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_ Part 3 _

(Jonas)

Man, I was _so_happy Ma and Alen got on as well as they did. Not that I had any real doubt. Ma's so chatty and open, friendly and welcoming, that I never saw how it could go any different. Poor Alen. I could read him like a book. If only I could do more to stop him getting into the kinda state he'd been in back at the house. I could have told him ten, twenty, a hundred times over and more that everything'd be okay, and he'd have still stressed himself silent.

All that said, and as good as Ma always has been with guests, the hour or so we spent at home was plenty. If we hadn't made a move when we did, I hated to think what else she might've brought up. 'Ruddertail' was more than enough for one day, but I suppose it'd been worth it to see Alen pulled out of his shell. Show him there'd been no need to work himself into it in the first place. Who knows, maybe our chat with Ma might've even helped him relax ahead of meeting the rest of my family. If not, well, some time outside together, exploring the town just me and him, _definitely_would.

"Hey, look at those," Alen called from his seat in my collar, that little 'rudder' batting at my chest. "They're so small."

I kept my steps steady as I could on the skinny, uneven pavement, waiting to following his pointing to the old row of cottages lining it. The lanes leading from the house into town were so cramped and narrow, even the Maleni walkways had to pass underground until after the intersection ahead.

"Don't you think?"

At last, the brickwork evened out. I looked to my right, eyeline almost level with the top of one cottage's doorway. "They _are_a little on the tiny side, yeah."

"More than a little."

"The fishermen used to live in these back in the olden days, when Padinica was still just a village. Or so my dad says." My ears flicked to a creaking iron sign we passed beneath, advertising the bakery it swung from. "Most have been converted, extended, turned into shops and the like."

"It's all a long way from Sturanja. I've got used to everything being bigger." These streets had definitely caught Alen's imagination. He'd started scooting and shifting about so much that I had to hold a hand under my collar. Just in case. Crazy little otter. "Everything's so... close knit. Small."

I couldn't resist. I raised a finger up to him, rubbing a big circle over his chest and belly through my shirt. "It's funny to hear_you_ call them 'small'."

"Well, they are!" He batted his hand at me, but wiggled back into my fur at the same time. "Relatively speaking at least."

"A few of 'em have been converted into apartments for the Maleni here, too. These 'small' buildings can still put a roof over the head of a lot of you guys."

"That's good." He folded his arms hard; a sure sign he'd be about to get all defiant on me. "Better that than going to waste... It'd be tough going to house a huge, overgrown Visoka like _you_in one of these, huh?"

I snorted out loud, trying not to smirk too much as we took a right at the crossroads. I loved bantering with him over his size. Doubly so the fact he felt comfortable enough to throw it right back. "If you say so--"

A sharp jab at my ribs stopped me in my tracks. Forced me to suck in air. Sent me dizzy with shock and stepping back to catch myself. A thud came soon after.

"Hey, what the hell!?"

It's then I spotted him; the rabbit I'd bumped into. Somehow, I'd put him flat on the pavement a good few steps away. The squirrel walking with him looked as shocked as me.

"Oh, damn. I'm--"

"Why doncha watch where you're going? You f--" The guy went quiet, staring up from the ground like he'd seen a ghost.

"Sorry!" I hurried over to offer my hand. "Didn't see you."

"Yeah..." He took a moment, but did reach out to accept my help. Now standing, he kept up his staring from chest height. "It's... Yeah, it's no problem."

He'd barely finished before swerving past me, leaving his friend to chase on after him up the street.

"Are you okay?" I lifted my hand to my collar. "He didn't catch you, did he?"

"No, I'm fine. Too high up to get hit, I guess." Alen watched me readjust my shirt around him, making sure his legs were still threaded between my buttons, and that my collar still held him snug to my chest. "Did you see how far that guy's jaw dropped when he looked up at you?"

"I feel terrible." With Alen secured, I carried on down the street we'd turned onto.

"He got up quick enough. No damage done." I heard his snicker before he added, "All except maybe some jet lag from the trip you sent him on."

"Oh, don't."

"Was that one of your old wrestling moves? The belly bomb?"

My ears flicked down to my scalp, even with my attempt at laughing.

"Come on, I'm kidding... But maybe you'd need _two_of these little houses to put a roof over your head after all."

Did I say I loved the way he bantered back at me? Maybe I'd have to reconsider that.

