"I will say things here have certainly changed an awful lot since the last time I was here," JT said as he sat down on the main couch in the Brown family living room, noticing that the television remote was over sized with many of the buttons now being much larger than most other remotes he'd seen before.
"Most of that was for Abby's benefit," came Josephine's voice as she sat down beside her brother, "as she was caught in the initial outbreak and really needed those sorts of things to be able to function. And Horizon, displaying a lot more responsibility for failures than other companies I could name, was pretty determined to compensate us and many of the people who were directly affected by the initial accident. In that, without them, much of what Animalia's accomplished so far would not be possible. It might have been legally protected from persecution... but Animalia would be left as something of a slum utterly dependent on subsistence farming/ranching. But Horizon has pumped in the money for the education and training that's allowing for Animalia to branch out and grow."
"Though from what I've seen... your farm is still the biggest industry in Animalia," JT said with a small smirk.
"THAT we owe to Samson," Josephine chuckled, "he's had some good ideas on altering the farm's operation after everything and he and Abby put a LOT of work into clearing things over to grow apple trees and keep the irrigation channels there so they can be watered. The donation of unfertilized eggs from the uplifted chickens has been helpful and does provide the uplifted predators with protein without having to kill anyone... and much of that... that I can only put on the fact that we've been kind to them before they were uplifted."
"You've still had a lot of success," JT commented, "and to that, you and Martin are to be commended... though I suppose right now what you're looking for is a wedding dress for Abby... given how close she seems to Samson."
"We have at least three years to worry on that," Josephine answered, "they're bond mates and love each other dearly... as much as I love Martin. But Abby has agreed to stay on her pill until she's through college, even if she ends up working the farm with us... or enlarging it... and legally can't marry until she turns eighteen."
JT nodded as he looked to the Quarter Horse Animalian mare that his sister had become, "I understand that... my point is that they love each other and look happy together."
"They do indeed," Josephine smiled, "Certainly different from what Martin and I expected when we had Abby... but as you said... a lot has changed here since you last visited."
"Indeed," JT commented, "though... I would have thought you would TELL me about some of the changes..."
Josephine gave a weak smile and scratched the back of her head, "As was said, brother... I thought you would have seen the Animalia Ambassadoria episode where Martin and I made our equine debut..."
The two soon thought back on when JT first arrived...
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
JT's arrival at the Brown farm had been to visit family, as he had loved his sister and found Martin Brown to be a good man. He remembered seeing pictures of Abby growing up and marveled at how cute she was. In a way, he loved seeing that happiness for his sister, as she had managed to earn what he'd generally lacked, a loving family that would stand by her and would be with her. It was something that JT always loved to see when he was able to visit the Brown farm. The development and growth of Animalia hadn't changed those feelings. Despite all her changes, Abby was still his niece and he would love her no matter what, and he was proud that she had such a strong and diverse group of friends.
And that was why he came to the Brown farm first, rather that going to Animalia's City Hall building to meet with Clara or make an appointment to meet with her. He'd be able to be with family again, though he hadn't expected to run into Abby and her friends first, but that said it was a nice meeting and with introductions out of the way, JT then turned to head up toward the house, where he figured he would be able to meet with Josephine and Martin. So focused was he on that that he didn't notice the soft conversations between Abby and Samson as they and their friends followed along behind him. Though it wasn't too long before they caught up with him.
"Let me get the door for you, Uncle JT," Abby spoke as she got ahead of him and opened the front door, "then Samson and I can see if mom and dad are around..." She then turned to the others, "You guys can set up in the living room to get started on homework and all that. We shouldn't be too long."
"Right," Jessica nodded as she, Sophie, Roger, Malice, Sarah, and Travis moved around the couch to settle down on the floor with all their assorted homework to work on.
JT smiled and let them by him and then turned to Abby and Samson and gave a wave of his arm to let them lead the way. They were family, after all, and he was greatly pleased that family would want to spend time with him, even if it was to find Martin and Josephine. He followed them along through the house quietly and politely, and soon began to head toward the kitchen. As they got closer, JT thought he could hear something that sounded like Josephine and Martin were there, though he also noticed Abby and Samson's ears were twitching and were perked at something. As they reached the doorway to the kitchen, Abby called ahead.
"Hey mom, dad, I hope you two aren't in anything too serious... as we have a guest, Uncle JT has come to visit!" Abby called ahead as she and Samson stood side by side in front of the doorway, forming something of a wall of equine muscle that JT couldn't see over or around.
"JT?!" came Josephine's voice, "I didn't expect him to visit..."
"He's come to visit?" came Martin's voice.
"He had some idea for a bachelor/bachelorette auction to raise money for hurricane victims and figured to visit us while in the area," Abby spoke.
