Right to a Bear's Arms, Ch. 14 (Patreon)

As Hera's truck drove through Kelin's hometown of Gillette Wyoming, she marveled at everything there was to look at.  Having once been a small place, barely 600 in population, over the last twenty years, it had exploded, now over 32,000.  Much of the town's original infrastructure had been preserved but expanded.  As they had driven, Kelin had pointed out his old grade school, a massive structure atop a hill called Pronghorn Elementary.  Hera had giggled when he had excitedly told her that the library, the tallest room in the building was held up by a gigantic pencil-shaped support column.  He seemed so proud and animated about everything when it came to talking about his home.  She had listened to every word, asking questions and marveling at the tightly packed in houses as they drove through the town proper.

With them living technically outside the city limits, Kelin and Idona had tons of stories of still enjoying modest, rural life with access to large cities, such as Arknought only an hour or so away. Even the state capital of Cheyenne was only three hours to drive but well worth the trip every summer for the rodeos hosted there yearly, apparently.

"Cheyenne Frontier Days," exclaimed both Leods happily.  "Daddy of em all.  Get er' Done!"  Both chuckled.

"Get er' done?" Hera asked quizically.

"State motto," explained Idona.  "Also the tagline for the rodeo events.  Cheyenne explodes every summer with people coming from around the world.  Goes from a city of 500,000 to well over 5 million for the space of a week.  Anthros, Humans, everyone from everywhere shows up for a week of carnival rides, food trucks, and the best in cowboy entertainment.  We have concerts by famous Country singers, monster truck shows, sometimes even a circus rolls in.  It's amazing."

"Sounds like!" agreed Hera.  "Perhaps a bit too busy for my taste, but I could be convinced to go maybe next year."

Kelin leaned in eagerly.  "I'd happily take you!" he exclaimed.  "You don't know rodeos until you've seen it."

She glanced back at him, grinning.  He met her eyes and flushed again, quickly looking away and pointing down another street.  She followed his instructions, keeping her eyes on the road for the most part and just happy to being shown around by the pair of Humans.  As they finally passed the residential area and came into more of the commercial side of town, Hera's eyes went wide.  A huge building dominated a downhill section of parking, perhaps not as massive in scale as some she had seen before, but there was no denying that the museum they had just pulled up to was as grand as could be.  She put the truck in park and stepped out, marveling at the grand and yet homely-looking building.  There weren't many places to park Rico's large vehicle, especially given that it was built for a larger species than the town's inhabitants, and thus she had to pick a spot much farther back.  The parking lot was packed with cars of all shapes, sizes, and colors.  Streams of people flowed in and out from the double-glass doors set in the front of the building.  A statue of a cowboy, holding onto his hat with one hand, rode an actual dinosaur as if it were a horse, mounted to a currently deactivated fountain.  The truck doors clicked shut behind her and she turned to beam down at the pair, who honestly looked more than anything amused to see her reaction.

Wasting no time, they strode towards the building, Kelin hanging slightly back and reaching for her paw.  She happily took his hand and walked side by side with him through the doors.  There were not many Anthros that she could see, so she got a lot of looks, and she actually had to duck a bit to get through the doorway.  She put such details out of her mind, however, happy just to be here.  Idona led the way, waving at a few workers that she apparently knew by name, and together they headed down a side hallway instead of through the main foyer.

"I promise to give you a tour later," said Kelin, noticing that she was looking back towards the doors they had come through.  She flushed a bit, ears wiggling and nodded happily.  There was so much to see and so many new smells that she almost felt a bit guilty, wanting to indulge in them.  She didn't go out much and Arknought was such a packed metropolis that sightseeing was hard to coordinate or achieve.  Plus, she had never been a big tourist before.  Small towns like this were the best.

They kept going, passing various employees who all, admittedly, stopped to stare for a second or two at the towering Ursid squeezing past them, but no one tried to stop them.  One elderly gentleman actually waved hello at the Leods, both of whom smiled, waved back, and then bowed their heads to.  The Asian man returned the gesture warmly then returned to mopping.

Finally arriving at another set of double doors, Idona turned and planted her hands on her hips, looking up at Hera with a contemplative expression.  Hera looked between the girl and Kelin, confused.  "What is here?" she asked.

