Natural Habitat Interviews 5: Ophelia, and The Ten Questions
James Lipton: We welcome now Ophelia Featherstone, Esq., whose anthropomorphic form is that of the _caniformia musteloidia mephitidae._ OPHELIA: You can say "skunk." There's nothing the least bit wrong with it. James Lipton: I suppose that I'm...
Trigger Effect
Jerry Bunting knew how to drive, although he'd never owned a car. Something about cars was vaguely unnatural in his mind, as the use of a car contravenes that law of nature which holds that the paws should be in contact with the ground when traveling....
The Kiss
"I still can't believe that I let you talk me into this." "C'mon, it'll be fun, and it's for a good cause." "Good intentions pave the road to Hell." "That's not even your old self talking." The bespectacled and well-dressed giraffe, forepaws...
The Laputan Factor 03
The hyena laughed gently. "Looks like you had your furniture rattled a little, tiger. Think you can sit up?" Carefully accepting the helping paws, the tiger moved into a sitting position on the hot sand, trying to check his flight suit for... His...
The Laputan Factor 02
The briefing was good, meaning short and to the point. Gorgonea Tertia was not exactly one of the top stars in everyone's constellation list, but there were some reports from that general region that might indicate some trouble for travelers going...
The Laputan Factor 01
Quote: **TOP SECRET - "PERSEUS" (EYES ONLY)** **PERSONNEL:** O'Connell, Night. _Profile:_ Programming genius, project head - revolutionary VR technology. _Location:_Vacation resort, downtime reward for exceptional work. _Status:_ Recovering from...
Moving and Maneuvering
"Does that still mean what it used to mean?" The great Leonberger, shifting an armful of flattened empty boxes to one side, pointed to the handle of the dorm room door, grinning broadly. The well-dressed wolverine to his side, carrying his own share...
No More Monday Memos
He stuck his snow-white muzzle through the open window of the passenger side of my van, blinked his crystalline blue eyes and hesitated. "You're human," he said. "I don't mean to be." I saw him wince. "I'm sorry; that was rude." "I've already...
Casualties
_It's off._ The thought - or, rather, the feeling - reverberated in Bobby Harris' head, even as the sound of the admittedly small crowd caromed off the walls of the stadium, penetrating to his cold ears through the thick polycarbonate shell of his...
Returning
The ride back to campus had largely been quiet. At first, nether Bobby nor Malcolm really wanted to say too much, since they'd been talking all weekend, to each other, to Mal's parents, to his brothers (Daniel had insisted on taking them to lunch...
Drawn Out
Eoin McCracken hadn't done any babysitting in quite a long time. His only younger sibling wasn't so far behind him in the birth order as to need much looking after, once both had passed puberty and gotten a reasonable sense of personal responsibility...
Because You Have Wings
He always asked for me. I told myself I never really knew why. For the most part, I'm just an old black bear who can do his job well, no one particularly memorable. I like to think that I give my clients something special, even if it's not a "happy...