This story is a standalone sequel to Vixen's Mark. Thanks again as always to Sophie Ripley for letting me use Samantha Hopps for the billionth time.
Terra looked unusually determined, her small kit fox paws gripped firmly on the steering wheel of her car as she drove. Samantha kicked back in the passenger's seat, the cream-and-white bunny looking comfortable in her position.
"Okay, so let's go over some things," Terra said, her voice heavier than usual.
"About going to visit your parents?" Samantha wondered, feeling over her willow-bead bracelet with her other paw. Terra nodded twice.
"Mm, remember, you don't get a second first impression," Terra said firmly.
"Yes, ma'am," Samantha returned blithely. She chuckled to herself, looking out the window at the nondescript Bunnyburrow roads. She was actually a bit excited to go over there. She had lived in her parent's house, the rural Bunnyburrow compounds home to sometimes hundreds of bunnies each. She was currently living in her girlfriends small apartment in what could be called the proper city of Bunnyburrow. She'd never actually been to a house in the "suburbs" of Bunnyburrow, such as they were. These were rarer communities, home to predators and their often smaller families.
"First, daddy," Terra said evenly. "He's... mostly a goofball. His main thing is that he wants me to be happy. So you'll just have to show him that... somehow. Also, he's probably going to make some sort of lame joke about your name at some point; please tolerate him...?" Terra winced.
"Okay, impress the dad by showing I care about you; sounds easy enough," Samantha nodded, looking at the front and back of one of her paws.
"Then, mom," Terra sighed. "She'll be a bit harder. She's not the biggest fan of bunnies. She can be a little bit haughty and conceited. She wants me to be successful, so I have to show her that I'm happy with what I'm doing."
"I understand," Samantha nodded again.
"And grampa," Terra murmured. "Ugh, just- if he's there, brace yourself."
"Got it," Samantha chuckled. Terra quickly flashed her an indignant look before turning her attention back to the road.
"What is so funny?" Terra snipped.
"You!" Samantha beamed. "I've never seen you so businesslike and serious before. It's cute."
Terra rolled her eyes. "You think everything I do is cute."
"A fair point, but it still stands," Samantha said airily. "I don't think you should worry too much, honey."
"It's just..." Terra briefly nibbled on her lip, then started talking rapidly. "I don't want this to go wrong, okay? This was your idea; which it still confuses me why you'd insist on going and meeting more foxes, and I don't really- I don't care if they don't think you're the greatest bunny in the world because I do and that's what should matter, and if they don't like you for some reason I'm going to get really upset and I don't want to be really upset because I'm fine just being happy with us being together and-"
"Whoa, whoa! Calm down, sweetheart," Samantha said, trying to hide the amused huff she shot out. "Breathe. It'll be fine." She smiled mischievously. "Wow, when was the last time I saw that tongue move so fast? I think maybe... last night?"
Terra scoffed loudly, tossing her a brief look with her jaw hanging open. "And no raunchy jokes!"
"Obviously," Samantha half-lid her eyes. "I just wanted to get that one out to relax your mood, my little puppyfox."
"Ooh, maybe we should go easy on the pet names, too..." Terra mused suddenly. "Especially 'marshmallow'. My dad still uses that one. And I don't know if they'd be too into seeing us smooch, either."
"Whatever you say, hon- er, Terra," Samantha smiled.
"Why were you so insistent on meeting my parents, anyway?" Terra hunched down a bit, scrunching her face up a little.
"You said you loved your parents a lot, and that they were supportive," Samantha shrugged. "I kind of wanted to meet those responsible for making this adorable little kit fox."
"Right, right, fine," Terra rolled her eyes again, looking at the clock. "Adorable kit fox makers in t-minus fifteen minutes."
"Can't wait," Samantha kicked back confidently in the car, grinning.
When the front door to the little Bunnyburrow home opened, both kit foxes were there to greet Samantha and Terra. The three kit foxes looked precisely the same height. Samantha noted that Terra must have gotten her light, crystal-blue eyes from her father; his look was both cute and handsome to Samantha. Her mother had dark, chocolate brown eyes and a more subdued facial profile. Definitely a few shades prettier than her daughter, not that Samantha would say that out loud. The two kit foxes wore somewhat worried expressions that burst into happiness when they saw their daughter.
