New Arrival

Leo White exited the transit booth in Virginia City, Sagania. He looked about, somewhat confused, his whiskers and tail twitching. The teenager had recently

manifested the Sagan virus, changing into a slim catmorph. Seal-point Siamese, to be exact. His mother, who was not a Sagan, freaked out at his change, and

tossed him out of the house. Having nowhere to go, he headed to the nearest Saganian Embassy, the one in New Orleans, and asked to be taken in.

Leo stayed there for several days while he was examined, scanned, and questioned closely, both by a regular examiner and a telepathic one. Passing the

examinations, he was allowed to go to Sagania for in-processing. Once in Sagania, he was held in an immigrant’s barracks in New Hope while it was decided

where the 15-year-old could stay.

Getting his citizen’s identification, he was informed that he was to stay in Belictown, in the Duchy of Morriston. A suitable guardian had been found there, and

he was to live with his guardian until he turned 18, and had graduated school. He was given a package of papers to read through, detailing the citizen’s

responsibilities to the King of Sagania, as well as some maps and histories of Sagania. Being a normal teenager in the US, he knew something of Sagania, but

not much on details.

When Leo walked out of the booth, a person walked his way. This person was also a catmorph, this one showing gray fur where it wasn’t covered by clothing.

“You Leo?” the gray cat rasped. His voice was hoarse and gravelly, with a little bit of hiss to it. He also walked with a bit of a limp and a stitch in his side,

slightly hunched over.

“Y-yes, I am. You Mr. DeMaso?” Leo asked.

The gray cat nodded jerkily. “Yeah, that’s me. I’ve been assigned to be your guardian, in the hope that havin’ someone similar to ya will make the transition

easier.”

DeMaso took Leo by an arm and pulled him away from the booth. “First lesson- never block the exit of a transfer booth. The person behind ya may be in a bit of

a hurry, an’ getting hit by the door don’t help your ass any.”

At Leo’s nod, DeMaso went on. “Next, ya want to go straight to yer new home, or ya want something to eat first? Something that hasn’t come from a

government cafeteria, that is!” A twinkle lit the gray eyes of the stooped catmorph.

Despite his nervousness, Leo found himself warming to his guardian. “Food would be good, sir! I admit to being somewhat hungry.” Leo said.

DeMaso snorted. “This probably means you can demolish a cow, medium rare. C’mon, I know a good place here in VC. Follow me.” he rasped, leading Leo

down the sidewalk.

Over lunch at a nearby buffeteria, Mr. DeMaso talked while Leo ate. The food WAS excellent here!

“Belictown was founded a long time ago by Sir Belic. Bein’ a Sagan, and an animorph, he wanted to found a place where animorphs like us can go to, to be

amongst their own kind without bein’ stared at. So, the big bear talked to the Prime Minister at the time, His Majesty’s great-granddad, an’ was granted a

section of land to found a place at.

“Well, Belic found a bunch of us furry types, and we all got together and built a castle there out in the woods.” At Leo’s surprised look, Mr. DeMaso chuckled.

“Yeah, a real castle. But, with all the modern amenities! I helped with the plumbing and the wiring while others did other work. Took us three years to get the job

done, but it was worth it!”

Leo had been thinking while Mr. DeMaso talked. Something dawned on him. “The King’s great-grandfather?” he asked after swallowing a piece of fish. “If I may

ask, how old are you, sir?”

Mr. DeMaso laughed. “Wonderin’ when you would catch that, kid! Lessee… its 2208 now, an’ we opened Belictown in 2110. I was shortly out of trade school…”

He thought for a moment. “A hundred and twenty-two.” He answered.

Inwardly, Leo cringed a little. This furson was OLD, and he was to be his guardian? How would he be able to handle it?

Mr. DeMaso noticed Leo’s hesitation, and extended a shaky paw to pat the teen’s own paw. “Relax, kid. I’m just to be yer supervisor, teacher, and all-around

mentor. I’ve done this before. I may be old and a bit shaky thanks to the zapping I took a few years back, but I won’t be a tyrant. Trust me.”

