What happens when someone gets a hold of something that is well beyond their ability to truly understand it but still decide to make something new and amazing with it? Will it work as intended, or can it backfire and blow up in their faces with unintended results? Follow along with a group of friends who find out the answer in ...

     
     
     
     
     

     “Hey George,” Amy calls out to the ranch hand, “where’s Brian? He told us to meet him out here this afternoon.”

     “Hello there Miss Amy,” George greets her. “We’ve been told that when you and the others arrive you should go out to the birthing barn and wait outside. There’s a small pavilion setup for you all to sit under with refreshments. You’re the first to arrive.”

     “Sounds mysterious, got any idea what this is all about?”

     “I don’t know what Mister Caruthers has going on, so I can’t really say. All I know is that he’s got something to show you, and there’s an unmarked truck that arrived early this morning that Mister Caruthers met and went down to the barn with. He hasn’t been back up since.”

     “Thanks George. How’s the ranch running? The horses all behaving and getting along?”

     “Oh, you know how it is, the ranch is doing fine. The mares that foaled are being extra protective of their young un’s right now, but everyone’s being good. The studs are ignoring their progeny as usual. It’ll be a bit before it’s breeding time again so nobody is getting antsy.”

     “And what about Jenny? She doing okay?”

     “Your favorite girl is in good health,” George informs Amy with a smile. “She’ll be looking for that apple you’ve got in your pocket as soon as she sees you.”

     “Can’t slip anything past you,” Amy laughs. “I’ll let you get back to work George. Take care.”

     George smiles and waves as Amy starts off down the trail towards the barn he directed her to.

     Walking down the fence line Amy sees a big Shire out in the field and gives a whistle. The horse looks around and spies Amy by the fence and comes running up to greet her. Reaching the fence line the horse reaches over and blows in Amy’s hair which makes her laugh then lowers its head down to be scratched in a favorite spot under its chin.

     “Hello you big goof,” Amy greets the animal. “They taking good care of you girl?”

     The horse gently nudges Amy on the chest which is still strong enough to knock her back a step.

     “What? You want something from me? Greedy guts. You’re as bad as George, you can always tell. Here’s your treat then,” Amy tells the eagerly waiting equine as she pulls out the apple from her jacket and presents it.

     Jenny delicately takes the fruit out of Amy’s hand, her lips barely brushing against Amy’s skin, and quickly crunches the sweet offering between her large teeth. Finishing the apple off in mere seconds the horse cranes her head out to reach around Amy’s shoulder and pulls her in closer affectionately. Amy reaches up to wrap both arms around the powerful neck and returns the hug with a smile.

     “I love you too, Jenny. Now go on back to whatever it is you do. Brian has a surprise for us to see so I’ve got to get on down to the barn.”

     She gives the giant mare an affectionate pat on the neck and continues to walk down the tree shaded trail to her destination. When the barn comes into view between the trees she sees the pavilion George had mentioned off to the side with a small table with a cooler beside it. A large delivery style truck with no markings on it sits beside the barn. The vehicle is big enough that it could almost qualify as a small semi trailer. There is also someone already standing under the tent that she recognizes.

     “Alexa!” Amy calls out as she approaches. “You’re certainly looking cute today. Isn’t that a Gothic Lolita outfit?” she asks.

     The girl twirls the lace trimmed parasol that rests over her shoulder and grins at the compliment.

     “Yes, it is. I decided to really dress up for the big day, whatever it is.”

     “Well I’m not too terribly surprised with the whole web pattern and spider theme you’ve got going on there considering who’s wearing it,” Amy giggles. “The pig tails and bow in your hair are a nice touch.”

     “Thanks! The scarf I tied into the bow is real hand dyed spider silk!”

     “What else,” Amy theatrically rolls her eyes which gets the expected giggle in return.

     Amy takes a seat under the tent and opens the cooler to find several types of cold drinks on ice to select from. Selecting a bottled water she sits back to wait and chats with Alexa.

     “So, you usually manage find out what Brian is up to. Any idea what this is all about?”

     “Big Brother is trying to be very secretive with this whole thing. I just don’t have any clue what he’s up to today,” Alexandra says innocently, but she can’t keep a little smirk from showing.

     “Oh, so now it’s the whole sempai routine it is? Fine. Keep the secret then Alexa. I’ll find out soon enough. At least there’s someone else here as short as me.”

     “Almost,” Alexa teases. “I am an even four feet ten inches tall barefoot, and I’m wearing my two inch chunky heels today.”

     “Brat,” Amy says with a giggle. “What are you doing out here, by the way? Shouldn’t you be in school today seeing as how it’s a Friday?”

     The smile on Alexa’s face fades to a frown.

     “I’m trying to convince Big Brother to get me into home schooling, and he let me stay home today.”

     “Oh no. Are the kids bullying you again Alex?”

     The girl winces slightly at the more male sounding pronouncement of her name and she nods.

     “If it’s not the fact that I’m both black and Asian then it’s the whole adopted thing. That’s not too bad. I can handle those most of the time. But we got a new principal at school this year and he’s doing everything he can to out me and make my life hell.”

     “That’s not good. What did he do?”

     Alexa flops down on a seat next to Amy who pulls her seat up against Alexa’s and lets the girl lean her head on her shoulder.

     “I’ve been doing fine for two years using the girls’ bathrooms and lockers. My girl friends who know have helped keep things quiet and low-key and there’s been no problem. This jerk is making me use the single disabled toilet up by the office which is causing a problem in more than one way.

     “At first he tried to force me to use the boys but Brian threatened him with a lawsuit to put a stop to that at least. But now if I need to use the potty I have to run to the front of the school since it’s the only place I’m allowed to go and I’ve been late to a couple of classes or I’ve had an accident. Then there’s the fact I get in the way of the two real disabled kids in school when they have to use the bathroom which isn’t cool. At least they understand and are nice about it and I do everything I can to be quick or even help them if I can.

     “And to top it off, the butthead sent out a letter to all the parents explaining the situation. He didn’t actually name me, and was careful to not outright identify me, but with having to use the single loo and a few other things it didn’t take a lot for some of the kids to figure it out and I’ve been getting some real hate just because I’m transgender. I even lost a couple of people I thought were friends who didn’t know.”

     “Oh Alexa, I am so sorry,” Amy says soothingly as she pulls her into a hug. “That’s not right or fair. It would be so much nicer if there weren’t people like that to deal with. I hope things work out for the best, whatever route that has to take.”

     They continue to talk and about ten minutes later two of their other friends show up walking down the trail.

     “Peter, Susan, over here,” Amy calls out to get their attention.

     The two people change direction and take a more direct path through the grass to join the pair. Hugs are exchanged as they greet each other and everyone sits down to wait for Brian to come out or make his presence known.

     “What in the world could he have had delivered here in such a huge truck?” Peter wonders aloud.

     “No idea,” Susan replies.

     “I’ve been thinking the same thing, but Alexa is being close-lipped about it,” Amy says with a poke to the girl’s ribs. “That truck is big enough to hold three Shire’s in it at least, but it’s not an animal transport as far as I can tell. No air vents or openings.”

     “Good point. I guess we’ll just have to wait for Brian to make his grand entrance to find out.”

     A few minutes later the smaller wicket door opens and a woman wearing a lab coat steps through. Seeing the three friends sitting under the tent she raises her hand and calls to them.

     “You three must be Peter Amy and Susan. Please, everyone come closer. Brian is just about ready for you.”

     “Who are you?” Susan asks as they get up and move closer.

     “I’ll let Brian answer that in a moment. He has a rather big surprise for you and I don’t want to give anything away.”

     She points to a spot and smiles then goes back inside, closing the door. The four of them stop where indicated outside of the barn doors and wait for something to happen. A few minutes later they can hear the clip-clop of hooves from inside that sound like they are approaching the barn doors. The hoof steps stop just on the other side of the large double doors and a moment later both doors are pushed open from inside. The sight that greets them is astonishing and gets an audible gasp from all three.

     “What ...? That ...” Susan stutters, her eyes going big as saucers.

     “Holy hell, that’s not possible,” Peter blurts out.

     Alexandra bounces up and down on her toes doing her best to suppress her excitement as her eyes sparkle while she looks around at the awestruck expressions.

     Amy stares in rapt disbelief for a second before slowly taking several steps forward, her hand rising up hesitantly to touch the figure before them.

     “Brian, is that really you? Is this real?” Amy says quietly, her hand stopping short of actually making contact.

     Standing in the sunlight that shines down is a figure out of myth itself. It stands on four hooves with a tail that swishes lazily behind. Long, muscular legs support the body of a Shire horse with a well groomed chestnut coat. Long silky white hair, or feathers, adorns the hocks of all four legs. Brian’s torso from the abdomen in front and the small of the back from behind sits where the neck of the horse would rise up from the strong equine shoulders. His own legs are not visible; his body smoothly merges down into the form of the horse below.

     “Yes Amy, it’s me. And this is about as real as it can get. More or less,” Brian responds.

     A large horse fly buzzes in and lands on the equine flank. The hide shakes in an attempt to get the fly to depart, and when that fails the tail flicks around and swats the fly away.

     “You ... you’re ...” Amy tries to voice her disbelief.

     “Go on Amy, say it,” Brian prompts her.

     “You’re beautiful. You’re a centaur stal- ...” Amy cuts herself off.

     Looking closer Amy touches the side of the creature before her and runs her hand along the barrel of the body as she takes a closer look.

     “Wait. With these markings ...” she peers underneath towards the rear and gasps.

     “Oh good lord, it can’t be. I just saw her out in the field. These are Jenny’s markings and body. And I mean in every detail.”

     Amy backs up and looks up into the face above her.

     “Am I addressing Brian? Or is it Brianna I am talking to here?” she inquires with a gentle smile.

     “I didn’t want to make it completely obvious so I didn’t put on the full upper body appliance, but yes, I am effectively at this time a mare,” Brianna quietly confirms.

     Amy takes Brianna’s hand that is held out then wraps her arms the best she can around the human waist of the horse-girl and gives her a happy hug.

     “Isn’t it so cool! Big Sister gets to show off her surprise!” Alexa nearly shouts as the giggles of joy she has been holding in finally burst forth.

     “It’s good to see you out and about again, Brianna. We’ve missed you. Although this is just a bit of a shocker I must say. How in the world is this even possible?” Susan says as she comes forward too and takes Amy’s place to give Brianna another hug.

     “Can you really move that body? All of it?” Peter asks as he accepts a hug from their now mythological friend.

     “Yes. Everything is under my control,” Brianna happily states as she lifts each hoof individually to prance in place for a second. “I even swatted that dang horsefly before it got the idea to bite my butt.”

     Brianna carefully steps forwards out of the barn entry and leads her friends over to the pavilion where she takes a moment to kneel down on her forelegs then lowers her rear down so she is lying in the shade under the tent. Her head is now just slightly lower than most of her friends and she can look them in the eye without the three humans having to look up at her.

     “Come, sit, and I’ll explain,” she invites. Once the others have taken their seats again she continues.

     “First off, this is just a costume. All of me is still here on the inside. It’s just a very realistic and complicated costume. It took me all morning to get properly fitted for and outfitted in it.”

     “So this isn’t permanent then?” Susan wants to know.

     “No. I can wear this body all day long and into the night, and I can stay like this until early tomorrow morning. The costume will even take care of any, well, bathroom needs. It will process wastes just like a normal horse does and deposit them the same way. In fact, I will have to eat more than I usually would if I keep it on that long.

     “But, there is a time limit. I can’t keep it on for longer than twenty-three hours. While the internal power source is good for quite a lot longer, and is supplemented by an increased diet like I mentioned, I have to take it off before twenty-four hours for safety reasons.”

     “But if it took you all morning to get in to it, then how can you get out in time if you keep it on that long?” Amy asks.

     “The initial fitting is what took all that time. Now that my measurements have been input and I’ve got it custom fit to me, I can get in and out of it in about thirty minutes or so. Without help.”

     “So, your legs really are still in there somewhere along with the rest of you?”

     “Yes. My legs are down inside the forelegs. And you’ll notice there is just a bit of a bulge in front below my belly where the equine chest begins. That allows for my lower abdomen and such to fit in along with the necessary hookups.”

     “How can you control that body? You walked over here like any horse would then you laid down the same way a horse does,” Peter says.

     “There’s a microchip strip that is stuck against my back along my spine that has tiny little prongs that poke into my skin. It felt like an intense itch as they put it on. It picks up the electrical signals from my brain and intercepts all of the signals to my lower body and reroutes them into a micro computer inside the withers of the equine body. That computer translates the signals into commands for the horse part. It also takes all of the input from sensors in the body and translates them then sends them back up to my brain so I can move the body and feel what it feels.”

     “So can you still feel your human legs?”

     “Not really. Right now I feel four legs folded up underneath my barrel while I am lying on the ground. My human legs are positioned just right so my knees match up to the equine knees, and the lower legs are long and thick enough to effectively contain my feet before reaching the equine ankles. That’s why they used the Shire as the template for their Centaur, they needed something as big as possible to give it a large enough size to accommodate a human body inside.”

     “You mentioned an upper body appliance,” Susan says. “What is that for? Would it give you boobs? And how are you able to defecate like a horse?”

     “Yes, I have a nice pair of breasts sitting inside that I can put on as well,” Brianna giggles. “If they are anything like the rest of this then I’ll be able to feel exactly what it is like to have my own cleavage hanging from my chest. I’ll probably do that later before I take this off.”

     “And the other parts?” Susan prompts.

     “What took so long is part of the initial fitting was to mould a ... rather invasive, appliance to my genitals and rear. It’s like a body shaping stocking that goes around my hips and butt, between as well as down both legs to the toes. It includes a couple of indwelling catheters that have to get inserted in my urethra and anus so I don’t actually have control of waste elimination from my human body right now. It’s all being moved out and down into the horse body. When the reservoirs get full enough the computer will initiate an elimination cycle just like a horse would.”

     “So you’ll shit and piss wherever you’re at like a horse does?”

     “I’m afraid so. I’ll know it is happening and feel it like I’m relieving myself, but as I understand it I’ll only have minimal control over the function. I could probably hold it off for a few minutes or so to let it go in a more convenient location, but yes, I’ll drop it wherever I’m at.”

     Alexa scrunches up her nose, “Eww, that’s getting a bit too realistic, isn’t it?”

     “I suppose so. But it makes sense considering what I understand about the outfit and how it was made.”

     “Well don’t do it in the house if you go inside. I’m not going to clean that up.”

     “Tell us about that,” Amy speaks up. “How did they manage to create such a complex and beautiful device like this?”

     “I don’t know all the details of course, there’s a lot of secrecy involved here to protect their product. But they have developed the necessary mechanics and computer processing to create not just a centaur, but other exotic creatures from mythology too. From what I’ve officially been told they have broken the barrier to produce effective robotics and micro technology that is capable of performing the high level of computations to make this possible.”

     “They approached me about a year ago wanting to acquire samples of Shire DNA and measurements to work with for their testing and development. Apparently they had tried smaller size horses and found them to be inadequate to allow enough room inside the costume for the average human adult to fit.”

     “Wait, DNA?”

     “Yes. I’m not privy to why or how they use it, but apparently the internal workings of this body are part mechanical and part organic in nature. The body is powered by some type of battery or engine that maintains an ongoing reaction that is recharged through processing organic materials, or food. In fact, I’m starting to feel a little hungry. I’ll need to eat soon.”

     “What can you eat? Is it a special diet or formula of some type? Or can you eat anything?”

     “I’m still an omnivore for the most part, just like any human, but I need to eat, well, like a horse,” Brianna chuckles. “I have a second belly to fill in this thing now, and it’s based on a horse. That has altered what I want to eat a bit. I’m craving more fruits vegetables and grains and a whole lot less meats. In fact, thinking about eating a big juicy steak like I normally would enjoy just doesn’t interest me right now. Dairy is somewhere in between.”

     “Feel like trying some hay?” Peter jokes.

     “Honestly, yes,” Brianna answers in surprise. “I think I do.”

     Waving to get the attention of the woman from earlier, Brianna informs her that they need something to eat brought out. As the woman walks away out of earshot, Brianna lowers her voice some.

     “I’ve picked up little bits and pieces here and there by listening to them talk as I worked with them and especially today while I was getting setup to be Brianna the Centaur Mare.”

     “About that, I assume that something about this whole thing perked up your feminine side?” Amy tosses out.

     “It did. After the initial round of talks and tests were done and they started to talk about how they could make a costume for me and asked which horse I wanted to emulate I had some pretty direct questions for them. I found out that it didn’t matter if the horse that donated the DNA was a stallion or a mare as far as they were concerned, but the final form would depend on and copy the body of the animal that donated it. I wanted to know if they would have any trouble with turning me into a mare. That initiated a whole series of questions and tests to find out if the gender difference would be a problem and how it could be overcome if it was.

     “I don’t know how much of a problem it was in the end, but they worked it out successfully enough that I can be my true self and let Brianna out in the light of day. At least for a little while.”

     “Well I for one am glad that you’ve found an avenue to come out,” Amy states.

     She gets up and steps over to give Brianna another hug then sits down on the ground to lean up against her friend’s new, greater bulk. She lets her hand absent-mindedly run down the back of Brianna’s brown coat while the fingers of her other hand intertwine in and comb through the soft hairs of Brianna’s lower legs. Brianna closes her eyes in joy from the sensation of her friend gently petting her.

     “That feels so wonderful,” she states.

     “Oh! I’m so sorry! I didn’t even think and just started petting you like I would an animal. I shouldn’t have just assumed like that,” Amy apologizes as she stops her ministrations and sits up.

     “Aw, don’t stop,” Brianna almost whines. “I really liked that. Having a close friend feel comfortable enough to pet me is nice. Don’t go away.”

     Amy smiles and leans back in against Brianna and the playing with her feathers starts again.

     “You said they developed other creatures from mythology too, didn’t you?” Susan says to get back into the conversation again.

     “Mhm, they did,” Brianna coos with half closed eyelids.

     “You’re going to have to stop that if we are going to get anything more out of her Amy,” Peter chuckles.

     “Sorry guys,” Brianna blushes, opening her eyes fully. “I didn’t realize just how good that feels. I can’t wait to have someone take a couple of curry brushes to my coat, mane, and tail.”

     “Ooo, yes! That sounds like fun! I volunteer!” Alexa announces.

     Brianna nods and smiles at her younger sister, “Done. This afternoon sometime while everyone is busy.”

     “But yes, that’s why I called you three out here,” she turns back to the others. “Being the owner of the ranch they used to make their centaur costume from I worked a deal with them. It’s all going to benefit them in a big way anyways, but I got an exclusive deal for all of us out of this.

     “You know that big costume party coming up in a week out on the beach?”

     “You mean the annual Halloween costume ball that’s been put on for the last ten years? That one?”

     “That’s the one. They want to have their big reveal at the party. And they want to have several people in their costumes out there. Not just a bunch of centaurs either. They have five different bodies they want to present. You’ve seen the one I’m going to wear,” Brianna says as she waves to herself.

     “They also have four others mostly ready. They need some people to go through some trials and tests to verify their costumes will work as intended and then wear them at the big reveal in a week.”

     “Do you mean ...?” Susan whispers, almost afraid to say what seems to be in her heart.

     “How would you three like to become creatures out of myth brought to life?” Brianna asks them with a huge smile.

     Susan squeals in delight, her head nodding so hard her long hair is flung all over in disarray.

     “EEEEE!!! Please tell me one of them is a Mermaid! Please! Please! Please!” Susan manages to get out with a high pitched voice.

     Brianna laughs loudly at her friend’s giddy response.

     “Yes Susan, there is a fish tail waiting for you. I had a feeling you’d go straight for that one. How about you Peter, and Amy? Want to join in? There’s three more costumes that need finalizing.”

     “What are the others?” Peter inquires.

     “A Harpy, and a Naga,” Brianna answers looking at Amy.

     Amy’s eyes get big again at the mention of the Harpy and her hands stop moving.

     “A harpy? With wings?” she asks quietly to which Brianna slowly nods.

     “Can ... can it fly?” Amy says even quieter.

     “They think so,” Brianna gently responds. “That’s one of the things they need to test out.”

     “Well there’s no way I’m going to get in the way of Amy having a chance to realize her dream to fly one day,” Peter states. “She’s had enough disappointment with not being able to fly a plane due to her eyesight. I guess that leaves the Naga for me then. I assume you’re talking about a snake tail instead of legs, right?”

     Brianna nods, confirming Peter’s guess.

     “Might be interesting to slither around. I’m in,” he agrees.

     “I was pretty sure you all would say yes, but I wasn’t sure. I did tell the company to prepare the costumes for two women and one guy just in case though,” she smirks.

     “So Susan’s going to be a Merman then?” Peter asks innocently.

     Susan immediately directs an indignant scowl at Peter who laughs. Brianna also giggles and stops Susan from attacking Peter.

     “Oh come on Pete, I know these two well enough to tell them which body should be which gender. You’ll get your own pair of tits to go with that long green tail you’ll be wearing,” she teases.

     Brianna gently pushes Amy up off her side then carefully stands up.

     “Come on into the barn,” she says as she leads them up to the structure. “It’s been setup for the fittings and they’re waiting for you. I’ll warn you now, like I told you the form fitting bodysuit part is very form fitting. It’s a custom fit and will include having tubes inserted into your lower parts. I’m not sure, but there might even be something additional for the ladies to get inserted as well so don’t be too surprised or bashful. Part of the team here are actual doctors to help take care of these things.”

     “What about Jun,” Amy asks Brianna as they are walking. “Why isn’t she here? Didn’t you call her too?”

     “I did. She couldn’t make it out today due to having to cover an extra shift at the hospital. But I didn’t forget her. You may recall that I said they’ve got five costumes they want to present at the party. Jun’s is set aside for her to come out and get setup when she can make it during the week.”

     Alexa’s smile fades a little.

     “What is her costume?” Peter asks.

     “I’m not going to spoil it, but I’m pretty sure you can figure it out knowing who it is that it’s been made for,” Brianna tells them with a grin.

     “Ohhh, is she going-” Susan starts but Brianna quickly cuts her off.

     “No, don’t say it out loud. Let it be a surprise, even if just a little one. Besides, you might be wrong,” Brianna teases.

     Entering the barn three people in lab coats approach the group along with the woman they had first seen.

     “These three are doctors and will be assisting you with getting your costumes setup and fitted,” The woman instructs them. “Please go with them and don’t be worried or embarrassed with what they ask you to do. We will keep everything as professional as we can.”

     The three friends are greeted by name and led off in separate directions by the individual who approaches each one leaving Brianna and Alexandra behind.

     “Don’t be too surprised if there is a shriek or two coming up,” Brianna tells the woman who stays with them.

     “We’ll handle it,” she says with a chuckle. “Ready to get the final pieces of your costume in place and working?”

     “Yes Alice, I am,” Brianna responds with gleeful anticipation.

     Alexa follows them slowly and stops at the entrance of the room, her smile gone.

     The two women continue into the stall where Brianna climbed into her new body, and then Alice goes to the small table at one side and retrieves the upper body portion of the costume. Brianna steps up beside an elevated platform so Alice can be at the right height and waits as the woman climbs up the few steps and approaches. Taking the body form she spreads the opening in the back and fits it onto Brianna’s chest, wrapping it around her torso under the armpits then while holding it in place with one hand takes the shoulder straps and pulls them over top of Brianna’s shoulders.

     “Hold this in place,” she instructs so Brianna grabs both breasts with her hands and firmly presses them against her chest.

     Alice steps to the side a bit so she can see around to the back and smoothes the appliance down so the ends all meet together along Brianna’s spine. Using the flat of her hands she holds it down for a minute until it begins to adhere on its own. The fake flesh of the appliance is a tan human-like shade that does not really match any known shade of skin. As the seam line disappears, the ends seemingly melting together, the color of the device changes until it is a perfect match for Brianna’s own skin tone and the edges flatten or spread out until it is indistinguishable from Brianna’s own body. Letting go of the breasts in her hands Brianna can feel their weight pulling down on her chest as if they are her own. When she gently brushes a hand over them she can feel her hand slide over the outside and feels as well as sees the nipples stiffen from the feather light touch.

     “Amazing. If I didn’t just watch you put this on me, I’d swear they were my own natural breasts,” she exclaims quietly.

     “Well let’s get you properly covered,” Alice says as she holds out a simple length of dark brown cloth.

     Taking the garment Brianna locates the middle of the length and places that behind her neck so the cloth hangs down evenly on both sides in front. Crossing the ends overtop of her chest she spreads the cloth out to cover each breast fully then wraps the far ends around behind herself where Alice ties them together to hold it in place. Stepping down from the platform Alice picks up two brown colored items that match the color of the coat on Brianna’s equine portions and returns to stand on the platform beside Brianna.

     “This is going to feel strange as I place them and will cut off your hearing for a moment or two, then sounds should return. Things might sound a bit louder at first until they settle in and you get used to them.”

     Brianna moves her hair and holds it out away from her ear as Alice inserts a small plug looking button into her ear canal and fits the longer, semi pointed brown item over top of her normal ear. Brianna turns her head and a moment later the second one is in place as well. The devices leave her ears looking much more equine than human and Brianna is pinching her nose and working her jaw as if she is trying to pop her ears like she is on a plane that is doing a fast descent. A shriek of indignation suddenly emanates from somewhere else in the barn and Brianna’s new ears swivel to better catch the sounds.

     “Whoah, now that was a strange sensation,” she says. “And definitely sounded louder than I am used to as well.”

     “I am speaking in a normal voice Brianna, how do I sound to you?” Alice asks.

     “Oh! There they go moving again,” Brianna exclaims and jerks her head slightly at the sensation. “A bit loud compared to before you put them on. Even my own voice seems louder.”

     “That’s going to be normal. Your ears are more cup shaped now and can trap the sound better. We think you should get used to it fairly quickly. If not then we’ll see about doing something to soften the volume level a bit.”

     “I think I can get used to it. I’ll give it a little bit before I start complaining and see if I adjust. I think I’ll go outside where there’s fewer walls for sounds to echo off of. That should help.”

     Alexandra, having been forgotten, goes to the small tack room and gathers up a couple of horse brushes and a comb then follows her older sibling outside. She starts to brush out Brianna’s coat without saying anything at first. Brianna smiles and closes her eyes as she enjoys the sensations she is getting from the stiff bristles being rubbed over her sides and back.

     “Big sister,” Alexa says quietly. “You said that there are only five costumes, and Jun is going to get one later since she is not here today. Do I not get to have a costume too?”

     The brushing has stopped and Alexa stands by Brianna’s flank with her hand resting unmoving against the equine hip. Brianna turns her torso and looks back to see a dejected frown on her little sister.

     “I’m sorry Alexa, no you don’t.”

     “But, why Bree? Did I do something wrong?” Alexa pleads looking up at her sister, a single tear streak on her cheek.

     Brianna carefully lies down in the grass.

     “Come here, little one,” she says reaching back to take the girls hand and gently pulling her forward.

     Alexa allows herself to be moved and a moment later she is held in the loving and warm embrace of Brianna’s arms.

     “Don’t ever think that you did something wrong. Not like this. I would never withhold something this big when everyone else gets to participate. There are two reasons, and neither one is your fault in any way.

     “The first one is legal. Because of certain developments with how these costumes have been created and how they are having to be custom fit to the individual wearers, the company has decided to restrict the age of their special reveal to twenty-one or older only. You’re only sixteen and even with my special guardian status I can’t make them give you an exception on that.

     “The other reason is there was a problem. We tried to put a costume together for you, really tried. It was being specially developed just for you and your favorite love, but they ran into several issues with it. It became too difficult for them to try and fix or work around the problems so they had to scrap it.”

     “You tried to make me a spider costume?”

     “Yes we did. A Spider-taur like me in fact.”

     “You mean I would be a Drider?” Alexa corrects her without looking up.

     “Yes, that’s it. You even know the arachnoid specialist they hired I think. Gwen Stacy.”

     A small nod confirms Brianna’s guess. She gently pushes her sister away and lifts up on her chin with a finger.

     “It’s not fair, I know. They tried so hard to make it work that there’s no time to make a different one now. It’s too late. I really wanted you to be part of this with us. This hurts me as much as it hurts you.”

     Alexandra finally lets her feeling out and bursts into tears. Turning away she runs back towards the house, dropping her parasol in the dirt and leaving it behind.

     Heaving her bulk up onto all four hooves, Brianna goes over and retrieves the item then comes back to collect the brushes and comb as well.

     “Dammit,” she softly says as she looks in the direction her distraught sister went. “I don’t know how, but I’ll find some way to make this up to you.”

     
The friends have been introduced to something wonderful and amazing. But what does it take to get into such an item?

     
     

--- Susan ---
     
     
      “Oh my god. Is this real? This can’t be real. I must be dreaming. Pinch me Karen so that I know I’m awake,” Susan is saying a mile a minute as she follows the female doctor who is taking her over to a stall.

     Stepping aside Karen raises her hand with a smile and invites Susan to enter the cubicle first. Susan peeks inside and almost timidly tiptoes in. She sees an exaggerated tub along the back wall half full of water and on one side is a table with a large case resting on it that is open. Several other people are in the enclosure, but the only thing that Susan can see once her eyes come to rest on it is the item lying inside of the case on the table.

      “Is that ...?” she asks.

      “Yes, that is going to be your tail,” Karen says as she gently pushes Susan further into the room. “Go take a look at it.”

     Susan slowly approaches the case, one hand clasped in a loose fist up under her chin with the other hand hesitantly extended half way out reaching towards the glistening purple thing that has her rapt attention. She gets close enough to be able to touch it and just the tips of her fingers barely make contact.

     The tail is resting half submerged in a shallow pool of liquid and lies flat and empty as if waiting to be filled. It features fish-like scales that are larger than expected and become smaller as they transition down towards the fin at the end. The color of each scale is not solid; the end of the scale where it attaches to the costume is a lighter shade that gradually darkens going out to the external edge of each one. Susan can see that the scales which are facing up are a paler shade in the middle and get a little darker and more vibrant towards the sides that she can see. Now that she is standing close it is apparent the tail is noticeably longer than her human legs would be. The shape gradually narrows going down the length of it until it is narrow enough she could just touch the tip of her thumb and middle finger together around the circumference just above where the tail fin is attached if she squeezed it a bit. The fin on the end of the tail spreads out wider than the widest part of the tail and appears to be twice as long as her foot.

     Susan runs her finger tips down the length of the tail as if she is afraid that it will fall apart if she were to touch it more firmly.

      “It’s okay, you won’t damage the tail,” one of the others present tells her. “It’s quite sturdy and should stand up to a good bit of rough handling, within reason.”

