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rceebe-blog · 7 years

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Mom Takes One For the Team (Commission)

Here's a painfully overdue story for KazTheOtter, who wanted to have his sassbitch otter dickgirl bury her dikk in mombear's throat. How can I refuse that? :V The art in this case was done up to the inking stage by PYC-Art, but due to personal issues she's been having, I had WastedTimeEE finish it. Go check them both out, either way. Farrah and writing (C) me Kaz (C) FA: kaztheotter Illustration (C) FA: pyc-art and FA: wastedtimeee

"Look... please, ma'am."

"That's Officer Kaz to you, boy," the otter tartly said, jabbing a finger into the young bear's sternum. "And don't you please me, kid," she went on, bracing her webbed paws on her hips. As she made this sassy, imposing display, she thought impishly, who the fuck am I kidding? I wish I could get this little pansy to please me.

Kaz shook off the lewd thoughts. That was something you had to be good at when you were a police officer with a penchant for dirty fantasies. "Listen up, 'cause this is some serious shit. Bringing pot to school - what kind of kid does that?"

Once again, Kaz had her own private remarks on the matter: all of them, obviously. Isn't that where I tried it first?

Brett shuffled his feet a little, contemplating the sidewalk and Officer Kaz's shoes. "It was stupid, Officer Kaz. I'm sorry." He peeked up at her, blue eyes gleaming in the unclouded sunlight. "Can we please not tell my mom about this? Please? It's bad enough I lost the pot. She'll kick my butt if she knows I got picked up by a police officer."

The spicy, red-haired otter gave the black bear a once-over. He was fifteen, already developing into a handsome young man with a notable booty, and Kaz could see just from his mannerisms that he was a cocksucker. This was a tricky situation, and a difficult decision... but the years and money she'd spent on her job weren't worth ten minutes or ten days with even the prettiest of faggot boys.

"Sorry, kid," she said solemnly. "Either I tell your mom, or I take you to juvenile hall. Pick one."

Brett pursed his jowly lips and sucked air through them. He rolled his eyes skyward, then brought them back to Kaz's. "Let's go to my mom's place, I guess..."

Seeing a squad car park in front of her salon was no cause for alarm for Farrah, the founder, owner and primary employee of Mama Bear's Hair Care. Cops didn't come in to get their hair done up, but they did frequent the coffee shop just next door. Always having some police officers around made her feel safer. Occasionally fucking some young buck with a shiny badge on his breast wasn't too shabby, either.

In the door first was Brett, and Farrah turned to the sound of the chime. "Oh, there's my baby bear," she cooed, propping up the broom. Hair clippings of all shades and textures surrounded the barber chair. "How's my little--?" she started, stopping when she saw the uniformed otter. Kaz was actually smaller than the boy, hence the fact she went unnoticed until stepping around him.

"Farrah Kushner, nee Moore?" Kaz tentatively asked, her paw firm on Brett's bicep.

A look which Kaz was painfully familiar with flashed across Farrah's face: a little cocktail of worry and exasperation. What did he do now?

"Yes, that's me," Farrah stolidly said. "What is it, Officer?"

Formerly on Brett's fine gay ass, Kaz's thoughts were now shifting over to the mama bear. Farrah was stacked in a black t-shirt on which white block letters proclaimed her a PASSABLE MOMMY, and her hips and bottom (now I see where the boy gets it from) popped in Daisy Dukes which weren't quite at the hairnet line, but still appeared very racy on a woman of her figure. Kaz couldn't fuck the boy, but she could sure as hell make a forty-something MILF curl her toes and get away with it.

As though she hadn't been mentally drooling over Farrah, the otter nudged Brett forward and gravely said, "Go on, boy. Tell her."

"Ah, mom," Brett huffed, wringing his paws before his slender belly. "I... I might have--."

"Might have?" Kaz interjected. "If you're going to pussyfoot, kid, I'll just tell her myself."

"All right, fine," Brett grunted, glancing petulantly back at Kaz, then into his mom's unsettled blue eyes. "I got caught with some weed."

Farrah groaned, beginning to rub her temples. "I thought I told you--!"

"I know, I kno-o-ow," the boy whined, creeping closer to his mother. He put his paws on her flanks in a way which piqued Kaz's interest. "I'm sorry, mom... I won't do it again."

Her pretty face set and firm, Farrah nudged Brett aside and pointed at the broom. "Clean up. We're gonna have a word about this pot business when we get home." She stepped close to the otter as her boy swept with the heavy-handed dourness of a chain-ganger. "I'm sorry you had to take time out of your day for this. He's a good kid, really. Takes after his momma." Kaz started to smirk and Farrah urgently added, "Not like this!"

The otter laughed and patted Farrah's shoulder. "S'all right. But, um, oughta let you in something." After leading Farrah off with a paw on her elbow, away from Brett and his obviously eavesdropping ears, Kaz said in hushed words, "Weed on the school premises, that's a big deal. I could get in some serious ca-ca if I just let the boy off and he does it again. You get me?"

"Well, Officer--? What's your name, hon?"

"Kaz. Officer Kaz," she answered, stressing the title with some pride.

"Right, Officer Kaz. I won't let it happen again. Boys experiment, you know how it is," she chuckled, waving it off. "I promise, nothing'll come up like this again."

Kaz sucked her lower lip thoughtfully, rocking on her heels. "Mmmmh, we-e-ell, you make it sound really simple, Mrs. Kushner," she tutted.

Although she picked up on the coy negativity, Farrah still found herself saying automatically, "Please, just Farrah."

"See, I'm not a monster. I sure don't wanna see your good-lookin' son in a jail cell. What mother wants to see their baby like that?" She clicked her tongue, shook her head. Brett glanced over and Kaz shot him her best I got my eye on you, shitstain glare. It worked its magic in less than a second; Brett went back to sweeping the already well-swept floor.

Regarding Farrah's tight, calm face reassured Kaz. The mama bear didn't look like she was about to cry - and that was a real danger. A crying woman was a scene in the making, and it shot any chances of some on-the-job strange right to hell. But if mama bear was calm and rational (and willing to do anything to keep her cub safe), then that meant Kaz had a shot at a little something-something before she had to climb back into the squad car.

"Tell you what, hon," Kaz said, putting on her good-cop smile. She patted the tall bear's shoulder softly. "I'd be willing to, sa-a-ay, forget to file this little incident if you'd be willing to do something for me."

Farrah began to smile dryly. "I have the feeling you don't want a free haircut."

"Nnno, but maybe a nice perm," Kaz chuckled, flicking back her short, red tomboy locks. Lowly and lewdly, "Is your kid cool to get home on his own?"

She'd been doing it the whole time, but Farrah's sudden, sharp blink was so pronounced that Kaz heard the click of her eyelids. "Officer Kaz, um--." On a whim of intuition, she rolled her eyes downward, past her thick bust in the goofy shirt she'd received from her boyfriend's kids. There in the lady otter's pants was the unmistakable jut of a cock and balls. "Hey. Brett! C'mere, boo," she said without looking up from Kaz's groin. It was only when the boy was beside her that she quickly drew her gaze up.

Kaz turned away to hide her smirk. It said ah, yeah - 'bout to get la-a-aid.

"Go home," she said tightly. "Don't stop by at any of your friends' places. No stopping at the Shell station for nachos or a candy bar."

Brett huffed. "Should I call you when I get there?" he testily asked.

Kaz was about to hit him with some swagger (you want a ride in the back of the squad car this time, you little faggot?), but mama bear was just as coldly efficient.

"Yes," Farrah said. "Call me when you get home. Like I said, we're gonna have a talk later. Go on, now."

At Brett's back, the door jingled. Farrah waited about twenty seconds after he was out of view, and then she locked the door, closed the blinds, dropped the keys on the counter. "He's a good kid, really," the bear softly said, grabbing for Kaz's groin with shockingly urgent paws.

Kaz was taken aback but not completely stunned. She ground into the bear's mitts and grabbed her fat tits through the Engrish-lettered shirt. "He sure is. Seemed like a nice enough boy. Most normal kids experiment like that one way or another." She smooched the bear on the lips - having to cant her head back quite a bit to manage it - and opened up her own zipper.

Farrah started to kneel, but Kaz grabbed her under the armpits, hauling her back up with surprising strength. "Nuh-uh. Let's... let's see here," she murmured, turning to the little island counter. Hairbrushes with price tags on them and sample bottles of shampoo covered its surface; Kaz swept them off onto the floor, producing a noisy clatter. Although nothing broke or leaked, Farrah winced.

"This'll hold you up," Kaz sniggered. "So lay back on it."

It took the MILFy bear a minute to get situated just as Kaz wanted her. First she tried to sit back on it - a situation ideal for cunnilingus, and workable for missionary with a tweak or two. But before Kaz was satisfied, she had the bear on her back, head hanging off the edge, brunette hair dangling like a veil.

Farrah watched upside-down as Kaz sprung her cock free of her black cop slacks and the surprisingly prissy red panties under them. Her uncircumcised meat stood half-mast, dribbling precum like drool from the lip of a snoozing monster. She gripped it by the base and batted its tip on mama bear's nose, causing her to huff but not shrink away.

"You-u-u swallow my dick, help me jizz, and I'll forget all about your sissy kid's little bag of oregano. Sound good?"

"Brett's not--, is--, is he really that obvious?" Farrah sighed, staring awkwardly at Kaz's fat, tawny ballbag.

Kaz laughed, stroking her meat to get it harder and harder. Veins began to pock its surface, pulsing with blood. "He's such a homo that I'm surprised he's not on fire. I bet rainbows fly out his ass when he farts."

"All right, all right," Farrah grumbled. "At least he's damn good with hair... let's get this over with."

"Hey, the kid can like whatever he likes. I'll fuck anything, personally," Kaz chirruped, bumping her cockhead to the bear's parted jowls. Her shaft slid in easily but the hood of the foreskin caught harmlessly on the bear's teeth, causing it to slide back. When her bared glans rubbed the MILF's smooth, broad tongue, Kaz shuddered and chuckled. She loved the power she wielded.

