The stranger whirled, transfixing Carl with a blaze of energy that seemed to make his green eyes literally glow. "What are you doing spying on me? I'm not a member of your public. I live here, at least for now, and I've got urgent business. Please, do not detain me. I wouldn't want to hurt you."
The counterattack stopped Carl in his tracks. "Okay, okay, but I live here, too, and these animals are my charges. If anything endangers them, I can call a flock of guards in seconds, and I won't hesitate to do it. You still haven't answered my questions."
The stranger exhaled a long, slow breath. "I can only tell you so much without violating my oath to our leader and our code. I, too, care for the welfare of the animals here, especially these spotted cats you seem to be drawn to. At times, I live among them, and I cannot do so clad in human clothes, but I cannot go out into the rest of the world undressed. Do not ask me more, please. I need to go now."
"How will you get out? The gates are all locked and can only be opened by an electronic signal from the main guard post and a few by a secret combination."
Again, the stranger huffed out a breath, charged with impatience. "I have ways. I can climb and leap very well and bypass the electrified fences and the monitors. No one will know when I come and go. If you summon guards, I'll vanish before they get here. They'll think you're crazy."
Carl was not mollified, but some inner sense told him the stranger spoke nothing but truth, although not nearly all of it. He heaved a sigh of his own, frustrated for the moment. There was certainly more to this man than he'd admitted, but Carl sensed he would get nothing else from the lean stranger at this point.
"All right, go on about your business, but be forewarned. I'll keep an eye out for you. If I find anything at all that seems amiss, I'll track you down. Somehow, I'll force the truth out of you! I know you're being evasive. I just don't know why."
Although there wasn't enough light to read the other man's expression, it seemed his erect posture slumped the slightest bit.
"Aye. I understand. I promise I'll do nothing to harm any of the animals and, in time, perhaps I can tell you more. For now you must believe me, trust me. I'm begging you..."
He whirled away then and vanished into the darkness, immediately and completely. Carl could not hear the sound of a footstep, the brush of a body against any of the foliage or any hint from the more nocturnal animals that they sensed anyone passing.
Shaking his head, he circled the cheetah habitat and found nothing out of order. After that, he walked on across the compound to his cottage. This was a puzzle he'd have to sort out later.
Although Zyl could not truly become invisible, he knew tricks to fade and blend, ways to divert notice from himself. He took his cat-grace and silence along when he switched to human form. At first, he slipped between two of the exhibits, sure the too-alert zoo employee would not be able to detect where he had gone or follow him. Trotting to the nearest exterior fence, he gathered himself and sprang into the air. It would have been a good pole vault. As a high jump, it was world class. After clearing the electrified barrier, he lit in a crouch, absorbing the impact with a bounce, and then headed away from the zoo.
He could have called for a cab or taken a bus, but he preferred to move at his own pace, which was not that much slower. Still, he might be late for his scheduled meeting with the agent of the Were-King, the overall leader of shapeshifter kind. The leading man had a council of seconds, a group who formed his inner circle. They passed along his instructions, discipline and direction to the whole team, who worked on saving the most at-risk animal species and attempting to ensure all animals were treated with the respect and regard they deserved. The situation was dicey right now for the cheetahs. Zyl knew he had a critical task to perform for their welfare.
He'd expected to learn his next task tonight as he passed along what he'd found out so far from the other cats at the zoo. Each species had a kind of universal mind, where every member had a slight telepathic link to all the others and to the group as a unit. They were worried. At this zoo, none of them were mistreated, but captivity still chafed. They missed distant homes and contact with the rest of the dwindling numbers of their kind.
As he sped along, Zyl's thoughts drifted back to his recent encounter with the human at the zoo. Although he could not pin it down, he sensed something different about the man. The stranger seemed to see, hear and notice far too much.
