Germania Meets Lady Liberty, Part 3

By Stanley L. Alston, Jr.

Center City, Philadelphia, PA., About 9 pm Eastern Time

Katherina Pferd stood in front of her bed inside the bedroom of her penthouse suite at the 1900 Rittenhouse Square Apartments, as she was packing up the last of her bags for her trip to Germany. “Dere, tat’s der last off dem,” she said to herself, just as she closed the dark brown suitcase. The redheaded Rhenish/Hanoverian mix breed mare then took the suitcase off of her bed, and walked it towards her door, where she had already placed a few other suitcases and carry-on bags, which she plans to take with her to the airport early the next day, Friday, so that she can catch her flight to Germany, via London, from Philadelphia International Airport. .oO(Let’s see. Mein bags are all packed, ich’d told Otto at vat time to drive me off to der airport, ich’d already told Asrail to expect un visit from Police Lt. Afgan as Mega, ich’d asked ‘godfather’ to take un look at dat suppose diary off his schwester to see iff it ist der real deal, ou un fraud, after ich haff arrived im Germany, ich’d already sent Albert on to Germany by plane,) mused the brunette-furred mare as she thought over what she had done to prepare herself for her trip back to Germany, so that she could participate in the opening weekend for the soon to be opened Germania Museum that was to be dedicated to both her and her predecessors. Katherina then stopped, before chuckling, as she recalled the fuss that Albert, who was secretly her flying steed, Krieg, had made when he was being flown ahead to Aachen. “Still can’t believe dat he haff made such un fuss about goink onto dat transport plane. Ne like its der erste time dat he haff flown…” the middle-aged mare said to herself, when she heard her bedroom phone ring. As the buxom redhead put down her suitcase, she thought, .oO(Now vho vould be callink me at dis hour?) The redheaded mare then turned around and headed for the small nightstand upon which was placed her phone. .oO(It’s probably just Otto vantink to make sure dat he haff der correct time for vhen ich vant him to drive both me und Georg to der airport,) thought Katherina, as she reached for the phone. After hearing it ring one more time, she picked it up. After placing the receiver against her left ear, she said into it, “Hallo, Katherina Pferd speakink.”

The brunette-furred mare immediately recognized the voice that was on the other end of the phone. “Oh, Gute tag, Gail, how are du, mein dear? Dat’s gut to hear. Du are vere? At der buildink’s front desk? Oh, ich see. Sure du can come on up und spend der nacht at mein apartment before goink to Germany. Hold on un moment.” With that, Katherina tells Gail how to get to her penthouse apartment. The buxom redhead then hangs up the phone, before picking it back up, and then pressing a button on the phone’s far right hand side. She then placed the receiver back against her ear, and waited a few seconds before she heard the familiar voice of her black bull chauffer, Otto Bulle. Upon hearing the dark-furred bovine’s voice, she said to him, “Hallo, Otto, dis ist Katherina. Un slight change in plans. Du shall be drivink zwei people und Georg to der airport tomorrow morgen, fer der flight to Germany. Ja, eine off mein freunds haff appeared und she vill be goink on der flight mit both me und Georg. Ja, dat’s right. Okay, see du around drei im der mornink for der drive to der airport. Gute nacht, Otto, und auf Wiedersehen!” With that, she put her phone back down. She then looked to her left, whereupon she saw the open door that led out of her well-furnished bedroom, and into the hallway that ultimately led to both her living room and the front door of her apartment. .oO(Vell, better go und meet Gail. Ich vonder vhy she did ne just go directly to Germany from Jamaica? Guess she’ll tell me vhen she arrives. Vhich should be in un few minutes,) Katherina thought, as she exited her bedroom, after having first turned off the bedroom’s light.

A few minutes later, Katherina entered her living room. The buxom redhead walked across the room, then stopped. She then started to look around, until her eyes finally settled upon the large couch that was placed in the middle of the room, across from her television set. She next looked to the dark brown couch’s right, whereupon she found her pet German shepherd dog, Georg, who was presently sleeping next to the couch, inside his doggie bed. Katherina chuckled as she looked at him, noticing that he was presently resting on his left side, snoring lightly. .oO(Dat ist so cute,) she thought to herself, when she heard a loud buzz. The brunette-furred Rhenish mare looked across the room, quickly spotting the front door of her apartment. .oO(Hhhmmm, dat must be Gail,) she thought, as she headed for the door, as she heard another buzz exit the doorbell. “Ich’ll be right dere, Gail,” she said towards the door, as she heard a light woof come from behind her. After she had reached the door, and then placed her right hoof upon the doorknob, Katherina looked back and noticed that Georg, was now awake, and looking at her, his tail wagging. Snickering, after hearing him release another woof, she said to her pet dog, “Ja, Georg, ve haff company.” Katherina then looked back at the door, before looking into the keyhole to make sure that it was indeed Gail Storm who stood on the other side of the door. Once the redheaded mare was certain that it was indeed her old friend Gail, she proceeded to unlock the door, then turned the knob, before finally pulling the door towards her, soon revealing to both her and the now yawning Georg:

A black-haired, brown and white-furred mixed-breed canine femme, who was at the moment clothed in an unbuttoned dark brown London Fog dress coat which was covering a red-orange, yellow and white diamond and zig zag patterned long sleeve Jamaica print maxi dress. The female canine was wearing on her still sex looking legs beige stockings and low-heeled black dress shoes upon her feet, while her ears were sporting a pair of circular red earrings. Katherina noticed that Gail was carrying in each of her paws a carry-on bag. The younger mare, as the canid femme was older than her by over 200 years, smiled at Gail, before saying to her, “Gute Abend, Gail. Come on in. Nice to see du again. Ich hope dat du are doink vell, ja.” Katherina then moved to her right to allow the raven-haired canine and her bags to enter her apartment.

Gail smiled back at the redheaded Rhenish mare, revealing as she did her vampirish front teeth, the result of her having been bitten by a drunken vampire bat who was trying to force himself upon her back in 1792 when she was working at a seaside tavern back in her native Jamaica, in the process giving the then teenage canine femme her superpowers. She then said, as she walked into the younger equine femme’s well-furnished penthouse suite, “Good evenin’, Frau Katherina. Thank ye fer tae nice greetin’. And ah be doin’ fine, my dear. ‘ow be ye doin’?” She had only walked into the room a few feet when she heard a loud woof coming from just a short distance in front of her. Gail looked towards where the woof have come from, as Katherina proceeded to close the door behind her, soon seeing Georg, who was still lying in his doggie bed near the couch. She smiled at Georg, before saying to him,, “And a nice hello to ye too, Master Georg. ‘ow be ye, tis fine evenin’?”

“George ist doink fine, Gail. Und may ich take ihr bags?” said Katherina, as her pet dog woofed again at the female canine, while she locked up her door. “By der way, did du haff un nice flight from Jamaica?”

Gail, who at the moment was putting down both of her bags as she stood before both Katherina and her now locked door, answered, “That’s a good thin’ ta be knowin’, Frau Katherina. And thank ye for be takin’ me bags. As for me trip to Philly, dear child, I’d actually came here by Amtrak train from Atlantic City.” As she spoke, she proceeded to take off her coat, soon revealing the rest of her long-sleeve, multi-color dress.

“Atlantic City? Visitink some freunds dere, Gail?” queried Katherina, as the buxom redheaded mare walked over to where Gail’s bags were and with very little effort, picked the pair up, and headed for the left side of her living room, planning to place them near one of her bookcases. “Und du can hang up ihr coat on der coat rack near der door.”

“Thank ye, dear,” said Gail, her coat now folded in half and resting across her left arm. Looking behind her, and to her right, she saw the rack. She walked over to it, while saying, “As for AC, yes, ah be indeed visitin’ a few old friends, although a few of them be nay ‘appy ta see me, my dear.” She then chuckled, as she hung up her coat. “As tae Yanks here would say, they acted as if they have seen a ghost.” As she finished hanging up her coat, the raven-haired, mixed-breed canine asked, as she turned around, “Do ye mind if ah sit down on yer couch, child?”

Katherina, who also chuckled, as she had a good idea that she was talking about her alter ego, Calypso, the Jamaican National Heroine, probably visiting a few folks inside Atlantic City whom she probably have had dealings with in the past, and was obviously up to their old tricks. “Ich’m guessink dat du, ou rather, Calypso, haff un nice talk mit dem, after lightin’ dem up, off course? Und, sure, du can sit on mein couch.” With that, after she had reached her bookcase, Katherina put down Gail’s bags. The German-born mare then turned around, before she started to walk towards the couch herself, while watching Gail also walk towards it. “So, since du came here by train, how vas ihr train trip from AC?” During all this, Georg continued to sit in his doggie bed, looking at the two as they walked across the living room, still happily wagging his tail.

Gail smiled as she headed for Katherina’s couch, while saying to the redheaded mare, “Yes, I did indeed. In fact, my dear, a few actually listened for a change. As for me trip, it was nice ta be able ta relax for a change.” Upon reaching the couch, she sat down on its right hand side, before she continued, “And, ah must say, my child, that this part of tae city have certainly changed since tae last time that ah be here. Tis be a bit less grimy.”

Katherina, as she sat on the left side of the couch, after having first reached it not too long after Gail had sat down, smiled, before saying to her, “Vell, der city haff been tryink to clean up its act, overall, to make it look better, und more livable, fer dose vho live here, as vell as to attract certain folks to move here. Eine off der local sport teams vinnink un divisional title recently does ne hurt im dat aspect, ja? Anyway, ich’m guessink dat du haff had little problem gettink here after leavink der Amtrak train at Suburban Station?”

Gail looked over at Katherina. Smiling, she said, “Well, ah have had nay a problem either reachin’ or leavin’ Surburban Station, but, ah did have a wee bit of a problem on me way ta yer apartment building, my dear.”

The redheaded Rhenish mare raised an eyebrow as she heard Gail’s comment. After the two had heard Georg released a yawn, as he continued to look at the pair from his bed, the redheaded mare queried, “Okay, ich’ll bite, Gail. Vat problem did du encounter vhile on ihr vay here?”

The mixed-breed bitch chuckled as she heard the first part of Katherina’s comment. She then said, “Well, as ah be takin’ ta steps tat led up to 18th and JFK Blvd., ah’d noticed tat someone appeared ta be followin’ me, child. At first, ah didn’t think much of it, but, as soon as ah’ve headed towards Market St., ah’d noticed him trailin’ just a short distant behind me. Ah be guessin’ tat he wasn’t exactly plannin’ ta help me carry me bags ‘ere by ta look on his face.”

Katherina snorted upon hearing that, having a good idea what was on the male’s mind, such as it was, before saying, “So, vat did du do?”

Gail smiled, before answering, “Oh, ah went back ta walkin’ towards Market St., while thinkin’ upon tae best way ta make him think twice about what he be plannin’ ta do ta me. Anyway, while ah kept on walkin’, ah soon noticed tae entrance ta a parking garage as ah be walkin’ along Chestnut St. Upon seein’ it, ah slowly started to ponder what ah would do. So, as soon as ah had gotten close enough ta the entrance, ah went inside and ran up the ramp, and when ah had gotten far enough inside it, ah’d stopped, put me carry-on bags in a safe place and quickly changed inta Calypso. Ah then ah waited for tae thug ta appear.”

The redheaded mare raised one of her eyebrows as she listened to Gail’s tale, before releasing a light chuckle, while saying, “Ich’m goink to take un wild guess und say dat he vas shocked to see a super standink before him der moment dat he’d turned der corner?”

The black-haired canid looked back at Katherina, a naughty smile on her face. “Oh, he most certainly was, my dear. So scared tat he’d dropped the knife tat he be carryin’ in one of his paws, which ah suspected he be plannin’ ta use on me ta make me do whatever nasty little thing he be havin’ on his little mind. Of course, tae best fun was watchin’ him try ta run back out. Of course, ah made sure that he didn’t get far.”

“Oh, und how did du do dat?” asked a curious Katherina.

“By followin’ after him, then using me wind powers to lift him up inta tae air until one of the local constables appeared. Then ah handed him over to tae officer, tellin’ him tat ah had prevented a potential muggin’. Things then became real interestin’ when ah learned from tae officer that tae person who had been followin’ me had been botherin’ women in this particular part of the city for tae last several weeks.”

Katherina blinked upon hearing what Gail had just told her, before she asked, “Can du please describe him for me?”

Gail raised an eyebrow out of curiosity as to why the younger mare wanted to know his features, before giving Katherina a quick description of her would be mugger.

The redheaded mare listened very carefully, then said, as she shook her head in some disbelief, “Some people just never learn.”

“Care ta explain yer last remark, dear child?” asked a curious Gail.

Katherina looked at Gail. She chuckled, “Vell, un few years ago dat same person had tried to mug me, as Katherina. But, once ich’d realized dat ich vas beink followed, ich ran into a nearby alley, quickly turned into Germania, und den vaited for him to appear. Let’s just say dat, in mein case, he wetted his pants upon seeink me, especially vhen he saw me poundink eine fist against der other, und askink him iff he vas lookink for someone. He then fainted right in front off me.”

Gail waited a few seconds, before she started to laugh loudly. “Seriously, he wetted his pants?”

“Ja, he wetted his pants. Der wimp,” Katherina said, before she started to laugh as well, while Georg watched them, wondering what the two femmes were laughing about.

The two old friends then proceeded to catch up on old time, before eventually going to bed, with Gail sleeping on the living room couch, with Georg sleeping nearby, inside his doggie bed, and Katherina inside her bedroom, with her alarm clock set to wake them all up at 2:15 am, so that they (Gail and Katherina, since Georg would be placed inside a pet carrier for the trip) can get dress for the limo drive to the airport.

C C C

Colmaton International Airport, Colmaton, Manchester County, California, about 7 pm Pacific Time

During the time that Katherina was busy catching up with Gail inside her penthouse apartment, a red 2007 Modified Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS was stopping before the front entrance to the Colmaton International Airport. Out of the vehicle’s passenger side front door, once it had stopped, quickly exited Gloria Summers. The buxom brunette and white-furred mare, with the tiger stripes, was elegantly clothed in a white suitdress, a red silk blouse, and white closed-toe pump shoes with four-inch heels, while she wore atop her long blonde hair a white hat, and her pretty neck sported a gold/diamond cross chain necklace. She was also wearing, on one arm, a pearl bracelet, while on the other was placed a white gold watch. As she closed the door, Gloria looked towards the car’s driver side, whereupon she saw exiting it her best friend and roomie, Kelly Goodwin, who, while she had gone back to their house to change clothes and pack for her trip to Germany, had finished helping out Gloria’s mother, Bethany Spencer-Summers, and her younger sister, Sakajewey, to clean out her great-grandmother’s, Mary Spencer-Davis, home in Manchester County. Smiling at the orange and brown-furred with black spots cheetah/tigress hybrid femme, the blonde mare said, “Thanks for driving me to the airport, Kelly.”

As she closed the driver side door, a very sore feeling Kelly, looking at Gloria, said, “You’re welcome, Gloria. Although you do owe me for bailing like that.” She then added, as she stretched her back a bit, to help relieve the pain from all of the stuff that she had just finished helping move out of the Gloria’s late great-grandmother’s old house, “Gee, Gloria, your great-grandma sure left a lot of stuff inside that old house. I’m surprised that we were able to get even half of it out of there today.”

Gloria chuckled, before she turned and headed for the trunk of Kelly’s car to get the bags that she would be taking with her for the trip, which would include, safely hidden away, her Lady Liberty costume, her sword and shield and her equipment. “Well, I hate to say it, but my great-grandmother was a bit of a pack rat, even if most of the stuff was from when she was Battlestar.” Upon reaching the trunk, she pulled up the door, which Kelly had earlier opened after she had finished parking the car. The buxom blonde heavy mare then started to take her bags out of the car, as her best friend and roommate joined her.

“Let me take care of that, Gloria. Besides, shouldn’t you be looking for your secretary, Arianna? After all, you told me on the way here that she would be meeting you here with the plane tickets. Also,” the two-breed feline continued, as she now looked inside the trunk of her car, “I think you’re also going to be needing a porter to help you with this stuff. Speaking of which, aren’t you worried about someone finding your LL stuff if they decide to search your bags before you get on the plane?”

The blonde mare with the black tiger stripes looked at Kelly. She said, “Don’t worry about my stuff, Kell. Worse comes to worse, I’ll simply use a little bit of magic to keep the scanning equipment from finding it,” making a subtle reference to the fact that inside her body was a pair of ancient magic users who had been forced into her body without her permission several months ago, while she was in England trying to stop an evil magic user, who she presently have under her control, giving her access to some of their magic. Gloria then added, as she saw Kelly start to take the bags out of the vehicle, “But you’re right. I’ll send a porter out to help you with the bags, while I go looking for Arianna and my tickets.” With that, Gloria turned around and headed for the doors leading into the large building.

“Thanks,” said Kelly, as she began to pull out a big bag within which was secretly placed Lady Liberty’s circular shield.

“You’re welcome,” said the blonde mare, as she headed for the airport’s entrance. A short time later Gloria entered the building. She stopped and began to look to both her left and her right, looking for her secretary, Arianna, as several furs of various species walked past her inside the terminal. .oO(Hhhmmm, no sign of Arianna,) thought Gloria, after her initial eye sweep, before she started to walk inside the building. After taking a few steps forward, the blonde mare noticed a dapple grey-furred Shire stallion, who was wearing a uniform and pushing before him a presently empty cart, moving in her general direction. She quickly moved towards him and asked, “Excuse me, sir, but do you work here?”

The redheaded male Shire stopped, and looked at Gloria. After looking her over, he answered her, “Why, yes I do, ma’am. What can I help you with?”

The blonde heavy mare smiled, as she noticed him looking her over again, before saying to him, “Well, I’m going to be needing some help bringing several bags into the airport?”

The raven-haired stallion nodded his head, before saying, “I see, and how many bags would that be, ma’am?”

Gloria was starting to tell him how many bags she had with her, when she heard a familiar voice yelling, “Gloria, over here!!” The brunette and white-furred fashion model mare blinked, then looked to her right, where the voice was coming from, and almost at once saw her secretary, Arianna Wynn, who was dressed in a pink dress suit, with a white silk blouse and pink high heel pumps, while she was carrying upon her left shoulder a dark brown handbag. She then looked at the stallion. “Could you wait here for a moment, sir. I’ll be right back.”

“Sure,” said the stallion to Gloria, who then began to walk towards Arianna. The stallion watched the sexy looking mare head for the badgeress, while thinking, .oO(Now that’s a nice looking mare, although I could swear that I’d seen her somewhere before. Hhhhmmm, maybe on TV in a commercial?)

As the dapple grey-furred male heavy horse tried to recall where he had first seen her, Gloria continued to approach her pretty badgeress secretary, Arianna. When she was just a few feet in front of her, she asked, “Have any trouble getting the tickets, Arianna?”

Arianna looked at the approaching tiger-striped mare, while saying to her, “Not too much trouble, Gloria. I just hope you won’t mind a short stopover in Philadelphia, before you go on to London, before landing in Germany? Speaking of Germany, it seems that you’re going to have to take a train to continue on to Aachen after your plane lands at Düsseldorf International Airport. There doesn’t seem to be any closer airport to that city,” as she was speaking to the approaching mare, Arianna was rummaging inside her bag, looking for the plane tickets that she had just bought for her boss. Upon finding them, she took them out of her bag and looked up, just in time to see Gloria standing right in front of her. “Here you go, Gloria,” she said to the buxom blond mare, as she held the airline tickets in front of her.

Gloria, as she now stood before her secretary, looked at the airline tickets that the badgeress was presently holding before her. “Thanks,” she said to Arianna, as she smiled at the badgeress, before she took the tickets from her. As she now opened up her own bag, Gloria replied, “I don’t mind the stopover, Arianna. It should give me a chance to relax. As for me needing to take a train to Aachen from Düsseldorf, I’m quite sure that I’ll be able to get some sleep during the ride.” After saying that, Gloria closed her bag, after having first finished placing the tickets inside. She then asked her secretary, “By the way, Arianna, do you need a ride home? I’m sure that my roommate will be happy to drive you home.”

Arianna smiled at Gloria, before saying, “That’s okay, Gloria. I have my car parked in the parking lot. Anyway, have fun in Germany.” The badgeress then started to walk to the entrance, planning to head for her car, and home. “And don’t worry, I doubt there will be any emergencies while you’re gone. After all, it is the weekend.”

Gloria looked at the retreating Arianna, who was presently chuckling. She shook her head, chuckling a little as she did so, before turning around, and heading back to the raven-haired male heavy horse porter, who had been patiently waiting for Gloria’s return. “Sorry about that. uhm, Alfred,” Gloria said to the stallion, as she noticed the nametag on the left side of his shirt, just above its pocket. “Now then, just follow me, Alfred, and you can help me with my bags,” she said to the big dapple-grey stallion.

“Yes, ma’am,” said Alfred, before he placed his hooves upon the cart and started to push it in front of him while he followed Gloria to the building’s sliding door entrance.

Once the pair were outside the airport, the blonde mare turned slightly to her right, whereupon she saw Kelly standing before the trunk of her red Monte Carlo SS, as she was pulling out of it what she figured was the last of her bags, as she saw placed in front of her brunette-haired, cheetah-tigress bi-bred’s vehicle her other six pieces of luggage. Gloria then looked at the redheaded Shire stallion and said, “Let’s pick up my bags, shall we?”

The stallion nodded his head, before he once again followed behind Gloria, as the mare said to the two-breed feline, “I’m back, Kelly, and with help.”

Kelly, as she put the last bag down, turned her head, just in time to see her best friend and roommate reappear, with a porter in tow. “I was wondering when you would get back, Gloria. Have any trouble finding Arianna?” The cheetah-tigress femme then proceeded to close the trunk of her car, before she started to pick up the suitcase, so that she could add it to the others.

The now smiling Gloria said, as she stopped in front of her bags, “Very funny, Kelly, as I wasn’t gone that long. As for Arianna, no, I had no trouble finding her in the crowd, and I got the tickets for my flight to and from Germany. And, as I’d promised, I got some help to get my bags taken to the terminal.” The blonde mare, now standing before her bags, started to pick up one of them.

The dapple grey-furred Shire male, as he stopped in front of the parked vehicle, heard the orange with black spots feline call the blonde mare by her first name. It was then that he finally realized whom the sexy looking mare was. “I’d thought that I’d recognized you, ma’am. You’re Gloria Summers, the fashion model, aren’t you?”

