Clara and Robbie out to have waited for the feedback for the latest Animalia Ambassadoria episode. However, they had another engagement that was more personal. Currently, the two of them were driving towards Horizons Lab. Officially, the two of them were to meet, greet, and thank the new volunteers for Project Phoenix for showing the rest of the country that Animalia could still be trusted and wasn't the amoral cesspool the close-minded hate mongers made it out to be. However, their reason for going to the lab was a lot more personal than that.
Unsurprisingly, foxes were a popular choice for those who wanted to join Animalia, not that there weren't other foxes who became uplifted when the virus was unleashed. There were plenty of vixens for Robbie to choose a mate from, however, he restrained himself. Animalia was still in a founding state and as Deputy Mayor, he had to focus on putting his own carnal desires aside and work on making sure Animalia could become a stable and lasting society. Though another reason he abstained was Clara. The two of them shared a very strong bond, even though they couldn't officially become mates. Robbie felt it would have been unfair to Clara for him to get himself a mate while Clara still had to work. A major problem for Clara was that men wanting to become big cats were more likely to pick African lion over mountain lion. Tigers, leopards, jaguars, panthers, and cheetahs were far more popular over the North American puma. The few cougars that were part of Animalia were women who mainly wanted to go with the other 'cougar' image.
While Clara maintained a mask of professionalism and prudence, Robbie was well-aware of the frustration that lurked beneath the surface. At night, when all of their mayoral duties were done for the day, it was not uncommon for Clara to invite Robbie to her bedroom. Robbie was hardly one to refuse. They both needed the sexual release, especially with the stress that leadership took on them. Of course, they were always careful to use protection with every session. The last thing Animalia needed was a scandal caused by their two leaders breaking one of the Edicts. However, things have gotten worse lately. Not only has the recent elections threatened to create a xenophobic country where Animalians would be persecuted openly, which was stressful enough on its own, but Clara's heat cycle had started. While Clara made sure to take her 'heat suppressants', Robbie couldn't be absolutely sure that Clara would one day give in to her mating urges and leave herself open to becoming pregnant. That's why, for everyone's sake, Robbie refused to have anymore sex with Clara until her heat cycle passed.
But, against all odds, there will be a male puma in Animalia and Clara was not about to wait and let any of the other cougars swipe him away. That was the main reason Robbie was driving as Clara's eagerness might make her go faster than what the speed limits permitted. Driving for Animalians wasn't hard, even ones who were originally animals, though the seats often had to be adjusted.
The drive seemed to stretch on and on for Clara, who was shaking her leg with anticipation. "So... are you ready for this?" asked Robbie.
"Yes, at least I think so," said Clara, "Finding a mate was so much easier before. I already had plenty of mates and borne cubs. But this is a completely new arrangement. I know the other Animalians have been able to adjust to this, but I was starting think that it would never come for me."
"Clara, you have nothing to worry about," said Robbie, "You're a kind, selfless, motherly being, you've always been one even before you could speak. If you weren't, you would have eaten me instead of taking me into your den when my mother disappeared."
Clara smiled and said, "Things have changed a lot since then. Once I was your substitute mother. Now, we're...what is that term that humans use for people who only have sex for recreational purposes?"
"I think the term you want to use is 'friends with benefits'," said Robbie.
"And you realize we can't be that once we've claimed our new mates," said Clara.
"I know," said Robbie, "But that doesn't mean we can't still be friends. That won't ever change."
"Of course not," said Clara, her leg shaking a little less now.
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At this current time, no one had yet been administrated their doses of the Animalia virus. Clara and Robbie were to meet the volunteers to give them an encouraging speech and to thank them for joining the project. But before that, they were to meet their prospective mates in person, just to make sure that they would indeed be a good match-up. After all, they will be a big part in giving them their doses.
Robbie was excited to meet Martha, though he tried to keep his enthusiasm in check. He hoped she had a kind personality and would be able to adjust quickly to being a vixen. He didn't really care if she had Type II diabetes or a lepten deficiency as the Animalia virus will easily cure her of both problems. Then again, Robbie didn't fully understand what those conditions meant...until he met her.
Martha was a woman that was very hard not to notice. Not because she was drop-dead sexy, in fact, quite the opposite. Robbie knew that humans came in all sorts of shapes and sizes, but he had never seen anyone as wide as Martha. She quite easily had the mass of at least two average women. She probably weighed more than Robbie himself and he was no lightweight after his second dose. Still, there was a friendly look in her eyes as well as a desperation for anything that would free her from the prison of her body.
