FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

It had first happened five years ago. The start of genetic splicing.

It had started out as a medical miracle. Previously unheard of diseases getting cured, blindness cured, a whole new paradigm coming out of medical science. Even in its first year, fully two thirds of the populace had some form of the new genetic therapies.

Until the changes began.

It started with a single eye...of a single child. That single change, the replacement of the child's human eye with a deep black goat's eye, set off a whole host of changes. A few days later more changes followed, spreading quickly through the population. Apparently the formula was a little too effective.

Five years later, one third of the population no longer appeared human.

---

The bitter cold whipped at the girl's body as she stumbled along the side of the road. With each fearful glance behind her, she walked farther and farther from her past, her thumb weakly begging for anyone...a weak cry that the road had seemingly not heard. Only the cry of the cicada filled the cold, blustery air as the girl's silent sobs dripped along her cheeks as no one came to answer her cries.

The first signs of the throaty growl of the engine came as a mere whisper. As the light of the single headlamp came into view, the girl turned around, still huddled in that red jacket. The girl slowly, haltingly stuck her thumb out, hoping against hope that the car would stop this time.

"I've gotta get out of here."

As the light played over the deserted road, the lone headlight slowed down and stopped beside her, the rider silhouetted in the dim light of the streetlight as the engine rumbled within the bike beneath the helmeted figure as a pair of gloved hands moved to pull off the helmet.

"Looking for a lift?" Came the figure's deep, almost growling voice, driving the girl to take a step back from the road as the rider pulled his helmet off, revealing the rider's grinning face.

"You're one of them?"

The creature's ears fell back in shock, falling against the top of his...its canine head. The dim light masked the dark furred creature's face, but not its reaction as his head fell, body leaning forward in its seat as the creature raised the helmet back towards his head.

"One of them?" It punctuated with a snarl, gently baring its fangs. "Yeah, I'm one of those damned animals." He grumbled, his gloved hands...or perhaps paws making air quotes around the term animals. "I also seem to have a method of transportation that you were asking to procure. I offered you a lift, miss." The creature gestured at the bike, a spare helmet strapped to the back. "Perhaps that was a mistake, but I don't renege on my offers." With a mild flourish, the wolf's helmet started back towards his head as the girl laughed nervously.

"Don't think I've ever heard it put that way." The girl chuckled as another pair of headlights played across the pair as they slowed to a stop. "Sorry. I've just..."

"I've heard worse. So...want a ride?" The wolf slid the helmet over his head, his ears sliding back into the streamlined space as he flipped the smoked visor up.

"Everyone all right there?" A thud of a car door caught the attention of both the girl and wolf as a small sedan idled behind the quietly rumbling bike. The lone driver stood beside the sedan, trying to look as threatening as a mousy middle-aged man could. The cold wind whipped through his thinning hair as he zipped up his light jacket as his spectacles slipped down his beakish nose before a bony finger pushed them up.

"Fine. Just need to hitch a ride to the next service station. This gentleman was offering me a lift" A quiet chuckle emanated from beneath the wolf's helmet as the girl explained her story, the wolf fully aware that something was being odd...an acrid scent of misdirection plainly apparent over the idling gasoline and exhaust to his nose.

"I can give you a lift. Be a bit warmer than that bike." The man gestured toward his car as he continued. "There's a plaza thirty miles down the road. That okay?"

"That'll be fine," the girl replied as she turned back toward her first...for lack of a better term...suitor."Thanks for the offer, but the car is warmer." She grinned as she turned around toward the passenger side of the man's old, beat up green Saturn.

"Bike's a hell of a lot more fun, kid." Came the gruff chuckle back from underneath the helmet as the wolf turned back to his bike. "Good luck."

With that and a hefty push of a booted paw, the bike thundered back to full life as a gloved paw twisted the throttle and, with a wave over his shoulder, the bike roared off back onto the road.

The miles rolled by, one after another as the bike and its lone rider thundered down the road, the wolven rider's mind trying to process that short meeting. Something was flitting through his mind, thoughts that he had not had...had not even considered for years.

Ever since his change.

A slight grin played across his hidden muzzle as he pulled into the service station, somewhat low on gas, but at three bucks, it wouldn't be a bad idea...

Pulling into the station and feeling the rough vibration of the bike die off as he kicked out his kickstand, the wolf alighted from his bike at one of the corner lots of the brightly lit station. Pulling off the helmet, he left it on the bike as he walked inside the brightly lit store, the sharp odor of stale coffee and the rolling hotdogs displacing the heavy stench of the gasoline outside as the wolf softly chuffed as the attendant looked up.

"Whaddaya want, mutt?"

A heavy paw placed a ten on the counter with a thud. "Pump sixteen."

"Pump's on. Can get your change when you're done."

"Thanks," was the wolf's gruff reply as he walked out the door.

"Damned animals...shouldn't be in here."

"I'm not deaf, kid," was the softly growled reply before the wolf walked outside, the door slamming shut behind him as he walked back to the bike, seeing an old, beat up Saturn pull in before he grinned.

"Perfect."