Gloria turned, and as she started to place the first of her bags onto the cart, replied, “Guilty as charge, Alfred. I’m surprised you didn’t say anything sooner.” She then giggled, before she went back to get another of her bags, while Kelly, who had walked over to the cart, placed the bag that she still had in her paws onto it.

“Well, that was mainly because I was trying to remember where I’d seen you before, Ms. Summers,” the stallion said, as he picked up a couple of her bags and placed them onto the cart as well, “when I first saw you. It just didn’t register in my head until your friend said your name.” As he went to pick up the last two bags, as Gloria was carrying a pair in her own hooves, he added, “Do you mind if I ask you a question, ma’am?”

As she placed the bags that she was carrying onto the cart, Gloria replied, “Sure, ask away.” She then looked over at Kelly. “Don’t forget, Kelly…”

“Don’t worry. If I find out anything about Herr Wolfgang, I’ll send it to you, once you tell me where you want me to send the information, of course.”

Gloria nodded, as she saw Alfred take the last two bags to the cart. She then said to Kelly, “Yeah, almost forgot that part, Kelly. When I get to my hotel in Aachen, I’ll give you a phone number where you can fax me the information.” The blonde, brunette and white-furred mare then turned around, just in time to see the redheaded Shire stallion placing the final two bags onto the cart, before he faced her to ask his question.

“Well, uhm, can I have your autograph, Ms. Summers? Otherwise, the guys in the back will never believe me when I tell them that I’d met ya.”

Gloria listened, then chuckled a little, before she opened up her bag, while saying, “Is that all? Sure, I’ll give you an autograph.” She pulled out a card, removed a pen from inside her bag, and then quickly signed the back of the card, before handing it over to the blushing redheaded porter. “Here you go, Alfred.”

The stallion took the card from Gloria. He looked at her signature. Smiling, he said, “Thanks, Ms. Summers,” before he placed the card into his right pants pocket. He then went to the cart and asked, “So, where to, Ms. Summers?” while waiting for her to tell him where she wanted to go.

Gloria nodded, smiled, then looked back at Kelly. “See you in a few days, Kelly, and once again, thanks for driving me to the airport.”

Kelly, who now stood before her car, nodded as she began to enter it. “No problem, Gloria. See you in a few days,” said the two-tone big cat, before she sat down inside her vehicle. After first closing the door, and then locking it, Kelly placed her key into the car’s ignition. A short time later, Kelly was starting to drive away, headed for the street that would lead her back to the house which she presently shared with Gloria.

Gloria watched Kelly drive away, before she turned and faced Alfred. She looked at the Shire stallion for a few seconds before she headed for the sliding doors. “Come along, Alfred. I need to get these bags checked in, before I head for the terminal where the private jet that I’ll be taking to Philadelphia to catch my flight to Germany is presently parked.

“Yes, ma’am,” said Alfred, as he got behind the cart before he started to push it before him, as he followed the sexy looking blonde mare to the appropriate counter where she would be checking in her bags for the first part of her flight to Germany. As he did, he pondered what kind of reaction he would get from the other porters when he showed them the autograph that he’d gotten from Gloria. .oO(Probably be a bit jealous,) he thought to himself.

At the same time, Gloria, as she walked past several other furs inside the airport, as she headed for the terminal where the company with the private jet that she had contacted while she was at home getting packed for the flight, to reserve a spot for her, once she had learned from Arianne that it was headed for Philadelphia International Airport, pondered about something altogether different. .oO(You have better be on the up and up with this Museum, Herr Wolfgang, ‘cause I’m going to bring your ass down if you aren’t, old wolf or no old wolf.)

ñ ñ ñ

Northwestern Italy, December 800 AD

Going southward along a lightly snow-covered road in northwestern Italy, heading towards the city of Rome, rode several horses, upon whose strong backs were placed either several passengers, who were heavily dressed to protect themselves from the presently cold winter air, or were heavily laden with either supplies or trade goods. As they continued to ride southward, several of the riders looked to their left, before looking over to their right, as if they were looking for something, or rather someone, to appear. As the small group was about to reach several snow-covered trees, they suddenly heard a loud swoop, before they saw an arrow slam into one of the nearby trees with a very loud thump. This caused the lead horse to rear up, before its rider was finally able to calm it down, while forcing his companions to stop behind him. As they did, the group then heard a few more thumps, as a few more arrows slammed into the most forward trees. The leader of the group, after first telling his companions in what sounded like German to keep their horses calm, began to look around until he saw standing just a few yards to the group’s right a male wolf, whose dark grey fur was covered in woolen clothing, which included a cape that was covering his strong shoulders, and black boots. He also noticed that the wolf was wearing a leather belt, upon which was attached a scabbard, and inside that scabbard appeared to be the grip and cross-guard of a sword. The leader of the group, a young redheaded, dark brown furred Alpine Field Mouse, who wore upon his form a woolen shirt and pants, and a cape, just like the wolf, and brown boots, only with his clothing appearing to have been kept in a better care than the wolf’s, while wearing across his waist a leather belt, with his colored brown, while the wolf’s was colored black, which also had a scabbard and sword attached to it, said, “What be the meaning of this intrusion?”

The canid, who had unkempt shoulder length hair that was as black as coal, snarled, before saying to the rodent, “Me and my men will be taking with us what you and your companions be carrying on your pack horses.” As soon as the wolf had finished speaking, several more wolves started to appear behind him, all carrying various kinds of weapons in their paws, with very nasty looks upon their dirty faces. “Now then, we can all do this the easy way, or we can do this the hard way, lad.” The wolf then looked to his right and nodded his head a little. After he had nodded his head, an arrow suddenly landed just a few feet from the young rodent’s steed, causing it to whinny lightly, before her owner could steady her.

The dark brown-furred mouse looked at the wolves in front of him, before saying to them in a commanding voice, “I see. Well, I guess that we will have to do this the hard way, then, varlet, as I am under the express orders of his majesty, Charles Martel, King of the Franks, to make sure that the gifts from him for his holy excellency, Pope Leo III, will safely reach Rome. And I intend to perform my duty, no matter what the cost.”

The rodent’s defiant announcement caused the raven-haired canid and his partners to laugh loudly, much to the mouse’s obvious annoyance. The leader of the wolves, after this had lasted several minutes, stopped, then looked at the mouse. “Seriously, boy? My men and I outnumber ye, and we appear to be better armed. What make ye think that ye can stop us from taking what we want?”

The rodent simply smiled, before he reached for his sword, while saying, “For two reasons. First, I know that I have the lord on my side, and second, that I am quite certain that several of my companions are more than a match for that rabble that you have with you, varlet.” As soon as he had finished speaking, the young mouse had pulled his sword from its scabbard, as did one of his companions, whose face was still covered by its hoods.

Now amused by the mouse’s response, the head wolf said, in a very condescending tone, “My my, a confident little pup, aren’t we? What be your name, lad?>”

“I am Randolph, son of Albrecht, knave!!” the young rodent said proudly, while a third figure, face also covered by a hood, appeared to be saying a few words, while doing a few hand gestures, as a fourth cloaked figure starred to retrieve a bow from its cover on the left side of ‘his’ horse.

The smiling middle-aged canid’s face suddenly went ashen once he realized who he was actually facing. “Th-th-th-then that means…” he said nervously, before he looked in the direction of the armed horseman who sat on the stallion that was to the right of the armed mouse, who was at the moment lowering ‘his’ hood, soon revealing himself to be….

“Aye, you fiend, tis is I, Germania, the leader of my liege, King Charles Martel’s, four swordmaidens!” announced the now revealed mare, as she allowed the hood of her cape to fall behind her back, revealing as she did her shoulder length blonde mane, along with her very stern looking blue eyes, as she looked back at the now no longer confident sounding wolf, along with his equally shocked companions. “Will you now allow us to pass, or shall you instead be learning to enjoy the taste of my blade?!?” As she spoke, the blonde mare slowly lowered her sword until she had it pointed in the wolf’s direction, before releasing a dismissive snort.

The wolf, although feeling less confident than he was just a few moments ago, said to the snorting mare, “Never, wench. My men and I still outnumber you,” as he watched her pull her cloak back even more, in the process revealing to all her muscular grey form, which had been battle hardened through several campaigns that had been fought inside both central Europe and northern and central Italy, in the name of her liege, Charles Martel. Upon her body, the grey mare wore some specially forged metallic armor, colored grey, a bit darker than her own grey form, trimmed with gold leaf, and covered in certain spots by a few pieces of jewelry, while leaving exposed her left shoulder, her upper torso, including part of her bosom, both of her strong arms, except for what was covered by her armored gloves, which were the same color as her just mentioned armor. and most of her long, yet very powerful looking, legs, excluding the parts that were covered by her long black leather boots. The armored-clad war maiden, as she sat in the brown saddle that was placed atop the strong back of her dapple grey war horse, had her crotch covered by a black ‘trunk’, which was also covering most of her rump, which was, in turn, protected by a cloth, colored brown, which was partly covered by a pair of short pieces of grey armor sheeting. The canid also noticed the several metallic coins that were placed at the bottom of her armor, as well as her brown belt, which led to her lighter brown colored scabbard, within which had originally been housed the sword that she now held in her right hoof hand, pointed towards both him and his presently fearful associates. He finally noticed the beautifully made grey tiara that was placed in the middle of her blonde head, trimmed in gold leaf, like her armor, which had placed in its center three rubies, a long circular one, flanked upon either side by a pair of smaller ones, both triangular-shaped. <”If anything, it should be you and your young friend who should be surrendering, milady. Unless ye two can somehow avoid being hit by the arrows of my archers?”

Germania, as she continued to look at the wolf, released a very slow and dismissive snort, before saying to him, “Archers? Ah yes. They were the reason for our stopping here, weren’t they?” The beautiful grey female equine then stopped, before acting as if she was in some sort of trance, which soon unnerved both the wolf and his colleagues. The armored warmare then looked back at the wolf, a very mocking smile soon placed on her pretty face, before saying to him, “I no longer see them as any sort of threat to either me, or my comrades, scoundrel, so I would suggest that you and your friends step aside now and let us pass, or else suffer the consequences.” Germania then released a much louder snort to emphasize that she meant to go through the wolves, or die trying.

Already unnerved by the mare’s earlier trance-like state, the head wolf was taken aback by her dismissal of his archers. Now showing a feral look upon his visage, he snarled, “Have it your way, wench!!!> before saying loudly in his native tongue, as he looked into the trees, “Shot the mare down! NOW!!!> He then looked back at the mare, expecting to see her fall off her horse, her exposed back riddled with arrows. After nothing happens for several minutes, he looked back into the trees and once more told his hidden archers to fire at her. When he continued to hear only silence, he looked once more at the rather bemused mare, before yelling in exasperation, “What kind of devilry be this???” After saying that to Germania, they all heard coming from the mare’s right…

“Devilry!?! I’ll have you know, you varlet, that the source of my magic have not a thing to do with either demons or devils! Hhumph, the very thought that I would be caught dead with such foul creatures wounds me dearly. I’m insulted!!!>

The blonde mare chuckled, before saying to the obviously insulted hooded figure to her right, who was starting to lower her hood, “Easy, there, Italia. I’m sure that he meant every word of it. By the way, nice way of wrapping up his archers while I’d kept him and his men distracted by talking to them.”

The insulted Italia, as she put down her hood, revealing to the gaze of all her pretty red and white-furred red fox visage, as well as her immaculate, shoulder-length black hair, released a loud harrumph as she continued to look in the wolf’s direction. As she pushed back her cape, revealing to all her luxuriant looking white robe with gold trimming at both the top and bottom of her dress, and her low-heel black boots, she said to the blonde mare, <”Thank you, my dear. At least someone here acknowledges my talents.” She then said to the wolf, with a bit of a smile on her pretty face, “As for you, sir, and I use the term very loosely in your case, you can forget about getting any help from your archers. They are all, how shall I put it? Hhhhmmm, oh yes, kind of tied up at the moment.”

The wolf looked back into the trees, whereupon he saw his archers, who had been hiding within them, all tied up against the trees’ trunks by very heavy ropes, while their mouths were stuff up by rags, all small enough to allow them to breath, but at the same time big enough to keep them all from earlier shouting out a warning.

At this point, the rider who had removed ‘his’ bow from its covering, had just then finished attaching an arrow to its wooden part, before saying, “Germania, are we to take down these varlets, or are we going to just sit here and talk them all to death? If it is all the same to you, I rather be someplace warm right now.” As the still hooded figure spoke, seated to the left of the armored mouse, moved the bow in one quick movement so that ‘he’ soon had it positioned so that ‘he’ had its arrow aimed in the wolves’ direction.

The buxom grey mare and the redheaded field mouse both looked towards the bow and arrow wielding clocked figure, who was clothed from his neck to his legs in an all dark green outfit, the bottom part of which was placed inside a pair of low-heeled black boots. Germania in a calm voice said to the figure, “Now now, dear Francia, have some patient. I am quite sure that the wolf will eventually let us pass.” The blonde mare then looked back at the growing more fearful dark grey-furred canid. After waiting several minutes, she said to the wolf, “So, I ask you again, good sir, can me and my companions be allowed to ride past you and your men in peace, or shall we have to use our weapons to hand you a defeat that you all will not forget for a long time? The choice is your, sir.” Germania then smiled at the wolf, who expected his response to go in one of two directions.

The nervous looking male dark grey wolf looked over at the confident mare, then at the smaller field mouse, then at the red fox, before looking finally at the cloaked figure in green. As he looked back at the mare, he yelled to his men, <”Well, then, my dear trollop, I choose…to attack. Kill them all!!> He then started to run towards the group, along with his now growling pack of wolves.”

Germania shook her head, before saying to the rest, <Your heard his answer. You may launch your arrows, Francia, and use your magic, Italia. And may the good lord make your aims true.” The blonde mare then got ready to battle those who would she expected to get through Francia and Italia’s attacks, along with Randolph, his sword now being held at the ready before him, while yet another clocked figure, this one seated to the left of the arrow-wielder, who was now launching her first arrow towards the pack that was now charging the group, held onto a big axe, as ‘he’ also waited to repulse the pack’s attack. As the large cloaked figure released a loud snort, Germania heard Francia say…

“Tis would seem that some folks just like to learn things the hard way, doesn’t it, Germania?” just as her hood came down, revealing to all who were watching Francia’s face, which was that of a feline, with a brown mask, while her ears were both black, that was covered by shoulder-length dark brown hair. As she watched her arrow thump into the exposed neck of one of the charging wolves, causing him to fall backwards, dead, the feline femme quickly reached for another of her arrows, so that she could rearm her bow.

“It would appear so,” answered Germania, as she watched Italia finish her spell, which quickly caused a few of the charging wolves to start floating upward until they were all a few feet in the air, soon dropping their weapons as panic started to grip them. After she had watched Francia quickly load her bow and then launch another arrow, which soon hit a wolf square in the chest, killing him instantly, she looked back at the rest of the group, before saying to them, “Get going!!! Go now, with the King’s gifts for the Papi!!! We will handle these ruffians.” As they started to do as she had ordered, Germania looked over at Randolph and the still hooded figure seated next to him. “Feel like having a little fun with these idiots?” she said to the pair, as she began to reach for her shield, as Italia’s magic lifted up a few more surprised wolves.

“If it means putting this Lombardian trash in their place, I’d be delighted,” said Randolph to the grey-furred heavy mare, as he reached for his own shield, while seeing out of the corner of his eyes, the rest of their companions leaving with the pack animals. “I’m just hoping that these wolves don’t have friends waiting for our charges further down the road to ambush them there.”

As she had finished retrieving her shield, Germania nodded her head, before saying, “You have a point there, Randolph,” before she said to the cloaked figure that was still with them, who was holding tightly onto the nasty looking axe in his hands, prepared to use it against the quickly approaching wolves, as one more fell to an arrow that was fired by Francia, with this one thumping into its left shin, causing him to fall onto the ground in pain. “Helvetia, go and protect the convoy. We’ll take care of this rabble.”

Helvetia, her hood still covering her face, turned her head to face Germania. As she released a low sigh, she answered, “Yes, Germania,” before she got a strong grip upon the reins of her bay-haired female charger, then began to turn her horse around so that she could move behind her companions so that she could join the riders with the pack animals and protect them from any possible ambushers. As she did, her hood came down, revealing to all the pretty dark brown face of the axe-wielding big Mouflon maiden, her braided red hair stopping at the top of her strong shoulders, upon which were place a couple of metallic straps, holding up her armored outfit, similar in design to Germania’s own outfit, except that hers was colored red. While the brown-furred mountain ewe and her mare started to ride around her companions, another wolf went down, hit right in the chest with an arrow fired by Francia, while Italia’s magic lifted a few more into the air.

Germania watched Francia reload her bow with another of her arrows, while Italia used her magic to stop a few more of the charging wolves as she turned the ground in front of them into thick mud, causing them to fall into the muck, dropping their weapons in the process, before she looked to her right, just as she saw Helvetia finish riding around the rear of both her and Randolph’s horses, to join the group that was now riding away with the gifts from the Frankish king to the Pope. She then saw the big mountain ewe almost get pounce upon by a pair of wolves. Germania smiled as she watched Helvetia quickly defeat the pair, using her big ax to first chop off the head of one, before using it to split open the skull of the other attacking wolf, before continuing on to protect their charges. She then turned her head to face the dark brown-furred Alpine Field Mouse, who was also awaiting the rest of the charging wolves, whose numbers were slowly being whittled down by their companions, just as another of Francia’s arrow hit one of the still charging wolves, hitting him squarely in the chest, causing the wolf to fall down. “So, Randolph shall we join our comrades?”

The redheaded rodent looked at the grey-furred mare. With a smile on his face, he answered, “I would be delighted, milady. I’d been itching to put this pack of scoundrels in their place.”

“Good. Just be sure to leave me their leader. I want to show him that it is not very wise to make an enemy of one of King Charles Martel’s officers.”

“As you wish, milady,” said the rodent, as he looked at the approaching lupines. Getting a firm grip upon his reins, shield and sword, he said a few words to his steed, and started to charge towards the group in front of him, ready to use his sword against them.

Germania nodded her head, before she looked at her dapple-grey stallion. “Let’s go, Alfonso,” she said to her old war horse, as she tighten her grip upon the reins of her steed, as well as the leather straps that were attached to her large metal shield and upon the hilt of her broad sword. The grey-furred mare then let loose with a loud war whoop as she lightly slammed both of her strong legs against the flank of her horse, who then started to run straight towards the wolves, whose ranks were still being lightened by her companions, as another wolf fell at the hands of one of Francia’s arrows.

Francia, as she placed a paw upon the feathers of one of her arrows, noticed out of the corner of one of her eyes both Randolph and Germania charging towards the wolves. As she pulled the arrow out of her quiver to place its feather upon the string of her bow, the brunette-haired feline said to the raven-haired vixen, who was voicing a spell in Latin, which soon resulted in the wolves that it was aimed at being hit by several snowballs, that caused them to first stop, then retreat, “I think that we should be giving those two some covering fire, wouldn’t you agree Italia?” After making her comment, Francia launched her arrow, that soon hit its target, a wolf who stood to the left of the male mouse, killing him instantly as it went through his heart.

“I’m all over it,” replied Italia, as she looked in the direction of the wolves who were presently in the path of both the attacking dark brown-furred mouse and the dark grey-furred mare. Concentrating, she lifted up her arms, as she began an incantation in Latin. Upon ending her spell, the vixen smiled as she watched the wolves being pelted by several large snowballs, which was causing several of them to land in the snow. With a light grunt, Italia said, “Harrumph, that’s for your leader saying that my magic had anything to do with the devil. The very idea…” As the obviously still insulted vixen continued her complaining about the leader of the being defeated wolves earlier comment, Francia just rolled her eyes, as she prepared to fire another one of her arrows.

<.oO(Note to self: Never say anything defaming about Italia’s magic,)> mused the female Siamese cat, before she launched her just retrieved arrow at a wolf who was trying to attack Germania from her right side. Francia watched it fly until she saw it hit its target, as the arrow landed in the now screaming wolf’s right eye socket. Smiling for a second as she saw the wolf fall backwards, the brunette-furred female cat began to reach back into her quiver to retrieve yet another of her arrows.

Meantime, Germania was busy fighting with another male wolf, who was trying to hit her with a wooden stake that had a very sharp edge, constantly using her shield to block his thrusts while using her sword to force him back every time he got too close to both her and her steed. As Francia’s arrow dispatched the wolf who had been trying to attack her from her right flank, she mused, <.oO(I need to bring him down before any of his fellows try to use the same tactic.)> As she used her shield to block another thrust attempt by the wolf, an idea came to her. With a smile, Germania moved her horse back a little, as if she was trying to reposition herself. In the process, the blonde warmare appeared to have left a slight opening within her defenses. Upon seeing it, the wolf tried to take advantage of it, soon trying to thrust his stake forward into her apparently exposed flank. As the wooden stake got nearer to the dark grey mare’s side…

C C C

Center City, Philadelphia, PA., 2:15 AM Friday Morning

Katherina, thanks to her excellent hearing, heard a loud yawn exit the living room, quickly followed by a groggy Gail saying, “Tank ye fer tae wake-up call, dear child. Do ye mind if ah use yer bathroom?”

“Go right ahead, Gail. Ah need to fix up mein bed anyway.”

“Tank ye, kindly,” Gail replied, as Katherina started to pull her head back into her bedroom, just as she heard Georg released a loud yawn. As she heard Gail say a nice good morning to her pet dog, Katherina said to herself, “Let’s see, erste fix up mein bed, then un quick shower, before gettink dressed. Iff everythinks goes right, Otto should arrive around 3 O’clock to drive us all to der airport. Dat should give me plenty off time to take Georg to der little doggie room.” As she started to snicker at her comment, the redheaded mare had reached her bed, and then began to fix it up, starting first with her getting the pillows out of the way. “Now den, to get dis bed fixed up,” Katherina told herself, as she began to move the bottom bedsheet towards the front part of her bed.

A short time later, Katherina, who was clothed in a pair of silky black pajamas, was now standing in front of her just made bed. Smiling, she thought, .oO(Dat looks fine,) when she heard Gail say to her from the bathroom…

“Ah’m finished usin’ yer bathroom, dear child.”

