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Halloween Rantings and Ravings...

Larry was just as good as Terry when it came to being in the house, and he only needed to go out a couple times overnight, which figured for what all we'd done with him that night. Cleo woke me when he needed to go out and unlike Terry, he didn't need any coaxing to do his business when I did let him outside.

The next week and few days were occupied with the myriad of little day-to-day matters that were regular occurrances but far from mundane or expected. Pete Johnson did call saying that he'd received a complaint, and after I explained that Zack had been shown around as part of the employment process, and it just so happened there was other goings-on set for that time, he said he didn't think it warranted further investigation and marked the complaint unfounded.

Jack, who could always be depended on to be a pain in the ass, indeed lived up to that concept as he had us doing all sorts of little crapola to get ready for his big "Halloween at the Zoo" fundraiser event. This meant that I didn't have time to get to Honey's checkup nor Big John's treatment. Thankfully Big John wasn't being so very troublesome but he was getting more and more unsettled as the days passed, much to Jerry's discontent and my dismay. I could readily see something going wrong at a very bad time, whether at the evening event or in the very near future if I couldn't get the chance to deal with him as he needed. However, that wasn't in the cards at the moment because I had to supervise the myriad of Vic's workers and volunteers putting things up around the cathouse and elsewhere in the park, making sure they didn't put their hands in the cages and didn't feed fingers to some of the less personable animals.

Cleo was filling out more and more and I knew she was getting close to having her cubs. Julie was slowly moving her things to my place bit by bit, boxes piling up in a corner of the playroom as she did so. Not that the playroom had seen much use in months. I was sort of surprised Peaches was taking the changes in stride, but... that was very good of her to do so, since she was seeing only cursory attention from me on any given day, and no special attention at all for several estrus cycles.

Most nights consisted of Cleo, Julie and I all piled in bed together since I was typically wiped out from all the day's activites at the zoo I had to attend to out and about. My paperwork was piling up at my desk, Jack was crabbing about that but not quite realizing that he was the direct cause of the lack of paperwork processing. There had been a couple close calls where he came in unexpectedly, but I had moved Cleo into the washroom on a couple thick horse blankets with exercise pads beneath. Luckily he didn't pay too much attention to the washroom door being partially closed or what was inside.

Soon enough the night was upon us... the lantern-lights were up, dangling from their cables radiating from the clock tower, illuminating the courtyard in a canopy of orange illumination. The main merc-vapors were off except in key areas of the park not decorated, and orange barrier fences were up around areas not illuminated as part of the event. Staffers were encouraged to dress up in various ways, but I never really did. I found it kind of silly in some respects. Julie was a 1920s moll, all dressed up to go to the speakeasy and have herself a swingin' time. I dressed in my tan work outfit and added a pith helmet to the mix to be on safari as I worked my spot in the cathouse, explaining things as I usually did. Jerry was a mountain man dressed in deerskin, and Vic was a hobo in ratty overalls and a "thousand miler" shirt. Being part of the powerhouse crew, Chet was required to be there, but not necessarily dress up, but he was there and brought his kids... and he dressed in a paper hat, grease-stained white t-shirt (and I'm sure the grease stains were legitimate), and white apron of a short-order cook. I couldn't help but laugh as it did seem to fit Chet's demeanor just as much as his typical grease-stained coveralls.

Darkness had fallen and the festivities were still going on - various games and events for the kids and adults alike ringed most of the courtyard and a few of the picnic lawns. The carousel looked wonderful all lit up and gleaming in the darkness. I had helped Vic make sure all the bulbs were working and replaced any that had given up their magic. I was giving one of my presentations when I saw Julie rush in through the doors to the cathouse. Zack was there watching, somewhat boredly. His rings were in place, a few fake tattoos, and he was in completely ratted clothes - looking every bit of the youth he had been and perhaps a bit worse. He'd really taken an interest in the various things I'd been telling folks throughout the days he'd decided to visit the zoo, and I was glad to see a change in him.

"Jim!" Julie called out as she made her way through the crowd.

"One moment, folks." I smiled to those assembled and looked to Julie with a questioning expression.

"It's Cleo..." she said excitedly. "It's time."

I thought quickly, then turned to Zack. "Zack, think you could manage on your own with this?"

Zack looked terrified and said softly, "You gotta be kidding, right? I mean... I don't know what to say to these people."

I smiled. "You've been listening all evening. You'll do fine. Just answer questions you know the answers to, and if you don't know the answer, you can give your opinion, or say you don't know but you're still learning yet, too, and explain that I had to go off to attend to one of the other animals here."

I turned back to the crowd as Julie was hurriedly making her way back out. "Sorry for the interruption, folks, but there's an animal that needs my attention elsewhere in the park, so my young assistant here will take over and be able to answer most of your questions. But please, go easy on him as he's still learning, just like we all are."

Zack blanched a bit and I smiled and patted his back reassuringly. "You'll do fine, kid. Don't worry about it," I said softly to him as I headed down from the terrace to go back to the office.

As I crossed the courtyard I frowned a bit. I figured something like this would happen, but it's not like I could do anything about it. When I got up to my office, Julie was in the washroom with Cleo, who was panting heavily. I rubbed her head some in greeting when she raised it for me, then ran my hands down her sides to feel her abdomen. Sure enough, she was going through contractions every so often, so it was indeed that time. I frowned. "She's a bit too far into this for me to move her, especially through the tunnels, and I can't take her through the park with all this going on, so.... I guess she's going to be having her cubs right here... Where's Jack?" I asked Julie.

Julie's worried gaze was fixed firmly on Cleo. "He's over in the education center, schmoozing the board members who came out."

I nodded. "Ok, that should keep him occupied for a good while. Even if he comes over here, there's nothing much he can do besides pitch a shitfit." I thought of what I'd need... "Julie, you have some sewing thread in your desk, right?" I asked.

She looked at me a little befuddled. "Yes, why?"

I smiled. "Get it, some scissors - really sharp ones if you have them - ummm...." I thought. "There should be some rubbing alcohol, iodine, and cotton balls in the big first aid cabinet, unless you want to watch her while I head back to the cathouse."

Julie thought for a moment. "No, I want to stay with her so I'll just rob the stuff from here in the office."

I pet Cleo's head as she grimaced a bit and grunted, her abdominal muscles visibly tensing. "That's it, girl..." I guided her head down so she was laying flat out. "Relax and let nature do its thing. You'll be fine..."

I left her for a moment and got a box of latex gloves out of one of the drawers in my desk. They weren't sterile gloves, but... oh well. That didn't really matter anyway as I'd probably be using my bare hands moreso than gloves due to gripping issues. I thought for a moment as Julie came back in and set the items on the sink counter.

"She's alright, right?" Julie asked.

"Haven't really checked yet. There's a tube of lube in the upper right drawer of my desk, mind getting it for me?" I asked.

Julie nodded and tap-tapped back out of the room. Her tight dress and high heels made it a little difficult to walk unless you did the Betty Boop waggle. But that was in vogue at that time, so it'd only figure. Thankfully the split for her dress had a zipper so she could get up and down without too much effort. She tossed me the tube through the door and I put a glove on my left hand. Cleo was facing the wrong way for me to use my dominant right hand, but she wasn't in any position for me to move her, and it would be alright. I just needed to check and see just how far along she was and if there was a cub in her vagina, just how big it was.

I pet her side and she lifted her head to look at me as my fingers touched, then entered her. She lay her head back down and had a rather strong contraction as my fingers worked further into her depths. There indeed was the first of her cubs just past the ends of my fingers. I could feel the expansion of her vagina but no matter how I pressed I couldn't make contact. Its head seemed to be not too much larger than what my cock would have been, causing her to stretch some but not terribly so. She seemed to be doing fine so I gently widened my fingers inside her as I withdrew them, eliciting another couple strong contractions from her.

