Note: Well, the end of the month wasn't a picnic. Not only did I have to get a brand new Discord account, but I still haven't gotten a job. Despite that, I managed to accomplish posting that new story, as well as updates to two other stories. Now that we're on this one, it's time for a new chapter. It has been months since the last update, but that doesn't mean the story isn't in an awkward place. In fact, there are plenty of chapters coming in the future, so be on the lookout for those. Chances are, they might be released when you don't expect it.
Now that I have said that, it's time for chapter nine.
Chapter 9: Play Date
A few months had passed since the New Year's party, and things were rather slow. Owen had went back to school, attending class and talking to his classmates. Baloo was still working at the office, having received only a small promotion from his boss. Lexi had been helping interns at The Daily Post, though only a few were hired by the newspaper. Nothing big was going on at the moment, aside from the fact that Owen was two months away from passing Preschool. It was as if time had stopped, freezing everyone in a period of boredom.
Baloo and Lexi began to receive larger paychecks at work as their work days became longer, though it ran at the risk of them being unable to pick up Owen at school. As such, they had to call Bagheera to pick up their son once the school day had ended, so that he could watch him until they got home. The cub-bunny would have to be with the panther for a while, though it didn't bother him. Bagheera was a family friend, after all, so the boy knew he could trust him. Lexi felt tempted to have her friends look after her son, but she knew that they haven't been around him as much as the others. Not to mention that the others often had busy schedules themselves, with Bagheera and Louie usually being the ones who had time off.
Despite the new arrangements at their jobs, Baloo and Lexi still made sure they were able to spend time with their son. Owen was only five, so he couldn't spend an entire day without his parents. The cub-bunny was surrounded by their friends, but he didn't want to live without his mother and father. With that in mind, the bear and the rabbit tried to schedule days where they would be able to be with their little boy. Their bosses understood, though scheduling these days would be hard, given how busy they often were. However, Lexi and Baloo did not let that get them down.
Even though it had only been two months since Owen stated his New Year's resolution, Baloo and Lexi were still perplexed by it. Their son was a good boy, but now he was showing a desire to be an older sibling? What would happen if he had a pet instead? Could the bear and the rabbit even have another child? If that was so, then they hoped everyone would be able to help them like how they did when Owen wasn't old enough to speak. After all, watching after two very young kids wasn't always easy.
As he was almost out of Preschool, Owen was still only friends with Molly. He had tried to make friends with other kids, but they had shown no interest. It wasn't out of malice, but rather because they were older than he was. Older children being friends with younger children wasn't uncommon, but none of the big kids at school had become friends with the cub-bunny. This disappointed him, but he felt optimistic, knowing that there was always tomorrow. Little did he know, that he would find someone interested in being his friend.
It was a simple Wednesday morning, and Owen was in his first class for the day. He was just waiting to play with the toys kept in the classroom, so that he could spend some time with Molly. They liked to play games together, even inviting other kids to play with them. Each game wasn't just between the cub-bunny and the cub, as some kids wound up joining in. Said kids would play with their friends afterwards, leaving the two alone. Despite that, Owen hoped to be their friend one day.
Once the kids were allowed to play, Owen was about to head to Molly. That was until he noticed a girl standing behind him, being close enough to bump into him. She was a coyote pup who was around the age of everyone in class, though she was a bit taller. Her eyes were green, and she was wearing overalls, a striped shirt, socks and Mary Janes. Owen had never spoken to her before, nor had he seen her before. She was either the new kid or someone who the students barely paid attention to.
"Excuse me, but can I play with you and your friend?" The coyote asked.
"Sure, you can play with us." Owen said. "What's your name?"
"Rachel." She said.
"You can be the navigator of our ship." He stated. "Molly's the captain, while I'm the co-captain."
Giving off a kind smile, Rachel joined Owen and Molly in their game. In the game, the coyote was introduced as the new navigator of the ship they were on. The three played until the end of class, where they split up to go to their next subjects. At lunch, Owen and Molly met up with Rachel, deciding to sit at the same table and eat together. From there, the pup talked to her classmates, discussing certain topics that made them happy. In such a short period of time, she had befriended the cub-bunny and the cub, and they grew to like her.
