FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Luvian scrambled through the steel hallway of the ship, blindly following signs and half-remembered emergency protocols, red lights flashing as he twisted around corners and dove around other crewmembers, all of them shouting and rushing to their own stations, all in different directions. Mostly dependent on whether they were wearing bulkier suits and carrying rifles, or wearing basic suits like the wolfbird. His tail streamed out behind him like a banner, his wings half open in the corridors as he made his way to his station. As a mechanic, it was his job in these situations to keep the ship running, and to keep vital machinery from capture, instead of his usual job of 'crawl through vents or set up in rooms, fix broken stuff and lecture dumbasses.'

The ship itself was rather small, more for general exploration or chartering courses than anything else. Not much going on, most shifts spent playing cards and other such games with his companions, acting busy when some hard-ass decided to come visit when they decided they wanted an obviously made-up efficiency value or some such thing that they refused to believe couldn't be reached. Probably former entrepreneurs or business owners that had lost them to their own obsession with ever-increasing profits, and refused to change. After several years on the crew, Luvian had seen pretty much all of them transferred, and the aggressive ones kicked out of the ship on a frontier station, probably sold as some sort of test of their money making skills to appeal to fragile egos. Any of that sort left on the shift were clearly leaving Engineering and the related branches alone, since they were rather tightly knit and not willing to take the shit of some uppity idiot who probably thought they didn't have a 'real job.'

In any case, that was all on the back-burner at the moment, since some pirates clearly were having a bad day and decided their ship was to be their haul. Didn't make much sense, as the ship didn't have valuables beyond personal ones, and the various systems and hardware were worth anything on the black market due to their commonality, but nobody said space pirates of any kind were the most intelligent of individuals. There was a small possibility of a hyper-aggressive race that didn't like their presence, but that was even more unlikely, as generally races that had achieved space travel on a scale like this had most of their aggressiveness tempered by caution, and even the most isolationist of civilizations that encountered the scouting vessel simply just told them to get the fuck out, usually accompanied by a basic star chart that declared their 'do not cross' line of systems. So pirates it was.

Scrambling into his assigned position defending the various filtration systems, the wolfbird grabbed the service pistol off the wall, along with the small bag of clips that would last several hours if he didn't waste shots, should he need either of them. Waving at his companion, a synthetic, or 'synth' as they were called, who cradled a more custom sized firearm of his own. He towered over Luvian by a good foot, the synth had the traditional serpent/reptile shape. All smooth contours covered in a thin rubbery layer of 'skin' that left him with a grey and maroon color tone. A heavy conical tail swaying behind him in a counter-balance, shaped muscles and a faintly muscled abdomen that led up to an arched, narrow head that was occupied by a visor that showed neon yellow eyes, broken by a hinged jaw. Their name was MT-6PI, though he went by Tai. Apparently his parents were 'traditional' in synth naming (Tai said they were 'assholes that refused to let him alter his designation'). He and Luvian were pretty good friends.

"Was wondering where you were, Luvian. Though I'd have to go out there and yank your fat ass out of a vent again. Wasn't looking forward to the potential bullet wounds or reprimand for 'abandoning my post." Tai rolled his eyes, though it was mostly the display of them rotating in a circle. "Like pirates are gonna get far enough to reach this location."

The wolfbird snorted, slapping the lock function on the door behind him to deter others as he whacked the synth's forearm lightly. "That was one time, Tai. And you'd have gotten stuck too, everyone knows that vent is small and bullshit. Only person who doesn't have issues with that is Alex, and that's 'cause they're a 3 feet tall mouse that sees fat as a mortal enemy." They both had a small laugh at their health-obsessed coworker. "Wanna tip the table over for 'cover' while we hide behind it for cards? Should be tall enough for even your ego to hide behind."

"Ha ha, very funny." Tai snarked, even as he casually used one hand to knock over the aforementioned furniture. "My ego is perfectly normal, thank you." A compartment on his hip slid open and he removed a sleek deck. "War for now, since it requires the least attention?"

Luvian shrugged, joining the synth behind the table as he sat across from his friend, snorting at the game. "Sure, though kind of ironic considering the game." They set their pistols to the side, barrels pointed towards the door. "Just don't shuffle like Ted."

"Considering I'm actually moving cards around, I've already accomplished that."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ducking behind the table, Luvian felt the heat of a bullet fly over his head and ping off the back wall. Luckily there was nothing important there, and the jackasses weren't stupid enough to use weaponry powerful enough to blow holes in a spaceship. Looking around the side of the overturned furniture, he angled his pistol to fire off a few shots to drive off the attacker, the helmeted pirate ducking behind the doorframe with a curse as one of his bullets grazed an arm. Luvian quickly loaded a new clip and racked the slide during the brief break.

They'd gotten maybe ten minutes of downtime before people had started trying to break through the door. It'd been quite obvious with all the sparks and such as they cut through it, any attempt at a surprise obviously ignored. In any case they had not expected resistance (just as the two mechanics hadn't expected the pirates to get to this area) so the initial wave had gone down right when the doors had blown, their two bodies lying prone just inside the entrance. Neither Tai nor Luvian had killed anyone before. If they weren't running off adrenaline they'd probably be suffering from shock, but at the moment they were just trying to hold them off. There'd been somebody screaming at them to surrender a few minutes back, but the wolfbird and synth had shot at the next pirate to poke their head in the doorway. They didn't trust the raiders to let them continue breathing, after all.

