20 Years Later; Ask Melly, Vanna and Elizabeth; Mystic Springs

 

Vanna: Are you kidding!? Absolutely not! I wouldn’t have been caught dead at the Mystic Springs twenty years ago, let alone now. Sorry, but the only mammals I’m comfortable letting see me in nothing but my bare pelt are Zach and my Doctor...I’m not even fully comfortable looking at myself.

Melly: Huh, funny. I find I’ve only gotten more shameless with age. *Chuckles* Or I guess, I give less of a rut about who sees me nude. I think having four kids, three of them being triplets kinda does that to you. My bod’s busted, my boobs are sagging a bit, but Gus’ still loves it. *Laughs*

Vanna: I envy your self-confidence.

Elizabeth: Uncle Zach doesn’t still love your body, then?

Vanna: Oh, of course he does. *Blushes softly* He’s made that very clear...I’ve just...I’m not my sister...I’ve never been all that comfortable in my own fur...My Goofball is the only one who’s ever made me feel...pretty in the nude. *Blush intensifies*

Elizabeth and Mellie: Aww…

Elizabeth: Omari and I aren’t really...naturalist types either...Like my Aunt, my self-image is a...very personal matter. I’d prefer to keep the public visibility of my burn scars to a minimum if I can. That’s not to say we don’t do recreation and exercise, I’m not as...crippled by agoraphobia as I was when I was little. I just prefer more private, clothed massages at the Crystail Aurora massage parlor in Tundra town...unless it’s a private massage from Omi at home...*Blushes slightly.*

Melly: *Chuckles* Spicy. Granted, Gus and I aren’t without our fun...but these days, just a deep, not erotic in the slightest foot massage does more for me than any ‘foreplay’ massages. *Snickers*

Elizabeth: As for exercise, me and Omari go to our local Planet Furness about once a week. We want to go more, but it’s...scheduling is tough. Omari’s on call a lot, and the orchestra demands a great deal of practice on top of multiple shows a week.

Vanna: Like mother, like son, it seems with Omari...*Chuckles* Makes me glad I got off the ZPD when I did. I’ve been working the North Meadowlands’ for nearly twenty-five years now, and been the sheriff for sixteen, and in all that time it’s still proven to be a less demanding, less stressful job than being a beat cop in the inner city.

Melly: Plus a job like that keeps you moving and flexible.

Vanna: Well, Zach and I have had a home gym for years, so we have both our bases covered.

Melly: Same here, plus we’re both doing Yoga now...even if Gussie’s about as flexible as a plank of wood..*Snickers*

Elizabeth: *Giggles* Puppy steps...it’s a start, right?

Ask Omari and Elizabeth; The Moment We Knew.

 Omari: Is it off-putting to say the moment we met? I mean, I know we were pups but...

Elizabeth: I don't really think so...I mean, we were...sort of coming into adulthood at that point I suppose. You were eleven, and I was ten...

Omari: Hardly adults there Dear...

Elizabeth: *Giggles* I meant we were entering puberty. 

Omari: Technically, I suppose. Still I didn't...Hmm...*Scratches chin thoughtfully for a moment* I didn't know what I felt, if that makes sense? I just felt...all warm and fluttery when I first saw you...*laughs* Well, what little you'd allow us to see at that reunion.

Elizabeth: *Snickers* I did spend eighty percent of it hiding behind one of my Dad's at all times. It was only because of Paige's persistence that I finally started playing with the other girls.

Omari: And I couldn't even properly introduce myself. *Shakes head* My brothers just stroll up and introduce themselves, and now I'm hiding behind Piper...

Elizabeth: Poorly I might add, Piper was half your size even then. *Laughs* Still, I did think it was cute...not romantically of course, not yet...but...just seeing this 'giant' hyena, at least comparatively, hiding behind this tiny otter was...well it definitely helped reassure me that my father's were right. That I really didn't have anything to worry about meeting the family. *Snickers* In fact, Malcolm said my cousins would probably be more afraid of me than I was of them.

