The approach of Memorial Day meant many things. For some, the holiday was about honoring veterans who had served in America's wars. For some it would relate to the coming IAC, which was a big part of Animalia's year between years when the Olympics were on, but that wasn't scheduled to start until June first. The thing that drew the attention of most was the end of the school year. The end of May was typically when most schools in America had their school years end and allowing kids to go home and enjoy the summer, though the question was often more a question of exactly when. Some ended before Memorial Day, and some might even end after it. For some, it would also mean a quick trip home from their high school. For others it would mean a long trip.
"I still can't believe you don't live in Dino City, it'd be a shorter trip," said Sophie's present roommate as the two were packing up their things to head home.
"It would," Sophie nodded her beak and thought back on her and Roland's trip down to present the official opening of the BARA House down there.
Much of their filming was only done with her cellphone and a specialized stick that would allow her to carry it easily on the flight between SMU and Dino City. It took some time for her and Roland to make the flight, and that was enough to decide to let JC and Pauline stay on campus. The two Microraptor Dinotopians could maintain a degree of powered flight, but not for a very long distance and often needed to already be up high just to start. They were actually better at gliding than true flying thanks to essentially having four wings. But the distance between SMU in Dallas and Dino City, just to the west of Glen Rose was enough that neither JC nor Pauline would have the endurance to make that flight quickly. And even Sophie and Roland were fairly tired by the time they finally landed in Dino City and had the trip planned out over a long weekend.
"But remember I started out in Lyre when the first outbreak happened," Sophie continued, "and it was a while before Roland and I converted... after our sophomore year in high school."
"But you'll move to Dino City, right?" her roommate asked.
"Probably," Sophie answered, "I mean... I'm looking at law school and hoping to provide some means of a conscience for Horizon... and possibly defense for them, given some of the political shenanigans going on. But Roland's looking into teaching... and by the time we graduate, the school at Dino City may be ready to see the resident hatchlings entering school."
"And made to follow all sorts of other rules and regulations," her roommate reminded her.
"Doesn't change that we need schools," Sophie gave a sigh as she zipped up her suitcase with the clothing that was clean in t, "and to a degree, Dino City with its own district and a less... "influenced" population, shouldn't complain as much."
"And until you and your beau move in?" her roommate asked.
"We get the long drive between here and Lyre," Sophie answered, "it may mean we'll still be on the road on Memorial Day... but we have things all planned out. Our folks will have one room, while Roland and I... and JC and Pauline will have the other room."
"Naughty girl," her roommate teased and wagged her finger at Sophie.
Sophie shook her head at the teasing. A lot of it wasn't set up to be "naughty," but as she and Roland had grown up, they also knew that as Animalians, their natural libido was already high and while public nudity wasn't allowed, a certain level of shyness around nudity also wasn't there. It'd been something that she observed Abby, Sarah, and Malice display all through high school, as they'd all been double dosed and, in a way, had nothing to hide. She and Jessica hadn't been in the same boat at that time. Jessica became an Animalian sooner than Sophie, but like Sophie and Roland was only a single dosed Animalian. This created something where Sophie and Jessica were often a bit shyer with things, particularly around their friends, and even Pauline after Pauline and JC were uplifted... as they were also double dosed.
Sophie might have had sex before Jessica did, as she thought back on some of the opening coverage from Dinotopia Aquatica and then getting caught by the "storm from nowhere," but a lot of that had also caught them by surprise. It cemented Roland as her bond mate, and she wouldn't give that up for anything, but there was some embarrassment at getting caught up in things too quickly. Abby, Sarah, and Malice didn't mind, though as double dosed Animalians, they'd been sexually active for quite a while by that point. It wasn't until the end of their junior year in high school and the start of their senior year that Sophie and Jessica began to get more into the same mindset as their friends. Even as single dosed Animalians, their curves grew out to match their friends and could feel the added weight in their breasts when they began lactating, as all Animalian females did. It was something that as they'd grown up, they'd both found the shyness was no longer there. The main difference for Sophie now was that SMU didn't have any equivalent to the PET House, and likely wouldn't and the school's religious affiliations wouldn't let her and Roland room together unless they were legally married.
And that did see Sophie being more interested in things like sex... with Roland, but none of it was with the idea of being "naughty." Particularly when JC still saw her as a maternal figure to him.
"It's not to be naughty," Sophie protested, "it's so we don't have overhear our parents talk about those sorts of bedroom things."
"They want to convert?" her roommate asked.
"What... no... I mean, I don't think so," Sophie answered, "but there has been some awe at some of the Sauropod Dinotopians after Roland and I converted. If they do become Animalians... or Dinotopians, good for them. I'll accept that and congratulate them on it and be there if they have kids as Dinotopians. But... I don't want to be discussing what Dinotopian sex feels like with my parents. It'd be embarrassing."
"I can imagine," her roommate laughed.
There followed a moment of silence when there came a knock at the door. Sophie turned to open it and found it was her parents. She smiled and offered them a welcome hug.
"Hey there," her father said with a smile as Sophie nuzzled her crest into his chest, "you okay?"
"Yeah, just about ready to hit the road," Sophie answered, "all we got to do is take everything down to the car and pack it in. My RA will then come down to check things out on my end."
"And JC and Pauline?" Sophie's mom asked.
