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Warning !!! This installment of Cold as Steel contains extreme content that may be unsettling for some readers. Scenes include forced transformation... You have been warned... I go crazy in this one... We'll be back to the action in the next installment!!!

That night, Somewhere near Oakland International Airport...

U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel Reese Young was a white man in his mid forties with an unshaven stubble and the toned build of a man who had weathered his fair share of action through the years. That night he slept on a twin sized bed in a room near the top floor of an economy hotel, still wearing his olive black polo and drab canvas pants since he had not bothered to get undressed given the insanity he had just endured.

Hours earlier he was arriving home from an intense combat tour with the hopes of enjoying some well deserved rest and relaxation; seeing his family, friends, getting a cold beer, etc. Without warning, however, he was collected by a group of intelligence officers right outside the Dallas/Fort Worth Airport terminal. As he feared, his jubilation was destroyed when they informed him that his tour of duty was to be extended without question. He climbed into the black S.U.V. and one of the business suited men handed him a classified dossier containing all the information that had been gathered about the mysterious outbreak up to that point.

The decorated soldier didn't give a word of protest as he was driven to an undisclosed location somewhere in the desert, but inside, his thoughts stewed in disappointment. Eventually he gave a reluctant dip into the dossier provided while he rode in a waiting Black Hawk helicopter. After reading the first few paragraphs he came to the assumption that someone was playing a sick joke on him. That was until he checked his smart phone.

He nearly had a panic attack as his eyes absorbed reflecting news reports straight out of a nightmare. Young even made one of the agents in the chopper punch him in the shoulder to ensure that he wasn't dreaming.

The colonel had heard nothing about the situation in Fairhaven or the outbreak period for that matter, given that he had been stuck in the cold forest covered mountains of a certain country in the Middle East up until that point, with no outside contact with anyone other than his superiors.

He was awoken from his short nap by the hotel room's phone that sat beside him on a cheap nightstand. Groaning a little he reached for the handset.

"Who the hell?" he grumbled and picked it up, placing it to his ear. "Yea?" he asked in a weary tone.

"Sorry to wake you, sir," a young woman's voice began, "but we have a Sergeant... Um... Ab- sorry, Ab-du-llahi, -did I say that right? Okay- Sergeant First class Abdullahi here to see you."

"Really?" Young's eyebrows raised and he sat up. "Does he want me to come down, or what?"

"No, he asked for permission to come up to your room."

"Oh. Um... Yea, sure, send him up. Thank you, Misses."

"You're welcome, sir. Have a good night."

He hung up the phone and rubbed his face with a moan of sheer exhaustion. Two hours of sleep only seemed to make him feel all the more drained.

"He's early," Young muttered and got up to use the restroom. He then sat on the room's sofa for about a minute or so of aimless television browsing, when suddenly a short knock was heard at his door.

"That you, Abe?" Young asked, projecting his voice to the door.

"Yes, Colonel," a familiar bassy West African accented voice replied. The voice seemed to have the slightest hint of a growl to it but Young didn't take much notice.

"Gimme a second," Young said and muted the television while pocketing his phone after sending his wife a text and stood up to answer the door.

"I must warn you, sir," the voice on the other side continued, "what you are about to see may come as a shock. Prepare yourself, my friend."

"Prepare myself for what? Let me guess, you turned into one of those-" Young began to joke as he unhesitatingly opened the door, not even bothering to check the peephole. What he saw on the other side made him wish he had at least opened it slowly.

The seasoned soldier expected to see the face of his long time tier-one partner and family friend. Instead his eyes were greeted by the sight of a broad muscular chest partly concealed in a tight fitting green a-shirt that showed off perfectly toned pectorals and abs that were covered in a dense fur.

"-whoa! Fucking god!" Young barked, jumping back slightly in acute shock. He reached to cover his mouth as he realized just how loud his shout was, not that he truly cared, given the unbelievable beast his eyes beheld.

Standing proudly at the doorway before the stunned colonel was a powerfully built anthropomorphic male tiger. Nearly eight feet tall with a peculiar coat of neatly kept black fur with white tiger pattern stripes the tiger man stood on digitigrade legs that ended in powerful looking paws equipped with retractile, karambit like claws like those on the beast's hand paws. Fangs like that of an extinct saber cat protruded permanently from the imposing tiger's upper jaw a bit, and a long black and white striped feline tail swayed slowly behind him, emerging from a hole cut in his canvas pants.

Sergeant Abdullahi, a.k.a. Abe, joked with a growl like chuckle, "I told you to prepare yourself... You never listen." A subtle smirk appeared on the tiger man's face as he placed his hand paws on his hips.

Colonel Young relaxed a little after hearing his friend's voice come from the creature in front of him. He placed his hand over his thumping heart and took a calming breath, then with a little hesitation he looked up into the powerful beast's silver eyes.

"This can't be real," he declared.

"Have your eyes deceived you before?" asked the tiger man.

Young shook is head a bit and replied, "no, but this ain't real... I have to be dreaming."

"You know very well that a nightmare of this magnitude would have woken you by now."

Young shook his head. "How the fuck did this happen to you?" he asked with a fearful sigh, his Texas accent dwindling to nothing.

"We should discuss matters inside, sir," Abe replied, glancing over his shoulder at an increasing group of hotel patrons that couldn't ignore the fact that a reverse color anthro saber-toothed white tiger just up and walked down the hall of an otherwise human occupied lodging.

"Yea, ok, come-- come on in, man," Young hesitatingly agreed and stepped aside to let the big cat enter.

Abe briskly walked in and sat on the sofa in front of the muted television that was on a news program. It showed intense footage of combat between a company sized unit of foreign soldiers and some type of a vaguely reptilian dog-like behemoth creature in the process of destroying some town in Russia. A light armor vehicle rolled into view and was shown firing its automatic cannon at the creature. The rapid volley of explosive rounds struck the beast in its side, sending it sprawling hard to the ground with several small explosions continuing to erupt from it. It was then that the armored vehicle finished the beast off by firing one of its turret missiles into it, causing the beast to vanish under a large blast and subsequent cloud of thick black smoke. A ticker at the bottom of the screen mentioned that the Russians were considering the activation of all reservists due to the increase in dangerous mutant activity in the south of the country.

"So, uh," Young began, sitting on the bed to briefly look the sitting tiger man over. "I think I may have, um-- pissed a little... How the--?" he tried to ask, gesturing his hands up with a slight shake of his head. "What happened?"

"It was an accident," the saber-toothed beast replied. He relaxed back on the sofa as he spoke and crossed his furry legs. "I was detached with a platoon of Second Rangers to assist in the hunting of a stray creature. We chased it north of Fairhaven and into a small town where it managed to infect a woman and two men by the time we got there, by, as you can assume, raping them... Most disgusting display I have ever witnessed... The infectees were quickly quarantined, and we evacuated the town to hunt the beast. Unfortunately, my big dumb fucking ass slipped and fell face first into some of the big cat's ejaculate... Just my luck, I was the only one in my fireteam not wearing a damn gas mask."

Young shook his head a little, giving the big cat a subtle look. "Wow," he began and snickered. "Did you find the- uh, cat?"

"I- was placed in quarantine while the other Rangers hunted the tiger down. From what I was told it was found furiously masturbating alone, and only wanted to be given something to calm down... So, they tranquilized it and brought it to the same isolation room I was in."

"Yikes..." said young, a little relaxed sarcasm to his voice. "Did it hurt?"

"Did what hurt?"

"You know," Young gestured an open hand at Abe. "This..."

Abdullahi sighed and sat forward, staring at one of his hand paws as he flexed the deadly looking claws out of their sheaths momentarily. "It was more-- say, uncomfortable, than anything... So no, it didn't, at least for me. My cell mate had a different story to tell. For him, he said it was like being torn to pieces and put back together... I, on the other hand, only felt it happen. There was no pain, only-- the fear."

"I know I'd have been scared shitless..." Young uttered, snickering nervously.

"It may have been terrifying. Afterward, however, it was simply empowering!" Abe looked the colonel in the eye. "I feel like a child once more... Although the tail can get annoying." Abe moved his tail to his side and twitched the end. "It may have improved my balance by a large margin, but I almost got it stuck in the elevator door on the way up..."

"Nice," Young joked. "Wait, you're not contagious, are you?"

"I'm not sure, Colonel. The strain I've contracted has no preventative treatments as of yet since they only recently obtained a sample. I was given an experimental drug to render the nanotech pathogens in my blood inert, and they released me along with the others in just a few hours... I can probably still spread my infection with sexual activity, but other than that, I assume I'm safe. There are new drugs they are working on that disrupt the virus's ability to replicate, therefore, neutralizing it, but none are ready for widespread distribution. They need to conduct more research, I guess."

"Who's, they?"

Abe glared at the colonel and said, "I take it you didn't look over your dossier, yet?"

"Not all the way. I'm a little afraid to..."

"Well, they- are a government contractor called R.S.X.. I know very little about the corporation, but from what I understand they are working in strict collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and the World Health Organization to synthesize as many treatments as they can. The partnership has allowed government scientists to make strides in just the past day. Hopefully their future findings will prevent more of these outbreak zones from popping up. We've had a few- near misses- recently. One block of Dallas had to be sealed off earlier today. From what I've heard, it's full of ringtail cat people now... They may be cute, but-- like you said, yikes."

Young shook his head then rested it in a hand. "This is creeping me the fuck out," he said. "I mean, nothing's happened in Fort Worth yet, but what if something does, and I'm not there?"

"I know what you mean, brother... I found out earlier today that my daughter's been deployed to the Fairhaven zone."

"I knew she'd be."

"How's that?"

Young gave the tiger a confused stare. "Well, she's one of the best Apache pilots out there, Sergeant. Besides, they've grounded all low flights over the city, so I doubt they'll send her in there any time soon."

Abe nodded. "Still. It's a father's instinct to be terrified... By the way, I'm sorry you didn't get a chance to see Alyssa."

"Yea, I'm still stewing a little about that. If I miss another one of her games she'll never forgive me."

"That little girl loves you more than life itself, Reese... No soccer game is going to change that."

Young sighed and ran his hand through his short graying hair. "I guess... Sucks ass that we're being sent into that place. If I end up like you, heh, no offence..."

Abdullahi snickered. "None taken, Colonel. I know your old lady hates body hair with a passion. I can't imagine what her view would be on fur."

"She'd fuckin' kill me with a steak knife if I walked into the house all furry," Young replied with a short laugh. "I guess, if I have to turn into anything I should go for somethin' scaly... I saw this, like- curvy," he gestured the shape of a woman's curves with his hands, "kinda sexy lookin' dragon woman on YouTube earlier. I'm not saying I find dragons attractive, you know me, but I'm not afraid to admit I jerked off in the bathroom to the thought of-- you know, bending that scaly girl over a pickup truck."

Abe smirked and shook his head a little. "Oh, yes," Abe began. "I know exactly where your mind can go. We shared plenty of time in Iraq behind the hescos and I still have trouble sleeping after some of the stories your ass shared." The black tiger with white stripes humorously gestured a hand paw to his groin. "You should see this thing," he said.

"Um... How about, no?" replied Young, cringing a little at the unwanted mental image of tiger manhood.

"Its got these- barbs- on it now."

Young grimaced and sat up saying, "Ah! Too much, man. I didn't need to know that."

"I guess they're to stimulate ovulation-"

"Dude!"

"-In a female when retracted-"

"Fucker! Stop!"

"-In order to insure proper sperm egg contact..."

Young buried his face in his hands and grumbled sarcastically, "this assignment's gonna go by so fast... Full of-- cat penile conversations..."

"Hey, you started it fantasizing about banging dragon chicks," the tiger man chuckled. "On a sincere note, you should finish reading the information you were given. We are being assigned to a woman you should learn more about."