“Danka,” she yelled back, as she headed for her closet. The buxom redhead, once she was in front of the closet, opened the door, and after a quick search, pulled out a light blue robe. As she turned around, and started to put on the robe, she walked towards the door leading out of her bedroom. After a while, she’d reached the door. As she began to walk through it, she saw Gail, who was once more clothed in her red-orange, yellow and white diamond and zig zag patterned long sleeve Jamaica print maxi dress, beige stockings and low-heeled black dress shoes, with her ears once again sporting her circular red earrings. She said to Gail, as she turned off the light to her bedroom, “Iff du like, Gail, du could go into mein kitchen und get ihrself somethink for breakfast, since ich plan on takink un quick shower before gettink dressed.”

Gail, who had used Katherina’s bathroom to clean herself off before putting her clothes back on, smiled at the younger mare, before answering her, with a smile, “Thank ye, but no, dear child, ah will just meself get somethin’ at tae airport.”

Katherine nodded her head, before saying, “Okay. Anyway, ich’ll see du shortly.” The redheaded Rhenish mare then turned and headed for the bathroom to take her quick shower while the raven-haired mixed-breed headed back to the living room to wait for her.

After taking a quick shower and going back to her room to get dressed, Katherina stood in front of the mirror of her dresser, brushing her red hair, as she looked at the outfit that she had presently placed upon her body. It included a white blouse, light grey dress pants, nude stockings and black shoes, while she was wearing around her sexy neck a white pearl necklace, and on her ears a pair of dark red earrings. Out of the corner of her eyes, she could see a light grey blazer lying atop her bed, along with a dark blue dress coat that she was planning to put on before leaving the apartment. .oO(Just a few more strokes und ich should be done,) Katherina thought to herself, as she heard Gail say:

“Katherina, child, someone be knockin’ at ye door.”

The buxom redhead quickly turned her head, so that she could look at the clock that was placed on the nightstand that was next to her bed. Now looking at the clock, she could see that it was presently reading 2:50. Smiling, she said, as she went back to brushing her red hair, “Dat should be Otto, Gail. Iff it ist, just let him inside, Danka?”

“Ah will, child,” Gail replied, as she stood in front of the entrance to the hallway. The mixed-breed female canid then turned around and headed for the apartment’s front door. Upon reaching the door, Gail looked into the door’s keyhole to see who stood on the other side of the door. The vampire bitch saw standing in front of the door a tall and very muscular looking bull, who was clothed in an all black chauffer outfit, including both his hat and shoes, the former of which he was presently holding in his right hand. Once she was sure that it was indeed Katherina’s chauffer who was standing before the penthouse apartment’s front door, Gail then proceeded to unlock the door, before opening it. As she now stood before the taller male bovine, the female canid gave him a friendly smile, before saying to him, “Good mornin’ to ye, Herr Bulle. How be ye tis fine day?” She then moved back a bit to allow Otto to enter the apartment.

Otto, who had just moments earlier taken off his black hat, looked at the Jamaican bitch before saying to her, as he started to enter his employer’s apartment, “Guten Morgen to du as vell, Frau Storm. Ich be fine, danka. Und du, Frau?”

“Ah be fine, dear boy,” the older canid femme replied as she closed the door, once the black bull was inside the room. She then turned to face Otto. “Katherina should still be finishin’ up inside her bedroom. As for our luggage,” Gail then turned around and pointed to where both her and Katherina’s bags were all placed, including the pet carrier where presently slept Georg. “Tey be over tere, young bull.”

The dark brown-haired male bovine followed Gail’s fingers until he saw both the bags and the pet carrier. He nodded his head, before saying, “Danka, Frau Storm,” to Gail. Otto then placed his hat back upon his head before he started to walk towards the bags.

Gail watched the black bull head for the luggage, before she turned her head and looked in the direction of the hallway and Katherina’s room. “Y’all chauffer be here, Katherina.”

Katherina, who a few minutes earlier had finished brushing her shoulder-length red hair, and had just placed her light grey blazer over her white blouse, was now standing in front of her bed, getting ready to pick up her coat, when she heard Gail’s voice. As the German-born female equine was placing a hoof onto her dark blue dress coat, she said to the mixed-breed canid femme, “Danka, Gail. Ich’ll be right out.” Katherina next folded up her coat and then placed it over her left arm. The middle-aged mare then turned around, and quickly walked towards the door that led out of her bedroom. After first picking up from her dark brown handbag from her nightstand, Katherina walked to the bedroom’s door. The redheaded mare next turned off the room’s light, then closed the door behind her, after having first exited the bedroom. She then headed for the living room. As soon as Katherina had reached it, she saw Otto heading out the door with two of her bags, along with a garment bag, within which were placed several dresses, including the ceremonial costume of her alter ego, which she planned on wearing during the party that was to be given in her, or rather, Germania’s honor, during the last night of the Museum’s opening weekend. Smiling, she looked at Gail. “Need any help mit der bags, Otto?”

The dark brown-haired male bovine, as he reached the door, which was being held opened for him by the Jamaican mixed-breed, looked at his boss. Otto, as he nodded his head, answered, “It vould be greatly appreciated, Frau Katherina,” before he walked through the door, soon heading for the elevator, and the apartment’s underground parking garage, where he presently has parked the black limo, so that he can start placing the bags inside it.

The redheaded mare smiled, before she headed for the couch, so that she could put down her handbag and coat. Once she had completed that, and after getting her keys out of her bag, Katherina headed for her luggage. As she’d reached them, she first looked into the pet carrier where Georg was sleeping in. “Ich better remember to give du un little exercise before ve leave. Der flight ist goink to be un long eine, und dere vill be little opportunity for du to move around, ja?” The redheaded mare then smiled, before she looked at her bags. She quickly picked up a pair of suitcases, and headed for the front door. As she reached it, Katherina looked at Gail. “Ich dink it might be un gut idea to get ihr bags as vell, Gail. Ich dink dere vill only be eine more trip after ich’ve taken dese down to der parkink garage, ja?”

Gail, who was standing next to the still opened front door, looked to where the rest of Katherina’s bags were placed, whereupon she saw that the younger mare was correct, as there was only four carry-all bags, and Georg’s pet carrier, still left to take to the limo. Gail then looked back at her younger friend, and with a smile, said, “Tat ah will, my dear.” She then headed for her two bags.

Katherina simply smiled, as she watched the raven-haired mixed-breed canid femme walk to her bags. She said, “Ich’ll be vaitink at der elevator,” before turning around and heading for the elevator at the end of the hallway. As she’d reached the elevator doors, the German-born redhead saw that the elevator was coming back up. .oO(Hopefully dat means dat Otto ist comink back up,) mused Katherina, as she stood before the elevator. It didn’t take long for Katherina’s query to be answered, as the redheaded mare heard a loud ding, before she saw the elevator doors open, inside of which stood her black bull chauffer, Otto. “Guten Morgen, Otto. How are du dis mornink?”

Otto, as he looked at his employer, answered, “Ich am fine, Frau Katherina. Danka for askink. Und Guten Tag to du, also” before he started to exit the elevator. As he did, he asked her, “Do du vant me to carry all off ihr carry alls, Frau Katherina?”

Katherina, looking at Otto as he proceeded to walk to her penthouse apartment, replied, “Nein, take only drei off der bags, Otto. Ich vil carry der other eine to der limo, along mit Georg’s carrier.” The buxom Germanic redhead then walked through the still opened doors of the elevator. She then stood in front of the bank of elevator buttons, before placing a finger upon the open button, planning to keep the door open for Gail.

“As du vish, madame,” Otto replied, as he reached the door, just as Gail, who was carrying her two bags, started to walk through it, heading towards the elevator. The dark brown-haired bovine moved slightly to his right to let the older canid walk past him.

“Thank ye, Otto,” Gail said to the younger bull, before continuing on to the still opened elevator, Katherina patiently keeping the door open for her.

“Danka,” said Otto, before he turned once more, and then reentered the penthouse, soon heading for the carry all bags and Georg’s pet carrier, trying to move as silently as he could so as not to awake Georg.

Meanwhile, Katherina, her finger still pressing the open button, watched Gail enter the elevator. Once the older canid was finally inside, she released the button. As she saw the canine bitch turn around, while also watching the elevator doors close, she said to Gail, “Haff un nice sleep?”

As the elevator began to head towards the apartment building’s parking garage, the raven-haired, mixed breed canid femme, who presently stood to Katherina’s left, looked at the buxom redhead. Smiling at her, Gail replied, “Ah slept rather well, dear child, thankee for askin’. And ‘ow aboot ye?”

Katherina, as she felt the elevator going down, sighed, before she said to Gail, “Ich slept vell, but ich had another eine off dose dreams involvink eine off mein predecessors. In fact, ich actually had zwei off dem, as ich haff eine before ich got up yesterday mornink.” The German-born mare then looked at the two rows of buttons with the floor numbers that were placed just above the presently closed elevator doors, watching them slowly go down, headed for the floor where the parking garage was located.

Gail raised an eyebrow, before saying, “Two dreams, eh, dear child? Be they around tae same Germania, or two different Germanias?”

The younger mare turned her head away from the buttons and looked back at Gail. “Zwei different Germanias. Erste, der Nazi-era eine yesterday mornink, und den der dritte eine und her comrades dis mornink.”

Gail listened to the mare as she told her about the two dreams that she’ve just had, starting with the more recent one, as the elevator continued to head towards the building’s basement. When Katherina started to talk about the dream she had that had involved the Nazi blonde she-wolf, the older mixed-breed canine released a low growl, a growl which Katherina quickly noticed.

When she realized the cause for Gail’s growl, Katherina stopped talking, before she looked at Gail. “Sorry about dat, Gail. Ich forget dat du vere ne exactly on gut terms mit mein predecessor.”

As both she and Katherina felt the elevator finally stopped, she looked back at the presently frowning redhead. After regaining her composure, Gail smiled at the younger femme and said, as the elevator doors started to open, “Tat be quite alright, dear child. Wat ah tink aboot yer predecessor should not stop ye from tallin’ me yer tale. Please continue.” The raven-haired bitch then started to exit the elevator.

Katherina, after being reassured by Gail, nodded her head, before picking up her own bags, just as Gail had done before she started to leave the elevator. She then exited the elevator herself, before taking the lead, as she led Gail to the parked limo, as the elevator doors closed behind them. As the elevator headed back up, Katherina continued with her tale, as the brunette-furred canine femme tried to keep her animosity towards the Nazi-era Germania, whom she had fought against several times during World War II, in check.

The pair walked for a while, as Katherina finished talking about her dreams, just as the two females had reached the limo. After they had reached it, the mare headed for the trunk. After reaching it, and then putting her bags down, Katherina got out her keys, placed the appropriate one into the lock and used it to open the trunk. After lifting up the trunk’s door, she looked inside, before proceeding to move around the bags that were already inside it, to make room for both the bags that she and Gail had just brought down, as well as for the ones that Otto would soon be bringing down. As she did, she heard Gail say:

“They be a pair of interestin’ dreams, dear child. Do ye have any idea what they could be tellin’ ye?”

Katherina turned her head and looked at Gail. She shook her head, before saying, “Ich haff ne clue, although it ist interestink vhen ich got der eine mit mein more recent predecessor.”

“Oh, and why be tat, my dear?”

Katherina then proceeded to tell Gail about the package that she had received at her office which had included among its contents what was suppose to be a diary that had been written by the Nazi-era Germania. She then told the older raven-haired canid femme that she was taking the package with her, to show to Georg Wolfgang, so that he could either confirm or deny that the handwriting inside the diary did indeed belong to his sister. After she was finished, the redheaded mare added, “To make dings even more interestink, dis ist ne der erste time dat ich haff had un dream vhich involved eine off mein predecessors.”

“Oh?” said Gail.

“Interestin’. Any idea why you be gettin’ tese dreams, dear child?”

“Vell, ne really, Gail, although ich haff noticed dat un few off dem did appear to be varnink me about somethin’ bad dat might happen to me durink eine off mein past cases.”

Gail thought over what Katherina had just told her. The slightly smaller brown and white-furred canid bitch then queried the buxom redhead, “Do ye tink tat tose two dreams might be warnin’ ye aboot somethin’ dear child.”

It was now Katherina’s turn to start thinking. After a while, she’d shrugged her big shoulders, before answering, “At dis point, ich do ne haff un clue. Do du haff any ideas?”

Gail quickly shook her head. “Nay, ah be havin’ narry a clue, my dear. After all, ah nay be a fortuneteller, or a psychiatrist.”

“True. Of course, it could just be un normal dream. Maybe ich’m just vorryink over nothink.”

“More than likely,” added Gail with a nod and a smile.

Katherina smiled back, before turning back around and starting to place the bags that they had brought down with them into the trunk. As she did, the redheaded mare and the raven-haired female canid could hear the elevator door opening up behind them. “Ich’m guessink dat vould be Otto comink down mit some more off mein bags. Ich dink ve should go back up und pick up our coats und Georg, ja?” she said to Gail, as she started to remove her keys from the limo’s trunk.

Gail nodded her head, as she watched the Rhenish mare start to close the trunk’s door. “Let’s,” she replied, before she and Katherina started to head back to the elevator to return to Katherina’s penthouse apartment.

As the pair walked back to the elevator, soon passing Otto, who was carrying three of Katherina’s bags to the limo, Katherina mused, .oO(At least ich hope dat it really vas un pair off normal dreams dat ich haff had.)

g g g

Aachen, Germany, 6:15 AM Friday Morning

While Katherina and Gail were both starting to enter the elevator, about an hour earlier, in Aachen, Germany, the head of the soon-to-be open Germania Museum, Georg Wolfgang, was inside the bedroom of his home, getting dress. The old wolf, who, in spite of his age, was in good shape, thanks in part to his powers, was at the moment standing in front of a mirror, as he was putting on a dark blue tie. As he did, Georg looked at himself, noting that he was presently wearing upon his light grey-haired, dark grey-furred form a well-pressed white shirt and dark grey dress pants and black dress shoes. Georg turned his head to look into the bathroom, while saying, “Do you need any help getting dressed, my dear?”

“No, Georg, I’m almost dressed,” he heard his wife, Emilie, the retired original Riding Hood, say to him from within the bathroom. “Do you need any help with your tie, you silly old wolf?”

Georg, smirked, before answering, as he looked back at the mirror, “Emilie, dear heart, the day that I am unable to tie my tie is the day that I am ready to be sent out to the old doggie home with the rest of the old dogs.” A short time after saying that, Georg had finished tying up his tie. As he placed his tie against the collar of his shirt, he added, “And it looks like that won’t be today.” After saying that, he picked up a brush and started to brush his light grey hair. As he brushed his hair, Georg started to hear the phone ring.

“Could you answer that, Georg? I’m not quite done getting dress. Besides, it could be our daughter, Christel, telling us when she should be arriving from Düsseldorf,” the slightly younger she-wolf said to her husband from within the bathroom.

Georg, as he heard another ring, stopped brushing his hair before looking into the bathroom. “What you are wearing better be worth it, my dear. I’m not a young wolf, you know,” the male wolf said to his wife in a teasing tone, before he turned and headed for the nightstand, to the right of their bed, where their bedroom phone was placed.

“You weren’t exactly a young wolf when I’d first meet you, you old wolf,” she answered him in an equally teasing tone. She then added, “And seeing me will be worth it. Trust me, you dirty old wolf.” Snickering could then be heard exiting the two wolves’ bathroom.

“I’ll be the judge of that, my dear,” answered Georg, as he reached the phone. After picking up the receiver and placing it against his right ear, he said into it, “Good morning, Georg Wolfgang speaking. Oh? Hello Bishop Mussinghoff. How are you this fine day? Yes, that’s good to know, Herr Bishop. Eh? Yes, the museum’s opening is officially at 10 AM this morning. Eh? Do not worry, Herr Bishop, I promise you that there will be no problems at the museum. I can understand your concerns about someone trying to strike at Germania at the museum during the weekend, damaging the Cathedral in the process, but considering security, the local police and the number of superheroes who will be there, such an attacker who have to be out of their minds to even think about making such an attempt. Yes. So, I will see you there, Herr Bishop? Good, Good. Goodbye, Herr Bishop.” Georg then hung up the phone, while thinking, <.oO(Speaking of people who are out of their little minds, I just hope that nutty she-wolf who thinks that Germania is a Valkyrie doesn’t show up. That is the last thing I need.)> After releasing a short sigh, as he turns around, Georg added, <.oO(Especially after all of the hoops that I have had to go through to get this done. Well, Georg, old wolf, the museum is almost ready to be shown to the people. I just hope it doesn’t become a…)> as he heard his wife say, as he reached their bed:

“Was that Christel on the phone, Georg, honey?”

Georg, as he stopped before the bed, looked towards the bathroom, before saying, “No, Emilie, that was Bishop Mussinghoff. We wanted to confirm the time of the opening of the Museum. After all, it’s mostly because of him that the Roman Catholic Church is even allowing us to use that part of the Cathedral for the Museum.” The greying wolf then looked back at the bed, soon looking down at it, where he saw lying atop of it his dark grey jacket. He then started to pick it up, so that he could put it on, when he heard the phone ring again. “Maybe that’s our daughter calling now,” Georg said to his wife, as he moved towards the nightstand, putting on his jacket as he did so. Once he had reached the nightstand, the wolf picked up the phone and said into it, <”Good morning, Georg Wolf speaking. Oh, its you, Professor Kaninchin, how are you this fine morning? Yes, that’s good to know. I am doing fine, mein herr, and so is Emilie. Any reason for your call, Herr Professor? Is there a problem with the…” As he listened to the other party on the phone, a smile began to cross the greying wolf’s face. He then said in a very happy tone, “Yes, that is excellent news, Herr Professor. The best that I have heard so far this week. Yes, my wife and I will see you and your lovely wife at the museum opening later this morning. Eh? Oh, I see, your wife is still in the US and won’t be back until tonight. Hopefully her mission was a success? Ah, it was? Good, very good! Well then, I guess that my wife and I will be seeing both you and your lovely daughter instead. Goodbye, Professor Kaninchin.” The wolf then happily hung the phone up while trying to suppress a cheer, while his tail waged happily behind him.

“Who was that on the phone, Georg?” the happy wolf heard from the bathroom.

“That was Professor Kaninchen, Emilie. You know, Alissa’s father,” said the dark grey-furred lupine, as he started to turn around, to look towards the bathroom. “He’d just told me some great news. He’d got a call from one of his colleagues at the…” Georg was saying when he suddenly stopped, as he looked at his wife, as she stood before the entrance to their bathroom.

The light grey, formerly blonde, grey-furred she-wolf stood before their bathroom door, clothed in a very classy looking burgundy red dress which showed off her curves with a neckline that was only a few inches off of her neck, brown stockings and black dress shoes, while around her neck she wore a sterling silver necklace as her ears sported a pair of pearl earrings. Her well coiffured grey hair, as well as the make-up and eye shadow that she had used on her pretty face while she was inside the bathroom, made her appear to be at least five to ten years younger than she actually was. As she enjoyed the reaction of her husband to her present appearance, Emilie snickered, before saying, “Well, didn’t I say that it would be worth it, yes?”

Georg continued to stand in front of the nightstand and their bed, his mouth slightly opened as he looked over his wife, admiring her outfit, an outfit which he was seeing for the first time, especially as she slowly turned around to show him the back part of it. After finally regaining his senses, he said to her, “Yes, it is, my dear. You have no idea how hard it is for me to not start doing a wolf howl over how sexy you are looking to me right now.” The grey wolf smiled, as he watched his wife head for their closet, while she blushed from his comment. “By the way, that’s a new dress, yes?” he asked her, as the wolf began to walk towards both her and the closet, so that he could get his coat.

Emilie snickered as she reached the closet. As she started to open the closet door, the grey-furred she-wolf commented, “A good thing that you didn’t, considering how strong it still is. As for the outfit, yes, it is new. I’d got it last weekend for this…eeeeekkkk…Stop that you dirty old wolf.” The she-wolf then chuckled as she felt her husband’s arms wrap themselves a little bit harder around her waist, before she felt him kissing her right cheek. “Not now, Romeo, or have you forgotten that we are going out to eat breakfast?” Emilie said with a giggle, as she started to pull out of the closet a light green female dress coat.

The old wolf, as he gave his wife’s right cheek a kiss, while having his still strong arms wrapped around her waist, heard Emilie’s comment. As he moved his lips away from her cheek, Georg answered, “No, I have not forgotten, my dear. Especially since I’m the one paying for it.” He then released the grey-furred female wolf’s waist, before he headed for the closet, to remove from inside it his own dress coat.

The grey she-wolf snickered, as she started to put on her light green coat. Emilie, as she started to button up her coat, said, “Just try not to be too stingy, Georg. After all, my dear husband, we can both afford to spurge a little now and then, yes?”

Georg, as he was pulling his dark brown coat off of its coat hanger, nodded his head, while replying, “Yes, you are quite right, my dear. But, I would still like to leave a little something for our grandkids to spend.”

Emilie just simply nodded her head, before going into the closet to grab one of her hats. As she did, she said, “Anyway, my dear, who was it that you were talking to on the phone just now?”

The male grey wolf, as he started to put on his coat, looked at his wife. “That was Professor Kaninchen, my dear. He was calling me to tell me that he’d just heard from the Head of the History Department at RWTH Aachen University, with some news.”

As she was fixing her hat, after having first placed it upon her coiffured head, she looked at Georg and quipped, “Oh? Good news, I’m guessing, from the way that you are acting,” as she noticed the way his tail was happily wagging behind him.

“Yes. It is. He’d told me that the University will approve my scholarship idea,” replied the very happy wolf, who was now grinning from ear to ear, to go along with his quickly wagging tail.

“That’s wonderful news, Georg,” Emilie said to her husband, as she headed for their dresser, so that she could use the dresser’s mirror to make sure that she had her hat placed properly atop her head. “I’d told you that they would accept your idea. Once you were able to get Alissa’s father on your side, that is.”

A still happy Georg silently nodded his head, as he went back into their closet. A few minutes later, he was pulling a dark brown fedora out of it. Georg then proceeded to close the closet door. As he did, he said, “Yes, that is so true. He was one of the few furs willing to go to bat for me, as the Americans would say. The fact that he happens to be an old friend of Katherina, in both her identities, doesn’t hurt.”

The male grey wolf’s comment about Professor Kaninchen, who was formerly the male superhero the Blauer Demon, made his wife chuckle, as she continued to position her hat as she stood in front of the mirror. “I sometimes wonder about that, as he did get on her, or rather Germania’s, last nerves with his fooling around. Oh course, being Germania doesn’t allow her to be humorous, now does it?” A few seconds later, she had her hat positioned the way she liked. Turning to face Georg, she asked, “How does this look?”

