WARNING: This story may contain content of an adult nature. If you are easily offended or are under the legal age to view adult content in your area, please exit now. This text is intended for adults only and may include scenes of sexual content or graphic violence. Reader discretion is advised.

Yerba Maté
by TaintedThylacine and IndigoNeko

Chapter 1

Thursday, August 20th, 2015

“Jesucristo, idiota. I keep telling you, Raleigh; I don’t like you like that. I’ve told you more than once that I’m just not that into dudes,” a water opossum hissed as she turned and started down the street that led to a small corner store.

“Well, I still want to be better friends and all that, Chris,” Raleigh protested as he followed the water opossum. The arctic lemming panted as he worked to keep up with her.

“Yeah, but I couldn’t help think that you’re trying to get under my skirt, and it just ain’t happening,” Chris stated, walking briskly.

“Well you are hot and all, but I can be respectful. Besides, if you go by what everyone at school is saying, for the right price you will do anything,” Raleigh added as the two of them got closer to the store. The yapok suddenly froze in place at the lemming’s comment.

“You know, saying shit like that is a surefire way to kill any chance that you have at being a friend. Acting like that is a good way to stay single. The shit that the people are saying is just that: all shit. They need to get pissed and jump off a bridge,” Chris said angrily, turning in place and glaring at the rodent. She was tempted to drop kick him.

“I don’t know, looking at the way that you’re dressed...” Raleigh said, smirking at the yapok.

Chris glanced down at her short denim skirt, stockings, and boots, then back up at the lemming. She was starting to wonder if Raleigh had a death wish or if he was just dumb. He opened his muzzle to keep the train going, and she quickly cut him off.

“Yeah, and I can dress as punk and wild as I want to,” Chris hissed, stepping toe to toe with the lemming and pressing a finger claw into his chest. “It doesn’t make me slutty like you or the rest of them think. And like I said, saying shit like that is going to only get you on my bad side.” 

“I don’t think that you’re sluttly like that. Just chill,” Raleigh implored the angry marsupial, taking two steps away from the slightly larger yapok. “I know that people like to talk and all, and I’m not trying to be friends with you just to get into your skirt. I just think that you’re cool.”
 
“Ok, I won’t murder you this time but if you fuck up again, all the cards are off the table,” Chris threatened, turning back around and shaking her head before continuing towards the store. “Before you ask, the real story is: I wasn’t doing anything dirty with the guy behind the store.” 

“That’s not what everyone is saying; they just saw you walking out behind the dumpsters, followed by the cashier saying something about giving blow jobs for free stuff,” the arctic lemming pointed out, trying to keep up with her.

“Yeah, that sounds kinda right. I was behind the store, but it wasn’t ‘cause I was giving a BJ or something like that. I got caught trying to steal an energy drink and well the guy was fussing at me for it,” the water opossum explained, stopping at the door and letting it slide open before stepping into the convenience store.

The employee behind the counter looked up, seeing the punk yapok walking through the automatic doors. “Hey, aren’t you banned from here?” the clerk asked.

“Nope. I talked to the manager and she gave me another chance. I don’t even have a bag with me and there are like no pockets on this thing,” Chris stated, gesturing down at her denim mini-skirt, turning in place before walking to the beverage cooler. “You don’t even want to know where I keep my money.”

“Wow,” the lemming murmured, shaking his head in bemusement as they looked at the cooler doors, searching for something that they wanted.

“Don’t judge me or something,” Chris retorted, opening the door to the cooler that had the energy drinks and picking out the one that she wanted.

“I’m more worried about the energy drink habit,” Raleigh explained as he picked out a soda and the two headed up to the counter.

“No worse than the soda that you have,” Chris contended as she set her drink on the counter, looking at the worker and smirking. “See? I can be a good person and all that,” she asserted, watching him ring it up before paying for it and stepping to the side for her friend.

“So Oreo, what are you doing with a trouble maker like this?” the clerk asked, causing the yapok to nearly spit the mouthful of her energy drink onto the floor.

“Hey, eat me,” Chris snapped at the clerk. “It’s nothing like that, he just follows me like a lost puppy. And he’s untrainable,” she added with a huff.

“It’s true,” Raleigh acknowledged with a shrug. “We’re just kind of friends, play video games, do homework, that kinda stuff,” he explained as he paid for his drink. The two turned and left the convenience store.

“Well isn’t he just peachy?” Chris said sarcastically. “Also... Oreo?” the yapok asked as the two of them started across the parking lot.

“Let’s keep it between us,” he pleaded. “It’s a nickname that I got a while back cause of how my fur looks in the winter,” he explained, looking over at the water opossum.

“Don’t worry, I’ll try not to call you that in front of everyone,” she said, snickering. 

As the two of them walked across the asphalt, the conversation shifted to the end of summer and how it was approaching that most dreaded time of year: the beginning of the school year. Just as the pair reached the edge of the parking lot, they heard a female voice say: “Well, it looks like someone had to get her dick fix.”

Chris turned towards the source of the voice, spotting a familiar mole rat. “Hey, eat me bitch!” the yapok snarled.

“No thanks. I heard your 7-Eleven clerk boyfriend was doing that for you,” Candice sneered, showing off her buck teeth.

“He’s never been between my legs! I’m not some cock rotting puta that just opens my legs for anyone, unlike you,” Chris snapped, balling up her fists. “Some of us have standards.”

“Fuck you too!” Candice barked. “Just because I have boys after me and you don’t, doesn’t make me a slut,” the mole rat said, stalking angrily towards the yapok.

“Oh, no. The fact that you suck and fuck them all; that makes you a slut,” Chris shouted, glaring daggers at the approaching girl. “Besides, I don’t like boys.” 

“Come on, Chris. Let’s just go,” Raleigh pleaded, putting his free paw on her shoulder.

“That’s right; do something about your slutty friend,” The mole rat jeered, coming to a stop a few feet away with a smirk.

“Hold this,” Chris ordered as she handed Oreo her drink. The moment the lemming took the drink, the yapok reared back and slammed her fist right into the side of Candice’s muzzle, yelling “Jódete! La perra!”

The blow caused the mole rat to stagger backwards, nearly falling over. The shocked mole rat held her face for a moment, stunned. Chris smirked, then turned to continue on her way, the lemming following a second later.

“Hey bitch!” Candice yelled from behind them, causing both of them to stop and turn. “You think that I’m just going to let you get away with hitting me like that?” the mole rat asked, striding towards them.

“It sure looks like I did,” Chris snickered, “and it’s looking like I’m going to get to do it again,” the yapok boasted.

“That’s only because you sucker punched me, you little slut,” the mole rat said angrily, balling up her fists and rushing the yapok.

Candice threw a vicious right hook at the yapok, smashing into the marsupial’s jaw. The mole rat followed it up with another hammer blow with her left. Chris threw her arm out, blocking the blow. Her arm stung with the force of the mole rat’s punch. The yapok swung her other arm up from below, smashing Candice’s lower lip, slicing it and her knuckles open against the rodent’s long incisors. The mole rat’s head rocked back for a second and she screamed, charging the marsupial. The unexpected move caught Chris by surprise, her nose bouncing off the top of Candice’s head. Chris fell backwards onto the black asphalt, taking the mole rat with her. The two tussled for a moment before Chris got her hands behind Candice’s head, yanking it down while bringing up a knee. 

