Chapter 175

Sitting around the fire, everyone was excited for the food. As she was done telling her end of what had happened, she finally took the time to look around the camp that her parents had set up. Natalie hadn't noticed before, being completely absorbed in reuniting with her parents and the story of how they made it here, but every single animal in the immediate area was in a bipedal form. Grizzly and polar bears looked as if they gained an increase in size, just due to standing up straight. If they hadn't been able to look like they could rip you in half before, they definitely did now. Cougars stretched out either on the ground or up in the tree branches above them, lazing about in the late afternoon sun that poked through the openings between the leaves. It turned out that her parents were already aware of the strength of shifted animals, and had them stay shifted when they could. The question came to mind, did she know more or did they?

Before she could voice her thoughts, the chefs and their helpers all went around to bring the food to everyone. Shannon carried two while Sophie carried one excitedly. She walked forward and placed in front of Natalie, proud of what she had helped with, before taking her own plate from Shannon and sitting down on the bench between her two mothers. When it was set in front of her, the visual filled Natalie with nostalgia. So much so that she had one of the canines quickly store it and bring it out so she would be able to have it whenever. After all, it was only on special occasions that her mother made cepelinai. It was a recipe that her family had brought over from Lithuania years ago, and it was currently regarded as the national dish of the country itself. They were incredibly labour intensive, due to the combination of cooked and raw potato being made to house meat in the middle of a large dumpling. Once they were done cooking, a combination of sour cream and diced bacon doused them. It was named due to the similarities that it held shape wise with the zeppelins of old, though these ones had lasted the trials and tribulations of time far better.

As Nat took her first bite, she felt a mental return to simpler times. Christmas dinner at home, not four months ago, had been a time of just sitting around and enjoying good food and great company. That was the only time in the whole year she had been able to have them before, not having the time nor energy to put into making the fist-sized dumplings any time recently. And as she savored every bite, she took a glance over at Sophie. When she saw her adopted daughter enjoying them with the same expression she had, a warmth flooded her body from her core.

All around the camp, many others were relishing the food just as much as they were. Plates were getting devoured, and an eating contest arose from the insanity. None of the gorillas joined in, not feeling up to it with how their stomachs were still recovering from their previous lack of food. However, Ash faced off against one of the cougars and a grizzly bear, destroying plate after plate. There were only two rules, decided by the people around them with the nods of approval coming from all three. They couldn't stop eating, and whoever has the most plates finished wins. It became a pseudo sporting event, with each group cheering on their competitor fiercely. Though, the gorillas joined in the cheering for Ash. After all, they had seen just how much food she could pack away inside her gut.

It went on for almost thirty minutes before the first one had to back out. And surprisingly enough, it was the female bear who had to back out. She just could not stomach the pressure that her competition was putting her under. When she threw in the towel, the bears groaned in disappointment, before being good sports about it all and joining the cougars in cheering for their candidate. It then became a battle between the two groups, all fielded by their spur of the moment representatives. Neither side felt that theirs would lose, and it took another twenty minutes to finally see an end to the madness. They both called it at the same time, but no one had kept track of how many plates had been finished off. After a very careful count by numerous parties, Ash was forced to settle with second place, as she had finished off two less plates than her opponent. They were good sports about it though, and he even said that it was a good challenge. Though neither of them moved from their spots to try and give a handshake or a hug, their stomachs filled to the brim with cepelinai.

At that point, the sun was dipping down to the horizon, and with the long day, everyone agreed that it was time for bed. While Nat was curious as to how her parents had ended up here, they promised that they would tell the story tomorrow. Apparently, it would take far more time than they had, especially with Sophie already nodding off while trying to stay awake. She just hung like a koala off Shannon as everyone else talked and winded down. It was a nice relaxing time, just sitting there and watching the starry night sky with family nearby. They called it off quickly though, when Sophie started snoring. Neither Nat nor Shannon wanted to bring up the nightmares she had been having before they approached the city, so they quickly filed off to their tent. After all, it was not their tale to tell, and they had only found out about it through happenstance. Softly, and comfortably, the three of them drifted off to sleep, all the while being cuddled by dozens of canine bodies inside the tent.

Huge thanks to my Elder Wolves Viktor, Saganatsu, Eeleater, John, Hades, Sir Hellington, Onean, Sebastian, Adam, and Kevin for supporting me and my writing! Remember that I keep Patreon ten chapters ahead at all times. Our next goal on Patreon will be getting up to 50 patrons, which I will then spend more time each month writing some side stories and shorts that show other perspectives throughout my stories!

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