As the gas flowed quickly into the bike's small tank, the wolf watched the girl run into the little convenience shop. That green Saturn pulled out quickly, heading back out onto the highway as the pump shut off, three gallons of gasoline filling the tank. "Another hundred fifty to go," the wolf remarked with a sigh as he put the nozzle back, turning toward the store as he saw a hooded figure stalking inside.

"At least it's not a wasted trip" Came the throaty chuckle as he walked into a heated conversation.

"What do you mean there's no bus. There was a stop here two months ago."

"They stopped it last month. There's a payphone outside, call a cab. It's not my problem, lady."

"A cab? I can't afford that. I've gotta get out of here!"

The only reply from the clerk was an exasperated and exaggerated sigh as the girl's gestures became even more harried and worried. A babble of grunts and shrieks soon followed as the girl turned around, hands still up in the air.

"The offer's still there, kid."

"What do you want freak?" came the pimple-faced kid's reply, derision dripping off him.

"Shut up and get me my change," was the response, but the growl that punctuated it told a more powerful story than words. "I said, miss, the offer's still out there. I'm heading west for quite a ways. Can bring you to the capital for a bus." The wolf intoned with a grin. "If you want."

"I...I..."

"Hey! Fleabag. Here's the change!" A pair of silver dollars bounced off the wolf's face, a loud snarl reverberating through the store as the wolf charged toward the clerk, fangs bared, bitter white contrasting the thick black fur of the wolf's muzzle before he was jerked back.

"You dropped your change." Came the choking voice as the girl's small hand wrapped around the wolf's wrist, jerking him a stop as he turned around mid-snarl. The girl's tear streaked face met the wolf's amber eyes as mild terror playing across her face. "He's not worth it. Go on, get out of here... You mind a little extra weight on the bike? Guy was...more than a little creepy."

The snarl slowly dissipated as the wolf turned around, showing just how significant the lowly cashier was to him as he heaved a deep breath as the glass doors swung shut behind him. "Sorry, miss...."

"Raine. Just call me Raine," came the girl's reply as she stuck her hand out as her eyes slipped up and down the wolf's body as the pair stopped beside the door in a modicum of shelter from the wind. The wolf smirked as his hefty paw wrapped around Raine's slight hand as a heavy chuckle escaped his muzzle.

"Xavier," was his only response, as he smirked as he saw the girl shivering as she looked up his body. "Come on, let's head out...hey...where you headed?"

"Away," was the girl's only reply as she headed toward the bike, the wolf walking behind her, his black tail slowly wagging behind him as he pulled the heavy, black leather jacket off his back as he remembered the long and convoluted road he had walked and rode to get here. Apparently...so had she.

"Here."

"Huh?" Came the girl's reply as she turned around as she reached the bike.

"Take it. You're shivering. The bike'll be a bit cold, too." Came the wolf with a grin as he tossed the jacket to the girl as he walked by her, the jacket landing across her head as his tail whapped against her leg as he passed by her chuckling.

"But you'll need it."

The wolf only chuckled louder. "This damned fur works pretty well, kid." Reaching back, the wolf pulls up a backrest on the bike and pulls a helmet from his saddlebag as he grabbed his own custom helmet from the bike seat. "Here," he called as he handed it to the girl. "Don't wanna break that lil' head of yours... Spent enough time with lawyers" the wolf chuckled as the girl pulled the heavy jacket over her arm and grabbed the helmet. "There's a mike and speaker inside. It's wireless." The wolf pulled the helmet over his head as he straddled the bike, pulling the girl behind him.

"Sit here and lean against me-"

"I..I...I don't want to"

"Don't got a choice, kid," came the wolf's chuckle. "That way when I turn, you stay with me. Bikes kinda suck for carrying passengers." With a powerful thrust of his leg, the wolf started the bike, a throaty growl rumbling beneath the seat as he chuckled into the helmet. "Come on!" He called with a wave of his arm.

Hesitatingly, the girl straddled the bike, her arms gripping the sides of the wolf's t-shirt, fists balled up in the shirt as she tried to hold on, but still leave room between herself and the wolf.

"No, no, no," growled the wolf as an arm reached around and pulled the girl close. "You gotta hold on tight. Hanging loosely will swing your weight around too much. Uhh..." the wolf's ears folded back as he stopped suddenly. "That came out wrong. A bike's all about the center of gravity. I need to know where you are when I turn, plus I don't want you thrown."

The girl registered only a small grumble as her small arms wrapped loosely around the wolf before he pulls them tight against himself, pulling her against his back.

"Hold on."

With that, the motorcycle roared alongside the road, picking up speed as the wolf poured on the gas to get back on the highway. The wolf's face broke into a grin as he felt the girl instinctively grab and pull herself tight against his back as he gave a deep chuckle.

"Don't say I didn't warn you," He snickered as he hit a switch on the center of the instrument panel, guitar chords screaming out as Judas Priest came through the headsets in the helmets. "Figured some road music was in order. Hope you don't mind."

No answer greeted his ears as the ready beat of the engine roared between his thighs.

"Gonna be a long ride in silence." Only the heavy beat of the music answered that statement as the wolf let out a soft chuff. "I guess I can start. Name's Xavier Winston. Was a biochemist..." he sighed. "That was another life, though. Now...now I kinda just drift about. Find my own spot. What're you running from, Raine?"

