Surprise, Surprise!

Written by & copyright of Andre' Cotton Wolfie8898@hotmail.com

Featuring Cassie, Alex (Cassie's drummer), Cindy (Cassie's bassist), Laretta (Cassie's
rhythm guitarist), Rachel (Cassie's keyboardist), Vixina (Casie's fiddler) and Slim (Cassie's
cheif roadie)

Cassie, the Rock & Roll Vixen
http://members.aol.com/rufinoform/Cassie.htm

Please read the prequil, "And the Winner Is..." featuring Cassie and her band at
http://members.aol.com/CassieRockVixen4/and_the_winner_is.txt
Please read the prequil, "Quality Television" featuring Cassie and her band at
http://members.aol.com/CassieRockVixen4/quality_television.txt

All characters created by & copyright of Earl Bacon except Laretta & Victor Hernandez, who
is created by and copyright of Andrew Cotton, Alex, who is created by and copyright of
Donna Fritz, and Vixina & Cloudchaser, who is created by and copyright of
Cloudchaser Shaconage

Cassie took her time to go through her preening.  She combed back her smooth black mane
of hair and brushed back the orange and white pelt on her face to give herself as neat
an appearance as possible.  Things were going very well for the band.  Their recent winning
of the “Best New Artist” Morphy award gave the band a surge of popularity.  This gave
an optimistic outlook for the band’s upcoming album, titled “Renaissance.”  Today was also
the day the Zetag company representatives were to arrive and negotiate the terms of
the album’s release.  They too were very excited about the band’s award, and were even
hopeful of penetrating markets outside their traditional consumer base.

The band was also going to engage in a brief yet energetic promotion of the album.  The
band appreciated the loyal following of their American fans and wanted to make sure they
knew about the album’s release, however limited it would be.  Cassie also wanted to take
some time with the band to practice a couple songs she wanted to get “just right” before
a special concert they were to give in conjunction with the album’s promotion, with the
help of a local radio station.  Even though it was just going to be practice, Cassie
still insisted on looking her best.  She adjusted the straps of her trademark blue
evening dress, slitted up to both thighs, and adjusted the garter holding up her
see-through blue nylons.  She gave a reluctant sigh before she slipped on her blue
spike-heeled pumps.  She always preferred going shoeless whenever possible, and shoes
like these made her feel unsteady and removed the natural, reassuring contact she felt
with the ground.  Still, she had to admit they looked beautiful and complemented her
ensemble wonderfully.  There were times when looking one’s best was most appropriate,
and Cassie preferred to err on the side of formality for this occasion.

Things were definitely looking up for everyone.  The award they had received was evidence
of all their effort and teamwork.  Cassie smiled and became wistful as she reflected on
how proud she was of her friends for making it possible.   She was so lost in thought that
she didn’t realize that Andy, the band’s manager, was at the dressing room door trying to
get her attention.  “Didn’t mean to bother you, Cassie,” he said politely, “I’m just here
to let you know that the Zetag reps will be arriving any minute now.”  Cassie
recomposed herself, “Okay, thanks Andy!  I was just making sure I looked my best.”
Andy chuckled, “You look great, as always!  I mean, how can you possibly improve
on perfection?”  Cassie smirked and gave him a friendly swat on the shoulder.

“I’ll tell the others that we’ll be busy for a while,” Cassie said as she got up from
her dressing table.  “Um, Cassie?”  Andy said as he cleared his throat and adjusted
his necktie.  “Yes, what is it, Andy?”  Cassie replied, giving the wolf manager a slightly
odd look.  “I never got a chance to thank you for entrusting me with looking after the
Morphy award,” said in a very kindly expression.  Cassie smiled, “Oh, think nothing of
it, Andy!  It was only natural, after all, since you do so much hard work to keep us
all together.  Furthermore, you’d have to thank all the others, since it was a
group decision!”  Andy nodded, “I know, but honestly, it really means a lot to me.”  He
sighed slightly before continuing, “When I was younger, a lot of people thought I
wouldn’t amount to much, if anything.  That included my parents and teachers.  For a time,
I had no idea where my life was going, and I really didn’t care much about it.”  He smiled
and looked tenderly at Cassie, “Now that I see how well you all are doing, though, I have
no regrets whatsoever.”  Cassie smiled and hugged Andy, “I can tell you, Andy, we
wouldn’t want to be working under anyone except you!”  They both laughed a little and went
to take care of their duties.

