THE FAMILY IN RUTWELL FOREST

By Kthanid

With input from SerenaKtty

Chapter 5: Good news...Bad news

“So Unca Harley got a girlfriend.” Tina chirped. “And Auntie Binky told everyone and every one was happy.”

“Well, not everyone was happy at first,” Monica said in a distant sounding voice.

“Who wasn’t happy about your wedding?” Tristan asked, pausing from sucking on the end of her tail.

“Maybe we should save that one for another day,” Martin suggested.

The kits responded with whines and pleas to finish the story.

“Okay,” Serena said. “But you have to go to sleep.”

The kits all promised to sleep when the story was finished. Serena looked at Monica who nodded her assent, then launched into the tale....

____________________________________________

Binky caught up with the bunnies and Harley a little ways down the trail. Harley was trying to tie the arms of his coat around his waist in such a way as to cover himself. His task was not made any easier with Joy walking around him commenting on whatever the coat didn’t cover.

“Nice butt,” Joy giggled.

“Would you please stop that!” Harley begged.

“But she’s rahght, sugah,” Binky chuckled as she hopped up.

“She doesn’t need any help, Binky,” Harley said.

“Hey, the more the merrier, Harley,” Randy chuckled.

“Now don’t you start!” Harley said in an exasperated tone.

The fox finally tied off the coat. Binky and Joy did their best not to tease him any more and the group continued through the forest.

They had gone only a little way when a large eagle wearing a badge than read ‘PREZ’ landed on the trail in front of them.

“Hi Prez,” Randy and Joy said.

“Just the bird ah wanted ta see!” Binky grinned.

“Binky Bunny!” Prez said, grinning his best politician’s smile. “How may I service you...er...I mean how may I be of service to you?”

“Ah wanted ta tell y’all that Martin and Monica and Serena are Getting married. Dun know when exactly yet though.”

“A wedding?” Prez asked. “How wonderful! I’ll have to get out the Ceremony book. The three of them, correct?

“Yup,” Binky said.

“Fine, fine. And who might your tall friend here be?”

“This heah is Harley.”

“Pleased to meet you Harley!” Prez grinned as he vigorously shook the fox’s hand. “So tell me, are you thinking of moving into our fine, community?”

“Actually, I hadn’t given it much thought,” Harley admitted.

“Oh, well you should!” Prez said, laying a wing across the back of Harley’s legs and ushering him further down the trail. “Rutwell Forest is a lovely community. Fresh air, clean water, lots of unspoiled wilderness and friendly neighbors as well....”

“Uhhh...Prez.” Randy tried to interrupt the long winded bird.

“I, myself, am far too humble to take any credit for the state of the forest,” Prez continued. “But I do labor long and hard to keep our small community attractive to those who would like to move here....”

“Prez....”

“Now the taxes are kept to a bare minimum to pay the few public servants such as myself. There are sites from lakeshore to hilltop to build homes on and our local craftfurs are very talented and innovative....”

Harley’s head began to swim as Prez regaled him with the selling points of the forest and his own ‘small part’ in keeping things running smoothly.

“So Serena found a really nice place to live, then?” Harley asked when Prez paused to take a breath.

“Absolutely!” Prez grinned. “There is no finer community on the planet. Now, if you’d like to move...”

“PREZ!” Randy shouted.

“What? Oh yes!” Prez said. “I am sorry, Harley. I’m taking you away from your friends. Let me just say that if you need any help you can contact me at the town hall. Just leave a message with my secretary, Donna, if I’m not in.”

“Uhhh...Th-thanks, sir,” Harley said.

“I’ll be seeing you around,” Prez said, pumping Harley’s hand again before flying off.

“Nice guy,” Joy smirked. “But he can really talk your ear off.”

“I noticed,” Harley said, rubbing his ear.

“Prez handles all the political and legal stuff here in Rutwell,” Randy explained. “Mostly because no one else wants the job.

As they walked along they came to a clump of bushes by the side of the trail. Something within the bushes caused them to rustle and shake. The bunnies seemed unconcerned but Harley stopped to look. A moment later, two young platypi, one male, one female stumbled out of the bushes and onto the trail. They wore matching red shirts with a raspberry smiley on the chest, though the female’s shirt was longer, hanging down to her mid thigh. What caught Harley’s attention though, was that the female had her shirt hiked up as she adgusted her panties and the male was hurridly re-pouching his male equipment.

“Oh, Hi guys!” the male Platypus said when he noticed that they were not alone on the trail. “We were just uhhhh....”

“Picking berries,” the female finished for him.

“Hi kids,” Randy said with a knowing grin.

The male platypus frowned at Randy and crossed his arms over his chest. “We’re NOT kids!”

“Oh WOW!” the female platypus exclaimed when she caught sight of Harley. “Hello, mister fox!”