"That is if you didn't go and bump them over first."

"Alright!" I rubbed over him until I'd messed up his head fur. "Let's just head downtown, okay? Before I wind up embarrassing myself again."

I put my mowing down of a local behind me, keeping focus instead on the bigger buildings of the town centre we soon made it across to.

Again and again I'd told Alen that Padinica wasn't the biggest place. Last thing I wanted was to get his hopes up over some exciting, touristy weekend away. Seriously, it's not until we'd started wandering, trying to find things to see and to do, that made that fact even clearer. We must have looped around on ourselves... three, maybe four times at least on our tour. In the process, I'd shown Alen everything that 'downtown' had to offer. From the two streets that made up the shopping 'district', to the old, creaky town hall building that had been around since forever and a day. We also checked out the town library, standing there with its flashy, over-complicated exterior, finishing off with the long row of trade stores that sat on the shorefront road. Oh, and just so I could tell Ma we'd been, I even took Alen for a stroll through the gardens of St. Marko's church.

To be fair to the place, a few things _had_changed since I'd last been back. Stores I didn't remember had replaced those that I did. Not to mention the new, improved walkways they'd put in for the Maleni locals, adding barriers and roofing in the busier areas, and also extending them off towards a few areas on the outskirts not previously covered.

But, for the most part, things were just as I'd left them when I moved away four years back. That made it pretty damn tough to know if I'd shown Alen the main points of interest. Not that it mattered in the end. He spent the the whole time shifting about like a spinning top, taking in anything and everything, asking question after question. This had all been fresh and exciting to him at least, keeping us exploring for a good two hours before my aching paws started crying out for a rest.

"Hey, what's that old place over there?"

I followed Alen's pointing, across the park we'd entered to the tall, steep-roofed building standing apart from the houses around it. "That's my old school. It's also where Ma teaches."

"Really?" He looked up at me with the biggest smile. Not sure why, but I went along with it. "Cool."

"Yeah... That's just the primary school, though." I stopped at one of the park benches, dropping into it with the biggest sigh. Man, my paws would be speaking up to thank me if they could. "The high school is across town."

"Did you used to hang out around here?" His manic movement started up again, looking this way and that. I figured it'd be best to help him out from my shirt and settle him in my lap. "This park I mean."

"It was one of the places, sure." I followed him in taking in the surroundings. "There used to be a lot more here. Looks like they've taken out the swings and climbing frame me and my friends used to play on. Then hung around at once we were a bit older--"

"Where else?"

"Uh... Well, the docks of course." Searching beyond the park, I pointed out some chain coffee shop on the street across from my old school. "There was an old arcade I used to pump my pocket money into. It's not there any more." My finger moved back towards the school, up at the big, white building overlooking town from atop the hill. "Then there's the shopping centre. They built that back when I was in high school."

"Right." That seemed to satisfy his interest. Or not. "Sounds like there's been a lot of change. New stuff to go with old."

"I guess... yeah. Still not all that much to see, though."

"There's plenty," Alen countered, grinning. "Remember, I'm from Lucica. We'd dream of a shopping centre back there."

"It's... not all that great."

"Maybe not." He peered off thoughtfully, spotting the group of Maleni teenagers chatting and laughing away, standing on their little moving walkway at the park's edge. "Did you have many smaller friends back growing up?"

"Sure. I was taller than most of my friends, even back at school."

He shoved at my belly. "You know what I mean."

I poked him back, stroked him, trying to force a grin through the idea that he might not like my answer much. "A couple. Kinda."

"Kinda?"

"I mean... No, they were, they were. There's a long story behind it." There Alen went. Right back into that quiet, thoughtful place of his. "Maleni and Visoka tended to mix more in their own circles back when I was at school." I shifted forward. "Not through division or anything like that... just... I suppose it's easier to do things together when you're the same size is all."

"Guess that makes sense." He sat back against me, still gazing off across the park. "I know that my bigger friends back home had to be more careful around me. When we'd sail, swim, or even when we'd just hang out. Guess it's easier to do things with people your own size."

"You make it sound like you were a pain to be around." I rubbed a finger over his side, then under his chin to finally work a happy groan out of him. "I'm sure that's not the case, and that's not what I'm saying about my experiences back here... It's a long story, y'know."

"Well I'd like to hear it one day."

"Sure." I sprawled out my hand to cuddle him into me. "Anyway, times change. I can think of some things that big guys and little guys do pretty great together."