Cassie arrived at the band’s break room to find the others relaxing or tending to
their personal business.  Rachel and Alex were engaged in a lively game on a Fussball
table.  Alex let out a cheerful yelp as she scored a point against Rachel, who just gave
a frustrated grunt.  Laretta was relaxing and humming to herself in a recliner, filing
her claws so that they were a suitable length for strumming her guitar strings.  She sat
in her usual style, slung sideways in the chair, with her tail dangling over one chair arm
and her legs hanging over the other arm.  In a very relaxed manner, both her black
stiletto pumps were loosely dangling on the toes of her sock clad feet.  Cindy was seated
on an old sofa on the opposite side of the room.  She scowled as she glanced through
a mainstream entertainment magazine covering the Morphy awards ceremony.  Vixina,
however, appeared to be absent.  “Awright y’all, give me yer honest ahpinyons!”  her
familiar drawl called out from the dressing room in the back.  She had been experimenting
with ideas for a new look for some time now, and was eager to show off what she had
settled upon.

Everyone’s eyes turned towards the Southern red vixen as she emerged.  She’d kept some of
the old familiar elements of her style - her cross pendant necklace, golden armband,
gold navel ring with an attached gold waistlet, and torn jean cutoffs cropped temptingly close
to her crotch in the front, allowing the jeans’ pockets to peak out from underneath the
torn hems*.  She had opted for a green short-sleeved bowling shirt with her monogram, ‘VY’, stenciled in curved white letters just above her left breast.  The shirt was buttoned just so that the edges of her breasts peeked out, yet were otherwise firmly enclosed within the
polyester fabric.  Instead of buttoning it down, she had tied the edges together into a
large knot just below her breasts, exposing her midriff.  This effectively substituted for
the torn T-shirt she had worn for so long.  She had also restyled her long red hair.  She
had tied it into two long braids that hung over each of her shoulders.  She also left a
few loose bangs in front of her forehead, which she brushed back from her round
wire-framed glasses.  Completing her look was the golden anklet enclosed around the ankle
of her white furred right leg, with the initials ‘VY & CS’ etched into the gold backing of
the emerald jewel attached to the band.  A light smell of honeysuckle wafted through the
air from the fur scent she was wearing**.

She smiled and posed to the cheers and applause of her band mates.  “You look terrific,
Vixy!”  said Laretta, who applauded politely.  Cassie smiled and nodded, “I agree.
You’ve found just the right match!”  Vixina smiled sweetly, “Thanks, y’all!  Ah’m glad ah
din’ spend all that time mixin’ and matchin’ fer nuthin’!”  Alex meanwhile took advantage
of the distraction to score another point against Rachel.  The gothic deer snorted and
fixed her gaze on the small arctic vixen, “When the boss lady comes in, that means
‘time-out’, so that last one didn’t count!”  Alex just giggled and stuck out her tongue,
“Says you!”  She then turned and smiled towards the dark haired vixen, “So what’s
new, Cassie?”

The others had focused their attention on her.  Cassie replied with a smile, “I just wanted
to let you all know that Foxonian, Andy, and I are meeting with the Zetag reps today to
talk over our new album’s release promotion.”  She ticked off the fingers on her black
hand-like paw, as she mentally went through her checklist, “Then, I’d like for us to
practice a couple songs for tomorrow’s promo concert with the WPGT studio.  Until then,
you gals can just chill, but we shouldn’t be disturbed during the meeting.  Does that
sound okay?”