It seemed like the fight went on for ages as the two traded punches and slaps, rolling around on the asphalt, battering and raking each other with sharp claws. It came to a sudden stop with the sound of a loud, female voice telling the two to break it up as they were forcefully separated. The two girls panted, glaring at each other past the police officer that was holding them apart.

“How’s the nose, bitch?” Candice hissed, glaring at the yapok.

“How’s the face of yours? It’s looking a lot better after I bounced it off of my knee,” Chris hissed back, licking her lips and tasting the blood trickling down from her nose.

“Ok. You two need to keep way away from one another,” the armadillo officer said, glancing back and forth between the two of them before turning to the mole rat. “You go home or to wherever you are going,” she said.

The officer turned back to Chris. “I’ve had a run-in with you already. I’m at the point that I’m going to have to give you more than a warning.”

“Well, does it help if I said that it was in self defense? I mean, she started it! She came up to me talking sh- talking bad about me. I mean yeah, I said something back to her, but...” Chris realized she was babbling and stopped talking. She retrieved her can from Raleigh and took a swig from it, tasting iron mixed with the energy drink.

“Fine. I’ll let it slide this last time, but next time you’re going to the station,” the officer warned. “I’ll be telling the rest of the precinct to keep an eye out for you, so you better behave.”

“Yes ma’am. I’ll behave and go back to avoiding her like the plague that she is,” Chris reassured the officer, wiping the blood from her nose on the back of her paw.

“Now you two go home,” the armadillo ordered before turning and walking back to her squad car.

“Come on Oreo, let’s go,” Chris beckoned, starting once again towards her mom’s apartment.

“You know, I’m glad that I’m not on your bad side. You chicks are scary.” Raleigh muttered, shaking his head. 

_____________________________________________

Once they got back to the apartment complex, Chris and Raleigh parted ways. The young yapok let herself into her mom’s apartment, seemingly having pulled the key to the deadbolt out of thin air. Like most nights, she had beaten her mother home yet again. She kicked off her boots near the front door and sat her drink on the coffee table. Her first destination was the bathroom.

“I need to get cleaned up. Mom doesn’t need to know about this,” Chris muttered to herself, walking into the bathroom. She pulled her shirt off and tossed it into the hamper before following it up with her skirt and stockings. “Ahh, I hate clothes,” she said to herself, reaching behind her back and unclipping her bra, hanging it on the door before wiggling out of her panties and adding them to the hamper. 

Once she was out of the confines of her panties, she slipped a paw into the opening of her pouch, pulling out her phone and setting it on the counter. Looking up from her phone to the mirror, she glanced over herself, noting the familiar round ears, budding chest, male bits, and the tops of her athletic legs. The hermaphrodite fluffed up a few patches of fur before turning and heading to the shower.

Chris stretched as she walked up to the shower, then pulled the curtain to the side just enough to reach in and turn on the hot water tap. The apartment that she and her mother lived in might be small, but there was one good thing about it: the water heater. She could spend hours in the shower and not have to worry about the hot water running out. The steam started rising from the shower and she reached in to turn the cold tap on just a little, getting the temperature just right before getting in. The water opossum let out a happy sigh as the hot water rushed over her, letting the water wash over her and slick down her dark brown hair. She closed her eyes as she started splashing water on her face, working to get the bits of dried blood from the fur under her nose.

“You better not have your hand between your legs in there, pervertida,” a female voice said as the shower curtain was pulled to the side, revealing an older yapok.

“¡Maldita sea! You’re a dick, Mamá,” the younger yapok squeaked at Alyssa, not bothering to cover herself.  It wasn’t like she had anything that her mother hadn’t seen many times before. She slowly started to reach for the detachable shower head.

“Yeah, a little bit, but you know that you love it. Just think, you inherit it from me,” the older yapok said with a smile, then poking her tongue out.

“So, if that’s the case, then this would be your fault too,” Chris said grinning and snickering, grabbing the shower head and aiming it at her mom for a moment; spraying the older yapok down and making a small puddle on the floor as well.

“¡Mierda! I think that someone is cruisin’’ for a bruisin’,” Alyssa threatened, shaking her head as she worked to get out of her wet clothes, tossing them all into the hamper.

“¡No me jodas!” Chris blustered as she closed the shower curtain.

“My, my, someone has a foul mouth! I think that I need to show you what that naughty muzzle is good for,” Alyssa said as she pulled the shower curtain to the side and stepped in, pressing close to her daughter. One of her paws came up to rub Chris’ cheek. The younger water opossum tried not to flinch as her mother’s paw passed over a fresh bruise hidden beneath her fur. The older marsupial didn’t notice and her paw continued down, pushing on the younger yapok’s shoulder.

It didn’t take much to get the preteen yapok to her knees; she knew where this would end up. Chris’ tongue lashed out at the damp slit that was tucked between her mother’s legs, getting a gasp out of the older woman. Chris knew just where and how to lick to tease her mother.

“Chica lasciva. Someone’s been thinking about this all day, and I don’t mean me,” Alyssa muttered between moans and soft gasps. Her tail sneakily made it’s way between Chris’ legs. The slender, hairless tail-tip pressed against the young hermaphrodite’s sheath. With a surprising amount of skill and dexterity, Alyssa’s tail fondled her daughter’s covered member before moving further down to the flower hidden between Chris’s legs. Alyssa’s hands came to rest on her daughter’s head, teasing Chris’ ears as her tail-tip slowly snaking into the young herm.

A muffled whine slipped from Chris’ muzzle as she kept licking her mother's muff, her tongue dipping between Alyssa’s lower lips before teasing and working the older woman’s clit. Chris pulled back, letting out a sigh as more of her mother’s tail slid deeper into the young marsupial. Chris’ paw slipped down to stroke her swelling sheath as she looked up.

“Mmmmh, and you call me lasciva? And what if I was thinking about this all day? I mean when I have a hot milf like you, it’s hard not to,” Chris said, pressing herself down onto her mother’s tail, letting out another exhale as she felt her depths stretching around the invading appendage. With a wiggle of her hips, she went back to licking her mother, who parted her legs even further.

“It would just prove that you are a naughty little girl,” Alyssa said with a snicker, pulling her tail out of the young yapok’s quim an inch before pumping it in and out, nice and slow so that Chris could feel every inch of the tail teasing her insides.

Chris panted again as she kept licking and pleasing her mother, pulling her sheath back and working her exposed member. It didn’t take long before they were both panting, getting closer and closer to their climaxes. Chris was the first to cum, shivering as her walls milked the tail that was deep inside. Her cock erupted a moment later, spurting thin ropes of watery seed onto the floor of the shower. The paws on her head held the young yapok tight as her mother rode out her own orgasm. Alyssa let out a loud moan of her own as her honey dripped into her daughter’s muzzle as her mother came.

Panting and getting to her feet with her mother’s help, Chris smiled and licked her lips before being pinned to the shower wall. Alyssa’s lips pressed against her daughter’s as the two yapoks shared a passionate kiss. Chris ignored the slight pain of her injured nose, starting to purr as their tongues danced in each other’s muzzles. “Mmm, I can’t think of a better way to end a day,” the young yapok said.

“Such a good daughter. I love you, mi corazón,” Alyssa said lovingly as she picked up the shampoo and started washing her daughter’s hair. The two of them shared the shower, talking about their day and the things that they did. Alyssa took her time working the shampoo and conditioner through Chris’s pelt, making the girl blush over how her mom was spoiling her. Once they were clean, the two slipped out of the shower and dried off. Then it was off to the bedroom to brush their fur out and get dressed in their pajamas.

