“See Dawn, this is what your grandfather was referring to in showing community spirit.”
Rachael Soulfang, an anthro lioness fury stood at the window looking out into the street and seeing her anthro wolf fury mate Lucas Soulfang digging out the driveway. He was being helped by Edward Heartpaw, an anthro fox fury; as well as Michael, Jimmy and Jake Proudhoof. The three each an anthro stag-deer fury. The group arriving in Michael’s well maintained economy car; the car was an old 1998 Saab 9000.
When Dawn saw her grandfather’s car pull up and both her father and uncle shuffle out; she was surprised to see them shoveling the sidewalk, going so far to clear it up to the corner house by the adjoining intersection. Lucas came out to greet the group and joined in as they worked to clear his driveway; they were soon joined by several other furies and spent a fast thirty minutes to clear other driveways. Dawn wanted to run outside and great her father, but her grandmother told her to stay inside; citing that it was too cold and she and her brother Dusk would be staying for a few more hours.
“We help each other out,” Rachael watching as their neighbor from across the street; a macaw fury with blue and bold plumage comes out of his garage with a gas powered snow blower and began clearing the sidewalk on the other side of the street. “We don’t play pranks and try to trick each other in a time of crisis.”
“This doesn’t look like a crisis, this looks like fun.” Dawn looking glum; she may be six years old, but the doe fury cub knew snow meant having fun outside. Sledding, making snow forts to snow ball fights; she swathe snow coming down before she finally went to bed. Walking up in the morning and seeing her mom’s parents embracing each other on the living room floor. It wasn't the first time she saw adult fury's in an intimate embrace; she caught her parents a few times in a middle of their amorous moments and saw their privates being used in ways a child's brain wasn't capable of comprehending all that well. So she unlocked and opened the front door to see the snow up to her waist. Grabbing a pawful, she rolls it into a ball and mischievously tosses it at her sleeping grandparents. Lucas’s surprised growl was not something Dawn was expecting when he swore at being so rudely awaken.
“Fun is not throwing a snowball inside a house, “Rachael looking at Dawn. “Fun is not throwing a snowball at your grandfather as he sleeps,” Rachael watching Lucas heading back inside; being followed by Edward, Michael, Jimmy and Jake. “You’re lucky your Grandfather didn’t throw you into the snow bank and let you shiver for thirty minutes.”
Dawn’s eyes go wide at the thought of be thrown outside over a little snowball to the back, when her grandmother added; “never emulate what you see on television. That is fictional; only meant for entertainment. Come in and warm yourselves up with some chili,” Rachael opening the door for the group of furies just arriving.
“It already is chili outside,” Edward Heartpaw retorting as he wipes his vulpine paws on the map; getting an assortment of guffaws and groans from the rest as they head to the kitchen.
“Are you behaving,” Jake stepping back from the group to speak to his daughter as she sits on the sofa looking outside and seeing all the crisp white snow begging to be tossed and played with. “Let me rephrase,” Jake sitting next to his daughter; “have you done anything to upset your grandparents?”
“Just the usual childish antics,” Lucas joining his son in law with a bowl of hot leftover chili; “but she did learn not to judge a book by its cover so to speak.”
Jake looked curiously at the wolf fury as he listens to the story of Dawn not taking his bottle of hot sauce seriously and getting a nasty burning sensation in her maw as a result. Jake looked at his daughter who had an embarrassed expression and looked like she wanted to be anywhere but where she currently is.
“Its that hot,” Jake looking at Lucas; “can I see it?”
“Sure,” Lucas responding as he gets up; leaving the bowl of chili behind and coming back second later with a bottle featuring a set of human looking lips with flames coming out of its mouth.
“Spontaneous combustion,” Jake chuckling as he opens the bottle and gives its contents a quick sniff; smelling the vinegar made him recoil slightly before placing a dab in the chili. Mixing the sauce into the chili he takes a bite as his daughter looks on with a curious yet worrying expression. “Yeah,” Jake exhaling hard as he takes a moment to clear his throat; “I can see how this would upset a cub. It packs a punch.”
“Oliver and Paul had an unfortunate reaction to this as well,” Lucas putting the cap back on the bottle; “In fact those twins don’t like spicy foods all that much. It is why this isn’t the five alarm chili Rachael used to make.”
“Where is Dusk,” Jake making quick work of the juiced up chili; “where is my other cub?”
“Upstairs,” Dawn answering as she shrugs and goes back to looking outside; “Playing with O and P.”
“O and P,” Jake looking at Lucas as the anthro wolf fury just shrugs; “should we be worried?”
“The house isn’t on fire,” Lucas answering; “anything else can be dealt with our magic runes.”
The conversation continued as Dusk followed by Oliver and Paul stampeded down the stairs; the three wolf fury cubs hearing cacophony of voices came down to investigate. Dusk cheered up upon seeing his father and uncle; however the meeting was to be short lived as they had to head on out to dig out some abandoned cars at the restaurant. Promising to return later to take him and Dawn home.
“Why don’t you try and watch a movie with your grandparents,” Jake getting up; “by the time the movie is done, your mother and I will be back and you’ll be home sipping on a hot chocolate.”
“In the meantime,” Lucas looking at his grandson; “have some leftover chili if you are hungry.”
“Assuming there is any left,” Jake commenting; “Jimmy and dad can go through a gallon of it real quick.”
“Rachael is good at portion control,” Lucas responding; “we would hear her shrill if they tried to suck it all up.”
At that moment there was a loud commotion in the kitchen as a two white furred anthro wolf cubs run out giggling as they run upstairs with their mother exiting the kitchen with a disappointing glare.
“Those two tried to make off with the left over pudding pie,” Rachael shaking her head; “they saw it in the fridge as Jimmy was looking for some juice and tried to snatch it.”
“They clearly didn’t succeed as they ran upstairs empty pawed,” Lucas collecting Jake’s bowl as he follows his mate to the kitchen; “but I suspect there is more to tell.”
Lucas followed his mate back to the kitchen; carrying Jake’s empty chili bowl. His heart drops as he sees the pie that Rachael made yesterday damaged. While the remainder from last night was mostly intact; it had two paw sized clumps removed as it sat on the counter.
“I bet they are licking their paws clean thinking they were clever in swiping some tasty treats,” Rachael growling; “I thought you were going to put it someplace they would get to.”
“I did,” Lucas answering; “in the back of the fridge, sitting above the pea-meal bacon.”
“The same bacon I grabbed for breakfast this morning,” Rachael sighing as she forgot to put the pie back when she moved it to get at the pork product.
“Perhaps you both should share the blame,” Edward chuckling; “plus it’s Christmas and they are four. Let them get away with a few things as they enjoy the festive holidays.”
“It just means no pudding for them later,” Rachael debating whether to toss the pie into the garbage or to trim off the damaged portion and salvage the rest.
“I think we should get going,” Michael putting down his now empty bowl of chili; “we still got abandoned cars to dig out next to Proudhoof’s.”