The five Chinese girls who became the Five Elements were rising quite a bit in stardom among Animalians. Not only were their backstories interesting, but their choice in animals and their pursuit in martial arts made them seem like an ideal group to use in oriental-style entertainment, wuxia TV series, comics, and such. But the five girls deserved to see a broader view of Animalia, especially its colonies. They were planning on moving to the Chinese Animalia Colony when it was built, but they should what the other colonies were like first. As such, they were on a world tour, much like the Dinotopians.
Mieni Atoll was the first stop on their world tour and it was a little mystifying to be by the sea. They had seen the sea before, but it was mostly harbors that weren't really that clean. The Pacific Ocean around Mieni Atoll was another matter. The waters were crystal clear and full of aquatic life. The islands themselves were interesting places to explore and the Five Elements were eager to see most of them.
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Huoxing climbed up the tree in Mieni's jungle as fast as a squirrel. In improper light, she could be mistaken for a squirrel instead of a red panda. "C'mon, Muxing. Put some hustle into it," called Huoxing.
Muxing slithered up to the next branch and said, "You do realize that I can't leap like you can, right?"
"You're still climbing well without legs," pointed out Huoxing. She wasn't wrong. As a tree viper, Muxing's scutes were specially-designed to grip tree bark which was most useful for climbing up trunks. However, arboreal snakes preferred climbing on branches, particularly cluttered, branching areas where they can undulate for maximum speed.
"Even so, you should realize that I can't scramble through the trees like you," said Muxing, "You have to wait for me to catch up."
"For someone who's named herself after 'wood', you're taking your time to adapt to forests," said Huoxing.
"And I suppose you've learned how to dance through flames without getting burned," said Muxing.
"Touche," said Huoxing.
"We're not magical creatures," said Muxing as she got up to Huoxing's branch, "We were changed by science. As strange as we are, we still follow the rules of nature."
"You're a snake with fully functional arms and breasts," said Huoxing, "And that's not even getting into your full head of hair."
"I just acknowledged we're strange," said Muxing, "But we still can't do anything that defies nature, like you shoot fire from your hands."
"As if they won't do that with the movies and TV shows we'll be in," said Huoxing, "CGI's come a long way. Heck, we'd be CGI characters if it weren't for the Animalia virus."
"Well just keep in mind that I can't climb vertically as fast as you," said Muxing.
"Just wait until we get to Vilcabamba," said Huoxing, "There will be big canopies for you to climb through."
"I actually might look forward to that," said Muxing.
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At Mieni Atoll's muscle beach, plenty of Animalians were taking the opportunity to work out in the open. Though frankly it was less about actually exercising and more about showing off. The fact that they were wearing swimsuits instead of gym clothes enhanced that. Though there really weren't a lot of people complaining. The Dinotopians were eager to show off how much more they were able to lift than the average Animalian. Though there were some Animalians who, while smaller, were still respectably strong.
For instance, Shuixing was easily benching 200 pounds. This was only a warm-up before she really pushed herself to the limit. But she was enjoying the attention from all the guys she was getting. Before she was rescued, she was barely ever looked at by potential customers at the 'cult'. Her dumpy, heavy body was hardly what most men were seeking and those who were seeking tended to be...very weird, disturbingly weird. But now she had the buxom, buff body of a water buffalo, one that was currently wearing a blue bikini that showed off her curves very well. And there were plenty of guys who were amazed at her muscles, attracted by her beauty, or both.
Setting the barbell down for a while, Shuixing went to check on her fellow sisters. Tuxing wasn't compelled to work out. She was just lying on a blanket and enjoying the sun. The sun glistening on her striped fur and yellow bikini showed she had been swimming. "Enjoying the beach?" asked Shuixing.
"And the water," said Tuxing, stretching a bit.
"I thought cats didn't like water," said Shuixing.
"Tigers like to swim," said Tuxing, "Even wild ones like to go into ponds during the dry seasons."
"That definitely doesn't apply to snow leopards." Shuixing and Tuxing turned to see Jinxing. Her fluffy white fur was now soggy and dripping heavily, which put a little damper on the sexiness of her silver bikini.
"Wow, Jinxing, you look like something the cat dragged in," said Tuxing.
"You only get to say that joke because you're a cat," said Jinxing as she wrung out her hair, "It's going to take hours to get dry."
"Not necessarily," said Shuixing, "I saw on the way in that could speed it up."
Walking back towards the changing booths, they could see an unusual machine beside them. It was mostly a transparent plastic box tall enough for evening Tuxing to get into. Built into the floor was a large fan. "I think I've seen something like this on TV," said Jinxing, "I think Americans stand in them and try to grab flying dollars."
"Well, this one is built more for drying," said Shuixing, "Would save more time than toweling."
"Fine, but only because this wet fur's so heavy," said Jinxing before getting into the booth. She set the timer for five minutes and pressed a button on the wall and the fan started up. It was apparently stronger than the money booths on TV, considering how much hair was standing up. The fan whirred until the five minutes were up. Tuxing and Shuixing were snorting with suppressed laughter as Jinxing walked out, the fans had made her fur very poofy, not to mention her hair. "This is going to be a pain to brush down," grumbled Jinxing.
"Well, I guess you're not much of a beach cat then," said Tuxing.
"Ok, that's it," said Jinxing before grabbing Tuxing with the apparent intent of throwing her into the surf. However, a tiger is much bigger than a snow leopard and that carried over for their Animalian versions. As such, Jinxing was barely able to lift Tuxing, let alone take to the water. Eventually, Jinxing stopped and panted from the effort. "I'll have my revenge...later," she said.