While a lot of the zoo folk were at least partly like the man he'd met, there were still keepers who all but ignored the animals in their care. They gave their charges necessary food, medical treatment and watched that the public did not endanger themselves or the animals, but, the bond or rapport was not present. They were definitely on a different wavelength, one that allowed for no communication. Somehow, this one man seemed to reach out from some inner place, as if he had a special affinity.
That could be dangerous. As much as Zyl felt drawn to the stranger, he had to resist. He'd been tempted to say far too much when they spoke. As it was, he hadn't diverted the man's interest as well as he should have. Why had he avoided any trace of mind control or soft hypnosis to turn the guy's thoughts away? He knew better. Next time, if there was one, he'd do what was needed.
Zyl met Maxtor in a luxurious suite in an extended-stay hotel about two miles from the zoo. In his human form, Max was a big man, well over six feet tall, with a burly build that hinted at his beast form of a bear, a very large and fearsome bear. Even his voice fit, a low growly tone that sounded gruff even when he seemed to be jovial.
"Took you long enough," he greeted, as Zyl entered the main room of Max's current abode. "I've been expecting you for half an hour."
Zyl shrugged, tamping down his irritation. This was a powerful guy in every way, and one who would not make a good enemy. As a special envoy and Were-leader, Max carried the Were-King's power and majesty. Zyl gave a slight bow.
"I came as quickly as I could. The evenings are getting longer, and I dare not shift and emerge from the cheetah enclosure until the public has left the zoo and it's nearing dark. I ran all the way, thinking it would be quicker in the long run than waiting for transportation."
Max seemed to accept the explanation. He gave a non-committal growl that did not sound really pissed. "Okay. Sit. I've got a lot to cover quickly because I need to get on my own way before midnight."
Zyl sat, dropping cross-legged onto the floor to land on one of the puffy cushions scattered around the room. Many of the Were-kind were not comfortable in chairs and used them only when it was essential. Max settled in a huge overstuffed chair, in reality just a huge pile of cushions that shaped to his massive frame. He folded his arms and seemed to lapse into deep thoughts for a few breaths.
"We're at a crossroads," he said after a time. "His Mightiness has begun to consider coming out and letting humans know we're here. That might get us a bit more respect and cooperation...at least a touch of fear. Still, I told him I could not fully agree. There's a huge element of danger in such a course. For now, we'll wait. The longstanding rule of avoiding detection still holds. Don't break it."
Zyl had to school himself to restrain a betraying flinch. It felt as if Max had read his mind. Not that the big man couldn't, but it was an unspoken rule that Were-kind respected each other's privacy. Surely his hedging to the man at the zoo was not too obvious or too huge an error. Nothing had been revealed.
"Aye, I hear and heed. I'd never go against the code and my oath to live by it."
"Good." Again, Max almost growled. "For now, we want you to stay where you are and continue to observe and report. We may send you to Africa soon to meet with the cheetah folk there and check for any latent shifters among their prides, but that will wait for a time. You'll be informed if and when."
He took a slow breath and let it out. Zyl waited, holding himself still and shielding his latent anxiety as best he could.
"What can you tell us about the keepers and other humans at the zoo? Are there any who might be allies if we come to a clash or a revelation?"
Zyl twitched one shoulder. "It's hard to say. Some of them seem to be impervious and beyond reach. I feel that to them, animals are animals, almost part of the landscape or the environment, creatures they care for and watch over, but to them animals do not have feelings or emotions, no needs besides the basic food, shelter and procreation."
He paused then, unsure how much of his new awareness to reveal. "There may be one. He seems to be more attuned than the rest. He works with the cats and has a real affinity for the feline kind, all of them."
"Latent shifter?"
Again, Zyl gave a slight twitch. "Too soon to say. I've only observed him briefly, but I can pay closer attention if you advise it."
"Yes, you must do so. Not closely enough to give anything away, though."
They talked on some more as Max filled Zyl in on other activities the Were-kind were involved with and the latest gossip and political maneuvering among the various factions. Most of it was typical. The Were-kind were little different from any other tribe or kindred, some good and others less so, some keen and caring, and others dull or deceitful.
