Monday, May 31, 2010

Character spotlight with Queenie Taehlor

My name is Queenie Taehlor and I guess you could say I'm pretty creative. Back in high school, I started a girl band called the Four Cups and we sang a lot of the old favorites like Book of Love and Leader of the Pack. That was before we started writing our own songs. That mainly would be Dee Dee Deeds aka dirty deeds and I. We actually did okay on the music charts, but as we moved into college and our 20's we sort of changed direction. Actually that was my idea. I started messing around by taking one of our songs and writing a story about it. Surprise, surprise, it sold and before you know it, all four of us started to write books based on our songs. Now, we're kind of at one of those turning points again. That's not to say our creative juices aren't flowing. And I had to admit my guy, Derek Conrad, inspires me in many other ways.

What makes you special? What differentiates you from your kind? Do you have special abilities?
Different, Himmmm. Well I guess forming our group and coming up with ideas for our songs and then taking those and making them stories. I wouldn't say I'm different. I'm just an average kind of girl with a decent singing voice and a flare for writing divine romance.

Tell me about your most current adventure.
Most current adventure. Himmmm. Well we just finished doing a television show that had an interesting twist to it. Then Karley, one of the Cups got herself into a situation that even those of us who have known her forever can't quite believe. You'll be able to read about that in the Knight of Pentacles.

If you could offer your author advice, what would it be?
Oh man, I LOVE my author. She gave me a hot guy, a hot younger guy and you know what they say about younger men—lots of energy. She gave me not one but two great careers and some awesome friends. And my hot younger guy, she made him daring. Advice…tell us Kimmie and Amber's stories!

Are you happy with the way people perceive you?
Now that's an interesting question. I wasn't until Regan Taylor told my story. I didn't see myself the way she did, but by the end of The Thrill is Gone, I think I found the thrill and more.

Is expressing love difficult for you? Why?
It was. I mean, here I was with this amazing guy -- Derek makes your heart go pit-a-pat double time. But I had my issues and I thought he had his issues with my issues, but not the way I thought the issues were getting in the way.

What is the most interesting thing that has happened to you?
My life! Imagine being a teenage rock star and then having your songs turned into stories that were all best sellers.

If you could time travel, where would you go?
Back to Atlantis and find out where it went.

What other characters have influenced you?
Definitely Karley, Amber and Kim, my fellow Cups.

Where do you see yourself in five years?
You know, the Cups and I have talked about this. We've known each other for years and have been through so much together. From singers to writers and now we're looking at writing something different. I'm thinking we should make our books into movies. Yup, we should produce our books and turn them into fantabulous movies!

Monday, May 17, 2010

Character spotlight with Gaëlle

My name is Gaëlle, complete with the two dots, because I'm French! Also because I'm from France, I do a lot of thinking about my sex life, as well as enjoying what happens in it. I'm forty-ish, now and I've been exploring sexy experiences since I was twebty-four, when I met Jérôme. Our adventures appear in Gaëlle and Jérôme books one and two. No surprise there then!

In many ways we're just a normal couple, but a normal couple who love to explore sex in its widest sense. Whenever we try something, it's a joint decision. I've never done something purely to please Jérôme, but then, I've never wanted to say no to one of his suggestions either.

What makes you special? What differentiates you from your kind? Do you have special abilities?
My only special ability seems to be that people feel an erotic buzz around me and can be tempted into sexy experiences that otherwise they might not have considered. I am unable to fly, fight zombies or change shape, except by eating too much, which I try to avoid.

Tell me about your most current adventure.
Book one came out in January and tells how it all began, as well as how things developed after that initial experience. Here's an excerpt:

Before I could react, her hands were reaching under the dress, and sliding up the outsides of my thighs. I felt her fingers hook over the sides of my knickers, and, a moment later, I was standing there with my little black knickers round my ankles. I didn't have time to stop her. She patted my ankle, and, automatically, I lifted my right foot, then my left, leaving a little black figure of eight on the floor. She glanced at the scrap of black material, then back at me. She ran her hands down the sides of my body, straightening out imaginary wrinkles, and said:

“There, that’s better, just a clean line, all the way down.”

I thought that I caught a sly reference to my hairless belly, and shivered again.

“Just one more thing.”

I turned towards her, curious to know what else could possibly need changing. After all, I was naked except for the dress! As I said, the shape of my nipples was showing. But then, through the thin material, Gégé pinched them, really hard, so that they were totally erect. You could actually see them through the dress. She smiled at me.