"I'm not running." The girl retorted in a huff, a trickle of anger and sadness sitting just under her breath as she almost hissed at the wolf.

"Raine...I'm not stupid. I've played this game before, and lost. I can tell someone fucked you over. I saw it weeks ago. You don't have to go through the same thing I did. Believe me. You fucking don't want to."

"Wait! You saw what?" She hissed in the mike, her displeasure dripping from her words like thick venom as her hands started to pull back from the wolf's chest as she jumped subconsciously. A heavy gloved paw wrapped around her wrists as she tried to pull back.

"Don't. You're gonna get hurt"

"Is that a threat you bastard. Let me go! "

"No. It's a fact, Raine. You're on a bike going seventy miles per hour; You fall off, you get hurt." The wolf's voice was underlaid with a thick, heavy growl of annoyance. "As to what I saw, I spend a lot of time out in the woods. Hell, almost lived out there for the past few months. It's more fun than getting a hotel room. I figured you out weeks ago after I saw you almost weekly."

The wolf's growl echoed through the headsets before it was a punctuated by a heavy sigh. "Raine, It's not normal to run into the woods to cry every week.I-"

"You just sat there and watched? You treated me like some sick reality show? You bastard!"

"No, dammit. I wanted to give you your space," the wolf's almost roar thundered through the speakers before he took a deep breath...and another...and another before his voice softly returned. "We've all got to deal with the cards we get dealt. Sometimes only some random chance gives us that last card to go from crap to flush. I got mine from gambling...from a mistaken youth. Raine," the wolf almost whispered. "I watched you, simply so I didn't find you dead in the field in the morning."

The wolf huffed as the bike turned slightly, angling off the highway toward the small town nearby.

"Raine, your call. You can talk to me or not. We'll get some shut-eye."

"You gonna force me back into the woods for that shuteye?"

"No, just the tree," a deep chuckle filled her ears as the bike pulled into the small Doubletree hotel in the town. "I enjoy the woods...didn't say I couldn't afford a hotel." His smirk could almost be heard in his voice as he pulled in, the steady thrum of the engine dying before the wolf stepped off, offering his paw to the girl still sitting petulantly, her arms crossed before her.

"Look, I was being honest. I've gotta get out of here." She shrugged as her arms dropped, grasping the offered paw as she stepped off the bike. "Can get a bus schedule inside, I guess. My legs feel kinda weird."

The wolf chuckled as he walked beside her. "First time on a bike, I guess. You get used to it."

The bell dinged as the pair entered to lobby, warm air greeting them as they walked in from the cold night air, the vacancy sign standing on the door. The evening manager looked up and back down to his hidden magazine as he idly called out to the pair.

"Sorry. No rooms."

"Bullshit. Check again." A clatter of plastic hit the counter as a card was tossed onto the glass covered countertop. The manager's formerly sleepy eyes shot open as he saw the card and its logo as he reached for his phone.

"Give me a moment, mister..." the clatter of the keys came or a moment before the clerk spoke again. "Mister Winston. Let me see what we can do. I'll need to call housekeeping first. The standard beast rooms are full, but I think we can get you in."

"That'll be fine." Came the tired reply of the wolf. "Also, is there a Greyhound station around? This young lady's looking to take a trip."

"Sorry, sir. Nearest one's in the capital, 'bout hundred fifty miles further down the highway." The manager replied before stepping into his office, leaving the lobby empty save for the girl and wolf.

"Sorry miss," the wolf apologized. "I'll have them get you a room, too. You'll be easier than me."

"I...I...I guess...I only have a little cash, though. "

"Did I ask for money, Raine. Does it look like I have use for it? Don't worry about it."

"But I-" The girl was interrupted as the manager returned.

"Mr. Winston, I spoke with the manager. We have one open suite that we can get you into. Sorry for the wait, but the manager had reserved it for a guest tomorrow and the last guests had left late, so it hadn't been cleaned. It'll be ten minutes."

"A suite?"

"One of the executive suites. Bedroom, pullout and small kitchenette. Your points will only be charged for a standard room."

"The bedroom have its own lock?" came the girl's voice

"Of course, miss. It is one of our best rooms, if I can say so."

The wolf just chuckled before he looked over at the girl, her mouth still agape.

"Oh, yeah. Will need another room for the girl."

"Don't. You're already doing too much, Mister Winston."

"Xavier. And as I said, it's nothing," He turned back to the manager. "I guess the jury's spoken." He chuckled. "Just that one room'll be fine."

"It'll be about ten minutes. I've already started housekeeping on restocking the room. Apologize for the wait." With that, the manager disappeared back into the office as the two sat in the uncomfortable, overstuffed chairs adorning the blandly painted lobby. Amusement played across the wolf's face as he saw the girl's mind trying to work behind those brilliant green eyes, her body fidgeting in the heavy leather coat he had loaned her.

"So...where were you heading?"

"Who are you?" Came the girl's soft reply, confusion just dripping off her voice before it quickly sharpened. "What the hell just happened? I...I thought you were just a wanderer. You know, out for the road."

