FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Dusk, Tessa and Kerra walked off together, heading towards the stairs to leave Tygriss, Sheliah and Fox downstairs. The pregnant vixen stood up and walked towards the front door, her tail swaying back and forth slowly. The click of her claws on the wood floor changed tempo as she began to shift in front of them. Just like Wolf, the vixen was able to change shape into an anthro form, she wasn't bashful over the pair able to see her nude form. She was a beautiful vulpine, her red fur was oddly vibrant, almost glowing and her belly fur was almost as pure as a fresh snowfall. A long, orange sundress materialised on her. It wasn't anything as fancy as Wolf's attire, but it gave her a fair bit more comfort over her belly. She smiled, simply saying a small 'ready' before they headed out to the car together.

Wolf couldn't help a look of appreciation at Fox as she transitioned into her humanoid form, feeling his loins stir but repressing an appreciative growl. His own attire was that of an oversized suit with his heavily muscled 6'6ft form filling it up.

He opened the door first for Sheliah and Tygriss to enter the back before opening the passenger front door for Fox to slide in.

Fox brushed her tail across Wolf's stomach, giving a sly grin as she moved past him to the opened door. She knew what she did to the canine, and partly enjoyed tormenting him from time to time, as most couples do.

A growl sounded from Wolf as his loins stirred, a sizable bulge showing in his already tight fitting pants before Sheliah gave a playful cough from behind.

"Just make sure you love birds are focussed enough so we don't crash please," her smile gave away her playfulness with Tygriss looking between the three before shrugging. She'd never been in a relationship before, she hardly even had time to pay mind to the notion in her past life as a mercenary.

"I'll come so far with you, if only to keep a certain someone company," Fox said, punctuating her playful comment with a trail of her hand over Wolf's bicep, "but then I will go ahead and get things set up." Turning her head, she smiled at Tygriss, "How are you feeling, Tygriss?" She asked in a soft motherly voice.

"Well, to be honest I don't know," Tygriss sighed as they set off, only for Sheliah to gently hold her own hand, making the tiger girl blush before feeling the car start up and drive out onto the road.

"It is understandable but we'll help you the best we can. You have had a lot happen to you both in such a short space of time, that is why we are going where if something goes wrong, there is no one to witness or get involved," she said. "Before we do go to Spirit Mountain, we need to pay a visit to my club," she said as Wolf turned down one narrow street, then another, heading towards the other side of the village.

"Uh, why? If I wanted a good time I could just go on my own," Tygriss half joked, only to get a low growl from Wolf. Fox reached over and gently stroked his arm that sat on the shifter to help calm the large male.

"It's okay Wolf, she's only trying to lighten the mood," Sheliah gently rebuked before answering Tygriss's question. "We are picking up a special individual from the club, someone who is experiencing a...similar identity crisis let us just say, and might help you both gain some understanding."

Flashback:

Sheliah entered her club, aptly named The Violet Wolf, wearing a pretty silver dress that covered most of her form but accented her curves, accompanied as usual by Wolf. She told him he could wait outside, knowing he hated places such as these with the myriad of smells and enclosed spaces, but he was adamant on not leaving her vulnerable ever again.

She was hosting a charity ball and wanted to see how proceedings were going. Some of the bands were decent and others...yeah, it was a sound alright.

Everyone watched and danced and even sang as they could with the music. The three on stage seemed very good at amping the crowd up and they played very well compared to some of the previous acts.

Garret, a dark furred, Anubian Jackal stood front and centre, wearing tight fitting clothes that left little to the imagination. Singing and playing the guitar with some skill, he led the rest of the band fluidly from lyric to lyric and song to song, never really stopping their music. A one year sobriety chip from his alcoholics group hung and bounced on a gold chain as he danced during the solos.

On a large set of drums towards the back of the stage sat Richard, a large, bulky panther, his fur shining like oil. He had both eyes closed, ears twitching as he kept the tempo, easily changing with the subtle hints from the guitarist's instrument. On his bass drums, was the symbol of their band, a tribal designed cerberus with the head of the jackal, panther and a hyena.

Lastly, Jayce, the hyena played the bass and sang along, the subtle hints of his species' notable laugh being heard with the music between lines, showing his enjoyment in playing. His fur was a light tan colour, spots of red and purple dotted his bare back. The long mane of almost black hair spiked up on the top of his head and trailed down his back to between his shoulder blades.

His baggy jeans jingled slightly, the belt and the wallet chain dancing around with him. Around his neck was a leather choker, a small gold medallion sat in the middle just on his throat where his Adam's Apple would be. Finally, they played the last few notes to a song before stopping.

Sheliah couldn't help but feel the infectious energy coming from the band, it wasn't her type of music, but the energy gave a slight bounce in her step regardless whereas poor Wolf was growling, trying to keep his sensitive ears as flat as possible to drown the noise out.

"I guess I should be thankful that we only inherited half of our feral ancestors' sensitive hearing," Sheliah said with a hand on his muscled arm.

Most who they came across, Sheliah gave a wave to, though most shied away from the hulking wolf at her back. He looked even more menacing with his teeth bared in pain as the music assaulted them from all sides with the surround speakers before, much to Wolf's relief, the band wrapped up.

"We wanted to thank you all for coming! With everyone's help we've raised so much for the homeless around the village and surrounding areas." the jackal chuckled, "We're so happy to have a part in this event." Garrett saw Sheliah walking towards the side of the stage. "And now, the lovely wolf that made all this possible, Sheliah."

Sheliah smiled and nodded at the Jackal before walking onto the stage with Wolf off to one side, not breathing down her neck and intimidating the crowd but close should anything happen.

The hyena drank a quick shot of water from a bottle, his lilac eyes catching Sheliah's and lingering for a moment before he turned away with a slight blush as she passed him to reach the microphone.

"Thank you Garret and the Night Howlers for rounding tonight off with a great performance, along with the rest of the great bands tonight. And thanks to everyone who came tonight, it will help so many homeless with shelter and food, as 100% of the profits will go to Nest Village's helping paw shelter," she said to a round of applause. "And of course this is also about getting some of the smaller bands known and some of them will be selling their own merchandise in stalls on the way out so feel free to browse and show your appreciation to them as well."

She rounded off her speech with another round of applause before a few of the upper crust greeted her, to which she tried to keep as short as possible. She may be a mistress and own part of the village but she didn't care for the boorish snobs who thought they were all that.

The Night Howlers were breaking down their setup and talking amongst themselves as the club emptied. At least Jayce and Garret talked. Richard needed the hyena to translate for him, signing with his hands between taking apart his drum set. It didn't take them too long to finish collecting their equipment and move it to the small RV that they used for a touring bus.

As the last band began to filter out of the rear stage door, Sheliah caught up to them. A certain someone had caught her eye and she wondered if maybe she could help.

"Hey, I would just like to say I really appreciate you and your friends coming tonight, you were definitely one of the better bands," Sheliah said with a warm smile, her hand on Jayce's shoulder.

The jackal grinned widely and nodded. "We should be thanking you, Sheliah." He said, "it's a great cause, and hell, it never hurts getting one's name out there.." He glanced at the paw on Jayce's shoulder smiling at the both.

His bassist kept averting his eyes from looking directly into Sheliah's eyes, but stood tall all the same. There was a curiosity in Jayce, he was an entirely oddly proportioned hyena. He was taller than the jackal, shorter than Richard the panther. He was skinny, too, the button up top hung off of him, left open after their performance. "Y-Yeah, we'd love to do it again some time...for sure." Jayce said with a slight catch in his voice.

