Author's Note: Chapters 11 and 12 are an updated version of the standalone story that was previously published as 'Midwinter Miracles'.

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 11

Friday, December 24th, 2015

Hikari stepped through the front door of the Stouffer’s house, this time carrying a duffel bag and wearing a white hoodie and beige cargo pants. “You’re sure they’re okay with this?” the japanese macaque asked the doberman pinscher holding the door open.

“Of course,” Charlotte replied, her tail wagging as she closed the front door. “They’re the ones who suggested that I invite you over. Alex is staying up in Elizabeth’s room, so the guest bedroom is free.”

“Well, okay then,” the teenaged monkey said with a shrug, eyeing his class-mate. This time she was wearing black watch tartan plaid skirt and matching vest over a navy turtleneck. The blue and green went surprisingly well with her brown and black fur. “Nice outfit,” he said, nodding in approval.

“Thanks,” the canine said with a smile, twirling in place, her toe-claws clicking on the foyer tile. “Julia had some leftover material and made this for me out of it. Perks of being a model for her designs.”

“It does look really good,” a child’s voice called out from the entertainment room next to the foyer. Hikari glanced over, spotting a young tigress in capris and a black t-shirt with the iconic ‘Hello Kitty’ logo. She looked vaguely familiar, but for the life of him he couldn’t remember ever meeting a tiger cub before. He definitely recognized the little stoat sitting next to her, though. “Hello Elizabeth. Who’s your friend?” he asked, stepping into the doorway.

“This is Alex Andreyev,” the little stoat said, tapping a button on the controller she was holding and setting it down on the couch.

“Andreyev...” the monkey said, tilting his head slightly. “Is your mom a karate teacher?” he asked the tigress.

The tigress nodded, also setting down her controller. “She taught karate here in Tigard until we moved to Colorado a few months ago.”

“Ah,” the monkey said, smiling as he realized who she was. “So you’re Sensei Raenne’s kid. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Alex. I’m Hikari Arakaki,” he introduced himself, giving the tigress a formal Japanese bow. “Your mom taught me almost everything I know about karate, from white belt to black belt. I’m actually an instructor now at the dojo.”

Alex’s eyes went wide. “Really? You’re a black belt?”

“Sure am,” the monkey said, smiling proudly.

“I just got my yellow belt,” the tigress said. “Do you think you could help me practice some of the katas? I’ve got Heian Shodan and Heian Nidan memorized, but I’m still working on Taikyoku Shodan, Nidan, and Sandan.”

“Sure!” Hikari agreed. “Let me put my duffel bag up in the guest bedroom, first. It’s a little chilly, but I guess we can practice out on the driveway...”

“The tennis court in the backyard would probably be better,” Charlotte suggested. “Besides, I kind of want to see what this is all about.”

Hikari grinned; there was no way he was going to pass up a chance to show off in front of Charlotte. The chance to (at least partially) return the favor to Sensei Raenne for getting him a job that he loved was just a bonus.

__________________________________________________

Chris stepped into her father’s living room, the tween yapok’s attention drawn to the tree that occupied an entire corner of the room. Her dad and step-mother had gotten a real tree and gone all-out decorating it with lights, tinsel, and dozens of, in Chris’ opinion, tacky ornaments. They had even gone through the trouble of getting a family photo ornament made with Chris in it; she resisted laughing as she remembered the dirty look that she got from Brandy. She was surprised that they hadn’t put a string of popcorn on the tree, something that she had seen on T.V.

The young yapok slunk through the living room and towards the recliner that she had claimed for herself, then came to an abrupt stop upon noticing that someone had taken her spot. It was an male yapok that she didn’t recognize with shaggy brown hair, a pair of wire-rimmed glasses, brown corduroy pants, and a beige turtleneck. He hadn’t noticed her, his nose buried in a book with the title ‘Imajica’. She’d never heard of it.

“Chris!” Daniel called out, patting the empty spot on the couch next to him. One thing Chris had quickly learned was that, in this house, seating was a precious commodity. “Barry, put the book down and socialize a little,” the older yapok said to his oldest son as Chris flopped onto the sofa next to her dad, squeaking out as she hit the hard spot where the two parts of the sectional connected.

“Nice to meet you,” Barry said, dog-earring the book before closing it and looking over at his younger half-sibling. “Is Chris short for something?”

“It’s short for Christina,” Chris answered, tail twitching and mentally flinching at the blatant destruction of the book page. The older yapok in the recliner looked her up and down, clearly noting the ripped black jeans, wallet chain, faded band t-shirt, socks with holes in them, and spiked bracelet that she had thrown on after waking up. She was feeling particularly punk today after the past week of wholesome Christian family holiday activities.

“So... are you goth, punk, or trans?” he asked, raising an eyebrow. “Or a little of all three?”

She cocked an eye at her older half-brother. She wasn’t sure who she disliked most of her new family, but Barry was currently on the fast track towards the top. “I’m not trans. Just a girl that’s too lazy to spell out my whole name. And Chris sounds more punk. Also, ‘down with gender norms!’ or something like that,” she said, trying to do as her mother had asked by being polite rather than rude.

“That sounds like something a trans person would say,” Brandy chimed in, looking over at Chris. “That might be why you have weird panties,” she added, casually dropping the phrase like a bomb.

“Tu puta,” Chris snarled under her breath, losing her carefully cultivated temper. “Why are you going through my panties? I think that’s a bigger issue than what’s in mine,” she said loudly, attracting the attention of Drew, who came down the hallway, drawn by the impending family drama.

“It’s kinda hard not to see them when you leave them scattered around your room,” Brandy countered with a smirk. “Besides... Even if you are trans, we would love you. You’re family remember,” she said with a false smile, waiting to see how the drama she had initiated would play out.

Chris started to open her muzzle to swear, but her mother’s voice echoed in her head, reminding her to be nice. “That’s good to know. And I’m glad that you all love me. It means a lot,” she said, forcing a smile of her own. “Anyway, I’m not trans. But I’m not female either.”

Before Chris had a chance to continue, her older brother spoke up. “So if you're not transgender and you’re not female, then what are you? Are you intersex or something?” Barry asked, one eyebrow raised inquisitively. He had read about various intersex conditions and knew how rare some of them could be.

“Yes. I’m a hermaphrodite. Both bits are fully functional,” Chris said, looking at her sister. “That’s why my panties are a little different. Got to have room for all my... personality.”

“What?” Daniel asked, staring down at the young yapok sitting next to him as if she had grown a second head, floored by the revelation and trying to wrap his head around it. Up until now he’d assumed that ‘Christina’ was a girl based on her full name. He’d had no clue that ‘she’ was a ‘shi’. The room was so quiet you could have heard a pin drop. After a few seconds of silence, he asked “So, would that mean you are still my daughter? Or would you rather be my son?”

“It means that I’m Chris. I’m not really either. I’m in the middle.” Chris shook her head, discomfited by the whole conversation. “But that’s enough about me. Ummm, yeah.”

A few more seconds passed in silence before Daniel broke it, putting his hand on his daughter’s shoulder. “You don’t have to share any more than you feel like sharing. And you lot, don’t bother her about it or go asking her anything personal,” he said, looking around the room at his three oldest children.

“So, now that you’ve all met each other... what’s on the menu for today?” Naomi asked, glancing at her husband as walked in, Harper in her arms and Nina following close behind her. It was obvious that she had carefully timed her entrance after overhearing the conversation from the dining room.

“Okay. Here’s today’s plan,” Daniel said, leaning forward and resting his hands on the knees of his slacks. “First, we’ll be heading out to visit some of your extended family for lunch. After we get back, we have Chris’ gifts ready for her to open,” he explained, gesturing at a small pile of presents to one side of the Christmas tree. “After that, Chris, Brandy, Drew, Nina, and I will be heading out to go caroling while Naomi fixes dinner. Alyssa should be here to pick Chris up at eight, so we’ll try to be back by seven.”

__________________________________________________

“It’s a little weird getting to open things before Christmas,” Chris said, getting up and walking over to the pile of presents next to the tinsel-covered Christmas tree. She was once again wearing the bright red Christmas dress her mom had purchased, having put it on before going to visit her extended family earlier. She carefully adjusted her dress as she knelt, making sure not to show anything off, just as her mom had instructed. “Thank you,” she said, picking up one of the boxes.