Farrah had to gulp and squirm closer to the edge. Her head hung at a more painful angle, but the otter's cock moved inward effortlessly following the adjustment. Thinking naively that the cop was content just to have her mouth, Farrah started suckling, though bobbing was beyond her in such a precarious position. She reached out, shakily at first with her balance so compromised, and eventually clutched the otter's ass.

Huffing and sneering, Kaz asked, "What, you wanna feel up my ass? Not a lot there. Not compared to you, anyhow." She laughed, a surprisingly good-natured sound, and pushed her aching meat deeper. Her cockhead butted against the unwilling entrance to Farrah's throat. When the bear made an uneasy noise, sounding to Kaz like a refusal, the otter patted her chubby tits and tutted, "Better gimme that throat, or your little boy's gonna be so popular at juvie."

Kaz might never know if Farrah legitimately liked deep throat or if she was taking one for Team Kushner, but when the cop ground and bucked and finally forced it into Farrah's tight throathole, she didn't particularly give a shit what the circumstances were. Just like beating a suspect bloody with her truncheon was as viable a tactic as comforting and bargaining with them, she only cared about the results. Her sweaty, musky nuts rubbed against Farrah's thick, black nose pad; drool ran down the sides of the squirming and grunting bear's face. A fat, blunt bulge pulsed in the mama bear's vulnerable throat which Officer Kaz caressed with all the gentle love of stroking a puppy.

"Better su-u-uck that dick - you don't seem to give a shit whether or not your kid gets a criminal record," Kaz prodded, biting her lip then. Farrah tried her damnedest to suck and gulp. Her strong fingers dug into Kaz's ass cheeks, dimpling their athletic flesh. The spicy otter liked a little slap with her tickle, and she perked her slim bottom into Farrah's deathgrip.

The dickbitch otter was just about to fuck Farrah's face, but there was just one more bit of preparation to attend to. She leaned over Farrah - putting awkward, painful pressure on her bent neck - and pinched up her shirt, starting to tug it up in her webbed paws. Two large, purple hemispheres came into view as the shirt cleared her bosoms. It was a simple, if not nearly comically large brassiere doing its duty by keeping mama's tits contained. Officer Kaz, rudder swishing and lips sneering, negotiated her fingers under the cups and peeled them away, letting the garment slacken around Farrah's midriff. Her black boobs spilled free but kept up some remarkable perkiness. The nipples pointed in completely opposite directions, but the mass of the jugs wasn't trying to escape into the MILF's armpits. Kaz was as impressed as she was aroused.

Like holding onto handlebars, Kaz gripped the bear's boobs. They squished around her fingers, bringing to mind koosh balls. With the bear's pert, pink nipples grinding into her palms, Officer Kaz started to pull back. She had to defy the mama bear's hard grasp - which only got tighter as she pulled away - but the added pressure of the squeeze was something she paid back with interest on the MILF's breasts. A hungry, savage growl escaped Kaz and she slurped her lips, all with a grin twisting up the corners of her mouth. Her cockhead cleared the bear's snug throat only for her to buck it back inside.

Farrah grunted when Kaz left her throat and grunted again when she forced herself back inside. Her entire body heaved with the reentry and she kicked at the cash register with her sandal-clad foot, twisting it but not knocking it over. Kaz glanced up at the telltale ding of the kicked object but quickly put her eyes on the bear's tits again which, as the fucking began, were starting to jiggle in all their fat, formerly milk-filled glory.

"Ooh my gawd, you have a tight face to fuck," Officer Kaz shuddered. She bit her lip hard enough to put sore, lasting teeth marks in it and started to throw her weight into her slow bucks.

Farrah whined and winced; the otter's swampy nuts began beating her about the nose, slinging musky sweat across the bridge of her snout. She gave up on holding the otter's pelvis. She was wet under her shorts.

"Gaw-w-wd," Kaz quivered, arching her back and letting out a nearly maniacal laugh. "Oh, fuck me, I love being a cop," she added with a gentler laugh. She picked up the pace, smashing her hips into Farrah's pretty face with such quickness that the wet suck and pop of the penetration became a nearly constant sound. She unhanded the bear's tits to grip the sturdier, more trustworthy edges of the countertop; watching the bear's jugs bounce and wag crazily was almost as fun as bruising them with her fingers.

"Mmmmh, ye-e-es," Kaz hissed, her professionally short hair fanning over her eyes, locks growing nappy with sweat. Her entire body, in fact, was sweaty. The stuff abounded, running down her ass crack and the back of her nutsack in runners which tickled even through her water-sloughing fur. She let go of one edge of the counter to smack and squeeze Farrah's tits, finding them irresistible. "Goddamn, you must lo-o-ove that faggoty boy of yours...!"

Farrah did, there was no doubt - but she was loving this too. She thought it was a cliche for a confident single mom to actually enjoy playing the part of a beleaguered fucksleeve with no option but to put out, but she privately loved the notion. If she could have gotten away with it without being teased to no end, she would have thrust her fingers down the front of her shorts... or pushed away the otter, only to bend over the counter and drop her bottoms.

It was too late for such a radical change of plans. Nailing Farrah in her phat mom ass had crossed her mind, but giving it to her in the talk hole was somehow more elegant than that. Watching her cock bulge and vanish and bulge again in the bear's gorgeous neck was delightful in a mannish, evil way. Putting bruises on her big tits was another form of that same attitude. Kaz was loving every second of smacking her nuts into Farrah's nose, and she didn't want it to end, even as exhausting as such a violent fuck was.

Not even the energetic Officer Kaz could hold out forever, though. Especially not when literally in the face of such a pretty MILF, and when you added in the fact that she was leveraging this awesome lay out of the bear, well, Kaz's ego could only take so much stroking.

"Ooh--, oh, fu-u-uck," Kaz bleated. Her motions were becoming stiff and labored, and her nuts were no longer a dangling, wet pendulum smacking into Farrah's dampened nose but a coin purse of wrinkles and fur. She bit her lip again; rolled back her eyes; shuddered over the bear. A few more grinds was all it took before she erupted, blasting thick lutrine jizz down the bear's neck in enormous quantities. Anybody who had used a cruiser after Officer Kaz on a dull overnight shift knew that the little otter was productive on an equine level; Farrah was finding out the hard way with her own personal protein shake then and there.

Farrah, whose boyfriend was a horse where it counted, was used to gulping down a load like Kaz's but the fact that she hadn't been expecting such a release tripped her up. She squirmed and blushed brighter than she'd already been, pawing stupidly at the otter's ass and hips in a vain attempt to shove her off. Officer Kaz held fast, ignoring the bear's pushes. She sighed and licked her lips.

Like a leaky spigot being closed off, Kaz's cum came to a gradual stop. Her penis was still erect, still throbbing deep in the bear's raw throat, but the payload had been delivered. Slowly, and reluctantly, she pulled back and her cock flopped out of Farrah's inverted maw, glans dragging across the pad of her nose.

Immediately the bear sat up, coughing and sputtering. When she tried to utter something, she sounded like a pack-a-day smoker after forty years. Officer Kaz, feeling a modicum of sympathy, patted the bear between her naked shoulder blades and chuckled. "Easy, now. Just a little dick. That never killed anybody."

"Is my--, is--!" Farrah tried to get out something, but she just kept sputtering and coughing.

It got so annoying that Kaz, after zipping up, wandered off to find the bathroom and came back with a Dixie cup full of cool water. "Drink this," Kaz authoritatively said. "I'll get you another if you need it."

The gulp of water helped. Farrah suppressed her coughing long enough to say, in a hoarse voice, "Is everything good now?"

A smile creased Kaz's snout. She patted Farrah's inner thigh. "Is what good now?"

"My boy," the bear said, closing her thighs. It wasn't that she didn't want Kaz touching her... she just didn't want her wetness found out.

"What about your boy?" Officer Kaz asked with a wink. "Listen, Mrs. Kushner - it doesn't look like the thief took anything. The cash register is disturbed but intact." She kept her eyes locked on Farrah's, and subtle understanding passed between them. "I'll file a report about the suspect, but I'm afraid between five-five and six feet, canine, black clothes isn't going to be very helpful."

Farrah cracked a weary smirk. "Thanks so much, Officer."

"Anytime," Kaz said with another wink. "Maybe you ought to clean the place up, head home, relax. You look like you've been through quite an ordeal." She smooched the bear's cheek and neared the door. "And Mrs. Kushner?"

The bear was pulling on her bra, wrangling her breasts with little success. "Mhm?"

"Next time I have to come out here, it's your ass I'm fucking." She grinned. "Try to have a nice evening, Mrs. Kushner."

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shadowbunnydragon · 8 months

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Chapter 36 has been uploaded!

YAY! After a terrible heat wave, I am back and feelin' motivated to write! And… so I did! Here is the latest chapter of Found, for your reading pleasure! I hope you like it!

Found (Chapter 36)

ShadowBunnyDragon

Kirin was sitting at his fancy desk, scribbling out his signature on some forms, when the door to his office opened on the newly well-oiled hinges.

"Thank you for showing our guest in, Bandile," Kirin said, dismissing his bodyguard without looking up. His smile grew on his face as he heard the sheriff take a seat opposite him.

"So," Dorian said, practically spitting out the word. "Ya said ya had some important information on this Silas fella?"

Having finished the last of his paperwork, Kirin quickly whisked the documents away and into a manilla folder that then disappeared into a drawer of the desk. He looked up to regard the sheriff, steepled his fingers as he did so.

"Indeed I do, sheriff. But first, may I offer you a drink? I just had imported some delightful Kartakkan wine that came from the wine cellar of a rather wealthy aristocratic family that has since fallen into financial ruin. I swear, you can just taste the sensation of impending doom in each sip!" Kirin chuckled as he ran his black leather gloved thumb over his silver human skull cane, the rubies set in its eye sockets twinkling with a dark mischief similar to Kirin himself. Dorian had to suppress a shudder, though his hackles stayed raised.

