Dogs, Bats & Monkeys Series: EXTRAS

Ask Kennedy (A Character Interview)

Me: Popcorn won't really up your strength, but speaking of mates: boys or girls?

Kennedy: So far it's only been girls that I've been interested in. But none of us knows how the mate bond works, so I guess we'll have to wait until I reach the Age of Recognition and discover who my mate is. You'll have to do quite a time skip for that.

Me: What do you mean?

Kennedy: Well, the series won't concentrate on me until Book 4, I'm thirteen in Book 1, and each book takes place over the span of a few months so that's an year and something, two at most, from the beginning of Book 1 to the end of Book 3. Yet, I'll have to have my sixteenth birthday in my book, so I can enter the Age of Recognition and find out who the Great Spirits have paired me up with.

Me *waving my hand*: Nah, don't worry about it; I'll figure out a way to explain the time skip! I'll start uploading your story to Wattpad on the day I post the last chapter to Book 3 and mention that you are almost sixteen. And then, some chapters later, we are going to have your birthday party and you'll reach the Age of Recognition. Which brings us to our next question: why sixteen?

Kennedy: How should I know? You are the author.

Me: Well, if you had to guess...?

Kennedy *munches on some more popcorn as he ponders*: People didn't live that long back when the Great Spirits created the first shape shifters. It was probably a good age to start a family or think about starting a family.

Me: That's why I like talking with you: you can make some sensible assumptions even at thirteen.

Kennedy: Don't get started on a rant about teenagers these days!

Me: Okay, okay, but I've heard some pretty weird things coming out of the mouths of teens and pre-teens...

*He slowly chews the popcorn while staring at me with his unnaturally bright eyes.*

Me: Riley was right that your eyes are unnerving...

*He stops chewing.*

Kennedy: He said that about me?

Me: Don't worry, he still loves you. Now back to the questions: what do you think will happen if you are dating someone, reach sixteen and discover they are not your mate?

Kennedy: Things will become awkward.

Me: More details, please.

Kennedy: I don't know... I'll probably feel guilty. If I were to date someone, it will be someone I care about. I'd feel horrible if I ended up breaking their heart, but you can't fight the mate bond. It's one of the most powerful, most overwhelming things you'd ever experience, so even though we shifters often say that we are blessed as being the only creatures who can feel this, it can also be a curse. Losing your mate can break you down; never finding them can do that too.

Me: Can a shifter feel a mate bond towards a shifter who doesn't feel anything for them even though they've both reached the Age of Recognition?

Kennedy: Haven't heard of that happen. If you are sixteen or older, you have to but look at your mate and you'll know they are The One. Heck, you don't even have to look. They might be standing behind you and you'll know because the bond will pull you towards them.

Me: Like in the case of your brother and Riley?

Kennedy: Yep. Just like Rhys felt the bond before he noticed Riley at the parking lot.

Me: Okay, last question.

Kennedy: Last?

Me: Yep. The question is a two-in-one: can two people feel the mate bond for the same person and can one person feel a mate bond towards two people?

Kennedy: Haven't heard of cases like that either, but I'm sure you are now thinking "I should write a book about that!"

Me: No, I'm not! *jots down a few notes*

Kennedy: Sure. *rolls his eyes* So are we done here?

Me: Mhmm. You can go out and play football now.

Kennedy *as he gets up*: It's called soccer here, in America.

Me: Well, I'm not in America.

Kennedy: How are we having an interview with both of us in the same room if I'm in America and you are in Bulgaria?

Me: There are no boundaries for the human imagination.

A/N: I know I already did this when the interview originally went up, but: THANK YOU to those of you who submitted questions for it!

Now to everyone reading this: did you enjoy learning about Kennedy and his point of view on the world?

What else would you like to ask him?

If there are a lot of questions, I might do a PART 2 of this interview!

If you enjoyed what is already in this chapter, please click on the VOTE button!

As always: if you have ideas/requests for future extras, leave them in the comments!