Opening the first of the gifts, the tween yapok smiled. The box contained three different tail warmers in it; one that had bright colors and random patterns on it, a second that was a solid purple, and a third that was a tartan plaid. The next package that she opened had a pair of gloves, some socks, and stockings of different styles in it. The other presents that she opened had other clothes, mostly band shirts. The last thing that she opened was a simple Christmas card. As she read the various messages each of her new family members had written, she couldn’t help but smile. It was clear that they had put some thought into it, and that they truly did want her to be a part of the family.

“Thank you all so much,” Chris said, going a bit teary-eyed. As she carefully stood up, her father and stepmother did the same. “This is so nice of you all,” she said, smiling as she felt her father and step mother pulling her into a hug.

“You’re part of the family and you know that we take care of one another,” Daniel said, smiling. “Now, go get your guitar. We have carols to sing,” the father stated as they all broke the hug. The younger yapok gathered up her gifts and took them off to the guest room.

Moments later, Chris came out of the room with her guitar slung over her shoulder, and the brightly colored tail warmer on, and a pair of the gloves on her ears. “I do have one thing that I need to tell you: I don’t know that many Christmas songs. I could probably fake my way through a lot of them, though.”

“Umm, Chris? You’re wearing the gloves wrong,” Naomi said, snickering.

“I know, but they make good ear warmers,” Chris said with a little snicker. “That, and it’s hard to play with gloves on,” she said, holding up one paw wrapped in fingerless gloves.

“Well, that’s one way to keep warm,” Daniel said as the group all started heading out the door.

“Totes going to start a new trend,” Chris said with a little giggle. “So I have never done this before. I guess I just start playing when we get to someone’s door?”

“We play on the sidewalk, actually. If you don’t know the song, just listen. If you do, you can play or sing as you wish,” Daniel said as the group started walking down the street.

The family made their way up and down the street that they lived on, stopping at houses where they knew people were home. When they came to a halt, her father would pick a song, ring a bell, and start singing. The rest of the group would join in. Chris might not come out and say it, but she was starting to enjoy getting to do odd things like this. She was even starting to think that her father was trying to be just that: a father for her. All the little arguments and things that had happened between them seemed insignificant. She even felt like they were accepting her.

After coming home from caroling, Chris slipped off to the guest room, putting her guitar away and taking off the gloves and the tail warmer before heading back in time to hear Naomi calling everyone to the kitchen for a late dinner. The young yapok was a little surprised at the wealth of different foods that were spread out for them. She was slowly getting used to having fancy home-cooked meals between hanging around Elizabeth’s family and her father’s side of the family.

After dinner, Chris was laying on the bed in the guest bedroom, sprawled out after the big meal, reading the novel that she had gotten from Melissa. Her ears twitched as she turned to the door as it creaked open. “Oh, hey Brandy,” she said, sitting up and smiling at her sister.

“Christina,” Brandy said, closing the door behind her.

“Chris,” the younger yapok countered.

“Christina,” Brandy said belligerently, stepping over to the bed as Chris got up.

“What’s your problem?” Chris asked, setting the book down and looking up at her half sister.

“You are,” Brandy said with venom in her voice. “You are still here, getting in the way of the family and trying to steal daddy from me, from us.”

“I’m not trying to steal anyone,” Chris replied, with a shrug. “Here I was starting to think that you weren't some shallow puta. I’m not trying to steal anyone. I’m just trying to be a part of this family, as your mother and our father wanted,” she said, sneering and standing up from the bed, face to face with her sister. “So like it or not, I’m here to stay.”

“I don’t know why,” the older yapok said as she pressed herself against Chris, trying to be as intimidating as she could be. “No one wants you here.”

“Well, it sure looks like our little brothers and sisters like me well enough. And Naomi and dad sure seem to be warming up to me,” she said, refusing to back down. “It must have really pissed you off when Naomi said something about taking me shopping. I don’t even like going shopping, but I’m tempted to take her up on it, just to piss you off. I’m sure your mommy and daddy complex would love that.”

Brady opened her muzzle to say something, only to sneeze in her sister’s face. Chris stepped back in disgust and started wiping her face off as Brandy continued, “That’s what I have to say. You think that you will be a part of this family, but you’re not. Dad is only being nice to you ‘cause mom thinks a bastard like you needs a family, and he’ll do anything for her,” she said in a hiss.

Chris was done taking shit from her stuck-up sibling. “¡Jodete!”, she yelled as she balled up her fist and swung, nailing her half sister right in the jaw. “¡Me cago en todo lo que se menea! You’d be the reason that this family would fall apart, coño. You’re more dysfunctional than I am-” she started saying, then staggered as Brandy punched her in the gut.

“I’m not dysfunctional trash like you,” Bandy hissed out as she swung again, hitting Chris in the jaw.

“Yeah, you’re a stuck-up cheerleader puta,” Chris hissed, straightening up and swinging at Brandy, hitting her in the nose. “The kind that fucks the football team,” she snarled, letting out another squeak that turned into a yell as Brandy viciously twisted her ear. “Get the fuck off of me!” she yelled, pulling her sister off, then snarling as Brandy headbutted her. The two yapoks fell to the bed and then the floor as they struggled.

“Girls!” Daniel’s voice boomed out, getting the two’s attention before he pulled his daughters off of each other. “Brandy, room. Now!” he ordered, helping Chris up. “I will be there to talk to you in a moment,” he said as he watched her walking out of the room, shutting the door behind her.

“Well, I guess that I have some explaining to do,” Chris said, resigned. She sat down on the bed, holding a hand up to her nose. Her hand came away bloody.

“That’s a start,” Daniel said as he handed her a tissue. “What happened this time? I thought that things were going well between you two.”

“I thought so too,” Chris said, holding the tissue to her bloody nose. “She came in here and started jumping on my case, saying something about you only wanting me here to save your relationship with Naomi. And that I’m here to steal you from her and from the family.”

“Okay... and just what caused it to turn into a fight?” Daniel asked, sitting on the bed as well, putting a hand on his daughter’s knee.

“Well, after that she got up in my face and then sneezed all over me,” she started explaining, pulling the tissue from her nose and checking to see if it was still bleeding. “That was the start of it.”

“Ah,” he said, now seeing the drops of slime that dotted Chris’s face as well as the blood that had dripped down her dress. At least the dress was red. After a few moments he lifted his arm from her knee and draped it over her shoulder. “First, I’m not doing any of this to save my relationship. I’m doing this because I want to be a part of your life. I want you to be a part of our lives,” he said, pulling her close.

“Well, I’m starting to believe that, at least a little,” she said, smiling ruefully. “And if it’s not true, you’re one hell of an actor and I need to see if I got the acting gene,” Chris said, snorting in amusement, then quickly holding the tissue back to her nose.

“You take after your mother to a tee,” Daniel said with a chuckle. “You lay down, go back to reading or whatever you were up to. I’m going to go talk to your sister,” the older yapok said, getting up and slipping out of the room. 

After her nose finished bleeding, Chris fell back onto the bed for a moment and stared at the ceiling, noticing that her ear was really starting to hurt. After a minute she got up and went to her bag to get a change of clothes. She wanted a shower; there was something about being sneezed on that made her feel super gross.

__________________________________________________

Saturday, December 25th, 2015

"Hey! Wake up, sleepy kitty! It's Christmas!", Elizabeth said, shaking Alexandrea awake.

The tiger cub groaned as shi was forcibly awoken, blinking more than a few times to clear the sleep from hir eyes.

Once Elizabeth was sure that Alexandrea was awake, the naked little stoat-hybrid threw back the covers and crawled to the foot of the bed to retrieve her nightgown, which she hastily donned. “C’mon, we gotta take a bath before we go downstairs,” she said, walking over to the closet and pulling down a red dress.