“So, I’ve had a hell of a day,” Alyssa said, picking up a box from the dresser along with a brush. She flopped down on the bed behind Chris, handing the package to her daughter before starting to brush the girl’s hair. “That came in the mail for you, it’s from your grandpa.”

“Abuelito down in Panama?” Chris asked, tilting her head. She squeaked as her mother brushed out one of the knots in her hair.

“The one and only,” Alyssa replied as she worked at getting the tangles out of her daughter’s hair. “Well, open it.”

Chris started tearing at the tape that was holding the box shut. It took a surprising amount of work to get it open. At the top was a sealed envelope that Chris set off to the side. The snacks and treats underneath it were far more interesting at the moment. “I think abuelito is trying to make me fat.”

“You and me both,” Alyssa muttered, watching Chris pulling out packages of Tajin Peach Rings and Chimango Chili Mango Slices. “Oh! You know those are mine,” the older yapok said, seeing the mango slices.

“Fine. But if you touch the Marinela Barritas, I will eat you,” Chris replied as she pulled the strawberry treats out and set them to the side. Next she pulled out a box of Bubulubu Chocolate coated marshmallow bars and set that aside as well.

“We’re going to have to do a movie night, and I’m going to be keeping a close eye on that coffee,” Alyssa said, pulling a bag of organic dark chiapas coffee and a container of Abuelita’s chocolate drink mix.

“Don’t worry, I’ll share with you. Oh Dios mío, abuelito is the best,” Chris exclaimed, going wide-eyed upon seeing what was sitting at the bottom of the box: three CD cases, all signed by the band members. 

“Yup, I would say I know who his favorite granddaughter is,” Alyssa said with a snicker as she saw the CDs from Rodrigo y Gabriela, Infinitum Obscure, and Agora.

“No kidding,” Chris murmured, putting everything back in the box before turning to the card and opening it. It was a birthday card from her grandpa, and true to form, it was pretty straight to the point, wishing her a happy belated birthday and urging her to come down to visit him and his wife, along with a crisp american fifty dollar bill.

“About five thousand miles away and he doesn’t miss a beat,” Alyssa said smiling as she wrapped her arms around Chris. The older yapok lay back on the bed, pulling her daughter with her as Chris set the card to the side. “Honey, we need to talk.”

“Whatever it was, I didn’t do it,” Chris said, squirming a bit as she snuggled against her mother, starting to purr softly.

“It’s not something that you did, though it is about you and a little on the serious side,” Alyssa stated, wrapping her arm around her daughter.

“I’m all ears, and slightly worried,” Chris said, cocking an eyebrow and looking up at her mother.

“That's good. So, I ran into someone... Well I should say that someone found me and one thing led to another and I ended up having lunch with your dad,” Alyssa said letting out a sigh, then smiling at the confused and horrified look on her daughter’s face.

“Banned, not allowed, and illegal,” Chris protested, shaking her head and crossing her arms.

“It’s nothing like that you goof. We spent more of it talking about you, and well, your dad wants to see you some before school starts,” the older yapok said, reaching up and ruffling Chris’ hair. The younger yapok’s expression shifted to a frown as she realized the situation wasn’t as bad as she had initially thought.

“I guess that I don’t have a choice in the matter. I don’t know if I want to meet them or not,” Chris mused, pressing her face against her mother’s fluffy chest.

“No. I know that it’s asking a lot, but I’ll make sure you get something out of it. If you behave, that is,” Alyssa placated her daughter, lightly stroking Chris’ hair and humming to her.

“So what do I need to do? Go meet him and his wife, pretend to be a good daughter and care about him, or that I’m happy to see him? Something like that?” The aquatic marsupial muttered against her mother’s chest, too lazy and content to move or look up.

“Well, basically, yes. Meet him and her, meet your half brothers and sisters, family dinner. You know, the American dream,” Alyssa said with a smile, happy to have such a loving little girl.

“Ok. But I get to pick what I get for being a good daughter,” Chris bargained, lifting her head, muzzle so close to her mother’s that Alyssa could feel Chris’ whiskers tickling her chin.

“That sounds... kinda fair. I’m going to end up regretting it, but ok. Oh, and he’s picking you up tomorrow at the bus stop, at lunch time or around then,” Alyssa added, leaning in and kissing her daughter on the forehead, smiling at the sight of her wiggling her nose and whiskers.

“So... I need to pack some extra clothes? Like, just an overnight bag? Bathing suit? Dress clothes? Several days worth of clothes?” Chris asked, blushing as she playfully nipped at her mother’s chin.

“Overnight. Longer if you turn out to like them. Other than that, I would advise against taking anything that’s naughty or could get you in trouble with them,” the older yapok said as she rested her muzzle on her daughter’s head, between her ears.

“Ok, but how am I supposed to take care of that? I mean-”

“You can go one night without doing anything like that, and if you have to do that, you have fingers and your tail. Just don’t get caught. If you do, I don’t know anything about it. Now let’s get that bag packed and then maybe watch a movie. I want some hot coco.”

_____________________________________________

On the southwest side of town, somewhere in the suburbs between Tualatin High School and the I-5 corridor, a small stoat stepped out of her bathtub, still sopping wet. She carefully stepped onto the bath mat and then took a few steps to one side. Next to the bathtub, where some people might have a small linen closet or set of drawers behind the bathroom door, there was a glass panelled doorway that opened into a tiny cylindrical room with a raised floor, smaller than a shower stall. The top and bottom were lined with metal grates that covered a pair of large fans. Lining the walls were dozens of smaller fans with other small grates and heating elements.

The little stoat slid open the curved glass door and stepped into the tiny fan-lined stall. She closed the door and slapped a small red button, causing all of the fans to start spinning, going faster and faster until warm air roared through the vertical wind tunnel. Perhaps fifteen seconds later, the fans began to slow back down and the small stoat pulled the glass door open, stepping back out into the bathroom. Her fur was a mess, but at least now it was mostly dry. She stepped up to the counter and picked up a broad brush and began working it through her fur.

Another two minutes later, the girl stepped out of the bathroom, now dressed in a white cotton nightgown that reached her knees. She quickly walked down the broad hallway past the wide main stairwell and the small elevator that stood next to it. The elevator was something that would have looked more at home in a hotel from the early 1900s than a house built in the early 2000s. While it looked old, it was anything but. Much like the rest of the house, on the surface it looked like a victorian-era relic, but when one looked closer it had all the amenities of modern civilization and was a sleek fusion of victorian style and modern functionality.

Just past the elevator and stairwell was the door to her bedroom. She quickly stepped into her private sanctum and closed the door behind herself with a quiet click. The bed to one side was covered in a white satin coverlet, along with a plethora of plushies of various sizes, mostly feral animals, and several large pillows with pale rose and white satin pillowcases. She stared at the bed with a pang of sorrow, remembering the last time she had used it.

She normally slept in her parents room on the floor below. However, her father was away on a business trip and mother was down in the first floor office finishing a project for one of her french fashion associates. Sleeping in her parents bed by herself just felt strange, though, so she had figured she would sleep in her own room for tonight. 

