Fresh into the night on Christmas Eve, the fuzzy denizens of Man Hat Tan celebrate before the arrival of a new year. The deer play a game of pool, giraffes are on a cruise ship, and wolves howl at the full moon atop a skyscraper. One particular skunk lady in a grey coat finds herself in front of a pub: Lover's Rejoice.

  "Hehe." The skunk lady giggles to herself before heading in.

  Upon opening the door, she sees all the animals enjoying themselves with lager. Boisterous laughter echoes through the room as glass mugs clink together. And despite the many sweaty men, the exotic perfumes from the women offset the musk. Its interior design consists of a rustic golden-brown color scheme. The skunk sighed as she thought the colors would be pink and red, given its namesake. The folks glance at the newcomer but ignore her presence. The skunk walks over to the free stool at the counter. She sits on it and gestures for the bear bartender's attention. His steps rumble the floor every time he moves.

  "Hello, how can I help you?" The bear asked.

  The skunk's white-gloved hands stroked against the pink streak on her hair. It matches her adorable pink nose. Amber eyes stare at the bartender as she grins.

  "H-hello, milady, how can I help you?" The bear asked again with a flushed face.

  "Can I have a mug of Luna Light, please?" The skunk's ears twinkle.

  The bartender nods. He grabs a clean glass mug and places it underneath a beer faucet. As the bear turns on the faucet, the mug gets filled with pale gold liquid. Foam fizzles at the top. Some of it even drips over the rim. The bear bartender gently places the beer in front of the skunk lady.

  "Enjoy." The bear said.

  "Thank you!" The skunk winks.

  She sniffs the mug's aroma first before gulping down. The mug empties after four chugs. Its light, crisp taste of toffee eases into the throat. Drinking the lager on an empty stomach gives her a swishing feeling. The swirling inside is audible enough for anybody nearby to hear. She decides to take off her coat to ease the tension.

  "..." Many patrons stare at the skunk lady.

  Taking off the coat reveals her hourglass figure: a blend of feminine and masculine charm. The attire has white denim booty shorts with a pink accent on her belt loop. A white denim jacket with a pink accent. The red crop top accentuates her fair bust size. Pink cuffs accompany her white gloves. And white high boots with pink laces and accents. Her outfit leaves little imagination for onlookers to admire. The gawkers were hushed by their partners. This turn of events struck a frown on the skunk's face, causing her tail to puff up. Everyone began to gasp. The wiser animals left the pub long before the situation escalated.

  "Milady..." The bartender said. "Are you alone tonight?"

  The skunk calms her tail down before answering, "I am. For now."

  "Hmm, here." The bartender takes her mug and refills it. "This one's on the house."

  "Ooo, thank you!"

  The skunk chugs the whole lager in one gulp; her senses get tipsy. She instinctively wraps her tail around her body and begins stroking it with a smile. The bartender, pleased to see her tranquil, dials his phone without her noticing. He covers his mouth and whispers into the phone.

  "Bartender!" The skunk yells. "Another refill!"

  "Of course, milady." He quickly refills the mug and gives it to her.

  The skunk chugs it down faster than before and slams it on the counter. Her eyes became drowsy. She cannot keep them open anymore. Despite this, her voracity remains untapped.

  "Another refill!" The skunk screams.

  As the bear bartender refilled the mug a fourth time, a newcomer came through the door. It's a male tuxedo cat, who so happens to also be wearing tuxedo attire. The bartender sees the cat and points at the skunk. The cat sighs and approaches her. He makes a bold move: slapping the skunk's ass. The smacking noise was so loud, that everyone who heard it stopped what they were doing. The patrons were scared but became relieved when they saw it was the cat who performed the slapping.

  "Ah!" The skunk screamed.

  Her intoxication dissipated in an instant. She stands up from her stool. Her tail puffs up as well. However, there's no anger on her face, but amusement.

  "Finally, someone with a set of balls."

  With a smile, the skunk slaps the cat's face. The smacking noise was even louder.

  "Ooooo!" All eyes are now staring at the skunk and the cat.

  "Heh." The cat rubbed the spot where he got slapped. "You're a lot stronger than I anticipated."

  "Hmph, it's what you deserve."

  The skunk wraps her arms around the cat's body. Their pink noses make contact; they rub their wet muzzles together. The cat's breathing starts to get harsh and erratic. His hand runs through the skunk's pink streak hair.

  "When did you get this? And your outfit! It's... great!" The cat asked.

  "Just before I came here. You like it?" The skunk flutters her eyes.

  The cat nods yes and keeps stroking the skunk's pink hair. He goes in for a kiss, which the skunk complies. They close their eyes and embrace their passionate delight. The crowd claps and whistles at the wonderful sight. When the two broke apart, the cat's face turned red. The skunk couldn't help but giggle in response.

  "Come on, Gigi. Let's go around the back and have some real fun." The cat said. His breath became heavier with each subsequent exhale.

  "Gigi? My name's Vivi." The skunk replied.

  "Wait, what?" The cat's ears cowered.

  The door busts wide open, revealing a woman who looks like Vivi, minus the pink streak, in a tuxedo. She sprints to the two and pushes them apart. Her face looks ready to kill the male cat as she extends the claw from her middle finger to his neck.

  "What the hell is this, Horace?" The female cat asked.

  "Gigi! I-I received a call that you were causing a scene here, so I came to investigate!" Horace answered with his hands held high. "I didn't know there was another woman who looked like you!"

  Gigi retracts her middle finger claw from Horace's face. He sighed in relief and put his hands down. Then, out of nowhere, she grabs his nether region. He doesn't scream or yelp, only that his face turns red again; he seems to enjoy the pain.

  "Oh lord, Gigi squeezed another one!" A male weasel yells from the back.

  "You couldn't tell it wasn't me?!" Gigi asked.

  "..." Horace doesn't answer. He keeps his eyes closed.

  "Well?" Gigi jerked his whole body toward her.