By the end of the day, Owen had to wait for Bagheera to pick him up. However, he promised Molly and Rachel that he would see them tomorrow. The coyote pup in particular was someone who the cub-bunny wanted to get to know some more. She had never spoken to him before and vice versa, which made him much more interested to know about her. He hoped that Molly felt the same way, considering how they were best friends. They had a new friend, so it made sense to be interested in her.
When Bagheera arrived at school, he picked up Owen and took him home, deciding to watch him until Baloo and Lexi got off work. As it was only the two of them in the house at the moment, Owen decided to speak about Rachel, telling Bagheera everything he knew. The panther sat and listened to the cub-bunny, so that he could talk to Baloo and/or Lexi about his new friend. He was the boy's godfather, but there were some things he felt he couldn't talk to him about. Some of the feline's advice was meant for when the ursid-lepus was older, primarily high school age, but he had some for his developing years. Maybe when Owen's parents came home, Bagheera could give some advice.
Once Lexi and Baloo got home, they saw Bagheera speaking with Owen. The cub-bunny was sitting on the panther's lap, looking at him with happy eyes. After the boy's parents came in, he jumped off his godfather's lap and went to greet them. He hugged his mother, while his father put a hand on his shoulder. When that was out of the way, Baloo had Owen head to the living room, so that he could wait for dinner. Shortly after that, Bagheera went to speak to Lexi and Baloo about what Owen had told him.
"So, what's up, Baggy?" Baloo asked.
"Well, Owen made a new friend today." Bagheera spoke. "She's a young coyote named Rachel."
"Oh, she's like Tech." Lexi said.
"Actually, Owen didn't tell me a whole lot about her." The panther said. "He just said that she asked if she could play with him and Molly, then they ate lunch together."
"There's nothing wrong with that." Baloo said.
"Of course, you're right." The feline said. "However, it's a good idea to do a background check, just in case the girl's family isn't part of a criminal organization."
"We'll keep that in mind." Lexi said.
After that brief conversation, Bagheera got ready to leave, but not before saying goodbye to everyone, including Owen. When he was gone, Lexi and Baloo went to work on dinner. As that happened, Owen thought about talking to Rachel tomorrow. If possible, he would want to play with both her and Molly for the rest of his life. The cub-bunny felt as though he would make more friends as he grew up, but he simply wanted to focus on the ones he had just made. Doing so would be so much easier than trying to make multiple friends, which would make him lose track of them.
Once dinner was ready, Owen was called in. He sat between his mother and father, deciding to get his belly full for the night. As the cub-bunny ate, Lexi and Baloo were unsure of what to say to their son. They were happy that he had made a new friend, but, unlike the situation with Molly, they didn't know anything about Rachel and her family. Neither one of them wanted to tell Owen anything that would hurt his feelings, but they needed to talk to him. He was the doe and the boar's son, so they needed to give him advice.
"Owen, sweetie, Bagheera told us you made a new friend today." Lexi spoke.
"Yeah, I did." Owen said. "She's friendly and cute!"
"We don't doubt she is, bud." Baloo said. "However, your mother and I are thinking of getting in contact with her parents."
"Why?" The cub-bunny asked. "You're not mad at me, are you?"
"Honey, we aren't mad at you at all." Lexi said. "We just want to know more about this girl, so that we can be sure you don't fall into the wrong crowd."
"But, she's not bad." The boy said. "She's nice and she liked playing with Molly and me."
"Son, we're not trying to imply that she's bad." Baloo said. "We just want to know more about her, so that we could maybe set up a play date between you and her."
"But you'll have to talk to her some more." Lexi said. "Can you do that, Owen?"
Nodding his head, Owen gave his answer. Once he was done with dinner, the cub-bunny went to take a bath, wanting to clean himself up after a long day. Baloo helped his son out, making sure that there weren't any spots he missed. When he was done, the little boy got dressed in his pajamas and went to bed, wanting to get his sleep for the night. Lexi had tucked in her son, wishing him sweet dreams. As his mother walked out of the room, Owen drifted off to sleep, his eyes drooping.
