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It was thousands of years after humanity has used genetic engineering to assimilate everybody into anthropomorphic animals. Now, each was a different species but usually get along well. Ludwig was a Leopard living on the planet Draneb, where carnivorous anthros kept herbivorous anthros as pets or slaves. Ludwig himself owned a chubby female Goat named Gertrude but loved her much like a lover and less as property.

Ludwig came home one evening from work to see his mate Gertrude grazing as usual. "Ludwig," she said. "There is something I have to tell you."

"What's that, my sweet?" asked Ludwig.

"I think I'm pregnant," said Gertrude.

"But that's impossible; we're different species," said Ludwig. "You haven't been with another goat, have you?"

"No master," said Gertrude, trying to be polite to avoid possible punishment.

"You don't have to call me master," said Ludwig. "But I see honesty in your eyes. However, I still want to find out if it's true."

"Would you like to take me to the hospital?" asked Gertrude.

"Sure," he said. "Come on." Gertrude followed Ludwig to their vehicle, which was an old-style flying car. When they got in, they flew to the hospital.

They found a doctor there who looks at pregnancies. He was a White Tiger named Dr. Trent. "What may I do for you and your slave?" asked Dr. Trent.

"She's not my slave," Ludwig corrected Dr. Trent. "We have a romantic relationship. We're here to find out if she's pregnant."

"A romantic relationship?" asked Trent. "That's unheard of. I mate with my slaves, but I don't fall in love with them. Besides, she's probably not pregnant; she's just fat!"

"He's so rude!" Gertrude whispered into Ludwig's ear so Dr. Trent won't hear.

"So, are you going to help us or what?" asked Ludwig.

"Just have her lay down on that bed," Dr. Trent said, pointing to a rather uncomfortable looking bed. Ludwig did not like the fact that even hospitals on Draneb treated herbivores as less than equal.

Gertrude reluctantly lay down on the bed. Trent used a scanner to take a look at the developing fetus. "There's definitely something in there," said Dr. Trent. "But the instruments are having trouble scanning through those thick layers of blubber," he continued jokingly.

"Very funny," said Gertrude. Most herbivores on Draneb have gotten quite used to being made fun of in one way or another. Gertrude's chubby build was genetic, and obviously had nothing to do with diet.

"By the Dranebian gods," said Dr. Trent. "The fetus is a hybrid of Leopard and Goat!"

"You're kidding me, right?" asked Ludwig.

"See for yourself," Dr. Trent said, showing Ludwig the sonogram. Although the fetus was only one month old, it's feet looked like it had toes that wanted to be hooves but didn't fully become them. "The DNA scan is confirming this as well," said Dr. Trent.

"So, I'm a dad," said Ludwig, "of the very first hybrid between a carnivore and herbivore."

"I guess you are," said Dr. Trent in a congradulatory way. "I've never seen anything like it myself. I've delivered hybrids between carnivores before, such as leopard and wolf, but nothing like this."

Then something occurred to Ludwig. "If only every carnivore on Draneb loved their slave as I do, maybe there would be more hybrids like this."

"Don't be ridiculous," said Dr. Trent.

"He has a point," said Gertrude.

"Perhaps you should conduct more tests to confirm my theory," said Ludwig.

"Sure thing," said Dr. Trent. "I'll be glad to prove that moronic hogwash wrong!"

A few weeks had passed, and the communications console at Ludwig and Gertrude's home lit up. It was the Dr. Trent from the hospital.

"You were right," said Dr. Trent. "The tests have come back. The chemicals in the brain that are active when a couple is in love also assist in DNA recombination between species here on Draneb."

"I knew it," said Ludwig, hugging Gertude.

"We both knew it," said Gertrude. Then they started kissing and passionately made out on the sofa.

And so they realized it is love, not species compatibility, that creates a hybrid on Draneb.