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Chapter 12: A Call Home

Pete stepped into his room and carefully closed the door behind him. As per usual at this

hour, Bill was not present, and since it was Friday evening, he wouldn't be in until late. The

hare's absence was one reason Pete chose Friday evening for his weekly call with his parents,

usually his mother though his father occasionally joined the video call. As far as Pete's parents

knew, he got along well with his roommate, and Pete didn't want the hare to hear him lying

about their lack of rapport.

This week, however, Pete was even more anxious than the need to lie usually made

him. What am I going to tell them about Flora?! Perhaps he shouldn't mention her or his other

predator friends at all and instead focus on his classes; however, Pete wanted to know why his

parents had taught him to fear predators. He needed to hear an explanation, anything to justify

the pernicious lies he'd been raised to believe. Had they ever been planning to disabuse him of

this indoctrination, or had they been content to let him live in terror of people like Flora for the

rest of his life? Do they actually believe what they said? Moreover, Pete had three littermates,

two brothers and a sister. They needed to know that what they'd been taught was wrong too!

Pete started up his laptop and sat at his desk. He texted his mother to see if she was

ready, and once she had affirmed that she was, he started the call.

"Hi, Mom," Pete said as the vertical camera of her phone blinked onto the screen. Like

him, his mother was black with a white belly. She lacked the white spot he had over his nose but

had a white left foot, and her eyes were a grayer tint of blue.

"Hi, Honey! How was school this week?" she piped cheerfully.

"Good, I got an A on my tests in calculus and chemistry."

"How about your biology test?"

"I just took that this morning, but it was fine."

"I'm glad your classes are going well. You make us very proud, Honey. How are you and

Bill getting along? Have you done anything else since you walked to the park?"

"Um, no, Bill's been busy," Pete lied. Needless to say, there had been no previous walk.

"I, um, I've actually made some other friends. We've been eating together and stuff."

His mother smiled toothily, her incisors bright white next to her jet black fur, "That's

great, Honey! I'm glad you're finally meeting other people. Tell me about them!"

Pete hesitated nervously for a second. "Um, well, Rosemary is a black squirrel, and

Cynthia is a mouse. And Amber is a fox squirrel."

"They sound like an interesting group. All girls?"

"Rosemary is nonbinary."

"Hmm, that's odd, but I'm glad you're meeting different people. Is there anyone else?

Any boys?"

Should he lie and say Rosemary, Cynthia, and Amber were all? Pete fortified himself: he

had to find out what she really thought about predators. "Yeah, there are Lance and Chester.

There are other girls too, Flora and Becca. And two more enbies, Trevor and Alex."

"N.B.s?" his mother asked confusedly.

"Erm, nonbinary people. Trevor and Alex are also nonbinary."

"It sounds like you have quite a group of friends now!" his mother piped proudly. "Did you

meet them all in class?"

"I, um, I met some of them in class. Flora introduced me to the others."

"What species is Flora again?"

Pete's heart had been beating faster and faster, and at this calamitous question, his

racing heart leapt into his throat. "Sh-she, um, sh-she's," he swallowed nervously. "She's a gray

fox," he whispered.

"What was that? You cut out for a second there, Honey," she returned unsuspectingly.

"Sh-she's a gray fox," Pete squeaked nervously.

His mother's eyes widened, and her entire visage took on a look of horror, "Pete, t-tell

me you didn't just say she's a fox," she responded weakly.

"She is," Pete returned a bit more boldly. He'd said it! He'd told his mother he was

friends with a fox! There was no turning back from here.

"Pete! W-what did we teach you?! I-I know there are a lot of foxes there, but I thought we

prepared you to-"

"To what? To be scared?!" Pete cut her off, upset. "Flora is my friend! And she's not my

only predator friend! Lance is a wolverine. Becca is a stoat. Chester is a cat, and Trevor is a

silver fox!"

"For the sake of Zeus, Pete!" she cried in horror. "W-why are you doing this? Is this your

attempt to rebel?! By getting yourself killed!?"

"They're all my friends! None of them would hurt me!" Pete returned ardently. "What you

told me was wrong! Predators don't want to eat us! They just eat different food!"

"They're 'food' is a replica of our flesh, Pete! We taught you this! Of course they pretend

to be your friend in public! It's when they get you off your guard, when they get you alone, that

their fangs come out! By then, it's too late!"

"I've been alone with Flora, and she didn't eat me," Pete rebutted. "Once in her room

and today when we went for a hike in a forest. We were alone in the woods for almost an hour!

She didn't eat me! There was nothing to stop her, and she didn't do it! She's not a killer; she's

the nicest person I've ever met!"

"She's a vixen, Pete," his mother moaned in distress. "They're the most devious

predators there are! She knows she has you in her claws. She's playing with you!"

"Flora's not devious or cruel; she's genuine and caring," Pete rejoined. "Cynthia, the

mouse, is her roommate. They're together all the time, and I've seen how gentle she is. She

wouldn't hurt anyone!"

"Did you ever think that might be part of her lure?" she asked scathingly. "A mouse isn't

much for a fox, but she can use her to act innocent and lure in larger prey!"

"That's not true!" Pete protested. "She's a good person, and she's helped me a lot! She's

the only reason I have friends!"

"Most of whom eat flesh! You had a friend before this: your roommate!"

Pete felt a bit ill as he did so, but he shook his head. "I didn't. Bill doesn't like me; he

never did. He thinks I'm a coward like everyone did, until Flora."

"And now you throw caution to the wind! Is that why you're doing this, Pete? To look

tough?" she asked incredulously.

"I'm not trying to look tough. I just want to have friends who care about me. Flora does.

The others do too. It doesn't matter whether they're predators or prey; they're my friends."

"I don't understand what happened," his mother returned helplessly. "I-I never thought

one of my children would willingly walk into the fox's den, but if I can't convince you, then," she

stared at him through the screen desperately. "Let me get your father. Maybe he can convince

you."

"You can't convince me because I know what's true now, and I know what you told me

wasn't," Pete replied determinedly. "I'll be just fine, Mom. You'll see that I'll be fine."

"And if you're wrong?" she murmured sadly. "Will you think of us when you finally see

their fangs? I don't want to think about you dying like that, Pete, with fangs at your neck,

helpless and afraid."

"I-I understand that, Mom," Pete returned uncomfortably. "I promise you that won't

happen. Flora and I, we, um, we care for each other a lot. I know she wouldn't hurt me, not

ever."

"You only know how you feel," she responded despairingly. "That's how it always is. You

trust; you don't think, and then it's too late."

"I wish I could make you understand, Mom," Pete murmured sadly. "I'll show you it will

be alright. Then you can stop being afraid too. They eat different food--I know once it was us--

but they're not monsters. They don't live to murder prey; they want the same things we do."

"Can I get your dad, Pete? Maybe he can convince you," his mother pleaded.

Pete shook his head, "I don't want to fight with him too. I'm going to go now, Mom. I

promise I'll talk to you next week."

"Please be careful, Pete."

"I will. Goodnight, Mom." He closed his laptop.

Pete leaned back in his chair and groaned. That hadn't been fun, but he was glad it was

over with. I didn't tell her we're in love, but that wouldn't have made a difference. His mother

was convinced he'd been seduced by Flora even without knowing his feelings for the fox were

actually romantic. At least, he seemed to have confirmed that his parents really believed what

they had told him; at least, they hadn't intended to deceive. I'll show them they're wrong. Pete

didn't know how long it would take, but eventually, they had to see that predators and prey could

be friends without prey ending up on the menu.