The little stoat crossed the room and flipped down the covers, revealing the pale rose underside and the white sheets underneath, then crawled into the comfortable bed and pulled the covers back up under her chin. For a moment she lay there, then reached up and flipped the dimmer on the wall, turning down the overhead lights. The room went dark and silent, except for the quiet tick of the antique clock hanging on the wall. For a moment she lay there before rolling onto her side. For a moment she thought she caught a whiff of basil and cinnamon, the natural scent of her friend Lexi’s fur. It was probably just her imagination though.

The clock continued to tick as the minutes passed. No matter how much she tried to put it out of her mind, the memory of their last night together kept returning, distracting her from sleep. It was a long time before the little stoat finally drifted off.

_____________________________________________

Friday, August, 21st 2015

“Maybe he won’t show up,” Chris mumbled to herself as she looked around. The bus stop was just as dead as it always was. Her mom had wanted her to dress a little nicer than she normally did, but somehow Chris had talked her mom into allowing something at least slightly punkish, which today consisted of a snug grey Nirvana t-shirt, a pair of shorts, stockings, and her converse sneakers.

Chris had arrived at the bus stop early, knowing if she had left on time, she would have had second thoughts about it. The young yapok pulled her guitar case from her shoulder, laying it on the ground and opened it. After taking out the electric-acoustic hybrid, she slung the strap around her shoulders and leaned back against the bench.

The young yapok started by strumming a few notes before playing an acoustic version of ‘Fix Me by Ten Years’. Chris ended up getting lost in the song, quietly singing the lyrics, that she didn’t notice that people walking by would stop to listen. A few of them even dropped coins or bills into the open guitar case.

She missed the sight of a Nissan Quest pulling up and the older yapok getting out. He stood, listening to her until the song came to an end before he spoke up. “I’m guessing that you’re Christina?” 

“Chris,” she replied, leaning over and gathering up the money that had been tossed into the case and slipped it into her pocket before tenderly laying the guitar in it. “But yes, I’m Christina. I just go by Chris.” 

The younger yapok picked up her guitar case and slung it over her shoulder as the older one picked up her luggage. She followed him over to the van and helped load her stuff into the trunk before getting into the vehicle. “Well, I’m Daniel. But I’m guessing that you already know my name at least… I should tell you a little more about me,” the older yapok said as they buckled their seatbelts.

“Don’t be so uptight, it’s just going to make this more painful. Yes, I know your name. Let's just let things happen, as they do,” Chris said, looking out the window. She glanced at some of the houses that they were passing, noting a large three story house behind stone walls and wrought iron gates down a side street.

“Well, I mean you do have a point. So, you ready for school?” Daniel asked, bringing the van to a halt at a stop sign before turning onto a side street.

“Not really. I don’t care for that place. Well it’s not so much the place, it’s more the people there,” Chris started to say something else, but hesitated as she remembered that she needed to seem like a good kid.

“I’m sure that I don’t have to tell you that you’re bigger than them and a better person, and other dad things. Well here we are,” Daniel said, glancing over to his daughter before pulling into a driveway.

“You know, it’s kinda nice out here. It’s not too far from Nadia’s house. That’ll cut down on time to get to band practice,” Chris said, getting out of the car and looking around. The neighborhood looked calm at least.

“Your older brother and sister are home, but I’ll have to leave to get the others in a few. Come on, let’s meet the family,” Daniel said, glancing at his watch before turning to help his daughter with her things. “And what’s this about band practice?”

“Yeah, I’m the lead guitarist and singer of the up and coming ‘Trash Cats’,” Chris said, beaming proudly as she was led into the house. Her older brother and sister were sitting on the sofa.

“I would like you to meet your brother Drew and sister Brandy.” Daniel said motioning to the two water opossums that were sitting on the sofa. They both raised their hands in greeting.

“So this is our other sister. She sure didn’t take after Dad,” Drew said, smiling and nodding to Chris who cocked her eyebrow at the comment. 

“Punk rock ‘till the end. I’m Christina, but you can call me Chris,” the younger yapok said, nodding at the two of them.

“I’m Brandy. You know if you ever want fashion tips or to try something that would be a little more fitting for you, I could help,” the teenager said, looking Chris up and down.

“You know, I think that it would be good if you two took Chris on a little walk. Show her where everything is; a tour. Just make sure that you get back by dinner,” Daniel said as he took Chris’ bags to the guest room.

“Come on ladies,” Drew said, getting up off the couch and walking to the front door. He led them out the house and down the sidewalk, going off on an adventure through the surrounding neighborhood.

“So, who’s living in the big ass house? Is it like some old haunted place that everyone gets dared to go to?” Chris asked with a snicker as the group walked down the side of the road, glancing at the different houses along the way.

“Some rich family, that’s all we know. As for the haunting part, not that I know or heard of. But they do have an amazing pool,” Drew said with a shrug as they stopped near the pillar at the corner of the tall brick wall and started walking towards the back of the house.

“From what I heard, the mother works from home and never leaves the house. Like she’s a shut in or some creepy old lady,” Brandy said as they made their way down the side of the property along the tall brick wall.

“You know Chris, you look kinda gutsy,” Drew said, smirking and glancing at Brandy. Chris missed the look he gave his older sister.

“I am,” Chris said confidently, rubbing the sore spot on her arm from her earlier altercation with the mole rat Candice.

“Well you know, there’s this rite of passage for the kids around here,” Drew started explaining, coming to a stop and looking up at the tall brick wall that went around the house and yard.

“Let me quess... you run and ring the doorbell or some dumb shit like that? That’s like… Kid stuff,” Chris said, looking at the top of the wall and noting the concrete capstone, figuring it was probably slanted to keep people from climbing over.

“Well something like that,” Drew prevaricated. He was going to expound further, but was interrupted by his sister Brandy.

“They have a massive pool, and the rite of passage consists of climbing the wall, running to the pool and jumping in and swimming like two or three laps.” Brandy said with a knowing smile, glancing at her brother.

“Ok, I can do that. I could do that with my eyes closed,” Chris boasted, following her older half-siblings further down the wall and coming to stop at a rather fancy wrought iron gate. The gate sat in an archway that was cut into the brick, with just a small gap near the top where the curve at the top of the gate didn’t quite match the arch through the brick wall.

“Well this is your chance. Not many kids have made it in there. They can’t get over the wall,” Drew said, trying his best not to ruin their prank by laughing. Brandy was trying to do the same.

“I wouldn’t be snickering like that. I’m about to show you two true skills with a touch of delinquency. This shouldn’t be too hard. Bit of a tight squeeze, but I think I got it,” Chris said walking up to the gate and looking it over, looking for any kind of security or alarms on it. While there was clearly a sensor between the door and frame, there was nothing in the gap near the top. Once she was satisfied, she started climbing to the top of the iron gate and started squirming through the narrow gap at the top. Her brother and sister watched n awe as she somehow wedged herself through the eight-inch high gap above the gate. Chris was graceful with the climb, but once she was on the other side, not so much. She hissed in pain as she hit the ground on the other side, sprawled out in a tangle of limbs and tail.

“Wow. Color me impressed... but that’s only part of it! You might want to do something about the clothes, cause it would suck to explain to dad why your clothes are all wet,” Brandy commented.

“You give me far too little credit,” Chris said, shaking her head as she pulled her shirt up and off, letting it fall to the ground. Her shorts, shoes, and stockings joined the shirt a moment later.

“Wow, it’s kinda like you planned for something like this,” Drew noted, seeing that Chris was wearing a black bathing suit in place of a bra and panties.