"Samorn?"

"So you read that part, at least."

"Yea... Hard to believe a dog can go from a- well- dog, to someone authorized to operate with tier-one's like us."

"Crazy, I know, but they have encountered similar instances of infected animals gaining knowledge and skills through direct contact with their attackers. This dog woman specifically has shown considerable abilities. We should not take the government's interest in her lightly."

"Mhm, but I want to see it proven. See her in action... And her test scores whenever they're available."

"We'll meet her tomorrow and will travel with her to Edwards when we go there for briefing. By then they should have her assessment completed."

"Yep..."

"... Read that packet, sir."

"Sure... By the way, I'm the one that gives -you- orders, remember?"

"When you read the damn packet I'll follow them, until then, I'm ordering us a pizza." Abdullahi pulled out his phone and opened a pizza app while, unbeknown to him, Young was preparing to take a photo with his.

"Smile, fucker!" said the colonel, holding up his smart phone.

Instead of a smiling beast, Young took a photo of a glowering tiger man that stared down his muzzle with no amusement to his face.

"Why the hell do you need a photo?" Abe asked as he continued using his phone.

"Cuz Mia doesn't believe me," replied Young with a childish grin as he too tapped away at his phone. "I just sent her a text that you had turned into a tiger and she said to prove it, so I'm proving it."

"Why do you feel it's necessary to show her now? I haven't told my old lady yet... You want pepperoni or sausage? Remember, I don't eat pork very much."

"She'll take it good. Besides, I'm pretty sure Alyssa'll get a kick out of the fact that Uncle Abe's a big fluffy cat now... Pepperoni."

"Pussy!"

"Fine, sausage then, asshole."

"I'll order one with both, ya big baby... Piss God off again."

"...Have you told your daughter?"

"Fuck no... I've told no one."

"They'll find out eventually, man. Mia'll probably tell your wife tomorrow when they go out together."

"Your woman has no filter over her mouth so, probably... Fuck me running! ..."

Young snickered and let a wide grin spread across his cheeks, relieved that his friend was still occupying the brain of the beast before him.

...

Meanwhile, at the Smith Haven Mall...

Aston slept silently on the cold linoleum floor next to the wall of an un-looted houseware store. The shop was on the second story near the main junction walkway that overlooked the mall's round food court and tropical plant decorated atrium.

The three National Guardsman turned some four hundred pound timber wolf bitches lay mere inches away from him like the dogs they've become, sleeping just as silently save for the occasional deep breath. Two of the wolves slept at Aston's sides with the third filling the gap at his feet.

No one else was in that section of the mall. Most of the sanctuary's occupants preferred the company of the ground floor below. Max, a couple of marines and the newly rescued National Guardsman slept in one of the hallways leading to the powerless elevators on the second floor, and the rest of the squad gave themselves similar sleeping arrangements. The two otter girls, however, joined the main group of the mall's denizens on the first floor and slept comfortably in a bed and bath store amongst a variety of furry, feathery, and scaly creatures.

Only a few of the big wolverine men patrolled the mall's corridors at that time, letting the other guards sleep before their daytime shift came around. They checked on all barricaded doors and windows and made sure that everyone calling the shopping complex home were doing okay.

Aston suddenly woke with a powerful violent shudder in his upper torso as if something was assaulting him in a dream. He frantically grabbed at his chest, gasping for air as he lifted his head off a pillow he scavenged from one of the mall's department stores.

The wolf closest to him woke as well, noticing Aston's terrified expression. "There something wrong, sir?" she asked in a caring, feminine voice as she sat up and leaned her head over to him. Her rubber rimmed dog tags swayed slightly around her neck.

Aston took a couple deep breaths and lay his head back on the pillow. He placed a calloused hand on the wolf's neck and stroked it gently for a moment.

"No," Aston replied with a shaky whisper, relaxing as best he could. "Just a nightmare, I think..."

The beautiful wolf noted the tears in the man's eyes and moved herself over to nestle up to him. She nuzzled his cheek with her wet nose which coaxed him to return the affection as he would have done to Samorn back when she was still his faithful pet.

"I know it's hard, but try to sleep a couple more hours," the wolf softly insisted. "Who knows what tomorrow'll bring, ya know? ... We'll need your strength."

Aston closed his eyes, but opened them again and looked at the wolf with a sad yet inquiring look. "Are you ok?" he quietly asked. "This is the first time I've heard you speak since... Your... You know..."

"I'm sure I will be... You know very well there's worse things that could happen to a soldier out in this city..." She gave a little smile. "It's occurred to me that I'd much rather be this big wolf than a bled out corpse... Even if I can't hold a rifle anymore I can still put this body to good use. Protecting people and keeping watch, at least..."

Aston sighed softly and looked deeply into her intelligent eyes. "I just-- can't shake how sorry I feel for what happened to you boys," he said. "Just ain't fair... You were only here trying to help, and this is what you kids got... You're only what, eighteen-nineteen years old? -- You didn't deserve this..."

The wolf smiled wider and kissed his cheek gently before embracing him in her front, semi-dexterous paws. "Shh... Just close your eyes..." she crooned into his ear. "Right now, it's time for rest, and only that..."

Aston obeyed as if hypnotized by the wolf's soothing, almost motherly voice and drifted off, this time into a thankfully dreamless slumber.

...Good morning 1st Marines, stand by for sit-rep... We had roughly a hundred nonhuman entities attempt a movement of contact this morning at about 0650. Good news is their intentions were confirmed affable so we are currently moving a small task force in conjunction with a company of 40th Infantry and 3rd Engineers to establish a safe zone for them in the far eastern edge of the plains one quarter klick from the containment perimeter. It is advised that all 1st Marine ground elements plan on doing the same throughout the day as the activity will draw others to the area. With an increase in heavy and super heavy weights in that area we are working to muster AC-130 Specter gunships to help maintain security during the construction process but Washington in all its wisdom is saying it will take some time before the planes will be in a position to assist. All containment procedures remain in effect. R.O.E. has not changed, i.e. don't shoot to kill until you have to... A.O. is still too hot for low altitude flights. Direct contact with the infected should be limited to clothing on skin. Be advised we have reduced our MOPP level for this operation, but be ready for it to raise again at any given time...

Down below several hours later... P-Day Plus 3... The Smith Haven Mall Security Office...

The shapely anthro female wolf cooed softly as her beautiful eyelids parted to accept the dim light that trickled into the room. She lay on her back, looking up at the pale white ceiling of a square room she didn't recognize. A single office style ceiling light was directly above her, but was off given the lack of power everywhere in the city.

Taking a deep breath she rolled onto her side, gaping as she caught a glimpse of her new dainty paw hands. With a hint of fear in her chest, she silently observed the slender digits and the smaller paw pads for a short moment. Soon her eyes were drawn to her shortened claws that she figured wouldn't work very well as weapons anymore, unlike the powerful paws her former body possessed.

She held back a sob and sat up on the single person bed that lacked sheets but had a simple pillow and metal frame. The alien weight, and undeniable sight of her new breasts caused her to shudder in fear, but the feeling of her breath teasing the six nipples elicited a breathy moan from her new kissable lips.

With a soft moan she grit her canine teeth and tried in vain to ignore the powerful sensation of her new female folds beginning to moisten. She tried to cross her sexy long legs to hide her vulva from her delicate vision, but she gasped in sheer pleasure at the simple action, forcing her to splay her thighs to let her heating folds breathe.

"Oh, fuck!" she whimpered and lowered her head, letting her long Mohawk of a mane cover one side of her attractive female wolf face as she stared at her slightly aroused dog pussy. "It wasn't a dream. I'm-- a bitch, now!"

A man nearby cleared his throat and drew her attention. She looked at the bars of her holding cell to see a man on the other side. He had a rather average height and muscular build and was leaning up against the bars with a gloved hand, a slung military shotgun in the other. He wore well used blue jeans, a button down work shirt and a black cowboy style hat with a pinched front and slightly raised sides. His some thirty five year old face showed years of disciplined work ethic and sported a mustache and short chin beard.

Not far beside the man stood an anthro wolverine wearing a sleeveless white t-shirt and the blue uniform pants of a security guard complete with a gear cluttered belt. A hole was cut in the wolverine's pants for his short yet bushy tail to wag freely from. He stood with his furry arms folded and a stern yet tired look was spread across his mustelid face.

"Do you wanna die in here?" the human man asked with the strong accent of a woodsman. "Cause I could just leave your ass to starve in this shit hole. You know that? Nobody'd find you 'till this hell blew over. -- But, I'm not that kind of a monster."

"Maybe not..." the girly wolf panted, a hint of despair in her voice. "But your friend is!" she snapped. "Look what the bastard did to me!"

"Hey!" the man shouted and slammed his gloved hand into the bars. "I'm the one talking here! Know your place, bitch!" He calmed himself with a huff before continuing. "Now, the way I see it is, you got yourself two choices. One, I can let this burly motherfucker over here," the man gestured to the wolverine, "unlock this cage and set you free, as long as you promise to behave yourself with the others and do as you're told... Two, I can tie your cute little ass up in the middle of the adult shop and let every critter with a dick in this building take their turn with that new pussy of yours for the ride of a lifetime... So what'll it be, sweetheart? You gonna be a good girl?"

The wolf looked down at herself and sniffed back another sob. "I'll... I'll do whatever you ask," she said, looking sadly into the man's stern eyes. "Just... Please don't hurt me anymore than you already have." Tears formed in the wolf girl's eyes.

"Everything that happened to you, you deserved for what you did! Those young men were only trying to do their jobs, and you took everything from them to satisfy your sick-ass desire to be dominant. I hate to burst your self righteous bubble, but that kinda shit doesn't fly when men like me are around." The man backed away from the cell and gestured for the wolverine guard to unlock it.

Taking a ring of keys from his belt the powerful looking wolverine man stepped up and unlocked the barred cell door. He slid it open and a metallic clang echoed through the room

"I gotta go, Aston," the wolverine said in a deep, almost growl like voice then yawned, revealing wicked fangs. "See you around, brother." Clicks and heavy steps on the smooth linoleum floor were heard as the wolverine left to go take care of things with the other guards.

Aston waved for the wolf girl to exit the cell. As he expected, she hesitated but ultimately got on her sexy little digitigrade paws and walked toward him. The way her hips swayed, and the alien ladylike gracefulness of her every movement was enough to make her feel uneasy, but she swallowed the feelings and walked up to the stranger.

"Get dressed," Aston instructed, pointing to a pile of folded clothes on the bench beside him.

She paused, looking a bit shy. "Can I have some privacy?" she asked.

"When you earn it. For now, just make yourself presentable. The guards make the rules around here, and they want their little safe haven looking good for when the boys in uniform show up in a month."

Sighing sharply the wolf woman started slowly rifling through the assortment of garments, Aston watching her close. She shot him an angry glare before pulling out a pair of panties. Quickly she slipped them on and a curious look came to her face as she found them to fit perfectly. A little twinge of unwanted arousal once again hit her loins, but she shrugged it off.

"Huh," she uttered and pulled out a v-cut crop top and tight shorts and slipped them on as well. She shuddered a little at the feeling of the top's fabric sliding across her upper nipples, but she shook the sensations off, relieved a little that her damp vulva was now out of sight.

She turned to face Aston with a slightly cocked hip and his normally stern visage lit up. He was amused by how the clothes, originally intended to cover her generously, only seemed to enhance her sexy appearance. Much of her d-cup, white furred chest was left uncovered by the crop top and it didn't even begin to conceal her smallest pair of lower breasts. Aston thought it gave her a true bad-girl look and his mildly aroused mind imagined that a little makeup would make her perfect for any rock and roller out there, even himself if she weren't infectious. He never found any animal traits to be attractive before that point, but the wolf girl standing before him was starting to tweak his mind, ever so gradually. She was innocently cute to him, but had a primal side that called out to a hidden corner of his mind.