"Terra sweetie!" her father held his arms open wide to get her in a hug, which she happily bounded into. "How are you?"
"I'm fine, daddy," Terra said, hugging back. "Hi mom." She moved to hug her next after a long hug with her father.
"Hi, sweetheart," her mother pat her head. She looked Samantha from toe to head as she released her daughter. "And this must be Samantha."
"Samantha Hopps, ma'am," Samantha smiled with one nod, holding out her paw. "Nice to meet you."
"Mm, likewise; we've heard a lot about you," Terra's mother said as Terra disengaged from her father's hug. Samantha wasn't expecting how firm her mother's handshake was. "I'm Ariel Brownfurred."
"And I'm Cecil," her father offered, shaking Samantha's hand afterwards. His handshake was much lighter, almost jaunty. "Good to finally meet this bunny our daughter won't stop texting me about!"
"So!" Ariel clasped her hands together abruptly. "I hope you two are hungry, as it is about dinner time and I have a salad made up."
"All right!" Terra smiled brightly. "I'm hungry enough, are you, Sammy?"
"I could eat," Samantha grinned, nodding.
"Come on in then, please!" Ariel said graciously, letting the two in. Samantha smiled as she took in the well-kept, small home. It looked cozy and had a lot of daylight streaming in, giving it a somewhat open, welcoming feel. She was prepared for a somewhat dark, artificially lit den-like house as bunny compounds often were. She already felt a bit of comfort and relief at the inviting sights and smells. She'd definitely gotten used to the smell of foxes again, thanks to her girlfriend.
"So, she calls you Sammy, eh?" Cecil grinned. "What's that short for? Sammy-Whammy?" He barked out a laugh.
"Daddy, please. We only just got here," Terra whined. The four were seated at a table, and Ariel gave them each a generous bowl of salad. Samantha looked down at the salad, immediately impressed by its presentation. It had almonds, white cheese crumbles, fresh looking greens and vegetables, and a drizzle of some sort of dressing.
"By all means, chow down," Ariel invited, and the four started eating. After only a few bites, Samantha's eyes widened, and her pupils shrank in response to the taste. Besides the scent and texture of the greens and vegetables in the salad, the vinegar-based dressing was light and yet contained some unfamiliar, rich flavors, and the salad was seasoned just perfectly to make it pop with flavor. Samantha chewed reverently, her eyes fixed in an unfocused stare. Ariel noticed her expression and smiled mischeviously. "Are you okay, Samantha?"
"Um..." Samantha looked down at her fork. "This is going to sound like flattery, but this salad is good. Like... really good..." Terra giggled.
"Hmhmhm," Ariel hummed out a laugh, timing tilts of her head this way and that to her hums. "Well, of course it is. It is my most popular salad recipe with the bunnies."
"So you're like a chef?" Samantha seemed impressed, taking another bite. "Mmh. Wow."
"I sure am," Ariel nodded. "One of the highest regarded culinary chefs in Bunnyburrow. Probably the highest predator, anyway. Hmhm."
"What do you do, if you don't mind my asking?" Cecil wondered, taking a bite of his own salad.
"Oh! I'm a teacher," Samantha showed a small smile.
Cecil huffed in amusement, looking at the bunny's relatively slight but visible musculature. "Huh! So... like a gym teacher...?"
"Actually, I teach third grade," Samantha said with a nod.
"Teach them what?" Cecil smirked. "Karate?"
"Daddy!" Terra looked at her father sternly.
"Ss-sorry, sorry, just kidding," Cecil laughed.
"I just like to keep in shape," Samantha said easily with a shrug, having another bite of salad. "Mmh. So good."
"Glad you like it," Ariel said with blatant pride. "What would you like to do after dinner? Should we all watch a movie?"
"Ooh, rom-com!" Cecil held up a fist.
"That sounds fun," Terra smiled.