"Stage doors," explained Kelin, squeezing Hera's paw and then finally letting go.  Hera allowed him to, only a little reluctantly.  "Idona and I need to get set up with the others."

Right on queue, the double doors opened, allowing Hera a brief look into a darkened room shrouded by heavy, black stage curtains.  Ingrid Leod bustled out from behind them.  Hera blinked in surprise.  If she had never seen the woman's band pictures, she would have been utterly shocked to see the matron of House Leod dressed as she was: a woven dark shawl covered her shoulders and hung down to her bare belly, bone and metal bracelets adorned both arms liberally, and her golden locks had been matted down and pressed into a hairnet.  Normally pale skin was painted in dark patches of black and blue everywhere that it could be seen, and her fingers were covered in runic markings.  Her face bore harsh makeup, black and ashen looking, just like on her hands and on her bare feet.  She looked utterly savage and mad.  The visual was only slightly spoiled when she beamed up at them all.  She hurried over, outfit clicking from the multiple bone adornments hanging from her.  "Oh good!" she puffed.  "Kelin, Idona, you need to get to wardrobe.  Kelin, make sure you check in with your cousins on the choreography.  We already have your station set up."  Kelin nodded, turned to give Hera one last cheeky grin, and then loped off through the double doors.  Ingrid turned back to face the two younger women.  She cocked a painted eyebrow up at Hera.  "Something the matter dear?"

Idona giggled then, drawing a glance from Hera.  The teenager looked nothing short of amused at Hera's expression upon seeing Mrs. Leod.  "It can be a bit jarring to see if you aren't used to how crazy this family gets," she commented, waving her hand dramatically.  "But you still ain't seen nothing yet."

Ingrid rolled her eyes.  "Idona, please go follow your brother, we're running a little late as it is already."  Idona gave a put-upon sigh and did as she was asked.  Turning back to look up at the Ursid, the matron of house Leod smoothed her shawl and various adornments.  "I admit, I look a ghastly sight compared to my usual attire.  I hope it isn't too unsettling."

Hera shook her head, hair waving again.  "Not at all, just surprising.  May I ask what that outfit is called?"

Looking down at herself, Ingrid chuckled, taking a deliberately slow turn to show off the designs.  It looked as authentic as could be, as if she had stepped out of a history book written about Viking shamans.  "It's a traditional shawl, skirt, and ash-paint used by Norse godi women," she explained.  "Godi is our word for a wise woman, soothsayer, or god-speaker.  It's a part I've played many times before.  The others are dressed, I suppose, a bit less eccentrically compared to me.  We love being as close to realistic as possible without relying too heavily on media versions of our culture."

***Author's Note:  I am unsure as to whether the proper term for Male versus Female Shamans is Godi or Gothi. If anyone knows the proper term, please comment here. I like being authentic especially when it comes to this stuff***

Hera nodded, suitably impressed.  She glanced past at a sound from behind the stage doors, endlessly curious.  "Is this kind of show you put on often?" she asked.

Ingrid nodded.  "Very much so.  You can watch from backstage if you'd like, or you can take this side door here, go down the stairs, and sit in the amphitheater with the crowd.  You'll have a better view from there, but I will admit, you may have to sit in the back, being as tall as you are.  If you want to watch from back here though, no one is going to mind.  One second," she reached beneath her shawl and tugged out a plastic-wrapped stage pass on a blue cord.  "Put this on.  It means you're allowed back here."  She beamed up at Hera warmly as she did as she was bid, biting her lip as Hera admittedly struggled a tiny bit to get it over her ears, then glanced at her watch, pulling back a metal bangle that fit over it.  "Oh goodness, it's almost time.  I need to go get my headdress on.  Enjoy the show, dear!"  She bolted off then, outfit jangling and clicking rapidly.

Hera watched her go, grinning, and shook her head.  The Leods certainly were an odd bunch, but a delightful sort at the same time.  The energy and passion they devoted to their ancient ways, updating them for modern use and performances inspired naught but respect in Hera's eyes.  She felt a thrill as she peered through the stage doors, steeling herself, and then stepped through.  It was very dark as the doors shut behind her, even with her naturally sharper vision compared to a Human's, and she was forced to feel her way through the various stage curtains until she came to the backstage proper.  She blinked in surprise, eyes readjusting to the presence of light up ahead, even dimmed.