"I had another wolf girl out there pick those out for you," he mentioned. "I, uh, guess her mind was a little in the gutter at the time."

"Too revealing?" the alluring wolf woman asked, placing her hands on her slim waist.

Aston blushed a little at the feeling of a sudden stirring of his groin. A quick shift in his thoughts suppressed his easy to manage human libido, and he silently reassured himself that he would never give in to any temptations the city offered, no matter how appealing.

"No. Not at all," he said with a suppressed laugh. "It's a little less risque than some of the stuff you'll see out there... Anyway, you got a name? One that you remember, anyway?"

Her big wolf ears went back a little then perked up. "Kinda," she began. "It started with a J. Jack or John or... Jerome, or some shit... It's too foggy for me right now."

"Well, none of those names will work anymore. You have to accept the fact that you're a woman now and a new name is a good place to start, so." Aston looked her over for a second and rubbed his short beard. "How about... Jewel?"

"Really?" she asked, slouching a bit. "That's a little too girly, dude. Come on. Don't add insult to injury."

"Fine, you choose. If your slutty mind can come up with better."

She frowned at him, but soon after sighed as her doggy mind gave up the search. "Fuck it... Jewel's fine for now," she said and rolled her eyes, letting her tail wag a bit.

"Alright. Let's go introduce you to the crew. They've been dying to meet you since last night."

A look of nervousness overcame her and she shifted a little. "Are you sure?" she asked.

"Yea, why?" Aston asked, having already turned to leave the room. He stopped and looked back at her, noticing that she hadn't followed. "Come on."

"After what I did... I mean, If those soldiers-- i-if they wanted to they could rip me to pieces."

"You're right, they could... I may be good with dogs, but there's no way I'm holding back a three hundred fifty pound wolf... In all honesty, though, not one of us wants to hurt you. Professionals like us," Aston shook his head, "we don't have the luxury of hate... It'll behoove you to make as many friends as you can, especially with how vulnerable your new body is, and I'm sure those wolves'll forgive you in due time if they haven't already. In the mean time just-- don't wave your tail at my friend, Max. That big man may not have a hateful bone in his body, but he's more than willing for a round two with ya, if you catch my dick... Which reminds me; he said that you only get two strikes with him, and you've used one. If you screw up again, he's gonna take away your ability to stand on two legs, like what you did to those soldiers. Unlike them, you won't be a big wolf. Instead, you'll be literally nothing but a pack slut, a breeding hole for every dog to enjoy... So If I were you, I'd do everything but piss that dragon-dog off... Unless you find the idea of walking like a real dog sexy."

Jewel scowled at him and crossed her arms, shivering again as she accidentally brushed a nipple. She lowered her arms to her sides with a huff and followed Aston out into the main body of the security office where McCray and Sarge had set up somewhat of a commander's hooch. The night shift wolverines were sleeping on crude bedding at the other side of the office, snoring a little.

McCray, Sarge, and three of the stocky yet tall wolverine men were looking over a city map laid out on a desk. They discussed places to search for supplies and marked a few locations with markers. The human lieutenant, in spite of his toned physique, was overshadowed by the powerful mutants standing around him.

"Hey, guys," said Aston as he strode up to the table with the shy wolf girl at his side. He wrapped an arm around her waist and introduced her. "This is Jewel. She's promised to do whatever it takes to atone for her actions, so, I trust we can welcome her to the group?"

"Of coarse," McCray replied and straightened himself. He reached a hand out to shake Jewel's. "I'm First Lieutenant McCray."

Her hand looked small in the marine's, but her grip was strong as she shook it.

"I'm Sergeant Brown," said Sarge, reaching his talon tipped hand out to shake the same dainty paw.

"Nice to meet you both," she said bashfully, and held her paw hands behind her back. "I'll-- do my best to help out."

"I'm sure you will, little lady," said McCray, shooting her a little smile as he circled a location on the laminated map with a red marker.

Jewel sneered a little at him and slouched. "Gotta rub it in, do you?" she asked.

"Hell yea," McCray replied with a smile. "A little hazing never hurts, buttercup."

Aston was a little amused that none of the men in the room gave Jewel's six breasts even a glance. An act of professionalism even in times of chaos, he presumed.

He took Jewel's hand and led her out of the office, down the short hallway and into the main junction of the mall itself. She was absolutely astounded by the bustling activity inside the place, a mirror opposite of the dangerous city beyond its walls. Mutants of a variety of species and sizes, instead of chasing, killing, and raping people, were lounging or wandering around the corridors and shops under the safe supervision of the wolverine guards and patrolling armed forces members.

The mall wasn't crowded by a long shot and could still hold many more survivors. All but the main two entrances were heavily barricaded to keep unwelcome guests out, at least for the time.

As she and Aston stepped out into the food court next to the atrium Jewel saw that the main junction of the mall was filled with well over three dozen people, all but a couple of them fully mutated into some creature. There were anthro felines of several domestic and big cat species including a couple taurs. Anthro canines intermingled with them, their species ranging from wolves, foxes and coyotes to domestics including a cute little Samoyed man and a sexy Polish sheep dog woman. A few mustelids and various species from the same mammal family as raccoons were hanging out there as well, including the two herm otter girls that had chosen clothing to modify for their new bodies. A couple of powerful looking anthro equines stood out, one an exotic zebra mare taur and the other a beautiful anthro Friesian stallion that seemed to take great care to stay clean.

From the biggest to the smallest, the denizens of the mall did their best to have a decent time. They managed to put aside all petty matters considering their once beloved culture center had been reduced to something of a rudimentary survival garrison. Their survival depended on having a sanctuary to return to, and everyone did their part to maintain it.

Out of the corner of his eye, Aston saw a some twenty foot long cobra woman with a voluptuous anthropomorphic upper torso slithering around the non-functioning fountain between the food court and the atrium. She was chatting with a couple of anthro rodents, one a burly rat man in a hooded sweatshirt, the other a squirrel herm in a tight casual dress.

The snake like female creature was a sharp red and white scaled thick bodied serpent from the waist down and her reptilian serpent muzzle was tipped with sexy black lips that didn't seem out of place, somehow. Her head was very streamline like a snake's with red upper scales and white lower. A cobra's hood stretched from behind her small pointy ears to just past her shoulder blades but did nothing to make her unzipped hooded sweatshirt uncomfortable. Her scaly arms had some muscle to them and her fingers were tipped with sharp black claws. She had asymmetrically cut black hair that accented her reptilian yet feminine eyes perfectly. The bra she wore was strained by her scaly, black nipple tipped breasts, and Aston caught himself staring. He was slightly curious as to why she bothered with such garments when most of the mall's mutants abandoned them.

The stunning snake woman suddenly motioned for the two rodents to stop and wait by the stagnant water filled fountain when her slit pupil eyes fixed on a male marine who had begun patrolling down one of the mall's first floor wings. She slithered up behind the man while Aston and Jewel watched from a short distance. Aston noted her gray sweatshirt which had an eagle, globe, and anchor emblem on the back with the phrase, 'Proud wife of a United States Marine,' underneath it.

"Michael?" the serpent's silvery voice asked.

The marine, who turned out to be Anders, stopped in his tracks, taking a subtle pause before slowly turning as his ears recognized the woman's voice. He unbuckled and removed his kevlar helmet as he gazed up at the powerful cobra woman before him, letting his M-16 hang loosely on his front. His jaw gaped slightly, his fearful yet acknowledging eyes locked onto hers.

"It's me, Mike... Your wife..." she said delicately, her eyes somewhat sorrowful yet genuine.

"What? ... Trinity?" Anders quietly said, some shakiness in his voice. "No."

Subtle tears began to form in the snake woman's eyes as Anders brushed the dark hair away from her muzzle with a gloved hand. "I'm so sorry," she said as she felt him place the hand on the side of her serpentine muzzle. "This must be terrifying for you to see me like this."

The marine sighed, giving his wife's new body a fleeting observation with some saddened shock to his expression. "No..." Anders began and shook his head, then looked up into Trinity's eyes, somehow recognizing them. "I'm the one that's sorry... I shouldn't have left," A deep regretfulness was in his tone. "I should have taken my leave when I could have and not left you and the kids... I'm a fucking bastard, I know... I let this happen to you..."

She blinked as a tear began to stream down her face. She said, "It's not your fault, baby."

Suddenly the snake lady embraced him, letting her lower serpentine body encircle around his legs. The marine, with a little hesitation, hugged her as well.

Aston leaned in and softly said in Jewel's ear, "quite the reunion, huh?"

"Sure," Jewel sarcastically replied, rolling her eyes in boredom. "Heartwarming."

"Where are the kids?" Anders asked after a few seconds.

Trinity gently broke off the hug but kept her clawed hands on Anders' shoulders. A look of shame and sadness overcame her and she glanced down, shaking her serpentine head. "I wish I knew, honey," she replied, a heartbreaking anguish to her sweet voice. "I was in the back yard mowing when this- infection- hit. I remember being knocked down by someone, or something, and by the time I ran back into the house-- they were gone... All that was left was their clothes in the kitchen... Like they-- tore out of them..."

"Oh, Jesus!" Anders whimpered and buried his face in his hand. He wept while Trinity tried to comfort him, her battle with her emotions becoming too much for her as well.

"This way," Aston said, gently tugging one of Jewel's elbows. "We don't need to watch this."

"Humph... I guess it's pretty bad out there, huh?" Jewel mocked with a slight laugh as she followed Aston toward the atrium.

Aston cocked an eyebrow at her. "You-- guess?" he asked. "Weren't you one of the monsters contributing to all this mess?"

"A mess, you call it? I don't see it that way. It may be bad for some, but come on. Other people are living in ecstasy... Maybe you and your friends should join the fun. It'll at least make your ass less of a prick."

"Wow... Really, bitch? You saw the devastation out there. Over four hundred fifty thousand people live in this city. They're already projecting that a quarter are dead, the vast majority turned into feral horrors like you used to be, with only a handful of mutants worth saving, and maybe, just maybe, a human or two left out there hiding from God knows what... It's our job now to save as many people as we can and keep them safe for when the military moves in..."

Jewel only glared at him in response, shaking her head briefly.

"What?" Aston asked.

"Nothing..."

"No... Tell me what's on your mind, princess."

"Don't call me-..." Jewel huffed in frustration. "Do you honestly believe the military has the slightest chance to retake this shit hole of a town?"

"Yea, as a matter of fact. I do."

"Really? You sure? Because I saw countless so called soldiers get ripped to shreds in just the first few hours of this outbreak, and a lot of 'em got dicks up the ass or crammed in their mouths. Then I watched them hopelessly turn into the very freaks they were trying to kill! ... And, yea, I helped make it all happen..." Jewel smiled lewdly. "Those soldiers you- saved- from me, were a tiny fraction of my handy work... Plenty of bitches out there that were once proud independent fighting men, now stuck with fresh pussies getting plowed and bred and filled with puppies... Hehe... They may have hated it at first, but I bet they love it now. Kneeling like whores in front of their alphas to beg-"

Aston paused, turned and grabbed her arm, forcefully this time. He looked her in the eye and said in a grave tone, "If we can't save what's left of this god forsaken city, you can rest assured that we'll sterilize it with extreme prejudice! There may be no nuclear option on the tables right now, but that may change, and all those wolf and husky packs your talkin' about, will be vaporized under a mushroom cloud... Now come the fuck on! Stop running those pretty lips of yours before they end up stretched around Max's dick." He let go of the trembling wolf girl's arm. "One more thing, I would strongly advise that you not ask anyone to- kneel- ever again, because most of the people you're about to meet, view that as a good firing position..."