“Like I said, I got this,” Chris said with a snarky smile, adjusting the many straps that criss-crossed her chest. The bathing suit she was wearing was a bit more adult than a preteen would normally wear, and the straps formed an upside down star across her chest fur. “Now sit back and watch the show.”

Chris dashed across the tennis court and the small grassy lawn between the tennis court and pool. Her webbed feet slapped the ground as she ran up to the competition-sized swimming pool and with a graceful leap, dived into the pool. The yapok glided through the water like an otter. After surfacing she waved to her brother and sister before ducking back underwater. Her webbed paws and long tail made swimming nearly effortless. With better form and some experience she might have been able to put even an otter to shame.

“I didn’t think that she was that gullible,” Brandy said turning to her brother and shaking her head. 

“I know. I’m glad whatever gene she got skipped us, or is on her mom’s side,” Drew said, snickering as he pulled out his phone and fiddled with it for a moment before holding it up. 

“Oooh,” Brandy said, fishing her phone from her pocket as well, joining her brother in recording their half-sister’s delinquency.

Chris was too engrossed in her aquatic activities to notice what her brother and sister were up to, missing out on the fact that they were recording her. She was far too entertained with the pool and the fun that she was having swimming around and seeing if she could beat her old record of holding her breath.

Just inside the house, Elizabeth Stouffer was tugging at the shoulder straps of her white string bikini as she rode the lift down to the first floor. The bikini was difficult to see against the white fur that ran from her chin all the way to her thighs. Only a sharp eye, looking for the straps that ran around her back and hips and through the brown fur of her summer coat, might realize that she had anything on at all. If she was in her winter coat, it would be nearly impossible.

The little  stoat’s long, fluffy tail swished behind her as the lift door slid open on the first floor. She stepped out into the foyer, her bare paws slapping against the polished marble floor as she carried her towel through the dining room and kitchen, where she pulled open the glass french doors to the low wooden deck that overlooked the pool and tennis court. The weather was absolutely perfect for a swim. With any luck, she might get her lap times even lower.

The yapok didn’t hear the door open, engrossed in the opportunity to swim in such a large pool. She swam up to the edge, peeking over to the other two, waving to them.

Elizabeth quietly closed the french doors behind her as she stepped out onto the patio. As she turned back towards the pool, she stopped cold. Something... no, someone was swimming in it. Some kind of mammal, though she had no clue what kind; she’d never seen one like it before. The fur patterns were strange, and the shape of the individual’s head was odd. 

The little stoat was tempted to yell at them; this her parent’s backyard after all. That was when she realized that the person swimming couldn’t be much older than she was, and it wasn’t like they were doing anything bad, other than trespassing. Moving slowly, she walked across the patio and stood next to the wooden railing, peering over the top and watching the fur swim. Their form definitely needed work.

At this point, Brandy and Drew saw the stoat girl standing at the railing and vanished behind the wall, hoping not to get caught along with their younger half-sister. Chris had ducked back underwater, tempted to see if she could beat her old record of holding her breath. She surfaced and shook her head as she realized she didn’t have a way to time herself, looking for her new siblings.  “Ok, did I miss something?”  She asked herself as she realized her brother and sister were no longer visible behind the wrought iron gate. “Hijo de puta,” she muttered.

Elizabeth heard the sound of people moving outside the brick wall that surrounded the property, realizing after a moment that whoever was in the pool had probably gotten in by climbing through the small side-gate next to the tennis court. She didn’t even know why there was a side gate in the first place; they’d never used it. From the sounds of the other people running along the outside wall, this might have been a dare or something. She smiled to herself; it had happened once before, at least according to the camera footage from the security system. 

“They must be messing with me, I wonder if they planned to get me in trouble by going and ringing the doorbell and telling the people that live here,” the yapok muttered. “Ok, maybe one more lap before I go say things to them or something,” she said before starting another lap, trying to find out how fast she could swim. It took her a moment to get into the rhythm of kicking along with moving her-rudder like tail. She managed to get some speed before popping up at the other end of the pool. “I need to, like, find out who lives here and make friends.”  

Elizabeth glanced up at the security camera for a moment; it had been tracking the swimmer for a while now. Feeling reasonably confident that she was safe, since the intruder wasn't much bigger than she was, she stepped down the pair of steps to the cement walkway that surrounded the pool and sat on the edge, waiting for the stranger to notice her.

Chris turned and started swimming to the other end of the pool with the ladder, suddenly catching sight of the person sitting on the edge of the pool. The yapok flailed in panic for a moment before realizing they weren’t doing anything. The yapok stopped moving and looked at the girl, realizing she was probably the owner’s child. “Umm... You don’t see anything. I’m just a hallucination,” Chris said, trying to think on her feet.

“If you say so. The security camera seems to think you’re real enough,” the tiny stoat said, pointing up at the camera mounted on the side of the house. The gimbal it was mounted on was clearly tracking the girl in the swimming pool. “You really need to work on your form, by the way. It looks like you were starting to figure it out a moment ago though.”

“Well... I guess I’m busted no matter what,” Chris replied, floating in the direction of the stoat girl.  “So, have the police been called or do I have time to run?”

Elizabeth shrugged. “I haven’t called them. I’m guessing that since neither Mother or Charlotte has come out to yell at you, the security company probably hasn't noticed you yet and called about an intruder. You should probably leave before they see you though, cause I’m sure they’ll call the police when they do,” the little stoat said, moving her feet around in the water, black eyes glistening as she stared at the person in the pool. “By the way, what are you? Your species, I mean.”

“I’m really starting to think that my half-siblings tried to set me up,” Chris whispered to herself. “I am a rare critter. One of a kind. I’m a yapok,” she joked as she slowly drifted through the water. “I take it you’re some kind of ferret... noodle... thing? So, how long does it take the four-oh to get here?”

“Yep. Half ferret, half stoat,” Elizabeth replied. “Umm… What’s four-oh mean?”

Chris raised an eyebrow. “You’re a little on the sheltered side... Four-oh, the Po-Po, Pigs, la policía... they all seem to think that I’m a bad kid or something.”

Elizabeth blinked a few times. “Well, you are swimming in someone else’s pool right now. I guess that’s bad. But not really bad, like spray-painting someone’s house. Or hurting someone.”

“Well... spray-painting is an art, and no, I never tagged a house. Just a train, or the pieces of plywood that mom gets me to spray-paint,” Chris commented, still floating on her back. “As for the hurting people... Only when they hit me first. Self defense and all that.”

“That’s good, I suppose. I’m not good at art. My last friend was, but she moved away.” The little stoat paused for a moment, then asked something that had been nagging her since she’d heard the people running outside the wall. “Did you just decide to go swimming in our pool, or did someone dare you to do it?”

Might as well drag them down too, Chris thought to herself before explaining: “My brother and sister dared me to do it. Something about it being a rite of passage with the locals or something weird like that.”

“I’ve got a feeling your brother and sister were pulling your tail. You’re only the second person who’s come back here uninvited. The other person was on medication or something, or that’s what Mother said. He was acting really weird, and it took a bunch of police to take him back outside,” Elizabeth said, swirling her tail-tip around in the water. “Anyway, Charlotte’s probably going to come back here to check on me soon. They probably wouldn’t let you come back here again if they found out you snuck in. Maybe... do you live around here?”

