2nd Series 04/14 - Plus Three Gets Four

by Macx

One word: cubs!

Plus Three Make Four
by Birgit Staebler

It was another late night and Ace rubbed his tired eyes, going over the lay-out of the new show once more. He was a perfectionist and Cosmo always teased him about it, but that was the way he worked. The small desk lamp spread a warm circle of light over the papers and he scribbled some notes next to the schedule meant for the roadies. The annual West Coast tour would be a strain for the three months it took and he would be glad to be back in Electro City. He would have to time it with the cross-country tour, which would start five months later and take him all the way to the east coast, as well as the Ring Theater shows, which lay in-between. Sometimes Ace thought his life was pure stress and constant travel, but each night he was on stage, when people watched him perform, he felt the exhilaration race through him, the thrill, and he knew why he did it.
It was a love that was hard to define: a love of magic, of showing it as tricks to others, as illusions, and it was a way to pay back for many things.... among them for his criminal career. But most of all it was the thrill. Ace smiled and sorted through the file about their first stop: Lazarus City.
Suddenly the door swished open and he looked up, his brows rising as he discovered Cosmo. His young friend was dressed in his usual blue boxers and T-shirt he wore to bed. His hair was ruffled and he wasn't wearing his glasses.
"I thought you were already sleeping," he greeted his assistant.
"And I thought you wanted to catch up on some missing sleep. At least that is what I remember," Cosmo told him, leaning against the frame of the door.
Ace sighed. "I wanted to go over the plans again."
Cosmo shook his head, pushing away from the frame. "It's the same as every year, Ace. We did it so many times before.... it's routine!"
"Nothing ever is routine. Thinking routine can kill you, Cosmo," the older man said calmly.
Another sigh. Cosmo looked over the chaos of spread-out paper and then perched himself on the edge of the desk. He picked up a sheet and read over it. Ace plugged it from his fingers and pointedly put it back onto the desk.
"Go to bed."
Cosmo frowned. "And you pull another all-niter, acting all fresh and chipper in the morning, right?"
"I'm not acting!"
The younger man snorted. "Right." He tapped his head. "I'm the empath, remember?"
Ace shook his head. "Cosmo...."
Cosmo threw his hands into the air. "You know what the doc said!"
The magician sighed deeply. Yes, he knew. The accident from last week, when faulty props had had nearly disastrous results. Now Ace limped slightly due to the bandage around his knee, and his wrist was mostly immobilized to give the over-used muscles a chance to heal. At least no lines of pain shadowed the eyes. Cosmo had nearly freaked when Ace had gone down after the explosion, and only when the paramedics had reassured him again and again that it was a minor injury had he relaxed.
He suddenly pointed one finger at the desk and the mess on it. Ace felt the concentration of magic a second before the spell lashed out and spread the papers all over the study. At his outraged expression, Cosmo just grinned.
"End of shift," he declared cheerfully.
"Cosmo! I have to..."
"You have to nothing. You need sleep. I remember Dr. Beckett emphasizing just that."
"Since when are you the mother-hen around here?"
Cosmo smiled smugly. "Since you play the stubborn one."
Ace snorted. He gestured with his good hand and the papers flew back onto the desk, settling down. He glared at Cosmo, daring him to try again. Cosmo just shrugged and slid off the desk.
A low rumble alerted them to Zina's presence as the large panther slunk into the room and gave Ace a closer look. There seemed to be criticism in those yellow eyes, but the cat just flopped onto the floor and curled up. Cosmo grinned.
"That reminds me.... we need to stock up on cat food."
Ace raised both brows. "Again?"
Cosmo shrugged. "Last time I checked, we were running out of it once more. I thought you had bought enough for the next months?"
"I had." Ace's frown now turned to Zina.
The last weeks and even months had been too busy for him to take much notice of anything, but he was never too busy not to care about his charges, namely Zina and Cosmo. The panther needed feeding, grooming, regular training and companionship, and ever since Zina had come to him as a small, black furball, had the magician taken care of her.
"I fed her the normal meals."
"Uh, well, I fed her as well because she was hungry...."
The two looked at each other, then at the panther. Zina just rumbled and her tail swished, but she didn't seem inclined to help them out.

