Following the arrest of the drunk that had wandered into the school things began to quiet down across the board. And with Thanksgiving now coming up fast that was a good thing. Things being quiet around any holiday was a good thing. And after a quiet weak, another weekend arrived. Officer Barnes and I were not required to return to patrol duty while we were the school's DARE officers while we waited for Officer Howard to go through the process of hiring the man would take over that job full time. And so, with no work scheduled for the weekend, I settled into enjoying the weekend and the things that coming along with it.
"Is there any in there?" Molly's voice called from inside our Cabin.
"No turkey," I answered, "There's lots of beef, pork, and a few of our kills from the past hunting season in there, including the Elk... and there are even a few boneless fillets of fish and a couple of bags of shrimp and crab/lobster... some crustacean."
"But no turkey," Molly sighed again.
I had been sent into the garage to help prepare things for our Thanksgiving. We had not gotten an invite from anyone this year, and so we were preparing for our first Thanksgiving in our own home. It wasn't our first Thanksgiving in Columbia Falls, but the turkey day we had enjoyed the year before had been with Dave and his family. This year it looked as though we'd be on our own.
"There isn't even any chicken," I replied.
"Man..." Molly grumbled, "Do we have the room for it?"
"I think we have enough for two turkeys," I answered, "Though we'll have to go to the market and get lucky to get turkeys to put there."
Molly then came into the garage and shut the door, "Then let's go. We don't want to end up having no turkey on turkey day."
"We go now... do you have your purse or do I need to go and get my wallet?" I asked her.
"I have my purse," Molly answered, as I pulled my head out of the deep freeze, "and you can be my arm candy."
"Okay now you're teasing me," I stated as I shut the deep freeze.
"No, I'm not... you're very handsome," Molly answered, "Even before you grew your whiskers... and you will always be good looking to me."
"As you are to me," I nodded and we shared a brief nuzzle.
"So are you ready to go?" Molly asked.
"Yeah," I nodded and lifted up the garage door.
We then made our way out of the garage and moved on toward town. We hoped the local market would have at least one turkey for the two of us to cook. If not, we'd be looking at asking Dave for a ride to Kalispell to see if the supermarket stores there, or the Walmart super-center had any turkeys. After all, what was Thanksgiving with out turkey?
The walk was fairly quiet as Molly and I observed the approaching winter weather. Things were definitely much cooler now, and there was even a few inches of snow on the ground in places. But the potential big storm, be it a blizzard or simply heavy snowfall hadn't arrived yet. The slight dusting of snow in places made things look good, and despite it being our second winter season in the mountains, Molly and I couldn't get enough of it. Peoria was far enough north to see a fair amount of snow, but there was something about winter in the geographical area we were in that was different. Maybe it was the ruggedness... the lack of major human development... there were tons of towns and cities around Peoria, and all of them were essentially suburbs of Chicago. Most of the open areas were the farms between the towns and cities, and the largest would be considered tiny out here by contrast to the ranching operations.
"Have you thought about inviting anyone for Thanksgiving, or maybe Christmas... Christmas and our Anniversary isn't too far away," Molly wondered.
"Not really," I sighed, "I'd be nice to see my folks again... but you'll also come into heat again around Christmas or our Anniversary... and we've already agreed that our gifts to each other this year would be a pregnancy."
"I know," Molly answered.
"It wouldn't really be polite for us to invite someone for Christmas and then have sex all the time they're here," I told her.
"But what about Thanksgiving?" Molly wondered, "the weather has been mild enough that the roads in and out of the mountains haven't been closed yet. If not your parents, what about Leon and Jacki? I'm sure they'd enjoy getting away from the hustle and bustle."
"Except for Jacki's pregnancy," I reminded her, "she said that Leon and the doctors expect her to come to term in six months time, and she was five months along when we called earlier this month. She should be close to entering her sixth month by now. My dad probably has her off on maternity leave... and even if they've been born... Jacki and Leon have just started a family. Driving across the country for a social visit would probably be too much for their cubs to handle... especially when you're not lactating at the moment to help Jacki out."
"I'm a tigress," Molly answered, as she had long since accepted what she had become.
"Yes, but Jacki is a lioness, a social cat," I answered, "On some instinctual level, you would be expected to help nurse her cubs. Now we could manage with bottles and formula... but as youngsters they need to get specialized antibodies that help them grow healthy and so forth. Jacki is the only one producing them at the moment."
Molly only sighed, "You're right, I suppose."
"Glacier isn't too far from here," I told her, "by next summer Jacki and Leon's cubs will be well enough to travel and you can offer them the idea of meeting them at the park some time during the summer, provided it doesn't conflict with your pregnancy and the birth of our cubs."
