Summer meant kids home from school, and Stu Hopps was delighted to see so many of the younger generation around the farm. Despite the boast that the hundreds of Hopps were his and his sweet Bonny's issue, the big numbers actually reflected the collective Hopps Clan's production, but that they tended to collect at his farm reinforced the impression.

On the other hand, the random variation within his issue did cause some confusion to those outside the family. Differences in color, or in the case of some like Judy, a longer, leaner Hare form as compared to the short rounder Rabbit form of which he was very much an example.

Then there was the odd mix, like Jeremy, who was coming up to him. He had the long features of a hare but was a bit rabbity round as well. His character was a bit mixed as well, a very mild, gentile soul, but like his sister Judy, he was ambitious, though to be a doctor rather then her more unorthodox career in law enforcement.

Jeremy bounded up, "Dad, I met a girl in town today, and we're going out tomorrow night."

"Wow, that's some fast work there Son. But you be careful. These Summertime flings can go out of control all too easily." Stu was delighted that the bookish boy was getting out.

"I know Dad. Just some dinner and pool. She's kind of a tomboy, likes guy stuff."

"Down to Paul's? Hope you don't plan to do much drinking."

"No Dad. I remember what happened to Benny and Jason last year. Besides she doesn't drink."

"Well that's a welcome change. Half you boys seem to find gals that drink like fish and get you to do the same. That's where too many of your nieces and nephews have come from." Stu gave his Son a knowing nudge and the young Hare blushed.

"You won't have to worry about that." The elder Rabbit noticed how the Youngster seemed to catch himself, not going further. But as he was not a suspicious soul, he didn't think too much of it. Jeremy was a good kid with big prospects, and wasn't about to do anything to jeopardize his future.

"So, what can you tell me about this girl?"

"Not much yet. She works down at Pablo's, a mechanic. That's how I met her. You know, when Jack and John brought the tractor in for the hydraulic work?"

Stu didn't know of any mechanics who were rabbits at Pablo's shop. All larger mammals to do the heavy and often hard work, nor any of them girls. Maybe someone in back? Jeremy had already bounded off to brag to his brothers about his date before he could think of anything more to ask. No big thing, and he would, no doubt hear all too much later. Oh, to be that kind of young again.

Interestingly, Jeremy didn't talk all that much about his first date, nor the several over the next week. However, it was clear that he was over the Moon about her. While it was good to see the boy in such high spirits, he hoped it wasn't getting too serious. That the Boy also seemed to be avoiding him and not talking too much to the rest of the family was a little concerning, but he was content to wait.

Then he overheard some conversation down at the feed and seed. "What is with those Hopps? Getting all pervy with preds. Sure, anything goes in the Big City, 'Try everything'. But right here in town?"

It was Gwen and Betty, always up for gossip and worse. Stu turned the corner and smiled innocently at the startled pair. "Ladies..."

They knew they had been overheard, and were clearly embarrassed, but Betty just had to ask, "Stu, what is up with your Boy? I mean, with that -uh - Girl. I mean, going around like it was perfectly normal."

Stu cocked his head in puzzlement, "He's been dating a Girl, yes...?"

"But THAT Girl! I mean...!" Betty was clearly upset but wasn't making herself clear. Gwen didn't help, only shaking her head in tight-lipped disapproval, leaving Stu no better informed than before. Maybe he should go down to Pablo's shop and meet the mystery Girl, who's name was Celeste.

Pablo ran the local tractor and farm equipment franchise in Bunny Burrow, as had his Father before him. The operation had the latest in fancy new equipment, but also prided itself in maintaining old, even vintage and antique machinery, as many of the families were very tradition-bound. So the lot was almost an open-air museum of farming implements spanning the better part of a century.

Pablo himself was rather vintage, an elderly llama, a bit fuzzy around the edges, figuratively as much as literally, and his extended family actually ran most of the operation. He was still walking the lot and extolling the virtues of the various makes and models of hardware, whether or not there was a customer in audience. Stu caught him explaining the details of a 1955 Sturm and Drang combine to a 2001 mini garden tractor.