Julie was seated on the floor, petting Cleo's head as she stiffened noticeably with each uterine clench. I was sure I'd be able to feel the cub's head now if I put my fingers back inside her. Julie looked at me worriedly. "Is she in a lot of pain?" she asked with genuine concern.

I shook my head. "Nature provides endorphins to take care of that. She'll be aching some the next couple days as she's stretching wider than she had to for me, but if either of her brothers took her virginity, she'd have stretched more for their knots than for my shaft. She's doing great..." I smiled at both as I pet Cleo's side.

Another few pushes and her vulva began puffing up, the cub's head started crowning and bulging her opening outwards. Very strong contractions were wracking her body, and Cleo alternated between bending to look at her rump and stretching out as much as she possibly could during each heavy push. I used my hands to help spread her vulva around the cub's membrane-covered head.... soon enough the little one's head was out and the rest of the body followed quite easily. I broke the membranous envelope from the cub's nose end and Cleo bent to start licking the little one as it took its first breaths in the outside world.

Cleo was busy attending to her cub, licking its fur dry, her tongue-barbs tearing off the membranes as she cleaned the young one's body from nose to toes to tail. Her breasts had filled out quite a lot over the past few days and as she was licking I could see minor tensing going on in her abdomen. The little wiggly sausage was squirming its way forward, trying to find a nipple. Sooner than I expected, out plopped the placenta and Cleo bent a bit further to consume it. The little wriggly one made its way to a teat and latched on, nursing hungrily as Cleo finished off the placenta and licked her vulva a bit. The little dark-furred wet creature attached to her was squeaking now and again as it consumed its vital dinner of colostrum.

Soon enough, she was stretched and straining again as the next in line made its way to the exit. The previous scene repeated itself, for the most part, though I was the one that brought the cub foward to her so she wouldn't accidentally crush the one already nursing. This time the placenta followed directly after the cub and I was slightly concerned by that, as it meant the cub hadn't had oxygen for the majority of its travels to the outer world.

My concerns were pointless, though, as the young one took its first breaths just like its sibling, apparently no worse for the journey, as Cleo cleaned it up like a good mother would. Soon enough it was nursing next to its slightly larger sibling. Then the third one joined it in a similar manner. Cleo's contractions diminished over the next while and it seemed she was finished. Even though Jim Bridger had said he'd seen only three cubs, sometimes young ones have a way of hiding on you when doing an ultrasound, especially in animals that inherently have more than one or two. For the zebras and giraffes, they're easy as they usually only have just one. With the wolves, sometimes it's anyone's guess how many little squirmy pups there'll be.

As the cubs' coats started drying, there was a noticeable difference in them. While all were of different sizes, which was to be expected, as their fur dried to show off their natural colorings, one had dim stripes, which brightened a bit more as it dried. The two others were speckled, as would be expected from lion cubs, but one had the "teardrops" of a cougar cub. Since all were nursing and appeared to be content, and Cleo wasn't too worse for the wear, I decided I'd check them out more intensely later. Well, that was the plan at least.

"Where the hell is everybody!" I heard whining from the hall.

Julie looked at me in shocked concern, and I frowned and rolled my eyes moments before Jack came bursting through my office door and looked into the washroom. Cleo leaned up and growled menacingly, at which Jack blanched and quickly went out the door, shutting it behind him. "What in the hell is going on in there!" he yelled through the closed office door.

"Easy girl, I'll take care of it." I murmured as Cleo was still defensive. "Just calm yourself. You don't want to upset your cubs..."

"I'll stay with her." Julie said and I nodded as I stood and went out.

I shut the washroom door and opened the office door.

"What in the hell is all this? You! You.... What the fuck is a lioness doing in your office?!?" Jack was livid.

"Jack, stop screaming. The more you upset her, the more I'm wanting to kick your ass, ok? Take a deep breath and calm down. If you can't stop screaming like a schoolboy throwing a fit, about-face and start marching your way back to wherever you came from." I spoke calmly and was stern and firm. Right then I wasn't about to take any kind of hysterics from Jack, no matter his position.

Jack must have figured I meant business so he did just that. He took a deep breath and spoke in a far calmer voice. "Explain yourself, Mr. Peters."

"That lioness just gave birth to three cubs. If you upset her and she harms them in any way, I will personally string you up by your scrotum and run you up the front flagpole. She's in the office because with the activites going on she needed to be where someone could keep an eye on her. She gets along well with Julie, so that was who was selected to look in on her from time to time. If she hadn't chosen tonight to have her cubs, it wouldn't have been like this, but to move a female while she's giving birth... that's a terrible risk, and I certainly couldn't take her through this kind of crowd." I summarized.

"Well, what was she doing here in the first place? And why would one of our lions be pregnant? I thought you had that under control." Jack was starting to get snippy.

"For one thing, she's not one of the zoo's lions, she's one of my own. Are you so shortsighted to think that Lola was the only lioness I'd ever have? Or didn't you even know Lola came from me?" I smiled, which seemed to irritate Jack even more.

"So you brought an animal into a licensed facility without proper documentation! That's a USDA violation! We can get fined!" Jack was nearly hopping again, which was somewhat comical in his white-tie tuxedo and top hat.

"Settle down Jack. I'd hate to see you split your pants." I frowned a bit. "And no, it's not a USDA violation. The office is not inspected property... only the stuff outside there is, if you'd read your blue book a bit better. Beyond which, she's covered by my USDA license no matter where she is."

Jack was turning red but he lowered his voice some. "And you dragged Julie into this? Misappropriating my office staff again?"

I shrugged. "She volunteered. And with everyone else being busy with your little shindig here, why in the world would I say "no" to help when I need it?"

Jack was fuming. "You're fired for this! Clean out your desk and be out of here by tomorrow!"

I laughed.

The blood vessels in Jack's eyes were starting to pop out. "You laugh at that?"

I nodded. "You can't fire me, you little snot. Only the board can do that. And you'd be wise to have your ducks all in a row before you go to them with something like this or they'll be laughing at you, too. Perhaps even laughing you out of a job. You see, Jack... " I smiled broadly and lowered my voice to almost a whisper. "Paper pushers you can find everywhere. It's hellbound hard to find someone that can work all the animals like I do." I grinned impishly as I finished.

Jack's expression went from livid to scared shitless and back to livid in seconds. "We'll just see about that!" he grunted and stormed back off.

I sighed... I guess the storm was brewing, and had been for some time. Only time would tell if he'd go off half-cocked and make an ass of himself, if he'd get his shit together and make a reasonable argument to the board, or if he'd sit on it and let it fester for a while. No matter what, I had better things to tend to, so I headed back into my office.

"I could hear some of it from in here," Julie said as I opened the washroom door and plunked down in my desk chair, scooting it over some. Cleo had raised her head when I'd opened the door to the washroom, but laid it back down when she saw it was me.

I nodded to Julie. "Yep, Admiral Blowhard at his best. I don't think he noticed Cleo's oddness in his brief encounter, so that'd leave that part of things out of it, fortunately. At least for the time being."

"But... won't he tell someone?" Julie asked.

"Oh, I'm sure he will. Just depends on who and when." I sighed and shrugged. "But I think I scared him a little bit at least. We'll see."

A gentle tapping sounded against the window of my office door. "Who's there?" I inquired from within.

"Open up, Jim. We come in peace!" came a familiar voice from the other side of the door.

I couldn't help but laugh as I got up from my chair and grabbed the doorknob. "Hell... let me guess, Mr. Direktor was flustered and you made the mistake of asking what was wrong."

Chairman Andrew L. Trevino stepped into the office, his own tux fit him far better than Jack's had, but then I saw a gentleman behind him. Andy made the introductions... or started to. "Jim, I'd like you to meet..."