“Zapping?” Leo asked. That led to a story of the war that the Inter-Stellar Associative (ISA) fought a few years ago against the Predators. He had volunteered to

go with the Saganian Space Authority (SSA) fleet as a systems engineer, being allowed to go despite his age. He had taken an electric arc across his body

while knocking the Crown Prince out of the way when the flagship took a hit.

“I heard about that!” Leo said. “My teacher in school told us about that! You got a bunch of medals from that, right?”

The old cat waved that off. “Medals don’t matter. Saving Rene’s life was. He’s a good kid. So I got a couple medals, good doctors, and a fat pension. I gave

most of it to Sir Belic to help keep the town running. So I gots me a nice little house, with rooms to take in kids like you. Keeps me active.” He smiled. “Got me

a knighthood, too. Don’t care much about it, though. I’d rather have friends than rank.

“C’mon- let’s get ya home. We can do some shopping in Belictown.”

When they appeared in the transit booth, Leo saw the imposing castle that dominated the view. “You built that?” he asked.

“Well, I helped. C’mon.” DeMaso led Leo to a small house about a quarter-mile away from the booth. It was on the side of a small hill, red-painted, surrounded

by lush greenery, with a tall tree in front.

“Looks small, but the hill goes down in back. The downstairs is finished, with a nice big playroom and my workshop. You got a bedroom upstairs, near me. Feel

free ta decorates in whatever way ya want.” He opened the front door and led the teen in.

Leo found the house comfortable, the bedroom small but adequate, with a bed, closet, desk, dresser, and computer terminal. A packet was on the desk, which

held Leo’s new Saganian ID, more papers, and some cash.

“Ya can go shoppin’ by yerself if ya want. Explore if ya like. Ya better be home by nine, or call ahead and let me know you gonna be late, okay?” Mr. DeMaso

said with a smile. “I’m walked out!”

“Yessir, sir!” Leo said with a smile. Taking the cash and his ID, he headed on out to explore the town.

Leo wandered for hours, seeing all sorts of furry folk- cat, dog, horse, bears, all mixed on a man frame, like him. They were of all sizes, large and small, and all

greeted Leo like a long-lost family member. He was guided to a tailor’s shop, where the dog-man there kitted Leo out in clothes that were not only stylish, but fit

his leaner frame and had accommodation for his tail!

His wandering took Leo to a park at the edge of the tiny town, where a statue of a large polar bear stood, holding a microphone stand and wearing…

sunglasses? The bear statue was of white marble, standing what had to be bigger than life-size, in Leo’s opinion. He read the plaque at the base.

As Leo looked up at the impressive statue, a voice interrupted his musings. “You must be Leo White. Welcome to my town.”

Leo turned, to see a GIGANTIC bear-morph looming over him. The bear was much taller than Leo’s own 5’6, and was wide enough for Leo to hide behind, if

needed. Startled, Leo leapt straight up, dropping his shopping bag, perching on the statue’s microphone stand.

The bear let out a deep laugh, one as warm and as big as the bear himself. He extended a paw out to the shivering Leo. “Come on down. I won’t hurt you. You

are home now. My home is your home.”

After getting his breath back, Leo leaped down, bouncing off the bear’s well-padded belly before getting to the ground. “I’m sorry, sir. You must be Sir Belic.

Nice to meet you.”

Belic gently hugged Leo to his ample belly. “I notice you were looking at Noah’s statue. I miss him a lot.” he said, his voice tinged with a little sadness. Leo felt

that the bear’s hug, while gentle, held a note of fierce protectiveness. He rather liked the feeling, because since he changed, he was feeling a lot more rejection

than acceptance. Until he arrived in this town, that is.

“Noah was a lot like you, Leo. A human teen that suddenly became a big animorph overnight. Both his parents were Sagan carriers, and when he had his

manifestation, he was bundled off in the dark of night to the Saganian Embassy in Cardiff and left there.