Georg replied, “Yes, but that sadly comes with the position she holds. Although, I do think that she is opening up a bit.” He then looked at Emilie. After looking at her hat and seeing how she had it placed atop her head, he answered, “It looks fine, my dear…” when he heard their phone ring again. The wolf then headed for their phone once more. “I’ll get it,” he said.

Emilie simply nodded her head, before she walked to one of the dresser’s draws. She stopped before the drawer, then moved it towards her body, before finally placing one of her paws inside it. The grey-haired she-wolf then pulled out of the dresser draw a dark brown handbag. After closing the door, Emilie started to put a few items into the bag.

While Emilie was reaching into the dresser draw, Georg had picked up the phone again, and had begun to speak into it. The old wolf smiled as he said into the receiver, “Good Morning, Christel, how are you? That’s good to know, my dear. Your mother and I are both doing well. How are your husband and our grandchildren? Yes, that is good to know, my dear. They will be with you, yes? Wonderful. Actually, we were both afraid that you wouldn’t be able to make it for breakfast, considering your present job. Anyway, we’ll be seeing you for breakfast then. Try not to get hurt in the meantime, my dear. Goodbye.” The elderly grey wolf smiled, before he hung up the phone once more that morning. He then heard his wife say…

“So, that was Emilie that time, yes?”

Georg turned his head, and saw his wife standing behind him. He smiled, then said to her, as he turned his head again, this time to pick up his fedora hat off of their bed, which the old wolf had place when he had picked up the phone to speak to their daughter, answered Emilie by saying, “Yes, that was our daughter. She says she’s fine and that she will be able to make it for breakfast, with her husband Friedemann and both of their daughters. Oh, and she said that their son, Heinrich won’t be able to come. His military service, you know.”

Emilie nodded her head as she listened to her husband, while watching him pick up his hat. “I’m sorry to hear that Heinie won’t be able to come with the others. Still, it will be nice to at least see Christel and the rest of her family for a change. Speaking of breakfast dear husband, are we ready to go?”

The old wolf looked at his wife, and nodded his head, while saying, <”Yes, I am.” He then turned a bit to his left, while saying to her, “Ladies, first.”

The grey-furred she-wolf chuckled, then headed for the door, while saying to Georg, “Such a gentlefur. By the way, how much money is the university going to be giving the museum for the scholarship?”

“Jolly joker,” Georg said, while also chuckling, as he started to follow his wife out of their bedroom. As he did, he started to answer her, “Professor Kaninchen had told me that the university had told him that it was going to…” before first turning off the bedroom’s light, and then closing the door behind him.

H H H

As Georg and Emilie were leaving their house, to meet their daughter Christel and her family for breakfast in another part of Aachen, inside a hotel that wasn’t too far from the Cathedral, was a small group of furs who were all eating breakfast inside the hotel’s restaurant. The group, twelve females of various species and nationalities, were all seated around a pair of circular tables that were placed near the middle of the restaurant. The twelve females, although they were presently wearing civilian clothing, had two things in common: they have, at one time or another, worked a case with Germania, and they have all accepted Georg’s invitation to the Germania Museum’s opening weekend. At the center of the left most of the two tables was seated a redheaded, reddish brown-furred Mouflon ewe who was presently chewing on a piece of potato pancake, which was part of her meal, who was clad in a two-piece navy blue business dress, consisting of a jacket and an above the knee-length skirt, tan stockings and black dress shoes. As the big ewe, who was Hilda Schaf, the Bank manager of the First Bank of Berne, Switzerland, as well as being secretly Helvetia, the National Heroine of Switzerland, started to pick up a cup that was filled with tea, to help wash down her just eaten piece of pancake, started to look at the rest of her seated companions. She saw to her left, who was presently sipping on a cup of coffee, sat one of her oldest friends, and former lover, Countess Sophie Rossinardo, the head of Countess Sophie’s Fashion Boutique, one of the oldest fashion shops in the city of Naples, Italy, as well as being one of the biggest on the continent of Europe, who was known to her fellow heroines as Italia, the National Heroine of Italy. Hilda, as she was now taking a sip from her teacup, noted that the fashion maven vixen was presently elegantly dressed in a sleeveless red ruthie dress in silk taffeta that ended just above the knees of her sexy legs, with a V-neckline, brown stockings and navy blue shoes. The big redheaded ewe then moved her head to look to the left of the slightly smaller raven-haired, red-furred female fox, where she saw seated next to her a taller white-haired, dark brown furred, two-breed she-bear, who was presently eating a small piece of bread, upon which was spread some grape jam. The Eurasian Brown/Polar Bear mix she-bear, Olga Nicholasovna Bearosky, a Major in the Russian Army, was presently clothed in a sleeveless, dark blue marielle dress, white stockings and black shoes. As she watched the taller she-bear chew the toasted bread that was now inside her mouth, Hilda internally snickered as she remembered the long day of clothes shopping that she and Sophie had done with Olga the previous afternoon so that the buxom she-bear would have something other than her dress uniform to wear during the weekend. Hilda, as she put down her teacup turned away from the Russian she-bear, who was known to all of them as the Russian National Heroine, Mother Russia, who was now starting to pick up her coffee cup, and turned her head to look to her right, whereupon she saw seated next to her a black-haired, golden brown-furred golden retriever femme, who was at the moment starting to cut with her knife one of the sausage links that was on her plate. The golden retriever bitch, who was now eating the link, was Alice Goldenwaite, a solicitor at one of the most prestigious law firms in London, Britain, was also known as Britannia, the National Heroine of Great Britain. The raven-haired beauty, presently clad in a navy blue, two-piece dress, with a white blouse, tan stockings and black dress shoes, as well as a gold necklace, with a golden trident attached to it , was starting to pick up a small cup filled with tea to help drink down the sausage that she had just finished chewing. The redheaded Mouflon ewe then looked back at her plate, before using her fork to cut off another piece of her potato pancakes. As she began to eat the cut off piece, Hilda looked to the figure who was to right of Alice, a rather buxom looking black and blonde-haired lapin femme, with yellow and dark brown fur, who was clothed in a dark grey two-piece dress with a very low neckline and black shoes. As the female bunny, Ilsa Hiltrude Nowotny, an agent at the Dutch Customs Office, ate her breakfast, one of several carrot sticks, which was part of a breakfast salad, the equally buxom female mountain sheep looked to Ilsa’s right, where she saw seated to the lapin’s right a brown-haired, creamy white-furred Siamese cat femme with chocolate face mask, ears and legs, who was dressed in a short-sleeve tan felted wool shift dress and red dress shoes. The creamy white furred feline, Genevive Calais Bagot, an investigative reporter and photojournalist for the Associate Press, working out of its Paris Office, was presently eating a cheese Danish, as she had placed to the left of her breakfast plate a writing pad and a pen. As Hilda was picking up her teacup to drink some more of her tea, she heard Sophie say to her, in her southern Italian-accented German:

“That was certainly an interesting night last night, wasn’t it, Hilda?”

The redheaded ovine turned to look at her old friend. She nodded her head, before answering, “Yes, it most certainly was at that, Sophie.” Hilda then chuckled, before she turned her head again, and started to drink some more of her light tea.

The raven-haired vixen nodded, as she used her fork to cut through the three layers of pancakes that she had on the plate in front of her. “Although, to be honest, I’d figured that those hoods would have been a bit tougher,” Sophie added before she placed the fork with the pancake pieces inside her mouth, before she proceeded to chew them.

“Well, those ruffians were obviously strong enough to trouble the local police for as long as they did,” commented Alice, as she put down her teacup. The golden brown-furred bitch then picked up her fork, planning to use it to eat some more of the sausage link that was still on her plate.

“I have to agree. That bull that I had to pound into submission was no pushover, comrades,” adds Olga, before she placed the last of the toast that she had been eating into her mouth, which the white-haired ursine now started to chew.

After she had finished swallowing the rest of her carrot stick, the two-furred Dutch rabbit femme started to pick up her coffee cup, while saying to the others, “But, the main point here, ladies, is that we broke up that little smuggling ring, yes?> Ilsa, as she waited for a response to her comment, lifted up her cup, and was soon drinking some of the coffee that was still inside it.

The brunette-haired feline, as she listened to the conversation among her seated companions, all talking about their helping to end an illegal drug smuggling ring that had been hidden within the city’s northern suburb, thanks to a tip that she picked up from an informant in Paris, before checking on it’s validity as her alter ego, Marianne, continued to eat the cheese Danish that she had earlier placed in her mouth. Once she had swallowed it, Genevive remarked, “Yes, we did, ladies. I just hope that we have put a rather sizeable dent into that illegal trade.”

<”Yes,” the others soon said in unison, before Hilda looked over at the other table, which was placed to her right flank, soon looking at the femmes who were seated there. The big mountain sheep femme then released a low snort, as she looked directly at one of the six femmes who were seated at that table. “Of course, things would’ve been finished a whole lot sooner if she didn’t try to act as if she was the one in charge, and not Noble Knight.”

Hilda’s comment caused the others at her table to also look towards the other table, placed to their immediate left. The six saw seated at the table six other femmes, all but two of them being fellow National Heroines, while one of them was an associate of the other two heroines and the other was the Director of the BOS’ European Region. That particular femme, a light brown-furred, dark-brown maned Belgium Quarterhorse, who was clothed in a rather stunning looking short-sleeve blue evening dress, white stockings and black dress shoes, as well as a white pearl necklace that was placed around her pretty neck, as she drank some tea from a small teacup to help wash down the wheat pancake pieces that she had just finished swallowing, was in reality Historian/Archaeologist Joan Marie Dupree. Seated to the left of the Belgium heavy horse was a raven-haired, brown-furred moose femme, who was presently clothed in a figure flattering sleeveless green rauched jersey dress, along with tan stockings and a pair of white sandals, was Canadian Federal Agent Shirley Elizabeth Harris. The moose cow, who was at the moment using a fork to cut some of her pancakes, was in fact Lady Canuck, the Canadian National Heroine. As Shirley started to lift with her fork the pancaked pieces that she had just finished cutting, the female to her left, who wore upon her scaly navy blue and white form a sleeveless fawn halter bead-embellished drape dress, with a low V-shaped neckline, tan stockings and brown dress shoes, along with a pair of silver earrings in her ears, had just finished putting down the napkin which she had just used to wipe some food from her mouth. The femme in question, who was now placing the napkin back atop the table, a raven-haired Rhoanthekan, was Rosa Chiquita Martinez, an Interpreter at the Mexican Embassy in the American capital of Washington, D.C., as well as its consulate in the city of Colmaton, Calif., who was also Mexicali, the National Heroine of Mexico. As the Mexican dragoness started to pick up a fork to resume eating her breakfast, the female who sat next to her, on her left, a blonde-haired, orange and white-furred tigress, was at that moment drinking some herbal tea out of a small teacup. The tigress, who was clothed in a long-sleeve, dark blue, knee-length dress, with beige stockings and black shoes, as she continued to drink her tea, was Meng Du, who was also the Director of BOS’ Asian Region, Tigress Titan, the National Heroine of China. As Meng was putting down her teacup, the figure to her right was starting to pick up a spoon, so that she could use it to crack open the eggshell of one of the boil eggs that she had ordered for her breakfast. The femme, a raven-haired Siamese cat, clothed in a simple long-sleeve white, full-length dress, with black dress shoes, was the Thai special diplomatic envoy to China, Sri Sanitwong Na Ayutthaya, who was also the BOS heroine, Babel, Tigress Titan’s assistant. As the smaller feline was using the spoon to crack open the egg, the figure to Sria’s right was starting to eat some sausage links. The femme in question, a golden blonde-haired, green and orange-scaled dragoness, who was presently clothed in a dark blue suit dress with a just above-the-knee length skirt, tan pantyhose and black shoes, as well as a pair of classy looking pearl necklace, with one of them being smaller than the other, while also sporting upon her face a pair of eyeglasses, was Helsinki Johannasan, normally a super model, who was also Lady Europa, the young National Heroine of the European Union. The young dragoness was also the reason for the angry stares that were coming from the six disguised national heroines who sat at the other table, as her actions almost compromised the previous night’s sting operation.

“It also reminded me why she tends to get on Germania’s last nerves,” added the buxom ewe, as she turned her head away from the other table, and looked back at her food. Hilda then started to use the knife and fork that were still in her hands to cut some more of her potato pancakes.

“I’m still surprised that the German government would even allow her inside the country after that incident between her and Germania, Comrades,” added Olga, before she ate the last of her toasted bread.

“Well, Joan did say last night that she had promised both the Merkel Government and the European Union that she would try to be on her best behavior during the museum opening, darlings,” commented Sophie, as she looked back at her plate, before she started to eat some more of her pancakes.

“I’ll believe that when I see it,” remarked Ilsa, before the Dutch-born lapin put down her coffee cup. She then picked up her fork, before looking at her salad. “After all, Helsinski isn’t exactly well known for being discreet, now is she?” Ilsa added, before she put her fork into her salad bowl.

The lapin’s comment caused the golden retriever bitch to snicker. Alice, as she used her fork to pick up another sausage link, commented, “Aye, she most certainly is not very discreet, is she? And with some rather disgraceful manners. I mean really. Just because she just happens to be the EU’s official heroine, she thinks that it gives her the right to tell the rest of us what to do. The very idea.> The golden brown-furred canid released a low snort of disapproval, before proceeding to take a bite of the sausage link that was on her fork.

As the others were speaking, Genevive had continued to eat her cheese danish. As soon as she had finished swallowing it, the French-born Siamese cat femme added her two cents, “Mon amis, what’s done is done. The important thing is that we have all help to stop that gang of smugglers. As for Lady Europa, we should all give her a chance, oui? But, if she does cause any trouble, I’ll be the first one to teach her some well needed manners.” After saying that, she picked up a glass of water and started to drink from it, while hearing the others agree with her comment.

As the other five femmes went back to eating their meal, at the second table, Joan, as she held up a fork, was looking at the six femmes seated at first table. As she looked at them, she mused, <.oO(I wonder what they’re all talking about? Probably last night’s activities,)> when she heard a voice say to here:

“Penny for your thoughts, Mademoiselle Dupree?”

The Belgian-born heavy horse femme turned her head to face the one who had just spoken to her, Federal Agent Harris, who at the moment was putting down her fork. Joan smiled at her, as she started to use her fork to cut through the pancake that was on her plate. “You could say that, Agent Harris,” answered the mare, as she started to lift the just cut pancake pieces with her fork.

“And that would be?” the big moose cow asked Mademoiselle Dupree, as she held up a teacup that was filled with some Earl Grey tea. Shirley then started to sip some of the tea from her cup, as she waited for the heavy mare’s reply.

“I was wondering what the others are thinking right now,” she answered, before she bit the pancake pieces off of her fork. As she started to chew, Joan looked over at the other table, as the other sextet continued to talk and eat their breakfast among themselves, soon seeing two of them, Hilda and Sophie, laughing over something that one of them had obviously said to the other.

The moose cow also looked at the other table, as she continued to sip her tea. After she had removed the cup from her lips, she commented, “Who knows, Mademoiselle Dupree. It could be anything. Including last night’s festivities.” Agent Harris then took a quick look over at Helsinki, before she put her cup back onto the table. She then picked up her fork, as she planned to eat some more of her pancakes.

The Belgian mare just nodded her head, as she continued to chew her food, before she swallowed it. She was about to say something, when she heard a voice say:

“And what is that supposes to mean!?!”

Joan sighed before she looked to her right, whereupon she saw Helsinki, who was holding onto a fork with an half eaten sausage link upon it, giving a not too friendly look to the moose cow. Before she could interject, she heard Meng say, “I do believe that Agent Harris is commenting upon last night’s raid, Mademoiselle Johannasan. The one you nearly ruined when you tried to take charge of it, forgetting that it was a BOS-run sting operation.”

As the moose femme nodded her head in agreement, while she ate her pancakes, the golden-haired dragoness snorted, before saying, “Considering that I am the European Union’s National Heroine, I should’ve been the one in command.”

The Asian tigress rolled her eyes, before she heard her Thai-born assistant start to correct the female draco, “If I am not mistaken, the sting operation was being done by the Rhinelander branch of the German BOS, which is run by Riding Hood, which comes under the overall direction of Noble Knight. Therefore, Mademoiselle Dupree, would’ve been the one in overall command, once Riding Hood had asked both her and us for assistance when they were going to finally spring the trap on the smugglers.” Sri then started to eat the egg that she had just a short time ago opened with her spoon.

“I could not have said it better myself, Sria,” added Meng as the table heard the green and orange-scaled dragoness release a loud snort of disagreement, which was heard at the other table. As the others looked at their table, the raven-haired striped feline added, “Besides, since we also needed to wait for Christel to give us the signal, since she was the one pretending to be the buyer of their illegal drugs, there was no sense in going off, what is that American phrase…”

“It’s be going off half-cock, Senorita Du,” said Rosa to the big feline in her native tongue, which was translated to the others via Sri’s powers, before she placed her fork into her mouth as she started to eat some more of her scrambled eggs.

The tigress looked at the raven-haired Mexican dragoness. “Thank you, Senorita Martinez.” She then looked back at the Swedish-born draco, while Rosa nodded her head. “…go off half-cock, Ms. Johannasan. Otherwise, it would’ve placed Frau Wolfstein in some danger, although we all know that she would’ve been able to find a well out of it.” Meng then looked at Helsinki, as did Joan and Shirley, while Rosa and Sri continued to eat their meal.

As she began to noticed the others from the other table also looking at her, the golden-haired dragoness sighed, before saying, with a light snort of disgust, “Whatever,” before she went back to eating her own breakfast.

Joan breathed a sigh of relief, while Shirley went back to eating her food. She then looked at Meng. “Thanks for helping to diffuse the situation,” she said to the Chinese tigress, as the others at the second table went back to finishing their meal. “It would not have looked good if we have gotten on each other’s nerves just hours before the Museum’s opening. I really doubt that Christel’s father would have liked that.”

Meng nodded her head, before saying, “You are quite welcome, Mademoiselle Dupree.” The Chinese tigress then added in a lower voice, “Although I am starting to see why the others here hold her in such low esteem. A bit too high and mighty, considering her age, wouldn’t you say?”

The Belgium mare rolled her eyes, before answering, “You have no idea, Meng, no idea.” She then lowered her fork, planning to use it to cut through the pancakes that were still on her plate, to finish eating her breakfast. She was soon joined by the striped feline, as she was using her own fork to slice through the Belgian Waffles that were on her plate. As they continued to eat, a blonde German shepherd waitress, clothed in a light blue dress, which was covered by a white apron with a few pouches, including one that contained a large note pad and a pencil, was walking around the group’s table, filling their glasses with some fresh water, while a brunette European Otter femme, dressed in a similar outfit, was doing the same at the other femmes’ table.

» » »

While the twelve femmes continue to consume their food at the hotel’s restaurant, and Georg and Emilie were starting to meet Christel and her family at the restaurant near the Aachen Cathedral complex, within the parking lot that was located to the north of the Cathedral, a red 2004 Mercedes-Benz CLS W219 was being parked. A short time later, the vehicle’s front doors opened up. Out of the driver’s side door exited a brunette-haired male Rhinelander rabbit, with several black spots placed upon his white fur, which included most of his left ear and over his right eye, clothed in a grey three-piece suit, a white shirt, a black bowtie and black dress shoes. As he closed the door, the male rabbit buck looked over at the much younger rabbit doe who was with him, as she closed the passenger side door. The doe, also a Rhinelander rabbit, but who had shoulder-length black hair, and had several brown spots placed upon her pretty white form, was smartly dressed in a sleeveless light blue dress, beige socks and light brown dress shoes, as well as a pair of lettuce-shaped earrings upon her ears and a brown gemini floppy hat placed atop her well-groomed head. The buck, Alfred Kaninchen, the retired German superspeed hero, the Blauer Demon, and the present assistant director of the Germania Museum, as well as a Professor of Ancient German History at RWTH Aachen University, smiled at the doe, his daughter Alissa, the young German BOS female superspeed operative, the Blauer Demoness, as he started to pull his keys out of his pants pocket, so that he could close the door to his car. As he did, he said to the high school age lapin femme, who was his youngest daughter, “So, Alissa, are you enjoying working with Herr Wolfgang’s daughter, Christel?” As Alfred waited for his daughter’s response, the older buck opened up the back seat of his car. He soon pulled out of the vehicle a couple of coats, a brown London Fog male coat, and a grey Tommy Hilfiger’s Double-breasted cotton female trench coat, as well as his daughter’s light brown handbag. After closing the back door, the male lapin pressed the beeper on his car keys to lock up his car.

The young white and brown lapin looked at her father, as she knew what he really meant, since Christel Wolfstein, the youngest daughter of Georg Wolfgang, the creator and present head of the Germania Museum, was actually the second Riding Hood, the present leader of the Rhineland Region of the German BOS, of which she was a member, although one who was still learning the ropes, as both a BOS member and as a super, since her speed powers had only kicked in around the time that she had entered the gymnasium. While being the youngest of six kids, Alissa was so far the only one to show any powers, and hers had begun to appear while she was out practicing for her gymnasium’s girls’ track and field team. Giving her father a very broad smile, she answered, “Yes, I am enjoying it very much, father, although, to be completely honest with you, I could do without some of the paperwork involved.”

Alfred started to laugh when he heard his daughter’s response, as he gave her her coat and handbag, as the pair began to walk away from his car. “Could do without, oh, that is good, Alissa. Very good. Sounds a lot like something that I would’ve said back in the day.” As the two rabbits walked side by side, headed south towards the Cathedral, Alfred began to drape his coat across his right arm, while Alissa put hers on, quickly followed by her placing her handbag across her left shoulder, the older lapin queried, “So, you don’t mind living with her in Düsseldorf?”

Still smiling, Alissa looked at her father. “No, I don’t. In fact, I am learning a lot from her.”

“That’s good to know. Especially since you are still learning how to handle your powers. I’m just glad that you are learning how to most effectively use them from someone who I can trust your safety with,” Alfred commented, in a more serious tone, as he, liked a lot of the retired supers, both male and female, still have a deep mistrust of BOS.

Alissa chuckled. “Seriously father, you need to stop worrying. Alissa has acted as a second mother to me. And speaking of my mother, will she be at the Museum Opening?”

As the pair continued walking, Alfred looked over at his daughter. After releasing a low sigh, he said, “Sadly, child, your mother won’t be able to make the opening.”

“Oh, and why is that, father?”