Romantic comedies weren't exactly Samantha's favorite, but she nodded, desiring to be a gracious guest. "Yeah, that should be nice."
The dinner continued with more jokes and anecdotes being exchanged among the family with Samantha. Terra started to seem a bit more at ease. Maybe she had worried for nothing? Samantha looked happy, and her parents looked happy. She smiled more pleasantly, feeling herself relax. Maybe the visit would go off without a hitch after all.
The movie ended, and Ariel stretched, getting up from the couch.
"Well, that was nice. I'm going to bed," Ariel said in a snipped, concise voice. "See you in the morning, sweetie. You too, Samantha."
"Good night," both Samantha and Terra said together. Samantha had gotten away with sneaking her arm around her little kit fox somewhere around the first half of the movie and Terra responded by cuddling in, feeling the bunny's paw pet her side.
"Yeah, that was one of my favorites," Cecil smiled, getting up from the couch and looking briefly at the two lovers. "Okay you two, up, up." Samantha immediately complied, but Terra looked confused, only following after several moments. Cecil moved to the couch and started converting it. "We have to change this thing into a bed!" He looked apologetically at Samantha. "Sorry, we don't have a guest room, but everyone we've invited over agrees that the couch-bed is really comfy!"
"Oh, uh..." Samantha rubbed behind her head. "I just thought I might just sleep in Terra's room?" Terra looked over at Samantha, nodding at this.
Cecil froze for two seconds as if paralyzed by the idea, but then laughed nervously and continued making the bed. "Oh but that bed is so small, I mean she could barely- haha... heh, I don't think it would fit two people very comfortably at all. There- there'd be much more space out here for you..."
Terra started to fold her arms, frowning.
"Yeah, I mean, Terra's had her bed for years and years," Cecil continued, slipping a cover onto a pillow. "I mean, it's so tiny, kind of a bit lumpy by now I'd think."
"Daddy," Terra deadpanned. "If Samantha wants to sleep in my bed-"
"It's okay Terra, it's okay," Samantha held her paws up amicably. "It's just for a couple of nights. I don't want to be a bother."
"You're not a bother!" Terra grit her teeth, scoffing. "If anything, it's more trouble to set up this couch-bed than to-!"
"Terra, it's fine," Samantha smiled, placing her paw on the kit fox's folded-up wrist. "It's okay. I'll sleep out here." Terra shot her an intense look, and Samantha merely shrugged.
"That's great; everyone's happy!" Cecil said, finishing setting up the couch-bed. "Anyway, I'm going off to bed now too, so good night you two lovey doves." He started to depart, then peeked around the corner. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do!"
"And what 'wouldn't you do', daddy?" Terra grumbled after him.
"Well, I personally probably wouldn't get into a make-out session with Samantha..." Cecil grinned and got another grumpy expression from Terra for his trouble. "Just saying!" He quickly vanished around the corner.
Samantha laughed lightly. "He's funny."
"Please don't encourage him," Terra grumbled. "I can't believe he's making you sleep by yourself."
"I don't mind, Terra," Samantha shook her head, going to a small suitcase and getting her night clothes. "I'll be cuddling you to sleep again in another couple of days from now. It doesn't bother me."
"But what about your...?" Terra winced as Samantha undressed. Her voice dropped to a whisper as she quickly darted her eyes in the direction of her parents bedroom. "Your scars...?"
Samantha ended up in some loose, comfy sleep pants and a very light, white top. Her top had thin straps and exposed some of the top of her chest and a good bit of her back. "What about them?"
Terra frowned. "Okay, I'm getting a little bit tired of you pretending like all this doesn't bother you." She swept her hand around her house. "You're in a fox house, around two foxes that aren't familiar to you, and you're wearing light clothing out in the open that exposes some of your scars."
"If I have to explain them, I have to explain them," Samantha sighed. "I'm not going to lie to you, because I know you can smell that I'm not completely comfortable with this. But, I think it's important anyway. I'll do things their way to show that I'm agreeable."
"I don't want them to keep pushing you until they make you do something you don't want to," Terra looked away. "You should- you should hold on to some of your control."
