Polly was very happy to have the fall weather and being back in school again. Some of it was climate related, as Polar Bears weren't exactly animals that did well in temperate climates and the shorter days and the chill coming into the air was actually quite welcome. She might not be mature the way Marcy and her mate and family were, in in fact Polly's build remained pretty much as though she was an enlarged child to a level that wasn't something that worked with other bear Animalians, but her body and fur were designed to hold heat in. Having fall arrive meant cooler weather was coming and being able to meet new friends.
She was still at the WSA Elementary School and she was glad to see her friends again as they worked on some of the new assignments for her new grade. A few of the kids in her class were in her class from the year before and she was happy to give each hello hugs when the school year started. The big thing, though was that with WSA now an integrated district and having all of Lyre's human students also coming to WSA there was the opportunity for new friends, which was also nice. And while she could be a bit sensitive on her size, Polly had been very happy to meet with some of the human children in a classroom environment and in weather that was cooler than the hot summer.
"I still can't believe how soft your fur is!" a young Human girl said to Polly as they hung their backpacks and jackets in a sort of closet that was inside the wall to their classroom.
Polly smiled and looked down to the girl who was happily petting her forearm. The girl had obviously never been converted, but had been very friendly, which Polly was happy for. She smiled and stepped aside for a moment to give the girl, who Polly had learned was named Molly, access to the closet to hang up her things. The two had shared many interests including "Frozen" and it had actually lead to the two forming a fast friendship as the school year started, and being a year older she was also getting better at realizing how strong she was and knowing how much a young human could take without injury.
It was something that had always been a big thing after her transformation. She was almost as tall as Marcy and while she didn't have much in the way of bulk muscle, she was easily stronger than humans, as her various "bear hugs" of Jeremy before he became a Dinotopian to be with Heather had tended to show that as that he often reminded her that he needed to breathe. Jeremy had tried to help her with that, and the Whites as well, and now it was really starting to pay off. Marcy and Chilly had even had her practice with a sort of stress ball that would beep if she squeezed it too hard.
"Yeah... but it's a bit rough during the summer," Polly commented.
"Glad school has started?" Molly asked.
"Glad to see old friends and make new ones," Polly smiled again as they made their way to their seats. Polly then set about raising the desk so that it was at a comfortable height for her and then helped Molly with her chair.
"So how big do you think you'll be when you grow up?" Molly asked to Polly, noticing how much the table was lifted and how much her chair was raised as well.
"I don't know..." Polly admitted, "my brother says that what I was changed with was something of a prototype of the Animalia Virus as part of his efforts to cure a disease that I had... I can never say the name."
"And that's what turned you into a Polar Bear," Molly nodded, remembering the story that Polly had told her when they first met at the start of the school year. "But you're so big... like a giant. It must be so cool! Like fe-fi-fo-fum!"
Polly watched as Molly kicked her legs a bit to act like she was taking giant steps. She managed a small smile in response, though her size was still something of a sensitive subject, particularly as she dwarfed even some of the uplifted bear cubs from the Lyre Zoo that were roughly her age due to the unique nature of her conversion and the way in which Jeremy did it. However, Molly wasn't being judgmental on her, so Polly just let that slide for the moment and largely had when it came out.
"I mean... being a giant would be awesome, think about all the fun you could have," Molly commented, "no rollercoaster ride could say you're two short."
"That'd be fun," Polly commented and thinking on that idea. Though she really couldn't answer Molly's question on how she would mature and age. Some of it was she was nowhere near as good at science as Jeremy was and even he was unsure. As while she was close to Marcy's height, her overall build was more like a child's. If things were "normal" for her that would mean by the time she reached the ages twelve to fourteen and began to hit puberty, it would mean she'd likely have a big growth spurt and would ultimately dwarf even the adult Polar Bear Animalians. But because of the uniqueness of her conversion and how different the specific formula Jeremy had used to try and cure her, there was the potential that by the time she reached puberty, the only physical changes Polly would experience would really be in relation to the changes to her frame rather than her overall size. But Polly could never really explain that, especially with many of the big words that Jeremy used and had to explain.
"And then you can bring me along!" Molly declared.
"That would be fun!" Polly agreed, "maybe we'd take the whole class. Would you like to go to an amusement park Miss Rutledge?"