Omari: After some...prodding by Piper, we...I mean, I slowly eased into being comfortable around Elizabeth. I still felt butterflies in my stomach sometimes, but I managed to keep my cool for the most part.

Elizabeth: We both played instruments, that helped bridge the gap of course. I played violin and Omari played the keyboard.

Omari: *Rolls eyes, snout scrunching in disgust* Poorly I might add. I can't believe I ever played that...*Shudders* 

Elizabeth: *Giggles* You were fine when you practiced with me. Believe me, my classmates back in San Francisgoat were even less gifted than you. 

Omari: I think that was when I knew though...that it was a crush...

Elizabeth: Hmm?

Omari: The first time I saw you play your violin. You played...you played divinely even then but...*Sighs warmly* It was how you looked when you played. That determination, that poise, all signified in your body language alone. All your shyness and timidity just sort of...fell away. And I felt like I could see the real you.

Elizabeth: *Blushes* Aww...Omari...

Omari: Granted, I never got to see you play in such an unabashed fashion until we were what? I was thirteen? 

Elizabeth: *Nods* That was right around the time we all had to relocate to Zootopia after the 'Big One'. Before that, we largely had to wait until reunions to see one another. Well, at least those of us living far out from the city.

Omari: When did you know you had caught feelings for me?

Elizabeth: *Scrunches her muzzle, blushing softly* This is...super embarrassing...

Omari: C'mon. it can't be that bad can it?

Elizabeth: *Lolls head warily* Weeelll....It's just it makes me look both....petty and shallow I think.

Omari: *Flicks a dull glance Elizabeth's way* The river incident?

Elizabeth: *Nods briskly* Yeeees...Where Piper was making fun of me, so you dunked her in the river, and then we both ran away from her giggling like idiots...

Omari: We hid by that tree, and after the coast was clear from my pint-sized pressure cooker of a sister, I took my shirt off to ring out the river water...

Elizabeth: And I...*blushes* noticed your muscles were developing. *Giggling, placing her head in her paws as her blush intensifies* Oh gods, I'm so ashamed of myself.

Omari: *Snickers, shaking his head* We were teens...it's natural. Besides, I'm not so humble I won't take a compliment...

Elizabeth: After that...I started looking at you differently...It was like a door opened, you know? The way you were studying so aggressively to follow in your Mom's footpads even then, the passion you had for medicine, and wanting to help other pups it...I suppose it snared me the same way my music snared you. That passion...

Omari: *Nuzzles Elizabeth's snout with his own affectionately* As for when we...confessed our feelings...it was a whole different sort of mess entirely. 

Elizabeth: Yes...it seems we weren't the only members of the pack forming 'romantic attachments'. And while I was at a sleepover with the other Hunter girls when I was fourteen I...I was pressured into admitting I had a crush on one of my cousins... I wouldn't say who, but unfortunately...Lumi, who was struggling with some very confusing feelings of her own took it to mean it was...well...her...*Sighs* Granted, she still had to work up the courage to confess her feelings for me during a big family barbeque a year later.

Omari: The same one I was aggressively goaded into admitting my own feelings for Elizabeth thanks to Piper's meddling...which she still swears was just so she could tease me for wanting to 'rut my cousin'. But I know her heart was actually in the right place.

Elizabeth: *Rolls eyes* There was a whole 'secret admirer' thing floating around the Barbeque. I was told someone 'liked me' like I liked them by Paige, who was busy trying to set things up for Lumi. I agreed to meet my admirer in the barn at a certain time, which Piper overheard.

Omari: Piper had been entirely ignorant of Lumi's feelings, but she already knew how I felt about Elizabeth, and assumed I was in on the whole thing. And through a murky and confusing exchange, I came to believe that Elizabeth wanted to meet me in the barn to confess her own feelings I hoped she'd held for me. 