"So...." Luvian panted, glancing at Tai before back at the door. "Clear a path, find an escape pod?"

Tai rolled his eyes, his firearm barking in his hands as he shot a pirate in the leg, who went down with a shout as he clutched his lower calf. "Quick to abandon ship, aren't we?"

"Yeah well I like living, and pirates being this far into the ship means the security forces aren't doing their damn job and keeping us that way."

"Fair enough."

The wolfbird popped up to fire his pistol as his target bent around the corner, holes punching themselves in their chestplate as they collapsed with a watery gurgle. "Glad you see my point."

Tai chuckled, then whipped his head around as his hybrid friend let out a cry. Crimson splashed the table's underside as a bullet got the wolfbird in the shoulder, sending him to the ground as he clutched it. "Mother FUCKER!"

Blasting his pistol angrily, the synth managed to get the last pirate, before turning and scrambling over to his hybrid friend. Eyes flashing as he worked to download enough medical knowledge to treat the wound without overriding the necessary info to do his job and get both him and Luvian off the ship. If he'd been cautious about such a step before, the injury to his friend was a fairly convincing argument. "Bullet was a through-and-through, so you don't have to worry about shrapnel. No major blood vessels." Tearing the already damaged sleeve off the wolfbird, he fashioned an improvised sling and tourniquet, the pressure over the sluggishly bleeding wound causing the hybrid to cry out and grit his teeth. "Don't I feel fucking....lucky."

"Want me to carry your fat ass, then?"

"It's my arm, not my leg. Your eyes go bad with that recent download?"

Luvian got unsteadily to his talons, wincing as he pulled injured muscle and skin. "With my luck it cracked my collarbone as well. Guess that'll be next on the list when we get to civilization." He kicked his pistol. "Well I'm useless for anything beyond snarky comments now. That was my good arm."

Tai sighed, letting his friend vent his frustration. He couldn't really blame him, if he were honest. "Right. Escape pod?"

"Escape pod."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Surprisingly they'd encountered no resistance on their careful trip to the nearest pod, Tai's eyes flickering as he scanned their surroundings, Luvian's ears pricked as he listened between bouts of stuffing a sleeve in his jaws to clench down on and muffle hisses of pain as his shoulder throbbed. At this point any remaining hope for the ship had been blown away. Not even a few minutes after they'd left their post the speaker system of the ship had been blaring the pirate leader's congratulatory messages to himself and his lackeys, bragging about shooting every single innocent soul on the bridge. Luvian wished the ship'd blow up on him. He and Tai'd liked their crewmates, higher-ups and not, and now they were likely all dead besides him and Tai. By the time they'd reached the escape pod and sat down, the wolfbird was sniffling, huddled against the synth as years welled in his eyes. A cool, rubbery arm wrapped around his torso and pulled him close, his friend putting in coordinates for the nearest hospitable planet before letting Luvian rest his head in his lap and petting over his ears. "Sssshhhh, I know. I'll miss them all too." The wolfbird had never handled loss well. Not even a lost pet could be remembered without a few melancholy thoughts and a need for companionship. "We'll be on a planet in a few hours. Just rest, I'll keep you going." Tai continued to pet and comfort his miserable friend as the ship spiraled away from them and the planet tumbled closer, only tilting his head back once the hybrid's hitching breaths had smoothed out and his body relaxed. Eyes shutting off as he let his body drift into sleep. Not noticing the tiny bit of viral code embedded in his medical download unfurling, seeping into his processes, and toying with what was there. His visor glowed. 'Body reformatting update received, installing.....'

1%.....

15%.......

46%......

78%......

100%.....

Update complete! Thank you for your patience. We hope you enjoy your new body, formatted for $#5d3562%!Idv."

Tai's eyes flickered on in his visor, mouth opening in a synthesized yawn as he took in their surroundings. Luvian was up, fiddling with the door. The tiny window they'd been provided showed an alien landscape that nonetheless looked habitable. Strange flora, the trench their escape pod had made in the soil tearing up grass and knocking over an odd looking tree. With a hiss of escaping pressure, the wolfbird got the door open, stepping outside blindly, ignorant of the synth behind him reaching out.

"Luvian, wait! You don't know if you can breathe that!"

Luvian let out a slightly hysterical laugh. "Too late now. But it seems fine, I ain't choking."

Turning around, he froze. "Uuuuuh Tai? What happened? You look weird."

"Huh?"

"Get out of the pod into the sunlight, you know those artificial lights are garbage for illuminating things."

Tai complied, only to bang his head on the entryway. "Ow! What the hell? I fit in fine before!"

"Yeah you look.....bigger."

The synth made his way outside, his wolfbird friend's mouth dropping open while Tai looked over himself, eyes flickering in shock and confusion. Something in him rumbled with pleasure.

