FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

(The names in this story were derived from a semi-random process. The similarity of names with any other character or person is strictly coincidental.)

Dain had always been a minor shifter, although he and most other people didn't really know what that meant. Growing up, especially, it hadn't really been expected at all. During his early childhood, the question of what he was had initially seemed to be simple and un-puzzling: he was a boy, just like all the other little boys running around on the field, a roving energetic tussle of flailing limbs and striped brown fur as they played their hearts out on whatever made-up game they'd come up with for that week, games where the rules were quickly forgotten as everyone ended up falling all over each other due to their halting coordination, but fun nonetheless. The girls usually played nearby, making pretend cakes out of the dense, clay-like soil and made tsk-ing noises when the boys once again ended up on their backs, laughing, their clothes streaked with grass and mud - tsks he soon took to heart when his mother managed to remove several tufts of fur and scrub the rest of him raw after one particularly mud-filled outing.

As a result, the next day he found himself scratching at the furless patches that were luckily concealed by his clothes, and he decided to take a break from his normal group (as they had decided that day to play seafarers, a game that he didn't much like, and one that involved even more mud than usual). Idly curious, he wandered over to where the girls were playing, and once they got over their shock that one of the boys was actually willing to play with them, they sat him down and showed him how to make a passable-looking cake from the mud, molding the earth to form decorations and garnishing it with a circlet of wildflowers that they'd found growing nearby. It was more interesting than Dain had thought it would be, although, as much as he tried, he just couldn't make believe well enough to think it was anything akin to cake. It did, however, seem to awaken in him a different kind of creativity, and on subsequent days when the girls were making various permutations of baked goods, he tried to create other things with the claylike mud - first simple things, like bowls, but before long he was creating simple animal-like shapes and passable faces, pinching together and then slightly bending triangles of mud for the ears to go on top of the head, and building out a little mound for the half-muzzle. Sure, the eyes still looked a bit flat, but for a child, it was more than good. Even after the fur had regrown, he didn't see much point in rejoining the boys in their sports games - while they were still fun once in a while, they didn't offer him the endless creative possibilities of his new activity. The girls, too, were learning from his explorations, and were venturing into new territory with their own sculptures as well, building everything from depictions of their own families to entire wilderness dioramas. A few of the other boys even joined in, and after a while one of the parents took notice and had them bring some of their creations over to his workshop, where they baked in a large ceramic kiln into a harder, more permanent form. From then on, his workshop was opened to them, with an assortment of real clays and a selection of child-safe tools, allowing them to build even more impressive things.

As a side benefit to this new activity, Dain also got to know a number of the girls in his neighborhood from an early age, something that only happened rarely, as boys and girls of that age usually acted towards each other with either indifference or fear of their different personalities. Once he got to know them, though, he wondered why anyone would fear them - as far as he could tell, they didn't really seem to be any different from boys at all, except that they sometimes preferred talk to action instead of the other way around. Aside from the fact that they lacked an extra tuft of fur on the inside of their ears, they didn't initially appear outwardly different at all, and to him they seemed just as normal as the boys, with the same level of enthusiasm and friendliness once they became accustomed to his presence. Within their shared interest, each of them had their own thing - Shaie loved the sky, and was always shaping birds, clouds, and rainbows, while Loen preferred to model the herds of ungulates that occasionally meandered through the forests on the outskirts of town. Caure loved building towns, and populating them with miniature people who would live within them, and gave Dain a lingering ear-lick as a reward for painstakingly making a detailed miniature model of her to live within the town she had created.

It was Caure, in fact, who first showed him the differences between boys and girls extended somewhat beyond a few errant tufts of fur, and in the process first made him aware of his own unique situation. When it happened, they were a few years older, during the harvest season before their formal schooling would begin, at a time when they were considered "mature" enough for their first real education. In their society, childhood was a time for exploration rather than structure, picking up basic skills such as language and reasoning more by osmosis and direct interaction with the world around them. Once formal schooling started, and they completed their two years of general education, they would be considered to have moved into adulthood, and would be expected to decide on the professional specialization that they would follow for their adult careers. Shortly afterwards, as he had learned from overhearing the parents of some of the girls he knew, the girls would complete their seventh period of something called "trial heat" and become fertile, able to produce children of their own, the males becoming fully matured as well. This meant, apparently, that in addition to their profession, girls - women by that point - would have another choice to make: carefully selecting a group of men, ten to twelve in total, who would be their partners in the sacred mating rituals that would bring forward the next generation. It was apparently not an easy task, as many factors had to be considered. Desirable genetics, whether the man was already claimed by another woman who had a breeding cycle across the same period of days on the calendar, and a whole host of other considerations.

Dain, of course, hadn't bothered to worry about it at all - as a boy, and eventually a man, he would probably be happy with whoever claimed him, if anyone at all. After all, to be claimed was an honor, a testament to his own pedigree, or some other trait that was found desirable. While men did have a right to refuse being chosen, few if any would, given the prestige it could offer. Some men were apparently chosen by many women, while others by only a few or just one, and many were not chosen at all. He wasn't sure exactly what that meant, as the men in that category didn't necessarily seem less happy than others who had, and many of them instead seemed to form close bonds with each other, or devote themselves to their professions to the point where their mastery was admired and respected by all. In any case, the mating rituals themselves were still a puzzle to most of the children, and the adults made it clear to them that knowledge of the rituals was for adults only, and would only be made known when it was needed.

That wasn't to say, though, that they hadn't figured out anything at all. It was obvious that boys and girls were, in fact, different, and apparently after a couple of their more curious peers had taken off their clothing together, they had discovered that the differences were much greater than an errant tuft of fur. On that day, when the two of them were idly wandering through the forest, Caure had brought up the subject, and they'd talked about it for a bit when she made a point of mentioning the fact that they were all alone, in the midst of a secluded grove of trees, and no one would ever know if they happened to slip out of their clothes here and see for themselves what that difference was... When she'd said it, he'd felt a little thrill of excitement run through him, along with a sensation in his crotch that was even more unusual. Not a swelling, exactly, but something else, something he wasn't quite able to comprehend. The feeling only grew stronger, and stranger, as Caure lifted up his shirt and pulled it over his head. He almost felt like sneezing for a moment, and his abdominal muscles clenched sharply. Something was, if not wrong, then at least somehow different, and he was momentarily distracted enough trying to figure out what was going on that he hardly noticed Caure already stripping down to her panties - although Dain's thoughts focused again as he felt her impatiently tugging down on his pants. He released the clasp and felt them slide off, although a certain friction he usually sensed when he did so was missing. Caure slipped off her panties at the same time he pulled down his undershorts, and this time the friction was definitely missing. He looked over at Caure and saw that the difference was that between her legs was mostly a patch of bare, pink skin... and then, feeling an odd sense of unease, he looked down at himself. Instead of the penis that was usually there, tucked away in its sheath, there was just a hint of pink skin poking out beneath his fur... one that he had a feeling closely mirrored what Caure had there.

Caure, looking over at him, looked at first shocked, and then let out an exasperated sigh. "Oh, Dain! Why didn't you tell me you were a girl? That's not nearly as interesting!"

"What- But, I-" Dain stumbled over the words, not sure what to say himself. A few minutes ago, he'd been quite certain that he was a boy, with all the normal equipment to show for it. All of a sudden, though, he didn't know what to believe. The weirdest thing, though, was that he realized it didn't really feel all that unusual to him. Sure, it was different, but now that the strange feelings had passed, it just felt like... his body, really, as though this was the way it had always been. It hadn't been, of course, but he didn't know how to explain that, at least not in a way that he or anyone else could clearly believe. "I, uh, I always thought I was..."

"Well then, silly, someone must have been lying to you! After all, if we both look the same down there, that means you're a girl, right?"

"But, what about..." he reached up to his ears, feeling for the tufts he knew would be there, but couldn't really find them. "I mean, you saw the tufts in my ears, right? I thought that meant I was a boy..."

"Well, maybe your ears were just extra fuzzy for some reason, but you're definitely a girl!" Caure crouched down in front of him, looking at Dain's newly-configured crotch. "Although you know, I've never seen another girl naked either, and it's kind of hard to look at it on your own, so maybe this'll be interesting after all..."

She peered closer, and Dain felt momentarily embarrassed. Actually, he didn't really know how to feel, as a whole host of conflicting emotions flooded through him. Was he, actually, a girl somehow, and it had taken up until this threshold of adulthood to manifest itself? Was that how it happened with all girls when they matured? He had no idea, and wondered if it was even appropriate to refer to himself as a man any more. And what of his future, new choices that would have to be made... he was so confused that the fact there was a girl naked in front of him was almost lost to his perception.

His focus returned, though, as she reached out a finger and touched the new patch of skin between his legs. He realized that it wasn't just a patch of skin, but something that contained a number of fleshy ridges and folds, formations that almost seem to stretch along with her finger as she probed at them. It was a strange feeling, the bare skin so much more sensitive than anything he'd ever felt before. Dain almost wanted to squirm away from Caure's touch, but her finger found something between the folds and pushed in, and a moment later realized that her finger was now somehow sinking inside him, into something wet and warm that seemed to conform around it, and he could feel it as it curled around inside. It brushed against something unusually sensitive inside, and Dain had a sudden, almost uncontrollable urge to urinate, along with something else: a strange, wild desire to arch out her hips and let her tail curl up against his back, a weird anticipation for something Dain couldn't understand at all. The touch did cause her to almost involuntarily give out an emphatic mewing noise that seemed strangely high-pitched, along with an expression on her face that caused Caure to quickly cease her probing and look at Dain with concern.

"I- I'm sorry! I didn't mean to do that, I didn't mean to go... in there, I just got so interested in seeing what it was like up close..." She trailed off, an embarrassed blush somehow managing to shine through the fur on her cheeks.

"Um, well, it didn't... hurt..." was all Dain could think to say. She honestly couldn't find words to explain how it had felt, in any case.

"You can, y'know, look too, it's only fair," Caure replied, gesturing towards her crotch. "I'll even get on my back if you want, so you can get a really close look. If that'll help, if I can make it up to you..." All Dain really felt at that moment, though, was that the thing she needed to do the most was think. Alone, quietly, away from this awkward situation. Wordlessly, Dain pulled clothing back on, and after a minute, Caure did as well, looking chagrined. Dain knew that Caure somehow felt guilty for her trespass, and could see her tail hung low, marking a trail in the dirt as they walked back. They both tried to start conversations about other things, but it never quite worked, and they walked the last part back in silence. Before they parted, though, Dain took Caure by the shoulders, looking into eyes that wavered with tears.

"I, uh, don't really know what to say, but... don't worry about it?" Dain gave her what she thought would be a quick hug, but one that became much longer when she returned it, sniffling into his shoulder - and when they finally released, she could see the slight hint of a smile beginning to spread across Caure's muzzle, and could feel her gaze as she walked away.

When Dain returned home, she went up to the bathroom, both to relieve the urge to urinate that hadn't quite gone away, and to assess his situation. For that matter, she realized, she'd have to figure out how she was supposed to urinate - sitting down, she guessed, but was it that simple? Where would it even come out? By the time Dain had returned to town, though, he had felt a bit more normal somehow, and when he went to use the bathroom, his penis was right there just like it had always been, and everything else as well. He felt down around it all to make sure, but the unusual folds of flesh were gone, replaced by just another patch of fur just behind his balls. For a moment, he wondered whether the earlier part of the day, the strange incident in the forest, had even been real. Could he have just dreamed it? He didn't think so, and when he next saw Caure and she couldn't quite look him in the eyes, that was all the confirmation he needed. What he didn't know, though, was what it meant, and whether it would happen again.

A few days went by, and the situation hadn't reoccurred, something that he verified very carefully throughout each day. He mostly kept to himself about the strange incident, although he did eventually tell his mom after she started inquiring as to why he'd looked so preoccupied. She looked... not quite shocked, exactly, when he told her, and for the most part just nodded in agreement as he talked. When he finished, though, his mother refused to answer him when he asked about what was going on, and when pressed on whether it would happen again, said only a noncommittal "maybe," her face taking on an unusual expression of emotion that Dain couldn't quite parse - as any emotion was an unusual thing to see on his mother's face. Whatever emotion it was, though, his mother didn't elaborate, and it was abundantly clear that the topic was no longer one that was up for discussion. However, the matter was not entirely dropped, as Dain soon found a neat row of female panties tucked up alongside his other underwear in his clothing drawer.

