It's morning, Kerr have just got the fire going in the kitchen, then hurried back to snuggle up with Miera for a few minutes more, waiting for the house to heat up somewhat before preparing breakfast.
"It's nice, to cuddle like this, don't you think so, too?" Miera whispers into his left ear and at the same time stroking the back of his head.
"Mhmm," he mumbles happily, then buries his muzzle between her breasts.
"I know what we can do to raise the temperature," she whispers seductively, "interested?"
"When did you stop ordering, and begin asking?" he responds, sniggering.
"Don't be so impudent!" she mock growls.
"No, mistress," he responds in a suitably meek voice.
"Good!" Just then, as the panther rolls over to straddle him and begins to lick his face, someone knocks on the front door. "Who can it be, this early?" she mutters, "it better be important!" Standing up, she pats Kerr's belly, then picks up a robe and puts it on. "You start on breakfast," she mutters, "and I'll check who it is."
"Yes, mistress." Getting up, and shivering as the cold air hits his body, he hurries to the kitchen where he quickly lifts away the metal mesh in front of the fireplace and adds a log to the fire. Then he cracks the ice in the water-bucket and fills a sot-covered pot that he hangs over the fire.
"Well, if it isn't the little furball!"
Uh oh! When Kerr turns around he finds Romarr, Shella's mate, standing there and eyeing him speculatively.
"I hope you haven't worn him out completely," the big wolf states, "for I have use for him."
"No," Miera mutters, "but if you had been a little later..."
"Well, get him dressed and down by the pond within the next hour," the wolf states, "it's cold outside, and no females to fawn over him there."
"Yes, Remarr," she sighs, "now go and disturb somebody else."
"Will do," he grins, then turns and makes his way to the front door to let himself out.
"What was that about?" the rabbit asks.
"You know the ice-box?" she asks, nodding towards a strange cabinet with room for a block of ice at the top and a basin at the bottom. When he nods, she continues, "The ice-blocks doesn't cut and stack themselves in the cave. In the winter every household must send an able-bodied male to help cut the ice, and Remarr is in charge of it."
An hour later, when Kerr reach the pond, he finds a group of males - Remarr, the doctor, a couple of coyotes, an elderly raccoon belonging to the couple who runs the inn, and a yong fox - gathered by a bonfire.
"What took so long?" the wolf growls. Then glancing at the rabbit's new winter clothing, he continues, "Forgotten how to put on clothes?"
"Sorry, master," Kerr mumbles, eyes downcast, expecting to be punished.
"Well, now that we're all here," the wolf states, "lets talk about safety. The ice should be strong enough, but stay away from the river outlet; the ice there is never safe. If you hear cracking, yell, then drop down on all five and crawl slowly ashore. If someone else yells, also drop and crawl. I don't care if you're nowhere near whoever called, do it!"
"Five?" Kerr asks, puzzled.
"Four limbs and your belly," the raccoon whispers, "that way you spread your weight better."
"If anyone falls in," the wolf continues, "everyone, and I mean everyone, will drop what they're doing and help him out and back to this bonfire." Then, turning to a heap of tools, he starts distributing items and assigning tasks; the raccoon is to make his way to the cave and prepare to store the ice, the fox is to transport the blocks with a wheelbarrow, the coyotes get long saws and Kerr a large auger.
"What shall I do with this?" the rabbit asks.
"Follow me," the wolf commands, then grabs another auger and heads out on the ice.
Sighing with the prospect of a long day of hard work, Kerr hefts the heavy tool and follows the wolf out on the ice.
"Make holes here," the wolf orders, tapping a line of marks with his own auger, "and hurry up; the others are waiting on us."
"Yes, master," the rabbit sighs, then slams the tip of the drill into the ice and begins to slowly turn it.
"Put your weight on it!" the wolf commands, then slams his own auger into the ice and, leaning on it, quickly screws it into the ice. "And lose the heavy jacket," he adds a minute later when the rabbit begins to pant with the excertion, "not only do you risk overheating, but if you fall through you might be too waterlogged and heavy to pull out,"
Shuddering at the thought, Kerr quickly removes his jacket and throws it towards the bank where the doctor retrieves it and hangs it near the bonfire. Then he grasps the auger again and, putting all his weight on it, starts driving it through the ice.
As the two rows of holes, going at right angles to each other, stretch out, the two coyotes pushes their long sawblades into holes and begins to cut the ice into large blocks. As soon as Remarr has finished his row, he brings his tool back to the bank and picks up a couple of long hooks and a pair of heavy gloves, then returns with the fox in tow. Holding a hook in each paw he quickly pulls a heavy block of ice out of the water and dumps it on the wheelbarrow. The first block is soon followed by others until the wheelbarrow is full.
As the fox carts his load away, the wolf puts his tools down and calls out, "Everyone, take a break! There's a hot brew on the kettle."
"We're too few," one of the coyotes grumbles as they stand there, sipping the hot liquid.
"Who would you draft?" Remarr asks, "the ice is at the right tickness now but most of the males are out on what might be the last hunt before the snow. I don't like working on snow-covered ice. Do you?"
"No," the coyote admits.
Ten minutes later, the coyotes have gone back to cutting ice and Kerr is about to follow them out on the ice, when Remarr grabs him by the shoulder. "That fox has taken far too long to return. Run and check that he hasn't had an accident," he orders, pushing the rabbit towards the road.
