Terry Spear on what makes a shapeshifter so perfect for covert operations

Terry Spear, author of Jaguar Pride (out this week!), book four in her Heart of the Jaguar series, shares why shapeshifters make such great covert operators.

Terry: Shifters have heightened animal senses — they can see during dawn and dusk, unlike humans; they can smell odors humans can't; and they can see movement much more readily than humans.

Shifters have two abilities to work covertly. As humans they have the training that covert ops entail — weapons, interrogations, staying under the radar, etc. — which will help them in environments that require a more human touch. But, they also have their animal sides that allow them to move more quickly in wild environments — the ability to track, to fight with their teeth and, in the case of my jaguars, paws and claws, and again, keep under the radar. If the enemy is expecting someone human, then coming at them in animal form could really throw them off guard.

Jaguars can climb trees and mountains with no climbing gear required. They can also hide in the foliage, the shadows of the leafy jungle camouflaging them. Similarly, wolves are hard to see in the forest or among rocks. It's amazing how difficult it is to see them moving through the trees or lying in the shade.

In some of my stories, I focus on poachers and the dangers they pose to exotic big cats, like jaguars. Jaguars don't hunt people in general. They're elusive, which, again, makes them perfect for covert operations. But because jaguars don't hunt humans, when humans hunt them, they will get a surprise. These jaguars fight back.

Here is an excerpt from Jaguar Pride that shows you just why shifters work out so well in covert operations.

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Though some would call Huntley a black panther, that wasn't correct and he preferred being referred to as a black jaguar. Black jaguars, a melanistic form, accounted for about six percent of the regular jaguar population. The jaguar shifters weren't sure about the ratio within their own kind. Huntley's mother was a beautiful black jaguar, and his dad, golden. Both his brother, Everett, and sister, Tammy, were also golden. For whatever reason, Huntley's coat appealed to Melissa, especially on missions like this. He seemed like a ninja warrior in jaguar form—sleek, agile, and deadly. And she liked that he was wild like she was, making them both able to live in their native environments without a hitch. Unless they had trouble with poachers.

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Besides being great for covert missions, it doesn't hurt that shifters are totally hot and make great mates, too.

Here's the blurb about Jaguar Pride:

An impossible mission…

JAG Special Forces agents Huntley Anderson and Melissa Overton are hot on the trail of poachers when they're suddenly saddled with two jaguar shifter cubs. They have to locate the parents, pronto—but who's going to babysit in the meantime?

A lifetime of possibilities…

Huntley is a rough, tough jaguar shifter and an all-business agent, but he's not going to let two abandoned youngsters come to any harm on his watch. Seeing her super-manly partner try to get the playful cubs under control stirs up some unexpected desires in Melissa, and she begins to feel like Huntley's not the only one who's in over his head…

Find out more at terrylspear.wordpress.com.