"Pablo, you know that Plow Pony 20 could never make the payments on even a used SD 1200."

The old Mammal chuckled, "True, but if it was ever in the market, I'm gonna make sure it can make an informed decision. So what can I do for you today, old Bunny?"

"Well, do you got a Girl working here, named Celeste? My Boy, Jeremy, the one studying to be a doctor, has been seeing her and I'd like to meet her."

"Jeremy? The big boy? Glad to hear he's going somewhere. But Celeste? No trouble is there?"

"None that I know of. Just that he hasn't brought her around and a Father gets curious."

"Yeah. Fathers." The two shared the thoughts of old males with large families.

"I don't recall any Celeste in the front office."

"Jeremy said she was a mechanic."

"Well, Young Pablo is running the shop now so we'll have to ask him."

The service section for the shop was large, a half-dozen bays with various machinery in stages of repair with a fair number of mechanics around being very busy. Young Pablo was on the phone while beating on a computer while trying to point out the damage to a distributor cap to a young raccoon that was learning the trade over summer break from High School. "Hey Dad, Mr. Hops, bit busy, but what's up?"

"You got a Celeste working back here? Mr. Hopps would like to meet her."

The younger Llama gave his Father a look, "uh, Okay?" clearly not knowing what was up with that. "Paul! Is Celeste in number three? Can you send her up?" Paul, a rather large Black Bear, welcomed the opportunity to not have to look at the mess that used to be the final drive of a Springbok 70 grader and sauntered off to find the mystery Girl. A few moments later, he returned with her in a bouncing trot beside him. She was a tiny slip of a thing compared to the huge ursine, and even for her species she was a waif, and she was a Coyote.

She saw Stu and froze, her ears and tail down in fearful shock. She collected herself, head down, shoulders hunched, tail between her legs, wringing her paws with a rag more in consternation than in an attempt to clean them. Paul didn't know what to make of the situation, but thought it better to get back to the mangled planetary gears.

The two llamas were dumbfounded and Stu was a bit taken aback, though not as much as he would have been had he not had the experience of his Daughter and That Fox.

Nicolas Wilde was still a rather tough matter to reconcile. Stu knew that he was a good guy, even for a Fox, and he had Judy's best interests at heart, even for a Fox, but, he was still a Fox. Every instinct still screamed in dread over the thought of the two of them together, even as he knew intellectually and even in his heart that they were a great couple together. Now, to see this new predator and the idea that one of his children was interested in her was a bit much.

On the other hand, she was a boney little thing; even for a Coyote she was scrawny, and tiny, though still head and shoulders taller than him. He realized he'd seen her in the shop before, assuming she was some little kit. But, even as a predator, her fearful approach made it clear that she was also a shy little girl.

"Stu, this is Celeste Whitefoot." the younger Pablo introduced, "She's been with us for, what, two years. Great with hydraulics. Also good with sheet metal work and auxiliary equipment, small fiddly stuff. Does appliances and tinkery too."

"And you must be Jeremy's Dad, Mr. Hopps." She gasped out a whisper, not daring to even glance up. Stu suddenly felt so sorry for the poor girl. She wasn't simply shy, but sounded terrified, as though about to be cruelly punished. As much as he might object to her, he couldn't stand to see her so upset.

"Oh Little Lady! There's nothing to be afraid of. I'm just here to see who my Boy is all a-twitter about."

"Thank you, Sir." Sounded less fear-choked, but she still kept her head down. "I don't want to cause any trouble for him, Jeremy. He has been very kind to me."

There was something about that choice of word. Stu looked over to the Llamas, "Can I take her out for a break. We need to talk." They nodded and the elder Rabbit led the shy Coyote away.

-

Bonny was in the kitchen, fussing over some odds and ends when Stu came in. She immediately saw his expression, "What's wrong?"

"I saw Jeremy's Girl today." He sat down, dejected and so tired.

"And?" Bonny was becoming troubled; Stu was not one to linger over bad news. He may fret, but never brood.

"You know how caring, how gentile Jeremy has always been."