*

"Well, Zina is a King Panther. The Panthera Rex reach sexual maturity between their fourth and fifth year. That's when they are in heat for the first time. I'm not surprised."
Ace looked at the blonde woman in the white coat and blinked. "You mean Zina is now.... in heat?"
"Was, Ace. She's past that." Dr. Rebecca Carlisle smiled and rubbed the large cat's head.
Zina was lying almost lazily on the examination table, looking for all means like a big pussy cat. While she didn't really like the visits to the vet, she was docile and didn't try to claw or bite. Now she leaned into the scratching hand and purred deeply.
"Past?"
She smiled widely now. "Zina is going to be a mother, Ace. Congratulations."
The magician stared at the veterinarian, then at the black panther, who was still purring contentedly. "She's....?"
"Pregnant, my friend. Since gestation is usually between 93-110 days, I'd say you'll soon have a family of panthers. I estimate about two or three more weeks."
Ace still stared. "Kittens?" he finally managed.
"Cubs. Usually one to four." Dr. Carlisle grinned at his flabbergasted expression. "I take it this comes as a surprise?"
Ace shook his head. "Surprise? You can say that again! How... I mean..."
"That I don't know. She's your cat, Ace, and there aren't too many King Panthers around these days. Zina doesn't roam the city, so there aren't too many possibilities."
Ace's forehead scrunched into a thoughtful frown and he looked at the panther. Zina seemed to smile, looking to all the world very content.
"There might be someone I could ask....."

* * *

"She's going to have kittens? Cool!"
"Cubs." Ace shook his head with a sigh as Cosmo grinned widely. He patted the large panther.
"Way to go, girl!"
Zina rumbled softly, enjoying the attention.
"And you think it was Kim?"
"Do you have any better ideas?" Ace asked as he swiftly changed lanes and took the exit to the large circus area. The gigantic tent was already visible.
"Uhm, no, not really. Except ... maybe she found a male cat from another species."
"Highly unlikely. All big cats are in the zoo or the circus." Ace parked the car and the canopy lifted. He jumped out and waited for his friend and Zina to follow.
Circus folk was milling around, some trying out their new tricks and shows, others just cleaning equipment, and again others were following more mundane matters.
"Ace Cooper!"
Yokiko, manager and owner of the circus, strode over to them. As most of the time, she was dressed in one of her costumes, the trademark whip of a lion tamer at her belt.
"What gives me the honor of your visit?" she asked, her accented voice adding to the exotic appearance.
Ace smiled and bowed slightly. "Hello, Yokiko. I've come on personal business. Cat business, so to speak."
Yokiko's eyes traveled to the black panther at Ace's side. "Problems?"
"Not really. Cubs."
The manager blinked, then a smile blossomed on her lips. "She is with cubs? How marvelous!" The smile widened when she saw Ace's expression. "You didn't know, correct?"
"Not until this morning." He shrugged.
"And you think it was Kim?"
He nodded.
"It is possible," Yokiko agreed. "Zina is old enough and they were together for some time lately."
Ace sighed. Suddenly a black shadow leaped out of an open cage. Zina rumbled happily and met the newcomer, the two cats greeting each other. Kim rubbed his head against the other panther, rumbling as well. He was slightly larger and heavier looking, given he was a male, and there was a white v-shaped spot on his chest. His head was broader as well and he now gently licked over Zina's snout.
"I think that about answers all questions," Yokiko remarked.
Ace nodded. "Except for the one about how many cubs I can expect... and when."
"She can stay here at the circus," Yokiko offered.
"No, thank you. I don't think Zina would feel at home here. I don't want to put her under too much stress." He smiled.
Yokiko nodded, smiling as she watched the two panthers. "Well, if you need help, you know where to find me.... us."
"Thank you."