Harley swallowed hard and began to sweat nervously when he noticed the hearts in the eyes of the female platypus.

“Shiela, Shelby,” Binky said. “This heah is Harley. He’s an old friend of Serena’s and mahne.”

“Harley,” Sheila sighed dreamily.

“G’day Harley,” Shelby said in an Aussie accent as he held his hand out to the fox. “I’m Shelby. This is me sis, Shiela.”

Harley shook the young platypus’ hand.

“Hello Shelby...Miss Shiela.” Harley said. “You’ve got a good, firm handshake there, k...uh Shelby.”

“H-hello, Harley,” Shiela said shyly, her bill reddening brightly.

“C’mon, Harley,” Binky said. “We’ve got lots more people ta meet.”

“Oh no! Please don’t go!” Shiela said as she wrapped her arms around Harley’s hips and laid her head against his belly.”

Harley blushed and smiled sheepishly.

“I think me sis has a crush on your friend,” Shelby said to Binky.

“Isn’t that sweet,” Binky grinned. “Oh yeah, bah th’ way. Y’alls big sistah is getting married.”

“Married? Really?” Shiela asked, though she didn’t release Harley. “To Martin?”

Shelby suddenly looked as though he’d just got the worst news anyone could ever get.

“She’s getting married...to Martin?” he asked.

“You, Shiela, Monica, Martin and Serena are all going to be one big happy family,” Binky continued, her exuberance making her oblivious to Shelby’s reaction. “And then y’alls gotta thahnk of the kits that’ll be comin’ along someday.”

“He’s going to marry me big sis and Serena too?” Shebly said more to himself than anyone else and looking very upset.

“Kits!” Shiela gushed as she hugged Harley even tighter. “Me big sis an’ Serena are gonna have Kits!!”

“Well, someday ah’m sure,” Binky said. “Ah know Serena wants....”

“NO!” Shelby exclaimed, wiping his arm across his moist, angry eyes. “He can’t! Not both of them! I won’t let him!”

“Whot?!” Binky said.

“Shelby?” Shiela said.

“Hey,” Randy said. What’s the matter ki... YEEOWCH!!

Randy’s sentance was cut off by Shelby delivering a swift kick to his shin.

“I’m not a KID!” Shelby shouted as tears began to flow from his eyes.

Before anyone else could react, Shelby turned and ran into the forest, leaving Randy hopping around on one foot holding his leg and the others looking shocked and confused.

“Whot the hoo ha was that all about?” Binky asked.

Shiela looked into the woods where her brother had run off to.

“Well, you know how he feels about Serena?” she said.

Binky knew all to well. She’d had a heart to heart talk with the young platypus once. He’d told her of his love for his sisters and for Serena. He’d told her of his frustration at always being thought of as a kid just because he was younger than the other furs in the forest. How none of the other furs ever wanted to play with him, except for Shiela. Binky had tried to console him, but had to admit that she, too, thought of Shiela and him as kids.

“He feels the same about me big sis,” Shiela continued. “I know that neither one is ever going to...well...But Shelby always thought there was a chance. Just a couple years, he told me. But now, I guess even that chance is gone. I know he’d be happy for them. He really would. H-he’s just upset now.”

“Maybe y’all had best go aftah him,” Binky suggested.

“You mean I can’t stay here with Harley?” Shiela asked sadly.

“Please, dahlin’?” Binky asked, truly concerned over Shelby’s reaction.

“Oh all right,” Shiela pouted.

She looked up at Harley and beckoned for him to kneel down. Harley blinked, his curiosity aroused and knelt down. Shiela threw her arms around his neck and covered his muzzle with her bill. He felt her tongue push past his lips and into his mouth. His eyes went wide and he pulled back falling on his butt.

“I’ll see you later...Harley,” Shiela said with a seductive grin.

The young platypus ran off into the wood to look for her brother. Harley sat on the trail, stunned and speechless. Randy laughed out loud while Joy and Binky giggled at the flustered fox.

“Wh-what’s so funny?” Harley frowned.

“Oh how precious,” Binky grinned.

“Harley’s got a girlfriend, Harley’s got a girlfriend!” Randy and Joy chanted.

“C’mon guys,” Harley pleaded. “Cut that out.”

“All right you two,” Binky chuckled. “Grow up.”

“You first,” Randy grinned.

“Are they really...ummm...Brother and sister?” Harley asked.

“Twins,” Joy said.

“But they were...I mean, they wern’t really ummm...I mean in the bush...when they came out...It looked like they’d been....”

“And your point is?” Randy asked.

“But brother and sister?”

“It’s a long story, sugah,” Binky said.

Binky helped Harley to his feet and the group started off once more. However, Binky threw one last look in the direction the platypi had gone. A look of concern crossed her face.

Continued