Youth
#3 of Underneath the Wars
Anika grows up in this 'historical fiction' Written 2013
Youth
While life was getting harder for morphs in America, the growing population in Western Australia made many things better. With so many children being born, more schools were needed and the multitude of scientists in the area, the quality of education was held in utmost importance. They adopted a gradual learning system, basing advancement on knowledge, instead of grading by age, and were soon ranked as the best education system in the world, gathering further resentment from the American ruling class. The Morph University of Western Australia was established in Harstlein in 21m accepting morphs and humans alike.
Anika grew up in an accepting environment. Not to say there weren't disagreements or glimpses of morph hatred, but thankfully they were few. It was a comfortable childhood, allowing her to learn to like herself and other species, despite and even for their differences.
She could see some specieist behavior and bullying in school; smaller and weaker morphs taunted and pressed and even battered by stronger species, but didn't receive much herself. She even made some effort to befriend some of the trod upon species.
One friend she remembers is Gantry Timmons, a gray mouse. She had watched him getting intimidated and shoved down, but the two cats left before she got close. She picked him up off the floor and they started talking. They both had an interest in mechanical puzzles and inter-species relations, which solidified their friendship.
They stayed friends through school and both introduced the other to other friends of various species, trying to bring understanding and acceptance between them. She felt it did some good, but what finally rallied all morphs together was far beyond her control.
As she neared completion of her Secondary schooling, she met Corbin Marks, another spotted hyena. She was enraptured by his beauty and his unusual genius. He was two years younger than her, but already finishing his Secondary as she did.
After they graduated in 37m, they married and Anika was soon pregnant. She had plans to attend Morph University for Mechanical Engineering with a minor in Species Relations, focusing on cross species ergonomic applications, but those plans were cut short.