The theater was filled with crowds of people, chatting and murmuring excitedly.  Hera had seen movie theaters less packed than this.  The dark stage itself was set up with strange cutout models of what had to be Viking warriors, leaning in over actual shields and posed, ready for battle with wooden swords or spears.  At the rear of the stage, a carved wooden dragon was set up, staring out over the black performance area.  It looked exactly like one taken off the prow of a Viking longship.  More curtains hung in various dark colors in the rafters, simulating wings.  Fake ravens dangled from strings.  It was an impressive setup for a mock battlefield, and Hera had no clue what kind of show the Leods were putting on, although already excited for it no matter what it might be.

She leaned her head back inside the curtains, taking a step back in fear of being where she wasn't supposed to be or disturbing part of the scenery.  She almost bumped into someone and turned quickly to apologize in a hushed tone.  She squeaked in alarm as an armored, faceless-helmed Viking warrior stared up at her.  He wore a knee-length chainmail hauberk underneath a wolfskin cloak, carrying a shield over his back and an authentic sword at his waist.  The man gazed up at her for a second or two then she heard him chuckle.  A tattooed hand lifted and Theo's bearded face grinned up at her from underneath.

"Trying to find where to stand to watch the show?" he asked.  She nodded, blown away by his drastically different appearance.  Much like Ingrid, he didn't look like just a man wearing a costume; more as if a real Viking having stepped out of the pages of history to stand before her.  He gestured with a hand and she followed him to another area, weaving their way through yet more curtains and various stagehands.  He patted her on the back as they arrived at a much more open area on the opposite side of where she had come in.  "You should be able to see everything from here," he assured her, then lowered his helmet back over his face, obscuring it once more.  He banged a fist against it then, turning away, and strode out from behind the curtains to the open-fronted stage.  He roared at the unexpecting crowd, who all shrieked and then laughed as he posed in his gear then pulled a rapid two-step jump, clicking his boot heels together.  The crowd laughed again.  Hera bit her bottom lip to suppress a giggle of her own, seeing exactly where Kelin got his energy from.

Theo carried on for a while, performing a strange little dance just to amuse the onlookers.  Despite his heavy armor and gear, he moved with grace and sure-footed speed.  He ended in a bow to the crowd, heels crossed, then walked off towards the side of the stage.  He paused, inspecting one of the wooden fake warriors, roared at it, which made the crowd laugh again, and then continued on.  Hera settled herself in to wait, although she did not have long to do so.

A few minutes later, a hush fell over the audience.  The lights in the theater viewing area dimmed and people settled quickly into their seats, gazing up at the stage as fog began to pour in over the floor.  A flash of light, followed by a synthesized clap of thunder, made Hera's fur stand on edge.  Dark chanting began to hum through the speakers, creating a mysterious atmosphere that left everyone on the edge of their seats, skin prickling with anticipation.

There was a heavy stomping coming from the reverse side of the stage from Hera and she peered through the curtains eagerly.  Striding out from behind them, a shawl-covered woman, wearing an elaborate and barbaric headdress, mounted with the skull of a stag, walked slowly and purposefully to the center of the stage.  The faceless woman carried a drum in one hand and a wooden beating rod in the other.  She walked up to a preprepared microphone, adorned with fish bones and netting, and growled into it.  Hera's fur went fully straight as a rasping, harsh and terrible voice filled the theater.  If she had not seen Ingrid without the headdress, she would never have believed her capable of making such a sound, nor that the savage shamaness speaking to the crowd could ever have been the same laughing and smiling blonde woman who only an hour or so ago had been showing Hera around her house.

The words were in Norse, harsh and beautiful with perfect attention to detail paid to each and every one.  She gestured dramatically from side to side, continuing to speak in the foreign language.  Another voice then began to fill the theater, speaking over her.  Hera recognized Idona as the one speaking.