This turned out to be somewhat handy, as hardly another week went by before Dain woke up to find the configuration between his legs changed once again. This time, though, it didn't go back to the male "normal" after a few minutes, so he - or more properly, she - had to figure out how to use the bathroom all over again. It made sense to be seated, of course, and after that it wasn't particularly complicated at all. The muscles to relax were slightly different, but after that a regular stream of urine emerged from a location somewhere within the folds of flesh, and flowed out basically as expected. It did, however, splatter a bit against the folds, leaving her to fumble around and clean it up as best she could. Afterwards, Dain looked at herself in the mirror as she washed up, and aside from the triangle of the panties form-fittingly close around the seeming emptiness between her legs, she really didn't look all that different. There were none of the budding breasts that were now forming on the other girls, and if there were any rows of residual nipples they were currently mostly concealed beneath her fur. It was true that males and females looked a bit more similar than in some other species, but her overall form was still the same, with only a slight shift in the angle of her narrow hips, the only real visible difference that wouldn't be concealed by clothing being the tufts of fur around the ears that had retracted in tandem with the change. Whatever she was, male, female, or otherwise, for all outward appearances anyone glancing at her would assume from her clothes that they were looking at a male, unless they carefully scrutinized her ears.

Indeed, when she did go to hang out with the other kids (or, more properly, teenagers) at the ceramics workshop, no one seemed to notice that anything was really amiss. Caure, of course, was the exception, scrutinizing Dain's face carefully and giving her more strange looks than usual. Their relationship, as it were, had mostly returned to normal, and while neither of them exactly spoke of it, they appeared to have arrived at an unspoken agreement that the subject would not be brought up again. Caure must have noticed how Dain's ear tufts had returned the next day, and Dain, after checking himself carefully, had almost dragged Caure into one of the storerooms off the main building and pulled his pants down right then and there to show her how he normally was. He didn't actually get up the nerve to do it, though, as he was aware of how quickly things had happened the last time, and was worried that even if he tried it again, things would have changed by the time he got his pants off... and then Caure would never believe his claim.

That day, though, Dain tried to ignore the looks and just focus on a new sculpture: a bust of one of the town's founders, modeled after a shaped-metal version that stood prominently in the market square. Dain got most of the way up to the neckline before she needed to get a new batch of clay, but noticed Caure get up and follow closely behind. As soon as Dain opened up the cabinet to get some new supplies, partially blocking them from view, Caure's hand darted out and felt between Dain's legs, the sudden touch almost making Dain cry out. Dain whirled around and glared at Caure, who had a bemused expression on her face, but all she said was "Hmm..." before turning around and heading back as though nothing had happened. Dain didn't even know what to think about it, and put it out of her mind. When she returned home, though, in the middle of working on dinner her underwear suddenly felt impossibly constricting, a clear sign that the male equipment had returned. A quick change of clothes later, and Dain felt more comfortable, although even more unsure about what was going on. While the first time it had happened it had at least been noticeable, now Dain could hardly even sense the transition, and there was no inkling that anything was changing until it was complete, aside from that sudden constriction - had he not been wearing underwear, Dain wondered if he'd have felt anything at all until it was complete.

He actually stayed awake for hours that night, wondering if he could see a change at all, but nothing happened. Even after he finally fell asleep, when he awoke the next morning, he was still male, with no sign of anything else at all. At the ceramics workshop, only Caure again noticed any change, but when he went to fetch some different-colored glaze from a storeroom, Caure ambushed him in the doorway and pushed him inside, groping him between his legs again, but this time finding something quite different. Even in the dim light, he could see her eyes go wide, more so as her fingers puzzled over the presence of his balls and then felt the outline of his sheath, unmistakable even through the loose fabric of his pants. He could feel the tip of his penis starting to emerge forward from it when Caure finally released him, her mouth open but unable to form the words she needed as she gave him a look of undeniable confusion.

Finally, all she was able to say was a halting "What... ARE... you?"

Of course, Dain didn't have any good response to that. "I have no idea," he finally said, honest enough. In response, Caure still looked puzzled, but the look swiftly turned to one of intrigue, followed by the hint of a slightly maniacal grin.

"Dain, you are... interesting, very interesting," she said, unconsciously licking her lips. "I don't know when they'll ask, but I am definitely going to choose you." She leaned close, giving him a quick hug while flicking her tongue across Dain's muzzle. This time, the only thing that Dain felt changing was his cock emerging the rest of the way from its sheath, the base throbbing slightly as it emerged, and he found himself suddenly and intensely wondering about the nature of the sacred mating rituals. After a moment that seemed longer than it was, though, Caure pulled away, gave him a wink and an almost predatory smile, and within a moment she was gone, the storeroom door clacking shut behind her. Dain somehow remembered what he was really there for and gathered the materials in a daze, confusing and conflicting feelings once again flashing through his brain like a surprise thunderstorm. Whatever was going on, he knew that he couldn't quite ignore it, but at the same time he didn't know what to do. Unable to make a decision, he simply kept moving forward, living his life as he always had with the very occasional inconvenience of having to use a different style of underwear, and trying his best not to think about it or seriously consider the implications - after all, while the situations he was in was inexplicably different than his previous experience, Dain realized that when he was in either configuration, it seemed to feel completely normal, as though it had always been that way. And so things went on, changed and yet unchanged... until one day, suddenly, denial was no longer an option.

It was a few days before their formal instruction was slated to begin, well into the harvest season when everyone's fur was just beginning to puff out as it formed a thicker inner layer to keep out the cold. Shaie and Loen had only just returned to the workshop recently, as the previous week they'd been at home, dealing with their first trial heat, whatever that was - they'd apparently invited some of the other boys to visit them during that time, but not him or any of the other boys who occasionally spent their time in the workshop. Dain wasn't all that concerned or even curious about it, although he did idly wonder what would happen when it was Caure's turn, and whether she'd follow through on her suggestion.

On that day, Dain had awoken in the female mode, something that was still uncommon but hardly rare for him, and something he usually ignored. This time, though, the change was accompanied by an unusual feeling. Dain initially wondered if she had eaten something bad, as it initially felt like there was an uncomfortable ache in her stomach. It was just an ache, though, without the nausea or rumblings that might indicate a more serious problem. At any rate, she wasn't that hungry, but forced herself to eat a little something anyway, so she would have enough energy to get through the day. By the time she was done eating, the ache was still there, but it had somehow migrated lower, resting deep in her abdomen. It was accompanied by an odd swelling feeling, and Dain still wondered if she was coming down with something. Still, it didn't really feel bad enough to disrupt her other activities, and she continued to get ready, although the feelings in her abdomen were soon accompanied by an odd buzzing feeling in her head, a feeling that she realized was actually rather pleasant, but it did make it slightly harder to concentrate as it seemed to bring an inexplicable anticipation to the front of her thoughts. As she got ready to go out, the ache began to metamorphose again, creeping slowly down her belly towards her pelvis, while it started to sublimate into a strange feeling of warmth - not warmth all over, like in a fever, but an intense liquid warmth that radiated out from her lower abdomen and flushed down across her thighs. A few minutes later, she realized that the warmth really was liquid after all, as she could feel a wet spot quickly spreading across the crotch of her panties. Dain wondered if she really was sick, with some kind of thing that affected women by causing them to piss themselves, although she couldn't recall having actually felt any urine come out. When she went to use the bathroom, though, she realized that the liquid on the inside of her panties was something else entirely. It was thicker, almost like a thin, slick syrup, and gave off an exotic, pungent odor that Dain couldn't imagine actually came from her. Somewhere inside his mind, a latent male part of him responded instinctually to the scent, but couldn't act on it properly due to the current configuration - instead, a little button of bare flesh poked out of a hood at the top of the folds, seeming to stretch forward, where it throbbed warmly. Consciously, though, Dain didn't really know what it meant, and finally tossed the dampened underwear aside, sitting on the toilet and emptying her bladder just to make sure. The strange liquid was all over the inner part of her folds, and when she went to clean it off, she realized that those folds were involved in the swelling too, puffed up slightly and unexpectedly sensitive in a such a way that she couldn't help but squirm at her own touch. Finally mostly dry, she pulled on a new pair of panties, hurriedly got dressed again, and headed out the door, even as the buzzing in her head intensified along with the warmth in her belly, almost seeming to throb with every pulse of her heart.

By the time she got to the workshop, she could feel the wet spot beginning to spread again, over fabric that she was now keenly aware of as it pressed up against her crotch. Dain had worn reasonably loose pants, and hoped that the moisture wouldn't show through, but it probably made more sense to work standing up. The warmth, though, was soon accompanied by a tingling, itching sensation that steadily built in intensity. She almost wanted to scratch at it, but basic decorum stayed her hand - that and the fact that somehow, puzzlingly, it felt like the itch was actually within her body, slightly lower down than where the ache had been, and she couldn't think of any obvious way to relieve it. She tried to work, struggling to focus on the finishing touches for her bust as the itch and the buzzing grew in intensity, but even that work became impossible when the first boy entered the workshop.

Teiya was still only partway through his teenage growth spurt, and was still a bit shorter than Dain. On any other day Dain would have only giving him a passing notice, as he only stopped into the workshop on occasion, and was as unremarkable in appearance as he was in sculptural talent. All of a sudden, though, Dain couldn't help but be captivated by him. Teiya's dark eyes now glinted with a deep inner fire, the fur on his face rich and lustrous, the tufts on his ears ridiculously cute. Dain suddenly wanted to be near him, feeling the lines of his body, experiencing the warmth as his arms wrapped around her. She couldn't help but glance down, noting the barest hint of his sheath as it poked outward against his pants, and her her thoughts quickly turned to it without even a conscious decision. She suddenly was fantasizing about his cock almost automatically, her mind imagining it emerging from its sheath, its throbbing shape unspeakably appealing. She imagined him gripping her, bending her over the nearest worktable, and then doing... something that she couldn't quite visualize, but a motion that vigorously scratched that itch inside her and quenched it with warmth... All Dain could think about was the fantasy, recurring over and over again, her mind completely consumed by the buzzing feeling as the warmth turned into palpable heat and the itching demanded immediate attention. Dain found herself walking over towards him, realizing happily that he was sniffing the air constantly, taking in her scent, and that the first part of her fantasy was already becoming reality as his pants tented out further with a burgeoning erection. She actually managed to press up against him, feeling his cock nuzzling up against her crotch and feeling it intensely even through their clothes, and she was licking eagerly at his muzzle and enjoying his mystified expression when she felt a firm hand on her shoulder, yanking her away. She looked up, and was surprised to see the face of her mother looking back, with a mixture of concern and... fear?

Dain's mother quickly took her by the arm and led her away before anything else could happen, leaving the puzzled Teiya far behind. They walked briskly across the main square, Dain occasionally having to be dragged bodily along as the frustration of being denied her relief caused her to growl and struggle against the grip on her arm. The itching feeling inside made her feel crazed, barely even seeming in control of her own movements as the wet spot began to overwhelm her underwear and trickled small trails of moisture down the fur on her thighs. The fluid disturbed the fur and caused it to itch as well, only adding to the overwhelming feelings of frustration and desperate need for relief, and by the time they finally strode through a set of double doors into the lobby of the local medical post, Dain was so overwhelmed that she couldn't even contemplate stringing together a thought or pulling together enough words to form a sentence. There didn't even seem to be thought any more, just a crazy tumult of emotions and raw animal instinct.