Molly slowly nodded and we shared a nuzzle as we walked along.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The market was pretty quiet when Molly and I arrived there. We arrived to find things quiet by all standards of pre-holiday things. I had half expected to find a lot of people there looking to buy their turkey or other things they needed for Thanksgiving dinner. But there weren't. There were a few people there, but not enough to be considered a crowd.
"Maybe everyone's done all their shopping for Thanksgiving," Molly commented as we entered the store.
"Or they really wait to the last minute," I commented.
Molly only shrugged and we moved along. Our goal was the meat section of the market. With few people there, we made it without any problem, though a couple of the people there were parents of kids Molly taught last year or was teaching this year. They stopped us to say how much their kids enjoyed being or having been in Molly's class. Molly thanked them politely before we moved on and let them return to their shopping.
We arrived at the area where the store was keeping the turkeys they had for sale. There were a fair number of them left, but it did look like a lot of the ones that were there had been bought already. We both began to look through the turkeys that were left, particularly looking for ones that weren't artificially seasoned or fattened. They tasted fine, and there was probably more then enough meat on them that Molly and I could probably digest those things just fine, and if was our only option, we'd eat them. But if we could get some turkey without the artificial additives, that would be better.
"Here's one," Molly commented as she pulled out an eight pound turkey, "though it looks like it's the only one and is a bit on the scrawny side..."
"Compared to ungulate mammals, any bird is scrawny," I quipped, "with the possible exception of the Ostrich."
I looked around a little bit more, but found that Molly was right. The one she had was the last one without additives. Eventually I settled on a ten pound turkey that was near the bottom of the portable freezer. It did have a fair amount of the artificial additives but according to the labeling, it had less then some of the others. Taking our "prizes" we then moved toward the front of the store.
As we arrived, we found Marcella manning one of the cash registers. We slowly made our way up to her.
"Hello," Molly said to Marcella, "George tells me your name is Marcella now..."
"Yes," Marcella nodded, "Preparing for Thanksgiving?"
She then rang up the two turkeys while Molly nodded.
"Yep," Molly gave a smile, "well, I'll say you make a very cute cat."
"Thank you, ma'am," Marcella answered, "It's probably the stripes though. You see that similarity between us."
Molly and I shrugged a bit at that. Marcella was indeed striped, but her striping was a tabby's coat pattern, which was very different from the tiger stripes that were on Molly's and my fur.
"How is Amy?" I asked, "have you and your folks done anything to help her with her family or..."
"Her folks won't talk to her, at least not in any way that would be good," Marcella answered, holding back an agitated hiss, "my dad and I tried to explain that once Amy takes the Animatrix Serum and becomes a male cat, and his homophobia wouldn't matter as "Amy" would be a heterosexual male... he called that cheating and nearly started a fight with my dad..."
"Amy... the girl you transformed yourself for?" Molly asked.
"Yes," Marcella answered, "I love her, and she loves me. And she is eighteen now, and could take the Animatrix Serum on her own... but she's said she wants to save it for Christmas and have it be a present for me."
"Feel free to visit Bandhavgarh afterward," Molly offered, "You've been so gracious and supportive to George and I... it'd be only fair for us to wish you and Amy the best of happiness as your lives move onto the next stage for you two."
"Thank you, Mrs. Wayne," Marcella answered, "And have a Happy Thanksgiving!"
"You too," I told her, as Molly and I headed out with our newly bought turkeys.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
By the following Thursday, after another quiet week, Molly and I slept in a little before getting up. The kids had that Thursday and Friday off for Thanksgiving as part of their school break. The morning was quiet and easy. We had a couple of the cookers for turkeys that were "house warming" gifts from my parents when we first settled into our cabin. And with the size of the birds, we had about enough meat for the day.
"So what do you want start with?" Molly asked.
"Watch the Macy's Parade, I'd guess," I answered, "see how many Animal People are in it and what floats they have and so forth. After all... our dinner preparations aren't as big as other people's are. All we have are two turkeys to cook."
And the parade was a good one. It was all part of what was a fairly traditional Thanksgiving for Molly and I. There were a fair number of Animal People in both the temporary stands constructed to watch the parade and in the parade itself. Though as they went along, Molly and I did pause to begin the process of cooking the turkeys. Unlike the steaks we commonly cooked, neither of us knew if there was a "rare" to "well done" system for things like poultry or fish and other meats, so the turkeys would be fully cooked, though without the dressings that were normally on a Thanksgiving turkey.
One turkey went into our lower oven and the other went into our upper oven. With out the other dressings and things, cooking them would go a bit faster then others, but that raised no complaint. Once the two turkeys started cooking, Molly set some steaks to cook on the stove. They would be our breakfast which would have to do until the turkeys were ready. They were ready in time for the end of the parade.
"Do you have any interest in the football games?" Molly asked as the parade came to an end and we finished the steaks that were our breakfast.
