“Hey, can I go out for a second to make a phone call?” Nate asked.
“Sure, but don’t go too far son.” William said. Nate nodded, and went into the hall. Samson and Officer Connor gave him some space. Nate went down the hall a bit and called Kenya. She answered after two rings.
“Nathaniel what’s wrong? Your text was so strange.” she said.
“Sorry, I didn’t have a lot of time to send the message. You’ll never believe what happened. I still think I’m dreaming myself.” Nate said.
Kenya kept silent until the very end, listening to Nate’s every word. When Nate was finished, he felt much better having gotten that load off his chest.
“Never a dull moment for you or your friends.” Kenya said.
“Not really no. That’s not why I called though.”
“Oh, then why?” Kenya asked.
“Just wanted to talk to you. Eric and Spencer are getting all cozy with each other, and I found myself missing you.”
“Thank you my dear werewolf. Your brother and this new girl of his are getting awfully close aren’t they?”
“I’ll say. Eric’s a lucky guy. Spencer’s a great girl.”
“Were you interested in her?”
“A little. That was only for a little while. You’re the only panther I have eyes for, I’m sure of that.”
“Only panther? She’s also a werepanther?” Kenya asked.
“Oh, sorry I thought I told you. Actually Spencer’s a hybrid. Her father’s a werewolf, and her mom’s a panthress like you.”
“Really? I must admit, I’m even more eager to meet her tomorrow then. Hybrids certainly are interesting. I’ve only met one, but he was a cross between a cougar and a leopard. Much less interesting.” Kenya said.
“Then hybrids are as rare as Spencer says they are? Interspecies couples are pretty common. I wonder why there aren’t more.”
“I’m no scientist, but it has something to do with the genetics of it all. Like how some children will inherit one parent’s eye color, and another will inherit a physical trait. Typically a child’s gender determines their species, inherited from either the father or mother. I’m given to understand that hybrids are generally created in the early stages of a child’s development. ”
“You say you’re no scientist, but you seem to have a pretty good grasp of how that stuff works.”
“In Moon Lake, sex education is a little different. Female and male weres learn about the differences between a normal woman’s pregnancy, and our own. It’s still boring as hell though.” Kenya said.
“Boy am I glad I’ve already taken it back in Minnesota. Poor Eric will have to go through it here though.”
“It’s probably for the best. If he plans on becoming a were, he should know about those sorts of things. As it is, I imagine we’ll have to have that talk if we plan on having children one day.”
Nate’s heart skipped a few beats. He couldn’t get too excited or panicked right now. But hearing Kenya talking about their future together, the possibility of them making little wolves or panthers, made his body quiver.
“Did I mention how much I’m looking forward to tomorrow?” Nate asked, dreamily.
“Several dozen times. By the way, I wanted to ask, should I bring anything tomorrow? I know you said your mother goes overboard with the amount of food, but I feel a little silly showing up empty handed.”
“Mmm, well you don’t have to bring food I guess. My mom and the Twists started a flower garden in the backyard. She’s always looking to broaden the variety of flowers. Just grab a handful of something.”
“A handful of something huh? I think for future reference, I don’t really want you to get me flowers for special occasions.” Kenya laughed.
“I’ll just ask my mom to pick them out. Flowers aren’t my thing. I can however pick out a nice steak.”
“Much better. I’d better go, I’m heading to my aunt and uncle’s for a before Thanksgiving dinner. Be safe Nathaniel.”
“Listen, before you go, think you could just call me Nate? Everyone else does. There’s no need to be so formal.”
“If you’re sure, then I’d be glad to call you… Nate.” Kenya almost giggled when she called him that. Nate laughed too and wished her a good evening. He was reluctant to end the call. But he knew he had to rejoin the others sooner or later. Or his mother might drag him in.