The table was spread out with an assortment of food. Butter roasted carrots, steamed asparagus, several varieties of cooked potatoes, stuffing, cranberry sauce, rolls and the main attraction; a fifty pound turkey with roasted onions, parsnips and turnips. Everyone was salivating as they sat down.
“Before we begin,” Edward Heartpaw betting ready to carve the turkey; “I thought we should each say a few things that they are most thankful for. Who would like to start?”
“Let me,” Michael the anthro stag-deer fury speaking up. “I’m thankful that I have my twin boys Jimmy and Jake and they stuck with me during my dark days.” Michael referring to the loss of his wife Victoria, during the last Covid lockdown; killed by a drunk driver. “I am thankful that becoming a fury, I was able to find love again,” Michael placing a hoof-hand on the anthro tigress’s thigh sitting next to him; “and I’m thankful that my boys found love as well.”
“Dam,” Lucas raising his glass in a toast; “you pretty much hit the nail on the head there. Family is the most important thing to be thankful for.”
“And one that is expanding,” Brittany adding as she rubs her belly; letting everyone know that she is the only one in the group that is pregnant.
“Hopefully,” Jimmy giving Allison a loving embrace; “we’ll be able to add to the growing family soon.”
As everyone had their chance to speak, Edward noted a running theme. The anthro red fox fury smiled as that theme was family and how the three groups became one family thanks to becoming furies.
“Enough of the tear jerking,” Lucas Soulfang picking up the bowl of breadrolls; “let’s get the turkey carved and our bellies full.”
“Please,” Brittany picking up the mashed potatoes; “pregnant fury here.”
***********************
While the Heatpaws, Soulfangs and Proudhoofs all enjoyed each other’s company, many other furies were also taking time to be thankful during the holidays, despite how the world has become upended with the fury flu. Several were enjoying their time in a more animalistic fashion. Alex Voltsnout and his mate Darline; him a spotted hyena fury and her an artic wolf fury were happily rutting in the apartment they were residing . An apartment that Darlene was able to keep thanks to an inheritance from a grandmother she never knew she had. After the lawyer from Toronto arrived, it wasn’t long before the attorney left with signed notarized documents a happy look on her new muzzle as she was quickly infected and became a busty anthro fennec fox fury.
Darlene now had options; options that her father tried to keep from her. After she signed the documents and received final confirmation regarding accounts and property going in her name; she wasted no time in letting her father know and informing him he royally screwed up in treating her. This naturally devolved into an argument where his wife grabbed the phone an bereted her step daughter and laughed at her inevitable homelessness. Darlene scoffed and informed her stepmom and her father about her grandmother and the inheritance she got. The sum of fifty million Canadian and assorted property in Ontario shut them up real quick. They then tried to be all nice and buddy buddy, saying they were only trying to toughen her up. Darlene shut that down and made it clear that what ever money dad managed to swindle out of her mother was all that they were ever going to get.
“So make it last,” was the last thing she said before hanging up and promptly blocking all contact. That was two weeks ago. Alex and Darlene have been rutting nearly daily since. Only stopping to eat, clean up and drink fluids. Neighbors wondered if the arctic fox fury was in heat, with all the crazy loud sex that was going on.
************
Bob Clawfoot, an Anthro Black Bear fury and his wife Atoli, an Anthro bald eagle fury were enjoying a quiet moment outside in their backyard patio. The loving couple watching their tiny baby girl Sora; an anthro bear cub fury peacefully sleep in mother’s arms. Bob always enjoyed watching Sora latch onto Atoli’s breast and suckled mother’s milk eagerly. It was one of the many things becoming a fury made him thankful for. He was also thankful getting his brother and sister out from under the fundamentalist conspiracy theory thumb of his parents. Parents who are now in jail waiting for a trial that may never happen. The raid in Silver Springs Montana, brought to light the abuse he and his siblings faced; while Bob was able to escape six years ago, he had to leave his younger brother and sister behind.
Bob was overjoyed to be re-united with them when a federal agent and a social worker from Child Protect Services showed up at his door last week. His parents tried to fight the custody battle; but sitting in jail with a litany of charges involving child abuse was an uphill battle that they could not overcome. Bob’s brother and sister, now fifteen year old twins looked at their older brother with nervousness. The glamor he had on made him look like their father in some aspects and they were fearful he would hit them. That was the furthest from Bob’s mind as he welcomed them into his house as the federal agent had him sign some documents as the CPS agent did an inspection to ensure the place was fit. Noting that Atoli was nursing a baby upstairs helped the agent assuage her worries and gladly sign off on Bob being a fit guardian for his siblings.
So Bob prepared a hearty meal of porkchops with apple sauce and corn on the cob to welcome both Evelyn and Ezekiel to their new home. When they saw their niece and sister in law for the first time, both were sad as their parents made the two out to be dirty beasts not fit to being called humans. While Atoli was given a heads up as to how rasicts her inlaws where, hearing the language as both Bob’s brother and sister relayed some of more sickening statements nearly brought the woman to tears.