"No thanks, Mr. Dice," Dorian said with a low growl to his voice. "I'm just here fer the information on Silas Curo. Ya said he'd be comin' fer my grandpup, and I wanna know why."

"… I take it that you've seen the video of him taking the whip to the young master's back, then?"

Dorian's claws dug into the fancy wooden arm rest of the chair. The snow-white law wolf nodded.

"And what of that interesting little docuseries on Petflix? I find it rather intriguing myself, and I was there!" Kirin let out a laugh, the sound making Dorian want to slap the cuffs on the mammal across from him and just look for anything incriminating to charge him with. "That 'Cruelty in Kartakka' episode was rather comprehensive about Mr. Curo's origins, or what scant information there was to be discovered about them. Though I have learned a little bit more in my own investigation…"

"Why even bother investigatin' him? I would imagine a mammal like you would rather he'd just disappear, and stayed disappeared."

"Why, sheriff, if I didn't know better, I'd think you'd thought me a scoundrel." Kirin dramatically draped an arm over his forehead for a moment, clearly enjoying himself. Returning to steepling his fingers, Kirin smiled wide. "I like to do my research on business partners, potential business partners, and those they associate with. Back with some minor dealings in Kartakka, I had some trusted friends do some digging on Mr. Curo. … Some returned with little clues and fragments of clues I then had investigated properly. Others… never returned… at least not alive. Young Mister Sheltly's brother was not the only body to be fished from the canal."

Dorian grimaced. "Any of it of substance?"

"I suppose it depends. As an academic study in the field of psychology, most absolutely. Though it is rather difficult to separate fact from myth. I have hints at his early formative years, but the majority of what I unearthed came from his teenaged years. And what a halcyon time for the young Silas that was! Working as freelance muscle, and quickly gaining a reputation for sadism and overkill. However, he also gained a reputation for killing the very people who would pay him to kill others. He had no support by the time the police picked him up. Then, somehow, he not only survived a rather 'grueling' experience during his imprisonment, but he put on a rather entertaining show for those that were there to witness his skills at survival as well as his sense for blood sport."

Dorian let out another growl, having a good idea that Kirin was referring to his infamous labyrinth.

"From there, he was noticed by a rather powerful patron, the Duke himself, who made Silas his right hand mammal."

"Parts o' that were covered by the documentary. What's this got to do with Marcus?"

At that, Kirin raised a single eyebrow, still grinning like before. "In all cases where he… inflicted harm on others, he always, and I do mean always, expressed great enjoyment from listening to their screams of terror and pain. Taking things nice and slow. And, during his working for the Duke, he seemed to fixate on Marcus and the lovely Rose. When Marcus was publicly… disciplined for his insubordination, Silas relished being the one to mete out the punishment. He claimed he had been wanting to listen to Marcus' screams. Yet, as you had seen for yourself, Marcus proved to be stronger than Silas had been expecting. Not once during each lashing did he let out so much as a single yelp, even right before he passed out from shock and possibly blood loss. As they neared the end of the lashes, Silas was quite annoyed, and even downright frantic since Marcus never screamed. I do believe that he plans on rectifying that."

"And what makes you certain he's here in Zootopia and not dead in some back alley in Kartakka?"

"Because of the dead humans that have started turning up in the back alleys of the Lower Nocturnal District and the Nocturnal District," Kirin said, pulling out another folder and opening it, showing some candid pictures taken of several dead humans. Dorian winced as he looked at them, all of them with their faces twisted into silent, permanent screams. Looking at all of them, Dorian quickly spotted a similarity beyond their species. All of them had a letter S carved into their cheeks.

"And I doubt that yer tellin' me all this outta the kindness of yer own heart."

"Oh, sheriff, how you wound me yet again!" Kirin chuckled. "A number of the humans before you I had dealings with. Others, I can only guess as to why they were specifically targeted. Anyways, sheriff, I felt that being a proud citizen of this fine city, it was my duty to report my findings to the proper authorities. As well as this picture I have of him." From another drawer, Kirin pulled out a snapshot, passing it to Dorian. The law wolf examined the picture, and felt a chill creep up his spine. Here in person, Kirin set off all his instinctive alert signals. Yet this photograph of a tall, possibly six foot, human male with long blond hair, grinning at the camera… it sent a genuine chill of fear up his spine.

"And I take it that if ya knew where he was exactly, ya wouldn't be gettin' me involved, correct?"

Kirin tilted his head and chuckled. "Oh, sheriff, while 'what-ifs' can be rather fun, they aren't necessarily conducive for this conversation. As it stands, there is a very dangerous mammal on the loose here in Zootopia, his presence here is most inconvenient for myself and is especially inconvenient for your happy little family. Being as civic-minded as I am, I have done my part in alerting you to his presence and given you all the relevant background information that I could find. Therefore, unless you have any further questions, I must really get back to work. The date for the opening of the Zoodoo Lounge is ever approaching!" Kirin spoke with a chipper voice that just dripped with a taunting tone.

"… Thanks fer yer cooperation," Dorian said, getting up and not at all surprised to find the lynx Bandile standing silently behind him, ready to see him out. "I'll take all of what ya said under advisement." As Bandile was leading him out, Dorian paused as he recognized two mammals being led in by a large elk dressed in the same nondescript black suit and tie as the lynx was. Dorian paused as he found himself looking at a vampire bat and tasmanian devil, both professionally dressed in pinstripe suits and ties, and both sporting faces he was all too familiar with, due to how often they'd appeared in the news. Egor Ussuri, the District Representative of the Nocturnal District, and Harrison Sarccoson, his Assistant Rep.

"Well now, if it isn't the good sheriff Hunter," the vampire bat said, holding out a clawed hand for Dorian to shake. The law wolf frowned and simply nodded in redturn.

"Fancy meetin' you here, Egor," he said to the district rep. "Mind if I ask what brings you two here today?"

"Actually, we minds it very much," Harrison said, cracking his knuckles as he looked up at Dorian, trying to look intimidating.

"Now, now, Harry," Egor said, placing a paw on the tasmanian devil's shoulder, "no need to get so defensive. Everything our business venture with Mr. Dice is all above board and perfectly legal." At that, Egor gave Dori a wink.

"And what business venture would that be?"

"Why, the special project Kirin and we are working on down in my lovely district!"

"Wait… yer the mammal that owns the land Dice is buildin' his casino on?" Dorian asked while scratching his chin, filing that information away in his mind.

"Of course. The Ussuri and Sarccoson families each own both halves of the land being used for the Zoodoo Lounge! It's some prime real-estate, actually. We were planning on some new condominiums until Mr. Dice invited us up here for a little… get-together that was also surreptitiously his business pitch."

"Ya don't say…"

"Hey, he does, and so does I!" Harrison said with a huff, his Manehattan accent coming out.

"As nice as this chat was, we really don't want to keep Kirin waiting. Although, sheriff, have you given any thought to my offer to 'donate' some additional funds to your department so that you and your deputies can better serve and protect the fine citizens of this district?"

"Sorry, Egor, but as it stands, that would be unethical," Dorian said with a flat tone.

"Hey, what's so unethical about it?" Harrison said, looking like he was about to square up to Dorian. The Assistant Rep. had been known for having a bit of a temper to him.

"Gentlemammals," Bandile said, interrupting the tasmanian devil, who was now eyeballing him. The lynx motioned down the hall. "Mr. Dice will receive you now."

"Have a pleasant afternoon, sheriff," Egor said with an insincere smile. Dorian soon exited the manor and made his way to his cruiser. He had some calls to make.

Elsewhere…

Vanna let out an amused chuff as she read the book in her paws. A Human Study of Non-Human Mammalian Society was the title on the front of the plain-looking maroon leather-bound cover. Dawn had recommended it to her for some of the insights into human culture that she and Zach could use to help better connect with Marcus. And also partly due to the unintentional comedic nature of the project. The documents converted into book format had been written and collected by human scientists and researchers from Kartakka, who had traveled to Zootopia, due to it being an amalgamation of more mammalian cultures and species than most other cities or nations around the world as well as due to the humans to Cavernicia having tapped into security feeds and local internet during the time for their own observation purposes… and later so as to steal cable, satellite, and even internet access.

Despite the general dryness of the writing, the reason the book had been published and was gaining popularity was partly due to the wild misconceptions humans had formed about other species. The secondary reason appeared to be that, due to the isolation of the individual scientists and researchers as they had observed the daily lives of surface mammals, each report soon slowly began to devolve into rather… raunchy observations. Starting with a female human researcher who was watching a logging company at work; she went into great and very colorful detail about an apparently large, muscular reindeer buck lumberjack, having taken very detailed notes about him working shirtless.

The report that followed hers was one of a male human researcher who described how important establishing dominance was for female wolves, and how if a human male were captured, they could play the situation to their advantage, though not in any way to be repeated in polite company. While getting a few chuckles and blushes from other such reports, all of which were censored from the greater human scientific community, Vanna elected not to tell her son about this book. She also made a mental note to keep an ear out for her sister possibly trying to get him a copy as a gift.

"KITTEN!" Vanna looked up to see Zach frantically burst into the living room.

"What's wrong, Goofball?"

"I went ta go check on li'l Rose, and she wasn't in her crib! I dunno how she got out again, but she couldn't have gotten far this time, right?" Zach whined, whipping his head around before running up to the couch and looking under it.

Vanna sighed, and gave her mate a tired smile. She walked over to him and put a reassuring paw on his shoulder, before she planted a kiss on his cheek. "I think I have a pretty good idea where she is."

"Huh?"