"Not really," I shrugged, "I'd have marginal interest in the Lions game... as they are a division rival... and like most non-Dallas fans, my only interest in the Cowboys would be the hope that they lose."
Molly slowly nodded. Coming out of Peoria, Illinois our baseball loyalties were somewhat divided, though Molly and I never fought over it, our football loyalties were tied to one team. The Bears, and Soldier Field's heroes. And while Thanksgiving was a special day for pro football games, they revolved around the Detroit Lions or the Dallas Cowboys. The NFL Network had gotten into things in recent years, but that didn't guarantee the Bears would be Thanksgiving. And the Bears weren't playing on the NFL Network or against the Cowboys on Thanksgiving this year, so I had little interest.
"I might watch a little later on," I commented, "Right now, I'd think we should call my folks and your Uncle. Wish them a Happy Thanksgiving."
Molly slowly nodded, "Go on ahead. I'll just put our plates in the sink and check on the turkeys."
I nodded and made my way upstairs. Once the desk in the bedroom I shared with Molly, I picked up the phone and dialed a number.
"Hello, Wayne residence," came my mother's voice on the other end of the line.
"Hey, mom, it's me," I spoke.
"Hello, George," Polly Wayne answered, "How are you and Molly?"
"We're doing good," I answered, "we've got some snow out here in the mountains... though no big blizzard yet."
"Hopefully you don't get one," Polly answered.
"Yeah," I replied, "I'm just calling to wish you and dad a Happy Thanksgiving."
"Oh, thank you, son," Polly sounded very happy in her response, "and your father and I both wish you and Molly the same. How have things been?"
"Fairly quiet and enjoyable," I told her as I heard Molly come up the stairs, "Mostly Molly and I are waiting for the end of December."
"Christmas?"
"Mating season, mom," Molly spoke as she was close enough to speak into the phone without having to roar from downstairs, "George and I feel ready to start a family of our own. The last week of December to the first week of January will be the time that I'll be receptive."
"Oh... oh... oh my goodness!" Polly gasped, "You're going to have a family?"
"We plan to, mom," I spoke, "We have to wait a month for mating season, and you'll have to wait awhile to become a grandmother..."
"Oh don't worry about that, I'm so happy for you!" Polly exclaimed, "You'll send me and your father pictures won't you?"
"We'd actually hope that you could be there when they're born, but that's still a ways away," Molly said to her.
"Oh... you'll make me overload with joy!" Polly answered.
"Don't burst all over dad's turkey," I joked.
"He hasn't stuffed it yet," Polly joked back, "Love you both."
"Love you, mom," I spoke.
"Love you too, Mom!" Molly spoke beside me, "Happy Thanksgiving."
My father didn't have as much to say. He wished us a Happy Thanksgiving and gave his word that if Molly and I had cubs, they would come out to see them born.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The call to Frank Rhoer ultimately went the same way as my call to my folks went. Though that conversation did not include the report on our reproductive plans, as they would probably hear us when mating season arrived. But the conversation went well and we both wished Molly's uncle and his daughters a Happy Thanksgiving.
Once that was done, Molly settled into the rest of the tasks related to the preparation of our dinner. We did watch some of the football games as we did so. And while I had no great love for any to the teams playing, they played relatively good games. That made them fairly enjoyable.
At about four PM our turkeys came out of the oven, and Molly and I were both busy with carving them up on a set of cutting boards in the kitchen.
"It does smell good," I commented as Molly and I carried the carved up turkeys into our dinning room to eat.
Both had lost a bit of "water-weight" from being cooked, but the turkeys still looked and smelled good. Even if Molly and I could digest raw meat and even if our instincts preferred it, some things still smelled good. These two turkeys were among them.
"Yes," Molly looked over her shoulder, licking her lips, "yes, they do."
We set the large serving platters down on the table and sat down. As I did so, I thought over all the things that had gone on up to now. Molly's transformation, the "fight" against R.A.M. and Beauregard, the race between Tabby and Hireman, and all the other things that had happened. Things looked fairly well for Molly and I and were moving forward toward a goal we both wanted.
"What are you thinking about, George?" Molly asked.
"Mostly the things I'm thankful for," I commented, "I'm thankful we've overcome the hatred, prejudices, and fears of our forms. I'm thankful we've found friends in the Choir family and in Officers Barnes and Jenkins and with little Megan Jenkins. And above all, I'm thankful I've had someone like you to be with. I love you very much."
I leaned over and nuzzled her softly. Molly smiled and returned the nuzzle.
"I'm thankful to have you as my husband too," Molly added, "you've done so much for me... and I am very thankful for that. Your help when all this started for us was very important, and I don't know what I would have done without you."
"So we both have a lot to be thankful for," I commented.
"Yes," Molly nodded, "and by this time next year... we'll also be thankful for the litter of little striped cubs in their carriers."
Molly and I nuzzled again and began to eat.