The yapok finally reached the ladder a few feet from Elizabeth and climbed out, her fur slick like an otter’s. She started wringing the water out of her hair. “I live... like twenty minutes from here with my mom, but I’m visiting my sper- I mean father. You seem a lot cooler than my family. Can I come back and hang out? You could say I’m a friend from school.”

Elizabeth thought about that a second. The other girl seemed nice enough, and she had been terribly lonely without her best friend over the past week. “I could, but I’d have to let Mother know you were coming ahead of time, or she might get suspicious. Maybe you could come over tomorrow? I can teach you how to swim a bit better. Also, what school do you go to? I’m going to Byrom Elementary.”

“Me too. This will be my last year there, I hope,” Chris said, rolling her eyes a little.  “I kinda failed a grade but it wasn’t really my fault. Medical things and all that.” As the yapok finished wringing out her hair, she got a better look at the ferret-stoat hybrid, completely missing the white bikini hidden white fur that went from the girl’s neck to thighs. “I’m guessing that we are gonna be swimming naked?”

“Naked?” The stoat asked, puzzled. “Oh! No,” she said with a giggle, tugging on a shoulder strap. “I’m just wearing a white bikini; it blends in with my fur.”

“Well that explains why I didn’t get to see pink. I was wondering if you were a little odd. Like me,” the yapok snickered.

The little stoat blinked, wondering what that meant. “Anyway, give me a call if you can before you come over tomorrow.”

Chris reached into her pouch and pulled out a smartphone. The background on the screen was a train car that had been tagged. She unlocked it and handed it to the stoat.

Elizabeth quickly hit the dial button and tapped a few numbers, hitting the call button and waiting for it to ring once before hitting the button again to hang up. “There you go. It’s in your call history now. I’ll be out here for an hour or so. After that feel free to call me whenever. Oh... I  guess I forgot to introduce myself. I’m Elizabeth. What’s your name?” she asked, handing the phone back to the yapok.

“Chris,” the yapok answered, pausing a moment. “It’s short for Christina... and I will give you a ring... so I guess I get to use the gate like a normal person? No?” She asked as she started heading to it. 

“Well...It’s locked, so you’ll probably have to climb back over it again. Talk to you later,” the little stoat said, waving slightly even though the other girl had already turned away. 

“See ya later Noodle,” Chris called over her shoulder, jogging over to the far side of the tennis court to retrieve her clothes. She quickly ducked behind a shrub to change, taking her wet swimsuit off and putting her dry clothes on. A moment later she scampered up the gate and climbed through the narrow gap at the top, once again falling through it on the far side.

Elizabeth continued to watch the stranger, Chris, until she was out of sight. A few moments later the little stoat stood back up and launched herself into the pool, starting her usual warm up of ten laps.

_____________________________________________

The walk back to her father’s house felt like it took longer than the walk out to Elizabeth’s. The fear of getting into trouble wasn’t helping, but if it came down to it, she would drag her half-siblings down with her. It was only fair; they were the ones that had talked her into doing it. She was mostly upset that they’d just ditched, not even bothering to yell for her to run or anything. Walking up the driveway, her fears were confirmed as she saw her father standing on the steps.

“Is there something that you’d like to tell me?” the older yapok asked, looking down to his daughter.

“This is a nice little area. People seem nice. Other than that, not really,” Chris said flippantly.

“Is that so? I was looking forward to a story about climbing through a fence gate, swimming in someone's pool and trying to get your siblings to join you,” Daniel accused, giving her a stern look.

“Ok, lets stop right there,” she countered, returning the stern look. “Big sister and brother there were the ones that talked me into doing it.  Something about it being some kind of rite of passage. And me being me, I just wanted to try and fit in.” She was mostly truthful about what she said, but at this point she wasn’t worried about fitting in anymore.

“I will have another talk with them about all of this,” Daniel said with a sigh, “but you should have known better. You could have gotten hurt. What would you have done if the police had been called? I don’t know what kind of things that your mother let’s you get away with, but there will be none of that under my watch. You will behave like someone your age should.”

“You know, you’d do well not to bring mom into this.  She has done a lot more, and a lot better job of raising me.  I mean, you have been where for the past how many years?”  The younger yapok snapped, glaring at her father. “When you put in some effort to be my dad, then you can start talking. As for the cops and all that, they didn’t get called. I even made friends with the girl that lives there,” Chis grumbled as she slipped past her father and into the house, heading to the guest room.

“I know that you have some deep seated feelings about me, and I might not have been there for you, but I want to change that.  Things happen in people’s lives, and I want to make changes and be there for you, all I ask is that you respect me.” Daniel said, hesitatingly at first but  quickly finding his conviction.

“Oh I know that things happen in people’s lives, but how hard is it to pick up a damn phone and call someone? Oh hey, sorry I can’t get to your birthday party kid, but happy birthday? I mean, grandpa is down in Panama and he still does a better job than you,” Chris’ voice faltered as she was speaking, coming to a stop in the doorway of the guest bedroom. “Or a real good one, where were you when I was in the hospital dying?” She didn’t give him time to answer before she shut the door in his face.

“I...”  Daniel paused, completely caught off guard by what his daughter said.  “I messed up, but if you would just give me a chance?” he stammered, reaching for the door and turning the knob, finding it stuck.  “What?  How did you... let me in so we can talk.”

“We can talk later, just let me have a little time to cool off,” Chris yelled through the door as she walked to her bags and started digging through them. “As for the door, I didn’t break it, just put a chair under the handle,” she added as she pulled out her MP3 and her well used headphones.

“Ok…  Just come out and talk to me when you cool off.  I’m being truthful when I say that I want to be a good dad, or at least a better one...  Fair?”  Daniel asked, standing at the door with his head resting against the door.

“Sure, whatever,” Chris replied, putting on her headphones and flipping through the playlists, picking one before tuning up the volume.  She kept muttering something that her dad couldn’t hear as she sunk into the other chair that was sitting in the corner.

_____________________________________________

Elizabeth flipped over her wrist-watch, tapping the button on the side to stop the timer. The little stoat sighed and reached up to the edge of the pool, pulling herself up over the ledge and onto the warm cement. Up until a few weeks ago, she hadn’t even had the strength to do that much, having to rely on the ladder to get in and out of the pool.

For most of her life Elizabeth had been frail and weak, spending most of her time indoors. Aplastic anemia had a tendency to cause that sort of thing, and it was something she’d been afflicted with since infancy. Up until Elizabeth had met her best friend Alexandrea, or Lexi as she preferred to call hir, the little stoat had made little progress in improving her health. The young tigress had been exactly the opposite: strong, active, and loved to play outdoors. A little of that had eventually rubbed off on the little stoat, and her physical health had finally started to improve over the last year.

“All done?” Charlotte asked from where she was sitting a few feet away, lying on a pool lounge chair in her teal bikini. The teenaged doberman pinscher lifted the oakley sunglasses from her eyes and peered over at the cute little stoat who was dripping water all over, leaving dark puddles on the pale cement.

“Yeah, I think so,” Elizabeth said. “Thank you for watching over me.”

“Any time, precious,” Charlotte replied, sitting up in the chair and watching as the adorable little girl squeezed the water from her fur before patting herself down with a towel. She still couldn’t believe that Julia had made a side-tie bikini bottom and matching triangle bikini top for the stoat’s preteen daughter. It just barely covered Elizabeth’s naughty bits, and the fuzzy white material was such a close match to the girl’s chest and belly fur that she could be mistaken for being completely naked if one missed the thin white strings hidden under her brown overcoat. The teenaged doberman had been fooled into believing the girl was nude more than once over the summer.