  Horace shakes his head. Gigi releases her grip and pushes him down to the ground. She turns her attention to Vivi. This whole time, Vivi has been quietly inching her way to the door. Vivi bolts for the exit when her eyes meet with Gigi's, but a herd of sheep, all in tuxedos, have been waiting outside. They push her back in and shut the door. Without saying anything, Gigi pounces at Vivi. Vivi rolls past the attacker and finds herself on the stool where she was drinking earlier.

  "Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight!" The crowd chants.

  Gigi snarls at Vivi and yells, "How dare you pretend to be me and seduce my fiancé!"

  "I'm not pretending to be you, I'm me! Vivi!" She snarls back. Her tail puffs up.

  "And the seducing!?"

  "Hmph, it's still fair game if he doesn't have the wedding ring on. You two aren't that close if he couldn't figure out that I wasn't you." Vivi grins.

  Gigi readies her stance for another pounce. Vivi grabs the mug she was drinking from the counter and splashes it at Gigi's face. Luna Light's alcohol volume is only a meager four percent, but it was still enough to sting her eyes. It felt like a water balloon exploded at point-blank range. While Gigi was busy wiping her sopped face with her hands, Vivi got in close for a bear hug. The crowd didn't realize it before, but upon close observation, Vivi has lean muscles. She squeezes as tight as possible. It caught Gigi off-guard that her doppelganger had superior strength.

  "Mmfprf...!" Gigi refused to scream.

  Gigi extends her claws, ready to slash Vivi's face. Vivi hoists her opponent in midair and spins her around. The crowd steps away from the motion. In a desperate attempt, Gigi digs her claws into Vivi's back. The skunk doesn't acknowledge the attack. After the fifteenth spin, she tosses Gigi to a nearby table.

  "Aaahh!" Gigi yelped.

  The crash had a rough landing, destroying the table and even the chairs next to it. Gigi kept her hand on her back. She could not stand up, forced to remain prone on the floor. Vivi stood by; her back was bleeding. Her denim jacket got torn from the scuffle, but it is still wearable so long as nobody looks from behind.

  "Ugh, this is stupid!" Vivi's face soured. "Enough of this. I don't like fighting someone who looks like me."

  "Never! No one messes with me and gets away with it!"

  Gigi charges low at Vivi with all her might for a takedown. To the crowd, it looked like Gigi moved at lightning speed. To Vivi, she saw that this was a last-ditch effort. She took advantage of Gigi's low altitude to knee her face and grounded her with a frontal chin lock. Refusing to get scratched again, Vivi releases the hold and leaps over Gigi. Vivi grabs Gigi's foot, lifts it high in midair, and twists the ankle.

  "Urrgh...!" Gigi still refuses to scream in pain out loud.

  "Give up, loser!"

  Vivi's tail puffs up even taller than before, hovering far above her head. A pleasant smell akin to a citrus perfume emanates from the tail. At first, everyone enjoyed the fragrance. Then a tiger suddenly fell unconscious, his body thudded onto the ground. Many others fell soon afterward. Even the bear bartender was unable to resist this phenomenon. Gigi sees a yellow aura circling her attacker. She feels all her senses going numb; her consciousness fading away against her will.

  "Wait!" Horace exclaims. "Please, I beg you, have mercy."

  His voice can finally be heard after getting drowned for so long by the bloodthirsty crowd. He's far away from where all the unconscious bodies are. With his hand still on his crotch, he walks toward Vivi and Gigi. He stops just before the pile of bodies.

  "Please, stop... I love her..." Tears roll down Horace's eyes.

  "I-I..." Vivi's tail calms down. "I didn't want any of this to happen."

  "Me neither, this was all a misunderstanding!" Horace sniffles.

  "Well?" Vivi keeps her grip tight on Gigi's foot.

  "..."

  Gigi throws a piece of wooden debris that came from the broken table at Vivi's face. She was caught completely off-guard as it hit the center of her forehead. The impact dazes her vision. Gigi gets up and grabs Vivi by her crop top's shoulder straps with no resistance. She rolls back to the ground and with Vivi still in tow, kicks her with both feet, launching her ten feet across the air. Vivi's body crashes through a window and lands outside onto the snowy alleyway.

  "Urrgh...!" Gigi holds her twisted ankle.

  Without realizing it, Horace finds himself at the smashed window, watching Vivi. She sustained minimal damage from the throw. Nonetheless... she cried. She couldn't stop her tears from rolling. Horace wanted to say something; however, he could hear Gigi whimpering behind him.

  "Horace, it hurts...!" Tears well up in her eyes before losing consciousness.

  Without a second thought, Horace runs to Gigi's aid. Still crying, Vivi walks away. She doesn't get far through the dark alleyway's four feet of snow ground. The steps became heavy stomps. The stomps devolve into a drag. The drag fails, forcing a kneel. Vivi's vision goes blurry. Shaking her head does nothing. Shutting the eyes stabilizes her balance. Opening the eyes sends everything back into a blur. A reflection of a nearby glass window shows a blue glow on her back where she was stabbed by Gigi's claws.

  "What was in her claws...?" Vivi buried her face in the snow and fell into a deep slumber.

  It's daytime now, yet the sky remains nighttime. Everyone is still having fun now that it's Christmas. A stoat in a coat sprint through the alleyway, pretending not to see the unconscious woman. An exhausted bull who worked overtime came over to the skunk. He freaked out at the sight of blood on her back and charged away, accidentally smashing all the trash in his path. A male zebra in an oversized black coat heard the ruckus and ran over to see what the commotion was. He towers over Vivi's body. His drooping white hair covers his eyes. His mouth expresses shock upon seeing the fallen skunk with having blue aura on her wounds.

  "Gigi?!"

  The zebra couldn't help but gawk at her lean, hourglass body figure. He stared at her butt in particular where white fur appeared past the edge of her booty shorts.

  "You're not Gigi. Hmm?"

