Shell Game

2023 bracketed two titanic events; Rudy’s proposal of marriage to Fiona and the actual wedding of the turtle pair George and Ophelia. Both couples became close during the year as they endured threats from dastardly outside forces. George had come from a gopher crime organization that marked him for death when he refused to enter the family business of stealing vegetables. He’d faked his own demise and became a member of the turtle species, which was a strategy that enabled Ophelia to avoid hunters. Now it became a challenge to maintain their new identities. A shell game, indeed. When the Beige University gardening team contended for a national championship, it became even harder to fly under the radar. As teammates, George, Rudy and Fiona were faced with a ravenous media hungry for every secret. Rudy and Fiona experienced even more stress with graduating from college, starting careers and exploring home ownership. They already owned a vehicle; a self-driving car with a mind of it own, named VIN. Of course. In other Dewclaw news, Kell’s company launched a new franchise specializing in seafood. The sharks she hired had to practice refraining from immediately swallowing their catch. Meanwhile, Kevin had to defend his seat on the school board against an opponent who had no interest in education. Turvy changed schools, and Coney’s friend Lin took part in the feline milestone of her First Roar. Coney, Lin and Wendell also hid Easter eggs. (Yep, more shells.)