“She’s still in the US. She contacted me last night that she had just finished making arrangements with the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Chicago to help fund the propose archaeological dig inside the Teutoburg Forest to help search for the remains of the very first Germania.”

“Oh, and was she able to?” asked Alissa, as the two lapins got closer to the part of the parking lot that was nearest to the Cathedral complex.

The older lapin, as he continued to look at his daughter, smiled. He then answered, “Yes, she was able to get several million US dollars from both institution which will be added to the millions of Euros that the museum, or rather Herr Wolfgang, have been able to get from some of own universities to help pay for the dig. They also said that they would send a few of their own people to help out with the dig once it gets started,” he answered her proudly.

A happy smile came across Alissa’s face, “That’s wonderful, father. I’m sure Herr Wolfgang will be happy to hear that.”

“Indeed he was, dear child, when I told him about it about an hour ago, along with the news that I was finally able to convince the University to set aside some money for a pair of yearly scholarships on the History of Germania, in conjunction with the Museum,” Alfred said, with a smile of his own. At this point, the pair reached the end of the parking lot. Looking before him, he could see the Cathedral, as well as a much smaller building, one that was also much younger than the 8th Century stone structure. Built during the last few years and just finished that past February, the three story structure, made mostly of brick, mortar and glass, would be the home of both the Museum, and the combined Library and Archives that would be located on the building’s third floor. As he continued to look ahead, Alfred could also see several furs of various species and breeds who were putting up the final touches for the official opening of the Museum, as they were presently arranging the front row of seats for the dignitaries who planned to attend the opening of the museum. He then looked back at his daughter, “And, as icing on the cake, my dear, you mother told me that she should be in the city later tonight as she’s taking a British Airways flight from Philadelphia. After, of course, first catching the train from Düsseldorf.”

Hearing the later bit of news almost made Alissa want to run around the city in absolute joy. But, knowing that it might expose her powers, she instead jumped around for a while. As she did, the younger Rhinelander doe said to her older buck father, “Yay, mom’s coming home.”

Alfred just chuckled as he watched his daughter’s antics. At the same time, the buck mused,<.oO(I’d thought that little bit of news would make her happy.)> He then sighed, before mentally adding, <oO(Especially as you’re not the only one missing your mother. Don’t take too long getting back home, my little Hasenpfeffer.)>

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As Alfred started to lead his still excited daughter to the soon to be opened Museum, so that he could watch over the final details, back at the hotel, as the twelve heroines were now looking over the bill for their breakfast, and deciding how much of a tip each of them should leave at their tables for their waitresses, on another floor of the hotel, inside one of the rooms, another female stood in front of a mirror, as she was finishing getting dress. The female in question, a golden retriever, was presently looking at a mirror as she was placing upon her well-kept, shoulder-length, grey, at one time black, hair, a beige ivory fancy women’s church hat, was Edith Goldenwaite-Smyth. The older femme, the grandmother of the present Britannia, Alice Goldenwaite, had herself once handled the golden trident as the sixth Britannia. Now in her late seventies, Edith, now a widow, as her husband, Cedric, had died about a decade earlier, continued to adjust her hat. Once she was satisfied with its present placement, she looked at the mirror, so that she could take a quick look at what else she presently had on: a sleeveless navy blue Aspeed Design Women’s Special Occasion Dress, with a high neckline, with her shoulders covered by a sheer lace jacket, as her ears sported a pair of silver earrings, shaped like tridents, while around her neck was placed a small, golden chain, as a pair of beige stockings covered her still sexy looking legs and a couple of black dress shoes were placed upon her feet. Once she was finished looking at herself in the mirror , the older canid femme looked down at the dressing table, whereupon was placed her dark blue handbag. Edith at once picked up the bag, before turning around and looking at her bed, soon seeing placed upon it her navy blue dress coat. As she headed for the bed to pick up her coat, Edith thought, .oO(Very nice of my granddaughter, Alice, to take me along as her guest to the opening. It’ll give me a chance to catch up with my old friend, Emilie. It’s been now, what, almost five years since the last time that the two of us have seen each other, when she talked to me about allowing the British Museum to send over to the still being formalized Germania Museum copies of my old reports about my encounters with the Nazi Germania.) As she reached the bed, the older canine started to lightly snarl as she recalled the first of her many fights with the muscular blonde she-wolf during the war. .oO(Now she be one super-powered trollop that I am certainly glad I didn’t have to face after the war.) After thinking that, as she picked her coat and proceeded to place it over her left arm, she began to think about Christel’s husband, Georg, that Germania’s older brother, whom she had also fought with during the war, when he was the Nazi hero Iron Cross, before fighting alongside him, first as one of his ‘probation officers’, after he had reformed after the war, who, at the moment, was still trying to discover what had actually happened to his sister during that nasty bit of chaos that was the Battle of Berlin. She sighed, before thinking, as she now headed for the hotel room’s door, .oO(Still, her husband, Georg, deserves a chance to give her a decent burial, enemy or not. He is a decent chap, even if he had originally fought for that nutter of a wolf, and the rest of his pack of wild dogs.) A few seconds after Edith had thought that, she had reached the door. The older golden retriever femme, after she had opened the door, quickly turned off the room’s light, before finally exiting the room.

Once she was outside her hotel room, after first making sure that the door was locked, Edith turned to her left, intending to head for the elevator so that she could head downstairs. As she did, she noticed another fur, this one a female mouse, leaving a nearby room. The golden retriever femme, as she watched the mousette, a brown field mouse, close the door behind her, thought that there was something quite familiar about her, thanks, in part, to what the smaller rodent was presently wearing. The brown-furred brown field mouse, who also had grey hair, like her, was presently wearing atop it a blue pillbox-style hat, the kind of hat that was popular in the early 1960s, when Jacqueline Kennedy was the First Lady of the US, a simple light blue dress, dark grey stockings and black shoes, as well as a brown coat, in the same design as hers, that was draped over the female mouse’s left arm, and a blue handbag in her left paw, while she used the right one to make sure that the door was locked. It was the coat, in fact, that made her realize that it was indeed whom she was looking at. She started to approach the mousette, while saying to her, “I’d never expected to see you here, old girl.”

The mousette, after she had finished checking the door, turned her head to look in the direction of the voice she had just heard. The grey-haired brown field mouse femme smiled as she quickly recognized who the approaching golden retriever femme was. With a big smile upon her face, the mousette, Dr. Bobbi Jo Hayes, who was secretly the BOS heroine, Medic Mouse, said, “The feelings mutual, Edith, as I certainly didn’t expect to see you outside of London,” as she walked towards her old friend. The two femme stopped and were soon hugging each other, before stopping. Looking up at the old canid, she said, “I’m guessing that you’re also here for the Museum’s opening?” as the pair ended their hug.

The white-haired canid, as she adjusted her dress, replied, “Yes, I am, Bobbi. I’d got an invite, along with my granddaughter. I’m guessing that you’d gotten one as well?” She then took a look at the mousette doctor/super, “I can see that you have been keeping yourself rather busy, old girl. Not yet ready to hang up the old mask, or the stethoscope for that matter, eh, what?”

Bobbi, who had also finished adjusting her own dress, chuckled as she heard Edith’s comment. “If you’d heard the news this morning, I think that you would know the answer to that question, Edith.” She then added, “It was nice seeing your granddaughter in action during the raid. You must be mighty proud of her, Edith?”

Edith nodded, “Why yes, I did, Bobbi, and yes, I am proud of her, although I rather disapprove of how she wears that costume of hers. I would never dress up like that, giving some of the hoodlums that I’d face the idea that I was some sort of superstrong trollop.”

Hearing her comment upon her granddaughter fashion sense caused the mousette to snicker lightly, which caused the older golden retriever femme to release a loud harrumph. Then looking back at Edith, she said, “Still stuck up on the way your granddaughter wears her costume, Edith? Come on, Eddie, lighten up, or have you forgotten that the costumes we wear are suppose to help us distract the bad guys. Although, considering what you wore back then was still enough to get a rise out of certain bad guys, or did you forget what had happened when you posed like Betty Grable back in ’48.”

Bobbi’s comment, or rather the last part of it, reminded Edith of the incident back around Christmas time 1948, in Atlantic City, when she, Emilie and Mabel, in their secret identities of Britannia, Riding Hood and Sekhmet, had originally meet Dr. Hayes, when the younger female rodent was for the first time using her identity of Medic Mouse, when she took the just mentioned Betty Grable pose to get a few hoods out of a trance that had been placed upon them by the original King Creole. She first blushed, before releasing a very low harrumph. She then commented, “Do not remind me about that incident. I’m still surprised that I’d did nothing more than slap away the paw of that bounder that coped a feel of my left breast while I was getting ready to cuff him. I should’ve knocked him onto his bum, the brute.” Edith then blinked. “Wait a minute, how did you find out about that?”

Bobbi snickered even louder. “How soon we forget. You told me about it a few days after it’d happened, remember?”

Hearing this caused the elderly golden retriever to blush again, while saying, “Quite right, quite right. Memory not the way it should be. Still, my granddaughter…”

“Is doing very well, even if she does show a lot more cleavage than you did when you were the one wielding the golden trident. Come on, Edith, some things have changed. But, think of it this way, at lease she isn’t wearing a lot less, as certain males who I refuse to name would hope to see,” replied Bobbi.

The shorter brown field mouse’s comment made Edith think a little bit, before she internally blanched as she recalled a certain show in the states that seems to go out of its way to show super females in either just their knickers, or even less. “Well, when you put it that way, Bobbi, I guess I should give Alice a bit of a break on her clothing selection, eh what?”

Bobbi smiled, while saying, “I thought you would see the light.”

Edith shrugged her shoulders, before saying, “Right. So, shall we be off then? I have plans to eat breakfast at the hotel’s restaurant before going on to the museum. Care to join me, Bobbi?”

The brown field mouse femme thought over Edith’s offer. With a nice smile, Bobbi answered, “I would be delighted, Edith, but I’m waiting for someone who will also be going to the opening.”

The canid femme raised an eyebrow. “Really. Someone I might know, pray tell?”

“In a way,” answered Bobbi, before she looked at the hotel room that was across from the two femmes and was placed right in front of Edith’s room.

“I see. Right then. Speaking of old times, I’d heard that you have gone back to your old outfit. Is that right?”

“Yeah, I did. To be quite frank, that new costume just wasn’t me. How I’d ever let myself get talk into wearing it is beyond me.”

Bobbi’s comment caused Edith to laugh. “You got talked into wearing that garish outfit? Good god, girl, whoever did that must’ve been either a real good salesman. Or had caught you on a very bad day.”

The mousette blushed a bit, before saying, “Well, it was a bit more complicated than that.” As the golden retriever femme raised an eyebrow, Bobbi began to explain why she was wearing a different costume when she was working for BOS. As she told Edith her tale, inside the room of the person that she was waiting for, a figure stood before a mirror as he was straightening up his blue tie. The figure in question was a male frog, who, besides the tie, was clothed in a Ralph Lauren two-piece blue business suit, a white dress shirt and black dress shoes. The frog, one Reginald Piper, was also known as the BOS operative, Phantom Frog. As Reginald had finished adjusting his tie, he looked back at the mirror to take one last look at his outfit, before he would go to the bed to pick up his dark grey jacket, as he was planning to join Dr. Hayes to watch the opening ceremonies for the Museum. As he did, he let out a light gasp of surprise as he saw now standing in the mirror, not his reflection, but that of a shapely female brown ferret, dressed in a form-fitting blue dress with a low sweetheart neckline, a pearl necklace around her pretty neck and a pair of silver earrings, circular in design, in her ears. After releasing a light groan, as he regained his wits, Reginald said to the ferret jill, “Thelma, for the last time, I am not letting you out.”

The reflection on the other side of the mirror was Thelma Rogers, or rather the late Thelma Rogers, who, when she was living, was a newspapers reporter, as well as the female super Phantom Ferret, who, when she was dying inside an old folks home, had transferred her powers to Reginald, who, at the time, was working as a caretaker at the home, but had somehow messed up the incantation and was now residing inside Reginald’s body, or rather, her spirit was. “Why not, Reggie? After all, I have been on a few cases with the most recent Germania, before I got too old for the business. And she have saved my bacon a few times. Give me one good reason why I can’t go instead of you?”

Reginald sighed, as he looked into the face of the now smiling ferret femme. Then, in a calm voice, he answered her, “How would you explain to those who might know you that you’re a dead person walking among the living, or have you’d forgotten that little fact? After all, I think that outside of maybe Dr. Hayes and Ms. Gail, very few people know that your spirit is residing inside me.”

The brown ferret jill thought over the amphibian’s answer to her question. She then blushed when she realized that he was right about her having a hard time trying to explain to folks, who might know her, why she wasn’t dead, even if her form would just be a kind of holographic image over Reginald’s body, especially if the person(s) was a member of the press. “Okay, Reggie, point taken. Still, would you care to explain to me why you and I are in a room separate from Bobbi? I mean, wouldn’t it have been much cheaper for both of you to have shared the room expenses?”

The frog blushed rather hard when he heard Thelma’s new question. “Thelma, I do think that you already know the answer to that particular question. After all, I’m a guy, and Dr. Hayes, even at her age, is still a woman, and it would not look right if the two of us, who aren’t married, stayed in the same room.” He then added, “And then there are, ahem, other, more personal reasons.”

Thelma listened to Reggie’s response. She then chuckled at his last comment. “Seriously Reggie, you have all of my memories, remembered, or have you forgotten about the time that Bobbi, Gail and I went skinny dipping back in…”

“THELMA!!!” yelled Reginald, as Thelma started to laugh. “Alright, alright, be a prude, Reggie. And to think the younger generation is not supposed to be having such hang ups about the body,” the shapely ferret jill quipped, as her image slowly faded out of sight, soon leaving behind Reggie’s presently exasperated reflection.

As he looked at his reflection, the frog sighed. “She is going to drive me real crazy one of these days,” said Reginald, before he turned around and headed for the bed. After picking up his jacket, and placing it across his left arm, he headed for the hotel room’s door, which he soon began to open. Once he was out of the room, and after having closed the door behind him, the male frog looked around the hallway for Bobbi, quickly finding her. He quickly noted that she was standing in front of an elevator, talking to an elderly golden retriever femme. Reginald started to walk towards the duo, while saying, “Sorry about the delay, Dr. Hayes. Are you ready to go?” As he got closer to them, he started to think, .oO(Now why does the retriever with Dr. Hayes look familiar?)

The two older femmes, as they were at the moment conversing about an old case that the two had been involved in when they were younger, turned their heads as soon as they had heard the male frog’s voice. Their heads now turned slightly, the pair saw the approaching Reginald. As they turned around to face him, the brown field mouse said, “That’s quite alright, Reggie. Besides, it gave me some time to talk with an old friend of mines who I haven’t seen in a while.” She then pointed at Edith. “You remember Edith, right?”

Smiling at the frog, Edith smiled. “Hello, Reginald,” the golden brown-furred canid femme said to the frog, before she started to approach him. She then gave the surprised male amphibian a hug, while saying… “And have you been behaving yourself, Thelma?” she said to Thelma, as she was one of the few people who knew about Thelma’s ‘spirit’ being inside Reginald’s body.

As a surprised Reginald blushed from the surprising hug, Thelma’s voice said, in a very low tone, “I have, for the most part. Although, to be frank, frog face here won’t let me out for the opening.”

Bobbi shook her head, before saying, as Edith ended the hug, “I have to agree with Reggie on this, Thelma. Your appearance would only lead to questions being asked by the press. At least those who would remember you. Besides, wouldn’t you be seeing everything through Reggie’s eyes anyway?”

“Awww, have a heart, Bobbi. It’s just not the same seeing everything through frog face’s eyes,” answered a lightly pouting Thelma through Reggie’s body.

As Reginald grumbled, Edith released a light harrumph before saying, “Now listen here, Thelma Rogers, you are supposed to be a grown woman. You need to start acting like one. As far as the world is concerned, you’d joined the choir invisible years ago. No need to be disabusing them of that notion, eh what, old girl? Besides, I rather doubt that you would look good inside a containment unit.” Edith than smiled.

As Bobbi lightly chuckled, Thelma replied, “You know that there’s no such thing as The Ghostbusters, Edith. That was just a movie.”

“You never know. Besides, there’s too many of those nutty ‘Ghostbusters’ out there to really chance that one of them might be, wouldn’t you say, old gal?”

The shapely ferret jill decided to give in, as she said, “Okay, okay, you win. You just better be sure to get a good view of the ceremony, Reggie.”

“I’ll try,” Reginald said to Thelma, before he looked at Edith. “Thanks for helping to calm her down, Edith.”

The golden retriever femme smiled, before she turned around to press the elevator button. “You’re welcome, Reggie. You just need to know how to keep her under control. She means well, but she can sometime become such a party animal if you don’t keep a good eye on her.”

“I’d heard that,” commented Thelma from within Reginald’s body.

“Still not use to hearing her voice coming out of you,” remarked the canid femme as she let go of the button.

Reginald just nodded his head, before looking at the brown field mouse. “So, off to the ceremony, Dr. Hayes?”

“Well, Edith had invited me to have breakfast with her, and since I haven’t eaten yet, I had already accepted her kind offer. Care to join us?”

“It’s my treat, dear boy.” Edith added with a smile.

The male amphibian thought over the older female canid’s offer, just as he saw the elevator doors start to open up in front of them. He then said, with a shrug, “Okay, I’m in. Hopefully it won’t be a long breakfast.” Reginald then saw Edith head for the elevator, soon placing herself behind the side of the empty elevator which contained the row of buttons.

“Splendid,” said Edith, as she pushes the button for the first floor, before placing a finger onto the open button. “Now, come along, you two.”

Bobbi and Reginald simply nodded their head, before they entered the elevator. As they watched Edith start to release the button, the frog stood behind Edith and next to Bobbi, the trio heard Thelma quipped from inside Reginald, “Bet you’d never saw yourself as a ladies’ man, did you Reggie?” This brought out laughter from both Bobbie and Edith, while the male frog started to yell, “TH…” just as the elevator doors closed.

ù ù ù

Philadelphia International Airport, Philadelphia, PA, About 5:45 AM Eastern Time

“Flight 69 from Atlanta, Georgia, is now arriving at Terminal E,” came through the airport’s intercom system, as furs of various species and breeds moved inside Philadelphia International Airport.

One of the furs inside the airport was Gloria, as she waited inside Terminal A West, along with several other furs, to board the British Airways flight headed for Düsseldorf International Airport, with a short stopover for a late lunch at London-Heathrow Airport, a short time after the private jet that she had caught several hours earlier in Colmaton had finally landed at the airport. The blonde, tiger-stripped mare, who was presently reading a copy of the latest issue of Time Magazine, which she had bought at one of the newsstands within the terminal, as she waited for her flight to arrive so that she could board it, had placed on the floor near her left leg her brown overnight bag and a matching color suitcase. As she turned the page, Gloria mused, .oO(I hope that my baggage doesn’t attract any attention from the airport’s baggage crew, especially the one which contains my shield.)

As Gloria looked at the page, in another part of the airport walked Katherina and Gail. The two femmes, who were presently wearing their coats, though unbuttoned, were both headed for Terminal A, after Katherina had just finished checking in the rest of her luggage, as well as Georg’s dog carrier, so that they would all be placed inside the plane that the two were taking to Germany, via London. The German-born mare and the mixed-breed canid from Jamaica had with them just two bags apiece, the two that Gail have had with her since her arrival in Atlantic City, New Jersey, and a red carry-on bag and a dark brown suitcase for Katherina, the latter of which she was presently rolling behind her left arm. The pair also had with them their handbags.

“Vell, dat vas easier den ich’d expected it to be,” commented Katherina, as she was talking about the checking-in of the rest of her bags. “Ich’d expected eine off dem to haff at least ask me about der big circular package dat vas among dem,” she started to say, before saying in a lower voice that only the canine mix could hear, “der eine dat ist actually mein shield.”

Gail simply chuckled. “Seriously, Katherina, ye need ta stop worryin’. Obviously ye friend’s spell be workin’ perfectly,” the canine femme remarked, as she remembered that Katherina’s friend, Asrail Whitetail, who was also the non-registered magic using ermine jill, Mega-Weasel, had stopped by the redheaded mare’s apartment building just as they were getting ready to leave, and had placed a spell over her outfit so that anyone who may open Katherina’s luggage would only see normal, mundane items inside the bags, instead of Germania’s outfit and weapons. “So, relax, child.”

Katherina nodded, before saying in a still low voice, “Ah’ll try, Gail, but ich vill only stop once me und mein luggage are both inside mein hotel room im Aachen.”

“Fair enough,” said a still chuckling Gail, as the two femmes walked towards the Terminal, while they walked past one of the counters before which stood several furs who were presently buying airline tickets. Before one of the mentioned counters, this one for British Airways, stood a white-furred Rhinelander rabbit femme. The female bunny, who looked to be of medium stature, if somewhat muscular, had long flowing black hair, which was starting to grey a bit towards the bottom, wore upon her voluptuous form a dark blue commuter trench coat, which was placed over, as it was opened, a black triacetate seamed sheath dress which stopped just above her knees, tan stockings and black dress shoes, was presently placing into her brown handbag the change that she had just been given for the ticket that she had ordered several days before for her trip back to Germany. As she began to close her handbag, she said to the brown-furred female house mouse who stood on the other side of the counter, with a friendly smile on her pretty face, “Danka.”

“You’re welcome, Dr. Kaninchen. I hope that your visit to the US was a nice one, Frau Dr.,” said the rodent to the lapin, with an equally friendly smile.

“Oh, it was, fräulein,” answered the white lapin, as she started to retrieve her dark brown suitcase. Once she had gotten her right paw upon the bag’s handle, she started to head towards Terminal A West, as she also intended to take the British Airway’s flight to Düsseldorf, before catching a train to Aachen, as she had told her husband, Alfred, she would when she had spoken with him the previous evening, as she informed him that she had very successfully been able to get the Universities of Pennsylvania and Chicago to help subsidize the propose dig to be conducted within the Teutoburg Forest to help locate the burial site of the first Germania. As she walked towards the terminal, the buxom German-born lapin doe smiled as she thought about the prospect of soon seeing both her husband and her youngest daughter for the first time in over two months, during which time she had spent traveling between the cities of Chicago and Philadelphia trying to convince the two large US universities to help support a dig that would be conducted by such a new institution. The middle-age femme sighed, as she thought about all of the meetings and receptions that she had to endure just to get her feet into the door. <.oO(Was like pulling hen’s teeth,)> she mused, while releasing a new sigh. <.oO(But, it’s finally over, and I can now look forward to spending some time with my family, before I have to help organize the actual…)> the lapin femme thought to herself when she looked ahead. She blinked as she thought that she saw a couple of familiar looking figures now in front of her, also walking towards the terminal. <.oO(Could they be whom I think they are?)> pondered the raven-haired lapin doe, as she started to move a little bit faster, before saying to the pair, “Guten Morgen, Frau Katherina, Frau Storm?”