  He noticed the subtle movement of the woman's butt aiming at his face. He immediately jumps back, causing the snow to fly everywhere. Vivi's tail puffs up high, towering above the zebra's height. She raises her head from the snow to look at the pervert. Despite not being in fighting condition, she raises her body on all fours. The limbs are shaking but show no sign of giving up. The zebra sees the yellow circle around Vivi and stays out of its range. He sniffs a strong scent of cinder emanating from this circle.

  "You're wearing a tuxedo, aren't you?" Vivi asked.

  The yellow circle grows larger, reaching the zebra's feet. His sense of smell went numb; he was unable to smell the cinder anymore. And though its effect is weak, he can feel his other senses debilitate as he stands within range.

  "I am." He said while walking back a few steps. "I meant no harm."

  The zebra takes off his coat, revealing his tuxedo outfit. The velvet material of the jacket looks refined with the jet-black bowtie. His entire fashion design, much like the cats and the sheep before, is only black and white.

  "Why is everyone in a tuxedo an asshole around here?!" Vivi exclaimed.

  "Everyone wearing a tuxedo here are all part of the same family: The Tuxedo Estate. It's an unspoken rule around here, but we own this city."

  "Do you know Gigi? She did this to me!" Vivi stamps her feet.

  "Yeah, I know her... she went out of town for an errand. It seems she came back earlier than expected."

  The zebra prostates: the black stripes on his body flow as if they were alive with every movement. Vivi stomps her feet and kicks snow at the zebra. He does not move a muscle and lets the snow drape over him. She walks on all fours toward the coat with her butt still aimed at the zebra. He can see the yellow circle enveloping the ground. He can't taste the saliva in his mouth anymore. Vivi pilfers the coat, there's a red vial in the breast pocket as well as a heavy coin purse hidden inside.

  "Please accept the coins as my apology." The zebra said.

  "Gladly." Vivi sets aside the coin purse. "How do I know this antidote is authentic?"

  "I... don't want to see a beautiful woman die an awful death."

  Vivi instinctively calms down her tail. The yellow circle disappears. Soon after, the zebra's senses go back to normal. He raises his head, Vivi is now right in front of him. Her hand brushes his hair aside to gaze his eyes are of amber; the same eye color as Vivi's. She pops open the vial and downs it. Her face sours upon doing so. She shares the unpleasantness by kissing the zebra.

  "Mmfff!" The zebra's eyes bulge open.

  The skunk's tongue gets to work on slobbering as much red liquid into the zebra's mouth. He's already aware of the antidote's sour taste. His surprise comes from being unable to dominate Vivi's tongue. Even while injured, she has complete control of the kissing. He never felt humiliated in such a way before. His hands push Vivi down to the snowy ground.

  "Ah!" Vivi winces.

  "Sorry, I-"

  "Hahaha!" Vivi stands up. "What's your name, handsome?"

  "Whiskey. Are you feeling better?"

  "I was until you pushed me, jerk. Although..."

  Vivi falls over. Whiskey doesn't see the blue aura on her back anymore, but the wounds still look bad. He brings out a water canteen from his pocket and takes a swig from it. He crouches down next to Vivi and offers her the canteen. She takes it and gulps the rest of it in one go before handing it back to Whiskey. He puts it in his seemingly large and deep pocket. A salve the size of his thumb comes out from that same pocket. Opening the salve has yellow cream inside.

  "May I?" Whiskey asked.

  "You may. My name is Vivi by the way."

  "Vivi, eh? Your looks as well as your name are similar to Gigi."

  Whiskey pulls up Vivi's crop top and jacket for a better viewing of her wounds. They're deep punctures that are certain to be infected if left untreated. He applies the salve cream in haste.

  "Uuuu..." Vivi groans. "I got in a fight with her for accidentally flirting with her fiancé."

  "Ah yes, her boytoy." Whiskey dabs the cream in her wounds more. "Nice fellow. He would've rejected your advance if he knew you weren't Gigi right away."

  "Damn it all. I was just looking for a good time with someone before I left the city. All my coins were left behind at Lover's Rejoice."

  "Don't worry, as I said before, you're welcome to my coin purse." Whiskey patches the punctures with bandages.

  "There! You should be feeling better soon now."

  "Thank you, handsome. Goodbye." Vivi turns to leave.

  "Wait!" Whiskey picks up the coin purse and coat and rushes to Vivi's side. "Buy you a drink?"

  "Hmm."

  Vivi takes Whiskey's coat from his hand to wear it. Though oversized, it feels much cozier than her previous grey coat. She cuddles up to Whiskey's arm in appreciation and takes his coin purse. Her loving smile made the zebra blush.

  "I'll lead the way then."

  The zebra led her as far away from the Lover's Rejoice as possible, so as not to make contact with Gigi and Horace again. The pace of it was slow due to Vivi's exhaustion; she held the zebra's arm tight with both arms as if she were blind. The zebra kept getting distracted by the rubbing of her bosom against his arm. He didn't mind at all that they were taking their sweet time getting out of the labyrinthine alleyway. Once they got out, the streetlights wearing snow caps illuminated the warm sidewalk. Dumbbell apartments fill the rows with their dark and drab color. There are Barely any animals walking around. Although many cars blur past Vivi and Whiskey walking together. Despite how fast the vehicles were going, Vivi noticed each gaze at her. Whiskey noticed the painful expression on her face. Then he saw the pack wolves walking by, all giving confused glances at them. There was also a couple of chickens gossiping with each other at an open window across the street. Vivi dropped her head and clutched his arm.

  "Wait." Whiskey kneels. "Hop on my back. It'll be easier on your legs."

  "Oh? What a gentleman~!"