"Definitely, that is, if you'll have us?" Garret smiled at the wolfess as he slid his guitar case into the back of the RV.

"You'd always be welcome to gig here if you like our little village, it doesn't have much compared to the towns but we do have a few beauty spots," Sheliah said, still studying the hyena with her deep purple eyes. The braids in her hair and tribal patterns in her fur making her seem much more mysterious than the rest. She let her hand fall from Jayce's shoulder with a soft smile, seeming satisfied as if discovering a secret.

"Well if you want to stay to play an extra night I can have the Eclipse Inn put you up for the night free of charge?" Sheliah said as more than a few patrons looked the band's way with interest. "You might already have some fans here," she said with a small laugh.

Wolf gritted his teeth as a family passed by and a toddler took a keen interest in his long tail, grasping hold and refusing to let go much to the families dismay with Wolf doing all he could not to growl.

Garret couldn't help but laugh at Wolf's predicament but quickly straightened up as he got his own snarl from the Wolf. Clearing his throat, the jackal nodded to Sheliah. "That would be wonderful. We're free for tomorrow, so...we could definitely do another night." He looked between his bandmates.

Richard nodded and smiled as well, his muzzle showing a bit of grey around his nose and mouth. Now that she was up closer, she could see that he had a long scratch over his left eye, a deep red stain around it helped to exaggerate the cloudiness of the eye. There was a long scar on his neck, right across from his throat, showing now why he was having to use sign language.

"Before you leave, may I borrow your hyena friend? I have a proposition for him," Sheliah said so only they could hear her.

When asked if she could borrow him, Jayce's ears went sideways in curiosity, his head cocked to the side. "W-what could you...uhm if it's about the band it's okay if we talk together." Jayce rubbed his forearm. He could sense something about the wolfess, like she was reading him. Shaking the feeling he put his bass into the back of the RV alongside Garret's guitar, His tail curling and uncurling behind him.

"Ah, go on, Jayce. We're going to go grab a bite, you'll catch us up later," the jackal smiled and patted the hyena on the shoulder. "Thank you again, Sheliah!" Garret gently shook her paw before he and Richard walked away.

Jayce wanted to stop them from leaving, a sudden nervousness coming across him. His paw reached forward before he withdrew it and turned to look at Sheliah, his lilac coloured eyes gazed sideways. He was normally so outgoing and confident, but something about being alone with Sheliah began to make him feel nervous and withdrawn. "U-uuhm...." He stood there, not sure what to say.

"Don't worry, no need to be nervous, I have nothing nefarious in store. I'm not like one of those mistresses in books," she said with a gentle laugh before continuing. "I just couldn't help but notice you were...hiding yourself away was all, and wondered if maybe I could help you feel more comfortable with who you are."

Wolf sighed and rolled his eyes, "The last thing you need is another mongrel to care for, don't you already have enough charges?" He said to her, which she swatted him across his muzzle for.

"Thank you Wolf, but don't be rude," she said, Wolf wiggling his nose in a disgruntled manner but staying quiet, if not sullenly.

"As I was saying, I just want to help you. As Wolf put bluntly, I do have a habit of sticking my nose into other people's affairs but I guess when something doesn't sit right with me and I think I can help, I try."

She gently held Jayce's hands in her own, her deep violet eyes gazing gently at him, seeming as if they were reading his soul. "I just want to know if you are okay, if you are happy...pretending to be a boy?"

Watching the back and forth between the two before she took his paws. He looked into her eyes, drawn to them as she spoke. "N-No I'm not hiding anything, I have no idea why you'd think I'm a girl!" The hyena barked suddenly, pulling his paws away with a shake of his head.

"I might not have ALL the parts anymore, but I am still a guy!" He made an over exaggerated motion to his crotch. Giving a glance to Wolf, then back to Sheliah, his blush darkened

"Sheliah, you will have to learn to keep your nose out of everyone's issues, not everyone wants them confronted," Wolf said as he laid a massive hand gently on her shoulder.

"I know Wolf...I guess I just hate to see someone lying to themselves. You sensed it too right? The discord running through her? Even still...I guess I will just apologise and leave her be," she said before walking round back and into the car park to find the rest of the band members packing and chatting. Some even seemed to have scored a young admirer for the night from the village.

The hyena's ears flitted, able to hear what they were saying, though just barely; the loudest word to him was 'her', which rang in his ears. It was obvious he was a bit mad at the comment. Turning away from the both, he went back to rummaging around in the bus for a second and turned back around. "Sorry, didn't mean to snap at you." He thumbed the medallion around his neck.

"I'm not pretending anything." He said more calmly, but still defensively as he leaned against the side of the RV, his lilac coloured eyes avoiding looking into Sheliah's as best as he could.

"I get that, and I'm sorry for speaking out of turn, you make for a fine man," Sheliah said as she held a hand out. "I didn't mean to upset you, I only wanted to help. But...I can tell I overstepped my bounds."

There was a pang of guilt on the hyena's face, his heart gave a heavy throb in his chest as his ears fell back. Looking at her hand he gently held it, his eyes meeting hers again, then darted sideways, then met once again

As Jayce clasped his hand in her own, she looked into Jayce's eyes, seeing that inner conflict he had before she slid her hand slowly out from his, leaving a crumpled piece of paper in his palm. Before the hyena could say anything she brought him into a warm, gentle hug. "Thank you again for the performance, and don't worry, I will keep your secret. But if you want someone with certain helpful skills for guidance...my number is on that paper," she whispered into his ear before straightening and turning around with a glance over her shoulder.

Jayce gave a sharp gasp as he was hugged gently in a way that reminded him of his mother's hugs. His ears fell back again and gave a gentle nod as she whispered into his ear. His stomach was doing flips as they held the embrace long enough for her to tell him what she needed to say. When they separated and she started off, he looked down at the paper in his paw, Garret's voice could be heard coming back up the car park.

"You lot sticking by for one more night yeah? Oh and try not to take all the young girls in my village, we need some of them," she chuckled before walking back inside the club with a wave of a smokey grey hand back at them.

"What about the boys?" Garret said, though it was vague on if it was in jest. "Oh yeah, We'll be happy playing again for you tomorrow." Garret said back, "you heard her, Richard. Behave yourself, now go get your wallet," he teased his drummer, receiving a playful punch to the arm. "We've yet to go grab a bite, you coming Jayce?"

Still looking at the number, flipping the paper in his paw, he jumped as his name was called. "A-Ah yeah, I'm coming." He said and tucked the paper into his pants pocket. They all went out to a nearby diner, causing a slight ruckus between Garret's loud speaking voice and Jayce's shrill laugher.

But the conversation between Jayce and Sheliah still played in the back of the hyena's mind. They got to the Eclipse Inn as Sheliah had offered. As they all settled into their rooms, Jayce pulled the phone number out of his pocket and felt his stomach flip again. Biting his lip and looked into the mirror, he looked himself in the eye and touched the medallion around his neck again. Giving a gentle huff, he scooped his phone off of the bed where he'd tossed it and dialled Sheliah's number.

He waited for it to ring through, toying with the medallion and looking out the window to the night sky, "H-Hi Sheliah?" He said with a little hesitation.

"Hello, who is this?" came an unfamiliar voice, bearing a husky undertone, "is this another crank call?" before Sheliah's voice could be heard from a distance.

"N-No. I'm J-Jayce. Sheliah gave me this number, I must have put it in wrong..." The hyena said quickly, still barely able to keep the stutter from his voice.

"Dusk, who is it?" Sheliah asked.

"He calls himself Jayce, thought it was one of those kids playing a crank call or something," Dusk explained.