Two marines, Clewley the wyvern, and the rescued National Guardsman were taking a break from their patrols to hang out on the tropical plant decorated atrium's benches and flower bed walls. They chatted with each other and with a curious anthro herm fruit bat with functional looking wings that still had two usable fingers and thumb, much like Clewley's wing talons. The bat was cute, short, and at the time was giggling at a joke.

The Guardsman, a young Asian man, was doing pretty well considering his unit was in complete disarray. He was given a spare M-16 and had repaired his tactical vest some, but was without a helmet and had ditched his tattered fatigue shirt in favor of his athletic T underneath. His eyes locked onto Jewel as she approached, a slight grudge was evident in his stare but he remained seated.

Aston walked up to the group to introduce the new wolf girl, and they greeted her with a bit of an expectant smile.

"This is Jewel, everyone," Aston began and gestured to the first marine, a tanned woman in her early twenties. "This is Corporal Luzzatto," his hand moved to the next, a cheerful man with a neatly cropped mustache, "Lance Corporal Newell," then onto the Guardsman, "and the man you almost turned into a wolf bitch, Specialist Nakajima. The handsome reptile beside him is Private Clewley."

Jewel gave a nervous wave. "Hello," was all she could muster, and shot Nakajima a short nod and smile as if to present an apology for her actions, not that it seemed to work.

Nakajima stood up from the metal bench he sat on and placed a hand on Clewley's thick draconic neck. "No hard feelings... I guess," he said, frowning slightly.

"That's good," replied Aston. "We're welcoming the young lady to the squad. She'll be helping out to pay what she owes."

"Good!" continued Nakajima in a strong tone, his eyes filled with a subtle anger. "She's got quite the debt to make up for!" his eyes shifted to hers. "Don't ya?"

Aston raised a hand to gesture him to calm down. "She knows what'll happen if she fucks up again," he said. "I'm sure she won't."

After encouraging an awkward handshake between Jewel and the group including the juvenile wyvern, Aston placed a hand on the wolf girl's shoulder and ushered her away.

Not far from the atrium was an aid station set up inside a cleared out clothing store down one of the first floor wings. Several mattresses and crude beds made of scavenged bedding material were placed along the walls and a few folding tables were set up with most of Doc's equipment on them.

At that moment, Doc was taking inventory of all the medical supplies he had left, making notes on a small notepad while counting out individual items. He had stripped down to just his fatigues with the sleeves rolled up, and had placed his load bearing gear, M-4 rifle, helmet and vest on the store's counter so he could work unencumbered.

A female anthro hyena was with him, dressed in lower army fatigues rolled up to the knees on her digitigrade legs. She also wore an army issue athletic t-shit, and had a stethoscope and dog tags around her neck. Unlike most of the hyenas Aston had encountered before, she was slightly more feminine with the fur pattern, hackles, and somewhat narrower muzzle of a striped hyena. She also lacked a bulge in her fatigue pants, hinting at her pure gender.

Lying on one of the aid station's mattresses was an unconscious anthro snow leopard male with the signature fluffy tail at his side that was as long as he was tall. The leopard was being given fluids through an I.V. drip inserted in an arm. On one of the makeshift beds was what appeared to be some sort of deer or elk person with a bandage wrapped leg and belly. He or she was conscious and watching the activity around with a slightly pained expression.

A third patient, a dark and light blue anthro dolphin herm, was sitting on the floor near Doc, holding a piece of gauze to a small wound on the side of her cetacean head. She had a short dolphin's snout, a dark blue dorsal fin, and a long thick tail that ended in the signature fluke. Her arousal was obviously getting to her. Clear fluids dripped from her genital slit onto the towel she sat on. The twelve inch pale pink tapered cock that jutted from the very top of the slit almost touched her small breasts as it's prehensile length writhed slowly.

The hyena woman was preparing a damp cloth to place on the leopard man's forehead as Aston and Jewel arrived. Aston knocked on the door frame as he stepped through the wide entrance.

"How's it goin'?" he asked.

"Uh, heh... Not the worst case scenario, but I'm stretched a little thin, man," replied Doc as he finished with his inventory count.

"Jewel, this is Doc," began Aston, gesturing to the corpsman. "Doc, this is Jewel."

"Jewel, huh?" asked Doc who gave the wolf girl a quick look.

The busy corpsman knelt down in between the trembling dolphin herm's somewhat human like feet, careful not to kneel on her tail. He reached over and retrieved the bloody bandage from her and tossed it into a waste basket crudely marked 'Biohazard Only' in black marker. He then took her human like webbed hand in his and leaned in to whisper something. The dolphin took a few deep breaths and seemed to relax some after hearing whatever it was Doc told her, but her libido remained strong, clearly tormenting her. Doc quickly taped a small bandage over her wound and softly told her, "you'll get through this, okay? Just keep it together. I'll give you something in a minute to help you. Just keep breathing in deep-- slow that heart rate for me."

Doc stood up and walked over to the dehydrated leopard man, crouched, and gently lifted one of the snow leopard's hand paws, placing two fingers firmly on the wrist. Doc glanced at his watch for a few seconds then let the paw back down and nodded to the hyena medic.

"McCray say's she can join the group so long as she helps out," Aston went on.

"Oh, yea? Well, we definitely need it..." was all Doc could say in response as if the overall shock of recent events had yet to wear off. He seemed more than able to do his job, but his emotions were in obvious disarray.

"All right. We'll leave you to it," said Aston and walked out with Jewel behind him.

He led her to the edge of the atrium where one of the two big staircases and nonfunctioning escalators were located that led up to the mall's second story.

"It may seem like it, but Nakajima doesn't hate you," said Aston with a glance as they began to climb the stairs.

"Like hell he doesn't," Jewel replied. "You can see it in his eyes."

"Just give him time."

"Who was that other guy?"

"What guy?"

"With the freaky snake lady."

"Oh... He's Corporal Anders. He and I don't get along."

"I see... Long story?"

"Well... I killed a panther-taur-thing... Um... It's blood got on one of his friends. We were under the false assumption that she would turn feral, so we abandoned her. She begged for us to stay, but... Air strike came to wipe out the mutants in the town and of coarse the helicopter gunners wouldn't know what not to shoot at and they killed her too... I fucked up, but I learned my lesson."

"Which was?"

"... Trigger discipline..."

They reached the less occupied second floor and moved on to an access door leading to the back maintenance and utility halls where a staircase led up to the roof. Upon reaching the propped open roof access door the two were greeted by a clear sky and fresh air, laced slightly with several scents including the smell of gasoline from a destroyed gas station a block away.

Scattered here and there were small groups of various critters, mostly winged mutants. They ranged from a couple anthro dragons, humanoid birds; some predatory like hawks or falcons, some not, i.e. crows/ravens to songbirds to more exotic types, anthro bats similar to the one they had seen earlier, and more than a few of the commonly encountered anthro gryphons; most hermaphroditic while two were single sexed.

Patrolling low and carefully along the parapet walled edge of the massive roof were the other three marines and two eagle soldiers. They all stayed relatively low behind the wall and took several pauses to look down their weapon scopes at any activity in the parking lots or nearby streets while periodically checking the sky for airborne threats and communicating with each other through their radios. Not a shot had been fired so far that day, but the troops were taking no chances.

Joining them were several wolverine guards armed with civilian oriented rifles and shotguns scavenged from the mall's sporting goods stores along with their tasers and pepper spray. They too scanned the area below with binoculars and weapon scopes and helped to keep an eye on the sky while keeping their stocky profile hidden behind the parapet wall.

Max knelt at the center junction of the pebble covered roof near the walled edge and looked off toward the smoking city skyline just beyond the commercial district through a pair of scavenged binoculars. His body had somehow changed again overnight, having gained a powerful pair of dark furred bat like dragon wings that sprouted just behind his shoulder blades.

"Oh, shit! Is that him?" Jewel asked with some fear in her eyes, pointing at the furry dragon-dog with German shepherd pattern fur a short distance away.

"Chill out!" Aston replied, waving for her to follow him.

"Am I going insane, or did he grow wings?"

"Can't comment on the insane bit, but yea, he went from dino-dog to dragon-dog last night... Don't know how, but it's interesting."

Aston led her in a large circle around the roof of the mall to introduce her to the marines and remaining airborne soldiers one by one. The marines consisted of two men and one woman. The first was a late teens black man by the name of Lance Corporal Speller, the second a man in his early twenties named Private First Class Talbot, and the woman, Corporal Nadolski.

The two eagle soldiers; one Corporal Alekseev, the other Corporal Mitchell, were just as indifferent to Jewel's presence as the marines, but Aston encouraged a handshake nonetheless.

After introducing the last soldier, Aston turned to Jewel with a smirk. "Alright, little lady," he began. "You've met everyone worth meeting. I suggest you head back to the security office and speak with the skipper. He'll give you something to do for the day."

Jewel gave a nervous smile and trekked back to the roof access door.

As she left Aston took a glance at the creatures occupying the roof as his curiosity got the better of him. Not noticing anything he hadn't seen yet in the city he decided to join his friend.

Max shot him a quick glance as he arrived. "How's it going with the new girl?" Max asked, scanning the skyline once more.

"She'll earn her place," Aston replied as he knelt beside the dragon-dog.

"That's good to hear."

"How's the city looking?"

"Shit, man... Terrifying as expected. Saw some huge dragons and who knows what else flying around the skyscrapers an hour ago... Let's hope they don't come this way."

"Hah... No shit. I mean," he glanced back at the male and female anthro dragon couple lounging on the concrete frame of one of the many skylights. The male was a dark green in scale color, changing to a yellowish belly and chest. The female was a light gray, shifting to pitch black at her front that accented her pink nipples, and light blue stripes ran from the tip of her sleek muzzle to the tip of her tail. She smiled at Aston for a moment and he returned with a friendly nod before continuing. "We have a couple fire breathers, but they're tiny in comparison. It'd be like a little kid in Iraq throwing rocks at a tank..."

Max glanced back at the pair as well, watching as the two mythical reptiles strolled over to intermingle with some of the other winged mutants.

Suddenly one of the tall blue and white furred gryphons strode up and came to a stop a few feet from Aston. The herm crossed her arms below her amble breasts and let out a sigh. Standing, Aston saw that this particular anthro cat bird was wearing a pair of cut off army fatigue pants and had dog tags around her neck. The only thing physically that separated her from the rest was a set of claw slash like scars that ran from just past her dark yellow predatory beak, around her hybrid eye and then down her neck a couple inches.

"Howdy?" Aston uttered as he walked up to her, slightly entranced by the fact that this was the closest encounter he had yet to have with one of those striking beings.

"Hi," the blue gryphon kindly replied, shooting Aston a little smile on the corners of her beak before she continued to gaze at the pillars of smoke that rose from the epidemic stricken metropolis.

"Are-- you military?" Aston Asked.

"California National Guard. 40th I.D."

"184th, out of Modesto by chance?"

The herm gryphon's feline ears perked up and she looked at Aston with a glimmer of hope to her face. "Yea, actually. Charlie Company, why?"

Aston nodded. "We have a few Guardsmen out of your unit down stairs, and that Sikh soldier from the recruiting station's from there too if I'm not mistaken... Do you know of any others?"

"I'm afraid not..."

"... Sorry."

"Shit happens," she shot him another small grin and flicked her ears. Her tail and wings fluttered some, and Aston could tell she had yet to get used to the sensations of her new appendages. "My company just got back from Afghanistan, too," the gryphoness went on. "Over there, we got pinned down by R.P.G.s, DShK's, you name it... We made it out with one- fucking- casualty, and he lived... Pretty satisfactory tour if I may say so... Two hours after we were sent into Fairhaven to set up an evac point, I lead my company of ninety five men and women into a goddamn ambush... We got swarmed, I got separated and then... Long story short I was a- complete- dude before one of those gryphon chicks got the better of me."

