Chapter 144: By the Light of the Silvery Moon

It is a special night for Jake and Marie.

The bonfire blazed in the night, its flames leaping high into the sky as if it was trying to reach out and embrace the amber light of the full Harvest Moon which shone down upon the modern metropolis of Zootopia. Holding paws, two raccoons slowly strolled along the nearby riverbank. In the field behind them, the traditional festival continued with dancing and singing. The twang of steel guitars and the thumping of drums filled the night when the band launched into yet another western coyote outlaw-style country song. For the residents of Happy Town, the festival was relatively new and had grown from just being a gathering of the coyotes, who had moved into the community and were following their ancient seasonal rituals, to its being embraced by all their neighbors as a way to welcome the autumn season.

The festivities had begun after sunset when a young coyote, dressed in her traditional colorful tartan poncho and with a long earring of feathers and beads hanging from her right ear, walked onto a makeshift stage and greeted the rising moon with a time-honored song of prayer in her native language, for the coyotes believed that the moon could relay messages between the living and their ancestors who had crossed over the Great River to the Beyond. When the last notes of the song had faded, representatives of each family came from the gathered crowd with flaming torches and tossed them into the massive pile of dry wood to set it aflame. Following age-old customs, there would be the traditional marking or marriage ceremonies for the couples becoming mates, followed by a feast and music.

"It has been twelve years since we were married by the Harvest Moon Bonfire at your family's farm near Warrenton," Jake reminisced. "We seemed so young back then."

"We were young and foolish," Marie giggled. "At least you were foolish," she quickly added.

"Hey, I was a fool in love and I still am!" He pulled her closer and they kissed. He embraced her for a few moments more before he continued, "I was afraid that I was going to look like an idiot wearing a wreath of flowers upon my head. What were those blue flowers called again?"

"They were Bachelor Buttons and you were very handsome."

"You were beautiful in your wedding dress and with that airy wreath of white baby's breath flowers."

"Sugar, I can still remember your face the next morning when you commented to my brother about how hard it was to get my dress's bodice untied after we got to the cabin."

"Lover's Knots! Only we raccoons are cruel enough to invent a knot which was almost impossible to untie and use it on a wedding dress!" Jake scoffed.

"It is supposed to teach young married lovers patience, which we both know on a wedding night is a challenge," Marie said with a smile.

"It was a challenge for me! I was never so frustrated, trying to get that dress off of you. I can pick any lock and open almost any safe ever built, but I still struggled while trying to untie the laces on your dress. When I complained about how hard it was to do so to your brother the next day, he looked at me like I was crazy and asked me why I didn't cut the laces just like everyone else does?"

"But you did get them untied," Marie sighed as she leaned her head on his shoulder. "That was a magically romantic night, the quaint little cozy cottage with its peat fire…"

"The large bed with the handcrafted quilts!" Jake interrupted with a chuckle. "It was very comfortable," he added with a lewd wink.

"How would you know, we barely slept that night?" she giggled before she kissed him. "Don't forget we also missed breakfast that next morning."

"Ah, the good old days!" he laughed before they continued to walk paw in paw along the river, further and further from the ongoing festivities.

"Good old days?"

"I just meant before the boys were born," he quickly added.

"Well, you can't go back in time and besides I would never give up one precious moment of having our children with us," she sighed.

"You are right."

"Speaking of the boys, don't you think it is time to turn around and head back to the bonfire?"

"Nope!"

"Jake, what are you up to?"

"You will see just over this hill."

She followed him up the hillside and stopped when she saw the large sleek black limousine parked on the street below them with a familiar-looking polar bear in a black suit and a chauffeurs cap standing by the car's open door. "What is Kevin doing here?"

"It is our anniversary and I have made us a reservation at the Ritz Hotel downtown," Jake answered as he urged her down the hillside toward the car.

"But…but, what about the boys?"

"Nick and Judy will babysit them tonight and see that they get off to school in the morning."

"We both have to go to work tomorrow," she halfheartedly protested.

"I think my boss will give me the day off…oh wait, I am the boss! As for the Coyote Cultural Center, I am sure that they will survive another day without you being there. In fact, they already know that you are taking the day off."

"Sugar, did y'all think of everything?" Marie giggled when he scooped her up into his arms and carried her towards the car.

There was the popping sound of a Champaign bottle being uncorked and Kevin was already filling a couple fluted glasses of the bubbling wine for the two lovers. "Yeah, I did," Jake said before he kissed her again. "Happy anniversary!"