Events now seemed to come in flashes: a brief trip through a waiting room, men standing out in stark relief to everything and everyone else in the background. A white-walled doctor's office, with a flat exam table and a doctor who was annoyingly, frustratingly female. Hands stripping her naked, hesitating as she yowled when they stripped off her panties and the vague touch caused her to squirm with frustration. A tube of weird, cold fluid squirted onto her stomach and rubbed around, probed at with a strange little wand. Another tube of fluid, this time clear, dripping down over the wonderful, thrilling, vein-bulging form of a somehow detached cock, apparently artificial, the liquid causing it to glisten appealingly. Her body thrilling in anticipation as the cock traveled down the table towards where it needed to be, hardly even noticing the steady stream of of her own juices dripping down her ass, or the fact that her legs were spread comfortably apart and strapped into a pair of holders that stuck up from the foot of the bed. The feeling as the tip touched her, her whole body trying to edge forward on the exam table to get it inside quicker, hearing herself moan in pleasure as it pushed the folds of flesh aside and plunged deep within her, the tip of it nuzzling into some internal structure that seemed made for it. As it began to gently oscillate from side to side, rubbing against her and scratching the itch in wave after wave of pleasurable relief, Dain began to think more clearly again. She relaxed against the table, her tongue lolling out as she panted heavily, watching as the female doctor in her clinical scrubs waved the wand gently back and forth across her belly as the device within her did the trick. Once the doctor noticed the device was having the desired effect, and how Dain's hips were gently rocking on their own accord in time with its oscillations, she reached down and appeared to press something on the part that was still protruding, although Dain couldn't quite see what it was. In response, there was a hiss of compressed air, and moments later Dain could feel the base of the thing beginning to swell inside her, stretching out the lips of flesh that now surrounded it until they could stretch no further, and it suddenly shot further inside with a wet popping noise, her insides clenching tightly around it as the swelling pushed against her - and unlike her outer folds, the inside part of them could easily accommodate it, stretching out pleasantly until the bulge pressed firmly against an incredibly sensitive spot that caused her to moan cutely as her insides shivered, the part of her that surrounded the tip seeming to press down on it even further. The oscillation had stopped, replaced by a strange twitching sensation as her own body throbbed and pulsed around it, jarringly out of synch, followed by a blast of liquid heat as something seemed to splash inside her, her body relaxing as every last bit of that insane itch was extinguished by a series of liquid waves that seemed to lap against her and envelop her in a wonderful sea of calm. As it did, as the buzzing in her head ebbed away and true thought fully returned, Dain became aware of the strangeness of her predicament - basically tied to a table, some strange instrument snugly locked in place between her legs and stretching deep inside her, in an orifice she hadn't even realized she had. That, and the fact that she couldn't figure out how, exactly, the thing was supposed to come back out, as she couldn't imagine the bulge coming free easily, or whether the already taxed folds between her legs had enough give to let it out. The doctor, for her part, was mostly ignoring Dain, focusing instead on a tilted computer readout that wasn't quite visible, the wand continuing to wave about the fur on Dain's stomach, occasionally focusing on a couple of particular spots that didn't really seem any different than the rest of it. While Dain continued to pant from the unexpected internal exertion her body had apparently just went through, the doctor nodded a couple of times, and pressed additional keys, mumbling a couple of things that Dain couldn't quite make out, although one of them sounded like "viable." Finally, the doctor looked over, noted Dain's calmed state, and pressed another button on the device between Dain's legs. There was another hiss of air, and the bulge rapidly deflated, soon no thicker than the rest of the device. It slid out cleanly, the mixed lubrication around it providing only the slightest hint of friction, although Dain felt another quick rush of warmth as the tip accidentally poked up against her sensitive button as it popped out. The doctor lowered the bars holding her legs and freed the straps around Dain's ankles. Dain sat up hesitantly, feeling fluids steadily leaking out and pooling on the exam table. The doctor still paid her little heed, so focused was she on the readout from the strange machine, instead pointing to where her clothes and a towel were laying on a nearby chair and exiting the room. Dain got up, still unsteady on her feet as the unusual feelings worked their way out through her extremities. She cleaned up the liquid on her stomach and the excess between her legs before pulling on the clothes, thankful that someone had brought in some clean underwear, although still too dazed by the flood of emotions to clearly comprehend what she had just been through.

A moment later, and the door opened as the doctor and her mother both entered the room, accompanied by another woman dressed in formal clothing. Soon, they were sitting on a trio of chairs while Dain hung her legs off the side of the exam table, leaning over to one side as she quickly realized her crotch was still to sensitive to sit down on directly.

The doctor seemed to pointedly ignore Dain, instead glancing over to his mother, but the other woman smiled warmly at her.

"Hi, you must be Dain, right?"

"Yeah, I'm Dain..."

"Good! It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Araune, and I'm a doctor as well, although not quite the same type of doctor as Melaai, who treated your... condition. I'm also the medical liaison for this area with the Regional Command Post, and I'm here because we need to discuss something important: namely, you."

"Me? But I don't understand. Is there... something wrong with me?"

Araune's ears dipped in negation. "Oh, no, not at all! Actually, we're here to talk about what's right with you. Let's start at the beginning, though. When you were growing up, until recently, you were just one gender?"

"A boy, yeah."

"And then recently," she said, glancing over quickly at a nearby clipboard, "you found yourself on some days having the physical features of a girl?"

"Yeah, I mean, not like breasts or any of that stuff, but my penis goes away, and then instead there's the thing that the girls have instead."

"Okay. And apart from that, you haven't felt anything unusual?"

"No, not really..." Of course, what he was going through was unusual enough, even if by now it had seemed completely normal... well, until today, at least.

"That's good to hear. Dain, I'd like to try to explain a little bit about what this means. I understand you haven't undergone formal schooling yet, but do you have a basic understanding of genetics?"

"Um, I guess..." As much as he'd overheard in the occasional conversation, at least.

"Then you probably understand that genetics are what makes us who we are: male or female, shorter or taller, the color and pattern of our fur, and that sort of thing. Those genes are usually only in one state, which is why your fur doesn't change color at random, and why people are usually either boys or girls, and stay that way."

She paused, glancing down at the chart again. "However, in your case, you appear to possess some genetic code that is not only rare, but rare within rare, something that's almost a throwback to prehistoric times."

"We don't know that for sure," Melaai interjected pointedly.

"That's true, actually, and we'll certainly know more once I forward a DNA sample to the lab at the command post, but given the observed conditions and the initial test results, I feel confident in my conclusions." Araune gave a little shrug and turned back to Dain. "That being said, the specifics of the mutation are not particularly interesting to those outside of the scientific community, but what it means to you, Dain, is that instead of just being a boy or a girl, you're actually sort of both - or, more specifically, you're what's known as a 'minor shifter.'"

"Minor... shifter?"

"Yes, in that you have the capability to shift between genders. It's probably not consciously controllable at this point, but eventually you should be able to learn how to shift genders at will, with certain exceptions. Minor shifters are fairly rare, and make up a very small minority of the population, but you, on the other hand... well, I said you're rarer than rare, right? Here, let me show you why..."

Araune turned to the computer readout the doctor had been looking at and tilted it around so that it was visible to all. She punched up a command, and the screen began to display an animation of something in blurry monochrome: what looked like two orblike things that stood out against the background, with a tubelike tendril running off of each to a blurry dark shape down below. As the video played, the screen zoomed in on the orbs, and after a moment they began to twitch slightly in a specific rhythm before their movement halted again, their contrast seeming to increase. The view zoomed in further until the two orbs dominated the display, and Dain could see that they were covered with a tightly packed matrix of little dots along their entire surface, at least the part not covered by the tube.

"It may not look all that interesting to you, admittedly, but what you just saw indicates the difference between you and other minor shifters. The mutation that allows for the shift, unfortunately, often comes at a price: while you can have a penis, the boy's part, or a vagina, the girl's part, the rest of the gendered parts can become stuck in a sort of in-between state, neither male or female, and as a result cannot produce the... building blocks, let's say, that would allow a man and a woman to create children together. As the display indicates, though, your parts are in full working order: those circles, called ovaries, possess a fully formed complement of eggs, the female building block, and they responded correctly to a mating stimulus - while they won't release anything now, when you are fully matured, you will be fertile."

"Wait... mating stimulus?" Dain looked almost shocked, but the expression faded as his mind began to put two and two together.

"Yes, I was just about to get to that. You're probably wondering what happened to you earlier today, right?"

"Yeah, I mean, it was, not an illness, but not like anything else... I felt like my whole body was going crazy, like I could barely even think, that I needed that weird... thing so badly..."

Araune appeared to stifle laughter for a moment before answering. "I suppose it could feel like that, your first time! It's been so long that I've grown used to it, but... anyway, you're right in that it's not an illness, but rather a condition, one that all girls go through. And because of your particular genetics, that means you go through it as well. Tell me, have the girls that you know been going through anything lately?"

"Well, some of them did take off for a while because of their trial..." Dain trailed off as his mind finally made the connection.

"Trial heat, yes. Essentially, it's a girl's way of preparing to undergo the mating rituals and eventually bear children. Because boys don't go through that, you probably didn't know much about it to begin with, and because it comes with such strong feelings and urges, it can be quite overwhelming the first time around! I imagine this was especially true for you, as many girls are informed of it ahead of time, and are told how to prepare for it so it doesn't hit quite so hard."

Melaai spoke up again at that. "And that is precisely why we should have been informed of this the moment it began to happen." She glared at Dain's mom, whose ears flattened back defensively. "If you hadn't caught on when you did and brought your child here, if your child had gone out of control and mated strangers, in public, can you imagine what an embarrassment that could have been, to everyone?"

Dain's mother stammered, trying to respond, but before she could Araune put a restraining hand on Melaai's shoulder. "Now, Melaai, I understand your concern, but the past is over and done. The important thing is the future, after all." She turned back to Dain, obviously a bit flustered by Melaai's bluntness but trying to maintain her pleasant composure. "Talking about the trial heat, though... one way of looking at that term is that it can be a trial, coming to terms with an aspect of your body that makes such pressing demands, and learning how to control it enough to function in the way that you need to, something that you were unfortunately unprepared for. I realize that our actions in response may have seemed harsh and intrusive at first, but in that uncontrolled state someone could have gotten hurt, so we needed to use the prosthesis - the device that went inside you - to help get you through the first phase of your heat, and also to properly diagnose your situation."

"As to the important part I mentioned earlier, the fact that you can bear children eventually in your female form makes you rare, but also incredibly versatile. In every case studied so far with shifters, if the female parts are fully functional, it is the same with the male parts, which means that not only will you be able to bear children on your own, but you will also be able to perform the mating rituals with other women and create offspring with them. As to why this is so important... you know a little about the cataclysm, right?"

"A little..." All Dain really knew, though, was that a long time ago, something had happened to cause the world to shake, and then to freeze over, and a lot of people died. It was the explanation given for why the town only a short ways down the road was abandoned, filled with dust and crumbling buildings that creaked ominously in even a moderate breeze, and where Dain had been banned from playing after he'd been caught there.

"I know you can't remember it, and neither can I, but the cataclysm was a severe blow to our species, and one which we are still recovering from. While you probably don't notice its effects much at all, the fact of the matter is that while the population has recovered somewhat, it is still on the brink, with a birth rate that needs to be higher and barely enough genetic variation to be sustainable. I realize this must sound abstract, but what it means is that every fertile female is incredibly valuable. The cataclysm claimed more women than men, and the gender imbalance, while lessened, is still present. There is some evidence to suggest, though, that events such as the cataclysm have occurred before... and that in times of need, the mutation that you have, brought forward from our ancient ancestors, came to the surface and provided our salvation. It helped to shift the gender imbalance, as shifters manifest as men but are then able to take on the female aspects upon sexual maturity, creating the ability to bear more children, and also to father children who are likely to also become shifters if needed. When the population rebounds, these genetic trends historically tend to fade, although there is no consensus as to why that it, but in times of crisis it is especially important that those latent genetic traits can express themselves as widely as possible. While I can't say that you, Dain, are specifically our salvation, you are very valuable given the state of our population, and as such it affords you something of a special status. Legally, though, what it does is immediately grant you status as a female, along with the attendant responsibilities: going through your trial heats, and determining a selection of genetically and personally compatible mates to perform the rituals with you when you become ready a couple of years from now."

