It wasn't only Animalia Ambassadoria who were heading down to the Lost City of Vilcabamba. Ben and Tyree were also flying down to South America. Seeing the Amazonian colony was certainly one of the perks of their trip, but the main reason they were going was to see Ben's uncle, Melbourne O'Riley. He had been down at the fledgling colony for many months now, mainly working on the Mesoamerican ruins that had been found there. Ben was rather eager to see his Unce Melbourne, but also a bit anxious.
"You don't think he'll freak out when he sees me like this, do you?" asked Ben, indicating his thylacine appearance.
"Of course not," said Tyree, "After all this time he's spent with Animalians, he probably doesn't think twice about them now. If anything, I'd be surprised that he's still human."
"Somehow, I'm a little doubtful he's actually converted yet," said Ben, "Not sure why, it's just a feeling."
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The burial site/meeting place was in surprisingly good condition, especially considering it had been abandoned to the jungle for centuries. The bodies that were still there were removed very carefully not only to respect them, but also to not unleash any old viruses that might be clinging to them. It was hard to determine if this site belonged to one particular tribe or if it was a shared location among all the tribes. If it was the latter, it would be an unprecedented example of a community bond that was thought to not be shared by the various tribes. In a way, it also reflected how Animalia was also a community of many peoples.
Ben and Tyree eventually found Melbourne carefully putting more relics into crates. "Uncle Mel, how are ya?" called Ben.
"Ben, well as I live and breathe," said Melbourne, "You've gotten bigger than I last saw you." He looked his nephew up and down, taking note of how much larger he was an Animalian than before. "A lot bigger," he commented.
"Well, someone had to be the first volunteers for Project Thylacine, so we took the plunge," said Ben.
"Speaking of taking the plunge, you two gotten around to tying the knot yet?" asked Melbourne.
"You try saving enough money for a wedding with a rancher and zookeeper's paychecks," said Tyree.
"Which will probably be harder jobs to keep now," said Ben, "Especially since they've been talking about uplifting the animals at Tyree's zoo."
"I'm still a zoologist, even if I'm part of the animal kingdom now," said Tyree.
"And being a Tasmanian Tiger shouldn't hurt your ranching job much," said Melbourne, "You'd probably be a more efficient herder than any dog now. As long as you don't try to eat the sheep."
"So, have you thought about changing species?" asked Tyree.
"I'm saving myself for something special," said Melbourne, "You only get one shot at changing, you better make it one you want to live with."
"So how much longer are you going to be staying here?" asked Ben.
"Not much longer," said Melbourne, "I'm gonna be heading for Egypt soon. That lost village they've uncovered could rival what I've found here."
"From Amazon rainforest to Egyptian desert, I'm not sure how you'll be able to handle the humidity change," said Ben.
"This place is almost too humid for me," said Tyree, "I'm just glad we have short fur."
"I think this might be a good place to spend your honeymoon when it's finished," said Melbourne.
"If we could afford it, let alone the wedding," said Tyree.
"You're going to be Animalia's ambassadors to Australia. I think they'll be able to finance your wedding and honeymoon," said Melbourne.
"You think so?" asked Ben.
"I've known these Animalians long enough to know they look after there own," said Melbourne, "So, tell me about Project Thylacine. What else are they bringing back?"
"Well, the museums have been combing for specimens they can send to Horizon," said Ben, "So far, I think there's been DNA samples from quaggas, passenger pigeons, Pyrenean ibexes, aurochs..."
"They've got enough DNA to possibly recreate a dodo, but they're having trouble finding someone to volunteer for it," said Tyree.
"I can imagine," said Melbourne.
"I think there was this one fellow in England who was offering to volunteer. Seemed to be a big fan of 'Alice in Wonderland' and... How did you describe him, Tyree?" asked Ben.
"Just rich enough to be considered eccentric instead of crazy," said Tyree.
"Englishmen," said Melbourne with a scoff, "So enough about them. How have you two taken to being marsupial wolves?" Ben and Tyree went into extensive detail of how the thylacine was different from a lot of similar mammals. But it was more important for Melbourne to see they still loved each other after their change. He just hoped he'll be getting a wedding invitation some point soon.