     Susan glances over at the person who spoke and grins like a child in a candy store who just got told everything is free. Both hands are now used to touch, pick up, and explore the wonder before her. She finds the tail is a little heavier than she assumed it would be, the ‘skin’ being thicker than expected. Looking it over and moving the tail around she guesses that the side facing up would match up with the front of the person wearing it, the paler shading of scales turning darker around to the side that is lying face down. The top end of the tail is more like human flesh in texture and color and looks like it would cover the torso up to the ribs at least, the scales not showing up until down around the area of the waist and starting out as extremely small scales that are almost the same shade of color as the skin then smoothly transitioning into the larger and more colorful purple scales of the main portion of the tail.

      “This opening looks a little small,” Susan comments, “how will I get into it?”

      “It will stretch some which should be enough to let you slide inside once we get to fitting the outer garment on,” Karen informs her.

      “Outer garment?”

      “This is the final outer layer of the costume. Underneath you’ll have a skin tight pair of basically tights that fit over your waist, thighs, hips, butt, and legs which will also include the necessary internal inserts for proper hygiene and waste elimination. Did Brianna not tell you about that?”

      “Oh, right. She did tell us. I guess I’m going to need to strip down to get that part done, won’t I.”

     Turning to look at Karen Susan catches sight of something else out of the corner of her eye. Sitting in the corner out of the way is a power wheelchair. The base plate where the feet would rest is abnormally large and protrudes forwards quite far.

      “What is that for? Does someone here need a wheelchair?”

      “You do,” Karen says with a smile. “Or, you will. How else do you think you’re going to get around on land once you have a fish tail instead of legs? The wheelchair is setup with waterproof cushion covers and seals around the electronics so you won’t have to worry about getting it wet. In fact, you’ll need to pay attention to your tail and keep it moist while you’re out of the water. You don’t want to let it completely dry out so you’ll need to be able to wet your tail somehow while sitting in the wheelchair. We recommend keeping a damp towel or two available that you can lay on top of your tail.”

      “Oh, well, alright. That’s good to know. What would happen if I let the tail get too dry?”

      “It would be like getting a bad sunburn while you were in the dessert and hadn’t had any water for days. It would start to crack and peel just like your own skin would do, and since it will be attached to you through the sensory interface so you can feel normal sensations from the tail then we assume it would become quite painful if it got that far. Since you’ll be able to receive sensations from it you’ll probably start to get uncomfortable and itch long before it gets to the point of being really painful and dangerous. You’ll want to soak your tail in water just to soothe the itching and burning.”

      “Okay. So what’s next? What do I need to do now?”

      “Now, it’s time to get started. We need you to strip down to your birthday suit. Everything needs to come off. Remember, I and several of the others are medical doctors. We’ve seen it all before so there’s no need to be embarrassed.”

     Susan nods and while feeling a little shy she removes her clothing until she stands as naked as the day she was born.

      “To get a custom fit for the body stocking we need you to stand with your legs spread out a bit wider than shoulder width and hold your arms straight out to the sides.”

     Susan complies and a small water tank with a hose and spray gun attached is brought over.

      “I’ll spray this gel onto you from your armpits down to your toes,” Karen tells Susan. “We’ll cover everything in between thoroughly and let it dry. It’s a fast drying solution so should only take about five minutes or so. Then we’ll do two more coats to get it thick enough so we can peel it off and still retain your shape. There’s also one more thing,” she stops and pauses a moment.

      “What? Is there something you don’t want to tell me?”

      “Susan, my primary specialty in medicine is gynecology. I’ve been doing female exams and preventative medicine for over ten years.”

      “Okay, that’s nice to know, but what does it have to do with this?”

      “There’s no easy way to say this,” Karen says while she shakes her head. “Susan, to get everything molded and setup correctly for the suit to work, we have to create someplace for the micro computer to reside along with a couple other components. To keep it safe from being damaged and not mar the look of your tail from the outside, well, we have to place it all inside. The best place for us to do that is in your uterus.”

      “My what?” Susan says flatly.

      “Susan, I’m going to need to insert the nozzle up into your vagina and coat the inside of your vaginal passage and uterus too.”

      “YOU WHAT?!?” Susan shrieks with indignation at the top of her lungs as she covers her breasts with her arms and closes her legs.

      “No, don’t bother repeating yourself,” she says firmly when Karen opens her mouth to speak, “I heard you clearly the first time.”

     Susan looks back over at the object of her childhood desires and fantasies as it lays quietly glistening, waiting for her. She sighs and nods to herself.

      “Is this really necessary, Karen?”

      “We couldn’t figure out a better way to make it work Susan. We tried. It just has too many problems and not to mention it looks bad trying to place it anywhere else.

      “Look, I know this is going to be uncomfortable and feel really strange while I inject the gel. I know from personal experience, I volunteered to be a test subject for this to see if it would be feasible. It’s going to be alright.”

      “Okay. Okay, I’ll do it,” Susan states as she slowly takes her spread out position again.

      “I’ll be as gentle as I can, I promise.”

     Susan nods and as Karen approaches with the hose she tightly squeezes her eyes shut.

     Twenty minutes later the team is poking the solidified gel coating that covers Susan from her breasts down.

      “You didn’t tell me that the nozzle was going to stay up inside me too,” Susan complains.

      “Well, we need some way to pull the form out once the gel has solidified. The nozzle tube will act as a handle.”

      “After having that shoved up ... there ... it wasn’t quite so bad when you invaded my backside too. A bit of warning would have been nice though.”

      “Sorry.”

      “At least it was quick.”

      “Yea. We just needed to make a short plug to verify the size of the anal enema tube we’ll be using.”

      “Wait, once you make the, um, uterine insert, how am I going to get it in and out of me?”

      “You’ll have a rod that connects to a small port on the inside of the form to assist you with insertion and retrieval.”

      “Oh goody. I guess I won’t be putting this costume on in public then. Wouldn’t that just look grand to have someone watching as I shove a stick up my hoochie.”

      “Well, yea, you’ll want to put on the inner sleeve in private. But once that is on you can put on the outer tail anywhere. The internal connections for the tail will match up and automatically connect to the right parts with very little assistance from the outside. Just a quick press in the right spots to make sure everything is properly seated.”

      “How long is it going to take to make the body sleeve?”

      “Once we peel this gel form off we’ll take it over to the manufacturing machine in another stall here and in about an hour it will be ready. The gel is firmed up nicely and ready to come off now by the way.”

      “Let’s get this over with then. Get that mass out of me as gently as you can please.”

     Karen simply nods and they begin peeling and rolling the gel down from the top. It takes some uncomfortable wiggling to get the internal form to loosen up enough that it can be slid out and ten minutes later Susan is wrapping a fluffy bathrobe around herself.

      “I’m going to the shower room after that,” Susan announces.

      “We need to make a pair of elbow length gloves for you too before you run off. Once we’re done with that you can go take a shower. There’s some special body wash in a green bottle in there you can use. It’s got a feminine disinfectant in it along with a mild analgesic to soothe your muscles and other parts.”

      “Thanks.”

     Susan watches as one of the technicians carries the gel body form out of the stall while her hands and forearms get sprayed with the first coating of gel.

     Forty minutes later Susan is back in her stall with the bathrobe pulled tight around her and talking with Karen and the other technicians as they do a little more prep work to get her ready to don her tail.

      “We call this here your microchip spine,” one of them states as he holds up a length of what looks like a two inch wide strip of white medical tape.

     Looking closer at it Susan can see what looks like gold circuitry embedded into the tape along the entire length of it. On one side there are gold colored bumps going down in a double row. Touching her finger to the bumps she finds they are actually sharp although very tiny and short.

      “What are these bumps?”

      “Those are the interface contacts. They will just slightly penetrate your skin so they can sense then send and receive the electrical signals going to and from your brain. The strip will connect to your micro computer so you can feel and control your tail as if it is a part of you.”

      “Does it hurt putting those spikes in my back?”

      “According to Brianna it’s not painful at all. She described it like an intense itch that lasted for a couple of minutes then went away. Once the entire suit is in place and properly fitted to you the first time the strip will be integrated into the costume and come off with it when you remove your inner sleeve.”

      “So the body sleeve is going to be a custom piece unique to the individual then?”

      “Very much so.”

      “Could I use that sleeve for another, different costume? Or will I have to get a brand new one made if I want to try out a different one?”

      “We’re not entirely sure. Right now we’re doing these with the specific costume in mind and tailoring the body sleeve for that. For example, your body sleeve is going to have your legs connected together from top to bottom to fit you inside the tail, while Brianna’s sleeve kept her legs separate so she could fit down inside the legs of her centaur form. The one getting the Naga tail will be similar to you with their legs pressed together and the harpy will have their legs separated. The Harpy’s sleeve will also include their body from the neck down. The arms, hands and fingers are included to accommodate for the wings which will replace her human arms.”

      “I see. So, what’s next then?”

      “In a short bit the inner sleeve should be ready for you and we’ll get you into it and then the tail itself. There are a few other bits as well, but we’ll get to them when we need to.”

     The talk devolves into simple chatter from there as they all wait for Susan’s sleeve to be completed. About ten minutes go by as they talk then Susan sees several of them look up as she hears someone walk into the stall they are in. Turning around the same tech who carried out her gel body form is walking in carrying what looks like a mass of tan cloth that resembles tights or leggings. He moves over to a low slung cot and begins to lay out the garment.

      “Okay Susan, let’s get you into this part now. Go ahead and drop the robe on the chair you’re sitting on and come over to the cot.”

     Susan does as asked, leaving the bath robe behind and walking nude over to join those around the low bed. Getting a closer look at it, the sleeve does appear to be made from what she hopes is a stretchable material as it is noticeably shorter than her legs are even considering it is supposed to go up to her breasts. Susan can see that there are what look like thin wires or circuitry embedded within the weave of the cloth. There are also lumps inside it and she realizes those are most likely the inserts that are going to be going inside of her body.

      “Alright, if you’ll just lie face down on the bed we can get started,” Karen tells her. “First we need to get the micro strip put in place then we can roll you over and we’ll work on getting this sleeve pulled up onto your legs.”

     Susan sits on the edge and lies on her side then rolls over onto the padded surface so her back is exposed. She feels fingers locate her spine then a cold creme is spread on her skin down the length of her spine from the middle of her neck to her tailbone. She turns her head to look sideway in time to see two of the techs bringing the long strip over between the two of them. A small cushion with a hole in the center is placed under her head and Susan is directed to turn her head face down so her face falls into the opening on the cushion. One end of the microchip interface strip is carefully placed onto Susan’s neck just below where the creme has been rubbed on then they carefully and slowly lower it down along her entire spine from top to bottom, making sure it lines up perfectly. Once it is in place someone presses the strip down firmly against Susan’s back at the top and keeping the pressure consistent slowly runs their hand down to the bottom. This pushes the tiny spikes into Susan’s skin. It feels like a very intense itch, nothing more, thanks to the anesthetic creme that was spread on first. A few small wires are pulled down between Susan’s butt cheeks and around to between her legs in her crotch.

      “Give that a minute to settle then you can turn over.”

     Once the itching stops Susan rolls over onto her back.

      “Now it’s time for some uncomfortable parts, Susan,” Karen states as she moves up beside Susan’s hips. “I’ll be inserting the catheter tubes and vaginal insert here. Work with me and try to relax as best you can and we’ll get through this quickly.

      “Go ahead and bend your knees up for me and spread your legs out a few feet if you would.”

     Looking straight up at the roof Susan endures having a catheter inserted into her bladder. The vaginal insert initially feels like it is much too big to fit, but as she forces her muscles to relax the soft texture of the device allows it to gently slide up inside until just the narrow connections for the sleeve remain on the outside of her body. The insert goes quite deep and fills up her uterus once it is in place which is odd to feel a semi solid foreign object inside her body, but is not entirely uncomfortable. Once the insert has been placed Susan is rolled onto her side and a large feeling enema tube is inserted into the rear and seems to go quite far up inside as well.

      “Are you okay?” Karen asks once all three devices are in place.

      “I’m ... I’m alright. It feels odd. All of them.” Susan wiggles a little bit. “I hope I can get used to this.”

      “Everything is done to your own measurements so your body should adjust quickly. Take a few minutes to get used to it.”

     Susan nods then gets up from the bed and walks around for several minutes. Initially her pace is stiff and she stops frequently to move her legs and hips around, but as the minutes go by she finds her new equilibrium with the devices and her pace returns to a more normal tread. Lying back down on the bed she nods.

      “Alright, I’m feeling a bit better. Let’s continue.”

     Karen and another tech have rolled up the sleeve into a donut like shape and are waiting for Susan. Lifting her feet up together when prompted the two of them stretch the roll out some and slide the sleeve on over Susan’s feet. There are separate internal channels for each foot and leg to fill while the sleeve as a whole binds her legs together. They work carefully, unrolling the tube up her legs to the thighs. The odd lumps inside of the sleeve come into view and are revealed as connections for the tubes and implants emerging from Susan’s nether region. She watches as everything is hooked up and notices the catheter and enema get connected together to the same place.

      “Those two tubes are going to the same thing?” Susan questions.

      “Yes. Once we get you into the tail and release the temporary plugs we’ve got on them then you’ll relieve yourself from just one orifice like pretty much all marine animals do. The catheter and enema are open ended so your human parts are going to continually pass your wastes on through down into the parts of your tail designed for that.”

      “Will I be like Brianna then? I’ll just go where and when ever I feel the need?”

      “Pretty much. Like her, you’ll have a few minutes to get somewhere more private or appropriate if that is what you want to do, but you won’t have the ability to hold it back either. That’s something we’re still working on improving for future versions of costumes, but right now it’s not a feature we’ve been able to get around yet.”

     The sleeve is rolled up over Susan’s hips and waist after the connections are secured and the cloth reaches up to her armpits to cover her breasts as well. Looking down her body Susan’s legs are held tightly together and she is even holding her feet en-pointe without thinking about it. Flexing her knees and ankles the sleeve allows her to bend them freely, but she is unable to spread her legs out sideways even a little. Relaxing her feet the cloth brings her toes pointing down again and supports them in that position comfortably.

      “Alright. That’s the inner sleeve done. Now we need to move you over to the tub there to get the rest of it in place.”

      “You do? Why?”

      “The actual tail is resting in a bath to keep it wet, which is necessary. You’ll recall that you’re going to have to keep your tail moist to maintain it without doing damage to it or causing yourself unnecessary pain. Well we have to get you into the water and soak you down for the same reason. It’ll also provide a bit of lubrication to get the tail on too.”

     Susan nods and several of the technicians surround the cot then gently lift Susan up between them. She is carried over to what is more of an oversized wading pool than a tub and she is carefully deposited feet first down into the water that fills it. Letting herself slide down in, Susan submerges herself up to her neck and lets the sleeve soak up whatever amount of water it is going to take. The tail is brought over and lowered down into the water with her.

      “We can’t really roll up the tail like we did the sleeve, just the upper body portion is flexible enough for that, so we’re going to have to struggle a bit to get you down into it I think. Hopefully the water will make the interior surface slick enough it won’t be too hard.”

     Karen and two more techs strip off their shoes socks and pants to climb into the pool with Susan and assist her with donning her new tail. The process is not nearly as difficult as they assumed it would be and the tail slides up Susan’s legs with relative ease. They do still have to push a bit to get her legs to squeeze through the opening and down into where they should match up with the costume, but the inside turns out to be quite slick and with a final pop Susan can feel her entire lower body from her feet to her thighs settle in place. Karen feels along the outside of the tail around Susan‘s groin area and with a firm press inwards there are several clicks as the internal connections are made.

     The upper body part is quickly rolled up over Susan’s ribs chest and back and firm pressure is applied all along her spine to get the processor strip to adhere properly, the water having activated a two part glue. Two thin, mostly flesh colored, arm sleeve gloves are produced and Susan wiggles her hands inside of them. Another thin, flesh colored covering is wrapped around Susan’s neck with the distal ends getting pressed down onto the top edge of the upper chest part of the body where they appear to fuse.

     Susan looks down at herself in amazement. Her hands are now webbed between the fingers, but the gloves are thin enough that they feel just like her own skin. The color of her lower arms, hands, and upper body covering is a flesh like tan but does not quite match her own shade of skin. At her waist the color starts to darken and looking closely she can see that very fine scales start to take the place of the skin. The scales quickly get bigger and darken to the various shades of purple as they go down over her hips and from what she thinks is the tops of her thighs on down is a fish tail. The tail is noticeably longer than her own legs by at least a foot or more and narrows down below where her feet are to be less than the width of her limbs before reaching the caudal fin where it spreads out wide again.

      “I’m a mermaid,” Susan whispers in awe as she gently flexes her feet to make the tail move.

     “Almost,” Karen says which gets Susan’s attention.

      “See these strings down here?” she says pointing down to the lower part of the tail.

     Susan looks and notices a couple of strings emerging side by side from between some scales.

      “This here is analogous to your anus and is called the cloaca, or urogenital, opening,” Karen explains. “This slit is closed and covered by scales almost all the time except when you will need to defecate. Then it will relax just enough to allow for your combined wastes to pass through. These strings are connected up through the internal organs of your tail to the plugs in your catheter and enema tubes. I’m going to pull them out now so you won’t feel anything.”

     Karen takes the strings in one hand and wrapping the ends around her fingers to get a good hold pulls on the strings. Several feet of nylon string gets pulled out before the plugs finally emerge. They are big enough that the opening is noticeably stretched as they pop out one at a time.

      “Glad I didn’t have to feel that, those look a bit big,” Susan comments.

      “Yea, that probably would not have been pleasant,” Karen agrees. “Now that those are out I’m going to activate the devices we’ve secured on the inside of you. That’s going to be done up a bit higher through a different opening, if I can locate it.”

      “What do you mean if? Don’t you know where it is?”

      “Pretty much, but just like your anal opening it’s well hidden. Look down there where I just pulled the strings out from and tell me if you can see where your opening is at?”

      “Uh, it’s right ... well, no I can’t. I think it’s here?” Susan points to a spot on her tail.

      “Maybe. And this second opening is just as hard to locate. I’m going to have to prod a good bit to locate it.”

      “What is this opening for? I thought that both my urine and feces come out from the same place now?”

      “This is something we had to work hard to get in place. While it is present in certain members of aquatic mammalian species, your tail is a mixture of mammal and piscine. We had to make some alterations as the tail was developed to both create it and get it in a somewhat more normal, human location.”

     While she has been talking Karen has been feeling and pushing down on the scales that are on the underside of Susan’s tail at about the level of where her upper human thighs would be.

      “Ah, here it is,” She says as two of her fingers disappear inside the tail through a slit. “This is your vaginal opening. If you are inclined, you could have intercourse with someone.”

     Karen keeps her fingers inside Susan’s opening as she turns to accept a probe like device from someone. Turning back she has to work at forcing the probe into the opening enough so the end is inside and she can pull her hand away.

      “Man, this is really tight,” She says out loud then realizes that Susan heard her. “Uhm, your vaginal opening is designed like your anal. It will remain tightly clamped shut most of the time to prevent anything getting inside. To get it to open normally you’ll need to be sexually stimulated or aroused. That should get the muscles to relax and the inner lining to start self lubricating.”

     She pushes the probe in deeper until almost the entire length is inside the tail.

     “I’m going to activate the micro computer last so you won’t have to deal with a sudden rush of sensations and other functions all at the same time. The processor is going to take it in a step by step pace when it does get turned on, but it starts as soon as it is powered up. I’ll initialize the power pack first, then the other components, and the PC last.”

     Karen flicks a couple of small switches on the end of the probe then leaves it in place as she turns to accept another item.

      “I have a slightly uncomfortable bit to do now.”

      “What’s that?” Susan asks.

      “You want to be able to see underwater, right?” to which Susan nods. “Then I need to put a couple of full sclera contacts in your eyes to protect them. They’ll alter the color of your eyes to complement the color of your tail. I think they’re a shade of lavender.”

      “Okay, I’ve worn costume contacts before for Halloween. Get them in.”

     Karen accepts a contact case and in a couple of minutes Susan is blinking her eyes to adjust to the contacts.

      “Now for the biggest and hardest part,” Karen starts off. “You’re a Mermaid. Mermaid should be able to swim underwater without having to surface all the time for air, don’t you agree?”

      “Yeesss,” Susan says hesitantly, trying to see the thing that Karen is partially hiding behind her.

      “That means being able to breathe underwater somehow. Right?” Karen backs up a couple of steps to keep Susan from getting a look at what is in her hands.

      “Yeeaaa.”

     Karen takes a deep breath before saying, “So you’re going to need gills or something similar to allow you to breathe. I’m going to need to insert this device down you throat into your trachea. It’s going to take the place of and perform as your gills.”

      “In my throat? I’m not going to like how this is going to happen, am I?”

      “Afraid not Susan. Have you ever been medically intubated before?”

      “No.”

      “Well the basic procedure here is similar to that. I’ll insert a metal guide through your mouth and down through your throat into the top of your trachea to open your airway so I can then get the tube and device in place. It’s not pleasant. I’ve done it enough times that I know what I’m doing, Susan. But I won’t lie, this is going to be a bit difficult for you.”

      “Great. Any chance we can skip this part?” Susan exclaims as she looks around and starts to pull herself away from Karen.

      “Nope, this needs to happen to finish connecting all of the systems together and get your tail fully functional. I’m sorry. Please don’t try to fight this. Everything else is in place and I’ve turned on part of the system already. At this point you can’t be taken out of the costume for at least twelve hours to let it properly integrate with your body and settle into a natural rhythm with your normal functions.”

      “Is that so? You waited to tell me all that until now on purpose, didn’t you?”

      “Well, yes, I did,” Karen admits sheepishly. “I didn’t want to scare you off and have you reject the costume before it was too late.”

      “Bitch,” Susan tells her through narrowed eyes, but she stops trying to pull away.

      “Okay, I guess I deserved that. Are you going to work with us on this?”

      “Looks like I don’t have much choice, do I? I’d rather it go as easy as possible, and fighting will probably just make things harder. I do have some questions before you take my voice away.”

      “Go ahead, and you should still be able to speak again once the tracheal implant is working.”

      “Well that answers that. How long will that take for it to work? And how am I going to breathe once it’s in? Will I have to be underwater from then on to breathe or can I come up and breathe air still?”

      “You swim fairly well, don’t you?”

      “Of course I do.”

      “How long can you hold your breath underwater?”

      “For over two minutes.”

      “That should be enough. When the device is initially put in place it is going to fully block your airway so you’ll need to hold your breath until it starts processing your air. That should only take two to three minutes or so. While it continues to ramp up and get to one-hundred percent operations you’ll be able to breathe although somewhat shallowly at first. Eventually it should allow you to make sounds and talk again. Your voice may sound a bit different, but it should still be your voice.”

      “Alright. I guess that answers my immediate questions. No, wait. One more. What about getting water down into my lungs? Or down into my belly then? I assume that I’m going to be breathing water won’t I?”

      “Your lungs will be protected by the device. No actual water should get into your lungs. And there will be a secondary tube that sits inside of your esophagus to keep water from going down that side. It will close off the passage while you breathe underwater.”

     Susan sighs.

      “Let’s get this over with then.”

     Susan allows Karen and the others to approach and hold her still. Her head is tilted back some and she opens her mouth when told to do so. They prep Susan’s throat with an anesthetic spray that will help to deaden her gag reflex and reduce the sensations of having a foreign object pushed into her windpipe. Karen slides the wide, flat, curved, blade like guide along her tongue and down into the back of her throat while gently pulling up and out on Susan’s lower jaw with her other hand. The blade goes in deep until it reaches her larynx and holds the epiglottis open.

      “Take a deep breath now Susan, I’m about to insert your gills” Karen instructs.

     Susan inhales as deeply as she can while Karen holds the tube and device over her lips. As she completes filling her lungs with air and is about to have to exhale again Karen pushes the device down through Susan’s mouth and upper throat and into the trachea. She presses it down firmly for a moment to get it seated in place and pulls out the metal guide.

      “Hold your breath Susan, It’s in place and needs to initialize. I’m activating the related component down here,” Karen says as she reaches down and flicks another switch on the probe that still resides inside of Susan’s tail.

     Susan does her best to relax while holding the air she took in her lungs. The first minute ticks by and she is doing alright. The second minute goes by and Susan is starting to feel like she is reaching the end of her capacity. She tries to exhale and nothing comes out, nor is she able to take any air in. Three minutes go by and Susan is starting to feel the panic rising and starts to struggle. She’s never been able to go this long and her lungs are screaming at her to release the stale CO2 and take in fresh air. She starts to struggle as she begins to get dizzy and is seeing small sparkles in her vision. She knows she is starting to asphyxiate and struggles even harder. At three minutes and thirty seconds there is a huge burst of air that escapes from her lungs as the device finally allows her to exhale which is immediately followed by an attempt to draw in as much air as she can.

     Susan gasps as she once again is able to breathe, but is limited to shallow breaths. Over the next several minutes the breaths slowly deepen, allowing her to get more and more air. After ten minutes she is once again breathing almost normally.

      “...” Susan attempts to speak but no sound comes out.

      “You won’t be able to talk for a little bit yet, Susan,” Karen tells her. “The cycle took a bit longer than we expected it to, and for that I apologize. Based on that I’m going to estimate that you won’t be able to talk for a couple of hours yet.”

     Susan gives Karen the stink eye and flips her the bird the best she can with the webbing between her fingers.

      “I’m sorry. This costume is definitely the worst one for the initial setup. But the hard parts are over now. You just have to keep it on for twelve hours now then you can take it off. In about half an hour you should be ready to swim and breathe underwater. I’m going to turn on the processor now which is the last piece to turn on. It’s going to let you feel and control your tail.”

     Karen flicks the last small switch on the probe and waits a few seconds for a small LED light to go green before she pulls the probe out. Susan jumps slightly as she feels the probe get removed.

     With the final component activated, the micro computer verifies the connections to the other machines that reside inside with it, and then establishes a connection with the micro strip along Susan’s spine along with the internal nervous system in the tail. The color of the upper body suit and the edges of the gloves on her forearms fade and shift to exactly match her own skin tone until the edges of the costume are indistinguishable from her own flesh.

     Susan begins to feel a gentle tingling in her entire lower body, but it’s not coming from her legs. While the tingling starts to increase the sensations from her legs fade. As the tingling stops and Susan begins to feel the pressure of her tail lying along the bottom of the pool she loses any feeling from her human hips, legs, feet, and even toes. She can feel the waves of the water moving over her tail as Karen and others move around. She tries to move her legs and nothing happens. Thinking about the tail she tries to move that and still there is no movement.

     Reaching down Susan touches her chest at the bottom ribs then runs her hand on down along her belly and down over her tail. She sits up and leans forwards so she can run her hand down as far as she is able to and can feel her hand sliding over her scales all the way, from the inside. She pokes herself and feels the pressure in her tail. Taking a finger she finds the edge of a scale and pulls it up and backwards but has to quickly let it go as she feels a sharp pain from having her scale bent up in a direction it is not supposed to go.

     Susan motions to Karen and indicates she wants them to lift her tail above the surface of the water.

      “Are you not able to move your tail yet?” Karen inquires.

     Susan shakes her head negatively and they oblige her, raising a portion of her tail up above the surface of the water. Susan slaps her tail and immediately feels the sting from it. Grinning like a child on Christmas she continues to poke and rub her tail, relishing the sensations.

     After a few minutes she starts to feel a twitching along the length of her tail, and a moment later there are visible tremors from the limb. The tremors become more pronounced twitching of muscles and quickly graduate to actual jerking around of the tail. The others in the pool back away as Susan’s tail gets to moving around uncontrollably then it settles down to semi float quietly.

     Staring intently at her tail Susan tries to move it ever so gently. The caudal fin at the end slowly spreads out until it reaches its maximum width. She grins as she makes her tail slowly wave from side to side then undulate up and down. With a push Susan flips over onto her belly and, keeping her head above water, uses her tail to move herself forwards through the water. She turns as she reaches the far end and glides through the water back to where Karen is standing.

      “Very nicely done Susan. Give it another fifteen minutes or so and you can try going underwater to see how that is going to work too.”

     Susan nods and turns to continue swimming around the small pool. Twenty minutes later Karen, who has gotten out of the pool, calls out.

      “Okay Susan, you can try submerging any time you want.”

     Susan continues to swim around for another couple of minutes as if she didn’t hear Karen. Suddenly her head disappears below the surface. Susan keeps her eyes closed for a second while she holds her breath. Opening her eyes she finds that she is able to see almost normally underwater with the contacts, her eyes are not bothered by the water. She pushes herself a bit deeper in the water until she is at the bottom of the pool where she stops in place. Rolling over so she can look up, she hesitates. Opening her mouth a few bubble escape and float upwards but she continues to hold her breath. Her lungs start to feel uncomfortable and Susan lets out the air she inhaled prior to diving and a stream of bubbles break the surface. With no air left she almost panics but forces herself to breathe in, inhaling water instead of air.

     The feeling of having water being pulled down into her throat is unsettling. Susan has never had the experience of inhaling water before, so is not aware of how it feels to potentially drown, but she is feeling like she is about to do just that. She has no idea what the artificial gill device in her trachea is doing, but no water reaches her lungs. Instead she feels something open up on both sides and is sure that she can feel the water flow out through the sides of her neck. With a start she quickly reaches up to her neck and as she continues to ‘breathe’ she feels three slits open and close on the side of her neck. Feeling the other side she finds the same thing, she literally has gill slits now and the water is flowing in through her mouth and throat and out through the sides of her neck.

     Susan lies on the bottom of the pool, her entire body rigid in shock. The only movement is the gentle action of her gills as she continues to breathe water. Several minutes go by before she begins to relax and is able to mentally process the unexpected change to her anatomy. Stopping the action of her muscles from breathing like she is holding her breath, Susan tried to take a gulp of water as a drink. She can feel something in her throat shift and open up and the water travels down through her esophagus and into her belly. With a thought the pathway closes up again and she starts water flowing through her gills once more.

     Susan slowly sits up then allows herself to float head first up towards the surface. Her head and eyes breach and she stops before her nose or mouth rise above the water line. Taking in as big of a mouthful of water as she can, Susan rises up until her shoulders begin to appear. Locating Karen at the edge of the pool Susan stares directly at her then breathes the water in her mouth. As her gills spread out to let the water exit Karen only stares back in complete shock at what she is seeing. With the water used up Susan starts breathing in air through her nose again and the gill slits on her neck seal closed, completely disappearing from sight.

     For several minutes Karen and Susan simply stare at each other, neither sure how to react or proceed. Slowly, Karen climbs into the pool and as she does Susan swims over to get closer. They meet and Susan allows Karen to take a close look at and prod at her neck.