"Oh it's okay, he's someone I met at the charity drive," she said, reaching out for the phone.

"I'll pass you onto my wife, sorry," Dusk passed the phone to her. "He sounds kinda cute," came Dusk's distant voice.

"Sorry, Dusk can be rather protective sometimes," Sheliah said with a soft giggle. "How are you Jayce, something on your mind?" She said, not wanting to outright call him out on what she suspected this call to be about.

Jayce blushed hotly, he was glad that they were only talking over the phone. Flicking his ears, he kept thumbing the medallion nervously. "Y-Yeah, it's okay..." the hyena said quickly and smiled to himself.

"I just...wanted to tell you the truth." He said quickly and to the point. "I've been arguing with the thought of telling you since you gave me your number. But You're right." His voice seemed to waiver a little bit, almost like he was building up his walls again.

"I'm not confused...or anything, I know what I am, it's just easier..."

***

"So that's pretty good timing, I suppose." Fox said as Sheliah ended her story, just as they were pulling up to the club. "I mean with Tyg and Tessa's arrival as well..." She glanced back at the tigress and gave a soft smile as they parked.

"So wait, we're picking this guy up, who is in fact really a girl in disguise to somehow help each other...I don't follow," Tygriss said as she cocked her head side to side.

"It's quite simple, Tygriss," Sheliah said, pausing with one foot out the door. "Jayce is at odds with herself, and you are a female who was formerly a male. Not only that but from a different time or planet, and you may appear to be a woman but you still have a lot to learn. So the two of you can learn off of each other," she said with a smile before pausing at the door.

"Oh and Fox, could you head to my shaman cabin and get things ready for two guests please?" Sheliah said to the vixen in the passenger seat before walking into the club.

"Of course. I was planning to." She said hearing the band playing again. "Besides, the way Wolf explained it, I don't know if I wanna go in there myself." She smiled as she pointed to her ears, her tone showed that she was clearly joking.

"Trust me, you don't," Wolf huffed with his arms folded. "It's painful even without the volume, I wonder what mortals see in that noise."

"It's what they enjoy, I guess. I'll see you at the mountain, love." She kissed Wolf on the cheek before opening the door, and as smoothly as one could imagine, she slid out of the open door while she transformed into her feral form, but just as quickly, she faded as she slid out of the car, almost as though she was a mist.

"See you there, Fox," Wolf said, reciprocating with an affectionate lick over her muzzle before she left to arrange things.

"Well, he may be a grump but I've taken a liking to your world's music. It's...different, but some of it has a real wild beat that gets my wild half pumped!" Tygriss said as she followed Sheliah into the club, her ears swivelling and tail flicking in time to the beats.

"Thank you all!" The jackal said from the stage as Sheliah walked in. "We're so glad to play for you all again. We got one more for you all!" Jayce stood beside him once again, taking a sip of water while he had the time, seeing Sheliah walking up close to the stage.

As Sheliah walked in, the band was in full flow with a fair few of the younger ones out on the floor, banging their heads and enjoying their time.

From what she could see of the ones on the floor, a few had already bought The Night Howlers T-Shirts and hoodies with their insignia.

Garret nodded to his bandmates to let them know they were going into an encore.

Sheliah stopped just short of the stage, not wanting to put Jayce off and interrupt his flow. As she watched and listened, their leader sure had the gift of the gab. And if she didn't have her own heightened senses including her spirit vision she might never have guessed that Jayce was anything other than a wiry male youth.

They wrapped things up, playing their outro piece, more than a few girls looking on admiringly and one or two screaming the name of one they had undoubtedly had an intimate moment with.

Wrapping things up they went back-stage with Sheliah greeting Garret, "Hey nice show guys, looks like you are a hit with the ladies huh?" She said with a smile, looking at one giggling collie girl hanging onto his arm.

Garret chuckled and flicked his tall ears, smiling at the collie. "Ah, ladies, gents...you know what they say about us musicians..." He said, his tail flicked back and forth as Richard then Jayce stepped into the back. "I think I may have found a new town I'd like to move to though." He again smiled at her, giving a wink. "How've things been going for you Sheliah?"

"I'm doing fine thanks Garret, been a few...complications of late, had some unexpected guests show up that could use some help but thankfully myself and my wife are adept at complicated and unusual situations," Sheliah said. "We're not quite a town and if I have any say, it will just stay a large village and not become an overdeveloped urban sprawl,"

Richard was signing something to Jayce, who still avoided eye contact. Wolf, he wasn't surprised to see, but when he saw Tygriss, he was thrown for a bit of a loop.

"Hey there, you all seem pretty cool. The name's Tygriss. You could say I am...not from around these parts," she said with a grin. "I mean, guess being a tiger already makes me stand out but I don't think you guys are strangers to that."

His lilac eyes took the feline in, between reading the panther's hand movements. The hyena grinned slightly, showing his toothy smile to let her see a confident, outgoing nature. Jayce's tail was much less subtle about his feelings, flipping wildly behind him.

"Cool another feline, nice to meet you dude. Name's Tygriss, what's yours?" She said confidently, thrusting a hand out to shake the panther's, oblivious to his interest in her.

He took her hand and gave a firm, yet gentle shake. Then he pulled away and began to sign with his hands once more.

As he shook her hand, the dark feline would notice that though somewhat softened by warrior standards, she still had a warrior's strong handshake.

"Um okay, what's with this guy?" Tygriss said as he released her hand and started making odd gestures again.

"His name's Richard." Jayce said, reading instinctively. "He says it's nice to see another big cat. He can't remember the last time he saw a tigress." Richard signed a bit more. "He adds it's a long story as to why he can't speak properly for himself, maybe sometime you two can 'talk' about it, later tonight?" Jayce looked at Tygriss now. "Don't worry, he has a computer, you won't have to learn Sign Language overnight." The hyena let out a small laugh.

"Oh...ohhhh," Tygriss said as she finally understood. "Sorry to hear Richard, that must suck. Sure, we could hang out sometime next time you are around, maybe we could spar or train or something. I need to get back into shape and could do with another feline for company," she said, making a flexing motion that bordered masculine.

Signing again, Richard smiled and lifted a thumbs up. "He said it's a date." Jayce interpreted before Richard smacked him and re-signed what he said. "Alright alright." He said to the panther. "What he said was to bring your A-game." Richard nodded and smiled, cracking his knuckles playfully, but had a friendly grin across his muzzle before he waved and went about taking his drum set out the back.

"Tygriss is...one of my new charges you could say," Sheliah said, trying to stop an outburst of laughter as Tygriss glared at her. "I'll rephrase that, she's a special and talented individual who I am helping out," she said with some humour still behind her voice.

Crossing her arms under her prominent bust, she nodded and her tail quit its angry motion. "Like she said, Sheliah is kindly helping myself and my daughter out. So, you must be this Jayce I've heard about. Nice to meet ya dude," she said, winking at Jayce and holding her hand out to him.

Richard smiled as Tygriss was formally introduced as he returned for the next piece, the scarred panther couldn't help but admire her form as she pushed out her chest unintentionally, but seemed gentleman enough to not be too eye-balling about it. He gave a quick comment to Jayce before he went to collect another part of his drums.

"Yeah yeah, I'll tell her. See you later, Richard." Jayce said before Tygriss came right up to him and thrust her paw to him. "Y-Yeah, that's me." He said, feeling a lump in his throat. "What have you heard about me? That I'm one of the best bassists of the small band groups?" He said, his usual laugh coming out again, though a bit strangled.

