9th December

The next morning Maia did not feel well. When her aunt came to look for her, because she did not turn up for the breakfast, she had her cover pulled up to her head and looked miserable. "You got a bit a fever I guess." Her aunt told her, after she checked her forehead and her nose with her paw. "Does it hurt somewhere? Where do you feel unwell?" she asked. Maia had a hard time to describe it for her aunt. "There is a strange feeling in my stomach. I never had this before. It does not actually hurt much but it is weird, also I feel really hot. I think I am ill."

Her aunt pulled the cover to the side and took a sniff. From the cold air breaking in over her, Maia noticed that her night gown was wet around her nethers. "You are not ill." Said her aunt and smiled. "Maia, darling, you just went into your first heat." The older vixen caressed her forehead and placed a kiss on it. "You know what a heat is, right?" she asked. Maia nodded very faintly. She knew the basics about something called heat that women got into every month. She had learned a few things from her mother, after she had picked up the word from one of her class mates, but her mother did not tell her much. She thought Maia was too young for this talk yet and in school they would learn about it in the next year anyways. "Good." Said her aunt, before Maia could ask questions. "Then I will make you something light to eat. You will need to eat and drink a lot during your heat. I know the first heat can be very frightening and all is new, but don't worry. You are not ill or anything. You just should take things a bit slower for a few days, okay?" Maia nodded again and her aunt left to get her some breakfast. The morning was hard for Maia, but she got slowly used to the hot feeling in her lower body. The light fever piped down around noon and Maja finally got out of her bed and took a shower, before she put on her clothes and went down for the lunch. Sophie already had told Derick and Patrick about Maia's condition and Maia could hear them take very deep breaths when she sat down. She knew, that a girl in heat was reeking strongly, which showed others that she was in heat. She was a bit embarrassed about her scent and about the men taking note of it and therefore concentrated only on her plate.

"Hey Maia!" said her uncle after the lunch. "We have a tradition here in town to welcome a boy or a girl to adulthood with a big party just for them. What do you say to us throwing you a big coming to age party? I mean getting your first heat is you stepping into adulthood, just like when a boy turns 12, right?" Maia smiled, still embarrassed about the topic of her heat and took a while to answer. "You do not have to, if you do not want, my dear." Said Sophia fast and Maia saw that she had a stern look towards her uncle. "It is okay." Maia replied. "I just never had someone throw a party for me." She admitted. "Leave it to us." Laughed her uncle. "This will be the best party of your life." With that he stood up and took Derick with him to go and drive to the city to purchase all the things they would need while Maia helped her aunt with washing the dishes. "Are you really okay with this?" Maia heard the worry in the voice of her aunt. "You know, our traditions can be very weird and hard. You are not from here, so you do not need to follow them." Maia could not see, why a party would be weird or bad. She only had been to one party before with her parents and even though it was a party for adults and she had been bored without any other kids to play with, she remembered that she liked the music and the dancing. "I am already excited about it." Said Maia and giggled. "I am happy that they would have a party just for me." Her aunt talked with her some more, but Maia already had decided to attend her party and so her aunt finally stopped bugging her with her consideration. The rest of the afternoon Maia rested, because the feeling inside her went stronger and Sophia told her that this was only the beginning and in the next days it would get even worse. "But the party should distract you a bit from that." She said. Her aunt helped her to select the right dress for the evening and she gave her some tea that made the hot feeling inside a bit better for an hour. She got by with drinking tea every hour and watching her uncle, Derick and a few of the other men and boys carrying stuff to a big garage next to her uncle's house. She had not been to this garage, which looked more like a big shed, but with every hour that the evening got closer, she got more excited. The excitement helped her to even forget the nagging feeling of her heat and the smell she emitted.

In the evening, when it got dark outside, the village met at the party hall, the Lanster's garage. Maja was blown away. They had a buffet of warm and cold food, a lot of drinks and music. All townspeople congratulated her to her first step into adulthood and even though she could hear the heavy nose breathing of the men and boys, she was so excited, that she absolutely disregarded it. "And because she is now taking her first step to adulthood..." ended her uncle the speech, "... for tonight she will be allowed to toast with us with champagne, which we got extra for this special party." Maia did not see, that Sophie shot a stern look towards her husband again but took the glass with the sparkling liquid, that her uncle gave her, and downed it in one go. It was a bit sour and sparkled on her tongue. Even though it was totally strange to her, Maia liked the taste and gave her uncle the glass to get another one. "I see, you like it." Her uncle laughed and filled the glass. "But you should not drink so fast. Drink slowly." He advised her with a look to his wife. The evening got even better when the music started. Maia felt a bit funny and lost all her shyness. She did not know that this was a side effect of the alcohol in the champagne. She did not think or care about the feeling of the heat, her smell or the handsome men and boys around her, but enjoyed the party. She danced with all the boys, except Milo, who had to pass but watched the dance with joy from his seat, and a few of the men. Maia did not know how to dance before, but some of the men, especially Mr. Park, were very good and she soon had learned the moves and let them guide her over the dance floor. After two hours, Maia was a bit exhausted and sat down next to her uncle and Derick and mostly listened to their discussions. She had had two more champagnes after the first two and her head was spinning a bit and her look got a bit blurry. Her aunt and the other women had left the party a short while ago. Mrs. Riley left to bring Dorothe into bed and the other women also excused themselves, because they had to get up early in the morning. They wished Maia a great party and her aunt hugged her and gave her a good night kiss. In the next hour, the atmosphere got a bit calmer, the music was turned down and everyone got a snack or two. Maia got another drink, and her head started to spin even more after she was finished with the fifth champagne, even though her uncle stopped her half way through because she had enough already. The world began to darken and Maia fell asleep on the couch. She did not notice her uncle pulling a blanket over her.