“There," she declared. "Now you're perfect. Go and show your friend.”

As you can tell, my first experiences were about being exposed in public. From there, things developed quite a lot, but my early adventures still turn me on when I think of them.

Book 2 has just been published and continues my story. Things have moved on from the excerpt you just read…

She knew Jérôme would be the first, but she flattered herself that she would have recognised the erection that now slid into her vagina. It was clear that he was very excited, and he didn't last long. He patted her bottom affectionately and withdrew. After a second or two, she felt a tongue, licking away Jérôme’s sperm as it oozed out of her, and flicking over her clitoris. A further very brief pause, then another man was in her, for longer this time. An orgasm was building, and when another tongue slipped into her sex, she came for a first time.

There was no pause, though, as another man took her immediately, then another. That one pulled out before shooting all over her back and dress. She could feel the stickiness drying on her skin. A ridiculous thought went through her mind; that her dress, which was silk, would never be the same again.

If you could offer your author advice, what would it be?
Keep trying to let readers into my world so that they understand, as well as enjoy, what I do and why I do it.

Are you happy with the way people perceive you?
There have been moments when I have been unsure of how people might think of me if they had seen me during one of my adventures. I come from a conventional background and could never have imagined many of the things I have done, let alone envisaged them happening to me. Those people who are in the know seem to accept me for what I am, a happily married woman whose enjoyment of sex isn't restricted to her husband. I am amazingly fortunate that Jérôme takes as much pleasure in our adventures as I do myself. People who don't know that side of me see, I'm told, an attractive woman with a wonderful husband, a successful professional who cares deeply about those she works with, and a good friend.

Tell us a little bit about your world.
I've lived in the UK, but I was born in France and that's where I live now. I've also travelled quite widely. I have a well-paid job at a professional level. My sex life has to be kept apart from my everyday existence as far as I can. When that hasn't been possible, I've been astonished at how accepting people are, also how easily some people can be drawn into my erotic world. The books are dedicated to those who haven't yet dared, for that reason. Take the risk, and who knows what delights may follow?

Is humor important? Why or why not?
Humour—as I spell it—is vital. I share a similar sense of humour with Jérôme, and that has defused some quite tense situations for both of us. I've also become aware that many sexual activities have a ridiculous aspect to them, particularly when observed from outside, and that adds to the fun side of my sex life, lightening up feelings that can otherwise become quite demanding.

What other characters have influenced you?
Emmanuelle, from the book of that name. It made me aware of the world of sexual experimentation and gave me the push I needed to explore that world.

Do you ever ask your significant other for advice?
His encouragement and support have been crucial since we met. Without him, none of this would have happened. My lover, my friend, my support, my guide. We constantly discuss past and potential adventures, and provide ideas for each other for consideration.

How many sex partners have you had? How many at one time?
Many. Trios are lovely, but there have been occasions when more people than that have been involved.

What was the best sexual experience you’ve had?
I've learned never to compare experiences. Each one is unique and if you're setting out to create a top ten, you aren't fully enjoying the sexual pleasures of the moment.

What’s the oddest thing you’ve seen or done?
Being sold for use by someone I thought was a friend.

Tell us what it’s like to spend a day with you.
At work, deeply exciting! Boss of HR department, but one of the—rare—good ones, I hope. At leisure, swimming pool, gym, tennis club, out walking in the mountains alone or with someone else.

What’s the one thing you wish you could change about yourself or someone you love?
Read the end of book 2

How do you deal with stress?
With gentle, loving sex, preferably with my husband. Reading detective stories, Fred Vargas, Henning Mankell, are favourites.

Monday, May 10, 2010

Author spotlight with MP Frank

What has been your biggest influence on becoming a writer?
Curiosity as to whether I could write.

How did you feel when you got your first publishing contract?
Pleased, of course, but unsure of what it meant in real terms.

How do you categorize yourself: pantser or plotter?
If a pantser is someone who doesn't know at any given time where the writing is going, then that's me.

What makes a book great in your eyes?
If it makes me care about the characters.

What is the biggest piece of your advice you can give a beginning writer?
You'll know it's time to try when you can't reasonably avoid putting it down.

Do you have any guilty pleasures?
Many.

What influences your writing? And why?
I know several languages and the different literary cultures that allows me to visit give me a particular way of writing…I think.

