When the visitors began to trickle in, they, too, seemed boringly normal. A field trip group or two from a school or child care center, a few moms who perhaps home-schooled with their children in tow, some older folks--a very typical day.
All of them seemed quiet, peaceful and as non-threatening as they could be. Perhaps the whole animal rights issue was a false alarm. He hoped so. Violent confrontations had never been something he enjoyed. In fact, he'd do almost anything to avoid a fight, although if he had his back to the wall or anyone threatened the safety of his beloved charges, they'd find they'd awakened a tiger. Nobody would hurt one of his cats!
Two days passed in a similar manner. Zyl came by to visit him briefly both nights, but did not hang around long or show any intention of initiating another sexual encounter or even practicing shifting. He only stayed a short while and pleaded tasks assigned by the Were-kind leaders, which he had to make his first priority.
Carl fought against feeling hurt, even rejected. For a few hours that one night, he'd felt like he belonged, like he'd had found a place where he fit. Now he wasn't so sure. Although he sensed Zyl was worried, the other man did not confide in him or offer any insights. Maybe he'd been wrong to hint that his first loyalty still lay with his employer and the animals in his charge, the regular animals, not Were-kind.
Yet another day began, apparently a carbon copy of the previous ones. Until about ten o'clock, that is. Carl's watch said 10:12 when the first bus appeared, followed by several more. They were all older yellow busses with the names of various schools in black letters on their sides. Not uncommon in late spring as classes often took field trips to the zoo.
Normally, though, visitors parked in one of several large lots outside the zoo fences. Why these loaded busses were allowed past the main gate, Carl had no idea. Outwardly, they appeared innocuous, but once they had parked in a much smaller lot outside the main building housing offices, the theater and some interpretive displays, passengers began to unload.
Not yet sure why he'd been lingering near the front gate, a fair distance from his normal patrols of the feline exhibits, Carl watched, anxiety rapidly tightening his gut. These were not school kids or, if students, they had to be college age. Most carried backpacks and bundles under their arms, which might contain weapons, protest signs or even burglary tools such as pry bars and bolt cutters. A sensation like an ice cube sliding under his shirt descended his spine.
Once all seven busses had discharged their passengers, well over a hundred visitors gathered in a knot. Soon a couple who looked older and were clearly some kind of leaders began to talk in low but urgent tones, grouping their charges and waving in various directions, as if telling them what were to be their duty stations or posts. Carl had seen enough. He took off at a dead run for the security office.
For a mad instant, he almost considered trying to change into his ocelot form, knowing the cat could run much faster than the man. He didn't, though, fearful he would not be able to change back and sound the alarm once he reached his destination. Still, the notion tempted him. He also felt an urge to make a small detour past the cheetah enclosure and see if he could summon Zyl. Again, he didn't.
Out of breath from close to a half-mile dash, he thudded into the security office. Several guards on break looked up, startled by his hasty entrance.
"I think we have a problem. Seven busloads of--well, they look to me like protestors--just unloaded at main. There must be close to a hundred fifty of them and they're all carrying stuff...wrapped bundles that could be weapons or tools. I can't imagine why, but whoever's on the gate let them drive right in."
Two of the guards swore. A shift sergeant stuck his head out of a cubicle. "What the fuck did you say?"
Carl repeated his warning, even elaborated on it as he described what he'd seen. Before he was done, a couple of alarms began to screech. That could mean at least two enclosures had been compromised or even breached. Guards bolted in every direction, drawing batons and tasers as they ran. Within seconds, it began to sound like a war zone.
Not sure what to do to help, Carl dashed back to see if any of his charges were threatened. He turned on the walkie-talkie he carried to supplement his mobile phone and listened to the terse commands flying among the groups of guards.
Recalling the puma with new cubs, he hit the cougar enclosure first. All seemed quiet there, so he continued on, from one exhibit to the next. Suddenly, he realized a cheetah ran beside him. Was it Zyl? A quick glance told him it was. Then he felt a peculiar tickle in his head and an instant later, a clear impression of silent communication began to come through.