Everyone in the room nodded in agreement.  “Sounds cool, Cass,” Cindy remarked, tugging on
her T-shirt to straighten it out, “You’d better not keep the suits waiting!  We’ll take
care of ourselves.”  Cassie nodded, “All right, thanks for understanding!  I’ll check
back again later.”

After Cassie left, Cindy frowned as she glanced back at the glossy magazine in her hands.
The article was ‘The Morphy Awards Show:  Fashion Hits & Misses’, and evidently it did
not give the kindest opinion of Cindy.

“TROUBLE AFOOT”
- ‘Last night’s Morphy awards ceremony showed off some chic and classy displays of fashion,
as well as a few gaffes.  The young and attractive ladies of ‘Cassie’s Band’ were their
usual fetching selves as they accepted their award.  Fiddle-playing vixen Vixina Yeehaw
was especially smartly dressed, sporting an ensemble with an elegant and authentic Old
Western flavor.’

- ‘Snow leopardess bass player Cindy McCormick, however, seemed a little forgetful about
one minor detail of her outfit.  Apparently, in her case, the shoe wasn’t on *either*
foot.  One should always put their best foot forward, but in Miss McCormick’s case, she
comes up just a foot short...or two!  Is she looking to start a new footloose and
fancy-free trend?  We’ll just wait for the other shoe to drop on that one!’  The article
was accompanied with a photo of Cindy striding towards the stage, dressed in a formal
black satin blouse and leather skirt and, as expected, barefoot.

“Lousy fashionistas!”  she snarled as she shredded the magazine with her claws, “I’d like
to see them be that funny if they had to wear stilettos all night long!”  Laretta
couldn’t help but laugh at this, “Gee Cindy, I never thought of you as the type to get
upset over something like that!”  Cindy just rolled her eyes and crossed her arms,
“Yeah, whatever.  It’s not like they’re real journalists or anything, but it still gets on
my nerves!  Who the hell are they to say who dresses ‘right’ and who doesn’t?”  Rachel
smiled and replied, “Just ignore those idiots, Cindy.  I always thought you should
dress however makes you feel happy and comfortable, and not worry about what everyone thinks.”

Cindy nodded and grinned a little, reclaiming her composure, “Thanks, gals.  I thought
it would be fun to try and ‘dress up’ especially for one night, but the whole idea
just doesn’t ‘click’ with me, you catch my drift?”  Just then, another familiar face
came forth.  “Hello, Missus!”  said the short brown-furred otter in a tattered T-shirt
and jeans.  “Hi, Slim!”  the ladies responded in unison, in a coy tone of voice.  They
could scarcely suppress their giggles as Slim the stage hand shook his head and pushed in
a medium sized wheeled cart.  “Ya know,” he replied, “Sometimes I wonder why I put up
with this!”  Cindy grinned and batted her eyes, “Why, Slim!  Are you implying that you
might be tired of our hormone-inducing presence?”  Slim chuckled, “Well, I suppose
it’s because you haven’t sent me to the funny farm.”  He paused and gave a funny look to
Alex, “As far as most of you are concerned!”

He chuckled and reached into the cart.  “Anyhoo, it’s time for mail call!  Here’s mail for
all you ladies,” he said as he distributed various envelopes to the band members.
He pretended to search around the bottom of the cart before giving anything to Cindy.
“Come on, Slim, what’s the hold up?”  the snow leopardess asked impatiently.  “Hang
on, snowcat,” he chuckled, “I’m just checking to see if those shoes you ordered for the
awards show finally came through the backlog!”  Everyone except Cindy laughed out loud.
Cindy seized the grinning otter by the collar and snarled, exposing her sharp fangs,
“Now don’t YOU start!!!”  Slim held up his hands and feigned being terrified, “Whoa,
easy!  Got yer mail right here!”