Name one thing readers don’t know about you.
I play a lot of tennis.

What are you working on now?
The sequel to my two published books, Gaëlle and Jérôme, books one and two.

Who is your favorite all-time author?
I read an awful lot, so impossible to say. Also, I'm unsure of the virtues of rank order in most things.

Are love scenes easy/difficult to write?
Love scenes are harder than sex scenes. Creating a scene that involves both is very difficult.

Do you write in one genre or several different ones? And why?
Only one so far. Romantic/erotic or vice versa.

If you could be anywhere right now, where would you be?
Wherever you go, there you are.

How do you deal with the dreaded writer’s block?
Wait for it to clear, maybe try out some ideas and see where they lead…if anywhere.

Do you have another career besides writing? What is it?
I do translations.

What’s your biggest reward in being a writer?
Making my characters be consistent with themselves.

To date, which is your favorite story? Which one did you have the most fun writing?
A couple of the chapters in Gaëlle and Jérôme were most fun to write, just flowed off the keyboard.

How do you go about developing your characters and setting?
Usually a setting comes to mind and I then set about working out what might happen there and why.

If you had the opportunity to say one thing to your readers, what would that be?
Reading Gaëlle and Jérôme most likely won't change your life…but for someone out there, it just might. Could it be you?

peter_s_u_a@yahoo.co.uk

Monday, May 3, 2010

Character Interview with Kintar

From The AEROUD Entertainment News Desk.

The following is the transcript of the in studio interview conducted by Betty Templeton, for the AEROUD Think Tank Table. Her guest is Kintar, the male half of the Royal team from the Oredal Falory Quadrant.

INTERVIEWER BEGINS: “Good Evening, and welcome to this episode of the AEROUD Entertainment Think Tank Table. I am Betty Templeton, your host for tonight. My guest is Oredal Kintar, the male half of the Oredal Royal team. Kintar is one of the characters originally defined by author Diane Layers, who in the past few years has retired and passed her writing items on to her protégé AE Roud.” *Turns to Kintar* “Welcome to the Think Tank Table Oredal Kintar.”

KINTAR: *nods* “Thank you and I’m pleased to be here.”

BETTY: “My first question might be obvious, but your creative author started your species on a journey with Evolution’s Dice and then passed the reigns off to her protégé. You know them both well. What is your take on that situation and what advice would you give to your new author?”

KINTAR: *chuckles* “First off, Diane Layers endured an avalanche of personal problems while she wrote Evolution’s Dice. Her partner died in an accident involving a drunk driver, which devastated Diane and I believe it broke her. She could not look out of her kitchen window without seeing the accident site, so she moved her family in hopes of getting away from some of those memories and start new. Once resettled, Diane returned to Evolution’s Dice and it became her focal point. She wanted to tell the story from beginning to end as they previously planned. What she ended up with was a three book series put together into one book. She was not happy with that work although it was accepted and Diane was and still is very grateful for the chance eXtasy Books took on that work.

After that, Diane realized she needed more time to heal. She searched for several years and found another to turn the reigns of that storyline over to and that was AE Roud. Diane gave explicate instructions to write the series as it should read, from A to Z. Diane gave AE all the original notes for the series and she incorporated more of those ideas and previous research into the current work where I get a lot more page time than I did before, which for me is great. If I could advise on anything, write me in more sex. I am the male part of the breeding Royal lines and it is through us Royals that life becomes stronger and is able to adapt better to changes in a universe than before. The more females I can impregnate within a species, the stronger that species will be in the future. It is the same for my partner, the Royal Queen, who has more physical abilities than I do, but our mission is the same. Create stronger genetics within a species to sustain it into and through the future.”

BETTY: “How exactly do you do that? Strengthen a species?”

KINTAR: “We have sex with a partner with full intent of creating offspring. Not all the time though, we do like sex without the heavy weight of creating offspring. When we create life through sex with another species, that creation is not half of us and half of our partner, but a full genetic copy of our partner. We leave nothing of ourselves behind. Our assistance pulls from the strongest genetics of our partner and multiplies those items so that the result is different from the species parent, and provides a stronger and purer genetic string for the future. Inbreeding, which is a major problem with many planet locked species, is not a problem when our offspring of those special mating events mature to breeding age.”

BETTY: “Besides what you have already spoken of, what differentiates you from other Oredals? What makes you a Royal?”