Vanna pointed out the window where Marcus was sitting nearby, under a large oak tree that was growing right next to the house. He had apparently fallen asleep in the mid-afternoon sun. And sitting there in his lap, reaching up and pawing his face in pure curiosity, was little Rose, wearing the bright pink legless onesie Zach had dressed her in that morning. The wolf/tiger hybrid cooed and giggled as she pawed her big brother. Marcus shifted a little in his sleep, and encircled his arms around the baby, making her squeal and clap in delight. Her fur pattern was the same orange with black stripes as her mother, with a long sinewy tail that ended in a fluffy tuft. Rose's muzzle was certainly more pointed and wolfish than a tiger's, as were her ears.

"How'd she get outside?!" Zach exclaimed, running to the window and trying to scramble out it.

"She crawled down the stairs, looking for her big brother while he and I were making a late lunch, and made a beeline right for him when she spotted him. He asked me if it was okay to watch her outside for a little bit, and when I said yes, he carried her out there. We both knew that she woulda just performed another one of her escape artist tricks to try and get to him again if we'd just taken her back up to her crib. Besides, she seems a little too energized for a nap right now." Vanna was amazed not only at how quickly Marcus had taken to being a big brother, but also how quickly Rose took to him. It was just so sweet how much he doted on her, and how even when she or Zach couldn't get her to stop crying, Marcus was able to either just by holding her, or even playing a lullaby with his violin.

"Oh… well… ya coulda told me!" Zach huffed and crossed his arms.

"I tried to wake you, but you were out like a light, and I've been checking on them every few minutes."

"Oh… okay, I s'pose," Zach said, sheepishly scratching the back of his head before looking back out the window. "Though, while Rose is still too awake fer her nap, it seems that the same can't be said fer Marcus."

"I think he's been getting up in the night whenever Rose cries more often than we do, just so we can get some more sleep," Vanna said.

"And here I thought that we had him startin' ta understand that he's a pup, not some kinda live-in servant," Zach said with a sigh, feeling a pang of guilt. "He was so proud when he ran up to us and said that he was about to do his laundry… but decided instead to do it the next day."

"I think it stems more from him worrying about his baby sister than thinking he needs to do chores." Vanna's ears twitched as she and Zach turned to look back out the window. Marcus shook himself awake and briefly looked around, confused. Then he looked down to Rose and smiled, scooping her into his arms for a gentle hug. The little wolf/tiger squealed and made a sound that reminded both Zach and Marcus of Vanna making her happy chuff noises.

Zach, now with his tail wagging and a smile on his muzzle, began walking for the nearby door to the back porch. "I'm gunna go relieve our boy from his sentry duty," he said with a relaxed chuckle. Vanna rolled her eyes, picking her book back up. It had been a week since little Rose arrived, and despite being the one to have given birth to her, Vanna still could hardly believe it. She had never expected to find her mate out here in the Northern Meadowlands after she first transferred from the ZPD, nor did she ever expect to find her first kitten either. Looking out the window in the late afternoon night streaming down through the leafy branches above the two, her heart melted as she watched her goofball of a mate and her son doting over her little girl.

Just before she turned her eyes back to the open page, she stopped. She felt something, almost like a tickle on the back of her neck. Realizing that her hackles were raising, she looked around, having the briefest moment of feeling like she was being watched. She looked out the back window, carefully scanning the tree line. She shook her head.

"Ulric's paranoia can be contagious," she said aloud with a chuckle, remembering how the wolf in question had theorized that Rose was actually a shape-shifter from beyond the stars when he'd first seen her. Just then, the doorbell rang, making Vanna jump a little. Walking to the door, she smiled in relief when she saw that it was just Marcus' friends.

"Hi, Mrs. Hunter," Travis said, the deer buck boy looking excited.

"Is Marcus home?" Aiko asked, hugging her big bushy tail to her chest, a blush under the fur on her cheeks.

"He and his father are around back with his new little sister," Vanna said. She winced a little as the energetic grizzly bear with the fauxhawk let out an excited SQUEE.

"OMG! He's already shown us pictures of her," Lizzy said, holding up her phone with a picture of Rose, asleep in her crib. "She is just TOO CUTE!!!" With that, Lizzy began hurrying around the house, accidentally causing Ty to tumble off and onto the grass with an audible OOPH!

"Geeze," he said, getting to his feet and brushing grass off his jeans, "a little warning next time, Lizzy, eh?" The raccoon boy looked annoyed, but quickly had his phone out, tapping away at it. "Hi, Mrs. Hunter, is Marcus home?" he asked, still looking down at his phone. Mina rolled her eyes and reached over to flick his ear with a hoof. "What was that for?"

"Ty, we already asked that, which you'd know if you were actually paying attention," the goat girl said to her brother. Now it was Ty's turn to roll his eyes. Vanna smiled warmly at the young mammals, glad that her silly mate had actually taken the time to start getting to know them… and had only been caught spying on them a few more times recently.

Meanwhile…

"Alright, pups," Vernon said to Alice, Trevor, and Lily as the trio looked up at him from where they were sitting on the couch. Dawn was resting in a nearby easy chair that had been turned to face the couch, her doctor having suggested that as her pregnancy continued onwards, she might need to be put on bedrest. As such, the diminutive ewe found herself spending more and more time laying on the couch or reclining in the big plush chair. Presently, she was rubbing her swollen belly.

"Now, y'all have probably heard about a new Petflix documentary about Kartakka, where yer cousin is from." The trio nodded, prompting him to continue. "Well… while yer Ma and I aren't gunna go into any specific details…" Vernon trailed off, rubbing the back of his head and looking uncomfortable.

"Something bad happened to Marcus," Dawn chimed in. "And the docuseries covers it. Now, we don't want you three watching it anytime soon, because of how… graphically it details some things. We know that you three will more than likely hear bits and pieces of it from your friends, and even possibly your aunts and uncles." Vernon grumbled about that, but Dawn elected to ignore how he was muttering about putting Ully in a headlock for mentioning the Duke while in earshot of Lily. "And, after discussing it, your father and I feel that later on, with us supervising, we'll let you three watch it if you wish."

"Much later on," Vernon said with a note of finality to his voice.

"But for now, we wanted to bring it up so that you know not to talk about anything you might hear in front of Marcus. Doing so could make him… relive certain things that hurt him before. Do you understand?"

The three nodded, looking a little troubled. "What happened to Marcus, Mommy?" Trevor asked. Dawn and Vern shared an uncomfortable look.

"Well… that's fer him to talk about when he feels more comfortable about it. What's important now is that he's safe and a part of our family, and just needin' lots of love," Vernon said.

At this, Lily raised her hand. "Yes, Darlin'?"

"Can we still give Marcus hugs?" Lily asked innocently. Vernon let out a chuckle at that, noticing how relieved Alice looked.

"O'course ya can, Sweetpea. Ya just gotta mind what ya say around him, that's all." There was a sudden noise next to him, and Vernon looked down to see Princess Callibrie curled up around Dawn in the chair. The large kowmodo dragon was hissing contentedly as she rested her head on Dawn's belly.

"Uh… Puppy? A little help? Remember how the last time she laid on me like this, my legs fell asleep?"

"Right… Allie, can ya go and open up a can of lizard food next to her bowl?" Vernon asked, looking towards his oldest pup.

"On it, Dad," Allie said, jumping off the couch and sprinting towards the kitchen. Meanwhile, Trevor and Lily were both snickering as Vernon kept trying to coax the large reptile off the chair and his mate.

"Still better than a dang raven," Vernon said with a sigh, Dawn nodding emphatically to that.

And there it is, folks! Please consider letting me know what you think!

You can read the story from the beginning here at these sites!

#zootopia #adoption #foundfamily #human #found #family #wastedtimeee

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askdawnandvern · 4 years

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#Zootopia #askdawnandvern #ask blog #Assistant Mayor Bellwether #Bellhunterverse #fan character #wastedtimeee

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amancalleddominik · 4 years

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Smiling girl holding a Charizard card. Gerard van Honthorst, 1625

Original Painting: "Smiling Girl holding an obscene image" by Gerard van Honthorst, 1625

Credits to my friend WastedTimeEE

#meme #history #art #pokemon

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zootopianewsnetwork · 5 years

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Story: Found

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[Family][Hurt/Comfort][Sequel-ish][Incomplete][T-13]

By: Elite Shade

It’s not every day we get to feature a fanfic OF a fanfic! That’s somewhat of the gist of Found, which continues the story of WastedTimeEE’s superb The Rehabilitation of Dawn Bellwether and A Lamb Among Wolves, except this time the baton is passed to Elite Shade. Fans of the original two fics will have no problem diving…

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shadowbunnydragon · 9 months

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Here is a special peek into an alternate universe! One where everyone's gender is swapped! It was a lot of fun and kinda a trip to go back and rewrite previous parts of the story. I hope you all like it!

And, I hope you all like the picture WastedTimeEE drew of Marigold (the female version of Marcus) in a family photo with her mom and dad, Zelda (Zach's female alternate version) and Varun (Vanna's male form)! It came out just so gosh dang cute and sweet! You can find it here on my SoFurry page in the link below! You can also find it on Wasted's pages over there and on FurAffinity!

Found (Genderswapped Shenanigans)

ShadowBunnyDragon

"What's the matter, Puppy Love?" Don asked, the diminutive ram reaching up to take the large gray she-wolf's paw in his hooves. Vera looked down at her mate with a smile before letting out a sigh, her ears and tail drooping a bit.

"Sweet sawgrass, Honey Ram," she said, rubbing her temple with her free paw. "That last place... did ya see the way that guy was looking at us? Ya'd think we were drooling, snarling monsters the way he acted!"

"I know, Vera," Don said with a note of sadness in his voice, "that is to be expected. B-between us being a pred/prey couple... and my criminal history... adopting for us was never going to be easy." The ram looked down at his hooves, only to be swept up into a (near) bone crushing hug by his much larger mate.

"Honey Ram, ya've more than made up fer that. Yer a hero! Anyone who holds yer past against ya like this, ta this degree, is just bein' more stubborn than Ma can be." Don let out a surprised OOF, but recovered and started to rub his mate's arms with his hooves. "We're two mammals lookin' to give some pups a lovin' and stable home, and gettin' passed over like that... it just ain't right."