Alex groggily rolled over and yawned, stretching in place before sitting up. The feline hermaphrodite threw off the covers and slipped off the side of the bed, bending down to retrieve hir ‘Hello Kitty’ pajamas that had been scattered across the floor the night before while Elizabeth slipped out of the room and headed towards the bathroom. After quickly pulling on hir pajamas, the tigress quickly dug through hir suitcase and pulled out a white sleeveless blouse and a black pleated skirt, completely disregarding the fact that it was winter. Siberian tigers were practically made for cold weather. 

When Alex arrived in the bathroom Elizabeth was already in the process of filling the tub, having dropped her own outfit on the counter: a deep red crushed velvet dress with black silk ribbons. Once the little stoat-hybrid was satisfied with the temperature, she locked the drain and quickly shucked her nightgown, tossing it on the floor and then sitting on the edge of the tub, staring expectantly at Alex. Alex took the hint and quickly pulled off hir pajama top, dropping it on the floor before removing hir pajama pants as well.

"I still can't believe you got boobs before I did," Elizabeth said, grumbling and staring at Alex's chest, which had developed a pair of small but noticeable bumps over the past six months.

"They're not boobs yet, really. Mom said it'll probably be like another two years before they're really boobs."

"Whatever. I still don't have anything," Lizzy said, rubbing her paws down her chest.

"Well, your mom's aren't really big, but she's got, like, six of them. Are you going to have six boobs?" Alex asked, lifting one leg over the edge and straddling the wide lip of the tub for a moment before sitting down on it, careful not to squish hir boy parts, lazily running hir toes through the warm water.

"Mother has eight, actually. You can't really see the last two; they're completely flat," Elizabeth said, letting her tail droop into the water, the black tip creating a strange cloud of swirling darkness in the tub behind her. As usual, all of the stoat’s fur save for her tail tip and the hint of a mask on her face had turned pristine white when her winter coat came in near the beginning of November. 

"Well?" Alex prompted when Elizabeth didn’t answer, still curious whether the little stoat would take after her mother in the chest department.

"Well what?” Elizabeth asked, before remembering the question. “Oh, umm... Probably. I found a second and third pair of nipples. At least, I think they're nipples," she said, rubbing the fur near the bottom of her rib cage. "But it doesn't mean I'll get more boobs. Or that's what mom said."

"You know, it's really weird that you don't have boobs. I mean, your anemia's from estrogen toxicity, which means you've got a ton of estrogen. And that's what makes boobs grow. So why don't you have boobs?"

Elizabeth opened her mouth for a moment, then shut it again, frowning. "You know, that's a good question. Maybe I need to eat more?"

"That’s for sure. You're still skinny as a rail, and all that swimming isn't helping," Alex said, poking at Elizabeth's side where the edge of her ribs was clearly visible despite her fur. "Dad's making me eat more too, but I think it's just making me taller."

"Okay. I'll try eating more and seeing if that helps," Elizabeth said, testing the water now that the tub was over halfway full. Reaching over, she flipped the faucet off and then carefully slid into the tub, sighing in delight. Alex did the same.

For a minute or so, both of the cubs simply soaked in the tub, Alex periodically dunking hir head in the water and pushing hir head fur out of the way. It was a couple of inches long, now that shi'd decided to grow it out a bit, though shi hadn't decided whether to dye it black or orange yet, or simply keep it natural, matching hir striped fur pattern.

After Alex closed her eyes, leaning against the back of the tub, Lizzy swam the short distance over to hir, until her nose was almost touching the tigress'. Last year, it hadn't really bothered Elizabeth that father didn't mate with her when she was no longer in season. The itch was gone, so there wasn't any need. This year, well... it didn't seem to matter that the itch was gone; she was still horny, and father had become reluctant to mate with her after her estrus had ended, especially after she and Chris had announced they were dating. The feline-shaped dildo in her private drawer had seen a heck of a lot of use since school started, since Chris only came over on the weekends. 

"Hey, sexy kitty. I'm kind of horny," the little stoat said.

Alex's eyes popped open, blinking at how close Lizzy was. "Again? Didn't you get enough last night?" Alex asked incredulously.

"Well... yeah. But that was last night. This is this morning," the little stoat said. Elizabeth was grateful that Chris had been willing to let her have sex with Alex while the tigress was visiting for Christmas break, and she fully intended to take maximum advantage of the opportunity that provided. She gently ran her paws down Alex’s tummy, squeezing the tiger’s sheath, then ran her paw over Alex's testes before reaching just behind them, running her middle finger through the hermaphrodite’s feminine folds. 

The tigress twitched slightly, then gasped as Elizabeth curled her finger up, pressing slightly. Almost effortlessly, the stoat managed to get her finger all the way up to her second knuckle, wiggling it around inside the tigress' flower before pulling it back out and adding a second finger.

Alex moaned as Lizzy fingered hir, hir masculine parts beginning to stiffen as well. Elizabeth managed to get hir aroused with almost no effort at all, despite the two of them having spent over two hours mating the night before, having sex nearly a dozen times thanks to Alex’s minimal refractory period. Elizabeth had even managed to give Alex simultaneous climaxes with both hir sexes, using the little feline-shaped dildo she had.

"Fine,” the tigress said with obviously fake resignation. “I suppose I'll have to help you out then," Alex said, then smiled and leaned forward to give hir best friend a kiss.

Elizabeth smiled, pulling her fingers out of the tigress' flower, then pushed her upper half back, leaning toward the front of the tub while reaching toward Alex with her toes. Alex quickly snagged Lizzy's legs as shi leaned forward as well, pulling them together. The little stoat grinned, pressing her heels to Alex's butt and pulling their hips together. It was no surprise to either of them that Alex's penis was already fully stiff, rubbing against the stoat's folds as their bodies came together.

Alex gripped Lizzy's hips, holding her in place as shi tentatively bucked her hips. With their fur floating loose under the water it was almost impossible to see...but shi had no problems feeling when shi was in the right spot. Once shi thought shi'd found it, shi glanced up, meeting Lizzy's big black eyes. Elizabeth nodded, so shi pushed hirself forward, pressing the tip of hir penis into the stoat's flower. Shi gave a few pumps, going a little deeper with each one.

It was surprisingly difficult to have sex underwater, Alex quickly realized, holding still for a few moments once shi'd gotten all the way in, hir sheath flush against the stoat's folds. Lizzy wasn't nearly as slippery as normal, probably because of the water. They were still a perfect fit for each other though, the tip of Alex’s penis just barely touching the end of Lizzy's passage.

"C'mon, sexy kitty, I'm horny!" the little stoat complained after a few moments, squeezing Alex's hips with her legs.

"Okay, okay," Alex said, pulling back out a couple of inches and pushing back in. A few moments later shi was thrusting in and out at a fairly decent clip, making waves in the tub.

Elizabeth loosened her legs a little as the tigress started to get up to speed, and lay back in the tub. Once Alex had gotten into a rhythm, Elizabeth relaxed, luxuriating in the warm water around her and the feel of her best friend inside her, even if she wasn't nearly as slippery as normal. This last week had been absolutely wonderful, especially since she didn't have to rely on her little toy when she got horny; Alexandrea was perfectly happy to take care of her when she wanted it.

"Mmm," the little stoat moaned as her insides began to tingle, signaling her impending orgasm. Alex knew exactly how fast to mate her, and was exactly the right size, managing to reach every last inch of her insides without being too big. Having a bruised cervix wasn’t fun, but was sometimes worth it.

Alex began panting after a few minutes. Having sex with someone while underwater was a surprising amount of work, even if all shi was doing was holding onto Lizzy's hips and moving hir own hips back and forth. Still, it was totally worth it, seeing Elizabeth's contented smile after an orgasm was one of hir favorite things.

Elizabeth was starting to pant too; the tingle in her loins continued to grow as she focused on the feel of her tiger-kitty's rough-textured penis rubbing against the deepest parts of her flower. The feline’s penis was covered with tiny bumps where keratin barbs would have been on a feral. Alex had the perfect pace; just slow enough to feel those tiny bumps against her insides and fast enough to keep that funny feeling in her tummy growing.

Another minute passed with the sounds of water splashing about and the occasional soft moan as both of them came closer and closer to their respective climaxes. Elizabeth finally decided she was close enough and moved a tiny paw over her groin, resting a finger to either side of her clit and moving them up and down. That last, tiny bit of stimulation was just enough to get her over the crest. She let out a high-pitched keening noise as her insides clamped down around Alex's length and her entire body began to shake.

