[Vfw-times] Cassie story-"All In A Night's Work" part 2

[Rufinoform at aol.com]

At the same time, in the living room of a rustic old skiing lodge in the 
Berkshire mountains, a dark haired vixen
rested in front of a wide screen TV.  Reclining on a sofa with her long, dark 
furred legs propped up on one end,
she kept herself wrapped in a warm blanket.  Cassie kept her bleary eyes 
focused on the show on TV the best she
could.  She adjusted her white sleeping robe over her pink nightgown 
slightly, trying to rest comfortably, as
difficult as it was.

She sniffed slightly, wiping off her snout with a Kleenex.  "I really wish I 
was feeling well enough to be there,"
she thought silently to herself, "but what can I do?  I've just got to hope 
the best for Cindy and Laretta."  She
began to smile, "But I know they'll do great!"

She took a slow sip from a mug of warm herbal tea, feeling the brew soothe 
her throat, when her ears perked up
and swiveled to the noise of pots crashing and some minor cursing from the 
nearby kitchen.  Cassie couldn't help but
to crack a fanged grin.  Her manager and true love, Foxonian, stayed 
faithfully by her side ever since she fell ill.
It was ironic, since she carefully looked after him whenever he suffered 
severe back pain.  This time, their roles
were reversed.

A moment later, the human male walked into the living room carrying a silver 
platter with a large steaming bowl.
He carefully set the tray down next to the resting vixen on the adjoining 
table.  "Here, honey," he said with a smile
as he stroked her ears, "I made you some nice hot chicken soup!"  Cassie 
frowned and coughed slightly, "You shouldn't
be spending so much time around me.  I'm afraid you'll catch whatever I 
have!" she said in a raspy voice.

Foxonian chuckled and patted her on the shoulder, "You really do worry about 
me too much.  All you need to worry
about now is resting and getting better."  He gently wrapped a warm shawl 
around her shoulders.  "If you stay
good, doctor will give you a nice treat when you're better!" he said with a 
laugh and a wink.  The vixen smiled
sweetly and touched his hand.

They were interrupted suddenly by a knock at the door.  Foxonian rose to 
answer the door as Cassie helped herself
to some of the soup.  "Hey guys, come on in!" he said to their guests.  
Rachel, the tall whitetail doe dressed in
her usual gothic attire and makeup, smiled and waved to Cassie.  "I really 
don't feel ecstatic doing this to you
guys," she said in an uneasy tone, "Cassie really should be resting!"

Foxonian smiled, "It's no problem at all.  Cassie wanted to be up to watch 
the show anyway, and why not let us get
all together?"  Cassie just smiled and nodded in agreement to the doe.  
Rachel nodded, "Oh well, we won't stay
too long."  She crossed her arms and looked back over her shoulder, "Right, 
Alex?"

Right behind her pranced in a smiling little arctic vixen dressed in a 
striped pink tank top, baggy blue jeans, and
red flip-flop style sandals with thick soles.  She looked up innocently and 
laughed, "Sure, no problem!"  She walked
up to the end of the couch where Cassie had her feet propped up.  "Hey 
Cassie, how's it going?"  The reclining
vixen grunted and shrugged, "I'm hanging in there."

After the two furry ladies settled in, Andy entered the lodge carrying a "Get 
Well" card that the whole band had
signed.  Everyone promptly took a seat, except of course on the couch, which 
doubled as Cassie's bed.  "We're not
too late, are we?"  Alex asked as she bounced into the recliner.  Foxonian 
shook his head, "No, you're okay.
They should be coming on after the next commercial break."

Cassie was enjoying reading her Get Well card when Andy's cell phone rang.  
When he answered, he grinned and
announced, "Everyone, it's Vixina!"  Everyone shouted "Hi, Vixina!" to the 
phone, except Cassie, who had to settle for
a whisper.  "How are you holding up?"  Andy asked into the speaker.  From her 
own cell phone, Vixina replied,
"Ah'm awlrahght.  Ah wish mah dang ol' truck wuz outta th' shop!"  She smiled 
and continued, "But Ah sho' got a
fahne place t' stay!"  The reason she was smiling was obvious, as she cuddled 
in the lap of her red wolf
lover, Cloudchaser.  "Anywho, we's watchin' th' show raight now, an' Ah 
cain't wait t' see Cindy an' Laretta!  Ah
know they'll jest be super!"