* * *

The next week turned out to be quite normal, even though Ace was watching Zina with worried eyes. The panther was taking it all calmly and with ease. Instinct told her what to do and currently she had nothing to do but feed and rest. She wasn't really showing her pregnancy all that pronounced and Ace had started to read up on the King Panther species.
When he had been given Zina as a cub, he had acquired several books on wild cats and especially the rare Panthera Rex species. They lived very secluded and were believed to be a mutation of the normal black panther and leopard. No one had known about them for a long time and their high intelligence had made them a target for circus shows. The few thousands of them that lived in Asia and even in Central America had been hunted for display and as pets. Sixty years ago, the panthers had been put under protection and all owners had to sign up with a special protection fund. Once or twice a year, someone from the fund would visit and check on the animals.
Ace had quite accidentally found Zina. It had been almost five years ago, before Cosmo had come to live with him. He had been traveling, taking a break from city life, and had studied magic from other cultures. He had stopped in a small village, Nezah, while traveling through Mexico, had talked to the local medicine man, and had stayed for much longer than he had planned. The small village had been hidden in the mountains, near an old Maya settlements, and the people lived secluded and, compared to the cities, a primitive life. Ace had learned a lot from them, especially about nature magic and how to combine it with the Magic Force without creating a friction between the two.
And then two injured black panther cubs had one day been brought into the village by some of the people. The Panthera Rex was a holy animal to the people, honored and protected, and the outrage at this sacrilege had been great. The cubs had been shot at and the mother had been found dead not far away. One other cub had been killed as well and it looked like poachers. No signs of the family had been found. These panthers lived in small family groups of up to six animals, not taking the cubs into account, but the mother had been alone.
Ace still remembered the rage he had felt at the news. For a brief moment he had wanted to go out and hurt those men like they had hurt the cubs. Tenocha, the medicine man, had told him not to. His own people and the panthers would take care of the problem. And he remembered looking at the small fuzzballs, barely three months old, injured and weak. They had touched something inside him, these helpless little creatures. Zina had survived the ordeal, her wounds healing, her spirit unbroken. Her sister had died a week later. Her injuries had been too severe. Somehow Ace had ended up playing nursemaid. Tenocha had only smiled and taught him about the panthers. He had managed to convince the fund that he wouldn't abuse the cub as a show cat -- that he would really care for her. The man from the fund had visited often in the beginning, checking on him every month, sometimes even every other week. Now he only paid a visit once or twice a year. Zina had grown into a healthy and large specimen of her kind. She was a wild cat, a predator, but she was also gentle, calm and balanced.
When Cosmo had come to live in the Express, she had accepted the boy with such ease, it had surprised Ace. There had been no jealousy, no wariness, just a friendly greeting panther-way, and then an almost motherly behavior. Zina had kept an eye on the boy, had accompanied him throughout the Express and had slept in his room more often than in Ace's.
That King Panthers were intelligent was known. They liked company, but they were wild cats. Ace had never made the mistake of seeing a pussy cat in Zina. She was a large predator and sometimes, in earlier times, her games had been rather wild. She still liked to play, but she had learned to keep her claws sheathed and not to bite too strongly.
Now he had to read up on their reproduction.
'Two or three cubs are born blind and helpless, weighing under two pounds. They are weaned by three months and begin to join their mother in hunts where they will learn how to survive. By their second year, the now sub-adults will leave their mother to establish their own territory.'
Oh, fun. Hunting? Zina didn't really hunt. Her instincts were there, but she only did mock and playful hunts. The show challenged her and she loved to try out new tricks, and sometimes she even helped chase criminals, but really hunt?

