FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Ch.1

A yawn quietly ended the silence in a bedroom. A figure rolled around in bed as the morning sunbeam beckoned the occupant to wake up. Two hazel eyes blinked awake wearing a satisfied grin. Del the vixen had normal marking of any orange coated fox. Brown socked arms and legs reached up to the whitewashed ceiling in a prolonged stretch as a white furred front squirmed in an arc. The white tip on her tail curled as she yawned again. Her limbs crashed down to the bed before she sat up and spun to the side. Joints cracked as she sat up and hung her legs over the bedside. Black paw pads rubbed over the cool wooden floor as brown furred toes freely splayed enjoying the grainy sensations. A second stretch ensued while she stood up and made her way to the window facing the sea. Adroit fingers opened the pane without scratching the wood. A gentle breeze immediately greeted Del making her grin beam into a smile. The sea air felt great against her fur, and smelled salty. Waves gently lapped along the sandy shore, leaving a subtle trail of sea foam in the wet sand. Del loved her morning ritual of observing the sea before she started her day.

Her ears listened intently to the foamy waves with each step she walked across her room. Standing before a small mirror, a hand ruffled the disheveled hair between her triangular ears. Quick adjustments were made until the mess was orderly and combed.

"Today is going to be a great day." She smiled grabbing a small strip of blue cloth to tie around her forehead. A necklace was quickly secured and hung around her collarbone as a finishing touch. The vixen headed out her door and down the narrow staircase to the main hallway. In fact, it was the only hallway under the roof. She passed the door to her parent's bedroom to her left and the door to full bath on her right. Brown ears perked up hearing the savory sound of sizzling in the nearby kitchen. "Morning mom." Del greeted the older red vixen cooking two small fish fillets with a skillet on the stovetop.

"Good morning." She peeked over a shoulder seeing her daughter lurking around the table. "I have a fish almost ready for you."

"No squirrel or rabbit?"

"If you catch it, I'll cook it." Her mother replied scooting a finished piece onto a plate.

"Thank you." Del accepted the fresh catch and sat down. Her mother served herself a piece and joined the young vixen. Lips hungrily smacked enjoying the warm food. "Is dad out fishing already?"

"Yes, after he almost forgot his net." She grinned.

"Sounds like him." They both chuckled. Del quickly finished her fillet and cracked open a walnut. "Thanks for the meal." Del stood up from the table, gnawing on the nut.

"Where are you going this morning?" She watched her daughter head for the front door.

"I'm going to meet our new neighbor upriver." Her tail swished excitedly.

"Who?" The older vixen didn't recall anyone new moving into the area.

"The house where the small construction company built a log cabin the past month." Del easily remembered the numerous trips that she canoed upriver to look at the sight.

"Oh! I know who you're talking about now." She nodded with the flick of a tail.

"I'll help with the dishes when I get back."

"That's fine, I'll take care of them." She stood up and turned to the sink.

"Thanks!"

"Stay safe out there! High tide will be in forty minutes!" Her mom called out hearing the front door open.

"Don't worry mom I'll be fine!" Del answered before shutting the front door.

'That lady is all over the place in an instant.' The older vixen smiled putting the dish into the sink.

Footprints in the sand led away from the doorstep at the top of the beach to further inland. Rather than follow the coast for half a mile to the river's mouth, she opted for the usual short cut crossing inland to the river's neck. Del walked along the path of sand through the waist high sea oats. The warm grains beneath her feet brightened her cheerful smile with every step. She couldn't wait to meet the newcomer.

'Maybe he or she is a canid like most of the area.' She thought of a fox or dog. Maybe it was someone her age to hunt, swim, and hang out with. No one in her community was around her age. There were a few in town, but Del never had the time to go there daily. "Hey fella!" The vixen waved to a neighbor sunning himself on a porch.

"Morning Del!" The old grey fox waved. The path forked ahead; left leading towards the river that emptied into the sea; and right leading to a dirt road and creek towards town. Del took the left and found herself by the water's sandy edge where several anchored posts rested. Most were adorned with a fastened rope leading to a canoe resting ashore. The water was a beautiful clear blue hiding the underwater sea grasses and fish from preening eyes above. The clear day was perfect for anything outdoors. Del energetically pushed off into the waterway and paddled upstream.

Ross stared outside into the forest from his back window. Back country was an understatement to the hyena. Palm trees bordered the shoreline but were gradually replaced by oaks further inland. The construction company had a tough time reaching the area, but they didn't complain at the ready supply of lumber at their disposal.

"There's so many trees out here." He took his hat off and scratched his head. Towering trees and dense foliage was all he could see through his back window. The climate differed greatly from his old open savanna home. A knock at his door interrupted his stare. 'I thought I didn't have neighbors.' The hyena hurried to the door hearing a second knock, but was unprepared when he opened the door. Ross's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets seeing a nude red vixen standing proudly on his doorstep.

"Hi neighbor!" The nude red vixen cheerfully held out her hand. Ross covered his eyes and nearly fell over stumbling backwards to the kitchen table. The hyena peeked through his hand seeing that she was still standing in his open doorway. "Are you ok?" She took half a step forward.

"Yes I'm fine!" His eyes wavered down to her body. Two healthy white furred breasts and their tanned peaks of pink flesh stared back at him. Ross shook his head seeing that her hand was still extended. Del's grin returned as he shook her hand.

"My name's Del." She introduced herself.

"I'm, uh..." The white tip of fur on her tail wagged slowly as her brown eyes awaited a response. "I'm Ross." He nodded and calmed down. Without the initial shock the hyena could see that she wore a small strip of cloth around her forehead and a necklace, but that was it. White fur covered the vixen's front from lower muzzle and cheeks to her inner thighs. Brown "socks" covered half of her lower extremities, and everywhere else was a normal orange. At the top of it all were two brown triangular ears sticking out from her auburn hair.

"It's nice to meet you Ross." She kindly nodded.

"Do you normally walk around like... that?" He motioned a hand to her.

"Like what?" She lifted her leg thinking she had stepped on something. Ross had to avert his eyes.

"You know!" He looked at her, finding it hard to say.

"What? In my bare fur?"

"Yes!" He exclaimed. She held back a chuckle and placed her hands on her orange furry hips.

"Of course I'm always in my fur. I can't take it off."

'It must be a local thing.' Ross assumed because of her laid back personality.

"Do you mind if I come in?" She rose to the balls of her feet and peered inside.

"Well, uh, not really." He stepped back and let her inside. "Sit wherever you like." The curious vixen immediately explored the open den and kitchen. Ross's house only had four rooms; a bedroom, bathroom, the fused kitchen and den, and a storage room. It was similar to Del's house in makeup without a full bathroom, but completely different in design. Plain furniture decorated the spaces with an occasional rug gave the whole space a homely feeling that Del found comforting.

"I like your home. It's nice and quaint." She nodded looking at the wooden interior.

"Um. Thank you." The vixen tucked her tail and sat in one of the two wooden rocking chairs in the den. Ross took the other.

"You don't have electricity?" Del noticed a hearth along the den's wall. A small stack of wood rested beside the brick layout for a quick supply of fuel.

"No. I'm too far away to have anything set up, but there's plenty for me to burn." Del nodded understandingly.

"There's a large Marsh upriver that makes having a lot of electricity expensive, so we use it sparingly. Besides, if someone had to clear out all the marsh then it would flood downriver.

"Are you from further inland in the forest?"

"No, I'm from the coast. I've lived there my whole life." The lean build she possessed was evident of the fact that she lived here a long time. Ross blinked and averted his gaze realizing that he had stared at her front a little too long. A hand nervously scratched his neck. "So what do you like doing for fun?" Del's smiling hazel eyes stared at him.

"For fun? Uh... I guess fishing. Anything outdoors really." He shrugged.

"You sound like my dad. He fishes out at sea all day." She spoke as if to invoke a book's passage.

"Do you like to fish with him?"

"Not a chance. It's too boring sitting in a boat all day, and I can barely sit in the house for breakfast." Her heel traced over the smooth wooden floorboards.

"I take it you're the outdoor type?"

"You could say that." She grinned flicking her tail.

"So... What do you do around here?" He asked, still surprised that a naked vixen was sitting in his new living room.

"Let's see..." She tapped her foot in thought. "I love canoeing in the river, hunting in the woods around this area... Camping is a lot of fun, and swimming is too-"

'Is there anything she doesn't like?' Ross thought as the list continued without end.

"I guess I'll enjoy anything that doesn't involve sitting inside for the whole day." She leaned back scratching an ear with a silly smile. Ross believed her. The rocking chair hadn't stopped moving since she sat down! The vixen stopped rocking her chair and stood up. "Thanks for letting me stay awhile."

"You're welcome." Ross stood up and followed her to the door. Her tail swaying side to side caught his eye. The white tip stood still as she turned around at the door.

"Thanks for letting me stay awhile." She smiled with all of her teeth and shook his hand.

"It was nice meeting you." Ross bade her farewell.

"It was nice meeting you too. I'll stop by again soon." Del hopped out of the doorway and gave a quick wave.

'Again?' He wasn't sure what to make of that. The vixen walked down the gently sloping incline to his dock, her white tipped tail swished excitedly with every step. She turned around to wave before getting in the small vessel. Ross waved in return. "Well... She's no female hyena." Ross watched her depart in the canoe she arrived in. The vixen slowly paddled down river and out of sight beyond a group of reeds.

*Ch.2

Ross held his breath and bit his lip tensely. The air was humid and still, but the quiet rustling of a large bird above had his undivided attention. The taste of river and coastal fish was far from his native diet, but he imagined something with feathers would taste more homely. The bird remained oblivious to any potential threats and fanned its wings, enjoying the shining sun. He took aim as the bird sat idly. His finger rested against the trigger, ready to fire the winning shot, but an arrow whizzed out of nowhere and killed the bird in an instant.

'What the-?' His jaw fell open watching the dead bird fall to the ground in a muffled thump. An arrow stuck through its body right at the base of the neck signifying a perfectly aimed shot. Orange and white fur caught his attention through the underbrush. "Del?" He stood up and immediately spotted the vulpine walking towards the fresh catch with a noticeable bounce in her step.

"Hey Ross!" The vixen noticed him and quickly approached. "Fancy seeing you all the way out here in the woods."

"Yeah..." He looked at her and the bird crumpled unmoving in the leaves. "You shot it with a bow?" The hyena was still surprised at the skillful shot.

"Yep. It's my prized bow." She held it up before setting it against a tree beside him along with a quiver.

"Do you mind if I look at it?"

"Not at all!" Del walked over to the bird with a swishing tail. "Don't you use bows where you're from?"

"We don't even have bows in the savanna." He picked up the instrument curiously. "Even if we did then they wouldn't be this advanced." The sleek design and metal materials looked expensively crafted, yet simple and easy to use. Del came back with the bird in hand and slipped on her quiver. "What does this part do?" He looked at the small panel above the center. It was the only part that made the bow look completely alien to him.

"It's a focusing lens that tells you how far away your target is, so you can see it better from greater distances." Ross looked through at a tree limb above and the panel immediately focused better than a pair of binoculars. He raised his eyebrows and set the bow back down.

"Wow. That's incredible." The hyena never thought that a gun could be beaten by a bow and handed it over to the fox.

"Are you going back to your house?" Del adjusted her head band that kept her hair out of her eyes and somewhat organized.

"Yeah, I might as well." The hyena flapped his hat to create a small breeze.

"Do you mind if I come with you?"

"Not at all." Ross led her through the undergrowth back to the river. The birds and insects seemed to create more noise than the crunching foliage underneath their feet. "Nice catch." He remarked at the bird hanging over her back as they walked through the trees.

"Thanks. Do you mind if I store it at your house until I leave?" She asked.

"You can put it in the smokehouse I have out back."

"What? A smokehouse?"

"I'd rather not have a dead bird in my kitchen." He smirked.

"That would be odd." She agreed. "But I didn't know you had a smokehouse."

"What do you normally do with what you catch?"

"A neighbor has one that I can use." They reached the hyena's backyard, which was only a few steps between the trees and house. Ross's smokehouse was a small cylindrical building located between the equally small space. "Huh. I never could see it from the front." Del paused and placed a hand on her hip. "So what are you going to do for the rest of the day?" She asked as Ross continued walking to his house.

"I guess I'll try fishing for a while." He shrugged. The vixen seemed equally enthusiastic about the idea.

"Where at? The dock?"

"Yep." He gave an affirmative nod.

"Alright. I'll be right back out and join you!" She hurried over to the small building. Ross went inside and retrieved a rod before going down to the dock to cast. Del was nowhere to be seen surprisingly giving his home a quiet atmosphere.

"Where did she disappear to?" He glanced around before focusing back on the water's translucent surface. 'At least she can't fire a bow underwater.' The hyena grinned at a hopeful catch. A tug on the line raised his hopes, and a more persistent tug had him smiling. He peered over the dock's edge seeing a dark shape quickly swim under his view. In an instant it rose to the surface. "Ah!" He jumped back and let go of the rod as a face sprung up from the water. Del shook her head and rested her arms on the end of the dock. Ross sighed feeling his heart race.

"Hello from down under!" Del giggled spitting water into the air. Ross sat back up and rubbed his mane to calm himself down. The vixen giggled at his flustered appearance. "Wanna swim?" She cheerfully asked as the water dripped off her wet cheeks.

"No. Ah! The fish!" He reeled the line in only to feel it slacken. The hyena slouched back down to his front and set the rod down.

"What's wrong?" She noticed his annoyed expression.

"The catfish I just had swam away." He rubbed the space between his eyes. The vixen wiggled her nose and dove. He looked over the edge waiting for her to resurface. The water rippled and bubbles reached the surface. Del emerged with a crustacean of some sort by the tail. It's legs were moving rapidly, trying to escape the fox's grasp.

"Here. what about this?" She handed it to him by the tail.

"I'm... not eating this." He looked at the bottom feeder in his hand. "Would you prefer a flatworm? They aren't parasitic." She giggled almost losing her grip on his dock.

"No thanks Del." He kindly plopped the creature back into the water to swim away. "I wanted to catch something to eat." The vixen's ears pinned back feeling a little guilt over the situation.

"Are you sure you don't want to join me for a swim?" Del rose and fell in the water level from shifting weight to her other leg. "The water is only a meter and a half deep, and half as salty as the ocean!"

"Um. No thanks." He eyed her partially submerged chest. Swimming wasn't a problem, but with her? Ross mentally shook his head unsure of himself.

"You sure are stubborn today." Del huffed resting her head on the dock.

"I'm having a tough time hunting and fishing with you."

"Do you want me to come ashore?"

"Yes. Please." He sighed.

"Sure. Give me a hand." She held hers out. Ross sat up and pulled her hands so she could jump up to the dock in one step. The vixen was still wearing her standard necklace and blue cloth around her forehead, and nothing else. A quick rain shower of droplets scattered across the dock leaving her wet fur spiky and ruffled. "Well you caught me!" Del gave him a toothy smile before sitting beside him.

"I was hoping for a fish." Ross smugly replied.

"But fish are boring. They always taste the same." The vulpine stuck her tongue out.

"You're surrounded by water..."

"Anything from the water is the biggest part of most people's diets around here, but I prefer hunting on land more." She patted his shoulder.

"I can tell." He tried wiping the water off his shirt. "You snatched that bird before I could shoot."

"You're right, I did." She chuckled. "But if you sat there any longer it would've flown away."

"Yeah, right down to you." He smiled and turned to face her. "With your athleticism you could fly after the bird and catch it." Del laughed hard with an open muzzle.

"A flying fox would scare any bird away." She laughed. Ross snickered as well imagining her gliding through the trees wielding her bow.

"Huh... Your hair looked more brown in the shade, but now it's back to a deep reddish brown in the sunlight." The hyena noticed.

"There's a little bit of auburn in it." She ran a hand through her messy hair held back by the blue and white cloth acting as a headband. "I wouldn't be able to see if it wasn't for my only strip of cloth." Del looked up at the blue fabric with a white line pattern.

"So you've never worn clothes before?" Ross asked.

"Does a blanket count, or maybe a scarf?"

"No. Actual pants and shirts."

"My answer will have to be no then." She grinned letting her tail sway slowly back and forth over the dock's wooden boards. "Doesn't it feel hot wearing those?" Del pointed at his dark camouflage.

"No, they're not made of wool. Isn't it cold during the winter without anything to wear?" Ross countered. The warmer climate by the sea never called for snow even during its coldest days, but it was still a valid question. The vixen nodded her head side to side in thought.