  Vivi mounts on Whiskey's back and grips his neck as gently as possible. In return for her kindness, he wraps his arms over her legs in a respectful manner before hoisting her up. The walking passersby all freaked out and ran away. Whiskey wasn't perturbed in the slightest and kept walking at his regular pace. Vivi made sure to keep him excited. She presses her bust onto his back, trills loud enough for him to hear, and rubs her face onto the back of his head. His tail wags back and forth from all these rewards. At an intersection, they wait for the traffic light to turn green. The car drivers waiting beside them watch Vivi atop Whiskey before the crosswalk. She was still a little bothered by all the eyes staring at her. Vivi changes her tactic by squeezing Whiskey's cheeks. He doesn't react to it all. Vivi gets flustered at his non-reaction; she decides to stretch his cheeks outward. To everyone's surprise except Whiskey, his cheeks stretch far from his face. The malleability of his skin makes it look like taffy candy.

  "Whoah!"

  Vivi kept stretching Whiskey's cheeks. She'd have fallen off if it weren't for the skin retracting back with her hands still holding onto it. She stopped playing with his face and just draped her arms over him to rest. The traffic lights turned green, prompting Whiskey to go through the crosswalk. The cars didn't take their turn to drive through, they kept staring with confused looks. They only start to move when the cars far behind honk their horns.

  "Is that your power?" Vivi asked after they reached the other side of the sidewalk.

  "Perhaps." Whiskey said.

  "Hmph...!"

  After walking another half a mile, they find themselves at a street mall. Many stalls line up the area offering all sorts of goodies. Toys for both children and adults, food catering to veggie and meat eaters, and jewelry to name a few. There are more animals in the area, but they don't care much about Vivi's appearance with Whiskey. Most likely because they all look intoxicated for one reason or another. Vivi climbs from Whiskey's back to mounting her legs on his shoulders. His face gets flustered. Her svelte thighs on both sides of his neck made him afraid of doing anything that might incur her wrath.

  "Hehe!" Vivi giggles. "Here, silly!"

  The skunk gestures for Whiskey's hand. He lets her take it and in doing so strokes it over her leg in a slow, invigorating manner. His tail wagging intensifies. She continues to lead his hand back to her derriere. He immediately withdraws his hand before his lustful indulgence takes over.

  "Kya!" Vivi squeals. "Like what you felt? Do you want more?"

  "..." Whiskey could only gulp.

  The zebra moved onward with sweat falling off his brow. Vivi's ears drooped a little, but at twelve high she smiled at her surroundings. Her nose sniffs a kitchenette grilling mushroom caps stuffed with spices and cheese. Another stall prepared beef tomato stew that caught her attention as well. Vivi kept squirming left and right on top of Whiskey's head at every peculiar stall. As much as he was enjoying his position right now, he could feel the vascularity of Vivi's leg muscles. She could crush his head with ease if she wanted to.

  "Hey! I see it, I see it! I wanna try that spot!"

  Vivi points to a sign that says The One-Armed Brewery. It has bold font lettering with a human arm flexing while grasping a metal tankard. The place itself is a tiny bar in the wall with four stools in front of it. Two of the stalls are occupied by a sleeping lion and a sloth gulping his drink in slow motion. The bartender serving them is a giant owl (two arms) who barely has enough room to do his job. A few inches behind him are all the drinks and spices needed to concoct all his recipes. Whiskey walks towards The One-Armed Brewery. The citizens stay clear of his path without looking at him. Vivi has no idea this is happening as she's having too much fun being tall atop Whiskey's head. She keeps looking to see how far ahead the street mall stretches; it seems to have no end. When Whiskey made it to the front, Vivi raised her hand to touch the bar's sign.

  "Hoot, hoot, hoot!" The owl bartender ruffles his feathers everywhere.

  "Sorry..." Vivi reeled her hand back.

  "Hoot." The owl's feathers calm down.

  The lion opened one eye to see what all the fuss was about; he went back to sleep after a moment's pass. His breathing pattern is impossible to discern. It would be easy to mistake that he wasn't breathing at all. Especially with all the snow resting on his mane. The sloth is aware of what transpired, but keeps his focus on chugging his beer mug, albeit very slowly. Like the sleeping lion, he has snow grounded on his hair. Unlike the sleeping lion, icicles are forming beneath his chin. He doesn't seem to mind the ice one bit. Watching the sloth drink made Vivi lick her chops. She stood up from Whiskey's shoulders and backflipped onto the ground. An especially impressive feat for someone who's wearing an oversized coat. Whiskey could barely comprehend what was happening behind him. The owl bartender saw the whole event, prompting him to clap his hands. His wide eyes indicate that this was probably the most exciting thing he had seen today.

  "Hoot~!" The owl said.

  "Aww, thank you!" Vivi bowed with a red face.

  Whiskey scratched his head and sat on the free stool next to the sleeping lion. He rests his arms on the wood-grained bar top. The scent of maple from the wood meshes well with the alcohol. Vivi sits on the final free stool at the edge of the tiny bar. Her paw runs through the bar top, its smooth surface produces a swish sound, much to Vivi's delight. She kept running her gloved hand back and forth to keep the noise going.

  "Hoot?" The owl tilts his head quizzically at Vivi's antics.

  "I'll have a Melone Bar." Whiskey said. "Water and edamame for the woman, please."

  "Eh?" Vivi tugs at Whiskey's sleeve. "I wanted a Luna Light!"

  "Drink water and eat the soybeans first. It'll hydrate and replenish your strength."

  "Hoot, hoot."

  The owl, without moving its head, whips up a cup of water and hands it to Vivi. She guzzled it empty before he was able to hand her the edamame bowl. She had intentions to eat it all post haste but the first piece she chomped on forced her to savor the flavor. It has been preserved in soy sauce and rubbed with chopped garlic. The taste settled nicely in her tastebuds. There was a surprising amount of fun to be had in chomping and sucking out the beans from their pods. Every discarded piece went into a flat napkin. After Vivi finished her serving, she used the napkin to wrap up all the discarded pods to plop them back in the bowl.

  "Thank you, that was delicious! May I have that Luna Light now?"

  "Hoot."