"Throughout the ages of darkness and fire," Idona narrated, voice echoing ominously, acting as an interpreter to the wildly gesticulating Ingrid.  "The warriors of Norse and Danish ancestry believed that battle was the true path to Valhalla.  We called them many things: Heathens, Raiders, but above all their name was Viking.  Their heaven is where the Einherjar dwell, the glorious and worthy dead, feasting and drinking each eve whilst on the morrow they would wage battle against one another, preparing for Ragnarok.  Slain in battle, they would rise again when it had ended, returning to the halls of Odin to once again feast and make merry.  This is the time of Wolves and Wind, of Axes and Shields.  Bear witness to these ancient warriors as they seek to prove themselves worthy of the Valkyrie's call, to join their hallowed brothers and sisters in the halls of Asgard!  For Odin!  For Thor!  For Freyja and Baldur!  For Loki the Trickster!  For one-armed Tyr and horn-blowing Heimdal!"

Ingrid ended her chanting speech by banging harshly on her drum.  The notes filled the theater, jarring all who observed down to the bone.  Hera released a pent up breath, not wanting to blink and risk missing a single second of what was happening or about to happen.

"When you hear the drums pause," continued Idona.  "Raise your hands above your head and clap!  As you clap, lift your voices and call out to the spirits of the warriors who fight today for your entertainment.  It will sound like this!"  Ingrid posed, low and wild, and then pounded out a rapid series of notes.  As she ended them, Idona called out, savagely, "Hoo!" following the sound of hands slapping together.  "Again!"  Ingrid repeated the gesture, and upon doing so the crowd joined in tentatively, clapping together once in a powerful exhalation.  "Once more, let the Gods hear your voices!" cried Idona.  Ingrid banged on the drum once more, and this time Hera could not help but joined in, slamming her paws together above her head and calling out, along with the crowd to that single, savage note.  "HOO!"  Idona's voice came one more time.  "This is called the Viking Clap.  Now sit back and enjoy.   Warriors, prepare yourselves for Valhalla!  The Gods bear witness, and the winged Valkyries await!"

Ingrid lowered her head, drum and rod held at her sides.  The stage lights blazed to life, blue and cold, illuminating the battlefield covered with a layer of fog, obscuring everything at ground level.  A heavy beat began to play through the entire room, slow and methodical, almost like the marching of feet.  A blaze of light came from the very back of the stage, the curtains retracting as if they were the spirits of the dead assisting with the show.  Hera's eyes went wide.

Four armored men, one of them recognizable as the helmed Theo, stepped slowly forwards towards the center of the stage.  Between them, hoisted upon their shoulders, a prop Viking ship was perched, covered with a heavy drape as if it were a funeral march.  They bore the heavy wooden object easily, one hand bracing it while the other hung at their sides, gripping the handles or hilts of weapons.  They stomped slow and steadily forwards.  As the beat carried on in the background for several seconds, they began to sing.  Their voices were high and strong, calling out a Viking anthem.

(  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=frBuDTLPtUg&feature=emb_imp_woyt )

"My Mother told me!" they chanted, walking to the beat of the music in premeasured and military-level coordination.  The beat began to pound ever louder and harder, the four men now alternating their voices in perfect cadence.  Despite wearing helmets one and all, it was clear they were the ones singing, as their mouths could be seen moving underneath the metal lips of their armored face coverings.  Two of them lifted their voices higher as well as they alternated singing and stepping, working off of one another in absolute harmony.  As they reached the center of the stage, singing the stanza twice, they kneeled as one, lowering the ship to the floor and placing it flat.  Mist rolled over their feet and the base of the wooden front.  They rose one by one in perfect synchronization from their kneeling positions.  With two men on either side, they reached down, the beat rising into a rapid pounding, and took hold of a series of ropes hanging from the ship's covering.

As they reached the line of "Hew many foe-men," and repeating it, the notes of the song began to rise into a more techno-style dance beat.  Ingrid, standing at the forefront of the stage still, lifted her drum and rod slowly, raising them up above her head.  The high-pitched, fast-paced techno fell away as she banged on the drum as before, giving everyone the queue to get ready for the Viking Clap.  Even as they did, the four men hauled on the ropes, causing the covering atop the prop ship to fall away.  Everyone in the audience gasped as a spotlight glowed to life upon the scene before them.

