The Changed One

For the little skunk, life started out normal enough. Her momma had given birth to a litter of five kits--three males and two females, and she raised them as any momma skunk would. She taught her little ones what to eat and where to find it, what to watch out for, and all of the other necessary things they would need to survive in the woods. Eventually the day came when it was time for her to make her own way in the world, and soon she was off, armed with the knowledge and skills her mother had taught her, and the potent defense that Nature had given her kind.

Unbeknown to the little she-skunk, far away from the woods in a very strange place populated by big strange animals that walked on their hind legs, something happened that would change her life forever. She didn't know anything about the MV-257, a man-made strain of virus engineered to alter any non-primate that it infected on the genetic level, she didn't know that it had somehow escaped "into the wild" after it was discovered--too late--to be contagious. The winds had blown for a few days from the direction of the strange and very dangerous place of the "hind leg walkers", heading right towards the very woods in which the little she-skunk lived.

One night, the tiny little organism found its way into the body of the little she-skunk through her nose as she rested in her hidey-hole in an old hollow log. The Mutagenic Virus wasted no time and went right to work doing exactly what it had been designed to do--alter the DNA of its host. At first she had no indication that her life was about to be turned upside-down, while the virus quietly replicated itself in her many times over. After a few days, though, she didn't feel so good; it seemed as if her body ached, and she was feeling very hungry--unusually hungry. Even though the little she-skunk didn't feel like it, she had to eat, so she went to her favorite spots to look for food. The nearby creek always had plenty of things that were good to eat, and it provided for a lot of the animals in the woods. She had a time digging for her usual fare because her paws and legs hurt. Somewhere in her mind, she knew something was changing, but she didn't know why she knew it. After her belly was satisfied, she went back to her log to curl up and sleep.

A few days later, the little she-skunk was feeling quite ill and she was afraid. Her poor belly was grumbling irritably for food, and she tried to go look for something to eat, but she didn't make it very far from her log before she collapsed. That was when she saw the two strange animals that walk on their hind legs. They were coming her way, but she was in no shape to protect herself--all she could do was lie there on the ground and whimper.

The two young men, Michael and Sean, had decided to explore the woods near the old farmhouse Sean's grandparents had left him. Michael was born and raised in the area, the son of a factory worker, and was going to college; Sean was the son of Irish immigrants who had come to the country only ten years before. They had met in school and quickly became friends. They were enjoying the walk in the woods, talking and laughing quietly about the typical things young men of their age usually discussed, when they came upon the little she-skunk lying on the ground.

"Hsst, Sean...hold up, buddy," Michael said low voice as he grabbed his friend by the arm.

"Ere now, what are ye goin' on about?" Sean demanded.

Michael shushed his friend and said, "Don't move, that's a skunk!"

Sean looked down at the little black and white furred animal and saw the look in her eyes.

"The poor thin' looks hurt or somethin'," Sean said and he took a cautious step forward.

"Sean! It that thing sprays ya, it'll be weeks before you'll get the stink off of ya!"

"If it be hurt, then I ha' t' help the little one," Sean insisted and pulled his arm free from his friend's grasp.

"Don't go near it, dude, it might have rabies or something!" Michael exclaimed quietly.

He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out the semi-automatic pistol he carried and started to take aim at the skunk. Sean saw from the corner of his eye what his friend was about to do and he suddenly turned and pushed the gun away.

"Stay yer hand, Michael, there'll be no killin', if it can be helped," Sean said quietly though firmly, looking his friend in the eye.

Michael knew that look too well--he learned some time ago just how stubborn his Irish friend could be.

"Alright Sean, have it your way, but don't say I didn't warn ya."

Sean grinned and then he returned his attention to the little skunk.

"Right. Now, me wee friend, let's see wha' be troublin' ye."

Sean slowly and calmly approached the little skunk, trying not to frighten it any more than it probably already was.

She didn't understand the sounds the strange animal made, though she found them to be strangely soothing. Still, though, she was frightened, hurting, and very hungry, and had no idea if this creature had a taste for skunk or not. If only she didn't hurt so much! The little she-skunk managed a soft growl that was half whimper, but the strange tall animal kept coming closer and closer. She thought it was going to pounce on her at any moment, but then it did something totally unexpected--it sat down near her.

