*knock knock knock*
Riley stirred groggily, slowly opening her eyes to near complete darkness. The faintest light of the overcast moon and a distant lamp post illuminated the windows, letting her be certain she was indeed awake now. In the middle of the night.
*knock knock knock*
With a groan, she slowly pulled her covers to the side, realizing the reason for her awakening. Her nose was still stuffed and breathing through the mouth felt rough, hopefully it was just a dry throat.
*knock knock knock*
After sliding her legs off the soft bed and forcing herself up, she realized she could make the vague outline of furniture and the door. A few moments of fumbling around on the floor to grab her pants later, she headed for the door, interrupting another salvo as she opened it.
*knock-*
Outside, from what she could make out, stood Timmy in his pyjamas, clutching his bunny plushie tightly, looking up at her. She could hear quiet whines from him, which made her crouch in front of him as she spoke up-
"Timmy? What's up?"
"R-Riley, can you t-take me to the bathroom?" He sounded terrified by something, and as her eyesight got used got the darkness, she could see his tail was bristled to match.
She was taken aback by his request, but figured that if he woke her up like that, he had a good reason to ask.
"Alright, Timmy. Is something wrong?" Riley asked as she got back up, grabbing his free hand, slowly walking out into the corridor, the little kit following her.
"I-I'm scared..." He whispered back as they walked, gently yanking her hand as they walked next to the stairs, stopping and asking again-
"C-c-can you turn the lights on?"
With a nod Riley reached to look around for the light switch, eventually feeling it out to be roughly at eye level with her, obviously outside of Timmy's reach.
She groaned loudly as the lights briefly blinded her, clutching her scarred eyes as they got used to the sudden light once more.
"T-thank you..." His soft voice was brimming with gratitude before he reached over and hugged Riley's leg, the gentle sensation making her smile, breaking through her slightly pained expression as she crouched down again, gently returning the hug, petting Timmy's back.
"Did you have a nightmare Timmy?" She asked as she got back up, extending a hand towards him again, before they made their way to the bathroom door.
"Yeah..." He responded quietly as Riley reached up to turn on the lights inside the bathroom, pushing the door open.
"Awwwh. Do you need help with the bathroom?" She responded softly, smiling down at him before he gently shook his head and walked in, Riley closing the door behind him and waiting.
She closed her eyes and leaned her back against the wall, waiting for Timmy to wrap up his business, having to force her eyes open again, praying to not fall asleep on the poor kit.
Eventually her pleas were answered as she heard the rush of water, followed by the soft creak of the sink, and then Timmy walking out, reaching his hand back up to her.
After closing the door to the bathroom and turning off the lights, they slowly made their way back to Timmy's room, the kit letting out a whine as she reached to turn off the lights in the corridor, Riley getting the message immediately.
Timmy's room was dark as well, darker still with his window facing away from the moon. He hid behind her legs with a tiny squeak as she opened the door, before managing to fumble her way to the light switch again, letting them both in.
He wasted no time in crawling back onto the bed, stopping at the last moment as he turned towards her, eyes pleading as he asked-
"Riley, c-can you s-stay with me?"
She didn't know how to respond, asking for clarification with slurred words-
"O-okay, b-but how long?"
Timmy squirmed a bit as he thought it through, slipping back underneath his covers-
"U-until it's light outside..."
Aww darn.
She sighed, reaching over to ruffle his hair gently, responding-
"Alright Timmy, just let me go grab a pillow and some covers and I'll be back, okay?"
After seeing his enthusiastic nod she walked back into her room, grabbing the biggest pillow and dragging the thick cover behind herself, waddling back towards Timmy's room and setting up a makeshift bedding next to his own bed, using the covers as both a blanket and a mattress.
"Lemme turn off the lights in the corridor and I can st-"
"Nooooo!" He whined, sounding a bit afraid, huddling deeper under his covers.
"But Timmy, they can't be on all night like that. I'll be fine, I promise."
"P-promise?" His question was genuine, he really was afraid for her.