"Only that you are a singer with a killer voice, who just needs a bit of guidance," Tygriss said as she shook hands with him, her green eyes sparkling playfully.

Looking at Sheliah, his eyes shone a bit of a fire, unable to decide to be mad that Tygriss knew...if she knew, he hoped Sheliah kept her promise. "If you guys, uh, wanna head out, I've just got to...with Sheliah." Jayce said to Garret, the last of his bandmates remaining backstage.

"Yeah, sure. We'll catch you at the Inn, Jayce." The jackal headed towards the door with the collie lass hanging to his arm.

"Well about that," Sheliah said, gently putting a hand on Garret's shoulder, "I will be borrowing Jayce for the weekend. Hopefully that is okay with you? If not I understand, I'll just have to make it quick," the older grey wolf said in a soft tone.

The Anubian Jackal turned and smiled. "That's fine. We don't got any place to be till next week. And like I say, I'm really starting to fall in love with this village. I don't mind staying a couple extra days.

Sheliag smiled and shook his hand, telling them they were welcome to stay the weekend at the Eclipse Inn, all they had to say was that Madam Sheliah gave permission.

Garret shook her hand back and nodded, saying he'll do just that then. Thanking her, he slipped out the back with the canine by his side.

Once it was just the four of them, Jayce looked at Sheliah again. "Y-You didn't?" He asked her, his tail curling up against his leg.

"I did, but with good reason," Sheliah said as she led them to her sports car. "If you please, I'll explain in private. What I have to say isn't for prying ears. If at any point you want to leave the doors will be left unlocked," Sheliah said, nothing but honesty in her eyes and a willingness to help.

He followed the group out, his ears to his head, his arms crossed and rubbing his biceps as he was led out to the car, sliding into the back seat with Tygriss.

Once they were inside on the comfy custom seats, Tygriss closed the door behind her as Sheliah got settled in the passenger seat. "You see, some things are not as they seem," Tygriss started off saying. "I am not what I appear to be, originally I was a male tiger. You might not believe it, but yeah, I am still learning how to be a woman."

The hyena listened to them, tail flitting in his lap. When he was told that Tygriss used to be a male, he shook his head, unable to believe it. "N-No-" He stammered out before Shelieah began to explain a bit further.

"She isn't a woman by choice, more something that was thrust upon her," Sheliah continued. "I know this will be hard to believe but like you she has a lot to learn and I figured you could both help each other. But to properly do that, you need to know about me Jayce. You see..." she paused before holding her hand out, blue spirit fire being held in her paw before gently closing it, the blue glow snuffed out. "I am a shaman, that is how I am so good at seeing who people really are and how I am able to help."

"W-wow.." Jayce looked at the blue flame in her paw, leaning forward, he could feel not heat, but almost a gentle coolness to the air on his nose. "I-I never...believed in magic..." He said and then looked up at Sheliah as she closed her hand the blue glow disappeared.

"S-So...how are you going to help me...? Us?" He corrected and glanced sideways at Tygriss. "I mean...it's kinda a big difference between us..kinda." Jayce stammered out once again, his ears having never lifted from his head and his tail never leaving his lap, the thick tufted end patting against his thigh. One paw went to the collar around his neck, playing lightly with it out of nerves. "But...I said I'd accept your help Sheliah." Jayce said, seeming to settle down a bit as he looked up into the wolfess' eyes.

"You got that right we are nothing alike, I don't hide these girls for one," Tygriss said, hefting up her large chest proudly before Sheliah sighed and gave a patient smile.

"Like I said, she has a lot to learn about being a woman," she said as Wolf started up the car. "As for how I am going to help you, we are going to have a weekend at my shaman hut. It is somewhere where ordinary mortals are not permitted unless I invite them and technology does not work there as the spirit planes defend against intrusion. There I will be able to help you both connect with yourselves in both a spiritual and wild sense. No harm will befall either of you under our watch so don't worry," Sheliah said, talking as if a mother to a pup.

"That being said, you still have the chance to leave Jayce. No one will think any less of you if you leave now."

"Hey wait a minute, what do you mean I have a lot to learn?" Tygriss shouted before Wolf glared at her in rebuke, causing her to just flop back onto the seat with her arms folded in pout.

Jayce gave a bit of a blush as Tygriss unashamedly puffed out her chest before turning his head to look out of the window for a few seconds as the feline beside her pouted in the seat. "N-No, I want to..." Jayce said and bit his lip. "I-I...mean..." he spoke quietly. It really felt a different persona altogether from when he was playing on stage.

"I want...help," Jayce said, confirming his choice. The wolfess' calm, rather caring voice helped him to relax a little bit.

The car was started by Wolf and they began moving away from the club. "You said you were a guy before?" He asked Tygriss, finally turning around to face the tigress once again, his tail twitching back and forth on the leather seats.

As the car set off towards the row of mountains known to most as Skyline Peaks, Tygriss spotted ears perked forward and picked herself out of her sulk.

"Oh yeah, I used to be a guy, and a warrior too, from a different timeline or world, we're not sure of that yet. All I know is one day I am my usual handsome male self, I take up a routine quest from the board about hunting a goo girl. Next thing I know she tries to devour me and somehow sucks every bit of maleness out of me. To cut a long story short, I found myself having to run away from the knights over a...misunderstanding let's say. They have me cornered in this weird cave with an ancient teleporter. Next thing I'm having to make an emergency exit, only it malfunctions and sends me here instead."

She paused and seemed to reflect on what she had said, "I...get that is probably a lot to swallow. I'll show you I'm telling the truth though, once we are out of the car and not somewhere that is liable to get damaged," she said, pounding herself on the chest out of male habit before wincing. "That...doesn't work as a girl."

"Yeah." He chuckled as she gently rubbed herself to ease any soreness from the soft flesh she just hit. "I mean...not that I know too much." He said and looked down at his flat chest. "I'm not trying to be rude, but it does sound a bit like a hentai story." Jayce chuckled and blushed again, not really sure if Tygriss knew what that was. He coughed and smiled his big toothy grin.

"A hentai story?" Tygriss said, cocking her head in confusion before Sheliah told her about those images Dusk had shown her. "Oh you mean that drawn porn? Yeah I guess I can see the connection. Only I would have been eaten if not for a miracle. And let me tell you, finding yourself in a new body in just your fur out in the middle of a forest is the last place you want to be," Tygriss said with some humour.

"It's definitely a lot more...a story than mine. I mean when I was a cub, I was a girl, raised like one, I mean." He retreated back into the shy, quiet speech again. "I grew up normally enough, I was too young to really question any of it...but getting into my teens was a bit more rough, we got into health in school. And they explained the anatomy, naturally, and I thought I was weird or something 'cause..." He glanced at his lap. "My brother and I had to share a room, so we saw each other naked, and it all kinda started building from there..." He left things vague as he spoke. "But I still had my higher feminine voice... and he helped me make my collar to make me sound properly male."

Jayce was nervous, much more so than Tygriss was about his past. He touched the collar and gave a gentle bark of his species' looking ahead out the windscreen of the car, seeing the mountain getting closer and closer. "W-Will taking anything tech in there...like break it, Sheliah?" He asked, concerned of the 'defences' she said the mountain had.

"I think it depends, it doesn't break more wards intrusive tech away. If you're worried about your voice changer don't worry, you should be fine with that," Sheliah answered as trees began to surround them on the run up to the mountain's base.

But then Tygriss became even more confused, "so...you're like a hermaphrodite or something?