"Sure now, little one, I won't hurt ye. I'm a child of Nature, just as you are, and I'll take good care of ye, if ye will allow," Sean said quietly in his native Gaelic.

He slowly reached out his hand, trying to be as non-threatening as possible, until he was able to touch the skunk's body.

"See? I won't hurt ye," Sean said as he began to gently stroke its fur. "There be no reason to fear me, little one. Now then, let's be getting' ye to me home."

Sean slowly slipped off the light jacket he was wearing and started to wrap the little skunk up in it, when she bit his hand out of fear.

"Ow!" Sean exclaimed--he pulled his hand back and saw a little blood begin to ooze from the teeth marks.

"What happened?" Michael asked, growing concerned.

"'Tis nothin', just a little nip, I'll be okay," Sean explained.

"Nothing, hell, if that skunk's got rabies, you'll have to get the shots quick, or else the stuff'll kill ya!" Michael exclaimed, the worry showing on his face.

"I don' thin' tha's what's wrong wi' this one. Look here, see its eyes? They're clear an' sharp, and there be no sign of anythin' dullin' its mind. It's just scared and hurtin' is all. C'mon, let's be off," Sean said picking up the skunk in his jacket.

The little bit of human blood that had found its way into the she-skunk's mouth was just what the highly contagious MV-257 virus needed to trigger the change that would eventually turn her--and others--into something completely different than what Nature had intended.

Sean took the skunk home and fixed a place for its bed, and he dug out the old litter box that his grandparents used to have for their cat and made it ready.

"Sure now, ye need to eat somethin', so what to give ye?" Sean thought aloud as he looked at the skunk.

"Hey, give me a min, and I'll look on the 'Net to see what they eat," Michael suggested, and he pulled out his smart phone and started searching.

A short while later, he had found some websites that had the information they needed. Sean had a few items on the suggested menu provided from a website that was for those who have skunks as pets, but the rest of it would require a trip to the store. He gave Michael some money and sent him off to the store to buy whatever else was needed, and then he went about fixing up a little leftover chicken, broccoli, and a piece of carrot.

"Ere ye go now, maybe this will be to yer likin', little one," Sean said softly as he put the little dish down by the skunk, and then sat back and watched.

The little she-skunk sniffed the air and smelled something that got her interest. Her head hurt, but a dim awareness that she didn't have before was slowly beginning to grow in her. The food, she came to realize, was_given_ to her by the tall "hind leg walker", as if it knew what she wanted. Even though the new surroundings she found herself in were strange beyond anything she had seen before, her natural curiousness was beginning to assert itself. After eating as much as the offered food as she could, the she-skunk felt a little better, and decided to take a nap. Just as she was getting situated, the tall one lay down on the strange "ground" and gently stroked her fur. Surely this creature didn't act like any predator she knew of, and made no threatening sounds or moves. Indeed, it gave her food and a warm, soft place to lie, and seemed to be genuinely concerned. Just how she knew this, she wasn't sure, and at the moment, she didn't care.

The days went by and the little she-skunk found that either her surroundings were shrinking or she was growing. In a month's time her size had easily doubled, and her body had been growing in unusual ways. During this time, she had accepted being with the tall "hind leg walker" and sharing her new home with him. She had somehow figured out that her benefactor was a male of his kind--perhaps it was something in his scent, or perhaps it was because she was curious and watched him whenever he went into the place where he made rain fall from a shiny thing. With each passing day, not only was she becoming more and more aware of herself and everything around her, but she was also becoming closer to him. She was beginning to learn the meaning of his sounds, and knew that when he said "Missy", that meant her. Often times during the evening they would play together or else she would just lay curled up next to him on the couch while he watched the thing she learned was called a "tee-vee". One night, as he got ready for bed, Missy wandered into his sleeping area of the huge "den" and she did something she never before thought she would be able to do--she stood up on her hind legs, putting her forepaws on the edge of the bed.

"Missy, yer a standin' up!" he exclaimed softly with a big smile.

She had grown so big by this time that she could easily look over the top edge of the mattress. Her body was no longer the squat shape with short legs that it once was, instead her legs had become longer, her front paws more hand-shaped and dexterous, her body more lithe and flexible. Her tail had grown, too, keeping in proportion with her body. The fur on her head had also been growing longer, to the point of almost looking human-like.