Elizabeth: We confessed to each other there, sharing our first...non-familial hug. It should have been a happy moment for us... albeit a bit embarrassing...instead...*Elizabeth winces*

Omari: *Rubs the back of his neck in clear discomfort* Lumi overheard us, and ran off crying. *Sigh* Long story short, the family got treated to finding out Elizabeth and I had a crush on one another, and that Lumi was a lesbian the same day. It was...awkward...

Elizabeth: Despite everything being fine between myself and Lumi now...I still feel bad about it looking back. I just...I couldn't see that Lumi had those kind of feelings for me because I just...I didn't even fathom it. *Chuckles* Imagine that, me, the adopted daughter with two gay fathers and I just wrote off the way she treated me as just...being a nice cousin and friend.

Omari: We were teens, we were all still figuring ourselves out. *Shakes Head*

Elizabeth: Anyway...I don't think our parents, or really the whole family took our little relationship seriously. Not until your Dad caught us getting...um...frisky during a 'date'.

Omari: *Chuckles* After that it was "Doors open at all times, curfew enacted, Piper is my informant." *Rolls wrist* Etcetera, etcetera. Suddenly Mom and Dad were all business. There was a serious discussion as to whether to let this 'go on' because we were cousins...

Elizabeth: It was my parents who managed to calm Uncle Yuri down, making sure to point out again and again that we weren't blood cousins even with his reservations about 'wolf inbreeding stereotypes'. 

Omari: Also, we aren't wolves...*Chuckles* In spirit maybe. 

Elizabeth: *Giggles* I think by that point they all still were assuming we'd break it off...*Extends a paw, flipping it palm side out to reveal a half-moon tattoo.*

Omari: *Shows off his own matching mark* If they were disappointed, they hid it pretty well at our tithing ceremony.

Elizabeth: And Lumi was my maid of honor, in case you were curious. *Giggles*

Ask Elizabeth; Tail Brushing

 

Elizabeth: Oh...well...I don't know if all skunks do it but...

Lumi: Probably not the boys...I know boy foxes tend to ignore their tails aside from worrying about how big they are! *Giggles*

Elizabeth: Well, even so...I do take a... a little bit of pride in my tail. So I do brush it regularly, or sometimes one of my fathers will brush it out for me.

Lumi: Then there are the sleepovers where we brush each other's tails!

Elizabeth: *Giggles* Oh yes, that's so much fun...I do love doing the whole sleepover spa ritual. It's so much fun!

Paige: Makes me wish I had a tail as long and luxurious as you guys do...all I've got is a half stubby little fur wool matted mess...

Lumi: Hey, I like a challenge! Besides, you have that amazing mop of head wool I can't keep my paws out of when you come over! *Giggles* It's so fluffy!

Piper: Jeeze, like mudder like daughter. I sure hopes yas at least asked halfsie over there before gettin' ya dirty paws all up in her head wool.

Paige: *Scoffs* She did, and honestly Lumi works wonders with those magic paws of hers, between her pro styling skills and her dressmaking she's probably going to end up a big stylist someday.

Lumi: *Blushes* Aww, hush cuz! *Giggles*

Piper: Eh...as much as I'm loathed to give a compliment, credit where it's due, Lumi does good woik. *Cackles* Even wit me, and I got barely any fur to woik wit

20 Years Later; Ask Omari and Liz; Sam Hain Plans

 

Omari: Oh, we're heading for a weekend stay at the old Hunter Family Ranch.

Elizabeth: Well, not the whole weekend sadly. We do have to cut Sunday short so that I can convine with the orchestra early Monday Morning...*Sigh* Then it's two weeks in Roarope playing in Maris Prance.

Omari: *Chuckles* Only you could make two weeks in Maris Prance sound like a miserable chore my love. 

Elizabeth: Because it's two weeks spent without you, halfway across Animalia. Maris just won't have that same shine without you with me Mari. 