"No," piped up Wolf from the front. "They have an enlarged clitoris that they also use for mating and birthing through. A female hyena typically has more testosterone than a male. Their wild ancestors had a huge risk of dying when giving birth due to the pup getting stuck. You could say nature fucked up with that species of canine, no offence," he said gruffly before continuing. "The upshot is yeah, a lot of the females can pass off quite easily as a male since a lot don't want the hassles of being a woman, though modern science has come leaps and bounds into helping them."

"Yeah, my mother had...offered if that's what I wanted. But I told her that I was already a guy. So she just went with it." Jayce said after a long pause after Wolf explained things about hyenas. "It's also...not too uncommon that the females mate the males. Least so I've heard..." Jayce said with a bit of a blush, as if hiding another truth.

"Huh..." Tygriss said in thought before asking, "so, can you have an erection then if it is like a dick?" She said, cocking her head to one side and then looked at Jayce's lap in wonder.

"Well...Yeah, Kinda hard to be male and not get one." He said a bit more defensively and sarcastically than he wanted to. "If you wanna see...?" Jayce said playfully. The way he talked was rather back and forth, as though he was having two different persona talking between moment to moment. Almost as if one side of the hyena was fighting for dominance.

Sheliah sighed inwardly as she listened to their conversation, maybe this was a mistake. She could see the inner conflict with Jayce, but unlike Tygriss her problem was the opposite. She cursed mentally at her lack of understanding of hyenas but at the very least, she could put Jayce's inner conflict to rest.

"Huh? Well sure, I mean, guess it would be weird showing it to me like this. Would be like if I just whipped a breast out and showed a stranger I perpetually lactate," Tygriss said in good humour. "Though I must admit, I'm still having to get used to some aspects of being a woman. Like wearing a bra," she said before reaching down her top to adjust things, still not 100% comfy with them.

"Really now? How old is your daughter then?" Jayce asked, "I mean, you like...make milk all the time, do you?" an obvious curiosity in his voice.

"Well that in itself is a bit of a tale. See my daughter is, or was newly born, but somehow getting transported here caused her to rapidly grow up so she is kind of a toddler stuck in the body of a young adult. As for the lactating, no idea. A combination of hormones and a new goo side of my body," she said before laughing. "There was this time when we enlisted to help on a farm, only we ended up-"

"I think that's a bit TMI as the youths say," Sheliah said, her tone between frustration and humour.

He covered his lap after Tygriss' staring and as she adjusted herself. "U-Understandable, So-Sorry Sheliah. I was joking, mostly." The personality switched again as they drove and talked. Eventually they reached the base of the mountain, parking in a small wooden shed, almost like a cabin, to keep the car hidden and safe while they were out.

"What kind of things are we going to see up there?" Jayce asked softly, looking up at the mountain ahead of them, gazing anywhere but directly at Tygriss for the moment, a blush on his cheek.

"Well, you'll see plenty of ghosts if you wander far enough. Spirits from all over find their way to spirit mountain after all. But don't worry, the shaman hut has wards as do myself and the Guardians so make sure you stay close to us okay?" Sheliah said as they climbed out of the car, greeted by a burly anthro bear and a horse.

"Oh it is you Sheliah," the bear said with a smile before looking at the ragtag group. "And who might your guests be? You know Spirit Mountain is sacred," he said before freezing his gaze on Tygriss, "Plus...that one doesn't belong here. She smells of...something, someone from another world," he said, the horse also getting tense as they both saw and sensed something off about her.

"Oh yeah, want to say that to me after I use you both as a chew toy?" Tygriss growled, Sheliah about to intervene before Tygriss's clothes ripped and tore, falling off of her as she turned full feral, growling at them both.

Jayce jumped back and gave a scream of fright as Tygriss transformed in front of him, the mane of hair running under his shirt fluffed up as the growling started. And 'verbal' fighting began, each warning each other of their power.

As the bear and horse began to growl and snort in anger, bulking up for their own change Wolf got in between them both, growing rapidly and smacked all three of them, knocking Tygriss hard on the head and the bear and horse across the muzzle.

"ENOUGH!" He howled. "Sheliah would never endanger the mountain, or its guardians. If I believed she was that kind of person, do you think I would be so loyal to her? You have my word as Wolf to make sure no harm comes to anyone of the mountain!" He finished with a determined growl.

Bear grumbled lowly at Wolf's intervention, glowering past him towards Tygriss. "I-" he cut himself short and felt himself shrink back at Wolf's challenging glare. "I trust Sheliah would never endanger the spirits here." The black bear finished his thought and stepped back. "Apologies." He said, more to Wolf and Sheliah than Tygriss.

"You needn't worry." A softer feminine form came, Fox came out from behind a tree, appearing out of thin air, "Like my mate said, we're watching them and will make sure." The red-furred, pregnant fox said. "I have seen Tygriss, she's only a danger when her daughter is in danger, or is provoked." Her beautiful amber eyes narrowed slightly at the bear spirit. "We promise to keep everyone safe. Our bonds are first to the spirits on this mountain." She added onto Wolf's comment.

Jayce shook and stared wide eyed at what was happening in front of him. It felt all too weird to be real, like a dream or movie. But the fear he felt was real. His species' 'laugh' came out again, though more in a nervous, uncomfortable tone.

Sheliah put a comforting hand on Jayce's shoulder, trying to reassure him, her eyes telling him she was sorry he had such a rough introduction.

"Come on, everyone." Fox turned to the four that had just arrived. "I've everything set up. Safe, remote where we can have our space." She smiled at the group and gave a gentle wave as a sign to follow her as she walked past the two larger males and headed towards the mountain.

"Thank you Fox and Wolf," Sheliah said before bowing to the Horse and Bear spirit, "and thank you to you both. I know the mountain is safe with you two on guard." She then looked on at Tygriss who was rubbing her head and chuckled softly behind her hand before walking with Fox and Wolf.

Tygriss growled and grumbled, rubbing her head with a large forepaw before seeing Jayce react, looking like he was ready to flee at the drop of a hat.

She approached him and gave him an affectionate nuzzle and head rub to tell him he was safe, and that she understood this was all overwhelming for him. She questioned why Sheliah was bringing a normal person to this place but she knew she must have her reasons.

Pressing her side into Jayce so that he would fall over her back, she waited for him to get a good grip of her fur before climbing up the mountain with the rest, bringing up the rear as Sheliah, Wolf and Fox led the way up the long climb.

He was shivering slightly as the large tigress came up to him, and though she was gentle, he was still in shock. Jayce gently gave a pet and another weak, nervous laugh before she went behind him a bit and knocked him gently onto her back, carrying him up the mountain.

Shifting to sit up and ride her properly, his hands gently holding her shoulders as they walked up the side of the mountain. Looking back at the two watching them, he leaned gently forward. "Can-Can all of you do that? This I mean." Jayce looked down at the feral form of Tygriss. "Can I do that while here?"

Grunting and wiggling on Tygriss' back, he thought of the shape of a feral hyena, his ancestors. Nothing happened for him apart from giving himself a bit of a headache from trying too hard. Grunting, he relaxed again, his short tail twitching against the feral Tygriss' back. "Doesn't look like it," he chuckled meekly.

"I'm afraid not," Sheliah said as they made their climb up a route only the wolf shaman had mapped out in her mind, hopping from stone to boulder to rock. "You are either trained up with the power to do so like myself, or you are extremely gifted like Tygriss who has, I believe she called it Wild Blood?"

Tyrgiss nodded and gave a soft growl of affirmation as she picked out her own route, managing it with ease in her feral form.

Tygriss made a sound as if asking a question but unable to with her feral muzzle, but Sheliah got the gist. "Why don't I shift? Because our feral form is a gift that we chose to use as a last resort. To use it willy-nilly would be to abuse a power borrowed," Sheliah explained.