"Are ye wantin' to sleep with me tonight, luv?"

"Eh!" she said sharply, giving her tail a flick.

"Well, no harm in wantin' a bit o' company. Up ye go, luv...that's a good girl, Missy, now scoot over a bit to give me a wee bit o' room," Sean said, helping her up into his bed.

After he got into bed and was pulling the covers about him, Missy situated herself beside Sean, snuggling close, and she put a foreleg over his arm. Sean smiled at Missy and gently stroked her fur, scratching her lightly under the chin.

"I dinna know that skunks got so big. Bless me, if I dinna know better, why you'll be a sittin' at the table wi' me soon enou', the rate you be a growin'. Ah, well, 'nite luv, pleasant dreams."

Sean turned off the light by the bed, and was soon asleep and dreaming his own dreams. In one that had been sort of a recurring dream, he fancied himself strolling along through the woods with his dear, sweet cailin, or "colleen" in the English--literally meaning "a country woman" in the diminutive, or "girl", but she was covered with black and white fur, and had a bushy tail. Missy dreamt, too, as she lay sleeping beside her human friend. No longer were her dreams merely as those she once had before she began to change, now they were more complicated, dealing with strange thoughts and ideas that if she had known, would be more suited for a human than a skunk. Still, she was content to be with this male and share his home.

Time wore on and the winter months came, and Missy grew still more. Her fur was thick and fluffy to protect against the cold air, and she not only was standing up on her hind legs more and more often, but even taking a few steps now and then, much to the amazement of Sean and his friend Michael when he came to visit. The long fur that had been growing on top of her head was now down to her shoulders when she stood upright, and her forepaws had become dexterous enough now to be able to grasp objects, such as the refrigerator door handle, or holding a juice glass between them. In order for them to continue taking their daily walk when it was cold, Michael brought over some old clothes that his younger sister had outgrown, and found some that would fit Missy. Having something to protect her feet was a problem until Michael found some dog boots in a hunting gear catalog--they weren't exactly made for a skunk's foot, but they did the job well enough for the time being.

By springtime, Missy was now walking upright full time and just over four feet tall. One night, something extraordinary happened--Missy spoke her first words.

"Shhawn hold?"

She spoke the words while holding her forelegs-turned-arms out to him, while he was in the kitchen getting something for them to snack on.

"Missy! Ye spoke!" Sean exclaimed quietly in wonder as he knelt down. "Ah, me dear, sweet, Missy...ye spoke an' I understood ye plain as day! Aye, I'll hold ye, me wee darlin', as long as ye want."

She put her arms around his neck and he put his arms around her, they nuzzled for some time before she pulled back a little. Missy looked up into Sean's eyes for a moment, giving him a curious look, and then inched her face closer to his. Struggling to form the words first in her mind and then to get her mouth to form the sounds, she spoke again.

"Shhawn l-like M-Miss-ee?"

Sean looked at her first in wonder and then his face softened into a look of admiration.

"Aye," he said, pausing just a little as his mind raced, "Sean likes Missy...a lot."

It was true enough that he liked Missy--in fact, Sean had been thinking more and more about her and what she was not only becoming physically, but also what she was becoming to him.

"Aye, lass, I like ye a whole lot."

Missy drew her lips back in an approximation of a grin, and then she closed her eyes and gave Sean a gentle lick across his lips.

He didn't know for sure why he did it--at the instant Missy's tongue touched his bottom lip, Sean parted his own lips and kissed her full on the mouth, much to the surprise of them both. Neither one pulled away; instead they continued the kiss, deepening it. Missy had seen humans do this on the television on several occasions while Sean had it on watching some movie or another. She was shocked at first, but then her curiosity took over and she explored it. Sean felt his heart racing--how could he be doing this? It was only just the previous year he had brought home the little four-footed she-skunk to care for, and now she has morphed into this beautiful, just over four feet tall, anthropomorphic skunk that had wormed her way into his heart. She came into his life as an ordinary wild animal, and now...she had become more than that. Sean didn't understand, and he didn't care that he didn't understand, he only knew that Missy had before his very eyes turned into something wonderful that a part of him had always imagined and secretly longed for.