"Fine then," Samantha smiled, going over and giving Terra a drawn-out, deep kiss. She gently broke from the kiss and grinned at her mate. "How's that?"
Terra couldn't help but smile. "Okay, I guess." She looked off to the side with a tiny smile.
"Pff, you guess? I'll just have to try again then," Samantha said, turning her muzzle to face her so she could kiss her again. Terra hummed happily into the kiss and her tail started wagging. Samantha broke from the kiss once again, hugged Terra, and let her go. "See you in the morning, cute stuff."
"Mm hm, see you..." Terra smiled, going into her old room. She tossed Samantha a small smile as she left. Samantha got into the bed and laid down, trying to relax. It wasn't that uncomfortable.
Samantha found herself in the Brownfurred's unfamiliar kitchen at around one in the morning. She'd gotten a small smattering of sleep, from which she was woken up abruptly by a nightmare. Mercifully, she hadn't had nightmares in quite awhile since started living with Terra. Nevertheless, her discomfort at being in a different house, sleeping in a different bed, and with two foxes around skeptical of her being with their daughter had definitely rattled her subconscious. As her throat felt dry, she carefully snooped around the kitchen for a glass and poured herself some water from the fridge. She felt like a robber. She swallowed a few gulps of the water, trying not to shiver, though the house's temperature was pleasant.
"Can't sleep?" the male voice came. Samantha started just a little, turning toward the sound. It was Cecil, and he was standing in the doorway of the kitchen, regarding the bunny. Despite the strength she knew she possessed, she felt vulnerable, knowing that Cecil could see her far better than she could even see herself at the moment.
"Just woke up in the middle of the night; it happens," Samantha shrugged. From what she saw on Cecil's face, he looked almost completely different. He had an even look drawn along his muzzle, and his eyes glinted slightly in the moonlight spilling from the windows. He looked almost frightening, or as frightening as a kit fox could look. He still carried the curse of cuteness kit foxes had, but with that air of handsomeness as well.
"Mm," Cecil nodded. "So. Can we talk?"
"Sure," Samantha gulped down the rest of her water, placing the glass in the sink. "I hope it's okay that I got some water."
"Of course," Cecil shrugged. "So you're a teacher, huh?"
"I am," Samantha nodded.
"With that physique," Cecil seemed skeptical, and he sniffed.
"Terra likes it," Samantha tried a tiny half-smile.
"So you work out just for her?" Cecil raised an eyebrow.
"I mean..." Samantha mentally reviewed her reasons for working out. "That... and it makes me feel good."
"Ah, okay," Cecil nodded.
"You don't trust me," Samantha said flatly.
"I didn't say that," Cecil countered, looking away briefly, then back to her.
"...I'm glad," Samantha said, rubbing her arm. "I'm glad you don't trust me."
"Pardon...?" Cecil brought one of his lips up a bit, showing a little bit of his teeth.
"To be honest, I don't know what I can do that would earn your trust," Samantha folded her arms tightly, not meeting his gaze. "Anything I do or say could be a carefully calculated lie."
Cecil looked baffled.
Samantha's breath picked up a bit, but she turned around slowly and carefully. Cecil's eyes widened as he took in what was visible of Samantha's back.
"This is what blind trust got me," Samantha said bitterly, turning back around.
"Mmm..." Cecil looked down. "I'm not sure what I'm supposed to say to that."
"I just want you to know that if I ever purposefully hurt your daugh-," Samantha's voice caught. "Your daughter... I- I want someone to strike me down where I stand."
"I can hear your pain, and smell your distress," Cecil grit his teeth. "Something very bad must have happened to you, and for that I'm sorry. I... smelled that you were worried when you first came into the house, too."
"Hmph, bunnies are always worried," Samantha said flippantly, trying to carefully corral her emotions back into place, blinking away the warmth she started to feel in her eyes.
"No, they aren't," Cecil frowned. "And foxes aren't always deceivers." Samantha gasped. "That is, if that's what you're afraid of. If that's what you think I'm worried about. Do you think that fox suitors always have to try to prove their trustworthiness to their mate's parents?"