"Mhm. I'm a big girl, I can fight off the scary monsters."
"Alright... but t-take Sniffles, p-please!" He smooched his plushie on its nose and reached it out towards Riley, who couldn't help but smile as she gently grabbed the small bunny, gently scritching the back of its head.
"Thank you Timmy." With a nod she walked back out into the corridor, left hand continuing its gentle scritches as she turned off the light, quickly walking back into Timmy's room and closing the door, almost turning off the light before she realized that it's probably best to give him his plushie back first.
"Thank you Sniffles for helping me out there." She said with a small giggle as she passed it back to Timmy, the little skunk answering with a soft, sheepish smile.
"Ready to sleep Timmy?"
He nodded strongly as he snuggled under his covers, Riley smiling in the most tired way as she reached out and turned off the lights, quickly laying down and snuggling into her makeshift bed, the tiredness almost claiming her before she heard Timmy whisper again-
"R-Riley?"
She turned around in the direction of his bed, forcing her eyes awake as she answered-
"Yes, Timmy?"
"C-c-can I hold your hand?"
With a quiet groan she slid her right arm from under the covers, fumbling around blindly as she reached her hand on top of Timmy's mattress, searching for him before he managed to grab her hand first.
In the dark she could feel his paw clearly, the short undercoat on his palm feeling wonderfully soft as it pressed into her fingers, the well trimmed, blunt claws feeling more like tips of a ballpoint pen rather than sharpened tips as they brushed against her digits.
"Thank you Riley..." She heard his voice fade off as the exhaustion finally claimed the little kit, Riley deciding to not take her hand away as her fingertips brushed through the fur on the back of his paw, outer coat feeling a bit coarser but still pleasant, and with some focus she could even notice the difference between the outer layer and the undercoat.
So soft...
With a quiet mutter she dozed off as well, a bit uncomfortable but she'd manage.
It's not like she never had to sleep rough.
***
Soft light poured in from the window, Riley groaning and clumsily turning onto her stomach, her face buried into the pillow as she desperately clung to any sleep she could get her hands on.
Her exposed ears could catch the tiniest echoes of footsteps and sizzling, mind trying to stop herself from focusing on them so that she could hopefully snooze some m-
*knock knock*
The knocking wasn't on Timmy's door, but she still could hear it clear enough, Ella's muffled voice following soon afterwards-
"Riley? Time to get up, breakfast is ready!"
Fuck this.
She rolled onto her back and pulled the covers over her head, the bundled up mess covering most of her body well, with the exception of her bare feet, sticking out from inside the cloth burrito.
A couple more muffled steps made Riley's ears perk up as they walked up to Timmy's door, followed by another-
*knock knock*
"Timmy? C'mon sweetie, get-" She heard Ella's cooing stop with a croak of the door, followed by a couple more steps as she walked into the room, keeping quiet.
Riley kept her breath for a moment as she awaited her saying something, before a far more urgent sensation broke her focus.
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Her feet were being tickled.
She flailed briefly under the covers, her mouth trying to latch and cough at the same time, making it sound like she was almost choking as she flung the covers away from here, looking up at endlessly amused Ella.
"On one hand I want to ask how did you end up sleeping on the floor in Timmy's room, but on the other hand I think I already know."
With a groan Riley stretched her neck a bit, her entire back sore as she staggered onto her feet, looking down to see Timmy still fast asleep, a paw still outstretched out towards where she slept.
"I can imagine it wasn't the most pleasant experience?" Ella asked, some of the glee in her voice replaced with concern.
"Covers don't make for good mattresses, ugh..." Riley responded with a stretch, a pained huff escaping her lips as her back's complaint only reinforced her comment.
"I can imagine." Ella walked a bit closer and offered Riley a hug, graciously accepted as her daughter leaned into her, Ella's paws moving onto her shoulder and applying some pressure in circles.
