Lenard Bearstone had to take a few days off to attend the Animalia "birthday" celebration at Heiya Island, and it meant a long drive to Boise and then a long flight to the island, but in many ways it was worth it. He'd never been super serious about "finding love" or anything like that, and after his parents died, looking after his younger brother became more important. But meeting Tuxing and Liao at the Year of the Tiger tournament and getting to know Tuxing better had changed a great many things. Tuxing was responsible, respectable, and disciplined. She was calm and caring, and he noted that Mikey seemed to like her. It was those things that raised his level of interest and made it worth taking a few days off. It might also provide some sense of adventure for Mikey, who prior to the Year of the Tiger competition had never been outside the state of Idaho.
"There are no trees on the island," Mikey commented from the window seat as they saw Heiya Island come into view and the pilot spoke over the intercom for the passengers to buckle in.
It was late afternoon, but there was enough light out for people to see things fairly well. They could see Heiya Island coming into clearer view as the plane descended, and unlike the land around his cabin that had plenty of woods and made him feel at home, there were no great forests here, and in fact there were barely any plants at all. Most of it were what looked like farmland that was using the volcanic soil as a natural fertilizer, which fit for the herbivorous Animalians and he figured that most carnivorous Animalians ate fish or imported meats.
"It's certainly different from home, isn't it?" Lenard managed to smile to his younger brother, "now... you'll remember what we talked about?"
"That the colony has rescued mostly teen girls from bad men," Mikey nodded and then paused to think for a moment, "they'll be okay, right?"
"I'm sure," Lenard nodded, "just stay close and be polite. And everything will be fine."
Mikey nodded and walked along into the gate area. Next would be the baggage claim, and there waiting for him was Tuxing, wearing a fine dress and a polite smile. She chuffed as Lenard approached. Lenard returned it and there was small hug between them as they came together. It hadn't been that long since Tuxing had been in Idaho for the Fourth of July, but to Lenard, a part of it felt like forever. He was glad to see her.
"It's good to see you again," Lenard said softly feeling his heart beat a bit faster.
"I feel the same," Tuxing answered, "Next will be picking up your baggage and then I'll escort you to what some are calling the "Elemental Palace" for your stay."
"Elemental Palace?" Lenard raised an eyebrow.
"It's more a sort of apartment complex with a shared kitchen and living room that they built for my sisters and I as the "Five Elements" for Animalia's martial arts showcase and related elements," Tuxing gave a chuckle, "and it does have spaces for a small number of guests. And since you invited me to your home, it would only be fair to visit mine."
"And Animalia's birthday party?" Mikey asked.
"Yes," Tuxing smiled to him, "complete with parade that tells the story of how Animalia got started and will have some fireworks at night... not too unlike the Fourth of July."
"Oooohhh," Mikey smiled and they made their way out.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The hike to the Five Elements home was relatively quiet. There were a few people out and about, and Lenard noted a few either pointing to him or saying things. It kept his ears alert and glancing as they walked. He could sympathize with what happened to those that Interpol had rescued and brought to Heiya Island, but with some of them also showing to have been so brainwashed by their past captors that they would act like rabid fangirls was not the kind of attention he wanted, and to a degree he had the sense that it was the sort of behavior that Tuxing looked down on. He'd noted that during the Year of the Tiger competition. Wayne was friendly and honest, but his sort of excitement seemed to turn Tuxing off in way that while friendship with Wayne was possible, romance was not. Though, Lenard also figured that Tuxing's presence also seemed to keep those observing them from coming closer.
They eventually made their way to the home/apartment complex that had been built for the Five Elements. Tuxing was quick to open the door and offered Lenard entrance in, with Mikey coming alongside them. Tuxing then called into the house that she was home and there were a few steps that were heard. As they came into the living room, there were the others were. The first three Lenard remembered, there were the two massive Water Buffalo Animalians in Nate and Shuixing and to Shuixing's left was Tuxing's apprentice, Liao. Liao looked to him and before anyone else could say anything.
"Wayne didn't come?" Liao asked curiously.
"We don't live in the same city... or even the same state," Lenard managed, "we have kept in touch through email, though, and says that work has been super hectic where he lives and wishes me to say "hello" for him."
Next to Liao was Jinxing, who was dressed similarly to Tuxing but in a slightly smaller dress that had a slightly different color from Tuxing's dress. Though, it was the next member of the elements that Mikey actually took the most interest in, in Huoxing, who was wearing a white shirt with modest skirt and cotton leggings underneath it that came down to her knees. Gang and Fang were also present, though they were a bit behind Huoxing. The last pair were Muxing and Li-Wei. Some of the others had been a bit surprised by Muxing's tolerance for the male Chinese Tree Viper, but a lot of it also came with a sort of teacher/student role that it allowed for the two to get along well. Though, Mikey took the more curious look at Huoxing.
"Did you work on the movie Red?" Mikey asked to Huoxing.
"Huh?" Huoxing stepped back in surprise and looked up to Tuxing.
"He's referring to the movie Disney made where the main character turns into a giant Red Panda," Lenard answered.
"Oh..." Huoxing answered looked to Mikey who was a bit in front of his brother, "I'm afraid I wasn't in the movie. I was here... working on my style of Kung Fu, being a good friend to one of the first group rescued one of these cults, gangs, or whatever in Fang... and enjoying some calm times with her brother Gang. And you may call me Huoxing, I'm one of Tuxing's sisters."
"Hello," Fang said from beside Huoxing and nudging her brother forward.
