{"sf1_id":2034650,"sf2_id":"ZmMa58qm","title":"Chapter 9: New Understanding","author":"HeatherOBunn","words":5644,"posted_at":"2023-08-07T15:32:00.000Z","tags":["Buck","Cat","College","Fear","Fox","Group","Mountain Goat","Mouse","Novel","Predator/Prey","Prejudice","Rabbit","Romance","Squirrel","Stoat","Tod","Vixen","Wolverine","tom"],"url":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/2034650-chapter-9-new-understanding","original_url":"https://sofurry.com/s/ZmMa58qm","image_url":"https://cdn.sofurryfiles.com/submissions/thumbnails/9d/93/9d93b04f-6d20-44d3-93c9-dd08c7cbbea4","description":"#9 of Flora: A Tale from Vulpineva\n\nPete gets up the courage to talk to Flora.","content":"Chapter 9: New Understanding  \nFlora helped Cynthia into her seat as they prepared for the start of organic chemistry  \nclass on Monday at the beginning of their fourth week of class. Flora was relieved that, after  \ntheir calculus exam this morning, she only had one more test for the first unit of her classes, and  \nthat one was in biology, her easiest course. They'd had their first organic test last Friday, and  \nFlora was anxious to see if Dr. Serrano had gotten them graded over the weekend. She felt that  \nshe'd done reasonably well after the studying she and Cynthia had done last week, but she  \nwanted to see her grade, nevertheless. Except for her writing section, where Isabelle was still  \ndoing her best to be obnoxious, her classes were going well.  \nA minute or so later, Dr. Serrano arrived, wheeling himself down to the front of the room  \nand withdrawing a thick stack of papers from his satchel, which he laid on the front desk.  \n\"Because I know you're all on pins and needles, yes, I did get your exams graded,\" he  \ndeclared in his usual amiable tone. \"However, so that you'll actually pay attention, you'll have to  \nwait until the end of class to look at them. How did everyone feel about the exam? Are there any  \nquestions?\" He paused for a few seconds to allow for students to raise their hands then went on  \nwhen no one did. \"How about over the reading for today?\"  \nSomeone behind Flora raised their hand.  \n\"Yes, Francis,\" Dr. Serrano called on them.  \n\"Do we need to memorize the IR and NMR spectra?\" a vulpine voice asked.  \n\"You'll need to be able to interpret them, so you will need to remember what functional  \ngroups look like in the IR spectra and where the chemical shifts fall in the NMR spectra. You'll  \nbe able to reconstruct a molecule by interpreting those along with mass spectrometry data.  \nThat's what you're going to work on right now, in fact. Would someone pass out the  \nworksheets? Then you can form groups of three or four.\"  \nA fennec fox in the row in front of Flora volunteered, and then Flora and Cynthia worked  \nwith the ferret and ground squirrel in front of them to piece together the molecules from the  \nspectra on the worksheet. It was a challenging set of puzzles, but Flora felt she was beginning  \nto get the hang of it by the time they were done. When most groups had finished, they went over  \nthe answers as a class.  \n\"Good work, everyone,\" Dr. Serrano concluded at the end of the exercise. \"Now, I'd like  \nto give you a different kind of assignment. Let's start by counting off by tens, beginning from the  \nfront with students in the small desks.\"  \nA shrew nearest the front left began, and they worked left to right and back through the  \nstudents seated on top of the long tables before returning to the front left for the students seated  \nat the long tables. Cynthia got the first 10, and as the count approached Flora, she anxiously  \ntried to anticipate whether they'd be together.  \n\"Nine,\" meowed the ginger tabby to Flora's left.  \n\"Ten,\" Flora chirped. She breathed a sigh of relief. Depending on what they were doing,  \nit might have been difficult to help Cynthia if they'd been separated, and Flora didn't want to  \nentrust the mouse to someone she didn't know.  \n\"We're in a group with Pete,\" Cynthia squeaked softly.  \nFlora gave a little start. She hadn't been paying close attention during that part of the  \ncount and had been doing her utmost to avoid the fearful rabbit since their horrible encounter  \nwhen she'd tried to use the showers down the hall a couple weeks ago, after finding those in her  \nwing filled. Nervously, she turned to look at the black and white rabbit: he was staring back at  \nher timidly, and she quickly looked away. She wasn't sure how they were supposed to work with  \nsomeone who thought she wanted to eat him.  \nWhen the count had finished, Dr. Serrano spoke again, \"Alright, smaller students move  \nto the back and get with your groups. Then I'll tell you what we're going to do. If you're in the  \nback two rows, let your group members know where you are.\"  \nThe lecture hall became a chatter of voices repeating their numbers as the students tried  \nto find their groups. Flora picked up Cynthia and climbed the right ramp to the back. A mountain  \ngoat near the middle of the back row was holding up a piece of notebook paper with '10' written  \non it. Flora thought she recognized them as Rosemary's friend Alex. The massive goat hadn't  \ntried to eat with them again after the awkward first trial, but Rosemary mentioned them  \noccasionally. The black squirrel and mountain goat sometimes hung out when Rosemary's  \nscientific friends were too busy, which was much of the time.  \nAs Flora and Cynthia were approaching Alex's seat, Pete suddenly flashed by them in a  \nblack and white blur and, with a running leap, sailed into the mountain goat's lap. The mountain  \ngoat's eyes widened in surprise, but then they looked down at the rabbit placidly.  \n\"Hey there, my name's Alex. I use xe/xem/xir pronouns. Are you in group ten?\"  \n\"Y-yes, I'm Pete, he/him,\" Pete squeaked nervously.  \nThe fluffy white goat, who was wearing a long, black denim jumper with snaps up the  \nfront, gently petted Pete's head with one hoof-tipped digit. \"You can sit with me if you want,  \nPete.\" Alex turned to look at Flora and Cynthia, blinked xir hazel eyes, and smiled slightly, \"Hey,  \nit's Flora and Cynthia, right? Are you in group ten too?\"  \n\"Yeah, where do you think we should sit?\" Flora replied.  \n\"I'll help you up on the desk.\"  \nAlex bent over to help boost Flora and Cynthia onto the desk. Flora and Pete eyed each  \nother nervously during the procedure. Seated on top of the table, Flora hung her legs over the  \nedge facing Alex, crossed her right ankle over the other, and adjusted her yellow and black plaid  \nskirt before placing Cynthia in her own lap.  \nA silver fox approached their group a few seconds later. The tod, who was wearing only  \na black tie and shirt collar, had a black face, ears, belly, arms, legs, and tail tip while the rest of  \nhis fur and his striking eyes were silver gray. Flora found him quite attractive; however, she  \nknew silver foxes were a color variant of the red fox species, so she regarded him warily.  \n\"Is this group ten?\" he inquired airily.  \nAlex nodded, \"I'm Alex, xe/xem/xir,\" Alex introduced xemself placidly.  \n\"P-Pete, he/him,\" Pete added nervously.  \n\"Flora, she/her,\" Flora introduced herself cautiously.  \n\"Cynthia, she/her,\" Cynthia squeaked.  \n\"My name's Trevor, he/him or they/them,\" the silver fox responded more pleasantly. \"It's  \ninteresting to meet someone who uses neopronouns, Alex.\"  \nWith a leap and a somewhat undignified scramble, they climbed onto the table and  \nseated themself next to Flora. Flora smiled at him shyly. He glanced down at Cynthia then back  \nat her.  \n\"I take it you're the gray fox who's made themself so unpopular,\" they stated bluntly.  \nFlora opened her mouth to respond but closed it when Dr. Serrano spoke.  \n\"Alright class, it looks like everyone's found their group.\" He clicked on the projector,  \nwhich displayed a list from 1 to 10 with different pharmaceuticals. \"Each group is going to  \nresearch the discovery and synthesis of a different drug. Then Friday next week, you'll each  \ngive a four to five minute presentation. I posted a rubric for your presentations on our website.  \nDoes anyone have any questions?\" He paused momentarily. \"Alright, if there are no questions,  \ncome grab your exams, and then you're free to go. It seems we're out of time for today.\"  \nFlora quickly made a mental note of their drug (10 was fluoxetine.) and picked up  \nCynthia to drop down from the table.  \n\"It was nice to meet you, Flora,\" the silver fox stated.  \nFlora turned to regard them, uncertain of their genuineness, but they were already  \njumping down from the table and quickly trotted away toward the front of the room. Flora  \nglanced back at Alex and Pete.  \n\"Um, I guess I'll email you all about when Cynthia and I have time to meet,\" Flora stated  \nawkwardly. \"Hopefully we'll be able to get together before the weekend.\"  \n\"Whenever,\" Alex replied nonchalantly.  \nPete didn't respond but stared at Flora nervously. Flora looked away from the rabbit  \nuncomfortably and dropped onto the floor. She and Cynthia collected their exams and other  \nthings (Flora got a 95% and Cynthia a 97%.), and Flora hurried Cynthia to her physics class  \nbefore hastening to biology.  \nBiology lecture was uneventful. At the end of the period, Dr. Whitman reminded them of  \ntheir Friday test and then let them go. Flora said goodbye to Moxie for the day and began her  \ntrip back to the math and physics building to collect Cynthia before lunch. However, she halted  \nin the hall only a short distance from the room when someone behind her squeaked her name.  \n\"F-Flora?\"  \nFlora turned her head to see a nervously fidgeting Pete stopped five steps behind her  \nand eyeing her apprehensively. She turned herself to face the rabbit, and he immediately  \nscrambled back to twice the distance. With a painful twinge in her belly, Flora turned back  \naround and tromped away toward the exit, trying to press down hurt with indignation. She didn't  \nwant to talk to the rabbit! Why would I talk to someone who thinks I'm a monster?!  \n\"W-wait!\"  \nFlora ignored the rabbit's pleading squeak.  \n\"Flora, wait! I'm sorry!\"  \nFlora stopped and slowly turned back around, eyeing the black and white rabbit  \nuncomfortably, \"Sorry about what?\"  \nPete tilted backward and forward on his long black feet, \"Erm, I, um, for what, um, what  \nhappened in the shower,\" he murmured embarrassedly.  \n\"You mean two weeks ago?\" Flora asked disconcertedly. She wasn't sure why he was  \nbringing this up now; she would have rather forgotten the upsetting incident.  \nPete nodded nervously.  \n\"I accept your apology.\" Flora turned back the way she was going.  \n\"W-wait!\"  \nShe turned back with a frown, \"What?\"  \n\"I, uh, I know you didn't want to eat me,\" Pete murmured self-consciously.  \nFlora stared at him incredulously, \"You only now figured that out?! I would have thought  \nyou might have realized that, I don't know, the moment I didn't?!\" she returned sharply.  \nPete winced, \"I-I mean I know you don't want to eat me,\" he amended anxiously.  \n\"Good. Then I guess working together won't be a problem,\" Flora sniped.  \nShe turned back and, with determination, started toward the door, but to her surprise,  \nPete actually raced around her and stopped only a couple of steps in front of her.  \n\"I want to talk to you!\" he pleaded.  \nFlora frowned at him a moment but then nodded. \"I have to go get Cynthia, but if you  \nwant to follow me, we can talk while we walk.\"  \nShe tromped forward, and Pete leapt out of the way. But then he followed, close on her  \ntail.  \n\"I-I've seen how you've been helping the mou-er, Cynthia,\" Pete offered as they  \nhastened across the science quad, Flora trotting and Pete quickly bounding along behind her.  \nFlora nodded, not turning back.  \n\"I, uh, I don't think you would hurt prey, even though you're a predator.\"  \n\"High praise,\" Flora muttered sarcastically.  \n\"I-it's just that I, um, my parents didn't tell me there were predators like you. They said  \nyou were dangerous.\"  \nFlora whipped around, and Pete only barely managed to avoid colliding with her,  \nscrambling back a step.  \n\"Most predators wouldn't hurt you!\" she scolded. \"There are some real jerks at this  \nschool, but I doubt even most of them would resort to violence!\"  \n\"Th-that's not what my parents told me,\" he whined.  \n\"Your parents told you a bunch of prejudiced crap!\" Flora shot back. \"Yes, there are bad  \npredators. There are bad prey! There are people who will hurt you in this world, but that's not  \nmost people, of any species!\"  \n\"I-I believe that you don't want to hurt me,\" Pete whined.  \n\"If you believe that, then come here,\" Flora demanded.  \n\"W-what?\"  \n\"Come here and quit acting like you're afraid I'm going to grab you!\"  \nPete stared at her apprehensively. After a couple seconds of waiting, Flora turned back  \ntoward the math building.  \n\"Wait!\" Pete raced around in front of her and stopped only a step away. Nose twitching  \nrapidly and whiskers quivering, his blue eyes stared into hers probingly.  \n\"Give me your hand,\" Flora requested sternly.  \n\"Huh?\"  \nFlora held out her right hand. Hesitantly, Pete put his hand in hers. Flora grasped it  \nfirmly, and after a moment of staring at their clasped hands, Pete looked up at her with an  \nexpression of nervous excitement. Flora couldn't resist a small smile despite the guilt and  \naggravation he'd caused her.  \n\"See? Nothing bad happened,\" she murmured.  \nShe released his hand and stepped around him, continuing to go pick up Cynthia. Pete  \nfollowed her closely but remained silent. He waited outside of the classroom whilst Flora  \ncollected Cynthia, and he was still there when the two of them exited several seconds later.  \n\"Is there something else?\" Flora asked him awkwardly.  \nPete shuffled his feet and looked at the floor, \"I, um, I don't know,\" he murmured  \nbashfully.  \n\"We're going to lunch if you want to come,\" Flora offered.  \nPete nodded.  \nThey started toward the cafeteria with Cynthia cupped in Flora's hands and Pete  \nhopping close behind them. After they'd been walking for a minute or so, Cynthia squeaked  \nhesitantly in a hushed tone.  \n\"Flora?\"  \nFlora held the wood mouse up closer to her ear. \"Hmm?\"  \n\"What is Pete doing following us?\" Cynthia whispered furtively. \"What happened last  \nperiod?!\"  \n\"I don't know,\" Flora whispered back. \"He apologized, and then he wanted to follow me. I  \ndon't know if he knows why he's following me.\"  \n\"If he isn't afraid of you anymore, maybe he's curious,\" Cynthia conjectured.  \n\"Maybe,\" Flora agreed.  \nShe lowered Cynthia back to her chest. If he's not afraid of me, then maybe I can help  \nhim with his fear! Flora smiled toothily as hopeful excitement tingled through her body. She'd  \ngiven up on being able to help the rabbit, but now it seemed luck was on her side! The desire to  \nhelp was rekindled inside her, hope coaxing the flame so that it burned with a passionate heat  \nonce again. If there was something she could do to make Pete's life less terrifying, then it was  \nher duty to try!  \nRosemary and Amber were already seated at a table on the prey side of the cafeteria  \nwhen they arrived. Flora led Pete toward the circular table, and as they neared, the two squirrels  \nstopped chatting to stare at the approaching party in amazement.  \n\"Am I dreaming, or is there another black rabbit with a white spot on their nose?\"  \nRosemary asked incredulously.  \n\"H-hi, m-my name's Pete,\" Pete squeaked self-consciously. \"I-I guess you know that.\"  \nRosemary stared at the rabbit a moment longer before turning her questioning gaze on  \nFlora.  \n\"I invited him to come to lunch, and he came,\" Flora answered simply. She shrugged and  \nmade a face to let Rosemary know she didn't really know what was going on either.  \nRosemary frowned and glanced at Pete again before addressing Flora, \"Alright, do you  \nneed any help getting Cynthia's food?\"  \nFlora nodded.  \nOnce Flora, Pete, and Cynthia all had their food, they returned to the table. Flora had  \nchicken nuggets and macaroni and cheese from the meat station and squash medley from the  \nvegetable station. Cynthia had macaroni and cheese, soy nuggets, and squash, and Pete had a  \nlarge bowl of salad with grass, clover, kale, spinach, and sliced radishes. Flora sat beside  \nRosemary, and Pete sat in the seat immediately to Flora's left, leaving two empty seats between  \nhim and Amber. Flora worriedly wondered what would happen if Lance arrived and tried to sit in  \none of those spots. Perhaps I should have put him between me and Rosemary. However, Flora  \nhadn't thought the rabbit would want to sit in the seat adjacent to hers and had purposely left  \nspace for him to put a chair or two between them. She could suggest they switch seats now but  \ndidn't know how to do so without making it awkward and decided to let it go for the time being.  \nGlancing sidelong at the rabbit curiously, she watched him munching his salad. Watching him  \neat reminded her so fondly of her rabbit friends back home! Flora smiled, pleased by this  \nsurprising turn of events. If Pete could trust her, then they could become friends, and she could  \nshow him that predators weren't as scary as he'd been raised to believe.  \n\"So, where are you from, Pete?\" Rosemary asked awkwardly after they'd been eating for  \na few minutes.  \n\"I'm from Maplesburg,\" Pete replied shyly.  \nThe black squirrel frowned disconcertedly, \"Really? How in Tartarus did you grow up in  \nMaplesburg terrified of predators?! Did you go to an all-prey school?\"  \n\"I, um, I was homeschooled, actually,\" Pete mumbled embarrassedly.  \nRosemary rolled her eyes, \"That explains it,\" she declared exasperatedly. \"I don't  \nunderstand how anyone can think they're doing their children a favor sheltering them like that! It  \nought to be illegal.\"  \n\"They were only trying to keep me safe!\" Pete rejoined defensively.  \n\"Have you felt safe since you got here?\" Rosemary returned pointedly.  \n\"S-sometimes,\" Pete murmured bashfully. After a moment, \"Maybe in my room,\" he  \nadmitted weakly.  \n\"Meanwhile the rest of us,\" Rosemary gestured to the other prey at the table with a  \nsweep of her arm. \"Have been managing just fine. Caution is one thing; paranoia is another!  \nYour parents should have taught you how to be cautious around predators, not to run at the first  \nsight of them. They raised you to survive in the wrong century!\"  \n\"I-I guess,\" Pete murmured embarrassedly.  \n\"In fact,\" Rosemary went on irritatedly. \"Squealing and running is one of the most  \ndangerous things you can do! If anything will trigger a predator's hunting instincts, it's that!  \nYou're lucky the predators here have their instincts under control.\"  \nPete looked thoroughly miserable after the hash scolding.  \nFlora placed a gentle hand on top of his and murmured soothingly, \"It's alright. It's not  \nyour fault how you were raised. We'll help you learn the right way to coexist with predators.\"  \nPete looked up at her hopefully, \"Y-you will?\"  \nFlora slipped her hand under his and lifted it then placed her other hand on top, gently  \nholding his furry black paw between her light brown and white paws. \"I'll do whatever I can to  \nhelp you feel safe, Pete. No one should be scared and alone.\"  \nAs Flora gazed into his light blue eyes, she thought she saw tears beginning to glisten,  \nbut they were interrupted by a light cough from Amber. She dropped Pete's hand to turn toward  \nthe fox squirrel.  \n\"Not to be a pessimist, but don't you think this will feed into the rumors your ex-  \nroommate has been spreading?\" Amber suggested uncomfortably. \"Depending which line they  \ngo with, you're either befriending a prey no 'real' predator could possibly befriend, or you've  \nbeguiled the most naive prey on campus.\" She glanced at Pete, \"No offense, Pete.\"  \n\"I don't care a lick what Isabelle and her cronies think!\" Flora returned ardently. \"They'll  \nbelieve whatever they want to. I won't let Pete suffer to deny them a few impotent jabs!\"  \nAmber shrugged, \"As long as you realize it's going to happen. Pete has a reputation too,  \nso you'll be combining two different sets of rumors. Who knows what kind of nonsense will come  \nout of that?\"  \n\"I-I don't care either,\" Pete put in nervously. \"People already think I'm, uh. F-Flora's been  \ntrying to help me from the very beginning, but I wouldn't see she was different.\"  \n\"Flora's extra special,\" Cynthia squeaked proudly. \"I knew she could help you if you gave  \nher the chance!\"  \nFlora smiled bashfully and brushed her right whiskers with her index finger. \"I'm only a  \nfox; I just try to do what I think is right.\"  \n\"She's the nicest person in the whole world!\" Cynthia declared passionately.  \n\"Someday, she's going to start believing you, and then she'll be an awful egotist,\"  \nRosemary commented dryly.  \n\"She's too-\"  \n\"Don't you dare say she's too modest!\" Rosemary cut the mouse off sharply. She sighed  \nexasperatedly and rolled her eyes before regarding Flora with a wry smile, \"I still don't  \nunderstand how this happened. You either have the worst or the best luck.\" She paused. \"No,  \nyou have the most bizarre luck of anyone I've ever met.\"  \n\"I can accept that,\" Flora replied amusedly. She couldn't quite understand what had  \nmade Pete change his mind either, but as she observed the rabbit beside her, who was happily  \nenjoying their friendly repartee, she could only feel incredibly blessed.  \nWhen they had finished lunch, Flora took Cynthia back to their room. Pete followed them  \nright up to their door, where he stopped uncertainly.  \n\"Have a good afternoon, Pete,\" Flora chirped warmly as she pushed the door open.  \n\"Are you doing anything this afternoon?\" Pete asked self-consciously.  \n\"We'll be working on the homework we got today, and I have to study for the bio. exam,\"  \nFlora stated. \"I'll email you about when we can get together for the o. chem. group project.\"  \n\"C-could I work with you too?\" Pete asked anxiously.  \nFlora glanced inside the room and turned back with an awkward smile, \"Er, well, there  \nisn't really anywhere for you to work. If they'd left us the desk for our third roommate there  \nwould be, but they didn't. We could think about finding a room in the library sometime, but all of  \nour books are in here.\"  \n\"O-okay,\" Pete murmured disappointedly.  \nFlora regarded the rabbit quizzically. Was he really that eager to spend time with them?  \nHe probably doesn't have any other friends. \"We can go to dinner together later,\" Flora  \nsuggested. \"If you want to exchange numbers, I'll text you when we're ready to leave.\"  \n\"O-okay,\" Pete murmured embarrassedly.  \nThey exchanged numbers.  \nWhen he had entered her number into his cell, Pete looked up shyly, \"My, uh, my room  \nis three twenty-eight, i-in the middle section, if you need anything.\"  \n\"Alright, see you later, Pete,\" Flora piped cheerfully.  \n\"Yeah.\"  \nFlora stepped through the door, gently closing it behind her. She crossed the room and  \ncarefully set Cynthia on the mouse-sized bed with her bag and crutches.  \n\"I think you have a new admirer,\" Cynthia remarked amusedly.  \n\"He was acting a bit odd,\" Flora admitted embarrassedly.  \n\"He's completely infatuated!\" Cynthia proclaimed. \"How could he not be?\"  \n\"He thought I was going to eat him a couple weeks ago,\" Flora argued. \"He might just be  \ncurious to learn more about the first predator he's ever felt safe with.\"  \nCynthia grinned, showing her large incisors, \"If you say so,\" she returned knowingly.  \n\"I have to use the restroom,\" Flora stated, anxious to end the discussion. \"Do you need  \nany help before I go?\"  \nCynthia shook her head, still grinning cheekily. Flora left the mouse on her bed and  \npulled open the door to peer out into the hall: she breathed a sigh of relief to see Pete was gone  \nthen hurried to the bathroom. Was Cynthia right? He's a rabbit; he'll realize we're not compatible  \nin that way, Flora reassured herself. Besides, he probably was simply curious.  \nFlora finished her calculus homework and started on her chemistry reading before it was  \ntime to go. She and Cynthia discussed the best time to meet with their organic chemistry group  \nand decided to try Wednesday afternoon since they had lab on Tuesday while the others had  \nlab on Thursday. Flora emailed the other members of the group to see what time on  \nWednesday would work. Finally, she texted Pete to let him know they were ready to head to  \ndinner; he was waiting outside of their room by the time they exited.  \nFlora smiled at him amiably, \"Are you ready for dinner?\"  \nPete nodded, returning a shy smile of his own, \"I, er, I kept wondering when you'd text. I  \nonly got my calculus done.\"  \n\"Sorry, we usually go to eat between five thirty and six,\" Flora told him embarrassedly.  \n\"I-it's okay; I'm just happy you remembered,\" Pete replied awkwardly.  \nFlora led the way across campus; Pete loped along beside her once they made it  \noutside. Flora studied the black and white rabbit with furtive sidelong glances as they walked: he  \nwas about the size of Olivia, the top of his head the height of her armpit and maybe one-third  \nher weight. Could he really be interested in me like Cynthia said? Flora remembered her own  \ntrepidation when she'd considered dating Lance, who was between two and three times her  \nweight, and unlike she and Pete, she and Lance were both carnivores. Surely, Cynthia was  \nmistaken, and Pete's odd behavior was only a mixture of nerves, curiosity, and socially awkward  \nfriendliness.  \nWhen they arrived in the cafeteria, Flora quickly realized dinner wasn't going to go as  \nsmoothly as lunch. Rosemary and Amber had yet to arrive, but Chester, Lance, and Becca were  \nall seated at a six-seat circular table on the prey side of the cafeteria.  \n\"We're going to be eating with some of my predator friends,\" Flora murmured to Pete as  \nshe led him across the wide, bustling room. \"Is that okay?