User:Jetfire/Twisting the Veil
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Paradise story universe |
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Works by Jetfire on Shifti |
Twisting the Veil
August 17, 2006
I don't really want to be writing this, but AT insists that today of all days, I should make sure I get it down. Says it'll be therapeutic or something. Not sure I believe her, but I'll start and see what I can do.
Somewhere out there, a ROB is laughing at me. That's the only explanation I have for what happened to me. Gives me a year to get used to not using a pinky, and then he goes and gives it back to me, along with claws and.... no I can't think of that yet.
Over the past few days, AT and the rest of us have been working our tails off, preparing for the Change. Mostly it was verifying contact numbers and web addresses and such. We started our own 'flu watch' programs, keeping an eye out for friends, family, coworkers and even local celebrities and media people where we could for signs of the August Flu. Regrettably, Shiloh had moved on out west somewhere, so our contact/eyes in ATV was lost.
My own 'Flu Watch' was one that paid off. It started innocently enough, if you could call it that. Last Sunday, I was chatting on IRC, asking how the crew there were doing, and looking for flu symptoms. Malbi, another regular, is into a bio sciences like I'm into tech sciences, so needless to say, he was curious about what I was asking about and looking for. I was in the middle of that discussion when Adam showed up and nudged us to the night's game.
The game itself felt off that night, as if the GM couldn't focus as clearly on it as he usually did. So I wasn't surprised when he suddenly paused the game, claiming a headache. I asked how he was really feeling, and he reassured me it was just a fatigue headache, but my guts were telling me it was probably more.
Over the next few days, my suspicions were confirmed. Adam stayed offline and his girlfriend, Candace, confirmed he was sick with some bug. I felt for him, but until the big day came and we knew with absolute certainty, there wasn't much I could do.
That's not to say there wasn't stuff to do. The boards were active, with everyone looking for more details on the Change, or sample scripts and advice to help newbies, and more than a few betting threads on who would be joining us this round. And of course, I had my real job going on at the same time.
By Wednesday, I was beginning to feel a bit sick, but I soldiered on. It wasn't as bad as it had been last year, so I just figured it was a regular bug getting at me through all the stress I was under. It was a game night in any case, so I slipped into my werewolf persona and the other Veil mindset.
To my surprise, Adam popped on as we were getting ready for the game. From everything I knew, it was too early for him to be up after the August Flu, assuming of course, that he had the big one. I began to have my doubts that he would be joining us this year.
My doubts shrank away soon after. He'd barely said hi to everyone, before he mentioned that coming on was a mistake and he was going to lay back down. It was a big risk, but I decided to trust my gut instincts and sent a message to his girlfriend.
<LouisJF> He's gone isn't he? Damn he's quick. How's he really doing?"
<^Burke^> Better, but still weak. That bug really threw him for a loop.
'If it's what I think it is, he hasn't even begun to be thrown yet,' I thought to myself, typing my response.
<LouisJF> Well let him know that tomorrow's going to be big. If he starts noticing anything weird, give me a shout as soon as possible.
<^Burke^> ??? What's going to happen tomorrow?
<LouisJF> Not sure yet. Possibly nothing. But if he's well enough to be online tonite, he'll probably be fine tomorrow.
She clearly didn't know what to make of it, but she let it drop. In the game window, she excused herself to check on him.
While she was gone, I began to compose an email to Adam. I didn't want to come right out and say what I thought was happening, but I wanted to reassure him a bit if he was changing. It was risky, but if my guts were right, I couldn't leave him alone through this. The biggest challenge was figuring out how to prove he was changing without giving it all away. The picture test was probably the safest way. I skimmed through my photo directories and picked one that showed the changed me in what I hoped was a decent light, and sent the mail off.
I finished the rest of the preparations I could for today, and gave in to the bug I'd caught. I excused myself from the game and crashed into bed, looking forward to the Change, and the two days vacation I'd booked to handle it.
I found sleep hard to come by. I kept rolling over other things we might do, situations we could end up with and other special cases in my head, while my body battled the virus. I thrashed in bed most of the night and added a few new gouges to the head board. So it was almost a relief when the phone jangled me awake.
"Hello?" I asked blearily, trying to wake up enough to get my mind in gear. My body was aching again and I was trying to figure out why, when a panicked voice cut through the early morning haze.