The mare and the mixed-breed canine, as they heard the familiar sounding voice behind them, both stopped. As other furs walked past them, the two turned their heads around to take a look at the fur who was calling to them. Upon seeing that it was a white-furred Rhinelander rabbit doe, who was presently approaching them while pulling behind her a dark brown suitcase, the pair smiled, as Katherina said to the approaching doe in a very friendly voice:

“Guten Tag, Frau Bertha. Gut to see du again, old freund,” the buxom Rhenish mare said to the still approaching lapin femme, before she let go of her bags, seconds before she and Bertha began to hug each other, as Gail looked on. The hug lasted for a while. As soon as it had ended, she looked at Bertha, before saying, “How are du? How long haff du been in der US? How are ihr darlink children?” Then, after releasing a very light snort, she added, “Und how ist ihr husband, Alfred?”

As she released her grip from around the redheaded mare’s upper body, the raven-haired doe listened to Katherina’s questions. Bertha, as she began to retrieve her bag, while watching the two-breed female equine pick up her own bags, started to chuckle a bit as she listened to her old friend’s snort when she asked her about her hubby. “Now now, dearest Katherina, Alfred can’t help it if he likes to make fun off you. It was simply his own way off showink you how much he cares about you. It’s not his fault dat you were always such a grumpy pants.” As she heard Gail chuckle, while Katherina rolled her eyes, the white lapin doe added, “As for der rest of your questions, I am fine, danka, I’d been in der US for der last drei months and mein kinder are all fine, especially mein little ones Alissa and Jacob.”

“Well, she does ‘ave a point tere, child. You, or rather your other side, can get to be a bit too serious at times,” added the raven-haired female canine between chuckles. “Ye so need ta lighten up a bit.” She then looked at Bertha. With a smile, she said to her, “Nice ta ‘ear tat both ye and yer family be doin’ fine, dear child.”

Katherina released another light snort as she picked up her bags, after having first listen to the comments by both Bertha and Gail. She replied, “Ich just happen to take beink un heroine very seriously, especially after der heavy taint dat mein predecessor had left on der name dat ich now use. But, ich vill try to act un little less seriously, iff der situation calls for it. As for Alfred, it might haff been his vay off showink how much he cares about me, he still needed to act un bit more seriously vhen ve vere all younger.” The redheaded equine femme then added, with a bit of a smile on her pretty face, “As Gail haff said earlier, it ist indeed nice to hear dat ihr family ist doink fine, Bertha, even Alfred. Now, as for ihr beink im der US. Drei months, ja? Ne even un nice hello on der phone?”

The middle-aged lapin femme nodded her head as she heard Gail’s remarks, before she looked over at Katherina. With a light chuckle, she replied, “Your other half being a lot less serious? I have got to see that, even if I vas retired. As for me not giving you a phone call, Katherina, I am sorry about that, old freund, but I have been very busy durink mein time in this country.”

As Bertha had finished answering her, Katherina, who was once again carrying her bags, had turned around and started to walk once more towards Terminal A, followed by both Gail and Bertha, with the canine mixed-breed soon walking to her left, and the curvy doe now on her right. Looking over at Bertha, Katherina asked, “Busy for drei months, eh? Doink vat, iff du don’t mind tellink me?”

“Ah be curious about tat as well, dear child,” added Gail, as the femmes trio neared the entrance to Terminal A West.

Bertha, as she walked to the right of the brown-furred Rhenish mare, looked at her. The white lapin doe answered, “Mainly talkink to officials at both der Universities of Pennsylvania and Chicago, to see if they would help sponsor a dig that the Museum plans to conduct within the Teutoburg Forest to locate the final resting place of the original Germania.” As she saw the surprised look on Katherina’s face, she added, “Ja, Georg wasn’t kiddink when he said that he was goink to prove or disprove the validity of the old legends about her death and burial.”

“Ich see,” answered the still surprised redheaded mare. “Und vere du able to get either off dem to come on board?” Katherina asked, just as she had reached the entrance to Terminal A, soon followed by Gail and Bertha.

As the trio start to walk into the terminal, Bertha looked over at Katherina. The buxom black hair lagomorph femme smiled, before answering, “Ja, I was. In fact, I’d finished meetink with the people of the University Museum just yesterday. We now need to get the necessary permits from the appropriate government agencies, and we should be all set to start with the preliminary dig in early September. Hopefully there will be very little trouble. Unless…”

“Unless wat, dear child?” queried Gail, as the trio continued to walk inside the terminal, now heading towards the passenger lounge.

“Unless we run into a stupid bureaucrat who might gum things up with a whole lot of unnecessary paperwork. No offense, Gail.”

“None taken. And ah understand wat ye mean, child. ‘aving ta sign a lot of tings in triplicate can become very tedious after a while,” replied the mixed-breed canine femme, as she use to work at the Jamaican consulate in Atlantic City before retiring several years ago.

Katherina simply nodded her head, as she listened to Bertha. The redheaded mare was about to say something when she heard her stomach start to growl. As she heard a new grumble exit her stomach, Katherina looked up at the clock that was set at the upper right hand corner of the board which listed both the incoming and outgoing flights, soon seeing that it read 6:00 am. She then looked for the number of their flight, soon finding it. The buxom mare noted the time when their flight was supposed to leave for London Heathrow Airport, which was 7:30 am, just as she heard the loudspeaker announce, “United Airlines Flight 8523 for San Francisco, California, with a stop-over at Kansas City, Kansas, is now boarding at Terminal D. I repeat…” After stopping, Katherina turned to her companions and asked them, “Are either off du zwei interested in gettink un quick bite to eat before boardink der plane, ja?”

The other two femmes, who have also stopped walking, looked at Katherina as they listened to her question. They both quickly thought her question over. Gail was the first to reply, “If ye recall, Katherina, ah did say to ye at yer apartment tat ah planned to get meself something ta eat at tae airport,” which was quickly followed by the white lapin doe who added, “I could go for somethink to eat as well, Katherina.”

Katherina nodded her head, before turning it. She started to look around the lounge until she saw a McDonald’s that was starting to serve breakfast. She then looked at Gail and Bertha, pointing to it. The duo looked over at the fast food joint, then looked back at the redheaded mare, while both nodding their heads in approval. Katherina nodded back, then started to walk towards it, quickly followed by both the raven-haired bitch and the raven-haired lapin doe. At the trio headed for McDonald’s, they walked past the couch where Gloria was presently seated, still looking through the Times Magazine that she’d earlier bought, although now reading the back part of the magazine, as she continued to wait to hear the announcement that the British Airways flight to Germany was finally ready to be boarded.

Gloria, as she was starting to get a bit impatient, turned another page of the mag, while pondering, .oO(What time is it, anyway?) Taking her head out of the magazine, she looked at her watch. After seeing the time, she looked up, just in time to see the three older femmes walk past her on their way to McDonald’s. As the younger blonde mare watched them walk past her, she thought that there was something familiar about the tall redhead who was leading the group. .oO(Wait, is that Katherina Pferd, the head of Pferd Motor’s North American branch?) Gloria asked herself, before she tried to recall the photos of the Rhenish redhead that she had seen inside both national and international newspapers as well as various business magazines, before she remembered that she had been trying to get in touch with her about appearing in an article on strong businesswomen that she was planning for her own magazine, although so far having very little luck getting past her administrative assistant. .oO(Well, there’s only one way for me to be sure,) she told herself, as she proceeded to close the magazine. The buxom blonde heavy horse femme then put it into her overnight bag, before getting up from the couch. After quickly retrieving both her overnight bag and her rolling suitcase, Gloria started to walk towards the trio, who were at that moment walking into the terminal’s McDonald’s. .oO(I just hope that Frau Pferd, if that is her, won’t mind me interrupting both her and her companions.)

As Gloria continued to walk towards the trio, Katherina, Gail and Bertha, who had just entered the McDonald’s, were at that moment all headed for the fast food joint’s front counter. As the three femmes got closer to it, Katherina asked Bertha, “Are du still teachink classes in Ancient German History at Aachen University, Bertha?”

The raven-haired lapin doe smiled, then replied in a happy tone, “Why, ja, I am. In fact, I’m supposed to be teachink a new class zwei weeks after I’ve returned to Germany.”

“Dat’s gut to hear,” the redheaded two-breed mare said to the white lapin doe, just as she heard another voice say to her, “Welcome to McDonald’s, ladies. May I take your orders?” Katherina turned and saw that the voice belonged to a black-haired, young male skunk, who was at the moment looking at her, or rather her breasts, as the pair formed a light outline against her partly opened black cashmere coat. She released a light chuckle in reaction to the male mustelid looking at her boobs, before saying to him, “Ja, du may. Ich vould like to haff der hotcakes und hash brown breakfast, mit un small cup off orange juice.” She then looked at Gail. “How about du, Gail?”

Gail, who at the time had been looking at the menu, looked over at the redheaded mare, before she looked at the skunk cashier. “Ah will ‘ave tae eggs, sausage and biscuit breakfast, wit a small cup of apple juice, dear boy.”

The skunk, who was still looking at Katherina, blinked his eyes when he heard the mixed-breed’s breakfast order. Now looking at the register, he typed in Gail’s order, after having first typed in the redheaded German-born mare’s order, blushing a very deep red as he did so. He then looked over at Bertha. “And you, ma’am?”

The raven-haired lagomorph femme looked at the young skunk. With a smile, she said, “I will be having what the mare is having, junge man, with a small cup of apple juice.”

The male skunk nodded his head, then began to type in the order, while asking the trio, “Will you three be paying together or separately, ladies?”

Katherina, who at the moment was rummaging inside her handbag, trying to get at her black pocket book, so that she could retrieve one of her credit cards, answered, “Ich’ll be payink for our food, junge man.” Not too long after saying that, Katherina had retrieved her pocket book, opened it up, quickly pulled out a credit card, and then swiped it through the machine, before punching in her pin number.

The cashier, who was once again looking at Katherina, watched her type in her pin number, before pressing the total button, which soon resulted in a paper receipt exiting the register. He then pulled out the receipt, and preceded to hand it over to the buxom mare, while saying to her, “I’ll go get you your food, ladies.”

“Danka,” Katherina said to the skunk behind the counter, as he handed the receipt to her. After taking it from him, she put her credit card back it into her pocket book, then closed it, before putting her pocket book back into her handbag. As she did, the redheaded mare added, “Oh, und ve plan to eat here, ja, ladies?”

“Yes,” said Gail, while Bertha added a quick, “Ja,” as the three females, after first moving to their right to get out of the way of the next fur in line, which just happen to be Gloria, watched the cashier go get the food that they had finished ordering, after having first retrieved a tray to place the food on.

“Yes, ma’am,” said the skunk, as he reached the food counter, before he started to pull out the first of the two ordered hotcakes and hash brown breakfasts styrofoam boxes and then placed it onto the tray.

Gloria, who had been standing in line behind Bertha, watched the three femmes in front of her move out of the way as she walked up to the counter. As the trio watched the skunk cashier pick up their food, she looked towards them, especially Katherina, to make sure that she was indeed the mare that she had been trying to get in touch with during the past week or so. It took only a few seconds for her to think to herself, .oO(Yeah, that’s Frau Pferd, alright.) Gloria waited several more seconds before she finally said to the redheaded German-born mare, “Pardon me, ma’am, I hate to interrupt you and your two friends, but would you happen to be Katherina Pferd, the head of the North American branch of Pferd Motors?”

Katherina, who had been looking at the male cashier start to place the apple juices that Gail and Bertha had ordered with their food onto the food tray, heard Gloria’s voice. The Rhenish mare turned her head to her right, and saw standing across from her a brown and white-furred mare with black tiger stripes, who was wearing upon her voluptuous form a form fitting white suitdress, with a red silk blouse top, and white closed-toe pump shoes with four-inch heels upon her feet, as her long blonde hair had placed atop it a white hat, and her neck sported a gold/diamond cross chain necklace. The mare, she noted, was also wearing, upon her arms, a pearl bracelet and a white gold watch. “Vhy, ja, ich am, Fräulein…. Uhm, ich’m sorry Fräulein, but ich do not believe dat ich’d caught ihr name,” Katherina said to the younger blonde heavy horse mare, as her companions also looked in Gloria’s direction.

Gloria, feeling a bit embarrassed, answered, “Sorry, now where are my manners. I’m Gloria Summers. I’m the head of the Summer Modeling Agency based in Colmaton, California, Frau Pferd. My secretary have been trying to get in touch with you for me for the past week or so.”

As the other two femmes watched, Katherina tried to remember if anyone by that name had been trying to get in touch with her. After a while, she finally recalled that her administrative assistant, Sam Chippy, had the previous week told her that a person by the name of Arianna, who claimed that she was calling for the head of the Summer Modeling Agency, saying that she wanted to talk with her. She then said to Gloria, “Ich see, Fräulein Summers. Vould tis person go by der name off Arianna, ja?”

Before Gloria could answer the older mare, the group heard the skunk cashier say to Katherina, Gail and Bertha, “Here’s your food, ladies,” as he placed onto the counter the food tray that he had earlier taken with him, now containing atop it three styrofoam food containers, three sets of plastics forks and knives encased within plastic wrappers, some napkins and three small plastics cups which contained the trios’ drinks.

“Danka, junge man,” Bertha said to the skunk, as Gail took the tray from him for the trio, as Katherina said to Gloria, “Iff du vould like to continue our conversation, Fräulein Summers, kindly join us at our table, ja?” before she turned around, to follow her two companions, as the trio headed for one of the booths.

Gloria simply nodded her head before she turned around, just in time to see the young skunk cashier looking at the leaving threesome’s asses. She silently chuckled, before releasing a low ahem to get his attention.

The skunk behind the counter, after he had finished handing the tray over to the raven-haired mixed-breed canine femme and asking them to come back, for a short time watched the three older femmes, the aforementioned mixed-breed bitch, the blonde lapin doe and the redheaded mare walked towards one of the fast food joint’s booths, when he heard a low ahem to his left. He turned his head, soon seeing in front of him Gloria. The skunk cashier looked at the pretty head of the Summer Modeling Agency, a big smile on his face, before finally saying to her, “Good morning, miss, and welcome to McDonald’s. May I please take your order?”

The blonde heavy horse femme looked at the skunk, noticing him looking her over as he waited for her to make her order. She internally chuckled again, before she looked up at the menu, so that she could see what was being offered for breakfast. It took only a few seconds before she finally said to him, “Yes, you can, young man. I would like to have the hotcakes breakfast with three hash browns and a cup of orange juice,” watching him type in her order as she spoke. After hearing him tell her what the total cost was, Gloria quickly retrieved her handbag, took out her wallet and then used one of her credit cards to pay for it. “And I’ll be eating it here, young man.”

“I’ll get your order, ma’am,” the cashier said to the pretty looking mare, before he handed her her receipt, then turn around and head for the food counter, to retrieve her order.

Gloria nodded her head, as she put away first her credit card, and then her wallet, before closing her handbag, as he hung on to her receipt. She then turned her head, soon finding the booth where Katherina and her two companions where now seated, all of them eating their food. She looked at the group for a while, before hearing behind her…

“Here’s your food, ma’am,” said the skunk cashier, as he held before him Gloria’s breakfast, placed atop a plastic food tray.

The mare turned around, and saw the skunk standing in front of her with the tray that contain her food. Smiling at him, she said, “Thanks,” before taking the tray from him. Gloria then quickly turned around, and started to head for the table where Katherina and her friends were enjoying their food, not knowing that the skunk was presently watching her leave, before he started to greet an approaching customer, a male rat clothed in a dark grey business suit.

Meanwhile, Gloria, with the food tray in one hoof hand, and her bags in the other, headed towards Katherina, Gail and Bertha, as the white lapin doe was saying something to the other two, which she saw was causing Katherina to laugh, as she was using her plastic knife and fork to cut her hotcakes, while Gail was drinking her apple juice, doing so with a small straw. She noticed that Katherina was sitting in the back part of the booth, on the right side, with Bertha seated next to her, on her right, while Gail sat in the part of the booth that was presently closest to the approaching equine femme, opposite Katherina. She also noted that the trio’s luggage was placed on the floor, next to Bertha, while they had their coats all neatly folded and placed behind them on the booth. Gloria soon reached the trio’s booth, and, as she stood before them, said, “Do you ladies mind if I join you?”

Katherina, who had been chewing on the hotcakes that she had earlier cut with her knife, looked at Gloria, as did Gail and Bertha. After swallowing, she smiled at the younger mare, then answered her, “Vell, ich did say iff du vanted to continue our conversation to come join us, ja?” The older redhead then picked up her orange juice cup and started to drink from it through a straw.

Gloria, after hearing Katherina’s response, while seeing Gail move over a bit to give her some room at the booth, nodded her head, before putting down her tray. The younger blonde mare then moved towards the luggage. After she had added her bags to the pile, she walked to the empty spot at the booth, before finally sitting herself down. Once Gloria had seated herself, she brought her tray towards her, while saying to the older mare, “About your earlier question to me, Frau Pferd, yes, my secretary is indeed named Arianna.”

After hearing that, the redheaded mare immediately replied, “Ich see. Vell, ja, mein administrative assistant, Sam, did tell me about ihr secretary’s call, Fräulein Summers, but ich haff been so busy mit preparink fer mein trip back to Germany der last few weeks, dat it completely slipped mein mind, und for dat ich do apologize. But, now dat du’re here, du can tell me vhy du’d vanted to contact me. But, it’ll haff to be quick, ja, as mein flight to Düsseldorf leaves within der next hour,” as she kept from telling the much younger mare the real reason for her trip.

Gloria listened to Katherina, raising an eyebrow in surprise when she heard her mention that she would be on the plane headed to Düsseldorf. “That’s quite alright, Frau Pferd, but, did I hear you correctly? You’re going to Düsseldorf?” she asked the Rhenish mare, while seeing the older mare’s companions continue to eat their breakfast, while Katherina started to pick up her hash brown.

“Ja, ich am,” the redheaded mare quickly answered, before starting to chew on the hash brown that she had just cut with her fork.

“Well, that’s make things a bit easier for me, then, as I’m also going to be on that flight to Düsseldorf,” commented Gloria, as she began to open up the styrofoam container that contained her hotcakes breakfast.

Katherina, who had just finished swallowing her hash brown, commented, “Small welt, eh, Fräulein Summers?” She then added, “But, vhere are mein manners. Since it looks like dat ve’ll be seeink un lot off each other for un vhile, ich might as vell introduce to du mein companions.” The redheaded mare then looked over at Bertha. “Erste, ich vould like to introduce to du Bertha Kaninchen, Professor of Ancient German History at RWTH Aachen University.”

Bertha, who had been chewing on some of her hotcakes, looked at Gloria. After first swallowing her food, and then cleaning her paws, she smiled at Gloria, before getting up a little and offering the younger mare her left paw. “Guten Morgen, Fräulein Summers,” she said to Gloria.

The younger mare, after getting up slightly, took the older lapin femme’s paw into hers and started shaking it, “Hello, Frau Kaninchen.” As she and the lapin shook hands, Gloria noticed how strong a grip the lagomorph actually had. .oO(Hhmm, mighty strong grip you have there, Frau Kaninchen. Stronger than I would expect from a female rabbit,) she thought to herself, as their hand shake soon ended. As both she and Bertha sat back down, she heard Katherina say, as she pointed in the brown-furred canine’s direction…

“Und seated across from du ist Gail Storm, formerly off der Jamaican consulate im Atlantic City.”

Gail, who was presently smiling at Gloria, after having first eaten some of her eggs, sausage and biscuit breakfast, and then using a napkin to clean her paw, said, as she offered Gloria her nearest paw to shake, “Nice to be makin’ yer acquaintance, dear child.”

Gloria looked at the raven-haired bitch for a short while, before taking her offered paw, and shaking it. “Likewise, Ms. Storm,” she said to Gail, before the two ended their handshake. She then looked back at Katherina, who, in the meantime, had placed some more of her hash brown into her mouth. As she waited for Katherina to finish chewing, she heard the mixed-breed canine say to her:

“Please, dear child, call me Gail.”

The blonde mare looked at the smiling canine femme. “Sure, Gail,” she said to her, as she heard an ahem coming from in front of her. Turning her head, she saw Katherina looking back at her, having just finished swallowing her hash brown.

“So, vat exactly did du vant to talk about mit me, Fräulein Summers?”

Gloria, as she looked at the older mare, answered, “Well, it’s like this, Frau Perd, along with a modeling agency, I also run a magazine. I’m planning to have the magazine do a feature story that would profile the most important business women in the world today, and I would like to have you appear in the story. So, would you like to participate, Frau Pferd.” The blonde mare continued to look at Katherina, to gaze her reaction.

As Gail and Bertha, who were both drinking their juices look on, the redheaded Rhenish mare, who was at the moment about to put the last of her hotcakes into her mouth, looked at Gloria, a bit taken about. She blinked a couple of times, before finally answering, “Vhile ich am flatter by ihr offer, Fräulein Summer, vhy me? Vat exactly haff ich done to be featured in such un article?” Then, as Katherina waited for Gloria to answer her query, she placed the fork into her mouth, and was soon starting to chew the pancakes pieces that had originally been on the fork.

The brown-furred female heavy horse mare quickly replied, as she watched the German-born equine femme continue to chew her breakfast, “Well, you are the head of one branch of one of the largest car companies in Germany, if not the world, Frau Pferd, a company that, I might add, was created from scratch by your family. I figured that a lot of people would particularly like to hear that part of the story.” As she spoke, Gloria thought she saw a smile appear on the older mare’s face. “So, what do you say, Frau Pferd? Would you like to be a part of the story or not?” Gloria stopped speaking. She then looked at her food, before picking up the small container within which was placed some maple syrup, which she planned to pure over her hotcakes.

At this point, Gail, who had just finished eating her food, was looking at Katherina, as she drank the rest of her juice. As she noted the brunette-furred mare contemplating Gloria’s query, she thought, .oO(Tat would certainly be an interestin’ piece ta read. Ah wonder if any pictures would be included wit tae article?)