"JC's last final gets out in about ten minutes... BUT I think he should be ready to go once he gets here," Sophie answered, "and Pauline should be packing her things as well. We can set about moving things and then check on them. You're parked in the closest parking lot, right?"
"Yeah... had to pay a pretty penny for the spot, but we're good," her father answered, "and Roland's parents should be here too... though I think Roland's in a different dormitory and thus they're in a different parking lot."
Sophie nodded and then set about moving into the final stages of moving things to head home for the summer. This was something fairly similar to what the rest of her friends were doing. Jessica, Sarah, and Abby might have their own vehicles, and that'd mark some differences, but the plan and operation would be the same. The biggest difference was more in the distances traveled.
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At Base Valley College, Abby and Samson were finishing up the last bits of packing their things into the truck that they'd been loaned by Abby's parents. It made things easier for them to move between Lyre/Animalia and Oregon where their college was and didn't require Martin and Josephine Brown to drive out as well to get their things. It lets them be fairly flexible in their own plans for packing and moving between college and home. It also let them wave to friends at the college that both Horse Animalians had made. Those Human friends waved to them as they prepared for their own excitement at the summer, and Abby and Samson also happily waved to them as well. Their focus was more on things other than the end of the school year and what would be expected in their coming college junior and senior years.
"I'm still not sold on the idea of waiting... or letting it be a big ceremony," Samson said to Abby as they placed the last of their things in the bed of the truck and set about fastening the tarp that would make sure if it rained, none of their possessions would get wet, "I mean... you know I love you and I know you love me. I'd be happy just to stand before Animalia's mayor, with your parents there, and just have us declared "man" and wife... or stallion and wife."
"I know... but weddings can be a big thing, and to a degree there is going to be some level of excitement around us that will want it bigger," Abby admitted to him as they snapped the tarp into place to cover the truck's bed, "I mean... both of us have still gotten some emails from Animalia Ambassadoria fans wishing we'd be there still to do the coverage."
"One even asked if Sophie and Roland fly us around," Samson chuckled.
Abby laughed at that, "Yeah... but it's where all the fandom around us will come into all the wedding expectations... not to mention that even if ours is only family and immediate friends, that's not going to be super small, either."
They finished snapping things up and then moved to head back into the Sophomore dorm building they'd been assigned to. Base Valley had been welcoming, but unlike colleges like UNLV and SMU, it was small and didn't have as much money as others. Thus, Abby and Samson were often kept in the same dorm building to make the moving of the specialized beds that would support their muscular weight between buildings easier for the staff. It also made checking out fairly easy, and their schedules were such that they could check out now and still get back to the truck before they'd have to move it.
"I know... but... it's like we've been together forever and then things have always come up to slow things down," Samson said slowly.
"In a way... we have been together forever," Abby smiled, "though for a lot of it, you were still just a mundane horse. It wasn't until the start of Animalia that I got to be your mare and find that you'd been bonding to me every time I talked to you before then. And then there's been school and everything else. All things that have to be done. But things will move forward... and our future is bright. The last of the money we made doing Animalia Ambassadoria might cover buying some land somewhere where we can start our own farm... and you can sire as many foals as I can carry."
Samson smiled at that.
"In the meantime, we'll have the summer to enjoy and we'll see on whether my time in college or Durga's past pregnancy has hurt us with regard to the IAC," Abby finished.
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In Idaho, Mikey Bearstone looked forward to the end of the year for all the reasons that any other young kid would want. Summer would mean baseball and more free time for all sorts of things. Though some of the bigger things had more to do with his older brother and adoptive caretaker, Lenard. And a couple of the other boys noticed some of this excitement on Mikey's part as the school went through it's last days.
"You'll be okay, Mikey?" a boy next to him as the bell in their elementary school rang to mark the end of the last school day of the year.
"Yeah," Mikey answered, "It's been great and will be great. You'll come out to the cabin on some free days?"
"When we don't have little league, yeah," the boy smiled, "your brother will be there?"
"Most often," Mikey nodded with a smile, "that's who I go to next and then we'll go home."
"And that'll be it?" the boy wondered and looked over one piece of paper, which had been part of the school's listed day for the last day of school. Which in their grades wasn't too far from essentially being a borderline party. The papers also included various sketches of tigers, including two tigers together.
"Well... there may also be Lenard getting to see Tuxing again," Mikey answered.
"Tuxing... sounds Chinese," the boy said slowly.
"She is Chinese, but she's also a Tiger Animalian and among Animalia's Five Elements and won the Year of the Tiger competition last year," Mikey answered innocently, "and she's made Lenny happy. And in a way... she's a bit like mom."
And that was a big part of what made Mikey like Tuxing. He liked her personally, but the big thing was that she made Lenard happy, and in some ways, it made both Bearstones feel better. It was like the pain that had come from the death of their parents in 2020 from Covid wasn't as bad anymore. Mikey missed them and was happy that Lenard would look after him with love, and Mikey was even impressed by all that Lenard did to make sure that Mikey would be safe at his cabin. Mikey didn't fully understand the details, but he did know that bears and wolves could be dangerous and Lenard as a Siberian Tiger Animalian was big and strong. But prior to meeting Tuxing, the two of them had largely been alone, and while Mikey had made friends, it was still something alone. Tuxing was someone who was putting the Bearstone family back together, and Mikey enjoyed seeing his big brother smile. And the coming summer was a big part of that.