Alexandrea grinned, feeling hir best friend's passage tighten around hir length, but didn't stop thrusting; shi was still quite a ways from hir own orgasm. Shi kept the same pace, drawing the little stoat's orgasm out, and trying not to giggle as Elizabeth’s face scrunched up. After a few moments, Elizabeth's face relaxed into that contented smile that Alex loved so much.

Elizabeth just lay there, blissfully relaxed as Alex continued to slowly thrust in and out of her passage, nerves on the verge of overstimulation. That was something she'd gotten used to in the past week though. Somehow Alex had learned how to keep going after shi had squirted, with only a short break to catch hir breath. As far as she knew, the tigress could keep going all day long. She wished Father could keep going all day long. Usually after the second or third time, he was done for the night.

It was perhaps another minute or so before Alex felt hir own orgasm approaching, and picked up the pace a little bit, making the waves around the edge of the tub. Finally it hit, hir insides tingling and hir balls drawing tight as hir penis began to twitch. Shi pulled Elizabeth's hips tight against hir own, the tip of hir length touching the very end of the little stoat's passage. Jets of warm, white semen squirted against Elizabeth's cervix, coating her insides and eventually leaking out into the water that surrounded them both, creating a cloudy haze in the water near their hips.

After a few moments, Alex sat back, pulling Lizzy with hir. Elizabeth grabbed Alex's shoulders, pulling herself against the tigress’ chest and hugging Alex tightly. "Thank you, sexy kitty," the little stoat said, resting her head against Alex's collarbone.

"You're welcome, sexy stoat," the tigress said, returning the hug. “Do you want to go again?”

Elizabeth sighed, then pushed herself back upright. "We should probably finish our bath. The water's going to get cold,” she said, reaching for the shampoo.

__________________________________________________

After finishing their bath and getting dressed, Elizabeth practically dragged Alex out of the bathroom. "Come on! I wanna see what we got for Christmas!"

"Okay, okay, I'm coming," the tigress said, following hir best friend as the little stoat darted down the two flights of stairs to the ground floor. Alex was still getting used to how much more active Elizabeth was now. Whatever new anemia medication she was on, it was definitely helping.

Lizzy had gotten much, much better than Alex remembered her being. Healthier, more active, and stronger, probably because of all the swimming she did. It made Alex glad shi'd gotten the little stoat into doing laps and timing herself, rather than simply bobbing around in the pool like she had been over a year ago.

On the other paw, Alex had grown almost two inches since the summer, whereas Lizzy hadn't grown hardly at all. Shi was a full head taller than Elizabeth now and as tall as Elizabeth's mother, Julia. Another year or two and shi'd probably be as tall as Terrence. That wasn't too surprising though; hir own mom was a foot taller than Terrence was, and hir dad was taller still.

Alex heard Elizabeth's exclamation of surprise as she turned the corner at the bottom of the stairs, standing at the doorway leading to the living room. A moment later, Alex caught up to her, and gasped as well. The tree they'd all decorated after Alex had arrived was all lit up, and tons of presents were piled underneath.

Neither of the cubs heard the door open on the second floor, or the muffled footsteps of Elizabeth's parents. But before the two cubs had managed to do more than start looking at labels, Terrence and Julia appeared in the doorway, both wearing bathrobes and with a camcorder in the male ferret's paws.

By the time about a third of the presents had been unwrapped, accompanied by much delighted yelling, the Stouffer family’s housemaid, a doberman named Charlotte, had joined them along with her current boyfriend, a japanese macaque named Hikari. The monkey had stayed overnight in the guest bedroom since Alex was sleeping in Elizabeth’s bedroom. Hikari and Charlotte sat together on the couch, watching the two cubs gleefully tossing wrapping and packaging about, and occasionally getting tossed gifts of their own to unwrap.

For Hikari, a Christmas like this was a first. His own family was much, much more subdued when it came to holiday celebrations. His parents were currently visiting their own families in Japan. He had declined, opting instead to stay home this year. He didn't get along particularly well with his cousins across the Pacific, mostly thanks to his aunts and uncles and the other family elders. They were constantly pressuring him to become a doctor or lawyer, which he had no intention whatsoever of becoming. The only two things he was interested in right now were Charlotte and archeology, now that he finally had earned his black belt.

Once all the gifts had been unwrapped, leaving the two cubs with piles and piles of loot, and both Charlotte and Hikari with their own tidy pile of stuff (DVDs, books, candy, clothes, games, skis and snowboards, lift tickets for Mt. Hood, and so on) the six of them headed into the kitchen for breakfast, where Charlotte and Alex set to making pancakes and waffles for everyone.

Over the past year, Alexandrea had developed a much greater appreciation for cooking and anime, thanks mostly to her enforced inactivity while recovering from various injuries: a broken leg, broken ribs, and lacerated arms. During the past few days while staying with the Stouffers for vacation, the tigress had become much better friends with Charlotte due to their overlapping interests, so it was no surprise to anyone when she opted to assist with cooking breakfast.

When breakfast was over and the kitchen and living room had been tidied, the six of them went their separate ways. Charlotte and Hikari returned to Charlotte's room, Julia and Terrence retired to the master bedroom, and Alex and Elizabeth headed upstairs to Elizabeth’s bedroom to play Undertale while they waited for Chris and Alyssa to arrive.

__________________________________________________

Upstairs, on the second floor, Terrence followed his wife into their bedroom, closing the door behind them and locking it. A moment later, Julia turned around, wrapping her arms around him. Terrence returned the hug, holding her tight and wondering slightly what had prompted it. Then he felt one of her paws reach around his front and tug at the belt of his bathrobe.

Terrence leaned back slightly, letting his wife work at his belt. “Again? You didn’t get enough last night?” he asked, unknowingly saying what Alex had said earlier.

“Oh, I did. But that was last night,” she replied, finally getting the cloth belt undone. She quickly reached for her own, yanking on one end and causing the bow tie to unravel. Both of their bathrobes landed on the floor almost simultaneously.

Terrence gave his now-nude wife a deep kiss, gently cupping one of her lower pairs of breasts in the process and rubbing his thumb over the nipple there. She moaned into the kiss, reaching around his back and pulling him tighter. She hesitantly stuck her tongue out, licking his lips. Once he realized what she wanted, he opened his mouth slightly rubbing his tongue against hers. He wasn’t big on french kisses, but didn’t object.

Julia pulled back a moment later, then quickly turned around and sat on the bed, scooting backwards and resting her head against the pillows. Already aroused, she palmed both of her uppermost breasts, squeezing them slightly as she rubbed her legs together. Terrence smiled down at her, then joined her, crawling across the bed and laying next to her.

Knowing how much she loved having her tits played with, he bent over her chest, nuzzling at her lowest pair of breasts and licking at the tiny nipples poking out of her fur there. He cupped one of her middle breasts and began kneading it, then reached between her legs with his other paw. He gently rubbed his fingers against her damp slit, playing with her clit for a few moments while he suckled on her nipple.

Julia moaned, then gasped as she felt him nibble against one of her nipples. They were always absurdly sensitive the week before her monthly flow started, but it felt sooooo good to have them played with, and Terry knew exactly how to tweak them.

After a few moments, Terrence pulled back, blowing slightly on his wife’s now damp nipple before lavishing similar attention on the opposite one. He loved how they perked up when he played with them like that. When he glanced up at her face, her eyes were closed as she moaned and groped her uppermost tits, pulling at her nipples. Smiling, he moved his hand between her legs a bit lower, pushing his middle finger inside her.

“Oh God. Terry...you have magic hands. Don’t stop,” she said, now focusing more on the fingertip wiggling around inside her.

He had no plans of stopping at this point. Julia was wet enough that he didn’t need any lube for just one finger, and continued to rub her insides, pushing his finger into her all the way to the third knuckle. He wiggled it around for a few moments, then pulled back and added a second finger to the mix.

After the last few months playing with those absurdly large toys she’d gotten over the summer, he had no problems getting multiple fingers inside her, with or without lube. After spending a few moments pumping his index and middle fingers into her, he pulled back out and leaned back. He quickly shifted across the bed and reached for the small box of latex gloves near the head of the bed, pulling one out and pulling it over his hand. 