Riley had no idea what that sensation was, but was definitely enjoying it, the soreness from the night before melting away under Ella's touch. After a few more moments she let go, tapping Riley's shoulder a couple times and helping her stand straight again.
"Enjoyed the massage?" She followed up with a giggle, grinning gently at Riley's tired smile.
She nodded in return, rolling her back a bit until the rest of the aching subsided as Ella walked around her, leaning over Timmy's bed and smooching the tip of his snout.
"Timmy, get up~"
He mumbled a bit and let out a tiny squeak, Ella giggling before she reached down for his neck, tickling it gently, the lil' kit waking up with a laugh as he squirmed, his eyes opening up to look at his mom as he reached out for a hug.
Ella giggled a bit as she knelt in front of the bed, reaching in and hugging he little kit, planting another smooch right on his forehead spot, Timmy smooching back in kind with a giggle before speaking up-
"Good morning mommy!"
"Good morning sweetie. How did you sleep?"
Timmy turned towards Riley, letting go of his mom's hug as he slipped down from his bed, waddling over and wrapping his arms around her legs.
"He had a nightmare and knocked on my door to help take him to the bathroom, and then asked that I stay with him for the night, so, well, I did." Riley chimed in, smiling as she reached down and scritched the kit's head.
Ella smiled proudly at her as her daughter kept scritching Timmy's head, reaching over to scritch hers in turn, a contented smile filling Riley's face as she wiggled her head under the good touch.
"Thank you so much Riley." She smiled warmly and hugged her one more time, reaching down to scritch her son herself.
After a brief moment of Riley being multi-hugged, Ella chimed up with a happy tone-
"Now that you're all awake, time for some breakfast~"
Before letting go of Riley, walking out of the room and urging the two kids to follow her, Timmy quickly letting go and racing behind his mom, his sister following him with a giggle.
The moment she stepped out of Timmy's room she smelled the breakfast being made, not able to place much beyond eggs, but even these were enough to get her tummy rumbling as she stepped downstairs.
Rick was fixing up some more scrambled eggs in the kitchen, tail gently waving behind him as he fiddled with a wooden spatula. At the table sat Andrew and Lily, former mostly done with his portion. More aromas filled Riley's nose as she helped Timmy to his seat and sat down herself, cheese and spring onion and garlic butter.
"Morning Riley, morning Timmy!" Andrew chimed up as he looked up from his plate, Lily nodding with a slight smile at her sister, Riley returning the gentle greeting towards her and their older brother.
"Hi dad!" The lil' kit squeaked as Rick walked over to the table, holding the pan full of goodness and sliding the appropriate portions over to the newly awoken kids' plates.
"Morning you two sleepy beans. Had a rough night Riley?" Rick asked, noticing the bags under her eyes as she reached for her fork.
"A bit, but I'm alright." She giggled, reaching over to ruffle Timmy's hair just a bit before diving into her breakfast, noticing Ella having walked over to the basement, the furthermost door left open.
After a brief internal shrug she paid it no further mind, digging into the plate, the smooth eggs almost melting in her mouth, the greasy warmth making her feel soft and welcome as she cleaned her portion, stabbing the golden chunks blindly as she closed her eyes.
"Riley?" She heard Ella call from the other end of the ground floor, holding a pair of ice skates in her paw up high in the air.
She slid out from under the table, getting up and walking over to the skunk mom, who quickly spoke up-
"So, these are Andrew's old ones, size 6. They've quite a bit of leeway as far as fitting goes, but I think they should be alright. Care to try them on?"
Riley nodded and grabbed the battered skates, sitting on a nearby armchair as she slid her foot in, tying the absurdly long laces and getting a feel for the felt insides, smiling as they fit quite well.
A few moments later she put on the other one, shakily standing up and getting a feel for how the thick skates felt to actually move in.
"Not used to the weight?" Ella asked knowingly, Riley nodding as she lost her balance and half fell, half sat back down onto the couch.
"Yeah, it can take a while to get a grip on how to move your legs with these things on, but you do get used to it quite quickly once you're actually on the ice and moving."