"Joey? ... Oh no, I must have dialed the wrong number. I'm sorry. I just don't know what to do," the torrent of words poured from the phone. "I just feel so weird, and there were all those... those THINGS in my pillow. I think they came from me, but how?"
I rolled over and sat up on the edge of my bed, pieces beginning to click together. Feeling a strong sense of deja vu, I interrupted the voice. "Mindy? Is that you? Don't worry, you called the right number. I can help."
"Help? How can you help? Oh my god, there are more of them on my head and on my shoulders! They're coming through my nightie! I can feel them!" she sobbed into the phone.
I stood up and stumbled a bit, my hooves feeling softer than I was used to. I ignored it, pulled on a pair of shorts and left my bedroom. "I think I know what you are going through. I went through the same last year."
"Yu-You did? When?"
I sat down in my chair, switched the phone to speaker mode and stretched my arms. My fingers felt awkward, like my hooves were narrower than I was used to. I woke up the computer and grabbed my cellphone, speed dialing AT. "Last year, around this time," I explained while waiting for the machines to do their stuff.
"But you look normal! Not like me! I'm a freak!"
"You've reached the Emergency Transition Program. Please state the nature of your Change Emergency," AT's cheery voice answered the phone finally.
"You are not a freak, Mindy. Please, just take a few deep breaths. I'm in touch with someone who can help you."
I heard her start taking deep shuddering breaths. I clicked a few buttons on the computer to connect to the IRC networks, then spun my chair around to speak more privately on the cellphone.
"Good thing one of us is a morning person," I grumbled over the cell before getting down to business, speaking quietly. "Mindy woke me up, she's changing and she's a mess. I think she may need some personal handling. Can you head her way?"
"Sure can. She still living at that place downtown?"
"I think so... no wait! She moved soon after she and Liz broke up. Give me a sec."
I switched back to the other phone, "Mindy, you remember my friend Alex, from the New Years party?"
"Yuh-yeah, I remember him."
"He's like us. He can go to you and help you through this. But I need to know where to send him. Where are you right now? Where are you living?"
She stammered out an address and apartment number which I passed on to AT.
"I can be there in about three quarters of an hour or so. Traffic may slow me down. You didn't tell her I'm a She?" AT confirmed.
"One shock at a time. I'll talk to her while you're traveling and try to break it to her before you get there."
"Sounds like a plan. I'll get off the line so you can focus."
My cell went silent, so I refocused on Mindy. I tried to ease her concerns but she was inconsolable. I couldn't even get enough of a description to figure out what she was becoming. I rubbed my forehead a bit and tried my best to help her, and was surprised at how small my horn bases felt. Before I could investigate further, my IRC client started flashing.
Switching back, I saw Adam on line, sending me a message.
<^Chuckles> Hey Joey, you there? I need to talk to you about that fake pic you sent me.
'Fake pic?' I thought to myself, before my memory kicked in and reminded me of the email.
Still listening to Mindy, who was sobbing quietly, I moved my hands down to start typing, and froze. I lifted my hands up and stared. My hoof nails were gone, tightened up into sharp claws on the ends of my fingers. Even my pinky had even regrown back to a useful size. The fur on the back of my hands had shortened and was now a tawny yellow color. As I flexed my fingers, muscles in the last joint pulled at the claws.
"Just ignore it Joey, got too many depending on you," I mumbled to myself and lowered my hands back to the keyboard. I slowly typed a response to Adam.
<Jetfire> It's not fake. Call me and I'll explain.
<^Chuckles> WTF are you talking about? Of course it's fake! Photoshopped or something. Or a damn good goat costume. It's not nice to play tricks on a sick man. Especially a sick GM.
I growled in frustration, catching Mindy's attention.
"Joey, are you OK? What was that?"
"Nothing Mindy, You're doing fine. Alex will be there soon," I explained while typing my response.
<Jetfire> Damn it Adam! it's not edited and it's not a costume. Just pick up the damn phone and call me.
The screen stayed silent for a long time and I realized I may have been too terse. I was trying to help him after all.
<Jetfire> I'm sorry for the attitude. It's been a long morning so far. But trust me, it is NOT photoshopped and it is NOT a costume. If you need more proof, check these out.
I began gathering various URL's to other Changed and sending them his way. I wrapped it up with the interview I'd done last winter, now on YouTube, and then I waited.
My cellphone rang, displaying AT's number.