Omari: Then we'll just have to really do up our weekend and Grandpaw and Grandma's to make up for it, won't we?

Elizabeth: And after too...We do have my father's Harvest Feast cooking to look forward to.

Omari: Oooh...*Shakes head, wiping the drool forming on his maw with a paw.* Grandmaw and Uncle Xavier cooking under the same roof for Harvest Feast...there are no words for that kind of treat. Well and far beyond anything Sam Hain could offer.

Elizabeth: *Giggles* Well Sam Hain will still be fun. Getting together with all the cousins, eating all sorts of treats by Grandmaw and Malcolm...the costume contest...

Omari: Which we have in the bag this year, at least in 'our' generation bracket. *Chuckles Smugly* There's no way any of the other Hunter Girls will look as stunning as you do in your corpse bride costume.

Elizabeth: *Blushes* And nor will any of the boys look as handsome as you in your matching Victor costume.

Omari: Well, it's not as sharp as my super mammal costume, but it'll do.

Elizabeth: *Giggles* Do you still have that old thing? How would you even fit in it?

Omari: No, Mom has that. Part of her 'precious pup' collection of trinkets from when me and my brothers and sister were growing up. My first Sam Hain costume is vacuum-sealed as if it were a fine museum piece.

Elizabeth: *Sigh*, I do wish I still had...even a recollection of my first Sam Hain scare costume...though the more I think about it, I'm not sure my birth mother ever took me trick or treating...so my 'Phantom of the Opera' costume that my Dad's let me pick out was probably my first costume ever...

Omari: Oof...what a choice...I mean considering the Phantom's....tragic history?

Elizabeth: *Flicks a paw at Omari* I made the choice myself...despite my own...trauma...I've always been a musical theater girl and...well...I loved that story. It also was...well it was sort of a way for me to...embrace my features...and learn to live with them. I suppose that's why my Dad's didn't stop me from picking it...Still, I loved that costume. I think I wore it from the age of nine to twelve...at least until I couldn't fit it anymore. *Chuckles* It makes it a bit harder to tell from photos just what year it was taken without the old Furbook post date...

Omari: I still can't believe Furbook is limping along...it's so...archaic.

Elizabeth: Our parents and grandparents keep it propped up...and us, unfortunately. Forced to have accounts just to keep connected with the older Hunters. *Snickers* What can you do? Most of them aren't super tech-savvy these days.

Omari: *Pft...* Tell me about it, Mom is still struggling with a standard projector interface. I'm just glad Jabari can field all those 'tech support' calls from Mom, otherwise, I'd be next in line. *Snickers*

Ask Elizabeth; The Skunk Reputation

 

Elizabeth: I mean...I suppose yes and no. Mostly because I'm well...I'm in a very unique position as a skunk where....well, my burn scars tend to take precedence when it comes to what other mammals first notice about me. I can cover up most of them, aside from my face that is...*Sighs* Which is why I do tend to keep my head down when in public, and most of my love for wintertime is based solely on the fact I can cover most of my face up...still, it tends to be the feature of mine that gets the most attention first. So it sort of...skews my experiences in terms of dealing with skunk-specific discrimination. But that's not to say it hasn't happened to me.

If I'm in a situation where there's a 'smell' in the air, most mammal's eyes tend to fall on me. Whether that's because we're in an elevator and someone was able to use the skunk in the crowd to hide passing gas or waiting at the bus stop while the city works on a sewage line a block over, and all the mammals near you are giving you the stink eye...*Shakes head* And no, that pun wasn't intended.

Omari: So you say my dear...so you say...

Elizabeth: *Giggles* You know I don't do puns! It's not one of my talents, unlike literally all of my uncles.

Omari: By the gods, what did they all get a crash course when they became parents? They're all pretty bad, even my Dad, but Uncle Zach and Uncle Vernon are by far the worst offenders.

Elizabeth: *Tries to stifle a smirk.* What was that really bad one Uncle Vernon tried to slip in at the last family reunion...it was so awkward...