Andy nodded and replied, "Okay, Vixina, glad to hear from you!  Cassie 
appreciates your condolences!"  When he
finished, Rachel said, "So, what's this I hear about Cindy and Laretta being 
'specially rewarded' for standing in
for us?"  Cassie grinned a vixenish smile as Foxonian began to explain, 
"Well, we wanted to make this worth their
while.  It took some effort to track down their boyfriends, but hopefully 
everything went through okay."  Alex
grinned, "Gee, now that you say that, I kinda wish I did volunteer!"

Before anyone could say anything more, there was another knock at the door.  
Most of the guests were surprised,
since they didn't expect anyone else to show up, but Foxonian smiled and 
winked to Cassie as he went to answer the
door.  "Hey Mister, did ya call for a doctor?" a voice asked at the open 
door.  "This one specializes in house
calls, especially when there are nice young ladies around!" he continued 
half-laughing.  Foxonian looked
slightly annoyed, but greeted the visitor just the same, "Come on in, Slim!"

The short brown otter roadie, dressed in a backwards baseball cap, flannel 
shirt, tattered jeans and sneakers,
sauntered into the room to the surprised looks of all, except Cassie, who 
also seemed to expect him.  "Hey, Slim,"
Alex managed to reply, "We weren't expecting you here tonight!"  Slim leaned 
back, with his back against the wall of
a nearby corner, and smugly replied, "And why not?  I helped out a lot too, 
you know!"

Rachel cleared her throat and said, "Are you pulling our legs, Slim?  I mean, 
you're great at fixing broken synths,
but really..."  An annoyed Slim looked like he was about to fire back, but 
Foxonian politely cut in.  "Actually,
Rachel, he's right.  You see, Cindy and Laretta were last-minute additions, 
and we had to make sure they could get
into the program without a hitch.  We needed some technical help with that 
part."  He put his hands behind his
back, "That, plus we needed to pull a few strings to allow two 'guests' onto 
the premises."

Slim nodded, "You know, I have made quite a few connections in my early years 
of stage work.  I ought to catch up
with that old wolverine, Ted.  I never thought I'd hear about him working 
backstage at the Grammys, of all places!"
he chuckled.

Cassie and Foxonian smiled to one another as Foxonian replied, "The important 
thing is, Cindy and Laretta are going
to get to enjoy a special night, and they should know how much we appreciate 
them."  Alex suddenly spoke up,
"Hey, they're gonna come on now!"  All eyes focused on the TV screen as the 
announcer began to speak.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we are very proud to have with us tonight two very 
talented young ladies from the scene
of 'furry' hard rock.  They are undoubtedly the most charismatic and 
innovative performers to grace the stage with
a powerful, hard-driving sound and a distinctly sensitive and feminine 
gracefulness.  And have they got the award
to prove it!  Please give a warm welcome to tonight's representatives from 
Cassie's Band, Cindy McCormick and
Laretta Morrigan!"

The audience broke out into applause as both the snow leopardess and she-wolf 
gracefully walked across the
stage, smiling and waving.  Their friends watching at home were equally 
impressed.

"Za-Za-Za-ZOINKS!!" exclaimed an astounded Slim, who stared at the screen 
with a slack jaw.  "Wow, Laretta looks
so pretty!" gasped an awe-struck Alex.  Rachel chuckled and nodded, "And how 
about Cindy?  I'm amazed she actually
kept her shoes on this time!"

Everyone quieted and focused their attention as Cindy stood next to Laretta 
behind the podium.  "Thank you,
everyone!" Cindy announced, "We're very thrilled and honored to be here 
tonight!  Isn't that right, Laretta?"  The
she-wolf in the beautiful red dress smiled and nodded, "I agree, Cindy!  I 
couldn't think of a better honor
than recognizing the achievements of so many of our great fellow musicians, 
both human and furry-morph!"