He was no longer traditional in appearance compared to other synthetics. He had gained at least another foot in height, hunched over naturally as his longer, thicker tail swayed behind as a counterbalance. Grey polymer had become blue, taking over parts of his arms, legs, and the underside of his tail, as well as the entire torso before traveling up his neck to form his lower jaw. His legs were more feral, contributing to his new stance, while thin spines studded up his spine to the back of his head, which had grown to fit the rest of his body, resting atop a swaying neck. His visor now occupied most of his upper face, stopping just before his jawline while wrapping about his face from one end to the other. "Uummmmm, that's definitely new."

"I'd say." Luvian replied, shrugging his non-impaired arm. "Think it was something the pirates did?"

"Maybe. But usually the firewalls I have would have prevented this. I can't say for certain, and diagnostics aren't giving me errors, so whatever it was didn't leave behind something easily located with basic scans. Nothing we can do here anyway."

Blinking, Tai looked around. "We should wait a day or so before we activate the distress beacon. Pirates might still be around, and it will take a while before anyone comes out to investigate a missing scouting vessel."

He turned to look at his wolfbird, the classic medical cross shining between his eyes as he looked at his wounded friend. "You want me to fix that up now? Now that we aren't on the ship I should have the time needed to heal you."

Luvian glanced at his left arm, still tied tightly in its makeshift sling. "Do we have the medical supplies for it? Like I said, the bastard might have broken my collarbone with that shot." He looked up to find his friend standing over him, eyes narrowed as he took in the injured arm. "You okay buddy?"

Tai grinned, eyes flashing as he scanned the wound. "Never better. I'm not the one with a shoulder wound, after all." Gripping the wolfbird about the waist, he sat down with a heavy thump, pulling Luvian with him, who went with a yelp of surprise as he suddenly found himself in the synth's lap. "Now hold still, and I'll have this all healed up in juuuust a moment. Can't have my friend out of commission now can I?" Licking his lips, the synth let his tongue slurp over the back of the wolfbird's head, nearly grooming the wolfbird like an unruly chick. At first Luvian let out complaining noises and such, before eventually relaxing with a huff, uninjured limb twitching like it wished to bat at the synth in frustration had it not been pinned to his side. "Not sure how this heals my goddamn bullet wound, Tai...."

The synth in question chuckled, giving one last lick between those ears. "Oh, that was just to get you calm and distracted, Luvian. I've been getting everything else ready, gonna tuck you into the healing chamber in a couple seconds." There was another wet slurp, this time from nowhere near Tai's head, nor Luvian's for that matter. The hybrid looked down, confused as he felt a wet sensation over his talons, but couldn't see anything past the dripping blue arms of his friend. "Wait....why are your arms dripping, Tai? They're not liquid."

"No, but the healing chamber is."

The synth pulled his arms towards himself tighter, like he was giving a hug. But instead of the wolfbird wheezing as his chest was compressed, he suddenly found himself half-submerged in the aqueous goop that now seemed to form Tai's chest and belly, along with half his limbs, since that transformation on the escape shuttle. Luvian flailed, legs kicking, sending fluid splashing as they broke the surface of Tai's legs. While he'd been grumping and such, the panels covering Tai's limbs had shifted, the blue liquid filling the gaps to better let the wolfbird sink into the synth. Luvian bent his arm as best he could to scrabble at those muscular forearms, quickly stopping when he felt his paw just sink into something wet and cool instead of scratching against polymer. Whimpering as blue goop pushed against his ears and edged in around his vision. "MMrrrPPHH!" went his cry, despite his jaw not yet being touched, so afraid of what would occur should the viscous fluid enter his mouth. All while Tai's body responded to the struggles with tentacles, one forming from each leg to wrap around Luvian's, pulling them back inside the synth's own body as he'd sneakily done before. Similar lengths wrapped about the wolfbird's arm not already trapped in a sling, covering it elbow to wrist as Tai let go, no longer needing them to restrain his 'patient.'

They tied the hybrid's arm behind his back after stuffing it past the surface of the goo, still somehow keeping their shape within despite no longer being visible. Luvian let out another whimper, his synthetic captor giving a small shush as he gently pushed the wolfbird further within himself. "Shhh, it's okay Luvi, I won't hurt you. I'm healing you, remember? Relax...:

He kept up the small amount of comfort as he gently pushed Luvian's head beneath the surface, panicked golden eyes looking with a mix of fear and betrayal as the arm in a sling finally joined the rest of him. He couldn't move as suddenly things solidified, or became more viscous, but that didn't stop him from twitching in attempts to struggle as hidden appendages gently pried his jaw open, and the goop flowed into his mouth and down his throat. It tasted sweet, bending like rubber as he tried to attempt a bite. A tingling sensation made his eyes flick down, talons kicking again, stretching the surface of Tai's legs as he saw his jumpsuit dissolving, particulates fluttering away into nothing along with the jumpsuit until he was naked, shoulder and arm held still and kept in place, like the sling still existed. Luvian thrashed a few moments longer, stopping as something was pumped into his stomach, along with the realization that the tingling had stopped after the loss of his uniform, excluding his wound.