The second week after the vet visit started out normal as well. Ace had his shows, he went to the special events he had been sent invitations for, and helped out Vega when asked. Zina was no different than on other days, though the day before she had started to withdraw from company and seek Ace's room to sleep in. When he had come to bed, she had been curled up on his bed, moving rather reluctantly. Tonight was no different and Ace switched off the lamp as he left his study, humming to himself.
He suppressed a yawn, feeling pleasantly exhausted, looking forward to just relaxing back into his mattress and falling into a dreamless sleep. The door to his bedroom swished open.
He stopped.
"Oh...." was all he managed and stared at the scene in front of him.
A soft rumble, not at all aggressive or warning, echoed through the semi-darkness.
"Ace, I.... Hey, you okay, man?" Cosmo asked, bounding down the corridor.
Ace nodded and made a little gesture into his room, a smile quirking his lips. "I think this means I sleep in the guest quarters," he commented.
Cosmo peeked into the room and his eyes suddenly lit up. "Yeah, cool. Congrats, girl!"
Zina, busy with running her tongue over a tiny black furball, briefly stopped, ears swiveling forward. She rumbled again, apparently pleased herself. The panther had bunched up the blankets and pillows, made a little nest and used the room as her den. So much for his bed....
Ace carefully stepped into the room. Zina watched him warily, but she wasn't showing any signs of fear or aggression.
"Easy, girl," he said, keeping his voice gentle and warm. "Just looking."
Another rumble. Zina licked over the small bodies again, her large tongue massaging the cubs.
"Three," Ace said softly, smiling.
"Cool!" Cosmo repeated, edging closer.
Given his luck with wild cats that didn't know him, he was careful. Kim had accepted him, just like Zina had adopted him right from the start, but now she was a mother and had to take care of her offspring.
Three little panthers. They were so tiny! Their eyes were closed, their ears looked like crumbled up and still needed to open, and they were generally small, round and helpless.
Zina purred softly and gently nudged the cub next to her. It squeaked a bit and snuggled against its mother. Ace smiled.
"Congratulations," he whispered, meeting the warm, yellow gaze.
He reached out and Zina rubbed her head against his hand, purring. Then she returned to licking her cubs. Ace chuckled and looked around for his pajama. He found it -- lying under the three little cubs. Well, so much for that. He got up and walked over to the wardrobe, picking out some clothes. Cosmo just looked at the panther family, grinning.
"C'mon, partner. Let's leave Zina tending to her family." Ace dragged his young friend out.
Cosmo chuckled. "So, what now?" he asked when the door had swished shut.
"What now?"
"I mean, how do you raise three cubs?"
"I don't think we are raising them, Cosmo. Zina can do it all on her own. We'll just keep an eye on the cubs."
Cosmo shrugged. "Oki-doki."

* * *

"Names. We need names."
Ace, Cosmo and Vega sat in the living room, watching mother and offspring. Zina was lying on one side, tail flicking lazily. One cub was trying to catch it, the other two were climbing all over their mother. The three cubs had become more agile in the last week and though they didn't venture anywhere alone, they were still stumbling wherever their mother went. Derek Vega had dropped by about an hour ago, visiting to see the cubs and also just to have a friendly chat with Ace.
Cosmo's forehead was a big frown and he watched the one playing with Zina's tail. One cub was pitch-black like her mother, the second one looked like her father -- having the silvery-white v-shape on her chest, and the third one had a much larger white spot on his chest, that ran almost down his whole chest.
One cub now bounced off Zina's flank and flip-flopped to the ground, looking stunned and dazed. When her sister pounced her, the first one fought back with squeaky complaints.
"Trouble?" Cosmo now ventured.
"Tribble?" Vega laughed.
Ace chuckled. "Sparky?"
"How about Kim for that one?" Vega pointed at the female cub with the v-shaped mark. "She does look like her father."
"But she's a lady," Cosmo pointed out.
"Keeping in line with the mother's side, how about Zelda then? You know, they use the first letter of the mother's name to name the cubs sometimes." Everyone looked at Vega, who simply shrugged.
"Zelda?" Ace asked.
"Sounds fine to me, man." Cosmo grinned.
"Okay, number one is named. Now on to the second one."
Another thoughtful silence settled over the men.
"How about Spots? Or Stripes?" Cosmo finally said.
"Why not name him Skunk Stripe?" Vega laughed and ducked as Ace playfully lunged at him.
"No way!"
Cosmo giggled helplessly and suddenly found himself lying on the floor, shoved off by a little magic push from Ace. He wheezed with laughter nevertheless.
"Skunky," he hiccuped.
"Oh, shut up!" Ace muttered good-naturedly. "Poor thing would be branded for life...."
Cosmo hiccuped again, wiping at the tears running from his eyes. "How about.... Mage?" His eyes were dancing with laughter.
Ace glared at him.
"Or Ace...."
Cosmo yelped as the magician mock-attacked, then snickered.
Vega had watched the exchange with laughter dancing in his brown eyes and he grinned innocently when Ace shot him an annoyed look.
"We could name him Vega," he threatened.
"He isn't white enough for it," the lieutenant countered.
"Well, with age....." Cosmo mocked.
Vega glared.
"Derek is a nice enough name as well," Ace mused.
"Don't even go there!"
Cosmo snickered. "Spot then?"
"Anything is better than Skunk Stripe," Ace muttered.
"Or Vega."
Ace's eyes lit up with amusement again and the older cop glared once more.
"Spot sounds like a dog's name," Vega muttered.
"Suggestions then?" Cosmo asked.
Another thoughtful silence.
"Stormy? Rocky? Spaz?" Vega scratched his head. "Flash?"
"Skunk Stripe. The only fitting name," Cosmo giggled.
Ace pointed his finger at him and Cosmo's glasses slid down over his eyes. The teenager continued giggling.
"How about Zion?" Ace tried to steer the topic back to more harmless names.
"Zelda and Zion. No problem man. And the last one?"
Another thoughtful silence.
"Zatanna," Ace suddenly said softly, face full of old memories. "Zata."
Cosmo was very serious all of a sudden as well, but there was a smile on his lips. He knew about Anna LeFrez's former stage name. "Sounds nice, man," he agreed.
Vega nodded. "Zata. She would have loved it, Ace."
The gray eyes were filled with loving memories and a tinge of sadness. Ace looked at the totally black cub. "Zata," he repeated. He met Zina's gaze.
The black panther rumbled as if in agreement and reached out with one large paw to draw Zion closer, giving him a lick.