      “What the hell was that?” Karen quietly says as she is trying to find any evidence of what she thinks she was seeing.

      “That can’t be possible. It’s supposed to be a mechanical rebreather system. It should be processing the water to extract the oxygen and pass it on into your lungs. I can’t find them. Where are they? Are they really what I thought I saw?”

     Susan tries to clear her throat and makes a sound. Daring to hope she tries to speak.

      “They’re gills,” She says in a whisper that Karen can only just hear.

      “But, they can’t be. It’s not supposed to alter you anatomy like that.”

      “Karen, I was lying on the bottom of the pool for I don’t know how many minutes just breathing. The entire time I could feel gills opening and closing on the sides of my neck and I felt water flowing out of them. They’re real.”

      “So where are they now? Why can’t I see or feel anything?”

      “Give me a large glass or cup. Or better yet a short length of a hose.”

      “Yes, of course.”

     Karen turns about and tells one of the techs to grab a plastic mug and dump it out and give it to her. When the mug is in her hands she tells them to find a hose they can cut and to bring a one foot length over. Karen hand the mug to Susan who dunks it in the water to fill it then tilts it up to her lips. It takes her a moment to not try and drink the water and instead tries to breathe with it. When she gets it right she can feel her gills open up and the water flows through her neck and spills back out into the pool. She drains the entire mug three times this way as Karen inspects the unexpected alterations to Susan.

     With a splash another technician enters the pool and brings a short length of hose to them. Susan takes the hose and sticking one end into the water puts the other end in her mouth and with a few tries starts to inhale water through the hose. She continues this for several minutes without distress, showing that she is in fact processing oxygen from the water via the gills.

     Karen and several more technicians swarm around Susan while she does this, taking pictures, gently probing the gills and doing their best to figure out why this occurred. Susan has to slap a few hands away when their probing gets too rough and they try to insert fingers and instruments deeper than she is comfortable with. After a half hour of this Susan has had enough and pulls the hose out of her mouth. With a final splash of fluid the gills close up and disappear from sight as she starts to breathe normally with her human lungs again. By this time Karen has gotten a video camera running and is able to get an extreme close up of Susan’s gills working then sealing closed.

      “Simply amazing,” she comments.

      “I’m not sure if I am all that happy with this development, Karen,” Susan states. “Yes, I can swim and breathe underwater with these things, but what’s going to happen when the device comes out? Am I going to have holes in my neck still? For that matter, can the damn thing even come out at all? You never did mention that part of things.”

     Susan’s voice has grown stronger as time passed, but it is still a bit off and quieter than her normal voice.

      “I don’t know. Yes, the device is absolutely supposed to be able to come out again. It too needs the twelve hour integration period to adjust to you, then it should be a lot easier for you to be able to take out and insert on your own. But now, with this, I have no idea. This was not expected or even anticipated. I do recommend that we wait, give the twelve hour integration period its full extent. Then we’ll just have to find out. I really don’t know what’s going to happen.

      “Right now, with you breathing air I can’t find a single indication that your neck is anything other than a normal human neck from the outside. From the inside I expect to see something out of the ordinary, and we’ll confirm that as soon as we can with an appropriate camera.

      “We just don’t have the proper devices here right now for that. We didn’t expect to need a laryngoscope. I’m also going to get some equipment in here so I can get a properly magnified view and see if there is anything to find from the outside with you in the air. It’ll take a couple of hours to get the equipment here.

      “Until then, I guess you’re free to do what you want. You can keep swimming in here, or we can get you out and into the power chair so you can move around and visit your friends. It’s up to you.”

     

What is happening with the others?
     

     
--- Amy ---
     
     
     Amy looks over at Sara again.

      “Have I dried enough yet?” she asks.

      “Not quite,” is the response as the woman pokes at the thick gel encasing Amy’s body from her neck down. “Give it fifteen more minutes and we should be able to peel you out of there.”

      “Alright, fine. It feels like this body form is actually holding me up better so I was hoping it’s ready to get me out.”

      “Nope. With having to do pretty much your entire body we did have to make it thicker than some of the others, but that means we have to let it set and dry longer too.”

     Amy grunts as she tries to shift a little to get more comfortable.

      “Yea, well it’s not exactly fun being stuck up on this pole.”

      “You’ll be free of it soon enough.”

     Amy frowns then a moment later giggles a little.

      “Well, hearing that shriek from over in Susan’s stall was kinda funny. Right up until you informed me exactly what you were about to do to me that is. I could pretty much figure out exactly why Susan shouted after that.”

     Amy looks down at the stand she is suspended above. Finding out that to fit all of the computer parts in the suit they would have to create an insert into a very private part of her body was a shock. Having the gel injected deep inside her body was an experience she hopes to never repeat despite the fact the gel was warmed. Then they had to shove the pole up inside the same passage so the gel could be pulled out once it solidified and having the end of the pole on the outside connected to the platform to suspend her a few inches up off her feet was even worse. She had to hold herself spread eagle while they sprayed on multiple layers of the gel then hold that pose as it dried.

      “This thing is really uncomfortable up inside me like this. While the gel may be holding me up some, all of my weight feels like it’s pushing down on the pole at this point.”

      “I know Amy. Those of us who were brought in for out gynecology expertise had to go through the same thing that the customers would experience so we’d know what it would be like. We did that voluntarily by the way. Once we went through the process we all were able to suggest changes that were implemented to make it easier for you and future customers. Imagine what it would feel like if the gel was still cold like it was when I did this.”

      “Oh god, are you kidding me?”

      “No, I’m not. The stuff was being kept refrigerated to a pretty low temperature because of the initial formula they used. They started with the intimate injection first thing too so I had no warning from getting some of the gel sprayed on my external parts. I just about hit the roof when that frigid gel hit my uterus. They quickly reformulated the ingredients so they could instead warm the gel and still keep it liquid. It meant a longer drying time, the cold formula used my body heat to firm up and set pretty quickly, but the trade off was so much easier to deal with.”

      “I don’t even want to imagine what that was like. So tell me just what all is going to go into this costume since I can’t exactly go wander over to look at it for myself at the moment.”

      “Okay. The costumes are pretty sophisticated. Yours will have feathers from the top of your head down to your knees. Your face and chin will remain free and visible from your hairline down to the top of your neck. Everything else will be inside some part of the outfit. Your chest will be expanded a little bit to make room for the additional musculature the suit will include to assist you with flight. It does mean that you will probably appear flat chested in your case.”

      “Well, I’m not all that big to start with. It won’t be that big of a loss I guess.”

      “You really are tiny. For this costume that is a good thing though. Less weight to worry about having to offset and lift.”

      “Yea, I’m short, waifish even. I’m only four foot eight and a half and my boobs are a B cup at best. More like a B minus really. I top out at around eighty-five pounds when soaking wet. I have a really hard time finding clothes in the women’s section that fit me, which is pretty annoying at times. I have to shop in the teens section most of the time so some of the outfits that appeal to me from the women’s aren’t always available.”

      “Well in this case your small size is going to be a positive instead of a negative. You’ll have less trouble with getting airborne since you have less mass to lift.

      “Your lower legs and feet will be in boots which will hold your toes pointed nearly straight down. You’ll actually have talons that you will stand on, so you’ll gain a couple inches in height. The wings will fit over your arms and extend out a good deal farther past the tips of your fingers. In fact your fingers will be held spread out to help form the wing’s bony structures and give you more control over them. You’ll also get a proper avian tail to help with steering while in flight.”

      “And what type of bird did you model this off of?”

     Sara smirks and tells Amy, “I’m going to keep that secret until it’s time to get you into the final costume so it’s a surprise.”

      “Well then just be that way,” Amy giggles.

     She tries to wiggle again and the gel seems to be even firmer than last time.

      “Please tell me that it’s been long enough and I can get down off this thing.”

     Sara takes another look at the gel body form around Amy’s body and calls over a couple more of the technicians to take a look at it as well. They poke and prod for a minute and declare the gel set and ready. It takes a solid fifteen to twenty minutes to carefully pry Amy out of the solidified gel without tearing the form that will be used to create her full body sleeve for the costume.

      “Oh my god, I think you pulled out every single hair on my body with one notable exception. Do you have some kind of moisturizing cream or something I can use?”

      “I can do you one better. We have a special body wash formula that includes a mild anesthetic. You can go take a shower and get clean all over. It’s also safe for intimate body parts.”

      “Ooo, that sounds wonderful. I’ll be back on a couple of hours,” Amy giggles.

      “The body sleeve is going to be about an hour and a quarter getting made, but you should be back here before that if you don’t mind. And I’m pretty sure the others would appreciate having some hot water to use for their own showers,” Sara says with a smile.

      “Gotcha,” Amy responds as she wraps a fluffy bathrobe around herself.

     Stepping out of the stall they are using, Amy sees Susan walking back down the aisle from the shower room wearing her own bathrobe. Her hair is obviously damp from taking a shower. Amy lets her go without calling to her and heads into the shower room to take her own.

     A little while later, but still well before the time limit Sara had announced, Amy returns to the birthing stall. Peter is leaning against the wall by his stall and Amy waves at him with a smile and an excited skip in her step which makes Peter laugh and shake his head.

      “You are such a kid at times Ames,” he teases with a grin.

     Amy just giggles and sticks her tongue out at Peter as she walks into her stall.

      “It’s kind of fitting that we’re using birthing stalls to do this, don’t you think?” Amy says out loud as she walks back in.

      “How do you mean?” Alan, one of the techs responds with a confused look.

      “Well, while this is all just an elaborate costume and all, in a way we are still giving rise to the most realistic and accurate version of mythological creatures the world has ever seen. We’re giving birth to something new and amazing.”

      “I guess we are,” he replies with a nod and a smile.

      “So, care to give me a sneak peek at the costume? Or maybe a description of what it looks like?”

      “Nope, Sara would kill me if I ruin the surprise.”

      “Aww, not even a little bit?” Amy pouts and does her best impression of puppy dog eyes.

      “Alright, alright, I’ll tell you this much. Just turn off the little girl begging stare,” Alan says with a laugh. “It has three main colors in it. One is dark, one is light, and the other is in between.”

      “Oh, you meanie! That doesn’t tell me hardly anything!” Amy laughs.

     Amy talks with the technicians in the stall while they wait and eventually Sara comes back carrying a wadded up pile of cloth in her arms. Placing the bundle on top of the case that contains the costume she turns around and looks at Amy.

      “This is it girl. Time to get the first stage of the costume in place.”

     Amy bounces on her toes in anticipation and a little squeal of joy slips out.

      “Eee! Okay, what do I need to do?”

      “Drop the robe and come stand over here by me. The first thing is to get the unpleasant bits done. The very first one is the spinal strip for the micro computer interface. Then, we need to insert your catheter and enema tubes along with the uterine insert. If you want you can lie down on the cot here for this. It might make it a little easier in fact.”

     Amy drops the robe to the floor and quickly gets onto the cot face down. A foam cushion is provided for her to put her head on with a cut out for her face then her hair on the back of her neck is shaved clean.

      “Having short hair like yours will make getting the wig portion of the costume on pretty easy,” one of the female techs states.

     A cool creme is rubbed into Amy’s skin down the length of her spine from the base of her skull to the top of her butt crack. They wait a minute then carefully lay a strip of cloth that has micro thin wires and circuitry embedded in it down her back, making sure to keep it perfectly aligned along her spine. Once it is in the right position several pairs of hands gently but firmly press the strip down against her back and Amy can feel a multitude of tiny pin pricks that barely penetrate. The feeling is like an intense itch that takes a couple of minutes to go away.

      “First part on. Go ahead and roll over on your side facing the wall and we’ll get the enema in place.”

     A few minutes later and Amy is wondering if they were able to get the tube all the way up to her stomach from how long the enema tube felt like it was going in. Rolling onto her back she lifts her knees and spreads her legs as instructed so the next two parts can be inserted. The catheter tube is odd and uncomfortable, but not unusual since she had to have one from a prior experience when she had surgery in the hospital a few years ago. The next thing they insert into her nether region is quite a bit more invasive and feels huge as it goes in. Amy reaches down and tries to help by pulling her knees out to the side and up, but it is still takes a good strong push to get the form to squeeze down and slide up inside.

      “Get up and walk around for a few minutes Amy,” Sara tells her. “It’ll help to get that settled in place.”

     Amy stands up and at first feels like she has to keep her legs spread out with the device inside of her nether passage. She gingerly takes a few steps while gently rubbing her lower abdomen with one hand. It takes several minutes of slowly pacing around and rubbing for everything to shift until it is less uncomfortable.

      “I think that’s about got it, but damn I feel just a bit full or bloated right now,” Amy tells Sara with a frown.

      “I know. I promise that you’ll get used to it soon enough and will barely notice it. We had to put the micro-comp and another proprietary device somewhere that it would not ruin the look of the overall costume. Even as small as we’ve been able to get them, there would still be a noticeable lump anywhere on the outside.”

      “Having these wires shift around between my legs while I walk is a bit strange.”

      “Those will be taken care of when we get the body sleeve on and they connect to the right ports. The wires will get pulled up tighter and held in place by the inner suit. Also, once the costume is all on then you’ll have to wear the entire thing for a minimum of twelve hours.”

      “Come again. I’ll have to do what?”

      “The costume needs twelve hours of continuous wear so it can adjust to your body and settle in. There should be some shifting and hopefully resizing of some of the internal components to make them fit in there better and be even more comfortable.”

      “What exactly is this proprietary device for? What’s it do?”

      “Well, that’s something of a trade secret. It’s something our R ‘n’ D division came up with. I can’t tell you what or how it actually works, but I can say that locating it in your center of balance is essential to assisting you with creating and maintaining the ability to fly if it works as intended.

      “This is so far past the cutting or even bleeding edge of technology nobody on earth has seen anything like it as far as I know. It’s going to do something to either make you lighter somehow or provide additional lift for you. I don’t really understand all of the technical explanations I was given, and I’ve got the clearance to know all about it.”

      “Wow, that is actually kind of cool. The geek in me is definitely interested.”

      “Well I hope little miss geek can be satisfied with that for an explanation, because I’ve told you all I can. Actually a little more than I should have, I think.”

      “Fair enough, I guess I’ll just have to accept that. Can we get to the next part now? I’m about as comfortable as I’m going to get with my abdomen filled up like this I think, and it’s putting pressure on my bladder. I’m going to have to pee real soon and from what I can tell you’ve got my catheter plugged up.”

      “Yes, we do. That’s so you don’t constantly leak while we get you into the costume. The body sleeve is next, so let’s get you in it.”

     The full body sleeve is made from a material resembling spandex that is colored in a flesh tone. Amy can see that there are thin wires and what looks like small circuitry embedded in the material as well along with what looks like small connection ports around the waist and genitals. Sara and several other technicians help her to get into the suit through the neck opening which is able to stretch enough to squeeze her whole body through. Once they get her legs in place she is told to bend over for a moment while some of the connections are made to the leads from her internal devices and her tubes are pushed through openings in the sleeve for them. Amy pushes her hands and arms inside the suit and finds the sleeves to get them situated in and the bodysuit is pulled up around her neck, then the people helping all tug and shift the entire thing until it is perfectly form fitting.

     Amy takes a few steps around while moving her arms about and flexing her fingers to get it settled where it is comfortable on her, not realizing she is walking on her tiptoes. When she relaxes her hands her fingers spread out wide on their own. When she stops moving she remains up on her toes and is bent forwards very slightly at the waist to maintain her balance.

     Looking at Sara, Amy’s eyes seem to sparkle as she says, “Give me my surprise. Open it up and show me. Please,” she almost begs.

     Sara nods with a smile and removes the lid to the case with the costume in it. Standing behind the box she reaches in and pulls up a brown feathered costume and holds it up. Alan reaches in from the side and pulls out a white feathered piece that he arranges so that it is obviously the head piece. Another tech pulls out and holds up the two foot pieces which are colored a deep orangish-yellow.

      “Oh wow, is ... is that a bald eagle?” Amy softly asks with near reverence. “Where are the wings?”

      “Yes, you’ll be a Bald Eagle Harpy once the costume is all on,” Sara informs her. “The wings are still in the case.”

      “And I’ll be able to fly?” is asked so quietly Sara almost doesn’t hear it.

     Amy’s body trembles, her hands are clasped together tightly under her chin, and she is biting her lower lip waiting for the response; hoping to get the one she wants and dreading it will be a negative answer instead.

     Seeing the anticipation and uncertainty in the woman before her, Sara drops the suit and walks around to hold Amy in a tight hug.

      “Dear, we intend for you to fly. We want you to, and hope you will be able to. Everything we’ve done and created here is for that very purpose. In theory it should work. But, we don’t know if it will in active application. It could still fail to achieve our expectations.”

     She feels a nod against her chest from the head pressed to her bosom. Amy pulls away and wipes at moist eyes.

      “I know. I understand that nothing like this has ever been done before.

      “I have dreamed of being able to fly, in any form, all my life. I’ve gone parachuting, paragliding, hang gliding, I’ve even tried out those wing suits base jumping. I tried to get a pilot license but got denied because of my vision, plus I’m actually just a little too small to naturally reach all the pedals and controls in the cockpit. I actually need an extra cushion and pedal extensions to drive a car depending on the model.

      “I want to be able to fly so bad I can’t stand it. I’ll do anything I can, endure any discomfort, pain, or even surgery to achieve my dream. This thing in my uterus is nothing compared to some of the things I’ve imagined I might have to go through to let me fly. And now, here before me, is a chance to truly fly. Unassisted and under my own power. Something no human has ever done before. And I get the chance to make it come true.”

     Amy looks up to Sara, her eyes shining, “It just has to work! It has to!”

      “Amy,” Alan says firmly from behind Sara, “If there is any way we can make this happen, no matter what adjustments we need to make or how long it’ll take, you will fly. I promise.”

     Several of the other techs in the room murmur their agreement or nod their heads.

      “Well, you’re already on your way to becoming a Harpy, Amy.”

      “I am? I haven’t put on any of the actual costume yet.”

      “Haven’t you noticed? You’re walking around on your toes.”

     Amy looks down and gives a little gasp when she realizes Sara is right, she is standing comfortably balanced on her toes.

      “The body sleeve has elastic supports woven into it that make you more comfortable to walk on your toes, so you’ve already adopted a somewhat more bird like stance. Let’s make you look more bird like too.”

     The main body of the suit is brought over and with a little help Amy is soon covered in feathers from her shoulders down to her knees, although there is a piece missing in the back over her butt. Sara has to reach inside the costume a few times to make sure all the connections from the computers and tubing get hooked up in the right spots through that rear opening and Amy is initially surprised to find that both the catheter and enema tubes get routed around to the same place in back. When Sara pulls out the tail which is covered with long feathers she sees there is a small physical part the feathers are connected to. This gets attached onto the body portion and covers Amy from the small of her back to the bottom of her buttocks and includes connections for the waste tubing.

     With two people standing at her sides to steady her, Sara and Alan work the boots onto her feet and lower legs. Her toes actually stop a half inch before reaching the bottom of the avian foot, and while the talons spread out to provide a fairly stable contact with the floor, the feet are still awkward due to being unfeeling and unmoving. Sara tells her that will only be until the whole suit is on and they can activate the processor to get everything working together with her own body.

     From the base of her neck down, Amy now resembles a bird more than a person in many ways. She is tilted forwards so she is standing at a small angle from her hips and waist while technically standing in a ballerina en-pointe position with her feet although the boots that form her talons are doing most of the work to help her maintain that. Her head and arms still remain free from the costume for the moment.

      “We made the head piece and wings modular so they can be removed separately from the body. The feathers are long and thick enough to easily hide the connections to the body, but we still went through the trouble of making them look seamless anyways,” Sara explains as she starts to pull the head piece down over Amy’s light brown locks.

     Amy’s face appears in the opening provided for it and she reaches up to get the neck collar and wig portions comfortable on her.

      “No beak?” Amy queries.

      “Nope. Too many potential problems and it would hide half of your face,” is the response.

      “Now, before we get to the wings, I have these for you,” Sara tells Amy as she holds up a contact lens case. “Can’t have a Bald Eagle with puny blue eyes, no matter how cute they are. You need to have that intense golden yellow stare to intimidate your prey with!”

     Amy giggles as she takes the case and opens one side of it. Inside is a large contact lens that looks like it will cover her entire eye.

      “How big are these things?”

      “These are called full sclera lenses. They will cover your entire eyeball from top to bottom and side to side. They should also help protect your eyes enough so you can keep them open while flying, even in a strong head wind, so they’re a bit thicker than normal. That might take a little getting used to.”

     Amy nods as she expertly takes out her own contact lens from one eye then inserts the new lens in its place. A quick moment later and Amy is blinking both eyes trying to get used to the feeling of having the new lenses in. It takes several minutes of rapid blinking and the application of several drops in each eye using a solution that Sara tells her has been specially formulated for these contacts before Amy is able to look around clearly again.

     When she looks directly at Sara the woman steps back a pace.

      “Whoa. Okay, those things really do give you an intense stare. That’s almost creepy. The guys who developed them also said that you should have much better and sharper vision from up in the clouds, but probably not quite as good as a real eagle.”

      “Sounds good. I’m kinda surprised that I am seeing as well as I am right now. My prescription is pretty strong and you can’t have gotten it to make these things just for me. While everything is a bit blurry and off, it’s not quite as bad as I would expect.”

      “No, we did not get your prescription. The lenses are extremely sensitive and another proprietary development. If they’re right though, then your vision should actually improve while you continue to wear those for the twelve hour adjustment period.”

      “I hope so. One, or is it two, more pieces to go. All that’s left is the wings,” Amy says eagerly.

     Sara and Alan just smile and turn to pull the wings out of the case. With help from two more people they slide the wings onto Amy’s arms and all the way up to her shoulders where they move aside feathers to find and seal the wings onto the body. Amy’s hands fit into tight gloves that force her fingers to spread out wide while the wings are stretched out. Once the wings are properly attached and she is allowed to bend her arms she finds that it feels almost natural to fold them up against her sides just like they were real wings, her fingers pull in together and her hands flex down sideways at the wrists to align all of the flight feathers appropriately.

      “You’re almost done, Amy. You’re now in the full costume. Take a few minutes to shift and adjust to it then I’ll initialize the micro PC,” Sara instructs.

     Amy tries to take a step but wobbles and stops.

      “Oh. I’m okay standing still but trying to walk just does not feel right. My feet are numb and don’t seem to move.”

      “That’s alright; it should change when the costume gets powered up.”

     For the next five minutes Amy shifts about in the costume, extending one arm at a time to spread out a wing, twisting her head around, or carefully lifting up one foot at a time just an inch or two off the ground while Alan supports her.

      “Time to activate the processor I think,” Sara tells her as she reaches for a probe like device.

     Going around behind Amy and lifting the tail feathers out of the way, Sara finds the opening she is looking for between Amy’s legs and gently pushes the end of the probe up inside. Amy gives a little grunt as it goes in deep before Sara stops pushing when a small LED on the end turns red. With the flick of two small switches the LED turns yellow for a moment then goes green and Sara pulls the probe out.

      “Oh. Oh! Oh my!” Amy exclaims as a shiver goes through her entire body from head to toe, the feathers covering her body actually ruffling.

     She twists her whole body around from side to side as her tail suddenly rises and spreads out. She spends another five minutes twisting, moving, and bending like she just did a moment ago, but this time the people watching her can see that her movements slowly become more bird like as she receives feelings and signals from all over.

      “This ... is ... so ... strange,” Amy haltingly says as she takes her first step.

     Her talons flex as she lifts her foot up then spread out again to take her weight as the other foot lifts up.

      “I can feel ... the air ... blowing through my feathers.”

      “Air?” Alan asks.

      “Yes, from the AC fans blowing. Can’t you feel it?”

      “No, not really,” he admits.

      “Odd. I can.”

     Amy spreads out her wings to their full extent and looks at how far they extend from her body.

      “Wow, those are long. Just how big is my wingspan now?” she asks.

      “Your wings are a good six feet each, so between thirteen and fourteen feet from wingtip to wingtip,” Sara answers. “They need to be that big to provide enough lift along with the device inside you so you can fly.”

      “I want to fly. Take me to the roof.”

      “Not yet,” Sara stops her. “You have to wait one hour before swimming, or flying,” she chuckles.

     Amy giggles, “That’s the rule for digestion after eating, but okay, I get it. Speaking of digestion, I really feel like I need to go. Can we get these plugs out of me now?”

      “Of course,” Sara says walking around behind Amy. “Lift your tail up if you would,” and Amy complies effortlessly. “Good. Now this is going to be uncomfortable I’m afraid. I’m going to pull on a couple of strings here that are attached to the plugs inside. You’re going to feel them slide through and come out.”

     Amy nods then practically squawks a moment later as first one then the second plug pops out.

      “Holy crap! How big were those things?” She exclaims. “And where can I go? I’m not going to be able to hold this in any longer than another minute at best.”

     Sara points her to the corner where there is hay piled up. Amy quickly hops over and scratches her talons through the straw then turns around to relieve herself. Glancing down behind her she says quietly to herself, “Huh, just like a bird. Both together. Nasty.”

      “Well that was certainly different,” she states as she moves back over to the group. “Someone else is going to have to muck out the stall, I’m afraid I can’t do it myself” she comments as she partially spread out her wings.

     For the next hour Amy talks with the group who has helped to transform her into a creature of mythology. She moves around and become more and more comfortable in the costume and the people watching her note that her movements slowly seem more and more natural as the hour goes by.

     Looking at a clock once again Amy tells Sara, “It’s been an hour Sara. I want to fly.”

      “Alright,” Sara smiles. “Let’s see if this thing works. Follow me.”

     Sara leads Amy and several other out of the stall and over to a temporary lift that takes them up to the hay loft in the barn. From there a second lift has been put up which allows two people at a time to ride up through a hatch onto the roof. The sun is setting in the west as Amy and Sara stand in the strong breeze that is blowing.

      “Over here,” Sara points to the back end of the barn.

     Amy waddles up to the edge of the roof and looks down to find a large air filled mattress, the kind used by stunt people on movie sets, has been setup on the ground below.

      “If you’re going to try and jump from the roof to take off, please do it over the crash pad below for your safety,” Sara tells her.

     Amy backs up several steps then turns sideways. She extends her wings out fully and slowly starts to flap them up and down, testing how it feels. She can feel the air being caught in her wings and with a slightly stronger downward push can feel herself lifted up very slightly. She practices the motions for several minutes then kicks up off the roof as she gives several very strong wing beats and is able to lift herself even higher for a moment before coming back down.

     Looking over at Sara, the other woman can see an almost maniacal grin that threatens to split Amy’s face in two. Turning to face the back of the roof, which also puts her face directly into the available wind, Amy gets to within three steps from the edge. Taking two running steps with her wings spread out wide, she launches herself up and out off the edge of the roof and immediately begins to beat her wings furiously.
     
     
--- Peter ---
     
     
      “A shower would be nice after that experience,” Peter notes.

      “Use the body wash in the green bottle,” Mike tells him. “It’s a special formula to get you extra clean and soothe your skin after having that gel drying it out.”

      “Alright. I am a bit itchy after getting that stuff off me. And not telling me that you were going to stick it up somewhere private was just rude.”

      “Sorry. Like I said, we needed to get a sizing for the enema insert.”

      “Well no warning it was coming is not cool.”

     Peter pulls the bathrobe around himself and walks around to the shower room to find that someone is in there, although it sounds like the person is finishing up and should be out soon. He goes back over by the door to the stall being used for his costume fitting and leans against the wall, semi lost in his own thoughts.

     A short time later he notices Amy come skipping down the hall from the shower room and she waves at him with a grin.

      “You are such a kid at times Ames,” he teases with a return grin and a laugh.

     Amy just giggles and sticks her tongue out at Peter as she walks into her stall.

     Peter takes his turn in the shower and after washing thoroughly with the green body wash he is back in the stall with his costume. He walks over to the pile of green scales and lifts up parts of it to take a closer look.

      “This thing is huge,” he says out loud. “Just how long it is?”

      “It’s pretty long,” one of the other technicians responds. “Think about it. Your chest and hips are around thirty-six inches in diameter. That’s close to the normal for an average adult male who isn’t a bodybuilder. To support and match that size while not looking like something is off the tail has to fit a ratio of around ten-to-one meaning that you need about a thirty foot long snake body and tail to match your body.”

      “Wow, I didn’t know the tail length to girth was so high.”

      “We modeled our costume off the anaconda which tends to have a higher ratio being a constrictor species. Actually, the tail of a snake is just the portion below the cloaca and only makes up maybe one-eighth of the overall length at best; the rest of it is the body. Being limbless gives the impression that the animal is all tail which is a common misconception,” the technician instructs Peter. “Sorry, that’s the herpetologist in me talking out of turn again,” he finishes saying sheepishly.

     Peter laughs kindly, “No big deal, that’s actually interesting.

      “So I’m going to be a constrictor type snake and not a venomous one then?”

      “Right. We tested both types and the initial results with a venom producing species were ... not conducive to a good product. There were some problems encountered that we didn’t think could be satisfactorily overcome in the time we had.”

      “Well at least I don’t have to worry about needing to have fangs shoved into my mouth then,” Peter jokes.

     The tech simply nods in agreement while quietly muttering under his breath, “You have no idea what kind of trouble that was causing.”

     Peter puts the portion of the tail down that he is holding, saying “Heavy too.”

     Wandering over to the small table and chairs setup to one side the talk turns to other subjects.

     After a while Mike returns with a bundle in his arms.

      “Your body sleeve is ready, let’s get you into everything,” he announces.

     The doctor assigned to this group prepares the kits to insert a catheter and modified enema tube and in fifteen minutes Peter is lying down on the cot feeling slightly uncomfortable in both front and back nether regions. He is rolled onto his front so a cold creme can get spread down the length of his spine from the base of his neck to the top of his butt.

      “Time to place the sensor strip. Hold still and don’t wiggle for a few minutes. This won’t hurt, but from what all of the others are reporting it’s probably going to itch like crazy for a couple of minutes.”

     The strand of circuitry embedded tape is carefully positioned then firmly pressed down. The micro spikes pierce Peter’s skin and for about three minutes he experiences the most intense itching he can ever recall feeling. When the irritating sensation subsides he rolls onto his back and indicates he is ready for the inner body sleeve.

     The body sleeve is rolled up and he can see that while his legs will go into separate sleeves on the inside his legs are going to be bound together once the cloth is pulled on. With some assistance from the team around Peter the inner suit is pulled up his legs and when they reach his groin the tubes that emerge from his intimates are routed to and through fasteners and openings for them.

     With the body sleeve pulled all the way up to his armpits and smoothed out to remove wrinkles the group pick Peter up and carry him over to the large green pile of scales he was inspecting earlier.