Sean and Missy grew closer and closer as spring flowed into summer and then into autumn. She had quit growing taller, though her form did grow in other more delightful ways. Sean found that he had difficulty keeping his eyes off of her as she moved about, and he could no longer imagine_not_ having her in his life. Her vocabulary grew and she became more proficient at thinking and speaking in human language, and also learned how to read with the help of Sean and Michael.

One day, while the three of them were walking together in the woods, there was a rustling in the bushes which immediately caught their attention. Right away, Missy stepped in front of her friends and made the characteristic warning sounds and display that signaled, "I'm a skunk--mess with me at your own risk!"

"Who's there?" Michael called out. "Show yourself!"

The bushes rustled a little more and a face appeared. It was furry, but something was different about it.

"Easy now, luv," Sean said quietly trying to calm Missy. "Ere now, come on, no one will hurt ye. Nice and slow," he said with an utterly calm voice to whatever was hiding in the bushes.

Sean crouched down and Missy joined him; Sean motioned for Michael to crouch down, too. After a moment--and a little more coaxing by Sean--the face in the bushes cautiously came out into the open. If it wasn't for Missy being present with the two humans, and showing strong affection for one of them, the doe might have simply ran away. Sean and Michael looked in quiet awe at the white-tail deer as she showed herself--whatever it was that had caused Missy to be changed, apparently had changed her, too. The doe stood with the crescent moon and setting sun behind her, looking very nervous--she was curious, but she would bolt in a heartbeat if anything moved too quickly. Michael looked into her large, brown eyes and was immediately smitten by them. Like Missy, the doe had grown human-like hair on her head and it fell down to her shoulders. Her hands had two thick fingers and a thumb, each ending in a hoof-like nail, and her feet appeared as normal hind feet for a deer.

"Well now, don't this beat all," Sean said softly.

"Yeah, dude, she...she's gorgeous," Michael said agreed.

Missy looked at Michael and saw the expression on his face as he knelt there looking at the doe. She smiled a little, and understood, so she slowly got up and relaxing her posture, she calmly approached the doe.

"You have been changed, too, just like me," Missy spoke in a reassuring voice, holding her hands out with palms up and open. "You are safe; these humans will not harm you."

Although the doe did not understand the words yet, she did know that the skunk had obviously been changed, too, and at least in that, she took some comfort in knowing that she wasn't alone in that regard. Hesitantly, the doe reached out and touched Missy's hands. Sean slowly got up and stood for a moment before holding his own hand out. He approached carefully, remembering not to stare the doe in the eye, and slipped his other arm around Missy. The doe sniffed the air heavily in his direction, holding one ear erect and the other back, until she saw Missy nuzzle Sean lovingly. Both of the doe's ears perked forward and she looked intently at the two, not believing what she was seeing. Sean again held his hand out to the doe just as Missy had done earlier, with his palm up and fingers open and relaxed. The doe looked down at Sean's hand, then at his face, and back to his hand again. She reached out and lightly touched his hand, jerking back a little when she made contact, but then she touched his hand again--longer this time, and keeping a close eye for any sudden change in his posture.

"Aye, a skittish one ye are, lass. That's understandable, I'm s'posin'. You be among friends now," Sean tried to reassure her. Michael took a turn at holding his hand out to the doe, hoping that she would accept him, too.

Missy rubbed Michael's upper arm and gave it a few pats, saying with a grin, "He's okay, too."

The doe looked at the skunk and then at the other human, noting that they seemed to be quite friendly with each other, so she reached out and touched the other male's hand, too. Michael lightly curled his fingers up and partially around the doe's hand--holding it, yet not grasping so much that she couldn't pull away easily if she wanted to. She looked curiously at Michael--she might not be able to understand his words yet, but she could sense that he meant her no harm.

"Sean," Michael began softly, "it's going to be getting dark soon. It's already getting colder out here."

"Aye, that it is," Sean agreed looking off towards the setting sun.

"Uh, ya think she might...want to come home with us?" Michael asked hopefully, referring to the deer.

"I dunno, 'tis hard t' say, she may an' might not. Missy, ye think our new friend would be willin' to come with us?"

"We can offer," Missy replied. She said to the doe, "We need to go home; come with us, you will be safe."

She motioned for her to follow and Missy and Sean walked a few paces away, stopped and looked back, and then Missy motioned again to follow.

