Note: I know that it's October, the season for Halloween, but I'm not going to really focus upon it in the story. Whenever I do, it will be for a special occasion. Now that I've said that, it's time for chapter five.

Chapter 5: First Day of Preschool

Almost three years had passed since Owen had his first birthday, and things had been rather busy for Baloo and Lexi. During those years, Lexi had gotten her position shifted from journalist to editor. As for Baloo, he has gotten a promotion at the office, which gave him a higher position. The couple's schedules also changed, with Lexi having to work a night shift along with her normal one. Her coworkers often took the night shift for her, but she wound up with it when they didn't. Baloo offered his wife help, but she told him that she would be fine.

Despite how busy their jobs had become, Lexi and Baloo made sure that Owen was doing okay. Their son was still very young, so they didn't want anything bad to happen to him. Baloo would usually have Bagheera or Louie babysit the cub-bunny, but would also let Akela do so. However, the bear brought his son to work when he was able to. Lexi did the same, but would use her breaks to play with him. No matter what, Owen was always happy, even on a bad day.

Now that nearly three years had passed, Lexi and Baloo were watching over Owen as he slept. The rabbit and the bear didn't want to leave their son's side out of fear of what would happen to him during his sleep, but knew that they had to go to bed at some point. As they walked to their room, the couple yawned, feeling exhausted from a long work day. They collapsed onto their bed, getting covered up. Lexi cuddled up to Baloo, wanting some extra warmth. The bear put an arm around his wife, giving her some extra comfort as well.

"Today was tough, wasn't it?" Baloo asked.

"Yeah, but at least Owen's there to make it better." Lexi said.

"He's such a good kid." The bear said.

"But do you think that he would get along with other kids?" The rabbit asked.

"What do you mean by that?" The boar asked.

"Well, school doesn't start until next week, and Owen hasn't been enrolled yet." The doe said. "He gets along well with Rama and Raksha's kids, but what about kids who are his age?"

"He'll get along with them just fine." The ursine said. "Besides, that's not the only reason why a kid goes to school."

"You're right, I shouldn't worry too much about the little guy." The lepus said. "It's just that he hates it when we're not around. I can understand, because he's young, but we need him to see that he needs an education. If not, he might become a criminal like the ones you see on TV, or even a migrant -"

Baloo gently kissed Lexi on the forehead, which made her calm down a little.

"Stop worrying so much, honey." Baloo said. "Owen will be fine. He just needs to get to know his school better."

"I need to call the department of education in the morning and see if they'll let Owen in." Lexi stated.

"I hope that they do, because our boy needs an education." The bear said.

The next day, Lexi was on the phone, talking to the principal of the elementary school. Earlier, she had Baloo take Owen to the park so that they could play. By doing so, the rabbit knew that she could get their son enrolled by the time they got back. Now that she was talking to the principal, she was intent on having the cub-bunny attend orientation at the school, so that he could see who his teachers were, and what he needed for his classes. After a bit of small talk, the principal agreed to let Owen enroll, but would need to talk to the child himself. Lexi agreed, hoping that orientation would go off without a hitch.

When Baloo got home with Owen, Lexi had to explain to the latter that she had enrolled him for his first year of school. Due to not knowing what a school was, the cub-bunny was confused. As such, his parents were as clear as they could be, but kept their words simple as to not overwhelm him. Baloo was quick to assure his son that he wouldn't be trapped at school, just as long as he didn't get in trouble. Lexi even said that school would get more difficult for Owen as he changed grades, but he would be fine as long as he paid attention in class, took notes, studied, and got his homework done. With that in mind, the cub-bunny felt somewhat relieved.

On the day of orientation, Lexi went to the school with Owen, where he was greeted by the principal. The principal himself was a white tiger who was about as tall as Baloo, but was friendly, if not a little stern. With him, Lexi took her son to meet the teachers he would be surrounded by for the next seven years. The cub-bunny was shy, but, upon meeting his Preschool teacher, he felt some of his fears go away. As for Lexi, she wrote down the materials that he would need for class. She even called Baloo, telling him to buy the supplies when he was able to.

Later that night, Lexi and Baloo gathered the school supplies and loaded them into a backpack. In addition to that, they made Owen a lunch for his first day, so that he wouldn't have to buy it from school. Once everything was together, the bear and the rabbit put everything on the table, not wanting their son to forget everything in the morning. He was fast asleep in his bed, so the couple was as quiet as could be. They climbed into bed shortly after, setting their alarms for the morning. As they slept, Lexi was hoping that Owen would have a good day, while Baloo was hoping that his son would make some friends.

In the morning, Lexi took Owen to school. She was right on time, as the doors opened as soon as they got there. The rabbit promised her son that she would come when the day was over, even giving him a kiss on the forehead to indicate her promise. Convinced, the cub-bunny entered the building, wanting to get to class on time. Before he could walk to his class, Owen met up with the principal, who offered to escort him to class. He accepted the offer, knowing that it would help him remember.