* * *

It was a mess.
There was no other term for it.
A complete and utter mess.
Ace stood in the living room/library, peripherally noting that the door closed almost soundlessly after him, staring at what should be room with a couch set, a table, the globe with its orbiting 'moons' and the statues he had acquired over the time. All was still there, but a lot had been added. Some of those additions were countless small, multi-colored balls, plush toys, strange objects with jingling bells on them and a mysterious construction that was either modern art or a hideously twisted piece of mesh. Either way, it was standing in the middle of the room, obstructing his way to the couch. Carefully stepping around the objects on the floor, Ace approached the center of the disaster area. Something squeaked mournfully as he took another step... and he looked at a.... plush teddy bear.
What had happened here?
Mona voiced that question out loud and shot him a quizzical look. She had accompanied Ace back to the Express after they had met at the Ring Theater. Mona had been on a promotional tour for the last two months and except for a few calls, they hadn't seen each other. That also meant she didn't know about Zina's cubs.
"Rrrww?"
The reason for the chaos poked its head out from under the bunched-up rug and a pair of round, golden eyes peeked at the much taller human.
"Oh my god!" Mona exclaimed. "That's...."
"One of Zina's." Ace smiled.
Picking up the small bundle of paws and tail, he looked into the round, fuzzy face of a panther cub.
"I wonder where your brother and sister are," he sighed.
"There are more?"
"Three. Zata, Zelda and Zion. They are now nearly three months old."
Mona carefully reached out and when the cub didn't retreat, she gently ran a finger over the round little head. "They are sweet."
Ace smiled as Mona kept on scratching the cub, the little panther enjoying the attention.
He didn't have to look very far for the other two. One had ended up behind the shelf housing his special collection of books on magic and the other was happily playing with the waste basket in his study. Paper littered the wider area.
Gathering the three rascals, Ace fought with one of them that really wanted to get off him again to pursue its game of hunting paper balls. Mona picked it up and it quieted down, gazing at her with curious, wide eyes. She laughed softly at its inquisitive gaze. Finally all three were outside his study and he moved them down into the living room, which had been made 'cub safe', meaning everything breakable and harmful for little panthers had been taken away. Zina rumbled softly as he appeared, her tail twitching once, and her golden eyes met his gray ones.
"Cosmo, we have to work on the door locks," he told his younger friend as Cosmo entered the room.
"What happened?"
"What didn't." Ace dumped the cubs on the ground. They were heavy! "Just reprogram Angel's door codes. Zina, you, me, no cubs."
Cosmo grinned. "Gotcha."
"Now where is the vac?" Ace mused and walked off to the storage area.
Cosmo just shook his head, laughing softly. Mona chuckled and joined Ace in his search for cleaning utensils.