The hyena gasped and held gently, but tighter as Tygriss moved through the mountain scape. Listening close to the three of them, he did his best to discern anything from the noises Tygriss made, but couldn't hear words. He supposed it made sense with her magic that she understood the feline.

As they climbed further up the mountain, things started to get a little more surreal. It felt like a fog was trying to envelop Tygriss's and Jayce's minds before Sheliah scaled back down to them. "It's okay, they are friends," Sheliah said, seemingly to no one but the fog seemed to lift at her words. "The spirits of the mountain try to protect this place by attacking the mind, causing confusion and lethargy. I told them you are friends."

"Spirit Mountain is one of three gateways left for us," Wolf continued as they made their way higher up into the clouds. "The weaker nature gets, the more of it is destroyed and polluted, the weaker we grow. The cycle is being distorted and destroyed by mortals who have forgotten the balance and soon, nature will have no strength to fight back. Animals come here after death to be reborn anew, but fewer and fewer are finding their way."

Tygriss's ears pulled back at that, a sad moan escaping her muzzle. It wasn't something she needed reminding of, she could feel it in her soul that the balance in this world was askew.

Off to their side, a scene seemed to play out in the form of a glowing chipmunk and a wild cat, one chasing the other up the mountain and past them as their forms began to deform and glow before winking out of sight far above them.

Jayce lowered his ears, feeling a small pang of guilt, even if it was unintentional on Sheliah's and Wolf's part. He'd not done anything to help, and now knowing this, he promised himself he would at least try a bit more. He looked out and watched the spirits...chase each other? He gave a soft smile and looked onward as Fox, who had by now transformed into her feral form, led them along.

"You don't have to worry, you two." Fox said softly and comfortingly as they were led to a clearing among all the pine trees, "the world is getting more and more populated, needing more resources than it can give, there's not a whole lot one fur can do." She said as she laid in the soft grass, once again her belly on show to them as she relaxed. "But we do what we can, even if it's just to comfort the spirits. For now, though, what we can focus on is your issues at paw."

Jayce slid off of Tygriss' back and flicked his ears. "What kind of things are we going to do?"

"While you both have similar issues, I think it's best to start individually, at least for now." Fox stated before disappearing into the cabin.

As Jayce slid off of Tygriss's back she shifted into her anthro form, looking slightly huffy. "Look, I am me and that is all there is to see. If you're intent is to get me wearing frilly dresses and claw polish forget it!" She said, crossing her arms under her bare chest and giving a pointed look.

The hyena blushed, though didn't look away from Tygriss' Admiring her nude form. Especially when she unconsciously pushed her chest out. The door from the cabin clicked and opened again, "I hope these are about your size, Tygriss, they might be a bit tight across the chest." Fox smiled and handed the feline a shirt and pair of pants. Her tail gave a sudden lash, feeling Sheliah's energy as she retorted to Tygriss.

"That is NOT the point of all this Tygriss," Sheliah said, finding her own patience being tried by her boisterous nature. "What you do need to learn up here is how to behave, how to act and to also get in better tune with yourself. You can change into your feral form yes, but it is tentative, weak. I can tell as a shaman there are fluctuations in you. So, whilst I try to help Jayce get in touch with herself, to make proper peace, Fox will be helping you get in better touch with your new female side and Wolf will help bring out that wild spirit to its fullest."

When Sheliah used the word: herself, Jayce felt a bit of a sinking in his stomach, obviously not used to hearing it said by others that wasn't his mom and brother. "That sounds...good." He said hesitantly.

Tygriss unfolded her arms and seemed to relent on her stubbornness before dressing shamelessly in front of them all, "I guess that makes sense...I'm glad to have the use once again of my feral form but I must admit I have been feeling weaker with it. I assumed it was because of the connection I share with Tygon but guess that was just an excuse." She slammed her fist into her hand, "Okay, let's do this Jayce, or whoever your real name is. This will be a different sort of training but I'm game! Let's be the best we can be!" She said enthusiastically and stuck her hand out to the hyena.

Jayce nodded and took Tygriss' hand, smiling. "L-Lets!" He said, trying to have the same enthusiasm as the feline. "A-And my other name is...Jaylynn." He admitted to the group, though after some hesitation, "But you can call me Jay."

"Nice to know the real you then Jay," Tygriss said with a smile at the nickname, just sounding right to her.

"Alright then, you both get as comfortable as you'd like. Tygriss; Wolf and I will help you over here." Fox said and smiled at the feline, getting back up to her paws. "You're a mother now, and I'll be the same again in a few weeks."

"It may have been a different kind of birthing and growth for Tessa, but it'll be the same motherling as if she was fully biologically yours. You both have been through a lot in such a short amount of time." Fox stated. A statement that Tygriss was probably tired of hearing by now. "We'll go here to a point higher on the mountain, where the energies are stronger."

"I swear if I hear that one more time," Tygriss grumbled under her breath but sighed. This was going to be a long weekend indeed but she had to try in order to be a better...mother, to Tess. Yeah that was going to take some getting used to still.

Meanwhile, Jayce moved over to Sheliah, a blush on his face as stepped from paw to paw, "so what's our...task, Sheliah? I mean I know what we're trying to do, but how are we going...to, you know." He said quietly as he crossed his arms slightly.

"Well, Wolf and Fox are going to take Tygriss up to the animal stones where the spiritual concentration is highest, but for you," Sheliah said before opening her cabin door to let the hyena inside, "we're going to start on a much more basic level."

She closed the old oak door before beckoning for Jayce to sit on one of the futons on the floor. Inside the cabin were textiles of great animal spirits, or dusty old tomes and a large bed that seemed it could comfortably sleep three people with a carved wooden headboard featuring a mountain with a number of animals surrounding it.

Following Sheliah inside, his ears were flat and his short tail hung over his flat backside as he took in the decor. The hyena's ears lifted slightly and his eyes opened wide, mesmerised by the designs.

"Now what I want from you Jayce is just to learn a little of yourself, of your past. I can't help you until I know something about you. I understand if it is hard for you, especially to confide in a stranger. Just know no harm will come to you and I am only doing this to help you help yourself," she said, leaning forward to gently hold the hyena's hand within her own.

"I understand, Sheliah. But... I haven't really gotten in touch with that side of myself in forever." Jayce said sheepishly.

"Like I was saying in the car, I'd grown up as a girl fine, at least into my teens. Even so, I was more tomboyish. It didn't help after the Sex Ed lessons 'cause they didn't cover hyena anatomy. I don't know, I just sorta felt confused at times because I'd get...aroused, and how I'd play with my brother. It was only a matter of time I started making the conclusion."

"What do you mean you fooled around with your brother? You mean you compared yourself or did...more happen? You don't have to but it would help me understand your history," Sheliah said as if talking to a frightened pup.

"We'd go all the way, it's not too uncommon for female hyenas to top males, like I said when we were in the car. I know that I'm a girl, but something was more satisfying about being a boy. I'm not Trans, I'm happy in my body. Then when I got in with the band, I tried out as a guy and got the part. So now I'm taking heat suppressors and just kept going so the guys wouldn't catch on," Jayce said and fiddled with the medallion on his neck. "My brother helped me make this so that I'd have a proper male's voice."

Sheliah mentally sighed, this was going to be a difficult one to deal with indeed with her lack of hyena knowledge. Although a sort of plan was forming in her head as she listened to the hyena talk.