"That-- must have been nightmarish," Aston said with a nervous snicker. "I've seen the dicks on some of those girls... Ugh!"

"The weirdest part is, the one that infected me," the gryphon herm briefly pointed at one of the others who in turn winked lewdly at her, "is that one right there." She turned back to face the city. "I almost shot her after she ass diddled me, but-- her apology was- um- quite sincere."

"And by apology?"

"I mean a trial run of my... New- female body parts..."

"You know you can say pussy around us right? Your mother's not here to slap ya."

"I'm a captain. I'm supposed to watch my mouth around civilians... Er, watch my beak, now. I guess." She let out a sarcastic laugh.

"Captain?" Aston asked. "...Holy shit. You out rank everyone here."

"I'm in," the gryphon shook her head a little, "absolutely no condition to lead anybody."

"That's not true. Have you spoken with-?" Aston stopped talking suddenly when he felt as if something was gingerly sliding down his pant leg. Looking down he saw that the gryphon's strong lion like tail had snaked its way around his knee and calf. After giving the tail an awkward stare Aston looked up at the gryphoness. He cleared his throat, but the gryphon ignored him. "Excuse me, Captain?" he asked.

"Yes?" she replied, glancing into his eyes for a second.

"Um... Your, uh... Tail... Ma'am,-sir-or-whatever..."

Another glance revealed what that unruly tail was doing and, embarrassment stricken, the gryphon herm released it from Aston's leg. She held tightly onto the end near the fluffy blue tuft with a talon like hand.

"Shit, I'm sorry. It- kinda does that," the gryphon said with a deep blush, rubbing her face with her other eagle talon like hand.

"Relax. It's all right," Aston replied.

Max let out a growling chuckle at the antics beside him.

"Anyway," the gryphon went on as she released her tail, "have I spoken with who?"

"Lieutenant McCray."

"Oh, not yet. I want to..."

"He's a little busy right now, but later tonight you should see if he can help put you back to work. I know your body's a little- out of it, now, but with your training and status as an officer you'll be of a lot of help. We need... Um... We need as many people like you as we can get. I mean, we have some pretty scary looking beasts here that can put up a fight should they have to, but they'll need leaders."

"Roger that..." the gryphon replied and reached a talon hand out to shake Aston's. "Captain Junger, my man."

"Aston," Aston replied, shaking the gryphon soldier's hand. "Thank you for your service, sir. I know it's hell- out there right now, but if I know anything about you boys... I feel it in my gut- that there has to be pockets of your men out there that we can still bring home."

The gryphoness gave a somewhat saddened but agreeable nod and peered at the horizon behind her. With a brief pat on her shoulder, Aston began walking away but was approached suddenly by Max.

"Hey, Aston," began the dragon-dog. "Can I have a word in private?"

"Yea, no problem," Aston replied and the pair walked to an isolated area of the roof behind a large air conditioning unit. "What's up, buddy?"

Max sat against the metal side of the air conditioner and took a calming breath. "I don't know exactly what's happening to me," he replied, "I know I'm somehow able to-- I don't want to say control my infection, but as you've seen I can at least modify it to an extent. Especially what it does to those I pass it on to."

"Like what you did to Jewel, your wolf girl."

Max nodded. "And with myself," he replied and flexed his wings.

"Yea, I saw those this morning. Can you fly with 'em?"

"Maybe. I tried hovering and it worked a little bit... Anyway, I feel that my strain should be analyzed by the military. Maybe they can create something of an antibody or something like that with it."

"That's not a bad idea... How do you plan on presenting a testable sample?"

"...Well, I could, um, deposit- some of myself in a willing participant..."

Aston's brow furrowed slightly. "Whoa, where are you goin' with this?" he asked.

"Like I said, I can control the potency of my strain along with what changes it causes, if any. I know I can dull its effects to a minimum allowing a willing carrier to be safely transferred over to the government without any harm done."

"Are you positive it'll work?"

"Yea... I'm absolutely positive..."

Aston fidgeted a little and glanced around.

"You ok?" Max asked.

"Yea," Aston replied. "I was just thinkin', if you're lookin' to test your abilities, those National Guardsman we have down there... The wolves... Do you think your infection could get them on two feet again?"

Max sighed. "Yea," he began. "It's impossible to change them back into humans, but I can at least give them back a bit of their dexterity... But I'm not stickin' my dingus in a soldier, man. I couldn't live with myself. Bitch or not-- ain't happening."

"I figured you wouldn't wanna do that. -- Any ideas? I mean, we can't let them live like that for much longer. Their condition's an offence, if you ask me."

"Yea. I hear ya... I tell you what, I'll search out a willing canine morph and temporarily infect him so he can pass the right modification of my strain onto the wolves... I'll work with Doc to make it happen so there's no funny business."

"Sounds like a plan, bro."

"... Speaking of passing things on, there is a little something I'd like to do for you, my friend. Something I think you deserve."

"Say, what now?" Aston asked and glared at him.

"Only if you're willing, buddy," Max continued. "I want you to meet up with an awesome new acquaintance of mine. I met her earlier this morning and she and I made a few tweaks to what her infection will do to a human. If you're willing to have an intimate moment with her, she'll be able to pass a little gift from me onto you."

Aston straightened up some and gave Max a confused and slightly fearful stare. "What the fuck are you talking about?" he asked nervously. "I'm not fuckin' some- creature, pal, if that's what your asking. You should know I intend to stay human for as long as I can!"

"And you will, Aston... You'll find out what I'm talking about when you meet her. She's a beautiful hyena morph, and more importantly, she's a psychiatrist, a medical doctor working for the V.A. so you can trust her... It doesn't have to be done sexually if you don't want. A simple drop of her fluids on your tongue should suffice... Don't look so worried. It's simply a gift from me to you."

Aston shook his head. "Whatever, dude. You're creepin' me out, suddenly." He appeared as if he were about to leave.

Max placed a big hand paw on Aston's shoulder to stop him. "You're my friend, Aston," he said. "All I want is for you to survive this whole ordeal. I have no intention of depriving you of anything, especially your humanity."

Aston sighed. "I do trust you, Max, I really do," he began, "but whatever your little experiment is... That's what I don't trust."

"I understand... If you feel it's simply too much of a risk, you know you don't have to partake in it."

Aston did trust Max with every fiber of his being. He could easily tell a good man form a bad one and Max was definitely on the good side of things. But the thought of infection, even a beneficial one, terrified him. What if something went wrong? He thought. What if the exact opposite happened and the pathogens worked against him instead of for him?

Aston rubbed his eyes and said, "... Fine. I'll have a talk to this hyena lady. If it sounds legitimate, I'll-- be your first test subject."

"That's my man," replied Max with a brotherly smile. "If she's as trustworthy as she seems, and trust me, she is, she'll come looking for you soon. I told her to wait for me to be there before she initiates the process... I won't lie, it might hurt."

Aston took a deep breath. "Well..." he laughed nervously. "No pain, no gain, right?"

"That old saying holds true sometimes... Anyway, I'll pull guard duty for a bit longer than I'll come join you."

"Okay, man... I'll see you then, I guess."

"See ya."

Aston wasn't sure if he was losing his mind as he agreed to the bizarre terms of the future arrangement with the hyena woman who may not even exist for all he knew. Nevertheless, he fist bumped Max and made his way back down to the bustling center of the mall after doing a double check of the clear sky above.

Sitting at a food court table Doc and Sarge ate a small meal together, Doc looking a bit weary but nodded to Aston as he arrived. McCray was there as well and was picking up a wired hand piece attached to a mobile pack radio on the table beside him. A longer antenna was attached to it as well.

"F.O.B. Delta-Main, this is Kilo Two-Six. Radio check, over," McCray said into the small hand piece while holding down a button on it. "Delta-Main, this is Kilo Two-Six, how do you copy? --"

"Two-Six this is Lieutenant Colonel Chaves, I have you Lemma Charlie, Lieutenant," an aged man's voice chimed from the hand piece. "Go ahead."

"Sir, we have an update on numbers here at O.P. Smith Haven. Figures are," McCray was handed a notepad by one of the wolverine security guards, "we have one hundred and forty one civilians at this time. None are in need of medevac, however Doc Espinoza informs me that he is in dire need of a full resupply and then some. He's also requested a full veterinary surgical kit and supplemental drugs specifically for libido suppression. Um... Our food ration and fresh water supply is projected to run out in three days. We will work to requisition what we can from the surrounding areas, but we should work with logistics to secure daily drop offs at the beach plaza. We're not quite black on ammo, but I would like to request a full refit as well, and based on some of the shit I've seen out there, some heavy weapons wouldn't hurt... Break."

"Affirmative, Two-Six. Those SEALs are still saying that the plaza is secure enough for both medevac and supply drops. Be advised that they have updated their numbers to nine."

"Nine civilians, sir?"

"Uh, negative, SEALs. They found the rest of their boys. Three are infected including their squad leader, but other than that, they're still operational and at this time are supervising around thirty to forty survivors."

"Wow! Roger... Uh, do you have an update on our timeline?"

"Negative, Lieutenant... We'll provide what support we can, but in the meantime you keep doing what your doing. Keep those civilians safe and try to save as many more as you can."

"We'll make it happen, sir. This is First Lieutenant McCray, out." With a deep breath McCray placed the handset back on the table and slumped hard into the chair behind him, relaxing deeply. He rubbed his short brown hair for a second and sighed.

"Anything you need me to do for you, sir?" Aston asked him.

McCray looked up at him with an amused stare. "You know you don't have to call me, sir, right?" said the lieutenant. "You're not mine for me to give orders to."

"So what?"

"Just... Fuck, I don't know... Oh, uh, you could go check on your wolves. I haven't seen them in a couple hours."

"All right..."

Aston strode off and briskly checked both wings of the ground floor and made sure not to miss any of the stores or shops that were lit by salvaged electric lanterns and candles. He asked a few mutants if they had seen the wolves, but none in either wing had.

"Where the fuck are you three?" Aston mumbled to himself as he headed for one of the staircases on opposite sides of the area separating the Atrium from the food court.

As he began climbing a staircase a large mutant began marching down the same wide stairs as he was, not that he noticed since he was in the process of wiping a little sweat from his forehead. Pressing on up to the top half of the stairs without paying any attention to what was ahead of him, Aston stopped dead in his tracks when he accidentally stuck his face between the white furred e-cup breasts of a canine creature that was obviously much taller than himself. Thankfully, the dog morph didn't mind Aston's lack of attentiveness.

It was a beautiful malamute taur, a powerful female one at that. She had a large malamute's body from the waist down and was very powerfully build, standing on four powerful paws equipped with dangerous looking claws. Her humanoid upper torso was muscular but quite womanly to an extent and sported four rows of white furred breasts, the largest being her e-cups, the second somewhat smaller and so on. Her furry arms were well muscled and her hand paws sported the same black claws as her malamute body's four paws. Her head and face, and of coarse her perky ears were that of a big female malamute. The many black, gray, and white shades of her body's fur blended there to give her an appealing, lovable visage from any angle.

After an awkward moment of having his face buried in the fluffy taur's chest, Aston placed his hands on her dog body's shoulder and backed away and inch. Looking up he was greeted by possibly the most beautiful canine face sporting a cute smile he had ever seen. He could only gape slightly as the female beast took a step back. The sound of her claws clicking on the tile stairs was hypnotizing, and he found himself unable to look away from her gorgeous fur patterns and penetratingly devious countenance.

