The February to March period had not been an easy one for Tim Boar. California had been going through years of lower-than-average rainfall, with areas in the western Rockies ALSO seeing lower than average rainfall and thus lowering the water sources for everyone in California, and that often included the wildlife. It was something that often made his work as a contractor to keep the state's Black Bears out of residential areas busy. As the animals likely felt the stresses of the drought too and could be attracted to Human dump sites or parks, either to find sources of food or water, though more often than not, the problem bears were usually younger ones that adult bears were more dominant over. When more mature bears became problems, it was usually because conditions got bad enough that even they couldn't avoid conflict or because they'd been injured somewhere and Human settlements were easier to raid.
This often had him moving through areas with a can of bear spray, noisemakers, and a high-powered handgun. Though, when problem bears got to a point where the bear would have to be killed, he often coordinated with the California offices that managed the state parks, wildlife, and hunting laws in the state. Generally, because a rifle shot would be better and taking down a bear that was to be hunted, and at a safer range than what he could handle alone. His handgun had the muzzle velocity to kill a Black Bear, but he would also have to be uncomfortably close, and a poorly aimed shot might only just wound an animal that had likely already attacked someone. And all of these things kept him busy and, on the move, particularly around the small towns in northern California that would often have the most issues with bears. Though, for Tim Boar, a lot of his hope was to create an atmosphere that would keep the bears in the wild and separate from man and thus enable both to live and thrive.
However, fierce storms that hit the Pacific coast at the end of 2022 and the start of 2023 had dumped a lot of rain and snow on the state, and in many ways ended the drought. But the fact that it was all dumped so quick on ground that was dry due to the drought and lacking a lot of plant cover as a result of the fires in previous years had left things rather open to runoff. And that ultimately happened in various parts of the state, and in some places, it was worse than others. These things were bound to affect California's wildlife as much as they affected people, as animals that lived underground might not be able to get away and any animal that hibernated, like bears might not be aware of the changing weather, which to Tim then presented an issue for him in that a minor mudslide had hit the area around his cabin, carrying mud, rocks, small trees, and one female Black Bear that had been hibernating up the hill from his cabin. That bear had never been a problem, and he'd seen enough of her to know she was established and only rarely came close to his cabin or the other homes in the area, and often didn't stay long.
That had spurred him in to sponsor that bear, known as Bear 760 in the state, for being uplifted into an Animalian. She'd never been a problem bear, and Tim Boar couldn't just let her die because of injuries sustained in the mudslide, which had likely also killed infant cubs that she was carrying when she went into hibernation. Once uplifted, Tim gave her some comfort when she learned on the death of her cubs due to the storm and mudslide, learning that she'd at least seen him as a friend and noticed a lot of his work, which Tim attributed her also being aware of things other bears in the area got into. But she had her acclimation classes in Animalia, and he had his cabin to repair and rebuild, and as the rain and weather, at least in his part of northern California let up a bit, Tim had a lot of work to do.
Contractors had been hired to remove the fallen logs and rocks, and that had meant the use of various bits of equipment, and cost Tim a fairly pretty penny. But to Tim, it was worth it. He'd always liked the location and the fact that he could be close to nature. It was something that let him know that bears like 760 weren't problems, and that was where he was more than willing to work through the hardships that came as a result of things like what had happened. It was something that kept him happy in areas that were more rural and he was then more than happy to see to the repairs to his cabin and trying to get things working again. Thankfully that once the excess mud was removed, Tim was able to see that the work needed wouldn't be major. Most of the "damage" to the structure of his cabin was more cosmetic than anything else, and that made him feel lucky. There was some window damage on that side, but that had been boarded up fairly easily before he then went to Lyre to be there for 760's uplifting.
"And now to put things back together," Tim said to himself as he set the replacement window on the bed in one of the rooms that would need to have the window replaced. He could hire contractors, but his windows were fairly generic, and he had enough knowledge on these things that went back high school woodshop that he figured he could handle that on his own.
He'd just begun to undo the screws to remove the old window, which had the glass cracked when there came a knock at his door. Tim paused for a moment and tossed the screw he removed into a plastic bucket that was next to the new window he intended to put in. He then made his way through the cabin and then opened it to find a great surprise there. Standing at the door was female Black Bear Animalian. She stood a bit taller than he did, but not by all that much, often because of the fact that all bears had plantigrade feet, like Humans, and in America, the Black Bear was the smallest. Some could be pretty small and comparable to a large man in weight while others could be up to around five hundred pounds in weight for a large healthy animal, though still smaller than most Brown Bears.
