"There she is," announced Karen Yuletide, spotting her friend Jennifer Harper coming out of the building that the Skulk had their meeting in. The fact that Jenny was currently in her fursona since it was dark out, walking arm in arm with her fiance Harry Jenkins, made it easy for Karen to spot her best friend among the crowd of werefoxes and werevixens leaving for the night instead of staying for the... post group meeting fun.
The happy couple had their respective normal clothing in bags and were walking to parts unknown when they heard a familiar voice.
"Jenny! Over here!" Karen called out, while getting out of her boyfriend's car.
Jenny smiled and started over to where Karen stood, with Harry following her. "Hey you two. What are you doing here?" she asked, referring to Karen and Peter Talbot, who was getting out from the driver's seat to be polite.
"Don't you know it's bad luck for the groom to see the bride before the wedding?" Karen asked, while giving Jenny a hug.
"With everything else that's happened over the past weeks, don't tell me you actually believe that old wive's tale?" asked Jenny in return.
"Hey. With everything that has happened, why take the chance?" wondered Karen, to which Jenny had no response. "I figured that unless you had other plans, we'd just hang out in the dorm room for your last night of maidenhood before your marital bliss starts. Peter will make sure we get you to the church on time, as the old song goes."
"Honey?" asked Jenny, while turning to look at Harry.
Her fiance was about to say something when a man replied, "Actually, that's a good idea."
The werefoxes turned to see Henry Jenkins, Senior approaching. Then again, it wasn't too hard to pick him out of a crowd, considering he was an older normal human being. "Personally, I think it's a little late for it, but your mom wants me to sit down and discuss the birds and the bees with you, among other things a married man should know. Besides, Huck came home from the hospital today and wants to see you," added Harry's father, referring to his older brother.
"Really?" said Harry.
"Give him my love darling, and I'll see you in the morning," said Jenny, before sharing a kiss with her man.
With that, the happy couple parted company.
Harry going off with his father while Jenny rode back to the Moon Lake College dorms with Karen and Peter.
LATER THAT EVENING...
After the two women had addressed personal matters in the dorm bathroom and were now getting ready for bed...
"You sure you don't want to go out and do something tonight?" Karen asked Jenny.
"No," replied the bride to be, back in her werevixen form after taking a long shower. "I probably won't get much sleep tonight as it is, being nervous about the wedding."
"That creep Dieter Wilhelm?" asked Karen, while fluffing her pillow.
"The police seem well prepared for that. It's my folks. Especially my father," explained Jenny, as she sat on her dorm room bed and began to brush out her blonde fox fur, which made her unique among the Skulk.
"I see," replied Karen, while sitting on the edge of her own twin bed in the dorm room. "Want to talk about it?"
"I've done nothing but talk about it for a while now. I just want to get it over with. Marry Harry and get on with my life."
"Well, you two do make a good couple, and he's quite a catch," commented Karen. "After all, he loves you so much that he willingly became a werefox to be with you."
"True," said Jenny, as a smile crossed her vulpine muzzle. "What about you and Peter?"
Karen had to stop and think about that for a moment before saying, "There's no doubt in my heart that he's the one. So it's not the thought of becoming a werelioness that is stopping me. But there's still this little, nagging part of my mind that won't shut up because it hasn't quite gotten over the fact yet that werelions have what is basically an open marriage, since the men can have as many females within their pride as they want. After all, trying to maintain a swinging lifestyle and an open marriage is what led my parents to divorce."
"But you told me Peter isn't like that," Jenny pointed out.
"To a point," agreed Karen. "He does love me and says he won't intentionally go out on the prowl, so to speak. But Peter also admitted that there will be times when he will have to have sex with women other than me between being the werelion prince and future werelion king of Moon Lake. He says it's a royal obligation, especially since some women want the prestige of having the leader personally induct them into were society."
"So, it isn't that you two don't love each other. Just the fact that you're still not quite right about sharing him," surmised Jenny.
"True," admitted Karen, "but I am getting there. I already told Peter that if he asked me a certain question, my answer would definitely be yes. So if I want to spend the rest of my life with Peter Talbot, I'm going to have to fully accept that aspect of our future life together too."
"Whatever happens, I wish you well," said Jenny.
"Me too," said Karen, before the ladies hugged.
"Now then, I got you a present," announced Karen, while reaching under her bed to bring out a gift wrapped box.
"You didn't have to," said Jenny, as Karen handed her the rectangular package.
"This is just between us girls. If you had a bachelorette party, I would have given it to you then. Open it."
One sharp werefox claw made quick work of the gift wrapping as Jenny opened the box to see a very sheer and quite revealing lingerie set inside.
"For your wedding night and the start of the honeymoon. I got it from Awareness, so it will change with you. They have your sizes on file by the way, in case you ever need to buy more clothing."
"Thank you," said Jenny, closing the box.
"By the way, you never told me what that honeymoon will entail," pointed out Karen.
"We can't really do anything too elaborate, since we both have classes Monday morning," pointed out Jenny. "But the Skulk maintain a cabin on the shores of Moon Lake itself and are loaning it to us for the weekend. Considering how much fun Harry and I have had together sexually already, I intend to do the one thing with my foxy mate we haven't yet."
"You don't mean get pregnant, do you?" asked Karen.
"No. That's for after we both graduate and have our careers going," replied Jenny. "After all, considering how long a were's life span is, we certainly don't have to play 'beat the biological clock', so I'll be staying on my werevixen birth control pill until it's the right time to start bringing our kits into the world" she said. "What I want to do is have sex in the woods, under the stars with my life/soul mate, like real foxes do."
"That sounds really romantic," observed Karen.
"It is. This," said Jenny, holding up Karen's gift, "will be after we get back from the lake to keep the honeymoon going for a mighty long time," as a smile crossed her muzzle. Then she put the box under her own bed.
"Is that the time?" asked Jenny, looking at the digital clock on her headboard. "I better try to get some sleep now."
"Me too," agreed Karen. "But if you need anything..."
"I know right where to find you," replied Jenny, while pointing to the bed across from hers in the dorm room.
With that, both ladies shared a friendly, supportive hug, before crawling under their respective covers.
"Good night, Mrs. Harper," said Karen.
"Good night, Mrs. Talbot," said Jenny.