"When it's cool outside my nipples get hard." She felt over one of the tanned fleshy spout.

'Too much information.' Ross flattened his ears and briefly averted his eyes.

"My pads on my hands and feet will get cold too, but it's really annoying when my ear tips freeze!" Del flicked an ear. "Sometimes I imagine icicles are hanging from them." The vixen giggled.

"You're an odd fox." He gave her a peculiar look.

"Well what do you expect to happen when it's cold?" She tapped his nose.

"For you to bundle up!" He playfully swatted her hand away.

"It's not that bad." She stuck her tongue out playfully. "I can withstand the cold better than I can withstand being housebound."

"It sounds like your house is a jail." He mused.

"There's nothing like being outside... unless there is a storm." They both chuckled at that. "Hey, you should visit. You're our neighbor after all." She stood up suddenly, ready to go.

"Visit your house?" He was taken back from the fast offer.

"I can run, gather my stuff, and bring my canoe. It's upstream on this side." Del quickly offered with an outstretched hand. Ross looked at his slack line and rod in his hand, then the red vixen and her swishing tail. He certainly wouldn't be having any bites soon.

"Okay." Ross grasped her hand and accepted the invitation.

A meadow of sea oats covered the inland shore, moving in waves like the ocean. The ocean itself sent wave after wave to crash against the shore. Its sparkling clear blue waters appeared to shimmer under the sunlight.

"We're almost there." Del for the most part was dry as she led the hyena across the sandy pathway from the river to the top of the beach. There were houses along its length, most resembling smaller cottages. They waved and passed by an older couple strolling along the sandy pathway heading towards the beach.

"Good afternoon Del!" An elderly grey fox greeted them from his porch. They waved continuing along the sandy terrain. Next door was a female snow leopard tending to a garden full of flowers.

"Hello Mrs. Rutger!" Del waved at the feline hunched over a row of petunias.

"Hello Del!" She sat up and smiled at the vixen and her friend.

"Am I the only one who isn't in bare fur?" Ross whispered.

"Pretty much." She led him to a small cottage styled home on the beachfront. The hyena wasn't sure what to expect as the vixen wiped her paws on a doormat. "Don't worry. My parents won't jump at you like I do."

'I hope not.' Ross thought and entered behind her. Del set her bow and quiver against a wall. The home smelled a little like Del but with a saltier sandy taste from the ocean. After a short entryway the house opened into a kitchen to his left, a hallway straight ahead that eventually led to a turning staircase, and a small den to his right. Situated in the den was a fireplace, couch, two chairs, a small bookcase, plenty of family pictures, and of course with a neatly kept wooden floor to stand on. Although, one of the chairs was occupied.

"Hello. Do we have a guest?" An older male red fox wearing reading glasses looked up from the book he was reading. He had standard markings and was modest in height and weight. Just like Del and the entire community, he only wore his bare fur.

"This is Roger, my dad... Dad, this is Ross." Del introduced them. The hyena's untrained gaze wandered, leading towards a white and reddish orange lap.

"I take it you're not from around here." He uncrossed his legs bringing the hyena's stare back above the fox's waist line.

"I was just about to tell you that..." Del put a hand on her hip partially in thought. "Where's mom?"

"She's getting things off the clothesline behind the house." He set the book and glasses aside.

"Thanks!" Del quickly ran back outside.

"Uh, sorry for uh... looking there." Ross nervously swallowed keeping eye contact this time with the red fox as he stood up.

"That's fine." He extended a hand and they shook. "Like I said, you're not from around here and it's normal to look over someone new." The fox spoke understandingly.

"Thanks." Ross have a nervous grin.

"Del told us that she gave you quite the scare when you two first met." He grinned.

"Yeah, I didn't even know I had neighbors." The hyena scratched his mane.

"The community is spread out with the waterways upstream." Roger nodded. "I guess you live on the quiet channel of the main river." They both turned hearing the vixens come inside. Del carried in a small laundry basket and beside her was a red vixen of similar height and shape, but with the motherly appearance of subtle age.

"Mom, this is Ross. He lives up the river from us that way." Del flicked her tail in the direction and set the basket of sheets down.

"It's nice to meet you Ross!" Her mom stepped forward and gave the hyena a welcoming tight hug. "I'm Cornelia, Del's mom."

"Uhh... It's nice to meet you ma'am." He carefully placed his hands on her back. Del held back a laugh at the hyena's nervous expression.

"Please sit down Ross! Make yourself at home." Cornelia showed him to the small den. Everyone took a seat, and Ross found himself in company with three naked foxes.

"You all have a nice home." Ross liked the cottage's cozy interior.

"Thanks. We love our house."

"Most of the homes in the area are designed this way." Roger added.

"I was even born under this roof." Del gave a toothy grin.

"How long have you lived here?" Ross asked and silently reminded himself not to stare.

"Probably since we were... about Del's age." Roger assumed.

"It's been twenty years." Cornelia nodded happily. "We moved here and then I became pregnant with Del." the smile on her muzzle only seemed to grow at the reminiscent thoughts.

"Do you like living in that offshoot of the main river?" Roger asked him.

"It's very scenic by the forest. Everything out here is peaceful and quiet. I like it a lot."

"Peace and quiet is nice." Roger agreed. "The ocean waves are relaxing to listen to."

"They'll put anyone to sleep." Del whispered to Ross.

"What's the savanna like compared to here?" Cornelia asked. "That must be far away from the coast."

"Well it's a lot dryer than here... and everyone wears clothes." He couldn't help but add with an unconscious glance.

"Oh? They do?" She looked over his clothes. "Is it cold in the savanna?"

"It's actually really hot." Ross scratched his mane, oddly feeling embarrassed about it.

"Really? That's very strange." She wondered aloud.

"That's what I said when he first told me that." Del agreed tracing her feet over the wooden floor.

"Everyone grows up wearing clothes, so they stay on..." Ross shrugged.

"Oh that's not a problem! Stay dressed all you want." Del's mother smiled. "We don't mind."

"Thanks." He was glad that being in your bare fur was mandatory.

"No one around here will make you feel uncomfortable." Roger reassured the hyena.

"We're all nekkid." Del giggled.

'At least that isn't a surprise anymore.' Ross thought to himself.

"How many times have you seen Del hunting at your house? The young vixen is an avid huntress and can't sit still for very long." Cornelia looked at daughter knowingly.

"I know that very well." Ross smiled.

"I noticed your bow by the door Del. we're you two hunting together earlier?" Her mother asked.

"Not exactly... I caught a bird before Ross could shoot it." Del grinned mischievously

"I should've expected to hear that." Roger lightly shook his head.

"We can cook the bird that I... Darn! I left the bird at your house!" Del snapped her fingers.

"I guess that bird eluded becoming your meal after all." Her dad laughed.

"Tricky bird..." Del muttered resting her muzzle in a hand.

"Have you been to town since you moved here? It's small but there's a lot to see and enjoy." Cornelia asked the hyena.

"No. I don't have an easy way of crossing the river, and I don't know which way town is." He admitted bashfully.

"You haven't been here very long!" Cornelia chuckled.

"I can come over to your dock." Del offered. "And I can take you to town in my canoe if you want."

"Tie my whiskers into a knot! That's a great idea." Cornelia declared. Del held back a laugh at her mom's enthusiasm.

*Ch.3

Water lazily passed by a dock upriver from the coast. Two pairs of feet rested in the warm waters from the dock above. Minnows swam curiously towards the black pads and brown fur only to shy away when one moved. Up above, Ross was sitting on the end of his dock with Del for the early afternoon.

"Thanks again for visiting yesterday." The naked vixen thanked him. "My parents liked meeting you."

"I felt like I was stupid." He admitted wiggling his nose.

"You didn't act stupid yesterday." Del was surprised to hear him say that.

"I think I did."

"You were just a little nervous, and that's normal meeting anyone for the first time." Del found his stubbornness solid as a rock.

"I think I stuck out more than anything else." He scratched his neck.

"What makes you say that? We enjoyed your company."

"I was the only one not in my bare fur."

"Pf. We don't mind." She shrugged away the comment.

"It just feels out of place being the only one clothed." Ross admitted.

"Just take them off then." Del suggested with a bright smile, immediately liking her own idea.

"What?" His ears perked up in disbelief.

"At least give it a try. You hide behind them too much anyway." She tugged on his shirt sleeve. The answer to her was obvious enough.

"You can't be serious." He looked at her.

"Come on. You can loosen up. It's only me here."

"That's the problem." He muttered under his breath.

"Give it a try." She encouraged him. With a little positive reinforcement Ross stood up and discarded his shirt and hat.

"There-Woah! Wait a minute!" He stumbled back onto the grass feeling a hand tug on his pants.

"Sheesh. They are stuck." The vixen frowned and tried harder.

"You'll rip them off!" He pleaded holding them up.

"You can't take them off if you keep holding them up." Del pointed out.

"I know that."

"Do you need help taking them off?" The vixen offered.

"No!" His voice nearly squeaked.

"Then yank them off."

"Alright alright!" He nervously looked at his pants gripping the hem.

"Would it help if I turned my back?" She couldn't help letting a chuckle out.

"It wouldn't hurt." He admitted feeling his body heat up in embarrassment.

The hyena clenched the fabric in his hands, too conflicted to move. There was something stopping him from simply taking the rest off.

"Let me help." Del intervened.

"Hey, stop." He blocked her, but the vixen was persistent.

"You need help..." She insisted forcefully.

"No!" He was swiftly tackled by Del to the ground. 'She's strong!' He struggled to throw her off. Del quickly yanked the hyena's pants off his body leaving him clad in just a pair of underwear.

"One left!" She tossed the pants aside. Ross slipped away and reached for a towel hanging on a clothesline, but a swift hand caught his underwear by the hem. A ripping noise startled him.

"Let go Del!" He looked over his shoulder.

"They're coming off!" She declared. The vixen had a determined look on her face and refused to let go. The fabric ripped causing Ross to fall forward and Del to fall backwards. Ross quickly covered himself with the towel before the vixen jumped up triumphantly waving his underwear in a hand. Her victory was short lived. She looked down at Ross lying on his back with the towel draped over his lap. The hyena looked up at the vixen with his garment in her hand. "You sure are stubborn." She said looming over the hyena. Del's playful expression faded seeing the frustration and embarrassment on Ross's face. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to force you into anything." She quickly apologized and offered her hand.

"You're not going to trick me and take the towel too are you?" He sat up.

"Well now that you ask... I guess not." She grinned.

"Promise?"

"Promise." Del helped Ross up without any tricks and walked with him to the dock. The hyena sat down on the dock's edge with Del and the towel wrapped securely around his waist. "Oh. Here's this... if you want it." The vixen returned the stretched undergarment to him. Her brown ears were folded back contritely.

"Thanks." He sighed.

"I thought you wanted to take them off?" Her honest mistake was meant in fun.

"Yeah, but uh... Can you let me adjust and try on my own first?" He asked with a twinge of nervousness. "By myself for a few minutes?"

"Sure! I'll be right here waiting when you're ready." Del smiled encouragingly. Ross retrieved his clothes scattered across the yard and headed inside. He entered the bedroom with a quiet deep breath. Ross turned his head and looked over at the pair of boots by his bedside.

'I really do wear them a lot.' He looked at his brown paws that were normally covered as well. The hyena left his shirt on the small nightstand and set the remainder on the bed. Ross let go of the towel and allowed it to pool around his feet. "Alright... I'm naked." The hyena said firmly looking at himself. He took a few steps around the room and then the main room, noting how everything naturally felt without clothes keeping his body sealed. "It's not so bad." He decided to take a step outside through the back door. A breeze was noticeable against his bare fur, making the hyena giddy inside. The grass crunched beneath his feet, an unknown sensation with boots. He looked up at an oak tree and noticed two acorns hanging from the end of a branch. A stronger breeze knocked one off causing it to land with a startling thud. "Ah!" He protectively cradled the delicate spot between his thighs and jumped back. The hyena shook his head and loosened up once more. 'I bet Del feels the same way...' Ross noted how everything freely moved without restricting fabric. "There... It's just... me." He bent his knees slightly into a stance.

"Hey, I knew you could do it." A familiar cheerful voice applauded nearly giving the hyena a heart attack. He spun around realizing that Del was standing behind him, wearing her cheerful smile as always.

'Oh shoot!' Ross tried covering himself. "Please turn around!" He wailed.

"Fine." She crossed her arms and faced the river. The hyena's heart pounded as he wondered what to do. He didn't budge for half a minute, still expecting her to look over a shoulder. Ross took a deep breath while Del's tail flicked patiently.

"O-okay. I'm... Good." He calmed down. The vixen turned around and grinned seeing that he was still there. "Hi." He meekly said.

"Hi." She giggled at the shy hyena openly facing her. He idly stood unsure what she would think or do. "Come on," she offered her hand, "let's go back to the dock."

"Okay." He accepted and they walked down the hillside to the water.

"Don't you feel better without those clothes?"

"It's... Different." He tried not feeling self conscious as a breeze freely passed between his legs as they walked. "Lighter."

"Oh come on, you don't look like a walking tree anymore." Del giggled taking a seat on the end of the dock and let her feet dip into the warm water below. She patted the spot beside her, and Ross hesitantly sat down with her. "You don't have to be so cool and silent."

"I know..."

"Alright... What has you bothered." She asked in a more serious tone.

"I don't know..." He couldn't help but glance at her lap, then his. "Female hyenas look exactly like males there, so foxes are different to say the least." Ross returned his gaze across the calm water. Her canoe sat idly tied to one post.

"Everyone stares at something. You'll get used to it." She reassured him and placed a hand on his back. He mumbled an incoherent grunt. "Take it easy." Del patted him gently, feeling him tense under her touch. The hyena fidgeted nervously. "You're a guy, and I'm a girl. What else is there to see?" She put the discussion to rest with a nod. The vixen laid down on the dock and closed her eyes to soak up the sun better. Ross quietly nodded looking down at her. The vulpine's snowy white bosom rose and fell with every breath. The tanned peaks of flesh atop the rounded hills looked back at him normally. Her tummy rose and fell too, thin and athletic from living.

'Why does she always have to be right?' Ross turned his gaze from the pretty vixen out to the calm lake. As the minutes ticked by, he became more comfortable being in his own fur with Del. After a quick nap, Del stretched and sat up.

"Mm. That was nice." She itched her side and flicked her tail. The vixen would've fallen asleep in the warm sun had she forgotten where she was. Ross mustered a grin but didn't say anything. Del nodded her head side to side in thought with a grin. "Do you want to ride in my canoe for a while? It will take your mind off it." She offered unexpectedly.

"Sure. That sounds like a good idea to me." Ross readily agreed, hoping to finally break his nervousness.

"Alright!" She pulled in the canoe and jumped in. "Let's go upriver." Del suggested as Ross climbed on board. He helped untie the rope before they pushed off. The hyena hadn't traveled upstream to the main river yet, and it was very scenic with all the greenery. The largely unsettled channel was abundant in wildlife too. Birds and small mammals were seen and heard along both shores and the trees. The land to his left, where his house was, was generally too steep and heavily wooded to build along the river. To his right the sandy soil terrain had gradually lost its foundation until it resembled a marsh along its edge with an undergrowth interior. Yet on the other far side the main river flowed down to the ocean. Ross was enjoying the little trip, and Del seemed to be enjoying it too. A content grin was splayed over her muzzle as she paddled, looking around the passing area. He could understand why she preferred being nude outside. There was this freeing natural sensation that came with it. "You're quiet back there." The vixen's ear dialed back.

"I'm just taking it all in." He grinned.

"That's good to hear." She continued paddling.

"Thanks for letting me adjust Del."

"What are friends for?" She grinned looking over her shoulder at him.

"Yeah." He smiled back and scratched his mane. "So... Where are we?" He looked around the waterway. "It's very nice up here." They were upstream a good distance and reached a wider part of the river.

"This is the main river. We just traveled up one of the two that it splits into before reaching the ocean." She explained and gently turned the canoe to travel down the main river. The main river broke off into a few parts. There was the smaller river that Ross lived on, but the bulk continued smoothly snaking to the coast. A little ways down another piece broke off into a small stream dividing the beach where Del lived from the town. Anyone could cross it if they didn't mind getting their feet wet. If you continued down the main river then you would reach town just above the coast, about two miles from Del's house along the beach. The river technically separated Del's community and the town from the mainland, but a bridge at its narrowest point kept everyone connected.

