Joanne and Jeff decided to split up to search for Jason. Joanne started searching the zoo enclosures for anything that looked suspicious. An hour later, Joanne was passing the children’s petting zoo area when she saw Jeff escorting two young goats on leashes towards the enclosure. Joanne ran up to her husband with a panic, “Did you give up on searching for Jason? Why are you helping set up the petting zoo at a time like this?”
Jeff grinned while holding the leashes and bent down to pet the goats he was walking, “I found Jason. And his girlfriend Natalie. They make cute goats don’t they? I had half a mind to make them shapeshift into algae suckers and clean out the fish tank for a few days. But I figured we were low on animals in the petting zoo so they can serve their punishment there.”
Joanne was pleased the hunt was over, “Thank goodness you found our son and the shapeshifting medallion. I assume you found these two love-birds together?”
Jeff nodded, “They were at Natalie’s apartment and had been messing around with the medallion when I found them.”
Joanne smirked, “Oh really? What sort of messing around?”
Jeff winked, “I don’t blame them for having fun. They are just as curious as we are with the medallion. Jason had a set of boobs on his body and was missing a very essential male organ between his legs. Natalie also had enormous breasts and would have technically qualified as the man for their sexual fun considering what she had dangling from her crotch.”
Joanne interrupted, “Okay okay. That’s enough info. Which one of these goats is Jason?”
Jeff held the leashes in his hands for a moment confused and said, “Hmm. After I made them shapeshift into goats I put the collars on them…I’m pretty sure Jason is the doeling on the left? No wait, the doeling on the right..”
Joanne smirked realizing both Jason and Natalie were now both young female goats. She would have assumed Jason would turn himself into a buckling but then she remembered that all the animals in the petting zoo had to be female to avoid any hierarchy battles between the animals. Joanne bent down to the pair of tiny doelings who both had their heads low with shame. Joanne scolded her son, “Jason! How dare you take the shapeshifting medallion off the property! You know the rules young man!” Joanne then cracked a smile, “...Or young lady for now I guess…” Joanne got a straight face and continued her scolding, “..And Natalie…I can’t believe you allowed this to happen too. You know the medallion rules and you’ve violated our trust. That was very irresponsible of you both. A few days in the petting zoo should teach you a lesson!”
The doelings both nodded in understanding of their punishment. Joanne then told her husband, “You better get these naughty girls to the enclosures. The zoo is opening soon and children will be flocking to the petting zoo.” Jason and Natalie both let out grunts knowing how annoying the next few days would be while having their fur being tugged and pulled by children all day.
A few minutes later, Joanne and Jeff started making their normal rounds throughout the zoo before it opened. They passed the zebra enclosure as Jeff asked, “Have you heard anything from Fiona yet? Is she pregnant?” Joanne replied, “I don’t know. I guess we will just have to ask her.” She whistled to group of zebras as one of them came trotting over. Joanne pet the zebra's head through the enclosure fence and smiled, “Hey Fiona! Any luck with getting knocked up?”
The zebra let out a victorious sounding neigh and got on her hind legs proudly while seeming to celebrate. Joanne laughed, “I’ll take that as a yes! Congratulations Fiona! I’m still so glad you volunteered to keep up the zebra population.”
Jeff added, “Thanks again Fiona. We really appreciate you doing this! Don’t forget about the bonus if you have twins!” Fiona nodded and trotted away back to the other zebras. Jeff and Joanne were grateful that Fiona had volunteered for the task. After finding out their zoo was on a 9 year waiting list for the next available zebra, they had to do something to make sure the exhibit endured. Fiona was a loyal employee since she was in high school that they trusted over the years with the shapeshifting medallion. She had spent the past few years in college pursuing an undergraduate in animal science and had plans to enter the Zoology program after that. Jeff and Joanne needed a zoologist and promised her a position once she graduated. The situation couldn’t have been more perfect for Fiona. While going to college, she still worked at the zoo on weekends doing research for her animal behavior studies. She would spend the weekends as different animals so she had firsthand knowledge of their instincts and behavioral patterns. It helped her ace all her exams and papers. Jeff and Joanne knew she’d be a wonderful lifelong asset to the zoo.
However, during her last year of college, the student loans and bills were becoming overwhelming and Fiona needed to take a year off to save some money. That’s when she volunteered to become a zebra and help repopulate the zoo. It would earn her a full year’s worth of pay while spending nothing. Once she gave birth, she’d have plenty of money to finish her degree. Even more enticing was the research she’d accomplish. She’d have enough knowledge to write an entire book on zebras and their behavior patterns.
Jeff and Joanne continued making their rounds through the zoo checking on personnel and animals. With hundreds of employees at any given time, there always seemed to be scheduling and staffing hiccups. Joanne and Jeff would periodically fill-in wherever they needed help. Whether it was running ticket booths, working food stands, being an entertainer or cleaning out cages, they had done every job at the zoo over the years. The owners of course couldn’t be seen doing all these jobs. That’s where the shapeshifting medallion came in handy. Whenever they filled in as employees, they always became an appropriate body for the job. Although most of their fill-in jobs were done by necessity, periodically Joanne and Jeff would schedule themselves a 3 or 4 hour shift doing a normal job around the zoo. It gave them a chance to spy on their employees while disguised as other people. They’d even become animals to see how certain employees were treating them during feeding or medical examinations. It helped identify bad workers who were cruel to animals. It also helped them identify great workers who were worthy of trusting with the shapeshifting medallion. Jeff and Joanne would frequently join the animal kingdom and spend time inside the enclosures. Sometimes it was because they were short on a certain specie. Sometimes it was for inspection purposes to make sure the animals had enough room to play or the enclosure didn't contain any hazards. Other times it was purely for enjoyment. Jeff loved becoming a wolf and joining the pack to escape life for a while. When Joanne was bored she would join the primates and swing around trees for a few hours in the sun. They both utilized the shapeshifting medallion for travel purposes too. It was much faster to get across the enormous zoo as a bird and fly to whatever situation needed to be addressed.
Every now and then they would even become normal people and pretend to be customers. They would test their employees on how good they interacted with zoo goers. As Jeff and Joanne passed by a restroom facility, Joann pointed at one of the newer additions to the park. It was a special building designed for women to breastfeed comfortably in. There were recliners and rocking chairs inside a huge room that had toiletry supplies available and even spare diapers. Anything that made their customers feel better was a bonus for the zoo. Joanne giggled, "Awwww. Remember when we tested the new addition out? You made such an adorable baby!"
Jeff laughed, "How could I forget. It was one of the more relaxing days of work here I've ever had...As a human that is...." Jeff reminisced about the day recalling how relaxing it was to be pushed around in a stroller all day. He got tons of naps and tons of feedings while Joanne posed as a young mother in her 20's all day. It gave them a great inside experience to test the breastfeeding building and speak with other women who were utilizing the facilities. They got tons of recommendations and made the building even better.
Joanne sighed, "Now that we found our son and the shapeshifting medallion, what do you feel like doing today?"
Jeff thought and suggested...   indicates the next chapter needs to be written. |
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