"I'm outside the building now. Apartment 22 right?" she said without introduction.
"Yeah, that's the one." I heard the call waiting beep on the main line. "She's a little better but I'm not sure what. Good luck. I've gotta clear the line so the call waiting can bounce the call over. Dealing with another Newbie."
"Good luck to you too," she said, hanging up. The cell immediately started ringing.
"Joey speaking," I answered, trying to listen to Mindy's phone as well.
"Joey? It's Adam. What the hell sort of trick are you pulling?" the strange voice said.
"Adam? It's about damn time! Believe me, it's no trick... well I guess you could say it's the end of a long trick." I heard a knocking at the door through Mindy's phone. "Just a sec,"
I set the phone down and picked up the other one. "Mindy, Alex is there now. I need you to go to the door and let her in. She... yes SHE can help you through this. No she won't be freaked out by how you look. Just go to the door, unlock it and let her in. Everything will be fine." It took a bit more coaxing, but I finally managed to get her to the door, and faintly heard AT's voice. I set the cordless back down and switched back to the cell.
"You still there Adam? Sorry, I'm so distracted but a lot is going on this morning. Never rains but it pours and all that," I said, relieved to have one challenge mostly off my plate. Unnervingly, the release didn't help all that much. It just let me focus on my own body again. The tawny fur was spreading up my arms, replacing the longer white fur. A probing hand proved my horns were shrinking as well, growing backwards into my skull. My beard was gone and my muzzle was shrinking.
I started talking with Adam, going through the newbie details with him. Thankfully, he seemed to be handling it well, a lot better than Mindy at least. I half expected him to go panda, like his online personas tended to be, but he soon realized it was a different form.
I was just giving him the run down on the Field, when my chest and groin began to tingle unpleasantly. I looked down, seeing the tawny fur had spread over my chest and down into my shorts. As I watched, the fur began to rise in a pair of orbs on my chest. Suddenly fearing the worst, I lowered a hand to my shorts and could no longer feel the bulge there.
"GOD DAMN IT!" I snarled, slamming my paw on the desk, rattling the monitor and keyboards. Going from goat to this feline, I could handle, but going female as well was just too much.
Both phones started asking for my attention, to see if I was all right. I ignored AT for the moment and tried to refocus on Adam. There wasn't much more to say to him, so I rushed through the rest and hope he could handle it.
"Sorry, I've got a small emergency here. I need to go. I've sent you an info packet I got when I first changed. When you get a chance look it over, and if you have any questions, you know where I'm at," I explained quickly digging out the email we had prepared and forwarding a copy to his address. Before he could get another word out, I broke the connection and tossed the phone on the desk. As an afterthought, I switched IRC to an AFK nick and sat back to look at myself.
My horns were all but gone by then, my clawed fingers could only feel skin covered bumps where they were. My tail was longer, and my feet were reshaping as I watched, toes reorienting around and growing sharp claws (but the lost little piggy stayed lost). The cellphone rang, snapping my attention back. I saw AT's number on the screen and slowly picked up the phone and answered it.
"Joey? What happened? You screamed and then you went silent..."
I gulped and licked my lips; my tongue definitely was rougher, and I could feel whiskers twitching as my cheeks muscles twitched. The chopping and grinding teeth I'd grown used to were replaced with deadlier feeling carnivorous ones. I started to speak, but couldn't bring myself to say anything. I gulped again, and finally started getting words out.
"I'm.... fine. I... I changed again."
She gasped a moment, but recovered quickly. "Again? What did you become?"
I hesitated a moment, as if saying it would make it permanent. But I couldn't hide it forever. "A feline of some sort... tawny but not a lion.... And..." I nearly choked on the last word. "female."
The silence hung over the line for a long time. I looked out the windows of my apartment and realized how exposed I felt. Carrying the cellphone, I backtracked to my bedroom and pulled on one of my shirts. Walking was different, my gait thrown off and my toe claws kept catching on carpet fibers. Luckily, if you could view it that way, my mind was too numb with the changes to fight the new instincts. The shirt itself, a heavy cotton polo shirt, bulged in ways that looked strange, and rubbed somewhat uncomfortably, but at least I was covered.
I got the phone back to my ear just as AT started speaking again. "Well, that makes three of us I guess," she said slowly.
I returned to the living room and sat on the futon. I pushed my own issues to the side and refocused on the rest of the world. "How's Mindy?"