From outside Owen's room, Baloo and Lexi agreed that they would find out who Rachel's parents were. They would have to do so when they had a break at their respective jobs, as they couldn't do it in the middle of something important. As they went to bed, the bear and the rabbit were close, deciding to cuddle up as they slept. Lexi rested her head on Baloo's shoulder, while he put his arm around her. They slept well throughout the night, not letting anything bother them. Owen slept the same way, though he had a small trip to the bathroom.
The next day, Owen was playing with Molly and Rachel. He had yet to ask Rachel anything, feeling somewhat nervous to do so. Molly encouraged the cub-bunny to do so, given how neither of them knew a whole lot about the coyote pup. They hoped to talk to her before they played, but they got sidetracked. As the rest of the school day carried on, the three attended class and played, letting nothing bother them. Even though Owen wanted to ask Rachel what he needed to ask, he was unable to.
Once the day had ended, Owen and Molly walked out of the school, deciding to wait to be picked up. When Molly was picked up by her mother, Owen knew he had to wait for Bagheera to arrive. In the process, he saw Rachel walking by, heading towards the sidewalk. A car pulled up nearby, the driver's door coming open when it stopped moving. Seeing this, Owen worried that Rachel was about to be snatched. Baloo and Lexi had warned him about people who abducted children the moment they saw them, so he hoped that his new friend wouldn't be taken by one of those individuals.
A person stepped out of the car, causing Rachel to stop in her tracks. The person was a coyote wearing a light sweater, a skirt, leggings and boots. She bent down to Rachel, patting the pup's head. Upon seeing this, Owen's fears faded, but he wondered who the older coyote was. It wasn't hard for him to determine that she was related to his new friend, but what relationship did they have? Were they mother and daughter or aunt and niece? Could they be sisters to each other?
Rachel and the older coyote approached Owen, which caused him to look in their direction. He knew that Bagheera would be coming to pick him up, so he didn't want to speak for too long. In fact, the cub-bunny decided that he wouldn't say too much. Even if this was his first time meeting the older coyote, he didn't want to get distracted.
"Are you Owen?" The she-coyote asked.
"Yes." Owen spoke.
"Nice to meet you, sweetie." She said. "I'm Louisa, Rachel's mother. You can call me Mrs. Jameson."
"Hi, Mrs. Jameson!" The cub-bunny said. "It's nice to meet you, too! You're pretty!"
"You're rather polite for a Preschooler." Louisa said. "Too bad most of Rachel's classmates back home weren't like you."
"They were meanies!" Rachel said.
"How mean?" Owen asked.
"They took away the scissors while I was making something and they wouldn't let me play with them!" The coyote pup said.
Before Owen could say anything, he saw Bagheera's car coming by. He knew that he wouldn't have much time until the panther arrived, but at least he got to know Rachel's mother. It was a bit saddening that they had to split up for the time being, but the cub-bunny was hoping to speak to them again. The feeling was mutual for Louisa and Rachel.
"My Daddy's friend is here to pick me up." Owen said. "I gotta go."
"But, before you go, can you ask your parents if it's alright to schedule a play date?" Louise asked.
"I will!" The cub-bunny said, pulling open a door on Bagheera's car.
"Thank you." The coyote said. "I hope to hear from them, Owen!"
"Bye Owen!" Rachel said.
Once that was out of the way, Owen got in Bagheera's car, so that they could head to the house together. In the process, the cub-bunny talked about Rachel and her mother, showing his desire to talk to his parents about having a play date with them. He would have to wait until they got home to talk to them about it, as he couldn't interrupt them while they were at work. Bagheera offered to call them, but decided to let his godson tell Baloo and Lexi once they got home. After all, he was a godparent and not related to the boy. Hopefully, Owen was able to tell the whole story to his mother and father.
At The Daily Post, Lexi was doing some editing on a few articles that had been sent to her. There were some spelling errors on most of them, but it was nothing challenging to correct. However, one had paragraphs with not indentation, making the text look all smashed together. Another had several sentences that lacked the correct punctuation, causing the doe to put it in so the article could look presentable. The rest were fine outside of the aforementioned problems, just needing to be made readable. Once they were fixed, they would be sent to the CEO for publishing.
When she was done editing, Lexi emailed the articles to her boss. Once that was out of the way, she heard a knock on the door.
"Come in!" Lexi spoke.