"I know, Puppy," Don said as he was set back down. He adjusted his tie and lime green sweater vest. Rather than a full suit and tie, Don had decided to dress more upscale casual, so as to leave a good impression. Vera was wearing a light blue sundress. Normally a bit more tomboyish, she too had decided that their chances would be helped by dressing up a bit. "I suppose we have no choice but to just keep pressing forward. If it's any consolation, this place seemed much more promising than the previous one when I booked our appointment. And that was after they had completed a full background check on us." Looking up at his mate, Don's heart skipped a beat when he saw the smile that grew on Vera's muzzle. He was reminded daily of just how much he loved this she-wolf. It had been five years since their tithe and the subsequent caprid ceremony, but they still acted like newlyweds.

"I really hope that there's a little pup and lamb in there that we can open our home to," Vera said, standing up straighter and smoothing out her dress.

"I'm sure we will!" Holding his hoof in her much larger paw, Vera and Don walked up the well-maintained sidewalk path, Vera spotting the sign on the manicured front lawn.

"Warm Hearts, Warm Hearth's Children's Center," she read aloud. The red brick building, not being too far from Little Rodentia, was itself a bit on the small side. From the children's drawings taped to the windows to how well-kept the property was, it gave off more of a cozy feeling, as opposed to the more austere feeling the last facility gave off. It was a very welcome contrast to the couple as they entered the front doorway.

"Welcome," said a male kangaroo with a kind smile as he entered the reception area, wearing a simple white t-shirt and jeans. Out from a nearby doorway came the excited squeals and happy laughter of children. "How can I help you?"

"W-we're the Hunter-Bellwethers. I believe that we spoke on the phone?" Don said, adjusting his glasses.

"Ah yes," the kangaroo said, heading on over to his desk and motioning for the couple to sit down in the chairs opposite it. "It's nice to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Hunter-Bellwether. I'm Adam Hopper, by the way, director here at Warm Hearts, Warm Hearths. You two are early, by the way."

"We're just that eager ta adopt," Vera said, still holding Don's hoof in her paw. She could feel him give her a reassuring squeeze.

"I like that," Adam said, "and if you two are here, then that means that you have been approved to adopt."

The wolf and ram could hardly believe their ears. They shared a look, both with excited grins on their faces, before looking back to Adam.

"That's wonderful news," Don said. Vera was silent, but her tail thumping her chair spoke volumes to her joy. It was then that Don spotted a small wire picture frame on the desk, containing a picture of the kangaroo before them and a tiger, both wearing white tuxedos, the latter nuzzling the former. Don had to stop himself from cooing at how precious the moment captured was, but Adam seemed to have noticed. There was a certain sparkle in his eye as he continued.

"My mate and I know how hard it can be for pred/prey couples to adopt. But I want to assure you both that you have nothing to worry about moving forward."

"Uhm," Don said, shifting a bit in his seat, "a-are you sure? I mean... y-you must know about my... past."

"Mr. Hunter-Bellwether," Adam said, taking note of how the she-wolf leaned down to hug her smaller mate, "everyone makes mistakes in their past. What is important is that you have not only been able to move past it, but even gone on to become a hero to the entire city, at great risk to yourself no less. I promise you, there is no problem here." Don and Vera both felt assured by that. "Now, moving on, you said on the phone that you would prefer children older than infants or toddlers?"

"Y-yes," Don said, feeling suddenly nervous again.

"We know that most couples tend ta adopt the really little ones more than the older pups," Vera explained, "so we were hopin' ta make a difference fer some pups more in the six ta nine age-range."

"Understandable, and you really will." Adam smiled again, quickly getting back to business. "Now, you also expressed a desire to adopt a wolf and a sheep? May I ask why that is?"

"W-well, we felt that it would probably help us to connect with them and better guide them through certain things and instincts in life. L-like the headbutting phase," Don said with a blush. He received a kiss to his forehead from Vera.

"And o'course, the howling urges," the she-wolf said simply. "But we'll still happily adopt outside our species, so it's not a dealbreaker."

"Absolutely! We just want to be parents!" Don chimed in.

Adam chuckled at that. "That's good to hear," he said, pulling out a file from his desk and opening it. He grabbed a photo and passed it to the couple. "As it just so happens, we have a trio that fits what you're looking for almost perfectly." The ram and she-wolf looked down at the photo to see three young mammals, smiling and hugging in a pose for the camera. One was a black wolf pup, wearing a yellow t-shirt and blue shorts, with bright yellow eyes. Then there was a little black-wooled ewe, in a yellow sundress. And sandwiched in between the two was... a largely furless mammal. He, as Don presumed the child was a boy, was wearing a similar shirt and shorts to the wolf pup. He had a shaggy patch of chestnut brown fur atop his head, but based on the rest of his face and arms and legs, he looked like he was otherwise devoid of any fur.

"This cute little trio think of each other as siblings, and have refused to be separated. The oldest, the little wolf boy, is Alex. He's eight. Tiffany, a sweetheart, is the ewe, and she's seven. And there in the middle is little Leon. He's six."

"Oh my... well, we only discussed having two lambs... but I don't think that three would be a problem, Puppy?" Don looked up at his mate, who was looking between him and the picture. Her tail was still wagging.

"True... three is a bigger commitment than two already was... but I ain't gunna go separatin' siblings from one another, even ones not related by blood. Though, I gotta ask, what species is little Leon? Don't get me wrong, he seems just as adorable as his brother and sister. I just never saw one of... whatever he is before," Vera said.

Adam began to rub the back of his head, looking uncomfortable. "Well, that's the thing. We don't know. We even had a sample of his DNA tested, but all we got back was an Unknown. And he doesn't match any kind of species on any registry we've been able to find. So... he's still an unknown species. And all we have to go on is that he was picked up from the streets at around age three or four."

"Oh," Don said, looking down at the picture again. "The poor little guy. He must've been so scared!"

Vera frowned at the thought of a child that young being all alone without anyone to take care of them, and let out a small whine. "Not knowin' what his species is might make it a bit harder ta relate ta him or some of the things his species goes through as they get older... but whatever he is. He and his brother and sister are more than welcome ta join our little pack... if'n they want. Right, Ramchop?"

Don looked up at his mate and, hopping up in his seat, he reached up to kiss his she-wolf on her nose.

"Of course, Puppy," Don said, handing back the photo to Adam, who kept in a snicker at how cute the couple across from him was together.

"Well, in that case, how about we introduce you two to them, and move on from there?" With an enthusiastic assent from the couple, Adam got up and led them through a short hallway into a room with some couches in it. Vera and Don took a seat on a maroon leather couch across from a navy blue one and waited while the kangaroo exited to go and get the children. Adam returned shortly afterwards, herding three young mammals into the room. Right away, Don and Vera noticed how Alex, who was wearing a red shirt with black shorts, was placing himself in front of the other two protectively, looking over at the two strange mammals with determined yellow eyes. Tiffany, who was wearing a blue dress similar to Vera's with a matching bow on her head floof, and Leon, who was in a green shirt and blue shorts, were both looking over his shoulder, soft hazel and curious deep blue respectively. Leon, despite being the youngest, seemed to be taller than his brother and sister, and was hugging a green stuffed dragon to his chest. Nervously, the three walked to the other couch and took a seat on it, huddling close together. Don and Vera both had to hold back a coo at the cuteness.

"Alex, Tiffany, Leon, this is Mr. and Mrs. Hunter-Bellwether; what do we say when we meet new people?" Adam asked in a gentle voice.

"H-hi," Tiffany spoke first. This was chorused by Leon and Alex.

"Hi there, pups!" Vera said, excited. Her tail was making a thumping sound against the couch where she sat, and that made Leon and Tiffany giggle. Alex turned to look at his siblings, before looking back at the strange couple before them.

"It's a pleasure to meet you three," Don said, beaming at the little lambs. After the initial introductions, the conversation continued, albeit a bit awkwardly at first. Don and Vera learned that Alex loved soccer, Tiffany enjoyed writing, and Leon liked to draw and explore.

"Are you going to adopt us?" Tiffany asked, putting a hoof around Leon and pulling him into a side hug. "'Cause Leon's our baby brother, and where we go, he comes with." The little ewe was polite, but very firm in her statement. Adam looked shocked and a little worriedly at Don and Vera, who both seemed to be holding back chuckles at the brave little lamb.

"Well, if y'all three don't mind the idea of us becommin' yer parents, we really would like ta adopt all three of ya," Vera said. At that, the pups seemed to relax a bit.

"You three do deserve to know that... because we're a predator and prey couple, we sometimes receive harassment for it. And... well, we just wanted to make sure you knew that, before deciding if you would like to come home with us." Don suddenly realized just how nervous he felt at that moment. Vera took his hoof in her paw and gave it another reassuring squeeze. The children huddled together on the couch, whispering to each other. Vera's ears twitched as she heard Leon's voice lightly drift over as he said "I think they're nice." Seeming to have reached a consensus, the three broke apart the huddle and, with Alex acting as the spokemammal for their group, he cleared his throat.

"... So long as me, my brother, and my sister can all stay together... then yes," Alex said, starting off sounding confident and strong, but his voice breaking a little at the end there, his little tail tucking itself as his ears started to droop a bit. Vera felt an urge to go over and give the pup a hug, but restrained herself. Instead, she and Don excitedly grinned and spoke with the children for almost another half an hour. When it was time for them to go, Adam led the children away, returning to see the couple out, and assure them that from that point onward, the adoption process was going to be much quicker. In a few more days, the couple would be able to take their children home with them. Walking back out and towards the minivan they had gotten, the she-wolf stopped and swept her mate up into another hug, which he was of course happy to return.

"This is really happening, Honey Ram," Vera said "it's like a dream!"

"I know, Puppy," Don said, suddenly finding himself sitting on Vera's shoulder. He let out an involuntary laugh-bleat. "We're about to become parents! Oh! There is so much we need to do now!"

