Returning home took a little longer than Ulysses and Blueberry expected, but then Mieni Atoll as part of their honeymoon wasn't exactly a bad place to stay while things were being figured out what had lead to the first Animalian contracting Covid 19 and part of this raising worries with Animalia Air. But once Sophie and Roland's report came up on Animalia Ambassadoria's website and it was found that Molly was infected not by air travel but by some local guy celebrating the Fourth of July and then coughing all over her while drunk. That came as something of a relief and enabled the two Brown Swiss cattle to return home.
The return came with recognition of things that had changed while they had been out. That had heavily related to his son, Nate, and something that he was certain would happen eventually. It was something coming when Nate's relationship with Shuixing went from learning martial arts from the female Water Buffalo Animalian and became something more romantic. Ulysses couldn't pinpoint how or exactly when that change occurred, but it did happen and from there it would mean that either Shuixing would have to recognize biological children wouldn't be an option if Nate remained Human or that Ulysses would have to get used to his son becoming an Animalian. There were other issues that would go on between Nate and Shuixing as well, though that then became easier after Blueberry was uplifted and Ulysses found that the "leader of the herd" had fallen for him.
Then as Ulysses found himself returning Blueberry's love for him, many of the things that he knew would impact Nate and Shuixing got easier. He and Blueberry could raise a calf of their own, who would be able to inherit the farm while Nate would be free to go with Shuixing if she didn't wish to leave her sisters. Nate would still have to finish college but that would be something that could more easily handled than not and ultimately Ulysses could accept that, though that didn't necessarily make him ready to see the large Water Buffalo Bull Animalian standing just outside the back door to the Bowman home as he and Blueberry returned. It was something that Nate had clearly changed, standing taller than Shuixing and even taller than him. Some of that height was with the large curved horns that curved and down and back from his head before curving upward again.
"You look good, dad," Nate said to him as he closed the door on his new truck, "Muscle beach must have been fun..."
"Animalians seem to put on muscle faster than Humans," Ulysses commented and gestured to the shirt he was wearing, "this fit me a lot looser when Blueberry and I arrived there."
"Not that anyone's complaining," Blueberry said with a smile as she came around the back of the truck and collecting hers and Ulysses' travel bags as she did so, "and things have apparently gone well here..."
"Yes," Nate nodded and then nuzzled Shuixing for a moment who happily nuzzled him back, "we've had no problems here... outside some of the other nonsense on the news."
"Nonsense...?" Ulysses wondered.
"Your President wants all the schools to reopen... and reopen quickly with no plan for safety or how to do it," Shuixing spoke, "and has added in the threat of cutting off funding if the schools don't reopen on his terms."
"It's something that has also complicated things with the University of Wisconsin," Nate added, "I did call in to let them know that I'd converted and what kind of Animalian I've become... and with the suggestion what companies have made the beds that can support larger Animalians. They gave a polite thank you and said that for the moment while they are looking to start as normal in the fall... they aren't fully sure yet. So... they will order the bed... but... full details on when to report won't come in until closer to the start of the college year in late August..."
Ulysses watched as Shuixing reached over to take Nate's hand, and Nate took it and rather gently patted Shuixing's hand as well. It was as if he was comforting her. It was actually something that did make him happy. For while there was the potential that things between Nate and Shuixing could end up like his had with his first wife, something just seemed to tell Ulysses that that wouldn't happen. His first wife had liked the sex part of marriage and wasn't necessarily a bad worker, but it quickly became clear that she wasn't that interested in the responsibilities of marriage and essentially ran after Nate was born. From what Ulysses knew about Shuixing's personality, he didn't think the female Water Buffalo would do that to Nate and the way Nate instinctively moved to assure Shuixing gave Ulysses the confidence to think that he wouldn't abandon her either.
"I would like to take him to Heiya Island when I return... and at least let him get a better look at where I live and well... let my sisters get to know my mate," Shuixing answered, "and if he must return to college... that will be fine... and if not... then we are well equipped to handle the online classes."
Ulysses nodded again, "That may be the best that can be done for now... and regardless of what happens, I'm sure we'll find a way to make it work."
There were a few nods that came after that, though there was also the recognition that many things had changed. Ulysses in converting to become a Brown Swiss Bull Animalian to be with Blueberry was back in his physical prime and while he was a bit smaller than Nate was now, he was well bigger than he'd been as a Human. It was something that created some surprises when Nate came home to find Ulysses fully converted and sitting with Blueberry as though the pair had been lovers for the longest time. Some of it may have been expected, but that didn't mean that both of them didn't have to adapt to those changes that Ulysses remembered going through. Ulysses could only hope that Meryl and Olly didn't mess with Nate that much given how hoofed Animalians balanced themselves on their toe nails (or in Meryl and Olly's case nail). Now, Ulysses would have the same sort of "getting used to it" with regard to the new Nate, just as Nate had had with him after he first became an Animalian.
"The rest can be solved with mutual happiness," Ulysses said to Nate and patted his son's back and noting the contrast between their fur. The length in most places seemed to be about the same, though Nate's fur, like Shuixing, was black in color when compared to Ulysses and Blueberry's largely brown coloration. "You and Shuixing are happy, right?"
"Unbelievably so," Shuixing smiled and cuddled to Nate for a moment while Nate nodded.
"About as happy as you are with Blueberry," Nate added, "so it would seem we both got a pleasant future in the long run of things."
"Yes..." Ulysses agreed, "I trust that Meryl and Olly didn't give you too much trouble?"
"Not really," Nate admitted, "there might have been some annoyance that I had to borrow some of Olly's clothes before Shuixing and I could get into a Walmart and get some things that would fit me better... but there wasn't too much trouble from them."
"Most of the jokes came from the others," Shuixing commented as they moved to head into the house and referring to the other uplifted cows, "mostly about how Nate would now finally have warm hands..."
"Well... the farm here isn't the largest," Ulysses gave a sigh, "and I've never been able to afford the milking machines that some of the bigger commercial farms have used. Thus a lot of the work is done by hand..."
"Which could mean that if the Human doing the milking doesn't have warm hands... that milking can feel... cold," Blueberry answered with a sigh, "though that doesn't mean it was polite to make that joke..."
"It's okay," Nate assured her, "and they even said they meant no offense..."
"And my bull has always felt warm to me," Shuixing added as she opened the door with Nate standing beside her and giving a knowing wink to Blueberry as she and Ulysses went in, "so if that was something in the past... it's no problem in relation to how things are now. The big thing will be the future."
"Good to know," Ulysses gave a smile as some of the more familiar scents of home came to his nostrils as he came in. The added scent of Nate's status as a Water Buffalo Bull Animalian was now there, but it was still home and he was happy to be there. And while the report on what might happen with Nate's college given the proposed "reopen schools" demand might present problems in the immediate future, a part of him felt that things were better on the whole for the Bowman family's long term future. Meryl had her hearing back as a Mule Animalian and she seemed happy with Olly. He'd fallen hard for Blueberry after she'd come back after being uplifted, and Blueberry made him happy and would assure that the family would be able to own the farm for generations to come. And with Nate smiling to Shuixing, he expected that the two of them would likely marry in the next year and that Heiya Island might have its own Bowman farm in the future, and that was enough to make him happy for things in the long term.