  The owl ignores Vivi's request. Instead, he begins Whiskey's order. He doesn't move his head as he grabs the ingredients for the recipe. Transparent vodka, green liqueur, soda water, lime soda, and a yogurt soft drink from his shelf. He pours them into a cocktail shaker to mix and shake. His eyes stay on his patrons as he concocts his recipe with precision. The cocktail pours into a glass cup; green liquid settles at the bottom, topped by white residue. The owl finishes it by crusting the cup's rim with rainbow sugar crystals. The owl inserts a black straw before placing it in front of Whiskey. Instead of drinking it right away, the zebra gazed into the cocktail. His reflection showed a stern face that was exhausted. He sniffs a waft of sweet melon and carbonated lime from his drink, giving him a slight smile. Before he drank his order, Vivi snatched the Melone Bar and sniffed it.

  "Mmm~," Vivi said with a smug smile. "For a guy named Whiskey, it sure is weird to order a cocktail first."

  Vivi sips a taste of the Melone Bar, surging a jolt on her tongue. The jolt then turned into a soothing roll down her throat. Even though she didn't say anything, the flushed red on her face said it all for her. She almost tilts the glass for a second sip but stops and hands it back to Whiskey instead.

  "So cute..." He whispered to himself before sipping.

  "Hoot."

  The owl gives Vivi her order of Luna Light. Unlike her usual fast drinking, she gazes into her reflection from her drink. Mimicking what Whiskey did for his Melone Bar. She made a great big smile at her beauty. She took a closer look for any twigs and rocks inside her hair that could tarnish her image as a "sexy lady". Vivi runs her hand through her hair to comb out all the annoying little bits. First, the excess snow ran off, then the hidden pebbles. One peculiar branch tangled itself with the fur and proved difficult to remove. Not having a mirror to see behind was especially frustrating. Whiskey gets up from his stool and goes behind Vivi to assist taking the branch off. His massive hands demonstrate surprising care with her hair. He enjoys feeling how smooth her hair is. He unwinds each follicle and hair strand from the branch; within a minute, he untangles it. To finish off his task, he takes out a stainless-steel comb from his pocket and runs it through Vivi's hair. One stroke raked in all the dirt impurities hiding inside her fur. The feeling of sudden cleanliness causes her to quiver.

  "Bbrrr!" Vivi's eyes open wide.

  "Sorry." Whiskey said.

  "It's okay, I like it! I just wasn't expecting it to feel so nice. Please... keep going." Vivi closes her eyes.

  Whiskey wipes the dirt off the comb before obliging the skunk's request. Each subsequent stroke made the quivering stronger. Scared that he's going too far, he consumes some liquid courage from his cocktail.

  "Hey, I still want to be combed!" Vivi said with her back turned.

  "Ahh..." Whiskey sighed.

  With one hand, Whiskey pulls Vivi's stool closer to him and begins combing her hair and fur once more. This time he could hear a subtle purr from Vivi. It would be easy for other animals to mistake her for a cat. She closes her eyes as her excitement grows with each comb stroke. She backs up her body onto Whiskey's chest. Her purr became louder, vibrating the two together; their hearts beat as one. A plastered Vivi raises her hand to rub Whiskey's muzzle. He enjoyed the rubbing but felt odd bumps on her hand. He rubs his muzzle back at her hand for a sniff. It smells strong of malt and hops from the many mugs of Luna Light. There's more though: blood, sweat, and tears. The blood, in particular, bothered him, there's the blood from her recent scuffle with Gigi. However, there's also old faint blood that reeks of various animals like deer-

  "Oh dear, I wasn't expecting this place to be full at this time." An elderly male goat approached.

  The goat's appearance derailed Whiskey's train of thought. He ignored the goat's comment and kept his head down. Vivi, however, got up and put the stool back in its original position. She slides her Luna Light next to Whiskey's Melone Bar.

  "Here, uncle. You can have my seat!" Vivi said.

  "Oh my, that's very sweet of you. But I'd feel bad if you were to leave because of poor lonesome me." The goat crookedly smiles, revealing several missing teeth.

  "It's okay, I have another seat right here!"

  Vivi uses surprising strength to push Whiskey into his seat. She then slips through his arms to sit on his lap. He was completely caught off-guard by how forward she had been this whole time; His body got intensely hot. Vivi reacts by kneading his lap with her derriere. Left-right, up-down, front-back, her motion goes.

  “Hah… Huff…” Whiskey breathes out heavy clouds.

  He wraps his arms tight around Vivi’s waist in a feeble attempt to stop it. Her flexible hips continue their sway even with his restraints. His body temperature keeps rising. He tries to ignore the heat by resting his head on Vivi’s shoulder. His breathing turns erratic.

  “S-stop, not here…” Whiskey whispered.

  “Hehe, you’re quite the grower, Whiskey. I know you want me.” Vivi whispered back.

  “But the others are gonna stare.”

  “Let them stare. Let them get jealous.”

  Indeed, once the goat took over Vivi’s stool, he saw what was happening and stared instead of ordering his drink.

  “Oh my.” The goat said.

  The sleeping lion opens one eye. Upon seeing what was happening with Vivi and Whiskey, his head raises, and completely wakes up.

  “Damn.” The lion said.

  The sloth finally finished his drink and put it down. His face grew happy watching the two’s lustful play.

  “Nice-” The sloth gave a thumbs up.

  “Hoot!“

  The owl bartender was the last to notice and he was not happy. His beak frowned as he proceeded to grab a yellow whiffle bat from beneath the counter. He bonks the whiffle bat over Vivi’s head, producing a squeaky sound.

  “Ah!” Vivi yelped.

  The impact doesn’t hurt at all. Nonetheless, Vivi grew teary-eyed. She took a mental note that only she got whacked. Whiskey was spared from the owl bartender’s wrath.

  “Why only me?” Vivi asked.

  “Hoot, hoot, hoot!” The owl said, swinging his bat overhead several more times at Vivi’s head.

  Forced to retreat behind Whiskey, Vivi hisses at the owl.