Some polite applause followed their brief speech, as Laretta continued with a 
light tone.  "So Cindy, what do you
think of it being around all these people tonight?"  "It's pretty cool, 
Laretta," Cindy said with a slight
chuckle, "Almost too cool, in fact!  Just because we've got hair all over our 
bodies doesn't mean they have to max
out the A/C!  And don't get me started on how much static there is in the 
carpets!"  The audience burst into
laughter upon hearing Cindy's joke.

"Tell me about it!" Laretta laughed, "On the other hand, I guess we're lucky, 
since we're probably the only ones
who could show up wearing fur without getting red paint thrown on us!"  The 
she-wolf gave a fanged grin as more
laughter followed.

"Seriously speaking, folks," Cindy said in a calmer and more serious tone of 
voice, "Being here tonight really means
a lot to us.  We, with Cassie and the rest of the band, pride ourselves on 
reaching out to so many people, human
and furry alike.  Our fans are completely supportive and loyal, and we just 
can't thank them enough for that."

Laretta smiled sweetly and nodded, "Absolutely, Cindy!  It also warms my 
heart so much to see many of these same
folks make their own dreams come true through hard work and determination!"  
The audience cheered and applauded
after hearing these graceful words.

Laretta cleared her throat and continued, "So with no further delay, we are 
proud to present the award for the best
new artist in today's popular music.   The nominees are..."

"Felicia Grant, for her R&B debut album 'Living City'" said Cindy.

"Devon Bellingham, with his best-selling soul album 'This Man's Journey'" 
said Laretta.

"Soul Upheaval, and their rock hit album 'Stuck on the 51st Floor'" said 
Cindy.

"Drops of Bronze, and their hot alt-rock debut 'Not of this Earth'" said 
Laretta.

Cindy tore open the envelope's seal with her claw and said, "And the winner 
is...Drops of Bronze!"

This announcement was followed by enthusiastic applause from the audience as 
a group of ecstatic young musicians
rushed up to the stage.  They happily shook hands with Cindy and a very proud 
Laretta, as the group's leader held
the award and tried to compose himself for his acceptance speech.

"Wow, I can't believe this!  I'm so totally psyched," said Arnold Branaghan, 
the group's lead guitarist and
singer, clutching the podium in excitement, "but we did it!  We're grateful 
to everyone who supported us and made
this possible, especially our friends and families.  Thanks a lot!"

Dustin Lang, the group's bassist, approached the podium, "I just wanna say hi 
to all my pals back at the hockey
rink.  To Mom and Dad, thanks for not scrapping my bass after that rec room 
incident!"

The whole band got together and shouted out, "Long live rock and roll!"  
Laretta and Cindy smiled and applauded,
shaking hands with the other band members - Jake Massiano, the rhythm 
guitarist and mandolin player; Kelly Phillips,
the keyboard player; and Scott Winthrop, the drummer.  "Great job, all of 
you!" said Laretta with a broad grin.
Cindy smiled and nodded, "You guys kick tail!"

Back at the lodge, everyone was so impressed that they were also applauding 
the she-wolf and snow leopardess.  "They
did a super-duper job, didn't they?" asked an excited Alex.  Slim laughed, 
"Do ya really need to ask?"  Andynodded, "They should be proud of themselves, 
and we'll make sure they know how proud we are!"

Everyone turned to see Cassie sitting up next to Foxonian, with tears in her 
eyes.  She coughed a couple times,
managing a reply.  "Great job, you guys," she whispered in a hoarse rasp, 
with a warm smile on her lips.

**********

Soon after the award had been presented, a shadowy figure quickly passed 
behind the backstage.  Hiding behind a
curtain, the individual twitched his tail and whiskers in anticipation.  He 
drew his breath and felt his pulse
quicken when he saw her appear.  He never imagined her more beautiful than 
when he saw her tonight.  He drew his
face into a fanged grin.

At that time, Cindy and Laretta were unwinding after their job well done.  
Cindy slumped back into a director's
chair and let out a deep sigh of relief.  "Yeah, we did it!" cheered Laretta, 
wagging her tail with excitement.

