The town was abuzz with anticipation as the first town hall meeting since Eligh took office was about to commence. The residents, emerging from their homes and businesses, strolled towards the school gymnasium, the chosen venue for this momentous event. The spacious building was ready to accommodate a substantial portion of the town's population.
A dedicated crew had been toiling all day, ensuring that an ample number of chairs were set up to accommodate the expected crowd. Tables were also arranged, later laden with snacks and town-related paperwork for the residents to peruse or take home, reflecting the thorough preparation for the meeting.
Brigid hurriedly dressed herself following another extensive shower session that preceded an extended visit from the fur dryer. It ended with extra attention to her hair as she carefully braided it and feathered her bangs. This was to be the first actual gathering she'd been to since moving here earlier in the season, and based on all she'd heard from the regulars at Toh's Beans, town hall meetings were more a reason for the residents to get together and mingle after the mayor and whoever had their time at the podium.
The purple fox stood before her full-body mirror. She'd spent the last ninety minutes in her underwear, an everyday matching pair of panties and bra. No one would see them anyway, so why wear anything nice? She'd thought as she removed them from her antique dresser before her shower. Now, however, as she looked herself over, she felt an odd twinge of optimism, though from what and why, she was unsure. Tonight felt special somehow; maybe it was just the excitement for her best friend and his achievements.
No, there's something else.
She inhaled deeply, then began to dress. First, slipping on a pair of black knee-length shorts and then a baggy black and pink pin-striped long-sleeved shirt, the sleeves extending a few inches past her hands.
Brigid pulled the shirt down past her pelvic region, tightening the shirt and smooshing her breasts slightly against the thin fabric, creating the impression of her bra and her breasts beneath. The shirt she wore was her favorite as it could easily be pulled, taught to show her curves, or left baggy to obscure her features; it worked wonders in any given situation. A simple matter of tucking it into the side of her pants was all it took.
Tonight, however, was an untucked kind of night.
Eligh had gone ahead as she began her showering adventure to prep for the speech and to psyche himself up. She'd been amazed that not only was he putting himself out there in front of what could potentially be half the town's population or more, but that he intended to propose an event to celebrate Pride Month in June.
She'd not admit to him, but pitching such an event to a small mountain town could be disastrous. We as a people have definitely made more significant strides in recent years to be more inclusive and support everyone, but the world was far from being ideal. And small backwater mountain towns like this? Usually not the most supportive of such things.
The big bear had downed two bars of Xanax before he left the house in hopes of quelling the anxiety that was going cripple him if he hadn't prepared adequately. He'd thankfully opted to walk instead of drive and would freshen up once he got to the school.
Outside, the late spring sun headed toward the horizon as the early summer cicadas began to drone on their song. This year was a massive emergence for the large brood that Brigid couldn't recall, but it was in the double digits. Soon, she thought, the forests around town would be near impossible to walk comfortably through as millions of the noisy critters sang their mating call in hopes of passing on their genes before death came to claim them.
As she moved swiftly down the sidewalk toward Brickhedge High, the street lights started beaming to life one after another instead of all at once, creating what she thought to be a beautiful snaking trail of lighting orbs that ran the length of the street, directing her to the school at the opposite end of Main Street.
Standing outside the gymnasium doors, beside a large hand-painted sign that read "Town Hall Meeting" above a bright red arrow, she flittered her bangs once more and puffed up her shirt. The sweat from the humidity had caused the fabric to cling to her body, showing more of the shapes that hid beneath than she would have preferred.
Grabbing the collar of her shirt, she fanned it repeatedly, trying to push cooler air down inside to dry the dampened fur beneath. It was only now she'd been glad she hadn't worn one of her push-ups, otherwise, the baggy nature of her shirt wouldn't have done much in concealing her features.
Stepping inside, she was immediately pelted with cool, dry air. "Air conditioning!" she shouted mentally, thankful that the sweat would soon dry up.
Inside, there had to be more than a hundred beasts at minimum! People of all species, walks of life, shapes and sizes. She'd seen a few unique members of the community, sure, but the shear variety of different species here tonight went beyond her initial impressions of a decently varied community,
More than half of the beasts here tonight were of a different species entirely!
Raccoons, skunks, voles AND moles. Mice, bats, elk, dogs, cats.
Brigid was in disbelief at the diversity on display here. She had no idea just how culturally diverse Brickhedge was. For all the time she'd spent walking to the coffee shop, to the greenway, and then back, she'd seen maybe a handful of the herd that grazed here tonight.
"I've never seen so many different beasts in one place before," She whispered to herself, unable to hear her voice over the music and mass of conversations being had. She spied a pair of Ibex, both male, walking at the opposite end of the room, perusing the snack table, their hands in each other's back pockets. Both hands gripping the meat beneath.
"Oh, maybe he knows what he's doing tonight after all."
Feeling a bit more at ease, she quickly blended into the crowd, making her way across the squeaky gym floor to the snack table. The buffet was impressive, with much of the food having been donated from various eateries around Brickhedge. Each tin pan sat atop a warmer that kept the contents warm. Before the trays were little placards that denoted which business had donated the food to the event, along with business cards and menus. She'd recognized a few of the places, but the majority were new to her.