Bonny gave her Husband a more studied look. True, Jeremy had always been a more sensitive boy, and his desire to be a caregiver, a Doctor no less, was hardly a surprise. But Stu's tone was almost disapproving. "Stu, what is it?"

"Like I said, I met the Girl. And I can see why he was attracted to her. Got no family around here, no real friends. And she's a bit unusual. Raised by a crazy uncle, so all she knows is how to be a mechanic- " a little incredulous snort, "And how to shoot pool, of all things." He got up and paced around the kitchen. "She doesn't have much education, but she is a reader. So all she does is work at Pablo's or hangs out at Paul's pool hall or the library."

"And Jeremy has hit it off with the lonely Girl? That sounds wonderful." Bonny saw there was a big 'but' to follow, if he would just get there, "And?"

"She isn't a bunny."

"oh?"

"Yeah." Stu rubbed the back of his neck and then pulled on an ear, clearly stalling. His Wife gave him the Look. "Okay, she's a Coyote. The tiniest little stick of a thing as I've ever seen."

"A Coyote?" Bonny said it almost as a foreign word. Preds in general weren't common in those parts to begin with, but a Coyote, she didn't even know if she'd ever seen one in the flesh.

"Like I said, she is a tiny thing, for a Coyote, still head and shoulders taller than Jeremy, but just a skinny twig, kind of scruffy grey-brown, white socks on all four feet. In fact, her name is Whitefoot."

"So, she was a lonely girl and he was a nice guy and they seem to have hit it off at that level to start. But I'm afraid they be falling into something more." He wrung his paws in worry. "And its not just because she's a Coyote. Well, yeah, that too. But she's so - ." He was clearly struggling for the right words; "I don't want to sound like a snob, me a farming Bunny, but she's so - unusual. Not the kind of thing that would make for a Doctor's Wife."

Bonny laughed out loud at that. "Silly Old Buck! Aren't you getting a bit ahead of yourself there? Sure, they may be falling into some kind of love now, but its summer. You know, hot days, warm nights, high spirits. He's a responsible boy and he'll be back to school in a couple months." What was her Husband thinking?

For her part, Bonny was happy for her Son. He had been a bit hesitant around girls earlier, not wanting to come off as aggressive. Too nice for his own good in the over-heated teen dating scene. Now as a rather serious medical student he was simply too busy for much social time. She hoped this would simply be a sweet summer distraction.

Stu considered his Wife's words. She was right; this was a completely harmless summertime fling. And, on a deeper level, the little Coyote Girl was no physical threat to the Big Bunny Boy. This will be fine.

So, the next couple weeks went without a problem. As Celeste had a full time job, Jeremy had all day to review his medical texts. Then, when they did meet up, it was never to the house, and as often as not away from more public areas of Bunny Burrow. Those in the know in the Hopps family, it was impossible to keep any kind of secret, knew that they were not off doing anything untoward, likely just talking. There was even the uncharitable grump of a few that though that Jeremy was wasting his time with this Coyote, both as she obviously wasn't marriage and next generation material, and, more crudely, wasn't 'getting any'.

Then one day.

Stu went into one of the supply sheds to check on something, as he immediately forgot when he got inside and his nose noticed That Thing. Taking a date out to one of the sheds and making the most of the various hay or alfalfa bales for some intimate time was a long time, though not always well-regarded tradition, and He was not entirely surprised to get a whiff of some overnight activity. However, it was not bunny with bunny that he caught.

Jeremy and Celeste had gone too far. Innocent dating was fine, and he could cope with the idea of a little - no - scratch that, the idea of them even kissing gave him the heebie-jeebies. But to - he wasn't even going to think that word. Even as he understood normal bunny passions, he was a simple soul in many ways and would have preferred the idea that his various Grandkits were found under cabbage leaves rather than an acknowledgement that his offspring Did Things.

True, he and his sweet Bonny did things, but that was different, they were grown-ups and - No, he was simply having a hard time accepting that his little bundles of love were growing up. Being a parent and seeing kits grow up was hard. And facing up to a Son who had clearly gone over the line was going to be particularly difficult.

A bunch of the older Hopps children were out mending fences, and it was during a lunch break that John spoke up to Jeremy about what was on everyone's mind. "So, how was the yip yip yip?"