"Nh-no, I didn't mean that," Samantha shook her head. "I just-" She broke off when she knew she didn't want to explain further.
"So... was it a fox that hurt you, then?" Cecil followed up. Samantha froze, but knowing her fear would again betray her, she nodded. "...I see." He sighed heavily. "That bothers me. ...Why are you in a relationship with my daughter, then?"
"Because I love her," Samantha said instantly. "I... care a lot about her. Just because of what happened to me didn't... change how I felt about foxes. I'm still attracted to them. It's also been a long, long time since the attack."
"I'm sorry to grill you," Cecil sighed again, straightening up. "I've often wondered if I've raised Terra the right way. You bunnies... you've got a whole community for a family. You have all of the members with their roles and their responsibilities... but in a predator family, there's often not as many children. Not as many people to worry about. So... all of my worry goes onto Terra."
"My mother is... something of an outlier," Samantha winced. "There's nearly three hundred of us Hopps."
"My mother is on the lower side," Cecil nodded. "Just eleven Brownfurred kids, including me."
"But you just said-" Samantha's jaw dropped. "Your mother is a bunny?"
"Father, too," Cecil half-smiled. "So I got to have that kind of life growing up. But I've provided Terra with a more... traditional predator family. I thought only having one kit would let me focus all my attention on her. That's pretty much what happened. I feel like I'm responsible for what she's become."
"But... but she's so sweet..." Samantha held her paws out.
"And fragile..." Cecil sighed. "I took such great care to not let anything hurt her that she's not ready for anything to hurt her, even now."
"Maybe not..." Samantha conceded. "But... I'll try to protect her from anything that could cause her harm."
Cecil huffed in amusement. "With those bun-guns, I think you might be able to."
Samantha chuckled, flexing her arms. "They're really not that big."
"Big for a bunny," Cecil shrugged. "Or a kit fox. Anyway, gonna hold you to that." He pointed twice at Samantha. "You keep my daughter safe."
"Yes, sir," Samantha nodded. "To the best of my ability."
"Hmph," Cecil half-smiled again. "What is it with you bunnies? You're everywhere. I've got a bunny family already, and now looks like I'll be getting another one." Samantha smiled softly, and Cecil's smile grew. "Anyway, I should let you get back to sleep. G'night, Sammy-Whammy."
Samantha tried not to cringe, but her face did scrunch up a bit. "Night, Mr. Brownfurred."
"Please, you can call me Cecil-Wecil if you want," Cecil smirked, waving his paw dismissively.
Samantha headed back to the bed as she walked by Cecil. "I'll... uh... I'll pass on that."
The two chuckled lightly.
Samantha next awoke to the sound of shuffling. Her ears went up straight and turned in the direction of the noise. She saw Ariel holding her hands up defensively and trying to sneak by the couch-bed to go into the kitchen. The kit fox mouthed something like: "Sorry! Go back to sleep!" with a guilty smile. The bunny's alertness drained and she settled back down into bed. About ten minutes later, she decided she probably wouldn't be getting too much more sleep, and looked at her phone, wincing at the light from the screen. It was just about six o'clock, and she figured it was as good a time as any to get up. Shuffling out of bed, she too headed to the kitchen as she began to smell coffee.
"Sorry for waking you," Ariel said quietly at noticing the approaching bunny, holding a cup of coffee. "It's still early yet."
Samantha nodded, taking in the early morning light from the window. She squinted, and put her paw over her mouth to yawn. "I've functioned on less sleep before."
"Oh, but you're our guest; I can't help but feel bad," Ariel's mouth hitched up into that guilty smile again.
"Could I have a cup of coffee? That'd help," Samantha stretched.
"Of course," Ariel poured her a cup. She smirked. "Let me guess, you take it black."
"Actually, I like some cream and sugar," Samantha shrugged. Ariel hummed into a laugh, adding some to the cup.
"Oh, so you only look tough," Ariel continued to smirk while offering her the cup. "Careful, it's hot."