A joyous smile spread across the malamute taur's face. "Hi there, sugar," she happily greeted, looking down at the transfixed man on the landing below her. She strutted around him, enjoying the fact that he couldn't stop his eyes from taking in every detail of her soft, lovely furred body. "Or should I say, howdy?" she playfully asked, pretending to tip a hat in reference to Aston's.

"... Yea, howdy," Aston nervously replied, returning the tip with his now crooked hat.

"Care to touch, stranger?" she asked, her bushy husky like tail beginning to subtly fan her feminine scent around her. "You know you can't resist... It's a free country, after all. Take those gloves off, and have yourself a feel." One of her hand paws reached back to stroke the fur on her lower dog body's flank teasingly as she came to a stop mere inches from him. Her flank rubbed intimately against him, and the motion pushed Aston's curiosity to the brink. "I won't tell those soldiers down there if you want to do a little more than- pet- me, you sexy country boy."

Aston couldn't resist breathing in her aroma. It was thick with the scent of heat, lust, and most of all, an infectious desire. Her fang bearing smile grew wider as the malamute taur realized the effect her scent was having on him. She leaned her upper body down, her wet nose an inch from Aston's ear.

"I've been eying you since you got here, sweetie, and I can smell all your pent up ills... I want you to know that my friends and I have your cure! My tongue has become quite adept at pleasuring both sexes," the taur lasciviously said and licked her lips. "You should ask the girly bitch I had the pleasure of meeting upstairs... It was so cute! She tried to resist me. Saying something about that she'd only been a girl for a little while, and that she wasn't ready yet..." She placed her powerful hand paws on Aston's shoulders and massaged gently. "But I know just where to lick," she said softly, with a hint of lewdness. "After all, a girl knows a girl's body best... I left her squirming on the floor, and I'm sure she'll be asking me for another go, soon."

Aston reached a hand up, cupping it under her lower jaw then suddenly gripped tightly, eliciting a gasp and expression of surprise from the malamute's once grinning demeanor. She almost wanted to pull away, but allowed the man to pull her big furry head closer a bit. Aston turned and leaned in close, his now glove free hand stroked down her enticingly furry humanoid back. He then slid his palm and spread fingers all the way the base of her long curved tail where he rubbed and kneaded. She wagged it in turn, letting loose a pleasured growl.

"Perhaps we should take this somewhere more appropriate?" Aston suggested.

Suddenly the two allowed their lips to finally meet as her arousing scent overtook any remaining shred of Aston's resistance. In spite of her muzzle, Aston enjoyed the feeling of the malamute taur's exotic and fiery kiss. He closed his eyes and let his hands caress her neck and doggy head playfully, loving the feel of her soft fur on his calloused hands. Her extra long doggy tongue caressed his in the most peculiar of ways, and the feeling of his own touching her deadly sized fangs was a sensation to be rivaled.

Aston broke the kiss suddenly as an alarm went off in his mind. He looked into her eyes and whispered, "I really shouldn't be doing this. I'm... I'm busy..."

She smiled affectionately and tightened her grip on his shoulders. "Don't worry, big boy," she began. "You're not gonna turn into a dog, unless we go too far. Not that you wouldn't make a fine specimen of a bitch-I mean... Just let me- service you. It'll lighten you up. You seem way too tense for being in this little sanctuary of ours. If my friends are not mistaken you have the same responsibility as those soldiers. Right? You can't do your job if all this stress takes you over."

Aston sighed, and realized quickly that she was right. Every muscle in his body still ached from having trekked as far as he did the day before, not to mention being thrown from a helicopter.

"Yea... Okay," Aston said with a reluctant nod. "But that's it. I can't risk being exposed to any infection. Not yet, anyway." He thought back to Max's offer, and the gift of increased resistance he was supposed to receive, but another whiff of the bitch's canine scent cleared his mind like a windshield wiper to rain.

"I understand," the malamute replied with a smile. "This way, sugar."

The taur bitch turned tail and began sashaying her way to the once popular movie theater at the end of a corridor with Aston at her side. It was a heavily barricaded and closed off area of the mall where many of its occupants spent their private time.

The glass door entrance to the theater was destroyed by ravaging mutants during the first day of the mysterious outbreak, but the broken glass and other debris had since been cleared away. The carpets were sex fluid stained, but some of it had been washed by the mall's denizens as best they could.

Aston followed her inside and into one of the theater's many auditoriums. She picked up an electric lantern on the way in and used it to make sure nothing was amiss then began moving busted seats to barricade the door.

"Wait," said Aston, a slight fear to his voice. "Why is that necessary."

"You'll see," the beautiful malamute replied, her beautiful frame illuminated only by the lantern. She looked back at him with a toothy, ominous grin. "I don't want my new bitch to think she can get away!"

Aston snickered in disbelief. "You realize I still have my shotgun, right?" he placed both hands on the sleek piece of hardware slung at his side and held it leisurely, but ready to swing it up at less than a moment's notice.

"I'm fucking joking, cowboy," said the malamute taur as she turned to face him. "It's just so we can have this place to ourselves for a minute. There'll be others lookin' to use this theater for sex... Now come on. Drop those jeans and let this lady's tongue take care of you. Lose the shirt too. This may get messy..."

With a slightly frustrated breath, Aston let his shotgun hang on its sling. His arousal began to pick up again, and he reached for his belt to undo the brass buckle. After that he undid his pants and inched them down, his eyes locked on the malamute who began to lick her lips with anticipation.

"Take a seat," she suggested.

Aston glanced behind him and saw that one of the theater seats was still connected to the gradient floor nearby and walked up to it. He turned around to find the dog taur only a couple feet away, her eyes locked on his groin.

With a nervous sigh he dropped his jeans and slid his boxers down with them, revealing his hardening manhood. He wasn't very big, about five and a half inches fully erect, but the taur licked her lips as though satisfied with what she saw.

"Not bad for a human," she joked, placing her hand paws on his hips, gripping tightly and making him twitch a little as her sharp claws touched his ass cheeks. He took no time at all to unbutton and remove his shirt, placing it and his shotgun on the hand rail beside him.

"Alrighty, sweetie," the horny canine continued. "Relax, and let this big girl take away all your stress."

Aston's arousal gave him no chance to back out and he quickly sat on the cushioned chair behind him, splaying his thighs to give the girl's muzzle room to work. She lowered her dog body and sat like a dog before him with her tail wagging happily. Her upper body leaned in, her breath making Aston gasp in anticipation.

"Is this your first blow job?" the dog taur woman suddenly asked.

"Uh, maybe," Aston hastily replied, panting as her continuous hot breaths made his arousal grow even more. "Oh, boy, this is something... Yea, I've never... Oh, shit..."

Going slow at first, the taur closed her eyes and gently licked the glans of his shaft, gathering what little pre that had begun to emerge from the tip. She then rubbed her soft black lips down the underside of his length, then swirled her tongue around its base and around the testis for a few seconds.

Aston could only breathe heavily, trying not to allow his pleasure to become audible. Seeing his feeble attempt to suppress his moans, the malamute gave the underside of his cock a little nip.

"Gah!" Aston yelped with a little jerk. "Why?"

With a suppressed laugh the taur slowly parted her jaws and, starting at the tip, slipped the human's throbbing, pre dripping length into her muzzle. Aston trembled slightly at the feeling of her mouth ridges and teeth gently caressing his manhood.

The familiar scent of her feminine arousal became apparent once again, this time much stronger. His nose welcomed the sweetness of her aroma, obviously emanating from her canine vulva that had begun to leak her clear fluids onto the carpet below.

"Oh, fuck... You smell amazing!" Aston quietly declared as time seemed to stand still. He placed a hand under the malamute taur's muzzle and stroked the top of her head with the other for a second as the sensation of having his manhood embraced by something so unbelievably exotic was draining his mind of all thoughts other than those about this gorgeous dog lady before him. She pulled her muzzle back to the tip, letting her black lips suck his length before taking it into her delightful doggy maw again.

He began to tease the servicing dog taur's ears while she slid her amazingly dexterous tongue up and down his cock. Aston savored the texture of it on his member, a pleasured look overtaking his once nervous visage.

Suddenly, Aston felt as if the two were not alone and looked up just in time to see another powerfully built female towering over him just behind the chair.

"I'm glad you agreed to come join us, stranger," said the anthro lioness that looked upon the pleasure inebriated man with a feral grin of pure lust on her feminine lion muzzle.

With a happy growl the feline bombshell stepped a digitigrade leg over the theater chair and positioned her damp feline pussy over Aston's chest. He looked up at the stunningly beautiful lion woman and felt himself unable to take his eyes off of hers.

"I-thought-we were- alone..." Aston managed to utter over his steady panting.

"Not at all," replied the lioness as she raised a powerful looking hand paw and placed a big razor sharp retractile claw under his chin. "I was just waiting for you to become more comfortable, so I can make you all the more!" A lustful purr like growl emanated from her chest as she leaned down and positioned a breast inches from his lips. "You look like you could use a drink, you hard working man. After all, you did a hell of a job helping us lock this place down." She glanced at her tan furred breasts. "Don't worry, all my milk will do is nourish you. Have as much of it as you please. I know we'll need your strength if we're to survive this catastrophe..."

The lioness' words were hypnotizing but sounded sincere and trustworthy to him, though they didn't distract him at all from the malamute lady attending to his erection. His eyes locked onto the warm dark nipple before him and his dry mouth began to salivate for the first time in hours. He felt both hungry and thirsty, having gone without any sustenance so far that day.

With slight hesitation, Aston brought his lips to the dribbling teat and closed them gently over it. The initial taste of the muscular lion mother's milk was intense, and, almost as if his body were on autopilot, he began to suckle, drawing in a generous squirt. He swallowed his first helping of the tasty fluid that only a loving female could produce, and drew another mouthful without hesitation.

"There you are, my handsome stud," purred the lioness as she began to finger herself over Aston's straddled form.

Unbeknown to the nursing and head receiving man, another mutant had arrived and had begun taking care of the malamute taur's backside. It was one of those sexy hyena hermaphrodites, lacking the leather or jeans as she strode into the orgy unfolding in the auditorium. The dog taur was obviously expecting the sexy creature to arrive and lifted her fluffy tail to fan it around in excitement.

"First you, then I think I'll have to have a go with that stud you're blowing," said the dangerous and naughty hyena. "I don't think Max will mind if his- gift- is presented that way."

Releasing Aston's cock for a moment the Malamute turned her head back and raised her dog body's rear end for the hyena to fuck proper. "Maybe, sugar," began the malamute. "If he want's to spread his horizons, but I think Max said Aston's straight... We'll have to see about that when we're done... Now, put that knot in me." With a wide grin and a quick wink up at Aston the dog taur returned her muzzle to the human's stiff, slick member.

Without needing an invitation the hermaphroditic hyena lady placed her paw hands on the rear hips of the malamute's lower dog body and positioned herself. With a deep moan of pure, unbridled pleasure, the malamute quickened her pace, teasing Aston's member in all the right places to bring him to orgasm.

She sucked and caressed him for about another minute as the hyena herm pounded her Y-shaped vulva. Finally she felt Aston tense up. With a short grunt, Aston shot his normal sized load into the malamute's muzzle, feeling a whole new wave of pleasure as her maw milked him for all he could give before she licked his entire groin clean. She and the hyena kindly and quickly separated themselves from the orgy 'train' to let the lioness be alone with Aston.

Aston let his strained breath loose and relaxed back in the chair, feeling satisfied in more ways than one. His belly was filled with just the right amount of nourishing milk that tickled his insides. Opening his eyes, he was met with the affectionate smile of the big lioness who stood over him with her hand paws on her wide cocked hips. She slid them up her muscular yet womanly waist and stretched her sexy body before him, letting out a yowling yawn.

After helping the naked man to his feet the soft furred lion woman pulled him in and leaned her head down for a deep kiss, totally ignoring the two others having their moan filled romp behind them in the warm glow of the lantern.

