<HTML><BODY BGCOLOR="#ffffff">Reaching the Limit Written by & copyright of Earl Bacon Foxonian@aol.com Featuring Cassie, Laretta (Cassie's rhythm guitarist), Slim (Cassie's chief roadie) and Cindy (Cassie's bassist) Cassie, the Rock & Roll Vixen http://www.FurNation.com/Cassie_the_Rock_Vixen Please read the prequil, "The Furry Who Wasn't There" Featuring Cassie, Alex (Cassie's drummer), Rachel (Cassie's keyboardist), Slim (Cassie's chief roadie) and Dominic & Carmelita (both created for the story) http://members.aol.com/CassieRockVixen7/the_furry_who_wasnt_there.txt All characters created by & copyright of Earl Bacon except Laretta, who is created by and copyright of Andrew Cotton, Alex, who is created by and copyright of Donna Fritz, and Vixina & Cloudchaser, who is created by and copyright of Cloudchaser Shaconage It was around 11pm.  Slim,an otter-morph wearing work boots, jeans and a red t-shirt walked up to the stage door.  He pulled out his keys that the palladium staff had given him. As chief roadie for Cassie’s Band, it was his job to make sure that all the equipment belonging to the band was assembled by his road crew.  Even though the show wasn’t until tonight, he wanted to make sure that the lighting and stage props were in place.  He and the rest of the crew had worked from 10 A.M the previous day getting all the stuff unloaded from the semi the band rented into the Palladium and up on stage. To many, it would seem an impossible task, but Slim and his crew were old pros at this. The otter just liked to take one last look before he went to his hotel room to get some sleep.  Slim had left with the rest of the road crew to a local bar to celebrate as soon as they finished the main set up.  All that was left was the final electrical hook-ups and the inspection by the local city fire and electrical inspectors. As Slim went to put his key in the lock,he noticed that the door was un locked.  At first, the otter was worried.  Did he forget to lock up?  After all,only he,and two other people had keys, for security reasons.  Then he remembered who else had gotten a key to the last two places the band had played.  Carefully closing the door, Slim saw a light on up in the stage area.  He also heard electric guitar music coming from there.  Only one person it could be at this hour. Walking up back stage,the otter-morph saw just what he expected to see.  Sitting on a wooden stool, an atractive wolfess, wearing orange and grey dyed  sholder-length head hair, a red-bousier covered her two shapely, human-like breasts.  She had on a tight, right-side slitted leather mini-skirt that had a very low waist band (started below her belly-button).  Around her neck and on her wrists were spiked leather bands.  On her human-like feet were white, frilly ankle socks.  She wore black pumps with stilletto like heels on them on each foot. With her legs crossed, her right foot off the floor, had one of the pumps dangling on the edge of her big toe.  Just when it looked like it would fall off, the wolfess would raise and wiggle her foot, causing the shoe to slip back on to her foot.  Then she would lower her foot, causing the shoe to dangle on the end of her foot as before.  She repeated this motion constantly as he played the left-handed, x-shaped, multi-colored electric guitar with her human-like, fur-covered hands, each covered in fingerless leather gloves. Slim just shook his furry head in total disbelief.  Why did she have to practice 6 hours before the rest of the band showed up?  She did this for just about every show, always asking that Slim or whomever caught her not tell Cassie or the rest of the band about it.  He still didn’t know how she managed to get in every time.  Pick the lock?  Con a key out of somebody?  As he watched Laretta continue to practice chords and riffs, he felt that he had had just about enough of this.  Not only was she leaving the band open to enourmous liability (an open door), she herself was running the risk of getting arrested for breaking and entering. The otter knew that he had told the wolfess at the last arena that he caught her that this was the last time.  Next time,he went to Cassie about it.  Either she forgot or didn’t care.  No matter, Slim thought as he turned to leave.  He warned her.  Later that afternoon, the rest of the band had gathered to practice.  It was a full-dress rehersal before the show.  Slim headed down toward the dressing area.  As he did so, he happened to see Laretta.  "Hi Slim,What’s new?" the wolfess said. "Just who I was looking for.  Come with me." Slim said as he motioned for Laretta to follow.  "Is this about last night?  I thought I saw you backstage watching me play. Listen, I’m sorry about that.  Let me explain.." Laretta said as she hurredly fallowed the otter.  Slim then stopped and turned to face Laretta with a stern look.  "You gave me your word.  No more unauthorized pratricing.  Do you know what you are leaving your self open to?  Playing alone in a place like this at that hour?  Obviously not.  So, we're going to see the Boss about it." They appoached The Rock Vixen’s dressing room door.  "Hey Cass, Are ya decent?  I gotta talk to ya.  Laretta’s here too," the otter bellowed at the closed door.  "Of course Slim!  Come in." came a slightly sultry voice from the other side.  When the otter opened the door, he got a sight that made him pull out his hankerchief to wipe his head.  