“We are going to need a bigger house,” the wolf fury sighing as he watches in shock his two year old twin cubs discovering the joy of drawing. Their canvas being the walls in the condo they still live in. When Brittany moved out to be with her mate; Lucas and Rachael were torn as to what to do with her old room. As it sat empty, the wolf and lioness fury couple racked their brains as to what to do with the empty space. Thoughts of turning into a home office, or a private adult play place were tossed around after many bouts of carnal embracing. It wasn’t until one day when Lucas woke up and was hit with an overpowering aroma. His lips automatically curl as he instinctively tastes the air like a male animal would do when a receptive female was near.
His mind became hazy over the next few days as he and Rachael rutted in just about every room. Each act rough and domineering as Lucas’s animal urges to mate and breed over ruled his common sense. As he kept bending over Rachael and mounted her until her intoxicating scent abated. She was in heat and the two knew it. The decision in what to do with Brittany’s old room decided for them once it was confirmed that Rachael was pregnant. What surprised the happy couple was that she was carrying twins. The months leading up to their birth were a blur for Lucas; getting interrupted sleep as Rachael was getting more and more gravid in the middle. She was experiencing the same oddball cravings their daughter had with her twins; while Brittany’s cravings were easier to satisfy per Jake’s vague descriptions, Rachael’s were anything but. Finding out she developed a taste for exotic foods; Lucas nearly blew their grocery budgets on many trip to the store to pick up some of the most rancid items possible. He never knew how horrible a can of Surströmming and a whole Durian could smell. Him and the entire condo complex soon found out and it was the first time that the condo board wanted to create a rule to ban foul smelling foods. What was worse is that even today with the cubs older, weaned off of breast milk and now on solid foods; Rachael’s palette is still finding the fermented herring and South East Asian fruit pleasing, while Lucas wanted to gag every time the items started to give off their unique aroma.
“You going to stand their slack jawed or are you going to help,” Rachael doing her best to rein in the twin cubs as they continued to gleefully draw on the walls with crayons and markers.
“Alright you two,” Lucas scooping up one as Rachael snatches the other; the cubs full of energy did everything they could to squirm out of their parents grasp. Both failing to escape their parent’s frim grips, the two wolf cubs soon found themselves placed in their high chairs looking upset at having their fun taken from them.
“How did our daughter handle her twins,” Rachael shaking her feline head as she looks at the destruction the two did to the walls.
“I think the question to ask,” Lucas looking bemused; “is how did the two managed to do this in the two minutes we were distracted?”
“Mystery for another day,” Rachael exhaling as her runes glow and the vibrant markings on the wall fade and disappear; “so much easier than hot water and soap.”
“And cheaper than having to prime and paint the walls,” Lucas noticing the twin’s caterwauling stopping as they watch their artwork fade from view. “Another thing to thank Edward and Julian for,” Lucas remembering the day the fox and cougar couple came and gave them the gift that turned them into the furies they are today.
“You keep an eye on our miscreants,” Rachael staring at the twins; “while I fix us up some sandwiches.”
“We still need to get a bigger place,” Lucas sitting down in a chair at the table; summoning his smart phone he pulls up the internet app and starts looking at local listings.
*********
“Anything interesting,” Rachael placing down a couple of plates full of tuna fish sandwiches with some fruit. Rachael looking at her sons and shakes her head as she puts down a plate full of cheese cubes, grapes, apple slices and some of the canned tuna she used for the sandwiches.
“Some places that are mostly bungalows,” Lucas putting down the phone; turning his attention to the sandwich and taking a bite as he observes his cubs sampling the cheese. “At least they aren’t picky eaters,” Lucas taking another bite of his sandwich as one of the cubs wolfs down the tuna and tries to steal the tuna off his brother’s plate.
“Leave your brother’s plate alone,” Lucas stopping the food thief from succeeding; “mom will get you more if you want some.”
“There is a little bit left,” Rachael popping a few grapes into her muzzle; “once they are down for their nap, can you pick up a few things at the store?”
“As long as it’s not more stinky food,” Lucas be snarky before correcting himself; “at least no more smelly than canned tuna.”
“Spoil Sport,” the lioness fury getting up to grab the leftover tuna; returning to the table and placing some more on the twin’s plates.
“I’m not the only one griping about that foul smelling fish and fruit you’ve taken a liking to,” Lucas finishing his sandwich and fruit; “the whole complex is less than thrilled.”
“They’ll get over it,” Rachael smiling as one of the cubs tries reaching for the now empty can; “silly boy. You can’t have this.”
“Maaaaaa,” the cub squealing as he futilely reaches for the can as Rachael tosses it into the trash.
