Although veterinary technician Carlton is violently allergic to cats, he loves them with an undying passion, enough to tolerate miserable symptoms to keep working with the felines in the San Maribal Zoo. The cheetahs especially fascinate him. Then he meets a mysterious stranger who is evasive about why he’s in the zoo -- nude and after hours! This man tells Carl there’s a cat inside him wanting to get out. That sounds really crazy, and the suggested way to make it happen even crazier ... but exciting.<br><br>Zyl is a member of the ancient shifter tribe, or Were-Kind. His people are working to enforce humane treatment of animals and save endangered species. Hearing of a planned raid by an extreme animal rights group to free the denizens of zoos, they realize this will a real catastrophe. Joining forces with regular humans to avert the problem will mean “coming out” as the powerful beings they are. Again, a potential disaster.<br><br>Attracted to Carlton against his better judgment, Zyl teams up with the vet tech he meets under awkward circumstances only to discover a valuable ally and a soul mate.

Catastrophe

Intimacy between a male cheetah and a male ocelot could be a bit awkward. Few animals were really gay and Were-kind in their beast forms seldom acted on any such urges, either. Although there was no rule against it and their oath did not speak to the matter, there was still an unspoken agreement or stricture that was almost never violated. And sex between different species simply felt off-key, whether it was between male and female or two individuals of the same gender.


In the deepening dusk, Zyl laid his arm across Carl’s shoulders. “I’m proud of you, you know. It won’t be long before the take-charge personality of your cat-self infiltrates your human self and infuses you with new power and capability. You’re using it already. You’ll make a damn good spokesman.”


Chapter 20