  “This place sucks! And a lie! There’s nobody with one arm here!” Vivi stamps her feet and leaves.

  “Aww!” The goat, lion, and sloth groaned simultaneously.

  Whiskey chugs down both the Melone Bar and Luna Light drinks.

  "Put it on my tab!" Whiskey leaves without paying.

  “Hoot…” The owl sighed.

  “Vivi, wait!” Whiskey cried out as he ran.

  The crowd cleared the way for the zebra. Nobody dared to become an obstacle. Even without anything impeding his path, Vivi had the edge in speed. She ran past the crowd, sidestepping through the big animals who refused to move for her. A piece of paper flew out from Vivi’s back pocket and landed on the snowy ground. Whiskey stretched his arm abnormally far to reach down and grab it. He reads it while running:

  Come to Man Hat Tan the day before Christmas. Go to a bar called Lover’s Rejoice. Make a bit of ruckus until a black and white cat in a tuxedo named Horace arrives. Regardless of his questions, show him a good time in his room at the Christ Leer Building. I’ll send five gold coins to your mailbox after I've confirmed the client's satisfaction.

  The entirety of the lettering has been glued from different papers of fonts akin to a ransom letter.

  “What the?” Whiskey said after reading the paper.

  Vivi stopped up ahead at the end of the street mall. In front of her is a massive Ferris wheel adorned by many lights. The carriages creak every time the machine rotates its wheel. There’s a long line of animals waiting to ride inside; Vivi’s smile turned upside down upon seeing them. Whiskey catches up to Vivi. He stops to regain his composure after running five minutes straight. His wheezing is ghoulish. In comparison, Vivi doesn’t look all that bothered from running so fast; her breathing is still normal. Whiskey pockets the letter before she notices it.

  “Let's ride the Ferris wheel.” Vivi's ears perk up.

  “Ok.”

  Whiskey takes a deep breath and offers his hand to Vivi. Her face blushes and accepts his offer. Now holding each other’s hand, Whiskey leads Vivi to the Ferris wheel. Rather than wait behind the line, they go straight to the front.

  “Ah, what the hell, dude!” A moose waiting in line yelled.

  Whiskey completely ignores the moose’s whining and keeps walking to the front with Vivi. A female golden retriever stands guard at the gate for the carriages. Her tail wags upon seeing the zebra and skunk.

  “Welcome to The Peak, sir… er…” The dog squints her eyes.

  “Whiskey.”

  “Yes, sir Whiskey! And hello madame Gigi! Interesting... getup. And I love your pink highlights. Very cute!” The dog winks at Vivi.

  “Aww, thank you.” Vivi winks back.

  “I’m surprised to see you two together. I thought-”

  “Enough.” Whiskey cuts off the dog. “We wish to ride the Ferris wheel.”

  “Of course. Please wait another…” The dog checks her wristwatch. “Fifteen seconds.”

  After fifteen seconds pass, the carriage stops. The golden retriever opens the gate as well as the carriage door and out comes two blue jays, male and female. Their eyes flutter, their faces cuddle, and their beaks click-clack. They bow at the golden retriever before handing her twenty copper coins and leave.

  The dog pockets her coins and says, “Alright, go on in!”

  Vivi and Whiskey walk through the open door. Inside the cabin, the space is small. It looks three times bigger when looking at it from the outside. There are only two conjoined leather seats to watch the transparent windows. There’s not even enough space to fully stretch one’s legs when seated. Whiskey squishes his massive body onto his seat furthest from the door with ease. To Vivi, it seemed as if the zebra had shrunk in size to fit inside. When she sat down on the remaining empty seat, she noticed her size was similar to Whiskey now. She tilts her head with a furrowed brow at this strange oddity.

  “Y’all have fifteen minutes once the wheel starts moving. Have fun!” The dog closes both the door and the gate.

  The Peak whirrs its machination and starts up immediately. The cabin’s sudden movement shook Vivi’s body onto Whiskey. She could immediately feel that Whiskey’s body had indeed shrunk. The cabin jerks a second time just before moving to the quarter point. This time, Vivi flops her whole body onto Whiskey’s lap. His face blushes at her shenanigans.

  “Y-you…!” Whiskey said. “You did that on purpose, didn’t you?”

  “Mmhmm.” Vivi nods. “You’re size changes at will, right? That’s convenient and neat.” She licks her lips.

  Whiskey moves his face closer to Vivi’s. Their fierce breaths against one another accumulate small hot clouds. All four eyes emit a peculiar glint in anticipation of what’s to come. Whiskey initiates a kiss; Vivi happily obliges. This is by no means a romantic kiss though. The zebra wants to prove that the skunk's earlier domination was just a fluke. He refuses to let the humiliation slide even if no one else has witnessed it. Despite his smaller size, his demeanor is more aggressive than before. Vivi felt like a dagger was getting thrust into her mouth. She didn't mind the pressure though; she relished that she was getting challenged. Her crotch humps his rising rocket. He responds by tearing her crop top open, revealing a pink bra with floral patterns. Vivi breaks the kiss and shoves Whiskey's face into her breasts.

  "Damn, perv!" Vivi makes a smug smile.

  "Mmmfff!"

  Whiskey uses his nose to uplift Vivi's bra. He proceeds to suckle her tits.

  "Aaaahhh!"

  Vivi whipped her head back at his wonderful teat-sucking technique. Her only option left is to zip open his pants.

  "Finally!" A male giraffe said from outside the window.

  "Dude!? Back off!" Vivi hissed.

  Whiskey stopped playing with Vivi and got up to rezip his pants. He smacks the giraffe's face through the open window. Meanwhile, Vivi realigns her bra back in place and buttons up her coat to compensate for the torn crop top.

  "Oof! That hurt, dillweed!" The giraffe retreats his head to a nearby cruise ship moving through the river.

  "Pfffthahaha!" Two other giraffes on the ship are laughing their asses off at their friend's expense.