KINTAR: The difference between the Royal lineage and the standard Oredal lines is that Royals are anomalies of our species. Somewhere way back during the time of our great, great, great and further back, the Royal lineage came into being. Our ancestors mixed and matched something and while trying to alleviate diseases and conqueror old age among the Oredals, they created us. Among our own, Royals are sterile. Our purpose is to provide a new genetic branch within an established species, but we cannot do that with our own. To our knowledge, our designed abilities and genetics are to save others from extinction. That is the whole reason for our being and what Royals do.”

BETTY: “What special abilities do you have that allow you to do what you do?”

KINTAR: “Royals have many abilities. The one ability that is most used to allow us to work is that we are changelings. Royals are the only Oredals that have the ability to change form. We just touch, for a moment, a species and we then change into either female or male of that species and live in the culture. Right now if medical people were to take a sample of my blood or genetics and put it through any tests, I would be nothing more than a human.”

BETTY: How and when do you know an Oredal is of the Royal lineage? Are you born as such or is there a method to create your branch of Oredal?”

KINTAR: “We are born Royal to standard Oredal parents. The unique abilities that are inherent to a Royal, begin to assert themselves when we near three years of age.”

BETTY: “Do Oredals mature at the same rate Humans do?”

KINTAR: *shakes head* “No, Oredals develop faster and live longer. An Oredal child at one of your standard years is beyond a human child of seven. We are near adulthood when we are in our third year of life. An Oredal in their late one hundreds to late three hundreds is in the prime of their life. When we get into our fourth century, we begin our midlife and around five hundred and fifty to seventy we begin our old age phase.”

BETTY: “Has your gifts or abilities ever gotten you into trouble?”

KINTAR: *laughs* “Yes, several times. While dealing with cultures that bond for life, I tended to seduce bonded females as it makes things easier for a child, if produced, to live in a dual parent relationship. That is not to say that I will not take a single being for a partner. I also have no problem with species that carry dual sexes. As for trouble, more than once the other half of a relationship has wandered in when the getting it on part of my job is good and it’s gotten me shot several times. I was lucky enough to survive those events. Not something I want to experience again so as I have aged, I have changed the way I operate to get my job done and not put myself in life threatening situations.”

BETTY: “How many worlds have you visited?”

KINTAR: *shrugs* “Many, but recently my partner, Queen Ramta, and I revisited some because there are species on those planets that are near extinction due to outside sources. The usual cause is due to over hunting out of greed or the overpopulation on a planet where they cannot provide enough food without going to another planet. Even our abilities are not always enough to win the battle against extinction, but we try.”

BETTY: “What is the most interesting thing that has happened to you as a character in the books that you appear and does the book or series have a title yet?”

KINTAR *chuckles, then groans* “That is a hard question to answer. I’ve encountered many interesting things. If I had to pick one event, I would have to say it was becoming a new species on a permanent basis in the new first book. That is something that no other Royal was capable of doing and that stands out as it was a unique and dangerous experience. At the time, Ramta or I were not sure we would survive because no one ever tried it before. As for the books, there is no current set title yet for the first book or the series. I do know there are plans to give each character a book for themselves that depicts that characters struggles in the universe where they live.”

BETTY: “What one thing, do you feel is the greatest thing you have done with your ability as a Royal?”

KINTAR: *thinks a moment* “The greatest thing I have done with my ability was to keep the Oredals from becoming an extinct species in my universe. Since our branch first came into being, we have helped every other species in the universe but we could never help our own, until we made the change and by doing so, kept the Oredals from extinction.”

BETTY: “What was that change?”

KINTAR: *motions to his physical form* “This body form that you see right now looks human. This is not my true physical form. Oredals look like a human and that is why it is so easy for them to pass as human. Our real differences are internal and genetic. My true form after the permanent change I endured, would unsettle you as close as we are at this table.” *Looks at the table height* In my true form, I would not be able to sit here at this table.

BETTY: “Hmm, okay. You should maybe think of staying in this form. I like what I see.”

KINTAR: *smiles* “Yes I know, your pheromones tell me a lot about how much you like what you see.”

BETTY: “Excuse me?”

KINTAR: *grimaces, then shakes his head* “Sometimes our abilities are a curse and get us…never mind. Excuse my comment.”

BETTY: *crosses her legs and continues* “How many times have the Oredals visited the planet Earth?”