"Speaking from experience?"
"Ha! Sit here just for a second and take them off, got something to show you-" Ella responded with a hint of laughter underneath, Riley slowly taking the clunky skates off and waiting for her to come back.
She spared a glance over at the dinner table, Andrew and Rick already gone, or so she thought at least. She couldn't quite make it all out with absolute certainty, but the two remaining blobs did look like Timmy and Lily. Kinda.
"There it is..." Ella muttered triumphantly as she walked out of the basement, holding a slightly tarnished trophy and a large, laminated photo, passing the former to Riley.
Riley looked at her in surprise as she grabbed the old trophy, turning it around to read the hefty plate at its base-
'''
CHAMPIONS OF THE ST.LOUIS
COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL WOMEN'S
HOCKEY CHAMPIONSHIP '91
ST.JUDE'S HIGH
* JUDITH ACKINSON
* ROSALINE MACTARRENS
* JESSICA SMITH
* HELENA NELSON
* MARCELINE ALLEN
* AMELIE JOHANN
'''
"See that 'Helena Nelson' in there? Yeah, that's me." Ella chuckled a bit, a hint of well deserved pride in her voice as she rotated the large photo towards Riley.
Six hockey players gathered next to each other on the rink, with a sizable crowd in the back. The quality wasn't the best, but young Ella was quite easy to make out, smiling widely as she held the trophy up high, a bit of her tail visible from behind her. The rest of the team was composed of a cat, a weasel, a ferret, and two humans, all five with their arms wrapped around each other shoulders, the weasel's face a bit bloodied.
The photo was emblazoned with ugly yellow letters in its lower left corner, proudly sporting '11.17.91'.
Underneath the photo there was a small handwritten note on the white margin-
'''
From the left: Mela, Judy, Ella, Jess, Rose, Marcy
You did great girls, here's to you all and everything that comes afterwards!
~Summer (coach, taking the photo)
'''
Riley smiled warmly at the memorabilia, passing the photo back as she asked-
"What happened to the rest of them?"
"Mela owns a flower shop, Judy went professional and had a decent run in a couple of teams before she retired, Rose is a cook at a fish joint, our coach Summer, well, still is a coach even in her seventies and Jess and Marcy... hah, they married each other." Ella reminisced with a warm smile, looking up at Riley.
"But I've been going on for long enough, go finish your breakfast sweetie while I sharpen this pair, you couldn't cut bread with these blades at this point." She remarked and tilted her head towards the table, Timmy the only one still left, his tail a bit puffed up.
Riley nodded and sat back in her chair, cleaning the rest of the now cold eggs as she looked to the side at her brother, groaning a bit as he couldn't finish his portion.
"Is something wrong Timmy?"
"I can't eat anymore..." He whined quietly, looking up at her.
"Then don't, I can finish your portion if you want."
"But I want to eat it!"
She rolled her eyes a bit, wrapping up her portion as she offered-
"How about you place the leftovers in the fridge, and once you're hungry again we can heat it in the microwave?"
He thought intensely for a good moment, eventually nodding strongly back at Riley. With a soft smile she grabbed both plates, placing his in the fridge before sliding hers in the dishwasher, managing to just barely find some space for it.
After climbing back upstairs she went back to her room, putting on some actual clothes instead of just her night shirt and tattered track pants.
As she wrapped up she reached for the underwear drawer, looking for a pair of thicker socks to make the inside of the skates comfortable. With a grimace she realized she didn't get any while she was shopping with Rick, groaning as she reached to the bottommost drawer, grabbing an old but mostly hole-less pair of larger woolen ones, pulling the right sock on as she froze in place, feeling a piece of cold metal against the sole of her foot.
She felt her fists clench and her breathing speed up, knowing exactly what she just felt. Her entire body stiffened as she pulled the sock off and reached into it, pulling out the old bronze coin, holding it in a tight fist, her hand shaking as old, buried emotions threatened to make her snap there and then. With a loud grunt she threw it against the floor with all her strength, the coin ricocheting around for a moment before ending up somewhere she couldn't see, Riley sitting back on her bed, breathing hoarsely as she slowly calmed down.
