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This was a one of the two Aftermaths my patrons voted for this month. Here's the Aftermath story, in three parts:



“Auntie Stripe! Auntie Stripe!”

“Hmm?” on her side of the sunning rock, Karen sat up and looked around.

Bounding towards her was a young female otter. It called to her, its voice was squeaky and though the accent was strange, Karen understood it perfectly. The young otter raced towards her. It bounded fast on three legs. The front hand-paw was holding something to her brown chest. She drew to a halt and stood, balanced on her hindpaws and her tail

“Auntie Stripe! Seek-Seek has gift for Auntie Stripe! See!” The young otter presented a large-ish river stone. It was brown with a bluish band and was almost pearlescent in the noonday sun. “See? Preeeeeeety. It is pretty, Auntie Stripe? Is it?”

Karen leaned forward and regarded the small, round, furry face. The eyes, unlike most otter eyes, weren’t brown. Instead they were the green of her mother. They also had a light of intelligent that was brighter than even the smartest otter.

“It is pretty, Seeker. It is the prettiest stone Seeker has ever given Auntie Stripe” The young otter’s face lit up and Karen felt a rush of pleasure at making her ‘niece’ happy.

“Is that another one for the pile?” came a voice at her shoulder. Iole had woken as well, and leaned comfortably against her looking at her daughter.

“It is a cairn,” Karen said with mock haughtiness, “And I will thank you to call it by it’s proper name.”

“I guess, I’ll have to,” Iole smiled then, added in Karen’s ear, “You’re so patient with her.”

Karen blushed below her fur and turned back to Seeker, reaching out her paw.

“May Auntie Stripe have the stone, Seeker?” She asked politely.

Before Karen could take the stone there was a commotion from behind her. She heard Iole, yell, “Watch it, boys!” as her two ‘nephews’ came racing around the rock. The larger, Tuck, clambered up the rock and scrambled over Iole’s tail.

“Tuck will get Puck! All will see!” He cried

“Puck will escape Tuck! Tuck slow!” the other called over his shoulder as he bounded by.

With a frustrated growl, the larger, but slower Tuck leapt over Iole’s tail and dashed after Puck.
Iole and Karen smiled at each other.

“Kids”, they said simultaneously.

Suddenly there was a loud “Oof” and a “Hey! Ow!” from where Tuck and Puck had run. With the speed of true parents, their heads snapped around and beheld Puck on his back having run into the legs of…

“Coyote!” Karen almost laughed the name out; Iole just sat transfixed.

“You need to watch where you run, little Puck,” said Coyote with what sounded like genuine concern, “You could hurt someone. You could hurt yourself.”

He reached down to help Puck up, but, the otter had rolled to his feet and stood beside his brother. They both dropped into protective stances that were infinitely adorable in their earnestness.

Coyote shrugged and mad his way to the stone. Karen and Iole automatically moved aside to allow him to sit between them. He leaned back on his elbows and looked f rom one to the other.

“So, ladies,” he said with infuriating nonchalance, “how is every little thing?”

“As if you didn’t know ‘every little thing’,” Karen rolled her eyes, and attempting to relax into her own nonchalant pose, “You always know ‘every little thing’.”

“I suppose I do, I suppose I do,” he chuckled, “I know, for instance, that Ian now goes by ‘Iole’. A much more fitting. name for you, my dear.”

He chucked Iole’s chin playfully, she didn’t pull away but smiled shyly. Karen rolled her eyes again.

“I also know that you and Eats-Many-Small-Fish are a couple now.” Karen saw his eyes flick to the children, now standing in a row, “I’m happy you discovered your power.”

He turned to Karen, who was pointedly looking away.

“And you, you’ve hardly used your power at all? Why not?”

“Because, I’m already, like, two-thirds skunk why would I want to be all skunk? I like my thumbs!” she added in a softer voice “Besides, I didn’t want to get knocked up by a boy skunk. It’s great being an aunt and all but…”

Coyote let out a laugh that echoed around the clearing. When the laughter died down, he sat up, and rested his elbows on his thighs, paws intertwined. His voice became somewhat serious.

“So, ladies,” he said, “It’s two years to the day. To the hour in fact,” You know what that means,” A glance to Iole, who looked down and away; and a glance to Karen, whose face was frozen with an expression of both joy and fear. ”Your sentence is over.”

“Y-you mean it?” Karen stammered and leapt from the rock, her long tail smacking Coyote in the back of the head.

“Of course I do! I’m a trickster but, I’m not a liar,” Coyote said in a wounded voice, “I’m here to transform you back. If you want it.”

The last statement hung in the air. Coyote turned to Iole, his voice was soft.

“I won’t change you back without permission, Iole. It is your decision.”

“I… I can stay?” Iole was almost crying in her joy.

“Far be it from me to separate a wife and mother from her spouse and children!” Coyote’s grin was genuine, “I’m happy you’ve found your place, Iole, despite everything.” He turned to Karen, “And you, ‘Auntie Stripe’?”

“I… want to back… I really want to be human again but,” She bit her lip with small, sharp teeth.

“But, what, little one?” Karen didn’t notice his slight smirk.

“I… It’s just,” Karen gather herself and looked up at him, “What is there for me now? It’s been two years! No job, no money, no-“

“Don’t worry about it, Kid!” Coyote interrupted with a wave of his paw.