Caught slightly aback, the wolf started just a bit at the sudden outburst as he sat down before he just sighed.

"I already told you. Name's Xavier Winston. Used to be a biochemist...a pretty damned good one. I made a couple mistakes. But one of them saved my life...If I hadn't had my hand forced, I would have nothing. I'd just be the most hated man on the planet. Thankfully, I'm just a nobody."

"That response wasn't against a nobody. They knew you. Why?"

"My vice was cards. Once upon a time, I played pretty regularly against these barons of industry. We all offered each other favors and gifts. Plus...he says I saved his kid's life. That card was one of the things he gave me."

"You what?-"

"Mister Winston. Your room is ready. Room 1012. Enjoy, sir."

"I'll tell you upstairs." The wolf's still gloved paw grabbed the offered card and pamphlet. "Thank you. And miss." The wolf offered Raine his paw as he stood, her hand grasping his as he helped her to her feet.

A short walk and elevator ride later, the pair walked into the room, the girl's jaw dropping as she saw the large central room. A sixty inch flat screen adorned one wall, a large, faux-leather couch opposite it. A door at the opposite end of the entry held the master bedroom as the wolf guided the girl towards the couch, as he pulled a small chair out from the desk beside the wall, turning it around and sitting down, resting his crossed arms on the back of the chair.

"Raine, you remember the genetic splicing that came out five years ago?" The wolf waited as he saw the girl slowly nod, the wheels in her mind turning behind her eyes. "I grew up with a hearing disorder, auditory neuropathy. I spent my entire childhood not understanding...not hearing right, being the strange kid sitting in the corner in my own world. I dove into science...into medicine, wanting to stop the next kid from growing up like me. I kept my nose against the books, escaping high school at sixteen, landing at Hopkins for school-biology. One of my internships was with Wilkins Pharmaceuticals. They were working on the first iterations of the genetic therapy. I just fit there...I went directly to work there after graduation, taking classes on the side for my doctorate. I got myself in a bit of trouble, though."

The girl, still quiet and intently listening as the wolf sighed softly.

"I gambled. I did pretty good, made enough to set myself up rather well. Got into a few groups of high stakes players, made my connections and played the odds. Once the various genetic therapies got the ok from the feds, I jumped at the chance to fix what had been broken with myself. I got the treatment myself, but...it was only a week after I got my treatment that we learned of the side effects. The creation of hybrid creatures. Call it hubris...a mocking deity, whatever you want, but we started seeing changes in our first group of test subjects. It had taken a few years, but some of them started changing. Growing fur and claws...looking more and more bestial with each passing month. They pulled the treatment."

The wolf shrugged as he stood, pacing slowly, his tail dipping loosely behind him.

"I got the call the next day from Bill. His kid had a bone marrow disease. We had a cure for it; well, we used to...one of our genetic therapies, but it also was from the same methodology as the rest. No one really knew what the cause of the mutations truly was at this point. We were all hoping that it was just another isolated side effect...you know dry mouth, dizziness...transformation into a goat." He chuckled. "But it would be a while before we really knew. Bill was...he was a good father. His kid had just been given six months...and there was no way that that would be enough time to troubleshoot the formula for that. He offered me a million to make the cure for him. He knew the risks, and...well, I'd had a bad set of games and was a hundred k in the hole. "

"So you made it?"

"I really had no choice. I couldn't just say 'I got mine. Screw you.' He offered a full lab and I had just lost mine from the shutdown. That's why I get the red carpet treatment you saw. His kid's doing all right...a bit more fur but he's alive. Hopefully there'll be fewer idiots when he's older."

"So that was it?"

"Well, the feds shut Wilkins down. Pretty much all of us lost our jobs and were effectively blacklisted from the field for years. And all because of a simple formula change from one of their damned regs. But they still blamed us. We were the monsters who changed all these people. But not everyone saw us there. There's still a pretty heavy black market for the goods. 'Bout a third health, a third for illicit purposes and the rest want the shape or the abilities. Fuckin' nuts." He shook his head. "Pardon my French."

"So that's how you make money now?" The wolf could see the gears turning behind her eyes as he explained his story...something she was not telling him was gonna bite him.

"One of the ways." He shrugged. Sometimes you just cannot let some flunky kill a kid because of red tape. It's not like I'm slinging smack. Legally it's not directly a crime, so it's...not completely unsafe, but they can always make something up. Plus you have no civil defense. Someday... People are trying to get it re-legalized but it's got another decade at best, in all honesty."

"Could...could you-"

"No." He snapped. "I'm damned picky. You're still living and not hooked up to feeding tubes. Sorry. You meet none of the criteria I use."

"He's gonna fucking kill me you damned fleabag!" The girl screamed as her fist thudded against the wolf's chest. "I wasn't trying to get that bus ticket for shits and giggles. That bastard keeps finding me. Police can't do anything. This is the last time I'm moving," her hands gripped, white knuckled and wrapped in the wolf's t-shirt , pulling the fur beneath, eliciting an unsolicited growl from the wolf.

"Last time for what?"

"If I have to move every six months and change my life, why stay alive."

