Note: Seeing as some stories are bound to get a sequel, I realize that mine aren't exceptions. As such, I feel the urge to make sequels to certain stories, as I want to continue on from a certain point. For this story, I decided to make it a sequel to The Bear and The Rabbit. Any criticism is appreciated, just so long as it isn't from a troll. Enjoy!

Chapter 1: Winter Cuddles

It was a snowy January morning, and all was silent. There was no one on the street, not even driving through in their cars. It was the first week of the month, and people were still getting it back together after Christmas. In fact, two people in particular were simply relaxing in their house. The two just so happened to be a married couple, one that was happy together. They even had a son, who was still an infant, who was their only child at the moment.

From inside the house, the couple slept in their bed. They weren't humans, however, nor were they a couple you would expect. The husband, the larger of the two, was a gray sloth bear, while the wife, the smaller one, was a yellow rabbit. The doe had her arms wrapped around her husband, feeling comfort from his soft fur. The smaller female's name was Lexi Bunny, and the larger male was named Baloo. The child of the two was named Owen Akela Bunny, who inherited traits from both of his parents.

All of a sudden, Baloo yawned as he sat up in bed. The bear was careful enough to not wake Lexi, who was still hugging him as she slept. The doe was peaceful, almost like she had achieved inner peace. Baloo only smiled as he saw the smile on his wife's face, desiring not to disturb her. He only held her in his arms, letting her rest.

Moaning, Lexi opened her eyes. Looking up, her vision somewhat blurry, the doe could make out a familiar face above her: Baloo. The sloth bear was smiling, having a careful look on his face. Lexi smiled back, knowing that she felt warm.

"Morning, Lexi." Baloo greeted.

"Morning, Baloo." Lexi said, her voice somewhat dampened from sleep.

"I was just going to let you sleep in, but I guess you woke up on your own." The bear said. "Sorry if I contributed to it."

"No, you're fine, I just decided to wake up." The doe stated.

"Want me to let you go so that you can get up?" The larger male asked.

"Yeah, I need to head to the bathroom." The smaller female answered.

Baloo let Lexi out of his arms, allowing her to go to the bathroom. Once she was out of sight, the bear sat down on the bed, waiting his turn. As he waited, the ursine thought about his wife and how he met her. It all happened last summer, with Lexi meeting Baloo in the forest while on a hike. Neither of them expected it at the moment, but they wound up becoming a couple, culminating in them meeting their respective friends and fighting a threat to their lives. The bear married the rabbit months after the fight, settling down and deciding to raise Owen in the city.

Meanwhile, Lexi had gotten done in the bathroom. The moment she walked out, the doe decided to check on Owen, hoping that he wasn't hurt. To her relief, the cub-bunny hybrid was alright. Going near her child, Lexi thought about what she had been through prior to becoming who she was. It seemed like only yesterday that she had started dating Baloo. In fact, no one would've expected them to be a couple, as Lexi was a college graduate, while Baloo wasn't as educated as she was. However, through certain occasions, including Baloo passing a literacy test and the fight with Shere Khan, the bear and the rabbit pulled through, got married and gave birth to their only child at the moment.

All of a sudden, Owen began to whimper. Upon hearing it, Lexi went over to her child and took him out of the crib. Holding the cub-bunny in her arms, the doe looked at the infant.

"What's wrong, honey?" She asked.

Owen reached for his mother's face, his arms gesturing for a hug. Seeing this, Lexi brought her son closer to her head, allowing him to hug her. The doe only smiled as the cub-bunny cuddled her, offering her child the comfort he needed.

"You give comforting hugs like your father, Owen." Lexi said. "I hope you turn out to be as kind as he is."

Baloo stepped into the room, having just come out of the bathroom. Not wanting to disrupt the scene before him, the bear didn't say a word. He only smiled as he watched Lexi hug Owen. After a bit, the doe turned around, still holding her son, and saw Baloo standing in the doorway.

"Hey honey." Lexi greeted.

"Giving the boy some mommy time, I see." Baloo said.

"Well, he needs time with both of us." The doe said. "He is our son, after all."

"Can I see him?" The bear asked.