Julia’s eyes popped open, wondering why he’d stopped. He was kneeling over her, already pulling on a latex glove and then reaching for the lube atop the shelf that was part of the head of the bed. His dick was bouncing only a few inches from her head. Feeling slightly naughty, she leaned up and gave it a lick, making him gasp. He sat back down before she could lick it again, then popped the lid open and squirted a generous portion of lube into one hand.

Tossing the bottle back where it came from, he quickly rubbed his gloved hand down, all the way to the wrist. Julia’s eyes went wide, seeing that. “Wait, are you planning…?”

“Mmm-hmm,” he hummed, a wicked smile creeping across his face.

Julia bit her lip. “Are you sure that you can fit your hand…?”

“You have no problems with that equine dildo now. I’m sure you can take my hand with no issue,” he said, sitting back down next to her hips.

Julia didn’t say anything, though her insides were practically tingling with anticipation. By Thanksgiving, she’d managed to take the flared equine dildo for the first time. Now it was no problem at all, either in length or width, now that she’d finally learned how to relax her cervix. Maybe he was right...she probably could take his fist at this point. What a wonderful Christmas gift that would be if she could, she thought, spreading her legs wide and absent-mindedly squeezing her uppermost pair of breasts.

Terrence rested one hand atop her pubic bone, gently rubbing her clit with his thumb, then pressed the tips of his latex-gloved fingers against her opening. He’d carefully filed his claws down last night in preparation for this, dulling them and buffing them smooth. Pressing his index and pinky together, he closed all four fingers tight together before pushing them into her. It was remarkably easy, up to his palm. At that point she became very tight, gasping slightly. He stopped, waiting as her flesh clamped around his hand, waiting for her to relax.

Julia couldn’t believe how big his hand felt. It didn’t feel like it was that much bigger than the latex equine shaft, but it definitely wasn’t round like the dildo, nor as flexible. A few seconds later, it felt like she’d relaxed enough to get a bit more in. “Okay...just a bit more.”

Terrence nodded, pressing slightly, feeling the tip of his thumb slip into her. Millimeter by millimeter, his hand slipped further inside of her, encouraged by the gentle pressure he was applying. By the time the last knuckle of his thumb pressed into her, she was panting and moaning, occasionally gasping. Once her labia slipped over that last knuckle, he paused, holding his paw inside her. It was a decidedly strange experience for him, and he had no doubt it was equally strange for her.

“My God your hand is so huge,” Julia said once she caught her breath. Having something so large inside of her was frighteningly arousing. She could already feel her orgasm starting to build, pushed along by the gentle stroking of his thumb against her clit.

“You know, this would probably be good practice for you, assuming I can sire any children.”

“Don’t talk like that,” Julia said, glaring at him. “The doctor said we’ve got a chance, so we’re going to do it. Period.”

Since Halloween, Julia had been pressuring him to get the snip reversed, now that there was nearly no risk of him impregnating Elizabeth thanks to her IUD. The surgeon had warned that after nearly a decade of being impotent, the chances that he’d sire any children naturally were so low that it would be a miracle if it happened. He knew it, Julia knew it, and they’d gone ahead and gotten the procedure done anyway, shortly after Thanksgiving. It was relatively insignificant and not terribly expensive.

Terrence didn’t say anything. Instead, he rotated his hand clockwise and back a bit, then started pressing his hand further into her. A few moments later he stopped, eyes wide. His hand was literally buried all the way to his wrist inside his wife. “Well,” he said with a grin, “it fit.”

Julia didn’t say anything, too focused on the incredible feel of having something so large stuffed inside her pussy. She was on the verge of orgasm already, both from having his hand in her and from that relentless stroking on her clit. Then she felt his fingers curling inside her, rubbing against her inner walls, searching for that slightly rough patch just behind her pubic bone.

When he didn’t find it at first, he sighed, then moved his paw around, pressing upwards a bit. Her belly bulged slightly just above her pubic bone, showing the outline of his fingers within her. He felt his dick throb. Sooo hot. He pumped his fist slightly, pushing against her tummy from the inside, watching it move under her white-furred hide. Julia let out a gasp with every push, then let out a long moan.

Terrence stopped moving his hand around once Julia began moaning, feeling her insides tighten as she reached orgasm. It was so absurd, so strange, knowing his hand was actually inside her. He held her pelvis down with his other hand, preventing her from rolling around too much as she thrashed. It seemed like the bigger the object stuffed in her cunt, the bigger the orgasm she had. It almost made him wish his dick was bigger. Except that he wouldn’t be able to take care of Elizabeth if it were.

Eventually Julia’s orgasm came to an end, leaving her panting for breath and with a huge smile plastered on her muzzle. “God that was good,” she said between gasps. “Okay, take that hand out of me and replace it with that wonderful dick of yours, stud.”

Terrence smiled. “As you wish, angel,” he said, carefully, slowly tugging his paw out of her. It took a while, but once his knuckles passed her labia, the rest of his fingers slid out with a squelch. He watched for a moment as her gaping pussy slowly closed. It was always so strange to think that something that could fit such large objects could tighten back up again so quickly.

Even after stuffing her cunt with over a foot of equine dildo, a minute later she’d be tight as ever. Too bad they wouldn’t be able to do that if she got pregnant; it was hot as hell seeing the flared tip pressing against the inside of her belly all the way up to her lowest pair of breasts. He wondered if he’d be able to get his fist all the way up inside her womb one day.
 
After peeling the latex glove off his hand and tossing it up on the shelf next to the lube, he moved between his wife’s legs. He leaned over her and gave her a quick kiss, then pressed the tip of his dick against her pussy, sliding all the way into her with one quick thrust. He was already horny as hell from fisting her. It didn’t take more than a few thrusts before he blew his first load inside her, even as loose as she was. His dick felt like a fire hose for the first few shots, spraying his hot cum deep inside her. Gradually it tapered off, his dick continuing to twitch long after he’d run out of juice.

He let out a deep breath, then reached back and hooked his arms under her knees, pulling her legs up around his shoulders. Then he leaned over her, staring his beautiful wife in the face, letting a grin make its way across his face. She blinked, then gasped as he began pumping in and out of her once again, trying to ignore his post-climax sensitivity.

The two of them continued to mate with short, quick thrusts, Julia’s butt resting against his thighs, her feet in the air over his shoulders. As they mated, Terry’s semen oozed down the last inch of her passage and through her thoroughly-loosened cervix, coating the inside of her womb and eventually washing over a tiny egg that had been sitting there for the past two days. Against all odds, one of the few hundred sperm which managed to make it through his recently repaired vas deferens just happened to make contact.

__________________________________________________

Light flowed through the blinds, slowly creeping across the half empty bed, making its way to the young yapok sleeping in it. Slowly, lazily, the yapok’s eyes fluttered open and she yawned. “Morn-” Chris started to say, pausing upon seeing that the bed was empty, save for the kitten that had climbed onto her mother’s pillows and curled up there for a nap. Slipping out of bed, Chris pulled her pajama bottoms on and headed to the living room. 

“Morning sleepy head,” Alyssa said from the couch, looking up from the book she was reading. “I was starting to think that you were going to sleep all day.”

“That’s ‘cause someone gave me a workout last night. Though it was a hell of a good gift,” Chris said with a smile as she sat down on the couch with her mom.

“I thought that you would like it,” Alyssa said, smirking at her daughter as she sat the book down on the coffee table, next to the gifts that she had moved out from under the tree. Seeing as it was just the two of them, there weren't a lot of gifts there.

“Merry Christmas,” Chris said, wrapping her arms around her mom, “I love you.” The young yapok purred as her mother returned the hug.

“I love you too, and Merry Christmas,” Alyssa replied, pulling back to kiss her daughter on the nose. “So, shall we?” she asked, pointing at the gifts. Snuggled up on the sofa the two yapoks began opening the gifts that they had picked out for one another. Taking turns tearing into the brightly colored paper. Soon the pile was down to the last one.

“Looks like the last one is for you,” Chris said with a smile, holding out the small, long box out to her mother.