I extended my hand towards the older gent. "Mr. Edward Stoddard... I know."

The older gentleman, also in a tuxedo, shook my hand with a pleasant smile. "I'm surprised you know me, but then again, I was surprised to hear you knew my son and grandson, too." His voice was showing the signs of age, but wasn't to the shaky-geezer stage yet.

Julie looked up from where she was sitting. "Oh!" she exclaimed, quickly got up from her seated position and straightened her dress upon seeing our well-dressed guests. Cleo lifted her head and chest-sat, staring at the visitors with her thousand-mile gaze.

Andy saw Cleo and looked concerned to me for a moment. "She's... alright to be around?" he asked as he swallowed hard, pointing to the lioness.

I nodded, smiling at Andy, then turned to the new mother. "Cleo, these men are friends. Be nice to them. They're not going to hurt you or your cubs."

Cleo nodded, which shocked the guests. Mr. Stoddard turned to me. "Did she just... nod?" The older man was surprised but equally curious.

I nodded. "Yes, she did. She had some brain damage which is why she has that stare, but seems it also caused her to be able to... communicate somewhat in return, rather than us having to pick up on other body language cues like with the other cats."

"Why, that's amazing..." Andy said softly, knowing not to disturb her. "This would be a spectacular addition to the zoo."

I shook my head. "It'd be too much trouble, Andy." I sighed deeply. "Every trainer and neurosurgeon in the world would be clamoring at our doors literally wanting to pick her brain. I could never allow that. She's far more valuable to me than all the gold in Fort Knox."

The older gent cracked a smile. "You sound like a man of strong convictions... Jim, was it?"

I nodded. "Yes, sir. Though I might not be a vet who took an oath to uphold life... I still firmly believe in quality of life for the animals in my care - be it my own or the ones here at the zoo."

Mr. Stoddard nudged Andy's arm. "You were right about him... he is a man I can respect and trust." The older gent's walk was a bit shuffling and the walking-stick cane he had wasn't for show like Jack's was. "May I... see your lioness, Jim?"

I chuckled and got a low stool from the corner of the office for Mr. Stoddard to sit upon as he moved into the washroom. Cleo watched him, but then decided he must not be a threat as he sat down and just watched her for a bit. She followed him with her eyes, occasionally looking towards me and Alex, who had taken seats in the main part of the office. Julie sat back down near Cleo's rump and pet her flank.

"Well, what'd Jack say this time?" I asked Andy as he produced a silver-plated flask and I got a couple Dixie cups out from my desk drawer, causing him to chuckle some.

"Oh, you were right about me seeing him all puffed up and making the mistake of asking him what was wrong. I think you may have gone a little too far this time. I know why you did this... it's because you care, but... for some of the board, that doesn't matter one bit." Alex poured us both a couple shots of brandy from his flask.

I sighed. "Yeah, I know. I'd imagine he'll be thinking what he can do to me to make my life more irritating, but... that's par for the course with men like him. He's a good administrator, but he has no real management skills as far as dealing with the workers around here - especially the ones who have been here longer than him and know how to manage this beast of a place."

Andy nodded. "Yeah... I know. I really wish you would have taken the director's job when it became available, but I know why you didn't. And that was a very wise decision anyway, because I know how you loathe paperwork. You're far too hands-on for a desk job." Alex chuckled softly. "Hell, I'm even surprised you can juggle all the stuff as head keeper."

I shrugged. "I don't, really. I do let my paperwork slide, and at least I have good support staff as far as managing the cats' day-to-day crapola. The feeders are great..." I chuckled some. "And I got this one kid... he's the one doing the presentation right now. Came in here as a wanna-be AR fanatic, but actually got clobbered by the facts I rattled off, and bothered to listen and think about them."

This was Andy's turn to chuckle. "Turned another one around, huh?"

He smiled and I smiled. "Yeah... one by one. His AR mentor was in here the other day and wouldn't listen... but it made for an interesting debate for the crowd."

The old gent looked out the washroom door at us. "This young man you're speaking of... is he the one that was with my son and grandson?"

I nodded to Mr. Stoddard. "Yes, sir. He was the one that got to interact with Jake down in the basement of the cathouse. I guess your son mentioned it to you."

The old man smiled. "Yes, he did. And I was curious to see what fool would be the kind to not only let something like that happen, but to side-step clear policy to the contrary, finding just a little loophole to weave his way through to push his own agenda." Mr. Stoddard chuckled. "I guess I was a fool for thinking you were some flake without any understanding of how the world works." He smiled. "Then when Mr. Bennin started complaining to the chairman, there... I figured this would be the perfect opportunity to see what you were about firsthand."

I looked to Andy, who smiled. "Well, what do you think of things now, Mr. Stoddard?" I inquired.

"I think you're everything Chairman Trevino said you'd be, and perhaps a bit more as well. You seem to be a good man to have around, that's for sure. And you do know how to care for the animals, that's clear as day..." the older man's hands were resting on his cane as he watched Cleo. "Never in my life have I been this close to a lioness, and for some reason I don't feel the least bit afraid."

I chuckled softly. "Cleo's not your typical lioness, sir. If it were one of the others, even Pickles, she wouldn't be just laying there placidly unless she'd already known you and trusted you. Cleo's a bit of an exception to just about every rule regarding how to act around big cats."

The old man looked at me and smiled. "Well, it's still nice to see, and three young ones just come into the world, too."

Andy chuckled. "Well, we are here to perpetuate the species we keep."

I looked to Andy and sighed. "So, Jack making a big fuss with everyone or just select victims?"

Andy shrugged. "I think he's just going to who he'll think will listen. Ron Holak he's avoiding like the plague, but he knows Ron doesn't like him. I can't really speak intelligently about it as I'm not over there to see just what he's up to. I don't think Jack realizes you and I know each other, so he didn't mind griping to me, and Ed here was just nearby as I was speaking to him before Jack bumbled back in."

"Bumbled is a good word for it, hmmph." Mr. Stoddard agreed. "If his behavior tonight is any indication of how he acts every day, I'm surprised we have a staff at all!"

Julie giggled from where she was sitting and Mr. Stoddard turned to her. "I'm sorry, miss. I've failed to really acknowledge your presence tonight. Please forgive a foolish old man."

I'm sure his smile was quite disarming as Julie blushed deeply, so I spoke up. "Mr. Stoddard, this is Julie Purcell, head secretary. I'm sure she was giggling because you're not too far off from the truth as far as Director Bennin's typical behavior. Though I'd wager that tonight he was a bit more... uh... animated than he usually is with us."

Mr. Stoddard nodded to Julie. "I'm pleased to meet you Miss Purcell." He then looked my way. "He likes to throw his weight around, does he?"

I chuckled. "Well, somewhat. He likes to remind us of his influential position enough so we can't forget. I tend to just let him "blow and go", so to speak, because I know my position here and how only the board can terminate my employment. There are others, like Victor LeDronne - the chief groundskeeper - and Chet Malin - head of maintence and powerhouse chief - that Director Bennin doesn't get too fiesty with because he knows their vital importance to the day to day operations of the park. The volunteers and low-grade peons he just ignores out of hand, so it's only the mid-level individuals that get the majority of his.... attentions, shall we say?"

Mr. Stoddard nodded and frowned a bit. "I was afraid you'd say that. Now I truly am surprised we manage to keep as many on staff as we have."

Andy looked to me. "Is it really...." he then smiled. "Nevermind. I was about to ask if things were really how you were portraying it, but I should have known you were walking that fine line again so it's likely a fair bit worse."

Mr. Stoddard laughed. "You must be an old hand at playing the game, Jim. I didn't even recognize you were dancing at all."