"Are ye comin' Michael?" Sean asked looking at his friend.

"Yeah...I hate to leave her out her by herself," he replied, glancing back at the doe.

"It be her choice one way or t' other, me friend, though I agree w' ye," Sean said looking from Michael to the doe and back.

"Yeah, you're right, I guess," Michael said in resignation. He looked at the doe and said quietly, "We have to go now. I wish you'd come with us, at least you'd be warm tonight and...and you wouldn't have to be alone."

She didn't understand what he was saying, but she did hear the wistfulness in his voice and wondered why. Sean and Missy both motioned for her to follow as they started to walk slowly towards home. They went perhaps ten yards or so and stopped to look back. Michael looked to his friends, then back to the doe, and then held his hand out to her.

"Please?" he asked softly.

She looked at him curiously, and then reached out and touched his hand again. He held her strange, two-fingered hand and raised it slowly to his face, kissing the back of it. The doe didn't understand what the gesture meant, though it did make her even more curious about this two-legged male. He tugged lightly on her hand and again motioned for her to follow. The doe looked around cautiously, sniffing the air, and swiveling her ears around trying to determine if there were any others about that might be waiting hidden in the woods. Her senses told her that they were alone, and being a herd animal, she didn't fancy being by herself anymore with no one else to keep watch for predators. Not that there were many, mostly it was feral dogs that the denizens of the woods had to fear, or the occasional humans that came hunting. Fortunately, it was not yet that time of year, and they seldom, if ever, stayed out after nightfall. She had seen the humans with the skunk before from a distance during their walks, and they were always respectful of the woods and those who lived in it. Because of this, and her own curiosity, the doe chose to follow them.

Michael was definitely pleased that she came with them, and he walked as close as he thought she might let him. He couldn't explain the sudden fascination--or strange desires--that had come over him when he saw the changed doe for the first time and now that he was walking near her. Not near enough, he felt, for he found himself wanting to touch her.

"Must be how Sean feels around Missy. I have to admit, Missy is kinda hot lookin'. That's weird--I would never have thought that a skunk could look that freakin' good, let alone a deer! I mean, I've seen some of those comics that have people made from animals, and then there are all of those animated movies, but cripes, this is for real_, man! What's goin' on here? First there's Missy, and now this gal...are there others out there that we don't know about yet?_" he thought to himself.

Michael soon moved in with Sean and Missy, and he gave the doe the name "Diana". When Sean asked why, Michael said it was because he remembered seeing the moon behind her when she first appeared to them, and Sean smiled. In due time, Diana learned how to speak and later, how to read and write just as Missy had done.

Sean and Missy were lying in bed one night, talking quietly about things, when she asked out of the blue, "Do you ever, um, get curious?"

"About what, luv?" Sean asked in return, gently stroking her fur as she lay in his arms.

"About...um, mating?"

Sean's hand paused in its motion briefly.

"In general or...?"

"You and me."

"Aye, I've thought about it, luv...quite o' bit, actually," Sean admitted.

"Me, too," Missy said quietly after a moment. They lay there in silence for a little while and then she asked, "Would you mate with a female like me?"

Sean slowly inhaled and exhaled a long breath and said, "Aye, luv, with you I would...that is, if ye would ha' me."

Missy thought about that a moment.

"Only with me?"

"Aye, luv, only with you," Sean replied.

"But...why only me? Don't humans mate like the other animals?"

"Well now, luv, you'll find that many o' us humans will only be with one mate for as long as they desire to remain together, if not for the rest o' their natural lives, an' so i' 'tis wi' me. If there be anyone I'd want to share this life with, it'd be wi' ye, luv," Sean explained with a smile.

Missy thought on this for a while as she and Sean continued to lay together holding and caressing each other. She could not understand the feelings she has had about the human male who had come into her life, though she could not deny the fact that she had been experiencing certain strong desires towards him. Missy was becoming intensely curious about what it might be like to mate with Sean, even though it wasn't anywhere near the time of the year that male skunks sought out available females. All that she knew was that she wanted to be with him more than anything else.

"Sean...I...I would have you."

Time seemed to come to a standstill for Sean as Missy's words sunk in.

"Y-You...would?" he asked not quite believing what he had just heard.