"I didn't research a whole lot about hyenas until only a few years ago. I was too shy to ask my mother about things..." There was another moment of silence from the hyena before he swallowed audibly and reached behind his head. Hesitating, he fiddled with the catch before he pulled the choker off. The brown fur around his neck was shorter, showing just how long Jayce had worn it. "It feels so weird..." Jayce's voice was softer, lighter and positively feminine. The hyena shrunk back a bit, waiting for Sheliah to say something, a knot forming in her throat, unable to speak anything after revealing her true voice.

"You have a very beautiful voice, you know Jayce," Sheliah said with a soft smile. "I understand how difficult it is, especially growing up in a country where hyena's are so uncommon. And no, I am not here to say 'It is wrong for a lady to be a man, that is no way for a lady to behave,''' Sheliah said, putting on a very forced dad tone, trying to break the ice with the hyena. "But it is about acceptance of yourself. Your bandmates know you as a male and that is fine. But if they find out they have been lied to somehow, things could get sticky for you."

"Y-Yeah, that's a fear of my own...I've got plenty of practice at it, and well, those two aren't the most observant." The hyena said finally, a shy laugh coming from her throat. "I-I hope that it doesn't happen." She said nervously.

Sheliah held Jaylynn's hands tighter, "What I am saying is it is okay for you to be the guy you want to be, but you have to be comfy in yourself. And here is where your journey will start. This mountain is connected to the wisdom of the world. I must confess I know little about hyena's. Most of what I have learned has been from me listening to you."

With that she stood up and grabbed a pouch and some lighters from a hook. Between them was a fire pit with logs and a funnel for the smoke to blow out of. "So this is where we reign in a guest to these parts." She winked and lit the match, threw it onto the logs along with some tinder to help the fire start. She then opened the pouch and upended it onto the pit, the fire turning from orange to blue before she started to chant. After a minute or so, a presence could be felt and something came rushing down the opening, materialising in the centre of where the fire had been.

"Greeting Hyena Spirit," Sheliah said with a smile at the large, imposing form regarding them both.

Jaylynn fell back, wide-eyed and mouth agape as the hyena spirit seemed to grow out of the flames, putting it out as the last of his body appeared. He was much larger than she'd thought a hyena would be. But then again what has been normal today?

"Madam Sheliah." Hyena said and lowered his head in gentle greeting. "It's been a long while," he stood back to his full height, grinning his toothy grin, "what happens to be the occasion?" He asked before he turned and saw a dumbfounded Jaylynn. "Oh? And what have we got here?" Hyena leaned down and gave the anthro yeen a sniff. "You're a female?" He said after a moment.

"I-I-I-" Jaylynn stuttered and squirmed a bit as the Spirit Hyena sniffed at her before pulling back. Swallowing audibly once again, she nodded nervously.

"It has been a while hasn't it, Hyena? I haven't seen you since my initiation where I had to summon forth all the major animal spirits. Just please, none of your jokes. She's-" Sheliah was cut off as he ploughed on with his teasing fun.

"Well isn't that generous of you, Sheiliah." He said and winked, obviously randy rambunctiousness was just a natural trait to all hyena. Though it was obvious that Hyena was being a jester as he soon followed up with a hearty laugh.

"Heh, um, you'll have to excuse Hyena. He can be very playful and a bit of a tease. I remember he tried something on with me when I summoned him. I had to use the binding chant to shackle him until he behaved himself, remember that Hyena?" Sheliah said, her voice bordering between needling and teasing, her purple eyes glowing as though ready if he DID try anything with her.

"Yeah..." He grinned, although it sounded like he was reminiscing. He turned his head away from the glowing eyes and gave another gentle sniff at Jaylynn, "it is curious though, you don't smell strongly female. And not like Dusk with both her scents."

"I-I...It's 'cause," The anthro hyena stammered as she trembled slightly on the ground, though not as much as when he first appeared. It seemed she was getting used to it relatively quickly. "I-I use heat suppressants and they also diminish my natural smell..." She whispered and tucked her legs back up against her.

"That, and all that perfume you anthros love to wear," he added with a jovial laugh. But in return, he got nothing from Jaylynn, her shy smile all but gone now as she sat tucked up, knees obscuring her face. Hyena lowered his ears and nudged her arm gently with his nose. "I'm sorry, young one. I didn't mean to step on anyone's tail."

"I-I know you didn't mean anything by it..." She replied and looked up at the pair, holding onto her choker. "It's just hard..." Jaylynn whispered.

Sheliah shuffled up and wrapped an arm protectively around Jaylynn, gently pulling her to nestle under her chin and held her for a while. "I'm sorry if this is all a bit much Jay, if you don't mind me calling you that? But trust me, had you continued down the road you were on, of denying and lying it would have been much worse. After all this is done the choice will be yours if you stick to pretending to be a male or not. But this will help you understand yourself better. And don't worry, Hyena will behave himself," she chuckled, but there was an underlying warning if he didn't.

Jaylyn nodded to her question as she gave a weaker half hug, arms barely around the wolfess' middle. "I-I just won't know how to break it to the guys...to our fans."

"We'll help you, Jay." Hyena said with a grin, glancing at Sheliah, causing him to lower his ears. "And I promise I will." he said in agreement.

*

Tygriss was panting as they climbed up the mountain, Wolf and Vixen had insisted she didn't turn into her feral form so they could get a gauge on her form, and they were not impressed.

"And you were supposed to be a warrior from another dimension?" Wolf snickered as he and a pregnant Fox easily put her to shame with climbing.

"Hey, n-now hold on a minute," Tygriss panted as they climbed, "it is your world's corruption that has made me this way. Why has there got to be so many forms of entertainment and tasty, bad for you food?" She complained as she tried to keep up, white spotted ears flat in anger at his ribbing.

"It is a difficult challenge of the modern world." Fox couldn't help but agree. "When you come over from a world like yours where it's a fight for survival, I do understand why you let yourself go...and we don't blame you either." Fox said as she climbed beside her mate, her anthro form was a bit more a hindrance for her, especially being pregnant. She felt it was only fair to Tygriss.

"But you've been doing well, at least until the cops were brought into it. And that's what we'll be here to train you on. Tess will get her turn here too, since she can shapeshift as well, it seems. Speaking of, we'll have to figure something that won't shred when you transform."

"You mean IF Dusk isn't giving hir own training. Something tells me Dusk will liken to Tess as a student, what with hir own exposure to our world and being able to shape shift through shaman training," he said with some humour in his gruff voice.

Fox chuckled, "correct." As they reached a small valley between peaks of the mountains, Fox needed to sit and smiled at the feline. "Welcome to the animal stones." She said, a vast stretch of totem-like structures showed the faces of dozens if not hundreds of animals. A few were worn, others crumbled into pebbles while others looked brand new. "There are stones for each species on the planet." The vixen gave a slight smile as she stood up onto both paws again and gently rubbed her belly.

"And along with those is the Cave of Focus, a place inscribed with ancient runes that helps an initiate to focus and channel their mind and spirit," Wolf said as they wandered along the ancient animal shrines, each one varying with some large, some small and some were nothing but a hole in the ground.

"Why are some missing?" Tygriss said, noticing one hole and looked down, only to get a forbidding feeling and backed up, arms wrapped around her body.

"Those...are the animals that never evolved and are now extinct," Wolf said somberly. "That used to belong to the Tasmanian Tiger," he said as he closed his eyes before opening them, "but that isn't your problem."

"What you are up here for is to learn to channel your power and your spirit to its fullest and to reconnect with yourself," he said as he gestured towards the sky, where she could just make out various glowing lights that she first of all thought were fireflies, only to recognise them as thousands of animal spirits and kneeled in respect.