"I can't believe this," Aston began, breaking the kiss. He glanced away and shook his head for a second as if in shame. He reached down and pulled up his underwear then reached for his shirt.

"What's wrong?" asked the lioness, gripping his waist as if to stop him.

"It's only the second day for me in this city," Aston replied, a bit of self disappointment in his voice, "and already I've broken my promise."

Suddenly the malamute taur nearby howled in orgasm, while the hyena herm groaned, shooting her load into the dog taur.

"What promise is that?" asked the lioness after a glance back at the mating pair of mutants.

"That I wouldn't be tempted to do anything like this."

The lioness chuckled and bumped Aston's shoulder with her fist. "There's no shame in some casual fun," she went on. "Especially with a killer stud like you. Besides, you gained something from it! You feel renewed, don't you?"

Aston did feel overall a new sense of readiness, and the recognition of this sent an alarm through his recovering mind.

"Oh, fuck!" he gasped, finishing the last button of his shirt. "I gotta go."

"Keeping you from something, are we?"

"Well... I'm looking for some wolves. Big female ones that walk on all fours. Have you seen them? There are three, and each wear military dog tags."

"Can't help ya. Sorry, stud... It can't be that serious. You should stick around for a little extra time with us... Besides, my hyena friend has something important to-- present, to you."

Aston glanced at the hyena lady who was waiting for her cock's knot to soften enough to pull out of the malamute. Suddenly, he thought back to his conversation with Max about the supposed 'gift' she was supposed to give him.

"She's Max's new friend, isn't she?" Aston asked.

"Yes, she is," replied the lioness.

"That's right, cowboy," the hyena's voice suddenly said. She shot Aston a wide toothy grin as she sauntered up to stand next to the lioness. Her black knotted cock of a strong eight inches was still erect and licked clean by the malamute. She slowly stroked the paw pads of two fingers up its length. "Care to indulge?"

Aston's mind reeled at the sight of it, even though he had never considered himself bisexual in the remotest of regards. He wasn't sure if it was the combined masculine and feminine scents permeating the air upon the hyena's sudden arrival, or if it was some deep buried fantasy in the back of his mind that pressured him to gaze at it. For whatever reason, his mind pondered just what it may feel like to be on the receiving end of a sexual experience, and not the oral kind.

"Um..." Aston began, his eyes watching as the naked, somewhat butch hyena woman gathered a bit of pre on a paw pad and brought it to her plump lips to taste it. "I... I really don't..." He uttered and felt his softening member begin to pulse with need once again, steadily coming back to life as he breathed in the strong sexual scent of the creature.

"Don't?" flirtatiously asked the hyena woman as she strode captivatingly up to take the man away from the lioness. She held Aston's hands and looked him in the eye interrogatively. "What?"

Aston found it hard to breath with the smiling beast as close as she was. Unlike the other two ladies in the room, she was only a couple inches taller than him instead of a whole foot and a half, but nonetheless, she was just as intimidating.

He glanced away. "I... Oh, boy, um... I'm- straight," he replied shakily.

"So," replied the hyena, inching her black wet nose closer.

The lioness and malamute shared a grin. "Let's give these two their solitude, sugar," happily suggested the malamute and the pair ushered themselves off to a different part of the auditorium to have some privacy together.

As they moved on the hyena refocused her efforts on Aston. "Are you scared of me?" she asked gesturing temptingly to her loins with her eyes.

"No. It's not in my nature to be that way, I-- I," Aston replied, finding it hard to look in her eyes as his curiosity about expanding his sexual horizons got the better of him. "I'm just..."

"You're scared, aren't ya?"

"No... I just think... We should wait for Max. Like he said to..."

The hyena chuckled. "You're cute... He doesn't need to know about what happens between you and me. Trust me, I know confidentiality. I'm sure that big dog-dragon man told you that I used to be a psychiatrist before this city went to hell."

"Yea... He mentioned it..." Aston sighed, finally looking her in the eye. In spite of her aggressive predatory visage, he found her to be quite beautiful with her reflective hazel eyes and sinister smile, an ear accented by a small ear ring. "Ok," Aston went on. "As long as you don't get any funny ideas."

The hyena's eerie grin widened as she saw his resistance fading. She helped him remove his shirt and underwear once again and tossed his hat onto the seat behind him. Aston kicked his jeans and boots aside as her hands began exploring his muscular body. He inhaled slowly at the exotic feeling of her paws against his human flesh and shuttered as she pulled him in close by his waist to connect their lips. Aston placed his palms on her ass and gripped firmly, enjoying the exotic feeling of her tail brushing against the back his hands.

Her large warm member suddenly came into contact with his average human cock as their hips encroached on one another, the slight friction sending pangs of pleasure through them both. A subtle moan escaped Aston's lips as her claws dug in a little.

The hyena gently broke the kiss. "It's time to get you ready for your gift, my man," she whispered as a dribble of pre leaked from her dick onto the head of his human shaft.

"You lead," he replied in a breathy tone.

"It'll be better if we do this au naturel. Don't worry, It's temporary. Max's gift will ensure that... Turn around and get on all fours. Present that firm ass to me!"

Aston could do nothing but than obey the dominant beast's command. He did as he was instructed and presented his rear end to her, panting slightly in fear as he dropped to his hands and knees.

"Good puppy..." purred the hyena.

"What's, um, supposed to be temporary?" Asked Aston, unprepared for what was about to penetrate his virgin anal ring.

With a short grunt, Aston felt the hyena slip one of her cum soaked clawed fingers effortlessly into his tight resisting anus. When it was knuckle deep she began swirling it around, teasing and coating the passage in her masculine fluid. Expecting her to introduce that knotted cock of hers next, Aston braced himself, gritting his teeth, but let loose a quiet yelp of surprised when another dripping finger entered his ass.

"Wait... What are you doing?" he asked, panting heavily. The pumping and swirling finger inside him didn't hurt, but the claw scraping his passage was far from comfortable. Nonetheless, his sudden shameless curiosity coerced him to allow the hyena to continue.

"Relax," she replied. "Just granting you a chance to see how the other side feels... For a little while, anyway."

Slipping her slick finger from his taut rear she stood by and allowed her special transformative semen to do its work on the quivering man before her. Aston felt it slowly seep into his body, a hot rush of sensations spread from his groin and rear to the rest of his body.

He let out a quivering moan as he felt every last strand of his body hair steadily pull into his skin, gasping as his complexion began to lose all of its texture and blemishes with pleasurable crawling sensations. "Oh-- fuck, what's happening?" he cried with a groan, watching his arms lose some of their muscle tone and his hands steadily become softer.

"I'm not into anal play," explained the hyena in a matter of fact tone. "I'm just making the necessary tweaks to your physiology so you can receive your just desserts in a much more enjoyable way than Max had planned for you. His original idea was far too boring... A drop of my fem cum on your tongue? Fuck that noise! I'm going all out, baby. You should consider yourself lucky."

Aston sat up on his legs, an intense fear gripping his gut as he saw the changes happening to his body. He was slowly becoming shorter and his skin was completely hairless including his face. His muscles had diminished some and were steadily continuing to feminize themselves with small, cramp like pulses. A groan escaped his lips as his waist slimmed down and drew inward some, followed by the creaking sound of his hips slowly widening into a womanly curve. Finally his shoulders retracted a little with a slightly painful crack to give him an hourglass figure any model would envy, followed by the slight ballooning of his formerly firm ass.

"Christ! Why are you doing this?" Aston shrieked, bringing a feminine hand to his mouth as he heard his voice crack, quickly changing to that of a young woman.

"Don't freak out on me," said the hyena with a sinister chuckle as she palmed one of his cute, perfectly graspable butt cheeks. "I told you these changes are temporary and will go away after we're done. After that you'll be back to your normal, boring ass human self again."

"Really?" he asked, panting as he felt his hair tickle his ears as it grew to frame his now feminine face a bit. "Oh, god... No, just undo this," he pleaded in his new, feminine voice. "Now!"

"I can't yet. We have to finish. You'll enjoy this. Trust me. You'll love the aftermath even more!"

Aston moaned as several small tweaks were made to his steadily feminizing body. He hated it. Absolutely hated what was happening to him but the overall pleasure of the transformation was undeniable. His body, though lacking breasts or a vagina, was indistinguishable from a beautiful young woman.

"How do I know you're telling the truth?" he asked, his breath heavy and his body trembling in fear.

"Just... Have a little faith," the hyena softly said into his ear as she appeared directly behind him. "You know Max wouldn't let me near you if I had any malevolent intentions."

Her darkened nipples and the tip of her drooling cock touched Aston's smooth hairless back as she slowly ran her hands up and down his new beautiful frame, teasing his new more sensitive skin with her rough paw pads and claw tips. Aston moaned at the feel of it all, his mind in absolute chaos from his own resistance to the unwanted change and the incredible warm sensations coursing through him.

"You're turning out perfect," teased the hyena in a soft, soothing voice. "But we're far from ready."

The hot throbbing sensation of transformation returned, snapping Aston out of his trance like state of pleasure. The terrifying yet undeniably pleasurable sensations began to flood into the flesh behind his nipples and into his groin where it was the most intense. It was like a pleasurable warmth, coupled with the massage of morphing flesh.

Aston glanced down at his nipples as they began to harden passed the point they already were. In the light of the lantern he watched them become darker and moaned at the deliciously intense pleasure such a subtle change induced. He moaned and panted as his areolas widened and the nipples themselves became longer and more female proportioned. He shook and closed his eyes, trying to ignore how unbelievably good it felt.

A low yet feminine chuckle escaped the hyena's lips and she licked the edge of the changing man's ear. He gasped as she traced his new nipples with the tips of her claws, teasing them to full hardness.

Soon after, it began. The budding of new breasts, slowly growing with an intense pressure until they reached an amble AA cup, but stopping there. After all, the hyena promised they'd go away after whatever was happening was all said and done, or so Aston's pleasure drunk mind promised itself.

The hyena cupped his new female chest and gave it an easy grip, sending a wave of pleasure through the squirming, cooing she-male. "And now for my second favorite part!" said the hyena in a subtly sinister yet mischievous tone.

Somehow, Aston knew exactly what she meant, even before it happened. He let out a long whimper and groan as the skin of his scrotum suddenly became incredibly taut, almost painfully so, forcing his testis up against his body. A sharp tugging sensation soon ripped through his cock, forcing a gasp of shock from his throat. Like a skilled craftsman the promised to be temporary infection got to work reworking his genitals. Aston couldn't pry his horror stricken eyes away from himself as his cock steadily shrank, soon nestling itself at the top of his scrotum to serve as his new clitoris and accompanying hood. His testis uncomfortably ascended into his abdomen as well, slowly one by one with an audible and subtle slurp.

Aston panted in both horror and pleasure as his, now soon to be her, new femininity developed. She grit her teeth and groaned cutely as her deflated scrotum steadily firmed up and stretched into a pair of human pussy lips, labia and all, while inside a new fully functioning vagina and womb were being created.

Without giving the new woman even the slightest respite, the changes continued, much to the hyena's enjoyment. Aston's new pussy began to radiate with a need so alien it both terrified her and left her panting with lust. As moist as it already was, soon a small amount of fluid leaked from it, slowly trickling down her thighs as she quivered in fear. She watched her new female organ begin to darken, panting and letting loose a moan of pleasure as the lips puffed up and thickened, tightening to become something belonging more to an animal than a human.

Her new vagina burned with an animal need for something to fill it, but the thought of even touching it sent Aston's mind into a fit of sheer horror. Blood soon finished engorging her female lips to make them all the more sensitive, including her already hard nipples.

