Note: Well, everyone, the New Year is here. That means that I am able to continue updating my stories. I might even complete one or two of them. But, for now, I'm focusing on updating them. For instance, I'm coming back to this one, as it has been months since the last chapter. This one was originally going to be written and posted in time for New Year's Eve, but that didn't happen. Needless to say, the season was crazy, and I don't live in a distraction-free environment.

Now that I've said that, it's time for chapter eight.

Chapter 8: An Unexpected Resolution

Ever since Baloo and Lexi had comforted Owen when he felt scared, things had been much better. The year went by, with the family living their lives and continuing on with their time at work and school. Baloo hadn't gotten a promotion at the office, but he didn't mind. Lexi managed to get a few articles posted every so often, having made sure that they were edited and up to the standards of The Daily Post. Owen continued attending class, even being invited to play by other children. As time went on, the cub-bunny hoped that the rest of the year would be great.

When Halloween rolled around, Owen wound up staying at the house, helping his parents hand out candy. Of course, that didn't mean that he didn't dress up for the holiday. The cub-bunny dressed up as a mummy, Lexi being the one to help him out with his costume. Baloo had his son sit on his lap as they gave candy to trick-or-treaters, while Lexi brought out a new bag every time they ran out. However, when all was said and done, Owen's costume ended up stuck to the candy bowl. Luckily, Baloo and Lexi were able to get him loose.

In November, Owen would hang around with Bagheera or Rama and Raksha. This was because his parents would be busy with their Thanksgiving preparations. On the night before, the cub-bunny helped out with the cooking, getting everything done except for the turkey. When Thanksgiving came, the family was joined by their friends and family, with only Ace and Bon being unable to come. Both of them had plans, but Baloo and Lexi understood, even telling Owen about it. He didn't mind, primarily because he barely spent time with Ace and didn't know Bon.

After Thanksgiving, Baloo and Lexi did some online shopping, not wanting to get caught up in the crowds during Black Friday. They bought gifts for each other, and for Owen. Owen only had the money in his piggy bank, but he didn't have enough to buy gifts for his parents. However, an assignment he had at school was to make a Christmas card for his parents. With that in mind, the cub-bunny got to work, using crayons, glue, and glitter, with the teacher giving him a hand with the scissors. By the time the children went to lunch, Owen had put the card in his backpack, making sure that it didn't get ruined.

On Christmas Eve, Owen put his card on the tree, thinking that it was the safest place to put it. When Christmas morning came, Baloo and Lexi read it, and were touched by the message inside. The family exchanged gifts, got dressed, and went to visit Lexi's family for dinner. Ace was visiting this time around, so Owen played with him. The buck would have to go back to California the following day, but he didn't let that keep him from enjoying the holidays. When the day was over, Baloo, Lexi, and Owen went home, thinking about what they would do next year.

New Year's Eve rolled around next, and the family found themselves hanging around the house. There wasn't much for them to do for the celebration. After all, people were getting ready for one thing: the ball in New York dropping. Many watched from their televisions, while others were in New York to watch the special occasion itself. Lexi, Baloo and Owen watched it on the couch together, surrounded by snack foods and leftovers from dinner. By the time the countdown on the television ended, the year had ended and a new one began.

Before going to bed, Owen thought about his New Year's resolution. While such a thing would be on the mind of someone older, primarily someone who wasn't still in Preschool, he had one in mind. The cub-bunny didn't share it with his parents, deciding to wait much later to reveal it. He hoped that Baloo and Lexi wouldn't mind, as he feared making them upset. Upon being tucked in for the night, the ursine/lepus thought about his resolution. Even if he couldn't tell everyone about it tomorrow, then maybe he could try another time.

On New Year's Day, Lexi and Baloo invited over their friends for a party. Each of them brought a dish that they had worked on the previous day. They laid their stuff on the table, so that everyone would be able to have some of each. When it was time to eat, Lexi brought Owen into the dining room, having him sit by her. Baloo sat on the side opposite of the doe, so she was between her husband and her son. The moment everyone was in the room, they began to eat.

When dinner was over, everyone moved onto dessert. There was apple pie, banana bread, tin roof pie, a pumpkin roll and cookies. Everyone had some of each, then started a conversation. Owen sat and listened, eating his food while doing so.

"So, what's everyone's New Year's resolution?" Lexi spoke. "Mine is to help interns at The Daily Post."

"My resolution is to get a promotion at the office." Baloo said.

"For my resolution, I plan to travel to Scotland." Bagheera said.

"My resolution is to help some of my friends in the South." Louie spoke.