All the while, Tai relaxed, plates shifting back into their normal places as he kept one hand over his lightly distended torso, humming quietly as he devoted part of his processors towards his patient. Carefully getting to his feet, he continued to try and comfort his panicked friend, whispering reassurances and apologies for the scare as he tested his mobility. His center of balance required some slight adjustment, but luckily Luvian's legs didn't reach to his knees, so he didn't have to move the wolfbird's legs as well, nor was he thin enough after the transformation to force the hybrid to bend in order to stay within his now hunched-over form.

"Shh, Luvi. I'll let you out once that wound goes away. Just rest. I'll take care of you and set up some shelter."

He felt another kick, watched as his thigh bulged in the shape of avian talons, and let out a quiet sigh. "Guess I'll have to help you, sorry about this....."

He felt the sleeping gas synthesize, glowing lightly in some sort of backlight display behind the wolfbird before it flowed into a tube, twisting and turning until it began to vanish as it reached the vague shape of a canine face behind the surface of his chest. There was a quick increase in struggling and flailing, Tai quietly creating the sound of a thumping heart near the wolfbird in response to try and calm him. Reaching into his torso in order to stroke along laid-back ears until he felt muscles unclench and a body relax. "That's it Luvi. Sleep for now. Shhhhh... Good boy..."

When he felt breathing smooth out and muscles go limp in the way of forced sleep, he pulled his arm free with a wet 'SHLLK.' Then blinked as he continued to process information. The phrase 'Good boy' was flagged for error, being unnecessary and potentially a sign of corruption, before another program promptly removed the signs that it was in error. Neither was noted beyond archival and data compression requirements, busy as Tai was using various troubleshooters, analysis attempts, and whatever he had on hand to try and determine what he was capable of in this new from, as well as a more thorough search beyond a quick scan to see what had caused the change. He didn't mind it too much, in fact he liked his new body quite a bit, but he wanted to ensure that no little hidden viruses (beyond potentially what had caused the change) were going to cause issues. Especially while he was healing his crewmate and friend.

Several hours later, he had found no potential viruses or errors. Standing, he carefully stretched, mindful of his sleeping passenger. "Up we get, Luvi. Don't worry..." he patted his belly. "I'll get us set up for the long haul." He then took to dismantling the escape pod.

Time went by fast, and soon the pod was nothing but a shell of its former self, only the frame remaining as everything from the electronics to the furniture had been ripped out and repurposed, with some aid from the wood from the already felled flora. Soon he had a rudimentary shelter. No lights or anything, the wiring had been used more as a replacement for rope, but there was a small window in one wall, the glass of the lights having been carefully softened and merged into a solid shape. The seats had been turned into a bed and a hammock, the latter suspended by the former harnesses, and a rough table with two chairs made out of logs. Food would have to be scavenged, hopefully edible food, but otherwise he'd be set to turn the beacon on tomorrow.

He checked on Luvian. Almost healed, a few more hours should do it. Making a decision, Tai hummed and patted his gut once again, liking the feeling of his friend being so close. "I'll let you out tomorrow, okay Luvi? Should be all healed up by then, ready to face this new world for however long rescue takes." No response of course, the wolfbird was still sleeping, but the synth liked to imagine his friend was just too comfortable to respond. The bed was his, and as he laid on his back, arms over his chest as though he was hugging the hybrid, he let his systems power down into sleep mode, unaware of one last change being put through his body while he slept once more.

Tai awoke with a yawn, sitting up carefully as he went back to rubbing the place where Luvian was. "Good morning, Luvi. You should be all healed up now, so I'm gonna let you out, okay?"

His plates shifted back out of position as he spoke, before he reached both arms into himself once more. His hands carefully cradled his friend as he pulled them free, the tentacles and the sloshy blue fluid itself seemingly reluctant to let the wolfbird go as it clung to the grey furred, sleeping form. The one down the hybrid's throat remained the longest, slowly slurping from between slack jaws and wrapping around them almost like a hug before retreating back into the synth.

A cursory check revealed the wound was healed, the bone repaired, and the last bit of anesthetic gas was being steadily worked out of his friend's blood. Tai took the time to put the wolfbird in his lap, cuddling Luvian as he rested his head between the furry ears of his companion. He'd wait for the hybrid to wake, and hopefully easily defuse whatever anger might remain after his little deception.

Luvian woke slowly, groaning as he was brought back to the land of consciousness. He didn't remember going to sleep, had he collapsed from something? It came back to him, then, what Tai had done. Pulling him into the synth's new body, muffling him, knocking him out when he rightfully tried to protest and escape. And even now he could feel the synth's arms around his chest, head laying on the wolfbird's shoulder as he relaxed with the hybrid. The wolfbird tried to subtly squirm, but all that happened was Tai noticing, rumbling as he kept his arms about Luvian. "Welcome back to the waking world, feeling better?"

The hybrid scowled, grumbling. He wanted to yell at the synth, ban him from doing anything like that again, and put physical barriers between them. But he did feel better. His shoulder didn't hurt, even a few minor aches from the escape pod were gone. The most he could complain about was the taste in his mouth and the sensitivity of his skin, but commenting that seemed almost...petty. "I guess?...Could I ask why the hell you didn't just use a medkit or something? Pretty sure 'freak out the patient, make them think their friend has corrupted into something nefarious, and knock them out when they continue fighting against what they believe is their last few moments of life' isn't good for patient health or preventing accidents." Okay, he was still a bit upset, but the hug was warm and the cool metal felt good against his fur and flesh, so he'd settle for an answer to his irritated question instead of trying to break free.