I smiled and nodded. "It's an unfortunate necessity to keeping a place like this going, Mr. Stoddard. Money can only carry things so far. Even though a substantial part of the staff here are paid, much volunteer work goes into keeping this place up and running, and that's not counting the individual donors, zoo members, and corporate patrons."

Mr. Stoddard nodded solemnly. "I see. It sounds like you would be a shoe-in for the director's job if Jack were to be dismissed..." Mr. Stoddard spoke with a somewhat inquiring tone.

I chuckled softly and shook my head as Andy did as well, then he spoke, "You weren't with us when we hired Jack Bennin as director, Ed. It WAS offered to Jim here, and he politely declined."

The older man looked surprised. "Why? It's better pay, better hours....?"

I laughed. "And a desk-job. I'm sorry if you were thinking I was gunning for Jack's job, Mr. Stoddard. Far from it. I'm no paper-pusher. In fact, I hate the amount of time that's wasted by our staff filling out reports on everything. But... I know they're essential to prevent substantial loss, outright fraud, and most importantly to maintain a continuity of information regarding animal care and health between the various keepers and staffers. When it comes to the welfare of the animals and education of the public, I'm your man, that's true. But when it comes to whining about budgets and keeping track of files, I'm not who you'd want. And Jack's far better at schmoozing people to get them to donate... trying to negotiate this-for-that isn't really my style. Being as I've worked with animals so long, my negotiating tactic tends to be "this is what we're doing, come along for the ride or get the hell out of my way". And we both know that doesn't fly too well with some more... uh... self-important sponsors."

The two board members broke out laughing, enough so that Cleo raised her head in concern. Mr. Stoddard finally spoke. "You sound much like I did when I was younger. You know what you're after, you have a good sense of what's right or what's needed, and you're certainly willing to stand your ground. You also know your shortcomings and freely admit what you'd not be so good at."

Andy nodded. "Well, I'll see what kind of waves Jack makes. But I can't do anything official to stop him from making a formal complaint if he goes that far."

I shook my head. "I wouldn't expect you to, Andy. Do your job and whatever happens, happens. I know my ace in the hole, and you know it too. But I'm not about to play it unless I absolutely have to. Do your job by the book and don't ever worry about what would happen to me."

Mr. Stoddard looked at the two of us. "Is there something I should know about you, Jim.... Oh, drat. I've forgotten your last name."

"It's Peters, Mr. Stoddard. Jim Peters. And... no, there's nothing special about me. I am what you see... someone who knows how to play the socio-political game. But rest assured, I'm not the kind to use anyone as a pawn - human nor animal. It's so not my style. Now, Director Bennin, on the other hand... is just that type. No holds barred and very little honor, only importance. Or... self-importance, as the situation may suit. Not that it's my place to speak ill of him... he is the director after all." I smiled.

Mr. Stoddard, looked at me for a time with an analytical gaze, then smiled. "Well, Jim Peters, play on, and play well. I just found it a bit unusual for you to be telling Chairman Trevino about how he should do his job."

Andy chuckled. "Oh... we've been friends for so long...."

"Since Junior High, actually." I smiled.

Andy nodded. "Since Junior High. And he's always been the kind to tell me when I was heading for a curve too fast so I could avoid problems. And believe you me, there's many times he's called a turn for me that I wasn't able to see. Sometimes I listened and everything went smoothly. Sometimes I didn't listen and I hit a real rough patch. These days I'm grateful for his advice, whatever it may be."

The old man chuckled. "Well, that makes perfect sense." He then laughed some. "Maybe you're bucking for the chairman's job, huh?"

I winked and chuckled. "Naw... I look like hell in a tux, especially since it'd have cat hair clinging to it."

Both board members laughed and Andy rose from his chair. "I should get back to the party, or else Jack will think something is up."

Mr. Stoddard looked a bit concerned. "Do you mind if I stay here for a bit, Jim? I just..." He smiled as he looked back at Cleo. "I'm just relishing this a tad too much to go quite yet."

I nodded. "This is your sandbox, Mr. Stoddard, stay as long as you please. Julie here will answer any questions you may have to the best of her ability, and Cleo's certainly friendly enough."

The gentleman smiled. "You give me too much credit, young man. This is your sandbox, I just help pay the bills. But I appreciate it and thank you for your generosity."

I rose as Andy started for the door. "Don't stick your neck out for me, Andy, I can hold my own. And the less Jack knows about you knowing me, the less of a pest he'll be for you."

Andy nodded as I opened to door for him. "Thanks, Jim. We'll see what happens. You have a good evening." And with a nod and tip of his hat, Chairman Trevino strode down the hall and headed for the stairs to return to the gathering in the old Victorian.

I looked to Julie. "You ok with hanging out here a while longer?" I inquired.

She looked up to me and nodded. "Yes, dear. Why? Need to do something?"

I nodded. "I had better check to see how Zack's doing. I'll be back before closing."

"Ok... I'll be here waiting for you." Julie smiled and I ducked out the door as well.

* * * * *

When I arrived back at the cathouse, Zack was in the middle of his version of my talk about the cats' place in the zoo. I didn't think he noticed me as I slipped in. He was doing a rather good job, with some fumbles of speech, but that was only natural since he wasn't as used to doing it as I was. When it came to questions, he seemed to manage the routine ones with ease, as though he had been doing this for years. Some of the more difficult ones he was a bit more halting with, but got most of the words out I'd used and in the correct context.

"Do you ever get pestered by people who think the animals here only belong in the wild?" came the question from a lady dressed as a granny, though her voice clearly wasn't aged.

"Well, to be honest, I've never been pestered by those types of people. But that's because this is really my first time speaking to guys like you like this. My boss, Mr. Peters... he's had to deal with them a lot. I kinda know this because... well... I was one of them. When I first visited here, because friends dared me to, I yelled stuff from the back, and acted like I was hot... stuff." I smiled as Zack changed his language for the children present. "I thought I knew what was going on here and that anything he said had to be a lie. But... what Mr. Peters said to me... how much he knew... and not just from a book, or just making things up, like how I was told he would, he... really knew it, and ... really lived it. These animals here WERE what he loved to do, not just a job. Not just being a prison guard like how I was told he would be. He really cares about what happens to each and every animal he's come to know here, and defends them as he sees it from... people like I was. People that want to make rules and laws against owning and keeping animals. And instead of being a bully or wanting to fight, he... told me things and told me to think about it for myself. Not to believe what he said or what others said but to think it through myself and see what conclusions _I_ would come to. And the conclusions I came to is that he was right about things, and what I'd thought was true wasn't exactly right. How I was told things are, aren't really how they are. That these aren't prison bars to hold the animals in, but instead to protect them from what people out here would do to them if we had the chance. That they have more to worry about of what we might do to them, then we would have to worry that they would do to us."

I chuckled and spoke up. "At least in a zoological setting."

Zack was a little unsettled at the voice, and turned my way to see me leaning up against the edge where the public barrier rail met the wall by the door to the terrace.

"Ladies and gentlemen, my boss, Mr. Peters." Zack said with a smile and broad gesture.

I chuckled and shook my head. "The stage is yours, Zack. Go on and finish answering the folks' questions."

Zack answered more questions and soon they were ready to wander on. I let myself up to the terrace and sat down in the folding chair by the door that he had been occupying earlier. Zack then came over to me.

"How long had you been standing there?" he asked.

I smiled. "Long enough to hear you were doing a good job."

"So you heard... me... talk about you?" he asked, somewhat worriedly. Or maybe it was embarrassment.

I nodded. "Yeah. That was good, Zack. It made me smile and know I was right in trusting you."

Zack looked a little embarrassed. "Thanks Mr. Peters. There were a number of questions from people that I couldn't answer, so I just said I didn't know and explained things as best I could from what I have learned."