“Ha,” Lucas smiling as he watches his son’s reaching out to their mother; “looks like they want some hugs.” Lucas getting up to pick up a son, “you get one good squeeze then its nap time;” the wolf fury rumbling as he hugs one while Rachael picks up the second.
“Make sure you grab some of those house listings,” Rachael following her mate as they head to the nursery where two cribs are situated.
“Not a problem as Lucas places a hand paw on the toddlers diaper; checking to see if it needs changed or not before putting the white furred wolf cub in his crib. “Now don’t cause mischief while I’m out,” Lucas grinning; “there is pudding for you if you behave.”
“Pooding,” one of the cubs perking up; “his grasp on words still tenuous, but he was able to understand the word to his favorite treat.
“Butterscotch for me,” Rachael giving Lucas the grocery list; “and you know by now that Oliver and Paul here like the chocolate.”
“Regular chocolate,” Lucas smiling as the twins look excited at the prospect of pudding; “or the chocolate fudge?”
**************
Getting out of the mini-van full of spilled cereal and car seats in need of cleaning, Lucas breathes the fresh air as he walks along the asphalt of the grocery store parking lot. He can still smell the tar and bitumen from the freshly laid surface. Noticing that is was hot for his paw pads thanks to the sun beating down on it, as he quickly dashes to the store interior. He wasn’t the only fury running to the store thanks to a hot black surface burning their paws. One nearly collides into him as he get to the store entrance.
“Lucas,” the fury practically shouting as the wolf fury turns around before grabbing a shopping cart.
“Lillian,” Lucas looking surprised to see the bunny furry who owns and operates Cottontail Spa; “how have you been.”
“I was going to ask you that,” Lillian grabbing a cart and walking into store with Lucas; “I haven’t seen you or Rachael at the spa for quite a while now. Is everything all right?”
“As alright as one can expect when dealing with energetic twin cubs,” Lucas taking a breath; “and I thought our daughters twins were a pawful, but Oliver and Paul are proving that wrong with each passing day.”
“Oh that’s right,” Lillian looking embarrassed; “I forget you and Rachael became parents again.”
“I think a lot of us are becoming parents again,” Lucas heading to the produce department; “what with the fury virus restoring our youth.”
“Yes,” Lillian nodding as she places a package of mushrooms in her shopping cart; “Trudy and her mate Lucas are expecting a cub in a few months now.”
“Oh congratulations are in order then,” Lucas putting several tomatoes into a plastic produce bag; “boy or girl?”
“They choose to be surprised,” Lillian answering as she examines several root vegetables before deciding on some turnips and parsnips. Trudy has to be on maternity leave now as she can’t exactly be a masseuse while heavily pregnant.”
“And you and your mate,” Lucas smiling; “have you and he been trying?”
“No heat cycle yet,” Lillian sighing; “but it could come at any day. It seems the medical experts are flummoxed as to when we are receptive when going into estrus.” Lillian Cottontail referring to the fact that not all furies are following the typical mating cycles as their more mundane animal counterparts. Some furies going into heat during fall or winter while others of the same or similar mammalian, reptilian or avian sub set going into heat in the summer or spring. Some medical experts suspect that since the furies were once human, these cycles are an amalgamation of a human’s menstrual cycle and an animal’s reproductive cycle.
“I can attest to that,” Lucas remembering the intense few days Rachael went into heat; “I was another person once I got a whiff of my mate’s pheromones. Like a possessed animal hell bent on breeding,” Lucas recalling the many rough acts of sex; some of those acts he feared he may have hurt Rachael, thanks to those instinctive desires to dominate and control. “Don’t be upset with your mate if he gets a bit too rough with you,” Lucas placing a paw on Lillian’s shoulder; “it’s the pheromones and hormones driving him to plant his seed.”
“I’ll take it under advisement,” Lillian nodding; “Trudy said something similar when Louis and she were rutting. His mounting and biting her being more forceful than usual; he acted distraught every time he came to his senses after the deed, apologizing that he didn’t mean to be so forceful.”
“It was the same with me,” Lucas sighing; “those pheromones you females give off, are throwing us males for a loop.”
“Thank the gods,” Lillian grabbing some grapes; “that a Canadian doctor created the heat suppression pills for those of us not ready to start a family.”
“Or for those that are too young to be parents,” Lucas nodding.
“If you can swing it,” Lillian giggling at the thought of the word; “see if you can get someone to watch your cubs for a few hours. It sounds like the two of you could use and afternoon of relaxation,” Lillian winking; “an intimate time at the spa can do wonders.”
“Rachael and I definitely could use an afternoon or and evening for ourselves,” Lucas nodding at the thought; “I swing that by with my mate once I get home. In the meantime it was nice catching up with you,” Lucas smiling as he can feel his lupine rod stir from its sheath; “hopefully my mate and I can find the time to head to the spa.”