{"sf1_id":595383,"sf2_id":"0mvRkK0m","title":"Staying Human: Chapter Eight","author":"ThisAdamGuy","words":922,"posted_at":"2013-09-26T00:53:00.000Z","tags":["Catgirl","Panther","Post-Apocalyptic","Transformation","Wolf","Wolfboy","furry","tribe"],"url":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/595383-staying-human-chapter-eight","original_url":"https://sofurry.com/s/0mvRkK0m","image_url":"https://cdn.sofurryfiles.com/submissions/thumbnails/15/f6/15f6ae2a-a2b6-48e1-869e-9265048adca2","description":"#8 of Staying Human\n\nIn a post apocalyptic world, where a virus is turning people into vicious animals, Eve, a half-woman, half-panther Hybrid, must fight to stay alive and stay human. When she comes across another Hybrid, a halfway transformed wolf-man named Bastion, her life is turned upside down.","content":"Chapter Eight\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nI was lying on something soft.\n\nThat was the first thought that appeared in my mind when consciousness began to creep back into my mind.\u0026nbsp; I could smell the outdoors.\u0026nbsp; I could hear it, too.\u0026nbsp; And yet, I was lying on something far softer than the cold, hard ground I had grown accustomed to sleeping on.\n\nIn direct defiance of my soft bed, my entire body ached.\u0026nbsp; Images of that night began to appear in my head.\u0026nbsp;Running away from Bastion.\u0026nbsp; Coming back to find Bastion.\u0026nbsp; Being attacked by the boar.\u0026nbsp; Being rescued by Bastion.\u0026nbsp; Bastion...\n\nI was not in a good position.\u0026nbsp; My time as a human was growing shorter with every passing minute, and I was probably hurt very badly.\u0026nbsp; Despite this, my heart began to beat faster in excitement as I thought about the wolf-boy who had come to my rescue.\n\n\"You know, I can tell that you're awake,\" a voice said to me.\u0026nbsp; \"Your heart is beating a mile a minute.\"\n\nMy eyes sprang open.\u0026nbsp; Just as I'd suspected, I was lying in the middle of the forest.\u0026nbsp; Someone had set a bed of soft, fresh moss underneath me, which explained my comfort.\u0026nbsp; Herbs of some sort were pressed against my stomach where the boar had gotten me.\u0026nbsp; I noticed all of this later, though.\u0026nbsp; The first thing I saw was that Bastion was sitting by my side, his back pressed against a tree.\n\n\"Hi,\" I whispered.\n\n\"Hi,\" he replied.\n\nSuddenly, I felt very self-conscious.\u0026nbsp; Was I a mess?\u0026nbsp;Did my clothes stink?\u0026nbsp; How did my hair look?\u0026nbsp; Odd... I'd never worried about this things before.\u0026nbsp; I blushed, and turned to look away.\u0026nbsp; My body didn't appreciate this, though, and my ribs and stomach flared with pain.\n\n\"Be careful,\" Bastion ordered, getting up and kneeling over me.\u0026nbsp; As he gently rolled me back into a comfortable position, I couldn't help but notice that the look on his face was one of genuine concern, which made my heart beat even faster than before.\n\n\"How long was I out?\" I asked when he finally leaned back.\n\n\"About three days,\" he answered.\u0026nbsp; He opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something else, but quickly closed it again.\n\n\"What?\" I pressed him, a pit forming in my stomach.\n\n\"The boar's tusk skewered you pretty badly there,\" he answered.\n\n\"Will it leave any permanent damage?\" I asked quickly.\n\nBastion sighed, \"Yes and no.\u0026nbsp; Your wound will heal just fine, but the rest of your body...\"\n\n\"What about it?\"\n\n\"That boar was a Feral,\" Bastion explained.\u0026nbsp; \"That means that... well, just look at your arms.\"\n\nMy body went cold with terror, and I slowly raised my arms so I could look at them.\u0026nbsp; Just as I'd feared, they were both now covered with a fine, shiny coat of black fur.\u0026nbsp; It ended at my wrists, leaving my hands bare, but my fingers were now tipped with sharp black claws nonetheless.\n\n\"I know it's not what you wanted,\" Bastion said gently.\u0026nbsp; \"But for what it's worth, I still think you're beautiful.\"\n\nTears stung my eyes, and I began to breathe heavily.\u0026nbsp; It was finally happening.\u0026nbsp; My humanity was receding, bit by bit.\n\n\"I'm sorry that this is happening to you,\" the wolf-boy went on.\u0026nbsp; \"And I'm sorry for being so blunt with you the other day.\u0026nbsp; I should have realized that this wouldn't be as easy to accept for you as it was for me.\u0026nbsp;After all, I chose this.\u0026nbsp; You didn't.\"\n\nHearing his voice had a calming effect on me.\u0026nbsp; I still wasn't happy about turning into a panther, not in the least, but Bastion's presence lessened the pain, even if it was just a little bit.\n\n\"It's okay,\" I replied.\u0026nbsp; \"It's not your fault.\"\n\nWe sat in silence for a minute.\u0026nbsp; Something was weighing on my heart as well.\u0026nbsp; It soon made its way to my tongue.\n\n\"I'm sorry about your sister,\" I said at last, unable to meet his gaze.\n\nBastion sighed again, \"So am I.\"\n\nSuddenly, I felt his hand on my chin, and he gently turned my head to look at him, \"But I want you to stop thinking about it,\" he said.\u0026nbsp; \"It wasn't your fault.\"\n\n\"But I'm the one who did it,\" I reminded him.\n\n\"Yes, but you did it in self-defense,\" he reasoned to me.\u0026nbsp; \"You didn't mean to wander into our territory.\u0026nbsp; You were only protecting yourself.\"\n\n\"But...\" I stammered, \"She was your sister!\"\n\n\"I know,\" Bastion said, leaning back again.\u0026nbsp; \"And I'll miss her.\u0026nbsp; But I can't blame you for what happened.\"\n\nI couldn't think of anything else that I could say, so I just lied there, looking at him.\u0026nbsp; Bastion wasn't all that bad looking, I soon came to realize.\u0026nbsp; There was enough human in him that I could see that he was handsome, but the wolf he was turning into gave him a rugged, wild side as well.\n\n\"You've got a lot of healing to do,\" he said at last.\u0026nbsp; \"You need to rest.\"\n\n\"All right,\" I agreed.\u0026nbsp; I wanted to ask him to stay and keep me company, but he had his pack to care for.\u0026nbsp;It would be wrong of me to distract him any longer.\n\nBastion rose from his seat, but instead of standing up and leaving, he suddenly leaned in and planted a light kiss on my cheek.\u0026nbsp; My eyes went wide with shock, and all I could do was stare at him.\n\n\"Sleep well,\" he said with a sly smile before turning and leaving.\n\nSleep?\u0026nbsp; Now?\u0026nbsp;Yeah, right.\n\n  \n  \n\n","series":{"name":"Staying Human","previous":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/595270-staying-human-chapter-seven.json","next":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/595448-staying-human-chapter-nine.json"}}