Sheep And Wolfes

Aunt Kae puts her summarizing skills to the test as she presents to you the bountiful Wolfe/Willoughby/Lightfoot Family Tree! Extra kudos to layout artist Archteryx for helping me set up this beautiful monstrosity…

Once upon a time in New York City, the Brooklyn Wolfes enjoyed the status of a respectable wolf pack. They were ruled honorably and with lots of laughs by Bron and Gingerbeer, and their eldest, Barque, was set up to lead the pack in their stead. Barque’s younger sister BeeBee (referred to as neither Bertha nor Beatta) enjoyed cooking and cracking wise with her parents but didn’t trust her spoiled and swaggering sibling; true to her predictions he would dominate the pack without grace, kindness or class. BeeBee deserted him for St. Charlies where she married short king Wilford and started BEEBEE Q, a food truck business.

This could have been the end of the Brooklyn Wolfes as far as BeeBee was concerned, had she not realized that Barque was abusing his daughter Barbara. It was one rotten thing for him to bully his wife Detta, but she was a grown canid who neglected to defend her kid against her husband’s vitriol. BeeBee and Wilf would take Barbara for vacations as often as they could, but eventually BeeBee could tolerate Barque’s cruelty no longer. She challenged him to a battle of brutal claws and fangs; years of lazy gluttony, gallons of alcohol and truckloads of cigarettes had done Barque zero favors as his little sister wiped the floor with him. Now alpha of the Brooklyn Wolfes, BeeBee returned to St. Charlies with Wilf and Barbara, where they lived together happily until Wilf’s untimely death of an aneurysm. To this day Barbara is ferociously loyal to her Aunt Bee, the parental figure she always wanted.

During her youthful sojourns to St. Charlies, rough and tough Barbara became unlikely friends with a tiny, lisping squirrel kit named Melissa. Barbara appreciated little Melissa’s unflinching courage and razor sharp intellect, while Melissa loved the big soft heart under her friend’s mighty slabs of muscle. Few were particularly surprised that the funny looking duo would grow up to marry.

Melissa’s mom, Trissie, is a shy and gentle sheep who dreamed of being a singer like her melodic mother, Sherylyn. Trissie’s younger sister Sherry is a super smart scientist who reaped the maternal care of Trissie when their mother passed away. Believing that her lovable, musical sibling needed someone to snuggle, Sherry hooked her up with her research colleague at St. Charlies University: a brainiac squirrel named Littleleaf Woodbriar (he’s killed people for addressing him by his first name, or so he insists). This was an awful, awful match, as curmudgeonly Woodbriar quickly grew cold to Trissie’s cottony soft emotions and artsy schmartzy schmaltz. He split shortly after their daughter Melissa was born, never to return or pay a dime of child support. If Trissie felt bad, Sherry felt awful, and she and her wealthy sponsor turned lover turned husband, Shah Rōar, took over the care of the girls’ aging father, Tripp. Trissie would eventually find a fulfilling job as the hard-working assistant to the mayor of Bradydale…

Bradydale is a small (and some might say shabby) suburb of St. Charlies, and it is run by the world’s most sincere politician, that heterochromatic hare of our hearts, Lucky Lightfoot. Lucky was once married to a rakish drake named Quaxo, and while he was untrue, he knew his actions were despicable. He asked for forgiveness and she granted it, but put the kibosh on their marriage. The two parted as amicably as possible and remained loving co-parents to their duckling, Dillion. Fun fact: Dillion and their dad speak with lisps! They have no speech impediment, but rather it’s a cultural tick amongst duckfolk. Melissa finds it adorable.

Speaking of the Willoughbys, tenderhearted Trissie and her mayor in shining armor Lucky fell like a ton of chocolate covered bricks for one another. While this is pretty much the biggest conflict of interest ever, the good people of Bradydale markedly choose to look the other way when their leader and her sidekick sweetly touch paws. Lucky has done a lot for the small town, she and Trissie are wonderful people, and, well, I didn’t see anything because I mind my own business. How about you?

Trissie, Lucky and Aunt BeeBee ultimately become something akin to grandparents when Melissa and Barbara (via the latter and a donor) bless them with three kiddos. Sweet Pepper is a small wolf pup born with just one leg, who dreams of playing basketball for the St. Charlies Biters and chafes at Barbara’s constant fussing and doting. The identical twin boys, Tristin and Wilford, are gray squirrels about whom I don’t yet know much, as I’ve only seen them in my head as toddlers. Stay tuned!

Last but not least, Melissa’s much younger cousin, Amirah, looks like a fuzzy lambkin but has half the genes of a ferocious jungle cat, lest we forget. Mommy Sherry and Daddy Shah can’t get enough of their little princess and her itty bitty sharp teeth: cute, not freaky, definitely cute! Amirah may have a few too many diamonds in her tiara, but I’m interested to see what shenanigans she’ll present. Stay tuned for that as well!

Special thanks to Nutjob, who created Sherry, Shah and Amirah, and to YOU, who read this whole text block!

TLDR: Sheep and wolves and jackrabbits and squirrels and ducks and a panther guy, oh my.

When We Fly (c)Kae