“When he arrived here, he was withdrawn only as long as it took him to realize he was accepted here. After that, he became very outgoing, making himself very

popular with everyone in the community. He didn’t let his size slow him down, not at all!”

“You mean, he was really that big?” Leo asked.

“By the time he was 17, he stood nine feet tall and weighed in at over 1000 pounds. The statue is life-size. He liked to spend a lot of time in the pond, winter and

summer.

“When he graduated school, he enrolled in a media school in Suncoast City, to learn to be a sound engineer. After that graduation, first in his class I must say,

he got a job with the Inter-Stellar News Service (ISNS), documentary division. He traveled a lot, visiting many of the planets, making wildlife films. The full library

of his films is available.”

Belic let out a deep sigh. “He always wrote home to us, using the Starweb network, telling us all of his adventures. He loved us all, and wanted us to share in

the fun he was having. Then, his team went to Korangor.”

Leo thought as Belic paused, leaning against the big bear. He thought about his Astrography classes, trying to remember what he knew about Korangor.

“Korangor- homeworld of the Korang, warm, jungle-like, and has what has to be the worst weather of the known inhabited worlds.” Leo said slowly. “The Korang

don’t mind getting wet.”

Belic patted Leo’s shoulder. “Neither did Noah. They were filming some exotic, little-seen life forms when the hillside they were on slumped during a storm.” His

voice broke at that point as emotions washed over the big old bear. “Noah and two others were killed in the resultant landslide. It took the Korangor authorities

some time to get help to them.

“He’s buried under his statue, overlooking the lake and the town that he loved so much. People say his essence is still here, looking after his family.

“I come here every day, to remember him.”

Leo stood with Belic, looking at the statue, as the sun slipped down behind the peak of Mount Pomeroy, putting Belictown in shadow. He thought he saw the

statue glow briefly with an internal white light, but when he blinked, the glow was gone.

“He sounds like a good person to have known. I wish I could have met him. You loved him a lot, didn’t you, Sir Belic?” he asked.

Belic hugged Leo firmly, but gently, into his vast furry belly. “I love all of my compatriots. Our kind is a rare subset of Sagan life forms, and I’ve put a lot of effort

into making this place, where we furred folk can know a sense of family, something lacking in the greater world.

“Noah took the lessons of loving all and incorporated that into his own life. Wherever he went, people were not intimidated by his size and appearance, because

he accepted what he was and did not let rejection bother him.”

The bear straightened up to his full ten-foot height and stretched, yawning. Leo looked up, in awe of the great bear. “It’s late and near dinnertime. Care to join

me, Leo? You can see the castle, and meet many of the castle residents.”

Leo looked up at Belic, surprised by the generosity and kindness. “S-sure! I’d like that!” he said with the slight stammer he had developed.

Leo walked with Sir Belic to the castle, his small paw engulfed by the bear’s far larger one. Inside, Leo met, and was welcomed by, many of the residents there:

Kody, the large bear-dragon cross; Baron, the elder horse-morph who was in charge of the castle grounds; K’gra, the bear’s mate; Runtt, the watch panda;

Randa, the panda teacher, and about 20 other furry folk who were resident at the castle. The meal was as large as the bear, based mainly on fresh-caught

salmon of impressive size and exquisite flavoring, prepared by the castle head cook, Rourkie, who was a cat-morph like Leo. Everyone welcomed the new

arrival, asking him of his interests, likes, dislikes and history. Feeling good, Leo told his story without holding back, even the sad parts, like when his father died

when he was young, and when his mother threw him out for becoming an animal. He was assured by all of his welcome in Belictown.

After dinner, the well-fed teen cat was walked home by some of the castle crowd. He entered the house to find his mentor sprawled out on a beanbag, sound

asleep. Being quiet, he slipped to his room and put away his new clothes, then got on the computer to find out about Noah.

He found lots of info and testimonials, including all the films he had worked on. The last two documentaries, Noah did the narration as well, and Leo listened,

marveling at the sense of wonder and enjoyment that Noah was able to convey using his voice alone.

