Porsha wrung her paws, tail twitching. "Five minutes. We're positively sure everything's ready?"

"Yes," Ash assured the wolf, patting their flank. "It's looking great."

Porsha's eyes scanned everything. In front of a blank, brick and glass shell of a building a small but vibrant carnival had sprung into being, a dunk tank, a test-your-strength machine, a coconut shy and a sizeable something under a green tarpaulin arranged in a loose circle, colourful bunting stretched hither and thither. At the edge of the scrub-pocked, worn and cracked asphalt of the car park, on the right, water, buckets, sponges and soap were laid out.

"We've definitely not forgotten anything?" she persisted.

Nooshy, decked out in red-and-white, vertically-striped waistcoat, red arm bands, white shirt, black bow tie, black trousers, and straw boater cocked at a rakish angle, a hooked cane in one paw, bopped the wolf's nose. "Definitely. Chill, girl! It's gonna be great."

"Hope so." Porsha giggled anxiously. "Really hope so."

"There's already people gathering." Johnny pointed to the thirty or so animals massed on the pavement outside the gates. "All right, most of them are Rosita, Norman and the kids, but it's a start."

"A good start." Ryan gave the gorilla a one-armed hug. "Lets all get in position, then cue Noosh!"

They dispersed, Ash to stand by the dunk tank, fiddling with the cord of her robe, Johnny next to the strength test, his paws behind his back, Porsha by the coconut shy, fidgeting ceaselessly, and Ryan and Nooshy to the gates. The tiger opened them, and the lynx flung her arms wide with a shining grin.

"Welcome, one and all, to the best little carnival in Redshore! We've got fun, we've got games, we've got the maddest car wash you'll ever see, and all for good causes! Roll up, roll up, roll up! Give a porcupine a bath, compete to be the mightiest, pay a cute wolf and cuter tiger to scrub your sedan with their own bodies! Yes, really! Roll up...!"

A swarm of eager piglets surrounded everything. Porsha had to stop two of them from tugging at the tarpaulin while fending off a flurry of balls, Johnny barely stopped three from running off with the hammer, Ryan had a pair trying to catch his tail, and Nooshy, keeping her patter up all the while, hooked one with her cane to stop them climbing into the dunk tank. Only Ash was unscathed, taking her time sloughing her robe, revealing a charcoal grey one piece with a blaze of silver blue on the chest, a halter neck and low hips, and climbing onto the platform.

She sat, swinging her legs and looking bored, as the piglets managed not to hit the target once, or even get close. "This is gonna be a lo..."

One of the kids jumped to smack the target with a paw; with a sharp ding the platform gave way and a highly indignant porcupine splashed into the tank. Climbing out, she stalked over to the guilty piglet, paws fisted, and wound up to shake herself; they ran off squealing. Nodding her satisfaction, she returned to her perch.

All the commotion drew quite a bit of attention, and before long they were doing fairly brisk business, the big plastic 'money raised' jar filling steadily. A car pulled in, and Porsha bounded over, shedding her shirt and shorts as she went. A laughing Ryan helped and a bemused driver watched on as the wolf, in vibrantly yellow speedos, rolled and rubbed her wet and sudsy self all over the vehicle, giggling the entire time.

Once finished, and the now sparkling clean car had driven off, Porsha was handed a towel by Rosita. "It's really going well."

"Yeah!" the wolf beamed. "We might actually hit our target!"

"And what happens then?"

"The tarp comes off!"

"And what's under the tarp?"

"You'll see when it comes off!" Porsha skipped away to relieve Ash at the dunk tank.

Rosita shook her head, chuckling fondly. "She's quite something."

"Yes," Ash agreed, warmly, towelling herself down. "She is."

"I have to admit," Rosita told them, "I really didn't expect you two to connect like you have."

The porcupine chuckled. "Me either. But, turned out, behind the brat was exactly the spark I needed to help me keep moving on. She brings me out of myself, energises me, to the point..." She trailed off, a ruddy tinge colouring her ears, her gaze dipping.