Rising from a crouch, Kelin stood proudly within the prop ship's hull, as well as a fully-sized DJ sound station.  He did not wear a helmet, dark hair striped with blue and a half-face mask of war paint adorning his features.  Over one bare shoulder he wore a wolf pelt, dressed similarly to his mother.  He mirrored the crowd as they clapped and cheered to the final note of the drumbeat.  That was when the performance truly began.

Hands flashing, painted as his family was, Kelin began to play on the sound station, heavy, dark techno blaring through the entire theater and setting the rafters to pounding to the notes of the bass.  The four armored men sloughed off their traditional fur-cloaks and threw them out of the way, hopping or striding to the front of the stage and egging the crowd on, drawing weapons and shields from their waists and backs.  Off came the helmets as well, tossed to the side savagely as the four Leod men snarled at the crowd alongside the grim godi visage of Ingrid.  Theo, Hera had seen, lacked the war paint on his face, clashing sword on shield.  The boys, Erik and Cory, both wore similar coats of chainmail, one wielding a pair of axes and the other a spear, clashing the weapons in unison to the beat upon their metal-clad chests.  Rolf looked the most barbaric of them all.  He was bare-chested, showing off a coat of body hair.  He wore only the dark britches and boots of a Viking berserker, clutching a two-handed ax in his ham-sized fists and roaring at the crowd wildly.  They ate it up, applauding and cheering at such a performance.  Kelin, meanwhile, looked utterly in his image, bouncing in place and pounding one hand up above his head.

The five Leods then lifted their heads in unison and resumed singing, repeating the cadence of "My Mother told me," but now accompanied by the rapid beat of the song.  They lowered their weapons, standing side by side and lifting their voices as loudly as possible, helped only slightly by the cleverly hidden microphones hidden in their beards and hair.  They did not dance, merely standing there and singing for all their worth, but somehow it seemed for all the world that every word made them appear even wilder.  Their voices rose to the "Hew many Foe-Men" line again, this time carried off and away by Kelin's clever sound-mixing.   As the note went on and on, all sound suddenly dropped away and the four men, having used that time to drop to one knee, put down their weapons within easy reach, and stood up just as fast again to their full heights with perfect timing.

Ingrid took a step forward as the beat returned, this time a pounding, invigorating one that sharply contrasted the previous, fast-paced one.  She beat the drum in her hands to each note of the song, mirroring it perfectly.  Every time she and the beat paused, the four Leod men lifted their hands above their head and clapped once in unison as they had instructed the crowd to do.  "Hey!" they shouted every time, painted faces contorted with concentration.  The beat continued to pick up each and every time they repeated the clap.  Kelin even joined with them for several of them then returned to make sure the music was on beat.  The music rose to a furious crescendo, Ingrid weaving herself in a slow circle while pounding on the drum, faster and faster, in preparation for the last Clap.

As they reached the final drum beat alongside the traditional "Hoo!" the men dropped again to their knees, plucked up their weapons, and turned to face one another.  Theo and Cory stood on one side, Eric and Rolf on the other.  The lights began to strobe on and off as they charged, seemingly in slow-motion, at one another, hacking, stabbing, blocking and parrying, as well as attacking the wooden warrior cut-outs, simulating the fighters being slain in battle each time one of them was knocked down.  

Several of them performed acrobatically aided jumps and leaps, black-clad stagehands helping to lift them slightly up off the stage floor and simulating a wild athletic airbourne charge, placing them back down and then disappearing back behind the curtains.  It was a show worthy of Broadway for its coordination, timing, and atmosphere.  High in the background, Idona emerged, dressed like an actual Valkyrie, complete with wings upon her back and a winged helmet obscuring her face.  She was held up by a safety harness cleverly hidden within her costume.  She seemingly hovered there, watching the rapid fight take place.  Kelin's head of hair bounced as he kept up the rapid beat even as the song wore down to its dramatic conclusion.

