought is of Billy and how happy she was to see him again.