"So how far are we going?" On the mainland to his new left Ross could see scattered trees and plenty of rolling green hills. A cottage or two were visible, but scattered far.

"To the town and the market." She smiled and continued paddling.

"What?! The market in town!" He covered his lap instinctively.

"Yes. I figured that we could stop by while we're this far out. Besides, it's so much easier paddling with the current." She only used the paddle to help steer. The canoe lazily passed a few homes close to the water's edge where a road was visible on one side.

'This isn't happening!' Ross told himself. A few kids were swimming in the river nearby and approached the canoe with enthusiasm. 'The kids don't even wear anything!' Ross noticed a large dock shaded by palm trees where more were playing under the watchful eye of an adult.

"Hello!" A young tigress held onto the boat's side.

"Be careful swimming in the river." Del told them as she paddled onward. Soon they could see buildings as the town became visible on the right bank, the same land that Del lived on. They passed by homes and small private docks along the water. Others were out on the water with canoes of their own or a raft casually fishing, swimming, or simply relaxing in the sunny weather with a friend. The hyena clenched his teeth to prevent them from chattering.

"I thought you were letting me adjust to this!" Ross hissed through clenched teeth.

"I am! Everyone in town will be naked so you don't have to feel awkward, then you'll be used to it in a few minutes." Her words hardly settled any nervousness within Ross. The hyena fearfully looked around keeping his lap covered. Del paddled to a dock where canoes and other vessels of relative size were bobbing in the gentle waters. "We'd be living on an island if it wasn't for that bridge." She joked at the large structure connecting them to the meadows and farms across the river. Ross didn't say anything as Del aligned them to the dock. "You're stiff as a board." She grabbed the rope and tied the canoe to a post.

"Wha-?!" He looked between his legs but found that no problem had arisen. 'It's just a metaphor.' He breathed an internal sigh of relief.

"Come on. You can't sit in the canoe all afternoon." Del had already jumped onto the dock and offered her hand to Ross. With reluctance he jumped onto the wooden platform. "Let's see..." The vixen leaned back over and retrieved a long satchel with money inside from her canoe. "I'm going to be around the stands closer inland." Her tail flickered at the end of the long wide street. A paved road only covered the middle section of open space between buildings. The rest was ground used as gardens or yards. "My mom needs olive oil, and if you see fresh caught crabs then don't hesitate to tell me. It's the only thing underwater that I don't get tired of eating." Del quickly said before running off somewhere.

"O... kay." Ross meekly replied watching Del's tail trail behind her. He looked around almost afraid to take a step forward. The town of a few thousand looked relaxed with some strolling down the street. Homes mostly lined up in a crude grid pattern, but the shape of the riverbank allowed for plenty of wiggle room. There were a few two story shops that doubled as a place to live for the owner. Nearly everyone had a garden and tree on any side of their house. If not, then plenty of fixtures were hung outside a window to grow giving the town an urban forest appearance. Windows were even open to catch the breeze and fresh air.

"Excuse me!" An ocelot zipped by him on a bike down the street. He walked down the street and passed by a few ladies who had just gone swimming were laying on a small backyard dock drying off. Their chatter was happy and care free as they spoke whatever was on their minds.

'Don't ogle anyone.' Ross told himself and walked down the road. A raccoon couple were in a garden talking to a neighbor while their baby daughter played in the dirt. Down river there was a small harbor with larger seaworthy vessels where some fishmongers were carting off fresh fish. 'I wonder if they know Del's dad.' Ross thought as he reached the marketplace. Plenty of stands were side by side or spaced out with everything from food to little trinkets for sale. The first stand he looked at had food, but none of the items Del had requested.

"What can I get for you sir?" An old male badger asked the silent hyena staring at his food stand of honeys and herbs.

"Some clothes." Ross mumbled before sealing his lips shut.

"Pardon me?" The elder male held his ear open to hear better.

"Oh! Um, do you have any olive oil perchance?" He remembered one of the items Del had requested.

"Olive oil?" He widened his eyes and looked around. "I'm sorry, but I don't have any." He took his glasses off and rubbed them.

"Thank you for checking." Ross moved on. The next stand had cotton still in the head of the stalk. The older female tabby cat behind the stand was spinning yarn by hand. The third had a wide assortment of foods.

"Hello! Can I interest you with a tasty mango, fresh corn, or watermelon?" A older tiger and skunk couple offered the passing hyena.

"Oh... Uh, no thanks." He shyly smiled and continued walking around before stopping by a tall palm tree. Ross looked around the open space in the town. Everyone else he could see were having a good time socializing and shopping despite being in the nude. 'At least I don't stand out.' The hyena relaxed in his bare fur feeling less self conscious. "Now where could Del be?" He looked around the crowd of townspeople. Across the species and heads, he noticed someone familiar. He spotted her talking to a buxom blonde haired vixen wearing a braided necklace and a visor. Ironically the green visor had "Bare Furs" along the frontier. Her fur pattern was the same as Del's, but her fur had a more golden orange than Del's fur accentuated by her blonde hair. Sunglasses were perched above the visor and her orange tail swayed lazily. "Excuse me." He politely maneuvered around a leopard and mountain lioness. "Hey Del." Ross interrupted their conversation.

"Oh! I was wondering where you were. Ross, this is my good friend Johanna." Del introduced the golden blonde haired vixen.

"Hello Ross!" The blue eyed vixen shook his hand happily. "I'm one of the locals, and I help survey land out in the meadows." She pointed with a thumb back over the river.

"It's nice to meet you." Ross grinned keeping his eyes clear from her white furred front.

"I'm going to check out that stand to see if they have pomegranates and oranges." She pointed to a particular one and walked to it.

"Hey, Del told me this is your first time here in town." She nodded to her friend at the nearby fruit stand.

"It is. I live on the part of the river that breaks off upstream." He explained.

"Wow! All the way back there?" Her brown ears perked up in surprise. "I didn't know anyone lived there."

"Yeah, it makes reaching town difficult without a canoe. She suddenly decided to bring me out here." His fur hid a light blush well.

"She told me." Johanna held back a giggle. "Well town is a great place to start knowing the area. Everyone is genuinely friendly unless you go running through someone's garden." The blonde haired vixen grinned.

"I noticed that there were a lot here."

"Gardens are really popular, and most farms over the river are smaller than an acre. So you'll have plenty of families or couples coming to town to sell what they grow."

"Does everyone have a farm?" He looked around the numerous stands selling vegetables and fruits alone.

"Plenty come from upriver where farms and pastures are larger." She explained. "And before you ask, there's a road on the opposite side of the river so not everyone uses a canoe to get around like Del."

"Any roads on this side of the river?"

"You can always walk along Kindle Road from Del's house to here quickly."

"Kindle Road?"

"It's the dirt pathway leading from here to the beach where Del lives." She pointed.

"Oh, I'm not familiar with the local names." He shyly rubbed over his neck.

"Usually if you point then that's enough to get the message across." Johanna giggled and motioned with her hand. "So how did you end up meeting Del?" The vixen curiously asked.

"You could say that she 'popped in' my front door unexpectedly."

"That sounds like her!" She laughed.

"So you live out in the meadows?"

"Yep. Nothing but fields of green grass, trees, and a few creeks. If I find the time to have a few days off then I'd be glad to take you and Del up through the area." Johanna offered in a chirping voice. "It's mostly open space before reaching a bunch of forested hills. The whole area is really scenic." The blonde vixen had spent quite a few afternoons herself lying out in the fields to relax.

"It sounds really nice!" He could easily imagine the serene description.

"Alright! I think I have everything." Del came back and caught her breath.

"You've been busy buying." Johanna noted the red orange vixen's full hands.

"Yep! I have what I need... and what my mom needs."

"Let me carry some of that for you." Ross offered.

"Thanks." She gladly handed over half of the items. "Well I have to hurry and get home." Del sighed.

"So soon?" Johanna frowned.

"I have to get Ross back to his house. If I didn't then I'd leave the canoe here for tomorrow."

"It happens." She shrugged. "It was nice meeting you Ross." Johanna shook his hand.

"It was nice meeting you too." He nodded.

"We'll have to meet up soon." The two vixen's hugged each other next.

"Yeah, if you could put your bow down for a day." Johanna teased. "I'll see you two around."

"Bye!" They waved parting paths.

"So... Where are headed to next?" Ross walked beside Del back up the street.

"You want to stay in town for a while?" Del said with mild surprise flicking her tail up.

"I don't mind." He shrugged. Del merely grinned and continued walking with a more noticeable spring in her step. The vulpine waved at a few people she knew, and Ross soon joined her. "Is town this relaxed every day?" Ross asked as they walked back onto the dock.

"Only on Sundays. Everyone generally works the other six days in a week depending on what they do of course." They stepped into the canoe together and laid out everything Del bought.

"The town is really nice." Ross said without a hint of nervousness that plagued him when he first arrived.

"See?" Del elbowed his side. "It's not so bad." He rubbed his side wearing a half grin. It was hard to argue with the vixen when she was right.

"Alright... Just tell me where you're taking me next time."

"Aye, aye captain!" She turned around and winked at him.

*Ch.4

A warm breeze from the sea buffeted the orange fur on Del's back. The oar in her hands quietly glided through the water's surface with finesse upriver. Her canoe had a few more supplies than normal, notably a big bag. As soon as the waterway widened she looked to her left and spotted Ross's dock. She quickly paddled to the dock.

'I hope he's home.' The vixen scanned the hillside before finding a figure. Ross was outside, barely visible at the dock downhill from his house. Her ears detected splitting thwacks. "What's that hyena up to?" She tied her canoe to his dock before climbing out. Uphill by his house Ross was splitting logs on a large stump in his underwear. Something about swinging an axe without wearing anything made him uneasy, especially when things tended to bounce and move. "Hey Ross!" Del waved as she reached the top of the hill. The hyena stopped and planted the axe head into the stump. His vixen guest was nude as always wearing. Her trademark necklace and bandana.

"Hi Del." Ross exhaled an accomplished sigh at the amount of wood he was able to get through. "What brings you by this afternoon?"

"You of course." She held back a giggle.

"What? Is something wrong?"

"No. You look silly with just that on." Del smirked and nodded to his underwear. "Imagine if I was wearing it."

"Now that would be funny." The hyena chuckled at the thought and disrobed. Since Ross's first haphazard time shedding his clothes, the vixen kindly asked him to disrobe rather than rip the clothes right off his body. Every time Ross obliged, finding each opportunity easier to do. Recently he spent less time wearing something and even disrobed when Del visited. He was discovering something freeing about spending time in his bare fur like the locals. Sure there was the initial awkwardness, but Del always provided encouragement or understanding. "There. How do I look now?" He asked setting the undergarment aside on the axe's top.

"Like yourself." She nodded. The hyena found himself grinning at the compliment. "But that looks like a flag now." Del snickered at the hyena's underwear.

"Hmm. It is a flag." He nodded at the idea.

"What does that flag mean?" She asked expecting a funny answer. He thought for a moment.

"Naked people ashore." They both laughed. Ross glanced down and noticed a string hanging between her white thighs from her vulva. His glance didn't go unnoticed before he could look away.

"Don't tell me you have never seen one." Del said with a hand on her hip.

"I have. I just noticed." He brushed it off. The hyena didn't want a lesson about the phenomenon, although he wondered how a female hyena dealt with their natural cycle.

"Funny story about it though. Last year I was camping and forgot to bring some-"

"Ok. I think I know where you're going with this." He interrupted. The vixen merely grinned sweetly back at him.

"Wanna go camping in a beach cove for the night?" She suddenly offered in her own typical fashion.

"Camping?" He had been with Del plenty of times since they met, but never into the night.

"Yes, camping." She nodded slowly.

"Well... Ok." He modestly answered. The hyena didn't have anything else planned.

"Aww come on!" Del shook his shoulder. "Be excited! Loosen up and enjoy life."

"I have loosened up." He motioned to the underwear bearing axe.

"As my mom would say: you're tight as a tick!" She grinned and led him down the bare hillside. Her mom did have plenty of funny sayings.

"Is this a date?" He skeptically looked at her brazen smile.

"Calendars have dates, we're going to have fun." She tugged him along to the dock where her canoe was tied to an end post. Del eagerly hopped in and offered Ross a seat.

"You planned this out." He noticed a bag in the canoe with some supplies.

"I did and I'm glad you decided to come with me." She grinned as he climbed aboard. They unfastened the canoe and pushed off. The closer they approached the coast and ocean, the more palm trees replaced oaks and pines.

"So what do you have in mind captain Del?" He watched the world pass by leisurely.

"Captain? That's my dad if anyone." She paddled along. "All I have in mind is having a ton of fun." She looked over her shoulder and gave the hyena a toothy smile. When the ocean became visible, The red vixen coasted towards the opposing shore rather than the beach she loved on. "We'll land here." She set the oar inside the boat and jumped out with a splash. Ross joined her and helped pull the canoe onto the sandy shore out of the water's reach. "Can you grab my bag?" She retrieved her bow and quiver.

"Sure." He quickly did so before walking beside the vixen along the sandy shore. Del led him along the beach until they reached a small sandy spot safe from the tide against a solid cliff face that was a few meters high.

"I call it the secret beach!" She exclaimed setting her hunting equipment down in the sand.

"It's not exactly a cove." Ross set the bag down. The ocean was open directly in front of them.

"Ah, that's so no one will find it." She schemed rubbing her hands together. The hyena simply shook his head in amusement.

"What else did you bring?" He watched her pull out a towel before tossing him one.

"Spread your towel out and I'll tell ya." She bouncingly replied.

"You're never this excited when you're hunting." He smirked at the cheerful vixen who was always serious when hunting.

"That's because I can't catch anything if there's noise." She stuck her tongue out playfully and sat down in her towel. "Let's see here..." Del shuffled through her bag. "I brought matches, a small bag for waste, food of course, a flashlight, an emergency phone, and these." She held up a feminine hygiene product in hand.

"Good to know." Ross managed to say and placed his hands on his knee. Del dropped them into the bag, swishing her tail. The vixen rolled onto her stomach and lied down to sun her back. The orange fur on her back looked very soft in the sun. "So how are your parents doing?"

"They're doing well. Mom was in town for the day and dad was out at sea fishing."

"Has he caught anything strange out at sea?"

"Just fish." She lazily replied.

"You don't seem to excited about it." Ross mused knowing that Del preferred her food caught on land.

"Oh! He did catch an octopus a few days ago. My mom nearly screamed when he held up a tentacle for her to cook." Del grinned.

"Did she cook it?"

"No way! She threatened to throw him outside." The vixen chuckled to herself. Ross could imagine the pair of foxes arguing over a piece of an octopus.

"What's your mom doing in town?"

"Hmm." Del wiggled her black nose. "Visiting a few friends for lunch, maybe a little shopping, definitely a quick dip in the river, and I know for certain that she'll go to the spa."

"How do you know that?"

"She hounds dad to pamper her more like the spa does. You know, foot rubs, massages, treating her claws, grooming her fur, and those sorts of things." The quaint grin on Del's muzzle told volumes of how content she was to be away from all that. With a quick stretch the vixen rolled onto her back and stood up. "Wanna collect some driftwood with me for a fire?" She offered.

"Sure." He jumped up at the offer. Her white tipped tail swished happily as they walked down to the shore, then along the beach. Since the area was probably never in use there was plenty of wood to collect.

"Do you like to spend a lot of time down here at the secret beach?" He used her self made title.

"Yep," she bent over and picked up another piece of driftwood, "especially if I catch something nearby. Then I'll build a fire and smoke the meat."

"I'll have to try that once," Ross picked up a few more pieces, "that is, if you don't catch something before me."

"You're not the only one hunting on this side of the river." She teased only to drop some of the accumulated wood in her arms. A crab skittered to the water.

"Think this is enough?" Ross asked at his good armload.

"Yeah. This should be good." Del pivoted and started walking back, but quickly skipped a few steps into the shallow waves. "Don't tell me you're afraid of water." The vixen noticed that he hadn't joined her.

"I can barely keep up with you." He stepped into the wet sand towards her. The little waves lapped over their feet as the foamy seawater crashed to shore. Ross nearly stumbled feeling Del suddenly bump him with her hip. He looked at the vixen only to receive the tip of her tongue sticking between her lips. Ross grinned and bumped her back. She laughed and bumped him again. "You're full of yourself today." He chuckled and pressed his side to hers so the fox couldn't bump him again. Del was content with walking with the hyena side to side.