  "Idiot, you should have kept your gob shut!" One of the laughing giraffes said.

  "Yeah, you could have sneaked a kiss with that skunk babe!" The other laughing giraffe said.

  Whiskey growls that he got cockblocked by such an insipid trio. He reaches for something in his pocket, but Vivi hugs him from behind before he can bring it out.

  "Please stop whatever you're about to do," Vivi said.

  "Hmph, very well."

  They both go silent and sit back in their seats. Whiskey stares at a skyscraper with a massive tree on top. The building looks better maintained compared to the others nearby. There’s even a translucent dome over the top to protect the tree from snowy elements. Whiskey’s eyesight allows him to see a zebra in a tuxedo resting at the base of the tree. The zebra stares back at Whiskey. Whiskey glances over to the giraffes still laughing on the cruise ship. The fellow zebra gives an inaudible neigh and disappears into the building. Vivi looks aimlessly around her side. She’s enjoying how tiny everybody looks down below. Her thumb and index fingers press together parallel to the animals as if she were squishing them. This little game she made up on the spot gave her a nonchalant smile.

  "Hey," Whiskey said. "Wanna see something neat?"

  He takes out a miniature telescope out of his pocket and hands it to Vivi. She takes it and zooms in on a cloud he’s pointing at. It’s not immediately apparent due to the dark sky and the moving Ferris wheel. After looking at this peculiar cloud for a full minute, she notices something. A giant iridescent silhouette in the form of what seems to be a castle hiding inside.

  "What's that?" Vivi asked while still looking through the scope.

  "The High Humans." Whiskey answered.

  "High Humans?"

  "Yeah, High Humans. They're the humans who left Earth to live in the sky. The humans who remain indigenous to Earth are called Low Humans. I'm surprised you don't know this given your current form."

  "Oh... um... I-I've never met a human before..." Vivi's ears droop down.

  "Consider yourself blessed. The Tuxedo Estate are the authority figures around here because we're the only ones who can stand up to them."

  The cabin halts to a full stop. Whiskey catches Vivi before she can bump into his lap by accident again. He pats her head with a smile and places her back in her seat. She laughs it off, but then a thought came inside her head.

  "The giraffes saw us doing it. Do you think anybody else saw when the wheel looped back around?"

  "Urp!?" I didn't think that far ahead. Ugh, now I feel ridiculous..."

  Whiskey drops his head and covers his face with his hands. Vivi pats his head and rubs his back in a circular motion. He groaned from the warm glow. She brings her head down to nibble his ear.

  "Gah!" Whiskey sprung up.

  Vivi follows suit and whispers into the zebra's ear, "We can still kiss. Nothing more."

  Vivi kisses Whiskey on the mouth this time. Her tongue tugs his to follow her lead; his tongue complies. She moans which subconsciously causes him to moan as well. His face goes redder after realizing what happened. Regardless, he kisses her to his heart’s content. Vivi breaks away for a moment, much to Whiskey’s disappointment. The Ferris wheel stops a fourth time, the cabin lays before the final quarter.

  Vivi bops Whiskey’s nose and says, “Didn’t want to ruin this cute nose of yours by accident.”

  “It’s alright.” Whiskey responded. “A headbutt to the nose is nothing new to me.”

  “Don’t be like that. You have a cute nose!”

  Vivi rubs her pink nose onto Whiskey’s black muzzle one final stroke before returning to her seat. The Ferris wheel moves again; this time, Vivi doesn't plop into Whiskey's lap. The zebra was somewhat disappointed that she didn't do it again. But he can see her pained expression despite her attempt to hide it. She notices his staring and gives back a slight smile.

  “Ahem!” Whiskey clears his throat. “I’m… I’m truly sorry this happened to you.”

  “It’s okay. I got to meet you at least.” Vivi's smile grew bigger.

  “U-um… would you…” Whiskey stumbles. “Would you be interested in joining my family?”

  “No.” Vivi immediately answered.

  Whiskey’s face grimaces. They remained silent for the remainder of the Ferris wheel ride. After leaving their cabin, Vivi gives the dog five bronze coins and walks off on her own. The dog whistles at the zebra's misfortune.

  "Don't go losing her again, Whiskey." The dog said.

  "I won't." Whiskey gives the dog two silver coins before chasing after Vivi.

  Vivi sticks her arm out to Whiskey and asks, "Care to escort me to the bus station?"

  "Sure." Whiskey wraps his arm around Vivi's.

  The two are silent as they walk along a pathway lined with traffic lamps emitting soft white hues. Whiskey opens his mouth several times to say something, but nothing comes out each time. Vivi could only respond with a sigh. She leans her head on Whiskey’s arm. Her eyes closed with a smile. She could feel Whiskey’s muscles tense up.

  “S-so where are you planning on going to?” Whiskey said.

  “Hmm.” Vivi contemplates. “I don't know yet. I guess whichever bus is leaving next.”

  “Wait… do you even have a plan?”

  “Nope!” Vivi's smile gets sharper. “I do as I please so long as I got the coins for it!”

  “Heh. I’m jealous.” Whiskey’s face darkens. “I’ve been in this state my whole life.”

  “What? That’s no fun! You can only do so much in one place before you get bored. You’re welcome to join me if you’d like.” Vivi flutters her eyes.

  "…"

  The zebra’s indecisiveness lasted so long that they arrived at the bus station before he could make up his mind. There are not many other animals around the area: mainly old folk looking for a change in scenery. There are only 2 buses lined up nearby for takeoff. A lone ticket booth houses an old wolf with a screen that says the following:

  SASSY SKA’S TOONE - 1 GOLD, ONE WAY; 3 GOLDS, ROUNDTRIP

  ARID ZONE A - 9 SILVERS, ONE WAY; 2 GOLDS, ROUNDTRIP

  “Hmm. Northwest or southwest?” Vivi contemplated. “What do you think, Whiskey?”

  “I’m not familiar with either city. What’s warmer?” Whiskey asked back.