Tai hummed, the vibrations traveling up Luvian's spine like a shudder, though one far more pleasant than such things were normally. "Pretty sure at least some of that is on you. Lack of trust in your doctor isn't very good, after all. As for knocking you out, I only did that because you were thrashing, and that could aggravate injuries." The synth hunched over to rest his head on the wolfbird's, the soft, gel-like substance of his jaw squishing against Luvian and molding between his ears. "Not that you seem to mind now. You're nice and healed up, we've got a shelter, and we can turn on that beacon before stocking up on possible food. I should easily be able to detect non-edible stuff, and it doesn't seem like we've got predators or other aggressive species to worry about."

"Well that's one thing I guess," the wolfbird muttered, trying to move on as quickly as possible from the whole 'not really complaining about being stuffed into his synth friend' thing. Honestly he didn't really know the answer either, and he wasn't in any hurry to figure out what that answer was. "Gonna let me up now Tai?"

The synth squeezed one more time, then let the hybrid stand. "Somebody's impatient."

"I'm hungry, and am tired of sitting around."

"Suuure."

"Ass."

Tai looked like he was gonna continue, mouth tilted in a smirk and looking smug as hell, before he seemed to abandon the quickly degenerating conversation. Getting to his feet, the synth stretched, before hunching down in his now natural position. "Glad I don't have back problems."

"Laugh it up, I don't have to worry about screen fading."

"Shut up and get out the door. I thought you were anxious to leave?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm going. Cool your jets."

"Don't have those, but okay."

Luvian sighed as once again the synth got in the last bit of snark. He usually never won them, but for whatever reason he was feeling a bit irritated by it at the moment. Probably just stress from nearly dying and being on an unknown, alien world.

It took a good several hours at least, and the alien sun had already reached its 'evening' position (which meant the planet turned quickly, that'd cause some nasty space lag when they got back to the usual schedule if they were here for a while.) But they'd managed to find several kinds of berries and fruits, as well as harvest from a member of a large herd. They didn't seem rare, and both of them wanted more than just greens. Luckily the species was big enough that one apparent adult yielded enough. They left the rest for scavengers, they had nowhere to store the excess meat. The duo brought the haul back to their impromptu shelter, Luvian putting together a fire and getting the meat cooking while Tai carefully tested the fruits and berries for toxins. Which mostly just consisted of him eating one and letting his systems analyze the contents, since his processes didn't exactly conform to what most biological species considered 'normal.' Not that either of them minded, not like risking illness or some other, longer term tests would be helpful.

There were three different moons in the evening sky as evening fell, another reminder of the strange alien world they were in. One setting, one rising, and one hanging above like the sun in the afternoon. All slightly different colors, all making Luvian grumble and feel a bit lost. He idly munched on a haunch as he sulked over their circumstances, gnawing it down to the bone in his inattentiveness until Tai noticed, and gave out a small bark of laughter.

"Going back to your roots there? If I'd known you needed a chewtoy I'd have grabbed one of those squeaky balls at the pet store."

Luvian blushed bright red, throwing the bone to the side as he looked away from the laughing synth, arms crossed as he tried to respond. It wasn't very eloquent, merely the wolfbird muttering "Shut up." and making his friend laugh harder. It was all the hybrid could do to not reach out and smack the changed body before him. It would likely hurt, for one, and he had no idea if Tai would use the opportunity to put him back in his body. "I'm going to sleep, hopefully tomorrow you're less likely to make fun of me."

"Not if you keep gnawing on bones like a pet. Then I'll just treat you like one."

"Fuck you."

"We've been over this, I'm not built for intercourse. Though knowing your search history, that hasn't stopped your imagination."

"Hey, that's rude! And also an invasion of my privacy."

"Kinda hard not to with the lack of advanced security protections."

"Dick."

"Again, don't have that. Go to bed, Luvi, you're clearly too tired to have a conversation."

Luvian grumpily crossed his arms, and stomped off to the hammock, rolling on his side away from the synth. Tai simply grinned at the display, brushing his tail over the dirt and smothering the fire with the accumulated debris. Patting the ashes, he turned to the bed and sat atop it. Listening to the wolfbird fall asleep, before he turned his head towards the hammock, leaning over slightly as he stared at the fabric obscuring his sleeping friend, seeming to contemplate it. Visor flickering to something more...predatory as something in the dark interior of the shelter quietly went 'drip.'

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Luvian woke to darkness. Though based on the feeling of what was over his face, it was more the combination of the hammock and the lack of non-natural lighting than anything nefarious, or Tai playing some really badly timed prank. Grumbling, he thrust a paw out to grip the edge of the makeshift bed to roll out, however ungraceful it would look, only to recoil as his touch was met with something wet. Maybe it had rained? No matter the cause the top of the hammock was soaked, thankfully leaving the bottom half and his own body dry. He'd rather not smell like a wet dog or sleep somewhere soaked, he was having a horrible enough time as it was on this uninhabited planet. Bracing himself, the wolfbird gripped the soaked hammock again and rolled, twisting to land on his hands and knees.