The door came open, being pulled backwards. As it was opened, Lexi turned around to see who her visitor was. It was a coyote wearing a long sleeve shirt, jeans, a belt, and sneakers. Her hazel eyes locked onto the rabbit's blue ones, as if she were trying to hypnotize who she was visiting. Despite that, she had a friendly expression, her lips curled into a smile. Finding it rude to not speak to her visitor, Lexi engaged in a conversation with the coyote.
"Can I help you?" Lexi asked.
"Are you Owen's mother?" The coyote asked.
"Yes, and who are you?" The rabbit asked. "Also, how do you know my son?"
"Rachel's been telling me about your little boy." The canine said. "I'm Olivia Jameson, but you can call me Liv."
"Okay, well, why are you here?" The doe asked.
"I was coming to ask if your son would like to have a play date with Rachel." Olivia said.
"My husband and I were about to ask the same thing." The lepus said. "Now that you've said that, I have to think it over with him."
"I'm free to talk whenever you decide." The coyote said. "See you later!"
When Olivia left her office, Lexi decided to call Baloo about a potential play date. He was getting ready to leave, so he had enough time to speak to her. Bagheera had already called the bear, saying that Owen wanted to speak to both him and the rabbit when they arrived home. They agreed to lend their ears to their son, so that they could speak with him. Upon ending her call, Lexi clocked out of the office, deciding to head home as soon as possible. She didn't mind if Baloo beat her home, considering that he always got off before she did.
When they got home, Baloo and Lexi decided to let Owen tell them about his day. The cub-bunny explained that he was unable to ask Rachel about her parents, having been distracted. However, he wound up meeting Rachel's mother, Louisa, and found her to be a nice lady. She had even told him to ask his parents if it were possible to set up a play date between him and her daughter. Once the boy was done talking about his day, he went to his room to do his homework. This left Baloo and Lexi by themselves.
"So, Owen's met the girl's mother." Baloo spoke.
"That can't be possible, Baloo." Lexi said.
"Why not, honey?" The bear asked.
"A coyote came to my office today and asked if I was Owen's mother." The rabbit said. "She told me her name was Olivia, and said that Rachel had told her plenty of things. I think SHE might be Rachel's mother."
"But Owen said that Louisa is Rachel's mother." The boar said. "Could Olivia be the girl's aunt?"
"It is rather strange that we haven't seen her father yet." The doe said. "Owen didn't even mention a Mr. Jameson."
"You know what?" The ursid spoke. "Why don't we set up a play date on Saturday, so that Owen can play with Rachel while we talk to her parents and that Olivia lady?"
"We don't know their contact information, though." The doe said. "Hopefully, they're willing to share it with us."
"That would be nice of them."
"Yes, it would."
After that, Baloo and Lexi went to work on dinner, so that they could feed Owen and themselves. While eating dinner, they told their son that he could have a play date with Rachel, just as long as it was okay with her parents. The cub-bunny was happy about this, to the point where he hugged his mother and father after dinner. In fact, he promised them that he would speak to Rachel the following day, as he genuinely wanted to be her friend. Lexi hoped to speak to the Jamesons, so that they could arrange it. As for Baloo, he was eager to see what the situation was for the family of his son's new friend.
Owen was successful in asking Rachel out on a play date, as he was waiting for her at home on Saturday. As for Baloo and Lexi, they were off for the weekend, which allowed them to meet the girl's parents in person. Molly was unable to come, as she was spending the weekend with her mother. Bagheera and the others were busy, so the family were by themselves for the day. Once the Jamesons arrived, Lexi hoped to speak with them as Rachel played with Owen. They would probably speak to Baloo as well, seeing as he was the father of their daughter's new friend.
A knock came on the door, causing Baloo to go answer it. Once he pulled the door open, he saw a coyote pup dressed in a shirt, overalls, and boots. She was rather cute, though what five-year-old wouldn't be considered that? It wasn't hard for Baloo to see that this was the Rachel who Owen had recently befriended.
"You must be Rachel." Baloo spoke. "Nice to meet you, sweetie!"
"Is Owen inside?" Rachel asked.
"He's waiting on you, little one." The bear said.