Samantha shrugged again. "Thank you." She stared at the coffee, taking in its scent and temperature, figuring she might need to wait a minute or two for her first sip.
"Must be different for a bunny, hm?" Ariel's smile lessened a little. "To be outnumbered by preds in this house."
Samantha peered into the coffee cup again, then looked up. "I've heard you don't care for bunnies all that much."
"I'm not wild about them," Ariel admitted, sipping from her coffee. "Cecil's family gets a pass for helping raise my wonderful husband."
"Where does that leave me?" Samantha murmured, carefully trying a sip of her coffee. Still too hot to casually drink from.
"Still trying to figure that out," Ariel smiled. "Though from how little patience Terra has with her father at the moment..." Samantha's eyes squinted a bit. "I'd say you're probably quite important to her."
"Huh?" Samantha blinked.
"The more she wants something, the more frustrated she gets when things aren't going her way, and she doesn't get that way very often," Ariel chuckled.
"It's kind of adorable actually, when she gets grumpy," Samantha admitted, smiling.
"I've found bunnies to be like that," Ariel waved her hand, her face starting to appear serious. "Not adorable, but they get frustrated when they don't get their way."
"Doesn't everyone?" Samantha shrugged.
Ariel frowned. "The thing is... this is Bunnyburrow. You bunnies have the vast majority. And in my personal experience, you bunnies can get quite... uppity when something that you've deemed yours is encroached on by outsiders."
Samantha searched her thoughts, trying to find a connection to something she had done and coming up blank. "I'm not sure I follow."
"Like me being a chef, for instance," Ariel put her free paw on her chest delicately. "The bunnies in my home ec class in high school weren't a fan of that. Even less so when I baked the best carrot cake in the class."
"I guess I shouldn't have looked so shocked when I tasted your salad...?" Samantha perked one of the sides of her mouth up.
"Oh no, I'll give you that one," Ariel shut her eyes. "But those bunnies got together and tried to splash a cup of scalding water on me." Samantha's eyes widened. "I turned my face just in time, but it got onto my back. Hurt like blazes."
"Did it... scar?" Samantha asked in muted horror.
"Sure did; you can still see it," Ariel sighed. "I was so distraught at first. Those bunnies got away with what they did with the excuse of it being an accident. I dropped home ec that year because I didn't want to deal with that anymore at the time. My high school sweetheart had to- well, it took a lot of effort from him to convince me he still found me attractive, even with the burn scar."
"Mmph..." Samantha frowned. "But, you stuck with it."
"Yes, he convinced me not to give up my passion," Ariel smirked. "So, I didn't, and I didn't give him up, either."
"Oh, Cecil?" Samantha smiled slightly. Ariel nodded. Samantha looked down. "I guess evil wears all sorts of disguises."
"Pardon?" Ariel narrowed her eyes.
"Terra once told me that scars don't belong to those who attacked us, they belong to us," Terra placed her hand on her chest. "They're our signs of healing. I'd wondered where she got that kind of perspective; I guess she had a while to think about it, knowing what happened to you."
"...What happened to you?" Ariel looked cautiously curious.
Samantha turned around and lifted up her shirt briefly. Ariel quietly gasped.
"Oh Karma..." Ariel breathed. "Oh Karma. Who did that to you...?"
"I don't know if you'd believe me if I told you," Samantha sipped from her coffee; now finally the right heat.
"...Not a kit fox...?" Ariel asked, looking at her sidelong.
"No, a red fox," Samantha sighed. She put her other paw on the coffee cup to absorb its warmth.
"Then you being with my daughter at all is a sign that you're healing," Ariel considered. "Hmm."
"That, and this," Samantha held up her wrist, showing her willow-bead bracelet that she barely ever took off. "Terra made this for me as a constant visual reminder that foxes can care deeply for someone."
"Oh, what a sweetheart," Ariel smiled. At that moment, Terra blearily shuffled into the kitchen, her eyes barely open. Ariel muttered: "And speaking of..."
Terra's extremely squinted eyes presumably locked onto her mothers, then Samantha's. "You two better not be arguing."