"Hello," Lenard moved to introduce himself, "I'm Lenard Bearstone. Some of you may have met me at the Year of the Tiger competition, and Liao, Nate and Shuixing, it is good to meet you again. It will also be nice to meet the rest of Tuxing's family... and their friends as well."
"The pleasure is all ours," Jinxing spoke, "you've met Huoxing and her friends. I am Jinxing, at present the only other feline in the family."
"And some of the scientists and geneticists think that the tiger and the snow leopard are the most closely related among the big cats," Lenard answered.
"Interesting," Jinxing answered.
"And last but not least is my sister Muxing and her present student and partner, Li-Wei," Tuxing then introduced the last two.
"You have two heads," Mikey stated.
"Yes," said Li.
"And four arms," Wei finished.
"Did it hurt?" Mikey asked.
"Not really," Li-Wei answered.
"Do... you ever wish you had your own bodies?" Mikey asked curiously.
Li looked to Wei and Muxing blinked at that question. Both Li and Wei had long been used to their condition, and before being uplifted, they didn't see anything truly wrong with them. The fact that other Chinese Tree Vipers only had one head never occurred to them. Muxing was a bit surprised as that question had never fully occurred to her. Li and Wei had their own personalities, but she'd never wonder if they might have wanted their own body as they gained more understanding of things after being uplifted.
"It's been a thought," Wei admitted after a moment, "but I believe we're happy as we are."
"We learn from each other and learn from Ms. Muxing," Li added, "which might be difficult for her if we were in separate bodies."
"Li-Wei is an uplifted snake," Muxing offered to Mikey, "and from all that I was told, was found in his condition. Thus, he would have seen everything as normal for him..."
"Can you rattle?" Mikey asked.
"No," Muxing answered, "we are Chinese Tree Vipers. We are pit vipers like rattlesnakes are, but the relationship isn't that close. I did meet a Rattlesnake Animalian, though. She's a lawyer in Las Vegas and is pretty smart."
"While you're a superhero like Tuxing?" Mikey asked.
Muxing noted the young boy's smile and simply said, "Yes. Tuxing is a superhero, for holding her family together in the face of adversity."
Mikey only smiled to that.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
From there the visit went well. There were some run ins with those eager to be fans of Lenard as a new and strong male Animalian visiting the island, but things seemed to balance things out well, and Mikey found a fair number of things. He liked the small orchard that Nate had set up for the cherry trees that he'd gotten as a wedding present when he married Shuixing. Both he and Lenard liked some of the views that were provided from the dead volcano on the south end of the island. But the biggest part was the celebration of Animalia's birthday, and that came a couple days after arriving on Heiya Island.
And true to what Tuxing had said in an email, Heiya Island's celebration of Animalia's "birthday" had more "oriental" flair to it and was complete with a parade. But unlike the Fourth of July parades that Lenard was familiar with, this parade was more to tell a story. It was set up on the runway and people gathered in stands that were set up on the edges of the runway that would have the clearest view. All flights in and out would not be allowed while the celebration was going on. From there the parade served to tell the story of Animalia's founding. An image of the main Horizon building was placed opposite the stands while people in costumes or Animalians tried to mimic the mundane animals that they'd been before Animalia started. Lenard noted that many of these Animalians were also converted Humans by their hair. Some were even disguised as different animals than the species of Animalian that they were.
Then, with the flash of some stage lights, a dragon procession came out of the image of the main Horizon building. The dragon was of Chinese design, but it was largely a light blue color with some occasional small green accents in places, which Lenard figured was part some means to give the dragon some variation in color that would allow it to look and work well. The dragon then moved slowly in a snake like pattern and going past every person that was pretending to be a mundane animal. It would then reach out with one arm and touched each "animal" as it passed. After being touched, the person touched then moved to mimic the transformation as best they could to match what had happened that made the first Animalians.
For Lenard it was a reminder of what had happened when Animalia got its start. He remembered the news reports in which the Animalia Virus had spilled into a river west of Lyre and lead to the initial outbreak that uplifted every animal that drank from the creak. It then spread to those Humans that might have come in contact with the first Animalians through other means. From there Animalia was formed and had its edicts that when published seemed to match just about every other moral document that Humanity had put out and was something that was quite surprising. A lot of that was then demonstrated by the performers then coming together and hugging showing the new Animalians coming together.
"Well... this is a different, but interesting parade," Lenard said to Tuxing, "it essentially tells the start of Animalia."
"Which one is you?" Mikey asked.
"I didn't convert when Animalia started," Lenard said to his younger brother and playfully rubbed his head, "you know that."
"And I'm afraid I wasn't among the first Animalians, either," Tuxing added, "my sisters and I converted later. The first Human to become an Animalian was one of the original Animalia Ambassadoria members... Abby Brown, I believe her name is."
"I think Animalia Ambassadoria has highlighted some special reporting from her regarding the new Indian colony down there," Lenard commented.
"Yeah... it's good," Tuxing agreed, "though, it's an amazing thing that they made it out during India's monsoon season. I'm guessing that they left on one of the few days where they had an hour or so with less rain that at the height of the monsoon season. And what's there... is that I think much of the Indian colony will be doing more to bring more things like medicines into India and trying to make them more affordable."
"Hopefully it works," Lenard commented, "so that they can enjoy Animalia's birthday next year in a way that mirrors the fun we're having today."
The two chuffed and rubbed their muzzles together while the people around them applauded the parade.