As the final note blared out across the stage, each and every one of the Leod men made sure to drop to the mist-covered stage floor alongside the now felled and rent wooden warriors.  They lay there as the lights ceased to flash on and off, lying as if dead, before finally rising as the crowd jumped to their feet, applauding wildly.  Hera joined in, blown away by what she had seen.  The entire Leod family stood side by side as the mist cleared, Idona having been lowered to the stage and detached from the harness.  Hand in hand, all seven of them took a couple of deep, stage bows.  They waved to the crowd, all of them beaming as the cheers went on and on.  They walked off the stage then, back behind the curtains, as the lights in the theater turned back on.

Hera stepped back from the stage corner, working her way to the rear area of the stage where the whole family was now resting, drinking from bottles of water and chatting excitedly.  Kelin glanced over as she came into view of them and immediately he grinned, waving.  A pang of something uncontrollably powerful went through her from her ears to her paws, making her fur stand on end for a brief second.  She could not help herself.  In an instant she had swept him up into her arms, hugging him as tight as she could without hurting him and spinning his small body in a circle as she held him up off the ground.

"That was amazing!" she exclaimed, beaming down at his painted face, half of which was buried in her chest, pressed deeply into the fabric of her military t-shirt.  "Best show I have ever seen!  The lights, the music, all the dancing, and acting!  You were incredible!"

"Thanks, Hera!" he grunted up at her, sounding rather muffled and half-squished against her.  "But...if you don't mind, could you...please put me down?  You're crushing me!"  He sounded as if he didn't really mean it, but his face had turned a rather stark shade of red from where it was buried.

Realizing only then what she was doing, she hurried to put him back down, fur going bushier for a moment and her ears flattening to her head.  He gave a massive gasp.  She looked around at the sound of laughter.  Every member of the Leod clan was enjoying the spectacle as Kelin, wheezing, tried to get his breath back after the bear-hug.

"We are so glad you liked it!" proclaimed Ingrid, who had lifted up her skull headdress to be able to sip at her own bottle of water.  "It took weeks of coordination to get all of our parts down."  Her voice was slightly hoarse, which did not surprise Hera given how she had been using it.  She coughed a bit, taking another deep gulp of water.

Finally having recovered from her surprise crush-hug, Kelin grinned cheekily up at her.  "Honestly, I think you should be congratulating everyone else here more than me.  I had the easy job."

"No kidding," puffed Eric.  "That prop ship may be small but that's a few hundred pounds or so."

"Stop whining boy," chastised Rolf who slapped his son on the back, causing the MMA fighter to almost double over, and then crossed over to stand in front of Hera.  She gazed down at the muscular man, bowing her head respectfully.  He inclined his head as well, dark eyes never leaving her face.  "So you're our Little Tyr's girlfriend huh?" he asked.  She nodded, biting her lip at the family nickname for her boyfriend.  His craggy face split in a smile beneath the thick beard.  "Well, welcome to the bloody Hyrd then!"  He stretched out a large hand, which she took.  His handshake was rough and strong, almost as if challenging her.  Unable to resist, Hera gripped his hand a bit tighter in her massive paw and returned the gesture in equal measure.  His eyes glowed a bit more than they had been and he nodded, seeming satisfied.  Then he surprised her by saying something in fluent Russian, making everyone look up at the pair of them.

She blinked several times in shock and then grinned.  She responded in English to his question of what part of Russia she was from.  "Northwest Siberia."

He nodded.  "Haven't ever been up there.  Haven't met a Bear before either."

"Uhhh..." Kelin jumped in quickly.  "Uncle Rolf, it's actually not polite to call an Anthro by an animal name.  The proper name is Ursid."

Rolf glanced down at Kelin, then back up at her.  His face scrunched up slightly.  "Whoops, sorry about that," he added quickly.  "Never met an Ursid before."

She grinned.  "It is no trouble, I take no offense.  There are lots of species names for my kind, and unless directly said while meaning to cause offense, I fully am okay with just being called Bear when necessary or when proper word slips tongue."

Rolf's grin redoubled.  "It really is a different world," he commented softly, making her ears perk up a tiny bit.  A door opened just then, causing the crowd of people to turn around.  To Hera's surprise, another Anthro stood there.  A Mustilid man of considerable girth around the belly wobbled towards them, glasses perched on the end of his black and white striped nose.  The Badger, species name Meles, beamed at the group of them, seemingly unsurprised by Hera being there amongst the crowd of Humans.