Dain was momentarily speechless, trying to take it all in. It hadn't really hit home until that moment just quite what she was going through. Female, trial heats, choosing mates, bearing children... a whole world completely alien to her even a day before, and one that she was suddenly facing, without a clue as to how she was supposed to deal with it. There was a part of Dain that wanted to say, 'but I'm male, this must be a mistake!', although he knew, deep down, that this was surely no longer the case. Dain almost wondered whether, unconsciously, he had always known. Perhaps that was why he had found it equally easy to play with, and relate to, both the boys and the girls, and why it had barely seemed troubling at all and even almost natural when he had shifted for the first time. Perhaps there was a part of his, or her mind, that shifted and adapted along with it, so much so that she hadn't even felt the slightest hint of trepidation at the thought of being, well, mated in the most female way possible. Of course, the last one could have been due to the heat, but Dain still wondered. It all seemed so natural, and yet, so crazy at the same time. All the things she'd ignored, or hadn't bothered to worry about, were suddenly back on the table from an all-new perspective: the perspective of the one who chose, and the tough choices she would soon have to make, working with and coordinating with the group of her female peers, which she was now somehow part of. And amidst all of that, there was another part of her mind that pointed out how the other girls had been gone for most of a full week over this, and how it wasn't even lunchtime on the first day yet for her...

"Um, about the trial heat..."

"Oh, yes, I should get to that - I do have a habit sometimes of getting sidetracked with history. What's important is that due to your status as a female, you will need to begin the process that all girls have to go through as they become women, and the trial heats are an integral part of that. Part of it, of course, is to understand the instincts that heat brings out, and control them enough so that you are able to properly complete the sacred mating rituals with a chosen mate. I always thought that was a bit of hyperbole, actually, as it mainly refers to, well, doing what comes naturally during heat, with a few preparations and modifications to maximize fertility. I imagine you already have a decent idea what that involves?"

Dain was sure she was blushing through her fur, thinking about the elaborate fantasies her mind had conjured up earlier and the ordeal she had just experienced, and after a moment she nodded hesitantly.

"If you weren't aware, what you went through with the prosthesis was a very basic, albeit much less fun, demonstration. The actual process of mating can be performed in a variety of positions, but it's considerably more enjoyable with an actual, living penis, and a man embracing you and giving you all his love..." Araune paused, looking wistfully into the distance. "Oh, it's been too long..." She glanced back over with a start, though, and it was her turn to look embarrassed. "Oh dear me, it really has been too long! Er, what I'm trying to say is that during the trial heats, you'll have the opportunity to be with a number of boys, and by the time you're fertile you will most likely learn what feels the best. I imagine, given your situation, that you don't have any boys lined up yet, although I'm sure your mother can help out with that..."

"You mean... like, right now?"

"Yes... not right this moment, but you do realize that each trial heat last several days, yes?" Dain nodded, as the implication began to set in. "Those feelings you have were temporarily sated by the prosthesis, but they will soon recur, and the cycle will happen many times before the trial heat is over - and during periods of heat, or while bearing or nursing children, your body will be locked in the female form, so you can't simply shift to avoid going through it. Left to build, those feelings could lead you to lose control again, but a prosthesis-style device won't work for very long. As the only real action that can help with heat is to be fully mated, your trial heat will also serve as a way to learn about mating through experience... most likely from both perspectives, in your case."

"But, I..." Dain thought back to the strange experience from before, that device inside him, how alien everything had felt. Dain tried to imagine it with another person, thinking of his own cock and how it looked, how something just like it would now have to go into the female folds that were now between Dain's own legs... along with the other information, Dain felt overwhelmed to the point where she could barely even comprehend the significance of what this meant, but something about just visualizing it was causing the strange bellyache from before to manifest itself again, faintly, but definitely there. Araune apparently noticed the confused and half-panicked look on Dain's face, smiling in an attempt to reassure her.

"I realize it must be weird for you, but there's really nothing to be afraid of - it's an experience that is almost universally pleasant for both people involved, and when your heat resurges, I can guarantee that it won't seem daunting at all. Unfortunately, I do have other patients to tend to, so I can't spend much more time explaining things - I think we've mostly covered it, and your mother should be able to explain about anything I wasn't able to cover. I do need her to fill out some paperwork, though, mainly to confirm your status and register you as a female in addition to your current civic registration, so that your selection process can properly begin. Thanks for bearing with me, Dain, and while it's certainly a lot to take in, you seem bright, and I think you'll have a handle on this whole strange situation sooner than you think." Araune grinned at Dain again, and gave a quick wink, before reaching for a clipboard and explaining to Dain's mom how to fill it out. Melaai gave what was an apparently typical glare at each of them in turn, then got up and wordlessly left the room.

"I do apologize for her," Araune said as she stood up. "There were some... events that happened between her and another shifter, some years ago, and she's still a little prickly about it. However, she is our best diagnostician when it comes to this particular condition, so..." Araune shrugged as she trailed off, looking down quickly at her notes. "Anyway, I'll take my leave then. It looks like you're otherwise in just about perfect health, so all I could recommend would be to go back home, get some rest, and have fun practicing until your heat takes its course." She went to leave, but turned back in the doorway with a grin. "Dain, it was a pleasure to meet you. Perhaps our paths will cross again in the future." With that, she walked out, leaving Dain and her mom alone in the room, sitting in silence as the pen scratched a signature at the bottom of the last form.

When she finished, Dain's mother simply set the clipboard down and stared at him for a moment, an expression flitting across her face that Dain couldn't quite decipher. Wordlessly, she got up and headed out the door, Dain following along behind, trying to figure out what to even say. The whole thing still felt almost like a state between dreaming and waking, something so crazy and unexpected, but at the same time so trivially mundane. At a basic level, Dain knew that she understood it all, and looking at it logically, it did make a certain sort of sense - at the very least, it clearly explained what Dain was going through. Emotionally, though, it was something else entirely, a mixture of feeling panicked, gut-punched, and horny in a new, inexplicable way. What little experience Dain had with that last emotion had only come in the last couple of weeks, and only from a male perspective: catching the slightest whiff of a heated scent, noticing bodies that had developed new curves, had caused him to emerge from his sheath, uncomfortably pushing up against clothes that were unprepared for such an occurrence. It had felt strange, and exhilarating in its own way, but it had been no preparation whatsoever for the emotional flood and overwhelming need that was apparently the female equivalent, at least during heat. Her mother, of course, had somehow kept it from getting out of hand, and didn't really seem perturbed even now, but the silence seemed to hang over them as they walked back. Dain wasn't even sure how her mother felt about the situation. The look she had given Dain before... was she somehow ashamed of what he had become? Disappointed? Frightened? Dain looked more closely at her mother as they walked back, and realized that she was trying to keep her emotions in check, but the way her face was squinched up betrayed that she was probably fighting back tears. Dain knew that her mother was sometimes reticent, and more stoic than most, but as they walked in the door, Dain shrunk back, unsure of whether there would be an emotional outburst now that they were in private.

Dain's suspicions were quickly affirmed, but not at all in the way that she had anticipated. Dain's mom turned back to her, tears flowing down from her dark eyes, but with a wide-muzzled grin on her face, and in no time at all had kneeled down to Dain's height, hugging her closely, the tear-drenched fur on her cheeks damp and cool against Dain's neck. Dain froze, not sure how to respond, as the action seemed to be completely contrary to what he had expected.

"Uh, mom, what are you..." Dain managed to say, trailing off as she realized that her heat was causing the hug to feel unusually good, far too good given that she was being hugged by her own mother. Luckily, her mother released her embrace a moment later, placing her hands on Dain's shoulders and looking directly into Dain's eyes, her face still locked in a joyous, tear-streaked grin.

"Oh, Dain... I can hardly believe it! After all this time, I finally have a daughter!"

"But mom, I'm not really a-"

"I know, honey, I know. You're something even better! I can't even say how happy I..." She trailed off, the tears suddenly resurging anew. "Dain, my child, I-" she tried to say, almost seeming to choke on the words. "I- I'm so sorry..."

"Mom?" Dain asked, now more confused than ever.

"Dain..." his mother began again, haltingly. "Ever since I was pregnant with you, when I learned that it was just you alone instead of a whole litter, I was certain that you would be my little girl. When you... when you turned out to be a boy, and the last child I would ever have, it just... I was wrong. I was sad, I was angry, and I know I was cold to you. It was never your fault, I just couldn't- I was just so sure, and then it all..." She choked up again, wiping away a seemingly limitless stream of tears. "It wasn't fair, and I know it. I just couldn't bring myself to accept it, that I would never have a girl, that I would be useless in the most important thing in my life... between that, and the thing with your father, it was too much. I did care about you, I really did, but I just... Every time I saw your face, it reminded me of what was missing, and I couldn't bear it. I pulled away, and now, what you must think of me now, after years where I barely spoke a word to you, if you could ever-"

Dain was still confused, but also disturbed by her mother's uncharacteristic display of emotion. What truly puzzled Dain was how she was apparently seeing the situation. Dain had simply assumed that the distance was the way her mother always was, just a normal part of life, and hadn't given it a second thought - she'd always provided for Dain, kept him safe and fed, and that had been enough, since Dain could rely on friends and the peaceful creativity of the sculpture studio to provide the rest. Dain had no idea if her mother's self-flagellation was deserved or not, but it pained her to see her mother like that, vulnerable and sobbing. It was Dain's turn to reach out, reciprocating by setting her hands on her mother's shoulders in what she hoped was a comforting manner.

"Mom... don't worry. It's fine, I'm fine, okay? See, I'm right here, I'm growing up fine, and even with all of this... crazy stuff going on, I'm getting through that too, right? Don't cry, you don't need to cry, whatever happened, I don't mind..." Dain didn't really know what else to say, hoping that her words would at least convey some sense of calm. Thankfully, it seemed to work, as Dain's mother began smiling again, wiping the tears from her eyes.

"Dain, I- I don't know what to... but... thank you. Thank you for loving me anyway." She grabbed Dain in another embrace, but this one was gentler. She hugged Dain close, speaking softly in her ear: "I love you too. And thank you for... for not freaking out over this, for being okay with it somehow. Being... being female all my life, if I suddenly became male, I don't know what I'd do, but you're taking it in stride like you always have, so... thank you. Thank you for being my daughter, even if it is only for a while."

Dain's mother released her, standing up again. "I'm sorry for getting so emotional about all of this. It just brings up so many feelings, so many memories... When it first began to happen, when you told me about it, I didn't even know what to think. I didn't even realize that a condition like that even existed! I was so hopeful, but so afraid, afraid to do anything or tell anyone, afraid I'd ruined you somehow, or made you sterile, but now... it's really happening. You're really... incredible, I don't know how to put it."

Dain tried to shrug it off. "Mom, I'm still the same Dain I've ever been, just with, uh, different stuff between my legs doing weird things, but in every other way..."

"Dain, I do know that. All I'm trying to say is that you're very special, one in a million, and the future you have ahead of you now... I've dreamed of this day, recently hoped for it, but now that it's here, I don't even know how to feel..." Dain's mother turned, wiping her face as she ducked into the kitchen, and Dain followed as she half-collapsed into one of the chairs surrounding the dining table.

Dain stood across the table from her, not quite daring to take a seat after what had happened earlier. It was enough just trying to piece together the emotional jumble she had just been through, and in many ways was still experiencing. Perhaps the oddest feeling of all was that Dain felt far more strange about what her mother was going through than even Dain's own ordeal - while the emotional outburst had been so unusual, now that the heat had subsided for the time being, everything seemed almost surreally normal again. There they were, the two of them, around the kitchen table like any other day, and yet... Dain looked back at her mother, who was still smiling at her, but seemed more composed.

"I am sorry about that, Dain," her mother said, an even tone in her voice. "I'm not usually at all this emotional, but for something like this, I... suppose I couldn't help but indulge just a little. Thanks for putting up with it."

"It's fine, mom, really, but... even though I heard what the doctor said, I just can't see why, I mean... it just doesn't seem like that big of a deal to me. I mean, the heat thing, it's pretty crazy, but aside from that I just feel normal. I don't feel like I'm special or rare or anything, I just feel like me."

Dain's mother seemed almost taken aback by that, but after a moment calmly replied. "I guess I can see why you'd say that. To you, maybe, this is just who you are, but who you are will now have a lot of meaning to the people around you. And... a lot of meaning to me. What I said before, about wanting a girl, it wasn't just because I had a personal longing for it. My parents, the community... with the way things were going, with fewer and fewer girls being born, when the initial results came through everyone was elated. Fewer babies at once usually meant girls, and one almost always did, and so when you were born, it seemed like everyone around me was disappointed. When your father disappeared from town soon afterwards, I thought it was because of what happened, and I blamed myself for so long, that even when I learned otherwise..." She paused, seemingly lost in thought. "Although, given that you're a shifter, I wonder if that explains a little more about why he ran."