So deeply was Leo engrossed in the film, he didn’t hear Mr. DeMaso enter. “Found the statue, didn’t ya?” he said.

Startled, Leo jumped up out of the soft chair, yowling, landing on the bed. DeMaso chuckled. “Gotta learn how to control that startle reflex, kid.” He said,

extending a trembling paw to help Leo down.

“S-sorry, sir.” Leo said as he got down. He was shaking worse than his mentor. “Yes, I found the statue, and S-sir Belic. He’s nice!”

“That he is, kid.” DeMaso said with a smile. “He called ahead, so I took a nap. Ya better shut down an’ go to bed- ya got school tomorrow, an’ I know you’ll

need yer sleep!”

Leo stretched and yawned as only a cat (or catmorph) can, then looked at the clock. To his surprise, it was almost 11. “Okay, sir. What about you?” he asked.

“Don’ worry about me, kid. I’ll be fine. But, thanks for askin. You can have the bathroom for a while.” Giving the kid a squeeze on the shoulder, he turned and left

the room. “Night, kid.”

“Good night, sir.” Leo gathered up his toilet kit and headed for the bathroom.

That night, while he slept, Leo dreamed. He dreamed of being out by the lake, looking at the statue. As he watched, the statue glowed with a white light, and

Noah stepped out of it. The big bear was glowing white, and was semi-transparent. “Hello, Leo!” the bear said, waving and smiling down at Leo.

“Welcome to the forest. I’m glad to meet you!” Noah got down on one knee in front of Leo and gave him a hug of welcome. To his surprise, Leo could feel the

hug!

“N-N-Noah? But, you’re d-dead!” Leo stammered, fright mixing with the joy he could feel radiating from the ghostly bear.

“I may be, but that’s not going to stop me from welcoming all the new members of Belictown! Only my body stopped, not my spirit!” Noah said, snuggling the

cat. After a moment, Leo hugged back, accepting the spirit’s love and joy.

“I-I must be dreaming…” Leo said.

“You are, Leo. I can only converse in dreams, to those I have never met in life. Whenever you are feeling troubled, just ask for me when you sleep, and I will be

glad to visit. Together, we can work through any issues you have. I’ve been there before, you see!” Noah said with a soft chuckle, his Welsh accent faint but

noticeable.

“Thank you, Noah. Sir Belic was right- you are a great bear!” Leo said, fully accepting Noah’s affection.

They talked for what seemed like hours, trading stories. Soon, it felt to Leo like he and Noah were more than old friends, Noah became the big brother he never

had before, being an only child. Leo accepted the invitation to sprawl out on Noah’s wide, soft belly as they chatted, Noah petting Leo’s back and head. Like a

cat, Leo found the petting very relaxing.

Finally, Noah gave Leo a final hug and slurping. “It’s almost time for you to wake up, little brother. You do have school to start. Nothing can hold you back now.

Study and work hard, and you can go places like I did. I’ll be watching!” the great white bear said.

“Okay, bro! You do that! I’ll make you proud of me!” Leo said.

“Not proud, but prouder!” was the last thing Leo heard from Noah.

Leo woke up when the alarm went off, wondering if he really had the dream he thought he had. In the bathroom, as he was brushing his fur, he noticed

something in the brush- long white hairs, hairs that did not come from either him or Mr. DeMaso! Plucking the hairs out, he held them up to look at them closer.

They seemed to glow with a faint internal light. “It was real…” he whispered. “I did meet Noah!”

Faintly, in his head, Leo heard, “That you did, little bro. I’ll always be your friend. Now, get ready- Randa doesn’t like it if you’re late!”

Leo laughed. “Okay, big bro! I’m hurrying!” Leo finished in the bathroom and dressed, tucking some of the bear hair in his wallet, the rest in a drawer in his

bedroom. Giving his mentor a hug, Leo sprinted to the castle, his tail waving behind him, eager for his first day of school in his new home, a place where he

knew he belonged. He learned one lesson so far: friendships can endure, and even start, even from beyond the grave.