“I swear, if this thing starts buzzing...” Alyssa muttered before starting to tear open the wrapping paper. Her eyes went wide at the sight of the jewelry box that was under it. “Chris...” she whispered as she opened the box, revealing a simple gold chain with an infinity symbol. “Chris…” she said again, tears welling up in the corners of her eyes. “It’s perfect,” she said, grabbing her daughter and hugging her tightly.

“I thought that you would like it,” Chris said, grinning and holding onto her mother for a moment before she pulled away.

Alyssa picked up the little card that accompanied the necklace. “A bond between mother and daughter is forever,” the older yapok read, then wiped away the tears in her eyes. The necklace wasn’t the most fancy thing in the world, but it meant the world to her. “And... that wasn’t the last gift,” Alyssa said as she put the necklace on. “I might have snuck one more gift in this morning, after you passed out,” she said, reaching behind the sofa and hefting a large, long box. She carefully set it in Chris’ lap.

“Mom…” Chris muttered, taken aback. She tore open the wrapping, then tilted her head at the sight of the plain cardboard box under it.

“Open the box, you goof,” Alyssa said, then watched as her daughter did just that, her eyes going wide at the sight of the brand new Fender Stratocaster.

“Mom!” Chris squeaked, looking over the blue beauty, smiling at the words “Punk’s not dead” inscribed in blazing red on the body of the guitar. “You...I-” she started to say, pulling the guitar out of the box and hearing a little clink. Tied to the strap holder on the guitar neck was a ribbon with a silver ring.  “Mom,” the yapok whispered as she inspected the band. It was a simple silver band with her and her mother’s name. She untied the ribbon and slipped the ring on her finger, setting the guitar to the side. “Mom, I-” she said, looking at the older yapok, “I love you.” With tears in the corner of her eyes, she turned and hugged her mother tightly.

“I love you too, sweetie. More than words can ever say,” she said, rubbing her daughter’s back. “I know that this gets old, but I’m so proud of you. Just... remember to not let your step sister get under your fur. She’s just jealous, and you are far better than her,” she said, kissing Chris on the forehead.

“I know mom. I’m sorry I lost it yesterday,” Chris apologized, sniffling. “I won’t let it happen again.”

“That’s my girl,” Alyssa said, giving her daughter a squeeze. “Now... What do you say to getting dressed? I want to go get something to eat and head over to the Stouffers’.”

__________________________________________________

“Are you sure that you feel like doing this?” Alyssa asked after hearing her daughter cough for the third time in the past ten minutes. “I’m sure that Elizabeth wouldn’t mind you skipping out and taking a sick day,” the older yapok said as they drove up to the gate intercom.

“It’s not that bad, mom,” Chris said, poking her tongue out a little. “It’s just a little cold from that pu-” she started to say, catching herself and instead saying “from my step sister. It’s going to take more than that to bring me down. Besides, we have people to make happy.”

“Okay. I just want to make sure that you’re not overdoing anything. I’m your mom; I have to worry,” Alyssa said before rolling the window down and pressing the intercom button.

The front gates started swinging open, and Charlotte’s voice came through the intercom. “Good morning, Ms. Paige. Give me a moment to wipe my hands off. I’ll be at the front door in a sec.”

“Okay,” the yapok said, rolling the window back up before turning back to her daughter. “And I have to say, the glove ear muffs are… cute.”

“Thanks. And honest, this is nothing,” she said, waiting a moment before quickly grabbing a tissue. She held it in front of her nose, preparing for a sneeze. After a moment she let out a sigh. “It got stuck,” she whined.

“Dork,” Alyssa said, reaching over and patting her daughter on the knee. “So I take it you want to kinda save the kitten for last?”

“Well, the idea was to get her to open the box with the plushie, then wait for her to ask about the collar it has with it,” Chris said, looking at the small box with air holes poked in it sitting in the back seat.

As the car pulled into the driveway, the front door to the house swung open, revealing Charlotte. Rather than her usual maid’s costume, the doberman pinscher was wearing a red velvet outfit with fuzzy white trim, complete with matching hat and a white puffball at the top. A moment later, a small white-furred head with wide, black eyes appeared behind her. Elizabeth stepped out, practically dancing with excitement, a deep red dress twirling about her, black ribbons dancing in the wind. A noticeably taller tiger cub wearing a white sleeveless blouse and a black pleated skirt stepped out of the house as well, standing behind Elizabeth with hir paws resting on the smaller stoat’s shoulders.

“Hey Elizabeth, Charlotte,” Chris said as she got out of the car, her tail wiggling with joy and showing off her new tail warmer. “I brought gifts and things,” she said, going to the back door of the car and opening it before pulling out a large bag. 

“Charlotte? Can you help me with this?” Alyssa asked, opening the trunk, and gesturing at the large but thin present there.

“Absolutely, Ms. Paige,” the canine said, already making her way down the steps to assist.

“Sooooo you must be Alex,” Chris said as she walked up to the other two cubs, sniffling quietly, trying to hide the fact that she was sick.

“Yep!” Elizabeth said, moving to one side. “Chris, this is Alex Andreyev. Alex, this is Chris Paige.”

Alex smiled and held a paw out. “Hi, Chris. How’s it going?”

Chris sat the bag down and smiled broadly as she took the slightly taller tigress’ paw and shook it. “Pretty good,” she said, feeling a little out of place. The yapok put that down to the fact that she was wearing a dress again, something she still wasn’t used to. “It’s nice to finally meet you. Elizabeth has told me a lot about you. She says you’re pretty cool.”

“Thanks,” the tiger cub replied. “Not cool enough to play guitar like you, though. Did you happen to bring it with you?” shi asked hopefully, stepping back into the foyer and holding the door open.

Picking up the bag and slipping into the house, Chris nodded. “I did. It’s in the car. I’ll go back and get it in a second,” she said, turning and watching her mom and Charlotte bring in the large thin box. 

“Good lord, child. How did you even get this wrapped,” Alyssa huffed. “It’s so big.”

Alex stood back, holding the door as Charlotte and Alyssa made their way through the foyer and into the entertainment room, which had been cleared to make room. A twelve-foot Christmas tree, strewn with every kind of tinsel, garland, and ornament imaginable, stood in the corner. The twinkling lights wrapped around the tree were bright enough to keep the room lit all by themselves. A dozen boxes, all wrapped in different kinds of wrapping paper and topped with bows, were tucked under and around it. Chris watched anxiously as Charlotte and Alyssa set the large, thin gift on the floor in front of the tree without incident.

“Wow, that looks heavy,” Alex said, following everyone into the entertainment room after closing the front door. 

“A little,” Chris said, snickering a little. “Mom is just a little dramatic sometimes,” she said, smirking and motioning to the older yapok. “Oh, and this is my mom, Alyssa,” she introduced the older yapok before going through the bag she was carrying, adding the gifts to the pile beneath the Christmas tree.

“Like I said... I want to know how you got that thing wrapped without me helping,” the older yapok muttered before turning to the tiger cub. “It’s nice to meet you,” she said smiling and nodding to the tiger cub, who nodded back. Motion near the doorway that led from the living room to the kitchen caught her attention and she waved at the japanese macaque wearing jeans and a button-down shirt who was standing in the doorway. “Hello Hikari,” she said, glad to have remembered his name.

“Hello Mrs. Paige,” the monkey replied, leaning up against the frame, to watch.

“Well, it looks like most everyone is here. I think it’s time to shred some paper.”

“Almost everyone,” a voice came from behind them as Terrence finally reached the bottom of the stairs and stepped into the entertainment room, brushing off his black mock-neck shirt. Julia followed just behind him, wearing a deep red dress that matched her daughter’s.

“Well, I feel a little underdressed,” Alyssa said, looking down at her simple sweater and jeans.

“....and I’m wearing a dress. When did the world flip upside down?” Chris asked with a giggle. “Hello Mr. and Mrs. Liz’s mom.”

“Great. Now I’m ‘Mr. Liz’s mom’,” Terrence said before laughing and stepping across the room to take a seat on the couch. “Come sit down, Alyssa. I’m sure the kids will have no problems picking out presents to give to each other.”