"What do you mean?" Dain leaned in, intrigued, as her mother was almost never willing to talk about Dain's father.

"Well... Dain, you know that I always have you call me just 'mom,' right?"

"Yes, I mean, people around town sometimes call you Eloa, but you told me not to."

"Yes, Dain, I did, because Eloa is not my real name, and I'd rather you didn't use it. The reason I can't tell you what it is has to do with your father. The town he ran away from is one far from here, and one I had to leave as well once I discovered an inkling of the truth surrounding his leaving. I still don't know exactly what he did, but he was involved in something dangerous, and some years later the people from the regional government came asking questions about him, although they would never tell me what it was really about. When they started asking about you, though, I grew suspicious, and one night, when I opened the blinds to find a pair of them looking in, I decided it was safer to start over somewhere else. That's why I was hesitant to report your condition, until there was no other choice. I don't really know if it was a risk or not bringing you to the clinic, after all these years... I don't even know if there was really a risk back then, but with you being so young, just a pup really, I just wanted to get away from the hassle and keep you safe. If you're a shifter, though, your father would have to have been one too, and I just can't help but wonder if it had something to do with this. It's strange, though - I never saw him shift, not even once, and there's no record that he was ever bred, or even had any other children with other women. Ah, well," she sighed, "he's who knows where by now, and unless he ever pokes his head up, it'll all probably remain a mystery." She placed her hands down on the table and looked over at Dain. "But that's enough of that. That's all in the past, hopefully for good... and right now, we have some more practical things to deal with. First of all, how are you feeling?"

"Um... all right, I guess..." Dain replied, although now that she thought about it, the ache in her stomach was beginning to feel more insistent again, and was creeping downward a little. The buzzing, though, hadn't yet returned, although there was the slightest tingling in her extremities. "I'm not feeling crazy like before, not yet, at least." Dain was starting to wonder, though, about what exactly would happen when the feelings returned, something it seemed clear would happen eventually. "When it does, though... I, uh, I mean, I'm not really sure how this is going to work. I mean, I get it, basically, where stuff goes, but..." Dain trailed off, trying to put into words what he wanted to say. "What I mean is, I'm not really a girl, I've got the parts and stuff, but I don't know what girls are supposed to... do..." Dain's own fantasies aside, she really didn't know exactly - obviously, it was nothing like what happened at the clinic, but the whole thing was still an unclear muddle.

Dain's mother, though, grinned at what he said. "Oh, honey, believe me, that's not something you have to worry about much. When you're in heat, and there's a boy in the room, nature has a way of taking its course, and you'll be having fun in no time. Speaking of which, that's something I have to arrange, although..." She stood up quickly, thinking of something. "Oh, yes! I almost forgot! When you first shifted, for a moment I was really hopeful that this would happen, and now that it has, well... I got you something for this occasion. Why don't you head back to your room, and I'll meet you there with it, okay?"

"Uh, sure." As Dain's mother ran off down the hallway, Dain walked up the stairs to her bedroom, noticing as she did that she could clearly feel her panties pressing between her legs as the folds there began to swell outwards. Dain knew that the heat was coming on again, but this time it seemed to be moving forward more slowly, the ache creeping subtly but steadily downwards.

Dain stood in the doorway of her bedroom for a moment before entering. The bed, as usual, was neatly made, and everything was properly put away. Dain glanced around, taking in the nondescript dresser and closet, the sculpture prints plastered across the walls, and realized that apart from the clothing, his room could have belonged to someone of either gender - no images of sports figures or vidscreen stars, everything in conservative colors, rather than bright bolds or muted pastels. In fact, it probably looked more like an adult's room than anything else, not perhaps by design, but more by Dain's somewhat nontraditional and narrow fields of interest.

Dain stood by her bed, looking over as her mother walked in, carrying a long, flat box. "I remember when I got my first trial heat," she said, setting the box on Dain's bed. "I was a little nervous at all of the new feelings, too, and to help me feel better, my own mother got me some nice things to help me feel better about going through it. So when I first saw your condition, I thought maybe I could get something for you like she did for me. I know it's a bit different in your case, but... well, I hope you like them. They might make you feel better about the whole girl thing anyway, at least."

She opened the box and began laying the items inside out on top of the bedspread. Dain quickly realized that they were some sort of feminine undergarments: a pair of panties, cut slightly different than the ones she usually wore, were accompanied by a sort of shirtlike thing with straps that she guessed went over the shoulders. Both of them seemed to be made from the same sleek, shimmering fabric, dyed a pale lavender with silvery metallic stripes running along the seams. The shirt had what looked almost like two rows of red gems on the front, in roughly the same spot as her nipples would have been, and a similar red gem was outlined in silver and centered just below the waistline on the panties. These were soon accompanied by a pair of short stockings and detached sleeves, the same color as the other pieces but made out of a much thinner, almost translucent fabric.

Dain looked down at the ensemble, not quite sure what to think. Was this what girls were expected to wear during their heat? Dain thought back to the girls he knew, but they had all, save one, always been fully clothed, in clothing not hugely different than what the boys wore, and she had a hard time imagining them wearing something of this sort underneath. Then again, as Dain had never seen any of them in heat, perhaps something like this was standard. A part of her thought that the clothing looked kind of weird, almost too feminine somehow, but another part was already thinking of what it would feel like to try them on, how they would feel against her fur, how the colors could complement her natural coat, and especially how they would show her off to the next guy that saw her, how he would be taken with how they looked and quickly moving to feel the different parts of her on display, how his hands would feel moving between her...

Dain shook her head, somehow managing to clear the thought from taking over her mind again, but the fantasy had already further awakened her heat - despite ignoring the fantasy, the buzzing was beginning to return to her head, shimmering in time with the subtle tingling now running along her arms and legs.

"So... what do you think?" her mother asked.

"They're... they're very nice," Dain managed to say, trying not to think about them too hard in case the fantasy tried to creep back in.

"Great! I'm sure you'll enjoy them." She looked like she was going to say something else, but she was interrupted by the buzzing of the comm-alert on her wrist. "Oh, right, that's probably the other thing I've got to take care of for you. I'll be back in just a little while, hon. You can put that on whenever you want to, but if you do need any... relief beforehand, you should probably do that first. You'll be okay while I'm gone, right?"

"Yeah, fine..." Dain's mom turned around and quickly headed towards the stairs, closing the door behind her and leaving Dain alone in the room. Dain picked up the pieces of the ensemble and moved them over to the far edge of her bed, the silky fabric feeling alluring in her hands. She realized that the ensemble made sense, in a way - the mating, she was sure, would take place sans clothing, so it was probably sensible to wear the minimum possible, as being completely naked if someone else showed up probably wasn't appropriate. Dain kicked off her shoes and stripped off her outer clothing, folding them and setting them neatly on top of the clothes hamper before jumping back onto the bed and rolling over onto her back, her regular white panties now the only clothing against her fur.

Dain looked down along her body, a body that while it felt normal, still looked just slightly alien. Admittedly, the differences were generally subtle enough that it could escape Dain's notice when her body changed - in fact, she had never been able to actually catch it in the act of metamorphosis. It always seemed to happen when Dain was asleep, or daydreaming, or otherwise occupied - afterwards, she'd simply glance down, or feel something, and then notice the change. The change was certainly not as drastic as a regular girl, as the view down her chest was not obscured by the presence of obvious breasts - the only real change in that area seemed to be a few extra rows of nipples that her heat was causing to poke up slightly past the fur. Her hips, maybe, rounded out a little, tilting ever so slightly differently to make room for the new equipment between them, but not enough to drastically change her silhouette, or even the general fit of her loose-fitting clothes. The main difference was evidenced by how the triangle of her panties lay flat against her pelvis, without even the slightest hint of the telltale bulge a sheath would project, instead simply pointing downward to that soft, fleshy mound that was incontrovertible evidence of her current sex. For a moment, Dain tried to will herself to be male, to see if in fact anything would change, but the doctor had apparently been right - during heat, Dain's body seemed to have no desire to revert to its male form. In fact, the only thing that came of it was Dain trying to visualize his own cock, and ended up with a fantasy of that cock turned around and nudging between her legs, the touch electric... Dain shook it off, but it was harder to do this time, the buzzing feeling intensified, and when Dain glanced down once the thought had fled, she noticed that one of her hands had slid down her chest unbidden, and was now pressed flat against her panties with her fingertips resting lightly along the very top of her mound, feeling the heat of the swollen skin radiating outward even through the fabric. Dain was tempted to continue the motion, curling her fingers over and down to rub at the sensitive area through the fabric, but at the same time, she thought of how her earlier inadvertent touch had seemed to accelerate things before. Dain decided to hold off, knowing that when her mother returned, probably with a boy, she would need to be ready, but if the feelings were already driving her crazy, she wasn't sure quite what would happen. She slowly withdrew her hand, sliding it back along the front of her panties until her fingers brushed back against the thin elastic waistband, continuing upward to join the other as Dain folded her arms across her chest in an effort to keep them from lazily straying back down. The heat continued steadily downward, though, moving down through her lower abdomen and beginning to settle in her pelvis, the ache diffusing again into a strange feeling of warmth that only seemed to enhance the tingling feeling of anticipation. Her panties seemed to be pressing closer than ever, and her hips began to arch and squirm around on the bed, trying to get comfortable, but the fabric kept pressing against her sensitive flesh in a way that soon became agonizing - just enough pressure that she could feel the fabric teasing at her, but not enough stimulation to feel good, just frustrated. She finally removed them, standing up and shrugging them off her hips, noticing that a small wet spot had already formed on the crotch as they fell around her ankles. A quick kick sent them flying over to land against the wall a short ways away from the door. Without the stimulation of the fabric, Dain felt a momentary sense of relief, but realized that she was now entirely naked. Glancing over, Dain took in the ensemble still lying on the bed - as it was apparently designed for being in heat, as far as she knew, maybe it would be more comfortable?

Reaching over, Dain grabbed the shirt-thing first, tucking her hands through the straps as she pulled it over her head. Since there was no neck-hole like a proper shirt, it went over easily, and all she had to do was hold her arms up and let it fall the rest of the way down against her body. The silky fabric came to rest as it loosely covered her chest and abdomen, and she realized that the fabric was so lightweight she could barely feel it laying against her fur. She pulled the panties on next, and they felt a little more substantial, snug and stretchy as they conformed to her figure, hugging her ass and sitting lower on her hips. As snug as they were, though, the fabric was beyond soft, and felt smooth and cool between her legs, the teasing sensation of their presence muted considerably. While the sleeves and stockings still seemed a bit silly to her, Dain pulled them on as well, the sheer fabric tight enough to press in on her fur, a snug but not uncomfortable presence. All together, really, it felt pretty good, although Dain couldn't imagine venturing outside in it. She was curious about how it really looked, though, now that it was on her, so she ducked across the hall to look at it in the mirror.

When Dain saw her reflection, the first thing she noticed was that, for the first time, she really looked like a girl. Dain had admittedly never particularly looked like the most remarkable specimen of a boy, either, which had meant that when he had looked at himself before, aside from what was between his legs things hadn't looked all that different - Dain had looked, he thought, like a nondescript boy, just with a tuft of fur trailing off into pinkness between her legs in place of a penis, and if she had covered her crotch with her hand, no one would have thought that she wasn't a boy. Now, though, the silky undershirt emphasized her nipples, the jewels highlighting the spot where the fabric pushed out slightly where they pressed against it. The shirt trailed off to display a thin strip of soft fur on her flat stomach, and below that the panties hugged her body, their contrasting color drawing the eye to every bit of extra curvature on her hips. The gem's sparkling directing her gaze downward, where she realized the fabric grew slightly translucent, and snug enough that she could see a clear outline of her mound and some of the more predominant folds pressing out below, the fabric almost seeming to be blushing between her legs as it glowed with the bright pink tinge of her flesh showing through. Dressed as she was, there was no denying that she was a girl, and for that matter almost a woman. It felt almost surreal to see herself like this, to know that she was attractive primarily based on the knowledge and observations that she had only recently begun to acquire, as a man... and perhaps that was the part of Dain's mind that was engaged when she couldn't tear herself away from the mirror, turning around to admire her figure from every angle, jutting her hips and trying to strike various poses - although when she got to one leaning against the wall and sticking her ass in the air, a sudden thrill went through her body, her hips making subtle adjustments until it somehow felt just right, and her body seemed to lock into position for a moment, her tail snapping eagerly back and forth as she waited for... something? When nothing happened, though, her body released itself, though not before sending a shiver down her thighs as she stood back up, something about what she had just done serving to push her heat suddenly forward. Dain returned to her room, slightly unnerved, with the buzzing feeling circling her ears and seeming to dip down between them along her forehead. Dain jumped back on her bed, trying her best to ignore the feelings and think of something else, struggling against her flagging concentration to make a mental sketch for a new sculpture. The struggle only lasted for a few minutes, though, as it was quickly disrupted by the sound of the front door opening, and two pairs of footsteps coming swiftly up the stairs.