"I know, darlin'! We gotta start clearin' out a third room, and triple check that the house is safe fer pups. And then we should probably hit up a toy store or two, and we'll need ta get a third bed for Leon, and then--" Vera was cut off by Don grabbing her head and turning it towards him. His lips met hers, and she instinctively wrapped her arms around him. Breaking apart, she felt a bit calmer, although her tail felt like it might just go ahead and break off from how hard it was wagging.

"Y'know, Honey Ram," Vera said as they continued to their car, now a husky tone to her voice, "when we get home, just because we're adoptin', that doesn't mean we can't try the old fashioned way to have yet another pup runnin' around with the three we're already gettin'." As the two buckled up, with Vera in the driver's seat, she leaned over and began to nuzzle the now-blushing Don, who had to remove his fogged-up glasses.

"I do believe that you make a very valid point, Puppy Love," he said, turning to look up at his mate with love and adoration in his eyes, that were mirrored in the bright green ones looking back at him. The two shared another kiss just as Vera turned the key in the ignition.

* * *

"Thankfully she was brought in when she was. The injury to the leg was beginning to show signs of infection," Doctor Catson said, adjusting her glasses as she looked up at Doreen. The lynx was consulting a chart, a slight frown on her muzzle. "If she had been out there much longer, she'd be potentially looking at a major infection. Which, when considering how malnourished she is, and her living conditions..." she trailed off, not needing to spell it out to the law she-wolf.

"Accordin' to my daughter and her mate, the two did some poking around the areas they believed she was livin'. Apparently she's been living off of foragin' and creek water, and some kinda canned foods. Sleepin' outside, I'm surprised she didn't get pneumonia, considerin' how wet and cold it's been lately."

"It's a miracle she was found when she was... but there's something else." Doctor Catson's small frown was now much more pronounced. This made Doreen pause.

"What is it, Layla?"

"Based... on her behavior, as well as some physical scarring, I believe that she had been subjected to physical abuse," the lynx said, her ears drooping.

Doreen grimaced but nodded, having had a similar thought based on how terrified the girl had been. Not to mention how she jumped from even the slightest noise or whenever someone spoke.

"Ya mentioned scarring?"

Layla nodded, shuffling her documents a bit, holding out a couple of photos to the white she-wolf. Doreen looked them over.

"There's scarring on the backs of her paws, but those pale in comparison to the ones on her back."

Doreen saw for herself in the picture, the small series of faded pink lines going down the backs of the child's paws. It was when she looked at the photo of her back that caused Doreen to wince, and even let out a whine. The child's back was a crisscross network of much larger, more fervent-looking scars that were much more pronounced, and nearly covered the entirety of her back. Doreen handed the photos back, a sick feeling in her gut.

"Know what coulda done something like that?" Doreen asked, a few ideas of her own in the back of her mind.

"Well, a knife or even a claw is not entirely out of the realm of possibility. However, it is in my opinion that the injuries to her back were caused by a whip."

Doreen winced again, the idea of those having been scars from a whip having been a theory that she was hoping had not been the case. After confirming that Child Services had been contacted, Doreen started to head towards the room that the mystery mammal was in, an idea beginning to take root in her mind. She quietly opened the door, entering with a practiced warm smile on her muzzle, taking slow and deliberate steps so as not to spook her.

"Now, Pup," Doreen said as she settled into the chair by the hospital bed. She looked at the older mystery mammal, who sat there in a hospital gown, hugging her knees to her chest. She looked upon the older law she-wolf with blue eyes filled with worry and fear. Doreen tok some solace in the fact that the girl was no longer shivering. "How about we start with somethin' simple, like yer name?"

"M-my name?" the young girl asked, scooting a little bit away on the bed, looking confused.

"Yep. Mine's Doreen." She gave what she hoped was a comforting smile.

"U-uh..." The girl looked away as she started to speak, now trying to make her voice sound deeper. "M-Marcus."

Doreen sighed and shook her head, internally muttering something about Pups not being good at lying. "Sorry, Pup, but yer gunna have ta do better than that."

Flinching a little, the furless mammal looked to be mulling it over. "Uh... I m-meant to say... my name's Eli?" Doreen just looked at her with an unamused, half-lidded stare. "B-Barry," she squeaked out, the falsetto now gone. After a moment of silence, she hanged her head, realizing the jig was up, and looked Doreen in the eyes. "M-my name is a-actually... Marigold."

Doreen's tail started to wag as her frown broke into a happy smile. "See? That wasn't so hard, now was it?"

"... I g-guess not," Marigold said, gulping audibly.

"Now, mind tellin' me why you tried ta claim y'all were a boy?"

"... B-because p-people always said b-bad things happen to girls when they go into the 'system'," Marigold said.

"I promise that nothin's gunna happen ta ya so long as I'm around, Miss Marigold. Ya can count on that," Doreen said with a wag of her tail. "Now, how old are ya?"

"... 18."

Doreen sighed and just silently sat there, staring at the girl. Marigold fidgeted and squirmed before sighing.

"I j-just turned 12," she said, now a look of pleading in her eyes. "P-please don't p-put me in the system! I can take care of myself!"

"Oh, can ya now?" Doreen asked, pointedly looking to the bandage wrapped around the girl's calf. "'Cause according ta the doctor, that little injury there was close ta becomin' infected. And also, from the tests they ran, yer pretty underweight. How long were you out in the woods?"

"Uh... m-maybe a month?"

"And ya were by yerself that whole time?"

Marigold just nodded silently at that, a couple silent tears streaming down her pale cheeks. The sight hurt the she-wolf's heart. Looking at the vulnerable, frightened young girl sitting there, Doreen couldn't help thinking about her own girls. The idea of any one of them, being left alone at such a young age, to fend for themselves in the wilderness, made Doreen want to howl in anger and sorrow.

"Where are yer parents?" Doreen asked. Seeing how the girl began to hyperventilate at that question, once she calmed back down, the she-wolf decided to hold off on questioning further in that area for the time being. Noticing how the girl kept nodding off, Doreen smiled.

"Ya know, yer not the first of yer species I've encountered," Doreen said, taking note of the look of worry in the girl's eyes.

"I-I'm not?"

"Nope. My daughter and her mate actually adopted a group of pups not too long ago, and the youngest, my little grandson Leon, is one of yer species. And he's just the sweetest little guy. But the thing of it is... he doesn't know what yer species is called, and no one we've been askin' seems to have encountered anyone like y'all before either. So I was wonderin' iffin' you could tell me what yer species' name is?"

"... H-human," Marigold said in a faint voice, looking very confused.

"Uman? Mind spellin' that fer me?" Marigold did, after stifling a yawn.

"Okay, you've answered enough questions so far, missy. Right now it looks ta me like you could use some shuteye," Doreen said. While her mate Addy was the more emotional and nurturing of their tithing, she still had mothering skills she had developed after raising seven pups. The older she-wolf gently took the blanket and pulled it up over Marigold. The furless young mammal seemed surprised at first, before letting out a big yawn and laying down.

"Uhm... th-thank you, sheriff," Marigold said in a sleepy voice.

"Yer welcome, Marigold. Now, we'll be nearby if ya need us. I promise, ya ain't gunna be alone anymore," Doreen said softly as she exited the room. Walking out into the waiting area, she had to hold back a snort. She saw Yuki sitting with her arms crossed, looking annoyed, with a large quartz crystal sitting on her head. Right next to her was Undine, who was slowly waving another, smaller crystal, looking like an amethyst, around Yuki's head.

"This will align your chakras and help alleviate some of that stress I am sensing coming off you, Yuke." Doreen held back a chuckle at the sight of her daughters, the two younger black she-wolves oblivious to their mother's amusement. It was while looking around that Doreen spotted just the russet-and gray-colored she-wolf she was looking for, currently talking on her phone.

"Zelda," Doreen said, getting her attention. Zelda saw that her mother was motioning for her to follow, so she made quick work of hanging up and entering an empty room right behind Doreen. With the door closed, the white wolf looked upon her daughter with a smile on her muzzle.

"So what's happenin' with the girl, Ma?" Zelda asked.

"Well, that's what I wanted ta talk to ya about, Hun," Doreen started, a sly smile on her muzzle. "See, as ya can tell, she's had a bit of a rough go o' thangs, and is now all alone. And I personally hate the idea of her just goin' ta some foster home where she will be the only known member of her species. And, what's more, Vera and Don haven't been able to uncover any information about Leon's species, so it wouldn't really be a benefit fer anyone fer the poor gal ta just be shipped off to who knows where and surrounded by strangers. At least here we've been able to build a rapport..."

At that, Zelda's ears perked up and her tail started to wag. "So you and Pa are gunna take her in!"

Doreen chuckled at that. "Well, I'm sure Addy would be more than happy ta. But, we're makin' some... alterations at the ranch."

"So Don and Vera then?"

"I'd be willin' ta bet good money that they'd be willin' ta as well, but with the new pups 'n all, they don't really got that much space..."

"But, then, who else? Yuki and Adamo have barely enough time fer themselves over in Seaotter, and... wait a sec, Ma. Hold the phone!"

"What? You and Varun have that big 'ol house all ta yerselves, plus I know that Addy would just love to have another grandpup nearby ta dote on and spoil."

"Yeah, but," Zelda said, now looking thoughtful.

"Plus she's gunna need some stability with a good, permanent home. And you and Varun said ya were both talkin' 'bout adoptin'."

"... I'll have ta talk with Varun about this first," Zelda said, sounding like her mind was elsewhere, her tail starting to wag. Doreen bit down on a smirk, knowing that her daughter had already been sold on the idea.

"Absolutely! You go on and think what I said over and talk to yer mate." Doreen watched Zelda head out the door to look for the large tiger, and waited until she was out of earshot before pulling out her phone. Tapping on it, she dialed up a number. The other end rang a few times before it was picked up.

"Hey, Xena, I'm so sorry, Sweetheart, I know ya and Melly are enjoyin' some much needed R and R, but Zelda and Varun really need yer help right now. See, they decided ta become foster parents. Yes, that's right, the pup we found in the woods."