Pulling the door farther open, Baloo let Rachel in the house. Needless to say, she was glad to see that Owen was nearby. However, the coyote pup saw Lexi standing near the cub-bunny as well. She was mesmerized by the rabbit's beauty, to the point where she couldn't take her eyes off the older female. To the canine, it was like looking at a princess from a fairy tale or animated movie. Lexi only smiled at the little girl, trying to give off a friendly atmosphere.
"Are you Owen's mommy?" Rachel asked.
"Yeah." Lexi said. "Nice to meet you, Rachel. Owen's been talking about you."
"I told them about your mama." Owen added.
"Alright kids, go play!" Baloo said.
Smiling at each other, Owen and Rachel went upstairs. When the kids were out of sight, Lexi and Baloo noticed that someone was approaching the door. Thinking that it was Rachel's parents, the rabbit and the bear waited for them to come through the door so they could talk. By doing so, they would find out why the pup's father didn't speak to anyone like how Louisa and Olivia had done. Was he a hard-worker, to the point where he was unable to spend time with his daughter sometimes? Is he just a shy man, in comparison to his friendlier family members?
Another knock came on the door, Lexi answering it this time. Once she pulled it open, she saw a coyote standing in the doorway. The coyote was female, being dressed in a sweater, a skirt, leggings, and boots. She wasn't Olivia, as she was shorter and her eyes were an azure shade. With that in mind, Lexi could tell that this was Louisa, the woman Owen said was Rachel's mother. But where was Olivia at? More importantly, was Rachel's father coming or not?
"You must be Owen's parents." Louisa spoke. "I'm Louisa Jameson, Rachel's mother. Can I come on in?"
"Sure, you can do that." Lexi said.
Standing back, Lexi watched as Louisa entered the house. The coyote spoke with Baloo, getting acquainted with him in such a short time. As such, Lexi went to join in on the conversation, the questions she wanted to ask tugging on her mind. If she didn't ask them, then Baloo would have to ask them. Neither one of them wanted to be harsh or intrusive, so they decided to be civil about the situation. After all, it wasn't right to act rude towards someone they just met, especially since she seemed like such a nice lady.
"This is such a nice house." Louisa spoke. "It feels like you can run a hotel in this place."
"Believe me, you're not the first person to say that." Lexi said. "My mother said that when she visited."
"My friends have said that as well." Baloo stated.
"Oh, well, sorry if I'm repeating what they have said." Louisa said.
"That's okay." The bear said.
"So, where is your husband?" Lexi asked.
"My what?" Louisa asked.
"You know, your spouse and Rachel's father." The rabbit said.
"I don't have a husband." The coyote said.
"So, are you a single mom?" Baloo asked.
"I'm a mother, but I am not single." The dog coyote said.
Before anyone could say anything else, another coyote entered the house. Unlike Louisa, she was wearing a long sleeve shirt, jeans, a belt, and sneakers. While Baloo did not know her, Lexi certainly did. This was Olivia, Rachel's other relative (though her position in the family was unknown at the moment). Seeing that only Louisa and Olivia had arrived with Rachel, Lexi and Baloo wondered if the girl's father was coming at any moment. As Louisa mentioned that she didn't have a husband, it made them think that whoever got her pregnant was also coming.
"Hi Lexi, nice to see you!" Olivia spoke.
"Great to see you, too." Lexi said. "In case you're wondering, the bear next to me is my husband, Baloo."
"And a handsome one at that." Louisa said. "You found a great man, Lexi."
"You can say that again, Lou." Olivia said.
"So, Olivia, are you Rachel's aunt?" Baloo asked. "Could you be her stepmother?"
"Both of your guesses are incorrect, bear boy." The hazel-eyed coyote said. "I'm Rachel's mother as well."
"We're Rachel's parents." Louisa said.
After that, Baloo and Lexi looked at each other, then smiled. Everything made sense, though they still had some lingering questions. One of those questions was on how Rachel was conceived. Maybe the four could discuss it over a cup of coffee.
Meanwhile, Owen and Rachel were playing together. The cub-bunny had a few board games, but decided to simply make up a game for him and his new friend to play. It involved them being space rangers, and their goal was to defeat the evil wizard and save the universe. Rachel enjoyed the game, considering how Owen let her be in charge of fighting the robots sent after them. When they felt as though they destroyed enough robots, the game was over, allowing the kids to relax for a bit. However, Owen wanted to speak to his friend, as he knew little about her.
