Leaping Lizards — Elizabeth McCoy

When her clanship's sensors are damaged, Captain Klarin-yal hires an expensive human expert to effect repairs. Unfortunately, the human is afraid of reptiles. More unfortunately, during the explosion, a reptilian pet escaped into the ship. Even worse, the pet is about to have babies...Now it's up to Kinahran (Moonfur in Terran) and her little sister Embereyes (whose pet it was anyway) to find the animal before the human flees in disgust, leaving the clanship crippled -- an outcome that would surely have the Captain using their ears for belt-pouches, and their tails for a belt!Originally published in the fanzine Pawprints, Leaping Lizards is the introductory short story for the science fiction universe of the Kintarans.