Elsewhere in the hospital, Zelda had found her mate sitting with the other Hunter boys (as they like to call themselves), with Tarin having been sitting on his head. Seeing his mate wanting a word alone, he had plucked the black-furred fox tod off his head, and instead deposited the small canid onto the head of a certain hyena.

"Hey! My head ain't no jungle-gym!" Adamo barked out in his Barx accent. Varun chuckled as he walked off so he and Zelda could speak. Of all the things he had been expecting, what came out of his she-wolf's mouth was not one of them.

"You want us to become foster parents to that poor girl?" he asked, scratching his chin.

"I know it's sudden, but we need ta act now! She needs stability and Ma and Pa can't provide it 'cause... well, Ma didn't elaborate as ta why she and Pa can't do it, but the point still stands!"

"Hmm," Varun looked to be deep in thought as Zelda continued.

"Plus, Don and Vera need all the help they can get in understanding all they can about Leon's species. And on top of that we've both agreed that we want to adopt. Granted, we thought about getting a feline or a canid child, but I think we could provide an excellent home for her and--"

"I agree," Varun said, his deep and soft voice cutting off the she-wolf mid-explanation.

"... Huh?" Zelda was stunned.

Varun chuffed happily and smiled at his mate, his tail swishing as he wrapped his powerful arms around her waist, making her blush as he nuzzled the top of her head.

"I'll admit I'm a little nervous about becoming a father, even a foster father. But... I like the idea of opening our home to the poor girl. And with Mama and Papa Hunter being nearby, it's not like we would be truly on our own."

Zelda's tail became a blur of joy, fighting back the urge to howl in pure excitement. She had been warned twice before if she did so in the hospital again that she would be given a fine. "I know we're probably gunna have ta take it slow... but I'm just so excited at the idea! Us, having a daughter!" The two shared a long and passionate kiss.

* * *

Morning sunlight cascaded through the bedroom window, bathing everything it touched in a warm golden glow. This included the cuddled up forms of Vera and Don, the former of which was practically encircling the latter with her body. Slowly, the two began to stir. Don's eyes fluttered open as he buried his face in his mate's neck ruff, while Vera affectionately nuzzled his head floof.

"Mornin', Floofy," Vera said with a smile, her tail thumping the bed.

"Good morning, Puppy," Don replied with a yawn and a smile.

Vera looked her mate over as she stretched a little. "Ya had the dream again, didn't'cha?"

The ram winced and nodded. "Y-yes, but instead of it just being Diana and my m-mother, there were also what I think my subconscious decided were what adult humans looked like for my dream. Only instead of looking more like Marigold or just a taller Leon, they had long gangly arms with many different joints, and could unhinge their jaws. And they kept trying to take Leon away with them." Don shuddered at the memory of the dream, feeling comfort from Vera gently pulling him closer.

"Hey, now, that's never gunna happen, Darlin'," Vera said, looking Don in the eye. "Leon, just like his brother and sister, is our pup, and no one is gunna take any of them from us."

"I know, Puppy Love... but a part of me just can't stop worrying."

"That's just you being a good dad." Vera smiled and kissed her ram on his nose, making him blush and let out a happy bleat. Don snickered and reached up into Vera's ruff, easily finding the spot he was looking for and scratching it. Vera's right leg immediately started to twitch as her tongue lolled out and she rolled over, unable to stop herself. Don stopped when he heard some giggling coming from their bedroom door. Vera's ears twitching at the sound, the two turned to look and saw their children poking their heads through, only to suddenly dart back out having been caught.

"Am I correct to believe that some little lambs decided to peek in on Mommy and Daddy this morning?" Don called out with a smile on his muzzle. There were some giggles outside the door, before the children apparently composed themselves, and opened it properly. In they came, with Alex in the lead carrying a tray with food on it, followed close behind by Tiffany, who was cuddling her new wolf plush named Mrs. Sniffy, and Leon, who was carrying a relaxing Sir Callibrie in his arms, the little lizard looking about and letting out a content chirp. The children were still all in their pj's, Alex in his soccer-themed pajamas, Tiffany in her yellow nightgown, and Leon wearing his much-too-large for him black Samurai Snakes t-shirt over gray pajama bottoms.

"Happy birthday, Daddy!" the little human boy called out in excitement.

"Uh... w-we thought you might like breakfast in bed?" Alex said, looking away and trying to sound casual, but his perked up ears and slowly wagging tail were a dead giveaway for his anticipation. Don let out a coo at the cuteness before him as Vera chuckled and the two disentangled to allow the children to approach.

"Well now, that sounds so thoughtful," the ram said, grabbing his glasses from the bedside table and putting them on. Alex carefully, but quickly walked over to set the tray down in front of Don. "Now, what do we have here? Oh! Why, is that a fruit salad I spy?" Seeing Alex blush beneath his dark fur while looking away was a dead giveaway to Don. "Do I have you to thank for this thoughtful and tasty-looking salad, Alex?"

"Uh... w-well... yeah," Alex smiled as Don took a few bits of the cubed honeydew and mango, popping a strawberry in his mouth as well.

"It's delicious, thank you, Alex," Don said, leaning over and pulling his oldest son into a hug. The young wolf let out a surprised yip, but was quick to return the hug, now blushing more.

"And what's this little treat here?" Vera asked, pointing to two pieces of toast that appeared to have some kind of black frosting spread over them, with a white face drawn on, and plenty of black and white and purple sprinkles.

"I made Pirate Toast!" Leon said proudly, setting a squirming Sir Callibrie down on the bed, who darted over to Dawn and up his arm, coming to rest on his head floof, curling up to relax once again.

"Pirate Toast? Now that sounds adventurous," Don said, picking up a slice. "Did you design them to look like little pirate flags?" He smiled when Leon proudly nodded. "You are such a little artist! They look just like the real thing... only toastier!" That got a giggle from the lambs.

"I used the vanilla cake frosting I found in the cupboard, and didja know that if you mix the red, green, and blue food colorings together in it, it turns black?"

"I certainly didn't," Vera said, scooping Leon and Tiffany into her arms and setting them on her lap, her tail thumping. "What else is in it?"

"Well, I also added some sprinkles I found," Leon said as Don took a big bite of his toast, "and some red glitter!" Don froze at that, immediately feeling the tiny pieces of decorative plastic in his mouth. Vera looked to be holding back a snicker while Don continued to chew his bite, giving it a swallow while Leon looked on with joy in his eyes.

"Ah, so you did. Well... that is truly delicious, buddy, thank you." Don was quick to grab the glass of cloudy dark liquid and take a sip. It had a sweet, citrusy taste to it. "Oh my, this is lovely. What is this juice?"

"I made you Outer Space Juice, Daddy!" Tiffany squeaked.

"Now what's all in Outer Space Juice, sweetie-pie?" Vera asked, looking down at the ewe in her lap. Tiffany gazed back up at her mother with a bright smile.

"It's cranberry juice with the powdered orange drink for Astronauts mixed in! Though I wanted to pour some Deep Space Cocoa Spheres in, Alex said not to." Tiffany was very matter-of-factly about her response, letting out a giggle when Vera gave both her and her little brother a loving squeeze.

"We can make some more juice and fruit salads and pirate toast for everybody," Leon chimed in, prompting Vera to stand up, setting the two of her younger pups on her shoulders.

"Why don't I come down and help y'all with that, honey?"

"'Kay, Mommy!" Leon reached over and wrapped his little arms around her neck. The she-wolf's tail started to wag while she looked at her mate and gave him a wink. Don looked relieved as, with Leon watching, he hesitantly took another bite of the pirate toast. With the younger lambs now out of the room and down the stairs, Don sighed with relief and let out a chuckle. He then looked over to Alex, who was shuffling uncomfortably on his paws.

"Something wrong, Alex?" Don asked.

"Uh... I guess while I was busy keeping the cereal out of the juice, I musta missed Leon getting the glitter... sorry," Alex said, only to find himself being hugged again.

"There's nothing to apologize for, son," Don said with a warm and gentle smile. "That was a lovely breakfast."

Down in the kitchen, Leon was in the middle of making up some more batches of pirate toast, with Vera 'making sure thangs ran smoothly'. When Leon wasn't looking, she grabbed the jar of glitter and dumped it down the sink drain.

"Aw, shucks, honey," Vera said, feigning disappointment. "It looks like we're all out of glitter."

"Awww! But pirate toast needs glitter!" Leon looked contemplative. "I guess I'll just have to borrow some of Tiffany's glitter glue in a little bit."

Vera left Leon at the counter and took the little ewe who had been mixing some more glasses of juice together aside, leaning down to whisper in her ear. "Alright, darlin', I'll give ya five bucks if ya can hide the glitter glue in yer room from Leon."

"Why, Mommy?" Tiffany whispered back.

"Uh... th-there's a glitter shortage and we need ta preserve as much as we can?"

"I'm on it!" Tiffany said, quickly running off.

"Where'd Tiffany go?" Leon asked, looking up at Vera with wide blue eyes.

"Er... she went ta go see if she can get ya that glitter glue ya mentioned. But she thinks it might be lost."

"Oh no!" Leon whined in disappointment. Vera was quick to wrap a loving arm around his shoulders.

"It's okay, sugar-pie! Pirate toast can still be great even iffin' we're outta glitter of any kind." She kissed the top of his headfur, making her little boy giggle.

"Okay, Mommy!" And with that, Leon dove right back into it, using some of the frosting he had separated and not added any food coloring to it to draw the skull and crossbones on the toast.

* * *

The sun had just dipped below the horizon, the twilight slowly giving way to the growing dark. Varun sat leaning up against a tree, looking at the first twinkling stars beginning to show, letting out a contented sigh. The large tiger's ears twitched at the sound of approaching footsteps. His tail swished as he smiled at his mate sidling up next to him. Varun slipped an arm around Zelda's waist as she leaned into his powerful frame.