Cindy just grabbed her mail out of Slim’s hand and set him down.  “Thank you, Slim,”
she replied coolly.  Everyone knew that Cindy would never really seriously hurt Slim,
she genuinely liked him too much.  However, there were times that he severely tested
her limits, and he needed to be forcibly reminded of this.  The otter straightened himself
out and continued, “But seriously, you gals were a class act that night.  I speak for
the whole crew when I say that you rightfully earned that award!”

“Thanks, Slim!”  they all replied as the smiling otter tipped his hat and returned to
his duties.  Just then, Laretta snapped to attention.  “All right, they came!”  she said
as her leg twitched, causing one of her pumps to slip off her foot and hit the floor with
a thud.  “What is it, Laretta?”  asked Cindy.  Ignoring Alex’s giggling, the she-wolf
replied, “A little while ago, I asked some artists if they’d be interested in drawing
my portrait.  A few of them said yes and here are the finished products!”  she grinned as
she held up a few large brown envelopes.

“Oooh, can we see ‘em, Laretta?”  Alex grinned, running up behind the she-wolf.  “Hold
your horses!  I’ve got to be careful with these!”  Laretta responded, giving Alex an
annoyed look.  Cindy, Rachel, and Vixina also drew close as Laretta tore open the
envelopes.  She had a satisfied grin as she held up the illustrations for all to see.
“Oh wow, you look really cute in this one!”  Alex giggled as she looked at one of
Laretta sitting on the edge of the stage with a huge smile on her face, holding her
favorite guitar.

Cindy peered closer, “That style looks familiar.  It’s by Jennifer Osiecki, isn’t it?”  Laretta smiled and nodded, “Yep, that’s right!  She had such a cute, charming style, that
I convinced her to draw me on the empty stage at our Boston venue.”  Vixina smiled,
“Ah remembah that she did some purty drawin’s o’ Cass an’ me!  Yew done well ta ask
‘er, Laretta!”  She showed them another one, of her balancing on one foot and playing
her guitar, “This artist, MehndiX, also drew Cassie.  Even if it was just me in a
general pose, she’s got a cool, smooth style and a good way of using colors!”

“What about this one, Laretta?” Rachel asked, glancing at a third illustration of the
she-wolf, “You sure look like you’re taking it easy in this one!”  Indeed that was true,
as the color pencil illustration showed Laretta sitting in a director’s chair and
smiling, with her arms crossed behind her head and her legs crossed, with one of her
pumps dangling on her foot from her toes.  Laretta nodded, “That one was by Jon Kemerer.
When we last stopped in Pittsburgh, I asked him to drop by backstage after the show to draw
me like that.”  Alex grinned, “Very clever of you!  Pretty soon, you’ll even out rank
Cassie for the most fan drawings!”  Vixina laughed, “Are yew kiddin’?  That lil’ ol’ vixen
‘s got so many drawin’s o’ her, she needs ta rent space jest t’ store ‘em all!”

Cindy had apparently lost interest in this discussion, so she turned her attention to
her mail.  She shuffled through the envelopes, finding nothing particularly interesting,
until she stopped at the last one.  “Wha’cha got thar, Cindy?”  asked Vixina.  Cindy tore
open the envelope with one of her claws, “I’m not sure, but the scent on it is
vaguely familiar.”  She blinked again and sat upright as she glanced at the letter
it contained, “Hey, it’s from Victor!”  Laretta smiled and sat upright when she heard
this, causing her other pump to slip off and fall to the floor with its mate.  “Oh yeah,
I remember him!  He was the tiger guy you met that night we went out, right Cindy?”

The snow leopardess nodded, “Yeah, that’s him.”  Everyone seemed drawn towards her now,
which made Cindy feel slightly uncomfortable.  “What did he say, huh?  Tell us, Cindy!”
Alex pleaded.  Cindy folded the letter into her lap and glared around her, “Let me read it
to myself first, please!”  Laretta nodded, “Yeah, let her.  It sounds like
something personal.”  Cindy just shrugged and gave one last glance around before reading
her letter.