"Ah, Mr. Livings!" crowed Theo, having removed his helmet completely and striding forward to trade grips with the stoutly built fellow.  "Did you enjoy the show?"

Nodding furiously, the Badger wiped at his glasses with a soft cloth before returning them to the end of his snout.  "Y'Indeed, most entertaining, Mr. Theyo!" he said, voice rough, barking, and lisping slightly from a heavy accent.  "You don't know how much this means to this old Badger for you all to work so hard.  Boy yoy yoi!"  He slapped his paw against his forehead in a salute.  Hera recognized it and giggled; the old Guard were always so quirky.  He reminded her of Westley from her building.  To her surprise, Kelin's father returned the gesture flawlessly.

"Boy yoy yoi!" he proclaimed.  "You've always done so much for my family, it's the least I can do!"

The Badger grinned, face nearly disappearing in a massive folding of furry wrinkles.  Idona audibly gave out a small exclamation of how cute the man looked like that.  "Not a thing too grand for the Leods," Livings stated.  "And to prove this, Y'I shall be taking you all out for a celebratory dinnah, right after the exhibit showing is over!  Y'I insist!"

The Leods all laughed and Theo, flushing bright red, tried to protest but was quickly overruled.  Kelin snuck up beside her then, still wearing his costume.  He tapped her paw with his, making her lean slightly down to cock an ear down at him.  "The exhibit reveal will take a while and Dad'll probably make a speech or something about the history behind it.  We got a bit so I can take you on that tour if you wanted."

Hera turned to look directly at him.  She hoped she didn't look too eager by the way she nodded, but Kelin seemed to understand perfectly, even if he did smirk, a bit too satisfied by that reaction.  She wasn't used to being okay about letting down her walls and letting her real personality shine through.  She had only ever done so with her adoptive family.  With Kelin, though, it felt amazing to be able to be vulnerable around someone.

"Awesome!" he whispered up at her.  "Let me go wash this stuff off my face and get dressed again.  I'll text mom and tell her where we are going."

Hera nodded.  "Thank you," she said suddenly, catching his hand in her paw while everyone else was busy chatting and laughing with Mr. Livings.  He cocked an eyebrow up at her curiously.  She looked away, ears folding down.  "This has already been a wonderful day.  I just feel it is proper to thank the one who showed me there is so much life left to enjoy."

Kelin's eyes softened and he stroked her paw with his hand.  "There really is," he said softly so that only she could hear him.  "Especially when you're with the one who makes you enjoy it all the more by sharing in that life together."

She fluffed up more and leaned down to bop his forehead with her cold nose.  "Go get dressed and washed, my Kelin.  My Little Tyr," she growled softly into his ear.  "Go.  Before you make this Ursid cry.  Hurry back."

Grinning cheekily, Kelin nodded and then loped off.  Hera turned back to the group, only to meet Mrs. Leod's knowing eyes.  She flushed, ears folding down again and she tried to look innocent.  The sly grin on Ingrid's face was worthy of any Fox Anthro she had ever seen.  This was a family she already knew she adored.  Ingrid glanced down then as her phone chirped.  Her grin doubled upon reading the message there and she pointedly called the group's attention to herself.  "Mr. Livings!" she said grandly.  "Would you be willing to show us all the work you've been doing in the west wing?  Theo has been going on and on about it and frankly, I'm dying to find out what's so special!"

Mr. Livings beamed in that fluffy, jolly way that made passersby coo, and he turned to begin waddling off, heavy paws gesticulating grandly.  "Boy yoy yoi!" he proudly barked.  "Y'I would be delighted to, Y'Ingrid!"

As the entire group was bustled out the doors after him, Ingrid flashed Hera a look over her shoulder, winking.  Hera blushed hard beneath her fur but could not help feeling incredibly thankful to her.  With everything going on, it would be nice to have a moment with Kelin just by herself.  They had a lot of life to get around to living together as boyfriend and girlfriend after all, and Hera was not going to waste an opportunity to do so.  She deserved to be happy, and she had never before been this happy in her whole life.

It really was like her Poppa used to say.  "Love makes fools of us all."