As a fox, she was slim and agile enough to slip through attendants with ease, her tail often being the only part of her to actually touch another beast, which in itself was a common occurrence in gatherings of this size anyway. The only issues were from draggers, a common trait of reptiles, where a tail might get trampled(or worse!)
She spied a tray of what had once been full of muffins. Her favorite snack, and they looked to be made with blueberries at that! To her mercy, there was one left sitting all on its lonesome, awaiting a hungry beast to swoop in and snatch it up.
Brigid wanted to be that beast.
Slipping low between the two Ibex, who she swore were on the verge of swapping the contents of their mouths with each other by this point, she quietly came up on the muffin tray, reaching her hand outwards in a quick jab as she rose to her full height again. Muffin in hand, she jerked back probably harder than she should have and elbowed the beast standing behind her in the nuts.
"Oh fuck, I'm sorry!"
It was, unfortunately, a male, given his reaction to the unsuspecting blow to the jewels. He clutched his crotch with one hand while balancing a plate that held a few saucy meatballs(ironic, Brigid thought) and some garlic bread.
"Oh, ffff-- Here, can you take this," He said as he handed the plate to the fox before uniting his hands in unison at the point of impact. "Fuuu--" he exhaled. The beasts around the pair gave them some space, the Ibex unaware as they trotted off, one necking the other.
The isopod that Brigid had seen running the corner shop right outside the entrance of the Greenway had stepped up and placed a claw on the crouching beast's back. "You okay, buddy?" He said with a raspy voice, a common trait of crustaceans. "You need to sit down?" He looked at Brigid with those large, pupil-less eyes with what felt like a sense of knowingness. Like a "You look familiar" vibe.
"Nah, I'm--- I'm okay, just took my breath away." The male said, erecting himself once more. He breathed heavily a few times before smoothing out the deep wince that had drowned every other expression off his face.
Brigid stood in embarrassment, ears flat against her head and tail hung low(but wrapped around her shin).
When the beast opened his eyes, revealing the red jewels beneath his lids, Brigid was gobsmacked at the sight. She stood there in silence as the wolf exchanged pleasantries with the isopod, patting him on the back of the shell as the beast returned to his grouping.
Then the wolf turned his ruby-red eyes onto the fox.
And smiled.
"I-I'm sorry, I really did not mean to--"
The wolf smiled again, revealing one of the bright canines at the front of his snout. "It's really all right; I think it just scared me more than anything... May I?" He said, stretching out his arm.
The fox found herself transfixed with the sight before her. Somewhere in her mind, she knew he was reaching out for his plate of food, but that was not the signal that was firing at that moment. She reached out and took his hand in hers and gripped it, shaking it.
"Oh, you stupid fucking cu--" Her self-deprecation cut off as he gripped her hand in his and met her shake with his own.
"My name's Advrik," he said, his expression softening even further as he quickly looked from her bright pink eyes to the noticeably slender hand within his own.
"I'm Brigid. Brigid Ashtear, and I am so, so sorry for busting your nut like that." Phrasing. God damn my phrasing, she thought.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that. I--" She quickly tried to correct herself, but his laughter was a slow, gentle rumble like the slow flow of a river. It made her want to melt; it was so nice sounding.
He held up a hand in the "stop" gesture and said, through his laughter, "Please stop, it's really okay. That phrasing just now, though, funny as hell."
The two stood beside the far wall at the opposite end of the gymnasium for the next several minutes as the night's meeting got underway. They stood against the wall, large red SOLO party cups in hand as they chatted. They listened to the opening remarks and announcements made by Mayor Filbert. He was in good voice tonight and went over several little things about the town that, in their short time here, neither the fox nor the wolf had much upfront knowledge of.
"So, okay," He said, his back still to the wall and his attention still upon the mayor. "How long have you lived here, Brigid?" His voice was deep but nowhere near as deep as Eligh's. It lacked the gravelly texture that Eligh's had as well. His voice wasn't typically used to being raised, she could tell. It was calm sounding, collected.
And she wanted to hear more of it.
"I moved here around the beginning of March," She replied, twirling the end of her braid with her free hand. She could feel the palm that held the party cup getting sweaty. "Right before that biblical rainstorm came through... How about yourself?"
He was about to reply when the mayor began his closing statements, then, in a much grander gesture than necessary, introduced Eligh to the town for the first time since he took up the job. The clydesdale then gestured for the bear to come up to the podium.
To Brigid's surprise, the crowd gave Eligh some light applause.
Eligh began his first public address, going over a few changes that would be coming to the town in the coming months, even years, should everything go smoothly. His voice was cracking, showing signs of anxiety. Even from this distance, she could tell he was scanning the audience with his blue eyes, likely seeking her out.
With that in mind, ignoring Advrik's, she stepped forward and raised her bright red cup in a toasting gesture, catching his attention. His voice immediately came back togther up as he continued with the announcement of a potential Pride Month event at the end of June, which, to her relief, had garnered louder applause than his taking the stage did.
She'd become so overcome with happiness for her friend and the overwhelmingly positive reaction he was getting that she had momentarily forgotten about the company she'd been keeping.
To her dismay, when she turned back to apologize to the beast, he was nowhere to be seen. Only an empty red cup remained where he stood.
No comments:
Post a Comment