What if the bitch is lying, Aston thought. What if I'm becoming her bitch? What if-

As if the hyena could read his thoughts, Aston felt something begin to probe her new nether region. She trembled, hating how good it felt for the hyena's claw to gently tease her outer dark pink lips. And that was all it was. A tease. Barely a hint at the potential pleasure her throbbing pussy could feel. A groan if intense pleasure came from her as the hyena slowly drew the teasing claw up and down her cleft, probing it a few times as new female fluids seeped out.

"That's right!" tormented the hyena in a sultry tone. "You're female now. And in heat as a matter of fact. There's no getting away from this. Fighting it will only make me go slower!" Suddenly the hyena withdrew her teasing paw hand from between Aston's thighs and brought it to her forehead as if she were embarrassed of something. "Ah, crap! I'm sorry," she began with a sigh. "I really shouldn't even be doing this to you but I couldn't resist. Let's just finish your transformation so I can change you back. Just breathe and try to enjoy it."

Aston could barely hear her words given the pleasure she felt, but when the hyena pushed her back onto all fours again the horror of it all returned. Her skin felt itchy for a split second and she began trembling. The fur pattern of a spotted hyena slowly spread over her new body from head to toe, like a wave rippling over a pond. She felt her feet snap and creak as her legs changed next, becoming the digitigrade legs and clawed rear paws of an anthro hyena. Black claws grew from her fingertips next, followed by the formation of her new paw pads.

With a sharp pain coming from the small of her back, Aston felt something alien begin wriggling around her cute furry ass; something- she- could wriggle. A nervous glance back revealed a growing hyena tail. Slowly it grew and grew, becoming somewhat bushy and the perfect length as it betrayed her fear by lashing.

Tears filled Aston's eyes as pain lanced through her jaws. She was forced to pull back her lips and gape her mouth open to allow her new, deadly looking fangs to slowly extend from her canines. Aston closed her eyes tightly as she felt the rest of her head begin to shift with short painful cracks and pops.

Without any warning, the hyena grabbed Aston's wide, trembling hips and began positioning her dripping member for the plunge. Slowly, she pressed the pointed glans of her cock to the transforming female's dripping lips, eliciting a fearful whine from Aston's changing throat. With a torturous slowness, the hyena slid her glans up and down the virgin cleft, coating it in pre.

Aston couldn't deny it. It felt so good to be on the receiving end of sexual congress. Leaps and bounds better than being a man, but still, Aston's masculine mind fought like hell to stay dominant. A loosing fight nonetheless as another whimper of lust emanated from her throat. She shook in a combination of pleasure and fear as the hyena's entire cum soaked glans was inserted.

"Awww," said a familiar female voice from close by, drawing closer. "Too bad it's only for a couple hours."

"I know it!" replied another. "He makes such a cute little bundle of fluff."

A pair of female mutants, the malamute taur and the lioness, arrived on either side of the nearly fully transformed female anthro hyena. Aston glanced at them as they knelt beside her, then whimpered suddenly as her muzzle gave one last crack to complete its extension, followed by the growth and shifting of her ears that parted her shoulder length hair.

With a slow, tender pressure, the herm hyena began inserting her thick cock, inch by agonizingly slow inch into Aston's quivering, hyper sensitive virgin womanhood. A long overdue cry of unbelievable pleasure escaped the new female's throat. She whimpered and shook as the new sensations filled every inch of her new body.

Still, her male mind held on, and a look of arrant horror showed through her otherwise pleasured visage as she felt every inch of that wonderful member stretch her virgin pussy to its limit. Every vein and subtle texture of that cock was picked up by her hypersensitive walls, driving her pleasure and terror even further.

Taking note of Aston's still present anxiety, the big malamute took one of Aston's smaller paw hands in hers and held it tightly then gave the new hyena girl a few reassuring pets on the top of her head and hackle lined back. Seeming to have a more lustful approach to the virgin female's problem the lioness began by teasing Aston's new nipples while her other paw hand fondled and caressed the new hyena's various erogenous zones, specifically Aston's new tail.

It was an overload of feminine and animalistic pleasure. Soon Aston felt her hyena lover finish slipping that vaguely canine cock inside of her, that knot pressed firmly to her taut pussy lips. The feeling of fullness, and the overwhelming sensations were simply too much. There was no way anyone could resist the amount of pure torturous pleasure she was enduring.

And then the herm began to thrust, slowly at first, letting Aston get a feel for it before pumping that member in and out of that perfect pussy as a mate truly should. Aston's mind went blank for the first time that day, unable to think of anything more than sexual bliss.

"Oh... Fuck..." she groaned, knowing there was no way to stop this. No matter how hard she tried, she was not getting away from the pleasure, and the teasing of her darkened nipples and other pleasure zones now by both girls at her sides only pushed it further.

The finale approaching, Aston dug her claws into the carpet under her paws and panted hard, letting her tongue loll out. Deliciously intense pleasure built in her loins, spreading all the way to the tips of her clawed paws to the end of her thrashing tail and gaping jaws. It was so different from the way her pleasure used to be, centered mostly in her average cock alone.

"Here it comes, Aston," said the hyena. "Don't be scared. It's only my knot. I have to get it in you before we can finish."

And a knot it was. Already swollen some it took the herm a few strong thrusts to pop the bulbous base of her cock into her mate.

Aston could only tremble, knowing very well that could have meant his demise. It hurt some, to have her already straining lips stretched to accommodate such an organ, only to have the said knot swell even larger to ensure that not a drop of the herm's seed would be wasted.

With a few short thrusts of the herm hyena's now tied cock, and a teasing wiggle, Aston was pushed over the edge into her first, and maybe last, female orgasm. Letting loose a powerful howling from her throat, Aston felt the most intense sexual sensations of her life start to run through her body. Soon she felt her vaginal muscles clench and slide and her walls spill juices all over that wonderful hyena's cock. She clawed at the ground, whimpering fearfully as the pleasure built and built to the point of making her see stars in her vision.

Soon after the herm came as well, shooting glob after glob of her special seed into Aston's fresh, waiting womb, filling the former human up to make her feel full with a powerful seed that quickly got to work performing its specialized function that in truth only a drop would do.

Feeling full and exhausted, Aston slumped to the floor below, panting as the most exquisite of orgasms held true. Eventually her blissful state began to subside and her vision went black a short time before the hyena's knot went soft...

Meanwhile, that morning... Oakland International Airport, USSOCOM Tactical Command Post...

It was a particularly beautiful day with the sun glistening off the water of the San Francisco Bay, that at the time was speckled with charter boats, ferries, sail boats and a few fishermen. Samorn stood by the edge of the tarmac and gazed at the distant city across the water, truly fascinated by it. The sound of the waves crashing against the concrete sea wall was soothing and the birds and aircraft added an ambiance that helped her meditate.

She was alone since Brice was called away for a bit when there was a need for more medical personnel at the field hospital. A group of very colorful exotic bird morphs were brought in by an Air Force Pave Hawk helicopter early that morning with injuries that couldn't be treated at just any base.

Samorn was curious about what happened to them and asked one of the pararescuemen. The man in special forces garb described it as an inexcusable hate crime committed by some Oakland townie with an itchy trigger finger. Falsely claiming that he thought they were a threat to his children the man opened fire on them from his front yard. He hit several of the humanoid birds that were simply minding their own business as they trekked through the neighborhood. The townie was arrested almost immediately after by Oakland police and according to the pararescuemen the incident made international news.

It was sad for Samorn to see such beautiful beings in pain, but she was glad someone was there to help them.

All of a sudden a strange shadow appeared against her own and the sound of strong beating wings came from above her. She turned in time to see a blue anthro gryphon wearing a simple tube top and a pair of shorts descending a few feet away from her. Samorn recognized the cat bird immediately as the man she watched transform the day before at the Marine Corps base. The gryphoness seemed a little taller than before but It may have been a trick of the light.

The beautiful herm gryphon gracefully let her lion like paws touch the tarmac with a few precise flaps of her blue feathered wings. She folded them and shot Samorn a smile before striding up to greet the beautiful dog woman that came to her aid the day prior.

"They said I could find you here," the cat bird hybrid said, the sides of her beak still curled in a smile as she stepped up. Her comely body moved with a hypnotizing stride. "I didn't get a chance to thank you."

"Don't mention it. It just came naturally," Samorn happily replied, greeting the gryphon lady with a brief friendly hug that awkwardly caused their breasts to touch. "You can fly!" she congratulated.

"Yea," said the gryphoness with a short laugh. "It was kind of scary at first, but I'm loving it now! Some air force guy told me to observe some birds and then give it a try... Good thing I listened, huh?"

"Yep... So, how are you feeling?"

"Fantastic! ... Being a gryphon isn't all that bad. I no longer have any shoulder pain, or any of my old health issues. It's a dream come true."

"I'm happy for you. Have you met up with family or friends since the marines let you out?"

"Yea, actually. My mom and dad live in an L.A. suburb... Unfortunately, they didn't get my text that I was coming to visit. You know, that whole parents with smart phones thing. Might as well give one to a lemur, heh. I guess no one told them I had been infected, either..."

"Oh... Did they take it poorly?"

"At first. My mom almost fainted, but my dad seemed ok with it after the initial shock wore off... I mean, It's not everyday your son goes away to law school then comes home with a tail and wings, right?" the gryphoness snickered then sighed, seeming a little saddened. "I don't think my girlfriend wants to stay with me though. She hasn't said it out right, but I can see the trepidation in her eyes. I don't know if she's afraid that I'll infect her, or if she's just scared of what I've become... I guess I can't blame her."

"I'm sorry to hear that... Just look at it this way, If you're meant to be together, you will be. If not, you'll find someone who'll love you for what you are. I'm sure there's a woman -or man, just saying- out there that would love someone as exotic as you."

With a blush of shyness and an irresistible smile the gryphoness nodded. "Thanks," she said.

"You are most welcome." Samorn and the gryphon herm began walking together along the edge of the tarmac, taking in the beautiful sight of the bay area. "How's your libido?" Samorn asked.

"It's fine," replied the gryphon. "I've taken the supplements as instructed whenever it acts up... How about you?"

"I found someone to help me keep mine in check. I think I'll only need drugs for when I go into heat."

The two feminine mutants began strolling past an area of the cordoned off section of the tarmac where a special forces medic was working with the sea dragon that was brought in the night before. They decided to move in and observe how things were coming along.

Some of the dragon's bandages had been removed, showing the rapid healing mutants were capable of, but the largest bandages were still present, this time without blood stains. The dragon sat almost dog like with the medic instructing him to try putting weight on his rear legs and to use his strong tail for support.

Slowly, the quadruped dragon was able to stand and walked a few meters before sitting again. The medic congratulated him and jotted down something on a notepad.

"How's it coming?" Samorn asked the medic as she and the gryphoness walked up.

The medic in lower fatigues and t-shirt glanced at them as he pocketed his notes. "Oh, we're making good progress," the man began. "It'll still be a few days before we can clear him. We're absolutely relieved he can move on his own so soon! I mean, wow!"

"That's awesome!" Samorn said and gave the dragon's muzzle a friendly nose rub. "How you doin' big guy?" she asked.

"Much better," the dragon replied. "Thanks... I just need to keep at it and hopefully I'll be able to see my wife soon."

"Where is she?"

"Wherever those SEALs took her."

The medic cut in, "that would be the hospital here in Oakland. It was pretty cool, they said on the news that the SEALs drove her there personally... She'll be discharged from there sometime this evening and we'll try to get her clearance to come here to visit."

"That would be great... I'm a little scared how she's gonna react," the dragon said and peered off into the distance.

"Don't worry about that right now, all right buddy?" the medic went on, giving the big reptile's shoulder a rub. "Right now, you just need to focus on your recovery. You're doing incredible so far."

-Nor will I refuse aid to any who seek it-

...