The Black Bear Animalian wore a pair of blue jeans, a white Cal tees shirt with the logo in blue and gold writing out Cal on the front. Though she also wore a navy-blue cotton jacket with a hoodie that hung back from her neck and added to some of the sense of fluff about her neck. She also had a few sets of bags that were presently set at her feet, though he also didn't see any car parked on his driveway besides his own truck, which gave him an indication that she'd been dropped off, which at first was odd, but then Tim noticed the small and recognizing smile that the Black Bear Animalian gave him. She didn't have any Human hair, which most converted Humans kept, with only the Dinotopians and pre-Cenozoic non-Mammalian Animalians losing their hair and that soon made it pretty obvious on who this bear was.
"Seven Sixty?" Tim asked with some surprise. She had wanted him to name her before he left Lyre to return home, but he couldn't do that at the time and felt it wrong. As she'd gained enough self-awareness as an Animalian to name herself. After all reports from Animalia's start indicated that Robbie and Clara named themselves, and thus to Tim, Bear 760 had that right too.
"I've actually picked a name for me," 760 answered, "Sally... Sally Bear."
"That's what you went with?" Tim asked.
"You don't like it?" 760, or rather Sally Bear, asked.
"I don't mind it," Tim Boar answered, "especially if that is the name you want for you."
"And it is," Sally Bear answered and gave another smile, "how are you?"
"Pretty well... all things considered," Tim answered, "I had to hire a few guys with a Bobcat to come out and remove the excess mud, tree trunks and rocks that were in the area... but in a way, this has always been home for me and since I didn't get the worst of the mudslide here. So, it was worth it to me."
"Why would you use a small, short, tailed cat to remove dirt and large tree trunks?" Sally Bear asked back, tilting her head to a side.
"Not the animal, Sally," Tim answered, "the construction company. They make all sorts of equipment that can do heavy lifting. Though the company's icon does look sort of like the animal's head."
Sally Bear blinked and then nodded. It was something where she was processing things that were in many ways still new to her. She had been fairly familiar with Humans and the things they did, as even in the more rural parts of California, it would be hard to not hear or notice some measure of Human activity. She'd learned enough of it to avoid Humans as much as possible, as while water and food could be attractive, she'd seen other bears that gotten on the wrong side of humans. She vaguely remembered one old male bear that gotten hit by a truck and while he lived for a while, he only moved with a limp and that didn't last long for what Sally could remember. It only reinforced Sally Bear's preference to stay off of major roads and give most homes a fairly wide birth.
But she'd always remembered seeing Tim Boar and got the vague sense that he was helpful to bears in a way that worked more than what some people wanted to do. She remembered another female bear that hung around another cabin a few miles from the one that Tim lived in, and Sally had the sense that the owner of the cabin was feeding that other bear. She remembered one morning while nibbling on some wild berries when she heard a gunshot from a few miles away. After she became an Animalian, Sally had the sense that the bear that had been fed had gotten into the cabin and was shot by the cabin's owner or by a friend of the cabin's owner. It gave her some understanding on the mixture of awe and fear that people had of bears. Sally Bear understood that, and in that, she also recognized the actual good that Tim Boar did in protecting both bears and people. It was why she wanted to show her cubs to him when they came out of hibernation and show him that they would be good bears, like her.
"It is amazing on how much Humans seem to admire and take on the names of animals... even for their machines," Sally Bear commented.
"We do take a lot of inspiration from the natural world," Tim chuckled, "for icons... images... mascots. The college your shirt is for... is for the Cal Golden BEARs."
"I think I would like that college mascot," Sally Bear answered with a smile.
Tim chuckled a bit, but then asked, "what brings you here, Sally? I was thinking you'd still be learning..."
"In a way... coming home," Sally answered, "I get the sense that you are my best friend... and the closest to me. More so than even the Animalians in Lyre and Animalia. You know me and I know you. And I feel most comfortable around you. I can't explain why... but I do. So... I came home... or at least came to help you fix yours."
"You came to help me?" Tim asked, wondering if this was still some sense of mourning on Sally's part, as she had been distraught when told that her cubs had been killed in the mudslide that injured her.
He found himself pulled into a strong hug, and then feeling Sally's muzzle nuzzle the back of his head. When she released himself from the hug, she then managed to try kiss his cheek.
"Because you're at least my friend and one I trust," Sally Bear answered, "and I would be more than happy to help you... and maybe go forward from there..."
"Well... uh... thanks," Tim said slowly, "bring your bags in and you can help me with changing out some windows on the north side. I was planning on doing it myself, and I know how to do it. But a pair of extra hands couldn't hurt."
Sally Bear smiled and picked up her bags and came in. She didn't know if things would go beyond just being friends, but something in her mind and hear told her that Tim Boar was trustworthy and a friend. That was all that mattered, and maybe, going forward she could help him with his work. As if there was ever a problem bear that wouldn't be deterred by noise makers or bear spray, she would be strong enough to make that bear think twice.