\"  \n\"C-can I sit beside you?\" Pete squeaked nervously.  \nFlora glanced at the table again: Chester and Lance were side-by-side whilst Becca was  \nacross the table from Chester. There were two empty seats between Chester and Becca and  \none between her and Lance.  \n\"Yes,\" Flora concluded. \"But you'll have to sit next to Becca; she's a stoat.\"  \n\"St-stoats are small, aren't they?\" Pete asked anxiously.  \n\"They are. Becca's probably only about,\" Flora quickly did the math in her head. \"One-  \nfifth your size.\"  \nPete seemed relieved by this information, \"I'll be okay.\"  \n\"The others are bigger, but they're all really nice. You don't need to worry, but if you  \nwant to sit somewhere else, you can.\"  \n\"I want to sit with you,\" Pete returned anxiously.  \n\"Alright.\"  \nFlora led him the rest of the way to the table, but she noticed he ducked behind her  \nwhen it became clear where they were headed.  \n\"Hi!\" Flora chirped genially as she stepped up behind the pair of empty seats. She tried  \nto ignore her embarrassment from Pete hiding behind her. He must have nearly been standing  \non her tail; she could feel his rapid breaths on her upper back.  \n\"Did you acquire a shadow?\" Chester meowed amusedly. \"The ears are a little long.\"  \n\"Is that Pete?\" Becca yelped in shock, turning in her seat to stare at the rabbit, who was  \nthe least hidden from her vantage point.  \nFlora carefully set Cynthia on the table then grabbed Pete's arm to drag him out from  \nbehind her. He strained to duck back out of sight of the larger predators, but taking a step back  \nfrom the table, Flora pulled the rabbit in front of her and held him firmly by the arms, facing the  \nothers.  \n\"He's a little nervous,\" she apologized. \"But Pete's realized that the things he was taught  \nabout predators weren't exactly true. He had lunch with us earlier; although, I was the only  \npredator at our table then.\"  \nChester offered Pete a friendly smile, \"Hi Pete, it's nice to meet you. You don't have to  \nworry about us: we don't bite.\"  \n\"I wouldn't be so sure about Becca,\" Lance teased. \"Stoats are fierce!\"  \nBecca glared at the wolverine, \"If I bite anyone, you know who it'll be!\"  \n\"You can sit by Becca or Chester if you prefer,\" Flora told Pete. \"Lance is the wolverine.\"  \n\"Think of him like a big cuddly furball,\" Chester told Pete cheerfully. \"That's what I do.\"  \n\"Is that what you think?\" Lance growled, eyeing his feline boyfriend lasciviously. \"I'll  \nremember that.\"  \n\"Let's go get our food, and then you can decide if you really want to sit with us,\" Flora  \nsuggested.  \nShe let Pete go--to her relief, he didn't dash back behind her--and picked up Cynthia.  \nBecca got up to help get Cynthia's food. The vegetable station had some fragrantly spiced lentil,  \nspinach, and mushroom curry, which Flora and Cynthia both got with brown rice. Pete got a little  \nof the curry and a hearty bowl of salad, similar to his lunch. After some hesitation, he followed  \nthem back to the table and nervously slipped into the seat between Becca and Flora. Flora gave  \nhim a reassuring smile as he sat.  \n\"So, Pete, tell us something about yourself,\" Chester requested genially. \"Where are you  \nfrom?\"  \n\"I-I, er, I'm from Maplesburg,\" Pete murmured nervously.  \n\"Just like Rosemary and Cynthia! I'm from Prairie Meadows,\" Chester informed him.  \n\"Flora's mentioned you're in most of her classes. What are you planning to major in?\"  \n\"B-biochemistry.\"  \n\"That's what you're majoring in too, right, Becca?\" Chester queried genially.  \nBecca nodded.  \n\"Any idea what you're going to do after college?\" Chester asked Pete.  \n\"I-I, um, w-want to go to medical school.\"  \n\"How will you be a doctor if you're terrified of half of your patients?!\" Becca asked  \nincredulously.  \nPete shrank in his seat timidly, \"I-I thought if, um, I were a surgeon, th-then they'd be  \nasleep.\"  \n\"I don't think I'd want someone operating on me who thought I was a blood-thirsty killer,\"  \nBecca remarked skeptically.  \nPete glanced at the stoat on his left apprehensively, \"I-I don't think that,\" he squeaked  \nself-consciously.  \n\"Oh? Then why are you so afraid of us?\" Becca pressed.  \n\"I-I, um, I don't know,\" Pete murmured miserably.  \n\"Pete's parents told him some very wrong things,\" Flora defended him. \"And he just  \nhasn't had enough experience with predators to learn better for himself. We're going to help him  \nsee that predators and prey aren't so different after all.\"  \nPete looked at her gratefully, and Flora smiled back reassuringly.  \nFlora went on, \"Besides, we all have our instincts to overcome. We're trained to control  \nours, but prey normally learn when they meet predators in school. Pete was homeschooled, so  \nhe didn't have that chance.\"  \n\"I guess that explains it,\" Becca allowed. \"But how in Zeus' name did you convince him  \nto trust you? Last I'd heard, you were avoiding him.\"  \n\"Pete took the first step by himself; I don't know what changed his mind,\" Flora admitted.  \nThe others eyed Pete questioningly.  \n\"Well?\" Becca pressed.  \n\"I-I guess, um, a-after Flora and I b-bumped into each other in the shower, I, um, I  \nstarted to pay more attention to what she was like, a-and she didn't seem like, um, like how my  \nparents said. I-I really just wanted to apologize, but, um, when I started talking to her, I didn't  \nwant to stop. I wanted to get to know her better,\" Pete concluded bashfully.  \n\"It's been nice getting to know you too, Pete,\" Flora stated warmly. \"I'm glad I could help  \nyou change your mind.\"  \nPete offered her a shy smile in return, \"I-I'm glad too.\"  \nThey chatted about their classes and what each of them had done over the weekend for  \nthe remainder of the meal. Chester and Lance had taken a bus into downtown Wolfsbane to see  \na production of The Two Gentlemen of Verona Saturday afternoon, and all of them except Pete  \nand Lance, who Chester couldn't convince to go, had gone to swing dancing practice in the  \nperforming arts building that evening.  \n\"Did you sign up for any clubs, Pete?\" Flora inquired.  \n\"O-only biochemistry club, but I haven't gone yet,\" Pete replied embarrassedly.  \n\"A lot of us are in swing dancing and the outdoors club. I'm sure you can still join if you  \nwant to.\"  \n\"A-alright,\" Pete agreed shyly.  \nAfter dinner, Pete walked with them back to the dorm, stopping once again outside of  \ntheir room.  \n\"Thanks for coming to dinner with us, Pete,\" Flora chirped pleasantly. \"I guess we'll see  \nyou tomorrow or Wednesday in class.\"  \n\"D-do you usually eat breakfast before?\" Pete asked anxiously.  \nFlora nodded.  \n\"Would you mind if I joined you?\" he asked bashfully.  \nFlora smiled amiably, \"You're welcome to join us, Pete. We usually leave around seven  \nthirty. It'll just be the three of us.\"  \nPete smiled back happily, \"That sounds nice. Thanks, Flora.\"  \nFlora contemplated the rabbit hesitantly for a moment: Pete seemed to want to spend as  \nmuch time with her as possible, and she was interested in getting to know him better too. \"We're  \nhaving our first biology exam on Friday,\" she noted.  \nPete looked at her confusedly, \"Um, yeah.\"  \n\"Cynthia is studying for her physics exam on Wednesday, but if you wanted to study  \ntogether Wednesday and Thursday evening, we wouldn't have to worry about disturbing her.\"  \n\"I-in your room?\"  \nFlora nodded. \"That was my idea, but we could find somewhere else to study if you  \nprefer.\"  \n\"Y-your room is fine!\"  \nFlora smiled genially, \"Alright then, goodnight, Pete.\"  \n\"Goodnight.\"  \nFlora pushed through the door and carefully closed it behind her. She glanced down into  \nher hand: Cynthia was grinning up at her toothily.  \n\"You two are adorable!\" the mouse squeaked good-humoredly. \"Are you going to  \nconfess first or wait until he does?\"  \n\"I just think he's an interesting person,\" Flora returned evasively. She stepped across the  \nroom and set Cynthia on her mouse-sized bed.  \nCynthia didn't tease her more, but Flora knew the mouse wasn't convinced. I can want to  \nget to know someone without being attracted to them, Flora thought a bit annoyedly. She  \nwouldn't think we were if we were a vixen and a doe. Besides, Pete couldn't possibly be  \nattracted to a predator three times his size. Even suggesting such a thing would probably terrify  \nthe timid rabbit!  \n  \n\n","series":{"name":"Flora: A Tale from Vulpineva","previous":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/2034257-chapter-8-shower-fiasco.json","next":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/2034652-chapter-10-group-work.json"}}