I yowled out in panic as I heard the words coming out of her throat, but it was too late.
"I wish I knew how you were feeling!" Karyn said. The world rippled and twisted and the rock dropped down onto the floor.
Karyn vanished, but suddenly there was a second large cage beside mine in the room, with another female leopard. I felt my nostrils flare as I caught her scent, and understood her own readiness. She looked at me in panic and yowled in fear.
"Nice going!" I said, or rather snarled and growled at her, then turned to look at the rock sitting in the middle of the room and out of reach. I was trying to figure out just want to do to get it when the doors to the room opened again and two more zoo employees wheeled in another cage with a different male leopard. One wasn't paying attention to the ground and kicked the rock in passing, sending it skittering over the floor to a new position. He glanced around at the sound, curious, but quickly turned his attention back to the excited male as they wheeled the cage up to Karyn's cage. Karyn was crouched in a corner, growling in fear.
This was just wonderful, I thought, pacing in my own cage and eyeing the rock's new location. Now we're both going to have kittens! What next?