      “Alright Pete,” Mike says. “The best way for this to work is if you lay on your belly and we’ll help you to crawl backwards into the opening of the body. I’ll stop you when you’re almost fully seated inside so I can reach in and get the final connections made then we can get the last foot or so pulled up and secure your torso. The sleeve should reduce friction some and help you to slide in easier, but it’s still going to be a bit of work.”

     Rolling onto his front, Peter lines himself up with the opening into the costume that a couple of the technicians have pulled forwards and are holding open. Lifting his feet up some he pushes himself backwards with his arms as Mike and a couple others lift and pull his body at the same time. Working in small steps Peter’s legs slowly disappear down inside a seemingly headless snake as if the costume is trying to swallow him whole.

     It takes a short bit before Mike calls a halt. At this point the rolled up edge of the outfit is just above the crack of Peter’s butt and Mike has to stretch the costume some to get his hand and forearm in so that he can locate and join the parts that need to be connected. After getting the internal items settled and confirming they are tight Peter is pushed down the last several inches into the snake body and he feels his feet and legs firmly squeezed together as they reach the end of the internal cavity for them. He tries to wiggle and spread his legs out some but the weight of the costume along with the tight embrace around his legs stops him. Peter is unable to separate his legs at all, and can only press against the internal musculature of the snake body enough to get a slight wiggle to be visible from the outside.

     The torso for the costume is unrolled up his body until it covers everything up to his shoulders. The fake skin is smoothed down so the edges are flat around the very tops of his arms and a neck piece is wrapped around under his chin that joins to the top of the main costume.

      “Just one last piece to finish off the total package. I’ve got some special contacts here for you to wear that will give you a snake like glare. Have you ever worn contacts?”

      “No, I haven’t,” Pete tells Mike.

      “Well then I’ll give you a quick run down. These are considered costume contacts. Where prescription contacts are designed to just go over the pupils these are called full sclera contacts. They are going to cover the entire front of your eyeball so none of your normal white or color will be visible.”

      “How comfortable will those be if they cover everything?”

      “Since you’ve never worn contacts before then they are probably going to be a little irritating at first and will probably take a bit of getting used to. But really it shouldn’t take all that long. I’d be surprised if you don’t forget they’re in after an hour, and your eyes will probably settle down in less than fifteen minutes.”

      “Okay. I guess that’s alright then. How do they go in?”

      “It’s pretty easy, but I’ll have Tom here do it for you this time since you’re laid out flat on your belly which would make it a little harder to do. Especially for your first time.”

     A technician kneels down in front of Peter and carefully inserts the two lenses into his eyes. Pete blinks furiously and several drips from an eyedropper are allowed to fall into each eye to help moisten and relieve the discomfort.

     While Peter lies on the ground Mike indicates to another tech to continue. They go around to the far side of the costume and locate the tail of the snake which has been set so it stretches out away from the main mass. Locating the cloacal opening, a long probe is inserted deep into the body until an LED lights up to show it has reached the intended target of the micro computer inside.

      “Hey Peter, just to warn you,” Mike gets Pete’s attention. “We’re about to initialize the processor in the costume and it’s going to start interfacing with the suit and you. It’s probably going to tingle some.”

      “Thanks for the warning,” Peter responds and holds up one hand with a thumb up as he gently wipes the tears from his eyes with the other.

     With a flick of a small switch a yellow LED lights up on the probe and a gentle tingle begins to run up Peter’s body starting at his toes. The tingle does not grow any more intense than when it started, but as the sensation travels upwards and more of his body reacts the lower portions continue to tingle which starts to become a bit uncomfortable. Peter is able to withstand the feelings for a few minutes before he finally tries to shift or move his body inside the costume to try and relieve it. He raises his head and shoulders up onto his elbows in shock when he realizes that he cannot move his legs. He tries again but once again they will not respond.

      “What the hell? I can’t move my legs Mike. It’s like I’m paralyzed!”

     The tingling starts to fade and with it all of the feeling in Peter’s body from his waist down goes away with it.

      “Holy shit!” he yells. “I can’t feel anything at all now! I’m paralyzed from the waist down! Mike! Help me! Something’s gone wrong! Get me out of this!”

     Mike quickly kneels down and grabs Peter’s hands as he starts to struggle.

      “Pete! Peter! Calm down! It’s alright!”

      “Calm down! Why?!? I can’t feel or move my legs!”

      “Can you feel anything else? Do you maybe feel something different or new?”

      “There’s nothing Mike, not a thing! I don’t want this to be permanent! I don’t want to be paralyzed for the rest of my life!”

      “You won’t be paralyzed for life. Technically you’re not even paralyzed right now. It’s the interface to the costume getting integrated into your own nervous system. We knew that this was a possible reaction when it connected into your own functions. We just didn’t think it would be this strong, or delayed. Give it a few more minutes and you should start to feel some responses from the snake body. It may just be taking a bit longer due to the extreme size of your new body.”

     Peter calms down, noticeably forcing himself to gain control, but he continues to grip Mike’s hands strongly. In a few minutes he shakes his head and a look of confusion crosses his face followed by a shiver across his shoulders.

      “What the ... That’s, strange. I ...”

     Peter gives an even stronger shiver through his upper body.

      “Whoah, okay, it’s starting to dial in I think,” He tells Mike. “This is really odd. I’m getting sensations coming in from a whole lot more body surface than I’m used to.”

     His face wrinkles in concentration for a moment then he looks up at Mike.

      “I can’t feel my own legs anymore, but I do feel a lot of flesh that is telling me that it’s mine and somehow it’s like it is supposed to be my legs but at the same time it isn’t. And I still can’t move anything. I want, no, I need to move, and I can’t Mike,” Peter says with a worried expression.

      “Okay, you’re doing fine Pete. We didn’t want to initialize the motor control to the costume at the same time it was waking up the sensations. That’s a lot of snake muscle and it could be bad for us if you were to start thrashing around unexpectedly.

      “Do you think you’ve got a handle on the sensations you’re getting?”

      “Yea, I think so. It’s confusing, but I’m starting to reconcile it in my head,” Peter says looking down, and then he grunts. “Damn, what the hell is that? It feels like there’s a ten foot pole up my butt.”

      “Um, that’s the probe to reach and turn on the PC. Sit still, please, and try not to jerk around next. We’ll enable motor control and if the light goes green the probe will get pulled out right away and we’ll all step back to give you some room. The micro PC will slowly give you control to move over about a five minute period.”

     Mike nods to the tech with the probe and the final switch is toggled which illuminates a green LED.

      “EEP! Hey there!” Peter exclaims as the semi flexible metal rod is pulled out from the costume. “Dang, that was not something I was expecting. Woof.”

     Looking around Peter notices that everyone has backed away creating a wide clearance around his now massive body. Twisting around further on his hands he catches sight of the end of the tail.

      “Okay, let’s start small then, shall we? If that’s the end of me down there now, then that is sorta where my toes are so to speak. Hello Quinton Tarantino here I come. Wiggle your big toe,” he says while staring at the tail.

     A couple more intonations of the line that Uma Thurman made famous and the tip of the tail sluggishly starts to twitch then jerks unevenly a couple of inches to the side.

      “This is hard. Yet at the same time it feels like it should be easy, natural even,” Peter comments. “I can move it, but it’s not the same thing as if it was my toes. In the back of my mind I almost feel like this should be nothing, a lazy day where I can wake up and stretch from a good nap, but it’s not clicking.”

     The twitching and small jerking movements move further up the length of the tail and into the mass of scales coiled up.

     Peter is starting to sweat a little bit from his hairline when Mike says, “You know what Pete, do just that.”

      “What?”

      “Stop looking at it. Close your eyes and don’t think about anything. Just feel. Then do exactly what you just said. Act like you’re waking up taking a nice loosening stretch in the morning.”

      “Okay. I’ll give it a try.”

     Peter turns back around to face away from the costume and lays his head down on his arms and closes his eyes. Mike motions to everyone to back up some more. A minute later Peter raises his head and arms just like he is sitting up in bed and reaches out to stretch.

     His whole body lifts up into the air as he imitates a jaw cracking yawn and the snake body gently begins to slither and uncoil. He opens his eyes and scratches his chest as he moves forwards, his serpentine body undulating as it slithers out to the middle of the enclosure.

      “Hey Pete, how’s it feel?” Mike softly calls out with a grin.

     Peter turns to look at Mike, his coils balancing his upper torso effortlessly.

      “I feel -” he beings then cuts off as his entire body goes rigid for a moment along its entire thirty foot length.

      “Holy crap. I’m standing upright,” Pete says astonished.

     A second later the tenseness leaves him and he looks at the mass of scales as they move and provide a more stable surface to support him.

      “Amazing. Mike your suggestion did it. That moment where I forgot for just a second that this body isn’t mine made the whole thing kinda click in place. Right now, it IS my body. From the top of my head,” and the end of the tail comes around so Peter is able to grab it, “to the tip of my tail.”

      “Nice. So, you’re good now?” Mike asks hesitantly.

      “Oh yea. I’ve got this. It should be safe to come in close now. And I’ll have to agree that separating the sensations from the movement was probably a good idea. Getting that stick pulled out of my new butt was decidedly shocking. If I had been able to move already when that came out I just may have had a very strong spasmodic response.”

     Peter tries to move again but his movements are stilted and hesitant.

      “Well, I kinda got it I guess. Now that I’m trying to think about it again things aren’t quite as smooth. It’ll take me a few to get used to moving around like this I think.”

      “No problem. Just as long as you don’t go slamming that body around then we’ll be safe. You’ve got twelve hours to work it all out and get used to that body.”

      “What do you mean twelve hours?”

      “You have to stay in that costume for twelve hours now. That’s to give it and you time to integrate with each other and make it more natural. More ... you.”

      “Oh, so now you tell me. So I’m stuck in this thing for the next half a day?”

      “Yep.”

     Peter sighs.

      “Guess I can’t do much about it. I can’t get out of this thing without your help.

      “Changing the subject a bit. You’ve been saying that this is a custom job on the inner body sleeve. And now you tell me that the costume has to integrate itself with me. Just how custom are these costumes?”

      “Well, these specific four costumes, five actually but your other friend couldn’t make it today, are very custom. We pushed development on them ahead of schedule so that we could get them done on time to have you all get fitted and have them working smoothly in time for the annual Halloween party where we want to do our big reveal.”

     At that moment they all looked up as they heard a yell of pure, unadulterated joy ring out from somewhere outside and strangely also from above.

      “Um, I’m going to guess from the sound of that someone is pleased with their new costume,” Peter says with a smile. “And correct me if I’m wrong here, but these are going to be our costumes to keep, aren’t they?”

      “Heh, figured it out did you?” Mike chuckles. “Yeah, these are yours to keep. We had to skip a few things in producing them that we will be including once we complete the final development for our regular production costumes the general public will get to rent out. Your costumes are too customized to you for us to take them back and have someone else be able to use them.”

     Another exuberant cry of joy seems to swoop down and rush past the barn from the outside again.

      “WOOOO HOOOO!!!!!”

      “We may want to be careful how you tell Amy she gets to keep her suit. It sounds like she’s really enjoying herself at the moment and she just might explode from finding out she can do that whenever she wants to,” Peter announces with a happy grin for his friend.

     
Sorry this is a little late. The Closet was in maintenance mode and I had to go do something before it came back on line again.
     

     
--- a week later ---
     
     Brianna sighs as she quietly watches the sunrise from her place beneath the branches of the large spreading tree she is resting under. Looking to the side she smiles to see Peter coiled up on top of a very large rock where the full effect of the light from the rising sun can bathe his rather large serpentine form and warm it. She leans her equine barrel to the side and lets the sturdy trunk of the tree take more of her weight while her four legs are partially curled up beneath. The furry orange-red, brown, and white ball sleeping at her side grumbles at having been disturbed and shifts closer to again rest against the side of her belly. A moment later the branches above shake lightly and a few leaves fall as a large figure lands above Brianna’s head, its talons easily getting a firm grip on the thick branch it chose as its perch.

      “Enjoy your early morning flight?” she quietly asks.

      “That was just what I needed to clear my head after last night,” Amy replies just as softly.

      “I’m surprised you’re still not up there riding the winds. Watching you fly is a true joy.”

      “Really? Why?”

      “You really were born to fly and it shows. Granted I need a good pair of binoculars most of the time, but seeing the way you slip through the air, going from one slipstream to the next, and the totally satisfied expression on your face is nothing short of bliss. Karen told me last night that you have learned to control yourself up there faster than anyone in the company expected or even thought was possible. You’re doing things they would have attributed to a much more experienced flyer in their opinion.”

      “Oh, like they’ve got such a large pool of flyers to compare me to,” Amy says sarcastically. “I’m the only one after all.”

      “Actually Amy,” comes a slightly muffled voice from the ball of fur lying up against Brianna’s side, “they’re comparing you to real birds. Eagles, hawks, vultures, most types of raptors actually. You’re right up there with all of them in their books. Bree’s right, it’s amazing.”

     Jun’s face appears out from underneath the covering of fluffy fur as she talks and shifts a bit so she can use her tails as a pillow to lay her head on. A quiet splashing is heard nearby and a moment later the whirring of a motor makes the members of the group who are a bit more awake look expectantly at the path from the sea pool. A motorized wheelchair appears carrying a still damp and happy purple scaled woman around the bend and up to join them.

      “Even wet and stringy that hair looks beautiful, Susan,” Brianna states.

      “That was a bit of a surprise yesterday afternoon when you showed up with your hair dyed,” comes from above in a different tree. “I love it.”

     Brianna glances upwards at the voice and frowns for a moment.

      “I figured that getting my hair colored to match my tail would be a good compliment to the overall look,” Susan replies, obviously pleased by the compliments from her friends.

      “Who did you get to do it?” Jun asks. “The fade from the pale seafoam purple at the roots in front down to the deep royal purple at the ends is perfect.”

      “I wasn’t sure how it would work out, but I found someone online who had a bunch of videos showing their work and they do things like this frequently. I called and got an appointment in time for the big ball last night.”

      “What did everyone think about the big reveal at the party last night?” they all hear from the rocks.

     Peter is lifting himself up to a position that is closer to sitting like a person with normal legs, but the mass of his snake body still reminds anyone looking his way how dissimilar he and the rest of them are to humanity in general right now with their costumes still on.

      “The promotional teams for the bash did a great job of playing up a new surprise for everyone to see despite only having less than a week to get the news out. And they still kept all the right info hush hush and out of the media. The crowds were huge before sunset, unlike in past years when people would wait to arrive later,” Jun says.

      “I’m really glad the company decided to do the reveal while there was still daylight. I quickly learned in the middle of last week that flying at night is not really my cup of tea.”

      “That bad?” Brianna queries.

      “Yes and no. I can fly at night, but once the light fades enough, and especially when it gets dark, I lose my ability to see clearly. I am essentially night blind with these contacts in, and I definitely need to have them in when I fly. Flying without them is out of the question.”

      “Well we most definitely were the only thing that got talked about all night long,” Peter announces. “I kind of feel sorry for anyone who was trying to debut something new of their own.”

      “Yea, It’s a good thing we all agreed that trying to let us enter into any of the competitions would not be fair to the other party goers,” Susan says nodding her head. “I still can’t believe the entire crowd voted to give us the award for best new costumes even though we tried to turn it down three times.”

      “Hey, they loved us. There was some light jealousy that floated around, but it was not anything serious,” Jun responds.

      “I thought that some of them were going to have a heart attack when you trotted out where you could be seen,” she says, poking her warm pillow in the belly. “Then Susan made a huge splash, literally, over in the lagoon pool a few minutes later which got yet more attention with the beautiful Centaur walking over to help pull the Mermaid out of the water. And as if that wasn’t enough both of you went over to the rocks just in time to greet a gleaming, green Naga that slithers up over them as he waves to everyone. And the coup-de-grâce that damn near killed a few of them was having a Harpy cry out from above and swoop down to land beside us. I know I saw several people fall over in a dead faint.”

      “Don’t sell yourself short Jun. I saw your appearance clearly as I glided around silently from above. You getting to act as the hostess announcer to direct everyone in the right directions was brilliant,” Amy admonishes her. “Standing up on the stage with the microphone and the spotlight suddenly kicking on to highlight you out of nowhere got their attention right away. I mean, how do you ignore a Kitsune who is telling you hello and waving her three tails around?

      “Look at you. You have red and white fur all over, and it’s a natural fox orangey-red too not a fire truck or candy red, brown fur on ears and paws, and three tails! Those ears are on top of your head, not off to the sides where they should be on a human, and I can’t even tell you have human ears under that fur. There’s no hint of them at all. You walk on paws that have no resemblance to human feet, or legs for that matter, as if you were born with them. And how in the hell do you talk with that muzzle? A fox snout is not designed for human speech yet you sound just like normal Jun. Your voice is barely changed at all.”

      “Yea, how are you doing that?” Susan asks. “I have my voice, but it’s still breathy, a little weak, and off from normal as long as I have my gills in.”

      “Just lucky I guess,” Jun smirks. “But speaking of voices. Amy, where did that eagle cry come from that you let out as you flew in last night? I swear it sounded like the real thing.”

      “I don’t know, really. It just came out. I wanted to do something more dramatic than scream out ‘woohoo’ again so I cried out. I didn’t really have a specific thought about it in my head, I just let myself go and that’s what appeared. It felt, natural.”

      “Well it was perfect. You capped the presentation of the five of us with a cherry on top with that call.”

      “Susan,” Brianna speaks up, “I know you still have a little bit of trouble talking because of the device they put in to give you gills. But I am wondering, what about trying to sing? I mean, technically you are a Siren now.”

      “Sing? Me? Come on. You all have heard me try to sing before. I can’t carry a tune in a bucket, let alone try to sound decent enough with my normal voice,” Susan says softly.

      “Are you so sure? Just because you are having trouble talking doesn’t mean you’ll have more trouble singing. A different part of your brain is used compared to your speaking voice so maybe it’ll make a difference.”

      “Go on, give it a try,” Pete encourages her.

      “Alright, I’ll try something. But don’t blame me if it sounds like two cats fighting in a wood chipper.”

     Susan pauses for a moment to think of something she can test out Brianna’s theory with. Slowly and almost too low to hear at first, she starts to hum a tune she partially recalls. As she remembers more of the song she begins to vocalize the music running through her head. The song has no words to it and Susan closes her eyes to better concentrate on the memory that is being pulled from deep in her early childhood. As the recollection finally surfaces whole in her mind Susan’s voice rises in volume and fully releases the music that she is trying to produce. She lets the music take over and carry her into a semi trance like state as she continues to sing for over five minutes. Once the song is over she blinks her eyes and looks around at the stunned faces of her friends.

      “I guess it was as good to your ears as it was to mine then?” She asks hesitantly.

      “Susan, that was simply incredible,” Amy breaks the silence. “I’ve never heard something so enchanting. Where did that come from?”

      “I don’t know for sure,” Susan replies. “It just came to me. I barely remember hearing it a long time ago when I was a very little girl. It felt appropriate and as I started to sing it just flowed through me.”

      “Well, I dare say that you are definitely now a Siren,” Jun tells Susan. “That voice could definitely lure sailors to their doom with no hesitations. It was almost angelic.”

     Susan blushes happily from the compliment she was just given.

      “However, the real surprise for everyone, and especially for me, was when a certain black red white and yellow spider dropped down and snatched me up off the stage! You scared the crap out of me Alexa! I had no idea you had even received a costume, let alone were up above me.

      “Then you wrapped me up in a silk cocoon in seconds right in front of all those people and left me hanging there for what felt like an hour! I was picking your webs out of my fur for hours once you finally let me out. If it weren’t for all the little kids helping me I’d still have half of my fur stuck together,” Jun complains as she pulls another small bit of spider silk out of a tail.

      “Yes, that was a rather shocking surprise,” Brianna says lightly glaring at the Drider who is climbing down out of the tree she was in. “I am still upset with you, Alexandra. You went behind my back.”

      “I am sorry Bree. I didn’t want to disappoint you,” She says ashamedly. “But you didn’t exactly tell me to not pursue it. I contacted my friend and we worked on finishing the costume on our own.”

      “Hrm. I sometimes forget how literal I have to be with you. You are usually pretty good about not doing something stupid, most of the time. But this was a pretty big risk! They had been telling me that the problems were pretty serious, even to the point of being dangerous. You gave me such a scare when I saw you in that thing! I’m still worried about how it is affecting you.”

      “I am doing well. Gwen was able to figure out how to work through some of the problems, and I think they were over stating the others. I do admit the first time I put my beautiful exoskeleton on and had to wear it for twelve hours was a bit rough. I had a hard time figuring out having eight legs and getting them to work right. Gwen told me that the computer programming wasn’t as thorough as yours, Bree, and I had to work out using eight new limbs on my own instead of having just four and getting it fed to me by a computer program. I got it figured out eventually and the processor learned as I did so now I can walk, climb, and use my legs normally.”

      “You are still tripping over them occasionally,” Brianna admonishes.

      “Maybe a little bit,” Alexa admits.

      “The hair and eyes are a pretty striking contrast, especially with your dark skin,” Amy says.

      “My African heritage really came in handy with how dark my skin is for this it seems. But the hair is just a wig,” Alexa tells them as she reaches back and tugs on some of the long white strands behind her back. “The solid black eyes are really great looking though, I really like these full sclera contacts Gwen gave me with the costume. They really complete the look for a Drider. I did leave out the fangs for last night though. I am still having trouble getting used to them and I can’t talk very well with the fangs in place.”

      “What about the interesting striped pattern and colors? Where did those come from? I don’t think I’ve ever seen a spider that looks quite like that,” Peter asks, peering at Alexa’s abdomen. “And you’ve got four different colors in those stripes.”

      “Yes. They used a couple of different spiders for this. Gwen told me that it is a combination of the Black Widow, Golden Orb Weaver, and Australian Red Back. The Red Back and Widow gives the red coloring, while the Orb Weaver gives the horizontal stripes and colored patches on the legs along with the yellow and white colorations. The distribution of colors though is unique and is a result of mixing the families.”

      “How are you fitting in there? You’re torso is sitting nearly upright and you don’t appear to be straining to maintain the position. I don’t really see where your legs would go except backwards into the large abdominal section.”

      “I am actually sitting on my legs. My hips and knees are bent to fold my legs up with my feet turned inward and sideways under my butt. It’s pretty comfortable even after this long.”

      “You can still feel your human lower half?”

      “Well, no. The sensor strip up my back takes care of that just like the rest of you. But I have some specialized padding between my upper and lower legs so I don’t cut off circulation. Although after this long I’m probably going to need a good long massage to work some kinks out of my legs I bet.”

      “I’ll take care of that while we have a long talk,” Brianna informs her. “I don’t want you to be hurt by that costume.”

      “So, what’s next?” Jun asks to change the subject. “I know we need to get out of these costumes this morning and take a break from them so we don’t go over the twenty-four hour limit. But then what?”

      “I don’t know. I so don’t want to give up my wings again. I want to keep flying, but I guess we have to give these back now that their big reveal is done,” Amy says sadly. “At least we can still rent them out again, if we can afford it.”

      “Didn’t they tell you?” Peter asks her with a serious tone as he slithers down from his rock and moves over to join the group.

      “What? Tell me what?” Amy blurts, her voice getting a slightly panicked edge to it. She flutters down to land on the ground before Peter with a worried look on her face. “Tell me. What’s wrong?” she demands, deducing that there is something bad because of how he spoke.

      “There’s a major problem with these costumes,” Pete intones with a frown, intentionally teasing his petite and flighty companion.

      “Because of all the customizations they had to do with these costumes they are all going to have to be ...” and he pauses dramatically.

      “Destroyed? Destroyed! Oh no, that’s what you’re about to say, isn’t it!?!” Amy frets as she hops up and down agitatedly.

      “Peter! Stop it and tell her!” Brianna tells him.

     Peter smirks at Brianna then looks Amy directly in the eye as he grabs her shoulders.

      “The costumes are ours, for life.”

     Amy stands completely still, her eyes as wide as they can get.

      “Really Amy, it’s yours,” Brianna tells her.

      “It is? For reals? It’s mine?” Amy whispers as she starts to quiver.

      “I found out that they had to customize our costumes too much for anyone else to ever be able to use them,” Peter explains. “They weren’t quite done with the final development of their production line and pushed the final generation for our display costumes on a fast track which meant they skipped some small details to get them ready on time. That’s why there was no announcement of when the public is going to be able to go rent out costumes just yet. They’re still finishing up working on the primary production details for the rentals.”

     The joy that creeps into Amy’s face quickly infuses her entire body as she starts to squirm like a happy puppy.

      “I get to fly when ever I want to? For...ever?”

      “Yep, I’m afraid so.”

     Peter is only mildly surprised when he is engulfed by feathers as two wings embrace him in a tight hug.

      “You turd! You just had to make me think they were going to destroy my beautiful feathers. I’ll have to think up a proper punishment for you. But this will have to do for an opener,” Amy tells him.

     Pulling him down so he is at her level she gives him a kiss on his cheek.

      “Amy, are you sure you’re twenty-two?” Jun teases.

     * PTHBT * Amy give Jun a raspberry in response. “Just because I’m the youngest out of all of you, with the exception of our little sister here, does not mean I’m still a kid. And you all are not that much older. Susan’s only four years older than me and she’s the oldest. I’m just more in touch with my inner child than the rest of you,” she giggles. “Besides, I think that Jun gets the kiddie prize for last night.”

     The ball of fur unravels as Jun rolls over onto her back and stretches out her arms and one leg and a couple of tails, the four toes at the end of her paw splaying out.

      “Hey, those kids were cute with their Pokemon costumes. How could I disappoint them when they wanted to know if I was a partially evolved Vulpix? Of course I played along and they ate it up. All their parents seemed to enjoy it too. Besides, I like kids, even twenty-two year old ones,” Jun says with a smile, her tongue lolling out of her snout.

      “Well, as much fun as we all had last night, I don’t want to be a downer but we do need to get up to the barn and out of our costumes this morning. We should probably get moving,” Brianna tells everyone.

      “True. Good reminder. My costume is so comfortable on me and feels so natural while I’m in it I do sometimes forget the time limit to get out of it,” Peter replies. “Sunning myself in the early morning sunlight on that rock just felt too good.”

     The others nod in agreement as they get up off the ground and begin to amble along the path.

      “Can I get a ride Bree? Or are you going to make me fly?” Amy asks with a smirk.

      “Really? You’re going to start that again? As if it’s such a terrible effort for you to have to put out all that horrible work to get airborne. Go fly you twit. Nobody rides this Centaur without my permission and a really good reason.

      “Oh, once everyone is back in human mode again come on over to the house and let’s meet up in the lounge for breakfast. I have something to propose to everyone.”

     Amy giggles and with just a few quick steps launches herself up into the air.

      “I’ll see you all there!” Amy calls out as her wings lift her up into the morning sky.

      “Dang. She’s even perfected getting up into flight from the ground. There really is no question that girl was born to fly,” Peter comments.

      “I know. It only took her all of one day to figure that out and make it work,” Brianna says. “The ornithologist on her team thought that was going to be the hardest item for her to learn, and maybe not ever.”

      “And she did it in one day,” Susan repeats in admiration.

      “Um, it may take me a little longer to get out of my tail,” Peter announces as they travel. “I probably should make a stop at the enema wash machine so I can clean out all the food and drink I had last night before I get my legs back. I’m sure I’ve processed enough of it through my own intestines that it’s been passed along into my serpentine system by now.”

      “Not a bad idea,” Brianna says. “I guess I should make a pass through there too for the same reasons. Don’t want to leave anything sitting in there for a few days. What about you, little spider? Do you need to clean out?”

      “Um, I don’t know. Gwen told me I have the same, um ... internal tubing ... in me that the rest of you have. But, I have no idea how it’s getting processed. I mean, I do know spiders eliminate waste. They only have one route for that, an anus, and they produce a nearly solid uric acid instead of urine that goes out along with the rest of the solid wastes. But I have no idea about how fast or how much may be getting produced in this costume. Hopefully Gwen will be here and I can ask her.”

      “I just wish they could make the cleansing process a bit less uncomfortable,” Susan adds in. “Having to get flushed out by that machine leaves me feeling violated it goes so deep.”

      “Well think about how Bree and I feel with how much more intestinal length we have,” Peter complains.

      “It’s uncomfortable, I agree,” Brianna interjects before an argument can get started. “At least the machine is able to interface with our internal processors and dampen down the sensations a good bit.”

      “Why can’t they just turn off the sensations completely?” Susan asks.

      “From what I’ve been told the PC is now always on once it got activated,” Brianna explains, “there’s no turning it off. So as long as we are wearing the costumes and it is hooked up into our own nervous system it would be like trying to destroy our nerves and paralyze us. There’s a risk that going that far could actually do our human bodies some harm.”

      “So, if they try to fully shut off the sensations from the costume there is a chance we could really be paralyzed?” Peter questions.

      “That’s at the worst case scenario end of the spectrum, but yes it’s possible. On the lighter side of it we could have lesser degrees of permanent nerve damage resulting in any combination of one or more things like numbness, muscle weakness, constant tingling, spasms, or chronic nerve pain.”

      “Um, I think I’ll deal with a little discomfort from a deep cleansing enema session once in a while, thank you very much,” Peter says to which Brianna and Susan raise a hand and give a supporting “Amen.”

     Brianna twists her upper body around quickly as she feels eight prickly claws climb onto her back and settle the weight of her sister onto her back.

      “Okay, you get a pass being my little sis,” she tells Alexa and gives her a kiss on the forehead. “Just don’t make a habit out of it.”

     The earth bound group of friends makes their way on up toward the barn where they can get out of the costumes.
     
     
--- ---
     
     
     Brian nods in agreement a couple hours later when Alexandra complains as she joins him.

      “Okay, that enema, no matter how warm, was just a bit disturbing,” Alexa tells Brian as they sit to eat their breakfast.

      “Shouldn’t you have been the first one here?” Jun asks Amy with a smirk when her petite friend finally wanders into the lounge room carrying a plate of breakfast goodies and wearing the headpiece for her costume.

      “Why would I have been first? I still had the better part of forty-five minutes to use up before I had to get out of my feathers. I went for a nice trip around Bree’s property first.”

      “Um, you’re still wearing the feathers girly. Shouldn’t that be back with the rest of it?” Peter points out.

      “I took it off first and had a full shower with the green goop after getting plucked. It’s really comfortable and warm, so after my shower I asked if it would be okay to put just that part on again this soon and Jenny thought it would be fine without any of the other parts attached. It’s just a nice hoodie cap this way.”

      “Fair enough,” Brian says. “Grab a seat and enjoy your food and some good company.”