Lexi handed Owen to Baloo, allowing the cub-bunny to see his father. The infant fell asleep in Baloo's arms, without giving a fuss.

"I'll go get him some milk." Lexi said as she left the room.

Now that he was alone with his son, Baloo watched over Owen, waiting for Lexi to get back with a bottle of milk. The bear held the cub-bunny close to him, carefully enough to not wake him up. While holding the infant, the ursine thought about where he was now. It seemed like yesterday that he met Lexi and fell in love with her. He never knew that she would return his affections and go out with him, but it happened. From there, the two became closer, to the point where they started a family together.

Looking down at Owen, Baloo started to think about the boy's future. While Lexi had a job, she was still able to spend time with the cub-bunny. As for Baloo, he was unemployed, so he would spend the most time with his infant son. Knowing that his son would grow up, the bear hoped to be the best father in the world. However, conflicting thoughts crossed his mind. This made the ursine worry about what would happen if he got careless or irresponsible with Owen. If that were to ever happen, the boy would grow to hate him.

Lexi then came back into the room, holding a baby bottle in her hands. Coming up to Baloo, the doe gave the bottle to Owen, allowing him to drink the milk. Once the milk was gone, the cub-bunny let go of the bottle, handing it back to his mother. Lexi then put the bottle to the side, intent on cleaning it later. Baloo watched as his wife walked out of the room, her destination unknown. Deciding to follow her out of the room, the bear carried Owen with him.

Throughout the day, Lexi and Baloo hung around the house. They even took turns watching over Owen, feeding him when it was time. After lunch, Lexi played with the cub-bunny, even giving him a chew toy. As for Baloo, he wound up taking a walk with his son shortly after dinner. Outside of that, the family hadn't had any contact with their friends and family. They would be together all day, until they went to bed.

Once night rolled around, Baloo was laying awake in bed. Lexi had put Owen to bed, but she had yet to join her husband. The doe was in the bathroom, doing what she needed to do. A minute later, and the rabbit walked in. She wore a red bathrobe with pink trim, complimenting it with a pair of slippers. Baloo watched as Lexi climbed into bed, laying down next to him.

"Owen is quite a fighter." Lexi said. "He kept wanting to cuddle up with me instead of being in his crib. Our baby is showing a backbone before he can even speak! Can you believe that?"

"Yeah." Baloo said.

"Really?" The doe said. "Well, I kind of expected it to show up when he started high school."

"Yeah." The bear said.

Worried, Lexi looked over to Baloo, seeing that he had a troubled expression on his face.

"Baloo, are you okay?" She asked.

"Yeah." Baloo said.

"Are you sure?" Lexi said. "You look like you just had a bad dream."

"Well, I'm just worried about Owen." The bear said.

"You don't have to be, we haven't let him out of our sight ever since he was born." The doe said.

"That's not it," the ursine said, "I'm worried that I won't be a good father to the boy as he grows up. I mean, what if Owen got injured on my watch? How would I live with the fact that I was unable to keep my son from getting hurt? Oh, what you would think of me by then!"

Before Baloo could say anything else, Lexi put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. The bear then saw his wife look him in the eyes, having a calm expression on her face.

"Don't worry about stuff like that." Lexi said. "Owen's got the rest of his life to know his parents and his extended family, so we've got lots of work to do. We're the parents now, so it's our duty to be there for our children. Even if we aren't perfect parents, at least we tried."

"I'll have to get a job, though." Baloo said.

"You can look for one tomorrow." The doe said. "But for now, let's get some sleep."

Getting covered up, Baloo and Lexi began to drift off to sleep. While doing so, Lexi snuggled up with Baloo, laying on him and wrapping her arms around him. The bear rubbed the doe's back as she slept, giving her an impromptu, calming massage.

"Goodnight, Lexi." Baloo whispered.

"Goodnight, Baloo." Lexi whispered.

Note: Good way to begin this story, right? I never thought that I would ever get started on this, given how it's a sequel to a story that I feel like I have neglected. I personally hope that it does better than the prequel. What about you? I hope that all of you are doing well, and that you are doing what you can to stay safe. Until next time guys, this is Newcomer24, signing off. Peace!