Cindy just rolled her eyes and muttered, "Yeah, mission accomplished.  Not a 
minute too soon, either!"  She scowled
and raised one of her foot-paws, rubbing her bare toes and instep.  "I 
couldn't stand another minute in these
heels!" she snarled.

Laretta paused and composed herself.  "You know Cindy, we can stay a little 
and watch the rest of the show if
you'd like."

Cindy looked up and gave Laretta a bewildered look as she started to undo her 
sandals, "Say what?"  Laretta clasped
her hands together and shuffled her feet nervously as she continued, "The 
academy invited us, remember?  We'd have
our own private balcony seats, refreshments and everything!  Wanna stay a 
little longer?"

Cindy shook her head, slightly mussing her neat silvery hair.  "Forget about 
it, Laretta!" she grumbled, "All I want
to do now is take off these stupid stilettos, catch a taxi home, change back 
into my normal clothes, and call it
a night!  You just give me one good reason why we should hang around this zoo 
any longer than we need to!"

At that moment, the curtain swept open to reveal the shadowy figure, 
startling both ladies.  He cleared his throat
and smiled at Cindy, "Actually, may I offer you a reason?  I would be very 
disappointed if you parted so soon."  He
held out the bouquet and opened his arms.

It took only a moment for the snow leopardess to react.  "VIC!!!!" she 
screamed with delight as her face broke into
an enthusiastic smile.  She instantly forgot about her complaints, sprang out 
of her chair, and raced straight for
the tiger's open arms.  Partially stumbling on her high heels, she 
nonetheless threw herself gracefully into his
arms, fiercely wrapping her own around his tough body.

They both laughed cheerfully as they drew together tightly into a warm, 
loving embrace.  Victor even lifted Cindy
off her feet and playfully twirled her around once in the air.  Cindy giggled 
and nibbled the side of his furry
neck, and Victor couldn't help but to return the gesture, until both were 
hugging and nuzzling.  Their embrace
was accentuated by the deep rumbles of both their purring.

Cindy broke from the embrace for a moment to see the colorful bouquet.  "For 
me?" she asked with amazement.
Victor smiled and nodded silently, nuzzling Cindy's ear.

Cindy purred and closed her eyes as she took in a deep breath of the flowers' 
perfumes.  "They're so beautiful!"
she exclaimed.  "Indeed they are," replied Victor with a warm smile.  He ge
ntly rubbed his finger under Cindy's chin
and touched his nose to hers, "Just like you!"  Cindy could only reply by 
licking and nuzzling Victor on the
cheek, which he happily accepted.

Meanwhile, Laretta just watched the scene quietly smiling and slightly 
wagging the tip of her tail.  "It's a
happy ending after all!" she thought, feeling very happy for her friend.  
Victory gently parted the embrace from a
very reluctant Cindy, who kept one arm and her tail wrapped around his body.

"Hello, Laretta," Victor said politely to the she-wolf, extending his hand.  
Laretta nodded and gently shook hands
with the tiger.  "I must say, you look stunning tonight!" he said, grinning 
and looking over the she-wolf
with admiration.

Cindy furrowed her brow and scowled slightly, gently poking Victor in the 
ribs with her elbow and a soft "Ahem."
Victor chuckled and put his arm around the snow leopardess' shoulders, "Alas, 
I can say no more!  My heart has
already been taken," he said as he kissed the smiling snow leopardess on the 
cheek, "and I can spare it to no one else!"

Laretta laughed, "I understand completely, Victor!  Oh, and thank you.  It 
was very nice of you to come by."
Cindy smiled and nodded, still tightly hugging her tiger, "You got that 
right!"  As Cindy took another smell of
the bouquet, Victor whispered something into her ear.  Her eyes widened with 
utter surprise as she peered into
the bouquet and then back at Victor.  Looking back to Laretta, she could 
hardly keep from breaking out into
giggles.  She nodded and winked to Victor as he took out a large poinsettia 
from the bouquet.