Once he got to class, Owen saw kids who were around his age sitting around the teacher. The teacher herself was a lynx with brown eyes. She was wearing a pretty dress and a gray jacket. Her beauty was the first thing that caught Owen's eyes, as he was spellbound. The cub-bunny walked into the classroom, pushing the door open. As soon as that happened, the teacher saw him standing in the doorway.

"You must be Owen." She spoke.

"Am I late?" Owen asked.

"No, you're right on time, sweetie!" The teacher said. "I'm Ms. Smith, and I'm happy to have you in my classroom!"

Smiling, Owen sat between two of his classmates. After he did that, Ms. Smith got up and walked over to the chalkboard. Writing on it, she told her students what they were going to do for the day. Putting on a CD full of nursery rhymes, the lynx allowed the children to dance for as long as they wanted. For those who didn't want to dance, they were allowed to draw and color. With that in mind, Owen was happy, knowing that his first day would be a breeze.

Lexi was walking through The Daily Post, carrying a stack of papers. The papers were edited copies of the paper that would be released over the weekend, with the rabbit having done three edits. Once she gave them to the publication department, she decided to head to her office until then. The moment she got there, the doe heard her phone ringing. She picked it up, deciding to answer the call.

"Hello?" Lexi spoke.

"Hey, Lexi, how are you doing?" Baloo's voice came out of the line.

"I just got finished delivering papers to the publication department." The doe said. "How are you doing?"

"I'm a little bored, but my day's been alright." The boar said. "I've just been at my desk all day, moving documents and doing math."

"Sounds exciting." The lepus said.

"Anyway, did you take Owen to school?" The ursine asked.

"Yes. I just hope that he has a good day."

"He will, honey! Besides, he's more than capable of getting along with people. He's got my niceties and your smarts."

"Let's just hope that his peers appreciate that."

"If they don't, then they would have lost a friend before they even knew it!"

"I love it when you talk like that, Baloo."

"And I love you, Lexi. See you later, honey bun!"

Lexi only giggled, putting her phone back on the set. She went back to work, looking for any documents that she could edit. The doe stopped to eat lunch, having brought it from home. Due to the board room being empty, she ate alone, which gave her space. After lunch, the lepus went back to her office, deciding to continue on with work. While that was happening, she reminded herself to leave ten minutes before Owen got out, wanting to pick him up later.

Back at school, Owen was sitting at a table during lunch. He had placed his packed meal on the table, deciding to unwrap every content. Laying in front of him was a peanut butter sandwich, a carrot, a bag of chips, a juice box, and a brownie. The cub-bunny are what he could, only managing to eat all but half of the sandwich, and the end of the carrot. He let out a satisfied sigh, his belly full. The lepus-ursid then drank out of his juice box, thinking that it would help him make room.

Once he got finished with his lunch, Owen saw someone walking towards him. This person was a female bear cub. She looked older than Owen, looking six or seven. The cub wore a purple shirt, overalls, sneakers, and barrettes in her hair. He fur was a golden-brown, looking like toffee. She looked friendly, but Owen had a nervous feeling around her.

"Excuse me," the cub spoke, "is anyone else sitting here?"

"No, it's just me." Owen said.

With that in mind, the cub sat next to Owen. As that happened, he continued to drink his juice. However, something in him felt odd. Seeing the girl next to him made him feel weird. The cub-bunny couldn't help it, he just didn't know what to feel. He had never spoken to a girl his age before, so it felt awkward.

"So, what's your name?" The cub asked.

"I'm Owen Akela Bunny." Owen said.

"I'm Molly Cunningham." She said.

"Nice to meet you." The cub-bunny said. "What grade are you in?"

"I'm in first grade, and you?" Molly asked.

"Preschool."

"I liked Preschool." The girl said. "Too bad school becomes more and more serious as you enter the next grade."

"Mama tells me that although school gets harder, you can pull through by studying and hard work."

"My mom tells me that, too. My dad liked to say that when he was still with her."

"Do you think that we could study together sometime?"

Before Molly could answer, the bell rang. This signaled that it was the end of lunch. As such, the children walked out of the cafeteria, having gotten their fill. The teachers remained in the room, with some leading the kids out.

"I guess that we should go now." Owen said.

"Yeah." Molly said. "It was nice to meet you, Owen. I'll see you tomorrow!"

"You too!" The cub-bunny said, walking out of the cafeteria.

For the rest of the day, Owen was in his classroom, playing with the other kids. He even listened to the nursery rhymes that were playing for the class, even dancing to them. The cub-bunny was so busy, he didn't even notice the bell ringing. One of his classmates had to tell him that the day was over, so that he didn't get stuck in the school. With that in mind, Owen grabbed his supplies and ran to the entrance. The first thing he saw outside was Lexi's car, which made him happy.