Rosita gasped softly, a paw going to her snout. "You're writing a song about her...?"

"Starting to," Ash admitted, a little coyly. "Haven't told her, yet."

"She won't hear of it from me," Rosita promised. "Are you thinking of singing it to her?"

The shy smile widened a little. "If I can finish it, and find just the right moment, and it feels right...I'd like to."

The pig lightly squeezed the porcupine's shoulder. "Hope it works out for you. Both of you."

"Thanks." Ash kissed Rosita's cheek. "I'd better tag in at the shy. See you again!" She hurried off.

The pig watched them go, then turned her focus to Johnny, currently assisting Ryan as the tiger, in bright red speedos, washed another car.

It took a moment for the gorilla to notice her, and when he did it was with a small jump. "Oh! Miss Rosita. C-can I help you?"

She giggled quietly. "You seem a little...distracted."

"Wha...?" Johnny rapidly shook his head. "No, no, no, I'm completely focu..." He trailed off as Ryan pressed to the flank of the car and gently swayed to and fro, the tiger's impish eyes staring straight at him. Then slapped himself. "Focused! Completely, and totally, focused. Yeah."

Rosita's giggles redoubled. She called out to the big cat. "Don't tease him too much, all right?"

"Innocent teasing only!" Ryan assured her. "All part of working things out. Plus, it's fun."

Rosita looked back to Johnny. "If you ever feel like turning the tables, I have a few ideas."

Johnny chuckled. "Thanks. Always another side to you." Glancing up, a frown creased his face. "Is it me, or are there less people, now?"

The pig looked, too. "No, there are. Hopefully just a lull."

Over the next half an hour the crowd thinned out, then an apologetic Rosita and her family had to go, leaving the little carnival deserted bar a marmoset determinedly throwing balls at coconuts. Ryan sat on the dunk tank platform, shoulders sagging; Johnny leant on the wall of the building, twiddling his fingers; Nooshy paced around, fiddling with the cane, frustration twitching her ears and tail; Porsha sat on the ground in front of the tarpaulin, all of her sagging; Ash stood right next to her, an arm around her upper torso.

"We're so close," the wolf sighed, gesturing to the three-quarters-full jar. "Don't understand why people have stopped coming."

"It's Redshore City," Nooshy responded. "Novelty wears out fast."

"Wish Mr Moon could've been here," Johnny murmured. "He'd think of something to help."

"You'd have to literally drag him from Suki," Ryan chuckled. "He's soft on her, I swear."

Nooshy scoffed. "Nah! He only loves the theatre, darling. Pretty sure he's got some new show cooking, and that's why he's hanging around her so much. I mean, Out of This World's only got a week left, and no way the little guy's not already thinking of what's next."

"Why can't it be both?" Ryan countered.

"Either way," Ash interjected, "He can't help, and Calloway's too busy preparing for his comeback gig, and Gunter's too busy doing whatever Gunter does, so..." She sighed softly, and squeezed Porsha. "We either sit here and mope, or be happy that we actually raised a good amount of money and had a great time doing it. Which is it?"

Glances were exchanged, then Porsha rose, a determined glint in her eyes. "Happy." She gripped the tarpaulin. "Wanna do this anyway?"

The response was unanimous. "Yes!"

Grinning, the wolf yanked the cover away, revealing a perspex cubicle with a tank mounted on top that a rope hung down from, and a plastic stool inside. "I'm first! Who wants to make it happen?"

Ash immediately stepped up to the rope, which she could just reach, and gripped the end of it lightly in one paw. "Ready when you are."

Porsha beamed at her, then opened the cubicle, stepped inside, and sat on the stool, fidgeting and giggling in anticipation. The other three gathered round as Ash made a show of preparing to pull the rope, paw flexing, shoulders rolling, feet shifting. Twice she gave it small, teasing tugs, then after a playful glare from the wolf finally yanked it properly, and bright green gloop splashed onto a squealing Porsha.