Omari: It was after he picked you up and hugged you, then he pretended his back hurt and said *Omari puts on his best drawl impression *"Ooh, you've gotten bigger lil' Lizzie, think I might a' pulled a 'Musteloid'". *Rolls eyes* 

Elizabeth: *Snickers* Punctuated with the cheesiest grin I've ever seen him make, and bobbing his eyebrows for emphasis that he had indeed done that on purpose...

Omari: *Laughs* Does that count as skunk discrimination? Cause that pun was practically a hate crime.

Elizabeth: *Let's out a giggling snort, before pressing a paw to her snout and swatting at Omari* Omee! You made me snort...you know I hate doing that!

Omari: *Feigns defending himself* But I love it!

Elizabeth: *Rolls her eyes* Anyway...I should mention, as a lot of mammals probably don't know it. But A.) Skunks have a gland responsible for their defensive spray. If you aren't actively spraying, there's no smell. 

Omari: Unfortunately media is largely responsible for painting skunks as constantly stinking, mostly thanks to the character actor 'Pepe le pew's' performances.

Elizabeth: And B.) Most skunks have the gland removed shortly after birth, as it's considered more of a hindrance now that our species isn't walking around on all fours anymore. I haven't had those glands since I was a year old.

Omari: These days you'll find very few skunk pups with those glands unless you're dealing with a very 'naturalist' family. And nine times out of ten those pups will go on to have them removed as adults when they can legally do it themselves... Mostly because of all the issues and teasing that arises from growing up with one...or so I've seen.

Elizabeth: You know what's very interesting, and this isn't limited to skunks, but every so often you'll run into a mammal that knows Skunks are omnivorous. And Mam'...the insults I've gotten thrown at me for being omnivorous is...it's actually worse than the skunk stuff. 

Omari: Diet purism, especially in this day and age, is still so hard for me to grasp. For the god's sakes, most mammals thought to be strictly carnivores or herbivores have shown to periodically eat foods traditionally from the opposite side of the dietary table. It's necessary to boost levels of nutrients that can't always be provided by sticking to the stereotypical species meal plan.

Elizabeth: We should know, we were raised by wolves, and I've seen my fathers and uncles eat all sorts of things, and not...*Chuckles* I know Uncle Vernon has actually been struggling to get meat back into his diet, as he's almost gone full herbivore by virtue of living with Auntie Dawn for so long.

Omari: *Snickering* Struggling makes it sound like it's his problem. I remember distinctly Aunt Dawn and Allison begging Uncle Vern to eat some wings at the last reunion. But he was adamant it would upset his stomach. I hate to agree with Dad and Jabari, but I feel it was just easier for Uncle Vernon not to cook multiple meals once our cousins moved out, and Aunt Dawn didn't realize how much of a problem that could be until he became conditioned to it.

Elizabeth: He looked so thin...and that leg of his isn't going to get any better without protein in his system...*Shakes head* Anyway, we've kind of strayed from the topic at paw. The point I was trying to make is that there are still quite a lot of mammals out there who see being a carnivore or herbivore as...almost as if it's like supporting a sports team...or a political party.

Omari: Considering several well-known political parties use diet as part of their descriptors, that's less of a comparison as much as I'd call it evidence.

Elizabeth: There are more mammals than you'd think out there that turn their snouts up at species that...*Chuckles* As my Dads would say, 'play for both teams'. We're trusted less, and seen as shadier because of it. So needless to say between that, my skunk scent, and my...burns, I've had a lot of things I can't really control working against me in life.

Omari: True, but most of those mammals who look down on you aren't award-winning, highly respected concert violinists...With a particularly handsome Pawdiatric Oncologist mate to boot...

Elizabeth: *Snickers* And here I thought it was Jabari that was the braggart brother. *Shakes head* What did I get myself into?

*The couple shares a laugh*

Yule Ask; Omari and Elizabeth: 20 years later.