"When I first heard the expression 'your body as a weapon' I thought it meant someone would grab you and use you like a club." She kicked at the air with a leg.

"Something tells me that you would be an unruly weapon." Ross admired the graceful pose for a moment before she set her foot down and resumed walking. Del grinned and stared out at the ocean where the clouds were beginning to golden, and the sky redden. Ross's gaze followed hers to the open sea.

"It's really beautiful out here." Del quietly spoke.

"It is." Ross agreed. The hyena's ears perked up feeling the vixen lean against his side rather than bump him. He didn't mind and walked slowly back to camp with her as the little waves washed over their feet. Del's home, and now Ross's, was like a little paradise. They walked up to camp and created a little fire pit together, then a fire.

"Now that we have a fire," she rubbed the grainy sand off her black foot pads, "let's heat up the food and eat!" Del sat down and extended her feet to the fire before shuffling through her bag.

***

"Mm." That was great Del!" Ross licked his lips and tossed his napkin into the garbage. "Thank you for preparing all of it."

"You're welcome. I am glad that you liked it." She smiled letting her ears fall back briefly.

"It got dark pretty quick." Ross looked up at the sky seeing that nighttime was a few minutes away. They ate through the sunset and hardly noticed the change of scenery. Del looked at Ross's shadow on the cliff face behind him and hit an epiphany.

"We could play shadow puppets!" The vixen sprang up from her seat. The vixen eagerly joined Ross on his towel. Del held her hand in front of the fire and wiggled her fingers, creating a blurry image on the cliff face. "Let me tell you your fortune." She said in a low voice before giggling at herself.

"No crystal ball needed."

"Nope." She looked to the cliff face and manipulated her hand. "Here's a bunny." Del held up two fingers and made her hand "hop" around.

"Rabbits like alligators, right?" Ross held up two hands to the fire making a large mouth.

"No. Run bunny!" Del hopped her hand away but Ross's clasped down on her with a chomp. "Bleh... He's caught." She said as Ross held her hand. Their fingers intertwined creating a shadow of two meshed hands. The vulpine's triangular brown ears folded back down. Her hazel eyes met his browner ones. "Sorry." She nervously smiled and retracted her hand.

"No. You're fine." Ross rubbed his neck.

"Let me try to make one." She offered and brought her hands to the fire again. Ross watched her focused expression intently, but the vixen didn't seem to easily get the snap she wanted. "Ooh... Um. I need another hand." She coyly grinned and grabbed the hyena's hand. Ross watched contorted shapes form and deflate on the cliff face as Del worked with his hand.

"What's it supposed to be?"

"An ugly cloud?" She couldn't even make sense of their twisted hands.

"Let me try." Ross shooed her hands away. The vixen watched his hands and finger maneuver before creating a familiar shape.

"Oh! Um, a butterfly!" Del figured out his shadow puppet.

"How about this?" Ross changed his hands. "Your mom doesn't want to cook this..." The hyena smirked.

"It's an octopus!" Del laughed as he changed his hands into something else. "A dog head too. You're really good at shadow puppets." Del remarked.

"Thanks. I had lots of practice." He set his hands in his lap.

"We could tell scary stories next!" Del suggested.

"I don't know any..." Ross shrugged.

"Neither do I..." Del bit her lip. "Why not a regular one instead?"

"I'll listen." He grinned and leaned back onto his hands.

"Let's see..." The vixen looked up and scratched her white chin, conjuring up a quick tale. "Have you heard the tale of the lioness queen?" She asked turning to face him.

"No. What's that about?" He inquired.

"I'd be glad to tell you." She crossed her legs and sat up straight. "There was once a lioness who lived in a castle in a faraway meadow. Every day she would go hunting with her friends in the forest."

"Sounds like you."

"I hunt alone unless you're with me. Anyway, she normally had to stay in the castle which was very boring. The queen lioness sat on the throne like this." Del spread her arms and legs, fluffed her tail, and flexed to make herself appear bigger. The funny face she wore from puffing her cheeks out nearly made the hyena burst into laughter.

"She must have been taller than both of us put together!"

"Big cats Ross, big cats." She grinned. "But there was a knight who challenged her for the throne. He had a bulky helmet on his head-" Ross found the image of someone naked wearing only a helmet ridiculous, but humorous.

"What-why a helmet?" He looked at her, puzzled.

"Hold on. I'm telling this story."

"You're making this story out of thin air!"

"You're interrupting me." She grinned. "Anyway, he challenged the queen to a wrestling match. She agreed and the two tussled!"

'This is crazy.' Ross listened to the wildest of tales.

"He fought well but the queen put him in a headlock. The knight struggled but she threw him out the window."

"Didn't he come back up to fight her again?"

"Nope. She threw an anchor out the window for good measure." Del pretended to clean her hands off as she stood back up. "The end." The vixen returned to her towel and sat down.

"What?! That's the weirdest story I've heard!" He couldn't help but laugh.

"What do you expect when I made it all up a moment ago!" The two nearly fell over and laughed heartily into the night. The low tide waves quietly lapped in the distance as their laughter calmed. Frogs and crickets chimed in the nature symphony inland.

"What a crazy day from chopping wood to laying on the beach with you." Ross remarked at the serene moment.

"And we have tomorrow to do even more." Del happily added.

"How are you going to top today?"

"We can go hunting together in the morning and then go for a swim." She planned out the next day. "Then we could have a fresh lunch." Ross liked that idea.

"You have a great answer for everything. I can't wait for the morning." He said. The vixen grinned conjuring up another idea.

"Wanna wrestle before we go to sleep?" Del suddenly offered.

"Wrestle? Here?" He scarcely believed what she asked.

"Yeah!" She sat up hoping he would say yes.

"What if your... your 'parts' touch me?"

"Parts?" She found his choice of words amusing. "Well, if my 'parts' are touching you then that will be the least of your troubles." The vixen smiled. "By the way, I'm really good at wrestling." She challenged him by flexing her arms and puffing out her chest.

"Uh... I'd rather not with all this sand." He managed to find an excuse. "I don't want to sleep with all of that in my fur."

"Good point, but we'll have to wrestle even if it's just once." She sat back down and held up a finger making a mental note of it.

"Ok. We will." Ross promised, hoping he wouldn't regret it. 'She's an energetic vixen!'

"Hey. I'm proud that you went the whole evening naked without any trouble." Del softly smiled meaning every word.

"Thanks. It sort of feels natural now when I'm with you." He shrugged. The hyena's gaze lifted upwards where little twinkling lights were nestled in the cosmic darkness. "The stars are beautiful way out here." He looked up into the night sky.

"Is the sky like this back at your old home?"

"Rarely. Usually there's too much light pollution at night." The hyena remembered.

"That's too bad." Del lied down and yawned. The vixen untied her necklace and bandana. Ross gave an internal nod of agreement. The savannas were never a good mix of urban and rural. You either found yourself in a town or city, or suddenly in the middle of nowhere. It all made him more thankful that he emigrated to where he was now. Ross stared into the starry sky looking back on the unexpected, but very fun evening that he had with Del. Story telling, eating by a fire, walking along the beach... She was a great friend to have and spend time with.

"Hey, uh Del?" He quietly asked. A lacking response are him look over only to realize that she had already fallen asleep. 'Guess she tired herself out.' The hyena mused staring at the youthful vixen sleeping across the low fire from him. It was hard to imagine someone with so much energy ever having to sleep; but he knew that Del would be ready to start the day as soon as she woke up in the morning. All the hyena had to do when he returned home was put away the last pieces of firewood that he chopped. She did have a way of making him forget his troubles. Ross didn't even give a second thought about spending the day with her naked. The vixen's natural curiosity and adventurous attitude made her fearless. Ross on the other hand was less open and prone to shyness and nervousness around new things. However, the vixen made new experiences less stressful and very enjoyable for him.

'Nothing holds her back.' Ross glanced down at the string nestled in her white fur. He rolled onto his back and folded his arms across his midsection. "Thank you." The hyena closed his eyes and listened to the gentle waves crashing onto the beach.

"Mm." Ross grumbled hearing seagulls caw loudly. The soothing ocean waves were drowned out from the fowl screeches. "Darn birds." His ear flicked in annoyance. The last ounce of possible sleep was extinguished, and the hyena rolled onto his back blinking awake. He looked up only to find Del standing directly over him.

"Morning!" Her cheerful voice greeted him. Ross was a little slower to reply.

"Good morning." A gust of wind buffeted the hyena as he sat up. "Are we hunting right now?" Ross stretched and sat up.

"I wish." Del replied with a little less spunk than normal. The hyena looked at her curiously. The vixen was hardly one to pass up on doing something. "It's kind of windy for the morning." Del frowned looking out to sea. In the far distance, thick clouds were brewing that didn't promise fair weather for the afternoon. The sea even looked rougher.

"So you-" The mobile phone in her bag suddenly rang with a funny tone.

"I'll get that." Del quickly retrieved the device. "Hello?... Hey dad." She cutely listened with an ear and spoke. The vixen listened for a moment before clicking a button and setting the phone down.

"What did he say?"

"He said there was a storm at sea and I need to get home soon." She looked at the waves in dismay. Another gust of wind buffeted their fur. "Sorry for cutting the fun short." She dug a foot in the sand in disappointment. Ross wrapped an arm around her shoulders consolingly.

"It was a lot of fun. Thank you for inviting me." He gave the vixen a half hug and bumped noses with her. A bright smile reemerged along her thin black lips.

"You know..." She briefly looked down at the sand for a moment. "I had a lot of fun too." Their eyes seemed locked for a happy minute. The serene moment was cut short as a gust of wind disheveled the vulpine's hair. "Darn bandana." She quickly tightened it and started putting her things away.

"Let me help you pack up." He quickly offered and picked up his towel. With two pairs of hands, Del and Ross were walking up the beach with full arms. Only footprints remained in the sand behind them. The canoe was soon loaded up and they pushed off into the mouth of the river. Del quickly paddled upriver to his house with the wind at their backs. They reached Ross's dock in record time and walked up the incline to his house.

"Your flag is definitely seaworthy." Del pointed at his underwear still sitting on the axe from yesterday. "I'll have to ask my dad to fly it end day at sea."

"That would be funny to see!" He laughed.

"Thanks again for helping me pack all that up." She looked over her shoulder at the riverbank and scuffed a foot in the sparse grass. "I really wish the day could've lasted longer for camping though."

"It's definitely not your fault Del." Ross consoled her.

"Yeah I know. I'm just bummed about it." She offered him a small grin. The trees stirred relentlessly from the seaward winds. The vixen's hair was already messy despite the bandana keeping the bangs from her eyes.

"That looks like a nasty storm." Ross stared into the sea's direction where thick dark clouds were visible above the treetops. He looked at the muddy slope before his house that was once the beginning of a yard. The area already experienced a lot of rain the past few days. "If we get any more rain then my house might be washed away." Del shook her head wearing a half grin.

"Stay inside where it's safe." She hugged him goodbye.

"I will. You do the same." He grinned returning the sweet gesture, finding the contact comforting.

"Ok. I'll stop by tomorrow then!" She hurried down to the dock and waved.

"I'll be looking for you!" He grinned and waved back as the vixen jumped into her canoe. The hyena watched her depart before collecting the chopped wood, his axe, and the pair of underwear.

The clouds and brewing winds were only a symptom of a larger rainstorm off the coast. Rain pounded on a cabin's roof in the woods. Nighttime had only just begun, but the storm poured water over the area for hours, and it showed no signs of stopping. Ross sat up on the edge of his bed unable to sleep. He was even fully dressed for the first time in weeks to offset his shivering. The hyena had a bad feeling in his stomach. His bedroom was completely dark, and the only sound he could hear was the heavy rainfall accompanied by some wind.

"I hope this passes soon." He crossed his arms. The wary hyena's ears perked up hearing an odd creaking noise. It stopped before starting again, but this time the creaking persisted. Ross stood up and decided to look for the pestering noise after it proceeded for another minute. He took cautious steps around his room, but the noise seemed to change direction every few seconds. Ross stopped and found himself leaning to his left to stay level. 'The floor!' He took a step realizing that the sinking feeling in his gut wasn't imaginary. 'The ground is moving!' Ross's hackles fluffed out. The hyena stumbled across the house to the door and bolted outside. The loud rain startled him. His fur was immediately soaked through his clothes to the skin. His first steps through the soggy ground made him slip and fall into the mud. It took two more attempts to stand but there was little stable ground to stand on. The heavy rain engorged the muddy rivulets around his house, and washed the dirt away. Loud wooden snaps echoed through the curtains of rain giving him a sense of dread.

"No!" He wailed and watched his house collapse and slide down the muddy riverbank

The morning was cool and the sky was clear blue from the rainstorm yesterday and last night. The eerie quietness could be felt across the calm water. Rivers were swollen from nearly half a foot of rain with brown muddy colors. A canoe quietly paddled upriver through the quiet morning. Del the vixen scanned the water's murky surface.

'I wonder how Ross fared during the storm.' The beach weathered the storm well, and the tide didn't breach the small dune before the houses. She wrinkled her brow curiously at an odd shape in the water. "What the..." Del realized it was a boot. It wasn't uncommon for things to turn up in a swollen river, especially after a rainstorm as bad as the one last night. The vixen continued along the river, scanning the shore for a landmark to know where exactly she was at. Her paddle quietly dipped into the water hesitantly. 'Isn't his dock supposed to be here?' Her brown eyes preened the messy riverbank. She scratched her head in confusion before spotting a plank of wood in the water. "That's odd..." Her brown eyes looked around the water's muddy surface before finding another piece of lumber, then another. 'Oh my...' A trail of wood, mud, and debris led from where Ross's house once was to the edge of the river. The only thing recognizable was the corner of his cabin house on the swollen riverbank. His dock was temporarily submerged from the flood. She quickly paddled to shore until her vessel ran into dry land. A motionless figure made her panic.

"Ross!" She screamed jumping out of her canoe onto the shore. The hyena's body was slumped against the corner of his house. His arms were holding onto a section of wall for dear life. "Ross! Are you alright?!" She pulled the hyena's legs out of the rubble of lumber and caked mud.

"Huh? Del?" His voice was hoarse as she knelt down beside him.

"It's ok. I'm right here." She placed an arm around her shoulders and helped him sit up. He weakly clung onto her body. "My... My house. It's gone!" He sobbed holding onto the vixen.

"Don't worry." Del softly spoke with deep concern. "We will fix this." Del patted his back. He was exhausted and barely had the strength to shed tears.

***

In an hour Del's family and neighbors were helping him, and in two hours even more were helping with larger fishing boats. Del and some others helped comfort the shell shocked hyena. The two were sitting in the grass with some company.

"Everything should be cleared out in the next few days." Del reassured him with a pat on the back.

"Thank you." His muffled voice quietly spoke as everyone helped salvage and clean up the wrecked home that was still on shore.

"It's getting late. Do you have a place to stay?" A female snow leopard asked. Ross managed to shake his head.

"We can offer you a room at our house." A husky couple offered. He shook his head again.

"How about my place?" Del asked holding both of his arms protectively. Ross finally gave a nod of approval.

"Poor guy. We'll get the rest of this cleaned up." The male husky hoped the best for him.

"You can stay with me at my parents' until we get everything settled, ok?" Del consoling patted his back. He silently nodded as she helped him stand and walk to the canoe. Cornelia quickly joined them and Del paddled down the river. Everything passed like a dismal blur as he was brought to the vixen's house. Ross found himself standing between the kitchen and den idly.

"Do you want me to wash your clothes?" The mother vixen could smell the damp material on his body.

"Yeah." He quietly nodded and let her help him undress. Ross looked pathetic standing in the foxes' household, wet and tired. He wiped his eyes with a forearm.

"You poor thing!" Del's mom consoled him with a tight hug. He leaned on her shoulder, needing it more than ever. "Are you tired? Do you need to sit?"

"Yes, please." He whispered.

"Here. Warm up in the living room. I'll start the fire." She ushered him into the den where he was seated in one of the wingback chairs. The hyena watched her light the fire under a half lidded gaze. Del quickly provided him with a blanket.

"Take it easy and rest." She bent forward and hugged him.