"I'm intent on retiring early." Akela said. "Those injuries I took from Shere Khan still hurt."

"Raksha and I have a resolution together." Rama stated.

"We want to publish that book we've been working on." Raksha said.

"My resssolution isss to become a guinea pig for tesssting." Kaa spoke.

"Aren't those experiments dangerous?" Lexi asked.

"I can take it." The snake hissed.

After everyone had shared their resolutions, Owen felt like saying what his was. He got cold feet, however, as he worried that no one would like what he had to say. Would anyone even take the cub-bunny's resolution seriously? He was only five years old, and they were all grownups. Two of them were the boy's parents, and the rest were family friends. He cleared his throat, managing to get everyone's attention.

"Can I say my resolution?" Owen timidly asked.

"Sure, son." Baloo said. "What's on your mind for the new year?"

"My resolution is to be a good boy and a great kid to those around me." The cub-bunny said. "If possible, I want to be the best big brother to younger kids, even if one happens to be my younger brother or sister."

Once Owen had said his resolution, everyone looked at each other. While the first part was pretty good, they were blindsided by the second part. It was great that Owen wanted to be good to those around him, but the part about being a big brother was a little strange. The cub-bunny was rarely around children who were younger than him, so they didn't know how he would act around an infant or toddler. He was a little young to be an older brother, though him being a lonely child was undoubtedly lonely. No one said a word to Owen, but they smiled at him, not wanting him to worry.

Night had rolled around, and everyone had gone home. Lexi took Owen up to give him a bath, which left Baloo alone in the living room. He waited for his wife to get their son ready for bed. The bear and the rabbit were going to stay up for a bit longer, seeing as they didn't go back to work until the day after tomorrow. As they sat on the couch, they watched a few episodes of an old medical show. While watching it, they had a conversation.

"Man, this show is a little dated, but it's still pretty good." Baloo said.

"Yeah, and I only watched the first season of it when I was little." Lexi said. "Time flies, I guess."

"Anything wrong, honey?" The bear asked, noticing how despondent she sounded.

"It's just what Owen said earlier." The rabbit said. "Does he really think that he isn't a good kid? He's nice to those around him."

"What I find odd is that he apparently wants to be a big brother." The boar said. "I mean, what's that about? You'd think that a kid as young as him would be dreading having siblings."

"Owen turns six this year, so maybe he thinks he needs younger kids to lean back on in order to become responsible." The doe said. "We can teach him about responsibility ourselves."

"I'm half-surprised that he doesn't want a puppy." The ursine said.

"Wanting a pet does make more sense than wanting a brother or sister when you're young." The lepus said. "I'm just worried about how he would react to a new baby in the house."

"Well, honey, I don't think we'll have to worry about it too much. Our friends are there to help us out and we can even accept a hand from your family."

"Except for Ace, he's nervous around babies."

"Not exactly thrilled to show Owen around Bon, even if he's got himself together nowadays. My brother might be less crazy now, but he's still a horn dog!"

Lexi let out a chuckle, with Baloo letting one out afterwards. They continued to watch TV until two o'clock in the morning. By then, the bear and the rabbit decided to go to bed. Owen was already fast asleep, so they didn't wake him up. As they climbed into bed, the married couple kissed, feeling their love glow. However, love was soon overshadowed by lust, and Lexi wound up undressing herself.

For ten minutes, Baloo and Lexi had sex. The rabbit rode the bear, enjoying his erection in her slit. Beginning slow, they soon sped up, to the point where it was like riding a horse. As that happened, Baloo felt himself get deeper inside Lexi, his erection getting warmer. Eventually, he climaxed, filling up his wife with his bear sperm. Lexi collapsed onto her husband, hugging him tightly.

"I love you." Baloo whispered in Lexi's ear.

The two drifted off to sleep, allowing their bodies to rest for the next day. By tomorrow, they decided to have another baby. Of course, Lexi would have to use pregnancy tests to make sure that she had actually gotten pregnant. Baloo would have to keep an eye on her, in case of something happening to her in the process. They agreed to help ease Owen into the idea of having a younger sibling, even though he didn't seem to mind. With help from those around them, having another child would be easy.

Note: Alright, this chapter was a bit short. However, that's largely because there wasn't much to write for it. Could anyone really dedicate a whole chapter to a New Year's resolution and make it last for more than a thousand words? If there's a story about that, not counting any multi-chapter stories, I kinda want to read it. But, for now, I'm ending my statement here.

Until next time, guys, this is Newcomer24, signing off. Peace!