AT sighed and was quiet for a moment. I could faintly hear footsteps and a door easing shut. "You said it earlier. She's a mess.
"She's a porcupine. Her hair changed first, and her new quills turned her pillow into a quill cushion."
"Ouch... does anyone have any experience with 'pines?" I asked, using the fresh problem to cover my own new issues.
"I haven't had a chance to look yet. But that's not everything. I caught a whiff of it when I arrived, but I wasn't sure until a few minutes ago. It seems... it seems that you and her got your wires switched. She's a He."
I winced and fought down a pang of jealousy. AT continued without waiting for any response from me. "I'm trying to decide what to do. I can't leave her-HIM alone, he's in too much shock. I don't think we can stay here anyways since he does have roommates. The Field's going to have a hard enough time dealing with the quills, let alone with him until he gets his head together. I've cleaned them up as best I can, but I'm sure I missed some. I just need to figure out some way to get her-HIM damnit! Back to my place, until he's adapted."
I moved back to the computers and ignored the flashing IRC client. I began to skim over the animal links we'd compiled, looking for porcupine info. "The quills are directional right? A thick blanket, put on over the head and draped downwards might help make her-him comfortable enough to leave, and help protect your car seats too. Or you could ask her to lay on her belly in the back seat."
"Yeah, I'll figure something else. I think he's moving again, I need to go help him. Take care, and don't do anything stupid. I'll call you later."
The rest of the day passed in a hazy blur. I skimmed the Changed sites, as other newbie groups reported on their efforts, and new newbies introduced themselves, asking for help, explanations, or just for reassurances that others were out there. I ignored the non-Changed channels, not feeling up to talking to my friends at the moment.
As promised, AT called me later that night. She had used the blanket method to get Mindy to her place, and he was gradually coming around. She asked some probing questions of her own, to assess my own state, and didn't seem very happy with the results. She made me promise to update my journal today, which I've done, and said she'd be in touch.
August 18, 2006
I woke up this morning, inhaled deeply and thought yesterday was all a bad dream. The goat scent was still strong in my place, and was comforting, like a well worn blanket. The next breath however brought the new scents in the apartment, the feline female scent that was beginning to replace the billy scent. I whimpered to myself and practically panted, taking in my old scent as long as I could, until I couldn't smell it any more.
I then began the process of untangling myself from the bed sheets. I had gone to sleep in my shorts and shirt, and apparently twisted and turned a lot in my sleep. The sheets were wrapped all around me, and there were a few new tears clearly caused by my claws. With minimal further tears, I got clear and was standing on my paws.
Biological necessities were the next big thing. I couldn't bring myself to take off my shirt and look at... Them again, but the shorts had to go down for the business. I finished quickly, washed up just as quickly, avoiding looking at myself in the mirror, and left the bathroom.
The rest of the morning, I spent browsing the net, the regular net, not the Changed networks, and not really thinking about anything.
By noon, the grumbling in my stomach was too much to ignore. I padded to the kitchen and rummaged in the fridge, only to come up empty. Lots of greenery and vegetables, but nothing that smelled good. I poured a glass of milk and considered my options. I knew I wasn't ready to go out, so that left delivery of some sort. Pizza seemed iffier than I was willing to risk, but chicken would be good. I placed the order online, and continued my mindless surfing.
The knock at the door jolted my attention back to the real world. I stood and was terrified for a moment. I knew that the Field would make people still see me as I was before; as I was originally. But I couldn't help being scared to be seen. The knock came at the door again, and I spied a blanket on the futon. I wrapped it around myself and hunched forward, letting the blanket hide all aspects of my form save my hands and head. I unlocked the door and was hit by the scent of hot meat, which sent my mouth watering. The delivery guy was more than a little shocked when I tore the receipt from his hands, scrawled in a tip and my signature, then swapped it for the bag of food. I may have scratched his hand in the process, but the food was making me too hungry to care. I pulled the tray of food out of the bag and popped its top and chowed down on the first significant amount of meat I'd had in a year, and it was delicious.
Somewhat sated, and feeling a bit more alive, I tried to be more active in general, helping some of the other newbies that had shown up. I was beginning to accept the feline part of my new equation, but the female part still stopped me cold.
What I didn't expect, was the knock on the door around 8 o'clock.