Upon getting in the car, Owen greeted his mother and told her about his day. Lexi smiled, knowing that her son's first day went well. As she drove home, the doe was eager to greet Baloo. He usually came home before she did, so she hoped to see him. The rabbit saw the bear leaving his car, so she knew that he just got home. She parked beside him, helping Owen out of the car as soon as it stopped.

Baloo sat down on the couch with his laptop on his lap. He heard the door open, which meant that Lexi had brought Owen home. The bear stood up and saw his wife holding their son by his hand. The cub-bunny smiled, happy to see his father.

"Daddy!" Owen said.

"Hey, bud, how was your day?" Baloo asked.

"It was great!" The cub-bunny said. "I played with the other kids, listened to nursery rhymes, and ate lunch!"

"That's great, Owen!" The bear said.

"But that's not all." The child said. "I met a girl, too!"

"You did?" Lexi asked.

"I think our little boy's a ladies man, Lex!" Baloo said.

"No, we're just friends." Owen said.

"Who is the girl you met, honey?" The rabbit asked.

"Molly Cunningham!"

Lexi and Baloo looked at each other, having heard that name before. Molly's mother was someone who they were told about, but never met. She was a doctor who worked at the same hospital Lexi went to for an ultrasound, and where Baloo took her when she went into labor. If they had seen Dr. Cunningham, then they didn't notice her. No matter how much they wanted to speak to her, the bear and the rabbit would feel bad for interrupting a doctor during her job. Doctors were very busy, after all.

"Molly must be pretty lonely, Owen." Baloo said.

"Why?" Owen asked.

"Because her mom's a doctor." Lexi said. "Your father and I never spoke to her ourselves, but I have a feeling we'll bump into her one day."

"I hope her mom's really nice, because she's really nice!" The cub-bunny said.

Hearing her son's words, Lexi couldn't help but smile. Not only did Owen meet Dr. Cunningham's daughter, but was now wishing to meet her himself. The doe looked over to Baloo, who had a blank look on his face. He snapped out of it during dinner, as he knew he would worry his family. After dinner, however, the bear went to take a shower, wanting some privacy. Neither Lexi or Owen interrupted him, as they wanted to respect his personal business.

When night had rolled around, Lexi had tucked Owen into bed. Making sure that he would be alright, the doe turned on the baby monitor, which was still in the room. If there was an odd noise, then the doe and Baloo would be alerted. While Baloo wasn't usually the one to get out of bed first, he would do it for his family. Lexi usually outran him, but she would help him to wherever something was going down. After all, she was married to the big guy.

Stepping out of Owen's room, Lexi decided to head to bed. Upon opening the door, she saw Baloo laying down, staring at the ceiling. He didn't look calm or even worried, he just had the blank expression he had earlier. Concerned, Lexi sat down next to the bear. She kissed him on the cheek, which surprised him. Knowing that it was from his wife, the ursine looked at her and smiled.

"Good to see you, baby." Baloo said.

"Baloo, is there something wrong?" Lexi asked.

"It's about the mother of the girl Owen met at school today." The boar said.

"Dr. Cunningham?" The doe said. "If it's because she's a gynecologist, we shouldn't let that dictate our opinion on her little girl."

"No, it's not that." The bear said. "It's just that I used to be friends with her. We hung out together when we were kids."

"What happened?" The rabbit asked. "Did you say something bad?"

"No, we just stopped talking to each other one day. As we grew up, we drifted apart. While I was living each day, Rebecca was becoming more focused on her education. I respected her wishes, but we haven't spoken since we were teenagers."

"Gee, Baloo, I'm sorry to hear about that."

"And what if we talk to each other again? How would it go? What about Owen and Molly? Would they become best friends, or will they drift away from each other like Becky and I did?"

Lexi saw Baloo's expression become sadder, almost looking like he was about to cry. Not wanting that to happen, the doe decided to comfort her husband.

"Baloo," she gently spoke, "you don't have to worry about stuff like that! Even if Dr. Cunningham hasn't spoken to you for the longest time, that doesn't mean she wouldn't want to talk to you. Besides, just because you drifted apart doesn't mean that Owen and Molly will."

"You think so?" Baloo asked.

"I know so." Lexi said.

Feeling better for now, Baloo kissed Lexi. The two then cuddled up, getting under the covers. With the day over, the bear and the rabbit drifted off to sleep, getting their bodies recharged for the next day. By tomorrow, there would be a long work day ahead, and Owen would be back in school. For now, that didn't matter, as the family was within the comfort of their home.

Note: Didn't expect Molly or Rebecca to get added to this story, did you? I bet that you weren't expecting Rebecca to be a Doctor in the story? Even if she and Baloo speak again, they'll have to not talk about her profession as much as possible. Also, Molly would have to stop herself from talking about it. Until next time, guys, this is Newcomer24, signing off. Peace!