‘Dear Cindy,

  It’s been quite a while since we last saw each other, hasn’t it?  Don’t think for a
minute that I’ve stopped thinking about you and that night we met.  You have no idea how
many times I’ve wished I could see your smile and hear your gentle purring voice again.

  I heard you went on a motorcycle trip down the California coast with several other
women over the holidays.  That must have been quite an adventure!  Myself, I got an offer
from a couple anthro folk musicians, a Welsh corgi and a Pinto ‘morph, to join them on a
tour of the British Isles.  Needless to say, I’m very excited!

  I also saw you and your band mates win the Morphy award on television.
Congratulations!  I’m very proud of you, Cindy.  When I saw you on stage, I just couldn’t
get over how beautiful and elegant you looked!  I’m even impressed that you decided to
not even bother with shoes.  That shows me someone with refreshing honesty and
individuality.  I admire that in a woman.

  My heart aches that we can’t see each other more often, but you should know that I think
of you every time I play a melody.

  Eternally carrying a flame for you,

-- Victor’

Cindy smiled and felt warm all over from reading Victor’s heartfelt letter.  If one
looked closely at the white fur on her face and in her ears, one could see it turning
the palest shade of pink.  “Hello?  Earth to Cindy?  You okay?”  Alex asked, waving her
hand in front of the snow leopardess’s face.  Cindy snapped back to attention, “Huh?
Look, it’s none of your business, okay?”  she snapped.  “We’re not trying to pry,
Cindy,” Rachel implored, “We just think he sounds like a nice guy for you, that’s
all.”  Laretta grinned and nodded, shifting her posture, “Yeah, he sounds interested in
you, Cindy.  Why not get in touch with him, and see how he’s doing?”  Cindy kept the
letter hidden in her lap, though she sighed and relented, “Well, I guess that would be a
nice thing to do.  In fact, I’ll give him a call right now.”  She glanced around again,
still suspicious, “In private!”  she finished with emphasis, hiding the letter from
prying eyes.

Soon after Cindy left the room, Alex shut the door and gestured towards her
companions.  “Okay!  Now that they’re gone, we can get everything set up!”  she told
the others with a huge grin on her face.  “Um, what are you talking about Alex?”  Rachel
asked doubtfully.  Laretta sat upright in the chair, giving Alex an equally distrustful
look.  “I’m not sure I like the sound of this, Alex.  You know how we all feel about
your playing pranks!”

Alex just smiled nicely and continued, “Aw, it’s nothing like that!  Honestly!  It’s
nothing mean spirited or anything like that,” she said, rocking one of her red
stiletto sandals slightly, “I didn’t think Cassie or Cindy would go for it, but I really
think the rest of us will have a lot fun!”  The others gave each other confused glances,
but Alex’s cheerful demeanor was too strong to deny.  “Awright Alex,” replied Vixina,
“we’re listenin’!”

Alex brought them all together into a huddle as they whispered amongst themselves.  There
was an occasional surprised look and hushed snickering, as they all got drawn into her
mystery plan.  Meanwhile, outside, business went on as usual.

When she was sure she would not be disturbed in her private space, Cindy rummaged through
old papers and notes for any trace of Victor’s phone number.  The search seemed
fruitless, until she discovered a scrap of old newspaper with ‘V. Hernandez’ and a
phone number scribbled in ink on it.  She must have used it as scratch paper in haste, but
it was as sure a sign as any of a number she could use.

She hesitated with reluctance for a moment.  How could she even begin to think of what to
say to him?  That awkward moment passed, however, when she thought back to his letter and
how much of his heart he must have poured into it.  Her fingers trembling, she dialed
the number.  The phone rang for a few times with no answer.