"I'll fix you up something good to eat." Cornelia offered as she stood up and quickly walked into the kitchen. Ross dried himself in front of the fire while shuffling and quiet voices were heard in the background. His drooping eyes finally closed. He was devastated from losing his house, and likely nearly every belonging in his possession. His body was torn physically from a lack of sleep and over exertion. Exhausted, the hyena passed out in the chair before Cornelia could deliver his soup. It was the most comfortable place he had been for a whole day.

The smell of a familiar cottage and Del breached Ross's nose as he awoke from a much needed slumber. The foxes' den was sunny and warm already.

'Morning?' He stretched and rotated his neck. Quiet shuffling of footsteps and the distant ticking of a clock greeted his ears rather than gusts of wind or pounding rain. To his left on the small couch was a disheveled blanket. Someone had been sleeping there earlier.

"You're awake." A voice warmly approached him. He looked up and Del was standing by his side. She placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"What time is it?" He asked.

"A little after ten. Have a good sleep?"

"Definitely. I needed it." He stretched his arms and legs.

"Feeling a little better?"

"Yeah. Thanks." He mustered a grin for her. A good nights rest could do wonders, especially if your bed wasn't underwater.

"That's good to hear. Do you need anything at the moment?" Dela asked.

"Actually... Do you have a phone?"

"Mmhm!" She quickly retrieved the module device.

"Thanks." Ross dialed a number and talked to someone. He detailed his house being destroyed from the heavy rains the other night. Del's tail swished curiously, wondering what the whole conversation was.

"Who did you call?" She inquired as he hung up.

"The firm that built my cabin. We had a contract that if any significant damage that made the cabin inhospitable occurred, then they would fix it free of charge." He nodded slowly and gnawed on his lower lip. Del placed her hands on her hips wondering why he would feel so depressed about it.

"If they will pay for everything, then why are you so worried?"

"They won't have the cabin rebuilt for at least one month... Maybe two or three." Ross looked at the rug underneath his feet in dismay.

"You can stay in our house until they rebuild yours."

"Are you sure that's fine?" He looked up at her. The hyena didn't want to bum off her family for such a long time.

"Of course I'm sure!" Del grasped his hand and gave him a reassuring squeeze. Another pair of footsteps approached.

"Awake now I see?" Del's mom leaned over and gave Ross a hug, pressing her cheek to the top of his head. Del held back a laugh seeing one of her mom's breast's bump Ross's chin. "You could've slept in a bed rather than here."

"It's fine- "

"You shouldn't have to sleep here in a chair for another night." Cornelia insisted. "Do you want to sleep in our room, Del's room, or the living room? Sleep wherever you want." Cornelia offered the entire house to Ross.

"You can stay in my room!" Del offered grasping his hand.

"I don't have an extra set of clothes or-"

"Ah, you don't need those with us." She lightly elbowed him.

"And please stay with us for as long as you want. We don't mind a bit." Her mother chimed in. A beeping noise from the kitchen startled the mother vixen. "The oven! Hold on!" She quickly hurried into the kitchen. Ross started to throw the blanket off himself, but stopped.

"Where are my clothes?" The hyena realized that he was naked under the blanket.

"Oh." Del looked over her shoulder into the kitchen. "My mom hasn't washed them yet."

"That's fine." He wrapped the blanket around his waist and stood up.

"You don't have to cover up if you don't want to." Del offered.

"I don't." He agreed. "But I want to until I'm ready." Ross admitted. He was happy to be naked with Del but others, especially her parents, gave him a sense of awkwardness that only familiarity would solve. Considering his background, it was a large leap to be naked in anyone's company!

"I understand." The vixen grinned. They entered the kitchen where Del's parents were.

"Well turn my tail into a scarf! I thought you would turn into a bump on a log Ross." Cornelia smiled seeing the hyena walking into the kitchen. Humor was never scarce in the foxes' household, and was much needed medicine for the hyena.

"Morning Ross." Roger gave a more normal welcoming than his mate. "I have a few friends removing all the debris they can from the area. We have a small warehouse to store your salvaged things if that's alright."

"That would be fine." He nodded, happy to hear that something was saved. Everyone's ears perked up hearing a loud rumbling from the hyena's stomach.

"Do you want the soup I made for you yesterday?" Cornelia asked.

"Yes please ma'am." He grinned taking a seat.

"Del, you need something to eat too." Her mother said while tending to the stove.

"I'll have a sandwich." She propped her elbows on the table.

"You haven't eaten yet?" It was almost time for lunch!

"No. I was watching you all morning." She shook her head.

"Oh." Ross didn't know that.

"Here you two are." Cornelia served the young adults. Ross hungrily dug in, and Del's mom scarcely had time to sit down when he finished. "Goodness you were hungry!" Cornelia chuckled and patted the hyena's shoulder. "Do you need anything else?" She took the bowl away.

"No ma'am. That filled me up." He smiled.

"If I still ate that much at my age then we wouldn't have any food left!" Roger laughed.

"Why do older people eat less mom?" Del asked.

"It's a part of aging I suppose." She guessed. "For instance, when you get to my age Del your chest won't be so youthful and firm." Her mother's tail flicked its white tip.

"Mom your breasts aren't sagging yet." Del stated through a mouthful of food.

"I'll be able to shake them at you with my hands one day." She firmly nodded. Ross partially muffled a laugh.

"I'll probably be using a cane by then." Her father snickered quietly as well.

"Besides mom, you don't even have any aging white hairs on your muzzle yet."

"No, but if your father and I didn't have white chins then we would have silver hairs by now."

"That's completely different." Del mumbled to herself.

"Before we age that much I plan on staying young." Roger stood up from the table. "I'll be heading out." Roger set his empty mug on the counter. He gave his mate a kiss and hug before bidding Del and Ross farewell for fishing at sea.

"I bet he's going to stop by Jennifer's house on his way to town." Del leaned back in her chair.

"Why her house?" Cornelia looked over her shoulder.

"Who is Jennifer?" Ross asked.

"She's an elderly snow leopardess who lives a few houses over towards town. He stops by there at least once a week."

"Maybe she needs help with something." Cornelia assumed.

"Yeah. When we visited last week he suddenly offers to rub her paws. It's so weird while we're all there." Del wrinkled her nose.

"Your father's hands are the greatest treatment my pads can get after a long day." Del's reminiscing mom couldn't help but pitch in.

"But he can offer to do that when we aren't visiting together." She folded her arms. "And why can't Jennifer go into town for something like that?"

"She is old Del, besides, your father likes to help others. Remember when grandma Macy was sick before she passed away? We went over to take care of her, and he would even go through the trouble of bathing her by himself."

"That's different." Del stated.

"He would do the same for you if you were sick." Cornelia gave the younger vixen a knowing look.

"But it's so... Blah!" She turned to Ross.

"Oh I'm sure you would love to finish your day of hunting at the grooming spa with Tavi, the old tigress, rubbing all of the tension out of your pads." Cornelia looked back at her daughter with a keen eye.

"Well... Now that I am thinking about it. That's would be nice to have someone give me a foot rub at the end of the day." Del changed her mind.

"See! I'm not so crazy." Cornelia smiled as the pan sizzled hotly.

"Now Ross. Don't be shy." Del giggled touching his hand with a foot.

"No thanks." He shied away with a wry smile.

"Aww." Her ears went back, feigning dismay.

"Goodnight!"

"Goodnight my two peas in a pod." Cornelia replied before entering the master bedroom.

"Your mom has the funniest sayings." Ross grinned and followed Del upstairs.

"That's my mom." Del shrugged. The two had spent the day around the house, or walking a little inland. Ross started returning to his old self in the foxes' company, along with a neighbor or two. "Welcome to my room." She held her arms out in presentation. Ross looked around the nice space that was fairly standard. A bed, small desk, a different "desk" for jewelry, and a few nautical ornaments decorated her cream colored walls. Her bow and quiver sat nestled by the door, ready to hunt. He inhaled. The space definitely smelled like her! A window had a beautiful view of the ocean and beach too. Everything hinted at someone being raised by the sea, but the vixen preferred the forest any day.

"You have a neat room Del." Ross admired the personal touches.

"Thanks. I keep everything simple because I'm hardly here." She balanced on one foot, then the other. "Do you want to sleep in my bed for the night?" Del offered.

"No. I don't want to run you out of your own bed. The floor is fine."

"Are you sure? I can sleep on the floor."

"Don't worry. You're doing so much for me already." He insisted. Del shook her head at his stubbornness but went over to a small closet and retrieved some blankets and a spare pillow. A spare bed was readily made beside the fox's bed. Del cut off the light and jumped into bed where she snuggled in. Ross lied down and folded his arms behind his head. The makeshift bed wasn't very comfortable, but it would do.

"Did you want to embark from home and do everything on your own when you lived with your parents?" Del asked staring up at the ceiling, tapping her foot in the air thoughtfully.

"It was more of an 'I had to' rather than wanted to." He surprised her. "It isn't easy making a living in the savanna and the land is infertile from a lack of crop rotation over the past decade. The people are generally poor and the extreme weather doesn't help."

"Yikes." She managed to reply.

"Yeah. That's why I moved." He quietly stared at the ceiling. "It's practically a paradise living here compared to there."

"I want to move out," she stalled, "but I don't want to move far away from home." The problem sounded unique and dualistic in itself.

"How are you going to do that?"

"I don't know yet... Maybe I could live near your house. There isn't a lot on your side of the river, so I would definitely be on my own. I can fish if I have to, but I'd rather hunt with my bow."

"You could move in with me to get started." He offered.

"It seems like you moved in with me for the time being." She mused.

"I move in when you want to move out." He found it funny. A moment of silence passed where the ocean could barely be heard outside.

"Are you doing alright without any clothes?" She looked over the bedside and asked. He took a moment to think about it.

"Yeah." Ross shifted a leg. "I mean I'm not the only one without them, so I should be fine after a day or two." Living with another family so different from his own would take some adjusting, especially after losing his house, but the hyena was in good company.

"Just had to ask." She stated with a shrug. "Goodnight."

"Night Del."

Ch.5

The morning sunlight lit Del's room in a golden shine. Ross sat up from a mediocre night's sleep with a stiff stretch. He was glad to be under a roof, but a wooden floor couldn't replace any bed. He stood up and accidentally brushed by a brown socked foot, but the owner failed to stir. Del was still asleep in her bed with the covers bunched around her feet. 'She can't even sleep with something covering her.' He mused. Her fur looked very radiant in the light, almost golden. 'Del's a very beautiful vixen.' The hyena was privileged to be a good friend of hers. The fox's front slowly rose and fell as she softly breathed. Ross stepped over to look out her window to the sea. The waves shimmered vibrantly in the sunrise as they calmly lapped against the shore. The clouds were colored with a beautiful palette of soft oranges, violets, and blues. No morning seemed so breathtakingly serene. 'No wonder she has such a tough time deciding to leave on her own.' Del lived in a paradise with family, friends, and location. Ross quietly stepped towards the door. 'I'll get to the shower before anyone else.' He quietly left her room and tiptoed down the stairs. To his first right in the short hallway an open door marked the full bathroom.

Inside it was fairly typical, however, the shower itself was open and could fit a family of four at once. To his left, the toilet was closed off in a thick yellow curtain decorated in a floral pattern. 'At least that isn't open.' He sighed with some relief and retrieved a towel from the cabinet. After a minute of toying with the knobs and controls the hyena stepped into a warm watered shower. "Oh... I needed this." He sighed feeling the anxiety and stress from the whole ordeal drip away. Ross jumped hearing the door suddenly open. "Who's there?!" He spun around finding Del closing the door with a towel under her arm.

"Just me." She winked setting her towel on top of his before standing in front of him outside the shower.

"Oh. Uh. Good morning." The hyena stared back at her through the water. The habit of clothed modesty was a tough one to break.

"Well?" Del tapped a foot. "Do you mind if I come and join you?" She asked. He shrugged in response. The nude female eagerly stepped in behind him and let the water soak her fur thoroughly.

"Isn't this a bit much?" Ross asked looking over his shoulder while she lathered a shampoo in her fur and hair.

"We're going to be naked anyway when we dry off." She reasoned for him. Ross nodded in agreement. The vixen certainly made a good point. "Don't waste the warm water." She nudged idle hyena's back with an elbow. "My mom will hog the shower until it turns cold even if the whole family is in here."

"What about your dad?"

"He's better to share than my mom, but he wakes up earlier than us." She stepped beside him to have better access to the water. Ross glanced over but kept to himself. It wasn't as odd as he initially thought despite Del brushing or bumping him. "You got up early and didn't wake me up." She mentioned while scrubbing her arms.

"I wanted to take a quick shower before anyone else wanted to take one."

"Three foxes under one roof requires plenty of shower sharing." She nodded to herself and rinsed her hair. It didn't take much imagination to figure that out. "Oh. I had a funny dream where I was surfing in the ocean. After a few waves half the town was surfing too, and then I rode a giant wave right to my room." The energetic vulpine motioned with her hand.

"You even have wild dreams." He chuckled to himself.

"Wild? That's a typical dream." She bumped his side. The door opened unbeknownst to them as someone else entered the steaming room. Ross nudged her in return.

"Good morning!" A female voice proclaimed cheerfully. Ross jumped and instinctively covered himself seeing Del's mom in the bathroom. The older vixen placed a towel beside theirs on the counter and stood by the counter with a hand on her hip.

"Hey mom." Del greeted her mother.

"Keeping Del clean for me?" The older vixen grinned at Ross, paying no attention to his nervous position.

"Um... I guess so." He shyly grinned.

"Good. She's always running around outside and forgets to take a bath when she comes back home." Cornelia poked fun at her daughter.

"I do not! Besides, I don't smell bad like dad after he goes fishing." The two vulpines shared a few playfully contended words. With the initial awkwardness gone, Ross uncovered himself and returned to rinsing off. No matter how much he tried to prepare, there was always something unexpected to happen.

"Is there any hot water left for me?" Del's mom asked as they both stepped out.

"There's plenty mom." Del said before turning to Ross and mouthing an 'I told you so.' The hyena snickered to himself. Del shook her body sending water everywhere before retrieving their towels. The older vixen stepped into the open shower, cut the water on, and began bathing herself while Ross and her daughter dried themselves. With a little damp fur they left the bathroom.

"Wait. Who's going to wash my back?" She feigned a frown holding up a back scrubber.

"We already dried our fur mom!" Del quickly hopped out of the doorway. "Sorry!" She closed it and walked into the kitchen with Ross. Her dad was sitting at the table reading a book. A cup of coffee rested in front of him with nothing else, of course. It was a little odd being naked in front of her parents, but he managed it fairy well in town for a day.

"Morning you two." Roger set his reading glasses aside and greeted the pair. "Is your mother showering, Del?"

"Yes."

"There goes the hot water for the rest of the day." He mused.

"Please tell me we have eggs." Del opened the fridge.

"Two left on the middle shelf." Roger nodded.

"Yes! Want one Ross?" She stood up with an egg in each hand.

"Sure." He watched the vixen whip out a pan on the stove and quickly fried them.

"Have a seat Ross. No one at this table bites, unless it's food." Roger offered a chair to the idle hyena.

"Thank you." He sat down across from him. Del quickly made eggs with toast and sat down beside Ross to eat.

"Like it?" She asked.

"Mmhm!" He nodded with a little yoke on his lips.

"What did you eat dad?" Del spoke through a mouthful of egg and toast.

"I fried up some grouper over the stove."

"The fisherman eating his catch." Del swallowed. Roger gave a proud grin while his daughter and Ross ate. Their was always a little pride in eating what you caught yourself.

"Done?" Del noticed the hyena's empty plate.

"Mmhm. Thank you making breakfast."

"No problem." She grinned taking his plate and rinsed it off for him, but stopped by the calendar on the wall. Her brow wrinkled into concentration.

"Something wrong?" Ross asked.

"Today is Tuesday... Tuesday."She repeated and looked over at her dad who returned a quizzical look of his own. Only a second passed before Del's hazel eyes snarled open. "Today is when mom wanted us to help plant her garden!" The vixen realized. Her dad's eyes widened as he nearly spit out his coffee.

"Today?!"

"What's so bad about that?" Ross asked. Del grabbed the hyena's shoulders.

"You've never had to-" Everyone's ears dialed hearing a door close and subsequent footsteps approach. The foxes' eyes widened seeing he matriarch step into the kitchen.

"Who's going to help me garden today?" Cornelia asked fluffing a damp section of fur on her chest. The mother now sported a simple bracelet on each wrist. Del quietly dashed outside and Roger wasn't far behind. "Del?" Cornelia looked in the kitchen and living room. "Drat. I bet she forgot. Roger, you're not leaving anywhere are you?" She gave her husband a predatory eye.

