While there were some people who were only visiting the Asian colony for fall break (and returning soon), there were some who moving to the colony to stay. The most notable was Ami the white wolf, who would be leader of the colony's council, at least initially. The council was currently set to reflect the Celestial Brush gods from the popular Okami game, which in turn reflected the Eastern Zodiac.
Ami was looking forward to living on this new colony. But at the same time, she was a little sad to leave Lyre. Performing at the Meat Market was a lot more fun than she would have thought. She enjoyed performing a more sultry version of geisha that most westerners would expect. But there was a white wolf needed for the council and she was perfect for the role.
Of course, Ami wasn't the only white Animalian who had traveled to the colony. One of the eldest daughters of the Piper clan, Pearl, was coming here along with some of her siblings. Not only did the Piper clan needed more genetic diversity, but Pearl was suitable for being another member of the Brush Spirit Council. Her parents had come along to make sure things were settled, though they had to have a few things explained to them.
"So, this council is supposed to represent the Chinese zodiac?" asked Mary Piper.
"The Chinese zodiac as was depicted in the Okami games," said Ami.
"But you have thirteen seats," said Mary, "I thought the zodiac was an even dozen."
"Actually, there's an unofficial thirteenth member of the Chinese zodiac," said Pearl. Her fur was pure white, a product of dormant genes on Jack's side relating to common white lab rats. "According to legend, there was a race to determine who would be in the zodiac. The cat and the rat planned to work together to get in the zodiac, but the rat tricked the cat into thinking the race was the next day, so the cat was cheated its place in the zodiac."
"That would explain why cats hate rats," said Mary.
"Yes, though the cat is in the Vietnamese version of the zodiac instead of the rabbit," said Pearl, "Even the Western zodiac has an unoffical thirteenth: Ophiuchus, the Serpent-Barer."
"You've done a lot of research on this," said Mary.
"Well, if I'm going to be Tachigami, I have to know about this kind of stuff," said Pearl.
"So Ami," said Jack, "Are you the head of the council because it's the Year of the Dog now? And would that mean that Tamagachi would be leading the council next year?"
"One, the council leadership has nothing to do with the current year," said Ami, "I might step down as leader, but that won't be dictated by the turning of the calendar. Two, the Year of the Pig comes between the Year of the Dog and the Year of the Rat."
"And three, it's Tachigami, Dad," said Pearl, "Please get it right."
"If that's so, this coming Lunar New Year festival won't be as big as the one earlier," said Mary.
"Probably not," agreed Ami, "Not too many pigs."
"Say, aren't dragons in the Chinese zodiac?" asked Jack.
"Yes," said Ami.
"But dragons aren't real," said Jack, "What are you going to do about that?"
"They'll probably get a Komodo dragon or a Dinotopian," said Mary.
"Actually, seahorses are considered baby dragons in Asian folklore," said Pearl, "We'll just have a seahorse Animalian on the council."
"I wouldn't expect seahorses in the Lunar New Year festival," said Mary.
"No, but that's still several years away," said Ami, "I'm sure there will be time to plan for that."