A moment later, the door swung open to reveal her mother, who had apparently taken the time to change into somewhat more formal clothing; and behind her, also dressed oddly formally and looking unsure of himself, was Teiya, the boy from earlier. When he looked over at Dain, though, his eyes went wide. Teiya looked like he was about to say something, but before he could, Dain's mother reached back, grabbed him by the shoulders, and shoved him forward into the room. Eloa looked between the two of them briefly, then nodded in approval. "All right, then! You two have fun, and there'll be dinner on the table when you're ready." With that, she quickly turned and left the room, closing the door gently behind her.

Now that the two of them were alone in the room, Dain couldn't help feel a hint of apprehension. After all, she only knew Teiya in passing, and they hadn't talked much when he had visited the studio, so Dain had no idea exactly what Teiya would do in this situation - or, for that matter, quite what she was going to do either. The immediate answer, though, seemed to be not much, as Teiya seemed transfixed by Dain's appearance, his jaw hanging slackly and his gaze unwavering.

Given his inaction, Dain took a moment to size Teiya up too. As the heat wasn't quite to the level of desperation it had been at earlier, the sight of him wasn't as immediately overwhelming. Her earlier observations, though, hadn't been entirely untrue - his dark eyes did have an intriguing glint to them, and his tawny fur glowed under the light with a well-kempt sheen. He looked somewhat awkward, dressed in a formal crimson-colored coat with yellow trim stitched around the edges, on top of a crisply pressed linen shirt and light-blue pants. Both the coat and pants seemed too big, the pant legs puffing out and hanging over his feet, while his hands were halfway obscured by the coat's drooping sleeves. Dain was tempted to half-chuckle at the sight, but the sound died in her throat before it could emerge as the boy's scent wafted over to her. It was something she would hardly have taken note of before, and certainly not as a boy, but the heat seemed to enhance the scent somehow, complex and musky and undeniably male. Just taking in that slight whiff caused a wave of warmth to flush across her body. Teiya, though, was still unmoving, taken as he was by Dain's appearance. Looking more closely, though, Dain realized that Teiya's eyes weren't looking directly at her face, but instead over along her body, and Dain found herself wondering whether he liked the view...

After another moment of silence, though, Teiya finally spoke up. "I, uh, I never thought, um... you're a girl?"

"Er, well... yes?"

"I, I always thought you were a boy! I mean, you kinda looked like one, uh, not that I want to say you look like a boy, uh..." Teiya looked lost, tripping over his words. "Um, what I'm trying to, uh, look, it doesn't matter if you-"

"Teiya."

"Yes, ma'am, uh, yeah?"

Dain smiled, trying to set him at ease - she knew the heat was progressing, and having him standing by the wall stammering wasn't exactly... helpful. "Just call me Dain. About your question, though, it's not something I can easily explain without a very long story. What's important now is I'm a girl, and I'm in heat, so..." She trailed off, hoping that Teiya would draw the obvious conclusion.

"Um, yeah, okay," he replied, taking a few tentative steps over to stand by the bed. He looked down at Dain, lying on her back, and especially at the triangle that her panties formed, flat against her pelvis. "Yeah, I see, I really see... I mean, you don't really have breasts, but you're definitely- oh, sorry, I didn't mean to say something about the breast thing, and you're totally pretty in every other-"

"Teiya?"

"I'm sorry, I really am, it's just that I don't know what to do, I mean, I always thought you were a boy, and when your mother told me that you were a girl and to come over, I was like no way, but you're definitely a girl and no one else invited me and I don't know what to do or say and I'm already messing it up-" He trailed off as Dain sat up, putting a hand on his arm. Even through the coat, being able to touch him was somehow reassuring, a reminder that despite his stammering he was still a boy, here, and her body knew that relief would soon arrive. Dain took a moment to inhale more of his scent, something that brought a smile to her face unbidden as she replied.

"Teiya... it's fine. Just, that you're here, that's what's important, okay? I don't care about having breasts, or not having breasts. I don't care if you're nervous, I'm nervous too! I know as much about this as you do, no one really told me anything either about what mating is supposed to be, so let's just... be together in here and see what happens?"

"Okay, I can do that, I think..." Teiya said, still looking almost frozen in place. "Um, can I... sit down?"

"Sure, if you want, but..." Dain paused, realizing that looking into Teiya's eyes was making it suddenly hard to think. He was here, yes, but things were moving too slowly, and the tingling anticipation in her body was continuing to build. Her tail was suddenly starting to wag eagerly back and forth behind her, and she had to restrain herself from a momentary urge to simply pounce on him. Dain knew she needed more, though, and soon, and she could feel her face flushing under her fur as her body anticipated the implications of what she said next. "Don't you think you're wearing too much clothing for this?"

"Um, I dunno, my ma said this is what you're supposed to wear, so..."

Dain gestured along his body, watching as Teiya's eyes keenly followed the motion of her hand. "I think she meant that's what you wear when you show up. Now that you're here, though..."

Teiya thought about that for a moment, and seemed to almost blush. "Wait, I'm supposed to wear something like that? I, uh, I mean, I don't think-"

This time, Dain couldn't help but laugh, partly because he could imagine himself, as a boy, coming to the same flawed conclusion and having a similar reaction. It also spoke, Dain realized, to the fact that Teiya really was completely unprepared for this, and Dain could well imagine being in his shoes, as he might have been a few weeks earlier - not invited to any heats or expected to be, not really thinking about the situation at all, and then having someone show up unannounced and being thrust into this situation, with someone you hardly even knew, wondering what they thought and if you'd screw it up somehow... Dain realized that in addition to everything else, she felt empathy for Teiya's predicament.

"Teiya, what I meant was, this is what girls wear, I guess, you just need to wear less, um... you know what? Let's just, uh, start over, all right? Just forget about first impressions, or what I think, or what you think or... or any of it! It's just the two of us, here in a room, and we're gonna have some fun. All right?"

"Uh... okay?" Teiya replied, and Dain could feel him relax, a little at least. She let go of his arm, allowing it to drop back down to his side, before continuing.

"What I was trying to say before was, for what we're gonna do... since I'm in my underwear for it, how about you do the same? That way, you know, there'll be less clothes to get in the way..."

Teiya thought about it for a second. "Yeah, that makes sense, I guess, but I'm still not really sure what we're doing..."

"Well, why don't you take off all those formal clothes and sit down here so we can figure it out?"

Teiya nodded, looking slightly relieved that he didn't have to stand in front of her wearing his ill-fitting getup. He shrugged the jacket off and set it on top of the chair by Dain's desk, kicking his shoes off as he pulled the linen shirt over his head, the motion seeming to fluff out the fur on his chest. Dain realized that the fur was fairly thick, concealing much of the definition of Teiya's slim figure, although without the oversized coat he seemed slightly less underwhelming, with hints of developing muscle beneath the fur on his arms and chest. In fact, Dain realized that Teiya really didn't look all that different than he did in his male form, or really even now, but that didn't seem to matter - the sight of his furred chest was immediately alluring, and would feel so nice to touch... Her mind momentarily began to imagine how it would feel, running her hands through his fur, but the thought quickly evaporated in favor of something more intriguing as Teiya pulled the formal pants down and off in one quick motion, leaving him standing in his underwear.

Teiya was wearing a pair of grey, trunks-style briefs, not entirely unlike the pairs sitting in Dain's dresser drawer a few feet away, right next to the row of her neatly-folded white panties - a sight she was sure would throw Teiya into an entirely new world of confusion. It was what the trunks contained, though, that immediately transfixed Dain's gaze. Like most trunks, they had an ample pouch in the front to support the balls and sheath, but Teiya's pouch was already tenting outward, wrapped tightly enough that she could see the clear outline of his tip pressing out against the fabric. Teiya's scent apparently wasn't the only one at work, and while he had been too timid to admit it, his arousal was now obvious. Which was a good thing, she realized, as while her own arousal was not as outwardly noticeable, it was now clearly making itself known, as she could feel wetness beginning to spread across the sensitive flesh of her inner folds, pressing snugly against the underwear that was now distinctly noticeable against her. The buzzing snapped forward to the front of her awareness again, but it seemed to diffuse into something else as she took in more of his scent, which was greatly pronounced with the removal of his clothing. While the anticipation was still there, she suddenly began to feel unreasonably... happy, almost giddy, as pulses of wild emotion began to course through her.

Dain just sat there for a moment, enjoying the sudden sensation of pleasure. She soon felt the bed shift next to her, though, and looked over to see Teiya sitting next to her, legs hanging off the bed, his cock clearly straining against his underwear as he looked over towards her. She had thought that perhaps they would just be able to sit and talk for a while, figuring things out from there, but her body was tired of waiting, and she wanted to feel good NOW.

"So, uh, what do you want to do now?" Teiya asked, still looking a bit nervous. In response, Dain edged closer to him on the bed, squirming as the motion momentarily pressed her crotch into the blankets and reminded her just how sensitive she was at the moment. When she finished moving over, their shoulders were almost touching.

"Um, so..."

"Take my undershirt off."

"Uh, what?" Teiya looked over nervously. "Er... are you sure?"

"Yes. Just reach over and slide it off, nice and easy." Dain raised her arms over her head in preparation. "And... if you'd like to feel my fur while you do it, go ahead..."

"O-okay," Teiya replied, reaching out and putting his hands on Dain's waist. The touch felt good, and quickly even better as Teiya moved his hands under the fabric and rested them against her fur, his hands sinking in until she could feel their warmth on her skin beneath. He slowly moved them up, his hands running through her fur, the sensation of being petted seemingly magnified a hundredfold, and she stretched luxuriously under his touch, her spine arching naturally as his touch sent waves of warmth coursing along it. His hands moved up along her chest, the loose fabric of the shirt coming up along with them, the fabric momentarily obscuring his vision as the hands briefly tickled her armpits and then ran smoothly up along her arms. As his hands caressed the backs of hers, their fingers momentarily interlocking, the undershirt fell away behind her, quickly forgotten. As his hands released hers, she felt the myriad sensations travel down her spine and coalesce in her pelvis, something inside her giving a quick, pleasant twitch to remind her that her body was more than ready, and she was definitely ready for those feelings to continue.

Since they were already so close, it was the simplest of motions - while he was still turned towards her, she simply leaned forward, catching him off-guard with his arms in the air. In a moment, Dain's chest was pressed up against him, his fur brushing against her nipples, the sensation magnified and indescribably soft, and she reacted by letting a soft, pleased purr escape from her lips as her body relaxed against him. The contact was wonderful, made even better as he returned her embrace, his hands tentatively tracing across the fur on her back before encircling her and holding her snugly to him. She looked over at him, his face still a mask of confusion, as though it couldn't decide which feeling it really wanted to display, but she could tell be his response that he was enjoying the embrace too. As good as it felt, though, it was still somewhat awkward, with both of them twisting to embrace while sitting side by side. That was easy enough to fix, though - she turned the rest of her body to match the position of the embrace, momentarily balancing on her side next to him as her hip rested on the very edge of the bed, before swinging her opposite leg over to his other side. As soon as it landed, she edged her hips forward, her body nudging upwards against him as she moved the rest of the way into position, straddling his legs with her butt almost in his lap, pressing as close to him as possible.