I heard the rustling of bags outside my apartment door, but didn't think anything of it. There were three other apartments on my level, and I usually heard the tenants arriving or leaving. Then knock at the door froze me solid at the keys.
The knock came again, this time followed by a shout. "Open the door, JF. I know you're in there. I can smell you," AT's voice called out.
I got up quickly and slide the chain off the door and opened the door slightly. I saw the black furred Newfie morph standing there among a pile of plastic bags. "What are you doing here?!?" I hissed in surprise.
She placed a foot against the door and shoved hard, pushing me back and opening the door enough to enter. She stooped down and grabbed some bags and carried them in. "Helping you through this mess, that's what I'm doing here."
I stood there, starring as she brought in the second load. It seemed to be a mix of groceries and other supplies. "But what about Mindy? You didn't bring her... him... did you?"
"Of course not, I'm not stupid. And I didn't leave him alone either. I called Michael and he came down to help MD adjust and stuff. Figure it's better for a male fur to help a male fur anyways. Crystal didn't change by the way. He's disappointed, but maybe next year."
She stood in the kitchen and took stock of the situation. I numbly closed the door and relocked it. She sniffed deeply and nodded to herself. "Well, you look like a mess, but at least you're eating. That's a good start." She started unloading packages of meats and seafood into the fridge. "We'll take care of your garden in here tomorrow, but for now the basics."
I stood their numbly, my mind trying to catch up still. "But what are you doing here?" I asked again.
"As I told you, I'm here to help you get back on your game." She stood and approached me. I stepped back and bumped into the wall. She stopped an arms length away. "Change day happened, we've got a good dozen newbies already, and more still being found, or coming to us. We need every experienced paw we can get to help out. The LAST thing we need right now is for one of our main organizers to be moping around about stuff she can't change. You aren't the first to go through this, and you won't be the last. So I'm here to help you get over yourself and back to helping those who really need it. Got it?" I nodded numbly. "Good."
She finished unpacking what she brought for the kitchen and grabbed the remaining bags. She brushed past me in the short hallway and looked at the rest of my apartment."So this is what it looks like when you don't expect company. Well, first things first."
"Dinner?" I asked hopefully, the scents left over from unpacking the groceries making me salivate.
"No, something else that I found helped for me. Damn, this is your only mirror? It'll have to do. Get over here," she was looking into my bathroom, waiting for me.
I padded over and she nudged me into the bathroom. I turned my head away from the mirror over the sink.
"Now strip," she ordered, staring at me.
I stared at her, mouth dropping open.
"You heard me, get out of those dirty clothes. You're not leaving that room until you do so."
I started to close the door, but her hand shot out and banged it back against the wall. "No hiding. We're all women here anyways."
Growling in frustration, I tugged my shorts and underwear down and stepped out of them. That was easy to do since the shirt was long enough to hide everything, especially when I held my tail down. I glanced over at her, and saw her waiting patiently, keeping her expression carefully neutral. I took a deep breath, and tugged the shirt off, turning so I couldn't see my reflection in the mirror.
"Face the mirror and look at yourself," she snapped, not missing my reluctance.
I lifted my head again and faced myself. A smooth round face looked back at me seen with dark eyes. My ears twitched and swiveled a bit, darker on the tops than the insides. Somewhat dark, tawny fur covered the top of my head and muzzle, and went down my back and the outsides of my arms and legs. Starting at my cheeks and under my muzzle it lightened to a dirty white, going down the inside of my arms and down my front. My arms and shoulders seemed muscular, but not bulky. Though I tried to avoid it, my eyes finally took in the orbs on my chest, big enough to be noticeable, but not unwieldy, the nipple hidden in the fur.
"Now, I know you aren't into that new-age stuff, and this will sound a lot like it. But it helped me through the worst of my change... Hell it still helps me on bad days," she explained. I glanced at her out of the corner of my eye and saw she seemed a bit embarrassed but she continued.
"And try to follow the spirit of what I'm saying at least. You and I both know that reality is different, but it doesn't matter. Now, put your hand on your chest."
I raised my hand and put it on my chest, under my breasts. I twitched a bit and looked down, puzzled at what I felt. I rubbed a little and realized I had another set of nipples just under my breasts, with a slight amount of fatty tissue, not enough to make them mounds, but noticeable when I pressed the fur down. AT waited until I was done my extra bit of self exploration.
