The one thing that Hector didn't like about Mieni was the heat, but then tropical islands were supposed to be warm, so there was that. Thankfully, he'd made sure to have his wool sheered as close as possible for the beach bod competition as part of the IAC. It was all something that made a part of the things he was trying to do after adapting to his own status as an Animalian and essentially learning from his past mistakes and crimes, including Animalia's unique method of reforming criminals. Though, privately he wasn't going to criticize it. He'd found the flight response that he'd gained as a Sheep Animalian to be pretty strong, which then made him nervous around most predatory Animalians, and particularly those that were Wolf or Coyote Animalians, or at least some variation of a large Canid Animalian. Though, getting roared at by a Tigress Animalian at the supermarket in Lyre while he was going through his punishments and trying to fight those instincts also provided some means of fear. It was something that made him inwardly quiver and made him feel the way Danya had felt when he let his temper lead his actions, and that feeling struck him to the bone.
But he wasn't about to give up on a healthy living style and making do with the enhanced musculature that he'd gained as an Animalian, even if becoming a sheep wasn't his choice. He liked working out and it kept him in shape, and to a degree, it also better helped him work through the instincts he'd gained as a Sheep Animalian in ways that even the assigned therapy didn't, often because many of those who also worked out in the Claw Coliseum's gym were also predatory Animalians. It let him work through things and picked up some of the gossip on the IAC and the body-building competition that went along with it. It kept him in shape and in some ways made him feel more confident in the muscle he had. The real issue was sheering, particularly in hot weather, but he managed, and he made sure that was all done before he arrived at Mieni. Not just to keep cool but to make sure the judges could see his well-developed muscles and not just a wall of wool. The biggest issue was more with those who came with him.
"There's a lot of water here, but it smells weird," said one Ewe Animalian slightly behind him, holding one duffel bag over her shoulder.
"That's the salt from the ocean," Hector spoke, "so, don't drink the water when you go swimming."
"We'll follow you," the Ewe answered, and Hector turned to see four other female Sheep Animalians nod in agreement with her.
That was something that then made Hector sigh and shaped a lot of what he was working on. A sheep rancher in Kansas had decided to follow in the example of Ulysses Bowman and uplift some of the aging ewes from his ranch. It was done with the prospect of saving money would give him the option to focus on the younger animals that would be coming into their prime fairly soon. The sheep were brought in and uplifted, which then set Hector up with another side project, which came out of when he met these five Ewe Animalians. Meeting them was interesting, and for a moment, his mind wandered back to that day...
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Hector was fairly calm and collected as he made his way into the Claw Coliseum. Summer was coming and with it the IAC. He'd already signed up for the body-building competition, and Horizon and the town of Animalia had already provided some funds for the flight to Mieni to compete. The least he could do would be place, and that required working out. He'd followed a lot of these sorts of events before, often with envy at the builds that male Animalians had and often at how female Animalians swooned over them. Of course, by now, a good part of him figured that much of what he'd seen might have been acting. But still, now that he gained so much as an Animalian, he had to work to keep it and enhance it, and with the lessons, punishments, and therapy, he didn't want to waste it with drugs or anything like that, which meant coming to the Claw Coliseum and working out, and thankfully the gym was good and healthy, and there were staff who would spot him when someone else didn't work out with him.
As he got to the door, though, he was caught by a flurry of female voices that made him turn. He found five female Columbia Sheep Animalians, and judging by their lack of Human hair on their heads, they were all uplifted Sheep. Their eyes with their horizontal pupils seemed to be focused on him with looks of curiosity and a small smile on their lips. A part of Hector was really interested in the fact that they seemed interested, but then he noticed the guide that was with them. A German Shepard Animalian in a police uniform and Hector noted the Lyre PD badge. This triggered some of Hector's nervousness, but for the moment he kept his cool and held his ground.
"Look... a healthy ram!" one of the females said.
"A young ram," the second corrected as the five approached Hector.
"Ah-hem," the Police Dog Animalian said softly, "we are not touring potential mates. We are touring Lyre and Animalia. The places where you may be living for a time while you adapt to being Animalians."
"Of course," the first female spoke and all five seemed to stop on cue, as if they were supposed to just blindly follow this Dog Animalian.