Because of the new position, she realized that they were no longer looking eye to eye, but she was more than satisfied to watch his tufted ears bob back and forth as he happily nuzzled his face against her chest. Dain smiled giddily at the attention and snuggled into his embrace, as happy as she could ever remember being. She felt safe and comfortable in Teiya's embrace, and the world just felt right somehow, like this was exactly the way things were supposed to be. Even the gentle pressure of Teiya's bulge pressing steadily upward against the front of her panties felt like it belonged there, as her hips rocked gently forward to nudge in closer. The tension she had been feeling from the heat seemed to evaporate under his touch, as Teiya's own inhibitions began to slip and he started to get into the feeling as well. His hands roamed over her back and stroked along her sides, her back twisting and arching as her body responded to the touch, squirming away as he tried to touch the ticklish spots on her sides, then moaning against him as he stroked them anyway, the touch instantly jumping from annoying to sensual, her muscles shivering as a wave of pleasure washed over them, like a really good, luxurious stretch, but many times more intense. The feeling continued as his hands moved downward, and when they rubbed against the small of her back the stretch seemed to travel up her spine as well as shudder its way across her thighs, her back arching along with it as she almost humped against his legs. She knew her tail was now wagging nonstop behind her, moving back and forth in time with her own motions as they snuggled and rubbed against each other, snapping and shivering in time with each sensation, and when he petted it the sensation sparked its way along the entire length of her spine, from the tip of her tail all the way up to the base of her skull, her head snapping up towards the ceiling as the sensation seemed to radiate across her skull. She pushed into him even more tightly after that, reveling in the sensations, as his hands played across her hips, coming down to settle on her butt, his hands massaging her through the panties, and she realized just how close he was to getting somewhere interesting. She also realized that she was now definitely ready for what would come next - Teiya's motions meant that she could feel the panties shifting under his hands, but the part against her crotch barely moved, plastered completely against her, every upward motion of the massage pulling the fabric tighter, and she could feel fluid leaking out around the edges and down the insides of her thighs. Her entire body tingled with energy, energy that seemed to amplify every caress and build with each passing moment, along with a tantalizing itch that started at her crotch and seemed to trace up inside her, somehow, along some hidden passage, until it culminated with something she couldn't quite describe low in her abdomen, the spot where the ache was always the strongest, and now consumed by a wonderful that she knew would feel amazing when it was scratched. As good as cuddling with her new friend felt, better than she could ever have imagined, she knew her body was ready for something else - and with Teiya right there against her, there was no need to yearn for a sensation that she could soon have.

She moved back a little, scooting her butt back along his legs and withdrawing her arms, breaking the embrace. Teiya released his arms as well, looking a little disappointed, but seemed satisfied enough when she took his hands and placed them back on her hips. Now that she was no longer pressing against him, Teiya's trunks were again visible, the pouch strained as much as the fabric would allow, almost certainly frustrating him, although he didn't seem to have minded too much - which probably had something to do with the fact that her pelvis had been snuggling up against it until a moment ago. She reached over and grabbed the elastic waistband, tugging the fabric up and over to release the bulge, an action that Teiya didn't seem to mind at all. Pulling the fabric down, she left it to bunch up around his balls as his cock came fully into view.

Unlike Dain's own reddish-colored one, when he had it at least, Teiya's cock was almost completely black, the skin unusually lustrous. Dain knew that the coloration indicated that some part of Teiya's bloodline came from one of the original tribes that had inhabited the desert centuries ago; something explained to him by one of the local craftsmen when he asked about the differences on a row of traditional tribal fetishes the man was painting as part of an exhibition. Dark red, like Dain, indicated a tribe that had ventured south from the tundra, while light blue with red veins signified a tribe from along the coast. Given how long ago those tribes had intermingled, though, the fur patterns and colorations could now occur in any combination. In any other circumstance, Dain might have idly wondered whether there was a similar type of variation in girls, although with a sample size of two it was hard to tell. Now, though, his whole mind seemed to focus on Teiya's crotch, and how the cock was standing at attention, fully extruded from his fuzzy sheath, the tip glistening with a tiny drop of moisture before it flared out below into the cylindrical shaft, the base already beginning to swell outward just above the sheath. In Dain's condition, it looked perfect, and she was glad to have it at her disposal. She couldn't resist the urge to reach out and touch it, and it was Teiya's turn to moan as she ran her index finger gently down the length of the shaft, causing it to somehow twitch upward. Dain leaned her whole body down towards it as she realized that his scent was most intense there, sniffing it in and inhaling deeply, reveling in its musk. The cock was even more interesting up close, veins bulging out along its edge, the droplet of moisture hanging invitingly off the tip... before Dain even knew what she was doing, her tongue had flicked out and lapped at the tip, whisking up the droplet and feeling the intense warmth of his cock as the smooth skin slid beneath her tongue. Teiya groaned at the contact, his own hips shuddering for a moment, as Dain retracted her tongue and rolled the bit of moisture around in her mouth to determine the taste. It was an odd sort of flavor, the intense musk mixed with something earthy, and a momentary sharp edge of bitterness as it dissolved on Dain's tongue. Whatever it was, though, was enough to get her even more excited, and she was ready to let her body do whatever it wanted. She lowered herself down, almost curling up against him, her nose nuzzling up against the base of his shaft while her legs slid back along his, her crotch finding his knee and beginning to grind against it. The contact sent another wave of warmth through her that coursed along her pelvis and flushed outward between her legs, her grinding dampening the fur on her thighs and his leg. Teiya hardly seemed to notice that, though, resting his hands on her shoulders as she nuzzled against him. From her position, his scent was almost overwhelming, and the tantalizing feeling inside her grew almost too uncomfortable to bear, her grinding paused as her hips squirmed involuntarily against him, the sensation somewhere between agonizing and impossibly sensual as the lips of her pussy started twitching rhythmically against the fabric, suddenly too sensitive to withstand even its light touch. Her thighs suddenly vibrating, all Dain wanted to do was to resolve the onslaught of feelings. She rolled off of Teiya over onto the bed proper, lying on her back with her knees up and her thighs pressed close together, trying to find relief from the sensation even as it overwhelmed her again. Something inside throbbed again to an oddly structured rhythm, and her thighs shuddered and fell away to either side, momentarily without strength. Dain needed to get the panties off, trying to shove her legs back over so that she could pull the underwear down, despite that fact that her body would apparently rather lie there and shudder. Before she could, though, she saw movement, and noticed Teiya's head hovering over her just before it dropped down between her thighs - apparently, he was just as interested in what she had there as she had been with him. She could feel his muzzle sniffing along her thighs, his breath doing its best to ruffle her damp fur, and then she started as his nose pressed against her crotch, firmly enough through the fabric that she could feel some of her folds shift with it as moved around, taking in the smell of her heat that by now must have saturated the room. It nudged up against her button, as the room suddenly seemed twice as bright as the contact caused her to shudder anew, her hips rocking forward to grind against Teiya's muzzle, and she could barely hear him sputter in surprise as her legs came up to clamp around his head, holding him tightly as her pussy began another wonderful spasm, only to fall away again as she relaxed. She could see Teiya's face come up, halfway-stunned, the fur on his muzzle and chin completely matted down by copious amounts of her glistening fluid. He had the cutest smile on his face, though. Teiya rocked back onto his haunches as Dain's pulsing subsided, and she took the momentary pause to arch her butt up off of the bed and pulling the panties down, the crotch sticking to her for a moment before peeling off slowly like a bandage, trailing gossamer strands of fluid as it pulled away. She shoved them down her thighs, and Teiya was more than happy to reach over and remove them the rest of the way, tugging the elastic from around her feet. He looked at the garment in his hand, balled up and dripping tendrils of moisture, almost in awe at its erotically disheveled state, before his gaze moved slowly back to Dain, lying on her bed with her legs spread comfortably wide. Dain looked down her body, not really able to see much from her prone position, aside from the very top of her mound, which now stood out clearly as it swelled a little ways out from her fur, the flesh a bright pink, stretched taut and glistening with moisture. Dain could well imagine what Teiya was seeing, though - rows of pink folds, sturdy ridgelike ones on the outside and softer, more delicate ones within, all the same pink color, wet and receptive, just waiting for him. Teiya, though, wasn't moving, just looking.

"Wow... so that's what a woman looks like there..." Teiya reached out tentatively and tapped the top of her mound, causing her to squirm anew. "It's so... intricate... so pretty..." Dain, however, was practically squirming on the inside as well, and really, really needed to feel something, not on the outside, but inside, deep inside. She was not willing to let Teiya become awestruck and tongue-tied at this critical moment.

"Teiya... if you're going to explore there... hah... you can't use your mmmHhh... hands..."

"Uh, really? Then-"

"Your penis..."

"R-really?" Teiya was almost blushing again.

"Really, just put it there, NOW!" Dain half-growled at him, and Teiya froze for a second, before complying and bending over, shrugging his trunks the rest of the way off. He was quickly above Dain, his hands on either side of her shoulders, and she looked down his body above her to see the tip of his cock hanging erect between his legs, almost seeming to point directly at her. Teiya repositioned his legs, his cock angling down towards her, and Dain realized that this was it: they were about to mate, really mate, and a brief quiver of fear was quickly blotted away by a final thrill of anticipation as Teiya's warm cock brushed against the top of her thigh, and she spread her legs even further and scooted her butt forward just enough, angling her hips up to meet him.

His cock slid across the fur on her inner thigh and over across her mound, its warmth exquisite as it pressed against her sensitive flesh. Teiya wiggled his hips, causing it to bounce across to her other thigh and then back again, Teiya's breath panting above her as he enjoyed the sensation too. Teiya continued to move around just over her, his fur almost close enough to touch as he continued to move around, trying to figure out what to do, although she could tell his instincts were already telling him to rock his hips forward and find a way to press in. She could feel his tip press against various places seemingly at random, like an incredibly warm finger probing along her mound, pressing against and then sliding slickly away from the outer folds, then returning to press against her hood and rub it intensely across her button, the intense sensation causing her to let out a scream that she half-muffled with her hand a moment later, her hips shuddering anew. Teiya was too into it now, though, to let it deter him, and the motion of their hips combined on the next thrust to plant the tip right between her inner lips, tickling as the pressure pushed it down past her urethra into the soft folds below, and she could feel them wrapping around the tip and giving it a warm embrace as they surrounded it, guiding it to where it was supposed to be, and then giving in easily to the pressure, almost seeming to invert themselves and sink inside along with it, pressing gently along the shaft and stretching comfortably as it slid between them, the heavy lubrication making it soft and almost frictionless. As it pushed past she could feel it encountering what seemed to be another layer of folds that were somehow within her, then another and another, wrapping around as he pushed inside and embracing the shaft, and with each contact part of the tantalizing itch seemed to fade away into a diffuse sense of warmth and pleasure that spread all over by the time the bulge at his base settled warmly against her outer lips.

She could hear Teiya moaning above her, reacting to the way her body was pressing against him from within, and lowered himself down just on top of her, their fur intermingling as his head came down to the pillow next to hers, nuzzling against her as his breath panted against her neck. "Ohgaaa... sogooood..." he gasped, and she could feel his cock jerk momentarily upward inside her. It was an incredible feeling, being embraced without and within, so impossibly close, feeling his warmth within. The doctor was right - it felt so much better than the prosthesis they had used earlier, warm and comfortable and just right. She reached up to embrace him, stroking the fur on his back and enjoying the warmth.

Then she felt him pulling out, his cock sliding back and her inner folds going back to rub against his flared tip, but before he came all the way back out his hips jerked and he slammed back in again, a sudden motion that sent a shiver through her as her insides quickly stretched out again around him. He made the motion again and again as his body took over, slamming into her as his thrusts quickly sped up to a frantic pace. He was firmly against her, his hips rocking as he pumped into her repeatedly, the sensations coming so quickly that her body couldn't even properly respond and recover before another thrust sent a new wave of sensation coursing through her. Within a few strokes the sensations became overwhelming, a continuing electric sizzle up and down her spine, the tail trapped under her back twitching uncontrollably beneath her as her body gave itself over to the mating, her butt trembling and her muscles rippling as she writhed underneath him, moaning nonstop as her body rolled through a climax, only to face an immediate buildup of sensation again as his thrusts never abated. It was quick and rough, but to her his thrusting was the best thing imaginable, each stroke satisfying her inner need in the most satisfying way possible.