"Oh... Well you see... I uh have to go to town." He quickly drew up an excuse. The male fox gradually edged his way towards the unguarded front door.

"Town? What for?" She put her hands on her hips.

"Well the fishing guys are... uh gonna be there." Roger's weak excuse prompted a glaring look from his mate. "I'll be back in the evening!" The male fox slipped out just before the door caught his tail. Ross was left in the kitchen with Del's mom, Cornelia.

"Oh! Ugh!" She balled a fist and shook it. "Why doesn't anyone enjoy gardening with me?" The vixen crossly muttered and stomped her foot. The fuming fox finally exhaled her anger and looked across the kitchen. She froze spotting the remaining hyena in the room.

"I can help if you want." Ross meekly answered. The excitement in her brown eyes scared him.

"Great!" She enthusiastically clapped her hands together. "We can start now. Just let me tend to the laundry quickly." The vixen flicked her tail and walked to the side room adjacent to the kitchen. He curiously followed her.

"Laundry?" Ross thought aloud in a laundry room. 'What would a nude family need to do laundry for?' He thought to himself.

"Every family has some laundry." Cornelia stated with a wink. The older vixen pulled out damp towels and sheets from a washing machine where they were then tossed into a basket. She grinned pulling out a large bed sheet. "I can't seem to get Del wrapped up in one when it's cold. She will run outside even if her nose is about to fall off!" The older vixen chuckled to herself tossing the sheet into the basket. Lastly, a familiar item ended up in her brown socked hands. "I'm sorry, but I just can't get the uh." She smelled the shirt before wrinkling her nose. "That slight watery smell out of it." The vixen shrugged holding the shirt away.

"That's fine. It's not like I need to wear one with you all." He took his shirt back and folded it.

"Do whatever makes you comfortable." She smiled. "If I have to knit one for you then I'll try my best."

"Thank you for the consideration, but you don't have to."

"No problem at all." She swished her tail and searched a high shelf for something. "Can you help me Ross?" Cornelia was balancing on one paw trying to reach a high shelf above the washer where a container of clothes pins were.

"Sure." The hyena quickly retrieved them for her.

"Ah, thank you. If I was just a little taller then it wouldn't be a problem, but that's why I need the help." She swished her tail. "Now if we can hang these up to dry, then gardening will be next." The mother vixen took the basket and went outside with the hyena in tow. Outside was sunny and warm with the gentle waves lapping at the shore in the distance. Their cottage home was a short walk from the beach, but plenty of sea oats and a small dune protected them from erosion or a sudden flood. She brought him to a clothesline and set the basket down. The vixen immediately went to work with Ross's help. The sea oats around them rustled from a light breeze.

"Is it normally this calm by the sea?"

"There's usually a light breeze on the beach, but heavy gusts are definitely not normal here." She plucked a strand of hair from her face before hanging up a blanket. The breeze helped dry their fur while they finished pinning up a few sheets. "Let's see..." Cornelia set the basket aside by the house and picked up a bunch of seed packets. "This is what I bought in town a few days ago to plant." She showed him.

'There's probably two dozen packets!' Ross started to realize why Roger and Del were so quick to slip away. "What else do you have?" He was afraid to ask.

"That's all. I have two spades to dig with." She pointed to a few old garden boxes that needed to be cleared out. "I want the marigolds right here." She patted the soft soil. "And the tulips can go... here." Cornelia seemed to be changing her mind already.

***

"Phew!" Cornelia plopped down in the sandy soil and stretched her legs. "Thank you for all the help Ross." Cornelia wiped her forehead with an accomplished sigh.

"It's the least I can do for all the help y'all have given me, but I didn't know gardening was so work intensive."

"It's certainly a workout if you want everything planted in one day like me." She grinned looking out at sea. The two had been working on her garden for the entire morning and afternoon with little pause under the hot sun. The only drinkable water he saw had been given to the newly planted seeds. Ross crumbled up the last empty seed packet.

"It definitely helped get my mind off things." He looked around the planted areas with a sense of accomplishment. "And I'll definitely sleep well tonight." He stated receiving a chuckle from Del's mom.

"I guess we can go inside now." Cornelia grinned looking at her newly revived garden.

"Need any help?" Ross quickly stood up and offered her a hand.

"Thanks." Her hand pads were soft. They walked inside and were welcomed with a much cooler environment. "Ah, the floorboards are nice and cool on my pads." The vixen closed her eyes and stepped slowly into the kitchen. "I'll get us some water. You take a seat and relax." She offered the chairs.

"Thank you." Ross happily sat down. Cornelia brought two glasses of cold water and joined him.

"I cannot thank you enough for helping me garden today Ross." The mother vixen patted his shoulder.

"It's no problem. Really." He modestly answered. She smiled crossing her legs and half turned to the hyena. Her reddish orange tail swished lazily behind her as she took a sip. The cold water was nice on such a hot day.

"I heard from Kathy that Isaac and Beatrice were arguing again."

"Who is that?" The unfamiliar names passed through his ears.

"Oh they're a young couple from a town upriver. Isaac is a fawn and white colored wolf and Beatrice is a red squirrel. They still need to figure each other out before committing." She mused.

"And who is Kathy?"

"She's the opossum in her sixties living next door to us." Cornelia pointed down the beach towards town. "The more you stay in town or at least around here, the more people you will know." She nodded. "Do you plan on settling down here?"

"I'd really like to." He admitted with a grin. "It's really beautiful here, and everyone is really kind to a stranger like me. Y'all so kindly invited me to stay until my house is rebuilt too. I have plenty of land behind where my house was... It's just so much more than what life I would've thought to live as a kid."

"I'm glad to hear that you want to stay." She paused to down a little water. "Mm. Del would be heartbroken if you left."

"Heartbroken?" He tilted his head.

"There hasn't been someone here around her age to hunt, play, talk to, and relax with like you. Hardly a day passes without her mentioning your name."

"I had no idea..." Ross thought of the information like a complement. "Isn't Johanna around often?"

"She's fairly busy with her own things. You and Del are always together like two peas in a pod!" Cornelia acknowledged. Ross dwelled on her comments warmly. "Have you been to the grooming spa in town?" The mother vixen started a new conversation after she went over to the counter to put the used cup away.

"No." He shook his head.

"Oh my! It is wonderful, but males don't seem to go there very often. It's a female thing." She winked. "If Del ever settles her energetic self down somewhere I'll spend my days in the spa having my fur groomed and body massaged... That's a perfect slice of heaven to me." She sighed.

"What will Roger do if you're there all day?" Ross mused.

"I wish he would pamper me like that, but some days he comes back from the sea smelling like a fish. Eww!" She pinched her nose. They both laughed. Her brown ears suddenly dialed out. "And speaking of smelling fish." Cornelia looked over toward the door. The front door quietly creaked open. Del and Roger slipped back inside, tiptoeing to the kitchen only to freeze under Cornelia's hardened stare. She crossed her arms and tapped her foot. The fox's face turned to an expression of guilt seeing his mate at the kitchen table. Cornelia beckoned for him to come over with a finger. When he failed to move she stood up and approached him. "Your lazy tail is going to make dinner tonight for running around." Cornelia grabbed her husband by the ear.

"Ow! Hey!" Rogers's pleas continued as his wife dragged him into the kitchen. Roger slipped away and joined Del in the small living room.

"Sorry to abandon you back here. How did you fare?" Del asked.

"Gardening was a lot of hard work, but fun." He grinned much to her surprise.

"Whaaat?" She gawked at him.

"So this is Johanna's house?" Ross asked as he and Del approached a small home at the end of a dirt pathway. A few trees dotted one side of the path. The rolling hills of a green meadow graced the land behind her house. Johanna lived across the river from town in the fields and forests by herself.

"Yes sir!" Del strolled up to the door and knocked. A few moments passed but no one opened the door.

"Maybe she isn't home." Ross guessed.

"No. Johanna definitely told me that she would be here this morning to spend the day with us." She frowned. "Hellooo!" Del knocked on the front door again. "Where could she be?" The vixen crossed her arms and tapped a foot impatiently.

"You sure can make a lot of noise Del." A voice teased. They turned around and found the blonde vixen happily watching them from a hammock. Johanna pulled off her sunglasses revealing two bright blue eyes that matched her smile.

"How long have you been there?"

"A while." She hopped out of the hammock. "It's great to see you Del." She hugged her friend.

"What a sneaky fox." Del teased.

"It's nice to see you again too Ross." She hugged the hyena.

"Thanks for inviting me."

"You're welcome at my house anytime, and I'm sorry to hear about your house." Johanna patted his back. The embrace from the buxom lady was comforting.

"If it wasn't for Del then I would be sleeping under a tree right now."

"You're lucky to have Del as such a good friend." She placed a hand on Del's shoulder.

"I am." He grinned at the vulpine pair.

"And if she wears you out, I'll be happy to fix up the spare room for you upstairs." Johanna chuckled pointing up at her house.

"Are you ready to go or what?" Del impatiently asked.

"Sure. Let me put these away." Johanna held up the sunglasses and opened the door. "You two can come in!" They walked into a small kitchen. Her house was small like Del's with a living room, kitchen, and shower room all looped together on the first floor. A staircase led from the kitchen to upstairs where two bedrooms and a bathroom were. It was a homely and comfortable space for a single person who might have the occasional visitor. "I like your home Johanna." Ross looked around the area. It was nicely settled in with personal touches without any bulk.

"Thanks." The blonde vixen dug through a drawer until she found a multicolored woven necklace.

"Can't leave without your necklace can you?" Del teased crossing her arms.

"Not unless you leave your blue and white bandana." Johanna grinned. Del gave a shrug. She rarely went without it on her forehead to keep her bangs up. "Ok. Let's go!" Johanna clipped on her necklace. The blonde vixen led them around the back of her house and straight into the rolling meadows bordered by trees to the north. They walked a good distance for maybe half an hour before taking a moment to look around on a higher hilltop. "How do you like the meadows and trees so far Ross?" Johanna turned to the reserved hyena.

"It's very nice... and green." He liked the fresh air that wasn't salty. The air, sunshine, and open space was something different to experience in the nude.

"The grass under my pads..." Del took a few long strides wearing a content smile. "I forget how nice it is out here."

"You're always in the woods, sand, or a canoe." Ross bumped her side.

"You would know." She almost pecked him with her nose and bumped back.

"You two are joined at the hip." Johanna observed. The pair merely shrugged in unison.

"We went hunting together yesterday." Del pointed out.

"Nothing new there." The blonde vixen grinned. "Did Ross bring his shotgun?"

"Nope. He carried my quiver for me."

"So Del was the only one that took any shots?" She looked at both of them.

"I was too sore to properly aim her bow." Ross admitted with a laugh.

"How did that happen?" Johanna expected it from chopping wood.

"He helped my mom garden the other day." Del surprised her friend.

"Gardening? With your mom?" Johanna looked at Ross with a skeptical eye.

"It's true." Ross gave her a thumbs up.

"How are you walking?" The blue eyed vixen joked.

"Ross still has to wrestle with me at least once. He promised." Del winked at the hyena.

"Careful Ross. She's really good at wrestling."

"I've been avoiding it since I moved in with her." He chuckled.

"So are you moving in with Del permanently?" Johanna asked with a light skip and a gleam in her eye.

"I'll move out once my house is rebuilt, but that could take over a month."

"Oh." She gave a slow nod hoping for another answer. "Are people from town helping you build?"

"No. I have a firm from upriver coming down to rebuild my cabin."

"Ok, some textiles."

"Textiles?"

"It's what we generally call someone who wear clothes all the time." Del explained.

"If you go far enough up north, beyond two more small towns where there are cities, then it's a taboo to be naked in public. Down here it isn't. So there's the difference." Johanna gave her explanation. "Whenever there's a construction project someone from up there comes down river, and their reactions are pretty funny."

'I can imagine.' Ross thought to himself. "Wait. Does that make me a textile?"

"You aren't wearing anything are you?" Johanna teased the naked hyena.

"No." Del grabbed his hand and answered for him. "But no one would mind if he wanted to wear something." Her friend shrugged and stopped walking.

"We can take a break here." Johanna stopped on a higher hill after a mile or so of walking. All three lied down on the green hillside, enjoying one of nature's many pristine views.

"The view is gorgeous." Del stared out, propped up on her elbows. Rolling hills greeted the, for a good distance before scattered trees blocked the scenic view.

"There's nothing like sunning your fur in a meadow either." Johanna sprawled out in the lush green grass.

"If only our breasts didn't try rolling towards our sides." Del giggled shaking her chest so they could stay in the middle to no avail.

"At least Ross can enjoy the sun without that troubling him." Johanna nodded letting hers lay wherever. Neither had small breasts.

"We have so much more to manage than males." Del pointed a finger into the sky.

"You're right." Johanna nodded. "Females have hair to comb, not just their head fur. Although a visor or bandana does the trick there."

"Giving birth too." Del added.

"Can't forget that one." She nodded. "We should take over the world! What do you say Ross?" The blonde vixen rolled onto her side and looked over at the quiet hyena.

"You're crazy." He closed his eyes. Both vixen's cackled laughing until their abs hurt.

The door to a certain seaside cottage opened as Ross and Del entered home just as the sun was setting. Roger was sitting in the den reading a book, and Cornelia was in the kitchen washing dishes when her ears caught the noise.

"How did you visit with Johanna go?" Cornelia asked.

"It was a lot of fun!" Del yelled as she ran upstairs to her room.

"That's good. Did you two get to eat?" She looked over her shoulder seeing Ross take a seat by the table.

"Yes ma'am. We cooked up a nice meal after spending the afternoon in the meadows."

"I love spending time at the meadows across the river. You know, the fresh air down from the mountains and the beautiful sights. The creeks and woods are silent from anyone else, except nature herself." Cornelia poetically stated.

"That's a lot better than I could've explained it." He rubbed his neck. "What did y'all have to eat?" Ross watched her clean a second plate.

"We almost didn't eat because Roger brought me something spoiled from the freezer."

"Do you wanna catch the food?" Roger challenged.

"I can, but I don't want you cooking it." She smartly answered. Roger looked away with a beaten frown while the smiling Cornelia hummed and dried her hands.

"Oh, I almost forgot." Roger stood up and retrieved something on the counter. "They found these in the small chest while taking apart a drawer." Roger handed Ross a deck of cards.

"Oh! These are the cards I used to play rummy with my friends back at my old home in the savanna."

"What's rummy?" Roger asked. "Nothing to do with rum, right?" He tapped his cup in jest.

"It's a card game." Ross explained only to receive a blank stare. "You haven't played it before?"

"No. Have you Cornelia?"

"No." The vixen shook her head and took a seat.

"What are y'all doing?" Del walked up to the table.

"Ross is teaching us how to play the rummy card game." Cornelia motioned to a seat for her daughter.

"Count me in!" The young vixen joined them. After a good deal of explanation and a practice game Ross dealt everyone a hand of cards. The hyena organized his cards, as odd everyone else.

"Is this a good hand?" Cornelia leaned over showing her cards to her husband. The fox merely shrugged. "I never sat inside long enough to learn cards." She tapped her foot looking out the window into the early night. A quiet rain pattered outside.

"There's always something you can do before going to bed." Roger said looking at the cards in his hand curiously. Ross looked at Del's hand suspiciously.

"What?" She looked back at the hyena.

"Del, you're missing a card in your hand." He pointed to the vixen's hand. "You should have six, not five."

"I have it right here. Ace in the hole right?" The vixen stood up revealing the card's edge stuck in her white furred labia.

"That's not what I meant last game." Ross slouched back into his chair.

"Isn't poker and rummy the same thing?"

"They are different games Del." The hyena shook his head in resignation.

"I can still play it right?" Del set the card on the table.

"Oh Del..." Ross couldn't help but smile at how silly it was. The expert huntress wasn't a gambler or card dealer by any means!

"Oh... Sorry Ross, I did the same thing." Del's mother stood up revealing an ace sticking out from her womanhood.

'How did this happen?' He looked at Del's father half expecting something bizarre.

"Well Ross, I can promise you that I'm not sitting on any cards." Roger stood up and showed his hand. Everyone laughed until the lights suddenly went out, enshrouding the cottage home in darkness. "Power is out." Roger's voice quietly spoke from his end of the table.

