With the Lunar New Year two weeks away, there were a lot of Animalians signing up for the Mister and Miss Zodiac competition. Traditionally, the Rat was much more favored than the Pig. In fact, rats have been a problem for humanity ever since the dawn of history. It wasn't just that rats got into food, but they carried many diseases or fleas that carry diseases. Even today there were still cats and dogs bred for killing rats and exterminators were kept busy with rat infestations. But in recent times, rats became recognized for their intelligence and adaptability. There were now rats that were bred to be pets and could be very affectionate with their owners.
But that was one of the reasons why there were so many people signing for the Year of the Rat competition. Another pretty big reason was the sheer volume of rat Animalians there were. Most of them were from the Piper clan which had many members in it before they were fully uplifted into proper Animalians. It had only gotten bigger when the pregnant members had given birth. And those that had moved to the colonies in order to get more elbow room and get much fresher blood into the limited family gene pool. And some of them were bringing mates that they found in the colonies.
And it wasn't just rats competing for Mister and Miss Zodiac. The competition was also open to mice as well and there were quite a few of them as well. While mice are considered a nuisance as well, they've had a far better reputation than rats. This was because of their smaller, cuter appearance and the popularity of many cartoon mice. As such, mice were a common enough choice for conversion. And they were working just as hard to keep up with the rats.
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There were two particular mice who were putting a lot of effort into getting ready for the competition. Myrtle Morrow and Milly Tillman had been going to the gym whenever they could. Of course, they had to work around looking after their new babies. But Animalia has an excellent exercise program for new mothers wanting to shed post-natal weight. It was very flexible with motherhood schedules, even if the fathers may be too busy with work.
"Ok...5...more..." huffed Milly as she worked on the ab crunch machine.
"You don't need to push yourself that hard," said Myrtle, "It's not like you have a huge amount to lose."
"Not anymore," said Milly proudly as she finished. She lifted up her shirt and said, "What do you say to this?" Her stomach didn't have six-pack abs, but it was pretty toned for someone who gave birth to extra-large twins last month.
"You've made good progress," said Myrtle.
"So have you," said Milly, "I knew it would be easy for us."
"What makes you say that?" asked Myrtle.
"Remember how bloated those anglerfish were at Thanksgiving?" asked Milly, "And did you see how they trimmed down before Christmas."
"I'm pretty sure there's a difference in metabolism," said Myrtle.
"Well, we had less to lose and we've slimmed down in time," said Milly.
"We also had to take time to look after our kids," said Myrtle.
"Must you keep being a wet blanket, Mom?" asked Milly in annoyance.
"Well, I don't want you to get your hopes raised too high," said Myrtle, "You might not be Miss Zodiac this year."
"Oh yeah? Who has a better chance than me?" asked Milly, flexing her arms.
"Well, I think she would," said Myrtle, pointing. Milly turned to see Mary Piper had entered the weight room. She stood taller than the two mice at 7 feet. She was wearing gym shorts and a sports bra, which made it quite clear how muscular and curvy she was.
"Oh, well... She'd definitely win Best in Breed," said Milly, her ego a little reduced, "Uh, I think I'll go on the treadmill next."
"I'll catch up," said Myrtle as her daughter walked away. Myrtle went over to Mary. "Mary Piper, didn't expect to see you taking these seriously," said Myrtle.
Mary shrugged and said, "Well, I'm not completely happy about being a rat, I'd change back if the opportunity ever presented itself. But if I'm stuck as a rat, I may as well be Queen of the Rats." She paused before saying, "That came out wrong."
"We know what you meant," said Myrtle.
"So, how's your bigger family?" asked Mary.
"They're more of a handful, but they're not growing up too fast this time," said Myrtle, "How's yours?"
"Well, everyone will be back in town for this festival so we're having a big family reunion," said Mary.
"Anyone you're looking forward to seeing?" asked Myrtle.
"I'll like to meet Ana," said Mary, "I'm really happy that Nick was able to find himself a mate so soon after leaving the nest."
"Are you ready for grandchildren?" asked Myrtle.
"About as ready as you are," said Mary.
"Touche," said Myrtle, "My daughter's pretty driven to be Miss Zodiac."
"Oh, that's good," said Mary, "It won't be much of a victory without competition."