"Maybe in the summer, Polly," the teacher for the class at Polly's new grade, a Quail Animalian commented, "in the meantime, it's about time to start class."
"YAY!" Polly and Molly cheered together, soon echoed by some of the other students as well.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The start of the school year for Marcy and Chilly was a bit different. Some could say it was "exciting," in a way exciting was not the way either would use. It started after their PE class and right before their free period, which WSA had tried to do for all Animalians that they knew had bond-mates, and to an extent it did work, even with the Lyre and WSA school districts reintegrated. Though, not without some issues. And both of them could notice those issues that went on as human students adapted to many of the different cultural norms that went with Animalia and its unisex showers.
Some tended to get a bit shy, particularly around double dosed individuals like Marcy and Chilly. They would feel undersized and inadequate next to them, given their height, musculature, the size of Chilly's sheath and Marcy's breasts, and how casual they and other Animalians were around each other while naked in the locker room and showers area. In a sense THAT was understandable, as try as people did, physical looks often did matter to people and most human women weren't tall, buxom, with wide hips, and strong muscles that didn't decrease their femininity. Most human men weren't built like a prize body builder with equipment that Marcy couldn't get enough of... in private. And people would compare themselves to that.
Though, they weren't too hard to deal with, particularly as many of these students had more contact with their Animalian classmates during the course of the school year, things did get better. The biggest issue that really came up came up from those humans that did adapt to Animalia's culture quickly and seemed to want to take advantage of it. It was a male Human student that Marcy remembered from before the Animalia outbreaks. Back then she was just a young girl who'd passed several grades because of how smart she was. This student, she thought his name was Warren, had often picked on her for being a brainiac and being out of place. That teasing only stopped after the second Animalia outbreak, though it appeared that Warren's ego hadn't decreased any.
"Come on, it'll be fun," Warren said to a human girl near him, "many of the Animalians are doing it."
That caught Marcy's ear and made her frown. A moan coming from the showers didn't help the situation any.
"I'm not an Animalian," the girl answered, "and they haven't been hitting on me."
"But you get all hot and bothered seeing them enjoy each other, don't you?" Warren said again as he leaned against the girl's locker, not noticing that a few humans and nearly all of the Animalians in the locker room had overheard him. Marcy held a very heavy frown and did her best not to give a warning growl, not unlike what a mother polar bear would give to warn off threats to her cubs.
"They've got individual stalls and curtains to make sure no one can watch," the girl answered, "now please, get off my locker. I have a class next period. It's not my free hour coming up."
"Come on," Warren answered and reached for the girl's arm, but missed, "It'll be fun and we have been going out for weeks!"
"That's not the point, I don't have a free hour coming up," the girl answered, "I need to get ready for my next class."
It was at this point that Marcy made her move. The girl may have been dating Warren, but she didn't think much of Warren for a lot of his past behavior, and it seemed pretty clear that Warren wasn't going to back down. In this, she made her way toward the two with the claws on her toes occasionally clicking on the tiled floor.
"Please," Warren practically begged.
"She said "no," Warren," Marcy said firmly as she reached them. She kept her voice as calm as she could.
"You're one to talk about saying no," Warren sneered back, "I've seen you and your boyfriend's names signed on the bricks in the showers and I've heard you at least once."
"First, Chilly is my bond-mate," Marcy answered raising on hand and extending her pointer finger, "Second, the interactions between us were consensual in accordance with the school's rules. If one of us said "no" the other is bond to accept their partner's decision. If you really care and respect her, respect her right to say no."
"This isn't fair!" Warren protested, and pointed an accusing finger while taking a step toward Marcy, "You Animalians arrange all this so you can have sex and then when I finally get a girlfriend I can't!"
"I have a class next period," the girl spoke again, though things didn't go any further as campus security, likely alerted by a student or what they could see and hear through the security system entered which finally got things to calm down, though they also lead Warren out.
"Thanks for trying to help," the girl said to Marcy after the security officers lead Warren out, thankfully for him after he'd been allowed to retrieve his clothing, "though he isn't that bad..."
"It sounded like he was pretty clear in what he wanted and wasn't going to take "no" for answer," Marcy warned, "and he was a bit of a jerk to me in Middle School... I'd think that if you two were alone and you tried to say no... he might well have pushed further than he did."