“Probably,” Charlotte said. “If you’ll excuse me, I’d like to get back to the pies I’m making,” the doberman said, stepping through the room and into the kitchen. Hikari turned to follow her, intending to assist with the cooking. Julia stepped across the room as well, sitting down next to her husband.

“If I’m not mistaken, that big one is for you two,” Alyssa said to Julia and Terrence as she slipped across the room, joining the two adults at the couch.

“Liz, I got this one for you,” Chris said, smiling and handing the little stoat a box before looking for an envelope and handing it to Alex, saying “And this is for you.” She then turned to Elizabeth’s parents. “Mom’s right, that big one is for you two,” she said to them.

“Thank you, Chris,” Elizabeth said as she accepted the box. “And that one over there with the silver wrapping and red bow is for you, from me.”

The tigress accepted the envelope with a quiet “Thank you,” while the stoat and ferret sitting on the couch looked at each other with expressions of puzzlement. After a moment, Julia got up and walked over to the large gift in the middle of the room, kneeling next to her daughter.

Smiling and nodding as she set the silver wrapped gift down next to her. “Thank you. I think that Liz should open her gift first. The suspense is killing me,” Chris said, grinning.

Elizabeth shredded the outside paper with remarkable efficiency, leaving a pile of scraps laying around the base of the box. That done, she ran one small claw down the length of the top, slicing the tape holding it shut, then pulling her claw through the tape at the edges. The two flaps at the top sprang open, and she pulled them out the rest of the way and peered inside.

“Oh, it’s so cute!” the little stoat said, reaching in and pulling out a thin pink band and a fat little plushie that looked like a cross between a pillow and a corgi. Her smile was practically radiant as she set the plushie in her lap. “It’s so soft too,” she added, then frowned a moment as she held up the pink band. It was far too small to fit on the plushie. Too small even for her own slender neck, yet too big for a wrist-band. She held it out while raising one eyebrow and looking at Chris. “What’s this for?”

“For the other part of your gift,” Chris said, getting up. “I will be right back,” she said heading for the front door, going outside to her mom’s car.

Elizabeth sat for a moment, looking puzzled, and then looked over at Alyssa. “Huh?”

“I have no idea,” Alyssa said, shrugging, before turning to Julia. “And don’t worry Julia. I don’t think it’s anything dangerous, though I’m not sure what it is,” the older yapok reassured the older stoat, gesturing at the large box.

“I’ll take your word for it,” Julia said, reaching for the large box.

Before Julia could do anything, the door opened again. Chris came bouncing in with a guitar case slung over her shoulder and another small box in her arms. “This is the other part,” the young yapok said, smiling as she set the box down in front of the younger stoat, a soft scratching and a high pitched noise coming from the box.

Elizabeth took a deep breath as she heard something that sounded like a cat’s meow, not quite believing it. There was no way it could be what it sounded like. Paws trembling, she reached out and pulled the top of the box open, peering inside.

The moment that the little stoat opened the box, a small tabby kitten stood up on its hind legs, leaning on the side of the box and meowing at Elizabeth. “Merry Christmas,” Chris said, grinning. “The collar goes on the kitten.”

“Stoats don't faint like opossums do, do they?” Alyssa asked with a little giggle as the stoat froze in place for a solid five seconds.

Clearly not believing her own eyes, Elizabeth finally moved, reached in and gently picked up the tiny brown striped kitten and held it out for a second, her mouth dropping open. “Oh my God. It’s so tiny… and cute… and it’s adorable!” 

The last word turned into a wail as Elizabeth brought the kitten closer, hugging it against her chest. “I love it,” she cried, tears streaming down her face. It was too much for the little stoat, and she broke down sobbing even as she continued to hold the kitten, gently cradling it as it looked around, trying to climb out of the little stoat’s embrace.

Alex looked on with approval, a wide smile on hir face. Shi had to admit, that was probably the single best gift someone could possibly have gotten her best friend.

“Well, I think it’s safe to say that she likes it,” Chris said with a little giggle. “So whatcha gonna name her?”

“I-I-I don’t know,” Lizzy said between sobs. “She’s so cute…” the little stoat said, holding the kitten up to her face, letting it sniff her nose.

Alex knelt down next to Chris, resting one hand on the yapok’s shoulder. “Well, I think you just made this the best Christmas of all time for Lizzy. Seems like all my friends have house cats now.”

“Well, if you can talk your mom into it, I’m sure that we can get aunt Peggy to send you a kitten,” Chris said, grinning up at the tigress. “If not, I’m sure Liz can send you lots of photos.”

“I’m sure that kitten is going to be one happy little thing,” Alyssa said, smiling at the sight of the little stoat bonding with the kitten. 

“Yeah, for sure,” Alex said, glancing over at Alyssa before turning back to Chris. “I think having a cat for a pet would be odd for a family of felines though,” Alex said, trying to be diplomatic about not wanting a pet cat after her experience on Halloween. Shi finally looked down at the envelope in hir hand and quickly used a claw to slice it from end to end as neatly as any letter opener. Pulling the envelope apart, shi pulled out a Christmas card. It had a pair of little cartoon mice ice skating around on paper clips on the front. On the inside was a little message wishing the tigress a Merry Christmas. As shi flipped it open, a gift card to an Oakley store fell out. “Oh sweet! Lemme guess... You got this at Washington Square Mall? Near the Tesla store?”

“Yup. The one stop shop for all the things this Christmas. That, and my friends like to go there,” Chris said, smiling. 

“I think it’s time for Julia to open the big one. I’m dying to know what it is,” Alyssa said, looking over at the large, thin box.

“Okay then,” Julia said, reaching out and starting to shred the wrapping on the big gift in the middle of the room.

“Oh, and I got one for Charlotte too,” Chris said, pulling out another box.

“Hey Charlotte,” Terrence called out towards the kitchen. “Chris got you a gift, when you’ve got a moment.”

“Really?” the doberman called back from the kitchen. “I just got the pies in the oven. Give me a sec to clean up and I’ll be out to join you.”

As Julia pulled the wrapping paper from the huge gift, it gradually took shape: It was a large framed piece of canvas, covered in paint. The painting was of a windswept field and cloudy blue sky, with a small hut in the back. It was clear that the painting wasn’t a traditional oil, watercolor, or brushed acrylic.

“It’s not the most fancy piece of art, but I think that it came out pretty okay,” Chris said critically, looking at her painting. “And I think that I painted something that would fit in here,” she added, gesturing around the living room.

Julia’s mouth hung open. After a few seconds, she finally got her tongue back, saying “You painted this, Chris? It’s amazing! I know exactly where to hang it too: the stairwell going up to the third floor. How did you do this, anyway? It doesn’t look like watercolor, oil, or acrylics.”

“It's not. It’s from a can,” Chris said, smiling at the words of praise. “It’s spray paint, with a little brush touching here and there,” she smiled and glanced down at the lingering bits of paint on the fur of her finger tips.

“Did you wear your mask, like I said?” Alyssa asked, leaning forward. “You remember what we talked about,” she warned.

“I did, mom,” Chris replied, nodding. “That reminds me, I need some more of them.”

Charlotte walked in a second later, wiping her paws on a small towel. “What was this I heard about a gift?”

“I got you one too,” Chris said, smiling and holding out the box to the teenaged canine. “A friend helped me pick it out for you.” she said happily. “I hope you like it.”

“Oh, Chris, you shouldn’t have. I didn’t get you anything, and now I feel miserable,” Charlotte said dejectedly. On one paw, she didn’t want to accept a gift from someone when she hadn’t gotten them one. On the other paw, it was rude to refuse a gift.

“You can get her a gift later,” Terrence said, “for her birthday or something. Gifts aren’t given with the expectation of return. Gifts are given because you wish to make someone else happy.”

Charlotte nodded, somewhat reassured, then reached out and took the gift from Chris’s paws. “Thank you, Chris.”

“Oh!” Chris squeaked, “My friend told me to tell you... something...” The yapok paused, trying to think of what it was. “Something about it being yaoi….”

The hair along the back of Charlotte’s neck stood on end, and she seemed to freeze for a second. “Uhh… Thank you,” she said, looking down at the wrapped box in her paws. Now she was even less sure about accepting the gift.