KINTAR: “To my knowledge, we have visited Earth several times. The first time Oredals were here, several research teams were lost to what you understand and call dinosaurs. The Oredals did not stay long on that trip.”

BETTY: “So you were not with that first visit?”

KINTAR *negative head shake.* “No, my first trip to Earth was in the late eighteen hundreds and we left in the mid-nineteen seventies.

BETTY: “What did the Oredals do here on Earth?”

KINTAR *bites his lower lip and shakes his head* “I can’t answer that question because I do not know what they did.”

BETTY: “Let me rephrase that question then. What did you do, when you visited?”

KINTAR: “Ramta and I lived among the human population and studied the flora and fauna of the planet.”

BETTY: “What did you find interesting or not about humans?”

KINTAR: “I am amazed humans, planet locked as you are, are still a viable species. Your penchant for killing your own is horrendous. Oredal culture has some of the same problems. Where our cultures differ, you keep your misfits contained, sometimes until they die. We give our criminals one chance at redemption through a process we call rebirth. If that doesn’t work, they are condemned to die by vessel destruction. It’s a very humane way to kill, as in a vessel the energy of an Oredal has no past, present or future. Once we destroy the vessel, the spirit as your culture calls it, dissipates into the air and it is the end of that Oredal.

Another item of a personal interest to me while I was here was your drug culture. Your young people were wild and some unkempt. I particularly enjoyed the Make-Love-Not-War experience. Ramta and I fell right in with them and made our research of human breeding and mating rituals very easy. I tried some of the drugs that your young did, but I never found them worth trying more than once. Some of your young people thought those drugs were the cat’s meow and many found death through them. One of Ramta’s favorite things of Earth was the music. Her favorite was Rock and Roll. I couldn’t understand it half the time and I preferred Jazz. Another thing that was curious to us, your education system. Many human young could just manage to tie their shoes at the age of five when they begin their school. Oredal children at that age are beyond school and working in career fields of advanced sciences. That is a major difference between our species and cultures.

BETTY: “Did you take any physical thing away from our planet?”

KINTAR: “Yes we did. We took a building that now sits as the Royal Palace on the home planet of the Royals in the Oredal Falory Quadrant.”

BETTY: “That is not what I meant. Have you or your partner taken any humans or animals off the planet with you?”

KINTAR: *shakes head* “No, our purpose was to study the planet and the indigenous species here. We left with our clothing that we gained over our time here, our household items and our research journals. The clothes and other artifacts from our time here are in our Space Museum in the Universal Cultural area.”

BETTY: “Tell us about the building you found and what was so special about it that you took it from our planet?”

KINTAR: “The building we found was very unique to us. A human culture carved it out of a huge ancient lava flow. When we found the building, it was a big surprise as one whole side, time buried. Inside we found carved out shadowboxes with figurines in a variety of sexual positions, several large fountains and carved wall reliefs depicting naked dancers surrounded by groups of sexually excited men. We think the building was a temple to a sex deity and was where couples might come to be married or to begin a family. The building sparked Ramta’s interest and I concur with her as that one building’s purpose seemed and still is in line with what we as Royals, genetically emboldened to create life for the future. That is the reason we took that building.”

BETTY: “Can you tell us about your current adventure?”

KINTAR: “My current adventure takes place as my stolen warship is traveling through an area of open space called, the dream zone and it is a very erotic place in space.”

The Dream Zone

The heavy gray fog swirled around him. His mind filled with erotic visions of seductive females dancing, teasing and dodging his grasp. The dream carried him through the halls of a huge wondrous creature to an open door way. Curious, he stopped and looked in at the female on the stage.

Her body gyrated in an erotic fashion meant to excite the male senses. He’d seen these dances at other places, but this female was exciting him more than he thought possible. He remained by the stage and she knelt down in front of him, allowing him to see all she was and smell of her hot scent, making him hard with a need to touch, taste and penetrate her wetness to depth, filling her with his seed.

She looked at him and smiled. Do you want me?”

“Yes,” he answered.

The fog circled up around him and he lost sight of her, but smelled her scent hot in his nostrils. He relaxed enjoying the feel of the softness that surrounded him knowing she was somewhere near. The fog began to form in front of him and he saw her standing within reach in all her naked beauty. He reached for her, but could not move.

She walked around him, looking at his full nakedness, and ran her hand over and up his rock hard cock, then bent down and gave it a quick lick, then kissed the red-tipped head. Her hands were fire on his body as she dragged them across his stomach and down his legs.