      “I admit that I kinda miss my tail when I get it off, but I also enjoy getting those tubes out of me too,” Peter notes.

      “You think those tubes are all that bad? You men have no idea. We have to deal with those plus having to shove a double-fist sized ball of soft rubber up into a rather sensitive place then pull it back out again when the costume comes off,” Susan reminds him. Then she sees the frown on Brian’s face.

      “I’m sorry Brianna and Alexa, I didn’t mean to call you all out like that. We all know how you feel and accept you both, but you two still don’t have the anatomy that we do. I’m sorry if my statement hurt.”

      “It’s okay.”

      “I know Su, and you’re right. All of you accept me and treat me well when I present as Brianna which I am so grateful for. But I do still have this ... body ... to live in and deal with every day that I just don’t want. You meant no ridicule or harm, but the truth still bothers me. I don’t like it but I do have to find a way live with it. I was born with a male physiology and a female mind and soul.”

      “And you don’t even get to work on trying to transition. At least not yet,” Jun commiserates with a pained look. “It’s not fair.”

      “No, in a way it’s not. But Brian has taken over the full ownership and running of the family horse breeding ranch and I have to keep that up for now. Give it a few years and I’ll be able to start the initial steps to transition. I have a very good psych that understands the problems and is working with me. We’ll get there.

      “And hey, I now have my costume. At least I can run around as a Centaur Mare now whenever time allows. That’s something.”

      “Changing the subject a bit, but didn’t you say you had something to talk to us about?” Amy says through a mouthful of donut.

      “I did, and you’re not actually changing the subject all that much in fact,” Brian tells them which gets a couple of raised eyebrows as everyone waits to hear what he has to say.

      “None of us have taken a real holiday or vacation break in more than a year. We all have got to have built up a good bit of leave time at our respective jobs, right?”

     Looking around he watches as his friends mentally calculate the numbers and nod in agreement.

      “Would you all say that you have at least two weeks of paid time off you can use?”

      “Yea.”

      “Sure.”

      “Probably more than that.”

     The other two simply nod.

      “Then this is what I am proposing. We all are enjoying the new costumes a good deal, one of us possibly to an entirely infatuated level,” he says with a grin as Amy giggles. “When is the last time we all got away and went camping together? Just the six of us out on our own. Four, five years?”

      “A camping trip with the six of us out in the middle of nowhere with our costumes? Oh yeah, that sounds like fun!” Amy exclaims.

      “Where would we go? And when?” Peter asks.

      “Where is easy,” Brian tells them. “We’ll just go out to the far end of the ranch in the back forty. You remember the cabin out there by the private lagoon? We could use that as a base and go another day or so out from there on foot to pitch a camp.

      “As to when, well, I would like to make it happen in about two weeks. That would give us a week or so to get things settled at work for those who need it. Does everyone think it’s doable? Can everyone get the time off and arrange whatever you need to cover for your absence by then?”

      “What about me, Bree? Can I go too?” Alexandra asks hopefully.

     Brianna looks thoughtfully at her adoptive sibling as she considers the question.

      “If Gwen can convince me that your costume is safe enough and can show me that the problems I was told about have been mitigated, then yes you can Kohai. You’ll have to bring your school books and spend time studying, two weeks is too long to skip it completely.”

      “Thank you Senpai! I will study velly well!” Alexa intentionally slurs her words to sound Oriental as her face lights up happily.

      “Jun, I know you probably have the hardest time with short notice like this, but could you do it?” Brian asks.

      “The hospital frowns on short notice time off requests, but like you say I haven’t taken any personal time off in a long time. I’ve got a big build up of paid leave to the point that I could turn it in for pay instead of taking the time. The buy off for that is one-and-a-half to one in my favor, so letting me actually use the time would cost them less. I bet I could push it through in time.”

      “So, you’re in?”

      “Yea, I’m in. It’ll be fun to run around with fur for two weeks, minus the required time out of costume, of course.”

      “That’s three counting me. Anyone else think they have a problem?”

      “Nope, not from me. Make it four,” Susan reports.

      “I can pull it off, so that’s five,” Peter adds.

     All eyes turn to Amy.

      “Well, I have to get everything moved to my new place in the next week.”

      “Moved? You’re moving?”

      “Well, yea. I got a place downtown.”

      “Why would you move there?” Susan wants to know. “You have a nice place on the edge of town.”

      “I got an apartment on the top floor of the Alcondrosa building. It’s got a really great view from up there ... and the greatest balcony for flying from.”

      “Wait, are you telling me that you signed for an apartment just so you could fly from it? You didn’t even know the costume was going to be yours until this morning! What were you thinking?” Susan asks incredulously.

      “I may not have known my feathers were mine to keep, but I damn sure knew that I was going to be getting to use the costume as much and as often as I could afford to. After getting to experience true self flight there is no way I am going to give it up ever again.”

      “I guess it’s a good thing for your bank account that you get to keep it then,” Jun says with a shake of her head in amazement.

      “Alright, so can you get moved in a week?” Brian steers the conversation back around to the question at hand.

      “Um, can I get some help from you guys? If so, then yes.”

      “Of course you can get help from us,” Peter speaks up. “Like we wouldn’t offer as soon as we found out anyways.”

     The others agree and talk moves into figuring out when different people can be available to help Amy move on which days, then making plans for their two week fantasy camping trip.

     
It's time to go camping. What will happen when everyone gets comfortable with their costumes?
     

     
--- another week goes by ---
     
      “Okay, I’m here. I want to get into my wings before it gets dark and I can’t fly. Hey! Wait a minute, where’s my feathers? I want to fly!”

      “The same place all the costumes are at Amy, out at the cabin. I had them taken out ahead of us so they’d be there for everyone to put on first thing in the morning.”

      “But Brian, then I can’t fly out there tonight before it gets dark,” Amy pouts.

      “I know, and I can’t gallop. And Susan can’t swim. But that also means that first thing in the morning when we put the costumes on our twenty-three hour time limit starts then instead of tonight and we don’t have to mess around with getting out of our skins in the middle of the day when we want to be out doing things.”

      “Well, if you put it that way I suppose it makes some sense. Some. We could have just taken them off again for the night ya know.”

      “Maybe. Would you have gotten out of your beloved feathers after only a couple hours with them on?”

      “Okay, probably not,” Amy admits. “At least I still have my headpiece I can wear.”

      “And you’ve managed to not lose it and even kept it looking clean and well groomed through all of the packing and moving,” Brian says as their other friends walk in.

      “Nice apartment by the way,” Jun tells Amy.

      “Thanks. And thanks to everyone for the help with getting everything moved. I’ll have to do something to thank you all later.”

      “Did I hear right? You sent our costumes off without us?” Peter inquires.

      “Yep, sure did.”

      “Well darn. I was kinda looking forwards to seeing how well my scales would hold up to the trek getting out there.”

     Susan gives Peter a questioning look that he notices.

      “What? My tail has grown on me and I like having it on. Maybe not to the point that Amy or even you do, but yea, I like it.”

      “Okay,” Susan says with a grin. “I admit I was looking forwards to being able to swim the long way around to the private lagoon myself. But oh well, no scales for us.”

      “Your hair is still that wonderful blend of purple though,” Amy notes.

      “I know, and it’s holding up really well too. I haven’t noticed any fading yet.”

      “So how did our piles of fur, feathers, carapace, and scales get out there?” Jun asks as she prods Brian in the back.

      “George and Rebecca took them along with all the supplies they packed out for the cabin this morning. The two of them are going to stay at the cabin while we are out camping. They’ll be there to cook and take care of things when we spend time at the cabin itself. And they can be an emergency backup to at least make the call to emergency services in case something happens.”

      “Oh good, I love Rebecca’s cooking. Better than anything the rest of us can do that’s for sure. And how are we going to get out there?”

      “A couple of the Land Rovers. We’ll leave them at the cabin for George or Rebecca to use. Again as an emergency transport or if they need to come back to the main ranch for something that we decide we just can’t live without.

      “Anyone need to load up a suitcase?” Brian asks.

      “Seriously?” Amy laughs out loud.

      “I don’t think there’s going to be much worry about doing laundry after this camping trip,” Pete comments with his own laugh. “I know I didn’t bring any more clothes than what I’m wearing right now and a long bath robe for decency when I don’t have my tail on. Otherwise I don’t particularly see any need for clothes myself.

      “Anyone else bring clothes?” he asks looking around the room.

      “Nope, not a stitch. I’ve got a few extras to take care of my furry butt like brushes and combs, but clothes are right out,” Jun states.

      “Try and get me out of the water,” Susan announces firmly.

      “Your power chair and the patient hoist are down there if you want them. And we are going to invite you up to the campsite each night and morning for the campfire. It’s up to you if you want to be anti-social or not,” Brian smirks.

      “As for me, I do have a few small bits of clothing so I’ll have a little bit of laundry afterwards. I’ll want and need to have something to hold up the girls for two weeks after all.”

      “Give me my feathers and I’ll be happy and content. I know I brought along my other usual camping gear, and from the sounds of it so did the rest of you if I’m guessing correctly from the noises of things being dropped outside that I heard. But yea, clothes were so not on my packing list for this,” Amy says with a grin.

      “Then let’s get it all loaded up and start rolling on out to the cabin. We should get there just in time for a late dinner. Knowing Rebecca she’ll have a solid meal waiting on us.”
     
     
--- three days later ---
     
     
     The low beeping of an alarm wakes Amy from her sleep. She stretches her wings out as she lets a yawn escape then she hops down from the log she is using as her perch.

      “Mmmm, time to get up. Didn’t think I’d be able to get used to sleeping standing up like that but it’s really comfortable when I’ve got talons.”

     She taps the button on her battery powered clock to stop the alarm using the small claw on her wing that is connected to her thumb joint.

      “I’m glad they included this claw in the design. It lets me handle at least a few things on my own, and without it I’d never be able to get my wings off so I can get out of my feathers every day.

      “Time to get out of the suit for an hour I suppose. It’s so comfortable though, but they were really specific to drill into our heads that we absolutely can’t go past twenty-four hours in them. I wish they’d have been a bit more specific about why. Just telling us it would be bad is kinda stupid. I mean, tell us what could happen to scare us or something. ‘It’s bad’ could be something as bland as the power cells dying and having to be totally replaced.”

     Bringing one wing in close while partially extending the other she awkwardly reaches up into her armpit. It takes her a couple of tries to hook the claw into the right spot to begin releasing the seal between the wing and her body. Once that wing begins to come loose she reverses the process and with a few more tries gets her other claw up into the right spot under the other wing as well. With both wings loosened she carefully works her arms out and drapes her wings over the log like two long, feathered capes. The body suit is loosened up to get to the top edge of her raptor talons just below her knees and one at a time her human feet appear where she still remains standing on her toes. Pulling the headpiece off Amy reaches down between her legs and works something loose with a quiet pop then slides the body up over her head and reveals a nearly naked body. The only part of her skin that isn’t exposed is a waist to mid thigh section.

      “I’m still surprised at how the body sleeve got integrated into the costume itself. I get the feeling they were just as surprised. It’s made getting dressed and undressed easier and quicker at least. All I have left is this skin tight bike shorts thing that holds the internal tubing and that other thing in place.”

     She opens a small bag and pulls out the device to help her remove the vaginal insert. Placing the end of it at her private opening she pauses.

      “This is the worst part of the whole dressing and undressing and the biggest hassle. It’s so uncomfortable pulling and pushing that thing through my vagina, and it’s not at all uncomfortable once it’s in. And it’s not like I have to plug it into a power outlet to recharge the battery either. You know what, forget it. I’m not messing with it, the thing can stay in. The contacts came out last night as usual before I went to sleep.”

     Amy tosses the tool back into her bag and pulls out her bathrobe which she wraps tightly around herself and ties it shut.

      “I’ll just keep it covered and if anyone asks I'll just tell them I’ve taken the whole costume off for the required duration. What they don’t know won’t hurt me.”

     A few minutes later, Amy is walking back from where they’ve setup a toilet area.

      “Okay, that was different. I didn’t think about how the internal tubing combines my front and back end into one waste disposal route. No going potty with someone else around when I’m out of my feathers, I can’t hide how that still works.”

     Amy goes and joins the rest of her friends for their morning ‘human breakfast’ as they call it.
     
     
--- a few more days pass ---
     
     
     Amy is hopping around in a small clearing on her talons. Launching up into the air she flies only a short distance to a dead tree and gathers several more branches off of it. Carrying them back she drops them onto the growing pile she’s gathered and lands beside the loose stack. Taking a few she rearranges them until she is satisfied then flies off in a different direction.
     
--- ---
     
     The next morning at their regular breakfast Susan is sitting in her power chair with a towel over her lap. She notices that Amy seems a bit preoccupied.

      “Is everything alright Ames?”

      “Huh? Oh, yea. Fine. I’m fine,” Amy responds while absently rubbing her abdomen with one hand.

      “You’ve been busy yesterday,” Peter states. “Are you building a nest out there?”

      “Um, yea, I am.”

      “What for?” Jun asks.

      “I just wanted to. It feels right,” is Amy’s answer as she once again rubs her lower belly.

      “You keep rubbing your tummy. Are you okay?” Brianna comments.

      “Um, yea, I think so. Just feeling a little full. I think I need to go to the bathroom,” Amy says while looking at a watch. “Look, the hour’s up. I’m getting my feathers back on again.”

     Standing up she quickly leaves the camp circle and heads back to her personal area.

      “Well I for one am getting worried,” Brianna says. “I haven’t seen Alexandra for two days. Has anyone else?”

     The others indicate that no one has seen their young friend.

      “I know she knows how to handle herself, and she’ll go off on her own for a few days at a time occasionally when we’ve gone camping in the past and she’s been fine. But she’s got that costume now. I’m concerned.”

      “Bree, Gwen covered everything she did with the costume to your satisfaction. Alexa will be fine,” Susan admonishes her.

      “I’m not so sure. She was wearing the fangs all the time along with the rest of it, except for the one hour down time, so I couldn’t really talk with her. She’s still having a hard time working out how to talk with those things in. Plus, she left her books behind so she’s shirking her studies.”

      “Brianna, let her have her fun. She’s a smart girl and mostly well behaved. She’s still a teenager and all teens have to rebel at least a little bit. It’ll be fine,” Peter states. “She’s been getting out of her costume like clockwork without having to be told, too. Don’t worry.”

     Brianna grunts noncommittally, but lets the subject drop.
     
--- ---
     
     Later the next day Jun is surprised when Amy swoops in and lands nearby. She had been having fun stalking a rabbit and was about to pounce it, but the sudden appearance of a Harpy scared the critter away.

      “Jun. Can, can you come over. To my nest. Please?”

      “Sure Amy, What’s up?”

      “Just, come over. Now. Please,” Amy tells her quickly then launches into the air again.

     Jun gets a concerned look on her face and her three tails lower for a moment. She quickly runs through the woods to arrive a few minutes later at the site where Amy has been working on making a nest. Amy is there and pacing back and forth, her wings fluttering agitatedly.

      “Not bad Amy, looks like the nest is almost done. Have you been doing anything other than nest building the past two days?”

      “No. Jun, I need you to feel something.”

      “Alright. What is it?”

      “Feel my belly. Low down.”

     Jun has to hold Amy by the shoulders and keep one hand on a shoulder to get her friend to stop pacing. Running her other hand down over the feathers on Amy’s chest she rubs over her belly and abdomen.

      “Press in a little bit harder,” Amy instructs which Jun does and gets an odd look on her vulpine face.

      “Amy, what is that?”

      “There’s something solid in there, right? You can feel it too?”

      “I’m not sure. There’s something there, but isn’t it just your, ahem, insert?”

      “It’s too hard. Compare it to yours. You have a uterus insert too don’t you?”

      “I do. Okay, give me a moment.”

     Jun switches her hand to her own body and presses down gently on her own abdomen. Tilting her head a bit she reaches back out to Amy and with both hands presses against the girl’s lower belly then her own again. She presses even harder against her own body until she nods.

      “Amy, I can’t even feel my own insert unless I really push. On you, I can feel something hard inside you with only a little pressure. What is that?”

      “I don’t know Jun,” she replies as she starts to pace again.

      “Amy, I’m going to ask you something, and you have to tell me the truth. Promise?”

     Amy stops pacing and looks Jun in the eye.

      “You’re going to ask if I’ve kept my costume on too long, aren’t you?”

     Jun nods.

      “Not exactly. You’ve seen me every day at breakfast without my feathers. But, um, I haven’t removed my micro processor and tubing inserts for like four days.”

      “Amy! This is bad. There’s something going on inside you! Aren’t you scared?”

      “No, I’m not scared. I’m just concerned that I’m not going to be safe enough on the ground here. My nest is too exposed.”

     Jun gives Amy a concerned look at that statement.

      “Amy, I want you to go up to the cabin right now and wait for me. I’ll be there as fast as I can run.”

     Jun pushes Amy gently and with a nod Amy takes off. Watching for a moment to make sure her friend is flying in the right direction Jun drops down on all fours and takes off running.
     
--- ---
     
      “Okay, I was able to get her out of most of the costume,” Jun announces as she walks out of the room with a pile of feathers and talons in her arms. “But she absolutely refuses to take off the headpiece or remove the contacts. And I’m not going to push her any further on it right now.”

     Rebecca takes the costume from Jun and carefully sorts it out into a much neater bundle.

      “And the pants? What about that?”

      “Not possible. I couldn’t even find the edge on her waist or thighs. It’s like it’s bonded itself to her skin. In fact, I’m pretty sure it’s transforming itself into Amy’s flesh. It doesn’t feel like my shorts do. She still has a vaginal opening, but her urethra is gone and her anus is not right either. She doesn’t have separate butt cheeks anymore. There’s just an anus down behind her vagina. I couldn’t find any evidence of the tubes. I’m pretty sure they’ve fully merged with her body and been absorbed or something as they rerouted her urinary tract and rectum.”

      “I got through to the company and talked to Sara,” George tells the Fox woman. “She’s going to be coming with Jenny, the bird doctor, and some equipment but they can’t get here for a couple more days.”

      “Of course,” Jun sighs. “Have either of you seen the others recently? I see Susan and Pete each morning at our breakfast gathering, but Brianna wasn’t there this morning. She didn’t say where she was going or doing last time I saw her tail.”

      “We haven’t seen Brianna here.”

      “Great. Well then I guess I’m going to go out and find everyone. Make the rooms ready for all of us; we all should be staying here for the next few days I think. Keep Amy away from the rest of her feathers and keep her as calm and comfortable as you can. I’ll be back.”

     Jun gives Rebecca a hug and runs out the door on her hind paws. Pausing out front of the building she thinks out loud to herself.

      “Okay, Susan is possibly the easiest to find I hope. Come to think about it, she’s been acting a little strange too. She hasn’t gotten out of that wheelchair in a couple of days now when she’s out of the water with or without her tail.”

     With a shrug Jun heads off towards the lagoon.
     
--- ---
     
     A ringing series of pounding resonates through the water and awakens the mermaid that is curled up in a coral lined alcove underwater. She looks around her little bed for a moment as her hair drifts loosely about her face. Uncurling herself she slowly swims in the direction from which the rhythmic tones are coming. Getting closer she rises to just below the surface and peers up at the structure to see a figure above. The view is distorted by the motion of the water, but she recalls that the orange-red and white colored individual is a Kitsune. The Fox is beating on a metal pole that goes down into the waters with a large branch. It takes her another minute to remember that the person up on the dock is her friend Jun. Letting the waters flow through her gills she closes them off instinctually as she breaches the surface and her head is exposed to the air.

      “What’s the big deal, fluffy butt? I was enjoying a good dream and you interrupted it by beating on that pole.”

      “I hoped that would get your attention,” Jun replies as she stops swinging the axe handle. “I’ve been looking for you and the others for over a day now. We need to get up to the cabin ay-sap. Amy’s in trouble.”

      “What happened? Is she okay?” Susan asks with concern.

      “She has done something stupid and didn’t take out her micro processor every day like she’s supposed to.”

      “How long has she had it in place?”

      “She told me yesterday it had been four days, so that would make it five today. When I last saw her she was actually building a nest out in the woods and acting strangely. She was more concerned that her nest wasn’t safe than she was with the solid lump in her abdomen.”

      “Lump? What do you mean?” Susan inquires as she swims around to where her hoist is at.

      “She made me feel her belly and there is a definite lump inside her. At a guess I think the rubber insert has solidified in her uterus.”

      “That’s strange, I don’t feel a solid lump from mine,” Susan states as she lowers herself down into her power chair.

      “You what?” Jun questions her sharply.

      “Uh, did I say that out loud?” Susan says sheepishly.

      “Susan! Not you too?”

      “Well, that damn insert is such a pain to take in and out all the time.”

      “How long?” Jun demands.

      “Probably as long as Amy from what you’ve said. Five days now.”

      “Dammit Susan! Have you noticed anything else that’s changed? Any problems?”

     Susan’s tail fin starts to twitch agitatedly.

      “Um, I haven’t been able to walk for three days. My legs are too weak when I’m out of my tail.”

      “Oh Susan. When is the last time you took off your tail?”

      “Yesterday morning. You saw me at breakfast.”

      “And you had a towel over your lap. You were hiding it, weren’t you, and I bet the towel was wet,” Jun says accusingly to which Susan nods with her eyes downcast.

      “There’s, um, one other thing.”

      “What? Susan, what else did you do?”

      “It’s what I haven’t done.”

     Jun frowns in confusion for a second then the light goes on.

      “Oh no, Susan tell me you didn’t?”

      “I haven’t removed my trachea insert in about two days now.”

     Jun looks closely at Susan and where her hair is not covering her neck Jun can see faint lines on the side.

      “I’ve also got some really itchy spots on both sides of my chest too,” she informs Jun.

      “Come on,” Jun sighs, “let’s get up to the cabin. We need to get you checked out too. And I still have to find Peter and Brianna.”

     Jun follows along behind Susan as the mermaid turns her chair around and rolls up the trail. She quietly looks down at herself and rubs her belly with a slight frown and shakes her head as her hand rubs through the fur.
     
     
--- later the next day ---
     
     
     Amy gets back up from the temporary exam table that has been setup in her room. Walking up on her toes she immediately goes back over and gets back into the small nest she has created in the corner with blankets pillows and bed sheets.

      “So what’s going on with me Sara?” Amy asks as she squats down.

      “I’m not entirely sure. I want to compile the results of this last exam first before I say more. Can you manage to come out to the dining room for a short bit?”

      “I ... Ugh ... S-Sara ... Uh ... Jenny ... Someth- ahh” Amy starts to pant and grunt.

     She remains in a squatting position but reaches down between her legs with one hand while reaching out to brace herself with the other as she spreads her legs out wider. Sara and Jenny both jump into the nest with Amy. A moment later Sara gasps in shock as Amy’s nether lips begin to open and something white is exposed for a second then withdraws back inside as Amy relaxes and takes a few breaths.

      “Push Amy,” Jenny says. “It’s time for it to come out.”

     Taking a deep breath that she holds Amy tenses up and grunts as she bends forwards even further. Pushing hard something glistening and white begins to emerge from between her legs and a moment later and egg is deposited into the nest from her vagina. The egg is slick with fluids and larger than both of Amy’s hands clasped together into one large fist.

     Amy semi collapses and covers the egg with her body, not allowing the other two women near it for a moment.

      “Oh my god, I just laid an egg,” Amy exclaims once she catches her breath.
     
--- ---
     
      “Hey, Jun! Is that you?” Peter calls out as he sees a flash of white fur dash past below him.

     A moment later and the furry face of his Foxy friend is looking up at him from the bottom of the small cliff.

      “Peter? Where are you?”

      “Right here,” he announces as he lifts his torso up higher.

      “Ah, there you are,” Jun says when his head comes into view. “Can you come down from there? It’s important.”

      “Of course. Give me a minute.”

     It takes a couple of minutes for Jun to hear the scales of her friend slithering around the side of the rocks then she sees him come into view to her right. Jun blinks in surprise at the sight of the individual before her.

      “Um, Pete, are you feeling alright?”

      “I feel great. I found a great spot to sun myself up there. It’s so damn relaxing,” He tells her with a smile.

      “That’s good,” Jun says hesitantly. “Peter, have you maybe noticed something … different, about yourself,” she asks while gesturing at her own chest.

      “Oh, you mean my breasts?” he asks to which Jun winces and nods.

      “Yea, those. Don’t they seem a bit odd on you seeing as how you’re, like, a guy?”

      “They are?” Peter asks in wonder.

     Taking a good look down at his chest he tilts his head as he inspects the large mammary glands that adorn his body. Hefting them with both hands his expression goes from innocent wonder to confusion and into shock.

      “Oh my god, I have breasts! What the hell?” he exclaims.

      “Pete. Peter!” Jun raises her voice to get his attention. “You were acting as if it was normal that you have them just a minute ago. Why is it a shock now all of a sudden? When did you first notice them?”

     Peter looks up at Jun with wide eyes for a moment.

      “Uh, like two days ago I guess?”

     He looks down at his breasts again.

      “They’ve gotten bigger since then.”

      “Pete, how long have you been wearing your tail?”

      “Every day.”

      “Uh huh. And when was the last time you took it off?”

      “Oh, probably three days ago. It’s just so comfortable,” he answers as he coils himself up to rest.

     Jun quietly watches as the mass of serpentine scales gather up into a pile so he can rest his human torso on them. She takes note of how his snake body bends and curves naturally all the way up to his ribs, showing no indication of having to adjust for the more rigid bones of his legs that should be within.

      “Peter, there’s been an accident,” she tells him.

      “Oh no! What happened? Who’s been hurt? Did Amy crash into something?”

      “Well, it does involve Amy, and Susan too I think. Neither one of them has been injured, not exactly. But we need to go back to the cabin and see to them. It’s important.”

      “Absolutely. Let me just gather up my meal and I’ll head that way immediately.”

      “Um, what meal?”

      “Oh, I’ve done a little hunting,” Peter says as he disappears around the rocks.

     A minute later he slithers back out with a dead fawn in his arms.

      “What the hell Peter?!” Jun yells.

      “It was hurt. It fell in the rocks and broke its leg earlier this morning. It wouldn’t have survived so I caught it and killed it in my coils. I did it as gently as I could.”

      “You, crushed, a baby deer, in your coils. Suffocated it. And you say you did it gently?”

      “Well, yea. Look, I squeezed as fast as I could and as soon as I couldn’t feel a heartbeat I released it. I don’t think I broke too many more bones. Anyways, now I have the corpse I have to take care of.”

      “Um, yea, I suppose. Just how are you planning on doing that?”

“Well, I was thinking about eating it once the sun went down. But now I have to head up to the cabin. That’s going to be really inconvenient to drag it around. I guess I should eat it before I go.”

      “Peter, what are you doing?!?” Jun says in shock as Pete shifts the body around.

     She stares with a mixture of horror and fascination as he begins to push the nose of the animal into his mouth. With a visible jerk his jaw fully dislocates and his skin stretches out to allow more of the head to be taken in.

      “That’s ... You ... Never mind,” Jun says turning away from the sight with a shudder. “Pete, just get up to the cabin as soon as you can,” she tells him just before running off.

      “We’re all so screwed,” she mutters to herself as she passes through the trees.
     
--- ---
     
     A noise that does not seem to belong gets Jun’s attention as she stands in the yard. Turning to look in the direction the sound appears to have come from she stares into the darkness inside the small barn behind the cabin. Another small noise echoes out of the open doors. Jun pads over to the entrance and peers inside. The afternoon sun is behind the barn so long shadows stretch out from the front of the building and the interior seems darker. Taking a step inside Jun looks around trying to let her eyes adjust to the dimmer light.

      “Alexa? Are you in here? Or Brianna? I’ve been trying to find either of you for a couple of days now,” she calls out.

     There is no response and the Fox cautiously moves deeper inside. She steps on something she can’t see and feels it snap. Whatever just broke releases another invisible item that whips across her chest with a stinging blow that throws Jun up into the air and across the barn. She sails to the far back end of the barn where she hits something that catches her over ten feet up off the floor and she is suspended in place. Taking a moment to catch her breath Jun tries to rub her chest with her hand but she can’t pull her arm free of whatever is keeping her from falling. Looking around as her eyes adjust better Jun realizes she is caught in a large spiral spider web.

      “Alexandra, I know it’s you. There’s no one else who could possibly have built this web. Come on out and get me down, please.”

     For a moment there is nothing, and then she hears a soft giggle from above. Trying to look up Jun can’t raise her head very far because the back of it is also caught on the web. It doesn’t matter as a moment later the large arachnid form she is looking for lowers itself on a line of silk to hang in front of her. Alexa smiles as she looks at Jun.

      “Oh my, look as this juicy fly I’ve captured. Doesn’t it look just delicious?”

      “Very funny Alexa,” Jun says as she struggles against her restraints. “Get me out of this web now. We need to get back over to the house. It’s important.”

      “Oh, I don’t think we’ll be going anywhere. You’re going to stay here with me up in the rafters. Well, for a little bit anyways. Just until I get hungry.”

      “Alexa, that’s not funny. You need to stop this and get me down, right now.”

     Taking a closer look at the girl suspended from a single thread, Jun notices some differences. Her hair is white and long, just like the wig that Alexa has been wearing with her costume, but she can’t find the front edge of the wig liner. The hairs appear to be protruding from her scalp just like real hair. Alexa blinks her eyes and Jun gets a shock when she realizes that there are six eyes in the face in front of her that just blinked. The two large black ones where they should be, and four more slightly smaller ones in Alexa’s forehead area which also look to be a bit larger than normal.

      “Alexa, you need to get me down, please. I’m your sister’s friend and a doctor. I’m your friend. You are suffering some adverse effects from wearing that costume for too long. We need to-”

     Jun is cut off as Alexa’s hand suddenly darts forwards and holds her mouth shut with surprisingly strong fingers. Jun get’s a very close look at digits that fade from a dark au-latte skin to a solid black at the tips which end in very sharp looking claws. With a wink Alexa grasps both of Jun’s shoulders with her hands then sinks her fangs into Jun’s neck. She can feel something forced into her veins and it burns slightly as it begins to circulate through her body.

      “GAHHHH!”

     Jun tries to cough as Alexa pulls back and watches. Blood trickles down into her fur a little bit while the fuzzy Fox woman writhes in pain for a moment. Her movements start to become uncoordinated and her limbs begin to jerk spasmodically while her breaths get caught in her throat and she foams at the mouth. A minute goes by and Jun’s movements slow then cease all together. All she can do is stare at her captor, unable to move a single muscle on her own.

      “Don’t worry little fly, you’re not dying – yet. I like my food to still be alive and warm when I begin the digestion process. I’ve only injected my paralyzing poison into you to make you easy to deal with.”