"So you'd kill yourself."

"Yes. "

"Not much of a plan, is it, Raine? Why are you running?"

"Could ask you the same, pup" she almost sneered the last term before continuing. "The last time I stood up to him he beat me. I spent six weeks in the hospital before he disappeared again. The restraining orders and accusations go nowhere; he works under the table for room and board and just ignores the law as he pleases. I've got a friend in Memphis who'll put me up till I can get work."

"What's that? Work I mean?"

"Oh...playing big rich guy are you?" She scowled. "Work. You know the performing a function for which one will be compensated, typically materially...but that's not important now."

"No."Came a lighthearted growl "What. Do. You. Do." The wolf grinned as he finished. "Shirley."

A small grin came to her grim face for just a split second, flickering across those red lips, a glimmer of white enamel behind them. "Was an RN - emergency...Can't really work anymore because of that bastard and having to move every six months. That's the other reason I was going to Memphis. Maria's an instructor at the community college out there. She got one of the professors to grab me as an aide, and if the stars align, tuition is part of the package - I can go for the new classes that we need now for beastials. You guys are all sorts of screwy"

She chuckled softly as a low growl escaped the wolf's maw before her eyes turned down. "I was hoping to change completely; to make it so that he could never come after me again. I thought you could give me that chance."

"It's not all that you think, Raine. You're asking to give one set of problems up for another. Beastials are still treated as...different. There is no denying that. Idiots on all sides either think we are the devil incarnate, the next evolution of man or horny sex-crazed animals...or some combination of the three. The bigger problem is that we should be. We are different. Once you have these mutated bodies, your mind has to quickly change. It's not as bad for a kid who knows nothing, but a formed adult brain can easily lose its marbles with the change."

"You seem normal enough...what makes you different from me."

"Nothing. And that's what scares me. I nearly killed a man who hit me. I threw a punch back and just lost it. It took four cops and pretty much all the tazers they had to get me off the guy. Once you sit on the wrong side of that bench just because of what you look like or some misconceived notion of 'someone's gotta pay' you realize that every man has that beast within him - the one that allies him into his tribe, that short circuits the idea of logic for the sense of anger and rage. In a normal man these feelings get tamped down by the realization that he can lose and lose big...after the change...you just feel different. Maybe it's some kind of instinct, maybe it's simply the disconnect you get from people because you no longer look like they do. It's easier to fall into the trap of us versus them rather than be a dispassionate observer, accepting the punch and the fact that shit happens."

"I can deal-"

"Perhaps you can...perhaps you cannot. Anyway, you don't have enough for the supplies and equipment anyway. But I'll tell you what."

A scowl sat on the girl's face as she almost sneered at the wolf, green eyes narrowed and arms crossed petulantly before her, her disapproval of his refusal plain on her face.

"I'm going out near Memphis. Let me at least give you a lift that far. You're not bad company if you're willing to talk. Save you the price of bus fare." She started to reply, but he raised his hand before she could. "Just sleep on it. Bedrooms's yours." He motioned towards the open door as he helped her to her feet. "I'm too tired to argue right now."

"But-"

"Sleep. I'll still be here in the morning. You smell exhausted." With that, the wolf pushed the visibly exhausted girl into the bedroom, closing the door behind her before he pulled out the sleeper couch. With a heavy sigh, the wolf's head hit the pillow and darkness consumed his vision.

Meanwhile, the girl petulantly paced the bedroom, the wolf's leather jacket still in her hands as she wrung it to and forth. Suddenly she felt a hard cylinder beneath her hands, neatly tucked against one of the stiff seams, almost perfectly hiding it from casual searching. It was only her wringing that made it pronounced.

Some careful searching and prodding found a small hole in line with the object. Careful prodding and prying brought out a small nylon case that looked very familiar to her. Turning the object over and over, the girl wondered if she should be prying like this...whether it was right to be tricking and lying to this wolf like this. Now it wasn't freedom that the girl wanted. At least not just freedom. It was revenge.

Pure and simple revenge. That bastard had beat her, yes...but she survived. Their...no her son had not, all because she refused to have the child killed because he wasn't going to look like he did. The damned genetics work had gotten to the point that a composite could be made of the child from the DNA profile almost immediately on the recognition of the pregnancy. Because the kid had her skin color, a bronzed but fair tone as opposed to his, he accused her of sleeping with one of the doctors she had worked with - of looking down on him and that his heir would never look so weak. So he beat her...Saying he wanted to teach her a lesson for cheating, but in reality, showing his own weakness and frailty.

He killed her son and she wanted revenge. It had never worked. She had tried to fight back...to get him back but he had always overpowered her. She hadn't lied about trying to get away, but... now, with the option to become one of these beastials, she could have a chance. Anger and rage was clouding her thoughts as she unzipped the small package, smiling when she saw the small note and syringe and vial inside, the faded label pronouncing its contents to be saline.

Xavier,

Take this as a gesture of thanks from me. You told me exactly what you would want in a wife for yourself...and why you never see it happening. Let me be a bit more optimistic. You helped me through my own troubles and pushed me back out of the shadows and darkness I was living in. You may be content to live there, but you needn't live there alone. I took a walk back into the shadows, one last time to give you a chance. Your call...but for when you find her, this'll give you that lovely wolf you deserve...and faster than any of us had ever expected.