"Shh." His light squirming into the softness of my stomach set me smiling. "Someone'll hear."

"Oh, as if. Besides, what's wrong about what I said?"

He laughed quietly, slowing his movement until I thought he'd drifted off to sleep. Sweet little stress-otter of mine.

"Alen?"

His hand rubbed at mine. "Yeah?"

"I was wondering... How does heading down to the docks sound? My family'll be finishing up for the day soon." The rubbing stopped. "Alen?"

"Okay."

I moved to get a better view of him, but couldn't see his face. "You sure?"

"I am." He lifted his blue eyes towards me. "It'll be fine. Right?"

"Of course." I gathered him up. "Things went well back at home with Ma, didn't they?" Whether he didn't realise, or just didn't want to acknowledge that fact, he sat there quietly in my cupped hands. "Come on. I'll prove it to you."

It didn't take us all that long to make it to the waterfront. A few minutes, maybe. Not nearly enough for my paws to start throbbing all that much.

Looking out over the dock, every walkway sat crowded with sea goers, while the water itself swarmed with boats of all shapes and sizes. Standard for a working afternoon.

We passed one of the benches facing out over the shore, occupied by the same pair of old wolves I'd often find down here with their fishing gear. Deep in conversation, white-furred Maleni peering up at grey-furred Visoka, things clearly didn't change all that much around Padinica.

I started down the stone stairway closest to where my dad had always cast off from, salty sea breeze flicking through my fur, tickling my nose. With the slickness underfoot, I made sure to take my time, stopping to scan around for any sign of him or my brothers.

"You okay?"

"Hmm?" I glanced down at Alen, back in place in my collar. "I'm fine. Why?"

"Nothing... Just, I know you're not all that comfortable around the water is all."

"Ah, don't worry about me." I waved an arm out towards the bay. "_This_is fine. Just like the beach back home in Sturanja. It's when I'm _on_the water that... things get a little less fine. Small, bumpy boats especially."

He nodded, reaching around to stroke into my chest fur. "Poor raccoon."

"I know," I sang, "but it is what it is. We can't all be naturals."

"I'll have to teach you," he said as I started down the remaining steps. "Give you an otter's stomach for the water."

"Well now, I wouldn't mind that. If you know a way."

"Swim. Then swim again."

"That it?"

"No. After that, then you've gotta swim some more."

"Pass." I rubbed between his ears. "Guess having one otter in this relationship'll have to do."

We wandered across to the pier that most trade fishermen traditionally worked out of, the boats of those already finished up for the day bobbing at their mooring spots. Still no sign of Dad, Denis or Toni, though. So be it. I'd be glad to take another seat on one of the mooring bollards while we waited.

"Don't flatten it," Alen snarked as I settled. "Like that rabbit earlier."

"I think it'll hold me," I spat back, faking irritation. "How long are you planning on reminding me of that by the way?"

"Probably as long as that poor guy'll remember it." He grinned up at me, squeezing and massaging my chest. Unlike at the park, the crowd milling around here didn't seem to bother him. Not that I minded, of course. I was just happy he'd got over whatever had him all anxious when we first left to head into town. "You know he's probably got whiplash and everything."

"Yeah, right."

"Yeah. Right. Run down in the prime of his life by a big, out of control raccoon."

"I'll run _you_down in the prime of your life," I muttered, keeping my voice from the larger-eared species roaming around us. "And you'll like it, too."

"Maybe." He let out the cutest giggle, starting my tail sweeping the boardwalk while he nosed deep into my fur.

We watched more and more fishermen come and go, boats motoring in loaded with their catches for the day. Things quietened down after a while, starting me wondering if my dad might've moored up at a different pier and headed home already. I wasn't far off standing up from my increasingly uncomfortable seat to make my own way back when I saw it.

Chugging on past us, a small, blue-hulled boat drifted towards the dockside, heading for a free mooring spot closeby.

"That's them." I shook the life back into my legs, picking myself up to follow.

The grey-furred figures of my Dad and brothers stood out on deck, looking exhausted in their yellow overalls after another hard day's grafting. It was a sight I'd seen time and time again in my younger days. Nothing had changed down here either, save for a few rust patches on the bow that I'm not sure I remembered.

"Hey, Goldie!" cried Toni, my younger brother, raising an arm to wave. He jogged over to port side, meeting me as I turned onto the smaller walkway extending out from the pier proper. "When'd you get back?"