The ground squished under his weight, though thankfully it wasn't enough to actually stick to his body and create mud clumps in his fur. It was probably soaked with more rain, or whatever it was that had leaked into their hut, but the idea that it was an outside source stuttered, died, and left his brain metaphorically rebooting as the hybrid looked up.

He could only stare as he took in the reshaped hut. Everything looked...coated in some sort of resin, blue like an ocean far from shore. As Luvian watched, a drop of...whatever it was slowly formed and fell from the ceiling, the small 'splat' of sound only audible due to the lack of noise. One of the walls had vanished in the night, leaves from what the wolfbird recognized as nearby trees covering the resulting opening, though whatever was beyond that flickered with some dim, yellowish light. It was eerie, and his heart raced as he slowly got to his feet.

Something had invaded in the night. Maybe it had gotten Tai, or maybe Tai had decided to.....leave, or something. Gather supplies in the night, go set up the beacon, anything. Still, he had to check, and despite everything inside him, instinct and not, screaming at the top of their imaginary lungs to not make noise, he pushed past the terror and spoke in a trembling, worried voice, backing toward where he knew the door outside was the entire time. "T-Tai? You there? You...need help? W-What's going on?"

Something dripped from behind him, and began to hum. Heart lodged in his throat, Luvian took another step back, hoping it was nothing. Instead, something wrapped around his muzzle and silenced the surprised screech, and something else wrapped around his belly and dragged him back into something slick and wet, trapping his arms against his sides in the same smooth motion. His heart felt like it was going to burst, especially as he felt the unknown thing's head lower until each breath leaving it ruffled the fur coating his ears and head, making him shiver at the sensory input. It was like that for at least a minute, as he was left to work himself into a terrified frenzy. Heart racing, body trembling as he stood absolutely still in the hopes he'd be let go with no injury to his body.

"G-oing....somewhere?"

Luvian's eyes somehow widened further, pupil shrinking to a pinprick as he froze. "Tffhfii?!

There was a staticy, rumbling hum, before something wet slapped against his head and wrapped around an ear, making the wolfbird whine around what he could now assume was Tai's hand. Everything became muffled on that side as it was coated in thick fluid, but he could still hear enough as his ear was released. "Mmmmm.....Luuuuvi....."

It was Tai, he was the only person to call him that. Clearly whatever had affected him before had progressed, changing his friend further to the point where the wolfbird feared little of the synth remained. Squirming, he tried to free an arm or pull his muzzle out of the grip, but to little success. Instead, something clicked above, and Tai's head moved, trailing down the back of his neck until it stopped, before jolting forward like a serpent.

Luvian yelped through the thing (Tai's hand? It felt different...) around his jaws as the synth sunk actual fangs into the junction where his neck and shoulder met, pain and cold and heat all radiating out in different patterns across his pinned body. The pain remained centralized around the bite, where Tai's jaws were still clamped around the hybrid's neck and the enclosed flesh lapped at by what felt like a gooey, sticky tongue. The cold, more like the chill of fall than anything painful like being dunked in an ice bath, flowed into his limbs and up his neck, making them feel heavy and unresponsive. His head lolled to the side, only kept upright by Tai as he let out a whimper, muscles refusing to let him lift it back up.

Meanwhile, the duo sank to the floor, Luvian's legs collapsing beneath him while the synth that held him guided him gently to the ground, until the wolfbird sat in his transformed friend's lap, tucked against his slimy torso as his position was rearranged. The restraints vanished, though he could no longer take advantage of them with his body refusing to respond beyond breathing and existing. Meanwhile Tai began petting the incapacitated wolfbird like, well, a pet. Humming as he finally removed his jaws (and new fangs) from Luvian's flesh, though not without nuzzling into that exposed neck fur in some sort of strange affection. It was strange, almost, how affectionate his friend was being despite refusing to let him move from his grasp, and his...apparent additions to their temporary home.

Meanwhile the heat, which had nearly vanished beneath the sensations of cold numbing his limbs and Tai moving him about, reappeared with a vengeance, bringing Luvian feel like he was melting. Sweat beaded his brow as his breath quickened, unable to truly pant through his paralyzed jaws as his eyes blew wide, pupil overtaking everything save a thin ring of gold iris as his eyelids flickered. He barely understood what was happening in the first place, not to mention what was happening now, and he just wanted it all to stop.

And it did.

Or, it stopped in part. While he'd been drowning in every sensation the bite had caused, pulled beneath until he was barely conscious of the outside world, the more insectile synth had begun to drip.The gooey mass that formed much of his new body appeared to melt and flow, sticking to the wolfbird's back and combating overwhelming heat with a cool rush, much like the cold that had heralded his paralyzation. Not that he cared at the moment, too enamoured with the relief from the burning. He only wished it would encase all of him, his front still feeling like he'd been laying in the sun for too long. A whining plea escaping his frozen jaws as he tried to look at his changed friend.

