Page 21 of True Calling
“Oh god.” Berk said, glancing at the table, then back to Garth.
Garth tossed his head back, laughing... hard. It was one of those laughs straight from the soul, kind of laughs and it felt wonderful!
Berk smiled and then noticed the tight bulge in Garth’s pants. “Oh... you... I...”
Garth once again cupped his mate’s cheeks and gave Berk a light kiss, “I’m fine. That was for you, and trust me, I got my own pleasure from doing it. My dragon is purring from the taste of our mate.”
“But... that can’t be... I mean... well, you have to be...” Berk stammered.
Smiling, Garth said, “I’m good.”
“I hope you guys are dressed, because I found something, and it can’t wait.” Bo said, from just outside the kitchen entrance.
Giving Berk one more kiss, Garth called out, “It’s all good, Bo. You can come in.”
Bo walked in and the others were right behind his heels. From the looks on their faces, whatever they found wasn’t good. “What is it.”
“My feelers got back with me and we have a problem.” Bo said tightly.
Berk went to the fridge and pulled out a platter with cutlets and cheese as well as grapes... both red and green, along with carrot sticks, celery with pink stuff inside, as well as what smelled like peanut butter, some black and green olives, and cherry tomatoes. He placed them on the table, “Here, you guys can snack while you talk.”
“Oh man, I really do love having a chef in the house.” Micah said with a smile, grabbing at a rolled-up piece of ham.
The others quickly joined Micah at the table, picking up a plate Berk had just set down and started filling them.
Tossing a black olive into his mouth, Micah chewed, swallowed, then asked, “What’d they find out?”
“It’s a complete shifter zoo.” Bo answered.
“And when Bo says a complete shifter zoo, he means everyone. Every animal, worker, and even the owner.” Chance stated angrily.
“His name’s Carl Deaven. He’s a cat shifter of some kind. It has to be a rare breed, because anyone that’s been close to him can tell he’s a shifter, but not what kind. We know things are bad there, but my guy can’t get any of them to talk. Whatever it is has to be pretty bad, because he caught a tail when he left, and they tried to run him off the road. Damn near succeeded too. The guy was lucky to come across a cop. He got a ticket for speeding, but the guy trying to kill him kept going. My guy said he parked the car on an off road and flew out of there.” Bo explained.
Berk was suddenly next to Garth, asking, “Did you say Carl Deaven? As in the owner of Meridian Zoo?”
Everyone looked at Berk in surprise. Garth asking, “You know him?”
Nodding, Berk said, “He’s trying to convince my dad to open a restaurant at his zoo. We went there before I came here to check the place out. I wasn’t a fan of the man I admit, but the zoo was pretty cool.”
“You would think that.” Micah said in disdain.
Shaking his head, “I understand you might not like zoos, Micah, but like with anything there are good and bad. Most of the zoos nowadays are seriously inspected. Abuse is not tolerated.”
“There is nothing good about a zoo. Animals are meant to be in the wild, not locked up in some ten-by-ten cages...” Micah hissed, then tugged his mate closer. “...or ridden like a fucking horse.”
Nodding, Berk said, “You’re right. However, there are some animals that like being petted and even ridden. They’re made for it. Horses are one, but then there are donkeys. They use those to travel along the Grand Canyon and some people prefer them over a horse. My point is not to argue as much as explain my point of view.”
Micah gave Berk a look that yelled, “Bullshit,” ...but he didn’t interrupt as Berk continued. “Nowadays most animals in zoos or wildlife reserves are there because they can’t be in the wild. Do you know how many times raids are done and they find people are keeping as pets, lions, bears, alligators, racoons, monkeys and so many other animals meant for the wild? Too many. People think it’s cool to get a tiger cub and raise it like they would a tabby cat. The problem is that cub grows up to be an adult, and suddenly, they aren’t so cute to them anymore and they are caged and barely kept alive. It’s sad, but it happens. The problem is, the wild animal can’t be in the wild anymore after that, because they’ve become too domesticated. They don’t know how to hunt for themselves, or survive the cold... basic shit they would learn as babies. So, they take them to a wildlife preserve or a zoo. That animal is cared for and they use those opportunities to teach people why they aren’t meant for pets and the harm they do to the animal by trying to make a wild animal a domesticated one. They use these same locations to help bring animals back from possible extinction... Arabian Oryx, California Condor, Golden Lion Tamarin, Amur Leopards, and too many more to name. So, while it sucks that they have to be in zoos, the point is that they can and do serve a purpose if run correctly.”
“Yeah, well what about those that aren’t run correctly? What about the ones that give you an Olympic-size swimming pool and call that a home for dolphins or whales? How about when you only get fed if you perform for the audience? Or when they saddle a turtle like a fucking horse and let kids ride them around, or...”
“Baby, calm down. Come back to the present. Come back to me.” Chance said as he snuggled into Micah and kissed his neck and chest.
Micah calmed, but Garth knew that the man was still stressed by the conversation. Wanting to take everyone’s mind off the fact that they were talking about the good and bad points of zoos, Garth asked, “What do you mean you weren’t a fan of the man? Did he do something?”
Shrugging, Berk said, “He just doesn’t like taking no for an answer. He kept hinting at wanting to get to know me better and I wasn’t interested in the least. He would do little things like brush a finger along my arm, invade my personal space... you know things like that. I finally had to make an excuse to get out of there and walked the zoo until he and my dad finished talking.”
“And you didn’t think the animals looked... hurt?” Linus quietly asked.