An eight-day after the party.
Waking early, Kerr carefully extricates himself from between three females; Miera and Leeta -- his mistresses -- and Lemarra, the raccoon belonging to the bears next door. He quickly makes up a small fire in the kitchen and puts on a kettle of water. Then he digs through the cupboards and locates a ham from which he -- with some disgust -- slices off several thick pieces. As soon as the water boils he dumps some leaves into a pot and pours the hot water over it. Finally he fills a large bowl with an assortment of fruits and vegetables and stacks it all, together with cups on a large tray before making his way back to the bedroom.
The clatter of earthenware when the rabbit puts down the tray wakes the panther. "What are you doing out of bed?" she whispers, trying to avoid waking the others. "Oh, you made us breakfast. That's nice, but I will still have to punish you later for getting out of bed without permission."
"Yes, mistress," he responds quietly, knowing full well that she doesn't mean it.
"Well, get back in!" she orders, sitting up, lifting the blanket and indicating that he's to sit in her lap.
The creaking as he sit down wakes the puma, and as she rolls over to see what is happening her foot bumps into the raccoon who has curled up into a ball at the foot-end of the bed, waking her, also. "Oh, breakfast!" the puma exclaims. "And here I feared I had to snack on you, Kerr." Then she sit up and grab the cup and meat which Kerr is passing her.
After breakfast, as Miera commands Kerr to brush her fur, Lemarra tries to get up only to be held back by the puma. "Let me go," she pleads. "I've been here an eight-day, and the bears must be back any time now. I must clean the house!"
"No you mustn't," Leeta responds in a subdued voice as she pulls the struggling raccoon down into her lap and wraps her arms around the slender black-and-gray female.
"Remember the party?" Miera asks.
"Yes?"
"That was a fare-well party for the bears," the panther explains. "A short while after the party began they got onto a wagon owned by a trader and left the valley. He let them off the next morning. Then they would find a nice place, lie down and go to sleep."
"Noooo!" the raccoon screams. "They can't!"
"They could, and did," the puma whispers, then hugs the raccoon closely.
"But why?"
"They were old, very old," the panther states. "Their joints hurt whenever they had to move and their senses were failing. They decided to end it before it became too unbearable."
"But they had me!" the raccoon wails, "I cleaned their house, prepared their food and ran their errands."
"Yes," Miera responds, "and if it hadn't been for you they would have ended it when the cold season began last year. They were very grateful for you making their last year as comfortable as it was, and the female told me to tell you that she considered you more as the daughter she never had than a slave."
"But... why didn't they say anything to me?"
"Because you would have tried to talk them out of it," Leeta replies.
"B-but..." the raccoon stutters, "what will happen to me?"
"I happen!" Leeta exclaims, licking the raccoon's ears.
"What she means," Miera adds, "is that she's leaving tomorrow, and will be traveling past the village you came from. She'll make certain that you get home safely."
"Leaving?" Kerr asks, bevildered. "Why haven't you told me?"
"What, and let you know that I wouldn't be harassing you anymore?" Leeta retorts.
"But why are you leaving?"
"It's not you, bunny-boy," the puma replies. "It's just that I need a change of scenery. Maybe it's time for me to find a mate, also. I'll be heading for a large town down south as soon as I drop off Lemarra."
The next day.
"I'll miss you!" the rabbit exclaims as he hugs the raccoon one last time.
"I won't forget you, either," the raccoon mumbles into his chestfur.
"Don't I get a hug?" the puma asks, pouting.
"Well..." Kerr responds slowly, "since you are leaving, I guess so..." Letting go of the small raccoon he embraces the much taller puma and hugs her.
"I won't miss your impudence," the puma states as she hugs him back, squeezing his head between her breasts, "but you're the right height, and you taste great!" Then she sinks her fangs into his left ear, making him yelp and try to pull back. "Be nice to Miera," she whispers, "or I'll be back, and then I won't be satisfied with just a taste!"
"Don't hurt the bunny!" Miera exclaims.
"I won't," Leeta responds. Then she lets go of the rabbit and picks up a piece of black cloth. "Well, Lemarra, are you ready?"
"I guess so," the raccoon replies, "but what is that for?"
"It's a blindfold," the puma explains. "This is a hidden valley, remember? You must wear it until after sun-down today so that you can't lead anyone here."
"And if I refuse?"
"Then you'll have to stay here with us," Miera replies. "So, do you want to stay here and cuddle up to Kerr, when I'm not taking advantage of his services that is, or do you want to return to your family, find a nice raccoon male and live a normal life again?"
Glancing first at the gates out of the valley, then at Miera and Kerr, the raccoon slowly reaches out with a small paw to grasp the black cloth and put it across her eyes.