Laretta was confused by all this, and became utterly bewildered when Victor 
presented the flower directly to her.
"A gift for you," he said with a sly grin.  She wasn't so much surprised that 
he did this right in front of Cindy,
but also that Cindy didn't appear the least bit bothered by this gesture.  
She just stood there and smiled.  "Go
on, take it Laretta!" she said with a wink.

Still completely perplexed, Laretta gently took the flower in her fingers.  
"Um, okay.  Thank you, Victor!" she
said with much uncertainty.  She admired the large red flower, when suddenly 
it started to move.  She gasped when
she saw the large inner petals start to open, and out popped a smiling face!

The mouse climbed out of the flower and gave Laretta kiss on the nose!  
"Surprise!" he exclaimed.

"BEN!!" exclaimed Laretta, gently taking the mouse in her hand and rubbing 
him against her muzzle.  "I just can't
tell you how happy I am to see you!" she said, giving him a gentle kiss.  "I 
think you just did!" laughed Ben, as
he took a long admiring look of the she-wolf, from her wavy hair and 
sparkling ears, down to her elegant gown and
red stiletto sandals.  Laretta giggled and cupped Ben safely in her hands, 
close to her soft chest, which he
cuddled against eagerly.  Cindy and Victor were polite enough to let them 
cuddle together for a good while.

"Hey there, Ben!" said Cindy in an elevated voice, taking a few careful steps 
forward.  Laretta had formally
introduced Ben to the band a while beforehand, when she "sneaked" him 
backstage before one of their shows.  She
recalled how unbelieving the rest of the band was initially.  Cindy and Alex, 
in fact, thought Laretta was flat
out joking when she told them her boyfriend was mouse-sized.

Nonetheless, Ben's pleasant personality and confident, outgoing disposition 
made him fast friends with Cassie
and Laretta's other friends.  The fact that he helped to repair a broken 
microphone before the show helped a lot,
as well.  He smiled and waved back to the snow leopardess, "Good evening!  
You did a top-rate job out there, if I do
say so myself!"

Cindy laughed and leaned back against Victor, "And who would we rather hear 
it from than our two biggest fans?"
Laretta grinned as Ben climbed up on her shoulder and tickled her neck.  
"This is just so incredible!  How did you
two make it back here to see us, anyway?"

Victor chuckled, "Well, we haven't quite figured that out!  Whoever it was 
who mailed us those tickets and the
backstage pass, we are greatly in their debt!"  Upon hearing this, Cindy and 
Laretta looked at one another and
started to laugh, leaving Victor and Ben hopelessly confused.  "What's so 
funny?" asked a perplexed Ben.  Cindy
laughed, "Sorry, you guys!  We're not telling!"  She gave a knowing wink to 
the she-wolf, who happily returned
the gesture.

Victor shrugged and cuddled against Cindy.  "Oh well, all that matters is 
that we are with you tonight!"
Carefully taking Ben back in her hands, Laretta softly replied, "Well, I hate 
to disappoint you guys, but I really
think we should be going soon!"

"Oh?  How come?" Ben asked, tugging playfully at Laretta's fur.  Laretta 
sighed and looked sadly at Cindy, "Well, I
know Cindy's ready to call it a night.  To tell you the truth, I'm feeling 
tuckered out, too!"

Before Laretta could continue, Cindy cut right in.  "Hey, hold it there!  
It's not like we have to leave right
this instant!"  She composed herself and rubbed against Victor with a warm 
smile, "They won't kick us out if we
have guests, will they?"

Laretta giggled as the two felines brushed their black and white fur patterns 
together.  "I don't think so!" she
replied happily.

**********

The night went on without any seriously significant incidents.  More awards 
were dutifully presented and
emotionally accepted.

Up in the balcony above the stage, celebration of a different sort went on.  
Two very happy furry-morph couples
enjoyed the night in each other's company.

The two felines shared their seat in a slightly peculiar manner, with Victor 
taking up the seat and Cindy draped
across his lap.  She had her arms crossed behind her head and her legs and 
feet up on his arms.  Even as the two
somehow occupied a seat intended for one, they both seemed to enjoy the 
arrangement just fine.