It was a red fox vixen-furry morph with very long dark full-head hair.  She had on a neck choker with a large oval blue gem in it’s center around her neck, a low cut light blue sleeveless dress with a thigh high slit up her right side and a yellow belt around it’s waist.  The vixen was sitting on a chair with her right shapely leg raised up to 45 degree angle.  The vixen was pulling on a light brown nylon RHT stocking in a very slow, sensuous motiton. "Gezz, Cass. You trying to give my old heart a work out?"   Slim said as he gazed at the lovely leg being caressed by the nylon stocking.  "Why Slim," Cassie said as she hooked up her stocking to the two garter straps coming from the belt she wore under her dress. "Did you think I was trying to seduce you?"  "Har, Har," Slim began, noticing that Cassie had now shifted her postion on the chair so now that she was facing the otter and continuing to put on her other nylon stocking,  raising her left leg so that her left human-like foot was level with the otters nose.  It gave him a good view of her light blue satan panties she work under her dress,  which was probably the idea Cassie had in mind.  Anything for humor at Slim’s expense. Laretta stood behind the otter giggling at the scene before her.  At least if Slim was going to get her in trouble, she was going to get a good laugh at his humiliation, however small it was.  "Okay Slim," Cassie said as she hooked the rear garter strap on her left leg and lowered her left foor to the floor "What’s on your mind?"  "I’ll save you the trouble, Slim.  It’s about me." Laretta said as she entered the dressing room. Cassie turned to look at the wolfess and said "Okay,go on." With a deep breath, Laretta began.  "I have been coming to every place we have played since the tour began just after the road crew leaves, usually around 11pm.  I bring my little practice amp.  I usually find a stool or other chair and I practice for a few hours. I like to stay in shape, Cassie.  If I don’t my playing suffers.  I don’t want to let you down.  You have given my a break that I never thought I would ever get.  I-I just didn’t want to be a b-bad player.  I’m so sorry Cassie!" Laretta then put her gloved hands on her eyes and began to cry.  The vixen stood up and walked over to wolfess and gave her a hug. "Shh.It’s alright.  It’s alright.  I know that you are doing what you thought was right, but you really shouldn’t be here when we aren’t.  You could get in a lot of trouble and you could get me in trouble as well."  "S-Slim said that when he caught me before.  Oh,Cassie. I begged Slim to keep quiet.  I didn’t want to get you in any kind of trouble!  Oh,what have I done?" Laretta cried.  Cassie looked at the wolfess’ face and said, "You are tired of all this, aren’t you?"  "No! *sniff* No!  I’m not!  I just want to give you my best.  I can’t help that I’m a bit of a perfectionist.  It’s who I am.  Please don’t thow me out of the band or off the tour!" Cassie then let out a laugh and replied "Don’t worry, Laretta! I didn’t mean that.  I just think you are getting a little burned out.  That’s all.  Don’t be ashamed!  It happens to the best of us.  I was going to tell you guys this later, but you need to hear it now.  This is our last gig for a while.  Foxonian and I want to spend some time with each other, so we decided, if you all will agree with us, to take a year off.  No studios, no promtions, no concerts, just having a rest.  That sound okay?"  Laretta nodded and smiled as she dried her eyes with a tissue from Cassie’s dresser. "I should have known." Slim mused.  "Why is it when I go to all the trouble of barging in here to report something, I end up keeping my mouth shut."  Cassie giggled and gave Slim a kiss on the forehead and said "Thanks, Slim.  You always say the right things at the right time."  "Guess I do.  I’ll have everything on target for tonight.  Thanks for the vacation.  I’ll tell the rest of the guys.  We are going to get a bonus,yes?"  "You bet!" Cassie said as she put on a pair of her light blue,autographed pumps.  Laretta opened the door and turned to leave.  She said "Cassie, you are such a good friend.  Thanks!" The vixen smiled and said "You are a good friend to me also.  No problem," as she walked out the door of Cassie’s room and down the corridor, she heard a voice that said "Hey, Orange!  Guess what?  Were taking a year off!"  It came from Cindy, the band's snow leopard bassist, who began to call Laretta "orange" (for her hair color).  Laretta watched as the Cindy, also wearing a leather mini-skirt (no-slit), leather biker boots and a black t-shirt with the words "you go a problem with me?" on gold letters across the front. "Cassie just told me, I think it’s great!" the wolfess said as she met Cindy.  "Yep! I’m looking forward to it," the snow leapord began.  "I’m gonna go across country on my Harley again.  Gotta check up on some old friends and such.  What are you doing?" Laretta smiled and said "I know one thing.  I’m going to play a little less guitar than I did before."  Cindy gave Laretta a slight smirk (or as close to that as you can get on cat’s muzzle) and replied "I find that hard to believe."  "Believe it.  I promised a friend I would."  The wolfess turned to return a wink that a red fox vixen gave her as she passed both the wolfess and the snow leopard on her journey down the corridor. THE END.</HTML>