"Good girl!" Leeta exclaims, slapping her on the back. Then she shoulders a large pack and, grasping the raccoon's paw in her own, starts down the road.
Late evening.
"Please, can we stop soon?" the young raccoon female begs, "my feet hurts!"
Giving her companion a quick glance, then the surrounding area the puma grudgingly slows to a halt. "OK, I guess we're far enough away," she states. "You can take off the blindfold now." Then she unshoulders her pack and begins to dig through it. "Want something to eat?"
"Yes, please," the raccoon replies. "What do we have?"
"Dried fish," Leeta responds, holding up something that more resembles a crooked piece of wood than anything that could swim.
"Do we have anything to drink?"
"Only cold water," the puma replies. "We're not supposed to use fire this close to the valley."
Grumbling a bit the raccoon takes the offered piece of fish and begins to chew on it.
After eating, the puma unpacks a large blanket and drapes it over a mossy spot. "Time to sleep," she states before removing her tunic, laying down and folding the blanket over herself.
"Where's my blanket?" the raccoon asks, looking around.
"I forgot to bring one for you," the puma replies, grinning mischievously. "I guess we'll have to share this one."
"Now, why aren't I surprised?" the raccoon asks, sighing. Then she, too, removes her tunic and slips under the blanket, ending up with her back against the puma. "I'm tired," she whispers when strong yet slender arms wrap themselves around her.
"Me to," the puma whispers in her ear, "but that's no reason for not cuddling, right?"
Several eight-days later.
Walking paw-in-paw with the young female raccoon, the puma stretches, then asks, "We're almost there, right?"
"Yes," the raccoon replies. "We'll be able to see the village as soon as we clear the next hill. Isn't it time for you to turn back now?"
"What?" Leeta asks, "and miss the fun?" Digging through her pack she extracts a hammer and a nail. "There is one thing I need to do, though." Then she leads the raccoon over to a large rock, makes her kneel and, with a couple of strikes with the hammer, knocks out the splint holding the young female's collar together. Fuzzing with and fluffing up the black-and-gray fur, she adds, "Didn't want to remove it earlier because of the protection it awarded." Stuffing the collar into her pack she adds, "Shall we go?"
As the two females walks through the open gate in the fence around the village the sounds of everyday hustle and bustle slowly dies off.
"I don't mind all the males looking at me," the puma whispers -- loudly enough that some of the locals can hear -- to the raccoon walking beside her, "but why are the females staring?"
"It's not that often that a predator walks around here," the raccoon replies quietly. "I'm worried about what'll happen to you when they snap out of shock."
"There's one or two of them that I wouldn't mind going one-on-one with," the puma states, grinning as she studies the males standing around. "Maybe even a two-on-one, or a two-on-two if you want to join the fun."
"Leeta! Do you ever think about anything but sex?" the raccoon exclaims, disgusted.
"With all those hunky males with those cute tails standing around? No," the puma replies, leering. "See anyone you fancy?"
"You're disgusting!" the raccoon states, shaking her head.
"Yes, but the males heard what I said," the puma whispers, "and now they know that I'm relatively harmless. Just look at their stance; they're visibly relaxing already."
Not having a good response the raccoon just shakes her head, then turns down an alley.
Grinning to herself, Leeta follows, but slowly letting a gap develop between the two, so that when the raccoon stops before a nondescript door and knocks on it, she's well back in the shadows of the neighbouring building.
Soon, the door swings open and a middle-aged male raccoon steps out. "Who is it?" he asks, momentarily blinded by the sunlight. Then he realises just who is standing there. "Lemarra!" he exclaims, stepping forward and hugging the female. "We though you were dead!" Alerted by the commotion, a female of the same age as the male appears, yells Lemarra's name and throws herself at the other two and begins to weep with joy.
Deciding that enough is enough, Leeta steps forward and asks, "Aren't you going to introduce me?"
The older female gasps and begins to back away, pulling Lemarra with her while the male steps forward in a fighting stance.
"Daddy!" Lemarra shouts,"don't, she's a friend!"
"I wouldn't say say we're friends," Leeta retorts, grinning widely and showing off rows of sharp teeth.
"But you've always been kind to me," Lemarra protests, "and now you even helped me get home!"
"I had nothing to gain by being mean to you, I was heading south anyway and it's boring to travel alone."
"Must you always play tough?" the young raccoon sighs. Looking around she notices a large group of spectators -- some of which are brandishing weapons -- at the end of the alley. Grabbing Leeta's paw, she pulls the larger female with her. "I think we should continue this inside," she states.
The male hesitates for a moment, then opens the door and lets the others preceede him inside.