"Yer just so sweet with Marigold!" Zelda said, her tail a happy blur. "She looked like she was havin' a lot of fun playin' catch!" She thought back to how nervous their foster pup had been when they'd first brought her home, always walking on eggshells around the two of them. It had broken her heart how often the girl would flinch whenever someone spoke to her.

"It did seem to help her come out of her shell a bit," Varun chuckled. "I'm actually thinking about teaching her how to play baseball. We've got a bat in addition to the gloves."

"That's a wonderful idea!" Zelda felt like she could howl. "I just love havin' a little girl ta dote on and do Mother-Daughter thangs with!"

Varun chuckled. He had found Zelda's adoration of Marigold adorable, especially since the girl didn't seem to have had any positive female role models, at least based on how much she went out of her way to try and please Zelda. He had found that the girl had seemed especially nervous around him at first, though Varun had taken the initiative to help break the ice by playing some games with her. She had seemed very confused about how the Z-Box One worked as well as video games as a whole, but starting with a simple game of catch, he had found the young girl had started to open up.

"I never took you for much of a girly-girl," Varun teased, kissing Zelda's nose. She rolled her eyes and waved a dismissive paw.

"Oh hush. I'm just as feminine as the next gal. It's just that li'l Marigold desperately needs some TLC and somethin' we could both bond over."

"Like dress shopping?" Varun chuckled, taking note of the light green sundress his mate was wearing, and how it was a similar shade of green as their uniform shirts. Zelda just rolled her eyes.

"We were out in town today and I saw her lookin' in the display windows. 'Course I took her inside so we could find somethin' she'd like... the fact that she and I got matchin' dresses, the exception bein' hers needed to be tailored a bit so that it didn't have a tail hole in the back, was just a happy coincidence." Zelda blushed a little, though her tail continued to wag. Varun let out a happy chuff, and held her tighter.

"Of course, my love," he said, looking around. "Where is Marigold, anyway?"

"Oh, she said she was feelin' a little worn from the day, what with goin' out with me, and then that cute little pie caper Leon went and solved," Zelda said with a slight giggle. "I still can't believe that Tarin tried to frame that cute li'l lizard of Leon's... or how well he figured it all out."

"Mama Doreen certainly seemed excited by his detective work."

"Don't let Vera hear ya say that," Zelda giggled, "she's so worried that Ma will try and push policin' on him that she's tryin' ta clamp down on anythang of the sort around her pups."

Varun looked off in the distance, stiffening suddenly. "Zelda, you said that Marigold was going to rest, correct?"

"Yeah, why darlin'?" Zelda asked, confused.

"Because I just saw her climbing out of her bedroom window with that little case in her arms, running off into the forest," Varun said simply.

"What?!" Zelda jerked around and, sure enough, she could just make out a figure running away from their house and deeper into the trees. Without a work, she grabbed her mate's paw, and started to drag him through the trees after them. "Somethin's gotta be wrong! And what if she hurts herself again like when we first found her?!"

"My love, please try and calm down, I'm sure that everything's fine," Varun said in an attempt to reassure his mate, but with a pit of worry forming in his own gut regardless. They stopped not too far from their house, near the edge of a small clearing with a stump near the center. Varun and Zelda were hiding behind a tree as Marigold was looking around, a worried expression on her face. She was still wearing the same green sundress from earlier, it taking on an ethereal glow in the fading twilight as the light of the full moon was beginning to shine. All around, fireflies were starting to take flight.

"We gotta be quiet, or else she'll hear us," Zelda said from where she was crouched.

"So whatcha think she's up to?" Tarin asked, poking his head up from a bush to Zelda's left.

"I'm not really sure yet, we just saw her runnin' off and... Tarin? What're ya doin' here?" Zelda asked, looking down at the black-furred fox tod who was smiling casually back up at her.

"I saw you both running off into the woods and decided ta see what was happening. I figured that it might be something fun."

Zelda rolled her eyes while Varun had to choke down a chuckle at the antics of his unofficial brother, as all the 'Hunter Boys' liked to think of themselves.

"Tarin, ya ain't s'posed ta be here, now git!" Zelda hissed.

"Who ain't s'posed ta be here?" Tyra asked. The arctic she-wolf scooped up her mate and set him on her shoulders.

"T-Tyra?!"

"What? I saw my cute little ball of fluff run off inta the woods, naturally I'd follow him," Tyra said as Tarin rested his head on hers.

"Sounds ta me like youse was thinkin' of maybe gettin' up ta somethin' naughty out here in da woods, away from where anybody could see or hear yas," Adamo said, stepping from behind a tree, the male hyena grinning with a toothpick in his mouth.

"Adamo?!" Zelda clapped a paw to her forehead. Removing it, she saw Yuki standing there, trying to look bored.

"We were makin' out when ya two started yappin' about Zelda bein' a girly-girl and then heard ya decide ta chase after Marigold," the black she-wolf growled as Adamo squeezed her side.

"Yeah, and we wanted ta make sure dat youse wasn't gunna go and invade that goil's proivacy," Adamo said, looking pointedly at Zelda, whol was wringing her paws.

"I thought that she might be tryin' ta run away or somethin'... I just wanted ta make sure she was safe! That's my puppy after all!" Zelda blushed, clearly flustered. Adamo pulled her into a hug to comfort her.

"She was probably drawn to this spot thanks to all the positive energies that emanate from it," Undine's voice could be heard up above. Looking up, everyone saw her sitting on a tree branch with Melvin laying in her lap.

"It is a pretty peaceful spot," the male honey badger said, looking up at the stars through the canopy. He was holding a bowl of popcorn in his claws.

"What, did a memo go out or somethin'?!" Zelda asked, exasperated.

"Now now, sweetie," Adrian said, inexplicably standing next to a very surprised Adamo and Yuki, with an embarrassed-looking Doreen standing next to her. "As it just so happens, this here spot is a favorite fer yer Ma and me fer our little picnics."

"Well, they start out as picnics," Doreen said, wrapping her arms around Adrian's waist, making the older gray wolf wag his tail and chuckle.

"Ma! We didn't need ta hear 'bout that!" Vera said from right next to Zelda, making the auburn she-wolf whip around. She saw Don perched on his mate's shoulders.

"Okay, is everyone we know here in the woods tonight?!" Zelda demanded. Right then, as if on cue, Gareth tumbled to the ground nearby, Winnie in his arms, Xena and Melanie tangled up in the gangly giraffe's legs.

"Oi! You two! What's the big idea about scamperin' in between me legs?!"

"It wasn't our fault that you didn't look where you were walking," Xena pointed out, adjusting her glasses. Standing up and brushing herself off, she reached down and scooped Melanie up into her arms, the two kissing. "Are you alright, Butterball?"

"I'm just fine, Fluffytail," Melanie said, putting her arms around her mate's neck, all the while Winnie was helping her own mate to his shakey hooves.

"No need to fret over me, love," Gareth said, leaning his head and neck down to smile at the she-wolf he was lucky to have found.

"Hey, that just seemed like a nasty fall, that's all," Winnie said, her tail swishing.

"Can y'all just keep it down! I'm amazed that Marigold hasn't heard all y'all!" Zelda quietly snapped. Everyone grew silent at that, and looked out into the clearing. Marigold was kneeling next to the stump, where she had set her case down on it and opened it. From inside, she pulled out a photograph.

"Hey, Ryan," they could hear the girl's soft voice float over on the gentle breeze. "I just... I remembered that today is... was... your birthday... and I just wanted to let you know that I'm keeping my promise." Her voice hitched a little, but she composed herself. "I'm still moving forward, b-big brother... I m-miss you so much." She wiped a tear from her cheek, before she stood up and pulled out a well-cared for violin from inside the case. She tested the strings to make sure they were in tune before taking a stance.

"Happy birthday, Ryan," she said, raising the bow to the strings. Then, she began to play. As the tune began to ring out gently in the clearing, sounding like a bouncy and fun folk tune, Marigold began to sway and twirl, spinning on her feet. As the music picked up the pace, but the tone became something more melancholic, Zelda realized that not only was Marigold skilled at playing her fiddle, but she also had some training in ballet. With each new song, the girl would dance and pirouette, leap and spin-turn, and perform other moves that Zelda didn't know the names of. She and the rest of the family watched, entranced and silent, at this little concert that the newest addition to their family was putting on, for her brother who, most of them guessed based on what they had overheard, was no longer alive. The full weight of what this moment must represent to her foster daughter suddenly hit Zelda, just as Marigold seemed to be slowing down in both the dancing and her playing.

"S-sweet sawgrass," Zelda said as Marigold seemed to be finishing on a long, mournful note. "W-we all can't let her know we saw this!"

"Truly a great invasion of her privacy," Xena mused, only to suddenly be pushed by Zelda.

"Enough musin', we gotta move, now," she barked as quietly as she could. Everyone started to head back the way they had all come, when there was a sudden loud CLICK. Turning, they all saw that Marigold had returned everything to her case and snapped the latch shut. She got up and proceeded to walk back to the house... which was in the same direction everyone in the family sans Vera and Don's pups were in at that moment. Scrambling, the Hunters and their mates ran through the trees and underbrush, avoiding the scant trail like the plague. Everyone darted around to the other side of Zelda and Varun's house. Varun stealthily peeked out from around the corner, watching as Marigold was looking all around, before trying to stealthily climb back in through her bedroom window. A few very loud thumps later, and she was back inside, none the wiser. Varun released the breath he had no idea he had been holding, all the while Zelda was making everyone swear that they wouldn't say a thing to Marigold about this.

"B-but," Undine whined, holding up her camera, "it was so in line with the natural energies of the clearing! Folks would be so energized and helped by seeing the video I took of it!

And here it is! The peek into the genderswapped AU of Found! I might do another in the future, but holy crap did this one take a bit of time! I hope everyone is having a great summer!

#zootopia #adoption #foundfamily #found #zootopia2electricboogaloo #human #genderswap

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