"What do you do when you aren't in school?" Owen asked.
"I play games with my mommy and go on car rides." Rachel spoke.
"Do you do anything with your daddy?" The cub-bunny asked.
"My daddy?" The coyote pup said. "I don't know who my daddy is."
"You live with your mommy?" The ursid-lepus asked.
"I have two mommies, actually." The canine said.
"Can I say hi to them?"
"Of course, you can! I think they're talking to your mommy and daddy."
Downstairs in the dining room, Baloo and Lexi were speaking with Louisa and Olivia while drinking coffee. With their kids playing upstairs, the two couples were able to have a conversation with each other. They decided not to talk about anything too mature, seeing as Owen and Rachel likely would've heard them. As far as they knew, the cub-bunny and the coyote pup were still playing.
"You don't know how hard it's been to find a family who is willing to talk to us." Olivia said. "Most people look at Lou and me and think we're deviants."
"That's awful." Lexi said. "Well, as long as you are happy together, it doesn't matter what other people think."
"If only that could apply to before we were married." Louisa spoke. "Even when I was pregnant with Rachel, people wouldn't stop saying all of this ignorant stuff, like how I should be married to a man or that I was a monster for marrying a woman."
"People said stuff like that about Lexi and me," Baloo said, "though it had more to do with the fact that we were different from each other and not prejudice."
"Honestly, I think that people are more accepting of your relationship is due to traditional beliefs." Olivia said. "No offense to you guys, though."
"None taken." Lexi said, taking a sip of coffee.
"You know, I apologize for being rude in advance, but where did Rachel come from?" Baloo asked.
"We met a young man who had signed up to be a surrogate father for couples who want to have a child." Louisa said. "Liv and I spent the night with him, chatting and trying to see if he was willing to help us. A few nights later, he got me pregnant and promised that he would be there for the birthing."
"Do you know his name?" Lexi asked.
"It's been six years since we've seen him, so we have forgotten his name, unfortunately." Olivia said. "But, while we're at it, what's the story behind Owen?"
"I got pregnant while Baloo and I were dating." The rabbit said. "We had support from those around us, including my parents. Months later, we got married and I had Owen."
"And our friends helped us raise him." Baloo added.
"Man, I wish we had your luck." Olivia said. "At least Lou and I have each other, alongside our little miracle, Rachel."
"We may not know where her father is," Louisa said, "but Liv and I are fine with that. It just gives us more time together."
Olivia then kissed Louisa, while Baloo and Lexi watched. The bear and the rabbit only smiled, finding the Jamesons to be a happy family. It didn't matter if anyone opposed their relationship. As long as they were happy together, that was all that mattered. Love wasn't just between men and women and parents and children, after all.
"Mommy!" Rachel spoke, rushing into the room.
"What is it, honey?" Louisa asked.
"Can I please have another play date with Owen?" The pup said. "He's so nice and fun!"
"And she's fun as well!" Owen added, walking into the room.
Looking at each other for a moment, Lexi and Baloo and Louisa and Olivia knew that their children were going to be the best of friends. They had fun together and seemed eager to have more play dates. As such, the coyotes and the bear and the rabbit figured that they would have to schedule more play dates between the kids. Even if other kids wanted to join, that was fine. Just as long as these kids weren't mean. If any of them were bullies, then Owen wouldn't have to be forced to be their friends. Baloo and Lexi did not tolerate bullies, and they knew that Louisa and Olivia didn't tolerate bullying as well.
Once the play date was over, Louisa and Olivia left with Rachel, agreeing to let their daughter play with Owen again. With them gone, Baloo, Lexi, and Owen carried on with their day, not letting anything bother them. As night rolled around, Owen was in bed, sleeping and having pleasant dreams. Baloo and Lexi, on the other hand, were in their bedroom, having some time together. They made love, deciding to blow off some steam for the night. After that, they fell kissed and fell asleep, their love refusing to fade.
Note: As it's the end of Pride Month, it seemed inevitable that this chapter would feature a same sex couple. Louisa and Olivia are a cute couple, aren't they? Will they appear in the story again? How about Rachel? Who else will make an appearance in the story? What's next for the family?
Until next time, guys, this is Newcomer24, signing off. Peace!