The only thing that really caught Zyl's attention was a rumor a faction of extreme animal rights humans might be planning to invade the zoo and release as many of the animals as they could. Although Were-kind sympathized with their brothers in captivity, this was not anything they favored. It posed too much danger to both the animals and the humans they might encounter once freed. Any closure of zoos must be accomplished in a careful manner that protected all involved.
Finally, Max ended their visit and sent Zyl on his way. Under cover of darkness, he made his way back to the zoo and rejoined the cheetahs, sleeping then as the night waned.
* * * *
After a night of too little sleep during which he could not turn his thoughts away from his encounter with the mysterious and very attractive stranger, Carl drank an extra cup of strong coffee before he headed out to make his morning rounds. Part of his routine involved checking all of the feline exhibit areas and trying to get a good look at every animal in each one. This could be a challenge.
The habitats were set up to at least superficially resemble the species' natural environment. That meant there was cover, hiding places and plenty of space to move around. Carl usually took most of the morning to observe his charges. If he noted any signs of distress or illness, he watched even closer and summoned the zoo's chief veterinarian if he thought it necessary.
The first thing he saw was that the pregnant cougar had given birth. Although she had retreated to an artificial cave in the area, he knew of a secret peek hole. Sure enough, two tiny cubs squirmed beside her. He saw them both nurse as he watched.
Good.
Nature had taken care of that very well. She seemed to be a good mother, although these were her first babies.
He retreated with care to be quiet and continued to check on other groups. Of course, the cheetahs figured prominently in his observations today. He thought he glimpsed the large and commanding male, the one he'd been observing, but the animal slipped into a shadowy grotto among the foliage before he got more than a fast look.
Illusive, that one.
Almost as if he knew when someone was watching him.
Although he should have been informed if a new cat had arrived, Carl decided he had to be a new addition and perhaps just not acclimated yet. Maybe he'd missed something in the records since he had just returned from a week away on a family emergency.
The rest of the cheetahs ignored Carl, but they were used to his presence. A couple of the females were almost friendly, half-tame in their behavior. He knew they'd come from a sanctuary in Africa where they had been fed. Not by hand, thank goodness, but they'd gotten used to humans and associated them with positive things. In the wild, that could be a danger. Sad to admit, all humans did not have kindly intentions.
He'd just completed his morning rounds when he remembered--a staff meeting this morning. They'd all gotten the notice late the day before. Most such meetings were dull, tedious and deemed by most a waste of time better spent in real work, but you either showed up or got a royal ass chewing. So, of course, everyone went.
Carl was almost late. He slid into a single vacant seat along the back wall of the auditorium where they sometimes showed films or offered lectures on various breeds and species of animals and other topics of supposed interest to the public. Wilford Hage, the manager of the whole zoo, was already at the podium. It only took a few words before Carl's full attention focused on the speaker.
"We have a potentially serious situation developing. Although we do not have a date yet, I've received very good intelligence that Warriors for Enslaved Animals is planning a big demonstration. It could even escalate to an invasion of the zoo at some point and an outright attempt to free animals from their enclosures and habitat areas."
The suit-clad man paused as his gaze swept the room. Carl shivered. No one had to tell him how catastrophic such an event could become.
"If this were to happen when the zoo is open," Hage continued, "I'm sure you can visualize the danger to the public. We've all got to be alert and on guard. Additional security staff is being processed in, even as I speak. The rest of you need to keep every sense attuned. If you see visitors who don't behave normally, protestors inside the outer fence with signs or other badges, anything out of the ordinary, let your superiors know at once."
Sober and concerned, the staff filed out once the talk was over. Returning to their normal duties, every single one carried a new burden of worry. Even the most rabid of animal advocates on the staff recognized that, although not ideal, zoos provided care and security that helped to keep many species alive. The creatures were by no stretch "enslaved," and none of them were mistreated. In fact, they all got the best care that could be provided. Every employee treated the related tasks with almost religious concern. Any that did not were soon out of a job.