"Few hours ago." I peered down onto deck at him, even shorter on the lower surface. "How's everything?"

"Great!" He jabbed a thumb towards starboard. "Another good catch today."

I watched Dad working with my older brother, Denis, gathering and organising their plastic crates brimming with fish. "You're not gonna help 'em?"

"Ah, they're fine." Toni grinned up at me, showing off that canine he'd chipped acting stupid out at sea as a teen. "You can always help out if you like."

"Hey now, you know this isn't my thing. That summer back from university proved that."

"Yeah, yeah... Well come aboard at least, cityboy. Get your sea legs back."

"_What_sea legs?"

"Good point."

"Gods above!" Denis growled. "Come help Dad, Toni. I gotta go moor up."

"Yeah, alright," he snapped back, tail lashing. "Just welcoming Jonas home is all."

"He'll still be here when we're done." Denis barged our younger, smaller brother by the shoulder as he passed. "Earn your money."

I stared down at the deck, watching it sink further away with each passing moment. My fur frizzed under my shirt, tail catching more and more of the passing breeze.

"Go for it." A tiny hand pressed up at my chin. "You can do it."

Alen stroked away, sweet smile helping me to offer one in return. Suddenly that drop didn't seem so big any more. I'd have to wait, though.

Denis jumped up next to me, slapping a hand to the shoulder he now stood level with. "Welcome home, Bro."

"Thanks." He carried on along the walkway, holding the rope he'd use to tie the boat to the dock.

"Don't go falling in, Goldie."

"That happened one time!" I spun back to Toni. "In a flimsy damn rowboat. That _you_were rocking."

"Lucky for us it was just one time. You almost emptied out the bay that day."

My growling did nothing but make his tail sway faster. I turned away, glancing back down to Alen. "Mind if I set you down?"

"No. That's fine."

"Just in case something like that _does_happen."

"It won't," he insisted. "But sure. Whatever you want."

I helped him out from my collar, bumping his nose with mine before reaching for one of the pier's supports. "Thanks."

He stepped onto the pillar, leaving me free to focus down towards the deck. It took a couple of turns stretching out a leg, dangling it, weighing up the drop. This wasn't some rocky rowboat I reminded myself. This was the same sturdy fishing boat I'd climbed aboard however many times before. I just had to let myself go...

"Finally!" Toni jeered after my half step, half awkward stumble onto the damp wood. "You sure know how to keep a guy in suspense."

"Yeah, yeah. You just keep on talking..." I looked back up at the support. "You good here for a little bit?"

"Completely," Alen replied.

"Great." I gave my brother the biggest damn snarl I could, cutting a beeline right for him. "Won't be long."

"Hey?" Toni stepped away from the crate stacks. "Wait a minute." He threw his hands out in front of him. "Wait!" Perfect.

His squealing as I swooped down for him could've shattered glass. I wrapped my arms tight around him, snorting at his hands beating away at my chest, scrambling faster the more I squeezed his slippery overalls. "Ah, I missed this."

"Don't--" I didn't even have to strain to stand back up again, biceps flexing hard against his sides. "Get off me!"

"Aww." I grinned up at the wince on his grey muzzle, mask turning solid black as he clenched his eyes closed. "What's the matter? In over your head again?"

"Put me down!" His chunky work boots kicked at my knees. "You overgrown--"

"Boys!" Dad's rumbling sent a shudder through us both. "Let's just get finished up here, okay? It's been a long day and I just want to unload and get home."

"Sorry." My ears folded. I let my brother drop.

"Ya should be," Toni mumbled, staggering as he landed.

I grabbed his arm to stop him falling back. "Not you."

"Oh, well, fine then." He punched me on the shoulder. I jabbed him back. "Help me move these back into the store, yeah?"

Nodding, I followed him the few steps over to the rear of the boat's small cabin. A couple more of Dad's metal supply boxes lied in wait.

"We'll take one each."

"Wait. Are you sure?"

"'course! I'm not a little kid no more."

"Never said you were--"

"And they're not _that_heavy." He stopped to hover over the right-hand box, leaving me to the other. "Remember to lift with your knees."

"Yeah, I know." I bent down to grasp each end of the long container. "I get through plenty of lifting and lugging stuff around in the storeroom at work." A testing wobble told me it'd been packed pretty full, but not enough to be a problem. "Plus I still try and find time to work out, y'know?"