The unsigned note fell from the girl's hand as she turned the syringe and vial over and over in her hands, eyes contemplating the amber liquid inside, thoughts bouncing around inside her head. The question of whether or not it was fair to do this to the wolf. He hadn't hurt her...but she deserved this. It was the only shot she had left...but...

The next morning, the sun beamed into the open window as the wolf toothily yawned, lazily looking around the room before he saw the open bedroom door. Standing lazily, he sauntered over toward the door, seeing only the rumpled bed with his jacket laid across it, a small piece of paper fluttering in the cold air of the air conditioner. Reaching for it, he saw the same note held with his ace...the way he hoped to propose, a small piece of plastic on the bed with scrawled sharpie on the back.

'Thanks'

Turning it over, the girl's face stared at him...but so did her address and everything else. Her license.

"Oh Hell!"

The wolf tore out of the hotel room, almost throwing the room key at the front desk clerk as he ran past the front desk. The roar of the bike reverberated through the early morning fog as it sped into the fog, the address on the girl's license well know to the wolf from his sojourns in the woods.

Just a couple miles.

As the wolf pulled up to the ramshackle manufactured home, cloistered right on the edge of the woods he could easily hear the struggle inside over the rumble of the bike.

"Get off me, bastard."

Quickly alighting from the bike, the wolf's heavy footfalls crunched up the gravel before he rammed straight into the screen door separating the house from outside as he searched for the source of that voice.

"What the fuck?"

The wolf swiveled toward the bedroom at the sound of the male voice.

"I think the lady asked nicely." The wolf growled as he entered the room, wrapping one paw tightly around a flashlight as he shifted his weight into a fighting stance, a low growl rolling out of his throat as his lips pulled up, teeth bared as his eyes locked on the man's.

Amber on brown.

"Fuck off fleabag." The guy squared off against the wolf, momentarily turning his back to Raine as he met the wolf's gaze, his own teeth bared as he cracked his knuckles, consciously flexing his chest and arms beneath his tank top. "This is a private mat-" With a cry, he fell to his knee, his hand wrapping around the black handle of the knife stuck in his thigh, before he toppled forward as Raine scrambled onto his back, her smaller hands slamming his head to the tile.

"I...told...you...to...leave me...alone"

"Raine...Raine! Stop." The wolf's arms wrapped around the girl from behind as she kept hitting the man's head as his hands lay limply beside him, a small trickle of blood dribbling from the back of his head. Slowly pulling the girl back, the wolf huffed gently in her ear.

"He's stopped...he can't hurt you anymore." The wolf walked the girl over toward the couch as he fished a phone from his pocket, casually dialing the three digits before handing it to the girl. "Make the last call. Close that chapter."

The girl's hands wrapped gently around the phone as the wolf just sat behind her as he listened to the phone call.

The ensuing hours felt like an eternity as the wolf tried to figure out how he to talk to Raine. He knew the smell of a new wolf... That tepid human scent twisting and thickening, growing more beastial...fuller and...the only word that came to mind was prouder. He couldn't smell it.

She hadn't taken the serum...but where was it?

"You all right?" Came the gruff voice of one of the cops. "You're growling, Sir. Some of us get rather riled by that." The morphic cop grinned slightly as his brown eyes met the wolf's amber.

"Sorry, officer. Thinking to myself and I guess I let it get to me. Should have expected it to rile a deer."

"Must be something pretty important to get you that riled. What was it?"

"Just lost something rather important...Think Raine may have taken it by mistake. That's why I came by and walked in on all of this. Already told the other officers my piece, just waiting for Raine so I can get answers from her."

The officer eyed him suspiciously, his hand resting on the Smith at his hip as the wolf refused to back down, eyes locked on the buck's before the officer motioned toward one of the side rooms , or perhaps better termed as a closet in the cramped quarters of the single wide. "Dr. Xavier Winston, correct?"

"Drop the Dr. I'm nothing much now."

"Palms against the wall, spread your legs." The buck's grip on the wolf's shoulder quickly strengthened as the wolf was pushed against the thin wall.

"Oof! What's this for." The wolf restrained himself from struggling as practiced hands frisked him. Again! "They already did this when the first officers got here. They've still got my knife, dammit."

"The girl told us about contraband in your jacket. Was gonna give you benefit of the doubt, but I remembered why you're "nothing much now" The cop darkly whispered in the wolf's ear. "I owe you." The wolf felt something being pressed into his back as the buck patted him down before his jacket was pulled off him, the buck quickly pulling the black case from the wolf's jacket. With a smirk, the buck unzipped the case, pulling out the vial and syringe.

"I'm figuring this isn't saline, doc." The buck then pulled the note from the wolf's pocket, quickly skimming the contents before he turned the wolf around.

"This stays in this room, doc," the buck whispered.

"What the hell are you talking about? And I told you to just call me Xavier."