“They are in jail,” Bob comforting his wife; “never to bother us again.” Those words brought comfort to everyone as they soon sat down to a home cooked meal. It was later when both Evelyn and Ezekiel were fast asleep that both Bob and Atoli removed there glamors. Bob entering the bedroom the two were sleeping in, he placed a drop of his blood on the corner of each’s mouths; ensuring they would lick and be infected with the fury virus.
Like watching Sora change when they became furies; Evelyn and Ezekiel’s change was rapid. Bob using his runes to magically remove their pajamas so they don’t wake up panicking to remove the clothes; watched as his brother and sister quickly turned into furies. Evelyn became a black bear fury like him, but Ezekiel became an anthro spotted leopard fury. He wondered if it was genetic or just random chance, either way, they would wake up in the morning and have a wonderful weekend before starting school.
“No more home schooling,” Bob muttered as he closed the door.
**********************
Back at the Heartpaw home the table was slowly being cleared by Edward and Julian Heartpaw as their daughter Allison and her mate Jimmy Proudhoof were busy fondling each other. Denise and Michael were talking with Lucas and Rachael Soulfang while Jake was sitting next to Brittany in the living room; rubbing her belly. It has yet to show her with a cub growing, but the two knew she was pregnant. The anthro stag-deer fury and grey wolf fury ficking through the channels on the television trying to find a station that may still be broadcasting. They were about to give up when all of a sudden the presidential seal of the united states started showing up.
“Please standby for an emergency message from the president of the United States.” This was followed by a few second of silence before repeating.
This got everyone’s attention as they filled into the living room to see a female otter furry sitting behind the resolute desk in the oval office.
“My fellow Americans; be they Furry or still human. We enter into a new era; an era that we must all come to accept. As the Fury flu rages during this Thanksgiving holiday we must take stock with what we have. Family, friends and those we care for. Like most, my predecessor was struck down by this ‘gift’ as many refer to. Being an old man pushing eighty meant that he was too frail to carry on as our commander in chief once he was infected. As per the powers of succession set forth by our founding fathers’, I have already taken the oath of office and will do my best to help usher in a new era. This era will not be without its own unique set of struggles. As we work to re-build our society, we furies must be careful to not make the same mistakes as our former human selves once did.
Thanks to our ability to cast magic, some believe we can do whatever we want. While that may be possible; we are not gods, we are fallible and just as mortal as a human being. While the urge for some furies to continue to spread this gift to humans may still be with you, we have come to the stage where we must begin to go back to our previous lives as best we can. As for those who are not fury, know that this country is still has rules, laws; laws that will be enforced to their fullest. These laws will be adjust to acknowledge the rights of all; male and female, both human and fury. Assaulting a fury will be met with swift vengeance. We all seen the footage on news feeds of furies killing those who try to attack them. Be smart and don’t even try. If you try to hunt a fury, be assured that said fury will soon be hunting you right back.”
“What does she mean by that,” Michael sipping his wine, as he and everyone else watches the madam fury president address a nation that may or may not be watching.
“That we are not food for some survivalist’s larder,” Lucas remarking; “and I would pity a human for trying.”
“That and a veiled threat to the right wing militia’s, kooks, crazies and various bigots banding together that have delusions of grandeur,” Julian standing next to her mate Edward; “your opinions and beliefs are just that. Opinions and beliefs, keep them that way.”
“They won’t go down without a fight,” Allison adding as the female fury president continues to speak; asking for any world leaders who have managed to weather this storm to help their fellow citizens pick up and rebuild.
“Please know that we are not the only ones dealing with this situation,” the president speaking; “we must all pull together. With that, I ask all furies who worked in radio and television to go back to broadcasting, once you have calmed your libido.” The president say the last with a wry grin from her otter muzzle. “Those who were in law enforcement, I implore you to begin your duties to serve and protect once again. Those who were military, air force or navy, please help and assist in any way you can. For the rest; Happy Thanksgiving and blessings to all.”
The t.v goes back to a no signal message and everyone looks at each other in stunned silence.
“I thought there would be more calamity and chaos,” Brittany being the first to speak.
“I knew my airborne virus would be effective,” Denise mulling what she accomplished; “but to watch it hit everywhere at once.”
“But not every nation was able to handle it well,” Michael comforting his mate; “we all saw what happened to the totalitarian regimes.”
Everyone nodded in silence as the news of North Korea, Iran, and Afghanistan violently fell into unrest while news of Russian and China was limited due to sanctions and economic isolation. News from Central America as drug lords and the dictators they support were also removed in brutal fashion.
“With the xenophobic bigots out,” Jimmy getting up; “tomorrow and every day after will only get better.”
"That is a positive to work for," Allison nodding.