"Whatever." He flashed me a smirk. "I don't gotta know all that. Just remindin' ya is all--" It disappeared pretty damn fast once he started heaving. "Fuck!"

"Hey, you okay?" Toni's groaning made me cringe, his short legs and skinny arms shaking with how hard he strained. "Stop! Gods damn." I had to reach out and nudge him away. "You're gonna hurt yourself!"

"It's overfilled." He didn't look back at me, but I could see his tail tucking. "Hey, Dad? This box is _way_heavier than usual. Can you help?"

"Bit busy right now," Dad replied, hauling a fish crate up onto the pier.

"Denis?"

Our older brother jumped back aboard from the dock. "I'm helping Dad."

"Come on," I said. "Let me help."

Toni took a second to think that over. Sure didn't look too happy about my offer. "Alright."

I didn't call him out on it. Instead, I sidestepped over to his box, grabbed the end closest and waited for him to do the same opposite. "Ready?"

"Okay. On three."

A little tug helped me weigh things up.

"One."

Not much difference in this container from mine. Might even have been lighter.

"Two."

Poor Toni. He glared down at his hands like his life depended on this.

"Three!"

Working together, the big metal box came up with next to no effort... For me at least.

Toni's muzzle scrunched tighter and tighter, mask solid black, just like when I grabbed him up. He let a weak squeal slip, but damned if he was gonna admit defeat in front of me. Out of sight, I snuck a hand towards his side.

"Man, you weren't lying!" Hopefully my grunting sounded real. "These are heavy!"

"Told... ya," he croaked.

I reached out further, taking on more and more of the weight until his arms stopped shaking. "You got it?"

"Yeah..." I faked a wobble. "Just about."

"Cool." Another grunt. Not so full of pain that time. "Let's go... before we drop it."

Once we'd got the supply boxes back inside the cabin's store, the time came to offer Dad and Denis a helping hand unloading the rest of the fish. I'd been away so long, I'd forgotten just how much getting up close and personal with the day's catch got up your nose. It sure helped motivated you to get them shifted double-quick.

"I bet you don't mind how this all smells," I half-whispered to Alen, returning him to his position in my shirt.

"Speciest." He pawed up at my chin. "I like _cooked_fish. This... just smells bad."

"Just another reason I'm glad I'm only helping out for today."

We'd not finished there, though. The crates had been unloaded and restacked, but they still needed wheeling back towards the dockside. That wasn't so bad in and of itself, but it only set things up for the real hard graft; lugging them one by one up onto dry land and into the back of Dad's old pickup.

This'd been _way_more work than I planned on getting involved with, seeing as how I'd dressed in my now filthy best shirt, and also because I had company here with me. Then again, Alen didn't seem to mind. Plus, I'm totally sure my family appreciated the extra pair of hands.

"And done." My Dad let loose the biggest grunt of a sigh, flopped back against the battered side of his truck. Its suspension looked to be struggling, but how much of that came from the load rather than its age, I couldn't be sure. "Not a bad day at all."

"Looks like I called it right," said Denis. "Out past the east side breakwater has seen the best fishing lately."

I saw Toni roll his eyes, shake his head and probably also bite his tongue as he turned away.

I left them to carry on talking shop, concentrating instead on stretching out this dull ache in the small of my back.

"Hey now." Dad poked at me. "Didn't work you too hard out there, did we?"

"Wasn't a problem." I stood up straighter. Aching be damned. "Got a little tiring after a bit is all."

"You should try doing it all day."

"Pass. The times I wind up hauling barrels, boxes and everything else around at work's plenty."

"Sturanja's gone made ya soft." Toni smirked up from chest height. "Cityboy."

"Whatever." I shoved him by the shoulder. "You'd not last five minutes at Riki's."

"You're wasted up there," Denis called from the rear of Dad's truck. "Should be out on the water with us."

My turn to bite my tongue. I'd not forgotten where this usually went.

"It's real, proper work down here. An honest day's graft."

"I know bar and waiter work's not _proper_to some, but tips and overtime pay plenty." Fuck it. I couldn't resist. "Enough that I don't have to work on the side for extra cash at least."

That shut him up in an instant. He tried playing it cool, leaning up against the truck, but the lashing of his tail gave him up easy.