 

Omari: O-Oh, well I mean we usually get a few things for each other for Yule..but mostly the greatest Yule gift we can get each other is making sure our schedules line up so we actually can enjoy the holiday together.

Elizabeth: Yes, I...well Yule tends to be the season where the orchestra I'm a part of tends to be the busiest. Usually right up until the New Year. So I have to travel a lot with them from place to place...and Omari, well... he's usually running himself ragged at the Pediatric Hospital so it's...not exactly easy to pull himself away from that.

Omari: I guess I'm as bad as my Mom is...*shakes head* but...I can't...I can't just leave those pups at Yule...I know there are other oncologists in my wing but...you...you get close to the pups in your care. They come to see you like an extra parent...so it's hard to...tear myself away.

Elizabeth: I hate to admit I've really grown to hate the ringtone on his phone...

Omari: I've cycled it out like four times, but being on call at all times is...I mean you quickly associate the new tone with separation.

Elizabeth: I'm not much better I suppose. But we do what we can to work around those inconveniences as best as we can, and we savor the time we do get as much as possible.

Omari: Thankfully my wing has been fairly quiet this season...

Elizabeth: And I was able to manage a much-needed respite from the tour which allowed our Yule eve and Day to synch up perfectly, thank the gods...*laughs*

Omari: Yes, the only concert my love is playing tonight is for a private audience.

Elizabeth: *Quirks a brow* Now is that the Yule violin pieces I'll be playing while we unwind in the living room? Or are you perhaps describing the more 'intimate' concert I have planned for later that night?

Omari: *Blushes* I...*Coughs* I d-did mean the music yes...*Ahem* Not that I'm not...looking forward to that private...show...

Elizabeth: *Smiles sweetly, blushing* Me too Mari...

WT: Happy Belated Yule everyone! Sorry for the delay...my health is in the toilet! Oh, and happy New Year!

Ask Special Collection; The Hunter Pack; the next generation Pt 3

 A new day, a new sheet, this time covering Xavier and Ulric's family units. Yes, even Ulric gets to be a Dad, although who's raising who is questionable. Thankfully Honey's there to keep him wrangled. Anyway...

Xavier, Malcolm and Elizabeth;

So we've already seen Elizabeth Hunter (Maiden name Meypole) in the 20 years later ask set. As an adult she is an accomplished violinist, and plays in a big orchestra. Which one? I haven't figured that bit out yet. Naturally, her love of the violin was something she carried with her as a kit, the instrument acting as sort of...Well, the rawest way she can express her emotions and speak from the soul.

Xavier and Malcolm first come into contact with her when she's about seven years old, as Xavier takes on a family court case involving Elizabeth's mother. In a similar fashion to what the 'emergency trio' suffered through, Elizabeth's mother was also a damaged individual. Though whereas the hyena pups birth mom was crippled by her cultural beliefs, Elizabeth's Mom had deep mental issues that always kept her on the verge of being institutionalized. Elizabeth was also with her birth mother a lot longer than Yuri's boys, which subjected her to abuse for several years. The abuse running the gamut from mental to physical. This abuse would eventually culminate with Elizabeth's Mom trying to burn down the house with Elizabeth locked inside, which became the catalyst for the court case. The fire leaves Elizabeth with severe burns on her face, the left-hand side of her torso, and arm down to her paw. (Might be hard to make them out on the sketch as everything is...well sketchy.)

During the trial, Xavier gets to know the sweet, shy, and polite skunk girl, and grows close to her, each night returning home and blathering on and on to Malcolm about the poor girl whose plight really moved him. Despite having never met her personally, Malcolm is the first to suggest they make the move to adopt her once the trial ends, and keep the poor girl out of the system. And after a lengthy discussion, the pair agree to take the dive and become parents. Naturally, Elizabeth is thrilled when Xavier and Malcolm ask her to be their daughter, and the adoption goes off without a hitch.

