Abby and her friends were enjoying the Lunar New Year Festival, but it wasn't just nothing but fun. They had to look for usable stuff to include in their next episode. As such, it sense to split up and cover more ground. Abby wandered around with Samson until she spotted a familiar face in the crowd. "Hey, Durga!" called Abby, waving.
Durga the tigress turned and saw Abby. "Oh, Abby," said Durga, "It's been a while."
"Yeah, kinda been busy with stuff," said Abby, "School, ambassador duties, Christmas, you know how it is."
"Oh, I understand," said Durga, "But there are a few things I want to catch up on." She patted her stomach lightly. Abby noticed that it seemed to be protruding a bit more. It wasn't simply Durga's clothes as she was wearing a red dress that hugged her figure. And Abby was pretty sure wasn't the type to let herself go.
Abby's eyes widened in realization before turning to Samson and saying, "Samson, would you mind giving us some time alone? It's just some girl talk."
"Sure," said Samson, "As long as you don't take all night."
Abby and Durga walked around a corner to a quieter area where they could speak without having to raise their voices. Then Abby let out an excited squeal that sounded a lot like a whinny. "Oh, Durga, this is wonderful," said Abby happily, "I'm actually a little surprised that it took you this long to become a mother."
"Well, it will be a while yet," said Durga, "Shiva and I think we might have conceived back in November, maybe October. I didn't even think it would have happened until I missed my period. And yet I'm looking forward to it."
"I know you'll be a great mother," said Abby.
"And I know they will be proud of her mother when she wins the Miss Year of the Tiger competition," said Durga.
Abby chuckled and said, "You'll have to wait longer for that. The Year of the Ox comes before that."
"Speaking of tigers and oxen, did you know the Five Elements are here?" asked Durga.
"I'm not that surprised, but I would think they'd prefer to celebrate on Heiya Island," said Abby.
"They're mainly here for the Mister and Miss Zodiac competition," said Durga, "They're probably gearing themselves up for the next two years."
"And after the Ox and Tiger, it will be the Rabbit," said Abby before muttering, "I wonder what Jessica's doing."
==========
Meanwhile, Jessica and Roger were dealing with one of the annoyances of Animalia's festivities: drunk, obnoxious tourists. "You must be sure lucky it's the Year of the Rat," said one tourist, "Must be a great time to be a bunny.
"I think you're mixed up," said Roger, "There's a Year of the Rabbit that's separate from the Rat."
"What's the point?" asked another tourist, "You're both rodents anyways."
"Rabbits aren't rodents, they're lagomorphs," said Jessica, annoyed.
"So...you gonna do the bunny hop?" asked the first tourist, "I wanna see ya bounce."
"Hey, hey, she's not your entertainment for tonight," said Shyra, stepping in front of the tourists, "I suggest you find someone else to annoy before I call security."
"Ok, ok, dumb bunny lady," said the second tourists, "You leg-o-morphs should be more cute and less cranky."
It took a bit more threatening to make the tourists leave. "Good think I happened to be nearby," said Shyra.
"How did you notice?" asked Roger.
Shyra pointed at her long ears and said, "These things aren't just to regulate heat and make me cute. And your legs aren't built just to hope. Next time, you should kick them in the shins."
"Thanks, Shyra," said Jessica, "They probably would have started getting handsy next."
"If they did, they'd sorely regret it," said Roger. An angry rabbit was not usually considered intimidating, but Roger had the body of a martial artist and could probably hurt somebody pretty bad if he got angry enough.
"Well, you'll have to expect that from men," said Shyra, "I mean, you're only underage for how much longer?"
"I'll be turning 18 in March," said Jessica.
"Oh, you're a March Hare?" asked Shyra jokingly. Jessica just gave her an annoyed look. "Ok, for real, you need to be a little more assertive with jerks like them," said Shyra, her tone more serious, "Men have predatory instincts too. They see a cute woman and think they can do what they want with her. And they might see you as an easier target since you're not one of the more...imposing of Animalians."
"You don't think Roget was the only one doing martial arts training, did you?" asked Jessica, "I might not be a black belt or anything, but I picked up enough to make creeps wish they picked on someone else."
"Good to know," said Shyra, "So, how about we check out that cheese collection they have for the festival?"
"Uh, I thought rats don't actually eat cheese," said Roger.
"You're thinking of mice," said Shyra, "Rats are more omnivorous and won't pass up on cheese. Except for blue cheese, the molds that make them are more toxic for rats."
"But rabbits can't eat cheese either, can we?" asked Jessica.
"We're Animalians, we're more adaptable than that," said Shyra.