"Ok Mr. Obvious." Del retorted scooting her chair back.

"Hold on just a second. I have some flashlights and candles for just such an emergency." Ross could hear Cornelia stand up and shuffle over to the counter. Ross jumped in his seat feeling something brush by his leg.

"I dropped a card." Del giggled at how easily he was spooked.

"Just put it back on the table this time." He stood up hearing the vixen crawling out from under the table. A beam of light suddenly shined across the room.

"I found enough flashlights." Cornelia illuminated herself with the light. Roger and Del quickly retrieved theirs. Ross started to maneuver around the table only for a shadow to move in front of him.

"Boo!" Del turned the flashlight on to give her face a spooky appearance.

"Stop scaring me!"

"Oh, fine." She chuckled and batted his side with a tail. Del backed up only to hit something. "Ouch!" She groaned.

"Are you ok?" Ross stepped forward and felt through the darkness only to grab her ear with one hand, and a breast with another. "Sorry!" He bashfully retracted his hands.

"It's fine!" The hunched over Del stood up and rubbed her foot. "I nearly kicked my heel off." She grumbled. Their ears perked up hearing a knock at the front door.

"I'll get it." Roger successfully navigated across the room and opened the door. From what Ross could see with the flashlight, it was an opossum at the door. The female had pudgy belly fat under her silver belly fur, a white and silver ticked muzzle, and evident sag in her breasts revealing her older age. She was the image of a seasoned veteran of cooking, caring, and child rearing. "Wonderful night we're having Kathy." Roger smiled and invited her inside.

"Thank you dear." She adjusted the small circular glasses on her muzzle. "Although losing power wasn't my idea."

"It wasn't ours either." He stopped between the kitchen and den where other flashlights were searching through the darkness.

"I must be in a house of lighthouses!" Kathy chortled at the wandering beams of light.

"It's nice of you to stop by Kathy, electricity or not." Cornelia greeted her friend.

"I hope I'm not intruding on something here." She looked across the dark kitchen where the middle aged vixen was rummaging through a cabinet.

"Oh not at all! We don't mind if you come over."

"Thank you. I see there's an extra person here." The opossum spied Ross beside Del, who was rubbing her hurt foot.

"That's Ross. He's staying with us until his house is rebuilt from that terrible storm."

"Oh my. And we're just out of power for a while." She felt empathy for the hyena. "You can come here and say hello Ross. I won't bite." Kathy grinned with all of her teeth.

"Hello ma'am." Ross approached the older female and greeted her.

"You're a handsome hyena." She smiled and shook his hand.

"Thank you ma'am." He shyly grinned.

"Please sit down if you want Kathy." Roger offered the den to her.

"Thank you." She accepted the offer. "Could you shine the light this way?" The opossum asked and felt around the wall.

"Where are the candles at?" Roger asked.

"Laundry room. Above the washer." Cornelia went to get them and lit a bunch. The kitchen and den were quickly visible once more.

"It's like a dungeon." Del said in a spooky voice.

"Are you feeling better?" Ross patted her back. She nodded despite some soreness. Roger and Kathy sat down in the small den. Cornelia soon joined them with some extra lighting.

"At least we missed the large thunderstorm." She found a silver lining in the situation. Del pulled Ross over to the hallway.

"Wanna play shadow puppets in my room? I've been practicing!" The energetic vixen offered by cracking her knuckles.

"Sure." He followed her upstairs.

"Do you need a candle Del?!" Her mother called from the den.

"No! We have a flashlight." She barked back and led Ross inside before closing the door. They sat down on the hyena's makeshift bedding.

"Did you like the card game downstairs?" Ross asked.

"Your idea of a game is so confusing." She admitted.

"It's not complicated. My friends and family in the savanna played it all the time."

"You must have smart friends."

"Hardly." He aimed the flashlight at the blank wall. "So what made you want to play shadow puppets?"

"Because you're so good at it!" The vixen stuck her tongue out in concentration and maneuvered her hands. "Okay... A horse!" Del proudly showed a horse's head on the wall to start.

"That's really good!" Ross was impressed. The vixen watched him set up his hands next. Horns and a face immediately formed.

"Here's a goat."

"Oh my... How do you do that?" She looked back and forth between him and the wall.

"See how I use my fingers?" He pointed to the walls it's his nose.

"Let me try something..." Del thought aloud. "Hold my foot up!" She stuck her leg out. Ross obliged, but her hands didn't add anything to the already odd shadow.

"This isn't working Del." Ross watched an amorphous shape constantly change on the wall.

"Keep my toes spread! This will work!" She half laughed through her serious voice.

Ch.6

A sudden passing shower brought heavy rain to the area along the coast, catching many locals off guard.

"Quick! That tree!" Del yelled dashing towards a large oak. The vixen and hyena dashed through a bunch of honeysuckles for the tree to avoid getting soaked. The seashell necklace that Del wore jumped and clinked together as they scrambled to sit underneath the dry zone. They listened to the rain pour while they caught their breath. "That was too... all of a sudden." She blew a sigh of relief and ruffled the white fur on her front. "I'm glad I didn't bring my bow to hunt. We would be a sorry sight to see walking back home!" Del found something in the situation to laugh about.

"I can only imagine what your mom would say." Ross watched the pouring rain.

"I know all too well." Del organized her disheveled hair. "She'd make us stand outside until we could dry ourselves with some towels." They quietly listened to the rain shoulder to shoulder.

"So what do you want to do when this passes." He noted how the rain's intensity was gradually fading.

"Hmm." Del curled up her legs in thought. "We tended to mom's garden; went to town; ate at a small cafe; then walked through the marshy land between the beach houses and main river... What's left?" She looked at him. Ross started to think but a pleasant smell caught his nose.

"Mm. You smell nice." He leaned closer and inhaled the flowery feminine scent.

"We ran through a bunch of honeysuckles." She brushed some of the petals off her fur.

"I know, but I still mean it." Ross honestly stated.

"Thank you." She softly replied, blushing beneath her white and orange cheek fur. He stared at her lovely hazel eyes without blinking. Her beautiful vulpine face stared back unwaveringly. Their muzzles were a mere inch apart. Without a second thought, his head craned forward bringing his lips to hers. He kissed her! Del's eyes widened, but she didn't retreat. Ross backed off seeing her surprised expression. The warmth of her still tingled on his lips. The vulpine's tail flicked up excitedly and her brown ears pinned halfway back. Del's heart pattered with merry giddiness.

'She's smiling.' Ross bit his lip at the good sign. His ears rotated noting the lack of noise. "The rain stopped-" No sooner than when he finished, Del grasped both of his hands and tugged him towards the shore.

"Come on!" She eagerly helped him through the sea grass. They ran over the sand and splashed into ankle deep water. The waves crashed along their feet as they leisurely walked. Very little was said between the two for the next hundred steps or so, but neither seemed to lose their love struck grins. "Hey! Look!" Del jumped over as a wave receded and retrieved a small sand dollar the size of a large coin.

"That's good luck." Ross looked at the small seashell in her palm. Del ran her thumb over its surface before unexpectedly tossing it into the waves. "Why did you do that?" The hyena was dumbfounded.

"You're the only good luck that I want." She smiled at him. Ross shyly rubbed his mane staring out at the ocean. "Wanna go swimming in the ocean?" Del suggested as a wave tumbled over their feet.

"Sure!" They waded into the water, through the low waves, until they were roughly chest deep. The water was cool and refreshing from the warm air. Ross kicked his legs underwater feeling everything naturally settle. He never imagined swimming naked would be so much fun or feel so nice without clothes restricting him.

"Look out!" Del screamed before a tall wave washed over them. Their heads popped beside one another above the surface.

"Refreshing." Ross shook his head.

"That's one way to get soaked." Del parted wet hair from her hazel eyes. Ross stiffened feeling something brush by his leg. "What was that?!" He looked around the water fearfully.

"Probably my tail." Del giggled holding up the orange appendage.

"Sheesh." He gave a sigh of relief and floated above a passing low wave. "Do you go swimming often?"

"No. It's boring unless I have someone else to swim with." She winked at him. "I prefer being on dry land in the woods."

"I could guess that much." The hyena kicked his feet up to float on his back.

"Mmhm." Del nodded. "Hunting is a lot of fun, and so is walking with someone. You know what else is fun on land?" She asked him with a predatory look in her eye.

"What?" Ross didn't like the look.

"Wrestling!" The vixen dove after him.

"No!" He waded away from her onto the beach.

"You can't out swim me!" Del chased the hyena through the waves and sand. They faced off, but Ross kept a good distance so she couldn't grab him. "Just grab me! Then we'll tussle!" She challenged the hesitant hyena. Ross turned tail and ran back to the water, but Del was quick to follow. Brown hands grabbed his torso and rolled him to the wet sand before swiftly pinning his shoulders and legs. The hyena found himself looking up at the pretty vixen. Her panting smile was lovely to stare at. Sea foam bubbled around them as a wave spread in the sand. Below her dangling breasts and seashell necklace was a vulnerable belly. A moment for revenge! "I think you should promise me a rematch." She licked her nose feeling victorious.

"I don't know..." He started poking her belly.

"Aahaha! Stop!" She giggled and fell into the sand beside him. Ross jumped behind Del and pinned her sides with his legs. "No more!" She squealed expecting another attack. The hyena rested his cheek on her shoulder and rubbed her tummy rather than prod it. "Oh. That's better." She took a sigh of relief and let him rub her. Ross smiled and hugged the vixen's soaked mid section. The sun started peeking out from the clouds. The sky and sea seemed endless, even to the point where they connected at the horizon. Del hummed contently. "Wanna walk more?" She leaned her head back and asked Ross.

"I'd love to." He nodded and helped her up. They walked along the sandy shore for half a mile, joking and playing with each other. Their bodies were dripping wet without a care in the world. Ross loved every second of it. The wind felt great against his bare body. Fur ruffled and parted as the breeze passed.

"There's a dock we can sit on." She pointed to a small dock that was within sight of her house. Del tugged him to hurry down the beach.

"Who's dock is this?"

"A skunk couple. They live here for half the year, and upriver the other half." She glanced at the house across from the low dune ridge. The house, surrounding fence, and shed were very bright and new in appearance with a fresh coat of paint. The pair walked walked to the end where they sat down. The solid wooden boards contrasted nicely from the shifting sand.

"There plenty of paint cans." Ross noticed half a dozen beside them.

"They must have some leftover cans from painting their house." Del assumed looking at the partially filled cans. "Oops." She accidentally dipped a finger into yellow paint. The vixen looked around for a way to clean her finger without having to jump into the water again. Ross looked over feeling something drag over his arm.

"Del, what are you doing?" A long yellow stripe now marked his upper arm.

"I'm painting you of course." She teased.

"Oh yeah?" He dipped his fingers in the blue paint and decorated the vixen's chest. Del laughed and quickly smeared some yellow paint over his cheeks. Colors blended as hands readily exchanged paint, and when they finished, each one resembled a painted work of art. They both laughed uncontrollably seeing each other painted up from ear tip to toe with every possible color. "I wish I had a camera with me." Ross laughed.

"Me too! Haha!" She could imagine a picture of them hanging in the house.

"Wanna wash off before it dries?" Ross stood up and offered his hand. She nodded and stood up. They both cheered and jumped off the dock hand in hand. The hyena and vixen waded to waist deep water so the waves could wash over them.

"You have a smudge of white on your shoulder." Del pointed out the spot he couldn't reach and quickly cleaned it.

"Thanks. You still have some green on your sides." Ross rubbed through her oranges fur. They ended up cleaning each other more than themselves.

"Look me over." She held her arms high in the air.

"Your fur is clean, and you're beautiful as always." He inspected her with a careful eye.

"Stop." She bashfully covered her grinning muzzle and batted him with a wet tail. They waded back onto the sandy shore and didn't bother shaking their bodies free of water. Both walked down the dock and sat on the end together, pressed side to side. "Wow. Today was great." Del sighed as their fur started drying all over again under the waning sun.

"You could say that again." Ross agreed. It was the best day of his life as far as he was concerned. The sensations in his chest were exhilarating. He was with Del having the time of his life without a care in the world. Nudity had become a freeing, wonderful experience. "Hey, uh-" Ross noticed that the red vixen was staring at his lap with a peculiar look. He looked down and his jaw dropped seeing his black member, fully erect, pointing towards the sky. All of the exciting fun left his body in an instant. "Oh my-I didn't mean-! I'm sorry!" He quickly raised a leg to cover the scene. Ross covered his eyes and looked away from her. His heart sank. 'She's done so much for me, but now I ruined everything!' He felt his eyes water and cheeks burn in utter embarrassment. Frustration burned in his stomach angrily as Ross thought about the kiss he gave her earlier. He looked back at Del through watery eyes feeling a hand softly rest on his shoulder.

"Hey it's ok. It happens." She softly spoke.

"Happens? Just to me apparently!" He shook his head feeling his face burn.

"It's more common than you think. My dad gets them occasionally while he's sitting in the den reading a book."

"What does he do?"

"Nothing. It goes away, and there's nothing to be ashamed about something natural." She motioned to his lap. Ross glanced noticing that the whole reason he was embarrassed had returned to a normal state. The hyena exhaled tensely and set his leg back down. "Even if it happens around others or in town it's not that big of a deal." Del further consoled him.

"Are you saying that to make me feel better?" He half expected her to say yes.

"Honestly, no." The vixen held up a hand as if she was under oath. "Although I might poke fun at you next time it happens." She smiled and gently elbowed his side. He grinned and batted her arm back.

"Thanks for being honest." He softly spoke.

"No problem Ross, although, I didn't mean to stare at you." She shyly rubbed her arm. "Sorry." Her brown ears folded back too.

"After everything you, your family, and everyone has kindly done for me, you don't need to apologize for staring. Thank you for everything." He smiled back at the beautiful vixen. He set his hand on the dock only to accidentally place it on hers. She looked away briefly wearing a shy grin, ears flat against her skull. Her pretty brown eyes looked back at him with a loving twinkle from the sun's rays making his heart flutter erratically. "I like you a lot Del." He mustered the courage to say it.

"I like you too." She picked up the hyena's hand and scooted closer bumping into him. The grin returned to his face as Del held his hand in her lap. "And I..." She paused with a cute grin. "I liked that kiss earlier when it was raining."

"I did too." Ross squeezed her hands as their heads craned closer. Their damp noses met, and the short hairs on their chins brushed together. Their second kiss was fuller, longer, and much more satisfying. Their eyes appeared brighter when they parted.

"You did say that I could move in with you, right?" She brushed her muzzle over his own.

"Yeah, anytime." He returned the intimate gesture.

"I'd like that." Del stood up and offered the hyena her hand. He gladly accepted and they walked down the beach to the vixen's home, holding hands.

Del stepped out of the bathroom having taken a shower. Her mother was still rinsing inside.

"Morning Del." Roger noticed his daughter enter the kitchen.

"Good morning!" Del gave her father a strong hug that nearly purged the coffee from him.

'She's got quite an arm.' He winced. "You look extra happy this morning." The older todd fox noticed a clear spring in his daughter's steps.

"I am!" She flicked her tail up and searched through the fridge.

"We don't even have eggs this morning."

"Oh that's fine." She heart fully sang, standing back up before shutting the fridge with her foot. Roger's head tilted in confusion.

'No eggs and she sings?' The older fox was thrown for a loop. Cornelia stepped out of the bathroom fluffing out her damp belly fur. She walked into the kitchen only to find her daughter dancing around the room while humming.

"What's going on?" Cornelia asked her mate.

"She is probably thinking about Ross." He whispered. The older vixen held back a giggle.

"I miss having someone in the house to help me garden." She sighed with a grin. "You must miss him the most Del. You two love each other so much." The younger vixen drew her foot over the floor with a love struck grin.

"We love each each other." The words alone made Del's heart beat fanatically.

"Isn't his house built small for one occupant?" Roger teased.

"Hey, our house isn't so... so-" Del bit her lip looking at her dad's knowledgable grin.

"Our house?" He chided her playfully. She bit her claw and briefly looked away wearing that giddy coy grin. "When are you two moving in together?"

"You don't mind if I live with him?" Roger chuckled warmly at her question.

"I was surprised that you didn't leave with him the other day. You two are practically mates now, right?" He asked. Del nodded. "Then go live with your mate and start a new chapter in your life. You two can't live separately when you love each other."

"I think it's a good idea too." Cornelia agreed.

