Family Matters
© 2022 by M. Mitch Marmel

Thumbnail art by  tegerio, color by  Major Matt Mason

Part Four.


Westersloe:

“Mrs. Fletcher?”

My wife nodded with a pleasant smile. “Yes, Westersloe. She and I and the rest of the does discussed it, and Tessie – er, the Raccoon Queen agreed.”

“Um, pardon me for asking, love – “

“Yes?”

“Don’t you think that might be cruel?”

“To the Raccoon Queen?”

“No, to Mrs. Fletcher,” I said. She gave me a glare as I grinned at her. “The Reed’s roof is being fixed, so there’s one concern taken care of, and I’ve had a talk with a few furs.”

“Over pints of plain?”

I smiled. “You know me so well. Since you announced that you’re looking for a mate for Sixth, I’ve been looking for a site for a home.”

She looked pleasantly surprised. “Really?”

I nodded. “There’s not really much room here in the Lodge, and the Annexe is taken up with your office, Sylvester’s workshop and the Ashearth’s home. I’m thinking that a good site would be on the other side of the Lodge, away from the greenhouse, and closer to the lake.”

“That’s a very good idea, love,” and she rewarded me with a kiss. “What else have you been doing?” I took a sheaf of paper from my Elfintory. “What’s that?”

“Tali’s report on the Gaps.”

Anastasia took the report and glanced over a few pages. “It’s in Standard Elvish.”

“This is the copy I’m forwarding to the Marshal with my report.” She looked up at me. “No, I didn’t help her translate. More of their machinery.”

“Their machinery,” Anastasia said. “Westersloe?”

“Yes?”

“Are these folk a threat? I mean, to Faerie?”

I took a breath and let part of it out. “That’s a question that’s been bothering me,” I admitted, “and while their motives appear to be benign, if not beneficial, I’m duty-bound to make sure that the Marshal and the King know about them. And any information on the Gaps would be welcome.”

She gave the papers back to me. “I wonder why we can’t make papyrus like this.”

“Yeah. It’s sort of . . . unsettling, isn’t it? That Lowfolk know how to do some things better than Elves.”

“I hope you put that in your report as well.”

I nodded. “It’s in there. I’ll be sending a message by VB,” I said, referring to the Vixen’s Brush semaphore system (the metal signal flag is red, tipped in white, so the moniker fits), “ahead of the I&R Mail. That way I ensure that the Marshal will read it straightaway.”

“Gawain might read it as well.”

I nodded. “I’m counting on it.”

My mate gave me an arch look. “You’re learning Statecraft, love.”

“No,” I demurred. “That goes straight over my antlers. But I’m thinking tactically.”

“Uh huh.”

I added Tali’s report to mine, and took it down to the Imperial and Royal Mail office, paying a little extra to ensure that the package would go out as quickly as possible.

Hmm.

I was owed a pint or two, thanks to the Deed of Gift, and the clouds were looking a little dark. I reasoned that a side trip to the [Sheaf] would be quite in order.


***


Tali:

Well, that went about as well as I thought it would.

It took me a while to find her, but eventually I ran across a patch of ground that had the sun shining on it. All of the weather around it was overcast and promising rain, but not this little garden spot on the side of a hill. It had a stream running through it that poured into a pond downslope, and it looked quite nice.

Amazingly, I saw a ghost.

A naked mephitess ghost.

And she was damned good-looking, too.

She was sitting on a rock, enjoying the sunlight which was inexplicably coming through the clouds, and she turned and said, “Hello.”

I stood there, blinking for a moment, before I found my voice. “Oh, um, hi! My name’s Tali.”

“Grace.”

“Pleased to meet you, Grace. Have you seen an otteress, about yay high, wears nothing but pearls?”

The ghost laughed. Nice laugh. “You mean Ooo-er?” I nodded. “She’s swimming in the pond yonder,” and she waved at the pond.

“Thank you,” and despite wanting to investigate that mystery (I’ve seen some weird things across the alternities, but a ghost?) and went to take the figurative bull by the horns.

I needn’t have bothered. The instant she saw me, she went under water, so I sat down on the grass and waited.

And waited.

And waited.

Koschei’s Mustache, this girl had talent.

After about three minutes, Ooo-er broke the surface and glared at me. “I do NOT want to talk to YOU,” she huffed.

“One way or another, you’re going to have to talk to me – and Missy.”

“You shut up about her!” She opened her mouth to add something, and her expression froze. Her ears twitched, and she suddenly broke into a smile as she vaulted out of the water and started running toward the village.

I sighed and started walking back up the hill.

“Tali?” Grace asked, and she waved me over.

“She’s told me what happened,” she said, “at least, her side of it. Could I please hear your side?”

So I sat down on a rock, and started to tell her.


***


Ooo-er:

The weather wasn’t really good enough for me to manifest my wings, or I would have flown to the Gate as fast as I could. As it was, I slowed down as Aedith shouted “Mommy!” and ran straight for me. I managed to brace myself and get my arms ready to catch her, and she laughed as I scooped her up in my paws.

She’d picked up a souvenir, a curiously round hat that was a couple sizes too big for her.

My mate had broken into a run as well, and for a while all three of us were busy hugging and kissing and laughing. I felt salt tears sting my face.

Missy had them as well, and I gently brushed them from her face.

“I told you I’d come back,” she said, and I gave her a surprised look as she apparated something into my Elfintory. Well, I’d see what it was later.

I nuzzled her, reveling in the scent of wolf. “I believed you. I love you,” and we kissed. When we parted, Missy rubbed her stomach and looked a little disturbed.

“Well met, wolfess,” Master loped up and said. “Congratulations on a job well done.”

Missy seemed to begin saying something, but instead an odd sound that resembled a combination of a sigh, a burp and a swallow came out of her mouth.

And then she vomited.

I busied myself with holding my love’s headfur out of the way and patting her back as she emptied her stomach on the grass. Everyone else kept a respectful distance, and the Master had apparently pooked out of the way.

“I thought they were supposed to eat grass to prevent that sort of thing,” he said to someone.

My mate coughed and was breathing heavily as Nippy came up. She had some towels and what looked like persimmon brandy with her.

Aedith’s friends were gathered around her, and Missy was wiping her mouth.

“Now, what was that all about?” I heard her ask in Elf-Mind.

“I don’t know, love” I replied, “but I am so glad you’ve come back to me.”

My gallant mate rinsed her mouth out with clear water before taking my paws in hers and kissing them. “I was hoping I would find a warm welcome,” she said.

I kissed her. “Did you ever doubt it?”

Tessie – er, the Raccoon Queen – came running up. The exercise is making her look pretty good now.

Pity she doesn’t like girls.

“Wonderful!” she said. “You’re back, and the Regalia – what?” She paused and put a paw to her earring. “What the Netherhells do you mean, ‘not yet?’ Ow!” and she batted at her ear as if it had been stung by a jellyfish.

Missy and I looked at each other.

“Looks like you have to put up with me not being the Wolf Queen for a little while longer,” my mate said with a sigh.

I smiled at her. “As long as those clothes come off tonight, I can wait.”




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