“What species are you?” she asked as she turned in front of him and pushed her ass against his hardness.

He wanted to feel her on his cock, it buried deep in her hot depths. His throat was dry and he swallowed hard. I am of the Falory species. My branch is known as the Rontacks.”

Her hands touched his balls and rolled them around.

“Oh by the Ancients,” Ikel mumbled in his sleep.

She looked at him. “Who are your Ancients?” she asked as she continued to manipulate his mind and body. The female stuck a finger in her wetness then placed it against his lips so he could taste of her juice.

“The Oredals,” he mumbled.

The fog encased him again and he saw her walking away from him toward a backdrop of stars that were blocked from view by a huge cloud like object, then she disappeared. He ran through the fog, calling her, “Hey, hey, where are you? Don’t leave. Come back.”

Look to the clouds and there you shall find me,” her soft voice echoed in his mind.

The dream changed again, and she stood in front of him naked again and bent over at the waist, wiggling her hips in a come-fuck-me motion.

Look to the clouds to find me,” her soft voice said again in his mind.

He started toward her and just as her was about to penetrate her, she disappeared from his aroused mind in a bank of fog.

Look to the clouds. The fog cleared and he was in her holding her by the waist, his cock buried deep in her moisture.

“Oh,” Ikel moaned in his sleep.

He tried to hold on to enjoy the feel of her pulsing wetness but the moment passed.

Look to the clouds.

He couldn’t hold back and thrust forward and pushed deep in her as he held her hips.

She looked at him over her shoulder as she moved away. “To have in reality what you have in dream, help us, look to the clouds and find us, help us, as I am the desire of your dreams. Help us.

As the euphoric tide of pleasure began to erupt, he felt heat on his hands, and watched his juice spurt up into the air from his hard pulsing cock and spray his stomach and chest.

The fog engulfed her and everything dissipated.

Ikel woke with a start and cried out as his juice burst forth from his rock harness under the sheet that covered him and wet his stomach and his chest. He grunted as the last few spurts burst forth, then his pulsing stopped and it oozed out and made a pool of goo on his stomach.

Perspiration ran down his face. His bedclothes were wet from his sweat and his body shook from the excitement. He remained on his back, arm over his eyes as he continued to calm his excited body. “Wow, what a dream, I’ve not had a dream like that since I was a cub. It was so real.”

He heard a door open and close, and footsteps moving up the stairs. They moved up past his quarters and on to the bridge. He couldn’t tell by the sound of the footfalls if it was Thana or Karn.

He closed his eyes and inhaled deep, felt the sweat soaked sheets below him, cool against his short fur-covered skin. With little prodding, the images of the dream returned and he smiled as he relived the best parts of the dream. He sat straight up in bed, eyes open wide, and stared at the dark wall across from his bed. He shook his head. “No, that, no,” he said, then stretched back out and rolled over on his side. His comm link buzzed. He opened his eyes and looked at the link on the nightstand beside his table. It buzzed again before he picked it up and opened it.

“Ikel, go.”

“Ikel, you need to come to the bridge,” Salini said. “Karn had a strange dream, about a pinger. He came up here and asked me if I heard a pinger in this area. I have been listening to a pinger in this area, but I cannot find it. Karn also told me he dreamed about a Royal Queen, or something.”

Ikel sat up on the side of his bed. “Salini, all stop. I’ll be right there after I get a shower. Hold station, unless there’s danger.”

“Okay, Ikel,” Salini said and the link closed.

He hurried to his shower and as he turned on the water, thought about his dream. Help us. Ikel looked at his image in the mirror over the sink. Did Karn and I dream the same dream? In his dream, did he hear a woman ask for help?”

BETTY: “Thank you Kintar for taking the time to answer our questions and I have many more but we are out of our allotted time.”

KINTAR: *nods* “Thank you for the invite and it’s been pleasant.”

* * * *

Kintar walked across the grass toward a tree where Mindal hid. In mid-step, he disappeared from the bright of the day and reappeared on Mindal’s bridge. He smiled at Ramta in the center seat. “Honey, I’m home. Get the new science project subjects?”

Ramta nodded. “No problem pulling them from the various countries population.”

Kintar pulled out a minimized animal in stasis. “Humans call it a dog. Their sciences call it Canidae and the slang term is Canine, I have a new pet.”

Ramta laughed. “Mindal, take us out and head for home.”