In a world where women don't exist and men transition to female when needed, the panther Agifu is the boss of a garden of cats, and the caretaker asks him to personally look after abandoned white lion, Val. Val becomes totally dependent on Agifu, and as he grows up, he can't stand the fact that Agifu goes to other cats for sexual satisfaction and determines to get strong enough to take him, himself. They're very cute in the first half, but Val is very asswholeish and rapey in the second half. And you can say that's how cats are, which is fair, but it's still uncomfortable to read, and sad after seeing cute baby Val. Trigger warnings: violence, attempted rape.
I wanted to like this since I generally LOVED Egotists in Glass Houses. It's just... kinda weird? I don't know how it could be the same author. I still have so many questions about how the world in the story works. And how the characters we see as humanoid are actually animals? But on top of everything else, this comes with a heavy dose of non-con. Not my favorite.
In a particular Southern country, many animals are living in the garden of a king's palace. Agifu, a black leopard, is the leader of the pack, and one day he's asked to care for Val, a young white lion. Val's a coward, a cry-baby, and tiny, but under the strong and dashing Agifu, he grows into a fine man while learning to adore Agifu. Each time he yearns for Agifu, he tries to mate with him, but fails. This is the start to a furry love story where both sides can't seem to be with who they want when they go into heat!