She put her paws on either side of his face and said sharply, though softly, "Eh!" and nodded her head.

She kissed Sean gently, lovingly, and then asked, "Do humans have to wait until it is their mating season?"

"Um...no, luv, we...we don' ha' t' wait, we...we can...whenever we want."

Missy worked one of her paws under Sean's t-shirt and slowly slid it upwards along his bare skin.

"Can we...now?" she asked so softly that he almost had her repeat it just to be sure of what he heard.

"Aye, luv, we can if ye want," Sean replied.

He felt his body begin to tremble with a mixture of excitement, anticipation, desire, and even a certain amount of uncertainty. His family's traditionalist upbringing was telling him this was all wrong because she wasn't human, but deep inside he heard another more ancient voice telling him that this was a rare, pure love, a priceless gift seldom seen in the realm of humans and that it should not be denied. When Sean accepted the wisdom of the deeper inner voice, he felt a calmness come over him that he had only experienced a few times before in his life.

"This is right, it must be...I love this wee lass wi' all me heart, an' I know she must love me...even if she may an' might not know what t' call what she feels. Aye, she is so sweet an' comfortin', a dream come true, an' so i' 'tis."

"Sean...?"

"Aye, luv?"

"I...I want to. Teach me...your way."

Like Missy and Sean, Diana and Michael became closer and closer the longer they were together. Diana no longer felt nervous being inside the house, for she had come to accept that she was safe there and could come and go at her own choosing. She had taken to sharing Michael's bed with him, and they would often lie there and talk about things. Mostly Diana was curious about why humans did a lot of things that they did, and her questioning forced Michael to think about things that he had naturally just taken for granted. One night, however, she had other things that she wanted to ask, but had been hesitant to do so because she didn't understand the way she had come to feel about this human.

"Michael...?"

"Yeah, babe?"

"Is it wrong for me to want you?"

He was expecting the usual round of questions she would normally ask, and this caught him by complete surprise.

"Uh, you...want me? How?"

"I want you, as any female would want...a male. Is it wrong for me to find you...desirable?"

Michael felt excited--and relieved--that she had found him desirable, for he desired her as well. He had wrestled with his own thoughts and feelings towards the doe.

"Well, babe, um...would it be wrong for me to want_you_ just as much?" Michael asked quietly, taking her hand into his.

"You would have me as your mate?" Diana asked softly as she pressed her muzzle against his neck.

"Yeah, I would. Diana...I love you, and I want to be with you. I-I know we're so different and all, but...you're just so beautiful, and nice, and just everything I'd want in a woman," Michael replied tenderly.

"But I am not human..."

"I know, but it doesn't matter to me if you're not, I love you just the same and I...I don't want to be with anyone else but you," Michael said, giving her a kiss on the lips.

Even though she still found the act of kissing strange, Diana had to admit to herself that she did find it enjoyable, and she reciprocated eagerly.

After hugging, kissing, caressing, and a little exploration, Diana said, "Michael...I wish to be yours..."

In a short while, Diana soon learned just how joyfully different a human lover could be.

* * * * *

One night, while watching TV after supper, there was an investigative program on, and for this night's show, the topic was about a bio-tech research facility that had created a very special virus that has the ability to mutate the DNA of non-primate animals. According to the TV program, the highly contagious virus had become airborne and escaped into the wild, and since then there have been many sightings of animals that had been transformed into what some had said were "intelligent, sentient humanoids." Sean, Missy, Michael, and Diana now knew that this is what must have happened. The program went on to tell about the attempted cover up, how the government had done its usual stupidity, and that there were now simply too many of these transformed animals not only in the United States, but now in other countries, too. Not all the animals had survived the changes--there were some that died, mostly ones who were already in a weakened state caused by other factors, such as illness, poor diet, or stress. The show went on to speak of groups that were trying to find and help the changed ones to adapt and learn basic human skills. There are other groups who, naturally, viewed the changed ones as a "threat" to their way of life or to their particular views and beliefs.

The one item that particularly got their interest were the interviews with those humans who had become the lovers of "changed ones"--their identities were kept secret to protect the couples. They had expressed in their own words their reasons for choosing to be together, which were the very same reasons that both Sean and Michael had chosen to be with Missy and Diana.

True love knows no boundaries.