* * *

Panther cubs.
Three of them.
They were all hyper-energetic, running around, chasing each other, poking their noses into the most unlikely places in the Express. Cosmo had saved the little critters from the washing machine, the dryer, tilting shelves, tight corners behind the electrical equipment and more. Now he simply sat in one corner, watching Zion and Zelda chase each others clumsily. They were slowly developing their muscles and coordination, but right now they were adorable fuzz balls. Zata tried to pounce on Zina's tail and her little paws clawed at the evasive, black tip. Cosmo chuckled.
"Ey!" he protested good-naturedly as Zelda jumped on him, the little teeth gnawing on his fingers. The teeth were just coming, so there was no danger of getting bitten, but both he and Ace had renewed their rabies shots -- just in case.
Laughter trickled through the room and Cosmo looked up, mock-glaring at his partner. Ace smirked.
"Should I ask how it's going?" the magician asked.
"For now, just fine." Cosmo grinned. "How was the meeting?"
"Same boring rehearsal of speeches as every time," Ace sighed.
He had been invited to attend a gala dinner and senator Dobbs had given one of his feared speeches again: long, completely disinteresting and boring to the last word. Ace had sat through it, doing his part of smiling and clapping hands, and had left later on. Public appearance, hand-shaking, a few pictures taken, that was that. He was glad it was over.
"I called Tenocha," he said and flopped down on the chair, watching Zelda take on Zina's tail in a wild battle. "He will be here next week."
"So you think it's the best decision?" Cosmo wanted to know.
Ace nodded slowly. "We can't keep four fully grown panthers, Cosmo. It's not a question of money, it's a question of living space and adequate space for them roam. I won't sell them, I won't give them away to a zoo or the circus either."
Yokiko had offered to keep the cubs at the circus, and though Ace knew they would be in very good hands, he didn't want the three panthers to end up caged. Kim was another matter. He was Yokiko's companion, just Zina was his, but the three young ones?
"I also won't sell them as pets," he added darkly. "These animals choose their companions and I would never have kept Zina if she hadn't decided to stay on her free will, if she wouldn't feel at home."
As if feeling a need to reassure him, Zina padded over to the magician and rubbed her head against his hand. Ace smiled and scratched the broad head.
"So you'll return them to their home lands? Won't they need Zina?"
Ace sighed deeply. "Yes, they will need a mother. I won't send Tenocha off with the cubs. Zina and I will accompany him." He grinned as Cosmo fidgeted. "And you are welcome as well."
Cosmo grinned.
Ace continued patting Zina. "The Panthera Rex lives in family groups. They adopt orphaned cubs and other females will care for them, but I'll let Zina choose. If she wants to live with the family group, I will accept it."
The teenager stared at him. "You'd let her go free?"
"Zina is free, Cosmo. She can decide." Ace's voice was heavily laced with sadness at the possible outcome. "I won't stop her."
Cosmo lowered his eyes, accepting it. "Okay," he muttered.

* * *

Tenocha was a slim man in his mid-fifties, with raven black hair and sparkling brown eyes. He was dressed in colorful clothes rivaling Cosmo's: a red T-shirt and multi-colored jacket, dark brown pants and equally brown shoes. A backpack was slung over his shoulders, and his hair was bound back out of his face. His face was a dark brown color and unlined by age. A tattoo on his forehead completed the picture.
"Ace Cooper, my friend," he greeted the magician.
Ace smiled widely and they embraced briefly. Cosmo hung back, watching, noting the open smile and the fond sparkle in Ace's eyes.
"Thank you for coming."
They walked into the Magic Express and the medicine man looked around. "Nice home, though a bit... extravagant."
"It meets my needs. A house is too immobile; I move around a lot and a train was the next best solution." Ace shrugged.
Tenocha nodded and ran his hand over the inner wall panel. Suddenly a low rumble passed through the corridor and when they stepped into the living room, the Mexican was nearly overrun by a large, black cat.
"Zina!" he called, laughing, batting at her as she tried to lick his face. "You have grown!" Tenocha patted the massive back and Zina rumbled again, then purred deeply. "You took care of her well."
Ace smiled. "She is a welcome companion and my friend."
"I know. I knew the day you adopted her that you would be her guardian and friend, Ace. As she is yours." Tenocha scratched the broad head and Zina purred more.
There was a high meowing sound and something small and black bounded into the room, followed by two more black shapes.
"Tenocha, meet Zata, Zelda and Zion. Zina's cubs."
Tenocha knelt down and stretched out one hand. Zata stopped, sniffed and made a sound that was a mix between a rumble and a meow. Zina watched the meeting carefully, then gave the cub a little push. Zata stumbled forward and right into Tenocha's outstretched hand. She gave a 'mrow' of protest, then sniffed at the now much closer hand. Finally she looked up, giving off little cat sounds. The other two cubs joined their sister and the three pawed and nipped at the visitor's clothes and hands. Tenocha laughed. Zina kept on watching, then looked up at Ace and growled gently. He patted her head.
"They will be in very good hands."
The medicine man nodded. "The family of panthers living in the jungle will accept them. Another stray has been added to their number just a few months ago and they adopted it as their own. They will learn how to be wild panthers, how to hunt, but they will always be Zina's."
Zina purred her approval.