"Well, Martha, it's certainly a delight to meet you," said Robbie, offering his hand.
"You must be Deputy Mayor Robert," said Martha, shaking Robbie's hand.
"Please, call me Robbie," said Robbie, "I'm glad you've decided to join Project Phoenix."
"Trust me, I need to join this project," said Martha, "It's my last chance."
"Well, your condition may be... sizeable. Er, sorry. But, it's not like it can't be fixed some other way, right?" asked Robbie.
Martha gave a sad smile and asked, "You don't know what a leptin deficiency means, do you?"
"Well...it means you don't have enough leptins?" guessed Robbie.
"Yes, and leptins are the hormones that tell your brain 'alright, that's enough food for me'. So I just keep eating and eating and don't feel full until I'm completely bloated," said Martha, "I've been overweight my entire life and no amount of diet and exercise ever help because I just can't control my appetite. And then the diabetes complicates things even more. If this project doesn't fix me, my body will start shutting down on me."
"Yes, that does sound concerning," said Robbie, "So, what makes you want to be a fox in particular?"
"Because I want to be something cute and sleek," said Martha, "I'm tired of people laughing and calling me names like 'Bertha' or 'Gertha' or telling me I look like a hippo or a whale." She paused before saying apologetically, "Oh, I don't mean any disrespect to Bennie or the other orcas."
"Well, I don't think they would particularly mind," said Robbie, "Though I think you ought to remember that they're not covered in blubber, but with muscle."
"I just hope that it can slim me down," said Martha, patting her very wide hips.
"I think your odds are good," said Robbie.
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Clara's choice of mate was quite the opposite of Robbie' choice. Richard was rather narrow for someone who used to be a soldier. The muscle he had built up during his service had collapsed on itself, leaving skin to be stretched over bones. His face was rather on the gaunt side and he had a somewhat haunted look to him.
Clara felt such pity for the poor man that she had wanted to scoop him up in a hug. But he probably still had some pride that he would resent be coddled like that. Besides, Clara's larger muscles might injure him. So instead, she said in a professional tone, "It is good to meet you, Richard."
Richard was able to pull up his face into a smile and said, "So, you're the Mayor of Animalia? I've seen you on TV and on the internet, but you look even better in purpose."
Clara resisted the urge to purr and said in a slightly teasing tone, "Are you trying to butter me up?"
"What more could I gain?" asked Richard, "You're already giving me the chance to turn my life around and help me rebuild. Will this virus thing will cure me of my addiction?"
"We aren't entirely sure," said Clara, "Addiction is a problem of the mind, isn't it?"
"If that were all it was, I'd have been able to throw it off," said Richard, "It's my body that craves painkillers, it depends on them. Just being off them too long starts me shaking."
"How did this happen?" asked Clara.
"Well, you heard that I was in the Iraq war, right?" asked Richard.
Clara nodded and said, "So was Bennie. He lost his legs because of an explosive."
"Yeah, I've seen that happen. Your friends are find one moment and suddenly pieces of them are flying everywhere," said Richard. He stopped and shuddered, the haunted look intensifying on his face. Clara put a hand on his shoulder out of concern and Richard was able to collect himself. "Well, something like that happened to me. I wasn't on top of the bomb or I would be a jigsaw puzzle. But I was close enough to be completely blasted off my feet and hurled into a solid stone wall. Broke both shoulder blades, fractured my limbs, it was a miracle my spine didn't snap. Suffice to say, I was in no condition to keep on duty. I had to spend months in the hospital as my bones mended and then a bit longer before I regained full control of my limbs. And I had to have a constant dosage of opioids to dull the pain. So when my body finally healed, I soon found that I couldn't stop taking more painkillers. I don't know if you've ever experienced withdrawls..."
"Can't say that I have," said Clara.
"And I hope you never will," said Richard, "To have your body turn completely against your wishes, every moment you have to resist just causes you agony, making you beg to give in."
Clara cleared her throat a bit and said, "I might have experienced something like that. So, why choose to be a mountain lion? Most men would rather be a true lion."
"Most likely because of my old high school team, the Pumas," said Richard, "Besides, pumas are so majestic and the males are a lot better at hunting on their own than lions. And can you imagine having a big mane to deal with? That must take hours to brush."
"And the other big cats don't interest you?" asked Clara.
"I'd be lying if I said I haven't thought about it, but I think I'd still prefer the puma," said Richard.
Clara allowed herself a smile. The puma will probably prefer him too.