“Are you going to be doing your driving school stuff tomorrow?” Elizabeth asked as she finished patting herself down.

“Nope! I’m all done with that now. Today was my last day,” Charlotte replied. “I was planning on asking Julia if Hikari could come over tomorrow though. Why?”

“Umm... I might have someone coming over tomorrow. I told her I’d give her swimming lessons,” Elizabeth said. “It’s okay though; I think tomorrow’s Saturday, so Mother or Father can watch us.”

Charlotte raised her eyebrows. The little stoat had literally never invited anyone other than Alexandrea over in the year or so that Charlotte had been living here at the Stouffer’s house. “Well... Okay then,” the doberman replied. “If your parents are busy I don’t mind playing Lifeguard, even if Hikari comes over. We can just read manga out here instead of inside,” she added. She made a mental note to inform Hikari of the fact that Elizabeth actually was indeed wearing a swimsuit, even though it didn’t look like it. Otherwise the poor kid might have a heart attack when he saw the little stoat.

Elizabeth smiled. “Okay, thank you!”

“You’re welcome,” the doberman said, letting her sunglasses back down and watching the adorable little girl hop up onto the deck and pull open the glass-panelled french doors, heading back inside. A moment later, Charlotte stood up as well, following the little girl inside; it was getting late, and she needed to start dinner.

_____________________________________________

“Hey. I’m ready to talk,” Chris announced as she walked out onto the cement patio, looking up at her father who was manning the grill.

“Alright.  I’ll let you go first. I’m sure you have a few things you want to ask,” the older yapok said, giving her a warm smiling before turning back to the grill.

“Well I think the one thing that I really want to know is ‘why’? Why did you suddenly want to be in my life? Why were you never there? Just why?”  She asked, taking a deep breath and sinking into one of the deck chairs nearby.

“You’re not going to like the answer. But I know relationships are strongest when built on trust.”  Daniel took a deep breath before starting again. “Back in the day, I was just starting to date my current wife, Naomi. I ran into your mother one night at a local bar, and well one thing led to another. I messed up big time. Your mom didn’t know that I was seeing someone, so none of this is her fault, but things went too far, and we ended up in bed...  Long story short, about nine months later, you were born.”  

Daniel paused, looking for the words that would be best.  “As for not being around…  I didn’t want your stepmom to know that I had goofed, so I ended up hiding it for some time. She ended up finding out about it, and about me messing up, but she was willing to give me another shot. The second chance came under one condition, that I find you and make sure I do what any man should have done, and be a dad.”

Chris sighed. “You’re not going to get any dad points for cheating on naomi, but I guess I can overlook it and give you a few points for being truthful with me. Though it still hurts to know that you would just forget a kid like that to save your own tail.” The young yapok paused, looking for a way to express herself and the number of feelings that were swirling around. “But, I guess I can give you a chance to make up for that, so, call a spade a spade and have a clean start?”

“That works for me.” It was clear that there was a weight that seemed to be lifted from his shoulders as he started putting the grilled pork chops on a plate. “I know that it seems trite to say it, but... I’m sorry. For everything. Hug?” he asked as he put down the plate and turned to Chris, arms open.

“Yeah, I understand that you’re sorry and all, but I’m not a hugger.” She held her paw out, instead. “it’s not just you, it’s like, anyone.”

Daniel took Chris’ paw and gave it a little shake. “This means just as much as a hug. Now, let’s go have dinner. Your step mother should be getting back anytime now,” he stated, grabbing the plate and heading back into the house to start setting the table. Chris checked to make sure the barbeque’s gas was off and followed her father inside.

_____________________________________________

Stepping outside the front door, Chris sighed as she finally managed to sneak away from her new family.  She knew that she had brothers and sisters, but she didn’t know that her dad had been that busy. There were six, counting herself.  She had three older half-siblings, the oldest of whom was off at college, out of state. She was told that she would get to meet him sometime down the line.  Brandy and Drew came next, then herself. After that was her younger half-sister Nina who had just turned five. Last and least was her one-year-old half-brother Harper.

After sitting on the steps, Chris reached into her pouch to get her phone and glanced over some of the messages, replying to the ones that she needed to and sending her mom an update on how things were going. From there, she quickly found the number that she wanted and added it to her contacts before calling it.

Elizabeth heard the house phone ringing and quickly hit escape to pause her game. Not that a creeper was likely to spawn during the day time, but it had happened often enough that she no longer took any chances. Pushing back her chair, she darted out of her room and thundered down the stairs to the second floor where one of the house phones sat on a small stand.

“Expecting a call?” Julia asked, poking her head into the hallway from the master bedroom. “I assume it’s Alexandrea,” the older stoat stated, leaning against the wall with a smile.

“Yes and no,” Elizabeth answered her mom curtly, quickly picking up the handset from the modified rotary phone base. “Hello?”

Julia’s eyebrows went up. That was certainly unexpected. She wondered who exactly it was that her daughter was expecting a call from, especially at this time of night.

“Hola. I was starting to wonder if you had lost the phone in that big house,” Chris said with a snicker. “So I finally managed to get a moment or three away from my family to call you and all that... so... that swimming lesson offer still good?”

“Um... Let me find out,” the younger stoat said, lowering the handset. “Mother, would it be alright if Christina came over tomorrow to swim? She goes to Byrom too, and she’s staying at her dad’s house nearby.”

Julia’s eyebrows went even higher, creeping towards her hairline. She’d never heard of this ‘Christina’ before. “I suppose that’s okay, provided she has approval from her parents. I’d like to talk to them, if possible.”

“Okay,” Elizabeth said, raising the phone to her ear again. “Mother said it’s okay, but she wants to talk to your parents first."

“Well I can go get mom…  Er, I can get dad. Mom is back at her house. Would that work?”  She asked as she stood up from her seat on the front steps of the house, brushing off her shorts.

“I think so...” Elizabeth said hesitantly. The thought that someone would have two houses struck her as a bit odd.

“I’ll go get him,” Chris said, pulling open the front door and stepping back inside the house. Her end of the line went silent for a moment, followed by the muffled sound of talking before Chris came back on the line. “He said that it would be ok and he’ll talk to your mom and all that.”

“Great! What’s your father’s name?” Elizabeth asked.

“Daniel, he’s right here,” Chris replied.

“Okay,” the little stoat said, waiting for a moment so she could introduce her mother.

“Hello?” a male voice spoke into the phone.

“Hello! I’m Elizabeth. Christina wanted to come over for swimming lessons, and Mother said that would be alright, but she wanted to talk to you first. My mother’s name is Julia. Can you hold a moment?”

“Sure thing sweetie,” Daniel said, looking down to his daughter. Chris stared back, tapping her paw a little.

“Mother? Christina’s father’s name is Daniel. Here he is,” the little stoat said, handing the handset to her mother, being careful with the coiled cord that connected it to the base. 

Julia took the phone and held it up to her ear. “Hello. Daniel? This is Julia Stouffer.”

“It’s nice to meet you ma’am.  It seems Chris has made friends with your amazingly polite daughter. She might learn a few things from her,” Daniel added, cutting a glance at his nearby daughter, who rolled her eyes at his comment.

“Why thank you!” Julia preened at the compliment. “I understand that your daughter wants to come over here to swim tomorrow?”

