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“Pinky” by Ursus Arctos
Jessica is a German Shepherd who is turning 4-years old today. Jess has a special relationship with her “Uncle” Tracy, a coyote and her mom’s dear friend. What will Jessica wish for when she blows out her candles?
Today’s story is “Pinky” by Ursus Arctos, who discovered the furry fandom in 2014 and began writing his Long Division series two years later. This tale is an excerpt from the book Tracy: Family Affairs. The entire Long Division series is available in paperback and electronic editions from LD-Books.com. You can find more samples of Ursus’ stories on furaffinity.net.
Read for you by Khaki, your faithful fireside companion.
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Transcript
You’re listening to The Voice of
Speaker:Dog. I’m Khaki, your faithful fireside companion,
Speaker:and Today’s story
Speaker:is “Pinky” by Ursus Arctos,
Speaker:who discovered the furry fandom in 2014
Speaker:and began writing his Long Division series two years later.
Speaker:This tale is an excerpt from the book
Tracy:Family Affairs.
Tracy:The entire Long Division series is available
Tracy:in paperback and electronic editions
Tracy:from LD-Books.com.
Tracy:You can find more samples
Tracy:of Ursus’ stories on furaffinity.net.
Tracy:Please enjoy “Pinky”
Tracy:by Ursus Arctos
Tracy:September 1976
Tracy:Roy turned his Malibu into the driveway of the Williams house.
Tracy:There was another car there that neither he nor Tracy had ever seen before.
Tracy:Presumably, it belonged to another party guest.
Tracy:Both males got out of the Chevy slowly.
Tracy:Tracy’s old injury was giving him some trouble today
Tracy:and Roy at 62 was feeling his age.
Tracy:They could hear voices and laughter coming from the back yard.
Tracy:“Do you think we should just go in through the gate?”
Tracy:asked Roy. “I don’t see why not,”
Tracy:said the coyote. “Come on, Big Bear.”
Tracy:Tracy took hold of Roy’s arm
Tracy:and the couple made their way around the side of the house.
Tracy:As the newly arrived guests stepped into the back yard,
Tracy:they were noticed instantly by Lucy.
Tracy:The female German Shepherd rushed over to greet her friends.
Tracy:She stretched her arms around Roy
Tracy:and kissed his cheek before repeating the ritual with Tracy.
Tracy:“I’m so glad you two could make it.”
Tracy:Lucy addressed both males,
Tracy:but her eyes were locked on Tracy’s.
Tracy:“What’s a party without Uncle Tracy and Uncle Roy?”
Tracy:asked the bear with a wide smile.
Tracy:“We wouldn’t miss it for the world,” said Tracy.
Tracy:“Now let’s go say hello to the birthday girl.”
Tracy:The coyote strolled across the yard in the direction of a new green and yellow swing set.
Tracy:Jessica and a male Husky of about the same age
Tracy:were racing in circles to ride the small sliding board again and again.
Tracy:When the little German Shepherd noticed Tracy walking her way, she stopped and squealed,
Tracy:“Eeee! Uncle Tracy! Uncle Tracy!”
Tracy:Tracy dropped to one knee
Tracy:and braced as Lucy’s offspring
Tracy:launched herself at his chest.
Tracy:“Hey there, Pinky!” the coyote laughed
Tracy:as he returned the child’s affectionate hug.
Tracy:“How come you call her Pinky?”
Tracy:demanded the little Husky.
Tracy:Before Tracy could answer, Jessica explained,
Tracy:“It’s ‘cause of my pink toe!”
Tracy:The small G-Shep sat down on the grass
Tracy:and held up her right foot so her friend could see.
Tracy:The pad on her littlest toe was pink
Tracy:in contrast to the black pads of its companions.
Tracy:“That’s funny!” giggled the Husky.
Tracy:“You know what?” Tracy asked the pups.
Tracy:“What?” the small canines said in unison.
Tracy:“When I was little,
Tracy:I had a pink toe too.
Tracy:too.” “Nuh-uh,” said the Husky in disbelief. “Uh
Tracy:-huh,” asserted Tracy.
Tracy:“Lemme see! Lemme see!” demanded Jessica.
Tracy:The coyote shifted his position to sit on the grass.
Tracy:“It was this one,” he said
Tracy:tapping the third toe on his right foot,
Tracy:“but it changed color when I got older.
Tracy:Now they all match.”
Tracy:The four-year-olds leaned forward to inspect Tracy’s toes.