Bertha, who was now eating the last of her hotcakes, mused, .oO(Katherina in an article on business women? Now that would be somethink to read.)

Katherina, who was still chewing on the hotcakes that had earlier placed inside her mouth, listened to the younger blonde mare’s explanation as to why she wanted her to be among those she plan to feature in the article for her magazine. The redheaded Rhenish-Hanoverian mare raised an eyebrow, before she swallowed. She then looked at Gloria, who was now placing some of her own hotcakes into her mouth. Then, after first using a napkin to clean her mouth, Katherina answered, “Before ich decide on vhether to say ja ou nein to ihr request Fräulein Summers, ich vould like to know iff dere vill be any pictures included mit der proposed article?”

Gloria, as she was picking up her cup of orange juice, after having swallowed some of her hotcakes, looked at Katherina. With a friendly smile, she replied, “Yes, Frau Pferd, I do plan on having a few pictures of you taken, to go along with the article. But don’t worry, the person who will take the pictures will be very professional and will take pictures of you that will show you in the best light.” As she saw the relieved look on the older mare’s face, she added, “Although I do plan on having you dressed in a few women business outfits that, while a little bit sexy-looking, I’m sure will meet your approval.” Gloria then drank some of her orange juice, before she put it down and then picked up one of her hash browns. She quickly took a bite out of it, as she waited for Katherina’s response to what she had just finished telling her.

The buxom redhead continued to listen to the tiger-striped mare, carefully following what she was saying, before seeing her start to eat her food. As her companions continue to eat their own breakfasts, Katherina thought, .oO(Hhhmmm, interestink idea. It vould give der company some added exposure, dat’s for sure,) as she began to contemplate Gloria’s idea. Katherina then picked up her orange juice and proceeded to drink through the straw. .oO(But, considerink vat ich haff heard had happened to both her und her agency ne too long ago mit dat scandal involvink dat conman, Der Salesman, should ich trust her? After all, it could be just another fraud for all ich know.) The older Rhenish mare continued to think about the younger mare’s proposal for several minutes more, as her companions finished their breakfasts, while Gloria was eating some more of her hotcakes, after having first cut it with her fork and knife. The German-born mare then said to the younger blonde mare, “Do du mind iff ich can dink ihr proposal over durink der flight to Germany, Frau Summers?”

As Gloria was chewing the hotcakes that she had just put into her mouth, she listened to Katherina’s reply. A bit surprised by the older mare’s reply, especially as she noticed the slight bit of hesitation in her voice, she thought to herself, .oO(Considering my reputation in the modeling business, why would Frau Pferd…) when it finally occurred to her why the German-born mare might be so hesitant. ,oO(Drat it, I’d almost forgot about that incident with the Salesman. That slimy little weasel almost ruined my company and my reputation as both myself and as Lady Liberty thanks to that phony charity scheme of his. I thus don’t blame Frau Pferd for being a little bit hesitant with her answer as I’m still trying to get past that. Still, how do I overcome her reluctance?) The tiger-striped blonde started to think over what she should do to overcome Katherina’s reluctance, while seeing her starting to finish the last of her breakfast, the last of her hash brown, while she began to eat the second of her own hash browns. A thought came to her as she began to chew. The younger mare swallowed, then looking directly at Katherina, she said, ”Ok, Frau Pferd, I’ll let you think over my proposal,” saying it to the older mare in a very calm voice, before adding, “And I trust that you’ll make the right decision.” Gloria then smiled at the older redheaded mare, before she returned to her breakfast.

At this point, both Gail and Bertha had finished eating their own breakfasts, and were at the moment waiting for both Katherina and Gloria to finish eating theirs, as they listened to the exchange between the two female equines. The two femmes both raised an eyebrow, as they heard Katherina’s hesitate on the younger mare’s magazine proposal, which surprised the white lapin doe a whole lot more than it did the raven-haired female canine, although her reaction did come as a bit of a surprise to both. .oO(Never thought I vould hear Frau Katheirna ask someone to let her think over somethink like this. But, knowink her as long as I have, I guess she must have her reasons,) mused Bertha, as she, Gail and Katherina all listened to Gloria’s response.

Hearing Gloria’s response caused Gail to think, .oO(Ah guess tere be a reason why Katherina isn’t right now sayin’ yes ta Ms. Summers’ proposal,) as both she and Bertha looked at Katherina once again to see what her answer to Gloria would be.

Katherina, as she was chewing on the last of her pancakes, was thinking over the younger mare’s reply to her asking if she could be allowed to think over Gloria’s proposal during the flight to Germany. She smiled, and after swallowing, said, “Danka, Fräulein Summer, und ich promise du dat ich’ll haff un answer for du by der time der plane lands im Düsseldorf.” The redheaded female equine then picked up a napkin and started to wipe her mouth.

While Katherina was wiping her mouth and Gloria was eating the rest of her food, Bertha had headed for the women’s bathroom to use the facilities, soon followed by Gail, after Gloria had first moved out of the latter’s way. As the white lapin doe and the raven-haired mixed-breed canine were using the bathroom, the two mares heard the loudspeaker crackle to life, before hearing the announcer say the following:

“Ladies and Gentlefurs, the scheduled 7:30 AM British Airways Flight 5809, for Düsseldorf International Airport, via London Heathrow Airport, is now boarding at Terminal A West. All passengers, please present your ticket upon boarding the plane. I repeat, British Airways 5809, headed for Düsseldorf International Airport, is now boarding at Terminal A West.”

Upon hearing the announcement that their plane was now boarding, Katherina looked at Gloria. “Could du keep un eye on mein dinks, Fräulein Summers? Ich need to use der ladies’ room.”

“Uhm, sure,” said Gloria, before she started to wipe her own mouth with a napkin.

“Danka,” said Katherina, before she got up, and after taking the tray with her, soon dumping its contents into a nearby receptacle, headed for the bathroom, just as Gail and Bertha were leaving it. As the lapin went to the booth to pick up her coat, the canine femme looked at Gloria, “Ah wodda suggest tat ye go ahead n use ta ladies’ room, dear child. After all, it will be a long flight to Europe. N don’t ye worry, ah’ll keep an eye on yer things.”

Gloria looked at Gail. She smiled at the raven-haired mixed-breed bitch, as she got up. “Thanks,” she said to her, as she picked up her tray. After dumping into a nearby trash can her trash, and then placing the now empty tray atop of the receptacle, the blonde mare quickly headed for the ladies’ bathroom, just as Katherina was exiting it. A few seconds later, Gloria was inside the bathroom.

Katherina had meanwhile reached the table, as she saw Gail and Bertha getting their things together. She said to the two, “Du zwei might as vell go on ahead. Ah’ll catch up mit du shortly.”

“What about Fräulein Summers’ bags?” asked Bertha, who, with her coat back on her body, had finished retrieving her two bags.

“Aye, as ah had promised tae young child tat ah would be keepin’ an eye on dem,” added Gail, as the brunette and white-furred female canid had just finished retrieving her own coat and bags.

Katherina, as she was putting on her dark blue dress coat, looked at the other two. She said to them, with a big smile, “Ich’ll keep an eye on Fräulein Summers’ bags. Du zwei just get on der plane, ja?”

“Ok, Katherina,” Gail said to the brunette-furred Rhenish mare, before both she and Bertha headed for the restaurant’s exit, so that they could head for now boarding aircraft.

Katherina watched the pair leave McDonald’s, then head for Terminal A West and the plane, before turning around and looking back at the booth. She then finished putting on her dark blue dress coat. As she did, Gloria finally exited the bathroom, and was soon headed back to the booth to pick up her bags. Katherina, once she was finished with her coat, turned around, and was starting to pick up her two bags, just as the younger mare had arrived.

“Where’s Ms. Storm?” Gloria asked the older mare, who was presently picking up her bags.

“Oh, ich’d told both her und Bertha to go on ahead vhile ich kept an eye on ihr bags,” Katherina quickly answered Gloria, as the two noticed a few furs starting to enter the fast food restaurant, obviously planning to get something to eat.

“Ok, and thanks,” replied Gloria, as she watched the furs who were now entering the fast food place. She then saw Katherina head for the exit. The tiger-striped mare, after getting her bags, quickly followed after her, soon exiting the building only a few seconds after the redheaded mare had. Gloria then followed the older mare until the two had finally reached the terminal where the plane was parked, soon seeing before them several other furs who were now walking towards the plane, while being greeted by two of the plane’s flight attendants.

Katherina, as she reached the terminal, began walking up the ramp that led to the plane, after having first shown her ticket. Upon reaching the plane’s entrance, she was greeted by one of the flight attendants, a brunette-haired, dark brown-furred male mink. Once that was done, she walked onto the plane itself, before heading for the section of the plane where business class was located. Once inside the plane’s business section, which was called “Club World”, Katherina looked at her ticket to find the location of her seat. After finding it, she walked over to it, seeing that it was placed in the middle of Club World, and once there, looked at it, quickly noting that it was a window seat. The buxom redhead, who at the moment didn’t notice that a few of the seated male passengers inside that part of the plane were presently looking her over, placed her two bags onto the floor, directly in front of her seat. She then started to take off her unbuttoned coat, soon revealing to the eyes of the males who were looking at her her two-piece light grey business dress, a white blouse, nude stockings and black dress shoes, as well as a white pearl necklace and red earrings. Knowing nothing about the reactions that her appearance was presently causing, which was mostly low wolf whistles, the buxom redhead placed her coat over the back of her seat, when she heard a voice behind her say:

“Mind if I put my bags down next to yours, Frau Pferd?”

Katherina turned and saw Gloria standing behind her with her two bags.

“Uhm, sure,” she said to Gloria, as she got out of the younger mare’s way, and then started to move towards her seat. Katherina, a short time later, after having first placed her bags into an overhead storage compartment, was seated in her window seat. Once she was seated, she opened up her handbag, and placed her ticket inside it. As soon as that was done, Katherina closed her bag, then placed it atop her lap. She then looked to her left, whereupon she saw Gloria, who had just finished placing her bags into another overhead compartment, this one next to hers, move towards the seat that was to Katherina’s right, as the buxom redhead’s seat was placed against the left side of the cabin. With a light chuckle, she remarked, “Looks like ve are goink to be together for un little while longer, doesn’t it, Fräulein Summers, ja?”

Gloria, as she was about to reach her seat, looked at Katherina. With a low chuckle, she replied, “So it would seems, Frau Pferd.” The blonde mare then sat down, and looked at Katherina. “By the way, did you know that a few of the males were looking you over while you were putting your luggage away?” she said to the older redhead in a low voice.

Katherina, surprised by the younger mare’s comment, replied, “Ne, ich didn’t.” She then turned her head a bit, soon seeing seated in the two seats that were behind the one that was placed directly opposite theirs a pair of young males, one a brown-furred stallion, who was clothed in a grey two-piece business suit with a white shirt and dark blue tie, and an orange-furred with black stripes tabby cat, dressed in a dark brown three-piece suit, which included a blazer, and a white shirt, and red tie, who were both, at the moment, looking in their direction. The redheaded mare blushed a little, before looking back at Gloria. “Vell, ich do now.”

Gloria giggled for a few seconds, while the redheaded Rhenish mare looked again, soon seeing that seated in one of the seats across from them was Gail. Katherina waved at the brown-furred mixed-breed canid femme, who had obviously placed her own bags inside another overhead compartment, and had her coat draped across her chair, who quickly waved back. The blonde mare, after she had stopped giggling, commented, “I’m guessing by the blush on your pretty face that you’re not use to guys looking at you, Frau Pferd?”

The redheaded mare looked back at the younger blonde mare who was seated next to her, as she put down her arm. She answered Gloria, “Vell, to be quite frank mit du, Fräulein Summers, dis isn’t der erste time im mein life dat ich’d haff noticed guys lookink me over. Ich haff just simply ignored it im der past, as ich’d simply been more concerned mit helpink mein family’s automobile business to prosper den to dink about males.” She then added with a smile, “Although ich haff dated un few males im mein time, but none off dem haff ever peaked mein interest, especially vhen ich discover dat dey vere much more interested im mein family’s business den dey vere im me.” This caused Katherina to release an almost inaudible low snort, which was immediately noticed by Gloria.

“And guessing from that snort it must have happen to you a lot, Frau Pferd?”

“More den ich vould care to recount, Fräulein Summers,” replied Katherina mit un even louder snort, which, as it was heard by the males who had been looking at the two femmes, caused them all to decide right at that moment to start looking elsewhere.

“In that case I won’t ask you how many, Frau Pferd,” quipped the tiger-striped mare with a light chuckle, as she began to look around, quickly noting that the males that had been looking at Katherina were now looking elsewhere. Before she could say anything else, Gloria, and everyone else seated in Club World all heard a British English accented voice say…

“Ladies and Gentlefurs, may I have your attention, if you please,” said a rather buxom looking, brunette-haired, chocolate-furred ferret jill, who was wearing the uniform of a British Airways attendant, as she stood near the middle of the cabin. The smiling jill, once she was sure that she had everyone’s attention, began, “Good Morning, Ladies and Gentlefurs, and welcome to British Airways.” The attendant jill then proceeded to give the passengers the informational speech that she had given over hundreds of times, since she had become a flight attendant, including where the bathroom was located, what they would later be serving for snacks, the plane’s in-flight movie and the emergency escape plan for that part of the plane, before ending with, “Anyways, we’ll be leaving in the next half hour, and I would like to thank all of you for taking British Airways.” With that, the smiling jill turned around and quickly left the section.

As soon as the attendant had left, Katherina, handbag in tow, got up, then walked to overhead compartment where she had originally placed her bags. Once she was at the compartment, the redheaded mare opened it up, pulled out her carry-on bag, placed it on the floor and, after rummaging inside it for a short while, pulled out a medium-size book. Katherina then rezipped her bag, and, after placing both it and her handbag into the compartment and then closing its door, went back to her seat. After reaching the chair, she sat back down. She then placed the book atop her lap. As she began opening the book, she said to Gloria, “Mind iff ich offer du un bit off advice, Fräulein Summers?”

Gloria, who had been relaxing in her seat, while waiting for the put on your seatbelt light to come on, looked over at Katherina. “Sure,” she said to her, as she wondered what the older redhead was going to tell her.

“Try to keep ihr business life, as much as du can, out off ihr personal life. Otherwise du are goink to be havink un lot off lonely nachts at home, iff mein own love life ist any indication.” Katherina then turned her head, as she started to turn a page.

Gloria looked at Katherina. “I’m quite sure that my love life will never get to be as bad as yours presently seem to be, Frau Pferd,” she said to the older mare. She then added, in a friendly tone, “Beside, I’m sure that yours will get better at some point.”

The redheaded mare looked back at Gloria, seeing her smiling at her. Katherina mused over the younger femme’s remark, taking her time as she did so. As she thought it over, she and everyone else in Club World saw the put on your seatbelt light finally come on. Katherina placed her now closed book onto her lap, swiftly grabbed both parts of her seatbelt, placed them across her lap and then snapped them together. After tightening it up, so that she wouldn’t come out of her seat, Katherina placed her back once again against her seat, then placed her hooves atop her book. A few seconds after she had done that, she could feel the plane starting to pull away from the terminal, headed for the runway that it was assigned to to lift itself into the air. Katherina thought over Gloria’s question a little bit longer as the plane continued to head towards its runway. She then said, as she looked at Gloria, “Ich hope dat du are right, Fräulein Summers. After all, ich’m ne gettink any younger.”

Gloria looked over at the older mare. She looked Katherina up and down for several seconds, as she felt the plane stop for a bit, before it started to maneuver itself so that it would soon start going in the right direction for lift-off. With a smile, she said to the older mare, “I’m sure that you’ll find someone, Frau Pferd. You are much too pretty and nice a lady for someone to not love you for yourself.”

Katherina, as she was reopening her book, started to blush as she heard the younger blonde mare’s comment. Looking back at Gloria, as she began to feel the aircraft slowly moving down the runway, she replied, “Ich hope dat du are right, Frau Summers. Especially at mein age.” As soon as Katherina had said that, she, and everyone else inside the plane could feel it starting to go down the runway. It wasn’t too long after that that it began to lift itself into the air, soon leaving the ground. The plane continued to rise until it finally reached the appropriate height for the pilot to level it off, and then, once in control, began to fly it eastward, headed for the British Isles and Europe, via the North Atlantic. Not too long after that, the light came on telling everyone that they can now unbuckle their seatbelt. The redheaded mare, as soon as she saw it, did just that. She released a low phew once she no longer felt the belt wrapped around her waist. The redheaded Rhenish mare, and the other passengers, then heard the intercom crackle to life, followed by a male voice which began, “Good Morning, ladies and gentlefurs, this is your Captain speaking…” before proceeding to tell them all, among other things, the plane’s present altitude, and the estimated time for their arrival at London Heathrow Airport. As soon as the intercom had shut off, Katherina lowered her head so that she could finally start reading her book.

Gloria, who had also unbuckled her seatbelt, looked back at Katherina, who she saw was presently reading her book. Curious, she tried to look at the cover. Being unable to see what was written on it, she said to the redheaded Rhenish mare, “Do you mind me asking you another question, Frau Pferd?”

The older mare after hearing Gloria’s question, lifted her head from the book and looked over at the tiger-striped mare. “Sure, go ahead, Fräulein Summers.”

“Do you mind telling me what you are presently reading?”

Katherina, after listening to the question, smiled and said, “Ich’m readink der erste volume of Professor Von Ranke’s History off der Reformation im Germany im der original German, Fräulein Summers.”

Gloria blinked, before looking at the book again, noticing its condition this time. She then said, “I see. I’m guessing that this is a reproduction of the original?”

“Ne. It’s actually un erste edition in un new bindink. Dis originally belonged to eine off mein great-grandparents, although dis vill be der erste time dat ich’d read it since ich’d vent to college back im der vaterland.”

“I see. Any particular reason why you’re reading it on the flight?”

Katherina looked at Gloria, simply smiled, and answered, “Ne. Just dat ich’d like readink it vhen ich vas younger.” With that, Katherina returned to the old tone and went back to reading it.

Gloria just raised an eyebrow, before shrugging her shoulders. She then got up, and went to the compartment where her bags were located. Upon reaching it, she opened it up pulled out one of her bags, and quickly pulled out of it the Time Magazine that she had bought earlier that morning. After closing the bag, and placing it back into the overhead compartment, she returned to her seat. Once she was seated, Gloria opened it to the page that she had left off when she had went to the McDonald’s to converse with the older mare. .oO(Well, she does have a good idea,) mused the younger mare, as she started to look down the page.

While Gloria was reading her magazine, Katherina continued to read Professor von Ranke’s book, presently being caught up in it. As she kept on reading, the redheaded mare could feel her mind slowly starting to slip away, until finally…

P P P

Northwestern Italy, December 800 AD

Germania, as she saw the wolf with the wooden stake move closer to her, smiled to herself as she saw him take her bait. She then quickly lowered her shield to cover up the hole in her defenses, blocking the sharpened edge of the stake as she did so. As she placed her shield into position, she heard a loud clang resound from hitting against it, telling her that her plan had worked. She looked down, seeing the wolf almost beneath her, his attack with his stake stopped by her shield, with a surprised look on his face. Deciding to take swift advantage of his confused state, the grey warmare lifted up her sword, and proceeded to swing it in the direction of his exposed neck, while saying, “Next time, be sure that your opponent is not setting you up, wolf scum. Of course…”

The wolf turned his head to face the now speaking mare, just in time for him to see Germania’s heavy sword coming right at his neck. He started to scream, which turned into a very sickening gurgle as her sword cut rather deeply into his neck, causing it to squirt out large amounts of red blood, as the blow killed him instantly.

“…for you, there won’t be a next time.” Germania finished, as she saw her sword finish its deadly work. She then swiftly pull her sword out of the dead wolf’s neck, thus allowing his corpse to fall onto the snow-covered ground. The grey mare then turned her head, to see what else was going on, quickly noting that Italia had a few mores wolves floating in the air, while one of Francia’s arrows had just dispatched another wolf, one of three who at the moment appear to have Randolph outnumbered, as the four fought on the ground. As she watched the wolf that the Siamese cat femme who killed fall onto the ground, the buxom grey-furred warmare noted that one of the two wolves still fighting the dark brown-furred field mouse was the leader of the ambush crew. Germania released a low snort, as she got a strong grip upon her reins of her horse, as she was planning to come to Randolph’s assistant. She turned her steed in the trios’ direction, when she saw another wolf, this one waving a sword, coming towards her. She rolled her eyes in derision, before repositioning her horse, and charging it toward the wolf. As she came close, she lifted up her sword and in a quick slashing motion, cut off the wolf’s head. As the body was starting to fall onto the ground, she redirected her horse so that she was now riding it towards Randolph and his two opponents, planning to even the odds.

As Germania was riding towards the trio, the redheaded Alpine Field Mouse was at the moment parrying with his sword a thrust made towards his chest by the dark grey wolf leader of the presently dwindling gang of ‘highwaymen’, before he attempted a thrust of his own, which caused both wolves to move back. “Once again, in the name of both my liege, Charles Martel, and the lord, I order you two to put down your arms and surrender. It is obvious that you can’t win, you varlets. I promise you all that your trials will all be fair.” He then jumped back when the second wolf, this one with grey fur that was lighter than his leader, tried to slice him with his scythe. When the dark grey wolf tried to follow up his companion’s attack with an attack of his own with his sword, the dark brown-furred mouse blocked it with his circular brown shield. After he had released a light snarl, he went back to the attack, soon forcing the duo back. Randolph then swung his sword towards the wolf with the scythe, which forced him back, but seems to have exposed his right flank to an attack.

The black-haired wolf noticed that Randolph’s right flank was now exposed. The leader of the wolves smiled, although he continued to lose men, as a few of them were at the moment flopping around on some ice, which had been turned into such thanks to Italia’s magic, while Francia’s arrows had cut down several more, although her quiver was getting close to being empty. The dark grey-furred canine released a low snarl, as he started to run at the Alpine Field Mouse, his sword ready to cut the shorter redhead down. “I hope that you have prayed to the lord, you troublesome little worm, as I intend to strike you down,” he said to the rodent, as he started to swing his sword at the mouse’s waist, planning to hit his flank with a deep cut. The wolf, as he was waiting to hear the sound of his sword sinking deeply into the dark brown-furred mouse’s flank, instead heard the loud clank of steel hitting against steel. He looked before him, and as he did, his flesh turned a lighter shade of grey as he saw standing in front of him an angry looking Germania, who had her shield placed before her, which she had just used to intercept his sword attack.