"Thanks!" Del quickly ran upstairs and packed two beach bags and carried her bow. The young vixen hurried back down to say goodbye.

"You two can come visit anytime." Cornelia hugged her daughter goodbye.

"Thanks mom." Del grinned.

"Oh. And don't discount us coming up for a visit too." The older vixen continued the embrace.

"Ok mom! Our chests are squished together!" Del laughed and stepped back. "Bye dad." She gave Roger a hug.

"We love you, and we will always respect your decisions." He patted her back.

"Thank you!" She cried out and ran outside. Even with the extra bags and bow to carry, Del made it to the little dock on the river in record time. She loaded up and paddled with vigor upriver.

Ross was on the dock fishing leisurely. His legs hung over the edge and swayed lightly back and forth. The hyena was naked, and didn't posses a thread of clothing to his name anymore.

"Hey!" Del yelled and waved from her canoe, quickly approaching him. He waved seeing the vixen paddling towards him. She tied the small vessel to the end of his dock and breathlessly jumped up to greet him with a hug. Ross dropped his fishing rod from the tight squeeze, but smiled anyway.

"Hey! How are you?" He stepped back from her strong hug.

"Wonderful!" She cheered, swishing her tail excitedly.

"What's with all the stuff in your canoe?" Ross peered over her shoulder. The vixen took a step back, smiling openly with every tooth.

"My parents agreed that it's a good idea for me to move in with you."

"That's great!"

"I know! I haven't seen the inside yet!" She hopped in place looking uphill. The new cabin was several meters deeper in the woods and much of the previously muddy hillside had young saplings and bushes planted to prevent further soil erosion.

"Let me get your bags for you." He carried them from the canoe and up the hill. Del followed him closely with her bow in hand. Her heart excitedly thumped. When they finally reached the door she eagerly set her stuff aside. The rustic cabin home hadn't changed very much from its original design, but it was just like stepping into his old house for the first time. A large open space was divided between the den, dining room, and kitchen. Two rocking chairs sat idly by the fire with a rug.

"Do you have your smokehouse room filled up yet?" Del flicked her tail towards the closed room.

"It's a spare room now. If someone wants to come over for a while." He shrugged.

"Like Johanna or my parents." Del fondly thought of her friends and family. "What about your smokehouse for meat?"

"I'm going to build a small one outside, but I have a freezer to store things for now." He explained to the awestruck vixen.

"Wow. It's like your old cabin, but new." Del walked around. "The floors feel fresh and new too." She rubbed her paws over the smooth wooden surface.

"Because they are new." He poked fun at her. The vixen elbowed his side gently and walked around the den.

"Is this still your bathroom?" Del tapped the door.

"Yep." He opened it. "With a few small changes." The space was larger to fit a larger shower, but the vixen was surprised to see what else he changed.

"I see your shower is open now." Del pointed out the outside that now lacked a curtain and resembled the one at her house.

"I thought it would be a nice feature to take away."

"It is a great change." She smiled at him. The once shy and constantly clothed hyena had changed a lot since she first met him. "The bedroom?" Del pointed to the opposite door.

"Our bedroom." He opened it and invited her in. Inside was a simple bedroom practically designed for two. A queen sized bed rested in the center surrounded by red deerskin rugs. Everything else was upstart or empty, with a shotgun and hunting rifle leaning against a wall. The view from the two big windows gave an enticing glimpse into the forest. The cabin walls gave everything a cozier appearance too, one that reminded the vixen of the outdoors rather than the sea. "It's perfect!" She held her arms up in the air before hugging her mate. Del couldn't stop herself from bouncing. Ross smiled and held onto the happy bouncing vixen.

"Don't hit your head on the ceiling!" He laughed. She finally planted herself on the ground and calmed down as a growing pressure touched her groin. Del peeked down their fronts and noticed the hyena male hood was half erect from all the physical contact. "It'll go away." He sheepishly grinned at his anatomy's basic functions. Del embraced him again in the strong hug. Ross happily continued only to feel her teeth nibble his ear. His tail swished excitedly feeling his heart rush more blood to his groin.

"I don't want it to go away." She salaciously whispered into his ear. Ross silently gasped feeling her nibble his neck and jaw. His erection pressed harder against her mound in response. Del ground her hips against the hyena to further entice him. His penis became wedged between her white furred thighs. Ross bit his lip feeling her tail swish over his tip, already in a soft imprisonment. "Wouldn't it be funny if my parents showed up?" Del laughed to herself.

"I don't want to think about that." He nervously chuckled glancing at both doors. 'How embarrassing!' Del kissed Ross again to gain his attention once more.

"Don't be so shy now. Go lay on the bed for me." She nuzzled his cheek before turning him around causing his member to spring free of its cozy prison. Ross did as she said leaving his erection pointing up at the ceiling. The vixen took a few steps on the deerskin to feel the fur in her pads before joining him on the bed. Del wore a lascivious smile splayed over her lips. His healthy black spire throbbed eagerly, mere inches away from her. Ross brought his hands to her sides and rested them on her lovely hips.

"Is there a reason why you want this position?" He looked up at the tail swishing vixen looming over him.

"You don't want me flying around the room do ya?" She grinned showing off her pearly white teeth.

"Let's not discount that idea." He ruffled his hands through the orange and white fur on her sides. Del looked down the hyena's wiry front. He was strong, but his body didn't show it off. A little lower, she spied his erection pointing at her.

"You're hard." She curiously felt the throbbing black organ.

"I thought you would know about that, being raised a nudist."

"You don't go around grabbing someone there." Del rubbed his to demonstrate. The hyena sighed and tensed his legs.

"Those pads..." He watched her brown socked hand stop. She aligned herself and lowered down to him. His tip kissed her heated lips and parted them. Her hand helped guide him inside. The hyena watched his length gradually disappear from sight.

"Ohhh." She moaned, pushing deeper. Ross was enveloped in a tight silky heat from tip to base. Del yipped when their hips finally bumped together. "Wow..." She panted sitting on his lap.

"Are you alright?" He huffed.

"Mmhm." She nodded in a hum.

"I thought you hurt yourself when you yipped."

"If you were that big then I would've screamed on the dock that day." She retorted. Ross merely smiled in reply. "But I feel full enough." She looked down where the white fur of her nether regions touched his tan fur. The feeling was indescribable in itself for both of them. The vixen looked at him with an open smile, tongue partially hanging free from her jowls. Her hips immediately started grinding him into the bed. "Slow down Del! I don't want to finish off so fast." He grabbed her hips.

"We can always try again and make it better." She offered but stopped moving for him.

"Thanks." He sighed laying his head on the pillow. "You never sit still." He smirked at how the vixen was trying not to move.

"Just this once I'll be laying in bed for the day." She winked. "But you'll have to hold me while I sleep." Ross ginned up at her.

"So... How does it feel?" He asked.

"It feels so... good." She hummed curling her toes. Ross couldn't help but smile feeling the same way. Del reclined overtop of him, propped up by her elbows. The vixen's breasts touched his chest as their noses met. His erection jerked inside her from the sudden movement, sending a pleasuring tingle through her core.

"You felt that didn't you?" Ross grinned, noticing her body tense subtly.

"Mmhm. It felt nice." She couldn't help but grind her hips once in response. Their hearts fluttered together in a lovely buzz. Ross looked down at her her breasts hanging so inconspicuously above his chest. The tips of her nipples were nestled somewhere in his darker chest fur. They reminded the hyena of large furry white peaches. His hands reached up and cupped the snowy white furred breasts. Del eagerly watched him rub, trace, and massage them.

"I always wondered how you ran with these bouncing around." He grinned and continued to fondle them. Del bit her lip as he sweetly tweaked both taught nipples.

"They don't bounce around that much." She shook her body to demonstrate, only to stop and softly moan.

"You did that to yourself." He chuckled.

"And I'll gladly do it again." She smugly grinned and kissed him. Del sat up, still leaning over him somewhat, with her hands planted by his sides. She raised and lowered her hips. Ross moaned as she slid up and down with a slick squelch. "Don't let me do all the work." She smacked his leg with her tail. Ross nodded and grabbed her legs. He pulled out as she raised up, only to reconnect with her with a firm slap. "Ah. That's much better!" She shuddered feeling her insides flare warmly with love. They built up a nice and steady rhythm together. Del would occasionally lower herself to kiss him, but their bodies never stopped making love.

"I'm... Almost there." He panted while rubbing her arms. Del nodded and continued as her breasts jostled and bounced. Her fast breathing was enough evidence for him to not slow down. He pounded her wet entrance with vigor.

"Oh." Her soft moan helped push him over the edge. Ross grabbed Del by her waist and thrusted hard. She sat still feeling his length pump her fertile womanhood full. The strained look on his face turned into one of golden pleasure as his entire body relaxed. "You're done?" She panted.

"Y-yeah." He nodded with a soft smile.

"I'm only warmed up." She looked at him in disappointment feeling his member gradually shrink inside her. Despite the lovely afterglow, Ross bit his lip in mild frustration.

"What can I do?" He slipped out of her heated entrance.

"Rub here." She shakily placed his hand between her legs. Del's labia were hot to the touch, and wet! Ross pressed forward and rubbed a hot spot along her vaginal wall. "Aahh. Oohhh. Right there!" Her voice sang out in a lovely melody. His two fingers eagerly explored her insides while his thumb gingerly rubbed the vixen's clit. The vixen's melodious coos and sweet moans urged him to continue. Del suddenly cried out. "Ooohhhhh!" Her legs squeezed him before a sudden shriek pierced the musky air. She huffed and tensed her body several times. Ross felt every contraction around his fingers until his mate finally relaxed and lied atop him. He traced his hands over her listened to her breathing gradually relax. "I love you Ross." The vixen half groaned in serene bliss. "That was something else."

"I love you too Del." The hyena whispered. Her ears flickered feeling his hot breath. "You made mine seem fake." He kissed the side of Del's muzzle and wrapped his arms around her.

"I could definitely feel yours." She hummed nuzzling into his chest. "Thank you." Ross swelled with pride seeing the serene look on her face.

"I'm happy that you're happy." He kissed her again. The cuddled together in their mutual afterglows. No words were needed to be said to describe anything. Del looked across her mate's tan furred chest at the cabin's wall. The window only showed trees, no ocean or sand. Del liked her view at her parent's house, but she loved the forest where she always preferred hunting.

'I'm living in a paradise, but I have already been here my entire life.' She rubbed her foot over his own in thought. The river was her highway of travel to visit anyone too. "We can visit everyone whenever we want too." She mumbled aloud, shifting on top of him.

"Oof!" Ross felt Del's elbow prod his side.

"Sorry!" She rolled to her side.

"Thanks." He sighed.

"Did I bruise you?" She rubbed the spot tenderly.

"No. I don't think so." He intertwined their fingers.

"Good. I'd like to finish every day this way, but we'll need a lot more warming up so we can finish together."

'Every... Day...' Ross closed his eyes wearily. Del kissed her tired mate wearing a radiant smile.

*Epilogue

The gentle ocean breeze carried salt scented air onto the beach where dozens cottage styled homes stood. In the far distance a raccoon was jogging down the shore towards town, and a middle aged grey vixen was fishing from a dock. In front of a certain small white cottage home were two towels laid out in the sand. The scene was typical for the quiet community. On the laid out beach towels a male hyena and older male fox were tending to a small fox kit, all in their bare fur. The kit squeaked a garbled mix of baby talk as a pair of black socked hands delicately wrapped around him.

"He's a cute kit." The older male red fox grinned holding up the grey fluffed fox kit. Roger craned his neck and rubbed noses with his grandson, Neal. The kit yapped a few squeaks before he was set down beside his grandfather.

"The little guy was feisty two nights ago." Ross rubbed the little one's back.

"Did someone step on his tail?"

"No..."

"Was he hungry?" Roger guessed.

"No. Del is usually good about keeping him within a nose of her milk." The hyena thought aloud for a moment only to come up with nothing. "Something didn't settle with him when all three of us went to bed together that night." Ross brought a protective hand around his son. The kit wrestled the gigantic arm and played used his mouth to battle.

"Feisty guy." Roger tapped his foot wearing a grin.

"I still can't thank you and the neighbors enough for helping Del give birth at our house." Ross would never forget that day with everyone crowded around Del who was huffing and groaning in labor. "Especially Kathy. I have never met a mid wife more prepared than her."

"Kathy the opossum is known as the beach's midwife." Roger nodded for his longtime family friend. "And I was able to see my grandson enter the world." He kissed Neal's head. Little hands clung onto the adult's white neck fur. "Ouch! You have quite a grip there." Roger winced prying off the little kit.

"Don't hurt your grandfather, Neal." Ross moved his son closer to his side.

"I need to get used to the word grandfather." Roger mused with a sigh and smoothed over his neck fur.

"Del will still call you dad." He grinned.

"True." The fisherman agreed. "But I thought I had nine months to adjust to this." He chuckled at how fast his daughter's pregnancy seemed to last.

"I'm glad the constant foot rubs and mood swings are finished." Ross clearly remembered tending to Del's swollen feet and having the feisty vixen literally snap her teeth at him if he refused.

"I bet she still has you rubbing her feet." Roger half grinned.

"Oh yeah." Ross nodded. "She has no need to go to the spa in town. Around every other day she will find a way of forcing-er persuading me."

"That's just like Cornelia and me!" The old fox laughed. "Although she wants the entire spa treatment as the years have gone by. Just the other day Cornelia was laid out in the sand like a piece of drift wood with me kneeling beside her. I massaged her entire back and the look on her face was priceless. A silly smile on her pretty black lips, tongue sticking out... Her tail was even curled up and over to the side!"

"Speaking of vixens..." Ross turned hearing a door shut in the distance. Two nude vixens walked onto the beach from one of the houses behind the small dune and down to the males laid out on the towels. Only age separated their appearance. The males exchanged waves with the females.

"So you ladies finally decided to join the males, eh?" Roger crossed a leg and leaned back in the sand.

"We're never far away." Cornelia winked at her mate and sat down between him and her daughter.

"It's great living back here for a few days!" Del contently sat down with her family and dug her heels in the sand. "Now a house of five." She kissed her mate's muzzle and placed Neal in her lap. Ross grinned and placed an arm around her shoulders.

"Enjoying the ocean breeze Neal?" Cornelia asked in a soft voice. The little kit turned and looked at the older vixen only to fall on his back in Del's lap. Del ruffled her son's exposed grey belly, eliciting excited giggles from the kit.

"Are you sure that we don't have any grey fox in our family?"

"He will lose that grey fluff and have a healthy orange coat within a year or two." Cornelia reassured her daughter.

"What about the blue eyes?"

"Those too."

"If you say so..." She watched Neal crawling around beside her. It was hard to imagine that he would grow so quickly. The little kit's white tipped tail flicked curiously as he smelled the salty air.

"I see that your body held up well after pregnancy." Cornelia commented on her daughter's appearance. "You didn't develop any stretch marks either." The new grandmother ruffled a hand through Del's side fur. "I'm glad that does not run in the family." She chuckled.

"You didn't change much after you gave birth to me, right?"

"Just a little touch of fat here." She pinched her white furred belly. "But that never hurt anybody." Cornelia winked.

"I still look the same, right Ross?" Del turned to her mate. The hyena shrugged wearing a grin. Everything looked different now that he had a family. "Don't shrug!" The vixen berated him.

"You would look beautiful no matter what." He replied and stole a quick kiss from her. Del scrunched her nose at him wearing a silly smile. She knew that he meant every word. Her two parents watched in amusement.

"So how do you still hunt with Neal to take care of?"

"I carry him on my back with a little carrier."

"What does Ross do? Sleep?" Roger snickered.

"I'm always hunting right beside her." The hyena leaned on his mate and brushed his cheek over hers.

"They're just like us years ago." Roger leaned on Cornelia.

"We're still young lovers." She grinned and kissed him several times. Del rolled her eyes at her parent's open affection. Neal sat up and grabbed two fistfuls of his mother's fur. He started whining. His nose craned towards her chest.

"Oh. Is someone hungry?" Del cradled her son to her bosom. Everyone watched him quickly latch on and suckle. His little black hands clung to the vixen's breast cutely. "If only parenting was this easy all the time." The mother hummed cradling the kit in her arms.

"So adorable." Cornelia whispered. It reminded the older vixen when she breastfed Del as a kit.

"I love you Neal." Del cooed rubbing the little fox's ear. Ross rested his cheek on Del's shoulder and watched them fondly.