JT heard some shuffling going on, which made him curious as he couldn't quite see into the kitchen through Abby and Samson, but after a few moments they did part and revealed two more American Quarter Horse Animalians coming toward him. The male had coal black fur and a dark brown mane and tail. He wore a large white tee-shirt, which he was pulling down, and a pair of blue jeans, reminding JT on how much many clothing companies had come to love Animalia because of the open market that Animalia needed for clothing. He was as muscular as any other double dosed Animalian, but not quite the same as Samson. His eye color vaguely reminded him of Martin Brown, though. The female was largely a pale brown with a blonde mane and tail, and in a way looked something like Abby, though Abby's coat was a darker shade of brown. The female also had some darker brown spots, but they were largely hidden under a button-down blouse, which the mare was straightening and her own blue jeans.
"Hey, JT," the mare spoke in Josephine's voice.
"Josie?" JT gasped with wide eyes and an open mouth, so shocked that he was left with the nickname he used for Josephine when they were kids.
"Yes, it's me," Josephine gave a small smile, "it's nice to see you."
"You're an Animalian!" JT declared in surprise.
"Yes," Josephine nodded, "both Martin and I are... We joined Animalia... partially so that when Abby and Samson have their family, there is no confusion with us..."
"And admittedly there was a bit of jealousy that I wasn't being able to cut it any more," Martin added, "but a lot of that went into one of Abby's Animalia Ambassadoria shows. You have to have seen it, as when you've written Josephine and me... you've commented on the episodes you liked."
"You were?" JT blinked looking to Abby.
"That was shortly after they converted," Abby spoke, "I think we were showing the new gym that had been built in Animalia..."
"I think I missed that one," JT spoke slowly, "You guys should have told me."
"We thought you knew," Martin said weakly and looked to Josephine and continued, "but you're right. We should have told you."
"You're not... mad, are you, brother?" Josephine added.
JT took a deep breath and sighed heavily, "No. Surprised beyond all belief... but I'm not mad."
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Their thoughts soon resumed the present as they sat and drank from some cups of water.
"Are there any other plans that you and Martin have coming up? Big events?" JT then asked, "expanding the farm... or anything big with Animalia?"
"Right now, the Animalia City Council is working through ideas on how to deal with all the stuff that's gone on with Heather Wilcox going after Sophie... one of Abby's friends," Josephine commented, "particularly with how it will relate to the World School of Animalia and its relations with the Lyre School District. There are some ideas that will help them reintegrate next year into a combined district in Animalia, which should keep everyone in the local area... but there will be some time for some of the extra buildings to be built and so on. That'll take about a year, given what's presently going into the ideas for colonies, like the one in the Amazon... The other thing is putting together a school board... though, I think in the end, what will likely happen is that when Lyre School District and WSA merge next year, we'll end up letting the Lyre School Board translate over to look over both... obviously with added voting wards for any Animalian who wants to run from Animalia..."
"Makes sense," JT commented.
"Yeah... but its something one never figures out until they're actually involved in it," Josephine gave a shrug, "but I think it'll work out. Horizon is still researching the Animalia Virus, and looking for ways improve on it... including the present projects to use it to save lives, and they remain deeply invested in helping Animalia for that reason."
"And what do you think their end game with the virus will be?" JT wondered.
"Likely to refine it so that certain animal's attributes and abilities, like resistance to certain diseases and so on can be grafted onto the human genome without resulting in that human becoming an Animalian," Josephine commented, "it'd then make a marketable medicine they could sell to everyone and those who don't wish to become Animalians won't have to worry... And leave the Animalia Virus as it is now as something that is taken if one wants to be an Animalian. But at best we only get general updates on their progress."
"Still a sign that things are growing and changing and getting better," JT commented, "that Animalia just might succeed."
Josephine nodded and sipped from the glass of water that she had.
"I take it all that sort of stuff is why your mayor has been so busy?" JT asked, "the duties of being a mayor?"
"Well there is that... but she also has four young cubs that she and her husband are raising," Josephine commented, "they do look adorable... for felines."
"What about you and Martin?" JT asked.
Josephine blinked, "We... we hadn't thought on that... In theory, with our youth restored we could, obviously, but there is also with Abby and Samson to consider..."
"I'm sure they'd help," JT offered, "raise the foal, I mean. Conceiving will be up to you and Martin."
"Maybe when Abby graduates college," Josephine answered.
There was a few moments of quiet as the two sat together and JT did enjoy it. Finding out his sister and her husband had joined Animalia had been a surprise, but in many ways, he'd found that where it really mattered, Josephine and Martin Brown were the same loving people that he knew before the first Animalia Virus outbreak. In that, it was fun to sit and talk and even lend some help here and there while he was waiting for an appointment to sell his idea to Clara. After all, while he loved his work in Texas and as an auctioneer around the country with major livestock deals, he loved his family more. Especially when they were happy together.