Cindy bowed her head, thinking that she had the wrong number.  Just when she was about to
hang up, a voice responded.  “Hello?”  Cindy’s heart raced as she trembled to get the
words out, “Is...is this Victor Hernandez?”

“Cindy?!”  the voice responded incredulously, “That’s really you, isn’t it?  What a
great surprise!”  Cindy released her tension and laughed in relief, “Victor, I’m so glad
it’s you!  I got your letter today, and it was so sweet!  Thank you so much, it really means
a lot to me!”  The white tiger on the other end of the line laughed, “That’s wonderful
to hear!  I, uh, hope you’re not too upset with me for staying out of touch for so long?”

Cindy laughed again, “Oh please, I was even worse.  I didn’t call or write you at all!
That’s the price you’ve got to pay for being successful, I guess.”  She smiled as she
looked over the letter once again, “I’m still getting over what I read.  You really meant
all that, Victor?”  He replied in a gentle voice, “Cindy, I meant every last word.  I
wanted so badly to be by your side that night.  Just seeing you happy, though, is enough
to lift my spirits.”

Cindy was simply struck beyond words.  No man had ever treated her so kindly or
respectfully before, and she found herself loving every minute of her conversation
with Victor.  They made small talk about their musical lives and reassured each other
that they were still clean and sober.  “I so badly hope for the day we can see each
other again, Cindy,” Victor sighed.

Cindy sadly nodded her head.  “I feel the same way,” she said as she twirled the cord
around her fingers.  “Oh, I’ve got to ask you something,” she said, “Would it bother you if
I just called you Vic?”  The tiger laughed, “Of course not!  I like it, actually.  I
really like your style, Cindy.”  Cindy smiled and almost purred right into the phone,
“Thank you, Vic.  I promise you’ll be hearing from me much more often!  Have a nice time
in Merry Old England!”  Victor smiled and replied, “Thank you, my darling.  You take
care too!”

Cindy sighed and hung up the phone with a tinge of regret.  She knew she could no longer
deny her feelings about Victor.  How could she even begin to express what she was feeling
to her friends?  She didn’t even know how to tell her best friend Cassie about what she
was feeling.  Entirely by coincidence, she nearly ran right into Cassie as she wandered
back into the hall.

The vixen had Foxonian by her side, who needed some help to stand upright comfortably.
He apparently had recovered enough from his back injury to get around, but his walk was
still slow and stiff.  Cindy had just avoided walking right into their path.  “Whoa,
hey there, Cass!”  she said, trying to recompose herself, “The meeting’s over
already?”  Cassie nodded, giving her friend a somewhat odd look, “Yeah, it went very
well.  Zetag says there’s already a huge buzz in Europe about the album’s release, and
thanks to the hype of our Morphy award, there’s even a good chance we’ll do well in
American markets, too!”

Cindy smiled and nodded, trying not to look to flustered from the unexpected
encounter.  Cassie gave Cindy a concerned look, “Are you all right, Cindy?  You look a
little, I don’t know, distracted.”  Cindy stammered, “Huh?  Oh, I’m fine, Cass!  I was
just, you know, thinking about tomorrow’s show and stuff like that.”  She quickly thought of
a way to change the subject, “So, Foxonian, how’s your back?”  The human male shifted
his posture, getting some support from Cassie, “Oh, all things considered, I’m doing
all right.”  He smiled as Cassie nuzzled his neck, “Especially since I have such a
helpful ‘nurse’!”  Cassie giggled, even as she warned him, “I still think you’re
pushing yourself too hard!  If you hurt yourself again, you know how upset that will make me!”

Foxonian laughed slightly, “We wouldn’t want that now?  I’ll tell you what, I’ll just take
it easy around here today, and then I’ll head right home to bed.”  Cassie frowned and
shook her head, “No, I think I should take you home to bed right now!”  Cindy couldn’t
help but giggle at hearing this, “Go easy on him, Cass!  You want him to get *better*,
don’t you?”  Cassie shook her head and laughed, “Oh, you know exactly what I mean!”

