The youngest Populous children continued to age at a rate Bebe and Asa thought was surely faster than their older children had done.  Xenia was now fully grown and flew the nest, excited about her new job at the lab, following in the footsteps of her mother and many of her siblings before her.

The boys were also teenagers now.  Yeats inherited his father’s dark hair and blue eyes.

He and Yabbie Creek were still determined to rescue some of the Valley’s stray animal population.

They persuaded Asa and Zoe to come out with them on a rescue mission when they saw a horse running past them one night.

But however many animals they or their sisters tried to befriend, none would come and stay with them.

Bebe and Asa couldn’t stand the disappointed looks on their children’s faces any longer, and so they agreed that, if the children were willing to take care of the animals themselves, they could temporarily care for animals from the local shelter until permanent homes could be found for them. Buoyed by this news, Yeats registered their household as animal foster carers immediately.

Their first pet was a cat named Tazzle…

Despite themselves, Bebe and Asa couldn’t resist buying cat toys, bedding and feeders.

Tazzle was soon joined by fellow kitty Cat and little puppy Bouncer. The pets all played together – they may have been a random assortment of creatures, but they soon became family.

If there were any family such an assortment would fit into, it was this one.

Bebe was promoted to a five-star chef’s position and decided to go back to working at the science lab, sharing her findings from the gastronomical world with all her old colleagues.

The family continued to grow. Wendy was expecting her first child…

…and their many grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great grandchildren continued to grow, from Paige’s sons Harry…

…Caleb…

…and Siddhartha

to Elisabeth’s daughter Bree…

…to Barbara’s son Jerry

and daughter Kendra…

…and Natasha’s son Gavin.

The teenagers were regular visitors, playing with their young aunts and uncles, nurturing the pets or doing their homework.

And the family continued to gather for birthday celebrations.

On their teen birthday, the twins continued to display very different ideas about how they wanted to look.

Now Zoe…

…and Zolga were teens, they were allowed to adopt another pet.

Harvey joined the Populous family and immediately ingratiated himself with Tazzle and Bouncer.

Cat seemed a little left out though, and when a new home came up, she was sent to live with a family where she’d be the lone pet.

The teens were quick to offer another space for a pet in need though.

Bob soon joined the fold.

Tazzle was the next pet to be adopted out…

…but Audrey soon arrived to take his place.

The pets were making themselves very much at home…

…and the furniture was much the worse for it.

Bebe was sure this was ageing her. She’d looked in the mirror and started to see wrinkles emerge.

The sight of a heavily pregnant Xenia only served to reinforce how much older she felt.

In preparation for the boys’ birthday, she took herself off to get a makeover. As she looked at herself in the mirror, she pondered. The boys would leave home, and the girls would follow shortly after. What, then, would she become?

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