I nodded. "That's how to do it, Zack. And if you remember those questions, we can go over them later and maybe you can have the answers next time."

"One guy was making fun of me because I said I'd just really started here when someone asked how long I'd been working at the zoo. I didn't really know what to say at first because I... don't really work here. At least not yet. I just sort of come here most days." Zack looked a bit downtrodden at that.

I smiled. "Well, you did right on that one. And don't worry, everyone has to start sometime, somewhere. And if someone is going to make fun of you for your lack of experience, that's their own problem, not yours. They could be jealous, or trying to get a reaction out of you. Or maybe trying to get us all into trouble. Technically you're not a staffer and you're not a scheduled volunteer, so it IS on shaky ground for you to be up here with the cats, even though they're friendly to you."

Zack looked worried. "So it's like... illegal for me to be here?"

I thought about it, and nodded. "Yeah. Right this minute, right here, yeah. But only you and I know that one. I'm not going to tell, the cats could care less, so that only leaves you and whether you can have that on you conscience."

Zack thought for a bit, then smiled. "I think it'll be ok."

I stood up as another group of costumed folk started clumping up. "You gonna be ok running out the rest of the event like this?" I asked.

Zack smiled and nodded. "Yeah, I had a good teacher, even if I mess things up now and again."

I winked. "That's normal. The more you learn, the more you speak about things, the better you'll get."

I stepped down the stairs and as I shut the door marked "Private" behind me, Zack started out with the prescribed speech again - or at least the version he was making his own. He was doing far better than I expected him to, so I smiled as I made my way back to the office.

* * * * *

I climbed the stairs and made my way down the hall. I was nearly at my office door when I heard from behind me, "James Peters, wait right there and don't take another step!"

I sighed, recognizing the voice. I rolled my eyes a bit and turned around to see Jack quickly moving towards me. "Hi there Jack. What do you want now?" I said in a polite but somewhat annoyed voice.

"You and I are going to have a little chat!" he gestured to the empty office next door which Julie usually occupied.

"Ok, let me check on Cleo first." I said.

"No! Now!" Jack was getting himself worked up again, apparently.

I shrugged and moved the few steps to the other door and entered. Jack slammed the door shut and smacked his top hat down on the counter. "HOW DARE YOU!" he started out. "HOW DARE YOU insult me like this? You bring in unauthorized animals, you fail to do your paperwork on time like everyone else has to. You usurp my authority at every turn by answering questions for people that they're supposed to direct to ME! And NOW, instead of doing your job in the cathouse telling folks what I set down for you to tell them, you have some kid in there doing it for you so you can spend time in HERE where you're NOT supposed to BE! HOW DARE YOU!" Jack was practically foaming at the mouth.

I canted my jaw. I could just deck the little bastard. That'd lay him out good, but that wouldn't be appropriate. I could fire back with just as much ire, but I'd already spoken with Chairman Trevino and knew where I stood with him and at least a couple of the board members.

"Perhaps I should come back sometime when you've calmed down enough to listen to what I'd have to say," I offered.

"NO! You will stay right here right now until I know why you've insulted me in this manner!" Jack grunted heavily, panting from his own linguistic exertions.

"Well, let's take it one step at a time. It's not you, but _I_ who authorize what animals can and cannot come onto the property. You just countersign the authorization as director. It's not your responsibility but my own for the care and well-being of the animals on this property, as well as those on my own, under Federal guidelines. It's MY name that's on the forms and MY butt that's on the line here, moreso than yours. Yours is only on the line when it comes to the board. MINE is on the line with the government agencies overseeing the animals here. Both USDA and USDI. So that takes care of that. It's not usurping your authority when it's not your authority to begin with." I said calmly and rationally.

"Secondarily, when someone asks me a question, I answer it. Be it you, one of the board members, or one of the visitors. That's just how it is, period. And the reason I don't direct every question to you, Mr. Director, is that most of the time you don't have the first clue as to what the answer is, so it just gets kicked back to me anyway." I said firmly.

"But they're supposed to go to ME! That's how it's supposed to be!" Jack fumed.

I shrugged. "Ok, the next time someone wants to know where the carousel is, I'll say they'll have to ask the zoo director." I nodded firmly.

"You know what I mean!" screamed Jack.

"Fine. How many lions do we have, Jack?" I asked.

"How the hell should I know?" the director fumed.

I shrugged "Well, that's one of the questions I'm regularly asked. Along with why we have only one tigress, the expected lifespan of the various cats, and a thousand other questions I KNOW you don't know the answers to right off the top of your head. I know them because I answer those questions each and every day."

"That's still no excuse for having some kid doing your talk for you!" Jack was running out of steam, but he didn't want to show it.

"You're right, that isn't. But this is the REASON, not an EXCUSE, why he is." I said firmly but calmly. "As I just said it is my duty, under FEDERAL guidelines, to monitor and attend to animal care and welfare in this zoo. It's been part of federal law since 1972 or thereabouts. As such, it was my DUTY, not just to the law, but to this zoo, and to Cleo, to make sure things went appropriately as she gave birth, as well as to call in any necessary assistance to attend to her needs, or to provide emergency aid if necessary. That is why Julie was there, and why I left my assigned post in the cathouse to be here. As to why Zack Seffrood is giving the talk instead of me, he was the one present who could take over without any significant interruption to service to our visitors, as well as the fact that he's been around me long enough these past couple weeks to know most of the answers to those selfsame questions you don't know the answers to. Not to mention the fact that he's been learning a lot more about the care and handling of cats than you've ever bothered to inquire about, Mr. Director." I said with a bit of a sneer. "Not to mention he's not a child, Jack. He's of reasonable age to be going to college, let alone learning something as relatively simplistic as animal behavior and handling."

"But that still doesn't excuse the fact you DIDN'T ASK ME!" Jack was trying to bolster his momentum, but was coming up a bit short.

"Ok... you're right. I didn't ask you. But let's try this hypothetical. Jerry Parker comes to me with a problem in the bear dens on a night like tonight. Sarah or Honey is in trouble in some manner. What would you have told me to do had I pulled you out of you white-tie affair in the Victorian?" I inquired.

"I'd have told you to deal with the problem! What's wrong with you? Don't you know that already?!?" Jack fumed a bit.

I nodded. "Exactly, and you'd likely have been irritated I'd taken you away from your important gathering, right?"

"Well..." Jack seemed to be disarmed for a moment, but a moment only. "NO! I'm the director, it's my responsibility to be informed of situations and delegate authority as necessary!"

I had to stifle a laugh and the corners of my mouth turned up a bit as it sounded like something straight out of some managerial conference, video, or handbook. "Does that include the weekends, which you've left specific orders not to be disturbed unless something is going terribly wrong?" I inquired.

"THAT'S DIFFERENT!" Jack screamed. "Weekends are MY time away from this nutfarm! Don't EVER disturb me at night or on the weekends unless some animal is on the loose, some building catches fire, or something explodes!"

"Would that include workers exploding on you, Jack?" I asked, somewhat smugly.

"Those fucking peons wouldn't know how to wipe their asses if I didn't tell them how!" Jack was back to full bluster, but now I was having fun.

"Oh? Does that include Vic and Chet's crews?" I asked.

"Those fucking bastards! They think they own the place! Almost as much as you do!" Jack fumed.

"Well, they sort of do, Jack. And I know you know that too. If either of them walked off the job, you'd be up shit creek, not just without a paddle, but without the whole canoe!" I said with certianty. This pissed off Jack even more.

"I'd fire those two assholes in a second if I had someone to replace them!" Jack fumed.

"Well, good thing you don't, or you'd really be stuck." I said as I moved towards the door.

"Where the hell are you going?" Jack demanded.

"Well, I figured we were done since you were through ranting about me." I shrugged.