Tracy:“How come it changed?”
Tracy:asked the little Husky.
Tracy:“I don’t know,” Tracy shook his head.
Tracy:“It just happened.
Tracy:That’s all.” Jessica reached out to touch the pad in question.
Tracy:“I can see a little pink in there,” she stated.
Tracy:The little Husky leaned in closer
Tracy:until his nose nearly touched Tracy’s footpaw.
Tracy:“I can see it too,” he declared.
Tracy:Tracy took hold of his own foot and twisted it around so he could see for himself.
Tracy:All of the toe pads were a uniform shade of
Tracy:tan. The coyote laughed. “Well,
Tracy:you two must have better eyes than I do.”
Tracy:Jessica bounced up from where she was seated
Tracy:and tugged at Tracy’s paw.
Tracy:“Come on! Push us on the swings!”
Tracy:Following his friend’s lead,
Tracy:the Husky bounced to his feet
Tracy:and grabbed Tracy’s other paw.
Tracy:“Yeah, come on!” “Okay, okay!”
Tracy:Tracy smiled as he got to his feet.
Tracy:The youthful enthusiasm of the pups was
Tracy:infectious and the pain in his left hip was forgotten.
Tracy:He leaned down and looked into the small male’s eyes with playful seriousness.
Tracy:“But before I do, you have to do something for me.”
Tracy:The Husky’s eyes grew wide,
Tracy:unsure of what this older canine might demand.
Tracy:“What?” he asked. “You have to tell me your name.”
Tracy:“I’m Patrick. I’m four.”
Tracy:“I’m four,” Jessica announced.
Tracy:“You’re only turning four,” said Patrick. “Nuh
Tracy:-uh, I am four!” Jessica countered.
Tracy:“She is four today and that’s all that counts,” said Tracy.
Tracy:“Now, who’s gonna go on the swings?” “Me! Me! Me!” chanted the pups as they ran back to the swing set,
Tracy:followed by the coyote. ❖
Tracy:Roy settled into a seat at the picnic table across from Lucy’s dad.
Tracy:“How’s it going, Dusty?”
Tracy:the bear inquired.
Tracy:“Oh, it’s going okay,” said the German Shepherd.
Tracy:“I’ll tell ya, I ain’t no pup any more, that’s for sure.”
Tracy:Roy gestured toward the swing set
Tracy:where Tracy was hopping back and forth
Tracy:to alternately push Jessica and Patrick on the swings.
Tracy:“That little one ought to be keeping you young, though.”
Tracy:“She certainly does,” nodded Dusty,
Tracy:“and I do love being a grandpa.”
Tracy:“He’s a good one too,” said Lucy as she walked up behind her father.
Tracy:She put her arms around the elder canine’s neck
Tracy:and kissed the top of his head.
Tracy:“He spent the last three days putting that swing set together for Jess.”
Tracy:“Dang thing has more parts than a B-17 engine,”
Tracy:Dusty complained, “but I got her done in time.”
Tracy:The back door from the house opened and a female Husky stepped out.
Tracy:“Lucy, I finished icing the cake.
Tracy:We can light the candles any time.”
Tracy:Lucy beckoned for the Husky to come join the group at the picnic table.
Tracy:Roy rose to shake the young female’s paw
Tracy:as Lucy made introductions.
Tracy:“This is my good friend, Diane.
Tracy:Patrick over there belongs to her. Diane,
Tracy:this is Roy.” “Uncle Roy,”
Tracy:the bear corrected his hostess
Tracy:with a broad smile.
Tracy:“Uncle Roy, I mean,”
Tracy:said Lucy with exaggerated emphasis on the word ‘uncle’.
Tracy:“And that’s Uncle Tracy over there playing with the kids.
Tracy:I’ll introduce you after he’s worn them out.”
Tracy:“Looks like those young ones are going to wear Tracy out first,”
Tracy:observed Dusty. He turned to Diane and said,
Tracy:“Tracy used to work for me down at the Salv Shop when he first moved into town.
Tracy:That’s how he met Lucy and me.”
Tracy:“Oh, when was that?”
Tracy:asked Diane. “It must have been 1964,” said Lucy,
Tracy:“just before my sixteenth birthday.
Tracy:Gosh! Over ten years ago.
Tracy:It seems like just last week.”
Tracy:“I used to think he and Lucy would get married,” said Dusty.
Tracy:“Maybe it’s not too late.”