That fit with the herd behavior and something else that also didn't sit well with Hector. It wasn't necessarily that people would not need wool to keep warm and that historically sheep were not valuable to Humans as a food source, but the herd mentality that sheep had often drew people to then associating sheep with blindly following things that would lead them to their doom. Now, a lot of this assumption by people didn't stand up to reason, as many herd animals had the same mentality, and that included cattle, horses, deer, and antelope, and they formed herds for good reason. They actually HELPED these animals survive in the wild by providing more eyes and ears and also presenting a unified defense if there was only one predator. He'd seen a video on YouTube where a herd of Angus Cattle actually chased a Grizzly Bear around one of the park gates until the bear ran off. The herd of mundane domestic cattle WON the encounter.
But then, man had bred the "fight" out of domestic cattle, sheep, and other livestock because man's lack of physical strength required docile animals that would respond to only slight urges. And that was what keep the image of sheep following their killers to slaughter going, and there were a few Human students from WSA that taunted him with fake bleats to bring that point home. It was something that also kept him working out to vent his frustration, but also created the desire to provide some means to show that sheep, and particularly Sheep Animalians, would not be blind followers.
"But what is it you WANT to do?" Hector asked to the five females, "I'm Hector... and I was just coming here to work out. Prepare for the IAC."
"IAC?" the third Ewe asked.
"It's a competition Animalia runs in the summer during odd years, so that it doesn't conflict with the Olympics," the Police Dog Animalian answered, "and we wouldn't want to delay him on his agenda for the day."
"Oh, I have no plan," Hector answered, "and I would be quite pleased to meet with some interested and interesting people."
"That's fine, sir," the Police Dog Animalian replied, while lowering one ear, "but these five have only just been uplifted. I've been instructed to show them around and see to it that they make it to the apartments where recently uplifted Animalians are often given while they're adjusting and giving them time to then either find permanent places to live or their own work."
To a degree that was understandable. He'd managed some conversation with uplifted Animalians, and they often mentioned a fair amount of confusion after being uplifted. They mentioned that it was like things and concepts that flew over their heads before were suddenly aware to them and while things like the Edicts seemed to be almost instinctively accepted, that didn't remove the confusion. But that didn't change that Hector wanted to provide some image that Sheep Animalians could be individuals and not blind followers.
"Do they know the address of where they would need to go?" Hector asked.
"Well... yes..." the Police Dog Animalian nodded, blinking.
"Then why don't you let me take over," Hector offered, "as it would seem like these five are interested in more than just a scripted tour. I can help them get to where they need to go and maybe help them be more individual... than just being herded."
Hector watched as all five of the Ewes' ears perked with interest, and it gave him a further sense of interest, and the Police Dog Animalian did seem to notice that as well.
"Okay," the Police Dog Animalian said slowly, "You five remember all your scheduled appointments for the coming days and so on?"
"Of course," the first nodded.
"Then I will leave you to Hector, here," the Police Dog Animalian spoke, "if you need directions... HE will lead you."
The five nodded while Hector moved onto introductions.
"My I ask your names?" Hector asked.
"Vera Wooly," said the first.
"Kida Wooly," said the second.
"Circe Wooly," said the third.
"Sotiria Wooly," said the fourth.
"Miya Wooly," said the fifth.
Hector blinked at the feminine names, as many of them came from different parts of the world, yet all five spoke with a fairly standard mid-western US accent. It was something that made him guess that as mundane sheep, they had names that were more to play to have a bit of a joke with the word "wooly." Thus, they'd be called, Very Wooly, Kinda Wooly, Circle Wooly, Sorta Wooly, and Mighty Wooly, and as Animalians they adapted those names to Vera, Kida, Circe, Sotira, and Miya. It was a step toward individual identities, and in a way, Hector hoped to see that go further.
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The Ewe Animalian, Vera's, line reminded Hector a bit of what the Police Dog Animalian had said, that they were to follow him. At the time, Hector had ignored that, as he hoped that bringing out the individual in these five Ewe Animalians would be fairly easy. And at times they did show some individuality that was worth notice. Though, following him was one of the things they still did and that brought them to Mieni as he competed in the IAC. He liked the personal attention and even attraction they seemed to have to him, as he couldn't deny that they were attractive Sheep Animalians, even if they were uplifted, but that was still something that he wasn't fully prepared for and wasn't sure on how to get the five of them to be more individualistic. Particularly when Animalia wouldn't face the sort of pressures that would require a stout herd defense.
"You don't need to follow me to everything," Hector told her, "Go out for a swim... talk with some of the locals... watch some of the other IAC events. Things like the volleyball tournament, the races around the atoll."
"Or the Ram with the beach bod competition?" Miya said with a smile.
That line and the similar looks only made Hector wonder if maybe he was doing better than he thought with bringing out the individual in these five, but they all were truly interested in him.