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Eliza's fall had been fairly good so far, and things at WSA High had progressed fairly well with the school being integrated between Animalians and Humans. There hadn't any "major" issues and that was a good thing, but the incident with Warren in the locker room had the potential to be so. From interviews conducted by campus security and reviewing the security footage, it was pretty clear that Warren had wanted to get "in" on the system that was in place at WSA with regards to its unisex locker rooms and the official tolerance for those that were official couples.
"The good news in this is that it didn't get out of hand," the school security officer commented, "and from what we had... pretty much everyone that overheard it weren't supportive of the kid trying to... well talk her into it."
"True," Eliza nodded, "but neither was he backing down. Which meant if everyone else had left and they were alone... he might well have tried to force himself on her."
"He wasn't aroused when we took him out... and by the security footage, at best he would have only been semi-aroused," the security officer answered, "in this, I'd say your security measures worked."
"They worked," Eliza gave a sigh, "but I guess... I wish they would not have to be used."
"No one is perfect madam," the security officer replied.
Eliza nodded and then dismissed him and turned again to the room where Warren was at the moment. She entered to find Warren seated and looking rather sullen as she stepped in.
"Well, we've reviewed everything," Eliza spoke, "the good news for you is that nothing happened that would put you in trouble with the law."
Warren looked up as Eliza came forward and stood over the desk with her arms crossed over her chest and her long tail slowly twitched behind her.
"The bad news for you is that you were still breaking school rules with regard to what is allowed, even in the showers," Eliza finished.
"But... you go through all this for sex and that sort of thing!" Warren protested angrily, "I finally get a girlfriend and I think it's fair that I get the same consideration."
"First, the reason for the unisex locker rooms and showers is irrelevant to the situation at hand," Eliza answered, "I am well aware that teenagers will try that sort of thing. Things like teen pregnancy have occurred well before Animalia. Trying to turn everyone into Puritans isn't going to work. In this, things like the locker rooms here at WSA and at other places like the Claw Coliseum are in recognition that people will be attracted to each other and that it could happen. But we do want things to be consensual… that all involved agree to it. And your girlfriend said no. In this we expect you to respect her saying no, not insist that she "do it" because you wanted to." And you were clearly trying to talk her into it over her protests and thus had no consideration for her opinion or desires."
"She only said no because of her schedule," Warren tried to argue, "Surely you..."
"We are not going to give people passes because they want to have sex," Eliza answered, "And even bonded Animalians have to respect that schedule and time issue."
And there had been one of the issues that Eliza had had to stand firm on. They had worked hard to arrange schedules so that Animalians with bond-mates could have fun with their free hours lined up together, but they still had to get to their classes on time. And there were a few detentions that were handed out last year because couples got too engrossed in their next climax and ended up being late to their next class. And having WSA and Lyre integrated into a single district wasn't going to change it. Students would still have to get to their classes on time. She would tolerate if boyfriends and girlfriends decided to engage in it, and so far the sexual education classes were seeming to have the positive effect with regards to "safe sex," but that didn't mean she could just allow people to miss classes because of what they wanted.
"But that's not fair!" Warren protested, "Surely you could have rewrote our schedules to allow it... you've seemed to do that for the Animalian students."
"Many of those Animalian students have had committed bond-mates that go back to when Animalia started," Eliza answered, "thus we knew of their relationship. When did you start dating this girl?"
"Since early August," Warren looked down.
"And how could we have known you'd strike up a relationship when your schedule was made in late May to early June?" Eliza answered, "If you stay with her... your schedules will line up next year as we'd know you two are an item. But we cannot change your present schedule as that may affect other student's schedules as well."
Warren sighed, but didn't say anything.
"Now, since the situation didn't get to a point where criminal action would come into play, and that the girl does seem to still be interested in you, you will be free to return to class," Eliza spoke, "but you did violate the school's rules and regulations regarding consensual romantic interactions by trying to talk her into it even after she said no. As such... you WILL have detention until November. You will come here after school until then and the security staff will be making sure that you do. You may do your homework or write "I will respect my girlfriend's wishes" for half an hour every school day until then. Am I clear?"
"Yes," Warren said weakly.
"Good," Eliza then stepped aside, "You may return to the class you have this period. If you have it free, I would go to the Library."
Warren sighed, nodded, and then stood up and walked out. Eliza only sighed and hoped that this would be taken as a real learning experience and what was to be accepted and tolerated when it came to relationships.