“Well, open it Charlotte,” Julia urged.

“Yeah, open it. I want to see if you’ll like it like Melissa said,” Chris said looking at the doberman. “She said that it was good. I might have to borrow them sometime.”

“I… uh… Sure,” the canine said. “Did you buy it in a store somewhere around here?” she asked, picking at the wrapping. “Cause… uh… yaoi is rather… um… adult-oriented,” she said, attempting to be diplomatic. Muffled noises came from the kitchen where Hikari was doing his best not to laugh.

“We got it in a store at the mall.” Chris said, tilting her head. “I don’t know anything about it. My friend told me to say that it was yaoi and watch your reaction. They didn’t ask for an id or anything when we bought it though.”

Charlotte let out a breath, figuring it was probably safe. She tore open the wrapping at the end of the container. She raised an eyebrow as she revealed the title, and then tore the rest of the wrapping off. “Oh, this definitely isn’t yaoi. It’s a Korean romantic comedy manga that I’ve been trying to find for a while now,” she said, holding up the box, which read ‘Kill Me, Kiss Me’. “And no, it has no relation with the movie ‘Kiss Me, Kill Me’ that came out a few months ago.”

“Sometimes that fox-bat surprises me,” Chris said, relieved that Charlotte liked it. “I need to ask her just what yaoi is,” she muttered, then looked down at the silver wrapped gift next to her. “Is it my turn?” she asked, looking around, then tearing at the paper with her rounded claws, revealing a lidded box. It was quickly opened and the yapok pulled handfuls of tissue paper out of the way.

“Oh wow,” Chris said, going a little wide eyed as she pulled out a black and magenta dress. She held it up, looking over the diagonally striped design. “This is awesome,” she said, standing up and holding the dress up to her. “It’s like the world wants me to wear dresses more,” she said, turning and showing off a little. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” Lizzy said, looking up from the tiny kitten that had finally given up trying to get away and was now trying to curl up in the stoat’s lap. “Mother saw something like it in a fashion magazine and wanted to make me one, but I said no, unless you had one too. Mine’s white and magenta.”

“Your mom is a miracle-worker with cloth,” Chris said, inspecting the dress again before putting it back into the box. “Looks like Alex’s gift is next,” the yapok said, picking up the box and making short work of the wrapping, then opening the box inside. A dozen music CDs in jewel cases were inside. 

“Oooh,” the yapok said as she started looking through the music, “some of these are hard to find... and I’ve never heard of Suidakra. Oooh, and this will go towards a new amp,” Chris said, finding a gift card at the bottom. “Thank you Alex. I’ll have to rock out in your name sometime.”

“Cool. And I tried to get a little bit of everything in there: Classic rock, a bit of pop, and a few other things I like,” the tigress said. “Suidakra is folk-metal. My favorite song on that one is ‘Dead Man’s Reel’. My favorite song out of all of them is ‘Secrets’, by OneRepublic.”

“I’ve never heard it before, but once I get it down, I will play it for you,” Chris said with a little nod.

Alex smiled and nodded back. “Cool.”

Charlotte stood up. “I’ll be back in a bit. Just want to check the oven. Thank you, Chris,” the doberman said, holding up the boxed set of manga.

“You’re welcome,” Chris said, smiling and nodding to the doberman. “So I think that someone hasn’t opened anything yet,” the younger yapok said, looking at her mother.

“Well, you’re the one next to all the gifts. I’m an old woman and don’t want to get up,” Alyssa said. She snickered as Chris sighed, pulling one of the gifts out, standing up, and carrying it over to her mother. 

“Old and tired. And you’re not even forty... I think.” Chris said, handing her the box.

“Love you too,” Alyssa said as she took the box and looked at the tag on it. “Thank you all,” she said looking at the other adults. After opening the box and clearing the tissue paper, pulling out a sleek, black business-like dress. “Oh wow. This is perfect. I have been needing something nice like this. It’ll be perfect for the New Years party. Thank you so much,” the older yapok said, smiling at Julia, then at Terrence.

“I figured you could use a good dress. Every woman deserves a good dress, honestly,” Terrence said, smiling back. “Julia’s the one who picked it out though. I have to admit, I’d love to see you wear it sometime.”

“Well, I have some spare tickets to the New Year’s party that the hospital is hosting, so if you and Julia would like to come, we can have a night out,” Alyssa said, carefully putting the dress back into the box. “Don’t worry, they make sure that we have a designated driver,” she added with a little giggle.

“We might have to take you up on that, then,” Terrence said. “Assuming you’re not going to that fashion show in Paris this year,” he added, looking at his wife.

“No, not this year,” Julia said, shaking her head, then standing up and walking over to her husband and sitting down at the sofa. She tucked her legs beneath her and leaned against her husband.

“Well… There you go. Also, I believe there’s one last gift for you two. Though you already know what it is,” Terrence said, pointing at a box hidden behind the tree.

“I finished up those two dresses for you and Chris, and finished the various accessories. I hope the gloves fit. If not, I have enough to make a few more.” Julia explained as Chris rolled over and grabbed the last present that had been hiding under the tree.

There were a few moments of silence as Chris quickly tore into the gift, opened the box, and pulled the smaller dress out. The younger yapok stood up and held it up to herself, turning to show it off. “Thank you so much, Julia,” she said, smiling from ear to ear. “Oh man… I still can’t get over how soft it is,” she said, running a paw over the fabric.

“Yeah, that is a nice dress,” Elizabeth said, finally distracted from the kitten that was currently climbing up her arm and onto her shoulder.

“Yeah, that’s incredible,” Alex said, admiringly. “It matches your fur really well.”

“I’m already thinking of places and reasons to wear it,” Chris said, smiling as she carefully put the dress back into the box. “Sooo... You wanted me to play guitar?” she asked, looking over at Alex. 

“Definitely,” Alex said, changing hir position from kneeling to a loose lotus position, watching the yapok closely.

Chris went over to her guitar case and opened it, pulling out the brand new guitar she had gotten that morning. She then got out a portable amp, plugged it in at the wall, connected it to the guitar, and adjusted the settings. After looking through her pockets for a pic, she said “I think I’ll leave the singing to Noodle there.”

“Wait, what? Singing?” Elizabeth said, carefully pulling the kitten down off her shoulder from where it had been trying to scale the side of her head.

“Well, yeah. I would sing...but my nose is stuffed up,” she said with a little sniffle.

“Oh. Which song?” the little stoat said, putting the kitten in her lap and holding it in place.

Chris smiled and strummed the first few bars of the song, figuring it would be enough considering it was from the little stoat’s favorite movie. Elizabeth’s eyes lit up when she recognized the tune from Frozen.

Half a minute later, Elizabeth and Alexandrea were all singing ‘Let It Go’ while Chris played on her guitar. Charlotte joined in about halfway through, coming back in from the kitchen while the parents listened.

Charlotte interrupted the two budding musicians before they began another song, saying “Lunch is ready, for anyone who’d like it. The pies should be cool enough to eat by the time we finish.”

The Stouffer and the Paige families, along with Alexandrea, all piled into the dining room, taking seats around the large table. Silverware had been placed at every spot around the table, providing barely adequate seating for the eight of them. Julia, Hikari, and Charlotte brought in huge silver platters and placed them along the table.

One of the two platters had baked chicken, which had been marinated in italian dressing, surrounded with baked potatoes and grilled asparagus. The other platter had several different condiments, fruits, and vegetables. Last but not least, Julia brought in two pitchers of iced tea and placed them on either side of the table.

“This was pretty simple, but it should be good. I hope you like it,” Charlotte said, sitting down next to her boyfriend. “Hikari thought it might not be enough, so he put together the fruit and veggie platter. And we have apple pie and pumpkin pie for dessert, just in case.”

“I’m sure it’ll be more than enough. Thank you both,” Julia said to the monkey and canine before sitting down next to her husband.

“Thank you,” Alyssa said, smiling and nodding at Julia and Terrence as well as Charlotte and Hikari.

“It’s been a lot of fun,” Chris said, smiling warmly. “Thank you so much.”

 “Well?” Julia asked when nobody moved. “What are you all waiting for? Dig in!”