"Repeat after me. This is my body. It is fluid. It changes all the time, from birth to death and beyond. It is just the container for the real me."
I looked over at her, tilting my head to the side. "Just repeat it please so we can get on with this."
I shrugged and repeated it, trying to speak clearly so she wouldn't make me repeat it.
"Now touch your head and repeat. This is my mind. It is flexible. It provides continuity for the changing body, linking one form to the next. It bends, but it never breaks."
I cast another look her way, but repeated the line before she could beg again. She ran me through a few more mantra's that she said she found useful, and by the end of it, I couldn't tell if I was bored enough to not care about my form now, or if it was really working. Finally she stopped and stepped away from the bathroom.
"That's enough for now. Go get dressed and put your shoes on."
I slipped past her into my bedroom and pulled on clean clothes. "My shoes? We aren't eating in?"
"I've been dealing with an inconsolable porcupine male and a moody cougress all day, not to mention driving 4 hours to get here. There's no way in hell I'm cooking too. And you haven't cooked anything with a significant amount of meat in over a year. You could barely cook the hamburgers when we went to Fundy last summer. I'm not going to have those chops I got ruined. So we're going to Ponderosa."
I hesitated a moment, not sure of my feelings. I still had some feelings of terror about going out like I was, but hunger and a touch of cabin fever were fighting back against the terror. I finally got my shoes on and we headed downstairs.
AT insisted that we walk down to the restaurant, partly to help me get used to walking on paws instead of hooves, and partly for me to get used to other people seeing me. I didn't think it was needed at first, until I stepped onto the parking lot. It didn't hurt, but it did show my feet were a lot more sensitive than my hooves had been. Thick foot pads helped cushion some of the rockiness, but I could feel the pebbles and stones that made up the pavement as we walked over it.
As we walked down the sidewalk, I had a hard time keeping myself from freezing in place and staring at everyone who walked or drove past us. By the time we were cutting across the Canadian Tire parking lot though, I managed to break that habit. I still had a strong sense of 'wrongness' about my appearance, but the Field didn't seem to care.
Dinner passed without incident. The rare steaks we were served were not the best, according to AT, but for me they seemed like ambrosia. I wolfed down my own steak, and a decent chunk of hers before I felt fairly full.
It's getting late now. AT is settling on the futon, and I'm feeling exhausted. Still, I am feeling better, now that she gave me the swift kick in the tail to keep me from wallowing.
August 19, 2006
AT started her crash course today, her course on 'how to be a hidden female'. It involved a lot of detail stuff that I still don't really feel comfortable thinking about, especially when it applies to me. It also involved trips to areas of Zellers, Wal*Mart and Shoppers that I never spent much time in before. Being two guys, as far as everyone else could tell, in those areas certainly didn't help either. By the end of the day, AT decided I was as ready for the next few weeks as I possibly could be, and declared the lessons over for the day.
A chance encounter in the stores with a coworker revealed another aspect of the second change I hadn't expected. With my goat-beard gone, I half expected my illusion-self to lose his beard as well. But what I hadn't thought of was the illusion hair color switching from my goat's snow white to the tawny color of my fur. At least I found out now, before going into work, not that I need to explain it much.
When we weren't going over girl stuff, we were dealing with the other aspect of my second change. We spent a long time going through the fridge and the cupboards, sorting out what was inedible to me now, what could keep long enough for me to take to my parents, whenever that might be, and what I could still tolerate. The final pile was woefully small, especially compared to the first pile. At least it won't go to waste. AT figures most of it will be edible for Mindy-err MD.
As evening fell, we settled down in my apartment and shifted our attention to our own projects. After an intense day together, we both needed some downtime. I decided it was time to reappear to the rest of the on-line world.
I logged in and exchanged greetings with the regulars. Almost immediately, a new window popped open, with a message from Adam.
<Grizzly_Adams> Hey bud, how are you doing? We were worried about you.
<Jetfire> I'm getting better. Taking it a day at a time.
<Grizzly_Adams> Anything you want to tell me about it?
<Jetfire> You'll find out eventually anyways. While you were changing, I had a secondary change. It happens sometimes, but it's fairly rare.
<Grizzly_Adams> So you aren't the goat any more?
<Jetfire> Sadly no... I'm a cougar now.
<Jetfire> ...A cougress actually.
The window was silent for a long moment. I almost expected him to come back with some joke, but to my relief he stayed serious.