"I want you to apologize!" Jack shouted.

I looked completely confused. "Apologize for what?" I asked, genuinely.

"For usurping your authority and making a fool of me in front of the board members that came out here tonight!" Jack ranted.

"How did I make a fool of you?" I inquired, genuinely curious now.

"By making me leave the party and..." Jack stopped himself. "It doesn't matter! Apologize or be fired for insubordination!"

I laughed. "Jack, don't you think it'd be sort of silly putting me up on charges of insubordination just because I wouldn't apologize to you? Especially for something I didn't do?"

Jack got up close to my face. "APOLOGIZE NOW! Or I'll call security and have you kicked off the property this instant!" Jack picked up a nearby telephone receiver.

"Jack, it's past your bedtime it seems. And you've been drinking... probably heavily from the smell of it. Put the phone down, have someone drive you home, and get some sleep," I recommended.

"APOLOGIZE NOW!" Jack screamed, the veins on his head starting to throb a bit as his face was red as an apple.

"Jack, that's the internal phone. It goes to the switchboard over there." I pointed. "Put the phone down, calm down, and just go home, ok?"

Jack slammed the receiver down and pinched his hand hard in the process. This made him even more livid. "Get out! Get out!" he pointed to the door and shouted.

"As you wish, Mr. Director." I smiled and let myself out of the office, shutting the door behind me. As I walked the short length of hall to my door I could hear Jack in the office there... he was either stomping about or doing something. It made me smile a bit thinking of him as a small child throwing a temper tantrum in there because he didn't get his way.

I was chuckling at that thought as I let myself into my office, the door having been unlocked for most of the evening. As I shut it behind me the first thing I noticed was the cushion to the office chairs were gone. As I took another step in, I could see why. Mr. Stoddard was sitting on the floor on one of the cushions, his back against the far wall as he held the three little cubs in his lap. Julie was on the other and Cleo was chest-laying, watching her young ones with the old man as they just slept there.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Stoddard. I didn't know you were still here." I smiled as I came in.

"That's quite alright, Jim. May I call you Jim? I hadn't planned on staying this long but... these cats of yours... they're just so.... captivating." The old man's hat was on the toilet seat, his walking-stick cane lay alongside what I could only presume was his bad leg. His coat was folded and laying atop the sink countertop as he enjoyed the little ones snoozing on him.

"Yes... feel free to call me Jim, Mr. Stoddard." I smiled and sat down in my desk chair, then scooted it over into the doorframe.

"Just call me Ed, Jim. Though I appreciate the respect you've shown me tonight, even though you didn't know me. And.... I appreciate the respect you showed Mr. Bennin, too." The old man smiled with a twinkle in his eye.

"I suppose you heard all that." I chuckled softly as I leaned back a bit in my chair.

"Even at my age, it'd be hard not to hear it, young man. I doubt I'd have been as charitable as you were to Mr. Bennin were I in your shoes. But then again, I'm so used to being in high positions that I'd wager it's affected me over the years." The old man rested one hand on the little furry sausages laying along one pantsleg. He sighed. "It's been years since I've had little... well, young ones of any kind around. My children grew years ago. The dogs I had while they were young grew, aged, and passed on. These days my wife is a bit too much on keeping up appearances to have any kind of animals around "messing up the house", as she says." He smiled, then looked up at me. "Thank you, Jim. This has been a very unusual evening, but it's been one I will never forget, just like what you did for my grandson Justin."

I chuckled. "This... this isn't anything, Ed. This is but a little snippet of a world that we're losing sight of more every day." I sighed. "Care for a drink, sir? I'm afraid I don't have anything too very good, but... I have a bit of apple brandy if you'd like."

The old man looked up, surprised. "Apple brandy? I haven't heard of anyone actually having that since Prohibition!" His smile spoke volumes.

I nodded. "I know. My grandfather used to make some in his orchard shed. Glass bottles corked and left in the sun for a time. By the time it pops the cork, it's ready. That's part of how he made it through the depression." I chuckled and fished an unlabeled bottle out of the bottom right drawer of my desk. I got out two more Dixie cups. "Hope my fine crystal doesn't offend your palette..." I winked. "Julie, would you like some?" I asked.

Though her back was turned to me from how she was sitting, her answer was clear. "Yes, dear, if you don't mind."

I poured a bit into a third cup and handed it to her. She took a sip and Ed did as well.

"Oh, my..." the old man chuckled. "Haven't tasted something like this in years...." he smiled broadly. "I'd bet you made this yourself, didn't you?"

I nodded. "Carrying on the tradition of tinkering and other things." I smiled and sipped some of my own.

"Boy, this stuff takes me back..." Mr. Stoddard got a wistful look, then his wrinkled brow wrinkled more. "If you don't mind my asking... what did you mean by "losing sight of"?"

I smiled. "Ed... what you're doing right now is so illegal that I'd never be able to keep any kind of animal again if the authorities found out."

The old man's face wrinkled more. "What do you mean? I'm just sitting here with cubs on my lap."

I nodded. "Well, that part of things is alright. The fact that their mother is right next to you in an unrestrained manner IS the problem. It's been illegal since the Captive Wildlife Safety Act was passed a few years ago. The only "out" I have with it is that I know you. But even that's on shaky ground."

Mr. Stoddard looked surprised. "You mean, what my grandson did.... broke some law beyond zoo policy?"

I pondered that for a moment. "Yes and no. If he was just some young boy, it would have been a clear violation. His father being a member of the zoo, and you being a board member muddies that a little bit... just enough to squeak through, legally speaking. It's a strained argument, but fortunately one we don't have to make."

Mr. Stoddard tilted his head. "What do you mean, an argument we don't have to make?"

"The inident has already been reported, and after I explained the details to our inspector, he marked the complaint as unfounded after a cursory investigation. The investigation primarily being giving me a phone call and asking what exactly occurred. Pete Johnson is our inspector and he's a good man about it. Reasonable strictness where necessary but flexible enough to not be a pencil-neck." I smiled.

"Oh... well that makes sense." Mr. Stoddard said as he sipped more on the brandy. "But that still doesn't answer why others can't do the same as you just did here and with Justin."

"Well... that gets a little complicated." I took a sip and sighed. "For places like the zoo here, the bad press of someone suing the zoo is a deterrent. That isn't so with private owners, and they constitute the majority of people that do let others be in contact with their animals under visitor/friendship type exemption. But the flipside is that those who are terribly liability-conscious let that rule them to the degree that basically they become hermits. No one can visit, no one can do anything more than look because they're worried about what MIGHT happen. Much like how lawmakers these days try to be proactive and prevent problems they think MIGHT occur rather than dealing with problems that ARE there, able to be solved. That begets laws like the Captive Wildlife Safety Act which basically solves a non-problem by creating a whole host of others in its wake."

The old gent nodded. "I see. So... in other words, people like you are a dying breed."

I chuckled and nodded. "That's.... a very complex concept. I dabble in so much and have knowledge in so many subject areas that... I can't really say. But, yes, people willing to take the chance and let someone interact with their cats is indeed diminishing ... monthly, if not daily. Right now they're trying to prohibit big cats in anything but AZA zoos... so even places like our zoo wouldn't be able to replace their animals as they die off, and they'd be prohibited from breeding more themselves. But... that's Washington's shortsightedness for you. Fix a problem that doesn't even exist in the first place and gain support of people who don't know any better."

The old man swallowed hard and looked down. "I've seen a lot of things over the years. Many things that I wish I'd never seen during the War, during the Depression. But to see animals like these vanish from zoos, circuses... and from the lives of people like yourself and your young lady here..." He just shook his head in dismay. "Seems that would be the biggest abomination against all I've fought for in defending our nation and our freedoms."

