It was the morning of 23 Alepou, 25 AZ. I was called into the editorial office early, around 8:00 or thereabouts. I was a bit stunned. I don't start work until after 11:00. I'd been up most of the night, visiting with friends and relatives at The Tabby Club. I don't usually stay out late or go to the milk bars (and, never, alone), but my cousins were visiting from outside The Park and we lost all track of time.
We went to The Tabby Club because they have cream on tap. Otherwise, we'd have been at the Broop 'n Miaow because, on the whole, their entertainment is better and I know a good number of the wait staff there. Besides, as you can see, I have no stripes. I was there as the guest of my cousin Darvik who, as it happens, is one of the descendants of Jor, The Park's first leader, the founder of modern zoocracy and, most importantly to us, the first owner of The Tabby Club. Jor had a strict rule about stripes at The Tabby Club, but it was a rule that he loved to break, whenever he got the chance.
Anyway, back to that morning.
"We want to talk to you about an important assignment," said the Boss.
The Boss is this really gruff guy. Grew up on the streets. And, I don't mean in The Park. Half of his left ear is missing and his tail was chopped off by some backstreet veterinarian who convinced him that it was for his own good. He later found out that the vet sold the tail to some Humans who were looking for parts for an "authentic" Halloween costume. You can never be too careful when it comes to dealing with those two-legged ones.
"We want to talk to you about an important assignment," said the Boss.
My whiskers started to twitch. My tail started to flap, back and forth, back and forth. I was so excited, I started to purr, even before I heard what the assignment was.
Nine long years I've toiled for this paper, I thought, and they've yet to give me a great assignment. I'm not complaining. I mean, at least I have a job. I've known lots of Cats who couldn't find work, especially in a mixed-species environment. But, for some time, I'd had the hunger -- for some really juicy, dangerous assignment. I had the hunger for investigative journalism. The trouble was, The Mammalian Daily didn't do much of that. They left it to the papers of other groups to dig in the dirt for news. The Mammalian Daily doesn't like to appear sensationalist. It doesn't like to appear controversial. It likes to appear above it all. Sometimes, it's too above it all, I think. I wouldn't say that it's pro-Human, exactly. But, maybe it gives them the benefit of the doubt too often. That's all I'm saying.
My whiskers started to twitch. My tail started to flap, back and forth, back and forth. I was so excited, I started to purr, even before I heard what the assignment was.
Nine long years I've toiled for this paper, I thought, and they've yet to give me a great assignment. I'm not complaining. I mean, at least I have a job. I've known lots of Cats who couldn't find work, especially in a mixed-species environment. But, for some time, I'd had the hunger -- for some really juicy, dangerous assignment. I had the hunger for investigative journalism. The trouble was, The Mammalian Daily didn't do much of that. They left it to the papers of other groups to dig in the dirt for news. The Mammalian Daily doesn't like to appear sensationalist. It doesn't like to appear controversial. It likes to appear above it all. Sometimes, it's too above it all, I think. I wouldn't say that it's pro-Human, exactly. But, maybe it gives them the benefit of the doubt too often. That's all I'm saying.
Rumours had been circulating for some time, though, that TMD was interested in incorporating a new feature into the paper: The UnderCover Reporter. Nobody knew what it meant: whether it was going to be one reporter, or a number of reporters, whether it was a risky assignment or a desk job, whether we would have to venture outside The Park, or investigate scandals within our own borders. Everybody wanted a piece of the action, though, even though nobody knew, for sure, the what, when, where, why, or how of it.