     Taking hold of one arm Alexa bites the silken threads that hold it in place and crosses the arm over Jun’s chest. A leg comes up from below and winds a band of silk around her chest to hold the arm still once again. A moment later and the other arm is similarly pinned in place.

      “Alexa,” Jun manages to get out weakly, “don’t do this,” she gasps. “I don’t want to be eaten.”

      “Shhhh, it’s no longer up to you. You’re just helpless prey now.”

     The leg appears again and winds a couple of loops of silk around Jun’s muzzle tying it shut. Jun feels her legs pulled together as something wet and warm begins to encircle her ankles and feet.

      “I did this to you once before, but that was just a quickie job to keep you still. I bet you could have gotten out of it if you had really tried. This time though, you’re food. I’m going to wrap you up nice and tight in enough silk to keep you from getting away.”

     The feeling of her legs being bound together rises up over her knees to her hips. Jun’s three tails are carefully gathered together and secured against her back as the silk is wrapped around her abdomen then belly and chest.

      “The first part is almost done, then the fun part can begin,” Alexa teases.

     Two legs appear in Jun’s line of sight as a few more wraps of silk are placed around her neck and head. Alexa takes care to leave her eyes free.

     Jun tried to say something, but all that comes out through the silk is “Mmmhmmm.”

     With a quick pull and twist Jun’s limp body is held securely by multiple hard chitinous legs horizontally beneath the back end of Alexa’s abdomen. The last pair of legs brush over her spinnerets and draw out a wide sheet of silk that gets placed firmly against Jun’s lower legs. With a turn Jun begins to spin and the continuous sheet of silk begins to cocoon her unresisting legs. As she spins the silk slowly rises higher up her body.

      “You know, I had a hard time figuring out how to make my silk,” Alexa tells Jun as her silk shroud grows. “Then I had to learn how to produce it in different thicknesses and modes. Like my drag line that I’m hanging around on here, or the sticky capture silk that I used in my web to snare you. And the much stronger silk I’m using now for your cocoon, not to mention how to make it into a sheet like this. But with practice over the last week I figured it out.

      “Same thing with my venom. I have two. The one I paralyzed you with, then the digestive one that I use to start breaking down my food so I can suck up the semi liquefied insides of my prey. I can’t eat solid food anymore by the way. Haven’t been able to for a couple of days now.”

     The cocoon extends from Jun’s shoulders to her toes and is close to covering her completely. As the silk cools and dries it goes from clear to an opaque white, but is still thin enough the red and brown of Jun’s fur can be seen through it.

      “Interesting thing I’ve found out. I can sit and drink the corpse of a deer dry without needing to lift up my mouth to breathe. Seems that I don’t use my mouth to actually breathe anymore. I have to actually shunt air from my lungs up to my vocal cords to talk.”

     Jun continues to spin around as a second layer of her cocoon is added going back down her entrapped body. Alexa stops talking as she works on securing Jun in her new silk dress. Reaching the toes she reverses direction and adds another layer. Five layers of silk eventually bind Jun from head to toes in an inescapable shroud. By the time the cocoon is done only the white of the silk can be seen, anything inside is hidden from view, and only the outline of the Fox can be seen. Alexa tears the silk open over Jun’s eyes, exposing the terrified pale green orbs.

      “Well that’s a good day’s work if I do say so. Time to take a nap for the night. I’ll see you in the morning, and then you’ll probably never see anything but white for the rest of your short life.”

     Attaching a thick dragline to the top of Jun’s head Alexa leaves her hanging on the web as she climbs up out of sight. A few minutes later and the cocoon is quietly pulled up into the darkness above.
     
--- ---
     
     Jun quietly watches the pre dawn light as it filters through the barn doors far below. Alexa has hung her up between the rafters just below the roof in a corner and secured her cocoon with multiple threads so that she hangs in the air not directly attached to any beam. She left Jun hanging primarily face down simply because that was how the bundle of her silken prison wound up. Looking straight out in front of herself Jun was actually looking into a corner of the hayloft, but by turning her eyes sideways she could still see the barn doors further down.

     After being hidden from a casual look up from below Jun had been left alone. She has no idea where Alexa has gone, if she was still resting up in the rafters with her or has gone elsewhere. The Drider could move exceptionally quietly when she wants to.

     Exhausted from both her terror and the effects of Alexa’s venom on her body Jun had fallen asleep shortly after being secured. She’d woken up late in the night to find that the paralysis from being bitten was wearing off and she had regained some control over her body once again. As movement returned Jun had tried to struggle in the hope that she might be able to tear her encasement and break free. Her efforts were long and vigorous but ultimately useless.

     Jun could not get her legs or arms to separate from where they’d been bound in the slightest. Even her muzzle was quite impossible to open. After tiring herself out she rested for a bit then began again. Through the rest of the night and the following day Jun managed to do no more than achieve a worm like wiggling, slightly bending at her knees and hips as she attempted to get free. At one point during the day Alexa had come back and poked at Jun through the silk from behind which terrified her. Jun’s struggles following that felt like a herculean effort to her and made Alexa laugh with cruel mirth.

     During her quieter times through the day Jun experienced sensations in her body that she wasn’t sure were real or if she was imagining them. She knew that because she’d been trapped in her cocoon she was forced to remain in her costume past the twenty-four hour time limit for the first time. She thought that she could feel a slight prickling sensation that began inside her in the area of her abdomen. It was subtle, almost as if it was a distant tickle in the back of her mind, but still there to distract her. Unsure if it was truly there or not, Jun still believed it was the beginning of her costume doing whatever it was that occurred when the deadline was surpassed and it was bonding and merging with her body.

     Having been held captive for many hours Jun had also started to experience discomfort from her bladder and bowels as they filled and demanded relief. Unable to move there was nothing Jun could do about emptying her stressed organs and tried to hold it in the best she could. Eventually though, her bladder won out and she let it relax enough to void at least some of the fluid held within. Jun was disgusted with herself but disappointed when she realized that the silk of her cocoon had absorbed it all and none fell to the floor below. The drop in pressure from her bladder was enough to reduce discomfort from the other end significantly and she managed to retain at least that much of her remaining dignity.

     Late in the afternoon George had entered the barn for some task and Jun tried to get him to look up at her. She had wiggled as much as she could and made as much noise in the back of her throat as she could manage, but neither the movements nor the sounds were enough to attract any attention. By the time the sun began to set that evening Jun has lost hope of being able to free herself and remained still and quiet in her form fitting bed. Once the night came she closed her eyes and slept, her dreams disjointed and unsettling. Waking in the early hours of the morning a short test of her bonds only reinforced her helplessness and she remained quiet and resigned, simply watching as the growing light slowly announces the new day.

      “Well now,” the sound of Alexandra’s voice startles Jun shortly after sunrise. “It seems that you’ve had an entire day longer than I promised you’d get.”

     Crawling along a wooden beam upside down the partially human spider enters Jun’s line of sight.

      “I must admit that I have a certain reluctance to the thought of dissolving your internal organs,” Alexa states as she gets comfortable.

     The words give Jun a small glimmer of hope that she might still survive her tenuous predicament. Unable to talk in an effort to convince the girl all Jun can do it let out a muffled “Hmmm.”

      “However, on the other hand I haven’t eaten in over a day and I am quite hungry. I’m not ready to have a meal this instant though, I’ve never really been one to eat a heavy breakfast first thing in the morning.”

     Alexa puts a clawed finger up to her bottom lip with a thoughtful look.

      “I’ll tell you what; let’s let the universe decide your fate. If something shows up by the time I am ready to eat then I won’t kill you. Sound fair to you?” Alexa teases Jun.

      “You know, I am really enjoying my new body. It’s so strong and much more efficient than a simple human body. And the things I can do now are amazing. Think about it,” Alexa tells Jun.

      “I can climb practically any surface and even hang upside down without getting dizzy,” she says with a gesture to her current position. “I produce venoms that can either completely paralyze the voluntary motor functions of my prey, or start to dissolve flesh and soft tissues, and even some of the smaller bones, into a slurry that I can then ingest for nutrition. And the new tastes I’ve experienced from my meals are a smorgasbord of wonderful flavors.

      “Everything I’ve tried has had its own unique flavor so far. I wonder what you’ll taste like?” she asks Jun which elicits a stronger “Mmmhmmm” from the cocooned figure.

      “I know you’re probably upset with me for not taking off my costume, and Bree is probably going to read me the riot act when she finds out. But I did this knowing what could possibly happen.

      “Oh yes, I knew,” Alexa admits to the surprised sounds from Jun.

      “I worked with Gwen pretty closely as we got my new body ready for the reveal party. I learned a lot about what went into the making of these outfits. It’s pretty amazing. But I should stop telling you about it, being a big secret and everything.”

     Alexa’s expression goes from thoughtful wonder to depressed and she looks down at her clawed fingers that are constantly clenching and grasping each other then releasing repeatedly, displaying an agitated uncertainty being felt on the inside.

      “The bullying at school was a lot worse than I ever let on. I only had one real friend, and the social pressure got too much even for her. She abandoned me. None of the teachers seemed to care and they turned a blind eye to how the other kids were treating me. Not that they blatantly abused me in front of them, they were smart enough to keep the worst of it out of the sight of school staff.

      “I couldn’t take it anymore though,” Alexa looks up at Jun as a tear escapes one eye.

      “This company came along and got Bree involved with their plans for these absolutely amazing costumes. I snuck around and listened in to quite a few of their meetings, and I began to hope for one of my own. It would be something special and unique that none of the other kids could say they’d tried or had. I might be able to win a few of them back, or at least make the bullying less for a while.”

     Jun tries to comfort the distraught child with a gentle sound, which is all she can do, as a tear of her own slips into the silk on her face and is absorbed.

      “But then when Big Sister reveals her totally awesome Centaur costume to everyone I find out that I won’t be getting one too. I’m going to be left out and alone,” she sobs.

      “I was devastated. I went back to school for a few days, but I just couldn’t take it anymore. The home schooling was taking longer to get approved than we thought. I skipped school the last two days of the week. I’m pretty sure Brianna doesn’t know yet, but she’ll be mad at me when she finds out. One more thing for her to be disappointed in me about.

      “I decided that I just can’t go back, or even stay around here. I had to do something to protect myself and get away from everything. After a few days of taking my costume on and off like everyone else I chose to leave it on. I knew it would do something to change me, and that it would be permanent.”

     Alexa looks back up at Jun with a sad smile and spreads her arms out.

      “So here I am, a Drider. A freak of unnatural mutation. And now you’re stuck in your costume too. I know. I kept you cocooned past your own deadline and now you’re a freak too.

      “I won’t make you suffer like me though. I’m hungry and ready to eat now. I’m sorry that this is probably going to hurt, a lot, but it’ll be over for you soon.”

     Jun cries and whines quietly as Alexa starts to wind fresh silk over her face to cover her eyes. Her vision quickly fades to white as the shroud is completed. She waits fearfully for the final moment when Alexandra’s fangs pierce her flesh and ends her life. Jun still tries to struggle when she feels something prodding her belly, but can do nothing as the sharp points penetrate her flesh and she lets out a muffled scream of terror that tears at her throat.

     The dreaded injection of enzymes does not come. It takes a moment for Jun to realize that while the pain of having her belly punctured twice is there, the fangs that created the wounds are no longer within. She can feel her blood oozing from her body, but the tight silk cocoon seems to be restricting the loss a good bit. Wondering what made Alexa stop Jun tries to listen for any sounds that might give her an idea of what is happening.

     In the silence that surrounds her she hears the clip clop of hooves on the wooden floorboards below. At first she thinks it is Brianna having finally returned to the cabin, but she notices the steps are lighter and more delicate. They are not the heavy hoof falls of a large Shire bred animal. They sound smaller, and there is a quality that somehow makes Jun think the hooves might even be cloven.

     The white field obscuring her vision grows brighter as it is carefully removed then she is once again able to see. Below is a large deer that has wandered into the barn.

      “It looks like fate decided you get to live,” Alexa whispers. “Don’t go anywhere and be quiet.”

     The drider swiftly disappears from Jun’s side. For a minute the deer is able to nose around and moves further into the barn where it is almost out of Jun’s line of sight again. Suddenly a large multi-colored shape drops onto the animal as the Drider attacks. The deer tries to rear up and turn to run away with a frightened cry but it is already too late.

     Alexa delivers a fatal bite even as she starts to throw silk bands around the hapless victim with her rear legs. Her weight is enough to slam the deer to the ground and spider silk quickly binds the hind legs up against the belly of the animal. The forelegs are folded up underneath and secured just as quickly and the deer’s struggles are largely eliminated even as the venom that was injected starts to take effect. The paralyzing effect stops the remaining efforts as Alexa bends the neck around to wind more silk across the head tying it against the side of the deer’s ribs.

     Jun can only watch as the deer begins to disappear under a cocoon of white silk, and can see how it must have looked when she herself was captured and similarly immobilized. In minutes the cocoon is finished and Alexa wastes no time with selecting a more secluded place to drag her prey. Plunging her fangs deep into the enshrouded body underneath her she injects the venom that will start the initial breakdown of tissues. She pulls out and bites the deer twice more, injecting and spreading her venom through the dying body faster with multiple locations.

     The animal cries out in pain as its organs begin to dissolve, but the enwrapping silk and paralyzing effects reduce the noise so that it barely carries up to Jun’s sensitive ears. In a matter of moments the sounds and movements from the corpse cease. Alexa climbs back up into the rafters and pulls the cocoon up after her. She sits where Jun can still see her and after waiting several more minutes plunges her fangs back into the cocoon and feeds.

     
Oh my, what did she go and do?
     

--- back at the cabin the next day ---
     
     
     Jun walks into the living room and goes over to the table that has been setup with food for lunch. Amy is curled up in one corner of the couch wrapped in a thick down comforter, the white feathers on her head contrasting with the dark tan and browns of the fabric.

      “Jun? Um, how many tails does your costume have? I thought it was just three,” Amy says just loud enough to be heard.

      “Yea, that’s right. The costume just had three tails.”

      “You’ve got five tails,” Amy says a little bit quieter.

      “I know,” Jun responds as her ears flatten against her head.

     Amy waits until Jun has gathered up a plate of food and comes to sit down next to her before saying more.

      “How is that possible? Why are you still in your costume?”

      “It’s not a costume anymore. Just like your feathers on your head and your eyes are a permanent part of you, this is me now. I have fur, paws, tails, pointy ears on top of my head, and a muzzle.”

      “But, you’re a doctor. You knew there was a problem with me not taking off all of my costume. What happened?”

     Jun sighs and curls up into a ball as she gets comfortable, her tails all curling around herself as she snuggles up against her friend and offers the plate of food to share.

      “I did know there was a problem. And I knew I had to find everyone else as fast as I could. It didn’t work out that way though. I got so caught up with trying to find the others that I ran myself ragged that first day. I finally just lay down in a convenient spot in the forest to take a short rest and fell into a deep sleep out of extreme exhaustion. By the time I woke up again it was morning.

      “I was afraid that I’d gone past the twenty-four hour time limit and my costume was working on permanently bonding with me. I tried to get any part of it off and for a short bit nothing would budge. Once I managed to get it to start coming off it was painful, almost like I was trying to skin myself alive. I could do it, but it hurt a good deal too and I was afraid I might start bleeding from where I managed to get the suit away from my own flesh.

      “I knew then that I was just over the timeline. I could either take it off although it would be painful, accept it and keep it on and find everyone, or give up and lose my mind. Maybe even kill myself. I chose to take it off. It was easily the hardest and maybe the worst decision I’ve ever had to make for myself. But I couldn’t let it destroy me, I had to pull something good out of it. I persevered, removed the costume, then after taking a rest I got up and kept searching.”

      “But, you obviously put the costume back on again at some point. Why?”

      “Well, for one I was nude. I didn’t bring any clothes either, so all I could do was go back to the cabin through the woods with bare feet just to put on the clothes I had worn out here. I was far enough away that was impractical, although I tried for a short bit before realizing I’d probably cut up my feet too much. I waited for an hour and got back in it again and continued my search.”

     The sound of a motor heralds the appearance of Susan in her wheelchair as she enters the room.

      “I was able to get Susan’s attention and bring her up out of the waters of the lagoon. She had done the same thing you did Amy. She figured the microprocessor inserted into her uterus would be fine if she left it in place but took off the rest of her costume. It bonded with her at the same time yours bonded with you. She’d been hiding it under her towels when she came to breakfast each morning with us.”

      “The last time I pulled off my scales,” Susan says, “my thighs were actually fusing together from my crotch to mid thigh. I couldn’t open my legs anymore. When I surfaced to find Jun on the dock I’d had my tail on for over twenty-four hours. It was already a part of me by then.”

      “Seeing how Susan’s lower body moved I realized she was well into her transformation. Her tail was more flexible than it should have been. That reminded me of my own issues. I let Susan go off on her own up to the cabin and I gave myself another physical. Despite the outer appearances and functions of the costume, I’d given myself a physical before and could easily find my human anatomy underneath. I was still able to find all of my human parts, and still pull the costume away.

      “I found Peter the next day. I’d taken the time to fully remove my costume at dawn that morning and I had no problems with it. After telling him to come back here I went looking for the last two members of our crew of misfits. I never found Brianna, but I did find Alex. Or I should say, she found me. I’m not going to explain everything that happened between us, just suffice it to say that it was highly stressful, painful,” and she rubs the bandages on her belly, “and I was a ... guest ... in her parlor long enough that I lost the race to keep my fully human body.

      “When I finally got free I gave myself another physical hoping I was wrong. Not this time. My costume was no longer a costume. I couldn’t find any seams or edges anywhere, and my legs were pretty much done rearranging themselves. My hips, leg bones, and feet had altered to become digitigrade limbs. My ‘human’ limbs were gone. I was afraid to do the next part, but I had to know. I checked my head as best I could. I couldn’t find my ears under the fur on the sides of my head, the only thing I have for auditory pickup is on top,” Jun states as she gently grabs an ear with one hand.

      “I have the jaw and skull structure for a proper muzzle. And I can still talk normally despite it. That part is really messing with them,” she giggles slightly. “My entire jaw and larynx should not be able to allow for normal human speech, but I can. They’re still trying to figure out how my backside is able to support multiple tails too.”

      “But, you only had three tails. Where’d numbers four and five come from?” Amy asks.

      “Don’t ask me, I have no clue. The company is totally baffled over that one; they can’t even begin to provide a plausible explanation for it.”

      “So where is Alexa if you found her?”

      “I don’t know. We had a long talk about some things, and I asked her to not abandon her friends here and come back with me, but she’s dealing with a lot of difficult issues in her head and turning into a Drider did not help like she thought it would. I just hope she listened to what I said and will come back at some point.”

      “What about Pete, err I mean Petra. How is she doing?”

      “I’m ... adjusting,” comes from the doorway.

     Heads turn to look and watch their friend slithers into the room on her snake body.

      “I’m glad you’re joining us this morning. It’s about time you came out of your room,” Jun tells her. “I have to ask though, what changed? You’ve been, well, extremely protective of your ... clutch.”

      “Yea, I have been, haven’t I?” Petra admits.

      “I have been having a hard time with all of this. The gender change is probably the hardest thing to deal with,” she says looking down at the sports bra which contains her breasts. “This damn double melon support isn’t too bad until it catches on a scale and reminds me what it’s there for. Which happens often,” she grimaces.

      “The whole species change is oddly secondary to that. I am handling that better I think. Well, slightly better I guess. My eating habits are a bit distressing even to me,” she says sadly while glancing at the still visible bulge in her serpentine belly.

      “So, your ... eggs?” Susan prompts.

      “I don’t know. When I laid them a couple days ago I freaked out. I kinda retreated deeper into the Naga persona that had already started to take over. I was still me, but somehow I thought I had always been a Naga.

      “In my mind pushing out a clutch of eggs is an entirely female act and I didn’t take it well at all. Those eggs were my children, I was their Mother now, and I just had to protect them at any cost. I apologize for threatening anyone who tried to get close.”

      “Apology accepted,” Jun tells her. “I have to say, you were damn scary coiled up around your eggs and hissing at anyone who even opened to door to your room. Definite protective mother vibes there.”

      “And that’s exactly how I felt too. Until this morning when I woke up. It doesn’t feel nearly as ... imperative, to protect them now. I don’t know why,” she says while shaking her head in confusion.

      “I totally get that,” Amy interjects. “I felt the same thing when I lay my one egg. I had to protect it and nurture it at all costs. I wouldn’t let anyone near my egg for a couple of hours then it just seemed to fade out. For me it only took about three hours or so to get to where I didn’t really care about it anymore. I guess with you it took a couple of days.”

      “Why is that? What changed to make you not care? Either of you,” Susan inquires.

      “For me, it seems that the egg was not viable. Not fertilized. So it was not going to develop and produce a chick. Once I stopped trying to brood over it they examined the egg and figured it out. Something instinctual inside me realized it first though and I lost interest in it. I bet that now you’re away from your eggs it’s going to be something similar for you too Petra.”

      “That sounds reasonable now that you explain it. I think you’re right, somehow I know I won’t be hatching any young from this clutch so they no longer matter.”

     Petra gets a slightly disturbed look on her face a moment later.

      “What is it?” Amy asks.

      “Um, I think that if I didn’t already have a somewhat large meal digesting in my stomach right now then I’d probably have eaten the eggs. I still kinda want to go back to my room and do that as it is.”

      “Um, ew? I hope I don’t have issues like you two if I ever lay any eggs,” Susan comments.

      “Well, do they know if you’ll lay eggs or give birth to live offspring? You’re costume was part mammal and part fish,” Jun wonders.

      “Good question. They don’t know. It could be either. I won’t know until it happens.”

     The sound of the front door opening gets everyone’s attention then is followed by hooves clopping on the hardwood floors. A moment later and Brianna carefully ducks under the doorway and enters the living room.

      “Where in the hell have you been?” Jun demands. “I ran all over the forest for days looking for you.”

      “Bree, what have you been doing? You’ve got that super satisfied ‘cat just drank the cream’ look to you, and I swear you’re glowing,” Susan notes.

      “Oh my god, no, you didn’t. Brianna, you got laid!” Amy shouts.

     Their Centaur friend grins somewhat bashfully and blushes a bright red.

      “Yes, I did,” she admits.

      “But how? Did you go all the way up to the stallion pastures?” Jun asks to which Brianna nods. “No wonder I couldn’t find you. I didn’t think you’d go up there.”

      “Bree,” Amy asks hesitantly, “What have you been doing, precisely, for the last four or five days?”

      “I’ve been getting shagged several times a day for the last three days.”

      “Oh good lord. Why?” Petra wants to know.

      “I’m a woman now,” Brianna sighs contentedly. “I was feeling down after the last morning breakfast I joined you all at. I was in this amazing body and still didn’t really know what it was like to be female. At least not in my mind. And Susan’s comments the other week about me not really knowing what certain things were like was still echoing around in the back of my head too.”

     Brianna carefully makes a plate of fruits for herself and grabs a bowl of dry oatmeal then pulls a bunch of cushions off some chairs to lay down on them and get comfortable while her friends quietly wait to hear her tale.

      “I took off up to the regular pastures that morning. Initially I told myself that I just wanted to test how the regular horses would react to me. See how they might accept me in my Centaur form. I came up on the field where Jenny was let out in first. I whistled to her and she came trotting over, but stopped a good ten feet away from me.

      “I called to her and carefully approached while talking to her so she could hear my voice. She stood still and I could see her taking in huge snorts of air trying to get my scent. Her eyes were showing the whites just a little bit, so I knew she was uneasy. I stopped before getting close enough to touch her and let her come to me if she wanted.

      “Her curiosity got the better of her. Eventually she took a hesitant step craning her neck forwards as far as she could. It took her several minutes to get close enough that we could touch. She went around me several times, looking and sniffing all over. I was her clone in a way, but I was also the person who she knew took care of the place and her.

      “She finally came up beside me with our flanks touching and nuzzled me. She accepted the new me. I spent the rest of the day with Jenny and she got pretty comfortable around me. She introduced me to some of the other mares in the field and intervened when one of them appeared to take exception to my presence. I think she adopted me into her herd.”

      “So what did you do that night?” Jun prods.

      “Well, since I was up at the main farm, I kinda snuck into the birthing barn where our costume equipment was still set up and got out of the costume for the night. I slept in my own bed at home,” she smirks. “The next morning though I was up early and back out to the barn. I had come up with an idea, and I admit to myself now that what I was about to do was precisely why I had gone back up there.

      “I gathered up some of the hormones we use to entice a stallion to mate with a mare that isn’t quite in season yet. I set them out where I could get to them easily in my Centaur body but didn’t use them, yet. Getting back into my costume I trotted out to greet Jenny and the other mares again. After rubbing hips with them I went over and entered the stallion pastures. I figured it would help make things easier if I had the scents from the herd on me.

      “In a way it did, but I was disappointed too. The stallions had to go through figuring me out like the mares did, but without Jenny there as my buffer. It went well enough, they didn’t reject me, but they didn’t seem to care to do anything more like I wanted. Once the novelty of my new shape was over they ignored me. I even tried standing right in front of a couple and presenting myself as openly as I could, shifting my tail out of the way and everything. Nothing. I wasn’t in season so they didn’t care.”

      “Good grief girl, you were prostituting yourself to the stallions and they turned you down?” Susan says and Brianna nods. “What did you do?”

      “I went back to the barn and used the items I had put out. I had to get a little creative with the one product that is meant to be put up in the, um, vagina, but I got it done. That and the external spray and the injection all combined tend to make even the more reluctant stallions primed and ready along with making the mare more receptive.”

      “Bree, don’t some of the stallions get rather rough during, well, intercourse?” Amy asks.

      “Yea, one or two of them do,” Brianna replies while rubbing a fading bruise on one shoulder.

      “So, I guess it worked then?”

      “Oh yea, did it ever,” Brianna smiles. “I waited and watched while I was down wind until one of the stallions moved off alone. I approached him from the side furthest away from the others and came on to him. From there, well, nature took control.”

      “How was your first time?” Petra cajoles her.

      “It was amazing. And unexpected at the same time. You’ve heard people say that being hung like a horse is a compliment, but from what I’ve heard some women find that to be hard to take in love making to be honest. Well my partner my first time really was a horse, and damn did he ever fill me. I almost screamed in fear when I felt his huge member penetrate me at first, but after all I was also a horse of the same breed where it mattered and everything fit like it should,” Brianna blushes as she describes the act.

      “After the initial shock I relaxed and, well, it was just sex to be honest. I can’t call it love. But it was wonderful all the same. I took that stud for everything he had. By the time we were done I had a bit of an audience sniffing around my rear end. I barely caught my breath before another body was covering mine again.

      “I’m not sure if the artificial hormones remained effective and lingered that long, or if they kick started my own body and the intercourse got my own hormones flowing. Either way, I got really randy and for the next three days I got fucked more times than I can count.

      “I finally got some sense in me and I snuck off while those studs were taking a break. I could barely walk I was so worn out. It was a good thing I have four legs to hold me up or I would have fallen down and still be out there I think. I moved one hoof at a time so I could use the other three to stay upright. Once I was away from them and outside of the fence line, thank god for hands to open and lock the pasture gates, I made my way back here again.”

      “Good lord girl. Three days straight?”

      “Well, it wasn’t constant one after the other. At least not after the first round. I had time to breathe and eat in between, and I was even able to rebuff a few of them long enough to take a rest a couple of times. But they still didn’t leave me alone completely and kept me close. I couldn’t get away from them, and I didn’t really want to either. I was acting just like a mare in heat, I admit.”

      “Bree, when is the last time you got out of your costume?” Amy quietly asks.

      “Um, I don’t know. Damn, I didn’t even consider that once. Shit, it’s been three or four days. I’ve slept standing up with the stallions and woke up to another round of sex without even thinking about needing to get out of my costume before the twenty-four hour limit. I’m so used to having it on now I hope I don’t have too much trouble once I get it off.”

      “Brianna, take a look around. Look at all of us,” Jun tells her.

      “Alright, I’m looking,” Brianna says while glancing around the room. “What am I looking for?”

      “I kind of hate to say this, but at the same time in your case it’s the answer to your dream,” Jun says. “Welcome to womanhood Brianna. You’re female now. And you’re stuck just like the rest of us.”

      “Well, yea, of course. I’m a mare while I wear this costume.”

      “No Bree, it not just a costume. Look at me,” Petra says. “Look close. What do you see?” she instructs as she rises up and slithers out to the middle of the floor to expose her entire length.

      “Um, well, you are wearing your snake tail. And you have on a sports bra? In fact you’re filling a sports bra. That’s different.”

      “Keep looking, what else is there about me?”

      “Um, your voice sounds different somehow, but it’s still your voice Pete. Oh, hey, there’s a lump in your tail. What happened? Did you hurt yourself?” Brianna says with some concern.

      “No, Bree, I did not hurt myself. My voice is different because it sounds more like a woman’s voice, right?”

     Brianna nods.

      “And that lump you are seeing is in my belly. It’s a fawn that I killed and ate. I ate it whole Brianna. And these breasts are all me,” She informs Brianna while lifting them up with her hands. “I go by Petra now.”

      “What do you mean? Are you telling me that you’re actually a woman now? How? And how could you possibly eat a deer whole? That’s not possible.”

      “Brianna,” Jun interrupts, “It’s true. I saw her eat that thing myself. Just like a snake. Petra is both female and a serpent now. Hell she even laid eggs two days ago.”

     Brianna just stares at first Petra then Jun in shock.

      “We’re all victims of our own stupidity one way or the other,” Jun informs Brianna as she waves her hand around the room indicating the rest of their friends. “Even you.”

      “How? Why?”

      “None of us can get out of our ‘costumes’ because they aren’t costumes anymore.”

      “No, that’s not right. It can’t be,” Brianna says in a panic as she drops her plate and tries to open up her costume.

     She fumbles around her waist but fails to find the edge of the centaur suit she is expecting. Getting more panicked she reaches up and tried to pull her breasts off and winces in pain as they refuse to budge. Grabbing her ears she tries to get her finger nails up under the edge of the appliances only to scratch her skin hard enough to make blood ooze up.

      “No! I ... I have to get it off,” she says, oddly subdued. “I have to be Brian to run my ranch. I can’t be ...” her voice trails off.

      “I can’t be Brianna,” She says with wonder a minute later. “Can I?”

     She looks up at her friends as the realization finally hits.

      “I ... I’m Brianna. Forever?”

     Amy smiles sadly and nods.

      “Yes you are,” Amy tells her equine companion. “Forever and ever. You’re a woman now. Well, you also have to deal with being a mare and a centaur too. But yes, you are Brianna from now on. You can’t hide it anymore.”