  “Ooo, definitely Arid Zone A during wintertime. Hi Mr. Wolf! I’d like a one-way ticket to Arid Zone A, please!”

  Vivi takes out the coin purse Whiskey gave her earlier and hands nine silver coins to the wolf. He bites each coin first before giving Vivi her ticket.

  “Bus leaves in ten minutes, miss.” The wolf said in a ghastly voice. “How 'bout you, sir?”

  “Er, no, I’m here to see her off.” Whiskey answered.

  “Very well. Off with ye then.” The wolf takes the coins and brings out a book to read.

  “Thank you!” Vivi winks at the wolf before leaving. “Oh, Whiskey! Wait here for a moment.”

  The skunk sprints into an array of nearby bushes. She leaves her butt sticking out on purpose for Whiskey’s viewing pleasure. He most certainly enjoys the notion. Vivi ruffles a few more bushes before coming out with a small black luggage bag with rollers on the bottom.

  “Thanks for waiting, handsome.” Vivi smooches Whiskey’s cheek.

  “You’re welcome. You made it easy for me to wait… is that bag yours?” The zebra smiled.

  The skunk inspects the bag more closely by sniffing it. Her ears perk up and nods yes with a smile. The smile was short-lived and went back to a melancholic look.

  “Are you sure you don’t want to come with me? I’d sure appreciate your company~” Vivi crosses her arms in a way that her breasts are pushed together.

  “Erm…” Whiskey gulped. “My family needs me.”

  “Okay…” Vivi’s ears droop down.

  The two wait at some seats in front of the bus. Vivi closes her eyes as she leans her head against Whiskey’s shoulder. He reciprocates by tilting his head to rest on top of Vivi’s. They both sigh simultaneously.

  “Will you come back?” Whiskey said.

  “Probably not for a long time,” Vivi replied.

  “Is there any way I can convince you to stay? I can make Gigi apologize and not bother you again. I think you would be a great fit for the family.”

  “No thank you. It sounds nice but staying in one place for too long cramps my style.” Vivi weakly smiles. “For what it’s worth, meeting you has been my favorite part of this trip. Thank you.”

  “I-”

  “ALL ABOARD! NEXT STOP: ARID ZONE A! WE’RE LEAVING IN FIVE MINUTES!”

  A male bobcat screams at the top of his lungs from inside the bus. He presses a button which prompts a massive compartment to open from the side of the bus. This cues many animals to place their luggage inside the compartment. Vivi joins in soon afterward to place her luggage inside the compartment as well before it closes. In front of the bus door, she hugs Whiskey. He hugs her back for a very long time.

  “WE’RE LEAVING IN ONE MINUTE!” The bobcat screams again.

  The two finally let go.

  “This is it then. Goodbye, Whiskey.”

  Vivi kisses the zebra’s cheek before going inside and presenting her ticket to the bobcat.

  “Goodbye, Vivi…” Whiskey whispered to himself.

  The zebra watches the skunk inside take a seat in the middle right side where they can still see each other. He can see she is unbuttoning her coat and is doing something strange with her ripped crop top. Her hands are fiddling behind her head inside the top. She’s moving her body in strange angles and eventually, a clicking sound is heard. She then rips her pink bra off from the crop top. She opens the window and throws it to Whiskey. He catches it with ease.

  “Something to remember me by!” Vivi blows a kiss at Whiskey.

  The zebra closely inspects the pink bra. He remembers the subtle floral patterns on it that are invisible to far-seeing eyes. Even though Vivi ripped this off in a hurry, the bra is still in usable condition. His nose digs into the bra for a strong whiff. The smell sent him into an ecstasy high. He blanked for a moment, forgetting everything happening around him.

  SWEAT. DIRT. TEARS. BLOOD…

  “WE’RE NOW LEAVING FOR ARID ZONE A!” The bobcat announces.

  Whiskey slips in smoothly before the bus door closes.

  “HEY! ONLY THOSE WITH A TICKET CAN CATCH A RIDE!” The bobcat yells.

  Whiskey grabs three gold coins from his breast pocket and slams them on the bus dashboard.

  “I want a round-trip ticket. You can keep the last gold coin for yourself.” Whiskey said.

  The bobcat bites each coin. Satisfied with their authenticity, he reopens the bus door and brushes past Whiskey. The zebra scoffs at the driver’s abrasiveness but calms down when he comes back with the ticket. The bobcat stamps the ticket before handing it to Whiskey.

  “DO NOT LOSE THIS! OTHERWISE, YOU CAN’T COMEBACK HERE!” The bobcat exclaims.

  “Got it. Thank you.” Whiskey nods.

  The bus door closes, and the vehicle reverses out of its stall. Whiskey is unperturbed by its motion and calmly walks to Vivi with the bra still in his hand. He hands her bra back.

  “Um…” Tears flow out of Vivi’s eyes. “You’re the first one to join me…”

  “They’re idiots. I love you, Vivi.” Whiskey kisses Vivi.

  Their kiss is met with fanfare by everyone watching nearby. One old raccoon whistled at the romantic moment. Vivi wipes her tears away and waves at everyone in gratitude.

  “Shush! I’m trying to sleep back here!” A crow said from the very back of the bus.

  “Sorry!” Vivi said.

  Whiskey sits down with the sexy skunk.

  “Won’t your family be angry?” Vivi asked.

  “They’ll be fine without me for the time being. I’ll explain to them that I need a vacation.” Whiskey answered.

  “For now… for now, I want to be with you as much as possible.”

  “Eeeeeee!” Vivi squeals.

  The skunk cuddles with her new zebra boyfriend. Whiskey rubs her head in appreciation. His face sours when he sees a billboard that says, “LEAVING MAN HAT TAN”. But hearing Vivi’s adorable trills of joy reaffirms his decision. For the first time in a long time, Whiskey has a great big smile on his face.

  "Merry Christmas, Vivi." Whiskey whispered into her ear.

  TO BE CONTINUED