Leeta drops her heavy pack in a corner, then quickly looks over the room -- the main room of the house with a kitchen-nook and fireplace in one end and two doors which she assumes leads to bedrooms along a wall -- before stating, "Nice place you have here. Reminds me of home."
"Hmph," the male grunts, "don't try to sweet-talk us!"
"It's true," Leeta states, "but I'm not here to argue with you."
"Exactly why are you here?" the older female asks, "and where have my poor girl been all this time?"
"A long story," Leeta replies, "but first I think introductions are in order?"
"Sorry," Lemarra grins. "Mom, Dad, meet Leeta. Leeta, meet Hrom; my father, and Teelana; my mother." Turning to her mother, she whispers a few words, then she makes her father sit down in a deep chair. As her mother starts to prepare some tea, she starts telling her tale, "The short of it is that a bear captured me and took me to his parents because he wanted someone to take care of them. Leeta here was one of the neighbours, and the bear couple asked her to help me get back home when they died."
"That was too short," Leeta scolds, "you left out the fact that the female practically took you as her daughter, and this." Then she opens her pack and extracts a heavy bag which she tosses onto the table.
"What's this?" Lemarra asks, grabbing the bag and peeks into it. "Oh!" she exclaims, dropping it.
Her father snatches the bag and peeks into it, then empties a heap of silver and copper coins onto the table.
"As I said," Leeta explains, "they considered her more her daughter than a slave and wanted to take care of her in their own way."
"B-but it's a fortune!" Lemarra exclaims.
"Not really," Leeta counters, "but it should help you live a bit more comfortably. Try to keep it quiet, though, there may be some who would like to help themselves to some of it."
"And now?" the male asks, grumpily, "will you be leaving soon? There's still a couple of hours until nightfall."
"Daddy!" Lemarra exclaims.
"I was hoping to sleep in a bed tonight," Leeta replies, ignoring the young raccoon's outburst, "but I doubt that I would be welcome at the local Inn. Do you have a bed I could borrow for the night? I won't mind if you wish to barricade the door, either."
Night.
Folding aside the blanket and sitting up in the rather short bed, Leeta listens for a minute. Satisfied by what she hears, she gets out of bed, pads over to the door and whispers, "Lemarra, I know you're awake. We need to talk."
For a few seconds, nothing happens, then she hears footsteps and the sound of someone lifting a wooden beam away from the door and placing it on the floor. Then the door slowly opens and Lemarra peeks inside. "What is it?" she whispers.
"Come," the puma whispers, "we might as well make ourselves comfortable while talking." Then she walks back to the bed, sit down and pats her lap.
Knowing that when Leeta makes a suggestion, it's really an order, the raccoon sighs, makes her way to the bed and sit down on the proffered lap. "Well?" she asks after a few minutes of belly-scritching, "what did you want to talk about?"
"Tell me," Leeta whispers, still scritching the raccoon's belly, "is there a doctor in this village?"
"Doctor?" Lemarra asks, suddenly alarmed, "are you sick?"
"No, just wondering."
"Well," the raccoon begins, "I think the smith knows how to set bones and pull a tooth, and a few knows how to use herbs."
"Thought so," Leeta comments.. "Remember the doctor back in the valley?"
"The wolverine? I used to pick up the bears' medicine every eight-day. He's getting old, too, isn't he?"
"Why do you think so?" Leeta whispers.
"He once made me help stich up a coyote with the most awful wound in his arm. He said he was no longer steady enough with his paws to do it himself."
"He was lying," Leeta comments, "he can drink a bear under thee table and still be rock-steady on his paws. He used the opportunity to see how well you'd do."
"Huh?"
"He had noticed how dilligently you nursed the bears," the puma explains. "In fact, he liked what he saw so much that he has an offer for you."
"An offer?"
"Yes," Leeta whispers, then licks the raccoons ears before continuing, "come spring equinox, he'll be taking a journey and will be passing nearby. If you decide to go with him, he'll teach you everything he knows about healing. You'll have to pretend to be his slave, and some places even share his bed, for several years, though."
"Why didn't he say anything to me before we left?"
"Because Miera and I promised the bears to get you home," Leeta replies, "and because we wanted you to know what your choices really were. It's not a decision to be taken lightly."
"Why did you wait until the middle of the night to say anything?"
"Two reasons," the puma replies, "firstly that I wanted to be certain that no one else heard; we don't want an angry mob running about and looking for the doctor, do we?"
"And the other reason?" Lemarra asks.
"So that I could get another chance to cuddle up with you!" Leeta grins. Then she wraps her arms tightly around the raccoon and topples them both over in the bed. "Now lie still so I can get some sleep!"
She never changes!