"We know that you can touch the spirits, or at least your feral ancestors." Fox said and took Tygriss' paws into her own as she stood the feline back to her paws after a few moments of silence. "Do not worry about the spirits, Tygriss. This is a safe and guarded place, and I know how much you want to help. We...and they appreciate that."

"What do you remember of your spirits, Tygriss? The ones you had in your world...that separated from you when you came to this world?"

"Well...they were not confined to focal points in my world for one," Tygriss said thoughtfully, scrunching her eyes tightly as she tried to remember what felt like a lifetime ago. "They were sort of just everywhere and nowhere at once. From what I remember of my teachings, they wandered the aether on paths separate, yet parallel to our own. Oh, I don't think you have aether in this world do you? It's um, how can I put it?"

She focussed hard, clenched her hand tightly only for a slight puff of fire to leap out before dying out. "Sadly there is no fuel in your world, so I can't really use my pyrokinesis," she said, trying to laugh it off only for it to end on a flat note.

Smiling, Fox nodded. "They could as well, I mean they used to be able to wander freely. But the world built up around us, it gave them less of a safe place to be. Sheliah offered to help them and us." She smiled and watched Tygriss attempt to use her abilities.

"You still have the ability," she smiled as Tygriss gave a weak chuckle. "And you still have the fuel within you, you just have to find it within you. Dusk told us that you melted the bars to get your daughter out of prison, is that not correct?"

"That was just some residual energy left stored in my body. But...maybe there will be other ways," she said before shaking her head. "It doesn't matter, your world doesn't believe in magic and this world has no need for warriors. I've seen the kinds of weapons your world has that makes the black magic in my world look tame," she shuddered at bits of history she had seen in clips.

With a wave of her paw, she led them further into the stone garden. "Not to mention, I know that you had another spirit of your own, one that separated from you when you had your transformation?" Fox asked as they reached a stone that had the shape of a tiger on it, worn and weathered, but still standing.

"Well yes...I mean, I still have my wild spirit but well...it's grown weak and part of it resides in Tygon. The bike in Sheliah's garage used to be a war machine you see and somehow was morphed through the portal somehow to better fit this world."

"Yes and no," Wolf interjected as they stopped by the small but still visible tiger stone. "You have weakened, yes, that is because you have allowed yourself to become complacent and let doubt invade your thoughts. If you do not nurture your body and your spirit, you can't be strong. And the weaker you become, so too does the side of you residing in that machine. Look at this stone Tygriss. Like you, the wild population has withered and suffered. But, with you, and your abilities, you could become another warrior entirely. You could be one of us, you could fight for this planet, even if you have no way home."

"My home...is gone to me," Tygriss sighed, kneeling before the stone, only half the size she was. "And I would be a wanted criminal forever running with a bounty on my head. So this is my home, like it or not," she said, closing her eyes.

Only as she did, her body glowed and a growl could be heard from somewhere. It was faint but definitely audible before her eyes snapped open.

"Where did that come from?" she gasped.

"That, Tygriss, is the true tiger spirit within you. You're able to change, like us, so perhaps the spirit sought you out in your world as a way to protect you and your cub...well at the time, cub." She knelt down next to Tygriss. "The great tiger spirit could sense the talent you possessed...I am curious though, how did you gain said ability?"

Tygriss stood back onto her paws and spoke. "I was brought up in the wild tribes, known as Wild Blood. When I was but a cub I underwent a ritual to gift myself with the form and strength of our wild ancestors. So it is a bit different. It can't be taken away, only weakened."

"It just needs to be built back up then. Being here, you'll get the energy naturally, but at a fraction of what you're able to. You seem like you learn better from actually doing things than being lectured." Fox smiled and lifted her paw, snow seeming to appear in her paws, dancing just above her paw before they collected into a large snowball.

Tygriss's eyes went wide as she saw her make a ball of snow out of thin air before dropping it. She tried again, but all that came was a small puff of smoke. She knew this was going to be hard. She was from a different world, these spirits had a great grasp on their world but explaining how things were for her was really hard.

"Meditation is a good way to work on your connection to the spirit energy. You'll have to focus on the point in which you draw your power from." Fox looked up the mountain. "I've got an idea, the caves will be better to work in, the energy is far more focused there."

Tyrgiss paused and thought, then got an idea. "Say...the monks taught me a technique that they called Mind Meld. I've never used it before but...if ever there was a place I could make it work it might be up here. It allows the user to communicate by the mind where things are less restricted, showing in better detail than words ever could," she said, smacking her fist into her palm. "It might help us all understand things better!"

"Hmm, I'm not sure about this. A spirits mind is not a place for a normal mortal but...you are far from normal..." Wolf trailed off before looking to Fox. "What do you think my mate? Worth a shot?"

Fox, rubbed her chin with a paw and then nodded. "Anything is worth a try, for sure. We'll take all the precautions that we can." She smiled. "We're looking for answers, and you are right, my mate, she's very unique, very strong." The female fox stood up and took Tygriss' paw. "It will feel heavy for a bit, like I said, the condensed spirit energy in the caves can be intense."

Leading them to the caves, Fox looked at Tygriss at the mouth. The air was cold, but comfortably so, that issued from the dark chasm.

Fox was right, the air did feel heavier, and her ears hummed with a strange energy. She thought she caught the odd whisper from a passing spirit or sound at least, only for it to pass. But she grew accustomed to the cave pretty quickly before slowly relaxing.

"Now, before we do this, explain to me how this mind meld works, please, Tygriss." She turned to face the feline, holding both paws in her own. "So we can be safe."

"Well, in order for this to work we need to be in direct contact with each other, which means no barriers of any sort," Tygriss squeezed Fox's hand in her own, then looked to Wolf. "I know you have had little faith in me since I moved in, but I am just trying to understand a world that isn't my own. I can't say this will change your mind about me but it may help us all get along a bit better."

"There's only one way to find out, and I'm game for at least trying it." she said before Tygriss pulled away.

Letting her hands slip out of her own, she then proceeded to strip, removing all clothing so her nipples hardened quickly to the cold, damp air. "There needs to be no barriers, so we have to all be in the buff. And no this isn't an excuse to get a look at your fine bodies," Tygriss said with a playful blep before seating herself on the floor. "You two need to place your hands on my head, and I need to place a hand on your heart before 'unlocking' my mind and letting it flow. You trust me, right?"

"About as far as I can throw you, which I guess is pretty far," Wolf shrugged, his own attire just dissolving, leaving him too in just his fur before turning to Fox. "Know Fox doesn't mind me like this," he said as she would be able to see every rippling muscle on his hulking figure, with Tygriss herself finding her eyes drawn to his impressive sheath, but wrenched her eyes away before he could see her gazing.

"You know it, love." She teased and winked. Fox stripped down as well in the same manner Wolf did, her belly quite a bit more prominent in her anthro form; round and beautiful. Her breasts were swollen as well, an obvious droplet of milk on her nipple.

Wolf couldn't help an appreciative growl, seeing her swollen belly and dripping breasts had him craving to do all sorts of things with her. But that could lead to distractions and not to mention, he might also end up doing something with Tygriss too. Shaking his head, he cleared his thoughts as best he could for the task at hand.

"Now...if we're all done ogling each other, let's get things sorted. If you want to afterwards, we're more than able to." She said and smiled as Tygriss sat down on a pillow that Fox drew from thin air, allowing the feline to sit more comfortably as the mated pair stood on each side of her.

"Do try to keep your thoughts pure, love." It was obvious the fox loved to tease her mate, "We're ready when you are, Tygriss."