"Ssshhhhh." Tai's voice said, more clear now that it had been previously, though still undercut with a buzzing tone that sounded like insect wings. "Let me take care of you..."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The synth known as Tai to the wolfbird felt good. Like, better than good. And he was going to make Luvian feel the same. He knew how. His new precepts and commands told him how. The bite was the start, but nowhere near the end.

He nuzzled into that still exposed neck yet again, lapping at it every time the hybrid whined. All while he warmed up the needed components. His thoraxal fluid continued to mold itself against the wolfbird's back, like foam, his abdomen twitched, before he got the notification, and moved his head away from that tantalizing neck flesh to press his lips against one ear, iron restraint keeping his lower jaw from losing its form and trying to map out every crevice of his pet's head. Wasn't time yet.

He folded arms over Luvian's abdomen, the lower pair petting over that soft, fluffy belly, feeling the wolfbird's breath hitch and his eyes flutter as the synth's body combated the aphrodisiac in his venom. And he spoke again, eyes alight in anticipation as he felt his abdomen twitch again in excitement. "We'll stay here, hmm? Nice empty space where you can't get in danger again, my lovely wolfbird. But we have to ensure you can't wander...Nobody wants you hurt again, no no. Not while you have such an important task...Gotta make sure you understand how precious you are before we leave...." He shuddered, licking his lips and thereby wetting the hybrid's fur. "No matter how many times it takes for you to... comprehend."

The wolfbird's breath sped up, Tai frowning as he nuzzled into Luvian's neck and looking to calm him down. Nibbling and teasing at the wolfbird's weaknesses, ones his pet had so kindly spilled to him while they were in space after a drinking game. Such a kind little gesture, a measure of trust he would use with care to keep him safe. Humming, he watched Luvian's head tilt to the side, giving Tai more access to it. An invitation the synth took gladly, nibbling, letting his fangs just barely prick at the wolfbird's skin, tiny, almost unnoticeable microdoses of his venom being added. Until Luvian was whining and panting like he was overheated, eyes glazed and face flushed.

It was time now, in Tai's opinion. He'd worn the wolfbird down, showed him the barest of rewards if he obeyed and kept safe. Now for the next, bigger reward, one he was sure his Luvi would love. Blinking, he moved his head from the hybrid's neck, letting the venom keep the furry male shuddering and enthralled as he gently, slowly adjusted Luvian's legs. Hooking them on the outside of his own thighs and leaving the wolfbird exposed and tantalizingly ready. His pelvic region shuddered and remolded, until a large tube of blue goo extended, like a perverse telescope, from the synth, falling under gravity's influence until it slapped, wetly, against his pet's abdomen. When a throb pulled it away again, the slimy fluid left behind extended up near the wolfbird's ribs, before the shaft fell back down onto Luvian's furry belly with another wet splat.

"Such a good boy...I think you'll do this job wonderfully, Luvi...." Tai murmured, scritching behind the wolfbird's ears with an upper arm while his shaft bent, like a snake, until it could press between the hybrid's cheeks. The wolfbird's breath hitched again, began to form into a whine, but the synth shushed him, lightly tugging at an ear with his jaws. "None of that now, you'll be good. You've got this, remember? I'll keep you safe..." The hybrid quieted down, but couldn't stop the groan that left him as the pressure grew enough for that thick length squelched it's way into his body. It bulged out his lower belly a bit, and the mutated synth moaned happily as he began to twist and push his way through, his lower appendages tracing the path of his shaft across Luvian's stomach.

All the while, the smaller male whined and shuddered, barely able to move, and yet not truly wanting to as he felt the heat within him subside where Tai touched him, inside and out. He would cuddle if he could, express his relief, but he could only make faint noises and tiny movements as the synth's upper, 'natural' arms gently grasped his shoulders and began to slowly exert pressure, helping him sink lower and lower, the bulge in his gut snaking its way up until he was directly between those gooey, metallic thighs, his own legs limply straddling the lightly pulsing, fat abdomen-like structure that had replaced his friend's tail. He didn't mind, it was soft, and comfortable, cool where it squished against his inner thighs and talons. They sat there, enjoined, and then Tai began to move once more.

Or not. Luvian never actually moved from his position between the synth's legs. He remained still, even as he began to moan and pant as the distinct shape of the insectoid's shaft began to shudder and twist, thrusting through him seemingly on its own, stimulating his body until even his paralysis didn't stop his body from growing aroused, his own length, small in comparison, throbbed wetly against the bulges in his belly, Tai nibbled an ear playfully in response, one lower limb wrapping around his pet's cock and beginning to play with it. Stroking over the head, squeezing around the slowly growing knot, making the wolfbird twitch and shudder and let out quiet moans until he clenched down barely two minutes later, grunting through the paralysis that still held his voice captive as his seed sprayed over his belly fur. All while Tai continued to thrust without stopping, breaking down the mental fortitude of his pet to let him better understand he was meant to be safe in here. Together with his king and their eventual colony.