That was long ago. She doesn't need it anymore.
She never did.
With a strong shake she cooled down enough to pull the sock back on, walking into the bathroom and washing her face, old anger flowing out of her eyes and down her cheeks, quickly washed away with freezing cold water as she heard someone knock on her door.
After drying her face off she walked up to the door, opening it to find mostly dressed Rick on the other side-
"Oh good, you're already dressed. We're waiting downstairs for everyone to get ready and then we're gonna head out, the lake is only ten or so minutes away from here. Grab your normal shoes as well, walking around in skates is very much not a fun experience."
She nodded and quickly slid her sneakers on, running downstairs to find Lily and Andrew already dressed and waiting, holding their skates in their paws as Riley walked up to them, leaning against the table as Andrew spoke up-
"Excited to learn how to ice skate?"
"Sure I suppose, always looked quite fun if a bit painful."
"Don't worry, mom's digging for her old gear, with that on all you'll have to worry about is falling forward and not backwards. Even then, it's not as bad as it looks, crashes like that don't happen too often. His first time skating, Timmy only fell over a couple of times and didn't even mind that much."
"It helps he's half my size." She responded a bit sarcastically, underestimating her skill at not falling onto hard ice.
"And quarter of your coordination." Lily giggled quietly at this, Riley rolling her eyes before responding with-
"Fair I guess. Been skating for long?"
"Since we were Timmy's age, mom taught us one after the other." Lily nodded in agreement, opening her mouth to speak but deciding otherwise halfway through.
"What about Rick?" Riley noticed Lily's air twitch a bit, probably unused to her dad being called by his actual name.
"Mom taught dad as they dated in college. He told me once he finally fell in love with her when she grabbed him by the paw and just dragged him behind herself as she sped up around the rink, ended up going so fast he couldn't see anything but her as they slowly slowed down and just held her until the dizziness went away."
Riley smiled warmly at the old memory, Lily sharing her feelings with a wide grin as Andrew told the story.
"You must have seen him to believe it, he got so scared he shook like the world was about to collapse around him." Ella giggled as she chimed in, walking out from the basement with a bundle of ice skating gear, Riley walking over.
Lily giggled at that addition, the sound making Riley smile a bit as Ella pulled out the knee pads, kneeling in front of her daughter as she put them on securely, the safety gear feeling comfortable while still being very stiff.
"Now the elbow ones..." Ella muttered to herself quietly, tail waving behind her as she strapped Riley up, securing the pads tightly before she stood up, admiring her handiwork.
"There we go. Give me a moment to grab your skates, they're in my room now, nice and sharpened." She chimed in before going upstairs, walking past Timmy as he waddled downstairs, holding his tiny skates in his paw, elbows and knees nice and padded.
He turned towards Riley, taking a closer look at her before asking-
"Where are your skates Riley?"
"Your mom has them in her room, she's gonna bring them down in a bit." She answered calmly, unable to help but smile as she looked at how adorable Timmy looked in all the tiny gear.
"Why?"
"Because she needed to sharpen them, they're old and dull."
"Why?"
"Why not?" It was Lily's turn to short circuit the kit's mind, giggling loudly as he looked up at her, both head and tail tilted in confusion.
He opened his mouth to respond, cut off by the sound of Rick walking downstairs, this time fully dressed, an ushanka on his head and a pair of very worn black skates in his hand.
"Ready to tumble?" He asked with a chuckle towards Riley, the girl sticking out her tongue at him, much to Timmy's amusement.
"Darn right I'm ready." She answered with a playful smirk, cracking her knuckles as Ella walked down, a pair of skates in each hand, passing one to Riley with a smile.
"Everyone ready?" Ella asked as she looked around the family, a wave of nods telling her everything she wanted to know.
"Then off we go!"