There was still a strong itch, though, something very deep inside, that his frantic thrusts couldn't quite seem to reach, tantalizing her even within the wonderful, snuggly pleasure of their carnal embrace and rapid mating. Somehow, Teiya seemed to realize it too, perhaps having his own itch enticing him to move forward. His thrusts slowed, but each one pushed harder, his bulge pressing up against her outer lips, even as they resisted the girth that seemed too wide for them to wrap around. One of the thrusts hit a sensitive spot inside, though, and she shuddered into another climax, her muscles relaxing just as another thrust pushed even harder against her. This time, the relaxing flesh caught for a moment, then pulled around him with the most amazing sensation of intense stretching, and her hips almost seemed to shift somehow as the knot pushed inside her, the whole shaft moving forward to fill her completely as the tip finally engaged against the sensitive place deep inside her, and she sighed and hugged Teiya tightly as the last itch of heat fell away.

After a moment, Teiya tried to pull back, but the knot was firmly in place - it pulled against her for a moment, the contact intense and warm, before he shuddered and his hips pushed forward again automatically. Dain brought her legs up and crossed them over his butt, holding him into place even as he struggled against it, before his body took over and he stopped resisting, instead moving his hips forward and grinding against her. He was now moving only slightly back and forth inside her, but it was enough - his tip rubbing up against the sweet spot deep inside, his knot pushing up against sensitive places just within her and almost overwhelming them with pleasure as they stretched snugly around him, and the fur on his pelvis snuggling and rubbing wonderfully against her hood and the sensitive button it now barely contained. The sensations all came together to explode inside her, their bodies tightly together and her nails scraping along Teiya's back as her body locked up with the shock of an overwhelming orgasm, every muscle in her body seizing and trembling as the entire world seemed to dissolve into a sea of unending pleasure. Dain could feel the warmth flushing across her body as her entire pelvis seemed to contract at once, sucking him in even deeper before her insides began to pulse around him, wonderful contractions that seemed like they would never stop, even as he shuddered on top of her at the sensation. The feeling seemed to go on indefinitely, as though time itself had suddenly become irrelevant, but eventually she became aware of her surroundings once again, smiling as she relaxed even as Teiya was straining against her, his hips pushing in for a moment before shuddering again, and she felt something warm and wet spurt from his tip into the sensitive thing it was engaged with inside. The spurts came again and again, seeming to fill her insides with a different kind of warmth, before they finally ceased and he all but collapsed on top of her, his arms flopping around beside her as his muscles went limp. She looked over to see his head pressed against the pillow, his eyes closed and his tongue lolling out, panting from the exertion. She smiled at his appearance, and at the comfortable feeling of him against and within her, but especially at the feeling of intense relief and complete relaxation now that the demands of heat were finally sated.

Luckily, Teiya recovered his composure after a few minutes, before his weight on top of her became oppressive. He leaned back up on his elbows over her, a relaxed smile on his face, as he moved his hips back to exit her. The knot had other ideas, though, pressing against inner lips that were still snugly pressed around it, and after a moment of pressure that threatened to turn into pain, Teiya squirmed and relaxed his hips, sliding back into her fully as she felt him release another spurt inside her. While her legs had released him and splayed to either side during her climactic orgasm, she kept her arms wrapped around his back, drawing his body back down close to her and licking his face when it came into reach, gently rubbing his fur.

"Just relax," she said, even while she realized he was doing just that, snuggling against her and looking into her eyes, a lazy, satisfied grin on his muzzle. "You did really good, I'm pretty sure you did. I mean, I've never done that before, but... that felt soooo good."

"Yeah, it was really, really... I mean, just... wow... The way you, you were so..." He trailed off as Dain moved her arms up towards his neck, pulling his face close and sliding her flexible tongue all the way around his muzzle. He returned the gesture, shivering again as their tongues intertwined, along with a burst of warmth inside her as he let out another pulse of cum in response. "That good, yeah," he said after their tongues finally retracted.

Dain kept him snuggled against her, and Teiya didn't try to pull out again for a while, realizing that until the knot came down, they would be locked together. Instead, they cuddled, finally able to relax and have a normal conversation now that the pressure for both of them was over - at least as normal a talk as you could have with someone whose penis was currently nestled inside of you. They talked about growing up, and sports, and sculpture - Dain was surprised to learn how much Teiya admired his talent, and had decided to come into the studio to see him work and perhaps learn how to shape things himself. Teiya's father also wasn't in the picture, having been assigned to an important outpost on the far border, and Dain sympathized with the stories he told about his overly busy mother. By the time they finished talking an hour later, Dain realized that not only had he found a decent mating partner, but also a potential friend, albeit one who he was now quite intimately familiar. By this time, Teiya had shrunken considerably inside her, to the point where she could barely feel any pressure inside at all, and he was now able to slide out smoothly, and Dain let him pull away reluctantly, though she would have been satisfied to snuggle with him indefinitely. He finally sat back up on the bed, his shaft receding the rest of the way back into its sheath, although it took Dain a few more minutes before her intense relaxation subsided enough to muster the energy needed to leave her prone position.

While Teiya went over to gather up his clothes, Dain sat up, feeling her crotch press against the blankets and quickly leaving a wet spot. Dain fetched a soft, if male-style, undershirt from one of the drawers and used it to mop up some of the dampness between her legs - even though she was vertical again, though, nothing much dribbled out. Apparently her moisture had been mostly used up in their vigorous coupling, and the fluid he had shot into her had been so deep inside, and kept in place by the knot, that it was now apparently contained by her body. Where there had been the itch inside before, certainly, there was now a feeling of fullness and lingering warmth, as the fluid settled in and did whatever it was supposed to do - probably, she thought, if this had been a real heat, it would be making her fertile, the first step to a litter of pups growing in her belly. Now, though, it was just a pleasant feeling, and she knew almost instinctively that it would displace the heat for quite some time. In fact, now that she was relaxed, she realized that her mound was no longer swollen and overly sensitive, allowing her to wipe up between her legs without too much squirm-inducing sensation.

Dain knew that the panties she had worn for her heat were probably beyond help, so she pulled on a pair of her plain white ones, which now sat comfortably on her hips and against her crotch. She looked over to see Teiya admiring her panty-clad butt approvingly, and grinned when she saw him looking, causing him to blush again beneath his fur. As Teiya finished getting dressed, Dain pulled on a regular shirt and pair of pants, returning to her usual mostly-boyish appearance. Teiya still seemed to be able to tell the difference, though, and as they walked back downstairs she felt him rest his hand on the small of her back, just above her tail, and she just smiled at him and let him keep it there as they walked, her tail curling gently around his arm.

Dain's mother greeted them as they entered the kitchen, gesturing for them to sit down at the table before fetching a piping-hot casserole from the oven. Eloa seemed back to her normal self, fussing around with the table settings and gruffly getting everything together. When they all prepared to dig in, though, a slow smile formed on her lips.

"So... how did your first time feel?"

Dain's mind immediately flashed back to it, and she blushed hard enough that she could almost feel the heat radiating off her face beneath the fur. It had been... well, amazing, but to tell her mother about it seemed incredibly awkward at best. Dain looked over at Teiya, who seemed similarly tongue-tied by that question. They sat in silence for a moment, although words were probably unnecessary to tell the story: their unkempt fur, their occasionally lingering glances at each other, and the fact that each of them was absolutely doused in the other's scent told the story of their complete intimacy. Dain's mother just smiled, and let the question drop in silence as they shoveled in food, having worked up an appetite from their exertions. Teiya left soon after dinner, but they both pledged to talk to each other soon - him sleeping over was apparently out of the question. Not that they would have done much of anything later on, as Dain was completely sated and exhausted from the experience, and once dinner was over she only had the energy to sit on the couch and watch a few shows on the living room vidscreen, before showering, shaking herself dry, and turning in early. Her mother had changed the sheets in the interim and removed the fancy underwear, but Teiya's scent still lingered faintly in her fur even after the shower, and it comforted her as she drifted off to sleep.

Now that she knew what to expect, the rest of Dain's heat went relatively more smoothly. The next morning greeted her with another ensemble laid out on top of her dresser, this one a shiny cobalt blue, followed a bit later by a well-built boy named Taore who was apparently quite adept on the sports fields. He was a little less adept with women, though, even after already being invited to several other girls' trial heats; when his first move once the door was closed had been to jam his hand into the crotch of Dain's panties and roughly squeeze the flesh beneath, she had demonstrated her own athleticism with a right cross to the side of his muzzle that dropped him flat on his back in the middle of the floor. The touch had apparently done the job, though, as Taore had reawakened a couple of minutes later to find his pants pulled down, and Dain straddling his legs, her panties already off and rubbing her mound against the base of his shaft. He wisely stayed where he was and let Dain mount him a minute later, rolling her hips and bouncing up and down as she rode him giddily, occasionally rocking back down and grinding against him as a climax robbed her legs of control. She also found out soon afterwards why the position she had chosen was not usually recommended. When she bounced back down more forcefully than she'd intended, the force of her descent caused her body to instantaneously stretch out around the knot before she was ready, and she had almost passed out from the sudden shock of pain that resulted from her mistake. Taore, though, helped keep her steady until she recovered, and she was soon recovered and grinding against him happily, if a bit sorely, bringing herself to orgasm and flopping forward against his chest, panting and shuddering with pleasure as his cock stood up straight inside her and quenched her heat with its pulses.

As the days went by, she mated with several other boys, usually two per day: one in the morning, one in the afternoon, with a break for lunch and rest in between. Her mother, ever prepared, had a separate ensemble available for each one: for Lotoe, a cuddly-looking boy with speckled fur, she wore shimmering emerald green, thrilling to his touch as his gentle hands played across every part of her, stroking her nipples in a way that made her shiver and soaked her panties. She allowed him to guide her onto all fours and mate her in the most traditional manner, sliding his hand along her tail fur in time with his strokes, and she felt almost reduced to a shivering puddle of bliss, her arms buckling and her face in her pillows as she twitched against him, her insides contracting pleasantly around him and milking his cock as he spurted inside her. For Eiako, a lean boy with unusual, pure-white fur, she wore an ensemble of crimson red, and within moments of the door closing their tongues were intertwined, as he held her in an embrace that seemed like it would never end - although somewhere along the line his clothes seemed to vanish, his cock pushing and nudging against the crotch of her panties as they rolled around on the bed, and just as the constricting fabric became unbearable, his hands pulled them away. They rolled over again, and his next nudge turned into a gentle, steady thrust that ended with his knot snug against her mound, keeping his steady embrace as he rocked into her a bit more slowly and gently than the others, pushing her comfortably to an unhurried climax. It was a pleasant change of pace, and when it came time for his knot to go in, there was no resistance whatsoever, just a pleasant, languid stretching sensation that finished with him comfortably inside as the feeling pushed her over the edge into a wonderfully intense orgasm. There were many others, and a veritable rainbow of panties, and she found herself in many positions, on the bed, on the floor, against a wall, and once each on the chair and desk, shivering happily in the arms of at least a dozen boys as they warmly entered her and thoroughly quenched her heat. While some were better than others, they all eventually got the job done, and in the time afterwards when they were tied together Dain got to know each one surprisingly well - if they had been mostly separate before, Dain was sure that after the trial heats most boys and girls would become much more familiar, if for no other reason than that they now had an intense shared experience that she doubted any of them would soon forget.

After a full week, it was over, and Dain finally collapsed into bed, tired and a little sore, as the tumult of strange feelings that heat brought on finally began to fade away. The next morning when he awoke, his panties were stretched uncomfortably around a familiar sheath, and he realized that after having spent so much time as a girl, suddenly being a boy again was strangely disconcerting. All of the complicated equipment and strange internal feelings had vanished, as though they hadn't been there at all, replaced by the familiar feel of what he had previously considered to be his normal body. The week of the trial heat almost seemed like an intense dream now seared into his memory, although when he returned to the workshop, the lingering, loving look that Teiya gave him was a clear reminder that what they had gone through had been very real.

When he got home after his first day back at the workshop, Dain's mother greeted him at the door with another uncharacteristic smile, and told him that there was a surprise waiting upstairs. When he entered his room, though, the most immediate thing he saw were his best formal clothes laid out neatly on top of his bed, and an ornate notecard set on his desk, trimmed with a length of metallic crimson ribbon. Curious, he picked up the card and folded it open. He read the calligraphy inside to the end, and a mixture of excitement and dread formed in his stomach as he realized that, a day after his own had ended, his presence was now immediately expected at Caure's first trial heat...