Cindy just smiled innocently, “Sorry, I’m just in a really good mood!”  Suddenly, they
all heard loud laughter and other noises coming from the break room where the other
band members were.  The others had perplexed looks on their faces.  “What’s going on
in there?”  Cassie asked in bewilderment.  Cindy blinked and shook her head, “I
dunno.  Something tells me I’d rather not find out!”  Foxonian just shrugged his
shoulders.  “At any rate, I need to get Foxonian home,” Cassie smiled to her lover, “He
needs his rest!”  Foxonian laughed, “If you insist!”  Cindy chuckled and waved, “Catch you
two later!”  She sighed as she watched them leave, wondering if she would ever be as lucky
as them.

“Hey everyone, and welcome to the WPGT promo concert for Cassie’s Band’s latest
album, ‘Renaissance’!  It’s a gorgeous afternoon, and those gorgeous, award-winning
furry ladies are ready to drive you wild with some of their hottest tunes!”  Everyone
cheered as the radio announcer blared his message through the speaker system.  Hundreds
of fans milled about the open-air amphitheater, grabbing drinks and seeking out shade from
the hot sun.  The stage itself was empty, except for the equipment and instruments set up
for the concert.  Soon, Cassie and her band would be up on stage doing what they did best.

Cassie was backstage making last minute preparations.  She had autographed her name on
the soles of each of her light blue pumps, ready to send them flying into the
expectant audience.  Grabbing one of her purple guitars, she met Cindy, who was dressed in
her black T-shirt upon which was printed “You Got A Problem With That?” in bold white
letters, as well as her black leather miniskirt and black biker boots.

“Hey Cindy, have you seen the others?” Cassie asked.  Cindy shook her head, “They must
still be getting ready, but it usually doesn’t take them this long.  I wonder what’s
taking them?”  Cassie frowned, “I think we’d better go find them.  It isn’t like them to
be this late.”  As they went to the backstage changing rooms, Cassie asked, “Hey Cindy,
I heard the others talking about some guy you met, Victor, right?”  Cindy gave her friend
a distrusting look, “Yeah, what about him?”  Cassie smiled, “You know I don’t mean to pry.
I just think it would be nice if you had that special someone in your life, you know what
I mean?”

Cindy nodded, “Yeah, I know you mean well, Cass.  I’d rather let things go privately
between us for now, if it’s all the same to you.  If things really do get serious between
me and him, you’ll be the first to know, okay?”  Cassie smiled and patted her feline friend
on the shoulder, “Not a problem, Cind!”  They reached the backstage changing rooms, where
the others were still biding their time.  “Okay, gals!” Cassie called out, “We need to be
out on stage pronto, so shake a leg!”  A chorus of giggles came as a response, followed
by their reply, “Yes Cassie, we’re ready!”

Cassie was not at all prepared for what she saw.  She stood there dumbstruck, while Cindy
just shook her head and rolled her eyes with an “Oh Brother!” type of expression.

The remaining band members were an absolute sight.  Laretta, holding her favorite curved guitar, was sporting straight shoulder-length black hair and heavier black eyeshadow and eyeliner than she normally applied.  She was missing her standard black metal studded collar and wrist cuffs and fingerless gloves.  Instead she had on a long flowing and slightly revealing black dress with a frilled hem that ended just at her ankles.  Over this, a lacy white corset hugged her torso.  To complete the look, she had painted her claws black and sported black lace-up army style boots on her feet.

What did Rachel think of this stunt?  Nothing much, apparently, since she had changed
her attire, too.  She had restyled her black hair into two long braids that hung down
behind her back.  She still wore a black rose pendant around her neck, but her attire
was otherwise dramatically different.  She wore a short-sleeved button down black shirt with
a white skull-and-crossbones symbol just above her left breast.  The bottom edges were
tied together into a knot just below her breasts, which exposed her midriff.  She also
wore short black hot pants that revealed much of her long thin legs, and she put her
own ‘accent’ on this particular attire style with black high-top sneakers on her feet.