I smiled. "Well, at least your grandson got to experience a bit of it, and others will too, most likely. Though... if private ownership does fall, that's extinguishing the last best hope of all big cat species, and probably wolves, too, even though they're a bit more adaptable."

"Isn't there anything that can be done?" the old man looked up, his face inquiring and hopeful.

I chuckled. "Writing the politicians in Washington... getting others involved... just good old-fashioned "preaching the good word" kind of stuff, that's about it. That and hope enough people listen to make a difference. It's a shame too many people don't have the first clue about what it is to have animals as pets, because they grew up in cities in apartments and likely didn't have any as a child to learn what a joy they can be to one's life. That, and people are inherently afraid of things they're unfamiliar with..." I laughed. "You should see the look on some visitors' faces when I explain the risk they took by entering our gates after purchasing their tickets. They never thought about it that way, but then they realize that the risk is indeed minimal - way less than the risk they took getting here. It's something interesting to watch that realization dawn on those who manage to understand it."

The old man laughed. "I can well imagine. Kind of like during the war when you didn't realize just how close you came to getting sent home in a box until after you came out the other side."

I smiled. "I can only guess at that, sir, as I've never been in the military. But... from the stories of those I've known who were there in combat, I can well imagine it."

Mr. Stoddard looked curiously at me. "You've never served? Then how did you learn... " he thumbpointed back towards Jack's office "... how to deal with a brainless C.O. in such a sound manner?"

I chuckled. "Years of dealing with all sorts of schmuck bosses... years and years and years. That and the general public sometimes isn't much better when you're in a service occupation." I smiled.

The old man laughed. "I guess I've been financially independent too long that I've forgotten how nasty people can be when they get to thinking too much of themselves."

I shrugged. "That happens. I've been through so many jobs, so many bosses, so many situations that... I've just learned how to deal with humanity and it comes as second nature. Sometimes when I tell people that animals are so much easier to understand than people, they look like I'm crazy. But then when I explain the differences in logic and demeanor, they usually come to the same conclusion."

"Well, from the looks of it, you do quite well at handling both," Ed said as he started putting the cubs back along Cleo's belly. "But... I think it's time I headed back home before my wife decides she wants new draperies, and the zoo has to pay my limo driver overtime. Would you mind helping me up, though?"

I set down my cup and took the couple steps over to where Mr. Stoddard sat and braced my klodhopper work boots against the toes of his polished leather dress shoes, then extended my hands towards him. To his credit, Mr. Stoddard knew to grip at my wrists and I gripped his, levering him up to his feet once again. Julie held up his walking-stick cane as I let him go once he was on his feet.

"Thank you, young lady. And you to Jim. You take care of this beautiful lioness and her little ones, now." Mr. Stoddard patted my shoulder. "And... don't worry about Jack's bluster. He'll explode one of these days, or implode on himself. I've seen it, too. And at the very least, you have another supporter in your corner on the board. After hearing what I overheard from in that other office... I can tell you're a stand-up gent that's not in it just for himself. We could use a lot more like you around here."

I chuckled. "I've been making sure we've been getting them as often as we can, sir. That's part of why the staff works so well, but also part of why Jack dislikes me so much. The staffers here... well, most of them anyway, are loyal to me, and not as loyal to him, even though I'd never take advantage of that situation for my personal gain."

Mr. Stoddard laughed. "Well, if I didn't know better I'd say we've got a coup d'etat brewing. But from what you told me earlier, I don't think Jack has as much to worry about from you as he does from his own fool mouth."

I helped the old gent with his coat. "Well... like I told Andy, don't stretch your neck out for me unnecessarily. I do still have an ace up my sleeve, and it involves the president of the corporation. But you didn't hear that from me."

"The president, eh? I've never met him nor seen him. He's never at any of the meetings, and only once in awhile does Chairman Trevino come to us with any sort of statement from him as to direction or reversing our decisions. So you say you know him?" Ed asked in genuine curiosity.

"Sir... I have sort of a saying I use around here. "Ask me no questions, I'll tell you no lies...." It's part of a Ray Bradbury script from years ago. If need be, you'll find out just what's going on. If not, there's no need to concern yourself with it in the slightest. But to answer your question directly, no, I didn't say I knew the president of the corporation." I smiled kindly.

"Oh, well... was just kind of curious to know what sort of a man he is and all. I'd imagine he must be awful busy to never attend meetings. Either that or he doesn't care about the place beyond its tax write-off purposes." Mr. Stoddard shuffled his coat about and headed for the door as Julie handed him his hat.

"I'd imagine you'd find him quite pleasant, and it may be a combination of both not caring for the bickering of meetings in combination with some schedule or somesuch," I offered in suggestion.

"Good point... our meetings usually are much to-do about nothing. Kind of like my wife's shopping trips." The gent rolled his eyes a bit. "Well, thank you, Jim, and you... " he smiled. "I'm sorry, miss, but I've forgotten your name."

"Julie. Julie Purcell." Julie smiled as she adjusted the old man's tie.

"Thank you, Julie. Thank you both for a wonderful evening, and I hope you have a good evening as well." The old gentleman nodded and made his way slowly down the hall. I made sure to leave the door ajar a bit to hear if he had trouble on the stairs, but apparently that wasn't necessary.

"I have to go check on Zack again as it's close to closing. Would you mind staying here a bit longer?" I asked Julie.

She gave me a hug and kiss. "I don't mind at all, dear. Though, to be honest, I'll be glad when today is over."

I smiled. "Well, we'll see. It certainly has been an odd evening. But with Cleo having the cubs, I don't think we'll be having any of the other cats in the house for awhile. Don't want her to get too defensive, you know."

* * * * *

On my way over to the cathouse, I thought about just where I should put Cleo and the cubs. If it were summer, I'd let them have the space under the mudroom sink, but with the weather getting colder, that wouldn't be any place for little cubs to be as they could get chilled if we had a sudden temperature drop. The kitchen would be another idea, but that would pose some issues as far as getting the other cats in and out except for Peaches who can get in through the door to her room. My room would be alright, but for the fact that it's not so easy to clean. The playroom would be good, too, more or less. The bathroom would be ideal if it were larger, but as it stands it wouldn't be right because Cleo would take up most of the floorspace, and as the cubs grew they'd be wanting more space, too. The livingroom would be out because of any visitors I might have, and there was no way to block it off to let Peaches have some house privileges. As I reached the doors to the cathouse, I figured I'd let Cleo choose between my room and the playroom upstairs. Since Peaches didn't really tend to go upstairs unless bidden, it wouldn't be so much of an issue to gate off the staircase or one of the doors to whichever room she chose, and being on the second floor it'd be out of sight of any guests that might show up uninvited.

I opened the doors and the place was nearly cleared out, since it was nearly closing time, and way past normal closing time. Zack was on the main floor talking with some of the guests and the cats were mostly flopped out in their cages, curious why all the lights were still on. The few guests filtered out and that left just Zack and me when the announcement came that the zoo was closing for the night, and thanking everyone for sharing their evening with us.

"Well, so how was your first day on the job as subsitute keeper?" I asked him.

"You... sure have to deal with a lot of different kinds of people, don't you?" Zack asked as I began locking up and shut down most of the lights in the building.

I nodded. "Yep, and it's not just as being a zookeeper. That's how things are with anyone that deals with the general public. The one thing about dealing with the public is that you usually don't ever see them again. When dealing with your boss or co-workers, that's when things get a bit more complicated as far as how to deal with the more... annoying or abrasive types of people."

We walked out and I locked up the main doors, then strode along the paths and as we hit the courtyard, Vic or one of his crew must have been shutting off the light strings radiating from the clock tower, one by one, and the merc-vapor lights were warming up and coming on to keep some degree of illumination around the complex.