<Grizzly_Adams> Sorry to hear that, man. I read a bit on that from those links you sent. It's so... I don't know.
<Jetfire> Tell me about it. But I've got lots of help, kicking my tail back into action. I'll tell you about AT and some of the crew out here sometime later. They're a great bunch.
<Jetfire> Anyways, I'll be on tomorrow for the game, if you're running it. Some quasi-normality will help out I think.
<Jetfire> I suspect I'll have better insight on Nar too. *BG*
<Grizzly_Adams> Oh I'll be running it. Candace would have a new bearskin rug if I didn't. *chuckle* Good to see you're looking at the positives.
<Jetfire> How's she taking it? She didn't change right?
<Grizzly_Adams> Nope, She can't tell a thing either. That's one of the hardest things I find with all this. I mean, how can you NOT notice a big brown bear in the car seat next to you? She does keep saying I need to shave though.
<Jetfire> Well it's only the first few days. We'll see how the rest of the year goes. What's with the nick? Isn't exactly low key.
<Grizzly_Adams> *G* Just wanted to try and cook up a new character of sorts with her. To reflect my new self. Not sure if he'll take or not, but for now I admit I like the hidden joke.
<Jetfire> Well, take care of yourself. It's been a long day, I'm gonna hit the sack.
<Grizzly_Adams> Sure enough bud. Oh wait!
<Jetfire> Yes?
<Grizzly_Adams> Your dad works at a building supplies store right? Could you ask him for tips on drywall repair? I've had a few... accidents where I didn't realize my claws or hand strength.
<Jetfire> LOL, no problem. Been there, done that, got the videos. I'll write up some instructions for you and send them to you this weekend. Even got some tips for getting plaster out of fur. Believe me, with a set of horns and hooves, I got a LOT of practice in home repair, to the dismay of my damage deposit.
<Grizzly_Adams> Great! Thanks again. For everything.
<Jetfire> Niters.
August 21, 2006
Well, it's been a busy, and stressful couple of days, but not much to report, thankfully.
AT left early Sunday afternoon, so she'd be home early enough for Michael to get home as well. He reported that MD was beginning to recover, but the quills were becoming a royal pain in the butt, and other parts of anatomy. Until he gets used to the quills and everything else about his new form, they'd agreed that a 'plucking' every week or so would be best.
Before leaving, AT ran me through the mantras, this time naked in front of a new full length mirror we'd picked up for my bedroom. The mantras were more embarrassing, even though she did look away, but I do have to admit they do seem to help a bit. Still strange that that is my body now.
The IRC game went well as well, though I think the rest of the group were getting confused and annoyed at the bear, goat and cat jokes Adam and I bounced off each other. Oh well, we'll work it out of our systems eventually... At least until the next player joins us on the furry side and we get a new target.
The walk to work this morning was interesting. The forest smelled completely different, yet the same as I was long used to. Before, I would mainly smell the drying leaves, various flowers and the grasses going to seed. Now, I found myself smelling mainly the creatures that made up the urban forest. Birds in the trees, squirrels scrounging up for nuts for the winter, chipmunks, a few coons, and many dogs and even a few other felines. At least my form was still well suited for the walk down the valley wall. In fact, I'd almost say the forest was more suited to me now then when I was a goat.
Still, every so often, I'd get an aging whiff of my old scent on the paths through the park, and yearn for my hooves again. Oh well, what's past is past. I wonder what the Professor is going to do when cougar tracks start showing up this winter? I'd looked it up, and though there were many sightings of cougars in the Maritimes, none had ever been confirmed; as far as anyone knew, I was the only cougar in the region.
I easily slipped into my old routine at work, which was good. Old habits did almost cause a mess though. My mind was focused on analyzing an algorithm while I went to the bathroom, and I nearly forgot to sit down. That should never happen again at least.
I'm still looking for more Frederictonian furs, but none have shown up yet. In this wave, it looks like we got some new people from up and down the river valley, another Saint John'er, a teenager from Hartland, and someone in Florenceville (a McCain, but only a cousin, not one of the big wigs in the company). There's got to be more around here, but ROB only knows where they're hiding. Oh well, I can only keep my eyes open and hope we bump into each other, whoever you may be.
| Preceded by: Film at 2011 |
The Veil (A Paradise Series) (First: Holes in the Veil) |
Succeeded by: Generations |