"Doc, you can figure out that your work changed me, but better to look like this than be dead. I'll be blunt. Raine told me about the syringe and serum. Said she put it back before she ran. She also said you offered to take her with you." He sighed. "It's her choice, but I'll be watching and keeping in touch with her. She deserves better than she's had."

"So you're playing the tough love card?" The wolf turned around as the buck's weight pushing him against the wall relented before taking the offered jacket and pulling it back on. "This your way of calling me a danger, then fuck off. You fucks left this guy for her to deal with. When I heard her sobbing almost nightly over the past few weeks out in the woods, and then ran into her hitchhiking, I felt fucking sorry for the girl. She does deserve better. And you fucks can't seem to do your damned job." With each word, the wolf's voice had risen, taking steps and half steps closer to the buck as the wolf's temper rose. "Even assuming I'm the damned reincarnation of David Fucking Berkowitz, it can't be much worse than where we are now. As you said, it's her choice. All I offer is a ride. Nothing more, nothing less. I'm no angel...but I'm no demon."

The buck just nodded as he gestured silently for the wolf to head back into the living room. For just a moment in time, like a fly stuck in amber, those amber and brown eyes locked on one another, unmoving, unblinking.

It took just one slow step to break the buck's face into a slim grin as the wolf headed toward the door, the argument clearly having been heard in the room as the groups of cops in the room all turned and stared, and in some cases scowled, at the wolf leaving the bedroom. "We done here?"

To the wolf's surprise, the buck behind him spoke up. "I think we are, doc. We'll be in touch, though. Stay close." The buck leaned in to softly whisper into Raine's ear before he ushered her and the wolf out the door, one of the cops taping the door and remaining behind as the wolf pulled Raine aside.

"We've gotta talk." The wolf's paws gripped Raine's shoulders as he pulled her aside, standing face to face with her. "I know you took something from me. I want you to tell me why."

"I...I already told you" she stammered. "It was my only shot. He'll be out again and come after me. I...I thought I could get a new start...but ..." Her voice slowly trailed off, almost sobbing as her head dropped, short trails of tears rolling down her face.

"But what, Raine? Why did you not take it?"

"To be honest, Xavier...you. You gave me a chance...trusted me and I took advantage...I didn't want to become him." She reached into her purse, pulling out a small photograph. She handed the small black and white image to the wolf. "This is why I wanted to get even...but I couldn't...it was too much."

"Is this a sonogram?" Came the wolf's softened voice as he looked at the folded an battered piece of paper, seeing the small form on the paper. The figure was curled up, almost looking as if they were sucking their thumb in the image.

"Yeah. That was my son. That fucking bastard killed him. Pushed me down a flight of stairs. He was paranoid. Thought that since Trevor wasn't black, I'd been sleeping around. He wouldn't listen to reason, argued that I was lying and got his buddies from public works to back his delusions up. It's been hell. You were one of the handful that gave me hope. I took that serum. I wanted to get that advantage...but. I...I couldn't stoop to his level. I came back to get some things and I was going to come back to the hotel." She turned back toward the wolf, wrapping her arms around him as she buried her head in his chest, sobbing softly. "You offered me the chance to begin again, and I'm not stupid enough to say no. Is that offer still there?"

"It's there. We'll see what comes of it. Come on, let's get moving."

---

A few months later.

The cool night air drifted across the woods as Raine stumbled through the undergrowth, her eyes searching for anything as she tried to remember how to get home. For each step that she trod, she stumbled two more as she tried to evade him.

Quiet scratching and the sound of moving brush followed her before a soft growl startled her, causing her to jump, slipping on a patch of loose soil and sending her body sliding down the hill in a cascade of rich, brown dirt.

"Raaaaagghhhhh"

She stumbled to her feet, looking around before dark form surfed down the hill behind her, the only color on its body the gleaming teeth and amber eyes before he slammed into her, twisting the pair around until he slammed into the ground, landing on his back with his arms wrapped around her body. The hearty chuckle that rumbled through that heavy chest as he grinned, running a thick tongue along his thin black lips.

"You wanted to change your life. You trusted me." She could feel the wolf's warm paws sliding under her shirt before he tore it in half. "Maybe you fucked up." Came his growling chuckle before she felt a sharp prick against her neck as the wolf's warm breath washed over her face before his maw wrapped around her throat, pressing down gently before one of his paws held her hands together, his knees spreading her legs as his other paw tore her sweatpants from her legs before the wolf lay himself atop her struggling body as his nose wandered up and down her body, a satisfied growl escaping his throat as he drank in her scent.

Raine struggled beneath the wolf's heavy body before his paw pulled her under the crook of his arm, the thick, animal scent causing her to gasp as she started to feel a strange warmth flowing out from her neck, a soft, pulsing tingle following the wave of warmth. With that sharp intake of breath, the girl relaxed, her struggle dying down as she stifled a soft return growl as she remembered that promise all those months ago.