Jeremy glanced around to a range of expectant faces, "You all know?"

Janice rolled her eyes, "Anyone within a mile with ears could hear it last night, and anyone with a nose will likely smell it in there today."

The big Hare pulled his ears over his face in embarrassment. "I was so not thinking!"

"So, what's it like?"

"She's a really sweet girl, and really innocent." Jeremy deeply blushed. "So, it was kind of an anatomy lesson that got out of hand."

"Playing Doctor for reals." There were some snerks with that.

"Oh come on. She's a really nice girl and we just - argh!" He flailed his arms in frustration.

Barney leered, "She couldn't have been That nice if -" Jeremy cut him off," And Saundra isn't so Nice either?! Cheese, at least pick up your condom wrappers after yourselves next time!"

That shocked the whole crowd. Barney and Saundra had been going steady for a good while, and had made a point about pure and chaste their courtship had been so far.

Jeremy all but shouted, "Okay everyone. It is a thing that happened. And, other than her species, it isn't so different than half the make outs you all have done." He gave everyone a challenging look, knowing all too well too many of the little secrets of their love lives. "All I ask is that, if you do meet her, don't get all 'nudge nudge, wink wink' with her. She's Really Shy, and it would just kill her."

He saw his Father in the distance, and knew what he was coming for. "Well, there's Dad, so I guess he knows too. Just be cool, you guys."

He trotted out to meet Stu, who was visibly angry, a very rare sight. He hung his head, his ears dramatically drooping, "Hi, Dad."

"You know why I'm here!"

"Yes, Dad."

"And why I'm so angry."

"Yes, Dad."

"And what are you going to do about it?"

"I really don't know, Dad."

"What?" The Elder Rabbit was not prepared for that. In fact, he did not really have a plan of action; he was simply very upset and needed to confront his Son about it.

"It's not like I planned to do it in the first place. And I don't know if we'll ever do it again. But I'm not about to just dump her." the young Hare flailed his arms in frustration. "Dad, you taught me to be better than that."

Stu flinched at that. The Boy was right. Responsibility had been among the corner-stone values he had hoped to instill in all his children, and as much as he might be loath to admit it, this needed to be worked out, not cut off.

Jeremy calmed down a bit. "Dad, even before, we had pretty much talked out how our relationship was going. That's why I haven't brought her to meet the family. That would imply that she would have some future here, and neither of us think that is going to happen."

The elder Hopps could see that his Son might have hoped for more. He knew the Boy had been lonely, and seeing the various happy couples of his generation around him didn't help. "Oh, Son. While I'm still vexed that you'd go off behind the bales with anyone- sigh - especially a - non-rabbit - I'm mainly just worried about your welfare and future. You know that?"

"I know. But all this has been so, I dunno, complicated. It's not like we're all in-heat crazy or anything like that. We just really enjoy each other's company. Took it a bit too far last night. But even then it was - friendly."

Stu suddenly recalled something Judy had said about her relationship with That Fox. Nothing in how they interacted was taken for granted. They had to take into consideration how the very different details of the two species worked and that in being conscientious of each other, the quality, the depth of their relationship was all the better for it. If the Boy was exercising similar care in his time with The Coyote, then he likely had a deeper emotional investment than he was letting on, or perhaps realized. Other thoughts came to mind as well.

"Son. Why don't you bring Celeste around to meet the family? If nothing else the little ones will have another fluffy tail to play with." Along with the general novelty of That Fox, the Kits were particularly fascinated with his great brush of a tail whenever he came to visit, and hers was at least as big. And, he grudgingly admitted to himself, the best way of getting over species prejudice was to turn a stranger into a friend.

-

"So, remember that the little ones need to ask before they can attack you." Jeremy was briefing Celeste as he drove her to the Hopps compound.

"You make them sound like land piranhas." She chuckled, the high coyote yip in it made the Hare smile all the more. She was looking lovely today. Freshly bathed, her coat was particularly fluffy, and in her tight T-shirt and jeans, the poofed fur on her head and neck in contrast made her look like a dandelion head. And her huge brush of a tail was going to be a particular hit with the likely avalanche of little bunnies.