“Let me handle this varlet,” the blonde mare said to Randolph, as she used her shield to push the still shocked grey wolf back from the dark brown-furred mouse. She then began to approach the now retreating wolf.

“Be my guess, Germania,” Randolph said, as he turned his body slightly to his left as he now faced the scythe-wielding wolf. With a confident smile on his face, he started to lift his sword and swung it in front of his, which soon forced the now less confident male canine back. “Again, I promise that you’ll be given a fair trial if you surrender now, varlet.”

The shocked wolf, after being push further back by Germania as she used her shield to help push him away from her, slowly moved himself even further back as he watched the presently snarling mare continue to approach him, her sword ready to cut him down. As his ears slowly moved back on his head until he had them both pinned against it, the dark grey wolf kept on moving back, as he heard her say to him:

“Surrender, varlet. It is obvious that my companions and I have vested you and your gang of criminals. As Randolph had said earlier, you’ll receive a fair and honest trial if you do. Otherwise,” Germania said to the wolf, before swinging her sword, which the wolf was barely able to block with his own sword. “…you might as well prepare yourself for becoming a member of the evil one’s kingdom.” After using her shield to blunt a half-hearted attack by the wolf, Germania looked at him while looking for an opening which she could exploit. Germania showed the very nervous dark grey wolf a rather nasty looking smile after she had thought that she had in fact found one. Moving forward, the mare lifted up her sword, then aimed it towards his chest, hoping that he would try to block it with his sword.

The black-haired wolf, as the much taller mare continued to push him back, heard a loud scream come from his right. His eyes went wide with fear as she saw the dark brown-furred rodent’s sword being buried deep into the stomach of the wolf that had been fighting him with the scythe, just as Randolph was pulling it out of that wolf’s body. He then watched the mouse moved to his left, going backwards as he did so, before seeing the wolf first drop the scythe, then fall into the snow, dead, his gushing blood soon turning the snow around him from white to a bloody red. The lupine then turned his head, just in time to see the blonde mare’s sword coming for his chest. As quickly as he could, he moved the arm that was wielding his sword, and used it to just barely block her attack. It was only after he had heard their swords clang against each other, that he noted that her boot-shod right foot was coming towards his stomach. It was only at the moment that he’d realized that her sword attack was a cover for what she was now doing with her foot, seconds before he released a loud moan of pain as he felt it connect with her stomach, soon causing him to double over in pain. “Bitch! I’ll kill you for that,” he said to her, as he started to gasp for air.

“Not very likely, varlet!!!” Germania said, as she brought her lifted knee back down, before moving forward with her shield, and lifting it up, so that she was soon hitting the upper part of it against the wolf’s exposed chin, knocking him several feet into the air, soon causing him to drop his sword, before watching him land flat upon his back atop the snow, unconscious. As she looked at the wolf spread eagle form, the dark grey-furred mare started to look around, soon seeing the wolf that Randolph had just killed as it lied in the snow, still gushing blood from its wound, before she looked at Randolph, who was looking at another wolf, one who was now starting to back away from the approaching Alpine Field Mouse, then looked at Italia and Francia, who were standing before several more wolves, all of whom were also starting to back away, as they saw their leader lying in the snow, defeated by the armored-clad female equine. Germania watched the now retreating wolves for a while, before finally saying to them in a commanding voice, “Your leader has been vanquished. I therefore demand that you all put down your weapons and surrender. Otherwise…” The blonde mare then released a loud whinny that all of the still alive wolves could hear, “I will not be held responsible for what my comrades will do next.”

As soon as she had said that, both her and Randolph got into attack poses, while the black-haired vixen looked ready to unleash another magical attack, while the dark brown-haired feline was ready to launch one of the few arrows she still had inside her quiver. As she did, she said to Germania, “Just say the word, Germania! My arrows are real eager to put down a few more of these Lombardian mongrels.”

The remaining wolves looked at the foursome, who appeared to be ready to continue the battle, especially Germania and Randolph, despite part of their clothing being covered in the blood and gore that had been spilled by the wolves that they had earlier fought and had either defeated or killed and looked to be a bit more tired than their companions. Soon thinking that escaping was the better idea, they all turned tail and started to run away, to the relief of the foursome.

“That’s it, you coward, run away with your tails between your legs,” commented Francia, as she lowered her bow, before she started to remove her arrow from it, which the dark brown-haired Siamese cat femme planned to put back into her quiver.

<”Hopefully, this lot have all learned their lesson,” added Italia, before she looked over the field. She then said a few words in Latin, and soon the wolves who were not dead found their arms very securely tied up with ropes. “There now, all tied up and ready to be handed over to the proper authorities,” added the black-haired red fox vixen, before she looked over her outfit to make sure that no blood had been spilled onto it. Once Italia was sure that her clothes were clean, she looked over at Randolph and Germania, who had only moments earlier finished sheathing their swords. “Hhhhmmmm, my my my, you two look such a mess. Would it bother you if I use my magic to clean you two up? Or at least get the wolves’ gore off of your clothing?”

The male rodent and the mare, who were both looking over the just finished scene of battle, both heard Italia’s query. They then turned their heads to look at the well-dressed magic user, just as Francia, who had in the meantime gotten off of her horse, after having first placed her bow across her body, with its wooden part presently resting against her quiver, was moving about the scene of the recent slaughter, trying to remove, as best she could, her arrows from the bodies, including some of the living, planning to put back into her quiver those arrows that had not been too badly damaged by their impact with wolf flesh. The pair were silent for a while, before Germania finally said to Italia:

“If it would not be too much trouble for you, dear Italia,” she said to the vixen.

“If it pleases you, my dear,” added Randolph, before he looked at the still out cold, but now securely tied up black-haired leader of the now retreating wolves. “Do you think there might be a bounty on his head, Germania?”

Italia smiled, and was soon starting to say a few words in Latin, as Germania looked over at Randolph, before looking at the wolf.

“I would not be surprised at all, Randolph,” she answered the dark brown-furred Alpine Field Mouse, as the blood and gore that had been on their armor begin to vanish. The blonde mare than snorted, before adding, “I hope that this will not delay our arrival to Rome too much. The king wants those gifts to be delivered to the Papi without delay.”

“Uhm, speaking of the gifts, you guys, how do you think Helvetia and the caravan is doing?” Francia asked, as she was pulling an arrow out of the chest cavity of one of the wolves that she had wounded, causing him to yelp in pain. “Oh, keep quiet you baby of a mongrel,” she told the now whimpering wolf, as she inspected the arrow to make sure that it was still usable.

After hearing Francia’s remark about Helvetia and the group that were leading the gifts-laden horses away from the fight, Germania and Randolph looked at each other. The blonde mare then turned her head, and, after finding her dapple-grey stallion, who was at the moment chowing upon some exposed grass, she whistled for him to come to her, while Randolph was doing the same to his own steed. The stallion, after lifting up his head, and seeing that his master was calling for him, began to slowly trot towards her. He then started to speed up his movements as he got closer, until she was close enough to reach for and grab the horn that was placed at the front of the saddle, and then used it to jump onto his strong back. Once she was firmly seated upon his saddle, and had grabbed hold of the reins, she looked back at Italia and Francia, as the later continued to retrieve her arrows. Germania, as Randolph started to secure himself upon his mare, said to the duo, “Keep an eye on the prisoners, you two, Randolph and I are going to look for Helvetia and the caravan. If we are not back within fifteen minutes, come looking for us.”

Italia, who was still seated atop her horse, and Francia, as she was starting to pick up the last of her arrows, looked at Germania and nodded their heads, affirming that they both understood what she wanted them to do, before the raven-haired red fox vixen said, as she looked in the direction of the tied-up wolves, “Of course, Germania. And don’t you worry, my dear. These ruffians won’t be going anywhere.”

Francia, her quiver now more than half full after she had finished retrieving her non-damaged arrows, added, “Yeah, I’ll especially see to that.” She then looked at the tied-up wolves, giving them all a look which said that she was prepared to shoot them where they were if any of them try anything stupid, which caused a few to start shivering.

Germania nodded her head, before turning around. She then smacked her legs against the side of her charger, then, as she got a strong grip on the rein, said something to him in her Old Low German tongue. The dapple grey stallion released a loud whinny, as if he understood what she had just told him, before he started to gallop across the ground in the direction that Helvetia had gone earlier, intending to keep an eye on the gifts-carrying caravan and their pack horses, to make sure that it wasn’t ambushed, quickly followed by the brown-furred Alpine Field Mouse atop his horse, a black mare. As the two and their steeds continue on, they began to hear a familiar sound, a loud baa, with an angry tone to it.

“Sounds to me like Helvetia and the caravan have been approached by some uninvited guests,” said Randolph, as he looked at Germania.

“And from the sound of her baa, I think that might’ve been a mistake on their part,” the dark grey warmare replied, before slapping her legs against her stallion’s flank again, which caused him to move faster, as the rodent did the same with his mare.

The two riders continued their hard ride as they could hear Helvetia’s baas get ever louder until the pair had reached a dip in the road, which caused them to slow their steeds down. As soon as they have reached the upper part of the dip they saw before their eyes the following scene: At the bottom of the dip, to the left, near the woods, placed in a protective semi-circle was the caravan as well as Helvetia’s steed, while in front of the caravan was Helvetia who was presently wielding her battle axe. The redheaded Mouflon was fighting with a couple of wolves, one of whom was using a sword, while the other was armed with a pitchfork, slowly forcing the pair back, while on the ground around her were placed the bodies of several more wolves, all either dead or wounded. Lastly, the duo noticed the blood and gore that was presently splattered upon the loudly baaing mountain ewe’s armor, as well as the light sword cut that was placed upon her upper right arm.

“Can you make out what she’s saying, Germania?” Randolph asked the mare, as he noticed Helvetia saying a few words, before using her axe to cut off the head of the wolf who was using the sword.

Germania, as she turned her head to face the mouse, while the wolf’s headless form was falling onto the blood red snow, answered, “She said, ‘…I’ll kill myself before I let any of you scum anywhere near my maidenhood.’ Sounds to me like this lot was thinking with a different sort of head.” Germania then snorted, as she proceeded to unsheathe her sword. “Shall we help her send the rest of that rabble packing?” she asked Randolph, as she noticed that a few wolves were attempting to put together one last charge to Helvetia’s right.

The brown-furred Alpine Field Mouse released a light, angry squeak as he heard Germania’s translation of the big Swiss ewe’s comment to the now dead wolf, just as she had smashed her axe into the head of the second wolf. “Well, serves that fiend right,” he said to the buxom blonde mare, as he saw her start to pull out her sword, before he noted that Helvetia, who was at that moment breathing rather heavily, looked to be getting ready for yet another attack. Turning his head, he saw the wolves preparing to charge Helvetia. Without giving it a moment thought, after hearing Germania’s query, he unsheathed his own sword. “Need you ask, my dear?”

Germania simply nodded her head, and after hitting her stallion’s flanks with her legs, headed down the hill, her sword in front of her, as she released a loud war whoop. The rodent was soon doing the same, as they charged towards the left flank of the now charging wolves.

Helvetia released a light snort as she watched the wolves, or what was left of them, charge towards her once again, this time trying to overwhelm her with their numbers. As the buxom mountain sheep ewe waited for them, her mind went back to when the attack began, as one of the caravan riders was struck down by a thrown knife that hit him square in his heart. She then recalled that after telling the rest of the caravan to go into the woods for protection, that she had gotten off of her horse, and proceeded to face the wolves that had obviously been left behind in case the caravan had been able to get past the larger wolf pack. Helvetia calculated that she had then spent about the next half hour to a full hour fighting off their attacks, as well as their taunts of having their way with her once they were able to bring her down. That part in particular had ticked her off, as she had no interest in being used as someone else’s sex toy. As she got ready to meet the wolves’ latest attack, Helvetia started to hear a familiar war whoop, followed by the sound of a pair of horses’ charging towards them. The redheaded Mouflon ewe turned her head a bit in the direction of the noise, soon seeing its source, Germania and Randolph, both on their horses, charging towards the wolves. This made her smile, before she looked back at the wolves, giving them a sneer of defiant, as she got ready to attack them as well.

The charging wolves, all expecting to finally bring down the stubborn Mouflon ewe, and then have their way with her big form, after having first captured the caravan, began to hear a loud yell that was coming from their collective left. Those closest to the yell turned their heads and saw what was causing it, while the rest continued on towards the big angry ewe, who they saw was now giving them a defiant sneer. Those who were looking soon felt a chill go down their spines as they saw the cause, a pair of figures, Germania and Randolph, charging at them on horseback, their swords held high. Seeing the appearance of the duo, especially the armored grey mare, instantly told them that their leader’s ploy of keeping the protectors of the Frankish king’s gifts for the Roman Pope occupied while they took them, had obviously failed. One of the wolves watching the approaching pair then released a loud howl, which caused those who had been running towards Helvetia to stop in their track, before the group heard him loudly growl something to them, while pointing in the direction of the pair riding towards them. Upon seeing the hard riding Germania and Randolph, all of the still living wolves turned around and started to run in the opposite direction.

“That’s it, you curs, run away, with your tails between your legs,” said Helvetia, as she watched the wolf pack run away. As the group got further away from her, she began to relax her pose until she finally placed the head of her axe onto the muddy ground, as she started to breathe hard from all the fighting that she had done to defend the caravan. She then looked in the direction of Germania and Randolph as the approaching pair now came to her at a much slower trot, as they were putting their swords back into their scabbards. “And you guys certainly took your time getting here. What kept you?”

Germania, as she and Randolph have stopped their horses in front of the still loudly huffing Mouflon sheep ewe, smiled at Helvetia, before saying, “We were kind of busy, old friend. Although, from the look of things, you seems to have been holding your own,” as she looked at the dead wolves who lay at Helvetia’s feet.

”Excuses, excuses,” remarked Helvetia, which caused Germania to release a light chuckle.

The buxom grey-furred mare then turned her head and looked at the still running away wolves. After releasing a low snort, Germania commented, “Hopefully they won’t be trying this again.”

Randolph, who was also watching the retreating canines, said, “If that bunch of brigands have any sense, they won’t.” He then looked in the direction of the caravan’s drivers, seeing them coming out of the trees that they had just used for cover. The Alpine Field Mouse then looked up into the sky, soon seeing the sun, which was moving further to the west. He then looked back at the drivers and started to squeak some orders to them, telling them to begin setting up camp. After having done that, he looked at Germania and Helvetia. <”I think it would be wise if we just set up camp for the night, as well as bring in Italia and Francia, with our still living prisoners.”

Germania nodded, as she started to move her stallion in the direction where she and Randolph had original come. “I’ll take care of that,” she said to him, before slapping her strong legs once more against her steed’s flanks and then started to ride back up the road, to bring in Italia and Francia, along with the wolves that they had not killed, so that they could later hand them over to the proper authorities to face their punishment, especially their leader.

British Airways 5809, flying over the western North Atlantic, c. 9:00 AM Atlantic Time

“Excuse me, miss, would you like something to drink?” the redheaded mare thought she had heard before she began to shake her head. Katherina then blinked her eyelids for a few seconds before finally looking in the voice’s direction. The business mare saw standing before her a brunette-haired, silver-grey-furred common European badgeress with a large white stripe that went up the middle of the sow’s face, starting from her nose, clothed in the uniform of a British Airways attendant. Katherina then looked to the sow’s right, where she saw placed behind the young sow a food cart, upon which was placed several drinks and some sweets. The mare looked at the drinks that were on the top part of cart for a few moments before she looked back at the attendant, “Ich vill haff der coffee mit some sweet und low, danka.”

The brunette-haired sow nodded her head, before saying, “Very good, mom.” She then looked over at Gloria, who was still reading her magazine, although the blonde mare was near the end of it. “And ‘ow about you, ma’am?”

Gloria, looking up from her magazine, looked at the badgeress, then at the cart. Like Katherina, she looked at the proffered drinks, before finally looking back at the sow. “I’ll have some tea, if you don’t mind, uhm...” Gloria now looked at the nametag that was placed on the upper left hand corner of the badgeress’ uniform, “…Muriel. Earl Grey, with a lump of sugar.”

Nodding her head again, Muriel said, “Okay, tat’s a cup of coffee n a cup of Earl Grey tea. Right’o, ah’ll be back wit your drinks, then.” She gave the two mares a smile, before going back to the cart to put together the pair’s drinks.

As she watched the silver-grey-furred European badgeress, who had reached her cart, start to put down a coffee mug and a teacup, Katherina felt a tap against her left shoulder. The redheaded equine turned her head in the direction of the tap, and smiled at the tapper. “Ich had vondered vhere du vere seated, Frau Bertha,” Katherina said to the white Rhinelander rabbit femme, who was sitting in the seat that was directly behind hers, as a curious Gloria also looked behind her, soon seeing Bertha.

Bertha, who was presently smiling, looked back at Katherina before commenting, “Actually, I’d been sittink here since I’d gotten onto the airplane with Frau Storm, Frau Katherina.”. The raven-haired female lapin, who had a small pamphlet placed atop her lap, chuckled, before adding, as she noticed Gail getting up from her seat, “And speaking of Fraulein Storm, it looks like that she’s coming to join us.”

Katherina turned her head, and saw the mixed-breed canid walking towards them, carrying a teacup in her left paw. “So ich see,” she said to the female rabbit, just as the brunette-haired female badger flight attendant approached them, with a coffee mug in one paw and a teacup in the other.

The sow stopped before the seated duo and said to them, “Here’s be ye coffee and tea, ladies,” as she started to hand the coffee mug and the teacup, with a spoon placed on the side, to the two equines.

“Thank you,” said Gloria, while Katherina said, “Danka,” just as Gail had joined them. The redheaded mare then watched the badgeress nod her head, say you’re welcome to the pair, then turned and head back to her cart. She then looked back at Gail, who now stood before her and Gloria, who, at the moment, was using the spoon to stir the tea inside the cup that was now in her hand. Katherina said to the raven-haired Jamaican mixed-breed canine femme, “Enjoyink der flight, Gail?”

Gail, as she recalled the number of times that she had spent in the air, and not always inside an airplane, chuckled a little before answering, “Ah certainly am, dear child. ‘ow about ye?”

With a light chuckle in her own voice, Katherina answered, “Ja, ich am.” She then raised the coffee mug to her snout, soon seeing the warm steam that was exiting the mug. After she had blown into the mug a couple of time, the buxom redhead started to sip some of the coffee. As she did so, she heard Gloria ask:

“Speaking of liking things, how’s the book, Frau Pferd?” After she had asked her question, the blonde fashion model mare started to sip some of her tea, after having first removed the spoon, a few seconds before Gail began to drink from her own cup.

The Rhenish/Hanoverian mare, as she continued to drink from her mug, looked in Gloria’s direction, seeing that she was presently drinking from her teacup. As she drank, she pondered over her fellow mare’s query, before looking at her chair until she found its folding tray. Katherina then proceeded to lift up the tray, locked it into place, and then put the coffee mug on top of it. She then looked once again at Gloria. “It’s interestink, danka,” she answered the blonde mare. Katherina then asked Gloria, “Und how’s der magazine dat du are readink, Fräulein Summers?” As she waited for a response from Gloria, she heard the lapin doe ask her:

“And what book are you readink, Frau Katherina?”

Katherina looked back at Bertha. She raised her book, then showed the white rabbit the book’s front cover.

Bertha, who noticed the book’s title, commented, “From your family’s private book collection, Frau Katherina?”

The redheaded mare nodded her head, while Gloria, who had just finished drinking from her teacup, was lifting up her own chair’s tray, before finally answering, “Ja, it ist.” She then smiled back at Bertha, before she finally heard a reply from Gloria.

“It makes for some rather interesting reading, Frau Pferd,” the buxom blonde mare answered, commenting on the magazine. She then said, “I don’t mean to make it sound like I’m trying to pressure you, but have you given any more thought to my earlier request?”

Katherina looked at Gloria. Smiling at the younger mare, she replied, “Ne problem at all, Fräulein Summers, und ich’m still dinkink over ihr request. At ich’d said earlier, ich’ll give du mein answer by der time der aircraft haff landed im Düsseldorf, ja?”

“Okay,” replied Gloria, just as she heard Gail ask her a question.

While the blonde fashion model mare was answering the raven-haired mixed-breed canine femme’s question, Katherina released a silent sign, as she mused, .oO(Ich just hope dat Georg vill be able to find out vhether der diary im mein carry-on bag ist der real ding ou un fraud.) The redheaded mare then looked at the overhead compartment within which was placed her carry-all bag, which had inside it the suppose diary of the 13th Germania which she had received at her office the previous day. Before she could think any more about it, Bertha asked her a new question. Katherina turned her head and began to answer the blonde Rhinelander lapin doe’s question, as the plane continued on to London.

To Be Continued

Katherina Pferd/Germania, Georg/Blitz, Alfred, Randolph, third Germania, first Italia, Francia, first Helvetia, Alfonso, Otto Bulle, Georg Wolfgang/Original Iron Cross, Emilie Wolfgang/first Riding Hood, Germania Museum, Pferd Motors, Hilda Schaf/Helvetia, Sophie Rossinardo/Italia, Olga Nicholasovna/Mother Russia, Alfred Kaninchen/Blauer Demon, Alissa Kaninchen/Blauer Demoness, Bertha Kaninchen, Muriel, all unnamed characters; Mentioned: Albert/Krieg, Philadelphia Police Lieutenant Phyllis Afgan, Nazi-era Germania, Christel Wolfstein/second Riding Hood, Friedemann Wolfstein and their family, Fenris, Mabel Symthe/Sekhmet, first Germania, Sam Chippy © 2012 Stanley L. Alston, Jr.

Mentioned: Asrail Whitetail/Mega-Weasel © 2012 Scott Alston

Gail Storm/Calypso © 2012 CD

Gloria Summers/Lady Liberty, Kelly Goodwin/Brown Lotus, Arianna Wynn, Shirley Elizabeth Harris/Lady Canuck, Rosa Chiquita Martinez/Mexicali, Helsinki Johannasan/Lady Europa; Mentioned: Bethany Spencer-Summers/Present-Day Battlestar, Sakajewy Summers, Mary Spencer-Davis/World War II-Era Battlestar, Summer Modeling Agency © 2012 Train

Alice Goldenwaite/Britannia, Ilsa Hiltrude Nowotny/Hollandia, Genevive Calais Bagot/Marianne, Edith Goldenwaite-Smyth/World War II-Era Britannia © 2012 Stanley Alston and Train