Ash released the rope to end the flow pretty quickly, but the wolf still ended up with her head and shoulders almost entirely covered, and a lot of green drooling down her chest, back and arms. She opened the cubicle, stepped out, dripping, and turned a wicked grin on Ash. Eyes widening, the porcupine backed off, shaking her head.

"No. Nope. Not happening. Don't even think..." She yelped, dodged a lunge, and took off running, the wolf chasing her.

Nooshy moved to the rope. "I'll tug if either of you want a go."

"Why not?" Ryan perched on the stool, and gave a thumbs up. A pull of the rope and a short cascade later, he exited the cubicle, slobbered in vibrant green. He opened his arms to Johnny. "Want a hug?"

Laughing, the gorilla accepted the embrace, and even scooped some of the slime onto his own head. A vociferously complaining Ash raced past them, a determined Porsha still on her tail, then Johnny felt a tug on his paw. Looking down, he saw a grey squirrel cub directing widely hopeful eyes up at him.

"They really want to join in," an adult standing nearby explained, her manner a mix of warmth, hope and anxiety. "Would that be possible?"

Johnny blinked. Porsha screeched to a halt. All five of them suddenly became aware that people were watching, a few gathered just outside and a couple venturing in. Glances were exchanged.

"I know this is a little late to ask," Porsha ventured, "but do we have a way of washing off the slime?"

"Uh, the hose we used to fill the dunk tank and the car wash sponges should work, my expert says," Ryan answered. "Although, a shower at home would be a good idea, too."

"All right, then!" Nooshy's grin returned full force, and she flourished her cane. "If you're good with that, and willing to give a little to a good cause, then roll up, roll up, roll up and get messy!"

The squirrel cub went first, Porsha pulling the rope, and came out of the booth half-green and giggling madly, eyes shining. A succession of others, mostly children but the odd adult, too, followed, the donations jar growing fuller until, finally...

"We did it!" Porsha whooped. "We hit the target!" She danced madly around, scattering gunge everywhere. "We did it, we did it, we did it!"

A huge cheer rose from the mostly messy masses, Nooshy jumping in glee, Johnny grabbing Ryan and kissing the tiger's cheek, Ryan nuzzling him back, and Ash pumping a fist.

Porsha stopped, ears sagging slightly. "But now how do we celebrate that if we've already..." Her eyes settled on Ash and Nooshy, both near spotless, and her ears rose again. "Well, not everyone's done it..."

The lynx laughed, shaking her head. "Nah, I'm good. Not a big fan of getting messy, myself." People starting closing in on her, herding her in the direction of the cubicle, all of them grinning. "Hey! Hey, now! No herding the cat! Cats don't do herding. Or sliming. Or splattering. Or gunging. Or anything even slightly messy." She was smirking the entire time, and making ineffectual fending-off gestures with her cane, until, on finding herself right in front of the cubicle and entirely surrounded, she rolled her eyes, gave Johnny her cane, and entered. "I only do this under protest, and on one condition." She pointed her cane at the cub squirrel. "They pull the rope."

The latter was lifted up by Porsha, and at a signal from Nooshy pulled the rope with glee, absolutely splattering the lynx. The feline stepped out and gave the squirrel a warm, very messy hug, then every last eye looked to a certain porcupine, a certain wolf's huge and pleading with paws clasped beneath.

"No fair, Porsh," Ash half-groaned, half-laughed. "You know I can't say no to those eyes." Sighing, she drew herself up and walked in dignified fashion through the crowd to the cubicle. She settled herself inside, a composed expression on her face, then Porsha made a real ceremony of pulling the rope one last time, and dumping the remaining slime on the porcupine. Ash sighed as it glooped over her muzzle and between her spines. "The things I do for love..."

Porsha hoisted her out of the cubicle, hugged her hard, and pressed a kiss to her lips. "Thank you so much! We did it! We did it!"

As the wolf danced and everyone else cheered, Ash laid her head on their chest ruff, and smiled. "Worth it."