“Yes ma’am.  She mentioned something about going to her new friend’s house after band practice tomorrow. I’m guessing that this call is to get all our ducks in a row? As long as it’s ok with you, Chris can come over to swim or hang out with your daughter. Just let her know about any special rules at your house.” He saw Chris smile as he gave his approval, and grinned.

“Great! I’ve got to say your daughter’s timing is impeccable. Elizabeth’s very solitary most of the time, and her best friend moved out of state a few days ago; she’s been terribly lonely. Anyway, we live on Thornton Drive, in the large house with the brick wall and wrought-iron gates. Do you need directions?” Julia asked.

“No ma’am. I drive past that house every day on the way to work,” he said, shaking his head. “Chris is new to this part of the town. I’m glad to find she’s making friends already, too.”

“Excellent,” Julia said with a smile. “What time should I expect her over here?”

“Give me a moment, I need to find out when Chris has band practice,” he said, turning to his daughter. “You mentioned band practice. When?”

“Yeah, I need to be at Nadia’s house about twelve thirty, like right after lunch.  We’ll be there for an hour or two,” Chris explained, walking over to the sofa in the living room and flopping down on it. “You can just drive me to her house, then after practice I can walk to Elizabeth’s.”

Daniel held the phone back up to his ear again. “Chris said she’s going to band practice just after lunch and will be a couple of hours there, then she said she’d walk over to your house. Is that okay?” he asked, sitting down on the sofa next to Chris.

“That’s perfect. I’m here all day, but I would like to do some shopping in the morning. If it’s around three in the afternoon, that would give a bit of time between lunch and going swimming,” Julia explained.

“Okay then,” Daniel said, smiling and glancing at his daughter. “Is there anything else that you need to know?  Or is your daughter wanting to talk to Chris?”

“No, that’s all. I’ve got the feeling that Elizabeth wants to talk more though, so I’ll hand the phone to her. It was a pleasure talking with you,” Julia said.

“Same,” he said nodding and handing the phone back to the young yapok, who took it and bolted out the front door again. Daniel raised his eyes, then shook his head.

“Hello?” Chris asked as she sat back down on the front steps.

“Hello again,” the stoat replied. “So... I was thinking about what you said earlier, about medical issues. Can I ask what it was? Or is it something you don’t want to talk about?”

“Well it was a few things. I’ve always had this weird relationship with sleep and sleeping. Let’s just say that sleep is both a blessing and a curse for me. The other issue that I had, the big one... I got really sick from a bug bite and spent a bit of time in the hospital as they tried to figure out that it was the bug bite that was causing all this other weird stuff that was happening,” She rambled. “I can show you the scar. Oh, and did you happen to find a pocket knife by the gate that I climbed through?”

“Oh... no, I didn’t know you had dropped something,” Elizabeth said. “Should I go look for it?”

“If you have time.  But I can pick it up tomorrow, I don’t think it’s going to rain, so I don’t think it will rust or anything.”  She mused, hoping that it didn’t rain for more reasons than just that.

“It’s Oregon. It always rains,” Elizabeth said. “I’ll go look for it, but I can’t spend too long. It’s getting dark and I’ve got to go to sleep soon.”

“I don’t like sleeping, it can be a little too chaotic.” She sighed.

“Oh. I like sleeping. I get cranky when I don’t get enough sleep. Mother and Father are good at making sure I go to bed on time, otherwise I’d probably stay up playing video games,” Elizabeth mused.

“Oh! I like to play games. I don’t think that I play them as much as mom thinks I do, though. What do you play?” Chris asked.

“Well, I really like Minecraft, and a few other games like Ori and the Blind Forest. My best friend showed me that one. It’s really good,” Elizabeth said, nodding.

“Minecraft is a blast, though I like the modded stuff better.  And I keep hearing about that game, is it really that good? At this rate I’m going to have to get it,” the yapok added. It wasn’t like she needed much of an excuse to get a game.

“Really?” the little stoat asked, surprised to find someone else played Minecraft with mods. “I play the Feed the Beast mod packs. And yes, Ori is incredible. It’s not a very long game like minecraft is, but it’s really, really good. You can play it tomorrow when you come over if you like.”

“That sounds like it would be a fun way to unwind after the swimming lesson.  So, other than gaming and stuff, what kinda trouble do you get into... metaphorically speaking.”  The yapok asked, leaning back against the door, watching the backyard.

“Uh… you mean like… real trouble? Or what do I do for fun? I don’t know what metaphorically means,” Elizabeth murmured, a bit embarrassed.

“No...”  Chris paused to think of how to explain the word. “It’s a figure of speech... me asking you what kind of trouble you get into, I was asking what kind of things you do for fun... Boy I’m starting to think that you’re more sheltered than I thought.”

“I knew what you meant about doing stuff for fun,” Elizabeth defended herself. “I just don’t know what metaphorically means. I haven’t seen that in my spelling quizzes yet,” the stoat said before taking a breath. “Anyway, I like to watch movies, play tennis, go swimming… And I like clothes too. Mother is a fashion designer, so she sometimes has me model stuff for her children’s clothing lines. Oh, and I like walking about the park. Atfalati park. Me and my best friend used to go there pretty often, when shi was still here. Though we played a lot at hir house too. Shi had a lot of racing games that were fun, but I haven’t gotten any of them yet, or a racing wheel.”

“I suck at racing games.  And don’t feel bad. The only reason I know that word is cause I have a smart friend or two,” she said, thinking of Oreo. “And you said ‘when your friend was here’... Did something happen? I mean, if you don’t want to you don’t have to tell me.”

“Um, well... End of last school year, one of the boys at school discovered shi was a hermaphrodite, when most everyone else thought shi was a girl... Shi got hurt really bad and had to move to another state. Shi left last week.”

“I heard about a tigress getting jumped the last week of school. That sucks. I’m glad to know that she’s ok, but I’m sorry that she had to move.”  Her voice trembled a little. “Being a herm can be scary sometimes. It sucks to think that there are putas out there that would do something like that.”  She paused, trying to think of something different to talk about.  “You know, I’ve never been to that park, maybe we could go sometime.”

Elizabeth didn’t catch the comment about being a herm, but she definitely caught the comment about going to the park. “I’d love to! Only... would you promise not to spray-paint it? I hate seeing spray-paint on stuff like at the other park... Fanno Creek Park or whatever it is.”

“Yeah, you don’t have to worry about that,” Chris reassured the little stoat. “I’m not going to tag a place like that... or any major buildings like that. You can get into waaay too much trouble doing something like that; big part of the reason that I just paint wood.” The yapok paused a moment.  “Well it’s starting to get late... I need to get the bedtime routine going, so I will see you tomorrow.”

“Okay, see you tomorrow. Sleep well,” Elizabeth said, setting the handset back on the old rotary-style base. Elizabeth practically bounced in place for a moment before turning back around and spotting her mom still leaning against the hallway. 

“Spray paint, huh? Is there something I should be aware of?” Julia asked, with one eyebrow raised.

Elizabeth’s mouth hung open. She hadn’t realized her mom was still listening to their conversation. “Uh... No? Christina uses spray-paint for her art, is all. On pieces of wood that her mom buys her,” the little stoat said, vaguely remembering their conversation in the pool earlier.

Julia narrowed her eyes for a moment, making a mental note to check the outer wall for graffiti, just in case. After that comment about spray paint, she wasn’t quite so certain she liked the idea of Christina coming over, but she would give the other girl a chance, for now.