This was especially the case for Cindy.  Her black stiletto sandals lay on 
the floor beneath the seat.  She
couldn't have been happier to have Victor massage her feet with his strong 
yet nimble hands.  He gently caressed
her toes, arches and ankles with the touch of an expert.  The large grin on 
Cindy's muzzle and her deep, loud
purring expressed her satisfaction.

"MRROWR," Cindy purred in a sultry voice.  "I know who deserves to win the 
award for best romantic Latin male!"
She grinned and winked at Victor, wiggling her toes, while the tiger smiled 
and replied by gently tickling the sole
of her foot with his tail.

Cindy drew her hands from behind her head and gave Victor a hug around his 
shoulders.  With one free arm, she
reached for a nearby cart loaded with appetizers, selected a fancy biscuit 
garnished with tuna pate, and placed it
in Victor's mouth.  "Here is your reward, good sir!" she said in merry mock 
regal accent.  Victor chuckled and
thrust his arm behind Cindy, suddenly drew her forward such that her mouth 
opened in surprise and bit down on
the appetizer.  They both got a bite of the biscuit, and their lips drew 
together into a kiss.

Cindy was still slightly stunned as Victor laughed, "Delicious, I must say!"  
The spotted feline also laughed, "Oh
yes, but you gotta warn me when you do that!"  She playfully swatted him on 
the back of his head with the tip of her
own tail, causing them both to laugh and snuggle.

Right near them, Laretta giggled softly as she relaxed in her own chair.  
Like Cindy, she had removed her sandals
and kicked them underneath her seat.  As she watched the felines enjoy each 
other's company, she took her own
pleasure from the tuxedoed mouse who cuddled in the fur of her neck and under 
her chin.

"Mmmm," the she-wolf sighed as she wiggled her bare gray toes on the soft 
plush carpet, "A girl could really get used
to this!"  Ben paused for just a moment to wipe off his brow, "Whew!  I hope 
you're not expecting a full back rub
and foot massage, too!  I mean, that would take me weeks!"  Laretta laughed 
softly and rubbed her muzzle against
Ben, "Oh, I'm not complaining at all!"  She held him carefully in her hands 
as she gazed at him with tender eyes,
"Every little thing you do means the world to me!"

Ben churred happily, "Well, that's good," he chuckled, "because that's all I 
do, little things!"  He smiled and took
a brief look around, "I have to say that you ladies really made out well!  
You really got the royal treatment."

Cindy replied while looking somewhat nonplussed, "Nice of you to notice, but 
not it's not all what we wanted."
Victor paused his massaging for a moment, "Oh, how do you mean?"

Cindy sniffed and made a gesture towards two lavishly decorated crystal 
baskets, "You see those?"  Victor nodded,
"Yes, in fact, I was going to ask you about them.  What are they?"

The snow leopardess rolled her eyes, "Gift baskets, obviously worth thousands 
of dollars.  The sponsors wanted
to congratulate us, but why this way?  I mean, what are we gonna do with 
them?"  Laretta slowly nodded her head
in agreement.

"So what will you do with them?" Ben asked.  Cindy and Laretta gestured to 
one another with fanged grins.  "Tell
'em, Laretta!" Cindy replied.  Laretta nodded and winked, "We'll auction them 
off at Sotheby's, and donate the
proceeds to charity!"

Victor laughed and applauded, "What a wonderful idea!  A class act, if I've 
ever seen one!"  Ben smiled and
nodded, applauding as well, "I couldn't have said it better myself!"  For 
their part, Cindy and Laretta both laughed
and gave each other high-fives.

They completed their celebration by each taking champagne flutes and helping 
themselves to iced non-alcoholic
sparkling grape cider.  "Remember what you said about us not actually getting 
any rewards tonight?" Laretta said with
a slight giggle to Cindy as she allowed Ben a sip of her cider.

Cindy just chuckled and nodded as she nuzzled with her tiger.  Both furry 
ladies cheerfully clinked their
champagne glasses together in celebration.

Last version completed:
October 14, 2002
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