Monthly 42a: Gone Fishin' Aftermath

“Auntie Stripe! Auntie Stripe!”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Iole and Karen smiled at each other.

“Kids”, they said simultaneously. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

He turned to Karen, who was pointedly looking away.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

With a flash that sent the children (and the watching father) hiding, Karen was engulfed in purple smoke. When it cleared, the small anthro skunk was gone, replaced by a blonde woman. 

Karen laughed and looked at herself, her hands as she flexed her long fingers. She hugged herself and began giggling. There were some differences, she was a teeny bit fatter than she’d been and her hair now reached her slightly enlarged rear end. But, she was human. 

“I… Oh! Thank you! Thank you!” she rushed up to Coyote and hugged him, oblivious to his nudity. She stepped back after a moment. and regarded him, her blue eyes to his amber ones. 

“For everything,” she looked a bit sheepish and sad, “I learned a lot these past two years. A lot. I never actually thought about it… or felt it… until just now. Thank you”

Before Coyote could respond, Karen had dropped to here knees in front of Iole and took the otteress’ paws. 

“I’m sorry, Iole, I really am,” she saw the otteress start to interrupt her, “No, really. I mean it’s wonderful that it worked out but, I didn’t mean it to. Not then. but, now…”

The blue-eyed woman and the green-eyed otteress regarded each other. In the two years as animals, they had grown close, closer than they’d ever been. They needed few words between them. 

“I know,” Iole said with a smile, her eyes wet,”See you around, Auntie Stripe.”

Swallowing some tears, Karen stood up and went up to Coyote. 

“I’m ready, dog-boy!” she laughed, “Money or no money, clothes or no clothes!”

“Who said you didn’t have money?” Coyote laughed and, from nowhere, produced a purse and a thick manila folder. 

Karen took the purse. It was her old Gucci knock-off and she felt, instinctively, that her wallet, ID and phone were inside. But, the folder?

“Take it,” Coyote said with a self-satisfied smile, “It’s your portfolio.”

He rolled his eyes at Karen’s blank look.

“Your STOCK portfolio. Sheesh!” he shook his furry head theatrically, “You’re set, now. I did some manipulation and some rich white guys lost some stuff and you gained some. A lot. Hey,” he added when he saw Karen’s incredulous look, “as I said, I’m a trickster but, I’m not an asshole!”

Karen shook her head unbelievingly. She was about to start walking away when she felt tiny taps on her leg. She looked down to see the small, round face of a little otter girl. Her eyes were huge and sad.

“Auntie Stripe go ‘way?” The tiny, scared voice implored.

“Oh, Seek!” Karen’s hand covered her mouth and tears welled in her eyes.

She reached down and scooped up the little otteress. Pressing her nose into Seeker’s she searched the green eyes. 

“Oh, Seek…” She fought for the words, “A-auntie Stripe has to… go… for a while. But, Auntie Stripe-“ Karen’s voice broke and she fought to hold back a sob, “loves Seek.”

Seeker’s tiny paws touched her cheeks, tracing her tears. 

“Stay, Auntie Stripe? Stay with Seek?” 

Karen pressed her forehead to Seeker’s and cried quietly. She hadn’t been prepared for this. In all her two years of waiting. She’d gone from anger, to fear, to acceptance, to enjoyment and never really noticed. Her love for Iole and her children was not something she’d thought about and now she had to. She steeled herself and opened her eyes.

“Seek…” she began, “Auntie Stripe must go but, Auntie Stripe will come visit Seek,” she turned to Coyote, “I can visit them, right?”

“Whenever you want,” Coyote smiled, then flashed a huge grin, “Heck, I’ll even turn you into a skunk again just for old time’s sake!”

Karen’s heart skipped a beat and she turned back to Seeker. The otteress was young even by super-intelligent otter standards. Karen hoped she’d understand. 

“Auntie Stripe has to go away. Auntie Stripe will come visit Seek lots. Auntie Stripe will even bring Seek stone gift from far away!”

Seeker’s little eyes lit up for a moment.

“R-really? What color stone?” her little face screwed up in a show of cunning. 

“You’ll- I mean Seek will know only when gift here. Surprise.” Karen said.

She closed her eyes and once again pressed her forehead to Seeker’s. She felt Seeker’s weight, her softness, smelled her scent. She wanted to never forget this. She would be back but, for now she had to drink Seeker in.

Coyote could wait.