Did this bother Vixina at all?  Evidently not, since she had also altered her appearance.
She carried her electric fiddle by her side and naturally still had on her glasses and
cross necklace pendant, but her hair was radically restyled into a frizzy perm.  She also
wore a red leather sleeveless minidress cropped to mid-thigh length.  On each of her
different colored furred feet she sported strappy red open-toed sandals with high
stiletto heels and slight platform soles.  Around her white furred ankle she still sported
her jeweled anklet charm engraved with both her and her lover’s initials.

How did Alex feel about all this?  She had a huge grin on her muzzle and twirled
her monogrammed drumsticks as she showed off her “brand new” look.  She had colored her
short curly blond tresses such that the right half of her hair was electric day-glow
orange, the left half was bluish-silver, and a few strands in the middle were bright pink.
In addition to her snowflake pendant, she sported a metal studded black leather collar
around her neck, fingerless black gloves on her hands, and metal studded black wrist
bands around her wrists.  A red bustier embraced her torso, a black leather
thigh-length miniskirt covered her curvaceous hips and thighs, and her feet sported
white ankle socks with frilly cuffs and glittery sparkles, finishing with black
stiletto pumps.

“Well,” said Cassie with a hint of uneasiness in her voice as she looked over her
grinning companions, “this is new!”  The others were just barely keeping their composure
under control when Slim suddenly came onto the scene.  “Is everything all right here with
you lad -- BWAH???”  he said with a shocked expression on his face.

This was just too much for the group.  Alex was the first to go, but then one by one,
they broke down into howls and fits of hysterical laughter.  Even Cassie had to laugh at
this sight, while Cindy just covered the smirk on her face.  “I swear,” Cassie managed
to reply between chuckles, “Sometimes I feel more like a baby-sitter than a band leader to
you gals!”  Laretta was the first to manage to catch her breath and respond, “You don’t
mind if we do this just this once, do you Cassie?”  Cassie smiled, “Of course I don’t
mind!  Just as long as you get out and play as well as you always do, I can’t complain!”
Alex smiled back, brushing the multicolored tresses from her eyes, “Thanks, Cass!  We
always wondered what it would be like to be in each other’s shoes!”

“Thet’s one way o’ puttin’ thet!” Vixina remarked as she tottered slightly on her sandals
and self-consciously tried pulling her dress’s hemline a little lower.  “Ah still feel
kinda funny in this git-up,” she said as she stood up straight in front of a mirror,
brushed back her hair, adjusted her glasses, and smiled, “but et shore don’ look bad!
Ah wondah whut mah beau Cloud would say if he saw me lahke this?”

Slim, meanwhile, had finally started to regain his coherence, “Whew, for a second there I
was beginning to think that those grilled-cheese-and-baloney sandwiches and
chocolate milkshakes were messing with my head!”  The others just laughed and ribbed him
as they headed out towards the stage.  “Slim, you deserve a raise for putting up with
us!” Cindy laughed.  The otter cleared his throat and nodded, “I’m glad at least
someone thinks so!”

The band members laughed and chided each other as they went on stage, eager to see
the audience’s reaction.  Meanwhile, Cindy winked and whispered to Cassie, “If Vic is as
good to me even half as much as Foxonian is to you, then he’s a keeper!”  Cassie just
smiled and nodded, reflecting on the fun and excitement each day brought, “Life can just be
so full of great surprises!”

END OF STORY
LAST REVISION:  April 14, 2002

FOOTNOTES ADDED BY CLOUDCHASER (with permission)
*The pic seen here
http://cloudchaser.esmartweb.com/patrick_little_01.jpg
is the official model sheet showing Vixina's new look.
** The line "A light smell of honeysuckle wafted through the air from the fur scent she
was wearing" added by Cloudchaser Shaconage (with permission)