Cozy Tizzy

When Levity reached Mare Blazelock's, every light was on, and the whole place was abuzz.

All the other residents of the boarding house were crowded into the central room, as were several members of the surrounding cozy community.

She waved to Tamarind and Rambutan, rabbit clan, whose room was across the hall from hers and Divinity's.

Bosc, who'd shored up in his usual chair by the fire, briefly removed his nightcap and nodded. He was bear clan and prone to den-bound days whenever there was a cold snap.

Toni was there with her twins, who perched on high stools, feet swinging.

Ganges still wore his herald's uniform. Or … actually, he'd be already in uniform. It was almost four, and he worked the dayshift.

Divinity sashayed over with a kiss for her cheek, then popped a toast round into Levity's mouth. "Delish, am I right? Shep whipped it up."

The toast was a small bite, smeared with something that was both gamey and garlicy. A new paté recipe, no doubt. "Good enough to eat," Levity assured. "Did I forget to put a neighborhood association meeting on my calendar?"

"Oh, this is all very impromptu." Divinity sniffed discreetly and hummed in an interested way. "Have you been kissing your hissy ginger tom again?"

"He's too growly to be feline."

"And you like the way he growls?"

"I do like Murph."

"Here's my theory. You're nostalgia-smitten! He obviously reminds you of your first love. What was his name again? Kahzoo? Koozin? Redheads are your type."

"If you mean Kikoo-zen, it's hardly fair to call him my first love. I was teensy."

"First impressions are powerful . And he was radiant."

"All of us adored him," Levity reminded. "Even you."

"I heard his mother's an imp. Hence that glory of red hair."

"Can't be. Moonbeams beget white wolves. Everyone knows that."

"There are other varieties, my darling. According to one of my older sisters, way back when, Koo-koo's daddy wooed a rainbow into his embrace, and their every cub came in a different hue. Red was just the latest addition."

"Wolves don't come in rainbow hues."

"There's a pack of blue wolves in Russia."

" Blue -blue? Or actually a very commonplace gray that's simply called blue."

"We could go see. Although I'm even more interested in the Frondfurl pack. South America. Purportedly green . Their next Song Circle is coming up in a couple of years, and it's on my bucket list. We should drop in."

Levity hesitated. She loved travel, yet she'd been feeling increasingly reluctant to leave for any length of time. "That reminds me. Did you stay in touch with that enclave in France? I'd like more of the tea they blend."

"Of course! I adore Angelique, and she adores me right back, but … mmm." Her gaze drifted toward Shep, a relative newcomer to their community. He'd followed them home from a Song Circle in Australia nearly a decade ago. His intentions were plain, but Divinity had been stringing him along. "I wonder if a renewal of intimacies is wise at this point."

Levity was glad to hear it. For Shep's sake. "Someone else from their enclave? The bees?"

"I like it. I'll jot something off. Tuck it into Ganges's pocket before he wings his way to work."

"Thanks."

"As if I'd withhold anything from a sister."

Levity and Divinity had been best friends their whole lives. Levity had a slight advantage in years, so she'd cuddled her irrepressible bestie when she was newborn. Theirs wasn't a fostering bond, but Levity had always felt responsible. So when Divinity announced she was leaving the pack to become an urban wolf, they'd made the journey together.

Divinity leaned forward, silver eyes bright. " Speaking of felines. The cats are coming!"

"Which cats? When?"

"That shockingly male spokesperson. Twineshaft. The one who's been making the rounds, talking up clan cooperation."

She'd heard, of course. He seemed to attend every Song Circle, and he was fond of speeches. Levity had listened enough to agree with his sentiments. Friendships needn't be confined to members of one's clans. Cooperatives were strong because of the alliances on which they were founded.

"We're all in a tizzy because our turn has finally come!"

Levity asked, "Why us? We're not an official enclave. Barely a cooperative."

Divinity shrugged. "Maybe that's why he's not coming personally. We're being sent a relation. A nephew, or so said Mare Blazelock. Canarian something-or-other."

That wasn't a name you heard every day, let alone twice in one day.

Levity shrugged it off as coincidence.