* * *

Gentle white clouds rode high against the brightly blue sky. The distant waters gleamed a brilliant turquoise and the crests of the waves were a foamy white, almost unreal. Here and there silvery beaches twinkled with the promise of relaxation and a good time. At the far western edge of the steamy jungle, rising in sharp contrast to the sea and the beach, volcanic highlands reached for the sky.
Out of the jungle, stone towers rose like fingers into the sky, ancient monolithic obelisks telling a tale of the lost civilization of this land. They were overgrown with vines, showing signs of decay. The jungle had started to claim the land used by the lost people, the vast courtyards around the towers cracked with young plants pushing their way out of the ground. Moss covered the stones.
The place was a place of mysteries and secrets which might never be revealed, the ancient glyphs fading with the centuries.
A pyramid rose between several obelisks, a kind of center point of the array of strange stones, as ancient and undiscovered as the world it stood on. It was overgrown with weeds and underbrush but still beautiful, covered with more glyphs and pictures carved in stone to tell the history of the people who had once built it. Ornaments of a long gone time.
Ace Cooper stood in the middle of this mysterious world out of another time, eyes closed, relaxed. He had shed his usual outfit for a much more comfortable attire that fit the humid warmth. All around him he felt the magic of this place. It was a far cry from the Magic Force or what it had once been, back then in the old times, but it was there. And this was the place the panthers roamed. Long ago he had wondered whether or not those magnificent creatures actually felt magic, but even his studies of Zina had never revealed it. The Panthera Rex was a mysterious species, gentle and intelligent, the dolphins of the jungle. He smiled at the comparison.
Three weeks ago, Ace, Cosmo and Tenocha had arrived here, accompanying Zina and her cubs. The people of Nezah had welcomed him like an old friend and had taken Cosmo in as a welcome guest. Ace had given them those three weeks as a time limit. Zina would have made her decision by then and whatever it was, he would accept it.
"Ace?"
He opened his eyes and smiled at his apprentice as Cosmo carefully stepped onto the courtyard. He looked around, a frown of displeasure on his face.
"Man, this is freaky."
"You can feel it." It wasn't a question. Ace knew Cosmo, as a magician in training, was highly empathic to magic, though mainly to Ace's.
Cosmo nodded, shoving his hands in the pockets of his pants. "Tenocha told me you're here. What is this place?"
"An old temple. Tenocha led me here when I first came to this place. It's a place of the magic of the old times."
"Still freaky." He shivered.
Ace smiled. "After some time, you come to appreciate it." He walked slowly across the vine-covered floor and Cosmo followed.
"You'd really leave her?" Cosmo interrupted the silence between them as they made their way back to Nezah.
"It's her decision, Cosmo, not mine. I'm not her master, only her friend. Zina has a family and if she decides to raise her cubs to adulthood, I won't judge her. She is a mother."
The younger man sighed. "Would be kinda empty back at the Express," he muttered. "With Zina gone... who'll leave hair all over my bed?"
Ace smiled slightly. They arrived back at Nezah after a short walk. The village was nestled right between two mountains in a fertile valley, the ruins of the ancient temple hidden in the dense jungles all around them. Archeologists had examined it decades ago and since it didn't wield any secrets, they had just catographed and then left it alone.
The villagers greeted them and Ace nodded at them, a friendly smile on his face. Children played in the unpaved streets and a few chicken scattered as they went past. Tenocha sat on the rocking chair in front of his house, smiling as the two approached.
"Your decision stands, old friend?"
Ace nodded. "I made it and I will follow it." His gaze traveled to the green wall of trees and bushes and he listened to the birds and howler monkeys. "Take care of her, will you?"
