Spending winter in warm Egypt instead of cold Lyre certainly had a lot more appeal to Xochitl. However, that wasn't the only reason she had wanted to go to New Zerzura. Ever since she was uplifted and her pictures have appeared on the internet, people have been constantly saying she looked like a female Anubis. Though that was mostly coincidence as the Xolo dog was first bred in South America, completely separately from Egypt. Even so, Xochi had found the comparison favorable to her and she wanted to learn more about jackals. And where better than with the Guards of Anubis?
The Guards of Anubis (or the Anubian Guards) were New Zerzura's counterpart of the Rhino Guard in Lyre and Maelewano. The desert didn't really suit rhinos very well, with very few places to cool off and their heavy bodies easily sinking into the sand. So jackals were the primary form of security here. Not only were they as well-suited for the job as wolves are in Lyre's police department, but jackals fit very well with the ancient Egyptian theme of New Zerzura. Especially since the Guards dyed their fur black in homage to their 'patron god'.
When Xochitl went to the Anubian Guards' headquarters, she was greeted courteously though she could tell the jackals found her fascinating. One of the more junior Guards, a fellow by the name of Abbas, was assigned to be Xochi's guide and answer her questions. Like the other Guards, Abbas was an impressive specimen of a jackal Animalian. His converted canine body had a heavyweight build, though he was only a head taller than Xochi. Instead of the ceremonial uniform which was designed like ancient Egyptian garb, Abbas was wearing a modified version of the Egyptian army uniform.
Xochi had plenty of questions about the Anubian Guards, starting with their species. "So are you actually jackals or something close to them?" she asked.
"Well, there has been some debate about that," said Abbas, "A recent genetic study has shown that several subspecies of the golden jackal, including the Egyptian jackal, are actually a variety of wolf. Though they haven't been formally reclassified as wolves yet."
"So you're actually wolves?" asked Xochi.
"At the very least, closely related to them," said Abbas.
"Close enough to breed with dogs?" asked Xochi, her tone only partially teasing.
"Er, jackals are already capable of interbreeding with dogs," said Abbas, a little flustered, "Though those offspring are more like coydogs in behavior. But the Sulimov dog are capable of being trained as sniffer dogs for airport security."
"Sulimov doesn't sound Egyptian," said Xochi.
"It's not. The Russians are the ones breeding them," said Abbas.
"Russians? Really?" asked Xochi. Abbas nodded. "Huh, I wonder why the Egyptians didn't think of that first."
Abbas shrugged and said, "Who knows? Maybe they've got more of a bomb problem in Russian than here."
"I can believe that," said Xochi, "But I suppose you're more picky about who you'd want to be with. I think I heard somewhere that dogs are considered unclean by Muslims."
"That is generally true, though that may depend on the particular type of Muslim," said Abbas, "But still, working in New Zerzura, let along joining the Guards of Anubis, requires a more...flexible interpretation of the Quran."
"How do Animalians fit in with Islamic teachings?" asked Xochi.
"That's above my level to really tell you how it works," said Abbas, "But the simplest version is that we're all seen as human beings, even those who were animals."
"Well, that's a relief," said Xochi. She rather liked Abbas, and not just because he was so big and handsome. He seemed to have a good sense of duty and a better understanding of the changing world than some people. But Xochi wasn't going to press her advances just yet. Even in a country with less strict customs, there were some things that couldn't be done as casually as in the United States. Anyways, Xochitl wanted to know Abbas better before seriously considering him for bond-mate material.