     Amy unfolds and climbs out of the comforter so she can approach Brianna. She gently gives her a kiss on the cheek and wraps her arms around the new woman in a hug that is almost desperate in its intensity.

      “But, that means the rest of you ...” Brianna realizes.

      “Yes, we are all stuck as you see us,” Jun confirms. “Amy is the least changed right now, although she was the first to be found out. Her hair is gone and has been replaced by those feathers and her eyes have been altered by the contacts. She really does have an eagles stare because she has the eyes of an eagle now. And she laid an egg several days ago. Her internal anatomy has been altered a good bit we assume for that to happen.

      “As for the rest of us, Susan is fully a Mermaid now. She doesn’t have the leg bones to be able to stand upright anymore and she has to keep herself moist all the time when she is on land.

      “Peter, now Petra, is pretty much all snake from her ribs down. There doesn’t seem to be anything left of his human body below her chest, and even that is altered despite how it looks most of the time. There’s no way the human body could pass an entire baby deer through the torso like that.

      “And as for me, well, what you see is what you get. I really am a Kitsune now. I’ve even grown two more tails somehow and have five total. I can be a biped and walk digitigrade, or I am just as comfortable as a quadruped on all fours. I can’t quite figure that one out myself and I’m the one doing it. When I’m up on two paws my arms and legs are proportionate to a more human stance, but when I drop down to all four somehow I shift to that stance and I’m still appropriately shaped and sized as a four-legged creature.”

      “I’m so sorry. I feel so bad for you all to have to go through this,” Brianna says with genuine concern. “On the other hand, I’m finally me. I am Brianna. Sure, I have a horse’s ass stuck out behind me, and dealing with that is going to present some serious problems I can imagine. For the rest of you too I know.

      “But, I can’t say that I am entirely unhappy with the result of this ... problem. In fact, if I had known before hand that this could happen then I would have probably done it sooner. I love working with horses, especially my Shires, and now I get to be the woman I’ve always felt I was on the inside and I get to be one of the herd to boot? Nope, not all bad. I’m seeing more good out of this personally.

      “Oh! Oooo,” Brianna coos then looks down to find Amy sitting against her side and once again playing with the long hairs on her fetlocks. “You’re doing that thing again.”

     Amy smiles up at her friend then lays her head down against the firm bulk of her friend’s equine chest.

      “I’m glad at least one of us can see something good out of this,” Amy states. “I’m probably looking at laying an egg every month for the rest of my life. I won’t have a menstrual flow anymore, instead I get to lay an egg.”

      “Really?” Brianna says softly.

      “Yea,” Amy sighs. “They did a bunch of tests and exams on me, being the first one I got it all once they got all of their equipment out here. The best I can understand it is that, when I decided to not pull the damn computer out of my uterus it started to bond with me internally. At the same time I was in the ovulation portion of my cycle so one of my eggs was floating around through my tubes. When it finally reached where my uterus was supposed to be, and technically it still is, it’s just changed, my new body took it upon itself to take my human egg and form an avian egg around it.

      “They found all of the necessary fluids and parts inside the egg when they examined it, that if I had sex and fertilized it first then it would have developed and grown a baby chick of some type. They have no idea how long it would have taken to incubate and hatch, but I could give birth to a child via an egg now. It ... doesn’t sound all that bad to me like it might to the others.

      “I’m part bird now, but still look mostly human from the outside. But I’ve been grounded,” Amy says sadly as a tear trickles down into the brown coat her face is pressed into. “They won’t let me have the rest of my feathers or my wings. It’s like they’ve pinioned me, not just clipping my wings but removing my ability to fly completely. It’s cruel.”

     Brianna looks down and sees the wet spot on her coat from Amy’s tears. She reaches down and gently runs her fingers through the feathers on her friend’s head for a moment before gently pulling the small girl up and cradling her in her arms. She looks up to the rest of her friends.

      “How can you do this to her?” Brianna demands as Amy openly starts to sob and buries her face in her friend’s chest.

      “But, if she puts on the rest of her costume, then she’ll change even more. She won’t ever be able to go out in public without being stared at if she is covered in feathers and has wings instead of arms. The rest of us are doomed to that already,” Susan states.

      “Really? Is that how you’re justifying this?” Brianna asks, looking directly at Jun. “We’ve all said that if anyone was born to fly it was Amy. She’s taken to life in the air faster than anyone dared to expect, and learned how to do things that even the expert on her team thought she would never be able to do.”

      “I took an oath to ‘do no harm’. The Hippocratic oath that all doctors take. I will not allow further harm to come to my friend,” Jun declares.

      “Bullshit. I say take a close look at this person in my arms, and I’ll throw that oath right back in your face.

      “We’ve talked before about that oath, and how it should be treated in a more holistic light. It should include all aspects of the patient, not just their physical wellbeing but also their emotional state as well. You even seemed to agree, or so I thought.

      “But here you are now, using it to deny this very special person the internal wellbeing they would gain simply because their outer appearance would be seen as being harmed by the changes that would happen. You’re a hypocrite if you keep this up Jun.”

      “We ... I, I just can’t Brianna. I’m afraid of what would happen to her. Especially after what I’ve already been through. I can’t do anything about it for the rest of us, it’s too late, but for Amy I can.

      “You don’t get it. She’s been changed internally. One of the devices that was in there was supposed to somehow make her lighter so she could fly. Apparently it’s gone and done the impossible. Amy’s bones are hollow Brianna. Just like a bird. They are so fragile now. She could easily break a bone with even a mild hit.

      “And what would happen when she goes out in public like that? Too many would see her as a freak. People are stupid, as a group, and cruel. She could be attacked for looking different. She’d be all alone, the only one of her kind, and defenseless. If they caught her on the ground it would be all over for her. I can’t risk that. I don’t want to see Amy in the hospital with every bone in her body broken. Or worse, and just as probable, dead.”

     Amy whips her head around and through the tears falling down her face screams at Jun.
      “I DON’T CARE!”

     Her head droops and she looks down at herself.

      “I’m not alone,” she says with less force. “I have all of you. You’re my best friends. All of you. We watch out for each other.

      “I’m already a freak,” she says while lifting her tear stained face to look around. “I don’t have a normal butt or vagina anymore. All of my wastes come out together from one opening, and I can’t sit to defecate in a toilet like a normal person. I have to perch up over the bowl which is really awkward with my mostly normal hips and legs. And it doesn’t feel right trying to pull some kind of cap or hoodie over my head feathers either, I’ve tried. It’s really uncomfortable. Trying to hide my eyes behind dark sunglasses won’t work too well either. My ears are mostly gone, at least the outer parts are. There’s nothing for the earpieces on the glasses to rest on.

      “Please, let me have my feathers and especially my wings. I can’t stand not being able to fly.”

     Amy sinks back into Brianna’s embrace, the hard sobbing gone but still quietly continuing to cry.

      “It’s not right,” Petra quietly states with a shake of her head.

      “No, it’s not,” Brianna says firmly. “I’m not going to risk losing Amy to suicide. I am going to get her feathers and give them to her, like it or not. I don’t see anyone here other than Petra who has a chance in hell of stopping me,” She declares as she stands up to her full height with Amy still in her arms.

      “Get out of my way and don’t impede me from searching out wherever you’ve hidden them. Or better yet you can tell me. Either way this is going to happen.”

      “That won’t be necessary,” says a voice from behind everyone.

     Rebecca and George walk into the room together, their arms holding the feathers, wings, and talons that belong to the petite girl cradled by the angry Centaur.

      “We have them right here. I heard what was said, and we’ve never agreed with the judgment that was pronounced. That poor child has been so miserable these last several days it’s been breaking my heart,” Rebecca tells the room.

      “You can’t! Don’t give them to her!” Jun tries to stop them.

      “No. Stop Jun,” Petra grabs her friends furry arm.

      “But, you agreed with us,” Jun complains.

      “Yes, I went along with what you were saying. We are all afraid of how we are going to be received by the general public. And there’s something that you won’t tell us that has you absolutely terrified. We let that fear override our compassion. It hasn’t sat right with me, but I acquiesced to the two of you out of wanting to keep our friend safe.

      “We did something very wrong by doing that. We took away her ability to make her own decisions for herself. Treated her as if she wasn’t capable to reason out what will or will not happen. Looked at her like a young child who doesn’t know better.

      “But Amy’s not a child. She’s a fully grown adult and quite intelligent. And she’s allowed to make her own decisions and her own mistakes for herself, just like the rest of us.”

     Petra moves over next to Brianna and takes Amy’s hand.

      “I’m sorry, Ames. I ... no we, are wrong. They are your feathers, your wings. There’s no doubt about that, and we should not have kept them from you. I hope you can forgive us.”

      “Jun?” Susan questions hesitantly.

     Jun looks down at herself.

      “No, they’re both right Susan. We were slowly killing Amy, from the inside. We were extinguishing the flame of her soul, the part of her that makes her ... Amy.”

     Jun looks back up at Amy and the fur on her muzzle is damp.

      “You were already contemplating suicide, weren’t you? How long would it have been before you jumped off the roof?”

     Amy wiggles slightly and Brianna lets her down. She gives Petra a hug in thanks then walks over to Jun. With another hug she whispers into a furry ear low enough that only one person can hear it. Whatever is said makes Jun’s eyes close tightly and fresh tears squeeze out to roll down and be absorbed by her fur. The two women embrace tightly for several minutes.

     Finally taking a step back Jun gestures for Rebecca and George to bring their burdens forwards. She takes the pile of feathers from one and helps Amy into the body portion of the suit. With a joyful expression Amy is quickly enclosed within her avian shape from head to talons and wing tip to wing tip.

     Fully clothed in her brown white and yellow form, Amy stretches her wings wide then folds them back against her sides. Turning around she looks up at Brianna pleadingly.

      “Please Bree? Just this once?”

     Brianna smiles down at her avian compatriot and shakes her head.

      “You, little chicken hawk, are the only one who can get the pleasure so easily. Don’t you dare scratch my hide with those sharp talons though” she tells Amy with a mock glare.

     Leading the rest outside Brianna exits the cabin and waits for Amy. As soon as she has room Amy jumps into the air and uses her wings to guide herself to a landing on her friend’s strong back. With a pair of matching grins Brianna slowly trots away, her speed picking up as they both get used to balancing the weight on Brianna’s back between them. She makes a wide turn as she gets into a gallop and a moment later Amy spreads her wings to let the wind from their passage lift her up into the air with a joyous eagles cry.

     Brianna trots back over to join the others and watch the aerial acrobatics above.

      “You did the right thing,” she tells Jun. “Now, does someone want to tell me where the hell my little sister is at?”

     
Conversations and consequences.
     

     
--- pre-dawn ---

     
     Early the next morning, just before actual sunrise, Brianna trots back to the cabin and slows to a walk as she approaches the back porch. She avoids the wooden floors so as to not disturb her sleeping friends and stands just to the side. A soft voice speaks up close by making her start.

      “Enjoying an early morning run?”

     Looking around Brianna finds that Amy is curled up in a lounge chair wrapped in a blanket and holding a steaming mug.

      “I didn’t think anyone was up yet, and yea, I had a nice time getting out early.”

     She looks closer and realizes something unusual about Amy.

      “Hey, you’re not wearing your feathers.”

      "No, I’m not,” Amy says quietly.

      “Why? Jun didn’t take them away again did she?” Brianna asks with a bit of heat.

      “No no, nothing like that. My feathers are laid out nicely in my room waiting for me. I took them off last night when I finally returned from flying. Well, except for these,” she states as she extends one leg out from under the blanket and stretches out her talons.

      “Oh, well, alright. Why did you take them off?”

      “I wanted some time to think about it. Don’t get me wrong, I love my feathers. I’ll never give them up voluntarily. But I am intelligent. I’ve been thinking about all the different angles of how this is going to permanently affect my life. Not to mention all of you. I wanted some time to think a bit more clearly without the stress of having my wings withheld from me.”

     Brianna nods and trying to move as quietly as possible steps up onto the porch so she can lay down beside her friend. She accepts a mug which gets filled with hot cocoa then waits patiently for Amy to continue talking.

      “When I took off my wings and feathers last night, I could feel that I had to physically peel them away from my skin. It felt like I had painted myself with liquid latex and was pulling it off. They had already started to bond to me before the twenty-four hour limit. I guess once it’s started the time gets shorter.”

      “So, why leave the talons on?”

      “Jun didn’t tell you yesterday, and I’m not sure if she knew, but my feet have altered too. Even my legs to a small extent. I was already permanently stuck walking up on my toes. I couldn’t put my heels on the floor no matter how much I tried, not without doing some serious damage and tearing tendons and ligament and even some muscles. My talons give me a much better balance than my human toes did, so I left them on.

      “They’re a part of me now, and it probably won’t be too long until it’s like I was born with them. I can tell that my human feet are shrinking and reshaping along with my legs. My foot is well over halfway gone. I’m pretty sure that the next time I fly I’ll be pulling my feet up against my belly instead of letting my legs stretch out behind me. It’ll be natural for me to do that.”

     She grimaces suddenly and quickly extends both of her legs out in front of her to rest on the closest chair.

      “Damn. Sudden cramps from my legs changing. That sucks,” she announces.

      “Well it looks like your knees bend backwards now,” Brianna says with a little giggle.

     Amy looks sideways at her large friend with a small smile and shakes her head.

      “Yea, right. Come on now, you know better than that. Those are my ankles.

      “Just like your hind legs my knees have moved up higher with shorter thighs and longer lower leg and foot bones. Even my hips are changing some. I can feel myself leaning forwards more when I stand up. I almost need my tail feathers to help balance me.”

      “How are you doing, up here,” Brianna asks and reaches over to tap the top of Amy’s head.

      “I hate it when my feathers get caught between the pillow and my head and get pulled on,” Amy tells her with a smirk.

     Brianna gives Amy a look and the white feathered girl giggles.

      “I know what you mean,” she says more seriously. “I’m doing better, thanks to you. I was slowly drowning in despair until you made them give me my feathers back.”

      “I hope what they did will not hurt our friendship, we are all so close.”

      “I’ve already forgiven them. Yes, what they did was cruel and driven by fear. But, it was a fear for my safety. I can understand it. If you’re wondering, I didn’t answer Jun’s question yesterday when I whispered in her ear. I told her first that I forgive her, and then that I was simply disappointed that she didn’t trust me enough.”

      “I’m still so very sorry for that, Amy,” Jun says from the doorway. “It took Brianna verbally hitting me upside the head to see what I had done to you.”

     Amy turns and holds out her hand to Jun. The Fox-woman steps over and takes the offered hand only to be pulled down into a hug.

      “Sit with us. Have some cocoa,” Amy tells her.

      “So, not to be insensitive,” Brianna says, “but how much longer would you have been able to hold out?”

     Amy stares off into an unknown distance for a minute as she thinks.

      “If I somehow survived the fall, then in less than a week I would have wound up in the hospital with the majority, if not all, of my bones broken and probably other internal injuries to go with it. I’d be your plaster metal and bandage statue-mummy to look after for the next several months at least after that I assume.”

     The quiet hum of a motor precedes the appearance of their purple scaled aquatic member who joins the trio and accepts her own mug of steaming cocoa.

      “No feathers, bird-brain?” Susan queries.

      “Not right now. I’m enjoying a little time without them for the moment. I kept the talons though out of necessity. It’s easier to walk and keep my balance with them.”

      “Ah, makes sense. Gonna take those off to shower later?”

      “Can’t. It’s already too late to get them off. They’re all me now.”

      “Oh. That’s pretty quick.”

      “Yea, almost couldn’t take off the wings last night as it was. Seems to be happening faster since the bonding began from the first bits.”

      “How is everyone doing with their changes?” Jun inquires.

      “I love that I’m a woman now. I’m still working through the whole Shire sized mare part, but I’m settling into it pretty quickly. I’m obviously nervous about revealing myself to my ranch workers. That’s going to be interesting to say the least.

      “But I’m so scared and worried about Alexandra that I’m a nervous wreck inside. After what Jun finally told us she went through when Alexa captured her, and then told Jun all about how bad the abuse has been, I am afraid I’ll never see her again. I don’t know if I can take that. I love her, unconditionally, and I hope she knows that and comes back to me.”

      “I tried to get the message through once she released me and we got a chance to just talk. She saw her changes as a chance to either get back at people who had hurt her, or just get away and disappear completely. I’m pretty sure that what she almost did to me was a big wakeup call when it finally sunk in that she was literally one muscle movement from killing another person. Her fangs were buried in my belly, all she had to do was squeeze on her poison sac and I’d have been her next meal. It scared her when she fully realized what she had done.”

      “How are your wounds doing?” Amy asks.

      “They’re healing. A bit faster than I expected even. Our new bodies may have a bit of a benefit with a better constitution. I just hope that Alexa can clear her head and come back. She may be scary looking, but she’s still the sweet girl that we all know underneath as far as I’m concerned. It’s just going to take some work for her to come back out again.”

      “At least George and Rebecca seem to be taking it pretty well, maybe that’s a good sign for most of the others you employ?” Susan tries to pull the conversation back around to something less worrisome.

      “Maybe. I can only hope,” Brianna answers.

      “My tail is not the worst thing that has happened to me. I have to admit the little girl in me is ecstatic to be the Mermaid Princess, but the reasoning adult is pretty damn worried about how I’m going to be able to move forwards with this.

      “I’m very much an aquatic creature now. I even have to make sure to keep myself wet when I’m up on land and I absolutely have to have a wheelchair to get around now. I tried crawling around on the floor a couple of times and that just doesn’t work for anything more than a couple of yards at best.

      “The ability to curl up my tail tight against me makes finding a comfy nook to rest or sleep in a lot easier, above or under water. I’ve grown some more gills too, and you can see where all of them are now even while they’re closed,” Susan tells everyone and gestures at both her neck and the sides of her upper ribs to point out the faint lines that mar her flesh in those locations.

      “I’m really glad that I can still breathe air, it would be a lot worse if I was restricted to just breathing water.”

      “Well, like I mentioned a moment ago I'm a lot more stable with my talons now. I’m having to really think about my feathers though. If I put on my wings and don’t take them off then I’ll lose the ability to use my hands almost completely. They’ll get merged into my wings as the bony structures and all I’ll have left to work with is the extra claw they added onto the end of the thumb.

      “That’s not really able to handle any fine or even moderately fine manipulation. I’d essentially become permanently disabled without even the benefit of being able to freely move around like Suz can when she’s in water. I’ll probably need an assistant caretaker to be around me on the ground for the rest of my life.

      “Although,” Amy continues pensively, “I’ve started trying to do little things with my talons. There’s some promise that I could get good with that.”

     Amy reaches out with one foot and grasps the large thermos in her talon then carefully pours herself some fresh cocoa and puts it back down.

      “How are you doing Jun?”

      “I’m not too happy to be honest. I love my job at the hospital, and I just don’t see them letting me continue working as a doctor with all of this fur. It’s a disaster when it comes to maintaining a sterile field. I’m already finding shed hairs in my bed.

      “If it weren’t for losing my job though, this might not be so bad. I’ve studied the history of my ancestral Japanese culture pretty extensively, especially when it comes to the legends of the Kitsune. Even as a kid I was fascinated by them, and now I am one. At least physically. And a Five Tail to boot!” she states proudly.

      “I take it that’s something good then?” Susan asks.

      “The Kitsune gain tails as they grow and learn. The lowest rank is basically a newborn kit with only one tail. The older and wiser they get the more tails they display. And the more power they have.”

      “So, where do five tails rank?” Amy prompts.

      “Nine is the most and the most powerful one. That would be Inari herself, although the historical legends allude to the possibility of there being other nine-tails as well.”

      “So having five tails is not too shabby then I take it. That would make you a mid ranking foxy.”

      “Yes, it is. It would also mean that I’d have certain responsibilities to go along with it if I really were one of the mythical Kyūbi no Kitsune.”

      “So, what if you could find a way to do something about your new coat?” Brianna wonders. “Would you be able to continue working as an active doctor then?”

      “Well, actually, if you are to believe the tales then Foxes are capable of shape shifting. Were that possible then I might be able to disguise my true form and remain a doctor,” Jun says, but there is something in the way she says it that catches Amy’s attention.

      “Wait,” Amy interrupts. “There’s something you’re not telling us. In fact, it’s been brought up a couple of times that your costume only had three tails. Yet there you sit waving five at us. Spill. What do you know?”

      “I honestly don’t have any clue as to where the two other tails came from. I swear.”

      “Okay. Keep going,” Amy pushes.

      “Well,” Jun stands up. “I’ve been trying some things. And I can do this now.”

     She stands still for a moment and four of her tails seem to shrink down and merge into the central tail. A moment later and she has only one tail extending from her tailbone. Turning around she lets the others see and feel that there’s no indication at all that there should be more than one tail present.

      “I can also change my face some,” Jun informs as she turns back around to face them.

     Closing her eyes, Jun’s jaws shrink and pull back into her face until her muzzle is no more than an overly developed nose and chin that protrude out an inch or two.

      “That’s amazing!” Amy gushes. “Is that all you can do?”

      “I still can’t get my fur to recede, yet. I don’t seem to be able to change my legs or paws so far. And no matter how hard I try or how well I can hide the rest of my tails, I just can’t hide that one even a little bit.”

      “Soooo, you still going to keep telling us you’re not a real Kitsune?” Brianna wants to know.

     Jun smirks at them.

      “Weelll, maybe not quite so stringently,” Jun giggles.

      “Okay, be that way. But you keep that up and get better at it then you just may get to keep doctoring.”

      “Yea, I really am hoping so. That’s what’s keeping me upbeat and going.”

      “Anyone got a feel for how Petra is doing?” Susan asks.

      “I don’t think she’s doing all that good actually,” Jun says.

      “No, he’s not,” Amy states which gets a look from Brianna.

      “I know what I said, Bree. Peter may have taken the name Petra, and is referring to herself in the feminine, but Pete is still in there and having a really hard time with the new gender.

      “Jun told us about how strange he was acting when she found him in the woods. Since he got back to the cabin he’s been fighting the new girl internally the whole time.”

      “How do you know this? She seems to be doing alright to me,” Susan says.

      “I’ve had a couple of talks with him and her. Pete is trying to adjust and accept that she is Petra now, but it’s hard on him. His male ego has taken some pretty hard hits and it’s dragging down his core self. Peter never had any transgender leanings like Brianna did. He was solidly and happily cis-gendered to the male body he was born with.

      “Having Jun forcibly, to his point of view, point out his new breasts to him was a big hit to that male ego. He couldn’t dismiss it now that someone else had noticed them. Then he went and laid a clutch of eggs.

      “He pretty much told us himself, in his mind that act was probably the most female thing he could have done short of having sexual intercourse with a man and it just about shattered what was left of his male ego. She’s trying to rebuild her persona from the inside out, but still has what’s left of him getting in the way.

      “Petra is very very confused right now. She’s going to need all of our support and probably a professional or two to help get her through this,” Amy looks pointedly at Brianna.

      “I think I know one who can help,” Brianna says with a nod. “As long as she can get past the whole mythological creature thing that is. I hope she doesn’t have a fear of snakes. Maybe I should go see her for myself and see how she does with me first.”

      “Not a bad idea. Once we leave here that is,” Jun agrees. “We only have a few days left on our scheduled vacations. We are going to have to come up with something fast about how we’re going to deal with returning or not returning to the public view.”

      “I think some answers from the company are in order, personally. And I want straight talk, no hiding behind proprietary secret Bee Ess or hedging their talk with half truths.”

      “You have a point Susan. They owe us a whole lot on that front and then some. And we’ve all been very patient with all of their tests and scans and poking and prodding,” Brianna states. “I’ll be sure to line up some kind of conference with them by tomorrow at the latest.”
     
     
--- early afternoon two days later ---
     
     
     Susan looks up as the sound of large wings heralds the landing of her friend.

      “Good timing Amy, we’re about ready to start back up again. The flight help any?”

      “Some. I just let the empty air around me take precedence and didn’t think about anything to clear my head. Is that woman going to be alright?”

      “No, she’s not alright,” Jun answers from the doorway. “We all heard her bones snapping. Both of her legs are broken in multiple places, her pelvis does not look right, and at least one arm is broken if not both, not to mention the damage to multiple ribs.”

      “That’s not good. I’m sorry she’s hurt, but Petra beat me to it. I was about to leap over and sink my talons in her face myself. I never thought Petra could move that fast.”

      “She definitely proved the old axiom of ‘fast as a striking snake’. I wish she hadn’t though. It’s not going to help our position. While I agree that woman was being a royal pain in the ass, what Petra did will put us on the defensive now.”

      “Yea, I suppose so. Help me get my wings off if you would. I still want my hands free for this.”

      “Oh, good, the three of you are here,” Brianna says as she comes outside. “They’re ready to reconvene. And this time all of the lawyers are going to be kept out, from both sides.”

      “Should have done that from the start. They were getting in the way of intelligent conversation,” Susan states.

      “What about Petra? Please don’t tell me they’ll keep her out too,” Amy wants to know as she is carefully folding her wings over her arm.

      “No, she’s waiting for us in the conference room. They admit that woman was being obstructive and an idiot and actually trying to get us mad. We’re going to have some problems to look forward to because of her, but right now it’s only going to be the five of us and the real doctors and techs from their side in there.”

      “How are the wings?” Jun asks. “Any trouble getting them off?”

      “No, they came off fairly easily since it was a short flight and I only had them on for an hour. But I think it may already be too late to get my feathers off. At least not without some serious pain,” Amy says while smoothing out the plumage on her chest.

      “They’re bonding even faster then,” Jun replies. “You’re going to have problems keeping your human arms free soon if that trend keeps up. Maybe even the next time you put them on for even a short flight later today I’m guessing.”

     Amy nods, but protectively hugs her wings closer as they walk back inside.

      “Guys, I’m sorry about earlier,” Petra tells them with downcast eyes when they enter the room. “I guess I have some anger issues I need to deal with. I just got so mad at her though! I literally saw red around my vision and couldn’t stop myself from lashing out. By the time I was able to get control over my anger she was already past the screaming part and gasping for air in my coils.”

     Amy artfully drapes her wings over the back of her chair to display them then turns to her sinuous companion. Stepping over she gives Petra a hug.

      “I’m pretty sure all of us were pissed at her by then, and you only moved faster than anyone else. I was on the verge of violent mayhem myself. Bree says that there won’t be any lawyers in here this afternoon, so hopefully there won’t be a need for a repeat of this morning.”

     Petra nods and returns the hug then they all take their places at the table.

     The doctors and techs from the company file in and take their seats with several apologies being made by both sides. The talk barely resumes when they are interrupted by the doors opening up. Everyone turns to look in surprise at the figure that enters, but it is Brianna who moves first and the fastest.

      “ALEXA!” she cries out as she grabs her sister in a back breaking embrace.
     
     
--- later that night ---
     
     
     The fire crackles and sends sparks drifting up into the air as six odd looking individuals sit around it.

      “That’s just nuts. I can’t believe they did it. It was so irresponsible,” Amy states as she stares into the flames.

      “What are you going to do?” Jun asks. “Will you put on your wings again?”

      “I don’t know.”

      “How about their idea to alter the wings a little bit to allow you to get your hands or at least your fingers through to the outside? That might work.”

      “And it also might seriously mess up the air flow around my wings to the point where I would not be able to fly properly or even not at all. So no, there is no way I’m going to risk that,” Amy says while idly preening her feathers by running her fingers through them.

      “If they could connect to the micro computer then maybe they could do something to change what would happen. Give you a better chance to keep your working hands or something while leaving your ability to fly in tact,” Susan says.

      “Yea, it would. But that’s the problem, isn’t it?” Amy responds. “There’s no computer in there. Not in any of us. The damn thing’s just gone, along with every other bit of any devices they stuck in us.”

      “Well, to be more accurate, those things have been absorbed and integrated into our own bodies. Technically speaking, we’re all cyborgs now,” Brianna adds.

      “Yes and no,” Petra corrects. “All of the mechanical structures they built into the costumes have been merged and integrated into our bodies, and at the same time they were altered to become mostly organic extensions or replacements that match our bodies.

      “We all have bio-mechanical augmentations woven through our skin, bones, muscles, and other tissues now. We’re harder to injure from accidental and intentional damage, with variations according to our new forms. Amy, for example, has hollow bones just like a bird making her lightweight, but those new fibers that are throughout her entire skeleton have two effects. One, they further reduce the amount of bone to make her even lighter, and two they make her bones at least twice as strong as the average human's bones, maybe even more. And we’ve all got some type of enhancement like that based on what we are now.”

      “They didn’t really understand the technology they were dealing with,” Alexa says. “It was, and is, way beyond them. We’ve all paid the price for both their ignorance and arrogance.”

     Brianna smiles down at her sibling and pulls her closer against her side. She hasn’t let Alexa get more than a few feet away from her since she returned without reaching out and touching the girl affectionately again.

      “What the hell were they thinking?!?” Amy suddenly exclaims. “They find a damn crash site for an extraterrestrial spacecraft, and they kept it secret? Instead of getting as many of the smartest people from around the world in there to study and research the thing, they create a company and build their entire physical corporate center over top of the place!

      “And now, they’ve roped us into their secret too! In exchange for continued help and support and medical care we have to keep quiet and tell nobody about it,” she trails off as her ire loses steam.

      “Yea, that does grate on the nerves a bit if you look at it that way,” Jun commiserates with Amy. “But we all agreed to it and signed our acceptance on the dotted lines. We’re freaks for the rest of our lives, and we have to hide something huge along with ourselves to one degree or another, but at least we have some place to turn if we’re in need of help.

      “I mean, we pretty much have a blank cheque right now. They’ve got you a caretaker lined up already Amy. Susan will have a part time assistant for when ever she is on land starting tomorrow. All at no cost to us. The rest of us don’t need nearly as much help with day to day life for the most part. Although I guess Bree could use some help with bathing, but it looks like she’s already got that covered from her ranch. They really are trying to do good by us.”

      “Brianna? Um, do you think Rebecca might be my caretaker instead?” Amy asks hesitantly.

      “Well, I know both she and George adore you. They’ve never been able to have children, and I think they’ve kinda adopted you as a surrogate daughter anyways along with Alexa here. All you’d have to do is ask and I think it would be a done deal.”

      “Those two are sweet on all of us, even after our changes,” Petra giggles. “But yea, I’m pretty sure that Ames is their favorite.”

     Amy stands up and gently cradles her wings in her arms. Staring down at them, she makes her way out of the ring of light from the campfire.

      “Amy? Are you okay? Where are you going?” Alexa asks.

     Amy continues to walk as if she hasn’t heard her friend. Just before she fades into the darkness she pauses for a moment.