It went on for a while, at least to the frozen, aroused wolfbird. Brought to orgasm again and again, teased and stroked all over his body while he sat in Tai's lap, watching vacantly as his belly twisted and bulged from the inside. Until the synth brought him to completion again, and nothing happened, his length twitching as the wolfbird whimpered, dry and empty. His bugged...friend? Lover? King? Clicking overhead as he finally removed his hand from the wolfbird's shaft. "All...empty? Well, there anyway." He joked, the buzzing building in his voice until it began to become intelligible again. "Fill...up."

Then Luvian's belly ballooned. As though the synth merely needed a command to orgasm instead of needing some sort of pleasurable climax. Or maybe the writhing of the prehensile tool within the fluffy hybrid had been enough. Either way it meant the same, with the synth flooding the wolfbird with what could only be cum. It didn't even hurt to have his guy expand in such a way. It tingled, wonderfully, making him moan softly as his paws twitched, starting to break through the paralysis. Not that he noticed or cared, talons slowly curling against Tai's squishy abdomen as Luvian's own legs were forced to spread, this time by his swollen body.

It was thick and heavy, and to the wolfbird it felt like the synth was pumping the blue goo that made up his body into his guts. He wanted to giggle drunkenly at the thought, since nothing had changed about his King friend since he'd started. Though his silly thought was helped as his throat bulged and he drooled glowing blue fluid, his belly joining in as it began to glow with a faint sapphire light. By the time he stopped growing, the wolfbird's belly was squishing against his legs, pressing them into Tai's inner thighs as it wobbled, the sounds leaving it lewd and depraved. His lips and nose were stained blue as well, and he wanted to slump over the cool, comfortable fluid as it doused the heat and soothed his thoughts. Though he'd take Tai's hands in the meantime, the lower pair stroking and squishing it, making Luvian let out a gurgling, happy whimper while the synth's upper limbs traced over his chest and face.

"Fill.....uuuuup...."

More? He could take more. It didn't hurt, it felt wonderful. His King was so nice to him. Though maybe he'd have his voice back and be allowed to request rest after this next session, he just wanted to relax with Tai.

The aforementioned, transformed synth's abdomen, still squished between Luvian's thighs, twitched, and contracted. The length that was in the wolfbird began to bulge at the base.

And the hybrid moaned, his own arms shakily, slowly reaching up to press against his glowing blue gut before Tai's lower arms grasped them and held them in place, letting him just feel as objects began to steadily pump, slowly and surely, down towards the tip of the shaft nestled deep inside the wolfbird. All while the synth's transformed visage grinned, arching down to press the side of his face against his pet's, arm stroking the other cheek. "First....many."

The first sphere, the first egg, left Tai's length, and as it settled into the glowing blue fluid filling Luvian's stomach, the wolfbird cried out in pure, agonizing pleasure. His vision went white, limbs twitching as though they wanted to writhe in bliss. Not that his King allowed it. Not even his cry was left to go on for long as the hand against his cheek turned his head, until the synth could properly devour Luvian's mouth in a demanding kiss that left golden eyes rolled back and a furry throat bulging as a tongue pushed into it.

The wolfbird's eyes began to slide shut as he remained in some sort of nirvana. Shuddering as egg after egg was pushed into his undeserving body for him to nurture, to raise. Each one reacting with the gel inside him, torturing his nerves with ecstasy while his mind warped. He could feel his belly growing again, eggs pressing against his paws and...and....

Luvian tumbled into darkness.

And awoke sometime later, Tai's visor pressed against his face, eyes wide and glittering in some sort of elation or mirth. It was hard to tell when it was a transformed electronic visage. The wolfbird blinked, shakily reaching forward to caress the face of his King. "Mmmphhhh...."

The synth smiled. Voice once again back to its new normal. "Oh good, you're awake." He pulled back just enough to show that they were outside, the hybrid tucked with his back against the larger male's belly, surrounded on all sides by his leader's arms, tail, now thin and looking like it had pre-transformation, curled around until the tip stroked over Luvian's gut. "Understanding things better?"

Luvian blinked, his tail swishing through leaf litter and alien grass as his other paw blindly reached down to drape over his belly. "Stay...safe? With you?" His voice was unsure, halting. Like he'd forgotten how to speak and needed to relearn how to move his mouth in the proper shapes. Tai's smile got bigger. "Always, my pet. Soon, we'll get a ship and find a planet more...." here, the synth's grin turned feral, eyes glinting, "suited, to us. Safer, close enough to civilization for what we need, far enough they won't be able to harm you."

The wolfbird nodded, smiling faintly at his King. He shifted, belly sloshing and making him shudder happily at the feeling, before the hybrid pushed his head beneath Tai's, letting the cool gel of the synth's lower jaw soak into his head while he closed his eyes once more. "Mmmphh.." he mumbled, lips barely moving as he relaxed in the embrace. "Just let me do some stuff sometimes? I'd get bored just laying around."

His King rumbled, tucking tighter around him as he let his Pet, soon to be Queen, relax. He knew he couldn't keep his wolfbird perpetually bound. He'd probably not even fill him up this much again. It was only to show just how much he needed to be protected and cared for, after all. Though he'd love to see if he could keep the wolfbird permanently gravid. His own eyes closed, the gel of his form softening to cling to the hybrid and keep him secure in their shared rest.

"Of course, my Luvian."