Not wanting to cause too much family drama down here on the quietening seafront, I moved the subject on. "Dad, guys, can I introduce you please?" I glanced down to my collar, my smile a lot wider than the one I got back. "This is Alen. My boyfriend."

His head snapped towards them in an instant, pushing back harder and harder against me the closer they got. 'Don't be scared,' I wanted to tell him, hoping a soft finger stroke over his arm might do the same.

"Hey, Alen." My little brother offered his hand, grinning. "I'm Toni. Good to meet ya."

Alen's pushing eased. It took him a moment, but he did reach out to clasp Toni's fingertip. "Good to meet you, too."

Denis came next. Seemed he'd shaken off my jibe. Enough to offer a welcome just as warm as Toni's at least.

Dad marched on over to round things off. Now, I don't know if it was something in his manner, or the fact he wasn't all that much shorter than me, but he set Alen shrinking back all over again.

"Hello there." Out came his own black-furred hand, index finger extended.

"Uh, hey... Hello..." Alen cleared his throat, reaching out to set his hand upon Dad's finger pad. "...Mr. Devic. It's nice to meet you."

"Mirko, please." He shifted his thumb, pressing it to his finger to offer a firmer, much closer welcome. "It's great to meet you at last."

"Oh, and... you, too." I must've lit up as bright as Alen did. "You... Your boat's real nice. A friend of mine, his family had one kinda similar back when we were growing up."

"Thank you!" Dad looked off over my shoulder to its mooring spot. "The old girl's been in the family... since _my_father bought it back when I was Jonas' age. She's served us well all these years."

"You can tell that from all the rust," Toni muttered, smirking even after Dad's playful swipe at him.

"I guess it's how they say," Alen said, drawing all eyes back on him. "If it's not broken... don't fix it."

"Too right," Dad called out, nod curt but approving. "That's what I keep telling these three."

Alen grew into the conversation as it rolled on, not sounding nervous, shy or afraid for all too long. As the discussion bounced around between them, he honestly didn't seem out of place. Not fazed in the slightest by having a whole family of Visoka raccoons gathered around him. In fact, he carried himself so well, that when the time came to give the same introduction he'd offered Ma back at the house, he'd got them hanging on every word.

It just went to show how daft he was for getting himself worked up in the first place. Not that I'd ever hold that against him. If anything, I was proud! For someone his size, a Maleni, I could understand his anxiety over a situation like this. Meeting new people alone is tough going, but add in the fact that you don't stand much taller than their ankles, and damn, the difficulty level must go through the roof. Not that I'd know myself. Even around the typically larger species of other Visoka, I'd always been on the bigger side. I kinda wondered what being in Alen's shoes felt like sometimes...

"Damn, Goldie. Did he die?"

"Huh?" Toni's calling got me wondering what I'd missed.

"Alen was talking 'bout that guy you took out on your way downtown today."

"Wasn't that bad," I groaned. "Just a... bump."

"A_bump_, right. I'd hate to think how a bump into you would go down, mister big and tall store."

"Hey, shut up."

"What? Truth hurt?"

I stomped at him. "I'll show you what _does_hurt."

"Hey, this ain't school!" He jumped back. "Can't go throwin' your weight 'round at everyone no more."

I stopped dead, staggering away like he'd driven a fist into my gut. Why the hell did he have to say _that?_In front of Alen of all people. "That's not how it was, and you know it." I glanced down as casually as I could, finding Alen gawking back with ears perked high.

"I know--"

"I was only ever looking out--"

"Yeah,I know." Toni flashed a look of his own at him. "Just joking." He jabbed me in the arm. I didn't feel much like throwing one back.

We backed away from that discussion pretty fast. Thank the gods. My family chatted alone between themselves from that point on, covering this, that and the other while more and more workers left to make their own ways home. To be honest, with the amount of things they found to carry on about, I began doubting that we'd ever follow suit.

"I should really head off, though," Denis announced, finally. "See how Lara's keeping."

"How's she been?" Dad asked. "Everything still going well?"

"She's tired. Struggling to sleep some nights again."

"That's to be expected."

"Yeah, but we're managing." He stepped away from Dad's truck. "Apart from that, everything's good. The scan last week said as much. Little Marina will be with us soon enough."

"And that's when the sleepless nights _really_start."

"Yeah, so everyone says... We'll cope."

Dad snorted, arms folded. "Set a date yet?"