::Yes, it's me. The Weres will be standing guard...all who have been living here with their animal kin as I have. The local Were-kind cell is coming. We knew this was going to happen, just not when.::
::There were at least a hundred to a hundred fifty protestors or activists. I saw the busses come in. How in hell they were allowed to drive through the gate I don't know.::
::There were plants in the new guards the zoo hired, some of the Warriors, I've been told. This was all planned. It's been in the works for a couple of months. We had our spies, too. Several Were-kind have infiltrated the Warriors. More protestors are coming and a couple of the gates, like the one we used the other night, have been unlocked to let other groups in.::
The chill in Carl's gut got a lot colder.
::How many?::
Zyl gave a twitch, almost like a human shrug.
::Not sure, probably somewhere near five hundred in all. They've recruited real students at the university and street people and gods know who all.::
Carl shook his head. "Damn it to hell! Haven't they got sense enough to realize what a catastrophe it'll be if they release a bunch of these animals? There'll likely be innocent people killed, but the animals will suffer more, much more. They're not equipped to fend for themselves, and the city is certainly not a good habitat for any of the species."
Zyl halted for a breath and shifted quickly to human form, nude but at the moment this didn't matter much. It was early in the day and few normal visitors were in the zoo yet. The guards would have shut and locked the gates by now, and no one else should get in, at least Carl hoped not. Still, he pulled off his outer shirt and handed it to Zyl. The other man wrapped the garment around his hips and tied the sleeves to create a kind of loin cloth. It looked strange, but then people did wear some weird get-ups at times.
The two of them stopped near the cheetah compound. Nothing seemed to be out of order there so far.
Carl looked around, hearing shouts and metallic clangs, running footsteps and other abnormal noises. "I don't know what to do," he grumbled. "I feel so fucking helpless, worthless. If your count is right, it's going to be way beyond what the hundred or so security people we have can handle. I guess the head of security will call local law enforcement, but they can only spare so many officers to help us." A weight of dread and near-despair settled over him.
After tilting his head a moment, as if listening, Zyl nodded. "The Were-kind group's coming, the ones living outside the zoo. I hope Ruric is with them, maybe even Max--he's our local boss. I know most of the guys you met at the bar the other night will be here. There are nearly a hundred of us, with the ones inside, and if most shift, we can put some serious pressure on the protestors. None of us will be overly careful about who we bite or claw or trample, either. Those idiots want war, they'll have it."
* * * *
All at once, a burst of noise erased the quiet, the illusion of peace. Besides the Were-kind group approaching, Zyl detected what he was sure was a large group of people coming from the opposite direction. The Were-kind sounds included more pounding steps than the local group should make. From what Max had told him the previous night, at least two contingents from bands in other cities were coming, due to arrive overnight. There were some from Albuquerque, Phoenix and perhaps even as far away as Denver to help the local Were-folk with the expected confrontation.
Were-kind might not be fully supportive of the idea of keeping animals in zoos, but they recognized that the extra care and protection could spell the difference between survival and extinction. At any rate, turning them loose into a city environment suddenly was a recipe for total disaster.
Tilting his head to better catch the precise sounds, Zyl heard the heavy tread of some of the Weres like Ruric and Max, bear-shifters or other very large creatures. Even in human form, most were massive and powerful. The softer steps would be the cats, wolves, and the clicks and sharper noises from the hooved ones. When he turned back to face Carl, he could hear the chants from the protesters.
"Free the beasts...give them peace! Break the bars and make this ours." At least that was what it sounded like. The strident, angry voices blurred the words, sounding almost painful to his keen hearing.
By now, Carl seemed to hear both groups as well. His face paled. "Oh shit. They're coming fast. What should we do? I'd try anything to keep the protesters from harming, freeing or even scaring my charges, but what? How? I've got three mothers with young cubs. I can't let them be harmed, I won't!"
Zyl placed one hand on Carl's nearest shoulder. "Calm down. It'll be all right. The Were-kind will get here before the protestors. This will work out. Anyone getting hurt will be those confused so-called warriors, guaranteed."