When the rabbit returns a few minutes later, alone but pushing the wheelbarrow, the wolf looks at him questioningly. "Well?" he finally asks.
"I found the wheelbarrow, still loaded, just beyond the bend in the road, but no sign of the fox," Kerr explains. "I brought the ice to the cave and returned here as fast as I could."
"Bloody, rotted, self-centered, brat!" the wolf growls. Focusing on the rabbit again, he states, "I'll deal with him later. For now you're promoted to wheelbarrow pusher. Don't disappoint me."
Evening.
It is already fully dark outside when an exhausted Kerr pulls open the door and stumbles inside. No sooner has he closed the door than two slim, black-furred arms wrap around him from behind. "does my little cuddle-bunny want to play?" Miera whispers sensuously. When he only grunts, she pushes him towards the bath while tugging on his clothes. "You're not allowed to wear those while in the house," she scolds, "get them off before I have to punish you!"
"Yes, mistress," he mumbles, stumbling forward and barely manageing to stay upright as he fumbles with his clothing.
"You reek!" the panther exclaims. "Clean yourself, or you'll have to sleep on the pallet in the kitchen tonight!"
Sighing, the rabbit slowly walks across the bath to the washbasin, at first not registering the tub filled with hot water. For a moment he just stares at the tub, then slowly pulls off his trousers and steps into the water.
Miera picks up his clothes and takes them to the kitchen to hang them up to dry, returning a few minutes later with a bowl of soup. When he doesn't seem to notice the steaming bowl, she tugs gently on his left ear. "Wake up little bunny," she whispers, "no sleeping in the bath." Then she shows the bowl up against his muzzle. "Eat up! You'll need your strenght!"
"Huh?" Then the aroma gets to him and, suddenly hungry, he begins to scoop the soup into his mouth, ignoring the slimy taste of overboiled vegetables which she has inexpertly tried to hide with too much spices.
"Eat up and rest," she states, "for tomorrow is another day."
"Another day?"
"It'll take at least four or five days to cut the ice on the pond," she replies, "then there will be a reprieve until it can freeze solid again. But by then the hunters should be back, so it won't be as heavy work."
Groan.
"I blame myself," Miera mutters, "I should have worked you harder and made you stronger, then you wouldn't be suffering like this now."
Groan....
Two eight-days later.
Kerr and Miera are relaxing, him sitting on the couch, reading slowly from a book, and she resting with her head in his lap, occasionally correcting him, when someone knocks at the door.
"You go and see who it is," she orders, lifting her head from his lap for a moment so he can get up, "I'm feeling too lazy."
"As usual," he mutters, then jumps aside as she makes a lazy swipe at him with her right paw. He hurries to the front door and returns a moment later with Remarr in tow.
"What is it now, then?" Miera asks. "I thought you were finished with the ice?"
"It's nothing like that," the big wolf replies, "but Shella, my mate wants to see you." Then glancing at Kerr, he adds, "And bring your fluff-toy with you. She wants to see him, too."
"Oh?" Miera asks, "did she say why?"
"Nope," he responds, grinning.
"Oh well," Miera mutters, "it's not as if we have anything important to do right now." Getting up from the couch she walks over to a closet and retrieves a thick jacket. "Kerr, you may want to put on some clothes, too. Can't have you freezing off anything important."
Pulling the door open and letting Miera and Kerr preceede him, Remarr states, "She's in the bedroom. But be quiet when you enter."
"Still in bed?" Miera asks, "but it's afternoon!" "And?" Remarr counters, "if she wants to stay in bed, who's to tell her otherwise?"
"Me," Miera states, pulling open the door to the bedroom and entering.
Sighing, Kerr follows her a few seconds later.
Shella, resting comforably among a heap of pillows, thick furs and blankets, opens her eyes slowly, to study her visitors. "What took you two so long?" she finally asks.
"What's the big mystery?" Miera counters. P>"Shhh," the wolfess whispers, then pulls aside a corner of the blanket, revealing a newborn child sleeping on her belly.
"Ohhhh! He's beautiful!" Miera exclaims, then quickly clamps her muzzle shut as Shella looks menacingly at her. "Sorry," she whispers.
Waving them closer, the wolfess grabs Miera's right paw and places it lightly on the child's head. As Kerr steps closer, his paw is also grabbed and placed on the child's head.
"So soft fur," Miera finally whispers, "but why did you ask us here? It wasn't just to let us admire him, was it?"
"You're right," Shella responds, "I want you to be his den-mother if anything should happen to Remarr and me."
"B-but," the panther stutters, "I'm not a wolf!"
"No, but there aren't any other wolf families here, and you're a good friend."
"What about me?" Kerr asks quietly, "why did you want to see me?"
"To give you fair warning," Shella replies, grinning widely. "I'll bet anything that Miera won't be able to keep her paws off you when you get back to her house."
"Is that all?" the rabbit asks, puzzled.
"No," she responds, "you'll need to keep away from Remarr for a while. No, he isn't angry at you, but we haven't had sex for a few eight-days, and there won't be any for at least four or five more, and by that time he won't care that you're male...."
"Oh..."
"If he gets you to himself," Miera interjects, "you won't be sitting down for a while."
Eeeeep!