"Damn! Let us get through this first. Then the time'll come to start wedding talk."

"Alright." He scoffed and shook his head, but reached out pat him on the shoulder. "Pass on all of our best wishes, won't you?"

"Will do." Denis pulled out his keys as he started off along the pavement. "Oh, Alen. I hope you have a fun time here in Padinica. Was nice to meet you."

"Thanks, I hope you have a fun-- uh-- Nice to meet you, too."

My brother smiled, waving back over his shoulder on his way past the emptying line of parked cars. "See ya."

The rest of us offered our own sendoffs, turning back to each other for Dad to announce, "I'll drive today's catch down to the fishmarket. Meet you all at home, okay?"

"How 'bout I come help you out?" Toni proposed. "Extra pair of hands and all that."

"It's fine. There'll still be plenty of guys finishing up down there who can help. Thanks, though."

"Sure?"

"Come on," I grumbled. "Stop creeping for a lift home. It's a ten minute walk. Got legs, don't you?"

"Hey, you're not the one that's been up and working all day. _My_legs are killin' me!"

"It's not like I've been walking around town all afternoon or anything. Suck it up--"

"Listen, if you two don't stop your bickering, I'll have dropped this off and got back home before the _both_of you." Dad had already finished checking the crates were secure. I'd not even noticed. "Get to it!"

"Fine," Toni snapped back, huffing. Such a kid.

He walked around to the cab, pulling himself and his tail inside. "Besides, I'm sure Alen doesn't want to hang around and listen to you two carry on, either."

"Oh... It's fine," Alen piped up from my collar. "Not a problem."

"No need to be polite, now." He slammed his door closed and wound down the window. "While I'm not around, you've got my permission to tell them both to stop their whining." The truck roared up into life. "Besides, they need to hurry back and help their mother with dinner." Me and Toni both groaned out loud, but that just helped slap a massive grin across Dad's muzzle as he pulled away. "See you all at home!"

We started off on our short walk home not long after. Toni, to his credit, only bitched and moaned about his aching paws for the majority of it. Alen on the other hand didn't seem to mind it. In fact, if anything, I'd say he enjoyed the trip, going by how bright and chatty he got between my brother's grumbling.

"How long have you been fishing, Toni?"

"Pretty much since I left school," he replied. The little side roads near my parents' had got busy since earlier, filled with people finishing their own commutes home. "That's about five years or so now."

"Like it?"

"Yeah, mostly... Can't really imagine doing anything else but that." He smirked up at me, adding, "Wouldn't wanna do like Jonas at least."

"How come?"

"Well... I guess--"

"Not... that you _shouldn't_or anything." Alen rocked against my chest, adjusting. "Just curious is all. Sorry."

"Hey, it's fine. Honest." My brother's ears sprang up. "I'm happy here. My friends are here, my family... I ain't never wanted to leave."

"I get that." He stopped his shifting enough that I could stop worrying about him slipping from my collar. "It's interesting, since I couldn't wait to leave Lucica."

"Hated it that much?"

"I don't _hate_it. It's just... it's boring there. Pretty much all my friends have moved away. There's nothing there for me now but my parents, and it's not all that much hassle to jump on a train for a couple of hours to go see them."

"Yeah, I getcha. That's cool. I figure as long you're happy, 's all that matters." Out of nowhere, Toni burst out with a groan. "I'm tellin' ya, _I'll_be happy when I can finally sit my tail down."

"Well, damn," I grumbled. "I was wondering how long you'd go without crying."

"Ah, back off, Goldie!"

"Try making me."

"Totally would! Just don't wanna go embarrassing you in front of Alen."

I heard Alen chuckle, which came real close to starting me off, too. "Hey, don't go taking his side!"

"Sorry," he sang back, reaching up to pat my chin.

"Don't let him stop you," Toni called, bounding ahead as we turned the corner onto the slope of our street. "Go ahead and join the winning side if you wanna."

"So much for your tired legs. Get yourself a second wind?"

"Guess so." He spun around with a grin, the grey and black stripes of his tail swaying behind him. "Getting one over on you'll do that."

I tried thinking up my next comeback. Toni's roaring laugh told me I'd taken too long. Damn it. I had Alen's stroking as a consolation prize at least. Not that this'd been all bad. Watching my little twerp of a brother swagger off ahead of us, smirking and jeering, I had to admit, I'd really missed this.