"A zebra."
Circe smiled and tousled his hair. "Another prey animal? Are you ready to risk death by claw and fang again so quickly?"
Nodding, Derrick looked back towards the African plain. "Maybe it was the risk that made me feel so alive. I can't describe it, the feeling."
"Male or female?" Circle chuckled at his look. "You have been male and sired many offspring as a wildebeest. Do you want to see what it is like to carry and birth your own offspring?"
Derrick thought about that a moment, then nodded. "Yes. I will be a female."
The woman pointed towards a slow rise. "Just beyond that hill you will find a herd of zebra grazing. By the time you reach them you will be a female in heat, and several males will be anxious to cover you. Remember that after that, it will be not only your life on the line, but any offspring in your womb."
Derrick stood unsteadily and started walking towards the herd. He felt the change this time, and found that it was more like returning home as he fell to all fours. Being a zebra was different than being a wildebeest, but it was far more comfortable than being a two-legged human. Vaguely, he wondered if his mind was going to accept being human again when all of this was done. Then he came over the rise and saw his new family - dozens of striped equines. Before he had reached the edge, two males were already approaching. He - no, she - felt the instincts and needs of a zebra mare rise up, and then Derrick felt the first male penetrate.