"Of course, Ace." Tenocha's face was full of warm compassion.
Cosmo swallowed heavily. "Man, this sucks," he whispered as they gathered their bags and loaded them into a jeep.
The magician met his eyes and Cosmo saw the sadness in them. This was getting to Ace.
The jeep would get them to a small airport about two hours away from Nezah, where they would then take a plane back to Electro City. It would be a long way home, made longer by the fact that they were going home one member short.
Cosmo watched the landscape rush by as Tenocha steered their vehicle down the uneven road and onto what passed as a main road in this jungle. Zina had been a big part in his life, had actually helped him come to terms with his past and his new life. She had been a real pussy cat to him, had been protective, caring, and sometimes a guide who pushed him along. She was an animal, yes, but she was more than a mere wild cat. He slid deeper into the seat and ignored the jolts whenever the jeep hit a pot hole. It would be lonely back home. No one to give him a face wash when he had to get up and didn't feel like it. No one who playfully tackled him. No one who stole his blanket.
The jeep suddenly stopped and Cosmo grasped for a hold. What the....
"Zina?"
Ace had breathed the name with wonder, hope and some dread in it. Cosmo looked up and his eyes widened as he discovered the large, black panther in the middle of the road. It was Zina. He knew it. He could tell it by her whole bearing.
"Zina!" Ace called and jumped out of the jeep.
The panther bounded toward him and then jumped. Ace's arms came around the heavy, black body and he stumbled a step backwards, compensating for the weight.
"It is you!" he breathed.
Zina rumbled happily and Ace knelt down beside her, still hugging her. Then he drew back, a sad expression on his face.
"You will be happy here, girl."
Another rumble and Zina licked his cheek, then pushed her head against his chest. Ace frowned in confusion and looked at Tenocha, who now approached.
"I think she has made her choice, old friend," the Mexican said with a smile.
Ace's face was blank at first, then he blinked. "Zina?" he asked.
Zina growled softly and pushed her head against him again.
"Thank you!" he breathed, closing his eyes and hugging her once.
"She is staying?" Cosmo called.
Ace nodded and smiled. It was a brilliant smile, full of relief and happiness.
"Yeah! All right!" Cosmo cheered.
Zina licked over his face as he crouched down beside her to give her a hug as well.
"I love you too, girl!"
Ace smiled fondly, but the sadness was still there. "You'll be leaving your family, Zina. Your home."
The panther rumbled, then lifted her head and roared. There was an answering roar and suddenly shapes appeared out of the jungle. Some were about Zina's size, hanging back, keeping themselves hidden, but three smaller ones bounded over. The cubs, now nearly six months old, had grown and had reached about the size a normal panther had. The three bounded over and rubbed their heads against Zina, then looked at the the humans.
Ace just smiled softly, letting them sniff and rub heads, then he patted each of them. "Good luck, you three."
Zelda, Zion and Zata disappeared in the jungle again, as did the much larger shapes, and only Zina remained. Cosmo grinned. Man, this was one happy ending he loved. Tenocha smiled as they walked back to the jeep.
"I told you she was your companion. This is proof of just how she feels."
"I know," Ace said softly. "And I'm honored."
They drove on to the airport, Zina wedged in next to Cosmo, and he fondly ruffled her fur. Three hours later they were up in the air and on their way back to Electro City. Ace, though he hardly ever used it, had a private plane at his disposal, and it made travel easier.
Mexico disappeared beneath them and Cosmo settled back, enjoying the ride. Ace had stretched out on the couch, Zina in front of it, and was scratching her head. Cosmo grinned. Family.
As weird as it was.... his family consisted of a magician, a black panther and an AI. But, man, it was the best he could think of.