One of the things I enjoy most about writing animal shifters is building their world by researching and observing animals in the natural world. I’ve based some shifters on snakes, badgers, raccoons, frogs, sea turtles, wolves, cats, and hawks. Most of the time learning the characteristics of certain animals means a lot of reading. Other times it means taking a closer look at animals around me. In Mate Marks: Hunger, the hero is from a race of cat shifters called Prowleryns. In some ways they’re similar to other big cat shifters I’ve written, like the weretigers, but Prowleryns also have some domestic cat traits like the cat shifter in Britta’s Beast (Firestorm Anthology).
Joshi is a fierce, cunning shifter with many traits of a big cat, but when it comes to the woman he loves, he can also be a pussycat. He’s arrogant and wants his own way, yet he’ll purr in her ear and would roll over for a belly rub if she desired him to. Joshi is confident in himself, but he doesn’t need to flaunt his golden beauty. Like a domestic cat, he doesn’t have to try too hard to be appealing. It’s part of his nature. That’s what I aimed for in Joshi. I imagined a fierce warrior who could defend what’s his with the ferocity of a great cat, but who could also be a purring lover with his destined mate. He’s a predator who has learned to play the game with humans, much like domestic cats who still retain a portion of their wild ancestry. Joshi has learned to respect his lover and work with her so they can share their worlds, like cats share ours. With her, he’s gentle and protective, but he’ll never be tame.
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