Jun Lin came from an interesting family and one that had its own extensive history. A history that took them from China in the late forties, fleeing Mao's advances and with some resentment of Chang Kai Shek's mismanagement of the war with Japan and then in fighting with the Chinese Communists again that set their flight in motion. The Lin family's arrival in America was something that proved both welcome and unwelcome at the same time. Many had wanted to show politeness and "anti-Communist" support in the late forties and early fifties, but there was also a lot of sentiment that also made it painfully clear that the Lin family was different, and while some of that going away by the time Jun's mother, Mei Lin, was born in the 1980s, elements of it were still there.
It was really Animalia that changed things. For Mei Lin took a lot of the freedoms that America granted and ran with it. She wasn't held to one place and a lot of America's outward culture was appealing, it ultimately took her from her own parents, Jun's grandparents, but she felt free and engaged in being able to travel and do things that many members of the Lin family had been unable to do in the past. And some of that even developed and changed over time and that related to Jun, as well. For Mei had met a nice young did a lot of contract work and that brought her to Lyre to be with him. She got a job at a bank and felt that that young contractor would be her "Mr. Right" and who she could present to her family. Only to have, a couple of years or so before Animalia started to have him struck by a drunk driver and died as a result of his injuries, and then finding out that he had left Mei pregnant with Jun before that happened... It'd left Mei heartbroken, and where Animalia came to her rescue.
"For Smokey came to my rescue in all so many ways," Mei Lin thought to herself as she washed some dishes one evening after dinner and looking to a small photo that was framed on the wall nearby. One that showed Mei Lin in her Human form with short, but still feminine, hair framing her face and holding up a young Jun, who looked to be trying to squirm out of her grasp. Behind both was a Black Bear Animalian. He wore what looked like a Park Ranger's uniform that covered a lot of his dark black fur and framed the tan-brown fur on his muzzle, but the smile was there and also genuine. "He was different from Jun's father... but... he's been wonderful in so many ways on his own..."
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"Come along, Jun," Mei Lin said as they walked along one of the roads that led into Animalia.
The rise of a community of anthropomorphic Animals was new and surprising. The reports that even a young girl had become an Animalian in the start of the outbreak was surprising, and then having it get into the water supply that led to a few more accidental conversions and related actions was even bigger. A part of Mei was glad that Horizon had teams that were looking to find ways to catch, trap, and prevent the Animalia Virus from flowing uncontrolled and out into the sea. It'd cause chaos that could cause a cascading effect of conversions, particularly when finding that even the saliva of an Animalian could potentially convert a Human into an Animalian or uplift an animal. However, there was another part of Mei that looked to the Animalians as a new people in a land that would seem different and strange to them, or at least strange by how many Humans would accept them. After all, her own family had faced persecution or odd questions in the past and Mei Lin didn't want the Animalians to suffer the same fate.
"Animals..." a young Jun said as she followed after her mother and looked up to the pot of shrimp and noodles that she'd made.
"The Animalians, yes," Mei answered, "and specifically one Animalian... who's looked a little lost."
For the past few days, they'd seen an American Black Bear Animalian walking along the sidewalk and taking notes of things on a notepad with him. He looked down at the sidewalk, paced each square and then wrote something down. It left Mei rather curious about what this Animalian was up to. More recently, she'd noted that the Bear Animalian now had a uniform. It looked almost like a Park Ranger's uniform, but when Mei had looked at it with her phone, she noted that the insignia and markings seemed to indicate something for the city and that only intrigued her more. For some of this Black Bear Animalian's wanderings still looked a bit like he was lost to her, and she wanted to make sure that everything was fine. That included providing a pot of shrimp and noodles.
The real trick was going to be in finding this Bear Animalian but given the route that Mei had observed him frequently taking, she also felt she could intercept him as he went on these walks and offer him the food and see what was going on. She hoped he wasn't being ostracized or anything like that. As they crossed into Animalia, Mei slowed down and looked down to make sure that Jun was still by her side. The reports had indicated that Animalians were friendly and rule abiding, but she didn't want to cause trouble while they were trying to get things started. Though, eventually a steady hum of "Camptown Races" came over a small rise and they looked up to see the Bear Animalian approaching, and Mei was fairly certain that this was the same Black Bear Animalian she'd seen before. She waited with Jun for the Bear to approach her.
"Oh... hello, ma'am... are you visiting someone?" the Black Bear Animalian asked.
"I can be... have you been the one walking down the street here and by some of the apartment buildings in Lyre?" Mei asked, hoping to confirm that this was the same Bear.
"Yes," the Black Bear Animalian answered her, "Mayor Clara and the Deputy Mayor have some ideas for some hiking trails out on the hills and slopes to the west.... and... what's that pot for?"
"You've looked a little lost and confused from what I could see when you walked by," Mei answered, "always looking at the sidewalk... I was worried that the others were ostracizing you and that people weren't being welcoming... And from what my family has told me... it can be scary when encountering new things or people that are different and not immediately welcoming. So, I made you some shrimp and noodles... something as a "welcome to town" gift and show that you are welcome here."
The Black Bear Animalian found himself smiling, "that's very kind madam... and it smells lovely... But, the people from Horizon have been very helpful and Animalia has done a lot. I've actually gotten a job to be a ranger for a sort of wilderness park that will come out of some of the more rugged areas out to the west of town. On some levels, it would be wild enough that some mundane animals could move back in, once all the Animalia Virus infected water is cleaned up, but would also give Lyre's residents and Animalians some hiking trails to go on. As I think these regions were part of the ranches that got incorporated into Animalia. They want the trail to be safe for people to walk on... or at least as safe as possible... So, I've been measuring the sidewalks and noting possible difficulties that people may have with them so that when the paths are constructed, they will be safe and stable for everyone."
"No one's been mean to you?" Mei asked.
"No," the Bear Animalian answered, "but I do appreciate the welcome. From everyone... including those that were not zoo bears, like me."
"You weren't uplifted from the wild?" Mei asked.
"Afraid not," the Bear Animalian replied, "the American Black Bear lives in a great many places... but there is no resident population in THIS part of Nevada. But that doesn't mean that I'm not curious about things or want to learn about them. Though, I do have some work to do. So... maybe we could meet again later. Share that yummy smelling food and learn more about each other. As it is nice of you to go through all this effort to be kind to me."
"Thank you, that is nice," Mei smiled, "I'm Mei Lin. This is my daughter, Jun."
"Hello," Jun said politely.
"You can call me, Smokey," the Bear Animalian introduced himself, "and yes, the zookeepers were very unoriginal when I was named... but they were kind, so I can't complain."
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"And the meeting may not have been the easiest," Mei thought to herself, "but Smokey was kind and thoughtful... which over time lead to my agreeing to be with him. And even Jun converted... That was all before the vaccine was mandated. So, I had a wonderful entry to into becoming a Bear Animalian, and then gave Jun her one glass of my milk. If she wants a second dose... she can get that later. Right now... I just want her to grow up and be happy. Particularly after she's made friends with that Polar Bear Animalian, Polly."
And Mei was happy and grateful for how things all ultimately worked out. She'd long grown to love Smokey, and after the vaccine was mandated, they started their own family with younger siblings for Jun. She'd also found that she wasn't the only one that had found relationships like hers. So... when she'd seen some of the social media posts on the California man how helped manage California's bear population dating a bear that he'd "known" and helped rescue after she got crashed in a mudslide a few years before, Mei was happy to cheer him on and assured the man that with Animalians, "Bear Hugs" were the best.