Tracy:The old dog turned to his daughter and asked,
Tracy:“What do you think Pumpkin?”
Tracy:“I think he and Roy have been roommates for too long,” said Lucy.
Tracy:“Besides, Roy is a better cook than I am.” “Tracy and I have been sharing a place for almost as long as he’s known Dusty and Lucy,”
Tracy:Roy explained to Diane.
Tracy:“He moved in when his previous apartment caught fire.”
Tracy:The bear chuckled,
Tracy:“It was supposed to be a temporary arrangement.”
Tracy:“Look at that boy.”
Tracy:Dusty pointed across the yard
Tracy:where the pups had abandoned the swings
Tracy:and were squealing with delight as they clambered on top of the coyote.
Tracy:From across the yard, the other adults could hear Tracy laughing,
Tracy:“Dogpile! Dogpile!” as the four-year-olds rolled in the grass
Tracy:with their oversized playmate.
Tracy:Roy couldn’t help but smile at his mate’s expression.
Tracy:He knew the story of how Tracy and his family would
Tracy:“dogpile” at bedtime when the coyote was a youngster.
Tracy:“It’s easy to see how much he loves Jess,”
Tracy:observed Dusty. “I don’t think you could do better, Pumpkin.”
Tracy:“Daddy!” said Lucy with exasperation.
Tracy:This wasn’t the first time her father made the suggestion.
Tracy:After more than a decade,
Tracy:the old dog was still blissfully unaware of Tracy’s homosexuality and his real relationship with Roy.
Tracy:“I know, I know,” Dusty said.
Tracy:“But I’m not giving up yet.
Tracy:He’s a good boy.”
Tracy:Roy nodded in agreement.
Tracy:“Yes, he is.” Lucy allowed the pups to play on for a while.
Tracy:But when she noticed Tracy’s tongue hanging out of his mouth,
Tracy:the young mother decided the time had come to intervene.
Tracy:“Jessica! It’s time to come blow out your candles.
Tracy:candles.” “Aww, I wanna play with Uncle Tracy some more,” pouted the birthday girl.
Tracy:Tracy was grateful for the respite.
Tracy:“We’ll play some more after,”
Tracy:he consoled the young pup.
Tracy:“Uncle Tracy needs a break.”
Tracy:The coyote took the little female by the paw
Tracy:and led her to the group clustered around the picnic table.
Tracy:Jessica tugged at Tracy’s shirt.
Tracy:“Can I sit on your lap?” she asked.
Tracy:“Sure,” said Tracy as he took a seat at the table.
Tracy:“Hop up here, Pinky.”
Tracy:He patted the tops of his thighs invitingly
Tracy:and helped the little German Shepherd climb aboard.
Tracy:Lucy struck a match
Tracy:and started lighting the candles.
Tracy:“Happy birthday to you…” she began singing.
Tracy:Eventually all of the guests managed to fall into the same key,
Tracy:from Diane’s sweet soprano
Tracy:to Dusty’s rumbling bass.
Tracy:“…Happy birthday dear Jessica,
Tracy:happy birthday to you!”
Tracy:Tracy held the last note,
Tracy:turning it into the long “Owooooo”
Tracy:of a feral coyote call.
Tracy:Everybody laughed.
Tracy:He whispered into Jessica’s ear,
Tracy:“Now make a wish Pinky,
Tracy:and blow out your candles.” The four-year
Tracy:-old inhaled deeply
Tracy:then blew hard, extinguishing the quartet of candles on top of the cake.
Tracy:The guests clapped
Tracy:and cheered loudly.
Tracy:“Did you help her blow those out, Uncle Tracy?”
Tracy:asked Roy. “Nope. She did it all by herself.”
Tracy:Tracy answered. “Will you tell me what you wished for, Jess?”
Tracy:he asked the pup on his lap.
Tracy:Jessica turned and gave Tracy a kiss on his cheek.
Tracy:“I wished you was my daddy,”
Tracy:she announced. Tracy looked over at Lucy in time to see her wipe a tear from the corner of her eye.
Tracy:He gave the little girl a loving lick on her ear.
Tracy:“I wish I was too,”
Tracy:he told her. This was
Tracy:“Pinky” by Ursus Arctos,
Tracy:read for you by Khaki,
Tracy:your faithful fireside companion.
Tracy:You can find more stories on the web at thevoice.dog,
Tracy:or find the show wherever you get your podcasts.
Tracy:Thank you for listening
Tracy:to The Voice of Dog.