The words were barely out of his mouth when the Were-band rounded a corner and marched into the crescent-shaped plaza in front of the cheetah enclosure. There were at least two dozen with a big, burly fellow in the lead. He came directly to Zyl.
"We're here. I've got about thirty from Phoenix with me; we already split to head to different parts of the zoo. I'm Max's cousin Brun, by the way. He told me to check in with you. Most of this group shifts feline. Max seemed to think that like species would be best in defending different areas here."
Zyl agreed. "Right. We discussed that the other night. All the San Mirabal cats were going to come here first. I see some of them are with you. Let's spread out so we have two or more near the main gate of each feline habitat. Those are the most vulnerable spots. If anyone sights a larger force of intruders, they can sound the alarm and we'll all move into a defensive formation there."
The Were band began to disperse, just as the protest group surged into the plaza. They immediately began to yell, jeer and brandish various weapons. Zyl noted the ones who carried signs and placards used sticks much heavier than were needed to support the cardboard. Others wielded a variety of crow bars, tire tools, and even picks and axes. They were prepared to do demolition and damage. He just hoped no one had any kind of explosives. That could do severe damage and hurt animals.
"Get out of the way, you fools. We're on a mission, but if you move off and give us room to work, no one will get hurt. Quit serving your employers who enslave you just as they do these defenseless creatures. Don't let them exploit you and these animals."
Another big shifter stepped forward to confront the unkempt, bearded leader. "I don't think so," he said. "Whatever you plan to try, you'll have to go through me to do it."
With that, he shifted, shredding the gym shorts and T-shirt he wore. In seconds, he had morphed into a full-sized male African lion. At the signal of his shift, others of the cats began to change as well. Confronted with a group of snarling cats ranging from small ocelots and bobcats to cheetahs, panthers, leopards, pumas, tigers and lions, most of the invading group skidded to a halt. Many whirled and fled, screaming with hysteria. Others froze, unable to believe their eyes or too stunned to react.
As Zyl threw aside Carl's shirt to shift, he watched the lion lunge at the leading protestor. The man cracked the pole of his sign across a leonine nose, but it had no more effect than if he had used a fly swatter. In less than a blink, the man was flat on his back, a plate-sized paw bearing down on his chest, while hot feline breath stirred the shaggy strands of his beard.
When the lion spoke regular human words of warning and disdain in a deep and rumbling voice, the man's eyes rolled back and his body went limp. Emerging from his shift, Zyl smelled the sharp stench of urine and realized the man had pissed himself as he passed out. Witnessing the fall of their supposedly fearless leader, more of the protestors fled the scene.
At Zyl's side, Carl's ocelot form appeared. Although his cat-face could not truly smile, he gave a purr of approval.
::Good for you! You did it on your own. Now let's make sure the rest of these fools don't stop running until they're well outside the zoo's outer fences.::
Carl gave his version of a feline growl in reply.
::I'm right beside you, partner.::
They joined the other cat shifters, who circled to herd the invaders into a tight group and then drive them relentlessly back toward the main gate area.
Once the lion stepped back, two of the other men had picked up their fallen leader. Each one tucked a shoulder under his limp arms and hoisted him from the ground. He seemed to revive a bit, but was still too incapacitated to walk, so they dragged him off, moving at a clumsy trot, while his feet bounced over the cement and cobbles of the paths. The motley feline group nipped at their heels.
From the varied sounds in every direction, similar scenes were being enacted around each of the habitat areas in the zoo. Most of the Were-kind had gone to the areas where their beast-kin were housed to defend them. Roars and howls, screeches, whinnies and brays sounded, along with human shrieks and screams, and the sounds of a spectrum of different kinds of feet beating on the ground.
Many of the protestors were not sure if they had really seen what looked like humans suddenly become animals. At first, they might have rationalized that some creatures had already been released or broken free of their own accord, but these beasts did not appear congenial, grateful or appreciative! Others who witnessed the shifts might have been too high and befuddled by drugs they had used to build up their courage to attempt the raid. But all of them ran, pell-mell and frantic, right past the waiting busses to vault over the barrier gates and out into the streets.