"There we go, bitch. It's starting." Came the wolf's rough voice as he pulled her to him, burying his muzzle in the crook of her neck. Each breath rumbled slow and deep as he reveled in her scent, his tongue slipping free to scrape across her sweat tinged neck, the slight taste of salt alighting on his tongue. "Smell sooo good. The scent of the change...there's nothing else like it." Raine moaned as the wolf pulled back before his muzzle pushed against her lips, his thick tongue delving deep and fighting against hers as his paws moved from her arms toward her shoulders. Hot breath and hotter saliva filled her mouth as she felt his dexterous tongue spreading, that muscular appendage searching every inch of her mouth as she clenched her jaws just a little bit, biting against the invading appendage, making him fight for her.

Her newly freed hands dug into his side, her fingers intertwining in his thick fur as her arms thickened. With each grasp and twist, thick fur started to slip from her arm, a visible reminder, to her and the world, about how one move can change everything. One hand roamed up to the back of her wolf's head. She felt his ears twitch as her hand rubbed against them. That warmth spread through her arm, running down into her fingers as they changed, shortening and stiffening, her growing nails rubbing gently along his scalp.

"You're gonna make a beautiful bitch, Raine. This big bad wolf's lil' red. Even better than you already do." Xavier smiled as he pulled back from his mate's face, his tongue bouncing off her nose as he looked at her. His face broke into a grin as he saw her nose darken. "Take your first breath, Raine." The wolf smiled as he saw her nostrils flare, her eyes shooting wide as she took her first breaths with her new nostrils before they screwed shut. The wolf pulled her into a tight hug as her jaw cracked its way forward, her green eyes fading into a radiant amber as her own changing jaw pulled into a grimace as shooting pain filled her mind. Her changing maw prevented her from talking, only soft whimpers escaping.

"Shhhh. You can take it...but I'll help." Raine gasped as the wolf's paw delved between her legs, dipping between her wet lips, sliding them apart as he looked at his changing bitch with a shit eating grin plastered across his face as his other paw pulls back from her shoulder and its back runs across his bitch's hard nipples, gently stimulating them before he continued down her rapidly furring and toning chest, six new nipples sitting just below her already ample chest. "More the merrier." One sharp twist drew a jerk and a glare from his mate...one that warned him that he would be regretting that.

"You're coming along nicely, bitch," Xavier cooed as he saw her ears perk up, the two red furred triangles twitching their way to the top of her head before his sharp front teeth nibbled on her ears. As his fingers continued to wiggle within her, he pulled his weight back before rolling her onto all fours, her new hand paws digging into the soft dirt as her legs warped into their new form. As he manhandled her into place, he saw the fur spreading down her back, her legs growing thicker, more muscled and powerful as the changes slid down her body. A growl escaped her muzzle as her ankles reversed, her stance shifting as she rose up onto her toes, thick claws escaping the confines of her socks as her hips pulled higher, a strange pain burning within her as she pressed her into her male's chest as he lay atop her.

Those nibbling teeth grabbed her attention as she whimpered as her wet and willing cunt felt that hard, thick spear teasing her folds.

"Mine!"

The wolf yelped as her wolf slammed himself forward, his hard cock spearing into her. Two heavy balls bounced against her ass, each thrust meeting more and more fur as growing fur filled across her, filling in what parts were not already covered in the thick fur that warded off the cool chill of the air. A chill only made more apparent by the blazing heat within her needy sex as Xavier slammed into her. With each thrust, Xavier's growls grew more and more harried, his teeth roaming through Raine's thickening scruff as he tried to gain as much purchase as he could. With each thrust he felt those tight, wet walls grabbing at him as his knot bounced against her lips before one he made one final thrust, his engorged knot slamming between her lips as he felt her changes finish, her tail pushing out between the knotted pair as Xavier's short, sharp thrusts drove the two of them higher and higher.

A symphony of growls, whines and groans filled the air as the two wolves drove each other to new heights as Xavier's teeth dug into the scruff of her neck before her head lifted, mouth open in a song of new life, a proud howl to the heavens. One that was matched by Xavier's as he lifted his own head, his own voice mixing with hers. A symphony of male and female. Of stud and bitch. Of mate and mate.

As their voices reached to the heavens, Raine felt her mate's thick warmth shoot into her. One thick shot after another spurting into her womb, filling her with his warmth...but also his future.

As her voice faded beneath his, a small whimper escaped Raine's mouth as memories of her last child came back. The loss, the anguish, the sorrow. She didn't want to feel that again. The weight of Xavier's head on her fallen ears caught her attention before he nipped at her ears.

"What's wrong, Raine?"

"It's nothing."

The wolf smiled before a rather savage nip at his bitch's ear, leaning down to whisper into his ear.

"You're a horrible liar, babe. But that's not a bad thing." He smirked as he remembered the last few months...the growing friendship between the two...the friendship that had become something more. Between her budding love of the road and her...encouragement of his beastial nature and desires...such that...while he could keep himself in check, sometimes it was fun to let it all out, he grew to care more than he thought he ever would have. He knew that that vial she had stolen...he would give it back to her...with interest. He would give her that new life...if she wanted to spend it with him. He chuckled as he remembered how she had asked to be made his... in what only fell as a beast's wild fantasy.

"One thing I didn't tell you about your change, though" He smirked as her ear perked. "The formula I had..." He chuckled as he trailed off.

"If it's a boy, should we call him Trevor?"