"Well, by the end of the day, you might notice some similarities. Especially as some of the really small ones might be teething, so watch your ears."

Jeremy was delighted with the opportunity to have Celeste meet the family, even with some of the implications it might raise. They had talked through a lot of that, and they had admitted that their relationship might be a bit more than a simple summer romance. But how much more? Would they, or even could they be a couple for a longer haul? Or even permanent?

Well, as they could talk about it rather honestly, they were not too worried about things getting too crazy. And in the end, they'd just have to see how it would play out.

The main house came up all too quick, but as they had not announced a particular arrival time, there was no welcoming crowd. The pair entered through one of the side doors into a mudroom, currently empty in the dry warm summer, though Celeste was impressed with the size of the room and number of various hooks and shelves for boots and gear.

"In Winter, everyone comes in through here to get their wet or snowy gear off, and during early planting, we have some pretty big and awfully muddy work parties that need to strip down." The large shower room adjacent attested to that as he showed her though.

They made their way to the kitchen, for a refreshment and maybe to find some family. There was only Rob, one of the teens, with headphones on and working a hand-held game of some kind. He regarded the mystery Coyote with a quick top to bottom take and a vague shrug and was back to his game.

"He's totally hooked on those. And too cool to be impressed with anything." Jeremy explained, and Celeste gave a knowing nod.

However, as soon as they left, they could hear the youngster loudly whisper down the other way, "OMG! JayJay brought the Coyote! Betty! Brad! JoeJoe! She's here!" As they made their way to the center of the house, they were surrounded by similar too obvious whispers and calls about the special guest, though not actually running into anyone in the process.

By the time they did get to the central living room of the house, it seemed like half the clan was hovering around the periphery or in the various halls leading into the rather substantial volume.

While Celeste was trying to take in the scope of the room, she was also looking at all the rabbits who were looking at her with a wide range of expressions. While she wanted to give a good first impression to the various adults, she also noted a fair number of rather young and very excited bunnies, eager to get at the Fluffy One.

"Okay, everyone. This is Celeste." Jeremy introduced here to the crowd, "She is a very nice girl, who happens to be a Coyote. So be nice. And, like with Uncle Nick, you little one be polite."

And with that the mass of rabbits converged on the pair. There was a melee of introductions and various greetings. While the occasional Fox was hardly a novelty in the neighborhood, Celeste as a Coyote was a rare and exotic thing to the Tri Burrows, to them like a slightly weird half-size wolf.

To the more maternal members of the crush, she was obviously way too skinny, and would need some proper feeding, even if she were a predator. To others, she was a puzzle, as she had no obvious feminine aesthetics to attract, and even as a slight girl of a thing, was still a predator, and ought to provoke some level of instinctual fear.

But she didn't.

Instead, her shy innocence encouraged a welcoming, even protective impulse. Jeremy sense that and was relieved that this was not going to be a disaster. And for her part, Celeste was kind of overwhelmed with the crowd, and found she had to sit down on one of the many oversize couches that ringed the center of the floor space.

That seemed to signal a wave of little ones to converge on her. They did have the restraint to pause, waiting for a sign of approach. She saw the collective desire and gave a nod. Instantly she was all but covered in bunnies. To help alleviate the swarm, several other adults sat down too. The youngsters were as much keen on swarming on any adult who would have them, as much as The Fluffy One, and were able deflect the full weight of Kits.

Even in the crush, Celeste was able to continue to chat with various Rabbits while still giving the various kits little dabs of attention. And her little laughs, high coyote yips, had the youngsters squealing in delight.

Jeremy and a few of the elder kin stood off to the side, watching the mayhem. "Well, for a no good, low down, dirty varmint, she's kind of adorable." Jeremy smiled at the good-natured jibe. This was working out so much better than he feared. He saw his Father work his way over to him.

"Seems the rest of the family has taken to the Girl." Stu observed.

"Thanks for asking her in, Dad."

"Well, I kind of figured she was going to be special, so we all needed to get started getting used to her."