      “I think I’m going to go out for a night fly. I’ll see you all in the morning,” they hear drift back to them on the breeze, and then she’s gone.

     Alexa stands up and walks a few paces as if to follow.

      “Let her go,” Jun stops her.

     Alexa turns and retreats to settle in once again beside her sister and gladly returns the hug she receives.

      “How are you doing, my little web spinner?” Brianna questions.

      “I’m here. I need to be here. I need you, all of you. I don’t want even one of you to go away. Not even for a minute. That’s why I tried to follow Amy.”

      “She’ll be okay.”

      “But, she’s going to put her wings on. She’ll lose her arms and hands.”

      “Yes, she is,” Bree says. “And it’s going to be a hard thing for her to deal with afterwards. But to not do it would be even harder. Amy really is meant to fly, I believe that. We just need to give her some space right now, and when she comes back we can give her all of the love and support she needs to get through it. She gives us so much of herself, can we do any less for her?”

      “No, I guess not. I want to help be her assistant too. I’m not going back to that school so I’ll have plenty of time to be around.”

      “Why didn’t you tell me what was going on? Why did you keep it from me when you know I could and would have done something about it?”

      “I didn’t want to burden you, Sempai. It was my trials to bear, I had to get through them on my own.”

      “Ah, so it’s to be like that then Kohai?”

      “Hai.”

     Brianna shifts so she can turn to look at her sister and pulls her face around so they are looking at each other.

      “Bullshit,” she quietly says. “Alexandra, I swear you can be the most stubborn intelligent idiot I know sometimes.

      “I am saddened that you did not come to me. I’m here for you. I’m your big sister and I love you. I will always listen to you and do everything I can for you. And you have four other sisters right here who will back me up. Well, one of them is off dealing with their own demon at the moment, but still. You did something terrible because you didn’t think.”

      “I know, and I am so sorry Jun. I let my own inner demons rule over my new instincts and you got hurt. I’m glad that you are healing and will be okay. I hope you can forgive me in time.”

      “You scared the hell out of me, Alexa, and hurt me deeply both physically and mentally. I was helplessly wrapped up in a cocoon of your impossibly strong silk and no more than a thought from being digested from the inside out. Your fangs were buried in my belly and caused some serious damage. I’m lucky it was not fatal just from being stabbed with those things. I don’t know how long it’s going to take me to stop having nightmares from that ordeal.

      “But, I will not abandon you or turn you away. We may need to be a bit cool with each other for a while, but I still love you.”

      “That was also not good,” Brianna breaks in. “You’ve got some bridges to fix because of that. But that’s not what I’m talking about.”

     Alexa looks up at Bree with a confused expression.

      “You intentionally and knowingly put yourself into a harmful and potentially deadly situation. You knew more about these space-borne, technology enhanced, transformation inducing, gifts of our new bodies than all of us put together. At the time, even you did not know just what would happen by not removing the costumes before the set time limit expired. It could have killed us, you included. Changed our bodies in such a way that it could no longer sustain life and left any one or all of us dead.

      “Yet you left your suit on, knowingly. Welcoming the risks. Were you trying to die? Is that what it was?”

     Alexa bows her head, ashamed.

      “Yes,” she barely whispers.

      “Oh my god,” Brianna says as tears escape to trickle down and she pulls her beloved sibling into a tight embrace.

      “Please, never never never do something like that again. As much as everything else has confused and tormented me to one degree or another through all of this mess, the one thing that hurt the most was the thought of losing you. I was going out of my mind thinking you’d run off somewhere, never to return. It broke my heart.”

      “I -”

      “No, no apologies Alexandra,” Brianna stops her. “No debasing yourself. Just understand that I love you, and promise me.”

     Alexa nods.

      “I promise Brianna. I love you too.”

     The friends sit quietly and watch the fire. A few minutes later the sound of large wings is heard. Looking up to try and catch a glimpse, each one offers a silent prayer of luck and well being for their friend.
     
     
--- the next morning ---
     
     
     Brianna walks slowly through the early morning mists as they begin to burn off in the rising sunlight. Looking up to the sky she spots a large bird high up among the sparse clouds. It appears to be circling the general area of the cabin.

      “I wonder if that’s Amy. I hope she’s alright,” Brianna says softly.

     She continues to watch the airborne figure and a few minutes later it makes a sudden course change, practically diving straight at her. Brianna quickly recognizes that it is indeed her friend who has apparently spotted the large Centaur and is coming down to join her. Brianna stops in the middle of the clearing she is in and waits.

     Amy gracefully swoops in and with a great flapping of her wings lands a few scant feet in front of Brianna. The look on Amy’s face is neutral and unreadable. She holds her wings awkwardly out before her and stares at them for a moment before looking up at Brianna.

     With tears starting to trickle down her cheeks, she says, “They’re gone,” then collapses to the ground.

     Brianna quickly steps forward and kneels down to lay beside her friend where she can gather the small woman up in her arms and cradles the bundle of feathers to her chest. Amy tucks her head up under Brianna’s chin and snuggles into the embrace, her tears slowly falling. She does not sob or shake, nor let out any great wails of distress; the tears are her only outward sign that she recognizes what she has lost.

      “They won’t come off now, will they,” Brianna quietly asks.

     An even quieter, barely heard “No” is whispered and drifts up to her ears.

     The newly minted equine woman holds one of her closest friends tight and lets her spend her grief.

     
How do the friends get along?
     

     
--- three months later ---

     
      “I’m kinda glad you kept your downtown apartment Amy,” Susan states. “The view really is amazing.”

      “I still can’t believe that you got the entire penthouse suite though,” Petra comments.

      “Well, I didn’t originally,” Amy says.

      “Swallow your food before talking young lady,” Rebecca admonishes while holding up another spoon full of warm oatmeal mixed with honey and cinnamon.

      “Sorry Mom,” Amy tells her after swallowing the mouthful.

      “So how exactly did you get this place then?” Brianna asks.

      “I had a nice little place on the floor below. It still had the great view and an incredible balcony. I was happy to hang onto it, but when we showed up the first time after that vacation the management tried to get me evicted. It was a clear case of discrimination and Brianna’s lawyers made short work of taking them to task.”

      “Wait, they tried to kick you out because of your changes?” Jun asks.

      “Oh yea. They didn’t like the thought of having a giant bird with extremely sharp talons flying in and out of the place and, as they put it, leaving droppings everywhere. Not to mention the giant spider leaving webs all over the place, at least in their minds. They tried to throw me out on the basis that I’m not human anymore and tried to call me an exotic pet and Alexa a pest.”

      “Thankfully both my lawyers and the company’s lawyers had already been quietly working to establish us all as victims of an unforeseen accident in an experimental trial.” Brianna states. “We have all been listed as disabled to one degree or another.”

      “And more importantly, we have all received updated legal documentation recognizing that we are all still considered human despite the level of non-human DNA in our makeup. It didn’t take them more than a couple of weeks to get the building owners to back down,” Amy giggles.

      “How did you wind up on the top floor then?”

      “Oh, once they realized that they were in for a major fight and they would be shown as trying to discriminate against a legally disabled person, not to mention an emerging celebrity, the upper management did an about-face. The penthouse was unoccupied due to going through a remodel and upgrade. They offered it to me and even threw in accommodations for my condition. All it took was a couple of politely worded requests to have the other alterations included for the rest of us,” Amy answers.

      “Yep, the general construction work was at just the right point in here that all they had to do was revise the blueprints and keep moving forwards. Nothing had to be ripped out or redone,” Brianna adds.

      “I still love the looks the doorman gave us when we all arrived together a few days ago. Not to mention the front desk! I swear they practically had a collective heart attack! That one woman even fainted!” Amy laughs. “Having Jun and myself go in first got plenty of stares and double takes which was funny. Following that with Susan in her power chair was nearly anti-climatic because she looks so normal with her special wet blanket over her tail. I’m not sure any of them realize the truth even now.

      “But then Brianna and Petra walked in together with Alexa on Bree’s back. That did it for pretty much all of them! Poor George and Rebecca were simply ignored in the commotion.

      “I love how they stammered and hemm’d and haww’d when I told them every one of you were to be added to my lease and to be given appropriate access cards and keys! They were so afraid that either of you would break their nice little elevators but didn’t know how to say it politely! Then Brianna calmly tells then that she would need to have access to the freight elevator and any doors leading around to it. You could see several of them let out a huge breath of relief at that! It was just hilarious!”

      “It’s only been a few days since they finished the revisions up here and let you occupy the space,” Petra says. “We’re still getting shocked looks anytime we come and go where we can be seen.”

      “Not to mention the snide comments they try to say under their breath, thinking that we can’t hear them,” Alexa includes.

      “Right,” Petra agrees. “You don’t have to see that since you love to fly in and out off the roof, birdy.”

      “Oh, I’m sorry. I guess we need to say something about it then. I don’t want it to just keep going on and possibly getting worse,” Amy says.

      “Eat your breakfast before it gets cold dear,” Rebecca reminds the feather covered girl.

      “Let me try again, I think I can do it,” Amy begs, trying to give her caretaker and surrogate mother her puppy dog eye look.

      “Child, you need to stop doing that,” Rebecca chuckles after she leans forwards again from jumping back in shock. “You only seem to be able to glare at people with those eyes of yours. The closest thing you can get with that look is making a person think you’re about to hand them their eyes.”

      “Sorry Mom, habit. I was good at it for twenty-two years and I still forget I have a death stare now,” Amy giggles.

      “Here, take the bigger spoon,” Rebecca instructs her as she hands Amy a spoon with a larger handle. “Now be careful and go slowly.”

     Amy carefully grasps the handle in her talon as she hops up onto the higher bar of the custom perch she is sitting on. She takes her time lowering the spoon to the bowl of oatmeal and successfully scoops up some of her breakfast without throwing it across the room this time. Lifting it up to her face she is able to place the food in her mouth with just a small drop escaping from the corner that Rebecca catches with a napkin.

      “You’re definitely getting better with that,” Jun remarks.

     Amy tries to nod as she takes another bite and ends up spilling most of the spoonful down her front.

      “Oops,” she says blushing.

      “Don’t try to do two things at the same time love,” Rebecca tells her as she wipes the food off the girls feathered chest.

     Taking another successful bite Amy swallows before addressing Jun again.

      “I’m getting better with my residual hands too,” she exclaims as her wings flex oddly. “I’ll never be able to do anything fine like putting on makeup or small detailed work of any kind, but I can manage large gross manipulations now like picking up a shoebox or large book. Although I still drop them after a minute. I still have to work on retaining my grip. But my therapist thinks that I’ll eventually get to where I might be able to do something like drive an adapted car on my own!”

      “That’s wonderful Amy,” Jun smiles. “I’m still amazed that you somehow were able to develop those digits after you permanently merged with your wings. There was nothing like that included in the structures of your wings that I recall seeing or finding when I got to look them over.”

      “There wasn’t, they were just wings,” Amy agrees. “However it happened I’m glad it did. Eventually I’ll be able to do a few more things for myself because of them.”

      “I mean,” Amy quickly blurts out seeing Rebecca’s small smile beside her, “I’ll always need to have someone around to help take care of me. And I love my current Mommy and all she does for me,” Amy states as she hops over and enfolds the elderly woman in her wings. “Not to forget my half sister.”

      “But I’ll be able to do a few things on my own which would take some of the burden off you,” Amy tells them.

      “You are never a burden to me, light of my life. And never will be,” Rebecca reassures her.

     Amy kissed Rebecca on the cheek then turns back to her breakfast.

      “But what about you?” she asks Jun. “Are you excited to finally go back to the hospital and start working again tomorrow?”

     Jun’s eyes light up and sparkle with the joy she feels as she answers.

      “I am flying higher than even you right now, so to speak,” she giggles. “I can’t wait to get back to working again! I’ll get to do pretty much everything I was doing before I gained my true body!”

      “I guess it’s a good thing you’ve been able to increase your control over your shape shifting then,” Amy states between bites. “You’ve gotten really good at it.”

      “It is a good thing. I can get my fur to pull back in over most of my body, for the most part. I have to keep my ears where they are, that doesn’t seem to be negotiable, but a surgical cap can cover them when needed. It’s just uncomfortable and muffles sounds some. And I can’t get my paws to shift or lose their fur either. I remain fuzzy up to above my ankles. I’ve gotten some custom booties to deal with that. Otherwise I can look damn near like my old self. I can make my entire face shift and pull back to look entirely human.”

      “And what about your primary tail?” Amy inquires.

      “Total no go. I can’t hide this thing with my abilities no matter what I do or how hard I try. It’s like it demands the attention and has to be seen. And I still have some trouble maintaining my shifts for an extended period of time. I can’t make it through a whole shift of rounds and duties on the hospitals schedule. But I’m getting better at it. I should be able to go a whole shift eventually.”

      “What’s it like trying to hold it in?” Susan wants to know.

      “For the first several hours it’s fine. I don’t really even notice anything. But after a few hours I start to feel like I don’t fit in my own skin, like I’m wearing clothing that isn’t the right size. After that it starts to kind of itch, mentally, the longer I hold it. The itching gets worse and worse until I can’t take it and have to shift back. But the instant I am me again I’m fine. But if I hold it for that long then I can’t shift anything again for at least a couple hours.

      “But that’s when I shift everything I can all together. If I shift less then I don’t get as uncomfortable and can shift again sooner once I reach my max time limit. That seems to pretty much be a hard and unchangeable line right now. Except for my extra tails. If I’m only hiding my four tails then I can hold that indefinitely it seems. And even when I have to take my true form again I can still keep them hidden if I want to put up with some intense itching in the back of my mind. It’s nowhere near as bad as when I shift my whole body, but it can still get distracting.”

      “Well I guess it’s a good thing that you’re moving over into pediatrics then,” Petra says. “Kids will love having Doctor Foxie as their attending physician I’m sure. You’ll be able to maintain a lower level body shift with a bunch of your patients I’m guessing.”

     Jun nods in agreement, “That’s the plan. The hospital administrators have been surprisingly willing to work with me on coming back. We’ve been able to discuss how I’ll come back and what I’ll be doing for the hospital without having to get any lawyers involved hardly at all. It’s been nice. And if there are any emergencies while I’m on duty then I can still step in and assist as needed.

      “And as I am capable of doing depending on how long and how high of a shape shift I’ve been holding,” she amends.

      “But it’s happening! Tomorrow!” the happy orange-red and white bundle of furry energy exclaims as she bounces on her toes, all five of her tails fanning the air excitedly.

      “Well, I need to get back out to the ranch,” Brianna informs the group. “I have a checkup with Alice and Jane this afternoon.”

      “I’ll go with you,” Petra says. “I’m still somewhat stunned that happened to you. But considering what you went and did it’s not all that surprising.”

      “Well, yea. I suppose not. I did pretty much force myself to go into season and my body reacted accordingly. But twins. I still can’t get over it.”

      “Well, you’re only just starting to show considering you’re carrying two foals,” Jun states.

     She walks over and gently runs her hand over the flank of her friend.

      “They seem to be healthy, and so are you,” She tells Brianna.

      “That really is neat that you can get a feeling for how someone is doing by touching them,” Amy comments which gets a nod from Jun.

      “It’s one of the reasons they want me back,” Jun says. “How are you doing in therapy by the way,” she addresses Petra as the two larger members of their group get ready to leave.

      “I’m ... adjusting. I’m glad that Bree’s shrink accepted her and me as patients, and then the rest of you too. Having a doctor who has other clients that are dealing with similar issues helps a lot. The monthly group therapy sessions are fun. But it’s been a struggle and I have a problem or two.

      “It seems that I have a natural tendency towards violence now. Something with my instinctual fight or flight responses being heavily tilted to fight that I’m having to work on controlling. That’s actually become my biggest problem. Not that the dysphoria from my gender change isn’t up there too, it’s just that I’m coming to terms with that a little easier.”

      “Are you going to be okay next week? I know I’m getting ready to lay another egg again,” Amy says. “It’s my time of the month next week, and you’re about ready for another clutch too from what we’ve been able to figure out with your anatomy.”

      “Yea, it’ll only be my second clutch of eggs too. They’re forming inside of me and I should be laying them next week as well. I’m not too sure I’m up for that, but I don’t really have much choice in the matter. Nature is going to rule over my biology on that one.”

      “Well I’ll be coming on over to the new place at the ranch to have mine, so I’ll be there with you,” Amy tells her.

      “I’d really appreciate that, Ames. It’ll mean a lot to me to have someone else there who is kinda going through the same thing I am. At least in part. Just watch out for my bad attitude. If I’m anything like I was the first time then my instincts are going to be up front and in control for a little bit I’m afraid. I don’t want to hurt anyone, so be careful around me until I clear my head.”

      “You know that I had that new home built for all of us,” Brianna announces while looking directly at Amy. “It’s ours, it belongs to all of us, not just me because it’s on my ranch. I had the deed updated and you all signed the revision in regards to that.”

      “I know,” Amy replies. “And I do think of it as my home. Just maybe my second home after this place. Just like here is for all of you too. You all are fully responsible signees on the long term lease for this place now.”

      “Alright, alright,” Brianna chuckles. “So we have one or two places to go and be ourselves. I’ll see whoever shows up whenever they arrive.

      “Ready to go Petra?”

     The two of them head to the back elevator and start their journey back to the ranch.

      “I’m going to go take a swim in the pool,” Susan announces once their two friends have left. “I love that you got them to maintain it with natural ocean saltwater. Chlorinated pools smell wrong, and don’t get me started about how that tastes when I want to submerge for a bit.”

     Susan’s wheelchair whirs quietly as she wheels herself out of the kitchen breakfast area.

      “Sounds like you might want to charge your batteries,” Jun calls out to her.

      “I need to go change bed sheets and start some laundry around here then do some sweeping and dusting,” Alexandra announces as she heads towards the utility room.

     Looking over at Amy the Fox says, “I don’t even have to ask. I can tell you’re jonesing to go dive bombing the streets below,” to which her white plumed compatriot giggles. “I guess I’m going to head on over to the hospital. I may not have a shift today, but I can still go in and interact with some of the other doctors and nurses I’ll be working with. Get a better feel for how they’ll react to me that way.”

      “How much fur are you going to show them?” Amy inquires while tilting her head sideways.

     Jun blinks in surprise at how far Amy’s head is able to tilt, but otherwise ignores the sight and answers, “As much as I can. Might as well let them see me at my best before I show them my more subdued look. And I can have some fun with the kids that way too.”

      “Well enjoy your day,” Amy says to the five fluffy tails that are disappearing into the front elevator.

      “I’ll be back in a little while, Mom,” Amy tells Rebecca then enfolds her in another feather soft hug.

      “I’m really beginning to love those hugs,” Rebecca says. “Be nice and don’t scare too many muggles.”

      “Yes Mother!” Amy yells with a roll of her eyes as she runs with her curious hopping steps out the door to the balcony area then launches herself over the railing and falls out of sight. A moment later an eagle cry rings out, announcing the pure joy of living to all who hear it.
     
     
--- the next week ---
     
     
     Amy ruffles her feathers and makes herself more comfortable in her nest. She glares across the room at Sara and Jenny.

      “Oh come on Amy,” Sara says. “You didn’t have to smack Jenny with your wing like that.”

     Jenny gingerly rubs her head where a bump is already forming.

      “I just hope you didn’t give her a concussion.”

      “No, I’ll be okay,” Jenny states.

      “I’m just surprised you’re still acting like this,” she addresses Amy. “You’ve always stopped the brooding in three hours at the longest before, and here it’s been three days now.”

      “Yea, well, I’m sorry. Really. I’ll make it up to you. But stay away from my eggs right now. I’ve always only laid one egg each month since I became a Harpy. This time I’ve laid three eggs. Three.

      “First off, it still feels like my vagina is a huge gaping hole after passing these things through it. I know it’s not, but you try shoving something that big out of your pussy then do it two more times in a row. Second, I can’t help it. Something inside me insists that I have to keep my eggs warm and safe. I know that’s my instincts kicking in, but I just can’t stop it.

      “It’ll calm down, eventually. Then we can dispose of my eggs in the incinerator like normal. I won’t care. It’s not like I’ll be able to hatch a youngling or chick, my eggs aren’t fertilized after all. I have yet to have sex since my changes. Just be patient with me. And stay back. Please.”

      “Alright. You proved your point,” Jenny agrees as she massages her aching temple. “At least you’re easier to talk to than Petra is right now.”

      “Oh no, is she having a hard time again?” Amy asks, concerned for her friend.

      “Well, we don’t get to work with her directly,” Sara gestures at the two of them. “But yea, she is. Claire and Wendy can’t even go into her room yet. They declared Petra’s room as off limits to everyone after Petra broke Claire’s arm.”

      “She hurt Claire? Oh no! Is Petra even aware of what she did?”

      “I don’t think so. From what Wendy has said it looks like Petra has gone wholly serpent on us. She’s operating completely on instincts right now.”

      “That’s not good. Petra is going to be so ashamed once she comes around. We’ve got to do something,” Amy says.

     She shakes her head and not looking directly at the other women in the room gets an intense look of concentration on her face that still makes both of them back up a couple of steps. With a grunt of annoyance Amy stands up and steps out of her nest then stalks to the door of her room. Coming level with the two she stops and blinks her eyes several times.

      “I ... I have to help Petra.”

     With another shake of her head Amy’s gaze softens and she looks at them.

      “It’s okay now, I think. You should be safe,” she tells them then looks back at the three oblong white items resting behind her. “Do what you need to do with them.”

     Turning away she walks out of the room.

      “Damn, did she just force herself to override her instincts?” Sara asks.

      “I think she did,” Jenny replies. “I’m impressed. That had to take an extreme force of will. The need of her friend apparently means more to her than any instinct to protect her eggs.”
     
--- ---
     
     The door slowly opens inwards and there’s a warning hiss that comes from inside. A few brown feathers appear around the edge of the door to push it open a bit more followed by a white feathered head peeking in. Amy steps slowly inside, never taking her intense gaze from the pile of emerald green in the middle of the room. She keeps her back to the wall and stays as close to it as she can while keeping her tail feathers from getting bent uncomfortably. The door quietly closes as an unseen someone pulls is shut from the outside. Amy stops moving and simply stares back, her golden eyes locked with the yellow slits that regard her suspiciously.

      “Petra, it’s me, Amy,” she says gently but loud enough to be heard by the snake that is starting to rear back in preparation to strike.

      “I’m here, just like I said I would be. I laid my egg three days ago. The same day you did. I even laid three of them, Petra. Me. I had to squeeze out three damn eggs. We didn’t do an ultrasound before hand because they thought I was still ovulating a single egg like a normal human female.”

     Amy chuckles quietly, “I guess that would explain why I was having some cramps the last couple of days. I was so full my tiny little body was complaining.”

     Her friend has relaxed slightly so Amy takes that as a good sign and takes a step forward. A loud hiss and scales quickly rising into a strike pose is the response to the movement.

      “It’s just me. Little Ames. I won’t hurt you, or your eggs. I could maybe help keep them warmer if you want me to?” She says in the same low gentle tones as she hazards another step.

     Another hiss warns her to stay back, but the anticipated strike does not come.

      “I’m going to help you, Petra. You’re my friend. One of the Scooby Zoo. The newly minted group of six best friends ever.”

     Amy takes another step forwards, reaching the halfway point to the serpents nest. There is a sudden movement of iridescent green and for a split second the two of them are touching nose to nose and looking eye to eye, both giving the other an intense look as their IDs clash, then the moment is gone and Amy is looking back up at her friend.

      “I suppose that you could easily snatch me up,” Amy tells the righteous gaze that is focused on her. “I can’t really get away in here, there’s no room for me to take flight. You’re probably getting pretty hungry by now. You didn’t eat for a few days before clutching, and I’ve been told that you haven’t accepted anything they‘ve offered you since.

      “I wouldn’t be much more than a snack for you though, I’m afraid. I’m so small. And tough too I bet. But if that’s what you need, I won’t fight you.”

     She takes another step and flutters her wings briefly before settling them back down against her sides.

      “I’ll do my best to keep my talons from hurting you or piercing your scales.”

     Another step and Amy is almost close enough to touch the coils in front of her. The confused look on the face above is joined by the torso lowering down to bring the head closer. Amy steps up and slowly extends her wings until she encircles her friend’s body in a soft feathery embrace.

      “It’s just me, Amy. And you, Petra. You and me, here, together,” Amy tells her as she pulls her in closer with a soft hug.

     The other woman’s eyes close for a second then in a sudden flash of movement the steel hard bands of green muscles encircle brown and white feathers from neck to ankles. Amy cries out in pain as one wing gets wrenched backwards in a manner it is not meant to go.

      “ARGH!” Amy yells as the coils quickly tighten around her chest, trying to force the air out of her lungs. A painful creaking is heard as mounting stress is placed on reinforced hollow bones while the coils slowly continue to shrink.

      “Petra, please,” Amy gasps roughly. “You’re going to kill me.”

     The golden yellow eyes begin to bulge as a new scream of pain accompanies a wet popping sound, but no air is able to be drawn back in to replace what just got released. Amy’s gasps and attempts to gain more air grow quieter. The next cracking sounds barely cause a squeak from within.

     Amy’s vision begins to swim and grows blurry, but she is still able to tell when another face draws close to her own.

      “I love you, and I forgive you,” is barely whispered as the heartbeat within the encircling grip of muscles begins to slow.

     For an eternal moment in time, everything seems to stop. Petra looks down upon the face of her closest friend, red from blood effusing it, the eyes bulging out of the sockets but unfocused. She feels the beat of a heart not her own hammering against her scales yet they grow slower and softer as the seconds pass. Muscles within the chest still strain as they attempt to expand and draw air into lungs that are denied their right by the tight embrace of her coils.

      “AMY!!! NO!!!” Petra shrieks in horror as her huge body releases what was only prey mere seconds ago and she gently attempts to cradle the nearly lifeless bundle of feathers in her arms.

     A ragged sound of air being sucked in rattles through Amy’s chest and is followed by small flecks of blood being coughed up with the exhalation. Another breath is drawn in and released successfully, but the movement is obviously causing the crushed form some pain.

      “HELP ME!!! ANYBODY!!! HELP! PLEASE!” the serpent woman calls out in dread, fear for her friend’s life suffusing every cell of her extended form.

     The door to the room opens part way as if hesitant to allow access. Petra quickly slithers forwards, her eggs forgotten, carrying Amy to whom ever is on the other side of the portal.

      “Help her! Please! She can’t die! Not her!” Petra yells as she practically forces Amy’s broken body on them. Hands take the badly damaged Harpy into the arms of several people and she is rushed down the hall with comments on her condition already being made.

      “You have to get Jun out here right away!” Petra demands as she collapses to the floor.

________________________________________________________________________
     
     
--- Epilogue ---
     
     
      “Come in,” Amy calls out quietly in answer to the knock on the door.

     Petra slowly enters the room to see the rest of her friends gathered around the bed that holds someone she can’t look in the eye. Her sinuous coils slowly slither in and arrange themselves in the corner. She gives a small start when she notices Alexa is up on the wall next to the ceiling.

      “How is she?” she asks Jun, who is standing beside the bed checking on the figure within.

      “Ask her yourself. Amy’s awake,” Jun responds.

      “Come here,” Amy commands softly.

     Petra winces but obeys. She lowers herself down to almost below the level of the mattress as she approaches the bedside.

      “No, up here. Don’t you dare try to hide,” she is told.

     The ashamed woman lifts herself higher but keeps her face down cast and partially hidden behind a cascade of long red locks that have quickly grown out since her transformation.

      “Look at me,” Amy says gently.

     Petra moves the hair behind her ears and returns Amy’s gaze.

      “I told you a week ago that I love and forgive you. I meant it then and it still stands. I know what you are going through, and I can both sympathize and empathize with you for the most part. I hit Jenny in the head that same morning because she got too close to my own eggs. Gave her a goose egg of her own. I get it. You were just lost deeper in your instinct than I was.”

      “I’m so so sorry Amy. I can’t forgive myself for what I did. I hurt Claire and almost killed you.”

      “No, you didn’t. It’ll take more than that to get rid of me. Not much more,” Amy jokes, “but I’m still here.”

      “But, look at you. It’s all my fault.”

      “Yes, in a way it is. But I forgive you. And you can too. Forgive yourself.”

     A tear rolls down Petra’s cheek as she carefully leans forwards to gingerly place a kiss on Amy’s forehead, as if she were a delicate porcelain figurine that just got glued back together.

      “How bad is it?” She asks softly.

      “Well,” Amy looks sideways at her wing that is stretched out and lying limply on the bed, “My wing is broken in two places. As you can see they had to insert pins and use an external fixator to hold the bones in place. My ribs are only strained, the cartilage holding them together is just partially separated. I can breathe okay as long as I keep it gentle and don’t take deep breaths. Yelling, coughing, and laughing really hurts right now so please keep the jokes to a minimum.”

     A scraping sound draws attention to the odd semi sideways position Amy is laying in as the talons of her foot scratch at the cast on her other leg.

      “My leg and foot is busted in three places. Do you have any idea how strange it is to have just four toes that are supposed to be able to grip around something and keep me upright but I can’t even move them? Look at my foot! They encased each toe individually then ran the cast all the way up to my hip! They had to add in additional abduction bars between my toes to support the cast because my grip strength was too much for the plaster otherwise. Having feathers trapped inside my cast is really annoying.

      “And because of how I have to keep my wing carefully placed but still have my leg semi elevated and remain comfortable I have to lay here partly on my side and partly on my stomach. Let me tell you, that is not doing any favors to my ribs despite the heavy bandaging and piles of extra fluffy pillows I am lying on. And having my feathers compressed under these wrappings is so uncomfortable! And not to forget, I so do not look forward to my next couple times of the month. The pressure I have to exert just to squeeze out one egg ... nuh-uh, not fun. That is going to be hell with tender and still healing ribs.”

      “Yep, I’m sure it sucks,” Jun stops Amy’s rant. “But with how much you’re already whining about it I have no doubt that you’ll survive and get through this. It’s just going to take some time.”

      “Yea, well, that’s another thing. It’s going to be months before I can fly again. I’m a creature of the air and I’ve been grounded.”

      “I’m sorry,” Petra says quietly.

     Amy looks back up at her friend and her gaze softens.

      “I know. And I’d do it and go through all of this or worse again. In three months I’ll be right there for you, whether or not I’ve healed yet.”

     Everyone in the room can hear the absolute certainty in Amy’s voice and do not doubt it.

      “You won’t have to go through anything like this ever again. You can be there, and you’ll be safe. Everyone will. The Naga will not take control like that, never again. Petra will remain in charge. That I swear.”

     Saying the words, Petra felt it within herself that it was true. Somehow, she knew it would be so.