Returning to the Nevada Police Academy from its Christmas break was a relatively quiet one, but Simon did return with some sense of calm and confidence. He'd gotten to spend Christmas with his mother and technically step-father and enjoyed plenty of fun with Malice, Sarah, and Travis over the Christmas break. In that it was invigorating and pleased him greatly, particularly in how he could see how his involvement in Project Phoenix had been so beneficial to him. It cured his diabetes, which had been a major problem, and gave him the opportunity to step up and earn a police badge and to protect people, which was something he had always wanted to do.
His return soon brought him back into contact with his roommate, who he still found rather eccentric and odd in certain ways, but he was friendly. That reunion soon brought up the topic of Christmas as they caught up with each other.
"So... how was break for you?" his roommate asked, "you make it through the cold okay?"
"I handled the cold fine," Simon answered with a small smile, "I'm a wolf Animalian and my mate is a Husky. Our fur grew into thicker winter coats to help keep us warm. The part that will be problematic is when spring comes and we start shedding that winter coat."
"I'm not brushing you, before you ask," his roommate said flatly, making Simon laugh a little, "but really how was your Christmas?"
"It was fun..." Simon answered, "My mom got a lot of baby clothes and things, some even from some family friends."
"You're a bit big for baby clothes," his roommate teased.
"She's pregnant," Simon answered, "She became an Animalian after I did because she'd fallen for one of the Wolf Animalians that was already in the Animalia Police Department... and well... when a man loves a woman, babies are sure to follow..."
His roommate laughed and actually looked quite pleased and soon picked out his cellphone and moved to show Simon some pictures. Many of them showed his roommate with a young redheaded girl in a typical Christmas setting. He could see brightly colored decorations and colored lights on the tree as the girl opened presents and then hugged his roommate.
"That's my baby sister, Margaret," his roommate explained, "and she's wonderful. She asks me a lot about what I'm doing and so on... and it's fun to share things with. And if you're going to be a big brother... that's going to be something you're going to have to do the same. There may be times when a sibling is annoying... but more often than not... there is nothing better than a baby brother or sister. They look up to you and in a way will be a friend for life."
"I look forward to that," Simon smiled.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Other Animalians looked at Christmas to present new opportunities and things that represented a great deal of change. And for Bennie and Marina that had come with a Christmas present that Bennie had given his wife, the official deed to an apartment in San Francisco and an acceptance letter with a scientific institute that did a lot of care and research and education. From what Bennie had found it included a lot of exhibits that described animal behavior and ocean life and included direct care for injured or sick animals that had ended up being beached or rescued from some other sort of disaster. And while Bennie had no great scientific knowledge or degree, he did know enough about the ocean from private study to understand the basic concepts that the guide position he'd applied for would require. He also added that as an Orca, or Killer Whale Animalian he might be able to add a factor that could increase their ticket sales. It'd worked out and offered him the ability to offer Marina what they'd discussed when the Nautical Museum on Mieni was opened.
"We're going to miss you," Karen said slowly as she and many of the others from the first group to go through Project Phoenix helped Bennie and Marina pack boxes of things to move.
"Yeah... Christmas is all about coming together, and here you celebrate Christmas by saying that you're moving away," Michael added.
"Come on, guys it's not like that..." Bennie said slowly as he looked to each of them.
They'd all gone through Project Phoenix together. Bennie to get his legs back after losing them in Iraq, Karen to recover cancer, Eugene to cure his blindness, and Michael to gain the ability to move. They'd all had success in that as Animalians and they'd all become quite close friends, even as they either found mates or found new purposes in life. In a way it was hard to have to say "good bye" to them, but in a way it was something that would have to be done. The lake and the pools around Lyre and Animalia were nice to swim in and the work with Horizon for acclimation and life guard duties during the summer was okay, but it wasn't something that really fulfilled him. As he and Marina agreed, it was a "big fish in a small pond" mentality.
In this, the move was something that would have to be done in order to move forward. And Bennie knew he wasn't the only one. He'd heard a couple of rumors going around on Jill's trip to Louisiana for Christmas and the fun that she'd had with Beauregard Shucks. It seemed to hint at that their courtship was going quite well and that sooner or later he'd become an Alligator Animalian to be with her and she'd move to Louisiana to be with him. That sort of thing was bound to happen and Bennie figured it might even help to take a little bit of Animalia around the country and essentially show how well it worked that way. Though, that didn't entirely mean it wouldn't be painful for those they'd be "leaving" in Animalia.
"You know full well that you'll ALWAYS be friends with Marina and me," Bennie finished as he looked to Eugene, Karen, and Michael, "and I'll always remember you..."
"We'll remember you too..." Eugene said slowly, "but... I'd kinda hoped we'd all stay together..."
"Things always change," Marina spoke up as she came into the room carrying a large box in her arms, "and new opportunities arise. Who knows... maybe you and your mate become Salmon fishermen and end up moving to Alaska and harvest them the way Bald Eagles typically do."
"That may feed me," Eugene answered, "it wouldn't work for commercial fishing."
"Still has the point that new opportunities may arise," Bennie commented.
"And your modelling job will surely require travel," Marina said to Karen, "Even if you live here in Lyre or Animalia, that doesn't mean they're going to have all their shoots here."
Karen slowly nodded at that and looked down for a moment. Sometimes things seemed like they were simply moving too fast.
"And you'll all still have our phone numbers, email and address," Bennie added, "so we'll stay in contact and be able to share updates on things. What we're up to and all that."
"You will come back to visit from time to time, right?" Michael wondered, "Still hang out?"
"For some holidays, maybe," Bennie nodded, "and if not that, perhaps you could come visit us. After all, California isn't that far away and for the most part they've been rather welcoming to Animalia."
There were a few nods from the others. Things changed and everyone had their place to be as they moved forward. For Bennie and Marina it was to move to San Francisco where they'd be closer to the sea and be in a spot where they wouldn't quite feel so "cramped." For Karen, she knew it would require a lot of travel. Even if the advertisements she modeled for would be suited more for her build and body as a Snow Leopard Animalian, they'd likely still require a great deal of travel. And in that, they all knew that they couldn't just stay in Animalia or Lyre forever and expect nothing to change. Change would come for all of them, and the fact that all of them had gone from being human to strong and even energetic at times Animalians reflected that. Change always came...