Already shy, Elizabeth has issues with self-confidence which were only worsened by her burn scars. Early on in her time being adopted into the San Fransisgoat Hunter Pack she dresses rather frumpy, and with heavy coverage even in the summer. Her outfit of choice usually includes an oversized hoodie and fingerless gloves to cover as much of her burns as possible when going to school or being forced to be outside. She only feels...sort of comfortable being exposed among her adoptive parents, and even then she still reflexively tries to cover her face on occasion, usually when caught by surprise or off-guard.

Even before being adopted, she loved classical music, specifically pieces featuring the violin. And so, noting that, Xavier and Malcolm buy Elizabeth a violin of her own for her first birthday with them, as well as payout for private lessons in order for her to learn how to play. This is something not only Elizabeth delights in, but takes to with gusto. Mastering the instrument by her teenage years and going so far as to compose a myriad of her own deeply personal violin pieces. With encouragement from Malc and Xav, she's able to overcome her shyness and self-confidence issues and go on to play in school recitals, plays, and eventually concert halls.

Regarding Elizabeth and Omari;

Despite Piper being a pain in the ass, and picking on her as she does with most of the other cousins, Elizabeth really bonds with the emergency trio, and specifically Omari. The similar circumstances involving their abusive birth mothers, and how that affected them saw them become closer than they were to some of their other cousins. But more than anyone else out of the trio, it was Omari who'd spend most of the time talking to her. He would talk about his interests, his growing appreciation for science and medicine, and his insecurities. And Elizabeth would share her own insecurities, her love of music, and even a few of her private violin concertos just for him. This closeness led to the two cousins catching feelings for each other going into their teenage years, which would eventually bloom into full-on love in their early adulthoods. While Yuri protested the two getting together due to being cousins, despite not being blood-related, Xavier and Malcolm were as always very supportive and encouraging.

Ulric, Honey and Arturo;

Initially, I had planned against giving Ully and Honey any pups, as Ully was too irresponsible, and Honey wasn't really one for 'traditional family structure'. I hadn't even planned for the pair to get tithed or married, but rather simply be monogamous partners with at most a couple's contract or whatever I called it in LAW where the two are recognized as legally sharing resources. And while I intended to keep that the case, the idea of them raising a pup kept coming back to me...tickling the back of my skull until Arturo began to form.

Arturo is a pudgy, sensitive kid who's generally very open to weird ideas. He looks up to his adopted Mom and Dad with a sort of awe and wonder, much in the same way Wyatt looks up to Vanna and Zach. No one is cooler than his parents, and that's especially true when it comes to his oddball father. In terms of Ully and Arturo's relationship, I imagined it to be very similar to Dale Gribble and Joseph from King of the Hill. (You can guess who's who in that connection) With young Arturo looking up to his Dad despite his obvious craziness and wild and baseless theories. That said, with Ully being...well Ully, he's not exactly A-grade father material when it comes to safety and setting boundaries. Naturally, this puts Honey in a weird position where she's almost raising two kits rather than one. That said, despite Honey acting as the 'buzzkill' and authoritarian in the family unit, Arturo doesn't love his mom any less than his crazy Dad.

Young Arturo's summers growing up are filled with all sorts of wacky escapades involving his Pa, including annual Catsquatch hunts, ghost hunting in spooky locations, and weird and irresponsible science experiments, but as an adult, those become treasured memories. And despite all that would have been working against him, Arturo grows up to be a kind, intelligent and well-adjusted male who ends up becoming a popular Animalian and Zootopian history teacher at the Zootopian University. While he has largely grown out and away from taking everything his father taught him as gospel, the lessons instilled in him by Ully and Honey fueled a thirst for history and seeking truth. And while his lesson don't cover topics like 'Catsquatch' or 'ancient aliens', he's always open to hearing folks talk about such topics. And he also makes sure to allocate some vacation time to go 'catsquatch' hunting with his parents every summer.

Onward to page four!

-Wasty