Pigeons can't carry notebooks, but Bella took a slip of paper with a list. "My priorities are - owl, ideally something unremarkable and common like a barn owl; some kind of big cat but I'd prefer a jaguar because those actually live in the Americas and I don't want it overwhelmingly obvious that we're hitting up zoos; bird of prey, maybe a peregrine; something like a coyote if they have it - ah, good, they have those - and the snake if you can manage it. I'll take anything beyond that I can get hold of without doing extra transit morphs, though."

"I want a snow leopard instead of a jaguar if that's okay. And a wolf. And otherwise what Bella's getting except I don't care about the coyote."

<I know very little about Earth fauna,> says Ax, looking around via stalk eyes, once he's demorphed. <I will accept advice on the subject. I may also fit in somewhat fewer of these enclosures than you would.>

"Think I'd like a bigger owl than a barn... I'd like a wolf too, better than a cat, I think."

"Ooh, they have mountain goats," says Robin. "I want one. And they have lions, tigers, jaguars, and leopards - I want all four. I'm going to see if that morph mixing thing works between species that can interbreed."

<There are species here that can interbreed?>

"Yeah, some. Specifically the four living Panthera cats, that I just listed - almost all of them have been interbred with almost all the rest, and between lions and tigers I think they've gotten down to crosses of crosses. So I want to see if I can get a mix of all four with morphing."

<That would be a fascinating discovery if it worked.>

"Ooh, and a serval. Those are fascinating. They can jump with incredible precision."

"I'll have what she's having," says Ethan.

"These are mostly not particularly friendly critters - the goats might be safe, but I'd just as soon not risk it. So I guess we're moving as a group. Some of the enclosures it might be more efficient for me or Andi to hang back as elephants and put people in and take them out, if we're not getting those animals ourselves. Let's go see the cats first, everybody but Dad wants cats - and Dad, you should take a cat anyway, if there's one where it's easy to get in and out."

"Yep," says Charlie.

"And I want an otter," says Trouble, "if we can get those. Otters are cute." He checks the map. "Looks like they're on the way to the kitties. Otters first if they're convenient, then big cats, then we figure out where to go next?"

"Ooh, otters, I want an otter!" agrees Andi.

"Sounds like a plan."

Since they're so easily got, everybody else gets otters, too. Otters all round.

—but not for long.

"Oh, nicely done, I'm not even going to make snide remarks," murmurs Bella.

Ethan smirks triumphantly.

"Ooooh," breathes Andi when she follows suit, "she iiiiis."

Napping snow leopard softness for everybody!