"Well, you seem to have done rather well with giving the talks and answering folks' questions, so that's a good thing. It shows you've been paying attention to what I've been saying when you've been around me, and that you've come to realize it's the truth, unless you're faking things really well." I smiled

Zack laughed. "No... While I don't agree with everything you've told me, you've shown me that a lot of things are indeed true, or at least make a lot of sense how you've described them. So... I don't know where I stand about that sort of thing, then."

"It means you're a step ahead of a lot of people who don't want to be wrong. And that's something important no matter what you work at." I smiled.

"Why did you have to go, earlier? And who is Cleo?" Zack asked, curious as we passed the clock tower.

"Cleo is my lioness and she was starting labor for having cubs. It's her first litter so it was important someone be there in case something went wrong." I smiled. "Sometimes first-time mothers don't know what to do with cubs, but she did everything she needed to do to take care of them."

"You mean you actually own lions yourself?" Zack asked, astonished.

I nodded. "Three lions, two ligers, a tigress and a female cougar, yes."

"So... you just have them like... at your house?" he was curious.

"That's pretty much it, yes. But not like how you'd have a dog or cat as a housepet. My cats only have house privileges - they come inside only under supervision - with the exception of Cleo. She's a bit unusual in behavior because she has some brain damage, so she doesn't react like most other cats and is far more passive most of the time than Pickles or Jake or... any of the other cats I've ever worked with." I answered as we came to the office stairs. We sat down on one of the benches to continue chatting.

"Wow... that's like... so cool!" Zack smiled.

"Well, I don't have them because it's "cool" or to bolster others' opinion of me, like some people do. Some people have pet big cats for the same reasons they have a flashy car or tricked-out truck or SUV. Or body art or piercings." I chuckled and Zack rubbed his pierced brow.

"Well, I guess it kinda makes sense when you say it like that." Zack smiled.

"Yeah, there's lots of ways people do things to say "look at me, I'm someone important!" Some do it with the way they dress, with what they drive, with how they act, or what they own or claim to own." I smiled.

"So... what'd you do? Didja go home to take care of your lion?" Zack asked.

I shook my head. "She's here. I knew she was getting close to having her cubs so I've been bringing her to work with me."

"You mean... she's... around here someplace?" Zack asked, curious.

I nodded. "Yep, up in my office."

"Can I see her?" Zack asked.

I scrunched my face up a bit. He was being a good student, and Cleo was friendly. However... it was sort of a violation of regulations, it was clearly a violation of zoo policy, Jack was already pissed off at me, Zack could still be an AR spy, and... it was getting late. "Eh... not tonight, Zack. There's a lot of reasons but the biggest is that female animals can be really really defensive of their cubs, and she doesn't already know you. That and the zoo director is already upset at me because of things going on tonight, and I'd rather not get you any more involved in that than you currently are."

"Well, can I come over to your house sometime, Mr. Peters? Maybe?" Zack looked hopeful.

I chuckled and smiled. "Now that's more practical... and is actually possible. The number you put on your application is your parents' home phone number?"

Zack shook his head and held up a flip-phone. "My own cellphone. Mom and dad pay for it, but it's my own."

I smiled. "Ok... well, we'll see what happens in the near future. I don't really want to make any firm plans because there's other issues involved beyond just you coming out for a cookout or whatever."

"Oh." Zack blinked and thought about things for a moment. "I guess that kinda makes sense. I'm just kinda curious to see lions or whatever as pets because I've only seen the big cats here, and I don't really know anyone that has them as pets." He laughed a bit. "Then again, given how I used to act towards people like you, I can see why I don't know anyone like that. You're really the first person that tried to set me straight in a way that made sense instead of just like... insulting what figured I knew or whatever."

I chuckled. "Hey, you bothered to listen, too, you know. You could have just ignored me like Mr. Connors did. Let all that good information fly in one ear and out the other." I yawned and then groaned. "Gah... I should probably get home. I'm usually heading for bed right about now."

"Are you going to be here tomorrow, Mr. Peters?" Zack asked.

"I don't know, Zack. I don't have reguarly-scheduled days off, so I might just take one of my "weekend" days to make sure Cleo's good with her cubs and all. We'll just have to see." I shrugged and Zack stood up.

"Well, thank you for everything, Mr. Peters." Zack proffered his hand.

I smiled and shook it. "And thank you for helping out tonight, Zack. I'll see about having you help out more around here... if I don't get fired first."

Zack looked at me curiously. "Why would you get fired?"

I smiled. "It's a long story, Zack, and it'll have to wait for another time. See you around."

Zack headed for the gate and waved. "Bye, Mr. Peters."

"Goodbye, Zack." I waved back as out the gate he headed. Then I turned and walked up the stairs to my office. It was starting to get a little breezy outside so I grabbed my jacket off the hook when I got inside.

"So, we all ready to go?" I asked Julie, who had apparently gotten her own coat sometime when I was out.

"I am, but I don't know what to do about the little ones..." Julie looked concerned.

I looked to Cleo. "Is it alright if I take your cubs down to the car, Cleo?" I asked. She looked at her cubs for a moment, who were just snuggled up to her for warmth, then back to me. She then nodded.

"Don't worry, I'll take good care of them." I thought for a moment of just how I was going to do things.

"Julie, here's my car keys, mind going down and unlocking the car? I'm sure Jack's gone... he probably stomped out while Mr. Stoddard was chatting with us. I'll manage Cleo and the cubs." I smiled.

"Ok, dear. Want me to start it, too? To get it warmed up?" Julie asked.

"That'd be good if you could do that, too. Just be careful not to knock it into gear or anything. Jack's given me enough of a headache for today." I smiled meekly and Julie headed out the door. I pondered just how to do it all, then I got an idea. I undid my belt and stuffed the waist of my jacket into my pants some, then re-cinched my belt so it was tight. I zipped up my jacket to about chest-level and then knelt down. Cleo stood up and her cubs started squirming some to bunch together for warmth. One by one they got tucked into the front of my jacket as though it were a marsupial's pouch, until all three little squirmers were snuggled up to my belly, as warm as I could manage to keep them. "Come on, Cleo, time to head home."

Cleo padded before me as I shut off the lights and locked my office door behind me. I pondered whether I was going to bring them all back tomorrow with me to work, and have Jack irritated at me yet another day, or just stay home with them. I sighed and looked up to the full moon shining brightly in the clear sky as Cleo and I exited the building and went to my Blazer.

Julie had the engine running, and apparently long enough for the heater to be putting out a good deal of warmth. I opened my door and tipped the driver's seat forward for Cleo to heft herself up into the back, which she did without too much effort. I then tipped the seat back and sat down.

"Where are the cubs?" Julie asked. I unzipped my jacket some after I shut the door and the little furry sausages were snuggled up close. I looked behind me and Cleo was laying out on her side, ready to receive them again. I gave it a little thought. "Cleo, is it ok if Julie holds your cubs while we go home? I don't want anything to happen to them because the car will be moving."

Cleo looked up and moved to a chest-laying position before nodding some. I suppose I could have tipped the seat down so she had a big flat surface to lay out on with the cubs, but I hadn't. Julie buttoned her coat and tucked the cubs in close to her just as I had, and off we headed for home. I couldn't help but smile as the moon illuminated the darkened streets in a sort of twilight, and even though the day's events were unusual and somewhat disconcerting - especially Jack's newfound super-hatred of me - I couldn't help but feel serenely satisfied and... tired but happy.

It was kind of interesting seeing a full moon on Halloween, but little did I know it was to herald something totally unusual, and clearly unexpected. So unexpected, in fact, that I wouldn't have believed it happened at all but for the fact it happened to me. All Hallowed Eve would be quite memorable from that night forward, and it'd be a night I'd never forget as long as I live.