As she circled around it, a piercing hoot-hoot made her ears stand up; the fierce caterwaul that followed brought her to a standstill, tail bushing out and back arching. Tepunia’s mind-speech called to Shvaart again and again but she heard nothing in return. Continue reading A New ZooCatron – Chapter Sixteen: The Worst Case Scenario
Loud chattering erupted when Tepunia and Shvaart landed on the limb of a tree far from their starting point. On a branch overhead sat a plump, furry creature with a bushy tail as long as its body. It raced back … Continue reading A New ZooCatron – Chapter Fifteen: Squirrely
Again “my BROTHER?” Tepunia twitched with annoyance. She was sure with all this attention Shvaart was going to forget the dangers they faced. “Lieutenant, exit the pail. Clean yourself. Act with dignity despite being, well, out of uniform.” Continue reading A New ZooCatron – Chapter Thirteen: Indecision
Having read Ken Liu’s PAPER MENAGERIE, a collection of his short stories, plus his bio and credits, I felt I’d had the good fortune to ‘stumble’ upon an excellent writer and translator whose work gave me a new perspective on … Continue reading INVISIBLE PLANETS – Ken Liu, editor and translator
With a mix of disgust and shame, Tepunia saw that every last bit of his suit was gone. He was altogether naked! Continue reading A New ZooCatron – Chapter Twelve: The Hayloft
Tepunia felt nervous flutterbugs inside her belly. She sniffed the door’s threshold, then stepped back and waited for the sound of Shvaart’s reaction. Who knew what else was inside that big, dark place? Continue reading A New ZooCatron – Chapter Ten: Was It the Kibble?
Tepunia ducked her head as claws raked across her shoulder. She leaped away from the hole and flattened her ears. A loud, moaning wail gurgled from her throat—a wail she didn’t know was in her. Shvaart was standing a tail’s … Continue reading A New ZooCatron – Chapter Nine: Into the Light
“Where is the kahk? I was sure it was only two tail lengths ahead of us,” whispered Tepunia. “I…to track it,” answered Shvaart, his voice muted by annoying static. He drifted to the ground and searched the dusty, gray dirt. … Continue reading A New ZooCatron – Chapter Eight
On the third orbit pass, Tepunia ordered Shvaart to check the landing gear while she prepared their protective suits and visibility shields. After securing all their supplies and giving the suits a final pat check, she engaged the scanner and … Continue reading A New ZooCatron – Chapter Seven
Tepunia reassured herself that ever practical and observant Ensign Prrrup would keep the ZooCatron Quest steady as it orbited the planet. She licked her flank to calm a nervous twitch. All this stress was thinning her fur; little dust kittens … Continue reading A New ZooCatron – Chapter Six