"Nope!" Ariel said brightly.
"Not at all," Samantha said simultaneously.
"Better not be..." Terra grumbled, taking the coffee cup from Samantha. "Gimme that." She sipped from it. "Ahh..."
"I can just pour you a cup, Terra," Ariel huffed in bemusement.
"Stolen coffee tastes better," Terra explained, getting a pat on her head from Samantha. "Mornin' Sam."
"Good morning, muffin," Samantha kissed her mate's cheek. Terra finally smiled.
"Speaking of muffins," Ariel started. "Is there anything in particular you'd like for breakfast?"
"I like pancakes," Samantha shrugged.
"Oh, do you think you like pancakes?" Ariel folded her arms. "Well you'll be obsessed with them after I'm through with you."
Before long, Terra was in her car with Samantha again, driving back to their apartment in Bunnyburrow proper.
"See? That wasn't so bad," Samantha said, crossing her arms over her lap. "Your family is quite nice."
Terra smiled, then the sniffed the air and her smile slowly drooped. "Then why do you smell more at ease now?"
"Well I mean, I was a little worried if I'd be able to impress them or not..." Samantha sighed.
"Well, you sure didn't impress them with your mini-golf score!" Terra smirked.
"Leave your dad to pick an activity I wouldn't be able to just power my way through," Samantha grumbled. "I've played mini-golf maybe once before, mainly because it's hard to find a group small enough to want to play in a bunny household. Everyone wants to go, and there can only fit so many bunnies on one course."
"These things take finesse," Terra said airily, taking one paw off the steering wheel to hold a finger up. "...I'm glad they both seem to like you."
"Yeah, I think I came to an understanding with both of them," Samantha sighed in satisfaction.
Terra's brow scrunched. "When?"
"You were asleep at the time," Samantha giggled.
"Oh, pff," Terra sucked at her teeth. "...Would you like to do anything with them again sometime?"
"Sure!" Samantha nodded, then considered their options. "Hmm... they still haven't been to Serendipiday, have they? That's coming up."
"You think you're going to get my parents to go to Serendipiday?" Terra scoffed, but smiled.
"I think I could talk them into it, if I was paying," Samantha shrugged, closing her eyes. "It's not just a festival for bunnies. I think they should be able to enjoy it. Maybe we could even show them the Hopps fireworks. I'll tell Violet she should make it extra impressive this year."
Suddenly, Terra pulled the car over to the side of the empty road, and put it into park. Samantha's eyes went wide and she held onto the door and console of the car to steady herself as it shook to a halt.
"Uh? What's up, Terra?" Samantha looked confused. "Why are we stopping?"
Terra took her seat belt off and crossed over into Samantha's lap, lacing her hands behind her neck. "I want some kisses."
Samantha felt her heart accelerate at the abrupt contact as she felt her vixen's cold nose nuzzle her neck and cheek. "I think I have some of those somewhere-" The bunny was interrupted as she fielded Terra's frenzied, eager kisses, responding with vigor as the chance passionate moment consumed her.
"Mm..." Terra's tail swished amorously behind her, and her face had a half-lidded, teasing look. "I love you, Sammy."
"Love you too, puppyfox..." Samantha touched their noses together. She lightly touched at Terra's sides, making her squeak out. She slipped her paw under the kit fox's shirt, eliciting a long hum of approval. Samantha slid the hand back out, patting the fox's rear. "Mmhmhm... just wait till we get home..."
"Parents house is still closer," Terra nodded back in the direction they came, her eyes looking especially amorous.
"And ruin all that headway I just made? I don't want to freak your dad out," Samantha laughed.
"Aw, why not?" Terra kissed Samantha's forehead.
"Maybe I should save messing with your dad until he really deserves it," Samantha winked.
"Okay, okay, fine," Terra gave her one more kiss before she broke away and put her seat belt on.
Samantha smiled brightly at the kit fox as they drove toward their house. Terra gave a slightly bashful grin back.
"Marshmallow," Samantha said, her voice soaked with affection.
"Yeah, yeah..." Terra tried to frown, but it became a huge smile.